Podcasts about send off

Can You Segway?Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.So exactly who was going to be sympathetic to their plight, who we cared about?Beyond my fevered dream of making a difference there was a pinch of reality. See, the Cabindans and the people of Zaire were both ethnic Bakongo and the Bakongo of Zaire had also once had their own, independent (until 1914) kingdom which was now part of Angola. The Bakongo were major factions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -(formerly for a short time known as the nation of Zaire, from here on out to be referred to as the DRC and in the running for the most fucked up place on the planet Earth, more on that later)- and Congo (the nation) yet a minority in Angola. Having an independent nation united along ethnic and linguistic lines made sense and could expect support from their confederates across international boundaries.The Liberation Air ForceThe Earth & Sky operated under one constant dilemma ~ when would Temujin make his return? Since they didn't know and it was their job to be prepared for the eventuality if it happened tomorrow, or a century down the line, they 'stockpiled', and 'stockpiled' and 'stockpiled'.That was why they maintained large horse herds and preserved the ancient arts of Asian bowyers, armoring and weapons-craft. That was why they created secret armories, and sulfur and saltpeter sites when musketry and cannons became the new ways of warfare. They secured sources of phosphates and petroleum when they became the new thing, and so on.All of this boiled over to me being shown yet again I worked with clever, creative and under-handed people. The Khanate came up with a plan for a 'Union' Air Force {Union? More on that later} within 24 hours, and it barely touched any of their existing resources. How did they accomplish this miracle? They had stockpiled and maintained earlier generation aircraft because they didn't know when Temujin would make his re-appearance.They'd also trained pilots and ground crews for those aircraft. As you might imagine, those people grew old just as their equipment did. In time, they went into the Earth & Sky's Inactive Reserves ~ the rank & file over the age of 45. You never were 'too old' to serve in some capacity though most combat-support related work ended at 67.When Temujin made his return and the E&S transformed into the Khanate, those people went to work bringing their lovingly cared for, aging equipment up to combat-alert readiness. If the frontline units were decimated, they would have to serve, despite the grim odds of their survival. It was the terrible acceptance the Chinese would simply possess so much more war-making material than they did.Well, the Khanate kicked the PRC's ass in a titanic ass-whooping no one (else) had seen coming, or would soon forget. Factory production and replacement of worn machines was in stride to have the Khanate's Air Force ready for the next round of warfare when the Cease-fire ended and the Reunification War resumed.Always a lower priority, the Khanate military leadership was considering deactivating dozens of these reserve unit when suddenly the (Mongolian) Ikh khaany khairt akh dáé (me) had this hare-brained scheme about helping rebels in Africa, West Africa, along the Gulf of Guinea coast/Atlantic Ocean, far, far away, and it couldn't look like the Khanate was directly involved.They barely knew where Angola was. They had to look up Cabinda to figure out precisely where that was. They brought in some of their 'reservist' air staff to this briefing and one of them, a woman (roughly a third of the E&S 'fighting'/non-frontline forces were female), knew what was going on. Why?She had studied the combat records and performance of the types of aircraft she'd have to utilize... back in the 1980's and 90's and Angola had been a war zone rife with Soviet (aka Khanate) material back then. Since she was both on the ball, bright and knew the score, the War Council put her in overall command. She knew what was expected of her and off she went, new staff in hand. She was 64 years old, yet as ready and willing to serve as any 20 year old believer in the Cause.Subtlety, scarcity and audacity were the watchwords of the day. The Khanate couldn't afford any of their front-line aircraft for this 'expedition'. They really couldn't afford any of their second-rate stuff either. Fortunately, they had some updated third-rate war-fighting gear still capable of putting up an impressive show in combat ~ providing they weren't going up against a top tier opponents.For the 'volunteers' of the Union Air Force, this could very likely to be a one-way trip. They all needed crash courses (not a word any air force loves, I know) in Portuguese though hastily provided iPhones with 'apps' to act as translators were deemed to be an adequate stop-gap measure. Besides, they were advised to avoid getting captured at all cost. The E&S couldn't afford the exposure. Given the opportunity ~ this assignment really was going above and beyond ~ not one of these forty-six to sixty-seven year olds backed out.No, they rolled out fifty of their antiquated aircraft, designs dating back to the 1950's through the mid-70's, and prepared them for the over 10,000 km journey to where they were 'needed most'. 118 pilots would go (72 active plus 46 replacements) along with 400 ground crew and an equally aged air defense battalion (so their air bases didn't get blown up). Security would be provided by 'outsiders' ~ allies already on the ground and whatever rebels could be scrounged up. After the initial insertion, the Indian Air Force would fly in supplies at night into the Cabinda City and Soyo Airports.The composition,14 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 jet fighters ~ though she entered service in 1959, these planes' electronics were late 20th century and she was a renowned dogfighter. 12 were the Mig-21-97 modernized variant and the other two were Mig-21 UM two-seater trainer variants which could double as reconnaissance fighters if needed.14 Sukhoi Su-22 jet fighter-bombers ~ the original design, called the Su-17, came out in 1970, the first 12 were variants with the 22M4 upgrade were an early-80's package. The other 2 were Su-22U two-seat trainers which, like their Mig-21 comrades, doubled as reconnaissance fighters. The Su-22M4's would be doing the majority of the ground attack missions for the Cabindans, though they could defend themselves in aerial combat if necessary.6 Sukhoi Su-24M2 supersonic attack aircraft ~ the first model rolled off the production lines in the Soviet Union back in 1974. By far the heaviest planes in the Cabindan Air Force, the Su-24M2's would act as their 'bomber force' as well as anti-ship deterrence.8 Mil Mi-24 VM combat helicopters ~ introduced in 1972 was still a lethal combat machine today. Unlike the NATO helicopter force, the Mi-24's did double duty as both attack helicopter and assault transports at the same time.4 Mil Mi-8 utility helicopters, first produced in 1967. Three would act as troop/cargo transports (Mi-8 TP) while the fourth was configured as a mobile hospital (the MI-17 1VA).4 Antonov An-26 turboprop aircraft, two to be used as tactical transports to bring in supplies by day and two specializing in electronic intelligence aka listening to what the enemy was up to. Though it entered production in 1969, many still remained flying today.2 Antonov An-71M AEW&C twin-jet engine aircraft. These were an old, abandoned Soviet design the Earth & Sky had continued working on primarily because the current (1970's) Russian Airborne Early Warning and Control bird had been both huge and rather ineffective ~ it couldn't easily identify low-flying planes in the ground clutter so it was mainly only good at sea. Since the E&S planned to mostly fight over the land,They kept working on the An-71 which was basically 1977's popular An-72 with some pertinent design modifications (placing the engines below the wings instead of above them as on the -72 being a big one). To solve their radar problem, they stole some from the Swedish tech firm Ericsson, which hadn't been foreseen to be a problem before now.See, the Russians in the post-Soviet era created a decent AEW&C craft the E&S gladly stole and copied the shit out of for their front line units and it was working quite nicely ~ the Beriev A-50, and wow, were the boys in the Kremlin pissed off about that these days. Whoops, or was that woot?Now, the Khanate was shipping two An-71's down to Cabinda and somewhere along the line someone just might get a 'feel' for the style of radar and jamming the Cabindans were using aka the Swedish stuff in those An-71's. The Erieye radar system could pick out individual planes at 280 miles. The over-all system could track 60 targets and plot out 10 intercepts simultaneously. NATO, they were not, but in sub-Saharan Africa, there were none better.Anyway, so why was any of this important?Why the old folks with their ancient machines? As revealed, since the Earth & Sky had no idea when Temüjin would return, they were constantly squirreling away equipment. World War 2 gave them unequaled access to Soviet military technology and training.Afterwards, under Josef Stalin's direction, thousands of Russian and German engineers and scientists were exiled to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan who were then snatched up (reportedly died in the gulags/trying to escape) and the E&S began building mirror factories modeled on the 'then current' Soviet production lines.So, by the early 1950's, the E&S was building, flying and maintaining Soviet-style Antonov, Beriev, Ilyushin, Myasishchev, Mikoyan-Gurevich, Sukhoi, Tupolev and Yakovlev airplanes. First in small numbers because their pool of pilots and specialists was so small.The E&S remedied this by creating both their own 'private' flight academies and technical schools. They protected their activities with the judicious use of bribes (they were remarkably successful with their economic endeavors on both side of the Iron Curtain) and murders (including the use of the Ghost Tigers).By 1960, the proto-Khanate had an air force. Through the next two decades they refined and altered their doctrine ~ moving away from the Soviet doctrine to a more pure combined-arms approach (the Soviets divided their air power into four separate arms ~ ADD (Long Range Aviation), FA (Front Aviation), MTA (Military Transport Aviation) and the V-PVO (Soviet Air Defenses ~ which controlled air interceptors).).It wasn't until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of the various former SSR's that the E&S program really began to hit its stride. Still, while Russia faltered, China's PLAAF (Peoples' Liberation Army Air Force) began to take off. Since the Chinese could produce so much more, the E&S felt it had to keep those older planes and crews up to combat readiness. The younger field crews and pilots flew the newer models as they rolled off the secret production lines.Then the Unification War appeared suddenly, the E&S-turned Khanate Air Force skunked their PLAAF rivals due to two factors, a surprise attack on a strategic level and the fatal poisoning of their pilots and ground crews before they even got into the fight. For those Chinese craft not destroyed on the ground, the effects of Anthrax eroded their fighting edge. Comparable technology gave the Khanate their critical victory and Air Supremacy over the most important battlefields.What did this meant for those out-of-date air crews and pilots who had been training to a razor's edge for a month now? Their assignment had been to face down the Russians if they invaded. They would take their planes up into the fight even though this most likely would mean their deaths, but they had to try.When Operation Fun House put Russia in a position where she wasn't likely to jump on the Khanate, this mission's importance faded. The Russian Air Force was far more stretched than the Khanate's between her agitations in the Baltic and her commitments in the Manchurian, Ukrainian, Chechen and Georgian theaters.With more new planes rolling off the production lines, these reservist units began dropping down the fuel priority list, which meant lowering their flight times thus readiness. Only my hare-brained scheme had short-circuited their timely retirement. Had I realized I was getting people's grandparents killed, I would have probably made the same call anyway. We needed them.The KanateThe Khanate's #1 air superiority dogfighter was the Mig-35F. The #2 was the Mig-29. No one was openly discussing the Khanate's super-stealthy "Su-50", if that was what it was, because its existence 'might' suggest the Khanate also stole technology from the Indian defense industry, along with their laundry list of thefts from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the PRC, Russia and half of NATO.Her top multi-role fighters were the Su-47, Su-35S and Su-30SM. The Su-30 'Flanker-C/MK2/MKI were their 2nd team with plenty of 3rd team Su-27M's still flying combat missions as well.Strike fighters? There weren't enough Su-34's to go around yet, so the Su-25MS remained the Khanate's dedicated Close Air Assault model.Medium transport aircraft? The An-32RE and An-38. They had small, large and gargantuan transports as well.Bombers? The rather ancient jet-powered Tu-160M2's and Tu-22M2's as well as the even older yet still worthwhile turboprops ~ from 1956's ~ the Tu-95M S16.Helicopters? While they still flew updated variants of the Mil Mi-8/17 as military transports, the more optimized Kamov Ka-52 and Mil Mi-28 had replaced them in the assault role.Bizarrely, the Khanate had overrun several Chinese production lines of the aircraft frames and components ~ enough to complete fairly modern PLAAF (Peoples Liberation Army Air Force) FC-1 and J-10 (both are small multi-role fighter remarkably similar to the US F-16 with the FC-1 being the more advanced model, using shared Chinese-Pakistani technology and was designed for export,).They did have nearly two dozen to send, but they didn't have the pilots and ground crews trained to work with them, plus the FC-1 cost roughly $32 million which wasn't fundage any legitimate Cabindan rebels could get their hands on, much less $768 million (and that would just be for the planes, not the weeks' worth of fuel, parts and munitions necessary for what was forthcoming).Meanwhile, except for the An-26, which you could get for under $700,000 and the An-71, which were only rendered valuable via 'black market tech', none of the turboprop and jet aircraft the Khanate was sending were what any sane military would normally want. The helicopters were expensive ~ the 'new' models Mi-24's cost $32 million while the Mi-17's set you back $17 million. The one's heading to Cabinda didn't look 'new'.The Opposition:In contrast, the Angolan Air Force appeared far larger and more modern. Appearances can be deceptive, and they were. Sure, the models of Russian and Soviet-made aircraft they had in their inventory had the higher numbers ~ the Su-25, -27 and -30 ~ plus they had Mig-21bis's, Mig-23's and Su-22's, but things like training and up-keep didn't appear to be priorities for the Angolans.When you took into account the rampant corruption infecting all levels of Angolan government, the conscript nature of their military, the weakness of their technical educational system, the complexity of any modern combat aircraft and the reality that poor sods forced into being Air Force ground crewmen hardly made the most inspired technicians, or most diligent care-takers of their 'valuable' stockpiles (which their officers all too often sold on the black market anyway), things didn't just look bleak for the Angolan Air Force, they were a tsunami of cumulative factors heading them for an epic disaster.It wasn't only their enemies who derided their Air Force's lack of readiness. Their allies constantly scolded them about it too. Instead of trying to fix their current inventory, the Angolans kept shopping around for new stuff. Since 'new'-new aircraft was beyond what they wanted to spend (aka put too much of a dent in the money they were siphoning off to their private off-shore accounts), they bought 'used' gear from former Soviet states ~ Belarus, Russia and Ukraine ~ who sold them stuff they had left abandoned in revetments (open to the elements to slowly rot) on the cheap.To add to the insanity, the Angolans failed to keep up their maintenance agreements so their newly fixed high-tech machines often either couldn't fly, or flew without critical systems, like radar, avionics and even radios. Maybe that wasn't for the worst because after spending millions on these occasionally-mobile paperweights, the Angolans bought the least technologically advanced missile, gun and rocket systems they could get to put on these flying misfortunes.On the spread sheets, Angola had 18 Su-30K's, 18 Su-27, 12 Su-25's, 14 Su-22's, 22 Mig-23's, 23 Mig-21bis's and 6 Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano (a turboprop aircraft tailor-made for counter-insurgency operations), 105 helicopters with some combative ability and 21 planes with some airlift capacity. That equated to 81 either air superiority, or multi-role jet fighters versus the 12 Union Air Force (actually the Bakongo Uni o de Cabinda e Zaire, For as Armadas de Liberta  o, For a Area ~ Liberation Armed Forces, Air Force (BUCZ-FAL-FA) Mig-21-97's.It would seem lopsided except for the thousands of hours of flight experience the 'Unionists' enjoyed over their Angolan rivals. You also needed to take into account the long training and fanatic dedication of their ground crews to their pilots and their craft. Then you needed to take into account every Unionist aircraft, while an older airframe design, had updated (usually to the year 2000) technology lovingly cared for, as if the survival of their People demanded it.A second and even more critical factor was the element of surprise. At least the PRC and the PLAAF had contingencies for attacks from their neighbors in the forefront of their strategic planning. The Angolans? The only country with ANY air force in the vicinity was the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and they had ceased being a threat with the end of Apartheid and the rise of majority Black rule in that country nearly two decades earlier.In the pre-dawn hours of 'Union Independence Day', the FAL-FA was going to smash every Angolan Air base and air defense facility within 375 miles of Cabinda (the city). Every three hours after that, they would be hitting another target within their designated 'Exclusion Zone'. Yes, this 'Exclusion Zone' included a 'tiny' bit of DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) territory. The DRC didn't have an air force to challenge them though, so,Inside this 'Exclusion Zone', anything moving by sea, river, road, rail, or air without Unionist governmental approval was subject to attack, which would require neutral parties to acknowledge some semblance of a free and independent B U C Z. Worse for Angola, this 'Zone' included Angola's capital and its largest port, Luanda, plus four more of their ten largest urban centers. This could be an economic, military and humanitarian catastrophe if mishandled.The Angolan Army did not have significant anti-aircraft assets. Why would they? Remember, no one around them had much of an air force to worry about. The FAL-FA in turn could hit military convoys with TV-guided munitions 'beyond line of sight', rendering what they did have useless. It got worse for the Army after dark. The FAL-FA could and would fly at night whereas the average Angolan formation had Zip-Zero-Nadda night fighting capacity.Then geography added its own mountain of woes. As far as Cabinda was concerned, there was no direct land line to their border from Angola. Their coastal road only went as far as the port of Soyo where the Congo River hit the South Atlantic Ocean. Across that massive gap was the DRC where the road was not picked back up. Far up the coast was the DRC town of Muanda (with an airport) and though they did have a road which went north, it did not continue to the Cabindan border.Nope. To get at Cabinda from the south meant a long, torturous travel through northeastern Angola, into the heart of the DRC then entailed hooking west to some point 'close' to the Cabindan frontier before finally hoofing it overland through partially cleared farmland and jungle. Mind you, the DRC didn't have a native air force capable of protecting the Angolans in their territory so,In fact the only 'road' to Cabinda came from the Republic of Congo (Congo) to the north and even that was a twisted route along some really bad, swampy terrain. This had been the pathway of conquest the Angolans took 39 years earlier. The difference being the tiny bands of pro-independence Cabindan guerillas back then couldn't hold a candle to the Amazons fighting to free Cabinda this time around in numbers, zeal, training and up-to-date equipment.Next option ~ to come by sea. They would face a few, stiff problems, such as the FAL-FA having ship-killer missiles, the Angolan Navy not being able to defend them and the Unionists having no compunction to not strike Pointe-Noire in the 'not so neutral' Republic of the Congo if they somehow began unloading Angolan troops. It seemed the Republic of the Congo didn't have much of an Air Force either.Before you think the FAL-FA was biting off more than they could chew, Cabinda, the province, was shaped somewhat like the US State of Delaware, was half the size of Connecticut (Cabinda was 2,810 sq. mi. to Conn.'s 5,543 sq. mi.) and only the western 20% was relatively open countryside where the Angolan Army's only advantage ~ they possessed armed fighting vehicles while the 'Unionists' did not (at this stage of planning) ~ could hopefully come into play.Centered at their capital, Cabinda (City), jets could reach any point along their border within eight minutes. Helicopters could make it in fifteen. To be safe, some of the FAL-FA would base at the town of Belize which was in the northern upcountry and much tougher to get at with the added advantage the Angolans wouldn't be expecting the FAL-FA to be using the abandoned airfield there, at least initially.Where they afraid attacking Angolan troops in the DRC would invite war with the DRC? Sure, but letting the Angolans reach the border unscathed was worse. Besides, the DRC was in such a mess it needed 23,000 UN Peacekeepers within her borders just to keep the country from falling apart. Barring outside, read European, intervention, did "Democratically-elected since 2001" President (for Life) Joseph Kabila want the FAL-FA to start dropping bombs on his capital, Kinshasa, which was well within reach of all their aircraft?Congo (the country), to the north, wasn't being propped up by the UN, or anything else except ill intentions. In reality, it hardly had much of a military at all. Its officer corps was chosen for political reliability, not merit, or capability. Their technology was old Cold War stuff with little effort to update anything and, if you suspected corruption might be a problem across all spectrums of life, you would 'probably' be right about that too.If you suspected the current President had been in charge for a while, you would be correct again (1979-1992 then 2001- and the 'whoops' was when he accidently let his country experiment with democracy which led to two civil wars). If you suspected he was a life-long Communist (along with the Presidents of the DRC and Angola), you'd be right about that as well. Somehow their shared Marxist-Leninist-Communist ideology hadn't quite translated over to alleviating the grinding poverty in any of those countries despite their vast mineral wealth,At this point in the region's history, little Cabinda had everything to gain by striving for independence and the vast majority of 'warriors' who could possibly be sent against her had terribly little to gain fighting and dying trying to stop them from achieving her goal. After all, their lives weren't going to get any better and with the Amazons ability ~ nay willingness ~ to commit battlefield atrocities, those leaders were going to find it hard going to keep sending their men off to die.And then, it got even worse.See, what I had pointed out was there were two oil refineries in Angola, and neither was in Cabinda. Cabinda would need a refinery to start making good on their oil wealth ~ aka economically bribe off the Western economies already shaken over the Khanate's first round of aggressions.But wait! There was an oil refinery just across the Congo River from Cabinda ~ which meant it was attached to mainland Angola. That had to be a passel of impossible news, right?Nope. As I said earlier, it seemed the people of northern Angola were the same racial group as the Cabindans AND majority Catholic while the ruling clique wasn't part of their ethnic confederacy plus the farther south and east into Angola you went, the less Catholic it became.But it got better. This province was historically its own little independent kingdom (called the Kingdom of Kongo) to boot! It had been abolished by Portugal back in 1914.The 'good' news didn't end there. Now, it wasn't as if the leadership of Angola was spreading the wealth around to the People much anyway, but these northerners had been particularly left out of this Marxist version of 'Trickle Down' economics.How bad was this? This northwestern province ~ called Zaire ~ didn't have any railroads, or paved roads, linking it to the rest of the freaking country. The 'coastal road' entered the province, but about a third of the way up ran into this river, which they'd failed to bridge (you had to use a single track bridge farther to the northeast, if you can believe it). It wasn't even a big river. It was still an obstacle though.How did the Angolan government and military planned to get around? Why by air and sea, of course. Well, actually by air. Angola didn't have much of a merchant marine, or Navy, to make sealift a serious consideration. Within hours of the 'Union Declaration of Independence' anything flying anywhere north of the Luanda, the capital of Angola, would essentially be asking to be blown out of the sky.Along the border between Zaire province and the rest of Angola were precisely two chokepoints. By 'chokepoints', I meant places where a squad (10 trained, modernly-equipped troopers) could either see everything for miles & miles over pretty much empty space along a river valley and the only bridge separating Zaire province from the south, or overlook a ravine which the only road had to pass through because of otherwise bad-ass, broken terrain.Two.Zaire Province had roughly the same population as Cabinda ~ 600,000. Unlike Cabinda, which consisted of Cabinda City plus a few tiny towns and rugged jungles, Zaire had two cities ~ Soyo, with her seventy thousand souls plus the refinery at the mouth of the Congo River, and M'banza-Kongo, the historical capital of the Kingdom of Kongo, spiritual center of the Bakongo People (who included the Cabindans) and set up in the highlands strategically very reminiscent of Điện Biàn Phủ.Of Zaire's provincial towns, the only other strategic one was N'Zeto with her crappy Atlantic port facility and 2,230 meter grass airport. The town was the northern terminus of the National Road 100 ~ the Coastal Road. It terminated because of the Mebridege River. There wasn't a bridge at N'Zeto though there was a small one several miles upstream. N'Zeto was also where the road from provinces east of Zaire ended up, so you had to have N'Zeto ~ and that tiny bridge ~ to move troops overland anywhere else in Zaire Province.So you would think it would be easy for the Angolan Army to defend then, except of how the Amazons planned to operate. They would infiltrate the area first then 'rise up in rebellion'. Their problem was the scope of the operation had magnified in risk of exposure, duration and forces necessary for success.The serious issue before Saint Marie and the Host in Africa were the first two. They could actually move Amazons from Brazil and North America to bolster their numbers for the upcoming offensive. Even in the short-short term, equipment wouldn't be a serious problem. What the Amazons dreaded was being left in a protracted slugfest with the Angolan Army which the Condottieri could jump in on. The Amazons exceedingly preferred to strike first then vanish.There was reason to believe a tiny number could have stayed behind in Cabinda to help the locals prepare their military until they could defend themselves. They would need more than a hundred Amazons if Cabinda wanted to incorporate Zaire. The answer was to call back their newfound buddy, the Great Khan. While he didn't have much else he could spare (the Khanate was ramping up for their invasion of the Middle East after all, the Kurds needed the help), he had other allies he could call on.India couldn't help initially since they were supposed to supply the 'Peace-keepers' once a cease-fire had been arranged. That left Temujin with his solid ally, Vietnam, and his far shakier allies, the Republic of China and Japan.First off ~ Japan could not help, which meant they couldn't supply troops who might very well end up dead, or far worse, captured.. What they did have was a surplus of older equipment the ROC troops were familiar with, so while the ROC was gearing up for their own invasion of mainland China in February, they were willing to help the Chinese kill Angolans, off the books, of course.The ROC was sending fifteen hundred troops the Khanate's way to help in this West African adventure with the understanding they'd be coming home by year's end. With Vietnam adding over eight hundred of her own Special Forces, the Amazons had the tiny 'allied' army they could leave shielding Cabinda/Zaire once the first round of blood-letting was over.To be 'fair', the Republic of China and Vietnam asked for 'volunteers'. It wasn't like either country was going to declare war on Angola directly. Nearly a thousand members of Vietnam's elite 126th Regiment of the 5th Brigade (Đặc cáng bộ) took early retirement then misplaced their equipment as they went to update their visas and inoculations before heading out for the DRC (some would be slipping over the DRC/Cabindan border).On Taiwan, it was the men and women of the 602nd Air Cavalry Brigade, 871st Special Operations Group and 101st Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion who felt the sudden desire to 'seek enlightenment elsewhere, preferably on another continent'.They too were off to the Democratic Republic of Congo, man that country was a mess and their border security wasn't worth writing home about, that's for damn sure, via multiple Southeast Asian nations. Besides, they were being issued fraudulently visas which showed them to be from the People's Republic of China, not the ROC/Taiwan. If they were captured, they were to pretend to "be working for a Communist Revolution inside Angola and thus to be setting all of Africa on fire!" aka be Mainland Chinese.There, in the DRC, these Chinese stumbled across, some Japanese. These folks hadn't retired. No. They were on an extended assignment for the UN's mission in, the DRC. OH! And look! They'd brought tons of surplus, outdated Japanese Self Defense Forces' equipment with them, and there just so happened to be some Taiwanese who had experience in using such equipment (both used US-style gear).And here was Colonel Yoshihiro Isami of the Chūō Sokuō Shūdan (Japan's Central Readiness Force) wondering why he and his hastily assembled team had just unloaded,18 Fuji/Bell AH-1S Cobra Attack helicopters,6 Kawasaki OH-6D Loach Scout helicopters,12 Fuji-Bell 204-B-2 Hiyodori Utility helicopters,6 Kawasaki/Boeing CH-47JA Chinook Transport helicopters and4 Mitsubishi M U-2L-1 Photo Reconnaissance Aircraft.Yep! 46 more aircraft for the FAL-FA!Oh, and if this wasn't 'bad enough', the Chinese hadn't come alone. They'd brought some old aircraft from their homes to aid in the upcoming struggle. Once more, these things were relics of the Cold War yet both capable fighting machines and, given the sorry state of the opposition, definitely quite deadly. A dozen F-5E Tiger 2000 configured primarily for air superiority plus two RF-5E Tigergazer for reconnaissance, pilots plus ground crews, of course.Thus, on the eve of battle, the FAL-FA had become a true threat. Sure, all of its planes (and half of its pilots) were pretty old, but they were combat-tested and in numbers and experience no other Sub-Saharan African nation could match.The Liberation Ground Forces:But wait, there was still the niggling little problem of what all those fellas were going to fight with once they were on the ground. Assault/Battle rifles, carbines, rifles, pistols, PDW, SMGs as bullets, grenades and RPG's were all terrifyingly easy to obtain. The coast of West Africa was hardly the Port of London as far as customs security went. They were going to need some bigger toys and their host nations were going to need all their native hardware for their upcoming battles at home.And it wasn't like you could advertise for used IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicles), APCs (armored personnel carriers) and tanks on e-Bay, Amazon.com, or Twitter. If something modern US, or NATO, was captured rolling around the beautiful Angolan countryside, shooting up hostile Angolans, all kinds of head would roll in all kinds of countries, unless the country,A) had an Executive Branch and Judiciary who wouldn't ask (or be answering) too many uncomfortable questions,B) wasn't all that vulnerable to international pressure,C) really needed the money and,D) didn't give a fuck their toys would soon be seen on BBC/CNN/Al Jazeera blowing the ever-living crap out of a ton of Africans aka doing what they were advertised to do and doing it very well in the hands of capable professionals.And politics was kind enough to hand the freedom-loving people of Cabinda & Zaire a winner, and it wasn't even from strangers, or at least people all that strange to their part of the Globe. If you would have no idea who to look for, you wouldn't be alone.That was the magic of the choice. See, the last three decades had seen the entire Globe take a colossal dump on them as a Nation and a People. They were highly unpopular for all sorts of things, such as Crimes Against Humanity and 'no', we were not talking about the Khanate.We would be talking about Република Србија / Republika Srbija aka Serbia aka the former Yugoslavia who had watched all their satellite minions (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia) slip away. Despite being reduced to a tiny fraction of their former selves thus fighting two incredibly brutal and bloody World Wars for nothing, Serbia insisted on maintaining a robust armaments industry.Mind you, they didn't make the very best stuff on the planet. That didn't stop them from trying though. Of equal importance was their geographic location and the above mentioned desire for some hard currency without asking too many questions. The geography was simple, you could move even heavy gear unnoticed from central Serbia to the Montenegrin port of Bar by rail and load them up on freighters and off to the Congo you went.The Serbians produced an APC called the BVP M-80A's which weren't blowing anyone's minds away when they started rolling off the production lines back in 1982, plus some over-eager types on the Serbian Army's payroll sweetened the deal by offering 'the rebels' some BVP M-80 KC's and a KB as well.Then they slathered on the sugary-sweet Maple syrup by upgrading a few of the M-80A's to BVP M-98A's. Why would they be so generous? The KC's and KB were the Command & Control variants, so that made sense (C = company & B = battalion commander). The -98A had never been tested in the field before and they were kind of curious how the new turrets (which was the major difference) would behave. 'Our' procurement agents didn't quibble. We needed the gear.Besides, these Slavic entrepreneurs gave them an inside track on some 'disarmed/mothballed' Czech (introduced in 1963) armored mobile ambulances and Polish BWP-1 (first rolled out in 1966) APC's which were either in, or could be quickly configured into, the support variants those ground-fighters would need. The 'disarmed' part was 'fixable', thanks to both the Serbians and Finland. The 'missing' basic weaponry was something the Serbians could replace with virtually identical equipment.It just kept getting better. Unknown to me at the time, the Finnish firm, Patria Hágglunds, had sold twenty-two of their 'most excellent' AMOS turrets ~ they are a twin 120 mm mortar system ~ then the deal fell through. Whoops! Should have guarded that warehouse better. Those bitches were on a cargo plane bound for Albania inside of six hours.The ammunition for them was rather unique. Thankfully, it was uniquely sold by the Swiss, who had no trouble selling it to Serbia, thank you very much! Twenty-two BWP-1's became mobile artillery for the Unionist freedom fighters, though I understood the ship ride with the Serbian and Chinese technicians was loads of fun as they struggled to figured out how to attach those state-of-the-art death-dealing turrets to those ancient contraptions.To compensate, the Serbians added (aka as long as our money was good) two Nora B-52 155 mm 52-calibre mobile artillery pieces and one battery of Orkan CER MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) for long-range artillery, two batteries of their Oganj 2000 ER MRLS for medium range carnage and six batteries of their M-94 MRLS for 'close support' as well. More field-testing new gear for the "freedom fighters" We also managed to 'purchase' ten M-84AS Main Battle tanks plus an M-84A1 armor recovery vehicle. It should have been twelve tanks, but two had 'loading issues'.Not to be deterred, our busy little procurement-beavers discovered four tanks no one was using, in neighboring Croatia. Why wasn't anyone immediately keen on their placement? They were two sets of prototypes, Croatia's improvements on the M-84; the M-95 Degman which was a 'failed redesign' and the M-84D, which was a vast up-grade for the M-84 line which had been sidelined by the 2008 Global economic collapse, after which the project stagnated.It seemed they were all in working order because late one night 'my people' exited a Croatian Army base with them, never to be seen again, until two weeks later when an intrepid news crew caught the distinctive form of the M-95 sending some sweet 125 mm loving the Angolan Army's way. Whoops yet again! At least they hit what they were aiming at and destroyed what they hit, right?By then, millions of other people would be going 'what the fuck?' right along with them as Cabinda's camouflage- and mask-wearing rebel army was laying the smack-down on the Angolans. That was okay; over a million 'free Cabindan Unionists' were in the same boat. Over a thousand Asians with their mostly-female militant translators were right there to prop up their 'Unionist Allies', but then they were the ones with the tanks, armored vehicles, planes and guns, so they were less worried than most.To pilot these tanks, APC, IFV and man this artillery, they had to go back to the Khanate. Sure enough, they had some old tankers used to crewing the T-72 from which the M-84's and -95 Degman were derived. They'd also need drivers for those BVP M-80A's and Polish BWP-1's and OT-64 SKOT's... who were, again, derived from old Soviet tech (just much better). The Serbian artillery was similar enough to Soviet stuff, but with enough new tech to make it 'more fun' for the reservists to 'figure out' how to use.More volunteers for the Liberation Armed Forces! More Apple sales, great apps and voice modulation software so that the vehicle commanders would be heard communicating in Portuguese if someone was eavesdropping. As a final offering the Turkish Navy spontaneously developed some plans to test their long range capabilities by going to, the South Atlantic.On the final leg they would have six frigates and two submarines, enough to give any navy in the region, which wasn't Brazil, something to think about. This was a show of force, not an actual threat though. If anyone called their bluff, the Khanate-Turkish forces would have to pull back. These were not assets my Brother, the Great Khan, could afford to gamble and lose.If someone didn't call that bluff, he was also sending two smaller, older corvettes and three even smaller, but newer, fast attack boats, a "gift" to the Unionists ASAP. The frigates would then race home, they had 'other' issues to deal with while the submarines would hang around for a bit. The naval gift was necessitated by the reality the Unionists would have to press their claim to their off-shore riches and that required a naval force Angola couldn't hope to counter.As things were developing, it was reckoned since a build-up of such momentous land and air power couldn't be disguised, it had to happen in a matter of days ~ four was decided to be the minimum amount of time. More than that and the government of the Democratic Republic might start asking far too many questions our hefty bribes and dubious paperwork couldn't cover. Less than that would leave the task forces launching operations with too little a chance of success.Our biggest advantage was audacity. The buildup would happen 100 km up the Congo River from Soyo, the primary target of the Southern Invasion, in the DRC's second largest port city, Boma. Though across the river was Angolan territory, there was nothing there. The city of roughly 160,000 would provide adequate cover for the initial stage of the invasion.There they grouped their vehicles & Khanate drivers with Amazon and Vietnamese combat teams. The Japanese were doing the same for their 'Chinese' counterparts for their helicopter-borne forces. Getting all their equipment in working order in the short time left was critical as was creating some level of unit dynamic. Things were chaotic. No one was happy. They were all going in anyway.What had gone wrong?While most children her age were texting their schoolmates, or tackling their homework, Aya Ruger ~ the alias of Nasusara Assiyaiá hamai ~ was getting briefings of her global, secret empire worth hundreds of billions and those of her equally nefarious compatriots. She received a very abbreviated version of what the Regents received, delivered by a member of Shawnee Arinniti's staff.When Aya hopped off her chair unexpectedly, everyone tensed. Her bodyguards' hands went to their sidearms and Lorraine (her sister by blood), also in the room on this occasion, stood and prepared to tackle her 'former' sibling to the ground if the situation escalated into an assassination attempt. No such attack was generated, so the security ratcheted down and the attendant returned her focus to her Queen. Aya paced four steps, turned and retraced her way then repeated the action three more times."How many people live in the combined areas?" she asked."The combined areas? Of Cabinda and Zaire?""Yes.""I," the woman referenced her material, "roughly 1.1 million.""What is the yearly value of the offshore oil and natural gas production?""Forty-nine billion, eighty hundred and sixty-seven million by our best estimates at this time,""How many live in Soyo City proper?""Roughly 70,000.""We take Soyo," she spoke in a small yet deliberate voice. "We take and hold Soyo as an independent city-state within the Cabindan-Zaire Union. From the maps it appears Soyo is a series of islands. It has a port and airport. It has an open border to an ocean with weaker neighbors all around.""What of the, Zairians?""Bakongo. As a people they are called the Bakongo," Aya looked up at the briefer. "We relocate those who need to work in Soyo into a new city, built at our expense, beyond the southernmost water barrier. The rest we pay to relocate elsewhere in Zaire, or Cabinda."By the looks of those around her, Aya realized she needed to further explain her decisions."This is more than some concrete home base for our People," she began patiently. "In the same way it gives our enemies a clearly delineated target to attack us, it is a statement to our allies we won't cut and run if things go truly bad.""In the same way it will provide us with diplomatic recognition beyond what tenuous handouts we are getting from Cáel Wakko Ishara's efforts through JIKIT. Also, it is a reminder we are not like the other Secret Societies in one fundamental way, we are not a business concern, or a religion. We are a People and people deserve some sort of homeland. We have gone for so long without.""But Soyo?" the aide protested. "We have no ties to it, and it backs up to, nothing.""Northern Turkey and southern Slovakia mean nothing to us now as well," Aya debated. "No place on Earth is any more precious than another. As for backing up to nothing, no. You are incorrect. It backs into a promise from our allies in the Earth & Sky that if we need support, they know where to park their planes and ships."Aya was surrounded with unhappy, disbelieving looks."The Great Khan is my mamētu meáeda," she reminded them, "and I have every reason to believe he completely grasps the concept's benefits and obligations."The looks confirmed 'but he's a man' to the tiny Queen."Aya, are you sure about this?" Lorraine was the first to break decorum."Absolutely. Do you know what he sent me when he was informed of my, ascension to the Queendom?""No," Lorraine admitted."We must go horse-riding sometime soon, Daughter of Cáel, Queen of the Amazons."More uncertain and unconvinced looks."He didn't congratulate me, or send any gifts. He could have and you would think he would have, but he didn't. He knew the hearts of me & my Atta and we weren't in the celebratory mood. No. The Great Khan sent one sentence which offered solace and quiet, atop a horse on a windswept bit of steppe."Nothing.Sigh. "I know this sounds Cáel-ish," Aya admitted, "but I strongly believe this is what we should do. We are giving the Cabindans and Bakongo in Zaire independence and the promise of a much better life than what they now face. We will be putting thousands of our sisters' lives on the line to accomplish this feat and well over two hundred million dollars.""What about governance of the city ~ Soyo?" the aide forged ahead."Amazon law," Aya didn't hesitate. "We will make allowances for the security forces of visiting dignitaries and specific allied personnel, but otherwise it will be one massive Amazon urban freehold.""I cannot imagine the Golden Mare, or the Regents, will be pleased," the attendant bowed her head."It is a matter of interconnectivity," Aya walked up and touched the woman's cheek with the back of her small hand. "We could liberate then abandon Cabinda with the hope a small band could help them keep their independence. Except we need the refinery at Soyo so the people of Cabinda can truly support that liberty.""So, we must keep Soyo and to keep Soyo, we must keep Zaire province. There is no other lesser border which makes strategic sense ~ a river, highlands, a massive river, an ocean ~ those are sustainable frontiers. You can't simply keep Soyo and not expect the enemy to strike and destroy that refinery, thus we must take Zaire province.""But the Bakongo of Zaire cannot defend themselves and will not be able to do so for at least a year, if not longer. That means we must do so, and for doing so, they will give us Soyo and we will be honest stewards of their oil wealth. We cannot expect any other power to defend this new Union and if we don't have a land stake we will be portrayed as mercenaries and expelled by hostile international forces.""So, for this project to have any chance of success, we must stay, fight and have an acknowledged presence, and if you can think of an alternative, please let me know," she exhaled."What if the Cabindans and Bakongo resist?""It is 'us', or the Angolans and they know how horrible the Angolans can be. Didn't you say the average person their lives on just $2 a day?""Yes.""We can do better than that," Aya insisted."How?" the aide persisted. "I mean, 'how in a way which will be quickly evident and meaningful?'""Oh," Aya's tiny brow furrowed. Her nose twitched as she rummaged through the vast storehouse of her brain."Get me in touch with William A. Miller, Director of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service. He should be able to help me navigate the pathways toward getting aid and advisors into those two provinces ASAP.""I'll let Katrina know," the attendant made the notation on her pad."No. Contact him directly," Aya intervened. "We established a, rapport when we met. I think he might responded positively to a chance to mentor me in foreign relations.""Really?" Lorraine's brows arched."Yes," Aya chirped."Are you sure, Nasusara?" the attendant stared. She used 'Nasusara' whenever she thought Aya had a 'horrible' idea instead of a merely a 'bad' one."Yes. He owes me. Last time we met I didn't shoot him.""Didn't?" the woman twitched."Yes. I drew down on him with my captured Chinese QSW-06. I didn't want to kill him, but I felt I was about to have to kill Deputy National Security Advisor Blinken and he was the only other person in the room both armed and capable of stopping me.""Why is he still alive?""Cáel Ishara saw through my distraction and then took my gun from me, asked for it actually," she shyly confessed."Would you have shot him?" the aide inquired."What do you think?" Aya smiled.And Then:So, given t

This extended finale required a two-part recap. We pick up on Sutton's trial at sea and shift into birthday dinner gear for Erika and Dorit. Sutton's delayed appearance, and hesitance to join, is a topic of conversation as Jennifer Tilly tries in vain to help her friend navigate a situation that neither feel like she can win. Garcelle finally approaches Kyle about not sticking up for Sutton, but her choice to teach Sutton a lesson by also not standing up for her on the boat leaves that critique falling flat. Meanwhile, Dorit and Erika continue to be the two off-base friends nodding and telling each other "exactly" as Boz works to connect with Sutton while appearing to lean further and further into clique territory. Kathy's all out of F's to give this episode, giving me the giggles and starting a new ice bag accessory trend.All opinions are personal and not representative of any outside company, person, or agenda. Information shared is cited via published articles, legal documents, press releases, government websites, public videos, news reports, and/or direct quotes and statements, and all may be paraphrased for brevity and presented in layman's terms.Wanna support this independent pod? Links below:BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BBDBVenmo @TYBBDB Get ad-free listening with a Patreon membership Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A catamaran ride ends in rough waters as Sutton finds herself searching for a buoy of support. Garcelle questions Kyle's loyalty and Jennifer calls out a conspiracy, leaving Erika and Dorit seeing red. While Boz tries to get to the bottom of the group's divide, the final dinner in Saint Lucia leads to some very ruffled feathers. #RHOBH #GarcelleBeauvais #KyleRichards Build your support system, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/BrookeAshley today to get 10% off your first month. If You'd Like To Support This Channel: Cashapp: $bwashley5 Connect With Me: Blog: thebrookeashley.com Bluesky: thebrookeashley.bsky.social IG: thebrookeashley_ Tik Tok: thebrookeashley1 Twitter: thebrookeash For Business/Promo Inquiries: Email: thebrookeashley5@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join me, Ashley and Imani from Taste of Reality as we dive head-first into Episode 17 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Season 14. From shady side-eyes to full-blown showdowns, this week's episode had it all — and we're unpacking every twist, turn, and diamond-dusted moment. ✨ We're giving you 20% off at our new CBD brand BLOW — visit TheBlowCompany.com and use code SPRING20 for your calm in the chaos.

Hello, Darlings!Err...how have we come to the end of this Season? It's too soon!Sutton is beyond irritating and demonstrates that she has still not discovered how to argue like an adult-infuriating!!Kathy's t-shirt and shorts should be put in a museum.It all ends a little too nicely for me, but don't worry we have the Reunion!Enjoy! Access bonus episodes on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The I Can Do This All Day Podcast sinks its teeth into Venom: The Last Dance! Dan "The Part-Time Avenger" and Mark "The Resident Jedi" break down the highs, the lows, and the sheer chaos of Eddie Brock and Venom's latest adventure. Did this installment finally stick the landing, or was it another messy bite of the symbiote sandwich? They talk action, absurdity, and, of course, all the moments that ‘Martha'd' them along the way. Tune in for the laughs, the rants, and the ultimate question—can you do this all day?#Venom #ICanDoThisAllDay #Podcast #Marvel #SymbioteMadness

A legendary airline captain's final flight, a viral send-off, and the unexpected turbulence of retirement—this episode snaps your seat back and tray table into their full upright position. After 40 years of high-stakes decisions and strict schedules, stepping away from the cockpit felt like losing purpose for Mark Hardcastle. Navigating the sudden freedom proved unexpectedly disorienting, but embracing a self-imposed sabbatical opened the door to healing, reflection, and new possibilities. Discover how Mark stabilized his glide path, reclaimed fulfillment, and transformed retirement into the kind of life that takes off after work ends. So deploy the landing gear, clear the runway, and get ready for a happy retirement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

February 13, 2025. Lily Library, Florence MA. It was a wonderful night where the Florence Poets Society had a send-off party for their long-time host and organizer, Tommy Twilite.For this episode we're presenting to you the proceedings from that lovely evening with very little editing - like you were there in the room with us. Join in to hear his farewell feature performance, along with special guest, Massachusetts Beat Poet Laureate Linda Wlodyka. And a splendid open mic reading as well! Tommy was the Massachusetts Beat Poet Laureate 2021-2023, among many other notable achievements. Tommy Twilite (Thomas Richard Clark) | National Beat Poetry FoundationHe currently also hosts a great radio show: Twilite's Poetry Pub – Valley Free RadioTommy has been on the Meat For Teacast numerous times, including S1 E12, S2 E24, S3 E3, and S4 E24!For more info on the Florence Poets Society: www.florencepoets.com

शिव पुराण - द्वितीय संहिता - रूद्र संहिता - तृतीय खंड : पार्वती खंडअध्याय ५३ : चतुर्थीकर्म, बारातका कई दिनोंतक ठहरना, सप्तर्षियोंके समझानेसे हिमालयका बारातको विदा करनेके लिये राजी होना, मेनाका शिवको अपनी कन्या सौंपना तथा बारातका पुरीके बाहर जाकर ठहरनाChapter 53: Chaturthi rituals, the baraat stays for many days, Himalay agrees to send off the baraat after being convinced by the Saptarishis, Menaka hands over her daughter to Shivji and the baraat stops outside Puri#shivpuran #mahamrityunjayamarntra #shivpuranwithabhijit #abhijitsharmaa #yogicswadhyayam #abhijitschoolofdevelopment #shivkatha #mahadev #shivparvati #harharmahadev #bholenath #shiv #shivshakti #mahakal #shiva #omnamahshivaya #parvati #devokedevmahadev #lordshiva #shivbhakt #shivshankar #om #mahakaal #bholebaba #mahadeva #bhole #kedarnath #har #mahakali #bhakt #god #adiyogi #ujjain #mahakaleshwar #shambhu #bhakti

The short is still available through March 15. Watch it HERE. loadedforbeardoc.com is where to go to get involved. Tyler White also joins us to ask a few questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

@PermissionToStanPodcast on Instagram (DM us & Join Our Broadcast Channel!) & TikTok!NEW Podcast Episodes every THURSDAY! Please support us by Favoriting, Following, Subscribing, & Sharing for more K-POP talk!BABYMONSTER adds more stops for World TourLE SSERAFIM announces World TourLots of YG Entertainment talk today with BABYMONSTER and BLACKPINKMarch comebacks: JENNIE, TREASURE, RED VELVET's SEULGI, ITZY's YEJI, LE SSEARFIM, THE BOYZ, NMIXXMVs: NMIXX, G-DRAGON, LISABABYMONSTER L.A. concert full recap: VIP perks, concert review (live bands are the best!), and the best SEND-OFF ever!BABYMONSTER at the Grammy MuseumLISA Alter Ego album release fan event listening party full recapLISA at the Oscars, popup & fan meetLISA on Hot Ones, can she handle the hot wings and hot sauces better than ROSE??JENNIE talks about her travel essentials: from vocal essentials, to shower heads and salt & vinegar chipsTWICE SANA's first guest for Fridge Interview will be LE SSERAFIM SAKURANEWJEANS/NJZ Instagram posts contract termination for Ador/HybeENHYPEN dealing with severe privacy violations from flights to hotels by sasaengsNMIXX holding fan meet in Hong Kong and the price is so worth it!BTS JIN is not the official global ambassador for Jin Ramen (makes sense!)JIN is spotted with KStarNextDoor Host JONATHAN at JHOPE's concertJHOPE to release a new digital single "Sweet Dreams"STRAY KIDS members at fashion week: HYUNJIN sporting newly dyed delinquent Versace hairstyle, BANCHAN for Fendi and runs into TWICE MINA & G-IDLE YUQI, IN for Bottega VenetaSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/permission-to-stan-podcast-kpop-multistans-andamp-weebs/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, $1 billion richer thanks to Amazon, bid adieu to Bond at the 2025 Oscars.

Wrapping up the 2025 KY river musky Classic we have Everyone in Camp for one last get together and get everyones recap Enjoy!

Misleading food names, a Lively and Baldoni update, a sweet and savory One Star Review, and a Californian Five Second Rule! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's plenty happening this Super Netball off-season for us to sink our teeth into! In this episode, we discuss the umpiring blunders that overshadowed an excellent Nations Cup final between England and South Africa. Kath Tetley, the new head coach of the Scottish Thistles, tells us about her team's inclusion in this week's Pacific Aus Sports Netball Series. Before we catch up with Netfit CEO Sarah Wall to find out more about one of the most iconic brands in the sport.

Dan dives into hunts on the horizon and gives more outlook on the state of the outdoors in 2025

"Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." Acts 13:1-3

""

Hello and welcome to The Monday Show via The Everything is Black and White Podcast. Andrew and Aaron are back to reflect on Newcastle United's 3-1 win over Southampton. Sandro Tonali caught the eye (again) as Alexander Isak made history. Andrew and Aaron also discuss the exit of Miguel Almiron and any potentially incomings. Get you NORD VPN plan here: https://nordvpn.com/toon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even Sarah McLachlan couldn't hold a candle to this special tribute to Biden. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Steph and Logan on Cult Brunette as we bid farewell to 2024 and talk all things fashion, trends, and life lessons from the past year. We're ditching the typical New Year's Eve chaos for a Nashville escape filled with laughs, reflections, and some unexpected twists. Tune in for a fun, fashionable farewell to 2024!

Sam, Matt and resident Jet fans, Bobby, put this nightmare season to rest once and for all. What went wrong, who's the next coach, what will Rodgers see in the darkness - all of those questions and answers in one place

Jack Burkart, Ryan Belongia and Adam Zdroik preview Saturday's five-game Premier League slate. Manchester City are at home against a bottom-half side, but does that mean the same thing as a year ago? Villa are in a good environment to score goals and Bournemouth could rack up floor points against Everton. They discuss the spots for cash games and GPPs while saying goodbye to a friend. For more daily fantasy soccer content, go to http://rotowire.com/daily/soccer DraftKings Fantasy Soccer Cheat Sheets: https://www.rotowire.com/soccer/cheat-sheets.php FREE 48-hour trial to RotoWire (no credit card required): http://rotowire.com/soccertrial #DFS #EPL #DraftKings #FPL #DFSSoccer #PremierLeague Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Its no secret, this year was bonkers. Met some great people. met some terrible people but regardless. we survived. lets recap this year a bit. Shoutout to our friends at happyhippo.com The great source for all your kratom and extract needs. Our friends are hookin it up with a sweet deal when you use promo code : salviathemint24 at checkout. Shoutout to the OG's at eebotanicals.com They have held it down for us since the beginning and continue to save you cash on your kratom needs when you use promo code Tribe10 at checkout. Thank you for your support

We saved the best for the last Friday Drinks ep of 2024! We’re sharing the hilarious bloopers that you didn't hear this year that had us crying (and cringing). Plus we're tackling two of your biggest money dilemmas: investing for kids and deciding if it’s time to move on after a missed promotion. It’s all the laughs, lessons, and relatable advice you need to end 2024 with a bang. And we've got some exciting things happening in Jan you're going to want to be part of. We’re kicking off Your Best Year Yet and The Investing Masterclass, designed to help you start the year feeling empowered and in control of your money. And, because you asked, we’re bringing back the Financial Foundations Workshop! If you’re ready to build good habits or take your finances to the next level, these are a great way to kick off the new year feeling confident. (Click the links above for deets) Acknowledgement of Country By Natarsha Bamblett aka Queen Acknowledgements. The advice shared on She's On The Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's On The Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs. Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN - 321649 27708, AFSL - 451289.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LIFE Fellowship shares grateful testimonies and memories as we send off Pastor Kenny and a team to Crest Bible Church.

Week in Review9:30 -  E.B. Flory, our Director of Food Safety and Dairy Section Chief at Vt Agency of Agriculture on the bird flu outbreak. 10 - Bob Ney10:30 - the owners of Foxy, the new cafe in Barre. 

Low Audi0 takes over the airwaves for an hour to plug you with his favorite house and techno tracks. This is a special 2024 Send Off show where Low Audi0 shares some of his favorite tracks released this year. As always, you can expect to hear tracks from artists you might know paired with carefully selected tunes from upcoming producers you might not have heard of. Low Audi0 also highlights some of his own personal releases from the year. Take a load off and lock in w/ Low Audi0 on the Lowdown! ⚡️Like the Show? Click the [Repost] ↻ button so more people can hear it!

Australia is not the worst team ever, proving so by crushing India by 10 wickets at the Adelaide Oval to square the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series at 1-all with three Tests to play. Adam Peacock and News Corp journalist Ben Horne join you to break it all down, especially the send-off Mohammed Siraj gave Travis Head. Then you'll hear Adam chat to Aussie fast bowler Josh Hazlewood on how he goes about setting up a batter. Finally, Feathers and Benny go around the grounds and finish with sundries and a bad day out for China.  Send your cricket club cap to Producer Sam at the following address: Sam Ferris50 Goulburn St, Sydney, NSW, 2000 Follow on Apple, Spotify and the LiSTNR app Watch on YouTube Drop us a message on Instagram and TikTok! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is Early Kick Off from the Men in Blazers media network and presented by our great friends of the pod STōK Cold Brew Coffee, all your global football stories straight from the back pages of Europe's newspapers in around 10 minutes.On today's episode: The USWNT come from behind to beat the Netherlands 2-1 in The Hague; Leicester City win their first game under Ruud van Nistelrooy against struggling West Ham; Crystal Palace beat Ipswich; there has been controversy surrounding the Premier League's Rainbow Laces campaign; we preview Wednesday's clashes in the Premier League, including Arsenal v Manchester United; and Arne Slot makes a risky joke about title rivals Manchester City.Football don't sleep, and neither do we.This episode was made in the UK for Men In Blazers by…Host: Sammy JamesProducer: George CooperAssistant producer: Elizabeth BarnardResearcher: Jack CollinsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join Christine for a special send-off episode as we take a temporary pause on the Women Offshore podcast. We're taking this break to reflect, regroup, and explore new ideas to bring you even more engaging content in the future. We will be working for a few months in silence to come back stronger and more successful. We're excited about what's ahead and grateful for our listeners' continued support. Stay tuned—there's more to come. “Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise.” - Frank OceanMake sure you are subscribed to Women Offshore Podcast where you listen to your podcasts to stay up to date when we relaunch our podcast. Did you know that all our podcasts are created and managed in-house? Our team at Women Offshore puts their hearts into bringing you inspiring and valuable stories every episode. Your generous support throughout the year makes this possible. Every donation, no matter the size, makes a significant difference in our ability to amplify voices and create positive change. Join us in making a difference and spreading awareness by donating today. Click here if you would like to contribute! https://womenoffshore.org/donation/

Ben and Woods have a late round of Take On Woods before discussing whether or not the Padres window is closed and Frank gives his Italian Paul Report

For Rafael Nadal, the end has at last come -- a final match, last week in Davis Cup. For Novak Djokovic, a new beginning, as he brings Andy Murray onto his team. What do each of these occurences mean, both looking backward and forward? Join Gill, Amy, and Joel for the answers on the latest edition of "Three -- The Tennis Show." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well it's been over a week and Jack and Jenny have had some time to reflect on Series 18 and there's a lot to unpack. Jack brings his stats to the table and Jenny reviews some of the best and worst moments from each contestant. Plus, did the Joker transform the scoring system as much as Jack thought it would?The pair also talk about Nick Mohammed's prediction and the counting chairs debate too, plus we hear from the Andys regarding all your caravan-related questions.We always love to hear from you: fans@taskmaster.tv Visit jennyeclair.com to buy Jenny's memoir Jokes, Jokes, Jokes, out now!Order An Absolute Casserole book: taskmasterstore.com Book the Taskmaster Live Experience: https://taskmasterliveexperience.com/ Watch all of Taskmaster on All 4 www.channel4.com/programmes/taskmasterVisit the Taskmaster Store for all your TM goodies!taskmasterstore.comCatch up with old episodes from anywhere in the worldtaskmastersupermaxplus.vhx.tvVisit the Taskmaster YouTube Channelyoutube.com/taskmasterTaskmaster the Podcast is Produced and Edited by Christine Macdonald for Avalon Television

Somebody keeps gaining picks... --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jackrabbit-illstrtd/support

Hour 4: The best moments of Daniel Jones' career

We wrapped wink wink things up at the market with a bang. Website

Hour 1: Murph & Markus react to John Lund's final send off & Tom Tolbert's final show, then provide Brian & Bobby's Best Bets for the NCAA/NFL games this weekend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hour 1: Murph & Markus react to John Lund's final send off & Tom Tolbert's final show, then provide Brian & Bobby's Best Bets for the NCAA/NFL games this weekend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Denver Nuggets Rookie Spencer Jones chats about his experience with Jokic, Westbrook, and how he uses his NBA influence to advise health tech startups, many of which are aimed at helping his on-court performance. The views and opinions expressed in this video are solely those of the individuals featured and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Athletes & Assets. We do not accept liability for any advice given in this video, and viewers are encouraged to seek professional guidance before making any business decisions. Additionally, the participation of athletes in this video does not imply endorsement or sponsorship by their respective employers.

And with this, we send the final presidential candidate into the sunset. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David is riding a high on an all-time great weekend of soccer. Christine Sinclair had the perfect send off in the rain in Portland to set the table for an epic final weekend of NWSL. David runs back through the order of drama all weekend, and looks forward to the first round of the playoffs. Not to be outdone MLS brought the drama as well. Did Red Bulls just pull of the biggest upset in MLS history? Can Atlanta better that? And where do we stand right now. 2:50 NWSL Recap 14:55 MLS Recap Soccerwise Live 2pm ET Every Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday on Youtube/Twitch/Twitter

Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester discuss books for a scary season send-off! Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. To get even more mystery/thriller recs and news, sign up for our Unusual Suspects newsletter! This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Books Discussed The Spite House - Johnny Compton The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story - Olga Tokarczuk, Trans. Antonia Lloyd-Jones The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters The Hunger - Alma Katsu Model Home - Rivers Solomon This Girl's a Killer - Emma C. Wells Pony Confidential - Christina Lynch If you want to send an email with feedback or show suggestions, you can reach us at readordead@bookriot.com. Otherwise you can: Find Katie on Twitter @kt_librarylady Find Kendra on Instagram and Twitter @kdwinchester and on TikTok @kendrawinchester And we will talk to you all next time! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Naeem Fazal is the lead pastor of Mosaic Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, popular conference speaker, speaker/coach for Tedx, and author of Ex-Muslim. His incredible testimony has him going from mocking Christians to becoming a Jesus follower dedicated to full time ministry all in the course of one night.In part 1 of his moving story, learn what it was like to be raised in a conservative Pakistani Muslim family in Kuwait during the Gulf War."Growing up, I just didn't question anything. I was kind of in a Muslim bubble. So I just felt like God was just this God who wanted us to be and live a certain kind of way, an do good as much as we could and that's pretty much it. You can't help who you are and you do stuff, but you gotta pay for it. It's really about balancing your sin portfolio."Hear how the war caused him to move to the US and unknowingly enroll in a Christian college, and how his believing brother gave him a challenge: if you ask God, He will reveal Himself to you.Naeem started showing up at FCA meetings with his brother, but was mocking Christians. "But that's where I started to hear about this Jesus, this idea of a God who's very relational, who pursues you. I couldn't believe it. It thought it was just a fairytale. And so I would mock [my brother]."Part 1 concludes with his fateful night of destiny and a scary visit.Today's Sendoff features the Two Minute Testimony of Christie Dondero Bettwy. Helpful links:Ex-Muslim, Naeem's memoir testimonyNaeem's Church, Mosaic CharlotteNaeem Fazal websiteOne80 from Hani James from Iraq episode 78FCA, Fellowship of Christian AthletesSpartanburg Methodist CollegePrayercast Love Muslims more incredible testimoniesOne80 for Ahmed Joktan from Saudi Arabia episodes 11 and 12One80 from Mahmoud A. from Iran episodes 37 and 38Two Minute Testimony from Christie, her ministry, Rock RecoveryLet us know what you thought of the show! Follow One80 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Never miss a One80. Join our email list. Follow us on Instagram.Share One80, here's how!OneWay Ministries

Democrats push Joe Biden's fake sacrifice, their own fake joy, and a fake “common man” shtick as they push socialism and hatred. It's Night 1 of the Democratic National Convention! Click here to join the member-exclusive portion of my show: https://bit.ly/3WDjgHE Ep.2030 - - -  DailyWire+: From the white guys who brought you “What is a Woman?” comes Matt Walsh's next question: “Am I Racist?” | Get tickets NOW: https://www.amiracist.com Get 35% off an Annual Membership NOW with code FIGHT: https://dailywire.com/subscribe Get your Ben Shapiro merch here: https://bit.ly/3TAu2cw - - -  Today's Sponsors: PureTalk - Get one year free of DW+ Insider: http://www.PureTalk.com/Shapiro Policygenius - Get your free life insurance quote & see how much you could save: http://policygenius.com/SHAPIRO Helix Sleep - Get 25% off your order + 2 dream pillows. https://helixsleep.com/BEN Masterworks - Skip the waitlist and invest in blue-chip art for the very first time by signing up for Masterworks - https://www.masterworks.com/ben This is not an offer of security or investment advice.See important disclosures at https://masterworks.com/cd. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. View all past offerings here: https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?company=masterworks&match=&filenum=&State=&Country=&SIC=&myowner=exclude&action=getcompany No money is being solicited or will be accepted until the offering statement for a particular offering has been qualified by the SEC. Offers may be revoked at any time. Contacting Masterworks involves no commitment or obligation. Proceeds represents the total liquidation proceeds distributed back to investors, net of all fees, expenses and proceeds reinvested in Masterworks offerings, of all works Masterworks has exited to date. This metric is not considered a presentation of performance but rather a mathematical figure that displays a platform metric on size, scale, and operation of the platform. ‘Contemporary Art' refers to the Postwar & Contemporary Art Category of Art Market - - - Socials: Follow on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3cXUn53 Follow on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3QtuibJ Follow on Facebook: https://bit.ly/3TTirqd Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3RPyBiB

They absolutely humiliated Joe Biden last night. In this episode, I cover the ongoing DNC and the spectacle of horrors unfolding in Chicago. Plus, good news from the Trump campaign and a disturbing escalation overseas. Biden tears up as he bids adieu, mangles words in late-night DNC address pushed out of prime time Local Cop, Not Secret Service, Shot Trump Rally Shooter First Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a special Live Show in NYC, Sam Mewis sits down with US Manager Emma Hayes and stars Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan and Crystal Dunn as they prepare to head off to Paris. Plus, friend of the Pod Kevin Egan interviews Walker Zimmerman, Tanner Tessmann and Gianluca Busio, as well as USMNT U-23 manager Marko Mitrović. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.