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The transfer portal window for the spring is wide open in college football, and Kings of the North isn't looking just at what's happening, but at what are the right ways to go about winning in the portal. On this KOTN, from Oregon, Indiana and Colorado relying heavily on transfers last year, to Iowa, Utah and Iowa State barely doing anything in the portal a year ago, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis run through all the numbers and results from Northern teams in the portal in 2024 to find what lessons should be learned. Who's doing the same thing this year, and which teams are changing their portal strategies? Plus Max Olson of ESPN.com visits to share his portal knowledge on how important the spring widow really is, what teams are doing the best job in the portal, which positions have the most value and whether the Nico Iamaleava transfer from Tennessee to UCLA is a one-off or a sign of things to come. As always, thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Our lead story: recaps and reaction to the French and English national leaders debates recently held in Montreal.
In this engaging conversation, Robbie and Carly chat with Ollie from Lime Cordiale about the origins of their band name, the significance of music festivals in a post-COVID world, and the challenges faced by Australian artists in the music industry. Ollie shares insights on their upcoming performance at the Ord Valley Muster and reflects on the changing landscape of music appreciation and competition. The name Lime Cordiale comes from a blend of family and a music festival. Festivals outside major cities are thriving post-COVID. Australian artists face tough competition from international acts. The band's success involved extensive promotion and live performances. Ollie reflects on the unique experience of performing in remote locations. The music industry has shifted significantly since COVID. Aussie artists are making an effort to connect with local audiences. The importance of creating memorable live experiences for fans. Ollie's sister designed their iconic stage outfits. The band has a humorous take on the challenges of touring. 00:00 The Origin of Lime Cordiale03:00 The Impact of Festivals Post-COVID06:08 Challenges for Aussie Artists on the ChartsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Episode Description Sign up to receive this Unreached of the Day podcast sent to you: https://unreachedoftheday.org/resources/podcast/ People Group Summary: https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18523?CH #PrayforZERO is a podcast Sponsor. https://prayforzero.com/ Take your place in history! We could be the generation to translate God's Word into every language. YOUR prayers can make this happen. Take your first step and sign the Prayer Wall to receive the weekly Pray For Zero Journal: https://prayforzero.com/prayer-wall/#join Pray for the largest Frontier People Groups (FPG): Visit JoshuaProject.net/frontier#podcast provides links to podcast recordings of the prayer guide for the 31 largest FPGs. Go31.org/FREE provides the printed prayer guide for the largest 31 FPGs along with resources to support those wanting to enlist others in pray
The guys are joined by Abby of Northern Greens Golf Collective to talk about why she started Northern Greens, her long-term mission, and how we can help make golf more approachable for women.Thanks to Abby for joining us! Follow her on Instagram here and check out her website here.Use code SavePar15 for 15% off your order from Bad Golf Co.Use code SAVEPAR for 10% off your order from Omnix GolfUse code SavePar20 for 20% off your order from RIVL GolfUse code GoodPar for 10% off your order from Good Boy GolfUse code SAVEPAR for 15% off your order from ODIN GolfUse code SavePar10 for 10% off your order from Liberty Ball MarkersSavePar20 for 20% off at OB Golf CoFollow Us on Instagram @SaveParGolfPodcastBeat by Aataze
Dennis and Brady talk about Marysville and St Clair baseball completing sweeps, Armada knocks off Richmond, are they the BWAC favorite? Imlay City softball impresses, St Clair, Marysville and Northern Softball still perfect in league and more!
Season 10 Ep. 48: On A Quick Note: I cannot believe that the 150-year old University of the Arts in Philadelphia is closed. Here am I referring a young mentee to the college and when I checked, it's closed.Such a staple university focusing on the arts closed abruptly in June 2024 and filed bankruptcy in September 2024. The university closed because its leaders lacked the vision and the passion that would create innovative strategies to sustain the school.First of all no one knows about the school, that's why they suffered from low enrollment, and they were not profitable because they lack the Innovation to create new programs by working with the local niche communities and businesses in Northern liberties Philadelphia that were becoming the fashion and arts capital of the Eastcoast; with young professional New Yorkers moving to Old City and Northern Liberties.Now The Eagles are are dominant team and the Sixers are contemplating building a huge new stadium in Center city. The university could've taken advantage of these opportunities. Their prowess in the arts would have been ideal in helping to:1. develop the area utilizing the school's artists and professors and2. developing programs with the city and the stadium developers that serve to develop artists and designers who'd contribute to the stadium and the transformation of the city into the 21st century.Re-open the school @PhiladelphiaGovAnd return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the US. We can't pay El Salvador 6 million dollars to hold him for us then say due to international policies we cannot interfere in El Salvador and if they want to release they should. We are paying them for God sake! Listen to the quick commentary with Renaldo McKenzie, flanked by Donte Nelson, Co- Host and Producer.Renaldo Mckenzie is the Author of Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty and Resistance and President of The Neoliberal Corporation. Renaldo is at Georgetown University in the Department of Liberal Studies.Call us 1-445-260-9198Email: renaldocmckenzie@gmail.com or info@theneoliberal.comVisit us: https://theneoliberal.com and https://renaldocmckenzie.Check out our store: https://store.theneoliberal.com and https://antzbusinesssolutions.comSupport us at: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=USSJLFU2HRVAQ
Voices 4 Palestine Here II Speech by Denise from Healthcare Workers for Palestine and poem by Jepke from Jews Against the Occupation. Recorded by Vivien Langford of the Climate Action show (3cr, Mondays 5pm)Song - Bajo Los Escombros by Residente feat. Amal MurkusVijay Prashad excerpt from talk Hyperimperialism and the Global South Here II Exerpt of talk by Vijay Prashad about global north hyperimperialism, the US led military bloc military expenditure and Australia's involvement. Recorded at the Boorloo Activist Centre/ Green Left on 6 November 2024.You can listen to the full talk here.Cath from the No Northern Incinerator Wollert Campaign on Talkback with Attitude Here II Cath from the No Northern Incinerator Wollert campaign calls in to speak with Joe and Pat on Talkback with Attitude about the waste incinerator in Wollert and the impact on the community.Song - Somos Sur by Ana Tijoux feat. Shadia MansourThe Week That Was Here II The inimitable Comrade Kevin keeps us up to date with the week that was.Vijay Prashad excerpt from question time from Hyperimperialism talk Here IIVijay Prashad expands on his talk during question time. Recorded at the Boorloo Activist Centre/ Green Left on 6 November 2024.You can listen to the full recording here.Song - Yankee, Tornatevene A Casa by Bandiera Rossa
emocleW, emocleW, emocleW to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This is your bonus FRIDAY REWIND episode! Today, we catch up with John Cooper Clarke, originally episode 240 from 2018-11-21.Original writeup below!–––––––––––––––––––––––––“If I was a band I would have split up years ago…”Hopefully you are aware of the fellow and his work, but if that's not the case, well you have a glorious road ahead of you… Pip sits down with the legendary punk poet to comb through all the good stuff - being the force of nature he is, most of the heavy lifting is done by John himself but as you'll hear, this is not a problem in the slightest. Just tune in and take a ride with the story telling genius and indulge in those sweet Northern tones. From history to now, it all gets covered - his inspirational teacher who encouraged him in all kinds of ways, cultivating his own style from the cast in his life and picking up little elements from everyone he appreciated, the cerebral of poetry vs the immediate of rock and roll, his love and adoption of American style and trends, aiming to be an ‘artist as professional citizen', having the door to success opened to him by none other than Bernard Manning of all people, NO FLARES, gigging with The Fall, Chickentown, Arctic Monkeys, Michael Madson, and as you can imagine - AN IMMENSE AMOUNT MORE! So, so great. You'll like this one.PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureINSTAGRAMALL JOHN LINKS HERECHICKENTOWN ON THE SOPRANOS!PIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMSPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITTERPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For decades, Minnesotans and Canadians have been friends and trading partners, easily moving and trading across our shared border. But President Donald Trump's tariff policies and calls for Canada to become the United States' 51st state have raised questions about Minnesotans relationship with our neighbors to the north. MPR News host Angela Davis and MPR News senior economics contributor Chris Farrell headed to Thunder Bay, Ontario to hear how people who live near the Minnesota-Canada border feel about tariffs and their impact on the relationship between our countries. Their special “Our Canada Connections” airs Monday at 9 a.m. Davis and Farrell joined Minnesota Now to share some of what they heard.
Davod Zarghami, Northern Soda’s Co-CEO and Chief Sales Officer, joins IT2. A Minnesota based soda company is switching up flavors and has opened a new tap room in Minneapolis! Foodie Friday is brought to you by Prime Cut Meats, on South University Drive in Fargo, ND. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rebuilding fisheries in Canada: Capelin biomass is only at 16% of its pre-collapse level, which spells disaster for northern cod's recovery. In this episode of How to Protect the Ocean, host Andrew Lewin breaks down the troubling state of Canada's east coast fisheries. With DFO ignoring science-based recommendations, capelin is being harvested despite dangerously low numbers—and the ripple effects are hurting northern cod and entire coastal ecosystems. Northern cod cannot recover without capelin, their primary prey, yet management plans still treat these species separately. Andrew explores the science behind this ecological link, why Oceana Canada is calling for an immediate pause on the capelin fishery, and how outdated management approaches are failing both fish and fishers. It's time for bold leadership, honest science communication, and smarter fisheries policy. Follow a career in conservation: https://www.conservation-careers.com/online-training/ Use the code SUFB to get 33% off courses and the careers program. Do you want to join my Ocean Community? Sign Up for Updates on the process: www.speakupforblue.com/oceanapp Sign up for our Newsletter: http://www.speakupforblue.com/newsletter Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/3NmYvsI Connect with Speak Up For Blue: Website: https://bit.ly/3fOF3Wf Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rIaJSG TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@speakupforblue Twitter: https://bit.ly/3rHZxpc YouTube: www.speakupforblue.com/youtube
Michigan true freshman Bryce Underwood seems poised to seize the starting job for the Wolverines in 2025, and if he does, where might he fit in the hierarchy of best college football quarterbacks? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis look at and take apart the consensus rankings of the best returning quarterbacks in college football. Southern QBs are overrated and too many Northern quarterbacks are left out. But more importantly, young quarterbacks across the North from Michigan to Notre Dame to Ohio State to Oregon to Maryland are poised to potentially make big leaps this year and shake up the quarterback landscape. Underwood tops that list, and the guys then dive into the recent history of true freshmen starting quarterbacks and find eight in the last decade that might serve as the best comparisons for Underwood. Among them -- Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson. Finally, it's Whatcha Watching, Eating and Thinking. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Episode 126: of the American Grown Podcast in the Colortech Creative Solutions studios with Jason Rice Head Football Coach at Northern Lebanon HS. PART 1 of 2.In this episode Jason shares with us his journey to become a head football coach at Northern Lebanon and a learning support teacher in special education at Cedar Cliff. This is a young man who is motivated to not only better himself but also those around him. Make sure to come back next week to hear part two.To learn more about NL Athletics click here: https://www.norleb.org/athleticsThis episode is brought to you by these sponsors:College Knowledge Foundation. Your path to higher education.Angelo's Pizza. Enjoy mouthwatering Italian dinners.Boyer's Tavern. Proper food & drinks made by slightly improper people.Triggered 22. Support a local veteran and help spread awareness for PTSD & #22aday.Cleona Coffee Roasters. A small batch coffee roastery & coffee shop, veteran & first responder owned located inside 911 Rapid Response in Annville PA.Modern Gent Customs. We don't make basics...We make statements.Hains Auto Detailing. Have your car smiling from wheel to wheel. After a trip to Josh your car will look better than brand new.Hossler Engraving. Looking for unique handcrafted gifts for all occasions Zach has you covered.Take a sip or snack break.SIP: Garage Beer.SNACK: Jurgy.OFFICIAL STUDIO SPONSOR: Colortech Creative Solutions. Colortech Creative Solutions takes your creative projects from visualization to realization. We've been doing so since 1980 all while keeping your budget in mind.To see photos of today's guest follow our Social media: IG- https://www.instagram.com/americangrownpodcast/ FB-https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077655465940 or visits us at https://rss.com/podcasts/americangrownpodcast/
Dennis and Brady talk about league opening wins for Marysville, St Clair and Marine City baseball, in softball, Marysville and St Clair continue to dominate, Port Huron and Northern perfect in league play early and more!
Hour 1 of Big Show + with Patrick Dumas is on demand! To kick off the show Patrick and GVP dive into the Flames being eliminated from post season contention last night, and how the result of this season could affect the team going into next year.(17:06) Later on, Patrick is joined by Canadian Soccer legend, and Chief Growth Officer of the Northern Super League, Diana Matheson! Diana tells us about the new domestic women's soccer league, its importance, some familiar faces involved with the league, some goals for the new league and much more!The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.
Small Cap Breaking News You Can't Miss! Here's a quick rundown of the latest updates from standout small-cap companies making big moves today.Northern Graphite (TSXV: NGC) Northern Graphite has partnered with The BMI Group to explore the development of a Battery Anode Material (BAM) facility at a former paper mill in Baie-Comeau, Quebec. This project could fast-track the production of battery-grade graphite—crucial for electric vehicle batteries—by repurposing existing infrastructure. The 50,000 tpa facility would draw feedstock from Northern's global assets and bolster Canada's role in clean tech supply chains.Rua Gold (TSXV: RUA) Rua Gold reported high-grade intercepts from its Auld Creek project in New Zealand, including 5.9 g/t AuEq over 9m and 48.3 g/t AuEq over 1.25m. These results point to strong gold and antimony potential—especially significant as antimony prices surge due to global supply constraints. The company is targeting resource expansion in a historically productive mining region.West Point Gold (TSXV: WPG) West Point Gold continues to deliver from its Gold Chain Project in Arizona. Recent drilling at the Tyro Main Zone hit 22.86m of 3.34 g/t gold and 28.95m of 1.92 g/t gold. These near-surface results support the company's view that Tyro could become one of the highest-grade open-pit gold projects in northwest Arizona. A maiden resource estimate is on the horizon.Independence Gold (TSXV: IGO) Independence Gold is turning heads with strong drill results at its 3Ts Project in B.C., including 5.95 g/t gold over 7.45m from the Larry Vein and a new discovery at the Daisy target. The project benefits from proximity to Artemis Gold's Blackwater Mine and continues to show scale and high-grade potential across multiple zones.Draganfly (CSE: DPRO) Draganfly has launched a Public Safety Advisory Board and appointed Homeland Security expert Paul Goldenberg as Chair. This move reinforces the company's focus on applying drone and AI technology to modern law enforcement and emergency response needs. Goldenberg's leadership is expected to enhance public safety applications while ensuring responsible and ethical integration.Stay ahead of the curve with AGORACOM. Follow us on our Podcast for more breaking small-cap news and updates!
Lisa Carlin, Christine Cupo, and McCall Zerboni preview the debut of the Northern Super League, the new top-division professional women's soccer league in Canada. Then, Desiree Scott is welcomed in to talk about coming out of retirement, signing with NSL-side Ottawa Rapid FC, and what the impact will be on the women's game in her home country. Watch USWNT and NWSL games on P+" with a link to https://www.paramountplus.com/home/ Attacking Third is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Follow the Attacking Third team on Twitter: @AttackingThird, @LisaCarlin32, @SandHerrera_, @Darian_Jenks, and @CCupo. Visit the Attacking Third YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/attackingthird You can listen to Attacking Third on your smart speakers! Simply say "Alexa, play the latest episode of the Attacking Third podcast" or "Hey Google, play the latest episode of the Attacking Third podcast." To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Adele Bergin, Associate Research Professor, ESRI, discusses a new report that provides comparative analysis between the economies of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
What's making headlines today? It's Tax Day! A rocket has launched into space! Parking at DIA is set to become pricier, and the Northern Lights will be visible in Colorado!The fun continues on our social media pages!Jeremy, Katy & Josh Facebook: CLICK HERE Jeremy, Katy & Josh Instagram: CLICK HERE
The northern lights may glow over part of the United States this week following a pair of eruptions on the sun. Here's where they could be visible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society. Justin and his guest, Jeff Strege, Senior Director for Risk Management at Academy Sports + Outdoors, explore what led Jeff to risk management, and the path that led to Academy Sports + Outdoors within the sporting goods and outdoor retail space. Jeff comments on his work building out the ERM framework at Academy to improve claims management, employee safety, and liability prevention. Jeff shares his approach to workers' compensation and Academy Sports + Outdoors's goal to help the workers recover and return to work. In addition to career insights, they discuss Jeff's upcoming panel participation in HUB's webinar on April 17th, “From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach,” covering topics such as third-party litigation funding and its impact on the industry. Listen to Jeff's wisdom, born from experience, on managing your risk career. Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:14] Registration is open for RISKWORLD 2025. Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow with RIMS, from May 4th through May 7th in Chicago, Illinois. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. [:25] After you register, visit your App Store, search for RIMS Events, and download the RIMS Events App. Select RISKWORLD 2025, load the show onto your phone, and start building your RISKWORLD itinerary! [:41] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is former RIMS Houston Chapter President, Jeff Strege. We will talk about his career and how ERM continues to play a pivotal role today. [1:08] RIMS-CRMP Workshops! As part of RIMS's continuing strategic partnership with Purima, we have a two-day course coming up on April 22nd and 23rd. Links to these courses can be found through the Certification page of RIMS.org and this episode's show notes. [1:28] Virtual Workshops! On June 12th, Pat Saporito will host “Managing Data for ERM” and will return on June 26th to present the very popular new course, “Generative AI for Risk Management”. [1:45] A link to the full schedule of virtual workshops can be found on the RIMS.org/education and RIMS.org/education/online-learning pages. A link is also in this episode's show notes. [1:56] RISKWORLD registration is open. Engage Today and Embrace Tomorrow, from May 4th through 7th in Chicago. Register at RIMS.org/RISKWORLD. Also, remember that there will be lots of pre-conference workshops being held in Chicago just ahead of RISKWORLD. [2:14] These courses include “Applying and Integrating ERM,” “Captives as an Alternate Risk Financing Technique,” “Contractual Risk Transfer,” “Fundamentals of Insurance,” “Fundamentals of Risk Management,” RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep, and more! The links are in the show notes. [2:33] The Spencer Educational Foundation is having a Flash Sale for sponsorships at RISKWORLD! Sponsorship pricing has been reduced for the Spencer-CNA Pickleball Social on Saturday, May 3rd, and the Spencer-Gallagher Golf Tournament on Sunday, May 4th. [2:51] Sponsorships are still available for the Spencer-Sedgwick 5K Fun Run on Tuesday, May 6th. Visit Spencered.org/riskworld2025 to learn about these opportunities and more. Also, reach out to Spencer's Executive Director Megan Miller at MMiller@Spencered.org. [3:13] Our guest today is Jeff Strege. He is the Senior Director for Risk Management at Academy Sports + Outdoors. Academy is one of the U.S.'s largest sporting goods and outdoor stores with 301 locations across 21 states, as of March 2025. [3:33] Jeff is also a long-time RIMS member. He's the former president of the RIMS Houston Chapter and is a RIMS-CRMP holder. [3:41] In addition to his outstanding resume, Jeff will be lending his insight to the RIMS Webinar on April 17th, presented by HUB in their Ready for Tomorrow series. It's called “From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach.” A link is in the notes. [4:01] In today's RIMScast interview, we will discuss how ERM has played a role in his career and how he manages risk in so many locations at the Academy. We will get a preview of his upcoming appearance on the Hub webinar and his thoughts on third-party litigation funding and its impact. [4:27] Interview! Jeff Strege, welcome to RIMScast! [4:45] As a Houstonian, Jeff grew up with Academy Sports + Outdoors. He's a long-term customer. In September 2020, Jeff promoted himself from customer to team member, although he still is an avid customer of Academy. [5:07] As the Academy brand is so well-known and beloved in Texas, Jeff has had the Risk Director role on his radar for many years. He had told his wife many times that if that role ever opened up at Academy, he would want to talk to them. In mid-2020, it did, and here he is! [5:29] Academy has 301 stores across 21 states as of March 7, 2025, and is headquartered in Katy, Texas, a Western suburb of Houston. Jeff graduated from Katy High School. [6:23] Academy Sports + Outdoors sells fun. They say “Have fun out there.” The items Academy sells are intended to help people be outdoors and active. Academy does a lot of work around product safety with manufacturers and suppliers, making sure they're sourcing safe products. [6:45] Academy Sports + Outdoors sells firearms and ammunition. Its goal is to be the most responsible retailer of those items in the country. [7:13] Academy Sports is responsible for following the laws of 21 states. Jeff has worked for national, multi-national, and global organizations, so he has worked with similar requirements. [7:48] Jeff worked for Sysco twice, first in the 90s and then in 2016 in a risk role similar to his current role at Academy Sports. Sysco went on a growth initiative while Jeff was there the second time and it was fun to be part of that but he couldn't pass up the opening at Academy. [8:23] Academy Sports + Outdoors has a risk department of 10 who report to Jeff. Jeff oversees the Enterprise Risk Management framework, the Insurance and Data Analytic functions, the Safety functions, and the Claim Management functions. [8:50] Jeff has three direct reports and they have functional contributors who are assigned to and report to them. Jeff's management style is to find the best possible people he can find. He's not a micro-manager. All of his staff are solid professionals who are good at what they do. [9:14] That allows Jeff to focus on strategy and executing strategic objectives while the staff keeps things working from day to day. Jeff reports to the General Counsel. In other companies, Jeff has reported to the General Counsel, HR, Treasury, or Finance. [9:42] Risk can logically report up a variety of chains to the leadership of an organization, as it touches so many aspects of the business. [10:22] Relative to firearms sales, Academy Sports has a compliance team to manage the process. They do an outstanding job. [10:39] When Jeff arrived at Academy Sports, one of his charges was to mature the ERM framework across the various organizational functions. Having the opportunity to work on that made Jeff a student of the business, which is one of the Academy's values. [11:09] Coming into the business, Jeff was fortunate to receive a safety culture already well-entrenched in the distribution centers. That team has been retooled over the years and continues to evolve as it trains and supports the operators in safe practices in their work. [11:45] Academy workers' compensation goal is to help team members recover so they can come back to work. They take a deliberate approach to working with them so they get the treatment they need, their benefits are paid timely, and their questions are answered. [12:11] Academy made a TPA change a couple of years ago that's given them more proactive tools. Both safety and claims are processes that Academy Sports continues to fine-tune. [12:25] The foundational strategy is “safety first.” If you're talking about managing claims but not about safety, there's a miss there, in terms of managing risk. [13:01] Plug Time! During this interview, we discuss the RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025, held from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio, Texas, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. That's where we held RISKWORLD 2018. [13:22] The day of this episode's release, April 15th, is the day registration opens for the RIMS Texas Regional Conference. You can get the Advance Rate from now through May 16th, 2025. A link is in this episode's show notes. You can also visit the events page of RIMS.org to register. [13:43] If you will be in the Dallas/Fort Worth area on April 17th, be sure to stop by Lonestar Park for DFW RIMS's 7th Annual Night at the Races. It will be a blast! Guest, Member, and Student tickets are available. Visit DFWRIMS.org and the link in this episode's show notes. [14:12] Let's Return to My Interview with Former RIMS Houston Chapter President Jeff Strege! [14:32] Jeff arrived at Academy Sports on Monday, September 28, 2020, and the company executed its Initial Public Offering on Friday, October 2nd, 2020. In preparing for the IPO, the company had built an ERM framework that helped inform the prospectus for investors. [14:59] When Jeff joined, he was charged with taking the framework foundation and building upon it to round out how Academy Sports views risk, scopes it, and manages it across the organization. It was a fascinating process. [15:21] He's gotten to know many good, smart people who are driving aspects of the business. [15:28] Every year, Academy Sports looks at ways to enhance the framework, to make sure it's as meaningful and informative to the leadership team and board as it can be. [15:54] The framework looks at ISO standards but most of it is inward-focused within the business of Academy Sports. What's going on in the world? How do we prevent or prepare for it? Should something occur, what strategies do we have to respond, react to, and recover from it? [16:39] Before the recent tariffs were passed, the risk team had discussed tariffs generically. Tariffs appear as subsidiary risks in a few places within the framework. Nobody in an organization can control what government leaders do. [17:22] In a way, sporting goods is a seasonal industry. Academy Sports + Outdoors sells a variety of different things and operates in a variety of climates. There's a holiday season and there are gift-giving holidays. The seasons for outdoor activities differ depending on location. [17:54] In Texas, Jeff grills and fishes year-round. It's different in a Northern climate with four distinct seasons. Hunting seasons are specifically defined. The things Academy Sports sells peak at different times of the year and the peaks sort of offset themselves. [18:25] The Academy Sports merchandising teams are diligent and deliberate in how they plan for cycling products for the seasons. [18:44] Holiday is the big season. In that, Academy Sports is like other retailers. Back-to-school time is also important. [18:57] The backyard grilling is Jeff's favorite section of the store. When he goes into the store with his wife he has to look at some grills. Jeff also works out and runs so there are several aspects of the store that he shops. [19:16] Academy sells location-specific licensed apparel. In Academy Sports + Outdoors in Houston, there is gear for the Astros, Texans, and Rockets. [19:49] From the standpoint of team member safety, Jeff refers to OSHA. Also, some states have more stringent safety requirements. Jeff's safety team drives consistency of practices and training across the footprint of the 21 states where Academy Sports + Outdoors operates. [20:36] Most of Jeff's work is done in Houston but his team gets out in the field periodically on a schedule. Jeff likes to go into the stores and distribution centers. That's where the business occurs. The work at Corporate supports the people who serve and interact with customers. [21:10] RIMS Webinars! Following the success of their recent webinar, HUB International returns for the next installment of their Ready for Tomorrow Series, “From Defense to Prevention: Strengthening Your Liability Risk Management Approach”. That session will be on April 17th. [21:29] Today's guest, Jeff Strege, is a panelist in that session! He's going to talk about it a little bit right after the break. [21:38] On April 24th, RiskConnect returns to deliver “Better Together: The Marriage of Insurable Risk and Business Continuity”. [21:45] Zurich's webinar, “Understanding Third Party Litigation Funding” was rescheduled to May 1st at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. If you were already registered for the original date, you are now registered for the May 1st session with Zurich. [22:09] On May 22nd, GRC, a TÜV SÜD Company, presents their newest session, “Asset Valuations in 2025: Managing Tariffs, Inflation, and Rising Insurance Scrutiny”. [22:22] More webinars will be announced soon and added to the RIMS.org/webinars page. Go there to register. Registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [22:33] Let's Return to my Interview with Jeff Strege! [22:46] Jeff will be joining RIMS on the HUB webinar about third-party litigation funding (TPLF) on April 17th, two days after the airing of this episode. Third-party litigation funding is a major issue for RIMS and the profession. [23:08] Academy Sports + Outdoors sees TPLF from time to time in litigated matters, but not often. The HUB webinar is largely focused on rising litigation costs and the rising value of litigated matters. Third-party funding is a driving force of that rise. [23:35] When there's a funding mechanism behind the damages claim by a plaintiff, there are interest obligations with that mechanism, which can be stiff. It does inflate the value of some matters. [24:13] Once Academy Sports + Outdoors learns third-party funding is present in a litigated matter, that's in the front of mind as they evaluate and proceed with trying to conclude the case. [24:32] In the HUB webinar on April 17th, Jeff will be discussing the client's experience, not only with TPFL but also around social engineering. There is a good panel put together for this discussion with varied perspectives that will offer a well-rounded conversation. [24:55] Panelist Bob Tyson of Tyson & Mendes, a defense lawyer in California, has creative approaches to managing and negotiating litigated cases. Panelist John Ferguson, Head of Excess Casualty at Zurich Insurance, brings an insurer's perspective to the webinar. [25:29] Panelist Carol Murphy of HUB is one of the best brokers Jeff has worked with. Jeff is looking forward to sharing the stage with this group, talking about managing claims litigation, prevention, and pre-litigation management. Safety is critical. Jeff will bring that up. [26:02] The link to the webinar is in the show notes. Register today! Registration is complimentary for RIMS members! You'll hear this webinar live with Jeff Strege of Academy Sports, Fred Ferguson of Zurich, Bob Tyson of Tyson & Mendes, and Carol Murphy of HUB. [26:34] Jeff has been involved with RIMS since the mid-1990s when he was with Sysco Foods for the first time and was elevated to the risk management role there. Starting with Houston, Jeff has been involved in various chapters in various capacities. [27:07] RIMS has been an important part of Jeff's career. He's gained solid relationships through RIMS that have yielded business relationships and relationships where he's been able to help others and be helped by them. RIMS will be very important to him as long as he works in risk. [27:51] Jeff was President of RIMS Houston for two years, until January of 2024. He serves on the board as Past President. [28:12] Having moved around the country and having held different roles, Jeff has met risk professionals from many areas. He says RIMS has high-quality chapters all over the country. The four Texas RIMS chapters have a lot of positive energy. [28:47] The chapters are working together with Justin's team in New York to host the first-ever Texas RIMS Regional Conference this August. Jeff is on the planning committee and he's excited about it. [29:04] The RIMS Texas Regional Conference will be held from August 4th through the 6th at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, on the River Walk, the site of RISKWORLD 2018. San Antonio is Jeff's favorite city in Texas. It's a wonderful host city. [29:30] There is a link in the show notes to the RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025. Registration will open the week of the airing of this episode! [29:49] Jeff is a RIMS-CRMP holder. He earned that certification in November of 2019. He was excited to see RIMS introduce the certification. What he likes about CRMP is its governance focus. [30:23] Jeff had been doing risk management for a long time. The CRMP website has good sample test questions on it. He decided to work through the test questions several times. Then went and took the exam and scored pretty well, largely based on his experience. [30:48] Jeff says his ERM work over the years was helpful. The RIMS-CRMP is a good designation. Jeff appreciates that RIMS gives CRMP holders opportunities to network. He will continue to carry the designation as long as he is working. [31:09] Mos recertification points are CE-related. Jeff relies heavily on the Houston chapter's offerings and the sessions and seminars at RIMS functions. He appreciates the flexibility in terms of what qualifies, such as participation in broker-sponsored industry education. [31:50] Developing and delivering educational content is a favorite of Jeff's. He has served as Risk Manager in Residence (now Risk Manager on Campus). Jeff tells every risk manager it's amazing and they need to do it at least once. Jeff enjoys education and is always learning. [32:24] Jeff shares his advice for risk professionals. As Boomers in the industry start to retire, it's important to help the industry recruit, train, and young talent. It's a passion of Jeff's. [32:52] There are a few things Jeff would tell young professionals. One is you are the CEO of your career. Your career is your responsibility. Don't wait for a leader to bring opportunities or promotions to you. Be a student of your craft and trade. Set goals with plans to achieve them. [33:20] Jeff has managed his career that way by making strategic moves when it made sense for him to do so. He has no regrets. You're the CEO of your career, all in. Don't wait for others to act on your behalf. Whatever it is, be a student of your craft and seek opportunities to learn. [33:45] Grow your knowledge base, your experience, and your network. Jeff has benefited from RIMS in having a network of people who lean on each other and learn from each other. It's a wonderful thing! [33:58] Be a student of your business, wherever it is. Make connections within it. Seek out mentorships to learn on a broad basis what the business does and what its objectives are. You position yourself more visibly to add more value and to grow. [34:29] Jeff Strege, you have been such an inspiration today. I appreciate you so much for joining us here on RIMScast and being so giving with your time and wisdom! I look forward to seeing you at the first-ever Texas Regional 2025, August 4th through 6th in San Antonio! [34:48] Special thanks again to Jeff Strege for joining us here today on RIMScast! I look forward to seeing him at many RIMS events, including the first-ever RIMS Texas Regional Conference 2025, which will be held from August 4th through the 6th in San Antonio, Texas. [35:05] Register today through the link in this episode's show notes. [35:12] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [35:37] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [35:56] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [36:13] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [36:29] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [36:43] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [36:50] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe! Links: RISKWORLD 2025 — May 4‒7 | Register today! Download the RIMS Events app! 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Last time we spoke about Manchukuo. In the early 1930s, Ishiwara Kanji sought to dominate Manchuria to secure resources and counter American influence. He envisioned Manchukuo as a Pan-Asian league promoting racial cooperation, despite it being a puppet state under Japan. With Puyi as a figurehead, Ishiwara aimed for autonomy, but his plans faced resistance from the Kwantung Army, which prioritized control. As conflicts arose, Ishiwara's vision of unity clashed with military interests, leading to his eventual isolation and reassignment, marking a tumultuous chapter in Manchukuo's history. In November 1931, Doihara orchestrated the "Tianjin Incident," facilitating the removal of Puyi from his home to establish the puppet state of "Manchukuo." By March 1932, Puyi was declared its ruler, but his authority was merely symbolic, overshadowed by Japanese control. Despite international condemnation, Japan solidified its grip on Manchuria, exploiting its resources and suppressing local resistance. By the late 1930s, Manchukuo became a colonial entity, suffering under harsh economic policies while Puyi's regime served as a facade for Japanese imperial ambitions. #146 Operation Nekka: the Invasion of Rehe Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. From the very beginning of their consolidation of Manchukuo, the Kwantung Army regarded the province of Rehe, today's Jehol province, to be an integral part of it. According to some of the Kwantung Army leadership, all of Rehe would be necessary to consummate Manchukuo. In April of 1932, the IJA 8th Division based at Hirosaki in Aomori prefecture was transferred to Manchukuo under secret orders to prepare for an invasion of Rehe. Now Rehe province covers 160,00 square kilometers and back then held some 2.3 million people. Since 1926 it was ruled by General Tang Yulin. His direct command was over the NRA 36th division, consisting of 13,000 regular troops with a provincial militia of 8500 men. As was the Warlord practice of the time, Tang Yulin exploited his population. Now until July of 1932, Tang Yulin's attitude towards the emerging state of Manchukuo directly to his east was certainly favorable. That is because Tang Yulin favored the Japanese. During the debacle that was the invasion of Manchuria, Tang Yulin had done everything possible to prevent Zhang Xueliang from moving into Rehe whenever he was trying to consolidate forces there. Now Tang Yulin had no greater aspirations, its not like he loved Japan, or believed the Japanese were better leaders for his nation. What he was motivated by was a very practical concern, economics, more precisely the opium trade. Rehe number one source of income was opium, and they number one purchaser of it, was Manchuria. Thus as one can imagine, when Manchukuo was being formed, and the opium door closed on him, well he took heavy financial losses. On July 17th of 1932, an incident broke out between the towns of Chaoyangxu and Nanling. A Japanese civilian employed by the Kwantung Army, Ishimoto Gonshiro was abducted by a Rehe militia group while taking the train from Jinzhou to Chaoyang. General Nishi Yoshikazu, the commander of the IJA 8th Division stationed at Jizhou, dispatched a small unit to rescue Ishimoto. In doing so they occupied Chaoyangxi, where they also protested the Rehe provincial government. This did not see Ishimoto handed over to them, so General Nishi bombarded Chaoyangxu and then had his forces advance upon Nanling. Even doing so, no Ishimoto to be found. So Nishi withdrew back to Jinzhou. The following year during what would become the invasion of Rehe, Ishimoto's body would be found at Chaoyangxu. Zhang Xueliang utilized this small incident to advance into Rehe. Claiming he was acting upon orders from Nanjing, he moved his Northeastern Army to the border of Rehe, due south of the Great Wall. Zhang Xueliang then threatened Tang Yulin and bribed his subordinates to defect over to him. Consequently, by late July, Tang Yulin tossed the towel and for the first time sanctioned passage of a volunteer army through Rehe. Come August Zhang Xueliang organized a volunteer force 40,000 strong, obviously all from his Northeastern army to advance from Gubeikou into Rehe, where he sought to confront the Kwantung Army if they advanced. Zhang Xueliang was heavily in contact with Chiang Kai-Shek during this period. Zhang Xueliang was making multiple proclamations about retaking Manchuria, and Chiang Kai-Shek was supporting him in that endeavor as best as he could. Meanwhile Tang Yulin was sort of stuck in the middle. Between October 1932 to January 1933, Shanhaiguan, the strategic gateway and midpoint between Mukden and Beijing became the focal area of 3 major skirmishes. The Boxer Protocol of 1901 dictated that some of the 8 nation alliance members, notably, France, Italy and Japan were allowed to maintain small contingents at Shanhaiguan. In 1932, the Japanese garrison there was 261, France had 61 men and Italy 69. After the establishment of Manchukuo, Japan had increased its garrison to have some more border guards in the town of Shanhaiguan itself. Of course the Chinese also had local troops, that was the 9th Independent Brigade commanded by Ho Chukuo, a force roughly of 9000 men. The first skirmish at Shanhaiguan broke out on October 1st, between Ho Chukuo's men and an armored train of troops from the IJA 8th Division. Another exact same event occurred on December 8th, both occasions were settled locally and peacefully with the Chinese offering an apology and indemnity payment. Then a third clash broke out on January 1st, but this one got out of hand. The mastermind behind the third incident was Major Ochiai Jinkuro, the leader of the Japanese garrison at Shanhaiguan. Upon his orders, at 9pm, 3 Japanese soldiers tossed two hand grenades each into the backyard of the Japanese military police detachment and the railway track running in front of the Japanese garrison. This was of course immediately blamed upon the Chinese and at 11:30 pm Ochiai presented the local Chinese with 2 demands. The first was to evacuate the Chinese force and the second to allow the Japanese to occupy their south gate at Shanhaiguan for the time being. Now the Japanese had legitimate pretext for these demands based off the Boxer Protocol. It allowed them the right to ensure the security of the railway and telegraph lines and to defend their citizens and property within two miles of the railway zone. Since Ho Chukuo's troops allegedly disturbed the peace in said zone, the Japanese were in their right to ask them to depart. According to Japanese sources, the Chinese refused at first then consented at 4:50 am on January 2nd. This effectively saw them surrender the south gate. However at 9:30 am the chief of staff for the Chinese Brigade requested that the takeover of said gate be postponed until the scheduled arrival of Ho Chukuo, coming over from Beiping. Ochiai turned down this request, whereupon the Chinese agreed that the south gate would be included within the area overseen by the Japanese. Yet at 10:50 am Japanese troops went to take over guarding the south gate whence Chinese guards tossed grenades at them. Yes, it is most certainly the Japanese who tossed those grenades. The Chinese account of this event is somewhat different. It asserts the Japanese attacked the gate while the issue of surrender was still being negotiated. By January 11th, China sent a formal appeal to Britain, France, the US and other signatories of the Boxer Protocol charging the Japanese for perverting the treaty to seize the south gate of Shanhaiguan. Meanwhile General Ho Chukuo called Ochiai from Qinhuangdao to tell him he would arrive by 8am on January 3rd to negotiate. But by 10am he failed to show up, as the Chinese and Japanese fired upon another. Ochiai thereupon resolved to take the south gate by force. By that point the IJA 8th Division had strengthened its position in front of Shanhaiguan. Two companies had become 10 and one air force company was made ready to strike. Additionally the commander of the 2nd China Fleet, Tsuda Shizue dispatched Hirado and the 16th Destroyer Squadron to Shanhaiguan and Qinhuangdao “to defend Japanese residents and assist the troops in case of hostilities”. At dawn on January 3rd, the Japanese launched a combined land, sea and air assault and by 2pm had taken Shanhaiguan. Ho Chukuo's forces were pushed to the Shih River where they were reinforced during the night and hastily constructed fortifications against the incoming Japanese. Henceforth a propaganda war emerged over Rehe. Japan charged that Zhang Xueliang was mobilizing large forces to advance into Rehe, while China claimed the same of the Japanese. The Chinese protested the Japanese seizure of Shanhaiguan, but none of the western powers would intervene. However the League of Nations constant condemnation of Japan ever since the Mukden incident provoked the Japanese on march 27th to simply walk out on the league. The ordeal also prompted Prince Saioji Kimmochi to dispatch Major General Umezu Yoshijiro, the chief of General affairs of the army general staff and Consul Tanaka Sotaro of the foreign ministry to go over and restrain the unruly troops at various positions in the Beiping-Tientsin region. Saionji's main concern was elevated by Army Minister Araki Sadao, who on March 6th stated to Harada Kumao “that if Japan were to land about 3 divisions at Qingdao and they strike into the Peiping-Tientsin region via Tsinan, Zhang Xueliang will probably flee even before they reach Tsinan. If we do anything at all, I'd like to act boldly and go that far”. Despite claims by various sources, mostly Chinese, the Shanhaiguan incident as it became known was not actually preplanned by the Kwantung Army, it really was an arbitrary act on the part of the garrison commander. How everything went down at Shanhaiguan provided vital intel on the Northeastern Army, and what to expect in Rehe. In December of 1932, the IJA 6th Division was dispatched to Manchuria and assigned security detail in southern Jilin province. They were given further secret orders to participate in what was going to be an operation in Rehe once they arrived to Manchuria. When the Shanhaiguan incident broke out, the Rehe operation was expedited rapidly. Therefore the IJA 6th and 8th Divisions west of the Liao River were immediately tossed into the operation. Given the foreign and domestic conditions, the Rehe operation was extremely dangerous. Tokyo HQ yet again sought to reign in the men, so they sent General Umezu to Manchuria to talk to the Kwantung leadership. The Kwantung leadership was adamant the operation be unleashed before the spring that, provided the operation did not extend beyond the Great Wall. To this Tokyo HQ yet again relented. On January 27th of 1933, General Muto Nobuyoshi, then commander of the Kwantung Army, issued the following general order for the Rehe operation designated, Operation Nekka “The situation in Jehol has become increasingly serious day by day and has now developed into a state of affairs necessitating intervention. To strengthen the foundations of Manchukuo, the time is close at hand, as far as military operations by the Kwantung Army are concerned, to put the finishing touch on our sublime task. First, the affairs of Jehol province are unquestionably an internal problem of Manchukuo. They neither embrace nor are accompanied by any international implications. Because subjugation of the province is designed to strike a fatal blow to anti-Manchukuo, anti-Japan elements, these elements purposely confuse the distinction between Jehol and North China. They move troops into the province and, glossing over these matters, raise a loud outcry, propagandizing that Japan harbors designs of territorial aggression. In this manner they have endeavored to draw the restraining attention of the world, and every move of the Kwantung Army in Jehol—even the slightest raising of a hand or the stretching of a leg—is now the object of worldwide surveillance” At this stage the Kwantung Army treated the Rehe Operation as an internal matter of Manchukuo and did not openly talk about extending it beyond the Great Wall into Hubei. But their gunna. On January 26th, General Muto issued Order 466, kinda funny how its almost order 66, but I digress. This order directed the IJA 6th and 8th Divisions to prepare to invade Rehe. On February 9th, Muto drafted the “Rehe Subjugation Plan” to some staff officers. It stated “without specific orders, operations are not to be carid out in Hubei”. It also stipulated they should “foster and promote a climate leading to the downfall of Zhang Xueliang in North China, which is the strategic base for the disturbance of Manchukuo”. On February 27th, Muto issued Order 473 which repeated to the men again not to move into Hubei. On the 29th, Muto issued another order “The subjugation of Jehol is purely and simply an internal problem of Manchukuo. In the light of our national policy, it must not develop into a provocation for war with China. This is why Kwantung Army Operations Order 473 stipulated that, unless specific orders are issued, operations are not to be conducted beyond the Great Wall in Hopei province. I fully expect you to issue strict orders to the various units under your command that, although our forces may act freely in Jehol, which is a part of Manchukuo, they are not, without an imperial command, allowed to take any action in Hopei province, which is separated from Jehol by the Great Wall. They should be admonished that, even in the light of local circumstances, they must never be blinded by tactical considerations and miss the main point of our national policy. (In particular, the garrison at Shanhaikuan should be doubly careful and not act beyond its authorized limits.) I have learned that His Imperial Majesty, the supreme commander, is gravely concerned about the foregoing and again issue these instructions in awe of His Majesty's concern”. Thus one can read between the lines here. Emperor Hirohito put his foot down and demanded no forces go past the great wall and to this the Kwantung Army obeyed. For Operation Nekka, the IJA 6th and 8th Division would have their own theaters of operation along a line running from Paotzu, the eastern most town in Rehe to Chaoyang. The northern zone was the IJA 6th divisions theater, the southern one was the 8th's. Geneal Sakamoto Masemon led the 6th Division and ordered his forces on February 23rd to advance north along the rail line between Tahushan and Tungliao, then on towards Tienshan, Xiawa and Chaoyang. Afterwards they would carry out operations in the Chifeng-Linxu-Tolun region. General Nishi ordered his 8th Division, excluding one unit to advance along the border around Peipiao, towards Suichung on the 27th, then into the Lingyuan region. The other unit would secure as fast as possible the important gateways along the Great Wall of China: Qilingkou, Lenkou, Xufengkou, Lowenyukou and Manlankuan to protect their divisions flank. Afterwards they would seie Chengde and Gubeikou. However he also gave explicit orders "Without specific orders, operations must not be extended beyond the Great Wall into Hopei province,". So yeah, while they had direct orders to not advance beyond the Great Wall. . . they were going to basically capture all of the key passes of the Great Wall. Kind of playing with fire. On the other side, on January 23rd, Zhang Xueliang was meeting with Chiang Kai-Shek and our old friend Duan Qirui to discuss how to prepare for what seemed to be an impending invasion of Rehe. Chiang Kai-Shek politely said to Duan Qirui "I sincerely hope that you will come south and give me your guidance at this time of national crisis,". The real reason he sent this request was because he did not want the Japanese to enlist their former lacky against him. At the meeting, according to a Japanese intelligence report, Zhang Xueliang insisted that Chiang Kai-Shek personally come north and assume direct command of the Northern troops. Chiang Kai-Shek refused on the grounds he had to deal with the communists in Jiangxi and sent in his place Yang Que, the current president of the Army Staff College and a graduate of the Japanese Army War College. Yang would arrive to Peiping with his staff on January 30th, where he devised a plan for joint operations with Zhang Xueliang. They anticipated the Kwantung Army would cross the Great Wall at Shanhaiguan, so their basic strategy was to concentrate a large force in its region, especially east of the Luan River. That forces mission would be to defend at all costs the front line at Qinhuangdao. The Japanese intelligence indicated the Chinese had roughly 50,000 men, including 7700 men of the 25th Division ld by Kuan Lincheng and 12800 men of the 2nd Division led by Yang Que who were sent to Miyun and Gubeikou. There were also reports that ancient art objects and documents from Peiping were being transported to Nanjing, beginning on January 10th. To the Chinese public this was shocking news as one could imagine. Operation Nekka was unleashed and showcased the rapid efficiency of the Kwantung Army. By March 2nd, the IJA 6th Division routed the 41st Army of General Sun Tienying; the IJA 14th Mixed Brigade of the IJA 8th Division captured the Lengkou pass on March 4th; while the Kawahara detachment captured Chengde near the border with Hubei. General Nishi then assembld his main force at Lingyuan as the 14th Mixed Brigade withdrew to Chapeng. On March 4th, Muto issued Order 480, directing the troops "to make preparations for operations in North China, firmly seizing the major passes along the Great Wall, mopping up resistance by remnant troops and bandits, and restoring peace and order in Jehol province." One unit of the IJA 8th Division was given the task of seizing the Gubeikou Pass and advanced to such on the 7th. Within the vicinity of Changshanyu, around 40 kilometers southwest of Chengde, they encountered 5000 advancing Chinese forces. Here one of the first of many fierce battles along the Great Wall came to be. Until roughly March 20th, the Kwantung Army was met with fierce counterattacks, coming from the main gateways of the Great Wall. Initially the fighting went tremendously wall for the Japanese, yet by March 10th, the 14th Mixed Brigade had taken Tungqiaku, Tiehmenkuan and Xifengkou. Two days later the IJA 8th Division began an assault upon Gubeikou. Nishi then sent the Hayakawa Brigade to seize Lowenyukou. Then on the 10th, after receiving reports the main passes were secured, General Muto took his HQ from Jinzhu to Changchun, believing everything was already won and done. However he would be very wrong, they had misjudged the Chinese strength. On the 13th, Muti and Nishi received a report, that on the night of the 10th, the 14th Mixed Brigade at Xifengkou had come under heavy attack by a Chinese force led by General Song Qeyuang. Reinforcements were rapidly sent over, but they were unable to relieve the trapped brigade. On the 14th, Muto ordered Genera Sakamoto to lead the Mukai unit from the 6th Brigade to help out. With this the Chinese forces were driven off and then the Japanese began assaults upon Lengkou, Lowenyukou and Quehlingkou. On the 16th, the IJA 8th Division took Quehling, but the next day received a vicious counterattack by the NRA 116th Division. At Lowenyukou the Hayakawa Brigade was counterattacked by Song Cheyuan. The Hayakawa Brigade was still able to secure on portion of the Great Wall, it was constantly under attack and unable to progress further. On the 22nd, Nishi was forced to order his Brigade to pull back to Chengde. Over at Lengkou, the Mukai unit managed to capture the town as the 14th Mixed Brigade at Xifengkou was attacked by the NRA 139th Division. Unable to repel the counterattacks, Nishi ordered his forces back 13 kilometers on the 24th. The battles at Quehlingkou and Lowenyukou were very intense. On March 18th, Muto realized the casualties were severe and taking the gateways was not showing progress. He therefore decided to divert the 6th Divisions attention to Lengkou in a flanking maneuver aimed at severing the Chinese supply lines to the gateways and as a result this would extend operations south of the Great Wall into the region east of the Luan River. Thus there we have it, they were going past the Great Wall against Emperor Hirohito's orders. Operation Nekka, similar to Operation Jinzhou was deemed essential to establish and protect Manchukuo. However while the battles along the Great Wall were deemed necessary to create the borders for Manchukuo, their extension past that boundary literally brought them into the heart of North China. Unlike in Manchuria, the Chinese forces in North China held excellent morale, they were very willing to fight. On top of that, they had better logistics and were fighting on top of the Great Wall, which offered significant advantages. Thus from a tactical standpoint, the Japanese had to seize the gateways and flush out the Chinese from the areas. The Chinese remained defiant. Atop the walls the Chinese defenders would shout at the Japanese waving anti-Manchukuo and anti-Japanese flags. Outside the ongoing battle, Chiang Kai-Shek had his own, perhaps in his mind, more important battle, the one with the communists. The encirclement campaigns had all gone to shit thus far. Added to this was the invasion of Manchuria and Shanghai. As Chiang Kai-Shek would later put it "tantamount to subjecting the Government to a pincer attack both from within and without." Basically Chiang Kai-Shek could choose to focus on the Japanese or communists. He figured going into a full war against Japan would be the end of himself and his government. Thus he worked to reach an agreement with the Japanese in May of 1932 which had ended the Shanghai incident. After doing so he released a slogan "first internal pacification, then resist external aggression". Upon doing so he unleashed his full attention upon the communists. As we have seen, Chiang Kai-Sheks last encirclement campaign proved successful. But as he was in the middle of it, Operation Nekka was unleashed. It looked extremely bad for Chiang Kai-Shek, for the KMT and for China in general. On March 20th, as a gesture to indicate to the masses Chiang Kai-Shek was doing his job, he dispatched 5 divisions, roughly 50,000 men from the Central Army north. Chiang Kai-Shek personally traveled north from Hankou to Beiping, but no further than that. Back on the 10th he had received the resignation of Zhang Xueliang, who had publicly been calling for a massive war against Japan so that Manchuria could be recovered. Chiang Kai-Shek had to replace him with General He Yingqin. Another major development at this time, was our old and dear friend who never causes any trouble, Wang Jingwei returned from I believe his 20th time in exile. He came to resume his post as president of the Executive Yuan. Yet again Wang Jingwei was trying to reconcile with Chiang Kai-Shek. In reality and as many of you might guess, the only reason Chiang Kai-Shek never had this guy shot was because Wang Jingei had the firm backing of the left, thus in order to really grab the majority of the political class he had to play nice with him. For Wang Jingwei's part, much like starscream in transformers, yes I am using this as an analogy, hes just trying to overthrow megatron every chance he gets, but always fails like a dumb idiot. There was also the dichotomy between the two men. Wang Jingwei was seen as a civilian leader while Chiang Kai-Shek was seen as a military leader. So together they seemed like a perfect team, despite the fact they loathed each other. So Wang Jingwei became the civil administrator while Chiang Kai-Shek focused on the military. In regards to Japan, Wang Jingwei was following a conciliatory policy of "resistance on the one hand and negotiation on the other,” based on Chiang Kai-Sheks slogan "first internal pacification, then resist external aggression." Following a fight with Zhang Xueliang in August of 1932 over the issue of defending Manchuria against the Kwantung Army, Wang Jingwei had resigned, trying to strongarm Chiang Kai-Shek to get rid of the young marshal. Thus like what had happened countless times before, Wang Jingwei said he was out on sick leave, and departed for Europe for supposed treatment. When he returned 6 months later, Operation Nekka had begun, although the Japanese troops had not yet then reached the Great Wall. Wang Jingwei immediately became acting foreign minister in place of Lu Wenkuan, a supporter of Zhang Xueliang, who was notably anti-japanese. Wang Jingwei kicked Lu Wenkuan over to Xinjiang to deal with some conflicts breaking out there, fun times for him as we know. Meanwhile He Yingqin had been placed as the head of the Peiping branch military council, entrusted with control over all military matters in North China. He Yingqin went to work reorganizing the forces in north china in mid March, forming them into an effective battle order to face the Japanese. By bringing together the local, very disorganized forces into a unified command, He Yingqin hoped they would be capable alone to block the Japanese advance, leaving the central army out of the conflict. This was because Chiang Kai-Shek did not want to risk losing his central army, considered the most elite one in all of china. But Chiang Kai-Shek did come around to the idea of at least testing some units against the Kwantung forces. Above all Chiang Kai-Shek wanted to have his cake and eat it to. He wanted he population of China to think he was actively resisting, while in reality he was biding time. Central army units deployed around Gubeikou, the main gateway leading to the Peiping-Tientsin region. When the Kwantung army leaders were planning operation Nekka, they had believed it would not be necessary to go beyond the Great Wall, but once the fighting around the walls and gateways kicked off, they knew immediately they could not hope to take the wall areas without getting behind the enemy. Particularly they needed to get past the area east of the Luan River. Some 20 Chinese divisions had assembled in the Peiping-Tientsin region and were tossing endless counter attacks along the line of the Great Wall. In the Lengkou region a force of 7000 Central Chinese Army units had penetrated deep into Rehe and smashed the Mukai detachment of the IJA 8th Division. These counterattacks reaffirmed the Kwantung Army leadership it was necessary to go beyond the Great Wall. It should also be noted the Kwantung Army's operations in North China were not just military. The Japanese were plagued with logistical problems. There was a shortage of troops because they had driven into Rehe with only 20,000 men. Even the most determined Kwantung general did not believe their military prowess could overcome the plains of Hubei packed with an immeasurable amount of Chinese troops. Therefore they had to augment this military operation with political schemes aimed at the regional warlords. During the pacification of Manchuria, the tactic of bribing local elites had worked wonders and there was zero reason to believe it would not work in North China. All of this was done without any supervision from Tokyo HQ. On February 13th of 1933, Itagaki Seishiro, at the time chief of the Mukden Special Service Agency, was transferred to the General Staff without any official announcement of this promotion. He took a post in Tientsin, specifically to begin political maneuvers in eastern Hubei. This saw the birth of the Tientsin Special Service Agency. Initially this agency was attempting to lure all the competing warlords in North China, such as, Duan Qirui, Wu Peifu, Sun Chuanfang, but then began targeting Zhang Qingyao. Zhang Qingyao had once been the protege of Duan Qirui, acting as the civil and military governor of Henan province. He had fought against Zhang Zuolin in 1925 whereupon his allegiance had shifted over to Wu Peifu. During the second phase of the Northern Expedition, Zhang Qingyao had fought again against Zhang Zuolin, then controlling the National Pacification Army. When the Northern expedition was over, he joined Yan Xishans forces in Shanxi. Thus one could easily see he was not a man of many principals, nor any specific loyalties. The Tientsin Special Service Agency first proposed to reach out to Zhang Qingyao in the hopes he could organize a coup d'etat against Chiang Kai-Shek. It was further hoped he could get Song Queyuan, Zhang Zuoxiang, Fang Chenwu, Xu Yusan, Zhang Tingshu, Sun Tienying and Feng Zhanhai to join in. If they managed this, North China would fall in a single stroke. It was hoped this would be achieved as they were taking the Great Wall and were enroute towards Peiping. However on May 7th, Zhang Qingyao was assassinated, completely ruining the plan. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Operation Nekka had been unleashed with a large bang. 20,000 Japanese troops stormed Rehe province under strict orders not to go past the Great Wall of China. So they immediately began planning how to go past the Great Wall of China. Yet what they did not expect was the determination of the Chinese defenders, who were not going to allow them an easy time.
Ohio State has created an receiver pipeline and it's a huge part of the Buckeyes' success. How do they do it, what can other teams learn from it, what other teams have been elevated by great receiver play, and do your NEED great receivers to win at the highest level in college football? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis dive into the stats and strategies of dominating a position group, while looking at teams like Penn State, Notre Dame, BYU, Iowa State, Syracuse, Clemson and others in the process. Then it's a visit with Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck, who talks about the Gophers' playoff aspirations, how much Koi Perich might actually play on both sides of the ball, the development of the quarterback room, and their strategy for retaining and developing talent in the NIL and portal world. Finally, it's a discussion of which Northern teams should possibly be interested in adding Tennessee transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava and whether his move is a huge shift in college football or a one-off. Thanks for joining Kings of the North.
Northern editor Vincent Kearney was at Rory's homeclub of Holywood Golf Club.
Trey's Table Episode 283: The Fugitive Slave Act of 2025 **EP. 283: When History Repeats – The Fugitive Slave Act & Trump's Immigration Crackdowns** The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 wasn't just a law—it was state-sanctioned terror. It denied Black people due process, incentivized neighbors to betray each other, and turned free states into hunting grounds. Sound familiar? Trump's immigration policies mirrored this playbook: - **Presumed guilt**: Like enslaved people in 1850, migrants under Trump were deported without fair hearings. - **Forced complicity**: ICE pressured local police to act as enforcers, just as the Fugitive Slave Act deputized Northern officials. - **Sanctuary resistance**: Then: abolitionists broke the law to hide fugitives. Now: cities shield immigrants from ICE. But here's the lesson: oppression sparks rebellion. Harriet Tubman rerouted the Underground Railroad to Canada. John Brown armed rebels. And today? Communities still fight back. Listen to Ep. 283 to unpack these chilling parallels. History isn't just the past—it's a warning. #TrevsTable #FugitiveSlaveAct #ImmigrationRights #BlackHistory
Perhaps the most ethereal and beautiful astronomical sight available to regular old humans, the auroras borealis and australis, the Northern and Southern Lights have amazed and inspired us for our whole existence on earth. One of the better places to see the Northern Lights is northern Sweden, and this episode covers the five years in which Sweden was the dominant military force on the planet: the brief, happy campaign of Gustavus Adolphus. We'll discuss his triumphs, his disasters, and his impact on the Thirty Years War. Listener Krister Torneke returns to talk about his home country - he'll be back next month as well! And of course, we make Swedish meatballs! Extra bonus points if you find all the ABBA references!
Welcome in for another edition of the Morning Espresso from the SDH Network, brought to you by Oglethorpe University, Atlanta's premier undergraduate learning experience and soccer powerhouse.Tragedy in Chile last night in the Copa Libertadores as two fans lost their lives in violence prior to the match between Colo Colo and Fortaleza from Brazil. Investigations are ongoing, but early reports say that two teenagers lost their lives when a fence collapsed onto them as another group was trying to break into the stadium without tickets. The police involvement in the deaths is also being investigated. As word began to make its way through the stadium prior to the second half, according to Chilean media reports, the supporters inside the stadium held a moment of silence for the deceased fans but then began to chant against the police. A retaining barrier between the bleachers and the field was broken and some fans began to run onto the field. The match was stopped, eventually Fortaleza players got to their locker room, and the referees suspended the match before officially abandoning it hours later. CONMEBOL could levy heavy fines to Colo Colo, declare the match a forfeit and 3-0 loss, and could even remove Colo Colo from the competition. The organization has to institute better security measures across its competitions and take a more proactive stance with its teams and organizations. More to come on this tragedy...News came out yesterday that Major League Soccer will continue further exploration of changing their competition calendar from a February start to an August one, but it won't begin until 2027 at the earliest. It seems inevitable for many reasons, but it's a little surprising that it wasn't ready to be approved for the 2026 season to start after a long World Cup break. Yes, you will have to figure out scheduling flows involving teams in Northern climates in the winter, but your championship match will be in better weather and a better time period in the sports calendar and most importantly, your transfer business will be better aligned with the rest of the world. It will happen, and the sooner the better for the league's continued growth in my opinion. Mo Salah has signed a new 2-year contract with Liverpool, ending a years-long saga about a new deal. Kylian Mbappe is pursuing legal cases against PSG for a reported $61 million he says he is still owed by the club. The club says they had a verbal agreement to exclude bonuses from Mbappe's contract in return for bringing him back into the club after he refused transfers in the summer of 2023 after he said he was going to play out his contract and leave on a free transfer. Ugly situation that needs to get sorted for all concerned. Spotlight on the amount of running Mbappe and his Real Madrid teammates have done in this season's Champions League. They are last out of the remaining 8 teams in miles run in the tournament this season and the three forwards (Mbappe, Vinicius, and Rodrygo) are first, second, and fourth in the fewest miles run in the tournament. Quality can overcome that, but Arsenal outran them by 13 kilometers in the first leg of the quarterfinal and it showed in the performance. More Espresso on Monday on the SDH Network, presented by Oglethorpe University.
The Chinese meteorological agency has issued one of the highest alerts for strong gales that will sweep across the northern regions over the weekend.
PRESENTED BY PADDY MCDONNELL & WILLY THOMPSONSubscribe to the Patreon for this week's bonus episode: https://www.patreon.com/MudbloodpodcastTHANKS TO OUR NEW MAIN SPONSOR THAT PRIZE GUY! USE CODE MUDBLOOD10 FOR 10% OFF: https://thatprizeguy.co.uk/PADDY'S TICKETS: https://www.paddymcdonnellcomedy.com/WILLY'S TICKETS: https://williamthompsoncomedy.com/MERCH: https://visualanticsapparel.com/collections/mudblood-podcast?_pos=1&_psq=MUDBLOOD&_ss=e&_v=1.0Aye - Closer: https://open.spotify.com/track/3lqkCWaT1XZsBoYTf2Dkai?si=0be3e09be2484ba0
Stephen Grootes chats with veteran rugby reporter Andy Capostagno about South African provincial teams' journey in European competitions, where they've faced new challenges and opportunities against Europe's elite, with key matchups ahead for Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers, Hollywoodbets Sharks, Emirates Lions and Toyota Cheetahs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Master storyteller Padraic Colum's rich, musical voice captures all the magic and majesty of the Norse sagas in his retellings of the adventures of the gods and goddesses who lived in the Northern paradise of Asgard before the dawn of history. Here are the matchless tales of All-Father Odin, who crosses the Rainbow Bridge to walk among men in Midgard and sacrifices his right eye to drink from the Well of Wisdom; of Thor, whose mighty hammer defends Asgard; of Loki, whose mischievous cunning leads him to treachery against the gods; of giants, dragons, dwarfs and Valkyries; and of the terrible last battle that destroyed their world.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Master storyteller Padraic Colum's rich, musical voice captures all the magic and majesty of the Norse sagas in his retellings of the adventures of the gods and goddesses who lived in the Northern paradise of Asgard before the dawn of history. Here are the matchless tales of All-Father Odin, who crosses the Rainbow Bridge to walk among men in Midgard and sacrifices his right eye to drink from the Well of Wisdom; of Thor, whose mighty hammer defends Asgard; of Loki, whose mischievous cunning leads him to treachery against the gods; of giants, dragons, dwarfs and Valkyries; and of the terrible last battle that destroyed their world.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Master storyteller Padraic Colum's rich, musical voice captures all the magic and majesty of the Norse sagas in his retellings of the adventures of the gods and goddesses who lived in the Northern paradise of Asgard before the dawn of history. Here are the matchless tales of All-Father Odin, who crosses the Rainbow Bridge to walk among men in Midgard and sacrifices his right eye to drink from the Well of Wisdom; of Thor, whose mighty hammer defends Asgard; of Loki, whose mischievous cunning leads him to treachery against the gods; of giants, dragons, dwarfs and Valkyries; and of the terrible last battle that destroyed their world.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Trap Talk Reptile Network Presents Ep. 623All In The Tree Tuesday's w/ Brandon Wheeler of Morelia House Live JOIN TRAP PATRON FAM HERE: https://bi t.ly/311x4gxSUPPORT THE GUEST: / morelia_house TRAP TALK CO-HOST: / phoenix.reptiles / redmountainherp SUPPORT USARK: https://usark.org/MORPH MARKET STORE: https://www.morphmarket.com/stores/ex...SUBSCRIBE TO THE TRAP TALK NETWORK: https://bit.ly/39kZBkZSUBSCRIBE TO TRAP TALK CLIPS: / @traptalkclips SUBSCRIBE TO THE TRAP VLOGS:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKxL...SUPPORT USARK: https://usark.org/memberships/Follow On IG: The Trap Exotics https://bit.ly/3hthAZuTrap Talk Reptile Podcast https://bit.ly/2WLXL7w Listen On Apple:Trap Talk With MJ https://bit.ly/2CVW9Bd Unfiltered Reptiles Podcast https://bit.ly/3jySnhV Listen On Spotify:Trap Talk With MJ https://bit.ly/2WMcKOO Unfiltered Reptiles Podcast https://bit.ly/2ZQ2JCbTrap Talk Reptile Podcast Sponsors:MARC BAILEY REPTILES https://www.morphmarket.com/stores/ma...THE CHIPPER COCO https://cocodude.com/SUNDOWN REPTILEShttps://www.sundownreptiles.com/BLAKES EXOTIC FEEDERS / blakesexoticfeeders TX CHONDROShttps://www.texaschondros.com/FOCUS CUBED HABITAT / focuscubedhabitats GS REPTILES / gs.reptiles / @gsreptiles5606 JUGGERNAUT REPTILES / juggernautreptiles / @juggernautreptiles RARE GENETICS INChttps://www.raregeneticsinc.com/ / raregeneticsinc / @raregeneticsinc8166 CLTCHhttps://cltch.io/ / cltch THE REPTILE SUPER SHOWhttps://reptilesupershow.com/
It's another Q&A Special - Ian shares his signature dish recipe and Amy ranks the nightclubs of Hull.To listen to the full epsiode and to enjoy WEEKLY bonus content, videos, BTS bits, extra guest stories, live show discount codes and more, sign up to the Yer Don't Get Owt Fer Nowt! tier on Patreon at patreon.com/northernnews.Submit your questions for the next Q&A by emailing northernnewspod@gmail.com.Follow Northern News on Instagram @NorthernNewsPodcastRecorded and edited by Aniya Das for Plosive.Artwork by Welcome Studio.Photography by Jonathan Birch. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Thanks for listening to Northern Ag Network On Demand! Here's our program schedule: 6:10AM - Morning Market Report 6:20AM - News in Agriculture 1:00PM - Noon Market Report Have suggestions or a comment? Email us at info@northernbroadcasting.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thanks for listening to Northern Ag Network On Demand! Here's our program schedule: 6:10AM - Morning Market Report 6:20AM - News in Agriculture 1:00PM - Noon Market Report Have suggestions or a comment? Email us at info@northernbroadcasting.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Northern Crimes is a bold, investigative true crime podcast exploring unsolved cases, chilling murders, and mysterious disappearances across the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, and Canada. With a serious, journalistic tone, each episode uncovers the dark truths behind cold cases and criminal mysteries often forgotten—but never resolved. Every story is meticulously researched, drawing from police reports, archived news, and firsthand accounts to present clear, compelling narratives. From hikers who vanish without a trace, to unidentified Jane Does, to serial killers hiding in plain sight—Northern Crimes brings light to the cases that haunt the northern wilderness.Subscribe to Northern Crimes:Apple PodcastsSpotifyIHeart RadioPocketcast
Sarah Kull is a New Zealand Registered Nurse. She has been working with intermittent fasting for many of her clients since early 2018, in particular, to support those with Type 2 Diabetes or obesity related health concerns. Sarah has been working in General Practice for over 20 years and has a background in chronic care management and diabetes, as well as the many health risks associated withobesity. With a growing epidemic of type 2 diabetes and obesity related health issues in NZ, Sarah was looking at alternatives to the old “calories in vs calories out” advice that has not made an impact on global health since its inception. She came across the work of Dr Jason Fung, a Canadian nephrologist and world-leading expert on intermittent fasting for type 2 diabetics. Having been taught throughout her career that type 2 diabetes is a long-term, chronicdisease that worsens with time, the results from Dr Fung's work were phenomenal. Sarah went on to look at intermittent fasting as a solution to New Zealand'sgrowing crisis and so spent time researching and learning about fasting as an option in her work. Now, with over 6 years of experience working with clients and intermittent fasting, Sarah has a fantastic knowledge base on IF and some phenomenal and life-changing stories and case studies to show the incredible health benefits of IF. From complete reversal of type 2 diabetes, dramatic weight loss,improvement in fatty liver and blood pressure to improved sleep, wellbeing and energy, the results speak for themselves. Sarah continues to work in a couple ofclinics in South Auckland, supporting many patients in starting their IF journey and improving their health outcomes. She also runs a Facebook group with over 10000 members, which is growing daily. She runs courses forfasting education and support for the general public in New Zealand and sees private clients. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys Pilates and horse riding. She is also the CEO of a medical charity in her local community, and of course, she practices intermittent fasting! Sarah has two children, a small farm, and many animals to keep her busy. Our Patreon Supporters Community - An Invitation to Join Us!Please consider joining the Fasting Highway Patreon community. The feedback has been great for all who have joined. It has become an excellent addition to our Patreon members' IF lifestyle. These members enjoy a lot of bonus content to support them in living an IF life for as little as 0.16 cents a day. For less than a cup of coffee a month, you can join and support your health goals, meet like-minded people and get a lot of support.Graeme hosts Zoom meetings four times a month in the Northern and Southern hemispheres for members to come and get support for their IF lifestyle, which has proven very popular with our Patreon members.You will not find anywhere that provides that kind of support and accountability for just 0.16 cents a day. There are over 100 exclusive pieces of audio content for Patreon members to help you navigate your IF journey and get more accountability and support. Please go to www.patreon.com/thefastinghighway to see the benefits you get back and how to join.Graeme's best-selling book, The Fasting Highway, about his journey and how he did it, is available in paperback and Kindle at your local Amazon store. It is also available on audio at Apple Books, Kobo, Spotify, and many other audiobook platforms. Graeme can also be booked for one-on-one mentoring and coaching by going to www.thefastinghighway.com, clicking on get help, get coaching, and booking a time. All times you see are your local time zone.Disclaimer: Nothing in this podcast should be taken as medical advice. The opinions expressed herein are those of the host and guest only.
Recorded 04/06/2025 Pastor Larry G. Stephens brings a message from Joshua chapter 11 on the conquest of the Northern part of the Canaanite land. Joshua demonstrates the importance of being on the offensive in the Kingdom of God and to seek longevity in ministry.
Dennis and Brady talk about impressive softball wins from Marysville, St Clair, and Northern. Yale baseball picks up a win after 10 innings, the guys go over some basics of baseball score keeping and more!
PRESENTED BY JOE NINETY & WILLY THOMPSONSubscribe to the Patreon for this week's bonus episode: https://www.patreon.com/MudbloodpodcastTHANKS TO OUR NEW MAIN SPONSOR THAT PRIZE GUY! USE CODE MUDBLOOD10 FOR 10% OFF: https://thatprizeguy.co.uk/PADDY'S TICKETS: https://www.paddymcdonnellcomedy.com/WILLY'S TICKETS: https://williamthompsoncomedy.com/TOM'S INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/thomasgreencomedy/MERCH: https://visualanticsapparel.com/collections/mudblood-podcast?_pos=1&_psq=MUDBLOOD&_ss=e&_v=1.0Aye - Closer: https://open.spotify.com/track/3lqkCWaT1XZsBoYTf2Dkai?si=0be3e09be2484ba0
If you're listening closely to the language currently being used by leaders of the United States and Canada about each other -- what a Republican president once said about the two countries might seem unfamiliar. The American people know that putting up walls around our country is a prescription for ruin, not renewal. What the world and the United States need now is more trade and more open trade. And that's why we've pushed for a new GATT round that includes the most ambitious multilateral trade negotiation agenda in history. That's why we've negotiated an historic trade agreement with Canada that will expand jobs, growth, and opportunity on both sides of the border. That was President Ronald Reagan … March 11th, 1988 .. speaking at the White House with business leaders .. The topic: the recently signed United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement. Against the backdrop of the current state of U.S.-Canada relations, the latest episode of C-SPAN's podcast "The Weekly" look back – to the 1980s … when the tone was different and the policies even more different still. What did President Reagan say about Canada? What were his trade policies toward our Northern neighbor? And what did President Reagan think about tariffs? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dennis and Brady talk about a very encouraging start for Marysville, St Clair, and Armada softball. Northern gets a strong opening win, a 14 inning game to start league play, we need the rain to stay away and more!
Frauds or Fearsome? On this Kings of the North, Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis play that game with college football teams across the South. Gotta keep an eye on those guys. From Georgia to Miami, from Clemson to Texas, from LSU to USC, the Doug and Bill run through 14 Non-Northern teams in rapid fire succession and decide whether anyone in the North needs to worry about them this season. Plus it's the conclusion of the bracket for the Most Important Person in Northern College Football. The Final Four is Penn State coach James Franklin, Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith and Minnesota safety Koi Perich. Who will take home the crown? To start the show, it's a roundup of Northern college football news, including the new contract for Colorado's Deion Sanders. And should we have done an April Fool's Day prank? Thanks for joining Kings of the North. Chapters: • News around the north (03:00) • Fearsome or fraud of southern teams (32:00) • Most important northern person final four and champion (1:19:10)
This episode we will discuss various embassies to and from Yamato during the reign of Takara Hime, with a particular focus on the embassy of 659, which occured at a particularly eventful time and happened to be extremely well-recorded fro the period by Iki no Hakatoko, who was apparently on the mission to the Tang court itself. For more, check out our blog post at: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-123 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua, and this is episode 123: Embassy Interrupted. Iki no Hakatoko sat in his room, gazing out at the city. It was truly an amazing place, filled with all kinds of people from around the world. And yet, still, after 9 months of confinement, the place felt small. Sure, there he hadwere visits from ranking nobles and dignitaries, but even the most lenient of house arrests was still house arrest. But that didn't mean that he had nothing to do. There were books and more that he had access to—many that had not yet made it to the archipelago, and some of which he no doubt hoped he could bring back with him. And of course, there was paper, brush, and ink. And then there were the experiences he and others had acquired on this mission to the Great Tang. From the very beginning the missionit washad been plagued with disaster when they lost half of their ships and company mission to rogue winds on the open seas. Now they were trapped because the Emperor himself wouldn't let them return home. They had experienced and seen so much, and that provided ample material for one to catalogue. As the seasons changed, and rumors arrived that perhaps his situation would also something would change soon, Iki no Hakatoko spread out the paper on the desk in front of him, dipped his brush in the ink, and began to write. He wrote down notes about his experiences, and what had befallen him and the others. He had no idea who It is unclear whom he thought might read it, and if he was intending this to be an official or personal record, but he wrote it down anyway. Hakatoko He couldn't have known then that his words would eventually be captured in a much larger work, chronicling the entire history of Yamato from its very creation, nor that his would be one of the oldest such personal accounts records to be handed down. His Itwords wwould only survive in fragments—or perhaps his writing was simply that terse—but his words they would be preserved, in a format that was still being read over a thousand years later. Last episode we finished up the story of Xuanzang and his Journey to the West—which is to say the Western Regions -- , and thence on to India, or Tianzhu, where he walked in the footsteps of the historical Buddha, studied the scriptures at the feet of venerable teachers, such as Silabadhra at the Great Monastery of Nalanda, and eventually wound up bringingbrought back hundreds of manuscripts to Chang'an to , which he and others be translated and disseminated, impacting Buddhist thought across East Asia. HisXuanzang's travels lasted from around 629 to 645, and he was still teaching in Chang'an in the 650s when various student-monks from Yamato arrived to study and learn from him, eventually bringing back his teachings to the archipelago as part of the Faxiang, or Hossou, school of Buddhism. Before that we talked about the visitors from “Tukhara” and “Sha'e” recorded in the Chronicles. As we noted, these peopley were morest likely from the Ryukyuan islands, and the names may have been conflated with distant lands overseas – but regardless, . Whether or not it was a mistake, this it does seem to indicated that Yamato had at least an inkling of the wider world, introduced through the continental literature that they had been importing, if not the direct interactions with individuals from the Korean peninsula and the Tang court. This episode, we're going to talk about some of the relations between Yamato and the continent, including the various embassies sent back and forth, as well as one especially detailed embassy from Yamato to the Tang Court that found itself in a bit of a pickle. After all, what did you do, back in those days, when you were and ambassador, and your country suddenly went to war? We'll talk about that and what happened. To reorient ourselves in time, we're in the reign of Takara Hime, called aka Kyogoku Tennou during her first reign, who had reascended to the throne in 655, following the death of her brother, Prince Karu. The Chroniclers would dub her Saimei Tennou in her second run on the throne. From the very beginning of her second reign, Takara Hime was entertaining foreign envoys. In 654, the Three Han of the Korean Peninsula—Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla—all sent ambassadors to express their condolence on the death of her brother, and presumably to witness her ascension. And in the 8th month of her reign, Kawabe no Maro no Omi, along with others, returned from Chang'an. He Kawabe no Maro no Omi had been the Chief Ambassador to the Tang on an embassy sent , traveling there in the 2nd month of the previous year. Originally he had been He was under the command of the controlling envoy, Takamuku no Obito no Kuromaro, but Kuromaro who unfortunately died in Chang'an and so Kawabe no Mari no Omi took over his role. That same year, 655, we know that there were about 100 persons recorded in Yamato from Baekje, along with envoys of Goguryeo and Silla. These are likely the same ones we mentioned back in episode 117 when 150 Baekje envoys were present at court along with multiple members of the Emishi. Silla, for their part, had sent to Yamato a special hostage , whom we know as something like “Mimu”, along with skilled workmen. Unfortunately, we are told that Mimu fell ill and died. The Chronicles are pretty sparse on what this meant, but I can't imagine it was great. After all, the whole idea of sending a hostage to another nation was as a pledge of good behavior – the idea being that the hostage was the idea that they werewas valuable enough that the sending nation wouldn't do anything too rash. The flip side of that is if the hostage died, Of course, if they perished, the hosting country lost any leverage—and presumably the sending nation would be none too pleased. That said, people getting sick and passing away was hardly a hostile action, and likely just considered an unfortunate situation. The following year, in 656, we see that Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla again all sent ambassadords were all sent to offer “tribute”. The Chronicles mention that dark purple curtains were drawn around the palace site to entertain the ambassadors—likely referring to the new palace site at Asuka no Wokamoto, which probably was not yet fully built out, yet. We are given the name of the Goguryeo ambassador, Talsa, and associate ambassador, Ilchi, in the 8th month, Talsa and Ilichi, with 81 total members in the Goguryeo retinueof the embassy. In seeming response, Yamato sent an embassy was sent to Goguryeo with the likes of Kashiwade no Omi no Hatsumi as the Chief Ambassador and Sakahibe no Muraji no Iwasuki as the Associate Ambassador. Other names mentioned include We also see the likes of Inugami no Shiromaro, Kawachi no Fumi no Obito—no personal name is given—and Ohokura no Maro. We also see thea note in the Chronicles that Yamato ambassadors to the quote-unquote “Western Sea”—which seems to refer to the Tang court, but could possibly refer to anything from the Korean Peninsula west—returned in that same year. The two are named as Saheki no Muraji no Takunaha and Oyamashita no Naniha no Kishi no Kunikatsu. These are both families that were clearly involved in cross-strait relations , based on how they are frequently referenced in the Chronicles as being associated with various overseas missions. but However, we don't seem to have clear evidence of them when these particular individualsy leavingft on this mission. “Kunikatsu” mightay refer to an earlier ambassador to Baekje, but the names are different, so that is largely just speculation. In any case, Uupon their return, they are said to have brought with them a parrot. This wasn't the first parrot the court had seen—that feathery traveler had arrived in 647, or at least that is the first parrotinstance we have in the written record -- . Aand that one came from Silla as part of that embassy's gifts. Continuing on, in 657, The following year there was another group of ambassadors returned coming from the “Western Seas”, in this case coming back from—or through—Baekje. Thisese wasere Adzumi no Muraji no Tsuratari and Tsu no Omi no Kutsuma. The presents they brought back were, of all things: one camel and two donkeys. And can you imagine bringing a camel back across the sea at this point? Even if they were using the larger ships based on continental designs, it still must have been something else to put up with a camel and donkeys onboard, animals that are not exactly known for their easy-going and compliant nature. Speaking of boats, we should probably touch on what we *think* they were usinghas been going on here. I say *think* because we only get glimpses of the various boats being used in the archipelago, whether from mentions in or around Yamato, archaeology, or artistic depictions, many of which came from later periods., and wSo while it is generally assumed that they the Yamato were using Tang style vessels by the 8th and 9th century, there does not appear to be clear evidence of exactly what kind of boats were being used during the early earlier periods of contact. A quick note on boat technology and navigation: while travel between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean Peninsula, and up the Yellow Sea, wasn't safe, it would have been possible with the vessels of the time. Japan sits on the continental shelf, meaning that to the east where the shelf gives way to the Pacific Ocean with the Phillippine Sea to the south, the waters are much, much deeper than they are to the west. In deep waters, waves are not necessarily affected by the ocean floor, meaning they can build up much more energy and require different kinds of technology to sail. In shallower areas, such as the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea or the Korean Straits to the west of the archipelago, there's more drag that dampens out the wave effect – it's not that these areas are uniformly shallow and calm, but they are calmer and easier to navigate in general. Our oldest example of boats in the archipelago of any kind are dugout canoes, . These are logs that are hollowed out and shaped. , and tThese appear to be what Jomon era populations used to cross to the archipelago and travel between the various islands. Though they may be considered primitive, without many of the later innovations that would increase stability and seaworthiness—something I'll touch on more a bit later—, they were clearly effective enough to populate the islands of the Ryukyuan chain and even get people and livestock, in the form of pigs, down to the Hachijo islands south of modern Tokyo. So they weren't ineffective. Deep waters mean that the waves are not necessarily affected by the ocean floor. Once it hits shallower water, there is more drag that affects larger waves. This means that there can be more energy in these ocean waves. That usually means that shallower areas tend to be more calm and easier to navigate—though there are other things that can affect that as well. We probably should note, however, that Japan sits on the edge of the continental shelf. To the west, the seas are deep, but not nearly as deep as they are to the east, where continental shelf gives way to the Pacific ocean, with the Philippine Sea to the south. These are much deeper waters than those of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, or the Korean Straits. The Sea of Japan does have some depth to it, but even then it doesn't compare in both size and depth. Deep waters mean that the waves are not necessarily affected by the ocean floor. Once it hits shallower water, there is more drag that affects larger waves. This means that there can be more energy in these ocean waves. That usually means that shallower areas tend to be more calm and easier to navigate—though there are other things that can affect that as well. All this to say that travel between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean Peninsula, and up the Yellow Sea, were all things that were likely much easier to navigate with the vessels available at the time, but that doesn't mean that it was safe. Later, we see a different type of vessel appear: . This is a built vessel, made of multiple hewn pieces of wood. The examples that we see show a rather square front and back that rise up, sometimes dramatically, . There are with various protrusions on either side. We see examples of this shape , and we've seen examples in haniwa from about the 6th century, and we have some corresponding wooden pieces found around the Korean peninsula that pretty closely match the haniwa boat shapesuggest similar boats were in use there as well, . Nnot surprising given the cultural connections. These boats do not show examples of sails, and were likely crewed by rowers. Descriptions of some suggest that they might be adorned with branches, jewels, mirrors, and other such things for formal occasions to identify some boats as special -- , and we even have one record of the rowers in ceremonial garb with deer antlers. But none of this suggests more than one basic boat typevery different types of boats. In the areas of the Yellow and Yangzi rivers, area of modern China, particularly in the modern PRC, the boats we see are a little different. They tend to be flat bottomed boats, possible evolved from which appear to have been designed from rafts or similar . These vessels would have evolved out of those used to transport goods and people up and down the Yellow and Yangzi rivers and their tributaries. These boats y had developed sails, but still the boats wwere n'ot necessarily the most stable on the open ocean. Larger boats could perhaps make their way through some of the waves, and were no doubt used throughout the Yellow Sea and similar regions. However, for going farther abroad, we are told thatcourt chronicles note that there were other boats that were preferred: . These are sometimes called the Kun'lun-po, or Boats of the Kunlun, or the Boats of the Dark-skinned people. A quick dive here into how this name came to be. Originally, “Kunlun” appears to refer to a mythical mountain range, the Kunlun-shan, which may have originated in the Shan-hai-jing, the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and so may not have referred to anything specific terrestrial mountain range, ally. Italthough the term would later attach be used to describe to the mountain chain that forms the northern edge of the Tibetan plateau, on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin. However, at some point, it seems that “Kunlun” came to refer to people -- . Sspecifically, it came to refer to people of dark complexion, with curly hair. There are Tang era depictions of such people, but their origin is not exactly known: it might . It is thought that it may have have equally referred to dark-skinned individuals of African descent, or possibly referring to some of the dark-skinned people who lived in the southern seas—people like the Andamanese living on the islands west of modern Thailand or some of the people of the Malay peninsula, for example. It is these latter groups that likely were the origin, then, of the “Kun'lun-po”, referring to the ships of the south, such as those of Malay and AsutronesianAustronesian origin. We know that from the period of at least the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and even into the early Tang, these foreign ships often , which were often plyingied the waters from trade port to trade port, and were the preferred sailing vessels for voyages to the south, where the waters could be more treacherous. Indeed, the Malay language eventually gives us the term of their vessels as “Djong”, a term that eventually made its way into Portuguese as “Junco” and thus into English as “junk”, though this terms has since been rather broadly applied to different “Asian” style sailing vessels. So that leaves us with three ship types that the Yamato court could have been using to send these embassies back and forth to the continent: . Were they still using their own style of native boat as seen on haniwa,, or were they adopting continental boats to their needs? If so, were they using the flat-bottomed boats of the Tang dynasty, or the more seaworthy vessels of the foreign merchants?. Which were they using? The general thinking is that IMost depictions I have seen of the kentoushi, the Japanese embassies to the Tang court, depict them as t is generally thought that they were probably using the more continental-style flat-bottomed, riverine vessels. After all, they were copying so much of what the Sui and Tang courts were doing, why would they not consider these ships to likewise be superior to their own? At least for diplomatic purposes. I suspect that local fishermen did their own were keeping their own counsel as far as ships are concernedthing, and I also have to wonder about what got used they were using from a military standpoint for military purposes. Certainly we see the Tang style boats used in later centuries, suggesting that these had been adopted at some earlier point, possibly by the 650s or earlier. Whatever they used, and while long-distance sailing vessels could Sailing vessels could be larger than short-distance riverine craft, this was not a luxury cruise. , but conditions on board were not necessarily a luxury cruise. From later accounts we know that they would really pack people into these shipspeople could be packed in. It should be noted that individual beds and bedrooms were a luxury in much of the world, and many people probably had little more than a mat to sleep on. Furthermore, people could be packed in tight. Think of the size of some of these embassies, which are said to be 80 to 150 people in size. A long, overseas journey likely meant getting quite cozy with your neighbors on the voyage. So how much more so with a camel and two donkeys on board a vessel that was likely never meant to carry them? Not exactly the most pleasant experience, I imagine – and this is not really any different than European sailing vessels during the later age of exploration.. So, from the records for just the first few years of Takara-hime's second reign, we see that there are lots of people going back and forth, and we have a sense of how they might be getting to and from the continent and peninsula. Let's dive into Next, we are going to talk about one of the most heavily documented embassies to the Tang court, which set out in the 7th month of the year 659. Not only do we get a pretty detailed account of this embassy, but we even know who wrote the account: as in our imagined intro, , as this is one of the accounts by the famous Iki no Muraji no Hakatoko, transcribed by Aston as “Yuki” no Muraji. Iki no Hakatoko's name first appears in an entry for 654, where he is quoted as giving information about the status of some of the previous embassies to the Tang court. Thereafter, various entries are labeled as “Iki no Muraji no Hakatoko says:”, which This would seem to indicate that these particular entries came are taken directly from another work written by Iki no Hakatoko and referred to as the “Iki Hakatoko Sho”. Based on the quoted fragments found in the Nihon Shoki, itthis appears to be one of ourthis oldest Japanese travelogues. It , and spends considerable time on the mission of 659, of which it would appear that Iki no Hakatoko was himself a member, though not a ranking one. Later, Iki no Hakatoko would find himself mentioned in the Nihon Shoki directly, and he would even be an ambassador, himself. The embassy of 659 itself, as we shall see, was rather momentous. Although it started easily enough, the embassy would be caught up in some of the most impactful events that would take place between the Tang, Yamato, and the states of the Korean peninsula. This embassy was formally under the command of Sakahibe no Muraji no Iwashiki and Tsumori no Muraji no Kiza. It's possible In the first instance it is not clear to me if this isthat he is the same person as the previously mentioned associate envoy, Sakahibe no Iwasuki—but the kanji are different enough, and there is another Sakahibe no Kusuri who shows up between the two in the record. However, they are both listed as envoys during the reign of Takara Hime, aka Saimei Tennou, and as we've abundantly seen, and it wouldn't be the first time that scribal error crept in. has taken place, especially if the Chroniclers were pulling from different sources. The ambassadors took a retinue with them, including members of the northern Emishi, whom they were bringing along with them to show to the Tang court. TheThey also embassy ttook two ships—perhaps because of the size of the retinue, but I suspect that this was also because if anything happened to the one, you still had the other. A kind of backup plan due to the likelihood something went wrong. And wouldn't you know it, something did go wrong. You see, things started out fine, departing Mitsu Bay, in Naniwa, on the 3rd day of the 7th month. They sailed through the Seto Inland Sea and stopped at Tsukushi, likely for one last resupply and to check in with the Dazai, located near modern Fukuoka, who would have been in charge of overseeing ships coming and going to the archipelago. They departed from Ohotsu bay in Tsukushi on the 11th day of the 8th month. A quick note: Sspeedboats these were not. Today, one can cross from Fukuoka to Busan, on the southeast corner of the Korean peninsula, in less than a day. The envoys, however, were taking their time. They may have even stopped at the islands of Iki and Tsushima on their way. By the 13th day of the 9th month—over a month from leaving Kyushu behind -- , the ships finally came to an island along the southern border of Yamato's ally, Baekje. Hakatoko does not recall the name of the island, but o On the following morning, around 4 AM, so just before sunrise, the two ships put out to sea together to cross the ocean, heading south, towards the mouth of the Yangzi river. Unfortunately, the following day, the ship Iwashiki was on met with a contrary wind, and was driven away from the other ship – with nothing known of its fate until some time afterwards. Meanwhile, the other ship, under the command of Tsumori no Muraji no Kiza, continued on and by midnight on the 16th day, it arrived at Mt. Xuan near Kuaiji Commandary in the Yue district, in modern Zhejiang. Suddenly a violent northeast wind blew up, and p. Tthey were saileding another 7 days before they finally arrived at Yuyao. Today, this is part of the city of Ningbo, at the mouth of the Qiantang river, south of Shanghai and considered a part of the Yangzi Delta Region. This area has been inhabited since at least 6300 years ago, and it has long been a trade port, especially with the creation of the Grand Canal connecting between the Yangzi and the Yellow River, which would have allowed transshipment of goods to both regions. The now half-size Yamato contingenty left their ship at Yuyao and disembarked, and made their way to Yuezhou, the capital of the Kuaiji Commandary. This took them a bit of time—a little over a month. Presumably this was because of paperwork and logistics: they probably because they had to send word ahead, and I suspect they had to inventory everything they brought and negotiate carts and transportationfigure out transportation., since Tthey didn't exactly have bags of holding to stuff it all in, so they probably needed to negotiate carts and transportation. The finally made it to Yuezhou on the first day of the 11th intercalary month. An “intercalary” month refers to an extra month in a year. It was determined by various calculations and was added to keep the lunar and solar years in relative synch. From Yuezhou, things went a bit more quickly, as they were placed on post-horses up to the Eastern Capital, or Luoyang, where the Emperor Tang Gaozong was in residence. The Tang kept a capital at Luoyang and another to the west, in Chang'an. The trip to Luoyang was long—over 1,000 kilometers, or 1 megameter, as it were. The trip first took them through the Southern Capital, meaning the area of modern Nanjing, which they entered on the 15th day of the month. They then continued onwards, reaching Luoyang on the 29th day of the 11th month. The following day, on the 30th day of the 11th intercalary month of the year 659, the Yamato envoys were granted an audience with Emperor Tang Gaozong. As was proper, he inquired about the health of their sovereign, Takara Hime, and the envoys reported that she was doing well. He asked other questions about how the officials were doing and whether there was peace in Yamato. The envoys all responded affirmatively, assuring him that Yamato was at peace. Tang Gaozong also asked about the Emishi they had brought with them. We mentioned this event previously, back in Episode XXX117 , how the Emishi had been shown to the Tang Emperor, and how they had described them for him. This is actually one of the earliest accounts that we have describing the Emishi from the Yamato point of view, rather than just naming them—presumably because everyone in Yamato already knew who they were. From a diplomatic perspective, of course, this was no doubt Yamato demonstrating how they were, in many ways, an Empire, similar to the Tang, with their own subordinate ethnicities and “barbarians”. After answering all of the emperor's questions, the audience was concluded. The following day, however, was something of its own. This was the first day of the regular 11th lunar month, and it also was the celebration of the Winter Solstice—so though it was the 11th month, it may have been about 22 December according to our modern western calendars. The envoys once again met with the emperor, and they were treated as distinguished guests—at least according to their own records of it. Unfortunately, during the festivities, it seems that a fire broke out, creating some confusion, and . Tthe matters of the diplomatic mission were put on hold while all of that went on. We don't know exactly what happened in the ensuing month. Presumably the envoys took in the sites of the city, may have visited various monasteries, and likely got to know the movers and shakers in the court, who likely would have wined and dined them, inviting them to various gatherings, as since they brought their own exotic culture and experiences to the Tang court. Unfortunately, things apparently turned sour. First off, it seems clear that the members of this embassyy weren't the only Japanese in the court. There may have been various merchants, of course, but and we definitely know that there were students who had come on other missions and were still there likely still studying, such as those who had been learning from studying with Master Xuanzang, whose journeys we mentioned in the last several episodes. But Wwe are given a very specific name of a troublemaker, however: Kawachi no Aya no Ohomaro, and we are told that he was aa servant of Han Chihung, who . Han Chihung, himself, is thought to have possiblymay have been of mixed ethnicity—both Japanese and ethnic Han, and may . Hhe may have traveled to the Tang court on or around 653. , based on some of the records, but it isn't entirely clear. For whatever reason, on the 3rd day of the 12th month of the year 659, Kawachi no Aya no Ohomaro slandered the envoys, and although . Wwe don't know exactly what he said, but the Tang court caught wind of the accusations and found the envoys guilty. They were condemned to banishment, until the author of our tale, none other than Iki no Hakatoko himself, stepped up, . He made representation to the Emperor, pleading against the slander. , and tThe punishment was remitted, . Sso they were no longer banished. However, they were also then told that they could no't return home. You see, the Tang court was in the middle of some sensitive military operations in the lands east of the sea—in other words they were working with Silla to and invadeing the Kingdom of Baekje. Since Yamato was an ally of Baekje, it would be inconvenient if the envoys were to return home and rally Yamato to Baekje's defense. And so the entire Yamato embassy was moved to the Western Capital, Chang'an, where they were placed under individual house arrest. They no doubt were treated well, but they were not allowed to leave, and . Tthey ended up spending the next year in this state. of house arrest. Unfortunately, we don't have a record of just how they passed their time in Chang'an. They likely studied, and were probably visited by nobles and others. They weren't allowed to leave, but they weren't exactly thrown in jail, either. After all, they were foreign emissaries, and though the Tang might be at war with their ally, there was no formal declaration of war with Yamato, as far as I can make out. And so the embassy just sat there, for about 9 months. Finally, in the 7th month of 660, the records tell us we are told thatthat tThe Tang and Silla forces had been successful: . Baekje was destroyed.. The Tang and Silla forces had been successful. News must have reached Chang'an a month later, as Iki Hakatoko writes that this occurred in the 8th month of the year 660. With the Tang special military operation on the Korean peninsula concluded, they released the envoys and allowed them to return to their own countries. They envoys began their preparations as of the 12th day of the 9th month, no doubt eager to return home, and left were leaving Chang'an a week later, on the 19th day of the 9th month. From there, it took them almost a month to reach Luoyang, arriving on the 16th day of the 10th month, and here they were greeted with more good news, for here it was that they met up once again with those members of their delegation who had been blown off course. As you may remember, the ship carrying Iwashiki was blown off-course on the 15th day of the 9th month in the year 659, shortly after setting out from the Korean peninsula. The two ships had lost contact and Tsumori no Muraji no Kiza and his ship had been the one that had continued on. Iwashiki and those with him, however, found themselves at the mercy of the contrary winds and eventually came ashore at an island in the Southern Sea, which Aston translates as “Erh-kia-wei”. There appears to be at least some suggestion that this was an island in the Ryukyuan chain, possibly the island of Kikai. There, local islanders, none too happy about these foreigners crashing into their beach, destroyed the ship, and presumably attacked the embassy. Several members, including Yamato no Aya no Wosa no Atahe no Arima (yeah, that *is* a mouthful), Sakahibe no Muraji no Inadzumi (perhaps a relative of Iwashiki) and others all stole a local ship and made their way off the island. They eventually made landfall at a Kuazhou, southeast of Lishui City in modern Zhejiang province, where they met with local officials of the Tang government, who then sent them under escort to the capital at Luoyang. Once there, they were probably held in a similar state of house arrest, due to the invasion of Baekje, but they met back up with Kiza and Hakatoko's party. The envoys, now reunited, hung out in Luoyang for a bit longer, and thus . Thus it was on the first day of the 11th month of 660 that they witnessed war captives being brought to the capital. This included 13 royal persons of Baekje, from the King on down to the Crown Prince and various nobles, including the PRimiePrime Minister, as well as 37 other persons of lower rank—50 people all told. TheThese captives y were delivered up to the Tang government and led before the emperor. Of course, with the war concluded, and Baekje no longer a functioning state, while he could have had them executed, Tang Gaozong instead released them, demonstrating a certain amount of magnanimity. The Yamato envoys remained in Luoyang for most of the month. On the 19th, they had another audience with the emperor, who bestowed on them various gifts and presents, and then five days later they departed the Luoyang, and began the trek back to the archipelago in earnest. By the 25th day of the first month of 661, the envoys arrived back at Yuezhou, head of the Kuaiji Commandery. They stayed there for another couple of months, possibly waiting for the right time, as crossing the sea at in the wrong season could be disastrous. They finally departed east from Yuezhou on the first day of the fourth month, coming to . They came to Mt. Cheng-an 6 days later, on the 7th, and set out to sea first thing in the morning on the 8th. They had a southwest wind initially in their favor, but they lost their way in the open ocean, an all too commonall-too-common problem without modern navigational aids. Fortunately, the favorable winds had carried them far enough that only a day later they made landfall on the island of Tamna, aka Jeju island. Jeju island was, at this point, its own independent kingdom, situated off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula. Dr. Alexander Vovin suggested that the name “Tamna” may have been a corruption of a Japonic or proto-Japonic name: Tanimura. The island was apparently quite strange to the Yamato embassy, and they met with various residents natives of Jeju island. They, even convincinged Prince Aphaki and eight other men of the island to come with them to be presented at the Yamato court. The rest of their journey took a little over a month. They finally arrived back in Yamato on the 23rd day of the fifth month of 661. They had been gone for approximately two years, and a lot had changed, especially with the destruction of Baekje. The Yamato court had already learned of what had happened and was in the process of drawing up plans for an expedition back to the Korean peninsula to restore the Baekje kingdom, and pPrince Naka no Oe himself was set to lead the troops. The icing on the cake was: Tthe reception that the envoys received upon their return was rather cold. Apparently they were had been slandered to the Yamato court by another follower of Han Chihung—Yamato no Aya no Atahe no Tarushima—and so they weren't met with any fanfare. We still don't know what it was that Tarsuhima was saying—possibly he had gotten letters from Chihung or Ohomaro and was simply repeating what they had said. Either way, the envoys were sick of it. They had traveled all the way to the Tang capitals, they had been placed under house arrest for a year, and now they had returned. They not only had gifts from the Tang emperor, but they were also bringing the first ever embassy from the Kingdom of Tamna along with them. The slander would not stand. And so they did what anyone would do at the time: They apparently appealed to the Kami. We are told that their anger reached to the Gods of the High Heaven, which is to say the kami of Takamanohara, who killed Tarushima with a thunderbolt. Which I guess was one way to shut him up. From what we can tell, the embassy was eventually considered a success. Iki no Hakatoko's star would rise—and fall—and rise again in the court circles. As I noted, his account of this embassy is really one of the best and most in depth that we have from this time. It lets us see the relative route that the envoys were taking—the Chronicles in particular note that they traveled to the Great Tang of Wu, and, sure enough, they had set out along the southern route to the old Wu capital, rather than trying to cross the Bohai Sea and make landfall by the Shandong peninsula or at the mouth of the Yellow River. From there they traveled through Nanjing—the southern “capital” likely referring, in this instance, to the old Wu capital—and then to Luoyang. Though they stayed there much longer than they had anticipated, they ended up living there through some of the most impactful events that occurred during this point in Northeast Asia. they And that is something we will touch on next episode. Until then, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. 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 our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, 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
Thanks to Murilo, Alexandra, and Joel for their suggestions this week! The bird sounds in this episode come from xeno-canto, a great resource for lots of animal sounds! A cactus wren [picture by Mike & Chris - Cactus WrenUploaded by snowmanradio, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15876953]: The sultan tit [photo by By Dibyendu Ash - CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72070998]: A female scarlet tanager [photo by Félix Uribe, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81340425]. The male is red with black wings: The Northern cardinal: The yellow grosbeak [photo by Arjan Haverkamp - originally posted to Flickr as 2008-08-23-15h00m37.IMG_4747l, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9596644]: The purple martin isn't actually purple [photo by JJ Cadiz, Cajay - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4255626]: The dusky thrush [photo by Jerry Gunner from Lincoln, UK Uploaded by snowmanradio, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20762838]: The European rose chafer, not a bird [photo by I, Chrumps, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2521547]: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I'm your host, Kate Shaw. This week we're going to learn about a lot of little birds that deserve more attention, because they're cute and interesting. Thanks to Murilo, Alexandra, and Joel for their little bird suggestions! All the birds we'll talk about today are called passerines, because they belong to the order Passeriformes. They're also sometimes referred to as perching birds or songbirds, even though not all passerines sing. Passerines are common throughout the world, with more than 6,500 species identified. I've seen about 150 of those species, so clearly I need to work harder as a birdwatcher. Passerines are referred to as perching birds because of their feet. A passerine bird has three toes that point forward and another toe pointing backwards, which allows it to wrap its toes securely around a twig or branch to sit. Its legs are also adapted so that the toes automatically curl up tight when the leg is bent. That's why a sleeping bird doesn't fall off its branch. Let's start with one of Murilo's suggestions, the wren. Wrens are birds in the family Troglodytidae, and are usually very small with a short tail, a pointy bill that turns slightly downward at the tip, and brown plumage. It mainly eats insects and larvae that it finds in nooks and crannies of trees, and many species will investigate dark places like hollow logs, the openings to caves, or your apartment if you leave the back door open on a warm day. Many sing beautiful songs and have very loud voices for such little bitty birds. Most wrens are native to the Americas, including the canyon wren that's native to western North America in desert areas. It's cinnamon-brown with a white throat and an especially long bill, which it uses to find insects in rock crevices. It lives in canyons and has a more flattened skull than other wrens, which means it can get its head into crevices without hurting itself. No one has ever seen a canyon wren drink water, and scientists think it probably gets all the water it needs from the insects it eats. Where do the insects get the water they need? That's an episode for another day. This is what a canyon wren sounds like: [bird sound] Not every bird that's called a wren is actually in the family Troglodytidae. Some just resemble wrens, like an unusual bird that Murilo brought to my attention. It's called Lyall's wren but it's actually in the family Acanthisittidae, and it was once widespread throughout New Zealand. By the time it was scientifically identified and described in 1894, it was restricted to a single island in Cook Strait. Lyall's wren was flightless,
Hosts Chris Jennings and Dr. Mike Brasher debunk the myth of the northern, or “red leg” mallard, and discuss an interesting taxonomic issue related to a North American waterfowl species. Download and subscribe to follow along with all things waterfowl as the DU Podcast brings the resource to you.Listen now: www.ducks.org/DUPodcastSend feedback: DUPodcast@ducks.org