Podcasts about Singapore

What do foot massage parties, otters, and AI robot tutors have in common? To find out, tune into our special end-of-year conversation featuring the hosts from TED Talks Daily, TED Radio Hour, TED Business, and TED Tech! Elise Hu, Manoush Zomorodi, Modupe Akinola and Sherrell Dorsey got together to share the biggest ideas dominating their industry and the lesser-known insights they wished garnered more attention. From pushing back against AI advances to sharing the TED Talks that inspired them, Elise, Manoush, Modupe, and Sherrell reflect on 2025 and look ahead to 2026.Conversations MentionedTED Radio HourRay Kurzweil, "Could AI extend your life indefinitely? Futurist Ray Kurzweil thinks so" Victor Riparbelli, “Will AI avatars eventually teach our kids?” Philip Johns, “Singapore's otters are butting heads with their human neighbors. Can they coexist?” Restoring trust in government, "Move fast...and fix democracy?" TED TalksSitoyo Lopokoiyit in conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz "A story of moral imagination and bold entrepreneurship" Sarah Beery, "How AI is unearthing hidden scientific knowledge" Scott Loarie (of iNaturalist), "The surprising power of your nature photos" Daniel Zavala-Araiza, "The best way to lower Earth's temperature — fast" Jennifer Pahlka, "Coding a better government" Pinky Cole (Slutty Vegan), "How I make vegan food sexy" Jason Huang, "The high-wire act of unlocking clean energy" Jennifer Doudna, "CRISPR's next advance is bigger than you think"Jonny Sun, "You are not alone in your loneliness" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do foot massage parties, otters, and AI robot tutors have in common? To find out, tune into our special end-of-year conversation featuring the hosts from TED Talks Daily, TED Radio Hour, TED Business, and TED Tech!Elise Hu of TED Talks Daily hosted a conversation with Manoush Zomorodi, Modupe Akinola and Sherrell Dorsey, where they discussed the biggest ideas dominating their industry and the lesser-known insights they wished garnered more attention. From pushing back against AI advances to sharing the TED Talks that inspired them, Elise, Manoush, Modupe, and Sherrell reflect on 2025 and look ahead to 2026.Conversations MentionedTED Radio HourRay Kurzweil, "Could AI extend your life indefinitely? Futurist Ray Kurzweil thinks so" Victor Riparbelli, “Will AI avatars eventually teach our kids?” Philip Johns, “Singapore's otters are butting heads with their human neighbors. Can they coexist?” Restoring trust in government, "Move fast...and fix democracy?" TED TalksSitoyo Lopokoiyit in conversation with Jacqueline Novogratz "A story of moral imagination and bold entrepreneurship" Sarah Beery, "How AI is unearthing hidden scientific knowledge" Scott Loarie (of iNaturalist), "The surprising power of your nature photos" Daniel Zavala-Araiza, "The best way to lower Earth's temperature — fast" Jennifer Pahlka, "Coding a better government" Pinky Cole (Slutty Vegan), "How I make vegan food sexy" Jason Huang, "The high-wire act of unlocking clean energy" Jennifer Doudna, "CRISPR's next advance is bigger than you think"Jonny Sun, "You are not alone in your loneliness" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this final episode of 2025, you'll hear about some of the most exciting things happening around the world for pathways through the upper end of high school from the voices of the young people involved in them. The final years of high school is often the 'business-end' of formal schooling, where we often demand that young people just knuckle down and suffer the "rigours" of high stakes standardised exams and college entrance tests. But these conversations really show you that alternatives to this are not only possible, but happening! Too often, we can talk a great game of hyperbole and hubris about our apparently "paradigm-shifting" designs, but the young people actually experiencing them are telling a different story. What better way to get at the truth than by hearing from the young people themselves! So in this mini-series (5 episodes), you'll hear from 19 young people about their experiences of the kinds of competencies they feel they are learning and need to learn, what they find energising and enabling, and how they feel about the adults who are very often giving so much heart and hard work into this work, to support and guide them.You'll hear about five empowering high school pathways and curriculum innovations: the International Big Picture Learning Credential in Australia;the Greenstones at Green School Bali in Indonesia; the African Leadership Academy programme in South Africa;the IB Systems Transformation Pathway pilot programme at UWC South East Asia in Singapore and UWC Atlantic College in Wales;and the Global Impact Diploma, being run at a number of schools around the world including American International Schools in Lima, Peru, Budapest, Hungary and Bucharest, Romania.If you know of other innovations that you'd like to see featured on future mini-series, then please do share them with us at goodimpactlabs.com/contact.

Send us your feedback — we're listeningPsalm 103:2–3 — Healing Prayer for Pain, Illness, Weakness and Full Restoration in Christ Welcome to Daily Prayer with myself, Reverend Ben Cooper, recorded live here in London, England, where the world gathers for five minutes of faith, hope, and strength. Sisters and brothers, we are straight in — no delay, no hesitation — straight into prayer in the mighty name of Jesus. “Praise the Lord… who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Jeremiah 17:14 — “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved.” Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, we thank You that You are the God who heals, restores, renews and strengthens Your people. We lift before You every listener facing pain, fatigue, inflammation, chronic conditions, sudden illness or unexplained weakness in their body. Lord, You see the aches behind closed doors, the symptoms that are frightening, the medical tests, the appointments, the waiting, and the deep emotional weariness that physical pain brings — especially in this season of December when bodies feel low, tired, and overwhelmed. Lord, we speak Your Word of healing over every cell, every muscle, every joint, every organ. Let the balm of heaven flow. Let supernatural strength rise. Where fear has entered because of symptoms, replace it with Your peace. Where nights have been restless because of pain, give deep restorative rest. Where energy has drained away, breathe fresh vitality by Your Spirit. We pray for those waiting on doctors, treatments, surgeries, or diagnoses — surround them with Your power. We pray for those carrying silent pain while working, parenting, caregiving, or just trying to get through the day. Lord, lift the burden. Heal the hidden places. Restore the weary body. Jesus, our Healer, touch the body of every listener around the world from London to Sydney, from Cape Town to Toronto, from Singapore to São Paulo. Release healing, strength and renewal today. In Jesus' name. Amen.SEVEN PRAYER POINTSHealing for chronic painStrength for fatigueRestoration of the immune systemPeace over frightening symptomsSupport during medical appointmentsHealing rest at nightFull restoration in Jesus' nameSpeak Psalm 103:2–3 aloud today. Replace fear with scripture every time symptoms rise.healing prayer, prayer for sickness, Jesus heal me, miracle healing, Christian prayer podcast, strength inSupport the showFor more inspiring content, visit RBChristianRadio.net — your home for daily devotionals, global prayer, and biblical encouragement for every season of life. We invite you to connect with our dedicated prayer hub at DailyPrayer.uk — a place where believers from every nation unite in prayer around the clock. If you need prayer, or would like to leave a request, this is the place to come. Our mission is simple: to pray with you, to stand with you, and to keep the power of prayer at the centre of everyday life. Your support through DailyPrayer.uk helps us continue sharing the gospel and covering the nations in prayer. You can also discover our ministry services and life celebrations at LifeCelebrant.net — serving families with faith, dignity, and hope. If this devotional blesses you, please consider supporting our listener-funded mission by buying us a coffee through RBChristianRadio.net. Every prayer, every gift, and every share helps us keep broadcasting God's Word to the world.

The Kaspa network just got its long-awaited DeFi moment!

What is a call? How does a person know if God is calling them to mission service? Join in a discussion as these and other questions are addressed.

subscribe to catskull: https://pod.link/1843773291 stream/purchase The Tower Finale Complete Score: https://tincanaudio.bandcamp.com/album/the-tower-finale-complete-score It's our final day in the studio here at Tin Can Audio. Thank you for listening to The Tower this year, and for being here for the final part of the series. We have one last release for you before we sign off for 2025. The soundtrack to The Tower Finale is now available to buy on the Tin Can Audio Bandcamp page. It features some of my favourite work on the series, bringing together all the motifs of the past 6 years. The Tower Finale Complete Score is now available to listen and purchase on Bandcamp. But before we fully sign off, we want to tell you about a show we've been really enjoying here at TCHQ. catskull is a new audio drama thriller from Andas Productions, the team behind the incredible Temujin and the DC High Volume Batman series. It is an adaptation of the award winning novel by Myle Yan Tay, catskull is a brilliant atmospheric neo-noir story that explores the violence simmering beneath an unforgiving city, with beautiful, immersive sound design bringing modern day Singapore to life. I really love this series, it's single narrator without really being a single narrator audio drama, and it very slowly and calmly draws you in with it's quiet brutality. It's an incredible example of what audio drama can be, created by one of the best production teams in the world right now. When we were making Land's End earlier this year and were grappling with the intricacies of a kissing scene in an audio drama, Andas Productions' work on Temujin was our high watermark on how to do intimacy in audio form. catskull is available now wherever you get your podcasts, at time of recording there are 8 episodes out, so plenty to get your teeth into. Stick around after this to hear the very first episode. Thank you for listening to The Tower, and for coming with us on this journey.  Happy holidays

In this episode of our Cross-Border Catch-Up podcast series, Goli Rahimi (Chicago) and Kate Thompson (New York, Boston) unpack Singapore's new Workplace Fairness (Dispute Resolution) Bill to explain how the new grievance and dispute resolution process will work, and what procedural safeguards and employee protections will come into effect. The speakers outline timelines toward an anticipated 2027 effective date, highlight employer defenses, and offer practical steps global employers can take now to prepare for a culture of early resolution and legally robust fairness practices.

This special honeymoon edition of Quick Hits comes to you from 40,000 feet in the air, as DeAndre records mid-flight on the world's longest route from JFK to Singapore. With travel in full swing, this episode focuses only on the most critical updates in points and miles, along with a brief look at the honeymoon itinerary.The biggest news of the week is the sudden and unexpected shutdown of the Mesa Homeowners Card. Once considered a breakthrough option for earning transferable points on mortgage payments, Mesa abruptly closed all cardholder accounts, deactivating cards and freezing new earning overnight. While the closure is not related to cardholder behavior, it has triggered a scramble to move or redeem remaining points. A workaround discovered by the community allows some transfers to partners, and DeAndre shares where listeners can find that information.The episode wraps with a quick travel update, including upcoming stops in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Fiji, before settling into the heart of the honeymoon. For the next few weeks, Quick Hits will remain shorter and focus only on significant news.Key takeaways: Mesa card shutdown: Mesa abruptly closed all Homeowners Card accounts without prior notice.Earning halted immediately: Cards were deactivated, and new purchases or point earning are no longer possible.No wrongdoing involved: Mesa confirmed closures were not due to customer behavior or account issues.Transfer workaround: A community-discovered method may allow transfers to Mesa partners.Statement credit fallback: Redeeming at ~0.6¢ per point remains an option, though not ideal.Trust concerns: The shutdown raises questions about Mesa's future and customer confidence.Honeymoon mode: Quick Hits episodes will be shorter and focus on only major updates.Interested in Financial Planning?Truicity Wealth ManagementResources:Mesa Workaround for Missing Points Transfer OptionsBook a Free 30-minute points & miles consultationStart here to learn how to unlock nearly free travelSign up for our newsletter!

What happens when curiosity, resilience, and storytelling collide over a lifetime of building something meaningful? In this episode, I welcome Nick Francis, founder and CEO of Casual Films, for a thoughtful conversation about leadership, presence, and what it takes to keep going when the work gets heavy. Nick's journey began with a stint at BBC News and a bold 9,000-mile rally from London to Mongolia in a Mini Cooper, a spirit of adventure that still fuels how he approaches business and life today. We talk about how that early experience shaped Casual into a global branded storytelling company with studios across five continents, and what it really means to lead a creative organization at scale. Nick shares insights from growing the company internationally, expanding into Southeast Asia, and staying grounded while producing hundreds of projects each year. Along the way, we explore why emotionally resonant storytelling matters, how trust and preparation beat panic, and why presence with family, health, and purpose keeps leaders steady in uncertain times. This conversation is about building an Unstoppable life by focusing on what matters most, using creativity to connect people, and choosing clarity and resilience in a world full of noise. Highlights: 00:01:30 – Learn how early challenges shape resilience and long-term drive. 00:06:20 – Discover why focusing on your role creates calm under pressure. 00:10:50 – Learn how to protect attention in a nonstop world. 00:18:25 – Understand what global growth teaches about leadership. 00:26:00 – Learn why leading with trust changes relationships. 00:45:55 – Discover how movement and presence restore clarity. About the Guest: Nick Francis is the founder and CEO of Casual, a global production group that blends human storytelling, business know-how, and creativity turbo-charged by AI. Named the UK's number one brand video production company for five years, Casual delivers nearly 1,000 projects annually for world-class brands like Adobe, Amazon, BMW, Hilton, HSBC, and P&G. The adventurous spirit behind its first production – a 9,000-mile journey from London to Mongolia in an old Mini – continues to drive Casual's growth across offices in London, New York, LA, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Sydney, Singapore, Hong Kong and Greater China. Nick previously worked for BBC News and is widely recognised for his expertise in video storytelling, brand building, and corporate communications. He is the founding director of the Casual Films Academy, a charity helping young filmmakers develop skills by producing films for charitable organisations. He is also the author of ‘The New Fire: Harness the Power of Video for Your Business' and a passionate advocate for emotionally resonant, behaviorally grounded storytelling. Nick lives in San Francisco, California, with his family. Ways to connect with Nick**:** Website: https://www.casualfilms.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@casual_global  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casualglobal/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CasualFilms/  Nick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickfrancisfilm/  Casual's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/casual-films-international/  Beyond Casual - LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=6924458968031395840 About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson  01:21 Well, hello everyone. I am your host, Mike hingson, that's kind of funny. We'll talk about that in a second, but this is unstoppable mindset. And our guest today is Nick Francis, and what we're going to talk about is the fact that people used to always ask me, well, they would call me Mr. Kingston, and it took me, as I just told Nick a master's degree in physics in 10 years to realize that if I said Mike hingson, that's why they said Mr. Kingston. So was either say Mike hingson or Michael hingson. Well, Michael hingson is a lot easier to say than Mike hingson, but I don't really care Mike or Michael, as long as it's not late for dinner. Whatever works. Yeah. Well, Nick, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're Nick Francis  02:04 here. Thanks, Mike. It's great to be here. Michael Hingson  02:08 So Nick is a marketing kind of guy. He's got a company called casual that we'll hear about. Originally from England, I believe, and now lives in San Francisco. We were talking about the weather in San Francisco, as opposed to down here in Victorville. A little bit earlier. We're going to have a heat wave today and and he doesn't have that up there, but you know, well, things, things change over time. But anyway, we're glad you're here. And thanks, Mike. Really looking forward to it. Tell us about the early Nick growing up and all that sort of stuff, just to get us started. Nick Francis  02:43 That's a good question. I grew up in London, in in Richmond, which is southwest London. It's a at the time, it wasn't anything like as kind of, it's become quite kind of shishi, I think back in the day, because it's on the west of London. The pollution from the city used to flow east and so, like all the kind of well to do people, in fact, there used to be a, there used to be a palace in Richmond. It's where Queen Elizabeth died, the first Queen Elizabeth, that is. And, yeah, you know, I grew up it was, you know, there's a lot of rugby played around there. I played rugby for my local rugby club from a very young age, and we went sailing on the south coast. It was, it was great, really. And then, you know, unfortunately, when I was 10 years old, my my dad died. He had had a very powerful job at the BBC, and then he ran the British Council, which is the overseas wing of the Arts Council, so promoting, I guess, British soft power around the world, going and opening art galleries and going to ballet in Moscow and all sorts. So he had an incredible life and worked incredibly hard. And you know, that has brought me all sorts of privileges, I think, when I was a kid. But, you know, unfortunately, age 10 that all ended. And you know, losing a parent at that age is such a sort of fundamental, kind of shaking of your foundations. You know, you when you're a kid, you feel like a, you're going to live forever, and B, the things that are happening around you are going to last forever. And so, you know, you know, my mom was amazing, of course, and, you know, and in time, I got a new stepdad, and all the rest of it. But you know, that kind of shaped a lot of my a lot of my youth, really. And, yeah, I mean, Grief is a funny thing, and it's funny the way it manifests itself as you grow. But yeah. So I grew up there. I went to school in the Midlands, near where my stepdad lived, and then University of Newcastle, which is up in the north of England, where it rains a lot. It's where it's where Newcastle Football Club is based. And you know is that is absolutely at the center of the city. So. So the city really comes alive there. And it was during that time that I discovered photography, and I wanted to be a war photographer, because I believe that was where life was lived at the kind of the real cutting edge. You know, you see the you see humanity in its in its most visceral and vivid color in terrible situations. And I kind of that seemed like an interesting thing to go to go and do. Michael Hingson  05:27 Well, what? So what did you major in in college in Newcastle? So I did Nick Francis  05:31 history and politics, and then I went did a course in television journalism, and ended up working at BBC News as a initially running on the floor. So I used to deliver the papers that you know, when you see people shuffling or not, they do it anymore, actually, because everything, everything's digital now digital, yeah, but when they were worried about the the auto cues going down, they we always had to make sure that they had the up to date script. And so I would be printing in, obviously, the, you know, because it's a three hour news show, the scripts constantly evolving, and so, you know, I was making sure they had the most up to date version in their hands. And it's, I don't know if you have spent any time around live TV Mike, but it's an incredibly humbling experience, like the power of it. You know, there's sort of two or 3 million people watching these two people who are sitting five feet in front of me, and the, you know, the sort of slightly kind of, there was an element of me that just wanted to jump in front of them and kind of go, ah. And, you know, never, ever work in live TV, ever again. But you know, anyway, I did that and ended up working as a producer, writing and developing, developing packets that would go out on the show, producing interviews and things. And, you know, I absolutely loved it. It was, it was a great time. But then I left to go and set up my company. Michael Hingson  06:56 I am amazed, even today, with with watching people on the news, and I've and I've been in a number of studios during live broadcasts and so on. But I'm amazed at how well, mostly, at least, I've been fortunate. Mostly, the people are able to read because they do have to read everything. It isn't like you're doing a lot of bad living in a studio. Obviously, if you are out with a story, out in the field, if you will, there, there may be more where you don't have a printed script to go by, but I'm amazed at the people in the studio, how much they are able to do by by reading it all completely. Nick Francis  07:37 It's, I mean, the whole experience is kind of, it's awe inspiring, really. And you know, when you first go into a Live, a live broadcast studio, and you see the complexity, and you know, they've got feeds coming in from all over the world, and you know, there's upwards of 100 people all working together to make it happen. And I remember talking to one of the directors at the time, and I was like, How on earth does this work? And he said, You know, it's simple. You everyone has a very specific job, and you know that as long as you do your bit of the job when it comes in front of you, then the show will go out. He said, where it falls over is when people start worrying about whether other people are going to are going to deliver on time or, you know, and so if you start worrying about what other people are doing, rather than just focusing on the thing you have to do, that's where it potentially falls over, Michael Hingson  08:29 which is a great object lesson anyway, to worry about and control and don't worry about the rest Nick Francis  08:36 for sure. Yeah, yeah, for sure. You know, it's almost a lesson for life. I mean, sorry, it is a lesson for life, and Michael Hingson  08:43 it's something that I talk a lot about in dealing with the World Trade Center and so on, and because it was a message I received, but I've been really preaching that for a long time. Don't worry about what you can't control, because all you're going to do is create fear and drive yourself Nick Francis  08:58 crazy, completely, completely. You know. You know what is it? Give me the, give me this. Give me the strength to change the things I can. Give me the give me the ability to let the things that I can't change slide but and the wisdom to know the difference. I'm absolutely mangling that, that saying, but, yeah, it's, it's true, you know. And I think, you know, it's so easy for us to in this kind of modern world where everything's so media, and we're constantly served up things that, you know, shock us, sadness, enrage us, you know, just to be able to step back and say, actually, you know what? These are things I can't really change. I'd have to just let them wash over me. Yeah, and just focus on the things that you really can change. Michael Hingson  09:46 It's okay to be aware of things, but you've got to separate the things you can control from the things that you can and we, unfortunately aren't taught that. Our parents don't teach us that because they were never taught it, and it's something. That, just as you say, slides by, and it's so unfortunate, because it helps to create such a level of fear about so many things in our in our psyche and in our world that we really shouldn't have to do Nick Francis  10:13 completely well. I think, you know, obviously, but you know, we've, we've spent hundreds, if not millions of years evolving to become humans, and then, you know, actually being aware of things beyond our own village has only been an evolution of the last, you know what, five, 600 years, yeah. And so we are just absolutely, fundamentally not able to cope with a world of such incredible stimulus that we live in now. Michael Hingson  10:43 Yeah, and it's only getting worse with all the social media, with all the different things that are happening and of course, and we're only working to develop more and more things to inundate us with more and more kinds of inputs. It's really unfortunate we just don't learn to separate ourselves very easily from all of that. Nick Francis  11:04 Yeah, well, you know, it's so interesting when you look at the development of VR headsets, and, you know, are we going to have, like, lenses in our eyes that kind of enable us to see computer screens while we're just walking down the road, you know? And you look at that and you think, well, actually, just a cell phone. I mean, cell phones are going to be gone fairly soon. I would imagine, you know, as a format, it's not something that's going to abide but the idea that we're going to create technology that's going to be more, that's going to take us away from being in the moment more rather than less, is kind of terrifying. Because, I would say already, even with, you know, the most basic technology that we have now, which is, you know, mind bending, compared to where we were even 20 years ago, you know, to think that we're only going to become more immersive is, you know, we really, really as a species, have to work out how we are going to be far better at stepping away from this stuff. And I, you know, I do, I wonder, with AI and technology whether there is, you know, there's a real backlash coming of people who do want to just unplug, yeah, Michael Hingson  12:13 well, it'll be interesting to see, and I hope that people will learn to do it. I know when I started hearing about AI, and one of the first things I heard was how kids would use it to write their papers, and it was a horrible thing, and they were trying to figure out ways so that teachers could tell us something was written by AI, as opposed to a student. And I almost immediately developed this opinion, no, let AI write the papers for students, but when the students turn in their paper, then take a day to in your class where you have every student come up and defend their paper, see who really knows it, you know. And what a great teaching opportunity and teaching moment to to get students also to learn to do public speaking and other things a little bit more than they do, but we haven't. That hasn't caught on, but I continue to preach it. Nick Francis  13:08 I think that's really smart, you know, as like aI exists, and I think to to pretend somehow that, you know, we can work without it is, you know, it's, it's, it's, yeah, I mean, it's like, well, saying, you know, we're just going to go back to Word processors or typewriters, which, you know, in which it weirdly, in their own time, people looked at and said, this is, you know, these, these are going to completely rot our minds. In fact, yeah, I think Plato said that was very against writing, because he believed it would mean no one could remember anything after that, you know. So it's, you know, it's just, it's an endless, endless evolution. But I think, you know, we have to work out how we incorporate into it, into our education system, for sure. Michael Hingson  13:57 Well, I remember being in in college and studying physics and so on. And one of the things that we were constantly told is, on tests, you can't bring calculators in, can't use calculators in class. Well, why not? Well, because you could cheat with that. Well, the reality is that the smart physicists realized that it's all about really learning the concepts more than the numbers. And yeah, that's great to to know how to do the math. But the the real issue is, do you know the physics, not just the math completely? Nick Francis  14:34 Yeah. And then how you know? How are the challenges that are being set such that you know, they really test your ability to use the calculator effectively, right? So how you know? How are you lifting the bar? And in a way, I think that's kind of what we have to do, what we have to do now, Michael Hingson  14:50 agreed, agreed. So you were in the news business and so on, and then, as you said, you left to start your own company. Why did you decide to do that? Nick Francis  14:59 Well, a friend of. Ryan and I from University had always talked about doing this rally from London to Mongolia. So, and you do it in an old car that you sort of look at, and you go, well, that's a bit rubbish. It has to have under a one liter engine. So it's tiny, it's cheap. The idea is it breaks down you have an adventure. And it was something we kind of talked about in passing and decided that would be a good thing to do. And then over time, you know, we started sending off. We you know, we applied, and then we started sending off for visas and things. And then before we knew it, we were like, gosh, so it looks like we're actually going to do this thing. But by then, you know, my job at the BBC was really taking off. And so I said, you know, let's do this, but let's make a documentary of it. So long story short, we ended up making a series of diary films for Expedia, which we uploaded onto their website. It was, you know, we were kind of pitching this around about 2005 we kind of did it in 2006 so it was kind of, you know, nobody had really heard of YouTube. The idea of making videos to go online was kind of unheard of because, you know, broadband was just kind of getting sorry. It wasn't unheard of, but it was, it was very, it was a very nascent industry. And so, yeah, we went and drove 9000 miles over five weeks. We spent a week sitting in various different repair yards and kind of break his yards in everywhere from Turkey to Siberia. And when we came back, it became clear that the internet was opening up as this incredible medium for video, and video is such a powerful way to share emotion with a dispersed audience. You know, not that I would have necessarily talked about it in that in those terms back then, but it really seemed like, you know, every every web page, every piece of corporate content, could have a video aspect to it. And so we came back and had a few fits and starts and did some, I mean, we, you know, we made a series of hotel videos where we were paid 50 quid a day to go and film hotels. And it was hot and it was hard work. And anyway, it was rough. But over time, you know, we started to win some more lucrative work. And, you know, really, the company grew from there. We won some awards, which helped us to kind of make a bit of a name for ourselves. And this was, there's been a real explosion in technology, kind of shortly after when we did this. So digital SLRs, so, you know, old kind of SLR cameras, you know, turned into digital cameras, which could then start to shoot video. And so it, there was a real explosion in high quality video produced by very small teams of people using the latest technology creatively. And that just felt like a good kind of kick off point for our business. But we just kind of because we got in in kind of 2006 we just sort of beat a wave that kind of started with digital SLRs, and then was kind of absolutely exploded when video cell phones came on the market, video smartphones. And yeah, you know, because we had these awards and we had some kind of fairly blue chip clients from a relatively early, early stage, we were able to grow the company. We then expanded to the US in kind of 2011 20 between 2011 2014 and then we were working with a lot of the big tech companies in California, so it felt like we should maybe kind of really invest in that. And so I moved out here with some of our team in 2018 at the beginning of 2018 and I've been here ever since, wow. Michael Hingson  18:44 So what is it? What was it like starting a business here, or bringing the business here, as opposed to what it was in England? Nick Francis  18:53 It's really interesting, because the creatively the UK is so strong, you know, like so many, you know, from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin to the Rolling Stones to, you know, and then on through, like all the kind of, you know, film and TV, you know, Brits are very good at kind of Creating, like, high level creative, but not necessarily always the best at kind of monetizing it, you know. I mean, some of those obviously have been fantastic successes, right? And so I think in the UK, we we take a lot longer over getting, getting to, like, the perfect creative output, whereas the US is far more focused on, you know, okay, we need this to to perform a task, and frankly, if we get it 80% done, then we're good, right? And so I think a lot of creative businesses in the UK look at the US and they go, gosh. Firstly, the streets are paved with gold. Like the commercial opportunity seems incredible, but actually creating. Tracking it is incredibly difficult, and I think it's because we sort of see the outputs in the wrong way. I think they're just the energy and the dynamism of the US economy is just, it's kind of awe inspiring. But you know, so many businesses try to expand here and kind of fall over themselves. And I think the number one thing is just, you have to have a founder who's willing to move to the US. Because I think Churchill said that we're two two countries divided by the same language. And I never fully understood what that meant until I moved here. I think what it what he really means by that is that we're so culturally different in the US versus the UK. And I think lots of Brits look at America and think, Well, you know, it's just the same. It's just a bit kind of bigger and a bit Brasher, you know, and it and actually, I think if people in the US spoke a completely different language, we would approach it as a different culture, which would then help us to understand it better. Yeah. So, yeah. I mean, it's been, it's been the most fabulous adventure to move here and to, you know, it's, it's hard sometimes, and California is a long way from home, but the energy and the optimism and the entrepreneurialism of it, coupled with just the natural beauty is just staggering. So we've made some of our closest friends in California, it's been absolutely fantastic. And across the US, it's been a fantastic adventure for us and our family. Michael Hingson  21:30 Yeah, I've had the opportunity to travel all over the US, and I hear negative comments about one place or another, like West Virginia, people eat nothing but fried food and all that. But the reality is, if you really take an overall look at it, the country has so much to offer, and I have yet to find a place that I didn't enjoy going to, and people I never enjoyed meeting, I really enjoy all of that, and it's great to meet people, and it's great to experience so much of this country. And I've taken that same posture to other places. I finally got to visit England last October, for the first time. You mentioned rugby earlier, the first time I was exposed to rugby was when I traveled to New Zealand in 2003 and found it pretty fascinating. And then also, I was listening to some rugby, rugby, rugby broadcast, and I tuned across the radio and suddenly found a cricket game that was a little bit slow for me. Yeah, cricket to be it's slow. Nick Francis  22:41 Yeah, fair enough. It's funny. Actually, we know what you're saying about travel. Like one of the amazing things about our Well, I kind of learned two sort of quite fundamentally philosophical things, I think, you know, or things about the about humans and the human condition. Firstly, like, you know, traveling across, you know, we left from London. We, like, drove down. We went through Belgium and France and Poland and Slovenia, Slovakia, Slovenia, like, all the way down Bulgaria, across Turkey into Georgia and Azerbaijan and across the Caspian Sea, and through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, into Russia, and then down into Mongolia. When we finished, we were due north of Jakarta, right? So we drove, we drove a third of the way around the world. And the two things that taught me were, firstly that human people are good. You know, everywhere we went, people would invite us in to have meals, or they'd like fix our car for not unit for free. I mean, people were so kind everywhere we went. Yeah. And the other thing was, just, when we get on a plane and you fly from here to or you fly from London, say to we, frankly, you fly from London to Turkey, it feels unbelievably different. You know, you fly from London to China, and it's, you know, complete different culture. But what our journey towards us, because we drove, was that, you know, while we might not like to admit it, we're actually quite, you know, Brits are quite similar to the French, and the French actually are quite similar to the Belgians, and Belgians quite similar to the Germans. And, you know, and all the way through, actually, like we just saw a sort of slowly changing gradient of all the different cultures. And it really, you know, we are just one people, you know. So as much as we might feel that, you know, we're all we're all different, actually, when you see it, when you when you do a drive like that, you really, you really get to see how slowly the cultures shift and change. Another thing that's quite funny, actually, was just like, everywhere we went, we would be like, you know, we're driving to Turkey. They'd be like, Oh, God, you just drove through Bulgaria, you know, how is like, everything on your car not been stolen, you know, they're so dodgy that you Bulgarians are so dodgy. And then, you know, we'd get drive through the country, and they'd be like, you know, oh, you're going into Georgia, you know, gosh, what you go. Make, make sure everything's tied down on your car. They're so dodgy. And then you get into Georgia, and they're like, Oh my God, you've just very driven through Turkey this, like, everyone sort of had these, like, weird, yeah, kind of perceptions of their neighbors. And it was all nonsense, yeah, you know. Michael Hingson  25:15 And the reality is that, as you pointed out, people are good, you know, I think, I think politicians are the ones who so often mess it up for everyone, just because they've got agendas. And unfortunately, they teach everyone else to be suspicious of of each other, because, oh, this person clearly has a hidden agenda when it normally isn't necessarily true at all. Nick Francis  25:42 No, no, no, certainly not in my experience, anyway, not in my experience. But, you know, well, oh, go ahead. No, no. It's just, you know, it's, it is. It's, it is weird the way that happens, you know, well, they say, you know, if, if politicians fought wars rather than, rather than our young men and women, then there'd be a lot less of them. Yeah, so Well, Michael Hingson  26:06 there would be, well as I tell people, you know, I I've learned a lot from working with eight guy dogs and my wife's service dog, who we had for, oh, gosh, 14 years almost, and one of the things that I tell people is I absolutely do believe what people say, that dogs love unconditionally, unless they're just totally traumatized by something, but they don't trust unconditionally. The difference between dogs and people is that dogs are more open to trust because we've taught ourselves and have been taught by others, that everyone has their own hidden agenda. So we don't trust. We're not open to trust, which is so unfortunate because it affects the psyche of so many people in such a negative way. We get too suspicious of people, so it's a lot harder to earn trust. Nick Francis  27:02 Yeah, I mean, I've, I don't know, you know, like I've been, I've been very fortunate in my life, and I kind of always try to be, you know, open and trusting. And frankly, you know, I think if you're open and trusting with people, in my experience, you kind of, it comes back to you, you know, and maybe kind of looking for the best in everyone. You know, there are times where that's not ideal, but you know, I think you know, in the overwhelming majority of cases, you know, actually, you know, you treat people right? And you know what goes what goes around, comes around, absolutely. Michael Hingson  27:35 And I think that's so very true. There are some people who just are going to be different than that, but I think for the most part, if you show that you're open to trust people will want to trust you, as long as you're also willing to trust Nick Francis  27:51 them completely. Yeah, completely. Michael Hingson  27:54 So I think that that's the big thing we have to deal with. And I don't know, I hope that we, we will learn it. But I think that politicians are really the most guilty about teaching us. Why not to trust but that too, hopefully, will be something we deal with. Nick Francis  28:12 I think, you know, I think we have to, you know, it's, it's one of the tragedies of our age, I think, is that the, you know, we spent the 20th century, thinking that sex was the kind of ultimate sales tool. And then it took algorithms to for us to realize that actually anger and resentment are the most powerful sales tools, which is, you know, it's a it's something which, in time, we will work out, right? And I think the problem is that, at the minute, these tech businesses are in such insane ascendancy, and they're so wealthy that it's very hard to regulate them. And I think in time, what will happen is, you know, they'll start to lose some of that luster and some of that insane scale and that power, and then, you know, then regulation will come in. But you know whether or not, we'll see maybe, hopefully our civilization will still be around to see that. Michael Hingson  29:04 No, there is that, or maybe the Vulcans will show up and show us a better way. But you know, Nick Francis  29:11 oh, you know, I'm, I'm kind of endlessly optimistic. I think, you know, we are. We're building towards a very positive future. I think so. Yeah, it's just, you know, get always bumps along the way, yeah. Michael Hingson  29:24 So you named your company casual. Why did you do that? Or how did that come about? Nick Francis  29:30 It's a slightly weird name for something, you know, we work with, kind of, you know, global blue chip businesses. And, you know, casual is kind of the last thing that you would want to associate with, a, with a, with any kind of services business that works in that sphere. I think, you know, we, the completely honest answer is that the journalism course I did was television, current affairs journalism, so it's called TV cadge, and so we, when we made a film for a local charity as part of that course. Course, we were asked to name our company, and we just said, well, cash, cash casual, casual films. So we called it casual films. And then when my friend and I set the company up, kind of formally, to do the Mongol Rally, we, you know, we had this name, you know, the company, the film that we'd made for the charity, had gone down really well. It had been played at BAFTA in London. And so we thought, well, you know, we should just, you know, hang on to that name. And it didn't, you know, at the time, it didn't really seem too much of an issue. It was only funny. It was coming to the US, where I think people are a bit more literal, and they were a bit like, well, casual. Like, why casual, you know. And I remember being on a shoot once. And, you know, obviously, kind of some filmmakers can be a little casual themselves, not necessarily in the work, but in the way they present themselves, right? And I remember sitting down, we were interviewing this CEO, and he said, who, you know, who are you? Oh, we're casual films. He's like, Oh, is that why that guy's got ripped jeans? Is it? And I just thought, Damn, you know, we really left ourselves open to that. There was also, there was a time one of our early competitors was called Agile films. And so, you know, I remember talking to one of our clients who said, you know, it's casual, you know, when I have to put together a little document to say, you know, which, which supplier we should choose, and when I lay it on my boss's desk, and one says casual films, and one says agile films, it's like those guys are landing the first punch. But anyway, we, you know, we, what we say now is like, you know, we take a complex process and make it casual. You know, filmmaking, particularly for like, large, complex organizations where you've got lots of different stakeholders, can be very complicated. And so, yeah, we sort of say, you know, we'll take a lot of that stress off, off our clients. So that's kind of the rationale, you know, that we've arrived with, arrived at having spoken to lots of our clients about the role that we play for them. So, you know, there's a kind of positive spin on it, I guess, but I don't know. I don't know whether I'd necessarily call it casual again. I don't know if I'm supposed to say that or not, but, oh, Michael Hingson  32:00 it's unique, you know? So, yeah, I think there's a lot of merit to it. It's a unique name, and it interests people. I know, for me, one of the things that I do is I have a way of doing this. I put all of my business cards in Braille, so the printed business cards have Braille on them, right? Same thing. It's unique completely. Nick Francis  32:22 And you listen, you know what look your name is an empty box that you fill with your identity. They say, right? And casual is actually, it's something we've grown into. And you know it's we've been going for nearly 20 years. In fact, funny enough for the end of this year is the 20th anniversary of that first film we made for the for the charity. And then next summer will be our 20th anniversary, which is, you know, it's, it's both been incredibly short and incredibly long, you know, I think, like any kind of experience in life, and it's been some of the hardest kind of times of my entire life, and some of the best as well. So, you know, it's, it is what it is, but you know, casual is who we are, right? I would never check, you know? I'd never change it. Michael Hingson  33:09 Now, no, of course not, yeah. So is the actual name casual films, or just casual? Nick Francis  33:13 So it was casual films, but then everyone calls us casual anyway, and I think, like as an organization, we probably need to be a bit more agnostic about the outcome. Michael Hingson  33:22 Well, the reason I asked, in part was, is there really any filming going on anymore? Nick Francis  33:28 Well, that's a very that's a very good question. But have we actually ever made a celluloid film? And I think the answer is probably no. We used to, back in the day, we used to make, like, super eight films, which were films, I think, you know, video, you know, ultimately, if you're going to be really pedantic about it, it's like, well, video is a digital, digital delivery. And so basically, every film we make is, is a video. But there is a certain cachet to the you know, because our films are loved and crafted, you know, for good or ill, you know, I think to call them, you know, they are films because, because of the, you know, the care that's put into them. But it's not, it's, it's not celluloid. No, that's okay, yeah, well, Michael Hingson  34:16 and I know that, like with vinyl records, there is a lot of work being done to preserve and capture what's on cellular film. And so there's a lot of work that I'm sure that's being done to digitize a lot of the old films. And when you do that, then you can also go back and remaster and hopefully in a positive way, and I'm not sure if that always happens, but in a positive way, enhance them Nick Francis  34:44 completely, completely and, you know, it's, you know, it's interesting talking about, like, you know, people wanting to step back. You know, obviously vinyl is having an absolute as having a moment right now. In fact, I just, I just bought a new stylist for my for my record. Play yesterday. It sounded incredible as a joy. This gave me the sound quality of this new style. It's fantastic. You know, beyond that, you know, running a company, you know, we're in nine offices all over the world. We produce nearly 1000 projects a year. So, you know, it's a company. It's an incredibly complicated company. It's a very fun and exciting company. I love the fact that we make these beautifully creative films. But, you know, it's a bit, I wouldn't say it's like, I don't know, you don't get many MBAs coming out of business school saying, hey, I want to set up a video production company. But, you know, it's been, it's been wonderful, but it's also been stressful. And so, you know, I've, I've always been interested in pottery and ceramics and making stuff with my hands. When I was a kid, I used to make jewelry, and I used to go and sell it in nightclubs, which is kind of weird, but, you know, it paid for my beers. And then whatever works, I say kid. I was 18. I was, I was of age, but of age in the UK anyway. But now, you know, over the last few 18 months or so, I've started make, doing my own ceramics. So, you know, I make vases and and pictures and kind of all sorts of stuff out of clay. And it's just, it's just to be to unplug and just to go and, you know, make things with mud with your hands. It's just the most unbelievably kind of grounding experience. Michael Hingson  36:26 Yeah, I hear you, yeah. One of the things that I like to do is, and I don't get to do it as much as I would like, but I am involved with organizations like the radio enthusiasts of Puget Sound, which, every year, does recreations of old radio shows. And so we get the scripts we we we have several blind people who are involved in we actually go off and recreate some of the old shows, which is really a lot of fun, Nick Francis  36:54 I bet, yeah, yeah, sort of you know that connection to the past is, is, yeah, it's great radio. Radio is amazing. Michael Hingson  37:03 Anyway, what we have to do is to train some of the people who have not had exposure to old radio. We need to train them as to how to really use their voices to convey like the people who performed in radio, whatever they're doing, because too many people don't really necessarily know how to do that well. And it is, it is something that we're going to work on trying to find ways to get people really trained. And one of the ways, of course, is you got to listen to the old show. So one of the things we're getting more and more people to do when we do recreations is to go back and listen to the original show. Well, they say, Well, but, but that's just the way they did it. That's not necessarily the way it should be done. And the response is, no, that's not really true. The way they did it sounded natural, and the way you are doing it doesn't and there's reality that you need to really learn how to to use your voice to convey well, and the only way to do it is to listen to the experts who did it. Nick Francis  38:06 Yeah, well, it's, you know, it's amazing. The, you know, when the BBC was founded, all the news readers and anyone who appeared on on the radio to to present or perform, had to wear like black tie, like a tuxedo, because it was, you know, they're broadcasting to the nation, so they had to, you know, they had to be dressed appropriately, right, which is kind of amazing. And, you know, it's interesting how you know, when you, when you change your dress, when you change the way you're sitting, it does completely change the way that you project yourself, yeah, Michael Hingson  38:43 it makes sense, yeah, well, and I always enjoyed some of the old BBC radio shows, like the Goon Show, and completely some of those are so much fun. Nick Francis  38:54 Oh, great, yeah, I don't think they were wearing tuxedo. It's tuxedos. They would Michael Hingson  38:59 have been embarrassed. Yeah, right, right. Can you imagine Peter Sellers in a in a tux? It just isn't going to happen. Nick Francis  39:06 No, right, right. But yeah, no, it's so powerful. You know, they say radio is better than TV because the pictures are better. Michael Hingson  39:15 I agree. Yeah, sure, yeah. Well, you know, I I don't think this is quite the way he said it, but Fred Allen, the old radio comedian, once said they call television the new medium, because that's as good as it's ever going Nick Francis  39:28 to get. Yeah, right, right, yeah. Michael Hingson  39:32 I think there's truth to it. Whether that's exactly the way he said it or not, there's truth to that, yeah, but there's also a lot of good stuff on TV, so it's okay. Nick Francis  39:41 Well, it's so interesting. Because, you know, when you look at the it's never been more easy to create your own content, yeah, and so, you know, and like, in a way, TV, you know, he's not wrong in that, because it suddenly opened up this, this huge medium for people just to just create. Right? And, you know, and I think, like so many people, create without thinking, and, you know, and certainly in our kind of, in the in the world that we're living in now with AI production, making production so much more accessible, actually taking the time as a human being just to really think about, you know, who are the audience, what are the things that are going to what are going to kind of resonate with them? You know? Actually, I think one of the risks with AI, and not just AI, but just like production being so accessible, is that you can kind of shoot first and kind of think about it afterwards, and, you know, and that's never good. That's always going to be medium. It's medium at best, frankly. Yeah, so yeah, to create really great stuff takes time, you know, yeah, to think about it. Yeah, for sure, yeah. Michael Hingson  40:50 Well, you know, our podcast is called unstoppable mindset. What do you think that unstoppable mindset really means to you as a practical thing and not just a buzzword. Because so many people talk about the kinds of buzzwords I hear all the time are amazing. That's unstoppable, but it's really a lot more than a buzzword. It goes back to what you think, I think. But what do you think? Nick Francis  41:15 I think it's something that is is buried deep inside you. You know, I'd say the simple answer is, is just resilience. You know, it's, it's been rough. I write anyone running a small business or a medium sized business at the minute, you know, there's been some tough times over the last, kind of 1824, months or so. And, you know, I was talking to a friend of mine who she sold out of her business. And she's like, you know, how are things? I was like, you know, it's, it's, it's tough, you know, we're getting through it, you know, we're changing a lot of things, you know, we're like, we're definitely making the business better, but it's hard. And she's like, Listen, you know, when three years before I sold my company, I was at rock bottom. It was, I genuinely thought it was so stressful. I was crushed by it, but I just kept going. And she's just like, just keep going. And the only difference between success and failure is that resilience and just getting up every day and you just keep, keep throwing stuff at the wall, keep trying new things, keep working and trying to be better. I think, you know, it's funny when you look at entrepreneurs, I'm a member of a mentoring group, and I hope I'm not talking out of school here, but you know, there's 15 entrepreneurs, you know, varying sizes of business, doing all sorts, you know, across all sorts of different industries. And if you sat on the wall, if you were fly on the wall, and you sit and look at these people on a kind of week, month to month basis, and they all present on how their businesses are going. You go, this is this being an entrepreneur does not look like a uniformly fun thing, you know, the sort of the stress and just, you know, people crying and stuff, and you're like, gosh, you know, it's so it's, it's, it's hard, and yet, you know, it's people just keep coming back to it. And yet, I think it's because of that struggle that you have to kind of have something in built in you, that you're sort of, you're there to prove something. And I, you know, I've thought a lot about this, and I wonder whether, kind of, the death of my father at such a young age kind of gave me this incredible fire to seek His affirmation, you know. And unfortunately, obviously, the tragedy of that is like, you know, the one person who would never give me affirmation is my dad. And yet, you know, I get up every day, you know, to have early morning calls with the UK or with Singapore or wherever. And you know, you just just keep on, keeping on. And I think that's probably what and knowing I will never quit, you know, like, even from the earliest days of casual, when we were just, like a couple of people, and we were just, you know, kids doing our very best, I always knew the company was going to be a success act. Like, just a core belief that I was like, this is going to work. This is going to be a success. I didn't necessarily know what that success would look like. I just but I did know that, like, whatever it took, we would map, we'd map our way towards that figure it out. We'd figure it out. And I think, you know, there's probably something unstoppable. I don't know, I don't want to sound immodest, but I think there's probably something in that that you're just like, I am just gonna keep keep on, keeping on. Michael Hingson  44:22 Do you think that resilience and unstoppability are things that can be taught, or is it just something that's built into you, and either you have it or you don't? Nick Francis  44:31 I think it's something that probably, it's definitely something that can be learned, for sure, you know. And there are obviously ways that it can there's obviously ways it can be taught. You know, I was, I spent some time in the reserve, like the Army Reserve in the UK, and I just, you know, a lot of that is about teaching you just how much further you can go. I think what it taught me was it was so. So hard. I mean, honestly, some of the stuff we did in our training was, like, you know, it's just raining and raining and raining and, like, because all your kits soaking wet is weighs twice what it did before, and you just, you know, sleeping maybe, you know, an hour or two a night, and, you know, and there wasn't even anyone shooting at us, right? So, you know, like the worst bit wasn't even happening. But like, and like, in a sense, I think, you know, that's what they're trying to do, that, you know, they say, you know, train hard and fight easy. But I remember sort of sitting there, and I was just exhausted, and I just genuinely, I was just thought, you know, what if they tell me to go now, I just, I can't. I literally, I can't, I can't do it. Can't do it. And then they're like, right, lads, put your packs on. Let's go and just put your pack on. Off you go, you know, like, this sort of, the idea of not, like, I was never going to quit, just never, never, ever, you know, and like I'd physically, if I physically, like, literally, my physical being couldn't stand up, you know, I then that was be, that would be, you know, if I was kind of, like literally incapacitated. And I think what that taught me actually, was that, you know, you have what you believe you can do, like you have your sort of, you have your sort of physical envelope, but like that is only a third or a quarter of what you can actually achieve, right, you know. And I think what that, what the that kind of training is about, and you know, you can do it in marathon training. You can do it in all sorts of different, you know, even, frankly, meditate. You know, you train your mind to meditate for, you know, an hour, 90 minutes plus. You know, you're still doing the same. You know, there's a, there's an elasticity within your brain where you can teach yourself that your envelope is so much larger. Yeah. So, yeah, you know, like, is casual going to be a success? Like, I'm good, you know, I'm literally, I won't I won't stop until it is Michael Hingson  46:52 right, and then why stop? Exactly, exactly you continue to progress and move forward. Well, you know, when everything feels uncertain, whether it's the markets or whatever, what do you do or what's your process for finding clarity? Nick Francis  47:10 I think a lot of it is in having structured time away. I say structured. You build it into your calendar, but like, but it's unstructured. So, you know, I take a lot of solace in being physically fit. You know, I think if you're, if you feel physically fit, then you feel mentally far more able to deal with things. I certainly when I'm if I'm unfit and if I've been working too much and I haven't been finding the time to exercise. You know, I feel like the problems we have to face just loom so much larger. So, you know, I, I'll book out. I, you know, I work with a fan. I'm lucky enough to have a fantastic assistant who, you know, we book in my my exercise for each week, and it's almost the first thing that goes in the calendar. I do that because I can't be the business my my I can't be the leader my business requires. And it finally happened. It was a few years ago I kind of, like, the whole thing just got really big on me, and it just, you know, and I'm kind of, like, being crushed by it. And I just thought, you know what? Like, I can't, I can't fit other people's face mask, without my face mask being fit, fitted first. Like, in order to be the business my business, I keep saying that to be the lead in my business requires I have to be physically fit. So I have to look after myself first. And so consequently, like, you know, your exercise shouldn't be something just get squeezed in when you find when you have time, because, you know, if you've got family and you know, other things happening, like, you know, just will be squeezed out. So anyway, that goes in. First, I'll go for a bike ride on a Friday afternoon, you know, I'll often listen to a business book and just kind of process things. And it's amazing how often, you know, I'll just go for a run and, like, these things that have been kind of nagging away in the back of my mind, just suddenly I find clarity in them. So I try to exercise, like, five times a week. I mean, that's obviously more than most people can can manage, but you know that that really helps. And then kind of things, like the ceramics is very useful. And then, you know, I'm lucky. I think it's also just so important just to appreciate the things that you already have. You know, I think one of the most important lessons I learned last year was this idea that, you know, here is the only there. You know, everyone's working towards this kind of, like, big, you know, it's like, oh, you know, when I get to there, then everything's going to be okay, you know. And actually, you know, if you think about like, you know, and what did you want to achieve when you left college? Like, what was the salary band that you want? That you wanted to achieve? Right? A lot of people, you know, by the time you hit 4050, you've blown way through that, right? And yet you're still chasing the receding Summit, yeah, you know. And so actually, like, wherever we're trying to head to, we're already there, because once you get there, there's going to be another there that you're trying to. Head to right? So, so, you know, it's just taking a moment to be like, you know, God, I'm so lucky to have what I have. And, you know, I'm living in, we're living in the good old days, like right now, right? Michael Hingson  50:11 And the reality is that we're doing the same things and having the same discussions, to a large degree, that people did 50, 100 200 years ago. As you pointed out earlier, the fact is that we're, we're just having the same discussions about whether this works, or whether that works, or anything else. But it's all the same, Nick Francis  50:33 right, you know. And you kind of think, oh, you know, if I just, just, like, you know, if we just open up these new offices, or if we can just, you know, I think, like, look, if I, if I'd looked at casual when we started it as it is now, I would have just been like, absolute. My mind would have exploded, right? You know, if you look at what we've achieved, and yet, I kind of, you know, it's quite hard sometimes to look at it and just be like, Oh yeah, but we're only just starting. Like, there's so much more to go. I can see so much further work, that we need so many more things, that we need to do, so many more things that we could do. And actually, you know, they say, you know, I'm lucky enough to have two healthy, wonderful little girls. And you know, I think a lot of bread winners Look at, look at love being provision, and the idea that, you know, you have to be there to provide for them. And actually, the the truest form of love is presence, right? And just being there for them, and like, you know, not being distracted and kind of putting putting things aside, you know, not jumping on your emails or your Slack messages or whatever first thing in the morning, you know. And I, you know, I'm not. I'm guilty, like, I'm not, you know, I'm not one of these people who have this kind of crazy kind of morning routine where, like, you know, I'm incredibly disciplined about that because, you know, and I should be more. But like, you know, this stuff, one of the, one of the things about having a 24 hour business with people working all over the world is there's always things that I need to respond to. There's always kind of interesting things happening. And so just like making sure that I catch myself every so often to be like, I'm just going to be here now and I'm going to be with them, and I'm going to listen to what they're saying, and I'm going to respond appropriately, and, you know, I'm going to play a game with them, or whatever. That's true love. You know? Michael Hingson  52:14 Well, there's a lot of merit to the whole concept of unplugging and taking time and living in the moment. One of the things that we talked about in my book live like a guide dog, that we published last year, and it's all about lessons I've learned about leadership and teamwork and preparedness from eight guide dogs and my wife's service dog. One of the things that I learned along the way is the whole concept of living in the moment when I was in the World Trade Center with my fifth guide dog, Roselle. We got home, and I was going to take her outside to go visit the bathroom, but as soon as I took the harness off, she shot off, grabbed her favorite tug bone and started playing tug of war with my retired guide dog. Asked the veterinarians about him the next day, the people at Guide Dogs for the Blind, and they said, Well, did anything threaten her? And I said, No. And they said, there's your answer. The reality is, dogs live in the moment when it was over. It was over. And yeah, right lesson to learn. Nick Francis  53:15 I mean, amazing, absolutely amazing. You must have taken a lot of strength from that. Michael Hingson  53:20 Oh, I think it was, it was great. It, you know, I can look back at my life and look at so many things that have happened, things that I did. I never thought that I would become a public speaker, but I learned in so many ways the art of speaking and being relaxed at speaking in a in a public setting, that when suddenly I was confronted with the opportunity to do it, it just seemed like the natural thing to do. Nick Francis  53:46 Yeah, it's funny, because I think isn't public speaking the number one fear. It is. It's the most fit. It's the most feared thing for the most people. Michael Hingson  53:57 And the reality is going back to something that we talked about before. The reality is, audiences want you to succeed, unless you're a jerk and you project that, audiences want to hear what you have to say. They want you to be successful. There's really nothing to be afraid of but, but you're right. It is the number one fear, and I've never understood that. I mean, I guess I can intellectually understand it, but internally, I don't. The first time I was asked to speak after the World Trade Center attacks, a pastor called me up and he said, we're going to we're going to have a service outside for all the people who we lost in New Jersey and and that we would like you to come and speak. Take a few minutes. And I said, Sure. And then I asked him, How many people many people were going to be at the service? He said, 6000 that was, that was my first speech. Nick Francis  54:49 Yeah, wow. But it didn't bother me, you know, no, I bet Michael Hingson  54:54 you do the best you can, and you try to improve, and so on. But, but it is true that so many people. Are public speaking, and there's no reason to what Nick Francis  55:03 did that whole experience teach you? Michael Hingson  55:06 Well, one of the things that taught me was, don't worry about the things that you can't control. It also taught me that, in reality, any of us can be confronted with unexpected things at any time, and the question is, how well do we prepare to deal with it? So for me, for example, and it took me years after September 11 to recognize this, but one of the things that that happened when the building was hit, and Neither I, nor anyone on my side of the building really knew what happened. People say all the time, well, you didn't know because you couldn't see it. Well, excuse me, it hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building. And the last time I checked X ray vision was fictitious, so nobody knew. But did the building shake? Oh, it tipped. Because tall buildings like that are flexible. And if you go to any tall building, in reality, they're made to buffet in wind storms and so on, and in fact, they're made to possibly be struck by an airplane, although no one ever expected that somebody would deliberately take a fully loaded jet aircraft and crash it into a tower, because it wasn't the plane hitting the tower as such that destroyed both of them. It was the exploding jet fuel that destroyed so much more infrastructure caused the buildings to collapse. But in reality, for me, I had done a lot of preparation ahead of time, not even thinking that there would be an emergency, but thinking about I need to really know all I can about the building, because I've got to be the leader of my office, and I should know all of that. I should know what to do in an emergency. I should know how to take people to lunch and where to go and all that. And by learning all of that, as I learned many and discovered many years later, it created a mindset that kicked in when the World Trade Center was struck, and in fact, we didn't know until after both towers had collapsed, and I called my wife. We I talked with her just before we evacuated, and the media hadn't even gotten the story yet, but I never got a chance to talk with her until after both buildings had collapsed, and then I was able to get through and she's the first one that told us how the two buildings had been hit by hijacked aircraft. But the mindset had kicked in that said, You know what to do, do it and that. And again, I didn't really think about that until much later, but that's something that is a lesson we all could learn. We shouldn't rely on just watching signs to know what to do, no to go in an emergency. We should really know it, because the knowledge, rather than just having information, the true intellectual knowledge that we internalize, makes such a big difference. Nick Francis  57:46 Do you think it was the fact that you were blind that made you so much more keen to know the way out that kind of that really helped you to understand that at the time? Michael Hingson  57:56 Well, what I think is being blind and growing up in an environment where so many things could be unexpected, for me, it was important to know so, for example, when I would go somewhere to meet a customer, I would spend time, ahead of time, learning how to get around, learning how to get to where they were and and learning what what the process was, because we didn't have Google Maps and we didn't have all the intellectual and and technological things that we have today. Well intellectual we did with the technology we didn't have. So today it's easier, but still, I want to know what to do. I want to really have the answers, and then I can can more easily and more effectively deal with what I need to deal with and react. So I'm sure that blindness played a part in all of that, because if I hadn't learned how to do the things that I did and know the things that I knew, then it would have been a totally different ball game, and so sure, I'm sure, I'm certain that blindness had something to do with it, but I also know that, that the fact is, what I learned is the same kinds of things that everyone should learn, and we shouldn't rely on just the signs, because what if the building were full of smoke, then what would you do? Right? And I've had examples of that since I was at a safety council meeting once where there was somebody from an electric company in Missouri who said, you know, we've wondered for years, what do we do if there's a fire in the generator room, in the basement, In the generator room, how do people get out? And he and I actually worked on it, and they developed a way where people could have a path that they could follow with their feet to get them out. But the but the reality is that what people first need to learn is eyesight is not the only game in town. Yeah, right. Mean, it's so important to really learn that, but people, people don't, and we take too many things for granted, which is, which is really so unfortunate, because we really should do a li

Today, there's only one topic: Singapore. I spent 12 days there and have opinions (plus, if you're watching the video, photographs).

On April 13, 2018, when President Xi Jinping announced that China would support Hainan, a tropical island about the size of Taiwan province off China's southern coast, in exploring the creation of a free trade port with Chinese characteristics, the message traveled far beyond China's southern shores.2018年4月13日，习近平主席宣布，中国将支持位于中国南部沿海、面积与台湾省相当的热带岛屿海南，探索建设具有中国特色的自由贸易港。这一消息迅速传遍中国南方海岸之外。It reached Atyrau, a city on Kazakhstan's Caspian coast, where Ruslan Tulenov, then working at a local chemical company after spending more than a decade studying and living in China, followed the news closely.这一消息传到了哈萨克斯坦里海沿岸城市阿特劳。当时，在中国学习和生活十余年后、正在当地一家化工企业工作的鲁斯兰·图列诺夫，密切关注着这条新闻。The moment Xi's announcement was broadcast, Tulenov knew it was the right time for him to return to Hainan, where he had completed his undergraduate studies.习近平讲话播出的那一刻，图列诺夫便意识到，重返他完成本科学业的海南，时机已经成熟。"I was constantly observing this country — how it developed and where it was heading," Tulenov recalled. "I wanted to find my own career chance in that process."“我一直在观察这个国家——它是如何发展的，又将走向何方，”图列诺夫回忆说，“我希望在这一进程中找到属于自己的职业机会。”Speaking that day at the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of Hainan province and the Hainan Special Economic Zone, Xi highlighted Hainan's special advantages, including its status as China's biggest SEZ, its unique geographic location and the best ecological environment in the country, as reasons to make it a test ground for reform and opening-up.在当天举行的海南建省办经济特区30周年庆祝大会上，习近平强调了海南的独特优势，包括其作为中国最大经济特区的地位、独特的区位条件以及全国最优的生态环境，并指出正是这些优势，使海南具备成为改革开放试验田的条件。The decision to build a pilot free trade zone and eventually a free trade port was, Xi stressed, a major move by the Communist Party of China Central Committee to signal China's resolution of further opening up and promoting economic globalization.习近平强调，建设自由贸易试验区并逐步探索建设自由贸易港，是中共中央着眼于进一步扩大对外开放、推动经济全球化作出的重大战略部署。On Thursday, the Hainan FTP will officially launch island-wide special customs operations — a move that Xi has described as a landmark step by China to unwaveringly expand high-standard opening-up and promote the development of an open world economy.周四，海南自由贸易港将正式启动全岛封关运作。习近平将这一举措称为中国坚定不移扩大高水平对外开放、推动开放型世界经济发展的标志性一步。China's plan for the island's future also opened the door for young talent like Tulenov. When the Hainan International Economic Development Bureau, established in 2019, launched a global talent recruitment campaign, he applied right away.中国对海南未来发展的系统规划，也为图列诺夫这样的青年人才打开了机遇之门。2019年成立的海南国际经济发展局启动全球人才招聘计划时，他第一时间提交了申请。The bureau is the first government agency of its kind at the provincial level dedicated to attracting global investment for the Hainan Free Trade Port.该机构是中国首个在省级层面专门负责为海南自由贸易港吸引全球投资的政府机构。After rounds of tests and interviews, the multilingual Kazakh became the bureau's first foreign employee, reflecting Hainan's growing international orientation.经过多轮考试和面试，这位精通多种语言的哈萨克斯坦人，成为该局首位外籍员工，体现出海南日益增强的国际化取向。As policies for the Hainan Free Trade Port continued to take shape, China released a master plan in June 2020 to build Hainan into a globally influential, high-level free trade port by the middle of the century.随着海南自由贸易港相关政策不断完善，中国于2020年6月发布总体方案，提出到本世纪中叶，将海南建设成为具有全球影响力的高水平自由贸易港。The document said that supporting Hainan's construction of a free trade port system with Chinese characteristics is a significant move designed, arranged and promoted by Xi.文件指出，支持海南建设具有中国特色的自由贸易港体系，是习近平亲自谋划、亲自部署、亲自推动的重大战略举措。Two years later, in 2022, Tulenov found himself standing in the audience at the Yangpu Economic Development Zone in Hainan, listening as Xi spoke about Hainan's development path.两年后的2022年，图列诺夫站在海南洋浦经济开发区的会场中，现场聆听习近平阐述海南的发展路径。The province, Xi said, had spent decades debating its industrial positioning. Now, the priorities were clear: tourism, modern services, high-tech industries, and tropical high-efficiency agriculture, he said.习近平指出，海南在产业定位问题上探索多年，如今方向已经明确，即重点发展旅游业、现代服务业、高新技术产业和热带特色高效农业。As China's only tropical province and a major maritime region, Hainan had natural advantages in developing these four industries. The four sectors already accounted for 67 percent of Hainan's GDP in 2024.作为中国唯一的热带省份和重要海洋区域，海南在发展这四大产业方面具备天然优势。到2024年，这四个产业已占海南地区生产总值的67%。During that trip, Xi also raised expectations: Hainan would become a paradigm of reform and opening-up in the new era, he said.在那次考察中，习近平还提出更高期望，指出海南要成为新时代改革开放的示范样板。At the China International Import Expo, the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference and the G20 Leaders' Summit, the Chinese president has, on many international occasions, highlighted China's efforts to develop the Hainan Free Trade Port and develop new systems for a higher-standard open economy. Xi said that all are welcome to share in the vast opportunities of the Chinese market.在中国国际进口博览会、博鳌亚洲论坛年会以及二十国集团领导人峰会等多个国际场合，习近平多次介绍海南自由贸易港建设进展和中国构建更高水平开放型经济新体制的努力，并表示欢迎各方共享中国市场的巨大机遇。In December last year and again this November, Xi returned to the province to hear detailed work reports from local officials — trips that highlighted the central leadership's close attention to the FTP's progress.去年12月以及今年11月，习近平两次赴海南听取地方工作汇报，凸显了中央对自由贸易港建设进展的高度关注。This focus is especially significant as the Hainan FTP will officially launch island-wide special customs operations on Thursday.在海南自由贸易港即将启动全岛封关运作之际，这种高度重视尤显重要。The shift will raise the share of zero-tariff goods in the Hainan FTP from 21 percent to 74 percent, while further opening sectors such as tourism, modern services and high-tech industries.封关运作后，海南自由贸易港零关税商品比例将从21%提升至74%，同时进一步扩大旅游业、现代服务业和高新技术产业等领域对外开放。"The launch of island-wide special customs operations will provide Hainan with the foundational conditions to advance opening-up across a broader scope and at a deeper level," Xi said during his trip to Hainan last month, stressing the need to free minds, advance reform and explore new ground, and promote reform and opening-up across various sectors more proactively.习近平在上月考察海南时指出，全岛封关运作将为海南在更大范围、更深层次推进对外开放提供基础条件，并强调要进一步解放思想、深化改革、勇于探索，在各领域更加主动推进改革开放。For Tulenov, each of Xi's visits carries a personal meaning. "Every time President Xi comes, we feel encouraged," he said.对图列诺夫而言，习近平每一次到访都具有特殊意义。“每次习近平主席来，我们都备受鼓舞。”他说。As the International Economic Development Bureau's global press officer, Tulenov has traveled extensively, promoting Hainan's advantages to companies and investors across the world.作为海南国际经济发展局的全球新闻官，图列诺夫走访多国，向全球企业和投资者推介海南的优势。"I always tell them that Shenzhen was where China first opened to the world. Now Hainan is the next chapter," he said. "Personally, I benchmarked the FTP against Hong Kong and Singapore. I firmly believe Hainan will become a port like those — it just takes time and steady steps."“我总是告诉他们，深圳是中国对外开放的起点，而海南正书写着新的篇章，”他说，“就我个人而言，我将海南自由贸易港对标香港和新加坡。我坚信，海南终将成为类似的国际港口，只是需要时间和稳步推进。”Thursday also marks the 47th anniversary of the third plenary session of the 11th CPC Central Committee — the milestone meeting that launched China's reform and opening-up. Observers said the latest move represents another significant step in the opening-up of the world's second-largest economy, even as unilateralism and protectionism intensify globally.周四同时也是中共十一届三中全会召开47周年纪念日。这次具有里程碑意义的会议开启了中国改革开放的历史进程。观察人士指出，在全球单边主义和保护主义加剧的背景下，海南的新举措标志着世界第二大经济体进一步扩大开放的重要一步。"The Hainan Free Trade Port occupies a uniquely prominent place in China's reform agenda," said Matteo Giovannini, an Asia-Global Fellow at the University of Hong Kong. It is one of the national strategies reaffirmed by President Xi, underscoring its role as a test ground for the next stage of high-level opening-up, he said.香港大学亚洲全球研究员马特奥·乔万尼尼表示，海南自由贸易港在中国改革议程中占据着独特而突出的地位，是习近平反复强调的国家战略之一，凸显了其作为新一轮高水平对外开放试验田的重要作用。Hainan's performance is likely to become a key reference for how China balances deeper openness with economic security amid global uncertainty, Giovannini said.乔万尼尼表示，在全球不确定性加剧的背景下，海南的发展实践有望成为中国在深化开放与维护经济安全之间寻求平衡的重要参考。"Lessons from Hainan may inform reforms in areas such as cross-border capital flows, data governance, services trade and green finance, offering models that could be scaled up elsewhere," he said. "In this sense, Hainan is not just a regional experiment, but a signal of how China sees reform evolving under more complex external conditions."他说：“海南的经验可能为跨境资本流动、数据治理、服务贸易和绿色金融等领域的改革提供借鉴，并形成可在其他地区推广的模式。从这个意义上看，海南不仅是区域性试验，更是中国在复杂外部环境下推进改革方向的重要信号。”Wang Ying, a researcher at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said that the strategic emphasis placed on the Hainan FTP reflects China's confidence in its development path and commitment to globalization.对外经济贸易大学中国开放经济研究院研究员王颖表示，中央对海南自由贸易港的战略重视，体现了中国对自身发展道路的信心以及持续推进经济全球化的坚定承诺。She said that the FTP, which serves as a platform for engagement with frameworks such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, also signals China's determination to align with top-tier international trade rules.她指出，海南自由贸易港作为对接《区域全面经济伙伴关系协定》《全面与进步跨太平洋伙伴关系协定》《数字经济伙伴关系协定》等框架的平台，也释放出中国主动对标高标准国际经贸规则的明确信号。By taking a pioneering approach, Hainan is positioned to contribute Chinese solutions to the evolution of international economic rules and help guide the development of global standards, Wang added.王颖补充说，通过先行先试，海南有望为国际经济规则演进提供“中国方案”，并在全球标准制定中发挥引导作用。Giovannini noted that Hainan is well positioned, both geographically and strategically, to become a connective node between China and Southeast Asia, with its focus on services trade, logistics, tourism, and digital and green industries closely matching ASEAN's growth priorities.乔万尼尼指出，从地理和战略层面看，海南具备成为连接中国与东南亚的重要枢纽的有利条件，其重点发展的服务贸易、物流、旅游以及数字和绿色产业，与东盟的发展重点高度契合。"If regulatory credibility and policy consistency are maintained, the FTP could evolve into a meaningful gateway for two-way flows of capital, talent and services, connecting China more deeply with ASEAN and other emerging markets," he said.他说：“如果能够保持监管可信度和政策连续性，海南自由贸易港有望发展成为资本、人才和服务双向流动的重要门户，使中国与东盟及其他新兴市场实现更深层次联通。”free trade port (FTP)自由贸易港island-wide special customs operations全岛封关运作zero-tariff goods零关税商品economic globalization经济全球化regulatory credibility监管可信度

In this episode of the EY CFO Outlook podcast, Marc Van Huet, CFO of Calor Ireland joins host, Dearbhail McDonald, to talk about building a modern finance engine, why a private, family-owned structure creates space to innovate, and the role LPG and BioLPG can play for rural homes, hotels and industry on the journey to net zero. He also shares the cultural lessons he's learned in Ireland, the value of a diverse team, and why a good culture is built in small daily choices.Marc Van Huet's road to CFO began behind the glass walls of an iconic Louis Vuitton store in Singapore, where a particular project taught him about relationship between customer experience and process discipline. That experience sparked an early interest in how strong brands connect with people, something that continues to guide his work today. Marc's career has taken him across several industries and leadership roles, from working with entrepreneurs to managing financial and project teams within SHV and beyond. Now, as the youngest CFO featured on the EY CFO Outlook podcast, Marc brings that same focus on people, growth, and innovation to Calor Ireland.They also discuss: Marc's early career and the importance of customer service.Key lessons learned from working with entrepreneurs and across multiple industries.The modern CFO: freeing the month-end “engine” to focus on value; AI and process mining in financeCalor's ambition to grow while leading Ireland's energy transition.How being part of a global family business supports innovation and investment.Why culture and teamwork matter in modern leadership.

It's the first issue of 2026, and the first with new editor-in-chief Prof. Richard Body heading the journal. He is joined by senior associate editor Dr. Sarah Edwards, as they take a look at some highlights of the issue.  First in the line-up is a paper looking at how "Same day emergency care" units, or SDECs, have come to mean quite different things across the UK. In some cases, the rule-out processing of SDECs harks back to "What the ED used to do" in past years. The next paper is an examination of the treatment methods for paracetamol overdose, specifically the SNAP protocol for accelerated infusion of N-acetylcysteine. This new analysis considers the likelihood of anaphylactoid reactions across age groups. Third to be discussed is a retrospective study on the relationship between length of stay and morbidity and mortality in older patients. This large study from Singapore suggests a systemic change in approach is needed for handling triaging and discharge of this patient group. The final topic is facial lacerations, with a Best Evidence Topic report addressing the use of topical silicone gel. Many patients are rightly concerned about scarring on such a personal part of the body as their face, and the report finds some encouraging support for use of the gel to improve cosmetic healing. Read the highlights: January 2026 primary survey How is same day emergency care (SDEC) being implemented across England? Scottish and Newcastle Antiemetic Protocol (SNAP) 12-hour acetylcysteine regimen for paracetamol overdose reduces anaphylactoid reactions without compromising hepatic protection in all age groups: a secondary analysis Association between age and length of stay in the emergency department in a tertiary care hospital: a retrospective observational study Should we be advising patients to use topical silicone gel for wound care following facial laceration suturing in the emergency department ?  The EMJ podcast is hosted by: Prof. Richard Body, EMJ Editor-in-Chief, University of Manchester, UK (@richardbody) Dr. Sarah Edwards, EMJ Senior Associate Editor and Social Media Editor, Royal Derby Hospital, UK (@drsarahedwards) You can subscribe to the EMJ podcast on all podcast platforms to get the latest podcast every month. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the EMJ Podcast Apple (https://apple.co/4bfcMU0) or Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3ufutSL) page.

"I think curiosity is very important. When you're curious about something, you listen." "You have to be at the forefront, not the back. You can't, hide behind and say, 'hey, you know, guys solve it', right?" "When they trust you, beautiful things happen."              "Ideas are welcome. You know, ideas are free. But it's got be data driven."  Tomo Kamiya is President Japan at PTC, a company known for parametric design and CAD-driven simulation that helps engineers model, test, and refine complex products digitally before manufacturing. He began his career in sales at Bosch, covering Kanagawa and Yamanashi with a highly autonomous, remote-work style that was ahead of its time, learning early that trust and relationship continuity—not brand alone—move outcomes in Japan. He later joined Dell during its disruptive growth era, moving from enterprise sales into marketing and broader regional responsibility, including supporting Korea marketing and later leading the server business, where his team hit number one market share in Japan. After a short consulting stint connected to Japan Telecom, he joined AMD to grow the business in Japan, then relocated to Singapore to run a broader South Asia remit and strategic customers. He subsequently led a wide Asia Pacific portfolio at D&M Holdings across multiple markets, navigating shifting consumer behaviour as subscription and streaming changed the fundamentals of product value. That experience led naturally into Adobe during its historic shift from perpetual software to subscription, where he led the Digital Media business in Japan (including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat) for almost a decade. Across this cross-industry arc, he has repeatedly adapted to business model change, regional cultural differences, and the practical realities of leading people in Japan—especially the need to listen deeply, build trust patiently, and step forward decisively when problems hit. Tomo Kamiya's leadership story is, at its core, a story about compressing complexity—first in products, then in organisations. At PTC, he sits at the intersection of engineering reality and digital abstraction: the ability to take something massive—a ship, an engine, an entire manufacturing system—and "frame" it into a screen so it can be simulated, stress-tested, and improved before any physical cost is incurred. That same instinct shows up in the way he talks about people and performance. In his earliest Bosch years, he learned that Japan's reliability culture does not eliminate the need for continuous trust-building; even a global brand can stall if the relationship energy disappears. His answer was to create value where the buyer's uncertainty lives—showing up, demonstrating, educating, and, as he put it, "sell myself," because credibility travels faster than product brochures. That bias for action stayed with him through Dell's high-velocity era, where "latest and the greatest" rewarded leaders who could anticipate market timing and organise teams around speed without losing discipline. Later, running regional remits outside Japan, he saw the contrast between Japan's "no defect" mindset and emerging markets that prioritised pace. Rather than treat one as right and the other as wrong, he learned to search for the productive middle ground: the discipline that prevents future failure, paired with the pragmatism that prevents paralysis. It is a useful lens for Japan, where uncertainty avoidance and consensus expectations can slow decisions unless the leader builds momentum through listening and clear intent. In his most practical leadership shift, an executive coach forced a hard look at his calendar: too much time on objectives, not enough time on people. The result was a deliberate reallocation toward one-on-ones, deeper listening, and clearer delegation—creating what amounts to a management operating system that improves decision speed because the leader knows what is really happening. He sees ideas as abundant but insists that investment requires decision intelligence: data points, ROI thinking, and a shared logic that gives teams confidence to commit. In Japan's consensus environment—where nemawashi and ringi-sho-style alignment often determine whether execution truly happens—his approach is to build trust through presence, make it safe for the "silent minority" to contribute, and then move decisively when critical moments arrive. Technology, including AI as a "co-pilot," can help leaders think through scenarios and prepare responses, but he remains clear that empathy and execution in the worst moments cannot be outsourced. The leadership standard, as he defines it, is simple and demanding: when things go south, step to the front. Q&A Summary What makes leadership in Japan unique? Leadership in Japan is shaped by trust-building, restraint, and the practical demands of consensus. Even when products are high quality and risk reduction is strong, outcomes often hinge on relationships and continuity. Japan's consensus culture—often expressed through nemawashi and ringi-sho-style alignment—means leaders must invest time in listening, building internal confidence, and demonstrating respect for the context that teams and customers protect. Why do global executives struggle? Global executives often arrive with a headquarters lens and try to "fix" what looks inefficient before understanding why it exists. When they change processes or people without learning the customer rationale, they trigger resistance and lose credibility. The gap is not intelligence; it is context. Japan requires deliberate time in the market and inside the organisation to decode what is really being optimised—often customer trust, stability, and long-term reliability. Is Japan truly risk-averse? Japan can appear risk-averse, but much of the behaviour is better described as uncertainty avoidance. The goal is to reduce surprises and protect relationships, not to avoid progress. Kamiya's early sales experience shows that buyers will pay for reliability when the cost of failure is high. The leadership challenge is to move forward while lowering uncertainty—through data, clear rationale, and predictable communication—rather than forcing speed without alignment. What leadership style actually works? The style that works is visible, empathetic, and action-oriented. Trust grows when leaders walk the floor, create everyday touchpoints, and listen in detail—especially because many Japanese employees will not speak up easily. At the same time, Kamiya argues that in critical moments—big decisions, business model shifts, major complaints—the leader must be "at the forefront," not hiding behind delegation. Delegation matters, but stepping forward in the hardest moments is what earns trust. How can technology help? Technology helps leaders compress complexity and make better decisions. In product terms, simulation and digital-twin style approaches reduce risk by testing before manufacturing. In leadership terms, data-driven thinking improves idea selection, investment confidence, and ROI clarity. AI can function as a co-pilot for scenario planning—offering options and framing responses—but it does not replace human judgement, empathy, or the social work of building consensus. Does language proficiency matter? Language matters because it shrinks distance. Full fluency may take years, but even small efforts signal respect and closeness, making it easier to build rapport and trust. Language is not just vocabulary; it is an everyday bridge that reduces friction with teams and increases the leader's ability to read nuance—critical in a culture where people may be reserved. What's the ultimate leadership lesson? The ultimate lesson is that trust is built through time, listening, and decisive presence. Leadership is revealed when trouble hits: the leader who listens, takes action, and stands in front earns durable commitment. Once trust is established, the organisation can move faster—because consensus forms more naturally, delegation improves, and decisions carry less uncertainty. Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.

Nepal is home to some of the world's most iconic wildlife — from tigers, rhinos, and elephants to lesser-known species like pangolins and medicinal orchids. Yet behind its breathtaking biodiversity lies a complex struggle against wildlife poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and habitat loss. In this episode of the Think Wildlife Podcast, we speak with Kumar Paudel, founder and director of Greenhood Nepal, one of the nation's leading conservation organizations working to combat wildlife crime and promote community conservation across the Himalayas.Kumar shares his inspiring journey from a childhood in the mountains of Nepal to leading national efforts in biodiversity conservation. Through his work with Greenhood Nepal, he has helped transform the country's conservation landscape — from early advocacy against poaching and corruption to the establishment of community-based monitoring networks and policy reform. Under his leadership, Nepal became the first nation to achieve zero poaching of rhinos, elephants, and tigers, an achievement rooted in strong enforcement, military protection, and deep community engagement.The conversation delves into the evolution of Nepal's conservation success. Kumar discusses how community intelligence and local anti-poaching networks have become vital in protecting wildlife across national parks and buffer zones. Yet, he warns that while attention often centers on charismatic megafauna like tigers and rhinos, smaller and lesser-known species such as pangolins, tortoises, and orchids face rising threats from illegal wildlife trade and unsustainable harvesting.Greenhood Nepal's work along the China–Nepal border provides critical insights into cross-border wildlife trade networks, revealing the motivations behind trafficking and empowering enforcement agencies through training, data sharing, and behavioral change campaigns. Kumar also highlights their pioneering research on orchid conservation, mapping over 500 native species — including more than 100 medicinally important orchids — and developing sustainable management plans that align with CITES compliance.The discussion also explores pangolin conservation, where Greenhood has led community outreach, identified priority habitats, and hosted Nepal's first Pangolin Conservation Roundtable, catalyzing national policy action. Kumar explains how the team's on-ground efforts — from habitat restoration to education and enforcement — have shaped the future of biodiversity management in Nepal.Beyond enforcement, Kumar reflects on the importance of compassion and understanding. His most memorable conservation experience came from visiting prisons and speaking with wildlife offenders, gaining firsthand insights into the socio-economic pressures that drive poaching and wildlife trade. His reflections underscore that sustainable conservation depends on addressing poverty, awareness, and opportunity — not just punishment.We also revisit Nepal's remarkable success in tiger conservation, where populations have nearly tripled between 2010 and 2022, and discuss emerging challenges such as human–wildlife conflict. As Nepal continues to balance conservation and development, Kumar calls for stronger investment in coexistence strategies, habitat restoration, and community-led solutions.This episode offers an in-depth look at the intertwined issues of wildlife crime, community conservation, and biodiversity preservation in one of the world's richest ecological regions. Tune in to learn how Nepal's story of resilience, innovation, and collaboration continues to inspire the global conservation movement.About the HostAnish Banerjee is an early career ecologist, with a MSc in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation from Imperial College London. He is the founder of Think Wildlife Foundation and a biodiversity policy analyst at Legal Atlas. He is also the author of the following field guides:Field Guide to the Common Wildlife of India: https://amzn.in/d/2TnNvSEField Guide to the Mammals of Singapore: https://amzn.in/d/gcbq8VG#Nepal #tigers #elephants #rhino #wildlife #wildlifeconservation #wildlifecrime #poaching #wildlifepoaching #hunting #wildlifetrade #illegalwildlifetrade #conservation #biodiversity #biodiversityofNepal #biodiversityconservation #biodiversitymanagement #orchids #orchidconservation #pangolins #communityconservation #communityengagement5 Get full access to The Think Wildlife Podcast at anishbanerjee.substack.com/subscribe

Value: After Hours is a podcast about value investing, Fintwit, and all things finance and investment by investors Tobias Carlisle, and Jake Taylor. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Soldier of Fortune: Warren Buffett, Sun Tzu and the Ancient Art of Risk-Taking⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kindle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)We are live every Tuesday at 1.30pm E / 10.30am P.See our latest episodes at https://acquirersmultiple.com/podcastAbout Jake Jake's Twitter: https://twitter.com/farnamjake1Jake's book: The Rebel Allocator https://amzn.to/2sgip3lABOUT THE PODCASTHi, I'm Tobias Carlisle. I launched The Acquirers Podcast to discuss the process of finding undervalued stocks, deep value investing, hedge funds, activism, buyouts, and special situations.We uncover the tactics and strategies for finding good investments, managing risk, dealing with bad luck, and maximizing success.SEE LATEST EPISODEShttps://acquirersmultiple.com/podcast/SEE OUR FREE DEEP VALUE STOCK SCREENER https://acquirersmultiple.com/screener/FOLLOW TOBIASWebsite: https://acquirersmultiple.com/Firm: https://acquirersfunds.com/ Twitter: ttps://twitter.com/GreenbackdLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobycarlisleFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/tobiascarlisleInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tobias_carlisleABOUT TOBIAS CARLISLETobias Carlisle is the founder of The Acquirer's Multiple®, and Acquirers Funds®. He is best known as the author of the #1 new release in Amazon's Business and Finance The Acquirer's Multiple: How the Billionaire Contrarians of Deep Value Beat the Market, the Amazon best-sellers Deep Value: Why Activists Investors and Other Contrarians Battle for Control of Losing Corporations (2014) (https://amzn.to/2VwvAGF), Quantitative Value: A Practitioner's Guide to Automating Intelligent Investment and Eliminating Behavioral Errors (2012) (https://amzn.to/2SDDxrN), and Concentrated Investing: Strategies of the World's Greatest Concentrated Value Investors (2016) (https://amzn.to/2SEEjVn). He has extensive experience in investment management, business valuation, public company corporate governance, and corporate law.Prior to founding the forerunner to Acquirers Funds in 2010, Tobias was an analyst at an activist hedge fund, general counsel of a company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, and a corporate advisory lawyer. As a lawyer specializing in mergers and acquisitions he has advised on transactions across a variety of industries in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Australia, Singapore, Bermuda, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Guam. He is a graduate of the University of Queensland in Australia with degrees in Law (2001) and Business (Management) (1999).

Karen McMillan is the author of 25 books, published in eleven countries, a mixture of fiction, non-fiction and children's books. Her books have published in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Poland, Germany and the US. She has had three books hit the NZ top ten bestseller list. Her work has been short-listed for the Ashton Wylie Book Award and was the New Zealand finalist in the Gourmand World Awards 2018 health and nutrition category. Most recently, Karen has been writing children's books, with her series Elastic Island Adventures published by Duckling Publishing. Karen is also the Director of NZ Booklovers, has instigated the NZ Booklovers Awards, and she is a regular reviewer on TV and radio. So we find out what is it about our fascination with books, how hard is it to write a book, why do we love certain characters in books and what would Karen recommend to purchase this xmas for a great read.

In this episode of Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai, I welcome Hendrik, a friend and professional contact since 2019, to discuss talents and strengths. We reconnect after several years and reflect on how their collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic was crucial for Jennifer's business survival. Hendrik shares his experience working at Manulife Japan, emphasizing the importance of cultural diversity and the positive energy at the Indonesian Pavilion Expo. We delve into Hendrik's journey to Japan, his struggles and learnings in a different culture, and his newfound passion for Gallup's CliftonStrengths assessment. Hendrik highlights the importance of knowing one's talents and leveraging them to live a fulfilled life, aligning this with the concept of Ikigai. We also discuss the potential pitfalls of overusing strengths and the paradigm shift required in corporate environments to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses. If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we'd love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. In this episode you'll hear:How Hendrik discovered his passion and Ikigai through the CliftonStrengths assessment, including his journey from Indonesia to Japan and his unique experiences in the Japanese workplaceThe importance of focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses, and how a strengths-based approach differs from trying to fix weaknessesHow leveraging individual strengths can boost workplace morale, enhance engagement, and improve overall quality of lifePractical steps to uncover and use your hidden talents in daily lifeThe crucial role that connections and community play in achieving professional success and finding purposeThings mentioned in the episode:CliftonStrengths: https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253676/how-cliftonstrengths-works.aspx32 CliftonStrengths team synergy sessions, 498 people over the last 2 years (Jan 2024 – Dec 2025)About Hendrik:Hendrik joined Manulife in January 2023 as Global Learning Partner, reporting into Asia Learning Lead and rolled up to Katherine MacNaughton`s organization. While sitting in the global team, Hendrik`s role is to build a learning culture in the Japan market. Hendrik ensures Japan programs are aligned with Manulife strategies & priorities while meeting the Japan market needs. Prior to joining Manulife, Hendrik had similar roles and responsibilities in companies such as Philip Morris International and Bridgestone. Hendrik also performed an APAC regional role during his time in Bridgestone where he led regional talent management related projects covering 11 countries working in the Regional HQ of Bridgestone in Singapore. Hendrik`s background is in talent management and development areas. Hendrik was awarded an MBA from Murdoch University in Singapore in 2018 and graduated with a Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.Outside of work, Hendrik is a father of 2 daughters.Connect with Hendrik:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendrik-kwee-2512474b/Contact: https://www.gallup.com/learning/certification/en/10644108/profile.aspxConnect with Jennifer:Linked In:

In this episode, we speak with Synary Be, a resilient survivor of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), who shares her powerful journey of enduring three bone marrow transplants over eight years. Diagnosed suddenly in March 2017, Synary's story begins with a high fever that led to a shocking diagnosis: 93% leukemia. From that point on, her life transformed into a series of hospital stays, treatments, and moments that tested her strength and spirit.We learn how her first transplant involved two umbilical cord donors, one from the U.S. and another from Singapore. When that failed to graft, her younger brother flew from Australia to donate for her second transplant—a 50% match. After two years in remission, she relapsed again and required a third transplant, this time from her older brother, right in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. With travel restrictions in place, the donor cells had to be processed remotely and shipped to Stanford, showcasing the remarkable role of medical technology in saving lives.Despite being given only a 50% chance of survival for her third transplant, Synary put her trust in her doctors. Though she relapsed again, she now maintains remission through chemo pills. With no long-term data available for this new medication, she continues treatment cautiously and with optimism, trusting in the advancement of medicine.Synary spends some time opening up about the chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) that followed her transplants. She explains its impact on her lungs, eyes, mouth, nails, and skin, detailing both the physical symptoms and the treatments that have helped her reclaim daily life. From scleral lenses to serum tears, to pulmonary rehab and steroid creams, she educates us on the challenges and management of GVHD.Beyond the physical toll, Synary discusses the mental health struggles tied to long-term illness—particularly anxiety from repeated hospitalizations. She emphasizes the importance of therapy, meditation, support groups, and the courage to seek help. Her words serve as a reminder that managing chronic illness includes caring for both mind and body.Synary's story wouldn't be complete without acknowledging her support system. Her husband, who acted as her full-time caregiver through 300 cumulative days of hospitalization, and her three children, endured major sacrifices. Friends and community support filled in the gaps, underscoring that no one should navigate transplant recovery alone.Even in the face of isolation, fatigue, and anxiety, Synary finds joy in simple pleasures: watching Christmas movies, going for walks, and spending time with family. Her message is clear—life is still good. And GVHD, while challenging, cannot take away her joy.Calm App — https://www.calm.comThanks to our Season 19 sponsors, Incyte and Sanofi.https://incyte.com/https://www.sanofi.com/en00:40 - Introduction to Synary Be01:20 - AML Diagnosis and First Transplant03:10 - Transplants and Donor Challenges04:06 - Relapses and Chemo Maintenance06:44 - Living with GVHD12:15 - GVHD Symptoms and Treatments13:40 - Support System and Caregiving15:34 - Isolation After Transplants16:38 - Mental Health & Anxiety19:03 - Coping and Finding Joy20:36 - Final Thoughts and Message of Hope National Bone Marrow Transplant Link - (800) LINK-BMT, or (800) 546-5268.nbmtLINK Website: https://www.nbmtlink.org/nbmtLINK Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nbmtLINKFollow the nbmtLINK on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/nbmtlink/The nbmtLINK YouTube Page can be found by clicking here.To participate in the GVHD Mosaic, click here: https://amp.livemosaics.com/gvhd Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

rWotD Episode 3150: Singapore Indian Association Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Thursday, 18 December 2025, is Singapore Indian Association.The Singapore Indian Association was established in 1923 with the objective of promoting the social, physical, intellectual, cultural and the general welfare of its members. When it was formed, the association projected itself as a pan-Indian, rather than narrowly ethnic, language, religion, caste or region-based organization. This marked it as significantly different from most other Indian organisations in Singapore.The association led by the Indian mercantile and professional elite, expanding its membership to include the emerging white collar middle classes as well. Initially, the leaders of the association were seized with the political spirit of the time in both India and Singapore. Many were supporters of the Indian independence movement, and many were also concerned about the social welfare and political rights of the wider Indian community in Singapore and British Malaya, which the city-state was then a part of.The Singapore Indian Association was one of a number of such associations located in towns and cities all across Malaya. With the development of the Merdeka or freedom movement in Malayan politics, these associations became nodal points for the activation of Indian political activism. In time, this contributed to the formation of the Malaysian Indian Congress, the main political party in Malaysia representing the Indian community, and a current member of Malaysia’s ruling Barisan Nasional coalition government.Singapore politics, however, followed a different path. While Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) initially sought to merge with Malaya in a political federation, this eventual union proved to be unviable, resulting in the ejection of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965, when the former became and independent republic. However, even prior to this momentous event, Singapore politics had developed along different lines from the rest of Malaysia. With its different racial makeup, the racial politics of Malaysia did not fit in well with Singapore’s demographic realities. In Singapore, voters, including Indians and other minorities, tended to support non race-based political parties like the PAP. With the eventual separation of Singapore from Malaysia, and the later consolidation of PAP hegemony over Singapore via a quasi-authoritarian government, the Singapore Indian Association quickly lost its political role and became a social, sports and recreation club.While the association was founded in 1923, its clubhouse was only completed in the 1950s. It is located at the historic Balestier Plain in Singapore, which has acquired formal heritage status for its concentration of a cluster of community associations and sports clubs, such as the Indian Association. In keeping with its early political leanings, the foundation stone of the clubhouse was laid by Jawaharlal Nehru on 18 June 1950.Since its beginning, the association has been extremely active in Singapore’s sports scene. Sports in which the association is active in include cricket, tennis, hockey, football and billiards. Many of its members and sportspeople also went on to represent Singapore in regional and international tournaments. Over time, the association began to decline in terms of its membership, finances and public profile. However, with a fresh influx of leadership in the late 1990s, its fortunes have improved to some extent. The association’s website reports a membership of about 1,000 members today. Recently, the association has published a book – Passage of Indians - to commemorate its history, as well as that of the Indian community in Singapore.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:06 UTC on Thursday, 18 December 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Singapore Indian Association on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Nicole.

For review:1. President Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Venezuelan Oil Tankers.2. Speaking at an annual meeting with top military officers, Russian President Putin said Moscow would prefer to achieve its goals and “eliminate the root causes of the conflict” by diplomatic means, but he added that “if the opposing side and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive dialogue, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands by military means.”3. Six Countries Join (Gaza) Board of Peace. The US has secured commitments from Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany to have their leaders join US President Donald Trump on the Board of Peace.4. The United States Central Command hosted a conference in Qatar on Tuesday with dozens of partner nations to discuss plans for an International Stabilization Force for the Gaza Strip.Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, Italy, France, the UK, and Azerbaijan were among the attendees. Other countries at the summit included Cyprus, Georgia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Jordan, Japan, Greece, Singapore, the EU, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, Morocco, Bahrain, Bosnia, Finland, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Spain, and Yemen.5. Senators voted 77-20 on a bipartisan basis to send this year's National Defense Authorization Act to the desk of President Donald Trump, who has indicated he will sign the bill. The 2026 NDAA authorizes $900.6 billion in defense funds, or about $8 billion more than the White House's request. 

Join host Shawn J Richards for a special recap of Season 6 of The Team Engagement Podcast. This season featured 38 guests from across the United States, England, and Singapore, all sharing leadership insights that help teams work with greater clarity, intention, and energy.Shawn highlights the season's major themes, including:How leaders can re-energize teams during low-momentum periodsWays to promote learning across the organizationDelegation strategies that develop and empower team membersCommunicating values and vision with consistencyHe also shares an update on his book, Rapid Fire Leadership, now available on Amazon, which compiles leadership lessons from years of conversations with leaders.Shawn closes with gratitude for listeners, guests, and the behind-the-scenes support team that makes the podcast possible.Season 6 Recap Links:

Mark Dini is a decentralized health consultant specializing in quantum and circadian biology, functional medicine, comprehensive blood testing, tissue-specific bioregulator peptides, signaling peptide therapy, and longevity and healthspan optimization. His career is dedicated to advancing holistic and scientific methods to improve health and well-being on a global scale.As a business partner at an innovative health tracker startup in Singapore, Mark is contributing to the development of the world's first preventive health tracking ring, now in the third stage of seed funding. The initiative aims to revolutionize health monitoring and management by enabling early detection and personalized prevention.In addition, Mark is involved in the development of an AI-driven app in partnership with a longevity clinic in South Africa. This collaboration seeks to enhance the precision of laboratory diagnostics, enabling more accurate analysis and personalized treatment protocols. SHOWNOTES: 

Olafur Eliasson talks to Ben Luke about his influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work. Eliasson was born in 1967 in Copenhagen and grew up between Denmark and Iceland, where his parents were from. His installations, sculptures, photographs and paintings, among other projects, reflect a profound concern with human presence in nature and how we perceive and interact with the world around us. His works can be deceptively simple or enormously complex, but often share a rigorous and reductive geometry, which may conversely produce expansive and multifarious perceptual, sensory and embodied effects. Eliasson has stated that “the spectator is the central issue”, a long-established aspect of conceptual and environmental practices, but for him it is important that the viewer not only completes the work, but is also transformed by it. This subjective and individual revelation is, he hopes, allied to a sense of collective experience, what he calls a “we-ness”, that often alerts his audience to wider cultural and social issues including the climate catastrophe. Indeed, environment, in multiple senses, is the fundamental element of his work.He discusses his deep concern about the climate catastrophe and the importance of action. He reflects on his concept of “seeing yourself sensing” and its shifting nature in relation to different works across his career, and how he often includes the word “your” in his titles as a gesture of trust towards his audience. He discusses the wealth of writers and thinkers that inform his work on a daily basis, from Donna Haraway to Alva Noë. He recalls the epiphany of experiencing a work by James Turrell and his fascination with early Renaissance conceptions of space. He reflects on his early fascination with breakdance and his current enjoyment of music by Hilda Gunnarsdóttir and Rosalía. Plus, he gives insight into life in his vast studio in Berlin, and answers our usual questions, including the ultimate: what is art for?Olafur Eliasson: Presence, Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia, until 12 July 2026; Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey, Museum MACAN, Jakarta, Indonesia, 12 April 2026, Your view matter by Olafur Eliasson, Padimai Art & Tech Studio, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, Singapore, 31 March 2026; and Olafur's first permanent public work in the UK, Your planetary assembly, 2025, is on view at Oxford North, Oxford, UK now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News: Mark talks scorpions and fluorescence Main Topic: Nocita We discuss a new analgesic – Nocita – a bupivicaine liposome, and its potential use in exotic pets. VetGurus Merchandise – VetGurus Etsy Store VetGurus Shop Checkout the VetGurus range of quirky, distinctive branded items. All purchases help support our podcast , helping pay for our production costs. So the bonus for you is that you get some great merchandise and you feel good inside for supporting us – win:win. So click on this link and get shopping. Order now: VetGurus Shop. Say Hi! Send us an email: VetGurus@Gmail.com. We love hearing from our listeners – give us a yell now! Become a Patron Become a Patron of VetGurus: Support us by ‘throwing a bone’ to the VetGurus – a small regular donation to help pay for our production costs. It’s easy; just go to our Patreon site. You can be a rabbit.. or an echidna.. one day we are hoping for a Guru level patron! https://www.patreon.com/VetGurus Support our Sponsors Chemical Essentials. Cleaning and disinfection products and solutions for a wide variety of industries throughout Australia, as well as specific markets in New Zealand, Singapore and Papua New Guinea. The sole importer of the internationally acclaimed F10SC Disinfectant and its related range of advanced cleaning, personal hygiene and animal skin care products. Specialised Animal Nutrition. Specialised Animal Nutrition is the Australian distributor of Oxbow Animal Health products. Used and recommended by top exotic animal veterinarians around the globe, the Oxbow range comprises premium life-staged feeds and supportive care products for small herbivores. Microchips Australia: Microchips Australia is the Australian distributor for: Trovan microchips, readers and reading systems; Lone Star Veterinary Retractor systems and Petrek GPS tracking products. Microchips Australia is run by veterinarians experienced in small and large animal as well as avian and exotic practice, they know exactly what is needed for your practice. About Our Podcast The veterinary podcast about veterinary medicine and surgery, current news items of interest, case reports and anecdotes. Wait: It's not all about veterinary matters! We also discuss other areas we are passionate about, including photography and wildlife. Thanks for joining us – Brendan and Mark. Our podcast is for veterinarians, veterinary students and veterinary nurses/technicians. If you are at pet owner please search elsewhere – there are lots of great podcasts aimed specifically at pet owners. Disclaimer Any discussion of medical or veterinary matters is of a general nature. Consult a veterinarian with experience in the appropriate field for specific information relating to topics mentioned in our podcast or on our website.

Violet Lim, Co-Founder & CEO of Lunch Actually Paktor Group, and Jeremy Au explore how dating, expectations, and technology have evolved across Southeast Asia over the past two decades. Violet traces her path from studying law in the UK to banking in Singapore, before leaving a stable career at 24 to start Lunch Actually, now one of Asia's longest-running matchmaking groups. They discuss the early stigma around dating services, why lunch dating worked as a low-pressure solution for busy professionals, and the realities of expanding across markets like Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Their conversation digs into why some people find partners quickly while others repeat the same patterns, how coaching closes gaps in mindset and behavior, and why surface-level filters often block long-term compatibility. They also examine how dating apps reshaped expectations, how Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X approach dating differently, and how AI companionship is beginning to challenge traditional ideas of intimacy, loneliness, and commitment. 01:45 How she met her husband: Violet recounts meeting her university sweetheart through student society events, ICQ conversations, and a first lunch date that later inspired her business model.  03:35 Identifying the dating gap: While rotating through Citibank, Violet notices many eligible colleagues are single and constantly busy, realizing lunch is often the only time people can realistically meet someone new.  06:23 Quitting at 24 despite stigma: Violet explains why she chose not to practice family law, moved into HR and banking, and faced deep cultural resistance to matchmaking before deciding to go all in.  15:43 Overcoming early barriers: Advertisers refuse to run dating ads, landlords reject office rentals, clients hide to avoid being seen, and a bold half-empty newspaper ad becomes the breakthrough moment.  18:39 Scaling across Asia: Singapore and Malaysia grow naturally, Hong Kong requires language and cultural adaptation, and Taiwan fails when the team realizes the concept of dating does not yet exist in the market.  31:21 Coaching drives successful matches: Violet explains why some clients succeed quickly while others stall, leading to mindset coaching, image support, and WhatsApp critique to fix blind spots.  42:16 AI reshapes emotional norms: Violet describes how abundance, analysis paralysis, fear of better options, and AI companionship are changing how people define connection and commitment. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/violet-lim-modern-matchmaking WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea Spotify English: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Bahasa Indonesia: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vs8t6qPo0eFb4o6zOmiVZ Chinese: https://open.spotify.com/show/20AGbzHhzFDWyRTbHTVDJR Vietnamese: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yqd3Jj0I19NhN0h8lWrK1 YouTube  English: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu?sub_confirmation=1 Apple Podcast  English: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 #DatingInAsia #ModernLove #Matchmaking #DatingApps #GenZDating #AIFuture #HumanConnection #Relationships #Loneliness #BRAVEpodcast

How do you build a forward-looking regulatory framework while keeping innovation moving at internet speed?In this episode, Ari is joined by Kenneth Gay, Chief FinTech Officer at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), for a wide-ranging conversation on technology, regulation, and the future of finance.Together, they trace Kenneth's 21-year journey across enforcement, markets, macro-financial analysis, and hands-on experimentation — right down to spinning up a Bitcoin node to understand blockchain data from the ground up.Kenneth explains how early explorations such as Project Ubin laid the foundation for Project Guardian, a cross-border sandbox that brings together regulators and financial institutions to test real-world tokenization of funds, bonds, stablecoins, and bank liabilities. He highlights the emerging frameworks MAS has developed to help the industry operationalize tokenization across asset classes, and why collaboration and shared standards are essential to scaling safely.The conversation also dives into artificial intelligence, outlining MAS's four-pillar approach — capabilities, adoption, governance, and workforce — and explains why curated pathways, including solution marketplaces and centers of excellence, will be critical to responsible AI deployment.Grounded, pragmatic, and optimistic, this episode shows how a regulator can be both rigorous and innovation-minded—without losing sight of risk. Listen in to learn how the next phase of finance is being built in public, with standards, sandboxes, and shared incentives at the core.

Is Canada's life sciences and health tech sector heading toward a code red? In this episode, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt unpack how outdated and fragmented privacy laws are slowing innovation, and why aligning too closely with European regulations could make things even worse. They explore the “Brussels effect,” where the EU's regulatory power shapes rules far beyond Europe, and how Canada may already be feeling its impact.The conversation dives into why modern health innovation depends on large-scale data, how Canada's patchwork of federal and provincial rules creates costly barriers, and what lessons we could learn from countries like Japan and Singapore instead.Chapters:00:00 Introduction00:44 The Brussels Effect explained03:17 Outdated health-data and privacy rules04:13 Accessing lifescience data06:00 Safety vs innovation07:40 Europe lacks tech innovation08:55 We're already adopting EU rules09:28 Asia leads the way in healthtech data regulationResearch:Health Innovation Doesn't Have to Be This Hardhttps://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/p/health-innovation-doesnt-have-to?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=webThe Draghi report on EU competitivenesshttps://commission.europa.eu/topics/competitiveness/draghi-report_enHosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux Produced by Meredith Martin This podcast is funded by the Neptis Foundation and brought to you by the Smart Prosperity Institute.

Singapore’s food scene is shrinking, Wall Street may never sleep, and the STI just brushed a historic high - but not everyone is celebrating. Market View cuts through the noise as Michelle Martin and Ryan Huang examine why some F&B names like Chagee and Mixue are still expanding even as eateries shutter across the island. They debate whether food-and-beverage stocks remain investable in a high-cost, cut-throat market — and what falling share prices may be signalling. The conversation shifts to the US, where Nasdaq’s plan for near-24-hour trading sparks fresh questions about liquidity, volatility, and trader burnout. In UP or DOWN, Ford’s EV retreat, China chipmaker MetaX’s red-hot IPO debut, and big property moves from CapitaLand, UOL and Suntec REIT take centre stage. The episode wraps with a pulse check on Singapore stocks after the STI briefly crosses 4,600, hosted by Michelle Martin with Ryan Huang.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Tuesday, December 16th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Kevin Swanson Chinese Communists arrested 18 pastors over evangelism online Chinese Pastor Ezra Jin and 17 other pastors have been arrested by Chinese Communist authorities on charges of using illegal information networks. Translation? Putting the Gospel message on Zoom is now illegal in China.   The pastors are facing three years in prison.   A pastor's wife described the situation on the Christian Broadcasting Network. WIFE: “China opened the door for the Western society and then grow their economy. I grew up from that period of time. So, I thought we weren't gonna be put in jail because of our Christianity or our faith.” Chinese officials convicted liberty advocate Jimmy Lai Not surprisingly, those Chinese communists have convicted Hong Kong's pro-liberty advocate, Jimmy Lai, with conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. It's a charge that could put him in prison for life. This was the highest profile case since Hong Kong was turned over to the communists in 1997, and Hong Kong's democratic elections halted in 2020. China to eliminate out-of-pocket expenses for childbirth China is planning to eliminate all out-of-pocket medical costs for childbirth with the hopes of encouraging more births. China's fertility rate is dismal, hovering around 1.0. In fact, Chinese deaths have outnumbered births for three years in a row now. The countries with the lowest fertility rates in the world are Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Ukraine, and Chile. Two Muslim men killed 16 Jews in Sydney, Australia On Sunday, two Muslim men, a father and son, have been identified as suspects in the killings of 16 people at a Jewish celebration of Hannukah in Sydney, Australia on Bondi Beach, reports the Associated Press. That's the worst mass shooting in Australia since the Port Arthur massacre of 1996 where 35 people were killed and 23 were injured. Providentially, a bystander of Muslim background, 43-year-old Syrian fruit shop owner, Ahmed Al-Ahmed, happened on the scene. He tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen during the deadly massacre, preventing further carnage.  Ahmed was shot in the shoulder and arm while hiding behind a tree after confronting the gunman. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is promising “tougher gun laws” in response. Actor Rob Reiner and wife allegedly killed by son Director and actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead Sunday, apparent victims of foul play at their home in Los Angeles, reports The L.A. Times. Sadly, Rob Reiner was an atheist, as was his father, Carl Reiner — another famous movie director.   Rob Reiner will be best remembered in the political realm for his leftist views, especially in his opposition to California's Proposition 8, and efforts to introduce homosexual marriage to the state and the country. At last report, Rob and Michele's son Nick, age 32, has been taken into custody by the Los Angeles Police Department, charged with the murder of his parents. He has a long history of drug addiction. Exodus 21:15 speaks to this sort of crime, as do Jesus's words in Matthew 15:4: “And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” Little Sisters of the Poor vs. Obamacare continues After 14 years, Little Sisters of the Poor, comprised of Roman Catholic nuns, continues to object to the Obamacare mandate to provide coverage for abortifacients for their organization.    Back on July 8, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled 7–2 in favor of the Little Sisters, upholding federal rules that exempted religious organizations from the contraceptive mandate. But now, Pennsylvania and New Jersey have refused to drop their efforts to take away the Little Sisters' protection in the lower courts. Last August, a rogue federal district court in Philadelphia ruled against the Little Sisters and vacated the religious exemption rules that had protected them.  The case is in appeal to the Third Circuit Court. Bill Clinton unresponsive to Congressional subpoena over Epstein GOP House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer announced he will initiate contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton. At issue is the Clintons' decision to ignore the committee's subpoenas issued back in August, in relation to investigations of the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal. Epstein visited the White House 17 times in 1993 after Bill Clinton's inauguration. Artificial Intelligence: Time Magazine's “Person of the Year” Time Magazine's Person of the Year goes to Artificial Intelligence or rather, the architects of AI. Spending on Artificial Intelligence development has increased from $40 billion to $400 billion in just the last ten years.  Nvidia's stock has increased 60-fold, while Microsoft and Alphabet, Inc. have increased 7-fold over the same timeframe. Kirk Cameron advocates unbiblical theology of annihilationism Actor and Christian celebrity Kirk Cameron suggested in his recent podcast that hell is not forever — a departure from the long-held position of an eternal punishment for those who do not trust Christ, reports The Christian Post. CAMERON: “Eternal judgment or eternal punishment doesn't necessarily mean that we are being tormented and punished forever and ever, every moment for eternity. It means that the punishment we deserve is irreversible. It's permanent; it's eternal. You're dead. You've been destroyed. You have perished. You're gone, and you're never coming back.” This theological position is called annihilationism, a belief that all damned humans and fallen angels – including demons and Satan -- will be totally destroyed and their consciousness extinguished. CAMERON: “I actually think this is a really good argument for annihilationism. Just because the righteous go to eternal life, which is the gift of God, not that the wicked are granted an eternity of punishment. The punishment of the wicked is final. It is irreversible.” Rev. Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, called the admission “sad.” And in his words: “The admonition to confess Christ or risk non-existence just doesn't pass the New Testament test, and there is a good reason it doesn't work in a sermon either. The stakes are just too low, and the fires of hell hold no eternal consequence.” At the final judgment, as recorded in Matthew 25: 41-43, Jesus said to those on His left hand: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' … And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Imprisoned fathers reunited with daughters at dance And finally, the “God Behind Bars” organization links local churches to prisons, and reunites families, especially children with their incarcerated parents or grandparents.   This Christmas season, the organization sponsored its first Father-Daughter Dance at the Angola Louisiana State Penitentiary.    Twenty-nine fathers were reunited with their daughters that night, many of whom had not seen their daughters for years — some over a decade. The ministry calls these events "moments of restoration … and the Gospel in motion." Close And that's The Worldview on this Tuesday, December 16th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

This podcast is brought to you by Outcomes Rocket, your exclusive healthcare marketing agency. Learn how to accelerate your growth by going to⁠ outcomesrocket.com Bold ideas often look risky until they reshape an entire field. In this episode, Dr. Harvey Castro, Chief AI Officer for Phantom Space and prolific healthcare innovator, discusses his rapid leap into AI after discovering ChatGPT, how his first book on AI in healthcare went viral, and how that moment catapulted him onto global stages, including advising the Ministry of Health in Singapore. He shares earlier entrepreneurial breakthroughs like building top-ranked medical apps, creating freestanding emergency rooms focused on empathy, and scaling a healthcare system to hundreds of employees. Harvey also explores his digital twin project, wearable-driven longevity optimization, military background, storytelling in TED Talks, and his mindset around risk, conviction, and manifesting opportunities, illustrated through stories about Tony Robbins, bungee-less bridge jumps, and future ambitions.  Tune in and learn how innovation, curiosity, and courage can radically change what's possible! Resources: Connect with and follow Harvey Castro on LinkedIn. Follow Phantom Space on LinkedIn and visit their website! Buy Harvey's book ChatGPT and Healthcare here.

S&P futures are down (0.4%) and pointing to another lower open today. Focus is on the nonfarm payrolls and unemployment figures scheduled to release later today. Asian equities ended Tuesday with sharp losses from Japan and Hong Kong. Technology-oriented benchmarks bore the brunt of the selloff, as concerns over AI valuations and weaker regional currencies weighed heavily on sentiment. Australia, India, and Singapore saw more modest declines, while Southeast Asia outperformed slightly but also ended lower. European markets are narrowly mixed. Weakness in technology stocks and defense contractors is offset by slight gains in financials and consumer staples. Companies Mentioned: Nasdaq, Magnum Ice Cream, Generation Bio

Hey before I begin I just want to thank all of you who have joined the patreon, you guys are awesome. Please let me know what other figures, events or other things you want to hear about in the future and I will try to make it happen.   If you are a long time listener to the Pacific War week by week podcast over at KNG or viewer of my youtube channel you have probably heard me talk about Tomoyuki Yamashita, the Tiger of Malaya quite often. It goes without saying when it comes to Japanese generals of WW2 he stands out. Not just to me, from the offset of the war he made a large impression on westerners, he achieved incredible feats early on in the war. Now if you look up books about him, you will pretty much only find information in regards to his infamous war crimes trial. Hell it was so infamous the legal doctrine of hierarchical accountability for war crimes, whereby a commanding officer is legally responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by his subordinates, was created. This is known as the command responsibility or “the Yamashita standard”. His court case was very controversial, he remains a controversial figure, certainly to the people of territories he campaigned in, but I think what can be said of him the most is he was special amongst the Japanese generals. Anyways lets get the show on the road as they say.   So who was Yamashita? When he was 59 years old commanding forces in the Philippines against General Douglas MacArthur, he weighed 220 ls and stood 5 feet 9 inches. His girth pressed out against his green army uniform. He had an egg shaped head, balding, wide spaced eyes and a flat nose. He wore a short mustache, sort of like Hitlers, until it grayed then he shaved it off. He was not a very attractive man, Filipinos referred to him as “old potato face” while Americans called him “a florid, pig faced man”.   Tomobumi Yamashita was born in 1885, he was the second son of Dr. Sakichi Yamashita and Yuu Yamashita in Osugi village, on Shikoku island. Like most males of his day he was indoctrinated into military preparatory school from a young age. Yamashita had no chosen the army as a career, in his words ‘my father suggested the idea, because I was big and healthy, and my mother did not seriously object because she believed, bless her soul, that I would never pass the highly competitive entrance examination. If I had only been cleverer or had worked harder, I would have been a doctor like my brother”Yamashita would graduate from the 18th class of the IJA academy in november of 1905, ranked 16th out of 920 cadets.    In 1908 he was promoted to the rank of Lt and during WW1 he fought against Imperial German and Austro-Hungarian forces in the famous siege of Qingdao, which if you are interested I did an episode over on my Youtube channel about this battle. Its a very overlooked battle, but many histories firsts occurred at it like the first carrier attack. In 1916 he was promoted to captain and attended the 28th class of the Army War college to graduate sixth in his class that year. He also married Hisako Nagayama in 1916, she was the daughter of the retired General Nagayama.    It seems Yamashita's brush against the Germans in 1914 had a huge influence on him, because he became fascinated with Germany and would serve as assistant military attache at Bern and Berlin from 1919-1922. He spent his time in Germany alongside Captain Hideki Tojo, both men would run into each other countless times and become bitter rivals. Both men toured the western front, visiting Hamburg and witnessed first hand the crippling inflation and food prices that came from Germany's defeat. Yamashita said to Tojo then “If Japan ever has to fight any nation, she must never surrender and get herself in a state like this.” He returned to Japan in 1922, was promoted to major and served a few different posts in the Imperial Headquarters and Staff College. Yamashita became a leading member of the Kodoha faction, while Tojo became a leading member of the rival Toseiha faction. In 1927 Yamashita was sent again to Europe, this time to Vienna as a military attache. Just prior to departing he had invested in a business selling thermometers starting by one of his wife's relatives, the business failed horribly and Yamashita was tossed into debt, bailiffs literally came to seize his house. As told to us by his biographer “For a regular officer to have contracted such a debt, however innocently, was a disgrace. He felt he should resign his commission.” Yamashita's brother refused to allow him to quit, instructing him to leave for Vienna, while he resolved his debts. His days in Vienna were the best of his life, professed Yamashita. He studied economics at Vienna university and made friends with a Japanese widow, who introduced him to a German woman named Kitty and they had an affair. This would spring forward his reputation as an eccentric officer. Yamashita was obsessed over hygiene,and refused to eat fruit unless it was thoroughly washed. He avoided ice water, hated dancing and never learnt how to drive a car. One of his most notable quirks was his habit of falling asleep often during meetings where he legendarily would snore. Like I may have said in previous podcast and youtube episodes, this guy was quite a character, often described as a big bear.    Now this is not a full biography on Yamashita so I cant devolve to far into things, such as his first fall from grace. During the February 26th coup incident of 1936, Yamashita was a leading member of the Kodoha faction and helped mediate a peaceful end to the standoff, however in truth he was backing the coup. He simply managed to not get caught red handed at the time doing too much for the mutineers, regardless he lost favor with the outraged Emperor and many young captains whom he loved like sons killed themselves in disgrace. If you want to know more about the February coup of 1936, check out my series on Emperor Hirohito or General Ishawara, they both talk about it in depth and touch upon Yamashita's role a bit.    The coup led to the dissolvement of the Kodoha faction and the dominance of the Toseiha, led by Tojo. Yamashita tried to resign from the IJA, but his superiors dissuade him. He was relegated to a post in Korea, which honestly was a punishment. Yamashita would say “When I was posted to Korea, I felt I had been given a tactful promotion but that in fact my career was over. Even when I was given my first fighting company in North China, I still felt I had no future in the Army, so I was always on the front line, where the bullets flew the thickest. I sought only a place to die.”  He had some time to reflect upon his conduct while in Korea, he began to study Zen Buddhism. He was promoted to Lt General in November of 1937 and when the China war broke out he was one of those speaking out that the incident needed to end swiftly and that peaceful relations must be made with the UK and US. He received a unimportant post in the Kwantung army and in 1938 was assigned command of the IJA 4th division. He led the forces during in northern china against insurgents until he returned to Tokyo in July of 1940. His fellow officers lauded him as Japan's finest general. Meanwhile Tojo had ascended to war minister and one of his first moves was to send a delegation to Germany. Tojo considered Yamashita a ruthless and forceful commander and feared he would become a powerful rival against him one day. Yamashita would go on the record to say then “I have nothing against Tojo, but he apparently has something against me.” You see, Yamashita had no political ambitions, unlike Tojo who was by nature a political monster. “My life, is that of a soldier; I do not seek any other life unless our Emperor calls me.” In late 1940, Tojo asked Yamashita to lead a team of 40 experts on a 6 month train tour of Germany and Italy, a move that kept him out of Tokyo, because Tojo was trying to solidify his political ambitions. This is going to become a looming theme between the two men.   He was presented to Adolf Hitler in January of 1941, passing along messages from Tojo and publicly praising the Fuhrer, though privately he was very unimpressed by the man  “He may be a great orator on a platform, with his gestures and flamboyant way of speaking. But standing behind his desk listening he seems much more like a clerk.” Hitler pressed upon him to push Japan to declare war on Britain and the US. At the time of course Japan was facing China and had two major conflicts with the USSR, thus this was absolutely not in her interest. “My country is still fighting in China, and we must finish that war as soon as possible. We are also afraid that Russia may attack us in Manchuria. This is no time for us to declare war on other countries.” Yamashita hoped to inspect Germany's military techniques and technology to help Japan. Hitler promised open exchanges of information stating “All our secrets are open to you,”, but this would prove to be a lie. “There were several pieces of equipment the Germans did not want us to see. Whenever I tried to persuade the German General Staff to show us things like radar—about which we had a rudimentary knowledge—the conversation always turned to something else.”   Yamashita met with field Marshal Hermann Goring who gave him an overview of the war in europe. Goring would complain about Yamashita falling asleep during lectures and meetings and he believed the man was drunk often. Yamashita met Benito Mussolini in June of 1941 receiving a similar rundown to what he got in Germany. Yamashita visited Kitty in Vienna for a quick fling, but overall the trip deeply impacted Yamashita's resolve that Japan should stay out of the Europeans war and that Germany made a grievous error invading the USSR in June of 1941. This is what he said the members of the commission “You know the results of our inspection as well as I do. I must ask you not to express opinion in favor of expanding the alliance between Japan, Germany and Italy. Never suggest in your report that Japan should declare war on Great Britain and the United States. We must not and cannot rely upon the power of other nations. Japan needs more time, particularly as there may be aggression against us from Russia. We must have time to rebuild our defense system and adjust the whole Japanese war machine. I cannot repeat this to you often enough.” His report was similar, and it really pissed off Tojo who was trying to develop plans for a war against America. Yamashita would then get exiled to Manchuria in July of 1941, but Tojo's resentment towards him could only go so far, because Yamashita was one of their best generals and in his planned war against Britain and America, he would need such a man.   Yamashita's time in Europe reshaped his views on how to conduct war. He saw first hand blitzkrieg warfare, it seems it fascinated him. He consistently urged the implementation of new proposals calling for the streamlining of air arms; to mechanize the Army; to integrate control of the armed forces in a defense ministry coordinated by a chairman of Joint Chiefs of staff; to create a paratroop corps and to employ effective propaganda. Basically he saw what was working for the Germans against the allies and wanted Japan to replicate it. Tojo did not like many of the proposal, hated the fact they were coming from Yamashita, so he obviously was not keen on making them happen. Luckily for Yamashita he would be given a chance to implement some of his ideas in a big way.   On November 6th of 1941, Lt General Yamashita was appointed commander of the 25th Japanese army. His orders were to seize the Malay Peninsula and then the British naval base at Singapore. The Malaya Peninsula snakes 700 miles south of Thailand, a rugged sliver of land that constricts at its narrowest point to about 60 miles wide. It hold mountains that split the peninsula in half, some going as high as 7000 feet. During this time Malaya produced around 40% of the worlds rubber, 60% of its tin, two resources vital for war. At its very southern tip lies Singapore, a diamond shaped island connected to the mainland by a 1115 stone causeway. Singapore's largest asset was its naval base guarding the passage from the Pacific and Indian oceans. Together Malay and Singapore represented the key to controlling what Japan called the Southern Resource Area.   Singapore was known as the gibraltar of the east for good reason. It was a massively fortified naval base. The base had been developed between 1923-1938 and cost 60 million pounds, around 2 billion pounds today. It was 21 square miles, had the largest dry dock in the world, the 3rd largest floating dock and enough fuel tanks to support the entire royal navy for 6 months. She was defended by 15 inch naval guns stationed at the Johre battery, Changi and Buona vista battery. And despite the infamous myth some of you may have heard, these guns were fully capable of turning in all directions including the mainland. For those unaware a myth perpetuated after the fall of Singapore that her large 15 inch guns could not turn to the mainland and that this spelt her doom, no it was not that, it was the fact they mostly had armor piercing shells which are using to hit ships and not land targets. Basically if you fire an armor piercing shell at land it imbeds itself then explodes, while HE shells would have torn any Japanese army to pieces. Alongside the 15 inch monsters, there were countless other artillery pieces such as 9.2 inch guns. By December of 1941 Malaya and Singapore held 164 first line aircraft out of a total of 253 aircraft, but many of the fighters were the obsolete Brewster F2A Buffalo, a pretty slow, fat little beast that could take a licking as it was armored, but against the Zero fighter it was unbelievably outmatched in speed and maneuverability.    The Japanese acquired a major gift prior to the outbreak of war. On november 11th, 1940, the SS Automedon, a German raider attacked the HMS Atlantis which was carrying documents intended for the British far east command. The documents indicated the British fleet was not going to help Singapore; that Britain would not declare war if Thailand was invaded and that Hong Kong was expendable. The Germans gave the documents to the Japanese who were very excited by the information.    Starting in January of 1941, Colonel Masanobu Tsuji led the Taiwan Army Research section based on Formosa to investigate how a campaign could be waged in Malay and Singapore. His findings on the defenses of Malay and Singapore were summed up in these 3 points: 1. Singapore Fortress was solid and strong facing the sea, but vulnerable on the peninsular side facing the Johore Strait;  Newspaper reports of a strong Royal Air Force (RAF) presence were propaganda;  Although British forces in Malaya numbered from five to six divisions (well over 80,000 men), less than half were Europeans.    Now just a little bit about Tsuji as he was to become the chief of staff operations and planning under Yamashita. Tsuji was extremely insubordinate and a political schemer. He was a Toseiha faction fanatic, loyal to Tojo and thus definitely an enemy to Yamashita. Yamashita wrote of Tsuji in his war diary “is egotistical and wily. He is a sly dog and unworthy to serve the country. He is a manipulator to be carefully watched.” Tsuji would go on to have a infamous reputation for ordering atrocities in the name of his superiors, often without them knowing and this would be very much the case under Yamashita. Now using Tsuji's intelligence Yamashita began plans at his HQ at Samah, a port on Hainan island, starting in November of 1941 on how to launch the campaign. He was initially offered 5 divisions for the invasion, but he felt he could accomplish the objective with only three. There are a few reasons why he believed this; first, Tsuji's research suggested the peninsula roads would be the center of the battlefront and that the flanks would extend no more than a km or so to the left or right due to the dense jungle terrain (in fact Yamashita was planning to assault from the jungle specifically); 2nd intelligence indicated the defending troops were not of the highest caliber (the British were busy in Europe thus many of the troops in southeast asia were poorly trained, half were british regulars the rest were Australian, Indian and Malayan); 3rd Yamashita was aware “the Japanese army were in the habit of flinging more troops into the battle than could possibly be maintained” boy oh boy tell that one to the future boys on Guadalcanal. Thus he calculated 3 divisions was the maximum to be fed, equipped and supplied. Based on his recommendations the 25th army was created with 3 divisions; the 5th under Lt General Takuma Matsui; 18th under Lt General Renya Mutaguchi and the Imperial guards division of Lt General Takuma Nishimura. Supporting these would be two regiment of heavy field artillery and the 3rd tank brigade. Something that made Yamashita's campaign quite interesting was the usage and amount of tanks. He was invading with around 200 or so tanks consisting of the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, type 97 Chi-Ha and Type 89 I-Go medium tanks and Type 97 Te-Ke tankettes. For aircraft he had the 3rd Air division, 459 aircraft strong with an additional 159 aircraft from the IJN to support them. The 3rd air division had a variety of aircraft such as Nakajima Ki-27 Nate's, Nakajima ki-43 Oscars, Kitsubishi ki-51 Sonia's, Kawasaki ki-48 Lily's, Mitsubishi ki-21 sally's, Mitsubishi ki-30 Ann's, Mitsubishi ki-15 babs and Mitsubishi ki-46 dinahs. For the IJN it was the 22nd air flotilla using Mitsubishi G3M1 Nell's, Mitsubishi A5M4 Claudes and some A6M Zeros. To say it was a lot of firepower at his disposal is an understatement, Yamashita was packing heat, heat he could use in a blitzkrieg fashion.   His staff at Samah identified 5 operational objectives: 1 Simultaneous capture of Singora and Patani, Thailand and Kota Bharu, Malaya.  2 Capture of all enemy airfields in southern Thailand and Malaya.  3 Occupation of Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.  4 Occupation of Johore Bahru, and control of Johore Strait.  5 Conquest of Singapore.    Colonel Tsuji, appointed Chief of Operations and Planning for the 25th Army, proposed the following plan which was readily approved:  Land the main strength of the 5th Division simultaneously and without warning at Singora and Patani, and at the same time land a powerful section of the 18th Division to attack Kota Bharu.  The troops disembarked at Singora and Patani to press forward immediately to attack the line of the Perak River Hand capture its bridge and the Alor Star aerodrome.  The troops landed at Kota Bharu to press forward along the eastern coast as far as Kuantan.    The landing at Kota Bharu, the only one in Malaya was expected to be opposed and quite risky. But if it was successful, it would create a useful diversion away from the main force landings in Thailand.   The landings took place around 2:15am local time on December 8th, about an hour and 20 minutes before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The landings went largely unopposed, except at Kota Bahru where the Japanese saw heavy resistance. The British had anticipated this landing point and created operation Matador, a plan to pre-emptively invade southern thailand to secure defensive lines against the Japanese, however this plan was never accepted by British high command for obvious political reasons. But on December 5th, with a Japanese invasion looking certain, suddenly London gave permission to the Far east commanders to decide if Operation matador should be activated or not. The commander in Malaya, General Arthur Percival recommended forestalling it, fearing to violate Thai sovereignty, which ultimately would be the doom of a defense for Malaya.   At the battle of Kota Bharu, the 9th infantry division of Major General Barstow attempted holding off the Japanese from taking the important Kota Bharu airfield. The 8th brigade of Billy Key had fortified the beaches with pillboxes, barbed wire and land mines. The Japanese took heavy losses, but they were able to find gaps and fill them up until Brigadier Key had to ask permission to pull out. The royal air force at Kota Bharu tossed Hudson bombers to hit the troop transports, but it was a suicide mission to do so. Meanwhile the IJA 5th division landed at Pattani and Songkhla in Thailand while the Imperial guards division marched over the border from French Indochina. The Japanese encountered very little resistance, the leader of Thailand Plaek Pibulsonggram had been trying to get assurances from the allies and Japanese all the way up until the invasion, once the Japanese landed he knew his best option was to play nice and sign an armistice. This basically spelt doom for malaya as the Japanese were given access to Thailand's airfields which they used to smash the forward airfields in Malaya.   The first day of aerial encounters were a catastrophe for the British. General Percival would comment “The rapidity with which the Japanese got their air attacks going against our aerodromes was quite remarkable. Practically all the aerodromes in Kelantan, Kedah, Province Wellesley, and Penang, were attacked, and in most cases fighters escorted the bombers. The performance of Japanese aircraft of all types, and the accuracy of their bombing, came as an unpleasant surprise. By the evening our own air force had already been seriously weakened.” Brigadier Key withdrew after causing an estimated 800 casualties upon the Japanese while taking roughly 465. While Kota Bharu was being fought over, Percival unleashed Operation Krohcol, a 2.0 of Matador seeing British forces cross into Thailand to intercept the incoming enemy. It was an absolute disaster, the British attackers were defeated not only by the Japanese 5th division, but some Royal Thai police also defended their territory. The operation had basically become a race to who could seize the important focal point first and the Japanese took it first thus winning decisively. To add to that misery, force Z, consisting of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales,, battlecruiser Repulse and 4 destroyers tried to intercept the Japanese invasion fleet only to be utterly destroyed by overwhelming Japanese airforces.   Within 4 days of the landings, the 5th division advanced from Singora through the town of Jitra to capture the RAF airfield at Alor star, around 100 miles away. Yamashita managed this using flanking techniques that saw his army take town after town and airfield after airfield. There were numerous natural obstacles to the advance such as dense jungles, very long supply lines, torrential rain and heat, but he had a secret weapon, bicycles. At Jitra Percival made his first major stand. Holding Jitra would safeguard the northern airfields of Malaya, but it was a folly to do so as the airfields in question were not provided adequate aircraft and the British lacked something extremely important to be able to defend themselves, tanks. Colonel Tsuji saw the fighting at Jitra first hand and reported “Our tanks were ready on the road, and the twenty or so enemy armored cars ahead were literally trampled underfoot … The enemy armored cars could not escape by running away, and were sandwiched between our medium tanks … It was speed and weight of armor that decided the issue.” The British had spread themselves far too thinly across a 14 mile front with jungle on their right flank and rubber plantations and mangrove swamps to their left. Yamashita used a innovative blitzkrieg like tactic, he combined his air, artillery, tanks and bicycle infantry to punch holes in concentrated attacks forcing allied defenders to withdraw. As Percival would write later in his memoirs “This withdrawal would have been difficult under the most favorable conditions. With the troops tired, units mixed as the result of the fighting, communications broken and the night dark, it was inevitable that orders should be delayed and that in some cases they should never reach the addressees. This is what in fact occurred … the withdrawal, necessary as it may have been, was too fast and too complicated for disorganized and exhausted troops, whose disorganization and exhaustion it only increased”    Yamashita had ingeniously thought of employing large numbers of bicycles for his infantry so they could keep up momentum and speed with his mechanized forces. Oh and he didn't bring thousands of bicycles over to Malaya, the real genius was that they were there ready for him. His intelligence prior to the invasion indicated nearly all civilians in malaya had bicycles, so when the Japanese came over they simply stole them. Half of Yamashitas troops moved in motor vehicles while the rest road on 18,000 bicycles. As noted by Tsuji “With the infantry on bicycles, there was no traffic congestion or delay. Wherever bridges were destroyed the infantry continued their advance, wading across the rivers carrying their bicycles on their shoulders, or crossing on log bridges held up on the shoulders of engineers standing in the stream.” They Japanese overwhelmed the defenders who were forced to fight, flee into the jungles or flee along the roads where they were simply outsped by the faster Japanese. The defenders left numerous stores of food, abandoned vehicles, and supplies that Yamashita's men would dub “churchill's allowance”. British Lt Colonel Spencer Chapmanwas forced to hide on the sides of roads watching Japanese pedal past remarking “The majority were on bicycles in parties of forty or fifty, riding three or four abreast and talking and laughing just as if they were going to a football match.” The Japanese had the ability to carry their gear on the bicycles, giving them an enormous advantage over the allies fleeing on foot. The Japanese could travel faster, further and less fatigued. When the British destroyed 250 bridges during their flight, “the Japanese infantry (to continue) their advance, wading across the rivers carrying their bicycles on their shoulders, or crossing on log bridges held up on the shoulders of engineers standing in the stream”. The British could not escape the bicycle blitzkrieg as it became known, countless were forced to surrender under constant pressure and relentless pursuit.    Alongside the bicycle warfare, whenever Yamashita faced terrain unsuitable for his tanks, he ordered amphibious landings further south to outflank the enemy's  rear.   Meanwhile the war in the air went equally terrible for the allies. The RAF had pulled back its best pilots and aircraft to deal with the war for Britain against the Luftwaffe. 21 airfields were in Malaya and Singapore, few of them had modern facilities, only 15 concrete runways. The heavy rain made the grass airstrips unusable. All the airfields were allocated around 8 heavy and 8 light anti aircraft guns. Quality radar units were completely inadequate. The Super Spitfires and Hyper Hurricanes were mostly in Britain fighting the Germans, while Buffaloes were allocated to Malaya. The Japanese airforces easily overcame the allied opposition and established air superiority quickly. Launching from airfields in Vietnam, they bombed all the airfields into submission and continuously applied pressure to Singapore. . The aerial dominance of the Zero and ‘Oscar' fighters served to undermine the morale of the British infantryman on the ground. As historian H. P. Wilmot has observed, “in the opening phase of the war the Zero-sen was just what the Japanese needed, and the Allies were devastated by the appearance of a ‘super fighter.' To add insult to injury, every airfield taken starting at the most northern going further and further south towards Singapore offered the Japanese new launching points to make for faster attack.   Yamashita's forces reached the southern tip of the peninsula in just 8 weeks, his men had covered some 700 miles, about 12 miles a day on average. They fought 95 large and smaller battles doing so. Multiple lines of defense were erected one after another to try and halt the Japanese advance, to kill their momentum. Starting at the beach landings, to Jitra, then to Kampar, over the Slim river, then Johor. The British failed to employ “leave behind forces” to provide guerilla warfare in lost territories leading not only the Japanese to easily consolidate their gains, the Thai's also came down and grabbed some territory. At the battle of Muar Major General Gordon Bennet deployed the allied defenders south of the Muar River and it was widely believed here they would finally halt the Japanese. Then the Imperial Guards division outflanked them performing an amphibious landing and advancing down the coastal route. The 5th Japanese division followed a parallel route through the center and the 18th division landed near Endau. The allies were thus surrounded and took heavy casualties, countless were forced to flee through swamps and thick jungle abandoned their stuff. Gordons 45th brigade were absolutely shattered, effectively disbanded and left north of the Muar river as the rest of the allies fled south. The defeat at Muar broke the British belief they could hold even a toehold on Malay. Percivals strategy to fight delaying actions until the arrival of reinforcements to Singapore had fatally undermined his troops ability to hold onto defensive positions. As the British governor of the Johore straits settlement, Sir Shenton Thomas would say on January 6th ‘“We … have gone in for mechanized transport to the nth degree. It is a fearsomely cumbersome method. We have pinned our faith to the few roads but the enemy used tracks and paths, and gets round to our rear very much as he likes.”” Yet alongside the conquest came a series of atrocities.    At the Parit Sulong Bridge south of the Muar, Captain Rewi Snelling was left behind with 150 wounded Australian and Indian soldiers not able to trek south. The Imperial guards division herded them into buildings, denied them medical treatment, many of the Indians were beheaded, others shot. This become known as the parit sulong massacre. Its hard to saw what Yamashita would have known about this incident, it technically was under the command of Takuma nishimura. On January 22nd, Nishimura gave the orders for prisoners to be forced outside, doused with petrol and set on fire. Nishimura would be sentenced to life in prison by a Singapore court, but on a flight back to Japan he was hijacked by Australian military police in Hong Kong who grabbed him and held a trial for the Parit Sulong massacre, finding him guilty and hanging him on june 11th of 1951.    When the Japanese reached the straits of Johore, Yamashita took several days to perform reconnaissance, allowing his forces to regroup and prepare to attack the massive fortress. His plan for the invasion would see the Imperial guards perform a feint attack on the northeast side of Singapore, landing on the nearby Palau Ubin island on february 7th. The 5th and 18th division would remain concealed in the jungle until the night of the night of the 8th when they would cross the Johore and hit the northwest side of Singapore. The causeway to Singapore had been blown up by the retreating British, but the ability for Singapore to defend itself from a northern attack was lackluster. When Churchill was told by Wavell the Japanese sat on the other side of the Johore strait ready to attack the fortress he said ““I must confess to being staggered by Wavell's telegram. It never occurred to me for a moment that … Singapore … was not entirely fortified against an attack from the Northwards …””   With barely enough supplies or logistical support for his campaign, Yamashita's rapid advance down the Malay peninsula walked a tightrope of what was possible. His 70,000 men of which 30,000 were frontline troops had overcome a British force double their number. In Japan he garnered the epithet “Tiger of Malaya”, which ironically he was not too happy about. Later on in the war he would bark at a German attache “I am not a tiger. The tiger attacks its prey in stealth but I attack the enemy in a fair play”.   By this point Singapore had swollen from a population of 550,000to nearly a million. Percival had a total of 70,000 infantry of mixed experience plus 15,000 clerks and support staff to man lines if necessary. 38 battalions, 17 Indian, 13 British, 6 Australian and 2 Malayan. He placed his weakest troops west of the causeway, near the abandoned naval base rather than nearby the airfield which he considered was going to be Yamashita's thrust. He placed his best forces over there, which would prove fatally wrong as Yamashita hit west of the causeway. Yamashita meanwhile could only muster 30,000 troops, he was outnumbered 2:1 and amphibious assaults called for the attacker to hold a 2:1 advantage for success. Yamashita's men were exhausted, they had suffered 4565 casualties, roughly 1793 deaths in their 55 day advance south. Worse yet, Yamashita had a critical supply issue. He had greatly exceeded his supply lines and had been surviving on the abandoned churchill stores along the way. His ammunition was critical low, it is said he was down to 18 functional tanks, allowing his men to fire 100 rounds per day, the fuel ran out, and as Yamashita put it “My attack on Singapore was a bluff—a bluff that worked. I had 30,000 men and was outnumbered more than three to one. I knew that if I had to fight for long for Singapore, I would be beaten. That is why the surrender had to be at once. I was very frightened all the time that the British would discover our numerical weakness and lack of supplies and force me into disastrous street fighting.” He told his men of the 5th and 18th division not to build any cooking fires so they could conceal their positions in the jungle as he gathered hundreds of collapsible boats and other crafts to ford the strait. He gathered 40 divisional commanders and senior officers to a rubber plantation and with a flushed red face read out his attack orders while pouring them Kikumasamune (ceremonial wine). He made a traditional toast and said “It is a good place to die; surely we shall conquer”. He had to get the British to surrender quickly, he had to essentially ‘bluff” his enemy. He had to make the British think he was fully armed and supplied for a prolonged siege, how could he do so? He fired his artillery like a mad man, knowing full well they would run out of shells.   Starting on February 3rd,  Yamashita's artillery supported by aerial bombings hit Singapore for 5 days. On the night of the 7th, 400 Imperial Guards crossed to the Ibin island performing their feint attack. Percivals attention was grabbed to the east successfully, while on the night of the 8th the 5th and 18th divisions assembled carefully at the water's edge. At 8:30pm the first wave of 4000 Japanese troops crossed the Johore strait aboard 150 small vessels. The noise of their engines was drowned out by artillery. The thinly spread Australian lines, 3000 or so men led by Major General Bennet were breached fast leading to pockets of surrounded australian troops. As Lewis Gunner cliff olsen recalled “We were horribly spread out and it was pitch black and they [Japanese troops] were very hard to see. They walked through us half the time.” A beachhead was formed, a soon 14,000 Japanese had crossed by dawn.    Communications broke down for the allies, Percival unwilling to believe the Japanese's main thrust was in the west declined to send reinforcements there. When he did finally realize the main thrust was in the west he began to withdraw troops from quiet sectors and built up a reserve. The Japanese held air supremacy and their artillery was fierce. The big 15 inch guns of singapore held mostly armor piercing shells designed to hit ships, there were few HE shells available. When they fired upon the Japanese the shells would hit the ground they would embed deeply before exploding doing little damage. The defenders had no tanks, basically no more aircraft. The last departing ships fled the scene as everything was burning chaos around them. Morale was breaking for the defenders. By the 9th, Japanese bombers were raining bombs on allied positions unopposed. Bennet was forced to pull men back to a new line of defense from the east of the Tengah airfield to the north of Jurong. Poor communications hampered the northern sector of Brigadier Duncan Maxwell whose troops actually battered the hell out of the Imperial Guards who had landed at 10pm on the 9th. The Imperial guards gradually managed a foothold on a beach, but Maxwell feared encirclement and withdrew his men against direct orders of Bennet. The retreat opened up the flank of the 11th indian division who were overrun. All of the beaches west of the causeway fell to the enemy, when they did Yamashita brought over his tanks to smash the new Jurong line. The Japanese could have potentially stormed the city center at this point, but they held back, because in reality, Percival had created a formidable reserve in the middle. The Australian 22nd brigade took the brunt of the fighting.    Yamashita was running out of reserves and his attacks were reaching their limit, but he needed the battle to end swiftly. Yamashita was shocked and shaken when he received a report that the British troop strength within the city was twice what they believed. With covert desperation, Yamashita ordered his artillery to fire until their last rounds and sent Percival a demand for surrender. “In the spirit of chivalry we have the honour of advising your surrender. Your army, founded on the traditional spirit of Great Britain, is defending Singapore, which is completely isolated, and raising the fame of Great Britain by the ut¬ most exertions and heroic feelings. . . . From now on resistance is futile and merely increases the danger to the million civilian inhabitants without good reason, exposing them to infliction of pain by fire and sword. But the development of the general war situation has already sealed the fate of Singapore, and the continuation of futile resistance would only serve to inflict direct harm and in¬ juries to thousands of non-combatants living in the city, throwing them into further miseries and horrors of war. Furthermore we do not feel you will in¬ crease the fame of the British Army by further resistance.”   Singapore had received another order prior to this from Churchill “It is certain that our troops on Singapore Island greatly outnumber any Japanese that have crossed the Straits. We must defeat them. Our whole fighting reputation is at stake and the honour of the British Empire. The Americans have held out on the Bataan Peninsula against far greater odds, the Russians are turning back the picked strength of the Germans, the Chinese with almost complete lack of mod¬ ern equipment have held the Japanese for AVi years. It will be disgraceful if we yield our boasted fortress of Singapore to inferior enemy forces. There must be no thought ofsparing troops or the civil population and no mercy must be shown to weakness in any shape or form. Commanders and senior officers must lead their troops and if necessary die with them. There must be no question or thought of surrender. Every unit must fight it out to the end and in close contact with the enemy. ... I look to you and your men to fight to the end to prove that the fighting spirit that won our Empire still exists to enable us to defend it.”   What was Percival to do? The Japanese had seized control over Singapore water reservoirs, the population would die of thirst within 2-3 days. Japanese shells were causing fires and death everywhere. People were panicking, trying to get on the very last boats leaving the port, even though that surely meant death to the IJN. An American sailor recalled “There was a lot of chaos and people killed on the docks during these bombardments. Everywhere you looked there was death. Even in the water there were dead sharks and people floating all around.” Defeatism was endemic. Australian troops were overheard saying “Chum, to hell with Malaya and Singapore. Navy let us down, air force let us down. If the bungs [natives] won't fight for their bloody country, why pick on me?” Sensing a complete collapse Percival formed a tight defense arc in front of the city, and by the 13th his commanders were telling him they believed Singapore was already doomed. Wavell was asked for approval for surrender, but he replied  “to continue to inflict maximum damage on enemy for as long as possible by house-to-house fighting if necessary.” Percival then told him the water reservoirs were taken, so Wavell sent back “YOUR GALLANT STAND IS SERVING A PURPOSE AND MUST BE CONTINUED TO THE LIMIT OF ENDURANCE”   On the 15th, Percival held a morning conference reported there was no more fuel, field gun nor bofor ammunition. In 24 hours their water would be done. He told them he would ask for a ceasefire at 4pm, by the end of the day Wavell gave him permission to surrender. Over at his HQ on the Bukit Timah heights, Yamashita was staring at a Union Jack fluttering over Fort Canning. Then a field phone rang, and a frontline commander reported the British were sending out a flag of truce.   Meanwhile back on February the 14th, Japanese forces reached the Alexandra Barracks hospital at 1pm. At 1:40pm a British Lt greeting them waving a white flag and was bayoneted on the spot. The Japanese stormed the hospital and murdered the staff and patients. 200 male staff and patients, badly wounded were bound over night and marched to an industrial estate half a mile away. Anyone who collapsed was bayoneted. The survivors of the march were formed into small groups and hacked to death or bayoneted. For a few days over 320 men and women were massacred. Only 5 survivors would give recounts of the event. It is suspected by historians that Tsuji was the architect of the Alexandra hospital massacre. This is because he was the instigator of countless atrocities he ordered unbeknownst to his superior commanders such as Yamashita.    Percival was ordered to go to the Ford motor factory to where he met with Yamashita. Yamashita was hiding his surprise that the surrender party came and as he glanced at the surrender terms he said through his interpreter “The Japanese Army will consider nothing but surrender,” Yamashita knew his forces were on the verge of running out of ammunition and he still held half troops Percival did, he was anxious Percival would figure it out. Percival replied “I fear that we shall not be able to submit our final reply before ten-thirty p.m.,” Percival had no intention of fighting on he simply wanted to work out specific details before signing the surrender. Yamashita was sure Percival was stalling. “Reply to us only whether our terms are acceptable or not. Things must be settled swiftly. We are prepared to resume firing.Unless you do surrender, we will have to carry out our night attack as scheduled.”” Percival replied ““Cannot the Japanese Army remain in its present position? We can resume negotiations again tomorrow at five-thirty A.M”. Yamashita screamed “Nani! I want the hostilities to cease tonight and I want to remind you there can be no arguments.” Percival replied ““We shall discontinue firing by eight-thirty p.m. Had we better remain in our present positions tonight?” Yamashita said yes and that firing would cease at 8:30pm and that 1000 allied men could keep arms to maintain order within the city. Yamashita stated “You have agreed to the terms but you have not yet made yourself clear as to whether you agree to surrender or not.” Percival cleared his throat and gave a simple nod. Yamashita looked at his interpreter “There's no need for all this talk. It is a simple question and I want a simple answer.” He turned to Percival and shouted, “We want to hear ‘Yes' or ‘No' from you! Surrender or fight!” Percival finally blurted out  “Yes, I agree. I have a request to make. Will the Imperial Army protect the women and children and British civilians?”Yamashita replied  “We shall see to it. Please sign this truce agreement”. At 7:50 the surrender was signed off, 40 minutes later Singapore was in the hands of the Japanese. In 70 days Yamashita took at the cost of 9824 casualties, had seized Malaya and Singapore, nearly 120,000 British surrendered. It was the greatest land victory in Japanese history.   Churchill called the fall of Singapore to the Japanese "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history" Churchills physician Lord Moran wrote The fall of Singapore on February 15 stupefied the Prime Minister. How came 100,000 men (half of them of our own race) to hold up their hands to inferior numbers of Japanese? Though his mind had been gradually prepared for its fall, the surrender of the fortress stunned him. He felt it was a disgrace. It left a scar on his mind. One evening, months later, when he was sitting in his bathroom enveloped in a towel, he stopped drying himself and gloomily surveyed the floor: 'I cannot get over Singapore', he said sadly   With the fall of singapore came another atrocity, the Sook Ching massacre. After February 18th, the Japanese military began mass killings of what they deemed undesirables, mostly ethnic Chinese. It was overseen by the Kempeitai and did not stop in Singapore, but spread to Malaya. It seems the aim of the purge was to intimidate the Chinese community from performing any resistance. According to postwar testimony taken from a war correspondent embedded with the 25th army, Colonel Hishakari Takafumi, he stated an order went out to kill 50,000 Chinese, of which 20 percent of the total was issued by senior officials on Yamashita's operations staff, most likely Tsuji. It is certain at the behest of Tsuji the orders were extended to Malay. The death toll is a tricky one, the Japanese went on the record to admit to 6000 murders, the Singaporean Chinese community and the Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew allege 70,000-100,000. Historians analyzing the scale of discovered mass graves after some decades think around 25,000-50,000. How much Yamashita knew of the massacre is debatable, the orders came from his office after all, but it seems Tsuji had orchestrated it. Many of Japan's generals wanted Yamashita to be appointed war minister, a move that obviously threatened then Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who feared his rival. Tojo retaliated, ordering Japan's new war hero back to Manchuria. On the surface, the assignment appeared worthy as Yamashita would serve as the first line of defense against a possible Soviet invasion. But since the two nations had signed a neutrality pact in April 1941, and Soviets were bogged down fighting the Germans, immediate war appeared unlikely. In reality, Tojo had parked Yamashita on the war's sidelines. Tojo went even further, he barred Yamashita any leave in Tokyo, preventing him from visiting his wife as well as from delivering a speech he had written for the emperor. No worries though, an aide of Yamashita's sent him three geishas. Allegedly he said this “I know they want to please me with these girls. But send them back—and don't forget to tip them.” The Tiger of Malaya would maintain a low profile in Manchuria where he received a promotion to full General. As months fell to years Yamashita sat on the sidelines helpless to aid the Japanese forces. His exile would come to an end in 1944 when Tojo was outed and the Tiger was required to try and save the Philippines from General Douglas MacArthur.

From "digital gold" to programmable money, #Bitcoin is waking up to massive institutional interest.We sat down with Kyle Ellicott of Stacks Asia at Token 2049 Singapore to discuss the next era of Bitcoin. This new age is being built layer by layer to unlock the trillion-dollar potential of the most secure asset in the world.In this insightful interview, Kyle Ellicott explains:

Jerusalemite designer Lameice Abu Aker creates at the intersection of emotional resonance and cultural memory, exploring how form, color, and material embody the poetry of domestic rituals. Now based between Jerusalem and Milan, where she earned her Master's in Furniture Design from Politecnico di Milano, her work fuses Mediterranean nostalgia with sculptural whimsy.In 2021, she founded Ornamental by Lameice, a studio dedicated to glassware that blurs the line between sculpture and tableware. Collaborating closely with a family of artisans in the Palestinian village of Jaba', where glassblowing is a centuries-old tradition, Lameice introduced an unprecedented palette of pastel hues and whimsical designs as an entirely new chromatic language within their heritage of earth and fire.Each piece is shaped without molds or mechanical constraint, allowing the molten glass to reveal its own peculiar grace. The artisan's breath lingers in every curve; light, once captured, seems reluctant to leave.Drawn to the table as a stage for life's theatre, Lameice designs vessels that hold moments of dates, spirited debates, and family stories in awkward elegance, unexpected colors, and playful forms that carry optimism, intimacy, and the sense that the object might be a character of its own.Her collections Dreamlike, Eye Candy, and Teta Edition have been exhibited internationally from Paris and London to New York, Singapore and Monaco, each piece a small ambassador of whimsy, heritage, and light.Support the showThank you for listening! Follow us through our website or social media!https://www.thecolorauthority.com/podcasthttps://www.instagram.com/the_color_authority_/https://www.linkedin.com/company/78120219/admin/

Need help with a negotiation? Text us and we'll feature your question on the show.Is the goal of a negotiation to gain a "distinct unfair advantage"? In this episode, host John Lowry sits down with global insurance executive Barry Stowe to dismantle that Wall Street myth and reveal a more profitable path.Stowe, who led Prudential Corporation Asia through a season of unprecedented growth, shares the counter-intuitive strategies that helped him close deals across the globe—from India to Japan. You'll hear why he warns against being the "ugly American" and how a simple mistake with a traffic signal in Vietnam taught him a profound lesson about leadership and perception.Tune in to discover:The Renegotiation Paradox: Why Stowe voluntarily offered to quadruple a partner's revenue mid-contract—and how that "generosity" secured 20% of his company's regional profit.The 13-Hour Dinner: The extreme length Stowe went to—flying a CEO from London to Singapore just for one meal—to prove respect and save a deal with a family-owned bank.The "George Washington" Rule: Why the most brilliant move a leader can make is knowing exactly when to walk away.Get My Book: Negotiation Made SimpleSchedule a Live WorkshopSchedule a Private WorkshopGet Private Coaching from MeGain Access to My Online CourseFollow Me on LinkedIn

Matrixport's Christopher Liu unpacks how a billion-dollar digital asset platform navigates compliance across Singapore, Hong Kong, Switzerland, and beyond. From regulatory expectations to operational safeguards, Travel Rule pain points, and what it really means to build a risk-based compliance program, this is essential listening for compliance leads, founders, and regulators alike.

Which means of various green transportation can decarbonise the most? Synopsis: Every 3rd Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times examines not just vehicle prices but wider transport issues and trends connected to public and private transport. From October 2026, travellers departing Singapore will contribute to the purchase of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). But is this levy enough to tackle aviation’s carbon problem? Hosted by ST senior transport correspondent Lee Nian Tjoe, the panel - comprising Mr Andrey Berdichevskiy, partner and associate director of Boston Consulting Group and Professor S. Viswanathan from Nanyang Business School - discusses the hard-to-abate aviation sector, the true cost of green flying, and whether we should rethink that long-haul trip to visit the northern lights. Back on the ground, the conversation shifts to the return of the Robo-taxi. Are autonomous vehicles the solution to our “last mile” woes in estates like Punggol? Plus, the experts share practical advice on the “Avoid, Shift, Improve” framework, from taking the train to KL, to swapping a steak for a salad in helping commuters to keep it “wheel and green”. This episode was recorded and filmed on Dec 2 at SPH Media’s revamped auditorium, in front of a live audience of 60 ST readers. It was the sixth and final ST Podcast Live! Session for 2025, capping a special series celebrating The Straits Times’ 180th anniversary. Highlights (click/tap above): 01:43 The cost of greening skies in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and for flights out of SG 04:45 Why increasing ticket prices doesn’t dampen travelling 12:09 A practical framework for greener mobility choices, from Zoom calls to high-speed rail 19:47 The return of autonomous vehicles like the Robo-taxi 31:38 From giving up the car to adopting a "flexitarian" diet - what else can individuals? Read Lee Nian Tjoe's articles: https://str.sg/wt8G Follow Lee Nian Tjoe on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/iqkJ Read more COE articles: https://str.sg/iGKC Host: Lee Nian Tjoe (niantjoel@sph.com.sg) Produced & edited by: Eden Soh Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong Follow Wheel Insights Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops: Channel: https://str.sg/iTtE Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/iqW2 Spotify: https://str.sg/iqgB Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX --- #wheelinsightsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most renters have no idea they're overpaying by thousands of dollars a year, and it's not their fault. The system is designed so you never realize how much leverage you actually have.In this episode, I break down why renters hold the power right now, how to negotiate smarter, and why the current market dynamic is giving tenants the upper hand for the first time in years.But this conversation goes bigger than rent.It's about quality of life, safety, freedom, and why people are leaving cities like New York, LA, and London for places like Miami, Dubai, and Singapore.In this episode, you'll learn:- Why renters are overpaying, and how the market secretly favors tenants right now- The exact strategy to save $1,000+ on your next lease- How to negotiate directly with decision-makers (and what to say)- Why high-earners are leaving NYC and LA despite big salaries- Why Miami, Dubai, and Singapore are the top global destinations for opportunity and safety- The three things every human wants: freedom, safety, and economic opportunity- How shifting cities can radically change your quality of lifeLike this episode? Leave a review here: https://ratethispodcast.com/commondenominator

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Caylee Chua, multidisciplinary artist and founder of Strawberry Champagne Sparkles, joins Jeremy Au to share how she built Ren Faire SG: The Origin from a niche idea into Singapore's first Renaissance Fair. She traces her journey from crafting fairycore jewelry to designing an immersive festival that blends artistry, performance, and community play. Caylee explains how early inspiration from overseas fairs sparked her vision, how months of quiet TikTok posts built the first wave of support, and how strict venue rules forced her to redesign logistics with precision. They discuss why Singaporeans crave spaces for imagination, how grassroots creativity grows when subcultures meet, and why young founders can move fast even without industry backing. Their conversation explores the mix of cosplay, crafts, DnD, book culture, and youth communities that shaped the fair, the emotional work behind cold outreach and rejections, and the courage required to keep building when early metrics stay small. Caylee also reflects on curating performers, choosing Fort Canning as her launch venue, and creating an accessible fairytale aesthetic that encourages families and newcomers to rediscover wonder through craftsmanship and play. 01:59 Discovering Renaissance Fairs through global festivals: Caylee explains how US and European fairs mix historical reenactments, fantasy costumes, live music, and immersive outdoor spaces. 07:35 Planning logistics under strict rules: She walks through tough constraints from the parks authority, including truck access limits, safety marshals, tree buffers, and weekday-only setup windows. 09:51 Choosing Fort Canning after venue rejections: Other parks blocked her plans, Marina Barrage felt too modern, and only one Fort Canning lawn delivered both ambience and affordability. 12:03 Designing a fairytale-first theme: She leans into approachable fairytale fantasy so families, casual fans, and newcomers feel welcome without needing deep fandom knowledge. 15:20 Curating performers with an open call: She reviews video auditions, selects musicians and street cast with the right energy, and balances skill, costume fit, and stage flow. 18:29 Building early marketing momentum: She starts socials early, grows an email list, mobilizes supporters to reshare posts, and uses community filming to power Instagram and TikTok reach. 28:48 Staying brave when early posts fall flat: She pushes through silence, posts daily despite tiny views, and keeps her conviction until the algorithm and word of mouth finally amplify her work. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/caylee-chua-magic-in-singapore Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea Spotify English: https://open.spotify.com/show/4TnqkaWpTT181lMA8xNu0T Bahasa Indonesia: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vs8t6qPo0eFb4o6zOmiVZ Chinese: https://open.spotify.com/show/20AGbzHhzFDWyRTbHTVDJR Vietnamese: https://open.spotify.com/show/0yqd3Jj0I19NhN0h8lWrK1 YouTube  English: https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyAu?sub_confirmation=1 Apple Podcast  English: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/brave-southeast-asia-tech-singapore-indonesia-vietnam/id1506890464 #RenaissanceFairSG #CreativeFounders #GrassrootsCulture #FestivalBuilders #ArtMeetsCommunity #YouthEntrepreneurs #BuildingInPublic #CreatorEconomySEA #SingaporeCulture #BRAVEpodcast

Another festival coverage episode? We're back to back with Asian film festivals and Ben returns to Singapore to cover the hottest films from the festival circuit and the region for the 36th Singapore International Film Festival. Our film coverage spans the most hotly contested tickets (Silent Friend, Girl, Resurrection, Sentimental Value), cinema classics (Matador, Water, Bye Bye Love), and promising first features from the region (Amoeba, A Useful Ghost, Old Man and His Car)This is a spicy and fun episode where Ben reflects honestly about his festival experience and Singapore's cinema culture, as well as sharing his optimism with the concurrent ground-up efforts (The Daily, FFIGS) reinvigorating that culture. On top of all that, we also find the time to do a very special celebration in the middle of the episode.Links:Correspondence / The Daily⁠Ben's piece on the Cinephile PassFFIGSDeepa Mehta Write-upLuca Guadagnino video on costumes Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers at MoMAMadame Morible Wicked Witch memeInterview with Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (forthcoming!)Correspond with us at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com Timestamps:00:00:00 Intro00:03:15 Festival as a whole 00:08:45 Netflix acquisition of WB00:11:51 Festival operations00:20:33 Festival passes00:24:15 Banned films00:27:48 SGIFilmFeud00:28:25 Correspondence / The Daily00:30:56 FFIGS00:34:40 Optimism00:38:14 The films / Bye Bye Love (1974) dir. Fujisawa Isao00:43:10 How Dare You? (2025) dir. Mipo O00:46:14 Two Seasons, Two Strangers (2025) dir. Sho Miyake00:48:29 Audience behaviour00:51:25 Girl (2025) dir. Shu Qi00:56:20 Resurrection (2025) dir. Bi Gan01:02:25 Water (2005) dir. Deepa Mehta01:07:02 A Celebration01:09:00 Sentimental Value (2025) dir. Joachim Trier01:11:25 Hamnet (2025) dir. Chloe Zhao01:14:25 Late Fame (2025) dir. Kent Jones01:18:07 Matador (1986) dir. Pedro Almodovar01:21:20 Silent Friend (2025) dir. Ildikó Enyedi 01:27:00 SEA Shorts Programme01:31:36 The Old Man and His Car (2025) dir. Michael Kam01:36:50 Amoeba (2025) dir. Tan Siyou01:43:10 A Useful Ghost (2025) dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke01:51:16 Wrapup01:57:30 Bonus

One year after the fall of Syria's dictator, Bashar al-Assad, interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has undergone a significant image makeover. He's regularly seen playing basketball or pool on social media and his posts are amplified by a network of government-backed influencers. BBC Monitoring's Samia Hosny has been watching and reflects on what this PR campaign is saying – and what it isn't.  The special administrative region of Macau on the south coast of China is sometimes referred to as the Las Vegas of the East. The gaming hub attracts tourists from all over the world, as well as from mainland China and Taiwan. But amid the glitzy casinos and hotels, Macau has just opened its very first luxury resort hospital, in the hope of capitalising on the medical tourism industry. The BBC's Osmond Chia reports from Singapore. 17-year-old Janvi Jindal, from Punjab state in India, has recently achieved 5 Guinness World Records in freestyle skating. She was able to perform, amongst other things, thirty-two 360 degree rotations in 30 seconds – whilst balancing on her inline skates. BBC reporter Sarabjit Singh Dhaliwal went to meet Janvi and her parents. This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean. (Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

In this episode, keeping with the winter frosty theme from last week, The FM3 hit the slopes and freeze their giggle berries off checking out Adam Green's "Frozen" from 2010. This film is a simple survival horror film but it sure does get the crew talking about their fears,tribulations and stories about hot doggin' out in the icy mountains as well as other remote locals like Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Singapore. So get a jacket and some mittens because It's about to get real cold in here and whatever you do, don't call The Ski Patrol!  

Conan chats with theme park designer Margaret about the Haw Par Villa in Singapore and what kind of themed ride would best represent Conan, Sona, and Matt. Wanna get a chance to talk to Conan? Submit here: teamcoco.com/apply Get access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using this show link: https://siriusxm.com/conan. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's episode is a fireside chat I had with SK-II in Singapore. I share insights on building a successful business, effective marketing strategies, staying relevant in today's competitive market, making tough decisions, evolving your brand, and how to do social media marketing the right way in 2026. Hope you enjoy!

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger PictureThe D’s have lost he narrative, they are trying to blame Trump for the affordability crisis, but he is turning it around on them. The autopen was used to bring Powell, Trump wants it investigated.The gold card has gone live, timing is everything. The affordability crisis is about the [CB]. The [DS] along with foreign gov have been trying to divide the people and the MAGA movement. It is not working, it crumbling and people are learning the truth once again. Trump sets the message and the direction of the midterms. The [DS] is struggling, they will not be able to overcome the economic factor in 2026. This will give the people the power to override anything the [DS] tries to do. Economy (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); “Democrats Know Their Constituents Can’t Read Charts. That’s Why…” Another attempted “gotcha moment” on X by Democrats backfired, revealing that their political strategists and whoever handles their social media accounts lack the most basic chart-reading skills. However, X users pointed out that these political operatives aren’t DEI fools; instead, they seem incapable of telling the truth. https://twitter.com/MajorityPAC/status/1998434136483410412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1998434136483410412%7Ctwgr%5E1e2efe6a29f9c814decbe7c889387ccc40d1410c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fpolitical%2Fdemocrats-know-their-constituents-cant-read-charts-thats-why Just like eggs earlier this year and power bills this fall, Democrat operatives are seizing any opportunity to blame Trump for soaring prices that mainly occurred in the previous four years. X user ALX shows why context matters.  Source: zerohedge.com https://twitter.com/StephenMoore/status/1998763870001991751?s=20 https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1998789965254144171?s=20 https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1998830464321323091?s=20  into 2026. The Fed must do the right thing! https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1998841970559512878?s=20  to inject $40 billion per month into Treasury bill purchases beginning December 12. The combined policies strengthen liquidity, reduce borrowing costs, and ease credit strains that often stall growth. Bank of America says both stocks and crypto stand to gain as confidence rises. The Fed's actions confirm the resilience of Trump's expanding second term economy. https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/1999098794412319027?s=20 The post highlights a Wall Street Journal report on Ionic Rare Earths’ discovery of 16 rare earth and critical minerals in Utah’s Mill Creek area, including high-grade lithium and gallium, positioning it as the U.S.’s largest such reserve to reduce reliance on China, which controls 90% of global processing. An aerial image shows the arid Utah landscape near the Great Salt Lake with visible mining pits, underscoring the site’s remote, geologically rich Basin and Range province, where USGS surveys identified potential for 1.5 million tons of rare earth oxides  https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1998846082953130482?s=20 The Trump Gold Card program, launched via executive order in 2025, allows foreign nationals (primarily investors or those sponsored by corporations) to apply for a U.S. green card through expedited channels like EB-1(a) for extraordinary ability or EB-2 national interest waiver. It requires a nonrefundable $15,000 processing fee plus a “contribution” or “gift” of at least $1 million per individual (or $2 million via an employer sponsor), with additional amounts for dependents. The funds go to entities like the U.S. Department of Commerce, and applicants must prove a lawful source of money, similar to the EB-5 investor visa.  The process involves filing a new Form I-140G, followed by consular processing abroad—no in-country adjustment of status is allowed—and approvals can happen in weeks, though backlogs from per-country caps (especially for Indian or Chinese nationals) may still cause delays for the actual green card. This program is separate from the H-1B visa system, which remains a temporary work visa for skilled professionals with issues like annual caps (85,000 visas, including 20,000 for advanced degree holders), a random lottery selection process, and criticisms of abuse (e.g., companies using it to displace U.S. workers or suppress wages via outsourcing firms). In fact, alongside the Gold Card, the Trump administration introduced a separate $100,000 one-time entry fee for H-1B applicants to deter such abuses and ensure only “the best and brightest” use it. https://twitter.com/TheRubberDuck79/status/1998791717752062345?s=20  Autopen. https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1998407015756964343?s=20   to decide if it gets a floor vote. I hope they do the right thing. The Affordability Crisis Is Not a ‘Hoax.' It Is an Existential Threat to the American Dream.  Recently, President Trump has been quoted as referring to the affordability crisis as a “Democrat scam,” “hoax,” and “con job.” Although I think Trump was likely trying to remind Americans that policies enacted when Democrats had total control of the federal government under the first two years of the Biden administration accelerated and exacerbated the affordability problem, it is dangerous for the president to use that type of language. Already, mainstream media reprobates are twisting Trump's words, leading people to believe that he is saying the affordability crisis does not exist.  In proper context, Trump is not denying that middle- and lower-class Americans are struggling to make ends meet; rather, he is trying to assign blame and hang the affordability crisis on the Democrats. But even doing that is politically unwise.  The American people are not nearly as concerned with pointing fault as they are with seeking immediately viable solutions to the untenable reality they face. For many Americans, the affordability crisis is so severe that they think the American dream is no longer within reach. In fact, only 22 percent of young Americans think they will be better off than their parents. Source: redstate.com Political/Rights https://twitter.com/TriciaOhio/status/1999146290584678721?s=20 https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1998819294658842681?s=20 https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1998773065870708813?s=20 https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1999144165213380788?s=20 We hope the headlines and social media likes are worth it. DHS: Legacy Media Report Leaves Out an Important Detail on ICE Purchasing Planes for Deportations The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed  the agency has inked a deal for the purchase of six planes for nearly $140 million, which will aid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in deportations, allowing them to bypass charter airlines. The Post report read: https://twitter.com/TriciaOhio/status/1998794208736411870?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1998794208736411870%7Ctwgr%5Ebd9d4a7f5e7443f5f0455bfbeb427e17d3fa2b05%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fredstate.com%2Fkatie-jerkovich%2F2025%2F12%2F10%2Fdhs-confirms-excellent-news-about-deportations-and-its-own-fleet-n2197015 flight patterns.    President Trump and @Sec_Noem are committed to quickly and efficiently getting criminal illegal aliens OUT of our country. Source: redstate.com US To Ask Visitors For 5 Years Of Social Media History Under New Plan The United States is planning to require visitors from dozens of countries on the visa waiver program to provide up to five years of their social media history, according to a proposal from the US Customs and Border Protection posted to the Federal Register on Wednesday. Countries on the list include much of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Qatar, Israel, Chile and Brunei. Citizens or nationals of these countries have been allowed to freely travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. If the proposal is adopted, they’ll have to share their online footprint – something that immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applicants from different categories have been required to provide since 2019. The list also includes; Telephone numbers used in the last five years Email addresses used in the last 10 years IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos Biometrics – including facial, fingerprint, DNA and Iris data Information about one’s family – including  names, telephone numbers, dates of birth, places of birth and residences. The CBP proposal is open for a 60-day public comment period. ESTA – an automated system, costs $40 and is generally valid for two years. An ESTA holder can enter multiple times during that period. Source: zerohedge.com https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1998484877180604877?s=20   is part of the FBI's Joint Task Force Vulcan investigation out of @FBIHouston to locate, indict, and arrest members of MS-13 leadership “La Mesa.” Great work from @FBIOmaha and partners @HSI_HQ @DEAHQ and more – this admin is taking a whole of government approach to dismantling MS-13 and their presence within the country. DOGE https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1998810382576792048?s=20 https://twitter.com/pepesgrandma/status/1998428503759294519?s=20   EU High Level Group on combating hate speech and hate crime that wrote the 2016 Code of Conduct. The Code Conduct is a document agreed upon by social media companies for removing hate. The improved upon “Code of Conduct Plus” continues to be an important tool under the DSA: “On 20 January 2025, the revised Code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online + (the ‘Code of conduct+') was integrated into the regulatory framework of the Digital Services Act (DSA), following a positive assessment from the Commission and the European Board for Digital Services. The Code of conduct+, which builds on the Code of Conduct adopted in 2016, strengthens the way online platforms deal with content deemed illegal hate speech according to EU law and Member States' laws. It facilitates compliance with and the effective enforcement of the DSA in this specific area.” This new Conduct Code+ was established as a “DSA Code of conduct”. This empowered civil society organisations to act as watchdogs. “Following its integration, adherence to the Code of conduct+ may be considered as an appropriate risk mitigation measure for signatories designated as Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) and Search Engines (VLOSEs) under the DSA.” “The DSA classifies platforms or search engines that have more than 45 million users per month in the EU as very large online platforms (VLOPs)” https://twitter.com/emd_worldwide/status/1998556257251152246?s=20   letter confirms the details of that action. And it arrives at a very appropriate moment. As we watch certain officials in Europe experiment with coercive fines, regulatory threats, and pressure campaigns aimed at shaping American political discourse, the Moraes precedent is worth remembering. The United States views foreign attempts to control U.S. speech as a human rights violation and a breach of sovereignty. Geopolitical https://twitter.com/RMistereggen/status/1998419619220996236?s=20 society destabilised? When a country must hand over cash to escape a policy that harms it, the structure stops looking like a union and starts looking like organized coercion. Let's call the EU what it is: its a mafia organisation. Abolish the EU. Unelected Brussels Bureaucrat Demands Trump ‘Show Respect' for EU, as US President Is Chosen ‘The Most Powerful Person in Europe'   Trump is flexing his political and military muscles all over the world. Those who want respect, give respect.     Trump has just been chosen as ‘the most powerful person in Europe'. ‘ Politico reported: “Top EU officials tried to set the record straight Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump denounced Europe as a ‘decaying' group of countries ruled by ‘weak' leaders. […] ‘I think they're weak', the Republican said, referring to the continent's presidents and prime ministers, adding, ‘I think they don't know what to do. Europe doesn't know what to do'.” “European Council President António Costa said Europe and the U.S. ‘must act as allies' — and urged the Republican leader to show ‘respect'.   Costa is an unelected bureaucrat – he was not ‘elected', he was ‘appointed' by the same Globalist leaders that are polling 11% to 23% in their countries. Source: thegatewaypundit.com War/Peace https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1998980234763219052?s=20https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1999068890421195037?s=20   Impeccable. This clip emerged just as Maria Corina Machado, the woman Maduro has hunted for 16 months, escaped Venezuela and arrived in Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting his dictatorship. His secret police surrounded the U.S. Embassy thinking she was inside. She slipped out of the country anyway. Her team risked their lives to get her on that plane. Meanwhile, Maduro is on stage crooning about peace. The irony writes itself. https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1998936856000397477?s=20   showed up in Norway anyway. The 58-year-old opposition leader arrived in Oslo Thursday and waved from the balcony of the Grand Hotel, free and defiant. The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded her the prize for her fight against what it called a dictatorship. Maduro’s regime tried everything to stop this moment. It didn’t work.  https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1999068890421195037?s=20   freely in accordance with the regime. https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1999065856580661500?s=20 https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1998879421491483071?s=20   Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.” “For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations. This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely—and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues.” https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1998895443347124514?s=20 https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1999140870516576385?s=20  6th no-confidence vote, Zhelezaykov said, “I hear the public's dissatisfaction and consider the protection of democracy my top priority,” choosing to step down. Protests erupted in November over a 2026 budget packed with tax hikes, higher social contributions, and bloated spending. Even after scrapping the budget, crowds demanded total regime change, early elections, and a crackdown on corruption, culminating in massive rallies yesterday across Sofia and beyond. This is a rare public uprising toppling a government in real-time! With Bulgaria set to join the eurozone on January 1, the collapse risks economic chaos, currency shifts, investor panic, while exposing deep rot (corruption scandals cost $3B yearly, per EU audits). Zhelezaykov's exit might spark a power vacuum, pitting pro-EU reformers against nationalist factions. https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1998875723931812291?s=20 https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1999099346676334925?s=20  Allegations that some staff members may have ties to Hamas, with zero indictments, no formal charges, and no due process. Washington, once UNRWA's biggest donor, froze funding in January 2024 after Israel accused roughly a dozen staff members of involvement in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that triggered the war. If the move goes through, it would effectively criminalize a major arm of humanitarian relief in Gaza and beyond. Although, it’s been noted that such sanctions would be highly unusual, since the U.S. is both a U.N. member and the host nation of the body that created the agency in 1949. Despite this, Trump previously reaffirmed that the U.S. would not fund UNRWA earlier this year. In October, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also referred to UNRWA as a subsidiary of Hamas: “UNRWA’s not going to play any role in it… The United Nations is here, we're seeing the work they're doing… They’re on the ground. We’re willing to work with them if they can make it work, but not UNRWA. UNRWA became a subsidiary of Hamas.” https://twitter.com/profstonge/status/1998824786022003044?s=20  billion they seized might well come up   https://twitter.com/WallStreetMav/status/1998849819071353071?s=20   is going to demand their frozen assets be returned. I suspect the current people in power don't expect to be around or forced to deal with that problem when it arises. They just want their money laundering schemes to continue being funded. Short term planning by the EU. https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1998991133033054636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1998991133033054636%7Ctwgr%5E279dcf506be99c0c99616930f129b9a99fcd7bf2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2025%2F12%2Fwatch-ukraine-strikes-another-oil-tanker-russian-shadow%2F https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1999118921564090787?s=20 Trump talks Ukraine peace deal with Macron, Merz and Starmer President Donald Trump held a conference call with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday to discuss the war in Ukraine, a White House official said, as the U.S. president continues to push for an end to the conflict while expressing skepticism that Kyiv stands a chance of coming out ahead. Source: politico.com Zelenskyy Signals Openness to Elections After Trump Criticism President Donald Trump on Tuesday pressed Ukraine to hold a presidential election despite its war with Russia, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to say he is prepared to hold a vote within months if parliament and Western allies make it feasible. Zelenskyy responded, saying the decision is solely for Ukrainians. “This is a question for the people of Ukraine, not people from other states, with all due respect to our partners,” he said. Ukraine’s constitution bars elections under martial law, but Zelenskyy signaled he’s willing to hold one anyway and asked the U.S. and European partners for help securing a wartime vote. “Since this question is raised today by the president of the United States of America, our partners, I will answer very briefly: Look, I am ready for elections,” he said. “Then, in the next 60 to 90 days, Ukraine will be ready to hold the elections. I personally have the will and readiness for this.” Zelenskyy’s five-year term expired in May 2024. Source: newsmax.com Medical/False Flags FDA Reviewing Deaths Potentially Linked to COVID Shots The Food and Drug Administration is looking into whether COVID-19 vaccines were tied to any deaths, government officials announced this week. The FDA is “doing a thorough investigation, across multiple age groups, of deaths potentially related to COVID vaccines,” Andrew Nixon. a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement. Manufacturers report that the FDA is also reviewing the safety of RSV immunizations. COVID-19 vaccines were deployed in late 2020 under emergency use authorization. Less than a year later, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine became the first to receive full FDA approval. Source: newsmax.com [DS] Agenda https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/1998789285281968322?s=20  with all the other America-hating Somalis! https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1998806184846045404?s=20 BREAKING: Democrats Flip Miami – Eileen Higgins Wins Mayoral Runoff Election: Decision Desk Democrats flipped Miami Mayor's office on Tuesday. Higgins defeated Republican Emilio Gonzalez, a former Miami City Manager who served on Trump's DHS transition team. Higgins will be Miami's first Democrat mayor since 1997. Fox News reported: It took nearly 30 years, but Democrats finally broke their decades-long ballot box losing streak in Miami, Florida, the city known as the nation's “Gateway to Latin America.” Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.com/chad_mizelle/status/1998565231136747996?s=20 https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1998912315672977728?s=20   are: Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., Don Bacon, R-Neb., Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Tom Kean, R-N.J., Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, Chris Smith, R-N.J., Pete Stauber, R-Minn., and Mike Turner, R-Ohio. Full passage vote could happen Thursday. President Trump's Plan REVEALED: DC pipe bomb suspect obsessed with My Little Pony art, fan fic: report My Little Pony is a franchise marketed at young girls. An adult male fan of the toys are known as a “Brony,” a community that at its peak was large enough to hold annual conventions. Brian Cole Jr, the man charged with placing pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committees' Washington, DC headquarters the evening before January 6, 2021, was reportedly a massive fan of the children's series “My Little Pony,” making fan art and fan fiction dedicated to the characters.Per the New York Post, Cole, 30, appeared to have gone by usernames including iDeltaVelocity, Bron1Delta, Delta1Forgotten, and Blue Velocity online. In one account on an online forum, Cole allegedly posted dozens of fan art pieces dedicated to the My Little Pony franchise. Many of the art pieces feature characters with light purple bodies and multicolored hair.In a Tumblr account associated with the username delta1forgotten, Cole allegedly wrote in response to another user's drawing of a My Little Pony character with a machine gun, “Eh… I'd give her an RPG [Rocket-Propelled Grenade]. What can I say? Explosions are COOL!!”My Little Pony is a franchise marketed at young girls. An adult male fan of the toys are known as a “Brony,” a community that at its peak was large enough to hold annual conventions. Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr Daniel Chadborn wrote in his book “Meet the Bronies: The Psychology of the Adult My Little Pony Fandom,” “The subculture of Bronies was very online and unique and attracted a lot of male fans, who were breaking gender norms, which attracted a lot of attention.”He noted that the subculture is generally not sexual, however, he is not surprised that some members within the community are troubled. “Someone who is disaffected is often going to look for spaces to engage in, for a sense of identity and belonging.”Cole also allegedly wrote fanfiction dedicated to the franchise, with one story marked as being an “adventure/horror” story featuring the characters Applejack and Applebloom  Source: thepostmillenial.com Winning: Woke D.C. Police Chief Stepping Down Following Trump's Bold Moves to Federalize the DC Police Force and Send in National Guard https://twitter.com/MayorBowser/status/1997992364367884758?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1997992364367884758%7Ctwgr%5Edc94739b1880255ed9a381d0aefa9d1b2da25236%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2025%2F12%2Fwinning-woke-d-c-police-chief-stepping-down%2F ‘Righteous Anger’: Erika Kirk Shuts Down Insane Conspiracies Surrounding Her Husband’s Murder Erika Kirk appears to have possibly reached her breaking point as she addressed those insane conspiracies surrounding the murder of her husband, Charlie Kirk, and to say she didn’t hold back is a serious understatement. During her appearance on Wednesday on Fox News’ Outnumbered, Kirk was asked about the accusations and claims floated by podcasters like Candace Owens and others surrounding the assassination of the late co-founder of Turning Point USA, including speculation about where Charlie is buried. No rock will be unturned. I want justice for my husband, for myself, for my family more than anyone else out there. “My silence does not mean that I’m complacent,” Erika continued. “My silence does not mean that somehow Turning Point USA and all of the handpicked staff that loved my husband and that my husband loved them is somehow in on it. We are busy building.” Erika said she understands a lot of the noise is people trying to find answers to the horrific killing of her husband, and made it clear no “rock will be unturned. I want justice for my husband, for myself, for my family more than anyone else out there.” Kirk said she does have a breaking point, though, and it’s when influencers and others go after those she loves, like her family, her Turning Point USA family, and her Charlie Kirk Show family. “When you go after the people that I love, and you’re making hundreds and thousands of dollars every single episode, going after the people that I love because somehow they’re in on this… NO!” Erika said, as the host Harris Faulkner pointed out, she’d never seen Kirk like this before. “This is righteous anger because this is not okay, it’s not healthy,” she added. “This is a mind virus… but this is not okay. But just know your words are very powerful, and we are human.” “My team are not machines and they’re not robots, they are human,” Erika continued. “We have more death threats on our team and our side than I have ever seen. I have kidnapping threats. I have…you name it, we have it. And my poor team is exhausted, and every time they bring this back up, what are we supposed to do, relive that trauma all over again?”  . Source: redstate.com https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/1998877640862904429?s=20 https://twitter.com/ElectionWiz/status/1998867607429292200?s=20 2846 Feb 21, 2019 12:02:07 PM EST Q !!mG7VJxZNCI ID: 6b73ac No. 5304336  Dz8HH2lWwAIQX5K.jpg-large.jpg https://twitter.com/JudahsTrumpets/status/1098604676621189122 Be ready for the ‘Q’, Anon(s). Eyes on increasing +each day. You are the NEWS NOW. Handle w/ care. Q 3628 Nov 25, 2019 12:05:46 PM EST Q !!mG7VJxZNCI ID: 000000 No. 7370121  https://twitter.com/Incarcerated_ET/status/1198990090757914625 Enemy of the People. You are the NEWS NOW. Facts matter. Q https://twitter.com/medeabenjamin/status/1998886707891155231?s=20 https://twitter.com/_johnnymaga/status/1999140426222088595?s=20 https://twitter.com/DataRepublican/status/1938072642374058297?s=20  Bejamin briefly – who had an interesting history of speaking to Chinese media. She co-founded Global Exchange with her husband, Kevin Danaher, which goes on a number of “Reality Trips” to various closed countries – Cuba, Venezuela, among others. If you’ve followed me long enough … you know that’s a big red flag. State-facilitated exchange trips are one of the most common “soft power” tools that countries have in exporting their ideology to others. https://twitter.com/AAGDhillon/status/1998429763744976927?s=20 Supreme Court OKs Trump's Firing Of Biden FTC Appointee The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a significant victory, ruling that he can remove Federal Trade Commission leader Rebecca Slaughter after months of legal challenges. Trump has sought to dismiss Slaughter, a Democrat appointed by former President Joe Biden, since March. The court also agreed to consider whether presidents may dismiss FTC commissioners without cause. In the meantime, Slaughter will not be allowed to remain in office. Source:  conservativebrief.com  https://twitter.com/amuse/status/1998163014336561437?s=20 https://twitter.com/mrddmia/status/1998237338678563300?s=20 Trump Sinks Anonymous Reports by Reaffirming Support for Hegseth, Noem Trump sunk the anonymous reports while fielding questions from the press during a roundtable with tech CEO in the Roosevelt Room on Wednesday. https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1998886540215472413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1998886540215472413%7Ctwgr%5Ec250eb4c9bce232b03b56224d33227964e8f8b05%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.breitbart.com%2Ft%2Fassets%2Fhtml%2Ftweet-5.html1998886540215472413 Trump's comments follow an Atlantic report that Trump “is starting to tire of the scandals surrounding Hegseth,” citing “an outside adviser to the White House and a former senior administration official.”They also come on the heels of an MS Now report, citing two anonymous sources, and claiming that “White House officials have grown frustrated with Kristi Noem's leadership of the Department of Homeland Security, leading to calls for a new secretary to more aggressively support key parts of the president's deportation agenda.” Source: breitbart.com https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/1999130198906728645?s=20 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1998453138857099684?s=20   primarily Nordic-German. Importing voters is a CERTAIN path to a single-party supermajority and has ALREADY happened at the state level in California and New York. It also explains why those states have BANNED VOTER ID in order to accelerate a permanent socialist supermajority, destroying any semblance of democracy. We stand on the precipice of disaster, an end to America. https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/1998769742455435403?s=20   say stupid stuff like “I’m not voting in the mid-terms.” The Constitutional powers of the President are limited by design. Moreover, Trump faces unique challenges in an intransigent Deep State and an array of rogue judges, neither of which any other President has faced at this scale. Nevertheless, in less than a year Trump has kept more of his campaign promises than any other President since FDR. Some of you people need to wise up. There is no Government Fairy. It’s a hard slog, and we’re winning–unless YOU mess it up, Doomsters. Don’t mess it up. https://twitter.com/CynicalPublius/status/1998827695439004144?s=20  care, the GOP deserves it.” This is self-fulfilling prophecy. It suppresses voter enthusiasm, suppresses voter turn out, and creates exactly the barren ground that Leftists have come to expect from a conservative movement that seems determined to fail at every turn even when it is winning. *versus* 2. “I am so happy that we have made so much progress. Trump has done amazing things in a short period of time against unprecedented institutional resistance. We are winning and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for the restoration of our Constitutional republic. Nevertheless, there is much to be done. President Trump and the true conservatives in Congress need our enthusiastic, vocal support. We must keep the pressure on the eGOP, the Democrats and the lying media. This is a tough battle, but we will win.” THAT my friends is a message of victory. It too becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy as it inspires the voting base yet does not ignore the work yet to be done. It’s winning. ————————— Allow me to paraphrase Napoleon Bonaparte: “In politics, the moral is to the physical as three is to one.” _________________________ In other words, why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves, Moriarity. https://twitter.com/Avis_Liberatum/status/1998829654241694036?s=20 https://twitter.com/MattMorseTV/status/1998541820285145219?s=20    and for America itself. In all fairness, the Democrats have been doing Redistricting for years, and continue to do so. Unfortunately, Indiana Senate “Leader” Rod Bray enjoys being the only person in the United States of America who is against Republicans picking up extra seats, in Indiana's case, two of them. He is putting every ounce of his limited strength into asking his soon to be very vulnerable friends to vote with him. By doing so, he is putting the Majority in the House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., at risk and, at the same time, putting anybody in Indiana who votes against this Redistricting, likewise, at risk. The people of Indiana don't want the Party of Sleepy Joe Biden, Kamala, Ilhan Omar, or the rest to succeed in Washington. Bray doesn't care. He's either a bad guy, or a very stupid one! In any event, he and a couple of his friends will partner with the Radical Left Democrats. They found some Republican “SUCKERS,” and they couldn't be happier that they did! Guys like Failed Senate Candidate Mitch Daniels, who I opposed in his Race against Senator Jim Banks, and Cam Savage, whoever that is, are fighting against the Republican Party, all the way. Bray and his friends are the favorite Republicans of Hakeem Jeffries, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, and Cryin' Chuck Schumer. Anybody that votes against Redistricting, and the SUCCESS of the Republican Party in D.C., will be, I am sure, met with a MAGA Primary in the Spring. If Republicans will not do what is necessary to save our Country, they will eventually lose everything to the Democrats. Rod Bray and his friends won't be in Politics for long, and I will do everything within my power to make sure that they will not hurt the Republican Party, and our Country, again. One of my favorite States, Indiana, will be the only State in the Union to turn the Republican Party down! Master Messenger: Trump Goes Full MAGA at Pennsylvania Rally, Hands GOP the 2026 Talking Points The master messenger is at it again, this time handing the GOP the 2026 midterm talking points directly. During a rally Tuesday evening in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, President Trump reminded both Republicans and Democrats of just how savvy a messenger he can be when energizing his base. He crushed former President Joe Biden and his administration for overseeing the runaway inflation we are still battling today. He discussed his efforts to bring higher wage jobs to American workers, not illegal aliens. He dismantled Obamacare, highlighting high costs and the trillions in taxpayer dollars given to insurance companies instead of the American people. President Trump went full MAGA. The  message was clear: Republicans, take this message and run with it during the 2026 midterm election cycle. President Trump tore apart Obamacare. He is tired of insurance companies lining their pockets with Obamacare subsidies, and stated once again that he wants that money sent directly to the American people. Imagine being able to use your own money to purchase health insurance instead of those dollars going straight to the insurance companies? For Republicans in 2026, this is a smart policy that could excite the base in an election cycle where President Trump is not on the ballot. Healthcare across America, in many cases, is unaffordable and frustrating. This is certainly an area where the GOP can make up ground with sound policy ideas. President Trump has essentially closed our southern border by the sheer power he wields through the executive branch. The administration has now moved to tackle illegal immigration within our borders, in regards to both deportations and American jobs taken by illegal aliens.  Since President Trump took office, 100 percent of all net job creation has gone to American citizens. That is an amazing statistic that every GOP House and Senate member should be touting on the campaign trail. Not for nothing, but President Trump is also clearly tired of immigrants coming to America who do not care to fully assimilate or share our values. President Trump also announced a permanent pause on third-world migration, “including from hellholes like Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia, and many other countries.” This is a very smart and, frankly, important policy. During the recent off-year election cycle, many Americans learned for the first time how many third-world immigrants have infiltrated major American cities. This is a winning message and one the GOP should carry into 2026. Finally, the deadly drugs have got to stop flowing into this country. President Trump has taken lethal action that is sure to have every drug boat planning to bring drugs to America second-guessing that decision. For some Republicans who support Trump’s policy but have struggled to properly communicate the importance to their constituents, the president simplified the issue for the entire party. Source: redstate.com https://twitter.com/TheStormRedux/status/1998449163403419722?s=20  ALL THE INFORMATION.” LFG  One thing I know is that the American public (outside of X) needs to understand how rigged and fake our elections are before we have another election in this country. (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:13499335648425062,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-7164-1323"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.customads.co/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");