Podcasts about ospreys

You can tell it is spring when the Ospreys return to the Chesapeake Bay. And you can tell it is summer when Bands in the Sand takes over the beach at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation! We took the opportunity to record this podcast in the Merganser Room at the Foundation while watching the Osprey swoop and dive for food as they rebuild their nests. We also took the chance to look out to where THE party will be held on June 14th! Hilary Harp Falk, the President of CBF, joined me along with Billy Sadtler, the GM of Presenting Sponsor, Annapolis Subaru, to talk about the event, but equally important, the why. Annapolis Subaru has been the Presenting Sponsor since the event's inception, and cimulatively, Bands in the Sand has raised more than $5.5 million to help protect and preserve the Bay we all hold so dearly. Education and advocacy are the names of the game, especially in the current environment. Thousands of children (and adults) take part in learning about the ecosystem and the Bay in general each year. Thousands of hours are volunteered every year to keep up the fantastic work CBF has done for 60 years. And helping is not that hard. Volunteer, become a member, donate, or simply be more mindful at home. But as for that party on June 14th.... headlining is none other than Sister Hazel along with Tony Roy and Yawd Lynk(fantastic reggae band) and perpetual crowd favorite Misspent Youth to close out the night! On top of the entertainment included with your ticket is sand between your toes (and after this winter, we ALL need that), along with unlimited food from the Boatyard Bar & Grill, Caliente Grill, Timber Pizza, The Bell House Catering, and Always Ice Cream. Need an oyster fix? Head to The Choptank's Oyster Reef! And to wash it all down, your selection of water, sodas, beers, wines, and ready-to-drink cocktails from Katcef Brothers! It is truly an all-inclusive evening- even down to the free parking and free shuttle to take you to the beach! With Earth Day coming up, it is a perfect time to secure your tickets and celebrate Earth Day by supporting the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. All tickets purchased prior to May 1st are discounted to $25! But enough of this... Have a listen! LINKS: Chesapeake Bay Foundation (Website) Chesapeake Bay Foundation (Facebook) Chesapeake Bay Foundation (Linked In) Chesapeake Bay Foundation (Instagram) Chesapeake Bay Foundation (YouTube) Chesapeake Bay Foundation (Donate) Chesapeake Bay Foundation (Become a Member) Bands in the Sand (Tickets)

After today's episode, head on over to @therapybookspodcast to learn about our latest giveaway. If you are enjoying these episodes, please leave us a 5-star review. *Information shared in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. In this weeks episode, Jessica Fowler speaks with Pamela Lowell about her book, My Summer With The Ospreys: A Therapist Journey Toward Hope, Community and Healing Our Planet. Through her book, Pamela guides the reading through the connections between therapy, life as an artist and the natural world as a place of healing. Highlights from the episode: 4:36 We discuss some of the science behind the benefits of being in nature. 7:39 We discuss Pamela bring a trauma lens to her experience and how mother earth has been traumatized.  What would Mother Earth say if she showed up in her therapy office? 15:10 Who this book is for. 17:13 How therapist integrate nature into their work. About the author: Pamela Lowell, MSW, LICSW, has treated complex emotional trauma for almost four decades in private practice. She has also served as a clinical director, consultant and trainer for not-for-profit agencies. Lowell is an astute observer of both human behavior and the natural world. In her latest book, My Summer with Ospreys, she weaves together observations and personal experiences into an exciting narrative as a passenger on the Lucky Me along with the scientists of Mass Audubon, and a cast of dedicated volunteers. With her original watercolor illustrations throughout, her journey towards hope, community and healing our planet is one that can inspire us all to be better stewards of our ever-changing world.

Ben James and Steffan Thomas sit down to discuss the Ospreys' European exit, Judgement Day and the news that Steve Tandy is now favourite for the Wales job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauren Jenkins is joined by Alex Cuthbert and Phillippa Tuttiett to reflect of defeats for Ospreys against Lyon in Europe and for Wales against France in the Women's Six Nations.

Gareth, Lauren and former Wales internationals Alex Cuthbert and Phillippa Tuttiett reflect on the European Rugby weekend and look ahead to Wales' trip to France in the Women's Six Nations.

Agradece a este podcast tantas horas de entretenimiento y disfruta de episodios exclusivos como éste. ¡Apóyale en iVoox! Eliminatorias de cuartos de final Challenge Cup 2024-25: Edimburgo vs Bulls. Ospreys vs Lyon. Connacht vs Racing 92. Bath vs Gloucester. Con Urbano Nuviala, Carles de Borja y Javier Señarís, by https://www.divertisenvivo.com/product-category/deportes-en-vivo/Escucha este episodio completo y accede a todo el contenido exclusivo de Hablemos de Rugby. Descubre antes que nadie los nuevos episodios, y participa en la comunidad exclusiva de oyentes en https://go.ivoox.com/sq/644699

Jacksonville, North Carolina is where we head for this week's episode. We speak with Eli Patino, the owner of the Jacksonville Ospreys. The Ospreys are a summer collegiate team in The Old North State League. Eli tells us why he wanted to bring a summer collegiate team to Jacksonville and how he got into baseball as he was growing up. He also shares about coming up with the name and logo and about playing in the Old North State League.Make sure to follow the Ospreys online.Jacksonville Ospreys -Website: https://www.jacksonvilleospreys.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacksonvilleospreysInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacksonvillenc.ospreys/ (@Jacksonvillenc.ospreys)Earned Fun Average - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earnedfunavg/ (@EarnedFunAvg)Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/earnedfunavg/ (@EarnedFunAvg)Blue Sky:  https://www.bsky.app/profile/earnedfunavg.bsky.social  (@EarnedFunAvg.bsky.social)Curved Brim Media -Website: https://www.curvedbrimmedia.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curvedbrimmedia/ (@CurvedBrimMedia)Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CurvedBrim/ (@CurvedBrim)

I'm joined by Jamie Murphy – current Tondu RFC player and all-round top bloke – ahead of their Welsh Cup final clash at the Principality Stadium. We dive into the incredible talent coming out of Bridgend, what it was like pulling on the Ospreys and Celtic Crusaders shirts, and how building a proper local derby again means more than just bragging rights.From grassroots grit to stadium lights, this one's a proper insight into the heart of Welsh rugby. Lads like Jamie don't just play the game – they live it.

Zach, Nick, Josh and Grant react to the rumour mill around the Ospreys this week, despair at the thoughts of a scarlets victory and get excited about this weekend's game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gareth Rhys Owen and Lauren Jenkins are joined by former Wales captains Ellis Jenkins and Siwan Lillicrap to reflect on Wales' 67-12 defeat to England and the weekend's URC games. Sean Lynn's side conceded 11 tries against the Women's Six Nations holders in front of a record crowd of over 21,000 fans. Elsewhere, Scarlets came back from 17-0 down to beat west Wales rivals Ospreys, Cardiff conceded a late penalty to lose away to Benetton and Dragons suffered another defeat after losing to Edinburgh.

Lauren Jenkins is joined by Philippa Tuttiett, Ellis Jenkins and Dai Flanagan to look ahead to Wales v England in round two of the Women's Six Nations and a west Wales derby in the URC as Scarlets host Ospreys.

Gareth Rhys Owen sits down with Scarlets back-row Taine Plumtree and Ospreys back-row James Ratti to preview Saturday's West Wales derby.

March may come in like a lion, but around here it goes out on the crooked wings of an Osprey.

Ospreys head coach and former Wales wing Mark Jones sits down with Ben James to talk taking over at the Welsh region, his growth as a coach and racing Christian Malcolm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barclay is AWOL again which leaves Shanks and Fez to round up the best of the action from a cracking round 13 of the URC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hell Rains Down.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels. Would you choose ephemeral beauty, or rugged determination? Brief Segway :Senator Susan Collins of Maine, JIKIT's Congressional mentor, at our urging had proposed an amendment to the Taiwan Relations Act Affirmation and Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2014 which would allow 'Turkey' to purchase six 'Oliver Perry class frigates for $10 million each. The same act already proposed four such vessels to be sold to Taiwan for the same amount as well as giving two to Thailand (and two to Mexico) free of charge.Things had immediately bogged down in the 113th US Congress. It was too easy for Democrats in both Houses to take the President's position that any additional weapons into the South China Sea area would further destabilize the region. The pro-PRC lobby was equally opposed to the bill. Under normal conditions, that would have been good enough to send the measure off to the procedural graveyard.Except in the current contrary nature of the US's chief legislative body, this meant Republicans found themselves drawn to the anything the White House opposed. They could claim they found the anti-Communist, anti-Islamic Extremists stance of the Khanate to be attractive to them though none of them felt the need to actually talk to anyone in the Khanate to find out what they were really all about.We were happy with that policy because true congressional oversight was the last thing we needed. They might start asking uncomfortable questions like...'Who gave you the authority to do any of the crap you pulled?'(No one. We lied like big dogs, purloined resources and cloaked ourselves in 'National Security'. Plus we let our elite personnel have a crack at doing what they had so dedicatedly trained to do, wreck things.)'Wasn't that, that, and that an act of war against the People's Republic of China?'('No comment'. If that didn't work, we would try 'they will never find out'.)'Why are 90% of all the names on these documents redacted? We are the freaking Congress! You work for us.'(Work for them? Not to our way of thinking. We earned our paychecks without any slavish devotion to corporate campaign contributions. We were working so that the lives of Americans and Brits abroad would be that much safer, the world more orderly and for the US and UK to have an ally they could really rely on. We couldn't tell them that. They'd throw us in jail. We'd redacted the records because the names were for people that did not officially exist, or existed in a capacity that didn't imply they were elite warriors, spies and assassins.)Besides,('Those are private citizens not in the employ of this group, or any other government agency we are aware of'.)'We don't care if they are private citizens. We want to know.'('You don't want to know' followed by some major gobbledygook with the term 'deniable assets' interspersed relatively often.)'What do you mean ~ you don't want to know? We asked you a question.'(We meant you people leak information like a sieve and the people we are protecting aren't going to be afraid of getting revealed. They are going to murder people to ensure they are not ~ basically you don't know what is going on and we don't want to tell you, for both our safety's sake.)So,('Trust us. There are factors we are taking into account that you are unaware of because you don't know what's going on'.)'Of course we don't know what's going on. That's why we are asking you.'('You really don't want to know.' We are your highly trained and underpaid experts on this, we aren't raging assholes and we are telling you that bad shit will happen if you force this, thus 'you really don't want to know'.)'What do you mean ~ you really don't want to know?? Yes, we do. We are warning you,'(Okay. Execute Plan B. 'Excuse us for a moment, {create a plausible lie.}'.){Pregnant pause,}Congressman-type: 'It is rather odd that they all had to go into another room to take that phone call.'{Minutes pass}'Go see what is taking them so long.''What do you mean they are all gone? Find them!''What do you mean they seem have left the building? Find them!''Who do I call about this? The FBI, Homeland Security, or the CIA?And finally,'What do you mean they appear to have fled the country? Find them, damn it!'(Hey, I worked with some real shady characters.)Then would come the international manhunts, the flight to avoid prosecution and then resurrecting my life under a different ID in another country which hopefully had a dim view of handing me over to the FBI, or the Navy SEALs.Now back to our regularly scheduled diversion :'It has to do with giving something to the Khanate if you expect them to do anything for you.'Tony: 'You can't appreciate how that is going to look. Besides, that is a political decision, way above your pay-grade.'(Not a good time to remind him that he didn't pay me.)'What precisely do you want us to do? Please be specific.'Tony: 'How is the Khanate going to react to an intervention on the part of the United States?''They will ignore you.'Tony: 'What if the President makes public statement.''What is he going to say?'Tony: 'That the US is dedicated to a peaceful resolution of the unrest in Thailand.''They won't care. They truly believe that actions speak louder than words. If Thailand requested our intervention, or was a client state,'Tony: 'A what?''Client state, a country beholding to the US, or UK for their external security.'Tony: 'I know what client state is. That is 20th Century Imperialist thinking. No one does stuff like that anymore. Besides, the UN is responsible for the external security of its member states, which Thailand is.''The Khanate doesn't see it that way. We won't let them into the UN, so they see no reason to play by the UN's rules. The President can evoke the UN Charter all he wants. Unless he makes UN acceptance dependent on their cooperation, they will see no reason to cooperate.'Tony: 'That's not going to happen.''What part of that won't happen?'Tony: 'The President is not going on international television and endorsing the Khanate as a prospective UN member. What happens if we imply through back channels that the President will support such an action at a later date?''You want us to lie to them? Do you have any idea how badly that will compromise our working relationship with the Khanate?'Tony: 'We will deal with that later. Would they accept such a bargain?''So you are going to lie to them, Mr. Blinken, they will never forgive this act of treachery.'Tony: 'No, you are going to lie to them.'Addison: 'I will resign. I suspect that the rest of the team will quit as well.'Tony: 'What is wrong with your team, Ms. Stuart (Addison)? Can't anyone over there do their damn jobs?''We are doing our damn jobs, Mr. Blinken. We are telling you this is a diplomatically fatal move that will not only reduce this taskforce to uselessness, it will have long term consequences for all future Khanate-American relations.'Tony: 'That is a ridiculous assessment.''That is our experienced assessment. They believe treachery is only forgiven by death. They do believe in loyalty and keeping one's word. In our country, perjury is an unfortunate side effect of the judicial progress. To the Great Khan, it is reason enough to cut your head off.'Tony: 'Fine. I am ordering you to open back-channel talks with the Khanate concerning their admittance to the UN contingent on them taking a reasonable course of action.''Even if we were to do such a moronic thing, the Great Khan will ask Cáel directly to verify this. It is that important to him and his state.'Tony: 'Okay.''Perhaps you could suggest to me what form of coercion I should employ to make Cáel to commit such a blasphemous act?'Tony: 'Tell him to do it. That is what we pay him for.''Mr. Blinken, Mr. Nyilas is an unpaid consultant. At the job he is on sabbatical from, he makes more money than I do. He has an Irish diplomatic passport, been nominated to be the Prince of Albania, Georgia and Armenia, been proclaimed a warrior-prince of Transylvania and is a hero in both Hungary and Romania. He has no brothers, or sisters. His parents are both dead. His only surviving kin are people he is not particularly close to. Since economic and social blackmail are off the table, I am asking you if you are ordering me to use enhanced interrogation techniques to exacting his cooperation in this foolhardy endeavor.'Tony: 'You mean torture him?''I would never go on the record using that word. I don't advise you to use it either.'Tony: 'What kind of people are you?''The kind you engage to take on a mission of this delicate nature. You honestly don't want to know what we've done in the name of our constituent national bodies. You employ us so that you don't have to know. As you said, we 'get it done'. Until now, you have never asked us 'how' we got things done. You wanted the intelligence so we got it for you.'Tony: 'No member of this administration ever asked you to violate US, or International Law.''Which is precisely why the government employs me, so that you can keep your hands clean while mine are steeped in blood. Nothing our team has done will ever blow back on you, so don't worry about that. Why don't we get back to our current dilemma?'(I think until that moment Tony had convinced himself that Addison was another civil servant drone and people like her only existed in the 'black bag' fantasies of conspiracy theorists, hackneyed movie scripts and questionable 'true' spy novels. People like Addison and Lady Fathom weren't standard issue intelligence officers by any stretch of the imagination. They were almost unique in that they did what they did for the very beliefs they had sworn an oath to uphold, to serve their countries.There were no personal vendettas going on. No slush funds were vanishing into Cayman Island accounts. Neither had a God Complex. There was no desire for personal power, career advancement, or fame. I was beginning to think that was why Temujin used them, and me, because we could be counted on to do the right thing when required and only when required. Addison and Fathom had damned themselves forever because someone had to pay the price and get the job done. I imagined they really felt blessed for the opportunity. I worked with maniacs.)Tony: 'Thailand, yes. What if we put troops on the ground in Thailand?''How many?'Tony hummed and hawed so we had to guess.'A Marine Expeditionary Unit? If that is all, they better have an exit plan. Sir, if you want to impress the Khanate with the White House's resolve, you need to start landing troops from the Rapid Deployment Force starting tomorrow. Base aircraft out of Thai air bases. Threaten to ram any Indian Naval vessels that get in your way.'Tony: 'Is that what it would take?'('Yes. It would take the US to growing some balls, damn it!' was not the diplomatic reply though it desperately needed to be said. Hey, I could be a bit of a jingoist when I feel the lives of my loved ones are in danger.)'That is our current assessment of the situation. The Khanate has no reason to take any American threat of force seriously. They won't see anything short of a full-court press as nothing more than posturing for the home audience and what allies we have left.'Tony: 'What does that mean?''It means you are taking the cooperation of Taiwan and Philippines for granted. Our people tell us they see American influence in the region waning and we have been letting the Chinese push them around. Now the Khanate appears and knocks the Chinese back three decades on the World Stage. The Khanate is trying to create a ring of allies around the PRC and a few of them are curious why the US is dragging its heel about such a critical regional issue.'Tony: 'You don't dictate US foreign policy.'(No, we simply enacted foreign policy without your knowledge.)There were probably a large number of Special Forces operators who would be shaking their heads in bewilderment when they found out the US was trying to face down the Khanate over, of all places, Thailand. Hadn't they just busted their humps trying to make the Great Khan see their nations (the US and UK) as potential worthy allies?Working with the Khanate had been 'interesting'. If you asked them for anything, they got it for you, danger and consequences be damned. They'd try anything for the men they considered 'brothers in the struggle'. If you were pinned down by fire from a hillside and asked for fire support, they would napalm the whole damn mountain if that was what it took. The man/woman on the other end of that radio cared for your life, not the human rights of the scumbag shooting at you, or any of the people they might be hiding behind.You also know if they couldn't get it done, it was only because the resources didn't exist. The Khanate Special Forces hadn't acted like co-belligerents, or allies. They treated you like their own kin. They would and had died to make sure some of them got home to their families. If ordered to, they would definitely take the fight to the Khanate. I believed many of them would be asking what had it all been for.'We wouldn't dream of it,' Addison lied.'Good. You have your marching orders. Now get to it,' and Tony hung up on us. Everyone in the room was looking around. What exactly were our marching orders? Had I'd missed that part of our conversation?"Well," Fathom sighed, "there is only one thing we can do." I seriously prayed she would ask me to lie to Temujin."Understood," Mehmet nodded. "Somehow we get the Khanate to launch their offensive into Thailand in three days.""Can they do that?" I blurted out."They do it, or everyone in this room is in a shitload of trouble when they get around to it next week," Addison grinned. "The Khanate high command isn't going to back down just because we ask them to. I wouldn't if I were them.""What happens if they can't make the three day window?" I asked."Then you call up your blood-brother and ask him to fuck over his nation to save us from lengthy prison sentences, or outright assassination," Fathom smirked."If he says 'no'," I looked into her eyes."That's the real tragedy in all this, he won't," she gave me a comforting look. "He isn't going to leave you hanging in the wind. He'll call off his attack dogs because he isn't the kind of man to fuck you over because it is politically expedient. I'm staking all our lives on that. I always have."The Black Lotus? We'd explain to them the ugly reality that neither of us could afford to be painted into a corner over this Thailand issue. We were doing our best, but our political masters were dead set on making a colossal error and we had to follow through with those directives. The Khanate would do everything in their extensive power to support the Black Lotus and if they could invade in three days with some nebulous chance at success, they would go.The Black Lotus, the entire 9 Clans knew JIKIT had no power except what we finagled from the US and the UK. We had borrowed their resources to accomplish what we'd done. The Black Lotus had profited from some of those operations and both the Khanate and JIKIT would owe them big, but we were good for it. That truism was why they worked with us.My personal problem was that I knew the Great Khan would not forgive, or forget this interference by the US. It wasn't in his nature. Worse, the politicians and bureaucrats in Washington would see this as a victory and an expression that the US remained the globe's premier super power. Too few would remember the price of this sense of superiority would be born on the back of Thailand's masses. The revolution would fail after a short, brutal civil war. The tyrant would remain in power and the voice of the Thai people would be stilled.The end result of that late night phone call? We weren't told.What follows is pure conjecture on my part, fueled by intelligence information provided by other JIKIT resources and knowledge about how much the political landscape of Southeast Asia had been transformed by the PCR being driven back to their own coastline, leaving a power vacuum India, Vietnam and the Khanate were eager to fill.The Republic of China/Taiwan --'Aren't you the same people who said only a week ago that sending more weapons into the region would only escalate tensions? And now you want to use our airbases against our latest ally in the region? Do you understand how much internal political turmoil this will cause? Half of us are jumping for joy that someone big and fierce embraces our independence. The other half think it is time to retake China.Yes, we mean the territory currently under the oppressive yoke of the People's Republic of China. Yes, the China the Khanate just kicked the crap out of. The nation that might not be able to protect say, Zhusanjiao. That would be the Pearl River Delta to you Westerners, that huge area on the mainland adjacent to Hong Kong. Hainan is looking pretty ripe for conquest as well. That would be that big island off the coast of, yes, we have indeed suspected you could read a map.At the moment we are expecting the permission of the Khanate to use Woody Island as a forward staging area and logistic base to help us do just that. Take Hainan, yes, that large island currently, and temporarily, under the illegal occupation by those illegitimate bastards in Beijing.What do you mean 'don't declare war on them'? We've been at war with the People's Republic since 1945. No, we are pretty sure we would recall signing a Peace Treaty with them. No, we can't 'get over it' either. Why are you even asking us that? Don't you know our history?Anyway, if we help you, can we expect the same level of cooperation from you as we are getting from the Khanate? In case things go sour, Yes, a shooting war would qualify. See, your people at JIKIT have been helping the Khanate and us, your people, at JIKIT, we are pretty sure it is made up of Americans and British personnel. Why would we think that? Are you serious? Because that's what your governments told us, that's why. Besides, why are you asking us what your people have been doing? Don't they work for you?Speaking of the US government helping us out, what progress is there on the Taiwan Relations Act Affirmation and Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2014 ? We sure could use those vessels. While we are at it, how about sharing some of the technology used in the F-35. We'll build our own, or a model vaguely similar to it. We value your friendship and know you will help us out in a pinch.Right?'The Philippines --'Sigh. If you really think this will help. By the way, aren't your fighters going to need some in-air refueling? What are you going to do if the Khanate engages them over Philippine airspace? What are you going to do if you get into a shooting war with the Khanate? Will you defend us from their ballistic missile threat? We have a long history as your allies, but the Khanate is totally ruthless, and they scare us. Can you hold our hand, say for the next twenty years?'(The Philippines rolls out their Wish List)Maybe you could give us some advanced fighters?We are a poor country and can't afford to buy any before 2018.We are not greedy, 72 F-16s will do and you are upgrading to the F-35 anyway so we know you have some lying around. Could you also help us with the maintenance cost? We are a poor country, but very large.Some of your decommissioned naval vessels would go a long way in showing us some love. One of those Tarawa-class amphibious assault ships would be really nice and you've got the USS Peleliu decommissioned and about to be scrapped. We have hundreds of islands in our Republic so moving stuff around is pretty tough. Can you help us out?If you could toss in the ship's complement of 20 AV-8B Harrier 2 and 12 V-22 Ospreys with a fifteen year maintenance package that would be even better!We are a poor country. We could never afford to buy any of that stuff.Maybe a frigate, or three? You have a dozen Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates sitting around. We can finally retire some of our World War 2 relics and make one our new flagship.We know you aren't going to give us one of those powerful nuclear submarines, but maybe you could secure a few loans so we could buy some of those nifty German-made, diesel-powered Type 214's. We hear they are pretty cool, very silent and practically a steal at $330 million per boat! We love you guys! And, we are poor.Oh, and some helicopters!We were going to refurbish some Vietnam-era Iroquois, but since your Marine Corp is retiring the far superior Bell AH-1 SuperCobra, can we have a dozen of those instead?We were going to fix up some of our aging Sikorsky S-76s as air ambulances. Getting new ones would be far superior, don't you think?You also have those cool Blackhawks. You have so many. Could you spare us, say twenty? You're the best!And some guns. And artillery. And some APC's.Did we mention we are a poor country going through an expensive force modernization program?Got any amphibious vehicles lying around? We could use a few of more of those small unit riverine craft (SURC)'s we bought from you recently. They are excellent counter-insurgency tools. You want us doing well fighting the War on Terror, don't you?Did we mention that we are a poor country? And we love you guys!The Federation of Malaysia --We like this idea. Give us say a week to ten days and we can jump right in.You want to go in four days? With what precisely? Compared to the force projections you have been providing us, Who? JIKIT, of course. Who else would you send us to when we requested intelligence on Khanate activities from you? Did we believe them? Why wouldn't we? They are your people,When do you think Thailand will let us intervene? We've asked the Prime Minister if he needs our assistance and he politely declined. Apparently he thinks he's got things well in hand. He does retain command of over 200,000 troops and the opposition is much smaller. I hope you have better luck than we did in convincing him he's in serious trouble.Also, what do you plan to do about the Indian Navy's South China Sea taskforce? It is pretty big, not something we can tackle on our own.Yes, we kind of need to know what you are doing before we decide what we are doing. You do realize that the Gulf of Thailand is currently under the complete domination of the Indian/Khanate/Vietnamese Axis, right?48 combat aircraft? What gave you that idea? The Vietnamese have been refurbishing their Mig-21's like crazy, using Khanate stockpiles, plus there are nearly a 150 Su-22's. Sure, they are both older than manned flights to the Moon, but they can drop bombs, fire rockets and launch ground attack missiles with the best of them. They are still jet aircraft.Worried? You are aware that those antiquated pieces of crap can bomb the northern part of my country, aren't you? So 'yes', we are worried about those 300 flying deathtraps being more than a 'manageable' nuisance.What about our air force? I imagine it will be doing what we trained it to do, defend Federation air space because I doubt those relics will be coming at us unescorted. We can already tell you that the Mig-29's and Su-30's the Khanate and Vietnamese will be flying are excellent aircraft. We fly them too, just not as many.Of course you can base your F-22's out of Sultan Ismail Petra Airport as long as you supply the logistical support. How many? A lot? Could you please be more specific? Two squadrons? My, that's going to get pretty dicey. I believe you when you say the F-22 is a highly advanced stealthy fighter. I also believe that they are a lot less stealthy when they are sitting on the ground re-arming and refueling.Do we think they will really threaten us? They are threatening us, over our Spratly Island claims, are you sure you know what you are getting into? By the way, when this blows over, do you think you can pressure the Khanate into giving us their Spratly island airbase? It is rapidly approaching completion and is over 3000 meters long.How did they do that? They are dredging the ocean floor, it is a man-made island. Didn't your government protest the environmental damage they were causing?No, not the Khanate, the Chinese.Yes, the Khanate currently controls it. They stole it from the PRC hours before the ceasefire. So, can we have it?Yes, we know it belonged to the People's Republic, but it doesn't anymore. Besides, we both opposed it when the Chinese were dredging it up the island from the sea floor, so giving it to us isn't all that egregious, or unexpected, action. It would also go a long way in supporting our just and worthy claims to the Spratly Islands. We really don't want those greedy Chinese, yes, both the People's Republic and the 'Republic of', or, those incompetent Filipinos to steal them from us.Both of us knocking the Vietnamese back on their heels will be going a long way to getting those Communist knuckle draggers to back off as well. Hey, if they do get antsy, can we also take the Vietnamese base in the Spratly's? It isn't as big as the one the Khanate stole, but it is finished, and closer to us. We are sure that if we help you out, you will do the right thing when the time comes. Right?The President of the United States --'They want what? Have they lost their fucking minds?The Philippines is talking about a billion dollar aid package and guaranteed loans we doubt they can ever repay. We only want to use their air bases for a month, maybe two, not deflower their teenage daughters. It isn't as if we are really going to go to war with the Khanate over Thailand. Besides, the last time we 'got involved' like that, George Bush ran up a trillion dollar deficit, and his party was thrown out of office. Doesn't anyone care we are facing a difficult mid-term election in November?So, the Taiwanese think this is the appropriate moment to invade mainland China? And they want our help? Do they know how expensive that can get? Do they understand how much that will unbalance the already shake state of Asian affairs? It is another land war in Asia for the love of God!'And, the Malaysians are going to help us, but not actually help us and they want tens of billions square miles of ocean for the measly concessions they are making? What do they expect us to do with all the Filipinos, Chinese and Vietnamese who already live there?What do you mean none of those islands are actually inhabited? They are just military bases, some of them nothing more than rusting iron hulks on submerged reefs? OH, God damn it! Why don't we take the God damn Spratly Islands for ourselves if they are that fucking important? We have a Marine Corp. Aren't they good at taking islands? I read about it somewhere.No, I'm not changing the damn mission. I'm venting because the world seems to be inhabited with greedy assholes who can't appreciate peaceful discourse without trying to lift my wallet.Okay, okay, I've got this. We are going to form a new international commission to resolve this Spratly Island's nightmare. Have the French chair it. They love that kind of stuff. Makes sure the Germans are on the commission too. They need to look less like money-grubbing douchebags after that fiasco over the Greek economic collapse. Then invite Russia, India and Pakistan. That will pretty much guarantee nothing gets accomplished.That will allow us to keep our promises to those three leeches without having to deliver anything and, when it fails, it won't be seen as my fault. (Groan) What we really need is new videos of Khanate soldiers bayoneting babies, another ISIS atrocity, or more indisputable evidence the Russian Army's involvement in the Ukraine. The Great Khan really screwed us over Tibet (you know, by allowing them to become a free and democratic society), Putin is an evil cuck (who most likely laughs at me behind my back) and another round of Islamophobia-bashing to remind everyone how this is all Bush's fault.No wonder George spent so much time at Crawford Ranch. Navigating international relations is totally thankless and no matter how rosy we paint the latest economic numbers, someone still finds a way to make me look bad. Oh well, if this blows up in my face, I only have two more years in this shooting gallery. Maybe then I might change my mind and decided I really was born in Kenya, or Indonesia. I really wish Hawaii was an independent country. I'd like to retire there if there weren't so many of those damn contentious Americans.The US President wanted to run this operation on a shoestring, not engage in 'nation-building', much less backing an invasion of anybody. In fact, he was trying to stop an invasion.The Philippines was a poor country. So what? It wasn't his fault. He had poor people in the US too and they cast votes.Taiwan suddenly thought it could take on China? They were insane. Of course he would be ignoring a major stated political goal of the ROC for the past 65 years ~ reunification on their terms. Any high-level technological transfer wasn't going to happen because if the Republic ran off the reservation, the President would bloody well be sure no one could trace that decision back to anything he'd done.At least Malaysia was on board, sorta/kinda. They wouldn't actually be able to help until day ten, or fourteen and, unlike the Republic of China, they had a small air force that might not be able to protect forwardly deployed troops. If he ended getting of those National Guard yahoos killed his party would be murdered in November.For a split second, he wondered if he should attempt to make a personal call to the Great Khan, potentate to potentate, except he had this sinking feeling that a winning smile and a handshake would be worse than useless. The man would look him straight in his eyes and start making demands. He would demand action and when the Leader of the Free World prevaricated, he knew the Khanate would call his bluff.And they would fight. The alternative was a grand spectacle of public humiliation and that he could not accept. The US military machine would fight and they would win. They would win because he needed them to win, fast and clean and home for Christmas. Maybe he would authorize the mobilization of those California airmen. Just in case.In the end, Secretary Kerry gave POTUS what he asked for.The Philippines would let them use their country's bases for logistics and strategic assets (aka bombers).The ROC would extend their air umbrella out 200 km to the east, south and west, acting like a shield between the Khanate and US Pacific assets moving through the tight Formosan Straits.Malaysia gave them an airbase from which they could strike into Thailand, or Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The US Air Force would have the opportunity to be lethally effective.Had they known the sum total of the US commitment, they would have been appalled. The Khanate did not fuck around.One Carrier Strike Group,Forty (maybe sixty) Air Force fighters,Lumbering B-52's flying half way around the globe,Hadn't they been watching the dogfights over China for the past month? Maybe they would like to dive down and examine the wreckage of the PLAN carrier Liaoning and see just how it met its grisly fate?Apparently not.(I live, love and have loved)"What are you doing here?" she got the preliminary nonsense out of the way. With the way she was dressed, I was an expected visitor. She was expecting some make-up sex. I was thinking 'paying for my past mistakes' sex because I was already seeing way too many women who required me to do things outside the bedroom, non-sexual things. I had my dress jacket swung over my shoulder. It would only get in the way later."I brought you motorcycle over. You left it parked by my place," I kept any appearance of lust, or glee off my face."It is one o'clock in the morning," she glowered."I was called into work. I'm on call 24/7.""Let me guess, you can't talk about it.""You wouldn't believe me if I did, so suffice it to say I was doing things I didn't want to do instead of coming over here, waking you up from a sound sleep.""I wasn't asleep. I was angry," I pointed out."I apologize. Maybe I should have waited until morning." She didn't think I should have waited as long as I had. Keeping her waiting until morning would have left her volcanic."I wasn't asleep.""Your bike is in the parking lot across the street," I handed her the lot ticket."How did you find it?""There are only two places in my neighborhood that allows parking and the second one is poorly lit," I replied."And the attendant let you steal it?" she frowned."He knows me. I do a ton of business with him and it wasn't as if I was dressed like your average carjacker.""How did you start it?""Chaz showed me how to spoof the lock. He's got this spiffy lock-pick set on him.""That he carries with him for such contingencies?""Hey, he's the spycraft professional. I'm the amateur who tags along because karma is a bitch," I grinned."Did you ruin the ignition?""No. He's got this skeleton key thingy. I need to get me one of those," I added. See, I was drifting down the path to becoming a hardened criminal and she had to save me. Girls love saving bad boys from themselves. There is an entire literary genre devoted to the topic."Get in here," Anais barked. She emphasized that command by grabbing my tie and dragging me into her room. Now I could ogle her in her bra, panties and dress shirt left open. As I said moments ago, she was expecting me. Anais had thick, light-brown, just-past-the-shoulders hair with blonde highlights. Her dusky skin tone suggested some ancestral link to the South of France while her deep green eyes suggested Celtic ties.She was definitely someone I would describe as possessing an hourglass figure. She worked out just enough to stay fit, practiced judo (in and outside of the bedroom) and ate right. Her ass was the correct mix of firm and fleshy, her breasts were pleasant without too much bounce and she sported broad, but short, nipples that liked to get bitten.With her bare foot, she kicked the door shut, spun me around by my tie until I slammed, back first, into the wall in the short hallway that led to her bedroom."I repeat, what are you doing here?""I never actually apologized for how things ended up," I sodomized the truth. "Anais, I am truly sorry for how badly I fucked up our affair. I acted without a thought for the possible consequences, or thinking about how betrayed you would feel. Can you accept my apology?""You came here to have sex," she declared. She stepped up tightly against my body, her eyes boring into mine. I had around six inches on her so she had to tilt up her chin to do so."That too," I shrugged."I ought to throw you out the window," she growled. We were on the seventh floor. The window didn't open and the safety glass looked alright."I'll go then," I nodded. Now to make her beg for/demand sex."You are not going anywhere," she snarled. Then she kissed me, a tongue-grapple ensued and she finished things by biting my lower lip so much I tasted blood afterwards. I dropped my jacket. I was about to need both my hands."I think us having sex would be a mistake," I pushed her buttons. I wasn't some wimp acquiescing to her demands. I was a free-willed being; a strong man who needed to be wrestled down and forced to perform.She pulled me down into a second kiss. This was an 'I will leave you incapable of thinking about anything but me' kiss. Yes, I had names for kisses too. They were similar to naming the ingredients of a choice meal. I propelled her back until we slammed into the opposite wall. Anais was a tough chick and a bit of banging around was par for the course.I cupped each ass cheek and pulled her up. She responded by wrapping her legs around my hips. We were still kissing. Anais slipped her hands along my sides before linking them up at the small of my back. She pulled me hard against her while she ground her crotch against mine."Clothes," she rumbled from deep within. As in 'why was I still dressed?'"Been a while," I taunted her. Since she was glommed on to me, I used my freed up hands to rip off my tie."Yes. I bet it hasn't 'been a while' for you," she sizzled."Long as in 5:30 this morning," I teased back. At this point in the foreplay that revelation was akin to throwing gasoline on a fire. I was being an unrepentant dog and she was taking me to confessional, between her thighs."Bastard," she condemned me as well as the entire male side of the species."It doesn't mean I haven't missed you, this, us," I riposted. She retaliated by turning her humping motion into to more of a grind. Bad kitty. Bad kitty wanted to be spanked. Woot!"You are never going to change," she dug her fingernails into my flesh. I yanked my shirt off."If I hadn't changed, you wouldn't be here," I reminded her while nipping at her nose and lips."You are still an egocentric bastard," she growled."Hey, I always took care of your needs," I countered. I had. She knew I had and since she currently wanted me to take her to that higher erotic plane, she wasn't going to contest that fact. Instead, she began working her shirt off and in doing so, squishing her boobs against my chest.Holding her tight, my left hand under her right buttock and my right hand on her mid-back, pressing her torso into mine. We dance through two slow circles before crashing, side by side, on the bed. Anais rolled us over so that she was on top. I didn't let her get in a totally dominant pose, oh no. I had a kitty to take care off. I grabbed her firm ass and propelled her up until I was face first with her gusset.I might not remember to check my bank balance, or the atomic number of Technetium (I once had a girlfriend who would rate my performance on the periodic table in the midst of our fucking, I never made it higher than Copernicium before she passed out), but I can recall the precise taste, texture and topography of every cunt I've had face to face contact with. I knew right where to tongue-fuck Anais to twist her up inside.Control-orgasm, control-orgasm, Anais was pig-headed and wanted to keep dictating our reunion. She also wanted to return to the level of sexual bliss we had shared so often before. Her compromise was to hump my face; really grind it in. Black silk underwear is an excellent medium for transferring force and wetness between partners.She rubbed her love-nub against my upper lip/teeth while I did tongue-ups into her cunt. She was wetter than Bangladesh in the rainy season. That was an indicator of some serious masturbatory sessions stopping just short of orgasm before I arrived. I had some aching sensations to play with and I wasn't cruel. I maneuvered a hand between her thighs, underneath the band of her underwear and exposed her vaginal opening to my fingers and tongue while keeping that silky feel for her clitoris."Rurr," she began growling from the depths of her diaphragm. That was how she always was, thundering like a female grizzly bear in heat. It was an expression with deep subharmonic components that caused the heart to flutter and her flesh to shimmer with the vibrations mixed with her bodily sweat."Come on, Baby," I urged her on.That pissed her off. She was trying to hold off her orgasm for a few more seconds. My 'baby' crack shifted her resolve into anger allowing her climax to overwhelm her."Rah," she howled. It didn't sound like a female coming to fruition. It was more akin to the sound European soccer hooligans made when their team scored a goal. The muscles in Anais' thighs were strumming along like the cords of a piano, her belly was undulating in and out, and her head had rolled back so that she was screaming to the ceiling.The countdown was on. The people next door/across the hall/above or below us would be waking up, think that someone had unleashed a wild animal in the hotel, figure out they were not immediately on the menu, then call the front desk, stating their fears as justifiable fact. Anais and I had been down that road before.I gave Anais' flank a light smack to get her attention. Sure she looked back at me with simmering anger, yet she also knew the score. That had been round #1 in a nightlong bout of sexual conquest, rebellion and re-conquest. She drew her knees to her chest so she could pull off her damp panties in one swift motion. I worked off my shoes, pants, socks and underwear. While she soaked up my naked flesh (muscles, scars and all), she retrieved the phone from the side table and placed it beside her. She wouldn't want to break up our rhythm when the phone rang.No romantic small talk interrupted our shared lust. She wanted that cock and I wanted to give it to her. I moved between her inviting thighs while she examined me, her upper body uplifted by her arms resting on her elbows. Bite-kissing-biting resumed. I slowly pushed her head to the bed with the force of my kisses and strength of my upper body pushing down on her. Somewhere along the way, I slipped into her.Condom? Crap. I was slipping. I would have to pull out, because stopping to put a condom on would earn me some serious ferocity on her part. I plunged in. Anais placed her hands on my hips, claws beneath my kidneys, guiding my pace and power. I may have been on top, but she wasn't giving up on one ounce of control."Damn you," she hissed."Yes?" I leered."Fuck you.""I'm working on it. Is there anything," I teased."Bastard," she looked away, "You remember how I like it.""Whatever made you think I would forget?" I kept at it."Don't look so smug.""I'm working on it," I looked smug. Anais dug her fingernails in. I had to be punished, just ask her."When do you have to go back to work?" she huffed."Six a.m. When do you have to go back?""I have two days off.""Good to know," I stole a kiss from her lips painlessly. Good to know.(Painful dreams)I edged back into consciousness realizing that I was not alone. The muffled sense of my surroundings informed me that I wasn't really awake. She sat on my side of the bed, feet on the floor, side to me."Good evening, Dot," I yawned."Good morning, Cáel," the Goddess Ishara let her melodic voice float over me."Hold on," I interrupted her. I weaved as I leaned over, pawed at my pants (still trapped in the real world) and finally drew forth my offering."A fortune cookie," she chuckled. "I admire your dedication.""It is a simple enough request and I aim to please." I hesitated. "We don't have much time, do we?""You are dreaming, not concussed, so we will be alright if we tread carefully," she told me. "This time, I have no cryptic warnings, or specious pieces of information. I am giving you a gift. Take my hand."I did, not that I had much choice. We 'went', where to, I wasn't sure yet I suspected we were skirting the Weave itself where concepts like Time and Distance had little meaning.The Goddess released my hand and I stepped out of the fog brought about by the abrupt nature of our progress to see a woman sitting beside a pool, no, a sunken bath. She looked up at our approach. Oh shit, it was,"Cáel? You are Cáel, aren't you," she smiled. She stared at me with her blind eyes while waiting for my response with deaf ears."Yes, Tad fi, I'm Cáel. How did you know?""I bear our shared life inside me," she graced me with her serene presence."Ah, I was warned," I stopped myself. I was going to add 'this might happen'. That would be unfair as she appeared pleased with this alteration of her life path. "I was warned by the Goddess that she had something to show me. How are you feeling? Is there anything I can do for you?"She put her hand over her lower abdomen and rubbed the spot with her palm."Seeing you and giving you the news in person is enough," she glowed with happiness."Have you picked out a name yet?" seemed weak."I will leave that up to you.""Oh, come on," I relaxed slightly. "This is something we are doing together.""No, it is not, kind Cáel.""Just because she will most likely end up an Isharan doesn't,""No, Cáel. This birth will cost me my life. I am not destined to ever see my daughter draw her first breath," she confided in me."No!" I recoiled. "That's unfair." What else could I say? 'I take it back. I shouldn't have listened to my Goddess and screwed you out of what little life you had left.'"I am content with my fate, Cáel Nyilas Wakko Ishara. Our daughter will be the first female of the Isharan line in nearly 1600 years. Rejoice that we have been confronted by Destiny and triumphed. The light of the Peacemakers will shine once more among our sisters.""It is not worth the cost of your life," I responded bitterly. This was colossally unfair to all three of us."That you grieve for the short time I have left gives me strength, knowing our daughter will grow up with a strong, caring father. I,"I could sense Ishara close by my side."You must go, my Cáel. We will next see each other in the Halls of our Ancestors. Take our daughter and raise her well. I have faith in you," she sighed pleasantly, as if I had sheltered her from the rainstorm with my umbrella."We must go," Ishara whispered in my ear and then we left. I was back in the hotel room, looking down at the tears on my sleeping face and it hurt so much."You gave me that command knowing what it would cost her," I sounded so hollow, chin on my chest, eyes closed instead of looking at my feet."We are not an easy people to love, Cáel. We are harsh. Endless centuries of suffering, pain and mistrust have made us this way. Please understand that what you see as one life passing is really one life coming into being. It is a life Fate would have denied the line of Ishara. I took you to meet Tad fi because I wanted you to greet your daughter with understanding, not sorrow. I owed you.""Steal my anger why don't you?" I chuckled bitterly. "Can I even blame myself for this tragedy? It isn't like you made me do anything. I did it because I wanted to and never gave much thought to the frail health Tad fi was hanging on to. This is so wrong and I don't know what to do.""Wake up. Keep living. If this news turns your heart, or fills your mind with doubt, then both of us have failed you. Tad fi didn't have to tell you. I didn't have to bring you to her. I believed you were owed the chance to say good-bye.""I didn't say that," I exhaled sadly."You openly grieved and let her comfort you. That is more of a 'goodbye' than most people are able to convey. She knows your heart. You were honest in your sorrow. She saw that and that eased her suffering knowing that you are a person who is free with their heart. For a woman who expected nothing but wickedness from men for so long, that was the ultimate gift. You did help her. You truly did.""I," I woke up. Anais was looking down at me, concerned."You've been crying," she noted by touching my cheek with a finger then showing me the dampness."Do you believe a person's soul can fracture?" I murmured. That sort of talk was unlike the 'me' she once knew."Do you believe that another can help you put your soul back together if that happens?" I continued."You are not talking about us, are you?" she studied me."No. I'm thinking about being a parent, not just a father. Can I fuck that up as much as I've screwed up so many of the other women I've cared for, am I going to be worthy of being a Dad?""Oh, I don't know. You are not the man I knew two years ago. I think you have changed for the better. You are still far from perfect yet, you seem to be trying so much harder than previously.""You think I'm going to screw things up, don't you?""Yes. Yes, I do, but I also think you will only make the same mistake once. That is better than most men can hope for," she let her gaze soften."This is us breaking up,""Yes. I think if I stayed, you would break my heart; and I am starting to believe neither one of us wants that," she nodded. "One more time?""I'd love to," I smiled at her. I still hurt. I was using sex to bandage my pain. Anais knew that and was giving me this unlooked for piece of kindness. It was the best break up I'd ever had, or could ever hope for.{5:45 am, Saturday, August 30th ~ 9 Days to go}"You look like someone strangled your kitten," Pamela told me as I exited Anais' hotel room. She was leaning against the wall across the hall. I had the feeling she had been there a while. Of course I hadn't been allowed to wander off alone; most likely, Chaz had kept an eye on me until Pamela relieved him."I, I got Tadifi killed," I unloaded on her.Pamela immediately dropped her casual fa

Gareth Rhys Owen, Alex Cuthbert and Philippa Tuttiett review Sean Lynn's first game in charge after Wales lost 24-21 to Scotland in their Women's Six Nations opener. We also review the weekend's URC games where there were wins for Cardiff and Ospreys but defeats for Dragons and Scarlets. After only three sessions with the team new Wales boss Sean Lynn was “super happy” with the building blocks put in place in his first game in charge but says “Rome wasn't built in a day.”

On Friday's Rugby Daily, Richie McCormack puts the final touches to Ireland's Women's Six Nations preparations. We hear from Linda Djougang and Fiona Tuite on the test that awaits in Belfast against France.RG Snyman and Jordie Barrett are back to reinforce Leinster in Pretoria. Ulster are getting stronger as they prepare to slay the Dragons. While Connacht shuffle their pack for their trip to the Ospreys.

On Friday's Rugby Daily, Richie McCormack puts the final touches to Ireland's Women's Six Nations preparations. We hear from Linda Djougang and Fiona Tuite on the test that awaits in Belfast against France.RG Snyman and Jordie Barrett are back to reinforce Leinster in Pretoria. Ulster are getting stronger as they prepare to slay the Dragons. While Connacht shuffle their pack for their trip to the Ospreys.

Connacht have made three changes for their United Rugby Championship trip to Ospreys on Saturday (22nd March) with Denis Buckley, Joe Joyce and Josh Murphy coming into the pack. Pete Wilkins' side are on 29 points, only outside the top-8 on scoring difference. Galway Bay FM's William Davies was joined by Connacht lineout & maul coach John Muldoon to look ahead to the game. == Kick-off at Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday is 5.15pm and we'll have LIVE coverage here on Galway Bay FM. Our Connacht rugby coverage is brought to you by Murty Rabbitts.

Six Nations special! We're chatting with Josh Navidi, former Lions and Welsh international, Matthew Morgan, former Wales and Cardiff Blues player, and Gareth Owen, former Leicester Tiger, Ospreys, and Newcastle Falcon. They share their insights on the highs and lows of the current Welsh team in the Six Nations, discuss Warren Gatland's resignation, Rob Howley's departure, and how Matt Sherratt is helping to steer Wales forward. Tune in for some great stories and expert analysis!"

Nick sits down with Richie Pugh, current Wales U18's Head coach and U20's skills coach to discuss his journey from Bishop Gore school, through the Ospreys, into International 7's and then into coaching - a long and fascinating career as well as some great hair styles! #Ospreys #Wales #Pathway #Welshrugby Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben James and Steffan Thomas preview Wales' fourth Six Nations match with Scotland, while looking back on the weekend's URC action Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gareth Rhys Owen, James Hook and Alex Cuthbert assess Wales' chances ahead of their Six Nations trip to Scotland and look back on the weekend's United Rugby Championship action which included a stunning victory for Ospreys at Glasgow.

Another high-scoring round of Super Rugby Pacific is set to a backdrop of Gene Hackman films, as Brett McKay & Harry Jones launch into another Weekend Post-Mortem for The 8-9 Combo Rugby Podcast. And there were URC shocks! Edinburgh winning in Limerick, the Stormers silencing the wet Bulls at Loftus, and Ospreys breaking a nine-year duck in Glasgow. Tables are tightening up across the board! Plus: what caught our eye from the Top 14 in France, Japan Rugby League One, and Major League Rugby in the States #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Combo #SuperRugbyPacific #URC #Top14 #JapanRugbyLeagueOne #MLR Find us: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@8-9Combo?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BcKhb24YOtwQhKc0S3sDm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-8-9-combo-rugby-podcast/id1729575866 Social media: #89Combo Twitter: https://twitter.com/89combo BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/89combo.bsky.social Find Brett and Harry on both Twitter and on BlueSky: @BMcSport + @HaribaldiJones Music: "Stalling" by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena (via YouTube Creator Studio) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dan only played 9 matches for London Welsh when he was 18 and we were playing in London North West 2, which was at Level 8 in the English rugby pyramid. Brought up in Wales, having played club rugby for Llandovery and Brecon as a Mins/Youth player; he was then was part of the Ospreys Academy and capped at Wales at u16. Ospreys didn't sign him at 18 and Dan decided to join Ealing Trailfinders academy and their Brunel University programme. It was during this programme that he came on loan to London Welsh in his first term and then went to Blackheath in that same season. He subsequently went back to Blackheath after Covid and was also sent on loan to Rosslyn Park. He now play rugby in the Championship for Cornish Pirates and loving life in Cornwall. A really interesting chat with a very mature man, who is very ambitious about his rugby. Enjoy

Nick and Zach review the weekends winning fixtures, the news in Ospreylia and look forward to Glasgow away. #Ospreys #Welshrugby #Walesrugby #URC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zach, Josh and Nick look back at the week in Welsh rugby, start Harri Deaves' political career and talk through potential signings for the Ospreys. #Ospreys #Welshrugby #Walesrugby Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gareth Rhys Owen, Lauren Jenkins and Alex Cuthbert preview the Six Nations and Wales' trip to France on Friday. They hear from Wales scrummaging legend Adam Jones - part of Warren Gatland's coaching setup for the Six Nations - and Scarlets in-form wing Tom Rogers. They also discuss the weekend's United Rugby Championship action which included impressive wins for Ospreys and Scarlets.

Gareth Rhys Owen and Lauren Jenkins speak with new Wales women head coach Sean Lynn and the Welsh Rugby Union's Head of Women's rugby Belinda Moore.Former Wales wing Alex Cuthbert also joins the pod to review the weekend's European action and assess Ospreys, Scarlets and Cardiff's Challenge Cup knockout hopes.

For review:1. Israel Opposition Leader: Target Iran Directly.Faced with Houthi attacks from Yemen and dangers posed by other Iranian proxies, Israel “must target Iran directly,” opposition politician Benny Gantz declared on Monday. Mr. Gantz stated that “the solution to putting an end to the attacks lies in Tehran.”2. US President-elect Donald Trump stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants a meeting to discuss Ukraine conflict soon after his (Trump) return to office.3. Italy to procure 24 x Eurofighter Typhoons.The new jets will be equipped with advanced avionics and enhanced weapon systems capable of operating Brimstone III and Meteor missiles.4. Philippines Wants to Acquire US Army Mid-Range Fires Capability.The system is intended to hit targets at ranges between the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) – and the developmental Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) system.5.  US & Japanese V-22 Ospreys Cleared to Fly After Required Inspections.

Gareth Rhys Owen, Lauren Jenkins and Alex Cuthbert are joined post match by Ospreys Chief Executive Lance Bradley after their dramatic late derby victory over Scarlets.

Ben James and Steffan Thomas discuss the WRU board meeting that will consider the autumn campaign review, while they also react to Toby Booth's departure from the Ospreys. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our latest episode of In The Circle, you'll hear from North Florida Head Coach Jeff Conrad. After making it to the ASUN Tournament finals last year, the Ospreys are primed for another run at the crown in 2025. Coach Conrad breaks down the key returners on his roster as well as the new divisional format within the ASun. You'll also hear about the latest inductees into the NFCA Hall of Fame and why college football copied the one thing from softball which makes the least sense.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lauren Jenkins, Gareth Rhys Owen and Alex Cuthbert look back at the weekend's European action which included a Challenge Cup win for Ospreys while there were narrow defeats for Dragons, Scarlets and Cardiff.

Lauren Jenkins is joined by former Wales scrum-half Richie Rees to look back on Cardiff's derby win over Dragons, Scarlets narrow defeat in Glasgow and Ospreys disappointing loss in Zebre.

Send us a textThis one will always be memorable for LT and Sammy D as we welcome University of North Florida Ospreys Head Men's Basketball Coach, Matthew Driscoll, to the Full Court Press : A College Basketball Coaches Show. We talk everything from Upsets to life lessons to smelling like gasoline to getting slapped numerous times by Coach Drew. Coach Driscoll is the man who believes his spirit animal is a Kangaroo. Coach has his Ospreys rolling and check out UNF.** THE AUDIO IS INTERESTING ON THIS EPISODE AND WE TRIED OUR BEST**Please Subscribe, Rate⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  and Review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Lauren Jenkins is joined by Alex Cuthbert and Richie Rees to review the weekend's URC results and discuss some of Warren Gatland's selection headaches ahead of the international break. Three of the four Welsh regions came away with wins as Cardiff pulled off a remarkable second-half comeback to beat Ulster, Scarlets continued their winning streak with a win over Zebre and Ospreys climbed off the bottom of the table after beating Edinburgh in Bridgend. Meanwhile, Dragons suffered a fifth consecutive loss after being beaten by Connacht.

On Thursday's Rugby Daily, Richie McCormack brings you the Ulster team news ahead of their URC fixture with the Ospreys. We hear from assistant coach Dan Soper for the latest on their injured hookers, and Harry Sheridan on wanting to impress the Ireland staff. Eve Higgins speaks to Off The Ball ahead of this evening's Women's World Cup draw. And another Welsh stalwart decides to call time on their international career.

Send JD a text message and be heard!GRIMACE Love the #grimace billboard in #timessquare huge #nlcs game @jaymahanti will be there.  I know @companyadjace @robparker1980 @kevdu_theman & @_secretly_batman are pumped with @severino40 on the hill.  Sorry @trimfitnessnj wish I was joining you for @stocktonmsoccer game tonight have an awesome match @thomastrimble8 go Ospreys.  @thomaswdonovan @call_me_tca_prez @kevdu_theman & @nyquil_inthe_flesh joined me to talk @mets @yankees @nyjets @nygiants #wnbafinals #nflquarterbacks @raiders @nhl & @minnesotawild @filipgus #goaliegoal only the 18th ever.  #curling the stones from #scotland @shanechansen has played it HTJ & I want to try the sport.   #gaudreau tribute by @bluejacketsnhl last night made Tommy cry and #sportstrivia at the finish.  All sports. One podcast. (even hockey) PODCAST LINK ON ITUNES: http://bit.ly/JDTSPODCAST

Former Wales and Ospreys hooker Scott Baldwin joins Ben James to talk coaching Bridgend in Super Rygbi Cymru and his thoughts on Wales. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Off The Ball's Ruairi O'Hagan is joined by Munster legends Alan Quinlan and Fiona Hayes to look back on the win over the Ospreys at a wet and windy Virgin Media Park, and to look ahead to the challenge of facing Leinster in Croke Park.(0.00) Intro and listeners' comments(8.30) Munster 23-0 Ospreys review(20.08) Star of the Week(22.35) Leinster previewGet in contact on Twitter @rugbychannel15 or email therugbychannel@bauermedia.ieSubscribe to The Rugby Channel for new episodes every week! #TheRed78 #£

Today, the Late Crew discusses how a Falcon 9 sends new crew to ISS on first crewed launch from SLC-40 (06:10), a Russian fighter cuts off an F-16 during a NORAD intercept (10:30), the Marines overhaul their marksmanship training (15:33), how an Air Force special ops squadron damaged three Ospreys in five days (25:27), the USS Nautilus is commissioned as the first nuclear submarine on 30 Sep 1954 and the 1st Cav Air Mobile becomes operational in South Vietnam on 1 October 1955 (34:28).

Gareth Rhys Owen, Lauren Jenkins and Alex Cuthbert look back at the results from the opening weekend of the United Rugby Championship, including Dragons' last-gasp win over Ospreys, Scarlets' gutsy draw at Benetton and Cardiff's home victory against Zebre.

Audrey Decker explains some of the top developments out of this year's AFA conference outside Washington. Guest: Audrey Decker, Defense One's air warfare reporter. Extra reading: China's aggressive regional moves open doors for the US, PACAF chief says Air Force wants NGAD to cost no more than an F-35. Is that even possible? Lessons from Ukrainian F-16 crash will shape US training: Air Force general Air Force's Ospreys will return to forward-deployment within 'weeks' Test B-21 flying up to twice a week, Northrop reports

The lads look ahead to a massive new season of ruggers in the Prem and URC. We look at some of the best signings across both competitions and give our predictions for the season ahead. We also chat about the rumours of a merger between the competitions, and whether there's any merit in a British & Irish league. We're joined by Ospreys Head Coach Toby Booth to hear how he's turned things around at Ospreys last season, and the surprise announcement that he'll be leaving at the end of this season. Lots more as usual, so make sure you're subscribed on Spotify! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let me put it this way. You've heard of the Oscars? Emmys? Golden Globes? Morons.It's the most important awards show of the year, the Ospreys, as we celebrate everything about the past Eagles season as another one looms (loons?). With surprise guests, musical performances and surprising heart, it's the best day of the sickos year. And this time, the Ospreys include an important announcement about the future of the show.Join Zach Berman, Bo Wulf and others for a memorable 2-5 hours.

That's a wrap for Eagles camp 2024 as Nick Sirianni called off the #DawgMentality ahead of Saturday afternoon's preseason finale. Darius Slay intercepted Jalen Hurts for the first time all summer as the defense continued its domination of the past week in camp. Red flag for the offense or good news for the defense?Join Zach Berman and Bo Wulf as they unpack the last two days of practice, how things are looking roster-wise and how nervous they are about the looming Ospreys.

Let's take a step back from the daily grind of training camp and assess the Eagles big-picture for those who are just now beginning to check back in. What are the important questions facing the team and how well prepared are they to bounce back from a dire ending to the 2023 season? Does Jalen Hurts really look like a different quarterback? Can Jalen Carter dominate? What does Nick Sirianni do?Rich Hofmann and Bo Wulf take the reins, with an update on Mekhi Becton and your chance to vote on the Ospreys.