Podcasts about Liu

Artificial intelligence is not a ghost, a UFO, or a cryptid, but it may be one of the strangest and most unsettling mysteries of our time. On this episode of The Paranormal Podcast, Jim talks with A. G. G. Liu, co-author of The Handy Artificial Intelligence Answer Book, about the rise of AI and the big questions it raises about consciousness, control, creativity, and what it means to be human. Could machines ever become truly aware? Are we building tools we can manage, or something that may eventually outthink us? Jim and A. G. G. dig into the promises and dangers of AI, from medicine and scientific breakthroughs to job disruption, cybersecurity threats, AI-generated art, energy demands, and even artificial companions. It is a fascinating, sometimes unnerving conversation about a technology that is no longer science fiction. Whether you use AI every day, avoid it completely, or still are not sure what to make of it, this episode will give you plenty to think about. You can find The Handy Artificial Intelligence Answer Book at Amazon: The Handy Artificial Intelligence Answer Book - https://amzn.to/3T9uy6y Thanks A.G.G. -- VIRTUAL CAMPFIRE GROUPJoin our FREE online community at ⁠https://virtualcampfiregroup.com⁠ YOUTUBE CHANNELBe sure to subscribe to Jim's YouTube channel at: ⁠https://youtube.com/jimharold⁠ JOIN JIM'S SPOOKY STUDIO PLUS CLUBYou can get access to Jim's entire back catalog of Campfire and a TON of exclusive content with the Spooky Studio Plus Club. Go to https://⁠jimharold.com/plus⁠ and signup to support the show and get access to our MASSIVE library of content! MERCHGo to ⁠https://jimharold.com/merch⁠ to get your Jim Harold T's, sweatshirts, mugs, hats and more!  BOOKSGet all SIX of Jim's Campfire books here: https://jimharold.com/campfirebooks/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping has urged incessant efforts in regularizing coordinated regional development to secure solid progress in advancing common prosperity for all.Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in recent instructions on steadily advancing the cooperation between China's eastern and western regions. He highlighted the east-west cooperation program's significant role in supporting poverty alleviation efforts and promoting balanced regional development over the past 30 years since its initiation, which has demonstrated the political strengths of the Party, as well as the superiority of China's socialist system.Xi highlighted this year as the opening year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, as well as the first year of the regular assistance efforts in the country's rural revitalization drive. He also called for efforts to summarize and apply the valuable experience gained from cooperation between Fujian province and Ningxia Hui autonomous region, further improve cooperation mechanisms, optimize cooperation methods, and expand the scopes of cooperation. The endeavors are expected to promote industrial complementarity, personnel exchanges, and mutual learning of technologies, ideas, and work styles between the eastern and western regions, and to achieve mutual benefits, win-win outcomes, and common development.Party committees and governments at all levels should earnestly fulfill their responsibilities for regularized assistance for western regions, firmly secure the bottom line to prevent any large-scale relapse into poverty or new cases of poverty, steadily advance rural revitalization across the board, and continuously enhance coordinated regional development, so as to make solid progress toward common prosperity for all.The important instructions of Xi were conveyed at a national work conference on east-west regional cooperation, which opened on June 17 in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia. Liu Guozhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council, delivered a speech at the meeting. Liu emphasized that General Secretary Xi's important instructions are strategically insightful, profound and incisive, demonstrating strong political, ideological and guiding significance. They provide fundamental guidance for carrying out regularized east-west cooperation, and must be thoroughly studied, fully understood and resolutely implemented.Liu underscored the need to consistently uphold the political responsibility, firmly establish and practice a correct understanding of governance performance, and draw upon the successful experience from Fujian-Ningxia cooperation, among others. Efforts should be intensified to deepen industrial and labor-service coordination between the eastern and western regions, strengthen the exchange of officials and professionals, expand cooperation in science and technology, finance and other fields. It is essential to carry out work creatively in light of local conditions, continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of collaboration, and promote complementary strengths, mutual empowerment and common development.The meeting also briefed participants on the progress of east-west regional cooperation. Officials from Ningxia Hui autonomous region and Fujian province respectively introduced the experience and practices in Fujian-Ningxia cooperation. Officials from Beijing and Shanghai municipalities, as well as Jiangsu, Guangdong, Sichuan and Gansu provinces also addressed the meeting.Officials from relevant provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities undertaking east-west regional cooperation tasks, as well as those from some member departments of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, attended the meeting.

Prosecutors have charged a Chicago college student with hate crimes, arson, damage to property, disorderly conduct and reckless conduct after Merlin Liu admitted to burning a cross in Grant Park. Liu uploaded a video and then gave an interview to a local reporter claiming he didn’t realize the historic relevance and severity of a burning cross in this country. Liu claims he was simply protesting the Trump Administration and the cross had nothing to do with race. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prosecutors have charged a Chicago college student with hate crimes, arson, damage to property, disorderly conduct and reckless conduct after Merlin Liu admitted to burning a cross in Grant Park. Liu uploaded a video and then gave an interview to a local reporter claiming he didn’t realize the historic relevance and severity of a burning cross in this country. Liu claims he was simply protesting the Trump Administration and the cross had nothing to do with race. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prosecutors have charged a Chicago college student with hate crimes, arson, damage to property, disorderly conduct and reckless conduct after Merlin Liu admitted to burning a cross in Grant Park. Liu uploaded a video and then gave an interview to a local reporter claiming he didn’t realize the historic relevance and severity of a burning cross in this country. Liu claims he was simply protesting the Trump Administration and the cross had nothing to do with race. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prosecutors have charged a Chicago college student with hate crimes, arson, damage to property, disorderly conduct and reckless conduct after Merlin Liu admitted to burning a cross in Grant Park. Liu uploaded a video and then gave an interview to a local reporter claiming he didn’t realize the historic relevance and severity of a burning cross in this country. Liu claims he was simply protesting the Trump Administration and the cross had nothing to do with race. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As AI technologies become increasingly sophisticated, the United States and China are vying to win this technology competition. Both countries have different approaches and strengths in their development, deployment, and regulation of AI – the United States is recognized as leading in advanced AI development and China in industrial AI integration. Although perceptions of AI differ between people, companies, and the government in the United States and China, a shared anxiety exists among both populations over the effects this technology will have on their lives.   Yi-Ling Liu joined us on June 10, 2026 to share similarities and differences between the ways people in the United States and China view AI and who the narrative of a U.S.-China AI race neglects.  Further reading: Yi-Ling Liu's recent book The Wall Dancers: Searching For Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet traces the evolution of the Chinese internet, following entrepreneurs, activists, and artists as they navigate surveillance and censorship within the Great Firewall. Liu draws on years of firsthand reporting and interviews in China to examine online subcultures, shifting state policies, and tech innovations over the last three decades

It'd be easy, with the clusterf**k of crazy-making economic, geopolitical, and democracy-in-decline news dominating the scene, to forget that the unraveling of environmental systems waits for no person. That's why we've asked Emily Schoerning to return to Crazy Town. Asher and Emily sit down together (uh, virtually) to discuss the oceanic dynamics – from worrisome to downright apocalyptic – that could make the Strait of Hormuz disruption look like a five-minute wait at the Starbucks drive-thru. In this episode they discuss the possibility of a 2026-2027 Super El Niño, the growing risks of an AMOC collapse, and how each of us can approach near- and longer-term resilience.Originally recorded on 5/20/26.Sources & LinksAmerican ResiliencyLinks to graphs/resources that Emily mentioned:NOAA ENSO Update (see page 23) Columbia El Nino UpdateClimate Reanalyzer (to visualize average SST changes as a graph)Zach Labe's visualizations (to visualize currently non-apocalyptic Antarctic sea ice)Copernicus (to visualize SST anomalies on world map)Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown modulates atmospheric rivers in a warmer climate by Mimi, M. S., Liu, W., Ma, W., & Chen, G. Nature Communications, 2026 Articles/papers related to AMOC and El Nino:Observational constraints project a ~50% AMOC weakening by the end of this century by Portmann, V., Swingedouw, D., Khattab, O., & Chavent, M. Science Advances, 2026Critical Atlantic current significantly more likely to collapse than thought by Carrington, D. The Guardian, April 15, 2026 El Niño/Southern Oscillation (Enso) Diagnostic Discussion, Climate Prediction Center, 14 May 2026A'super El Niño?‘ The Conversation, May 14, 2026Related EpisodesEpisode 119, “Getting Real about Resiliency with Emily Schoerning”CreditsProduction and editing by Alex Leff. Editorial assistance and transcripts by Taylor Antal.Theme music is “Way Huge” and “Don't Give Up” by Midnight Shipwrecks, used with permission.Thanks to all the Crazy Townies, our listeners who are trying to understand humanity's overshoot predicament and do something about it.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: From Shadow to Center: Wei Shifu's Heartfelt Festival Gathering Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2026-06-17-07-38-20-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 夏日的阳光洒在北京这座繁忙城市的一个安静角落，这里是一个幽静的高档小区。En: The summer sun spilled over a quiet corner of the bustling city of Beijing, here in a serene upscale residential area.Zh: 小区的草坪修剪整齐，现代化的公寓楼被柳树环绕，恍如城市中的绿洲。En: The lawns were neatly trimmed, and the modern apartment buildings were surrounded by willows, like an oasis in the city.Zh: 魏师傅是一位中年保安，负责这个小区的安全工作。En: Wei Shifu was a middle-aged security guard responsible for this community's safety.Zh: 他每天认真巡逻，对小区的每一个角落了如指掌。En: He patrolled diligently every day, knowing every corner of the area like the back of his hand.Zh: 魏师傅很热爱他的工作，但他时常感到孤独。En: Wei Shifu loved his job, but he often felt lonely.Zh: 住在这里的人总是忙忙碌碌，似乎把他当成背景的一部分。En: The residents here were always so busy, seeming to consider him just a part of the background.Zh: 很少有人停下来向他问好或交流，就算偶尔有人路过，也只是匆匆点头致意。En: Few people stopped to greet or chat with him; even those who occasionally passed by would only nod hurriedly.Zh: 魏师傅心里渴望能和这些人有更多的交流，希望被他们真正看见。En: Wei Shifu longed to communicate more with these people, hoping to be truly seen by them.Zh: 随着端午节临近，魏师傅想出了一个办法。En: As the Duanwu Festival approached, Wei Shifu came up with an idea.Zh: 他想到自己的长处之一就是包粽子，于是决定在小区里贴一张通知，邀请小区的居民们参加一个小型聚会。En: He thought of one of his strengths—making zongzi—and decided to post a notice in the community, inviting the residents to a small gathering.Zh: “端午节要到了，”他在通知上写道，“我想邀请大家到小区的花园里，一起过个热闹的节日。En: "The Duanwu Festival is coming," he wrote on the notice, "I would like to invite everyone to the community garden to celebrate a lively holiday together.Zh: 我会准备些传统的粽子，希望大家能一起来。”En: I will prepare some traditional zongzi, and I hope everyone can join."Zh: 聚会当天，魏师傅早早地来了，他在花园里设好了桌椅，摆上了自己精心准备的粽子和茶水。En: On the day of the gathering, Wei Shifu arrived early, setting up tables and chairs in the garden and laying out the carefully prepared zongzi and tea.Zh: 阳光洒在他的脸上，额头泛着汗，他心里却有些忐忑。En: The sun shone on his face, his forehead had beads of sweat, yet he felt a bit anxious.Zh: 他不知道会有多少人来，甚至担心会不会一个人也没有。En: He wasn't sure how many people would come, or if anyone would show up at all.Zh: 就在这时，刘女士带着两个孩子走了进来，紧接着是张先生和他的太太。En: Just then, Ms. Liu came in with her two children, followed by Mr. Zhang and his wife.Zh: 他们对魏师傅的用心表示感谢，并夸赞他的粽子香气扑鼻。En: They expressed gratitude for Wei Shifu's thoughtfulness and praised the delightful aroma of his zongzi.Zh: 有了他们的带动，陆陆续续又来了几个家庭，花园里逐渐热闹起来。En: Encouraged by their presence, a few more families gradually joined, and the garden became lively.Zh: 大家聊着天，分享自己的故事，还有人向魏师傅请教包粽子的技巧。En: Everyone chatted, shared their stories, and some even sought Wei Shifu's advice on making zongzi.Zh: 这场聚会不仅温暖了魏师傅的心，也让小区居民们感受到了不一样的温情。En: This gathering warmed not only Wei Shifu's heart but also allowed the community residents to experience a different kind of warmth.Zh: 魏师傅因此充满信心，并意识到自己并不只是那个默默无闻的守护者，他也是真正属于这个社区的一部分。En: It filled Wei Shifu with confidence and made him realize that he was not just an unnoticed guardian; he was truly a part of this community.Zh: 夕阳余晖下，小区的花园里满是欢声笑语，时间仿佛暂时停驻。En: Under the glow of the setting sun, the community garden was full of laughter and cheer, as if time had momentarily paused.Zh: 魏师傅微微一笑，他终于感到自己找到了归属。En: Wei Shifu smiled slightly, finally feeling that he had found his place of belonging. Vocabulary Words:serene: 幽静upscale: 高档residential: 小区oasis: 绿洲patrolled: 巡逻diligently: 认真lonely: 孤独background: 背景gathering: 聚会celebrate: 过（节日）traditional: 传统forehead: 额头beads: 泛anxious: 忐忑presence: 带动sought: 请教confidence: 信心unnoticed: 默默无闻warmth: 温情belonging: 归属chat: 交流notice: 通知invite: 邀请prepare: 准备gratitude: 感谢praise: 夸赞aroma: 香气扑鼻gradually: 逐渐cheer: 欢声pause: 停驻

Dundas Square is a major intersection in downtown Toronto. It has a high population of buskers and other entertainment. This particular evening turned into a sermon. Recorded in Toronto by Scott Bennett.IMAGE: Kang-min Liu, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

"I've always been captivated by the organic quality of atmospheres... so the meaning of FX soon became completely intertwined with it... and that's exactly what happened this time too..." Sermon in Dundas Square, Toronto reimagined by Lajkó András Bence/ACiDBENCI.IMAGE: Kang-min Liu, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Author Ken Liu was born in China in 1976, and his family emigrated to the U.S. when he was 11. He has published multiple collections of short stories and an epic series of novels. Several of his works have been made into films , including “Good Hunting,” which was part of the Netflix animated anthology series Love, Death and Robots. He's also known for translating the Chinese sci-fi series known as The Three Body Problem. Based in the Boston suburbs, Liu visited Central Illinois back in 2024 for a talk at the Champaign Public Library on art and artificial intelligence. That's when we first aired this conversation, in which he talks about trading a traditional job for writing full time, what's unique about Chinese science fiction, and why he's excited for the possibilities of artificial intelligence.

With the launch of a new journal, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) is also launching a brand new podcast: The Points of CARE, the official podcast of Diabetes, Obesity, and CardioMetabolic CARE. Join hosts Richard Beaser, MD and Jane Reusch, MD, as they highlight key research findings, clinical implications, and emerging themes across diabetes, obesity, and cardiometabolic health through interviews with journal authors and subject-matter experts. 4:05 Our hosts speak with Anna Kahkoska, MD, PhD, Joan Heckler Gillings Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition and adjunct assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine within the UNC School of Medicine. Their article, "Qualitative Analysis of Patient Portal Messages From Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes," is available at doi.org/10.2337/doc25-0079. 14:10 Our hosts introduce Esben Thyssen Vestergaard, PhD, clinical associate professor in the Department of Clinical Medicine and Department of Pediatrics Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark. His article, "Clinic for Athletes With Type 1 Diabetes: Evaluation of a Structured Clinical Care Model for Physically Active Individuals," is available for free at doi.org/10.2337/doc25-0064. 21:40 Finally, Richard and Jane highlight some of their favorite articles from the May-June issue. Rezaeiahari, et al. Rural–Urban Differences in Use of Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support in Arkansas, 2015–2019 doi.org/10.2337/doc25-0065 Liu, et al. Trends in Nutrient Intake Among U.S. Adults by Diabetes Status: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2020 doi.org/10.2337/doc25-0076 Yanez Bello, et al. Barriers to the Adoption of Diabetes Technologies and the Implementation of Connected Insulin Pens in a Largely Minority Population With Type 1 Diabetes doi.org/10.2337/doc25-0072 Shehab, et al. Barriers to Effective Type 2 Diabetes Care in a Conflict-Affected Region of Syria: A Qualitative Study of Health Care Provider Perspectives doi.org/10.2337/doc26-0021 ElSayed, et al. Enhancing Physician Clinical Competency: A Cluster Randomized Trial of a Multimodal Online Educational Program in a Multinational Diabetes Workforce doi.org/10.2337/doci25-0007 Olesen, et al. A Danish Nationwide Cohort of Foot Health in Individuals With Diabetes From the Danish Foot Status Database doi.org/10.2337/doc26-0002 To learn more about Diabetes, Obesity, and CardioMetabolic CARE please visit diabetesjournals.org/docm-care. Thank you for listening, and don't forget to subscribe.

SpaceX's decision to bar Chinese mainland and Hong Kong investors from its $75 billion IPO underscores a growing global trend of technology decoupling, which Chinese companies must heed without altering their global outreach, said experts on Tuesday.多位专家周二表示，SpaceX拒绝中国大陆及香港投资者参与其规模达750亿美元的首次公开募股，凸显出全球科技脱钩趋势加剧。中国企业需正视这一现状，但不应停止国际化发展的步伐。Underwriters for SpaceX, the space exploration company founded by Elon Musk, said on Friday that they are instructed to reject any orders originating from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, according to people familiar with the matter.据知情人士透露，这家由埃隆·马斯克创立的太空探索公司的承销商于周五表示，他们接到指令，将拒绝所有来自中国大陆和香港的认购订单。It means that mutual funds, private equities, sovereign funds, family offices and high-net-worth individuals from the two jurisdictions will all be blocked from this highly anticipated IPO, which would rank among the world's largest technology listings in history.这意味着，两地的共同基金、私募股权基金、主权基金、家族理财室以及高净值人群，都将无缘这场备受瞩目的上市活动。此次IPO也有望跻身全球史上规模最大的科技企业上市行列。Online access to the official website of SpaceX and its roadshow materials were inaccessible in the jurisdictions on Tuesday.周二，中国大陆及香港地区已无法正常访问SpaceX官网及相关路演资料。SpaceX has cited the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations for making the decision, indicating national security concerns.SpaceX称此举依据美国《国际武器贸易条例》，理由是出于国家安全考量。But Dai Guanchun, a senior capital markets lawyer based in Beijing, said that there is no explicit restriction under US law. The subscription of shares does not pose any serious national security or technology leakage risks, he stressed.北京资深资本市场律师戴冠春则认为，美国相关法律中并无此类明确限制。他强调，单纯的股份认购并不会带来重大国家安全风险，也不存在技术泄露隐患。"This reflects an excessive politicization of technological exchanges by the United States, disrupting the normal flow of international capital," he said.他表示：“这体现出美国将科技交流过度政治化，扰乱了国际资本的正常流通。”"Chinese companies possess world-class innovation capabilities, and Chinese scientists play critical roles in nearly all areas of technological innovation. Excluding Chinese companies and Chinese capital is unjust, undermining long-standing international trust and collaboration," he added.他补充道：“中国企业拥有世界级的创新能力，中国科研人员在几乎所有科技创新领域都发挥着重要作用。将中国企业与中国资本排除在外有失公允，也会破坏长久以来建立的国际互信与合作。”But Dai stressed that this could be an unavoidable trend. Not just the US but probably Europe as well may impose excessive politicization on technology and capital exchanges.戴冠春同时指出，这类情况或将成为难以回避的趋势。不止美国，欧洲未来也可能在科技与资本往来中采取过度政治化的做法。Against that backdrop, Chinese companies should not be conservative, but rather seek more cooperation in other markets, he added.他建议，在此背景下，中国企业不应趋于保守，而要积极开拓其他市场、寻求多元合作。Excluding investors from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong from this IPO is using military export controls as a pretext. It is a selective capital isolation driven by geopolitical competition, as explained by Liu Chunsheng, an associate professor of international economics at the Central University of Finance and Economics.中央财经大学国际经济系副教授刘春生表示，以军工出口管制为借口，拒绝中国大陆及香港投资者参与本次IPO，本质是地缘政治竞争下针对性的资本孤立行为。"It is a typical case of capital decoupling in cutting-edge technology sectors. The military export control regulations used to restrict only the flow of technical hardware, but now companies are using it to block all related capital. The US side is expanding national security concerns to the capital market in strategic sectors such as aerospace and semiconductors. Investment rights are being divided by nationality, creating a so-called 'layered' and partial decoupling," said Liu.刘春生称：“这是前沿科技领域资本脱钩的典型表现。以往军工出口管制条例仅用于限制技术硬件流通，如今却被用来阻拦相关资本进入。美方将国家安全的考量范围扩大至航空航天、半导体等战略领域的资本市场，以国籍划分投资权限，形成了所谓分层式、局部化的脱钩局面。”In the short run, this could lead to higher fundraising costs and fewer opportunities regarding commercial operations for US companies like SpaceX, as they will receive less Asian capital. If sustained for a longer term, it could impair the global capital supply, constraining the R&D expansion of capital-heavy aerospace projects, he said.他表示，短期来看，SpaceX这类美国企业获得的亚洲资本减少，会推高其融资成本、压缩商业发展空间。长此以往，全球资本流通体系将受到损害，也会制约资金密集型航天项目的研发与扩张。decoupling /ˌdiːˈkʌplɪŋ/脱钩，分离underwriter /ˈʌndəraɪtə(r)/承销商jurisdiction /ˌdʒuərɪsˈdɪkʃn/管辖区域，辖区roadshow /ˈrəʊdʃəʊ/路演pretext /ˈpriːtekst/ 借口，托词geopolitical /ˌdʒiːəʊpəˈlɪtɪkl/地缘政治的

This Day in Legal History: Congress Repeals the Gold ClauseOn this day in 1933, Congress passed the Joint Resolution that voided the gold clauses written into nearly every long-term contract and bond obligation in the United States, both public and private. The resolution declared that any provision purporting to require payment “in gold or a particular kind of coin or currency” was “against public policy,” and that obligations could be discharged dollar for dollar in whatever legal tender currency was in force at the time of payment. It was a remarkable act of legislative power: a one-paragraph statute that rewrote the payment terms of millions of existing contracts overnight, in the middle of the Great Depression, to make Franklin Roosevelt's recent abandonment of the gold standard actually stick. The Supreme Court took up the inevitable challenge two years later in the Gold Clause Cases — Norman v. Baltimore & Ohio, Nortz v. United States, and Perry v. United States — and in February 1935 it upheld the resolution as applied to private contracts by a 5-4 vote, while telling the United States, in Perry, that it had violated its own contractual word in repudiating gold-payment promises on government bonds, but that the bondholder had suffered no compensable injury. The doctrinal residue of that compromise is still with us: Congress can use its monetary powers to alter private contract terms retroactively when monetary policy requires it, the rule that has quietly underwritten every major monetary intervention since, from Bretton Woods to the post-2008 emergency lending programs. June 5 is not a day most lawyers mark on the calendar, but the resolution Congress passed on this date is one of the cleanest examples in American law of a legislature using its enumerated powers to dissolve a contract term that had been considered, until that moment, untouchable.The Supreme Court on Thursday handed Hikma Pharmaceuticals — and the entire generic drug industry — a 9-0 win in a case that had been hanging over the so-called “skinny label” pathway for years. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, writing for a unanimous Court in Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Amarin Pharma, Inc., held that Amarin, the maker of the brand-name fish-oil drug Vascepa, had not plausibly alleged that Hikma actively induced infringement of Amarin's patents covering a still-patented cardiovascular use of the drug. The skinny label is a feature of Hatch-Waxman generic-drug law that lets a generic manufacturer copy only the unpatented uses of a brand drug by literally carving the patented uses out of its FDA-approved label, which is supposed to let cheaper generics reach the market for the unpatented indications even while patents on other indications are still in force. Brand companies have been trying for years to sue around that carve-out under the active inducement statute, 35 U.S.C. § 271(b), by pointing to generic press releases, marketing language, or website descriptions and arguing that doctors could read those statements as encouragement to prescribe the generic for the still-patented use. The Federal Circuit had bought a version of that argument and revived Amarin's case. The Supreme Court rejected that approach, and the test that Justice Jackson articulated is meaningful: the question is not how doctors might interpret what a generic manufacturer said, but whether the manufacturer itself actively encouraged the infringing use. Neutral statements that could be read as instructions to infringe do not count. The practical effect is to shore up the skinny label pathway and make it harder for brand companies to weaponize induced infringement against generic competition. The decision was originally framed as a pharmaceutical-industry case, but its inducement standard will reach across patent law generally and into every industry where § 271(b) gets litigated.It's unanimous: SCOTUS agrees with Hikma in ‘skinny label' case vs. Amarin | Fierce PharmaAlso unanimous on Thursday: the Supreme Court in Sripetch v. SEC held that the Securities and Exchange Commission can obtain disgorgement of a wrongdoer's ill-gotten gains without having to prove that any individual investor lost money. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the opinion for a 9-0 Court, which is itself a small surprise given the Court's recent pattern of skepticism toward broad SEC remedial powers. The case came out of a penny-stock pump-and-dump scheme that Ongkaruck Sripetch ran across some 20 small companies — buy shares quietly, promote them aggressively, sell into the bubble — and the SEC won an order requiring him to disgorge roughly $3 million. Sripetch's argument on appeal was that disgorgement is supposed to be tied to investor harm, that the SEC had not shown specific pecuniary losses traceable to him, and that the order was therefore not the kind of equitable relief the Court approved in its 2020 Liu v. SEC decision. The Court disagreed, on traditional equity principles: disgorgement, the Court explained, is measured by the defendant's unjust gain, not the plaintiff's quantified loss, and equity has always been willing to strip a wrongdoer of profit even when the victim cannot mathematically prove harm. The practical importance for the SEC is enormous — the agency reports collecting roughly $1.4 billion in disgorgement in fiscal 2025 alone, and a contrary ruling would have forced the SEC into an evidentiary burden that pump-and-dump and insider-trading cases are notoriously bad at supplying. The opinion is also a reminder that the Court's recent administrative-state skepticism is not all in one direction: when the question is grounded in old equity doctrine, the same justices who narrowed SEC adjudication in Jarkesy are willing to leave the agency's remedial toolkit intact.US Supreme Court Backs SEC in Fight Over ‘Disgorgement' Power | US NewsThe third and most constitutionally significant of Thursday's rulings was FCC v. AT&T, in which the Supreme Court upheld 8-1 the Federal Communications Commission's longstanding practice of imposing forfeiture penalties on regulated carriers through its own in-house process, without first giving the carrier a jury trial. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority, with Justice Clarence Thomas the lone dissenter. The case grew out of the FCC's headline-making fines against AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint for selling access to real-time customer location data to third parties without consent — fines that ran nearly $200 million across the four carriers, with AT&T's portion at $57 million and Verizon's at $46.9 million. The carriers challenged the fines on Seventh Amendment grounds, arguing that the Court's 2024 decision in SEC v. Jarkesy — which struck down the SEC's in-house adjudication of securities-fraud penalties as a violation of the jury-trial right — should reach FCC forfeitures too. The Court said no, on a structural distinction that matters: an FCC forfeiture order is not self-executing. The FCC cannot collect on its own. If a carrier refuses to pay, the matter is referred to the Justice Department, which then has to file a civil action in federal district court — a proceeding in which the carrier is entitled to a full jury trial and the government has to prove the violation de novo, with no deference to the FCC's findings. That collection-stage jury trial, Roberts wrote, is enough to satisfy the Seventh Amendment, even though the agency itself first issues the penalty. Justice Thomas's dissent argued the in-house process is no less coercive than the SEC adjudication the Court rejected in Jarkesy and would have extended Jarkesy here. The practical takeaway: agency in-house penalty proceedings survive after Jarkesy if there is a real, downstream jury-trial backstop. Expect every regulator with a similar two-step enforcement structure to point to this opinion the next time someone tries to push Jarkesy further.Court rules against cell service providers over right to jury trial in FCC proceedings | SCOTUSblog This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Blooming Through Struggles: Mei's Journey to Inner Peace Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2026-06-05-22-34-02-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 医院的精神病房安静而又令人不安，墙壁是柔和的粉彩色，但头顶的荧光灯却不断闪烁，让人分心。En: The psychiatric ward of the hospital was quiet yet unsettling.Zh: 一个小窗户外面，樱花盛开，春天的希望和新生在空气中流动。En: The walls were painted in soft pastel colors, but the fluorescent lights overhead flickered incessantly, causing distractions.Zh: 梅，32岁，坐在白色塑料椅子上，望着外面的樱花。En: Outside a small window, yinghua blossoms were in full bloom, the hope and rebirth of spring flowing in the air.Zh: 她最近被送到这里，工作和家庭的重负让她喘不过气。En: Mei, 32 years old, sat on a white plastic chair, gazing at the yinghua outside.Zh: 现在，她只想恢复心灵的平静，以便能在端午节时回到家中，与家人团聚。En: She had been recently sent here, overwhelmed by the burdens of work and family.Zh: 小健和刘则是她的家人。En: Now, she only wished to regain peace of mind so she could return home by the Duanwu Festival to reunite with her family.Zh: 他们每周都会来病房看望梅。En: Xiao Jian and Liu were her family members.Zh: 二人总是携带着粽子，希望能带给梅一丝家的味道。En: They visited Mei in the ward every week, always bringing zongzi, hoping to provide Mei with a taste of home.Zh: 端午节就要到了，梅一直期待能和家人一起过这个节日。En: The Duanwu Festival was approaching, and Mei eagerly anticipated celebrating the holiday with her family.Zh: 然而内心的挣扎却让她难以坦言，她需要帮助。En: However, her internal struggles made it difficult for her to be truthful; she needed help.Zh: 梅看似坚强，其实内心脆弱。En: Mei appeared strong but was actually fragile inside.Zh: 家族和社会文化一直教导她要勇敢，不依赖他人。En: Her family and social culture had always taught her to be brave and not rely on others.Zh: 然而，她知道如果继续这样下去，只会越来越远离家人和自己。En: However, she knew that continuing in this way would only push her further away from her family and herself.Zh: 终于，梅做出一个大胆的决定。En: Finally, Mei made a bold decision.Zh: 她报名参加了小组治疗，尽管心里存有怀疑。En: She signed up for group therapy, despite her skepticism.Zh: 第一次参加小组治疗时，她只是静静地坐着，听其他人讲述自己的故事。En: In her first session, she just sat quietly, listening to others share their stories.Zh: 随着时间的推移，她渐渐敞开心扉，向医生和其他病友诉说自己的压力和痛苦。En: Over time, she gradually opened up, sharing her own pressures and pains with the doctor and other patients.Zh: 有一天，在小组治疗中，梅终于鼓起勇气，说出了内心的秘密。En: One day in group therapy, Mei finally summoned the courage to reveal her inner secret.Zh: 她承认自己觉得愧疚，因为未能达到家人的期望。En: She admitted feeling guilty for not meeting her family's expectations.Zh: 话语刚落，她感到一阵轻松。En: As soon as she spoke, she felt a sense of relief.Zh: 虽然梅没有在端午节前出院，但在这个节日，她的家人来到医院看她。En: Although Mei didn't get discharged before the Duanwu Festival, her family visited her at the hospital for the holiday.Zh: 那天，病房里充满了家的味道。En: That day, the ward was filled with the essence of home.Zh: 小健和刘带来了粽子，还有温暖的笑容。En: Xiao Jian and Liu brought zongzi and warm smiles.Zh: 梅坐在窗边，微风轻轻拂过她的脸，她感到自己被家人接受，无需伪装。En: Mei sat by the window, the breeze gently brushing her face, feeling accepted by her family without needing to pretend.Zh: 从那一刻起，梅明白了承认自己的弱点并不是懦弱，这反而让她更坚强，更接近自己的家人。En: From that moment, Mei understood that acknowledging her weaknesses was not a sign of cowardice, but rather what made her stronger and closer to her family.Zh: 樱花在窗外继续绽放，梅知道自己的新生与春天一同来临。En: The yinghua outside continued to bloom, and Mei knew her rebirth had come with the spring. Vocabulary Words:psychiatric: 精神病的ward: 病房unsettling: 令人不安的pastel: 粉彩色的flickered: 闪烁burdens: 重负blossoms: 盛开regain: 恢复reunite: 团聚anticipated: 期待internal: 内心的fragile: 脆弱courage: 勇气reveal: 说出admitted: 承认guilty: 愧疚expectations: 期望discharged: 出院essence: 味道accepted: 接受pretend: 伪装acknowledging: 承认weaknesses: 弱点cowardice: 懦弱rebirth: 新生despite: 尽管skepticism: 怀疑gradually: 渐渐的pressures: 压力session: 疗程

Japan has repeatedly hyped up the so-called "China threat" narrative in recent years in an attempt to justify its expanding military agenda, experts said, warning that portraying neighboring countries as "threats" has historically been a recurring tactic of Japanese militarism.专家称，近年来日本频频炒作所谓“中国威胁论”，以此为自身扩充军备的计划找借口。专家提醒，把邻国塑造成威胁，向来是日本军国主义屡用的手段。They said the latest round of alarmist rhetoric once again reveals the ambitions of Japan's right-wing forces to loosen postwar constraints, expand military capabilities and advance a broader transformation of the country's security posture.专家表示，这一轮危言耸听的论调，再次暴露日本右翼势力想要挣脱战后束缚、扩充军力、全面转变安保体制的野心。Japanese media outlets on Wednesday disclosed an outline of the government's 2026 defense white paper, which continues to portray the regional security environment as "increasingly severe" while introducing a new section on "emerging modes of warfare", calling for enhanced development in unmanned systems and artificial intelligence.日本多家媒体于周三披露日本政府2026年度防卫白皮书纲要。白皮书依旧渲染地区安全环境日趋严峻，新增新型作战形态相关内容，主张加大无人装备与人工智能的研发力度。According to the Asahi Shimbun, the upcoming annual defense report largely follows the narrative of the 2025 edition, arguing that the international community has entered a "new era of crisis", characterizing the security environment in the "Indo-Pacific region" as "increasingly severe", and hyping up the so-called "China threat" theory.据《朝日新闻》报道，这份即将发布的防卫白皮书论调大体沿袭2025年版本，宣称世界步入危机新时代，渲染印太地区安全局势恶化，大肆鼓吹所谓中国威胁论。The white paper states that defense production and technological capabilities are directly linked to defense strength. It advocates creating an "environment of mutual support" by deploying the same defense equipment as allies and other "like-minded" countries, the newspaper said.报道称，白皮书提出军工生产与技术水平直接关乎国防实力，提议与盟友及理念相近国家统一列装武器，构建防务互助环境。Liu Shuliang, an associate researcher at the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences, said Japan is moving beyond the bounds of its postwar defense posture and accelerating a broader remilitarization process associated with "new militarism", through measures such as revising its national security framework, enhancing offensive combat capabilities and integrating intelligence systems.天津社科院副研究员刘树良指出，日本通过修订安保体系、强化进攻性战力、整合情报系统等方式，突破战后防卫定位限制，加速迈向新军国主义的再军事化进程。Through sustained lobbying by defense-related companies and capital groups, Japan's military-industrial complex has pushed for higher defense spending and fewer restrictions on arms exports, he said.他表示，在军工企业与资本集团不断游说下，日本军工联合体持续推动防卫预算上涨、放宽武器出口管控。"These developments are contributing to the country's accelerating remilitarization and reinforcing concerns over its shift toward a 'new militarism'," Liu said.刘树良称，上述变化加快了日本再军事化步伐，各界愈发担忧日本滑向新军国主义。He said that in early May, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi outlined Japan's revamped "free and open Indo-Pacific" vision during her visit to Vietnam. The policy line was later reaffirmed by Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at the recent Shangri-La Dialogue, a major defense forum held in Singapore.他介绍，五月上旬日本首相高市早苗访越期间，推出改版后的自由开放印太构想，防卫大臣小泉进次郎随后在新加坡香格里拉对话会上重申了这一方针。Geopolitical ambitions地缘政治图谋"By advancing a revised 'free and open Indo-Pacific' vision and redefining its regional role, Japan is moving to expand its military reach while enhancing its influence in regional affairs. The strategy reflects Tokyo's growing ambition to play a larger role in shaping the regional security order, a move that carries clear geopolitical implications and has raised concerns over its impact on regional stability," he added.他补充道，日本借新版印太战略重新定位自身地区角色，向外拓展军事辐射范围、提升地区事务话语权，谋求主导区域安全秩序，地缘图谋明显，不利于地区安稳。Chen Hong, director of the Asia-Pacific Studies Centre at East China Normal University in Shanghai, said Japan's continued hype surrounding tensions in the so-called "Indo-Pacific region" is aimed at fueling bloc confrontation and creating exclusive groupings that run counter to the region's need for openness, cooperation and stability.华东师范大学亚太研究中心主任陈弘表示，日本不断渲染印太紧张氛围，意在制造阵营对立、组建排他性小圈子，违背地区开放合作、谋求稳定的发展需求。By deepening economic and security ties with Quad members, the Philippines and other so-called allies or "quasi-allies", Japan has increasingly pushed regional countries to choose sides, aggravating bloc confrontation and adding to tensions in the region, he said.他表示，日本不断深化同四边机制成员国、菲律宾等盟友及准盟友的经贸与防务合作，逼迫周边国家选边站队，加剧阵营对立与区域紧张。Chen said Japan's strategy is centered on the "security" agenda. Through intensified military drills and closer defense cooperation with Quad members, the Philippines and other partners, Tokyo is accelerating efforts to enhance its overseas military projection capabilities and expand its regional military presence.陈弘表示，日本整体布局围绕安全议题展开，通过高频军演、深化防务合作，加紧提升远洋兵力投送能力，扩充在亚太的军事部署。Liu from Tianjin also said Japan and the Philippines — a victim of Japanese militarism and invasion during World War II — have stepped up military collaborations in early May, exploring the transfer of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels, including used destroyer escorts.刘树良提到，菲律宾在二战曾遭日本军国主义入侵，今年五月初，日菲加紧军事合作，日方商议向菲转让老旧护航驱逐舰等海自舰艇。"Through intensified military cooperation and joint defense activities with regional partners, Japan is increasing its military presence across the Asia-Pacific region, raising concerns that such actions could aggravate tensions and undermine regional stability," he said.他称，日本借助和地区伙伴深化防务合作、联合军演，持续扩张亚太军力部署，极易激化矛盾、破坏地区稳定。"The provision of secondhand escorts to the Philippines reflects Japan's deepening involvement in regional security affairs and signals a further loosening of its long-standing postwar defense constraints," Chen said.陈弘表示，向日方交付二手护航舰，标志着日本更深介入地区安全事务，进一步突破战后长期以来的防务限制。He said the move could heighten tensions in the South China Sea, contribute to regional military competition and place additional pressure on the region's security environment.该做法或将加剧南海紧张局势，催生地区军备竞赛，恶化区域安全环境。Japan's shift toward remilitarization is likely to prompt heightened vigilance and potential countermeasures from other countries in the region, Liu said.刘树良认为，日本持续推进再军事化，势必引发周边国家高度警惕并出台相应反制举措。aggravate /ˈæɡrəveɪt/ 加剧，激化（紧张局势）undermine /ˌʌndəˈmaɪn/ 破坏，损害（地区稳定）vigilance /ˈvɪdʒɪləns/ 警惕，警觉countermeasure /ˈkaʊntəmeʒə(r)/ 反制措施，对策exclusive /ɪkˈskluːsɪv/ 排他性的projection /prəˈdʒekʃn/ （兵力）投送

An Ebola outbreak coursing through the Democratic Republic of Congo has experts worried it might rival the worst outbreak in history. Dr. Joanne Liu was president of Doctors Without Borders during that deadly 2014 outbreak in West Africa. As countries like Canada suspend travel from Congo, Liu says border closures don't help mitigate the spread of disease — only treating Ebola can. For transcripts of The Dose, please visit: lnk.to/dose-transcripts. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. For more episodes of this podcast, click this link.

Grace C.W. Liu helps women reclaim the parts of themselves they were taught to silence. As a Woman's Truth Awakener, speaker, and communication strategist, Grace has dedicated her work to helping women break free from a lifetime of shrinking, pleasing, and second guessing themselves. After more than twenty years as a speech language pathologist, she recognized that the greatest communication barrier was rarely vocabulary, confidence, or skill. It was the invisible conditioning that taught women to stay agreeable, stay quiet, and stay small. Today, Grace challenges that conditioning. Grace guides women toward a different kind of confidence, one rooted not in performance, but in self trust. The confidence to speak the uncomfortable truth. To set boundaries without guilt. To express needs without apology. To be fully seen without editing themselves to make others comfortable. Her mission is simple but profound: helping women stop living as the supporting character in their own lives and start becoming the author of their next chapter. Today's guest: www.GraceSOULutions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Show Notes & References Resources mentioned in this episode: Tither, E. (2025, December 10). ⁠⁠What happens to the data you feed LLMs?⁠⁠ University of Illinois System, Student Money Management Center. https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/1055573584 Chen, K., Zhou, X., Lin, Y., Feng, S., Shen, L., & Wu, P. (2025). A survey on privacy risks and protection in large language models. ⁠⁠Journal of King Saud University – Computer and Information Sciences⁠⁠, ⁠⁠37⁠⁠(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44443-025-00177-1 Farooqui, A. (2025, February 12). ⁠⁠Samsung lets employees use ChatGPT again after secret data leak in 2023⁠⁠. SamMobile. https://www.sammobile.com/news/samsung-lets-employees-use-chatgpt-again-after-secret-data-leak-in-2023/ Han, X., Peng, H., & Liu, M. (2025). The impact of GenAI on learning outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies. ⁠⁠Educational Research Review⁠⁠, 100714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2025.100714 Imperial War Museums. (2018). ⁠⁠How Alan Turing cracked the enigma code⁠⁠. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-alan-turing-cracked-the-enigma-code Kwak, R. (2023, November 30). ⁠⁠Announcing Microsoft Copilot with Data Protection⁠⁠. Technology Services, University of Illinois. https://www.techservices.illinois.edu/2023/11/30/announcing-microsoft-copilot-with-data-protection/ Kwak, R. (2025, November 11). ⁠⁠ChatGPT arrives at U of I⁠⁠. Technology Services, University of Illinois. https://www.techservices.illinois.edu/2025/11/11/chatgpt-arrives-at-u-of-i/ Microsoft 365, Copilot with Data Protection – AI Chat for the Web. (2024). University of Illinois System KnowledgeBase. https://answers.uillinois.edu/133037 OpenAI. (2023). ⁠⁠Privacy policy⁠⁠. https://openai.com/en-GB/policies/row-privacy-policy/ Ray, S. (2023, May 2). ⁠⁠Samsung bans ChatGPT among employees after sensitive code leak⁠⁠. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/05/02/samsung-bans-chatgpt-and-other-chatbots-for-employees-after-sensitive-code-leak/ Yao, Y., Duan, J., Xu, K., Cai, Y., Sun, Z., & Zhang, Y. (2024). A survey on large language model (LLM) security and privacy: The good, the bad, and the ugly. ⁠⁠High-Confidence Computing⁠⁠, ⁠⁠4⁠⁠(2), 100211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hcc.2024.100211

The Southeastern 16 crew previews the Athens Regional of the 2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament with host Georgia as well as Liberty, Boston College and LIU. Southeastern 16 Merch: https://se16.printify.me/ HOMEFIELD https://www.homefieldapparel.com/ ROKFORM Use promo code SEC25 for 25% off! The world's strongest magnetic phone case! https://www.rokform.com/ JOIN OUR MEMBERSHIP Join the "It Just Means More" tier for bonus videos and live streams! Join Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv1w_TRbiB0yHCEb7r2IrBg/join FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Twitter: https://twitter.com/16Southeastern ADVERTISE WITH SOUTHEASTERN 16 Reach out to se16.caroline@gmail.com to find out how your product or service can be seen by over 200,000 unique viewers each month! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The trend of leading litigators launching their own boutiques continues. Last month, three Chambers-ranked trial lawyers—Jessie Liu, Justin Shur, and Jonathan Kravis—left their respective firms to found Liu Shur Kravis in Washington, D.C.What makes LSK particularly interesting is that it's a “bipartisan boutique”—unusual in D.C., where boutiques tend to have a partisan valence. Liu was the Senate-confirmed U.S. attorney for D.C. in the first Trump administration, while Kravis worked in the White House Counsel's Office in the Obama administration.To learn more about how LSK came together and what its launch might reflect about the evolving legal industry, I welcomed Jessie Liu to the podcast. We first discussed her journey as the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants from a small town in Texas to the top of the legal profession—including her service at Main Justice, her tenure as U.S. attorney, and her years as a Biglaw partner, most recently at Skadden Arps. We then tackled events in the news—and Jessie shared her thoughts, as someone who served at a high level in the first Trump administration, on how the second Trump administration differs from the first.Thanks to Jessie for joining me, congratulations to her and her partners on the launch of LSK, and good luck to them in the years ahead.Show Notes:* Jessie K. Liu bio, Liu Shur Kravis LLP* Jessie K. Liu profile, Chambers and Partners* Jessie Liu bio, WikipediaSponsored by:NexFirm helps Biglaw attorneys become founding partners. To learn more about how NexFirm can help you launch your firm, call 212-292-1000 or email careerdevelopment@nexfirm.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidlat.substack.com/subscribe

If you enjoy this episode, we're sure you will enjoy more content like this on The Occult Rejects.  In fact, we have curated playlists on occult topics like grimoires, esoteric concepts and phenomena, occult history, analyzing true crime and cults with an occult lens, Para politics, and occultism in music. Whether you enjoy consuming your content visually or via audio, we've got you covered - and it will always be provided free of charge.  So, if you enjoy what we do and want to support our work of providing accessible, free content on various platforms, please consider making a donation to the links provided below.  Thank you and enjoy the episode!Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Cash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsBibliographyThe Mechanics of Magick: Singing Bowls and the Ritual Physics of ResonanceCore Singing Bowl ResearchStanhope, Jessica, and Philip Weinstein. “The Human Health Effects of Singing Bowls: A Systematic Review.” Complementary Therapies in Medicine 51 (2020): 102412. Use for the honesty frame: promising findings around mental health and cardiovascular measures, but limited evidence and need for stronger study design.Cai, Yiqing, Guo-Yan Yang, Yibo Liu, Xiang-yun Zou, Heng Yin, Xinyan Jin, Xue-han Liu, Chenlu Wang, Nicola Robinson, and Jian-Ping Liu. “Therapeutic Effects of Singing Bowls: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies.” Integrative Medicine Research 14, no. 2 (2025): 101144. Use for the newer clinical overview. Important correction: this appears as 101144, not 101176. Good for anxiety, depression, sleep quality, cognition, autistic behavior, and EEG-related outcomes while still keeping the evidence cautious.Lin, F. W., et al. “Effects of Tibetan Singing Bowl Intervention on Psychological and Physiological Health in Adults: A Systematic Review.” 2025. Useful as another recent review angle, especially for psychological health, physiological measures, HRV, and brainwave-related discussion. Keep it secondary behind Stanhope and Cai.Landry, Jayan Marie. “Physiological and Psychological Effects of a Himalayan Singing Bowl in Meditation Practice: A Quantitative Analysis.” American Journal of Health Promotion 28, no. 5 (2014): 306–309. Use for the controlled relaxation study: 51 participants, randomized crossover design, singing bowl exposure or silence before directed relaxation.Goldsby, Tamara L., Michael E. Goldsby, Mary McWalters, and Paul J. Mills. “Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-Being: An Observational Study.” Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine 22, no. 3 (2017): 401–406. Use for reductions in tension, anger, fatigue, depressed mood, anxiety, and stress after singing bowl meditation. Good, but frame as observational, not definitive.Rio-Alamos, Cristina, et al. “Acute Relaxation Response Induced by Tibetan Singing Bowl Sounds: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education 13, no. 2 (2023): 317–328. Use for Tibetan singing bowl treatment compared with progressive muscle relaxation and a waiting-list control in anxious nonclinical adults.Walter, Nina, et al. “Neurophysiological Effects of a Singing Bowl Massage.” Medicina 58, no. 5 (2022): 594. Use for EEG, ECG, and respiration during singing bowl massage; the authors interpret the results as a shift toward a more mindful or meditative state.Goldsby, Tamara L., et al. “Mood, Emotional, and Spiritual Well-Being Interrelationships.” Religions 13, no. 2 (2022). Useful follow-up for spiritual well-being, emotional interpretation, and how people understand sound-healing experiences.Sound, Anxiety, HRV, and Brainwave CautionMallik, Adiel, and Frank A. Russo. “The Effects of Music & Auditory Beat Stimulation on Anxiety: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” PLOS ONE 17, no. 3 (2022): e0259312. Use this carefully for the broader point that sound-based treatments can reduce somatic and cognitive state anxiety. Do not use it as proof that singing bowls automatically entrain brainwaves.Ingendoh, Ruth Maria, Ella S. Posny, and Angela Heine. “Binaural Beats to Entrain the Brain? A Systematic Review of the Effects of Binaural Beat Stimulation on Brain Oscillatory Activity, and the Implications for Psychological Research and Intervention.” PLOS ONE 18, no. 5 (2023): e0286023. Very useful caution source. Use it when warning against overclaiming “brainwave entrainment” and frequency-healing claims.Vilímek, et al. 2022. Low-frequency sound / HRV / vibroacoustic-related research. Use cautiously if you want to discuss low-frequency vibration, body sensation, and autonomic response. I'd keep this as a secondary source unless you want a dedicated paragraph on vibroacoustics.Physics, Resonance, and CymaticsTerwagne, Denis, and John W. M. Bush. “Tibetan Singing Bowls.” Nonlinearity 24, no. 8 (2011): R51–R66. Use for the physics section: wall vibrations, water-surface waves, Faraday-wave effects, droplet motion, and the visible demonstration of resonance.Jenny, Hans. Cymatics: A Study of Wave Phenomena and Vibration. Newmarket, NH: MACROmedia, 2001. Use carefully for visual sound-pattern history. Good for imagery and occult imagination, but don't overuse it as clinical proof.Rossing, Thomas D. The Science of Sound. 3rd ed. San Francisco: Addison Wesley, 2002. Useful general acoustics source for resonance, overtones, vibration, sound waves, and instrument physics.Sound Baths, Wellness Culture, and Modern RitualSobo, Elisa J. “Sound Baths, Trauma Talk, and the Wellness Paradox in the USA.” Medical Anthropology 43, no. 5 (2024): 367–382. Excellent for the modern sound-bath/wellness-culture angle, especially trauma language, nervous-system talk, ritual performance, and how providers frame sound baths.Sobo, Elisa J. “A Beginner's Guide to Sound Baths — What They Are, How to Choose a Good One and What the Research Shows.” The Conversation (2024). Useful for accessible show-note language and ethical/practical framing.Sobo, Elisa J. “Healing Vibrations.” Anthropology News 64, no. 5 (2023): 28–32, 49. Good anthropology/public-facing source for sound healing and wellness culture.Tibetan Singing Bowls, History, and Cultural CommodificationGrimes, Samuel. “Where Did ‘Tibetan' Singing Bowls Really Come From?” Tricycle (2020). Use for the contested-history section. Strong source for questioning popular origin stories around “Tibetan” singing bowls.Joffe, Ben. “Anthropology and Tibetan Buddhism / Cultural Commodification / Tibetan Mystique.” 2015. Use for the larger argument about how Tibetan/Himalayan aura gets packaged in Western spiritual markets. Good support for the “Tibet as imagined storehouse of hidden wisdom” point.Scheidegger, Daniel A. “Tibetan Ritual Music.” Use for actual Tibetan Buddhist ritual sound: bells, cymbals, long horns, drums, chant, and liturgical soundscape. This helps separate real Tibetan ritual sound from overblown modern singing-bowl mythology.Lopez, Donald S. Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. Excellent support for Western romanticization of Tibet.Bishop, Peter. The Myth of Shangri-La: Tibet, Travel Writing, and the Western Creation of Sacred Landscape. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989. Very useful for the “Tibet as fantasy geography” angle.Ritual, Sound, and Religious ExperienceEliade, Mircea. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1964. Use carefully. Good for altered-state technologies and ritual sound/trance, but don't treat it as the final word on shamanism.Rouget, Gilbert. Music and Trance: A Theory of the Relations Between Music and Possession. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985. Excellent for sound, music, trance, possession, rhythm, and ritual performance.Becker, Judith. Deep Listeners: Music, Emotion, and Trancing. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004. Strong source for deep listening, music, emotion, trance, and the body.Husserl, Edmund. On the Phenomenology of the Consciousness of Internal Time. Useful if you want to get philosophical about tone, decay, waiting, and how sound reveals time.Ihde, Don. Listening and Voice: Phenomenologies of Sound. Albany: SUNY Press, 2007. Good for sound as experience, listening, voice, and embodied perception.Placebo, Meaning Response, and Healing RitualMoerman, Daniel E. Meaning, Medicine and the “Placebo Effect.” Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Use for “meaning response” instead of treating placebo as “fake.”Benedetti, Fabrizio. Placebo Effects: Understanding the Mechanisms in Health and Disease. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Useful for placebo mechanisms, expectation, physiology, and therapeutic context.Kaptchuk, Ted J., and Franklin G. Miller. “Placebo Effects in Medicine.” New England Journal of Medicine 373 (2015): 8–9. Good short medical source for placebo effects as real psychobiological phenomena.Csordas, Thomas J. The Sacred Self: A Cultural Phenomenology of Charismatic Healing. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994. Useful for healing, embodiment, ritual, and religious experience.Embodied Cognition, Extended Mind, and Ritual ToolsClAlso want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. A

What if the anxiety, overthinking, people pleasing, emotional shutdown, hypervigilance, burnout, and relationship struggles you experience today… were never actually "you" to begin with? In this deeply personal and profoundly eye-opening solo episode, Darin Olien dives into the hidden nervous system programming formed between the ages of 0 and 8 that silently shapes our adult lives. Drawing from neuroscience, trauma research, attachment theory, epigenetics, somatic healing, and his own emotional breakthroughs, Darin explores how childhood experiences become subconscious operating systems that influence everything from relationships and stress responses to chronic disease and self-worth. This episode is a powerful roadmap toward healing. Darin breaks down the science behind trauma, the ACE study, nervous system dysregulation, emotional patterning, and neuroplasticity, while also sharing practical tools like somatic experiencing, expressive writing, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems to help listeners begin rewiring their emotional lives from the inside out. What You'll Learn How childhood experiences program the nervous system Why most adult emotional reactions are subconscious survival patterns The connection between trauma, stress hormones, and chronic disease How the nervous system stores emotional experiences in the body Why people pleasing, hypervigilance, burnout, and emotional shutdown develop The science behind neuroplasticity and rewiring the brain What the ACE Study revealed about childhood trauma and adult health How trauma impacts the amygdala, hippocampus, and stress-response systems Why emotional patterns are adaptations, not character flaws How epigenetics can pass trauma responses across generations The role of somatic experiencing in trauma healing Practical tools for emotional regulation and nervous system repair Chapters 00:00:03 – Welcome to SuperLife 00:00:32 – Sponsor: Bite Toothpaste and eliminating toxic plastic exposure 00:02:47 – Darin introduces emotional reactions and nervous system triggers 00:03:15 – A personal story about reacting vs responding in conflict 00:03:50 – Emotional shutdowns, rage, withdrawal, people pleasing, and overcorrection 00:04:19 – Darin's physical pain journey and emotional discoveries in 2025 00:04:42 – Birth trauma, childhood conditioning, and nervous system programming 00:05:04 – Why the ages of 0–8 are the most neurologically influential years 00:05:18 – Theta and delta brainwave states during childhood 00:05:55 – How children absorb emotional patterns without filters 00:06:22 – Childhood experiences becoming subconscious operating systems 00:06:44 – Adults unknowingly living through a 5-year-old nervous system 00:07:12 – Why this episode became deeply personal for Darin 00:07:35 – The neuroscience behind stress responses and emotional conditioning 00:08:17 – Brain development, neuroplasticity, and subconscious programming 00:09:13 – How the HPA axis, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex are shaped early in life 00:09:45 – Core childhood questions that program the nervous system 00:10:29 – Why adult stress responses originate in childhood environments 00:11:05 – Research showing childhood adversity alters brain structure and chemistry 00:11:18 – The ACE Study explained 00:11:49 – Why patients losing weight became emotionally overwhelmed 00:12:18 – The ten categories of adverse childhood experiences 00:13:02 – "The health crisis of America begins in childhood" 00:13:36 – How adverse childhood experiences increase disease risk 00:14:03 – Suicide, alcoholism, autoimmune disease, depression, and trauma correlations 00:14:37 – Chronic disease as a nervous system issue 00:15:04 – Survival mode, inflammation, hormonal dysregulation, and emotional scarcity 00:15:42 – Self-sabotage and emotional coping patterns explained 00:16:02 – Why your emotional patterns are not character flaws 00:16:22 – Childhood survival adaptations and nervous system intelligence 00:16:52 – Hypervigilance, people pleasing, rage, emotional shutdown, and fear 00:17:05 – Sponsor: Manna Vitality and frequency-based wellness 00:18:59 – Epigenetics and inherited trauma responses 00:19:22 – Cortisol regulation genes and hyperactive stress responses 00:19:51 – Holocaust survivors, inherited trauma, and generational nervous systems 00:20:19 – Why healing requires nervous system awareness—not just intellectual understanding 00:20:45 – "You were never supposed to get over it—you were supposed to heal from it" 00:21:01 – Real-life examples of subconscious nervous system programming 00:21:16 – Why receiving compliments can feel unsafe 00:21:30 – Darin's personal struggle with overachievement and scarcity programming 00:22:03 – Emotional neglect, chronic striving, and feeling "not enough" 00:22:16 – The nervous system roots of burnout and exhaustion 00:22:23 – Hair-trigger emotional reactions and hyperactive amygdala responses 00:22:38 – Chronic self-abandonment and losing personal boundaries 00:22:52 – Fear of intimacy, trust issues, and emotional safety 00:23:02 – "The body keeps the score" explained 00:23:22 – Trauma stored in posture, breath, digestion, immunity, and emotional regulation 00:23:43 – Harvard research on trauma-related brain changes 00:24:19 – The radical power of neuroplasticity and nervous system rewiring 00:24:48 – Why healing requires conscious participation 00:25:01 – Darin shares how healing changed decades of emotional pain 00:25:33 – Somatic Experiencing and Peter Levine's trauma work 00:25:57 – How animals discharge stress naturally 00:26:23 – Trauma as incomplete physiological responses frozen in the body 00:26:42 – Why humans suppress emotional discharge 00:27:16 – PTSD research and the effectiveness of somatic experiencing 00:27:41 – A step-by-step somatic grounding practice 00:28:14 – Why healing is more powerful with a regulated person beside you 00:28:38 – EMDR and reprocessing traumatic experiences 00:28:55 – Internal Family Systems and the "parts" inside the psyche 00:29:13 – Inner critics, overachievers, and nervous system adaptations 00:29:39 – Compassionately listening to emotional parts instead of suppressing them 00:29:51 – Expressive writing as a trauma healing practice 00:30:22 – The neuroscience behind emotional journaling 00:30:48 – A four-day expressive writing protocol for healing 00:31:05 – "You are not broken" 00:31:16 – Reprogramming the nervous system through love and safety 00:31:37 – Why deep healing happens in the presence of another regulated person 00:31:52 – Darin considers creating a future healing workshop 00:32:04 – Final reflections: "You are not what happened to you" 00:32:12 – Peace. Love. SuperLife. Thank You to Our Sponsors Bite Toothpaste: Go to trybite.com/DARIN20 or use code DARIN20 for 20% off your first order Manna Vitality: Go to mannavitality.com/ and use code DARIN12 for 12% off your order. Join the SuperLife Patreon: This is where Darin now shares the deeper work: - weekly voice notes - ingredient trackers - wellness challenges - extended conversations - community accountability - sovereignty practices Join now for only $7.49/month at https://patreon.com/darinolien     Connect with Darin Olien: Website: darinolien.com Instagram: @darinolien Book: Fatal Conveniences Platform & Products: superlife.com New Show: Roadmap to Happiness Key Takeaway "The emotional patterns, fears, reactions, and coping mechanisms that run your adult life are often survival adaptations created by your nervous system during childhood. They are not your identity. They are not permanent. And through awareness, somatic healing, emotional processing, nervous system regulation, and conscious repetition, those deeply rooted patterns can be rewritten into something healthier, freer, and more aligned with who you truly are." Bibliography/Sources Neuroscience & Early Programming Agorastos, A., Pervanidou, P., Chrousos, G. P., & Baker, D. G. (2019). Developmental trajectories of early life stress and trauma: A narrative review on neurobiological aspects beyond stress system dysregulation. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, Article 118. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00118 Bolton, J. L., Short, A. K., Simeone, K. A., Daglian, J., & Baram, T. Z. (2019). Programming of stress-sensitive neurons and circuits by early-life experiences. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 13, Article 30. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00030 Shonkoff, J. P., & Boyce, W. T. (2024). Toxic stress and developmental programming of the HPA axis. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology. https://www.annualreviews.org/journal/devpsych Teicher, M. H., & Ohashi, K. (2023). Childhood trauma and reduced hippocampal, anterior cingulate, and corpus callosum volumes. JAMA Psychiatry. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking / Penguin. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313183/the-body-keeps-the-score-by-bessel-van-der-kolk-md/ ACE Study & Adverse Childhood Experiences Felitti, V. J. (2002). The relation between adverse childhood experiences and adult health: Turning gold into lead. The Permanente Journal, 6(1), 44–47. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6112216/ Felitti, V. J., & Anda, R. F. (2010). The relationship of adverse childhood experiences to adult health, well-being, social function, and healthcare. In R. Lanius, E. Vermetten, & C. Pain (Eds.), The impact of early life trauma on health and disease (pp. 77–87). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511777042 Hillis, S., Mercy, J., Amobi, A., & Kress, H. (2023). Economic burden of health conditions associated with adverse childhood experiences among U.S. adults. JAMA Network Open, 6(12). https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen Liu, Y., Croft, J. B., Chapman, D. P., et al. (2013). Associations between adverse childhood experiences and health outcomes in adults aged 18–59 years. PLOS ONE, 8(3), e58625. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058625 Epigenetics & Trauma Baratta, M. V., et al. (2021). Epigenetics of childhood trauma: Long term sequelae and potential for treatment. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 132, 1049–1063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.043 Jiang, S., Postovit, L., Cattaneo, A., Binder, E. B., & Aitchison, K. J. (2019). Epigenetic modifications in stress response genes associated with childhood trauma. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, Article 808. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00808 Provençal, N., & Binder, E. B. (2015). The effects of early life stress on the epigenome: From the womb to adulthood and even before. Experimental Neurology, 268, 10–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2014.12.001 Healing Modalities — Research Brom, D., Stokar, Y., Lawi, C., et al. (2017). Somatic experiencing for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled outcome study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(3), 304–312. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22189 Fratarolli, J. (2006). Experimental disclosure and its moderators: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(6), 823–865. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.823 Gilbert, P. (2009). The compassionate mind: A new approach to life's challenges. New Harbinger Publications. https://www.newharbinger.com/9781572248403/the-compassionate-mind/ Justice Resource Institute. (2022). Evaluation of the efficacy of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy for trauma-related symptoms among complexly traumatized adults. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05155930. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05155930 Kuhfuß, M., Maldei, T., Hetmanek, A., & Baumann, N. (2021). Somatic experiencing — effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), Article 1929023. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023 Levine, P. A. (2010). In an unspoken voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. North Atlantic Books. https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/in-an-unspoken-voice/ Neff, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2013). A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(1), 28–44. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.21923 Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process. Psychological Science, 8(3), 162–166. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00403.x Rodenburg, R., Benjamin, A., de Roos, C., Meijer, A. M., & Stams, G. J. (2009). Efficacy of EMDR in children: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(7), 599–606. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.06.008 Schwartz, R. C. (2021). No bad parts: Healing trauma and restoring wholeness with the Internal Family Systems model. Sounds True. https://www.soundstrue.com/products/no-bad-parts Shapiro, F. (2017). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press. https://www.guilford.com/books/Eye-Movement-Desensitization-and-Reprocessing/Francine-Shapiro/9781462532766  

The key words to the success of the Chinese communist revolution are luck and violence — at least, that's according to Prof. Frank Dikötter.Continuing from our last episode on Prof. Frank Dikötter's new book, Red Dawn Over China, we trace the origin story of the Chinese Communist Party, and revisit how the CCP went from an obscure, unpopular, intellectual-led political force to take over the whole of mainland China.Prof. Dikötter is the Milias Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and chair professor of humanities at the University of Hong Kong. He is the most widely read living historian of modern China, with books translated into more than twenty languages. He is the author of The People's Trilogy, which includes Mao's Great Famine (2010), The Tragedy of Liberation (2013), and The Cultural Revolution (2016).We left off our story in 1929 last time, when the Soviet Union launched an oft-forgotten invasion into Manchuria and set the tone of Sino-Soviet relations. In this episode — which has been edited for clarity and brevity — we continue the story from 1929 to 1949, and trace the rise of the CCP through the Long March, the Yan'an period through the Sino-Japanese War, and how CCP emerged victorious in the civil war.The key words we explore are luck and violence. In other words, not your official nationalist communist history from the third “Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century” (emphasis added), but a history of how an incredible willingness to use force against fellow party cadres and civilians combined with extraordinary international luck. Japan, the Soviet Union, and the U.S. propelled the CCP to its self-proclaimed glorious founding of the People's Republic.Enjoy.LeoFor quick navigation to the specific sections:* The Japanese threat kept the Communists alive* Stalin, the great architect of Mao's Chinese communist revolution* How Edgar Snow put Mao on the map* The gift of Manchuria* No Stalin, no MaoBallerina - Yehezkel Raz, Artlist Original MusicPeking Hotel is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Recommended reads* Frank Dikötter, 2026, Red Dawn Over China, Bloomsbury Publishing* Frank Dikötter, 2010, Mao's Great Famine, Bloomsbury Publishing* Frank Dikötter, 2013, The Tragedy of Liberation, Bloomsbury Publishing* Frank Dikötter, 2016, The Cultural Revolution, Bloomsbury Publishing* Paul Hollander, 1981, Political Pilgrims, Oxford University Press* Edgar Snow, 1937, Red Star Over China, Random HouseAbout usThe Peking Hotel podcast and newsletter are digital publications in which Liu He interviews China specialists about their first-hand experiences and observations from decades past. The project grew out of Liu's research at Hoover Institution collecting oral history of China experts living in the U.S. Their stories are a reminder of what China used to be and what it is capable of becoming.We also have a Chinese-language Substack. We hope to publish more conversations like this one, so stay tuned!Shoutout!We would like to say thank-you to our supporters, especially to the following people who referred us to great many friends, colleagues and acquaintances:* China Books Review* Initium* Bill Bishop & Sinocism* Jordan Schneider & ChinaTalk* PC & What's Happening in China* 《人文中国》Humanities China* The Goldkorn Newsletter* 擦星星事务所* 不如读书* Matt Turpin & China Articles* Career China Newsletter* The China Week* The China-MENA NewsletterKudos to you, our network now has more awesome people like yourselves. Please keep spreading the word for us :) I appreciate it.Thanks for reading Peking Hotel! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Peking Hotel at pekinghotel.substack.com/subscribe

The China-United States summit has dealt a severe blow to the "pro-independence" stance of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party and sent a clear warning to separatist forces, experts said.During his talks with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, President Xi Jinping underscored that safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait remained the biggest common denominator between China and the US.Noting that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations, Xi told Trump that if it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy. Xi emphasized that "Taiwan independence" and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water.In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Trump said: "I'm not looking to have somebody go independent," adding that Taiwan should not expect a "blank check" from the US military.Foreign Minister Wang Yi, while briefing the media about the summit on Friday, said: "During the meeting, we felt that the US side understands China's position, attaches importance to China's concerns, and, just like the international community, does not stand for or accept Taiwan moving toward independence."Liu Kuangyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Taiwan Studies, said that at the landmark summit, China made clear its stance, its bottom line, propositions, and also sincere goodwill regarding Taiwan-related affairs."Rather than letting hostile sentiments spiral upward, the pragmatic exchanges reflected a shared readiness to reduce strategic miscalculations, mitigate cross-Strait tensions, and eliminate the risks of unintended military clashes," Liu said.He added that the proper and positive handling of the Taiwan question will substantially shape the outcomes achieved at the summit and determine how effectively the two sides can sustain constructive, strategic stability going forward.Liu said that if China and the US aim to solidify a major-country relationship over the coming years, the Taiwan question must serve as the primary entry point.Meanwhile, opposition parties and politicians in Taiwan severely condemned the ruling authorities for fabricating cross-Strait crises.Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the major opposition Chinese Kuomintang party, slammed the DPP's cross-Strait strategy, saying that "Taiwan independence" is a dead end that leads nowhere and the summit has shattered the DPP's international illusions.KMT lawmaker Niu Hsu-ting told reporters that the summit's ripple effects will gradually surface, and the US clearly signaled conflict reduction, pouring "cold water" over the DPP's long-held separatist stance and its flawed narrative of guaranteed military defense from the US.In a statement, Taiwan's Labor Party also warned that the DPP's separatist line remains the primary source of risk driving regional volatility.The party condemned the administration's continuous military expansion, specifically referencing the newly passed defense budget, of which NT$780 billion ($24.7 billion) has been earmarked for procuring arms from the US.It said that pouring vast public resources and taxpayers' money into endless weapon purchases directly sacrificed the livelihood of the grassroots.Looking ahead, Liu of the Institute of Taiwan Studies warned that the US must exercise the utmost prudence to prevent triggering a great-power confrontation and refrain from maintaining illicit ties with the Taiwan authorities across political, military, legal, economic and ideological domains."They must recognize that the past tactics of using Taiwan as a so-called pawn or tool to contain China have actually done more harm than good in the long run and ultimately boomeranged," he said.Only by translating political commitments into tangible actions can both nations consolidate the foundation of strategic mutual trust, he added.

Last time we spoke about the battle Yaoyi. Japan pushed hard into Hubei with a plan: surround the main Chinese forces and seize Yichang, hoping to use it to strike at Chongqing. At first, the fighting was chaotic and punishing. The Chinese side tried to hold the line and disrupt the advance, and they even managed setbacks for the Japanese, pushing back, retaking key ground, and hitting supply and positioning weaknesses. But victory came with a cost: commanders were lost, and every gain was hard-won. Still, the battle didn't unfold as a clean Chinese retreat or a simple Japanese win. As Japanese units shifted and tested for openings, the Chinese forces adjusted—delaying, regrouping, and fighting to keep their formations from being completely trapped. Eventually, Japan managed to break through at critical moments, especially through crossings and maneuvers that the Chinese had not fully sealed off. In the end, Japan succeeded in taking Yichang, but it didn't achieve the decisive annihilation it wanted.    #201 The New Fourth Army Incident and the Strained United Front 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. After the catastrophe of the early 1930s, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) entered the war against Japan in a political mood that was both hopeful and wary: it wanted to be seen as a genuine national leader of resistance, yet it also feared being absorbed—or destroyed—by the Guomindang (KMT) state it had spent years battling. That tension became the organizing principle of the war's early years. The turning point came from the Xi'an Incident in December 1936, which forced a new calculation in Nationalist politics. In the months that followed, agreements between KMT and CCP representatives were publicly proclaimed in August and September 1937, after the Shanghai fighting began. Under these arrangements, the CCP accepted constraints that in peacetime would have looked like surrender: it pledged to strive for Sun Yixian's "Three People's Principles," to end its former policies of armed revolt and sovietization, to abolish the soviet government, and to discontinue both the term "Red Army" and the expectation that its forces would operate outside central control. Communist troops would be treated as part of the national military under KMT command, and the revolution's old administrative structures were to be formally dismantled. In return, the KMT offered the CCP something just as important: space to exist publicly and politically. Liaison offices were permitted in key cities; the CCP was allowed to publish the New China Daily; and it could nominate representatives to KMT advisory bodies. Civil rights were extended—political prisoners were released—and subsidies were established to help cover administrative and military expenses in "reintegrated" areas and territories. The war thus transformed the tactical reality on the ground: the CCP could not treat the KMT as an immediate enemy, but it also could not afford to become politically passive. It had to learn how to fight Japan while building legitimacy fast enough to survive the next phase. In the first year and a half, the Party Center focused on three problems that kept returning in different forms: how the "united front" would be defined—especially what the CCP's relationship to the National government should be; how to coordinate military strategy and tactics with Nationalist units without losing control of its own operations; and how leadership should be consolidated, particularly for Mao Zedong in a party that still contained rival centers of authority. These disputes mattered not just for doctrine but for survival, because the CCP's autonomy was constantly being tested by the very alliance that was supposed to protect it. Mao's own approach to the united front combined cooperation with a refusal to surrender independence. Publicly, the CCP praised Jiang Jieshi and the KMT and promised unity, but it did so in language that was deliberately broad. In private (and in internal party debates), Mao treated unity as conditional: the CCP must not split the united front, but it also must not be "bound hand and foot." The strategic idea that emerged was political initiative under constraints—fighting when it could plausibly claim justification, keeping enough restraint that the CCP would not appear self-interested or anti-national, and deciding for itself when to engage and when to withdraw. This balance was reinforced through military reorganization. In August–September 1937, CCP forces were reorganized as the Eighth Route Army (8RA), with roughly 30,000 men drawn from Long March survivors, local forces, and new recruits. The 8RA was divided into three divisions: the 115th, 120th, and 129th, commanded by Lin Biao, He Long, and Liu Bocheng respectively. Shortly after the war began, the National government also authorized a second major Communist force: the New Fourth Army (N4A), to operate in central China. Its core came from those left behind when the Long March began in 1934—small groups surviving in difficult conditions against continuing KMT pressure. Officially authorized at 12,000, it took months to reach that strength. Nominally commanded by Ye Ting, actual military and political control rested with Xiang Ying and Chen Yi. From the start, then, the CCP's wartime "integration" with the National system coexisted with a clear effort to preserve internal control. Ideologically, the CCP worked to make its revolutionary program compatible—at least in appearance—with a national resistance coalition. On the New Democracy demonstrated how this strategy operated on two levels. In KMT-controlled spaces, its language could be read as aligning with liberal-democratic expectations: public participation, multi-party governance, legally protected civil rights. But in CCP-controlled areas, the same text could carry sharper class-based and authoritarian implications. The Party wanted a united front that broadened support without becoming committed to Nationalist limits on how society itself might be reorganized after victory. Meanwhile, even as the rhetoric of unity rose, the CCP worried about something more dangerous than military setbacks: the possibility that the KMT might accommodate Japan. Late 1939 and early 1940 made this fear harder to dismiss. Japan pursued collaboration with Wang Jingwei, culminating in the establishment of a "reorganized" government at Nanjing in March 1940. At the same time, Japanese intermediaries sought approaches to Chiang Kai-shek himself—an effort that the CCP tracked closely as a sign that peace negotiations might be possible even when battlefield conditions looked grim. Propaganda was involved, but the anxiety was real: if Japan and the Nationalists reached an arrangement, the CCP's whole wartime legitimacy-building effort could collapse overnight. As a result, the united front was interpreted inside the CCP not as a permanent coalition with the KMT, but as a flexible strategy with a cardinal purpose: to prevent peace between Japan and the Nationalists. Mao's position on the united front reflected this. For him, the alliance was meant to suspend the possibility of a China–Japan settlement, not to end the CCP's separate identity. The CCP could participate in a reconstituted national framework—possibly even a "democratic republic"—to gain legality and influence, but it should remain politically and, where possible, physically separate from the KMT. By 1939, however, the practical meaning of "flexibility" collided with reality. What had seemed, to some observers, like an unusually cordial entente began to fade. The KMT Central Committee adopted measures early in 1939 aimed at restricting Communist expansion, and armed clashes increased through the summer and continued into autumn and winter—especially around North China Communist bases. The period of rising conflict was later labeled by the CCP as the "first anti-Communist upsurge" (roughly spanning December 1939 into March 1940), but the crucial point was that both sides viewed each confrontation as a test of legal rights, moral legitimacy, and control over territory. Strategically, the CCP understood the KMT's effort as an attempt to check unauthorized growth of Communist armed power and to recover areas where influence had already slipped away—either to the Communists or, by indirect effect, to Japan. The KMT emphasized its traditional legal authority; the CCP countered with its claim to an "evolutionary" moral right to challenge the government's legitimacy. In practice, the conflict took the form of increasingly systematic military pressure, including a blockade around the Shen–Gan–Ning region. By this point, the blockade involved large numbers of troops (on the order of hundreds of thousands), halting Communist expansion and disrupting direct contact with other Communist forces farther afield, even as fighting flared along border zones and around vulnerable points in the Communist defensive perimeter. So, by the edge of the "middle years," the wartime alliance had not broken into open civil war—but it had also stopped being secure. The united front survived, yet it operated under strain: its language of cooperation continued, while "friction" between partners hardened into a central feature of the resistance struggle. Transition into the war's second phase began in early 1939, shaped by the stalemate Mao had already anticipated at the sixth plenum in late 1938. Mao argued that during this prolonged "new stage" the forces of resistance—above all, Communist-led forces—would strengthen. The overall result, however, was mixed. In Shandong and Central China, new Communist bases did take shape. But across much of North China, Japanese consolidation cost the resistance heavily in manpower and population. Base-area economies suffered serious strain, and the peasantry endured hardships more severe than at any earlier point. This stalemate had two main dimensions. The first was the growing resentment of the Nationalists toward Communist expansion—resentment made especially sharp by their own losses. As the Nationalists were driven out of regions that had previously provided them their greatest wealth and power in the central and lower Yangtze basin, they also lost the "cream" of their armies. In contrast, the CCP was spreading through the wider countryside behind Japanese lines, extending its influence and winning broader popular support. The second dimension was Japan's desire—and need—to consolidate territories it had only nominally conquered and to extract economic value from them. After all, the logic of the "China Incident" was to draw on China's labor and resources to strengthen Japan, not to bleed Japan's gains away by draining wealth into China's vast interior. A Japanese colonel, lamenting the situation, captured the frustration of this drift into deeper entanglement: he regretted that Japan had not ended the "China Incident" once its initial objectives were reached. Instead, Japan was drawn into the hinterland and became bogged down in endless attrition—leaving it with little more than "real estate" rather than the popular support it believed it would secure from those it claimed to "liberate." To improve their position, Japanese authorities—still fragmented by internal rivalry—pursued several strategies. One was a new peace offensive aimed simultaneously at Jiang Jieshi, alongside efforts to establish a "reformed" Nationalist government under Wang Jingwei, who had fled Chongqing in December 1938. Japan also recruited more collaborators and puppet officials. Finally, it carried out forceful military, political, and economic measures intended to establish effective territorial control and eliminate opposition. During the middle years of the war, the Communists described their conflicts with the Nationalists using the euphemism "friction". By 1939, what many observers—possibly incorrectly—had viewed as an unusually warm alliance began to break down. In early 1939, the KMT Central Committee adopted measures meant to restrict the CCP. From the summer onward, military clashes began and continued into autumn and winter with increasing frequency and intensity, most of them concentrated around and within the North China base areas. The Communists later labeled the period from December 1939 to March 1940 the "first anti-Communist upsurge." Naturally, each side accused the other of aggression and claimed self-defense against unjust attacks. Strategically, though, the North China "upsurge" functioned as a Nationalist attempt to limit the CCP's expansion beyond the areas assigned to it and to regain influence in regions the Communists—or the Japanese—had already taken from the KMT. Jiang Jieshi framed the matter as a defense of legal rights grounded in tradition, while the Communists asserted an "evolutionary" right to challenge the moral legitimacy of those legal claims. During 1939, the Nationalists began to blockade Shen–Gan–Ning around its southern and western perimeter. Within a year, this blockade grew to nearly 400,000 troops, including some of the last remaining Central Army units under the command of Hu Zongnan. The blockade stopped further Communist expansion, especially into Gansu and Suiyuan, and severed direct contact between SKN and Communists operating in Xinjiang (Chinese Turkestan) adjacent to Soviet Central Asia. The Xinjiang Communists—including Mao Zedong's brother—were eliminated in 1942. Meanwhile, fierce fighting erupted along the Gansu–Shaanxi border and in the north-eastern corner of SKN near the Great Wall at Suide, as the blockading forces probed for weak points. Elements of He Long's 120th Division were even pulled back from the Jin–Sui base across the Yellow River to strengthen SKN's regular defenses. Economically, the blockade was even more damaging. During 1939, central government subsidies to the Border Region budget were cut off. Trade between the Border Region and other parts of China nearly stopped, a devastating blow to a region unable to supply itself with many basic commodities. At the same time, Nationalist and regional forces also attempted to expand their military and administrative authority into Hebei, Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong—areas the CCP now considered its base zones. In resisting these efforts, the CCP predictable accused its rivals of harming resistance work and damaging the people's interests. The "experts in dissension" were said to cooperate with the Japanese and their puppets. Based on increasing collaboration by regional units with Japan, the CCP implied that this was a deliberate and cynical strategy—described as "crooked-line patriotism"—intended to preserve those units for future anti-Communist operations. Even so, the CCP tried to avoid an open break with the Nationalist regime in Chongqing. In public, it consistently portrayed these clashes as being initiated by local commanders acting beyond orders from higher authority—despite knowing this depiction was false. Jiang Jieshi, unable to refute the claim outright, effectively permitted it to serve as the justification for a firm Communist response. Mao Zedong outlined the general resistance policy as "justification, expedience, and restraint". The CCP was to fight when it could claim justification and when it could gain advantage, but not to press attacks beyond what the Nationalists would tolerate or in ways that could damage its image as selfless patriots. Communist forces were expected to keep initiative as much as possible in their own hands—deciding when to engage, whether to engage, and when to disengage. The most striking episode of the "first anti-Communist upsurge" was the rupture with Yan Xishan in December 1939. Tensions in Shanxi had been rising throughout the summer and autumn, as Yan and his conservative supporters—associated with the "Old Army"—linked the Sacrifice League and the Dare-to-die Corps of the "New Army" with Communist forces. When base areas and Japanese occupation eventually took over much of his province, Yan was forced into exile at Qiulin across the Yellow River in Shaanxi. In November, Yan ordered his Old Army to disarm the Dare-to-die forces with help from central units dispatched by Hu Zongnan. In the bloody fighting that followed, these elements gradually broke free of even nominal provincial control and fully completed their connection with Communist forces. More than 30,000 people went over to the Communists. One KMT intelligence agent described the process with bitterness and a sense of inevitability: the Communists were first "full of sweet words," flattery, and distortions designed to open things up and conceal their actions. But once they had fully entrenched themselves, and once the low-level base had been established, they turned and bit. The agent suggested they had suspected things might end this way, but were not aware how quickly events would move—or that it could happen precisely while Communist calls for "united front" and "maintenance of unity for resistance" filled the air. About a month later, in February and March 1940, elements of the 8RA beat back this so-called upsurge. Zhang Yinwu's forces were disarmed and dispersed across the plains of north Hebei. To the south, Chu Huaiping and Shi Yusan were pushed out of the base area, as was the KMT-appointed provincial governor Lu Zhonglin. Although some non-Communist forces remained in the region, the CCP's and CCLY bases were never again seriously threatened by forces affiliated with the central government. Reinforcing the CCP's accusations, Shi Yusan was later executed in 1940 by the central government for collaboration with the Japanese. By late 1939, CCP central authorities maintained that the areas where the CCP could expand its armed strength were mainly limited to Shandong and Central China. In those regions, the CCP continued trying to carve out bases where they could operate. The situation in Shandong was complicated. After the Japanese invasion, most Nationalist-affiliated forces stayed in the province, while Communist forces and bases were weaker and more scattered than further west. Only in late 1938 did major 8RA units from the 115th and 129th Divisions—led by Xu Xiangqian and Luo Ronghuan—enter Shandong to link up with the Shandong column and local guerrillas, including survivors of a large band recently decimated by the Japanese. Even with these efforts, Communist actions led to clashes not only with Japanese forces but also with various Nationalist-affiliated groups—groups that were stronger than the Communists at the time. Until late 1940, the CCP's clashes with Nationalist forces in Shandong were actually bloodier than clashes with the Japanese. The CCP understood that its Chinese rivals mistrusted one another, and that their attitudes toward the CCP varied widely. The main Nationalist forces were often not tightly affiliated with Chiang Kai-shek or the central government. Instead, they operated under independent—and at times disgruntled—regional commanders. Communist tactics were expressed through slogans emphasizing ways to win support and isolate hardliners: develop progressive forces and win over fence-sitters while isolating "die-hards"; flatter top echelons, enlist the middle ranks, and hit the rank and file; and win over Yi Xuezhong, isolate Shen Honglie, and eliminate Qin Qirong. Still, unlike other North China base areas, the Communists were unable for several years to neutralize Nationalist forces in Shandong. Even if Japanese mop-up campaigns had not weakened those Nationalists, the text suggests the Communists may still have struggled to do so. By November 1940, Xu Xiangqian claimed meaningful progress while admitting Shandong had not yet become a fully consolidated base. CCP successes were greatest along parts of the Shandong–Hebei border, around the Taishan massif in central Shandong, and near the tip of the peninsula far to the east. Elsewhere, "progressive forces" remained weak. Communist regular troops numbered about 70,000, which was far below the party center's goals of 150,000 regulars and between 1.5 and 2 million self-defense forces. Moreover, systematic economic reforms had barely begun. The CCP relied on familiar practices—confiscations, collections of "national salvation grain," contributions, and loans—alongside a conventional taxation system adjusted to favor poorer peasants. Communist expansion in Central China was even riskier, with a greater likelihood of large-scale conflict with central government forces than in the north. In much of North China, "friction" came primarily from rapid Communist expansion into areas with partial vacuums. In Central China, however, base-building required displacing an existing Nationalist military-administrative presence closely tied to Jiang Kai-shek and the Chongqing government. The burden of this expansion was carried mainly by the 6th Detachment (northern Anhui and Jiangsu) and the 5th Detachment, which was reinforced by 15,000 to 20,000 8RA troops under Huang K'o-ch'eng. As Chen Yi's 1st Detachment crossed from south to north through the corridor provided by Guan Wenwei's local forces, it became actively involved as well. This expansion—driven by increasingly urgent directives from Mao and Liu during the latter part of 1939 and into 1940—brought the N4A north of the river into ever more frequent and sharper clashes with Nationalist authorities in Anhui and Jiangsu, especially with units under Jiangsu governor Han Deqin. South of the river, though, Xiang Ying did not directly challenge Chongqing's commanders. Mao later charged that Xiang Ying may have been influenced by Wang Ming, or else he may simply have seen no realistic alternative. His forces—three detachments plus a headquarters unit—were heavily outnumbered by Qu Chutong's Nationalist units, not to mention Japanese forces and their puppets. Even if Mao insisted bases could be built "anywhere," the Shanghai–Hangzhou–Nanjing triangle was especially difficult terrain. Xiang Ying and his followers had survived with extraordinary tenacity in the mountains of South China between 1934 and 1937, enduring brutal search-and-destroy operations that were not lifted until the war began. It therefore seems unlikely that such survivors would suddenly become "right-wing capitulationists."  Yet by spring 1940, Mao was pressing Xiang Ying more intensely. The Central Committee's message was explicit: expansion was necessary in all cases. It meant reaching into all enemy-occupied areas rather than being bound by the Kuomintang's restrictions—going beyond Kuomintang limits, not waiting for official appointments, not depending on higher-ups for financing, and instead expanding armed forces freely and independently. It also meant setting up base areas without hesitation, independently mobilizing the masses in those areas, and building united front organs of political power under Communist Party leadership. The struggle between Nationalists and Communists involved more than contests for control of territory behind Japanese lines. It also involved national-level politics, ideology, and leadership. One worrying development for the CCP was the campaign throughout 1939 to expand Jiang Kai-shek's prestige and formal power—adding more titles for him across major party, government, and military positions. In early 1939, the Central Executive Committee appointed him "director-general" of the Kuomintang, a title reminiscent of the one previously held by Sun Yat-sen. In addition, during the summer and autumn of 1939 there was talk of constitutional rule. In November, the KMT announced plans to convene a constitutional assembly the following year. If Jiang could fulfill these promises, he and his government could gain new legitimacy and wider popularity. Mao and his colleagues could not allow this to go unchallenged. If the Nationalists were to have a paramount leader and authoritative spokesperson, the CCP needed one as well. The timing of Mao's famous "On the new democracy"—written in late 1939 and published the next January—was therefore no accident. Its substance had been anticipated earlier, but its final timing and full development were shaped by the KMT's constitutional movement. The CCP's entry into this competition served as both a bid for support away from the KMT and a statement of the multi-class united front that the CCP wanted to lead. Although "On the new democracy" was written in a tone that seemed moderate, it persuaded many Chinese readers that the CCP had either diluted its revolutionary objectives or postponed them to a distant future. In Kuomintang-controlled areas, the work could be read through the liberal values associated with Anglo-American democracy—popular participation, multi-party government, legally protected civil rights. In CCP-controlled territories, the same language carried stronger authoritarian, class-based meanings. In internal documents meant for party audiences rather than public consumption, the ambiguity was removed, showing a tough but patient and flexible commitment not only to resistance but also to social control and social change. During this same period, the Communists expressed deep concern about Nationalist capitulation to Japan—not only on the battlefield behind Japanese lines but also at the highest levels. Some of this concern was propaganda, but beneath propaganda lay genuine anxiety. In late 1939 and early 1940, politically aware Chinese already knew that Japan was negotiating with the unpredictable Wang Jingwei, who had fled Chongqing a year earlier. A "reorganized national government" in Nanjing was finally established in March 1940, representing the most formidable collaboration with Japan to date. Less well known, but equally important, was that Japan was also seeking an understanding directly with Jiang Kai-shek through intermediaries in Hong Kong. This effort, called "Operation Kiri"—described as spreading a "feast for Chiang"—combined intrigue with a kind of dark comedy. Reports suggested Chiang's reported interest in peace could have been a stratagem designed to discredit Wang Jingwei by keeping him waiting. But even if Chiang had no intention of coming to terms with Japan, the Communists could not be sure what the outcome would be until after the multi-pronged peace offensive had failed. By the middle of 1940, China had never been so isolated. In Europe, the "phony war" ended in the spring when Germany launched a blitz across the Low Countries. France fell soon after, and England appeared likely to be next. Japan used this moment to press China to sever its last tenuous connections to the outside world: cutting the Burma Road, trade with neutral Hong Kong, and the rail link running from Hanoi to Kunming. At the same time, Russia was engaged in a difficult and embarrassing war with Finland and reduced military aid to the Nationalists. The United States was only gradually moving away from isolationism and clearly regarded England as more important than China. In Chongqing and elsewhere in "Free China," signs of war weariness, despair, and demoralization were visible. Under these circumstances, Mao's insistence on aggressive expansion was a calculated risk—either it would deter any Japanese advance, or it would place the Communists in the strongest possible position in case a split between the KMT and the CCP became unavoidable. In Central China, the size and pace of the fighting kept increasing, starting in the final months of 1939. One flashpoint was the clash between Luo Pinghui's 5th Detachment and units of Han Deqin's Jiangsu force near Lake Gaoyou. In the following months, Guan Wenwei's forces ranged along the left bank of the Yangtze, repeatedly running into Luo's troops as they operated farther north. Luo also began receiving some 8RA reinforcements, moving them south through areas controlled by the 6th Detachment. Clearly, a major showdown was taking shape across north and central Jiangsu. At the same time, the South Yangtze Command was doing poorly. Nationalist commanders Leng Xin and Qu Chutong restricted its activities so severely that Mao and Liu gradually abandoned the idea of building a unified, consolidated base in that region. During late spring and early summer, Chen Yi moved most of his 1st and 2nd Detachments north of the Yangtze. In September, the 3rd Detachment followed suit, crossing the river into the area around Lake Chaohu, where the 4th Detachment was already stationed. After these moves, only the Headquarters Detachment—under Ye Ting and Xiang Ying—remained south of the Yangtze, positioned at Qingxian in southern Anhui. As the military situation edged toward an open confrontation, negotiations began in June 1940 between representatives of the KMT and the CCP. The core issues were Communist operating zones and the authorized strength of the armies led by the CCP. Proposals were exchanged, followed by equally sharp and hostile counter-proposals, but no agreement was reached. The KMT viewed it as a concession to permit the CCP "free rein" north of the pre-1938 course of the Yellow River, with the exception of southern Shanxi, which was to remain under the influence of Yan Xishan. In exchange, the KMT demanded that all 8RA and N4A units evacuate Central China. In effect, the KMT was offering the CCP something it was already prepared to allow, in return for the CCP giving up what it might soon be able to obtain by force of arms. Nationalist authorities then issued a set of deadlines, but without clearly stating what would happen if those deadlines were violated. On the surface, the CCP appeared to be complying in part. The movements of Chen Yi and the South Yangtze Command could look like obedience, but in reality they were responses to orders coming from their own superior leadership rather than instructions issued by the Nationalists. Even so, Xiang Ying's continued delays and evasions during the autumn and winter of 1940 remained puzzling. One possibility is that he felt—quite reasonably—that Mao had already lost confidence in him and that once he crossed to the north bank of the river he would lose his command. Another complication was that directives from Yan'an were sometimes ambiguous and even contradictory. He may also have been trying to reach secure understandings with KMT commanders about evacuation routes and guaranteed safe conduct out of the area. For a period, Han Teqin kept most of his forces—estimated at about 70,000 men, far outnumbering the N4A—in north Jiangsu, thereby blocking the expansion of the 6th Detachment and slowing further southern intrusions by 8RA troops. But by mid-summer he realized he would have to counter the N4A build-up in central Jiangsu, or else risk writing that region off to the Communists. A confusing sequence of engagements then unfolded, culminating in a decisive battle in early October 1940 near the central Jiangsu town of Huangjiao. Over the course of four days, several of Han's main-force units belonging to the 89th Army were destroyed, while others were scattered. That battle also served as a signal for the 6th Detachment to advance more aggressively in the north. In the aftermath, one of Han's principal commanders entered collaboration with the CCP, while another defected to the Nanjing government under Wang Jingwei. Although Han Teqin managed to maintain a foothold in Jiangsu until 1943, his real power had been broken. Relatively little attention was paid to the battle of Huangjiao in the Chinese press. The KMT did not want to publicize what it considered a disastrous defeat, while the Communists were satisfied to stay silent about an episode that conflicted with their proclaimed policy of a united front. As could be expected, during the autumn—after Han Teqin's defeat—KMT-CCP negotiations deteriorated further. In early December, Jiang Kai-shek personally ordered that all N4A forces withdraw from southern Anhui and southern Jiangsu by 31 December. He also ordered that the entire 8RA be positioned north of the Yellow River by the same deadline, followed one month later by the N4A. Discussions then followed between Ye Ting and Qu Chutong's deputies concerning the route to be taken, safe conduct, and—astonishingly—the money and supplies that were to be provided to the N4A to help it move. On 25 December, Mao Zedong ordered Xiang Ying to begin evacuating immediately. Yet it was not until 4 January 1941 that Ye and Xiang actually started moving. Almost immediately, Qu Chutong's forces harassed and dispersed the N4A Headquarters Group, which included administrative personnel, wounded soldiers and dependents, as well as combat-ready troops. In an attempt to reorganize, they moved southwest toward Maolin, where they were surrounded by Nationalists and, over the next several days, were cut to pieces. Losses were heavy on both sides. The CCP suffered an estimated 9,000 casualties. Xiang Ying tried twice to break out of the blockade on his own, but failed. He was then denounced as a deserter by Ye Ting, who took over full command of the doomed forces. Xiang Ying eventually escaped, but he was killed a couple of months later by one of his own bodyguards, motivated by the N4A gold reserves that he had taken with him. Up to the very end, Xiang either failed or refused to seek refuge in Liu Shaoqi's domain north of the Yangtze. The unfortunate Ye Ting was arrested and spent the rest of the war in prison. He was finally released in 1946, only to die one month later in a plane crash, along with several other high-ranking party members. On 17 January, Jiang Kai-shek declared that the New Fourth Army was dissolved for insubordination. Direct contacts between Yan'an and Chongqing nearly came to an end, and CCP military liaison offices in several cities held by the Nationalists were closed. This is what became known as the New Fourth Army incident, also referred to as the South Anhui incident. Clearly, it functioned as an act of retaliation for the defeats suffered by Han Teqin in north and central Jiangsu. It ended any realistic prospect of establishing a consolidated Communist base south of the Yangtze. Still, from a strategic perspective, these losses were ultimately more than offset by the gains achieved farther north. In fact, only a few months later, the reorganized N4A quietly began reintroducing some units into this region, where they carried out guerrilla activities without possessing a secure territorial base. Unlike the relative silence surrounding the fighting at Huangjiao, the New Fourth Army incident sparked bitter, prolonged controversy. The CCP argued that it was a second "anti-Communist upsurge," even more serious than the first. Presenting themselves as martyred patriots, they depicted their opponents as people who wanted to end the War of Resistance through what they called "Sino-Japanese cooperation" aimed at "suppressing the Communists." In their account, the Nationalists wanted to replace the war of resistance with civil war, substitute capitulation for independence, trade unity for a split, and replace light with darkness. People were telling each other the news and were horrified. Indeed, they claimed that the situation had never been as critical as it was at that moment. The Nationalist response, of course, was that provocations had been numerous and serious, and that violations of military discipline could not be tolerated. But the KMT's unwillingness to describe in detail its own defeats at the CCP's hands left it speaking in broad generalities. In the propaganda battle, the CCP clearly gained the better position and won more political capital. If it was politically valuable to be regarded as a national hero, it was even more valuable to be seen as a national martyr.  Many Chinese—and some outside—observers were genuinely alarmed and feared that civil war might openly resume. Yet, with a few exceptions, the events that culminated in the New Fourth Army incident have generally been interpreted as marking the breakdown of the second united front. That interpretation, however, is described as being wrong in two respects. First, the CCP understood the united front not as a narrow arrangement limited to a few major partners, but as a strategy that could be applied flexibly to all political, military, and social forces in China—from the highest levels of the central government down to the smallest village. Relations with Jiang Jieshi and the Guomindang regime mattered, but they did not, by themselves, constitute the whole of the united front. Even regarding Jiang and the Nationalists specifically, the common reading is said to be misguided. Throughout the war, a cardinal objective of the united front was to prevent peace between Japan and the Nationalists. Therefore, if clashes between CCP forces and those of the central government on such a large scale as at Huangjiao and Maolin could occur without leading to peace with Japan and without triggering a full-scale resumption of civil war, then this should not be understood as the end of the united front—it should be seen as its fundamental vindication. If friction at that scale could nevertheless be tolerated by Jiang Jieshi, then fears about his future accommodation with Japan were greatly reduced. Following the New Fourth Army incident, the CCP reorganized its political and military presence in Central China. The Central Plains and South-east China Bureaus were merged and renamed the Central China Bureau, with Liu Shaoqi placed in charge, reflecting the area's importance to Party Central. The New Fourth Army was also reorganized completely and substantially regularized. Chen Yi became its new acting commander, since Ye Ting was imprisoned. He directed the force, now divided into seven divisions. Each division had territorial responsibilities, and in each region the CCP claimed the establishment of a base. Indeed, base construction proceeded in earnest only after the friction of 1940 and the New Fourth Army incident. In the years that followed, the operating areas of the First through Fourth Divisions contained expanding enclaves of consolidated territory, where military dominance was joined with open party work: administrative control, the development of mass organizations, local elections, and socio-economic reforms. The other three areas fluctuated between semi-consolidated and guerrilla status. With the incident, the worst phase of the KMT-CCP conflict was now over. When CCP documents later speak of a third upsurge in 1943, they refer to something openly political. With the exception of Shandong—where a fairly strong Nationalist presence persisted for a longer time—the overall balance of power among Chinese forces behind Japanese lines had shifted in favor of the CCP by mid-1941. In subsequent years the CCP's predominance became even more pronounced, until by the end of 1943 the Communists were virtually beyond challenge by Chinese rivals.   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. After the CCP and KMT entered the united front, cooperation felt conditional from the start. Mao pushed the New Fourth Army to reorganize and preserve Communist autonomy, even as the 1937 agreements publicly pledged obedience to KMT leadership. In 1939–40 the Communists worried that Chiang might negotiate peace with Japan; so they expanded bases and military presence, triggering repeated clashes. The pressure intensified when KMT orders forced the New Fourth Army to evacuate south Anhui in late 1940. 

Join nationally-credentialed journalist Thomas Christopher in this action-packed episode of Mr. Gridiron - discussing the hottest topics in college football.While you're listening to the show, please make sure to like the video, leave a comment, and subscribe to the channel!Today's episode is built around the five-year eligibility proposal being made by the NCAA for their athletes. Is it the right decision? What's the fallout?Later, the discussion moves to the LIU, where the Long Island University is hit with violations and punishment for widespread eligibility violations. Yet, is it completely their fault?Follow along for that, and much more in the latest edition of Mr. Gridiron!The League Winners are a company dedicated to covering the college football and the NFL. Created by Thomas Christopher, TLW was created to give football fans news, highlights, interviews, film review and much more surrounding the game of football.#MrGridiron #CollegeFootball #FootballPodcast #CFB #NCAAFootball #CollegeFootballPodcast #CFBPodcast #NCAA #Football #SportsPodcast #LIUFootball #LIU #CFB26

Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged all-out efforts to search for people who are still unaccounted for and save the injured after an explosion at a fireworks plant in Central China's Hunan province caused heavy casualties on Monday afternoon.Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made an instruction ordering strengthened risk screening and hazard control in key sectors, enhanced public safety management, and efforts to safeguard people's lives and property.The explosion occurred at around 4:40 pm at the plant in Liu yang, a county-level city under Changsha, capital city of Hunan. Twenty-six people have died as of Tuesday afternoon.Xi demanded proper handling of the aftermath and a prompt investigation into the accident, stressing that those responsible must be held accountable.Authorities across regions and departments must draw profound lessons from the accident and reinforce responsibility for workplace safety, Xi stressed.Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, urged efforts to strengthen workplace safety in key industries and sectors, and resolutely prevent the occurrence of major accidents.The Ministry of Emergency Management has dispatched a team to Liu yang to guide the rescue and relief work. Local rescue forces have rushed to the scene to treat the injured and carry out on-site response efforts, which are still underway.

【欢迎订阅】 每天早上5:30，准时更新。 【阅读原文】 标题：Is Schoolwork Optional Now? Education is on the verge of becoming fully automated.正文：William Liu is grateful that he finished high school when he did. If the latest AI tools had been around then, he told me, he might have been tempted to use them to do his homework. Liu, now a sophomore at Stanford, finished high school all the way back in 2024.“I have a younger sibling who is just graduating high school,” he said. “Our educational experience has been vastly different, even though we're just two years apart.”知识点：grateful /ˈɡreɪtfl/（形容词）发自内心的庆幸、满怀感恩的（强调对自身境遇、他人帮助产生的深刻且真诚的正向情绪，区别于仅表 “还好没出事” 的浅层庆幸 thankful，可接 that 从句或 be grateful to sb for sth 固定搭配）・William Liu is grateful that he finished high school before the explosion of powerful AI schoolwork tools. 威廉・刘很庆幸，自己在功能强大的 AI 学业工具爆发前就完成了高中学业。・We should be grateful to those who guide us and help us grow in the process of learning. 我们应该感恩那些在学习过程中指引我们、帮助我们成长的人。获取外刊的完整原文以及精讲笔记，请关注微信公众号「早安英文」，回复“外刊”即可。更多有意思的英语干货等着你！ 【节目介绍】 《早安英文-每日外刊精读》，带你精读最新外刊，了解国际最热事件：分析语法结构，拆解长难句，最接地气的翻译，还有重点词汇讲解。 所有选题均来自于《经济学人》《纽约时报》《华尔街日报》《华盛顿邮报》《大西洋月刊》《科学杂志》《国家地理》等国际一线外刊。 【适合谁听】 1、关注时事热点新闻，想要学习最新最潮流英文表达的英文学习者 2、任何想通过地道英文提高听、说、读、写能力的英文学习者 3、想快速掌握表达，有出国学习和旅游计划的英语爱好者 4、参加各类英语考试的应试者（如大学英语四六级、托福雅思、考研等） 【你将获得】 1、超过1000篇外刊精读课程，拓展丰富语言表达和文化背景 2、逐词、逐句精确讲解，系统掌握英语词汇、听力、阅读和语法 3、每期内附学习笔记，包含全文注释、长难句解析、疑难语法点等，帮助扫除阅读障碍。

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Chasing Sunrises: Friendship and Lessons on Tai Mountain Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2026-04-30-07-38-18-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 在五月一日劳动节的前一天，清晨的太山笼罩在薄薄的云雾中，空气中弥漫着春天花朵的芳香。En: On the day before May 1st Labor Day, the early morning Tai Mountain was shrouded in a thin mist, and the air was filled with the fragrance of spring flowers.Zh: 梅、健和刘正在山脚下准备攀登这个神圣的山峰。En: Mei, Jian, and Liu were preparing to climb this sacred peak at the mountain's foot.Zh: 对梅来说，这次徒步不仅仅是一趟简单的旅行，更是她心中新的开始。En: For Mei, this trek was not just a simple trip but a new beginning in her heart.Zh: 经过一年的辛苦工作，她渴望站在山顶，迎接崭新的日出。En: After a year of hard work, she longed to stand on the summit and welcome a brand-new sunrise.Zh: 梅满怀激情地说：“我们一定要看到山顶的日出，真是难得的机会！”En: Mei said passionately, "We must see the sunrise at the top; it's such a rare opportunity!"Zh: 站在旁边的健，沉着而谨慎，他知道登山并不容易。En: Standing beside her, Jian, calm and cautious, knew that climbing the mountain wouldn't be easy.Zh: “梅，我们要小心，天气看起来有些变化。”他说。En: "Mei, we have to be careful; the weather seems to be changing," he said.Zh: 刘是个内向的人，这次旅程对他而言是寻找内心平静的机会。En: Liu is an introverted person, and this journey is an opportunity for him to find inner peace.Zh: “我们慢慢走，可以边走边欣赏风景。”他建议道。En: "We can walk slowly and enjoy the scenery along the way," he suggested.Zh: 三人开始沿着蜿蜒的石阶向上攀登，途经古老的寺庙和遍布绿树的小道。En: The three of them began climbing the winding stone steps, passing ancient temples and paths lined with green trees.Zh: 随着攀登的高度增加，天气变得越来越阴沉，乌云正在聚集。En: As they climbed higher, the weather became increasingly overcast, and dark clouds were gathering.Zh: “继续前进，还有一点路程！”梅挥舞着手，示意朋友们加快脚步。En: "Keep moving forward, there's just a little more to go!" Mei waved her hand, signaling her friends to speed up.Zh: 健和刘虽然感到疲乏，但还是选择信任梅，于是继续前进。En: Though Jian and Liu felt tired, they chose to trust Mei and continued onward.Zh: 然而，随着时间的推移，山上开始下起小雨，紧接着风也越来越大。En: However, as time passed, it began to rain lightly on the mountain, followed by increasingly strong winds.Zh: “梅，我们该找个地方避雨。”健大声提醒。En: "Mei, we should find a place to shelter from the rain," Jian reminded loudly.Zh: “可是，我们离山顶已经很近了！”梅内心挣扎，她的理想和朋友的安全之间出现了冲突。En: "But we're so close to the top!" Mei struggled internally as her ideals conflicted with her friends' safety.Zh: 这时，雷声响起，风雨越发猛烈。En: At that moment, thunder roared, and the wind and rain became more intense.Zh: 梅深吸一口气，终于下定了决心。En: Mei took a deep breath and finally made up her mind.Zh: “好，我们先找个地方避雨。”她对朋友们说。En: "Alright, let's find a place to take shelter from the rain first," she said to her friends.Zh: 最后，他们在一个小庙宇找到庇护。En: Eventually, they found refuge in a small temple.Zh: 虽然错过了日出，但安全得到了保障。En: Although they missed the sunrise, their safety was ensured.Zh: 望着窗外的白晃晃的天色，梅微笑着对刘和健说：“感谢你们。En: Watching the glaringly bright sky outside, Mei smiled and said to Liu and Jian, "Thank you both.Zh: 虽然没有看到日出，但同行的旅程让我更加珍惜友情。”En: Although we didn't see the sunrise, traveling together made me cherish our friendship even more."Zh: 在这趟旅程结束时，梅明白了朋友的重要性。En: At the end of this journey, Mei understood the importance of friends.Zh: 在人生的旅途中，过程往往比结果更为珍贵。En: In life's journey, the process is often more precious than the result.Zh: 她不再执着于独自的胜利，而学会了在朋友的支持下欣赏整趟旅程的美丽。En: She no longer clung to solitary victories but learned to appreciate the beauty of the entire journey with the support of friends. Vocabulary Words:shrouded: 笼罩fragrance: 芳香sacred: 神圣的trek: 徒步passionately: 满怀激情地cautious: 谨慎introverted: 内向winding: 蜿蜒overcast: 阴沉gathering: 聚集struggled: 挣扎conflicted: 冲突thunder: 雷声intense: 猛烈refuge: 庇护glaringly: 白晃晃cherish: 珍惜appreciate: 欣赏solitary: 独自clung: 执着beginning: 开始ensured: 保障increase: 增加signaling: 示意cognizant: 了解predicament: 困境decisively: 下定决心consolation: 安慰unanimously: 一致epiphany: 顿悟

Dr. Tim Stratton and Josh Klein are back and have Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Dr. Charles Liu on the docket. Recently the two colleagues had a friendly discussion concerning the existence of Free Will on the  @StarTalk  podcast. Tyson doubts the existence of Free Will but Liu tentatively embraces it. However, they BOTH get some important metaphysics wrong. Dr. Tim and Josh take a look and offer their own perspective on the episode. Watch the full clip: https://youtu.be/LXvv6CbGg8A?si=I-m9ZguJr3q0OCZU Join the FTM Team: www.freethinkingministries.com/donate ➡️ CHAPTERS ⬅️ 00:00 Introduction 01:45 Defining Metaphysics 04:50 Defining Free Will 07:11 Stochastic Uncertainty, Chaos and Free Will 13:11 Influences Do Not Equal Causes 16:25 Do I Have the Freedom to Reach True Conclusions about Reality? 22:31 The Ability to Prepare Implies Free Will 32:45 Knowledge Cannot Cause Actions Nor Activate Free Will 39:04 Neil's Position on Free Will is Nonsensical 52:28 Charles' Position Has No Grounding 57:43 Why The Texas Shooter Example Actually Undermines Determinism 1:06:03 The Perimeter Of Ignorance Undermined 1:13:57 Concluding Thoughts ➡️ SOCIALS ⬅️ Website: https://freethinkingministries.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreeThinkInc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freethinkinc X: https://x.com/freethinkmin TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freethinkinc #Apologetics #FreeThinking #Christianity #freewillvsdeterminism #freethinking #freewill

We have Daniel Schlagwein on the show, who is what Germans call a "Tausendsassa:" He is both a practitioner and researcher of digital nomadism, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Information Technology, and president of the AIS special interest group on Grounded Theory Methodology. We touch upon all three of these aspects, but at the core we want to know from Daniel whether generative AI tools are automating grounded theory and thereby eliminate what used to be at the heart of a humanistic and constructionist approach to doing research – or are they merely leveling the playing field for qualitative field researchers by giving them computational support matching those tools that quantitative researchers have had for a long time. Daniel argues that it depends on the specific flavor of the grounded theory method you are using to determine whether and how you can leverage generative AI for such research. References Wang, B., Schlagwein, D., Cecez-Kecmanovic, D., & Cahalane, M. C. (2025). 'Emancipation' in Digital Nomadism vs in the Nation‑State: A Comparative Analysis of Idealtypes. Journal of Business Ethics, 198(1), 35–68. Hoffman, P. (1998). The Man Who Loved Only Numbers. Hyperion Books. Garland, A. (1996). The Beach. Viking. Jiwasiddi, A., Schlagwein, D., Cahalane, M. C., Cecez-Kecmanovic, D., Leong, C., & Ractham, P. (2024). Digital Nomadism as a New Part of the Visitor Economy: The Case of the 'Digital Nomad Capital' Chiang Mai, Thailand. Information Systems Journal, 34(5), 1493–1535. Fromm, E. (1941). Escape from Freedom. Farrar & Rinehart. Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Aldine Publishing Company. Glaser, B. G. (1978). Theoretical Sensitivity: Advances in the Methodology of Grounded Theory. Sociology Press. Strauss, A. L., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory (2nd ed.). Sage. Charmaz, K. C. (2014). Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide through Qualitative Analysis (2nd ed.). Sage. Nelson, L. K. (2020). Computational Grounded Theory: A Methodological Framework. Sociological Methods & Research, 49(1), 3–42. Gopal, R., Li, J., Riemer, K., Sarker, S., Singh, P. V., Susarla, A., Bichler, M., & Thatcher, J. B. (2025). Inventing with Machines: Generative AI and the Evolving Landscape of IS Research. Information Systems Research, 36(4), 1949–1967. Zhou, Y., Yuan, Y., Huang, K., & Hu, X. (2024). Can ChatGPT Perform a Grounded Theory Approach to Do Risk Analysis? An Empirical Study. Journal of Management Information Systems, 41(4), 982–1015. Yue, Y., Liu, D., Lv, Y., Hao, J., & Cui, P. (2025). A Practical Guide and Assessment on Using ChatGPT to Conduct Grounded Theory: Tutorial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27, e70122. Wiesche, M., Jurisch, M., Yetton, P., & Krcmar, H. (2019). Grounded Theory Methodology in Information Systems Research. MIS Quarterly, 41(3), 685–701. Sarker, S., Xiao, X., Beaulieu, T., & Lee, A. S. (2018). Learning from First-Generation Qualitative Approaches in the IS Discipline: An Evolutionary View and Some Implications for Authors and Evaluators (PART 1/2). Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 19(8), 752–774. AIS Special Interest Group on Grounded Theory Methodology (SIG GTM): https://aisnet.org/members/member_engagement/groups.aspx?code=SIGGTM. Recker, J., Zeiss, R., & Mueller, M. (2024). iRepair or I Repair? A Dialectical Process Analysis of Control Enactment on the iPhone Repair Aftermarket. MIS Quarterly, 48(1), 321–346.

In this episode of Mental Gymnastics, Dr. JD Barton sits down with Ilka Juk, who represented Canada and Hungary as an elite gymnast and went on to compete collegiately at LIU and Iowa.Ilka looks back on the abusive coaching she experienced in Canada, her struggles with OCD, how she knew it was time to walk away from elite gymnastics, and how her career has shaped the coach she is today.Thank you to our monthly Patreon supporters: Lee B, Cookiemaster, Happy Girl, Erica S, Semflam, Amy C, Maria L, Becca S, Cathleen R, Faith, Kerry M, Derek H, Sharon B, Randee B, MSU, Kimberly G, Lela M, Mara L, Jenna A, Alex M,, Kelsey, Lidia, Maria P, Alicia O, Cristina K, Bethany J, Diane J, Kentiemac, Marni S, Betny T, Emily C, Cathy D, Lisa T, Libby C, Thiago, Taryn M, Dana B, Jamie S, Chuck C, Je_GL, Kaitlin, Susan P, Mallory D, LFC_Hokie, Ella, Debbie, Kay, Diane J, Julie B,, Austin K, Jane, Sarah, Amy, Stephen S, Johanna T, Alison S, Kristina T, Abigail W, Ola S, Jennifer K, Kate M, Claudia, Erin L, Sarah A, Thomas B, Kihika N, Beth C, Amy, Renee PM, Ryan V, Brandon H, Tyler, Hayley B, Ben S, Kate, Danielle, ALittleUnderRotated, Dana C, Grace, Pat G , Lexi G, Laura N, Kathy, Katie A, Ruby B,, Róisín, Megan J, Emily D, Britton, Ry Shep, Reyna G, William A, MB, Jackson G, Stella, Ulo F, Noah C, Melissa H, Alexis, William M, Trish, Susie, Leslie G, Catherine B, Karlin, Laura L, Katy S, J'nia G, Kathy M, Kathy S, Okcaro, Caroline P, JD B, Cookiecutter, Ailish D, Wil D, Caroline M, kcmojojojo, Sammy S, Fabio B, Kerry H, Ricardo A, Brandon, Leah D, Margaret G, Molly, Marco B, ClemsonTigersFan, Lisa B, DSO, Sarah M, Abigail M, Grace M, Laura A, Justin D, Paola, Kendrick C, Rich A, Ty T, Nicholas S, Becky E, Annsley M, Tere, Melody M, Stacey, Erica H, Kathy, Teressa, Angela C, Bridgett C, Ashley D, Whitney J, Erika B, & JuJu!

In part one of this interview with historian Frank Dikötter about his new book Red Dawn over China, he discusses events from Republican-era China that have long been overlooked.About Peking HotelThe Peking Hotel podcast and newsletter are digital publications in which Liu He interviews China specialists about their first-hand experiences and observations from decades past. The project grew out of Liu's research at Hoover Institution collecting oral history of China experts living in the U.S. Their stories are a reminder of what China used to be and what it is capable of becoming.Music: Ballerina, Yehezkel Raz, Artlist Original Music Get full access to Peking Hotel at pekinghotel.substack.com/subscribe

Arianna Trionfo from Nemours joins the show this month to discuss her recent research on early weightbearing after flatfoot reconstruction in CP. The gang also delves into DDH, trauma, congenital scoliosis and more in the lightning round. Your hosts are Carter Clement from Manning Family Children's, Tyler McDonald from University of South Alabama, Steph Logterman from Central Texas Pediatric Orthopedics, and Will Morris from TSRH. Music by A.A. Aalto.   The Effect of Immediate Weight Bearing After Planovalgus Foot Reconstruction in Ambulatory Children With Cerebral Palsy. Church et al. JPO. PMID: 41178517. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41178517/   Screening MRI in Congenital EOS: Is It Safe to Delay Advanced Imaging to Decrease Early Anesthesia? Mostafa et al. JPO. PMID: 41582879. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41582879/   Treatment of Displaced Femoral Neck Fractures in Children: Mid-Term Outcomes and Predictors of Failure. Liu et al. JPO. PMID: 41587289. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41587289/   To Wean or Not to Wean: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Pavlik Harness Weaning in Infantile Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip. Kuka et al. JPO. PMID: 41641599. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41641599/   Is the Hip Located? What is the Value of Advanced Imaging at the Time of Spica Exchange for Infantile Hip Dysplasia? Beck et al. JPO. PMID: 41552950. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41552950/   Revisiting Traditional Risk Factors: Implications for Risk Stratification in Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip. Nielsen et al. JPO. PMID: 41563881. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41563881/   The Effect of Pre-Bending Flexible Nails on Outcomes Following Stabilization of Paediatric Forearm Fractures. Levitt et al. JPO. PMID: 41358790. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41358790/

Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod Facebook - Perks of Being a Book Lover. To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button.   You can find Folger Shakespeare Library at www.folger.edu   Now you may be familiar with the Folger Shakespeare Library's editions of Shakespeare's works. In fact, Carrie is still using some of  hers from high school. But she had no idea this world-famous research library in Washington DC had a book club. As a Shakespeare enthusiast, she was definitely intrigued, and we are so excited that emma poltrack, the Arts Engagement Program Manager for the Folger Shakespeare Library, agreed to join us and tell us all about the book club.    Our book rec segment this week are books about…..book clubs! We've got two memoirs about book clubs–one made up of professor friends and the other between a mother and son. We've got a horror novel with a book club that battles vampires, an intergenerational mystery-solving book club in England, a women's fiction novel about a book club that asks its members to present the book that matters most, and a writing and reading group for Punjabi women in London that's breaking boundaries.   Books Mentioned in this Episode   1- The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly  2- The Calculating Stars (A Lady Astronaut series) by Mary Robinette Kowal 3- The Martian Conspiracy by Mary Robinette Kowal  4- Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma  5- Tastes like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma  6- Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  7- The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu  8- Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell  9- Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson  10- Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton  11- Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons  12- Well Met by Jen DeLuca  13- Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett  14- Booth by Karen Joy Fowler  15- The Fraud by Zadie Smith  16- It Goes So Fast by Mary Louise Kelly  17- The Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehman  18- The Night We Became Strangers by Lorena Hughes  19- Shibby Magee by Carrie Kabak  20- A Five Star Read by Fellow Book Lover Abigail @nobadbooks - Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser  21- The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix  22- The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood  23- The Toni Morrison Book Club by Juda Bennett, Winnifred Brown-Glaude, Cassandra Jackson, and Piper Kendrix Williams  24- The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe  25- The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson  26- Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows: A Novel by Balli Kaur Jaswal    Media Mentioned: 1- For All Mankind (Apple +, 2019 - present) 2- But That's Another Story Podcast (featuring Will Schwalbe) 3 - Whitehall House and Gardens Book Club - https://www.historicwhitehall.org/whitehall-book-club  

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the first battle of Changsha. From Chongqing, Chiang debated defensive strategies for Hunan, ultimately adopting Plan B after Xue Yue's pleas, focusing on successive resistance north of Changsha to thwart Japanese advances. Japanese forces, under Okamura Yasuji, launched assaults in Jiangxi and Hunan. In Jiangxi, the 106th and 101st Divisions attacked Huibu and Gao'an, where Chinese troops under Luo Zhuoying and Song Kentang fiercely resisted. Gao'an fell briefly but was recaptured by the 32nd Army and the elite 74th Army, with heavy casualties on both sides, as recounted by soldier Liu Qihuai. In Hunan, Japanese units crossed the Xin Qiang River and landed at Yingtian, facing brutal opposition. At Bijia Mountain, Qin Yizhi's 195th Division held for four days; Battalion Commander Shi Enhua's reinforced unit perished entirely, their fragmented remains mourned by locals. Along the Miluo River, Chen Pei's 37th Army fortified positions, repelling waves of Japanese attacks, including suicide squads disguised as civilians. Recruit Yang Peyao's unit endured bombardments, inflicting significant enemy losses before withdrawing at dusk.   #197 The First Battle of Changsha 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. Major Luo Wenlang, battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion, 55th Regiment, 19th Division of the 28th Army, harbored a peculiar quirk: he couldn't sleep soundly without unwrapping his leg bindings, a small ritual that anchored him in the chaos of war. Since the war's eruption, such luxuries were rare, and unwrapping his bindings every night became an impossibility, leaving him to endure restless slumbers. Tonight, however, sleep eluded him entirely; he tossed and turned on his makeshift bed, his mind a whirlwind of unrest. Two days after the northern Hunan battle ignited like a powder keg, the 55th Regiment received urgent orders from Division Commander Tang Boyin to race to Wukou in Pingjiang County. Their path wound through Luo Wenlang's hometown of Fulinpu, a twist of fate that stirred conflicting emotions. Entering the village under the cover of night, the entire battalion encamped in the commander's modest family village, with battalion headquarters naturally established in his ancestral home.   Luo yearned to step across that familiar threshold but dreaded it, for his parents remained oblivious to a devastating truth. They slaughtered chickens and prepared meat, hosting the battalion staff with drinks and hospitality, after all, this was their son's unit gracing their home. Luo orchestrated door planks and straw for bedding, posted sentries, and deftly evaded his parents until they retired. Before dawn broke, he mustered the troops, ensured they were fed, and led them onward, slipping away like a shadow. By noon on the 22nd, they reached Wukou, only to receive fresh directives: rush to Yingtian to bolster the 95th Division against the enemy's audacious landings. The 3rd Battalion spearheaded the division's reinforcements, marching relentlessly through day and night, arriving at Dongtang, over 30 kilometers southeast of Yingtian—on the 23rd, hearts sinking upon learning Yingtian had already fallen into enemy clutches.   Luo Wenlang sought out the retreating 95th Division Commander Luo Qi to beg for a mission, his resolve unyielding. Luo Qi, anticipating his arrival, relayed Commander Guan Linzheng's ironclad instructions: The 19th Division's reinforcements would assume Dongtang's defenses. With the main force still en route, Luo Qi tasked Luo's battalion with relieving a segment held by a replacement regiment. He handed over a map, sketching a line with a pencil, a simple stroke that thrust Luo Wenlang and his men onto the front lines of fate. An operations staff was dispatched to guide them to the position and oversee the handover.   As the troops advanced, they encountered scattered soldiers fleeing like startled rabbits; seizing a platoon leader revealed they were indeed from the replacement regiment. Mere minutes from division HQ, the enemy was already closing in, a predator's breath hot on their necks. Luo Wenlang and Deputy Battalion Commander Wu Yacui split the battalion, launching a counterattack on Dongtang from dual routes. Fortune favored them; the Japanese held only an exhausted company, crumbling under a single, ferocious charge. They swiftly deployed two companies to the positions, reserving one as a bulwark. By dusk, the full 55th Regiment arrived, accompanied by the rest of the 19th Division's reinforcements, allowing the battered 95th Division, ravaged at Yingtian, to withdraw for desperate reorganization. The regimental commander positioned Luo's 3rd Battalion on the regiment's vulnerable left wing. In the blink of an eye, it was the 27th, aligning with the 15th of the eighth lunar month. Amid the relentless great battle, few noted the calendar, and the skies hung heavy with clouds. Luo Wenlang twisted on his straw bed, his thoughts a snarled knot of anxiety and memory.   At 11 p.m., gunfire shattered the night; a barrage of machine gun bullets riddled the battalion HQ house, raining thatch and dust upon Luo like fallout from a storm. Catastrophe had struck! Luo surged toward the positions with the bugler—his battalion signal chief—and the reserve force, ascending the hilltop in a frenzy. Halfway up, he spotted 8th Company's Lieutenant Platoon Leader Rong Fayu leading over 20 soldiers in retreat. Bellowing "Why unauthorized retreat?" while brandishing his pistol, he compelled Rong to rally and turn back. The Japanese had launched a nocturnal assault; 8th Company Commander Yi Zuitao lay slain by a fatal shot, over a dozen comrades felled in brutal close combat, the survivors scattered like leaves in the wind; the high ground now belonged to the enemy.   Upon learning of Dongtang's loss, the regimental commander personally led the regimental reserve, his face etched with urgency. Under flickering lantern light, poring over the map with Luo, Division Commander Tang Boyin telephoned, his voice a whipcrack of command: Recapture it before dawn, or both would face the merciless hand of military justice. After seizing the high ground, the enemy hesitated to press further; Luo surmised the darkness concealed paths, and their numbers were not overwhelming. Forgoing the regimental reserve, he led 7th Company's 4 squads and remnants of the routed 8th Company in a stealthy ascent. Near the position, a ravine concealed over 20 8th Company soldiers, rallied by Sergeant Squad Leader Tan Tianrong, who had lurked in wait for reinforcements, dreading exposure at dawn under the enemy's gaze.   Spotting the battalion commander personally spearheading the counterattack, Tan Tianrong's face lit with fierce joy; his men, armed with grenades, surged as the vanguard. Intimate with the terrain even in blindness, they hurled explosives into bunkers, trenches, and works. The commander orchestrated the charge; the Japanese force of 40-50 men crumbled, over half slain or maimed, the remnants fleeing northward to their village stronghold. It was past 4 a.m.; the moon pierced the clouds, bathing the earth in a silvery glow. With positions reclaimed, the night revealed its secret: tonight was Mid-Autumn. Moonlight unraveled the tangled threads of his past; Luo draped his clothes over his shoulders, sat beneath the luminous orb, and wept in solitary anguish.   Before the war, devastating news had arrived: his brother Luo Yinong had been killed in Jiangxi. Luo had three brothers; the eldest shouldered half the family's burdens, their bond unbreakable. The brother had enlisted first in the 50th Army, climbing to battalion commander through sheer valor. He and his younger brother had followed suit, inspired by that call to arms.   Wartime conscription demanded only one per family, but battling the devils was a duty for the nation and its people. His brother had risen to deputy regimental commander before his end. The 50th Army notified him first. Engulfed in battle, there had been no time to console his grieving parents or tend to the funeral; it weighed on his heart like an unyielding stone. His sister-in-law, diligent and unassuming, cared for a young boy and carried another child; the long, arduous days ahead loomed like an endless shadow. The night dew brought a biting chill, the moon an icy sentinel; Luo shivered uncontrollably, his tears mingling with the frost.   The sky hung heavy with overcast gloom, yet the moon lurked beyond the clouds, casting a faint, ethereal light that warded off utter darkness. Along the road, a unit's elongated black shadow snaked southward in hurried silence, a serpent of weary resolve pressing through the night. Qin Yizhi reined in his horse, pausing to gaze back: the queue stretched onward, silent and impeccably orderly, belying the exhaustion of a force scarred by days of ferocious combat, their spirits unbroken amid the shadows. After the Japanese seized the 195th Division's defiant outpost at Bijia Mountain, they surged across the Xin Qiang River in a merciless onslaught. The river, shallow enough to wade knee-deep, offered no true impediment; the real barrier was forged from the defenders' scorching blood, a crimson testament to their unyielding stand. The 195th Division clashed in a maelstrom of cruelty; positions were heaped with corpses time and again, the Xin Qiang's waters churning blood-red in relentless cycles of carnage. From the night of the 23rd to the dawn of the 25th, respite was a forgotten dream; Okamura Yasuji, in a gesture of grim respect, inscribed Qin's name in elegant calligraphy and hung it within his command tent, a haunting trophy of the foe's tenacity.   Following their triumphant landing at Yingtian, the Japanese entangled the Ninth War Zone's left-wing defenders in a protracted snare, their advances grinding slowly like a predator toying with prey, menacing the flanks of the frontal troops with insidious intent. On the evening of the 27th, Xue Yue issued the fateful order for the 15th Army Group to withdraw to the precarious ground between the Miluo River and Shangshan City, ushering this blood-soaked force into an all-night march toward the next defensive crucible. Late into the night, a brief halt was called. Soldiers slumped to the ground, adjusting leg wraps and gear with mechanical precision; logistics teams darted through the ranks, distributing rations like lifelines; cooks, having forged ahead, arrived with steaming pots of rice soup, infusing the air with a rare warmth. Though no clamor broke the hush, a quiet camaraderie enveloped the queue, a fleeting balm against the war's chill.   The division staff claimed a flat expanse beside a farmhouse yard for their respite. Qin settled onto a stone roller used for grinding grain, nibbling at his meager ration and sipping the hot soup that steamed in the cool air. Suddenly, moonlight pierced the clouds, cascading down in silvery streams; the familiar contours of the farmhouse stirred a flood of warmth in his heart, evoking memories of home.   Chongqing, Huangshan Villa. Every window was shrouded in double layers of thick curtains, sealing out any sliver of betraying light, as if the very walls conspired to guard secrets from the encroaching night. Tonight's ethereal protagonist rose languidly from the eastern valley, its orange-red moonlight casting an aura of drowsy reluctance, as though it had not fully shaken off the slumber of the day. The feeble glow dappled the building's roof, balcony, and the surrounding hillsides, intersections, and thickets, where armed shadows lurked, capturing every rustle in the oppressive silence. Only upon close inspection could one discern the faint specks of moonlight glinting off steel helmets. Yet, beyond those fortified walls, another realm pulsed with life, a vibrant contrast to the shadowed vigilance outside. The front hall, living room, and dining room blazed with brilliant light. Vibrant flowers, dominated by chrysanthemums in full, defiant bloom, infused the air with color and fragrance; a phonograph murmured a cheerful Guangdong melody, weaving an atmosphere thick with festive joy, a deliberate illusion amid the storm of war.   Chiang Kai-shek, clad in a flowing black silk gown, strode ahead with poised grace, escorting his guests into the dining room alongside the elegantly attired Soong May-ling, their conversation laced with laughter and warmth. At the table, Soong May-ling's smile was a beacon of diplomacy, as she artfully arranged the seating to suit hierarchies and alliances, while servers in crisp white uniforms moved with nimble precision. This was Chiang Kai-shek's intimate Mid-Autumn family banquet; beyond a handful of pivotal military and political figures, the gathering brimmed with relatives. Guests and kin alike noted Chiang's buoyant spirits tonight; his smiles were wide and genuine, his discourse light and expansive, delving into casual topics with uncharacteristic ease.   In September 1939, China's War of Resistance Against Japan had entered its grueling third year. After the initial cataclysm of turmoil and disarray, the government and military had clawed their way to stability, adapting to this unprecedented historical crucible, with operations finally aligning into a semblance of order. According to figures proclaimed by Minister of Military Affairs He Yingqin to Chinese and foreign reporters on the 13th of this month, Japanese invaders had seized 521 counties across 12 provinces, a vast swath of conquest. Yet, the Japanese imperialists had exacted this toll at a staggering cost. Just prior, on August 30, the Hirannuma Cabinet, installed a mere eight months earlier, had collapsed in mass resignation. Hirannuma Kiichiro's predecessor, Konoe Fumimaro, had similarly bowed out amid governmental failures, chiefly the unmet ambitions in the Sino-Japanese War that he had boldly promised to parliament, exacerbating domestic political and economic woes. Days ago, when Wang Pengsheng briefed Chiang on Japan's turbulent politics, he quipped: "Konoe said three months to destroy China; three months didn't work, nor three years, who knows about 30 or 300. Hirannuma had no solutions, down in eight months. Does Abe have good ideas? How long can he be prime minister?" Indeed, Abe Nobuyuki, Hirannuma's successor, would endure a mere four and a half months before resigning in ignominy. Tonight's feast showcased Chiang's favored cuisines: delicate Jiangsu-Zhejiang dishes mingled with robust Sichuan flavors. Chiang abstained from alcohol, raising his cup in mere symbolic toasts to his guests. During the meal, as if by unspoken accord, no one broached the raging domestic battles or the volatile international landscape; conversations meandered through trivialities, skirting anything heavy or discordant, a fragile bubble of normalcy.   On September 3, Britain and France had declared war on Germany, shattering the global order in a seismic shift. Foreign newspapers already bandied the term "Second World War," a phrase that evoked freshness, exhilaration, and sheer terror in equal measure. China's diplomacy surged with newfound vigor. In April, Ambassador to the US Wang Zhengting had negotiated a $20 million loan with American banks on China's behalf. In May, Stalin responded to Chiang's overtures, agreeing to exchange arms for Chinese tea, wool, raw hides, and more. A month later, the first consignment of light and heavy weapons—including artillery and heavy machine guns—arrived via clandestine routes through Xinjiang and Mongolia, bolstering the central army's frontlines. In August, Hu Shih, Wellington Koo, and Chien Tai represented the Nationalist Government at the 19th League of Nations Assembly, laying bare the Japanese imperialists' atrocities in China before the world and rallying global forces for peace to support China's defiant stand. Soon after, British and American civic groups ignited "China Week" campaigns, pressing their governments to aid the beleaguered nation. Waves of foreign volunteers streamed in from distant shores: doctors, journalists, ordnance engineers, even retired soldiers clamoring to join the fray on the frontlines.   "If we could pull America into this war..." Through Soong May-ling's subtle, persuasive influence, Chiang allowed himself to daydream of that prosperous, dynamic young powerhouse across the vast ocean. Thus, on this Mid-Autumn night, his talk turned to America, to his correspondence with President Roosevelt regarding the "tung oil loan." That saga had unfolded the previous October; T.V. Soong had jetted to America, securing a loan with China's tung oil, a commodity scarce in the US, as collateral. China had boldly requested $400 million; America countered with $25 million, a classic tale of "ask high, settle low." Yet, the funds were secured. One success paved the way for many. Soong May-ling had once confided to Chiang: "In mobilizing US aid for China's resistance, I'll make a difference." When Chiang responded with a smile, "Thank you, Madam," he could scarcely foresee how his beautiful wife's extraordinary prowess in fulfilling this solemn vow would astonish him, etching eternal glory for Chinese women worldwide and elevating Soong May-ling to the zenith of her life's achievements.   The most direct echo of the First Battle of Changsha's thunderous saga resides in the Ninth War Zone's meticulous report on the northern Hunan and southern Hubei operations, submitted to the Chongqing Military Committee and Chiang Kai-shek himself, a faded relic now entombed amid the vast ocean of Nationalist Government military and political archives in Nanjing's Second Historical Archives of China. This document, a painstaking compilation of combat dispatches from divisions, armies, and army groups, stands as a testament to valor and sacrifice. Tragically, time's relentless march and human folly have ravaged this priceless artifact, leaving only shards and whispers to conjure the heart-wrenching inferno of that bloody clash.   "October 24, Year 28. Urgent. To Chongqing. Chairman Chiang. Secret. Submitted by Commander Xue on orders." The rice paper has yellowed to a deep, somber hue, brittle and parched; a careless touch could reduce it to dust. Some pages lie fractured, their remnants affixed to white paper, forever unable to reclaim their original wholeness. Leafing through page by page unleashes a pungent miasma, a scorched, acrid, decayed blend that assaults the senses. Traces of fire and water mar the original rice paper sheets, with countless fragments glued haphazardly to white backings, their sequences lost to eternity.   "...The Xin Qiang River spanning from Lujiao to Leishi Mountain, defending a front of over 110 li..." "Enemy 13th and 33rd Divisions, parts of the Hata Detachment, naval units, and artillery, cavalry, engineers totaling..." "...Began attacking us first with artillery... fortifications completely destroyed, then infantry charged; relying on our officers and men all resolved to coexist with the homeland..." "...And launched balloons to direct artillery... our army braved the cannons... repelled them, corpses filling the river, turning the water red..." "Division casualties also reached over a thousand... failed to inflict greater strikes and annihilate... deep inner guilt, besides vigorously training troops awaiting orders to kill the enemy..." "...Attack casualties heavy, then concentrated large forces... artillery fire so dense like continuous firecrackers for hours... released poison gas, Wang Street garrison all heroically sacrificed, then breached... Zhao Gongwu kowtows, October 15"   Zhao Gongwu commanded the 2nd Division under Zhang Yaoming's 52nd Army. This unit first held the line along the Xin Qiang River, then fell back to northeast of Fengjiang Bridge to staunch the enemy tide once more; after October 6, it hammered southward-marching Japanese from the west in the Yanglin Street and Dajing Street regions. Through these crucibles, the division bled over half its strength. A fragment of an envelope clings to a sheet of white paper, its words faintly visible: "Changsha 126-3 Zhang Yaoming," "Hunan Jinjing Air Mail," "Combat Process by..." and the like. The stamp remains remarkably intact—a philatelic gem now. Measuring 1.5 cm square, it features Sun Yat-sen's portrait at its center, inscribed "Republic of China Post" below, with "5" in the upper right, "fen" to the left, and "5" in each lower corner. I sat at the long table in the spacious, brightly lit reading room, staring vacantly, my thoughts grinding to a halt. These remnants are all that endure for posterity, of that monumental battle, of the scorching blood and vanished lives of countless unnamed Chinese soldiers. With hands that once gripped a rifle, I gently caressed those pages from a bygone era; they were cold, devoid of any lingering breath.   As the full moon of the 15th of the eighth month dissolved into the golden-red blaze of sunrise, Qin Yizhi's 195th Division had already plunged into the rugged mountains and dense forests encircling Fulinpu. Per directives from 15th Army Group Commander Guan Linzheng, the 195th was to forge a new defensive bastion centered on Fulinpu, 40 to 70 kilometers from Changsha. Their mandate: stall the Japanese southward juggernaut, granting precious time for allied forces to muster and fortify around the city. Despite the grueling all-night march, morale soared undimmed. The advance chief of staff doled out positions to each regiment, and the troops dove into fortification labors with fervent zeal. The 195th Division's unyielding stand along the Xin Qiang River had already etched preliminary glory upon this unit in its baptism of fire. "Fame in one battle" echoed as a battle cry throughout the division, where collective honor intertwined with personal valor. Honor and triumph formed the bedrock for soldiers and armies alike. Yet, another fire fueled their resolve.   On September 23, amid the Japanese forcing the Xin Qiang River, Guan Linzheng's voice crackled over the phone to Qin Yizhi: "Facing you is the 6th Division." The 6th Division, a name that ignited fury in Chinese troops and civilians, forever linked to the demonic specter of Tani Hisao. Moments later, the whisper spread like wildfire through every trench: "The Japanese army that perpetrated the Nanjing Massacre is right in front." Agitation rippled through the ranks; some donned fresh uniforms and shoes from their packs, casting aside the worn; others flouted discipline to bid farewells to hometown comrades: "Today we fight to the death here; see you in the next life." "Tell my mother I died fighting the Nanjing Massacre enemies."   Some company commanders commanded their mess sergeants to expend all funds on hearty feasts. All Japanese were foes, but the 6th Division embodied a blood debt, an unforgivable vendetta; the Chinese nation does not lightly forget its tormentors. In the Xin Qiang River maelstrom, the 195th Division battled with heroic ferocity. Some soldiers, in their final breaths, murmured: "Die then; it's worth it." Others lamented slaying too few devils, gritting teeth, eyes refusing to close in eternal regret. Now under Inaba Shiro's command, the 6th Division splintered southward after breaching the Xin Qiang; roughly a thousand hounded the 195th to Fulinpu. On the morning of September 29, the Japanese blundered into the 195th's meticulously laid ambush. Qin Yizhi, pulse racing with excitement and tension, fumbled the binoculars from his guard's hand. His command sliced the air: "Begin." War history chronicles: "The 6th Division advanced south from the Miluo River along the Xinshi-Liqiao road and Xinshi-Fulinpu routes. The over a thousand reaching Fulinpu were ambushed by the Nationalist 195th Division, suffering heavy losses." As Japanese artillery and aircraft unleashed hell upon the 195th's positions, Qin orchestrated a swift southward withdrawal to the environs of Shangshan City. Again, without pause, they erected fortifications and set deadly traps.   On the morning of September 30, the pursuers from Fulinpu closed in on Shangshan, their numbers swollen to over 1,500. Qin Yizhi clenched his jaw, his demeanor icy calm, allowing the Japanese to creep into the kill zone before barking: "Hit them hard!" Combat raged from dawn to dusk, obliterating over 700 foes. Qin ascended a hill, surveying through binoculars, then erupted: "Bad! The enemy is retreating." Upon receiving Qin's telegram, Guan Linzheng scrutinized the map, momentarily stunned, then replied: "Enemy shows no retreat signs yet; proceed per original plan. Your unit to block at Shangshan City line until October 2." Xianning, Okamura Yasuji's 11th Army HQ.   Combat maps bristled with markings, staff officers darting amid ringing phones and clattering telegrams. The colossal red arrow in northern Hunan had fractured into tributaries, surging over 100 km southward from the outset; one tendril pierced to Yong'an City, a mere 30 km from Changsha. Vast swaths of northern Hunan lay conquered, yet Okamura sensed the tide turning, it was time to retreat. The Chinese employed their time-honored gradual resistance, battling while retreating with cunning grace. Some units fell back directly, others amassed on flanks—what portent did that hold? In Okamura's shrewd mind loomed an equally shrewd Xue Yue; he envisioned his adversary methodically weaving a snare.   Post-Yingtian landing, the 15th Army Group's timely evasion had unraveled his "Xiang-Gan Operation Plan" like fragile thread. If encircling and annihilating the Chinese main force proved unattainable, what purpose in pressing onward? Telegrams from 3rd Division's Fujita Susumu, 6th's Inaba Shiro, and 13th's Tanaka Seiichi piled on his desk, pleading to assault Changsha—for headlines and Imperial accolades, perhaps, but blind to their exposed supply lines vulnerable to enemy thrusts? Ground logistics teetered on collapse; the air force resorted to airdrops for isolated regiments. Venturing further south would stretch lines to breaking; a severed artery spelled doom for the vanguard. When would these commanders mature into true stewards of the Imperial Army? Okamura fretted and pitied them in equal measure.   At 4 p.m. on September 30, Okamura decreed a halt to advances at Shangshan and Yong'an. He commenced orchestrating the retreat. Changsha, Yuelu Mountain, Ninth War Zone Command Forward HQ. October 1. Xue Yue stood before the map, Guan's latest telegram clutched in hand. Qin's second missive insisted on Japanese withdrawal, corroborated by 15th Army Group scouts from Yingtian: This morning (October 1), Japanese transports unloaded artillery stowed the previous night, hauling it back to Yueyang; intercepted wires revealed a regiment aborting its southward push, standing idle. Guan assessed the mosaic and commanded counteroffensives: intercept if feasible, pursue relentlessly, deny the Japanese escape; he relayed retreat indicators to Xue. Xue paced the chamber, head bowed in contemplation. Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi, Staff Director Zhao Zili, and their cadre tracked his every step with expectant eyes, awaiting the verdict. Xue's thoughts whirled through military stratagems and beyond.   Pre-war, Xue had segmented the war zone's forces into tripartite blocs: Northern Hunan under Guan Linzheng's 15th, Yang Sen's 27th, and Shang Zhen's 20th Army Groups as "A Cluster"; Northern Jiangxi Nanchang with Yunnan Army Lu Han's 1st Army Group and the 74th Army as "B Cluster"; the Wuning, Xiushui, Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border guarded by Sichuan Army Wang Lingji's 30th Army Corps, Fan Songpu's Border Advance Army, and 8th Army; augmented by 3 armies' 7 divisions in general reserve. Before the storm broke, Xue pored over maps, tracing every mountain, river, road, and bridge, envisioning burial grounds for the invaders.   Now, beneath Changsha, 200,000 troops formed a tightening net. The "decisive battle in Changsha suburbs" blueprint had been wired to Chongqing. Chiang and the nation yearned for a resounding triumph as the resistance pivoted into a new epoch?! A masterful drama, honed over half a month's toil, neared its crescendo; yet that cunning fox appeared to sniff the trap's metallic tang, freezing in place. "Commander, phone from Minister Chen." "Brother Boling, good news." Chen Cheng's voice brimmed with levity, "Your formal appointment published. What? Ninth War Zone Commander! First to congratulate; document tomorrow." Shedding the "acting" prefix was inevitable; Chiang had intimated as much long ago. But for a man and general, true worth lay not in titles, but in forging indelible feats. Splendor was judged not by underlings, colleagues, or superiors, but by peers in the craft of war.   Unmoved by the promotion, Xue exhaled a profound sigh. Though the 15th's intelligence couldn't confirm a wholesale retreat, preparations for dual contingencies were imperative. Victories came hard; a splendid battle, harder still. He summoned Wu Yizhi and Zhao Zili to devise countermeasures for the enemy's potential flight. October 2, Sichuan Army Yang Sen's 27th Army Group, Yang Gancai's 134th Division special service company, under Company Commander Wan Mingyu, slogged through the profound mountains and forests on the northern Mufu Mountains' flanks. The 134th's covert mandate: infiltrate enemy rear via treacherous terrain, sabotage supply arteries in the Chongyang-Xianning sector, and deliver a dagger to the Japanese spine when opportunity struck, bolstering frontal defenses.   Past 3 p.m., a crystalline mountain stream materialized. Wan decreed a respite. Over 100 soldiers, drained from a half-day's ascent, collapsed like puppets with severed strings. Most propped their torsos with rifles in one hand, fanning hats to ward off the relentless forest mosquitoes with the other. Regaining breath, they devoured rations washed down with stream water. Some unfurled towels and ventured downstream, letting the cool flow rinse away layers of sweat. Then, a muted engine drone encroached from the heavens. Wan peered through the foliage: a low-flying plane vectored southward, its wings emblazoned with the Rising Sun.   A transport; Wan recognized the temporary Japanese airfield near Xianning. With lines overextended, airdrops sustained isolated units. Wan was prying open a can with his bayonet, the tip etching a cross on the lid before levering along the edge; paired with a rice ball, it promised a savory repast. His orderly proffered a cup of fresh stream water; 2nd Platoon Leader Hu Yaozong perched nearby on a rock, smirking, poised to pilfer from the opened tin. Wan warded off this Sichuan Pixian compatriot. The plane droned overhead then.   Both glanced skyward; the platoon quipped: "Open quick, damn, I'll repay two cans later." Commander: "Want cans? Sky has; shoot plane down, enough for two lifetimes, bloat your mother-in-law first." The can hailed from a prior supply raid. Platoon: "You want me to shoot the plane?" Commander: "Bastard! You shooting or not?" The platoon snatched the light machine gun from a tree fork, jamming the butt against his belly, one hand on the grip, aiming crudely: "Come down, you turtle son!" The other hand squeezed the trigger. Wan assumed jest, resuming his task. "Da-da-da..." Wan jolted; the half-opened can tumbled to his feet, spilling Japanese fish onto Chinese soil. Recoil floored the platoon; he hurled the gun like a branding iron, face ashen. Inspecting the trigger, he snarled: "Whose damn fault, why no safety?!" The gunner dashed over; tall and even-tempered: "Safety was on; how'd it fire without pulling?" Wan's initial panic: "Damn! Position exposed."   The company spearheaded the division's reinforced regiment to raze a recent Japanese depot, guarded by a mere company—but exposure doomed the regiment deep in hostile territory. The assault had been plotted for days; pre-departure, Yang Gancai had toasted them. Wan had sworn a blood oath: No return to Sichuan without success. Hu had jested then: "No Sichuan return means wanting Hunan girl as concubine." Banter was fine in peace, but in war's grip, this was no trifling errand. Wan unleashed a torrent of curses, rising to survey the environs. The main force lagged 15 km behind; advance or abort post-blunder? Enemy rear was a labyrinth; this isolated band teetered on a razor's edge. As if to compel a choice, the radio operator approached; Wan itched to lash out. In his fury and indecision, a miracle unfolded.   The transport's engines hacked like a consumptive invalid, then a witness spied the plane banking left, plummeting, its nose inexorably toward a colossal rock 3-4 km distant. It rebounded twice on the stone, nose and left wing crumpling; the fuselage, fragile as parchment, tumbled gently, skewing onto the slope amid splintered trees. Wan gaped, then bellowed: "Assemble!" The men snapped from reverie, charging downhill in a frenzied cascade. One hour later, 134th Deputy Commander and Reinforced Regiment Commander Liu decoded Wan's vanguard transmission via radio. Another hour passed before Liu received Yang Gancai's directive: Abort Mountain Leopard operation; return with documents expeditiously. One day hence, October 3, Okamura Yasuji's original retreat order from October 2 dawn, addressed to northern Hunan's 6th, 33rd Divisions, Nara and Uemura Detachments, plus its Chinese translation, landed on Xue Yue's desk.   Fifteen days later, at the Changsha Victory Celebration, unit accolades were proclaimed; for "shooting down enemy plane, obtaining vital enemy documents," meritorious honors went to 134th Commander Yang Gancai and Deputy Liu. Each received 1000 yuan and one 3rd Class Baoding Medal. Okamura's October 2 order original: Chinese forces retreated to Miluo and Xiushui Rivers banks assembling; to avoid disadvantage, this army should quickly withdraw to original positions, restore combat strength.   Withdrawal plan as follows: … Xue's October 3 order original:   "Northern Hunan frontal units with current posture immediately pursue facing enemy fiercely, must capture in Chongyang-Yueyang south area. ... Pursuit units may detach part to monitor and sweep enemy collection troops; main force execute overtaking pursuit... Already deep behind enemy advance units vigorously destroy enemy transport lines, cut escape routes."   From October 3, Chinese forces unleashed ferocious counteroffensives against the Japanese on three fronts: northern Hunan, southern Hubei, and the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border; the invaders receded like a vanishing tide, never to reclaim their ground. The 25th and 195th Divisions hounded the 6th Division and Nara Detachment from Fulinpu back to the Miluo River, then to the Xin Qiang River. On October 8, the Japanese fled across the Xin Qiang; the 195th's 566th Brigade surged in pursuit, launching a nocturnal raid on Xitang-Jianshan. Gains were modest, but the enemy, entrenched in their den, resisted with feral tenacity. Qin commanded the brigade's withdrawal southward; northern Hunan operations concluded.   In southern Hubei, the 79th Army chased remnants of the 33rd Division from Sanyan Bridge to Pingjiang, across Nanjiang Bridge, hounding them back to their Tongcheng lair. On the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border, 30th Army Group Commander Wang Lingji orchestrated a pincer against Japanese at Xiushui. The foes retreated to Sandu, mounting a stubborn defense. Chinese assaults faltered for three days; on the fourth night's blitz, victory crowned their efforts, expelling the invaders to their original Wuning stronghold. With both armies reclaiming pre-war lines, the First Battle of Changsha drew to its resounding close.   Over days, Xue Yue received a deluge of congratulatory telegrams and letters from the Nationalist Government, Military Committee, National Assembly, myriad civic groups, party officials, and social luminaries. As hoped, among them was Chiang Kai-shek's effusive missive, brimming with joy. For Xue Yue, this one sufficed. Chiang Kai-shek's telegram to Xue Yue:   "In this northern Hunan campaign, over half the enemy was annihilated. The triumphant news has invigorated the nation, all due to effective command and soldiers' valor; I commend without reservation. Thoroughly investigate and report meritorious personnel from this battle; also report the dead and wounded for awards and relief. With this initial victory foundation laid, our officers and men's responsibilities grow heavier; urge your subordinates to extra vigilance, redoubled effort, avoiding arrogance or complacency, to amass great achievements, my deepest hopes."   As if countering Chongqing's high-powered broadcasts, Japanese radios in Wuhan, Nanjing, Beiping, and Manchukuo blared at full volume: "In this Xiang-Gan operation, valiant Imperial forces penetrated over 100 km into northern Hunan, sweeping anti-peace elements, routing Chinese central main forces, inflicting over 40,000 enemy casualties, a pivotal triumph advancing the holy war. Having achieved objectives, Imperial troops have victoriously withdrawn..."   In the aftermath of the First Battle of Changsha, the Japanese high command spun a tale of calculated restraint, insisting their assault was merely a spoiling raid, a calculated jab never intended to seize and hold the city indefinitely. With brazen confidence, they downplayed their toll, claiming a mere 850 souls lost to death and 2,700 wounded in the fray, while boastfully asserting they had slain 44,000 Chinese defenders and taken 4,000 captive, painting a picture of overwhelming triumph amid the smoke and ruin. Yet, foreign military observers, peering through the fog of propaganda with detached scrutiny, painted a starkly different canvas. They gauged Chinese losses at a far more tempered 20,000 killed and wounded, a heavy but bearable scar on the nation's resolve, while estimating Japanese casualties soared to around 30,000, a grievous hemorrhage that belied the invaders' claims of minimal sacrifice. Military historian Michael Clodfelter, sifting through the annals of conflict, ventured an even grimmer tally: a staggering 50,000 Japanese casualties endured in the relentless clash, a testament to the ferocity of Chinese resistance and the high price of imperial ambition. In the battle's locale, neither side claimed clear victory, but globally for the resistance, it favored China. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The First Battle of Changsha unfolded in September 1939 during China's War of Resistance Against Japan. Japanese forces under Okamura Yasuji advanced into Hunan and Jiangxi, crossing rivers and capturing key positions like Yingtian amid fierce Chinese defenses led by Xue Yue. 

Today, I'm joined by Dr. Grace Liu, often known as the “Gut Goddess,” a trailblazer in the world of microbiome science and founder of The Gut Institute. In this conversation, we take a bold dive into an often-overlooked pillar of longevity: your poop. That's right—Dr. Liu unpacks the fascinating and sometimes surprising science showing how gut health shapes everything from your immune system and brain to your lifespan itself. Episode Timestamps: Introduction to host ... 00:00:00 Dr. Grace Liu on the gut as a hallmark of aging ... 00:04:06 Peptides, FMT, and evidence for gut-driven regeneration ... 00:05:04 FMT safety, immune education, and the environmental “microdosing” effect ... 00:07:07 Links between gut aging, the immune system, and mental health ... 00:08:13 Diet, ancestry, and resistant starch for butyrate production ... 00:15:01 Ancestral diet, microbiome differences, and pitfalls of shortcuts ... 00:18:53 Fiber, polyphenols, and the key longevity bacteria ... 00:24:09 Gut markers, loss of diversity, and ABC species signature ... 00:25:15 Risks of overhyped probiotics, strep, and broad interventions ... 00:36:29 Peptides, bioregulators, and repairing the gut ... 01:12:01 Practical longevity: movement, daily habits & where to learn more ... 01:22:46 Our Amazing Sponsors: Tro Zzz by Troscriptions – A fast-acting sleep troche that dissolves in your cheek and combines melatonin with compounds like honokiol, adenosine, cordycepin, CBD, CBN, and 5-HTP to support deep, restorative sleep when travel, stress, or late workouts throw things off. Head to troscriptions.com and use code NAT10 for 10% off your first order.  O₃RACLE by Wizard Sciences — A daily ozonated oil capsule designed to support immune balance, cellular communication, and antioxidant production without clinics, machines, or complicated routines; learn more at wizardsciences.com and use code NAT15 for 15% off. CP1 Pure Collagen Peptides by Puori — a clean, unflavored collagen that supports connective tissue, joints, and skin elasticity with a unique amino acid profile your body actually uses, plus full third-party testing; go to puori.com/NAT and use code NAT for 32% off when you start a subscription. Nat's Links: YouTube Channel Join My Membership Community Sign up for My Newsletter Instagram Dr. Bill Lawrence Episode

Full Show Notes: bengreenfieldlife.com/magteinpodcast In this episode with neuroscientist Dr. Guosong Liu, you’ll explore his accidental discovery at MIT's Center for Learning and Memory that led him down a two-decade journey into brain magnesium, synaptic plasticity, and cognitive decline. That research ultimately resulted in the invention of Magtein® (magnesium L-threonate), a compound he engineered to cross the blood-brain barrier in a way other magnesium forms cannot, with clinical trials showing a reversal of nine years of cognitive decline, measurable shifts in sleep architecture, stress reduction in as little as three days, and meaningful improvements in prefrontal cortex function at just 140 milligrams per day. Dr. Liu also shares what his current Alzheimer's prevention research looks like. Dr. Liu is a world-renowned neuroscientist whose pioneering research on brain magnesium has transformed our understanding of cognitive function and synaptic plasticity. With more than 25 years of neuroscience expertise, he previously served on the faculty at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, founded the Center for Learning and Memory at Tsinghua University, and earned his Ph.D. in Neurophysiology from UCLA. His translational research has bridged laboratory discovery and human clinical application, resulting in multiple trials demonstrating Magtein's efficacy in supporting cognitive performance. Magtein is the patented, clinically studied form of magnesium L-threonate designed to cross the blood-brain barrier and support memory, focus, mood, sleep quality, and stress resilience. Featured in more than 400 products across 40-plus countries, it is the global standard in brain-support magnesium nutrition. Ready to give your brain magnesium it can actually use? You can discover more about Magtein and find a brand that carries it here. Episode Sponsors: Quantum Upgrade: Recent research has revealed that the Quantum Upgrade was able to increase ATP production by a jaw-dropping 20–25% in human cells. Unlock a 15-day free trial with the code BEN15 at quantumupgrade.io. Troscriptions: Explore Troscriptions' revolutionary buccal troche delivery system that bypasses digestion to deliver pharmaceutical-grade, physician-formulated health optimization compounds directly through your cheek mucosa for faster onset and higher bioavailability than traditional supplements. Discover a completely new way to optimize your health at troscriptions.com/BEN or enter BEN at checkout for 10% off your first order. Fatty15: Fatty15 is on a mission to optimize your C15:0 levels and help you live healthier, longer. You can get an additional 15% off their 90-day subscription Starter Kit by going to fatty15.com/BEN and using code BEN at checkout. MTE: MTE is a caffeine-free daily drink mix with adaptogens, nootropics, and superfoods for clean energy, sharp focus, and balanced mood, without the crash. Boost your wellness at a systemic level with MTE's 13 healthy ingredients. Check them out at GetMTE.com/BENG and use code BENG for 20% off your first order.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does 2026 belong to "Wasians?"Actor Hudson Williams (Heated Rivalry) and Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu recently became household names very quickly. And people are talking about the rising stars beyond just their talents: they're talking about Liu's and Williams' race. Both are half-Asian, half-white, also known as “Wasian” – and some have dubbed this past season “Wasian winter.” But why are Wasians a topic of conversation now, and what does this discussion say about how attitudes around some mixed race identities have changed?Brittany is joined by Mika Ellison, intern for It's Been a Minute and Life Kit, to get into the geopolitical and cultural forces around the “Wasian fixation.”(00:00) Unpacking the 'Wasian Fixation' (04:38) Geopolitical forces behind Wasians in culture(09:53) From 'Hapa' to 'Wasian'(13:38) What does a Wasian story look like?(19:53) The evolution of mixed discourse(23:04) Is 'Wasian' a good term?For more on Heated Rivalry, check out: What's so hot about Heated Rivalry?For more on identity and the internet, check out: Think you have ADHD? Here's why so many of us are saying yes.Support Public Media. Join NPR Plus.Follow Brittany on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR's Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Mickey is BACK with two new papers he has co-authored, a bunch of opinions, and a very unwelcome idea: maybe the problem with AI isn't that it doesn't work but that it works too well!The first paper, Against Frictionless AI, argues that AI assistance and its ability to take away the effort from thinking, writing, and smooth out social(like) interactions could be robbing those activities of the very thing that makes them worthwhile.The second paper is a more empirical investigation that presents a bunch of studies examining the topic of the (alleged) moralisation of AI. Some findings suggest that opposition to AI among some people isn't really about risks or trade-offs but rather about non-negotiable sacred moral values. Who knew?We also discuss effort justification, reproducible research, robosexual allyship, and just how much humanity remains within the cyborg Matthew Browne.And remember... It's just like our opinion, man!LinksDecoding Academia 34: Empathetic AIs? (Patreon Series)Ovsyannikova, D., Oldemburgo de Mello, V., & Inzlicht, M. (2025). Third-party evaluators perceive AI as more compassionate than expert humans. Communications Psychology, 3, Article 4.Zohar, E., Bloom, P., & Inzlicht, M. (2026). Against frictionless AI. Communications Psychology, 4, Article 39.Oldemburgo de Mello, V., Côté, É., Ayad, R., Inbar, Y., Plaks, J., & Inzlicht, M. (2026). The moralization of artificial intelligence (Manuscript under review).Paul Bloom's Small Potatoes Substack- My friend thinks it's a good idea for us to spend most of our time with AI companions- Is it irresponsible for academics to refuse to use AI?Mickey's Speak Now Regret Later Substack - AI Alarmism Trades on Fear, Not FactsMickey's provocative tweet on his recent paperDTG Previous Interview with Mickey on the Replication Crisis, Mindfulness, and Responsible HeterodoxyAndy Masley Substack debunking the AI water usage claimsAndy Masley Substack: Using ChatGPT is not bad for the environment - a cheat sheetPataranutaporn, P., Karny, S., Archiwaranguprok, C., Albrecht, C., Liu, A. R., & Maes, P. (2025). “My Boyfriend is AI”: A computational analysis of human–AI companionship in Reddit's AI community. arXiv.Critical response to Mickey's paper from Roy Schulam on Substack

Most people associate Adam Smith with free markets and “the invisible hand”. But does this conventional narrative purposefully ignore Smith's deep suspicions about monopolies and power?  Georgetown assistant professor Glory Liu argues this narrow interpretation is actually a deliberate historical reconstruction. In her book, “Adam Smith's America”, Liu reintroduces the famous philosopher as a theorist of power who worried deeply about organized wealth distorting society. She notes that Smith watched early merchants use their disproportionate resources to capture political influence and actively suppress workers.  Hosts Luigi and Bethany debate whether early merchant wealth accumulation truly mirrors the massive capital concentration seen in today's corporate landscape. They also explore the argument that reintroducing moral foundations to economic theory might provide a better foundation for capitalism itself. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

March Madness opens the conversation as Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber discuss the strange mix of pain and redemption that comes with unforgettable losses, and whether a championship run can truly erase the sting of history. The early focus also turns to local tournament storylines, including St. John's, Hofstra, and LIU, as the hosts set the stage for a big day in college basketball and what New York-area fans should be watching. From there, the debate shifts hard into football as Evan and Tiki tackle the NFL's possible move to an 18-game season with players limited to 17 appearances. They break down why the idea sounds simple in theory but quickly becomes messy in practice, from locker-room mentality and player pay to lineup strategy, injury concerns, and the risk of creating games that feel forced or compromised.

On Friday's ENN, Luka drops 60. UNC's six-man rotation. Flynn Clayman on out of conference scheduling for mid majors. Trent Williams update. Drop Madness results. LIU loses in 1st Round. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's March Madness time! We have picks and previews for each Big 12 basketball first round game in the NCAA Tournament, from Arizona vs. LIU to TCU vs. Ohio State and Texas Tech vs. Akron, along with every game in between.Subscribe to Heartland College Sports for independent Big 12 coverage every week.BRACKET Challenge Sign Up for $100 + Heartland merch: https://picks.cbssports.com/college-basketball/ncaa-tournament/bracket/pools/kbxw63b2ge3dgmbzheyto===/join?invited-by=ivxhi4tzhizdgojugy4dcnbq&via-medium=copy&ttag=FF26_cpy_invite_new_mt_bpm&pool-join-key=NjP3EyFutay4TfT2q1UdS4pzvjHc4eu9&senderRole=m5afn3afg9ewrg

JOIN THE EYE ON BRACKET GAME! Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander preview Thursday and Friday of the 2026 NCAA Tournament! Which Round 1 matchups are most intriguing? Where are the upsets waiting to happen? All that and more on the doorstep of the madness! (0:00) Intro + the tournament starts today! (4:00) Games to watch on Thursday (4:30) Ohio State vs. TCU (8:01) North Carolina vs. VCU (12:45) Georgia vs. Saint Louis (17:00) Nebraska vs. Troy (19:00) Duke vs. Siena (23:15) Arkansas vs. Hawaii (27:30) Games to watch on Friday (28:00) Kentucky vs. Santa Clara (33:30) Texas Tech vs. Akron (36:00) UConn vs Furman (38:30) Arizona vs LIU (44:00) Alabama vs Hofstra (48:20) Kansas vs. Cal Baptist (52:45) DraftKings Upset Alert (59:45) Sling TV Game to Watch: you gotta watch Miami on Wednesday night (1:08:30) Norlander's nuggets ahead of the tournament Theme song: “Timothy Leary,” written, performed and courtesy of Guster Eye on College Basketball is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Follow our team: @EyeonCBBPodcast @GaryParrishCBS @MattNorlander @Boone @DavidWCobb @TheJMULL_ Visit the ⁠betting arena on CBSSports.com⁠ for all the latest in ⁠sportsbook reviews⁠ and ⁠sportsbook promos⁠ for ⁠betting on college basketball⁠. You can listen to us on your smart speakers! Simply say, “Alexa, play the latest episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast,” or “Hey, Google, play the latest episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast.” Email the show for any reason whatsoever: ShoutstoCBS@gmail.com Visit Eye on College Basketball's YouTube channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeFb_xyBgOekQPZYC7Ijilw⁠ For more college hoops coverage, visit ⁠https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/⁠ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit ⁠https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

MARCH MADNESS IS HERE! We break down every single First Round game for your bracketing pleasure. Rundown (0:00) - Intro (7:10) - East (7:11) - Duke vs. Siena (11:08) - Ohio St. vs. TCU (15:33) - St. John's vs. Northern Iowa (19:08) - Kansas vs. Cal Baptist (23:27) - Louisville vs. South Florida (27:10) - Michigan St. vs. North Dakota St. (30:15) - UCLA vs. UCF (34:00) - UConn vs. Furman (37:37) - EAST REGION PICKS (41:22) - West (41:23) - Arizona vs. LIU (43:30) - Villanova vs. Utah St. (47:15) - Wisconsin vs. High Point (50:40) - Arkansas vs. Hawaii (54:40) - BYU vs. NC State/Texas (59:10) - Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw St. (1:01:51) - Miami FL vs. Mizzou (1:06:03) - Purdue vs. Queens (1:09:25) - WEST REGION PICKS (1:10:50) - Midwest (1:10:51) - Michigan vs. UMBC/Howard (1:13:11) - Georgia vs. Saint Louis (1:17:10) - Texas Tech vs. Akron (1:20:17) - Alabama vs. Hofstra (1:25:40) - Tennessee vs. SMU/Miami (OH) (1:29:45) - Virginia vs. Wright St. (1:32:40) - Kentucky vs. Santa Clara (1:35:35) - Iowa St. vs. Tennessee St. (1:38:05) - MIDWEST REGION PICKS (1:39:57) - South (1:39:58) - Florida vs. Lehigh/PVAMU (1:42:43) - Clemson vs. Iowa (1:45:20) - Vanderbilt vs. McNeese (1:49:20) - Nebraska vs. Troy (1:51:57) - NC vs. VCU (1:54:35) - Illinois vs. Penn (1:57:38) - Saint Mary's vs. Texas A&M (2:01:58) - Houston vs. Idaho (2:04:40) - SOUTH REGION PICKS Supports us and the sponsors! YouTube Channel (like and subscribe!) Basket Under Review / The Burner Discord (NEW AND IMPROVED - sign up and join us!) CBB Analytics promo code "Weave" for $40 off subscription Homefield Apparel promo code "3MW" for 15% discount off purchase  

Gary Parrish and David Cobb open on Gonzaga's win in the WCC title game and 27th straight tournament appearance. Is the WCC going to be a three-bid league on Selection Sunday? Then, we've got four more auto-bids to celebrate from Tuesday before we set up the rest of conference championship week. (0:00) Intro + David Cobb joins the show! (1:15) Gonzaga wins the WCC, will Santa Clara get into the tournament? (6:20) Welcome to the tournament, Hofstra, Siena, Wright State and LIU! (18:30) Naismith Watch List! + AJ Dybantsa's 40-point performance (29:45) DraftKings Upset Alert (34:35) Looking ahead to Wednesday! Biggest bubble games on the schedule Theme song: “Timothy Leary,” written, performed and courtesy of Guster Eye on College Basketball is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Follow our team: @EyeonCBBPodcast @GaryParrishCBS @MattNorlander @Boone @DavidWCobb @TheJMULL_ Visit the ⁠betting arena on CBSSports.com⁠ for all the latest in ⁠sportsbook reviews⁠ and ⁠sportsbook promos⁠ for ⁠betting on college basketball⁠. You can listen to us on your smart speakers! Simply say, “Alexa, play the latest episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast,” or “Hey, Google, play the latest episode of the Eye on College Basketball podcast.” Email the show for any reason whatsoever: ShoutstoCBS@gmail.com Visit Eye on College Basketball's YouTube channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeFb_xyBgOekQPZYC7Ijilw⁠ For more college hoops coverage, visit ⁠https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/⁠ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit ⁠https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 If you lose a spouse, you're a widow. If you lose your parents, an orphan. But we don't have the language for someone who lost a sibling – your first friend, your first ally, your first enemy (probably, at least temporarily). Grief always feels like a gut punch, but losing a sibling is a unique kind of pain that we don't talk about enough.  So today, I'm joined by Steph Wittels Wachs, former TTFA guest and sister of comedy legend Harris Wittels, who died in 2015 of an accidental overdose. We're talking about what losing a sibling means and sharing the notes, advice and insights from people who know what it's like to live in the world without their siblings. Cited in this episode: Rogne, S., Grotta, A., Liu, C., Berg, L., Saarela, J., Kawachi, I., Hiyoshi, A., & Rostila, M. (2025). All-cause mortality around the anniversary of a sibling's death: findings from Swedish National Register Data. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf213  Tatjana Gazibara, Katherine A Ornstein, Christina Gillezeau, Melissa Aldridge, Mogens Groenvold, Merete Nordentoft, Lau Caspar Thygesen, Bereavement Among Adult Siblings: An Examination of Health Services Utilization and Mental Health Outcomes, American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 190, Issue 12, December 2021, Pages 2571–2581, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwab212  Davidson, D. (2018). Sibling loss - disenfranchised grief and forgotten mourners. Bereavement Care, 37(3), 124–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/02682621.2018.1535882   Herberman Mash, H. B., Fullerton, C. S., & Ursano, R. J. (2013). Complicated Grief and Bereavement in Young Adults Following Close Friend and Sibling Loss. Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269), 30(12), 1202–1210. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22068     Watch us on YouTube here! Get this episode ad-free here! Listen to Geoffrey's album on Spotify and Apple! LINKS TO RELATED EPISODES! https://feelingsand.co/podcasts/terrible-thanks-for-asking/86-sundays/  https://feelingsand.co/podcasts/terrible-thanks-for-asking/what-does-all-this-loss-mean/  Don't you want someone to take care of you?  _ Right now, go to Quince.com/TFA for free shipping and 365-day returns. That's a full year to wear it and love it. And you will. Now available in Canada, too. Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last. Go to Quince.com/TFA for free shipping and 365-day returns. Quince.com/TFA Shop my favorite bras and underwear at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know we sent you! Select podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Right now, our listeners get an additional 15% off any annual membership at MASTERCLASS.com/TFA. That's 15% off at MASTERCLASS.com/TFA. With evening and weekend course options, Fordham's online MSW lets you keep working while earning your degree, completing the program in as few as 16 months. Learn more and apply at fordham.edu/TTFA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices