Podcasts about monuments

Should living presidents be allowed to put their names on federal buildings? Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana says absolutely not. He told CBS News' "Face the Nation" that living presidents should not be allowed to put their own names on federal monuments and buildings. At the same time he's making these statements, the Trump Administration is also proposing a massive baseball park in Grand Teton National Park. Holly and Greg share their own hot takes and read listener comments on these two controversial stories.  

This week is the final Sound Kitchen program, and it's a doubleheader: you'll hear the answers to TWO quiz questions, as well as TWO “Listeners Corner's” with Paul Myers, plus a special musical choice from me to you. Just click the “Play” button above to join the feast! Hello everyone! As noted on the show, I am retiring on 1 October, and today's show is our last meal together. Unfortunately, The Sound Kitchen is retiring too – I will not be replaced. We've had a great time together all these years, haven't we? Click here to listen to past Sound Kitchen podcasts.   I know you will all stay loyal to RFI English – our service has so much to offer. We're small, but my colleagues are firebrands! For example, we have wonderful podcasts: Spotlight on France, with journalists Alison Hird and Sarah Elzas; Melissa Chemam's insightful Spotlight on Africa, and our International Report, usually sent to us by one of our foreign correspondents. We also have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) – to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service.  Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our team of journalists. You never know what we'll surprise you with! To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you'll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone. And don't forget, in addition to our audio bilingual series, you can also learn French through our website “Le Français facile avec rfi”. In addition to online lessons, there are news broadcasts in slow, simple French, with exercises to practice what you've heard. Go to their website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”, and you'll be advised on the best-suited activities for your level, according to your score. Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of the “Le Français facile” service, told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you'll get it”. She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour,” and now she heads this key international award-winning RFI department – so stick with it! For the quiz on 7 February: I asked you a question about the 68th annual Grammy Awards that took place on 1 February. You were to re-read our article “French DJ wins Grammy for Lady Gaga remix” and send in the answer to this question: Which six artists were given “Lifetime Achievement” awards? The answer is, to quote our article: “On Saturday evening, Nigeria's Fela Kuti was posthumously awarded a lifetime achievement award, becoming the first African artist to receive the distinction. The king of Afrobeat was one of several artists to receive the award, including Cher, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon and Chaka Khan.” In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by RFI Listeners Club member Alan Holder from the English Isle of Wight. Alan's question was: “What would be your ideal gift from your best friend or spouse? Why?”  The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Mohamed Elsayed Abd Elraheim from Elsharkya, Egypt. Mohamed Elsayed is also this week's bonus question winner. Also on the list of lucky winners are RFI Listeners Club members Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusene, Denmark; Helmut Matt from Herbolzheim, Germany; Kashif Khalil from Faisalabad, Pakistan, and last but not least, gentle Debashis Gope from West Bengal, India. Congratulations winners! For the quiz on 14 February: That week, I asked you a question about the Benin Bronzes, the trove of Nigerian sculptures and artifacts that were looted by colonial powers. One of the most well-known organizations working for the return of these works is in Nigeria: it's the National Commission for Museums and Monuments – the NCMM- which requested the return of bronzes from Britain that were looted from the Kingdom of Benin during the British Benin Expedition of 1897. Some of the sculptures date to the fourteenth century, but the bulk of the collection dates to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. And that week, the NCMM had a win, as my good colleague Melissa Chemam noted in her article: “Cambridge University museum set to return Benin bronzes to Nigeria”. You were to re-read Melissa's article and give the details of the artefacts to be returned. What did Melissa name in her article about the Benin Kingdom artworks that went home to Nigeria? The answer is, to quote Melissa: “Among the returned bronzes that will travel in the coming months are wood and ivory sculptures, as well as commemorative heads of King Oba and Queen Mother Lyoba Idia. The term ‘Benin bronzes' refers to objects crafted from brass and ivory as well as bronze, which were seized during the colonial-era military expedition.” The bonus question you answered that week was: “What do you know after all these years? What have you found are important life truths? The winners are: Faithful RFI Listeners Club member Jayanta Chakrabarty from New Delhi, India. Jayanta is also the bonus question winner. Also on the list of lucky winners are RFI Listeners Club member Nasyr Muhammad from Katsina State in Nigeria, as well as RFI English listeners M. Ganesan from Goa, India, and three listeners from Bangladesh:  Rafiq ul Islam from Naogaon, as well as Abdul Mannan and Mahfuza Akhter, both from Chapainawabganj. Congratulations winners! Here's the music you heard on this week's programme: “Minor Swing” by  Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli, performed by the composers with Le Quintette Hot Club de France; "Water No Get Enemy" by Fela Kuti, performed by Fela Kuti and Africa '70; “The Cakewalk” from Children's Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer;  “L'hymne à l'amour” by Edith Piaf and Marguerite Monnot, sung by Edith Piaf, and “I Wish You Love” by Charles Trenet and Léo Chauliac, performed by Laufey with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hugh Brant. With much affection from The Sound Kitchen team – Erwan Rome, Paul Myers, and yours truly, Susan Owensby - fare thee well!

From the White House ballroom to the Kennedy Center to a proposed triumphal arch along the Potomac, President Trump has taken a special interest in creating physical markers of his legacy. We'll look at how he's largely escaped oversight, including by designating these projects as central to national security. Why are monuments such a priority for Trump, and what does this tell us about the growing reach of executive power? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A clandestine meeting with a Cambodian looter puts Josh on the trail of multi-million-dollar stolen monuments. Thanks to the looter's intel, Josh dives into a murky moat where he unearths a priceless lost statue and a missing piece of a national treasure. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How a movie prop became one of Philadelphia's most beloved monuments, and sparked a decades-long fight over where it belonged. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Rocky statue has been playing musical chairs between the top, bottom, and inside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It's now taking its permanent spot at the top of the Art Museum steps. It's been 50 years since the first “Rocky” movie debuted, and the statue of the fictional boxer is still a place of pilgrimage and a symbol of pride for Philadelphians. As the statue gets comfortable in its new home, we're revisiting a conversation between host Trenae Nuri and Paul Farber, co-founder of Monument Lab, host of WHYY's The Statue, and the curator of Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments, who explains why people are so fixated on Rocky and why monuments continue to matter in our culture. This episode originally aired on April 23, 2026.  Our newsletter has Philly news & events in your inbox every weekday morning. Call or text us: 215-259-8170 Instagram: @citycastphilly Support our show and get great perks as a City Cast Philly Neighbor: membership.citycast.fm Advertise on the podcast or in the newsletter: citycast.fm/advertise Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: AACR GPHCC Dine Latino Chase

durée : 00:30:27 Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

In this episode of the Explaining History Podcast, we explore Keith Lowe's *Prisoners of History* and the contested world of memorialisation – focusing on one of the strangest and most controversial memorial sites in Europe.Monuments occupy public space, and they impose meaning on it. Walk through any city and you'll find statues placed with particular agendas – to memorialise the past in certain ways, to place a particular interpretation on history. As a result, they are almost always contested. The recent removal of statues associated with the transatlantic slave trade, from Edward Colston in Bristol to Confederate monuments across the American South, provoked a furious reaction from the right, who framed it as a free speech issue. What they were really defending was the right of white supremacy to own and occupy public space.Keith Lowe argues that there is no escaping the monsters of our past. We can try to ignore them, rehabilitate them, or annihilate them – but their absence becomes its own kind of presence. There is only one final course open to us: ridicule.This brings us to Grūtas Park in Lithuania – a sculpture park displaying the statues of Stalin, Lenin, and other Soviet figures that were torn down after independence in 1990. Lithuania's 20th century was one of repeated invasion, occupation, and mass deportation. Around 300,000 Lithuanians were sent to Soviet gulags in the 1940s and 50s. So when independence came, the statues were decapitated, blowtorched, and dynamited. The government then stored the best-known examples in warehouses – until a former wrestling champion and mushroom farmer named Viliumas Malinauskas offered to take them off their hands and build a park.His proposals were extraordinary: tourists arriving on cattle trucks, actors dressed as guards herding them onto trains, barbed wire, guard towers, the whole gulag experience. Critics called it a "Stalin theme park." Over a million people signed a petition against it. Former partisans and political prisoners accused Malinauskas of profiting from their misery.But the park opened anyway – and became a hit. What makes Grūtas Park so interesting, and so troubling, is that it creates a space that is completely ahistorical. It was built in the era of the "end of history," when we thought we could turn the past into a meaningless theme park.History didn't end. Spoiler alert.**Topics covered:**- Keith Lowe's *Prisoners of History*- The contest over public memorials and public space- Francis Galton, eugenics, and the limits of ridicule- Lithuania's experience of Soviet and Nazi occupation- The fate of Stalin and Lenin statues after 1990- Viliumas Malinauskas and the creation of Grūtas Park- The petition, the protests, and the constitutional court ruling- The postmodern, ahistorical aesthetics of the park- The "end of history" and its illusions---*If you enjoy the podcast, please consider supporting us – we are migrating from Patreon to Substack. Details in the show notes.*Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where Should You Go in Greece for Ancient History? | Aristotle Koskinas on Hidden Gems & Must-See SitesPlanning a trip to Greece? Some of its greatest archaeological treasures are hiding in plain sight—and even at famous sites like Delphi, visitors can walk straight past monuments that changed Greek history.So where should an ancient history lover actually go?In this episode of Classical Wisdom Speaks, Anya Leonard speaks with archaeologist and veteran tourist guide Aristotle Koskinas for an insider's journey through Greece—from Olympia, Delphi and Thermopylae to Naxos, Santorini, Rhodes and remarkable sites most tourists never see.With more than 20 years as a guide and experience of hundreds of archaeological sites, Aristotle explains not only where to go, but what to look for once you get there.At Olympia, we explore the ancient Olympic Games and the workshop where Phidias created the enormous gold-and-ivory Statue of Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.At Delphi, Aristotle takes us beyond the famous Temple of Apollo to inscriptions, treasuries and monuments connected to the Persian Wars—some so easily overlooked that visitors walk straight past them without realizing their importance.Then there's Thermopylae. Where exactly did Leonidas and the 300 Spartans make their famous last stand? Aristotle explains how archaeology and the landscape can change the way we understand one of antiquity's most legendary battles.But Greece is much more than its most famous sites.We also discover quieter archaeological gems near Athens, the ancient city of Messene, the spectacular Royal Tombs at Vergina, and islands where extraordinary landscapes meet thousands of years of history—from ancient marble quarries on Naxos and Bronze Age Akrotiri on Santorini to medieval Chios and Rhodes.Whether you're planning your next Greek holiday or exploring from home, grab a pen and paper—this is an archaeologist's guide to the Greece most visitors miss.Key Topics:The best archaeological sites in GreeceAncient Olympia and the original Olympic GamesPhidias and the Statue of ZeusWhat visitors miss at DelphiAncient inscriptions and the Persian WarsWhy Plataea deserves more attentionRethinking the battlefield of ThermopylaeLeonidas and the 300 SpartansHidden archaeological gems near AthensThe Sanctuary of Amphiaraos and RhamnousAncient MesseneThe Royal Tombs at VerginaNaxos and its ancient marbleAkrotiri and ancient SantoriniThe medieval treasures of ChiosAncient and medieval RhodesTimestamps:00:00 What everyone misses at Delphi00:39 An insider's guide to Greece01:52 Meet Aristotle Koskinas05:03 Layers of Greek history07:03 Greece's must-see sites07:12 Ancient Olympia09:15 What tourists miss at Olympia12:50 The secrets of Delphi16:38 Monuments everyone walks past19:25 Greece's must-see battlefields19:45 Why visit Plataea?22:22 Rethinking Thermopylae25:40 Greece's hidden archaeological gems26:28 Sanctuary of Amphiaraos27:40 Ancient Rhamnous28:54 Ancient Messene30:01 Royal Tombs at Vergina32:31 Greece's best islands for history33:08 Naxos34:44 Santorini & Akrotiri35:24 Chios42:30 Ancient & medieval Rhodes44:02 The splendor of GreeceIf you could visit just one archaeological site in Greece tomorrow, where would you go—Delphi, Olympia, Thermopylae, Akrotiri, or somewhere completely off the beaten track?Let us know in the comments, and subscribe to Classical Wisdom for more conversations exploring the people, places and ideas of the ancient world.

Send us Fan MailThomas Vokins: From Britain to the American Civil War | London Branch Member with Gina Denham In this episode of American Civil War and UK History podcast, Daz is joined by Gina Denham, co-founder of the Monuments for UK Veterans of the American Civil War Association, to explore the fascinating life of Thomas Vokins.Thomas Vokins was a British-born participant in the American Civil War who later returned to Britain and became a member of the London Branch of the U.S. Civil War Veterans.Gina shares the story of Vokins' life, his connection to the American Civil War, and his later involvement with the London Branch, helping to shed light on the often-overlooked history of British connections to the American Civil War.Please help us achieve our ultimate goal of erecting a monument for all British American Civil War veterans. Additionally, we are committed to continuing the work of identifying and honouring more American Civil War veterans. You can donate via our JustGiving page.just giving page https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/themonumentalproject?utm_term=n9NGvaxgnKeep updated on all of our activities herehttps://linktr.ee/TheMonumentalProjectACW & UK History's Website.https://www.acwandukhistory.com/ACW & UK History's Pages.https://linktr.ee/ACWandUKHISTORYSupport the show

In 2020, San Franciscans began reckoning with the city's monuments—many of which honored violent figures and fraught histories. In the years since, the San Francisco Arts Commission has been reimagining what public memory could look like. Now, temporary monuments celebrating everyday people are popping up all around us. Links: In San Francisco, a Reckoning With Toppled Statues Gives Rise to New Monuments Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

durée : 00:03:00 - Nous avons un chance inouïe : plus de 1500 arbres sont classés remarquables chez nous. De Murs à Fontaine-de-Vaucluse en passant par Montfavet et le Ventoux, partons à la découverte de plusieurs spécimens exceptionnels recensés dans le département et accessibles grâce à une cartographie en ligne. Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

Cuisine raffinée, vins d'exception, variété des paysages, charme de ses villages, musées d'art classique, maisons de mode… La France attire les touristes du monde entier pour toute la richesse de son patrimoine historique et architectural. Les monuments de notre hexagone figurent sur d'innombrables photos de vacances, parfois sans que leurs auteurs aient eu besoin de venir jusqu'en France. Ceci grâce à la réplique de nos édifices les plus emblématiques hors de nos frontières. Quel est le monument plus copié ? Où se trouvent ces monuments ailleurs dans le monde ? Est-ce que ce ne sont que des monuments parisiens ? Écoutez la suite de cet épisode de "Maintenant, vous savez - Culture". Un podcast Bababam Originals, écrit et réalisé par Béatrice Jumel. Première diffusion : septembre 2023 A écouter aussi : ⁠A qui s'adresse (vraiment) La Lettre à Elise de Beethoven ?⁠ ⁠Quelle est la folle histoire des Skyblogs ?⁠ ⁠Quelles légendes se cachent derrière la forêt de Brocéliande ?⁠ Retrouvez tous les épisodes de "Maintenant vous savez". Pour rester informé et recevoir le meilleur de “Maintenant vous savez” chaque semaine, abonnez-vous à notre newsletter. Suivez Bababam sur Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Between 1215 and 1211 BCE, Egypt was divided. A rebellion in the south, launched by Amen-messe "Born of Amun" disrupted the succession of Sety II, son of Merneptah. Records from this shadowy period hint at violence and corruption in Waset/Luxor, as the usurper took control and established a new regime. The impact of this conflict would have long-lasting ramifications for the 19th Dynasty... Music: Luke Chaos. Logo: An unnamed statue head from Karnak, probably depicting Sety II or Amenmesse (Metropolitan Museum of Art, public domain). Was Amenmesse the Viceroy Messuy? Below are scenes from Amada in Nubia, where Messuy carved scenes of himself before royal cartouches. Prof. Aidan Dodson suggests that the Viceroy has cobra/uraei on his forehead, though other scholars suggest this is mere weathering. What do you think? Photos (high-res) https://www.flickr.com/photos/184518985@N04/ Bibliography Brand, P. J. (2009). Usurped Cartouches of Merenptah at Karnak and Luxor. In P. J. Brand & L. Cooper (Eds.), Causing His Name to Live: Studies in Egyptian Epigraphy and History in Memory of William J. Murnane (pp. 29–48). Brill. http://history.memphis.edu/murnane/Brand.pdf Caminos, R. A. (1974). The new-kingdom temples of Buhen. Egypt Exploration Society. Černý, J. (1929). Papyrus Salt 124 (Brit. Mus. 10055). The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 15(3/4), 243–258. https://doi.org/10.2307/3854120 Cooney, K. M. (2022). The New Kingdom of Egypt Under the Ramesside Dynasty. In D. T. Potts, N. Moeller, & K. Radner (Eds.), The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East, Volume III: From the Hyksos to the Late Second Millennium BC (pp. 251--366). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190687601.003.0027 Dodson, A. (2016). Poisoned Legacy: The Decline and Fall of the Nineteenth Egyptian Dynasty (Revised edn). American University in Cairo Press. Hopper, R. W. (2010). The Monuments of Amenmesse and Seti II: A Historical Inquiry [Unpublished PhD. Thesis]. The University of Memphis. Iskander, S. (2002). The Reign of Merneptah [Unpublished PhD. Thesis]. New York University. Kitchen, K. A. (1987). The Titularies of the Ramesside Kings as Expression of their Ideal Kingship. Annales Du Service Des Antiquités de l'Égypte, 71, 131--141. https://archive.org/details/ASAE-71-1987 Krauss, R. (1976). Untersuchungen zu König Amenmesse (1. Teil). Studien Zur Altägyptischen Kultur, 4, 161--199. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25150008 Krauss, R. (1977). Untersuchungen zu König Amenmesse (2. Teil). Studien Zur Altägyptischen Kultur, 5, 131--174. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44324535 Krauss, R. (1997). Untersuchungen zu König Amenmesse: Nachträge. Studien Zur Altägyptischen Kultur, 24, 161--184. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25152736 Krauss, R. (2000). Moïse le pharaon (N. Baum, Trans.). Editions du Rocher. Lefébure, E. (1886). Les hypogées royaux de Thèbes (Band 1): Le tombeau de Séti Ier. Libraire de la Societe Asiatique. http://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/lefebure1886bd1 Leprohon, R. J. (2013). The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary. Society of Biblical Literature. Schneider, T. (2011). Conjectures About Amenmesse: Historical, Biographical, Chronological. In M. Collier & S. Snape (Eds.), Ramesside Studies in Honour of K. A. Kitchen (pp. 445--451). Rutherford. https://www.academia.edu/6374977/Conjectures_about_Amenmesse_Historical_Biographical_Chronological_in_Ramesside_Studies_Festschrift_Kenneth_A_Kitchen_Bolton_Rutherford_Press_2011_445_451 Servajean, F. (2014). Mérenptah et la fin de la XIXe dynastie. Pygmalion. Sourouzian, H. (2019). Catalogue de la statuaire royale de la XIXe dynastie. Institut français d'archéologie orientale. https://www.ifao.egnet.net/publications/catalogue/9782724707571/ Yurco, F. J. (1979). Amenmesse: Six statues at Karnak. Metropolitan Museum Journal, 14, 15--31. http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/1512735.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conservation groups, Indigenous tribes, and the outdoor retail company Patagonia have filed lawsuits over recent drastic cuts in the size of two national monuments in Utah.

Iconic Monuments and Landscapes in Barbados and Gibraltar © 2026.mp3Podcast 315 Crossing the line: Etymology, epistemology, and professional/theological practice ISBN 978-976-98069-2-4. © 2026 Dr. William Anderson Gittens, Doctor of Divinity Devgro Media Arts Services Publishing®2015 In collaboration with iMovie present Podcast 315 Crossing the line: Etymology, epistemology, and professional/theological practice ISBN 978-976-98069-2-4. © 2026 Dr. William Anderson Gittens, Doctor of Divinity Presented by Dr. William Anderson Gittens, Doctor of DivinityRECOGNITIONSAs I take a moment to reflect on my journey, I am filled with profound gratitude for the Creator's guiding hand that has led me every step of the way. Life has brought me countless blessings, and at the forefront of these blessings is the immeasurable debt of thanks I owe to my late parents, Charles and Ira Gittens. They bestowed upon me their wisdom and creative spirit, which have been a consistent source of inspiration throughout my life. Their counsel and encouragement continue to resonate within me, shaping my path and purpose. To my beloved wife, Magnola Gittens, your unwavering support has been my anchor in turbulent seas. Your love and understanding provide the strength necessary to navigate life's complexities. I am eternally grateful for your presence, which comforts and uplifts me. To my brothers—Shurland, Charles, Ricardo, and my late brothers Arnott and Stephen—as well as my sisters, Emerald, Marcella, and Cheryl, thank you for being my steadfast companions along this journey. Each of you has contributed uniquely to my narrative, reminding me of the importance of family ties in shaping who I am today. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to my cousins: Joy Mayers, Kevin and Ernest Mayers, Donna Archer, Avis Dyer, and Jackie Clarke. Your love and camaraderie have enriched my life beyond measure. To my uncles, Clifford, Leonard Mayers, David Bruce, and Collin Rock, your support has been invaluable, strengthening the bonds of our family. To my children, Laron and Lisa, grandson Elijah you are my pride and joy, the motivation behind my work, fuelling my desire to create and inspire.Moreover, I am equally grateful to all who have believed in me and wanted nothing but the best for my growth. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Platizky, Mr. Matthew Sutton, Mr. Juan Arroyo, Mr. and Mrs. David Lavine, and many others have played pivotal roles in my development, encouraging me to pursue my passions relentlessly. During my time at New Jersey City University (NJCU), I had the privilege of receiving guidance from exceptional mentors, including the late Dr. Joseph Drew, Merline Mayers, Mrs. Ellen Gordon, Dr. Nicholas Gordon, Rev. Dr. Scofield Eversley BSS, and many others. Conversations about enhancing my writing skills after graduating were integral to my growth, providing the foundation for my future endeavours. Over the past three decades, my experiences in the leisure activities industry have significantly shaped my journey. From 1995 to 2026, I have devoted myself to writing, resulting in 487E-Publications and 315 podcasts that resonate within the community. In recognition of the profound impact Dr. Joseph Drew had on my academic and personal development, I dedicated my 66th publication, "A Tribute to Culture" Vol. 1, to him—a small token of gratitude for his enormous influence on my life.As I look forward to what lies ahead, I remain thankful to all who have contributed to my story and to the Creator for the endless possibilities this journey holds. Each person's presence has left an indelible mark on my life, guiding me toward a future filled with hope and potential.Dr. William Anderson Gittens, D.D. ReferencesBlack, H. C. (1891). _A law dictionary_ (2nd ed.). West Publishing.Bordwell, D., & Thompson, K. (2019). _Film art: An introduction_ (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.Brueggemann, W. (1998). _Genesis_ [Interpretation Commentary]. John Knox Press.Cambridge University Press. (2024). _Cross the line_. Cambridge Dictionary. https://dictionary.cambridge.orgCrossing the Line: Etymology, Epistemology, and Professional/Theological Practice Dr. William Anderson Gittens, Doctor of Divinity © 2026 ISBN 978-976-98069-1-7Foucault, M. (1977). _A preface to transgression_. In D. F. Bouchard (Ed.), _Language, counter-memory, practice_ (pp. 29–52). Cornell University Press.Gittens, W. A. (2026). _Culture is not what we inherit. It's what we decide to keep_ [ISBN 978-976-97997-7-6]. Devgro Media Arts Services Publishing.Glissant, É. (1997). _Poetics of relation_ (B. Wing, Trans.). University of Michigan Press.Manovich, L. (2020). _Cultural analytics_. MIT Press.Oxford University Press. (2023). _Cross, v._ Oxford English Dictionary. https://www.oed.comSontag, S. (2003). _Regarding the pain of others_. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.The Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). Zondervan. _(Original work published 1978)_Support the showCultural Factors Influence Academic Achievements© 2024 ISBN978-976-97385-7-7 A_MEMOIR_OF_Dr_William_Anderson_Gittens_D_D_2024_ISBNISBN978_976_97385_0_8Academic.edu. Chief of Audio Visual Aids Officer Mr. Michael Owen Chief of Audio Visual Aids Officer Mr. Selwyn Belle Commissioner of Police Mr. Orville Durant Dr. William Anderson Gittens, D.D En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning Hackett Philip Media Resource Development Officer Holder, B,Anthony Episcopal Priest,https://brainly.com/question/36353773https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning#cite_note-19https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning#cite_note-:2-18https://independent.academia.edu/WilliamGittens/Bookshttps://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=william+anderson+gittens+barbados&oq=william+anderson+gittenshttps://www.academia.edu/123754463/https://www.buzzsprout.com/429292/episodes. https://www.youtube.com/@williamandersongittens1714. Mr.Greene, Rupert

Can Traditionalism, Annihilationism, and Universalism all be right in some sense? In this episode, Josh Klein and Dr. Tim Stratton sit down with Chad McIntosh to discuss his provocative proposal concerning the nature of hell, the fate of the damned, and what it means to bear (and potentially lose) the image of God. Chad argues for a unique view in which the damned ultimately cease to be human, conscious suffering is not necessarily everlasting, and those who remain are preserved as eternal "monuments" to God's justice and the significance of salvation history. Along the way, we discuss the imago Dei, personal identity, the Second Death, annihilationism, universalism, eternal conscious punishment, libertarian freedom, and whether a person could continue to exist after ceasing to be human. Whether you agree with Chad's proposal or not, this is a fascinating attempt to reason carefully through some of the most difficult questions surrounding the doctrine of hell. ➡️ LEARN MORE ABOUT CHAD ⬅️ https://www.camcintosh.com/about/ ➡️ CONNECT WITH FTM ⬅️ https://www.freethinkingministries.com/contact ➡️ SUPPORT FTM ⬅️ Help us continue producing conversations, articles, and resources designed to help people reason together: https://www.freethinkingministries.com/donate ➡️ CHAPTERS ⬅️ 00:00 Introducing Chad McIntosh & a New View of Hell 05:08 The Traditionalist Defense: Can All Three Views Be Right? 14:09 Can the Damned Cease to Be Human? 16:58 The Spectrum View of the Imago Dei 20:57 Does This View Make Some People Less Valuable? 34:40 C.S. Lewis and the "Remains" View of Hell 40:00 The Second Death, Rabies & the "Monster" View 48:38 Can Hell Be Eternal Without Eternal Suffering? 55:30 Why Preserve the Damned as "Monuments"? 1:03:32 Will We Interact With These Eternal Monuments? 1:09:09 Free Will in Heaven & the Purpose of the Monuments 1:13:30 Is This View Actually Plausible? 1:17:30 Why This View Matters & Where to Find Chad 1:20:13 Final Thoughts ➡️ SOCIALS ⬅️ Website: https://freethinkingministries.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreeThinkInc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freethinkinc X: https://x.com/freethinkmin TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freethinkinc #Apologetics #FreeThinking #Christianity #Hell #Theology #Philosophy #Annihilationism #Universalism #ImagoDei

What deserves a standing?

Episode: 1621 Motherland: The Stalingrad Memorial.  Today, we visit a really big statue

The fallout from President Trump's recent executive order slashing the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments continues. Now, we're getting a better idea of how Utahns feel about the move. But what's really interesting is this kind of juxtaposition we saw in the polling results. According to polling from the Deseret News and Hinckley Institute of Politics, a majority of Utahns oppose shrinking the monuments. But at the same time, a wide majority of Utahns support putting public lands in the hands of local governments. Greg and Holly break it all down.

This is a special episode talking about the newest UNESCO World Heritage cultural site: The Asuka and Fujiwara Ancient Capitals. This is particularly relevant as it is directly related to the history we are currently examining in this podcast. For more information, check out the blogpost at: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-unesco  Rough Transcript: Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is a special episode on Japan's newest UNESCO world heritage site: the Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara. Rarely do I focus too much on current events in this podcast.  After all, we are still dealing with the events of the 7th century, and that is hardly "current" in any sense.  However, just last month, at the end of July 2026, the UNESCO World Heritage Convention met and made a ruling on inducting the Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara as one of the newest World Heritage sites. Given the obvious relevance of this to this podcast, I thought it was worth talking about. As such we'll go into a little history of the UNESCO world heritage convention, what it means, and how sites get added—or even removed—from the list.  And then we'll talk about the addition of the Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara, what is included in that description, and what part those various locations play in the story of Japan's history, which we've been laying out for the past several years.  Warning up front:  This is probably going to be a longer episode than usual, as there is a lot to cover, but it still didn't seem to make sense to break it up into two parts. Before we get into the background of UNESCO more generally, let's talk briefly about the news.  The Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fuijwara had been on UNESCO's tentative list since 2007, and following an on-site evaluation in September of 2025, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, or ICOMOS, made a recommendation in June 2026 that the property be inscribed on the World Heritage list. On 26 July, 2026, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee met in Busan, South Korea and accepted the recommendation.  This becomes Japan's 22nd cultural World Heritage site, and the 27th World Heritage property in Japan, since the World Heritage program is also inclusive of natural heritage sites, such as Yakushima, Amami-Ohoshima, the Ogasawara islands, and the mountainous regions of Shirakami-Sanchi, and Shiretoko, in Hokkaido. The recommendation for Asuka and Fujiwara was not just for a single site, but includes 19 individual sites and over 1,100 hectares of "buffer zone".  The individual sites are listed on the UNSECO World Heritage website as follows: •             Asuka Palace Site •             Asuka Pond Garden Site •             Asuka Water Clock Site •             Sakafuneishi Ritual Site •             Asuka-dera Temple Site •             Tachibana-dera Temple Site •             Yamada-dera Temple Site •             Kawara-dera Temple Site •             Hinokuma-dera Temple Site •             Ishibutai Mounded Tomb •             Shobuike Mounded Tomb •             Kengoshizuka Mounded Tomb •             Fujiwara Palace Site •             Daikandaiji Temple Site •             Motoyakushiji Temple Site •             Mounded Tomb of Emperor Temmu and Empress Jito •             Nakaoyama Mounded Tomb •             Kitora Mounded Tomb •             Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb So these are the specific locations, that were included in the single designation.   And these are how they are officially listed on the UNESCO World Heritage site in English, so for anyone who is going to comment that saying Asuka-dera Temple is redundant, because "Tera" already means "Temple", let's just not, shall we?  They are all in the Asuka and Kashihara area, and easily accessible, one from the other, so you can go and visit them if you would like.  I suspect that there is going to be a bit of push for that area in the coming tourist season as they now put up official UNESCO world heritage site markers.  And you may have noticed that a lot of these site names may sound very familiar, because the majority of them are places we've already mentioned on the podcast – but more on that later. But first, what does it mean to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site? UNESCO is the "United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization".  It was founded in 1945, with the stand-up of the UN itself, as a successor to the League of Nations' International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation.  That said, the idea of a "World Heritage Site" didn't come about until 1975, with the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, with the first sites being designated in 1978. Prior to this, UNESCO had been involved in various attempts to help preserve various monuments of historical significance.  They begin working with various museums and other organizations, and in 1965 UNESCO created ICOMOS, an international professional association to work towards the conservation and protection of cultural heritage.  A site designated as a World Heritage Site must be considered to be of "outstanding universal value" and can fall under one of two categories.  The first, and perhaps the one that most often comes to mind, are the cultural sites.  The second are natural sites considered of outstanding value.   With the 1975 convention, UNESCO had leaned heavily on ICOMOS as an advisory body regarding sites of particular cultural significance.  A similar body, the World Conservation Union, provides input on sites of natural significance. To be determined a World Heritage site, there is a set of ten criteria, and a site must meet at least one of the ten.  This means that a site must: i.            Represent a masterpiece of human creative genius ii.           Exhibit an important interchange of human values iii.          Bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization iv.           Illustrate a significant stage in human history v.            Be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use vi.          Be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance; or it must vii.         Contain superlative natural phenomena viii.        Be an outstanding example representing major stages of earth's history ix.          Be an outstanding example representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of ecosystems and communities of plants and animals; or it must x.           Contain the most important and significant natural habitats for conservation of biological diversity. I abbreviated that list, but it gives you an idea of what the committee is looking for. To be placed on the list, a site must first be nominated.  Nominations are made by UN member countries and placed on a Tentative List.  From there, they can be selected into a Nomination File, which is then evaluated by the advisory organizations as appropriate.  The World Heritage committee meets once a year, at which time they may determine whether a nominated site will be added to the World Heritage list or if more information is needed. Having a site listed as an UNESCO world heritage site carries prestige and can drive tourism and revenue to help protect the site.  Members can request financial assistance with some conservation projects, and signatory nations are expected to contribute to the conservation of world heritage sites.  At the same time, the host country is expected to provide regular reports on the conditions of the site and efforts being undertaken to conserve it.  Should the situation change so that key aspects of the site's intrinsic value are lost, the World Heritage Committee may choose to revoke a designation.  This has only been done a few times, but it is always a possibility. All of this means that the Asuka and Fujiwara capital sites are now eligible for certain types of financial assistance and international aid to help further preserve and even restore certain aspects, such as the tomb murals in the Takamatsuzuka and Kitora kofun.  But let's talk about the sites that have actually been included, and to do that, we'll go through in roughly chronological order, based on the timeline that was given by Japan in the nomination documents, and what makes the most sense for narrative cohesion.   That said, it is important to note that the dates on the timeline in the UNESCO nominating document are where we first see mentions of the monuments, not necessarily when the temples were first constructed or anything like that.  If you want to learn more, check out the documentation submitted on the UNESCO world heritage website. And speaking of learning more, many of the sites we are about to discuss we have covered in previous episodes—though some more than others.  We'll call out relevant episodes as we can, but you can also find out more by searching on our website, sengokudaimyo.com, for more information about any of these topics. Let's start with Asukadera, or Asuka Temple.  The nominating document notes that it was completed in 596, though it had been started quite a bit earlier.  We discussed Askua-dera and many of the other temples back in episode 142, though Asuka-dera itself has been a part of the story since at least Episode 92, with the rise of Soga no Umako.  Asuka-dera, as you may recall, started off as a private temple for the Soga family, though they were so intertwined with the royal family that it almost didn't make a difference.  For the longest time it was the primary temple site at least in the Asuka region, and defined what Buddhism looked like early on.  Later it would be included as one of the Four Great Temples, and it would eventually move to Nara, though a temple would continue to operate on the site until the modern day.  That said, through fires and reduced patronage, the current temple is much reduced from its former glory.  Still, archeologies have found indications at the site demonstrating the true extent of the temple at the height of its power and influence, and how it truly played a key role in numerous events surrounding the building of a continental style state government. Speaking of the Soga family, the next site on the list, dated to 626, is Ishibutai kofun.  Ishibutai kofun was originally a square kofun, or Houfun, thought to be the resting place of Soga no Umako, the Grand Minister and head of the Soga family who led it to prominence in the age of Kashikiya Hime, aka Suiko Tenno.  We talked about his passing in episode 103.  Excavations have suggested that the tomb took up an area about 85 meters to a side.  This included an outer moat and an inner, platform, about 50 meters square.  The burial chamber is a horizontal stone chamber created with impressive megaliths—a fancy word that just means "big stones".  In this case we are talking about stones that rival or even dwarf those at monuments like the famous Stonehenge, in England.  The stones are part of what give it its name, Ishibutai, or Stone Stage, because unlike in other kofun, these ones are exposed.  There is a theory that after the fall of the Soga family, and the deaths of Soga no Iruka and Soga no Emishi, the tomb was deliberately uncovered as a form of posthumous punishment. Because it is not a tomb under the care of the Imperial Household Agency, Ishibutai kofun has seen extensive excavation from 1933 to 1975.  That said, most of the funerary goods were likely stolen a long time ago.  There were some various bits and pieces found here and there—gilt and bronze implements and earthenware shards, but otherwise nothing truly significant.  They did find evidence of other tombs, nearby.  Perhaps ironically it seems that these other tombs were leveled to make room for Ishibutai kofun, making its own uncovering feel somewhat karmic, in a way. The next site, if we were to follow the timeline, is the Asuka Palace site.  This actually encompasses the site of at least four different palaces, which we discussed back in episode 134, with a blogpost showing the various palace remains, if you want to compare them.  In 630 we have the construction of the Okamoto Palace of Kashikiya Hime.  Then, in 643, we have the Itabuki Palace built for Takara Hime during her first reign as Kogyoku Tenno.  This was the location of the famous Isshi Incident, when Takara Hime's son, Naka no Oe, instituted the coup against Soga no Iruka and his father, killing Iruka in court in front of his mother.  For more on that, check out episode 106.  It was later used when she and Naka no Oe left the Toyosaki Naniwa Palace and returned to Asuka.  It may be during the time of the Itabuki Palace that another one of the monuments was built.  This is the Shobuike Kofun.  The nomination document doesn't give a precise date for this one, and we really only know for certain that it was built in the 7th century, but they place it on the timeline shortly after the events of 643.  Like Ishibutai kofun, it is a hofun, or square kofun, surrounded by a moat with a horizontal burial chamber.  At only 30 meters long, it is not as large or as prominent as Ishibutai Kofun, possibly indicating that the occupants were not as prominent or that kofun building as a whole was falling out of fashion.  Inside, there were two stone coffins, in the "house shape", meaning the lid had a peaked roof appearance.  In addition, the interior of the coffins was lacquered, making these unique in the archipelago.  Finally, perhaps as is the case with Ishibutai kofun, the mound appears to have been deliberately dismantled at some point in the early 8th century, when Fujiwara-kyo was still the capital. We do not know who was buried at Shobuike Kofun, but there are two theories.  One theory proposes that, given the unique features, it may have been a member of the royal family.  Another theory suggests that it may be a tomb for members of the Soga family.  This theory is connected to the idea that Ishibutai is the tomb of Soga no Umako.  Given its shape and similarities, perhaps this tomb is for a relative?  In addition, though not part of the World Heritage Site nomination, there is a nearby square kofun known as Koyamada Kofun.  There is a theory that this other tomb might also have been a royal tomb—perhaps even a first burial for Tamura no Ohokimi, aka Jomei Tenno.  However, there is another theory that these two tombs, together, make up the tombs of Soga no Emishi and Soga no Iruka.  That would explain them both being of similar shapes, and similar to the kofun thought to be that of Soga no Umako.  It could also explain why Shobuike kofun was later destroyed, like with Ishibutai Kofun. Shortly after Shobuike Kofun was thought to have been built, the court moved to Naniwa for a time, before eventually returning to the Itabuki Palace.  Then, in 656, we have the Nochi-no-Okamoto Palace, aka the Later Okamoto Palace, built after the Itabuki palace burned down.  It was repurposed by Ohoama when he brought the court back from Ohotsu, and then expanded with the Ebinoko Enclosure, among other changes, turning it into the Kiyomihara palace, where Ohoama and then Uno no Sarara ruled until the completion of the Fujiwara Palace around 694. Around the same time as the Later Okamoto Palace was the construction of the Sakafuneishi Ritual Site.  This site is located on a hill on the east side of the Asuka valley, overlooking the Asuka palace site.  There they have found stone walls, a strange carved stone with channels for what appears to be water or liquid for some kind of ritual purpose, and, towards the bottom of the hill, a stone turtle basin and water spout that appears to have once been connected to a spring.  Of all of the included sites, this is perhaps the most enigmatic in terms of how it was used and what was going on there.  It is likely that this is what is referred to in the Chronicle as the Tou no Mine site, where it is said that they built an enclosure encircling two tsuki trees, calling the site the Futatsuki Palace.  That said, today the name "tou-no-mine" is applied to a peak some distance further up the valley and into the mountains, and I do not believe that any concrete evidence of a "palace" has been found at either location.  Still, it demonstrates that there was something going on that was important enough to build walls and create intricate stone carvings—not something we necessarily find everywhere, though they are particularly prolific in the Asuka region once you consider all the various stone carvings that have been located there.  Current thinking seems to suggest that it was a site where sovereigns from Kashikiya Hime through Uno no Sarara conducted rites associated with ascension to the throne.  The walls show evidence of being built earlier in the 7th century, which we discussed in Episode 118, and then damaged during the incredibly powerful Nankai earthquake during the Hakuho era.  We talked about this earthquake back in episode 139, along with other natural disasters.  This was an earthquake of immense power, known as a Nankai Megathrust Earthquake, that caused destruction across the archipelago, from Shikoku up through the Kanto region.  Walls show evidence of being repaired in Temmu's time and the site appears to have been in use up through the 9th century.  This means it was still being used in some capacity even after the court had moved up to Heian-kyo, in modern Kyoto, but who knows by whom. By the way, I feel like I should address something here.  Often times there is a bit of an archaeological joke that if you don't know what something is it gets termed a "ritual site" or a "ritual implement".  And, granted, "ritual" does not necessarily mean "religious".  Brushing your teeth each day could be considered a ritual.  So is the inauguration of a new president or prime minister.  It just refers to something that we do regularly, usually as part of a societal tradition.  Often it is symbolic, though sometimes it can have a greater function.  So in all likelihood whatever was happening at the Sakafuneishi site probably was a kind of "ritual", whether it was religious or not, but we just don't have enough info to know what that might have looked like.  The physical evidence does not conform to any other well known practice, so we are left guessing. Compare this to another "ritual" site, the next on our list:  The Mizuochi site.  When it was first discovered in 1972, it was clear that it was important.  There was a large building foundation, in the shape of a square podium, faced with paving stones.  It was also near to Asukadera and the location where various stone figures had been found at the turn of the century.  It would take several more years to discern enough features to come to the realization of what it was for.  This was due to the discovery of highly unusual features and artifacts. For instance, there is the central building, designated SB200.  It had pillars set on base stones, forming a grid pattern in a square—four spans long on each side.  This is unusual compared to other buildings on the site, which had more conventional pillars embedded in the ground.  Each span of the pillars at SB200 was a uniform distance.  The podium on which the building was placed was just under 11 meters on each side, and a little more than a meter in height.  The pillar bases were further strengthened under the floor level, meaning that the resulting structure would have been remarkably sturdy.  In the center of the building was a stone platform, set about a meter below the surface, where they found the remains of a large and small lacquered wooden boxes.  Around the platform were buried wooden culverts and copper pipes, which would have been able to carry water to and from the site. There was nothing else like this discovered anywhere else, but given the nature of everything, it seemed to make sense that this was the site of the clepsydra, the water clock, which Naka no Oe is said to have built.  Pottery shards from around the 650s and 660s seem to back up this identification, and simulations have demonstrated how the water clock may have actually worked.  As such, the site seems to have been fairly well identified, which is really remarkable, and provides an incredible link to that era.  Not only that, but the technology demonstrated was incredibly advanced for its time.  As such, it truly is a remarkable site.  For more, check out Episode 127, where we talked more in depth about the importance of time and direction in Ancient Yamato. The next site on the list is the Kengoshizuka Kofun.  This mounded tomb is said to have been built around 667 CE—around the time that Yamato was supporting Baekje in a failed attempt to stave off that country's destruction at the hands of the Silla-Tang alliance.  This is an octagonal shaped kofun—a shape which is thought to have only been used by members of the royal family.  The academic position is that this is the tomb of Takara Hime—aka Saimei Tennou—who had died just as Yamato was starting to send troops to the Korean peninsula.  This theory is at odds with the Imperial Household Agency, which has designated a different tomb—Kurumaki-Kenno Kofun—as Saimei Tennou's mausoleum The story as it is recounted in the Nihon Shoki goes something like this.  As Yamato was gathering forces to defend Baekje—see episodes 123 and 124 for what happened—Takara Hime passed away at the temporary court set up in Asakura, in modern Kyushu.   With Yamato just about to launch a military campaign, they couldn't also hold a royal funeral, so they had her body taken back to the Nara basin..  Takara Hime's remains were temporarily interred at the plain of the Asuka River—Asuka-gawara.  It wouldn't be until after the conflict was over—a little more than 5 years later—that she would be buried.  At that time, we are told that she was buried together with Royal Princess Hashibito, her sister-in-law, at Wochi Hill—little market hill—and that the royal granddaughter, Princess Ohota, was buried in front.  And indeed, the layout of Kengoshizuka Kofun  has space for two coffins, and the archeologists found evidence of another burial in "front" of the kofun.  So in all ways this  seems to accord with the Chronicles, though the Imperial Household Agency has not chosen to change its designation.  I suspect that if they did it might cause some issues due to the limits of what archaeologists are allowed to do with tombs designated as royal mausoleums. Kengoshizuka Kofun has been remarkably reconstructed, so that you can go and see what it probably looked like when it was first built.  Since it was not designated as an imperial mausoleum by the Imperial Household Agency, archaeologists were able to excavate Kengoshizuka, and they found some remarkable finds, including a particularly spectacular coffin fitting made of cloisonne hexagonal plates with images of flowers that were connected to each other.  There also appears to have been a coffin made with lacquered linen, rather than the stone or tuff coffins found elsewhere.  So that's Kengoshizuka Kofun.  That's #7 on our list.  Moving on to #8, on the timeline at 673, it is Kawara-dera, and I'm going to lump this in with Tachibana-dera, which is noted on the timeline at 680.  In fact, the nominating document proposes a much earlier timeline for the start of Tachibana-dera, starting in the 640s, with Kawara-dera in the 660s, about two decades later. These two temples sit across from one another, and at one time they appear to have been coupled together as a monastery and a nunnery.  In fact, the nominating documents call out Tachibana-dera as Japan's oldest nunnery. The actual founding of these two temples is somewhat in dispute.  Let me start with Tachibana-dera.  Tachibana-dera claims to have been founded by none other than the legendary Shotoku Taishi.  It is said that the land of Tachibana-dera was the area of the palace where Prince Umayado, aka Shotoku Taishi, was born, and that in 606 he had the property turned into a temple.  As such, it claims to be one of seven major temples built by the Prince.  However, we don't have any actual documentation for the temple until it shows up in 680, due to the report of a fire.  We do see it in numerous poems in the Man'yoshu, which is one of the ways we can also tell that it was a nunnery. More information can be gleaned from the archaeological excavations at the site.  The original temple was clearly built on the same Baekje designs as others of that period.  In an interesting twist, it appears as though the temple was not oriented north to south, as others were, but rather it was oriented west to east.  This would have had it facing the royal palace, initially, in a configuration very similar to that of Shitennoji, in Osaka, or Yamadadera, which is also one of the sites included in UNESCO World Heritage designation. The original temple had a middle gate, a pagoda, a main hall—or kondo—and a lecture hall (Koudou).  It was surrounded by a walled corridor.  Some of the roof tiles that have been found appear to be from the first quarter of the 7th century, but there are many more from the mid-7th century, suggesting that full-scale construction wasn't carried out until that period.  None of the original buildings appear to have survived, though there is an Asuka era stone statue, as well as various important cultural properties that have been preserved, and excavations have given us an idea of what it looked like, originally. Compare that to Kawara-dera, which sits to the north of Tachibana-dera.  We've talked about Kawara-dera before, as it was eventually designated one of the four national temples.  It was clearly built at a later date than Tachibana-dera, though when, exactly, is still unclear. There is mention of a Kawara-dera in an entry for 653, but even then, the Chronicles note that may have actually been at Yamada-dera, on the other side of Asuka, indicating that even the Chroniclers weren't entirely sure.  That leaves the first clean mention of the temple at 673, in the reign of Ohoama, aka Temmu Tenno.  There is a note, prior to this, in about 656, which talks about "Kawara no Miya", or the Kawara Palace. This is where Takara Hime briefly moved after the fires damaged the Itabuki Palace, which was rebuilt into the Later Okamoto Palace.  It is thought that Kawara-dera is on the site of that temporary palace, and it is possible that the building of that palace lent something to the eventual creation of Kawara-dera. Kawara-dera has a unique layout, known specifically as the Kawara-dera style temple layout.  Although the overall temple is built on a north-south axis, the west main hall faces east, towards the pagoda, in the southern courtyard.  There was then a central main hall, and then the northern courtyard, with the koudou, or lecture hall, facing south.  There is also evidence that the east gate was sizeable—possibly larger than the south gate.  If so, it may be that this temple, like Tachibana-dera, was also facing east—facing the palace—but it was, at the same time, also on the same north-south access as other buildings and facilities.  This almost seems like they were perhaps compromising between facing the palace and utilizing the continental idea of a north-south alignment.  I almost wonder if the pagoda and western kondou weren't first built and then someone decided to change the orientation mid-way through the building process.  Either way, it is definitely unique. Although Kawara-dera was designated as one of the four national temples, it is the only temple that was not eventually moved up to Heijo-kyo, or Nara, when the capital eventually moved up there.  There are numerous theories as to why, but regardless of that, it stayed in Asuka and was no longer considered a national temple.  Over time it declined, and repairs could not be maintained across the entire complex.  Today, a successor temple, Gufuku-ji, sits on the site, but it is much reduced.  Fortunately, you can still see many of the exposed footings and get an idea for just what this temple was like back in its heyday. Now since we've mentioned it, it is probably worth talking about Yamada-dera, which is also on the list.  Like the others, there is a small successor temple to the north, but most of the ancient Yamada-dera grounds are visible, and if you go out there you can clearly see where all the buildings were.  There are signs and raised platforms depicting where the various buildings were at, so you can easily see what was there.  Furthermore, if you check out the Asuka Historical Museum, they have a remarkably well-preserved section of one of the walls of the gallery from the temple, including some roof elements.  It appears to have fallen down during a fire, and other material must have fallen on top of it so that the fire could not consume that section, leaving it in incredible shape. Yamada-dera is part of the Hosso sect—that is the sect following the teachings of the monk Xuanzang.  We talked about Xuanzang, and the monks who studied with him, back in episodes 120 to 122.  It is said to have been founded by Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa no Maro.  He was a relative of Soga no Emishi who supported Prince Naka no Oe in his coup in 645.  Soga no Kurayamada eventually became Udaijin, or Minister of the Right, and he was essential in implementing the Taika reforms.  Long story short, he was slandered, and fled to Yamada-dera, which was still under construction.  Rather than being taken by government forces, he took his own life, as well as that of his wife and eight children.  You can listen to the whole story back in Episode 112.  All of that is said to have happened here at that temple, in the year 649.  Perhaps because of the stain of that incident, the temple construction appears to have been halted for a time.  It wouldn't be completed until 685, when Ohoama and his wife, Uno no Sarara, a direct descendant of Soga no Kurayamada, were on the throne. Finally, there is one more temple from this early period that is mentioned, and that is Hinokuma-dera.  Of all of the temples so far, this one we probably have mentioned the least in the main podcast.  Hinokuma-dera is located to the southwest of the main Asuka valley, south of the famous Takamatsuzuka kofun.  It is first mentioned in a record dated to 686.  That indicates it must have been built some time prior, and archaeological excavations seem to place it at the second half of the 7th century, with the pagoda and main hall being completed in the late 7th century.   The temple continued to be maintained through the 8th century, but declined after the Heian period when the pagoda and lecture hall collapsed.  In the early 20th century a local Shinto shrine was relocated here, and remains, today. Hinokuma-dera was built as a private temple by the Yamato no Aya.  The Yamato no Aya are an intriguing group of people.  The name "Aya" implies a group that was originally employed as weavers, a technology brought over from the continent.  Indeed, they are said to have been largely immigrants who came and brought the technology with them.  The Aya were broken into different groups, with the Yamato no Aya being one of the more powerful.  The name appears again and again in the Chronicles, though in the time of Ohoama they were put on notice as a clan.  We aren't told what they did, exactly.  They seem to have made their way back into the court's good graces over time, however. Hinokuma-dera is interesting in that it is much smaller than the other temples we have discussed, and the form is quite different.  It isn't organized along cardinal directions, but rather with the koudou, or lecture hall, in the northwest and the kondou, or main hall, in the southeast.  The pagoda was between the two, slightly off-center to the northeast, directly across from the main gate, which faced southwest.  This means that you would enter from the southwest into a large, rectangular courtyard.  You could be facing a pagoda near the rear wall, with a lecture hall to your left and the main image hall to your right.  This is compared to Baekje temples that were on the periphery of the Baekje capital, and this may have been in a similar situation.  Based on the surrounding geography, it appears that some of the choices may have been made to conform with local geologic features, such as the ridge that it is on. It is interesting, however, for its uniqueness, especially as a private temple that did not have the resources of the court.  There were probably quite a few of these kinds of temples that we just don't see or hear about in the record.  When the court moved, first up to Heijo-kyo, but later on to Heian-kyo, in modern Kyoto, the head of the Yamato no Aya no doubt moved as well, and that probably led to the temple's decline, over time. Speaking of the court, there is one more part of the Asuka court that we should touch on before we leave the era of the Asuka palace.  At some point, probably related to the Later Okamoto Palace, the court created a pond and garden.  This Asuka Pond Garden site is first mentioned in 685, though it likely existed for some time.  Evidence suggests that it was built around the same time as the later Okamoto Palace, so sometime around 656, and based on excavations, we know that there was a south and north pond, divided by a middle bank.  Water flowed from the south pond to the north pond through a wooden pipe in that middle bank.  The south pond had a pentagonal shape, about 65 meters long, east to west, and 55 meters wide, north to south.  It was only 30 cm at its deepest point, with two islands in the pond itself.  The north pond was 36 meters east to west and 52 meters north to south, and it was up to 4 meters deep.  There was a stone overflow channel that was built for water to flow back into the Asuka river.  There was also a stone fountain, like that found at the Sakafuneishi site, and evidence of buildings and a wall around the site.  There has also been analysis of seed pollen, indicating what kinds of vegetation might have been grown in the garden. This was a lavish area that was purpose-built for entertainments of various kinds.  This is the area that the royal family and various nobles likely adjourned to at the end of the day for relaxation and for various banquets and other such gatherings. Of course, not all the court proceedings were so joyful.  In 686, Ohoama died, and for the next couple of years the court business was taken up with eulogies and memorials.  This is also when they built the next site included in the list: The mounded tomb of Temmu Tennou and, eventually, Jitou Tennou.  The tomb is an octagonal kofun, similar to the Kengoshizuka kofun for Takara Hime.  It is built to the southwest of the Asuka basin, a fair distance from the palace.  However, this positioning also puts it directly south of the site of the new Fujiwara Palace.  As the Fujiwara capital and palace site had already been selected, they would have been able to build this tomb in relation to the future palace, creating a direct north-south link between the two.  It is also along the same ridgeline as the tomb of Kengoshizuka and the tomb attributed to Kinmei Tennou and Princess Kibi no Himemiko. The octagonal tomb was built in five tiers.  It is about 42 meters on a side, built with rammed earth and then covered, originally, with dressed stones, while the surrounding area was paved.  Ohoama was buried in a sealed stone burial chamber in a dry-lacquered linen-made coffin, similar to what was found, again, at Kengoshizuka.  Later, when Uno no Sarara passed away, her urn was added to the tomb. Speaking of that, I cannot believe I didn't mention this in the last episode on Queen Uno no Sarara, but yes, she was cremated.  In fact, she is the first Yamato sovereign to have been cremated in the Buddhist style, rather than to have her body buried intact.  Today, almost cremation is the default in Japan—to the point that it actually has caused some issues with people who, for religious reasons, request a different type of burial.  However, at this point, it was still somewhat new.   Prior to Buddhism, all indications are that bodies were simply buried.  Buddhism brought in the concept of at least four different types of funerary rites.  There is dosou, or earth burial, but there was also suisou, water burial; fuusou, wind—or "air"—burial; and then kasou, fire burial.  Suisou would be committing a body to water, and fuusou generally means leaving the body on a stand, out in the open, to allow the body to decompose while birds, ideally vultures, come and do their work.  Of these, "kasou", fire burial or cremation, is linked to the historical Buddha, whose physical body is said to have been cremated, with the bones and teeth left behind considered holy relics.  That Uno no Sarara requested cremation would seem to indicate her own support of Buddhism and Buddhist institutions. The tomb of Temmu and Jitou has remained largely intact—at least compared to some that we have discussed this episode-- but not inviolate.  Over time, the site was allowed to become overgrown with trees and other vegetation.  In 1235 the tomb was robbed and in 1881 it was officially designated as an Imperial Mausoleum by the Imperial Household Agency, which now manages the site.  You can approach up to a point, but the tomb itself is largely off-limits to the public. Speaking of Uno no Sarara's support of Buddhism, we've already talked about her connections to Yakushi-ji, the next site on our list.  This temple was commissioned by Ohoama when his wife, Uno no Sarara, grew unexpectedly ill in 680.  She did recover, and the temple would eventually be considered one of the four National temples of the Yamato state.  It appears to have been built—possibly shifted slightly—specifically in line with the new avenues being laid out for Fujiwara-kyo, the new capital, and it fits neatly into place, taking up an entire city block.  When the capital moved, the temple was also moved.  The new temple sits up near modern Nara, in the area known as Nishi-no-kyou—the West (side of the) capital.  For the new site, the court may have used some of the materials from the original temple, though there does seem to have been a continued presence at the Fujiwara capital site until the 11th century.  To avoid confusion, the temple in the old Fujiwara capital site is referred to as "Moto-Yakushiji", meaning the Real or Original Yakushi Temple. Yakushiji was commissioned in 680, but work on the temple wasn't completed until 698, four years after the move to the new Fujiwara Palace.  Key features at this time were its size and its double pagodas, rather than just the single pagoda common in earlier temples.  This mimicked temple innovations happening on the continent, and was later adopted by several temples in the new capital of Heijo-kyo. Another national temple from around this time, also included in the nomination letter, is Daikandaiji.  Like Yakushiji, this temple was a grand statement of the Yamato state's ambitions.  Both were large temples that would have stood out, and as national temples they were symbols of state power and authority in matters both secular and spiritual. We discussed all of this in a previous episode, Episode 142, where we covered the four national temples, so I don't want to belabor it too much other than to give a brief overview.  In summary, what we know as Daikandaiji today is very likely the old Kudara Ohodera,  Kudara, in this instance, being spelled with the same kanji as for "Baekje".  Kudara Ohodera was the largest of the Asuka and Fujiwara era temples.  Its pagoda was over 80 meters tall, one of the tallest in Yamato at that time, and the main hall rivaled that of the Daigokuden, the main hall of the Fujiwara palace.   It also appears to have been moved twice.  First it was moved from its original location closer to the Asuka palace.  And then it appears to have been shifted to align with the avenues of the new Fujiwara capital.  The name was also changed.  "Kudara Ohodera" likely referred to the location where the temple was first founded by Tamura, aka Jomei Tennou.  It was then moved to Asuka and took on the name "Takechi Ohodera", given its new location, but then was renamed to Ohotsukasa no Ohodera, the Great Temple of the High Officials, or something like that.  This same name, read with the on'yomi reading, becomes "Daikandaiji". The temple was later moved to Heijo-kyo, where it was renamed to "Daianji", which means something like the Temple of Great Safety or Protection.   There is another story that says that the temple actually originated in the Kumagori dojo created by the legendary Shotoku Taishi, but, like so many such stories, that may have been added later to increase the temple's prestige.  As with so many of these temples, when the move was made to Heijo-kyo, the temple lost its national status, but remained active.  Without the upkeep by the court, it eventually declined, finally disappearing almost entirely.  Remains were rediscovered in the Edo and Meiji period, with major excavations in the 1970s and 80s.  From this, there is evidence of fire, even before construction was completed.  Indeed, there is a record of fire in 711.  The temple was likely under construction for much of the period of the Fujiwara capital's existence. This is probably as good a point as any to talk about the Fujiwara Palace itself.  I would note that the World Heritage site designation only includes the palace site, and not the entire capital city of Fujiwara-kyo.  That is probably for the best, as findings have suggested that the ancient capital was built on a plan far grander that previously thought. Initially, it was believed that the Fujiwara capital was built similar to Heijo-kyo and Heian-kyo, which is to say that it was modeled after the Tang capital of Chang'an.  This model creates a rectangular city with the main palace complex at the far north of the city.  Lower classes are typically housed in the southern regions while upper classes and nobility are provided land in the northern areas of the city.  Part of the reason to believe that the city was laid out like this has to do with the three mountains:  Mt. Unebi, Mt. Miminashi, and Mt. Kagu.  If the palace were located at the northern end of the city, then the city would fit rather nicely in the plains between these three mountains.  However, it appears that the plans for Fujiwara-kyo were much grander, and it appears that the Fujiwara palace sat not at the northern top of the capital, but instead it was in the middle.  This more closely approximates the ideal Confucian model, which created a square city divided into nine districts with the palace in the center.  However, it also means that the city grid is interrupted by the mountains, particularly by Mt. Miminashi, in the north.  To cover all of that land would be untenable, and much of it has been built up or under cultivation for centuries.  Furthermore, it is unclear how built up Fujiwara-kyo ever was.  Imagine trying to just create a city from scratch.  Not only was it about building the temples and the palace, but about all of the other houses, which would have been organized by the individual owners.  One also has to wonder just how many workers there were, and materials, to do all of this.  If much of this was done as traditional wooden buildings, then many of the blocks may not have left any significant remains, though new construction in the area does perform exploratory archaeology just in case.  There are a lot of interesting features that have been found. However, let's focus just on the Fujiwara Palace.  As I've previously pointed out—just back in Episode 152, for example, the Fujiwara Palace was, in many ways, getting back to the type of palace that the Toyosaki Naniwa Palace had tried to be.  This was a massive State complex.  The overall property appears to have been a square, with nine gates—once again, mimicking the geometric perfection suggested in ancient sources.  That wall, which was defined by post-holes in the ground, was also surrounded by a moat.  The south central gate was known as the Suzaku-mon, or Suzaku gate, named for Suzaku, the crimson bird of the south.  This was at the north end of Suzaku Oji, or Suzaku Avenue, the central road of the Fujiwara capital. This road was 24 meters wide, with 4 meter ditches on either side.  The ditches would have carried water throughout the city, while also allowing the city to drain water during large rains.  From the Suzaku gate to the north the palace opened up to the first courtyard, with two building where officials could prepare for the day.  Originally this would have been the place for officials to change into their formal robes, though later they were commanded to show up to work already dressed.  From there, once it opened, they would pass through another gate into the Choudouin, or State Hall.  Here, the 8 bureaus, or ministries, each had a Choudou, or court hall, where they would perform their work.  There were also four other halls for other governmental work. Besides the southern gate, there were gates on the east and west, which led to further government offices to the west and east of the court.  A fourth gate, at the north end of the Choudouin enclosure, would lead to the Daigokuden, the Great Audience Hall.  This was part of a reduced enclosure.  Two buildings have been discovered to the east and west of the enclosure, and north of the enclosure would have led to the private quarters of the sovereign and their family. The government buildings are more obvious than some others—many of the buildings were built in the continental style, meaning with stone footings, leaving a lot of evidence of their existence.  Meanwhile, the buildings of the sovereign's private residence were likely still in the indigenous style—plain wood with posts sunk directly into the ground, and thatched roof.  That would all leave a lot fewer traces, not to say that they haven't ever found anything. Today, the Fujiwara Palace site is a large open area where many of the features that have been found are indicated with modern crimson colored pillars, demonstrating where the various pillars were found.  At the same time, any above-ground reconstructions would have be conjectural, as we don't have enough remaining to know exactly what the palace looked like beyond the pillar locations. This palace and the city was ambitious.  It was huge and clearly meant as a permanent capital.  The fact that it was only occupied until about 710, when the capital moved north, to Heijou-kyou, is something we'll talk about in a later episode.  But still, it was absolutely an incredible move.  Think of how much labor this took and what kind of costs were involved?  This was truly a flex of the state's ability to mobilize labor to be able to do all of this, and generally marks the moment where the Yamato government really came into its own.  It also marks the period where the name "Yamato" is thought to have been officially changed to refer to "Nihon", the "Origin of the Sun", the name by which Japan would be known ever since.  It really is a symbol of Japan's changing state. There are only three more monuments included in the World Heritage Site designation, and they are all tombs. The first is Nakaoyama Kofun.  This is another octagonal kofun, approximately 19.5 meters from one side to the other.  It is only three tiers, as opposed to the five tiers of the tomb of Temmu and Jitou, and similarly covered in stone and surrounded by stone pavement.  The sealed burial chamber is narrow—designed for an urn rather than for a full-body coffin.  This is the first such mound clearly built to accommodate Buddhist style cremation, rather than a coffin.  While the keyhole shaped kofun had stopped being utilized for some time, this appears to put the final seal on the coffin, as it were, of the kofun building period, which had started back in the mid-3rd century.  Certainly, royal tombs continued to be built in the form of mountains, but they would stop having the same kind of artificial mound. It is unclear who was buried in the mound.  It was plundered around the 13th century, and there was considerable damage noted in the Edo period.  However, given Kengoshizuka Kofun and the kofun of Temmu and Jitou Tennou, it seems hard to deny the general consensus that this is the tomb of none other than Karu—that is to say Monmu Tennou.  However, as with Kengoshizuka Kofun, the Imperial Household Agency has named a different kofun, that of Kurihara-tsuka'ana Kofun, slightly to the south of Nakaoyama.  I would note that while this is an octagonal kofun, similar to the others we have seen, the Kurihara kofun, aka the Hinokuma Anko Misasagi, is a round kofun, which, in the consideration of modern scholarship, is not generally thought to have been a shape used for a royal tomb. There are two other tombs on the world heritage list that are round tombs, however—though they are not thought to have been royal tombs.  These are the Takamatsuzuka and Kitora kofun, and both of them have incredible features that are considered of particular importance to the indication of the development of the state.  This is because in both tombs elaborate tomb mural paintings were discovered. The murals of the Kitora kofun are perhaps the simpler between the two.  The Kitora murals have the four directional guardians on the walls of the tomb.  Again, we talked about this back in episode 127.  It was the idea that there was a directional guardian for each of the four cardinal directions.  This includes Genbu, the black tortoise of the north; Byakkou, the White Tiger of the West; Seiryuu, the Blue (or green) Dragon of the East; and Suzaku, the Red Bird of the South.  These descriptions were heavily tied in with various continental ideas of what would be known as "feng shui", including different ideas of color, direction, and concepts of yin and yang.  The Kitora kofun clearly shows these four guardians.  Based on the style of the tomb and the paintings, it is assumed that this tomb was built in the very beginning of the 8th century.  Combined with tomb goods found, while we don't know who was buried there it is very likely that it was either a royal prince or high ranking noble.  It has been suggested that this could have been the tomb for the Minister of the Right, others have suggested that it could be Royal Prince Takechi, who died in the late 7th century, or possibly even a high ranking member of the Baekje nobility living in the archipelago since the fall of their country, given some of the continental features of the tomb and its murals. In addition to the spectacular directional guardians, on the ceiling of Kitora Kofun is a depiction of the stars.  This star chart has been the focus of considerable study, as it depicts the stars in the sky as they might have been seen from the ground.  Though there are some errors, it is remarkably accurate, and it has been heralded as the oldest such star chart in the world.  There are earlier depictions of the sky, like the Nebra Sky Disc, from modern Nebra, in Germany, which dates to about 1800-1600 BCE, but those are more like an astronomical rule, rather than a chart.  It is also interesting that the positions of the stars don't exactly correspond with the sky over the Fujiwara capital: instead, it seems that the latitude better fits with the capital of Pyongyang in Goguryeo.  This opens up lots of intriguing possibilities about how this star chart came to be, and who created it.  It may be that some of the errors we see in the star positions come from taking a star chart possibly from the Tang court, and then localizing it to the Goguryeo capital in Pyongyang.  That chart then appears to have made its way to Japan where it was used in the Kitora kofun.  That means that the artist  wasn't necessarily directly looking at the sky at the time, but rather looking at a depiction, probably drawn on paper which has since been lost.  All of this points to the availability of, and importance placed on, astronomical information at the time.  In the Takamatsuzuka Kofun we similarly have directional animals, although in that case Suzaku, in the south, has been lost.  There is also a depiction of the stars, though it is more based on the zodiac, with constellations depicted in the various "houses" of the sky, rather than a true chart of the sky.  Most significantly in this tomb, however, are depictions of courtiers – groups of male and female attendance - in what appears to be court clothing, and indeed this is the best depiction we have of what court clothing may have looked like at this time.  It very much is in keeping with the clothing we see on the continent.  It is possible that the clothing depicted is not actually what was in use in the court, but possibly clothing from the continent as it was depicted in drawings and the like.   However, the style of clothing does seem to match the continental style clothing we see later in the Nara period, and so it does seem to be our best source for the clothing of the time barring us finding actual garments or further depictions. Both of these tombs are stunning, and have greatly increased our knowledge of the world of the court of 8th century Japan.  However, they are also both extremely fragile and in need of conservation.  Since being opened, humidity levels in the tombs have risen, which has led to the deterioration of the paintings themselves.  Japanese historians and conservators have gone to great lengths to preserve what they could before any more was lost, and there are depictions of what they looked like when they were originally found.  One of the goals of the World Heritage determination appears to be the conservation of these incredible paintings for future generations to be able to see. And there you have it.  Those are the sites  that were recently listed together on the UNESCO World Heritage list as the Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara.  I hope that everyone gets a chance to go see them in person some day—it really is a beautiful and rather bucolic area with history strewn all about.  It isn't difficult to walk most of it, either, though to see everything you probably want at least a couple of days, not including various museums and other institutions.  And, of course, the rest of the Nara basin is full of even more treasures, such as Horyuji temple, the Makimuku Palace site, Mt. Miwa, and then the ancient capital of Nara, just to name a few. But that will have to be for another day.  For now, I think I've gone on long enough.  This has been a bit longer than most episodes, so I hope that you enjoyed it.  We'll be back with our regularly scheduled episodes in a couple of weeks. Until then if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through either our Ko-Fi or BuyMeACoffee sites—just look up SengokuDaimyo. For all of that, you can also find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, you may have noticed that there are advertisements running on the podcast—that is so that we can keep this free to everyone, but if you want an ad-free version, we have uploaded our entire back-catalog to Patreon, where we will be releasing early and ad-free episodes for anyone who wants to sign up. Finally, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

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The fallout over the Trump Administration's decision to slash the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante monuments continue this morning. Now, we're getting insights into what the White House knew before the decision. When signing the executive order, President Trump said recreation in the area was virtually impossible, and that was a reason to cut the size -- so more people could allegedly use them. But documents uncovered by The New York Times show that the White House knew that wasn't exactly true. 

J'ai reçu récemment dans un nouvel entretien historique Cédric Ludwikowski, qui est un spécialiste des beffrois, et qui a activement participé à l'inscription des beffrois du nord de la France au Patrimoine Mondial de l'UNESCO. Dans cette émission, on a autant pu aborder l'histoire de ces édifices que les inscriptions au Patrimoine Mondial en elles-même, d'où ça vient, et comment ça fonctionne. Et ça, vous pourrez l'écouter dans quelques jours sur le podcast. Mais en attendant, il y a un point que je trouve pas clair : la différence entre cette inscription au Patrimoine Mondial, et les classements et les inscriptions aux Monuments Historiques qu'on a en France. J'ai donc posé la question à Cédric, et je vous propose d'écouter sa réponse ! Bonne écoute !

In today's archaeology news episode, we discuss three articles, starting with a discovery at the Maya city of Xiulán, Guatemala: a small room interpreted as a scribe/astronomer workspace with 11 hieroglyphs naming Sak Ton Wax (“white-chested fox”) and more than 50 mathematical “micro texts” tracking Venus and Mars as the author. We then cover a report that President Trump reduced Grand Staircase–Escalante and Bears Ears by nearly three million acres, opening lands to mining and ending the Bears Ears Commission's tribal co-stewardship. Finally, we discuss a report on an executive order to post warnings outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History about “inaccurate information,” and we argue it politicizes history and promotes alternative narratives. Links Segment 1 Archaeologists decipher the name of a Maya astronomer for the first time Meet Sak Tahn Waax, a Maya Math Whiz Who Lived More Than 1,000 Years Ago and Left Behind a ‘Really Elegant, Complex' Formula Segment 2 President Trump drastically shrinks 2 Utah national monuments — again Segment 3 Trump orders signage warning visitors of ‘inaccurate information' at Smithsonian Contact Chris Webster chris@archaeologypodcastnetwork.com Rachel Roden rachel@unraveleddesigns.com RachelUnraveled (Instagram) ArchPodNet APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN Discord: https://discord.com/invite/CWBhb2T2ed APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet APN Shop Affiliates Motion Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In today's archaeology news episode, we discuss three articles, starting with a discovery at the Maya city of Xiulán, Guatemala: a small room interpreted as a scribe/astronomer workspace with 11 hieroglyphs naming Sak Ton Wax (“white-chested fox”) and more than 50 mathematical “micro texts” tracking Venus and Mars as the author. We then cover a report that President Trump reduced Grand Staircase–Escalante and Bears Ears by nearly three million acres, opening lands to mining and ending the Bears Ears Commission's tribal co-stewardship. Finally, we discuss a report on an executive order to post warnings outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History about “inaccurate information,” and we argue it politicizes history and promotes alternative narratives. Links Segment 1 Archaeologists decipher the name of a Maya astronomer for the first time Meet Sak Tahn Waax, a Maya Math Whiz Who Lived More Than 1,000 Years Ago and Left Behind a ‘Really Elegant, Complex' Formula Segment 2 President Trump drastically shrinks 2 Utah national monuments — again Segment 3 Trump orders signage warning visitors of ‘inaccurate information' at Smithsonian Contact Chris Webster chris@archaeologypodcastnetwork.com Rachel Roden rachel@unraveleddesigns.com RachelUnraveled (Instagram) ArchPodNet APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com APN Discord: https://discord.com/invite/CWBhb2T2ed APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet APN Shop Affiliates Motion Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Summer is in full swing, but fall is on the horizon. In this episode, we dive into major headlines impacting our public lands, from the reduction of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments to a new lease sales in Ohio's only national forest. We break down what these policy shifts really mean for habitat, access, and long-term stewardship. Then, we share some hard-won conservation victories, preview upcoming BHA events, and hear from volunteers doing the essential on-the-ground work. Show Notes: Wayne National Forest Oil/Gas Leases: https://eplanning.blm.gov/Project-Home/?id=798d6bf4-a7f2-f011-8407-001dd80bcf93&_gl=1*18w6a6b*_ga*OTU0NTk0MzA0LjE3ODQ1ODk2MzI.*_ga_GQKKTMMT8V*czE3ODQ1ODk2MzIkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODQ1OTA0MzAkajYwJGwwJGgw MassWildlife Goals for Upland Habitat on WMAs: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/goals-for-upland-habitat-on-masswildlife-lands onX Roadless Rule - By the Numbers: https://www.onxmaps.com/onx-access-initiatives/roadless-rule Join Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the voice for your wild public lands, waters, and wildlife to be part of a passionate community of hunter-angler-conservationists. BHA. THE VOICE FOR OUR WILD PUBLIC LANDS, WATERS AND WILDLIFE. Follow us: Web: www.backcountryhunters.org Instagram: @backcountryhunters Facebook: @backcountryhunters  

As part of our Quilts as Monuments series we revisit the story of Gert McMullin and the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the gay rights movement in San Francisco, Harvey Milk, The White Night Riots and more.In 1985, Gert McMullin was one of the first San Franciscans to put a stitch on the AIDS Quilt, the quilt that began with one memorial square in honor of a man who had died of AIDS, and that now holds some 110,000 names. The quilt is made up of some 50,000 panels, each 3x6 feet, the size of a grave. It weighs 60 tons. End to end, it would stretch out more than 50 miles.Gert never planned it this way, but over the decades she has become the keeper of the quilt and has stewarded it, repaired it, tended it, traveled with it and conserved it for some 33 years now.In 2020, when COVID-19 hit, Gert was one of the first Bay Area citizens to begin sewing masks—PPE for nurses and health care workers who were lacking proper protection—masks she made from fabric left over from the AIDS Quilt. The comfort, outrage and honoring of an earlier pandemic being used to protect people from a new one.In January of 2020, the AIDS Memorial Quilt, now part of the National AIDS Memorial, returned home to the Bay Area after 16 years in Atlanta. It took six 52-foot semis to get it there. The extensive AIDS archive, which Gert gathered, collected and protected since its earliest days, is now part of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.This episode features interviews with LGBT rights activist Cleve Jones who worked with Harvey Milk and conceived of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, and John Cunningham, executive director of the National AIDS Memorial.Produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Nikki Silva & Davia Nelson) with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. Mixed by Jim McKee. The Kitchen Sisters Present is part of Radiotopia from PRX.

In keeping with our nation's 250 year celebration, red, white, and blue have decorated Utah's higher elevations from Tony Grove in the north to Cedar Breaks in the south.

The White House, Smithsonian, NY Times Washington Post, PBS Have featured the Quander Families nearly 340 Year Roots BEFORE the forming of the United States of America to Now.This Week I Look at Highlighs of Life & Time of America's Archived Oldest Black Families: the AmQuando Families Journey & Present Day Walk in AmericaMy Guest is Rohulamin Quander, a native Washingtonian, is a retired Senior Administrative Law Judge for the District of Columbia. He is also a member of the Quander Family whose distinguished history in the Washington, D.C. area is traced to the 1670s, which legacy includes Mount Vernon Plantation ancestors Sukey Bay, Nancy Carter Quander, and West Ford, among others, all of whom were in involuntary service to George Washington. Judge Quander periodically serves as an advisor to Mount Vernon, most recently in the exhibit, Lives Bound Together, Slavery at George Washington's Mount Vernon, and still maintains close ties. He often serves as a guest lecturer on African American History.A double graduate from Howard University, from which he received his J.D. degree, Judge Quander founded the Quander Historical and Educational Society, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) foundation in 1985. The Society was established to document, preserve, protect, and share the history of the Quander Family, a product widely recognized as an educational tool.His continued years of service include addressing human and civil rights inequities among the Dalit (Untouchable) population of India, one of his ancestral homelands. To date, the author of four books, Judge Quander's newest book is titled, The Quanders – Since 1684, An Enduring African American Legacy. Judge Quander is also a licensed and certified District of Columbia tour guide. His tours feature traditional Monuments and Memorials, African American History and Culture, and can also be tailored to your personal needs and wishes.Married to Carmen Torruella Quander, internationally acclaimed artist, they have three adult children and one grandchild. They reside in Washington, D.C.© 2026 All Rights Reserved© 2026 Building Abundant Success!!Join Me on ~ iHeart Radio @ https://tinyurl.com/iHeartBASSpot Me on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yxuy23baAmazon Music ~ https://tinyurl.com/AmzBASAudacy:  https://tinyurl.com/BASAud

The Grand Staircase of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument has been cut out of the monument. President Trump's recent order slashing the size of those monuments removed many protected and sacred areas within them. And today, we're now seeing what's been cut. Greg and Holly are a bit astonished by this development, especially since the monument's name won't change.

This week in the Outdoor Minimalist public lands news briefing, we're unpacking three stories:1. At the end of June, the Forest Service proposed a rule that could limit when the public has a say in Forest Service decisions.Article that inspired the first segment: ⁠https://ourpubliclandsandwaters.substack.com/p/forest-service-moves-to-reduce-public⁠2. New pressures form to develop the Copperwood Mine in Northern Michigan, and we cover what it could mean for Lake Superior and the Porcupine Mountains with Tom Grotewohl, founder of Protect the Porkies.3. Bears Ears & Grand Staircase-Escalante are threatened once again with upcoming Executive Orders, featuring Steve Bloch, Legal Director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.Subscribe to the Outdoor Minimalist newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/⁠Links and Sources:U.S. Forest Service. Forest Service publishes proposed rule to redefine, streamline guidance. https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/newsroom/releases/forest-service-publishes-proposed-rule-redefine-streamline-guidanceFederal Register. Organization Functions and Procedures; Public Notice and Comment for Standards, Criteria, and Guidance. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/01/2026-13281/organization-functions-and-procedures-public-notice-and-comment-for-standards-criteria-and-guidancePublic Inspection Copy of Proposed Rule. https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-13281.pdfThe Heritage Foundation. Project 2025: Mandate for Leadership. https://static.heritage.org/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdfProPublica. How Proposed Changes to Grazing Rules Could Limit Public Oversight. https://www.propublica.org/article/public-land-livestock-grazing-ranching-accessProtect the Porkies Campaign. https://protecttheporkies.com/Iron Mountain Daily News. EGLE extends comment period on Copperwood Mine permit. https://www.ironmountaindailynews.com/news/local-news/2026/05/egle-extends-comment-period-on-copperwood-mine-permit/ABC4 Utah. President Trump is expected to issue an executive order affecting Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. https://www.abc4.com/news/politics/inside-utah-politics/president-trump-executive-order-grand-staircase-bears-ears/Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. https://suwa.org/

Sources tell the Deseret News that President Trump will sign an executive order today to shrink the Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears national monuments. If it sounds familiar, you're spot on. President Trump did a similar thing in his first term. And then President Biden reversed it. And now it sounds like the reversal is going to be reversed. Ahead of the announcement this afternoon, Greg and Holly share the history of the monuments and give their thoughts on the Antiquities Act.

Send us Fan MailShaping Legacy is a multi-year commitment to critically examine the monuments and memorials in San Francisco's Civic Art collection. ​It is a chance to rectify current power imbalances, engage communities that have historically been excluded from discussions, and create opportunities for artist-led activations in public spaces that reimagine future monuments and memorials in our city.​We were excited to sit down with two badass bitches at the helm of this massive project, Angela Carrier, Senior Program Manager with the San Francisco Arts Commission, and Ellie Tumbuan, co-founder and managing partner of The Justice Collective, a social impact consultancy based in Oakland. We discuss collective healing, the power of being seen, and why San Francisco will always be a beacon for art and activism.To sign up for Shaping Legacy updates, click here!Follow the San Francisco Arts Commission on IGFollow The Justice Collective on IGFollow Ellie Tumbuan on IGSupport the showThanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 , 2023 , and 2024 without you!--Fight fascism. Shop small. Use cash. Fuck ice.--Support Bitch Talk here!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and SubstackListen every Monday at 7 am on BFF.FM

Osvaldo Budet: Upriver DownriverMaitland Regional Art Gallery opens July 11th 2026, opening night 24th July and 25th July a talk and Q & A with Dr Nancy Cushing from University of Newcastle.Puerto Rican Australian artist Osvaldo Budet joins Art Wank to discuss Upriver Downriver, his exhibition at Maitland Regional Art Gallery exploring one of the Hunter region's most debated public monuments: Maitland's Black Boy statue, now more commonly referred to as Jocko Graves.For more than a century, the cast iron figure has stood in the centre of Maitland's civic life. Celebrated by some as a beloved local landmark and questioned by others for its racial imagery and colonial associations, the statue has become a focal point for conversations about history, memory, race, and heritage.Budet's work is informed by his experience growing up in Borikén, Puerto Rico, a place still shaped by colonial structures and histories. In Upriver Downriver, he considers how inherited images and public monuments continue to shape contemporary understandings of identity, authority, and belonging. Rather than offering simple answers, the exhibition asks how communities engage with historical objects whose meanings shift over time.This conversation explores the power of monuments, the persistence of colonial narratives in public space, and the ways artists can help us reimagine our relationships with difficult histories.Osvaldo Budet (b. 1979) is a Puerto Rican artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans painting, drawing, photography, video, and research based projects. His work examines the physical, historical, and political dimensions of colonisation and post colonisation, exploring how systems of power shape culture, identity, and memory.Budet received a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art, where he studied under Grace Hartigan. Since 2008, he has lived and worked across Puerto Rico, Germany, the United States, and Australia. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, me Collectors Room Berlin, the Museum of Latin American Art, and numerous galleries and institutions throughout Europe, the Americas, and Australia.Through Upriver Downriver, Budet brings a global perspective on colonialism, representation, and historical memory to a distinctly local Australian story, inviting audiences to consider how we preserve, reinterpret, and reckon with the complex objects of our past. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Trump now slapping his signature on America's currency as he heads to a national monument that he wants to be apart of. Plus, a United States Air Force major is arrested. New details about the investigation into an active member of the military who called for Trump to be impeached.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From cruise line bans to drone regulations, learn how breaking travel rules can have lasting consequences. Discover why 16 cruise passengers were banned and what every drone owner should know before flying. Join radio hosts Rebecca Wanner aka ‘BEC' and Jeff ‘Tigger' Erhardt (Tigger & BEC) with the latest in Outdoors & Western Lifestyle News! Cruise Vacations Can End with a Lifetime Ban  Cruise Chaos Ends with Lifetime Consequences for 16 Passengers  What began as the end of a relaxing cruise turned into a chaotic scene at the Port of Miami after two families became involved in a large fight while leaving the Carnival Conquest. Video of the incident quickly spread online, showing passengers exchanging punches as shocked travelers looked on and law enforcement rushed in to restore order. According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, the incident was considered a "mutual combat" situation, and no one involved chose to press charges. Even without criminal charges, Carnival Cruise Line took swift action, permanently banning 16 passengers from sailing with the company in the future. Carnival praised law enforcement for responding quickly and reiterated that violent or disruptive behavior has no place on its cruises. The incident serves as a reminder that actions taken both onboard and in cruise terminals can have lasting consequences long after a vacation ends. Reference: https://people.com/16-cruise-passengers-put-on-do-not-sail-list-after-massive-brawl-breaks-out-12005733? Can You Be Placed on a Cruise Line's "Do Not Sail" List? Many travelers don't realize cruise lines maintain their own internal "Do Not Sail" lists. Unlike the airline industry's government-managed No-Fly List, cruise companies independently decide who may be denied future bookings. Being placed on one can happen immediately following a serious incident—and in some cases, passengers don't find out until they attempt to book another cruise. Why Cruise Lines Ban Passengers Cruise vacations are designed to be safe, family-friendly experiences for thousands of guests living together in close quarters. Because of that, cruise lines enforce strict codes of conduct. Common reasons passengers find themselves permanently banned include: Physical fights or assaults onboard or in cruise terminals Threatening crew members or fellow passengers Severe intoxication leading to dangerous behavior Bringing illegal drugs or prohibited weapons onboard Damaging ship property Repeated violations of ship rules Filing fraudulent payment disputes or chargebacks after completing a cruise Even if local police do not file charges, cruise lines can still determine that a passenger violated company policy and prohibit future travel. No Criminal Charges Doesn't Mean No Consequences The Miami incident highlights an important distinction. Law enforcement determined the fight was a mutual combat situation, and none of the participants wanted to pursue criminal charges. However, Carnival still exercised its right as a private company to deny future service. Just as restaurants, hotels, airlines, and sporting venues may refuse service after violent incidents, cruise companies reserve the same authority through the passenger ticket contract every guest agrees to before boarding. Is There One Universal Cruise Blacklist? Not exactly. Unlike the federal No-Fly List used by airlines, there is no single worldwide "No Sail List" shared across every cruise company. However, several major cruise brands operate under the same corporate ownership. In serious cases involving violence, illegal activity, or significant financial losses, passenger information may be shared among affiliated cruise lines, potentially affecting future bookings across multiple brands. Know the Rules Before Flying Your Private Drone! Travel Smarter by Knowing the Rules Before You Go Flying drones in U.S. National Parks is strictly prohibited. The National Park Service enforces a federal ban on launching, landing, or operating unmanned aircraft on all lands and waters it administers. [1, 2] However, rules at State Parks vary widely depending on the specific location and state. National Parks: The ban applies to all U.S. National Parks, Monuments, and Historic Sites to protect wildlife, preserve natural quiet, and ensure visitor safety. Violating this rule can result in up to 6 months in jail and fines of up to $5,000. [1, 2, 3]  State by State: State-level rules differ dramatically. Some states ban drones entirely, others allow them only in specifically designated areas, and a few require you to apply and pay for a recreational or commercial permit in advance.  Federal Airspace: Manned or permitted flights require checking FAA regulations, including passing the TRUST test and using airspace applications. Check The Rules Before Taking Flight here: https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_flyers OUTDOORS FIELD REPORTS & COMMENTS We want to hear from you! If you have any questions, comments, or stories to share about bighorn sheep, outdoor adventures, or wildlife conservation, don't hesitate to reach out. Call or text us at 305-900-BEND (305-900-2363), or send an email to BendRadioShow@gmail.com. Stay connected by following us on social media at Facebook/Instagram @thebendshow or by subscribing to The Bend Show on YouTube. Visit our website at TheBendShow.com for more exciting content and updates! https://thebendshow.com/ https://www.facebook.com/thebendshow WESTERN LIFESTYLE & THE OUTDOORS Jeff ‘Tigger' Erhardt & Rebecca ‘BEC' Wanner are passionate news broadcasters who represent the working ranch world, rodeo, and the Western way of life. They are also staunch advocates for the outdoors and wildlife conservation. As outdoorsmen themselves, Tigger and BEC provide valuable insight and education to hunters, adventurers, ranchers, and anyone interested in agriculture and conservation. With a shared love for the outdoors, Tigger & BEC are committed to bringing high-quality beef and wild game from the field to your table. They understand the importance of sharing meals with family, cooking the fruits of your labor, and making memories in the great outdoors. Through their work, they aim to educate and inspire those who appreciate God's Country and life on the land. United by a common mission, Tigger & BEC offer a glimpse into life beyond the beaten path and down dirt roads. They're here to share knowledge, answer your questions, and join you in your own success story. Adventure awaits around the bend. With The Outdoors, the Western Heritage, Rural America, and Wildlife Conservation at the forefront, Tigger and BEC live this lifestyle every day. To learn more about Tigger & BEC's journey and their passion for the outdoors, visit TiggerandBEC.com.

Unruly Monuments: Disrupting the State at Delhi's Islamic Architecture (Cambridge University Press, 2025) examines how Delhi's Sultanate and Mughal architecture, dating from the twelfth to the seventeenth centuries, became modern monuments and were assimilated and ordered into public consciousness as spaces for tourism, leisure, and intellectual contemplation during the colonial and early postcolonial eras (1828-1963). It examines the resistance that challenges this ordering, rendering monuments unruly and unassimilable despite state efforts to control their narrative. This exposes the nation's contradictory claims of inclusivity while marginalizing subaltern groups. It guides readers through picturesque landscapes, museums, imperial displays, postcards, travel experiences, Partition refugee camps, and cinema. Analyzing these forms reveals how the archive of Indo-Islamic monuments was shaped through presences and absences. Each chapter examines everyday life, untangles knowable public transcripts, illuminates strategic excisions and hidden transcripts, juxtaposes evidence that has not yet been analyzed in conjunction, reads archival material against the grain, and finds archival layers in unfamiliar places. NBN Host: Sohini Majumdar Sohini teaches history at University of San Francisco and Santa Clara University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Unruly Monuments: Disrupting the State at Delhi's Islamic Architecture (Cambridge University Press, 2025) examines how Delhi's Sultanate and Mughal architecture, dating from the twelfth to the seventeenth centuries, became modern monuments and were assimilated and ordered into public consciousness as spaces for tourism, leisure, and intellectual contemplation during the colonial and early postcolonial eras (1828-1963). It examines the resistance that challenges this ordering, rendering monuments unruly and unassimilable despite state efforts to control their narrative. This exposes the nation's contradictory claims of inclusivity while marginalizing subaltern groups. It guides readers through picturesque landscapes, museums, imperial displays, postcards, travel experiences, Partition refugee camps, and cinema. Analyzing these forms reveals how the archive of Indo-Islamic monuments was shaped through presences and absences. Each chapter examines everyday life, untangles knowable public transcripts, illuminates strategic excisions and hidden transcripts, juxtaposes evidence that has not yet been analyzed in conjunction, reads archival material against the grain, and finds archival layers in unfamiliar places. NBN Host: Sohini Majumdar Sohini teaches history at University of San Francisco and Santa Clara University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

Amy King hosts your Tuesday Wake Up Call. ABC News correspondent Jim Ryan opens the show talking about two active NASA space telescopes, Swift and Hubble, being driven down into precariously low orbits by solar flares. Amy talks with ABC News reporter Aaron Katersky about celebrating the country’s 250th birthday by taking listeners across the nation to visit some of its most treasured National Parks and Monuments. Bloomberg’s Denise Pellegrini talks about what the markets are responding to today. The show closes with Amy talking with Merck Animal Health Veterinarian Dr. Sandra Strong about pets going missing over the Fourth of July weekend and what pet owners can do to help protect their pets.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Top Ten from 2025: #6 Choosing Fun and Adventure in Your Marriage and with Your Family: An Interview with Dan & Sam Mathews (Episode 266)   Isaiah 55:12 MSG “So you'll go out in joy, you'll be led into a whole and complete life. The mountains and hills will lead the parade, bursting with song. All the trees of the forest will join the procession, exuberant with applause. No more thistles, but giant sequoias, no more thornbushes, but stately pines— Monuments to me, to God, living and lasting evidence of God.”   *Transcription of original episode* Choosing Fun and Adventure in Your Marriage and with Your Family: An Interview with Dan & Sam Mathews (Episode 266)   Dan and Sam Mathews have been married since 2014 and currently reside in Missouri with their two kids, Canyon and Ember. Since the moment they got married, Dan and Samantha have been living a life of sacrifice and faith. From backpacking in Arkansas to RV road trips across the US, they have always taken the adventurous route. Sam is a lifestyle vlogger and content creator, and Dan hosts a hunting podcast in addition to his social platforms. Together they share their life of adventure online with millions of followers. Follow them on socials @wearedanandsam.    Thank You to Our Sponsor: Inquisicook   Questions and Topics We Cover: What are a few adventures you're so grateful you said yes to in life? Matthew 25:26 MSG says, "That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that!" So drawing your wisdom from the Lord, how does your faith fuel your sense of adventure?  How can we begin to enjoy an adventurous life in our marriage and with our family?   Other Episodes Mentioned from The Savvy Sauce Podcast: 82 Traveling with Your Family with Katie Mueller 242 Stories Series: He Gives and Takes Away with Joyce Hodel   Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook, Instagram or Our Website   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Democrats are finally admitting that they hate this country and aren't proud to be American. Meanwhile, the Left's outrage over the Reflecting Pool continues, and multiple arrests have been after protesters vandalized it. President Trump has played one of the biggest checkmates of his presidency so far — by holding legislation hostage until the SAVE America Act gets passed. Democrats are now celebrating overdose deaths dropping — after single-handedly creating the issue in the first place by decriminalizing drugs. Barack Obama claims he didn't want his library to be about him, despite being an egomaniac. After she quickly became a multimillionaire, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Somalia) now claims she's flat broke! Conservative podcaster Stephen Gardner joins the show.  ► Catch up on my H-1B visa investigations: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkJEwf2wliqrtNlYs9D78nmE_Gnja_PpC ► Email me at saratips@blazemedia.com if you have uncovered potential fraud in your area. ► Subscribe to my second YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SaraGonzalesTX?sub_confirmation=1 Sponsors: ► PreBorn Donate securely at https://www.preborn.com/sara or dial #250, keyword BABY. ► Blaze TV Visit https://shop.blazemedia.com and use promo code SARA10 to receive 10% OFF Blaze Media's limited-edition America 250 Collection and a FREE 30-day trial to BlazeTV. Timestamps: 00:00 – Liberals Hate America 06:25 – Reflecting Pool Outrage 21:26 – Trump's SAVE America Act Checkmate 31:16 – Dem's Broken Logic on Overdoses 42:32 – Obama's Giant Ego 46:00 – Ilhan Omar Is BROKE Connect with Sara on Social Media: https://twitter.com/saragonzalestx https://www.instagram.com/saragonzalestx http://facebook.com/SaraGonzalesTX ► Subscribe on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sara-gonzales-unfiltered/id1408958605 ► Shop American Beauty by Sara: http://americanbeautybysara.com Sara Gonzales is the host of Sara Gonzales Unfiltered, a daily news program on Blaze TV. Joined by frequent contributors & guests such as Chad Prather, Eric July, John Doyle, Jaco Booyens, Sara breaks down the latest news in politics and culture. She previously hosted "The News and Why It Matters," featuring notable guests such as Glenn Beck, Ben Shapiro, Dave Rubin, Michael Knowles, Candace Owens, Michael Malice, and more. As a conservative commentator, Sara frequently calls out the Democrats for their hypocrisy, the mainstream media for their misinformation, feminists for their toxicity, and also focuses on pro-life issues, culture, gender issues, health care, the Second Amendment, and passing conservative values to the next generation. Sara also appears as a recurring guest on the Megyn Kelly Show, The Sean Spicer Show, Tim Pool, and with Jesse Kelly on The First TV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us this week as we discuss what we've been enjoying in the Monuments of Triumph update. We go over the latest changes and bug fixes in Update 9.7.0.1 and the most recent This Week in Destiny for June 18th. Nitedemon goes over the upcoming third weeks rotations of the new update, Peroty goes over the know issues and more news, while Noble is just sitting trying to look pretty. Plus we all have a few videos and links for you to check out. 00:02:51 - Welcome & Introductions 00:04:11 - What We've Been Doing This Week In Destiny 00:59:55 - Update 9.7.0.1 Information 01:11:04 - This Week in Destiny: 18th June 2026 01:11:22 - New Community Challenge 01:15:53 - Monument of Triumph Soundtrack & Wallpapers 01:17:29 - Rotations This Past Week 01:21:11 - This Week In Destiny: Monuments of Triumph Rotations Week 3 01:25:01 - Peroty's Player Support Report 01:32:19 - End of the TWAB 01:33:30 - Who Said What Where 01:43:47 - Video & Link Recommendations 01:53:15 - Patreons & End of the Show 01:56:16 - Fin Two Titans and a Hunter YouTube Channel Two Titans and a Hunter Twitch Two Titans and a Hunter Discord Two Titans and a Hunter - Patreon Two Titans and a Hunter Ko-Fi The100 io – GH/GD/2TAAH Group Email: twotitansandahunter@hotmail.com Two Titans and a Hunter Twitter Two Titans and a Hunter – Facebook Artwork by @Nitedemon Xbox Live: Nitedemon, & Peroty End credits theme song by Elsewhere - YouTube Channel Plus as always, thank you to Alexander at Orange Free Sounds & www.freesound.org for all the sound effects used in our podcast.  Required Stuff: Bungie - This Week At Bungie - 18th June 2026 Bungie - Update 9.7.0.1 The Last Word - Final Podcast Paid2BFamous - Insane Stasis Hunter Build Duqk - Celestial Fire Ability Warlock Build 360GameTV - All 44 Case File Locations 360GameTV - All Nine-Touched Triumphs 360GameTV - All Raid Effigies 360GameTV - All Dungeon Effigies Llama -The Best Loot You Should Be Farming Fallout Plays - Best Shotgun Barrel in D2 TheGamer - All Dreaming City Ascendent Chest Locations Paid2BFamous - Eutechnology Robes Warlock Build xHOUNDISHx - How To Get The Immortal Armor Easy Time Sausage Gaming Channel - Every New Treasure Hunting Triumph Skarrow9 - Secret TIMED Oblation Exotic Mission Guide Destiny 2 - Tier 5 Report Destiny 2 Armor 2.0 Cleaner Destiny 2 - Way Back Machine Link Twitch - GuardianDownBot Raid Checkpoints Twitch - IceBreakerCatty. Engram.Blue Link

Jeremi and Zachary speak with historian Vaneesa Cook about her book “Empire and Liberty,” using the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building to examine how monuments have reflected debates over U.S. liberty, empire, immigration, protest, and public memory from the late 19th century through the Cold War. They discuss how each landmark's meaning has shifted over time through politics, popular culture, and commemoration as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

In this latest episode of the World War I Podcast, we are joined by Lillian Pfluke, a retired U.S. Army major and a member of the pioneering first class of women to graduate from West Point in 1980. After her military career, she spent ten years working for the American Battle Monuments Commission as the Private Memorials Administrator of the European Region before founding American War Memorials Overseas, an organization dedicated to identifying and preserving the thousands of U.S. war memorials found around the world. In this conversation, we discussed the many private World War I memorials overseas, what they commemorate, and why they continue to matter more than a century later. Learn more about American War Memorials Overseas.Links to photos of memorials discussed: WWI Medal of Honor awardee in Montenegro: https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=1379&MemID=1812Dudley Tucker: https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=155&MemID=235Aviation Training Center Monument with 171 training accident death: https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=614&MemID=897&keyword=paudyIs-sur-Tille: https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=227&MemID=350&keyword=is+sur+tilleMurville link: https://www.uswarmemorials.org/admin/images/memorials/1369759936Murville(2).JPG.Have a comment about this episode? Send us a text message! (Note: we can read texts, but we cannot respond.) Follow us:Twitter: @MacArthur1880 Amanda Williams on Twitter:  @AEWilliamsClarkFacebook/Instagram: @MacArthurMemorialwww.macarthurmemorial.org 

Perhaps it was the AIDS Quilt that redefined what a monument could look like and who could create it. Or maybe it was the quilters of Gee's Bend or the Freedom Quilting Circle in Alabama, taking the scraps of their lives — old military camo uniforms, overalls, flour sacks — honoring the living and the dead. Quilts as monuments, memorials, large and small, stretch far back into our American story.Monuments are a contentious issue these days in the South and beyond. But right now, in Alabama, the Sew Their Names Project — some 20 quilters, a reverend, and a judge — are bringing unlikely collaborations together to embroider the names of hundreds of forgotten people who were once enslaved. Creating quilts that record and tell.Today The Kitchen Sisters, together with the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, present: Quilts as Monuments: Sew Their Names

How does Ramesses II stack up to his predecessors? Why did ancient writers connect him with the Trojan War? In this episode we explore tales of Ramesses, told in antiquity, and consider his legacy in the modern world. Music: Keith Zizza and Luke Chaos. Bibliography Brand, P. (2010a). Reuse and Restoration. In W. Wendrich (Ed.), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2vp6065d Brand, P. (2010b). Usurpation of Monuments. In W. Wendrich (Ed.), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5gj996k5 Brand, P. J. (2023). Ramesses II: Egypt's Ultimate Pharaoh. Breasted, J. H. (1912). A History of Egypt. Bunsen, C. C. J. von. (1848). Egypt's place in universal history: An historical investigation in five books (C. H. Cottrell, Trans.; Vols. 1–5). https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015050932519 Cooney, K. M. (2022). The New Kingdom of Egypt Under the Ramesside Dynasty. In D. T. Potts, N. Moeller, & K. Radner (Eds.), The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East, Volume III: From the Hyksos to the Late Second Millennium BC (pp. 251--366). https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190687601.003.0027 Davies, B. G. (1997). Egyptian Historical Inscriptions of the Nineteenth Dynasty. Edwards, A. B. (1899). A Thousand Miles up the Nile (2nd edn). https://archive.org/details/thousandmilesupn0000edwa_e0y7/page/n9/mode/2up Kelly, B. (2010). Tacitus, Germanicus and the Kings of Egypt (tac. Ann. 2.59–61). The Classical Quarterly, 60(1), 221–237. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40984750 Kitchen, K. A. (1982). Pharaoh Triumphant: The Life and Times of Ramesses II, King of Egypt. Lietzelman, H. (2014). Pharaonism: Decolonizing Historical Identity. Prized Writing 2014-2015, 46–51. Neville, J. W. (1977). Herodotus on the Trojan War. Greece & Rome, 24(1), 3–12. https://www.jstor.org/stable/642683 Said, S. (2012). 2 Herodotus and the ‘Myth' of the Trojan War. In E. Baragwanath & M. de Bakker (Eds.), Myth, Truth, and Narrative in Herodotus (pp. 87--106). https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199693979.003.0003 Sourouzian, H. (1988). Standing Royal Colossi of the Middle Kingdom Reused by Ramesses II. Mitteilungen Des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Abteilung Kairo, 44, 229--254. Sourouzian, H. (2019a). Catalogue de la statuaire royale de la XIXe dynastie [Database]. https://www.ifao.egnet.net/bases/publications/bietud177/ Sourouzian, H. (2019b). Catalogue de la statuaire royale de la XIXe dynastie. https://www.ifao.egnet.net/publications/catalogue/9782724707571/ Tyldesley, J. (2001). Ramesses: Egypt's Greatest Pharaoh. Wilkinson, T. (2023). Ramesses the Great: Egypt's King of Kings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us this week as Noble and Peroty are join by guest, BlueScreen42 to discuss the Monuments of Triumph update in all its big beautiful glory. Noble and Blue discuss old guardians returning and Peroty goes over the latest This Week in Destiny for June 11th, Plus, Nitedemon goes over the second weeks rotations of the new update and Peroty and the guys have a few videos and links for you to check out. 00:01:18 - Welcome 00:02:30 - Patreon Thanks 00:03:14 - No Patch Reading 00:03:57 - This Week in Destiny: 11th June 2026 00:04:32 - Destiny The Game Bundle 00:08:15 - Trials, Monuments FAQ & New Player Guide Update 00:10:02 - Returning Player Feedback Discussion 00:18:43 - Portal Add-Ons and Additions 00:19:44 - Peroty's Player Support Report 00:27:10 - End of the TWAB 00:29:31 - So… What Have You Done This Week In D2? 01:16:03 - This Week In Destiny: Monuments of Triumph Rotations Week 2 01:20:08 - Extra News 01:21:52 - Video & Link Recommendations 01:27:04 - End of the Show 01:29:30 - Fin Two Titans and a Hunter YouTube Channel Two Titans and a Hunter Twitch Two Titans and a Hunter Discord Two Titans and a Hunter - Patreon Two Titans and a Hunter Ko-Fi The100 io – GH/GD/2TAAH Group Email: twotitansandahunter@hotmail.com Two Titans and a Hunter Twitter Two Titans and a Hunter – Facebook Artwork by @Nitedemon Xbox Live: Nitedemon, & Peroty End credits theme song by Elsewhere - YouTube Channel Plus as always, thank you to Alexander at Orange Free Sounds & www.freesound.org for all the sound effects used in our podcast.  Required Stuff: Destiny 2 - So Far, Together Marshix - All Solo Raid Loot - 54 Chests LLama - Titans Won with a broken Hallowfire Heart build FalloutPlays - Destiny 2's last exotic is actually insane Plunderthabooty - A NEW Titan Build That BREAKS Bubble.. Have Fun! Plunderthabooty - Void A NEW Warlock Build That's ABSURDLY STRONG.. Enjoy! Plunderthabooty - We Just Completely BROKE Hunters.. Enjoy it! Plunderthabooty - This NEW Hunter Build Will AMAZE You! It's Insane! FalloutPlays - COMPLETE Returning Players Guide to Destiny 2 Truds So You're Returning to Destiny 2... Fallout Plays Xur in 1 Minute... One Last Time Bungie Wallpapers - https://bung.ie/m/wallpapers List of ALL Armor Set Bonuses Found via: https://twitter.com/vuullets/status/2065151872605004173 Telesto Emblem code: 9LX-7YC-6TX via: https://x.com/NoFilterGames/status/2065095859054735837 Destiny 2 - Tier 5 Report Destiny 2 Armor 2.0 Cleaner Destiny 2 - Way Back Machine Link Twitch - GuardianDownBot Raid Checkpoints Twitch - IceBreakerCatty. Engram.Blue Link

In hour two, outrage in Chicago as the Bears eye a move to Indiana. Hoch's Mt. Rushmore of artsy landmarks. Solana claims there were hot tubs at Marlins game back when they were at Pro Player Stadium. Lee Sterling shares his picks for the sports weekend.