Podcasts about Pratt

This episode: ETOPS flights could be impacted by the closing of an airport on a tiny South Pacific island. FAA rescinds Cessna Citation single-pilot exemptions. Heart Aerospace unveils the ES-36 hybrid-electric 30-seat regional commercial aircraft and JSX purchase agreement for up to 100 aircraft. A Congressman questions the FAA deployment of the Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (“SMART”). The Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board determined that incorrectly positioned variable vanes caused the F-16 crash in December 2025. A Boeing 737 MAX software glitch could disrupt a navigation feature. Boom Supersonic loses the launch customer for their land-based Superpower stationary powerplant. And pilots are accused of being in a “club” of furry fetishists. Aviation News Midway Atoll's Airport Has No Flights, But Its Closure Could Disrupt Airlines Worldwide Midway Atoll Airport (MDY) in the South Pacific, also known as Henderson Field, is a public airport on Sand Island. Midway Atoll is a 2.4-square-mile unincorporated territory of the United States. With a 7,800-foot runway, the airport primarily serves as an emergency diversion point for transpacific flights. The DOT estimates that the airport needs at least $100 million to stay certified. The Airline Dispatchers Federation (ADF) opposes closing Midway Atoll Airport because it will affect airline operations across the Pacific. ETOPS ratings (“Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards) apply to twin-engine jets and specify how many minutes a plane is allowed to fly on a single engine to get to the nearest suitable diversion point. The FAA grants approval for each airframe-engine combination and again to each operator, based on its maintenance and dispatch program. The ETOPS rating process is informal. The FAA grants two separate approvals, one for the design and one for the operator, and both are needed before an airline can fly a route: Type design approval (Aircraft Certification Service) The manufacturer shows that a specific airframe-and-engine combination is suitable for extended diversions. It involves: Design and systems review. The FAA assesses ETOPS-significant systems such as fuel, electrical, hydraulic, APU, cargo fire suppression, and pressurization for redundancy and their ability to keep working through the maximum diversion time, including time-limited systems. Propulsion system reliability. Assess in-flight shutdown (IFSD) rates and the engine’s overall service record. For new engine/airframe combinations without an in-service history, an early or accelerated ETOPS relies on design assessment, testing, and a demonstrated reliability program instead of accumulated fleet hours. The Configuration, Maintenance, and Procedures (CMP) document defines the required airplane configuration, maintenance tasks, and operating procedures that an ETOPS-approved airplane must follow. Operational approval (Flight Standards) Type design approval doesn’t let any airline fly ETOPS routes. Each operator must be authorized through its FAA certificate-holding district office (CHDO). The airline must show that it can: Maintain the airplane to the CMP standard, with an ETOPS maintenance program, ETOPS-qualified maintenance personnel, and procedures such as verifying critical systems after work and monitoring reliability. Dispatch properly, including selecting ETOPS alternate airports with suitable weather and services, and planning for time-limited systems, fuel, and diversion scenarios. Train crews and dispatchers on ETOPS procedures. Conduct a validation process, which for new operators or new airplane types may include proving or validation flights. The FAA conducts ongoing oversight and monitors IFSDs and other events that could affect ETOPS. It can restrict or revoke an approval if reliability degrades. For detailed ETOPS information, including EDTO (Extended Diversion Time Operations), see How Do Planes Fly Over the Pacific? (ETOPS Explained) from Aeruxo – Flight Ops Insights. FAA Rescinding Cessna Citation Single-pilot Exemptions The FAA is rescinding exemptions that allow some Part 25-certified Cessna Citation jets to operate with a single pilot. The exemptions date back to 1984 and had been based on a lack of data showing any negative impact. The FAA’s decision is based on an 18-year review indicating that older Citation jets operated by a single pilot have a significantly higher accident rate than other models. Also, investigations revealed issues such as incomplete training records and unauthorized use of training devices among exemption holders. The ruling is effective September 28, 2026, and affected pilots must operate these aircraft with a qualified second-in-command. Pilots who previously held single-pilot exemptions will lose their privileges.  The FAA has been issuing single-pilot exemptions for transport-category CE-500 variants for over forty years, starting with Exemption No. 4050 to Cessna in 1984. The eight variants covered are the 500 (Citation and Citation I), 550 (Citation II), S550 (S/II), 552 (Navy T-47A), 560 (V and Ultra), 550 Bravo, 560 Encore and Encore+. The exemptions went to training providers, who issued single-pilot logbook endorsements. Heart Unveils ES-36 With JSX Order In Episode 898, our guest was Heart Aerospace co-founder and CEO Anders Forslund. We talked about the ES-30, a hybrid-electric 30-seat regional commercial aircraft the company is developing. Heart just unveiled the 36-seat ES-36 with an additional 1,415 pounds of payload capacity. Maximum takeoff weight and battery capacity remain the same, and the plane now employs two series-hybrid electric powertrains. The changes result from Heart's experience flying the X1 demonstrator aircraft. JetSuiteX, Inc. (or JSX) charters a 30-seat Embraer regional jet that is operated by a subsidiary and then resells seats on that aircraft to the public. It offers point-to-point flights in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Texas, Utah, and Baja California Sur in Mexico. JSX's agreement converts a 2023 letter of intent into a deposit-backed purchase commitment and secures early delivery positions for the carrier. See also, press release: Heart Aerospace Unveils ES-36 with JSX Purchase Agreement for Up to 100 Aircraft Beyer Calls For Suspension Of AI System Deployed By FAA At Washington Area Airports In a press release, U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) says, “The FAA should not use my constituents as guinea pigs for an unproven AI air traffic control system.” He was referring to the FAA's deployment of the Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (“SMART”) system to manage flights at Washington area airports. Beyer cited uncertainty among regional residents about air safety, and the lack of public awareness about the change. Air traffic controllers were also neither consulted nor trained, and airlines “were privately ‘panicking' about the hasty implementation of this system.” Beyer serves as co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Artificial Intelligence (AI) Caucus. His Northern Virginia district includes Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA). ‘Misaligned' fan blades, loss of thrust caused Thunderbird F-16 crash The F-16CM aircraft that crashed on Dec. 3, 2025, in California was powered by a Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 turbofan. The pilot was rejoining the formation after a vertical loop/barrel roll sequence when the engine stalled. The pilot described it as “the jet just… stopped midair.” He fought the aircraft for roughly four minutes, then ejected at under 500 ft AGL. The Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board [PDF] determined the mishap was caused by three misaligned or turned variable vanes in the engine’s 4th and 5th stages, which caused a 5th-stage compressor blade and a 6th-stage compressor blade to fracture and separate, resulting in catastrophic engine damage at low altitude with no ability to recover. The aircraft had a documented foreign object damage (FOD) event years earlier (2021, per Common Defense’s reporting) that produced damage in the 1st stage on three separate occasions, plus recovered foreign material at the 4th stage (paracord). Because the visible damage was upstream and nothing was seen in the sections preceding the 5th/6th stage core, that area was never inspected and the investigators concluded the FOD “substantially contributed” to the mishap by leaving a latent path for the vane misalignment to develop undetected. Variable vane actuators on the outside of an engine case. Image by Olivier Cleynen. Boeing flags 737 MAX software glitch: reports The software glitch identified can prevent pilots from accessing an automated navigation feature when they change their planned flight path after a missed approach. Pilots have been notified, and Boeing is working on a software update. The Air Current reports that the software issue emerged nearly two years ago. Boeing “was alerted by a customer in November 2024 to the potential issue affecting 737 models with flight management computer (FMC) updates U14 and 14.1… When a pilot alters their preprogrammed flight path following a missed approach, the FMC may transition from vertical navigation (VNAV) mode to a simpler level of automation for pitch control.” Crusoe abandons $1.25B plan to use Boom turbines at AI data centers In Episode 874, we looked at Boom Supersonic's plan to develop the land-based Superpower stationary powerplant as a derivative of its Symphony engine, generating a revenue stream to fund Boom's other operations. We cited reports that Crusoe Energy, an AI data center startup, had 29 Superpower units on order, valued at $1.25 billion, with delivery expected in 2027. Crusoe has now announced it will not pursue a deal with Boom. Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl posted on X his congratulations to Crusoe on their latest funding round, and: “Also wanted to let everyone know Crusoe and Boom are no longer launching our Superpower turbine together. The TL/DR is that turbines are no longer part of Crusoe’s near term primary power mix at Abilene/etc., so a launch partnership just didn’t make sense.” Further, “Boom will be delivering about 250MW of Superpowers next year to other sites, and we’re targeting 1GW in 2028.” Trump ally Tuberville isn't kidding when he says US pilots are in a ‘club' of furry fetishists Senator Tommy Tuberville from Alabama claimed on the Senate floor that “many airline pilots, flight attendants and air traffic controllers are part of the furry community.” The International Anthropomorphic Research Project's Furscience website says “furries” are an anthropomorphic animal subculture. Members of this group adopt alter egos known as “fursonas” and wear “fursuit” costumes. Tuberville said, “We got a huge mental illness problem in this country, and we need to address it. We need to address it quick.” The IARP website says, “Furscience is the public face of the International Anthropomorphic Research Project (IARP), studying furries and their fandom and disseminating our evidence-based research to furries, the general public, scholars, and the media to increase understanding and decrease stigma.” Hosts this Episode Max Flight, our Main(e) Man Micah, Rob Mark, and David Vanderhoof.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Paxton's internal polling shows him still in the lead but it being very close. This matches other sources on internal polling that I have heard from. This is, as I've said for years, a 2- to 4-point Republican margin state. Republicans will lose however, if, and only if, they do not show up to vote in big numbers.Media is exaggerating comments by Paxton, and seemingly planted in the press by an establishment/Cornyn operative, about Trump's drag on the ticket. Things are what they are, Trump is at has lowest approval at present and the $4 plus gasoline is hurting the GOP everywhere. It's more than eating into the GOP's structural advantage in Texas.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Comptroller Don Huffines is showing why I endorsed him for governor a few years back over Abbott. Instead of being politically reactive, as is Abbott most of the time, Huffines is proactive in moving the better government agenda.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: A big development out of a federal court jury trial over how Flock-style surveillance cameras have been used in Texas to violate fundamental constitutional rights of Texans. Don't by the P.R. campaigns of your local police departments, helped along by Flock and others no doubt, that ignore basic problems with these cameras. And, if they tell you they are solely license plate readers you know they are lying to you.Read: Bexar County's License Plate Reader Surveillance Scheme Struck Down by Federal Jury. Real Americans who love and respect their constitution will be appalled at what was learned in this trial.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Little Jimmy The Creep Talarico fundraises with America haters and Marxist/Socialists in New York City!Anti-Wimp update: Sixth time not the charm for Harris Co. burglars. (Link posts at 5 p.m. Central.)Dallas Fed employees do it again today (see yesterday's show) in their Texas Service Sector Outlook report. This must stop… but never will. Read: Media manipulates economic gloom — and it's all about the midterms.Texas homeowners protected from being denied insurance based on roof age.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

Angella Tapé ist SVP Group Strategy Director, Havas, Lecturer AI Strategic Foresight, PRATT & Mentor & Speaker. Dominik Heinrich is Global Head of Design Intelligence and Human AI Experiences @ Coca-Cola, Co-Founder Creative AI Academy, AI Design Lecturer at PRATT and Georgetown, Keynote Speaker and MIT Alum

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: The giant SpaceX Starship and Superheavy booster test from Starbase, Texas was a tremendous success. Space expert Robert Zimmerman joins us for a segment to explain what all happened this morning including new milestones reached.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Anti-Wimp update: Austin homeowner kills would-be burglar who reached his bedroom. An example, again, of how government employees appear to do most anything they can to harm Republicans, especially around election time. The Texas Manufacturing Report from the Dallas Fed is a frustrating example: Texas manufacturing activity accelerates sharply even as outlook moderates.Governor Abbott Waives Dyed-Diesel Restrictions.Oil and gas rig count for Texas fell last week.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates, or hear the podcast of the show after 6pm Central here.www.PrattonTexas.com

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Villain-Venice-Steampunk-Adventure-Expanded/dp/B0GYVW1ZM3?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE Mercy is a 2026 American science fiction thriller film written by Marco van Belle, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, and starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson. The plot involves a detective (Pratt), who is accused of murdering his wife, and must prove his innocence to an artificial intelligence judge (Ferguson). The film also stars Kali Reis, Annabelle Wallis, Chris Sullivan, and Kylie Rogers. Mercy was released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios and internationally by Sony Pictures Releasing International on January 23, 2026. The film grossed $54.7 million worldwide against a $60 million budget. Plot In 2029 Los Angeles, the Mercy Capital Court responds to a surge in crime by using artificial intelligence (AI) judges to try defendants for violent offenses. To assemble evidence, all devices are also registered to the municipal cloud to allow the AI judge to pass judgement. The AI judge also gives the defendants all available resources to find and provide all the evidence needed to prove their innocence in 90 minutes, or be executed via a sonic blast. Los Angeles Police Department Detective Christopher "Chris" Raven, a strong proponent of the court, is strapped to a chair, put on trial for his wife Nicole's murder, and is given 90 minutes to persuade the AI judge of his innocence. Presiding over his case is the AI Judge Maddox. All the evidence points to Chris having killed his wife, as her blood was found on his clothing and doorbell camera footage places him at their home shortly before her murder. Chris's guilt probability is 97.5%, which qualifies him for execution unless his evidence lowers it to 92% for reasonable doubt and 80% for a Mercy Trial. Since AIs are not allowed to take a human life, the chair is set on a 90 minute timer not controlled by the AI, and it is the defendant's responsibility to lower their score and this allows the AI to unlock the chair before the timer runs out. Via Maddox's unrestricted access and abilities, Chris learns that Nicole was seeing another man, Patrick Burke. Chris's partner Jacqueline "Jaq" Diallo finds Patrick who confides that Nicole felt unable to communicate her troubles to Chris about work. Her work email records show reports of missing chemicals. Recalling hosting a work barbecue with Nicole, Chris reviews footage to better identify her co-workers. While looking for evidence, Chris confronts his relapse in sobriety following the murder of his former partner, Ray Vale, and regrets not shooting the suspect who was later acquitted. Relapsing into alcoholism led to Chris's aggression toward Nicole, and she began to consider a divorce. Maddox shows Chris records of one co-worker, Holt Charles, who had financial issues and had discussed the chemical disappearance with Robert "Rob" Nelson, Chris's sobriety sponsor. Suspecting Holt may have killed Nicole, Chris tries to contact Rob. Holt instead answers the phone and he explains that Rob is responsible for the missing chemicals. Chris reviews his daughter Britt's social media posts, which reveal that a stranger had been hiding in their basement since the barbecue. His neighbor's security cameras display a rustling in the bushes, and Rob is seen exiting the neighbor's trunk in parking lot surveillance footage. Chris sends Jaq to Rob's house, warning her and her team that he might be armed. The SWAT team arrive at Rob's house, finding it empty, but uncover detailed plans in the shed to craft a bomb. Maddox discovers that Rob's brother, David Webb, who was separated from him after Rob was adopted and given a new name, was the first person Mercy Court executed for murder. Chris realizes that Rob is orchestrating revenge against him and the Court. Chris is officially acquitted for the murder, but refuses to end the trial to exploit Maddox's unrestricted access. He tries to contact Britt, but footage from her grandparents' front door shows Rob kidnapping her and taking her into a stolen semi-truck. A bomb goes off in the shed killing most of the SWAT team. Jaq pursues Rob, who is transporting explosives toward Mercy Court to destroy the building with Chris inside. The police divert Rob away from Mercy Court, and Jaq, assuming command, orders the task force to blow up the truck. Chris pleads with Jaq but she refuses to yield to him. The bomb fails to detonate and Jaq attempts to shoot Rob directly. Rob arrives at Mercy Court, crashing into the building and causing a network glitch that requires a system reset. Maddox reboots in time to release Chris from the chair before the trial ends with his execution. Chris confronts Rob, working with Maddox to distract Rob by having Mercy Court reopen David Webb's case and demanding Rob to submit his new evidence immediately. Chris then disarms Rob as he speaks and wants to kill him, but is talked down by Britt. Jaq arrives and shoots Rob. Rob provides new evidence that he was on the phone with David when the murder took place, but the police would not listen. Maddox confirms the call's timing and location which placed the phone away from the crime scene. Then Maddox retrieved footage that showed Jaq retrieving that phone from David, removing it from evidence, and dumping it in the river. Jaq explains she wanted to ensure that David was found guilty in the first judgement issued by an AI court to prove the system worked. Jaq and Rob are both taken into custody while Britt reconciles with Chris, whose case is formally dismissed. Maddox and Chris admit mistakes were made by humans and AI and they must learn from their mistakes. Cast Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson star in the film. Chris Pratt as Det. Christopher "Chris" Raven, an LAPD officer who is on trial for the murder of his wife[5] Rebecca Ferguson as Judge Maddox, an AI who is part of the Mercy program[5] Kali Reis as Jacqueline "Jaq" Diallo, Chris's police partner[5] Annabelle Wallis as Nicole Raven, Chris's late wife[5] Chris Sullivan as Robert "Rob" Nelson, Chris's AA sponsor and Nicole's co-worker[5] Kylie Rogers as Britt Raven, Chris's daughter[5] Kenneth Choi[5] as Ray Vale, Chris's late partner Rafi Gavron[5] as Holt Charles, a co-worker of Nicole Jeff Pierre[5] as Patrick Burke, a man Nicole was seeing before she died Tom Rezvan[5] as a governor Production It was announced in January 2024 that a science fiction thriller film entitled Mercy was being made for Amazon MGM Studios with Chris Pratt starring, directed by Timur Bekmambetov from a script by Marco Van Belle and produced by Charles Roven, Robert Amidon, Bekmambetov, and Majd Nassif.[6][7] In March, Rebecca Ferguson and Annabelle Wallis joined the cast in undisclosed roles.[8][9] In April, Kali Reis, Rafi Gavron, Chris Sullivan, Kenneth Choi, and Kylie Rogers joined the cast.[10][11] In May, Jeff Pierre joined the cast of the film.[5] Principal photography began on April 18, 2024, in Los Angeles, with Khalid Mohtaseb serving as the cinematographer. Pratt suffered an ankle injury on day four of filming, posting a photo of a swollen ankle on his Instagram page.[12] Filming wrapped on May 23, 2024.[13] Music Ramin Djawadi was revealed to have composed the score in January 2026.[14] Release Mercy was shown early for patrons of AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas on January 19, 2026, as part of their Screen Unseen and Monday Mystery Movie programs, respectively. This made it the first IMAX film to be released via the programs.[15] Mercy was released in the United States on January 23, 2026, in 3D and IMAX, having previously been due for release on August 15, 2025.[16][17][18] The film was released on digital on February 17, 2026, and on DVD, Blu-ray, and Ultra HD Blu-ray on April 7, 2026 by Alliance Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment.[19]

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Texas Department of Public Safety messed up on forwarding voter registrations and it's making publicity. It should not happen again and should not affect voters for the November election but it is of concern.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Items from the campaign stack: “Anti-Corruption Lawyer” Running for Texas House Advertises Corruption Defense Services – the kind of stuff you can't make up and makes it “silly season!” What a fake. Texas House Candidate Tells DSA He Needs to Hide His Socialist Affiliation – more of the same: Hide the revolutionary radicalism until one gets in power. Talarico Pastor Says Evangelical Christians Aren't Smart – and says some worse things about actual Christians who believe in God's Word. It sort of shows you how nasty are these folk who claim to be all love and acceptance. Clearly it's a case of making the Enlightenment's “rationalism” into a false God. Quorum Report: Patrick tells supporters that some of his senators and GOP candidates for Texas Senate are trailing democrats, per sources. Many locals tried to tell folks that Wambsgamss is a great conservative backer but not a good retail candidate in SD9. Texas [un]Ethics Commission Tables Proposed Lawmaker Per Diem Hike – see what can happen when pre-election light is shed upon it!Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

One of the biggest headlines coming out of last week's Air, Space, Cyber conference was a deal in which hypersonic airplane company Hermeus would build Pratt & Whitney F100 fighter engines. So we brought back Hermeus's executive chairman, AJ Piplica, to explain how this happened and why it's happening, along with what else is new at their company. Plus: Do you know where your F-35 canopy is? Powered by GE Aerospace!

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: More on polling and the Texas electorate. If you missed Tuesday's show, be sure to go and listen to the last half. Items I work from today include: TSU's Barbara Jordan Public Policy & Research Center Texas poll for September. These numbers are much more reflective of on-the-ground politics in Texas than most other polls. 16.7% of Texas Voters are Unaffiliated and Undecided Ahead of November – who are these folk? Not conservative leaning for the most part. Marist Poll Texas – out today. Among the most trash polls yet. Registered, not likely, voters. Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Video released by Austin police appears to contradict attorneys' account of ICE shooting. And yet local media covered the lawyer's version as if it were from independent witnesses. Also, see this: ICE tried stopping Guatemalan man in Galveston before crash, arrest. Running from the cops leads to bad things.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: A listener asks: What are your thoughts on all major polls predicting a Talarico win? What do we make of that?  My answer, which I give in the second half of the show, is not from a point of cynicism but from experience and over four decades of working in the trenches in real campaigns. A political reality that shocks most politically active citizens, some never will believe it, is how uninvolved are many voters, even regular voters.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Governor Abbott Halts All State-Issued Permits for Data Centers Until Grid Audit Is Complete. Governor Abbott Directs TCEQ To Halt Data Center Permits.Obama appointee Robert Pitman strikes again, going all 1970's on us. Pitman substitutes himself for a legislature and demands Texas provide air conditioning to all convicts in prison by the end of 2029.NOT SPONTANEOUS: Texas Socialist Network Mobilized Austin Anti-ICE Unrest on Sunday.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.  www.PrattonTexas.com

Nick Shirley, Shirley's background, Mormonism, Shirley's mission to Chile, YouTube, the YouTubers Shirley came up with, the transition from Shirley as a prank YouTuber to a "citizen journalist," January 6th and Shirley's part, how did Shirley get to the capital?, Shirley's work in Kiev, Shirley's role in Trump's 2024 election campaign, the use of influencers by MAGA, the October 2025 roundtable between Trump and influencers, Antifa, Shirley's claims Antifa has overrun Portland, Antifa branded a terrorist organization, the absurdity of Antifa as a terrorist organization in comparison to the left paramilitaries of the 1960s/1970s, Shirley plugging a Tyler Oliveira video and the controversy surrounding it, Polymarket and Shirley's links to it, the moral hazards of prediction markets and influencers, Shirley's "investigations" into daycare and healthcare fraud in Minnesota, Shirley's activities in Minnesota as payback for George Floyd and Tim Waltz's defiance of Trump, Ceuta and the "migrant invasion," Ceuta as manufactured, was Shirley actually chased by someone with a knife?, Shirley vs the State of California, Spencer Pratt, Shirley's links to Pratt, the "Nick Shirley Act," Michael Moore, Shirley as reversing Moore's approach, the deaths that have come out of Shirley's actions, the growing momentum in DC for a "misinformation" crackdown, Shirley as a sacrificial lamb, the MAGA politicization of the "alternative media"Music by: Keith Allen Dennishttps://keithallendennis.bandcamp.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: More today on the Lubbock County Judge Curtis “Bowtie Bully” Parrish's phantom commissioner pay scandal. It appears that someone may have promised the lawyer representing Parrish's pretender of a commissioner, Mark Meurer, that county taxpayers would pay her fees. Meanwhile, today Lubbock County commissioners voted for a resolution asking the Texas Rangers to investigate the entire affair.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Texas GOP Closed-Primary Lawsuit Paused by Federal Judge. The legislature may indeed act but believe me that actions taken will come with a dollop of incumbent protection – I explain on the show.Governor Abbott Announces $7.5 Billion Border Security Reimbursement to Texas from the Federal Government. More.Texas annual job growth exceeds 159,000; unemployment rate at 4.4 percent in August.The nation added oil and gas drilling rigs last week but Texas lost one.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

Spencer Pratt is taking his message to the national stage ahead of the midterms — and he's not holding back. Larry breaks down Pratt's fiery speech, the latest campaign messaging from both parties, and some revealing moments from candidates on the trail. Chapter compares every Medicare plan nationwide for free to recommend coverage based on your doctors, prescriptions, and budget. Call 580-308-0975 or visit https://chapter.com/oconnor. *Paid PartnershipBecome a Townhall VIP member with promo code "LARRY": https://townhall.com/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's Defense & Aerospace Report Business Roundtable, sponsored by Bell, Dr. “Rocket” Ron Epstein of Bank of America Securities and Richard Aboulafia of the AeroDynamic advisory consultancy join host Vago Muradian to discuss an up week on Wall Street as the Iran war continues and Tehran-backed Houthi rebels move on Yemen's oil-rich Marib province and strike Saudi energy facilities; President Trump declines a request from Riyadh for help, but approves the sale of F-35 Lighting II fighters despite concerns from US intelligence that the stealth jet's technology could leak to China; implications of the EU's offer of associate membership for Canada that Trump has said could be a “hostile act,” threatening to block trade with Europe; the Swedish government awarded Saab a $400 million contract to develop next-generation combat aircraft technologies; US Air Force leaders seek 500 Collaborative Combat Aircraft and another 500 Massed Modular Aircraft — envisioned as cheaper version of the MQ-9 Reaper — as well as new F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to fill out the service's aging force structure; startup hypersonic aircraft maker Hermeus' deal with Pratt & Whitney to build the jet maker's F100 engines under license; Lockheed said that 22 days after signing a contract with General Motors for PAC-3 missile parts, the car maker started delivering the “mission critical” components; Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg's statement that the ramp up 737 and 787 jet production would take longer than expected even as he expected certification of the Max 10 airliner to be secured soon; GE Aerospace's confidence that mid-engine seal issues with its GE9X — the most powerful commercial aviation powerplant ever built — won't delay Boeing's 777X from entering service; and IndiGo's Willie Walsh plan to build bigger fleet and turn New Delhi into an Asia gateway.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Beware more the AI techno-lefties and their political ploy on government regulation than AI itself, at least at this stage. Two excellent summaries of what is happening (and there are many more out there who spotted this ploy and reported on it.) Don't fall for the AI bosses ‘please regulate us' bait-and-switch Meet Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's handpicked super-woke globalists he thinks will save us from an AI apocalypse Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.A shockingly good editorial from the Dallas Morning News: Don't worry about Texas losing professors.Who are the Texans on the Forbes 400 Richest Americans list? Go here, and select Texas in the state box.Texas Democrat PAC funded by Soros, the Texas Majority PAC, is paying people to take an online voter class via Zoom. A now fired manager said it was really a workaround to pay people to vote.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

Alors que le camp d'entraînement des Canadiens de Montréal est officiellement lancé, on se questionne à savoir si la nouvelle durée de 13 jours sera suffisante pour répondre aux questions qui pèsent autour de la formation de Martin St-Louis. Qui sera le deuxième joueur de centre? Quels seront les deux gardiens de la formation? Quels seront les jeunes qui impressionneront et quelle sera l'approche de Martin St-Louis? Voici quelques-uns des sujets de ce deuxième épisode de la huitième saison de Sortie de zone avec l'animateur Jérémie Rainville et Antoine Roussel du 98.5 Sports, ainsi que Simon-Olivier Lorange et Alexandre Pratt, de La Presse. Le sommaire Bloc 1 Treize jours de camp, est-ce assez pour trouver des réponses? Quelles sont les questions?; Quelle approche Martin St-Louis doit-il avoir avec le groupe cette saison?; Que pensez-vous de la formule «Split Squad»?; Bloc 2 Les malheureux de la LNH: Connor Hellybuyck, Dylan Larkin, Alexander Nikishin; Selon Kucherov, le jeu aujourd'hui est plus rapide, mais plus stupide; Bloc 3 La bourse de la LNH. Voir https://www.cogecomedia.com/vie-privee pour notre politique de vie privée

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Are Texas Democrats, through a Soros-funded PAC, effectively paying people to vote? One of the group's own managers says “Yes!”Also, more alarming anti-moral, anti-Christian items coming from little Jimmy “The Creep” Talarico's Austin so-called “church”: Lesbian “Minister” at James Talarico's “Church” Brags About Him Fooling People As a Moderate (WATCH) Why Is James Talarico Silent About Reported Support for Political Violence Among Members of His Church? – the key part of this is not the violence issue but the media double standard we've lived through seemingly forever. Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls on ERCOT to reverse $150,000 retention bonuses for its board members. Why the heck are they paid beyond meeting expenses to begin with? What happened to civic service?For the informed, Bowtie Bully Curtis Parrish's statement today on his phantom commissioner pay scandal is worthy of tremendous derision. He created the problem, involved Meurer in it, made sure the pay checks didn't stop after a court ruled Meurer is not the commissioner, and now acts as if it all just happened and we are to feel sorry for Meurer when it is Parrish who created the entire affair.Texas Teacher Misconduct Reports Triple in 2026 reports Erin Anderson of  Texas Scorecard.Get updates on Texas Wildfires here. The Forest Service responded to 8 active wildfires yesterday.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: After investigations of the larger raw numbers of data mismatches, the Texas Secretary of State identified 117 cases of likely non-citizen illegal voting and has referred such to the Office of Attorney General. Meanwhile, A.G. Paxton's office has announced the arrest of 7 for illegal voting that it has already been working on.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Lubbock Co. payroll scandal: Demonstrating that I've gotten it right from the beginning, Mr. Meurer releases a statement claiming Bowtie Bully Curtis Parrish encouraged his getting paid as a county commissioner even when he was not serving as such. Think about what Parrish was effectively telling Mr. Meurer. He was saying that Meurer is entitled to full-time pay for the many months, could be years, Meurer was NOT serving as a county commissioner, due to court order, if he were to prevail eventually in the legal case. This exposes Bowtie Bully' extreme lack of ethical standards.Once again, someone too lazy to simply do a quick search and check, says I reported something “false and deserves correction and apology.” Sorry there Listener, but it is you who got it wrong. I did not talk about the halftime interview but what happened at the end of the UT game with Sarkisian and Holly Rowe.Get updates on Texas Wildfires here. The Forest Service says it responded to 13 new wildfires yesterday!ERCOT says Texas grid handled record-setting summer demand. Also: ERCOT reverses $6.4 million CEO contract after Dan Patrick objects. He's right to object.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: The answer to how the Lubbock County phantom commissioner pay scandal came about is quite simple and it wears a bow tie everyday. The Bowtie Bully's arrogance and political treachery that started, and has continued, all the mess is rooted in his disregard of taxpayer interests. All of this comes from his desire for revenge on Jason Corley for repeatedly being effective at stopping property tax hikes. County salary to Meurer now stops and DA says she's ‘looking into the matter' Lubbock County commissioners question pay for Precinct 2 seat amid legal dispute See and hear yesterday's comments.  Bowtie Bully Parrish's tepid defense over this is that the legal matter is not over. So what?! Is he endorsing the idea that his handpicked accomplice, Mark Meurer, should be paid $70,000 while not serving as a commissioner, even if because of a temporary court order? Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Off the cuff, little Jimmy “the Creep” Talarico was instantly able to name his favorite Texas drag queen! Talarico instantly names favorite Texas drag queen — a performer who says he ‘works with children'Abbott threatens data center owners who don't report water usage to the Texas Water Development Board.Governor Abbott Creates Leadership Team To Bring United States Space Academy To Texas – Historic investment made for Colorado City water infrastructure by data center companies.Rep. Drew Darby tears into oil and gas commissioner for defying order to appear at Capitol. Typical RINO Darby at work. It appears he is at fault for changing the meeting time but the real story here is that the hearing was going to be used as a campaign booster for committee member Rosenthal, the Dem nominee for a seat on the Railroad Commission.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

Send us Fan Mail✈️ Air-Baltic-Schulden, neue Handgepäckregeln und AviosDie Gerichtsunterlagen zeigen, wem Air Baltic Millionen schuldet – von Pratt & Whitney bis Eurocontrol. Gleichzeitig schafft München dank moderner CT-Scanner die 100-Milliliter-Regel ab. Qatar Airways nimmt zudem seine umstrittenen Einschränkungen für Avios-Buchungen zugunsten anderer Personen zurück.Sollte Lufthansa Air Baltic retten? Und muss die Flüssigkeitsregel europaweit fallen? Diskutiert mit uns!

Jeff Pratt - “Revealing Righteousness” | This message was from our 10:00 Service on September 13, 2026. To dive deeper into today's sermon, check out our "Beyond the Sermon" episode released every Wednesday.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Once again, a Bo French social media post gives every anti-Republican ammunition to label conservatives and Republicans as racists and/or bigots. Bo French is condemnable as much for his political stupidity as he is for the apparent bigotry of his online post BUT, don't buy into the media attempt to get you to vote for the Democrat over this. Big Media has been pushing outright bigotry and racism for years including Marxist Critical Race Theory and D.E.I. racism that includes a call for racial discrimination against Caucasians, Asians, etc.Ken Paxton Responds to James Talarico's Call to Condemn Bo French. Paxton is right on this. All these leftist Dems are race focused in almost everything they do.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.In the Texas House, James Talarico said that parents who disagree with their own child over “gender identity” or homosexuality are engaged in child abuse. He voted against protecting parents from abuse liability for such and voted for an amendment in a bill that specifically would say that  “rejecting a child's gender identity or sexual orientation is abuse” and “should be treated as such under Texas law.” [See more on Talarico's real record here.]Lubbock Lights has learned, county paid two commissioners for same precinct job. Well, Lubbock Lights did learn it, as well as did I, and is writing about it. I mention a thing or two not in the Lights' story as of mid-day. Much more will be coming out I'm sure. This is ALL Bowtie Bully Curtis Parrish from the beginning and the pay problem appears to have been at his hand.Texas Stock Exchange gets another listing: Texas Capital Bancshares Inc. leaving Nasdaq for the new Texas exchange.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from  you." 39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be  given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the  belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the  earth.

Episode Summary: Jet propulsion is one of the most important technologies in airpower. Whether you're going head-to-head with an enemy fighter, crossing an ocean on a mobility flight, or trying to make it back to base amidst bad weather at night…there's nothing more important than having confidence in the engine that's powering your airplane. The technology is so dependable these days that folks just expect them to work. That said, we can't take this position of strength for granted. Competitors like China are trying to catch up with their own designs. We are in a propulsion race and we can only preserve our lead if we continue to invest in new technologies and produce at scale. We learn more about this topic with Peter Sommerkorn, Vice President for Military Development Programs at Pratt and Whitney, and Chris Hugill, Vice President for the company's prototyping arm, Gatorworks. Credits: Host: Heather "Lucky" Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Peter Sommerkorn, Vice President, Military Development Programs, Pratt & Whitney Guest: Chris Hugill, Vice President, Pratt & Whitney GATORWORKS Links: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nzBisb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellstudies/ #MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #AirForce #Technology

Summary Fourteen years in the making, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over Southern California's ten-lane Highway 101 is finally nearing completion. In this episode of the Rewilding Earth Podcast, Beth Pratt, California regional executive director with the National Wildlife Federation and founder of The Wildlife Crossing Fund, sits down with host Jack Humphrey to talk […] Read full article: Episode 183: The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing – Beth Pratt on Reaching the Finish Line

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: The Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas featured a protester moment that shows how actually stupid, and I mean it, low-IQ stupid, so many are whom we see involved in protests, riots, etc. in this country. What type of moron do you have to be not to realize that with the vast majority of Americans you work against your own interest when you protest here by flying the flag of another country?Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Oil and gas rig count from Baker Hughes.TikTok Lied About Harmful Content for Minors, Texas Judge Rules. Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures Historic Victory Making Texas the First State in the Nation to Hold TikTok Liable for Harming Children.A full 11 September 2001 remembrance in our look at today in Texas history. Remember, the President at the time was our former governor and West Texas-native George W. Bush.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: The Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas: Schedule and live stream. Today is the final day. I give a review of yesterday's speeches and the press coverage of such. Also, Lubbock Co. Republican Party Chairman Ken Adams joins us from Dallas to give his thoughts on the proceedings.I liked Tom Emmer's speech so much, I play it on the show today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wziPGz4LijgOur Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Comptroller Huffines Distributes $1.3 Billion in Monthly Sales Tax Revenue to Local Governments. Top 20 Cities. Look up your city here. Look how much most of these cities are up year-to-date in sales tax revenue and then ask why they passing tax raises.Energy Transfer, Sunoco and others confirm switch to Texas Stock Exchange from NYSE – woo hoo!Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: The Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas: Schedule and live stream. It began today at 3 p.m. and runs through tomorrow night. President Trump is set to speak later tonight.On the Texas front, Abbott and others begin to tell voters just who the Democrat nominee for governor really is: Gender Bender Gina support gender mutilation of children and supports keeping parents in the dark. Democrat Gina Hinojosa Pretends To Be Conservative – pretends is the operative word; just like she pretends boys can be girls if they choose. Texas Democrat gubernatorial nominee supports killing babies, rolling back protections for life. Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Trump's hard hitting trade fight keeps paying generational dividends for Texas: Global Stakes in Texas Energy: South Korea's $23 Billion Natural Gas Investment. Korea Picks $22.3 Billion Texas Power Plant as First U.S. Investment Project.City of Lubbock passes bloated budget with big tax increase with “conservatives” supportive so that firefighters can work about 90-days per year. Dear Mayor, money going to “public safety” doesn't actually equal an increase in public safety. Paying firefighters more to work less is not an increase in fire protection.Harris County residents to pay highest tax rate in modern history. Great headline but the Houston Chronicle, both in the news pages and editorially, has pushed for the election of the very Democrats who have mismanaged county (and city) budgets as well as has supported most all the big spending programs.Taylor County judge discusses tax cuts, data center concerns.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

Retiring in Toulouse, France: Gay Life in the Pink City with Cameron BrayIn this episode, host Mark Goldstein sits down with Cameron Bray, an Australian-born, naturalized British citizen who has been living permanently in Toulouse, France for over ten years. Cameron arrived with a simple plan: stay three months, learn some French, and move on. That plan never quite worked out. He fell in love with the city, fell in love with a French partner, and never left. Now approaching 60, Cameron is a gay man who has built a full and thriving life in southwest France, founding his own international human resources consultancy and navigating French business life as a foreign entrepreneur. He hopes that by sharing his experience, he can inspire others to take that same leap.Note on currency: as of June 21, 2026, 1 Euro equals approximately $1.15 USD. All figures in this episode are from Cameron's personal experience and reflect conditions at the time of recording.What Is ToulouseToulouse is France's fourth largest metropolitan area and its fastest growing city, located in the southwest corner of the country near the Spanish border, roughly three hours northwest of Barcelona. Often called La Ville Rose, or the Pink City, the city earned its name from the distinctive long, thin red bricks used in its buildings throughout the region. In certain light, particularly at sunset, the bricks give the entire city a warm pink glow. The Garonne River runs through it. Views of the Pyrenees mountain range are visible from the city center.Cameron describes Toulouse as a "Goldilocks city": not too big, not too small. At roughly 1.2 million people in the metro area, it has enough energy, ambience, and cultural life to feel vibrant, without the overwhelming scale of a major global city. It is also France's biggest university town outside of Paris, which gives it a youthful, buzzing street energy that Cameron says he still pinches himself about after a decade.Why Cameron Chose ItCameron did not plan to stay. He came on the recommendation of friends who had a small apartment there, with a flight to check out the Alliance Francaise language school. He had been made redundant as an HR director in Brighton, had recently come out of a long relationship, and had the financial cushion and the freedom to try something different. What was meant to be a three-month adventure became a permanent life. He describes the move as one driven by gut instinct rather than analysis, noting that over-thinking it might have sent him straight back to the airport.LGBTQ+ LifeToulouse and France more broadly have a deeply laissez-faire attitude toward sexuality. Cameron says he has never experienced discrimination, abuse, or felt unsafe walking the streets of Toulouse or anywhere else in France as a gay man, including in the countryside. France was one of the first countries to decriminalize homosexuality, and same-sex civil partnerships and marriages have been legal for over twenty years, with the same rights as heterosexual partnerships.There is no defined gayborhood in Toulouse, and Cameron says that is very much a reflection of how accepted LGBTQ+ life is there: there is simply no need for one. Gay bars and venues exist, though Cameron notes, as in many cities around the world, the traditional scene has shifted with the rise of apps. Gay men and women live throughout the city and in the surrounding countryside. Cameron has friends, a gay couple, who live in a small rural village an hour and a half away and were welcomed by the mayor at the village festival with flowers and wine, the same as every other new resident.Daily Life and WalkabilityToulouse is highly walkable, and Cameron describes his immediate neighborhood as a textbook example of what some urban planners now call the 15-minute city. His bakery is in the building. His butcher, fruit and vegetable shop, wine shop, pharmacy, supermarket, and tram stop are all within a few hundred yards. A fresh market takes place nearby daily.Over the past decade, Toulouse has actively worked to remove cars from the historic city center, converting parking into bike lanes and creating shared pedestrian, cycling, and scooter spaces. The old city is a labyrinth of cobbled streets that was never really designed for cars in the first place. Cameron and his partner walk rather than drive and say they rarely take taxis anywhere within the city.Food and Cafe CultureFood culture in Toulouse is rural-based and deeply regional. The city is known for a few signature dishes: the saucisse de Toulouse, a thick, fatty sausage typically served with pureed potatoes; cassoulet, a hearty white bean stew with dark sausage and breadcrumbs that originated as farmhouse food; and anything involving duck, including confit and, yes, foie gras. Fresh markets are central to daily life, and most meals are cooked from scratch. Processed food is far less prevalent in supermarkets than in the US or Australia.Cameron describes the French relationship with food as one of appreciation rather than consumption. Meals are structured: breakfast, then nothing, then lunch, then nothing, then dinner. Portion sizes are smaller. People eat slowly, talk about what they are eating, and treat wine and food as part of the conversation rather than just fuel. The result, Cameron observes with some bemusement, is that Toulouse is full of people eating rich food in large quantities and yet very few are obese.The cafe culture in Toulouse is genuine. Coffee in the morning under plane trees, wine in the evening at a bar. The city is also France's largest university town outside of Paris, which means the streets stay lively, particularly on Thursday nights, which the locals call le petit weekend. Dinner tends to start around 7:30 to 8:00, preceded by a proper apero of charcuterie, cheese, bread, and wine that can last an hour or more on its own.LanguageCameron arrived expecting Toulouse to be less English-friendly than Paris or Bordeaux. He was wrong. Because Airbus, the aviation company, is headquartered in Toulouse, and because American firms like Pratt and Whitney and Rockwell Collins have a major presence there as well, English is widely spoken throughout the city. The European Space Agency is also based there. Signs at the airport and many local businesses operate bilingually. Cameron says that when he first arrived and tried his schoolboy French, shopkeepers would often just switch straight to English.That said, Cameron strongly recommends making a genuine effort with the language. The French appreciate the attempt, even if they complete the sentence for you. He adds that younger French people today are notably more fluent in English than the older generation, and that Toulouse in particular has an internationally-minded feel that makes it more accessible for non-French speakers than many French cities.Costs and HousingCameron owns a one-bedroom apartment in Toulouse with views of the Garonne River and the Pyrenees, a terrace, a garage, and a cellar. He paid 190,000 euros (approximately $218,500 USD) for it three years ago. His annual electricity bill runs around 400 euros (approximately $460 USD) for two people, in part because of favorable sun exposure in winter. His internet, phone, and basic television package runs approximately 40 euros a month (approximately $46 USD). His mobile phone plan costs around 15 euros a month (approximately $17 USD).Public transport within Toulouse is 2 euros per trip for the subway or bus, and free for seniors. Train travel across the region is one euro on the first Sunday of every month, a government initiative to help people with fewer means stay connected. All museums are free that same Sunday. Cameron describes France's socialist economic model as providing a genuine cushion: during the energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine, electricity prices in France rose only 4 percent while UK prices spiked 54 percent, because the French government owns its energy suppliers and capped price increases.French property culture is notably different from the Anglo world. Property here is bought to live in, not to flip. Prices rise slowly. Cameron says the expectation of making a fast profit on real estate simply does not exist in France the way it does in the US or Australia, and he sees that as a feature rather than a bug.HealthcareFrance operates a universal healthcare system. If you are sick, you will be seen and treated regardless of your ability to pay. Cameron describes five hospital visits for conjunctivitis earlier this year: he walked in, was treated, and walked out each time without a bill. Emergency and life-critical care is covered entirely by the state. Some medications require a small co-pay; others are free.Most residents supplement the public system with a mutuelle, a top-up private insurance that covers things like a private hospital room, dental, physiotherapy, and osteopathy. Cameron pays 60 euros a month (approximately $69 USD) for his mutuelle. He emphasizes this is not like American private health insurance: the mutuelle covers what the state does not, rather than replacing the state system entirely.For new arrivals, getting into the French health system takes patience. Cameron waited nine months to receive his health card. Bureaucracy is a real hurdle, and the administration does not make the process intuitive. However, once you are in the system, it is reliable. A colonoscopy consultation for Cameron's partner, who has a family history of colon cancer, was booked about four months out, which Cameron considers reasonable for a non-urgent specialist appointment. He notes...

Retiring in Toulouse, France: Gay Life in the Pink City with Cameron BrayIn this episode, host Mark Goldstein sits down with Cameron Bray, an Australian-born, naturalized British citizen who has been living permanently in Toulouse, France for over ten years. Cameron arrived with a simple plan: stay three months, learn some French, and move on. That plan never quite worked out. He fell in love with the city, fell in love with a French partner, and never left. Now approaching 60, Cameron is a gay man who has built a full and thriving life in southwest France, founding his own international human resources consultancy and navigating French business life as a foreign entrepreneur. He hopes that by sharing his experience, he can inspire others to take that same leap.Note on currency: as of June 21, 2026, 1 Euro equals approximately $1.15 USD. All figures in this episode are from Cameron's personal experience and reflect conditions at the time of recording.What Is ToulouseToulouse is France's fourth largest metropolitan area and its fastest growing city, located in the southwest corner of the country near the Spanish border, roughly three hours northwest of Barcelona. Often called La Ville Rose, or the Pink City, the city earned its name from the distinctive long, thin red bricks used in its buildings throughout the region. In certain light, particularly at sunset, the bricks give the entire city a warm pink glow. The Garonne River runs through it. Views of the Pyrenees mountain range are visible from the city center.Cameron describes Toulouse as a "Goldilocks city": not too big, not too small. At roughly 1.2 million people in the metro area, it has enough energy, ambience, and cultural life to feel vibrant, without the overwhelming scale of a major global city. It is also France's biggest university town outside of Paris, which gives it a youthful, buzzing street energy that Cameron says he still pinches himself about after a decade.Why Cameron Chose ItCameron did not plan to stay. He came on the recommendation of friends who had a small apartment there, with a flight to check out the Alliance Francaise language school. He had been made redundant as an HR director in Brighton, had recently come out of a long relationship, and had the financial cushion and the freedom to try something different. What was meant to be a three-month adventure became a permanent life. He describes the move as one driven by gut instinct rather than analysis, noting that over-thinking it might have sent him straight back to the airport.LGBTQ+ LifeToulouse and France more broadly have a deeply laissez-faire attitude toward sexuality. Cameron says he has never experienced discrimination, abuse, or felt unsafe walking the streets of Toulouse or anywhere else in France as a gay man, including in the countryside. France was one of the first countries to decriminalize homosexuality, and same-sex civil partnerships and marriages have been legal for over twenty years, with the same rights as heterosexual partnerships.There is no defined gayborhood in Toulouse, and Cameron says that is very much a reflection of how accepted LGBTQ+ life is there: there is simply no need for one. Gay bars and venues exist, though Cameron notes, as in many cities around the world, the traditional scene has shifted with the rise of apps. Gay men and women live throughout the city and in the surrounding countryside. Cameron has friends, a gay couple, who live in a small rural village an hour and a half away and were welcomed by the mayor at the village festival with flowers and wine, the same as every other new resident.Daily Life and WalkabilityToulouse is highly walkable, and Cameron describes his immediate neighborhood as a textbook example of what some urban planners now call the 15-minute city. His bakery is in the building. His butcher, fruit and vegetable shop, wine shop, pharmacy, supermarket, and tram stop are all within a few hundred yards. A fresh market takes place nearby daily.Over the past decade, Toulouse has actively worked to remove cars from the historic city center, converting parking into bike lanes and creating shared pedestrian, cycling, and scooter spaces. The old city is a labyrinth of cobbled streets that was never really designed for cars in the first place. Cameron and his partner walk rather than drive and say they rarely take taxis anywhere within the city.Food and Cafe CultureFood culture in Toulouse is rural-based and deeply regional. The city is known for a few signature dishes: the saucisse de Toulouse, a thick, fatty sausage typically served with pureed potatoes; cassoulet, a hearty white bean stew with dark sausage and breadcrumbs that originated as farmhouse food; and anything involving duck, including confit and, yes, foie gras. Fresh markets are central to daily life, and most meals are cooked from scratch. Processed food is far less prevalent in supermarkets than in the US or Australia.Cameron describes the French relationship with food as one of appreciation rather than consumption. Meals are structured: breakfast, then nothing, then lunch, then nothing, then dinner. Portion sizes are smaller. People eat slowly, talk about what they are eating, and treat wine and food as part of the conversation rather than just fuel. The result, Cameron observes with some bemusement, is that Toulouse is full of people eating rich food in large quantities and yet very few are obese.The cafe culture in Toulouse is genuine. Coffee in the morning under plane trees, wine in the evening at a bar. The city is also France's largest university town outside of Paris, which means the streets stay lively, particularly on Thursday nights, which the locals call le petit weekend. Dinner tends to start around 7:30 to 8:00, preceded by a proper apero of charcuterie, cheese, bread, and wine that can last an hour or more on its own.LanguageCameron arrived expecting Toulouse to be less English-friendly than Paris or Bordeaux. He was wrong. Because Airbus, the aviation company, is headquartered in Toulouse, and because American firms like Pratt and Whitney and Rockwell Collins have a major presence there as well, English is widely spoken throughout the city. The European Space Agency is also based there. Signs at the airport and many local businesses operate bilingually. Cameron says that when he first arrived and tried his schoolboy French, shopkeepers would often just switch straight to English.That said, Cameron strongly recommends making a genuine effort with the language. The French appreciate the attempt, even if they complete the sentence for you. He adds that younger French people today are notably more fluent in English than the older generation, and that Toulouse in particular has an internationally-minded feel that makes it more accessible for non-French speakers than many French cities.Costs and HousingCameron owns a one-bedroom apartment in Toulouse with views of the Garonne River and the Pyrenees, a terrace, a garage, and a cellar. He paid 190,000 euros (approximately $218,500 USD) for it three years ago. His annual electricity bill runs around 400 euros (approximately $460 USD) for two people, in part because of favorable sun exposure in winter. His internet, phone, and basic television package runs approximately 40 euros a month (approximately $46 USD). His mobile phone plan costs around 15 euros a month (approximately $17 USD).Public transport within Toulouse is 2 euros per trip for the subway or bus, and free for seniors. Train travel across the region is one euro on the first Sunday of every month, a government initiative to help people with fewer means stay connected. All museums are free that same Sunday. Cameron describes France's socialist economic model as providing a genuine cushion: during the energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine, electricity prices in France rose only 4 percent while UK prices spiked 54 percent, because the French government owns its energy suppliers and capped price increases.French property culture is notably different from the Anglo world. Property here is bought to live in, not to flip. Prices rise slowly. Cameron says the expectation of making a fast profit on real estate simply does not exist in France the way it does in the US or Australia, and he sees that as a feature rather than a bug.HealthcareFrance operates a universal healthcare system. If you are sick, you will be seen and treated regardless of your ability to pay. Cameron describes five hospital visits for conjunctivitis earlier this year: he walked in, was treated, and walked out each time without a bill. Emergency and life-critical care is covered entirely by the state. Some medications require a small co-pay; others are free.Most residents supplement the public system with a mutuelle, a top-up private insurance that covers things like a private hospital room, dental, physiotherapy, and osteopathy. Cameron pays 60 euros a month (approximately $69 USD) for his mutuelle. He emphasizes this is not like American private health insurance: the mutuelle covers what the state does not, rather than replacing the state system entirely.For new arrivals, getting into the French health system takes patience. Cameron waited nine months to receive his health card. Bureaucracy is a real hurdle, and the administration does not make the process intuitive. However, once you are in the system, it is reliable. A colonoscopy consultation for Cameron's partner, who has a family history of colon cancer, was booked about four months out, which Cameron considers reasonable for a non-urgent specialist appointment. He notes...

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: The old “establishment” non-conservatives of the Republican Party get the chastisement they deserve from Scott McKay at The American Spectator: John Cornyn Is Owed No Revenge at the Expense of His Own Party. An absolute MUST READ and kudos to Senator Cruz for sparking this issue.Who are these self-entitled people willing to let win to salve their own overblown egos?: James Talarico Denies Jesus Is the Only Way, Says Allah Leads to Same Truth – blasphemous, essentially says the Son of God lied. This is as serious as it can get. Talarico pushed to end “tough-on-crime approach” in Texas James Talarico is an outright DSA sympathizing communist; his own words prove it Talarico shares communist revolution desire of Trotsky with DSA socialists Meanwhile, Tump's MAGA Inc. comes with with $10 million for Paxton & Elon Musk's PAC spending big for Paxton as are others.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.What to Know About the GOP's Unusual Midterm Convention – starts tomorrow in Dallas, runs through Thursday night. Reuters lies in this piece staying Trump “falsely called Democrats “communists” this year…” Falsely? That is opinion being published as news.Congratulations Regan Hutsell! The Houston woman was crowned Miss America 2027 – only the 4th Texan to win.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.  www.PrattonTexas.com

Jeff Pratt - “Revealing Righteousness” | This message was from our 10:00 Service on September 6, 2026. To dive deeper into today's sermon, check out our "Beyond the Sermon" episode released every Wednesday.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Today, Jonathan Turley posted a column that echoes my coverage yesterday: Talarico brings a touch of Trotsky to the Texas Senate race.I wrote and covered yesterday: Democratic Socialists are, in their own words, dedicated to establishing the USA as communist state. DSA members and adherents are soldiers of the Cold War on the Soviet side, they are traitors to our country. More are noticing that James Talarico has long expressed DSA values even agreeing that our free capitalist system needs replacing with communism. No wonder the Chinese Commies love him. Another story: Talarico's ‘proud capitalist' about-face collides with resurfaced call to ‘dismantle' capitalism.HD37: Texas Democrat House candidate sponsored march with socialists, tied in tightly to the communist DSA.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Baker Hughes rig count shows Texas up one drilling rig this week.Massive Jobs Blowout: U.S. Economy Added 162,000 Jobs in August.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

This Friday's replay is my conversation with Eden Flora, an artist and registered art therapist in Oxford, Mississippi, whose collection-based approach to art has grown into a business built on teaching, licensing, and a lot of hard-won reinvestment. Eden walks through how her fabric design degree and her master's in art therapy from Pratt both shaped how she works today, how she builds a collection around an idea she's personally sitting with, and how art licensing, something she says almost nobody talks about, has quietly become a steady source of income. We also cover why she's shifted energy away from Instagram and into her email newsletter, Studio Scoop, why she hired a marketing consultant this year, and the M&M story from a high school science class that still guides how she reinvests in her business. Find Eden at edenwflora.com and on Instagram @edenwflora.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tim Pratt (genderfluid, any pronouns) is the author of more than thirty-five novels, most recently multiversal space opera The Jewel and the Comet. Pratt is a Hugo Award winner for short fiction, and has been a finalist for Nebula, World Fantasy, Sturgeon, Stoker, and otherawards. She publishes a new story every month at www.patreon.com/timpratt and posts incessantly on Bluesky(bsky.app/profile/timpratt.org)This story originally appeared on Tim Pratt's Patreon account.Narration by: Zed Hope SimonZed Hope Simon (they/them) is a Brooklyn-based performer, playwright, and fight director. Their short plays have been produced at various digital and live festivals throughout New York City and around the United States and their first full-length play, Watchlist, received a workshop production at The Tank in February 2020. They have previously performed with Alterra Productions interactive theatre company and help coordinate the annual New York Summer Sling stage combat workshop for the Society of American Fight Directors. Zed has hosted podcasts covering film, tv, and video games for Whirlwind Podcasts, Post Show Recaps, Rob has a Podcast, and Arcade Pizza, and can be found streaming games on YouTube at youtube.com/@hardrockhope. For more, follow Zed on Bluesky @hardrockhope or visit www.zedhopesimon.comSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/starshipsofa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Democratic Socialists are, in their own words, dedicated to establishing the USA as communist state. DSA members and adherents are soldiers of the Cold War on the Soviet side, they are traitors to our country. More are noticing that James Talarico has long expressed DSA values even agreeing that our free capitalist system needs replacing with communism. No wonder the Chinese Commies love him. Another story: Talarico's ‘proud capitalist' about-face collides with resurfaced call to ‘dismantle' capitalism.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Texas A&M submits bid to run JPL for NASA.Highest tax rate in 20 years? Harris County commissioners have some explaining to do. | Editorial – great but this is rich coming from an editorial board that has supported great growth in government spending!Corpus Christi's desalination battle is headed for the ballot box.Midland County appoints acting judge; Jay Marquez sworn in after Terry Johnson's suspension.Lubbock Co. commissioners approve salary grievance but reject pay raises for elected officials.Lubbock council approves police, fire association agreements, funded by property tax increase. – this is insane, abusive, and immoral. Firefighters 25 on, 72 off is, without even factoring any vacation or sick time, only working about 91 days per year!Altria Sues FDA Over Tobacco Product Review System in Federal Court in Lubbock.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates. www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Noted space historian Robert Zimmerman of behindtheblack.com(he really did write the Encyclopedia of Space) joins us for a space industry (and government space program) update.Some the items we discuss are: Brownsville agrees to SpaceX deal, giving the company 445 acres in exchange for water and money SpaceX confirms its purchase of Pecan Island launch site in Louisiana A liquid natural gas production facility is less than 60 miles from SpaceX's Pecan Island spaceport Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: The City of Abilene is awash in new money but still plans to hit residents with a property tax increase! Where is the morality, or ethics, in that? City of Abilene proposes property tax increase on residents What is the City of Abilene doing with the data center windfall from sales, property taxes? – from June. Abilene leads Texas in hotel revenue growth for 6 quarters Data center boom boosts Abilene venue tax revenue Lubbock County commissioners still plan to save residents from a property tax increase but the county auditor and the county judge are kicking and screaming for a tax increase so they can continue to grow the local bureaucracy.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Dallas Fed report says the Texas Service Sector “expanded in August” but its headline downplays it with “moderates.” You know it's near election time because WFAA tried to play it down more with this headline: Is the Texas economy slowing down? What new Dallas Fed data reveals for local workers and consumers. Meanwhile: Manufacturing Boom: Factory Job Openings Soar To Three Year High.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates. www.PrattonTexas.com

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Battle of Hong kong. Japan's rise as a threat to British interests accelerated through the 1920s and intensified after invading China. Britain's response remained contradictory—diplomatically conciliatory yet militarily apprehensive. While Singapore and Malaya received substantial reinforcements, Hong Kong was acknowledged indefensible, yet the 1936 Defence Scheme attempted to fortify it as an island fortress. Governor Northcote urgently advocated evacuation, recognizing the futility of defense. London rejected this, fearing it would demoralize China and forfeit sovereignty claims. Reinforcement requests from commanders like Grasett fell on deaf ears until Grasett independently lobbied Canadian leaders. This persistence finally convinced Churchill to dispatch two additional battalions. On December 8, 1941, Japanese forces attacked across three fronts with overwhelming force. Within hours, the RAF was destroyed on the ground, demolitions proved ineffective, and British units rapidly retreated toward the Gin Drinkers Line, facing an enemy that outnumbered and outmaneuvered them from the opening moments.   #217 The Battle of Hong Kong Part 2: the Island Aflame 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. Around 1500 hours on 9 December, Colonel Doi of the 228th Regiment arrived at Needle Hill, just north of the Gin Drinkers Line, ahead of his main force. For two hours he studied the British defensive positions through binoculars, noting trenches and bunkers—and to his surprise, washing lines fluttering with white clothes. The sight spoke volumes about the 2 Royal Scots' lax discipline. Then fog descended, reducing visibility to barely twenty meters, and heavy rain obscured the landscape. Doi sensed a fleeting advantage but lost radio contact with his battalions. Worse still, the Shing Mun Redoubt lay outside his regimental boundary, making an unauthorized attack a serious breach of protocol. When his units finally arrived, supporting artillery remained unavailable, held up by demolished roads. Doi chose to attack anyway. Doi ordered the 2nd Battalion to scout the eastern approach while the 3rd Battalion spearheaded the main assault. Major Nishiyana commanded the 3rd, sending Lieutenant Wakabayashi and Kasugai with 150 volunteers to lead. The Shing Mun Redoubt itself comprised five concrete pillboxes and an artillery observation post, connected by underground tunnels named after London landmarks—Piccadilly, Haymarket, and others. The whole complex sat on small rises above Jubilee Dam, then the British Empire's tallest. Defending the redoubt was A Company, 2 Royal Scots, under Captain Jones—just three officers and 39 men. One platoon of 25 soldiers under 2nd Lieutenant Thompson held the forward positions. Against this stood 150 Japanese attackers, with another 1,500 troops in reserve. Battalion orders forbade using the concrete works as fighting positions; they were meant for the Vickers machine-gun team and artillery protection. No mines could spare the redoubt's perimeter. On the night of the 9th, roughly half the defenders sheltered in the observation post while the remainder manned pillboxes 401b and 402. At 2000 hours, Thompson led a nine-man patrol northward to check Needle Hill and Shing Mun Valley. Despite two and a half hours in the field, the patrol returned at 2220 hours without detecting the Japanese force massing just 500 meters away. By that time, Lieutenant Kasugai's assault group had crossed Jubilee Dam undetected, bypassed unmanned Post X, and assembled below Pillbox 401b. At 2200 hours, Japanese sappers cut through two lines of wire. At 2300—H-Hour—Lance Corporal Laird heard movement in the bushes and opened fire. The Japanese answered with grenades and rushed the pillbox lines. One team entered the tunnel system; another hurled grenades through the air vents. Corporal Campbell swung his Vickers toward Pillbox 401, catching Japanese headquarters personnel in the open. Sergeant Robb mustered a counter-attack force of thirteen men. Five fell as casualties—Laird, Basnett, Coyle, Casey, and Jardine. Casey was killed; only Jardine escaped. The alert triggered gunfire from the observation post's defenders, and Forward Observer Wilcox called down 4.5-inch and 6-inch artillery fire. Without strong reinforcement and leadership, four Royal Scots and an Indian sentry abandoned the northern positions and withdrew to the observation post. Captain Jones received orders from Brigade to counter-attack, but delegated the task to Thompson. As Thompson attempted to leave the observation post, he found the gate locked from outside. This calamity had a backstory: just before the attack, Thompson had admitted a civilian at the request of Force 163 (SOE's sabotage unit in Singapore). Private Wylie had taken the observation post key from Lance Naik Kishan Singh and, upon exit, locked the gate behind him. The three officers were now literally locked out of the battle. Second Lieutenant Mochizuki and his platoon infiltrated through open trenches and began attacking the observation post from above, attempting to breach the hatches. The defenders held for three hours before Japanese sappers forced explosives down the air vents. At 0230 hours, the blast killed two Indian signallers inside. Thompson sustained a severe eye wound from grenade shrapnel; Jones and Warrant Officer Mead were both wounded. The remaining fifteen defenders surrendered; eleven became casualties. Meanwhile, a Rajput patrol engaging Japanese forces in the river valley managed to drive them back toward the redoubt. One final pillbox endured for another eleven hours before suffering the same sapper treatment. By 0400 hours on 10 December, the entire redoubt was lost. For just two killed, the Japanese had achieved a decisive victory—the breakthrough that would shift the entire campaign's trajectory. By dawn, a Japanese flag flew triumphantly from Point 255.   Major-General Maltby's assessment was stark: "This was calamitous, for Shing Mun was the key to the whole of the left position." Yet the Japanese perspective differed sharply. Having achieved a breakthrough, Colonel Doi received astonishing orders to withdraw—his success had transgressed into the 230th Regiment's sector and violated the meticulously prepared war plan. Doi refused. After heated confrontation with Major-General Ito and Lieutenant-General Sakai, his insubordination was later censured, though a divisional staff officer, Oyadomani, bore the scapegoat's burden of rebuke for failing to restrain Doi's initiative. With Shing Mun secured, Doi methodically fed reinforcements into the position. Throughout December 10th, the Japanese remained uncertain of their advantage and adopted a cautious strategy, probing British lines to exploit the evident disorder. Brigadier Wallis ordered the Royal Scots to mount an immediate dawn counterattack supported by the Rajputs and artillery. Lieutenant-Colonel White demurred; his battalion lacked any reasonable prospect of success. The resulting counterattack proved half-hearted at best. At first light on December 11th, the Japanese pressed Golden Hill forcefully, only to be repulsed by Captain Newton's Rajputs and gunfire from HMS Cicala. White positioned D Company in shallow shell scrapes and rusted wire—inadequate defenses against Japanese assault. Captain Pinkerton led a desperate bayonet charge that morning, temporarily clearing the Japanese and enabling the evacuation of wounded. Yet B, C, and D Companies absorbed devastating losses; Captains Rose and Richardson fell commanding their positions. With the Royal Scots collapsing, X Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and armored support rushed westward to seal the widening gap along Castle Peak Road. Meanwhile, Maltby grappled with alarming reports: Japanese landings on Lantau Island southwest of Hong Kong. Heavy artillery drove them back. A second probe at Aberdeen, where Special Naval Landing Forces approached within 300 yards of the naval base, was repelled by Canadian machine-gun fire. In hindsight, these were mere feints—never intended as the primary thrust. The stratagem succeeded. Maltby retained his island reserves—the Middlesex and two Canadian battalions—precisely where they would be needed. Had Wallis executed a forceful counterattack on December 10th with the Royal Scots and brigade reserves, the Rajputs might have retaken Shing Mun while the Japanese remained disorganized. Instead, Colonel Doi faced a furious Sakai, who had flown down from 38th Division headquarters at Taipo for what amounted to a pre-court-martial examination. The moment passed. After only 48 hours of combat, Maltby concluded the mainland was indefensible. The three battalions would withdraw intact to Hong Kong Island to assume their fortress defense roles. The naval commodore objected—demolitions, supply transfers, and troop ferrying required more time. The evacuation order was deferred 24 hours until noon on December 11th. At that hour, the decision was finalized: the mainland would be abandoned under cover of darkness. Further demolitions followed—the China Light and Power Station, the cement works on Tsing Yi Island, the docks. Yet Brigadier Wallis believed this merely a precautionary measure; he anticipated holding the mainland for at least another week. The withdrawal avoided Kowloon's congested streets, where street fighting and fifth columnists might have entrapped the British—a calculation that proved prescient, as an IJA advance column of 350 men from the 3/230th infiltrated Kowloon on the morning of December 12th to cut off the retreating garrison. The Royal Scots and Canadians retired south to Shamshuipo Barracks and Jordan Road Pier in western Kowloon; the Rajputs and supporting gunners withdrew eastward to Ma Lau Tong, which anchored the fortified Devil's Peak Peninsula. Maltby intended to hold this commanding position permanently—it was easily supplied across the narrow Lyemun Strait. The evacuation proceeded largely as planned. The Canadians and Royal Scots embarked on the afternoon and evening of December 11th under Punjabi covering fire. The Punjabis faced a harder journey—a moonlit scramble along steep Kowloon hills laden with supplies but critically short of mules. One group lost its way at a crucial junction, splitting into two columns. One proceeded toward Devil's Peak as planned; Battalion Headquarters descended into Kai Tak Airport, threaded through Kowloon City, and was evacuated by Star Ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui, fighting until the final moment as the last man boarded. The Rajputs' commander, unable to reach his Punjabi counterpart, abandoned Ma Lau Tong for the closer Hai Wan line near Devil's Peak. By 0400 hours on December 12th, the Punjabis and one Rajput company, accompanied by the gunners of the 25th Medium Battery, crossed Lyemun Strait to Hong Kong Island. Morning evacuations continued with minimal Japanese interference—a surprising restraint. Naval support proved crucial. The withdrawal completed by the morning of December 13th, though 170 mules were lost to the desertion of Chinese laborers—a deprivation that would haunt the subsequent campaign. During this passage, the IJN attempted shore bombardment. The Japanese cruiser and supporting vessels found themselves outranged by the defenders' 9.2-inch guns. The damage inflicted proved sufficient to discourage future naval adventures; for the remainder of the battle, the IJN maintained a cautious distance and played only a peripheral role. The speed and execution of the withdrawal apparently caught the Japanese unprepared. Their most probable expectation had been a full-scale assault on Devil's Peak accompanied by heavy bombardment—a day earlier, an assault without artillery preparation had been driven back with severe losses. The British appeared stronger than anticipated. The defense of the mainland had lasted only five days. With the mainland secured, the Japanese pivoted toward Hong Kong Island. The first move was diplomatic rather than military. At 0900 hours on December 13th, a small boat bearing a white flag crossed the harbor. It carried Colonel Toda, Lieutenant Mizuno, Mr. Othsu Dak, and two European women—the prominent and heavily pregnant Mrs. Macdonald and Mrs. C. R. Lee, wife of the Governor's secretary, accompanied by her two dachshunds. The surrender terms were flatly rejected. Major Boxer delivered the written refusal personally. Mrs. Macdonald remained in Hong Kong to give birth; Mrs. Lee and her dogs returned to Kowloon. The Japanese commenced systematic shelling of selected targets. On December 13th, a 9.2-inch gun on Mt. Davis was silenced; Belcher's Fort sustained damage. The following day, a 3-inch mount on Mt. Davis was hit, killing Chinese gunners and triggering morale collapse; some deserted. On December 15th, the barrage shifted to the northern shoreline, deliberately targeting pillboxes. At 2100 hours that night, approximately three Japanese companies attempted crossing the harbor in rubber rafts toward Pakshawan but were driven off by machine-gun fire. Fifth columnists intensified their operations—signaling with mirrors, sniping from concealed positions, spreading propaganda to encourage Chinese desertion. Their impact might have been catastrophic had not Rear-Admiral Chan and Colonel Yee, armed with tommy guns and grenades, systematically eliminated many of these saboteurs. By December 16th, half the pillboxes between the racecourse and Lyemun Strait lay destroyed. The intended crossing site was unmistakable. On December 17th, the Japanese dispatched a second peace mission—Colonel Toda's team now accompanied by Mrs. Lee with her dachshunds and a pregnant Russian woman. Again, the overtures were rebuffed. On December 18th, the bombardment reached new intensity. Oil storage tanks ignited, sending dense black smoke cascading across the northeast corner of the island—perfect concealment for what was to come. All signs pointed to imminent assault.  I want to note something here, you sometimes hear about how race played a role in the Pacific War and indeed it did. Racist attitudes were found on both the western and Japanese side of the war. There is a fantastic book dedicated to this by the way called, War without Mercy by John Dower, highly recommend it. What is interesting is how these racial attitudes actually affected decision making during the war. Take General Sakai's night amphibious assault for example. Western soldiers such as the Canadians in Hong Kong reported they were told by their commanders that quote "Don't worry about the Japanese, they can't see at night, they all wear glasses" another Canadian soldier wrote in a diary "They don't see well, especially at night we knew this as a matter of fact." Indeed the week before the outbreak of the battle of Hong Kong, Canadian officers attending a briefing by a British officer were informed that "Japan's aircraft were mostly obsolete, its air force had little practice in night flying, and its pilots were myopic and thus unable to carry out dive-bombing attacks". You might be asking yourself, why did they think the Japanese were myopic? The scientific explanation of the day was this "That the Japanese suffered widespread inner-ear damage. What caused this? Japanese motherhood, the practice of strapping babies to their mothers backs, it was explained caused their heads to bounce about, like when they harvested rice and permanently impaired their sense of balance". I particularly love this quote, one of my professors dedicated an entire class to the bizarre racial attitudes before and after the pacific war. There was a belief the Japanese could not see well at night, many western air force commanders actually believed there were times of day like at dawn or dusk where Japanese pilots would not operate because of this hindrance. American military commentator Fletcher Pratt in 1939 analyzed Japan's military strengths and explained it had four major weaknesses. The first was scarcity of resources such as iron, and steel. The second was that the Japanese "can neither make good airplanes nor fly them well" as a result of " the Japanese as a race have defects of the tubes of the inner ear, just as they are generally myopic. This gives them a defective sense of balance, the one physical sense in which an aviator is not permitted to be deficient.". The third was that the Japanese were short-tempered and were inclined to waste men unnecessarily when operations did not go well. The fourth was that the Japanese would simply never date to provoke a war with the US. Again Mr Pratt was an American military commentator whose information came from multiple accounts given by high ranking military officials! The British military maintained that the Japanese avoided night operations on land because they were simply incapable of caring them out well, while they avoided nighttime aerial attacks, as well as dive-bombing for the same reasons Pratt said quote "their pilots were poor and their aircraft inferior.". So take this all to mind when I talk about how certain ranking officers go about making their decisions. By the evening of 14 December, evacuated mainland units had regrouped on Hong Kong Island. The defensive structure was restructured into two brigades: Brigadier Wallis commanded the East Brigade from Taitam Gap, while Brigadier Lawson headed the West Brigade from Wongneichong Gap. This reorganization placed the 5/7 Rajputs across the north-east perimeter, defending over 3,500 metres of coastline with B Company positioned on the hills behind Taikoo Docks. The Royal Rifles of Canada held the north-east corner from Stanley to points south, with reserve positions at Lyemun. Two HKVDC companies supported from Taitam Valley and Pottinger Gap, while the veteran Hughsiliers manned the North Point power station. British and Canadian artillery provided fire support across the northern approaches. The West Brigade held the north-western and south-western shores. The 2/14 Punjab stretched from Causeway Bay to Belcher's Point, protecting Government House and General Maltby's headquarters, with battalion headquarters at Mid-Level. The Winnipeg Grenadiers covered the south-west from Wanchai Gap, with one company detached to the brigade headquarters at Wongneichong Gap. The 2 Royal Scots, severely mauled at Shing Mun, were held in reserve with fresh replacements from the HKVDC. The Middlesex Regiment's companies were dispersed along 72 pillboxes encircling the entire shoreline, while an improvised Z Company of clerks, musicians and cooks defended battalion headquarters at Leighton Hill. Supporting artillery included 9.2-inch and 6-inch guns on Mt Davis and 4.7-inch guns at Belcher's Point. As darkness fell on 17 December, Japanese reconnaissance swimmers reached Taikoo, confirming the crossing site despite detection. Reinforcements arrived: 18 additional heavy bombers from Guangzhou and 26 fighters from Taiwan joined the aerial assault. The crescendo of artillery fire on the 18th, combined with masses of small craft gathering across the harbour, signalled the imminent invasion. Japanese divisional headquarters shifted to Ma Tau Wei near Kai Tak Airport; the 23rd Army moved to Taipo. The invasion force disposed itself with the right flank embarking from east and west of Kai Tak, the left from Devil's Hill area. At 1800 hours, the invasion order was issued; by 1930 hours Sakai himself arrived in Kowloon to oversee the crossing. At precisely 2000 hours, the 2/228th Regiment silently paddled their collapsible craft toward Taikoo Docks and the nearby sugar factory as artillery support commenced. Colonel Doi embarked with 80 headquarters personnel aboard a large barge, leading the second wave. The conditions favoured the invaders—a moonless night, sporadic showers, and thick black smoke from burning oil tanks obscured their movement. They reached the midpoint undetected before searchlights and machine-gun fire scattered the small boats, separating commanders from their units. Despite this chaos, the assault pressed forward. At 2140 hours the artillery shifted to deeper targets; at 2145 hours the first wave of 3/230th landed at North Point, followed minutes later by 2/228th and then 2/229th. Three red flares signalled a successful landing. All six Japanese battalions were ashore by midnight, though wire fencing delayed their advance and Bren carriers added to the confusion on the beach. General Sano arrived at Taikoo one hour later. The 5/7 Rajputs bore the initial brunt of the assault. Despite days of preliminary shelling, the Rajputs mounted a stubborn defence; Japanese casualties mounted rapidly. The anti-tank company suffered so grievously that only a single gun remained operational. The Japanese plan was tactical rather than frontal—bypass isolated positions for later elimination and push rapidly toward high ground. Overwhelmed by numerical superiority and losing most of their officers, Rajput resistance gradually crumbled. Contradicting all evidence, Maltby remained convinced the main Japanese assault would strike directly at Victoria from Kowloon. He therefore withheld the counter-attack, instead dispatching a platoon of Middlesex troops, Royal Marines, naval personnel, and the Rajputs' reserve company—supported by artillery—to establish a defensive line blocking the Japanese advance toward Central District. Three HKVDC armoured cars were sent to protect East Brigade headquarters; two more reinforced the Middlesex battalion headquarters. It was manifestly inadequate against six Japanese battalions. In post-war dispatches, Maltby conceded his grave miscalculation: he believed he faced at most two battalions, not a full division. As the 3/230th broke through D Company of the 5/7 Rajputs, the 2/230th came ashore nearby and wheeled westward toward Victoria. Their advance halted abruptly at the North Point power station, held by an extraordinary force: four officers and 36 men of the HKVDC Hughsiliers Platoon—alongside 39 civilian volunteers from China Light & Power and Hong Kong Electric, including the station manager Vincent Sorby—plus eight Free French soldiers commanded by Captain Jacques Egal, a Shanghai businessman turned soldier. Without exception, these men were World War I veterans, many aged 55 or older. Some had fought in the Boer War. Major J. J. Patterson, the Hughsiliers' commander, had served with Allenby's Camel Corps and been mentioned in dispatches six times; he was chairman of Jardine Matheson and a legislative councillor. Private Sir Edward Des Voeux, 8th Baronet, a millionaire bullion trader and secretary of the Hong Kong Club, had enlisted as a private when deemed too old for mobilization. Private T. A. Pearce, 67 years old, was chairman of J. D. Hutchison & Company and secretary of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Captain Bruch, the second-in-command, aged 60, chaired a major trading house. The list extended through Hong Kong's business elite, each choosing to fight rather than flee. These old men held an entire regiment at bay. When Patterson called for aid, Maltby dispatched an HKVDC armoured car with a platoon from Z Company, 1 Middlesex, but the reinforcement was ambushed before reaching the station; only nine soldiers, including 2nd Lieutenant Caruthers, broke through. Unable to dislodge the defenders by assault, the Japanese resorted to bombardment. By 0145 hours on 19 December, surrounded and ammunition exhausted, the defenders withdrew to King's Road behind a disabled bus. The Japanese deployed three machine guns, killing or mortally wounding all but Private Geoghan. A Japanese officer, believing all dead, cautiously approached—only to have Geoghan, despite his wounds, surge from cover and charge. He killed the officer and four soldiers before collapsing from wounds. Somehow Geoghan survived. Those old men—civilians and reservists, businessmen and veterans—held the entire western Japanese advance for 18 hours, buying Maltby precious time to withdraw forces and establish a new defensive line. Their stand at North Point became one of the campaign's most improbable acts of defiance. As the 2/229th Regiment advanced southward toward Mt Parker, the 3/229th landed at Aldrich Bay and turned eastward toward Lyemun, where they seized an HKVDC 6-inch gun. Major Bishop of the Royal Rifles of Canada, unaware of the landings, dispatched 15 Platoon under Lieutenant Scott to check on A Company of the Rajputs. Unexpectedly, they encountered armed men in civilian clothes at Lyemun's gate—the first indication of the Japanese presence on the island. Yet senior officers dismissed initial reports of landings and lost positions as exaggerated, a critical miscalculation that proved catastrophic. At Lyemun Fort, the 5th Anti-aircraft Battery of the HKVDC was caught completely unaware and surrendered after minimal resistance. The Japanese then committed one of many atrocities that would characterize the battle, bayoneting 29 survivors. Alerted by 15 Platoon's report, Bishop attempted a counter-attack with two platoons to retake the fort, but the defenders could not scale the six-meter wall and withdrew with nine men killed. As the 2/229th pressed southward toward Mt Parker, they overran the Salesian Mission, which had been converted into an Advance Dressing Station. No. 8 Company of the 2/229th systematized a massacre of medical personnel and the wounded—an atrocity that would later become pivotal evidence at Colonel Tanaka's war crimes trial. Yet amid the chaos, several medical staff and wounded survived to testify: Gunners Y. K. Chan and Martin H. C. Tso of the 5th Battery, Captain Osler Thomas of the HKVDC, Captain Martin Banfill of the Royal Canadian Medical Corps, and Corporal Norman Leath of the Royal Army Medical Corps. C Company of the Royal Rifles, reinforced with captured Japanese machine guns abandoned by fleeing Rajputs, inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, with one Japanese company suffering over 65 percent losses. Yet overwhelmed by superior numbers and suffering nearly two platoons worth of casualties themselves, the Canadians were forced to withdraw, leaving only a reinforcement platoon under Lieutenant Blaver on Mt Parker. When Captain Clerke arrived at dawn with 16 Platoon to reinforce the position, he found over 100 Japanese already entrenched. With no artillery support and only two platoons available, Clerke had no choice but to withdraw, abandoning Mt Parker to the enemy. By dawn on the 19th, the East Brigade faced catastrophe. Infantry strength had been halved, and losses of artillery were equally devastating. A series of misunderstandings and misinterpreted orders led coastal gun crews at Capes D'Aguilar and Collinson to destroy their own guns in confusion or lose them to the advancing Japanese. Of the entire artillery complement, only one 18-pounder and two 3.7-inch field guns remained operational. Wongneichong—literally "yellow muddy creek" in Chinese—occupies the center of Hong Kong Island, a valley separating the eastern hills (Mt Parker, Mt Butler, Jardine's Lookout) from the western massif (Mt Nicholson, Mt Cameron, Victoria Peak). This narrow gap formed the critical artery linking northern and southern Hong Kong, making Brigadier Lawson's decision to place West Brigade Headquarters there strategically sound yet tactically vulnerable. Recognizing the exposed position after the landings, Major Lyndon had located an alternative site south of Mt Nicholson, scheduled to open the following day. In response to the Japanese landings, Lawson dispatched three platoons of Winnipeg Grenadiers to block the advance. Lieutenant C. D. French took 18 Platoon to Mt Butler, Lieutenant G. A. Birkett's 17 Platoon moved to Jardine's Lookout, and Lieutenant L. B. Corrigan's platoon took the north-west approach to the Gap. As on Mt Parker, both French and Birkett were killed almost immediately, their small forces overwhelmed by battalion-strength enemy forces with artillery support. By morning on the 19th, two battalions each of the 230th and 228th Regiments were pushing for the high ground. The 2/230th rapidly occupied Jardine's Lookout while the 3/230th moved to Mt Nicholson and the 2/228th advanced toward the Gap itself. No. 3 Company of the HKVDC under Major E. Stewart held pillboxes around Jardine's Lookout, while No. 1 Company under Captain Penn defended Taitam Valley with forward positions at Quarry Gap. The pillboxes, despite heavy bombardment, held longer than anticipated—some for as long as 24 hours. Stewart maintained his company headquarters until the 22nd, four days of continuous fighting without adequate ammunition, food, or water. No. 3 Company suffered 80 percent casualties and ceased to exist as a cohesive unit. Realizing that the enemy had penetrated to Mt Butler, Brigadier Lawson decided counter-attack was essential. Major A. B. Gresham of A Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, was ordered to retake Mt Butler and clear Jardine's Lookout. The Canadians initially succeeded, with Warrant Officer 2 J. R. Osborne leading a bayonet charge, but a strong counter-attack by three Japanese companies drove them back by 2200 hours. The Canadians held firm until 1500 hours, when Gresham attempted surrender despite waving a white flag—the Japanese shot him regardless. In the chaos that followed, a Canadian killed a Japanese officer in response, triggering a grenade barrage. Warrant Officer Osborne caught the grenades and hurled them back as fast as they came, but one landed in an impossible position. Without hesitation, Osborne threw himself on the grenade to save his comrades. This act of supreme self-sacrifice earned him a Victoria Cross—the first Canadian VC of World War II. At dawn on the 19th, Maltby dispatched A Company of the 2 Royal Scots under Captain K. J. Campbell to reinforce the Gap, but they lost all their officers with only 15 men reaching Lawson's headquarters. A group of sailors under Commander A. L. Pears came from the south, but were ambushed en route; only a few reached the Postbridge—a house just south of the Gap—which became an isolated strongpoint. The 3/230th captured the police station perched on a mound at the southern point of the Gap, then swept eastward to seize the anti-aircraft guns of 7th Battery (barely 250 meters from brigade headquarters) and continued uphill toward Taitam Hill to capture additional 6-inch and 3.7-inch guns. Maltby's response was to call down final protective fire from the HKSRA in Happy Valley, inflicting massive casualties on the 3/230th. At 1000 hours on the 19th, Lawson reported that his headquarters was surrounded and he was about to "go outside and shoot it out." Captain H. A. Bush provided covering fire as Lawson and his entire staff, including Middlesex signallers, were cut down by machine-gun fire across the Gap. Lawson's body was discovered two days later halfway up the hill behind his headquarters, dead from a gunshot wound to the thigh. Lieutenant Kerfoot of the 2/14 Punjab with his three Bren carriers arrived minutes too late to save him. IJA who saw the fight made a note stating "he died heroically". At 1330 hours on the 19th, Maltby issued "Operation Order No. 6" calling for a massive counter-attack to commence 90 minutes later. The plan was ambitious: A and D Companies of the 2/14 Punjab were to attack east from Victoria to North Point to relieve the Hughsiliers, while HQ Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the 2 Royal Scots were to attack the Gap and Jardine's Lookout. Eight field guns were promised but never materialized. There was no reconnaissance, no proper orders, and minimal coordination. The Canadians were to rendezvous with the 2 Royal Scots at Middle Gap at 1530 hours, but the Scots were late; the Canadians advanced without them. Captain Pinkerton of D Company, 2 Royal Scots, was ordered at the last minute to attack up Wongneichong Gap Road—the same route A Company had taken only seven hours earlier and been decimated—because it was reported as "lightly held." Captain A. M. S. Slater-Brown led the advance with three Bren carriers and attached engineers, followed by D Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Just as the carriers reached the burnt-out trucks of A Company, they too were ambushed. Mortars and machine-gun fire rained down from Jardine's Lookout, where the Japanese occupied captured HKVDC pillboxes. Slater-Brown and 2nd Lieutenant Bell, the battalion intelligence officer, were killed instantly. The Royal Scots waited in the roadside ditches until 0200 hours before launching an attack on the police station, reaching the steps before Pinkerton was severely wounded. Captain Ford's composite company attack at 0300 hours also failed. Simultaneously, C Company under Lieutenant F. L. Stanier attacked Jardine's Lookout—also unsuccessfully. This series of piecemeal assaults cost the Royal Scots eight officers and 68 soldiers. Growing increasingly desperate, Maltby ordered Major Hodkinson, Officer Commanding HQ Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, to attack the Gap and proceed to Mt Parker. Requesting reinforcements from A Company and the Royal Scots, Hodkinson launched his assault with covering fire from Lieutenant Corrigan on Mt Nicholson. The Grenadiers managed to reach Mt Nicholson with only five unwounded men, though Corrigan's group advanced to within 300 meters of the Gap road. Then came an unexpected stroke of fortune: while skirting Mt Nicholson, Hodkinson's group stumbled upon approximately 500 Japanese—probably from the 3/230th—eating lunch without posting sentries. The Winnipeg Grenadiers unleashed devastating fire, inflicting heavy casualties. By 1745 hours, Hodkinson's force was only 100 meters from Repulse Bay Road. With four men and a 2-inch mortar, Hodkinson worked his way to the abandoned brigade headquarters, bringing 20 walking wounded with him. He established a foothold at the Gap, receiving orders to attack the police station at 2200 hours. Two HKVDC armoured cars with Vickers machine guns came in support, but accurate enemy fire disabled both. Like Pinkerton before him, Hodkinson reached near his objective before being severely wounded. For this action of determination and courage, Hodkinson was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. By the morning of the 20th, the Japanese had consolidated control of the Gap, but elements of D Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, still held various pillboxes north of the position. Initially, 17 and 18 Platoons occupied forward positions with Company Headquarters and 16 Platoon in reserve, positioned across Wongneichong Road almost directly opposite brigade headquarters. Forward positions were rapidly overrun and cut off from the company. They fought without officers until withdrawal to battalion headquarters became necessary. With Captain A. S. Bowman killed and Captain R. W. Philips wounded, command fell to Lieutenant T. A. Blackwood. An attempt by B Company to relieve D Company on the evening of the 20th failed catastrophically, killing all officers and 29 men. With fewer than 50 men remaining—all wounded—Lieutenant Blackwood continued inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese until 22 December, when exhaustion and the complete absence of ammunition, food, and water forced surrender. D Company killed over 200 Japanese soldiers. Post-war Japanese reports refused to believe that a single company had held the Gap for so long. For their stubborn defense, Philips and Blackwood were awarded the Military Cross, and three enlisted men received the Military Medal. The battle of Wongneichong Gap was characterized by fragmented planning and poor coordination. On the night of the 19th-20th, no fewer than three separate companies attacked the police station, with another company assaulting Jardine's Lookout—all within five hours, all independently organized by local commanders. Had these disparate actions been coordinated into a single simultaneous assault, fortress headquarters' objectives might well have been achieved. By the end of the 20th, the British had lost the vital ground of Wongneichong, though Postbridge House remained as an isolated holdout. For the Japanese, Wongneichong became the single costliest engagement since the invasion began, with over 800 casualties and the regimental commander of the 3/230th seriously wounded. 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.   Japanese landings on 18-19 December overwhelmed the East Brigade. Brigadier Lawson died defending the vital Gap. Desperate, uncoordinated counter-attacks by British and Canadian troops failed to dislodge the enemy. D Company Winnipeg Grenadiers held the position for four days against overwhelming odds before surrendering. The Japanese suffered 800 casualties but secured this critical strategic ground.

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Little Jimmy “The Creep” Talarico is an amalgam of most every confused social spasm of our nation's unmoored youth and stuck-in-adolescence adult population since the years that brought the fully anti-American deconstructionist Obama movement to the forefront.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Dallas Fed survey shows Texas' manufacturing sector “accelerates” in August.Governor Abbott jumps on the anti-Flock spy camera bandwagon. Welcome, even if it is much later than it should have been.Attorney General Ken Paxton Supports Pause of 765-kV Transmission Line Buildout Pending Legislative ReviewListen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

21 From that time on, [after Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah,] Jesus began to show his  disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief  priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to  rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." 23 But he turned and said to  Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me, for you are setting your mind not on divine  things but on human things."  24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up  their cross and follow me. 25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life  for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or  what will they give in return for their life?  27 "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay  everyone for what has been done. 28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death  before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

86% of employees at Canada's Best Workplaces say management keeps them informed about important issues and changes, according to Great Place to Work Canada. That statistic underscores a fundamental truth about organizational success: trust, transparency, and communication matter—especially when organizations and their people are navigating change. High-trust workplace cultures can also have a powerful impact on employee retention, engagement, collaboration, and an organization's ability to navigate uncertainty. When employees trust their leaders, understand where the organization is going, and feel connected to the people around them, teams are better positioned to perform when circumstances become challenging. So, how can leaders build teams that communicate faster, trust more deeply, and execute effectively when things get messy? On this episode of Let's Have This Conversation, I'm joined by Tyler Hayden, a Hall of Fame keynote speaker, Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), bestselling author, and organizational development consultant who has spent more than 30 years working with teams—from outdoor leadership environments to corporate boardrooms. Tyler has worked with organizations including TD Bank, Bell, Honeywell, and Pratt & Whitney, helping leaders strengthen communication, engagement, collaboration, and organizational culture. His promise for every engagement is simple: High energy. Real tools. Measurable behaviour change. Tyler's work sits at the intersection of leadership and manager development, team engagement, employee retention, workplace culture, experiential learning, facilitation, and evidence-based approaches to creating lasting behavioural change. During our conversation, we explore what separates an ordinary collection of employees from a truly high-performing team. We discuss how leaders can establish trust, improve communication, strengthen employee engagement, and create workplace cultures where people are prepared to perform through uncertainty and organizational change. We also examine the power of storytelling in leadership and why the stories leaders tell—and the way they communicate them—can influence trust, belonging, motivation, and organizational identity. Tyler also shares insights from his proprietary MIQ approach, his philosophy of experiential learning, and what three decades of working directly with teams have taught him about creating learning experiences that actually stick. At its core, this conversation is about creating elite workplace cultures where communication is clear, trust is intentional, leadership is human, and employees are equipped to perform when the pressure rises. If you're a CEO, executive, HR professional, people leader, manager, organizational development professional, or anyone responsible for building stronger teams, this conversation offers practical insights into turning workplace culture from an abstract concept into a measurable competitive advantage.   For more information: https://tylerhayden.com/ Get the books: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Tyler-Hayden/author/B00N9P1SHC?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=gBysS&content-id=amzn1.sym.aaa4948b-dfc3-44fd-9219-af24eb02108e&pd_rd_wg=xtrkQ&pd_rd_r=e0e1976e-1412-48db-9567-2703a8b4678f&ref=ap_rdr&shoppingPortalEnabled=true Discover more: https://rubberchicken.ai/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson was in Texas yesterday campaigning for Republican Congressional nominees and said that the Trump Agenda is on the ballot. But that may indeed be the problem with the redistricted seats where Trump won big two years ago, today Trump's approval rating is terrible in these areas. Link to poll.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Lubbock ISD trustees vote to raise property taxes on citizens instead of cutting spending.Wildfire update. Ross Fire scorches 85,000+ acres, second-largest in North Texas history (we haven't been able to accurately track the size of these things for very long.)Oil and gas rig count rises this week in Texas but only by one.The famed Texas Rangers, oldest profession law enforcement force in North America, get a new chief.Federal judge dismisses Fort Worth Muslim's lawsuit over principal reassignment.PUC approves routes for first 765-kV power lines in Texas despite much objection.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The Future of Los Angeles Hangs in the BalanceThis episode of the John Phillips Show is a must-listen for anyone concerned about the future of Los Angeles. The city is at a crossroads, with two disastrous candidates vying for the mayoral seat: Karen Bass and Nithya Raman. The speaker delves into the world of politics, discussing the implications of each candidate's policies and the potential consequences for the city.The conversation centers around the question of how Spencer Pratt voters will decide the outcome of the election. Will they choose the incumbent mayor, Karen Bass, who has been criticized for her handling of homelessness and traffic, or will they opt for Nithya Raman, a socialist who promises to take the city in a more radical direction? The speaker also touches on the idea that the Pratt voters hold the key to the election, and that the candidates are trying to win them over with promises of support.The discussion also covers the topic of write-in candidates, with the speaker explaining that under the LA City Election Code, write-in candidates are not allowed in general municipal elections. This means that voters who want to support Spencer Pratt or other candidates will have to choose between the two main contenders.If you're a Los Angeles resident, this episode is a must-listen. The speaker's analysis of the mayoral candidates and the implications of their policies will give you a better understanding of what's at stake in this election. Tune in to hear the full discussion and decide for yourself which candidate deserves your vote.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we head into the final month of the 2026 season, have our feelings changed on the City Connect jerseys, now that the initial wave of reaction has cooled off? The Brewers are playing well in them, including the Misiorowski-Sale clash last Friday, and there's another upcoming battle this week. Milwaukee radio veteran Bart Winkler joins the show to discuss why the "Wisco" look bothers him so much and if anything has changed since the season began. Why do we care about uniforms so much, anyway? Have fans come around to embrace the look? Is there anything weird about the team marketing to the "rest of the state" so eagerly?Before that, host JR Radcliffe is joined by Journal Sentinel beat reporter Curt Hogg from New York, and he discusses the controversial decision by manager Pat Murphy to bench Cooper Pratt for poor fundamentals ... a decision that had consequences in Milwaukee's 3-2 loss to the Mets on Tuesday. Is it part of a concerning trend? Or was it simply Murphy knowing his clubhouse, even if he's using "old school" methods?

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Are “educational foundations” for public school districts just another way to cheat the school finance system and the court order behind such? Some legislators have awakened to such in the case of relatively small Barbers Hill ISD in Mont Belvieu which has a foundation with a corpus of about $250,000,000 and is rife with what appear to be conflicts of interest. Two good write-ups on yesterday's hearing on the matter: Lawmakers Scrutinize Barbers Hill's Massive Education Foundation Lawmakers Grill Public School Superintendent on Conflicts of Interest at Education Foundation Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Ross Fire, 80,000 acres, could be burning for ‘days and days,' official says.Midland County judge, Terry Johnson, suspended by state judicial conduct commission.California loses another multi-billion-dollar giant to Texas as corporate exodus growsListen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates. www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Good news for Taylor and Ector County taxpayers – your county officials are not raising your property taxes this next year. Overall, going on 20-years, taxpayers in Texas have been getting a raw deal from local governments, especially municipalities as city council folk have increased the size of government spending grossly beyond population and inflation. This story at The Texan gives a good summary of such looking at the cities of the Texas Triangle.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures Over $1 Billion from Meta in Historic Settlement that Protects Texas Kids Online. Massive Meta settlement targets teenage social-media addiction.The 87-year-old federal judge from New York needs to retire and go back to the Empire (formerly) State because he would be more comfortable living under Leftist Gov. Hochul: Texas' limits on some drag shows found unconstitutional again.Gov. Greg Abbott wants three-year bachelor's degrees in Texas. Governor Abbott Directs THECB To Develop Three-Year Bachelor's Degree Pathways.Ross Fire in Texas grows to 80,000 acres as winds shift.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: New statewide polling is out from UT/Texas Politics Project showing Republicans leading in all but the U.S. Senate race in August. U.S. House Speaker Johnson is in Texas this week stumping for Hispanic Republicans in key Congressional seats.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Wildfire updates: Ross Fire explodes to 50,000 acres in Palo Pinto County Governor Abbott Announces Federal Assistance For Ross Fire Mandatory evacuations remain in effect as crews battle Rio Escondido Fire in Hamilton County – updates No damage to homes or injuries reported as Neighbor Fire clean up continues Texas Appeals Court Holds District Courts Cannot Order New Appraisal Review Board Hearings.Six Flags move corporate HQ back to Texas leaving North Carolina.Supreme Court allows Trump administration to move forward with order imposing restrictions on mail-in voting | SCOTUSblog.Abbott fights Minnesota lawsuit on ICE officer extradition. “Abbott said state officials are still investigating whether Christian Castro, who is being held in Cameron County Jail, can be classified as a fugitive because he didn't flee Minnesota but was apparently reassigned to Texas by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Lubbock County Democrat Party leadership attacks Lubbock Young Republicans claiming a term it used online is “racist.”No amount of stretching language to fit a preconception allows me to see how “vote hard R this November” is racist or even objectionable to anyone, other than soft R's! The term has been used for my entire life to describe a voter who votes in each GOP primary and votes Republican each general election. Sorry, Dems but I don't live in the gutter you do so I am happily ignorant of why you say that voting “hard R” in November is a “deeply harmful racial slur.” Lubbock County Democratic Party condemns Young Republicans post Lubbock Young Republicans respond to viral post, Lubbock Co. Dems Lubbock County Democratic Party condemns local Young Republicans social post And notice the irresponsibility of the Lubbock media. At least three outlets ran the story but did not bother to explain (or even inquire?) how the term or phrase has racial undertones. If it isn't obvious then it requires explaining otherwise you are just running baseless attacks.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.An example of how deeply embedded into our institutions is the concept of open borders and non-responsiblity immigration: 1st Circ. Says NH Witness Retaliation Is No Basis For Removal.Cornyn: Texas to get $7.5 billion from border reimbursement fund. The last few lines are the best of the story!Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com

Andy Henriquez, known as the Master Storyteller, is a business storytelling coach, keynote speaker, and founder of the Master Storyteller Academy. He helps entrepreneurs, executives, and organizations use strategic storytelling to build stronger connections, elevate their brands, and drive revenue growth. The author of Show Up for Your Life, Andy has worked with organizations including NASA, Accenture, Pratt & Whitney, Bacardi, and Google. In this episode, he shares how a chance conversation at a gas station changed the trajectory of his career, how he turned his real estate knowledge into his first information product, and why storytelling and personal investment can be powerful tools for creating opportunities. On this episode we talk about: How a random conversation at a gas station led Andy into real estate and ultimately changed his career Turning knowledge and expertise into seminars, information products, and revenue Why storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to build genuine connections The difference between being in the right place at the right time and being the right person at the right time Andy's life-changing decision to invest $30,000 in coaching with legendary speaker Les Brown Why you shouldn't wait for someone else to give you an opportunity—you should create your own stage How investing in yourself can build confidence, accountability, and long-term results Top 3 Takeaways Create your own opportunities. Don't sit around waiting for someone to give you a seat at the table. Put yourself in environments where opportunities can happen, then be prepared to act when they do. Become the right person for the opportunity. Being in the right place at the right time isn't enough. Your mindset, preparation, and willingness to act determine whether you'll recognize and capitalize on an opportunity. Invest in yourself at the level of the results you want. Andy's $30,000 investment in coaching forced him to take his goals seriously and become more accountable. Even when an investment doesn't immediately produce the expected result, the lessons and experience can become part of the process that eventually pays off. Notable Quotes "The shortest distance between you and the person that you're either looking to connect with or the person that you're looking to influence is really like a story." "You have to invest at the level in which you expect results." "Successful people commit first, and then they figure it out." Connect with Andy Henriquez: LinkedIn: Andy Henriquez Instagram: Show Up for Your Life Other: Master Storyteller Academy A Word from Our Sponsors: - Go to Leesa.com for 25% OFF select mattresses (through August 23, 2026) PLUS get an extra $50 off with promo code TMM, exclusive for my listeners  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices