Podcasts about Mecca

TGIF. We got Mecca from "Our Expert Opinion" in the building to close out the week. Mass Appeal is releasing 7 new albums featuring hip-hop legends such as Nas, Mobb Deep, and De La Soul (20:07). Rory and Mal speculate theories behind Nas' beat selection (44:16). Mecca lets us in on what's really going down with Math Hoffa and "Our Expert Opinion" (59:36). Plus, hairdressers are the new scammers (1:39:50), an ethics debate on your childhood friend checking in with girls you've been with (1:49:15), and why backpackers are running the podcast game (2:05:00) #volumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Episode 161 Jay and Matt bring on legendary gym owner Ed Connors... End owned the Mecca of bodybuilding during the golden era of bodybuilding.... This was one of our favorite interviews to date!   TRT Kingdom - https://trtkingdom.com/free-consult/?ref=cutlercast Bucked Up Energy - http://www.buckedup.com/shop/energy-drinks Pacific West Law - http://www.pacificwestinjury.com Fit Club Vegas - http://www.fitclubvegas.com  

Send us a textIn this episode of the Mecca of Banter podcast, the hosts discuss their recent experiences, including a mixed bag of emotions surrounding football performances. They dive into the disappointing results of St. Louis City, analyzing the team's struggles and the atmosphere at games. The conversation shifts to the Champions League, highlighting Arsenal's impressive victory over Real Madrid and discussing upcoming matches and predictions. In this episode, the hosts discuss the current state of European football, focusing on the Champions League and the struggles of Manchester United and Tottenham. They analyze key player performances, particularly Andre Onana's goalkeeping issues, and reflect on the implications of upcoming matches. The conversation also touches on coaching changes and the overall dynamics within the teams as the season approaches its end.Chapters00:00 Welcome Back and Mixed Emotions05:12 St. Louis City Performance Review17:56 Champions League Highlights and Predictions29:23 Champions League Excitement30:43 Manchester United's Struggles32:44 Onana's Goalkeeping Issues35:27 Upcoming Matches and Team Dynamics40:49 Tottenham's Performance Review46:43 Coaching Changes and Future Prospects50:32 Closing Thoughts and Future MatchesMecca of Banter, St. Louis City, Champions League, football, podcast, sports commentary, Champions League, Manchester United, Onana, Tottenham, coaching changes, football analysis, Premier League, team dynamics, player performance, European footballSupport the show

What is the origin of Islam's holiest rock? Join us, as we cover various religious stories on the Kaaba and the black stone of Mecca. WELCOME TO RELIGION CAMP!

ORIGINAL AIR DATE: NOV 18, 2017The longest prophecy in the NT is Revelation chapters 17-18. This prophecy has also received the most wide-spread commentary and analysis than any other. Opinions vary as to the identification of the Great Harlot and the meaning of the beast she rides but one thing is clear: the Scriptures present this prophecy within a context of a literal city.Is this city Rome, Babylon, Jerusalem, or perhaps New York City? There are arguments for each. However, one candidate for this city of the whore that makes drunk the Kings of the earth is receiving renewed attention. That city is Mecca within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Can it be that Mystery Babylon has arisen on the world stage in our time in the form of Islam and specifically the form of Islam originating from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia known as Wahhabism, also known as Salafism?Stay tuned for my conversation with author, researcher, and prophecy expert Joel Richardson in this episode of SER.

In this episode Dinesh and Debbie discuss a wide range of topics, from Trump’s economic policies to runaway judges to a couple of grisly murders to Megyn Kelly’s soft feminism to the strange arrival of Mecca in the Texas city of Sugar Land.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 2238 – Kid A.G., Don Tang, and Pooty Tang are your guides to a springtime shitshow of beeriods, barf, and ballsy chaos. Let's dive in, degenerates. It's 2013, and Kid's fumbling mics while Don's live, yelling “Let's do this!” Pooty's “Hi” is pure bait—cute, but she's no saint. They're chugging Giant Slayer and 12% Zombie Killer, because Michigan winters demand booze-fueled fuckery. Kid's stuffed on El Mexicano, Don and Pooty confess to fruit and string cheese—drunk toddler vibes, confirmed. Shit gets wild: Kid's dog sniffs his nuts mid-dry hump, Don's pup eats cat shit (“Protein!”), and St. Paddy's leaves ‘em puking black—blood or booze, per Nurse Pooty. Social media's popping— @DonaldPTang's tweeting porn star buttholes, Kid's shilling Wunderlist, and peanut butter Cinnamon Toast Crunch has him raging for chocolate dust. General Mills, you listening? Kid drops Django's N-bombs to piss off snowflakes, nearly punches a chick while Muppet-dancing, and dreams of church pew blowjobs—Californication style. Don pitches fucking on Mecca's box during prayer. Pooty's panty drawer's fair game, but her Mason-Jizm line's “above the head.” Beeriod—runny shits post-bender—debuts, and Don's Alaskan Fire Dragon (syphilis scare, jizz-out-the-nose BJ) steals the show. Final words? Don: “Swallow.” Pooty: “Bye.” Kid plugs porn.tumblr.com and Shoninzo's hospital bed. Call 206-202-DEEP, hit thegds.com for that millionth download (butt-crack undies prize!), and follow @DonaldPTang for filth. Spring's here—get sloppy. Original Release Date: April 5, 2013

No FOMO for your MOMO!! Kelly McLemore joins us again to talk about how Corgi Beach Day has grown! From being a small event to entertain her and her husband's corgi with friends after recovering from surgery, the late and legendary Mr. Pickles, to being the biggest corgi party on the planet, the event has become a Mecca for those of us in the corgi world! Tune in as she tells us about some highlights, what to expect, and gives tips on how to make the most of your beach day! References: https://socalcorgibeachday.com/springcorgibeachday25(The referenced Jubilee cake) https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=385951737904889#corgi #podcast #socalcorgibeachday #corgibeachday

On this week's episode, Co-hosts Sequoia Holmes and Jewel Wicker give Mariah Carey her flowers for the 20th anniversary of one of her most critically acclaimed albums, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005).  HighlightsThe Flawless Tracklist Glitter Atlanta is the Mecca of Black art Best Mariah lyrics Songs are a first love that we can't stand to listen to anymore Buy Mocha Grande Merch  Follow Jewel Wickerhttps://www.instagram.com/jewelwickershowhttps://substack.com/@jewelwicker Follow Sequoiahttps://www.instagram.com/sequoiabholmeshttps://www.tiktok.com/@sequoiabholmeshttps://twitter.com/sequoiabholmes Follow BPLP Podhttps://www.instagram.com/bplppodhttps://twitter.com/bplppodhttps://www.tiktok.com/@bplppod

Sephora has launched numerous new brands in recent months, many of them buzzy and beloved — but perhaps none has been as hotly anticipated as Ultra Violette (that's pronounced "violet"), the Aussie sunscreen brand first launched in 2018. Sephora marks the brand's official debut into the U.S. market — a landmark occasion, because, as co-founder Bec Jefferd said on this week's episode of The Glossy Beauty Podcast, "You can't be a serious global beauty brand if you aren't in the U.S." That's in spite of the fact that the brand has already launched in 29 other markets. Jefferd and co-founder Ava Matthews met as coworkers at Mecca, the premier Australian beauty retailer. Growing up in Australia, sun protection is a focus, even in childhood, given the country's climate and high skin cancer rates, Matthews said. Still, in 2016, when they began ideation for the brand, the duo saw the opportunity for a brand that approached the category differently. "[Sunscreen] wasn't at the center of a skin-care routine. We were talking about it as a skin cancer preventative or something to wear in summer, even in Australia," Matthews said. "There were a lot of people talking about sun care in a serious way, in terms of [skin] cancer, but no one talking about sun care as a kind of prestige skin-care product." For reference, Supergoop launched in 2007, as did Coola; while Vacation launched in 2021, as did fellow Aussie sunscreen brand Naked Sundays. Ultra Violette, with its brightly colored packaging and elegant formulas, quickly became one of the hottest sunscreen brands on the market — its unavailability in the States only added to its cool factor. In-the-know editors got it overseas or had friends bring it back when they traveled — it became ubiquitous in chic poolside pics. As recently as 2021, Matthews and Jefferd had no plans to launch in the States, but now, with formulas they've deemed just as good as their Aussie counterparts and the promise of a new broad-spectrum filter likely soon to be approved in the U.S., the time was right. And though the U.S. has not approved a new filter since 1999, 2026 might change that. As of March 28, the brand is on Sephora.com and in-store at all doors. As for the marketing for the Sephora launch, influencer partnerships are about to kick off, mailers have gone out, and a New York City breakfast, co-hosted by Tinx has been held. As Matthews put it, "We're really not prepared to fuck this up." The U.S. range features five products, to start, four sunscreens and one lip product — with SPF, of course — in two shades. Prices range from $22-$40. In 2024, the brand closed a 15 million Australian-dollar minority investment from equity firm Aria Growth Partners. In this episode of The Glossy Beauty Podcast, the co-founders discuss why it finally made sense to launch stateside, why there's promise in the long-awaited new sunscreen filters in the U.S. and who the Ultra Violette customer is, especially as the sunscreen market has become more crowded.

Hosted by Fast Lane Jane Thurmond and Design Muse Theresa Contreras King of the Hammers has become a huge off-road Mecca in Southern California spanning weeks of racing and fun in the desert. Theresa and the Baja Forged crew sat down to talk with influencer and off-road content creator Stewart Webb @the_xcalibur, Megan Miller @mdmoffroad who raced out at the Ultra 4 event and the guys from PRP Seats @prpseats, Liqui Moly @liquimoly and social media marketer Patrick Wagenbrenner who just helped launch @hotrodsnhelos car show. Recorded out at King of the Hammers. Visit www.ultra4racing.com www.kingofthehammers.com and follow @kingofthehammers. Produced by Auto Revolution Auto Revolution produces automotive TV Shows, Podcasts, Promotional Videos, and more. Watch at www.autorevolution.tv and follow @autorevolution Baja Forged Timeless design. Race inspired. BAJA proven! We love looking good driving on and off road.  Baja Forged offers products to be capable when we need them. So we built Baja Forged. Follow Baja Forged at @bajaforged and www.bajaforged.com GTS Customs Corvette specialists, GTS Customs sets the highest standards for custom fab & body work, outrageous paint, complete builds and restomods. Follow GTS Customs at @gtscustoms and www.gtscustoms.com

In the 30th Juz of the Qur’an, nearly 36 surahs were revealed in Mecca, at a time when the Prophet ﷺ was not just calling to Islam but confronting a corrupt society head-on. These Meccan... The post Taraweeh Teachings Day 26- I Wish I Had Done More first appeared on Islampodcasts.

Sam LaGrassa's Deli, situated just off the Freedom Trail, is an excellent spot to refuel during your walking tour of Boston.  Since 1968, this family-operated sandwich mecca has been piling the meats high.  Hats off to the Rumanian pastrami & Swiss on light rye.  Honorable mention to the pickles.  Sure, LaGrassa's swarms with locals at … Continue reading A Sandwich Lover's Mecca – Sam LaGrassa's  44 Province Street, Boston   →

Sam LaGrassa's Deli, situated just off the Freedom Trail, is an excellent spot to refuel during your walking tour of Boston.  Since 1968, this family-operated sandwich mecca has been piling the meats high.  Hats off to the Rumanian pastrami & Swiss on light rye.  Honorable mention to the pickles.  Sure, LaGrassa's swarms with locals at … Continue reading A Sandwich Lover's Mecca – Sam LaGrassa's  44 Province Street, Boston   →

ECPW Heavyweight Champion, The Freshlete Trey Felipe Felipe chats about his fatal four way match against Steve Pena Donovan & Azrieal , his upcoming Fight Factory Wrestling Debut, ISPW Wrestling & more!! Catch Trey this Saturday at Pro Wrestling Magic in Ridgefield Park, NJ!!   As Always The BCP is brought to you by our FAVORITE store, Funkenstein Wrestling Superstore located in The Englishtown Flea Market (NJ) from 8 am -3pm Sat & Sunday and online. Get your favorite wrestling merch, retro games, ninja turtles, Ghostbusters, and so much more!!   Please welcome in our NEW sponsor, MANIA CLUB . Established in 2015, MANIA CLUB is a WWE recognized community for fans with an eclectic love for both the world of professional wrestling and raising money for Connors Cure. During WrestleMania weekend, we host the official Tailgate of WrestleMania while also celebrating Connor Michalek. They are the single largest donor within the V Foundation for Connors Cure with over $150K raised! Please donate and join the Facebook group at Mania Club. Donate at http://JimmyV.org/maniaclub    The BCP is also sponsored by The No Gimmicks Podcast ! The Pro Wrestling podcast that keeps it 100% real, 100% of the time!! The No Gimmicks Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts.    Wrestling All Day All Night is the best wrestling discussion group on Facebook! We provide more of a community feel here, and have wrestling fans introduce other fans to something they may not have seen before, such as old school wrestling, indie wrestling, Japanese wrestling, and more! We also strive to be a source of information regarding upcoming wrestler meet & greets and signings. And remember, we're open 24/7. All Day. All Night! Be sure to follow on socials and join the group on Facebook at Wrestling All Day All Night    Sweet Chin Musings is the creation of the reigning, rarely defending, highly disputed champion of wrestling podcasts, “Mr. Perfect” Mike Mueller, and his tag team partner in crime, Luke Kudialis. SCM focuses on the in-ring product of WWE and AEW (no dirt sheet rumors here), as well as backstage news, predictions and analysis of characters, storylines, and major pay per views.    Old school fans, don't worry, we have you covered too, with a look back on classic matches, top 10 lists, and interactive tournaments that let the fans decide who is truly the best of all time. You can find us on Facebook at Sweet Chin Musings , and check out the podcast at https://linktr.ee/SweetChinMusings    Please welcome in our returning pod sponsor for the show GPW Productions !! GPW provides your promotion or event with TOP TIER video, audio, production, live streaming, and more!! I can personally vouch for them in saying they are hands down THE BEST Production company I have ever worked with as they have and continue to work with the likes of AEW, GCW, Starrcast, MLW, not to mention the majority of the local independent Promotions in the tri-state area. They can even help you film a vignette or promo for your persona/gimmick. And guess what? GPW doesn't just work in wrestling. They cover MMA, boxing, basketball, or any other sporting event as well!! On a personal note I'd like to thank Michael James Sesko , Frank León , Oneil Andrews & the team for giving me multiple opportunities to work with them and some of the best talent in the world. BOOK GPW for your promotion or event today at contact@gpwproductions.com    Please welcome in our newest podcast sponsor ISPW Weekly featuring host Totowa Tom and Jumpin Jay as they interview the stars of the ring, uncover their stories, rivalries, and electrifying action that defines ISPW. Catch ISPW Weekly on The ISPW Facebook Page every week!! ISPW Wrestling    Please welcome in our NEW pod and daily site sponsor Twisted Shamrock Studios & Spa located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Twisted Shamrock is a retro spa experience for "The Average Joe & Jane." Meet the next evolution of recovery and relaxation. Right now you can try their introductory offer, where you can try a core service to include massage, skincare facials, stretch therapy, body slimming / toning, personal training and spray tanning 30 min for just $30. This is perfect for our wrestling pals as well!! BOOK TODAY! CALL 484-574-8868 or VISIT www.twistedshamrockstudiospa.com    Please welcome back our returning pod sponsor, Jay Adam Photography !! Jay provides quality, artistic, innovative photography with quick turnaround. Be sure to check out his latest pics from the top promotions here in the northeast and much more stellar content. Contact Jay at Jay Vogel for promo shots at events or off site, match photos, and much more!! Thank you Jay!! @Jay Vogel    Please welcome in our new pod sponsor for 2025 the @Ropes N Riffs Podcast featuring maestro John Kiernan speaking with the Stars of professional wrestling about in ring, tunage, gear, and more!! Check out John's interviews with the likes of Lince Dorado, Mercedes Martinez, and more!! Find the Ropes N Riffs Podcast on all major Podcast platforms!! @Ropes N Riffs Podcast    USDN Podcast is run by USDN_Chairman and the Council of Nerds. We bring you all the latest news and rumors from the World of Nerds and consolidate it right here at USDN. USDN is for the people, by the people and of the people. https://www.facebook.com/usdepartmentofnerds USDN Podcast     Warriors Of Wrestling (W.O.W) (W.O.W) returns to Brooklyn, NY on March 15th featuring Darius Carter Women's Champ Vicki Venutto, New Warriors Champ Roger Mendez , Mike Datello @Danny Storm, Vampiro, and more!! Get your tickets now and subscribe to Warriors of Wrestling on YouTube!! Warriors Of Wrestling (W.O.W) Warriors Of Wrestling (W.O.W)    Please Welcome back our returning sponsor for 2025, BCW, Brii Combination Wrestling featuring Darius Carter, Anthony Gangone , J Boujii Vicious Vicki, Stunning Law, The Notorious Mimi and more!! Follow BCW on socials and find all of their great matches up on Title Match Network!! Next event March 16th: Madness at The Mecca in Ridgefield Park NJ   Pro Wrestling Magic Presents "Revenge of the Nerds" March 15th, in Ridgefield Park, NJ and LIVE on IWTV!! Get your tickets now!!    Please welcome in our new podcast sponsor EM Collectibles featuring Live Signings, Collectibles, toys and more!! Be sure to follow them on Facebook and stay tuned for upcoming events: UPCOMING EVENTS!! March 8, 2025- Hernando Toy & Comic Show, Hernando County Fairgrounds- Live Signing with Super Crazy March 22, 2025- Negdog Championship Wrestling presents Music & Mayhem II in Hudson, FL with Special Guest Super Crazy! March 29-30, 2025- Syracuse Collectors Con in Syracuse NY with Bill Alfonso, Gary Wolf and the ‘Quintessential Stud Muffin' Joel Gertner (March 30th only) April 5, 2025- New England Fan Fest- Seekonk, MA with Buff Bagwell April 13, 2025- Our Premiere Show 'BRING BACK THE MEMORIES' Toy Show May 10, 2025- 90s Wrestling Con in Morristown, NJ (guests to be named soon)  

King Carl Travels To Mecca by Yasmen by 826 Valencia

Celebrate Women's History Month with music featuring the early blues women of Naptown. During the 1920s and ‘30s, Indiana Avenue was a Mecca for blues music, thanks in part, to the legendary Indianapolis blues duo of Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell. Women also played a large role in the early Naptown blues scene, including Alura Mack, Bessie Brown, Laura Smith, and Nina Reeves, her 1923 single “Indiana Avenue Blues” was among the first wave of blues records released.

There are some brands you never forget… when it comes to experience. In this episode we explore the power of creative engagement when it comes to how brands can make their customer experiences unforgettable. We discuss Unreasonable Hospitality, the magic of Eleven Madison Park, and how Mecca the cosmetics retailer sets the standard for customer connection. It often comes down to giving more than expected... unless you're asking Ral to complete a survey!  Tune in for fresh ideas on standing out in a crowded market! Enjoy Keepers!Find out more about our Finders Keepers event in Fijihttps://tinyurl.com/JacandRalFinderskeeperss---------------------------------------------------------New Episode Every Monday Follow the showhttps://www.instagram.com/keepingitrealwithjacandral/https://open.spotify.com/show/5yIs5ncJGvJyXhI55Js0if?si=aCNOdB68QnOGnT0vCTPcPgFollow Jac https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacphillips/https://www.instagram.com/jac.phillips.coaching/Follow Ralhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielledolan/https://www.instagram.com/gabrielledolan.1/Produced by Keehlan Ferrari-Brown

The Liberation of Mecca—a moment that reshaped history—took place during the sacred month of Ramadan, most commonly marked on the 20th day. After the Quraysh's allies violated a ceasefire agreement, the Prophet ﷺ saw the... The post Ramadan Reflection Day 20- What Gaza Needs: The Spirit of Mecca's Liberation– Dr. Abdul Wahid first appeared on Islampodcasts.

In the blessed month of Ramadan, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ led a defining moment in Islamic history: the peaceful liberation of Mecca. Despite a force of 10,000 Muslims prepared for battle, the Prophet commanded restraint,... The post Ramadan Reflection Day 20- What the Liberation of Mecca Teaches Us Today– Dr. Abdul Wahid first appeared on Islampodcasts.

Rescue and patchwork relationship.B Book 3 in 18 parts, y FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.Loving your enemy is easy, you know precisely where both of you stand(Right where we left off)The closest Marine had been waiting for me to finish my bonding moment with Menner before speaking. He walked and talked like an officer."You are certainly Mr. Cáel Nyilas," he nodded. "I'm Lt. Robeson, United States Marine Corps. I would like to take you and your party home. What is the situation?""Lieutenant, this young lady is Aya Ruger. She was kidnapped along-side me and managed to kill over twenty of our enemies, so be careful around her." I was deadly serious about what I said. Aya should get proper credit for all the people she sedated then drowned. Dead was dead, even if it was accidental."These two," I pointed to Zhen and Mu, "are Lúsìla ninda and Amar, Taiwanese nationals suffering some shock from the abrupt crash landing of the aircraft. They don't seem to know why they were kidnapped, but they were instrumental in aiding Aya and me making it to shore during the typhoon.""If you say so, Sir," he nodded. He did believe me, yet a soldier was taught to be skeptical of anything a civilian told him about a military situation. "The bodies?""Those are the corpses we found after the storm. I decided we should attempt to place them in your custody so you can figure out who they are," I suggested."Sir, I don't think we can let civilians keep their weapons aboard the flight," the Marine Lt. stated since I had both a pistol and submachine gun, Aya had her pistol and Zhen had her and Mu's blades. A Marine NCO sent a party to gather the dead."Marine, I am Cáel Nyilas, Irish diplomat, freebooter and Champion of the worst possible causes," I began my spiel."You probably have some orders concerning bringing me in alive. I am not so constrained and am more than willing to steal this aircraft and fly back to Hawaii without you. My team keeps their weapons, or you give me your best shot, right now," I met his gaze. He mulled over his options. Two Romanians and two Marines were starting to load the ad hoc body bags aboard the C-37B."Normally I don't take that kind of crap from a civilian and I don't want you to think I'm making an exception because of your Security Clearance. I'll let your people keep your weapons, but if something goes wrong, I'm shooting you first," he assured me."Done deal," I offered my hand and he shook it."Oh and Happy Tibetan Independence Day," he congratulated me."What?" I gasped. Rescue and patchwork relationships{6 pm, Sunday, August 17th ~ 22 Days to go}{11 pm Sunday, Aug. 17th (Havenstone Time)}{And just this once, 11am Monday, Aug. 18th Beijing Time}"Oh and Happy Tibetan Independence Day;, nice work.," the Marine congratulated me."What?""How is that possible?" muttered Mu."Yippee!! No more burning monks," Aya fist-pumped. Personally, I think she did that for the enjoyment of our guardians and to piss off Zhen and Mu just a tiny bit more.(Mandarin) "Brother," Zhen studied her brother's pained expression. "What has gone wrong?"(Mandarin) "The province of Tibet apparently has broken away," he groused. In English, to the Marine Lieutenant he repeated, "How is this possible?""I take it you didn't know Peace Talks had broken out?" he grinned. I doubted the Lt. bought my 'these are my two Taiwanese cobelligerents' story, but belief was above his pay grade, so he didn't give a shit."Yes," Mu mumbled, "we knew of the proposed cease-fire.""Yes, you mean both sides actually honored it?" I added. I really had been out things for a while."Nearly two days ago, noon, Peking Time, the People's Republic of China and the Khanate put a six month cease-fire into effect which has remained intact for forty-one," he looked at his watch, "forty-one and a half hours." He was being a cock to the petulant Mu. No one called Beijing 'Peking' anymore. I had even ordered Beijing Duck on several menus. Peking was the height of Western Imperialist thinking, or so it looked to Mu.(Mandarin) "He is yanking your chain, Mu," I explained. "You are looking pissed off at being rescued, which isn't doing my alibi for you much good.""My apology," Mu nodded to the lieutenant. "Is there any news from the Republic of China? Are they free as well?" That was nice of Mu to call Taiwan by its pet name, the ROC."Not yet," he patted Mu's unwounded leg, "but with the utter shellacking the Khanate put on the People's Navy (really the People's Liberation Army Navy, but the Marine was getting his shots in) it is only a matter of time."I had been translating in a low voice to the V nători de munte in order for them to keep up with the conversation. They all started laughing. The Marines joined in. There was a huge joke here that we had missed out on while stranded.(Romanian) "So, ask them if they know where their aircraft carrier is," Menner chuckled. Most Romanians had grown up knowing of only one China.Me: (Romanian) "What!"A Naval Corpsman who didn't know Romanian, but knew 'aircraft carrier' just fine jumped in: "Oh yeah, the missing Chinese Aircraft carrier," she chortled.Mu: "What!"I'd only been gone two and a half days. What the hell had been going on?(What had transpired in my absence and the subsequent consequences)(Notes:P R C = People's Republic of China; PLA = People's Liberation Army;P L A N = People's Liberation Army Navy;P L A A F = People's Liberation Army Air Force;R O C = the Republic of China {aka Taiwan, aka Chinese Taipei, aka the "other China"};The First Unification War {aka what the Khanate did to China in 2014};Truce lasts from August 16th 2014 until February 15th, 2015 = 183 days)There are several classic blunders grownups should know to avoid: never fight a land war in Asia, never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line, and, if you are going to cross a master thief, first make sure you have nothing of value. For the land war in Asia, check with my partner, the Khanate. Substituting Black Hand for Sicilian ~ check with Ajax, use an Ouija board. So far, destiny was batting .500.The last blunder I created entirely on my own, but I felt it was the true and right response for the circumstances. So witness the Six Families of the Ninja and the greatest theft in all of recorded history.In the closing hours of the First Unification War, as in many wars, some serious theft was going on; mainly it was the People's Republic getting fleeced.The most obvious and immediate blows came in the Spratlys and Parcel Islands where Khanate forces (actually, elements from all the JIKIT players) seized the key island in the Parcel chain, Woody Island, and secured the P L A N base the Chinese had created there, including the 2,700 meter runway built there in the 1990's. The 1,443 Chinese civilians and 600 military inhabitants in the area were incidental complications and the survivors were about to be 'repatriated' to the mainland anyway; the Khanate didn't want them hanging around as they prepared for the inevitable end of the six-month truce.Yes, the Khanate had stolen the most important island airfield ~ an unsinkable carrier really ~ in the South China Sea. It was also the northern end of the potential People's Republic of China's stranglehold on the east-west sea lanes between East Asia and the rest of the World, i.e., roughly 25% of all global trade.The southern end? That would be the Spratlys. There are few 'real' islands in that 'island group' and only two worth having: the artificial one the P L A N was building and the one the ROC has a 1200 meter airfield on. That artificial island and every other PRC/P L A N outpost in the region was also stolen by the Khanate between 4 a.m. and noon of that final day of active conflict.Every geological feature that had been the basis for the PRC's claims to all of the South China Sea was now in Khanate hands. Considering how much the P L A N had bullied everyone else in that portion of the globe, the Khanate taking over their geopolitical position was incredibly awkward. It was going to get worse.Technically, the Khanate hadn't stolen the P L A N 'South Sea Fleet' (SSF); they'd blown the fuck out of it, including sinking the sole fully-functioning P L A N carrier Liaoning as well as five of the nine destroyers and six of the nineteen frigates in her battle group. The Liaoning and one destroyer had died in those last few hours as the SSF was racing for the relative safety of Philippine waters ~ so close, but no cigar.So the Khanate had stolen the ability of the P L A N to project power in the South China Sea until February 15th, 2015 when the U N brokered truce ended. But that was not the epic theft, though. That distinction went to the Ninja. What did they steal? A semi-functional Chinese nuclear powered super-aircraft carrier still under construction.The beast had no official name yet, but she was a 75,000 ton engine of Global Domination laid down in 2011 and clearly complete enough to float and to be steered under her own power. (To be on the safe side, the Ninja included stealing four tugboats to help in their getaway.) So, you may be asking yourself, how does one 'steal' a nuclear-powered, 1000 foot long, 275 foot wide and ten-story tall vessel?For starters, you need a plan to get on board the sucker. We had begun with the Black Lotus. They wanted to sneak onboard, exit the dockyard the ship was being built in, then sink it off the coast so it couldn't be easily salvaged. That was plan A.Enter the Khanate and their plans; they too wanted to sink this vessel, and destroy the dry docks while they were at it. That was plan B. Actually, the Khanate desire was to contaminate that whole section of the port city with fallout from shattered reactors. They knew they would have to apply overkill when they smashed that bitch of a ship because the PLAN had hurriedly put on board its defensive weaponry ~ ensuring that the Khanate couldn't easily destroy it. For their approach, Temujin's people wanted the Black Lotus' help with the on-the-ground intelligence work. But the Black Lotus didn't want to help anyone irradiate Chinese soil.Enter JIKIT as referee. All those islands the 'Khanate' was busy stealing were actually part of a larger JIKIT mission called Operation Prism. Another object that was a part of the overall plan was Operation Wo Fat, the sinking of the Liaoning ~ again GPS direction and distance to be courtesy of the Black Lotus.JIKIT absolutely needed the Black Lotus. The Black Lotus wouldn't help anyone planning on poisoning any part of China for the next thousand years. Sinking the unnamed and incomplete vessel off the coast in deep waters meant no nuclear leakage and plenty of post-war time to salvage the wreck before it did start to hemorrhage. The Khanate wanted to kill this potential strategic nightmare no matter what it cost the Chinese ecology.JIKIT went to the Ninja to help them adjudicate the issue. All the lights flared brightly in Ninja-Town when they heard of that delicate dilemma. They could make everybody happy and send a clear message to the Seven Pillars expressing how unhappy the six surviving families were about the 7P's trying to annihilate them when all of this 'unpleasantness' began.The Khanate was already going to blast the shipyards and docks, the Black Lotus was already going to sail the ship into deep waters, so why not take it one step further, sail the ship into Japanese waters and declare it Khanate property as a colossal Fuck You! to the PRC, PLAN and specifically the Seven Pillars, all at the same time?Now normally, you can't steal a ship that big. The owners will notice it is missing and come looking for it. And you can't sell or hide the damn thing. So, you steal it at the tail end of a war before the players can capture, or sink it. It just so happened the Ninja had access to a war and such a time table.The next problem: where do you put it? The Khanate's closest safe haven was 8,000 km away at the Eastern Mediterranean Seaport of Izmir.But wait!The Khanate was about to steal an island airbase with its own (albeit small) harbor. The Khanate was confident that a few weeks after the truce, an alternate port, or two, would become available for the two-to-three year process it would require to prepare the vessel so it could be commissioned as the true warship it was meant to be.So, how do you steal a well-guarded, humongous ship with its skeleton crew of 500? You need a distraction ~ a big one. Remember those Khanate airstrikes? They intended to destroy the dockyards anyway. Now all they had to do was 'miss' the carrier.They could do that. If you recall, to dissuade the Khanate from sinking the ship in the final days of the war, the PLAN had hastily put teeth on the thing by giving it all its pre-designed defensive weaponry and added jury-rigged radar and sonar systems. The carrier could defend itself if needed. With the new plan (C), the airstrikes could avoid those teeth, thus reducing the risk of losing their precious planes and pilots.A series of bombing runs and missile hits near the carrier would convince the PLAN admiral in charge to hurriedly put some distance between the ship and shore, Not out to sea. That would be stupid. Within the harbor, his weaponry could adequately defend his ship. And if she took serious damage, he could run her aground, so the vessel wouldn't really sink.The only problem was that out in the harbor, with everything exploding, he was away from the only ground security support available. That was when the Amazons, Black Lotus, Ninja and JIKIT mercenaries would make their move. How could they sneak up on such a big, important ship? By using the submarines the US Navy, the British Royal Navy and Japanese Defense Force were providing, of course.Note: As I stated earlier, Lady Fathom, Addison and Riki had wandered way off the reservation . By this time, if you were a Japanese, British, or American submarine commander in the Yellow Sea and you weren't part of this madness, you were insanely jealous of those who were.The missions JIKIT was sending them on were:-definitely Acts of War if they were ever discovered,-far more dangerous than any war game exercise they'd ever been part of, and-the ultimate test of their crews and equipment.These people weren't suicidal. They believed they were the best sneaks under the Seven Seas and now they could prove it ~ in 50 years when this stuff was declassified (if it ever was).For the one American, two British and four Japanese submarines inserting the assault teams, this whole mission had a surreal feel to it. They were transporting a packed assortment of women of Indian, Malaysian and Indonesian descent along with some very lithe Japanese ladies and gents, none of who talked a whole lot.There was a third group with the spooky women and spookier Japanese teams, and that group was scared shitless about the sudden turn their lives had taken. They were all former American and British servicewomen (to not tick off the Amazons too much) with carrier and/or nuclear reactor experience who had been RIFed (Reduction in Force, aka fired) in the past five years from their respective national navies.Around a week ago, they had all answered an advertisement by a logistics support corporation that was going to do a 'force modernization' in an unnamed country. They all knew that mean the Khanate. The job had been laid out as 'basically your old job with the addition of training the natives' and it included the promise of no combat.It was a guaranteed five year contract with an option for a year-to-year extensions for another five years if you desired to stick around. For that, you received your 'pay grade upon retirement + 20%', free room and board, private security, judicial protections and a $10,000 to $10,900 signing bonus. For many struggling military families, it was manna from Heaven and thousands were signing up.Then 72 hours ago, a different group from the same company came knocking on the women's doors. If you could come with them right then and there, they had a satchel of money, $100,000 to $109,000, tax free, and a Non-disclosure Agreement for you to sign. Sure, the deal sounded shady, but the money was very real.Twenty-four hours later those who accepted the money found themselves in a small fishing village on Ko Island, Japan. There some rather fiercely intense people outlined the job they were needed for. From a submarine, the assault teams would sneak aboard the carrier, neutralize the crew and then the new crew (them) would sail it to Jeju, Jeju Island, South Korea.At that point they would be allowed to stay with the vessel (preferred), or depart for a non-war zone of their choice. Both options came with another $100,000 to $109,000 payment. Anyone who declined this particular job would remain incognito on Ko Island for another 48 hours then be allowed to leave without the need to return their initial payment.Of the 312 job applicants, 293 volunteered for both the first and second parts of the assignment. With the technical and linguistic expertise of the Amazons and 9 Clan members that would be enough to get their prize to Jeju Island's temporary safety and then make the last leg to Woody Island and a more permanent anchorage.Besides the airstrikes to goad the carrier away from the wharves, all the Khanate had to do with the carrier was put three or four clearly Mongolian faces onboard when the various nations of the world came calling. After all, what was the public going to believe:, the Khanate had pulled off yet another daring (i.e., mostly JIKIT) Special Forces coup, just as they'd managed to do throughout this short war, or that 'Ninjas stole my Battleship, umm, carrier' stuff some PRC leaders were claiming? Forty-eight hours later the whole globe was able to watch the newly named Khanate supercarrier, the  z Beg Khan, passing through Japanese territorial waters while being escorted by South Korean and Japanese warships.The PRC did complain to the United Nations over the 'theft' of both the carrier and 'their' islands, but the Security Council, led by the UK, could and would do nothing about the 'latest round of injustices heaped upon the People of China'. By the time the UN got around to doing nothing, the next round of JIKIT diplomacy was causing the PRC even greater headaches.That greatest theft, while remarkable in its own right, was really a sideshow to the reordering of the political order in Southeast Asia. The big winner wasn't the Khanate. And it certainly wasn't the mainland Chinese. No, the nations to immediately prosper were an unlikely pair, the Republic of India and the People's Republic of Vietnam (PRV). The Republic of China (R O C) was also getting its own small boost as well.By gambling their precious navy, India had become the largest power broker in the South China Sea's resource bonanza. She went from a minimal presence to being the critical ally of the Khanate and the 'big stick' (naval-wise) of Asia's new dynamic duo. The Indians had the only two functional aircraft carriers in the region and the Khanate had Woody Island with a mega-carrier number of planes sitting on it.Their combined naval aviation was not something any of the others powers wanted to mess with. The duo then sealed their supremacy by making the duo a trio. That third member was the PRV. Vietnam was the land-based logistical anchor of the three regional powers.Not only did Vietnam gain the prestige denied it for over two centuries, it redressed the P L A N humiliating treatment of their own navy for the past thirty years. The Khanate's naval aviation would shield Vietnam's economic exploitation of the Parcel Islands. The Indian Navy could counter anything the P L A N South China fleet could come at them with.Yes, the P L A N had two other fleets, the Northern and Eastern, but both had been put through their own 1001 levels of Hell by the Khanate's air power, plus they had to protect the Chinese heartland from Russia and North Korean ambitions. The South Koreans and Japanese were suddenly a very real threat from the East too. But for the time being, the Indians had the decisive edge.The final location for the  z Beg Khan was an old familiar haunt for some Americans, Da Nang, PRV. It had the facilities, courtesy of the US military from the 1960's and 70's, to be the new base for the Khanate's Eastern Fleet and logistical hub for their naval aviation forces in the Parcel Islands.The Vietnamese were thinking with more than their testicles, as were the Indians. Sure, geopolitical clout was nice, yet that was only the icing on the economic cake that was the Parcel Island Accords. That hasty bit of JIKIT backroom dealings gave a 50% stake in the Parcels to the PRV.India got 20% of something she had 0% in a month ago. The Khanate gained a 20% stake for their audacity and the ROC gained 10% because the other three would protect its share from the PRC. Something was better than nothing and the three legitimate powers agreed to the deal because in less than six months, the PRC would be back in the game.The Indians and Vietnamese wanted the Khanate to stay interested in the region and the Taiwanese wanted to forge closer ties to the Khanate. That treaty was a 'no-brainer'. Within one week, the Vietnamese were strutting like peacocks and internal political opposition to the Indian intervention into the South China Sea in the Indian parliament was silent.The Spratly Islands was a tougher deal to work out within the six month timetable. There were more players ~ the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand (who had a non-functional carrier). The JIKIT deal gave everyone but the Indians a 10% piece of the huge natural gas, oil and fisheries pie and the Indians got 20% once more.The Philippines and Malaysia were both very opposed to this treaty; they believed they deserved a far larger portion of those regional resources. Indonesia and Thailand also felt they could hold out for a bigger slice and weren't happy with India getting so much for basically having a double handful of ships (34 actually) sailing about.That 'handful of ships' was the point JIKIT was trying to make. If the PRC beat the Khanate next year, did any of the players think the PRC would give them anything, even if they promised them more right now? Really? When the PLAN had the biggest guns, they hadn't respected any other claims to the region. Why would that change in the future?The reality was this: India would only stick around if they had the economic incentive to remain. Vietnam, the Khanate and the ROC were watching the clock and realized this was the best deal they would get. Brunei and the Philippines were also coming to that understanding. Brunei was tiny (thus easy to defend), very rich already and a good ally of the British.The Philippines had a very weak navy and a non-existent naval air force. They couldn't even enforce their current claims versus Brunei, much less confront the PLAN, or any other nation's current military. The Philippines was, sadly, relatively big and very poor. Its big traditional ally was the United States, and the US was currently busy doing 'not much' about the South China Sea situation.The world's biggest navy was partially taking up its traditional (and treaty bound) role of interposing itself between the North Koreans, PLAN/PLAAF and Russians arrayed near Japan and South Korea, or busily not 'ratcheting up tensions' in the region by sending more forces into the front lines.President Obama was urging dialogue and 'stepping back from the brink' even though every country in Southeast Asia felt the brink had already dissipated the moment the PRC was forced to accept the cease-fire. In this context, the Philippines had good reason to be feeling lonely at the moment.Bizarrely, both New Delhi and Hanoi were singing the praises of US Secretary of State John Kerry and the Rt. Honorable Phillip Hammond, Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for the UK, for their deft handling of the crisis, thank you, Riki Martin and Lady Yum-Yum.Riki wasn't expecting any thanks. She was certain she'd be fired and imprisoned for the rest of her life. Lady Fathom Worthington-Burke was sure she'd get two additional knighthoods out of the deal, which would look very nice engraved on her tombstone. Javiera had long ago decided to face the music and go down with the ship, so to speak.The CIA's Addison Stuart already had her exit strategy. She was going to go work for the Khanate, building up their clandestine service when this whole mad scheme collapsed into recriminations and 'extreme sanctions'. Mehmet, Air Force Sr. Master Sgt. Billings and Agent-86 had all decided to go with her. Katrina had their escape plane on standby. Mehmet's family was already 'vacationing' in Canada.Anyway, the Republic of India, the Khanate, the Republic of China, the People's Republic of Vietnam (the Vietnamese were happy to already be getting half of the Parcel Island windfall), the Sultanate Brunei (Lady Fathom 'knew' some people and the Sultan was an autocratic Muslim ruler, just like the Great Khan) and the Philippines (because they had no other true choice) were all coming around to signing the Spratly Accords.Indonesia and Thailand were kind of waiting for a better deal. Malaysia was downright hostile, having gravitated toward the PRC over the past decade and been assured by the PRC a better apportionment would be their reward for upsetting the treaty process.The Great Khan's answer was simple. He publically threatened the Malaysian Federation in general and both the King (Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah) and Prime Minister of Malay (Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak) in particular with military action if they kept dragging their feet.He even told them how he'd do it. He'd butcher or expel every living thing in the states of Perlis and Kedah (~ 2.1 million people) and give those empty lands to Thailand to settle along with the added sweetener of Malaysia's 10% of the Spratlys. He would also invade Eastern Malaysia, taking the island state of Labuan for himself while giving Sarawak to Indonesia and Sabah to the Philippines if those to states agreed to the split.He'd also decimate their navy & air force before devastating every port city, just like he'd done to China. He'd already killed more than two million Chinese. What was another two million Malays to him? Also, Indonesia wanted Sarawak and the Philippines had claims on Sabah. While they were openly and publically defying the Great Khan's plan, could Malaysia really take the chance?What would India and Thailand do while this was going on? Thailand stated that it would protect its territorial integrity, whatever that meant. India wasn't returning Malaysia's phone calls while showing their populace re-runs of Malaysian violence against their Hindu minority, the bastards!To the world, the Indian Navy proclaimed it would 'defend itself and its supply lines' which was a subtle hint that they would shepherd any Khanate invasion force to their destination. Why would the Indians be so insensitive? The Malaysians were screwing up their deal to get 20% of both the Parcel and Spratlys wealth, that's why.If the Khanate went down, there was no way India could defend their claims (which they'd won by doing nothing up until now). Oh yeah, Vietnam began gathering up warplanes, warships, transport ships and troops for the quick (710 km) jaunt across the Gulf of Thailand to north-eastern Malaysia to kill Malaysians because Vietnam needed the Khanate to ensure their own economic future as well.That military prospect had a cascade effect, especially among the Indonesian military. If the Indian Navy remained active, the vastly more populous Western Malaysia couldn't reinforce the state of Sarawak. Sure, the Philippines was unlikely to conquer Sabah on their own, but all the Indonesians needed was for Sabah to be kept pre-occupied while their army took their promised territory, fulfilling a fifty year old dream of conquest/unification.The United Nations blustered. It wasn't that they didn't care, they did. They also cared about the deteriorating situations in Libya, Nigeria, Syria and Ukraine. The situation was complicated by the unwillingness of the permanent members of the Security Council, namely the PRC and Russia, to recognize the Khanate.In reverse, when those two tried to stick it to the Khanate, the UK stoically vetoed them. Why? Well, more on that later. Let's just say the Khanate was good for business in the European Union in general and the United Kingdom in particular because the Khanate was prepared to economically befriend the British. Ireland was being treated in a promising manner too. The United States,the United Nations?Let's just say that in the two months following the cease-fire, the Khanate bloodily and brutally solved the ISIS conundrum and the Donbass Crisis. When the smoke cleared, the Khanate had reintroduced the practice of impalement to the modern battlefield, driven the separatists from the Ukraine and was on the border with Israel and Jordan.Sure, the Ukrainians were stun-fucked by the Khanate's 'peace-keepers' going on a bloody rampage through the eastern rebellious regions, but they had delivered up peace by mid-September. Yes, the Russians were in an uproar about the impalements.As the Khanate spokesperson said, 'if they aren't your people, then it is not your problem' and 'there are no more Russians left alive in the Ukraine'. In fact, fewer than a thousand people, all armed insurgents, were executed in such a manner, but the terror created by the highly publicized killings had the effect of sending a hundred thousand people stampeding over the frontier into Russia proper.Next, the Khanate said it wanted to 'reexamine' the Crimean situation. There were Turcoman in that area and they weren't being treated well, or so it was claimed.Even as Russia and the Khanate were posturing in the Donbass, the Khanate struck in the Middle East. By the end of September, Syria and Lebanon had ceased to exist as organized entities. Most of those two countries as well as portions of western Iraq became Turkish provinces in the Khanate infrastructure. Northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq became the Khanate state of Kurdistan.It was a campaign reminiscent of the 13th century Mongol conquest, not a modern military struggle. Whole villages were eradicated. The entire Arab population of Mosul was exiled to the new territories in the East. The city was repopulated with Kurds from Turkey. Back in Turkey, those Kurds were replaced by Armenians from Azerbaijan, cauterizing another internal issue within the Khanate.Jordan was cautiously hopeful. Israel? "We don't seem to be having problems with Hezbollah anymore," with a shrug and "it could be worse." As for ISIS; there really was an Islamic State controlling more than half of Iraq and all of Syria now and it allowed no other pretenders to that distinction. By the time the world woke up to that reality though, the Great Hunt had happened and I was dealing with the consequences of that.A larger ideological and political matter was occurring in the United States, the United Kingdom (and to a limited extent Australia and Canada). The Ramshackle Empire (aka the Khanate) was just that ~ a Frankenstein nation fueled more by nationalistic pride and nostalgia for a Super-State (that only two living people had firsthand experience with) than an integrated armed forces and infrastructure.It may have been built upon more than a 13th century creation and two hundred years of real and imagined oppression. It did have long term planning and real genius driving it forward. Having throttled the PRC into giving them six precious months of peace to 'tidy up the backyard' (aka the Middle East and Russia) and forge a true nation, the Khanate was now hiring experts to aid them in the task.First and foremost, Temujin and the Earth & Sky had envisioned an armed state built upon military principles and discipline. Fate had delivered to them the means of their own salvation in the form of NATO's policy of disarmament and 'Reduction-In-Force' levels (RIFed).The US and UK had trained tens of thousands of male and female volunteers in their Armed Forces in infrastructure creation and management for the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns. From 2010, those militaries had informed those experts that their services were no longer required. Unlike the shrinking militaries of the 1990's, there was no private sector to 'soak up' the majority of those personnel.The Earth & Sky had been working on the problem of nation-building on a time table and they kept coming up short. They had to fight to create their state first, so the all-important after-battle had been something their leaders dreaded. Temujin had been understanding about not everything being 100% ready. Few wars were fought that way.Then a young male Amazon of mixed Magyar ancestry talked history with the Earth & Sky representative to a seemingly inconsequential personage's funeral. A few critical E&S leaders (a minority, to be sure) immediately sought ways to cultivate this man into what was a ten year plan to open doors to the Amazons. Then that man saved the Great Khan's life and everything changed.Before the E&S had even remotely considered directly approaching the Amazons for help, the Amazons came knocking on their door. The Seven Pillars of Heaven had tried to kidnap a camp full of Amazon children ~ an assault on their future. The two secret societies were bound by one unique, fortunate idiot and a mutual thirst for vengeance.They were also directed by two incredibly foresighted, ambitious and brilliant people. In Katrina of Epona, the E&S elders found someone who equaled their hope to see the Seven Pillars humbled and humbled immediately. Moreover, these were the Amazons they were dealing with. Amazons always sought both lightning decisions and long term solutions.From the moment Iskender left his third meeting with Cáel Nyilas, Katrina put the fruits of the First Directive (the Amazons efforts to recruit militant outsider women) into overdrive. Havenstone had the apparatus in place to screen potential inductees. All they had to do was add a "can you suggest any other people who might be interested in this line of work" box to their employment forms.That brought men into the process in surprising numbers. The market was flush with military veterans having trouble readjusting to the civilian community. The Khanate wasn't hiring killers. They wanted ex-military and civilian police officers to create a national police force.They also wanted engineers and builders, cadres for their cadet corps and a whole range of specialist in jobs most of the Western World took for granted. The money came from off-shore accounts funded by Havenstone International. The employment opportunities came from Earth & Sky front companies operating in the UK and the US (and Israel, but that was another matter).They had already started hiring scores of civilian English-speaking experts to help build their newborn nation's infrastructure before the first blow landed. English hadn't been chosen out of any cultural bias. Relying on Russian and Chinese sources wasn't feasible, the Khanate wasn't overly linguistically gifted where distant tongues were concerned and, as pointed out, the English-speaking world had a glut of applicants.Now to the problem, there were people in the US and UK who weren't happy with their citizenry going to the Khanate and helping them to survive and thrive. These power groups wanted the Mongol-Turkish Empire to keep the resources flowing to the West, without any reciprocal commitment on their part.Imagine their surprise when some wonks at the State Department and Foreign Ministries found bundles of expedited passport requests to the (former) nations of Turkmenistan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Mongolia (and later Afghanistan and Iraq). The Department of Defense  Ministry of Defense were discovering their former military personnel and civilian contractors with Security Clearances were heading the same way.Of all those destinations, only Mongolia and Kazakhstan were under any kind of 'Restricted Travel' advisories. Barring any coherent anti-Khanate strategy from their administrations, the bureaucracies were doing their jobs, with Havenstone exerting just enough influence to get the job done while flying beneath the radar.After JIKIT was created, the group had a US Senator greasing the wheels to get the requests expedited. In England, Lady Worthington-Burke shamelessly used the people at the other end of the O'Shea hotline to get the job done overseas. She did have to sell out a teammate, but that was what good boys were for ~ taking one for the team. (That would be me, if there was any misunderstanding.)When Cáel Nyilas was kidnapped under the watchful eye of the FBI (I wasn't sure how they got that bum-wrap), the whole situation exploded. The PRC didn't have me, yet promised they might produce me if certain concessions were made. According to Addison, I was worth 5,000 barrels a day of refined fuel oil and 50 tons of coal a month, and the Great Khan agreed to pay! Woot! I was loved by somebody who was a somebody.All that attention drove home some salient points. I was a noble scion of Ireland, Romania, Georgia and Armenia (in no particular order) and they all wanted to know why the US had let me be kidnapped. Didn't my president know I was a sacred national treasure? After JIKIT tracked down the bribes and clandestine activities to Chinese shell corporations, those powers wanted to know what sanctions would be applied.'But wait, wasn't I a private citizen?' my national leaders pleaded. Then the PRC made a case which boiled down to 'I had it coming for being a fiancé to Hana Sulkanen and a brother to the Great Khan', while ignoring me being snatched in the territorial US of A. Of course, they didn't claim to have actually done the kidnapping.Javiera was waiting on that one; 'What was their excuse for kidnapping a little US girl to force my compliance?' The furious Federal authorities even found two dead adult bodies and two digits from said child to add to the media frenzy. To prove I had migrated to fantasy land, the CNN journalist got it right ~ they had tortured the girl and I had killed two of them for it. Just ask the Romanian Army how lethal I could be.In a rare comment, Temujin informed the international press that he believed I was still alive. Why did he believe that? If I wasn't, they would have been able to spot the pile of dead enemy around me and my 'boon companion' (go Aya!) from orbit. Until they discovered this carnal pit from Hell, I was surely still alive.Just at the cusp of turning publically against the Mongol barbarians, the world suddenly got angry with their enemy, the PRC. The principal two Western regimes were paralyzed with indecision until my miraculous cry for help from the middle of the Pacific showed the world I was alive, had punished my enemies and rescued others from under the opponent's cruel thumb.Clearly if I started ranting against the People's Republic of China, my government would be rather peeved with me. I hadn't screwed a dozen poli-sci majors to miss out on that obvious situation. I behaved and hoped they wouldn't make me die from an embolism, or some other equally implausible cause.(DC is a marvel. 9 pm, Monday, August 18th. 21 days)I'd been dragged to DC, to honor promises made in Rome a week ago. I had another choice; I could have justifiably said I was still getting over my kidnapping ordeal. But that choice fucked over Javiera Castello, my boss at JIKIT (Joint International Khanate Interim Task force).That was how I ended up in a 'secret and secure' meeting with Tony Blinken, Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) and his experts. He was someone I didn't know. The rest, I'd had a verbal run-in with them after the Romanian bloodbath. I'd been cranky. I would hardly consider us to be on good terms now.All four experts were from the US State Department. They were foregoing their usual group of flunkies because this meeting wasn't really happening. All the participants were officially somewhere else, mostly not even in D.C. Had this soiree 'really happened', the Congressional sub-committees would have been able to request the minutes of Tony's meeting with members of JIKIT and:·         Victoria Nuland, Ass. Sec. of State for European & Eurasian Affairs (ASSEEA)·         Robert O. Blake Jr., Ass. Sec. of State for S & C Asian Affairs (ASSCAA)·         Daniel R. Russel, Ass. Sec. of State for E. Asian and Pacific Affairs (ASSEAP)·         Bill A. Miller, Director of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) (aka Big Willy)We made stiff, formal introductions (which signaled the utter lack of trust in the room.) Javiera hadn't wanted to put me through an interrogation this soon after my near-death experience, considering my snarky nature when stressed. The White House was putting the squeeze on her. The main player was Tony, who talked with the Leader of the Free World on a weekly, if not daily, basis.The Diplomatic Security Service people had successfully peeled off Pamela and my SD Amazons only after they agreed I could keep Aya. They tolerated me keeping the nine-year old girl despite the obvious fact she had gone through worse hardships than I had endured and was still packing her Chinese QSW-06 suppressed pistol.I had already fabricated and submitted my report on how I'd overcome a plane-full of rogue delinquents from the Forumi i Rinis  Eurosocialiste t  Shqip ris  (Euro-socialist Youth Forum of Albania) bent on recruiting impressionable European socialites by accessing my Twitter account.That's right, the Albanians had it out for me. I reiterated that critical bit of data to the Department of Homeland Security when they questioned me on the veracity of my memories. The two ethnic Chinese I was found with? I thought they were from Taiwan, and they both appeared to be suffering from amnesia.I was already suffering repercussions from my pathological refusal to take life seriously. Javiera believed I was about to get a formal apology from Ferit Hoxha, Permanent Representative of Albania to the United Nations. Damn it! Now I had to do something nice for the Albanians. Maybe I'd offer them membership in the Khanate, full-statehood with an economic package to sweeten the deal.Yes, that was how Albania and Kosovo joined the Khanate, a product of my love for exaggeration and a little post-Ottoman solidarity over Tarator (cold soup made of yoghurt, garlic, parsley, cucumber, salt and olive oil with a side of fried squids), Tav  Kosi (lamb meatballs) and Flia & Kaymak (a dessert I highly recommend).We had toasted the Pillars of Kanun (Albanian oral law and tradition): ~ Nderi (honor), Mikpritja (hospitality), Sjellja (Right Conduct) and Fis (Kin Loyalty), ~ and he promised to tell his people that I had Besa which was an Albanian-ism for being a man who would honor his word of honor (despite us being brought together by my lie). The shit-ton of financial and military aid I asked the Great Khan to sweeten the pot with might have helped as well.Later, Lady Yum-Yum told me that the military leaders of NATO called it a 'master-stroke' in neutralizing Comrade Putin's Russian-backed 'Greek threat

It's another week of lawless anti-American nonsense from the Trump administration, couched ever more frequently in appeals to the underlying popularity of the things Trump is aiming to do. This is a democracy, after all, so why should something like the pesky law get in the way of the apparent will of the people? CIB goes full MAGA?! Listen, if you must! Has something we said, or failed to say, made you FEEL something? You can tell us all about it by joining the conversation on our Substack or you can send us an email here. Enjoy!Show RundownOpen — Lori vs. The Morning11:58 — WGAS NewsBag!51:20 — Did CBS News's Senior National Correspondent Mark Strassmann Get Off a Good One?1:05:47 — Wrap-up! Black Bag; White Lotus; SeveranceRelevant Linkage can be found by visiting https://brainiron.substack.com/, where, if you would like to support this and the other podcasting and blogging endeavors of the Brain Iron dot com media empire, you can also become a paying subscriber.The opening and closing themes of Cast Iron Brains were composed by Marc Gillig. For more from Marc, go to tetramermusic.com.

Send us a textIn this episode of Mecca of Banter, we dive into the latest football action from around the globe. STL City secured a thrilling 1-0 victory over Seattle, thanks to a stunning free kick by Lowen. We discuss the game's highlights and debate whether Kessler truly was the man of the match. In the Carabao Cup, Newcastle made history with a 2-1 win over Liverpool, marking their first trophy in over 50 years. We break down the key moments and what this victory means for the club's future.Turning to the Premier League, Arsenal edged out Chelsea with a 1-0 win, Fulham stunned Spurs with a 2-0 victory, and Manchester United dominated Leicester 3-0. We analyze the implications of these results on the league standings. In European competitions, Spurs and United advanced, Real Madrid triumphed over Atletico, and Liverpool faced a tough exit against PSG. We review the matches and look ahead to the next round.Join us for all this and more as we unpack the latest football news and stories!Support the show

In this episode of The It Doesn't Matter Podcast, the hosts delve into the final WCW pay-per-view, Greed. They discuss its significance in wrestling history, the decline of WCW, and the quality of commentary during the event. The conversation covers various matches, including the opening bout and the Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship, while also touching on the Magnificent Seven faction and its impact on the wrestling landscape. In this segment, the hosts delve into various wrestling matches and moments, analyzing performances and discussing the careers of notable wrestlers. They reflect on the lack of impact some wrestlers had in WWE, the significance of promos, and memorable moments from events like the Greatest Royal Rumble. The conversation highlights the evolution of wrestling and the challenges faced by certain talents in gaining recognition. In this segment of the conversation, the hosts delve into various aspects of wrestling, including the legacy of cruiserweights, the significance of merchandise and gimmicks, and the impact of name changes on branding. They analyze matches featuring Buff Bagwell, Lex Luger, Kanyon, and Dusty Rhodes, discussing the performances and the storytelling involved. The conversation highlights the evolution of wrestling characters and the cultural implications of their portrayals. In this episode, the hosts reflect on various aspects of wrestling, including the nostalgic themes in wrestling music, the career reflections of Ric Flair, and the legacy of wrestling icons like Dusty Rhodes and DDP. They analyze the main event match between DDP and Scott Steiner, discussing the overall quality of the WCW Greed pay-per-view and sharing their final thoughts on the event.Chapters00:00 Introduction to WCW Greed01:07 The Importance of WCW Greed02:06 WCW's Decline and Final Days03:53 Commentary and Production Quality06:06 Opening Match: KweeWee vs. Jason Jett11:38 Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship Match19:45 The Magnificent Seven and Their Impact21:47 The Mecca of Manhood23:00 Match Analysis: Stasiak vs. Bam Bam24:40 Team Canada vs. Hugh Morris and Konan27:03 Mike Awesome's Missed Opportunities29:00 WWE's Vision and the Invasion30:59 Titus O'Neil's Greatest Royal Rumble Moment32:01 Promo Highlights: Dusty Rhodes and Buff Bagwell34:02 Cruiserweight Championship: Chavo vs. Shane Helms38:54 The Legacy of Cruiserweights39:46 Merchandise and Gimmicks in Wrestling41:22 Name Changes and Branding in Wrestling42:12 Match Analysis: Buff Bagwell vs. Lex Luger48:51 Canyon vs. Ernest the Cat Miller53:33 Booker T's Rise to Championship Glory58:57 Nostalgic Themes in Wrestling Music01:01:52 Ric Flair's Career Reflections01:04:59 The Legacy of Wrestling Icons01:09:00 Main Event Analysis: DDP vs. Scott Steiner01:11:59 Final Thoughts on WCW Greed

When confronted with truth, do we submit—or do we make excuses? The Quraysh of Mecca, like many today, believed in Allah—but only in name. When the Prophet ﷺ called them to implement Allah's guidance in... The post Taraweeh Teachings Day 17- Fear or Faith? first appeared on Islampodcasts.

Hayden's been a mate for ages, and his bar, a gorgeous, tiny, stripped-back speakeasy-type Mecca in Melbourne, is almost ten years old and has been winning awards and getting on lists quite a lot, so it was time we got together and shot the shit. This tiny little bar in Australia's second city got #100 on the overall World's 50 Best Bars list - not bad, eh?I had no idea about Hayden's Euro ski-resort Flugel-drinking past, as he'd only popped up on my radar after his rather more seemly stint at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast, and then promptly dropped off until he opened Above Board, and we even got to hang a little when I was in Australia last, around 2019/early 2020, as I recall...This was a really fun chat (more for me than him, because it was evening time in NY so I could have a drink or two, as you'll be able to hear, but it was morning time the next day in Melbourne, so all Hayden had was coffee, poor bastard) and we went nice and long. Enjoy!Hayden on IG: https://www.instagram.com/travlinboy/Above Board on IG: https://www.instagram.com/aboveboardbarmelb/ Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries: consulting@liquidsolutions.org (PR friends: we're only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things than their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is, for a few hours. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, and we won't supply prepared or sample questions, or listener or “reach” stats, either.) Retain Philip's consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: philip@liquidsolutions.orgPhilip on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

Theres not many promoters in the modern game who can list Muhammad Ali, Vladimir Klitschko, Vitali Klitschko, Shane Mosley, Kevin Kelley, and Genady Golovkin. Recently inducted into the Hall of Fame Tom Loeffler is busy rebuilding his new stable of stars and right at the heart of that is Cork's Callum Walsh.In this special episode - Tom joins us to talk about a very rare and special boxing career ahead of a March 16 Irish Boxing bonanza at the Mecca of boxing Madison Square Garden featuring Sean O'Bradaigh, Donagh Kerry, Feargal McCrory, Tomas Carty, Kevin Cronin, Emmet Brennan & Callum Walsh.

ILYASAH AL SHABAZZ – Third daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz, is an educator, social activist, motivational speaker, and author of award winning publications: (1) Growing Up X (Random House) a coming of age memoir; (2) Malcolm Little (Simon & Schuster), a children's illustration book and (3) X, A Novel (Candlewick Press) a young adult historical fiction. Ilyasah promotes higher education for at-risk youth, interfaith dialogue to build bridges between cultures for young leaders of the world, and she participates on international humanitarian delegations. Ilyasah produced training programs to encourage higher education sanctioned by City University of New York's Office of Academic Affairs. She served for twelve years on the Executive Youth Board for the City of Mount Vernon, including appointments as Director of Public Relations, Director of Public Affairs & Special Events, and later promoted to Director of Cultural Affairs. She is a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee at West Virginia University. She is a mentor for Nile Rogers' We Are Family Foundation. She mentors at various group homes, lock-up facilities, high schools and college campuses through production of The WAKE-UP Tour™ X-Tra Credit Forums—her exclusive youth empowerment program. Ilyasah has retraced her father's footsteps to the Holy City of Mecca, explored religious and historical sites in both Egypt and Jordan as the guest of HRH Princess Alia Hussein, participated in interfaith dialogue study programs under Rabbi Nancy Kreimer and Dr. Aziza Al Hibri, and served as member of the American Interfaith Leadership delegation that participated with the Malaria No More Foundation in Mali, West Africa. Ilyasah also served as a member of the United States delegation that accompanied President Bill Clinton to South Africa to commemorate election of President Nelson Mandela and the economic business development initiative. Ilyasah serves as Trustee for the Harlem Symphonic Orchestra, The Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center, and The Malcolm X Foundation. She is a member of the Arts Committee for the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center and a project advisor for the PBS award-winning Prince Among Slaves documentary. She holds a Master of Science in Education & Human Resource Development from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from SUNY/New Paltz. Ilyasah is currently an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and resides in Westchester County, New York.For further information, please contact, Dr. Jamal Watson, at jamal@ilyasahshabazz.comwww.ilyasahshabazz.com http://Twitter.com/ilyasahshabazzX: A NOVEL, Candlewick Press. (1/2015) MALCOLM LITTLE, Simon & Schuster. (1/2014) GROWING UP X, Random House. (1/2002)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

The Quraysh, despite their numerical superiority, were unprepared for the determined resistance they encountered, leading to to around 70 men, including key Quraysh leaders, being killed while many others were captured. The surviving Quraysh retreated to Mecca, marking a decisive victory for Muhammad and his ...

Governor Pan is back in the studio to break down the upcoming, Madness at the Mecca.  Here are just some of the matches on the card: Harleen Lopez vs Andy Brown Anthony Gangone vs KC Navarro BCW Tag Team Championship Stunning Law (c) vs Survival of the Thickest BCW Women's Championship Notorious Mimi (c) vs Ava Everett BCW World Heavyweight Championship Darius Carter (c) vs Shawn Donavan All this and more!   You don't want to miss seeing just how BCW kicks of 2025.  Also, listen in as the Governor has some choice words for a certain podcast host, how will they respond? March 16, 2025 Ridgefield Park, NJ Limited Tickets still available!

Send us a textIn this episode of the Mecca of Banter podcast, the hosts celebrate personal milestones and discuss the recent performance of St. Louis City in soccer, highlighting key players and match strategies. They also delve into a recap of the Premier League, analyzing various matches and player performances, with a focus on the implications for teams like Manchester United and Southampton. In this conversation, the speakers delve into the repetitive struggles of Tottenham Hotspur's season, highlighting the frustrations with manager Ange Postecoglou and the team's performance. They discuss the potential future of the club, focusing on the importance of youth players and the impact of goalkeeping errors. The conversation also touches on the recent Chelsea match and the ongoing issues faced by players like Cole Palmer, culminating in a discussion about the draw between Manchester United and Arsenal. In this conversation, the hosts delve into recent football matches, analyzing key moments, player performances, and the challenges faced by their teams. They discuss the inconsistencies in team performance, the need for tactical adjustments, and the importance of signing impactful players. The conversation also touches on upcoming matches and the significance of European competitions, highlighting the excitement and unpredictability of football.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Celebrations19:54 St. Louis City Performance Review31:03 Premier League Recap and Insights35:03 Groundhog Day: The Repetitive Nature of Spurs' Season39:23 Managerial Uncertainty: The Future of Ange Postecoglou43:15 Youthful Hope: The Future of Tottenham's Young Talents50:08 Keeper Catastrophes: The Impact of Goalkeeping Errors57:45 United vs Arsenal: A Clash of Frustrations58:00 Analyzing Key Moments in Recent Matches01:00:56 Inconsistencies and Challenges in Team Performance01:03:59 Player Performances and Tactical Adjustments01:08:05 Looking Ahead: Upcoming Matches and European CompetitionsKeywordsSt. Louis City, Premier League, soccer analysis, player performance, match review, sports podcast, Tottenham, Spurs, Ange Postecoglou, Premier League, Bournemouth, youth players, goalkeeping errors, Chelsea, United, Arsenal, football, soccer, Premier League, player analysis, match review, team performance, European competitions, tactics, player development, sports commentarySupport the show

CP The Fanchise is joined by Hip-Hop industry executive and die-hard Knicks fan Mecca Rashawn to dish on the state of the Knicks and Mecca's upcoming album with Busta Rhymes.SPONSORS: Use code KFTV at UnderdogFantasy.com for $1000 bonus cash + Free pick - https://play.underdogfantasy.com/p-knicks-fan-tvUse code KFTV10 for 10% off your SeatGeek order*. https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/KFTV10 $20 max discount Bet $5 at DraftKings https://sportsbook.draftkings.com to get $200 in bonus bets instantly! with code KFTV - Appstore - https://apple.co/4fjSA4K - Google Play - https://bit.ly/kftvdk2 Get $5 off the Mando Whole Body Deodorant Starter Pack using our code KFTV at https://shopmando.com Use code KFTV at Manscaped https://manscaped.com For 20% Off + Free Shipping.

Timber Wilde is our guests this week , hailing from New Braunfels , (which has become a Mecca of Texas musicians ) they got together with Bri Bagwell for a newly released duet that will have you crooning along “ Ain't that Love” and they just released their new single “Bones” that is reminiscent of the easy rock n soul days of your youth. And bonus- some stellar guitar work. These guys have a rockin' soulful Texas sound that leaves you saying “that's just damn good music”   Originally aired 03/09/2025 on 95.3 FM KHYI the Range in Dallas, TX.

Our friends from Mecca of Banter joined us for a cool calm Saturday morning at the world-famous, Amsterdam Tavern. We chatted all things EPL, who's our teams, why, and why most of my guest decisions were/are poor ones. So... POUR yourself a pint and jump into this pubside chat! #epl #chelseafc #tottenham #ManU #ManCity #Arsenal #Fulham #Liverpool #stlouis #soccercapitalofamerica SOCCER PARENTS! Don't forget to take advantage of our SDP discount on Choose It Right. A Brilliant platform designed to help you high school athlete put together a top class resume with data/film/pics baked in, but a database to help you find the RIGHT school, not just the DREAM school! CLICK HERE FOR YOUR CHOOSE IT RIGHT DISCOUNT! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many witches dream of making a pilgrimage to Salem, Massachusetts; the so-called "Witch Capital of the USA," where the echoes of history, magic, and commercialization all blend together in a way that is uniquely, well… Salem. But is it truly a witch's Mecca? And is it worth making the trek?  In this episode Laylla and Chelle unpack the real Salem, the history, the hype, and what it means to visit as a practicing witch. They share their favorite historical sites, from the somber Witch Trials Memorial to hidden gems that go beyond the tourist-trap veneer. They also give the lowdown on the best places to shop, the ones that actually cater to witches rather than just Halloween-loving tourists.  But Salem is more than just a fun weekend trip, visiting as a witch can be a powerful act of remembrance and honorfor the victims of the 1692 Witch Trials, none of whom were actual witches but all of whom suffered from fear, superstition, and the brutal power of accusation. Laylla and Chelle discuss how modern witches can hold space for these lost souls while embracing the magic that Salem has come to represent.  The conversation also expands beyond Salem to address witch discrimination today because witches and magical practitioners still face real persecution, the shadow of history still looms large in today's world.  Got a question? Send the witches a message here!Support the showWant to send us a letter? Witchy things to review?We have a mailing address!Back on the BroomstickPO Box 106Salem MA 01970Email: backonthebroomstick@gmail.comYoutube FacebookInstagramBack on the Broomstick Website

This episode is all about the tea (and teaware) sought and found and loved in 2024, the year of the Dragon. Derek gives his hot takes on Jingdezhen, the Mecca of Chinese porcelain, and Yixing, the birthplace of Chinese teapots. We talk about the spring tea rush, living out of a backpack for 30 days, and go all through the land of mountains and rivers of southern China seeking true tea culture. As always, check out Onerivertea.com and Taoteaware.com for the tea and the teaware mentioned on the pod. Thanks for your support, and brew happy!

Send us a textIn this episode of the Mecca of Banter podcast, the hosts discuss the latest happenings in football, focusing on their respective teams' performances, particularly St. Louis City, Manchester United, and Arsenal. They analyze recent matches, player performances, and tactical decisions while also reflecting on the broader context of the Premier League and Serie A. The conversation highlights the challenges faced by teams and players, the excitement of upcoming matches, and the passionate nature of football culture. In this episode, the hosts discuss the current state of Arsenal's squad, focusing on their striker dilemma and the impact of injuries on their performance. They also touch on the importance of upcoming matches, the potential of youth players, and the challenges faced by the goalkeeping department. Chelsea's recent performance is analyzed, along with transfer rumors and the significance of individual player performances. The conversation wraps up with a preview of the upcoming Champions League matches and a recap of the Mecha Footy League.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Team Updates03:13 Reflections on Recent Matches05:49 St. Louis City Game Analysis09:07 Tactical Discussions and Player Performances11:57 Upcoming Matches and Predictions14:57 Serie A Insights and Comparisons17:59 Premier League Title Race and Team Performances21:03 Manchester United's Recent Struggles23:57 Arsenal's Title Hopes and Recent Form37:38 Arsenal's Striker Dilemma39:45 The Importance of Upcoming Matches40:54 Youth Players and Future Prospects42:18 Assessing Player Performances44:23 Transfer Rumors and Squad Depth46:47 Chelsea's Recent Performance48:57 Goalkeeping Challenges52:25 Youth Development and Future Stars54:59 Upcoming Champions League Matches56:49 Mecca Footy League RecapKeywordsfootball, soccer, Premier League, Serie A, St. Louis City, Manchester United, Arsenal, player analysis, match review, tactics, Arsenal, Premier League, Champions League, youth players, goalkeeping, Chelsea, player performance, transfer rumors, football podcastSupport the show

Is Donald Trump a feminism sympathiser? Do you have a dream like Paulo Coelho's merchant to go to Mecca or someplace else? Will you reflect on realising that dream during Lent or Ramadan? - What does all of this have to do with the woman who trained Ireland's strongest and most feared warrior, Cúchulainn?Support the PodcastConnect on LinkedInConnect on InstagramALL IN MagazineOpening reading: The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho, page 57. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dumbing Down the Future - Mike Judge's Idiocracy This is an especially fun one! This week Mr. Chavez & I take a trip into a very funny, very frightening, and very likely future. In 2006 20th Century Fox released Mike Judge's Idiocracy in a manner that almost guaranteed that no one would ever see it.  . . . but the film would survive. Judge's bleak and pessiimistic vision of the future - the year 2505 - would find a cult audience that would embrace its hilarious prediction of a Professional Wrestler President, warehouse stores as a kind of Mecca, Fast-Food Restaurants as cheap, disgusting food and sex providers, and a population of such minimal intelligence that an "Average Joe" cryogenically frozen and awoken in the future would find himself the "Smartest Man on Earth". Judge spares no targets and we are grateful for the ride Idiocracy takes its viewers on. There's a whole lot to unpack here. Great Satire is usually ahead of its time and that is surely the case with this film. Judge would later joke, "I'm no prophet, I was off by 490 years." Sadly, he was right. Take a listen and let us know if you agree. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks.  For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

Our favorite guest of all time, TNA Wrestling Star KC Navarro talks about signing with TNA in 2024, Slammiversary 2025 in NYC, Gold, Goals and more right here on BCP+!!   Get your tickets for TNA presents Slammiversary in NYC at the UBS Arena July 20th, 2025 at TNAWrestling.com #TNA Slammiversary #KCNavarro #NXT #TNAWrestling #FirstClass #AJFrancis #JoeHendry #nicNemeth #wwe #prowrestling #wrestling #indiewrestling #indywrestling    As Always The BCP is brought to you by our FAVORITE store, Funkenstein Wrestling Superstore located in The Englishtown Flea Market (NJ) from 8 am -3pm Sat & Sunday and online. Get your favorite wrestling merch, retro games, ninja turtles, Ghostbusters, and so much more!!   Please welcome in our NEW sponsor, MANIA CLUB . Established in 2015, MANIA CLUB is a WWE recognized community for fans with an eclectic love for both the world of professional wrestling and raising money for Connors Cure. During WrestleMania weekend, we host the official Tailgate of WrestleMania while also celebrating Connor Michalek. They are the single largest donor within the V Foundation for Connors Cure with over $150K raised! Please donate and join the Facebook group at Mania Club. Donate at http://JimmyV.org/maniaclub    The BCP is also sponsored by The No Gimmicks Podcast ! The Pro Wrestling podcast that keeps it 100% real, 100% of the time!! The No Gimmicks Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts.    WRESTLING ALL DAY ALL NIGHT is the best wrestling discussion group on Facebook! We provide more of a community feel here, and have wrestling fans introduce other fans to something they may not have seen before, such as old school wrestling, indie wrestling, Japanese wrestling, and more! We also strive to be a source of information regarding upcoming wrestler meet & greets and signings. And remember, we're open 24/7. All Day. All Night! Be sure to follow on socials and join the group on Facebook at Wrestling All Day All Night    Sweet Chin Musings is the creation of the reigning, rarely defending, highly disputed champion of wrestling podcasts, “Mr. Perfect” Mike Mueller, and his tag team partner in crime, Luke Kudialis. SCM focuses on the in-ring product of WWE and AEW (no dirt sheet rumors here), as well as backstage news, predictions and analysis of characters, storylines, and major pay per views.    Old school fans, don't worry, we have you covered too, with a look back on classic matches, top 10 lists, and interactive tournaments that let the fans decide who is truly the best of all time. You can find us on Facebook at Sweet Chin Musings , and check out the podcast at https://linktr.ee/SweetChinMusings    Please welcome in our returning pod sponsor for the show GPW Productions !! GPW provides your promotion or event with TOP TIER video, audio, production, live streaming, and more!! I can personally vouch for them in saying they are hands down THE BEST Production company I have ever worked with as they have and continue to work with the likes of AEW, GCW, Starrcast, MLW, not to mention the majority of the local independent Promotions in the tri-state area. They can even help you film a vignette or promo for your persona/gimmick. And guess what? GPW doesn't just work in wrestling. They cover MMA, boxing, basketball, or any other sporting event as well!! On a personal note I'd like to thank Michael James Sesko , Frank León , Oneil Andrews & the team for giving me multiple opportunities to work with them and some of the best talent in the world. BOOK GPW for your promotion or event today at contact@gpwproductions.com    Please welcome in our newest podcast sponsor ISPW Weekly featuring host Totowa Tom and Jumpin Jay as they interview the stars of the ring, uncover their stories, rivalries, and electrifying action that defines ISPW. Catch ISPW Weekly on The ISPW Facebook Page every week!! ISPW Wrestling    Please welcome in our NEW pod and daily site sponsor Twisted Shamrock Studios & Spa located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Twisted Shamrock is a retro spa experience for "The Average Joe & Jane." Meet the next evolution of recovery and relaxation. Right now you can try their introductory offer, where you can try a core service to include massage, skincare facials, stretch therapy, body slimming / toning, personal training and spray tanning 30 min for just $30. This is perfect for our wrestling pals as well!! BOOK TODAY! CALL 484-574-8868 or VISIT www.twistedshamrockstudiospa.com    Please welcome back our returning pod sponsor, Jay Adam Photography !! Jay provides quality, artistic, innovative photography with quick turnaround. Be sure to check out his latest pics from the top promotions here in the northeast and much more stellar content. Contact Jay at Jay Vogel for promo shots at events or off site, match photos, and much more!! Thank you Jay!! Jay Vogel    Please welcome in our new pod sponsor for 2025 the @Ropes N Riffs Podcast featuring maestro John Kiernan speaking with the Stars of professional wrestling about in ring, tunage, gear, and more!! Check out John's interviews with the likes of Lince Dorado, Mercedes Martinez, and more!! Find the Ropes N Riffs Podcast on all major Podcast platforms!! Ropes N Riffs Podcast    USDN Podcast is run by USDN_Chairman and the Council of Nerds. We bring you all the latest news and rumors from the World of Nerds and consolidate it right here at USDN. USDN is for the people, by the people and of the people. https://www.facebook.com/usdepartmentofnerds  USDN Podcast    Warriors Of Wrestling (W.O.W) (W.O.W) returns to Brooklyn, NY on March 15th featuring Darius Carter Women's Champ Vicki Venutto, New Warriors Champ Roger Mendez , Mike Datello @Danny Storm, Vampiro, and more!! Get your tickets now and subscribe to Warriors of Wrestling on YouTube!!    Please Welcome back our returning sponsor for 2025, BCW, Brii Combination Wrestling featuring Darius Carter, Anthony Gangone , J Boujii Vicious Vicki, Stunning Law, The Notorious Mimi and more!! Follow BCW on socials and find all of their great matches up on Title Match Network!! Next event March 16th: Madness at The Mecca in Ridgefield Park NJ    Pro Wrestling Magic Presents "Revenge of the Nerds" March 15th, in Ridgefield Park, NJ and LIVE on IWTV!! Get your tickets now!!   Please welcome in our new podcast sponsor EM Collectibles featuring Live Signings, Collectibles, toys and more!! Be sure to follow them on Facebook and stay tuned for upcoming events: UPCOMING EVENTS!! March 8, 2025- Hernando Toy & Comic Show, Hernando County Fairgrounds- Live Signing with Super Crazy March 22, 2025- Negdog Championship Wrestling presents Music & Mayhem II in Hudson, FL with Special Guest Super Crazy! March 29-30, 2025- Syracuse Collectors Con in Syracuse NY with Bill Alfonso, Gary Wolf and the ‘Quintessential Stud Muffin' Joel Gertner (March 30th only) April 5, 2025- New England Fan Fest- Seekonk, MA with Buff Bagwell April 13, 2025- Our Premiere Show 'BRING BACK THE MEMORIES' Toy Show May 10, 2025- 90s Wrestling Con in Morristown, NJ (guests to be named soon)    Inside Heat Sports and Collectibles LLC presents a youth baseball clinic with former Met Howard "Hojo" Johnson in Maple Grange Fields, NJ on March 29th from 10am to 4pm. Contact Pete at Inside Heat Sports for sponsorship or registration questions.

WarRoom Battleground EP 713: Freeing ALL J6 Prisoners; Building The New Cultural Mecca

Madison Square Garden was sold out. Spike Lee was courtside wearing a PHD hoodie and The Mecca was a sea of red. St. John's romped UConn 89-75 and the final score was not indicative of how bad of a beat down it was. For the first time in 25 years, St. John's has swept the season series with the two-time defending National Champions as a dream season continues. The Red Storm improve to 24-4 overall and 15-2 in the Big East. Follow the podcast on Twitter:@EyeonStormPod = Eye on the Storm Podcast#sjubb

This week we talk about arabica, robusta, and profit margins.We also discuss colonialism, coffee houses, and religious uppers.Recommended Book: On Writing and Worldbuilding by Timothy HicksonTranscriptLike many foods and beverages that contain body- or mind-altering substances, coffee was originally used, on scale at least, by people of faith, leveraging it as an aid for religious rituals. Sufis in what is today Yemen, back in the early 15th century, consumed it as a stimulant which allowed them to more thoroughly commit themselves to their worship, and it was being used by the Muslim faithful in Mecca around the same time.By the following century, it spread to the Levant, and from there it was funneled into larger trade routes and adopted by civilizations throughout the Mediterranean world, including the Ottomans, the Mamluks, groups in Italy and Northern Africa, and a few hundred years later, all the way over to India and the East Indies.Western Europeans got their hands on this beverage by the late 1600s, and it really took off in Germany and Holland, where coffee houses, which replicated an establishment type that was popularized across the Muslim world the previous century, started to pop up all over the place; folks would visit these hubs in lieu of alehouses, subbing in stimulants for depressants, and they were spaces in which it was appropriate for people across the social and economic strata to interact with each other, playing board games like chess and backgammon, and cross-pollinating their knowledge and beliefs.According to some scholars, this is part of why coffee houses were banned in many countries, including England, where they also became popular, because those up top, including but not limited to royalty, considered them to be hotbeds of reformatory thought, political instability, and potentially even revolution. Let the people hang out with each other and allow them to discuss whatever they like, and you end up with a bunch of potential enemies, and potential threats to the existing power structures.It's also been claimed, and this of course would be difficult to definitively prove, though the timing does seem to line up, that the introduction of coffee to Europe is what led to the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, and eventually, the Industrial Revolution. The theory being that swapping out alcohol, at least during the day, and creating these spaces in which ideas and understandings and experiences could be swapped, without as much concern about social strata as in other popular third places, spots beyond the home and work, that allowed all sorts of political ideas to flourish, it helped inventions become realized—in part because there were coffee houses that catered to investors, one of which eventually became the London Stock Exchange—but also because it helped people organize, and do so in a context in which they were hyper-alert and aware, and more likely to engage in serious conversation; which is a stark contrast to the sorts of conversations you might have when half- or fully-drunk at an alehouse, exclusively amongst a bunch of your social and economic peers.If it did play a role in those movements, coffee was almost certainly just one ingredient in a larger recipe; lots of variables were swirling in these areas that seem to have contributed to those cultural, technological, economic, and government shifts.The impact of such beverages on the human body and mind, and human society aside, though, coffee has become globally popular and thus, economically vital. And that's what I'd like to talk about today; coffee's role in the global economy, and recent numbers that show coffee prices are ballooning, and are expected to balloon still further, perhaps substantially, in the coming years.—For a long while, coffee was a bit of a novelty outside of the Muslim world, even in European locales that had decently well-established coffeehouses.That changed when the Dutch East India Company started importing the beans to the Netherlands in the early 17th century. By the mid-1600s they were bringing commercial-scale shipments of the stuff to Amsterdam, which led to the expansion of the beverage's trade-range throughout Europe.The Dutch then started cultivating their own coffee crops in colonial territories, including Ceylon, which today is called Sri Lanka, and the island of Java. The British East India Company took a similar approach around the same time, and that eventually led to coffee bean cultivation in North America; though it didn't do terribly well there, initially, as tea and alcoholic beverages were more popular with the locals. In the late 18th century, though, North Americans were boycotting British tea and that led to an uptick in coffee consumption thereabouts, though this paralleled a resurgence in tea-drinking back in Britain, in part because they weren't shipping as much tea to their North American colonies, and in part because they conquered India, and were thus able to import a whole lot more tea from the thriving Indian tea industry.The Americas became more important to the burgeoning coffee trade in the mid-1700s after a French naval officer brought a coffee plant to Martinique, in the Caribbean, and that plant flourished, serving as the source of almost all of today's arabica coffee beans, as it was soon spread to what is today Haiti, and by 1788, Haiti's coffee plantations provided half the world's coffee.It's worth remembering that this whole industry, the portion of it run by the Europeans, at least, was built on the back of slaves. These Caribbean plantations, in particular, were famously abusive, and that abuse eventually resulted in the Haitian revolution of 1791, which five years later led to the territory's independence.That said, coffee plantations elsewhere, like in Brazil and across other parts of South and Central America, continued to flourish throughout this period, colonialists basically popping into an area, conquering it, and then enslaving the locals, putting them to work on whatever plantations made the most sense for the local climate.Many of these conquered areas and their enslaved locals were eventually able to free themselves, though in some cases it took a long time—about a century, in Brazil's case.Some plantations ended up being maintained even after the locals gained their freedom from their European conquerers, though. Brazil's coffee industry, for instance, began with some small amount of cultivation in the 1720s, but really started to flourish after independence was won in 1822, and the new, non-colonialist government decided to start clearing large expanses of rainforest to make room for more, and more intensive plantations. By the early 1900s, Brazil was producing about 70% of the world's coffee exports, with their neighbors—Colombia and Guatemala, in particular—making up most of the rest. Eurasian producers, formerly the only places where coffee was grown, remember, only made up about 5% of global exports by that time.The global market changed dramatically in the lead-up to WWII, as Europe was a primary consumer of these beans, and about 40% of the market disappeared, basically overnight, because the continent was spending all their resources on other things; mostly war-related things.An agreement between South and Central American coffee producing countries and the US helped shore-up production during this period, and those agreements allowed other Latin American nations to develop their own production infrastructure, as well, giving Brazil more hemispheric competition.And in the wake of WWII, when colonies were gaining their independence left and right, Ivory Coast and Ethiopia also became major players in this space. Some burgeoning Southeast Asian countries, most especially Vietnam, entered the global coffee market in the post-war years, and as of the 2020s, Brazil is still the top producer, followed by Vietnam, Indonesia, Colombia, and Ethiopia—though a few newer entrants, like India, are also gaining market share pretty quickly.As of 2023, the global coffee market has a value of around $224 billion; that figure can vary quite a lot based on who's numbers you use, but it's in the hundreds of billions range, whether you're looking just at beans, or including the ready-to-drink market, as well, and the growth rate numbers are fairly consistent, even if what's measured and the value placed on it differs depending on the stats aggregator you use.Some estimates suggest the market will grow to around $324 billion, an increase of around $100 billion, by 2030, which would give the coffee industry a compound annual growth rate that's larger than that of the total global caffeinated beverage market; and as of 2023, coffee accounts for something like 87% of the global caffeinated beverage market, so it's already the dominant player in this space, and is currently, at least, expected to become even more dominant by 2030.There's concern within this industry, however, that a collection of variables might disrupt that positive-seeming trajectory; which wouldn't be great for the big corporations that sell a lot of these beans, but would also be really bad, beyond shareholder value, for the estimated 25 million people, globally, who produce the beans and thus rely on the industry to feed their families, and the 100-110 million more who process, distribute, and import coffee products, and who thus rely on a stable market for their paychecks.Of those producers, an estimated 12.5 million work on smaller farms of 50 acres or less, and 60% of the world's coffee is made by people working on such smallholdings. About 44% of those people live below the World Bank's poverty metric; so it's already a fairly precarious economic situation for many of the people at the base-level of the production system, and any disruptions to what's going on at any level of the coffee industry could ripple across that system pretty quickly; disrupting a lot of markets and local economies, alongside the human suffering such disruptions could cause.This is why recent upsets to the climate that have messed with coffee crops are causing so much anxiety. Rising average temperatures, bizarre cold snaps, droughts, heavy and unseasonable rainfalls—in some cases all of these things, one after another—combined with outbreaks of plant diseases like coffee rust, have been putting a lot of pressure on this industry, including in Brazil and Vietnam, the world's two largest producers, as of the mid-2020s.In the past year alone, because of these and other externalities, the price of standard-model coffee beans has more than doubled, and the specialty stuff has seen prices grow even more than that.Higher prices can sometimes be a positive for those who make the now-more-expensive goods, if they're able to charge more but keep their expenses stable.In this case, though, the cost of doing business is going up, because coffee makers have to spend more on protecting their crops from diseases, losing crops because of those climate issues, and because of disruptions to global shipping channels. That means profit margins have remained fairly consistent rather than going up: higher cost to make, higher prices for consumers, about the same amount of money being made by those who work in this industry and that own the brands that put coffee goods on shelves.The issue, though, is that the cost of operation is still going up, and a lot of smallholders in particular, which again, produce about 60% of all the coffee made, worldwide, are having trouble staying solvent. Their costs of operation are still going up, and it's not a guarantee that consumers will be willing to continue spending more and more and more money on what's basically a commodity product; there are a lot of caffeinated beverages, and a lot of other types of beverage they could buy instead, if coffee becomes too pricy.And at this point, in the US, for instance, the retail price of ground roast coffee has surpassed an average of $7 per pound, up 15% in the past year. Everyone's expecting that to keep climbing, and at some point these price increases will lose the industry customers, which in turn could create a cascading effect that kills off some of these smaller producers, which then raises prices even more, and that could create a spiral that's difficult to stop or even slow.Already, this increase in prices, even for the traditionally cheaper and less desirable robusta coffee bean, has led some producers to leave coffee behind and shift to more consistently profitable goods; many plantations in Vietnam, for instance, have converted some of their facilities over to durian fruit, instead of robusta, and that's limited the supply of robusta, raising the prices of that bean, which in turn is causing some producers of robusta to shift to arabica, which is typically more expensive, and that's meant more coffee on the market is of the more expensive variety, adding to those existing price increases.The futures markets on which coffee beans are traded are also being upended by these pricing issues, resulting in margin calls on increasingly unprofitable trades that, in short, have necessitated that more coffee traders front money for their bets instead of just relying on short positions that have functioned something like insurance paid with credit based on further earnings, and this has put many of them out of business—and that, you guessed it, has also resulted in higher prices, and more margin calls, which could put even more of them out of business in the coming years.There are ongoing efforts to reorganize how the farms at the base on this industry are set up, both in terms of how they produce their beans, and in terms of who owns what, and who profits, how. This model typically costs more to run, and results in less coffee production: in some cases 25% less. But it also results in more savings because trees last up to twice as long, the folks who work the farms are much better compensated, and less likely to suffer serious negative health impacts from their labor, and the resultant coffee is of a much higher quality; kind of a win win win situation for everyone, though again, it's less efficient, so up till now the model hasn't really worked beyond some limited implementations, mostly in Central America.That could change, though, as these larger disruptions in the market could also make room for this type of segue, and indeed, there has apparently been more interest in it, because if the beans are going to cost more, anyway, and the current way of doing things doesn't seem to work consistently anymore, and might even collapse over the next decade if something doesn't change, it may make sense, even to the soulless accounting books of major global conglomerates, to reset the industry so that it's more resilient, and so that the people holding the whole sprawling industry up with their labor are less likely to disappear some day, due to more favorable conditions offered by other markets, or because they're simply worked to death under the auspices of an uncaring, fairly brutal economic and climatic reality.Show Noteshttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/business/coffee-prices-climate-change.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20100905180219/https://www.web-books.com/Classics/ON/B0/B701/12MB701.htmlhttps://www.jstor.org/stable/1246099?origin=crossrefhttps://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jan/07/coffee-prices-australia-going-up-cafe-flat-white-costhttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y37dvlr70ohttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/28/business/coffee-prices-climate-change.htmlhttps://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/coffee-prices-food-inflation-climate-change-eggs-bank-of-america-2025-2https://www.statista.com/statistics/675807/average-prices-arabica-and-robusta-coffee-worldwide/https://www.ft.com/content/9934a851-c673-4c16-86eb-86e30bbbaef3https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/01/business/your-coffees-about-to-get-more-expensive-heres-why/index.htmlhttps://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/caffeinated-beverage-market-38053https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/caffeinated-beverage-markethttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffeehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_coffeehouses_in_the_17th_and_18th_centurieshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffeehousehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_coffeehttps://sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/the-coffeehouse-culture/https://www.openculture.com/2021/08/how-caffeine-fueled-the-enlightenment-industrial-revolution-the-modern-world.html This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Send us a textIn this episode of the Mecca of Banter podcast, the hosts discuss the recent performances of St. Louis City in their MLS season opener and Manchester United's match against Everton. The conversation covers player performances, tactical analysis, and the overall excitement of the new season. The hosts share their perspectives on the games, highlighting key moments and players, while also engaging in light-hearted banter about their favorite teams. In this conversation, the speakers analyze recent football matches, focusing on tactical adjustments, player performances, and team morale. They discuss the challenges faced by Manchester United, the resurgence of Tottenham, Chelsea's struggles with leadership and performance, and Arsenal's recent loss impacting their title hopes. The conversation highlights the importance of youth integration and the need for teams to adapt to changing circumstances in the Premier League. In this episode, the hosts engage in a lively discussion about recent football matches, focusing on Arsenal's culture and performance, the intense rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester City, and the dynamics within Manchester City's squad. They highlight key player performances and share humorous anecdotes about fan behavior, all while analyzing the implications for the Premier League moving forward.Chapters00:00 Welcome and Introductions04:07 St. Louis City Season Opener Analysis24:38 Manchester United vs Everton Review27:34 Game Analysis and Tactical Adjustments29:12 Player Performances and Team Morale32:37 Youth Integration and Future Prospects35:44 Tottenham's Resurgence and Key Players43:27 Chelsea's Struggles and Leadership Issues52:42 Arsenal's Title Hopes and Recent Losses53:47 Arsenal's Culture and Fan Behavior55:25 Arsenal's Performance and Future Prospects56:20 Liverpool vs. Manchester City: A Game of Powerhouses58:49 Liverpool's Defensive Strength and City's Struggles01:01:43 Manchester City's Leadership and Squad Dynamics01:04:25 Player Highlights and Weekend PerformancesKeywordsMecca of Banter, St. Louis City, Manchester United, MLS, Premier League, soccer analysis, podcast, sports commentary, football, tactics, player performance, team morale, youth integration, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Premier League, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Premier League, football culture, player performance, fan behavior, squad dynamics, football analysisSupport the show

Is your child begging for makeup while you're desperately trying to preserve their innocence? From church on Sundays to everyday requests, the makeup debate touches deep parental fears about growing up too fast. Discover why parents really resist early makeup use, and learn a practical three-step approach to handling this delicate issue. Plus, hear how six daughters taught these parents that sometimes the biggest parenting battles aren't worth fighting after all. Quote of the Episode: "Making a big deal about makeup is perhaps a bit unnecessary - we've learned not to sweat the small stuff." Key Insights: Most parental concerns about makeup stem from fears about premature maturity Research shows resistance often comes from conservative backgrounds Parents worry about beauty standards and self-worth connections The more parents resist, the more appealing makeup becomes Force creates resistance in these situations Family rules evolve with experience and understanding The Three E's approach works well for makeup discussions Context and motivation matter more than specific age limits Resources Mentioned: Beauty Sick by Renée Engeln Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Miss Connection Summit Happy Families Action Steps for Parents: Explore: Get curious about your child's real motivation Explain: Share your values and concerns openly Empower: Work together on solutions that respect both perspectives See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What a delight to have not one but TWO pals join us this week, The B-Side hosts Dan Mecca and Conor O'Donnell! Naturally, we're going back to forgotten films from the 1990s with director Alan Pakula's final film, The Devil's Own. The film starred Brad Pitt as an IRA member hiding out in America opposite Harrison … Continue reading "329 – The Devil's Own (with Dan Mecca and Conor O'Donnell!)"

Adnan Khashoggi was born in Mecca — but his life was anything but pious. The billionaire had multiple wives, girlfriends and armies of callgirls, not to mention gambling sessions and club nights whose costs ran into the millions of dollars. Khashoggi made his first riches shipping arms from the US to Saudi Arabia. But soon his “fees,” and the ways he got them, began to catch up with him. And dalliances in politics, bad investments, and some friends in dark places, would send the life of the ‘world's richest man' into a criminal tailspin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before Miami was the hotspot it is today, it was a terrible place to look like us. White supremacy kept our people from the palm tree-lined beaches and art deco rooftops, but we didn't care! THIS place was our secret escape from it all. _____________ 2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10 a month, but every dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work. The production team for this podcast includes Cydney Smith, Len Webb, and Lilly Workneh. Our editors are Lance John and Avery Phillips from Gifted Sounds Network. Julian Walker serves as executive producer. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices