Podcasts about Shi

On this episode of Yup, Another Podcast the crew came thru in full attendance. We discussed about the New York Knicks winning the NBA Championship & how Savion is a Knick eater & Stunt is a NY hater. We then discussed about bandwagoners and when it's appropriate to do so. Then we discussed about Zaytoven with Leaf and why certain producers and DJs are left unrecognizable because who knows what they look like on a regular day. All that that and more on “Yup, Another Podcast”, a podcast about absolutely nothingFollow Us On Twitter/Instagram@Yup_AnotherPod@ImStunt/@ImStunt1@HarleyNoDavidson_@Chief_Leaf/@_ChiefEats_@ShiLuvsMusic/Shizzy.Shi@savionj_BUY THE RUNNERS PSALM HERE: https://herudawid.com/products/the-runners-psalm-1

For centuries, believers have debated the true identity, mission, crucifixion, miracles, and hidden teachings of Jesus Christ. In this powerful episode, we explore some of the deepest mysteries surrounding Jesus (Isa), including the Transfiguration, the crucifixion, the fig tree prophecy, ancient Christian symbolism, Islamic narrations, hidden biblical meanings, and the connection between Jesus and the awaited Mahdi. Drawing from the Quran, the Bible, Shi'a narrations, and the teachings of Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan, this lecture uncovers astonishing insights rarely discussed in mainstream Christianity or Islam. This episode is essential viewing for Christians, Muslims, truth seekers, students of comparative religion, biblical prophecy researchers, and anyone interested in the hidden mysteries of Jesus, the end times, the Mahdi, Imam Mahdi, Islamic esotericism, Gnostic Christianity, ancient icons, the crucifixion of Jesus, the Second Coming, and the deeper spiritual meanings behind scripture. Watch until the end for a fascinating exploration into one of the most mysterious figures in human history.

Hi there, It's LOU here with another English episode for my friend Sam. Do you know how they always tell you in business that you should have ONE PERSON in mind that you talk & write to? Well Sam is my person. And even though this episode is because of Sam and for Sam it's not just a one woman show. It is for everyone who, like Sam, no longer wants to blend in. Who pro-actively not want to be like everyone else and that being a GOOD THING. For everyone who wants their kids to see that if people don't want what you offer, that you can find people that do. For everyone that no longer wants to try and be successful and fit in with everyone else. SAM is the Society of Astonishing Misfits. The Coolness of the uncool. We have our OWN way to succeed. And also in this episode the 5 phases of the Recalibration process. Including the Shi(f)t Storm. It is part of manifestation and it will sweep you all clean to live on your own terms. Love LOU

On this episode of Yup, I Heard That, we are on Hola' Hovitooo time this pod but before we jump into that, the crew catches up on what they've been up to. Harley celebrated his birthday last week (cheers!) & also caught A$AP Rocky on his Don't Be Dumb tour stop in Philly, where he shares his experience. & yes, of course we also took time to break down Jay-Z's freestyle at the Roots Picnic, which led us to chatting about fandoms & what we think makes some fan bases seem more intense than others. Tune into all of that & more on Yup, I Heard That—a podcast about absolutely nothing BUT music.Let Me Put You On:Brandon's song: Still Be Mine by Rory ft BLK ODYSSY & Lucky DayeLaShia's song: Bliss by Naomi ScottHarley's song: the feeling by Steve LacyFollow Us On IG/Twitter/TikTok:@Yup_AnotherPod@ImStunt/@ImStunt1@HarleyNoDavidson_@Chief_Leaf/@_ChiefEats_@Savionj_@ShiLuvsMusic/Shizzy.Shi

Stupid News 6am 6-8-2026 …The Shi**er was Full …He was Assaulted with a Ukulele …Spiderman and Rambo Taken into Custody

China has ample room to expand the global use of renminbi through trade and commodity settlement, supply chain finance and offshore market development, senior economists said, adding that the process will be gradual and largely hinges on continuing financial market reforms across the globe.经济学家表示，中国在通过贸易和大宗商品结算、供应链金融以及离岸市场发展来扩大人民币全球使用方面拥有充足空间。他们指出，这一过程将是渐进的，并在很大程度上取决于全球金融市场的持续改革。As the existing US dollar-dominated architecture sees an erosion of global trust and buckles under the strains of geopolitical conflict and the weaponization of financial infrastructure by some countries, the internationalization of the renminbi will help make the global monetary system more inclusive and resilient, they said.他们认为，在当前以美元为主导的体系面临全球信任侵蚀，并在地缘政治冲突和部分国家将金融基础设施武器化的压力下举步维艰之际，人民币国际化将有助于构建一个更加包容和更具韧性的全球货币体系。In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Zhu Min, former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said the trend of renminbi internationalization is “unstoppable”, and the technical pathway is “already mapped out”.国际货币基金组织前副总裁朱民在接受《中国日报》专访时表示，人民币国际化的趋势“不可阻挡”，技术路径“已经铺就”。Zhu pushed back against a long-held assumption that the renminbi could not become a major international currency without full convertibility and a fully liberalized capital account. “We need to correct this old mindset,” he said.朱民反驳了一种长期存在的假设，即人民币在没有实现完全可兑换和资本账户完全自由化的情况下，不可能成为主要的国际货币。“我们需要纠正这种旧的思维定式，”他说。He pointed to the IMF's Special Drawing Rights basket, a collection of five major international currencies that gives the renminbi a 12.48 percent weighting after the dollar and the euro, as proof that such constraints are not necessarily insurmountable.他援引国际货币基金组织特别提款权货币篮子为例，该篮子由五种主要国际货币构成，人民币以12.48%的权重位列美元和欧元之后。他认为，这证明了上述制约因素并非不可逾越。Expanding the use of the renminbi in cross-border trade settlement serves as a viable and crucial pathway toward its further internationalization, experts said.专家表示，扩大人民币在跨境贸易结算中的使用，是其进一步国际化的可行且关键路径。“For a currency to become truly global, settlement is a critical gateway,” said Miao Yanliang, chief strategist at China International Capital Corp. “And in that respect, China‘s trade leverage is growing.”中国国际金融股份有限公司首席策略师缪延亮表示：“一种货币要真正实现国际化，结算是一个关键门户。在这方面，中国的贸易优势正在不断增强。”Miao noted that China is the world's largest trading nation and largest crude oil importer, as well as a dominant consumer of copper, iron ore and soybeans. “That trade position gives China a unique advantage to gradually enhance the convenience and acceptance of renminbi settlement,” he added.他指出，中国是全球最大的贸易国和最大的原油进口国，也是铜、铁矿石和大豆的主要消费国。“这种贸易地位赋予了中国独特的优势，可以逐步提高人民币结算的便利性和接受度，”他补充道。In recent years, geopolitical shifts have accelerated the renminbi‘s adoption, with some commodity sellers increasingly exploring settling trade in renminbi.近年来，地缘政治的变化加速了人民币的使用，一些大宗商品卖家越来越多地探索使用人民币进行贸易结算。The recent disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted vulnerabilities in the existing dollar-centric oil trading system, said Shi Kang, chair professor at the PBC School of Finance at Tsinghua University.清华大学国家金融研究院副院长、五道口金融学院讲席教授施康表示，近期霍尔木兹海峡航运受阻事件，凸显了当前以美元为中心的石油交易体系的脆弱性。“In the coming period, we will see more oil trade settlement gradually shift away from the existing dollar-based system,” Shi said.“在未来一段时间，我们将看到更多的石油贸易结算逐渐从现有的美元体系中转移出去，”施康说。Beyond trade settlement, Zhu, the former IMF official, noted that strengthening the renminbi's role as a “financing tool in global supply chains” would also bolster its international standing.除了贸易结算，前国际货币基金组织官员朱民指出，加强人民币作为“全球供应链融资工具”的作用也将提升其国际地位。China accounts for nearly one-third of global manufacturing output, equaling the combined share of the United States, Japan, Germany and South Korea, yet its currency plays only a modest role in international finance, Zhu said, describing this as “a clear mismatch”.朱民表示，中国占全球制造业产出的近三分之一，相当于美国、日本、德国和韩国的总和，但人民币在国际金融中仅扮演着温和的角色，他将此形容为“一个明显的不匹配”。“The US' real economy has weakened, but it still underpins an enormous dollar system，” he said. “Geo-economic shifts inevitably drive changes in finance and beyond.”“美国的实体经济已经疲软，但它仍然支撑着一个庞大的美元体系，”他说。“地缘经济的变化必然推动金融及其他领域的变革。”A stronger renminbi is not only an inevitable choice for China‘s development, but also a necessity for global financial stability, Zhu stressed, saying that the renminbi could be used more extensively within global supply chains to align with China's manufacturing strength.朱民强调，更强势的人民币不仅是中国发展的必然选择，也是全球金融稳定的需要。他表示，人民币可以在全球供应链中更广泛地使用，以与中国制造业的实力相匹配。For a currency to become truly internationally strong, Zhu said, it must not only be usable for cross-border transactions, but also be held as a store of value and eventually repatriated or reinvested, all of which requires deep bond markets, robust derivatives markets and a liquid offshore market.他表示，一种货币要真正成为国际强势货币，不仅必须能用于跨境交易，还必须能作为价值储藏手段被持有，并最终能够回流或再投资，这一切都需要有深度的债券市场、稳健的衍生品市场和流动性充裕的离岸市场。Miao, from China International Capital Corp, suggested that China could increase the supply of offshore renminbi, including expanding the availability of government bonds and high-grade renminbi-denominated bonds, to provide global investors with secure renminbi holdings and to support the domestic economy.中金公司的缪延亮建议，中国可以增加离岸人民币的供给，包括增加政府债券和高等级人民币债券的可获得性，从而为全球投资者提供安全的人民币资产，并支持国内经济。In another development, the Ministry of Finance plans to issue a total of 84 billion yuan ($12.4 billion) of renminbi-denominated sovereign bonds in Hong Kong this year. The first two issues, totaling 29.5 billion yuan, were made in February and April.另一方面，中国财政部计划今年在香港发行总计840亿元人民币（约合124亿美元）的主权债券。其中，前两期共计295亿元人民币的债券已于今年2月和4月发行。The world is facing an urgent need for more diversified safe-haven assets and liquidity, said Shi, from Tsinghua University.清华大学的施康表示，世界迫切需要更多元化的避险资产和流动性。That is a gap that the renminbi, backed by China‘s proactive institutional opening-up, is increasingly positioned to fill, Shi added.他补充说，在中国积极主动的制度型开放支持下，人民币正日益能够填补这一空白。“We do not want to replace the dollar system, nor are we trying to develop a separate system，” Shi said. “China's goal is to address the weak links in the current monetary system, allowing more currencies to participate and thus enhance global financial stability.”“我们不想取代美元体系，也不是要建立一个独立的体系，”施康说。“中国的目标是解决当前货币体系中的薄弱环节，让更多货币参与进来，从而增强全球金融稳定。”Marc Uzan, executive director of the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee, said that central banks are diversifying reserves, more energy deals are being priced in nondollar currencies, and countries are settling trade in local currencies. However, he acknowledged that the dollar‘s structural advantages remain significant, and “a swift end to dollar hegemony is unlikely”.重塑布雷顿森林体系委员会执行董事马克·乌赞表示，各国央行正在多元化其储备，更多能源交易正以非美元货币定价，各国也在使用本币进行贸易结算。不过，他也承认，美元的结构性优势依然显著，“美元霸权不太可能迅速终结”。He said he expects a multipolar future in which the dollar, euro and renminbi will each play a larger role, alongside regional currencies.他表示，他预计未来将出现一个多极化的格局，美元、欧元和人民币将与区域性货币一道，各自发挥更大的作用。external coercion /ɪkˈstɜːnəl kəʊˈɜːʒən/外部胁迫dominant consumer /ˈdɒmɪnənt kənˈsjuːmə/主要消费国PBC School of Finance, Tsinghua University /piː biː siː/清华大学五道口金融学院financing tool /ˈfaɪnænsɪŋ tuːl/融资工具manufacturing output /ˌmænjʊˈfæktʃərɪŋ ˈaʊtpʊt/制造业产出geo-economic shifts /ˈdʒiːəʊ iːkəˈnɒmɪk ʃɪfts/地缘经济变化store of value /stɔːr əv ˈvæljuː/价值储藏/保值手段Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee /ˌriːɪnˈventɪŋ ˈbretən wʊdz kəˈmɪti/重塑布雷顿森林体系委员会

The following is an episode from our sister podcast, The Adnan Husain Show: Helyeh Doutaghi from Tehran and Bikrum Gill join me to discuss the haunting and powerful series "Still Minab" and its first two episodes. Helyeh's documentary absorbs the first part of our discussion about narrating and expressing the truth outside of the colonial and imperial framework. Then Adnan and Bikrum reflect on the wider significance of Iran's defiant position against the imperialist world system, revolutionary Shi'i theology and Islam as a vanguard of anti-imperialist resistance, and the fundamental question of sovereignty. We look forward to another episode soon with stable internet to further develop the themes of the scholarly article Helyeh and Bikrum are writing for Middle East Critique on these issues of Iran's place in anti-imperialist resistance history, theory and practice. Follow Helyeh Doutaghi's work for Vocal Politics and on X to get links to "Still Minab": https://x.com/Helyeh_Doutaghi Follow Bikrum Gill on X to keep up with his work: https://x.com/bikrumsinghgill Support the show on Patreon or Substack, if you can (and get early access to episodes as well as full audio of all livestreams)! www.patreon.com/adnanhusain https://www.adnanahusain.substack.com Or make a one-time donation to the show and Buy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/adnanhusain Like, subscribe, share! Also available in video on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@adnanhusainshow X: @adnanahusain Substack: adnanahusain.substack.com www.adnanhusain.org

Friday Juma KhutbaJune 5th, 2026- Eid al-Ghadir celebrates the completion and perfection of Islam, as reflected in Qur'an 5:3, and affirms the continued relevance of Islam through the institution of ijtihad.- The khutbah honored the late Grand Ayatullah Shaykh Ishaq Fayyaz, who passed away in Najaf at the age of 96.- Najaf's senior maraji' represented diverse backgrounds: Ayatullah Sayyid Saeed al-Hakim (Iraqi), Ayatullah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani (Iranian), Shaykh Ishaq Fayyaz (Afghani), and Ayatullah Shaykh Bashir Najafi (Pakistani).- These scholars were leading students of Ayatullah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei and contributed significantly to Shi'a scholarship.- Despite independent legal opinions, the senior maraji' remained united on major socio-political issues affecting Iraq.- During the ISIS crisis, Ayatullah Sistani's call to defend Iraq was collectively supported by the other maraji', demonstrating unity of leadership.- Ayatullah al-Hakim emphasized that Ayatullah Sistani's statement alone was sufficient because he represented their collective voice.- In his condolence message, Ayatullah Sistani described Ayatullah Fayyaz as "a chosen brother."- A personal meeting with Ayatullah Fayyaz highlighted his encouragement for Muslims to participate actively in political systems.- He argued that Muslims should engage at all levels of government rather than limiting themselves to advisory roles.- Ayatullah Fayyaz cited the influence of the Jewish community in the United States as an example of how political participation can amplify a community's voice.- The speaker stressed that political involvement in Canada helps Muslims reduce challenges facing both the present and future generations.- Canadian Muslim advocacy succeeded in bringing attention to Islamophobia, leading to the appointment of Amira Elghawaby under the previous government.- Concerns were raised about Mark Carney replacing the Islamophobia office with a broader advisory council and the symbolism surrounding its launch and leadership.- Recent research from York University's Islamophobia Research Hub indicates continuing discrimination, marginalization, and workplace inequality experienced by Muslims in Canada.Donate towards our programs today: https://jaffari.org/donate/Jaffari Community Centre (JCC Live)

Volunteer firefighter arrested for allegedly setting fires, responding to them with his department, Man ordered nearly $80 worth of Taco Bell food then tried to pay with movie prop money, Alaska's Dan Sullivan will face opponent named Dan Sullivan, An Indiana mayor insinuites citizens opposing data centers are "poor renters in Shi**y houses"

Volunteer firefighter arrested for allegedly setting fires, responding to them with his department, Man ordered nearly $80 worth of Taco Bell food then tried to pay with movie prop money, Alaska's Dan Sullivan will face opponent named Dan Sullivan, An Indiana mayor insinuites citizens opposing data centers are "poor renters in Shi**y houses"See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mandalorian and Grogu is… fine, Radiant Black sticks the landing, and then we go deep on X-Men: The Brood Saga—space opera, horror bugs, vampire detours, and all the weird Claremont-era greatness that makes old X-Men comics so dense and unforgettable. RSS Feed Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at http://patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure the Major Spoilers Podcast continues far into the future! Join our Discord server and chat with fellow Spoilerites! (https://discord.gg/jWF9BbF) Thanks for listening to the Major Spoilers Podcast! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. REVIEWS RADIANT BLACK #42 Writer: Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark Artist: Marcelo Costa Publisher: Image Comics Cover Price: $3.99 Release Date: June 03, 2026 END OF STORY ARC As Jack Marlow's parade marches the streets of Chicago, RADIANT BLACK and **HORIZON **are set on collision course from which neither will emerge unscathed! Don't miss this 5th anniversary issue with an ending that once again will change RADIANT BLACK forever! [rating:4/5] You can purchase this issue via our Amazon affiliate link - https://amzn.to/4nX587N THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU Writer: Jon Favreau Director: Jon Favreau Studio: Lucasfilm Release Date: May 22, 2026 The evil Empire has fallen but Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they enlist the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin and his young apprentice Grogu. [rating:3/5] TRADE DISCUSSION X-MEN: THE BROOD SAGA Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Dave Cockrum and Paul Smith Publisher: Marvel Comics Collects Uncanny X-Men (1981) #154-167, X-Men Annual (1970) #6, Special Edition X-Men (1983) #1. The complete Brood Saga! An X-Men extravaganza up there with the very best, blending space opera - featuring the X-Men, the Starjammers and the Shi'ar - with disgusting parasites from the outer limits of the universe in the form of the deadly and sadistic alien Brood! Featuring art by X-icons Dave Cockrum and Paul Smith, it's an action-packed adventure with a visual majesty that will leave you awed. Then, the X-Men encounter the darker side of the Marvel Universe in stories that pit them against Dracula and take them to Belasco's mysterious realm of Limbo! Chris Claremont crafts each story - and tops it all off with a character-defining tale that shows us Professor X and Magneto as allies before their philosophical fallout that would reshape mutantkind's future! You can purchase this issue via our Amazon affiliate link - https://amzn.to/4dRYOcR At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching require significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep Major Spoilers strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today. If you know someone who loves comics, share this post and episode with them!

Snail Inc. founder and chairman Shi Hai joined Steve Darling from Proactive to discuss the company's remarkable evolution from one of China's earliest internet-era gaming businesses into a global game developer and publisher, while outlining its strategy for future growth through proprietary game development and artificial intelligence technologies. Reflecting on the company's origins, Shi explained that Snail was founded in 2000 with a vision of becoming a leader in virtual worlds and interactive entertainment. At a time when China's online gaming industry was still in its infancy, the company helped pioneer the development of some of the country's earliest 3D gaming experiences, establishing a foundation that would support decades of growth and innovation. Over the years, Snail expanded alongside the rapidly changing gaming industry, successfully navigating multiple technology cycles. The company broadened its portfolio from early online titles into web-based games, massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), mobile gaming experiences, and eventually international markets, including a significant presence in the United States. Throughout that journey, Snail also developed expertise in acquiring, supporting, and growing independent game studios, helping creators bring new intellectual property and gaming experiences to market. Shi noted that the company's strategy has evolved significantly in recent years. Rather than relying primarily on third-party publishing opportunities, Snail has increasingly focused on controlling the full lifecycle of game development, from concept creation and production through publishing, live operations, and long-term community engagement. This approach allows the company to capture greater value from successful titles while building long-term franchises that can generate recurring revenue streams. A central pillar of that strategy is the development of strong intellectual property. Shi emphasized that in today's competitive gaming market, creating recognizable brands and immersive game worlds is more important than ever. Successful games increasingly require compelling content, active player communities, ongoing updates, and live-service capabilities that keep players engaged over extended periods. The discussion also explored the challenges facing the broader gaming industry. Shi observed that both independent developers and major publishers are under increasing pressure as player expectations continue to rise. Modern gamers demand larger worlds, richer experiences, higher production quality, and more frequent content updates, all while development costs continue to climb. As a result, studios must find ways to improve efficiency while maintaining creativity and innovation. Looking ahead, Snail sees artificial intelligence as a major opportunity to transform both game development and player experiences. Shi explained that AI technologies have the potential to streamline production processes, accelerate content creation, improve testing and quality assurance, and enhance in-game experiences through more dynamic and intelligent interactions. The company believes that integrating AI into its development pipeline can help reduce costs, improve productivity, and enable teams to focus more heavily on creativity and innovation. At the same time, AI-driven features could create more personalized and engaging gameplay experiences for players, helping differentiate Snail's products in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Shi outlined ambitious growth objectives for the company, emphasizing the value of owning and releasing internally developed products. “By developing and releasing our own products, we want to be able to double or triple our profits once products are released,” he said, highlighting the significant upside potential associated with successful proprietary game launches. As the gaming industry enters a new era shaped by AI, evolving player expectations, and global competition, Snail believes its combination of industry experience, intellectual property development, publishing expertise, and emerging technology capabilities positions the company to capitalize on future opportunities and continue building long-term shareholder value. #proactiveinvestors #snail #nasdaq #snal #SnailInc #Gaming #VideoGames #ARKSurvivalEvolved #GameDevelopment #Entertainment #Esports #TechStocks #GamingIndustry

On this episode of Yup, Another Podcast we are joined by the crew and AJ came by. We discussed about Aubrey Drake Grahams 3 albums after a 3 year hiatus & Savion goes round for round with AJ on how he believes all the albums are terrible. We then discussed about sugar mamas and it's a necessity for us gentlemen. Then we discussed about Harley being Jaylen Browns lookalike and discovering either whites are on to something or Harley out here lying again. All that that and more on “Yup, Another Podcast”, a podcast about absolutely nothingFollow Us On Twitter/Instagram@Yup_AnotherPod@ImStunt/@ImStunt1@HarleyNoDavidson_@Chief_Leaf/@_ChiefEats_@ShiLuvsMusic/Shizzy.Shi@savionj_@dosjriiBUY THE RUNNERS PSALM HERE: https://herudawid.com/products/the-runners-psalm-1

Moderation Martin Gross/Gesendet in Ö1 am 1.6.2026++Zahlreiche Pestizide wurden von der EU bereits verboten. Dennoch werden sie weiterhin exportiert und außerhalb der EU in der landwirtschaftlichen Produktion eingesetzt. Durch den Import von Lebensmitteln aus diesen Regionen landen sie so aber auch wieder auf unseren Tellern. (Maria Harmer)++Hemayat , das Wiener Betreuungszentrum für medizinische, psychologische und psychotherapeutische Betreuung von Folter- und Kriegsüberlebende, meldet einen, wie es heißt, "besorgniserregend hohen Behandlungsbedarf". Grund dafür seien auch die aktuellen Kriege und Konflikte. (Andreas Mittendorfer)++Shi Yongxin, der frühere Abt des bekannten Shaolin-Klosters in China, ist wegen Bestechung und Veruntreuung von umgerechnet rund 38 Millionen Euro zu 24 Jahren Haft verurteilt worden. Shi hatte das 495 gegründete Shaolin-Kloster in einen international agierenden Konzern verwandelt.

Were the Shi'as of colonial India at the periphery of the Shi'i religious universe, or did they develop an autonomous identity of their own? What were their hopes and fears about the creation of Pakistan?In this episode of Thinking Islam, we explore the themes of Professor Justin Jones's landmark book Shi'a Islam in Colonial India. The conversation begins by challenging the assumption that Iran and the shrine cities of Iraq form the sole heartland of Shi'ism, and traces the indigenous character of Indian Shi'ism after the fall of Awadh in 1856. We discuss the rise of madrasas, the different categories of ulama and Indian mujtahids who provided autonomous leadership without always looking westward, the consolidation of the Shi'a as a distinct qaum rather than a firqa, and the question of political quietism in their relationship with the British Raj. The discussion then turns to the Pakistan Movement, where Shi'a presence in the Muslim League sat uneasily alongside the deep apprehension that Pakistan would become a "Sunnistan," and the striking alliance between Indian Shi'as and Ambedkar's untouchable movement, where Imam Husain emerged as a universal model for social justice and the struggle against oppression.Professor Justin Jones is a historian of Islam in modern South Asia at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on religious revitalisation, the remaking of religious authority, and the social history of Muslim communities in the subcontinent. His work on Shi'i Islam has opened scholarly conversations on Shi'i religious thought, community formation, and politics from the fall of Awadh to independence in north India.Audio Chapters:0:00 – Highlights01:52 – Why Shi'a Islam in South Asia06:31 – Indian Shi'as in the Shi'i Religious Universe14:00 – Relation with Najaf and Qom25:00 – Role of Ulama and Mujtahids41:27 – Shi'as as a Separate Qaum55:10 – Shi'as and the Pakistan Movement1:03:30 – Imam Husain, Untouchables, & Freedom1:13:43 – Ghulats, Usulis, & Akhbaris in India1:22:00 – Decline of Shi'ism in India?1:32:11 – Thinking Islam Question

May 27th 202610th Dhul Hijjah 1447 Eid Al-Adha 1447/2026Eid al-Adha symbolizes global Muslim unity through shared worship, Hajj, and collective celebration across continents.The khutbah emphasizes unity through the Ka‘bah, congregational prayer, and the Prophet's message in Mina about equality and sanctity of life, wealth, and honour.Political and economic interests have weakened the Islamic values of unity, trust, and respect for agreements.Qur'anic verses from Surah al-Nahl stress the obligation to fulfill promises and condemn betrayal and deceit.The example of Sulh Hudaybiyyah highlights that agreements must be respected even with non-Muslims to preserve social order.The sermon criticizes injustices faced by Pakistani Shi‘as deported from the UAE despite lacking political involvement.Bahrain's arrests, citizenship revocations, and deportations of Shi‘as are presented as violations of human rights and international law.A positive development mentioned is the growing cooperation among Shi‘a scholars in Ontario through the planned “Council of Shia Scholars of Ontario.”Eid prayers and Qur'anic verses from Surah al-A‘la and Surah al-Shams emphasize purification of the soul and sincerity of intention.The lesson of qurbani is that Allah values taqwa and sincerity, not merely the outward sacrifice.The story of Habil and Qabil demonstrates that deeds are accepted only from those with true God-consciousness.The khutbah repeatedly connects spiritual purification with unity, justice, and ethical conduct in society.Duas and salawat upon the Prophet and Ahlul Bayt reinforce devotion, guidance, and steadfastness upon the path of Islam.The sermon concludes with the Qur'anic command to uphold justice, kindness, and care for relatives while avoiding oppression and corruption.Surahs al-A‘la and al-Shams reinforce themes of purification, remembrance of Allah, moral responsibility, and success through taqwa.Donate towards our programs today: https://jaffari.org/donate/Jaffari Community Centre (JCC Live)

On hour one of The Sports Drive, Logan Gordon and Patrick Dumas react to the Colorado Avalanche falling to a 3-0 series deficit to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final! The guys break down how shocked they are to see the Avs on the verge of being swept, break down Jared Bednar's comments, the impact of Vegas bringing in John Tortorella, and what could be next for Colorado. (24:00) Sportsnet's Shi Davidi joins the show to bring the latest on the Toronto Blue Jays as the injuries continue to pile up for the squad. Shi breaks down Dylan Cease hitting the IL, what names we could see potentially called up, and more! The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate. Get full Flames games and great shows like Quick 60: The Stamps Show, Wranglers Watch and more ON DEMAND.

Iran's true power wasn't military might, but something far more enduring. This book summary reveals the surprising foundation of its ancient empire.

In this episode, I spend time with New Perspectives on Henry Corbin, edited by Hadi Fakhoury, and reflect on why Corbin still feels so strangely alive right now.Corbin is difficult to place. He moves through Islamic philosophy, Suhrawardi, Shi'ism, Heidegger, Neoplatonism, angelology, psychoanalysis, esotericism, and the imaginal world, but what keeps pulling me in is his refusal to reduce spiritual reality to dogma, psychology, politics, or fantasy. He gives us a way to think about imagination not as escape, but as a form of perception.I also reflect on some of the chapters I'm most excited by, including Charles Stang on Corbin and Neoplatonism, Joan Copjec on Corbin, Lacan, and Kiarostami, Matthew Dillon on James Hillman's democratization of Corbin's imaginal thinking, and Wouter Hanegraaff's haunting portrait of Corbin's Freemasonry, neo-Templar spirituality, and personal longing for a hidden community of the spirit.This is less a summary of the whole book and more an invitation into Corbin as a provocation: What kind of world do we think we are living in? What kind of knowing have we allowed ourselves to trust? And does the soul still have access to images strong enough to guide it?

Hey daar lieve luisteraar, Lou hier. Nu ik naast Creative Director óók de CEO ben van Universes Studios, ben ik opnieuw gedoken in het werk dat me oorspronkelijk inspireerde voor Identity Based Reality Creation, maar ook in de oorspronkelijke teachings over manifestatie en bewustzijn. Mijn all time favorite daarin is nog steeds Kathrin Zenkina. Via haar werk kwam ik opnieuw uit bij een metafoor die de afgelopen weken een enorme doorbraak veroorzaakte in zowel mijn Empire State of Mind als mijn Empire State of Being: The Chain of Command. Ineens zag ik waarom zoveel mensen blijven hangen in affirmaties, visualisaties en “positive thinking” zonder blijvende verandering te ervaren. Omdat je interne bedrijfsvoering niet op één lijn staat. In deze aflevering neem ik je mee in de vier lagen van je innerlijke organisatie: – je Conscious Mind als de CEO. -je Nervous System als Legal & Risk Management – je Subconscious Mind als Operations – en je Super Consciousness als The Board of Directors, de plek van soul guidance, intuïtie en het grotere veld. Want als Legal voortdurend aan de noodrem trekt, Operations nog oude protocollen uitvoert en de CEO alleen maar harder gaat roepen wat er moet gebeuren… dan kun je Identity shiften tot je ons weegt, maar komt er nog steeds geen beweging in het systeem. En misschien is dat precies waarom ik ineens begreep waarom het binge-watchen van Suits niet zomaar ontspanning was, maar voorbereiding. Deze aflevering gaat over interne alignment. Over leadership. Over veiligheid. Over wat er gebeurt wanneer jouw hele Chain of Command eindelijk vóór je gaat werken in plaats van tegen je. Ik ben weer terug uit de Shi(f)t Storm en The Quantum Crumble. Mijn CEO is back in command. Hold the pressure. Keep the vision. Alle liefs, Lou aka ESB P.S. Met de All Access Pass van The Local District kun je in The Identity Lab niet alleen je Identity shiften en stabiliseren, in juni, juli en augustus gaan we ook gezamenlijk aan de slag met Bridging the Gap. Juni: The Gap is niet wat je denkt dat het is Juli: Ontdek de grootste blokkade die de gap wijd open houdt Augustus: Closing the Gap Inclusief somatische meditaties om letterlijk in het zenuwstelsel van je gekozen Identity te stappen en je ín september deze keer wél klaar bent om het allemaal anders aan te pakken.

In this episode, I return to Henry Corbin's The Paradox of Monotheism and explore his strange, beautiful, and deeply provocative argument that monotheism can become idolatrous when God is imagined as the highest being rather than the mystery of Being itself.Drawing from Ibn Arabi, Shi'a theosophy, Proclus, angelology, and Corbin's reflections on mystical kathenotheism, I think through what it means to say that the One does not erase the Many, but reveals itself through many names, mirrors, angels, and Faces.This is an episode about theology after rigid certainty, spirituality beyond flat relativism, and the possibility of a re-enchanted symbolic world where plurality is not a threat to transcendence, but one of its deepest forms of disclosure.

On this episode of Yup, Another Podcast we are joined by our great friend the Stand up Barbie herself Ebony Moore host of the Jose Pistolas open mic and her live taping special at Velvet Whip Speakeasy Philadelphia. We discussed about Brandon's hairline if it was artificial or not or even if he was wearing a wig. We then discussed about how Ebony being a full time comic due to being a laid off scientist and how much this has made her want to take her shot. Then we discussed about Harley being a self proclaimed expert on knowing the perfect woman's derrière with the self titled “Booty Man”. All that that and more on “Yup, Another Podcast”, a podcast about absolutely nothingFollow Us On Twitter/Instagram@Yup_AnotherPod@ImStunt/@ImStunt1@HarleyNoDavidson_@Chief_Leaf/@_ChiefEats_@ShiLuvsMusic/Shizzy.Shi@savionj_@ebony_dream404BUY THE RUNNERS PSALM HERE: https://herudawid.com/products/the-runners-psalm-1

Illustration by David Wynne In which Xorn goes out on the town; silverware is morally neutral; Cyclops pursues dubious counsel; the X means ten; and Fantomex is eminently enjoyable. X-PLAINED: The parentage of Hope Summers New X-Men #127-130 Mutant Town A monster who is not a monster but is, perhaps, a metaphor X-Corporation Paris The whole Phoenix situation Fantomex Weapon XII A gene-hazard Corporal Animal E.V.A. The Weapon Plus program (somewhat) The World (somewhat) The Shi'ar Empire vs. Earth Xorn variations NEXT EPISODE: A Memorial of Magnetism Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog. Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here! Buy rad swag at our Dashery shop!

For episode 50 of B-Side Breakdown, Shi from Scarboro breaks down “Chaser,” a song rooted in political exhaustion, fake empathy, and the disconnect between what people say they believe and what they're willing to act on.Shi talks openly about working in politics and nonprofit advocacy, running for Congress from the left, and eventually walking away after years of watching corporate influence hollow out meaningful change. The conversation moves beyond the song itself into hot-take culture, online outrage, and the frustration of seeing powerful words rarely materialize into pressure where it could actually create change. But underneath all of it is something more personal — exhaustion, apathy, recovery, and trying to rebuild a sense of purpose after hitting a breaking point. The episode also digs into the making of Scarboro's new record Hate Season, written after Shi left the New York State Senate and began working through a difficult period of mental health struggles and healing. What came out of that time became one of the band's most collaborative and emotionally direct records yet.Follow Scarboro:scarboro.bandcamp.cominstagram.com/scarboropunx Sell The Heart Records:https://www.selltheheartrecords.com/WTF Records:https://wtfrecords.eu/Thanks for supporting B-Side Breakdown — where the song is just the start of the story.Brett JohnsonHost, B-Side Breakdownhttps://www.bsidebreakdown.com #Scarboro #Chaser #HardcorePunk #PunkRock #NYCHardcore #SellTheHeartRecords #DIYpunk #PunkPodcast #BSideBreakdown #MelodicHardcore #IndependentMusic #MusicPodcast #PunkCommunity #NewMusic

Edith Szanto's Twelver Shi'i Self-Flagellation Rites in Contemporary Syria: Mourning Sayyida Zaynab (Edinburgh UP, 2025) is a striking and deeply immersive ethnographic study that takes the reader into the shrine town of Sayyida Zaynab in Syria. This town was a vibrant center of Shi‘i life, pilgrimage, and healing, especially for Iraqi refugees until the 2011 Syrian uprising. By combining meticulous fieldwork conducted between 2004 and 2010 with rich historical and social context, Szanto shows how these contested rituals served as both spiritual expression and pathways to worldly and psychological healing. The book examines controversial Muharram practices, especially self-flagellation, not simply as ritual acts but as deeply meaningful responses to trauma, displacement, and the search for justice and healing. In doing so, Szanto pays close attention to how people actually live their religion: through relationships with saints, engagement with religious authorities, media, ritual performance, and forms of spiritual healing. In this conversation, Szanto and I explore specific Muharram practices, including self-flagellation, the wedding of Qasim, and other ritualized forms of mourning, as well as gendered dynamics in who participates and why. We discuss what these practices looked like on the ground—what Muharram in Sayyida Zaynab felt like, how different communities understood and debated these rituals, and what purposes they served for those who participated in them. We talk about the Zaynabiyya seminary and how changes in its physical and institutional structure reshaped how knowledge was taught and who held authority. We also discuss relationships with saints, spiritual healers like Shaykh Abu Ahmad, and the ways that media, music, and ritual performance mediate piety. Szanto also treats us to reflecting on some of her experiences observing and engaging with these rituals. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Islamic studies generally, Shi‘i studies, Middle Eastern religious life, or the ways that communities navigate devotion, trauma, and healing through ritual. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Edith Szanto's Twelver Shi'i Self-Flagellation Rites in Contemporary Syria: Mourning Sayyida Zaynab (Edinburgh UP, 2025) is a striking and deeply immersive ethnographic study that takes the reader into the shrine town of Sayyida Zaynab in Syria. This town was a vibrant center of Shi‘i life, pilgrimage, and healing, especially for Iraqi refugees until the 2011 Syrian uprising. By combining meticulous fieldwork conducted between 2004 and 2010 with rich historical and social context, Szanto shows how these contested rituals served as both spiritual expression and pathways to worldly and psychological healing. The book examines controversial Muharram practices, especially self-flagellation, not simply as ritual acts but as deeply meaningful responses to trauma, displacement, and the search for justice and healing. In doing so, Szanto pays close attention to how people actually live their religion: through relationships with saints, engagement with religious authorities, media, ritual performance, and forms of spiritual healing. In this conversation, Szanto and I explore specific Muharram practices, including self-flagellation, the wedding of Qasim, and other ritualized forms of mourning, as well as gendered dynamics in who participates and why. We discuss what these practices looked like on the ground—what Muharram in Sayyida Zaynab felt like, how different communities understood and debated these rituals, and what purposes they served for those who participated in them. We talk about the Zaynabiyya seminary and how changes in its physical and institutional structure reshaped how knowledge was taught and who held authority. We also discuss relationships with saints, spiritual healers like Shaykh Abu Ahmad, and the ways that media, music, and ritual performance mediate piety. Szanto also treats us to reflecting on some of her experiences observing and engaging with these rituals. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Islamic studies generally, Shi‘i studies, Middle Eastern religious life, or the ways that communities navigate devotion, trauma, and healing through ritual. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

Edith Szanto's Twelver Shi'i Self-Flagellation Rites in Contemporary Syria: Mourning Sayyida Zaynab (Edinburgh UP, 2025) is a striking and deeply immersive ethnographic study that takes the reader into the shrine town of Sayyida Zaynab in Syria. This town was a vibrant center of Shi‘i life, pilgrimage, and healing, especially for Iraqi refugees until the 2011 Syrian uprising. By combining meticulous fieldwork conducted between 2004 and 2010 with rich historical and social context, Szanto shows how these contested rituals served as both spiritual expression and pathways to worldly and psychological healing. The book examines controversial Muharram practices, especially self-flagellation, not simply as ritual acts but as deeply meaningful responses to trauma, displacement, and the search for justice and healing. In doing so, Szanto pays close attention to how people actually live their religion: through relationships with saints, engagement with religious authorities, media, ritual performance, and forms of spiritual healing. In this conversation, Szanto and I explore specific Muharram practices, including self-flagellation, the wedding of Qasim, and other ritualized forms of mourning, as well as gendered dynamics in who participates and why. We discuss what these practices looked like on the ground—what Muharram in Sayyida Zaynab felt like, how different communities understood and debated these rituals, and what purposes they served for those who participated in them. We talk about the Zaynabiyya seminary and how changes in its physical and institutional structure reshaped how knowledge was taught and who held authority. We also discuss relationships with saints, spiritual healers like Shaykh Abu Ahmad, and the ways that media, music, and ritual performance mediate piety. Szanto also treats us to reflecting on some of her experiences observing and engaging with these rituals. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Islamic studies generally, Shi‘i studies, Middle Eastern religious life, or the ways that communities navigate devotion, trauma, and healing through ritual. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

Edith Szanto's Twelver Shi'i Self-Flagellation Rites in Contemporary Syria: Mourning Sayyida Zaynab (Edinburgh UP, 2025) is a striking and deeply immersive ethnographic study that takes the reader into the shrine town of Sayyida Zaynab in Syria. This town was a vibrant center of Shi‘i life, pilgrimage, and healing, especially for Iraqi refugees until the 2011 Syrian uprising. By combining meticulous fieldwork conducted between 2004 and 2010 with rich historical and social context, Szanto shows how these contested rituals served as both spiritual expression and pathways to worldly and psychological healing. The book examines controversial Muharram practices, especially self-flagellation, not simply as ritual acts but as deeply meaningful responses to trauma, displacement, and the search for justice and healing. In doing so, Szanto pays close attention to how people actually live their religion: through relationships with saints, engagement with religious authorities, media, ritual performance, and forms of spiritual healing. In this conversation, Szanto and I explore specific Muharram practices, including self-flagellation, the wedding of Qasim, and other ritualized forms of mourning, as well as gendered dynamics in who participates and why. We discuss what these practices looked like on the ground—what Muharram in Sayyida Zaynab felt like, how different communities understood and debated these rituals, and what purposes they served for those who participated in them. We talk about the Zaynabiyya seminary and how changes in its physical and institutional structure reshaped how knowledge was taught and who held authority. We also discuss relationships with saints, spiritual healers like Shaykh Abu Ahmad, and the ways that media, music, and ritual performance mediate piety. Szanto also treats us to reflecting on some of her experiences observing and engaging with these rituals. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Islamic studies generally, Shi‘i studies, Middle Eastern religious life, or the ways that communities navigate devotion, trauma, and healing through ritual. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

Edith Szanto's Twelver Shi'i Self-Flagellation Rites in Contemporary Syria: Mourning Sayyida Zaynab (Edinburgh UP, 2025) is a striking and deeply immersive ethnographic study that takes the reader into the shrine town of Sayyida Zaynab in Syria. This town was a vibrant center of Shi‘i life, pilgrimage, and healing, especially for Iraqi refugees until the 2011 Syrian uprising. By combining meticulous fieldwork conducted between 2004 and 2010 with rich historical and social context, Szanto shows how these contested rituals served as both spiritual expression and pathways to worldly and psychological healing. The book examines controversial Muharram practices, especially self-flagellation, not simply as ritual acts but as deeply meaningful responses to trauma, displacement, and the search for justice and healing. In doing so, Szanto pays close attention to how people actually live their religion: through relationships with saints, engagement with religious authorities, media, ritual performance, and forms of spiritual healing. In this conversation, Szanto and I explore specific Muharram practices, including self-flagellation, the wedding of Qasim, and other ritualized forms of mourning, as well as gendered dynamics in who participates and why. We discuss what these practices looked like on the ground—what Muharram in Sayyida Zaynab felt like, how different communities understood and debated these rituals, and what purposes they served for those who participated in them. We talk about the Zaynabiyya seminary and how changes in its physical and institutional structure reshaped how knowledge was taught and who held authority. We also discuss relationships with saints, spiritual healers like Shaykh Abu Ahmad, and the ways that media, music, and ritual performance mediate piety. Szanto also treats us to reflecting on some of her experiences observing and engaging with these rituals. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Islamic studies generally, Shi‘i studies, Middle Eastern religious life, or the ways that communities navigate devotion, trauma, and healing through ritual. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

On this episode of Yup, I Heard That we dive right into our thoughts on Michael Jackson's new biopic movie. Stunt was the only one who saw it so far lol so it's really his thoughts & we just chat about it after. We also discuss Drake's ice sculpture installation & if we think it was a cool move or not before getting into our thoughts on the various lists released over the past couple weeks. The crew then ends the pod with sharing our praises for Kehlani's self titled album release. Tune into all of that & more on Yup, I Heard That—a podcast about absolutely nothing BUT music.Let Me Put You On:Brandon's song: No Angel by Miles Chancellor ft Anyee Wright & Lucas WolfeLaShia's song: SWEETTHANG by SalimataHarley's song: Fight Club by PatricianFollow Us On IG/Twitter/TikTok:@Yup_AnotherPod@ImStunt/@ImStunt1@HarleyNoDavidson_@Chief_Leaf/@_ChiefEats_@ShiLuvsMusic/Shizzy.Shi

In Episode 35 of Season 6, we discuss Wolves Women being promoted to WSL 2 and becoming professional, a worrying draw against Sunderland for the men, Rob Edwards coming under fire from supporters and the public scrutiny/questioning of one Shi about another...--- Follow the show on X @wlwpod, on YouTube @WholeLottaWolves and on Facebook. E-mail us at WholeLottaWolves@gmail.com

Illustration by David Wynne In which Wolverine learns to fly; pants are a basic human right; we decide to cherry-pick our Xorn retcons; Xavier's eyebrows follow his mind; and the first year of New X-Men ends with a bang. X-PLAINED: The origin of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard New X-Men #124-126 The current state of Charles Xavier's body G-Type Neosaurus Plutonia Schism Oracle Stuf Gladiator (more) (again) Angel disambiguation Several plans Mutant justice Several miracles of magnetism Mummudrai Horror movie shit Subtle visual foreshadowing A ruse Education Long-lost family members What may or may not come after this NEXT EPISODE: Fantomex! Check out the visual companion to this episode on our blog. Find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men is 100% ad-free and listener supported. If you want to help support the podcast–and unlock more cool stuff–you can do that right here! Buy rad swag at our Dashery shop!

Last episode we briefly talked about what happened when Ōama passed away, including the apparent conspiracy around the Royal Prince Ōtsu, and then the question as to why his son, Crown Prince Kusakabe, didn't then succeed him to the throne. This episode we are taking a look at that period, but more focused on the rituals and what went into a royal funeral, and then take a look all the way to the eventual ascension to the throne of not Crown Prince Kusakabe, but instead his mother, Ōama's queen, Uno no Sarara. She would eventually be known as Jitō Tennō. For photos and links to other episodes, check out our blog post: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-148   Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is Episode 148: A Nation Mourns Crown Prince Kusakabe approached the temporary palace structure that had been hastily assembled in the courtyard in front of the Kiyomihara Palace.   Solemnly arrayed around him, dressed in their court garments, were the ministers and government officials.  Together, they approached the palace building, where the Crown Prince's father, Ohoama, also known as Ame no Nunahara oki no Mabito, lay in state.  He had passed away, and according to the imported Confucian values of filial piety, Kusakabe was now expected to mourn in ritual fashion. The court ritualists had seen to every detail of what should be done and even said, to the extent that the crown prince's actions almost felt like a performance of grief, rather than a heartfelt tribute.  And yet, Kusakabe could not help but feel some emotion at the sight of his father, once the most powerful man under heaven, now laid out in this place of temporary interment.  There would be many more ceremonies and rituals before the final mausoleum would be built and the former sovereign's body finally laid to rest.  Until then, even though Ohoama's spirit had left, his body would remain as a symbol to the people, and as the centerpiece of an elaborate ritual, designed, in part, to continue to bolster the state he had helped to create.   Last episode we went into some of the shenanigans around the death of Ohoama and the succession to the throne.  As we saw, not everyone was apparently on board with the idea that Crown Prince Kusakabe would take the throne, leading to the arrest and execution of Prince Ohotsu.  However, we noted that Crown Prince Kusakabe didn't end up on the throne after all: for whatever reason, he never ascended to the honor, and died in 689 – not even three years after the death of his father.  And so we saw Uno no Sarara, Ohoama's wife and queen and mother of Crown Prince Kusakabe, formally take the reins of state and go on to reign as the sovereign, the Sumera Mikoto, or Tennou, until 697.  From there she would become the first ever Retired Sovereign, keeping her hand in government until her death in 703. This episode we are going to look a little more in depth regarding everything that went on around Ohoama's death and the various rites accompanying his passing. Ohoama's was obviously not the first royal death that we have seen in the Chronicles.  It is perhaps, however, one of the best documented in terms of the funerary arrangements and the various rituals that accompanied his passing.  Some of those arrangements are mentioned previously in the Chronicles, but not to the same extent as we see for Ohoama.  This leaves me wondering: are we seeing something novel—new rites for a new type of sovereign, perhaps?  Or was this just the first time the ritual had been documented to this level of detail?. Before jumping into what we see this time around, we should probably look back at what we have seen around the death of previous sovereigns, and which are still going on here.  First and foremost is the creation—or at least the designation—of a "Palace of Temporary Interment".    This is the Mogari no Miya, with "mogari" being the term for the period between an individual's death and their eventual burial.  In the Nihon Shoki we see this practice go back to the earliest times.  After all, most deaths do not occur on a set schedule, and once someone has passed away, funerary arrangements would need to be made.  Now, if all you are doing is putting a body into a box and lowering it into the ground, you can probably bring it all together rather quickly. However, for centuries the burial practices on the archipelago had been significantly more elaborate.  Even those without royal blood might be afforded a special mound, or kofun.  There would be giant stones selected to create the chamber, and then tons of earth and pebbles placed on top.  There might also be haniwa—clay cylinders—which then might even be topped with special figures.  All of this had to be planned out and taken care of, and in some cases, such as the creation of haniwa, it appears as there was a major industry involved in funerary preparations. In the case of royal family members things got even more elaborate, and based on the size of many of the kofun that we see one can assume that their construction took time.  In fact, I would not be surprised if the construction of a new tomb mound might not have kicked off on or near the ascension of the sovereign just to make sure it would be ready, but even still it would take time for all of the rites associated with a royal burial to be ready to go. And so it was common practice that one would have to wait before a burial could actually take place.  Since you couldn't just leave a body out in the open in the community, the corpse would be deposited, instead, in a temporary building.  These are sometimes referred to as mogari huts,  which would likely be placed well away from others.  Here we should also take into account the general pollution associated with death in its various forms.  So you would want to have the body kept out of sight and away from people as best you could while you prepared for the actual burial at some later date.  For sovereigns, this mogari hut, or hut of temporary interment, was eventually referred to as a "miya", or "palace".  In some cases it seems as if one of the buildings of the sovereign's old palace was used for this purpose, while a new palace was then also built for the new reign. In addition to the place of temporary interment, one of the common traditions we see in funerals in the Chronicles is the role of the eulogy.  While a person lay in state during their temporary interment, we are told that people could come to eulogize and lament.  In the case of a sovereign, the high ministers and politically connected would come together and deliver speeches.  This served multiple purposes.  On the one hand, these rituals reinforced concepts of the State and the central authority in the body of the sovereign.  On the other hand, they also served as markers of status for those delivering the speeches, and provided opportunities to be seen and heard, signaling their support of the system that provided them their own power and authority. So all of this  process and ritual that we see for Ohoama is familiar, from previous royal deaths.  However, it's interesting to note that in the most recent years before Ohoama's funeral, a lot of these traditions seem to have been scaled back.  For one thing, there was the decline of large, keyhole shaped kofun, ever since the introduction of Buddhism in the 6th century and the move to memorial temples over large tombs. Furthermore, as part of the Taika era reforms we see regulations on how long temporary interment may last for those of princely rank and below—though nothing is clearly stated for the sovereign themselves.    Let's look at the most recent royal death's before Ohoama's, but since the beginning of the Taika era.  There are at least three we've talked about.  First off is the death of Karu, aka Koutoku Tennou.  Karu's death is barely remarked upon—he was buried about two months after he passed away, and very little fanfare is given.  One can't help but wonder if this was, in part at least, due to the fact that Naka no Oe was actually in charge and running things at the Crown Prince. Takara hime, aka Saimei Tennou, would pass away in the middle of the Baekje war against the Silla-Tang alliance.  Her body was sent back to Yamato, but the Crown Prince and many of the elites established themselves in Tsukushi—modern Kyushu—to better conduct the war on the peninsula.  Not only was her interment thus delayed, but Naka no Oe's own ascension wouldn't take place for several more years, possibly because of the new capital he was building in Ohotsu.  Naka no Oe's own funerary arrangements were interrupted by the events of the Jinshin no Ran.  In fact, the building of his tumulus was used by the government as a cover to bring in soldiers to prepare for the conflict.  There may have been various funerary rituals planned or even carried out by the Afumi court, but if so they were overshadowed by the civil war that broke out between the two claimants to the throne. As such, Ohoama's appears to be the first royal funeral of this magnitude in a while, and in this case they really pulled out all the stops.  There were various activities and rituals associated with Ohoama's passing up through the 11th month of 688, over two years later, when he was finally buried.  So let's go over what happened and maybe what dragged it out so much longer. First off were the immediate lamentations and eulogies.  Ohoama passed away on the 9th day of the 9th month, according to the Nihon Shoki.  It was the year 686 according to the western calendar.  Two months later the erection of the temporary palace of interment began in the southern courtyard—presumably the area south of the Asuka Kiyomihara palace, where they had previously held the various archery competitions. This took a couple of weeks, and Ohoama's body was finally placed in the temporary palace as of the 24th of that month. While ritual lamentations were raised at the start of the building of the mogari palace and when the sovereign's body was interred, the major rites appear to have started three days after he was laid to rest, on the 27th day,  proceeding for the next three days, from the 27th until the 30th. The rites started with Buddhist monks and nuns who arrived before sunrise and began to perform lamentations in the courtyard of the mogari.  Later that day, we see food offerings, apparently for the first time in the Chronicles. Offering food to the dead is not unique to Japan.  Some in Japan will offer food to their ancestors, especially during the Obon festival.  People will also offer food to kami.  In the case of Obon, a bowl of rice is often served with two chopsticks sticking straight out of it.  This has actually led to a social taboo on leaving your chopsticks "stuck" in food, as it looks as though you are offering the food up to the dead.  Instead, chopsticks will be placed on a chopstick rest, on the table, or even across the top of a dish, just not sticking up out of the food, especially the rice. In this case it isn't clear exactly how the food offering was done, nor what happened to the food afterwards.  In the case of food offered to the kami, it is often the case that once the kami have had enough time to partake of the aura of the food—its spiritual essence—the food will then be removed and often consumed by people.  So for Ohoama's funerary offerings, something similar may have happened—possibly with a feast of some kind to which the various nobles were also invited. Along with the offering of food, we are told of a whole list of individuals who gave eulogies—though we aren't told what the content was.  It is likely that these eulogies were largely ritual utterances—stock phrasing by the participant to demonstrate their active performance of the rituals, rather than a deeply thought sermon about the sovereign.  After all, this seems to have gone on at a rather constant pace for the next several days.  The ritual order seems to have stayed the same, with priests and nuns kicking things off with lamentations in the courtyard, and various nobles presenting their eulogy.  The third day, the 29th, was the same. On the fourth day, the 30th, the last day of the month, the priests and nuns raised lament, and the eulogies were given by a Baekje prince in exile, on behalf of his father, as well as the various Miyatsuko of the various provinces.  In addition there were all performances of all manner of singing and dancing—which makes it sound more like a wake than anything else. With the close of the 9th month, we have a break in the tale of Ohoama's funeral, as the narrative switches over to the next part of the Chronicles covering the reign of Uno no Sarara, aka Jitou Tennou.  The first order of business—other than telling us who Uno no Sarara was and covering some of her history—was to deal with the Prince Ohotsu conspiracy.  So we see Prince Ohotsu arrested, along with 30 conspirators.  Prince Ohotsu was killed at his residence, where his wife and consort ran to him and took her own life as well.  That all happened the 2nd and 3rd days of the 10th month.  The 30 co-conspirators were apparently held for about twenty-seven days while the court debated what to do with them.  Finally, the decree was made to pardon all except Toki no MIchidzukuri, who was only banished instead of executed, and the monk Heng-sin, who was exiled to a temple in Hida, over on Kyushu.  The month after that, Ohotsu's sister, Royal Princess Ohoku, returned to the capital from Ise Shrine where she had been serving as the Shrine Princess—though we aren't told who replaced her. And so it isn't until the twelfth month that we see what appears to be the rites for Ohoama's passing seem to resume.  This takes the form of a universal great assembly held in Ohoama's name at the Five temples, listed as Daikandaiji, Asukadera, Kawaradera, Toyoradera in Woharida, and Sakadadera.  This is an interesting list, as one would have expected that the rites would have occurred at the National Temples established previously—for more on the National temples, we talked about that back in Episode 142.. Daikandaiji, Asukadera, and Kawaradera were, of course, national temples.  Yakushiji is not mentioned, probably because it was still under construction.  At this date it's only been dedicated, and we won't see it show up in the Chronicles until 688—a year and change from the current gathering.  Toyoradera was the nunnery of Toyoura temple, and Sakada temple appears to be another nunnery, formerly known as Kongoji.  It is said to have been in MInabuchi, and ruins of a temple are found in the southeast of Asuka, in an area known today as, funnily enough, Sakada.  There is also a modern temple known as Kongoji nearby, though I can't tell if there is any connection between the two other than the name— whether its a true successor temple or just given that name because of the proximity of the ruins. Either way, in this phase of the funerary rites, we have a combination of temples and nunneries involved.  I wonder if that was so that men and women could gather in spaces for them.  Either way, it is clear that these rites  were held specifically to build merit for Ohoama.  This was probably also the intent behind the actions of the court a week later, when presents of cloth and silk were made to orphans, as well as childless, widowed, and elderly men and women of the capital—those who didn't have someone else to look after them or who were assumed to not have a stable income. Come the first day of the new year of 687, we see a return to the palace of temporary interment, and this time it is in a new and different fashion.  We are told that the Crown Prince, accompanied by ministers and public functionaries, proceeded to the Palace of Temporary Interments and made lament.  We are told that it was the Nagon, Fuwe no Ason no Miaruji, who performed the eulogy, after which everyone once again raised a lament.  Then the common people raised a lament.  Then Ki no Ason and others of the High Stewards of the Palace made food offerings.  After this, the Uneme of the Steward's department raised a lament and then music was performed by the officials of the Department of Music. This clearly indicates an involved ceremony, with set roles and functions.  It is being headed by Ohoama's son, Crown Prince Kusakabe, and attended by all the high ministers, and it is being held on the first of the year in place of other festivities for that day.  Other than the timing, the basic pattern of events is similar to the other rituals of lamentation.  .  The contents of the ceremony might be different, and it was always someone new who was chosen to give the formal eulogy, but there does seem to be some ritual and pattern to the rites performed.  For major ceremonies, we are told of the Crown Prince, the ministers, and the various public functionaries who are there, in attendance, but in other instances we are just told of who is providing the lamentations or the eulogy.  For example, on the 5th day of the first month—four months after the big ceremony, we are told that everyone—Crown Prince down to the common people—proceeded to the Palace of temporary interment and made lamentations. Either way, the period for the next year and change is filled with various ceremonies either at the palace of temporary interment, where Ohoama's body lay in state, or elsewhere in the capital, such as at various temples.  There were also various gifts from the court.  All of this was as much political spectacle as it was grieving.  There are some suggestions that, according to Confucian tradition, a son was expected to mourn the loss of his father for up to three years.  So perhaps that is part of what was happening—the royal family was participating in some costly signaling to both raise Ohoama—and thus, themselves—up on a pedestal and to try to demonstrate the virtue of Crown Prince Kusakabe.  After all, the Queen and her son had been effectively running the government before Ohoama had passed, so it wasn't like there was any actual change and only minor risk.  The timeframe also allowed the court time to send messengers out to inform the far reaches of the archipelago of Ohoama's passing and give them time to come and do homage.  They even sent messengers to Silla, no doubt to both let them know about what had happened and possibly to solicit a condolence embassy.  All of that would also play into the pageantry and mythmaking of the moment, further strengthening the position of the Yamato court, which was, of course, under the control of Uno no Sarara and her son. And so we see numerous, and quite public, displays.  Besides the lamentations and the eulogies, we see repeated gifts to the underprivileged, like giving gifts of coarse and floss silk to those residents of the Capital who were at least 80 years old, as well as to invalids with little hope as well as to the poor people who had no other means to support themselves.  All of it being done in Ohoama's name, even though the reputation no doubt was actually accruing to his son and widow. In the third month we see a special mention: an ornamental chaplet of flowers, known as a mikage, was offered at the Palace of Temporary Interment.  Today, flowers are often found in abundance at Japanese funerals.  Certain flowers may be "gifted" to the deceased as a last gift from mourners, and large, elaborate flower constructions are often used to decorate the funeral parlor where the corpse is laid out.  Groups and individuals may pay exorbitant sums to place flowers with a name card indicating who donated it, and some flowers may be for the grieving family to take home.  There are meanings behind the type of flowers, and often white flowers are preferred, as white is often seen as the color of death.  Some of this appears to be influenced by the West, but flowers have long been symbols and used in various ceremonies and rites.  It is possible that some of this was influenced by Buddhist and Tang court rituals.  Or maybe they just wanted something that was sweet smelling to help cover up the inevitable odor that no doubt resulted from leaving a body out for about six months at that point. Whatever the purpose, we aren't given too many details on just what this floral display was.  Aston calls the "mikage" a "chaplet" and Bentley simply describes it as decorative flowers placed at the mogari palace—the palace of temporary interment.  Once the flowers were placed, then Taji no Mabito no Maro performed the ceremony of the eulogy. Next, in the 5th month, we see the Crown Prince and various government officials once again involved.  This time they were accompanied by the chiefs of the Hayato and the Ata of Ohosumi, accompanied by their people, advancing and providing a eulogy.  The Hayato and the Ata were both indigenous groups of people from southern Kyushu, who were considered to be outside of the Yamato polity, with distinct cultural differences.  It is unclear if they were ethnically Wa people.  Evidence from that area suggests that the people there, whatever their ethnicity, had adopted many of the Yayoi and Kofun cultural life-ways.  This was not without some differences, such as distinct burial practices, such as underground burial chambers.  Hayato were also known in Yamato for their shields, which are often depicted as long, thin pentagonal shapes with red, white, and black figural paintings. The propaganda-slash-merit making continued over the next few months.  In the 6th month we see an amnesty, where criminals were pardoned, and in the 7th month the court unilaterally cancelled out any interest on debts contracted in the year 685 or earlier.  In cases where the debtors already owed service to their creditors, for some reason, they made it so that the creditors could not demand that they provide additional service.  People still had to pay back the balance, but they didn't have to pay back anything extra. The next ceremony at the palace of temporary interment wasn't for about three months later, in the 8th month of 687.  We are told that offerings of food were made, and that only awokimono—green things—were offered.  Bentley translates this passage to say that it was the feast of first fruits, the Niinamesai, and they do use the character for "namé", but not the full name.  As for "Awokimono" – Aston translates this as plain, boiled rice, and says it is meant that it was without meat of any kind.  Indeed, the characters appear to be for blue or green cooked rice.  There is another reading for "Awokimono" as "Hijikioono", and Aston suggests that there may have been some hijiki, or seaweed, involved.  Regardless this appears to have been specifically a funerary tradition. A day after the food was offered—and we aren't told who did that—the elderly people of the capital, both men and women—some possibly with new duds thanks to the silk they had received earlier—came and made lamentation west of the bridge.  I suspect that this means they didn't enter the actual courtyard where the palace of temporary interment was set up, but simply gathered on the west side of the Asuka River, which flowed past the west side of the courtyard.  Later that month, we see another Buddhist ceremony.  Fujiwara no Ason no Ohoshima and Kibumi no Muraji no Ohotomo invited 300 Buddhist dignitaries, known as Ryuuzou and Daitoku, to Asukadera.  There they gave each one of them the present of a kesa—a Buddhist sash worn as part of their vestments.   Kesa were typically stitched together from cloth donated by Buddhist laypersons, and we are told that these kesa were made from the garments of the late sovereign.  The language of the decree itself was apparently so painful—Aston translates it as pathetic—that it couldn't be fully set forth.  That sounds to me like someone forgot to write it down. Eleven days after the assembly at Asukadera, a national Buddhist feast was sponsored at all of the Temples in the capital.  The day after that, a feast was sponsored at the mogari palace. Later that same month, Silla ambassadors arrived at the archipelago.  The Dazai, the viceroy of Tsukushi, met with them and informed them of what had happened.  It is likely that they had left before any word had reached the peninsula, so this was the first they heard of it.  Nonetheless, they all put on mourning clothes, turned to face the East, and bowed three times and raised lamentations.  This was all being done in Kyushu, but nonetheless it was clearly important to the people who were recording these interactions. A similar note in the record appears on the 23rd day of the first month of the following year, where we are told that Ohoama's death was announced to the Silla ambassador, Gim Sangnim, and his colleagues.  They, in turn, made their lament three times.  It is possible that these are records of the same event, and I even wonder if one was recorded on the date they arrived and the other was recorded on the date that they were formally told what was happening.  Either that, or the events of the 9th month of 687 were an informal notice, so that they could get ready, after which they traveled the three months and change to Asuka, where they then were given the formal notification. Moving on to finish out the year 687: on the 22nd day of the 10th month, the Crown Prince and government officials, along with all of the governors and Kuni no MIyatsuko—and not forgetting the common people—all began work on the sovereign's tomb.  This is one of the few tombs that we have some confidence in, though it isn't a keyhole shaped kofun like many others from previous eras.  Today it looks mostly like a round hill, but originally it seems to have been an eight-sided tomb with five distinct levels.  Eight sides suggests a Buddhist influence, as eight is an auspicious number, such as in the 8-fold path.  I can't help but wonder if the five levels were connected to concepts of five in Confucian and Daoist teachings.  For instance, there was the idea of five Confucian virtues as well as the Wuxing, or Gogyou, where we have five specific elements.  Given the importance and influence of continental thinking at the time, neither one would surprise me. The tomb would take almost a year to complete, which almost doesn't seem like enough time given everything that they did.  It is possible that they had already prepped much of what they needed and that the 10th month of 687 was simply the date they broke ground, but either way it was an impressive feat. Meanwhile, as the construction was ongoing, the public displays of mourning continued.  Once again, new year's day celebrations of 688 were postponed in favor of public mourning, with the Crown Prince and all of the ministers making their lamentations on the first day of the year, followed by a company of priests the following day. On the 8th day of the first month of the year we are told that there was a public great congregation of priests held at Yakushiji.  This is the first official event held at Yakushiji, and so presumably the temple was now finished—or at least finished enough.  Since Ohoama isn't mentioned, it is certainly possible that this wasn't directly connected to the ceremonies around the official mourning of Ohoama.  On the other hand, Yakushiji was commissioned by Ohoama for the health of his wife, Uno no Sarara, so I have a hard time thinking that there weren't any connections at all. In the second month of 688, we get a decree that has a few different interpretations.  The decree states that, "in the future, on all days of national mourning, it is absolutely necessary that abstinence be practiced."  Bentley translates this to mean that there would be a feast on the day of national mourning every year after.  The key contention appears to be whether or not the day of mourning was a monthly or annual thing.  The court appears to have been creating a national holiday around the memory of Ohoama, and it may have chosen the second month for that day of mourning and remembrance.  Alternatively, this was for a day of mourning each month of the current year.  The wording is vague.  It is like the question of whether or not "Bi-weekly" means twice a week or once every two weeks, and I don't know that there is any consensus.  Still, it is interesting that they created their own holiday to remember Ohoama, and as far as I can tell this is the first such example of a holiday being used to remember a person in this way. Once again on the 22nd day of the third month, flowers were again presented at the palace of temporary interment.  This was only two days different from when the mikage had been set up in the previous year, so it would seem that the timing was significant—possibly because it was spring and the flowers were blooming.  Fujiwara no Ason no Ohoshima, the same individual who had helped gather the various priests together at Asukadera to hand out kesa made of the sovereign's own garments, presented the eulogy. The ceremonies are then put on hold for a bit.  There is an account from the 11th day of the 6th month where prisoners guilty of capital crimes would have their punishment mitigated one degree while those in prison for lighter offenses would be pardoned altogether.  In addition, only half of the commuted taxes were to be levied.  This might have been more merit-working for Ohoama or it may have been because the nation itself was undergoing a drought and they were seeking the Buddha's favor to bring the rains. Once again in the 8th month we see offerings of food are made, and a lament raised inside the palace of temporary interment.  This time the eulogy was performed by Ohotomo no Sukune no Yasumaro.  The day after that, Prince Ise was given commands regarding how the upcoming funeral was to be handled, which was to happen three months later. The 11th month kicked off with the Crown prince and the ministers once more going to the palace of temporary interment, this time on the 4th day of the month.  They had with them guests from the "frontier lands" as Aston notes—Bentley says foreign countries.  Offerings of food were made, and the Tatefushi dance was performed.  This was a dance with shields and swords, according to later records.  It seems that the dancers also wore armor, or something to approximate armor.  All of the ministers then advanced, each in turn, and pronounced a eulogy, with each recounting the services that their ancestors had rendered to the throne. The following day, there was further ceremony as over 190 Emishi brought tribute in on their backs, and pronounced a eulogy for the departed sovereign. Six days later, on the 11th day of the 11th month, Fuse no Ason no Miaruji and Ohotomo no Sukune no Mimiyuki both pronounced eulogies, and then Tahema no Mabito no Chitoko recited, as a eulogy, the succession to the throne of the royal ancestors.  And when that was finished, Ohoama's body was finally placed in the Ohouchi tomb and the tomb was sealed. And with that, the sovereign was put to rest, after over two years of mourning and ceremony, specifically designed to put on display the court's apparent grief.  Whether they were actually grieved or not, the importance was the performance of grief through the rituals set forth by the state.  Individuals and groups demonstrated their loyalty through their participation.  Noble families used the platform to recount their service and thus demonstrate their own history and pedigree and thus why they were deserving of their status in the court. Furthermore, during all this ceremony around the funerary arrangements, to try to  also have an ascension ceremony for the new sovereign was probably a little too much to try and push through.  It would have also meant that they would been holding a ceremony that should be joyful and august under the pall of the mourning period.  For the Crown Prince to don the robes of office while his father's body lay in the courtyard was probably, as they say, a bad look.  And, as I mentioned earlier, it wasn't like it was making any real, practical difference.  The ship of state was hardly rudderless, with Kusakabe and his mother both guiding it through the various ceremonies. Sure enough, in the following year, 689, the new year ceremonies were no longer about mourning and lamentation.  The queen gave an audience to all the lands in the Front Hall, and the following day the Ministry of Education presented 80 wooden staves, presumably for an old form of the Setsubun festival.  Today, Setsubun, the day before Spring, is celebrated with soybeans, which are tossed at characters in oni masks, and then inside the house.  The cries ring out "Oni ga soto" – "Demons Out" and then again, "Fuku ga uchi" – "Good luck inside!"  Thus evil spirits are kept at bay and good fortune is welcomed into the home.  In the older version of a similar ritual, it seems that wooden staves were used to symbolically drive the demons out, rather than just a handful of auspicious beans. The first month of year 689 continued to look a lot like previous years, prior to Ohoama's death.  There was a banquet given to the Ministers, and gifts of clothing were handed out to them.  And then, halfway through the month, the various officials brought presents of firewood to the palace.  And then a meal was given to the various public functionaries. A few days after that, Queen Uno left to visit the Yoshino palace for a few days, returning two days later. There is something that is not mentioned in all of this that I suspect was happening.  First of all, they had no doubt torn down the palace of Temporary Interment, and they were likely preparing for Crown Prince Kusakabe's ascension.  There are some that suspect Prince Kusakabe was waiting until three years had passed before taking the throne, mimicking a tradition sometimes observed on the continent, but nothing is explicitly said. Instead, we see that on the 24th day of the 3rd month there was another amnesty across the realm,  and we are explicitly told that crimes that hadn't been pardoned in ordinary amnesties were also excepted in this amnesty.  Amnesties typically seem to be part of merit-making to either prevent disaster or to celebrate something auspicious.  Was this clearing the way for the ascension ceremony to take place?  Or had something befallen the royal family? We aren't given many details, but on the 13th day of the 4th month, we are simply told that Crown Prince Kusakabe died.  We aren't told that he had previously been ill, or that anything in particular had happened.  It is just a simple line in the text.  And yet, this must have had tremendously serious consequences.  I think we can fairly safely assume that he was prepared to ascend the throne—unless he was thinking of pulling something like Naka no Oe and running things from behind the scenes.  However, there is plenty of evidence that Uno no Sarara was more likely to be the one to step back and be the power in the shadow.  She had operated from that position before. Whatever the plan was, clearly that plan was no more.  Crown Prince Kusakabe was dead, and his only heir was still a young child.  He also had no brothers to take the throne.  The Chronicles don't mention it, but this must have been a moment of incredible weakness for the court and the Queen.  History as we know it could have turned out very differently from this point. Also, sidebar—Prince Kusakabe's death is recorded on the 13th day of the 4th month.  While 13 would not necessarily be an inauspicious day until the Western superstition was introduced in recent times, the number 4 has long been associated with death because the pronunciation, "Shi" is the same as—or at least very similar to—the pronunciation of the character for death.  This is also the case in Chinese, and so the number four is often avoided and seen as unlucky.  Sometimes hotels will skip both the 4th and 13th floors in Asia to avoid any inauspicious vibes.  In Japanese, the numbers 4—"Shi" and seven—"Shichi"—will often be pronounced with their kun'yomi readings, so "yon" and "nana" respectively.  So I just find it rather an unfortunate coincidence that Crown Prince Kusakabe died on the 13th day of the 4th month.  Yikes. Anyway, if there was any wavering or grief by Uno no Sarara, it isn't mentioned in the Chronicles.  They continue to march on.  Later that same month, Prince Kasuga passed away.  Prince Kasuga was a non-royal prince, and the death of Prince Kasuga and the Crown Prince were met with an equal lack of fanfare or explanation.  Compare to the death of Prince Ohotsu, who was given an entire eulogy about how he was really well liked. Instead, the Chronicle simply moves on.  The rest of the year passes by as though nothing had happened.  The government continued with Uno no Sarara at its head.  In the first day of the first month of the following year, Uno no Sarara formally ascended to the royal dignity in a ceremony where Mononobe no Maro set up the shields, Nakatomi no Ohoshima recited a prayer for the blessings of Heaven, and Imbe no Shikofuchi delivered the divine seal, sword, and mirror to her majesty.  At that point all of the ministers and government officials made their obeisance in turn, clapping their hands as  they did so. One has to wonder if this ceremony wasn't a little bittersweet, given everything that had happened. A few things about the ceremony to note.  First are the three families mentioned:  Despite the fact that the Mononobe house had been defeated by the Soga centuries back, here they stand in their traditional role as soldiers, raising up the shield.  Then we see Nakatomi no Ohoshima—earlier mentioned as Fujiwara no Ohoshima—as the director of the Ministry of Kami matters, handling the ceremony.  And then there is the Imbe, in some ways the rival to the Nakatomi and their descendants, the Fujiwara, who is handling the regalia. Also of note is that the three regalia here are not the jewel, sword, and mirror, but the seal, sword, and mirror.  We mentioned this many episodes back when we had seen these same three used for the ascension ceremony, and noted then that a royal seal appears to be used, rather than mention of a jewel.  The character used, on the continent, referred to the imperial seal of the dynasty, which itself would have been carved into jade, or a jewel.  And in Japan the character is also said to refer to the "Yasakani-magatama", the sacred jewel.  So was it the jewel, and they just called it the seal?  Or is that a later attribution to try and maintain the concept that the three regalia remained the same?  I couldn't honestly say, but either way we see the concept of these three regalia as central to the ceremony. And with that, Uno no Sarara, known to us as Jitou Tennou, ascended the throne.  She would continue the process of making updates to the court and to the laws and regulations.  She would also see the creation of the Fujiwara palace and accompanying city—designed as the first permanent capital city in all of Japan.  She would also take a hard line with Silla and make her mark on the world stage, as well.  But we'll talk about that in future episodes. And so, until next time, if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

Hello and welcome to another episode of Shi'nanigans Podcast. As always, thank you so much for supporting and listening. On this episode we had a guest scheduled but due to connectivity issues, they weren't able to be on so they were rescheduled. However, that did not stop the show. Guess what, my comedy special is on Youtube. Go watch it and tell me what you think. Send us Fan MailSupport the showInstagram: @shar1ta_Facebook: Sha RitaYouTube: SharitaTwitter: @5har1taTwitch: TygyrlillyTikTok: Tygyrlilly

On this episode of Yup, Another Podcast we are joined by comedian Justin Lamar producer of Jokes & Jrinks with a show on May 9th at Helium comedy club Philadelphia. We discussed Megan the Stallion and Klay Thompsons break up & how celebrities lie about their dating life. We then discussed about how today's Crack heads don't have the hustle and motivation like old school crack heads. Then we discussed about R Kelly's illiteracy but his talent to make a song for black graduations All that that and more on “Yup, Another Podcast”, a podcast about absolutely nothingFollow Us On Twitter/Instagram@Yup_AnotherPod@ImStunt/@ImStunt1@HarleyNoDavidson_@Chief_Leaf/@_ChiefEats_@ShiLuvsMusic/Shizzy.Shi@savionj_@thejustinlamarstory

Did the Quran once contain additional suras that are no longer part of the standard text? In this video, we explore reports about the codex of Ubayy ibn Ka'b and examine claims about “lost” or excluded suras during the Uthmanic recension.Find me and my music here:https://linktr.ee/filipholmSupport Let's Talk Religion on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/letstalkreligion Or through a one-time donation: https://paypal.me/talkreligiondonateSources/Recommended Reading:Amir-Moezzi, Mohammad Ali. 2022. The Shi'is and the Qur'an: Between Apocalypse, Civil Wars, and Empire. Religions 13: 1.Anthony, Sean W. (2019). "TWO ‘LOST' SŪRAS OF THE QURʾĀN: SŪRAT AL-KHALʿ AND SŪRAT AL-ḤAFD BETWEEN TEXTUAL AND RITUAL CANON (1st-3rd/7th-9th CENTURIES)". JSAI 46 (2019).Harvey, R., & College, E. (2017). "The Legal Epistemology of Qur'anic Variants: The Readings of Ibn Masʿūd in Kufan fiqh and the Ḥanafī madhhab".Karimi-Nia, Morteza. (2019). A New Document in the Early History of the Qurʾān. Journal of Islamic Manuscripts. 10. 292-326. 10.1163/1878464X-01003002. Sadeghi, Behnam & Bergmann, Uwe. (2010). The Codex of a Companion of the Prophet and the Qurān of the Prophet. Arabica. 57. 343-436. 10.1163/157005810X504518. Sinai, Nicolai (2017). "The Qur'an: A Historical-Critical Introduction". Edinburgh University Press. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Yup, I Heard That we're joined by Philly's own, Beano French! After a brief catch up, we share our thoughts on Usher & Chris Brown's tour announcement. We also get into some of Beano's current wins, including the release of his latest EP, ‘Love On Purpose', & his thoughts on performing at this year's upcoming Roots Picnic. We then play a few rounds of AUXGOD before diving into Beano's history as an artist, & responses to many more questions. Tune into all of that & more on Yup, I Heard That—a podcast about absolutely nothing BUT music.Beano French's Upcoming Show:https://www.ticketmaster.com/beano-french-philadelphia-pennsylvania-05-14-2026/event/02006472FE117E2AIG/Twitter/TikTok: @BeanoFrenchLet Me Put You On:Beano's song: fiftyfive by Devin DonnellBrandon's song: I Want You Back by Johnny VenusLaShia's song: Lonely People by ElmieneFollow Us On IG/Twitter/TikTok:@Yup_AnotherPod@ImStunt/@ImStunt1@HarleyNoDavidson_@Chief_Leaf/@_ChiefEats_@ShiLuvsMusic/Shizzy.Shi

If you're wondering why Sunni and Shia have been divided and if unity is even possible, this is the interview for you. What caused the Sunni VS Shia divide? What made it religious? Are Shia's Muslims? Can Sunnis and Shias live together? Who did this to us? We're FINALLY going to talk about the dark time in Islamic history no one talks about....the Sahabah Civil War. What happened?! Why?! How?!In this episode, we have on again, Hamza Raza, a graduate of Vanderbilt and Harvard University with a master's degree in Islamic Studies, currently a student at Al Azhar in Egypt, sits down to reveal the real theological differences and political divides that have separated Muslims for centuries. This is the raw, unfiltered truth about what really happened after the Prophet Muhammad's (ﷺ) death.Follow Hamza: https://www.instagram.com/hamzahraza*JOIN OUR YOUTUBE MEMBERSHIP*OR*Support Us on *Patreon:* https://www.patreon.com/theansaripodcast*Ayubi Collective*FREE 10-Part Masterclass “How to Build Your Own Multi-Billion Dollar Business”https://www.ayubi.com/ansari*Provision Capital:* https://www.provisioncapital.com00:00 What's the story between Sunni & Shia?08:40 The different kinds of Shia10:09 Views about the Sahaba13:57 Ad15:36 The Battle of Jabr20:17 The Death of Uthman 27:45 Who Was Right? Ali or Muawiyya?30:05 Why Is this held a secret?33:08 Ad33:59 The Battle of Safeen35:22 Imam Hassan VS Muawiyyah45:56 The Battle of Karbala57:52 The Origin of Shi'ism01:02:00 The Massacre of the Prophet's Family01:09:50 The Ismaili Split01:11:28 Ad01:12:20 Sunni VS Shia Misinformation 01:15:13 What about Modern Politics?01:19:29 Unification of Muslims01:22:34 Final Thoughts#IslamicHistory #IranWar #muslimpodcast #islamicpodcast #shia #sunni *Listen on All Audio Platforms:* https://tr.ee/JeX-ILYSyj*Follow The Ansari Podcast**Instagram:* https://instagram.com/ansaripodcast*TikTok:* https://tiktok.com/@theansaripodcast*Twitter/X:* https://twitter.com/ansaripodcast

On this episode of Yup, I Heard That we briefly talk about the benefits yet struggles of being “outside” as someone who aspires to work in the music industry. We share our thoughts on J. Cole's interview run. And of course Ye's new album ‘BULLY' is discussed. Tune into all of that and more on Yup, I Heard That, a podcast about absolutely nothing BUT music.Let Me Put You On:Brandon's song: Why? by Shanté & Jay VersaceLaShia's song: Bread Of Life by Stove God CooksFollow Us On Twitter/Instagram:@Yup_AnotherPod@ImStunt/@ImStunt1@HarleyNoDavidson_@Chief_Leaf/@_ChiefEats_@ShiLuvsMusic/Shizzy.Shi

As the Iran conflict enters its sixth week and Trump's ultimatum is upon us, what is Trump's real plan here? Is it merely to Disorder, or is he genuinely seeking to negotiate his way out of this conflict? To discuss the latest, including the role of Europe and whether the Strait of Hormuz can be theoretically and practically opened by military force, Jason is joined by Michael Stephens, senior fellow at Global Nation and an associate fellow at RUSI. He ran to be an MP for the Tories in Putney; he speaks Hebrew and Arabic; and has decades of expertise in the Gulf States, Syria, and inside the UK government. Michael and Jason discuss the theological background to the Islamic Republic's ideology, the positive role Britain can play, whether the mere existence of this conflict helps the Chinese exert more power globally, and what the Europeans could do to Order the Disorder if they wanted to. To join our Mega Orderers Club for ad free listening, early episode releases and exclusive access to live events, visit disordershow.com/club To tell us more about Disorder, visit disordershow.com/survey Producer: George McDonagh Subscribe to our Substack - https://natoandtheged.substack.com/ Disorder on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@DisorderShow Show Notes Links: To join our Mega Orderers Club for ad free listening, early episode releases and exclusive access to live events, visit disordershow.com/club To tell us more about Disorder, visit disordershow.com/survey Listen and watch Jason explain ‘How will the Iran war reshape global supply chains?' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoZyAP5tFXo Listen and watch Jason explain, ‘Why did Trump fire Pam Bondi?' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id8jarTtdFI Want to learn more about Shi'i Islam and how it informs the Islamic Republic's decision making, read Moojan Momen's brilliant An Introduction to Shi'i Islam: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Introduction-Shii-Islam-History-Doctrines/dp/0300034997 To listen to our previous interview with Michael visit https://pod.link/1706818264/episode/Zjk5NzljMzItOGNkNS0xMWYwLWFiNGEtMDNjMjExN2VkNWU3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last time we spoke about the Xiang-Gan Operation. In 1939, during the Second Sino-Japanese War's stalemate phase, Chiang Kai-shek received intelligence from Wang Pengsheng about Japan's "Xiang-Gan Operation," a plan to pressure Chongqing by advancing on Hunan and supporting Wang Jingwei's puppet regime in Nanjing. Chiang, based in Chongqing's Huangshan Villa, coordinated defenses in the Ninth War Zone. Deputy Chief Bai Chongxi proposed Plan A, luring Japanese forces deep to Hengyang for annihilation, minimizing movements and exploiting supply vulnerabilities. Chen Cheng and acting commander Xue Yue favored Plan B, emphasizing successive resistance north of Changsha to prevent its fall and counter propaganda.Initially approving Plan A, Chiang switched to Plan B after Xue's insistent telegrams highlighted risks like pincer attacks from Guangzhou and political fallout. Xue, haunted by past failures like Lanfeng and Nanchang, sought redemption. Troops under generals like Guan Linzheng fortified positions along the Xin Qiang and Miluo Rivers, with slogans invoking Taierzhuang's prestige.   #196 The Road to Changsha: Rivers of Carnage at Miluo and Bijia 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. At 7 a.m. on September 14, over 2,000 troops from Nakai Ryotaro's 106th Division launched a fierce attack on the positions of Wan Baobang's 184th Division in Huibu. When this telegram crackled into the command centers of Chongqing, Guilin, and Changsha simultaneously, a hush fell over those who read it, each uttering the same grave words: "It has begun." Huibu, a forgotten speck in Jiangxi Province, clung precariously close to the Hunan border. It was here, in this unassuming town, that the curtain rose on a brutal symphony of war, the opening act of a larger tragedy. The Japanese 106th and 101st Divisions, fresh from their iron grip on Nanchang, clashed once more with the beleaguered units under General Luo Zhuoying, the front-line commander whose failed bid to reclaim Nanchang still burned like an open wound after five agonizing months of tense standoff, where every shadow hid a potential ambush.   This was the calculated first thrust of Okamura Yasuji's insidious "Xiang-Gan Operation" plan: unleash an assault in Jiangxi to draw and pin down Chinese forces, forging the anvil for the hammer blow soon to fall in northern Hunan. The Japanese horde splintered into two relentless routes, surging toward Gao'an and Xiu Shui like twin serpents through the mist-shrouded hills and tangled jungles. Against them stood the Chinese 1st and 19th Army Groups, arrayed in ironclad formation, igniting a ferocious battle that echoed through the valleys with the thunder of gunfire and the cries of the fallen.   When Luo Zhuoying received the urgent telephone report from the front lines, not even a flicker of the expected tension crossed his steely facade. The map of the battlefield was etched into his mind, vivid as a fresh scar, with no need to consult paper when strategy pulsed in his veins. His voice remained calm, almost detached, as he issued orders that carried the weight of life and death. The confidential staff scribbling down the commands couldn't help but notice the eerie mismatch between General Luo's serene tone and the savage directives spilling forth. "Order all units to strictly hold their positions, use their own reserves to reinforce critical areas, do not expect the general reserve, retake lost positions on their own. Anyone whose defense zone is breached by the enemy, affecting the overall operation, will be executed without mercy!" After dictating this decree of unyielding resolve, he summoned Deputy Chief of Staff Yang Xiuqi with a pointed command: "Don't handle anything else; just keep an eye on Gao'an for me."   As the focus shifted to this critical stronghold, Gao'an stood as the town nearest Nanchang still clutched in Chinese hands, a stubborn thorn in the Japanese side, one they were hell-bent on yanking out with overwhelming fury. On September 15, 1939, the invaders shattered several forward positions of Song Kentang's 32nd Army encircling Gao'an, advancing like a tidal wave from east, west, and north. The soldiers of Li Zhaoying's 139th Division and Tang Yongliang's 141st Division clung desperately to their increasingly pulverized fortifications, enduring a hellstorm of Japanese aircraft and artillery that rained death from the skies. Wave after wave of wounded and martyred heroes were hauled from the lines, their blood staining the earth, while swathes of Japanese troops crumpled at the front in heaps of defeat. Army Commander Song Kentang, his brows furrowed in grim calculation, pondered pulling his forces back from Gao'an to blunt the enemy's razor-sharp advance. But as night cloaked the battlefield, Yang Xiuqi arrived under direct orders to oversee the fray, bearing Luo Zhuoying's unshakeable edict: Hold Gao'an firmly; no withdrawal allowed.   The onslaught intensified the next day, September 16, as the Japanese unleashed a frenzy of continuous assaults, their bombs reducing front-line positions to smoking craters. By dusk, each unit had bled over half its strength, yet they held amid the rubble, defiant ghosts in a landscape of ruin. That night, Song Kentang and Yang Xiuqi faced each other with expressions etched in worry, shadows dancing across their faces in the dim light. Song implored Yang to relay to Commander Luo that without reinforcements to hammer the enemy's flanks, clinging on until tomorrow's eve would be impossible—he urged a tactical withdrawal. Yang dispatched the dire situation and Song's plea via overnight telegram to Luo Zhuoying, but by noon on the 17th, silence reigned, no reply pierced the growing dread.   Yang Xiuqi recalled that on the afternoon of the 17th, a relentless drizzle fell like tears from the heavens. He accompanied a reception team to a crossroads, witnessing a heartbreaking procession from the front to a makeshift hospital south of Gao'an city. Severely wounded streamed in on stretchers, the lightly injured limped on their own, porters whispered of abandoned guns littering the positions, and military police reported a surge of deserters. In the cold calculus of combat statistics, there lurked a "missing" category—most were those who had fled the carnage.   On the 18th, combat erupted at dawn's first light. Japanese planes obliterated Gao'an city into a flattened wasteland, their infantry charging with unprecedented savagery. At noon, Song Kentang issued the fateful order: withdraw from the city and seize the hillsides to the south. Gao'an thus slipped into enemy clutches, a bitter loss that echoed like a death knell. That evening, Operations Section Chief Ji informed Yang Xiuqi of urgent directives from Guilin Office Director Bai Chongxi and War Zone Commander Xue Yue: the 32nd Army must orchestrate an immediate counterattack on Gao'an, with the "ace army" en route. The "ace army" was none other than Wang Yaowu's 74th Army, the Ninth War Zone's prized general reserve. Yang's orderly, fetching water past Song Kentang's quarters, overheard the commander's resigned growl: "If they say fight, then fight; at worst, we'll lose all our men."   That night, Army Commander Song Kentang descended to Tang Yongliang's 139th Division to personally oversee the assault, striking from south to north. The 141st Division, bolstered by Li Tianxia's 51st Division and Shi Zhongcheng's 57th Division of the 74th Army, flanked like wolves from both sides, weaving an encirclement around the Japanese in and around Gao'an city. "The 51st Division's code name was 'Vanguard.' This was truly a formidable unit; that night, with a fierce charge, they recaptured Cunqian Street, then built fortifications and stabilized the position," Yang Xiuqi said.   Liu Qihuai, an elderly man who was a squad leader in the 4th Company of the 3rd Regiment of the 51st Division during the Gao'an battle, where his thigh was pierced, recalled: "At that time, I was young and remembered one phrase passed down by veterans: The fearful die first, the fearless die later. In the first few battles, I gritted my teeth and charged head-on. Later, I grew bolder, became flexible in battle, calm-headed, quick-eyed and -handed. Once, right after a skirmish, the company commander punched me in the chest and said, 'Good kid, you know how to fight!' and made me squad leader. On the battlefield, bullets don't care if you're afraid or not; those unafraid of sacrifice, brave and tenacious, often seize the initiative for our army but also bear the brunt, suffering the heaviest casualties. On the third day of fighting Gao'an, the wound ticket said Republic Year 28 (1939) September 21. That day, we charged into the city for street fighting with the little devils, all mixed up. I was closely following the deputy company commander, but lost him; no one could find anyone, it was all about who had the quickest eyes. Watching front, left, right, rooftops, and fearing the ones lying on the ground were feigning death to get up and shoot—wished I had more eyes. I killed a devil poking out from a broken wall, thought that wall section could be a cover for observation and shooting, so I rushed toward it. As I got closer to that dead devil, suddenly my thigh felt stabbed; I ran a few more steps before realizing I was hit, and seeing blood, I couldn't stand. The bullet came at an angle; later I thought it might have been friendly fire, since I was charging ahead and there were no devils on the sides. But I didn't dare say that then; admitting it wouldn't count as a combat wound. I was carried by stretcher bearers to the aid station in a Gu clan's ancestral hall. Next to my stretcher was a Henan soldier from the 32nd Army with a through-and-through calf wound; he was quite cheerful, friendly right away. He said our 74th Army could fight because our helmets were special, all bought from the old Russians (Soviets), bulletproof, bullets would spin on the head. I said great, next battle let's swap. Being wounded, I feared disability most; death wasn't scary—die early, reincarnate early. Lying on the stretcher, still joking; we were truly young then. Later, I met a platoon leader surnamed Dang from my company who was wounded around the same time; he said that Henan soldier was transferred to a rear hospital, got gangrene, had his leg amputated, and died a few days later..."   According to war history records: At dawn on September 22, with the cooperation of the 74th Army, the 32nd Army's "139th and 141st Divisions fiercely attacked Gao'an city. Since the city walls had been destroyed by the unit before withdrawing, the Japanese could not hold firm and began retreating." By 8 a.m., the entire city was recaptured, "pursuing north in victory. A portion of the 141st Division advanced to Huangpo Bridge." The next day, they recaptured Xiangfuguan, Sigong Mountain, and other places northeast of Gao'an, "restoring the pre-war positions."   September 18 was a date the Japanese favored for their grim expeditions, a cursed numeral etched into the annals of invasion and strife. At dawn's first whisper, the Japanese 6th and 33rd Divisions, the Nara Detachment, Uemura Detachment, and their attached artillery, armored, engineer, aviation, and naval units gathered in their respective starting zones, adhering to the precise timings decreed by Okamura Yasuji. They held silent prayer ceremonies, an eerie ritual amid the gathering storm. Over 50,000 Japanese officers and soldiers turned their faces eastward, their hands momentarily abandoning weapons to clasp before their chests, peering through the dense, rain-laden clouds blanketing China toward an imagined sun ascending from a blood-red sea.   As the silent prayers dissolved into the mist, hands seized weapons once more. General Okamura Yasuji, prowling the lines of the 6th Division to inspect and ignite the assault, drew his command sword with a savage flourish and barked a short, guttural command in the tongue of his island nation to his fervent compatriots. In response, tens of thousands of military boots thundered in unison upon this foreign soil, so distant from the homeland that flickered in their devotional visions. The offensive in northern Hunan had erupted, a cataclysm of steel and fury.   On Okamura Yasuji's military map, three bold red arrows aligned menacingly along the Xin Qiang River, like lethal shafts poised to pierce the south bank. The scattered Chinese forward positions on a handful of high points north of the river appeared as mere pebbles before an inexorable tidal wave. Among these fragile defenses, the one thrust farthest into the jaws of peril was the Bijia Mountain position, held by Qin Yizhi's 195th Division under Zhang Yaoming's 52nd Army—a protruding bastion shaped like an oval with twin camel-like peaks. On Okamura's map, this defiant outpost bore no unit designation or commander's name, perhaps dismissed as inconsequential in the shadow of the massive onslaught.   Qin Yizhi recalled: "The enemy broke through the left-wing Songjiawan position on the north bank on the 19th. From dawn on the 20th, they attacked Shi Enhua's battalion at Bijia Mountain from the north and west. Besides artillery, they used planes for repeated bombings. This battalion was the most forward in our division; my attention was always here. The 195th Division was newly added to the 52nd Army after Yueyang's fall in late 1938, based on Henan security forces with poor military quality. I was transferred from army chief of staff to division commander and immediately focused on rigorous military training. First train company commanders, then platoon leaders, finally squad leaders. Marksmanship, bayoneting, grenade throwing—everyone passes; fail and get demoted. This is fighting the devils; personal death is minor, but who takes responsibility for failing the mission? Shi Enhua was my old subordinate from the 25th Division, Huangpu 8th Class graduate as platoon leader. He was upright, brave in combat; I promoted him to company and battalion commander. Shi Enhua had an older brother, Shi Enrong, Huangpu 7th Class, also in my unit, killed at Taierzhuang. Army Commander Zhang Yaoming said holding Bijia Mountain for 3 days completes the task; strive for more to blunt the enemy's edge, consume them heavily before they cross the river, making later battles easier. I barely slept those days. Shi Enhua led a reinforced battalion, over 500 men; this time it was truly bitter. By the second day, fortifications were basically blasted away; by the third day, September 22, the battalion had over half casualties. At dusk, visibility good, I went to a high ground by the river and looked across with binoculars. Shells flipped up patches of yellow earth on the mountain; fortifications in ruins. The chief of staff said the friendly position on Bijia Mountain's right wing was also lost. I called Shi Enhua: 'You've held for three days and nights, meeting army requirements. Troops have heavy casualties, surrounded on three sides; if unable to hold, withdraw if necessary.' Shi Enhua said only: 'A soldier has no "if necessary."' From dawn the next day, intense gunfire at Bijia Mountain; operations officer reported over a dozen tanks supporting infantry. I called for Shi Enhua; the orderly said the battalion commander was at the front. I asked how many troops left; the orderly cried. I ordered him to immediately convey: Withdraw to south bank at once, no delay! Shi Enhua and his brother Shi Enrong were both my subordinates. After Enrong's death, his father visited the troops; the old man tearfully shook my hand: 'Enrong died for the country, in his rightful place.' Enhua's family was affluent; his father educated, deeply principled. Around 3 p.m., I called again, finally reached Shi Enhua. I yelled angrily why not withdraw; Shi said: 'Division Commander, not that we won't; the enemy has us surrounded, we can't.' I ordered him to organize remaining forces for breakout; I'd assign artillery to suppress and send troops on south bank for support. Shi Enhua was silent for a while, finally said: 'Division Commander, see you in the next life!' A reinforced battalion, over 500 men: battalion commander, company commanders, platoon leaders, squad leaders, soldiers. A complete, orderly unit… After the battle, Japanese soldiers made locals collect bodies on the mountain; thousands from nearby villages went, all wanting to see these Chinese soldiers who fought for 4 days. On the mountain, everyone knelt; the hill was covered in fragmented corpses, not one intact for burial; the people wailed loudly."   On the night of September 22, under the dim, ethereal glow of the moonlight, the Xiang River flowed in silent mystery, its gentle waves lapping against the shore like whispered secrets of impending doom. Amid this serene rhythm, a faint, ominous hum of engines pierced the air. Upon the river's surface, shadowy vessels glided, not a mere handful, but a colossal fleet, a dark armada poised for conquest! The right wing of the Japanese attacking formation was the 5th Brigade, commanded by Major General Uemura Mikio under Fujita Susumu's 3rd Division. This formidable force—comprising 4 infantry battalions, 1 mountain artillery battalion, two engineer regiments, and two transport companies—bore a perilous mission: "After the frontal offensive begins, advance up the Xiang River to land at Yingtian in Xiangyin County, detour to the area of Daniqiao, Xinkaishi, Qingshansi, and Malinshi south of the Miluo River, cut off the retreat of the Chinese forces, and support the 6th Division, 33rd Division, and 26th Brigade in attacking the area north of Changsha."   The Yingtian landing occupied a pivotal, treacherous role in Okamura Yasuji's grand operational scheme, a devastating thrust aimed at the left wing of the Chinese defenses, designed to sever the southern retreat of troops entrenched along the Xin Qiang River and Miluo River lines, while plunging a lethal dagger into their exposed flanks. Among the Japanese soldiers charged with this grim duty was Yoshida Yujin, who in the 1970s resided in Higashi Ward, Osaka, Valley Town 3-chome, once a private first class in the 5th Brigade's 7th Infantry Battalion, 5th Company. He recalled: "It was a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and we were on the 'Xiang-Gan Operation' mission. One night, the troops assembled and boarded naval speedboats near Yueyang. I remember the mission involved our brigade plus attached units, totaling over 3,000 men. The speedboats formed a long line on the river; the one I was on seemed to be near the front. The speedboats ran without lights or whistles for concealment. We headed upstream along the Xiang River. That night, there was a not-quite-full, dark red moon in the sky, with dim reflections on the water; other boats and the land were black. We sat tightly packed in the cabins or on deck, rifles against shoulders, no talking allowed, only hearing the rumble of engines and soft water sounds. Around 1 or 2 a.m., Squad Leader Aota whispered: 'Entering combat zone.' We all instinctively grabbed our rifles, staring at the dark shoreline. About two hours before dawn, we finally reached the landing site. As we disembarked, gunfire erupted from a nearby hillside; the Chinese army had spotted us. Machine guns fired from the boats ahead; urged by the squad leader, we jumped off, wading knee-deep water to run from the shore. The company commander ordered several squads to deploy in battle formation, seize the hill attacking us, and cover the following boats' landing. After the attack began, it drew enemy fire; bullets whistled overhead and around us. Soon, enemy direct-fire cannons bombarded the fleet fiercely. Turning back in the explosion's flash, I saw our boat and an adjacent one hit and sinking, plus a few not yet ashore hit—those on board must have suffered heavy casualties. Because of the fierce enemy fire, our progress was slow. It was dark, targets unclear; 'Follow up, follow up' commands came constantly. Advancing in darkness, uneven ground caused frequent falls, impossible to move fast. Per plan, our battalion was to land at Tuxing Port between Yingtian and Xiongzui, then immediately occupy a place called Liuxing Mountain south of Yingtian as a foothold, before cutting southeast into the main battlefield. Landing led to immediate combat; everyone was momentarily at a loss. Along the riverbank, many spots fired guns and cannons toward the river, making our intent to seize that hill meaningless. When I and another soldier carried a wounded to the company's aid station, I saw officers studying maps with flashlights, probably unsure of position and attack direction. Soon came the order: Conceal in place. At dawn's first light, our planes bombed enemy positions; seven or eight planes dropped bombs and strafed several high grounds controlling the riverbank. By full daylight, we received orders to capture a village. The squad leader ordered us to advance in battle formation. This village, whose name I now forget, was on a hillside not far from the riverbank, with a simple trench in front. We rushed to the trench, threw a few grenades, and jumped in; my foot softly stepped on an enemy soldier's corpse. I jumped in fright, looked down, and saw two bullet holes side by side in his head—from a machine gun. Though I'd been in several battles, I was still afraid; before each, I'd pray inwardly, making a small wish. This time, my wish was to live through the Mid-Autumn Festival. Around 9 a.m., several more battalions landed at another crossing near Yingtian and soon linked with us. After our battalion occupied the empty small village, we turned to attack Yingtian Town. Around noon, we reached a kilometer outside the town, eating in a dry ditch. I heard the company commander say the company had over a dozen killed and wounded each. After eating, we joined the final assault on Yingtian Town. Bayonets fixed on rifles, per tactics, in groups of three or four, alternating cover, advancing stepwise. Enemy fire was quite fierce; we could only rush to forward advantageous positions when planes bombed, then conceal immediately after they left, pushing forward step by step. At 4 p.m., we attacked into the bombed-out ruins of Yingtian streets, engaging in street-by-street fighting with the enemy. My combat group had four; before entering the streets, Oyama-kun was unfortunately killed. After entering, the three of us stayed close. Rushing into a small temple in the town's northwest corner, one of us, my good friend Kurata, was hit in the abdomen and fell. I quickly dropped, took out bandages to wrap him. His expression was pained, holding breath in his lungs, face flushed red. I forcefully pried his hands from his belly; blood surged out. I stuffed gauze in, shouting: 'Medic, medic!' Kurata was my middle school classmate, same grade different class; we met on the school baseball team. His mother was a very kind woman, always smiling beautifully. Sometimes after extended practice, she'd bring water and snacks, wait by the field until done, and share with the team. The medic was nowhere; I was so anxious tears flowed. Kurata teared up too, wanted to say something but dared not breathe, suffering greatly. I picked him up to retreat; after a few steps, a shell exploded nearby, my head boomed, and I knew nothing. When I woke, Company Commander Miki was slapping my face hard; my mouth tasted salty. I got up, felt myself—no injuries; realized I'd been stunned. The commander, seeing me awake, patted my shoulder and handed my gun. Seeing people walking upright, I knew the battle was over. I asked: 'Where's Kurata-kun?' He said: 'He did his duty.' Not far, over thirty bodies lay side by side awaiting transport; I recognized them one by one and found Kurata. No longer curled, he lay flat, comfortably. His face waxy yellow, an arm blown off, abdominal blood soaking his uniform. I knelt beside him, tears unending. My mind kept thinking: I can't live either, because back home, I couldn't face that kind, always beautifully smiling woman; I can't live. Our unit advanced southeast; the column lacked many familiar faces. Before the unit crossed a mountain, I looked back once. Yingtian, a small town on the Xiang River's east bank..."   According to war history records: "On the morning of September 23, the Japanese Nara Detachment at Yanglin Street and the 6th Division near Qibutang west of Xin Qiang forcibly crossed the Xin Qiang River (shallow enough to wade). A portion of the Uemura Detachment, supported by naval vessels, assaulted landings at Lujiao and Jiumazui on the left flank of Chinese positions. The Chinese 2nd Division and 195th Division bravely resisted the facing enemy. At this time, the Japanese used over a hundred small boats to carry the main Uemura Detachment force, supported by naval guns and air fire, detouring via Heyehu and Guhu to land south of the Miluo River mouth, at Yingtian, Tuxing Port, Duigongzui, etc., with about 1,500 troops. The Chinese 95th Division immediately counterattacked. Around 10 a.m., the Japanese reinforced landings toward Qingshan, Yanjia Mountain, and Liuxing Mountain south of Yingtian. Chinese counterattacks in these areas failed, and the Japanese captured the line from Yingtian to Qianqiuping."   After triumphing at the Xin Qiang River and securing their perilous landing at Yingtian, Okamura Yasuji, adhering to his meticulously crafted deployment, drove his forces relentlessly toward the second defensive bulwark in northern Hunan, the formidable Miluo River, a line that could spell the difference between survival and annihilation. The Miluo River, snaking midway but northward between Yueyang and Changsha, stood as a natural fortress, a gift from the earth that Chinese forces could wield as a shield against the invaders. Chen Pei's 37th Army, under the 15th Army Group, had arrayed Liang Zhongjiang's 60th Division and Luo Qi's 95th Division along its southern bank, a wall of determination forged in the face of encroaching doom. With the Xin Qiang River defenses shattered and the Changsha region pulsing with tension, precious time was needed to fortify further, so Xue Yue issued a draconian order: do not abandon the Miluo River line under any circumstances. Over 20,000 officers and men of the 37th Army toiled ceaselessly through day and night, bolstering fortifications with sweat and resolve, their hearts heavy with the dread of the inferno soon to descend.   The 2nd Company of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment of the 37th Army's 60th Division had been entrenched at Xinshi for a full three months, a vigil that turned the town into a pressure cooker of anticipation. Since the eruption of battle at the Xin Qiang River on September 18, the nerves of this riverside outpost had been strung taut, ready to snap at the slightest provocation. Yang Peyao, who would later endure a crippling foot wound that left him disabled, was then a fresh-faced one-year recruit, his innocence yet to be scorched by the fires of war. He harbored a naive conviction that combat was preferable to the drudgery of peacetime; training and fortification labor were exhausting, meals meager and uninspiring, but in the heat of battle, hardships seemed to vanish, and rations improved with each passing day. This notion stemmed from his unit's lack of real action since his enlistment, just endless standbys and guard duties where the enemy remained a phantom, never materializing.   That day marked the 13th of the eighth lunar month; Yang Peyao and his entire regiment stood on high alert at their positions beside the dock, as routine as the river's flow. The Xin Qiang River line had held for five grueling days and nights; since two days prior, front-line troops had been streaming southward in retreat, their weary forms a harbinger of the storm to come. Xinshi served as the vital crossroads of east-west and north-south highways, a choke point for withdrawals from the Xin Qiang River, and the precarious junction between the 60th and 95th Divisions of the 37th Army. Army Commander Chen Pei had personally inspected the defenses multiple times, his eyes scanning for any weakness that could unravel their stand. One fateful day, as Yang Peyao's battalion labored to thicken fortification covers, the commander and Division Commander Liang Zhongjiang strode by; Yang overheard the commander's voice, sharp as a blade, declaring to the division commander: "No words; execute on the spot!" After the officers vanished from sight, Yang turned to a grizzled 40-something veteran in his squad: "Uncle Zhao, don't know who the commander is so fierce about executing?" Old Zhao replied with the weary wisdom of one who had seen too much: "Once fighting starts, people die, some by devils' hands, some by officers'; that's a soldier's fate."   Around 10 a.m., regimental orders crackled through: Battle was imminent today; front-line troops would withdraw by noon, with Japanese hounds nipping at their heels; all positions must vigilantly scan the north bank; lunch would not be rotated, meals delivered straight to the lines. Yang Peyao positioned himself outside the fortification, peering intently across the water. The Miluo River stretched about 600 meters wide here, bridged by a military pontoon for vehicles linking the north-south highways. Not far upstream on the south bank loomed Xinshi Town; the highway skirted west of it, arrowing straight south to Changsha. With the town as a dividing line, the east fell under the 60th Division's domain, the west to the 95th; Yang's battalion clung to the division's edge, perilously adjacent to the town. Since assuming their post, he had heard tales of the south bank fortifications, erected over a full year: clusters of reinforced concrete bunkers interlinked in a defiant network. With reports of Japanese heavy artillery and aerial onslaughts at the Xin Qiang River, the commander had demanded further reinforcements, ensuring they could withstand multiple direct hits from the sky's fury.   At 11:30 a.m., the company phone buzzed with instructions to fetch lunch from the kitchen. As Yang Peyao and another recruit emerged, they beheld another unit trudging across the bridge, a grim procession of battered souls. These brothers had fought through hell itself, their forms caked in grime and soot, the Republic of China flag at their vanguard tattered and filthy like a discarded rag. Stretcher bearers hauled an endless line of wounded and lifeless bodies; Yang caught sight of one injured soldier sitting rigidly on his litter, his upper body and head swathed in bandages, only his wide, haunted eyes visible, staring blankly in his direction. The unit took nearly an hour to cross, a somber parade of exhaustion. Returning with empty bowls after their meal, Yang spotted two collection vehicles groaning under loads of supplies and stragglers rumbling over the bridge. Trailing not far behind were clusters of three to five refugees, burdened with children, their faces etched with desperation. Since taking position, Yang had witnessed such southward streams daily on this crucial route, ghosts fleeing the advancing nightmare.   Then the squad leader bellowed his name, jolting him back into the fortification. The company relayed urgent word: Japanese forces were tailing the 79th Army southward, poised to reach the Miluo River imminently. Before the squad leader could finish, the sharp "da-da-da" of machine gun fire erupted nearby. Yang's head buzzed with adrenaline; this was his first true taste of combat since enlisting. Though he had thumped his chest in pre-battle rallies, the real crackle of gunfire twisted his guts, nearly overwhelming him with fear. He dove to his assigned spot: assisting machine gunner Old Zhao by swapping ammo drums. Peering through the narrow firing slit, a vivid, stereoscopic tableau unfolded before him, forever seared into his memory.   A thin man in a blue gown, bespectacled like a rural teacher, hoisted a light machine gun, firing wildly as he charged; behind him, a woman clutched a child, racing northward from the bridge's center. Several farmer-like figures miraculously produced machine guns, blasting away while advancing; beside them, women, elders, and old crones, some crouched with hands over heads on the bridge, others fled back, a few leaped into the churning river. The chaos erupted so abruptly that even these battle-ready soldiers froze in shock. Two disguised Japanese assailants stormed the nearest semi-underground permanent fortification by the bridge, circling it while unleashing fire, likely hunting for an entry. One yanked a grenade pin with his teeth, jamming it through the slit; the air quivered silently before exploding, and they lunged toward another target.   Several Chinese soldiers, not yet hunkered in their bunkers, stood frozen, as if the pandemonium were a distant spectacle unrelated to them. In that surreal moment, Japanese machine guns spared these bystanders, fixating instead on the bridgehead bunkers. Then, a soldier erupted from a bunker with a primal yell, bayoneted rifle in hand, charging the armed intruders. As the Japanese wheeled around, he closed in, thrusting before bullets felled him, but his stab missed as they evaded; his cry was silenced mid-roar. Over a dozen members of this Japanese suicide squad, masquerading as fleeing Chinese civilians, surged toward the bridge's southern end; our machine guns finally thundered to life, dropping the invaders one by one on the span, yet the survivors pressed on in a desperate sprint.   Yang's machine gun roared to life; he watched battle-hardened Old Zhao, sweat streaming, eyes narrowed in fury, teeth gritted, lips pulled back in a savage grimace. They sealed the bridge with a hail of lead; amid the deafening cacophony, Yang caught a frantic shout: "Blow the bridge! Damn it, blow the bridge!" Yang braced for the nightmare of a Japanese bursting in, raking their backs with fire. But then, the bridgehead and the entire river defenses shuddered under a barrage of shells. From the first shot to now, mere minutes had elapsed; yet the opposite bank already bristled with khaki uniforms and the glaring Rising Sun flags fluttering like omens of death. What followed was a relentless alternation of aerial and artillery bombardments, a symphony of destruction. Later, Yang queried Old Zhao: Many in the suicide squad had crossed, so weren't they afraid of bombing their own? Old Zhao pondered deeply, then sighed with bitter resignation: "No matter the country, soldiers' lives are cheap."   As the bombing ceased, Japanese forces, now in plain sight and within lethal range, charged in waves from the bridge and through the water toward the south bank; one wave crumpled, only for another to rise, an unyielding, inexhaustible horde. Ammunition was plentiful in the fortification; Old Zhao mentioned three "bases" had been issued—Yang couldn't recall the exact rounds per base. Hours blurred into a frenzy, the ground carpeted with gleaming brass casings; this, Yang realized, was the commander's invocation of the "Art of War: 'Strike when half crossed'", a tactical masterstroke amid the carnage. Japanese blood stained this ancient, storied river crimson; Yang's reinforced concrete bastion cracked wide under the onslaught. In the cataclysmic blast of a heavy bomb from above, the other gunner bled from every orifice, collapsing unconscious and being dragged away. Old Zhao, eyes bloodshot and nose trickling red, paused during a drum swap: "Might not make it this time; don't forget me." Then, with grim pride: "Remember, killed 8 enemy, 1 horse."   At dusk, the Japanese assault faltered, granting a fleeting respite. The fortification's survivors scrambled out, frantically repairing and piling more soil. The company commander passed by, eyeing the fissure: "You guys are lucky; this is the best in the company." The squad leader inquired: "Heavy casualties?" The commander paused, his response evasive: "Depends how higher-ups say to fight." Soon after, orders circulated: Two per squad to retrieve ammo and rations from the company; prepare for nocturnal warfare. The squad leader dispatched Yang for rations, handling bullets himself. While distributing the meager sustenance, fresh word arrived: Immediate withdrawal.   As darkness enveloped the battlefield, our mortars and small mountain guns hammered the opposite Japanese positions. In column formation, Yang stole one last glance at this place of grueling training, endless drills, and now, brutal initiation. Fortifications erected over a year, inhabited for three months, defended for half a day. At the Xinshi positions on the Miluo River's south bank, recruit Yang Peyao had fought his first battle in his personal saga of the War of Resistance Against Japan. He emerged unscathed, no death or wound; alongside Old Zhao, they had felled 11 enemies and two horses. In a quiet revelation, he discovered Old Zhao wasn't the unflinching hero he proclaimed, trudging onward, Yang secretly tallied his insights. 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. After debating Plans A and B, Chiang adopted Plan B, emphasizing resistance north of Changsha. Japanese forces assaulted Jiangxi and Hunan, capturing Gao'an briefly before Chinese troops, including the 74th Army, recaptured it. At Bijia Mountain, Shi Enhua's battalion held for four days, perishing entirely. The Uemura Detachment landed at Yingtian amid fierce resistance, suffering heavy losses. Defenders at the Miluo River repelled waves of attacks, with suicide squads and bombardments inflicting carnage before a tactical withdrawal.

The Queen of Sheba is a holy figure to some; a demon in disguise to others. Her indelible presence has haunted religious scholars and fuelled nationalist visions in East Africa and Southern Arabia. IDEAS explores the many afterlives of the Queen of Sheba — and how ideas about gender and power have shifted in each retelling of her life.Guest in this episode:Shahla Haeri is a professor of anthropology and a former director of the Women's Studies Program at Boston University, and one of the pioneers of Iranian anthropology. Her books include Law of Desire: Temporary Marriage in Shi'i Iran, No Shame for the Sun: Lives of Professional Pakistani Women and The Unforgettable Queens of Islam: Succession, Authority, Gender.Jillian Stinchcomb is a director's visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey working as a postdoctoral fellow in the "Interactive Histories, Co-Produced Communities: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam" project. In 2020, she defended her dissertation, "Remembering the Queen of Sheba in the First Millennium," a reception history of the Queen of Sheba across Jewish, Muslim, and Christian texts from the biblical to the early medieval period. She works with material in Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Greek, Latin, and Ge'ez.Safia Aidid is an interdisciplinary historian of modern Africa and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. Her research addresses anticolonial nationalism, territorial imaginations, borders, and state formation in the Horn of Africa, with a particular focus on modern Somalia and Ethiopia.Eyob Derillo is a reference specialist in the Reading Room of Africa and Asian Studies at the British Library, and previously served as curator for the library's Ethiopic and Ethiopian Collections. He is a Ph.D. student at the School of Oriental and African Studies, focusing on the history of Ethiopian magic.Yousra Ishaq is a director and producer in Yemen, facilitating local productions and coordinating multinational teams including international media outlets such as the BBC and PBS. In 2017, she co-founded the Yemen-based film foundation and production company, Comra Films.

This week's episode is a collaboration with The Colony Archive and The Adnan Husain Show. As Roqayah continues to report from the front lines of Israel's assault on south Lebanon, Kumars is joined by returning guest Navid Zarrinnal and debutante Adnan Husain.  The gang discusses President Masoud Pezeskhian's letter to Americans, Javad Zarif's ceasefire proposal in Foreign Affairs, the Iranian government's response to the mass displacement caused by US-Israeli bombing, the history of Western opposition to Iranian development, relations between the Islamic Republics of Iran and Pakistan, whether the war will ultimately push the Gulf states out of the imperialist orbit, and what it could mean for Iran to become a global power. You can find Navid's courageous reporting and insightful analysis for The Colony Archive on Instagram and subscribe to The Adnan Husain Show on YouTube for all of your politically Shi'i needs. If you want to support the show and receive access to tons of bonus content, including Roqayah's "Last Week in Lebanon" column, you can subscribe on our Patreon for as little as $5 a month. Also, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts. We can't do this show without your support!!!  

The Legalize Lex Music Festival, now in its third year, has quickly become a staple in the Lexington, Kentucky music scene. This festival was born out of a desire to celebrate not just great music, but also the spirit of community and advocacy for cannabis legalization. Think of it as a musical love letter to the Bluegrass State, wrapped in a message of unity and awareness, where good vibes and good tunes go hand in hand. Year three promises a lineup that'll tickle your eardrums and shake you to your core! Expect a mix of local legends and regional favorites. Artists like HASHTRONAUT, CROP, FAERIE RING and DOOMSDAY PROFIT, SHI, VEILCASTE are set to light up the stage, so prepare for unforgettable performances that resonate well after the last encore. Everyone on the fest has a 40 minute set and will deliver the goods for three days, April 16-18. $40 Weekend Passes available.Official Links:Bandcamp: https://legalizecrop.bandcamp.com/Metal Archive: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Crop/3540497070Shi's Tour Helper Compendium: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zzADFNE6ltLGp0SayM6ZajbdZsPHow5hHE9jESNWKf8/edit?fbclid=IwY2xjawQsPxNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFXMkFpVFNIR1NSMjFYTGgxc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHv8TTe_uMsXe9id1Ej1dQIk7h-4K-U_QjSwOopdLNrCWCVZEjRrp_bzPusbU_aem_zh1xdBrzCSuUZOXqhSpzVQ&gid=437663595#gid=437663595Passionate about metal? You'll want to tune in to Flamekeeper™, the show that's electrifying the airwaves. As the host, MRJ brings an unparalleled enthusiasm and deep knowledge of the genre, captivating listeners with every episode. With a penchant for spotlighting up-and-coming artists and hosting insightful interviews, MRJ has cemented Flamekeeper™'s reputation as a must-listen for metal aficionados. And the best part? By rating, reviewing, and sharing the show, you're not just supporting great content – you're also helping Flamekeeper™'s sponsors, ensuring the continued success of this heavy-hitting program.Links to our Sponsors & Partners:Ageless Art Tattoo & Piercing - Clarksville/New Albany:http://www.agelessartclarksville.comhttp://www.agelessartna.comPizza DoNisi/MAG BAR:https://pizzadonisi.com/http://magbaroldlouisville.comShadebeast:http://shadebeast.comand use PROMO CODE: "SITH LORD" at check out for a 10% Discount!Creeping Death Designs:http://www.creepingdeathdesigns.comand use PROMO CODE: "METALFORGE10" at check out for a 10% Discount!Record Labels:Unchained Tapes:http://www.unchainedtapes.bigcartel.comand use PROMO CODE: "METALFORGE10" at check out for a 10% Discount!Mercenary Press:http://www.mercenarypress.bigcartel.comand use PROMO CODE: "METALFORGE" at check out for a 10% Discount!Other shows you can listen to:Night Demon Heavy Metal Podcast:http://www.nightdemon.nethttps://open.spotify.com/show/2ozLCAGQ4LdqJwMmeBYJ7k?si=OvvfZsNYRPqywwb86SzrVAZines:Soulgrinder Zine:http://www.facebook.com/soulgrinder.zineOFFICAL LINKS OF THE METAL FORGE®/FLAMEKEEPERhttp://www.metalforgeradio.comhttps://www.flamekeeper.vip FB/IG/TW/TikTok/YouTube - @metalforgeradioFlamekeeper Podcast Network: http://www.youtube.com@flamekeeperpnThe Metal Forge®The Alehorn™Ossont & Battery™Unsleeved™All Rights Reserved. Any unauthorized reproduction/duplication is expressly forbidden without prior written consent and is punishable by law. Metal Forge Intro I copyright 2020 The Metal Forge® Published by UNTIL I GET IT RIGHT MUSIC/ASCAP. Metal Forge Intro II copyright 2023 The Metal Forge® The Metal Forge® Published by UNTIL I GET IT RIGHT MUSIC/ASCAP. Metal Forge Intro III copyright 2025 The Metal Forge® Published by UNTIL I GET IT RIGHT MUSIC/ASCAP. The Metal Forge®, please contact metalforgeradio@gmail.com for any and all other info. All other music is owned by writers/publishers respectively and is used with permission for means of promotion.©2019-2026 The Metal Forge®

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr Francisco José Luis, scholar of Indo-Iranian Studies and Comparative Religion trained at the Sorbonne, Paris and SOAS, London. Francisco shares his research into the links between Indian and Tibetan tantric practices and the mystical teachings of Shi'ite Islam, reveals the prevalence of lucid dreaming techniques in antiquity, and emphasises the importance of the Silk Road in transmitting esoteric knowledge between civilisations. Francisco discusses the Islamic yogi, Jâbir ibn Ḥayyān; traces the historical tensions between the scholarly, jurist factions and mystics within Shi'ism; and asserts that Iranian Buddhism was a key part of the Islamic Golden Age. Francisco also argues for significant Islamic influence on Buddhism, the need for a sense of civilisational greatness, and why he believes the time has to come to reignite sacred chivalry. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep354-islamic-mysticism-tantric-buddhism-francisco-jose-luis Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast'. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:02 - Lucid dreaming techniques in a 19th century Shi'ite text 03:34 - The focal point of the Shi'ite tradition 04:28 - 4 volume Shi'ite encyclopaedia of dreams 06:21 - Links between Tibetan and Shi'ite dream yoga techniques 08:01 - Silk road, Gandhāra, and the internationalisation of Buddhism 09:07 - Jâbir ibn Ḥayyān, the Islamic alchemist and “Buddhist yogi” 11:06 - Iranian Buddhist influence on the Golden Age of Islam 14:26 - The rise of the scholar 16:20 - Islamic influence on Buddhism 17:04 - Practice over dogma in Oḍḍiyāna 19:11 - The influence of Classical Greece 19:51 - Lucid dreaming in antiquity 22:27 - Hesychasm: a Christian breath, body, and mind meditation 25:16 - A prophet is always awake 26:19 - Rosary and the influence of Christianity on Islam 28:01 - Lucid dreaming and the Desert Fathers 31:54 - Sleep deprivation to achieve mystical states 37:51 - Bardo ideas and the Iranian worldview 40:49 - Monastic routine and lucid dreaming 42:57 - Tasks to complete in the dream 43:28 - Angelic possession and contacting the Imam in dreams 50:28 - Is mystical Shi'ism practiced today? 58:22 - Francisco's initiation and anti-mystical, Occidental materialism 59:20 - Political Shi'ism 01:01:41 - Attachment to matter to the detriment of spirit 01:02:07 - The need for the spirit for civilisational greatness 01:04:13 - Francisco's mentoring 01:07:14 - Reigniting sacred chivalry 01:08:07 - Plato, Evola, and Traditionalism 01:10:19 - Use of the letter “a” in Shi'ite mysticism and other tantric similarities 01:11:13 - Entheogen use in Iranian mysticism 01:12:06 - Francisco's mushroom trip 01:13:23 - Francisco's aims 01:15:22 - Reading recommendations: Henry Corbin and Mostafa Vaziri 01:19;18 - Buddhism in Iran … Previous episodes with Dr Francisco José Luis: - https://www.guruviking.com/ To find our more about Dr Francisco José Luis, visit: - https://www.instagram.com/hludvig_tradicionalista For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi' by Steve James

Hour 2 of the Big Show with Rusic and Rose is on demand! To kick off hour 2the guys are joined by Olympic Gold medalist & Flames Colour Analyst on SN 960, Meaghan Mikkelson! Meaghan and the guys dive right into the Flames 4 game win streak and the debate around building culture vs. draft lottery positioning! Then Meaghan breaks down some of the biggest individual storyline's within the Flames as the season winds down.   (19:49) Later on, the guys are joined by Baseball Columnist for Sportsnet, Shi Davidi! Shi helps us preview the Blue Jays season as it kicks off tomorrow! He starts by discussing the upgrades to Rogers Centre, then he gets into the subtractions and additions to the team compared to last year and much more!   The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate. This show is produced by Connor Gronsdahl and Shan Virjee Get full Flames games and great shows like Quick 60: The Stamps Show, Wranglers Watch and more ON DEMAND.

On this episode of Yup, I Heard That we get into the excitement of Jay-Z headlining the Roots Picnic and all of his show announcements. We also tap into our thoughts on new music from Leven Kali and Jack Harlow. Which organically led us to speak on the unmatched artistry of Mac Miller. And of course, we briefly discussed Cyhi The Prynce's incredible rapping skills and his ode to G.O.O.D. Music. Tune into all of that and more on Yup, I Heard That, a podcast about absolutely nothing BUT music.Follow Us On Twitter/Instagram@Yup_AnotherPod@ImStunt/@ImStunt1@HarleyNoDavidson_@Chief_Leaf/@_ChiefEats_@ShiLuvsMusic/Shizzy.Shi

In this episode, Breht interviews Adnan Husain -- Professor of Medieval history and Chair of the Religious Studies department at Queens college -- about the deep historical roots of today's Middle East. The conversation traces the arc from ancient Persia to the Islamic era, explores how Iran became a center of Shi'a Islam, and examines the long rivalry between Persian and Ottoman power. Along the way, they unpack the Sunni-Shia split, the political role of Turkey in the region, the ways Western narratives about Islam were forged through the Crusades and carried forward into the modern world, Zionist Expansionism, and the ongoing illegal war of aggression waged by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, and indeed, the whole region. Check out Adnan's previous appearences on Rev Left HERE Subscribe to Adnan's YouTube channel HERE Watch Adnan's 2 Part episode on Yemen HERE Listen to Guerrilla History podcast HERE --------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get bonus episodes on Patreon Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow RLR on IG HERE Learn more about Rev Left HERE

Mea Culpa welcomes Victor Shi, the youngest elected Delegate for Joe Biden in 2020, he is a former White House Intern and the co-host of the iGen Politics Podcast with the distinguished Jill Wine-Banks. Shi is also a writer, speaker, organizer, activist, and a junior at UCLA, where he is majoring in American Literature and Culture. Shi is currently a communications intern at Precision Strategies and his on-air commentary and interviews have been seen on MSNBC, CNN, NBC, PBS Newshour, ABC, the Daily Herald, and the Chicago Tribune. His op-eds have been published in Newsweek, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, CNN, USA Today, The Hill, and International Business Times. Michael and Victor talk about the current state of politics and what needs to be done to get the attention of young voters.

Le Shi of Auros discusses how global macro factors and US political headlines are driving the current crypto market regime. Auros Hong Kong Managing Director, Le Shi, joins CoinDesk Live to discuss the tightening convergence between crypto and global macro factors. He breaks down how political headlines from Trump's tariff threats to Fed chair nominations are now driving bitcoin. Shi suggests that as the US midterms approach, political incentives to cut rates and boost the economy could provide the necessary catalyst to pull the crypto market out of its current choppy regime. - This episode was hosted live by Jennifer Sanasie at Consensus Hong Kong 2026, presented by Hex Trust.