Podcasts about Lake Baikal

Kirk starts off the show with the mysterious story of the Basra Grain Poisoning of 1971, a terrible story of the dangers of methylmercury. Rachel is up next with the amazing story of Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest freshwater lake on Earth.  Victoria rounds out this week's show by talking about animal asymmetry. Turns out, not all animals are symmetrical and they can get real weird. 

  Last time we spoke about the February 26th incident. Within the turbulent “ government of assassination” period of 1936 Japan, a faction of discontented junior officers, known as the Kodoha, believed that their emperor, Hirohito, was being manipulated by corrupt politicians. In a desperate bid for what they termed a "Showa Restoration," they meticulously plotted a coup d'état. On February 26, they launched a rebellion in Tokyo, attempting to assassinate key figures they deemed responsible for undermining the emperor's authority. The young officers executed coordinated attacks on prominent leaders, resulting in several deaths, while hoping to seize control of the Imperial Palace. However, their plan unraveled when their actions met with unexpected resistance, and they failed to secure strategic locations. Dark snow blanketed the city as Hirohito, outraged by the violence, quickly moved to suppress the uprising, which ultimately led to the downfall of the Kodoha faction and solidified the military's grip on power, ushering in a new era marked by militarism and radicalism.   #151 The Suiyuan Operation 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. So we last left off with the February 26th incident breaking out in Japan, but now I would like to return to China. Now we spoke a little bit about some influential Japanese politicians in the previous episode. Prime Minister Satio Makoto oversaw Japan from May 1932 to July 1934, succeeded by Prime Minister Keisuke Okada from July 1934 to March 1936. The foreign policy of Japan towards China during the Saitō and Okada administrations exhibited a notable paradox, characterized by two conflicting elements. On one hand, Foreign Minister Hirota championed a diplomatic approach that emphasized friendship, cooperation, and accommodation with China. On the other hand, the military actively undermined the authority of the Nationalist government in northern China, creating a significant rift between diplomatic rhetoric and military action.    The Okada cabinet then endorsed the Army Ministry's "Outline of Policy to Deal with North China" on January 13, 1936. This policy document explicitly proposed the eventual detachment of five provinces, Hubei, Chahar, Shanxi, Suiyuan, and Shandong from the Nationalist government in Nanking. The approval of this outline marked a pivotal moment, as it represented the first official government endorsement of the military's longstanding agenda and underscored the army's evolution from a mere rogue entity operating in the region to the de facto authority dictating the course of Japan's policy towards China. Despite this, on January 22, during the 68th Diet session, Hirota reaffirmed his dedication to fostering better ties with China, to which a representative from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded positively. The Nationalist government in Nanjing also expressed interest in engaging in formal negotiations. However, this diplomatic initiative quickly faltered, and the expected discussions in Nanjing never took place. Shortly thereafter, a mutiny by young army officers on February 26, 1936, led to the fall of the Okada cabinet. Following Prince Konoe Fumimaro's refusal of the imperial mandate to form a new government, Hirota stepped in to establish a cabinet on March 9. General Terauchi Hisaichi was appointed as the Minister of the Army, Admiral Nagano Osami took charge of the Navy Ministry, and Baba Eiichi became the finance minister. Hirota briefly served as foreign minister until Arita Hachirö, who had just submitted his credentials as ambassador to China on March 6, returned to Japan. The Hirota Koki cabinet, established immediately following the February 26 incident further entrenched military influence in politics while allowing interservice rivalries to impede national objectives. In May 1936, Hirota, influenced by army and navy ministers, reinstated the practice of appointing military ministers solely from the ranks of high-ranking active-duty officers. He believed this would prevent associations with the discredited Imperial Way faction from regaining power. By narrowing the candidate pool and enhancing the army's power relative to the prime minister, Hirota's decision set the stage for army leaders to leverage this advantage to overthrow Admiral Yonai's cabinet in July 1940. Arita began his new job by meeting with Foreign Minister Chang Chen while hearing views from the Kwantung Army chief of staff General, Itagaki Seishiro. Yes, our old friend received a lot of promotions. Itagaki had this to say about the Kwantung Army's policy in China "The primary aim of Japan's foreign policy, is the sound development of Manchukuo based upon the principle of the indivisibility of Japan and Manchukuo. If, as is probable, the existing situation continues, Japan is destined sooner or later to clash with the Soviet Union, and the attitude of China at that time will gravely influence operations [against the Soviet Union]." The Kwantung Army's was growing more and more nervous about the USSR following its 7th comintern congress held in July and August of 1935. There it publicly designated Japan, Germany and Poland as its main targets of comintern actions. Japanese intelligence in the Red Army also knew the Soviets were gradually planning to expand the military strength so they could face a simultaneous west and east front war. This was further emboldened by the latest USSR 5 year plan. Alongside the growing Red northern menace, the CCP issued on August 1st a declaration calling upon the Nationalist Government to end their civil war so they could oppose Japan. By this time the CCP was reaching the end of its Long March and organizing a new base of operations in Yenan in northern Shanxi. The developments by the USSR and CCP had a profound effect on Japan's foreign policy in China. The Kwantung Army believed a war with the USSR was imminent and began to concentrate its main force along the border of Manchukuo. The Kwantung Army's plan in the case of war was to seize Vladivostok while advancing motorized units towards Ulan Bator in Outer Mongolia, hoping to threaten the Trans-Siberian Railway near Lake Baikal. Their intelligence indicated the USSR could muster a maximum of 250,000 troops in eastern Siberia and that Japan could deal with them with a force two-thirds of that number. The IJA at that point had inferior air forces and armaments, thus urgent funding was needed. The Kwantung Army proposed that forces in the home islands should be reduced greatly so all could be concentrated in Manchuria. To increase funding so Kwantung leadership proposed doing away with special allowances for Japanese officials in Manchuria and reorganizing the Japanese economic structure. The Kwantung leaders also knew the submarine base at Vladivostok posed a threat to Japanese shipping so the IJN would have to participate, especially against ports and airfields. All said and done, the Kwantung Army planned for a war set in 1941 and advised immediate preparations. On July 23, 1936, Kanji Ishiwara presented the army's document titled “Request Concerning the Development of Industries in Preparation for War” to the Army Ministry. He asserted that in order to prepare for potential conflict with the Soviet Union, Japan, Manchukuo, and North China must have the industries critical for war fully developed by 1941. Ishiwara emphasized the urgent need for rapid industrial growth, particularly in Manchukuo. He followed this request on July 29 with a draft of a “Policy on Preparations for War” regarding the Soviet Union, advocating for immediate reforms to Japan's political and economic systems to facilitate economic expansion and lay the groundwork for future fundamental changes. However, he cautioned that if significant turmoil erupted in economic sectors, Japan must be ready to execute a comprehensive overhaul without delay. At the same time, the Hirota cabinet initiated a review of its policy towards China. In the spring of 1936, a secret committee focused on the Current Situation was formed, consisting of officials from the Army, Navy, and Foreign ministries. Their discussions led to the adoption of the "Measures to Implement Policy toward China" by the Four Ministers Conference on August 11, along with the "Second Outline of Policy to Address North China," which the cabinet approved as part of the "Fundamentals of National Policy" on the same day. The first of these documents outlined the following actionable steps: “1. Conclusion of an anti-Communist military pact. a) To prepare for the conclusion of such a pact, a special secret committee of military experts from both countries should be organized. b) Their discussions should cover the scope and substance of the pact and ways and means of realizing the objectives of the pact.  2. Conclusion of a Sino-Japanese military alliance. A special secret committee, composed of an equal number of delegates from each nation, should be organized to prepare for the conclusion of an offensive and defensive alliance against attack by a third country.  3. Acceleration of solutions of pending questions between China and Japan. a) Engagement of a senior political adviser: The Nationalist government should engage a senior Japanese political adviser to assist in the conduct of the domestic and foreign affairs of the Nationalist government. b) Engagement of military advisers: The Nationalist government should engage military advisers, along with military instructors. c) Opening of airline services between China and Japan: Airline services between China and Japan should be opened immediately. To realize such a service, various means should be used to induce the Nanking authorities to establish an airline corporation in North China, to begin flights between Formosa and Fukien province, and to start test flights between Shanghai and Fukuoka. d) Conclusion of a reciprocal tariff treaty: A reciprocal tariff treaty should be concluded promptly between China and Japan, on the basis of the policy approved by the ministries concerned, with regard to the abolition of the special trade in eastern Hopei province and the lowering of the prohibitively high tariffs. For this purpose Japan should, if necessary, propose the creation of a special committee composed of Japanese and Chinese representatives.  4. Promotion of economic cooperation between China and Japan. Japan should promote cooperation with the common people of China to establish realistic and inseparable economic relations between China and Japan that will promote coexistence and co-prosperity and will be unaffected by changes in the Chinese political situation. “ The document also included suggestions for Japan's economic expansion into South China. This included tapping into the natural resources of the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi, building a railway between Guangzhou and Swatow, and establishing air routes between Fuchoz and Taipei, which would connect to services in Japan and Thailand. It also called for survey teams to be dispatched to explore the resources of Sichuan, Gansu, Xinjiang, and Qinghai provinces, and for support to be provided to the independence movement in Inner Mongolia. However, these initiatives presented significant challenges. The preface to the "Second Outline of Policy to Deal with North China" cautioned, "In implementing this policy, we must carefully consider the Nanking government's prestige and avoid actions that could prompt it to adopt an anti-Japanese stance in response to the desires of the Chinese people."  On September 19th, six fundamental points for a settlement in North China were dictated to China to “establish a common defense against communism, promoting economic cooperation, lowering tariffs, initiating an airline service between the two nations, employing Japanese advisers, and controlling subversive Koreans." September 22 was set as the deadline for a response from China. While agreeing to some Japanese requests, the Chinese included several counter-demands that the Japanese found completely unacceptable. These demands required Japan to “(a) refrain from using armed intervention or arbitrary actions in its dealings with China, (b) recognize China as an equal and sovereign state, (c) avoid leveraging antigovernment groups or communist elements, and (d) remove any derogatory references to China from Japanese textbooks. The Chinese also insisted that any agreement regarding North China “must precede the annulment of the Tanggu and Shanghai cease-fire agreements, the disbanding of the East Hopei regime, a prohibition on unauthorized Japanese flights over North China, a ban on smuggling activities by Japanese, the restoration of China's right to control smuggling, and the disbandment of the illegal East Hopei government along with the armies of Wang Ying and Prince De in Suiyuan”. Now that mention of a Prince De in Suiyuan brings us to a whole new incident. This podcast series should almost be called “the history of Japanese related incidents in China”. Now we've spoken at great lengths about Japan's obsession with Manchuria. She wanted it for resources, growing space and as a buffer state. Japan also had her eyes set on Inner Mongolia to be used as a buffer state between Manchukuo, the USSR and China proper. Not to mention after the invasion of North China, Inner Mongolia could be instrumental as a wedge to be used to control Northern China. Thus the Kwantung Army began fostering a Mongolian independence movement back in August of 1933. They did so through a special organ led by chief of the general staff Koiso Kuniaki. He began work with the Silingol League led by Prince Sonormurabdan or “Prince So” and another influential Mongol, Prince Demchukdongrob or “Prince De”. Prince De was the West Sunid Banner in Northern Chahar. Likewise the Kwantung Army was grooming Li Xuxin, a Mongol commoner born in southern Manchuria. He had been a bandit turned soldier absorbed into Zhang Xueliangs army. Li had distinguished himself in a campaign against a group of Mongols trying to restore the Qing dynasty to further establish an independent Mongolia. During Operation Nekka Li had served in a cavalry brigade under Zu Xingwu, reputed to be the best unit in Zhang Xueliangs Northeastern border defense army. He led the army's advance unit into western Shandong. Afterwards Li suddenly became friends with Major Tanaka Hisashi, the head of the Special Service Agency at Dungliao where he defected to the Kwantung Army. He soon was leading a force too strong to be incorporated into the Manchukuo Army, thus it was disbanded, but his Kwantung Army buddies encouraged him to move to Tolun in Rehe province. At one point during the Nekka campaign, Li's army was threatened by a strong Chinese counterattack, but they had Manchukuo air support allowing them to capture Tolun. This victory launched what became the East Chahar Special Autonomous District with Li becoming a garrison commander and chief administrator.  Back in time, upon the founding of the Chinese Republic, the affairs of Inner Mongolia fell upon the Bureau of Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs. This was reorganized in 1930 into the Commission on Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs when the provinces of Chahar, Suiyuan and Ningxia were organized. Prince De had been a member of a nationalist group known as the Young Mongols, although his aim was self-determination for Inner Mongolia within China, not independence. The Nationalist government's support for Chinese settlement in Mongol territories and its disregard for Mongol perspectives quickly triggered a rise in Mongol nationalism and anti-Chinese feelings. This was exacerbated by the government's introduction of a law on October 12, 1931, requiring local Mongolian administrative units to consult with hsien officials on matters concerning their administration. The nationalist sentiment was further fueled by the presence of the neighboring Mongolian People's Republic in Outer Mongolia and the establishment of Xingan province in western Manchuria by Manchukuo authorities in March 1932. This new province included the tribes of eastern Inner Mongolia and granted them greater autonomy than other Manchukuo provinces while banning Chinese immigration into it. When Nanjing did not react to these developments, Prince De and his supporters took steps toward gaining autonomy. On July 15th, 1933, Mongol leaders from western Inner Mongolia gathered at Pailingmiao for two weeks to deliberate on a declaration for regional independence. Although many princes were initially hesitant to take this step, they reconvened on August 14 and sent a cable to Nanjing announcing their decision to create an autonomous Mongolian government. The cable was signed by Prince So and Prince De. Over the following two months, additional conferences at Pailingmiao were held to organize the new government, which would operate under Nanking's guidance but without involvement from provincial chairmen. On October 22, Prince Yun, head of the Ulanchap League and a close ally of Prince De, was elected to lead the new regime, with Prince De assuming the role of chief of its political affairs bureau. After receiving a cable from the Mongolian leaders in August, Nanjing quickly sent Minister of the Interior Huang Shao-hung and Xu Qingyang, head of the Commission on Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs, to halt the movement. However, the Mongols declined to travel to Kalgan or Kueisui to meet Huang. In November, as the leader of a special commission appointed by Nanjing, Huang reached an agreement with Yun De and other Mongolian leaders concerning a proposal that abandoned the Mongols' demand for an autonomous government. This agreement was later altered by Nanjing, and its essential points were excluded from a measure approved by the Central Political Council of the Kuomintang on January 17, 1934. The dispute reignited, fueled by the Nationalist government's rising concerns over the anticipated enthronement of Pu Yi in Manchukuo. On February 28, the Central Political Council enacted a measure that outlined "eight principles of Inner Mongolian autonomy" and created the Mongolian Local Autonomous Political Council. Since these principles did not grant authority over foreign and military affairs, powers explicitly reserved for the central government in the January measure, they were seen as a concession to the Mongols and were accepted. On March 7, the central government issued regulations to establish a semi autonomous regime for Inner Mongolia, which was officially launched at Pailingmiao on April 23. Although the council was led by three moderate princes, Prince Yun, supported by Princes So and Sha, the real administrative authority was held by Prince De, who served as the secretary-general. Most of the twenty-five council members were of Mongolian royalty, through whom Prince De aimed to fulfill his objectives. Nevertheless, the Nationalist government seemed to consider the council merely a token gesture to placate De, as Nanking never provided the promised administrative funds outlined in the "eight principle declaration." Was not much of a shock Prince De sought support from the Kwantung Army, which had established contact with him as early as June 1934. Japanese pressures in North China were starting to alter the power dynamics, and after the first Western incident in Jehol in February 1935, it compelled the relocation of Sung Queyuan's army from Chahar to Hopei, providing encouragement to Prince De. In May, he met with Kwantung Army Vice Chief of Staff Itagaki Seishirö, Intelligence Section Chief Kawabe Torashirö, and staff officer Tanaka Ryükichi, where he was officially informed for the first time about the Kwantung Army's intention to assist him. On July 25, the Kwantung Army drafted its "Essentials of Policy toward Inner Mongolia," which regarded Japanese support for cooperation between De and Li Xuxin as part of their strategic preparations for a potential conflict with the Soviet Union. Shortly after this policy was adopted, a conflict arose over who had the authority to appoint the head of the Mongol Xukung banner, situated north of the Yellow River and Paot'ou. Following the death of the previous administrator, Prince Xu declared that he had taken control of the position. In response to a request from the local abbot, Prince Yun, acting in his capacity as chairman of the Mongolian Political Council, dismissed Xu. Xu then turned to Nanking through Suiyuan Provincial Chairman Fu Zuoyi, arguing that the central government held the authority to appoint heads of administrative units. In retaliation, Prince De dispatched troops to Xukung. On November 10, Fu presented a mediation proposal, which was rejected since it not only failed to acknowledge Shih's dismissal but also demanded the withdrawal of De's forces. De refused to pull back, further intensifying his hostility toward the Nanking government. In December, the Kwantung Army attempted to move Li's forces from eastern Chahar into the six Xun to the north of Kalgan, which serves as Chahar's granary. Following the Qin-Doihara agreement, Matsui Gennosuke from the Kalgan Special Service Agency secured a deal to separate these six districts from the southern region predominantly populated by Chinese; a Mongolian peace preservation corps was tasked with maintaining order in the northern area, while a Chinese corps was responsible for the south. During the discussions for an autonomous regime centered around Song Queyuan in North China in November 1935, Kwantung Army troops were concentrated around Gubeikou. To exert pressure on Song's rear, the Kwantung Army proposed replacing the Chinese peace preservation unit in the area north of Kalgan with Li Xuxin's army, which would establish this territory as its base.   The operation commenced on December 8. In a surprise attack just before dawn, Li captured Paochang. By December 12, despite facing strong Chinese resistance and the heaviest snowfall in sixty years, Li, aided by Kwantung Army planes disguised as those of the Manchukuo Airline Corporation, had taken control of Kuyuan. Further advances were halted by an order from Kwantung Army headquarters, and on December 13, it was reported that, had the operation not been stopped, Tokyo would have issued an imperial command. The operation had faced opposition from the Tientsin army, which feared it would weaken Song Queyuan's position just as they were informing Tokyo that the autonomy movement was going smoothly. Additionally, both Britain and the United States publicly expressed strong opposition to the Kwantung Army's involvement in the autonomy movement. However, the directive was ultimately prompted by the emperor's anger upon discovering that a unit of the Kwantung Army led by Colonel Matsui Takurö had advanced to Tolun to support Li's progress. Although Li's advance was halted, the operation undeniably contributed to the formation of the Hopei-Chahar Political Council.   Although the operation was halted, the Kwantung Army remained committed to its objectives. They contended that Li's army's advance into the six districts north of Kalgan was merely a peace preservation unit moving into territory within the truce line established by the Tanggu Agreement. Consequently, on December 29, they ordered Li to advance southward. Li peacefully occupied Changpei the following day and entered Shangtu on December 31. Manchukuo civil officials were appointed to oversee the six districts, and the currency of Manchukuo was introduced, although the existing tax system initially remained unchanged. The Kwantung Army allocated silver worth 6 million yuan to support administrative expenses. This outcome, known as the Eastern Chahar incident, marked a complete success for the Kwantung Army, which then redirected its focus toward Suiyuan Province. Each year, the Kwantung Army developed a secret plan for covert operations for the following year. The 1936 plan included strategies to secure air bases for routes connecting Europe and Asia, targeting Tsinghai and Sinkiang provinces, Outer Mongolia, Western Mongolia, and even remote areas of Ningxia province. In January 1936, staff officer Tanaka Ryūkichi formulated a document titled "Essentials of Policy Toward (Northwestern) Inner Mongolia." This document advocated for the establishment of a Mongolian military government to facilitate Japanese operations in northwestern Mongolia and suggested pushing Fu Tso-yi out of Suiyuan into Shansi province. Tanaka's proposals were incorporated into the final plan of the Kwantung Army, ultimately leading to the Suiyuan incident of November 1936. In February 1936, a meeting at Pailingmiao, where Prince De proposed the independence of Inner Mongolia, resulted in the departure of Prince So and several other Mongolian leaders from the coalition. They sought to establish a rival political council at Kueisui under the protection of Fu Zuoyi. By April, De and his supporters decided to form a military government at Tehua in Chahar, which was officially inaugurated in June as the Inner Mongolian government, headed by De with Li Shou-hsin as his deputy. This new government quickly signed a mutual assistance treaty with Manchukuo, and the emperor granted De the title of prince.   In July, at a conference in Tehua, Tanaka was appointed as the head of the Special Service Agency for Inner Mongolia with the mission of implementing the army's Intelligence Section plans. He traveled to Pingtiqüan alongside Chief of Staff Itagaki and Intelligence Chief Mutō Akira to propose a local anti-Communist agreement to Fu. After failing to convince Fu, he attempted to persuade Sun Tien-ying to form a puppet army but managed to recruit only a bandit from Suiyuan, Wang Ying. The February 26 mutiny in Tokyo heightened anti-Japanese sentiments in China, resulting in increased violence. By August, the construction of an airplane hangar in Paot'ou was halted due to riots by local Chinese residents. On August 13, a group of fifteen Japanese, led by Nakajima Manzo, was ambushed while delivering ammunition to a pro-Japanese leader who was shortly thereafter assassinated. Chinese soldiers from Wang Qingkuo's 70th Division carried out the attack, and tensions escalated as the arrival of ammunition and Japanese laborers in Kalgan prompted border villages to strengthen their defenses.   By late September, Tanaka's "Guidelines for the Execution of the Suiyuan Operation" received approval, with operations set to commence in early November. The plan evolved from a covert mission into a personal initiative by Tanaka, financed largely through funds from the Kwantung Army's secret services and profits from special trading in eastern Hopei. Tanaka claimed to have transported 600,000 yen to Tehua in October and later sent 200,000 yuan into Inner Mongolia, estimating total expenses at approximately 6 million yen. He acquired new weaponry from the disbanded Northeast Army and established three clandestine forces: Wang Ying led 500 men, including artillery; Qin Xiashan commanded 3,000 from Sun Tienying's army; and Chang Futang also led 3,000 specialized units. During strategic meetings, Tanaka dismissed proposals for unified command and refusing to integrate secret units into the Mongolian army. He advocated for the slogan "Overthrow Chiang Kai-shek," while Matsui managed to include "Independence for Inner Mongolia."   The Japanese had developed the entire battle strategy. The 1st Army, commanded by Li Xuxin, would serve as the left flank, while the 2nd Army, led by Demchugdongrub, would be positioned on the right. Wang Ying's forces were designated as the central force. Their initial targets would be Hongort, Xinghe, Tuchengzi, and Guisui city, followed by a division to seize Jinging, Baotou, and Hetao. On November 13, Prince Demchugdongrub's and Wang Ying's forces left Shandu in two columns to assault Xinghe and Hongort. By the 15th, 1,500 troops reached Hongort, where they engaged the 1st Cavalry Division led by Peng Yubin. The next day, Ryukichi Tanaka, Demchugdongrub's chief advisor, sent two cavalry brigades and one infantry brigade to capture the town, effectively overrunning its defenders. Meanwhile, Wang Ying dispatched a smaller group to secure Tuchengzi.   Fu Zuoyi established his headquarters in Jining that same day. After assessing the situation, he concluded that if the enemy secured Hongort, it would diminish his defenders' morale. Consequently, he launched a counterattack. Peng Yubin led a joint force of the 1st Cavalry Division and Dong Qiwu's 218th Brigade to confront around 400 of Wang Ying's men defending Hongort and Tuchengzi. By 7 AM on the 18th, Tuchengzi was reclaimed, and at 8:30 AM, the 1st Cavalry Division entered Hongort, charging through 500 of Wang Ying's soldiers. The struggle for Hongort persisted for over three days, resulting in nearly 1,000 casualties before Fu Zuoyi regained control.   As the tide shifted against the invaders, Fu Zuoyi initiated an offensive toward the Bailing Temple, the rear base of the enemy, well-stocked and defended by 3,000 men under Prince Demchugdongrub. Fu Zuoyi ordered the 2nd Cavalry Division, along with the 211th and 315th Brigades, the 21st Artillery Regiment, and a convoy of 20 trucks and 24 armored vehicles to assault the Bailing Temple as quickly as possible. Taking advantage of the Mongolian chaos, Fu Zuoyi's 35th Brigade executed a flanking maneuver west of the Bailing Temple amid a severe snowstorm.   At 1 AM on the 24th, the battle for the Bailing Temple commenced as the Chinese engaged the Mongolians for the fortified positions around the temple. From 2 to 4 AM, the Chinese advanced closer to the temple walls, facing artillery and machine-gun fire. They launched desperate frontal assaults against the city gates, suffering heavy losses. A fierce stalemate ensued, with Japanese aerial bombardments causing significant casualties to the Chinese forces. Fu Zuoyi subsequently ordered all armored vehicles to converge at the main city gate. Despite intense fire, the armored cars managed to breach the gate, allowing Chinese infantry to flood into the temple area. The resulting carnage within the temple walls led to 900 Mongol deaths, with 300 captured as the rest fled. The Chinese suffered 300 casualties but secured the strategically vital rear base, along with a substantial stockpile of provisions, including 500 barrels of petrol, 600 rifles, 10 machine guns, vehicles, and field guns. Following the devastating defeat at Bailing Temple, the invaders regrouped at Xilamuleng Temple. On the 28th, the Japanese sent 100 vehicles to transport 3,000 troops to prepare for a significant counteroffensive to recapture Bailing Temple. On the 29th, Wang Ying personally led 2,000 cavalry north of Shangdu to Taolin in an attempt to contain the enemy. However, after he left the bulk of his forces at Xilamuleng Temple, officers from the Grand Han Righteous Army secretly began negotiating to defect to the Chinese side, undermining the forces needed for the counterattack against Bailing Temple.   The counteroffensive commenced on December 2nd, with 10 armored vehicles and 1,000 Mongol troops leading the charge at 6 AM. They were pushed back by the heavily fortified 211th Brigade, which was well-supplied with machine guns and artillery. The following day, at 3 AM, the Mongols attempted a surprise attack but faced an ambush as they crept toward the temple. They incurred hundreds of casualties, with 230 men either captured or having defected. After this, the counterattack stalled, as the Mongol forces couldn't approach within 3 miles of the temple. Subsequently, the Chinese 2nd Cavalry Division launched a pincer maneuver, causing significant casualties among the invaders. By 9 AM, the enemy had suffered 500 casualties and was in retreat. At 7 PM, Fu Zuoyi ordered another counteroffensive. By the next morning, hundreds more had been lost, and several hundred soldiers were captured. With such heavy losses, the defense of Xilamuleng Temple weakened significantly, prompting more officers to defect to the Chinese. Late on the 4th, Fu Zuoyi assembled a force comprising two cavalry regiments, one infantry regiment, one artillery battalion, four armored vehicles, and a squadron of cars to launch a nighttime assault on Xilamuleng Temple.   Meanwhile, the 2nd Cavalry Division clashed with Wang Ying's cavalry 30 miles northeast of Wulanhua. Wang Ying's 2,000 cavalry had been raiding nearby villages to create diversions, drawing enemy forces away from the Bailing-Xilamuleng theater. By the 9th, Wang Ying's cavalry were encircled in Xiaobei, where they were nearly annihilated, with Wang escaping with around a hundred guards toward Changpei. On the 7th, some Grand Han Righteous Army officers set in motion plans to defect to the Chinese side. Early on the 9th, these officers led their men to invade the residence of Japanese advisors, killing all 27 Japanese officers under Colonel Obama. Simultaneously, Fu Zuoyi's forces executed a flanking maneuver against the Xilamuleng Temple amidst the chaos. With mass defections, the Chinese forces surged into the temple area, resulting in the invader army disintegrating in confusion and surrender. After seizing the temple, the invaders were routed, their lines of communication severed, and only isolated pockets continued to resist. Taking advantage of the confusion, Fu Zuoyi launched simultaneous attacks, attempting to capture Shangdu. However, Yan Xishan sent him a telegram, ordering him to halt, stating that Shangdu fell under the jurisdiction of Shanxi and not Suiyuan.   In response to the loss, Tanaka planned a counteroffensive with Qin's troops, but Chiang kai-shek commanded a strong defense of Pailingmiao, successfully outmaneuvering Tanaka's strategies. The resurgence of Chinese forces led to the disintegration of Qin's troops, who revolted and eventually joined the Nationalist army. The Kwantung Army aimed to redeploy its forces for recovery but faced opposition from Tokyo, which criticized the situation. After Chiang kai-shek was kidnapped by Zhang Xueliang on December 12, Tanaka and Prince De seized the opportunity to reassess their strategy. Ultimately, the Kwantung Army decided to abandon efforts to reclaim Pailingmiao, marking the official end of hostilities on December 21. The Suiyuan incident ultimately strengthened Chinese resolve against Japan and increased international distrust.   The defeat of Japan's proxy forces inspired many Chinese to advocate for a more vigorous resistance against the Japanese. The triumph in Suiyuan was celebrated throughout China and surprised the international media, marking the first occasion where the Chinese army successfully halted a Japanese unit. Delegations traveled from as distant as southern Chinese provinces to encourage the defenders to continue their fight. Captured Japanese weapons and equipment served as proof of Japan's involvement in the conflict, despite Japan's Foreign Minister Hachirō Arita claiming that "Japan was not involved in this conflict in Suiyuan at all." After his defeat, Prince Demchugdongrub and his Inner Mongolian troops retreated to northern Chahar, where he had to reconstruct his army due to significant losses. The Japanese implemented new regulations for the Mongolian Army to enhance its effectiveness, and efforts to recruit new soldiers commenced.   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. More incidents and more battles to seize territory raged in North China. However things did not go according to plan for the Japanese and their puppets. The tides had turned, and now a more angry and invigorating China would begin lashing out against the encroachment. It was only a matter of time before a full blown war was declared. 

Please Hit Subscribe and leave a 5-star review. Click here to go to Jen's Book. https://a.co/d/cxEgQdT Click here to go to Our Patreon Page. https://www.patreon.com/222ParanormalPodcast Click here to go to our website. https://www.222paranormal.com/ Click here to see Joes book. https://a.co/d/8alOmAP   In this episode of the 222 Paranormal Podcast, we take a deep dive—literally—into one of the most mysterious and least understood phenomena in the paranormal world: Unidentified Submerged Objects, or USOs. While UFOs capture most of the attention, their aquatic counterparts may hold just as many secrets, and possibly, the key to understanding a much larger mystery. Unidentified Underwater Objects have been reported for centuries, with accounts from sailors, military personnel, and even civilians describing strange crafts or lights that defy explanation beneath the surface of oceans, lakes, and seas. Unlike UFOs, which travel through the skies, USOs are often seen entering or exiting water at high speeds, maneuvering in ways that defy physics and known marine technology. We start with historical sightings—like the 1492 account from Christopher Columbus, who recorded seeing a strange light moving up and down beneath the water's surface during his voyage to the New World. These early reports laid the foundation for what many believe to be consistent patterns of underwater anomalies. Fast forward to modern times, and we explore declassified naval reports and sonar readings that suggest encounters with fast-moving submerged objects. One of the most famous cases is the 1963 incident involving the USS Wasp, where Navy sonar operators tracked an object moving at speeds exceeding any known submarine capability. Another widely discussed case is the 2007 Aguadilla, Puerto Rico sighting, captured by Homeland Security thermal imaging, showing a flying object entering the ocean without any visible splash and continuing underwater at high velocity. We also examine hotspots of USO activity, such as the Santa Catalina Channel off the coast of California and the Lake Baikal region in Russia, where divers have allegedly encountered humanoid beings in metallic suits beneath the ice. These regions show repeated patterns of sightings and encounters, sparking speculation about hidden underwater bases or unknown aquatic species. Could these crafts be of extraterrestrial origin? Are they part of secret military technology? Or do they represent something entirely different—perhaps even interdimensional travel or ancient civilizations using advanced submerged technology? We discuss various theories, including the possibility that the ocean's depths offer perfect cover for surveillance or exploration by non-human intelligence. We also touch on how the Navy has shifted its language from “UFO” to “UAP” (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) and the increasing inclusion of "transmedium" objects—craft that can travel through air, water, and even space. This shift suggests a growing awareness and legitimacy of the phenomena, with USOs now firmly in the spotlight. Join us as we explore the deep blue unknown, sharing stories, evidence, and chilling accounts that may change how you view the waters that cover over 70% of our planet. Are the answers to the UFO mystery not above us, but below? Don't miss this thought-provoking episode of the 222 Paranormal Podcast—subscribe and dive into the strange world of USOs with us! Welcome to the 222 Paranormal Podcast, your gateway to the captivating world of the supernatural. Immerse yourself in our expertly crafted episodes, where we delve deep into a wide range of paranormal phenomena, including ghostly hauntings, cryptid sightings, and unexplained mysteries that defy logic. Each episode is meticulously researched and features engaging discussions with leading experts, seasoned ghost hunters, and renowned paranormal investigators. We cover the latest advancements in ghost hunting technology, offer practical tips for both amateur and experienced investigators, and review essential equipment for your paranormal adventures. Our podcast also explores the rich history of haunted locations, sharing true stories and firsthand accounts that will send chills down your spine. Whether you're a die-hard fan of the paranormal or just curious about the unknown, our content is designed to entertain, inform, and ignite your imagination. Stay tuned as we uncover secrets from the most haunted places around the world and analyze the most intriguing supernatural events. We also provide in-depth interviews with notable figures in the field and explore theories that challenge conventional understanding of reality. By subscribing to our Paranormal Podcast, you'll stay updated with the latest episodes, allowing you to join a community of like-minded individuals who share your fascination with the unexplained. Don't miss out on our exclusive content and special features, which bring you closer to the mysteries that lie beyond our everyday experiences. Dive into the world of the unknown with our Paranormal Podcast and experience the thrill of discovering what lies just beyond the veil of reality.

In August 1993, a group of kayakers from Ukraine travelled to Irkutsk in Southern Siberia. Whilst enjoying the river and scenery south of Lake Baikal, they came across something haunting: a 17-year-old girl, covered in blood and mumbling incoherently about a tragedy that had befallen her and her friends. Her name was Valentina Utochenko, and the terror she survived still baffles experts, who refer to the event simply as the Khamar-Daban Mountain Deaths. MUSIC  Tracks used by kind permission of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Tracks used by kind permission of CO.AG Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I chose Baikal at first because of the location, inspired by a magical realist novel set there, called The Year of Miracle and Grief by Leonid Borodin. I was curious to hear the actual sound of this ancient deep body of water. Listening, I was drawn into the scene, hearing the water lapping, like a giant breathing. And the crunching movement of feet circling it.  "The presence of visitors at the lakeside creates a cultural meeting point, but is it respectful, or is it consuming? There is an ominous feeling as human presence circles and crunches without ceasing, almost predatory. But also thirsty. The lake has a mystical gravity, drawing people to its invisible depths, that speaks of eternity.  "I edited the original file, removing voices, and added some fx to emphasise the slow breath, lapping of the water, and crunching of the feet. I then created a multiparts sample, assigning different sounds to keys. I added a bass synth gonging, like a march. Then played the sampler, record different layers of the field recording instrument over the track. I imagine this could be played live, in different combinations, emulating the sameness and difference to all the feet that tread the lake shore." Lake Baikal reimagined by Marg Laing. ——————— This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world's most famous sights. Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage

Dive into the depths of Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake, where legends of underwater civilizations, UFO sightings, and strange appearances lurk beneath the surface.

This week we talk about another WV cryptid, the Vegetable Man! We also dive into Lake Baikal. Will we ever find the bottom of this deep dark lake? Email us your stories!!! or if you want to sponsor us ;)  Email - ⁠⁠⁠mysteriesmythslegends@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠  ESTY: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.etsy.com/shop/LuxieandLuna?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=826447453⁠⁠⁠  We post pictures of our stories every week on instagram!!!! FOLLOW US ON SOCIALS:  Tiktok: @myths_podcast  Instagram: @myths_podcast  Twitter: @myths_podcast  Taylor's Instagram: @teeelive  Taylor's Twitter: @teeelive  Savannah's Instagram: @kavannahaha  Savannah's Twitter: @sanna_sunshine  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mysteriesmythsandlegends/support

Send us a textPlease Visit AdventureDiaries.com/StartWelcome to another episode of Adventure Diaries! Today, Chris sits down with Valerie Gagne, aka The Running Panda, an elite athlete turned seasoned adventurer. Valerie's journey is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the transformative power of exploration. From competing at a national level in cross-country skiing and rowing to undertaking solo expeditions in some of the harshest environments, Valerie shares her story of pushing personal limits and embracing adventure as a way of life.In this episode, Valerie opens up about her early love for sports, her Olympic dreams, and the pivotal moments that shifted her focus from competition to adventure. She recounts the life-changing experience of participating in an Impossible to Possible (I2P) expedition through the Atacama Desert, where she learned to embrace teamwork, vulnerability, and collaboration. Valerie also takes us through her solo ski expedition around the Eye of Quebec, an incredible 190-kilometer journey through challenging winter conditions, where she built confidence by mastering essential survival skills.We explore:Valerie's early life in an athletic family and her passion for outdoor sports.How setbacks in competitive sports led to her transition into adventure.The role of I2P in teaching resilience, teamwork, and leadership.Mentorship from adventurer Ray Zahab and its impact on her journey.The challenges of solo expeditions, including battling slush, injury, and solitude.How adventures cultivate mental strength, self-reliance, and problem-solving skills.Valerie's plans for future Arctic explorations and her love for local “backyard” adventures.Valerie's story is an inspiring call to embrace both small, local adventures and bold, life-changing expeditions. Whether you're an outdoor enthusiast or seeking motivation to step outside your comfort zone, this episode is packed with insights and inspiration.Links and Resources:Follow Valerie: Instagram and TikTok - @_therunningpandaLearn about Impossible to Possible: Impossible2Possible.comExplore Valerie's Adventures: Eye of Quebec, Lake Baikal, Baffin IslandCall to Action:Feeling inspired? Start your own adventure—whether it's a backyard hike or a polar expedition. Sometimes, the biggest rewards come from simply taking that first step.For more episodes and show notes, visit AdventureDiaries.com. Don't forget to follow, rate, and review us on your favorite podcast platform!Support the showThanks For Listening.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a comment and subscribe for more exciting content. Follow us https://linktr.ee/adventurediaries for updates. Have a topic suggestion? Email us at ideas@adventurediaries.com. AdventureDiaries.com#AdventureDiaries #AdventureStories #NationalGeographic #Discovery #NaturalWorld

These week we welcome back Art from his trip to Goofy's Kitchen to bring you a show that might spin off into 5-10 other shows by introducing you to the topic of USO's. No not USO like those shows that Bob Hope did for the military.....USO being Unidentified Submerged Objects.  We also add in the tale of Siberian divers who discover some Jar Jar Bink looking creatures in the middle of the deepest oldest lake in the world...LAKE BAIKAL... As always follow us on the stuff Merch Store- http://tee.pub/lic/doEoXMI_oPI Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/Artandjacobdoamerica Website- https://artandjacobdoamerica.com/ Network- https://podbelly.com/ Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/artandjacobdoamerica YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0rT6h3N2pWtlkxaqgIvaZw?view_as=subscriber Twitter- https://twitter.com/ArtandJacobDoA1 Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/artandjacobdoamerica/   ALSO! Make sure you're checking out our sponsors  https://cavemancoffeeco.com   Sample this week comes from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKRBp_-8ZTM&list=LL&index=1    

Unveiling the Odd: Funeral Home Secrets, Quantum Minds & Perception Mysteries In this mind-bending episode of The Box of Oddities, Kat, and Jethro dive into four peculiar topics that will leave you questioning everything. First, a strange discovery at a Seattle funeral home—what was unearthed, and how does it tie into the Civil War? Then, journey to the heart of Russia's enigmatic Lake Baikal, a place with secrets as deep as its waters. Next, we explore the mind-blowing Orch OR theory that suggests your brain might actually be a biological quantum computer, shaping your reality as you perceive it. And finally, we'll look closer at the fascinating world of perception phenomena—how our senses might be fooling us in ways we never expected. Tune in for an episode packed with oddities and fresh perspectives on the strange, the mysterious, and the downright bizarre! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you heard the stories about this deep and ancient lake they call Lake Baikal?

Haley and Jillian delve into the other Dyatlov Pass incident - the Khamar-Daban incident. Siberia is full of terrors. Then Haley talks about the Russian version of Bigfoot, the Mecheny. Sources: The Khamar-Daban Incident: Mountain Madness, Bipin Dimri, Historic Mysteries Infrasound, Wikipedia Khamar-Daban Incident, Wikipedia  "Mysterious death of climbers at the Khamar-Daban pass. Death of Buryat tourists: hypothermia or mysticism? Expedition by Lyudmila Korovina". parki-himki.ru. Pollution of Lake Baikal, Eco Hub Map Lake Baikal, Wikipedia Mecheny, Cryptid Wiki

In this episode, we delve into the unique and incredible world of the Baikal seal, the only exclusively freshwater seal in the world. We explore the seal's remarkable physiology, adaptations, and its exclusive habitat in Lake Baikal, Siberia. Our discussion covers the seal's evolutionary history, behavior, diet, and conservation status, along with highlighting the importance of freshwater conservation. Podcast Timeline 00:00 Introduction to the Baikal Seal 00:45 Unique Features of the Baikal Seal 02:51 Conservation and Listener Shoutouts 04:33 Physical Description and Adaptations 10:01 Lake Baikal: The Seal's Unique Habitat 17:50 Freshwater Conservation Challenges 24:08 Seal Classification and Related Species 27:45 Exploring Seal Population Dynamics 28:12 Evolutionary Journey of Seals 29:09 Theories on Baikal Seal Migration 34:01 Adaptations of Baikal Seals 36:05 Diving and Hunting Techniques 42:35 Seasonal Movements and Behavior 47:55 Reproduction and Pups 54:03 Conservation Challenges and Efforts 01:00:00 Final Thoughts and Future Topics ------------------------------------------------------------- Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation.  Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE. We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife. Please contact us at advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast You can also visit our website HERE.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Chris welcomes Peter Fong to discuss his conservation efforts in one of the most remote places on the planet, Mongolia and Lake Baikal. Peter shares his unique journey from fish biology to becoming a conservation guide, detailing his work with Mongolia River Outfitters and his 60-day expedition rowing to Lake Baikal for his book. The conversation highlights the importance of catch-and-release fishing, the impact of climate change on the region, and the conservation challenges faced by unique species like the taimen. Listeners are encouraged to appreciate the value of low-impact tourism and the significant role of local communities in conservation efforts. You can learn more about Peter Fong HERE You can learn more about Mongolia River Outfitters HERE 00:00 Introduction to the Creatures Podcast 00:31 Meet Peter Fong: A Journey to Mongolia 01:19 Peter's Unconventional Path to Conservation 03:31 Discovering Mongolia and the Taimen 06:02 Challenges and Conservation Efforts 08:34 The Importance of Catch and Release 13:02 DNA Analysis and Research Insights 19:08 Rowing to Baikal: An Epic Journey 26:17 Cultural Reflections and Encouragement to Explore 28:39 Dismantling the Campsite 29:06 Living in Traditional Gers 31:10 Facing Harsh Weather Conditions 33:05 Navigating the Mongolian Wilderness 37:32 Collecting Scientific Data 39:27 Conservation Efforts in Mongolia 43:18 Planning an Expedition 45:57 Personal Growth Through Exploration 52:06 Final Thoughts and Contact Information ------------------------------------------------------------- This episode is sponsored by/brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/CREATURES and get on your way to being your best self. Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation.  Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE. We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife. Please contact us at advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast You can also visit our website HERE.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back on the elasmobranch train with our latest episode all about deep-sea sharks! We speak with Justin Cordova, co-founder and deputy director of The Rogue Shark Lab all about the fascinating world of deep-sea sharks! What makes them different from their shallow-water relatives? Why do their eyes glow green? How exactly do you get into a career in deep-sea shark research? The Professor is trapped in paradise (somewhere in Fiji) whilst he quarantines before his next big offshore expedition. But he's not alone - alongside his new pal Roger (the guard gecko) he's quarantining with deep-sea celebrity, Jason 'J-Rod' Rodriguez. The famed SuBastian ROV pilot is joining Alan on this next leg of the expedition to the Tonga Trench. Make sure you're following us to hear all of the updates in our next episode! Andrew is back from his travels and was just as excited about our Lake Baikal episode as us! In this month's Coffee with Andrew segment, he talks us through the unbelievable similarities between deep-ocean and the deep-lake fish of Baikal. Thanks again for tuning in, we'll deep-see you next time! ------------------------------------------------------------------ Support us by becoming a patron and joining our deep-sea community! We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Claudio Zanette | Becca Nicholls | Rebecca Rulnick ------------------------------------------------------------------ NEW MERCH DESIGNS Check out our podcast merch here! Which still includes Alan's beloved apron. ------------------------------------------------------------------ GET IN TOUCH Email: podcast@armatusoceanic.com Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic  Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley  Georgia - @geeinthesea   Instagram:  Georgia - @geeinthesea Thom - @thom.linley    Read the show notes and find out more about us at: www.armatusoceanic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------ FURTHER RESOURCES NEWS Study shows sexual parasitism helped anglerfish invade the deep sea Biological Sunglasses in a Deep-Sea Squid: Pigment Migration in the Retina of Gonatus onyx The huge new paper on the classification of ray-finned fishes (living and fossil)   People mentioned Ryan Howard - AUT Squid Squad PhD Candidate Kat Bolstad - AUT Squid Squad leader AUT Squid Squad Website & Twitter Andrew Stewart - Curator of Fishes at Te Papa Museum, New Zealand Justin Cordova - Co-founder of The Rogue Shark Lab Credits Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel Logo image - AMNH Edited by - Georgia Wells   #deepsea #deepocean #shark #podcast #science #marinebiology #alanjamieson #thomaslinley #justincordova #sharkweek #megalodon #goblinshark #interview #scicomm  

Today, we take the watery topic of Lake Baikal and try to figure out how to mix hidden roles into that body of water. We are joined by Board Game Reviewer Extraordinare Dan Thurot, from SpaceBiff.com. Be sure to check out our discord, if you would like a sneak peek at guests, as well as other mixtures of topic and mechanisms! https://discord.gg/TZNXCnhx

What really happened to a group of seven hikers in the Khamar-Daban mountain range in Siberia on August 5th, 1993? Did six of them really begin to bleed from their eyes and ears before they all died in a state of utter madness? And if so - what, exactly, killed them? We look at the known facts and examine some of the conspiracies today and present a possible answer. WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/SFJ1tRqiWJIFor Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 47. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be! Read the show notes and find the full episode here: https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/047-baikal   Located in southern Siberia and covered in thick ice for almost half of the year, the colossal Lake Baikal reaches depths of 1600m making it the oldest, and deepest lake in the world. With hydrothermal vents, methane seeps and vast swathes of endemic species, this ancient lake was too tempting not to talk about.   We speak with Professor Marianne Moore, a Limnologist who has been working on the lake for over 2 decades. She guides us through its incredible ecosystems and species such as the world's only freshwater seal, deep water insects and foot-long flatworms!   We're really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here's a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us!   Thanks again for tuning in, we'll deep-see you next time!   Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan's beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...    Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@armatusoceanic.com We'd love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!   We are also on  Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic  Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke (https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke) Thom - @ThomLinley (https://twitter.com/ThomLinley)  Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://twitter.com/geeinthesea)    Instagram:  Georgia - @geeinthesea Thom - @thom.linley    Read the show notes and find out more about us at: www.armatusoceanic.com FURTHER RESOURCES LAKE BAIKAL READING Intro to Lake Baikal and lakes: Mogolov, L.S. 2017. The Soul of Siberia at Risk. Wellesley Magazine. p.16-22. Moore, M.V., S.E. Hampton, L.R. Izmest'eva, E.A. Silow, E.V. Peshkova, and B. Pavlov. 2009. Climate change and the world's ‘Sacred Sea' – Lake Baikal, Siberia. BioScience 59:405-417 Thomson, P. 2007. Sacred Sea: A Journey to Lake Baikal, Oxford University Press. 320 p. Vincent, W.F. 2018. Lakes. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press. 146 p. Vents and seeps: Crane, K., Hecker, B. and Golubev, V., 1991. Hydrothermal vents in Lake Baikal. Nature, 350(6316), pp.281-281. Zemskaya, T.I., Sitnikova, T.Y., Kiyashko, S.I., Kalmychkov, G.V., Pogodaeva, T.V., Mekhanikova, I.V., Naumova, T.V., Shubenkova, O.V., Chernitsina, S.M., Kotsar, O.V. and Chernyaev, E.S., 2012. Faunal communities at sites of gas-and oil- bearing fluids in Lake Baikal. Geo-Marine Letters, 32, pp.437-451. Fish: Sideleva, V.G. 2003. The Endemic Fishes of Lake Baikal. Backhuys Publishers. Sideleva, V.G. 2004. Mysterious Fish of Lake Baikal. Science First Hand 3:N2. (Note: ‘black umber' and ‘white umber', mentioned in this article, are two endemic varieties of the Siberian grayling Thymallus arcticus.) Sideleva, V.G., 2016. Communities of the cottoid fish (Cottoidei) in the areas of hydrothermal vents and cold seeps of the abyssal zone of Baikal Lake. Journal of Ichthyology, 56, pp.694-701. Seal: Nomokonova, T., Losey, R.J., Iakunaeva, V.N., Emelianova, I.A., Baginova, E.A. and Pastukhov, M.V., 2013. People and seals at Siberia's Lake Baikal. Journal of Ethnobiology, 33(2), pp.259-280. Watanabe, Y.Y., Baranov, E.A. and Miyazaki, N., 2020. Ultrahigh foraging rates of Baikal seals make tiny endemic amphipods profitable in Lake Baikal. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(49), pp.31242-31248. Environmental threats: Moore, M.V., S.E. Hampton, L.R. Izmest'eva, E.A. Silow, E.V. Peshkova, and B. Pavlov. 2009. Climate change and the world's ‘Sacred Sea' – Lake Baikal, Siberia. BioScience 59:405-417. Timoshkin, O.A. 2015. Ecological Crisis on Lake Baikal: Diagnosed by Scientists. Science First Hand 41:N2. Timoshkin, O.A., D.P. Samsonov, M. Yamamuro, M.V. Moore, O.I. Belykh, V.V. Malnik, M.V. Sakirko, A.A. Shirokaya, N.A. Bondarenko, V.M. Domysheva, G.A. Fedorova, A.I. Kochetkov, et al. 2016. Rapid ecological change in the coastal zone of Lake Baikal (East Siberia): Is the site of the world's greatest freshwater biodiversity in danger? Journal of Great Lakes Research 42:487-497. doi: 10.1016/j.jglr.2016.02.011   PEOPLE MENTIONED Professor Marianne Moore & Marianne's excellent paper on interdisciplinary work   CREDITS Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel Edited by - Georgia Wells

Plunge into the mysteries of Lake Baikal as Tom and Laura unravel the chilling tales of Soviet scuba divers encountering strange humanoids, ancient legends of dragon-like beings, and baffling UFO sightings. Join us as we explore the world's deepest lake's uncharted territories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Located in southern Siberia and covered in thick ice for almost half of the year, the colossal Lake Baikal reaches depths of 1600m making it the oldest, and deepest lake in the world. With hydrothermal vents, methane seeps and vast swathes of endemic species, this ancient lake was too tempting not to talk about.   We speak with Professor Marianne Moore, a Limnologist who has been working on the lake for over 2 decades. She guides us through its incredible ecosystems and species such as the world's only freshwater seal, deep water insects and foot-long flatworms! Plus, we hear about the myths and mysteries of the lake: from scientifically testing whether the mafia can use amphipods to effectively dispose of bodies, to whether there really is 1600 tonnes of gold hiding at the bottom of the lake.    The Professor is back on land after a succession of crazy adventures which includes writing a paper on backwards swimming in deep sea fish, finding the worlds deepest nudibranch (possibly) plus discovering his friends live in the most metal place ever.  There's no Coffee with Andrew segment this month as he is taking a well deserved break (and is possibly touring the country looking for the strangest milks he can find), but we do hear from Kakani Kajita about the recent release of FathomVerse - the mobile game helping to contribute to deep sea citizen science. Kakani tells us about how it's doing in its first month of release, and how it's already making an impact in training deep sea AI models.   We're really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here's a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us: Elinor Wahl | Andrew Stewart | KJ Quintanilla | Thomas Brattheim Thanks again for tuning in, we'll deep-see you next time!   Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan's beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...    Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@armatusoceanic.com We'd love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!   We are also on  Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic  Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:  Alan - @Hadalbloke (https://twitter.com/Hadalbloke) Thom - @ThomLinley (https://twitter.com/ThomLinley)  Georgia - @geeinthesea (https://twitter.com/geeinthesea)    Instagram:  Georgia - @geeinthesea Thom - @thom.linley    Read the show notes and find out more about us at: www.armatusoceanic.com FURTHER RESOURCES Triton submarines are building a new submarine to visit the Titanic to show that deep sea exploration is safe Robotic Explorers Uncover Unexpected Ancient Origins of Strange Seafloor Formations  Deep-sea sponge's 'zero-energy' flow control could inspire new energy efficient designs    LAKE BAIKAL READING Intro to Lake Baikal and lakes: Mogolov, L.S. 2017. The Soul of Siberia at Risk. Wellesley Magazine. p.16-22. Moore, M.V., S.E. Hampton, L.R. Izmest'eva, E.A. Silow, E.V. Peshkova, and B. Pavlov. 2009. Climate change and the world's ‘Sacred Sea' – Lake Baikal, Siberia. BioScience 59:405-417 Thomson, P. 2007. Sacred Sea: A Journey to Lake Baikal, Oxford University Press. 320 p. Vincent, W.F. 2018. Lakes. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press. 146 p. Vents and seeps: Crane, K., Hecker, B. and Golubev, V., 1991. Hydrothermal vents in Lake Baikal. Nature, 350(6316), pp.281-281. Zemskaya, T.I., Sitnikova, T.Y., Kiyashko, S.I., Kalmychkov, G.V., Pogodaeva, T.V., Mekhanikova, I.V., Naumova, T.V., Shubenkova, O.V., Chernitsina, S.M., Kotsar, O.V. and Chernyaev, E.S., 2012. Faunal communities at sites of gas-and oil- bearing fluids in Lake Baikal. Geo-Marine Letters, 32, pp.437-451. Fish: Sideleva, V.G. 2003. The Endemic Fishes of Lake Baikal. Backhuys Publishers. Sideleva, V.G. 2004. Mysterious Fish of Lake Baikal. Science First Hand 3:N2. (Note: ‘black umber' and ‘white umber', mentioned in this article, are two endemic varieties of the Siberian grayling Thymallus arcticus.) Sideleva, V.G., 2016. Communities of the cottoid fish (Cottoidei) in the areas of hydrothermal vents and cold seeps of the abyssal zone of Baikal Lake. Journal of Ichthyology, 56, pp.694-701. Seal: Nomokonova, T., Losey, R.J., Iakunaeva, V.N., Emelianova, I.A., Baginova, E.A. and Pastukhov, M.V., 2013. People and seals at Siberia's Lake Baikal. Journal of Ethnobiology, 33(2), pp.259-280. Watanabe, Y.Y., Baranov, E.A. and Miyazaki, N., 2020. Ultrahigh foraging rates of Baikal seals make tiny endemic amphipods profitable in Lake Baikal. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(49), pp.31242-31248. Environmental threats: Moore, M.V., S.E. Hampton, L.R. Izmest'eva, E.A. Silow, E.V. Peshkova, and B. Pavlov. 2009. Climate change and the world's ‘Sacred Sea' – Lake Baikal, Siberia. BioScience 59:405-417. Timoshkin, O.A. 2015. Ecological Crisis on Lake Baikal: Diagnosed by Scientists. Science First Hand 41:N2. Timoshkin, O.A., D.P. Samsonov, M. Yamamuro, M.V. Moore, O.I. Belykh, V.V. Malnik, M.V. Sakirko, A.A. Shirokaya, N.A. Bondarenko, V.M. Domysheva, G.A. Fedorova, A.I. Kochetkov, et al. 2016. Rapid ecological change in the coastal zone of Lake Baikal (East Siberia): Is the site of the world's greatest freshwater biodiversity in danger? Journal of Great Lakes Research 42:487-497. doi: 10.1016/j.jglr.2016.02.011   PEOPLE MENTIONED Professor Marianne Moore & Marianne's excellent paper on interdisciplinary work Kakani Kajita   SOUNDTRACK OF THE MONTH Frightening Fishes CREDITS Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel Logo image - Vereshchagina et al (2021), Sitnikova et al (2018), Teterina et al (2010) Edited by - Georgia Wells  

GET‌ ‌EVERY‌ ‌EPISODE‌ ‌AD FREE PLUS BONUS‌ ‌CONTENT‌ ‌AT:‌ ‌‌www.patreon.com/crackpotpodcast‌ Nestled in the heart of Siberia, Lake Baikal is not only the world's deepest and oldest freshwater lake but also a hotspot for bizarre paranormal occurrences. From sightings of mysterious lights dancing across the sky to encounters with elusive creatures lurking in its depths, Lake Baikal has become a magnet for those seeking answers to the unexplainable. In this episode, we'll explore the rich tapestry of legends and folklore that shroud the lake, from tales of ancient spirits guarding its waters to rumors of secret government experiments conducted beneath its surface. We'll hear firsthand accounts from eyewitnesses who have experienced strange phenomena, and we'll examine the scientific theories proposed to make sense of these mysteries. But are these occurrences merely figments of imagination, or is there something truly otherworldly lurking beneath the surface of Lake Baikal? Join us as we attempt to separate fact from fiction and uncover the truth behind Russia's most intriguing paranormal enigma. Notes, blog, merch and more! www.crackpotpodcast.com  

Last time we spoke about the rise of the Spirit Soldier movement. As a result of the hardship brought upon the common people of China during China's Warlord Era a new group known as the Spirit Soldiers rose up. Motivated by grievances against warlord abuses and foreign influences, the Spirit Soldier emerged as a grassroots movement seeking to overthrow the oppressive regime. They believed in summoning divine beings or becoming possessed by them to aid their cause, reminiscent of the Yihetuan. Despite lacking centralized organization and firearms, they managed to seize control of several counties in regions like Hubei and Sichuan. However, they simply were no match for Warlord armies who were better trained, better organized and certainly better armed. While in small groups the Spirit armies managed just fine, but when they assembled 100,000 strong, they were ultimately crushed. Despite this the last Spirit rebellion would occur in 1959.   #101 The Mongolian Revolution of 1921   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. Oh yes we are not done with Mongolia. As a quick refresher, a few episodes back we talked about what is known as the Occupation of Mongolia. Quite a few things were going on all at once in the late 1910's. The Russian Empire collapsed and now was stuck in a civil war with the Reds vs the Whites. The Republic of China likewise collapsed into the Warlord Era. Mongolia stuck between these two former empires, attempted to gain independence, but swiftly fell into conflict with radicals from both. As a result of the Russian white General Grigori Semyonov trying to force a new pan Mongolia state, Duan Qirui exploited the situation to forcibly invade Mongolia. Duan Qirui had been taking a lot of heat for pushing China to declare war on Germany and getting caught taking secret loans from the Empire of Japan. Everyone in China was calling for Duan to reduce or eliminate his Anhui Army, but the situation in Mongolia gave him the perfect excuse to use it, thus in his mind legitimizing its existence. Duan Qirui dispatched General Xu Shuzheng with the “northwest frontier army” to protect Mongolia from a supposed Red army invasion. In the face of overwhelming military forces, the Mongolians submitted to Xu and were absolutely humiliated and subjugated. And thus Mongolia lived happily ever after. No, not at all. Between 1919-1920 a few Mongolian nobles came together to form two groups, the first was called “Konsulyn denj / the Consular Hill” the second “Zuun khuree / the East Urga” groups. The first group was the brainchild of Dogsomyn Bodoo, a prominent Mongolian politician. Bodoo had worked as a Mongolian language teacher at a Russian-Mongolian school for translators. He spoke Mongolian, Tibetan, Mandarin and Manchu. Because of his work he came into contact with Bolshevism through Russian acquaintances. After the occupation of Mongolia by Duan Qirui's forces, he formed the secret Consular Hill group as a means of resistance. Doboo's Consular Hill soon saw Khorloogiin Choibalsan join. Choibalsan also worked at the Russian Mongolian translator school and shared a Yurt with Doboo. Doboo was a mentor to Choibalsan whom worked primarily as a Russian interpreter at the Russian consulate. Because of the nature of his work, Choibalsan spent a lot of time with the Soviets. Not to give too much away, but later on Choibalsan would become known as “the Stalin of Mongolia”. A Russo-Mongolian printing officer typesetter named Mikhail Kucherenko, a Bolshevik in Urga, visited Bodoo and Choibalsan, talking to them about things related to Mongolian independence and actively resisted the Chinese. The East Urga group were founded by Soliin Danzan an official of the Ministry of Finance and Dansranbilegiin Dogsom , an official in the Ministry of the Army. Danzan had once been a horse thief, but managed to climb the ladder towards being a customs officer or the ministry of finance. Dogs had worked as a scribe for district and provincial assemblies before taking a job at the ministry of finance and Army later on. Another founding member was Damdin Sukhbaatar who grew up around Russians and spoke Russian. He joined the New Mongolia Army in 1911 after the independence movement and rose through the ranks seeing deployment on Mongolia's eastern border. After his death he would be referred to as “the Lenin of Mongolia”. The beginning of the East Urga group saw radicals within the lower house of the Mongolian parliament, such as Danzan and Dogsom met secretly trying to figure a way of getting rid of Xu Shuzheng and the Chinese dominance over their nation. The groups formed a plot to seize the mongolian army's arsenal and assassinate Xu Shuzheng, but the arsenal was too well guarded and Xu departed the region before they could pull it off. Within Urga were many Russian refugees, Red and White alike. They established a Municipal Duma, and some of the Bolshevik minded ones learned of the secret Consular Hill and East Urga groups. In March of 1920, the Duma was sending one of their members, Sorokovikov to Irkutsk, but before he did so, they thought it a good idea for him to learn about these secret groups and what they were up to. Sorokovikov met with representatives of both groups before traveling to Irkutsk. When he returned to Urga in June of that year, he met with the representatives again with promises the USSR would provide any assistance needed to the Mongolian workers. He then extended them invitations to send their groups representatives to Russia to discuss matters further.  As you can imagine, both these groups got pretty excited. Until this point the two groups did not brush shoulders much, they were in fact quite different. The Consular Hill group were progressive socialists while the East Urga group were more nationalistic. While they seemed to be at odds, the Soviet invitation had brought them together and in doing so they decided to merge on June 25th to form the Mongolian People's Party. It was then agreed Danzan and Choibalsan would act as the delegates that would go to Russia. Both men arrived in Verkhneudinsk, the new capital of the Pro-Soviet Far Eastern Republic. They met with Boris Shumyatsky, the acting head of the government. Shumyatsky kind of gave them the cold shoulder as they hounded his government for military assistance to fight off the Chinese. Shumyatsky advised them they should go back home, and get members of their party over in Urga to send a coded message with the stamped seal of the Bogd Khan to formally request such a thing. They did just that and now 5 delegates returned to Verkhneudinsk with it, but Shumyatsky told them he had no real authority to make such a decision and that they needed to go to Irkutsk. So yeah it was one of those cases where a guy you thought was a head honcho, was really not haha. The Mongolian delegates then went to Irkutsk in August where they met with the head of what would soon become the Far Eastern Secretariat of the Communist International aka the Comintern. They explained they required military assistance, soon handing over a list of requests. They wanted military instructors, over 10,000 rifles, some artillery pieces, machine guns and of course funding they could use to recruit soldiers. The head told them….to drag a letter and this time to make sure the name of the party was included in it, not in the name of the Bogd Khan. They were also to list their objectives and requests. Now as funny as this all sounds, not to dox myself, but when I got my first big boy job as they say, I had to learn how to write formal letters to the government, funding requests, partnership things, etc etc, and I can feel for these guys in that sense. They all seemed to have little experience in such matters and yes, some officials were clearing just messing with them, sending them left and right, but some guys were trying to show them how to work an existing process, random rant sorry. Once they finished this new letter they were told it might be considered by the Siberian REvolutionary Committee in Omsk, the buck keeps passing. At this point the mongolians divided themselves into three groups: Delegates Danzan, Losol and Dendev went to Omsk to deliver the new letter; Bodoo and Dogsom went back to Urga to grow the party and begin recruiting a army; and Sukhbaater and Choibalsan went to Irkutsk to serve as liaisons there. Before they all departed, the drafted a new revolutionary message. It dictated the Mongolian nobility would be divested of their hereditary powers. The new system of government would be democratic with a limited monarch run by the Bogd Khaan. Several more meeting with the soviets at Omsk occurred only for the Mongolians to be sold yet again they had to go somewhere else, this time it was Moscow. Thus Danzan led a team of delegates to go to Moscow in September. For a month they discussed matters, but something huge was cooking up in the meantime. Here comes a man named Roman von Ungern-Sternberg. He was born in Graz Austria in January of 1886 to a noble family, descending from present day Estonia. Ungern-Sternberg's first language was German, but he also spoke English, French, Russian and Estonian. Within his family tree he had Hungarian roots and he would claim to be a descendant of Batu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan. Why is it, all of these “great men figures” always have to come up with a “I am descended from x” haha. He moved to Reval, the capital of Estonia. It's said as a child he was a ferocious bully and a psychopath who would torture animals. Apparently at the age of 12 he strangled his cousins owl, now thats messed up. Now Ungern-Sternberg was very proud of his ancient aristocratic background…though whether any of it was real who knows. He wrote extensively things like “for centuries my family never took orders from the working classes and it was outrageous that dirty workers who've never had any servants of their own, but still think they can command! They should have absolutely no say in the ruling of the vast Russian Empire". He was proud of his Germanic origin, but also identified with the Russian empire…and with Ghenghis khan, so yeah. When asked about his family's military history in the Russian empire he would proud boast “72 family members were killed in the wartime!”. He believed many of the fallen monarchies of Europe could be restored with the help of the cavalry peoples of the Steppe, such as the Mongols.  Ungern-Sternberg of course was attracted to military service and during the Russo-Japanese War he joined the fighting. Its unsure whether he made it to Manchuria to see actual fighting, but he was awarded a Russo-Japanese War Medal in 1913. During the first Russian Revolution of 1905, Estonian peasants ravaged the country trying to murder nobles. Ungern-Sternberg recalled "the peasants that worked on my family's land were rough, untutored, wild and constantly angry, hating everybody and everything without understanding why". After the failed revolution he continued his military career and picked up an interest in Buddhism. Later in life while in Mongolia he would become a Buddhist, but never really relinquished his Lutheran faith. While in Mongolia Ungern-Sternberg became obsessed with the idea that he was the in-incarnation of Genghis Khan. When he graduated from a military academy he demanded a station amongst the Cossacks in Asia. He was appointed an officer in Eastern Siberia where he served under the 1st Argunsky and later the 1st Amursky Cossack regiments. From there he fell in love with the lifestyle of the nomadic Mongol peoples. He was a hell of a drunk and loved to pick fights. There were theories he had been hit so many times to the head during fights, it was believed he had brain damage and was insane as a result. In 1913 he asked to be transferred to the reserves, because he wanted time and space to achieve a new goal, he sought to assist the Mongols in their struggle for independence from China. Russian officials heard rumors he sought to do this and they actively thwarted him as best as they could. He went to the town of Khovd in western Mongolia where he served as an unofficial officer in a Gossack guard detachment for the Russian consulate.  When WW1 broke out, Ungern-Sternberg joined the 34th regiment of Cossack troops stationed in the Galicia frontier. He would take part in the first Russian offensive against Prussia and earned a reputation as an extremely brave but also very reckless and mentally unstable officer. Men who came to know him said he looked happiest atop a horse leading a charge, showing no signs of fear with a wicked smile on his face. He received multiple citations such as the st george of the 4th grade; st vladimir of the 4th grade, st anna of the 3rd and 4th grades and st Stanislas of the 3rd grade. These decorations however were offset by the amount of disciplinary actions issued against him and he would eventually be discharged from one of his commands for attacking another officer in a drunken brawl. He went to prison and was court martialed.  After he got out of prison in January of 1917, he transferred over to the Caucasian theater to fight the Ottomans. Then the Russian revolution began, ending the Russian empire and of course ending the Romanov monarchy, quite the bitter blow to the monarchist Ungern-Sternberg. While still in the Caucasus, Ungern-Sternberg ran into a Cossack Captain, an old friend we met a few podcasts ago, Captain Grigory Semyonov. Working with Semyonov the two organized a volunteer Assyrian Christian unit in modern day Iran. The Assyrian genocide had led to thousands of Assyrians fleeing over to the Russians. Semyonov and Ungern-Sternberg Assyrian force was able to win some small victories over Turkish forces, but in the grand scheme of the theater it did not amount to much. The experience of forging such a group however led them to think about doing the same thing with Buryat troops in Siberia.  At the outbreak of the Russian civil war, Semyonov and Ungern-Sternberg declared themselves Romanov loyalists, joing the White Movement. They both vowed the defeat the Red Army and late into 1917, they as part of a combined group of 5 Cossacks managed to disarm 1500 Red soldiers at a Far Eastern Railway station in China near the Russian border. They took up a position there, preparing for a military expedition into the Transbaikal region, recruiting men into a Special Manchrian regiment. The White army managed to defeat the Red Army along the Far Eastern Railway territory. Semyonov eventually appointed Ungern-Sternberg to be the commander of a force at Dauria, a railway station at the strategic point southeast of Lake Baikal. Despite being part of the white movement, Semyonov and Ungern-Sternberg were quite rebellious. Semyonov for example refused to recognize the authority of Admiral Alexander Kolchak, the prominent white leader in Siberia. Semyonov fancied acting on his own and received support from the Japanese. Ungern-Sternberg, a subornidate to Semyonov also acted independently. Ungern-Sternberg also had his own reasons not to comply fully with Kolchak. Kolchak had promised after a White victory, he would reconvene the Consitutional Assembly, disband the Bolsheviks completely and then decide the future for Russia, that being whether it adopts the monarchy back or goes a different path. Ungern-Sternberg believed god had chosen Russia to be run by a monarchy and that its restoration came first.  Ungern-Sternberg performed successful military campains in Dauria and Hailar, earning the rank of Major-General, promtping Semyonov to enturst him with forming his own military unit to fight the communists. Both men gradually recruited Buryats and Mongols for the task, but they also were growing wary of another. Ungern-Sternberg was unhappy with Semyonov who he deemed to be corrupt, he also took issue with the mans love interest in a Jewish cabert singer, he was after all a rampant anti-semite. Ungern-Sternberg founded the volunteer based Asiatic Cavalry Division in Dauria, alongside a fortress. It is said at this fortress he would torture his red enemies and it was full of their bones.  As we mentioned in a previous episode, the Anhui Clique dispatched General Xu Shuzheng to occupy outer mongolia. However after the first Anhui-Zhili war, the Anhui clique was severely reduced and General Xu Shuzheng's forces in Mongolia were as well. This effectively left the Mongolian protectorate without their protectors. Chaos reigned as Chahar Mongols from Inner Mongolia began to fight with Khalkhas Mongols from Outer Mongolia. Seeing the disunity, Ungern-Sternberg saw a grand opportunity and made plans to take control of Mongolia. He began networking and married the Manchurian princess Ji at Harbin. Princess Ji was a relative of Genreal Zhang Kuiwu, the coammander of Chinese troops in the western part of the Chinese Manchurian railway as well as the govenror of Hailar. He also tried to arrange a meeting between Semyonov and Zhang Zuolin, Eventually Kolchak's white army was defeated by the Red Army and subsequently the Japanese pulled their expeditionary forces out of the Transbaikal region. This put Semyonov in a bad situation as he was unable to cope with the brunt of the impending Red forces, thus he planned to pull back into Manchuria. Ungern-Sternberg had a different idea however. He took his Asiatic Cavalry Division, roughly 1500 men at the time, consisting mostly of Russians, but there was also Cossacks, Buryats, Chinese and a few Japanese, with few machine guns and 4 artillery pieces. He broke his ties to Semyonov and took his division into Outer Mongolia in October of 1920. They gradually advanced to Urga where they ran into Chinees occupying forces. Ungern-Sternberg attempted to negotiate with the Chinese, demadning they disarm, but they rejected his terms. In late October and early November, Ungern-Sternbergs forces assaulted Urga, suffering two disasterous defeats. After this they assailed the Setsen-Khan aimag, a district north of the Kherlen River, ruld by Prince Setsen Khan. During his time in Mongolia Ungern-Sternberg befriended some Mongol forces seeking independence from the Chinese occupation, the most influential leader amongst them being Bogd Khan. Bogd Khan secretly made a pact with Unger-Sternberg, seeking his aid to expel the Chinese from Mongolia. Ungern-Sternberg went to work reorganizing his army. Apparently he had taken a liking to a Lt and gave the man full command over the medical division. During a withdrawal, the Lt raped multiple nurses in the medical division, many of whom were married to other officers, ordered settlements they ran by to be looted and ordered all the wounded the be poisoned because they were a nuisance. Ungern-Sternberg had the man flogged and burned at the stake. So yeah.  During the Chinese occupation of Outer Mongolia, they had initiated strict regulations over Buddhist services and imprisoned anyone whom they considered sought independence, including Russians. While Ungern-Sternberg had 1500 well trained troops, the Chinese had roughly 7000 still in Outer Mongolia. The Chinese enjoyed an advantage in more men, more machine guns, more artillery and they already had fortified Urga. On February 2nd, Ungern-Sternberg assaulted the front line of Urga again. His forces led by Captain Rezzukhin managed to capture a front-line fortificaiton near the Small and Big Madachan villages, due southeast of Urga. Ungern-Sternberg's forces also managed to rescue Bogd Khan who was under house arrests, transporting him to the Manjushri Monastery. Ungern-Sternberg then took a page out of Genghis Khan's note book, ordering his troops to light a large number of campfires in the hills surrounding Urga, trying to scare the Chinese into thinking they were more numerous. On February 4th, they attacked Chinese barracks east of Urga, captured them. Ungern-Sternberg then divided his force in two with the first attacking the Chinese trade settlement “Maimaicheng” and the secnd the Consular Settlement. Ungern-Sternbergs men used exlosives and improvised battering rams to blow open the gates to Maimaicheng. Upon storming the settlement, the battle turned into a melee of sabres, seeing both sides hack each other in a slaughter. Ungern-Sternbergs men took Maimaicheng, and soon joined up with the other force to attack the COnsulder Settlement. The Chinese launched a counter attack, forcing Ungern-Sternbergs men northeast somewhat, but then he counter attacked sending them back to Urga. By the night of the 4th, Urga would fall to the invaders. The Chinese civilian and military officials simply fled for their lives in 11 cars, abandoning the soldiers. The Chinese troops followed suite aftwards heading north, massacring all Mongolian civilians they came across, heading over the Russian border. The Red Russians resided in Urga fled alongside them. The Chinese suffered apparently 1500 men, while Ungern-Sternberg recorded only 60 casualties for his force. Ungern-Sternbergs troops were welcomed with open arms as liberators. The populace of Urga hated their tyrannical Chinese overlords and believed the Russians were their salvation. Then the Russian began plundering the Chinese run stores and hunted down Russian Jews still in the city. Ungern-Sternberg personally ordered the execution of all Jews in the city unless they had special notes handed out by him sparing their lives. It is estimated roughly 50 Jews were killed by Ungern-Sternbergs men in Mongolia. Urga's Jewish community was annihilated. After a few days, Ungern-Sternberg had set up a quasi secret police force led by Colonel Leonid Sipalov who hunted Red Russians. Meanwhile Ungern-Sternberg's army seized the Chinese fortified base at Choi due south of Urga. During the attack the Russians number 900, the Chinese garrison roughly 1500. After taking the fort, the Russians returned to Urga as Ungern-Sternberg dispatched expeditionary groups to find Chinese strength. They came across a abandoned Chinese fort at Zamyn-Uud, taking it without resistance. Most of the Chinese troops left in Mongolia withdrew north to Kyakhta where they were trying find a way to get around the Urga region to escape back to China. Ungern-Sternberg and his men assumed they were trying to reorganize to recapture Urga so he dispatched forces to assail them. Chinese forces were advancing through the area of Talyn Ulaaankhad Hill when Ungern-Sternberg initiated a battle. The battle saw nearly 1000 Chinese, 100 Mongols and various amounts of Russians, Buryats and others killed. The Chinese forces routed during the battle, fleeing south until they got over the Chinese border. After this action, the Chinese effectively had departed Outer Mongolia. On February 22nd february of 1921, Ungern-Sternberg, Mongolian prince and Lamas, held a ceremony to restore the Bogd Khan to the throne. To reward their savior, Bogd Khan granted Ungern-Sternberg a high title, that of “darkhan khoshoi chin wang” in the degree of Khan. Once Semyonov heard of what Ungern-Sternberg had achieved, he likewise promoted him to Lt-General. On that same day, Mongolia proclaimed itself independent as a monarchy under the Bogd Khan, now the 8th Bogd Gegen Jebtsundamba Khutuktu. According to the eye witness account of the polish explorer Kamil Gizycki and polish writer Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, Ungern-Sternberg went to work ordering Urga's streets thoroughly cleaned, promoted religious tolerance, I would imagine for all excluding Jews and attempted some economic reforms.  The writer Ossendowski had previously served in Kolchaks government, but after its fall sought refugee in Mongolia. He became friends with Ungern-Sternberg, probably looking for a good story, I mean this maniac does make for a good story, hell I am covering him after all ahah. Ossendowski would write pieces of his experience in Mongolia in his book “Beasts, Men and Gods”. A soldier within Ungern-Sternbergs army, named Dmitri Alioshin wrote a novel as well of his experience titled Asian Odyssey and here is a passage about his description of Ungern-Sternberg and his closest followers beliefs. “The whole world is rotten. Greed, hatred and cruelty are in the saddle. We intend to organize a new empire; a new civilization. It will be called the Middle Asiatic Buddhist Empire, carved out of Mongolia, Manchuria and Eastern Siberia. Communication has already been established for that purpose with Djan-Zo-Lin, the war lord of Manchuria, and with Hutukhta, the Living Buddha of Mongolia. Here in these historic plains we will organize an army as powerful as that of Genghis Khan. Then we will move, as that great man did, and smash the whole of Europe. The world must die so that a new and better world may come forth, reincarnated on a higher plane.” Within that passage there was mention of Hutukhta, he was the dominant Buddha of Mongolia at the time. Hutukhta did not share Ungern-Sternbergs dream of restoring Monarchies all across the world and he understood the mans army could not hope to defend them from Soviet or Chinese invaders. In April of 1921, Hutukhta wrote to Beijing asking if the Chinese government was interesting in resuming their protectorship.  In the meantime Ungern-Sternberg began looking for funds. He approached several Chinese warlords, such as Zhang Zuolin, but all rejected him. He also continued his tyrannical treatment never against Mongolians, but against Russians within Mongolia. Its estimated his secret police force killed 846 people, with roughly 120 being in Urga. Ungern-Sternbergs men were not at all happy about the brutality he inflicted upon their fellow Russians. Yet Ungern-Sternbergs days of psychopathic fun were soon to come to an end. 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. Poor Mongolia was stuck between two crumbling empires, who both became engulfed in violent civil wars. The spill over from their wars saw Mongolia become a protectorate to the Chinese, nearly a satellite communist state to the USSR and now was independent, but really at the mercy of the White army of Ungern-Sternberg. The psychopath was having a field day, but it was about to come to an end. 

Land art, the movement which emerged in the 1960s and 70s with artists such as Robert Smithson, Nancy Holt, and Michael Heizer erecting monumental works in far-flung destinations, is widely regarded for its engagement with the environment and its elements. These remarkable installations are crafted in concert with the Earth, meant to evolve as sun, storms, and seasons weather them continuously over time. But what if you homed in on the core of this concept, creating sweeping land artworks in ways and places where they would be truly temporary, imprints made for a moment before disappearing back into the Earth? This is the crux of California-based artist Jim Denevan's dynamic practice, which involves interacting with topographies and terrains to craft ephemeral compositions that play with the impermanence of our ever-changing world. Since the mid-1990s, Denevan has traversed the globe creating unfathomably massive works in sand, earth, and ice, often using no more than a rake, stick, or even the soles of his feet. He has etched miles-long Fibonacci circles in Siberia's frozen Lake Baikal, drawn shore-spanning spirals in San Francisco's Ocean Beach, and sculpted concentric rings of sand mounds at international public art exhibitions Desert X AlUla in Saudi Arabia and Manar Abu Dhabi. His work has been featured in institutional shows at MoMA PS1, the Peabody Essex Museum, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, as well as the Oscar long-listed documentary Man in the Field, which explored Denevan's artistic career and his culinary trajectory as the founder of Outstanding in the Field, a roving restaurant set where food is sourced to connect diners with the origins of their meals. This spring, Artnet collaborated with Denevan on an original project, titled “You Only Live Once,” showcasing the all-new 2024 Lexus GX alongside the artist bringing to life an incredible land artwork in Lake Harper north of Los Angeles. Taking the shape of the universal number “1,” the more than quarter-mile piece is a dramatic testament to making the most of our time on this Earth by confidently pursuing our curiosities and drive for adventure.

In this episode of "Sleepless in Singapore," I recount our journey from Irkutsk to Mongolia, an adventure that brought unexpected friendships and breathtaking natural beauty into our lives. Upon arriving in Irkutsk, we didn't linger, quickly moving on to meet Katya, a local who shared incredible tales of her solo travels, from scaling Everest's base camp with minimal gear to navigating deserts and jungles on a shoestring. Her stories, filled with humor and resilience, were both inspiring and a stark reminder of the vast experiences the world has to offer. Our next major stop was Lake Baikal, renowned for its crystal-clear waters and stunning natural beauty. This part of the trip was a profound experience, offering moments of reflection and connection with nature. The simplicity and magnificence of Baikal, coupled with the shared moments with friends old and new, underscored the journey's essence. As we moved into the Mongolian steppe, the landscape shifted to endless horizons and a profound sense of tranquility. This segment of our trip, marked by the rugged beauty of the steppe and the simplicity of nomadic life, offered a deep connection to the earth and a peace seldom found in urban existence.

This is a big ol' lake. And there's some weirdness afoot at the Circle K, Ted. Become a First Class Passenger (aka POOPR), support your hosts and get all the bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon at www.themidnighttrainpodcast.com or at www.patreon.com/themnidnighttrainpodcast.    

In this episode of "Sleepless in Singapore," we hop on the Trans-Siberian Railway, excited and a bit anxious. We're moving from Moscow's busy streets to Russia's wide-open spaces. Our first big stop, Kazan, brings us together with Dina, a fellow traveler whose warmth and tips really stand out. Kazan itself is a revelation, a mix of historical beauty and the unexpected, like finding the perfect pair of sneakers after a minor mishap and discovering an ointment that magically cures smelly feet, making for some quirky travel tales. Yekaterinburg, however, shifts the mood. The city greets us with a grey, almost color-drained ambiance that starkly contrasts the vibrancy of Kazan. This part of the journey feels like stepping into a different world, where the vividness of life seems muted. Despite this, our spirits remain high, fueled by interactions with locals and the novelty of standing at the border of two continents. The Transib itself gives us a mix of thoughtful and fun moments, like a bizarre yet memorable visit to a train restaurant that could be a scene from a film. Moving forward, all these bits and pieces from our journey weave into a collection of memories that really show off the varied landscapes and cultural richness of Russia.

#jimbairdadventurer #BobIzumi #fishing Bob Izumi Talks Navigating the Waters as a Longtime Fishing Pro & TV Host | Baird Country Ep.# 7In this episode of Baird Country, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the legendary fishing pro, Bob Izumi, for an insightful and inspiring conversation. We kick things off with a heart-pounding tale from Bob about facing 15-foot waves on a massive lake during a fishing tournament. It's a story of survival, determination, and a testament to the unpredictable nature of the great outdoors.As we delve into the podcast, Bob shares the incredible journey that led him to become a pro angler and the charismatic host of the beloved "Real Fishing" show. We explore his background growing up in rural southeastern Ontario, Canada, discussing the unique perspectives and challenges that have shaped his remarkable career. Bob takes us on a virtual fishing adventure, recounting mesmerizing tales from his travels to places like Lake Baikal in Russia, the back lakes of Cuba, and the rich waters of Brazil. These stories go beyond the thrill of the catch; they're about the cultural experiences, challenges, and unforgettable moments that define a life devoted to the pursuit of the perfect fishing expedition.Join us for a captivating episode that combines thrilling fishing stories with insightful discussions, offering a unique glimpse into the extraordinary life of Bob Izumi.Subscribe to the Real Fishing Show on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@BobsRealFishingShowFollow Bob on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realfishingshowCheck out my social media channels for trip photos, articles I write, video reels and podcast updates.https://www.instagram.com/jbadventurer/https://www.facebook.com/jbadventurerhttps://www.tiktok.com/@jbadventurerCheck out all my podcast episodes through the playlist linked here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdWkde9gml__GpO_JouKEWl1UdckeYDeg&si=w9jDkhiQ6Xj7Gzl8

You're standing on the shores of Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world, nestled deep in the heart of Siberia. Now, here's where it gets interesting—this lake holds more mysteries than a Sherlock Holmes novel! From its crystal-clear waters to its ancient geological history, Lake Baikal keeps scientists scratching their heads. And let's not forget about the strange creatures lurking in its depths, like the elusive Baikal seal. It's like a real-life whodunit, with clues waiting to be uncovered at every turn. So, if you're up for a thrilling adventure, dive into the mystery of Lake Baikal and prepare to be amazed! #brightside Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/ Listen to Bright Side on: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD... Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook -   / brightside   Instagram -   / brightside.official   Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.of... Snapchat -   / 1866144599336960   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1982 in the vast expanse of Siberia, beneath the icy waters of Lake Baikal, the world's deepest and oldest freshwater lake, an extraordinary encounter unfolded. Soviet Navy divers, engaged in a routine exercise, ventured into the abyss, only to come face-to-face with the unknown. This wasn't just any underwater anomaly; they reported encountering humanoid beings, clad in tight silver suits and spherical helmets, devoid of any conventional breathing apparatus, at a depth of 50 meters. Subscribe to YoutubeWho were these mysterious beings? What technology allowed them to navigate the crushing depths without the need for air? The encounter took a dramatic turn when the divers attempted to capture one of these entities, leading to an explosive reaction. A force, unseen yet immensely powerful, propelled the divers back to the surface with such velocity that it inflicted severe decompression sickness upon them.As we delve into the enigma of Lake Baikal and the secrets it may hold, one must ponder: What kind of advanced technology or unknown force could not only sustain life at such depths but also defend these beings with such overwhelming power? Could this event hint at an underwater civilization far beyond our current understanding, or is there a more terrestrial explanation yet to be uncovered?

Today we're journeying to Lake Baikal, the largest, oldest, deepest freshwater lake in the world...and to get there, we're crossing over a thousand miles in Mongolia and Russia by camel, horse, kayak, and rowboat. Like all lakes, Lake Baikal exists because of a river. And in 2018, fishing and river guide Peter Fong led the first-ever expedition from the headwaters of Mongolia's Delgermörön (Selenge) River all the way to Lake Baikal. As Peter writes, "Rowing to Baikal is about the fish and wildlife that call the river home. About the personal risks of prolonged flooding and sudden snowstorms. About the human history of the region, from the Bronze Age to the fall of the Soviet Union. About the people who live in the basin now—from nomadic herders to construction workers—and their attitudes toward development and conservation. About the old gods and legends that haunt the mountains. And about the disparate possible futures for one of the most starkly beautiful places on Earth." FIND PETER Get Peter's book about the expedition, Rowing to Baikal, at RowingToBaikal.com or at your local bookshop. Half of the proceeds from book sales are supporting the International Taimen Initiative via the Wild Salmon Center, so it supports a great cause! There's also an excellent video trailer on the website, so make sure to check that out. And to keep up with his other work, follow him on Instagram @PWFong. SOCIAL Share the show with your friends! Subscribe to the podcast wherever you're listening, follow @armchairexplorerpodcast on Instagram and Facebook, check out Armchair Explorer's website, armchair-explorer.com, and learn more about APT Podcast Studios on their website at APTpodcaststudios.com. CREDITS This episode was produced by Armchair Productions. Find our other shows at armchair-productions.com. Jenny Allison wrote and produced this episode, along with host and producer Aaron Millar. Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Theme music written by the artist Sweet Chap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Directly inspired by our Lake Monster episode, this one is all about weird, creepy lakes and the strange things lurking in their depths.Theme song written & performed by MIquela DeLeón and Gil Davis.

On the latest episode of the podcast, James and Emma are joined by Maria Leijerstam, a British adventurer and world record holder. In 2013 Maria became the first person to cycle to the South Pole from the edge of the continent. This epic, and rather dangerous, journey took her ten days 14 hours and 56 minutes. We caught up with Maria to hear all about her record setting journey, the highs and the lows, what cycling in Antarctica is really like, and how she ended up deciding it was a good idea. Maria also talks about her other adventures, including taking on the Siberian Black Ice Race which included cycling across Lake Baikal the deepest frozen freshwater lake in the world. It makes the recent frost in the UK seem a little meagre. There is also an exclusive chat about Mrs Chippy. Intrigued? Click play.Interview starts at: 5:21--This episode is brought to you by JOIN, the training platform that sets you up with training plans that adapt on the go. Listeners of the podcast can get a 6 month subscription for the price of 4. At a monthly price of £8.49 GBP you now pay £33.96. So head to https://join.cc/promo/cyclist-magazine-podcast/ and start training with JOIN's adaptive and flexible training plans now. ---Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

听前提示一、三遍英文，一遍中文，再一遍英文。二、从听懂的词入手，理解句子含义。三、根据中英文意思，听不懂的多听几遍。原文321.He has just published an interesting series of articles.他刚发表一系列有趣的文章。322.What makes you think I won't be able to do it?你怎么认为我做不了？323.I wonder if you have something to write with.我怀疑你是否有东西可写。324.I would like to leave this town and never come back.我希望离开这个村子并且再也不要回来。325.It makes sense to pay off your credit card balance every month.每个月还清信用卡负债很重要。326.Lake Baikal in Russia is the deepest lake in the world.俄罗斯的贝加尔湖是世界上最深的湖泊。327.What is the total amount of money you spent?你一共花了多少钱？328.I don't know what to say to make you feel better.我不知道该说什么来安慰你。329.He always plans a thing out carefully before he does it.他做每件事之前都会细心计划。330.The crane, unlike the dog, has never dreamed of flying.不像狗，这只鹤从来没有梦想过飞翔。

Last time we spoke about the Red Bearded Honghuzi Bandits. Yes Manchuria and many parts of China proper have had a bandit problem going back to ancient times. The borderlands between the Russian Empire and Qing Dynasty proved to be the perfect grounds for bandits to evolve. The Honghuzi were getting larger, more organized and certain leaders amongst them would have long lasting impacts on the history of China. Such names that come to mind are Zhang Zuolin and the Dogmeat General Zhang Zongchang. Such forces were incorporated officially into the Qing military to thwart other bandit groups and eventually to harass the Russians or Japanese in conflict looming on the horizon. Everything seems to be hot in Manchuria, Russian has full on invaded her and is reluctant to drag her troops out. There are those unhappy with this circumstance and they will soon make themselves heard loud and clear.    #73 The Yellow Peril and a War in the East   Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. The Boxer Rebellion is over. The Russo-Chinese War in Manchuria is over. Order had been restored to Beijing and in Manchuria things were significantly quieted down. Now the other nations of the 8 nation alliance had their hands full dealing with the expedition against Beijing and they sort of turned a blind eye to what was a side conflict in Manchuria. But when things were settling down and 177,000 Russian forces had more or less invaded and were occupying Manchuria, well a lot of eyeballs bulged. Britain and Japan sought common cause, both had significant investments in the Asia-Pacific. For example Britain had Weihaiwei and was literally staring down at the Russians over in Port Arthur and Dalien. Japan had been slighted by the triple intervention by Russia, Germany and France, losing her acquisitions of Port Arthur and Dalien to the Russians. Manchuria was always seen as a buffer zone to the Japanese, she now hand a toehold in Korea and such large Russian activity in Manchuria was very threatening. Let us not forget the entire war between the Qing dynasty and Japan over Korea, to a lesser extent also had Russian as a 4th party. Russia did meddle in Korea and continuously antagonized Japan. Thus with common cause Japan and Britain formed an alliance on January 30th of 1902. In response Russia and France formed their own on March 16th of 1902. The alliances basically worked to thwart any other great powers from getting involved in a potential war between Japan and Russia.  Now Russia also agreed to the rest of the great powers that she would gradually withdraw her forces from Manchuria. It was to be rolled out in 3 periods of 6 months. The first phase saw southwest Manchuria evacuated and returned to China, but when it came to the second phase, suddenly Russia was making demands for concessions to the Qing dynasty.  Britain, Japan and the US protested the demands and this bolstered China to reject them. Now turned back the clock a bit there was another sticky situation. When chaos was erupting in Korea, King Gojong ran to the Russians for protection for over two years. This turned the nations favor towards the Russians over the Chinese and Japanese. Russia seized this opportunity to strengthen her forces in defense of her legation in Korea, and this action was met with actions taken up by Japan. Japanese and Russian officials met and this was the result verbatim: A further agreement between Russia and Japan had been signed in Tokyo on 25 April 1898. The agreement contained three understandings: The independence of Korea was assured; neither country would interfere in Korea's domestic affairs. There would be no appointment of military or civil advisers without discussion with the interested parties. Russia agreed not to hinder Japan's development of trade with Korea.  Aside from this the Russians of course wanted to seize as much as they could. A Russian-Korean bank was formed in 1897, and a timber cutting contract was given to Russian industrialists in the Yalu river area. In 1901, Tsar Nicholas II told Prince Henry of Prussia, "I do not want to seize Korea but under no circumstances can I allow Japan to become firmly established there. That will be a “casus belli." The contract only came into effect when the Manchurian railway projects were kicking off and when able bodies were around, which came about during the occupation of Manchuria. In april of 1903 Russians acquired some land and established a fort at Yongampo near the mouth of the Yalu river. America and Japan received similar concessions in the region. The Japanese began receiving reports, indicating Port Arthur was being heavily stocked with supplies and a large body of Russian troops were advancing across the Liaodong Peninsula towards Korea. Thus from the Japanese point of view it looked clear Russia was not honoring her agreements. On July 28th of 1903, the Japanese ambassador at St Petersburg was instructed to make it known to the Russians, the 7 demands they made to China was not seen as a “relaxation of her hold on Manchuria but rather a consolidation” Two days later, Russian Admiral Alexeiev was appointed Viceroy of the Far East. Alexeiev would hold supreme power to exercises diplomacy between Russian East Asia and her neighbors as well as command the Russian military and naval forces in the east. From the Japanese point of view, a permanent Russian occupation of Manchuria would be prejudicial over her own security and interests. It would also threaten Korea, which was her sphere of interest, one she was not looking to share. Russia agreed to consider drawing up a new treaty. On August 12th of 1903 a draft was presented at St Petersburg, but in the meantime Russia was strengthening her position in the far east. This tense situation kept going, until January 13th of 1904 when Japan offered to recognize Manchuria as being outside her sphere of interest, if Russia would agree Korea was Japan's sphere of interest. It was to be blunt a very fair deal. Japan requested an early reply to the proposal, but by February 4th of 1904 no reply was forthcoming. Two days later the Japanese ambassador, Mr. Kurino called upon the Russian foreign minister, Count Lamsdorf to take his leave. Kurino explained to Lamsdorf that the Japanese government had decided to adopt some “independent action” deeming it necessary to defend its established rights and legitimate interests. Basically Japan's patience had come to an end. The Russian ambassador to Tokyo, Baron Rosen, had continuously sent warnings to his superiors in St Petersburg that if they continued to corner Japan, she would most certainly fight them. Such sentiment was shared by War Minister General Kuroptkin who resigned in a state of exasperation some months earlier. Tsar Nicholas II did not want a war, but he was continuously assured by his advisers, Japan was not strong enough to fight them. When Mr. Kurino took his leave, the immediate signal was made to Admiral Alexeiev, who was in Tokyo at the time. The new viceroy saw with his own eyes evidence of Japanese mobilization and he advised St Petersburg accordingly. The Japanese foreign ministry confirmed their government had run out of patience. However all of this was taken to be a bluff. It has been theorized Alexeiev was simply not averse to a war with a country he certainly deemed inferior to his own. It is also theorized Tsar Nicholas II probably believed if a war would to break out it would be a short and victorious one, and perhaps such an event could distract the tide of revolution hitting his nation, the people of Russia were not happy anymore about the Romanov rule. Funny enough, all of these talks, deceptions and plans were to take shape in China. The Chinese were literally never even thought of or spoken to, and soon a war would literally occur within their borders against their will. How did this all come about? It might sound a bit funny, but a large reason the Russo-Japanese War would occur would simply be a result of, pardon my french, shit talking by one Kaiser Wilhelm II. When Kaiser Wilhelm I died on March 9th of 1888, Germany fell to Frederick III who died of throat cancer only 99 days after taking the reins. On June 15th, a 29 year old Kaiser Wilhelm II took the throne. Now for those of you who don't know, Otto von Bismarck, the man who unified Germany was during the late 19th century one of the greatest political players in the world. Bismarck had an incredible understanding of the balance of power theory and studied all the most powerful nations national interests. He brokered international deals using his knowledge to increase Germany's standing in global politics and he also in many ways designed a system of international alliances to thwart a global war….which ironically would in many ways cause ww1. If you want to know more specifically about this by the way, check out Kings and Generals alliances that caused WW1, I wrote that script and its a fascinating story. Dan Carlin famously referred to Bismarcks work as creating a giant hand grenade, that if the pin got pulled out, only Bismarck understood how to put it back in. While Bismarck was in power things were pretty good, but he was such a colossal figure, that when the young Kaiser came into power, many of his advisers suggested he was being overshadowed by Bismarck. Kaiser Wilhelm II listening to his advisers, sought to stop Bismarck from taking the quote en quote “day to day” administration. Conflicts began to arise between the two men. Wilhelm did not understand the complexities of Bismarcks international relations and saw him as far too peaceful. Wilhelm gradually fell under the influence of his military leaders to the dismay of Bismarck who thought the Kaiser would lead them swiftly into a war with a nation like Russia. In 1890 Bismarck resigned under pressure from Wilhelm II and other German leaders, and as Dan Carlin would say, now the grenade he created was set to go off. Now when the new Kaiser venturing into international relations, he was deeply influenced by a ideological concept that he would use as a tool to coerce international players to act out. The concept is known as the “yellow peril” “le Peril Jaune” as coined by Russian sociologist Jacques Novikow in the late 19th century. In essence the yellow peril was a racist ideology that held asians to be subhuman, like apes and monkeys, but also that as a racial group should they unite, they would threaten what was thought to be the superior race of the day, whites. Basically the idea was that if all the nations of asia were to unite, they could retaliate against the White nations who were at the time colonizing or forcing unequal treaties upon them. There was also a religious element to it, that Christianity was under threat from the hoards of the east.  Now back to Wilhelm II, one of his advisers was the diplomat Max von Brandt who advised him that Imperial Germany had major colonial interests in China. The Triple Intervention that Germany endorsed was justified by the Kaiser under the guise it was to thwart what he began calling “die Gelbe Gefahr / the yellow peril”. The Kaiser began a propaganda campaign using the famous allegorical lithograph “Peoples of Europe, Guard your Most Sacred Possessions” created in 1895 by Hermann Knackfuss. You can google the image. The lithograph portrays the European monarchs with Germany as the leader of Europe personified by a “prehistoric warrior-goddesses being led by the Archangel Michael against the yellow peril from the east. The east is seen as a dark cloud of smoke which rests eerily upon a calm Buddha, wreathed in flame”. The imagery is very apparent, white and christianity is under threat from asian and their eastern religions. This type of ideology goes all the way back to Ancient Greece and Persia, its the age old west vs east stuff. Today you would call this sort of talk, a race war. Now you are probably asking, ok this leader of Germany is just a racist dude, how does this cause a war between Russia and Japan? This story is rather hilarious and hard to believe, but in summary, the Kaiser used the ideology to trick his cousin into war.  For those unaware, Kaiser Wilhelm II was first cousins with King Geoerge V of Britain,  to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, to Queens Marie of Romania, Maud of Norway, Victoria Eugene of Spain, and even the woman he would eventually marry, the Empress of Russia. Now the Germany presented to Wilhelm was involved in some alliances. I mentioned Britain and Japan had an alliance and France and Russian had an alliance. Wilhelm and his advisers sought to increase Germany's stature. Wilhelm believed that if Russia went to war with Japan, it would break up the Franco-Russian alliance and with no one else to turn to, Russia would seek an alliance with Germany. Wilhelms reasoning was that France was not supporting of Russians expansion into asia and such aggressive actions like going to war with Japan would be highly disapproved by France. The French Premier Maurice Rouvier publicly declared that the Franco-Russian alliance applied only in Europe and not Asia and that if Japan and Russia went to war, France would remain neutral. Such rhetoric seemed to prove Wilhelms beliefs. Germany meanwhile felt threatened by Britain and had embarked on what was known as the Tirpitz Plan in the late 1890s. The Tirpitz plan was Germany's plan to achieve world power status through naval power, but the world's greatest navy of course was Britain at the time. What essentially happened was Germany challenging Britain to an arms race in the form of naval warship building programs. Everything the Kaiser pursued during the late 19th century was what was called “Weltpolitik / world politics” which essentially was just Germany's imperialistic foreign policy to become a global power. Wilhelm and his advisers were playing world politics to weaken rivals and strengthen Germany plain and simple.  So Wilhelm believes he can break the French-Russian alliance and squeeze himself in Frances place if he can get the Russians to go to war with Japan who just happened to be allied to Germany's main rival, Britain. Some real game of thrones stuff here. Wilhelm also believed if Germany could pull this off, France would be compelled to join them, forming a triple alliance against Britain and Japan so they could all pursue their expansionist policies in places like Asia. There was also the belief pulling this off would pull Russia away from the Balkans which was a huge source of tension with Germany's main ally Austro-Hungary. Thats all fine and dandy, but how does Wilhelm get his cousin Tsar Nicholas to go to war with the Japanese, here comes the yellow peril.  Starting in 1895, Kaiser Wilhelm began using the Yellow Peril ideology to portray Germany as the great defender of the west against the barbarism of the east. But then all of a sudden Wilhelm began sending personal letters to his cousin Nicholas praising him as the quote “savior of the white races” and began urging him to take a more hardened approach to Asia. The letters between the two have been referred to as the “willy-nicky” letters, consisting of 75 messages sent back and forth between 1895-1914. I wont list them all of course but lets take a peak at how Wilhelm wrote to his cousin. In 1895 Wilhelm wrote this from Kaltenbronn Schwarzwald. I will paraphrase of course there's a ton of fluff. Dearest Nicky, I thank you sincerely for the excellent way in which you initiated the combined action of Europe[27] for the sake of its interests against Japan. It was high time that energetic steps were taken, and will make an excellent impression in Japan as elsewhere. It shows to evidence how necessary it is that we should hold together, and also that there is existent a base of common interests upon which all European nations may work in joint action for the welfare of all as is shown by the adherence of France to us two. May the conviction that this can be done without touching a nations honour, take root more and more firmly, then no doubt the fear of war in Europe will dissipate more and more. The kind and most valuable messages which you sent me through Osten Sacken[28] by Count Eulenburgs transmission in Vienna have given me a signal proof of your loyalty and openness towards me. I shall certainly do all in my power to keep Europe quiet and also guard the rear or Russia so that nobody shall hamper your action towards the Far East! For that is clearly the great task of the future for Russia to cultivate the Asian Continent and to defend Europe from the inroads of the Great Yellow race. In this you will always find me on your side ready to help you as best I can. You have well understood that call of Providence and have quickly grasped the moment; it is of immense political and historical value and much good will come of it. I shall with interest await the further development of our action and hope that, just as I will gladly help you to settle the question of eventual annexations[29] of portions of territory for Russia, you will kindly see that Germany may also be able to acquire a Port somewhere were it does not "gêne" you. You can see how Wilhelm is egging on his cousin about how Germany will have his back if he were to be bolder in Asia. Also the cute end bit about Germany acquiring some ports.  In 1898 for a New Years letter Wilhelm sent this Dearest Niky May this New Year be a happy one for you dear Allx and the whole of your house and country. May the plans, which you mature be fullfilled for the wellfare of your people. Henry's mission^ is one of the steps I have taken for the help and countenance of your lofty Ideals—without which no sovereign can exist—in promoting civilisation I. e. Christianity in [41] the Far East! Will you kindly accept a drawing I have sketched for you, showing the Symbolising figures of Russia and Germany as sentinels at the Yellow Sea for the proclaiming of the Gospel of Truth and Light in the East. I drew the sketch in the Xmas week under the blaze of the lights of theXmas trees!  Here Wilhelm is pressing upon the religious aspect and is basically flattering Nicholas. Again in 1898 Wilhelm wrote Dearest Nicky I must congratulate you most heartily at the successful issue of your action at Port Arthur ; we two will make a good pair of sentinels at the entrance of the gulf of Petchili, who will be duly respected especially by the Yellow Ones ! I think the way you managed to soothe the feelings of the "fretful Japs"by the masterly arrangement at Korea a remarkably fine piece of diplomacy and a great show of foresight; which Is apt to show what a boon it was that by your great journey,^ you were able to study the Question of the Far East locally and are now morally speaking the Master of Peking! Fretful Japs indeed In 1902 we get probably the most important letter involving the yellow peril Dear Nicky This is the more necessary as/certain symptoms in the East seems to show that Japan is becoming a rather restless customer and that the situation necessitates all coolness and decision of the Peace Powers. The news of the attachment of the Japanese General Yamai^—former leader of the Jap. troops in China—to the Legation at Peking in order to take in hand the reorganisation of the Chinese Army—i.e. for the unavowed object of driving every other foreigner out of China—is very serious. 20 to 30 Million of trained Chinese helped by half a dozen Jap. Divisions and led by fine, undaunted Christian hating Jap. Officers, is a future to be con- templated not without anxiety; and not impossible. In fact it is the coming into reality of the *'Yellow Peril" which I depicted some years ago, and for which engraving I was laughed at by the greater mass of the People for my graphic depiction of it ... Your devoted friend and cousin, Willy, Admiral of the Atlantic".  And there it is, an army of millions of Chinese led by Japanese officers, the yellow peril. So for years Wilhelm egged on his cousin, making him believe he was this savior of the white race, holding the yellow hoard back from sweeping over Europe. Wilhelm also made sure to leave ambiguous ideas that Germany had Russians back, that if war came and let's say a nation like Britain jumped into the mix, Germany would jump in too. Arguable if there was any reality behind these claims. Now back to the situation in the far east, King Gojong found his nation stuck between two tigers again, this time it was Japan and Russia. He believed the key to the issue was Manchuria and sought for Korea to remain as neutral as possible so she could hope to preserve her independence, I would saw independence with finger quotes. Meanwhile the Chinese ambassador to St Petersburg, Hu Weide was receiving reports from Beijing on whether Russia or Japan were likely to win such a war and how it would favor China. It was argued it was in China's interest for Japan to win, because a Japanese victory would likely breakdown Russians stronghold on Manchuria and perhaps China could wrestle it all back in. China decided in December of 1903 to remain neutral if war came, because while she knew Japan was the only one in the far east capable of pushing Russia out, she also did not know what Japan's ambitions might be in Manchuria.  In early 1904 negotiations continued between Russia and Japan, but like I mentioned earlier Japan gradually figured out Russia was not being serious. This was more than likely due to an infamous message sent by Wilhelm to Nicholas in December of 1903.  Since 97—Kiaochow—we have never left Russia in any doubt that we would cover her back in Europe, in case she decided to pursue a bigger policy in the Far East that might lead to military complications (with the aim of relieving our eastern border from the fearful pressure and threat of the massive Russian army!). Whereupon, Russia took Port Arthur and trusting us, took her fleet out of the Baltic, thereby making herself vulnerable to us by sea. In Danzig 01 and Reval 02, the same assurance was given again, with result that entire Russian divisions from Poland and European Russia were and are being sent to the Far East. This would not had happened if our governments had not been in agreement! Nicholas for his part was prepared to compromise with Japan, but the incessant letters from Wilhelm egging him on as a coward for thinking about compromising gradually broke the Tsar. The Kaiser wrote this: undertaking the protection and defence of the White Race, and with it, Christian civilization, against the Yellow Race. And whatever the Japs are determined to ensure the domination of the Yellow Race in East Asia, to put themselves at its head and organise and lead it into battle against the White Race. That is the kernel of the situation, and therefore there can be very little doubt about where the sympathies of all half-way intelligent Europeans should lie. England betrayed Europe's interests to America in a cowardly and shameful way over the Panama Canal question, so as to be left in 'peace' by the Yankees. Will the 'Tsar' likewise betray the interests of the White Race to the Yellow as to be 'left in peace' and not embarrass the Hague tribunal too much?. Nicholas replied he still sought peace, and Wilhelm replied in telegram “oh you innocent angel, this is the language of an innocent angel. But not that of a White Tsar!” Regardless of the Tsar's feelings, Japan was firmly under the belief Russia was not serious about seeking a peaceful solution to their dispute over Manchuria and Korea. When Japan proposed recognizing Manchuria was Russia's sphere of influence if Russia would respect their sphere of influence over Korea, the Russia counter proposal was basically, no, Russia would retain Manchuria and Korea would be open game.  Potential diplomatic resolutions between the two nations had thus failed. Historians generally argue it was the fault of Nicholas II who pushed his administration to give no ground. Why he acted this way though has two major arguments, one I have highlighted, the egging on by the Kaiser, but there was another element at play. The Russian people were frankly fed up with the royal family, the people were looking for change. To start a war and rile up patriotism could have been an attempt to quell the Russian people from revolutionary actions and in retrospect it certainly seems the case. The Tsar's advisers despite being hawkish did not seek a war with Japan, they simply wanted to bully what they thought was a weaker nation into submission. Because the reality was, Manchuria was far, the trans siberian railway was not complete, moving troops and provisions such a distance was a colossal task.  Japan performed a large scale study of the Russian power in Manchuria. The Japanese had been secretly surveying and mapping as far as east of Lake Baikal. In 1904 the Japanese had 380,000 active and reserve army forces, 200,000 in the 2nd reserve, another 50,000 in conscription reserve and 220,000 trained men of the national army, thus they could in theory toss 850,000 men into a conflict and by conscripting perhaps 4,250,000 who would all have to be trained taking time and money. Japan's effective strength was 257,000 infantry, 11,000 cavalry and 894 artillery pieces. They held 12 infantry divisions each containing 11,400 infantry, 430 cavalry and 36 guns a piece. Their troops received 12 months training, once the war started this would be cut to 6 months. Their artillery battalions held 3 batteries with both field and mountain guns ranging in caliber of 2.95 inches to 4.72 inches. Their infantry were equipped with a modern 1900 .256 inch magazine rifle that could fire 2000 yards but was effective at 300. Each soldier carried a knapsack, greatcoat and shelter tent. In their sacks were two days rations and entrenching tools. For machine guns they would receive Hotchkiss guns. The logistical system for the Japanese would be much better than the Russians. They had a series of lines of support. The soldiers carried two days rations, with echelons of transports that carried provisions behind them. Each division had its own transport battalion, including an ambulance train to deal with casualties. Chinese carts, Chinese and Korean coolies would all be paid premium prices for logistical aid. The Japanese would buy local foodstuff from the Koreans and Chinese at premium prices to earn the local populaces support over the Russians. For the Russians their army stood roughly at 4.5 million, but only 6 of the 25 European army corps would play an active role in the far east. By February of 1904 the Russians had roughly 60,000 troops, 3000 cavalry and 164 guns posted at Vladivostok, Harbin and Port Arthur. By Mid february this would be increased to 95,000; with 45,000 at Vladivostok, 8000 at Harbin, 9000 in Haicheng; 11,000 near the Yalu and 22,000 around Port Arthur. The Russian had the European 1st, 4th, 8th, 10th, 16th and 17th army corps each numbering 28,000 rifles and 112 guns. Alongside these were 7 Siberian corps. While the Russians held the advantage in numbers, the trans siberian was not complete and the route going around Lake Baikal formed a massive delay. Lake Baikal is basically the size of Switzerland, around 386 miles long. Thus the forces in Manchuria would be at the mercy of local foodstuffs for provisions, which meant they were competing with the Japanese to purchase them, while the Japanese had their own nations foodstuffs coming via sea transport, from Korea and of course within China. The Russian troops were armed with a .299 caliber rifles, but their training was lackluster and required all men to fire at short range on orders from superior officers. The upcoming war would catch the Russian gunners in the midst of a  re-equipment programme. A third of their guns were a new 3 inch quick firing gun with a range of 6000 yards, capable of battering the Japanese artillery. However the gunners training period was quite literally on the job. Thus many of the gunners were coming into the conflict with a new technology they had not even fired yet. Japan's population was then 46.5 million, Russia's 130 million. The Russian military opinion saw the Japanese “as little people who lived in paper houses…and wasted hours on flower arrangement and tea ceremonies”. However, Minister of War Kuropatkin visited Japan in 1903 and was impressed by their infantry and artillery, stating that they were equal to any European army, and advocated avoiding war with them. Russia's navy was much larger, but divided between the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the Pacific, whereas Japan's was concentrated in her home waters. By 1902, Russia began strengthening her Pacific squadron and, by the end of 1903, had 7 battleships, 7 cruisers, 25 destroyers and 27 smaller ships. The IJN (the Japanese Navy) consisted of 6 battleships, 10 cruisers, 40 destroyers and 40 smaller vessels. The Russian ships were a hotchpotch of differing types, armaments and speeds, with a varied amount of armor protection. The Japanese ships were nearly all British built, uniform and faster. Alcohol excess amongst Russian crews was a serious problem. Baltic crews spent the 6 months of winter ashore because the gulf of Finland froze and because of bureaucratic demand for uniformity. So did the crews of the Black Sea fleet. Thus, Russian sailors spent less time at sea and less time training. The Japanese navy under British instruction spent more time at sea, and trained intensively. Japanese sailors were literate, while most Russian sailors were not. These variables would come out to play when dealing with steam-driven warships, the most technologically advanced weapons of the day. At the outbreak of the conflict the Russian Far East fleet would have 7 battleships, 6 cruisers and 13 destroyers at Port Arthur. At Vladivostok were 4 first class cruisers, with a number of torpedo boats. At Chemulpo in Korea were the protected cruisers Varya and gunboat Koreyetz. A crucial component of the conflict would be commanding the sea ways. Both nations recognized this fact all too well. The Russian far east fleet was constrained from year the round training by being icebound in Vladivostok for 3 months of the year. Her fleet was also a ragtag bunch with different armaments, speed, armor and flexibility. Russia was dependent on foreign built ships, though she was fully capable of building her own. Russia had ships built from Britain, Germany, France and the US. The Russian navy was based on conscription at 7 years with 3 years of reserve.  The IJN combined fleet was led by Vice-Admiral Heihachiro Togo. The two divided squadrons of the Russian Pacific Fleet were commanded overall by Admiral Oskar Ludvig Stark. The Main Russian squadron was in Port Arthur and the other cruiser squadron was at Vladivostok under the command of Admiral Nikolai Skrydlov. Port Arthur offered some shore artillery battery defense, though it was underfunded due to divestments for the development of Dalny, and its dry dock capabilities were quite limited compared to that of Sasebo. The Russians were bluffing the Japanese while continuing the strengthen their position in the far east. But the Japanese would not wait for them to do so.   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. Kaiser Wilhelm II had egged his cousin Tsar Nicholas II into facing against the Empire of Japan. Little did the Russian Tsar know, but he was about to send his nation to their doom, for the Japanese had done their homework and were determined to rid Manchuria of the Russian menace

It's aliens, man. ALIENS!!!! Don't take our word for it. Listen to the show!! Join us as we discuss these bizarre little creatures.::Show Hosts::Joshua BynumShane CarlsonTommy GreenIntro/Outro: Dew by Da SeinCheck us out on all major podcast platforms and YouTube as well!!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTzJxDwoxjPE1oJThR9koagYou can also find us on Facebook and Twitter!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParanormalMindsJST/Twitter: https://twitter.com/jstparanormalPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/ParanormalMindsJSTShop for us on Etsy!!!!Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ParanormalMinds?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1409788831Like, Subscribe, Follow, and Roundhouse kick your way into our love!!!Let us know what you think!!

Dahr Jamail speaks with Galina Angarova about grieving what is happening on Earth, and what it was like being raised within an intact Indigenous culture. She also discusses the critically important role of ancestors and intergenerational trauma, and reminds us that the traditional knowledge of Indigenous people that came directly from the land itself is our only hope for a future. Galina Angarova is a Buryat woman from the Lake Baikal region of Siberia. In addition to being the Executive Director of Cultural Survival, an Indigenous-led NGO that advocates for the rights of Indigenous peoples around the world, Galina is a climate and land rights activist.

Story One – The Lake Baikal SwimmersThere are countless myths and legends associated with Russia's sprawling Lake Baikal — from reports of a mythical monster to a hidden fortune in missing treasure. But by far the most intriguing of such tales is an alleged encounter between the Soviet army and members of a mysterious underwater race.Story Two – The Baltic Sea AnomalyDuring the summer of 2011, a commercial dive team encountered a mysterious sonar contact, straddling the sea floor in the northernmost reaches of the Baltic Sea. Since it was discovered, this object has continued to defy all attempts to uncover its origins.MUSIC "Ice Demon", “Spacial Winds” and "Undaunted" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0"When Life Ends", "The Point of Insanity", "Be Still Now", “Just Implants”, “Forebidden”, “Apartment 213”, “After the Rain” and “Volcanoes” used by kind permission of CO.AGSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's True Weird Stuff - The Swimmers    In 1982, Russian Navy divers were conducting a military exercise 50 metres deep in Lake Baikal when they noticed something observing them. Tall, humanoid creatures with silvery silhouettes lingered; a sight that would terrify even the toughest soldier. 7 divers entered those waters that day…only 4 survived. What lurks below in the world's oldest lake?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About a month ago, the Russian authorities outlawed Greenpeace, giving it the same treatment as Meduza, slapping the organization with an “undesirability” label that makes its operations illegal. Greenpeace International “poses a danger to the foundations of Russia's constitutional order and security,” declared the Prosecutor General's Office. Its work “actively promotes a political agenda and attempts to interfere in the state's internal affairs, with an aim to undermine its economic foundations.” Greenpeace itself says the crackdown — which forced it to dissolve its Russian branch — was retaliation for its opposition to proposed changes to the Russian environmental law that would lift the ban on logging around Lake Baikal, a protected ecosystem in Siberia and the world's deepest freshwater lake. A couple of months earlier, Russia's Justice Ministry designated the World Wildlife Fund as a “foreign agent” for allegedly “trying to influence the decisions of the executive and legislative branches of the Russian Federation, and to hinder the completion of industrial and infrastructural projects” — “under the guise of protecting nature and the environment.” To understand the short-term and long-term consequences of these designations and the fallout of Russia's wartime environmental policies, Meduza spoke to environmental journalist Angelina Davydova, who recently coauthored an article with Eugene Simonov, titled “Does Russia Have a ‘Green' Future?” that explores where Russia is headed environmentally in light of the war effort against Ukraine and all the Western sanctions imposed as a result. Timestamps for this episode: (6:56) Russian environmentalism after the crackdown on Greenpeace and the WWF (10:31) Declining professionalism and corruption in environmental science (16:25) Russia's historical approach to nature reserves (19:18) Opportunities for ‘great green power' (25:36) The chances of environmental cooperation with the Putin regime at warКак поддержать нашу редакцию — даже если вы в России и вам очень страшно

This week we are talking with filmmaker, adventurer and bike packer Maxwell Frost about his award-winning adventure film "Between Giants"! SPECIAL LINK TO THE MOVIE ONLY FOR THE NEXT MONTH: https://vimeo.com/820720244 This film truly shows the ups and downs and unforeseen obstacles of a big time adventure. Maxwell and his friend David flew over to India to bike the Himalayas. Pretty quickly, their plans were derailed by various obstacles and they were forced to embrace the chaos and adapt. Through this journey they learned how flexibility and being open to experiences is the true gift we get from travel and adventure! Can't wait for you to check out this episode! I HIGHLY recommend his film "Between Giants" and I can't wait for his next one "Lake Bike Hell" about his expedition across frozen Lake Baikal in Siberia.

Since ancient times, the vast Lake Baikal has been known as deeply mysterious, but in the closing years of the Soviet era, and since, it has been the location of a number of alleged sightings of aliens and UFOs. Even more, sightings of bizarre beings who have come to be known as the Lake Baikal Swimmers. Nine-foot-tall silver-clad beings who have been sighted swimming in the frigid waters unflinchingly. Initially these were covered-up by the authorities of the USSR, but later they were revealed by the Russian media. Join us as we discuss some of the most shocking experiences around this ancient and truly massive lake and attempt to get to the bottom of the bizarre phenomena that has become its weirdest claim to fame.  Campfire: Tales of the Strange and Unsettling is created for adult audiences only. The content and discussion in this show will necessarily engage with various accounts that include violence, anxiety, fear, and occasional body horror. Much of it will be emotionally and intellectually challenging to engage with. We will flag especially graphic or intense content so as to never put you in an uninformed or unprepared position. We will do our best to make this a space where we can engage bravely, empathetically, and thoughtfully with difficult content every week.  This week's episode includes descriptions/sound related the following sensitive subjects.  High-Stress Situations Check it Out! Mothmen 1966 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1755030/Mothmen_1966/ Bigfoothttps://www.bigfootplay.com/ Articles:https://siberiantimes.com/other/others/features/f0077-aliens-and-ufos-at-worlds-deepest-lake/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/lake-baikal-and-more-of-the-weirdest-lakes-of-the-world-15341548/ Books:https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Sea-Journey-Lake-Baikal/dp/0195387333 Adverts! Support Campfire on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/campfiretalesofthestrangeandunsettling Satisfy All of Your Merch Needs:https://www.teepublic.com/stores/campfire-tales-of-the-strange-and-unsettling?ref_id=25702 Join the conversation on social media atwww.campfirepodcastnetwork.com  Discord: https://discord.gg/43CPN3rz Instagram:instagram.com/campfire.tales.podcast GoodPods:https://goodpods.app.link/T0qvGnXnplb Twitter:www.twitter.com/campfiretotsau  Facebook:www.facebook.com/campfire.tales.podcast Visit Our Linktree for Any and All Campfire Info: https://linktr.ee/Campfirepodcast Special Thanks: Gregg Martin for music contributions! Go follow him on Instagram at Instagram.com/reverentmusic , on Bandcamp at https://reverentmusic.bandcamp.com/releases or on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/6QVhQsYQeeBVOtxrelehTI?si=V5CAxS8sSXyVFn14G7j-GA Additional Music: "Crime Scene (Piano Version): The Man Who Loved Flowers Suite" - Ghost Stories IncorporatedAdditional music & SFX provided by Artlist.ioElias Armao for graphic design! Go follow him on Instagram at instagram.com/doggedlinedesignsupply  Jonathan Dodd for merch design! Show him some love at https://linktr.ee/jonathandodd Easton Chandler Hawk! Support his work at https://linktr.ee/eastonhawkart Christina at The Crescent Hare! Support everything she does at https://thecrescenthare.bigcartel.com/products Todd Purse at Create Magic Studios! Support his work at https://linktr.ee/Createmagicstudios

"We were a top secret classified department of defense mission. So, to this day, if I told you what we carried in the shuttle, you could never leave this hangar. One of the fascinating things about it was that my crew and I got briefed into what our capabilities in space are, in terms of the military, and again, it's not weaponry. After we had gone to orbit and on the first day, we deployed a major new intelligence satillite for the United States. And that's about as much as I'm allowed to say about it. Even to this day, this was 1988. So what's that 34 years ago?" -Hoot Gibson.STS-71, First Shuttle-Mir DockingAtlantis launched on June 27, 1995, on the STS-71 mission to carry out the third goal, the historic first Shuttle docking with Mir.  Aboard Atlantis were Commander Robert L. “Hoot” Gibson, Pilot Charles J. Precourt, and Mission Specialists Ellen L. Baker, Gregory J. Harbaugh, Bonnie J. Dunbar, Anatoli Y. Solovyev, and Nikolai M. Budarin. After docking, Solovyev and Budarin would remain aboard the station as the Mir-19 crew, while Dezhurov, Strekalov, and Thagard would return to Earth aboard Atlantis, completing the first crew exchange in the Space Shuttle program.  In its payload bay, Atlantis carried a Spacelab module outfitted with equipment to conduct biomedical investigations on the returning crewmembers. Two days after launch, Atlantis began its approach to Mir, a procedure rehearsed earlier in the year during STS-63, the Shuttle-Mir rendezvous (or near-Mir) mission. Gibson steered Atlantis to a smooth docking at Mir's Kristall module as the two spacecraft flew 250 miles above the Lake Baikal region of eastern Russia, forming the world's heaviest spacecraft up to that time – nearly half a million pounds. Hoot Gibson's Hangar, aviation's premier podcast, hosted by America's premier aviator, Hoot Gibson, “The Man That Can Fly Anything."Don't miss a single episode. Video podcast air exclusively on Air2AirTV and aviation's premier Youtube channel - Dronescapes, producing aircraft documentaries, exclusive stories and interviews from veterans, pilots and aces, in their own words. WWII missions, Vietnam's stories and much more!Hoot Gibson's Hangar audio podcast can be downloaded from all top podcast directories: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, TuneIn Alexa, Overcast, PocketCast, Castro, Castbox, Podchaser and many more.You can also download the audio podcast on Air2AirTV by clicking on the RESOURCE tab below each episode.

For years, fishermen and villagers living near Lake Baikal in Siberia have told of strange lights coming from under the water, humanoid "silver swimmers", and mysterious flying objects. Tiktok & Instagram: @twoblackcatspod

You KNOW we have opinions on everything from "Lola" to "Walk On The Wild Side" to "Dude Looks Like A Lady". The good, the bad, and the strange.  And this is just part one!! Links galore: Jasper the Colossal Markers and Beer live version. It slaps.      Make famous friends by cultivating fandoms for less- famous people. Faith admires awesome YouTuber Lindsey Ellis -- and she reteweeted one of Faith's dog pics!  Lake Baikal is a super deep lake. Terrifyingly deep. SNL Ashlee Simpson debacle.   Okay, music! In this ep, we discussed: Aerosmith's Dude Looks Like A Lady. Faith's judgment: Not a good song. Here's a picture of Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe (not Poison; apologies to both Mr. Crüe and Mr. Poison), for reference.  Hair metal, for reference including two cool lists of Top 10 Best and Bottom 5 Worst Hair Metal Bands.   The Kinks Lola. Faith's judgment: Good song but not on her mix or karaoke list. Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground Take a Walk on the Wild Side (Faith's judgment: good song and not on her karaoke list) and Candy Says (Faith's judgment: same-- good song and not on her karaoke list)    Learn about: Candy Darling ! Andy Warhol's Factory ! Joe Delassandro !   The Community commercial where they say "meet different people!"     Many familiar crabs are of the genus Cancer   Suzanne Vega As Girls Go.  Faith's judgment: not a good song. Matt Baum's Culture Cruise on YouTube talks about the representation of gays in TV and movies.  Madonna's What It Feels Like For A Girl. Faith's judgment: a good song.    Garbage Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go),  Androgyny, and Bleed Like Me . Faith's judgment: 100% awesome songs.  Bonus is their cover of Candy Says that's also spectacular. The JT Leroy literary hoax    Buy Faith's book! It's the mid 1990s, and a high school guy in Georgia is grappling with his queerness, his faith, his friends, and his future in Disgusta by Faith DaBrooke. Support us on Patreon to help us keep making great content, and to get some cool rewards! Check out our website for our latest episodes!      

What is lurking in the NC Rivers, the Atlantic Ocean, and Lake Baikal? Is it a huge fish, a mermaid, or underwater aliens?? Check out this show to here historical stories about mermaids and underwater alien encounters! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Ray Zahab is a Canadian Explorer, ultra distance runner and Founder of non-profit impossible2Possible. A recent recipient of the Meritorious Service Cross of Canada, Ray is an Explorer in Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In 2015 Canadian Geographic recognized Ray as one of Canada's Top Explorers. He has ran 17,000+km across the world's deserts, and unsupported expeditions in some of the coldest places on the planet. On November 1, 2006, former “pack a day smoker” turned ultra runner Ray Zahab and two friends, Charlie Engle and Kevin Lin, set out on an expedition to cross the Sahara Desert by foot. 111 days and 7,500 kms after leaving the coast of Senegal, Africa they completed their journey by stepping into the Red Sea. The expedition had the trio running an average of 70kms a day without a single day of rest, for 111 days. National Geographic tracked the expedition by web, as well as the documentary film ‘Running The Sahara', produced by Matt Damon and directed by Academy Award winner James Moll, was created in an effort to raise awareness for the drinking water crisis in North Africa. After witnessing and learning about the water crisis in North Africa, Ray decided to leverage his future adventures to help raise awareness and funding for causes, like this one, that he supports and believes in. In fall 2007, Ray ran the three coastal trails of Canada back to back and each leg virtually non-stop, for a total distance of 400 kms. Logistics were as much of a challenge as the run, and Ray ran The Akshayuk Pass on Baffin Island, East Coast Trail Newfoundland and West Coast Trail in British Columbia, with just enough time to travel in between. In spring 2008 Ray partnered with the ONExONE Foundation for a unique ultra running project. Accompanied by a team of runners, Ray ran an average 80 kms per day in each of Canada's 13 Provinces and Territories in 13 days. Once again logistics were a huge challenge. School visits were arranged along the way, students participated and communities became engaged in the run which supported the work of ONExONE, which supports various charities addressing children's issues globally. In Saskatoon alone, several thousand students and 27 schools were involved in school rallies and a city wide relay with Ray and the team. In 2008, Ray founded impossible2Possible (i2P) (impossible2possible.com) an organization that aims to inspire and educate youth through adventure learning, inclusion and participation in expeditions. Youth Ambassadors are selected from around the world, and then participate, at no cost, in all aspects of the expedition, from logistics and running to creating educational content and team support. All of the i2P Youth Expeditions have included various challenge based initiatives through an Experiential Learning Program, in which thousands of students participate as active ‘team members' during the expeditions, from classrooms all over the world. This program and its technology is also provided at no cost to the students or schools participating. Since its inception, i2P Youth Expeditions have included 14 gruelling expeditions; Baffin Island, Tunisia, the Amazon, Bolivia, India, Botswana, Utah, Peru, Chile, Italy, California, Greece, Death Valley and Canada. The programs and expeditions are 100% free of cost.   SOUTH POLE QUEST EXPEDITION   In 2009, Ray and two fellow Canadians, Kevin Vallely and Richard Weber, broke the world speed record for an unsupported expedition by a team to the Geographic South Pole. In the process, Ray trekked this traditional route from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole, a distance of 1,130 kms, solely on foot and snowshoes, without the use of skis. Students from all over North America joined the team on a daily basis, a program provided through impossible2Possible, as the trio continued their southern trek. The students received daily communications and actively took part in every step of the trek. Essentially becoming “teammates” of the expedition, and teammates of the Guinness World Record achieved. In winter 2010, Ray and Kevin Vallely ran the length of frozen Lake Baikal in Siberia, 650 kms, over the course of 13 days, totally unsupported. Once again communication with satellite video conferencing to schools brought the expedition into classrooms, and classrooms onto the expedition.   ATACAMA EXTREME EXPEDITION   In February 2011 (Summer), Ray became the first person to run the length of the “driest desert on Earth”, the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, solo. Temperatures exceeded 50c as he ran and navigated the 1,200 kms in 20 days with minimal daily re-supply, and with emergency supplies on his back. Thousands of students joined this journey, again under his i2P organization, via live web and video conferencing. In August 2011 (Summer), Ray and Will Laughlin ran from the north park boundary to the south park boundary of Death Valley National Park, totally off-road. The 237 km run saw temps reaching over 120 degrees F. This would be followed in 2015 with an abbreviated off- road crossing from north park boundary, exiting at the Badwater Basin after crossing the Devil's Golf Course. Beginning June 23rd 2013 (Summer), Ray ran over 2,000km, solo, across Mongolia and the Gobi Desert, with minimal daily resupplies. Support team included both a film crew and photographer who recorded not only the expedition, and created an archive sharing the stories of the people and culture of Mongolia to schools around the world. In February 2014 (winter) Ray completed his 4th unsupported crossing of Baffin Island through the Akshayuk Pass (he would go on to complete 8 unsupported crossings in various seasons). In January 2015 (summer) Ray ran 1,000km across the Patagonian Desert, and then in summer 2015 Ray did a partial crossing of Death Valley National Park, his second project in the area.   ARCTIC 2 ATACAMA EXPEDITION   In February 2016, Ray Zahab (CAN), Jen Segger (CAN) and Stefano Gregoretti (Italy) set out on a unique and challenging expedition that spanned 100 degrees celsius on the thermometer. The team journeyed from -50°C (-58F) to +50°C (120F) over 1,500km, on mountain bikes and foot, crossing both Baffin Island in Canadian winter, and the Atacama Desert in Chilean summer. This would mark Ray's second crossing the length of the Atacama Desert. In February 2017- Ray Zahab and Stefano Gregoretti would go on to complete the second and third stages of a three part expedition in the Canadian Arctic after a near disastrous start in which Ray broke through a frozen river in the Torngats Mountain Range. The duo rallied back to ski unsupported across Baffin Island, and then fatbike across the Northwest Territories along the Mackenzie Valley Winter Road (500km). Beginning mid January 2018 (Summer), Ray once again teamed up with Stefano Gregoretti to run the length of Namibia, crossing the Namib Desert, approx. 1,850km. Summertime temperatures were intense, and terrain was a mix of cross country, open desert, canyons, gravel roads and track. September 2018, Ray completes his 7th crossing of Baffin Island, in 25.5 hours, coast to coast through the Akshayuk Pass. Fall 2018, Ray, along with close friends, establish KapiK1 Expedition Co, with the goal of giving people the opportunity to join them on adventure travel based expeditions to many of the regions of the world Ray and his team have previously explored. www.kapik1.com In winter (February 2019) Ray and teammate Stefano Gregoretti attempted an unsupported crossing of the Kamchatka Peninsula in far east Russia. After 19 days of brutal conditions, the team (no longer unsupported) was prevented from moving forward due to dangerous and fast flowing open rivers, and were unable to achieve their goal of reaching the east coast. July 2019 (summer), Will Laughlin and Ray Zahab successfully transect Death Valley, from west to east, across the Panamint Mountain Range, Death Valley Basin, and the Amargosa Mountains. It took the duo 35 hours to complete the crossing, moving virtually non stop, taking breaks only at resupply caches. September 2019, Ray completes 8th crossing of Baffin Island, Akshayuk Pass. His brother John joined him, almost 20 years since he first inspired Ray to change his life and pursue a life in the outdoors. They completed their run in roughly 25 hours. January 2020, Ray successfully completes a solo traverse from the island community of Qikiqtarjuaq, across the sea ice to Baffin Island, and onto Pangnirtung Fjord. It was the first January crossing for Baffin, and took 5 days, dragging all of his supplies with him. Intense cold, little daylight, boulder fields, overflow and heavy winds were among the challenges. This was Ray's 9th crossing of Baffin. July 2021, Ray and Will Laughlin abandon an attempted retracing of the 2011 North to South crossing of Death Valley, off road. After the first 24 hours of moving non-stop, temperatures reached a world record high, and became too dangerous to proceed. At Furnace Creek, recorded temps reached 134F. March 2022, Kevin Vallely and Ray have to cut their attempted crossing of Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic short due to several ongoing setbacks. The duo plans a return to complete their expedition in collaboration with friends who live in the region. July 2022, Ray and Stefano Gregoretti successfully complete a West to East crossing of Death Valley NP, at its widest point in summer. They collected ongoing weather data as they made their transect, for use in a future impossible2Possible Youth Education program. They planned for 48 hours but were able to complete the transect in 34 hours, with resupplies 20-30km apart along the way. Ray has also found the time to write two books about his life and adventures. Running for My Life published in 2007 and Ray's second book, geared at youth readers, Running to Extremes, which recently became a National Best-Seller in Canada. Both books focused on Ray's transition from an unhealthy life- both physically and emotionally, to ultra runner and beyond- and the philosophy that we are ALL capable of achieving the extraordinary in our lives. He is currently writing his third book. In addition to being an adventurer, youth advocate and runner, Ray speaks around the world at events such as TED, IOC World Conference, Idea City, The Economist World in 2010 and 2011, World Affairs Council, and numerous Apple Distinguished Educator events internationally, as well as numerous corporate events. He has been interviewed and appeared on several talk and news programs including CNNi, CNN, The Hour, CBC, CTV, BBC, Jay Leno, OLN and Discovery, and has connected his expeditions live, using satellite to both mainstream and social media. He has also appeared in print media globally, and has been interviewed on numerous popular podcasts. Ray was the host of Project Guatemala which aired on OLN, and co hosted-guided a few episodes of Finding Sarah on OWN. Outside of his own organization Ray has volunteered as a board member, Ryan's Well Foundation, volunteered as Athletic Ambassador of the ONExONE.org, and SpreadTheNet. He has previously volunteered with Run For Water, The Assembly of First Nations, and various other initiatives. Ray received the ONExONE Difference Award in 2007, and the Torchbearers Award in 2010. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Royal Canadian Geographical Society. In spring 2012, Ray was invited by H.E. Tsogtbaatar Damdin (Minister of Environment, Mongolia) to join their Internal Advisory Committee. In 2015 and 2019 Canadian Geographic recognized Ray as one of Canada's Top Explorers. In December 2015 Ray was presented with the Meritorious Service Cross of Canada by the Governor General of Canada. In 2018 Ray was named Explorer in Residence by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. He continues today with life as an adventurer and as a volunteer with impossible2Possible. Transitioning from an unhealthy lifestyle to ultrarunning races to ‘Running The Sahara' would begin a lifelong journey of discovery. A journey of learning that some of the greatest barriers to achieving our goals are the ones we put upon ourselves. By breaking these down, Ray has learned that we are all capable of achieving truly extraordinary things…a message he continues to share with his two young daughters! Please scroll to bottom of this page for chronological list of projects and expeditions!

https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/029-deep-rivers   Everyone has been very busy this month with Thom and the Professor officially describing a new species of blue snailfish, alongside their adventures in Singapore. We hear from one of our old students about the work he's been doing in deep freshwater ecosystems, which got us thinking about these unique environments and the kind of species that live there. We decided to throw one more curveball away from the deep sea and speak with Dr Melanie Stiassny, an ichthyologist who's focused her research on the deep-water fish of the Congo River. We couldn't go an episode without discussing the latest deep-sea related conspiracy theories. And of course, we hear from Don about how freshwater affects sub manoeuvres.   Check out our podcast merch! Which now includes Alan's beloved apron and a much-anticipated new design...   Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on: podcast@armatusoceanic.com We'd love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!   We are also on Twitter: @DeepSeaPod, @ArmatusO Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast, ArmatusOceanic Instagram: @deepsea_podcast, @armatusoceanic   Keep up with the team on social media Twitter: Alan - @Hadalbloke Thom - @ThomLinley Georgia - @geeinthesea   Instagram: Georgia - @geeinthesea   Read the show notes and find out more about us at: www.armatusoceanic.com   Glossary Acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) - a device that uses sound waves to measure the speed and direction of currents throughout the water column. Delta - a landform shaped like a triangle, where the mouth of a river flows into an ocean. Halocline - a vertical zone in the water column in which salinity changes rapidly with depth. Giant Isopod - (Scientific genus: Bathynomus) carnivorous crustaceans which are abundant in the deep-sea. Giger - H.R. Giger an award-winning Swiss artist who designed the creature from the 1979 sci-fi horror film ‘Alien'. Rapids - sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Sargasso Sea - a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre. Links Alans TEDx talk   The art exhibition that Alan and Thom visited in Singapore   John Quentin's new deep-sea sci-fi novel, The Verdansky Ultimatum   Alans paper on hadal connectivity   Dr Thom's new paper on the blue hadal snailfish   Eel love, Macduff aquarium releasing their eels   Lake Baikal sculpins!   Crocs on Helium story and video   Melanie's work and recent research Melanie's recent paper on the discovery of a new species of air-breathing catfish   Melanie's article on her work in the lower Congo   Melanie's research on the deep river Congo   Fishes in the lower Congo River. An extreme case of species divergence and convergent evolution   Dying Fish Revealed Congo Is World's Deepest River   Videos: https://vimeo.com/channels/nsf/24733777 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tObYa9KQb8w&feature=relmfu   Melanie's TEDx talk   Credits Oceanchild - Spidergawd Youtube Spotify   Selti - Skatatacama Youtube Spotify   Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel Logo image Image courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History/Melanie Stiassny

Tatiana Stupak (piano) started learning the piano at age five, studying at the Special School of the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in St. Petersburg, and after that, for a further five years, continuing at the Conservatory itself. She is the winner of international music competitions including the Leipzig Bach competition. Tatiana is very well known in Cyprus, having played piano at more than 80 events in the last few years, both as a solo pianist and accompanying other musicians. Since 2018, she has played piano solos at The Big Choir Project concerts. She has developed a second major interest since early 2019: mountaineering! Her goal is to climb the 7 highest mountains of 7 continents. Having had no previous climbing experience, she succeeded in reaching the summit of the highest mountain in Europe (Elbrus) and Africa (Kilimanjaro). Just recently she climbed Mount Damavand, the highest peak in Iran and Western Asia and the highest volcano in Asia She plans next to climb the highest peak in South America, Mount Aconcagua in Argentina while playing music and she is attempting to get in the the Guiness Book of records; she loves adventures of all kinds. For example, in 2018, she took a hot-air balloon flight in Cappadocia; in the summer of 2019, she did her first sky-dive, at Kingsfield Airfield in Cyprus. She also took a trip to frozen Lake Baikal early in 2020, where she played the Russain Gusli instrument. And she leaned free diving in 2020 as well, and proved it, by being filmed playing a piano on the bed of the Mediterranean. She like to combine her musical talents with her adventures, whenever possible. She arranges charity concerts for children and for the church, and brings famous musicians from Russia, for example from the Bolshoi Theatre. She opened the Tatiana Stupak School of Music in 2018, where students can enter for examinations set by the Royal Schools of Music and by Trinity College. Students may also take part in public concerts, to gain experience in performing before audiences. In 2018, Tatiana won awards on being chosen in competition, as Russian Cultural Woman of the Year in Cyprus. In the summer of 2019, having organised fund-raising concerts on several occasions for the Institute of Neurology and Genetics, she was invited to play piano solos at a concert at the Presidential Palace, where President Anastasiades presented her with an award on behalf of the Institute. She has been interviewed many times on Cyprus radio and TV channels. Early in 2020 she was interviewed on the subject of children and music, and the interview was shown on Smile TV; previously she appeared live on TV ONE's charity show, DanSing for You, not as a pianist, but as a dancer. Most recently, she was interviewed by RIK1 TV, and the interview was broadcast in July 2020. Also during 2020, over a period of a few weeks, she made live broadcasts on the Internet, giving illustrated talks about ten classical music composers. Tatiana maintains two YouTube channels: one for herself, and another for her music school. http://tatianastupak.com/biography (http://tatianastupak.com/biography) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPa-fpO17yX0y1aN51Yu_WA (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPa-fpO17yX0y1aN51Yu_WA)

You've heard of UFOs, but have you heard the latest about USOs (Unidentified Submerged Objects?) This week we're joined by Jenny from the Red Room Podcast to explore what the government has released about USOs, and theories that exist about aliens possibly existing in our oceans. Thank you to Athletic Greens! Right now, it's time to reclaim your health and arm your immune system with convenient, daily nutrition! It's just one scoop in a cup of water every day. That's it! To make it easy, Athletic Greens is going to give you a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit athleticgreens.com/fluentlyforward.Time stamps:6:45 What it's like being a conspiracy theorist9:12 Flirting with Flat Earth10:43 Introducing the USO topic12:50 Ancient cultures have interest in the ocean as an unknown16:43 Actual facts (haha) about the ocean19:20 We both fear the ocean26:45 NASA explores the ocean?29:48 The moon and Antarctica are desolate apparently...but we're also not allowed to explore them32:28 The Russian government reveals information about USOs37:50 The Lake Baikal incident41:06 Are “the greys” aliens that evolved from dolphins?43:10 Brazil incidents with USOs46:52 The US government admits to USOs54:30 James Cameron went to the bottom of the ocean56:35 The Ghislaine Maxwell's ocean relation with the Terra Mar project

Today's podcast features two separate, unique, stories that are both themed around the same thing, strange events that took place in the wild. The first story you will hear is called, “The Russian Death March,” and it's about an event that was so terrifying, the one person who survived it could not speak when she finally stumbled, bloody and terrified, out of the forest. The second story you will hear is called, “Bells Canyon,” and it's one of, if not the most, talked about episodes in the entire MrBallen content catalogue; It is about a solo hiker who comes face to face with a very strange nighttime visitorDISCLAIMER: This podcast is the remastered audio from two popular videos on my "MrBallen" YouTube channel. The first story, "The Russian Death March" is from a video of the same name. (Here is the link to that video -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vGtcfJOPOY). The second story, "Bells Canyon" is the top video inside of a Top 3 style video called, "Top 3 SCARIEST true stories | Spooky Stories Part 2." (Link to that video -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k402yukZAxE)For 100s more stories like these, check out my YouTube channel just called "MrBallen" -- https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBallenIf you want to reach out to me, contact me on Instagram, Twitter or any other major social media platform, my username on all of them is @mrballenSPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT:.....Main Sources:Story 1: The Russian Death March1) Dyatlov Pass info -- https://dyatlovpass.com/hamar-daban2) "AUGUST 1993 HAMAR DABAN GROUP KOROVINA. THE MOST MYSTERIOUS ACCIDENTS IN DOMESTIC TOURISM" -- https://zizuhotel.ru/en/registraciya-ip/avgust-1993-hamar-daban-gruppa-korovinoi-samye-tainstvennye-neschastnye-sluchai-v/3) "Hamar-Daban tragedy (English subtitles)" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnYphRRF71M4) Wikipedia page for Lake Baikal -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Baikal5) Wikipedia page for Khamar Daban -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khamar-DabanStory 2: Bells Canyon1) Reddit post discussing Bells Canyon encounter (User gave written permission to use their story) -- https://www.reddit.com/r/LetsNotMeet/comments/gjr66c/a_strange_man_hunted_me_through_a_national_park/2) The Reddit post about Bells Canyon was written by -- https://www.reddit.com/user/ValyrianJedi/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.