Podcasts about Northern Vietnam

Enjoy all the previous LadyB episodes here, https://radiosinoland.com/search/?q=ladyb And my many articles about Taiwan Province here, https://radiosinoland.com/2025/02/02/jeff-j-browns-taiwan-province-library-years-of-articles-podcasts-interviews-and-tv-shows-100000s-of-visitors-are-accessing-these-works-time-to-get-smart-china-rising-radio-sinoland-250202/   ADVENTURES IN ASIA WITH LADYB, LAOLAO AND GONGGONG Story #22: Twenty-two pictures from Hanoi, Vietnam. Northern Vietnam via Puli Town, Taiwan, China. This is going out tomorrow at the post office!   Dear Grandaughter Mila, Finally finding... The post ADVENTURES IN ASIA WITH LADYB, LAOLAO AND GONGGONG- Story #22: Twenty-two pictures from Hanoi, Vietnam. appeared first on CHINA RISING RADIO SINOLAND.

Enjoy all the previous Lady episodes here, https://radiosinoland.com/search/?q=ladyb And my many articles about Taiwan Province here, https://radiosinoland.com/2025/02/02/jeff-j-browns-taiwan-province-library-years-of-articles-podcasts-interviews-and-tv-shows-100000s-of-visitors-are-accessing-these-works-time-to-get-smart-china-rising-radio-sinoland-250202/   ADVENTURES IN ASIA WITH LADYB AND GONGGONG Story #21: a teeny taste of Vietnam after our return home and all about your family. Northern Vietnam and Puli Town, Taiwan, China. This is going out tomorrow at the... The post ADVENTURES IN ASIA WITH LADYB AND GONGGONG- Story #21: a teeny taste of Vietnam after our return home and all about your family. appeared first on CHINA RISING RADIO SINOLAND.

“Vietnamese culture values relationships deeply; we believe in kindness as a way of life, not a strategy.” - Jessie NguyenJoin Niall Mackay as he interviews Jessie Nguyen, a marketing manager at NFQ, about the rapidly changing image of Vietnam. In this episode of A Vietnam Podcast, Jessie sheds light on Vietnam's rising generation, the power of Gen Z, and their role in reshaping the country's global identity. From her move from rural Northern Vietnam to Saigon's bustling tech scene, Jessie shares her personal experiences and unique insights into the evolution of Vietnam's culture, economy, and tech landscape.With a focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, and resilience, this episode explores how young Vietnamese are redefining workplace culture, blending Western influences with traditional values, and moving away from war-torn stereotypes. Discover why Vietnam is becoming an emerging hub for technology and sustainability, and what makes the Vietnamese workforce so unique in Southeast Asia.If you're interested in Vietnamese culture, Gen Z empowerment, and the country's transformative journey, don't miss this inspiring conversation.Key Takeaways:Gen Z and Self-Empowerment in Vietnam – How young Vietnamese are prioritizing authenticity, collaboration, and purpose in the workplace, breaking traditional hierarchy.Vietnam's Image Evolution – Jessie discusses Vietnam's shift from historical stereotypes to a modern identity focused on progress and innovation.The Entrepreneurial Spirit of Vietnam – Discover how entrepreneurship is embedded in Vietnamese culture and key to the nation's rapid economic growth.Embracing Technology and Sustainability – How Vietnam is progressing toward a sustainable, tech-forward economy, led by Gen Z and local businesses.Balancing Global Influence with Local Identity – Gen Z is blending Western influences with Vietnamese traditions, creating a unique and dynamic cultural identity.Chapters & Timestamps:03:00 – Gen Z: Vietnam's New Generation Redefining Work08:00 – Vietnam's Growing Economic Landscape15:00 – Moving Away from War Stereotypes19:00 – Embracing Innovation, Technology, and Sustainability25:00 – Global Influences and Personal Branding in Vietnam30:00 – Vietnam's Unique Workforce in Southeast Asia42:00 – A Vision for a Sustainable Future in Vietnam"Send me a message!"Episode Sponsors:7 Bridges Brewing Co. - An award winning Vietnamese craft brewery from Da Nang, with breweries across Vietnam!Tenzing Pacific - I highly recommend them for their professional advice related to personal, family, and business insurance. The full list of winners is here. Become a Bắp Xào Đâyer in our community on Patreon and become part of something special.You can choose a Cà phê sữa đá, Bánh mì, Cơm tấm, Bún Thịt Nướng or the ultimate level, a Bắp Xào Đây.Support the showThis show is produced by Seven Million Bikes Podcasts.If you would like to work with them too check out their website!

Tracey Lister is a Melbourne-born chef with more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, both in Australia and Vietnam. She is also the author of four cookbooks (KOTO: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam (2008), Vietnamese Street Food (2011), Real Vietnamese Cooking (2014) and Made in Vietnam (2017)) and she is the owner of Brunswick Kitchen cookery school. When I went in to talk with Tracey, she was preparing for that evening's vegan cooking class. Tracey always loved working in restaurants, seeing the cool room full of produce and ready to go, the thrill of service and happy diners, but later in her career, she found new joy in teaching, sharing her knowledge and love of cooking with others. As well as teaching Vietnamese, Persian and South-east Asian cooking herself, Tracey also invites other chefs, such as Almay Jordaan and Daniel Wilson to come in and teach as well. Tracey also shares her love of her second home, Vietnam by leading bi-annual Northern Vietnam Food and Fabric Tours, with Future Traditions' owner, Cynthia Mann – an artisanal Vietnamese brand celebrating traditional ethnic minority crafts. The tour takes participants on an eight-day journey through Northern Vietnam, where they share insights into the region's culinary and textile traditions. It was such a pleasure to talk with Tracey and I can't wait to go back to Brunswick Kitchen for a Food from Hanoi cooking class.

Meet Huy, founder of Sapa Vacations and expert storyteller, to explore the rich tapestry of culture and cuisine that defines this enchanting region. From vibrant markets and bustling rice paddies to savory bowls of pho and sizzling plates of grilled meats, every moment is a feast for the senses. Get ready to be transported to a world of warmth, laughter, and unforgettable flavors as you follow along on this culinary adventure through the heart of northern Vietnam. Connect with Huy on Instagram @bob_sapa1992 and check out Sapa Vacation at https://sapavacation.com/. ***Looking to experience the flavors we've explored firsthand?  Skip the stress of travel planning and work with a trusted professional to take care of all of that for you!   Travel Trails specializes in crafting unforgettable travel experiences tailored to your taste for adventure.  Don't miss out on tasting these delicious dishes because you don't have the time to plan.  Visit https://travel-trails.com/ to learn more and follow @TastyTrailsTravelPod and @Travel.Trails___ on Instagram to stay up to date on episodes and all things food & travel!

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Việt Anh Phạm, who shares the following recording and notes:Date of recording: May 21, 2023Starting time: 1530 UTCFrequency: 15.67 MHzReception location: Northern Vietnam.Receiver and antenna: TECSUN PL-380 with long wireNotes: An audio recording of Wavescan- the international DX program from World Adventist Radio on May, 21st, 2023. It is produced by WRMI in FL, USA. This recording was made by connecting the mic in port of my Android phone to my radio (Tecsun PL-380) tuned to 15670 kHz with a 5-meter-long wire as an antenna. The signal was transmitted from KSDA- Guam with a power of 100 kW. My radio has a band-width changing function so I used it to optimize audio quality, which resulted in the audio being muffled a little bit at the beginning. QTH: Northern VietnamNote that the frequency announcement at the beginning did not match with the actual frequency I tuned to.

Today I talk about a conversation I had the other day with a 103 year old lady called Ping, from the hill trines of Northern Vietnam. It was a great conversation and you can see a picture on my instagram of me, Ping and her great, great, great, great Grandson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take in the sights and sensory experiences of Northern Vietnam in Hanoi. We dabble in the watery of world of Halong Bay. Beyond Vietnam, we explore more of Indochina, with a dip with Cambodia and exploring wonderful Angkor.

The electricity supply in the northern region of the country has improved as technical glitches in several power plants have been resolved.

This week we learn about the wonderful destination of Vietnam. Listen in as we talk about where to go, when to go, what to see, and the incredible food!  Some of the trips we talk about are the 10-Day Vietnam Explorer, a 14-Day Vietnam tour, Vietnam Adventure Tour, exploring the Mountains of Northern Vietnam, a multi-sport tour of Vietnam, getting off the beaten path in Vietnam,  Here to guide us along the ins and outs of traveling in Vietnam is Irina Hatcher from Realistic Asia, a local tour operator based in Vietnam.  

As we emerge on the other side of the Covid crisis, one thing is clear: remote work is here to stay. Employers were finally awakened to the advantages of enabling work-from-anywhere for knowledge workers, which includes access to a global talent pool without the hassles of relocation; the flexibility afforded employees directly translates to productivity and job satisfaction, and the reduced need for corporate real estate. Technology has made it easier for employees and employers to interact, and there are also many benefits for both parties.In this episode of The New Nomad, Ixo Szapar, Co-founder of Remote-how, joins Andrew Jernigan and Allen Koski in discussing remote and hybrid work and why it's here to stay. They also talked about why businesses need to listen up and look beyond today to build more progressive workplace policies that will help employees thrive. Given that so much of the working population is now acclimated to remote work, it seems unlikely that we'll ever return to the way things used to be. Tune in to this week's episode and pick up useful tips for adapting to this not-so-new work set up.[3:03] Change is inevitable[6:10] The advantage of having a globally-located team[15:49] Transparency leads to accountability[18:38] The four-day workweek[21:46] Setting your boundaries to prevent burnout[24:26] Northern Vietnam: a biker's paradiseGUEST BIO:Iwo Szapar is a Remote Work Advocate & Co-founder of Remote-how, the world's leading platform for distributed management powered by and for the community from 128 countries.Iwo is a relentless doer – the kind of self-proclaimed workaholic every team needs. Driven by a love for travel and a desire to be as productive as possible, anytime, anywhere, Iwo is passionate about helping companies everywhere successfully implement remote workforces. In his downtime, Iwo is a football and dog lover.LINKS:Iwo Szapar: https://www.iwoszapar.com/Remote-how: https://remote-how.com/expert/iwo-szaparLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iwoszapar/?locale=en_USFollow Insured Nomads at:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insurednomads/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@insurednomadsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0nVZ-b1GGWpR3BBdFPrnDALinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insurednomads/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insurednomadsPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/InsuredNomadsOfficial/Twitter: https://twitter.com/insurednomadswww.insurednomads.com

Dave, Chris, and Priya Krishna assemble to consider America's love affair with a certain sort of tomato recipe—and then, in search of a new spin on the nightshade, the trio turns to a little-known dish from Northern Vietnam. (Plus, a preview of Priya Krishna's wedding menu!) Find the recipes for this and every Recipe Club on The Ringer's website, watch the video version of this episode on Spotify, and join the conversation (and cook along with us!) on Discord and Instagram. Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying Guest: Priya Krishna Producer: Sasha Ashall Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Tuesday, August 2nd, A.D. 2022. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Kevin Swanson Justice Samuel Alito condemned religious persecution Speaking at the Religious Liberty Summit in Rome, Italy on July 21st, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito  cautioned that religious liberty is now threatened worldwide.  ALITO: “Religious liberty is under attack in many places because it is dangerous to those who want to hold complete power. “When ISIS occupied Northern Iraq, thousands of Yazidi men and boys were slaughtered, and thousands of women and girls were raped and forced into marriage with ISIS fighters. “In Nigeria, Christians have been under constant attack. “In Egypt, numerous Coptic churches have been attacked, and many worshippers have been killed. “In India, Hindu and Muslim groups have brutally assaulted each other since independence. “And, in China, of course, there is the unspeakable treatment of the Uyghurs.” Snapshot of global persecution hot spots Most recently, Muslim radicals are putting pressure on Christian churches in Burkino Faso, Africa. In Myanmar, the Burmese military's (Tatmadaw) Major General Zaw Min Tu took to a news conference last week, announcing that any criticism of Buddhism in the country would be punished. And, as The Worldview reported on Monday, Hmong Christians in the Nghe An province of Northern Vietnam are under persecution from gangs. In some cases, they are exiled from their homes by their animist relatives. 83 Christian groups urge Senate to reject “gay” marriage bill Quite a bit is at stake as the U.S. Senate considers the “[Dis] respect for Marriage Act.  Alliance Defending Freedom President Michael Farris  told radio talk show host Todd Starnes last week that this bill could lead to polygamy and plural marriages. Listen. FARRIS: “The plain truth is this Act goes well beyond codifying [the] Obergefell [Supreme Court case]. It allows for any state definition of marriage to be federally enforced. So, if the state decides, ‘We're going go polygamy or plural marriages or all kinds of things that are out there in the Left's lexicon these days,' that could be a problem." Plus, Farris said that this [Dis]respect for Marriage bill will result in churches and 501(c)3 groups losing their tax-exempt status with the IRS, if they were to oppose the state on faux homosexual marriage. FARRIS: “The IRS can be sent against nonprofit organizations, denying them their tax-exempt status if they fail to adhere to this definition of marriage.” To their credit, ADF has sponsored a letter to U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell and the Republicans in the Senate, encouraging a “no” vote on the bill.  Among the 83 signatories are Al Mohler, Franklin Graham, Tony Perkins, Jim Daly, and Kelly Shackelford. If you have not yet taken the time to call your two U.S. Senators, please do so today! Ask them to vote against the so-called “respect for Marriage Act. Call 202-224-3121. That's 202-224-3121. 173 God-hating businesses advocate for “gay” faux marriage bill Meanwhile, corporate America has come together to advocate for the bill's passage. Spearheaded by the homosexual group, Human Rights Campaign, 173 businesses endorsed the sexually perverted agenda in a July 28th letter to the U.S. Senate. Psalm 2:3 reminds us that these businesses set themselves against the Lord, and against His anointed, saying, “Let us break their bands asunder.” America killed Al Qaeda's #2 leader The U.S. military has taken out another terrorist leader, reports Politico.com. Al Qaeda's number two guy, after Osama Ben Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was killed in a U.S. drone strike on Saturday at 9:48 pm in Kabul, Afghanistan as he stood on the balcony of his home. “Evangelical” socialist author Ron Sider died The Christian “Evangelical” socialist, Ron Sider, died over the weekend at 82 years of age. He is best known for his book Rich Christian in an Age of Hunger. Sider's more recent book, Just Politics, advocates against the death penalty, and in favor of the redistribution of wealth. In addition, he called for extremely high taxes on fossil fuels, so as to “double or triple the prices of these products.”  In his criticisms of Donald Trump in 2020, Ron Sider made the claim that the Democrats' efforts to “reduce poverty” would do a good job of reducing abortion in America whereas Donald Trump would not “substantially change” or reduce abortions in the U.S. Indiana passes pro-life bill with exceptions The Indiana State Senate passed a bill banning abortion with the exceptions of rape and incest.  However, the pro-life Indiana Right to Life group has decried the bill as “woefully” inadequate, failing “ to provide any meaningful enforcement provisions.” Amidst flooding, Kentucky governor asks for prayer At least 28 persons are confirmed dead, from the extensive flooding in Eastern Kentucky. Democrat Governor Andy Beshear is asking the nation to pray. BESHEAR: “The next couple of days are going to be hard. We've got rain, and maybe even a lot of rain, that's going to hit the same areas. “Please pray for the people in these areas. And, if you are in the areas that are going to get hit by rain, make sure you stay safe. Make sure you have a place that is higher ground.” Jeremiah 14:22 asks, “Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O Lord our God? Therefore, we will wait for You, since You have made all these.” You can help fund the efforts of Samaritan's Purse in Kentucky with a donation. Will COVID panic-demic cost kids $21 trillion in earnings? Various organizations have tried to assess the damage done to children by school closures for the COVID-19 Panic-demic.   The World Bank is guessing that this will cost the young generation $21 trillion in earnings over their lifetimes. Plus, the National Center for Education Statistics says that 70% of U.S. public schools report increases in the number of students looking for mental health services. Consumer Price Index at 9% vs. hourly wage earners up only 5% And finally, the Consumer Price Index is running at 9.1%, while hourly paychecks register only a 5.1% increase.  That's a 4% loss for American workers.  The benefit of the free money in the form of the stimulus checks from 2020 and 2021 has worn off.  And now, 61% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, according to studies conducted by the Lending Club. That's a 9% increase year over year. Another study from Pew Research found that workers who changed jobs  over the last year, enjoyed an inflation-adjusted pay increase of 9.7% while the others lost about 2% in their income. Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Tuesday, August 2nd, in the year of our Lord 2022. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Hear about travel to northern Vietnam as the Amateur Traveler talks to Paul B. Kennedy from VietnamTravelWithUs.com about the country he has adopted as home.

In this episode, we feature a conversation with Diem Ha Le about her debut feature film, CHILDREN OF THE MIST, which premiered at IDFA and had its Swiss premiere in the Grand Angle section of Visions du Réel.  The film follows Dzi, a 12-year-old girl from the Hmong ethnic group in Northern Vietnam. During the Lunar new year, girls as young as Dzi become part of the customary practice of "bride kidnapping," where young girls are abducted by a boy who wishes to marry them and held for ransom while the families negotiate the price of the bride. Dzi finds herself in a situation where she is forced to grow up and find her way of navigating between the Hmong culture and her own desires. In this conversation, filmmaker Diễm Hà Lệ speaks about keeping a memory of childhood alive through film and shares with us insight into her relationship with Dzi and how she navigated opposing opinions as she bared witness to Dzi's abduction and bridal negotiations. Diem also speaks of the personal and practical challenges she faced while filming and how she was able to translate the complicated relationships and situations that were unfolding in front of her into cinema.Moderating the conversation is Venice Atienza, whose film, LAST DAYS AT SEA, also shares an inquiry into the fragility of childhood and was invited to screen at Visions du Réel last year in the Grande Angle section.  This episode was co-produced by Christina Zachariades in Brooklyn, Venice Atienza in Mumbai, and Aylin Gökmen in Zurich, with original music by Nayeem Mahbub in Stockholm.

Welcome back to Away We Go! This week we're chatting about one of our bigger trips abroad, when we went to Vietnam in the fall of 2018 for 21 days. In part one we dove into the first quarter of our trip as we landed in Hanoi and began to take mini trips around the city to some of the other awe inspiring locations in Northern Vietnam. From the bustling cities streets of Hanoi, including our misadventures with hostels and our night excursion to a jazz bar, to our cruise along Ha Long Bay and the beauty surrounding this UNESCO World Heritage Site, and finally to the mountain town of Sapa with it's Hmong tribes and rice fields, we're taking you with us in this two part adventure.Support the show (https://pod.fan/kayla-on-the-road-the-podcast)

On a thickly humid day, flanked by dense forest of a deep green, rows of archers astride skittish horses struggle to control their mounts. Their local allies, armed with bows and tightly clutched spears, have their eyes focusing on a mass of men surging forward towards them. Infront comes a vanguard of the beast terrifying the Mongol horses; elephants, adorned in gold, armour and broacde, their tusks spiked and decorated, tall towers on their backs housing archers and spear throwers. The Mongol commander is afraid but refuses to show it; it would do no good to show fear before the men and the vassal troops. As calm as he can, he orders the cavalry to retreat to the treeline and dismount; they would stand before the oncoming host of the King of Pagan, modern Myanmar onfoot, armed with nothing but their bows and the will of Eternal Blue Heaven. I’m your host David, and this is Kings and Generals: Ages of Conquest.   Of all the foreign ventures ordered by Kublai Khan in his later years, it was the invasions of Burma, or rather,, Myanmar, which are among the most poorly known in the west. While not as overtly disastrous as the more famous campaigns against Japan or Vietnam, which we have previously covered, the fighting in Myanmar still showcased the limits of the Mongol military, where tactical victories could not always translate into strategic success.       By the 13th Century, the Kingdom of Pagan [pronounced somewhere between Bagan, Pakam, Pokam] had dominated Myanmar since the mid 9th century. Considered a golden age, from its strategic position on the Irrawadday River, the city of Pagan was the capital of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-linguistic kingdom straddling both upper and lower Myanmar. Military conquests backed by expanding infrastructure, irrigation and administrative systems laid the groundwork for a stable and regionally dominating empire. Population growth and infrastructure led to the increased development of Lower Myanmar, coupled with the expansion of arable lands to support it. To legitimize themselves, the Kings of Pagans patronized Thereavdic Buddhism and built monumental architecture to celebrate themselves. Huge donations of arable land to the Buddhist monasteries gradually put more and more of the kingdom’s wealth and resources in the hands of the monks; by the thirteenth century, the Pagan kings found themselves in a more and more desperate economic situation, struggling to reclaim lands from the entrenched powers but continually needing to build monuments to legitimize themselves and maintain Buddhist support for their power. Skillful kings  like Kalancacsa, reigning 1084-1111 were able to balance all the elements of the Pagan kingdom, its various ethnic groups and traditions and the Buddhist clergy, but the kings of the thirteenth century lacked this ability- particularly Narathihapade, who took the throne in 1254. By then, long held tensions were bubbling beneath the surface, and the once un-developed Lower Myanmar was becoming a major population and political centre that the king in Pagan struggled to control.  And with so many kingdoms of the thirteenth century, this crockpot of troubles was aggravated by the addition of an extremely potent ingredient;  the Mongol Empire.       Pagan, separated from China and the Song Dynasty by the Kingdom of Dali in Yunnan and Dai Viet in Northern Vietnam, had escaped the attention of the Mongols during their first forays into these kingdoms in the 1250s, as we have covered in previous episodes. With the initial submission of these regions in that decade, the Mongol Empire now shared a border uncomfortably close to Pagan’s northeastern-most outposts. It was in 1271 that the Great Khan Kublai’s first envoys reached the Kingdom of Pagan, requesting the submission of its monarch, King Narathihapade, as well as the necessary trade and tribute demanded upon all subjects of the Mongol Emperor. History has not been kind to Narathihpate, often presented as a vain and greedy ruler. Usually, you’ll be pointed to this incrisiption he place on the Mingalar Zedi Pagoda in 1274, “King Narathiha Pati, supreme commander of 36 million soldiers and who is the consumer of 300 dishes of curry daily, enshrined fifty-one gold and silver figurines of kings, queens, nobles and maids of honour, and over these a solid silver image of Lord Buddha Gautama one cubic high, on Thursday the Full Moon of Kason of the year 636.”   Of course, Narathihapade did not command 36 million soldiers, though his ability to consume curry in prodigious amounts is outside the realm of our discussion today. This is however an example of the earlier mentioned needed for Narathihapade and the Burmese kings to legitimize themselves through large monuments and inscriptions. His kingdom facing an economic problem undermining the very power of its monarchy and his own ancestry and position on shaky ground, Narathihapade had to shore up  his position with boasts and monuments, wasting valuable resources but lacking options. The political system he inherited demanded he put on a show of nearly supernatural power regardless of the reality- a problem hardly unique to the Pagan kingdom, mind you- but one which contributed to the spurning of Kublai’s envoys. The next year Narathihapade followed this up by attacking one of Kublai’s vassal tribes in Yunnan, the Jin Chi, who Marco Polo calls the Cardanan, meaning ‘gold teeth.’ In 1273, Narathihapade completed his trifecta of antagonizing the single most powerful man on earth by killing Kublai’s envoys sent to demand recomponense. By doing so, Narathihapade ensured Kublai, in order to maintain the requisite show of supernatural power and invincibility around the Chinggisid monarchy, would need to react with miltiary force. Kublai’s miltiary response was delayed by the final push against the Song Dynasty and the first invasion of Japan in 1274. Troops could not be deployed to the frontier with Myanmar for some time, and perhaps in recognition of, Narathihapade struck first.       The King of Pagan sent an army into Yunnan in early 1277, though this was probably more of a raid than a full scale invasion. The local Mongol garrison was relatively small, as low as 700 or as many as 12,000, depending on the source. Under their commander,  a fellow named Qutuq, the garrison was enlarged by rallying a number of local Achang and Jin Chi tribesmen. It should be noted in general when we discuss the conflicts with the Mongol-Yuan troops and regional powers in this period, we are mainly talking about forces like this: a small Turkic and Mongolian core around a commander, sometimes a Mongolian, sometimes a Central Asian Muslim or Turk, and the majority of the forces between locally raised troops or perhaps even southern Chinese. The reasons for this were manifest. Firstly, truly Mongolian troops were rarely assigned for garrison duty, being at their greatest use on actual campaign or protecting Kublai’s steppe frontiers. The climate, generally hot and humid, was extremely difficult on both the Mongols and their horses, and the often rugged, densely forested or riverine terrain itself made the preferred wide-ranging horseback warfare less effective, while also minimizing available pasturelands to feed the horses in the first place. A small Mongolian garrison would be maintained in Yunnan’s highlands and small pasture for the remainder of Mongol rule in China, and indeed, there are people of Yunnan today who claim descent from the Mongols- the Khatso, who in the last decades have sought to make contact with Mongolians to “reclaim” some of their “ancient customs.”       Anyways, it was a small body of Mongols and many more locally raised troops under the command of Qutuq who set out to repel the army of Narathihapade in 1277. One of the main descriptions of the ensuing engaement comes from that famous Venetian traveller, Marco Polo, who at the time of the battle was a new arrival in Kublai’s distant court at Khanbaliq. In Polo’s account, command of the Yuan forces is given to the general Nasir al-Din, the son of Yunnan’s governor, a Central Asian Muslim named Sayyid Ajall Shams ad-Din. Polo’s mis-attribution to Nasir al-Din is an easy enough mistake to understand; it’s likely Polo never had in his notes or memory the name of a minor commander like Qutuq, but did recall an association between the well known Nasir al-Din and an exciting battle again the King of Mien, as Polo refers to Narathihapade. For our reconstruction today, we will agree with the scholarship and place Qutuq in command of the Mongol troops.   The site where Qutuq and the Pagan King met is contradicted in the sources, either in the Vochang Valley in Baoshan, or at a site the called by the Burmese  Nga-caung-khyam [Ngasaynggyan- sorry David] in modern Yingjiang. The two sites are approximately 100 kilometres apart, though Nga-caung-khyam is the more commonly given location. It seems that Narathihapate led the invasion force himself, a mixed force of infantry and cavalry spearheaded by a contingent of elephants: on their wide backs were towers built to house archers.       Qutuq was worried and outnumbered, but chose the site of battle carefully. Entering on a level plain early in the morning, he ensured the Yuan flanks and rear were protected by trees, while the ground before them was bare. Qutuq likely arranged his forces in a standard formation for steppe armies, a center and two wings, while Narathihapade’s force advanced in two large, extended wings of cavalry and infantry, staggered behind the line of elephants in the vanguard- 2,000 of them, if we blindly accept Polo’s numbers, along with 60,000 men on foot and horse.  It would be shocking if Narathihapade brought even half as many as this.       According to Marco Polo, the Yuan commander rallied his seemingly outnumbered men through a short speech:       “And calling to him all his hrosemen, he exhorted them with most eloquent words that they would not be of less might than they had been in the past, and that strength did not consist in numbers but in the valour of brave and tried horsemen; and that the people of Mien were inexperienced and not practised in war, in which they had not been engaged as they themselves had been so many times. And therefore they must not fear the multitude of the enemy but trust in their own skill which had already been long tried in many place in so many enterprises that their name was feared and dreaded -not only by the enemy but by all the world; so that they must be of that same valour as they had been. And he promised them certain and undoubted victory.”       After loudly playing their instruments, Narathihapde’s army advanced. The Mongols tried to hold firm, but the scent and sight of the elephants frightened their horses. Once he saw this, Qutuq acted quickly. He ordered his men into the forest beind them, dismounting and tying the horses’ reins to trees, then advancing on foot back onto the plain. Once in the open, the Mongols- and their local allies- began firing volley after volley of arrows into the elephants. The Burmese archers shot back, but clumped as they were in their towers they could not compete with the powerful Mongol bows. Though the elephants’ thick hides could not be penetrated, they panicked under the concentrated barrage of arrows. Before the elephants could meet the Yuan line, they became uncontrollable, and tried to escape: either through the trees, destroying the towers on their backs, or through the Burmese lines.        With this break in Narathihapade’s advance, sections of the Mongols began remounting their horses while the remainder provided covering fire, until the whole force was once more on horseback. Further details of troops movements are scarcer, but the lines finally met and fighting continued until noon. King Narathihapade worked his way up and down his lines encouraging his men, ordering fresh forces from his reserve, but, as per Marco Polo’s account, they were frustrated by the superior armour of the Mongols and their skills with the bow. Finally, Narathihapade and his men began to withdraw, but the Mongols pushed the advantage and it turned into a rout. Losses on both sides were heavy, but the smaller Yuan force had had the better of the day.    The sudden attack and flight of its King made Pagan a more pressing matter to the Yuan court, which finally ordered Nasir al-Din bin Sayyid Ajall against the kingdom in winter 1277. Provided a force of 3,800 Mongols, Cuan and Musuo peoples, Nasir al-Din reached the important fort of Kaung Sin along the Irrawaddy River. Nasir’s force was however too small to progress far into the country, and the onset of hotter weather encouraged him to withdraw back to Yunnan early in 1278. Before he did so, a seemingly humbled Narathihapade agreed to pay tribute to the Great Khan and allowed 100,000 households along the Yunnanese-Burmese border to be placed under Yuan control. When Narathihpate was slow providing tribute, Nasir al-Din returned later in 1278 to enforce the treaty terms. Little is revealed about this expedition, but in July 1279 Nasir returned to the Yuan capital of Dadu with captured Burmese elephants in tow.    By 1279 the Song Dynasty had been destroyed, yet Kublai Khan’s appetite for conquest was not sated, and his attention was increasingly drawn to the kingdoms across southeast Asia where Song loyalists could flee: Dai Viet, Champa, and Pagan. Once Narathihapade again lapsed on the treaty terms, Kublai had little difficulty ordering a proper invasion of Pagan while an invasion of Vietnam was already under way. The Great Khan must have imagined his rule would soon extend right into the Indian ocean. In December 1283, a full invasion of Pagan was launched, with 10,000 soldiers from Sichuan and Miao tribal auxiliaries under the command of Mongol prince Sang’udar.  Sang’udar’s army travelled jointly by land and on vessels on the Irrawaddy, taking Kaung Sin, Biao-dian and even the ancient Burmese capital of Tagaung in 1284, before withdrawing around May before the onset of the summer heat.   So quick was the Mongol movements that Narathihpate fled the capital of Pagan in a panic: it was for this flight that he earned the epithet Taruppye [also written Tarukpliy], “he who fled from the Chinese.” Tarup is the Burmese term for the Chinese, but was at this time used to refer to the Mongols- as such, some have argued it’s possibly a corruption of tujue, or Turk, in reference to Turks among the Mongol army, although the etymology is too difficult to pin down precrisely.    Narathihapade sent one of his top ministers to Khanbaliq to talk terms, and discuss making Pagan into a Mongol protectorate, but these were protracted and went nowhere- or atleast, nowhere fast enough to improve Narathihapade’s position. His flight from the Mongols following his earlier defeat and the sudden overrunning of much of Upper Myanmar greatly diminished his authority, augmenting the existing crises his kingdom was facing- particularly a revolt among the Mon in Lower Myanmar, ongoing since 1273.    Perhaps realizing the opportunity provided by the erosion in Narathihpate’s power, the Yuan rapidly ordered another march into Burma, this time under Kublai’s grandson and the Prince of Yunnan, Esen-Temur- not to be confused with another of Kublai’s  grandsons, Yesun-Temur, who reigned as Great khan from 1323-1328. With 6,000 Yuan troops and 1,000 Jin Chi auxiliaries, Esen-Temur forced his way through Burma in late 1286, taking Taguang again and Mong-Nai-Dian before possibly reaching the city of Pagan itself in spring 1287- it should be noted that some historians like Michael Aung-Thwin are not convinced the Mongols ever reached Pagan itself. Compounding the chaos, the broken and humiliated Narathihapade was murdered by his own son in 1287.    In this breakdown, the Yuan seemed poised to finally bring Pagan under Chinggisid authority. Yet for all the Mongols’ military might, there was little they could do to stop disease from ravaging many of their troops and summer heat punishing the rest. Kublai’s grandson Prince Esen-Temur was forced to abandon Myanmar by 1289 with considerable losses. For troops used to less tropical climates, the rigours of campaign in Myanmar’s hot, humid summers and the quick spread of disease made them particularly deadly.   Diplomacy was sought as alternative; in the aftermath of the fighting after King Narathihapade’s death, one of his sons, the 16 year old Klawcwa, managed to claim the throne with the aid of the famous “Three Shan Brothers.” These brothers were members of the Pagan elite with military backgrounds, rising in stature for valiant efforts against the Mongols. It should be noted that, despite the popular description of the brothers as members of the Shan people, a Thai-speaking people in the region, there is no evidence whatsoever for what their background was; as noted by Michael Aung-Thwin, the description of them as Shans does not appear until the first English language comprehensive history of Burma, written by Sir Arthur Phayrie in 1883! The contemporary sources simply describe them as princes and a part of Pagan’s elite. Yet this single, perhaps accidental, description of them as Shans in a single secondary source from the nineteenth century has become part of their image in the literature ever since- an interesting example of why we should not blindly keep citing and reciting secondary literature, but revisit the primary sources as much as possible, and how modern boundaries of ethnicity are not useful or applicable when discussing events centuries in the past.  What is more significant for our purposes today than their ethnic origins is that by the time of Klawcwa’s ascension, they were among the most powerful men in the kingdom.   King Klawcwa managed sought to reverse the disastrous policy of his father with diplomatic appeasement of the Yuan. In order to regain control over the lower reaches of Pagan and increasingly powerful vassals like the Three Brothers, Klawcwa needed to not fear another disruptive Mongol attack. In 1297 he sent his son-in-law, Kumārakassapa to Khanbaliq, a clear sign of submission- one wasted as the Three Brothers revolted the next year, killed Klawcwa and placed his 13 year old son Sawnit on the throne as a puppet. This was the casus belli for the final Mongol attack on Pagan. On the order of the new Great Khan, Kublai’s grandson Temur Oljeitu Khan, Klawcwa’s son-in-law Prince Kumārakassapa was sent with a Mongol army to avenge the fallen king.  Over winter 1300-1301, the Yuan army besieged the heavily fortified Myin-saing, defended by the Three Royal Brothers,  which held out and ultimately bribed the Mongols into withdrawing,  taking Prince Kumārakassapa with them- an anti-climactic end to the final attempt to extend Mongol authority over Myanmar.   For the Three Brothers, their prestige after another successful repulsing of the Yuan was immense. The King in Pagan was a puppet as the three brothers essentially divided the old kingdom among themselves, each ruling as a de facto monarch in their own rite, until the last surviving brother, Sihasura, declared himself the King of Pagan in 1309. The descendants of one of Sihasura’s brothers would found the Ava Dynasty in 1364. While the Mongols failed to conquer Pagan, they did for a few years collect tribute from its monarchs; while they did not destroy the kingdom themselves, their attacks ruined irrigations systems and paddyfields, undermined the power of the Pagan kings and helped bring about the dissolution of the kingdom by the fourteenth century. Despite winning most of the field engagements, climate forced Mongol withdrawals and tactical successes could not be turned into strategic victories. With the retreat of the army in 1301, Myanmar essentially left the attention of the Yuan, though many of its princes would continue to pay tribute to the Great Khans for decades to come.    Our next episode will take us to one of the least known of all Kublai’s failed expeditions, the attacks on Java, so be sure to subscribe to the Kings and Generals podcast to follow. If you’d like to help us continue bringing you great content, then consider supporting us on patreon at www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. This episode was researched and written by our series historian, Jack Wilson. I’m your host David, and we’ll catch you on the next one. 

The word for 2020 has been PIVOT. Especially when it comes to sustaining a business during an economy in the middle of a global pandemic. My guest today is living this idea of pivoting out. Her story about launching a business at the beginning of a pandemic and them completely pivoting is incredibly inspiring and you are going to love this conversation. Marissa Goldstein is a proud mother of two sets of twins. Yes, you heard that right – two sets of twins. She’s also the CEO of the leading sustainable travel accessory brand Rafi Nova. As an avid traveler, Marissa founded Rafi Nova to encourage families to travel while creating meaningful connections with global communities. While the pandemic shifted her company’s production to face masks, it expanded the company’s ability to connect and protect communities and support social causes committed to inclusivity. Under Marissa’s leadership, Rafi Nova will have donated more than 150,000 masks to organizations in need and workers on the front lines by the end of the year. This was such an incredible conversation and Marissa is such a leader in this area. Grab a warm, cozy, festive drink and Join me as I chat with Marissa. 4:42 - The Marissa 101 Marissa is the co-founder and CEO of Rafi Nova. Rafi Nova is a social enterprise on a mission to create great products that meet the ever-changing needs of families and communities, and serves to connect, inspire, and encourage others to get out there and go. She and her husband are parents to TWO sets of twins. Marissa’s family lives life on the go (or certainly before the pandemic). For the last 3-4 years, they spent half the year living in Vietnam, and the other half living right outside of Boston, MA. After Marissa finished her MBA in 2015, she joined her husband working at his manufacturing business helping consumer products companies in the US make products overseas in Vietnam. They’ve always had a wanderlust, and quickly fell in love with Southeast Asia on an around the world trip. They settled in Vietnam, creating their own supply chain and amazing community of friends. Their niche was bags, backpacks, duffel bags, luggage, etc. Every weekend they traveled to other Southeast Asia countries to meet with different ethnic women and tribes. In Northern Vietnam four years ago, they met women trying to sell their trinkets with a colorful textile wrapped around then. They discovered the women’s stories as well as the story behind the artform that has been passed down from generation to generation. It started to disappear because of technology and younger generations choosing different career paths in cities. Marissa and her husband wanted to find a way to use that textile traditional art form and put them on meaningful products in the US while also supporting the women, telling their stories, and preserving the art form. They started their own brand, Rafi Nova, which is named after their two sets of twins. They goal was to create useful products and accessories that people can wear when they’re on the go. All of the Rafi Nova products use upcycled textiles that have a story. Marissa and her husband spent a year building the company in Vietnam and came back to Boston to officially start the company. It was right as Covid-19 started spreading in the US, before anyone knew what was coming. They launched the day after the product arrived on February 16th and two weeks later received their town’s stay-at-home orders before Rafi Nova even had a shot at thriving. They knew they needed to put their factory to good use to help during the pandemic as well as keep their factory opening as product orders began plummeting. It was actually their four-year-old who suggested they start making masks. In Vietnam, people wear masks every day because of the air pollution, which gave Marissa and her family a unique perspective on masks that most Americans don’t have. They know what it takes to make a comfortable, safe, and effective mask. They called up their factory and decided they were going to make 10,000 makes to donate to front-line workers. Word caught on quickly and people were asking if Rafi Nova would sell the masks for their own personal use. It was in March, when there was a lot of dialogue about masks but nowhere to buy them.  They put the masks on their website, and 24 hours later they’d done over $25,000 in sales with a gratitude for the opportunity and the need for a plan to fulfill the orders! Since that day, Rafi Nova has sold over 2 million masks, and donated over 125,000 masks and have more than 30 employees in a 7500 sq ft fulfillment center. Marissa credits her experience as a mom of two twins for preparing her for this endeavor. 19:22 – Empowering Artisans Through Partnership After discovering the traditional handicrafts in Northern Vietnam, Rafi Nova wanted to find a way to connect with local communities and communities around the world. They would stay in the communities in a very different environment than what they were used to and believe that exploring these differences is a beautiful part of life. They found that we all have commonalities. Marissa saw that the communities in Vietnam had children whose parents wanted them to thrive, just like Marissa wanted for her children. They were able to connect through their roles as mothers. Even through language barriers, the language of motherhood rose up to connect them. Rafi Nova fell in love with the traditional art form and after learning more about the tribes who made them, they wanted to bring the art to the US, not to profit of the artisans, but to tell the story of the textiles and purchase them at fair trade rates to help families profit and preserve the art in various forms. 22:07 – Seeking Adventure (in 2020 and beyond). Rafi Nova has a vision to connect the global community of families to seek adventure. 2020 was a heck of a year, and it also gave Rafi Nova an opportunity to begin. They sold a lot of masks and created a loyal customer base while also giving back during a tumultuous time in our history, fulfilling their core values. While masks are not the product they intended to sell originally, they are a part of Rafi Nova’s story and fit their mission to connect people, keep them safe, and giving back to the community. In 2021, they want Rafi Nova to be a lifestyle brand destination of ethically-sourced products that encourage families to get out, connect, and give back. Even though adventure looks different in 2020, it is still relevant to Rafi Nova’s mission, just with an evolved definition. Most of us have an ideal vision of adventure that involves hoping on a plane and exploring a place we’ve never been to. These days, it could be a family bike ride, RV trip, a camping trip, or just a walk exploring the woods behind your house together. Adventure can also mean finding new and better systems for you and your family to slow down and spend more quality time together. Rafi Nova will continue to sell masks and are also adding a new line of products to accompany us on our new adventures and journeys. 24:37 – The Ethical Piece Marissa was raised with a sense of community and giving back. It’s so important to know where our products come from, how it’s made, and who made it. When finishing her MBA, Marissa was the cofounder of a solar startup based in India creating solar energy machines that provided fans, cell phone charging and light to rural communities. Rafi Nova spends time in their factories with the factory owners every day. They are like second family and it has been eye opening to have the opportunity to join communities in understanding the lifecycle of a product. There are so many pieces of the production line and every step holds the story of a person. 27:42 – Connecting You can find more about Rafi Nova at www.rafinova.com and on all the social channels. If you want to follow Marissa and her family’s adventures, follow @twinsonthegox2 on Instagram! 28:13 – Getting to Know Our Guest Find out what song Marissa has to sing along to when it comes on the radio, a person who has influenced her the most, what she would eat if she had to eat the same meal every night for the rest of her life, her favorite TV show to watch growing up, and of course, stay tuned to hear what it means to Marissa to run a business with purpose. 14:41 - “We started this pivot out of a sense of service, not out of a sense of business.” 15:42 - “I think my experience as a mom to two sets of twins or even a set of twins prepared us for this. We always go into life being flexible and being open-minded and knowing things are not going to come as they seem and that you need to pivot in a lot of your everyday life.” 24:08 – “Adventures have new meanings these days.” 24:23 – In 2021, while we will still be selling masks, we are coming out with a line of amazing products that we’re working so hard on that can accompany you on these new adventures and these new journeys.   Thank you to our partners of the show: Ammas Umma  Did you know I have an ethical brand directory? That's what Chelsea used to start finding products for her boutique almost four years ago! Now, Amma's Umma carries over 50 intentionally sourced brands and is the perfect one stop shop for all your gift giving needs. As a thank you to the Still Being Molly community, she is offering 20% off with code SHOPWITHMOLLY. Head to shopwithmolly.com for all the details. GOEX At GOEX, we believe in the power of purchase. We use a simple t-shirt to connect our customers with their apparel makers. GOEX customers sustain fair wage jobs that liberate workers from poverty and empower them in their families and communities. We are proud to be a verified member of the Fair Trade Federation. Shop sustainable, eco-friendly t-shirts and sweatshirts with purpose today at goexapparel.com. Simple Switch I want to introduce you all to a company I believe in that helps you more conveniently purchase with purpose, SimpleSwitch.org Simple Switch is an online marketplace for ethical and impactful shopping. They let you shop online for more than 3,000 products ranging from everyday essentials like toilet paper and hand sanitizer, to special gifts like journals or jewelry. Every product has a positive environmental or social impact, like planting trees or fighting human trafficking. Simple Switch is offering a discount exclusively for our listeners. Check out the marketplace on simpleswitch.org and get 20% off your first order with code PURCHASEWITHPURPOSE at checkout! The Lemonade Boutique  This episode is sponsored by The Lemonade Boutique, a women’s clothing with a cause store. Featuring ethically made and fair trade items from over 10 countries, every item is made by women facing extreme challenges such as trafficking, poverty, and more. Your purchase empowers women to take life's lemons and make lemonade.  Shop at THELemonadeBoutique.com. Listeners of the Business with Purpose Podcast can save 15% by using code PURPOSE15 at checkout.

In This Episode... Adrian and Renaud talk about the current trend of moving manufacturing operations away from China, either partly or completely. This really started to gain pace due to the US/China trade war and the punitive tariffs imposed by the US government on some 'Made-In-China' goods, and, in some ways, the coronavirus pandemic hastened it, too, as companies sought to diversify supply chains to reduce risk. So is this exodus from China going to continue into 2021 and does it affect you? We discuss the trends and some of the realities of transferring some or all of your supply chain to other countries in this episode. Show Notes 00:00 - Introduction / What has caused some companies to move operations away from China in recent years. 02:47 - Is the trend of moving supply chains out of China still realistic and ongoing? It's still a trend amongst many companies to be researching and planning to make this move in 2021 or beyond. How large companies have been most successful in moving, mainly, assembly out of China into countries like Vietnam up to now.  04:44 - What challenges do smaller companies face when trying to make the switch? Smaller companies, such as many e-commerce sellers who private label products from an ODM or OEM, have been much slower to move operations due to their agreements with their manufacturer. They often have little say in what the Chinese manufacturer does, so, even if they want to diversify out of China, it's either impossible or slow progress if they can't find a similar manufacturer to work with in, say, India, who provide the same product. Also, smaller companies may not have the budget, especially after 202, to finance such a move of the supply chain overseas after working with an ODM/OEM, as this could include needing to pay for new tooling, product development, and more (which the Chinese supplier provided to them as a part of the package). 07:31 - Why companies who have designed and developed their own products are at an advantage when it comes to moving some of their supply chain out of China. If their manufacturing contract is written correctly they should own their molds and tooling and can transfer this from a Chinese supplier to another supplier either in China or a different country. But even if assembly can be done in Vietnam, for example, it may still be necessary to have some of the supply chain in China, such as certain component suppliers. 08:46 - Imports from Vietnam to the USA have increased by almost 40% in recent years. Does this mean that it's possible to do assembly and get components there, too? In fact, not really. Many of the facilities opened in Vietnam are either close to the Chinese border or in port cities where components from China can be readily shipped in. This may change in future, but, for now, Vietnam doesn't provide a full supply chain infrastructure in most cases. 10:52 - Is assembly and packing done in SE Asia a way to circumvent US tariffs? It depends on the amount of value creation in the final country, but it can sometimes be illegal. The issue is the lack of sub-suppliers for components and materials outside of China. 12:49 - Has India benefited from any companies moving some operations out of China? We discuss some Taiwanese companies moving to Chennai as it has an existing network of suppliers and workforce from its electronic and automotive industry there, although a lot of components still come from China. The conflict between India and China does not help matters in India right now, as the Indian customs are processing Chinese imports very slowly which increases risks for manufacturers there. So when you look at the costs of having an extended supply chain across China and India, does this make avoiding tariffs on China-made-goods worthwhile? It may not, so you have to research this. 16:21 - Foxconn's new factory in Northern Vietnam. Why is it here and how does it benefit Apple? How about components - are they still going to be coming from China?  18:24 - What does a Biden presidency mean for American companies moving forward? Discussion on if the US/China trade war will continue and how it could change, if at all? 22:44 - How have Chinese exports to the US and other countries started booming in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and how is the logistics industry struggling to cope with the strain? What types of sectors have really benefited, even with the US/China trade war in effect?  27:08 - Are companies from other countries aside from the USA also trying to move supply chains out of China? If so, why? The US tariffs still affect companies who manufacture in China for the US market, too, even if they aren't American companies, so it's still a cause. The coronavirus shutdown of China's manufacturing sector in early 2020 also prompted many global companies to start the process in order to diversify and have less risk in future due to being less reliant on China. However, due to the inability to travel, many companies plan to move but have put the projects on hold for now which, of course, benefits China...for now. 31:02 - If your business sells in the China market, is it wise to move operations out of China? There is some debate about this point. Importing into China is complex and bureaucratic, so this could cause you a lot of hassle in future. It may well also be that the Chinese authorities will not take kindly to brands who are very active internally moving supply chains out of China. This is a source of risk to be aware of and assess if that's your company. 32:25 -Wrapping up and festive wishes from Renaud and Adrian!

Phil returns for Part 2 of Vietnam as we visit the visual feast that is Central and Northern Vietnam. From famous hotspots such as Hoi An and Halong Bay to lesser known beauties like Sapa and the world's largest cave system, we've got the lot. We also discuss a few tourist traps made famous by instagram and whether or not they are worth the visit.

Rooster Talk Episode 26 A Margaret River Rooster Talk Series - August 2020   This episode has Scott telling us how things are going in Vietnam. I have been a fan of the Ta khoa project from the start and the share price is also telling us that the market has the same thoughts. Blackstone is all about having a great project, fantastic exploration results and management delivering shareholders great value.   Blackstone will deliver the only green nickel project that Elon Musk is asking from the market. The market is now slwowly finding it out for themselves.     About Blackstone Minerals Limited   Blackstone Minerals Limited (ASX: BSX) is developing the district scale Ta Khoa Project in Northern Vietnam where the company is drilling out the large-scale Ban Phuc Nickel-PGE deposit. The Ta Khoa Nickel-PGE Project has existing modern mine infrastructure built to International Standards including a 450ktpa processing plant and permitted mine facilities.   Blackstone also owns a large landholding at the Gold Bridge project within the BC porphyry belt in British Columbia, Canada with large scale drill targets prospective for high-grade gold-cobalt-copper mineralisation.   In Australia, Blackstone is exploring for nickel and gold in the Eastern Goldfields and gold in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Blackstone has a board and management team with a proven track record of mineral discovery and corporate success.   About Scott Williamson   Experienced Managing Director with a demonstrated history of working in the mining & metals industry. Skilled in Open Pit & Underground Mining, Corporate Finance, Investor Relations and Project Planning. A strong business development professional with equity capital markets experience graduated from West Australian School of Mines and Curtin University of Technology. Scott holds a WA First Class Mine Manager’s Certificate and is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy

Northern Vietnam now stands out on the radar of global manufacturers looking for alternative production bases to China. As well as the demonstrable cost benefits, the region also has the advantage of being close to Southern China and good potential for industrial development.

Blackstone Minerals (ASX: BSX) managing director Scott Williamson joins Small Caps to discuss the recent intersection of massive sulphide nickel in two maiden drill holes at the Ban Chang prospect in Vietnam. Along with future plans at the Ta Khoa nickel-PGE project, commentary on the nickel market and Scott's background, including his Kalgoorlie roots.

Today we celebrate the botanist who was allowed to tend a garden while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. We'll learn about the Pioneer botanist of Tennessee and the botanist who used his love of trees to shape an optimistic view of humanity. We'll also celebrate Jamie Taggert, the young Scottish botanist, who set out on this day in 2013 for Vietnam but sadly never returned to his beloved home at the Linn Botanical Garden. We'll hear the Carl Sandburg poem with the famous line, "no beautiful thing lasts" We Grow That Garden Library with today's book which is all about mixing up a special batch of seeds for a natural garden that doesn't require buying any small plants. We'll talk about some ideas for a Garden-Themed Thanksgiving and then we'll close the show with some Autumn-inspired Ayurvedic principals for the Gardener.     But first, let's catch up on a few recent events. The blog of the award-winning Landscape team of Warnes McGarr @warnesmcgarr recently shared a very beneficial post called "Five things to consider before redesigning your garden." As a northern gardener, I love what they say right at the beginning of their post, which is that the coming colder months should be used to make plans for the garden. The design team encourages us to ask this question: "Do you use your garden enough, or is it an afterthought?" With this question in mind, they share some considerations for any garden redesign project: reducing the size of your lawn, adding a garden room, investing in a wood-fired oven, and keeping wildlife in mind when you select plants for your garden.   Meanwhile, Gardens Illustrated reported on How to Prepare the Garden for Winter,  and they shared a few useful tasks to tackle right now. In addition to general tidy up, suggestions like using a power washer to clean your stonework, setting up your bird feeders (something we discussed yesterday) as well as cleaning and culling through your pot collection are excellent activities to accomplish as we transition into winter.   Now, if you'd like to check out these curated articles for yourself, you're in luck - because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community.  So there’s no need to take notes or track down links - just head on over to the group - and join.          Brevities #OTD On this day in 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh was executed.  On the orders of King James, Raleigh had been a special prisoner at the Tower of London for thirteen years. During his time in the tower, Raleigh was allowed to tend a small apothecary garden in the courtyard below. Raleigh used his garden to grow exotic plants and plants from the new world. He also used the herbs to experiment with medicines. Last year marked the 400th anniversary of Raleigh's death. In celebration, Raleigh's "Lost Garden" was installed at the Tower of London. The garden is planted with herbs, flowers, and fruits that are historically appropriate for the time Raleigh was at the Tower. Historical records show that Raleigh created numerous cordials and herbal remedies. He once incorporated borage, rosemary, marigold, saffron, juniper berries, lemons, red roses, and red gilly to create a cordial for new mothers.      #OTD On this day in 1908, The Tennessean newspaper reported that the botanist Thomas G. Harbison was in Nashville to collect a specimen of the clematis gattingeri for Harvard. The gattingeri clematis was regarded as a very rare plant that had been discovered by Augustin Gattinger. Gattinger was known as the "Pioneer Botanist of Tennesee". He had been born in Munich, Germany in 1825, but had immigrated to the united states in his twenties after being kicked out of the University of Munich for seeking more liberty for Germans and for celebrating George Washington's birthday.  Gattinger served in the Union Army during the civil war, and he became a country doctor. He also started studying botany, and Gattinger counted many prominent botanists as friends. Gattinger is remembered for his published works, which include The Flora of Tennessee and Medicinal Plants of Tennessee. Gattinger's entire 50,000 specimen herbarium was donated to the University of Tennessee in 1890. Sadly, in 1934, the collection was destroyed in a fire. In the preface to his Flora of Tennessee,  Gattinger wrote: "While the pursuit of botany never brought me any financial advantages, I acknowledge that it was a mighty protector in keeping me out of the way of social corruption, and it gave me many hours of the purest enjoyment of life and brought me into friendly relations with many excellent men and women."     #OTD  Today is the anniversary of the death of the botanist William Henry Chapman who died on this day in 1970. Chapman was an American botanist, and his area of specialty was pomology or fruit. As a professor, Chapman taught at Cornell and later at UC Berkeley and UC Davis, where he was the Dean of Agriculture.  A Biographical Memoir of Chandler,  written by Jacob Biale, includes an excerpt from a 1941 speech given by Chandler, where he reflected on the merits of studying plants. He said,  "The material we work with has character," "[Chandler believed that] trees and plants... exerted an influence on the behavior of the people who tended them." Chandler wrote that, "The emblem of my faith is the tree and its system of dormant buds. ... Because of this reserve of dormant buds, a tree is ... dependable in a destructive world. It can be broken into pieces... and will grow new parts to replace the lost ones. "...The tree symbolizes my faith in humanity ... For I know, there are many dormant buds in human society also."       #OTD  On this day in 2013, Jamie Taggert, the young Scottish botanist, set out on a solo Plant Expedition to Vietnam. Jamie grew up with his botanist father, Jim, and tended the garden his dad founded - the Linn Botanic Gardens that overlooks Loch Long on Cove Bay in Scottland. The ancestors of Hugh Grant once owned the estate.  The Linn Botanic Garden is home to almost 4,000 plant species. Back in 2013, Jamie was beginning his third plant-hunting expedition. It was his first solo trip, and he was planning to explore the mountains of Northern Vietnam - a place he had botanized on an earlier trip. When he arrived in Vietnam, he sent his dad a text to let him know he had arrived. On the morning of Halloween, he checked into a guest house and then took a taxi to the National Park of Fansipan - the tallest mountain in Vietnam. A tea seller at the base of the mountain watched Jamie walk toward the mountain. She would be the last person to see Jamie alive. Over two years later, a Vietnamese farmer found Jamie's body at the bottom of a waterfall. Jamie apparently died attempting to scale the slippery rocks. Rob Curran wrote an excellent article about Jamie's story in Believer Magazine.  He  writes that many people have asked: "What was he thinking?" Why did Jamie take such a risk for plants? Curran concludes his article this way: "What was he thinking? He was thinking of Menzies and the great Scots explorers. He was thinking of Mother Nature on the run from climate change and high-capacity cable cars. He was thinking of the beauty of the flower he had just discovered, and whether anyone else would ever see it. For what is the act of discovery if not leaving the safe foothold of the known to reach into the abyss?"       Unearthed Words Autumn Movement by Carl Sandburg I cried over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts. The field of cornflower yellow is a scarf at the neck of the copper sunburned woman, the mother of the year, the taker of seeds. The northwest wind comes, and the yellow is torn full of holes, new beautiful things come in the first spit of snow on the northwest wind, and the old things go, not one lasts.     It's time to Grow That Garden Library with today's book: Sowing Beauty by James Hitchmough  The subtitle for today's book is Designing Flowering Meadows from Seed,  and that is indeed what makes Hitchmough's approach unique and different. James has come up with his way of combining seeds to significant effect. The result is a beautiful garden;  grown entirely from seed.  There's no need to purchase starter plants from nurseries and no need to scour plant sales. James is a professor of horticultural ecology at the University of Sheffield his work centers around developing novel approaches to planting design.    As a researcher and a practitioner, James prioritizes both aesthetics and function. His ecological plantings strive to accomplish both; his plants are beautiful, layered and naturalistic.   Hitchmough has worked to find mixes that can hold their own and exist for years in the garden - and also resist weeds. Best of all, Hitchmough shares his seed mix recipes in the book, and they are shared for a variety of growing zones.        Today's Garden Chore Start thinking about ways to have a Garden-themed Thanksgiving. After Halloween, the little pumpkins, squashes, and gourds begin to go on sale. But they will last for months if they are kept in a cool, dry, space. Your Thanksgiving tablescape can feature these classic elements, but you can also incorporate other garden-inspired items into your tablescape. This year, consider adding a yule-log - an actual log that you can decorate with mosses, air plants, and succulents. Crotons offer beautiful autumnal colors. Jade plants provide architecture and plumpness, a perfect accent for your Thanksgiving table.  Another wonder item that I stumbled on a few years ago - and managed to find for you online today - is a cast iron mini tree stand. This is such a fun way to bring nature indoors. In this case, you can take a nature walk and look for a beautiful tree branch that you can display using the cast iron mini tree stand.  You could even turn the tree into a centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table or a thankful tree for your Thanksgiving tradition. You can decorate it with ribbons or with little notes that count your blessings. I searched and searched online to find the little tree stand, and I found it on the website Antique Farm House. They sell the cast iron mini tree stand as a set of four. So, go ahead and buy the set for $24, and then you have three extra lovely little stands that you can use as gifts over the holidays.   Something Sweet  Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart Mother Nature has blessed us yet again with a change of seasons. The fall season is a season of movement and transition. We are transitioning from hot to cold and wet to dry.  Ayurvedic health and wellness experts tell us that this is the time of year when, like the garden, we also need to change to achieve balance. So, here are some other activities that can benefit gardeners as we transition out of our gardens and into our homes. Take time to ground yourself by increasing the amount of stillness in your day. Our gardens are a natural place of stillness and silence for us. Even when we are weeding, we are grounded and quiet. And we are focused on a single point of connection with the earth. The work in the garden is not like other work we perform. To make up for this loss of grounding and stilling work, adding in more opportunities for stillness can bring calm and a sense of balance. Curl up in your favorite chair. Fill a corner of a room with houseplants and sit beside them. Imitate your plants and add stillness to your day.    Add warmth to counter the cold, dry air; eat warm foods.  Dig out your crockpot so you can have a warm, cooked meal every day. Enjoy warm drinks like coffee and herbal teas. Enjoy spices and herbs that are warming like cinnamon and ginger. Microgreens of basil and mustards are very warming as well and happily grow on the kitchen counter. At bedtime, a little cup of warmed milk with a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon and sugar is a lovely way to end the day.   Finish some of your remaining garden tasks indoors.  If you have items you need to go through, bring them indoors where it's warm and where you have a sink you can fill with warm soapy water. Clean off the cobwebs and the grime. Go through your aprons and your gloves. Tidy up the bins that have been catchalls in the potting shed or garage - where you hang your hat in the garden. I recently washed up some pots and baskets along with some miscellaneous junk I had on my garden shelf outside the front door. Somehow, it was easier to address the clutter by evaluating the items inside a warm house than standing or sitting out in the wind and cold.  So there you go; three tips to aid our transition into Fall - as we walk out of our gardens and into the shelter of a warm home.         Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

What are Hmong in Lao Cai near Sapa in Northern Vietnam doing for a living? Mee Fang shares her story. - Cov kwv tij Hmoob ntawm lub zos Lom Kiab (Lao Cai) uas nyob ze Sapa ntawm sab qaum teb teb chaws Cob Tsib ua lub neej zoo li cas xwb? Maiv Nyiaj Xyooj nrog Mim Faaj tham txog Hmoob lub neej ntawm lub zos no tias lawv ua dab tsi.

6PI is elated to have Traveller and Poet John Ruane on the podcast. John and Mitch have an in-depth chat about John’s travels around Northern Vietnam and his talk about his experience living in Hanoi and Saigon, the cultural differences between the Hanoians and Saigonese, seeing the impact of hardships in both the north and south of the country, and John shares some of his poetry. Also: John breaks borders, the Ha Giang Loop, expat communities, and the plasticity of Saigon. Plus: Beer and food plugs, hearing the invisible map, gaging vietnamese opinions, and John’s favorite parts of Saigon. Please like, share, and subscribe to hear more of this awesome content! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Intro and Outro Music: Oli Aveline Sound Editor: Oli Aveline Producers: Mitch Miller, Nguyen Hoang Phi Long, Oli Aveline

Doi Son pagoda, which literally translates to ‘pagoda on the Doi mountain,’ is a cultural symbol of Ha Nam province and a sacred place in the Red River Delta. It is one of the biggest Buddhist centers in northern Vietnam. Link full: http://vovworld.vn/en-US/discovery-vietnam/doi-son-pagodaa-buddhist-center-in-northern-vietnam-771418.vov --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/v5vietnam/support

Hannah tells me the story of her clothing company Tamay & Me which takes us to the mountain towns of Northern Vietnam.

Wow, not at all how I planned or wanted to end my motorbike tour through Northern Vietnam but I guess if I'm going to go out I might as well go out with a BANG. Tune in to find out what exactly happened that made me almost lose my shit!

Day 1 of my amazing 7 day 775 mile long motorbike trip through Northern Vietnam has come to an end. What an experience it was but I can promise you, the best has yet to come. Stay tuned!

In the final episode of Season 1 of the Gatty Lecture Rewind, SEAP graduate students Michael and Hoang Minh Vu sit down with Alex-Thai D. Vo, PhD Candidate at Cornell to chat about his research on land reform in Northern Vietnam in the years leading up to the Vietnam War. The three discuss Alex-Thai and Hoang's personal and academic journey's to their topics, and the importance of researching Vietnam from multiple perspectives for the country. Tune in next year for Season 2 of the podcast! 

Marcel Van was a mystic who died at a camp in Northern Vietnam. Before his death, he had visions and mystical conversations with St. Therese of Lisieux and Jesus. While his cause for beatification was opened in 1997, not many people have heard of him in the West. Suzie Andres joins us to talk about the many spiritual gems that Marcel's conversations offer us. If you are looking for a new brother in your spiritual life, today's episode will cover how even our little ways are made larger through God's grace. Take a look at Servant of God Marcel Van's Conversations (https://amzn.to/2M8rvV6). Also check out Suzie's article on Marcel Van to learn more (https://goo.gl/PjpZmS). And do check out her blog (http://www.suzieandres.com/) image: By Amis de Van [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia CommonsSupport the show (https://catholicexchange.com/donate)

I'm sitting at my desk with a bag of rice in my hands. Did you know rice is planted by hand, one tiny seed at a time? I didn't either. Until I trekked through the rice terraces of Northern Vietnam where they grow the stuff, I had no idea how rice even happened. As it turns out, rice is a lot like life. In this episode, we talk about how. Follow beginagainpod on Instagram for pictures from the rice terraces of Sapa, in picturesque Northern Vietnam.

https://www.patreon.com/FarEastAdventureTravel My podcast relies on support from listeners like you! Please visit my Patreon page and become a patron. For as little as $1/month you can help me continue to bring you podcasts and travel information/inspiration from the Far East!I Absolutely love Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam! On my most recent visit I spent nearly 17 days hanging out, chatting with locals, and getting to know the city and it's people. As I said in the video, it's very easy to just hang out in it's Old Quarter, with it's atmospheric themed shopping streets, great cheap delicious street food, and the ultra cheap and refreshing bia hoi, fresh beer, that costs $9000VND, about $.040US. Life unfolds all around you in the Old Quarter. Locals are quite comfortable leaving their doors open, and acting out their daily life in the public, from taking naps to getting into family arguments. I'm addicted to the traditional wet markets in Asia, the bustle and the amazing selection of fresh produce, fruit, seafood, bake goods and of course street food! I also spent lots of time around Hanoi's Dong Xuan Wholesale Market, where you can find little alleys and lanes full of the fresh bounty of Northern Vietnam along with amazing little food stalls that sell of the best street food in Asia. More of this to come in future podcasts!Thanks so much for listening and don't forget to follow me for daily images and live/recorded video from Asia:https://www.instagram.com/fareastadventuretravel/youtube.com/c/JohnSaboefareastadventuretravel

Hear about travel to Northern Vietnam as the Amateur Traveler talks to Cindy Carlsson about her trip to some popular sites and some way off the beaten track places.

Hear about travel to Northern Vietnam as the Amateur Traveler talks to Cindy Carlsson about her trip to some popular sites and some way off the beaten track places.

Hear about travel to Northern Vietnam as the Amateur Traveler talks to Cindy Carlsson about her trip to some popular sites and some way off the beaten track places.

Excluding the Kinh or ethnic Vietnamese people there are a total of 8 ethnic hill tribes that are found in the Sapa area of Northern Vietnam. Hmong, Dzao, Tay, Giay, Muong, Thai, Hoa(ethnic Chinese), and Xa Pho. The last 4 tribes compromise less than 500 people. The largest groups are the Hmong(52%), Dzao(25%), and Kinh(15%).Many older women of the two tribes you'll see most often in Sapa, Hmong and Dzao, make blankets and other textiles to sell. Many will also sell produce as well as bamboo that they harvest in the hills. You'll also often see young children selling trinkets in the village to help support their family. Some places discourage this but in my opinion I'd rather see people buying trinkets from kids rather than handing out candy. Their dental hygiene is not good to begin with and signs around town discourage this practise. Donate now and help support the Far East Adventure Travel Podcast. A gift of $5, $10, $20, or $30 goes along way to help with production and travel costs. Whenever possible I stay in guesthouses, employ local guides and drivers, and support local business. The money I spend goes directly back into the community and so can yours. Support Far East Adventure Travel with a donation now!Donate paypal.me/JohnASaboe DonateWrite a Review:https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/adventure-travel-far-east/id890305531?mt=2

Vietnam is a multi-ethnic country with a total of 54 ethnic groups making up 14% or 13-14 million of the total population of 90 million. Excluding the Kinh or ethnic Vietnamese people there are a total of 8 ethnic hill tribes that are found in the Sapa area of Northern Vietnam. Hmong, Dzao, Tay, Giay, Muong, Thai, Hoa(ethnic Chinese), and Xa Pho. The last 4 tribes compromise less than 500 people. The largest groups are the Hmong(52%), Dzao(25%), and Kinh(15%). Many older women of the two tribes you'll see most often in Sapa, Hmong and Dzao, make blankets and other textiles to sell. Many will also sell produce as well as bamboo that they harvest in the hills. You'll also often see young children selling trinkets in the village to help support their family. Some places discourage this but in my opinion I'd rather see people buying trinkets from kids rather than handing out candy. Their dental hygiene is not good to begin with and signs around town discourage this practise. Better to donate pens, pencils, or books directly to the schools. If you insist on giving something to kids it's better to give items like toys to the parents so begging is not encouraged. Giving anything directly to children really does set a bad pattern. Please don't do this wherever you travel in Asia. It's just as gratifying to give to a local charity or school. It's always fun to walk through the morning markets to see local goods for sale including fresh fruit and snacks like the bamboo tubes full of sticky rice. The people of the ethnic hill tribes English is remarkably good and a sign that language skills are important to survival. They are lots of fun to chat with and if you can get past the aggressive salesmanship you'll have some wonderful memories of engagement and interaction. I truly enjoyed my recent visit to Sapa. A highlight of the trip was a daily visit to the morning markets. Hope you enjoy the podcast and if you'd like to write a review in the iTunes store it will help other people find Far East Adventure Travel. Please follow the link below, make sure you're signed into the iTunes Store, click Ratings and Reviews, rate the podcast with a possible 5 stars then write your review. Write a Review: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/adventure-travel-far-east/id890305531?mt=2 Write a Review

I. Voice of the Martyrs We are looking this morning at Daniel Chapter 6, perhaps one of the most familiar passages in the Old Testament. It's right up there with Noah's ark, and David and Goliath, but I think the Lord still has more light to break forth from His word. And I think it's important for us to look at this passage in its proper context, that we see exactly what kind of trial of faith that Daniel went through and what it represents for us today. Recently, I've come across a Christian group entitled the Voice of the Martyrs, and I've got a magazine here that they put out, "Voice of the Martyrs." And if any of you are interested in this group, I think it would be well worth your time to write to them and they'll send you a free subscription to their magazine. And in there, in that magazine and in a video I received, there's information about people who are giving their lives for Jesus Christ around the world. Now, you may think, "How can this still be going on today? How could it be the governments are persecuting and actually taking the lives of people simply because they trust in Jesus Christ?" But it's still going on today. For example, we feel perhaps that communism has reached its end with the fall of the Berlin Wall, but that's not true. There are many communist nations today, and Karl Marx, the father of communism, had this to say about our faith, "The idea of God is the keynote of a perverted civilization. It must be destroyed. The idea of God is the keynote of a perverted civilization, it must be destroyed." And so communist nations, throughout history, in the last 100 years and up till today, do everything they can to eradicate, to destroy faith and believers. And I heard about a particular tribe in Southeast Asia, throughout the region of Southeast Asia, but centered in the northern part of Vietnam, the Hmong tribe, they live in the hills there, and in 1990 they heard the word of truth, they heard the Gospel and they believed. A revival broke out and many of them came to faith in Christ. Immediately, the communist government in Northern Vietnam began to persecute them, to arrest them, to try to persuade them to go back to worshipping evil spirits and tribal deities, but they were not successful. At present, even while I speak today, as far as I know, 23 Hmong pastors are in prison today for their faith, and they can go anytime if they renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. Last year, one of them was killed by having a knife pushed through his mouth. I don't want to shock you, but this is the kind of thing that's going on right now. Other Hmong Christians have been killed by having boiling water poured down their throats simply for having a Bible, simply for owning a Bible. And this is the kind of thing that's going on around the world. One Hmong woman said, "We've been persecuted by the government so many times, we are no longer afraid of what they can do to us. We trust instead the Scripture and the truth, that our faith is being tested, and the gold and silver of our faith is being purified." Incredible. But then she said, "Please remember to pray for us." Now, Hebrews 13:3 says that we should remember those in prison as if we were their fellow prisoners, and those who are suffering persecution as if we ourselves were suffering that persecution. We need to hear the Voice of the Martyrs, and the reason I bring it up today is because Daniel suffered the same kind of persecution, but God miraculously delivered Him. He was attacked by the government and God delivered him. But it is not always going to be that way. And as we go on in the Book of Daniel, we're going to see, especially in Daniel Chapter 7, with the rise of the anti-Christ and the tribulation and the suffering that's going to go on as depicted in Daniel 7, the war against the saints, that God is not always going to pluck Daniel out of the lions' den, but rather they are going to be martyrs for the faith. And we, who are not suffering that kind of persecution, must remember to pray for them and realize that God holds them dear, and that their deaths are precious in His sight. The context in Daniel So, how does this fit into the Book of Daniel? Well, understand that the Jews were taken out of their promised land because of their sin and brought into the land of Babylon. And immediately they were put under the authority of a pagan government, and immediately there was a pull toward doing evil things, violating conscience. Remember in Daniel 1, where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and Daniel resolved that they would not defile themselves with the food provided from the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar's table. And so there's a pull immediately under the government toward doing evil and doing wrong. That was just the first pass, the first glancing pass. By the time it got to Chapter 3, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had to choose between life and faith in God, with the threat of a burning fiery furnace hanging over their head and a very real threat, the battle had been joined between that pagan government and faith in God. And so they were delivered also. And so we have here also, in Daniel 6, a struggle between a godly man and a government which seeks to take his life. II. The Godly Viciously Trapped (vs. 1-17) Now, as we're going to look through this, we see the passage breaking into two sections. Verses 1 through 17, we see the godly, namely Daniel, viciously trapped. And in verses 18-28, we see God vindicating His servant and His name. Let's look first at the first section. I just propose to move through this section by section, and understand what God is saying to us here. A Godly Character and Promotion (vs. 1-3) Beginning at Verse 1, it says, "It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now, Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom." So, in Verse 1 through 3, we see Daniel elevated to a position of power. Now, realize just the incredible shock and the amazement that this would even happen. When last we saw Daniel last week, Daniel was made the third highest ruler in the Kingdom of Babylon the night that Babylon fell to the Medo-Persian army. Now would you want to be wearing that purple robe and that gold chain around your neck the night the Medo-Persians go racing through the palace looking for anyone in charge? Absolutely not. What happens to the previous administration in these pagan kingdoms when they're toppled? They're almost always killed, executed, at least exiled where they can do no damage. I don't actually know of any case where the third highest ruler of one kingdom, in the ancient world, was made the third highest ruler of the next kingdom. But it shouldn't surprise us. What is the lesson that we have learned from the Book of Daniel? That God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men, and He gives throne so whoever He chooses. And so if He wants Daniel to be the third highest ruler in Babylon, and then Daniel the third highest ruler in the kingdom to topple Babylon, He can do that. And that's exactly what happens here. It's really remarkable. And so Darius the Mede comes in and takes control of Babylon. We don't know much about Darius. I think there was probably a co-regency with him and Cyrus the Great, and so He's ruling over that area of Babylon and the Medo-Persian Empire. And so he has a plan to organize his empire. He's going to structure it so that he will not suffer loss. This problem means loss of revenue but loss of anything. These are the resources of the empire. And he wants to administer, he wants to structure it and arrange it so that it will be well run. Well, it isn't long before Daniel, through his exceptional qualities, through his wisdom, through his character and his ability, designates himself or shows himself to be better than any of the other administrators. And so Darius has a plan to raise him to be probably the third highest ruler behind Cyrus the Great and himself. A Godless Cowardly Plot (vs. 4-9) In Verses 4 through 9, we see the godless, cowardly plot. "At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy, and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, 'We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.' So, the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said, 'Oh, King Darius, live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next 30 days, except to you, oh, King, shall be thrown into the lions' den. Now, oh, King, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.'" Verse 9, "So King Darius put the decree in writing." Now, Jesus has made us many promises in this world, hasn't He? One of those that we don't cherish necessarily or hold to our heart is John 16:33. In this world, you will have, what? Trouble. You're going to have trouble in this world. The Apostle Paul says the same thing when he says, "Everyone who desires to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." And so Daniel has some enemies. Now, what are the roots of this plot? It's jealousy. They're jealous over Daniel. They're jealous over the fact that he is going to be elevated, that he's going to have an important position, "that it wasn't me chosen. Why wasn't it me? I'm a good administrator. I've known Darius for years. Why this foreigner?" And so there's probably a racial aspect as well, "This Jewish exile, and he's going to be third highest in the kingdom. How can it be?" They're jealous. And so they launch out in a plot to destroy him. Now recently... I'm not making any political statements. I'm not able to do that anyway, but I wouldn't make it. But recently, Linda Chavez, who was one of the new president's designates for a cabinet post, was found to have some improprieties in her life and she had to withdraw her candidacy for that post. And she talked about the politics of search and destroy. Well, I see the same thing here in this chapter. It hasn't changed at all. Human nature has not changed much in all these years. We know God hasn't changed at all, but have humans changed that much? And so there's a searching and a destroying for Daniel. They're looking for something they can find to destroy him, but amazingly they come up with nothing. Now, nowadays, if you're going to search somebody's life to try to find a skeleton in the closet, you use electronic surveillance equipment, maybe some bugs, maybe look through their emails or something on their computer, try to find some skeleton in their closet. But with Daniel, they can find nothing. Maybe they've got some household spies and they've got... They're hiring some of the servants. "Daniel, we've got some servants for you." "Oh, great I'll put them on my staff." Next thing you know, they're giving reports back to these enemies. And the report comes back and say, "Well, what do you find? Does he have any bad habits? Any immorality? Is there anything... Is he taking any bribes? Is he doing anything on the side?" "No, can't find anything." "Nothing at all?" "Well, he prays a lot and he's working all the time. Other than that, really nothing." So, he's kind of a problem for them. They can't find anything wrong with this guy. The more they look, the more they are convinced that there's no skeletons in the closet. They say, "We will never find anything against Daniel, except that it has something to do with the law of his God." What a testimony. If you had such an enemy, I mean a human being, searching your life for something to destroy you, will they find something? If they followed you and looked 168 hours a week, would they find something that could be put in a headline and ruin your life? With Daniel, they found nothing. They couldn't find anything. And they say, "How? How is it possible for a human being to be so pure that his enemy can find nothing wrong with him?" Well, I think it's that he believed he was being watched. Daniel believed he was being watched but not by them. By God, watched all the time. Just like Job said. This is what Job says, in Job Chapter 7 Verse 17. "What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, that you examine him every morning and test him every moment? Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant? If I have sinned, what have I done to you, oh, watcher of men?" Job called God a watcher of men. Is that what God is? Does He observe all the time everything you do? Oh, absolutely. And we're going to find next week that He's keeping a careful record of everything, too. Daniel Chapter 7 the court is seated, and the books are opened. And so I think Daniel knew very well he was being watched. It didn't matter to him what people thought. It mattered what God thought. And so he was pure, no sins of omission, and no sins of commission. He wasn't negligent. Nor was he corrupt. He did everything the office required of him, with foresight, with diligence, with dedication. Anything the king wanted to do that didn't violate his conscience, he did it promptly and skillfully. On the other side, he wasn't on the take, he wasn't taking bribes. I've been in many places in the world where everything done by the government must be lubricated with a bribe. Government officials are in it for themselves, they're in it for the take. And if you don't give a bribe, you're not going to get the plane ticket you need or the visa, or any of the things you need from a government agency. Daniel wasn't that way. He had no interest in earthly wealth. He settled that back when he decided to eat only vegetables and water, and not eat any of the delicacies from the king's stable. He wasn't living that kind of a pleasure-seeking life, and so he was not corrupt. His personal holiness was at the root of everything he did. And so they approached the king and they hatched a plot, a cowardly plot. They look in and they say, "Well, we're going to do something with the law of his God, and we're going to try to manipulate the circumstance." And they trick Darius. Darius Should Have Known Better Now, Darius is 62 years old, he should have known better. But he was manipulated by these advisers into issuing a decree that anyone who prayed to any god, other than to him, for the next 30 days would be thrown into the lion's den. And so they use flattery and pride, "O King Darius, live forever." And then there's this law of the Medes and the Persians. You've heard about the law of the Medes and the Persians. It cannot be changed, it cannot be altered. Now, Nebuchadnezzar, he was a law unto himself. If he issued a decree, so it was until he changed his mind and went back the other way. That's just the way it was. Nebuchadnezzar was the law in Babylon. But the Medes and the Persians were different. If the king issued a decree, and it was written down in writing, it could not be changed even by the king himself. There was not absolute sovereignty or power in the Medo-Persian Empire. And so Darius makes, in Verse 9, a dangerous decision. And you say, "Of course, it's dangerous to Daniel. Daniel's life was threatened by this. He would be thrown in the lions' den if he continued to pray to God." But I really think the real danger here is not to Daniel. Daniel has eternal life. He's not afraid to die. Who's the one threatened by Darius's decree? Well, it's Darius. Darius is threatened by his own degree, because our God is a jealous God and He will not have any rivals. "I am the Lord, your God… You shall have no other gods besides Me." And so there is to be no worship of Darius, no praying to Darius, and Darius put himself in a very dangerous position by doing this. And this is the essence of the beast of Revelation 13. Government is supposed to be a good gift from God, established by His authority, to uphold His principles and retard unrighteousness in society. But instead we have the beast of Revelation 13, not the gift of God in Romans 13. And what is the essence of the beast in Revelation 13? That it takes the place of God, that the leader thinks himself worthy of worship. And so we're going to see over the next couple of weeks, as we study about the anti-Christ, that that's the essence of his reign as well, that he be worshipped. And so Darius, at a much lower level, wants to be prayed to. A Godly Courageous Prayer (vs. 10-11) Well, what does Daniel do? Well, Verse 10 and 11 tells us what he does. He prays, "Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room, where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before." Now, Daniel has his proper priorities. In 1 Peter Chapter 2 Verse 17, Peter says that we are to "fear God and honor the king." Can I say to you, as Christians, that you are to fear God and honor the king, in that order? Fear God and honor the king. And where the king issues a decree that is in harmony with God's laws, you must obey. But where the king issues a decree that breaks God's laws, you must disobey. And so Daniel respectfully disobeyed. He went into his room, and he knelt down, and he prayed. And this is godly civil disobedience. And here we see Daniel willing to die for his daily quiet time. Stop and think about that. He's willing to die for his daily prayer life. What are you willing to die for? Think about that. There was a poll recently done of youth, and less than one-third of the youth they polled could find anything worth dying for. Their lives were too comfortable, to pleasure-filled. Why would they ever want to trade that in for anything? There was no value, there was no truth, there was nothing that they felt it was worth laying down their lives for. Nothing. Martin Luther was willing to lay down his life for a doctrinal truth, justification by faith alone. He really thought he'd be burned at the stake. The early Christian martyrs were willing to lay down their lives rather than burn incense to a Roman Caesar. Modern Chinese Christians willing to lay down their lives rather than give up their house fellowships and churches. 19th century missionaries, who went to West Africa, packed up their things in their coffins because the ones that preceded them had died from tropical illnesses, willing to die rather than the West Africans should die without hearing of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said, "I consider my life worth nothing to me, except that I may finish my race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the Gospel of God's grace." I'm willing to die for that. Jesus would rather die than that you go to hell. Jesus would rather die than disobey His Father. What about you? What would you be willing to lay down your life for? It says in Revelation 12:11 of the martyrs, "They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." Do we love our lives too much? Is there nothing we'd be willing to die for? Daniel was willing to die for his daily quiet time. And here in Verse 10 we get a glimpse of his root system. "Three times a day, he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God just as he had done before." Three times a day. "Well, I'm too busy for them, an important, an important woman. I've got important responsibilities." Daniel was in line to be third highest ruler in the Medo-Persian Empire with 120 districts to look over. Are you that busy? Really? Three times a day he prayed and he got down on his knees. And we see his consistent private prayer is the source of his courage. It got him into trouble. He's about to be thrown in the lions' den, but it gave him the courage to respond properly. We're going to learn more about Daniel's prayer life in Daniel Chapter 9. We see his humility, he's down on his knees. And we see him praying, his passion for God's glory, his passion for God's people. He's praying toward Jerusalem. We'll find out more about that in Chapter 9, but He's praying for the restoration of God's people back to the Promised Land and for the plan of God. He's a godly man. How was your root system? How is your daily prayer time? How is your daily time in God's Word? This was strength for Daniel when it got him into trouble. A Godless Consummated Plan (vs. 12-17) Now, in Verses 12 through 17, we see the consummated plan, the godless consummated plan. "So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: 'Did you not publish a decree that during the next 30 days, anyone who prays to any god or man, except to you, oh, King, would be thrown into the lions' den?' The king answered, 'The decree stands in accordance with the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be repealed.' Then they said to the king, 'Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O, King, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.' When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed. He was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him. Then the men went as a group to king and said to him, 'Remember, oh, King, that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.' So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, 'May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you.'" Verse 17, "A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of the nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed." So, here in this section, we see the trap sprung. They've laid the trap, they've baited it, and now it's sprung. And they go to the king, and it comes down on Daniel. And we see again, I think, a racial side here in Verse 13, one of the exiles from Judah doesn't obey you, pays no attention to you, and so again, I think, that's some of the roots of their jealousy. And they make a false accusation. "He pays no attention to you. He's a godless kind of guy, a lawless kind of guy, he does whatever he wants to do." Well, that's a lie. Daniel lived to carry out Darius's commands, just as long as they didn't violate his conscience. And so Darius was thrown into immediate agony. What would he do? He knew he had been trapped. Not just Daniel, but he had been trapped. And he tries everything he can, he hires the best lawyers he can, but there's no escape. There's no changing the laws of the Medes and the Persians, and so Daniel must be thrown into the lions' den. Now, what is this lions' den? You've all seen the children's Bibles. I'm sure you know what it looks like. Right? Well, there's this many different pictures as there are artists and imagination. I don't like the ones that show that lions looking too friendly. They look like stuffed animals, that's not good. Those lions were ferocious 600-pound beasts. And you understand something about a lion is that there's nothing you can do to intimidate it. Unlike other types of animals, and there's a fear of man within the heart of the animal, it's not there in terms of a lion. Not afraid at all. And if you keep them just hungry enough, they might devour somebody before they hit the ground. And that's exactly what happened to Daniel's accusers, and his enemies and their families, thrown down and devoured before they hit the ground. These were not tamed beasts. These were ferocious life-enders, is what they were. And I think it probably was some kind of a cavern, with a hole in the ground, 'cause he was lowered down into it. And it was covered up by some kind of rock. It really is somewhat like a tomb, isn't it? And down he goes. And then the signet ring, which is such an interesting touch, basically it's the authority of King Darius that no one can move that stone or do anything to save Daniel until that night is passed. Do you remember another time when there was a cavern, and then a rock and a signet ring? Do you remember that? Jesus' burial. And Pontius Pilate issued a decree that no one should move that rock, and he sealed it with the Roman seal? Do you know who broke that seal? An angel. An angel broke that seal. Human government has jurisdiction up to a point, but God has ultimate authority. And He breaks that seal if He so chooses. He has ultimate authority to counteract anything issued by a government or a king. III. God Vindicates His Servant and His Name (vs. 18-28) Now, in Verses 18 through 28, God vindicates His servant and his name. Look at 18 through 20, we see Darius's compassion and his hope. "Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep. At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den. And when he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, 'Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?'" I wonder how long Daniel waited before he answered. But there's a tremendous amount of compassion, some friendship here. I don't think he wanted to destroy Daniel at all. I think he was respecting him, Daniel probably already witnessing to him. He respected him. Daniel was probably, at this point, almost 90 years old, if not older. I know that's shocking. I know the artists always show him as a young man, but he was at the end of his life at this point, an old man. And Darius respected him, and I think maybe even loved him. And so he spends all night, no entertainment, nothing to eat, he's pacing the floor back and forth. And then finally the morning comes, and he runs down there as soon as he can, and he calls out. And he's got faith, doesn't he? He's talking to a dead man, a pile of bones. But there's a chance. Maybe he's heard about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. If God can rescue them, maybe He can rescue Daniel out of the lions' den. And so he calls out, but the Aramaic gives strong indication that he doesn't think he's going to get an answer. He calls out in an anguished voice, "Daniel, are you there?" He doesn't think so. He doesn't think he's going to respond. And so there's a mixture of faith and unbelief here. Well, we get the vindication. Darius is about to get the jolt of his life, and I think he'd probably never forget it the rest of his life. Verse 21, "Daniel answered, 'O, King, live forever!'" What a triumphant response. "Oh, King, live forever." "I'm going to live forever, King. What about you?" We'll get to that in a minute. "'Oh, King, live forever. My God sent his angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O King.' The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted up from the den, no wound was found on him because he had trusted in his God." Isn't that beautiful? The vindication of God, the vindication of faith, and God vindicating His own Holy Name. Now, I've thought about this, I use my imagination. I'm not an artist, so I'm not going to use my imagination to draw a picture. But I use my imagination about Daniel's night in the lions' den. Now, we know in a moment that his enemies are going to be thrown down into the lions' den and they're not going to make it to the bottom of the cavern before they're killed. How long do you think it was before Daniel realized he was going to survive that night in the lions' den? A minute? Maybe two. And he knows this is going to be "not the worst night of my life but the best night of my life. This is going to be the greatest night of my life." Sitting on a rock in a cavern, hearing the lions breathing in frustration but restrained, an angel there for conversation. And what did they talk about? Who knows? We will never know. Why do we fear persecution so much? Why are we afraid of spending that night in the lions' den? That was the greatest night of Dan's life. And so we've got Darius pacing the floor back and forth, anguished. And we've got Daniel sitting on a rock, having a conversation with an angel. Why do we fear persecution? Why are we afraid? What are we afraid of? What can man do to me? The greatest night of his life. I think we fear the wrong things. The Apostle Paul spoke of a lion. You remember this, 2 Timothy 4, mentioned it before? He was to give testimony to the Roman Emperor. And he said, "At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. Yet the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack will bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever." The Apostle Paul knew he was about to die. "Delivered from the lion's mouth" does not mean "I got to live another day." He said, "The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and bring me safely to his to heavenly kingdom." How do you get to heaven? Well, you die, unless you're in that final generation when the Lord returns. He is not afraid to die. What is he afraid of? He's afraid of the lion, Satan, who's going to convince him somehow, at that critical moment, when he should have preached the Gospel to the Roman Caesar, to wimp out of fear, out of trembling. That's the lion he was delivered from. And the Lord was proclaimed boldly right in front of Caesar. "The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack." I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid of death, nor am I afraid of Satan perverting me so that I'm not able to finish my race and complete the task God gave me to do. We fear the wrong lions. We should be afraid of failing God. Now, why was he indicated? Because he was innocent. He said, "I never did anything wrong against... God first, always God first. Neither have I done anything wrong against you, oh, King." The Pit-Diggers Fall In (vs. 24) Now, in Verse 24, the pit diggers fall in. Psalm 7, David said, "He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. The trouble he causes recoils on himself, his violence comes down on his own head." Now, I preached on this passage recently, and afterward I had time with some college students, and they said, "Now, we're troubled by the children being thrown in." First of all, we have to understand, it was Darius that threw the children in. There's no approval of this in the text. It's just what happened. These ancient near-eastern potentates were tyrants, wicked, and evil men. And what he did was wrong, but the text doesn't say one way or the other. Just realize that this behavior was common back then, and these potentates were evil tyrants, and this is not indicated in the text. But rather it shows a principle. If you attack and slander God's people, whatever attack you use, whatever plan you concoct, it will come back on your own head. Darius’s Decree and Praise (25-27) And then in Verses 25 through 27, there is this final poem of praise. "Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land, 'May you prosper greatly. I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, and He endures forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end. He rescues and He saves, He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.'" What a poem of praise. He is the living God. His Kingdom is the eternal kingdom. He is a powerfully interfering God who does miracles on earth. He can do anything. He rescues His chosen people, and He does it by signs and wonders. And along with it, we're going to get a government decree that everyone should worship this God. Well, there's no separation of church and state back then. We had to wait 20 centuries for the Anabaptists to come and teach us about that, but there was a decree issued that everyone should worship God. And then finally, in verse 28, "Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian." God completely vindicated Daniel. IV. Lessons and Applications And what applications can we take from this? First, concerning human government. Human government, as I've said, is a gift from God, Romans 13. But if it seeks to set itself up as a worshipped being, it becomes the beast of Revelation 13. Yet our government will flourish or fall, depending on the integrity of our leaders. We must fear God and honor the king. But we are in a participatory government. We are involved, aren't we? We get to influence the process. If our government leaders are negligent, if they are corrupt, if they are unrighteous, we will pay for it. And we are partly to blame. President James Garfield, 1976, said this. "Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless or corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness and corruption." If you want that kind of government, keep electing those kinds of leaders. We are involved in the process. Why not have a bunch of Godly Christian leaders like Daniel? Do you notice that we're getting more and more marginalized? If we even say the word "Jesus Christ," we're not allowed to be involved in government any more? We've got to stand up and say that we want men and women of the character and courage of Daniel to lead the nation. Christian magistrates, Anabaptists said no Christian leaders, but Daniel is a role model for those who believe that we do have a place in government. Secondly, concerning personal godliness, the grace of God produces holiness and godliness in you, but He does it through certain means. Personal prayer, personal Bible reading, attendance at worship, are these things working in you? If someone picked over your life, what would they find? How is your root system? How are your spiritual disciplines? Is there some habit pattern that's sucking strength from your spiritual life? Thirdly, concerning workplace witness, Daniel was an evangelist in his job. Do you realize that the old ways that Southern Baptist have of come-and-see evangelism is not where we're heading? We're going to what it should be go-and-tell evangelism. And whereas the marketplace used to be the place of witness, now it's the workplace. Most of you have jobs, or many of you do, and you interact with far more non-Christians there than you do any other place. You have to be courageous enough to lift your voice for God at the workplace. Now, there are rules about these things, but they can be worked through. It's possible to have Bible studies in some cases. It's possible to be a witness, at least to be praying for co-workers for an opportunity to witness. Workplace evangelism. And be a good employee, the way Daniel was, so that they search over your work record and find nothing but good, hard work skillfully done. Forth, concerning persecution. We're going to talk more about this, the Voice of the Martyrs, but realize and pray for the martyrs around the world, and realize and fully expect that you are going to suffer for your faith, if you do what I just suggested, be a workplace witness. Fifthly, concerning God's passion for His name and His people, why did God rescue Daniel? For the glory of His own name and because He loved Daniel, in that order. God does all things, first and foremost, for the glory of His name. And so God will vindicate His Holy Name as well now. And then sixthly, concerning eternal life, He said, "O King, live forever." In Daniel Chapter 12, he referred to a time when those who sleep in the dust will come out of the dust, some to eternal life and some to eternal condemnation. Many people look at Daniel in the lions' den like a metaphor for troubles in your life. Well, let's go with that for a second. Someday you're going to stand before God. Imagine if you would, all of your sins surrounding you, threatening to tear your soul eternally. There's only one power in heaven or on earth that can silence those sins, and that is the blood of Jesus Christ. Do you know Christ as your Savior? And are you preaching that witness to those who don't? What will they do when their sins surround them on Judgment Day, with no one to answer and no one to save? We're going to go down to a time of prayer, and after that, we're going to have the Lord's supper. I want you to reflect and think about the things we've talked about and prepare yourself in your hearts for the Lord's supper. Let's close in prayer.