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Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Tears of joy, tears of sadness, tears of frustration or tears of pain - humans are thought to be the only animals that cry tears of emotion. CrowdScience listener Lizzy wants to know: why do we cry for emotional reasons? What is its evolutionary benefit? And why do some people cry more than others? It turns out that humans cry three types of tear: basal, reflex and emotional. The first kind keeps our eyes nice and lubricated and the second flushes out irritants such as fumes from the pesky onion, but the reasons for emotional tears are a bit harder to pin down. Using a specially designed tear collection kit, presenter Caroline Steel collects all three kinds of tears. With them safely stashed in tiny vials, she heads to the Netherlands, to Maurice Mikkers' Imaginarium of Tears. Looking at her crystallised tears under a microscope will hopefully unveil a mystery or two. Marie Bannier-Hélaouët, who grew tear glands for her PhD, explains how the nervous system processes our emotions into tears. But why should we cry for both happiness and sadness, and for so many other emotions in between? Ad Vingerhoets, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Tilburg University, suggests we cry for helplessness - our bodies do not know how to process such intensity of feeling. But do these tears bring relief? Lauren Bylsma, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, has been studying heart rates during crying episodes to find out. With her help, we also explore if women do in fact cry more than men, and why that might be. Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Eloise Stevens Editor: Ben Motley Photo: Fisheye woman having a cry - stock photo Credit: sdominick via Getty Images)
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
This week on Sinica, I welcome back Finbarr Bermingham, the Brussels-based Europe correspondent for the South China Morning Post, about the Nexperia dispute — one of the most revealing episodes in the global contest over semiconductor supply chains. Nexperia, a Dutch-headquartered chipmaker owned by Shanghai-listed Wingtech, became the subject of extraordinary government intervention when the Netherlands invoked a Cold War-era emergency law to seize temporary control of the company and suspend its Chinese CEO. Finbarr's reporting, drawing on Dutch court documents and expert sources, has illuminated the tangled threads of this story: preexisting concerns about governance and technology transfer, mounting U.S. pressure on The Hague to remove Chinese management, and the timing of the Dutch action on the very day the U.S. rolled out its affiliate rule. We discuss China's retaliatory export controls on chips packaged at Nexperia's Dongguan facilities, the role of the Trump-Xi meeting in Busan in unlocking a temporary thaw, and what this case reveals about Europe's agonizing position between American pressure and Chinese integration in global production networks.4:34 – Why the "Europe cracks down on Chinese acquisition" framing was too simple 6:17 – The Dutch court's extraordinary tick-tock of events and U.S. lobbying 9:04 – The June pressure from Washington: divestment or the affiliate list 10:13 – Dutch fears of production know-how relocating to China 12:35 – The impossible position: damned if they did, damned if they didn't 14:46 – The obscure Cold War-era Goods Availability Act 17:11 – CEO Zhang Xuezheng and the question of who stopped cooperating first 19:26 – Was China's export control a state policy or a corporate move? 22:16 – Europe's de-risking framework and the lessons from Nexperia 25:39 – The fragmented European response: Germany, France, Hungary, and the Baltics 30:31 – Did Germany shape the response behind the scenes? 33:06 – The Trump-Xi meeting in Busan and the resolution of the crisis 37:01 – Will the Nexperia case deter future European interventions? 40:28 – Is Europe still an attractive market for Chinese investment? 41:59 – The Europe China Forum: unusually polite in a time of tenterhooksPaying it forward: Dewey Sim (SCMP diplomacy desk, Beijing); Coco Feng (SCMP technology, Guangdong); Khushboo Razdan (SCMP North America); Sense Hofstede (Chinese Bossen newsletter)Recommendations: Finbarr: Chokepoints by Edward Fishman; Underground Empire by Henry Farrell and Abe Newman; "What China Wants from Europe" by John Delury (Engelsberg Ideas) Kaiser: The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and Milady (2023 French film adaptation)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Episode 502 / Yung JakeYung Jake is an artist & rapper who received his BFA from Cal Arts in 2012. He has had 13 solo exhibitions in Los Angeles and New York, and over 25 group exhibitions in the U.S., China, Finland, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, respectively. Yung Jake is also a musician and directed music videos for Rae Sremmurd and Pusha T. His work has been featured at venues including Sundance, where his videos Datamosh, and E.m-bed.de/d were screened, as well as performances in Los Angeles at the Hammer Museum, REDCAT, MOCA, The Getty Center, and at the Museum of Modern Art. In 2017.His artwork has been shown in numerous art fairs including MiArt, UNTITLED, Miami Beach, Art Brussels, the Seattle Art Fair, the Dallas Art Fair, and Market Art + Design. His first solo museum exhibition titled Cartoons was on view at Guild Hall, East Hampton.
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Get the ILLUMINATION Trilogy: Click HereSign Up Free Mini E-Courses: Free Mini CoursesSign Up for Prayer: Orbis Prayer Ministry Network – Receive prayer for healing, prophecy, inner healing and deliveranceDonate: Give - Orbis MinistriesIn this episode, Ken Fish walks us through a whirlwind of global ministry experiences from August through November. From revival meetings in South Africa to mass deliverance in the Netherlands, and powerful healings in Australia, Ken unpacks not just where he's been, but what God has been doing around the world.He shares miraculous stories of healings—including a man's tooth being healed after a word of knowledge, an entire restaurant staff receiving healing prayer, and mass deliverances in Europe. Ken also reflects on the Jerusalem Council II gathering focused on completing the Great Commission, and the unexpected move of God at this year's Illumination Conference, where a visible glory cloud appeared and mass deliverance broke out.Finally, he highlights the supernatural impartation of healing grace spreading through impartation—from Brian Blount's handshake healings in South Africa to similar manifestations in the Netherlands.How to Engage with Orbis:- Check out Ken's book, On the Road with the Holy Spirit: https://a.co/d/0OVIIA0- Partner with Orbis Financially: Give - Orbis Ministries- Download the app: App - Orbis Ministries- Are you interested in learning about Holy Spirit-led ministry? Visit Orbis School of Ministry at Homepage | Orbis School of Ministry or email our Registrar, Jo McKay, at jo@orbisminstries.org- Upcoming Orbis Ministries overseas ministry trips are posted on orbisministries.org under the Train tab- Join an International Ministry Trip link behind the registration/login portal.- Do you want to join Ken's private Facebook discussion group, "God is not a Theory?" Please send a Facebook Direct Message to Bryan Orbis and a friend request to be added to it.
The Dutch capital, the city below the sea, the Amstel's gem, and more can all be used to describe this lowlands city. This historical and recognizable city has a culture that is known far beyond its limited borders. Food, music, art, science and history have all had their eras in the Netherlands' heart. Join me as I take a walk through the history of this great city. This is Amsterdam.
Diogenes wasn't a Stoic… but without him, the Stoics don't exist. His life was so bold, so uncompromising, and so brutally honest that it reshaped the entire philosophical world the Stoics inherited. In today's episode, Ryan sits down with classicist Inger Kuin to unpack the wild and brilliant philosophy of Diogenes, the original cynic. Inger Kuin is a researcher, writer, and teacher focused on the intellectual history of ancient Greece and Rome. She is Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Virginia. Originally from The Netherlands, she publishes both in English and in Dutch. Be sure to pick up a copy of Inger's new book Diogenes: The Rebellious Life and Revolutionary Philosophy of the Original Cynic. Check out Inger's website: https://ingerkuin.com/
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Preached at The Give Thyself Wholly Conference 2025 “ Worth of Jesus “, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Ed Kashi is a renowned photojournalist, filmmaker, speaker and educator who has been making images and telling stories for 40 years. His restless creativity has continually placed him at the forefront of new approaches to visual storytelling. Dedicated to documenting the social and political issues that define our times, a sensitive eye and an intimate and compassionate relationship to his subjects are signatures of his intense and unsparing work. As a member of VII Photo, Ed has been recognized for his complex imagery and its compelling rendering of the human condition. Ed's innovative approach to photography and filmmaking has produced a number of influential short films and earned recognition by the POYi Awards as 2015's Multimedia Photographer of the Year. Ed's embrace of technology has led to creative social media projects for clients including National Geographic, The New Yorker, and MSNBC. From implementing a unique approach to photography and filmmaking in his 2006 Iraqi Kurdistan Flipbook, to paradigm shifting coverage of Hurricane Sandy for TIME in 2012, Ed continues to create compelling imagery and engage with the world in new ways.Along with numerous awards from World Press Photo, POYi, CommArts and American Photography, Ed's images have been published and exhibited worldwide. His editorial assignments and personal projects have generated fourteen books.In 2002, Ed in partnership with his wife, writer + filmmaker Julie Winokur, founded Talking Eyes Media. The non-profit company has produced numerous award-winning short films, exhibits, books, and multimedia pieces that explore significant social issues.In 2019, The Enigma Room, an immersive installation, premiered at NYC's Photoville festival, and has since been seen in Israel, the Netherlands, South Korea, and New Mexico, USA.HIs new book is, A Period In Time: Looking Back While Moving Forward, 1977 - 2022. In episode 269, Ed discusses, among other things:Wanting to contribute to positive changeDonating his archive and whyA lesson learned on being assertiveHis new book A Period In TimePublishing extracts from his journal entriesEditing language in response to modern sensibilitiesSeeing the impact of identity politics in the USAHis book project with his wife, Julie, American SketchesAmerica being less divided than we are being led to believeHis interest in ‘advocacy journalism'Website | Instagram Become a A Small Voice podcast member here to access exclusive additional subscriber-only content and the full archive of 200+ previous episodes for £5 per month.Subscribe to my weekly newsletter here for everything A Small Voice related and much more besides.Follow me on Instagram here.Build Yourself a Squarespace Website video course here.
Join host Jacqueline Tinker on a unique journey into the world of horse and dog trail activities. In this special episode, Jacqueline interviews two passionate enthusiasts: Danielle Beumkes from the Netherlands and Kimberly Watson from Texas. Discover how this exciting sport combines the agility of dogs with the grace of horses, creating a dynamic and fun experience for both animals and their handlers. Segment Highlights: Danielle Beumkes shares her experiences from the Netherlands, where horse and dog trail activities are gaining popularity. Learn about her journey with her Australian Shepherd, Tony, and her quarter horse, Lena, as they navigate this thrilling sport. Kimberly Watson, a pioneer of the horse and dog trail program in the U.S., discusses the challenges and joys of starting this activity stateside. Discover how you can get involved and what it takes to train your dog and horse for these unique competitions. Whether you're a seasoned trainer or new to the world of horse and dog trails, this episode offers insights, tips, and inspiration to get started. Don't miss out on this engaging conversation that celebrates the bond between humans, dogs, and horses.
Mastering Life's Adventures: Being Your Best Self Through Soul Evolution!
In this engaging and thought-provoking conversation, Dr. Judith welcomes special guest Vera Elman, an emotion expert and non-duality teacher from the Netherlands. Together, they delve into the fascinating topic of whether following our feelings can guide the soul. Vera shares her unique perspective on emotions, feelings, and intuition, positing that they serve as an emotional compass and energetic guide through life. She recounts her personal journey, shaped by her sensitivity and experiences with an autistic father, which led her to an innate understanding of the dynamics between energy and emotion. Dr. Judith and Vera explore how emotions like anger and joy influence our paths, discussing the balances and dualities within our emotional and spiritual selves. This episode provides profound insights into the integration of emotions and consciousness and how they interplay in the pursuit of soul evolution. Tune in for a meaningful dialogue that seeks to uncover the deeper connections between our human experiences and our spiritual journeys.00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction00:51 Understanding Feelings and Emotions01:39 Vera's Personal Journey03:57 The Role of Emotions in Life05:26 Soul and Human Connection10:54 Anger and Emotional Mastery15:15 Emotional Awareness and Evolution29:40 Distinguishing Emotions and Feelings36:43 Final Thoughts and Contact Information
The human intestinal epithelial barrier comprises diverse proliferative, secretory and absorptive cell types that facilitate nutrient digestion and absorption and protect against harmful environmental agents. The barrier and its function can vary between individuals due to genetic differences thus impact processes such as digestion, drug metabolism, and drug sensitivity. Our guests today investigated the effect of diverse culture conditions on the cell type composition, gene expression profiles, and maturation status of human pluripotent stem cell-derived intestinal epithelial cells in three different model systems. Their research provides insight into the relevant conditions and systems for modeling specific intestinal functions and highlights the importance of personalized intestinal model systems. GuestsSebo Withoff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Genetics at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Iris Jonkers is an Adjunct Professor and Rosalind Franklin Fellow in the Department of Genetics at University of Groningen in the Netherlands. Renée Moerkens is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Ombion in the Netherlands. Joram Mooiweer is a PhD Student in the Department of Genetics at the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands. HostJanet Rossant, Editor-in-Chief, Stem Cell Reports and The Gairdner FoundationSupporting ContentGene expression profiling reveals enhanced nutrient and drug metabolism and maturation of hiPSC-derived intestine-on-chip relative to organoids and TranswellsAbout Stem Cell ReportsStem Cell Reports is the open access, peer-reviewed journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) for communicating basic discoveries in stem cell research, in addition to translational and clinical studies. Stem Cell Reports focuses on original research with conceptual or practical advances that are of broad interest to stem cell biologists and clinicians.X: @StemCellReportsAbout ISSCRWith nearly 5,000 members from more than 80 countries, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (@ISSCR) is the preeminent global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to stem cell research and its translation to the clinic. The ISSCR mission is to promote excellence in stem cell science and applications to human health.ISSCR StaffKeith Alm, Chief Executive OfficerYvonne Fisher, Managing Editor, Stem Cell ReportsKym Kilbourne, Director of Media and Strategic CommunicationsMegan Koch, Senior Marketing ManagerJack Mosher, Scientific DirectorHunter Reed, Senior Marketing Coordinator
Today's Morning Espresso dives into a massive World Cup qualifying day: Spain looking untouchable, Scotland and Denmark walking the Hampden tightrope, Wales chasing another Cardiff night, and a Concacaf finale full of chaos, revenge narratives, and Curacao on the brink of history. We'll also hit Germany and the Netherlands cruising, Nigeria's painful miss, and why Japan's confidence is sky-high heading toward 2026.On top of that, we unpack the latest World Cup off-the-field headlines (U.S. visa plans, DoorDash's FIFA deal, Conmebol's qualifier shake-up), set up USMNT–Uruguay and the looming Portugal friendly in Atlanta, dig into Denver Summit FC's stadium standoff, and run through MLS and global news in The Refill. The game never stops — and neither do we, on the SDH Network. The Morning Espresso is brought to you as always by Oglethorpe University.
Hello again Pacific War Week by Week listeners, it is I your dutiful host Craig Watson with more goodies from my exclusive patreon podcast series. This is actually going to be a two parter specifically looking at the failure and responsibility of Emperor Hirohito during the 15 year war Japan unleashed in 1931. Again a big thanks to all of you for listening all these years, you are all awesome. Hello everyone, a big thanks to all of you who joined the patreon and voted for this to be the next episode, you all are awesome. Now I realize very well when I jumped into my former patreon episode on Ishiwara Kanji, I fell into a rabbit hole and it became a rather long series. I wanted to get this one done in a single episode but its also kind of a behemoth subject, so I will do this in two parts: this episode will be on Hirohito's failure and responsibility in regards to the China War from 1931-1941. The next one will cover Hirohito's failure and responsibility in the world war from 1941-1945. I am not going to cover the entire life of Hirohito, no what I want is to specifically cover his actions from 1931-1945. Nw I want you to understand the purpose of this episode is to destroy a narrative, a narrative that carried on from 1945-1989. That narrative has always been that Emperor Hirohito was nothing more than a hostage during the war years of 1931-1945. This narrative was largely built by himself and the United States as a means of keeping the peace after 1945. However upon his death in 1989 many meeting notes and diaries from those who worked close to him began emerging and much work was done by historians like Herbert P Bix and Francis Pike. The narrative had it that Hirohito was powerless to stop things, did not know or was being misled by those around him, but this is far from the truth. Hirohito was very active in matters that led to the horrors of the 15 year war and he had his own reasons for why or when he acted and when he did not. For this episode to be able to contain it into a single one, I am going to focus on Hirohito's involvement in the undeclared war with China, that's 1931-1941. For those of you who don't know, China and Japan were very much at war in 1931-1937 and certainly 1937 onwards, but it was undeclared for various reasons. If you guys really like this one, let me know and I can hit Hirohito 1941-1945 which is honestly a different beast of its own. For those of you who don't know, Hirohito was born on April 29th of 1901, the grandson of Emperor Meiji. Hirohito entered the world right at the dawn of a new era of imperial rivalry in Asia and the Pacific. According to custom, Japanese royals were raised apart from their parents, at the age of 3 he was placed in the care of the Kwamura family who vowed to raise him to be unselfish, persevering in the face of difficulties, respectful of the views of others and immune to fear. In 1908 he entered elementary education at the age of 7 and would be taught first be General Nogi Maresuke who notoriously did not pamper the prince. Nogi rigorously had Hirohito train in physical education and specifically implanted virtues and traits he thought appropriate for the future sovereign: frugality, diligence, patience, manliness, and the ability to exercise self-control under difficult conditions. Hirohito learnt what hard work was from Nogi and that education could overcome all shortcomings. Emperor Meiji made sure his grandson received military training. When Emperor Meiji died in 1912, Hirohito's father, Yoshihito took the throne as emperor Taisho. Taisho for a lack of better words, suffered from cerebral meningitis at an early age and this led to cognitive deficiency's and in reality the Genro would really be running the show so to say. When Taisho took the throne it was understood immediately, Hirohito needed to be prepared quickly to take the throne. After Meiji's funeral General Nogi politely told the family he could no longer be a teacher and committed seppuku with his wife. He wrote a suicide letter explained he wanted to expiate his disgrace during the russo japanese war for all the casualties that occurred at Port Arthur, hardcore as fuck. Hirohito would view Nogi nearly as much of an iconic hero as his grandfather Meiji, the most important figure in his life. Hirohito's next teacher was the absolute legendary Fleet Admiral Togo Heihachiro who would instill national defense policy into him. Hirohito would be taught Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahans theories as all the great minds were taught at the time. Now I know it sucks but I cant delve deep into all this. What I want you to envision is a growing Man, instilled with the belief above all else, the Kokutai was most important. The Kokutai was the national essence of Japan. It was all aspects of Japanese polity, derived from history, tradition and customs all focused around the cult of the Emperor. The government run by politicians was secondary, at any given time the kokutai was the belief the Emperor could come in and directly rule. If you are confused, dont worry, I am too haha. Its confusing. The Meiji constitution was extremely ambiguous. It dictated a form of constitutional monarchy with the kokutai sovereign emperor and the “seitai” that being the actual government. Basically on paper the government runs things, but the feeling of the Japanese people was that the wishes of the emperor should be followed. Thus the kokutai was like an extra-judicial structure built into the constitution without real legal framework, its a nightmare I know. Let me make an example, most of you are American I imagine. Your congress and senate actually run the country, wink wink lets forget about lobbyists from raytheon. The president does not have actual executive powers to override any and all things, but what if all Americans simply felt he did. Thus everyone acted in accordance to his wishes as they assumed them to be, thats my best way of explaining Japan under Hirohito. Emperor Taisho dies in 1926, and Hirohito takes the throne ushering in the Showa Era. He inherited a financial crisis and a military that was increasingly seizing control of governmental policies. Hirohito sought to restore the image of a strong charismatic leader on par with his grandfather Meiji, which was sorely lacking in his father Taishos reign. He was pressured immediately by the Navy that the national sphere of defense needed to be expanded upon, they felt threatened by the west, specifically by the US and Britain who had enacted the Washington Naval Treaty. Hirohito agreed a large navy was necessary for Japan's future, he was a proponent of the decisive naval battle doctrine, remember his teacher was Togo. From the very beginning Hirohito intensely followed all military decisions. In 1928 the Japanese covertly assassinated the warlord of Manchuria, Zhang Zuolin. The current prime minister Tanaka Giichi had performed a thorough investigation of the incident and presented his report to Hirohito on December 24th of 1928. He told Hirohito he intended to court martial the criminals, purge the army and re-establish discipline. However the rest of Tanaka's cabinet wished to allow the army to deal with the matter and quiet the entire thing down. Hirohito responded by stating he had lost confidence in Tanaka and admonished his report. Hirohito allowed the army to cover up the incident, he sought to have it hushed up as well. Thus Hirohito had indulged the army in its insubordination and the kwantung army officers now felt they could take matters into their own hands. Also in 1928 the Tanaka cabinet failed to endorse the international protocol banning chemical and biological warfare. The next year the privy council, pressured by the military, failed to ratify the full geneva convention of prisoners of war. Hirohito in response began doing something Emperor Meiji never had done, he began to scold officials to force them to retire from positions. Tanaka Giichi was bullied out. Hirohito then stated his endorsement of Hamaguchi Osachi as Tanaka's successors. Just a few months after Hamaguchi cabinet formed, Hirohito overrode the advice of his naval chief of staff and vice chief of staff, Admiral Kato and Vice Admiral Suetsugu. The Americans and British were hinting they might form a naval alliance against Japan if she did not abide by the Washington Conference mandates on naval tonnage. Kato and Suetsugu refused to accept the terms, but prime minister Hamaguchi stood firm against them. The navy leaders were outraged and accused Hamaguchi of signing the treaty without the support of the Navy General Staff thereby infringing upon the “emperor's right of supreme command”. Two months after signing the treaty, Hamaguchi was assassinated and upon learning of this Hirohito's first concern apparently was “that constitutional politics not be interrupted”. The military felt greatly emboldened, and thus began the age of the military feeling “its right of supreme command”. Generals and Admirals fought back against arms reduction talks, discipline within the officer corps loosened, things spiraled out of control. Alongside this came the increasing cult of the emperor, that they were all doing this in his name. When rumors emerged of the emerging Mukden Incident in 1931, Hirohito demanded the army be reigned in. Attempts were made, but on September 18th of 1931, Kwantung army officer detonated an explosion at Liut'iaokou north of Mukden as a false flag operation. The next day the imperial palace were given a report and Hirohito was advised by chief aide de camp Nara Takeji “this incident would not spread and if the Emperor was to convene an imperial conference to take control of the situation, the virtue of his majesty might be soiled if the decisions of such a conference should prove impossible to implement”. This will be a key theme in Hirohito's decision making, protect the kokutai from any threats. As the Mukden incident was getting worse, the Kwantung officers began to demand reinforcement be sent from the Korea army. The current Wakatsuki cabinet met on the issue and decided the Mukden incident had to remain an incident, they needed to avoid a declaration of war. The official orders were for no reinforcements of the Korea army to mobilize, however the field commander took it upon his own authority and mobilized them. The army chief of staff Kanaya reported to Hirohito the Korea army was marching into Manchuria against orders. At 31 years of age Hirohito now had an excellent opportunity to back the current cabinet, to control the military and stop the incident from getting worse. At this time the military was greatly divided on the issue, politically still weak compared to what they would become in a few years, if Hirohito wanted to rule as a constitutional monarch instead of an autocratic monarch, well this was his chance. Hirohito said to Kanaya at 4:20pm on September 22nd “although this time it couldn't be helped, [the army] had to be more careful in the future”. Thus Hirohito accepted the situation as fait accompli, he was not seriously opposed to seeing his army expand his empire. If it involved a brief usurpation of his authority so bit, as long as the operation was successful. Within two weeks of the incident, most of Japan had rallied being the kwantung army's cause. Hirohito knew it was a false flag, all of what they had done. Hirohito planned the lightests punishments for those responsible. Hirohito then officially sanctioned the aerial strike against Chinchou, the first air attack since ww1. A message had gone out to the young officers in the Japanese military that the emperors main concern was success; obedience to central command was secondary. After the Mukden incident Prime Minister Wakatsuki resigned in december after failing to control the army and failing to contain the financial depression. The new Priminister Inukai took to action requesting permission from Hirohito to dispatch battalions to Tientsin and a brigade to Manchuria to help the Kwantung army take Chinchou. Hirohito responded by advising caution when attacking Chinchou and to keep a close eye on international public perception. Nevertheless Chinchou was taken and Hirohito issued an imperial rescript praising the insubordinate Kwantung army for fighting a courageous self defense against Chinese bandits. In a few more years Hirohito would grant awards and promotions to 3000 military and civil officials involved in the Manchurian war. When incidents broke out in Shanghai in 1932 involved the IJN, Tokyo high command organized a full fledged Shanghai expeditionary force under General Shirakawa with 2 full divisions. But within Shanghai were western powers, like Britain and America, whom Hirohito knew full well could place economic sanctions upon Japan if things got out of hand. Hirohito went out of his way to demand Shirakawa settle the Shanghai matter quickly and return to Japan. And thus here is a major problem with Hirohito during the war years. On one end with Manchuria he let pretty much everything slide, but with Shanghai he suddenly cracks the whip. Hirohito had a real tendency of choosing when he wanted to act and this influenced the military heavily. On May 15th of 1932, young naval officers assassinated prime minister Inukai at his office. In the political chaos, Hirohito and his advisors agreed to abandon the experiment in party cabinets that had been the custom since the Taisho era. Now Hirohito endorsed a fully bureaucratic system of policy making, cabinet parties would no longer depend on the two main conservative parties existing in the diet. When the diet looked to the genro as to who should be the next prime minister, Hirohito wrote up “his wishes regarding the choice of the next prime minister”. Loyal officials backed Hirohito's wishes, the cult of the emperor grew in power. To the military it looked like Hirohito was blaming the party based cabinets rather than insubordinate officers for the erosion of his own authority as commander in chief. The young military officers who already were distrustful of the politicians were now being emboldened further. After Manchuria was seized and Manchukuo was ushered in many in the Japanese military saw a crisis emerge, that required a “showa restoration' to solve. There were two emerging political factions within the military, the Kodoha and Toseiha factions. Both aimed to create military dictatorships under the emperor. The Kodoha saw the USSR as the number one threat to Japan and advocated an invasion of them, aka the Hokushin-ron doctrine, but the Toseiha faction prioritized a national defense state built on the idea they must build Japans industrial capabilities to face multiple enemies in the future. What separated the two, was the Kodoha sought to use a violent coup d'etat to do so, the Toseiha were unwilling to go so far. The Kodoha faction was made up of junior and youthful officers who greatly distrusted the capitalists and industrialists of Japan, like the Zaibatsu and believed they were undermining the Emperor. The Toseiha faction were willing to work with the Zaibatsu to make Japan stronger. Hirohito's brother Prince Chichibu sympathized with the Kodoha faction and repeatedly counseled his brother that he should implement direct imperial rule even if it meant suspending the constitution, aka a show restoration. Hirohito believed his brother who was active in the IJA at the time was being radicalized. Chichibu might I add was in the 3rd infantry regiment under the leadership of Colonel Tomoyuki Yamashita. This time period has been deemed the government by assassination period. Military leaders in both the IJA and IJN and from both the Kodoha and Toseiha began performing violence against politicians and senior officers to get things done. A enormous event took place in 1936 known as the february 26 incident. Kodoha faction officers of the IJA attempted a coup d'etat to usher in a showa restoration. They assassinated several leading officials, such as two former prime ministers and occupied the government center of Tokyo. They failed to assassinate the current prime minister Keisuke Okada or take control over the Imperial palace. These men believed Japan was straying from the Kokutai and that the capitalist/industrialists were exploiting the people of the nation by deceiving the emperor and usurping his power. The only solution to them was to purge such people and place Hirohito as an absolute leader over a military dictatorship. Now the insurrectionists failed horribly, within just a few hours they failed to kill the current prime minister, and failed to seize the Sakashita Gate to the imperial palace, thus allowing the palace to continue communicating with the outside, and they never thought about what the IJN might do about all of this. The IJN sent marines immediately to suppress them. The insurrectionists had planned to have the army minister General Kwashima who was a Kodoha backer, report their intentions to Hirohito who they presumed would declare a showa restoration. They falsely assumed the emperor was a puppet being taken hostage by his advisers and devoid of his own will. At 5:40am on February the 26th Hirohito was awakened and informed of the assassinations and coup attempt. From the moment he learnt of this, he was outraged and demanded the coup be suppressed and something I would love to highlight is he also immediately demanded his brother Prince Chichibu be brought over to him. Why would this be important? Hirohito believed the insurrectionists might enlist his brother to force him to abdicate. Hirohito put on his army uniform and ordered the military to “end it immediately and turn this misfortune into a blessing”. Hirohito then met with Kwashima who presented him with the insurrectionists demands to “clarify the kokutai, stabilize national life and fulfill national defense, aka showa restoration”. Hirohito scolded Kwashima and ordered him to suppress the mutiny. On the morning of the 27th Hirohito declared administrative martial law on the basis of Article 8 of the Imperial Constitution, pertaining to emergency imperial ordinances. Formally he was invoking his sovereign power to handle a crisis. Hirohito displayed an incredible amount of energy to crush the mutiny as noted by those around him at the time. Every few hours he demanded reports to be given to him by top officials and at one point he was so angry he threatened to lead the Imperial Guard division himself to go out and quell it. Hirohito met with Chichibu and its alleged he told his brother to end any relationships he had with the Kodoha members. By february 29th, Hirohito had firmly crushed the mutiny, most of the ringleaders were arrested. In april they were court martialed secretly without even given a chance to defend themselves in court and 17 were executed by firing squad in July. As a result of it all, the Kodoha faction dissolved and the Toseiha faction reigned supreme. On the morning of July 8th of 1937 came the Marco Polo Bridge incident, a nearly identical false flag operation to what occurred at Mukden in 1931. Hirohito's reaction was first to consider the possible threat of the USSR. He wondered if the communists would seize the opportunity to attack Manchukuo. This is what he said to Prime Minister Konoe and army minister Sugiyama “What will you do if the Soviets attack us from the rear?” he asked the prince. Kan'in answered, “I believe the army will rise to the occasion.” The emperor repeated his question: “That's no more than army dogma. What will you actually do in the unlikely event that Soviet [forces] attack?” The prince said only, “We will have no choice.” His Majesty seemed very dissatisfied. Hirohito demanded to know what contingency plans existed. After this he approved the decision of the Konoe cabinet to move troops into Northern China and fixed his seal to the orders of dispatch. The emperor had tacitly agreed to it all from the start. With each action taken for the following months, Hirohito would explicitly sanction them after the fact. In his mind he kept thinking about a fight with the USSR, he believed he had no choice in the China matter. All of his top ranking officials like Sugiyama would tell him “even if war with China came… it could be finished up within two or three months”. Hirohito was not convinced, he went to Konoe, to imperial conferences, to other military officials to get their views. None convinced him but as Hirohito put it “they agreed with each other on the time factor, and that made a big difference; so all right, we'll go ahead.” Two weeks into the conflict, the kwangtung army and Korean army were reinforced by 3 divisions from Japan and on July 25th were reaching Beijing. What did the man who was not responsible in such decision making say? On July 27 Hirohito sanctioned an imperial order directing the commander of the China Garrison Force to “chastise the Chinese army in the Peking-Tientsin area and bring stability to the main strategic places in that region.” Hirohito wanted a killing blow to end the war, and thus he escalated the incident. Historian Fujiwara Akira noted “it was the [Konoe] government itself that had resolved on war, dispatched an army, and expanded the conflict,” and Hirohito had fully supported it” Chiang Kai-shek abandoned northern China pulling into the Interior and unleashed a campaign in Shanghai to draw the Japanese into a battle showcased in front of western audiences. Chiang Kai-shek tossed the creme of his military all into Shanghai to make it as long and explosive as possible to try and win support from other great powers. On August 18 Hirohito summoned his army and navy chiefs for a pointed recommendation. The war, he told them, “is gradually spreading; our situation in Shanghai is critical; Tsingtao is also at risk. If under these circumstances we try to deploy troops everywhere, the war will merely drag on and on. Wouldn't it be better to concentrate a large force at the most critical point and deliver one overwhelming blow? Based on our attitude of fairness, Do you, have in hand plans for such action? In other words, do we have any way worked out to force the Chinese to reflect on their actions?” The chiefs of staff returned 3 days later with an aerial campaign to break China's will to fight and strategic cities needed to be seized. Hirohito gave his sanction and on August 31st gave the order “for the Dispatch of the North China Area Army. [D]estroy the enemy's will to fight and wipe out resistance in the central part of Hepei Province,” Over the course of weeks Hirohito sanctioned 6 troop mobilizations to the Shanghai area where the fighting had bogged down. Then he sanctioned 3 divisions from Taiwan to Shanghai, but for units in northern Manchuria to stand guard firmly in case the USSR attacked. The entire time this was happening both China and Japan referred to it as an incident and not a real war lest either of them lose the backing of their great power allies. Japan needed oil, iron and rubber from America, China was likewise received materials from the USSR/America/Britain and even Germany. By november the war was not going well and Hirohito had the Imperial Headquarters established within his palace as a means to exercise his constitutional role as supreme commander, the army and navy would act in concert. For a few hours in the morning a few days every week, the chiefs of staff, army and navy ministers and chiefs of operations would meet with Hirohito. At these imperial conferences Hirohito presided over and approved decisions impacting the war. This was Hirohito's device for legally transforming the will of the emperor into the will of the state. Hirohito not only involved himself, sometimes on a daily basis he would shape strategy and decide the planning, timing and so on of military campaigns. He even intervened in ongoing field operations. He monitored and occasionally issued orders through commanders to subordinate units. Now I can't go through the entire 1937-1945 war and showcase all the things he did but I will highlight things I think we're important. On November 9th, the Shanghai battle was finally falling apart for the Chinese as they began a withdrawal to the Nanking area some 180 miles away. The Japanese forces chased them and for the first time were really coming into direct contact with Chinese civilians, when it came to Shanghai most had evacuated the areas. The Japanese burned, plundered and raped villages and towns as they marched towards Nanking. On december 1st, Hirohito's imperial HQ ordered the 10th army and Shanghai expeditionary force to close in on Nanking from different directions, a pincer maneuver. Prince Asaka took command of the Shanghai expeditionary force and General Matsui commanded the Central China Area Army consisted of the Shanghai force and 10th army. Asaka led the forces to assault the walled city of Nanking with a population estimated to be 4-5 hundred thousand and it would fall on December 13th. Was there an order to “rape Nanking”, no. The Imperial HQ did not order the total extermination of the Chinese in Nanking, they had ordered an encirclement campaign. However, the standing orders at this time were to take no prisoners. Once Nanking fell, the Japanese began to execute en massage military prisoners and unarmed troops who surrendered willingly. There was a orgy of rape, arson, pillage and murder. The horror was seen in Nanking and the 6 adjacent villages over the course of 3 months far exceeding any atrocities seen during the battle for Shanghai or even the march to Nanking. General Nakajima's 16th division on its first day in Nanking was estimated to have murdered 30,000 POWs. Estimate range insanely, but perhaps 200,000 POW's and civilians were butchered over the course of 6 weeks. Prince Asaka the 54 year old grand uncle to Hirohito and other members of the Imperial Family commanded the attack on Nanking and supervised the horrors. 49 year old General Prince Higashikuni chief of the army air force alongside Prince Kan'in knew of the atrocities occurring. Army minister Sugiyama knew, many middle echelon officers of the Imperial HQ knew. Hirohito was at the top of the chain of command, there is no way he was not informed. Hirohito followed the war extensively, reading daily reports, questioned his aides. It was under his orders that his army “chastise China”, but did he show any concern for the breakdown of his army's discipline? There is no documented evidence he ordered an investigation, all we are met with as historians is a bizarre period of silence. Hirohito goes from supervising the war with OCD precision, to silence, then back to normal precision. Did Hirohito show anything publicly to show angry, displeasure or remorse, at the time he energetically began spurring his generals and admirals on their great victories and the national project to induce “Chinese self-reflection”. On November 24th Hirohito gave an after the fact sanction to the decision of General Matsui to attack and occupy Nanking. Hirohito was informed the city was going to be bombarded by aircraft and artillery and he sanctioned that as well. That was basically him removing any restrictions on the army's conduct. On December 14th the day after Nankings fall, he made an imperial message to his chiefs of staff expressing his pleasure at the news of the city's capture and occupation. Hirohito granted General Matsui an imperial rescript for his great military accomplishments in 1938 and gave the order of the golden early to Prince Asaka in 1940. Perhaps Hirohito privately agonized over what happened, but publicly did nothing about the conduct of his armed forces, especially in regards to the treatment of POW's. Emperor Hirohito was presented with several opportunities to cause cease-fires or peace settlements during the war years. One of the best possible moments to end it all came during the attack on Naking when Chiang Kai-sheks military were in disarray. Chiang Kai-shek had hoped to end the fighting by enticing the other great powers to intervene. At the 9 power treaty conference in Brussel in november of 1937, Britain and the US proposed boycotting Japan. However the conference ended without any sanctions being enacted upon Japan. The Konoe government and Imperial HQ immediately expanded the combat zone. Chiang Kai-shek in desperation accepted a previous offer by Germany to mediate. Oscar Trautmann, the German ambassador to China attempted to negotiate with Japan, but it failed. China was offered harsh terms; to formally recognize Manchukuo, cooperate with it and Japan to fight communism, permit the indefinite stationg of Japanese forces and pay war reparations. On January 9th of 1938, Imperial HQ formed a policy for handling the China incident which was reported to Hirohito. Konoe asked Hirohito to convene an imperial conference for it, but not to speak out at it “For we just want to formally decide the matter in your majesty's presence.” Konoe and Hirohito were concerned with anti expansionists within the army general staff and wanted to prevent German interference in Japanese affairs. On January 11th, the policy was showcased and adopted, there would be no peace until Chiang kai-shek's regime was dissolved and a more compliant regime followed. Hirohito presided over the conference in full army dress uniform and gave his approval. He sat there for 27 minutes without uttering a word, appearing to be neutral in the matter, though in fact he was firmly backing a stronger military policy towards China. The Konoe cabinet inaugurated a second phase to the China incident, greatly escalating the war. By this point in time Japanese had seen combat casualties at 62,007 killed, 160,000 wounded. In 1939 it would be 30,081 killed, 55,970 wounded, then 15,827 killed and 72,653 wounded in 1940. Major cities were under Japanese control ranging from the north east and south. Chiang Kai-shek fled to Chongqing, the war was deadlocked without any prospect of victory in sight. On July 11 of 1938, the commander of the 19th division fought a border clash with the USSR known to us in the west as the battle of Lake Khasan. It was a costly defeat for Japan and in the diary of Harada Kumao he noted Hirohito scolded Army minister Itagaki “Hereafter not a single soldier is to be moved without my permission.” When it looked like the USSR would not press for a counter attack across the border, Hirohito gave the order for offensives in China to recommence, again an example of him deciding when to lay down the hammer. Konoe resigned in disgrace in 1939 having failed to bring the China war to an end and being outed by his colleagues who sought an alliance with Germany, which he did not agree with. His successor was Hiranuma a man Hirohito considered a outright fascist. Hiranuma only received the job because he promised Hirohito he would not make enemies of Britain or the US by entering in a hasty alliance with Nazi Germany. However his enter prime ministership would be engulfed by the alliance question. In May of 1939 there was another border clash with the USSR, the battle of Khalkhin Gol. This one was much larger in scale, involving armored warfare, aircraft and though it seems it was not used, the Japanese brought biological warfare weapons as well. The Japanese had nearly 20,000 casualties, it was an unbelievable defeat that shocked everyone. Hirohito refrained from punishing anyone because they technically followed orders based on a document “outline for dealing with disputes along the manchurian soviet border” that Hirohito had sanctioned shortly before the conflict arose. In July of 1939, the US told Hiranuma's government they intended not to renew the US-Japan treaty of commerce and navigation. Until this point Roosevelt had been very lenient towards Japan, but now it looked to him war would break out in europe and he wanted Japan to know they could expect serious economic sanctions if they escalated things. Hirohito complained to his chief aide de camp Hata Shunroku on August 5th “It could be a great blow to scrap metal and oil”. Then suddenly as Japan was engaging in a truce with the USSR to stop the border conflict, Germany shocked the world and signed a nonaggression pact with them. This completely contravened the 1936 Japan-German anti-comintern pact. Hiranuma resigned in disgrace on august 28th. Hirohito was livid and scolded many of his top officials and forced the appointment of General Abe to prime minister and demanded of him “to cooperate with the US and Britain and preserve internal order”. Then Germany invaded Poland and began a new European War. Abe's cabinet collapsed from the unbelievable amount of international actions by January 14th 1940. Hirohito appointed Admiral Yonai as prime minister and General Tojo to vice army minister. As we have seen Hirohito played a active role appointing high level personnel and imposed conditions upon their appointments. Hirohito dictated what Yonai was to do, who he was to appoint to certain positions so on and so forth. When a large part of the military were calling for an alliance with Germany, Hirohito resisted, arguing Japan should focus on the China war and not ally itself to Germany unless it was to counter the USSR. Three months passed by and Germany began invading western europe. Norway fell, Denmark fell, Luxembourg, Belgium, the netherlands and then France, it was simply stunning. While Japan had been locked in a deadlock against China, Germany was crushing multiple nations with ease, and this had a large effect on asia. Britain, France and the Netherlands could not hope to protect their holdings in asia. But Hirohito kept pressuring Yonai not to begin any talks of an alliance, and the military leaders forced Yonai's cabinet to collapse. So Hirohito stood by while Hiranuma, Abe and Yonai met each crisis and collapses. He watched as the China war went nowhere and the military was gradually pushing for the Nanshin-ron doctrine to open a southern war up with the west. Not once did he make a public effort on his lonesome to end the war in China. Japan's demands of China were unchanged, relations with the west were getting worse each day. The China war was undeclared, hell it was from the Japanese viewpoint “chastising China”. Japan was no respecting any rules of war in China, atrocities were performed regularly and for that Hirohito shared responsibility. For he alone was free to act in this area, he needed to act, but he did not. He could have intervened and insisted on respecting the rules of war, especially in regards to POW's and the results could have been dramatically different. Hirohito bore direct responsibility for the use of poison gas upon Chinese and Mongolian combatants and non combatants even before the undeclared war of 1937. Then on July 28th of 1937 Hirohito made his first directive authorizing the use of chemical weapons which was transmitted by the chief of the army general staff prince Kan'in. It stated that in mopping up the Beijing-Tientsin area, “[Y]ou may use tear gas at suitable times.” Then on September 11th of 1937 he transmitted again through Kan'in the authorization to deploy special chemical warfare units in Shanghai. Gas weapons were one weapon the imperial HQ, aka Hirohito held effective control over throughout the China war. Front line units were never free to employ it at their own discretion, it required explicit authorization from the imperial HQ. During the Wuhan offensive of August to October 1938, imperial HQ authorized the use of poison gas 375 separate times. Hirohito authorized on May 15th of 1939 the carrying out of field studies of chemical warfare along the Manchukuo-soviet border. In 1940 Hirohito sanctioned the first experimental use of bacteriological weapons in China, though there is no documented evidence of this, given the nature of how he micro managed everything it goes without saying he would have treated it the same as the poison gas. He was a man of science, a person who questioned everything and refused to put his seal on orders without first examining them. Imperial HQ directives went to unit 731 and as a rule Hirohito overlooked them. There again is no documents directly linking him to it, but Hirohito should be held responsibility for strategic bombing campaigns performing on cities like Chongqing. Alongside such horror Hirohito sanctioned annihilation campaigns in China. Such military campaigns were on the scale of what occurred at Nanking. Take for example the Hebei offensive which saw the infamous “three alls policy, burn all, kill all, steal all”. Before Pearl Harbor and the ushering in of the war against the west, look at the scene that had unfolded. China and Japan were not officially at war until December of 1941. Not to say it would have been easy by any means, but look at the countless opportunities the man, emperor, so called god if you will, held in his hands to stop it all or at the very least stop escalating it. Why did he not do so? To protect the Kokutai. Above all else, the role and survival of the emperor's divinity over the people of Japan was always at the forefront of his mind. He did what he thought was always necessary to thwart threats internal and external. He allowed his military to do horrible things, because they did so in his name, and likewise they were a threat to him. I know its abrupt to end it like this, but for those of you who perhaps say to yourself “well he really was powerless to stop it, they would have killed him or something”, who chose suddenly to intervene in 1945 and made the decision to surrender?
Tony Watkins interviews Dr Dirk Jongkind, Vice Principal (Academic) about his new book, ‘Growing in Understanding: Devotions for Christian Academics' (published by Apollos in 2025).GROWING IN UNDERSTANDING: DEVOTIONS FOR CHRISTIAN ACADEMICS is available directly from IVP or from your normal bookseller.Dirk Jongkind is probably best known as editor of the Tyndale House Greek New Testament. However, before he ended up in the academy, Dirk worked in the horticultural sector (together with his wife Marion), growing tropical cut-flowers (Heliconia) in greenhouses in his native country, the Netherlands. He enjoyed this hands-on setting, yet decided to follow his life's fascination with the history and text of the Bible. He completed a M.A. in Old Testament at Tyndale Theological Seminary (1999, Badhoevedorp, nr. Amsterdam), and moved to the United Kingdom for an M.Phil. in New Testament at Cambridge University, where he also completed a PhD in 2005. At this time he was employed for a brief project at the British Library as part of the preparation of the Codex Sinaiticus Digitisation project.At Tyndale House, Dirk does research in the transmission of the text of the New Testament which has resulted in the Tyndale House Edition of the Greek New Testament (2017). He also maintains an interest in lexical and grammatical studies. He is an Associate Editor of the Tyndale Bulletin. Working at Tyndale House gives unique opportunities to contribute to the practice and vision of theological education.He has taught in a wide variety of settings ranging from big conference rooms and university halls to the back rooms of small rural chapels and local village pubs. Dirk is a Fellow of St Edmund's College and a Member of the Faculty of Divinity.Apart from explaining the Bible and the many ways in which one passage resonates with others, he also enjoys speaking about how Christians can be good scholars and pursue knowledge and truth without compromising their commitment to faith.Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
The FC crew react to Germany's dominant win over Slovakia and explain why Florian Wirtz looks so much better with Germany compared to his club team Liverpool. Plus, the guys react to Erling Haaland's comments following Norway's 4-1 win over Italy. Mario Melchiot also breaks down how he feels about the Netherlands' chances to win the World Cup after the Dutch qualified for the tournament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Hey there friends and weirdos! This week we add a little entomology creamer into our New Age spiritual enlightenment coffee with the tale of...the Butterfly People. When a massive crop circle depicting the Vitruvian Man as a Butterfly Man pops up in the Netherlands, skeptics and believers alike are baffled. Was this design man-made, as the lying media would like to suggest? Or is it alien, perhaps even cosmic, in its design? We tie this event into a bizarre phenomenon that would occur only a few years later: the Butterfly People of Joplin. All this and much more!
Libby Ran 17/11/2025 Nordic Fairies - Dopamine - פיות נורדיות 131 Robyn - Dopamine (Sweden) girl in red - Serotonin (Norway) MARY JEAN - dream come alive (Denmark) Darling West - Holiday for Two (Norway) Skott - Edge of the Earth (Sweden) Club 8 - Another Faux Pas In The Cathedral Of Hate (Sweden) Veps - Didgeridoo (Norway) Kerstin Ljungström - Dör (Sweden) Elina - Holding Space (Sweden) Nikolaj Nørlund, Jacob Aksglæde, Ninna Lundberg - Frem For Alt BLAA (Denmark) HILLARI - It Ain't Easy (Norway) Virna Lindt - Playpower (Sweden) No. 4 - Det var en gang en jul (Norway) Ida Laurberg - Vintermiraklet - Valdes Jul (Denmark) Line Marianne - Bells (Denmark) Ine Hoem - Første desember (Norway) Leon den Engelsen - Don't mind me (Sweden, Netherlands)
Fluent Fiction - Dutch: Finding Thanksgiving in a Foreign Land: Lars' Cozy Feast Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/nl/episode/2025-11-17-23-34-02-nl Story Transcript:Nl: De geur van pompoensoep en versgebakken brood vulde de gangen van het drukke studentenhuis.En: The scent of pumpkin soup and freshly baked bread filled the halls of the busy student house.Nl: Ondanks de kou buiten straalden de kamers een behaaglijke warmte uit.En: Despite the cold outside, the rooms radiated a cozy warmth.Nl: Studenten liepen haastig met koffers vol vuile was en huiswerkboeken.En: Students walked hastily with suitcases full of dirty laundry and homework books.Nl: Het was bijna Thanksgiving, een feest dat Lars alleen kende van films en verhalen.En: It was almost Thanksgiving, a holiday that Lars only knew from movies and stories.Nl: Lars was een Nederlandse uitwisselingsstudent op een universiteit in de Verenigde Staten.En: Lars was a Dutch exchange student at a university in the United States.Nl: Sinds hij hier was, voelde hij zich anders en een beetje verloren, vooral nu de feestdagen naderden.En: Since he had been here, he felt different and a bit lost, especially as the holidays approached.Nl: Zijn vrienden Maarten en Femke, ook uit Nederland, zouden het lange weekend doorbrengen met hun gastgezinnen.En: His friends Maarten and Femke, also from the Netherlands, would spend the long weekend with their host families.Nl: Lars had helaas geen plannen.En: Unfortunately, Lars had no plans.Nl: In zijn kamer begon Lars een idee te vormen.En: In his room, Lars began to form an idea.Nl: Misschien kon hij zelf iets organiseren. Een klein Thanksgiving-diner voor de mensen op zijn verdieping.En: Maybe he could organize something himself—a small Thanksgiving dinner for the people on his floor.Nl: Hij was nerveus.En: He was nervous.Nl: Wat als niemand kwam?En: What if no one came?Nl: Lars besloot door te zetten.En: Lars decided to go through with it.Nl: Hij maakte een lijst. Kalkoen, aardappelpuree, cranberrysaus en, op verzoek van zijn moeder via Skype, stroopwafels om een vleugje Nederland aan de tafel toe te voegen.En: He made a list: turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and, at the request of his mother via Skype, stroopwafels to add a touch of the Netherlands to the table.Nl: Hij hing simpele herfstdecoraties op in de gemeenschappelijke keuken.En: He put up simple autumn decorations in the communal kitchen.Nl: De pompoenen en bladeren maakten de ruimte warm en gezellig.En: The pumpkins and leaves made the space warm and inviting.Nl: De avond van de viering kwam.En: The evening of the celebration came.Nl: Eerst dacht Lars dat niemand zou opduiken.En: At first, Lars thought no one would show up.Nl: Maar toen hoorde hij voetstappen.En: But then he heard footsteps.Nl: Studenten liepen nieuwsgierig de keuken binnen.En: Students walked into the kitchen, curious.Nl: Sommigen brachten eten mee; anderen hadden gewoon een lege maag.En: Some brought food; others just came with an empty stomach.Nl: Al snel vulden stemmen en gelach de kamer.En: Soon, voices and laughter filled the room.Nl: Tijdens het eten, omringd door nieuwe gezichten en vrolijk geklets, voelde Lars zich eindelijk thuis.En: During dinner, surrounded by new faces and cheerful chatter, Lars finally felt at home.Nl: Hij luisterde naar verhalen over Thanksgivingtradities en deelde zelf een paar Nederlandse eetgewoonten.En: He listened to stories about Thanksgiving traditions and shared some Dutch eating habits himself.Nl: De sfeer was ontspannen.En: The atmosphere was relaxed.Nl: Mensen lachten en maakten nieuwe herinneringen.En: People laughed and made new memories.Nl: Op dat moment, met zijn bord vol en hart warm, besefte Lars dat hij niet alleen was.En: At that moment, with his plate full and heart warm, Lars realized he was not alone.Nl: Amerika begon een beetje als thuis te voelen.En: America started feeling a bit like home.Nl: Hij glimlachte.En: He smiled.Nl: Hij had iets kostbaars gevonden tijdens deze eenvoudige maaltijd: een gevoel van verbondenheid.En: He had found something precious during this simple meal: a sense of connection.Nl: Toen de avond eindigde, hielp iedereen met opruimen.En: When the evening ended, everyone helped to clean up.Nl: Lars stond in de deur, keek rond en voelde zich dankbaar dat hij de stap had gezet.En: Lars stood in the doorway, looking around and feeling grateful that he had taken the step.Nl: Hij wist dat hij deze nieuwe traditie volgend jaar wilde voortzetten, waar hij ook was.En: He knew he wanted to continue this new tradition next year, wherever he might be.Nl: En zo leerde Lars dat openstaan voor nieuwe dingen, zelfs als ze onbekend zijn, kan helpen de eenzaamheid te verdrijven.En: And so Lars learned that being open to new things, even when they are unfamiliar, can help dispel loneliness.Nl: En dat, ondanks de afstand, familie niet altijd betekent wie je kent, maar wie je kiest.En: And that, despite the distance, family doesn't always mean who you know, but who you choose. Vocabulary Words:scent: geurradiated: straaldencozy: behaaglijkeexchange: uitwisselingsapproached: naderdenlaundry: wasnervous: nerveusmashed potatoes: aardappelpureecranberry sauce: cranberrysausdecorations: decoratiesinviting: gezelligcelebration: vieringfootsteps: voetstappencurious: nieuwsgierigchatter: gekletscheerful: vrolijkmemories: herinneringengrateful: dankbaarprecious: kostbaarsconnection: verbondenheiddispels: verdrijvenloneliness: eenzaamheiddespite: ondanksdistance: afstandtradition: traditiehost families: gastgezinnenunexpected: onverwachtgathering: bijeenkomsthomey: knuslaugh: lachen
Cultural Differences & Cultural Diversity in International Business
Cultural Differences and Government with Maria Paula Correa Maria Paula Correa serves as Chief Relationship Officer at Libra Group, overseeing global partnerships with governments and key stakeholders. Based in Miami and Bogotá, she is part of the Group's Leadership Team. She plays a pivotal role in establishing connections that bridge cultural differences and align government priorities across international markets. Her focus is on creating trust-based relationships that drive cooperation and sustainable growth. Between 2018 and 2022, Maria was Chief of Cabinet to the President of Colombia, working under President Iván Duque Márquez. In this position, she directed interinstitutional coordination, international relations, and strategic communications for the national government. Before that, she was Senior Director of Strategic Engagement at Concordia, promoting dialogue on global partnerships and how cultural differences and government influence policy and collaboration. Earlier, she worked as Consul at the Colombian Consulate in New York and as Advisor to the Chief of Staff during President Álvaro Uribe's administration, strengthening Colombia's diplomatic relations abroad. Maria holds an MPA from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and a B.A. in Law with a Political Science concentration from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia. She also completed diplomas in Political Communications from Universidad Javeriana and Public Management and Administrative Institutions from Universidad de Los Andes. Her background demonstrates a deep commitment to diplomacy, public service, and leadership. Through her work, she consistently emphasizes how cultural differences and government dynamics shape global decision-making and cooperation. In addition to her executive responsibilities, Maria serves on the Board of Directors of Casa Editorial El Tiempo, Colombia's largest media organization, where she contributes to strengthening informed dialogue and international understanding. Her tips to become more culturally competent are: Pay attention to detail. Don't underestimate cultural intelligence. Always respond, even though they might not like the response. Listen before you interpret and respond. You need to have contacts. This is usually more valuable than what you know. Build cultural curiosity into your life. Want to avoid the most common mistakes when working internationally? Read this article. Cultural Differences and Government with Maria Paula Correa More stories and culture can be found here. Culture Matters The Culture Matters Podcast on International Business & Management Podcast Build your Cultural Competence, listen to interesting stories, learn about the cultural pitfalls and how to avoid them, and get the Global perspective here at the Culture Matters podcast on International Business. We help you understand Cultural Diversity better by interviewing real people with real experiences. Every episode there is an interview with a prominent guest, who will tell his or her story and share international experiences. Helping you develop your cultural competence. Welcome to this culture podcast and management podcast. To Subscribe to this Management Podcast, Click here. The Culture Matters Culture Podcast. Available on iTunes and Stitcher Radio Click here to get the podcast on Spotify Talk to your Amazon Alexa and listen to the Podcast Listen directly on Amazon If you have a minute, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by clicking here. It will help the visibility and the ranking of this culture podcast on iTunes immensely! A BIG THANK YOU! Enjoy this FREE culture podcast! Music: Song title - Bensound.com More Ways of Listening: Get a Taste of How Chris Presents, Watch his TEDx Talk Name Email Address Phone Number Message 14 + 13 = Send Call Direct: +32476524957 European Office (Paris) Whatsapp: +32476524957 The Americas (USA; Atlanta, GA; también en Español): +1 678 301 8369 Book Chris Smit as a Speaker If you're looking for an Engaging, Exciting, and Interactive speaker on the subject of Intercultural Management & Awareness you came to the right place. Chris has spoken at hundreds of events and to thousands of people on the subject of Cultural Diversity & Cultural Competence. This is What Others Say About Chris: “Very Interactive and Engaging” “In little time he knew how to get the audience inspired and connected to his story” “His ability to make large groups of participants quickly and adequately aware of the huge impact of cultural differences is excellent” “Chris is a dedicated and inspirational professional” In addition, his presentations can cover specific topics cultural topics, or generally on Cultural differences. Presentations can vary anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours and are given worldwide. Book Chris now by simply sending an email. Click here to do so. Read more about what Chris can do for you. Percentage of People Rating a Presentation as Excellent 86% 86% Rating the Presentation as Practical 89% 89% Applicability of Chris' presentation 90% 90% About Peter van der Lende Peter has joined forces with Culture Matters. Because he has years and years of international business development experience joining forces therefore only seemed logical. Being born and raised in the Netherlands, he has lived in more than 9 countries of which most were in Latin America. He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia (USA) with his family. You can find out more at https://expand360.com/ Or find out what Peter can do for you here.
Join Annie Sargent and Elyse Rivin as they dive deep into the tragic and brilliant life of Vincent van Gogh. This episode isn't just about his iconic paintings—it's about the man behind the masterpieces. Elyse, with her deep knowledge of art history and her gift for storytelling, guides us through Van Gogh's tumultuous journey. From his early struggles in the Netherlands to his transformative years in France, we explore how his experiences shaped his art—and how his art, in turn, shaped the world. Listen to this episode ad-free Van Gogh's life was marked by failure, rejection, and mental health struggles. Elyse explains how these challenges fueled his creativity. As a young man, he tried—and failed—at careers as an art dealer, a preacher, and even a Bible translator. His family didn't know what to do with him, and his father even considered sending him to a mental hospital. But it was his brother, Theo, who became his lifeline. Theo provided financial and emotional support, allowing Vincent to focus on painting. This support gave him the freedom to experiment, leading to the bold, vibrant style we associate with him today. Paris was a turning point for Van Gogh. Elyse paints a vivid picture of his time there, living in Montmartre, meeting artists like Toulouse-Lautrec and Pissarro, and discovering new techniques. He hated the city at first, but over time, he began to embrace its energy. His move to Arles was another pivotal moment. He dreamed of creating an artists' colony there, but his relationship with Gauguin ended in disaster. Despite the chaos, this period was incredibly productive. He painted masterpieces like Starry Night Over the Rhône and Sunflowers. After his breakdown in Arles, Van Gogh was committed to an asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Elyse's account of this time is heartbreaking yet inspiring. He continued to paint, creating some of his most famous works, including Wheat Fields and more versions of Starry Night. His final days in Auvers-sur-Oise were marked by relentless painting and a tragic end. This episode isn't just about art—it's about humanity, perseverance, and the cost of genius. If you love stories that move you, this is a must-listen. Subscribe to Join Us in France on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you're planning a trip to France, don't forget to check out Elyse's Toulouse Guided Walks for an unforgettable experience. Table of Contents for this Episode [00:00:15] Introduction [00:00:31] Today on the podcast [00:01:03] Podcast supporters [00:01:33] Bootcamp 2026 [00:01:47] Magazine segment [00:02:25] Vincent Van Gogh with Elyse [00:03:38] Van Gogh's Life in France [00:04:57] The Universal Appeal of Van Gogh's Art [00:05:53] Why do people love his work? [00:09:30] Early Life and Family Background [00:13:49] Struggles with Mental Health and Career Choices [00:14:20] Moving to The Hague [00:16:09] Moving to London [00:21:06] Moving to Paris [00:23:26] Back to England [00:28:04] Returning home [00:28:55] The Decision to Become an Artist [00:29:24] Early Artistic Endeavors and Family Support [00:37:18] Van Gogh's Time in Paris [00:38:38] Van Gogh's Literary Influences [00:39:23] Return to Holland and Artistic Evolution [00:40:28] Personal Struggles and Relationships [00:42:06] Paris and Artistic Friendships [00:45:02] The Move to Arles [00:47:24] The Yellow House and Artistic Breakthrough [00:52:53] Mental Health Struggles and Saint-Rémy [00:59:11] Final Days in Auvers-sur-Oise [01:04:27] Legacy and Impact [01:09:40] Copyright More episodes about art in France #VanGogh, #VincentVanGogh, #ArtHistory, #StarryNight, #Sunflowers, #PostImpressionism, #FrenchArt, #ArtLovers, #ArtistsLife, #TragicGenius, #JoinUsInFrance, #FrancePodcast, #TravelFrance, #FrenchCulture, #ExploreFrance, #DiscoverFrance, #FranceTravelTips, #RealFrance, #Francophile, #FranceAdventures
Cash Box Kings – Trying so hard - Oscars Motel - 2023 Rick Estrin & The Nightcats – Finally hit the Bottom - The Hits Keep Coming – 2024Tinsley Ellis – A Quitter never wins - Storm Warning – 1994B.B. King – Luclille – Robert Cray – Right next door - Live At The Warfield Theater - 2019 JJ Grey & Mofro – Wonderland -Olustee – 2024J.R. Band – Turn the page – My way or the Highway - 2002 - Meena Cryle and The Chris Fillmore band - It makes me scream - live for Bluesmoose radio Muddy waters – I want to be loved – Hard again - 1977
The grandson of Al Capone’s barber and a former Benedictine Monk, Pastor Smarto has pastored several congregations and was a college professor for years; as well as working professionally with prisoners and ex-offenders for over three decades. He is known nationally as a keynote conference speaker, speaking about restorative justice, prisoner aftercare, and the educational methods most effective with prisoners. He was honored to speak at the Prisoner Reentry White House Conference in November of ‘07. Don’s research has led to meetings with judges and wardens in other countries including Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, France, Belgium, England, Italy, Russia, Kenya, Canada, and Mexico. He was NGO Delegate to the United Nations Conference on the Treatment of Offenders in Milan, Italy in ‘85 and had meetings with President Ronald Reagan, Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger and Attorney General Edwin Meese. As a nationwide consultant, Don Smarto has played a key role in the development of ex-offender programs. He is the Chairman of prison ministry collaborations in Texas and Pennsylvania, and has been a consultant to the State of Florida Juvenile Justice System in the area of mentoring. a Quoted in the New York Times, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, L. A. Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Orlando Sentinel, Dallas Morning News, Denver Post, and the Washington Post about gangs, school shootings, prison conditions, and prison reform, Don Smarto has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows. His professional experiences have included: Juvenile and Adult Probation Officer, Assistant Superintendent of a Maximum Security Facility, Director of an Adolescent Offender Drug Treatment Program (featured nationally on NBC News), and Director of an Ex-Offender Transition Program (which included mentoring/counseling/education). Don trained probation officers for four years at Sangamon State University (Illinois), and taught criminal justice courses at Wheaton College and Trinity University (Illinois) for twelve years. He has authored 16 books. Three of which are about restorative justice that became college text books. Smarto has also authored national magazine articles and contributed to several reference works in psychology and sociology. As member of the American Correctional Association (ACA) for twenty-seven years, Don frequently presents conference workshops. He is a past member of the Fraternal Order of Police, and has received numerous awards. Don Smarto also ministered for years with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and served on Illinois Governor Edgar's Gang Task Force, Attorney General Ryan's Council on Child Abuse, and the DuPage County Board's Blue Ribbon Commission on Jail Overcrowding (author of the final report). As a leader, this man of God has been the President of three national organizations including the Institute of Prison Ministries, where he led a research team of sociologists studying programs affecting recidivism. He has visited over 1200 prisons in 12 countries and has ministered with Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship. Don Smarto has also hosted a daily Dallas radio show called Parenting Today's Youth with 29,000 listeners each day. For more information, go find some of his articles at youthdirect.org and check out his multiple books on Amazon.
What if one solution to fashion's waste problem is literally growing on our own heads? Every day, salons around the world toss out millions of pounds of freshly cut human hair — a clean, protein-rich, renewable resource that mostly ends up in landfills or incinerators. But what if that so-called waste could become the next sustainable textile? My guest on this episode, Zsofia Kollar, is the founder and CEO of Human Material Loop, a Netherlands-based startup turning salon hair waste into a high-performance fibre that behaves like wool — but with 43 times lower CO₂ emissions, 20 times less water use, and none of the animal cruelty or plastics. Their branded fiber, called Adara, is already being spun into things like carpets, curtains, and acoustic panels — and it's made from something we all grow ourselves. In this conversation, Zsofia and I talk about how she got the idea to build an entire materials company out of human hair, how her technology works, why hair is such a strong and versatile material, the "ick" factor of human-derived fibres, and how she's scaling her model so that salons and HML benefit alike. If you think using human hair in textiles sounds strange, stick around — because by the end of this episode, you might just want a carpet made from your own cut-offs. I'll let Zsofia make the case. Discussed in this episode Washington Post coverage of Human Material Loop's work. Vogue and CNN have covered their work, too. Zoroastrians sometimes practice sky burial on a Tower of Silence, in which vultures are allowed to consume a recently deceased human. Our past episode on human composting with Recompose. Get to Know Zsofia Kollar Zsofia Kollar is a forward-thinking entrepreneur passionate about sustainable innovation. Science and design are crucial in the company's development. After her experience running an independent design studio, Zsofia was driven to reimagine waste management, focusing particularly on hair waste. Her goal is to foster collaboration and innovation for a more sustainable future. Human Material Loop demonstrates that sustainability and economic growth can coexist. Zsofia's dedication extends beyond her CEO role—she's also a published author and university lecturer, inspiring others in design and sustainability. Her vision entails holistic sustainability, where science, design, and collaboration reshape waste management and drive innovation.
Episode 65 Sarah Papenheim Minnesota native, Sarah Papenheim decided to study abroad at Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. She picked a roommate who shared her love of music. She had no idea how dangerous he was until he killed her in 2018. To listen to every episode of Campus Killings ad-free and get other benefits, simply visit our channel page on Apple Podcasts to get started with an AbJack Insider subscription. Follow Campus Killings on Social Media via the following: Facebook - Instagram - Threads - X Formerly Twitter - BlueSky - Tik Tok - Twitch - Youtube Or find ALL of our social media platforms with one link: https://linktr.ee/campuskillings Campus Killings is hosted by Dr. Meghan Sacks and Dr. Amy Shlosberg. Research and Writing by Abagail Belcastro Produced by Mike Morford of AbJack Entertainment Be sure to listen to Amy and Meghan's other podcasts: Women and Crime & Direct Appeal
Interview with Decland Walsh on Sudan: 31:30 This week, Kelly and Truisten talk through Hungary's new attempt to start up an anti-Ukraine bloc in the EU as well as Victor Orban's meeting with President Trump. They then turn to recent elections in the Netherlands and to President Trum's trip to Asia and the APEC summit. Chief NYT Africa Correspondent Declan Walsh then joins Kelly for a deep-dive into recent developments in the Sudanese civil war. Watch Declan's lecture on Sudan here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2UQ1_Cp2UQ See more of his reporting here: https://www.nytimes.com/by/declan-walsh The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Abdalla Nasef and Freddie Mallinson. Recorded on November 11, 2025. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown
Colleen and Allard are back for another wild and wacky season of Stuff Dutch People Like. To kick off Season 5, they look back on Allard's time in Canada and pose the question: can a grown Dutchman ever really fit into a very Canadian summer? From the highs (customer service!) to the lows (the "Sorry's" are endless!), Allard brings us along to compare, contrast....and well, complain!And what about Colleen? She now likes her healthcare as Dutch as possible ("shitty tasting medicine and no beating around the bush") and got to see the Netherlands through the eyes of her visiting family from Canada (yep! Some hilarious Dutch service stories are coming up!)Come along for the ride! This season is just getting started!
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