Podcast appearances and mentions of Marco Polo

Greg Jenner is joined in 13th-Century Venice by Professor Sharon Kinoshita and comedian Ria Lina to learn all about medieval traveller Marco Polo and his adventures in China.Born into a family of merchants, in 1271 a teenage Marco set out for the court of the Mongol emperor Qubilai Khan with his father and uncle. They would not return to Italy for nearly a quarter of a century. In the service of the emperor, the Polos saw all manner of extraordinary things – including the Mongols' amazing imperial postal service and diamond-hunting eagles in India.Imprisoned by the Genoese on his eventual return, Polo spent his time in prison writing his Description of the World with the Arthurian romance author Rustichello, a travelogue describing his exploits in the East and the wonders he had seen. This episode explores Polo's extraordinary life, the decades he spent travelling in China and beyond, and the fascinating account he wrote on his return.This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Hannah Cusworth Written by: Hannah Cusworth, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

Liz Wheeler is on vacation this week. Enjoy this episode from earlier this year! On this episode, Garrett Ziegler, founder of the opposition research nonprofit Marco Polo, joins Liz Wheeler to discuss Anthony Bernal, Jill Biden's mysterious chief of staff. How much influence did he have on the Biden Administration? Was he in control of the autopen? If not, who was? Watch today's episode to find out what we know! -- Like & subscribe to make sure you don't miss a single video: https://youtube.com/lizwheeler?sub_confirmation=1 Get the full audio show on all major podcast platforms: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-liz-wheeler-show/id1567701295 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4LhlHfocr5gMnLj4l573iI iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-liz-wheeler-show-82737301/ Subscribe to The Liz Wheeler Show newsletter: https://lizwheeler.com/email Get VIP access to The Liz Wheeler Show on Locals: https://lizwheeler.locals.com/. Stay in touch with Liz on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialLizWheeler Twitter: https://twitter.com/Liz_Wheeler Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/OfficialLizWheeler Rumble: https://rumble.com/LizWheeler Website: https://lizwheeler.com #LizWheeler #TheLizWheelerShow #CultureWars #Politics #News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textThis bonus episode features the live recording from Wave Seattle, where I joined forces with Alyssa Lang (the Workflow Queen) and event host Erin Pohan for an authentic conversation about business, friendship, and finding your people in the accounting industry. We shared our "biz bestie" origin story, talked about navigating personal setbacks as business leaders, and answered real questions from the audience about everything from hiring to burnout.In this episode you'll hear:How a mistakenly booked hotel room with one king bed instead of two queens led to the friendship that changed both our businessesHonest discussion about mental health, taking breaks, and why it's okay to pause when life gets overwhelmingConcrete tips for networking, building authentic relationships, and creating your own "board of directors" for different areas of lifeLive answers to questions about hiring, social media strategy, competition vs. collaboration, and pushing through burnoutResources mentioned in this episode:Ambitious Bookkeeper Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ambitiousbookkeeper/Asana, QBO, Xero, Marco Polo, ChatGPTXero Con, Bridging the GapHuman DesignConnect with Erin

Life on a Nebraska farm is mostly corn, cows, and the occasional existential crisis—until the barn starts playing the world's creepiest game of “Marco Polo.” Kylie hears her name echoing from the hayloft, climbs up expecting her twin, and instead meets a pint-size specter in dusty overalls who clearly missed the memo about private property. Soon, the whole family's enjoying midnight footsteps, doors with minds of their own, and newborn puppies receiving ghostly playdates. Throw in children's clothes walled up like some HGTV: Exorcist Edition and dreams of a dad-turned-ax-murderer, and you've got a farmhouse fixer-upper only the undead could love. If you have a real ghost story or supernatural event to report, please write into our show or call 1-855-853-4802! If you like the show, please help keep us on the air and support the show by becoming a Premium Subscriber.  Subscribe here: http://www.ghostpodcast.com/?page_id=118 or at or at http://www.patreon.com/realghoststories Watch more at: http://www.realghoststoriesonline.com/ Follow Tony: Instagram: HTTP://www.instagram.com/tonybrueski TikToc: https://www.tiktok.com/@tonybrueski Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tony.brueski 

It's a confusing time to travel. Tourism is projected to hit record-breaking levels this year, and its toll on the culture and ecosystems of popular vacation spots is increasingly hard to ignore. Social media pushes hoards to places unable to withstand the traffic, while the rise of “last-chance” travel—the rush to see melting glaciers or deteriorating coral reefs before they're gone forever—has turned the precarity of these destinations into a selling point. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz explore the question of why we travel. They trace the rich history of travel narratives, from the memoirs of Marco Polo and nineteenth-century accounts of the Grand Tour to shows like Anthony Bourdain's “Parts Unknown” and HBO's “The White Lotus.” Why are we compelled to pack a bag and set off, given the growing number of reasons not to do so? “One thing that's really important for me as a traveller is the experience of being foreign,” Schwartz says. “I'm starting to realize that there are places I may never go, and this has actually made other people's accounts of them, in the deeper sense, more important.”This episode originally aired on June 13, 2024. Read, watch, and listen with the critics:“The New Tourist,” by Paige McClanahanThe “Lonely Planet” guidebooks“The Travels of Marco Polo,” by Rustichello da Pisa“Of Travel,” by Francis Bacon“The Innocents Abroad,” by Mark Twain“Self-Reliance,” by Ralph Waldo Emerson“Travels through France and Italy,” by Tobias Smollett“Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” (2013-18)“The White Lotus” (2021—)“Conan O'Brien Must Go” (2024)“It Just Got Easier to Visit a Vanishing Glacier. Is That a Good Thing?,” by Paige McClanahan (The New York Times)“The New Luxury Vacation: Being Dumped in the Middle of Nowhere,” by Ed Caesar (The New Yorker)New episodes drop every Thursday. Follow Critics at Large wherever you get your podcasts. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

You'll never believe it... but the guys actually did get lost in the deep end, and time traveled back to hang with Marco Polo on the Silk Road last week... Pretty wild stuff, I'm sure it'll come up in a future episode. Anyway... Russ and Jared are back on track! They've bargained with the water and have returned to you relatively unscathed, and only had to trade one listener to the depths to finish Night Swim (2024), starring Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren, Jodi Long, Nancy Lenehan, Eddie Martinez, and Elijah J. Roberts.

And I am too!

Cristóbal Colón, en su afán por encontrar una ruta occidental hacia Asia, cometió errores de cálculo que marcaron su empresa. Su principal equivocación fue subestimar la circunferencia terrestre. Colón se basó en las estimaciones de Ptolomeo y Marino de Tiro, quienes sugerían una Tierra más pequeña que la calculada por Eratóstenes siglos antes. Creyó que la distancia entre Europa y Asia por el oeste era de unos 4,000 kilómetros, cuando en realidad superaba los 20,000. Esta discrepancia lo llevó a pensar que llegaría a las Indias navegando un trayecto relativamente corto. Otro error fue su interpretación de las distancias en leguas y la extensión de Asia. Colón sobreestimó el tamaño del continente asiático, basándose en los relatos de Marco Polo, lo que lo llevó a esperar encontrar tierras ricas en especias mucho antes. Además, ignoró la existencia del continente americano, un obstáculo geográfico desconocido para los europeos de la época. Sus cálculos también se vieron afectados por la falta de instrumentos precisos y mapas fiables, lo que generó una navegación basada en suposiciones. · Canal de Telegram: https://t.me/lacontracronica · “Contra la Revolución Francesa”… https://amzn.to/4aF0LpZ · “Hispanos. Breve historia de los pueblos de habla hispana”… https://amzn.to/428js1G · “La ContraHistoria de España. Auge, caída y vuelta a empezar de un país en 28 episodios”… https://amzn.to/3kXcZ6i · “Lutero, Calvino y Trento, la Reforma que no fue”… https://amzn.to/3shKOlK · “La ContraHistoria del comunismo”… https://amzn.to/39QP2KE Apoya La Contra en: · Patreon... https://www.patreon.com/diazvillanueva · iVoox... https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-contracronica_sq_f1267769_1.html · Paypal... https://www.paypal.me/diazvillanueva Sígueme en: · Web... https://diazvillanueva.com · Twitter... https://twitter.com/diazvillanueva · Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/fernandodiazvillanueva1/ · Instagram... https://www.instagram.com/diazvillanueva · Linkedin… https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernando-d%C3%ADaz-villanueva-7303865/ · Flickr... https://www.flickr.com/photos/147276463@N05/?/ · Pinterest... https://www.pinterest.com/fernandodiazvillanueva Encuentra mis libros en: · Amazon... https://www.amazon.es/Fernando-Diaz-Villanueva/e/B00J2ASBXM #FernandoDiazVillanueva #colon #descubrimientodeamérica Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 25! We're back with Part 2 of our conversation with the very talented Olivia Cheng. Last week, in Part 1 of the conversation, we mainly focused on Olivia's acting career. In this episode, we pivot to her work behind the camera as a writer, director, and producer.   Olivia shares how she was motivated to write and direct her short film Dinner with Dex, which starred her Warrior co-star Dianne Doan. We also talk about her feature directorial debut on the documentary I am Raquel Welch. The iconic actress was the subject of another installment of CW's “I Am” series and aired in March on the channel. Don't worry, you can still catch the inspiring documentary through streaming services that focus on network television like CW, Fubo, and Direct TV.  In the rest of the conversation, Olivia discusses how the Hollywood industry has changed over the years, her thoughts on Asian Pacific activism, her latest movie Lucky Star (that she also helped produce), and more. She even takes part in our rapid fire segment where we find out her thoughts on her command of Cantonese in Warrior, which of Ah Toy's outfits was her favorite, and which recent role (between Ah Toy, Mei Lin, Master Gao, or Charlotte) was the most similar to her in real life. If you're interested in seeing more of Olivia's work, then you can stream Marco Polo and Warrior on Netflix, See on AppleTV+, and you can rent or buy Lucky Star on Apple TV or Amazon services. You can, of course, follow her on Instagram @thatoliviacheng. If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. *Above photo of Oliva Cheng by Noah Asanias

Allyson shares and interesting fact about Marco Polo.

Quando il giovane Marco Polo arriva alla corte dell'imperatore mongolo Kublai, scopre qualcosa che nell'Europa medievale sembrerebbe magia: la cartamoneta. Nessun occidentale l'aveva mai vista prima, ma in Cina esisteva da secoli. Stampata su corteccia di gelso, con sigilli e codici antifalsificazione, Kublai Khan ne fa un'arma politica ed economica. Marco Polo racconta tutto ne Il Milione e molti nemmeno gli credono. Eppure quella “moneta volante” è la prima valuta cartacea globale. Un'invenzione che ha cambiato il modo in cui il mondo scambia valore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Season 5, Episode 24! In this episode, we have Part 1 of a Conversation with Olivia Cheng, a storyteller known predominantly for her acting, but beginning to make waves with her writing, directing, and producing.  Originally from Edmonton, Olivia's acting credits include playing Mei Lin in Marco Polo on Netflix, Ah Toy in Warrior on Cinemax and HBO, Charlotte in See on Apple TV+, Master Gao in Deadly Class, and Noel in the feature Lucky Star… just to name a few of her projects. Her performances have been praised for their depth and complexity, and she often plays roles that explore themes of identity, resilience, belonging, and empowerment. In addition to being a talented actress, she's also getting recognition for her action sequences in several roles she's played.  In this part of the conversation, we talk about her origin in acting, some of the key roles she has played, life as a journalist, how she approaches action scenes, and more. Additionally Olivia shares some of her thoughts on being part of productions with cast members of Asian Pacific descent both in front of and behind the camera.  If you're interested in seeing more of Olivia's work, then you can do the following: find her in the roles on the above listed projects, rent or buy Lucky Star on Apple TV or Amazon services, and/or follow her on Instagram @thatoliviacheng. If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or our links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at info@aahistory101.com. *Above Photo of Olivia Cheng by Noah Asanias

El periodista y escritor Fermín Bocos ha presentado su nuevo libro, 'Cuando viajar era un placer', un libro en el que narra las proezas y hazañas de exploradores como Marco Polo, Alezander von Humboldt o Patrick Fermor.

El periodista y escritor Fermín Bocos ha presentado su nuevo libro, 'Cuando viajar era un placer', un libro en el que narra las proezas y hazañas de exploradores como Marco Polo, Alezander von Humboldt o Patrick Fermor.

Some weeks, it all bubbles over—and this was one of them. In this emotional, unfiltered, and deeply personal episode of The Weekly Wrap-Up, sisters Olivia Howell and Genevieve Dreizen unpack a week full of professional friction, single mom milestones, and the aching beauty of watching your child graduate when life hasn't gone to plan. Olivia shares the vulnerable experience of sitting solo at her son's graduation—reflecting on how far they've come since the early, uncertain days of her divorce—and the overwhelming gratitude she feels for the teachers and support systems that helped carry them through.But it's not all tears and tissues. The sisters pull no punches in their fiery takedown of gatekeeping in the divorce coaching industry, challenging misinformation and defending the importance of kindness in professional spaces. Their candid discussion—sparked by a particularly condescending Facebook exchange—evolves into a powerful meditation on regulation, integrity, and the unseen labor of women who dare to claim space. And somehow, through it all, there's room for fireflies, Marco Polo shoutouts, and a whole lot of laughter.This episode is a testament to the magic of staying soft while standing your ground. Whether you're parenting solo, rebuilding your life, or just trying to make it through another exhausting June, you'll find yourself nodding along—and probably crying too. This one's for the moms with tear-streaked cheeks, overfilled hearts, and unmatched strength.

Hoy es un día muy especial, queridxs chismescuchas... ¡Marco Polo vino al foro de Noche de Chicxs para echar chismecito!

While most see the Silicon Valley as a symbol of innovation and wealth, there is a murky underbelly underneath the bustle and slick buildings: the Dark World of the Silicon Valley elite. Cregg Lund, who was part of that world before leaving it behind, reveals the Lucifarianism community of rituals, power, o--gies and unspeakable acts which control all levels of the area's tech business community in his new book, Silicon Satan. The book is a fictionalized account of what Lund saw, went through and was coerced into being a part of through main characters reflective of him and his ex-girlfriend. Dr Corsi talks with Lund about the book and what's really going among the Silicon Valley's ultra-powerful.Cregg Lund is working on a sequel and is a contributing columnist on CorsiNation.comVisit The Corsi Nation website: https://www.corsination.comIf you like what we are doing, please support our Sponsors:Get RX Meds Now: https://www.getrxmedsnow.comMyVitalC https://www.thetruthcentral.com/myvitalc-ess60-in-organic-olive-oil/Swiss America: https://www.swissamerica.com/offer/CorsiRMP.phpGet Dr. Corsi's new book, The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: The Final Analysis: Forensic Analysis of the JFK Autopsy X-Rays Proves Two Headshots from the Right Front and One from the Rear, here: https://www.amazon.com/Assassination-President-John-Kennedy-Headshots/dp/B0CXLN1PX1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=20W8UDU55IGJJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ymVX8y9V--_ztRoswluApKEN-WlqxoqrowcQP34CE3HdXRudvQJnTLmYKMMfv0gMYwaTTk_Ne3ssid8YroEAFg.e8i1TLonh9QRzDTIJSmDqJHrmMTVKBhCL7iTARroSzQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=jerome+r.+corsi+%2B+jfk&qid=1710126183&sprefix=%2Caps%2C275&sr=8-1Join Dr. Jerome Corsi on Substack: https://jeromecorsiphd.substack.com/Visit The Truth Central website: https://www.thetruthcentral.comGet your FREE copy of Dr. Corsi's new book with Swiss America CEO Dean Heskin, How the Coming Global Crash Will Create a Historic Gold Rush by calling: 800-519-6268Follow Dr. Jerome Corsi on X: @corsijerome1Our link to where to get the Marco Polo 650-Page Book on the Hunter Biden laptop & Biden family crimes free online:https://www.thetruthcentral.com/marco-polo-publishes-650-page-book-on-hunter-biden-laptop-biden-family-crimes-Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/corsi-nation--5810661/support.

When the days get longer and the invitations stack up, it's easy to overextend yourself and forget that “no” can be one of the most generous, self-honoring things you can say.In this final episode of our summer mini-series, Elizabeth talks about boundaries - especially how to hold them in a heart-centered, grounded way during the expansive, often overwhelming season of summer. Elizabeth also offers a short reflective practice to identify where you might need a boundary and what it would feel like to honor it. Whether you're a parent, caregiver, or simply someone feeling pulled in too many directions, this episode offers real talk and real tools to help you stay rooted - without guilt.Key TakeawaysA gentle mindset reframe: Boundaries aren't rejection, they're directionThe 3 R's of Rebuilding Rhythm: Remember, Reclaim, and ResetEach “no” is also a powerful “yes” to rest, sanity, and self-trust. You might ask yourself: “Where is my ‘yes' costing me too much? And what boundary would bring me back to myself this season?”Resources

Last time we spoke about Japan's preparations for War. In late 1936, tensions soared in China as Nationalist General Chiang Kai-shek was detained by dissenting commanders who were frustrated with his focus on communism instead of the growing Japanese threat. Faced with escalating Japanese aggression, these leaders forced Chiang into a reluctant alliance with the Chinese Communist Party, marking a pivotal shift in China's strategy. Despite this union, China remained unprepared, lacking sufficient military supplies and modern equipment. Conversely, Japan, wary of Chinese modernization efforts, pushed for a preemptive strike to dismantle Chiang's regime before it could pose a serious threat. As aggressive military exercises intensified, Japan underestimated Chinese resilience. By spring 1937, both nations found themselves on the brink of war, with Japan's divided military leadership struggling to formulate a coherent strategy. Ultimately, these miscalculations would lead to the full-scale Sino-Japanese War, altering the course of history in East Asia.   #154 The Marco Polo Bridge Incident  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. Here we are at last, the beginning of the absolute cataclysm between China and Japan. Now as many of you know I run the Pacific War week by week podcast, which technically covers the second sino-japanese war, nearly to a T. So for this podcast I want to try and portray the event from the Chinese and Japanese point of view, but not in the rather dry manner of the other podcast. In the other podcast I am hampered by the week by week format and can never dig deep into the nitty gritty as they say. On the same hand I don't want to simply regurgitate every single battle of this conflict, it would be absolutely nuts. So bear with me friends as we fall down in the rabbit hole of madness together, who knows how long it will take to get out. On the night of July 7, 1937, at approximately 19:30, the 8th Squadron of the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the Hebian Brigade of the Japanese Army, stationed in Fengtai and led by Squadron Leader Shimizu Seiro, conducted a military exercise, heading toward Lungwangmiao, approximately just under a mile northwest of the Marco Polo Bridge The exercise simulated an operation to capture the bridge. As you may have guessed it was named after the Italian explorer Marco Polo, who described it in his travels, the bridge is renowned for its intricate carvings of lions and other sculptures. However after 1937, the Marco Polo Bridge would be far less known for its history dealing with the venetian explorer and more so with an event that many would contend to be the start of WW2. At that time, troops from Japan, Britain, France, and Italy were stationed near Peiping in accordance with the Boxer Protocol of 1901. The Japanese China Garrison Army, comprising around 4,000 soldiers and commanded by Lieutenant-General Tashiro Kan'ichirō, was based in Tientsin. Its mission was to "maintain communication lines between Peiping and the seaports in the Gulf of Chihli and to protect Japanese citizens living in key areas of North China." The protocol also permitted the garrison forces of the signatory nations to conduct field drills and rifle practice without notifying the Chinese authorities, with the exception of cases involving live fire. During this period, Japanese troops were conducting nightly exercises in anticipation of a scheduled review on July 9. The night maneuver was within the army's rights under the Boxer Protocol and was not an illegal act, as later claimed by the Chinese. However, the Japanese army had courteously informed the Chinese authorities about its training plans in advance. Despite this, the atmosphere was charged with tension, and the Japanese decision to use blank ammunition during their night exercise further escalated the already volatile situation. Earlier that evening, Captain Shimizu Setsurö, a company commander, arrived at the banks of the Yungting River, where the maneuver was to take place. He noticed that the site looked different since the last exercise had occurred; Chinese troops had recently constructed new trenches and parapets from the embankment to the Lungwangmiao shelter. While eating his dinner and surveying the area, Shimizu felt a sense of unease, harboring a premonition that “something might happen that night.” After completing the first stage of the maneuver around 10:30 PM, several live rounds were fired into the assembled company from the direction of the riverbank. Shimizu immediately conducted a roll call and found one soldier missing. He promptly sent a messenger to inform the battalion commander. The exercise was then called off, and the company moved eastward to await further orders at Hsiwulitien. Battalion Commander Itsuki Kiyonaho, upon receiving the report, deemed the situation serious. Aside from the gunfire heard in the darkness from an unknown source, he expressed concern over the soldier's disappearance and sought permission from Regiment Commander Mutaguchi Renya, an absolute moron, if you listen to the pacific war podcast, well you know. Anyways to relocate the battalion to the area where the shots had been fired and to establish surveillance. As dawn approached, the troops heard several more gunshots. Within twenty minutes of the soldier's disappearance, he returned to his ranks, but Shimizu did not report this update until four hours later. Meanwhile, midnight negotiations included a Japanese request for permission to search the city of Wanping, leading both sides to believe the incident was significant. Around 11:00 PM, the Japanese forces falsely reported that one of their soldiers had gone missing during the drill and demanded permission to enter the city for a search. This request was firmly denied by Ji Xingwen, the commander of the 219th Regiment of the 37th Division of the Chinese Army. In response, Japanese troops swiftly surrounded Wanping County. To prevent further escalation, at 2:00 AM the following morning, Qin Dechun, deputy commander of the 29th Army and mayor of Beiping, agreed with the Japanese to allow both sides to send personnel for an investigation. While Matsui, the head of the Japanese secret service in Peiping, was negotiating with North Chinese authorities based on unverified reports from Japanese troops in Fengtai, Ikki Kiyonao, the battalion commander of the Japanese garrison in Fengtai, had already reported to his regiment commander, Mutaguchi Lianya. The latter approved orders for the Japanese troops in Fengtai to “immediately move out” to the Marco Polo Bridge.  On July 8, a large contingent of Japanese troops appeared at Lugou Bridge. Shen Zhongming, the platoon leader of the 10th Company of the Reserve Force of the 3rd Battalion of the 219th Regiment of the 37th Division of the 29th Army, was assisting in guarding the bridgehead. He jumped out of the trench, stood in front of the bunker, and raised his right hand to halt the advancing Japanese troops. However, the Japanese military threatened to search for their missing soldiers, pushed forward, and opened fire. Shen Zhongming was shot and died on the spot. At 4:50 AM, the Japanese army launched a fierce assault on Wanping County, capturing Shagang in the northeast of Wanping and firing the first shot of the siege. Unable to withstand the aggression, the Chinese defenders mounted a counterattack. That day, the Japanese army assaulted Wanping City three times, targeting the Pinghan Railway Bridge and the Chinese defenders at the Huilong Temple position on the left. He Jifeng, the commander of the 110th Brigade of the Chinese defenders, issued a resolute order to “live and die with the bridge” and personally commanded the front-line battle. The Chinese defenders engaged in fierce combat, fighting valiantly despite exhausting their ammunition and resorting to hand-to-hand combat with swords against the Japanese soldiers. Tragically, over 80 Chinese defenders from two platoons were killed at the bridgehead. On the same day, the Beijing authorities instructed the garrison to hold firm at the Marco Polo Bridge. Song Queyuan sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek to report the true events of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. The National Government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a verbal protest with the Japanese ambassador regarding the incident. Additionally, the CPC Central Committee issued a telegram urging all Chinese soldiers and civilians to unite and resist Japanese aggression. The Japanese cabinet, in a bid to mislead global public opinion, proposed a so-called policy of “resolving the incident locally without escalating it,” aiming to paralyze the KMT authorities and buy time to mobilize additional forces. In the wake of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, generals of the 29th Army, including Qin Dechun, Feng Zhian, and Zhang Zizhong, convened an emergency meeting. Following their discussions, they issued a statement demanding that their troops withdraw from the Marco Polo Bridge to de-escalate tensions. However, they expressed deep concerns about national sovereignty, stating, “We cannot simply back down. If they continue to oppress us, we will do our utmost to defend ourselves.” Concurrently, the 29th Army commanded the troops defending the Marco Polo Bridge: “The Marco Polo Bridge is your grave. You must live and die with the bridge and must not retreat.” Brigade Commander He Jifeng reinforced three directives for the defenders:  1. Do not allow the Japanese army to enter the city;  2. Firmly counterattack if the Japanese invade;  3. You are responsible for defending the territory and will never yield. If you abandon your position, you will face military law. On July 9, the 29th Army successfully eliminated a Japanese squadron and reclaimed control of the railway bridge and Longwang Temple. A temporary lull settled over the Marco Polo Bridge battlefield, during which the Japanese military made false claims that "missing Japanese soldiers had returned to their units" and described the situation as a misunderstanding that could be resolved peacefully. Subsequently, Chinese and Japanese representatives in Beijing and Tianjin engaged in negotiations. The Beijing authorities reached an agreement with the Japanese forces, which included:  (1) an immediate cessation of hostilities by both parties;  (2) the Japanese army withdrawing to the left bank of the Yongding River while the Chinese army retreated to the right bank; and  (3) the defense of Lugou Bridge being assigned to Shi Yousan's unit of the Hebei Security Team. However, the following day, while the Chinese army withdrew as agreed, the Japanese army not only failed to uphold its commitments but also dispatched a significant number of troops to launch an offensive against the Chinese forces. Reports on July 10 indicated that the Japanese army had arrived from Tianjin, Gubeikou, Yuguan, and other locations, advancing toward the Lugou Bridge with artillery and tanks, and had occupied Dajing Village and Wulidian, signaling that another outbreak of conflict was imminent. On July 11, the Japanese Cabinet decided to deploy seven divisions from the Kwantung Army, the Korean Army, and Japan to North China. On the same day, the Beiping-Tianjin authorities reached a localized agreement with the Japanese army, which entailed:  (1) a formal apology from a representative of the 29th Army to the Japanese forces, along with assurances that those responsible for the initial conflict would be held accountable;  (2) a ban on anti-Japanese activities conducted by the Communist Party, the Blue Shirts Society, and other resistance groups; and  (3) an agreement ensuring that no Chinese troops would be stationed east of the Yongding River. Concurrently, the Japanese army positioned their forces at strategic points in Wuqing, Fengtai, Wanping, and Changping, effectively encircling the city of Beijing and continuing to advance troops into its surrounding suburbs. Starting on July 11, the Japanese army began bombarding Wanping City and its surrounding areas with artillery, resulting in numerous casualties among the local population. Following the injury of regiment commander Ji Xingwen, residents were evacuated to safer locations outside the city. The conflict then spread to Babaoshan, Changxindian, Langfang, Yangcun, and other areas, with the 29th Army being deployed to various locations to confront the enemy. The Japanese military also dispatched aircraft for reconnaissance and strafing missions, leading to intermittent fighting. On July 13, Mao Zedong urged "every Communist Party member and anti-Japanese revolutionary to be prepared to mobilize to the frontline of the anti-Japanese war at any time" from Yan'an. By July 15, a CPC representative presented the "Communist Party Declaration on Cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party" to Chiang Kai-shek, proposing that this declaration serve as the political foundation for cooperation between the two parties and be publicly issued by the Kuomintang. Zhou Enlai, Qin Bangxian, and Lin Boqu continued negotiations with Chiang Kai-shek, Shao Lizi, and Zhang Chong in Lushan. Although Chiang Kai-shek recognized the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, disagreements remained regarding the reorganization of the Red Army. On July 16, the Five Ministers Conference in Tokyo resolved to mobilize 400,000 Japanese troops to invade China and to enforce a policy aimed at rapidly destroying the entire country. The following day, more than 100 Japanese soldiers arrived in Shunyi and Changping, where they reinforced fortifications on the city wall of Changping. On July 18, the Japanese army invaded Changping, Tongzhou, and other counties in the pseudo-border areas by maneuvering through various passes of the Great Wall. Japanese plainclothes teams were reported to be active in the Xiaotangshan area of Changping, raising alert levels within the Chinese army. On July 20, the Kuomintang Military and Political Department became aware that the Japanese army intended to first occupy strategic locations such as the Indigo Factory, Wanshou Mountain, and Balizhuang in the Pingxi area, before cutting off the Pingsui Road and controlling the route from Beiping to Changping. On July 21, the Japanese army violated the agreement by bombarding Wanping County and the garrison at Changxindian.  On the night of July 25, a confrontation took place at the railway station in Langfang, located between Peiping and Tientsin. The clash involved Chinese troops and a Japanese company dispatched to repair telegraph lines. General Kazuki promptly sought Tokyo's permission to respond with military force, believing that the situation required immediate action. Without waiting for authorization, he ordered a regiment from Tientsin to engage the Chinese forces and issued an ultimatum to Sung Che-yuan, stating that if the 37th Division did not completely withdraw from Peiping by noon on July 28, the Garrison Army would take unilateral action. The 77th Infantry Regiment of the 20th Division was dispatched with the Gonoi Squadron to escort a repair team to Langfang Station. Stationed near Langfang were the headquarters of the 113th Brigade of the 38th Division, along with the main force of the 226th Regiment, led by Brigade Commander Liu Zhensan and Regiment Commander Cui Zhenlun. Although the leadership of the 29th Army adopted a passive stance in the war of resistance, the forces in Langfang prepared for conflict in an organized manner. They not only evacuated the families of servicemen and relocated the regiment headquarters, but also built fortifications and deployed plainclothes teams at Wanzhuang Station, Luofa Station, and Langfang Station to swiftly destroy the railway if necessary. Despite their preparations, the commanders of the 38th Division adhered to Song Queyuan's directives. When the 5th Company, stationed at Yangcun, observed Japanese supply units continually moving toward Lugou Bridge, they sought permission to engage the enemy. However, the 38th Division later reassigned this company. The Bac Ninh Line, established after the Boxer Protocol, had granted the Japanese the right to station troops, placing the 38th Division in a vulnerable position and preventing them from stopping the Japanese before they reached Langfang. Upon the arrival of Japanese forces at Langfang Station, Chinese guards initiated negotiations, requesting the Japanese to withdraw quickly after completing their mission. The Japanese, however, insisted on establishing camps outside the station, leading to repeated arguments. As tensions mounted, the Japanese began constructing positions near the station, ultimately forcing Chinese troops to retreat and escalating the conflict. The situation reached a boiling point around 11:10 pm, when fierce gunfire and explosions erupted near Langfang Station. The Japanese army claimed they were defending the station from an attack by Chinese forces armed with rifles, machine guns, and mortars throughout the night. According to Cui Zhenlun, the head of the 226th Regiment, it was the 9th and 10th companies that could no longer tolerate the Japanese provocation and fired first, catching the enemy off guard. As the battle intensified, reinforcements from the main force of the 77th Infantry Regiment “Li Deng Unit” arrived at the scene after receiving reports of the skirmish and gradually joined the fight after 6:30 am on July 26. When dawn broke, Japanese troops stationed at Langfang began to rush out to counterattack, seeing their reinforcements arrive. Recognizing they could not eliminate the Japanese presence at the station quickly, the 226th Regiment faced heavy bombardment from the Japanese Air Force later that morning. Consequently, the headquarters of the 113th Brigade and the primary forces of the 226th Regiment hastily retreated to Tongbai Town, suffering significant losses in equipment during their withdrawal. That night, Kazuki made the unilateral decision to abandon the policy of restraint and decided to use force on July 28 "to punish the Chinese troops in the Peiping-Tientsin area." On the morning of July 27, the army high command endorsed his decision and submitted a plan to the cabinet for mobilizing divisions in Japan. The cabinet agreed, and imperial approval was sought. At that time, the Chinese army was gathering in significant numbers in Baoding and Shijiazhuang in southern Hebei, as well as in Datong, Shanxi. They had effectively surrounded the Japanese army on all sides in the Fengtai District. Meanwhile, newly mobilized units of the Kwantung Army and the Japanese Korean Army were en route to the Tianjin and Beiping areas. The 2nd Battalion of the 2nd China Garrison Infantry Regiment, commanded by Major Hirobe, was dispatched with 26 trucks to the Japanese barracks within the walls of Beiping to ensure the protection of Japanese residents. Prior discussions had taken place between Takuro Matsui, head of the Special Service Agency, and officials from the Hebei–Chahar Political Council regarding the passage of troops through the Guang'anmen gate just outside Beiping. The mayor, Qin Dechun, had granted approval for this movement. However, when Major Tokutaro Sakurai, a military and political advisor to the Council, arrived at Guang'anmen, a famous gate to Beiping, around 6:00 pm to establish contact, he found that the Chinese troops on guard had closed the gate. After further negotiations, the gates were opened at approximately 7:30 pm, allowing the Japanese units to begin passing through. Unfortunately, as the first three trucks crossed, the Chinese opened fire on them. Two-thirds of the units managed to get through before the gate was abruptly shut, leaving a portion of Hirobe's troops trapped both inside and outside. As they faced unexpectedly heavy fire from machine guns and grenades, efforts by Japanese and Chinese advisors to pacify the Chinese troops proved futile. By 8:00 pm, the Japanese launched a counterattack from both sides of the gate. The Chinese received reinforcements and encircled the Japanese forces. Despite a relief column being dispatched by Brigadier Masakazu Kawabe, commander of the brigade in the Fengtai District, by 9:30 pm, negotiations with the Chinese yielded a proposal for de-escalation: the Chinese army would maintain a distance while the Japanese inside the gate would relocate to the grounds of their legation, and those outside would return to Fengtai. Fighting ceased shortly after 10:00 pm, and at approximately 2:00 am the following day, Hirobe's unit successfully entered the barracks in the legation. The total casualties reported for the Japanese army during these confrontations were 2 dead and 17 wounded. Both fatalities were superior privates. The wounded included one major, one captain, one sergeant, two superior privates, one private first class, seven privates second class, two attached civilians, and one news reporter. Additionally, the interpreter accompanying Tokutaro Sakurai was also killed in action. On July 27, the Japanese army launched attacks on the 29th Army garrisons in Tongxian, Tuanhe, Xiaotangshan, and other locations, forcing the defenders to retreat to Nanyuan and Beiyuan. At 8:00 am on July 28, under the command of Army Commander Kiyoshi Kozuki, the Japanese army initiated a general assault on the 29th Army in the Beiping area. The primary attacking force, the 20th Division, supported by aircraft and artillery, targeted the 29th Army Special Brigade, the 114th Brigade of the 38th Division, and the 9th Cavalry Division stationed in Nanyuan. Overwhelmed by the Japanese assault, Nanyuan's defenders struggled to maintain command, leading to chaotic individual combat. Meanwhile, the main Japanese garrison brigade in Fengtai advanced to Dahongmen, effectively cutting off the Nanyuan troops' route to the city and blocking their retreat. The battle for Nanyuan concluded at 1:00 pm, resulting in the deaths of Tong Lingge, deputy commander of the 29th Army, and Zhao Dengyu, commander of the 132nd Division. As this unfolded, elements of the 37th Division of the 29th Army launched an attack on the Japanese forces in Fengtai but were repulsed by Japanese reinforcements. On that day, the Japanese Army's 1st Independent Mixed Brigade captured Qinghe Town, prompting the 2nd Brigade of the Hebei-Northern Security Force, stationed there, to retreat to Huangsi. The Japanese also occupied Shahe. In the afternoon of July 28, Song Qeyuan appointed Zhang Zizhong as the acting chairman of the Hebei-Chahar Political Affairs Committee and director of the Hebei-Chahar Pacification Office, as well as the mayor of Beiping, before leaving the city for Baoding that evening. The 37th Division was ordered to retreat to Baoding. On July 29th, a significant mutiny broke out at Tongzhou. If you remember our episode covering the Tanggu truce, Tongzhou had become the capital of the East Hubei Anti-Communist Autonomous Government headed by Yin Jukeng. In response Chiang Kai-Shek had established the East Hebei Administrative Affairs Committee, chaired by Song Queyuan. In Tongzhou, Japanese troops were stationed under the pretext of protecting Japanese residents, as stipulated by the Boxer Protocol. Initially, a unit was intended to be stationed in Tongzhou; however, Vice Minister of the Army Umezu Yoshijiro strongly opposed this plan, arguing that placing forces in Tongzhou, far from the Beiping-Tianjin Line was inconsistent with the spirit of the Boxer Protocol. Consequently, this unit was stationed in Fengtai, located southwest of Beiping. At the time of the Tongzhou Incident, the main force of the Japanese Second Regiment, which was responsible for defending Tongzhou, had been deployed to Nanyuan, south of Beijing. Consequently, only non-combat personnel remained in Tongzhou. Japan regarded the Jidong Anti-Communist Autonomous Government Security Force as a friendly ally. Back on July 27, the primary forces of the Japanese Army stationed in Tongzhou, comprising the Kayashima Unit and the Koyama Artillery Unit, received orders to advance toward Nanyuan, Beiping, leaving Tongzhou significantly under-defended. The following day, the Japanese launched a substantial attack on Nanyuan, employing aircraft to bomb Beiping. Sensing a critical opportunity, Zhang Qingyu conferred with Zhang Yantian and Shen Weigan to initiate an uprising that very night. The insurgent force included elements from the first and second corps and the teaching corps, totaling approximately 4,000 personnel. Zhang Qingyu orchestrated the uprising with a focused strategy: the first corps was divided into three groups targeting Japanese forces in Xicang, the puppet government, and various establishments such as opium dens, casinos, and brothels operated by Japanese ronin. Meanwhile, the second corps secured key intersections and facilities in Chengguan, and the teaching corps managed defenses against potential reinforcements at vital stations. At dawn on July 29, the gunfire signaling the uprising erupted. The second unit of the first corps launched an assault on the Xicang Barracks, which housed 120 troops and non-combat personnel, including the Tongzhou Guard, Yamada Motor Vehicle Unit, a Military Police Detachment, and a host of military and police units, totaling about 500 individuals. At around 3 a.m. on July 29, the sound of gunfire filled the air as the insurgents engaged the Japanese forces. Although equipped with only four field guns, several mortars, and a few heavy machine guns, the uprising's numerical superiority enabled simultaneous attacks from the east, south, and northwest. Despite their well-fortified positions and rigorous defense, the Japanese troops struggled against the relentless onslaught. For over six hours, fierce fighting ensued. The uprising troops escalated their firepower but failed to breach the Xicang Barracks initially. More than 200 members of the Japanese security forces lost their lives in the conflict. Concerned that reinforcements might arrive and flank the uprising, Zhang Qingyu ordered artillery assaults around 11 a.m., prompting a shift in the battle's dynamics. The artillery targeted a Japanese motor vehicle convoy transporting supplies and munitions, leading to the destruction of all 17 vehicles, triggering explosions that scattered bullets and shrapnel across the area. Subsequently, nearby fuel depots ignited, engulfing the surroundings in flames and creating chaos among Japanese ranks. The insurgent infantry capitalized on this confusion, wiping out most of the remaining Japanese forces, with only a handful managing to escape. As the uprising signal rang out, another faction of insurgents swiftly blocked access to Tongzhou, disrupting traffic and occupying the telecommunications bureau and radio station. They encircled the offices of the Jidong puppet government, capturing traitor Yin Rugeng, who was taken to the Beiguan Lu Zu Temple. Despite being urged to resist the Japanese, Yin hesitated and was subsequently imprisoned. The third group then targeted the Japanese secret service agency in Nishicang. Hosoki Shigeru, residing a mere lane away from the pseudo-office, responded to the gunfire by mobilizing a contingent of secret agents to confront the uprising. However, the insurgents swiftly overtook the secret service agency, resulting in Shigeru's death and the annihilation of all secret personnel. At 4:00 p.m. on July 29, the Japanese command dispatched reinforcements, compelling the insurgents to retreat from Tongzhou. The Japanese Chinese Garrison ordered air attacks on the uprising forces, with over ten bombers targeting Tongzhou. Concurrently, the Japanese Fengtai Infantry Brigade and the Second Regiment were mobilized for a rescue operation, arriving on the morning of July 30. The Japanese headquarters issued a night defense order requiring all units to be on high alert. By 5:30 p.m., commanding officers assembled to devise a strategy. With the uprising forces still positioned around the eastern, southern, and northern walls of the barracks, Tsujimura's troops implemented strict measures: all units were instructed to fortify defenses throughout the night, with the Tongzhou Guard directly protecting the barracks and the Yamada unit securing the warehouse and supply areas. They enforced silence, prohibiting any lights at night, coordinating operations under the code name "plum cherry." As the Japanese planes repeatedly bombed the area, the insurgents, lacking anti-aircraft defenses, could only mount futile counterattacks with machine guns, leading to disorder among their ranks. Many insurgents abandoned their uniforms and weapons and fled, prompting Zhang Qingyu to make the difficult decision to evacuate Tongzhou before Japanese reinforcements arrived, regrouping in Beiping with the remnants of the 29th Army. In the late hours of July 29, the security team retreated to Beiping in two groups. Upon arrival, they discovered the 29th Army had already evacuated, forcing them to retreat to Changxindian and Baoding. En route, they encountered part of the Suzuki Brigade of the Japanese Kwantung Army near Beiyuan and Xizhimen, where they faced concentrated attacks. Officers Shen Weigan and Zhang Hanming were both killed in the subsequent battles as they led their teams in desperate fights for survival. Amid the confusion, Yin Rugeng managed to escape when the convoy escorting him was broken up by Japanese forces. In a last-ditch effort, Zhang Qingyu ordered the army to split into small groups of 50 to 60, navigating through Mentougou to regroup with the 29th Army. By the time they reached Baoding, only about 4,000 personnel remained. On the morning of July 30, over a thousand troops from the Sakai Army entered Tongzhou City. They rounded up all men they encountered, searching residences for insurgents, and exhibited intentions of massacring the local population. By 4 p.m., the Kayashima Army arrived and sealed all city gates, deploying surveillance units to oversee the city and "restore public order." The Tsujimura Army removed perimeter defenses and concentrated their forces in barracks and storage facilities. Japanese troops combed through residences based on household registries, detaining those they deemed suspicious, with many later executed. As reported by the puppet county magistrate Wang Jizhang, roughly 700 to 800 individuals were executed within a few days. This brutal retaliation instilled terror throughout Tongzhou City, leading many to flee and seek refuge, often in American churches. The pervasive atmosphere of fear lasted for two to three months. The Japanese authorities framed their violent suppression as "restoring stability to East Asia" and derided the legitimate resistance of Chinese citizens as "communist harassment" and "treason." In response to the uprising, the Japanese embassy, concerned that it could trigger a repeat of the Temple Street Incident and instigate political upheaval at home, acted without government instructions. They appointed Morishima Morito to oversee negotiations with Chi Zongmo, who had replaced Yin Rugeng as the head of the "Hebei Anti-Communist Autonomous Government." On December 24, 1937, Chi submitted a formal apology to the Japanese embassy, committing to pay a total of 1.2 million yuan in reparations, with an immediate payment of 400,000 yuan, while the remaining 800,000 yuan would be disbursed by the "Provisional Government of the Republic of China." Furthermore, the Japanese demanded that the "Hebei Anti-Communist Autonomous Government" relinquish the territories where Japanese nationals had been killed and take responsibility for constructing "comfort towers." They compelled Chinese laborers to build these structures at the former site of the Governor's Office of Canal Transport in Shuiyueyuan Hutong, Nanmenli, and the northeastern corner of Xicang Square to commemorate Japanese casualties from the uprising. Additionally, they forcibly uprooted ancient trees from the Temple of Heaven, transplanting them around the "comfort towers." The Japanese military also demolished white marble guardrails at the Confucian Temple to erect a monument honoring their soldiers, resulting in the destruction of centuries-old cultural artifacts. On the morning of July 29, the Japanese Army's 11th Independent Mixed Brigade attacked Beiyuan and Huangsi. The Hebei-Northern Security Force, stationed in Huangsi, engaged the Japanese forces until 6:00 PM before retreating. Meanwhile, the 39th Independent Brigade, garrisoned in Beiyuan, fought the Japanese before withdrawing to Gucheng, eventually returning to Beiyuan. On July 31, this brigade was disarmed by the Japanese army, while the Independent 27th Brigade in the city was reorganized into a security team to maintain public order, later breaking through to Chahar Province a few days later and being assigned to the 143rd Division. Meanwhile, the 38th Division of the 29th Army, stationed in Tianjin, proactively attacked Japanese troops in Tianjin early on July 29, capturing the Japanese garrison at Tianjin General Station and launching an assault on the Japanese headquarters at Haiguang Temple and the Dongjuzi Airport. Initially, the battle progressed favorably; however, due to counterattacks from Japanese aircraft and artillery, the Chinese forces began to retreat around 3:00 PM, leading to the fall of Tianjin. Later that afternoon, the rebel forces evacuated Tong County and advanced toward Beiping. En route, they were attacked by the Japanese army north of the city and subsequently retreated to Baoding. As the 37th Division of the 29th Army received orders to retreat southward, the 110th Brigade covered the army headquarters and the Beiping troops from Wanping to Babaoshan, eventually retreating southward through Mentougou. After completing their task, they withdrew to Baoding on July 30. By the end of the 30th, the Japanese army had occupied both Beiping and Tianjin. The Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade No. 1 and the garrison brigade occupied high ground west of Changxindian and the area near Dahuichang on the evenings of the 30th and 31st, respectively. With this, the battles in Beiping and Tianjin effectively came to a close. China and Japan were at war. 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. It has finally happened, China and Japan are officially at war. From 1931 until now, it had been an unofficial war between the two, yet another incident had finally broke the camel's back. There was no turning back as Japan would unleash horror upon the Chinese people. The fight for China's survival had begun. China was completely alone against a fierce enemy, how would she manage? 

Send us a textThe Silk Road isn't just a unit from middle school history, it's more than a trade route, also. This geographical location is quite possibly the first intersection of Eastern and Western cultures and was instigated by what else? The desire to make money and acquire exotic goods. The Silk Road, besides being a geographical bridge, changed mysticism, lore, legends, and history forever. I remember learning the basic facts in school and spitting them back out for exams, never thinking deeply on the importance of this span of history. In fact, it was only recently that I considered this swath of land and its impact, even to the present. But first? Some facts. What to Read/Watch/Listen to NEXT!The East/West Dichotomy, WikipediaChina's Trade Route That Changed The World, Learn Chinese Now, YouTubeUNESCO has an interactive Silk Road mapThe Silk Roads, smarthistory, The Center for Public Art HistoryDid you know? The medical knowledge exchange due to the Silk Road, UNESCOHogwarts Is Here, online hogwarts lessons, and one on the Silk Road!Marco Polo series on NetflixHave you tried the GoodPods app yet? It's free and a fun way to share podcasts with friends and family! Curious Cat Podcast is there, and is sitting pretty in the Top 5 of Angels and other categories! Be one of the first to share and recommend podcasts to your friends. Curious Cat Crew on Socials:Curious Cat on Twitter (X)Curious Cat on InstagramCurious Cat on TikTokArt Director, Nora, has a handmade, ethically-sourced jewelry company!

On this episode Garrett Ziegler, founder of the opposition research nonprofit Marco Polo, joins Liz Wheeler to discuss Anthony Bernal, Jill Biden's mysterious chief of staff. How much influence did he have on the Biden administration? Was he in control of the autopen? If not, who was? Watch today's episode to find out what we know! SPONSORS: PREBORN: Your tax-deductible donation of twenty-eight dollars sponsors one ultrasound and doubles a baby's chance at life. How many babies can you save? Please donate your best gift today– just dial #250 and say the keyword, “BABY" or go to https://preborn.com/LIZ. AMERICAN HARTFORD GOLD: American Hartford Gold: Tell them I sent you, and they'll give you up to $15,000 dollars of FREE silver on your first order. So call them now! Click here https://offers.americanhartfordgold.com or call 866-996-5172 or text LIZ to 998899. COZY EARTH: Make sleep a priority now! Visit https://CozyEarth.com/LIZ and use my exclusive code, “LIZ”, for up to 40% off Cozy Earth's best-selling sheets, towels, pajamas, and more. And if you get a post-purchase survey, tell them you heard about Cozy Earth right here. ALL FAMILY PHARMACY: Because you're part of this movement, use code LIZ10 at checkout for an exclusive discount. Check out https://allfamilypharmacy.com/LIZ, code: LIZ10. BLAZETV: If you're ready to keep winning, shop your values and make sure we don't lose the ground we've gained—go to https://BlazeTV.com/liz and subscribe today. Use promo code LIZ, and you'll save 20 bucks right now off our annual plan. BlazeTV. Unfiltered. Unafraid. On Demand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 250 of the Pool Nation Podcast, Edgar and Zac are joined in-studio by Alicia Stephens and Rick Harvey from BioLab for a hilarious, insightful, and business-packed episode you won't want to miss. They dive deep into what it really takes to build a 5-star pool business—from premium customer experience and staff onboarding to powerful loyalty strategies that keep customers coming back year after year.

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In the 13th century, the Republic of Venice was one of the leading merchant empires in Europe. The merchants from Venice traveled far and wide in pursuit of profit. A few of them, however, traveled very far.  A small group of men from the same family made the extremely long and dangerous voyage to China during the reign of the Mongol Empire.  The result was a more detailed description of China than had ever been known before in the West. Learn more about the journeys of Marco Polo on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Sponsors Newspapers.com Get 20% off your subscription to Newspapers.com Mint Mobile Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/eed Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! Stitch Fix Go to stitchfix.com/everywhere to have a stylist help you look your best Tourist Office of Spain Plan your next adventure at Spain.info  Stash Go to get.stash.com/EVERYTHING to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures. Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Update your podcast app at newpodcastapps.com Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/  Disce aliquid novi cotidie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the past few episodes, I've talked about keeping in touch with friends through the digital space. This episode goes a step further: how do you MAKE friends online?Today's guests are Claudia and Marcela, the mother-daughter duo behind the Minded Society, which offers a supportive virtual environment for women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, with monthly events, book clubs, and personalized connections, helping members find authentic friendships across distances. We dive into everything, from maintaining friendships across time zones to being intentional about using the digital world to form deep connections. If this sounds like something you'd enjoy, Minded Society is offering our listeners 50 percent off your first month, plus a free 14-day trial; use the code Friendship IRL on their website.Technology isn't a barrier to deep friendship; if you use it right, it can be a bridge that leads you to the kind of people who make you feel less alone in the world.In this episode you'll hear about:The inception of Minded Society during the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by shared feelings of lonelinessWhat Minded Society is: a community that helps women form authentic friendships despite living in different parts of the worldThe importance of effort in maintaining online friendships, regardless of proximity or technology, and how to channel that effort (voice notes, phone calls, FaceTime, etc.)Generational differences in communication preferences and balancing effort and respect for others' boundariesResources & LinksListen to Episode 127 about calling your friends and Episode 24 about using the Marco Polo app. In this episode I also mention my Roots framework.Like what you hear? Visit my website, leave me a voicemail, and follow me on Instagram and TikTok!Want to take this conversation a step further? Send this episode to a friend. Tell them you found it interesting and use what we just talked about as a conversation starter the next time you and your friend hang out!

 Join the Bruins Benders Podcast as they cover the HOTTEST topics in the Boston Bruins market, along with...- Who will be the next Bruins coach? Sturm? Woodcroft? Leach?- Swayman wins gold with Team USA at the World Championships. Good sign?- Max Comtois has been linked to the Bruins? Thoughts?- Some Bruins' coaches on the way out, will the new coach be able to bring in his own guys?& Much More!Bruins Benders Premium Hoodies $55https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/get-bent-premium-hoodieBruins Benders Long Sleeve Tee $40https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/bruins-benders-long-sleeve-tee-1Bruins Benders Tee $30https://shop.insidetherink.com/products/bruins-benders-t-shirt-1For more from us, visit: insidetherink.com/bruins-bendersBoston Bruins Trade Rumors, Boston Bruins News, Boston Bruins, Jeremy Swayman, Joonas Korpisalo, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Nikita Zadorov, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Andrew Peeke, Parker Wotherspoon, Johnny Beecher, Mark Kastelic, Justin Brazeau, Cole Koepke, Trent Frederic, Matthew Poitras, Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, Oliver Wahlstrom, Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Joe Sacco, Don Sweeney, Cam Neely, Brandon Carlo Trade#nhl #nhlbruins #hockey #bostonbruins #nhlplayoffs #bruins #nhlhockey #nhlmemes #boston #nhlallstar #nhldiscussion #nhlnews #nhledits #nhldraft #bruinsnation #nhlawards #nhltrade #hockeylife #tdgarden #nhlhighlights #bostonsports #bruinshockey #bruinsfan #nhlblackhawks #nhlglobalseries #nhlfi #nhlleafs #nhltrades #nhltradedeadline #nhlcanadiens #nhl #nhlnews #hockey #nhlhockey #nhlplayoffs #nhledits #nhldiscussion #nhlmemes #nhldraft #nhlallstar #hockeylife #hockeynews #hockeymemes #nhlhighlights #icehockey #sports #hockeyislife #nhlbruins #hockeyplayers #hockeyfan #hockeyplayer #hockeyedits #stanleycup #nhlawards #hockeygame #hockeyboys #hockeygram #hockeyfights #nhltrade #nhltrades 

Amy gets fingered for the first time.In parts, by Djmac1031- listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Tommy sat by the edge of the pool, alone with his thoughts as he waited for Amy to come back out of the house.Both of them had made it back unseen and unquestioned from their little secret getaway into the woods.He had just gotten back poolside when Amy's best friend Cindy came over to him.“If you're looking for Amy, I just passed her in the house a minute ago,” Cindy said. “She looked kind of strange, and freaked out a little. You two love birds aren't fighting or something are you?”Tommy sighed inwardly. Cindy was a good friend to Amy, but she was always so damn nosy. She'd been “shipping” the both of them since long before “shipping” had become a catchphrase, and a stupid one at that, Tommy thought.“No, of course not,” Tommy replied, as casually as he could. “I haven't seen her since the Marco / Polo game broke up a while ago and everybody wandered off.”Cindy looked skeptical. “Thought I saw you two still chatting after I got out of the pool,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “You sure somethings not up? You better not have upset my bestie!” she growled.“I don't know what you're talking about,” Tommy said, a little too defensively.“I'm gonna talk to her about it later tonight, ya know. I'm sleeping over. I'll get her to dish, whatever it is, you know that right?” Cindy claimed boldly.Tommy shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “You guys have fun, talk about whatever you want, I don't care.”Cindy gave him a look that said she didn't quite believe that, then spun and walked away.Tommy watched her leave, relieved she was finally gone. He caught himself looking at her plump ass as she retreated, then quickly averted his eyes.Cindy was cute, even beautiful he had to admit. If he was being honest with himself, he found her attractive sexually. But he certainly didn't have any feelings for her. Not like he had for Amy.Tommy's thoughts drifted back to Amy, and their time alone in the woods, and what they'd done together, a series of firsts for both of them.He thought of her final words to him before she left the wooded path for the house: “I love you too.”Was it love, he thought? It was certainly more than just some teenage “crush.”Was it just sexual? No, he thought. He'd had feelings for her long before what became their first sexual explorations together this evening. He was just finally getting around to admitting it to himself, and understanding that Amy had these same feelings too.It was all so new, so confusing. But exciting too, he had to admit.He sat there alone, feet in the water, thinking about all of that, and trying not to think about the handjob Amy had given him just minutes ago, or about seeing and touching her breasts for the first time. The last thing he wanted was to pitch another tent right there by the side of the pool.He looked up from his thoughts and saw Amy's mom heading into the house.Tommy had a moment of panic. He hoped Amy was done doing, well, whatever she was doing in there. She'd been gone awhile.But he supposed she had to clean up the mess he'd made. She was probably washing her suit and towel out, making sure no telltale stains were left behind.He didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until he saw Amy bound out the door and down the steps into the yard, and he let it out in a rush of relief.She looked happy and carefree enough, so if she'd encountered her mom it must have gone okay.Amy paused, looking around, and her face lit up in a radiant smile when she spotted him.Amy had to keep herself from running over to Tommy. She felt like she was floating over the grass, not simply stepping across it as she walked towards him, butterflies in her stomach.He stood as she approached, and it struck her, not for the first time, just how handsome he was.His eyes were a strange but beautiful combo of green and brown, with yellow flecks you could only see up close.His hair was a darker blonde than hers, although it was lightened now by the sun and spiky in a short summer cut.His body was lean and lanky, with wide shoulders and long legs. While not super muscular, what he had was lean and firm and strong from the various forms of physical work he always seemed to be doing.Amy's eyes traveled down his hairless chest to his stomach, then (not for the first time) to that hint of a V shape that started just under his abs, pointing the way towards his,“No, stop, not now,” Amy thought. “That way madness lies,” she laughed to herself, remembering her Shakespeare.She hoped he hadn't caught her looking, then realized maybe she wouldn't mind so much if he had anyway.His eyes seemed fixed on her as she approached, and they were speckled moonlight.Amy felt her heart flutter and a tingle between her legs. “Oh girl,” she thought. “If this is love, you're in trouble,” she groaned inwardly.Then they were together, standing face to face.Amy desperately wanted to hug him, to kiss him, but they both knew they couldn't risk such open displays of affection just now.So she instead simply spoke, “Hey there.”“Hey,” Tommy replied, almost a whisper.They both stood there, smiling like, well, two young lovers. Neither knew what to say next. Tommy broke the silence. “Wanna get a snack?”“I'd love to,” was her reply.They spent the rest of the party almost entirely by each other's side. Oh they socialized, chatted with their other friends, even played horseshoes for a while. But they we're always at least close by, making eye contact and sharing secret smiles.The party eventually started to wind down, and people began saying their goodbyes.Tommy kept a respectful distance as many were approaching Amy to congratulate her and say goodnight. She stood for a while with her parents, thanking each guest in turn for coming and for their thoughtful gifts, etc.He felt a sudden tap on his shoulder. It was his mother.“Hey sport, I'm gonna go. Do you want a ride back with me or are you staying for a bit?” They only lived a few blocks away, an easy walking distance, but his mom had driven so she could bring over the food she'd volunteered to make and the graduation gifts they'd gotten for Amy.“Is it okay if I stay a bit? Amy's parents said it was okay if a few of us stayed and watched a movie,” I explained. “I can walk home after, no problem. It's a nice night.”Mom looked at him and grinned. “Wanna spend more time with Amy, huh?” she said knowingly. “Don't think I haven't noticed how much time you two have been spending together lately.” Tommy gulped but said nothing.His mother relented. “Well, okay. I trust you, and I trust Amy's parents. You won't get into too much trouble I think. Just behave yourself, you hear? Be a good gentleman. And be home by midnight.”Tommy smiled and nodded. “Sure mom, you bet. Thanks.”“Just remember: God is watching you.” And with that she turned to make her goodbyes to Amy and her parents.“Yeah, well, we gave him a hell of a show earlier then,” Tommy thought to himself, and had to stifle a laugh.The popcorn was made, some fruit juice poured, (“You guys have had enough soda for one day” Amy's mom had said, stern but kindly) and they were settling down to watch the movie.The only person who wound up staying besides Tommy was Cindy, who of course was sleeping over.Amy and Cindy were on the center couch. Tommy sat alone in a recliner chair off to the side, as Amy's parents came in from the kitchen.“We're heading up to bed now,” Amy's dad started. “We expect you kids to behave yourself.” Amy's mom turned and looked directly at Tommy. “I expect you'll be a gentleman and show respect for our house?” she asked him.“Yes ma'am, yes sir,” Tommy replied, addressing both parents.Mom nodded, then turned to Cindy. “Cindy, you're chaperone. Keep a watch over these two. They've been making eyes at each other all night.”“Mom!” Amy cried, embarrassed.“What? You thought we didn't notice? We're not as blind as you think we are,” her mom shot back.Amy flushed crimson, but said nothing more.“Cindy?” Mom continued, “you heard me right? You're on guard duty. Understand?”Cindy barely contained her eye roll but nodded and replied, “Yes ma'am, of course.”“Just remember,” Dad said suddenly, “leave room for the Holy Spirit,” and looking directly at Tommy, dropped him a wink and smiled.Tommy gulped. He had no clue what to make of that at all, so he simply nodded.Mom threw dad a sharp glare and his smile quickly faded. “Straight home after the movie young man, you understand me?” Mom said.“Yes ma'am, I understand,” Tommy replied.Then they both gave Amy a kiss on the cheek and went upstairs to their bedroom.The room was silent for several moments after they left, finally broken by Cindy. “Well that was awkward,” she blurted.They all laughed, breaking the tension.They'd all changed into some dry clothes earlier, (Tommy had only just remembered to fetch his from his mom's car before she left) and Tommy couldn't help but notice how cute Amy looked in her sleepwear; a pink Hello Kitty pajama top and matching shorts.It was, as all her outfits were, modest, but it left her shoulders bare and he could see the tan lines made by her bathing suit. Suddenly he was thinking about her breasts, exposed and pale in the moonlight, as she'd slowly slipped down the straps,He was snapped out of this memory by a voice. “Tommy? Earth to Tommy!”It was Cindy. “You can't see the TV well from there. Come sit on the couch with us. I'll scoot over, you can sit next to Amy.” She smiled wryly, and Amy elbowed her good naturedly, but put up no further argument.“Yeah, sure, makes sense,” Tommy said casually, trying not to sound too eager.The girls scooted over and he sat down next to Amy, who was now in the middle, Cindy to her left at the other end.Their hips touched as he sat, and he awkwardly tried to figure out what to do with his left arm. He decided to put it around Amy's shoulders. He made sure to keep his hand up on the couch, a safe distance from the tempting curve of her breast.Amy settled her head on Tommy's shoulder, sighing almost imperceptibly in contentment. Cindy heard it though, and this time did not contain her eye roll, but smiled knowingly.They watched the movie like that for a while, in silence. It was some rom-com the girls had picked out, one of their favorites. Tommy didn't really care what they picked. He wasn't there for the movie.It was a PG film and a pretty tame one at that. No sex or nudity of course. Although there were a couple of kissing scenes and during them Tommy could feel Amy shifting slightly under his arm, and knew exactly what she was thinking.About an hour into the movie, Cindy suddenly stood up. Making a show of stretching (Tommy could not help but notice the way her large breasts pushed out from her less modest tank top, despite himself) and, mock yawning, turned to address them.“I'm tired, I think I'm gonna go to bed,” she announced, looking slyly at Tommy for a second. Then to Amy she added, “your parents bedroom is right across the hall from yours. Keep your cell phone nearby. If I hear them stir, I'll text you.”Turning back to Tommy, she said, “There's about 30 minutes left in this movie. If Amy's not upstairs and in her bed in 35, I'm personally knocking on her parents door and waking them up.”“I know your parents told me to chaperone,” she continued, “but I figure if God sees all, let Him keep an eye on you two.”And with a sly wink and a totally knowing grin, she turned and went upstairs.Tommy and Amy both sat silent and shocked as they watched her go.Tommy broke the silence. “I, I can't believe she just did that,” he muttered.Amy just sighed, cupped his face with her hand, turned it towards her own, and whispered, “she's a good friend.”And just like that they were kissing.Tommy's mind was spinning happily. She smelled so good, clean and fresh after her earlier shower. Some kind of floral scented shampoo, he thought, and he also caught a hint of what he guessed was perfume; a light, almost fruity scent. Her hair was loose, wavy, and flowing around her face and neck.He could taste her lip gloss, sweet with a hint of cinnamon.It wasn't long before the arm he still had half on the couch dropped to a more comfortable, intimate position.Breaking the kiss a moment, he looked at her, head tilted, eyes questioning. No words were needed. She simply nodded her consent and shifted herself into a better position for his hand to gently cup her breast.Again he felt her hard little nipple underneath her shirt, already swollen. He could see her neck and what little skin that was exposed just above her chest flush with excitement as she squirmed under his touch.His hand then slid under the soft cotton fabric and found the bare skin of her breast beneath. He was surprised she wasn't wearing a bra, but supposed the top was generally modest enough that she didn't need one.Or, he speculated, she'd left it off on purpose.Amy rested her head back on the couch and closed her eyes, focusing on the incredible sensations, as his hand explored her firm young flesh. He was so gentle, and every time his fingers found her nipples her body jerked as if shocked.Tommy's voice broke through her trance, whispering. “Amy, are you  okay? Tell me if I hurt you, or,”“I'm fine, just, sensitive,” she stammered. She opened her eyes, imploring, “don't stop, please.” She leaned in, finding his lips again.As they continued making out, he felt her hand land on his upper thigh, slowly moving towards his crotch.The loose fitting shorts he was wearing were containing his throbbing erection, but just barely. Then her hand was over it, feeling it's length for the second time that night.Suddenly she was tugging at his waistband, trying desperately to free it.It took all of his willpower to grasp her hand and remove it.“Amy, we can't. It's too risky. And too, messy.”She groaned and frowned. “I know, but,”Tommy lifted her chin up to face him, and spoke softly, lovingly. “Amy, I want it too, but we have to be smart. If your parents walked in on us with my pants down, or if I made a mess again all over your couch,” he paused, removed his hand from her breast, and with one finger made the “throat cutting” gesture across his neck.She nodded, regretfully. “Yeah, you're right. Dammit.”They sat quietly for a moment, just holding each other.She looked at him suddenly, with a determined glint in her eye.“Would you,” she paused, licked her lips, swallowed nervously, started again:“Would you, touch me, somewhere else?” Her voice was a weak whisper.“Where?” said Tommy, not getting it yet.Amy smiled shyly, looked down, and slowly parted her legs.Understanding dawned in his eyes. A huge grin spread on his face, but was quickly replaced by gentle concern.“Are you sure?” he asked sweetly. “Because I don't want to pressure you, or make you feel like you have to,”Amy cut him off sharply but lovingly. “Tommy, if you don't touch my Kitty right now I'll wind up screaming in frustration. Please. I need this.” Her voice was a harsh whisper that contained a desperation he'd never heard from her before.Tommy was utterly taken aback by this outburst. Then he broke into a goofy grin. “Your kitty?” he said incredulously.Amy flushed with embarrassment. “It's what, it's what I've always, called, it. I know, it's silly.”“It's adorable,” said Tommy, “and so are you.”His hand went to the bare skin of her right thigh, slowly caressing her soft, tan skin.Her breathing became heavier as his hand slid higher up her thigh, finding the hem in the leg of her pajama shorts, then slipped under it.His fingers found the edge of her panties where they met her thigh, then paused.She moaned, put her hand on his, pushed it further. “Please,” she groaned, “please keep going.”His fingers started to work their way under the edge of her panties when she suddenly stopped him.“Just don't, just don't push your fingers, inside. Not all the way,  okay? I'm still a virgin, and I wanna stay that way for now. At least till we're ready to,” she stopped herself, then shrugged, “, well you know. Touch anywhere else you want, just don't push inside,  okay?”Tommy nodded, understanding. He knew enough about the female anatomy to understand what the hymen was and how it could be broken. He certainly didn't want to push Amy beyond what she was ready for.“Don't worry, I don't ever want to hurt you, Amy. Please tell me if I do. And stop me if I go too far. I've never done this, and I want it to be right,” he said.“Just touch me,” she hissed. “I'll guide you if needed, okay?”Without further hesitation, his hand slid up again, finding her panties, but instead of going under them he suddenly changed direction and went over the fabric, cupping her entire “Kitty” in his palm.What he found was warm, almost hot, and he could feel moisture seeping its way through the gusset, warm and slippery like a lotion or oil.He looked at her with happy confusion, and she smiled. “It gets that way sometimes. When it's, excited.” She winked at him wickedly. “But you're torturing me, Tommy. Here, let me just,”With a quick move, her hand was suddenly inside her pajama shorts, and with a jerk she pulled her panties aside, allowing him easier access. He instantly felt the hot wet flesh of her virgin cunt under the palm of his hand.He wasn't sure who gasped louder at the moment of contact, him or her.Amy's eyes rolled back in her head as his fingers started to explore her soft folds.Tommy was mesmerized by what he was feeling. His fingers gently probed and explored her swollen labia, then found where they separated as his fingers slipped between them, locating the entrance to her vagina.He stopped there, remembering his promise not to probe too deep.Cautiously, he stuck a finger tip in, then looked at Amy. “This okay? Not too much?”Her breath was hitching, as she struggled to keep quiet despite the immense pleasure. “Ya, yes, it's fine,” she stammered. “Juh, just a little deeper. There, stop! Now just slide it in and out a bit.”He followed her instructions and she closed her eyes again, imagining, as she had when she'd masturbated earlier, that it was the tip of his cock sliding in and out of her virgin hole.She felt like a fire hydrant the way she was gushing from the gentle fingering. Tommy felt it too.“It's so wet,” he said, his voice a low marvel. “I know, sorry,” she stuttered, barely able to speak.“Don't be,” he whispered in her ear. “I got you way messier earlier, remember? Besides, I'm assuming this means I'm doing a good job, right?”“Oh, yes, yes you, oh, oh God, don't stop, a little faster, oh, oh Jesus, I'm gonna,” Amy suddenly bit down on her lip so hard she thought it might bleed, as she felt the wave of her orgasm hit her, knocking her head back against the couch, her arm squeezing Tommy's waist so tight he could barely breathe, her other hand flying to her mouth to cover her scream as her body shook uncontrollably.“Don't stop don't stop don't stop,” her voice came muffled from under her hand as she felt a fireball of pleasure spread outwardly from her vagina, simultaneously up towards her head and down to her toes. Then her sounds were no longer words, but high pitched squeals. Her body rocked forward, then back, then shook with what looked like a convulsion. Her eyes rolled back in her head.Amy gives her first blowjob.Amy had been sitting with her eyes closed in a state of utter relaxation, wrapped in Tommy's strong embrace. Suddenly they opened, and looking down, she saw Tommy's erection, still straining against his shorts.“Oh, Tommy, I'm so sorry, I totally forgot about, that,” she gestured to his crotch. “Are you sure I can't, you know, help take care of it? It seems so unfair to leave you that way.”Tommy glanced at the TV. There were maybe ten minutes left in the movie. Plenty of time, really. But he was still worried.“Amy, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want you to. But I'm just concerned about making another mess all over you, or worse, on your parents couch!”Amy looked sad, then thoughtful. She looked up at him suddenly, with a gaze that was both shy yet determined.“I have, I have an idea,” she said, her voice shaking, “but I don't know what you'll think of it.”Tommy looked at her quizzically, so she continued, “I could, I could, you know, put it in my, in my mouth.” She blushed at her own brazen words.Tommy's eyes went wide. “You mean,?”Amy simply nodded. Her face still flushed but also filled with love and determination. “Yes,” she answered. “I want to please you that way. Please?” she begged, pouting.Her plea broke any remaining willpower he had left to resist. He kissed her, then smiled. “How could I possibly refuse that pretty face?” he chuckled.He sat back, loosened his shorts, then slid them down. His cock sprung free immediately.Despite having seen and touched it in this state earlier that evening, Amy still couldn't help but giggle at how his penis bounced and twitched all on it's own.“What would be the, you know, best way to, you know, do that?” she asked, suddenly feeling bashful.“Um,” Tommy thought, “maybe on your knees? On the floor?”Amy nodded and slid down to the floor, placing herself between Tommy's legs.This seemed like a good position, she thought, as she got her first really good, close up look at his penis. There was a long, thick vein that ran up the underside of it, from the bottom of the shaft up to the strange indentation of flesh just under the tip that reminded Amy vaguely of her own folds just above her clit. She observed his balls again, in their strange little sack of flesh, covered in small dark hairs.“It's all such a strange looking thing,” she thought to herself, “but somehow beautiful, and arousing.”Amy took his throbbing member in her hand, feeling it pulse in her grip, then started to lean forward towards it.Just as her lips approached his swollen head, she froze. Letting go, she looked up at him, suddenly afraid.“I,” Amy started, “I don't, I don't know what I'm doing,” she stammered. “What if I hurt you?”“You don't have to do this, Amy, we can stop right now,” Tommy said, concerned.“No, no, I'm just, I wanna do good,” Amy smiled weakly, “just afraid I won't be.”“Relax, take your time, go slow, you'll be fine baby. I'm so worked up this won't take long anyway,” he laughed, calming her. Then he echoed her earlier words, “I'll guide you if needed,  okay?”She nodded, smiled, then advanced once more towards his throbbing cock. She felt Tommy's hand touching her face in gentle reassurance, then brushing her hair back away from it. She met his gaze and smiled.Her lips found his head and kissed it tentatively. As before in the woods when she touched it for the very first time, it suddenly started bouncing up and down like a diving board someone just leapt from.She suppressed her mirth this time, determined to get down to business. Again taking his thick shaft in her tiny hand, she held it steady, as she kissed the tip more confidently now. Tommy gasped, feeling the warmth of her lips make contact with his sensitive glans.Feeling bolder, Amy parted her lips and slowly took the tip in her mouth.Tommy winced suddenly, and whispered through his clenched jaw, “mind the teeth!”Amy's mouth let go immediately, and she blurted, “Shit, sorry! You  okay?”“Fine, I'm fine, just, it's  okay baby, try again,” Tommy said reassuringly.Amy's cheeks flushed hot, but she nodded and slid her lips over the tip of his cock again, this time making sure to keep her teeth clear.She got past the tip easily enough, then took another inch or so. Here she paused yet again. She had no idea how far she should or could go, or what to do next.Sensing her confusion and hesitation, Tommy spoke to her softly. “Only go as far as you're comfortable, baby, then just slide it in and out, kinda like what you did with your hand earlier, but using your mouth instead. Does that make sense?”“Mmm hmm,” Amy replied through her full lips, the vibrations causing a groan of pleasure from Tommy. She made a mental note that he liked that.Slowly, Amy started to move her head, up and down, feeling the hot flesh of his cock sliding across her tongue, feeling the ridge of his tip passing in and out of her lips; a very strange yet pleasurable sensation.She was starting to get the hang of it. Using her right hand to hold his cock steady, her grip gentle yet firm at the base, Amy continued to bob her head up and down over his cock, although she still only dared to take about a third of it.It was incredibly hard, yet also felt somehow soft and spongy in her mouth. She was surprised to realize it had no real taste to it at all besides a hint of salt.She was so busy concentrating on what she was doing that she barely remembered to check to see how Tommy was handling it.Looking up, she saw him covering his mouth with his hand, trying to contain his groans and gasps. But his eyes spoke volumes as to the pleasure he was receiving.Their eyes met again, and Amy somehow managed a smile despite having the first penis she'd ever seen, touched, and now sucked in her mouth. She started humming again softly, grinning up at him with a wicked sparkle in her ocean blue eyes.That sent Tommy over the edge. These sensations were all too new to him, far more intense and pleasurable than anything he'd ever managed to create with just his hand. There was no way he could hold back for long.Amy suddenly felt his penis swell in her mouth, like it was expanding somehow. The earlier handjob she'd given had clued her in on what this meant of course; his climax was imminent.Now was the moment of truth, Amy realized. Would she be able to handle him squirting all that thick, sticky stuff in her mouth?Despite being completely inexperienced, Amy was a smart girl. She decided the best course of action in a split second.Quickly she lifted her head up so that her mouth now only held his throbbing cock head. Her lips sealed tight around the ridge forming a vacuum. The hand that had been gripping his base now started to stroke his shaft up and down as he'd taught her before, jerking him while applying gentle suction with her mouth.If she was going to try to catch all of his squirt, she decided she should treat his cock like a straw and try to suck it out. That's just what she did, and she felt the first blast pushing its way up his shaft under her hand, forcefully shooting out the tip.It hit her tongue; hot, salty, but also sweet somehow. The texture was thick and creamy, like some strange combo of yogurt and egg whites. Amy tasted it for only a microsecond before acting on instinct and working the slimy glob to the back of her throat and swallowing.Just in time for the second blast. This one caught her less prepared, and she choked slightly, then kept going.But there was simply too much to keep up with. Her mouth was filling up faster than she could swallow, and with horror she realized some of his cum was leaking out past her lips despite her best efforts at containment and about to drip on the couch.Suddenly she felt a hand just under her chin. Tommy, thinking quickly, had grabbed some fortunate nearby napkins and was using them to catch the run off oozing from her lips and down her chin.She took the napkins gratefully, and quickly mopped up her chin. Amy pulled her mouth back until her lips were resting just over the slit of his tip, then slowly stroked his still hard shaft, feeling the last few drops squeeze out on her tongue.She rolled his cum around on her tongue a bit, savoring the taste this time. It didn't taste bad, nor did it taste good, she thought. Just, odd. But it certainly wasn't terrible or anything. And just the notion of what exactly it was, and just how it had wound up in her mouth, sent pleasant little shivers through her.Amy looked up at Tommy, the tip of his penis still on her lips, and grinned proudly. She'd done it! She'd actually made him squirt with her mouth! And managed to keep it from getting truly messy by actually swallowing almost all of it.Amy felt his penis starting to soften slightly in her hand. She marveled at the fascinating biology of it all for a moment before deciding on a whim to lick him completely clean of the last few splashes of cum that were stuck to him.She heard Tommy moan, and felt his body tremor, as she gently finished cleaning his shaft and head with her tongue. Then, giving it one last kiss, she reluctantly let go of his slowly deflating penis.Amy then felt a sudden pang of guilt. Not for giving her first blowjob, no. She actually felt proud about that. She just felt bad for being so focused on what she was doing that she'd totally missed out on seeing most of Tommy's reaction.She looked up at him again. His face was flushed, but grinning ear to ear. She noticed with some alarm that his lower lip was bleeding, and called his attention to it.“Really?” Tommy muttered, as if coming out of a trance. He tentatively touched his lip, saw the blood on his fingers, then chuckled softly. “Well, it was either bite my lip or scream so loud I'd wake your parents. Small price to pay, I guess,” he said laughing. “It's not bad, it'll be fine, don't worry.” He dabbed his lip with a fresh napkin, wiping off the blood.Amy got up off her knees and sat beside him on the couch, then simply wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug that he returned in earnest.“That was beautiful, Amy. Absolutely amazing. Thank you so, so much,” he whispered in her ear, followed by, “I love you.”“I know,” she whispered, grinning again. Tommy laughed. “Well played, princess.”Looking up, Tommy noticed the credits were now rolling on the movie.“Shit, I better get moving,” he sighed, reluctantly letting go of Amy and reaching down to pull his shorts back up.“Wait,” whispered Amy, “just a second, I just wanna, ,” her hand wrapped around his now soft penis and gave it a gentle squeeze, “say goodbye.” Then she giggled. “It's so strange how different it feels when it's soft,” she marveled.“Yeah, well keep that up and you'll wake it up again,” he said, only half joking. He already felt it starting to stir despite having just had his second orgasm within a couple of hours.“Take a last look,” he cracked before pulling his shorts up and adjusting everything back to normal.Their eyes met again, and Amy gently kissed him, taking care not to put too much pressure on his sore lip. But it had already stopped bleeding and he didn't wince at her kiss, simply returned it.Finally they broke the kiss, and Tommy stood up. “Time for me to go, babe, sorry.”Amy nodded, then suddenly looked troubled. Noticing the look, he asked, “What is it? What's on your mind?”Amy took a moment to gather her thoughts, then finally spoke. “Tommy, I, I've really, enjoyed everything we've, done together tonight. All of it. And I don't feel guilty or shameful about it. Does, does that make me, a slut?” she asked with a gulp.“No, God no,” Tommy gasped. “Do you love me?” he asked her, looking in her eyes.“Yes, so much,” she replied earnestly.“I love you too, Amy. And I don't think it's wrong for two people who love each other to, to do these things, to, to make each other feel good. To, please each other,” he said, “no matter what some guy in a collar says from a pulpit.”Amy's face relaxed and broke into a warm, grateful smile. “Thank you,” she said softly, “that makes me feel better. Because I feel that way too.”“I gotta say,” said Tommy, “It kinda surprised me the way you swore when you were orgasming. It was, it was kinda hot.”Amy blushed but grinned. “Yeah, that surprised me too, actually,” she said, then just shrugged.They shared one last embrace, a quick final kiss, and then Tommy was out the door.He turned to look back at her, waved, and whispered loudly, “I love you. See you again soon.”“I love you too,” she mouthed silently, blew him a kiss, and closed the door.&l

Two life long friends start to explore intimacy together.In 4 parts, By D j mac 1031 - listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.The pool party had been going on for several hours, and it was well after dark, when Amy asked me if I'd wanted to go for a walk in the woods behind the house.She was 18, I was 19, but we'd known each other since we were toddlers, our families being very close and part of the same church group.The party was to celebrate her high school graduation (I graduated the year before) and was mainly our families along with some of our mutual friends from church and school.As I said, we'd been friends for a long time, but it was only in recent months that things seemed to change between us.Talking about our futures, our questions of what we wanted to do with our lives, our secret bonding over our mutual distaste of our parents' particular brand of religion, had brought us closer together as friends, but also somehow felt more than ‘just' friends.I'd certainly started noticing her beautiful body more recently as well.Amy was blonde, with curly shoulder length locks, now damp around her face. Blue eyes that almost matched the pool water we were currently floating in.Her one-piece bathing suit was modest (I'm sure her parents had some say in that) but still couldn't help but highlight the curves of her perfect apple sized breasts, or the roundness of her ass that hadn't quite lost its “baby fat” yet.She was well tanned of course; it was her pool and she spent a lot of time sunning herself when she wasn't actually swimming in it.We'd been playing Marco Polo for awhile along with our friends, and there was the usual silliness, splashing, and occasional “accidental” groping of random body parts as we all chased each other around the pool, taking turns being the “blind” player.My hands had found Amy's body on more than a few occasions when it was my turn. I was starting to think she was letting me catch her just so my hands could brush against her hips, her back, and yes once right across her round bubble ass.We'd been taking a break from the game and just floating nearby each other, catching our breath, when she asked about going for the walk.Most of our friends had left the pool already, getting snacks or drinks or just drying off.“You really wanna?” I asked, surprised. We'd been spending a lot of time together recently, but both of us having very religious conservative parents made it difficult to actually pursue any kind of true dating relationship.We weren't girlfriend and boyfriend yet, not by any stretch, but had certainly progressed beyond mere childhood friends in the past several weeks.I still remember my surprise when she kissed me right on the lips at her graduation ceremony just a few days ago.Oh it was quick, and she'd been hugging and kissing lots of folks. But it wasn't accidental on her part and it certainly didn't feel platonic.“Yeah, come on, it'll be fun, I promise,” she replied. The smile on her face was mischievous to say the least.I was a bit scared honestly. Both our parents would freak out if they caught us sneaking off together. I honestly couldn't wait to get out of my house and away from all the religious nonsense. But until then I had to put up with their repressive bullshit that made it incredibly difficult for me to even consider dating any girls on a regular basis, let alone get laid.We climbed out of the pool, grabbed our towels, and took a look around.Our parents all seemed busy, chatting away with some of the other parents in attendance, drinking, laughing, and playing some card game.I didn't think they'd notice us.“ Okay, let's go, lead the way I guess. You know these woods better than me.”Amy didn't hesitate. She took my hand and led me to a little path that was barely visible in the dark.As we got to the edge by the tree line, we both took one more look around, saw no one noticing us, and quietly slipped through the trees and down the path.We hadn't gone very far when we came to a little clearing. A few stumps marked where some trees had been cleared, and a small pile of wood to one side, apparently the remains of some makeshift fort.“My brothers cleared this spot years ago; they used to have sleep-outs in their fort. They never let me come here with them but I've always known about it. They eventually forgot about it as they got older, but I never did. It's a nice spot to just get away and be alone for a while,” she explained.“Yeah, it's pretty cool I guess” I said, then, awkwardly, “not that many bugs here.”She laughed. “I keep it clear here so it doesn't get overgrown. And I sprayed some bug killer here earlier this afternoon. Just in case.” She had that mischievous grin again and a twinkle in her eye I couldn't fathom.“In case what?” I asked stupidly. God, the cluelessness of a teenage boy.“In case this” she said, and suddenly she was in my arms, her lips pressed to mine.I froze for a moment, but thankfully, instinct took over, and I kissed her back.She broke the kiss after a few seconds, almost reluctantly. "I've been wanting to do that forever, you know. I've been waiting so long for the right moment.“I smiled, hoping she couldn't see how red my face was in the moonlight that shone down on us."Wow. Well I'm, I'm glad you did Amy. That was, that was really, that was really nice.” I stuttered around the words like an idiot.“I'm glad you liked it. Because I wanna do it again.” She smiled, looking at me in anticipation.This time I made the move, pulling her gently by the waist, leaning down a bit (she was shorter than me) and moving in for another kiss.She met me halfway and once again our lips connected.We were both inexperienced, but we got the hang of it quickly. I tested her lips with my tongue; they parted and accepted it. She offered her tongue in return, and we explored, if a bit awkwardly, the art of French kissing.We'd break the kiss only for a few moments to look into each other's eyes, smile, then right back at it.My hands up until that point had remained on her hips. Her arms were up around my neck and she was standing on her toes to help get some height.I decided to be a bit bolder, and slowly started moving my hands. First just slowly up then back down her sides. I repeated this move a few times and her body seemed to respond positively, so I got braver.My hands went back to her hips, then slowly around to her back. While the front of her suit was modest, the back was mostly open, allowing my hands to gently caress her soft, perfect skin.She broke the kiss and giggled, “that tickles!”“Sorry,” I said, lying.“I didn't say stop, did I?” She replied softly, then started kissing me again.My hands continued rubbing her back, but now I was moving them in small slow circles, lower, and lower still, stopping just above her ass.I could feel her wriggling, trying to stand taller, and realized she was trying to actually move her ass UP and into my hands!I took her signal and went with it, sliding my hands down and finally cupping the perfect teen bubble ass I'd up until then been able to admire only with my eyes.“Mmm,” she moaned as she broke the kiss. “Finally. Took you long enough,” she giggled again playfully.“I was trying to be a gentleman,” I joked.“Well stop trying so hard” she shot back playfully.“Oh yeah?“ I said in mock annoyance. "Well then,” and with that I playfully grabbed her ass harder.What happened next happened quickly. My pull on her ass threw her off the balance of her toes, and she fell forward, right into me, our bodies touching fully for the first time.And that's when I realized I had a massive erection.I felt her lower stomach lean right into it when she slipped, felt the simultaneous jolt of pain from the impact and pleasure from, well, the contact.She was laughing at first, then suddenly went quiet as she looked down, confused for a moment.Then her eyes went wide as she looked up at me.“Is that, is that your,” Now she was the one stuttering. "Is that what I think it is?“ She managed to get out.My face went beet red. "Yeah, um, look, sorry, I,”“It's  okay” she cut in. “Did I, did I hurt you?”“No,” I replied. (it had hurt, but only a little really and I didn't want to make her feel bad.)“Oh,  okay, good.” She said, biting her lip.We stood there in awkward silence for a moment. But she didn't back away, and I certainly didn't want her to. My cock was throbbing, straining against the fabric of my suit, and while separated by my suit and her own, I still enjoyed the contact of another person, especially my beautiful friend Amy, touching up against my penis, even if only indirectly.I didn't want the moment to end. But I didn't know how to continue.Amy finally broke the silence. "Is that, because of me?“ She asked shyly."Yes” I managed.She pulled away from me and I almost groaned. I didn't want her to move.But she only pulled back far enough to look down to see the tent pushing up from my swimsuit.Her eyes again went wide. “Wow. I mean I knew they got, bigger, when guys got, uh; but I didn't think they'd get that, big, or,” She stopped, looking both confused and excited.I was embarrassed, yet also feeling a sense of pride, and excitement. My life-long friend was seeing my erected penis for the first time, even if it was covered by my suit, and it was giving her a good show.“Have you never seen a guys, you know, thing before?” I asked, hoping mine was truly her first.“Well, no, not really. A picture in a textbook once. but it was just a drawing, and not this big, or,” she paused.“Hard?” I finished for her.“Yeah,” she laughed. "I never saw a hard one, or a real one.“ She gulped."Yeah, they're usually smaller and soft, normally. But get much bigger and harder when, excited” I explained simply.“So you're, excited, because of me?”“Yes,” I replied, “Amy, you're so beautiful, and I'm so happy to be here, kissing you, and touching you. I've wanted this for a long time too, and now that it's happening, I can't help but get, well, turned on. I hope this doesn't upset you.”“No, not at all. I, I love it” she said, grinning widely.“Can I, can I touch it? She stammered.My heart jumped. This is gonna happen? My brain screamed silently in joy."Of course,” I managed to say, “I'd, I'd love that.”She came in closer to me again. I could smell the chlorine in her hair, but also just, well, her. Her bright face shined in the moonlight, beautiful, without a stitch of makeup on.Her left arm went around my hip to my back, and with her right, she slowly, tentatively, reached out and placed the palm of her hand over the bulge of my suit.My cock jumped immediately at her touch, and she was startled, pulling her hand back in surprise.“It moved!” She gasped. “Wait, it, it moves?”“Yeah it does that,” I smiled, begging silently for her to touch it again.She burst out laughing. “Oh my God, that's great! It moves!” She laughed so loud I was afraid the whole party behind us would hear.“Shush,” I whispered, and she tried to contain herself, finally quieting to the occasional giggle.Her hand reached out, more boldly this time, and again my throbbing member jumped at her touch, but this time she didn't pull away.Instead, she started gently rubbing it with the palm of her hand. It bobbed and twitched with her movements and she smiled brightly, like a kid on Christmas with a new toy, enjoying how it responded to her touch.I was enjoying it too. Not exactly the way I did it on my own of course, but hell, any touching was good touching, when it came to a beautiful girl with her hand on your cock.“Does that, does it feel, good?” She asked shyly.“Oh god yes, Amy. It feels amazing, so so good! Please don't stop.” I begged.She smiled such a beautiful smile, and continued exploring.“I want to, I wanna see it” she said suddenly.I felt I must be dreaming. If so, please, whatever you do, God, be merciful, please don't wake me up now!I couldn't even manage the words so just nodded, and she slowly tugged down my suit, struggling a bit to get it over the protruding obstacle, until I helped by undoing the string and tugging with her.It suddenly popped out, springing upward in all its full glory.She had to stifle another laugh; not a cruel one, mocking me, but a joyful, playful excited laugh that spoke to how thrilled she was to finally see it.“Wow! Holy crap!” She whispered. “It looks even bigger in person! And so, veiny! Are you sure that's not painful? It looks so swollen!”“Not painful at all, it actually feels really pleasurable, and very sensitive to, being touched” I said, hinting at what I hoped she'd get back to.She grinned wickedly and took the hint, and her hand again reached for my cock. Within moments I was feeling, for the first time ever, the incredible feeling of skin on skin contact from someone other than myself touching my cock.Now, she was using her fingers, running them up my shaft, tracing their way to the tip, then, back down. My body was literally shaking in bliss.Suddenly she giggled again.“What's so funny now?” I asked, not harshly.“I just now noticed your, what's the word? Testicles, right? They're, don't be mad, please, but they're just silly looking. Like little balls in a sack.”“Yeah well that's why we call them balls,” I laughed. "And it's okay, I'm not mad. They are kinda goofy looking.“Her hand cupped them gently, and she looked up at me, questioning. "Is this okay? I don't wanna hurt them, I know it can really hurt a guy getting hit there.”“You're fine, just be gentle with them, don't squeeze, just rub,” I said.She gently rubbed them for a few seconds, feeling their weight, being very careful.“What feels better, touching your, balls, or your,?” She must have felt embarrassed to say penis or cock or whatever other term, because she just gestured at my twitching member.“My cock?” I said, seeing how she'd react if I said it.She flinched at the word, not used to using or hearing the “dirty” words too often I suppose.“Yeah, your, cock,” she repeated, trying out the word, then deciding she liked it.“Your big hard cock.” Her face had that wicked grin again.“Yeah touching my cock feels better, honestly,” I grinned back. “Especially when you are touching it.”She took that as an invitation to continue.“Tell me how to, to touch it the way, the way you like,” she asked nervously.“Okay. Well,” I paused, then continued, “what you were doing felt really good, but it's better if you, well, here, let me show you.” And with that I took her hand and guided it into the more familiar grip around my shaft, then showed her how to stroke it, pulling the skin gently up around the tip, then back, the way every guy figures out how to do as soon as he hits puberty.She got the hang of it pretty quickly and I let go, allowing her to continue at her own pace.“It feels so warm,” she gasped, “and, I can feel your pulse in it” she marveled.Suddenly she looked up at me. “It's, beautiful.” She said, then kissed me.I pulled her in close as we kissed, her hand never letting go.I was close to cumming, I knew I wouldn't last much longer if she kept going. I grabbed her hand and made her pause, trying to extend the moment. She looked up at me questioningly.“Just needed a pause for a second.” I explained. Suddenly, I had a thought.“Can I,?” I stammered, as I moved my hand towards her beautiful firm boobs, waiting for her consent.She bit her lip, then nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.I touched her breast gently, my hand over her suit still, heard her gasp, felt her shudder. I could feel her nipple, stiff and swollen, poking through the fabric.Her hand suddenly left my cock, and I looked at her, curious. She simply smiled then reached up and slowly slipped the shoulder straps of her bathing suit down.She hesitated for only a moment, then continued, exposing to my delighted eyes her firm, young breasts for the first time.They stood, perky and oh so round, their pale pinkness a sharp contrast to the rest of her tanned skin. Her nipples were tiny points sticking up from the middle of her light pink, puffy areolas.My face must have been interesting; with my mouth agape and my eyes wide, because she giggled again, nervously.“Do you like them?” She asked quietly.“They're beautiful. Just like you Amy,” I replied lovingly. She blushed but smiled.With my left arm still holding her close, my right hand again found her perfect tits.I went from one to the other, alternating between a gentle caress and soft squeezes. I could feel her heart racing beneath her left breast. I gently rolled her left nipple between my fingers, then gave it a slight tug. She gasped in surprise and (I'd hoped) pleasure.“Was that  okay? I didn't hurt you?” I asked, concerned.“No, I'm fine, it felt good, just, sensitive,” she managed to say, breathing heavily.We kissed again, and then I felt her hand return to stroking my throbbing boner.After about another minute or two of this, her stroking my cock, me playing with her breasts, I felt the familiar sensation of my climax approaching, knowing I would not be able to hold it back any longer.“Amy,” I gasped, breathing heavy, “you're going to make me, oh God, I can't hold it back,” I moaned, tried not to scream my pleasure, and managed to get out “Please, just don't stop, don't stop, don't,”My cock swelled; she gasped but didn't let go, kept stroking, as the first blast of hot cum shot from the tip of my cock.It hit her right between her exposed breasts. She jumped but stayed close, still not letting go, still jerking me steadily as blast after sticky blast continued to burst from my straining organ.Cum went everywhere; more squirted on her suit, her hand, her arm. Some dripped on her feet, and I could hear her squealing and giggling.Her eyes met mine, confused and questioning. "Just a little more, please, I'm begging you.“ I groaned, and she kept her grip, milking the last remaining drops, watching them ooze out the tip to drip to the grass below.Finally, I could take no more, and grabbed her hand gently, pulling it away from my still hard but finally satisfied cock."So, so good, Amy, that was so good, thank you, oh thank you,” I struggled and finally managed to control my breathing as I repeated, “Oh, thank you.”“You're welcome,” she said gently, and her lips found mine once more.That kiss lasted, seconds? Minutes? A lifetime? Forever?Finally it broke, and we both laughed. We shared a mutual mix of embarrassment and excitement at the state we found ourselves in. My cock, hanging there, slowly deflating. Her breasts still exposed. Cum everywhere.“Holy shit that was a mess!” She exclaimed. “I knew, I knew something would, you know, come out, but, wow, holy shit!”I realized with horror the mess I had made on her. “Oh god, Amy, I'm sorry, really, it just happened so fast, I wasn't thinking, I,”She cut me off. “It's  okay. I, I loved it. I loved making that happen. I loved that you felt good. I loved that it was because, because of me.” I could hear the pride in her voice, like a sense of accomplishment.“Shit, we better clean up” she gasped suddenly. She then grabbed the towel she had brought and started desperately wiping away the spunk from her boobs. “Take one last look” she said as she fixed her suit, covering up her breasts to my dismay.She then continued cleaning herself, mopping up the jizz that had splattered on her suit, hands and feet.“It's  okay, don't worry,” she said; to herself or me I wasn't sure. “I'll clean most of this up and in the dark no one will notice the stains, and I'll jump back in the pool real quick and that should,” She paused, looked at me, still standing there, cock deflated now but sticky with my cum, then laughed and threw me the towel. "Here, clean up and put that away,“ she said quickly, ”we gotta get back before someone notices we've been missing.“I quickly wiped myself down, and noticed her eying my penis one last time."It's, softer now.” She whispered.“Yeah, you, you tired it out.” I winked and smiled. She laughed, again looking pleased with herself.We quickly finished cleaning up, did a double check on each other, adjusted our clothing to make sure everything was back in place, then shared one last, lingering kiss.I looked her in the eye, resolved to tell her my feelings. “Amy, I, I lov,”“Hush.” She said, cutting me off. “We gotta go! Now!”We crept down the path, back the way we came. I could hear the sounds of the party again as we came to the end of our tree cover.We stopped, peaking out cautiously, seeing who may be looking in our direction.It looked clear, and I was about to step out when Amy stopped me.“Wait,” she whispered. “I'll go first. My mom knows I like to visit that clearing alone sometimes. I tell her I pray out there, but I really just go to get away from them and be alone sometimes. If she or someone else sees me coming out alone, that's my story, that I slipped away for a quiet moment of prayer.”You genius, I thought as I smiled admiringly at her.“You wait a few minutes. If I get back without questions, I'll head right for the house, wash my suit off better and make sure to rinse this towel out. Wait till I'm in the house, then come out. If anyone questions you, tell them,” Here she paused, hesitated.“I'll tell them I had to pee and the bathroom was occupied. Embarrassing, but better than the truth” I whispered back.She smiled. “That will work, good thinking.  Okayhere I go. Oh one last thing,”She paused, kissed my lips quickly, touched my cheek gently,“, I love you too.”Then she turned, and stepped out from the trees, walking slowly back towards the yard.Amy cleans up, then has a few minutes of alone time..Looking around, the coast was clear, and she made a beeline up the stairs and towards the bathroom. In the hallway, she almost plowed into her best friend Cindy, who had just exited the bathroom.“Hey, there you are,” said Cindy. “I was looking for you earlier. Where were you?”Amy panicked for a moment but quickly collected herself, and managed a calm, casual reply. “Oh just went for a walk, needed some quiet time to reflect, be with God, ya know?” Amy then made a move to get around Cindy, trying to reach the bathroom before Cindy noticed anything suspicious.But it was too late. “You look, flushed. Nervous. You okay? Something wrong?” Cindy asked.“No nothing,” Amy spat out too quickly. “Just, just really gotta pee.” She tried again for the bathroom.Cindy caught her up again. “Something is up, I can tell. Come on, dish!” she pleaded.“I'll, I'll tell you about it later, I promise,” Amy stammered.“You better, bestie,” Cindy called after her as Amy finally made it to the bathroom and slammed the door.“Whew, finally,” Amy whispered to herself. She double checked to make sure she locked the door, then turned to examine herself in the mirror.Her face broke into a huge grin. “I can't believe we just did that,” she thought, recalling the recent time she'd just spent alone in the woods with Tommy.Her good Christian upbringing told her she should be feeling guilt and shame, like a wanton little slut that men would never respect, let alone marry.But she didn't really believe any of that. Instead, all she felt was the joy and excitement of a young woman discovering both love and the pleasures of the flesh at the same time.She composed herself quickly; can't dwell on that just yet. Things to do first.She examined her bathing suit in the mirror. Despite her best efforts, she could still see the dried remains of Tommy's, sperm? Semen? She knew there was a difference but couldn't remember what. It had dried to dark patches on her light blue suit.“I'll have to change it,” she thought. “I'll tell mom I spilled something on it.” She quickly stripped off her suit and as she did so, noticed another stain. This one in the crotch.“Wow, girl, you really got yourself excited, didn't you?” she thought. The gusset of her suit was damp and sticky, and as she held it up closer to examine it, she caught a strong whiff of the scent of her vagina that not even the pool chlorine could drown out.It wasn't an unpleasant smell. She'd smelled it before of course, during her relatively recent discovery and explorations of the pleasures of self pleasure. She found herself wondering if Tommy would enjoy her scent.Masturbation was a “sin” her parents would condemn, no doubt, but she'd felt no shame in touching herself, in discovering how her body reacted to the exploration of her fingers over her most intimate parts.Almost absent mindedly, Amy ran her hand over the fine blonde pubic hair covering her mound. Slipping downwards between her legs, she discovered the slick warm wetness that still lingered there. She felt the pulsing and throbbing of the little bump at the top that she knew would give her incredible pleasure if she just,“Not now, dammit,” she swore to herself. “Get this done, quick.”She stooped, still naked, and quickly washed out her suit along with the towel she'd used to wipe herself down earlier, making sure to get all of Tommy's sticky stuff off of both.Looking down, she noticed a faded drop of, cum, she decided to call it, a word she'd heard before somewhere, dried now but still visible on her left breast.She touched it, tentatively, then smelled her finger. On a sudden whim, she tasted it.The taste was faint, but tangy and salty. She wondered for a moment what it would be like to taste it fresh, and her vagina throbbed at the thought.“Not now!” she thought again, and quickly jumped in the shower, soaping and rinsing her whole body as quickly as possible. Her private parts begged her to linger over washing them. She ignored it.Finished bathing, Amy grabbed a fresh towel, dried off, and wrapped herself in it. She then scooped up the wet suit and soiled towel. She'd put them in her bedroom hamper, and hopefully remember to do her own laundry first thing tomorrow.She cracked the bathroom door and peeked out. All clear.Her bedroom door was just a few steps down the hall and she made it through and behind it in seconds. Again she quickly locked her door.She walked over to her bedroom window that overlooked the yard where the party was still going on and peeked out through the curtains.Her parents were still playing the card game they'd been at with the other parents when she and Tommy had first snuck off to the woods for what turned out to be way more than just the kissing she'd planned on.She looked around for Tommy, and saw him sitting alone by the edge of the pool, dangling his feet in the water, looking lost in thought.She had a sudden overwhelming desire to knock on the window, get his attention, and flash him her boobs. A desire she quickly squashed. “If my parents saw that they'd chain me in the basement for a month with a rosary,” she said, grimacing at the thought.She would go back out and join him soon, she thought. Hopefully get to talk privately but if not, at least spend time with him, basking in their secret shared stolen moments together.“But first,” she thought, “God help me but I need to take care of this first.”Amy closed the curtains, making sure they were completely covering her window. She doubted anyone could see anything that high up, but she was taking no chances.She walked over to her bed, dropped her towel, and lay naked over the bedspread.“I've only got a few minutes or I'm gonna need another story to tell,” she thought.But a few minutes was all she'd need really.Amy had only truly discovered masturbation last summer. It was her 18th birthday party, another pool party, and of course Tommy had been there.They'd been swimming of course, along with the usual horse play.Nothing had happened between them then, but at one point while she was sunning herself on the deck, Amy saw something.Or at least, she thought she did.Tommy had just climbed out of the pool near her, and as he stood up, his suit was clinging to him tightly, and Amy, who was lounging in her pool chair, sunglasses on, saw quite clearly the outline of his, well, she was pretty sure it was his penis.It only lasted a second, as he adjusted his suit and the fabric fell away from it, but that moment locked in Amy's mind.She'd suddenly become fascinated with seeing it again, and found herself, over and over again throughout the day, stealing glances at his crotch when she thought he wasn't looking, keeping her sunglasses on so she wouldn't be obvious about it.Every time he moved, everytime he bent or even walked, she looked for any telltale signs of it under his suit, to the point she was probably over imagining every curve of the fabric of his bathing suit.That night when she crawled into bed, that singular moment of him stepping out of the pool, suit tight and clinging around the outline of his genitals, was replaying over and over in her mind, not allowing sleep to come.She'd touched herself before that night, off and on, even though she'd been taught that was a sin of course.But that night, she felt a hot ache between her legs she'd never experienced before, an ache that begged to be touched, massaged, fondled, fingered.She'd experienced her first true orgasm that night, and in the months since had figured out the best ways to bring that incredible feeling over and over again.And almost every time, she wound up thinking about the outline of Tommy's penis in his bathing suit.Now though, oh, she had so, So much more to think about!She'd kissed him. Made out with him!She hadn't just seen the outline of his penis this time. She'd actually seen it fully hard and erect and literally making a tent in his suit.She'd actually touched it! First over his suit, then actually took down his shorts and literally saw and touched it fully exposed!It even moved, like it had a mind of its own! Oh how that had made her laugh with delight.And best of all, she'd made him squirt! Everywhere!Amy's mind raced with all of this as she rubbed her clit furiously. She had no time for a slow build up and didn't need it.Her vagina was on fire; swollen, slick and dripping as she rubbed herself.She never used her fingers too deeply, wanting to keep her virginity intact, but explored deep enough to imagine the tip of Tommy's cock, (“Yes, cock, that's what he called it,” she remembered) pushing its way into her tight virgin opening.

Are online friends REAL friends? I'm not talking about parasocial relationships, which are one-sided relationships; I'm talking about people you've had conversations with, people who know things about you. My personal opinion is that they most certainly are.In this episode, I talk in-depth about the difference between my friends I met in person and the friends I met online. I combat some of the pushback people have against people you meet online and highlight some of the benefits of online friendship, from global perspectives to professional support.At the end of the day, true connection isn't about where it started or how it's maintained. It's about how we are showing up for each other and supporting each other, whether that's across the dinner table or across the world.In this episode you'll hear about:How many of my current friendships started online, including podcast guests like Alex Friedman and Wesley StroupeWhere online friendships can form (business groups, social media, virtual reality forums, etc.) and how to maintain them (Zoom, Facetime, Marco Polo, social media)Finding niche friends online – for example, many of my professional friendships were formed in the digital space – and gaining global perspectives from themCommon concerns about online friendships: Will they fizzle out? Are they surface-level? Who actually IS this person from the internet?Resources & LinksListen to Episode 25 with Patrice Poltzer, Episode 48 with Michelle Reichman, Episode 72 with Wesley Stroop, Episode 44 with Deasha Waddup, and Episodes 5 and 7 with Alex Friedman.Also be sure to listen to Episode 128 about parasocial relationships!Like what you hear? Visit my website, leave me a voicemail, and follow me on Instagram and TikTok!Want to take this conversation a step further? Send this episode to a friend. Tell them you found it interesting and use what we just talked about as a conversation starter the next time you and your friend hang out!

I'm so excited for today's guest: Olivia Cheng! I've been following Olivia's work for years—from Marco Polo to Warrior , and now her directorial debut, I am Raquel Welch and latest film Lucky Star. She's often recognized for her presence on screen, but there's so much more to her: sharp, soulful, and deeply intentional. The post 421. Olivia Cheng on acting, directing and bubble tea first appeared on Sifu Mimi Chan.

This week Seth and co-host Jon Parshall take a look at...yes you read that correctly. More on that later. Seth and Jon take a look at what some historians say is the beginning of World War II, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. The team dives into the lead-up to the shots being fired and then what happens next. Both Japan and China, especially Chiang Kai Shek, push for war against one another and by the end of the summer of 1937, both nations HAVE to fight, springing what was already a touchy situation in China after the invasion of Manchuria in 1931 to an all-out war in 1937. The guys go into the political situation and then get into the weeds in the Battle of Shanghai. The fight for the famous city, Shanghai, would be the largest and deadliest urban combat fight in history until Stalingrad and would set the stage for the barbarity that would follow. Bill had to reluctantly step away from the show, for how long--no one knows-- and delivers a touching farewell message to all of us in the beginning of this episode. We will miss Bill, but Jon and I will keep the ship sailing and will always have a warm seat ready for our brother when he is able to return. Speaking of Jon, I am very grateful that he stepped in and is going to be with me for the future (read permanently) and both excited and honored that he will be with me as we go through this exciting season together. #wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #usnavy #usa #usarmy #medalofhonor #enterprise #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #cv6 #midway #wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #worldwar2 #usnavy #usnavyseals #usmc #usmarines #saipan #usa #usarmy #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #battleship #battleships #ussenterprise #aircraftcarriers #museum #essex #halsey #taskforce38 #wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #usnavy #usa #usarmy #medalofhonor #enterprise #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #cv6 #midway #wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #worldwar2 #usnavy #usnavyseals #usmc #usmarines #saipan #usa #usarmy #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #battleship #battleships #ussenterprise #aircraftcarriers #museum #hollywood #movie #movies #books #mastersoftheair #8thairforce #mightyeighth #100thbombgroup #bloodyhundredth #b17 #boeing #airforce wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #usnavy #usa #usarmy #medalofhonor #enterprise #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #cv6 #midway #wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #worldwar2 #usnavy #usnavyseals #usmc #usmarines #saipan #usa #usarmy #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #battleship #battleships #ussenterprise #aircraftcarriers #museum #hollywood #movie #movies #books #oldbreed #1stMarineDivision #thepacific #Peleliu #army #marines #marinecorps #worldwar2 #worldwar #worldwarii #leytegulf #battleofleytegulf #rodserling #twilightzone #liberation #blacksheep #power #prisoner #prisonerofwar #typhoon #hurricane #weather #iwojima#bullhalsey #ace #p47 #p38 #fighter #fighterpilot #b29 #strategicstudying #tokyo #boeing #incendiary #usa #franklin #okinawa #yamato #kamikaze #Q&A #questions #questionsandanswers #history #jaws #atomicbomb #nuclear

Nos adentramos en uno de los misterios más fascinantes y desconocidos del planeta: las dunas cantoras. Desde los relatos de Marco Polo hasta las investigaciones científicas más recientes, exploramos los extraños sonidos que emanan de ciertos desiertos y playas, capaces de desconcertar tanto a viajeros medievales como a científicos modernos. Descubre con nosotros cómo la naturaleza esconde sinfonías en la arena y por qué algunos de estos fenómenos están desapareciendo misteriosamente. ¿Son los espíritus de la arena los que nos susurran secretos, o hay una explicación más terrenal detrás de esta magia? Ponte cómodo y prepárate para escuchar el canto de la Tierra. Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

CLL #2511 (feat. The Love Between The Two Hosts) 05/15/2005 – Sunday Night Show Source – Tucker Stream Recording (2025)  This episode is 100% complete with a medium audio upgrade. Adam shares his plans to change the pool game ‘Marco Polo.’ The Love Between The Two Hosts – CLL on Youtube, with Video for select episodes. https://adamanddrdrewshow.com/1743-loveline-nostalgia-with-superfan-giovanni/ https://account.venmo.com/u/GiovanniGiorgio Paid Link – As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Music Provided by Rich Banks Check out His Website and Soundcloud to hear more of his awesome work and perhaps commission him for your next project. Venmo

Dmitry Kudryn, a Ukrainian-American who who left Soviet rule with his family as a boy tells his story about being wrongfully persecuted by the Department of Homeland Services (Obama era) while working to build a life for his own family.Working hard and starting a business, the DHS began its legal assault on Dmitry, where he was forced to defend himself against bogus charges. His reputation was hurt, business destroyed and he was repeatedly harassed by the federal government over more phony accusations.Dmitry tells his story on today's Corsi Nation.Visit The Corsi Nation website: https://www.corsination.comIf you like what we are doing, please support our Sponsors:Get RX Meds Now: https://www.getrxmedsnow.comMyVitalC https://www.thetruthcentral.com/myvitalc-ess60-in-organic-olive-oil/Swiss America: https://www.swissamerica.com/offer/CorsiRMP.phpGet Dr. Corsi's new book, The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: The Final Analysis: Forensic Analysis of the JFK Autopsy X-Rays Proves Two Headshots from the Right Front and One from the Rear, here: https://www.amazon.com/Assassination-President-John-Kennedy-Headshots/dp/B0CXLN1PX1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=20W8UDU55IGJJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ymVX8y9V--_ztRoswluApKEN-WlqxoqrowcQP34CE3HdXRudvQJnTLmYKMMfv0gMYwaTTk_Ne3ssid8YroEAFg.e8i1TLonh9QRzDTIJSmDqJHrmMTVKBhCL7iTARroSzQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=jerome+r.+corsi+%2B+jfk&qid=1710126183&sprefix=%2Caps%2C275&sr=8-1Join Dr. Jerome Corsi on Substack: https://jeromecorsiphd.substack.com/ Get your FREE copy of Dr. Corsi's new book with Swiss America CEO Dean Heskin, How the Coming Global Crash Will Create a Historic Gold Rush by calling: 800-519-6268Follow Dr. Jerome Corsi on X: @corsijerome1Our link to where to get the Marco Polo 650-Page Book on the Hunter Biden laptop & Biden family crimes free online:https://www.thetruthcentral.com/marco-polo-publishes-650-page-book-on-hunter-biden-laptop-biden-family-crimes-Show lessBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/corsi-nation--5810661/support.

Minerva and Petunia become great friends, despite their large age difference. When a big truth is revealed, their friendship is tested and they learn important lessons about accountability and integrity. If you have questions or comments about today's show you can email Karen and Kelly at info@thesarlos.com. Enjoy! Early access to Coffee with the Sarlos is available by audio on Thursday mornings on Patreon.com/thesarlos in our "Sips of Sanity Workshop" tier or higher. Coffee with the Sarlos is on all of your favourite podcast platforms. Be sure to Subscribe!

Emily Scripps and Peter Kern from Tsavo Highway visited the Flamingo Lounge on May 1, 2025. An engaging conversation along with music ensued. There are also special outtakes at the end of the episode. Quickly gaining recognition in the indie rock and jam scene for their engaging live performances and heartfelt songwriting is Tsavo Highway, a Buffalo-based band consisting of Emily Scripps – lead vocals/various percussion, Christian Dobosiewicz – guitar, Peter Kern – guitar/background vocals, Brian Calisto – bass/background vocals (Buffalo, NY), and Brian McMahon – drums. The band has shared the stage with an impressive lineup of national acts, including Andy Frasco and The U.N., Spafford, The Magic Beans, Shira Elias (Cool, Cool, Cool), Micheal Angelo Carubba (Remain In Light, and Cool, Cool, Cool), J.WAIL Live Band featuring Natalie Cressman (Trey Anastasio Band), Kito B. (Particle), and Scott Hannay (Mihali Band), yam yam, Thank You Scientist, Underground Springhouse, Seven Teller, and good trees river band. In 2023, they were honored with “Best New Band” and “Best Vocalist” in the AllWNY Awards, cementing their presence in the Western New York music community. The band made their debut with the EP “Pit Stop” in May 2023, followed by their single “Find a Way” that following December, which was featured in outlets such as NYS Music, Last Day Deaf, and Modern Neon. These releases laid the foundation for their distinctive sound and growing presence. Most recently, the band unveiled four singles (Buffalo Girls, V Day Song, Introspect, and Marco Polo) leading up to their highly anticipated album, Circles, released January 21, 2025. Filled with dynamic jams, emotional storytelling, and a fresh energy, the album reflects the band's growth and is already generating buzz in the indie and jam music scenes. Their goal is simple: to create memorable experiences through authentic performances and a shared love of sound.

In this unusual episode of Dark Outdoors, we uncover the bizarre case of a man who posed as a woman to gain illegal access to a city park—and its vulnerable deer population. What starts as a strange poaching scheme spirals into a web of wildlife trafficking, leading investigators deep into the shadowy world of exotic animal cloning. Join us as we track the trail from urban deer blinds to high-stakes deals involving the cloning and black-market trade of the elusive Marco Polo sheep and it's "Frankensheep" hybrids.  

Joachim Raff - Symphony No. 8: 3rd movementSlovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, KosiceUrs Schneider, conductorMore info about today's track: Marco Polo 8.223362Courtesy of Naxos of America Inc.SubscribeYou can subscribe to this podcast in Apple Podcasts, or by using the Daily Download podcast RSS feed.Purchase this recordingAmazon

Marco Polo CEO, Vlada Borthnik, almost said no to being on our podcast. It wasn't that she wasn't a fan of AnitaB.org or didn't believe in its mission, it was that we'd asked her to talk about failure… and Vlada almost totally rejects the notion of “failure” on principle. Instead, Vlada advocates for throwing away the binary lens of “success” and “failure” and instead to reframe things as experiments and their outcomes.  Because even when the outcome isn't what you'd hoped for, you can still learn from it. And maybe that learning will set you up for a different outcome next time. Fortunately for us, Vlada came around. In this episode, she talks to Brenda about why she feels so strongly that it's time for us all to stop fearing failure and embrace the idea it's all about experimentation and learning from outcomes - whether they're good or bad. Vlada also shares how the challenges of coming to the US as a refuge when she was 11 set her up for her future as an entrepreneur, why you should worry less about communication at work being messy, and focus instead on making sure you have systems in place to clean those messes up, and how Marco Polo's culture of constant experimentation has led to its success. Plus, Brenda's top three takeaways from the conversion. For more, check out Vlada... On LinkedIn - /in/vlada/ On Facebook - /onmarcopolo On Instagram - @marcopoloapp And if you're curious about Marco Polo, you can download the app for iOS or Android. --- At our heart, AnitaB.org is a connector: we connect women in tech to the organizations, opportunities, and tools they need to advance, thrive, and transform the future of technology. We convene transformative events, lead essential discussions, produce groundbreaking research and white papers, and support the tech ecosystem to shape the future for women in tech.  --- Connect with AnitaB.org Instagram - @anitab_org Facebook - /anitab.0rg LinkedIn - /anitab-org On the web - anitab.org  --- Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services. --- B The Way Forward Is… Hosted and Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson. Produced by Avi Glijansky Associate Produced by Kelli Kyle Sound design and editing by Ryan Hammond  Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski  Additional Producing help from Faith Krogulecki Operations Coordination for AnitaB.org by Quinton Sprull. Creative Director for AnitaB.org is Deandra Coleman Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Frequency Machine  For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org

SummaryIn this episode of the School of Healing podcast, Dominiece Clifton chats with spiritual coach and shaman Kelly Sparta about her journey into spirituality, the power of forgiveness, and lessons learned from her past. Kelly shares how simplifying her business and staying focused have supported her growth, along with the importance of being present. They explore spiritual practices, self-compassion, and embracing authenticity. Kelly also discusses overcoming spiritual addiction, breaking free from external validation, and trusting your inner wisdom for personal and professional transformation.Key TakeawaysKelly emphasizes the importance of simplifying one's to-do list.She advocates for focusing on one program to avoid diffusing energy.The use of WhatsApp and Marco Polo has improved her work-life balance.She encourages others to learn from their mistakes and move forward. It's essential to integrate various modalities into your practice.Understanding who you are is more important than what you do.Spiritual addiction can lead to a constant search for more information.The answers to your struggles often lie within you.Embracing authenticity allows for a more fulfilling journey.Personal growth work is essential alongside energy work.Sound Bites"I leveled up my life.""This isn't what I do, it's who I am.""Just be unapologetically you."Connect with Kelle Sparta:Email: kelle@kellesparta.comWebsite: https://kellesparta.com/LI click hereKelle's Bio:Kelle Sparta is a Spiritual Coach who helps high performance empaths navigate their spiritual awakening in 1/10th the time it would take to do it on their own.She is the host of the popular Spirit Sherpa Podcast with over 300,000 downloads in 147 countries around the world. Her book, The Over-Achiever's Guide to Nailing Your Spiritual Growth in Record Time, is a curriculum for spiritual seekers. Kelle is a psychic, a medium, a channel, an empath, a sound & energy healer, and atransformational shaman. She uses her 49 years of spiritual study and expansive tool box to shepherd her students into their own personal enlightenment as quickly and gracefully as possible.Support the showIMPORTANT LINKS AND RESOURCES: Discover Where You Are Getting Stuck In Your Business, By Taking My Free 3-minute quiz: https://confusionloop.com/ Women Entrepreneurs, schedule your free Clarity Call here Learn more about Move And Still's service offerings: https://movexstill.com/ CONNECT WITH DOM: Learn about Transformation YOUniversity, my 12-week biz coaching program for women entrepreneurs at https://domrclifton.com/coaching-for-women/ IG - @DominieceRClifton LI- Dominiece R. Clifton Email me: hello@movexstill.com A GIFT FOR YOU! Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts to be entered into a drawing to receive my new book FREE! I will be picking one winner monthly. Just send me the screenshot at hello@movestill.com to enter.

Après presque vingt ans de pérégrinations en Asie, Marco Polo aspire à rentrer chez lui, et c'est peut-être lors de ce voyage vers l'Italie qu'il est fait prisonnier par les Génois, les vieux rivaux des Vénitiens. Dans sa cellule, il écrit avec Rustichello de Pise Le Devisement du Monde, le récit de son voyage. Un siècle et demi plus tard, il fait partie des livres que Christophe Colomb consulte pour imaginer son voyage à travers l'Atlantique. C'est à cause de ce livre qu'il croit avoir trouvé les îles de Cipango, le Japon actuel, en arrivant aux Antilles ! Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Marco Polo a voyagé jusqu'aux confins du continent asiatique, à la découverte de civilisations encore mal connues de l'Occident au Moyen-Age. Le récit de son périple, Le Devisement du monde ou Le Livre des Merveilles, influencera des générations d'explorateurs après lui. À l'occasion du 700ème anniversaire de la mort de Marco Polo, Virginie Girod vous fait voyager le long des Routes de la Soie dans un récit inédit en deux parties. Distribué par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Greg Jenner is joined in 13th-Century Venice by Professor Sharon Kinoshita and comedian Ria Lina to learn all about medieval traveller Marco Polo and his adventures in China.Born into a family of merchants, in 1271 a teenage Marco set out for the court of the Mongol emperor Qubilai Khan with his father and uncle. They would not return to Italy for nearly a quarter of a century. In the service of the emperor, the Polos saw all manner of extraordinary things – including the Mongols' amazing imperial postal service and diamond-hunting eagles in India. Imprisoned by the Genoese on his eventual return, Polo spent his time in prison writing his Description of the World with the Arthurian romance author Rustichello, a travelogue describing his exploits in the East and the wonders he had seen. This episode explores Polo's extraordinary life, the decades he spent travelling in China and beyond, and the fascinating account he wrote on his return. If you're a fan of epic voyages, luxurious royal courts and medieval travel writing, you'll love our episode on Marco Polo.If you want more from Ria Lina, check out our episode on pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao. For more on the Mongols listen to our episode on Genghis Khan, and for more medieval travel writers, there's our episode on medieval Muslim explorer Ibn Battuta. You're Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Hannah Cusworth Written by: Hannah Cusworth, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

The National Security Hour with Col. John Mills Ret. – A new national poll reveals 79% of Americans believe Trump would have won in 2020 if the truth about Hunter Biden's laptop had been known. Garrett Ziegler and Marco Polo's investigation played a key role in exposing the truth, contributing to the 2024 election outcome and highlighting deep corruption within the intelligence community and media.