Podcasts about one french

Hey Watch Fans,Here is a quick glance at two very cool Microbrands. MARCH LA.B and Farr + Swit.One French and one American.  Check out there websites to get a closer look at what they have to offer. www.farrandswit.comwww.march-lab.comStay tuned for an episode soon to be released where I interview Adam from Farr and Swit. It is not to be missed.Like WatchFanatics.ca on Facebook Follow David @watchfanaticdavid on InstagramANDPlease check out Carol atIG: @spassenseANDcheck out Kevin atIG: @watchfanatics.ca

One far-left French MP has attracted controversy after saying Israeli athletes were not welcome to the upcoming Olympics. With less than a week to go until the Games kick off, France Unbowed's Thomas Portes called for people to protest the appearance of Israeli athletes. UK correspondent Vincent McAviney says this has drawn in negative reactions from all sides. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One French town solves a flooding issue while producing solar energy at the same time, a Swedish court issues an interesting ruling on meteorites and on This Day in History, the first US ambulance takes to the streets in Cincinnati. Cemetary Solar Energy (EuroNews) Meteortie Ownership (AP News) First Ambulance (Fox News) Contact the show - coolstuffcommute@gmail.com Instagram - Facebook

rWotD Episode 2461: De figuris Veneris Welcome to random Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of a random Wikipedia page every day.The random article for Monday, 29 January 2024 is De figuris Veneris.De figuris Veneris (On the figures of Venus) is an anthology of ancient Greek and ancient Roman writings on erotic topics, discussed objectively and classified and grouped by subject matter. It was first published by the German classicist Friedrich Karl Forberg in 1824 in Latin and Greek as a commentary to Antonio Beccadelli's (1394–1471) Hermaphroditus (commonly referred to as Antonii Panormitae Hermaphroditus), an erotic poem sequence of 1425 in Renaissance Latin, though it was later also published as a separate work. Forberg's work was later also translated into English in 1899 and published by Charles Carrington as De figuris Veneris, Manual of classical erotology, and again in 1907 by Charles Hirsch, and into French, German and Spanish. The French edition by Alcide Bonneau was titled Manuel d’érotologie classique. One French edition of 1906 was illustrated by Édouard-Henri Avril, which concludes with a list of 95 sexual positions. Most of the editions were restricted to high society or censored; one of the copies edited in France was immediately deposited on the secret shelves of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. The Spanish translation was titled Manual de erótica clásica.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:31 UTC on Monday, 29 January 2024.For the full current version of the article, see De figuris Veneris on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm Joanna Standard.

The year is 1991. No woman has ever climbed 5.14. One French superstar says that no woman ever will. But Lynn Hill didn't listen... And years later, Katie Brown wouldn't either.   This is a sample of Episode 1 of Written In Stone: Climbing's Most Important Ascents, the latest podcast from Power Company Climbing & Plug Tone Audio. To hear the rest of the episode and learn more, head over to: www.plugtoneaudio.com/written-in-stone   The Power Company Podcast is brought to you by Power Company Climbing and is a proud member of the Plug Tone Audio Collective. You can help us keep episodes ad-free by becoming a Patron for as little as $3 a month! Find full episode transcripts and more at our website.

Last time we spoke about the battle of Beijing. General Gaselee and the 8 nation alliance began a grand march upon Beijing. They fought numerous battles at places like Beicang and Yangcun utterly routing the Qing and Boxer forces. The road to Beijing was laid bare open to them, lest it not be for the extreme summer heat which took the lives of many. The Russians attempted to outrace everyone else to Beijing, but quickly bit off more than they could chew. Ultimately the British were the first ones to enter the foreign legations. The besieged foreigners in the legations had been met with a last ditch effort by the Qing to overrun them, but they held on for dear life. Now Beijing was being occupied by the 8 nation alliance. What was to become of the Qing officials, of Empress Dowager Cixi? How would justice be served?   #67 The Boxer Rebellion part 7: The Boxer Protocol   Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Usually you would assume the story was won and done. The 8 national alliance was flooding into Beijing, as they say “the cavalry had arrived”, but it was not over. The next day of August 15th saw more violence. The French deployed 4 artillery pieces onto the Tartar wall and began bombarding the pink walls of the Imperial City. Meanwhile General Chaffee was mounting an assault upon the Imperial city alongside the American forces who were battering their way through a series of courtyards trying to get to the Imperial Cities southern gate. Their ultimate objective was the Forbidden City. When it seemed they were within reach of the Forbidden City, suddenly General Chaffee commanded a withdrawal. The commanders had been arguing at a conference and they all agreed that the 8 nation alliance should take a more conciliatory approach towards the Qing government. Everyone was wondering whether the Emperor and Empress Dowager remained within the Forbidden city. If there was to be a conciliation at all, they would be needed. Rumors began to emerge stating if the Empress Dowager were still in the city, she would most likely commit suicide rather than be taken prisoner. Lenox Simpson was trying to investigate the situation, riding up to the Imperial City where he discovered a terrified Eunuch huddled in a Qing guardhouse in the outer wall. He asked the eunuch how many forces guarded the Forbidden city and the whereabouts of the Emperor and Empress Dowager. The Eunuch blurted out “The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and indeed, the whole Court, had disappeared—had fled, was gone.” There are countless tales of how it occurred, the dramatic flight of the Qing court. It is most likely the decision to flee Beijing came about in the early hours of August 15th. One account given by magistrate Wu Yung claimed he helped the Empress Dowager flee. Cixi was disguised in dark blue clothes of a Chinese peasant woman, they even clipped her nails, go google a picture of Cixi, imagine clipping those things haha. Allegedly Cixi told Wu Yung as she was hastily grabbing some personal belongs “Who would have thought it would come to this?” Of the things she hastily grabbed, one was a precious bloodstone that she believed protect her through all dangers. She boarded one of three wooden carts, and Cixi forcefully grabbed the emperor not allowing him to be taken as a hostage, alongside her niece and the heir apparent. The Imperial concubines were forbidden to accompany them and made tearful farewell. It is said Emperor Guangxu's favorite concubine begged to take her with him, prompting Cixi who hated the girl to demand she be tossed down a well. Apparently the Eunuchs rolled the poor girl up in a carpet and literally tossed her down a well in front of Emperor Guangxu, which is hardcore? Another account has it that Cixi tricked the girl by telling her “We will all stay where we are, but we cannot allow ourselves to be taken alive by Western barbarians. There is only one way out for you and me—we must both die. It is easy. You go first—I promise to follow you.” Then the Eunuch tossed her in the well, one other account has the Eunuchs simply tossing the girl down the well after the imperial party departed because they didn't like her. Can't help but picture Varies from GOT leading eunuchs to get revenge on a royal family haha.  Empress Dowager Cixi had fled the Imperial city once before, in fact 40 years prior during the 2nd opium war. Was a symbolic moment. Back then she had apparently told the Emperor to stay in the city lest the British and French raze Beijing to the ground, this time she did the opposite. On August 10th, Cixi had made an imperial decree ordering General Jung Lu and some other Qing officials to remain in Beijing and maintain the government in exile. The royal party fled through roads filled with others fleeing the city. Their eunuch planners assumed they would buy provisions along the way, but when they entered the countryside they found it completely devastated. On August 17th the royal party made it to the small town of Huailai, north of Beijing. The Boxers and disaffected troops had devastated the town so much, there was only a bowl of millet and green bean porridge to serve the Empress Dowager. Apparently to this she said to her host “In time of distress this is enough. Can I at this time say what is good and what is not good?” From Huailai they traveled to Kalgan and Tatung, near the Mongolian plateau, before they turned towards Taiyuan. Now being so far from Beijing they felt safer and thus instead of conducting themselves under the guise as peasants they now openly showed themselves and told people they were performing an official tour of inspection. It is said by Wu Yung the empress dowager enjoyed talking to him and told him “talk as you please”, and she herself took a large interest in talking to locals and visiting temples and attractions. Wu Yung theorized she had been cooped up for so long in the imperial city, the outside world fascinated her. The mule litters were replaced with sedan chairs, Cixi began wearing luxurious Manchu garb and regrew her fingernails.  Soon the royal party were issuing edicts and receiving reports on the situation of the court in Beijing. Countless governors, viceroys and other Qing officials flocked to pay respects and tribute to the royal party. They stayed in Taiyuan for 3 weeks at the home of Yuxiang where he boasted to Cixi of how many foreigners he executed. However the Taiyuan massacre meant the foreigners might come to the city for revenge, so the royal party continued southwest towards Sian, the old capital of the Tang dynasty. This was territory held by General Dong Fuxiang whose troops were the primary ones escorting the royal party. It was under Dong Fuxiang's protection the royal party now hunkered down for winter. It is said Guangxu's nephew began drawing pictures of demons and would often sketch a large tortoise with the name Yuan Shikai on its back. You see the tortoise was a symbol of homosexuality, thus it was to insult Yuan Shikai who was seen as an enemy who betrayed Guangxu. It is also said Guangxu took the pictures, hung them up on walls and fired crossbows at them. Personally this story to me sounds like an author giving a bit of foreshadowing flavor, for Yuan Shikai would perform even greater betrayals later on. Indeed Yuan Shikai is kind of a meme on my personal channel, over there I have to the point of me writing this script, covered 1830-1932 thus far for Chinese-Japanese history. Yuan Shikai is a behemoth when it comes to the formation of modern day China and honestly his story is interesting to say the least. If you ever want to jump into the future, just check out my content at the Pacific War channel on the Xinhai revolution and China's warlord era episodes, or better yet the full China warlord documentary that encompasses pretty much all of it. Anyways. Back over in Beijing, news of the flight of the Qing court was not met with surprise by the foreigners. Now the foreigners were uncertain what to do next. For some it was a bit reminiscent of Napoleon's arrival to a deserted Moscow, without the highest ranking Qing officials, what could they do? Meanwhile, one place that was still under threat was Peitang. Over at the Peitang Cathedral the foreigners had been fighting for their lives the entire time. When news emerged that the foreign legations had been rescued, everyone in the Cathedral at Peitang rejoiced awaiting their own rescue. The Cathedral was the only Christian building within the Imperial city that was able to hold on and defend itself. It was a miracle they managed to do so. The commander of 30 French marines sent by Pichon on June 1st to help out at Peitang was Lt Paul Henry. At the age of just 23, Bishop Favier had to say of his conduct “he was as pious as he is brave— a true Breton.” Henry had been given an impossible task, to defend an area with around 1400 yards of wall 12-15 feet high with a tiny amount of troops. Henry had the men dig trenches, erect parapets, and used the Cathedral as a last stronghold if they were overrun. The first week of June saw fires erupt throughout the capital and gunfire could be heard everywhere. Bishop Favier looked out from the top of the cathedral to see on the 13th and 14th churches and cathedrals in Beijing being razed to the ground. Refugees poured into Peitang Cathedral more and more, and on the 15th a group of Catholic sisters and children were running from Boxers to the cathedral with Favier giving this account of the scene “Their leader, on horse, is a lama or bonze [priest]; he precedes an immense red flag, surrounded by young Boxers who have undergone the incantations and are likewise dressed in red. They burned perfumed sticks, prostrated themselves on entering our street to the south, and then advanced in compact bands”. The French marines allowed them to reach 200 yards from the barricades before unleashing a volley wounded 50 and sending them fleeing. By June 18th, Henry worried about enemy artillery and tried to fortify the defenses more so. On the 20th, news of von Kettelers death came, Pichon sent a message to Favier, there was no hope of fleeing Beijing. 3420 people, two thirds of which were women and children were trapped in Peitang. Their defenses were comically small, 30 French and a dozen Italian marines, whose commander was Lt Olivieri aged 25. The able bodied Chinese christians volunteered to bolster the forces, making spears, brandishing some knives and a few were given rifles by the marines. June 22nd saw Krupp guns firing upon Peitang shattering windows and sending bricks flying. The main gate to Peitang was being battered by shells. Lt Henry led a sortie of 4 marines and 30 Chinese christians to seize the artillery piece hitting the main gate. They managed to seize it, losing 2 Chinese in the process. The next day simply saw more artillery bombardment. By the 26th, all the buildings near Peitang were ablaze and Boxers were seen erecting ladders and scaffoldings against the walls. The defenders were being pot shotted at every day. On the 27th Henrys second in command Jouannic was shot in the shoulder and would die 3 days later. By July 1st the defenders of Peitang began to eat mule and horse as they ran out of vegetables. Smallpox broke out amongst the children, by July 3rd 15 were dying per day.  The french marines began making scarecrows to help against snipers. It turned out the watchmakers amongst their Chinese christians were capable of creating cartridges for Mausers and other guns. The defenders were able to manufacture powder for cannons with things they seized from the surrounding enemy during sorties. The men fired only 100 rounds per day, Henry noted on July 5th 13 rounds were only fired, on the 14th 74. Famine was more threatening than lack of ammunition. On July 6th Henry checked rations and estimated they could hold out for 20 days. The Boxers began manufacturing exploding missiles that they lobbed at the cathedral. These were a sort of fire pot, a container carrying around three pounds of gunpowder with long fuses. On a single day the Boxers tossed more than 250 of these, but the defenders ingeniously put buckets, casks and even bathtubs full of water everywhere to fight the emerging fires.  The Qing artillery smashed the cathedrals clock tower and walls without mercy. On July 18th, the defenders were countermining when a mine exploded killing 25 and injuring 28. One French marine described the carnage “where bits of waste meat were being dragged out, fragments of flesh and severed limbs were spattered about and part of someone's chest was smashed against a wall”. Qing troops atop the Imperial City walls fired down upon the defenders at all times. By July 28th rations were a meager 8 ounces of food per day. On July 30th the Qing assaulted the north wall, setting the cathedral roof on fire. Henry tried rallying the men and took a bullet in the neck and another into his side. Henry died in the arms of a priest 20 minutes later and was buried beneath a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Cathedral garden. Olivieri took command after his death. The Qing and Boxers seemed emboldened and began firing arrows with messages to the Christian Chinese urging them to abandon the foreigners and return to the old ways. “You, Christians, shut up in the Pei-tang, reduced to the greatest misery, eating leaves of trees, why do you resist? We have leveled cannon and set mines against you, and you will be destroyed in a short time. You have been deceived by the devils of Europe; return to the ancient religion . . . deliver up Bishop Favier and the others, and you will have saved your lives, and we will give you to eat. If you do not do so, you, your wives and children, will all be cut into pieces.” It is said the Boxers believed Bishop Favier was a demon who was using an invulnerability spell by smearing menstrual blood over his faced and nailing naked women and dead fetuses to the Cathedral walls. They also believed the foreigners posed a weapon called “the ten thousand woman flag” woven from female pubic hair which stole power from the Boxer gods. Gotta hand it to their imagination. Despite the messages, the Chinese Christians stayed put. By August 2nd the besieged were starving and began trying to capture stray dogs to eat. On August 5th, Favier wrote this “we can resist balls, bullets, and bombs, but there is no defense against famine.” On August 10th, 400 pounds of rice and a mule were all that remained. Favier was forced to send Christian Chinese out in desperation to try and reach the foreign legation for help. Many were flayed, beheaded and put in spikes near Peitang. On August 12th a violent explosion shook Peitang a giant mine had gone off causing a crater 7 yards deep and 40 yards wide. It buried 5 Italian marines with Olivieri and 80 Chinese. Olivieri recounted being saved with the burial “They succeeded in uncovering one of my hands, and finding it still warm, redoubled their efforts until my whole body was free”. However his men were mutilated and dying. The mine had caused a large breach in the wall and the enemy could easily have stormed Peitang, but they didn't. Another mine went off the following day, but the enemy did not storm Peitang. Just when it seemed they were all going to die on August 14th the defender heard Boxers scream out “The devils from Europe are approaching!” The Boxers were also screaming at the defenders of Peitang that they would all be massacred before their rescuers got to them. But Oliveiri and the defenders watch as Qing banners were lowered from walls, Qing soldiers and Boxers were beginning to flee.  By 5pm they saw europeans on the walls waving an american flag.  The defenders waited for their rescue on August 15th, but no one was coming. Olivieri worried the relief force had been repelled. Then suddenly Japanese troops climbed over the walls and stormed into Peitang. Olivieri rushed over shouting “we are saved!”. The other members of the 8 nation alliance were rather shocked by the actions of the Japanese, Peitang was a French responsibility. The French force that entered Beijing however was too small to fight their way to Peitang. As General Frey noted “What was our surprise to see ahead of us between 250 and 300 Japanese whose presence nobody could explain.” The Japanese without any fuss simply did the deed on their own merit.  Peitang saw 400 people including 166 children die during the siege, unlike the fight for the legations Peitang never had a single day of rest. There was no truce for Peitang, the defenders fought every single day. As Favier assessed the damage in Beijing he had this to say “In Pekin, three churches, seven large chapels, the colleges, hospitals—all are destroyed. . . . The Peitang . . . damaged by shells, is the only building undestroyed. . . . In short, the ruin is almost entire, the work of forty years is nearly annihilated; the courage of missionaries, nevertheless, is not on the wane; we shall begin over again.” As Bishop Favier wandered Beijing, he estimated perhaps 30,000 catholics had been killed. News emerged that 200 foreign nuns, priests, missionaries and their family members had been murdered. Half the population of Beijing fled in terror as the foreign armies flooded in. Many Qing officials committed suicide, many Chinese women with bound feet likewise did so. The special correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, Dr. E.J Dillon wrote “Chinese women honestly believed that no more terrible fate could overtake them than to fall alive into the hands of Europeans and Christians. It is to be feared that they were right.” Dillon personally saw the corpses of women who had been raped and bayoneted to death. Luella Miner within the foreign legation had this to say of the matter “The conduct of the Russian soldiers is atrocious, the French are not much better, and the Japanese are looting and burning without mercy.... Women and girls by hundreds have committed suicide to escape a worse fate at the hands of Russian and Japanese brutes. Our American soldiers saw them jumping into the river and into wells, in Tungchow. Twelve girls in one well, and one mother was drowning two of her little children in a large water jar.” Roger Keyes added his own account “Every Chinaman . . . was treated as a Boxer by the Russian and French troops, and the slaughter of men, women, and children in retaliation was revolting.” A British officer, Major Luke, told Keyes that “he had never seen anything more horrible, and some of his young Marines were literally sick”. Lenox Simpson stated he say British Indian forces molesting female Chinese christians until they were flogged by some foreign women. It is said the Japanese had planned ahead of time for the situation. According to Roger Keyes “their Government had wisely taken the precaution of sending their ‘regimental wives' [prostitutes] with them, and they were established in houses at Tientsin and Peking directly the troops settled down”. The first days of the occupation saw indiscriminate looting and rape by all nationalities. The allied commander in chief von Waldersee who only arrived in late september wrote “Every nationality accords the palm to some other in respect to the art of plundering, but it remains the fact that each and all of them went in hot and strong for plunder.” On August 18th all the diplomats and military commanders met at the Russian legation to discuss how to go about reprisals against the Qing. The Germans argued for severe punishment because of Von Kettelers murder, they wanted a punitive expedition and to raze the Imperial city. The Russians favored a more conciliatory line in northern China, but of course something I have not talked about was going on, the Russians had basically invaded Manchuria. One thing they all agreed upon was an enormous victory parade through the Imperial City, a grand humiliation. Each nation scrambled to be the first in the parade, the Russians argued they had the largest force, which was a lie, it was the Japanese. There are countless photographs of the foreign armies in the city and of the parade, but to give a brief description on August 28th George Morrison stated “the appearance of the French troops, complaining that there was every excuse for their uniforms to be dirty but that the faces of many of the men should be so too was quite inexcusable. The French looked singularly decadent in blue dungaree and that their commander, General Frey, was small and pot-bellied. He thought the Cossacks were “heavy” and “rough” but that the Germans looked “splendid” and the Japanese officers “very smart.” The British, by contrast, looked ather “rag tag and bobtail.” The dignity of the occasion was further undermined by the ineptitude of the Russian band, which could not keep pace with eight successive national anthems and found itself blasting out the “Marseillaise” as the Italians marched past the saluting base”. An army of eunuchs escorted by Qing officials brought the foreigners into the Forbidden city which saw looting. Indeed the looting of the capital of China by the 8 nation alliance is probably one of the largest looting accounts in human history, one of the sources I am using has an entire chapter dedicated to only story accounts of what was stolen and by whom, but its simply too much to delve into. Many museums today hold stolen items from this event. Within 24 hours of taking the city not a race of Boxers existed. There was a wild Boxer hunt that saw much horror. Daily executions occurred as described to us by George Morrison “The execution and the long drawn out neck. The butcher with his apron. The executioner tearing open his long coat—the grunt as he brought down the knife—the dogs lapping up the blood—the closeness of the head to the ground, the face nearly touching.” Apparently the Germans got their prisoners to dig their own trench before being shot in the back of the head. During september the allies were awaiting the arrival of von Waldersee, but a number of military operations were mounted against Boxer strongholds in the Beijing region.  Von Waldersee arrived to Beijing in October assuming command and established his HQ in Cixi's palace in the forbidden city. Von Waldersee decided punitive expeditions needed to be increased and Germany began taking the lead in several dozen. The countryside was butchered in a wild hunt for Boxers. Civilians, Qing soldiers, Qing officials, just about anyone faced numerous foreign troops who killed or abused them. Von Waldersee faced a more daunting task however, peace negotiations. There was a mutual distrust amongst the nations and conflicts broke out often. Li Hongzhang, poor old Li Hongzhang and Prince Qing were appointed the imperial plenipotentiary powers and only arrived in Beijing in October. The first meeting was held on Christmas Eve between them and the foreign ministers. Li Hongzhang was not present due to illness. The foreign ministers questioned whether the Qing plenipotentiaries were even real agents of the Emperor or Qing government in exile. Prince Qing managed to convince them he held authority. The allies pondered if the dynasty should change, but it was quickly apparent the Manchu would never allow for such a thing. All the ministers agreed the Manchu dynasty should remain on the throne. Then they pondered punishment of the guilty and a large indemnity on behalf of the Qing dynasty. The indemnity fee first brought up was 67,500,000 roughly 4.3 or so billion dollars by todays figures. The Americans argued it was far too high and would bankrupt China. American secretary of state John Hay sent a telegram to the great powers stating “America's policy was to bring permanent safety and peace to China and to preserve China's territorial integrity”. Von Waldersee would go on the record to say  “the United States it seems to desire that nobody shall get anything out of China.” However on May 26th an imperial edict announced that the indemnity payment would be 67,500,000$ to be paid in full over 39 years. The sum was to be distributed as follows: Russia 28.97%, Germany 20.02%, France 15.75%, Britain 11.25%, Japan 7.73%, United States 7.32%, Italy 7.32%, Belgium 1.89%, Austria-Hungary 0.89%, Netherlands 0.17%, Spain 0.03%, Portugal 0.021%, Sweden and Norway 0.014%. The payment by the way would only be amortized on December 31st of 1940.  Now the negotiations for punishments were a lot more complicated. The allies first wanted to see the executions of prominent pro-Boxer officials, which Empress Dowager Cixi wanted to avoid. Cixi made many counter proposals, but eventually was forced to hand over some officials. Yuxiang, the mastermind behind the Taiyuan massacre was reportedly executed, though notably there is a myth he simply went into exile. Qing official Ying Nien straggled himself, some other officials apparently were killed by having their mouths and nostrils stuffed with rice paper by eunuchs, which is a pretty weird one I must say, many were poisoned. Prince Duan and his brother escaped the death penalty and were exiled to Turkestan. Dong Fuxiang was too powerful to kill much to the dismay of the foreigners. Indeed his Muslim army in the northwest was the bulwark at the time, all he suffered was a demotion, but in reality he was now a major leading figure. Over 100 Qing officials were executed or exiled in the end.  A peace treaty containing 12 articles was signed in the Spanish legation on September 7th of 1901 known as the Boxer Protocol. The Qing were prohibited from importing arms and ammunition for 2 years; the Taku forts were ordered to be destroyed; the legation quarters would receive special status; Boxers and Qing officials who had supported them would face justice; the Zongli Yamen was replaced with a foreign office; the Qing government was to prohibit under the pain of death, any membership for anti-foreign societies; civil examinations were suspended for 5 years in any area that saw violence against foreigners; the Emperor Guangxu was to apologize to Kaiser Wilhelm for the murder of Baron von Ketteler; Emperor Guangxu was to appoint Na't'ung to be a special envoy to be sent to apologize the Emperor Meiji for the murder of Mr. Sugiyama; the Qing government was to erect a commemorative arch over the spot Baron von Ketteler was killed; and at last the great powers would be allowed to occupy numerous important cities so as to make sure their legations were protected. Empress Dowager Cixi was surprised by the terms of the treaty and that she was not punished personally. Hell China was not required to surrender any more territory. Some members of her court argued China should continue the war and that the 8 nation alliance could not hope to face the interior of China. Some argued if Dong Fuxiang were to be allowed to raise his force to 50,000 he could dislodge the foreign encroachment. Cixi however was as much a pragmatist as she was conservative in her ways. If the allied nations would allow Emperor Guangxu and her to return to Beijing retaining their honor, she believed she had little to lose. She also was not a moron and understood exactly why the Boxer Protocol was made in the way it was, the great powers wanted to received payments and in order to do so, needed the Manchu to sit on the throne. She ordered Li Hongzhang to do all he could to re-establish relations with the foreign governments. She also ordered any decrees she made praising the Boxers to be expunged from the official records and secretly ordered all blame to be placed on Guangxu. She gave posthumous honors to all the progressive Qing officials she had beheaded during the siege and disinherited the heir apparent son of Prince Duan, whom apparently she did not like much. An imperial decree in the name of Emperor Guangxu announced “Our Sacred Mother's advanced age renders it necessary that we should take the greatest care of her health, so that she may attain to peaceful longevity; a long journey in the heat being evidently undesirable, we have fixed on the 19th day of the 7th Moon [1 September] to commence our return journey and are now preparing to escort Her Majesty.” The return to Beijing should be held as one of the greatest feats of public relations exercises in history, second only to Robert Downey Jr. The 700 mile journey began in October of 1901 seeing the imperial family carried in yellow sedan chairs, sparing no expense. George Morrison details it quite well  “Along the frost-bound uneven tracks which serve for roads in northern China, an unending stream of laden wagons croaked and groaned through the short winter's day and on, guided by soldier torch-bearers through bitter nights to the appointed stopping places. But for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor there was easy journeying and a way literally made smooth. Throughout its entire distance the road over which the Imperial palanquins were carried had been converted into a smooth, even surface of shining clay, soft and noiseless under foot; not only had every stone been removed but as the procession approached gangs of men were employed in brushing the surface with feather brooms. At intervals of about ten miles, well-appointed rest-houses had been built.The cost of this King's highway, quite useless of course for the ordinary traffic of the country, was stated by a native contractor to amount to fifty Mexican dollars for every eight yards—say, £1,000 per mile—the clay having to be carried in some places from a great distance. As an example of the lavish expenditure of the Court and its officials in a land where squalor is a pervading feature, this is typical.” The Empress Dowager crossed the yellow river in a gilded, lacquered, dragon shaped barge after offering wine and incense to the river god. Believe it or not, the last part of the journey was done by train and Empress Dowager Cixi looked excited to be in what she called an “iron centipede”. Everyone in Beijing was given an imperial decree to graciously permit them to watch the royal family return to the Imperial Court. We are told “As Cixi got out of her chair, the Empress glanced up at the smoke-blackened walls and saw us: a row of foreigners . . . and, looking up at us, lifted her closed hands under her chin, and made a series of little bows.” Cixi was a lover of theatricals and made sure it was a hell of a show.  Within days foreign ministers were summoned to present themselves to the Emperor and for the first time officially enter the forbidden city. On February the 1st Cixi invited the ladies of diplomats to her. The foreign community nor Cixi could know it, but the Boxer rebellion was to be one of the last nails in a coffin made for the Qing dynasty.  I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. And so the Boxer rebellion excluding some events in Manchuria was ended. The Boxer protocol ushered in a brand new Qing dynasty that surely would survive the test of time and not succumb to an agonizing death as the people of China could take it no longer.   

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry was sent out by the tone-deaf Biden Administration to shore up condemnation of Putin over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. One French journalist dared to ask the obvious question: what about when the US did it? Also today: Constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley wonders why the US House is not asking "who lied" about the Hunter Biden investigation.

整整一个世纪后，奥运会再回浪漫之都法国巴黎。然而，捆绑销售、高昂的门票费用和对残障人士不友好的交通系统，让越来越多的人不再相信，这就是奥组委和法国政府所宣称的“有史以来最具包容性的奥运会”。The date is set, venues have been chosen, tickets are on sale.日期定了，场地选好了，门票也开售了。One hundred years after the Olympics last graced the streets of Paris, the city is braced for the return of the world's largest sporting event next summer.时隔百年，奥林匹克运动会再次在巴黎举行。明年夏天这座城市将迎接世界最大体育赛事的回归。While organizers and the French government claim that it'll be the most inclusive games yet, a growing chorus of voices isn't convinced.尽管巴黎奥组委和法国政府声称这将是有史以来最具包容性的奥运会，但是越来越多的人异口同声地发出了质疑Accessibility is a main concern, both financially due to the eye-watering cost of tickets, and for disabled people who worry about navigating Paris' decades-old transport infrastructure.可达性是个大问题，一方面贵到离谱的门票价格让人难以承受，另一方面巴黎已经使用了数十年的老旧的交通基础设施也让残疾人望而却步。Flavien Lallemand had barely made it on the Paris 2024 ticketing site, before deciding it wasn't worth it. 23岁的开发人员弗拉维安·拉勒芒差点登录不上巴黎的2024售票网站，后来总算登上去了又觉得票价很不值。"Crazy, it was just crazy,” the 23-year-old developer told CNN of the price of the available tickets.他和美国有线电视新闻网的记者谈到在售门票的价格时表示：“疯狂，这真是太疯狂了。”"It's a shame, it's being done in our city, it's just next door, we'll be bothered by all the visitors etc; we'll be impacted but we won't have the positive sides,” he said, adding that he'll likely end up watching the games on TV at home.他说：“太可耻了，奥运会就在我们的城市举行，就在家门口，我们会被各种游客打扰，我们会受影响，然而我们在买票时却没有优惠。”他还表示，他最后应该只能在自家电视上看奥运会比赛。Many French people have taken to social media to protest the cost of tickets, complaining that those available are were well beyond average budgets.许多法国人都在社交媒体上抗议门票价格，并抱怨称能买到的门票远远超过了普通人的预算。It's an embarrassing distraction for the games organizers, who have trumpeted the events accessibility credentials.这些声音让巴黎奥组委感到尴尬，因为他们鼓吹这届奥运会具有很好的可达性。"Paris 2024 will be the first Games to focus on solidarity and inclusivity,” boasts their official site.巴黎奥组委的官网上宣称：“2024奥运会将是首届聚焦团结和包容性的奥运会。”The cheapest tickets for the main games were put on sale from 24 euros ($26), with Paralympic tickets sold from 15 euros ($16). However, these tickets were limited in number and often were for tournaments like basketball or soccer taking place in other French cities. By the time many sports fans were able to purchase tickets, more affordable options were often scarce.主要赛事在售的最便宜的门票价格为24欧元，残奥会门票价格15欧元起。但是，这些门票是限量发售，而且通常都是在其他法国城市举行的篮球或足球等比赛。等到许多体育迷可以购票的时候，比较便宜的门票往往都所剩无几了。Unlike past Games, Paris 2024 set up a “games pack” purchase system. Members of the public were asked to sign up for a lottery draw for the chance to buy tickets. From mid-March, when sales started, lottery winners had a 48-hour window to buy tickets from a minimum of three events, reserving the same number of tickets for each session.和往届奥运会不同，2024年巴黎奥运会实行“打包购票制”。在官网上注册会员的民众要报名抽签来获得购票机会。3月中旬门票开售后，抽中购票机会的人有48小时的窗口期来购买最少三场比赛的门票，每场比赛所购的票数必须相同。For those hoping to see just one sport, it meant potentially tripling their budget, although organizers have promised to allow resale of unwanted tickets next spring. 对于那些只想看一场比赛的人而言，这意味着要花的钱是预算的三倍，不过组委会承诺不想要的门票可以在明年春季转卖。"The price makes me sick,” former Olympic gymnast Marine Debauve said of the 690 euros ($742) that tickets to a gymnastics final event would cost her. 前奥运会体操运动员马琳·德博夫在提到体操决赛高达690欧元的门票时表示：“这个价格让我很不舒服。”"It may be easier to participate in the Olympics than see it as a spectator in my own country,” she said on Facebook, echoing the anger of current athletes at not being able to secure tickets for their families. 她在脸书发言称：“参加奥运会可能都比在我自己的国家看奥运会容易些。”和她一样感到恼火的还有无法为家人购买门票的现役运动员。One French 5,000-meter runner, Jimmy Gressier, said on social media that inviting 10 relatives to see him compete would cost between 6,000 to 7,000 euros ($6,400 to $7,500), according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. 美国有线电视新闻网旗下的BFM电视台报道称，法国的5000米长跑运动员吉米·格雷西耶在社交媒体上说，邀请10位亲戚来看他比赛将花费6000至7000欧元。He said the ticketing was “really exorbitant,” especially for what “is fundamentally an affordable sport for all and accessible, and there aren't great stars.”他表示定价“真的太离谱了”，尤其是对于一场“没有任何大明星、本应该是面向大众的平价赛事”来说。"I understand, I'm sorry they're disappointed,” Paris 2024 Chief Tony Estanguet told CNN affiliate BFMTV-RMC Sport in March, adding that the second phase of ticketing, in May, allowed the public to purchase individual tickets.2024巴黎奥组委主席托尼·埃斯坦盖3月份告诉BFM电视台RMC体育频道：“我理解，我很抱歉让他们失望了。”但是他表示，在5月份开展的第二阶段的售票将允许公众购买单张门票。"We know there's much more demand than supply,” regarding tickets, Estanguet added. 关于门票，埃斯坦盖表示：“我们知道供给远远赶不上需求。”Some 10% of the approximately 10 million tickets on sale for the games are priced at 24 euros, with half on sale for under 50 euros ($54). Organizers say the Games' pricing isn't more expensive than the London 2012 Olympics.巴黎奥运会在售的近1000万张门票中约有10%价格为24欧元，半数价格在50欧元以下。组委会称，巴黎奥运会门票定价并不比2012伦敦奥运会更贵。In contrast to past Games, the Paris 2024 opening ceremony will be held along a stretch of the River Seine, which crosses the city, offering unprecedented (and mostly free) access to the competition's overture.和往届奥运会不同，2024巴黎奥运会的开幕式将会沿着贯穿巴黎的塞纳河举办，这将史无前例地让大多数人免费看到开幕式。Even so, the best views of the floating parade from the river banks will be ticketed, with some spots on sale for as much as 2,700 euros ($2,900).即便如此，观看船上游行的河畔最佳位置也将出售门票，部分位置票价高达2700欧元。Paris 2024 organizers have boasted that inclusion is at the heart of the project and that the Paralympic Games next September will be the “most accessible ever,” styling itself as a leader in accessibility.2024巴黎奥组委曾鼓吹包容是这届奥运会的核心，明年9月的残奥会将是“有史以来可达性最好的”，并自称为可达性的引领者。But that's little relief for disabled visitors, who will have few accessible ways to get around the city.然而这却并不能让残疾游客放心，因为能方便他们在巴黎出行的无障碍设施并不多。Paris' more-than-century-old metro network, riddled with staircases and lacking in elevators, is notoriously inaccessible for disabled passengers.巴黎的地铁系统是100多年前修建的，到处都是楼梯，缺少电梯，众所周知这对残疾乘客非常不方便。Currently, only one metro line is entirely step-free, the M14 line that traverses the city. Only an estimated 10% of the network's 332 stations will be accessible for wheelchair users by the Games.目前，巴黎只有一条地铁线完全没有楼梯，也就是横贯巴黎的M14号线。据估计，到奥运会举办时，巴黎的332座地铁站只有10%能让轮椅使用者自由出入。Olympics英 /əu'limpiks/美 /əu'limpiks/n.奥林匹克运动会Paralympic英[ˌpærəˈlɪmpɪk]美[ˌpɛrəˈlɪmpɪk]n.残疾人奥运会Accessibility英 /ək,sesə'biləti/美 /ək,sesə'biləti/n.可达性Ticket英 /'tɪkɪt/美 /'tɪkɪt/n.门票；入场券

Last time we spoke about the descent into full scale war between the Qing dynasty and France because of the Tonkin campaign. The French sought to annihilate the Black Flag Army, knowing full well it might entice the Qing to war and so it did. The Tonkin campaign saw the battle of Bac Ninh which led to direct confrontation with Qing forces and soon both sides hit the negotiating table. The Tientsin accord was agreed upon, but no set deadline for the Qing withdrawal led to more conflict and it seems full scale war had finally kicked off. Admiral COurbet was ordered to hit Fuzhou and there he smashed the Fujian fleet utterly embarrassing the Qing dynasty leading to panic, chaos and outrage amongst the Chinese people. How will things change going forward now that France had landed a death blow to one of the Qing dynasties fleets? Could the sabers of war be sheathed?   #45 The Sino-French War of 1884-1885 part 2: The Sino-French War at Sea   Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. The battle of Fuzhou certainly made a splash. 9 Qing warships were sunk, several others were severely damaged and possibly 2-3 thousand Qing forces were killed. Admiral Courbet then went about the Min River bombarding all the forts and batteries he could before making his exit utterly humiliating the Qing. Now until the battle of Fuzhou the Qing and French were playing footsy under the table when it came to a full scale declared war. Basically everything up until now could be seen as an undeclared war. To give a example of this, think about China and Japan from 1931-1937. They were to be blunt fully at war, but neither side wanted to officially acknowledge it to the international community for a variety of reasons, thus it could be seen as an undeclared war. Here to we see France and the Qing dynasty not wishing to make formal declarations of war, for a variety of reasons. Now while it would remain undeclared, it by no means meant they were not at war.  News of the catastrophe and destruction of the Fujian Fleet were met with public outrage in China. Mobs began to attack foreign concessions, and in Europe the mood was sympathetic to the Chinese cause. The British, Germans and American military's began to extend their hand to the Qing dynasty offering advisers. Perhaps it was less about the Qing plight and more so to stick the middle finger to the French, as one does, but its the thought that counts. Over in Hong Kong, still a colony of the British empire, dock workers began to refuse to repair French warships like La Galissonniere in september of 1884. La Galissonniere had received some hits in August and came in for some work, but a strike occurred in September. Now a large reason for this was Chinese workers refusing to work and by proxy it hindered the British dock workers. Things got dicey and some riots and fights broke out prompting British authorities to deploy forces to defend their dockyards and workers from continuous harassment from Chinese. This by no means was organic by the way, the Qing government were pulling strings of their citizens to cause such conflicts to hinder any aid to France.  Now Admiral Courbet was given orders to smash Fuzhou, which he did, but if the Qing continued their “defiance” he was also ordered to go smash the port of Keelung in northern Formosa, modern day Taiwan. These actions of course were done to push the Qing to get their forces out of Tonkin as pertaining to the Tientsin Accords. Well the Qing were not budging, so Keelung was put on the menu. Admiral Courbet argued vigorously not to launch a campaign against Formosa, and instead to target major ports in the Liaodong region like Port Arthur or Weihaiwei. The French military planners thought these prospects to difficult to hit as the Far East Squadron was not large by any means and Keelung was a much easier target. In mid september the French cabinet after deliberating the issue decided to launch attacks against Keelung and Tamsui. Their rationale in the end was that the towns held nearby coal mines that could be seized to provide the Far East Squadron a wartime base. Thus on October 1st, Lt Colonel Bertaux-Levillain, haha that last name again, landed at Keelung with 2250 men taken from the Tonkin Campaign forces. They were to be called the Formosa Expeditionary Corps. They sailed out of Saigon escorted by the Far East Squadron and came ashore as Courbet's forces bombarded the shore batteries and Qing forces trying to mount a defense. The French casualties as usual were claimed to be small, 4 deaths and 12 wounded while the Qing casualties according to Formosans were around 100 dead and hundreds wounded. The first week of October saw French forces occupying several hills around Keelung and they sent scouts to look at the Pei-tao coal mines.  The imperial commissioner responsible for the defense of Formosa was Liu Mingchuan who could only watch helplessly as the French bombarded 3 shore batteries in the port of Keelung and began to prod the Pei-tao coal mines as his 2000 or so Qing troops were overwhelmed. Now knowing the French would likely hit Tamsui as well he tried to establish better defenses there by planting torpedo mines in the river approach and creating boat and stone barricades. He also armed locals to try and augment his Qing forces. These locals were known as Hakka hillmen and they were armed with primitive matchlock rifles, but despite being undergunned were deemed very brave warriors. Tamsui was protected by two forts west of the city, the White fort and a still under construction Fort neuf. The French were unable to enter the Tamsui River due to the barricade and mines and thus began bombarding the two forts on October 2nd. The forts and warships exchanged fire, but as usual the outdated cannons in the forts were no match and were silenced quickly. Testimony from a Canadian Presbyterian missionary named George Mackey, had to add this one being Canadian myself, who was housed in Tamsui said this of the bombardment. “When the bombarding began we put our little children under the floor of the house, that they might not be alarmed. My wife went out and in during these trying hours. I paced the front of the house with A Hoa, while shot and shell whizzed and burst all around us. One shell struck a part of Oxford College, another a corner of the Girls' School, and still another a stone in front of us, and sent it into mid-air in a thousand atoms. A little to the west of us another went into the ground, gouging a great hole and sending up a cloud of dust and stones. The suction of one, as it passed, was like a sudden gust of wind. Amid the smoke from forts and ships, and the roar and thunder of shot and shell, we walked to and fro, feeling that our God was round about us.” The French bombardment was not very precise and while the two forts had been neutralized, countless shells hit the town and surrounding area endangering civilians. The French followed up the bombardment by landing ashore forces to seize the forts from which they then could begin operations to blow up the mines and barricades in the riverway. Now the Qing defense of the city was led by General Sun Kaihua and General Zhang Gaoyuan. They expected the French to come from the direction of the seized forts and began to set up defensive lines and trenches to meet this. The Far East squadron anchored near the harbour entrance to support the men as they marched. However disaster struck. The men marched and many landed ashore at some beaches, but the sand dunes further inland made it impossible for the ships to see over them to support the mens offensive. As the French marched over the dunes, expected to see large rice paddy field terrain, it was actually thick woods and ditches everywhere. General Sun Kaihua was making great use of the terrain concealing his men everywhere he could and they ambushed the French as they made their way through the brush. The forward French units were thrown into chaos, quickly screaming for backup as General Zhang Gaoyuan sent his forces to smash their left flank. Zhang's men were able to push the French left flank into the main bodies position leading to the firefight extending to the entire French formation. The Qing and French forces were separated by a distance of around 100 meters. While most of the French forces kept the volley system accordingly, many sailor forces too excited by the mayhem began mindlessly firing into the brush wasting ammunition. French officers screamed to stop. General Zhang kept up the momentum by ordering his forces to push the French left flank even further into the main body. Meanwhile General Kaihua motioned forces to hit the French right flank. The entire French frontlines were engulfed in a battle between them and unseen enemies in the brush. After an hour of engagement, 2/3rd of the French ammunition had been used and casualties were mounting. The French commanders ordered the men to make a fighting withdrawal as General Zhang and Sun ordered their men to try and cut off the left and right flanks escape. By midday, the French were in full retreat back to the warships, nearly 1/10 were wounded, many dead. It was estimated the French had 17 deaths and 49 wounded. Captain Garnot of the formosa expeditionary corps had this to say about the failed attack, “There is no doubt that the main reason for the repulse was that the landing force was too small, but poor tactics also played their part. There was no vanguard to cover the advance of the line of battle. The firing line advanced without a preliminary reconnaissance into difficult terrain, under fire from Chinese snipers who were well dug-in and protected. Confusion and lack of direction was evident in the conduct of the battle. The courage and dash shown by our officers and sailors, who had not been trained for a land battle, cannot conceal the fact that we opened fire in a disorderly manner; that the reserves came up to join the line of battle prematurely, without orders; and that our troops lost our heads, firing wildly at the enemy and using up their ammunition in a few minutes. Infantry tactics cannot simply be improvised, as our landing companies learned by bitter experience.” Later on 6 French soldiers had their heads placed in the Tamsui markets, allegedly done by the Hakka hillsmen. The French commanders sent word to General Sun demanding they be buried. The French defeat at Tamsui heavily bolstered the hardliners back in the Qing court. The court convened in late october and Empress Dowager Cixi decided the undeclared war against France would continue until France agreed to withdraw their indemnity demands for the Bac Le ambush. The Qing relayed peace terms on November 5th, but they included some major demands such as outright canceling the Tientsin Accord; having France abandon their protectorateship over Annam and Tonkin and allowing the Qing to continue to occupy Lang Son, Lao Cai an Cao Bang. The mediator between the Qing and France, British foreign secretary Lord Granville said of the terms “the Chinese terms are those from a victor to the vanquished” and he promptly refused to even transmit them to France. Because of the setback the French were only able to enforce a limited blockade of the northern portion of Formosa as the Formosa expeditionary corps awaited further reinforcements. In January of 1885 command over the corps was handed over to Colonel Jacques Duchesne who augmented them with two additional battalions bringing a total strength of around 4000 men. However also because of the Qing victory, Liu Mingchuan was augmented by over 25,000 reinforcements taken from the Xiang and Anhui armies, the veteran troops of Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang.  As grand as the ground forces boost was to Formosa, on the naval front things were entirely different. The Nanyang Fleet asked for some warships of the Beiyang Fleet to augment their strength to fight the French, but the commander of the Beiyang Fleet, Li Hongzhang himself denied the request. Again, none of the fleet commanders wished to risk any of their advanced ships to face the French and the commanders adamantly did not want other commanders to use their ships for that matter. This created a major divide in the fleet. The northern fleets and southern fleets refused to cooperate and in fact did a lot to oppose another. For example, the French Navy would obviously be operating more so in the southern sea, thus one would imagine the Qing would focus their overwhelming naval strength there. However the northern fleets would hinder this greatly by draining southern China of resources, warships and of course sailors who they began to enlist en masse. This all led to the benefit of the French Navy. Meanwhile the Far East squadron was receiving reinforcements beginning in 1884 and by february of 1885 was a lot stronger. Now in mid January of 1885, the Nanyang Fleet was ordered to try and relieve the French naval blockade of Formosa. On January 18th, the cruisers Nanchen, Kaiji, Nanrui, frigate Yuyuan and sloop Chengqing departed Shanghai for Formosa. The commanding admiral was Wu Ankang and he was supposed to receive additional aid in the form of the Chaoyong, Yangwei of the Nanyang fleet and two cruisers from the Beiyang fleet, but like I said, Li Hongzhang refused to release them and instead diverted them to Korea where Yuan Shikai was busy quelling the Gapsin coup. Admiral Wu's group sailed south hesitantly, fearing an actual engagement. In fact Admiral Wu had hoped by just publicizing the fact his force was enroute to Formosa would lead the French to pull out. When this failed to occur, Wu literally turned his ships around high, tailing it for the port of Ningbo. However the French had received word of the sortie and literally leapt at the chance of engaging such an enemy. Admiral Courbet sailed out of Keelung's water with the ironclads Bayard, Triumphant, cruisers Duguay-Trouin, Eclairuer, Nielly, gunboat Aspic and the troopship Saone. The French were not exactly certain where to find the enemy and first looked into the mouth of the Min River in early February. Not finding the enemy, the French then sailed north along the Chinese coast. On February 8th, Courbet's force were running low on coal so he was forced to dispatch the Duguay-Trouin back to Keelung. On the 10th the French squadron reached Chusen island and by the 11th they entered the Yangtze river scaring the batteries at Wusong, but still no sight of the enemy fleet. The French then received word from Qing newspapers that they had actually passed the Qing fleet on their way north and that they were near Sanmen Bay. Courbet immediately set sail south and by the 13th entered Shipu Bay where they caught sight of the Qing fleet. The French immediately bore down upon their enemy as the Qing took up a V formation led by Admiral Wu's flagship Kaiji. The French were exhilarated upon seeing the Qing formation coming right at them primed for a battle and then as the Qing closed in they suddenly broke formation and scattered. 3 Qing cruisers fled south, with Courbet offering pursuit while the Yuyuan and Chengqing fled further into Shipu bay. According to American naval officer L. C Arlington who was aiding the Nanyang Fleet he said “Admiral Wu had a personal grudge against the captains of the Yuyuan and Chengqing and deliberately tried to sacrifice them to save the rest of his flotilla”. The Qing cruisers were faster and thus outran their French counterpart, leading Courbet to turn right back around to hunt the Yuyuan and Chengqing. On the night of the 14th, the French sent torpedo launches under the cover of darkness which got with 100 meters to the two ships before they were spotted. The Qing began to use rifle fire against the small boats as the French crews frantically tried to spar torpedo the Yuyuans hull successfully crippling her. One French sailor died to rifle fire as they made their escape. Arlington was actually aboard the Yuyuan that night and had this to say about the event as he witnessed the spar torpedo hit and a shell lobbed at the nearby Chengqing. “The scene that now occurred almost beggars description. Some tried to lower the boats, some rushed between decks to try and save their possessions, many jumped overboard into the sea. It was, in fact, everyone for himself, and the devil take the hindmost. When I had time to realise what had really happened, a strange scene was unrolled before me. Just ahead of us lay the little Ching-ching slowly settling down beneath the waters; she had been attacked by the same torpedo boat that had sunk us. Our own ship was gradually sinking, her guns just level with the water's edge. Along the shore and in the water about us were seamen, soldiers, chickens, ducks, geese and baggage of every description. The fault rested entirely with the Chinese—even at the last moment, had they made any attempt to repel the torpedo boat they might have warded off the catastrophe, and possibly sunk the enemy instead. No such attempt was made, and the French escaped scot-free” The next morning the French scouted the bay finding the two Qing warships had sunk. Admiral Courbet continued to hunt for the wandering Nanyang fleet and on February 25th received orders to implement a “rice blockade”. This was to be a naval blockade against the sea transport of rice to Shanghai. By the 28th, Courbets squadron made it to Zhenhai bay enroute to Shanghai where he received reports  the Nanyang fleet was hiding in the bay. He hunted until march 1st until at long last he found some Qing warships and low and behold it was the 3 cruisers of Admiral Wu Ankang. Alongside the 3 cruisers were 4 other ships, the sloop Chaowu, wooden transport Yuankai and 2 gunboats. The entrance to the bay was likewise filled with sunken chinese junks blocking it. Courbet performed a reconnaissance with one of his ships, the Nielly which was met with Chinese shore battery fire and a few of the Chinese warships. The Nielly was nearly hit a few times, but managed to perform the survey and return to her squadron.  Courtbet met with his fellow officers and came to the conclusion attacking the Nanyang fleet within range of their harbor defenses was too large a risk to take. Instead he elected to perform a naval blockade of Zhenhai Bay. For over a month, a few ships of the Far East Squadron at any given time held the blockade, thus forcing over 7 Nanyang fleet warships to be stuck in the bay and useless to the war. The French claim this was a strategic victory, but the Qing saw it as a defensive victory for themselves, because of the thwarting of the Nielly from their point of view. Our American friend Arlington gives a colorful account of what occurred. According to Arlington, when Admiral Wu Ankang's 3 warships showed up to Zhenhai Bay, the authorities there begged him to leave so the French would not attack them all. Instead Wu threatened to take his ships up the Ningbo river to leave them high and dry to fight the French off by themselves. When the French appeared in front of Zhenhai bay the authorities demanded Wu sail out to attack the French using the 7 warships available, but he refused to do so. Arlington states that was a wise decision, because they would have been annihilated. While the blockade was going on, Britain officially closed off Hong Kong and other held concessions from the Far East Squadron to hinder them. The French in return upheld their rice blockade strategy against the Yangtze River, hoping to start out northern China. As far as the great battles of the sea were concerned that would actually be the end of it for the most part.  Now taking a look back to the land campaigns, after the naval battle of Fuzhou, Empress Dowager Cixi had given the greenlight for the undeclared war to kick off. This resulted in Qing forces from Guangxi and Yunnan provinces to advance into Tonkin to give battle with the French. General Millot's health took a turn for the worse and he submitted his resignation back in September of 1884, his last order of the day had describing himself as quote “a sick and disappointed man”. He was relieved by General Louis Briere de L'isle which greatly annoys me as I now will have to narrate that entire name each time haha. Little known fact I am married to a Quebecois woman who is throwing up hearing my anglo ass narrate so many french terms and names. Briere de L'isle's first task was to thwart the Qing forces invading the Red River Delta system. By late september a large Guangxi Army were advancing from LangSon into the Luc Nam Valley and managed to ambush two grinch gunboats, the Massue and Hache on October 2nd. They managed to kill one officer and injured 32 men, but the ambush did give up the element of surprise. French scouts reported 3 large groups of Qing forces: one around the village of Kep along the Mandarin road; one at Bao Loc; and one at Chu in the upper valley of the Luc Nam River. Briere de L'ilse deployed General Oscar de Negrier with 3000 troops to hit the Luc Nam Valley before the Qing could concentrate their forces. The Guangxi force was led by Generals Wang Debang and Pan Dingxin, two officers who were part of the Bac le ambush. The forces at Kep were led by Fang Yusheng and Zhou Shouchang while the forces at Chu were led by Su Yuanchun and Chen Jia. General Oscar transported his forces using gunboats to quickly hit the separate forces before they could consolidate. Oscar would lead men to his Kep with the bulk of his troops while his subordinate Lt Colonel Donnier took a column to hit Chu. Once Oscar had won at Kep he would then either help at Chu or move on to hit Bao Loc. On October 8th, Oscar's men smashed the forces at Kep sending them fleeing, and quickly got back to his gunboats to join Donnier at Chu. The battle of Kep saw the French losing 32 killed and 61 wounded and claiming to have inflicted 1600 casualties upon the Qing. This meant Donnier could be patient and await the reinforcements before seriously engaging the enemy at Chu, but on October the 10th his men were drawn into a bloody two day battle at Chu. Donnier was victorious, though it was a costly one, he had 21 deaths and 92 wounded while claiming to have killed 100 Qing and wounded a few hundred.  After these two victories, the Qing fell back to Bac le and Dong Song while the French consolidated their positions at Kep and Chu by reinforcing them with a total of 7200 soldiers and 4500 coolies. While Briere de l'ilse was consolidated and supplying his forces at Chu and Kep he also began ordering resupply missions to the outposts of Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen and Hung Hoa. The outposts were being continuously harassed by Liu Yongu's Black Flags and the invading Yunnan forces. These more isolated outposts began seeing attacks from the Yunnan army beginning on october 12th and by the end of the month the garrison at Tuyen Quang saw 170 of its 550 men unfit for duty.  Throughout october the French gunboats were trying their best to resupply the outposts, but the Black Flag Army occupied Yu Oc, which was between Tuyen Quang and Hung Hoa, thus cutting it off. By early november the French knew the lack of supplies getting through was becoming dangerous. The gunboat crews were continuously sniped at causing many fatalities. This led Briere de L'isle to launch at attack to dislodge the Black Flags at Yu Oc, while simultaneously making a resupply run for Tuyen Quang. Lt Colonel Jacques Duchesne was sent with roughly 700 men to take a small flotilla of junks escorted by 4 gunboats to land 7 kms above Yu Oc. The troops landed on november 18th and spent the day marching to Yu Oc, never seeing the enemy. At dawn on the 19th, the vanguard of the French column began to come under fire, but they could not pinpoint the enemy's location as a result of the deep bush. Duchesne ordered the front units to fan out a bit and they quickly found a Qing forward line of defense. For two hours a firefight ensued as the Qing gradually prodded different parts of the French column. At 10am a forward French legionnaire companies found a Qing fort that was firing down upon the French vanguard force. The legionnaires fixed bayonets and charge the fort coming out of a ravine. The Qing defenders fled their defenses before the French could surround them disappearing into the bush. The fighting continued on with the French gradually pushing forward until they found a citadel. The French quickly neutralized the citadel and thus the way to Tuyen Quang was opened again for resupply. The fighting cost the French 10 dead with 37 wounded, for the Black Flags and Yunnan forces the losses were estimated to be much higher. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The French had basically won the war at sea, but the land forces had to fight bitterly against the Black Flag, Vietnamese and Qing forces in Tonkin. Would the French be able to push the Qing and Black Flags out of Tonkin to claim it for themselves?

Last time we spoke the Europeans licked their wounds after their nasty defeat to the Taku Forts. Elgin returned to China and a even larger coalition force now set itself on a warpath to march upon Beijing, but this time they went around the Taku Forts. They seized Kowloon, Chusan, Shanghai, Beitang, Tianjin, Danggu and then exacted their revenge upon the Taku Forts. The key to their success was the devastating Armstrong field gun which ripped asunder anything the Qing threw at them. Prince Seng lost the battle for Zhangjiawan utterly humiliating the Qing, but the great General did not simply call it quits, for now he reorganized the forces and put together a last stand at Baliqao. Could Prince Seng stop the European menace before they got to Beijing? Only time will tell.   Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. #23 This episode is Part 6 of the Second Opium War: The Burning of the Summer Palace   Prince Seng and Prince Sengbao, the brother of Emperor Xianfeng had gathered a force of the Green Standard Army, reinforced by imperial guards of the 8 Banner Army, for a combined force nearly 30,000 strong. After their victory at Zhangjiawan, both Grant and Montauban were overly confident that they could simply march on Beijing. As they marched, the 101st regiment led by General Jamin arrived to increase their numbers. On the morning of September 21st as the European columns moved past Tongzhou they saw the Qing force in position in front of the Baliqao bridges. The Qing force was formidable with its left on the canal, reinforced by the village of Baliqao, another village in the center and a third on the far right. The road to Beijing passed through a rolling wooden terrain veering towards the canal and the Baliqao bridges. Seng had re-established order to his army and strengthened their resolve by bringing 100 guns and positioning them in the villages, on the other side of the canal and along his entire front. The Green Standard army were the majority, while the 8 Banner Army units were kept in reserve at the bridges. Seng also had of course a large cavalry force which was being led by Sengbao on their formation flanks. Grant kept inline with what he had done in the previous battle, he took the left while Montauban took the center and right to protect his flank. Montauban used the wooden terrain to hide his lack of numbers, sending the first column to hit the Qing center. General Jamin moved to Collineau's right to hit the Qing left. Grant moved to the far left of Collineau hoping to flank the Qing. General Collineau took the advance guard consisting of the elite companies of the 101 and 12nd regiments, two companies of the 2nd Chasseuers a pied, an engineer detachment, two batteries of horse artillery and a battery of 4 pound foot artillery. Montauban and Jamin commanded the 101 regiment along with the 2nd Chasseurs a pied, a battery of 12 pounders and a Congreve rocket section. Collineau's infantry sped through the woods towards the Qing center and their speed shocked Sengbao as he moved most of the cavalry from the wings to protect the center. The French advance guard moved into skirmish order forming a long line towards Baliqao. Montauban ordered Jamin to go forward as two large bodies of Qing cavalry, around 12,000 charged at each of the French columns. Collineau's artillery rained hell into the Mongol and Manchu cavalry, while the elite company's rifle fired from secure locations along the sides of the main road. The accurate rifle fire took a massive toll on the cavalry, but Collineau soon found himself embroiled in hand to hand combat. Montauban and Jamin also used their artillery to devastating effect while their infantry formed two squares before the cavalry hit their position. The French 12 pound battery was positioned between Collineau and Jamin, continuously shelling the enemy. After some time the Qing cavalry broke off their attack having failed to break the French square formations or to overrun Collineau's men. A brief lull allowed Montauban to re-form and advance upon the villages being defended by Green Standard battalions. Prince Sengbao and Seng did not renew their cavalry assaults, because Grants column was marching onto their right flank. The 101st stormed into the village of Oua-kaua-ye in the center scattering the defenders with each and suffering little casualties from the enemies artillery. Montauban followed this up by sending both brigades to march upon the village of Baliqao. Collineau advanced along a road with his elite companies firing upon Qing forces trying to hold the road towards the village. Large cannons in the streets and across the canal fired upon the french columns,but Jamin brought up his batteries to fire upon the cannons easily overwhelming them. The village and bridge of Baliqao were defended by the 8 banner army units and they did not falter nor give ground. Collineau brought up his artillery to form a crossfire with Jamins batteries slaughtering the 8 bannermen. Collineau then formed his forces into a column and stormed the village. Fighting raged on at close quarters for 30 minutes as Montauban led the 101st to Collineaus support securing the village. Suddenly a Qing messenger was sent from Sengbao to Montauban proclaiming that they had two captured colleagues, the French cleric named Abbe Duluc and the British Captain Brabazon of the royal artillery on one of the bridges and would execute them both if the Europeans did not halt their attack. Without pause Montauban pressed the attack. Collineau then reformed his command and rapidly advanced upon the bridge with the French batteries providing cover fire. Most of the Qing artillerymen were killed by European artillery and with them gone the rest of the 8 banner army men were forced to cede ground and the bridge was overwhelmed. The French bayonet charged across the bring as Qing troops leapt into the canal for their lives. Prince Sengbao made good on his threat and had Duluc and Brabazon executed and tossed over into the canal. The bridge was now in the French hands. Grant's column dislodged the Green stand troops from their village while the British and Indian cavalry rolled up the line overwhelming the Qing cavalry trying to hold their ground. Grants line of attack brought him within sight of the bridge that cross the canal 1 mile west of Baliqao. The arrival of the British on Seng's right flank collapsed his forces in the face of their attack and Seng was compelled to pull his army from the field before being trapped on the right side of the canal. The French claimed 3 dead 18 wounded, the British 2 dead and 29 wounded while the Qing had upto a possible 1500 casualties. The shocking triumph prompted Napoleon III to ennoble de Montauban, who would chose his place of victory for his new aristocratic title, Comte de Baliqao, joining the list of name-place conquerors like Scipio Africanus, the Duke of Marlborough or Germanicus. Over on the other Baliqao bridge General Hope was not enjoying the same easy going time the French had. Grant thought a horde of Mongol cavalry in the distance were French and didn't open fire. The mongols mistook this to mean Grants men were cowards and charged upon them. When the British realized it was the enemy they opened fire at close range and blew the Mongolians to pieces with Armstrong guns. Tongzhou surrendered without a fight, but still suffered the same fate as Zhangjiawan. They plundered the town and General Grant had 3 rapists flogged with 100 strokes by a cat o nine tails then hanged one of them, but all 3 of the said rapists happened to be coolies. The British claimed many of the rapes also came at the hands of Sikhs, but again these sources always seem to wash away the British and French from the bad stuff. Oh and the British and French placed blame at one another of course. One French soldier said of the plunder of Beitang “Quant aux anglais, ce sont nos maîtres: on ne trouve pas un clou où ils ont passé.” (“As for the English, they are our superiors [when it comes to looting]. You can't find a nail where they have passed.” Prince Seng panicked after the last two obstacles to Beijing had fallen, Tongzhou and Zhangjiawan. Beijings only remained defense were its thick walls at 40 feet high and 60 feet thick, bristling with towers that housed defenders armed with more antique guns, bows and arrows and spears. Both Elgin and Gros pleaded with the military forces to hurry to Beijing as they feared the hostages might be massacred if they delayed. But General Grant refused to budge until all his heavy siege guns were shipped upriver from Tianjin to support their march on the great city. Elgin and Gros's fears were not unplaced, Emperor Xianfeng had fled Beijing to go to Rehe, leaving his brother Prince Gong behind with orders to dig in and fight. Best Emperor Ever. Gong was 28 years old and a much more capable sibling. The European force made its way to Beijing where Elgin sent word to Gong they refused to negotiate with him until after the hostages were freed. But they also helped him save face by allowing him to blame the hostage taking on his subordinates. Gong was not moved by the gesture and sent word to withdraw from Beijing and then the prisoners would be released. If they began an assault of the city the prisoners would all be beheaded. On October 6th the heavy artillery needed to blast a hole in Beijing's walls arrived. Prince Gong's position was…welll really bad. On top of literally being ditched there by the Emperor, most of the army had left with him as well. On the 5th Parkes and Loch were told their execution would take place the next morning and both prisoners were given paper and pens to write their last will and testaments. But by now the captives were far too important as political pawns than to be wasted away on executions. On the 7th the prisoners all heard the sound of gunfire and presumed the Europeans were bombarding the city meaning they were all going to die soon. They were actually mistaken the British were firing their guns in the air to let the French know their position because they were spreading out. On october the 6th the British and French agreed to march around the grand city from opposite directions and to meet at the Summer Palace just outside the walls. The two armies quickly lost contact with another. The French reached the Summer palace first finding out that its occupant, Emperor Xianfeng had fled with his 13 wives, a fraction of his harem. The French had expected the Emperors personal guard to defend the summer palace to the death, but everyone had fled. The only resistance they faced was 500 unarmed court eunuchs who screamed at them “don't commit sacrilege! Don't come within the sacred precincts!”. The French shot 20 of them on the spot sending the rest fleeing.   The Summer Palace or as the Chinese called it “Yuanming Yuan” (the gardens of perfect brightness”, simply does not embody how grand it truly was. A more accurate term would have been Summer Palaces, since it was a complex of 2 hundred main building sets, in an 80 square mile park dotted with vermillion tents, artificial lakes and exquisite gardens. The interiors were all unique, one for example was Baroque audience chamber designed by Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century, two other baroque palaces with gold roofs were designed by the same Jesuit priests. Emperor Xianfeng had spent countless days on the lakes staging mock naval battles with miniature boats representing the Qing navy and the British. The emperor always won the naval battles. The Summer palace was not just an architectural marvel, it was a national treasure, a storehouse of centuries of tribute the Emperors of China had received from barbarians. De Montauban realized what a historical treasure was now laying in his possession and he tried to preserve the place by telling his senior staff quote “he counted on their honor to respect the palace and see that it was respected by others…until the English arrived”. But the sheer temptation of the priceless artifacts which lay littered across the palace floors proved an impossible temptation for the French. Montauban's orders to not touch the treasures quickly fell apart. The French soldiers could not resist helping themselves to an Ali Baba's worth of loot. Later in 1874 Montauban would find himself before a government committee set up to investigate the looting that took place that day. The General lied to his examiners saying the French soldiers had not participated in the looting.  “I had sentries posted, and directed two officers with two companies of marine infantry to protect the palace from depredation and to allow nothing to be moved until the arrival of the English commanders. Thus there would be no pillage. Nothing had been touched in the Palace when the English arrived.” General Hope contradicted this testimony with eyewitness accounts. “It was pitiful to see the way in which everything was robbed. Only one room in the Palace was untouched. General de Montauban informed me he had reserved any valuables it might contain for equal division between the English and French”. Grant's critique of Montauban not being able to control his troops is a bit hypocritical as he himself could not control his men. Despite apparently similar orders from Grant, the British soldiers found a cornucopia of loot to be had. Jewels lay scattered all over the Palaces. One French officer snatched a pearl necklace whose gems were the size of marbles and sold it in Hong Kong for 3000 pounds. De Montauban realized he was fighting against the impossible and just let his men take home souvenirs, he said, one prize per soldier, sureeeee. It's said when the French left the palace at 10pm, their pockets bulged with stolen treasure. When the British infantry arrived on october 7th, they saw French tents piled high with jewels and other plunder, some French soldiers were casually walking around wearing jewels worth millions of Frances. Both generals simply gave up trying to establish order and by October 8th Grant demanded Montauban split the gold bars found in the palace 50/50 with the British. Grant tried to restore some order by ordering his men to render their plunder up for a public auction, the money did not go to charity. One British major turned in 8000 pounds worth of gold ingots alone. The auction listed countless Chinese art and artifacts, sculptures of gold and silver, thousands of bolts of imperial yellow silk and the list could go on forever. The 3 day auction netted nearly 100,000 pounds, ⅓ of which went to the officers and other ⅔'s to the NCOs. A private received 17 pounds, an officer 50. The French simply let their men keep what they had stolen. It was rumored that Baron Rothschild had an outstanding order with one French officer to buy anything he could at whatever price. De Montauban tried to mollify a conscious stricken general Grant by offering him a pair of gold and jade scepters as a gift for Queen Victoria, the other half was going to Napoleon III. Now the European armies did not show up to Beijing with baggage carts, but they soon managed to commandeer 300 local carriages to whisk off their treasure.  When Elgin arrived to Beijing on October 7th he was mortified by the looting of the summer palace. On October 8th, Heng Chi an imperial commissioner assigned to treat with the invaders, visited Loch and Parkes. He treated them with respect, but also fed them lies like how the Emperor had a secret army of hundreds of thousands of men in Mongolia waiting to rescue the capital. He also tried pressing to them the fact the trade between their nations might fall apart. Then Heng Chi delivered to them a request from Prince Gong that they write a letter to Elgin urging him to end hostilities. Parkes declined to help, even though Heng said he might be executed if the men did not write the letter. Then Parkes stated “Although you would do the Allied forces but little injury by killing the few prisoners…you would by such an act bring down on yourselves a terrible vengeance.” Heng switched back to good cop again and said “You will be in no danger for the next two or three days.”. Back on september 29th, Loch and Parkes had been transferred to the Gaomiao temple in northern Beijing where their treatment took a 180. They were wined and dined at a 48 course meal banquet catered by a restaurant near the temple. The men were too ill to eat, but happily accepted a bath and new clothes. Parkes eventually wrote to Elgin “The Chinese authorities are now treating Loch and myself well. We are told that His Highness [Gong] is a man of decision and great intelligence, and I trust that under these circumstances, hostilities may be temporarily suspended to give opportunity for negotiation.” At the bottom of that said letter, Loch added in Hindustani that he was writing under duress and believed the Qing could not decipher the Hindu language. Elgin was happy to receive the letter but worried the hostages would be executed.  Elgin was in a real pickle. He felt as trapped as the hostages. If he ordered the siege to commence the hostages might be executed. On October 8th orders arrived from Prince Gong to release the prisoners. The reason Gong did this was actually because orders were coming in from Emperor Xianfeng to execute them all in revenge for plundering the summer palace. Loch and Parkes were released first and it seems just their release alleviated Elgin and Gros's stress to such an extent that they did not seem to care about the fate of the other 30-40 hostages still in the Qing hands. Less than 24 hours after Loch and Parkes were released the allies on October 9th positioned 13 field pieces opposite of the An Tung Gate, begun to dig trenches and posted a placard threatening bombardment if the gate did not open. Elgin gave the Qing until noon of October the 24th to open the gates to the city or the shelling would commence. And on october 24th, 5 minutes before noon the gate of An Tung cracked open a bit hesitatingly, then swung wide open. Without firing a single shot Elgen marched at the head of 500 men into Beijing as conquerors.  The return of the remaining prisoners was not done promptly. 3 days after the An Tung Gate opened, a frenchman and 8 Sikhs were freed. Two days after that, 2 more Sikhs were freed both both men were almost dead and one did die the next day. In all 19 prisoners were freed, 10 others had died being forced to kneel in the courtyard of the summer palace for days without food or water, their hand bound by moistened ropes and leather straps that shrank and causing excruciating pain. The British and French found coffins with the bodies of the victims, one including The Times correspondent, Thomas Bowlby. Many of the freed prisoners described their ordeal. They said they had been bound with ropes or chains for days, exposed to the elements. Many got gangrene and their infections took their lives. The Sikh and British victims were interred in the Russian cemetery on october 17th without ceremony. The next day the French held an elaborate funeral and high mass for the deaths. The fate of the prisoners seemed to have pushed Elgin over the edge. He rattled his brain for a response to such a heinous crime. Elgin plotted a bloodless revenge in his mind, something to restore British honor through a symbolic act that would prevent the Qing from ever harming a contingent of European ambassadors in Beijing in the future. Elgin thought of a way to hurt the Chinese but not at the cost of any lives, he sought to burn down the Summer Palace, a place where many of the prisoners were tortured to death. Elgin wrote to his wife his decision was in his mind to hurt the Emperor's home but spare the Chinese people. Jack Beeching had a rather interesting thing to say about Elgins decision, “Elgin's decision to burn the Summer Palace at least meant that flesh-and-blood injuries done to people he knew intimately would for once be revenged, not as in war, upon other people—on helpless Chinese—but on inanimate objects, on redundant and expensive things. He had suffered all his life from his father's costly obsession with works of art; now works of art would bear the brunt of his revenge.” Thus Elgin's father had profited from the plunder of art and now Elgin was going to destroy art. Elgin also had pressing concerns, he faced a deadline imposed by General Grant, who warned him that a treaty must be concluded before Beijing's winter set in so the allies could return safely to their base at Tianjin. If they did not Grant warned Elgin that their supply lines were overextended and they would easily be severed off by the Qing forces. Prince Seng had been defeated, but his cavalry remained a constant threat and they could blockade the city off at any time.  D-day for the burning of the summer palace was set to October 18th. A 27 year old captain in the Royal Engineers said this of the event  We went out, and, after pillaging it, burned the whole place, destroying in a vandal-like manner most valuable property which [could] not be replaced for four millions. We got upward of £48 apiece prize money ... I have done well. The [local] people are very civil, but I think the grandees hate us, as they must after what we did the Palace. You can scarcely imagine the beauty and magnificence of the places we burnt. It made one's heart sore to burn them; in fact, these places were so large, and we were so pressed for time, that we could not plunder them carefully. Quantities of gold ornaments were burnt, considered as brass. It was wretchedly demoralising work for an army The destroyed the 800 acre complex of building and gardens where countless Chinese emperors had spent much of their time. There were so many ornate buildings on the grounds covering more than a square mile that it took 2 full days of burning, breaking and smashing to bring it down. Countless books, artifacts, centuries of history burned to ashes. I don't think its controversial to say it ranks on par with the burning of the library of Alexandria (despite if you believe the library ever burnt down that is, listen to Our Fake History's podcast for that one haha). It was a tragedy and the remains of the summer palace stand today as a monument of what once stood there, China is still trying to have the site placed on the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.  On October 23rd, the Qing imperial treasury paid in full the increased indemnity fee of 500,000 taels to Britain and France. On October 24th Elgin met with Prince Gong at the board of Ceremonies to sign the new treaty of Peking. By this point Elgin had become a student of the Qing court protocols and used his knowledge to further humiliate Prince Gong and the court officials by arrived at the Board in a chair carried by 8 porters. According to tradition, only the Emperor had the right to that many porters. Now Elgin had learnt he was a target for assasination so he showed up with 500 troops and dispatched another 2000 troops to perform a triumph tour of Beijing. Lt Col Wolseley also performed a mine sweep of the meeting room before Elgin went. Elgin also ordered a huge artillery piece to be mounted on the An Tung gate, aimed directly at the city to ensure good behavior from the population. Prince Gong arrived to the board in a sedan chair bourn by 6 porters, something prescribed for his rank and when he saw Elgin's 8 he knew immediately it was a direct insult towards his brother. Elgin also made sure to show up 2 hours late. The signing of the new treaty took on a sort of comedy. Elgin scared the hell out of the court officials when he screamed at them to “keep perfectly still”, because his Italian photographer, Signor Beato was taking a shot of the scene to preserve the Chinese humiliation. Bad lighting, doomed the Italians efforts and no photographic evidence of the signing was made available to the British press. By the way on the note of photography, the 2nd opium war is one of the first instances you have actual photos of some of the events. Over on my personal channel, the Pacific War Channel, I have rather long 45 minute~ episodes, 1 on the first opium war and 1 on the second. My episode on the second utilizes a lot of the photo's taken and they are honestly incredible, especially the shots outside Beijing and the Taku Forts. So stating that it be awesome if you checked my episode out, or give the photos a google! So again the Qing were given a document to sign, not a treaty to negotiate, when Elgin presented the treaty to Prince Gong for his signature. The convention included an apology for the Emperor's aggression, the British ambassador was granted a year round residency and 10 million in reparations were to be paid to Britain. Another port city was added to the list of those to be opened to trade and kowloon was to be handed over to Britain. After signing and being degraded, Prince Gong invited Elgin to a banquet in his honor and Elgin declined citing his fear the Qing would simply poison him, haha! The French version of the same treaty occurred the next day and Baron Gros was much more gracious. After signing the treaty Gross gave Gong a rare collection of French coins and an autographed photo of Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie. Gross apologized for the burning of the summer palace, but did not mention the looting. Gross then accepted Prince Gong's invitation to dinner and no one was poisoned.  In December Elgen spent his time recuperating in Shanghai reading victorian romance novels and Darwin's recent bestseller “On the Origin of the Species” which Elgin found to be audacious. In January he left China for good as Britain began the process for annexing Kowloon. Elgin returned to Britain a hero and received the new appointment as Viceroyalty of India, a position Lord Canning fought to get him. As the viceroy Elgin enjoyed the lucrative post for 20 months, but then he died of an aneurysm in november of 1864 in Calcutta, the same city Cantons viceroy Ye Mingchen died, perhaps a symbolic symmetry. Emperor Xianfeng died at 30 years old, only a year after the signing of the Convention of Peking which had humiliated him so much he secluded and anesthetized himself with opium, wine and of course his harem at Rehe. Emperor Xianfeng never returned to Beijing and refused to meet foreign ambassadors or even his own courtiers so deep it was said of his shame.  Prince Seng the defacto commander in chief of the Qing military continued to suffer military setbacks and humiliations. At one point he led 23,000 infantry and cavalry to quell a violent tax revolt in Shandong province and was forced to beg European occupiers to return some of his guns he surrendered to them during the 2nd opium war. They ignored his pleas and the Prince ended up failing to suppress the rebellion. Queen Victoria had received one interesting gift from the summer palace, a small Pekinese dog that she named Lootie. The poor thing had been found wandering around the ruins of the Summer Palace, where a captain in the Wiltshire regiment rescued it and gave it to the Queen. The Queen also of course received a jade and gold scepter from General Hope.  Both the first and second Opium war were fought largely because of the opium trade and British manufacturers. The conflict was an incredible pay off for Britain. Four years after the second opium war ended, Britain sold China ⅞'s of all the conquered nations imports, more than 100,000 pounds annually. Opium imports to China increased from 58,000 chests in 1859 to 105,000 chests by 1879. The British textiles which the Chinese rejected for their own silk eventually found a market, quadrupling from 113 million yards in 1856 to 448 million yards 25 years later. The Treaty of Tianjin basically made opium legal in China by setting the amount at which the Qing taxed it. The Qing court tried to fight the importation of opium by raising taxes on it. There were many attempts by officials in Britain to stop the opium trade, but it was far to profitable and those voices were quelled whenever they rose up. Eventually the Qing realized they could not stop the plague that was opium addiction, so they began to cultivate opium in large quantities within China to at least offset the British imports. Opium addiction became more and more rampant in China. In 1906 the Qing government forbade the sale of opium, but users over the age of 60 were exempted for a specific reason, Empress dowager Cixi was an opium addict herself. Opium cultivation and consumption thrived in the 1920's and 1930's under Chiang Kai-shek's government. By the time of the 2nd sino Japanese war in 1937, 4 million Chinese, around 10 percent of the population were opium addicts. Over in British held Hong Kong 30% of the colony's population were dependent on opium. The Japanese occupiers encouraged opium consumption to make the population more docile. Within a year of the communist takeover under Mao Zedong, dealers of opium were to be executed, some lucky ones got to go to Gulags. Users were treated more humanely and detoxed in hospitals. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me.  The Chinese struggled for 150 years against opium. More than half a century of legislation by both Britain and China failed, while Mao's totalitarian efficiency succeeded in half a generation. Ironically Mao Zedong enforced a policy and plan that had been first tried by a commissioner named Lin Zexu, go figure. 

In this episode, DAK and Rick talk about all things sports with this week focusing on the opening of Training Camp, as well as WWE and Formula 1. We also discuss the future of the Fins and the F1 Title picture. So tune in for all that and more! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Could the future of agriculture be completely autonomous? One French company has been working to develop autonomous farm equipment to help small-scale farmers save time and money. Christian Melendez is the Director of Sales North America for Naio Technologies. He shares more about their electric, robotic farm equipment that features RTK navigation to allow each piece to be fully autonomous. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis On today's date in 1931, the Russian-born American conductor, and composer Nicolas Slonimsky was in Paris conducting the first of two concerts of ultra-modern music from the New World. These were presented under the auspices of the Pan American Association of Composers, and funded by an anonymous philanthropist Slonimsky later identified as retired insurance executive and fellow composer Charles Ives. Slonimsky had approached Ives early in 1931 with the idea of presenting a series of new music concerts in New York. When that proved too costly, they suggested mounting the same concerts in Paris. “In 1931, the dollar was still almighty among world currencies,” recalled Slonimsky. “Ives gave me a letter of credit to the Paris branch of the Chase Manhattan Bank in the amount of $1500, an enormous sum of money in French francs at the time. The prestigious Orchestra Straram was engaged for my first Paris concert. I had a brilliant audience: composers, journalists, painters, Italian futurists. There was applause, but also puzzled responses.” One French music critic even entitled his review “The Discovery of America,” writing, “We have, (without joking), just discovered America, thanks to a Christopher Columbus called Slonimsky.” As for Ives, he was very pleased with the success of the concerts, and for a time jokingly addressed Slonimsky as either “Columbus et Vespuccius,” Music Played in Today's Program Henry Cowell (1897 – 1965) –Synchrony (Polish National Radio Orchestra; William Strickland, cond.) Citadel 88122

Bonjour. This is Fabulously Delicious the podcast that brings you the wonderful and fabulous people involved in French food, here in France or around the world. They cook it, produce it, talk, write and photograph it, but above all they love it. I wanted to change it up a little bit on Fabulously Delicious. Each week I've been bringing you delicious episodes revolving around a specific topic. We've had Cantal cheese, Confit de canard, and Burgundy wines to name a few, and then we've gotten to know the guests who are experts on the topic. But in season one I had the pleasure of chatting with renowned chefs like Phillip Tesser and Gabriel Gate. So I wanted to dive a bit into chef life and bring you a different Fabulously Delicious episode. Going forward every now and then I will have episodes devoted to a French chef who's either here in France or around the world. We will discover their love of French food, their career journey, their life before becoming a chef, and what lead them to French cuisine. So today is the first of a two-part chat with a French chef that has made his home in Canada. He was born in France and trained to be a chef here, moved to the US, and then settled in Canada where is now the judge on the very popular Great Canadian Bakeoff. Bruno Feldeisen is a wonderful chef that despite a difficult childhood and young adult life in the kitchen has risen to be one of the best French chefs in Northern America. You can check out more information about me and my food journey from MasterChef to France at Andrew Prior Fabulously my website and blog via the link below. Here you will find some delicious recipes from my YouTube channel Cooking Fabulously. https://www.andrewpriorfabulously.com https://www.youtube.com/andrewpriorDon't forget to follow my food and French life journey on Instagram @andrewpriorfabulouslyAnd if you'd like to support Fabulously Delicious and help to create more delicious episodes you can buy me a croissant via the link below. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/andrewpriorIf you need some to help you plan your next trip to France and or Paris then also check out buy me a coffee for my special zoom call option. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/andrewpriorOr you can support on a monthly basis by becoming a Patreon member to receive exclusive recipes and other exciting events. https://www.patreon.com/cookingfabulouslyYou can find out more about Bruno Feldeisen via the below link https://www.brunofeldeisen.com/aboutSupport the show

SHR # 2862:: The Pep Talk - GHK-Cu In Anti-aging and Regenerative Medicine - Dr. Carl Paige, MD - This tiny protein found naturally in humans and mammals is attached to copper. Early research showed it has the ability to reduce the effects of aging in a variety of tissue. Its effects are pronounced in skin where it acts to promote the production of supporting structures (extracellular matrix) in the skin, increase collagen synthesis, regulate copper levels, and activate reparative cells. Its small molecular weight makes it ideal for cosmetics. One French study showed it may regrow hair! It's currently being investigated as an anti-inflammatory to replace corticosteroids, for use in nerve regeneration, as a stem cell growth factor, as a DNA protectant, and as a general anti-cancer agent.

An autobiographical first novel, The Last One tells the story of Fatima and her family. The confusing polarities between different worlds and cultures that are portrayed sparked an intense Media debate in France. Although based on true events and experiences, Fatima Daas changed certain aspects in order to be free to write what she wanted, and convey her feelings about specific events.   Tune in to hear a lively conversation with Fatima Daas and podcast host Georgia de Chamberet, about literary inspiration, handling her surprise overnight success, and the pressures directed at women from religion and from society, and more besides The Last One is published in English, by HopeRoad Publishing. The interview is in both French and English.   Produced by BookBlast  

Welcome to the Stationery Cafe Happy Hour! April from @penguinscreative and Kelly from @kellyloveletters get together to talk about the latest in the stationery community. This week, we talk about Papier Platz's new ink release featuring Saitama colors! We also discuss Ferris Wheel Press' “brush” fountain pen. April recommends some new Uniball One colors and Kelly finally receives her Benu Wild Rose fountain pen!

Good morning and happy Sunday! This week we're remembering a legend in the sports and fashion worlds — Virgil Abloh, the visionary behind the brand Off-White.On Nov. 28, renowned designer and cultural icon Virgil Abloh passed away from a rare form of cancer — cardiac angiosarcoma — at the age of 41. Abloh, most famous for founding the streetwear brand Off-White and helming menswear designs at Louis Vuitton, was revered by many throughout the fashion, music, and sports industries.Abloh first came to prominence as a creative director for Kanye West and was responsible for acclaimed album covers like those for “Watch The Throne” and “Yeezus.” He also DJ'd and helped propagate the streetwear craze with his early brands Pyrex Vision and Been Trill. Then Off-White was founded in 2012, encompassing and evolving beyond his previous creative endeavors. Off-White was born out of Abloh's “3%” design approach, a premise that assumes a new design could be created with a 3% change to an original. His metamodernist aesthetic was akin to sampling — taking tenets from hip-hop's remix culture to bring innovative products to life. Abloh's work with Nike is especially iconic and the foundation for much of his work within sports. 2017: “The Ten” collaboration between Nike and Off-White, in which Abloh reimagines 10 of Nike's most iconic sneakers with new deconstructed models.2018: Off-White partners with Nike and Kylian Mbappe before the World Cup to create a soccer capsule.2019: Serena Williams steps on the clay at the French Open in a custom Off-White outfit. 2019: Nike and Off-White release the “Athlete In Progress” collection for women's track and field athletes.What will become of the brand now that its auteur is no longer with us?Ownership StructureIn 2015, New Guards Group (NGG) — an Italian luxury fashion production and distribution holding company — became the exclusive licensor of the Off-White brand, though Abloh still owned the trademark.Four years later, NGG was acquired for $675 million by FarFetch, another online luxury retail platform. This meant increased distribution capabilities and greater reach for Off-White, and Abloh's brand equity remained intact.  Intangible assets — “indefinable” non-monetary assets — are a major indicator of Off-White's value. In FarFetch's financial statements, the 2021 balance sheet shows that over 61% ($1.3 billion) of the company's total assets came from their brand value, an intangible asset.One French conglomerate has been taking notes. In August of this year, LVMH bought 60% of the Off-White trademark from Abloh. Now, LVMH indirectly has control over a portion of FarFetch's balance sheet.The licensing rights agreement between FarFetch and Off-White runs through 2026.With LVMH holding majority creative control of the brand, a transfer of licensing rights could be imminent. The transfer would be a positive both for brand integrity and upholding Abloh's legacy. Abloh was the first black creative director for Louis Vuitton and its parent has shown a strong commitment to the designer's vision over the years. They should be a strong purveyor of the brand going forward.Assuming that LVMH does retain the brand and continues to invest in Off-White, what is their potential upside? The Streetwear MarketIn 2019, PWC teamed up with online streetwear and fashion blog Hypebeast to conduct a comprehensive market study on streetwear. The executive summary touted the industry as “one of the most striking retail and fashion trends to have emerged in recent years.”According to the report, the global streetwear market was estimated at $185 billion, or 10% of the entire global footwear and apparel market, at the time of publication. 54% of survey respondents said they spent between $100-$500 per month on their favorite brands.Average age of consumer was less than 25Average income was less than $40,00061% of respondents were most likely to buy sneakers40% of consumers stated their biggest influencers came from sports65% of respondents said Off-White best represented streetwearOver half of the participants were willing to spend 10% of their income on these goods, demonstrating an almost cult-like following. As this cohort of consumers matures into their HENRY (high earner not rich yet) phase, there could be an explosion in the space, as capital shifts from legacy luxury brands to a more youth endemic product set centered around streetwear. Blockbuster deals like VF Corporation's $2.1 billion acquisition of streetwear brand Supreme seem to cement that notion.In 2020, the luxury fashion industry was estimated at $324 billion, per the Italian Luxury Trade Foundation. With shifting consumer preferences and expansion, it's feasible that streetwear, once seen as simply counterculture, could become even more of a behemoth in the mainstream consumer goods space. The Economics of LuxuryMost brands are governed by the basic economic laws of supply and demand. Flip open any economics textbook you'll find the classic chart depicting an upward-sloping supply curve and a downward-sloping demand curve. As the price of a good increases, the demand for it should decrease as buyers seek out more economically feasible goods. There are, however, exceptions to this rule. Consumers see brands like Rolex, or Off-White, outside the purview of standard economic law.The Veblen Effect, coined by American economist Thorstein Veblen, posits that as the price of a luxury good rises so does its demand.Streetwear changed the paradigm of what's considered luxury.Abloh and Off-White have been instrumental in the evolution of that perception.Sneakers, in particular, have taken on a life of their own, with entire exchanges built around the world's most sought after footwear. Estimates from Statista indicate the global sneaker market will grow to $102 billion by 2025.Sports, and the way Abloh's vision of streetwear was embraced by everyone from Naomi Osaka to the NBA, cannot be separated from the story of this category's unprecedented rise.So much of the credit goes to Abloh's prolific output and legendary work ethic. He created a brand of the highest caliber — a Veblen good — and his legacy persists on the court and the runway.Thank you, Virgil.

Pack your bags because it's time to go on a whimsical tour of Ennui, France, in The French Dispatch! In this special two-person episode, watch as James and Charlie weigh in on the Great Shake Shack debate, talk about their biggest journalistic inspirations, and praise the hell out of Wes Anderson. Special thanks to our patrons Rachel DeLisio, John DeLisio, Samuel Copeland, Ethan Rudder, Jeanette Clark, Michael & Heather Clark, Peter DeLisio, Mariah Helm, Roger Anderson, and Hero! Remember, I wouldn't ever cut any of your articles. I'd tell the printer to buy more paper. Thank you to Riley Smith for editing this video! Riley is a freelance video editor and sound artist. Riley can be contacted at RSsmithbusiness@gmail.com and can be found on Instagram @rileychrissmith. SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm9dFcyGaQYEyP2ofZYa9kg Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22r5KXt2rDg&list=PL_rw0im3Y1ZuFkc6T2JUm6rHNM8RO-heF Instagram: @socratic_cinema Twitter: @cinemasocratic Twitch: twitch.tv/socraticcinema Patreon: patreon.com/socraticcinema

Lydia Davis reads her essay on Arles, recorded for the Trilling Lecture at Columbia University in 2019.Read the piece here: https://lrb.me/lydiadavisarlespodSubscribe to the LRB and get a 79% discount: https://lrb.me/travel See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In today's episode, we invited Kat Borlongan and Chris O'Brien to talk about the tech ecosystem in France. On the Tech.eu side, we've got Robin Wauters and Dan Taylor. Listen until the end to hear Dan playing the guitar; along the way, you can learn more about the actual French tech model, the omnipresent Bpifrance, the height of the language barrier, and much more. We hope you enjoy(ed) the podcast! Please feel free to email us with any questions, suggestions, and opinions  to podcast@tech.eu or tweet at us @tech_eu. 

Philippe is more and more becoming the movie star he deserves to be while Simon is becoming immune to Covid. The boys talk about the 90s and 2000s in music and Philippe is embarrassing himself on his knowledge of Canadian comedians. Listen to our playlist on Spotify called "Poutine Bratwurst"! If you want to contact the boys you can do that through anchor.fm/poutine-bratwurst/message OR via mail poutinebratwurst@gmail.com ! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/poutine-bratwurst/message

When he won a seat in the European Parliament last year, Raphaël Glucksmann promised something different. His goal was to become "the voice of the voiceless people.”

Hour 3 Should the rest of the world be able to vote in American elections? One French woman thinks so. WGIG-AM and FM in Brunswick, GA

"Funny" songs about "jokes" and "fun" in the spirit of April Fool's Day - for example jams with those words in the title by George Clinton, Chic, Sly & The Family Stone, Cameo, Kenny Gamble, The Time, and Mtume. Who knew there are 3 different songs called "Funny Funk" ?! One French, One Finnish, and One by the legendary George Duke and we play them all. Plus in the 2nd hour a special tropical disco DJ set by Mexico City based DJ and production duo Djeko & K'You.Catch FSQ with Chuck Da Fonk every Wednesday from 12 Noon - 2 PM EST / 5 - 7 PM GMT.For a complete track listing, visit: https://thefaceradio.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fsqofficial/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fsqofficial/Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/fsqofficialTwitter: https://twitter.com/fsqofficial Support The Face Radio with Patreon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The César Awards are France's equivalent of the Oscars, but they're mired in controversy this year. Roman Polanski's latest film has received 12 nominations, but many feel the convicted child rapist should not be honoured for his work. There are protests outside the ceremony in Paris. Polanski and his cast and crew have chosen not to attend. One French actress has accused the country of "missing the boat" when it comes to #MeToo. There are others, though, who believe art and crime should be judged independently of one another. 

SHR # 2345 :: The Pep Talk: Copper Peptide GHK-Cu: Uses in Anti-aging and Regenerative Medicine - Dr. Carl Paige, MD - This tiny protein found naturally in humans and mammals is attached to copper. Early research showed it has the ability to reduce the effects of aging in a variety of tissue. Its effects are pronounced in skin where it acts to promote the production of supporting structures (extracellular matrix) in the skin, increase collagen synthesis, regulate copper levels, and activate reparative cells. Its small molecular weight makes it ideal for cosmetics. One French study showed it may regrow hair! It's currently being investigated as an anti-inflammatory to replace corticosteroids, for use in nerve regeneration, as a stem cell growth factor, as a DNA protectant, and as a general anti-cancer agent.

SHR # 2345 :: The Pep Talk: Copper Peptide GHK-Cu: Uses in Anti-aging and Regenerative Medicine - Dr. Carl Paige, MD - This tiny protein found naturally in humans and mammals is attached to copper. Early research showed it has the ability to reduce the effects of aging in a variety of tissue. Its effects are pronounced in skin where it acts to promote the production of supporting structures (extracellular matrix) in the skin, increase collagen synthesis, regulate copper levels, and activate reparative cells. Its small molecular weight makes it ideal for cosmetics. One French study showed it may regrow hair! It's currently being investigated as an anti-inflammatory to replace corticosteroids, for use in nerve regeneration, as a stem cell growth factor, as a DNA protectant, and as a general anti-cancer agent.

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly). Le Ride - (Documentary, Biography, History) In 1928 an under-resourced and untested team from New Zealand and Australia competed in what is considered to be the toughest sporting event in the world. Many considered the entry of these courageous underdogs, racing as a team of 4 against teams of 10, a joke. One French journalist called their attempt nothing short of murder. 168 riders started the more than 3,500-mile race, only 41 finished. Surprisingly this remarkable story about the achievements of these brave athletes has never been told on film, until now. Phil Keoghan - television personality, adventurer and cycling enthusiast, retraces the 1928 Tour de France route, bringing history to life. Following the original course and schedule, riding a vintage bike, Phil and his team will average 150 miles a day for 22 stages.Director: D.J. Caruso Director: Philip Keoghan Writers: Louise Keoghan, Philip Keoghan Star: Philip Keoghan - (IMDb) Subscribe, rate and review Movies First at all good podcatcher apps, including iTunes, audioBoom, Stitcher, Pocketcasts, Podbean, Overcast, RadioPublic, etc. For more, follow Movies First on Facebook, twitter, Google+, and Clammr: Facebook - @moviesfirst twitter - @ moviesfirst Google+ - https://plus.google.com/u/2/collection/8p-OaB Clammr - http://www.clammr.com/app/moviesfirst If you're enjoying Movies First, please share and tell your friends. Your support would be appreciated...thank you. #movies #cinema #entertainment #podcast #reviews Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Introduction This morning we are looking this morning at Romans 9:19-23. One of the things my family and I like to do is to go to historic places like Williamsburg or Conner Prairie in Indiana or some of these other places where they do crafts from the colonial era. Some of you enjoy doing that kind of thing too. I like to see the blacksmith make an iron hinge or the gunsmith make a rifle barrel with a long kind of interesting drill. I like to see the joiners making furniture and cabinets. That's really an amazing thing. The tailor sitting cross legged on a table all day long, sewing. I wonder how they do that. It looks like a stiff position, but that's where they are and they're just working. But I especially love to see the potters doing their work, you know what I mean? The skilled potter, who takes some clay out of some container of clay, and then slaps it down on the wheel as it's spinning, and then with just artful fingers he just makes the thing seemingly come to life. I love that moment where he puts his fingers inside and just pulls up and it just grows right in front of you. Have you seen that before? It's an amazing thing. And out of this lump of clay comes a pitcher or a bowl or something according to his skill and his vision, what it is he's trying to make, it's a marvelous thing. And that is the image that the apostle Paul uses to talk about what God is doing in the world with people. And it's an incredible thing, and we need to understand it in context. I. A Deep and Confirming Objection Paul here in Romans 9, is dealing with a very deep and significant question. The question has to do with whether God's Word has failed. And the issue is that the Jews in large number, are, were and still are, rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And they're not just any people, but they are people that had received great privileges and amazing promises and prophetic warnings and all kinds of things and here they're rejecting Christ. And so Paul is dealing with that. Now we as Christians, we cherish the promises of God, don't we. And all the incredible things that God has said to us, like in Romans 8, "And we are assured that nothing else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus." Isn't that wonderful. Those are just words. But for me, they're not words. That's the foundation of my hope, that's what gives me joy. I cling to that. But Paul has to take up this problem, if God's Word has failed to the Jews, how do I know it's not going to fail to me? And so, he's dealing with that question. Has the Word of God failed? And he strongly answers it in verse 6 of chapter 9, "It is not as though God's Word has failed, for not all who are descended from Israel are Israel." And so, he sets up this category, where there are the physical descendants of Israel, the Jews, physically and nationally, but then within that a subset of the true Israel. "Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel." And then he brings us to the mystery of unconditional election. He goes beyond just saying that, he says that God decides who's in each category. And he makes that decision before any of us are born or do anything good or bad. It's the doctrine of unconditional election. The case study was Jacob and Esau. "Before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose in election might stand, not by works but by Him who calls. She was told the older will serve the younger just as it is written. Jacob, I love and Esau I hated." This is the doctrine of unconditional election. In order to deal with that though, up comes the question of God's justice. It seems unjust for God to do this. Unconditional election seems unjust and so he has to raise the question and answer it in verses 14-16. Is God unjust? And He deals with the issue of, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It makes an amazing summary statement in verse 16. It does not, therefore, depend on the man who wills, or the man who runs, but on God, who has mercy. It doesn't depend on human will, it doesn't depend on human effort, it depends on God, who has mercy. And then he deals with the negative side as we did the last time, two weeks ago, that we looked at the hardening of Pharaoh's heart and how God doesn't just deal in the lives of the Jacobs but he also deals in the lives of the Esaus. And he deals with the doctrine there of hardening. And the summary then, after dealing with the case of Pharaoh, in verse 18, he sums it all up saying, "Therefore God has mercy on whom He wills to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wills to harden." There it is, in verse 18. And we covered that last time. Now, as Paul frequently does, he raises up an objection to his doctrine. Now, I've mentioned before he does this because he's a veteran evangelist and apologist, defender of the Christian faith, he's going from place to place in all these synagogues, he has heard this before. "One of you at this point is going to say this to me..." And isn't it refreshing that he does that? I want the doctrine tested, I want the answers that are popping up in my mind to be dealt with. And so he brings up this incredibly deep and I think confirming objection. "One of you will say to me, that why does God still blame us for who resists His will?" That's the objection that Paul is dealing with here in verse 19. Now, what is the objection? Well, the way I understand it is this basically, if God is so all powerful as you're saying, Paul, if everything just comes down to His will. If He can do anything He wants, then why does anybody go to hell, frankly. Why does He blame anybody? For who resists His will? Why doesn't He just save everyone? Has that question ever occurred to you? I know it's occurred to some of you, because you come and talk to me about it. And so, yes, it's on our minds, we're trying to understand it. Why doesn't he just save everybody? If it doesn't depend on the man desires or wills but on God who has mercy, why doesn't He just have universal mercy? Oh yes, you know the question's in your mind, you have this question. And I remember the first time I read this thinking, "Oh good, I'm going to get an answer. And instead, I get a security alert clearance and I'm not allowed to go in the room. "Who are you oh man to talk back to God?" I'm not cleared for that room, it seems. And yet, amazingly, he goes beyond, and starts to give some of his reasons even past that statement. So it's remarkable what God's doing here in Romans 9, but He's dealing with this objection. Now, as I look at the objection in my opinion, as I look at it, there's a true aspect to it, and a false one. The objection contains a truth and it also contains a falsehood. What is the truth to the objection? No one can resist the will of God. That is true. God gets what He wants. Some call it the doctrine of irresistible grace. I like effectual grace better. None of us are dragged kicking and screaming to faith in Christ, we run and embrace him don't we? But I look on that as effectual grace, it has an effect on us, effectual grace. So the true aspect is, who resists His will? More on that in a minute. The false aspect is, if God is so sovereign, absolute sovereignty must nullify human responsibility so that there can be no Judgment Day. That is false. Now how those go together, I don't know. And I challenge you to find any human being who does. I can't put it all together. And if you want the removal of mystery you've come to the wrong place, and you're listening to the wrong sermon. I'm not here to remove mystery there is mystery in our faith isn't there? There's limitations to these brains and so there's limit. But truth, I believe God's will is final. The scriptures teach it over and over again. But one of the clearest passages on this, is Isaiah 14:24-27. Don't turn there, but just listen. There Isaiah is dealing with the problem of the Assyrian empire. And Assyria, a mighty empire, was invading and took over the Northern Kingdom of Israel and was going to come right up to the neck, it says in Isaiah, of taking over Judah as well. But God says, this far, you go and no further and then I'm going to crush you, that's what He says in Isaiah 14 to the Assyrian. Very interesting, but these are the statements that He makes. Isaiah 14:24, "The Lord Almighty has sworn," very strong statement. "The Lord Almighty has sworn, surely as I have planned, so it will be. And as I have purposed, so it will stand." Now, what is that saying? Means, I'm the king. I rule. What I plan stands. I was talking to one of my children about that this morning, I said. "What would you think of a child in a home getting up and telling his or her parents, "Well these are my plans today. I'm going to eat such and such for breakfast, I want to make bacon and eggs and all that, and have some toast, maybe some yogurt. And after I get done, I'm going to go play with the neighbor kids for a while, and then I'll do some of my school work and when I get done with that, I'm not sure what I'd like to do. I would like to spread some mulch on the yard and maybe cut the grass a little bit, and then when I get done... " He'd stand there in amazement saying, "Excuse me? Well, those are wonderful plans. They're subject to change. Okay, why? Because I'm the daddy. That's why. You don't get to decide, you don't get to choose." So there's an issue of authority. The highest authority however, isn't subject to change. What He plans, it stands. What He purposes that's the way it's going to go. And He says It openly over and over in Scripture. He says later in that same section, Isaiah 14:27, "For the Lord Almighty has purposed and who can thwart Him. His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" Answer, No one. So that is true. The objection is true. Who resist His will? But the conclusion from the objection is not. That means we're all free, we're all robots, none of us is responsible for the things we do. That. My friends, is not true. We will give an account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word that we have spoken. That is a fact. So the objection is put together in a package of truth and error and we have to try to understand it. Now in my opinion, this very objection kind of proves the interpretation we've been giving all along in Romans 9, of God's absolute sovereignty in salvation. A free will approach to salvation does not have to answer this question. Somebody would never even think to say, "Well then why does God still find fault for who resists His will in a freewill scheme?" It would never come up. If people make their ultimate choices, then they get the ultimate conclusion of those choices and that's it. But here, this objection proves we are dealing with absolute sovereignty, aren't we? As if the open texts weren't enough that openly say it, he raises this question. Now, as I look at this, I see basically, four parts to the answer. And it's just amazing how they all begin with R, isn't it amazing when that happens? But I tell you this, I like alliteration, but I don't ever want to force a text under certain letter schemes. Certain letters are better than others. Q is really bad. I've never been able to do Q but R is good. And in this case, I think it does lay out the text, pretty well for us. First, we're going to see God's Rebuke. Second, we're going to see God's Role. Third, God's Rights. And fourth, but not really this week, probably more like next week, God willing, we'll see God's Reason for all of this. Okay? II. God’s Rebuke First, God's Rebuke. Basically, this begins with God putting humanity in its place. We are put in our place here. Look at verse 20. "But who are you, Oh man, to talk back to God?" This is a rebuke. "Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, Why did you make me like this?" The focus here is on our weakness, our frailty as created beings, our mortality. The human race has forgotten itself and it's wisdom to know who we are, isn't it? So, as we deal with the issue of God's sovereignty in salvation, it's good for us to have an attitude check at a certain point. We are, uppity. Is that a good word? We're uppity. Human beings are uppity. We don't stay in the place that God created us for. There's an upward mobility in the spiritual realm, just like the devil when he said, "I will ascend to the most high, I'll sit on God's throne." We have that in us, and so we don't stay in our place, we are uppity. And so therefore, it's good for us to be humbled, to be quieted at a certain point. Because we misunderstand our relationship with God as a result. And so there are some things that God has designed to humble us. For example, in Psalm 8:3-4, David said, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers. The moon and the stars, which you have set in place, you know what I think? I think what am I? What is man, that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" Now, that's humbling. A nice walk under a star strewn sky, that'll do it. Or look at a mountain range, that will put you in your place. Look at the ocean as it's raging on a stormy night, that'll put you in your place. And then there's just theology. Just as you read scripture. In Ecclesiastes 5:2 it says, "Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you, you're on earth. So let your words be few." There's a humbling there. I actually think that Isaiah 40 through 49, those 10 chapters, are written to humble us so that we remember that, "He sits enthroned above the circle of the Earth, and its people are like grasshoppers in front of Him. All the nations are like a drop in the bucket, he weighs them like they're dust on the scale." Does that not put you and me in our place? It does. And so therefore, God wants to humble us. But one of the number one things that God does to the people that He loves is He begins by humbling them. I already talked to you about Moses. "Stop, don't come any closer. Take off your sandals." And Moses is trembling on the ground. He can't even look, he's so fearful. God did that to Abraham in Genesis 15 when He was going to appear to him and confirm the covenant. A thick and dreadful darkness came over Abraham and he was afraid. It was a fear. He did that with Isaiah when Isaiah saw a vision of Christ seated on His throne and the train of His robe filled the temple, and there were Seraphs, each with six wings and they were calling to one another, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty. And the door posts and thresholds shook with the voice of the angels. And Isaiah says, reasonably, I think, "Woe is me. I'm a sinner." He means to humble Isaiah there. He meant to humble the Israelites at Mount Sinai with that display of power when He came down in a cloud, and there was lightning, and thunder, and there was a loud voice and a trumpet and the whole ground under their feet shook. And the people were terrified. Don't tell me God wasn't trying for fear there. He was. He was trying to bring the fear of God in the hearts of people. And it worked, because they said, as God began to speak to them, they begged to not hear His voice anymore, and God said, "It's a good thing. Oh, that they would always fear me and obey my commands." So God does mean to humble us and He means to keep us in our place. Why? For our own good, because it is reality. He is God and we are not. He sits on the throne and we will not, except in that we sit on Christ's throne through redemption. But He is God. And so we need to be humbled. Therefore we have to have the right attitude. Martin Lloyd Jones put it this ways so beautifully. Talking about this whole difficult chapter of Romans 9, he says this, “You cannot understand? You are tempted to question and to argue, and to query? The reply to you is, ‘Who are you, O man, that replies against God! Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, why have you made me like this?’ ‘But that,’ you may say, ‘is not a fair argument. It is rather a prohibition of argument, and the exertion of an unfair authority.’ To which I reply that we were never meant to argue with God, and that we should never have started from the assumption that it was to be a discussion between two equal disputants. God is in heaven, and we are upon the earth. God is holy and we are sinful. God knows all things, and sees the end from the beginning.... God needs no defense, for He is on the throne. He is the Judge of all the earth. His Kingdom is without end. Cease to question and to argue! Bow down before Him! Worship Him! Get into the right attitude yourself, and you will begin to understand His actions.” Lloyd Jones is right. And that's all that happens today in this sermon, is that you feel a humbling in a downward direction, like it says in Psalm 95. "Come let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord, our God, our Maker. For He is our God and we are His people, the sheep of His pasture." Oh, that's a good thing, isn't it, to be humbled. There's a sweet feeling that comes from that. Now, the issue here is, is God on trial? Is he needing to answer our cross examination? Are we the district attorney pacing back and forth and thinking of our next question, as we orchestrate this debate with God and make Him dance to our logical tune? Is that what's going on here? "Enough." says Romans 9. Stop. Remember, who you are. Remember who you're speaking to. Think. You're dust, created, and if you're a Christian, you're a vessel fitted for glory by His power. That's marvelous. But we are not in any position to talk back to God. The word means here, doesn't mean ask an honest question. That's not what we're talking about here. Doesn't mean, I have a question I really would like to know. I'm trying to understand, that's all fine. I lack wisdom, James says He gives honestly, and generously out without rebuke. He's not going to rebuke you for asking for wisdom. But that's not what this verse is talking about. Here we're talking about answering back or arguing back, or in the parental child relationship, talking back you know. There's the back talking and that is cut off here. We are not to talk back to God. This is, I think a rebuke that refreshes us. It doesn't sting, it actually heals us, friends. It heals us. It's a good thing to be in our place, because the place that God made is good. And so after God had rebuked Job, Job repented in sackcloth and ashes. He said his disputations with God, were over forever. You're not going to argue anymore. And so it says in Job 40, "The Lord said to Job. Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? Let him who accuses God answer him." And then Job answered the Lord. "I am unworthy. How can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once but have no answer. Twice but I will say no more." Job said, I don't have anything else to say. I've seen the Lord and He has quieted me. And so friends, let's start with the rebuke. "Who are you oh man to argue against God?" Let's not argue anymore. III. God’s Role The second is God's role. God is the potter and we are the clay. I love that song. Wasn't that beautiful? I mean it's delightful, the sense of God at work in our lives, is one of the most encouraging ones you'll ever find in your life. And to know that God is wise about what He's doing in your life, His hands are on the events of your life, nothing comes to you except through His fingers, and He's wise, He is the potter we are the clay. It's such a beautiful thought. And it is all true for us as Christians as you listen to all the words of the song. It's true. But I think Paul is using it differently here in Romans 9, a little bit. The thought itself is the same, but he's dealing here with vessels of mercy, and vessels of wrath and what God is doing there. And here it says, "God is the potter and we are the clay." It says, "Shall what is formed," verse 20, "say to Him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'" The Greek word is plasma from which we get the word plastic, and all that. There's a sense of something moldable, shapeable, you can work with it. We're being molded and shaped, and fashioned. The point is essentially our changeability. We are moldable, we are changeable. Every day then, we are shaped and molded and changed in some way. By things we read, by conversations we have with people, by experiences that we have out in the world. All of those things mold us, shape us, affect us. Christian, non-christian everybody, all over the world. That's what it is we are moldable, we are shapeable. The contrast is God, He never changes, never. Nothing molds and shapes God. God isn't progressing, He's not improving, He's not getting worse either. He is the same yesterday, and today and forever, always. God is fashioning us after His own purpose. He is working on us by His own internal vision. Many testimonies of people, craftsmen and artists talk about the artistic process. One French artist was talking this way, he said, "A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him, the image of a cathedral." It was a rock pile, it could eventually, 128 years later be a cathedral. But there's a vision. The artist working. Michael Angelo was talking about one of the angels that he carved out of marble and he said, "Well, I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." Isn't that marvelous. Another time, Michael Angelo was asked while he was sculpting his David, "How do you know what to carve away?" His response was reported to be, "I simply remove everything that doesn't look like David." See there it is, you know. Sculpting in one easy step. I don't know how he gets the veins and tendons and how it looks like it's actually skin on the marble, that's amazing that he was gifted. But that's what... He's got an internal vision and he works with the block of marble until it is the way he saw. That is what God is doing in the world. God, God, God's medium, is people. That's what He's working in. Michelangelo worked with marble there making that statue. Others work with canvas, and oil-based paints. God works with people. He is the potter and we are the clay. We're moldable. And what is He doing in the elect? What's He doing in we who believe in Jesus Christ? Well, it says in Romans 8:29, "Those God foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He, Christ, might be the first born among many brothers." So God's internal vision is his own Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And what is he doing? Well, basically, I take everything out of him or her that doesn't look like Jesus. That's it, that's sanctification, that's the work that He's doing. He's fitting us for glory. More about that God willing next week. But he is the potter and we're the clay. Look at verses 20-21. "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, Why did you make me like this? Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes, and some for common use?" Now, pottery is an ancient art, it's been around for a long, long time. Ancient, ancient art. The potter and the clay is a strong image from Old Testament days. The human race, Adam originally came out of the dirt. And God, in an amazing way, shaped out of clay Adam's body. It says in 1 Corinthians 15:47, "The first man is from the earth." He's earthy. That's us. Okay, but then the prophets especially Isaiah, have the image of the potter and the clay for example, Isaiah 29, "Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think who sees us? Who will know?You turn things upside down. As if the potter were thought to be like the clay. "Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, 'He did not make me.' Can the pot say to the potter, 'He knows nothing.'" But that's what a sinner does. The pot, (we) say of the potter, he doesn't know anything. Similarly, in Isaiah 45, it says, "Woe to him who quarrels with his maker. To him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground." The image is the same. And then in Isaiah 64:8, "Yet O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay You are the potter. We are all the work of your hand." But the best is in Jeremiah 18. "This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord." So the Word of the Lord is coming to Jeremiah, but not there. He says, "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message. So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands, so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me." So first, he is watching this thing. What does this have to do with anything? And then the Word of the Lord came and this is what it was, "O House of Israel, can I not do with you, as this potter does, declares the Lord. Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O House of Israel." Don't I have the right to do this? That's what the potter did with his pot, he reshaped it, he remolded it, he did something different with it. And you didn't cry out an objection, you didn't say, "That's unjust what you're doing there." Of course, he's the potter, that's his clay. He can do that. Now, I want to make a key distinction and I think this will be essential to you understanding Romans 9. Martin Lloyd Jones makes this point, and I think he's right. "We are not dealing here with original creation, God originally making man. I don't think so. Rather, we're dealing with man, the human race, as sinful after the fall." That's an important distinction to make. God did not create Adam evil, He created him good. He gave Adam a will and put him in the garden and tested him. Adam chose to sin. In him, the entire human race sinned and became corrupt, all of us. That's the doctrine of original sin. As soon as each individual human being has the opportunity to choose and to obey or disobey the law of God, we sin, all of us. When the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. And so we sin as a result of being in Adam, but also from actual choices, as well. The whole human race then, is the massive lump of sinful clay. Not shaped or made sinful by God for God cannot make any one evil. It says in James 1:13, "When tempted no one should say, God is tempting me, for God cannot be tempted by evil nor does He tempt anyone." Lloyd Jones put it this way. "This is essentially different from the original creation, because in the original creation it was not only creation from nothing, but still more important, God created man in His own image and likeness.’ That is the opposite of dishonor. He looked upon man, as He looked upon the whole of creation, and we are told that He saw that it was good. God never created anything unto dishonor, but here we are dealing with a potter who makes one vessel unto dishonor. And that proves we cannot be dealing with human nature as such, still less with man as he was made at the beginning. It is an account of what God does with fallen humanity. So there is the key to the whole explanation of this statement that has mystified so many people. They get hold of the idea that God has deliberately made some people that they might go to hell. That is a lie! It is not taught anywhere in the Scripture... The lump of clay is not 'humanity'; it is 'fallen humanity.'" It is as though God found this disgusting pile of rejected stinking clay good for nothing, and chose to do something with some of it. He chose to take some of that lump that defiled and evil pile of useless clay, and fashioned it into the perfect image of His Son. But he did more than that, the rest He gave over to the natural proclivities of their heart hardening them as vessels of wrath. He gave them over to what they wanted to be. He could have saved them all, he could have exerted His sovereign power in an awesome way. He could have transformed them all, but He chose not to. Why? We'll talk about that next week. I told you already, I'm not going to remove all the mystery, but we will discuss it more. His reasons, next week. But here is God a molder and shaper of unregenerate people, and a hardener and judge of unregenerate reprobate people. The key insight here then is that God does not fashion and shape every one for glory. Some are crafted as vessels of honor, some are hardened as vessels of dishonor. Some are vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, others are vessels of mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory. IV. God’s Rights A final point I want to make today is God's rights. Verse 21. "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes, and some for common use?" God has a right of ownership here. The potter/clay analogy is one of sovereign rights of ownership and craftsmanship. God owns the clay. He can make anything He wants out of it. The Greek word here is 'exousia,' power, authority. Not so much like the dynamite power that we get later in verse 22. "What if God, choosing to show His wrath and make His power known, [like dynamite] bore with great patience the objects of His wrath." Here it's rather authority, God has the authority to do this. He has the right to do it, He's the king, He's the owner, He owns all things. God can do what He wants with what He's made. And you live by this, don't you? Suppose the government came without due process of law and confiscated your house. Would you not feel a sense of injustice? Oh yes, you would. And so also in all the other areas of your property. Communism was an utter failure because it violated this basic principle of rights of ownership. Without due process of law, things were confiscated and put into a big collective pot. But God here declares His rights over the whole human race. Now when we deal with this issue of the same lump of clay, this is remarkable, and it is humbling. Basically, God doesn't find a pocket of the rejected clay and say, "Oh here's something I can work with. Well, here's some good clay. Just, right there and pull out some good clay and work with it. And those are the Christians. No, it's the same lump folks. The same lump, as those that are going to hell. Does that not humble us? Does it not teach that there's no difference between us and them? Out of the same lump of clay God has power to do this. And what is He doing in us? Well, He's making us a vessel of honor, and I want to end with that. God is working in the believers, that we would be containers or vessels of glory. That we would have the delight and the glory of the knowledge of God inside of us. That we would hear that voice saying, "Come up here and I will show you my glory." And that we will see it. We're being fitted and prepared for glory. And if you're a child of God, no matter what is going on in your life, no matter what suffering, no matter what struggles and temptations you're fighting, you are being fitted and prepared for glory. You are being prepared in advance for honor. And oh is that so encouraging and so sweet. Next week, I want to talk about God's reason for all of this. V. Application Application. First, humbly ask God, humbly ask God for the proper attitude. Say, "Lord, you know I've had the tendency to argue against doctrine. I've had the tendency to reject the doctrine of your sovereignty. Will you please humble me? Like You did Job. Well, maybe not exactly like you did Job. But do a humbling work in me. I'm not asking for all of that. But humble me Lord. Do what you need to do in me to make me humble before You. To accept anything You say. Also Lord, I want to confess a sin of arrogance that I have fought against the doctrine, fought against Scripture. I want to just accept what your Word teaches." Christians, will you praise God for His incredible skill. He is working on you, right now, He's working on you. He's going to be working on you all this upcoming week. He is feeding you and preparing you for glory. And is that not a marvelous thought? Does it not take some of the sting out of the trial that you're going through? And unbelievers, if you're here and you've never trusted in Christ, He could fit you for glory too. He has the power to transform anybody's life. Come to Christ, trust in Him, believe in Him for the salvation of your soul. Close with me in prayer.