Podcasts about planks

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 23:01:00 +0000 https://mainathlet.podigee.io/333-neue-episode edd00e82454bb3e3c56ebba318a4c61e Verletzungsprävention – Gesund bleiben beim Laufen In dieser Folge von Laufstart – Dein Weg zum Runner's High dreht sich alles um das Thema Verletzungsprävention. Erfahre, wie du durch die richtige Vorbereitung, Technik und Regeneration langfristig gesund und verletzungsfrei bleibst. Themen dieser Folge: Die Bedeutung von Aufwärmen und Cooldown: Dynamisches Dehnen und Atemübungen für optimalen Start und Abschluss deiner Läufe. Einfache Kraftübungen für Zuhause: Kniebeugen, Planks und mehr. Häufige Laufverletzungen wie Läuferknie, Schienbeinkantensyndrom oder Plantarfasziitis – und wie du sie vermeiden kannst. Tipps zur richtigen Lauftechnik und passender Ausrüstung. Wie du mit Pausentagen, Regeneration und einem effektiven Trainingsmanagement gesund bleibst. Begleitmaterial: In den Shownotes findest du eine Liste mit hilfreichen Übungen und Techniken zur Verletzungsprävention. Lade sie dir hier herunter: [Download PDF]. Teile diese Folge mit Freund:innen, die ebenfalls verletzungsfrei und nachhaltig laufen möchten!

Verletzungsprävention Gesund bleiben beim Laufen In dieser Folge von Laufstart Dein Weg zum Runners High dreht sich alles um das Thema Verletzungsprävention. Erfahre, wie du durch die richtige Vorbereitung, Technik und Regeneration langfristig gesund und verletzungsfrei bleibst. Themen dieser Folge: Die Bedeutung von Aufwärmen und Cooldown: Dynamisches Dehnen und Atemübungen für optimalen Start und Abschluss deiner Läufe. Einfache Kraftübungen für Zuhause: Kniebeugen, Planks und mehr. Häufige Laufverletzungen wie Läuferknie, Schienbeinkantensyndrom oder Plantarfasziitis und wie du sie vermeiden kannst. Tipps zur richtigen Lauftechnik und passender Ausrüstung. Wie du mit Pausentagen, Regeneration und einem effektiven Trainingsmanagement gesund bleibst. Begleitmaterial: In den ...Du möchtest deinen Podcast auch kostenlos hosten und damit Geld verdienen? Dann schaue auf www.kostenlos-hosten.de und informiere dich. Dort erhältst du alle Informationen zu unseren kostenlosen Podcast-Hosting-Angeboten. kostenlos-hosten.de ist ein Produkt der Podcastbude.Gern unterstützen wir dich bei deiner Podcast-Produktion.

Host, Dr. Adam McAtee shares his insights on 3 questions from Pilates Instructors within the Evidence-Based Pilates community. 1) What is the ideal alignment in a plank? 2) Why does splitting legs irritate a client's SIJ pain? 3) What does it mean that humans are not machines and that we are more like eco systems? Ready to take your career to the next level? Click here for a free trial of the Pilates Club. Click here for a free trial of the Anatomy & Biomechanics Club. Click here to follow Adam on Instagram.

After months of contentious council meetings, new tax proposals, and a few delayed votes, alders voted 27-23 to approve the mayor's $17 billion budget for 2025. Given all of the combativeness and compromise, what did we actually end up with in our city budget? WTTW's Heather Cherone and Chicago Reader's Katie Prout are here to help us dive into the numbers. Plus, we discuss the head of DFSS resigning, CPD's “unsatisfying” consent decree progress, and one particularly photogenic river otter. Good News: Garfield Park Plant Sale & Planks and Pistils Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Learn more about the sponsors of this Dec. 20 episode: Joffrey Ballet — save 10% with code SNOW10 for the December 26th and 27th performances! Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

We should preach the truth in love and let the Holy Spirit do His work without judgment. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ What do planks, pigs and pearls all have in common? Jesus. Jesus referred to all three at a certain point in His sermon on the mount. In this section of His sermon He is doing two things. He is condemning judging others, while also speaking to the importance of discernment. They are two different things and both are very important. Jesus wants us to consider our own heart when it comes to both. Let's look closer at what Jesus says about planks, pigs and pearls. Matthew 7:1-6 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. Jesus is very clear. Do not judge. How you judge others is how you will be judged. Easy enough right? I wish. Friends, we start each day looking in the mirror, yet often we don't see what is glaring back at us. We are blind to our own planks as we nitpick over the dust in our brother or sister's eye. Let it begin with me. May we start each day with a posture of humility and openness to the spirit to reveal the planks we must FIRST remove. Only then, can we move toward our brother or sister to remove their speck. And before we remove a speck, how about we encourage what they're doing right. Speak life and then that will open a door to receive correction in love. This makes me think of my girls. In the morning if one of them has something that is not right with their hair or makeup, they are quick to help each other. Let me get that, there is something not right. Let's get that back in place. This, I believe, is the spirit of what I call ‘speck removal'. There IS a time and a place, but it must be from a heart of love and care, not judgment. We ladies call it straightening each other's crown. It does more to build UP than tear DOWN. We should invite that kind of ‘speck removal' and crown straightening. It's the sharpening and refining process we all need to clear out and fix what we can't see. That's a beautiful thing that moves us toward maturity in Christ. So that's the planks part, what about the pigs and pearls? That seems different than judging. Well, that's where spiritual discernment comes in. We are called to tell the world about Jesus. We are not the judge, yet we are to go, tell and make disciples. How that message of truth is received is not up to us. If the truth and love of Jesus we have to give to the world, our pearls, are not welcome, we move on. We plant seeds and where they fall and if they root or not is beyond our control. We simply are called to love our neighbor, walk in obedience and be faithful to share the message. There are many that will deny the truth of Jesus. There are many that will not receive it. Love them and move on. You will never win a heart to Jesus through a debate. Let the Holy Spirit do its work. Speak and live out the priceless truth and hope we hold dear. If it is not received as such, then shake the dust off and know the Lord will lead you to hearts that are ready to hear. That's the truth. Planks, pigs and pearls, oh my. The words and ways of Jesus are what we live by. When our hearts are aligned with His, the planks are obvious, the pearls are precious and the pigs are well, pigs. Walk on my friends. I'm Lori Cline.

Internal Planks Are Important! There's a brand new message on the Morning Scramble Santa Line presented by Herteen & Stocker Jewelers! Tune in for a message for Daxton and Cora. Upload your little one’s message to Santa–all you need is the Z102.9 app. The Morning Scramble is ready to host a Clare and Eric Lookalike ... Read more

Send us a textUncover the health myths that keep you stuck at surface level and learn how to move beyond them. In this episode, we debunk common misconceptions like “eat less, move more,” and “weight is the best indicator of health,” offering actionable steps to dig deeper into your health journey. Don't miss out on my free 2024-2025 Health Calendar, Perimenopause Survival Guide, and the ongoing Planks and Thanks Challenge in my Happy Hormones Circle Community on Mighty Networks or for Facebook subscribers! Tech was not my friend when recording this episode.Hey Hormone Hotties:If you want to learn more about how you can work with me or what services I offer including those below- https://linktr.ee/Faithhealthfitness Interested in being a guest expert (even if you are not in business but a woman who has a story to share) fill out the application and book an appointment. Affiliated Partner for awesome products in wellness and more including the "Body balancing" slenderize for a discount using my code HAPPY24 Join me in Happy Hormones Circle. This and my email list is where I will be focusing my time and content Disclaimer: The content shared in ‘The Happy Hormones Coach' podcast (including affiliate and non affiliate products) is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. The opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of any healthcare organizations. The statements made regarding any of the products that I mention have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Individual results may vary.

Of Planks and Specks Matthew 7:1-5 Steven Shetterly

Claude und Christopher sprechen mit Ralph. Über das Aufwachsen in einem unmusikalischen Zuhause an der Bergstrasse, mit Nintendo, Schokolade und Chips in Hülle und Fülle; einen Vater, der 8 Sprachen spricht; Mehrgewichtigkeit und Mobbing in der Schule, eine frühe Begeisterung für Horrorfilme; von Pop zu Wave zu Metal zu Death Metal zur großen Black Metal Liebe; Nirvanas „Nevermind“; Kleidung aus dem Bundeswehrladen; Juz Oase und Cafe Central; Straight Edge Lifer; Wut gegen sich selbst und ständige Selbstzweifel; ausgenutzt werden und Einsamkeit; Depression; ein bei Nazis geklauter Bass mit 2 Saiten; Frauensache & xAbsentx; Integrity & Catharsis, der Beginn und die Entwicklung unterschiedlichster Band-/Projekte; Juz Mannheim & Oetinger Villa als 2. Zuhause; Abnehmen aus Liebeskummer; Mafia Forum; Konzertgruppe um Stack Leute; Hellström; Per Koro Records; Planks und deren US Tour; die Wichtigkeit von Glaubwürdigkeit; Panda Schminke & Satan; das große Vendetta Label Universum; niemand ist unpolitisch; Red Anarchist Black Metal; Unruh; der Einfluss von Filmmusik, Neurosis & Dead Can Dance; Major Label Erfahrung bei Century Media; Ultha und die Besonderheiten ihrer Liveshows; Lieblingsband: New Model Army; späte Therapie weit zurückgehender mentaler Probleme; von Beruf Lehrer; der Soundtrack von The Fountain; Prince is the G.O.A.T.; Single aus Gründen; Pro-Wrestling & Bob Mould; 3 Fragezeichen; die „Gabriel Burns“ Hörspielserie; den Schriftsteller Thomas Ligotti; vegane Currywurst mit Pommes und vieles mehr.

How to do plank correctly? Planks are one of the most effective exercises you can do at home. They don't take much time and effort, and you don't have to wait long for tangible results. Several incredible changes will happen to your body if you do this exercise regularly. For instance, it can help give you a mood boost. Watch the video to find out all the benefits of regular planks. TIMESTAMPS Your core muscles strengthen 0:55 The risk of back and spine injury reduces 1:20 Your metabolism accelerates 1:58 Your posture improves 2:23 Your coordination improves 2:45 You become more flexible 3:12 Your mood lifts up 3:37 SUMMARY Planks involve all the major groups of core muscles including transverse and oblique abdominal muscles and the buttocks. If you want to exercise regularly without discomfort, you first should make your muscles strong. Planks are an exercise that allows you to strengthen muscles without unnecessary strain on the spine. Planks are especially useful for people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. A daily 10-minute workout at home before or after work provides a higher level of metabolism throughout the day, even during sleep. Planks strengthen the abdominal, back, neck, shoulder, and chest muscles. As a result, you'll no longer want to stoop. Planks strengthen the abdominal, back, neck, shoulder, and chest muscles. As a result, you'll no longer want to stoop. Perform the side plank regularly, and you'll learn to keep your balance. Working out in this way, you stretch the muscles around the shoulders, scapula, and collarbones. Biceps and hip muscles also develop, and your feet and toes become flexible. The planking exercise affects your nervous system. It stretches and relaxes muscles which are usually stiffened due to stress, creating tension throughout the body. Planks help to get rid of anxiety and symptoms of depression, but only if you make them part of your daily life. Do you perform the plank exercise every day? How does it work for you? Share your experience in the comments below! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook:   / brightside   Instagram:   / brightgram   5-Minute Crafts Youtube: https://www.goo.gl/8JVmuC  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The written work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels called “The Communist Manifesto” was released in 1848 and listed the ten steps towards creating a dictatorship of the proletariat, in theory. The actual doing is where the problems arise, as most of the ideas advocated for in the book are not practical, and in most cases, not even possible. This book showcases the desire for a two-tiered legal system where the virtuous are hunted down and eliminated from society while the dregs of humanity run rampant and with state immunity. The vision Marx had for the future is springing to life in modern day San Francisco with soft-on-crime policies, as well as Chicago where the mayor advocates for state-run grocery stores. What could possibly go wrong. The Octopus of Global Control Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3xu0rMm Anarchapulco 2024 Replay: www.Anarchapulco.com Promo Code: MACRO Sponsors: Chemical Free Body: https://www.chemicalfreebody.com Promo Code: MACRO C60 Purple Power: https://c60purplepower.com/ Promo Code: MACRO Wise Wolf Gold & Silver: www.Macroaggressions.gold True Hemp Science: https://truehempscience.com/ Haelan: https://haelan951.com/pages/macro Solar Power Lifestyle: https://solarpowerlifestyle.com/ Promo Code: MACRO LegalShield: www.DontGetPushedAround.com EMP Shield: www.EMPShield.com Promo Code: MACRO Christian Yordanov's Health Transformation Program: https://christianyordanov.com/macro/ Privacy Academy: https://privacyacademy.com/step/privacy-action-plan-checkout-2/?ref=5620 Coin Bit App: https://coinbitsapp.com/?ref=0SPP0gjuI68PjGU89wUv Macroaggressions Merch Store: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/macroaggressions?ref_id=22530 LinkTree: linktr.ee/macroaggressions Books: HYPOCRAZY: https://amzn.to/3VsPDp8 Controlled Demolition on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ufZdzx The Octopus Of Global Control: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3VDWQ5c Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/39vdKeQ Online Connection: Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/Macroaggressions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macroaggressions_podcast/ Discord Link:  https://discord.gg/4mGzmcFexg Website: www.Macroaggressions.io Facebook: www.facebook.com/theoctopusofglobalcontrol Twitter: www.twitter.com/macroaggressio3 Twitter Handle: @macroaggressio3 Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-4728012 The Union Of The Unwanted LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/uotuw RSS FEED: https://uotuw.podbean.com/ Merch Store: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/union-of-the-unwanted?ref_id=22643&utm_campaign=22643&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source Brain Supreme: www.BrainSupreme.co

The Kingdom of God ~ Specks, Planks, and Pearls (Matthew 7:1-6) Today we explore one of Jesus' most quoted and often misunderstood teachings: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” We'll look at what Jesus meant by this challenging command, considering how we're called to navigate the delicate balance of judgment, discernment, and mercy. How do we help each other grow while resisting the urge to criticize or condemn? Together, we'll unpack the wisdom Jesus offers in Matthew 7, learning how to examine our own hearts before we seek to influence others. In a world quick to judge, this message invites us to reflect on our interactions and relationships through the lens of grace and humility. Together we'll see Jesus' call to self-examination can shape us into a community marked by empathy, patience, and mercy.Need Prayer? Email us at roseburgfcc@gmail.com Connect with us on social at www.facebook.com/roseburgfccTo support the ministry of First Christian Church go to www.roseburgfcc.org/giving

Monday October 14, 2024

Watch on Spotify or YouTube! In this new series Yoga Foundations, I teach live in-studio & virtual classes on topics every new yoga student needs to build their lifelong practice!  Namaste

In dieser Folge geht es um das TRX-Training – ein effektives Ganzkörper-Workout, das nur dein eigenes Körpergewicht nutzt. Ich erkläre dir, wie du den Schlingentrainer optimal für dich einsetzen kannst, um Kraft, Stabilität und Flexibilität zu verbessern – egal, ob du Anfänger oder Fortgeschrittener bist. Zudem gebe ich dir Tipps zur Handhabung des TRX und zeige dir, wie vielseitig und praktisch es ist, sowohl zu Hause als auch unterwegs. Erfahre außerdem, warum das TRX-Gerät jeden Cent wert ist, wenn du auf langfristige Qualität und Funktionalität setzt. Warum sollte ich TRX-Training machen? Um überall und jederzeit trainieren zu können, indem du den TRX ganz leicht mitnimmst und überall befestigst – sei es an einem Türrahmen, einem Baum oder einer Laterne. Beispiel: Selbst im Urlaub oder auf Dienstreisen kannst du dein TRX einpacken und draußen oder im Hotelzimmer trainieren. Wie hilft dir TRX, ein effektives Ganzkörpertraining zu absolvieren? Indem du alle Bewegungsmuster abdeckst, die für ein starkes, ausgeglichenes Training wichtig sind: Planks, Push, Pull, Squats und Lunges. Beispiel: Eine Übung wie der "Atomic Push Up" kombiniert eine Liegestütze mit einem Crunch, um gleichzeitig Rumpf und Arme zu stärken. Warum ist das TRX besonders geeignet für den Einstieg ins Training? Um schnell Erfolge zu sehen, indem du das Gewicht blitzschnell an dein Level anpasst. Beispiel: Wenn du bei Ruderzügen nach 10 Wiederholungen merkst, dass es zu schwer wird, gehst du einfach einen halben Schritt zurück und reduzierst so den Widerstand. --------- Dieser Podcast wird von meinem Partner Bodylab24 gesponsert. Mit dem Code "GRENZENLOS" erhältst Du 27% Rabatt auf ausgewählte Produkte. Nutze diese Gelegenheit und profitiere von hochwertigen Produkten zu einem reduzierten Preis und unterstütze gleichzeitig mich und meinen Podcast damit. --------- Hol Dir mein Buch "THE COMBAT READY ATHLETE - Bereit für den Alltag, stark fürs Leben - Dein Bewegungsplan für nachhaltige Kraft & Leistung": https://shop.tredition.com/booktitle/The_Combat_Ready_Athlete/W-308-690-250 --------- Für Fragen - Sende mir eine E-Mail an chris@grenzenlos-stark.com --------- Folge mir auf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/combat_ready_coach_chris/

Cody Cirillo and Matthew Tufts approached us early this year with an inspiring pitch: They wanted to spend a couple of human-powered months riding the outer perimeter of Iceland on Rodeo Labs bikes, all the while carrying their skis, and peeling off to notch seemingly innumerable ski descents along the way. We get plenty of project pitches at Rodeo, but this one stood out because it combined a world that we know a lot about with a world that we know very little about, all in a land that we very much want to explore ourselves someday.Sit back as our hosts Logan Jones-Wilkins and Steve The Intern discuss the adventure all the way from it's "why", to the preparations, the endless headwinds, the long days on the bike, the line between skier and cyclist, the impacts of adventure travel, and more.Stay tuned for the cinematic release of this story in fall / winter 2025, and in select ski publications. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating salmon cooked on moldy cedar planks. Dr. Don - risky ☣️ Professor Ben - not risky

When you have a plantar plate injury, it can be frustrating. The whole problem stems from a tiny little ligament right at the base of the second toe that is getting irritated, stretched, and strained. If its really bad, you might even have some tiny little tears in the plantar plate ligament. I was just talking to a runner who asked me about other exercises. Because, she had been told...         "stop running, do other exercises to get stronger." So, she signed up for a boot camp training class.  Although she wasn't running, shewas doing lots of exercises that were potentially harmful to the plantar plate and slowing her recovery, and eventual rturn to pain-free running.  So, which is better for a healing sprained plantar plate, running more or doing exercises that make you stronger like planks, push-ups, and burpees?  Well, that is a great question and that is what we're talking about today on the Doc On The Run Podcast. 

Sunday Morning September 8, 2024 Passage: Matthew 7:1-5

Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha's top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week: A new report proposes ⁠seven bipartisan policy tweaks⁠ that could drive more private capital into financing worker ownership transitions. How USAID is banking commercial returns by working with ⁠local institutional capital providers in Africa to finance African infrastructure⁠. Will companies that backpedal on their diversity commitments face ⁠legal risk from investors⁠?

Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha's top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week: A new report proposes seven bipartisan policy tweaks that could drive more private capital into financing worker ownership transitions. How USAID is banking commercial returns by working with local institutional capital providers in Africa to finance African infrastructure. Will companies that backpedal on their diversity commitments face legal risk from investors?

She's back! Erin Falls, MS, RD, LDN, E-RYT, is a self-described pizza loving dietician and yoga teacher with a passion for helping others discover their healthiest, best life. You may have met her in our season 2 kick-off episode (Healthy Eating At Its Core Ep 22) and she's back now to discuss some of the popular diet trends that are popping up everywhere. From fasting to juice cleanses, keto to the Mediterranean diet, join Dr. Laura Hays and Erin Falls as they take on this highly nuanced and passionate topic. Erin is the founder of Planks and Pizza: a one-stop shop focused on empowering others to discover a balanced lifestyle that's flexible, fun and rewarding. Learn more about her at https://www.planksandpizza.com/ Follow Erin on social media @planksandpizza. Please be sure to subscribe, download, leave us a review & SHARE this podcast with others! We truly appreciate your support. Reach out to us at info@lastingimpactwellness.com to discuss how we can partner together to help you or your organization achieve better, sustainable well-being. Join our LIW community https://members.lastingimpactwellness.com/podcast-newsletter-signup As always, questions, comments & topic suggestions welcome at info@lastingimpactwellness.com Follow us on Instagram @drs.hays and Facebook @lastingimpactwellness Original music by EP3

Teaching from August 11, 2024 by J.R. Briggs

Today's topic is a juicy one, what's the secret to getting visible abs? Is it crunches? Planks? Standing side-twists?  Today I'm sharing the secret to seeing that six-pack, but it may not be what you think.  Enjoy! -Rachel Next Steps:  Free Guide To Fat Loss Work With Me

Greg continues the Sermon On The Mount series diving into Matthew 7 and discussing whether or not its our right or responsibility to judge and condemn others.

Greg continues the Sermon On The Mount series diving into Matthew 7 and discussing whether or not its our right or responsibility to judge and condemn others.

All four of my blogs about the Sermon on the Mount: “Building Houses on Rock: Mission Impossible?”, “Building Houses on Rock: Mercy and Forgiveness”, “Building Houses on Rock: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, and “Building Houses on Sand: Specks and Planks”. Find more at https://timharner.com

BetrayalIn 7 parts, based on the posts by senorlongo. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novel. Hosi ordered the village searched. Almost a hundred bows and their arrows were found in one of the houses. Now we had an army, but we still had to be careful. We had taken out eight of their group, but even a half dozen men with assault rifles could do a lot of damage, even kill half the tribe.Our next stop was Hosi's old house. I had many happy memories there. We peeked in the rear window; I was reminded of the time we had eavesdropped behind Reta's house, learning of her plot to kill the queen and take over the tribe. This time we looked in to see all the men—all except Jacob…the rat! I couldn't wait until I ran into him. There were three which seemed like a lot until I looked at Scott and Kevin. Both had been beaten. Rini almost gasped, but her warrior training and discipline prevailed. I could see the hatred in her eyes. She'd skin these men alive given the chance. Now we had plenty of bows and arrows. Hosi called her troops together.There were two windows and an open doorway, but one of the guards sat in a chair just inside the door, hidden behind the fireplace. It would be almost impossible to get to him unless…. I could see the wheels turning in Hosi's head. She dispatched three warriors, all with spears. They snuck down three houses, keeping low then they turned left and crossed the narrow lane. Behind the facing houses they retraced their steps until they were behind my old house just across the street. Now they spread out, one on each side and one headed through the house for the doorway. I heard a brief whistle, more a bird call than anything else. Hosi and Rini took their aim from the rear window and fired just as Hosi yelled, “Now!”The spear women leaped forward and threw. One struck the guard in the chest, the others in his abdomen. Hosi's aim was true, but Rini was off, her arrow striking only the guard's shoulder. In a second she was through the window and on top of the hapless guard. She punched him repeatedly, paying back the injuries they had given, until Hosi stopped her. He was bound and gagged while Rini ran to Scott. She cradled his head in her arms, pulling him to her breasts. She leaned down to her stricken lover, kissing him repeatedly.It was now approaching 5:00 a.m. and time was drawing short. We had to act while we had the advantage of surprise and darkness. Hosi left a contingent of warriors to guard and tend to the men's wounds. She sent one hundred to scour the village in search of any of the intruders that we had missed. Another hundred accompanied us back to the palace where the majority of the tribe was held.Hosi split her forces. Twenty were sent to the rear. They were to check the back of the palace for any stray guards, although we thought they would stay with their prisoners until daylight, at least. My biggest question was, “WHY?” What was this all about? All I could think about was that there was money—serious money—at the root of all this. But how…what? As a geologist I knew that there were no significant quantities of precious gems or minerals in the area so that clearly wasn't it. It appeared that few if any of the tribeswomen had been injured or killed. How did that figure into this?We were sneaking past the baths when I told Hosi I was staying for a while. “Kind of a funny time for a bath, David.”“No, I need some time to think. Besides, you won't need me at the palace. I'll just be in the way. I'm trying to figure out what this whole thing is all about.” Hosi kissed me and left a small contingent of warriors to safeguard me. I recognized all of them—they were all fierce competent fighters. I sat on a limestone bench, dropping my feet into the cool water. I cleared my head of all other thoughts. I knew that Hosi would be safe and my children were probably at the forges by now, well out of the conflict. I tried to put all the pieces together—ambush in the jungle, but nobody actually hurt or killed, invasion with automatic weapons, but nobody hurt or killed, tribe kept tied up under guard, but again nobody hurt. Why would they want to do this? Why would they want all the women in prime condition? OH NO! It hit me like a brick. I could think of only one reason for this and there would be a ton of money involved. Plus, unless I was mistaken we would soon have a lot more visitors. And now I knew where.I pulled my feet from the bath and walked out into the night. “Any word yet from Hosi?” They shook their heads. We were joined by those who had searched the village and started our walk to the palace. I stopped them for a second, told them of my concerns, and asked a contingent to head to the falls. That area had to be secured. It wasn't the only way to get all the tribeswomen out of here, but it was the fastest and safest.We were almost a hundred yards from the palace when I heard shouting and several shots. I prayed Hosi would be OK. We ran to the site and met an invader running in our direction. He met more arrows and spears than I cared to count. I ran to the palace searching for Hosi. I found her—thank God—supervising the release of the prisoners. Four guards lay dead on the floor and three Amazon prisoners were being treated for bullet wounds. Fortunately, all appeared to be superficial.I pulled Hosi aside and held her. “Thank God you're safe. I think I know what this is all about. These men came here to collect you as slaves. That's why nobody was injured or killed. We can confirm it with that one you captured. If I'm right there will be one boat missing and we'll have lots more company in the morning.” Hosi detailed a group to continue releasing the prisoners while we walked quickly to her old house. The men were there relaxing. Rini was treating Scott under Dennis's orders. The captured attacker was ignored. “Let me deal with him, Hosi. I think a man will be more effective.” She nodded her consent as we walked in the door.I walked into the man and removed his gag. “Let me explain something to you. You are going to die, but how will be determined by what you tell me in the next minute. I can put a bullet in your brain or I can take you down to the Amazon, cut your arms, and watch while the piranha devour you alive. That's what we did with the last one who was condemned to death. I'll give you a few seconds to think.” I stood and returned to Hosi. We stood silently while the men looked on. Less than thirty seconds later I returned.“OK…all your friends are dead. The village is back under our control. Only a handful of women were injured. My wife, the Queen, killed five of your men by herself, so don't think that she'll have any mercy for you. Now…tell me why you are here. I already have an idea, but I want you to confirm it.”“Slaves, Senhor. We were going to sell the women and children to be slaves. There is a big market in the Middle East and Japan. Please don't feed me to the fish.”“How were you going to get the women out of here?”“Tomorrow…three big boats…more men. Jacob went to show them the way.” I patted him on the head and put a bullet into his brain. I turned to Hosi and explained what he had said. “We need to put warriors along the river bank with bows and spears. I suggest the men also go with your warriors. Between the two groups we will need to kill all their men. Later we can sink the boats, but we need to make sure there are no survivors. Even one could mean the end of everything we've worked for.”Hosi agreed with me and called the tribe together in the plaza. “We need to be ready. We will soon have new invaders. They will come by boat so here is what I want you to do….” I strung a second rope from the tree by the falls. Within the next hour hundreds of warriors went down, spreading themselves along the bank for more than half a mile. All the men also went, even Scott and Kevin with their injuries. We rested while a few sentries kept watch. I didn't think they would surprise us—the noise of the engines would alert us long before their arrival.Hosi rested her head in my lap and I rested mine on her hip. We fell asleep quickly. It was some hours later when I woke to the sound of distant engines. I woke Hosi; she was alert immediately. She whistled—that same bird call I had heard last night. I could see the warriors stretching and preparing themselves for the conflict ahead. All the men checked their rifles and spare magazines. Kevin smiled at me as I checked my pistol. I gave him a thumb's up and then we knelt, hidden by the vines and tall grass along the river bank.Our inflatable led three large motorized barges. They could hold the entire tribe in them easily. Jacob was at the helm with two others, both armed. Each of the barges had an additional six armed men. Hosi waited until the boats were almost at the falls before giving the preliminary signal—the first bird call whistle. I could see all the archers put arrow to the bowstring. At the second whistle the army stood as one and loosed their arrows.More archers above the falls rushed forward from hiding and shot. The men fired their rifles. The slavers dropped like flies. The two men in the inflatable were targeted first, however Jacob was left alone by design. Three men jumped into the bottom of the barges. They were assailed by spears and arrows from above. At the end of our line two women jumped into the river pulling a thin cord. They were the best swimmers in the tribe. When they reached the other side they pulled a heavy rope across the river, tying it securely to a large tree. Now the barges were stuck.The swimmers went back into the water, swimming to the last barge. They pulled themselves up and snuck along the rear deck. They gave a signal that showed there were no live attackers in the barge bottom. They crept to the small cabin, yanked open the door and ran in, overwhelming the unarmed pilot in seconds. They used their daggers to kill him quickly.They ran along the barge side where they were met by several dozen others equipped with their bows and arrows. They jumped to the middle barge. This one did contain several of the enemy. Again they dispatched the pilot so they could move to both sides of the barge and get the enemies in a cross fire. There looked to be about fifteen on each side and another four in the center. They rose quickly and fired killing two and seriously wounding the third. One of our warriors jumped down easily and killed him with her knife.They jumped to the first barge and again killed the pilot. Slowly they walked up the barge's sides toward the inflatable. When Jacob saw the dozen arrows aimed at his heart he raised his hands and surrendered. He would have been better off if he had tried to fire. Then he would have been cut down quickly. Now he was going to suffer.I pulled the inflatable into the hidden boat house; the barges were tied off to the bank. Planks ran from the shore to them. I walked up onto the nearest, noticing that there were well over a hundred ring-bolts welded to the floor. I climbed down, looked around and went back up. I walked into the cabin and then down to the engine room. There I found what I wanted—the cooling system for the engines ran on raw river water. There was a big intake port and another for the exhaust. These could be cut in order to sink the barge.The men's bodies were brought down and securely fastened to the rings that were intended for the Amazons. All the bodies were placed into the first barge. Jacob was also brought here and tied down spread-eagle. I leaned down to speak to him, “Jacob, if it was up to me I'd flay you—skin you alive, but don't worry--Hosi has something special for you.” I patted his cheek as he screamed. One of the Amazons came up and gagged him.We were totally unfamiliar with these barges so it took us quite a while to turn them around in the narrow river. When we reached the Amazon we let two barges drift down river. The third, the one with all the slavers was anchored in the middle of the river. Sean and I went down to the engine room with two axes. We chopped at the water pipes until the water flowed freely onto the deck. By the time we were done the water was already well over our ankles. We climbed up and into the barge. We stopped next to Jacob, “So long, asshole. Enjoy your swim. Say ‘Hi' to the nice fishies. All this blood should make them really hungry.”We retired to the inflatable while we watched as the barge slowly slipped beneath the water. It was the end to a long and difficult time for all of us. I could see the strain on Hosi's face. We returned to the falls. Wearily, we climbed the rope and returned to the palace. Everything was as it had been before the invasion. Our children were back home; Kela was running about with Scott's daughter, Sama. Our infant son lay in his tiny bed. The guards were all in place; they bowed when Hosi entered. She was about to mount her throne, but I stopped her. “Not now…not yet…I have something much more important to do with you right now.” Hosi smiled weakly, the strain of the past days wearing on her. She was a truly kind and considerate woman, a wonderful lover and wife.I led her by the hand to the baths. I stripped her and myself and proceeded to wash her wonderful, but exhausted body. I dried her and led her still naked back to the palace where I laid her on the bed. I crawled between her legs and inhaled deeply. Hosi's scent was nothing less than incredible; I loved her musky flavor. I placed my mouth over her cunt and sucked, causing Hosi to groan in ecstasy. I stuck my tongue into her tunnel as I watched Hosi writhe over the bed. I was about to suck her hard button into my mouth when she sat up and stopped me.“What's the matter? Don't you want to cum?”“Of course, I do, darling, but what about you? Don't I get a chance to take care of you?”“No—not tonight; you've been under tremendous stress the past few days. You need this…badly. You may be the Queen, but tonight you need to follow my orders, and I'm ordering you to lie back and enjoy everything I'm doing for you.”“Yes sir…you are the boss,” then she chuckled, “for tonight, anyway.”“OK, I admit you are the boss, but you know how much I love you and I need to help you feel better. I feel kind of guilty about Jacob.”Hosi sat up quickly, grasping me firmly by the chin. “I never want to hear you say anything like that again, David. You didn't encourage him to come here…WE did. Any time we do something like that we know we're taking a chance, just like the tribe took a chance capturing you and Dr. Sullivan. Luckily, it all worked out OK, but who was responsible for that? Who developed the plan to free me and our children? Who risked his life to do that? Who killed the first two guards making the whole idea possible?”“You know it was just a chance of fate that I wasn't in the village that day and I was lucky to see that something was amiss when we returned from the forges.”“Perhaps, but bring me that rope and tie my hands behind my back like they were.” I got the rope and tied her back up as tightly as she had been when I rescued her. “Even if you were here we would have still gotten away.” She strained the muscles in her arms and back and a minute later the rope parted. I couldn't believe that anyone could be so strong. “Probably eight out of ten tribeswomen could do that. Unfortunately, quite a few would have been killed. Your actions made it possible for us to save ourselves without losing any of the tribe. Now, as you said, I am the Queen and I am making a royal proclamation—You are responsible for saving at least fifty lives and you will be declared a hero of the tribe tomorrow. You should feel pride of your accomplishment, not shame or guilt. I will make that official tomorrow. Now, if you still wish, I will accept your services.”I looked at her for a second and began to giggle. It was contagious. She joined me in less than a minute and we began laughing like crazy. She pulled me up onto the bed, kissed me madly, and turned on top of my body to position the delicious pussy over my mouth. I could take the hint—she wanted to be pleasured, but she was going to take care of me, too. I couldn't argue with her logic.Licking her labia brought forth several lengthy moans, even as Hosi lowered her mouth over my hard cock. Her tongue was heavenly on my organ—her mouth was warm and moist as she sucked me deep into her throat. It would have been so nice—so relaxing—to lie there and allow Hosi to service me, but I owed her even more than she owed me. I attacked her pussy with renewed zeal. I pushed my tongue into her tunnel, savoring the taste, the muskiness of her juices as well as the velvet softness of her flesh. Even holding her hips with all my strength was useless. She writhed uncontrollably under my touch. I moved my mouth to her clit. It was hard, incredibly so, and extremely hot. My teeth were only a few millimeters apart when I sucked her clit between them. Her reaction was intense as she drove herself forcefully into my mouth. I sucked and nibbled for more than a minute until she shuddered and shook in a tremendous orgasmic spasm; it lasted for almost a minute before I relented. So commanding was her experience that she completely forgot about my penis in her mouth. She laid her head on my thigh as she recovered, my man-meat hanging loosely on her tongue until she found the strength to quickly bring me to an incredible orgasm. She sucked me strongly, rubbed my balls between her slender, but powerful, fingers as I blew repeatedly into her throat and stomach. She cleaned my cock, spun around swiftly, and nestled beside me, her head on my chest. I pulled up our blanket and we fell mercifully to a deep sleep.The sun was shining brightly when we woke. I took a quick look at Hosi and laughed. She had a drop of semen dried on her chin. I kissed her as I wiped it from her face. We rose, ate a leisurely breakfast, and left the palace stark naked for the baths and the communal toilets.We were back in the palace dried and dressed when Hosi turned to me, “David, I know I told you that you would never have to kneel before me, but when we go outside I want you to kneel. Will you do that for me…please?” She took my hand and led me toward the plaza. I was shocked to see the entire tribe gathered there. Hosi led me to a cushion and bade me to kneel before she turned to address the tribe, “We have just come through what was undoubtedly the greatest ordeal that our tribe has ever faced. It was brought about by a man who betrayed our trust in him. It would be easy to blame all men—any man—but we know better, don't we? Recently, we had a situation where the tribe was endangered by one of our own who killed our beloved queen and tried to take over the tribe by killing me and enslaving my mate. There are good…and bad…among both women and men. Fortunately, we have the very best of both.“I know I don't have to describe the many good deeds of Dennis or Scott, or of Kevin. Sean has worked tirelessly to bring us a new and stronger metal—iron—to use in our weapons and tools. Adam and the others have helped build fences for our livestock and expand our chicken coops. All our men have contributed mightily to the tribe and, let us not forget all the successful mating that has occurred although I see that many of you enjoy the practicing a bit too much.” I heard the open laughter ripple through the tribe, but I still had no idea where all this was going.“Now, I want to ask you…how many of you could have broken the ropes that tied your wrists?” I was astonished that almost all the tribeswomen raised their hands. “See, David,” she said turning to me, “I told you.” Returning to the tribe she continued, “There is no doubt that we could have rushed and overpowered the guards, but…at what cost? How many of our tribe would have perished…fifty…a hundred…more? I have spoken at length with Misa. She told me that she and her sister were occupied with Sean and that only David recognized immediately that there was a problem. She told me that David developed the plan to free me at risk of his own life. I know that he singlehandedly killed the first two guards—the action that enabled me—and you—to free ourselves. I credit my mate, Dr. David Schneider, with saving at least one hundred lives. Therefore, I have decided to name my son, the first boy ever born to a Queen of our tribe, Davy in his honor. Additionally, I proclaim him to be a hero of the tribe. What say you?”I knelt there all this time, never realizing what an orator Hosi could be. Now I was even more amazed as I listened to the tribe chant—“David…David…David,” until Hosi silenced them. She produced a small crown woven of vines and flowers which she placed on my head. “David, you have shown yourself to be an excellent mate and your dedication to the welfare of the tribe is unquestionable. I am proud to proclaim you a hero of the tribe. Rise, my hero!” I stood, totally in shock of what had just happened, until Hosi took me into her arms and kissed me, pulling me closely to her body. We kissed unashamedly until we were interrupted by a messenger from the patrol.“My Queen…strangers again approach our lands. Harry told me they were…uh…what do you call men who hunt illegally?”“You mean…poachers,” I asked.“Yes, that is the word he used. I remember now.”I turned to Hosi, “This could be very dangerous. These men will be killers. The others were just loggers, hard men, but not killers. I will go at once and I will need twenty-five of your best archers.” I ran into the palace to prepare and when I returned the archers were ready. Hosi took me aside, kissed me briefly and begged me to be careful. I promised I would be and left at a trot. I had taken to training with the warriors and it showed. I could run at a much better pace now, but I would never be their equal. An hour later I was breathing hard when we ran into Harry and his team. He explained where they were and how they were making their way through the jungle. He told me there was a small clearing less than a half mile from their current position. I laid my plans. I expected them to be aggressive and if they were they would die quickly, but I didn't want any who surrendered peacefully to be killed. I had an idea that we might be able to use some more men. I dropped my weapons and took my cross from my pocket. Everyone looked at me as if I was crazy, but, once again, it was all part of my plan. I reviewed my signals again and repeated my instructions even though I knew it was all unnecessary. These women were the best soldiers I had ever seen. They knew how to follow orders.I stepped to the edge of the clearing and spoke loudly once I saw them approach. In Portuguese I began, “May the peace of the Lord be with you and protect you always, my brothers.”They looked dumfounded for almost a minute before one of them asked the leader, “What'd he say, boss? What the fuck is he doin' out here in the fuckin' jungle?”“Never mind, you imbecile. Let me handle this.”“Ah, I see you speak English,” I replied cheerfully, “Are you Americans?”“No, we're Brits, but that's enough questions from you. What're you doing way out here miles from civilization?”“As you can see I am a missionary. There are several of us here. We live and work with the savages here, teaching them about our Lord and Savior. I am here to tell you that you must turn back. Ahead is a private wildlife sanctuary belonging to our church.”“Oh, man, boss, a wildlife sanctuary…just what we need.” I reached behind my back and made a fist. It was the sign to make ready.The leader began to draw his pistol and as he did the remaining members of his troupe lowered their rifles—all except one who dropped his rifle to the ground. I stood perfectly still as his revolver cleared the holster. As it approached horizontal more than two dozen arrows rent the air driving the men to their deaths. However, using incredible judgment the one who dropped his rifle was spared—not a single arrow struck him even though he was tightly packed between two others. He took one look at the Amazons and turned, running into the jungle. Two—twin sisters—dropped their bows and bounded after him. It was no contest; they caught him within fifty yards, returning him to me in less than a minute.I told the twins to bind his wrists as they had to me so long ago. He sat, obviously extremely agitated and afraid. I knelt and spoke to him softly in Portuguese. “Relax, no harm will come to you. Would you like some water?” He nodded and I produced a canteen, given to me by one of the warriors. Lita, one of his twin captors gently held it to his mouth. I could see that he was merely a youth, probably no more than eighteen. I continued, “You have been bound to prevent you from injuring one of us, but do not be afraid. I was once also bound as you are now. Why did you drop your rifle?”He was hesitant at first, but as he began to speak the words flowed out of him like water. “I am not one of them. I am only a servant. My family is very poor. My parents sold me to them to be their servant. I'm more a slave, though. They beat me just for fun. I am glad they are dead…even if I have to die, too. I do not know why I tried to run. I cannot go back. There are more there…the leader and two others. ”“You are not going to die, but it seems that you have no place to go so I will offer you the opportunity to join us. These twin sisters seem to fancy you. I think I will ask our Queen to give you to them. No…you won't be their servant or their slave. I am sure this is all very confusing to you, but it will become clear soon enough. Do you know any English?”“A little, Senhor. I study in school, like all students, but I no use it so I forget.”“That's OK. It will come back to you quickly. Now, up with you.” I split the team into three groups—one to remove the bodies from the area. I detailed fifteen warriors for that work after telling them to remove all the arrows so they could be used again. The second group of two I returned to the village with Harry to inform the Queen. The rest of us back tracked the trail to remove all the traps they had set. The young man, Paulo by name, would lead us in this effort.We trekked for almost two hours before coming to their base. There were a number of cages filled with animals. We released all of the herd animals first, allowing them to escape quickly into the bush. Then we came to the two jaguars held securely in strong steel cages. I gave the tribeswomen their instructions—spears up and forward…bows cocked with arrows as I climbed onto the cages and released them one at a time. Rather than attack they each ran quickly into the jungle going in opposite directions. Jaguars are primarily solitary animals except when they mate. Finally, I released the snakes, being most careful with these; the small ones were all venomous and the big ones could constrict me or any one of us to death in minutes. Fortunately, they were more interested in escape than a meal.I checked the camp, taking anything I thought might be of value to us. I resolved to return later to salvage all the steel. I was sure that Sean could come up with a way for us to use it, maybe for knives or short swords. We returned slowly to the village. When we were near the passage to the valley I explained to Paulo that he had to be blindfolded. “Don't worry. You should know by now that we're not going to kill you. We could have done that back at the ambush. Now, follow the lead of your handlers. We have to cross a narrow stone ledge. They will guide you and once in the valley we will be able to remove your blindfold and maybe even your bindings.” He nodded and stood while Lita applied her scarf to his eyes. She and her sister led him forward.We turned him around several times to confuse his sense of direction before leading him through the portal. I could see Lita and her sister talking gently to him as they led him slowly across the ledge. He breathed a sigh of relief once he was across. We stepped carefully down the stone steps and five minutes later I gave the instructions to remove his blindfold and bindings. We walked easily toward the village, the stunned Paulo holding hands with his two gorgeous “captors.”I instructed Paulo to kneel before the Queen. I was just about to speak when Hosi grabbed me lifted me up and pulled me into a deep kiss. “I'm so glad you are safe. Your messengers told me what you did. Are you crazy…going out there without any weapons?”“It seemed the best idea at the time and it worked. Besides, aren't I the big hero?”“Oh…you! I swear I should give you …!”“OK, I know it was dangerous, but they were dangerous men. We could have just ambushed and killed them, but then we wouldn't have a new male to join us. Come and meet him. His name is Paulo.” He was kneeling as instructed with a twin on each side. Hosi spoke to him kindly and sent him on his way to the baths and toilet before his first night with the insatiable twins. I had fucked Lita back when I was working for the Queen. I had a great idea what lay in store for our new friend.I sought out Lita and Lina the following morning. As expected they were fresh as the morning dew. Paulo, however, was sleeping in. Lita explained: "We first took Paulo to the toilets. He was funny…very shy about voiding in front of others, but we cured him of that, didn't we Lina?”“Oh, yes, we stripped him—he tried to fight us, but we are much stronger than he is-- and carried him in. We made him sit between us as we did our business. I held his penis and Lita wiped him when we were done. Why are men so shy about this? It is only a normal bodily function, after all.” I laughed and asked them to continue. “Then we went to the baths. That was better; we washed each other…very, very thoroughly. We liked his penis, didn't we, Lita?”“Oh yes…he, he…and it liked us, too. It was as hard as my dagger and as thick as our spears. We dried ourselves and walked home hand in hand. We ate a light meal and went right to bed, placing Paulo between us. We kissed and touched each other for almost an hour. I think he was afraid to…you know…so we led him,” they giggled, “…the first time. Lita rolled him onto his back and took his penis into her mouth. I was afraid he would shoot his seed in her mouth, but she stopped in time. Tell him, Lita.”“It has been a long time since I had a hard penis in my mouth. I think yours was the last, but you are now…oh, what is the term? Out of reach? Untouchable? Well, you are the Queen's mate; you belong to our Queen. I loved the hard flesh in my mouth and the soft skin was wonderful. I sensed he was getting close to shooting so I stopped. When his breathing became regular again I sat on his penis. I loved watching it disappear slowly into me. Paulo has a very nice penis…almost as nice as yours. I began to rock and he shot into me almost immediately. Lina and I kissed him for a while and then I let her have a turn. She was able to ride him for quite some time before he shot into her. We did it again and again until both of us had an orgasm—is that the right word?”I nodded, a smile on my face, “So…how many times?”“Three for each of us…six for him. We think that is why he is still asleep.”“I'm glad it went so well. Just don't kill him…OK?” My favorite twins laughed until they shook. They walked back into their house, woke Paulo and went back to work. I chuckled all the way back to the palace. I was looking forward to seeing how he would help improve life in the village.I was surprised to find Adam and a group of warriors waiting in the plaza. “David,” he said, “do you think we could see the Queen this morning? I have an idea. I've discussed it with….” He pointed to the group who only smiled, “and they think it's a good idea.”“C'mon in and let's see. I don't think she is too busy this morning.” I led them into the throne room where Hosi was waiting for me. I grinned wildly as I showed her my “thumb's up” for Paulo's first night. When she gave me a questioning look I held up six fingers. She returned my smile. When I reached her side she whispered into my ear, “That will be us in another 24 days. That's when Dennis says we can make love again. Until then you will have to make do with my tongue and my hand.”Breaking away from her, I introduced Adam. He had been mostly quiet during his months in the village. He was trained as an accountant, a skill we had no use for, but he was a good man and was conscientious in his sexual responsibilities to the tribe. So far he had willingly fucked almost eighty women in addition to satisfying his regular lover. He stepped up cautiously, “My Queen I have an idea I would like to explain to you. I have reviewed it with Dennis and he agrees it has merit. We currently derive all our drinking water from the river, but that means we are susceptible to anything that happens upstream like dead animals or mudslides, or…well, just about anything that can affect the health of the tribe. I would like to trace the origin of the river to see if there is some way we can improve on that. The water has to come from somewhere. If we can find the source we may be able to do something to protect our drinking water supply. I…we…would like your approval to search.” He stepped back and bowed.Hosi looked to me for advice. “I think it's a good idea.” Hosi gave her approval and Adam left with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. Adam disappeared for almost a month. In that time Hosi received Dennis's OK to resume sex with me. It was almost three months since our son had been born. You'd think I'd be counting the days, but I was so involved with projects in the village that…. Hosi gave no clues until I came home one afternoon covered in sweat and stone dust from rebuilding a wall that had crumbled after more than four hundred years of service.There was a note on our bed—“Meet me in the baths. I hope you have saved some energy. You will need it.” “Oh, great,” I thought, the big day—one I've awaited for months--has to be one where I've spent the entire day hefting hundred-plus pound blocks of granite. If I had to go six times like Paulo I'd certainly be dead. I stripped out of my filthy clothes and took off at a trot for the baths. Luckily, they were only a block away. Hosi was there with our children. Kela jumped up and down when she saw her daddy, splashing everyone within ten feet. She loved the water and could already swim across our community pool. She often terrified her mother by swimming underwater, disappearing beneath the cool dark water for many seconds before surfacing God only knows where. I loved her dearly, but she was a real handful.Hosi took one look at me and laughed. I was covered in rock dust and whitewash, looking more like a Halloween ghost than her husband and lover. She gave Davy to one of her guards and walked to me. “Poor baby; you look exhausted. Just wait until later. I don't think you'll be getting much sleep tonight.” All the tribeswomen laughed hysterically. There were few secrets in the village and our sex life was usually an open book. What else would one expect when every step, every breath was observed by as many as twenty guards? We had doors in the palace, but we rarely used them. Now the entire tribe would know how much and how often we loved each other. I didn't care; one look at the woman I loved and everyone else disappeared.She came to me, extended her hand and led me to the bath. A guard handed her the soap as she eased me into the cool water. Hosi sat behind me, kissing my cheek and neck as she reached around me to wash the filth from my body. I leaned back, cushioning my body against her swollen breasts. I envied Davy and longed for the day when I could once again suckle at my wife's breast. I turned my head to kiss Hosi; it was quick and relatively chaste. “Tonight, huh? Good choice; I hope I can stay awake.” I was being serious, but everyone within earshot began to laugh.“Don't you worry, darling,” Hosi whispered, “I think I can keep you awake.” Now there was more than laughter—there was howling in the baths and soon it spread to the streets and lanes. Hosi finished washing me and pulled me up. She dried me carefully, paying an awful lot of attention to my now turgid cock. I was turning red with embarrassment and it only got worse when Hosi led me away by my erection.We walked past the grinning guards—did everyone know what Hosi had planned? She led me to our bedroom, pushed me onto the bed and jumped on top of me. “I love you, David and now I'm going to prove it to you.”“Hosi, you prove it to me every day—the way you hold me, the way you kiss me, the way you care for our children…everything you do.”“Perhaps…but I need to prove this to you—I need you…need you inside me to make me feel complete.” Hosi rubbed her breasts into my chest and sighed, “You know…I still love the feeling of your hair on my skin. It makes me want you so much.” She continued as I placed my hands along the sides of her glorious orbs.Her rubbing left droplets of milk on my chest. “How long,” I wondered, “before Davy wants his next meal?”“If you're wondering about Davy let me tell you he's spending the night elsewhere…with a friend who is still producing milk and Kela is at what Scott called a sleep-over with Sama. She told me they would be up all night, but they'll be sound asleep by now. You're stuck with me all night, but you're not going to sleep…not yet, anyway.” She rubbed her slit against my cock. No matter how tired I might be it could always be counted on to respond. “Oh my, you're not as tired as you think. You feel like a rock down there—a rock I'm planning to use over and over tonight. Seriously, David, I have missed you so much.”“Then stop talking and put me into you. I've missed you, too…more than I can tell you.” Hosi smiled for a few seconds and then my cock disappeared into her hot wet hole. I could never understand how she could stay so tight after having Kela. Now, after having two children, she was still as tight as a virgin. Maybe it was her warrior training or just great genes, but her appearance hadn't changed at all. I'd bet that she didn't gain even a pound after her two pregnancies.Hosi rose up slowly, savoring the sensation of having me in her, of having me stretch her vaginal walls. I could see the rapture in her eyes as she dropped down onto my cock again. She moved so slowly, looking into my eyes the entire time. She moved her nipple to my mouth, encouraging me to suckle. “Go ahead, darling. I'll have plenty tomorrow for Davy. I know you've wanted this for a long time. Suckle me—drink my hot delicious milk.” I lifted my head and wrapped my lips around her hard nipple and suckled like her baby—in many respects I was. She was stronger than me by far. She could mold me to her will. If she wanted to she could take me over her knee and spank me like a child. She was the Queen—she could make all the decisions and the women of the tribe would support her. Why didn't she do all these things? My only answer was that she really did love me.I was really beat, but I couldn't resist Hosi—I began to move, driving my hard hot cock deep into her. Soon we had established our rhythm as Hosi drove her clit into me with my every thrust. She closed her eyes and arched her back. She held still for just a moment before grunting loudly and driving herself forward with unbelievable force. She fell gently onto my chest. Kissing my neck she whispered, “That was incredible. I can't believe how much I've missed that.”“Why are you whispering?” I replied, “Doesn't the entire village know what's going on? It certainly seemed that way at the baths.”“Oh, dear! I hope you're not angry with me. I was so happy that we could make love again I told everyone I met.” She was on the verge of crying. I pulled her into a long deep kiss, my tongue searching for and finding hers. I broke the kiss after a minute, “No, Hosi I'm not angry. I learned a long time ago that there's no privacy around here. How many times have the guards run in when one of us is screaming in ecstasy? No, Hosi I love you too much to let a little thing like that bother me.” I let her know for sure by thrusting up deep into her pussy. Apparently there were some advantages to being tired—I hadn't cum despite all of Hosi's actions on my cock.She leaned up and grinned, “I thought you were tired.” I just shrugged my shoulders and smiled. I drove into her again and she moved up and kissed me. She held my head--her fingers in my hair—as she began her own movements. Hosi was both strong and flexible and it showed as she bent my cock into positions I never even imagined existed. Every bend of my cock created friction that was going to ultimately drive me absolutely crazy with desire and the need to cum.On and on she drove, grinding her clit into me. I was mesmerized by the sight of her swollen breasts swaying in rhythm with her motions. I thrust up every time she rolled forward, driving myself as deeply into her body as humanly possible. I may have been exhausted, but I surely wasn't dead. My cock reacted, more slowly than usual maybe, but it was making up for lost time now. I could feel a tiny rumble deep within my balls. It built in intensity with every thrust. After several minutes I was right at the edge; I needed to get over—it was driving me mad with lust. Hosi must have sensed it because she suddenly shifted into overdrive. She still ground her clit into me with force and energy, but now she was doing it faster—much faster than I thought possible. I could see that she was getting close; could I hold back for her? After pushing myself to cum—being desperate to reach orgasm—now I tried to throttle down, to control my reactions for my lover. I still met her every thrust, but with slightly less energy and force. I held myself right on the edge until I saw Hosi tense, shudder, and shake in orgasmic bliss. My orgasm was anything but bliss—I exploded in her, savagely drowning her pussy and womb in my seed. I wrapped my arms around Hosi, holding her close and kissing her repeatedly—her cheek, her neck, her hair.The next thing I knew the light was shining through the skylight and Hosi was looking down at me, a smile on her face. “I guess you really were tired. C'mon, we both need to bathe then we'll eat and relax.” I had a pretty good idea what Hosi meant by “relax” and I was all for it.I rose and began to dress, but Hosi stopped me. “I want everyone to see your seed on your organ and legs. I want everyone to know that we were able to make love again.”“I would have thought everyone knew already. You know how news spreads here in the village.” I dropped my shorts and followed her—both of us naked—for the short stroll to the baths. We passed many of the tribeswomen on the way and they all noticed the dried semen on my shriveled cock and Hosi's thighs. All smiled happily, but said nothing. Some of the men were also there and their reaction was the same, although they patted me on the back. I didn't know what the big deal was—everyone who could was fucking themselves silly every day of the week.We finally reached the baths where everyone was naked. I slipped slowly into the cool river water as I noticed Paulo sitting on the other side of the bath. I slid my arm around Hosi and kissed her as I waved Paulo closer. “How are you doing, Paulo? I'll bet you never imagined what's happened over the past weeks.”“No, Senhor, I was a virgin when I came here. I had a girlfriend when I was sold to those men, but after that I had no hope…none at all. I am very happy to be here.”“How are the twins treating you? I know them well and Hosi knows them even better. They are her close friends.”“They are after me all day and night. I love it, but it is tiring and they tell me I must also…uh, do it with others in the tribe.”“Yes, Paulo,” Hosi replied, “all the men have a group of tribeswomen they must satisfy. Even David was under the Queen's orders to mate with others. I hated to know David was with other women, but our duty to the tribe comes first. If you see Dennis in the hospital he will explain everything to you. Some of us are on birth control, but we need to grow the tribe and you can be an important part of that.”We chatted with Paulo and several tribeswomen for almost a half hour while Hosi washed me and I returned the favor. I was somewhat refreshed when we exited and dried ourselves. We walked with our arms around each other back to the palace. Davy was there anxiously awaiting his next meal. Hosi accommodated him by taking him to her nipple, the same nipple she had used to nourish me last evening. We sat naked—Hosi, Kela, and me—for our breakfast which consisted of excellent scrambled eggs. I added salt and ketchup which I had bought months ago on a visit to the city. Kevin had planted a huge patch of tomatoes which we were all enjoying immensely. Soon we were going to make our own ketchup, but not being a cook it was a job I'd leave to others. Hosi gave the children to the guards once we were done and we returned to our room. “Time to ‘relax,' eh.”Hosi laughed, but picked me up and tossed me on the bed. I often pitied the poor tribeswomen who maintained the palace. We were in and out of bed so often it hardly paid to ever make it, yet as soon as we left it was remade with clean sheets washed in the river and dried over a nearby fence. Being Queen was a tough job, but it had its advantages.We were both naked so when Hosi jumped on me there was nothing between us but skin. I rubbed my hands up and down her wonderful body. I spent a lot of time on her ass—so smooth yet so incredibly muscular and powerful. I looked up into her eyes and mouthed, “I love you so much…more than life itself.”A tear came to her eye, “Please don't talk like that, David. You have no idea how much I worried about you when you went after those poachers…and then to go out there with no weapons. I thought I would faint when Harry told me about that. Now I have you here with me…I never want to let you go…never! Now I want you to lie still. Consider that a royal proclamation. I'm doing all the work.”I raised my hand meekly, just like when I was a dweeby kid in elementary school, “Is it OK if I play with your breasts and maybe kiss you a bit? After all, I wouldn't want to get into trouble.”“I'll go you one better—open that mouth and latch on to my nipple. My friend is taking care of Davy again today so there will be plenty for you. I think you're going to need it. You only came once last night and I only came twice. I hope to double that today. I'm taking a holiday—no work—only you.” Hosi leaned forward dropping her leaking nipple into my waiting mouth as she reached between my legs for my hard cock. She rubbed it into her slit several times before changing the angle slightly allowing me to slide effortlessly into her warmth. Hosi moved slowly and when I tried to respond she held her finger up to stop me.I got the message—lie still and suck on my tit. That's what I did—for a few seconds anyway then I couldn't help myself. I rocked with Hosi, keeping time with her motions. She gave me a stern look so I shrugged my shoulders and whispered, “I'm only human, you know. I can never resist you, especially at a time like this.” She gave me another stern look but she couldn't hold it. In seconds we were laughing like a couple of idiots. All attempts at reserve were shattered. Our lovemaking became frenetic and totally out of control. Several guards walked in to give Hosi a message—they were ignored until, after several minutes, we tensed simultaneously and with one final exertion thrust hard into each other and came and came and came. We collapsed onto the bed covered in sweat. Only then did Hosi realize that we weren't alone.“This had better be important,” she said threateningly.“We think it is. Adam and his party have returned. They have found the source of the river and more important…some kind of well coming out of the mountain.”“Don't yell at them,” I told Hosi, “This could be the answer to all our prayers—an artesian well.”“What is this, David? I don't understand.”“Let's go out and hear what they have to say.” We rose hurriedly, cum dripping down our legs, dressed and walked quickly to the throne room.”Adam was grinning when we approached, “Um, sorry to disturb you my Queen…you lucky dog, David.” I gave him a playful punch, but I really wanted to hear what he had to say.“We followed the river upstream for seven days when we found a tributary. We left that alone and followed the main river up into the mountain. We followed it all the way to a huge glacier. It must be more than a hundred feet thick. Water ran off from underneath at a tremendous rate. We knew we couldn't do anything with the glacier so we returned downstream until we reached that tributary again. We followed it up the mountain for two days until we found the source. The water came up right out of the mountain. Is that what you call an artesian well?”“It sounds like it, but I'll have to see it to be sure, I replied. I turned to Hosi to explain, “What they found was a glacier. Think of a mountain of ice—solid water. Remember when we were in New York? We had ice in many of our drinks? Well, this is a natural event. It gets very cold up high in the mountains and instead of rain they will get snow. That is solid water falling from the sky. It is so cold that the snow never melts into regular water. Over hundreds of years the snow builds up and compacts into ice just like we had in our drinks only millions of times larger. The ice is called a glacier. It's really heavy so it slides down the mountain, but it moves very slowly. I've seen glaciers crush huge boulders like I would crush an egg. I don't think we can do anything with the glacial water, but an artesian well is something else.“Sometimes water gets underground and moves through the rock. Limestone like we have in the baths is one of the best. It has very tiny holes in it, so small that they can't be seen. The stone filters everything out of the water so it's usually totally pure. If it's close enough we can run a pipe from there to the village. We'd have an unending supply of pure clean water.” Hosi smiled. I knew she would trust my judgment. We allowed Adam to rest for a few days before we left for the mountains. He had taken the long way there, but now we were able to take a much shorter and direct route. I used my GPS to take the coordinates of the village. I noted the geological features as we walked, stopping to use my rock hammer and pick several times. When we reached the source I saw it was indeed an artesian well. The GPS told me it was about fifteen miles as the crow flies to the village and it was downhill all the way. I patted Adam on the back and hugged all the women on the team.We returned to the village and met with Scott. He told us we could buy huge spools of PVC pipe. Each spool would hold more than a mile of pipe. We could run it down the hill to the village. He described how we could collect the water at the source and build a fountain in the plaza where it could be distributed. Now the issue was how to buy the piping. It took us months to buy and transport the pipe to the valley. Moving it up to the mountain was a breeze—one Amazon every twenty feet made moving it child's play. Scott coordinated the construction of a stone pool lined with the same primitive concrete that we used in the irrigation channels in the plaza with overflow diverted directly into the river. At the source a catch basin was constructed. Wherever possible the piping was dug underground. Where that couldn't be done the exposed pipe was buried under rocks that were concreted in place. The entire tribe was on hand when the water began to flow. The mood was much like it had been when Scott erected his water wheel several years before. Nobody was happier than Dennis. This could mean an end to treating the villagers for dysentery and cholera. Dysentery was an annoyance, but cholera could wipe out half the tribe before he was able to get it under control.I held Hosi's hand as the fresh pure water began to flow from the pipe. We had built the fountain so the pipe was almost four feet higher than the catch basin. Watching the arc flow was fascinating—a testimony to the determination that had been the symbol of Hosi's reign. It showed how much could be accomplished even out here in the wild jungle. I was wrapped up in the ceremony until Hosi leaned into me, her soft breast brushing against my arm. “I'm pregnant again,” she whispered, “I told you I wanted another ten.” I kissed her briefly and looked up into the clouds. My eyes wandered over the verdant valley, the happy people, and back to my wife. I couldn't wait to get her alone so I could show her once again how much I loved her. What a life—what a wonderful life!To be continued, by senorlongo for SexStories.

In this week's culture column, Tara Lynn Taylor takes us to the Merry Melodramas' new musical featuring the songs of Fleetwood Mac. Plus, the opening of Two Planks and a Passion's outdoor theatre season. 

Did you know that you don't need a gym to enjoy the benefits of resistance training? You can do it right in the comfort of your home with no gym equipment, and it's fantastic for your overall health and heart health. Regular resistance training can improve your blood pressure, blood sugar, blood lipids, and body composition. It's especially helpful for older adults and those with a higher risk of heart problems (e.g., high blood pressure or cholesterol, diabetes, excess weight, current or former smokers, or a family history of heart disease). In this podcast, we'll discuss simple home workouts that you can do to help your overall health. What is resistance training? Resistance training, also known as strength training, involves exercises that improve muscular strength and endurance. This form of exercise typically uses resistance in the form of weights, resistance bands, or body weight to work specific muscle groups. By repeatedly challenging muscles, resistance training enhances their ability to generate force and sustain physical activity. Benefits of Resistance Training Cardiovascular and Overall Health While resistance training primarily targets muscle strength and endurance, it also offers substantial cardiovascular benefits. Regular resistance training can: Improve heart health by reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Help keep your arteries flexible and improves blood vessel function while lowering inflammation levels that typically lead to atherosclerosis (clogged arteries). Keep in mind that while you may not notice these cardiovascular effects, you may experience noticeable improvements in your sleep and mood.  Weight Loss and Muscle Mass Resistance training is a powerful tool for weight loss and muscle mass maintenance. But how? Increased Metabolism: Building muscle boosts your resting metabolic rate, meaning you burn more calories even at rest. Fat Loss: While you may not see immediate weight loss, resistance training can help you lose fat and gain lean muscle, leading to a healthier body composition.  Muscle Preservation: During weight loss, preserving muscle mass is crucial. When people lose weight, they usually lose fat along with muscle mass. Given the popularity of GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Zepbound), it's important to know that muscle wasting is a possible side effect of these medications. Resistance training ensures that most of the weight lost comes from fat, not muscle. Keep in mind: Resistance training also promotes better body mechanics and posture, reducing the risk of injury and improving balance and coordination. How to Get Started with Resistance Training Getting started with resistance training can be intimidating, especially if you already don't exercise or have mobility limitations due to arthritis, neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis, or obesity.  You can always join a gym and meet with a personal trainer but we all know this is both costly and time-consuming. While in-person classes or training sessions might be motivating and fun, there is always the option of trying resistance training at home, on your own. You can find free exercise videos on YouTube or personal fitness blogs.  Set Clear Goals: Determine what you want to achieve, whether it's building muscle, losing or maintaining weight, or improving overall health. Start with a Plan: Create a balanced workout plan that includes all major muscle groups (e.g., chest, shoulders, upper back, back and front of arms and legs, stomach, and lower back). Learn Proper Technique: Proper form is important to prevent injuries. Consider working with a trainer initially or using reputable online resources.  Start Light: To master the exercises, begin with lighter weights, then gradually increase the resistance as you become more comfortable and stronger. Start with shorter, lower-intensity sessions to help your body readjust and minimize the risk of injury. Consistency: Consistency is key. Aim for at least two resistance training sessions per week. Each session should last 15 to 20 minutes and focus on 8 to 10 different exercises.  Examples of Resistance Training Exercises Here are some common resistance training exercises: Air squats, wall squats, and lunges: Target the legs and glutes. Specifically the front and back thigh and buttocks. No equipment is needed.  Deadlifts or upright rows engage the upper back muscles. Both can be done using long resistance bands instead of weights. Chest Press: This exercise works the chest, shoulders, and triceps. It can also be done without weights by doing push-ups, incline push-ups, or decline push-ups. Planks or abdominal crunch: Improve core strength and stability. No equipment is needed. Bicep Curls: Target the front upper arm. Again, if you don't have weights at home, you can perform bicep curls using resistance bands. Calf raises: These target the calf muscle, and no gym equipment is needed. They can be done using stairs or a chair. Remember to adjust the intensity and frequency of workouts based on your progress and fitness goals to ensure a safe and effective resistance training regimen. Thanks again for listening to The Peptide Podcast. We love having you as part of our community. If you love this podcast, please share it with your friends and family on social media, and have a happy, healthy week! We're huge advocates of elevating your health game with nutrition, supplements, and vitamins. Whether it's a daily boost or targeted support, we trust and use Momentous products to supercharge our wellness journey.  Momentous only uses the highest-quality ingredients, and every single product is rigorously tested by independent third parties to ensure their products deliver on their promise to bring you the best supplements on the market.

BODY Fitness & Spa owner, private trainer and Navy veteran Austin Naes continues with bonus CGP. Are there added health benefits choosing running over walking, and what of planks, Pilates and yoga.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recapping S3E3: Unfinished Business  In S3E3, Maggie still has some unfinished business trying to figure out who Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are. They girls brag about how long they can hold a plank and diss on how bad the pranks are between Mike, Rachel, and Katrina with thier jib jab jabs. They discuss how Daniel Day-Lewis and Britney Spears have very similar method acting techniqiues. They're still trying to solve the mystery of the recycle bin cake while Maggie mistakenly thinks she is still pronouncing lawyer correctly. My Buddy Maggie decides to YES, AND Amanda's made up My Briefy song...just like a pro. And Amanda finally finishes grad school after all these years. Time for a nap!   

Nutrition is not a one-size-fits-all concept yet there are some fundamental practices that benefit most of us. In this episode, we kick off season 2 with a conversation with Erin Falls, MS, RD, LDN, E-RYT, a self-described pizza loving dietician and yoga teacher with a passion for helping others discover their healthiest best life. Erin is the founder of Planks and Pizza: a one-stop shop focused on empowering others to discover a balanced lifestyle that's flexible, fun and rewarding. Learn more about her at https://www.planksandpizza.com/ Follow Erin on social media @planksandpizza. Please be sure to subscribe, download, leave us a review & SHARE this podcast with others! We truly appreciate your support. Reach out to us at info@lastingimpactwellness.com to discuss how we can partner together to help you or your organization achieve better, sustainable well-being. Join our LIW community https://members.lastingimpactwellness.com/podcast-newsletter-signup As always, questions, comments & topic suggestions welcome at info@lastingimpactwellness.com Follow us on Instagram & Facebook @lastingimpactwellness Original music by EP3

Steve, McNew, Lori, Von Nieters and Kathy talk about adding wood planks/spires/staves to your whiskey. TBD music is by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com).   Important Links: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theabvnetwork Our Events Page: bourbonpalooza.com Check us out at: abvnetwork.com. Join the revolution by adding #ABVNetworkCrew to your profile on social media.

Let's start with the good news: NO MORE CRUNCHES! And the bad news: hey, no bad news here! We do talk about some of the ridiculous ways we've all tried to get washboard abs in this episode but let's keep them in the past. Instead of hyperfocusing on those six glorious rectus abdominis bumps, we are going to hone in on your entire CORE, because we want you to feel strong and stable in your movements, avoid waste of f*cking time exercises, and feel less pain.  Do you really know what makes up your core? Get to know it in today's episode. Save the crunches for the dinner table, and get the best bang for your buck at the gym. Listen and leave with our top five exercises AND these links to see Kelsea demo the movements. Happy Core Day!: Farmers Carries Deadbugs  Bird Dogs Jumping Squats Jumping Lunges Box Jumps Speed Skaters Broad Jumps Planks Med Ball Slams Mountain Climbers Alligator Rolls Dumbbell Plank Pull Through Kettlebell High Pull (00:00:00) Introduction (00:01:30) How to get a 6-pack (00:03:04) Core strength vs. visible abs (00:04:44) The core is the primary player in your body (00:06:30) The amount of time wasted on crunches (00:10:10) The days of “abs every day” (00:12:28) Abs need repair time just like other muscles (00:16:05) There is no such a thing as spot-training a muscle (00:17:25) Sitting up straight and adjusting your posture (00:21:16) Pelvis alignment and flared ribs (00:25:29) Equally distributing your weight (00:29:43) The importance of weighted carries to your core (00:31:55) Over-engaged traps tend to take over (00:34:40) TTSL Movement Library (00:40:40) Jumping as a core exercise (00:42:32) Planks as a core exercise (00:47:21) Glute bridges get an honorable mention (00:48:12) The importance of rotation and anti-rotation in your routine (00:49:05) How these exercises build stabilizing muscles CVG Related Links: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The CVG Nation app, for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠iPhone⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The CVG Nation app, for Android⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fitness FB Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thick Thighs Save Lives Workout Programs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Constantly Varied Gear's ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Workout Leggings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Travel in the early days of Florida was tough at best. Much of the state was underwater for a majority of the year which meant travel by waterways or horseback was most efficient. Roadways and transportation infrastructure blew the state wide open leading it to be the mega-state powerhouse that it is today. This week we take a look at some of those historic roads from territorial Florida on up to the modern systems inlace today.

Ever wondered why someone with a wallet thicker than a novel might sneak an extra item at the self-checkout? In a fascinating chat with therapist and lawyer Charance Schulman, we tackle the psychological puzzle of affluent individuals giving in to the five-finger discount for the sheer thrill or in pursuit of an 'employee discount' after scanning their groceries. But the intrigue doesn't end at the checkout line. We cozy up with Pepperdine Business School's finest to unwrap the blanket of nostalgia that envelops us when we re-consume our favorite media and revisit treasured haunts, examining how these repeat indulgences chart our personal evolution. Switch gears with us as we slice into the brain-boosting powers of avocados, guided by the latest research singing praises to this buttery fruit for its role in sharpening our cognitive functions. And if you're feeling bogged down by routine, discover why a spontaneous getaway may be the mental refresh you need, offering resilience while trimming the fat from travel stress. Of course, our health compass doesn't just point us toward the unpredictable; we'll also look at the rhythm of regular meal times and their deeper impact on more than our waistlines, from sleep patterns to sugar cravings. Tune in for a rich tapestry of discussions that weave together the unexpected links between our psychological quirks and the quest for a wholesome, fulfilling life. Visit https://tesh.com for more information and resources (00:02) Psychological Behaviors and Healthy Lifestyle(11:09) Optimizing Brain Power and Spontaneous Travel

Join Justin, Michael and Nate as they continue diving into the Sermon on the Mount.

According to Marx's 10 planks of communism guess where we are living. Haitian Barbecue. Update to USCCA controversy. Trump has little feet?  Tag us on Instagram and Matt and Kelly will buy you a sandwich As always, if you like (or don't like) what we're doing, let us know on your podcast app by leaving a review or reach out to us on Instagram. And, check out our website for the best subversive shirts, flip-flops, and coffee mugs your money can still buy at libertytreelifestyle.com Wanna support the show? Go to https://www.patreon.com/libertytree and become a member of the Liberty Tree Social Club Follow us and give us a review @Libertyupatree on twitter @Libertytreebrand on Instagram Order Kelly's Book The Great American Contractor  Look into a Cold Tub at Kelly Cowan Designs Love you guys Kelly and Matt        

In a secretive military base called Planks, remorseless alien hunter Lars finds himself in the midst of a viral outbreak. The military personnel at Planks are seen hastily cleaning an unknown viral contaminant which is suspected to be from another planet. The usually buzzing base now maintains an eerie quiet. Perched in an invisible spaceship above, Lars meticulously plans his mission, donned in his robot suit and equipped with advanced weaponry. Equipped with a sophisticated heads-up display revealing the presence of the humans below, Lars prepares to intervene. Encountering soldiers guarding the entrance of the base, Lars strategically makes them unconscious and continues his stealth mission. He infiltrates deep into the base, deploying camouflaged drones to trace the viral contaminants. A shocking discovery awaits Lars - the contaminant is more potent than anticipated, and the workers are unknowingly carrying it. Undeterred, Lars quickly adapts his plan to contain the spread. Simultaneously, a convoy of trucks carrying captured lifeforms known as 'viromorphs' is identified. Lars finds himself in a race against time as he carefully navigates through the base, incapacitating personnel without lethal force. He employs advanced technology to neatly erase evidence of an extraterrestrial encounter while ensuring the humans remain unharmed, save for their pride. Lars' mission sees a sudden shift as three viromorphs break loose and attack. Displaying swift agility and combat efficiency, Lars fights off the beasts, capturing one alive - for study. With his task completed, Lars vanishes into the night, leaving behind a legacy of the unfathomable power of alien technology. The story takes a cliff-hanger turn when Lars contemplates his next move. Meanwhile, in an underground installation, the humans realize they are dealing with a problem beyond their understanding. The tale ends with Lars in his ship, cruising over the Swiss Alps, contemplating his next move while keeping an eye on multiple locations on Earth through his holographic screens.

GFA423. Join us on an enlightening journey with Hugh as he shares his incredible founder story, covering everything from leaving the corporate world to navigating fundraising, scaling businesses, and addressing challenges in eco-friendly practices. The post Ecommerce Fundraising: From Friends & Family to Institutional, The Planks Brand Story with Hugh Clow appeared first on Global From Asia.

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Last time we spoke about the battle of Liaoyang. Kuropatkin yet again was forced to fight a battle he did not want to fight. The Russians had just suffered a string of defeats, gradually being pushed further and further north in Manchuria. While Kuropatkin would have liked to pull back and await more reinforcements, Alexeiev sought action. Despite the circumstances, the 3 layered defenses of Liaoyang were formidable, and better yet, the Russians outnumbered the Japanese. Yet Kuropatkin's intelligence was flawed and under the belief he was outnumbered he acted in such a way that would cause his defeat at the hands of Oyama. Three Japanese divisions worked together to seize key features allowing for the collapse of each Russian defensive layer. Once the Japanese artillery began battering Liaoyang and her railway station it was all but over. Now Kuropatkin's forces are withdrawing to Mukden and the prize of Port Arthur was for the taking.   #80 The Russo-Japanese War part 7: Nogi's Siege of Port Arthur   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. We just left off with Oyama and his 3 divisions defeating Kuropatkin at Liaoyang, sending the Russians fleeing towards Mukden. Yet while that story was occurring, an entire other battle, a crucial one at that, was occurring at Port Arthur. The last time we spoke about the Liaodong Peninsula, General Maresuke Nogi received the appointment of commander for the 3rd IJA. Nogi's appointment was a bit of a shock for the other commanders, he had been brought out of three years of retirement for the job. He had played a part in the capture of Port Arthur back in the war of 1894, a battle that cost only 16 of his soldiers. The fight for Port Arthur in 1904 would cost much more than that. Port Arthur had three lines of defense. The old part of the town was surrounded on the landward side by a great ditch. 4000 yards from the town was the old Chinese Wall, strengthened by new forts on multiple parts of it. Northwest and northeast of Port Arthur were a series of fortified hills, such as 203 Meter Hill which overlooked the town and harbor. If this hill was captured, the Japanese could place artillery upon it and destroy the Russian fleet at anchor. This fact was not lost on the Russians, especially not Viceroy admiral Alexeiv who sent a message to Admiral Witgeft on August 7th of 1904  ‘I again reiterate my inflexible determination that you are to take the Squadron out of Port Arthur.' And so again Witgeft would again try to flee Port Arthur to hook up with the Vladivostok squadron. The fleet departed on August 10th, with the Peresvyet and Retvizan still damaged from shellfire, Retvizan was carrying 400 tons of water through a hole below her waterline. A subordinate pointing out to Witgeft the damaged ships would slow the fleet down, but he replied ‘My orders, are to go to Vladivostok with the whole Squadron, and that I shall do.' Patrolling Round Island was Admiral Togo's main battle fleet, with 3 Japanese divisions of 11 cruisers, 17 destroyers and 29 torpedoboats to the east and west of Port Arthur. The Russian fleet were crawling at a snail's pace and Togo was quick to pounce on such a wounded animal. Just before 12:30pm the Japanese began opening fire at 8000 yards. Togo attempted crossing the Russians T and by 1pm both fleets were opposite courses at a range of 10,000 yards. The Russians kept charging in the direction of Vladivostok as the Japanese sped after them cautiously trying not to receive terrible hits. At 4pm the Poltava began to slow down causing the rest of the fleet to also. Mikasa sped on, but was nearly stopped dead by a salvo of 12 inch shells from Poltava. The Japanese began to concentrate fire on Poltava as the Peresvyet landed hits upon Mikasa, Shikishima and Asahi. It looked as if the Russians might have brought doom to Togo. Then at 5:45pm luck hit the Japanese. 2 12 inch shells hit Tsarevitch breaking down her foremast and one smash her conning tower right where admiral Witgeft was standing. All that remained of the admiral was part of his leg, the rest of his staff were blown to pieces. War correspondent Richmond Smith wrote ‘The steel roof of the tower was driven against the man at the wheel, and he was killed and jammed flat against the post with the helm hard over. The roof of the conning tower had to be cut away before the corpse could be cut away and the steering gear liberated.' The Sevastopol and Peresvyet narrowly avoided running into Tsarevitch. Then the transfer of command signal was hoisted above the flagship, Prince Ukhtomski aboard Peresvyet hoisted his signal ordered the fleet to follow him. The Russians turned around to flee back to Port Arthur. The Japanese continued their chase, but Togo feared losing his precious battleships and elected to send the destroyers to chase the tails of the Russians. Despite their best efforts, not a single Russian ship was sunk, in what became known as the battle of the yellow sea. The morning of August 11th saw 5 battleships, 1 cruiser and 3 destroyers back at harbor. Their sailors, guns and ammunition were taken off the ships and allocated to the land defenses. Not all the ships returned to Port Arthur however. Tsarevitch had been hit by 15 12 inch shells, her funnels were drained of fuel, she had burnt 480 tons of coal in just 24 hours. She was escorted by 3 destroyers to the German port of Kiaochou where she would be interned for the rest of the war. Diana coaled up at Kiaochou and would sail for Saigon where she was interned. Askold departed for Shanghai, hoping to repair herself quickly and make a break for it, but the Japanese sent piquet ships to watch her. The crews of Askold were thus forced to be interned. Ryeshitelni tried to make a break for it, but the Japanese hunted her down and managed to board her. She was renamed Akatsuki and would join the IJN combined fleet. Only the Novik would have a chance to fight again. Captain Mikhail von Schultz intended to take Novik to Kiachou to coal up before making a dash east of Japan to Vladivostok. Diana and Grozovoi declined following such a dangerous action, so Novik went it alone, departing Kiaochou on August 12th. Early on August 14th a Japanese merchant ship sighted Novik passing Yakushima and reported it to the IJN command. Captains Sento Takenaka and Takagi Sukeichi aboard Tsushima and Chitose received orders to hunt her down, both proceeding north through the Sea of Japan. Both ships met up on August 18th at Hakodate whereupon they received orders to patrol the western side of the Tsugaru strait.  The IJN believed the Novik intended to pass through La Perouse Strait to coal at Korsakov before heading for Vladivostok. Chitose and Tsushima independently searched the strait finding no sign of the Novik. Tsushima headed for Korsakov and at 4pm on the 20th observed smoke rising from the harbor. Schultz was alerted of the Tsushima and made a break for it heading south and by 4:30 Tsushima was opening fire upon her. Novik returned fire, but the Tsushima was more heavily armed and scored multiple hits. Novik took 5 hits below her waterline and one knocked out her boilers. Novik turned back for Korsakov and at 5:40 scored a hit on Tsushima below the waterline flooding two compartments. Tsushima began to list so heavily she was forced to abandon the hunt and make emergency repairs. As Tsushima repaired herself, Chitose rushed to the scene and during the night of the 20th both IJN cruisers watched the Novik anchored at Korsakov harbor, waiting for her to depart. Novik's steering gear was damaged beyond repair, so Schultz ordered her to be scuttled in the shallow harbor water. At dawn on the 21st, Chitose entered the harbor to find the abandoned Novik sunk on a sandbank. Chitose closed in at 4400 yards and opened fire scoring 20 hits as the Russian crew on land withdrew. On August 13th the Vladivostok squadron was given orders to try and support Port Arthur's trapped fleet so they set out to do so. The Rossiya, Gromoboi and Rurik were sailing when on August 14th they were intercepted by 4 IJN cruisers led by Admiral Kamimura. In the battle, Rurik sunk and Rossiya and Gromoboi barely made it back to Vladivostok. Port Arthur was now on her own. Lt General Stoessel's entire Siberian corps were withdrawn from the Kwantung Peninsula into the grand fortress of Port Arthur, under the command of Lt General Smirnov. Realizing there might arise problems with two competing commanders, Kuropatkin had sent orders back on July 3rd making Stoessel the superior officer, while Smirnov would focus on the command of the fortress itself. Stoessel had two divisional commanders who would be important during the siege. Our old cowardly friend Lt Fok and the much more competent and popular might I add, Kondratenko. Thus the chain of command was overall commander Stoessel, commander of the fort Smirnov and commander of the land forces Kondratenko. Major General Byeli commanded the artillery and to make matters more confusing, the units of the Russian navy would be under Stoessel. Nogi had acquired the giant 4.7 inch land based artillery pieces that would begin bombarding Port Arthur on August 7th. The IJN also added their guns to the bombardment as Nogi's army would begin to clear the hills northeast of the city, such as the 600 foot tall Takushan and smaller Hsiaokushan, known also as Big Orphan and Little Orphan Hills. Both hills were not heavily defended, only having a garrison of 3 battalions and some supporting fire from the eastern forts, but they were quite steep and held mutually supporting promontories with only the southern slopes providing decent access to their peaks. In front of them ran the Ta River and from the Japanese point of view there lay half a mile of absolutely open ground between them and the hills. If the Japanese could seize them, this would provide a strategic anchor, as explained by one of Nogi's divisional commanders “The Great and Little Orphans may be likened to the meat between the ribs of a chicken, which is hard to get and yet we are reluctant to throw it away. As long as these hills are left in the enemy's hands, we are sure to be overlooked and shot from them, even though after we have taken them ourselves, we cannot help becoming a target for the enemy.” If you look at a map, basically the hills were a major hindrance to any Japanese movement to other locations, they simply had to be seized. At 7:30pm on August 7th, the Japanese infantry began their attack from the northeast and northwest. The artillery had been smashing the hills since 4:30pm. It was a rainy and dark night as the men advanced under artillery support, and the Ta River would drown many. The Japanese were forced to dig in at the foot of the hills and await daylight. At dawn the artillery commenced again as the infantry surged forward without much success. By midday a Russian flotilla led by the Novik hired upon the southern slopes. The Russian fleets guns were firing from Takhe Bay and they outranged the Japanese field artillery. To make matters worse the minefields were keeping the IJN ships at a distance. 3 inch howitzers were detached to the east coast hills and began to counter fire, forcing the Russian flotilla away and allowing the Japanese to resume their advance.  Now the Japanese artillery enjoyed supremacy as shrapnel poured upon the Russian gun crews. Gradually the Russians were forced from their trenches making a withdrawal during the night heading down the reverse slopes. The two orphan hills cost the Japanese 1280 casualties, a mere appetizer of what was to be the main course. The IJA forces were greatly upset by how easily the Russian navy was able to come over and shoot upon them. Thus the IJN brought up 4 12 pounder guns to make sure the Russian ships would not harass the land forces anymore. On the 13th the Japanese lifted a balloon above the Wolf Hills to provide photo reconnaissance. The Russians meanwhile had no balloons, nor pigeons or wireless telegraphy. It seems the reconnaissance did nothing to dissuade Nogi from performing a frontal assault aimed at hitting the heart of the Russian eastern position, these were the Wantai heights. Nogi deployed the 1st division on the right, the 9th division in the center and the 11th division on the left. Between Wantai and the city was a large ravine and Nogi believed if they breached Wantai, the flanking forts would fall easily leaving a path to seize the town.  Nogi devised a feint to create the illusion they were performing the exact same attack upon Port Arthur that was done in 1894. This also was done to protect his right flank for the frontal assault in the west. The 1st division was given the task of capturing 180 meter hill as a preliminary for the capture of 203 meter hill. It was hoped the preliminary operation in the west would draw away Russian forces from Wantai. At 9pm on the 13th the western advance began. The area of 180 and 203 meter hill was under the command of Tretyakov, who was under the command of General Kondratenko. Here were the 5th and 13th east siberians, reinforced with 2 companies of sailors. The Russians made an egregious error, they placed their artillery upon the crests of the hills, something their comrades further east in Manchuria had learnt the hard way. With the Russian field artillery basically neutralized, the Japanese crept towards the features losing a few hundred in the process. Yet it would not be the creeping Japanese infantry that tore the Russians from their trenches, but rather the Japanese concealed artillery. The Japanese guns first began to smash 174 meter hill. Streams of wounded Russians would go down the hill as fresh reserves were sent up. By midday on the 20th a messenger arrived to Tretyakov and Kondratenko's HQ, he was joined by a visitor, General Fok. The messenger carried a note from the commander upon hill 174. He was requesting a company from the reserves to be dispatched over. General Fok overheard the report, and intervened claiming Tretyakov and Kondratenko lacked experience and should wait before releasing any reserves. Kondratenko, probably insulted agreed to wait a little, but Tretyakov looked up towards the hill with his binoculars and would recalled ‘I noticed three riflemen running away from the hill, and three men without rifles behind them. I drew General Kondratenko's attention to them, and he evidently realised his mistake, for he said to me, “Ah! Now it is too late!”' The trickle of men running turned into a disorderly retreat, as Tretyakov continues ‘A disorderly retreat is always started by one man, and in most cases this man is physically weak … What an enormous influence one man, whether officer or private, can have on the issue of a battle.' Tretyakov and Kondratenko both rode out to try and stop the men from running. A counter attack was launched quickly, but it failed, to make things worse the Japanese had just seized a knoll north east of 180 meter hill. The Japanese paid for this with 1700 casualties, for the Russians it was 1100. On August the 11th the Japanese had sent terms of surrender, on the 16th the Russian military council met and rejected the terms. Stoessel and Smirnov sent a signed response to Nogi on the 17th reading ‘The honour and dignity of Russia do not allow of overtures of any sort being made for a surrender.' On the 19th the Japanese artillery began to systematically hit the eastern defensive forts such as Fort Shungshu and the Chikuan Batter. Countless Russian guns were being destroyed or neutralized. The Waterworks redoubt located north of the railway was attacked by a Japanese company. Out of 108 men, 30 would survive. The Russians launched a counter attack on the 20th and the withdrawing Japanese were caught in the open field by artillery, providing carnage. Simultaneous to the attack on the Waterworks Redoubt, the 9th and 11th divisions began their frontal assaults. The Russian engineers had created nasty surprises for the Japanese. Planks were cut down with nails driven through them, you know that scene from home alone? The Japanese typically wore straw tabi, so this was particularly rough. They also hung telegraph wire all around to make up for a lack of barbed wire, anywhere that could trip an ankle or break the momentum of a charge. Some wire obstacles were attached to power supplies to give the Japanese quite a shock. During the night, magnesium flares, starshells and searchlights illuminated any attempt of the Japanese to sneak an advance. In terms of machine guns, the Russians typically enjoyed a 10 to 1 odds of superiority. Despite the grueling hardship, the Japanese kept the advance moving forward, under the threat of artillery, machine guns, terrible weather and booby traps.  August 21st began with a grotesque scene of Japanese bodies flung over wire all around. The 11th division attempted to leap frog towards the East Panlung fort over a watercourse and were cut to pieces by machine guns. The 9th division reinforced by a brigade was making slow progress. Then a small section of machine guns were knocked out in the East Panlung allowing some of the Japanese to seize forward trenches around the battery. The Russians fired into the trenches from the battery and from the West Panlung battery. The Japanese held on for the lives as reinforcements tried to creep over in 2's and 3's. When Russian riflemen tried to move closer to dislodge the Japanese, the Japanese artillery smashed them causing a bit of a standoff. At midday Japanese officers stood up grabbing the rising sun flag and charged a Russian parapet. All the men that followed them were shot down or bayoneted before the flag could be planted.  The Russians were beginning to severely suffer from the artillery fire. By 4pm a party of sailors came to reinforce the East Panlung, but a Japanese counter attack from a toehold near the parapet stopped them from reaching their destination. Then a Japanese company commander led his men into a watercourse between the East and West Panlung forts. The commander could see the Russian attention was focused on the Eastern Fort, so he led his men against the Western fort. The infantry swarmed up the northeast slopes towards West Panlung suffering few casualties. The fort was set ablaze by 6pm with its occupants ejected, but the Japanese were unable to occupy it because of the inferno. The old chinese wall forts began to fire upon the West Panlung to dissuade the Japanese from claiming it. Meanwhile two battalions of the 7th regiment charged the East Panlung and would seize it at a terrible cost. During the 7th regiments roll call the next day, out of 1800 men, only 200 were present.  With the Panlungs taken, now it was time to seize Wantai. A brigade of the 11th division and 9th division would use the Panlung forts as springboards to hit Wantai on the 24th. Moving up to the Panlung forts was something out of a horror film as described to us by Tadayoshi Sakurai ‘The dead and wounded were piled one upon another in nooks and corners, some groaning with pain, some crying for help, and some perfectly quiet, breathing no longer,'. The infantry moving up had to crawl over their dead and wounded to do so. As both brigades made their way, casualties mounted. Two companies seized the initiative and launched their attack and were cut to pieces by machine guns 500 yards from Wantai. The next day saw the exact same carnage, war correspondent Richmon Smith had this to say of the event “‘It looked as if there was not a single foot of ground which had not its own particular shell, and the whole ridge was enveloped in a thick cloud of smoke and dust from the explosions“ The following night the men began to pull back to the Panlung forts, leaving countless dead strewn in the hundreds over the hillsides. Nogi was at his desk when he received a report indicating he had lost 18,000 men. To just give you an idea, a division is 15,000 men. Such a sacrifice had got him what? Just taking the Orphan Hills had seen 9000 men lost to sickness and wounds. His total casualty list was that of 30,000 all counted. The Panlung forts were hardly a prize as the Japanese were figuring out, Wantai was holding them back without them. Holding the forts caused more casualties as the Russians fired upon them. On the night of August 27th the Russians launched a counter attack against West Panlung that failed, but it did showcase the reality of the situation for the Japanese there. Wantai held a moat nearly 30 feet wide and 25 feet deep, its fortifications were extremely sturdy, it was not going to fall, the idea to seize it and then the city was fallacy.  A new strategy was needed. As Marshal Oyama was about to attack Kuropaktin at Liaoyang, Nogi required more men. 15,000 men led by Major General Teshima were enroute with siege artillery. On September 14th, the first battery of 11 inch howitzers would arrive. These colossal beasts fired 500 lb shells effectively 7700 yards. Nogi also unleashed sappers, who first targeted the Waterworks Redoubt. The Japanese were not experts at sapping as noted by Danish war correspondent Benjamin Wegner Norregaard ‘It was too slow for them, and it was taxing their tenacity and fortitude to a much higher degree than the most desperate attacks in the open. They did not like it, and they did not understand it, and the majority of their officers shared their feelings.' The sappers began from the advance Russian trench lines and made a southerly course towards the redoubt. 650 yards of trench work, requiring tons of earth to be removed from the tunnels. In front of the Panlungs, 2000 yards of trench work was dug up to connect the 9th divisional HQ. What would later be normalized along the western front in WW1 was being seen in its infancy here.  After 19 days the general attack resumed on September 19th. Nogi now planned a feint attack against the eastern defenses while attacking the Waterworks Redoubt, the Sueshi Lunette and a more substantial effort would be mounted against Hills 180 and 203. At 5:40 a storming party lept from their forward trenches at the Waterworks Redoubt. They were stopped in their tracks and ran back to their trenches. At 2am the Japanese performed the same attack and this saw the Russian withdrawing. The Japanese suffered 500 casualties, but gained a new platform to sap from and captured the enemies water supply. The Sueshi lunette would fall the next day in a similar manner. The 9th division occupied the Waterworks Redoubt and Sushi Lunettes while the 1st Division began attacking the Temple Redoubt, 180 and 203 meter hills. They both received new artillery support; 5 naval 12 pounders, 2 4.7 inch guns, 12 4.7 howitzers, 12 3.5 inch mortars, 60 field guns and 8 4 pounder Hotchkiss guns. 180 meter hill was narrow with steep sides, occupied by 6 Russian companies in shallow trenches encircling its crest. Upon its northern peak were 2 6 inch guns managed by sailors. The first Japanese breakthrough occurred on September 17th when some forward trenches were grabbed without firing a single shot. It would turn out the Russian 7th company, 28th regiment were eating their dinner when they were suddenly attacked. They tried to take back their trenches but were unable.  At 2pm on the 19th the Japanese artillery assisted by some IJN gunboats from Louisa Bay began to hit Tretyakov's men hard. At 4pm on the 20th, a simultaneous two battalion attack smashed the Russians leaving Tretyakov to write “Our gunners failed to locate the enemy's batteries, and thus remained impotent witnesses of the slaughter of our companies. Just then I saw the top of the right flank of Namako Yama covered with grey smoke and the men there rushing headlong down the hill. After the men on the right flank [they were Seven Company of the Twenty-eighth Regiment] had run, the others from the battery and the enemy appeared simultaneously on the crest.” Russian troops began to rout as the Japanese seized an observation post close to 180 meter hill. 130 Russians died in the trenches, for the Japanese it was close to 450 casualties. On that same day the Japanese seized the Temple Redoubt. Back on September 18th, General Baron Kodama visited a depressed General Nogi. He advised Nogi to press further on with the sapping effort and looking closely at the battle map, raised attention to the 203 meter hill. He noted such a feature offered the perfect artillery placement to smash the harbor fleet and win the battle. It seems Nogi heeded the advice as on the 20th he launched a 3-pronged attack against 203 meter hill, bypassing 180 meter hill. The Japanese were repelled on two sides, but grabbed a foothold in the southwest corner. The Japanese swept up the hill with their artillery support as the Russian machine gun crews acted like deaths scythes raking them down. The Russians also tossed down boulders to gruesome effect.  On the 22nd Smirnov ordered some quickfires to be brought up to the lip of a ravine under the cover of Kaoliang. The guns caught the Japanese by complete surprise and fired upon them at point blank range causing panic and carnage. At night the Russian hill top defenders tossed hand made mines blowing Japanese in entrenched positions to pieces. Countless Japanese were forced to flee from their foothold on 203 meter hill. 2500 Japanese casualties had mounted against the formidable hill as Nogi ordered the men to back off and allow artillery to soften it up more. The Russian hand grenade proved to be a very effective weapon against Japanese hill charges. Three factories within Port Arthur went into full production because of it. Yet only so much ammunition was stored in the city, and the Russian commanders knew the shells would run out. The Russians were so meticulous, they began a program of finding Japanese shell duds and re-processed them to be fired back upon the enemy. Food was not an enormous issue yet for the Russians, though dysentery and scurvy was increasing. Meanwhile the Japanese were seeing an exponential increase in Beriberi disease. In July they had 5000 cases, August 10,000, another 5000 in September. For those not familiar, beriberi is kind of like a scurvy one gets when their diet is restricted to just rice, particularly rice that is fermented in dampness and heat. The Russians began to hear rumors of the arrival of Japanese 11 inch howitzers. The Japanese had laid down a small railway from Dalny to move the giant 500 lb shells. By October 1st the artillery crews had prepared everything for the giant show of force, their target was to be Fort Chikuan. It took 100 shells, before it was turned to ruin. Nogi and his staff were very pleased with the performance of the new 11 inch howitzers, by October 15th two more batteries of 6 guns arrived. Four of the guns were placed ominously within a mile of 203 meter hill. Tretyakov wrote ‘This was serious news for us. One could feel that 203 Metre Hill was practically safe against six inch projectiles, but eleven inchs were a very different matter.' Tretyakov solution was ‘to delve deeper into the rock'. Elsewhere upon the hill, feared they were doomed. ‘The wearing, trying uncertainty, the want of confidence, and the constant, unavoidable danger began to tell.The younger men lost their nerve, and suicides commenced.'  The sapping efforts had created a new north and northeast front. The 1st division now would attack Fort Sungshu, the 9th division Fort Erhlung and the 11th divisions fort Chikuan. Nogi issued urgency to their tasks as he wished to present Emperor Meiji the gift of Port Arthur on his Birthday, November 3rd. October saw countless Japanese attacks and sapping drawing closer and closer to Russian fortifications. On the 26th the area around the 3 forts were surrounded by Japanese infantry and sappers. At Fort Chikuan a tunnel reached within 50 yards of its moat. At Fort Erhlung the sappers were within 300 yards from the Russian forward trenches. The Japanese invented many gadgets and techniques during this process. They made wooden mortars within their sapper trenches that could fire 250-400 yards or so. To combat enemy grenades they made springy wire trampolines that bounced them off. They even began dabbling in some ancient fashion. Some Japanese created steel body armor, weighing 40 lbs or so that protected them from small arms fire, yet larger arms knocked them down. To combat this, they made two poles fastened to the pioneers waist to keep them up right. On October 26th a Japanese artillery barrage began to build up, directed against Erhlung and Sungshu. Then Japanese infantry stormed forward trenches and for the next two days relentlessly pushed forward. By the night of the 29th two Russian counter attacks in front of Erhlung and Sungshu failed to dislodge them. On the 29th a large barrage was unleashed followed by Japanese storming across a front of just 50-100 yards. The Russians knew exactly where they would come from and all weapons were directed upon them. The attacks were simultaneous. Against Chikuan the Japanese crossed 40 yards and were gunned down by machine guns and torn up by shrapnel. Though little progress was made, some Japanese seized a parapet 200 yards west of the fort. The attack against Fort Erhlung was a complete disaster. The Japanese charged through the chaos and reached its moat only to find out their scaling ladders were 20 feet too short. At Sungshu the same problem was found, but the men were able to cling to the side of the fort. 6 days of desperate hand to hand fighting saw the Japanese lose 124 officers and 3611 men. The only gift the Japanese could provide to Emperor Meiji was a 101 gun salute with the rounds hitting Erhlung. News hit Japan of the failures, the public was angered by Nogi. He was nearly sacked if not for Emperor Meiji's personal intervention. Oyama was livid and sent Kodama to Nogi who strongly advised Nogi to focus on 203 meter hill. If Nogi did not comply Kodama was under orders to take over. Nogi attempted another general assault against the eastern defenses, but most of November would be dedicated to sapping and mining in front of Forts Erhlung and Sungshu. By late November Nogi received the 7th division, but the November assaults would only add to the butchers bill. After the second assault attempt on November 27th the Japanese lost 208 officers, 5933 wounded. A third November assault was made and this time General Kondratenko issued some brutal orders. Russian snipers were brought to the rear, and they shot those who tried to withdraw. The message was passed along the Russian line loud and clear. At 203 meter hill the Japanese were about to see 8000 casualties, for the Russians 3000. The world had rarely seen such slaughter. Kondratenko guessed they had seen the last general assault against the forts for awhile, so he gambled by thinning out the line, trying to build up a reserve for counter attacks. Nogi was determined to seize hills 180 and 203. The 1st division reinforced with a Kobi regiment began an attack on November 28th at 8:30am. Under artillery support they performed a 3-pronged attack. The 11 inch howitzers fired 1000 500lb shells upon 203 and 180 meter hills that day. Two battalions attacked the southern peak, 1 battalion the north peak of 203 meter hill and 3 companies against 180 meter hill. The southern peak force reached the southwest corner of the hill where they became exposed to Russian artillery firing from Pigeon Bay. Being raked by shrapnel they could advance no further. The northern peak force fared no better. The attack against 180 meter hill saw no progress at all. Overall the only significant victory was securing the south west flank of 203 meter hill. On November 29th the morning sun showed corpses strung everywhere across the hills going up to the Russian trenches, a grizzly sight. Japanese artillery continued to smash the hills and during the night the Japanese launched a further 3 pronged attack. After 36 hours the Japanese were exhausted. Nogi ordered the 7th division to relieve the spent 1st division and upon doing so a messenger suddenly rushed into his HQ with a terrible message. Nogi's son Yasukori had died. His eldest son had died at the battle of Nanshan with the 2nd IJA and now his other son under him. He asked the messenger if his son fulfilled his duties as tears welled up in his eyes. He would write later ‘ If the death of my son was a compensator for the thousands of deaths incured in the 3rd army. I often wonder how I could apologise to His Majesty and to the people for having killed so many of my men.' Nogi ordered his sons body to be turned to ashes and a small memorial stone was made at the foot of 203 meter hill marking the spot he died. Meanwhile the mix of soldiers and sailors atop 203 meter hill were being slowly bled dry by artillery and attacks. Countless times men, mostly the sailors would turn to flight during combat, but Tretyakov with his saber in hand and open arms kept shepherding them back to their trenches. Tretyakov would hit men with the flat of his sword to restore order. He also handed out a supply of St. George's Crosses to award those for brave acts. 203 meter hill was sponging up reserves and soon 9000 unemployed men within Port Arthur city were pressed into service. On November 30th another fierce artillery barrage rocked the hill and it was followed up at 2:30 by an attack from the 7th division. The men of the 7th vowed to take the hill or not return. When they came into view of the Russians on the northern slopes the fire was so intense they had to pause to allow their artillery to suppress the Russians. As best as they could, trying to crawl over their own dead, they could not reach the Russians. But one small party of Japanese managed to gain a foothold on the left flank, and there the rising son flag was planted. Tretyakov recalled ‘The sight of this flag always filled our men with fury. I knew this, and, pointing to it, shouted to the reserve: “Go and take it down, my lads!” and like one man, our sailors rushed into the work.' The small party of Japanese would could not be removed.  General Fok issued a memorandum ‘In the same way that he must sooner or later succumb, so too must a fortress fall. No commandant should waste his men in an attempt to recapture a position yielded to the enemy.' Stoessel concurred with the view and held an emergency council about the dire situation upon 203 meter hill. Fok at the meeting said ‘It's absurd to try to hold out there longer. We must think of the men. It's all the same: sooner or later we shall have to abandon it. We must not waste men; we shall want them later.' Only Smirnov objected. That same night, Kodama was informed that a 203 meter hill was falling into their hands. So relieved he went to bed, but the next morning he found out it was not true. He furiously went over to Nogi, but fearing the man would kill himself he did not seize command, but instead demanded he be allowed to give orders on the 203 meter hill front alone.  On December 1st, Tretyakov tossed a counter attack, seeing hand to hand fighting, bayonets and grenades being tossed. Tretyakov wrote of it “A non-combatant detachment, under a quartermaster, came up to make good our losses of the preceding day. The men were placed in the trenches allotted to the reserves, and the officer stood looking at the road, and the piles of dead lying on it. I suggested to him that he should sit in the trench or stand close up under the almost perpendicular bank of the road. But the young fellow said he was not afraid of such missiles, pointing with his hand to an eleven inch shell which was hurtling away after having ricocheted off the ground; but just at that moment there was a terrific roar, and he was hidden in the black smoke from a large shell that had burst just where he stood. When the smoke had cleared away, he was no longer there.“ On December 2nd the Japanese attacks petered out. Twice wounded, Tretyakov had to be evacuated from the hill for surgery. This left few officers upon the hill, and those there were wounded.  On December 5th, the Japanese sappers drew closer to 203 and 180 meter hills. At 1:30pm bayonets were fixed and after the artillery barrage lifted 15 minutes later the Japanese charged. Major General Saito led his 14th brigade up the western slopes of 203 meter hill. Shrapnel was flying everywhere they looked, but the Japanese managed to get atop the western peak and now charged the Russian positions. To their amazement they had seized not just 203 meter hill, but also 180 meter hill. They found Russian dead and wounded everywhere, it turned out 4 days of artillery bombardment had devastated them. The Russians launched two counter attacks, but were unable to wrestle the positions back. War correspondents were allowed to visit the hills and the sight horrified them. Ashmead Barlett atop 203 meter hill recalled ‘There have probably never been so many dead crowded into so small a space since the French stormed the great redoubt at Borodino.' David James wrote “The sight of those trenches heaped up with arms and legs and dismembered bodies all mixed together and then frozen into compact masses, the expressions on the faces of the scattered heads of decapitated bodies, the stupendous magnitude of the concentrated horror, impressed itself indelibly into the utmost recesses of my unaccustomed brain.”  The Russians had no more than 1500 men at any given time upon 203 meter hill and would lose over 3000. The Japanese took 8000 casualties taking the hill and the 7th division would see hundreds of dead from the 1st division as they stormed it. The 1st and 7th divisions after the battle for Port Arthur would virtually cease to exist as fighting formations. No sooner than it had been captured, did the 11 inch howitzers receive their 500 lb armor piercing rounds and began to smash the trapped Russian navy. On the 5th, Poltava took a hit below her magazine which exploded. Retvizan and Pobieda were severed damaged and on fire. On the 6th 280 11 inch rounds were fired and all ships in the western basin suffered numerous hits. On the 7th, Retvizan was sunk, two days later Pobieda and Palada rested at the bottom. Peresvyet and Bayan were on fire and wrecked. Sevastopol was hit 5 times, but remained afloat. The IJN watched this go on, a bit embarrassingly. Sevastopol managed to hide herself behind the Tiger's tail, so IJN destroyers came to fire over 124 torpedoes at her. Despite her anti torpedo boom protection, she took 6 hits and was taking on water. On the night of January 2nd Sevastopol was tugged out to open sea to sink. While that was the story of the death of the Russian navy at Port Arthur, the city itself was hit with artillery without mercy. The Russian commanders knew Kuropatkin was not coming to their rescue. The destruction of the fleet now meant the port was useless and the incoming baltic fleet would simply go to Vladivostok. Smirnov and Kondratenko argued they had a months reserves of food and ammunition and their duty was to continue to fight. Smirnov argued ‘I cannot allow any discussion with regard to a capitulation before the middle of January at the earliest. At home they are just preparing to celebrate the jubilee of Sevastopol. Our fathers held out for eleven months! We shall not have completed eleven months till January 8, and only then will the son be worthy of the father.' Stoessel and Fok did not share the view. Stoessel declared ‘As to the surrender of the fortress, I shall know when that should take place, and I will not permit a street massacre,' Kondratenko went over to Fort Chikuan on december 15th and was visibly depressed. At 9pm a 11 inch shell hit a weakened part of the fort's walls and killed Kondretenko alongside 6 senior officers. News of his death stunned and brought forth a sense of despair for the Russians. At 10pm Smirnov received the report of his death and became bitterly upset at the loss of a friend and the only man capable of holding back Stoessel. Smirnov said to his chief of staff ‘We must go to Stoessel at once. Fok is next in seniority to Kondratenko, and Stoessel will certainly try to give him the vacant appointment. This must at all costs be prevented.' The next morning Smirnov was surprised to see a Fok in a good mood, Fok had been given command in the western front while Smirnov took over the eastern front. Foks first order was to halve the strength in his forts and their supporting flanks. On December 18th, a 2000 kg mine was exploded under Fort Chikuan before the Japanese captured it with ease. On the 28th multiple mines were exploded under Fort Erhlung and it too was captured. On the 29th the Russians held a war council on the issue of the next fortress. The gunners, logisticians and even naval men agreed they could continue the struggle. Stoessl signaled Tsar Nicholas II ‘We cannot hold out more than a few days; I am taking measures to prevent a street massacre.I am extremely grateful to all of you for coming to such a resolution.' New Years eve in Japan was one of joyous celebration. After 10am, Fort Sungshu had mines explode under it, by midday the last fort was captured. On New Years Day, Wantai fell with relative ease. Stoessel sent a message to Nogi on that day “Being acquainted with the general state of affairs in the theatre of war, I am of the opinion that no object is to be gained by further opposition in Port Arthur, and so, to avoid useless loss of life, I am anxious to enter into negotiations for a capitulation. If your Excellency agrees, I would ask you to be so good as to appoint accredited persons to negotiate concerning the terms and arrangements for surrender, and to appoint a spot where they may meet my representatives.” Upon hearing the news, Tretyakov angrily reported ‘General indignation against General Fok was apparent and every kind of accusation was heaped upon his head'. Delegates met at Sueshi village on January 2nd of 1905 as Stoessel sent word to the Tsar “I was forced today to sign the capitulation surrendering Port Arthur. Officers and civil officers paroled with honours of war; garrison prisoners of war. I apply to you for this obligation.” For the Japanese the humiliation of 1895 was finally lifted. Tretyakov said to his men ‘Yes my lads. We have been ordered to surrender; but no blame attaches to the Fifth Regiment, and you can with a clear conscience tell each and every one that the Fifth Regiment has always looked death bravely in the face and has been ready to die without question for its Tsar and country.' Tretyakov would write in his memoirs ‘Many of them burst into tears, and I could hardly speak for the sobs that choked me'. The Russian commanders were given the choice of parole back to Russia, promising not to take part in the war any longer or to be POW's with their men. As the Japanese entered the city they found ample supplies of food, particularly champagne and vodka. A roll call revealed 16,000 sick and wounded in the hospital and 868 officers and 23491 men fit to march into captivity. The Japanese had anticipated 9000 POW's and were somewhat ashamed of their opponents premature surrender. The Russians had suffered in total 31306 casualties, less than a third were fatal. The Japanese suffered twice that. The Japanese acquired 24369 POWs and for this they suffered 57,780 casualties, 33769 sick. The Russians had 6000 deaths, the Japanese suffered 14,000 deaths.  General Nogi was a broken man, he had lost two sons to the war and sent thousands of Japan's youth to their graves. On January 14th he assembled 120,000 of the men to a shrine erected in honor of the fallen. Richmond Smith was there and recalled ‘In the form of a half circle, extending from the base of the hill far out onto the plain, was the victorious army, drawn up in divisions, brigades, regiments and companies, their fixed bayonets glittering in the sunlight.' Companies came forward one by one to bow at the shrine. Nogi read an invocation ‘My heart is oppressed with sadness when I think of all you who have paid the price of victory, and whose spirits are in the great hereafter'. After the Russo-Japanese War,  Nogi made a report directly to Emperor Meiji during a Gozen Kaigi. WAfter explaining all that befell during the Siege of Port Arthur, he broke down and wept, apologizing for the 56,000 lives lost in that campaign and asking to be allowed to commit seppuku in atonement. Emperor Meiji told him that suicide was unacceptable, as all responsibility for the war was due to his imperial orders, and that Nogi must remain alive, at least as long as he himself lived. 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 siege of Port Arthur in many ways was a teaser of the horrors that would befall the world in 1914. For General Nogi it cost him another son and the experience broke him. For the Japanese and Russians in the east, they were some of the first to taste what warfare in the 20th century was going to be like.