Podcasts about smiles

Get the 200+ Page Optimal Living Daily Workbook (PDF) - Free. Want to turn today's episode into an actionable plan? Join the Optimal Living Weekly newsletter and I'll send you our 200-page digital workbook immediately. It's packed with the best takeaways from the show, formatted for easy reading and implementation at home. Get your free PDF workbook here: https://oldpodcast.eo.page/join Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com Episode 3520: Dr. Jenny Brockis explains that laughter is not merely pleasant but measurably good for the brain, engaging the logical left hemisphere, the frontal lobes, and the sensory and motor areas in under half a second. She notes that children laugh up to 300 times a day while adults manage around 17, and describes what the research associates with a good laugh: endorphins released, dopamine and serotonin up, cortisol down. Her takeaway is that smiling and shared humor are healthy habits worth practicing on purpose rather than waiting on. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.drjennybrockis.com/2010/4/19/what-a-laugh-why-a-dose-of-laughter-is-still-the-best-medicine/ Quotes to ponder: "Laughing is good for your brain." "Laughing allows our problems and worries to not seem so big or scary anymore." "Smiles defuse tension and anxiety." Optimal Health Daily is a daily health and wellness podcast where we narrate the best articles on nutrition, fitness, weight loss, and healthy habits, read to you by a professional narrator so you can improve your health a little more every day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hayden Panettiere’s friends are furious over her mom’s interview, insisting, “She’s a big part of why we’re here today.” Plus, Jimmy Kimmel’s wife admits dating her boss was a “terrible idea,” while Sandra Bullock finally emerges from six years of heartbreak. Rob’s latest exclusives and insider reporting can be found at robshuter.substack.com My new novel, Queen Elizabeth III, is available for pre-order right nowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“When I started having grandkids, I found that a good way to keep them entertained and to keep them from misbehaving was to tell them stories. So, I told them stories.” – Dr. Caroline Crocker Today's featured author is a wife, grandmom, international speaker, historian, retired research biologist, professor, and nonprofit leader, Dr. Caroline Crocker. Dr. Caroline and I had a fun on a bun chat about her books, faith journey, advice to aspiring authors, and more!! Key Things You'll Learn:What inspired Dr. Caroline to become an authorWhat sparked the transition from children's books to novels inspired by her family history How her scientific background influences her writing and how she stays organized with multiple projectsSome interesting findings from her research for her upcoming book, The Truth Was DifferentDr. Caroline's Site: https://ramblingruminations.com/Dr. Caroline's Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00A83XIHG/allbooksThe opening track is titled, “Unknown From M.E. | Sonic Adventure 2 ~ City Pop Remix” by Iridium Beats. To listen to and download the full track, click the following link. https://www.patreon.com/posts/sonic-adventure-136084016 Please support today's podcast to keep this content coming! CashApp: $DomBrightmonDonate on PayPal: @DBrightmonBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dombrightmonGet Going North T-Shirts, Stickers, and More: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/dom-brightmonThe Going North Advancement Compass: https://a.co/d/bA9awotYou May Also Like…811 – American Wolf with Dr. Audrey Birnbaum (@audee24): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-811-american-wolf-with-dr-audrey-birnbaum-audee24/1061 – From Wildlife Biologist To Award-Winning Novelist with Laura Frost (@LFrostWrites): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-1061-from-wildlife-biologist-to-award-winning-novelist-with-laura-frost-lfrostwrites/783 – Creativity, Faith, & Unveiling Fantastical Truths with Cyndi Brec (@CyndiBrec): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-783-creativity-faith-unveiling-fantastical-truths-with-cyndi-brec-cyndibrec/979 – From Anthills to Authorship with Ron Kinscherf (@Papatellmeabook): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-979-from-anthills-to-authorship-with-ron-kinscherf-papatellmeabook/689 – There Are (No) Stupid Questions . . . in Science with Leah Elson (@gnarlybygnature): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-689-there-are-no-stupid-questions-in-science-with-leah-elson-gnarlybygnature/847 – That Summer She Found Her Voice with Jean Burgess, PhD: https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-847-that-summer-she-found-her-voice-with-jean-burgess-phd/1074 – Retirement Without Losing Your Purpose or Identity with Dr. Corinne Auman: https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-1074-retirement-without-losing-your-purpose-or-identity-with-dr-corinne-auman/#Holiday Bonus Ep. – Bird of Paradise with Emily Johnson (@elhughes01): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/holiday-bonus-ep-bird-of-paradise-with-emily-johnson-elhughes01/1093 – From Mexican Jumping Beans to Bestselling Guidebooks with Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino (@BestEverYou): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/from-mexican-jumping-beans-to-bestselling-guidebooks-with-elizabeth-hamilton-guarino-besteveryou/1003 – From Orphan to United Nations Peacekeeper with Christine Sadry: https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-1003-from-orphan-to-united-nations-peacekeeper-with-christine-sadry/1104 – AI, Animals, and Giving Away 1,000 Smiles with Bret Ridgway (@bridgway): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ai-animals-and-giving-away-1000-smiles-with-bret-ridgway-bridgway/698 – From Scrubs to Award-Winning Stories with Debra Blaine (@debrablainemd): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-698-from-scrubs-to-award-winning-stories-with-debra-blaine-debrablainemd/

Every parent wants to see their child happy, confident and just being a kid. But for children living with facial conditions or severe burns, getting there can mean needing access to specialised medical care that many families simply can't afford. That's where the Smile Foundation comes in. For more than 25 years, they've been helping children get the treatment and reconstructive surgery they need – giving them the chance to feel confident and get on with being kids Carl Wastie chats to the Dis-Chem Foundation and the Smile Foundation about the difference they're making together, and how something as simple as a R20 Socks for Smiles sticker or badge can help bring a child closer to life-changing treatment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big hearts, clever ideas, and some VERY honest answers are coming your way!

Bikini-Clad Blake Lively Smiles in Rare Selfie as Actress Keeps Low-Profile Amid More 'It Ends With Us' Legal DramaAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Dental Services Unit within the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Nutrition is partnering with summer camps to provide oral health screenings and basic dental treatments such as cleanings and fillings to children and teens, via the mobile dental bus.

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Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: Love, Bargains, and Sunlit Smiles at Balatonfüred Market Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2026-08-11-07-38-20-hu Story Transcript:Hu: A Balatonfüredi Piac reggeli forgatagában a napfény melegen sütötte Ádám arcát.En: In the morning hustle and bustle of the Balatonfüred Market, the sunlight warmly shone on Ádám's face.Hu: A piacon minden árnyalat megtalálható volt: a frissen leszedett zöldségek zöldje, a piros paradicsomok és az élénk színű virágok.En: Every shade could be found at the market: the green of freshly picked vegetables, the red of tomatoes, and the vibrant colors of flowers.Hu: A levegőben töltött káposzta és lángos illata keveredett, mintha az egész nyár hangulatát zárták volna egy kis város térképképébe.En: The air was filled with the scent of stuffed cabbage and lángos, as if the spirit of the entire summer was enclosed in a small town's map.Hu: Ádám, egy ravasz egyetemi hallgató, épp egy tervet kovácsolt.En: Ádám, a crafty university student, was in the process of devising a plan.Hu: Zsófiával, a barátnőjével, hamarosan ünneplik évfordulójukat, és Ádám valami különlegeset szeretett volna ajándékozni neki.En: He and his girlfriend, Zsófia, were soon to celebrate their anniversary, and Ádám wanted to give her something special.Hu: A pénztárcája azonban nem volt túl bőkezű.En: However, his wallet wasn't particularly generous.Hu: Mivel már minden boltba bement a környéken, úgy határozott, hogy ma megpróbál alkudozni a piaci árusokkal.En: Having already visited every store in the area, he decided to try negotiating with the market vendors today.Hu: Először a kézműves standokhoz fordult.En: He first turned to the craft stalls.Hu: Tudta, Zsófia értékeli a kreativitást, és meg akarta találni azt a tökéletes ajándékot, ami mosolyt csal az arcára.En: He knew that Zsófia appreciated creativity, and he wanted to find that perfect gift to bring a smile to her face.Hu: Egy bódéban megakadt a szeme egy csodaszép, kézzel készített nyakláncra.En: At one stall, his eyes caught a beautiful, handmade necklace.Hu: Csipetnyi merészséggel odalépett és megkérdezte az árat.En: With a hint of daring, he approached and asked for the price.Hu: "Csodálatos ez a nyaklánc" - mondta bájos mosollyal az árusnak.En: "This necklace is wonderful," he said with a charming smile to the vendor.Hu: "De sajnos csak erre a ennyit tudunk szánni.En: "But unfortunately, this is all we can afford."Hu: "Az árus némi gondolkodás után lágy mosollyal bólintott és mondta: "Mivel olyan türelmes voltál és látom, hogy igazán örömet akarsz vele szerezni, megkapod ezt a különleges árat.En: After some thought, the vendor nodded with a gentle smile and said, "Since you have been so patient and I can see that you truly want to make someone happy, you can have it for this special price."Hu: "Néhány perc múlva Ádám már Zsófia felé tartott.En: A few minutes later, Ádám was already on his way to Zsófia.Hu: Minél jobban közeledett, annál izgatottabb lett.En: The closer he got, the more excited he became.Hu: Amikor végre elé ért, kissé zavartan elővette a nyakláncot és nyújtotta át.En: When he finally reached her, he somewhat bashfully took out the necklace and handed it over.Hu: "Boldog évfordulót, Zsófi!En: "Happy anniversary, Zsófi!"Hu: "Zsófia szeme felragyogott, amikor meglátta az ajándékot.En: Zsófia's eyes lit up when she saw the gift.Hu: "Ez gyönyörű, Ádám!En: "This is beautiful, Ádám!Hu: Honnan tudtad.En: How did you know...?"Hu: " Kérdezte, bár a választ már sejtette.En: she asked, although she already suspected the answer.Hu: Ádám mosolygott és így válaszolt: "Mindig figyelek rád.En: Ádám smiled and replied, "I always pay attention to you."Hu: "Ez a piaci nap megtanította Ádámnak, hogy a figyelem és a kitartás gyakran az anyagi határokat is legyőzheti.En: This market day taught Ádám that attention and perseverance can often overcome material limits.Hu: Az évforduló napja tökéletesen zárult: Zsófia mosolya még az esti Balaton menti sétán is tartott, miközben kéz a kézben sétáltak a balatoni hullámok ritmusára.En: The anniversary day concluded perfectly: Zsófia's smile lasted even during their evening walk along Lake Balaton, as they strolled hand in hand to the rhythm of the lake's waves. Vocabulary Words:devising: kovácsoltcrafty: ravaszvendors: árusoknegotiate: alkudoznibustle: forgatagábandaring: merészséggelperseverance: kitartásanniversary: évfordulóbashfully: zavartanenclosed: zártákgentle: lágygenerous: bőkezűhandmade: kézzel készítettcreativity: kreativitástcharming: bájosovercome: legyőzhetispirit: hangulatátstroll: sétáltakuniversity: egyetemiappreciated: értékelipatience: türelemspecial: különlegeslit up: felragyogottperfectly: tökéletesenwallet: pénztárcájascent: illataforaging: beszerzéseafford: szánnisunlight: napfénygenerously: bőkezűen

THE PERFORMANCE REVIEW Francis has a passion for acting. He eats, drinks, and breathes theater. But the constant pressure he puts on himself to be great comes with a cost. Severe migraines begin to pull him away from the stage, forcing him to step back from the life he loves. With no other choice, Francis takes a quiet 9–5 job at a place known simply as The Company. The work seems simple enough—just sorting paperwork in a calm, structured office. But something about the workplace feels… off. The employees all dress the same. Conversations feel rehearsed. Smiles linger a little too long. What first appears to be a routine office job slowly reveals itself to be something far stranger. As the days pass, Francis begins to realize that The Company may not be what it seems—and that everyone around him may be playing a role in something he doesn't yet understand. TOPICS OF CONVERSATION Corporate life meets the Twilight Zone: Adrian based The Performance Review on his friend Francisco, a former theater actor whose real corporate horror stories were so strange Adrian assumed he was making them up Once an actor, always an actor: Why Francis treats his cubicle job like a performance, and Adrian's belief that everyone acts differently depending on who they're with Yogurt, milk, and dead-eyed smiles: The small, off details that make Francis wonder if the company is a cult, and where Adrian's cult-documentary habit comes in The real laugh in a quiet room: How Fiona announces herself before Francis ever sees her, and why the two of them build a secret signal to catch if either one starts to slip From The Performance Review to the screen: The short film Adrian is scripting with Francisco starring, the connected novel In Between Rooms, and the ideas he's still pulling from notebooks he's kept since he was ten ABOUT THE AUTHOR Adrian M. Mompoint is a horror and thriller writer focused on psychological storytelling and atmospheric tension. Inspired by early exposure to The Shining, he developed a fascination with fear—what creates it, and why it lingers. He is primarily a behind-the-scenes photographer, capturing the unseen moments of film and production. Adrian is also a film actor and stunt performer, as well as a big and tall model. Outside of his creative work, he volunteers in his community by cleaning and restoring graves and helping maintain outdoor spaces. Connect with Adrian Mompoint through linktr.ee/Adrianmompoint for links to his social media and website accounts. Get The Performance Review: https://amzn.to/4wNkwal 

“You got to come first from a giving standpoint rather than from a taking standpoint.” – Bret Ridgway Today's featured bestselling bookcaster is a 25-year veteran of the speaking industry, marketer for small businesses, and entrepreneur, Bret Ridgway. Bret and I had a fun chat about his new kids' book, “Games Animals Play (When We're Not Looking)”, transitioning from writing business books to children's books, and his mission to donate 1,000 copies to schools and communities in 2026, and more!!Key Things You'll Learn:How Bret's grandchildren and the phrase "crickets playing croquet" inspired his new children's book seriesWhat's the difference between writing for children and adultsThe fastest way to feel better about yourselfWhat one skill has he learned and sharpened since his last appearance on the showBret's Site: https://laughandlearnlibrary.com/Bret's Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B004WEH2Z6/allbooksThe opening track is titled, “Unknown From M.E. | Sonic Adventure 2 ~ City Pop Remix” by Iridium Beats. To listen to and download the full track, click the following link. https://www.patreon.com/posts/sonic-adventure-136084016 Please support today's podcast to keep this content coming! CashApp: $DomBrightmonDonate on PayPal: @DBrightmonBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dombrightmonGet Going North T-Shirts, Stickers, and More: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/dom-brightmonThe Going North Advancement Compass: https://a.co/d/bA9awotYou May Also Like…645 – How to Build a #Profitable Speaking Business with Bret Ridgway (@bridgway): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-645-how-to-build-a-profitable-speaking-business-with-bret-ridgway-bridgway/327 – The Go-Giver Way of Elite Performance with Bob Burg (@BobBurg): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-327-the-go-giver-way-of-elite-performance-with-bob-burg-bobburg/979 – From Anthills to Authorship with Ron Kinscherf (@Papatellmeabook): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-979-from-anthills-to-authorship-with-ron-kinscherf-papatellmeabook/586 – Flipping Bad Situations into Joyful Children's Books with Violet Lemay (@violetlemay): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-586-flipping-bad-situations-into-joyful-childrens-books-with-violet-lemay-violetlemay/793 – How to Bounce Back as a Children's Book Author with Rella B. (@RellaBBooks): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-793-how-to-bounce-back-as-a-childrens-book-author-with-rella-b-rellabbooks/559 - Picky Patrick With Eleni Fuiaxis (@EleniFuiaxis): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-559-picky-patrick-with-eleni-fuiaxis-elenifuiaxis/1032 – A Grandmother's Fight for Disability Representation in Books with T. L. McCoy (@BlueRoundBG): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-1032-a-grandmothers-fight-for-disability-representation-in-books-with-t-l-mccoy-blueround/1075 – From Classroom Bells to Children's Books with Kirsten Telan (@ktelan1): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-1075-from-classroom-bells-to-childrens-books-with-kirsten-telan-ktelan1/1087 – Becoming a Multi-Genre Author and Creative Force After 50 with Teri Brown (@TeriMBrown1): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/becoming-a-multi-genre-author-and-creative-force-after-50-with-teri-brown-terimbrown1/835 – Turn Words Into Wealth with Aurora Winter, MBA (@AuroraWinterMBA): https://www.goingnorthpodcast.com/ep-835-turn-words-into-wealth-with-aurora-winter-mba-aurorawintermba/

Season 9, Episode 4

Callum Smiles joins Hearts of Oak to report from his recent trip to Ceuta, the Spanish enclave on the North African coast, where he was filming with Fox Populi. Fresh from Gibraltar, he describes a migration situation far larger than expected: thousands of arrivals after the major influx on 31 July, with Moroccan migrants concentrated in the south and sub-Saharan migrants in the north. The Spanish-majority enclave effectively saw its population double in a short period. From above it looked attractive; at street level it was chaotic and unstable. Callum details the military response, overcrowding and fights at facilities built for far fewer people, migrants openly stating they wanted Europe's wealth and a better life (encouraged by social media and eager to be filmed), and the wider implications for the EU, Schengen, and the necessity of border control. Callum Smiles is an independent British journalist, formerly with Rebel News UK and now working under Callum Smiles Media while contributing to Vox Populi.. Known as “the unconventional journalist,” he specialises in on-the-ground reporting of mass migration, the World Economic Forum in Davos (where he has confronted figures including Tony Blair, Larry Fink and Greta Thunberg), and related issues across Europe and beyond. Based in the south of England, he self-films and edits his own work. The Week According to ... Callum Smiles Connect with Callum...

It's been a sweet Chicago tradition for 100 years. WBBM's Lisa Fielding tells us how the Sapp family began Rainbow Cone on the city's south side.

It's been a sweet Chicago tradition for 100 years. WBBM's Lisa Fielding tells us how the Sapp family began Rainbow Cone on the city's south side.

It's been a sweet Chicago tradition for 100 years. WBBM's Lisa Fielding tells us how the Sapp family began Rainbow Cone on the city's south side.

Last time we spoke about autumn battle of Changsha. In late September and early October 1941, the Chinese commander Chen Cheng focused on Yichang, a crucial Yangtze stronghold whose loss would threaten China's position and the approach toward Chongqing. Chen Cheng's plan tightened a ring around the city while Chinese forces blocked Japanese reinforcement routes, including efforts to cut retreat lines at places like Jingmen and Dangyang. The battle's pressure was intensified by shifting momentum elsewhere. As the Japanese situation around Changsha became unstable—strained by supplies, exhaustion, and mounting casualties—the Japanese command began to withdraw north. Chiang Kai-shek used this to accelerate Chinese priorities, ordering rapid capture of Yichang within a tight deadline. Inside Yichang, the defense turned tragic as Japanese troops faced encirclement, heavy artillery barrages, and desperate street fighting.    #213 Blood, Rain, and Flags: The Last Struggle Around Yichang Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. While the struggle around Changsha occupied one half of the battlefield, another contest of equal consequence was taking shape farther west at Yichang. The two operations were not separate stories. They belonged to the same campaign, and each influenced the fate of the other. If Changsha was the city whose danger was plain to every observer, Yichang was the stronghold whose importance weighed most heavily on the calculations of commanders. In the autumn of 1941, the outcome in one place could not be understood without the other. For Chen Cheng, Yichang was more than a military objective. It was a wound that had never closed. The city stood on the Yangtze at a point of major strategic value, tied not only to communications and transport but also to the defense of the river approach toward the wartime capital. When Yichang had fallen in June 1940, it had done more than alter the front line. It had left behind humiliation. Three Japanese divisions—the 3rd, 13th, and 39th—had seized the city after twelve days and nights of intense fighting. At five in the afternoon on June 11, a unit of the Japanese 13th Division under Tanaka Seiichi had broken in from the southeast. Chinese troops of the 18th Army under Peng Shan and Luo Guangwen's 18th Division fought a savage close-quarters battle inside the city for a full day and night, while Japanese forces of the 3rd and 39th Divisions pressed from the north. At four in the afternoon on June 12, with Deng Ping's battalion covering the withdrawal, the Chinese finally pulled out and Yichang was lost. Men in high command do not always remember defeat in the same way as the men who fight through it. Soldiers tend to remember heat, hunger, the dead, or the exact corner where a friend fell. Commanders also remember those things, but they remember something else as well: failure recorded in the language of responsibility. Chen Cheng could not forget that twenty Chinese corps had been beaten by three Japanese divisions. At the time, Li Zongren had commanded the operation. Now the chance to erase that old disgrace seemed to be passing into Chen Cheng's own hands. On September 20, he received two telegrams, one from the Military Commission and one from Chiang Kai-shek himself. From that point onward, Yichang dominated his thoughts. By September 23, the Military Commission approved Chen's request to transfer the 33rd Army Group of the Fifth War Zone into the Sixth War Zone for the coming attack. On paper, his position seemed powerful. He now had fourteen divisions at his disposal. Yichang itself was held only by Uchiyama Eitaro's 13th Division and the Hayabuchi Detachment, together amounting to roughly sixteen thousand men. Even granting the usual Japanese superiority in training, firepower, communications, and local tactical cohesion, the Chinese possessed absolute numerical advantage. By September 28, the Chinese units had reached their attack positions, and Chen Cheng set his operational design in motion. The forces on the right bank were to attack first and pull the main body of the Japanese 39th Division southward. The 33rd Army would strike toward Jingmen and Dangyang in order to cut off the enemy's routes of retreat and reinforcement. Once these movements took hold, Yichang itself would be enclosed and crushed. Li Jilan's 94th Army, Li Yannian's 2nd Army, Song Kentang's 32nd Army, and other formations advanced according to plan. On paper the arrangement had clarity. On the ground it had resistance. The Japanese defended from strong fieldworks, and progress came slowly. Earthworks, wire, trenches, and mutually supporting positions transformed every apparent advance into hard labor. The Chinese pushed forward, but not with the speed Chen Cheng wanted. Even a favorable comparison of troop numbers could not cancel the fact that an entrenched Japanese force, once determined to hold, could impose a terrible price on assault. By October 1, Japanese troops outside Yichang began withdrawing into the city proper. Chen Cheng responded by ordering all troops to complete the encirclement. At last the operation seemed to be reaching the decisive stage. The city was tightening under pressure. The ring was nearly closed. Yet at that very moment time began pressing harder on both sides. On October 2, both Chen Cheng outside the city and Uchiyama inside it received telegrams that sharpened the crisis. The message sent from the Japanese 11th Army headquarters in Wuhan informed Uchiyama that the famous Tokyo Asakusa Art Troupe was coming to Yichang to comfort the front-line troops. The Expeditionary Army Headquarters in Nanjing had decided that, for political reasons, the troupe could not be turned back merely because combat conditions were dangerous. Their purpose was morale. That such a message could arrive at such a time reveals much about Japanese wartime culture. Appearances, spirit, ritual reassurance, and the emotional theater of endurance still had to be maintained even when military reality was worsening by the hour. The telegram that Chen Cheng received was very different. Chiang Kai-shek's order stated with brutal directness: the Japanese in northern Hunan had begun to withdraw, and Chen was ordered to spare no effort to capture Yichang within three days. Chen stared at the message for a long time. There was no need for explanation. He understood at once what Chiang meant. The battle for Yichang had already consumed days of hard fighting. Chinese units had suffered substantial losses. But the essential fact stood over every map and every order: if Japanese forces disengaging from northern Hunan reached Yichang in time to reinforce it, then all the effort already expended might amount to nothing. The battle had become not only a contest of strength, but a race. At nearly the same time, the command post of the Japanese 11th Army at Yueyang was confronting the other half of the same problem. On the night of September 30, the headquarters was brightly lit as Chief of Staff Isamu Kinoshita arranged reports, reconnaissance findings, and field messages before the army commander. The Japanese still possessed a valuable advantage: they had access to Chinese communication codes. But such intelligence could not solve every operational problem. It could not conjure food where there was none, restore exhausted bodies, or stop the battlefield from changing shape. By then the Japanese situation around Changsha had become increasingly unstable. The Hayabuchi Detachment, after entering the city, was entangled in fierce urban fighting with the Chinese 6th Provisional Division of the 79th Army. By the evening of September 30, neither side had eliminated the other inside the city. Outside Changsha, the Japanese 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 40th Divisions had assembled and kept major Chinese forces at bay. One element of the 3rd Division had even moved south by truck to Zhuzhou, fifty kilometers away, and occupied the abandoned city. Yet these outward signs of success concealed a serious weakness. The Japanese rear was fraying. Ammunition and food were running low. Divisions operating that deep in hostile territory could not sustain a prolonged campaign under such conditions. More than ten days of uninterrupted movement and fighting had also produced rising non-combat casualties. Men were collapsing from fatigue along the march. Sickness increased steadily. Units that had looked formidable on the offensive were beginning to wear thin from inside. At the same time, Chinese remnants from earlier defeats, new reinforcements, and formations that had regrouped after being thrown back were all watching for signs of weakness. Even if the Japanese divisions in Hunan still had the strength to fight several more actions, another question overrode everything else: Yichang. Yichang was not simply another point on the map. It was a strategic stronghold on the Yangtze and one of the key places from which Japan threatened Chongqing. The city also carried institutional memory. After its capture in June 1940, the occupying troops had initially been ordered to withdraw for rest and reorganization. But Imperial General Headquarters had reversed that decision almost at once and demanded that Yichang be held after all. Troops already on the road had to turn back and retake a city that had been burned, stripped, and rendered difficult to occupy. Among those who had insisted most strongly that Yichang must be retained was Anami Korechika, then vice minister of the army. Now Anami faced the consequence of that earlier insistence. However attractive the gains in Hunan might appear, Yichang could not simply be sacrificed. Uchiyama's 13th Division was not strong enough to hold indefinitely without relief. Anami looked at Hunan on the map—a rich province, beautiful and militarily tempting, much of it seeming almost within reach. But strategy does not reward attachment. With great reluctance, he gave the order to retreat. On the morning of October 1, all Japanese divisions received the reversal instructions, and at four in the afternoon they began moving north. For Xue Yue, this altered the entire meaning of the campaign. Since the beginning of the battle, he had known frustration, disappointment, and anger. Whatever private calculations he may have made about Chiang Kai-shek's strategic direction, Chen Cheng's political influence, his own mistakes in the earlier phase of operations, or the rivalries that had long poisoned Republican military life, none of those feelings prevented him from seeing the opportunity now before him. Once the Japanese turned north, pursuit was no longer merely a matter of salvaging dignity. It became an operational necessity tied directly to Yichang. His staff quickly drafted a pursuit order defining routes, timings, and methods. The document explicitly called for tracking and pursuing, interception, flanking movement, ambush, and surprise attack. This was not to be a ceremonial following of a retreating enemy at a respectful distance. It was meant to be pressure—enough pressure, if possible, to delay Japanese movement back toward Hubei. Two hours after Xue issued the order, another telegram arrived from Chongqing. Chiang Kai-shek instructed that since the enemy which had advanced into northern Hunan had begun retreating toward Yueyang on the night of October 1, the Ninth War Zone was to exploit their fatigue, pursue boldly, seize Yueyang if possible, sabotage the Wuyue Railway, and launch attacks, ambushes, and fierce strikes along the retreat route to prevent the Japanese from regaining their former defenses or shifting quickly toward Wuhan. The purpose was stated clearly: to facilitate the operations of the Third, Fifth, and Sixth War Zones. Xue Yue understood the message at once. The support provided by the Third and Fifth War Zones had been limited and often symbolic. The operation that truly mattered now was Chen Cheng's assault on Yichang. Pursuit in Hunan was not simply retaliation for the threat to Changsha. It was an attempt to buy time in blood, mud, and delay. He adjusted the pursuit deployment and ordered commanders at every level to go forward and supervise their units in person. Autumn rain began to fall over northern Hunan. Hills disappeared in mist and drizzle. Along the roads leading north moved Japanese soldiers under the Rising Sun flag; behind them and beside them, often through fields, villages, and broken country, moved Chinese troops under the Blue Sky, White Sun, and Red Earth flag. Their uniforms differed, their languages differed, their causes differed—but the exhaustion in their faces must often have looked terribly alike. Both armies moved through damp air, hunger, uncertainty, and the constant expectation of another clash. The pursuit, however, revealed the limits of Chinese strength as well as its persistence. On October 2, the battered remnants of the Chinese 74th and 26th Armies cleared battlefields along the Liuyang and Laodao Rivers and found no Japanese left there. The 74th withdrew to Liling to regroup. The 26th halted at Changle Street for replenishment. Yang Sen sent the whole 27th Army Group after the retreating enemy. Ou Zhen's 4th Army attempted to intercept the Japanese 40th Division, but the Japanese maneuvered skillfully and escaped. Ou Zhen pursued them north of the Miluo River for three days, reached the Changshui River, and found the south bank empty. The 20th Army tried to cut off the Japanese 6th Division at Fulipu. At first they could not even locate the enemy, but they did collect large amounts of matériel left behind. Deputy Commander Xia Jiong remarked, with rough optimism, that the Japanese were still "steaming hot" and would certainly be caught. His men ran hard, crossed the Miluo River, and finally did catch a rearguard. Yet the Japanese, intent only on getting away, adopted what Chinese accounts described as a low-key method of not retaliating and not becoming decisively engaged. After crossing Gaoqiao they withdrew into their previous defensive area, and Xia could do little more than stop, rest, and continue to watch them. The 58th Army intercepted more than two thousand Japanese troops near Guanwang Bridge. For a moment it seemed a major clash might erupt. Instead the Japanese fled, leaving behind large quantities of supplies. The Chinese followed them as far as Taolin and then halted when it became clear that the enemy had regained strong ground. These episodes were frustrating, but they were not meaningless. They showed that many Chinese formations had been too badly mauled in the earlier phase of the campaign to sustain relentless offensive pressure. They also showed that the Japanese, though in retreat, were still disciplined enough to avoid disastrous entanglements while shedding matériel to gain speed. The Chinese units that struck hardest during this phase were not those most damaged at the beginning of the battle, but fresher formations such as Xia Chuzhong's 79th Army and Fu Zhongfang's 99th Army. Xia's men ambushed the Hayabuchi Detachment and nearly destroyed it, killing two of its three battalion commanders. Fu's 99th Army fought a series of clashes with the Japanese 3rd and 6th Divisions and with the Hirano and Araki Detachments. The Japanese, eager to keep moving, absorbed losses rather than pause for extended battle. The 99th Army captured so much matériel that transporting it became a problem in itself. On October 4, a squad leader of the 197th Division even shot down an aircraft with machine-gun fire. Yet even here success had limits. By October 9, the entire Japanese force in northern Hunan had crossed the Xinqiang River and reoccupied its original positions. Chinese attacks achieved nothing decisive. The river once again became, in military imagination, almost a fixed frontier. As gunfire subsided in Xiangbei, all attention turned toward Yichang. The encirclement of the city was completed at noon on October 4. Chen Cheng ordered a general offensive to begin at four in the morning on October 6. Outside the city, Li Yannian's 2nd Army held fast against the Japanese 39th Division, which was trying to come in from Jingmen. Altogether, the Sixth War Zone had committed fourteen divisions—more than one hundred thousand men—to the operation. What followed was the familiar but always arresting spectacle of a great battle gathering itself. Small detachments moved forward to cut wire and destroy fortifications outside the city. Artillery officers adjusted their fire with care. Ammunition boxes changed hands continuously. Telephone operators hurried back and forth laying lines. Engineers worked with picks and shovels. Trucks forced their way down crowded roads with horns blaring. Boats were requisitioned along the riverbank, and dark-skinned boatmen weathered by the Yangtze wind moved among soldiers and officers. Behind the assault units stood medical stations under Red Cross flags, waiting for the wounded they knew were coming. All the machinery of battle was in motion. Inside Yichang, meanwhile, another scene unfolded that could only exist in wartime Japan's peculiar mixture of militarism and performance. At the field hospital of the Japanese 13th Division on the campus of Mingde Middle School, wounded soldiers wrapped in white bandages stood, sat, lay on stretchers, or leaned on medical orderlies in the yard watching entertainers from home perform while the dull rhythms of artillery sounded in the distance. The Asakusa Art Troupe had been founded in the mid-1920s and had made its name by combining modern popular elements with traditional stage culture. It had first won over ordinary audiences and then, as its reputation rose, gained acceptance among official and elite circles as well. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, it was gradually folded into the machinery of wartime propaganda, performing works meant to praise sacrifice, glorify the empire, and strengthen morale. When the delegation of more than thirty members arrived at the 11th Army headquarters in Wuhan, the army added a military band of more than twenty men to accompany them to Yichang. But by the time they reached the city, the battle had already drawn close. They could not visit forward positions. Instead they performed for the wounded. The last performance featured heavily made-up young men and women dancing a popular folk number. As the dance continued, the women bowed and invited medics and wounded men who could still move to join them. Kimono and military uniform mixed. Smiles appeared beside bandages. Music from the home islands drifted out beneath the sound of an approaching siege. Then war interrupted the scene completely. Before dawn on October 6, Chinese artillery opened on Yichang with a deafening bombardment, and the cries of attack rolled over the city. As day came up, the troupe members watched stretchers being rushed into the field hospital where they had only recently performed. One of the sixteen-year-old twin geisha sisters, Mihoko, asked the troupe leader Akizuru through tears whether they would ever be able to return to Tokyo. Qiuhe, the famous dance artist in her fifties, answered gently that they would. General Anami, she said, was leading brave troops there and would arrive in the next few days. The child must pray. The reassurance was human, but it was also part of the wartime language of consolation. Outside the city, reality was harsher. For two days and nights the fighting remained severe. The Japanese fell back toward the edge of the city and resisted with desperation. The Japanese 3rd Air Regiment in Hankou committed itself heavily to the defense, flying sortie after sortie over Yichang. Aircraft came so often that some made four round trips in a single day. On the morning of October 8, a unit of the Chinese 94th Army crossed by boat from the west bank, bypassed the Gezhouba area, and landed at the northern end of Huangcaoba. Advancing south along the embankment, it established positions on the Yangtze side only about half a kilometer from the city. This foothold effectively dominated Japanese positions west of Yichang. Mortar rounds crossed the water. Heavy and light machine guns pinned the defenders outside the walls. At the same time, the 9th Division of the 32nd Army and part of the 99th Army pressed inward as well. The ring tightened. October 9 was grave for both sides. The Japanese withdrawal from northern Hunan had by now produced a relief force. Anami assembled elite troops from several divisions into a rapid deployment column for Yichang. For the Chinese Sixth War Zone, however, victory seemed very near. Inside the city the Japanese situation was increasingly desperate. Casualties were severe. The field hospital yard was filled with groaning wounded. Uchiyama summoned support personnel, medics, cooks, ordnance repairmen, and any wounded men still capable of firing. He armed them all and formed an improvised reserve. Then, while this force was assembling, he heard the sound of a trumpet. One of the band members, still practicing as if battle had not reached its climax, reminded him that the more than twenty members of the 11th Army band were also soldiers in uniform. He added them as well, creating a special unit of 388 men. Hundreds of sacks of rice were taken from storage and piled around division headquarters as fortifications. Uchiyama then turned to Chief of Staff Akinaga and said, "Let's not believe any miracles will happen." The line was bleak, but lucid. It meant that there would be no rescue through wishful thinking. If they lived, it would be because they held long enough. If they died, they would die without pretending that destiny had cheated them. Outside the city, Chen Cheng faced a different but equally harsh pressure. On October 2, Chiang Kai-shek had ordered Yichang taken within three days. On the 4th, Chen requested an extension until the 8th; Chiang agreed, but warned that because the Japanese were retreating from northern Hunan, the city must be captured by then or all previous effort would be wasted. Chen launched the general assault on the 6th, but fierce resistance on the ground and in the air slowed him. By the 8th, the city still had not fallen. He requested another extension, asking to take Yichang by October 10. This time Chiang sent no reply. Chen understood the silence. It meant that no political room remained behind him. At 2:30 in the morning on October 10, the Sixth War Zone opened another general offensive. One hundred and forty artillery pieces joined the bombardment. Shells fell across every part of the Japanese defenses until the repeated flashes made it hard for the gunners to tell what had not yet been hit. Then the infantry went in. Men shouted and surged forward like water breaking through a barrier. Hidden Japanese machine guns cut them down in wave after wave, but more men followed behind. The dead piled on the approaches so thickly that nationality itself seemed to vanish in blood and mud. Under that fire, dawn rose red. Uchiyama watched the sunrise from the highest building in the city, the three-story Yichang Bank. After the war, he told a reporter that the sky, the earth, and even the Yangtze had all seemed red to him, as if the river itself were carrying the blood of Chinese and Japanese alike. According to a later Japanese account, messages reached him from every side that morning reporting collapse. Roughly 5000 men were estimated killed or seriously wounded. At eight o'clock Uchiyama went down to the operations room. Waiting there were his chief of staff and senior officers. At that moment the final ritual of battlefield defeat began. A farewell telegram to Anami Korechika was read aloud. Nearby stood the regimental flag of the 104th Regiment, entrusted to Captain Izumi Shigeru before the regiment's complete destruction. Uchiyama then took the 13th Division's own flag—the imperial military color—and laid it over the regimental flag. Officers and men wept, removed their caps, and bowed their heads. Uchiyama's hands trembled so badly that it took him three matches to set the flag alight. In Japanese military culture, burning a flag was among the sternest rites of defeat. The flag could not be allowed to fall into enemy hands. To destroy it was to acknowledge annihilation while presenting that annihilation as a final offering to the imperial state. When the flags had burned and places for seppuku had been chosen, the farewell message remained. It declared that all officers and soldiers had done their utmost for the empire in the final struggle, that military flags, confidential documents, and imperial edicts had been burned, and that it was deeply regrettable that overseas Chinese and the delegation in Yichang had also suffered this fate. Uchiyama then added one final sentence in red pencil: the soldiers of the empire had fulfilled their duty and died for their country amidst the heroic cries of "Long live the Grand Marshal!" At 8:50 the clerk began encoding the telegram. Then Uchiyama said quietly to the officers waiting to die: "Please wait a little longer." The words postponed death by minutes. There was still the narrow possibility that communication mattered, or that the battle had not yet reached its absolute end. Chief of Staff Akinaga summoned his adjutant, Sakata Ryūshirō, and ordered that if the division commander and chief of staff died before the telegram was sent, Sakata was to form a suicide squad, break out by any means possible, and report the division's fate to 11th Army headquarters. At ten in the morning, the Japanese 39th Division attacking from Jingmen launched a new assault under Anami's strict orders against Li Yannian's 2nd Army. One regiment used poison gas to break through part of the Chinese line and reached the outskirts of Yichang. Chen Cheng personally directed the Chinese response, using elements of the attacking force and the 2nd Army to surround and beat back the thrust. By two in the afternoon, only the Dongshan Temple line remained intact among the different sectors of the Japanese city defense. Chinese troops had penetrated the city and were fighting bitterly in the streets, moving steadily toward division headquarters. At four in the afternoon, more than 2000 Japanese rapid deployment troops from northern Hunan reached the northeast approaches of Yichang and at once joined the relief effort. Chen Cheng threw reserves in to block them, and both sides locked in combat six kilometers outside the city. As dusk fell, the Chinese assault units in the city had also suffered terrible losses. Chen Cheng ordered them to regroup, replenish, and launch a final attack after dark. Then, at seven in the evening, almost as the order was issued, a violent gale rose and torrential rain began to fall. Such heavy rain was unusual in the Yichang area in October, and to men who had been living for days under the pressure of siege, death, and deadline, it must have seemed uncanny. The Chinese attacked through the downpour, but progress was painfully slow. At the same time, more than ten thousand Japanese troops arriving from northern Hunan reached the outskirts, fought for over two hours in the rain, and finally broke into the city, linking up with what remained of the 13th Division. At eleven that night, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the attack on Yichang halted and instructed the Chinese troops to return to their original defensive positions. The battle ended not in a clear verdict, but in exhaustion. One elderly resident of Yichang, Huang Jupu, later left a memory of the aftermath more vivid than any headquarters summary. He recalled that the heavy rain began at nightfall on the twentieth day of the eighth lunar month—October 10 in the Gregorian calendar—and continued into the next afternoon. Rainwater soaked the corpses lying in the streets until the water became a deep brownish-red pool more than two feet deep before it drained into the Yangtze and changed the river's color. The next day, he said, both sides sent corpse-collection teams into the streets under Red Cross flags. They pushed carts and worked separately, avoiding conflict, though sometimes they spoke to one another when trying to identify bodies. The Japanese recovery party included Chinese helpers and local residents. They turned corpses over, looked at clothing and weapons, and tried to determine nationality. Some bodies were naked, perhaps stripped wounded, which made identification harder. Since Chinese and Japanese could resemble one another, neither side wanted to take the wrong dead, fearing that a mistake would disturb the heroic souls to whom each army believed it owed proper burial. In the end, Huang remembered, it was the people of Yichang who pooled their money to bury many of the dead north of the city. Later an unmarked stone was raised there, with a bowl of rice and a stick of incense set before it. That image does something military history often fails to do. It restores weight to the end of battle. Armies issue attack orders, counterattack orders, pursuit orders, and retreat orders. Staff officers mark arrows on maps. Commanders calculate reinforcement and delay. But after all of that comes the business of soaked bodies in the street, identification, carts, shallow graves, and local people forced to do what armies can no longer fully do for their own dead. Seen as a whole, the operations in Hunan and Hubei during these weeks form one connected historical drama. The Japanese advance toward Changsha was real and dangerous, but it failed to produce decisive strategic gain. The battle strained the Chinese defense badly. Some units collapsed. Others improvised and recovered. The city was entered, contested, and then fought over again. Behind the forward line, Chinese forces such as Yang Sen's 27th Army Group harassed Japanese communications and supply, turning depth into vulnerability. At the same time, Chen Cheng's offensive against Yichang transformed what might otherwise have remained a local success for Japan in Hunan into a strategic dilemma. Once Yichang came seriously under threat, the Japanese command could not continue to treat the Hunan offensive as self-contained. It had to weigh possession against preservation, momentum against strategic necessity. That calculation compelled the retreat from northern Hunan. The retreat in turn changed the meaning of Xue Yue's operations. Pursuit became valuable not mainly because it might recover wounded pride or even because it might damage the retreating enemy, but because every hour of delay imposed on Japanese units moving north was another hour in which Yichang might fall. Yet Yichang did not fall. That fact is central, but it must be interpreted carefully. Chen Cheng had numerical superiority and fought with determination, but numbers alone could not cancel the difficulty of assaulting a fortified Japanese position under air attack and against fanatical resistance. Time worked against him. Every day lost increased the chance that Japanese relief would arrive from Hunan. Chiang Kai-shek's increasingly urgent telegrams reflected strategic logic, but they could not abolish battlefield reality. Men still had to cross open ground, cut wire, silence guns, and survive fire. Inside Yichang, Uchiyama's defense reveals the same pressure from the opposite side. He understood that his task was simple in principle and terrible in practice: hold until relief arrived. That necessity drove him to arm cooks, medics, repairmen, musicians, and wounded men. It drove him to build fortifications from sacks of rice. It brought him to the point of burning flags and preparing for ritual death while still delaying the final act long enough to see whether rescue might come. The presence of the Asakusa Art Troupe inside the besieged city sharpened the tragedy. They had been sent for morale and appearance, as if cultural performance might reassure an empire already growing anxious about the costs of war. Instead they became trapped witnesses to near-annihilation. The young girl asking if she would ever return to Tokyo cuts through all rhetoric. It is the ordinary human question that waits behind every doctrine of heroic sacrifice. In the end, neither side obtained everything it sought. Japan failed to turn its push into Hunan into a decisive result. China failed to retake Yichang despite concentration of force and a window of opportunity that for a time seemed very real. But that does not mean the campaign resolves into stalemate in any empty sense. It revealed important truths. For China, it showed both weakness and development. Weakness appeared in broken lines, uneven coordination, exhausted pursuit, and the inability to convert superiority in numbers into victory at Yichang. But development appeared too: a greater ability to coordinate war zones, to pressure Japanese rear areas, to force the enemy into strategic compromise, and to sustain resistance under conditions that would once have threatened outright collapse. For Japan, the campaign exposed the narrowing gap between aggressive offensive action and dangerous overextension. Japanese divisions could still strike hard, move with speed, and defend with ferocity. Their aircraft could still exact terrible cost. But logistics, fatigue, sickness, and the obligation to rescue threatened positions like Yichang increasingly limited what offensive success could mean. The deepest memory of the campaign may belong not to generals, however, but to the smaller figures history often notices only in passing: the soldier chewing dry ration without water; the wounded man who blew himself up rather than submit; the old beggar who revealed a depot; the band member still practicing trumpet in a city preparing for death; the frightened girl from the troupe; the townspeople who buried the dead after rain washed blood into the Yangtze. These are not decorative details. They are what make the history real. The autumn of 1941 in Hunan and Hubei was not one clean victory, nor one clean defeat. It was a season in which pressure in one sector altered decision in another, in which tactical success did not always yield strategic reward, and in which endurance itself increasingly became a form of power. That is why the campaign matters. It shows a war whose balance had begun to change, not dramatically or conclusively, but perceptibly. China still suffered, improvised, and fell short. Japan still advanced, struck hard, and held important ground. Yet the margin between them was no longer what it had been in the earlier years of the war. History moved that autumn not by omen or destiny, but by the hard materials of war: supply, timing, weather, command, fatigue, communications, morale, and blood. In Hunan and Hubei, all of those forces converged. They carried armies north and west, into cities and out again, across rivers, through rain, and finally into memory. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. As Chinese pressure tightened, Japan's wider situation around Changsha deteriorated—fatigue, supply strain, and losses accumulated. When the Japanese began retreating north, relief efforts turned Yichang into a desperate struggle marked by shifting fronts, poison gas, street fighting, and heavy bombardment. Chiang Kai-shek demanded a deadline, forcing Chen into final assaults that ultimately failed to secure a clean victory.  

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Welcome back to the All About Thailand podcast. I'm Mike. In today's episode, we're taking you to Nakhon Phanom, a beautiful and peaceful province in northeastern Thailand, located on the banks of the mighty Mekong River. We'll discover the history, scenery, temples, local culture, and the many attractions that make this area such a special place to visit. We'll also explore the local food, where to stay, the hotels, bars, and nightlife, giving you a taste of what you can expect when visiting this hidden gem of Thailand. So sit back, relax, and join me as we explore another amazing part of the Land of Smiles.Link below to subscribe to the All About Thailand Special Edition Podcast https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/lonely-traveler-productio/subscribe

Young mob were treated to a special surprise at the Garma Festival when Bluey made an appearance.

Nick and Hannah head to the theatre for two of the biggest musical revivals currently touring the UK—but come away with very different reactions. It's sunshine, optimism and red-headed charm as they celebrate the UK tour of Annie, asking why this classic musical continues to captivate audiences nearly fifty years after its Broadway debut.  Then, things take a decidedly darker turn as they tackle the West End production of Beetlejuice. With a hit Broadway incarnation and a devoted fanbase setting sky-high expectations, why does this London production leave them feeling so underwhelmed? Is it the direction? The performances? The staging? Or does the transfer simply lose the anarchic magic that made the original such a phenomenon? Nick and Hannah discuss why a musical with so much potential can end up feeling surprisingly lifeless.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: From City Stress to Camp Smiles: A Lakeside Transformation Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2026-07-26-22-34-01-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 李伟和美琳早已期盼这个假期。En: Li Wei and Mei Lin had long anticipated this vacation.Zh: 他们走出热闹城市，来到了一个位于湖边的小木屋。En: They left the bustling city and arrived at a small cabin by the lakeside.Zh: 美琳一直很神秘地微笑，因为她说这是一个“特别的地方”，可以帮助李伟放松。En: Mei Lin kept smiling mysteriously because she said this was a "special place" that could help Li Wei relax.Zh: 李伟对着阳光灿烂的天空，深吸一口气，希望能摆脱工作的繁忙和压力。En: Li Wei took a deep breath under the sunny sky, hoping to escape the busyness and stress of work.Zh: 然而，当他们进入小木屋时，李伟的笑容立刻凝固了。En: However, as they entered the cabin, Li Wei's smile froze immediately.Zh: 他们看到周围都是孩子们，他们在大声地笑着、喊着，奔跑在草地上。En: They saw children around them, laughing and shouting loudly as they ran on the grass.Zh: 美琳大笑起来，她拉着李伟的手说：“看来我们误会了，这里是个夏令营！”En: Mei Lin burst into laughter and pulled Li Wei's hand, saying, "Looks like we misunderstood, this is a summer camp!"Zh: 李伟摇了摇头，略显无奈地笑了。En: Li Wei shook his head and smiled wryly.Zh: 他渴望安静，但美琳拍了拍他的肩膀：“来吧，试着享受吧，En: He longed for peace, but Mei Lin patted his shoulder: "Come on, try to enjoy it.Zh: 可能会有意外的乐趣呢。”En: It might be unexpectedly fun."Zh: 在美琳的劝说下，李伟决定尝试一下新鲜事物，尽管心里还对失去的宁静惋惜。En: Under Mei Lin's persuasion, Li Wei decided to try something new, even though he still felt a tinge of regret about the lost tranquility.Zh: 一天午后，李伟正在围廊上晒太阳，一个年轻的营地辅导员跑来找他，请他协助一个故事时间活动。En: One afternoon, Li Wei was sunbathing on the porch when a young camp counselor came asking for his help with a storytime activity.Zh: 起初，李伟想拒绝，但在美琳鼓励的眼神下，他答应了。En: Initially, Li Wei wanted to refuse, but under Mei Lin's encouraging gaze, he agreed.Zh: 为了让热闹的孩子们安静下来，他走到他们中间，开始讲起他即兴编排的冒险故事。En: To quiet down the noisy children, he walked among them and began telling an impromptu adventure story.Zh: 孩子们的注意力一下子被吸引住了。En: The children's attention was instantly captured.Zh: 他用简单易懂的词语，轻松却生动地带他们走进一个神奇的世界。En: Using simple and easy-to-understand words, he effortlessly and vividly led them into a magical world.Zh: 意外地，他发现孩子们的欢呼和鼓掌让他的故事更有活力，更有趣。En: Surprisingly, he found that the children's cheers and applause made his story more lively and fun.Zh: 看到孩子们脸上的笑容，李伟的心情也被感染了。En: Seeing the smiles on the children's faces, Li Wei felt his spirits lifted too.Zh: 美琳坐在一边，微笑地看着好友的表现。En: Mei Lin sat on the side, smiling as she watched her friend's performance.Zh: 她站起来，加入到最后的游戏环节中。En: She stood up and joined in the final game session.Zh: 李伟和孩子们的互动让她觉得，或许计划中的“安宁”不一定是最好的放松方式。En: The interaction between Li Wei and the children made her feel that the planned "peace" wasn't necessarily the best way to relax.Zh: 回到小木屋后，美琳对李伟说：“看吧，你有多厉害！”En: Back at the cabin, Mei Lin said to Li Wei, "See how amazing you are!"Zh: 李伟挠了挠头，笑着回答：“确实挺有意思的。”En: Li Wei scratched his head and replied with a smile, "It was indeed quite interesting."Zh: 他们一起在湖边散步，尽管不再是他们期待的宁静，心情却是无比轻松。En: They walked by the lake together, and although it wasn't the tranquility they had expected, their mood was incredibly relaxed.Zh: 最后，他们驱车返回城市，车后座上放着孩子们送的手工礼物，En: In the end, they drove back to the city, with handmade gifts from the children in the back seat.Zh: 这次假期不再是简单的逃离工作，而是一次充满笑声和温馨的独特体验。En: This vacation was no longer a simple escape from work but a unique experience filled with laughter and warmth.Zh: 李伟学会了放下，坚持计划外的乐趣，而美琳发现原来冒险也可以是静下心来的片刻。En: Li Wei learned to let go and embrace the fun outside of his plans, while Mei Lin discovered that adventures could also bring moments of calm.Zh: 这次旅行，让他们都重新认识了自己和对方。En: This trip allowed them to rediscover themselves and each other.Zh: 故事的结尾，他们的笑声伴随着车子驶向接下来的旅途。En: As the story ended, their laughter accompanied the car onto the next journey. Vocabulary Words:anticipated: 期盼bustling: 热闹cabin: 小木屋mysteriously: 神秘地tranquility: 宁静froze: 凝固counselor: 辅导员wryly: 略显无奈地persuasion: 劝说immediate: 立刻sunbathing: 晒太阳impromptu: 即兴vividly: 生动地effortlessly: 轻松captured: 吸引住applause: 鼓掌interaction: 互动session: 环节accompanied: 伴随着concluded: 结束rejuvenate: 放松spur: 驱动transformation: 转变regret: 惋惜spirit: 心情gesture: 表示liveliness: 活力perspective: 视角adventure: 冒险embrace: 包容

Sarah Smith, Executive Director of Smiles for Jake, is joined by Emma Sheflo and Chloe Czech, co-event coordinators for the upcoming Miles for Smiles event at Forestview next Thursday. They share what's planned for this year's event, including a special Moment of Remembrance and Butterfly Release honoring loved ones lost to suicide. They also discuss the importance of mental health awareness and the availability of on-site mental health professionals for anyone who would like to talk, find support, or learn more about local resources.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marina the Marathon Princess has run 76 marathons, finished multiple Ironmans, and walked the entire length of Israel. Her running joke, pun intended, is that she's one of the slowest people doing some of the hardest races in the world. Marina is an activism trendsetter who printed "Stand With Israel" on a race shirt years before October 7th.What started as a couchsurfing trip to Tel Aviv with a giant backpack turned into a years-long love affair with Israel, the Hebrew language, and the runners who cheer her on at every kilometer. Learn from Marina about what it takes to do the hardest things with the biggest smile. Follow Marina on Instagram @marathon.princessSupport our work: buymeacoffee.com/peoplejewwannaknowWhat We Discuss:00:00 Intro & Episode Agenda02:30 From investment banking to 76+ marathons05:15 Willpower is overrated — systems and mental tricks for endurance09:00 The Tinder match that turned into a love for Israel12:45 Printing a "Stand With Israel" shirt and losing followers15:30 Why people who visit Israel walk away changed18:00 What people misunderstand about being Jewish21:00 Reclaiming Zionism and reframing antisemitism as conspiracy theory24:30 On Nice Jewish Runners26:00 Closing Remarks

Two women share their journeys through IVF, miscarriage and the long road to motherhood Synopsis: Join us for a five-part series on working motherhood from July 3-31 with episodes out every Friday. This episode explores the difficult journey some women take to become mothers. Around one in six couples in Singapore experience infertility, yet many endure the physical and emotional toll of fertility treatment in silence while juggling work, medical appointments and the uncertainty of what comes next. Host Vanessa Chelvan speaks with Divya Menon, director of Fertility Support SG, who is still navigating her own in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) journey after multiple treatment cycles and a recent miscarriage, and Elisha Tushara, a Straits Times journalist whose daughter was conceived after years of fertility treatment and losses. They discuss the grief of failed cycles and miscarriages, the burden of balancing treatment with work, the financial cost of trying to conceive, and why workplaces - and society - need to better support those navigating infertility. Highlights (click/tap above): 5:05 Emotional, mental and physical toll of fertility treatment 8:31 Dealing with the grief of loss 10:58 ‘I’m going to give it everything I have, even if the money goes’ 12:54 Why many choose to go through fertility treatment in silence 15:23 The misconception that infertility is a woman’s problem 18:53 The two-week wait 22:51 77% of women see trade-off between IVF and career 28:29 Does miscarriage equate failure? 35:45 The costs of fertility treatment 39:19 The Government should do more to help couples 41:04 Creating a supportive workplace Resources: Fertility Support SG: https://fertilitysupport.sg/Fertility Support SG’s Workplace Guide: https://fertilitysupport.sg/infertility-in-the-workplace/ Host: Vanessa Chelvan (vpchelvan@sph.com.sg) Read Vanessa's articles: https://str.sg/gr5Z Follow Vanessa on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/jHdJ Produced and edited by: Teo Tong Kai Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Elizabeth Law — Follow The Mother Load limited series every Friday (July 3-31): Channel: https://str.sg/oMofY Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/8Kbv Spotify: https://str.sg/DELD YouTube: https://str.sg/HnaV Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg — Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts --- 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 #themotherloadSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special episode of A Canadian Celiac Podcast, producer and editor Leah Vlasic steps in as guest host alongside Melissa Secord to explore two incredible events that brought the celiac community together this July. Melissa visits Davis Family Farm to learn more about the Sunflower Festival and Celiac Canada's second annual Day of Smiles, while Leah heads west to chat with a representative from the Calgary Chapter about Calgary's largest gluten-free Stampede Breakfast, which welcomed more than 1,000 attendees and was powered by over 80 dedicated volunteers. Throughout this episode, you'll hear inspiring stories of passion, community, and the volunteers who work tirelessly to create safe, welcoming spaces for people living with celiac disease. Tune in to discover the impact of these events, the importance of connection, and how you can get involved with Celiac Canada in your own community.

GC13 and David discuss the pilot of The Amazing Digital Circus. Hey everybody, there’s a new player character at the circus, let’s have an in-house adventure! It helps stave off the existential dread (it’s nice to have a distraction to keep your mind off of things). So yeah, maybe Pomni’s first day at the circus isn’t the best day she’s ever had. At least she found out what was in the exit, she seemed to really enjoy that. Smiles, all smiles!

Dr. Kirankumar Tamminidi, DMD, Dr. Sai Adlur Janakiraman, DMD, and veteran hygienist Laurie of Perfect Smiles in Nashua, NH, join Howie to discuss their practice, continuing education in their dental specialties, and patient testimonials.Learn more at PerfectSmiles.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Data in Biotech, host Ross Katz sits down with Woody Sherman, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at PsiThera, for a conversation on why AI can transform drug discovery's paperwork and code while barely touching the hardest part of the problem: the molecules themselves. Woody's career runs through physical chemistry at MIT; over a decade at Schrödinger building tools the industry still relies on; founding Silicon Therapeutics (where his team took a small molecule STING agonist from concept to clinic in roughly three years); scaling that platform after Roivant's acquisition; and now leading PsiThera's effort to build oral small molecules for immunology targets that today are only reachable with injectable biologics. The conversation digs into why large language models excel at automation, coding, and regulatory writing but hit a wall when the task is predicting how a molecule behaves, what "physical AI" actually means as a category distinct from both LLMs and traditional physics-based simulation, and why representing molecules as quantum mechanical objects rather than text strings or 2D graphs changes what's predictable.  Woody also walks through the STING program in detail, why the field's excitement over fast co-folding models like Boltz needs a strong dose of skepticism, and what it takes to build a database and team culture where chemists, biologists, and data scientists can actually understand each other. What you'll learn in this episode: >> Why the contradiction of "AI is transforming drug discovery" and "drugs still take a decade and billions of dollars" can both be true at once. >> How Silicon Therapeutics engineered a small molecule STING agonist to dimerize itself through a quantum mechanical interaction that had never been designed for before. >> What "physical AI" means as a new category built on embeddings from orbital-level, quantum mechanical representations of molecules, rather than language tokens or force-field simulations. >> Why molecular representation is the whole game: the limitations of SMILES strings and 2D graphs versus true 3D, quantum mechanical embeddings like PsiThera's Psiformer model >> Why a widely publicized claim of near-FEP-quality binding affinity at 1,000x the speed didn't hold up under scrutiny. >> How PsiThera captures not just simulation and wet lab data but human chemist judgment and reasoning as structured data, and why building a shared vocabulary across computational and experimental teams is as important as any model. Meet our guest: Woody Sherman, PhD, is Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at PsiThera, a biotechnology company designing oral small molecule drugs for immunology and inflammatory diseases, starting with the TNF superfamily. His career spans physical chemistry research at MIT, more than a decade at Schrödinger developing computational drug discovery tools, founding Silicon Therapeutics (acquired by Roivant), and leading the platform's evolution through PsiThera today. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers spanning molecular dynamics, quantum mechanics, free energy simulations, and machine learning for drug design. Connect with Woody Sherman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/woodysherman/ About the host: Ross Katz is Principal and Data Science Lead at CorrDyn. Ross specializes in building intelligent data systems that empower biotech and healthcare organizations to extract insights and drive innovation. Connect with Ross Katz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/b-ross-katz/ Sponsored by… This episode is brought to you by CorrDyn, the leader in data-driven solutions for biotech and healthcare. Discover how CorrDyn is helping organizations turn data into breakthroughs at CorrDyn. https://www.linkedin.com/company/corrdyn/

July 20, 2026 ~ Chris Renwick and Lloyd Jackson spoke with Jim Berline, board chair of CATCH, about the charity's mission to help children and families with needs that often fall through the cracks. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

No one shows up to work expecting to make history, but today's story shows how one small, irreversible decision created the one of the worst days at work in US History. If that “fork in the road” moment had played out in any other way, today's episode would mostly just be me chatting up Texans and offering up some gardening tips.On today's episode: we will be travelling to beautiful Corsica, and learning why people not from there think the locals are xenophobic, blood thirsty monsters; we'll learn how when it comes to architecture and building quality, you can have things done cheap and fast but not safe; and you will hear the term “bleediest” used as an adjectiveAnd if you had been listening on Patreon… you would learn about a few of the most debilitating, teeth-spitting, femur shattering moments in the history of European football; you would learn the mostly tragic tale of the most famous head butt in history; you would learn the unexpectedly crazy history of soccer's favourite shoe brand; and we would discuss the kinds of things your brain can't unsee, including the worst thing I've ever seen in my life, which just happened last week.We're back, and things are beginning to return to normal. Thank you for your support and patience. On that note, as you will notice right off the top, I've been quietly developing an unusual game idea based on an awkward conversation with a dog which is getting rave reviews from testers. It's an odd game, based on an odd story, which you can learn all about on Kickstarter. It is my pleasure to introduce PEE PEE POO POO: The Game of Laughter, Smiles and Farts.CLICK HERE TO SEE IT WITH YOUR OWN EYESIt's been a passion project, bringing this to life, and with your help, its success means NO MORE DELAYED DOOMSDAY EPISODES.I know it can feel weird to share. I made the game, and I still have trouble saying the name without having a reaction. But for an independent project like this to blow up, word-of-mouth is everything. Every share and mention genuinely helps more than you could imagine. Heading to our page and signing up to be notified when it starts (even if you're not interested) helps just as much.WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?During the First THREE DAYS, as a listener of the show:you get a copy of PEE PEE POO POO for $7 off (that's a 20% savings)you will be thrown into a draw for a chance to win three Free Doomsday T-Shirts you could also win one of three PEE PEE POO POO V.I.POO Tiers (a copy of the game, one of our T-Shirts, a paw-tographed framed photo of Eve, and a Limited Edition Golden Turd Card!Spread the word, save the show, share the poo! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nachosharkgames/pee-pee-poo-pooBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/doomsday-history-s-most-dangerous-podcast--4866335/support.

What if you could do a beautiful class four in the same 30 minutes you'd spend on a regular filling? In this episode, Dr. Reza Ardalan sits down with Dr. Susan McMahon, an AACD-accredited restorative dentist out of Pittsburgh and one of the most recognized clinicians in the country. Susan is the founder of Smiles in the City, a fee-for-service restorative practice she built from the ground up after starting her career in a drill-fill-and-bill amalgam office. The conversation takes a personal turn early when Susan tells the story of the $100,000 laser whitening system she signed up for without reading the contract — the moment her practice tipped from "what people need" to "what people want." From there, Reza and Susan go everywhere: why AACD accreditation rebuilds your eye, how she became a restorative referral source for teenagers and post-ortho cases, the conservative European mindset she picked up training in Italy, why diastema closure and class four restorations can be done predictably in the same time as a regular filling, and the tag-the-practice social media system that fills her chair. A key part of the conversation lands at the end. Susan walks Reza through her upcoming online restorative course — five one-hour modules built for general dentists who want to elevate their everyday restorations without slowing down their day. Module one is the class four. Module two is the invisible class three (no gray, no lost sheen). Module three is her five-minute finish — the polish that puts surface anatomy back so composite reads as enamel instead of plastic. Module four is using provisionals as the prototype for final restorations. Module five covers her full enamel treatment toolkit — microabrasion, infiltration, whitening combinations. It's the first time she's put her actual restorative system online, and if you've ever felt the gap between what you see on social media and what you can actually produce in your operatory, this one is gold. Key Points The $100,000 laser whitening machine she signed for without reading the contract — and why it changed her career Why a beautiful class four takes the same 30 minutes as a regular class four — if you know the system The invisible class three: how to finish without gray shadow or lost sheen Using provisionals as the prototype for final restorations — the move most GPs skip The full enamel treatment toolkit: microabrasion, infiltration, and whitening combinations Why AACD accreditation is closer to a board exam than a CE certificate How she became a restorative referral source for teenagers coming out of ortho Why 40% of clear orthodontic cases finish with black triangles What four trips to Italy taught her about being conservative with the drill Dr. Susan McMahon is a clinician and educator whose teaching focuses on conservative techniques that preserve natural tooth structure. She lectures internationally on minimally invasive cosmetic and restorative work, sharing the techniques she uses in her own practice with general dentists worldwide. As an Accredited Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, Fellow of the American Society for Dental Aesthetics, and Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, Dr. McMahon leads one of Western Pennsylvania's premier cosmetic dental practices. She has been named a Top Dentist more than 20 times, including consecutive annual selections as a Top Pittsburgh Dentist by her peers for more than two decades. Find Dr. McMahon on Instagram at @smilesinthecity and @DrSusanMcMahon. Learn more about Zero Trace Restoration on Dental Education Studios. Five techniques that make everyday restorations look like advanced esthetic dentistry — built around systems any general dentist can run in their existing appointment blocks. The course starts on Tuesday, Sept. 15th. Join live or watch the on-demand recordings.

The Making Of Evelina Smiles - SIXDelays, Profit Sharing, and the Week Before Everything ChangesIn this episode Ashley sits down with Dr. Rich Constantine for a look at what the final stretch before a soft opening actually feels like. Setbacks, systems, 300 patients on a priority list, and the first peek at how Rich thinks about rewarding his team.What You'll Hear in This Episode:The Weeks Leading Up to Opening Supplies delayed by the Fourth of July holiday. Design Ergonomics trainer flew in but not everything was ready. Certificate of occupancy and zoning permit still pending over a landscaping detail. How Rich is keeping his head right when things do not go as planned. His mantra this week: pressure is a privilege.Where the Building Stands Software integrated. Imaging bridged with practice management. Phones hooked up. Wi-Fi working. TVs up. Chandeliers hung. Interior signage still coming. Half the waiting room furniture arrived. Scanner still in transit. Soft open pushed back.Training and Systems CareStack boot camps underway. Admin team working through UCR fees, third party financing conversations, patient portals, and building out Q and A for the AI phone system. Say this not that verbiage in place for both front desk and clinical team. Written playbooks and binders being built from scratch before the first patient walks in.300 Patients on the Priority List Rich casually drops one of the biggest wins of the episode. How the landing page, social media, QR code signage, and periodic email updates built a pipeline of 300 prospective patients before the doors even open. What he is doing first when the phones go live and why he is keeping ad spend light to start so he can see what is actually working.Merch, Giveaways, and Branded Everything The T-shirt rabbit hole. Why Rich wants to do premium branded gear or nothing at all. Printful, Real Thread, BYLT, and Cuts all come up. Ashley makes the case for buying great shirts and just getting them embroidered locally.Profit Sharing vs Bonus Culture Rich opens up about how he thinks about rewarding his team. Why he calls it profit sharing and not a bonus. Clear KPIs, collective rewards, and why nobody gets money that is not there. The difference between rewarding people blindly and building a team that understands the numbers. And why you do not own a business if you have to be there for it to run.Connect with Ashley: Instagram: @ashleyjovesddsConnect with Rich: Instagram @dr.c_smiles or richconstantinedds@gmail.comThank You to Our PartnersNet32: The dental marketplace that helps practice owners stop overpaying for supplies. Compare and save at net32.com/themakingof.Studio 8E8 — Dentistry's story-driven growth agency for startups. s8e8.com/vslKasper Opportunity Finder: Fill those empty chairs and reclaim lost revenue with one click. Get it free at meetkasper.com/register.Support the showFind Out MoreThank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above.SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER HEREAlso, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.Questions or comments? Feel free to contact us at - themakingofadental@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram or Facebook and improve your dental practice every day!Have you subscribed? Don't miss a single episode!

Hey there Voices of the Bench community, this is Trish Jones with Ivoclar. If you've been curious about fast-firing zirconia to improve efficiency but aren't convinced it can deliver predictable, high-quality results, I'd encourage you to connect with us. Our new IPS Emax Zirconia offers multiple fast-fire protocols designed to help save you valuable production time while maintaining consistent results. Time is money in every lab. Don't wait. Reach out to your local Ivoclar rep today and discover how IPS Emax Zirconia can help streamline your workflow. As full-arch dentistry continues to grow, so do the demands on today's dental laboratories. That's why Knight Dental recently launched SimplyARCH Studio, a dedicated production environment built exclusively for full-arch restorations. To support this specialized workflow, Knight invested in an XTCERA milling system and carefully evaluated multiple CAM software solutions before choosing hyperDENT. The decision came down to exceptional milling quality, minimal hand finishing, and impressive production efficiency. But what truly set hyperDENT apart was the implementation process. From the very beginning, the team provided more than software training—they shared the knowledge and experience needed to build an optimized workflow for complex full-arch cases. With proven expertise in advanced milling strategies and laboratory production, hyperDENT helped ensure SimplyARCH Studio was designed for long-term success from day one. The Voices From the Bench microphones head to the FDLA Symposium for three conversations that perfectly capture what makes this industry so special. Thanks to the wonderful people at GPS Digital RPD, Elvis and Barb got to sit down with longtime friend Morris Fucarino to celebrate an incredible milestone—50 years as a CDT. Morris shares how he found his way into dental technology, what earning certification has meant throughout his career, and why he believes every technician should strive to be the best they can be. From belt-driven handpieces and gold crowns to running a successful one-man laboratory with just three loyal doctors, Morris proves that passion, relationships, and knowledge never go out of style. His stories are a reminder that while technology continues to change, craftsmanship and pride in your work remain timeless. Next, the conversation shifts to Enja Dorjchuluun from Sakr Dental Arts, who talks about helping lead one of Florida's fastest-growing laboratories while serving on the FDLA Board of Directors. She discusses the challenges of managing a lab spread across multiple buildings, the excitement of moving into a brand-new facility, and why giving back through organized dentistry has become such an important part of her career. From developing future technicians to creating educational opportunities and strengthening state associations, Enja shares why investing in people is every bit as important as investing in technology. To wrap things up, Elvis and Barb meet Joseph Núñez Reyes from GPS Digital Dental Lab, whose journey from Puerto Rico to Orlando is fueled by determination, curiosity, and a love for digital dentistry. After leaving biomedical engineering behind, Joseph found his passion in the dental laboratory, worked his way from the model room to supervising a modern CAM department, and now showcases laboratory workflows through social media to inspire the next generation of technicians. With dreams of one day returning to Puerto Rico to build a state-of-the-art laboratory, Joseph reminds us that the future of dental technology is in very capable hands. Ever notice the busiest labs aren't always the ones working the longest hours? They're usually the ones with a workflow that keeps moving—even after everyone heads home. Real productivity isn't about asking your team to do more; it's about having the right tools doing more for your team. That's where Roland's DGSHAPE DWX milling solutions really shine. Built to keep production moving whether you're milling a single case or running overnight, they free your technicians to focus on finishing cases, serving customers, and growing the business instead of babysitting equipment. That's what real productivity looks like: more output, fewer interruptions, and less time spent chasing problems. Because every hour your mill is producing is another hour your lab is creating value. If you're ready to get more from every production day, discover what Roland's DGSHAPE DWX milling solutions can do for your lab at rolanddental.com.Special Guests: Enja Dorjchuluun, Joseph Núñez Reyes, and Morris Fucarino CDT.

Paige has come back to life unlike Hannah's smile.subscribe to our newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It may come as a surprise to some Mustang owners and fans, but the idea of celebrating National Mustang Day each year on (or around) the car's public introduction day of April 17th didn't originate from Ford Motor Company. Rather, it was the brainchild of the late Steve Hall, originally set up to be an annual fundraiser for his newly founded Mustang Owner's Museum via the sale of windshield stickers to participating clubs. The museum created a National Mustang Day website to facilitate the sale of the window clings and list all of the participating club activities planned for that day, as well as to register for the museum's own NMD events beginning in 2018.Much like the creation of the Mustang Owner's Museum, Steve's idea of founding an annual National Mustang Day on the anniversary of the car's public birthday was well-embraced. And after that first one was in the books, the practice of owners and fans gathering on National Mustang Day has grown into a global phenomenon. For 2026, Mischelle Hall invited the podcast to attend both days, to be a guest speaker at the museum show and set up our Meet & Greet tent.Friday night's Hall of Fame dinner was emceed by MCA past president Steve Prewitt, who introduced the inductee for the Mustang Industry category, Bud Magaldi, chief designer and styling design manager of the Fourth Generation (SN95) 1994 Mustang. Next up was the Mustang Journalism category with fellow Mustang author Brad Bowling, perhaps best known for his unearthing of Steve McQueen's original Bullitt movie car. John Force was inducted in the Mustang Racing category, but the retired NHRA drag racing legend was unable to attend. The final Hall of Fame category, Mustang Hobby, was posthumously awarded to the late Steve Hall, founder of the Mustang Owner's Museum and National Mustang Day itself.Smiles were the order of the day on Saturday, as the cars started rolling into the museum lots before 7 a.m. for the National Mustang Day car show. There were easily over 100 Mustangs on display outside, with attendees coming in and out of the museum and filling the presentation tent all afternoon. The first guest speaker was Angela Graham from AutoBarn Classic Cars, who shared insights about the facility, including classic car sales, consignment, storage and memorabilia. The second speaker was Matt Grev from Wheelhouse Performance Racing, formerly the Ford Performance Racing School. Matt discussed the details of the continuation of the school under Wheelhouse and how they can help anyone take their driving expertise to the next level, whether they are beginners or experienced racers.We were able to catch some of the talk given by the third guest speaker, none other than our friend Emeline King, Ford's first-ever black female transportation designer. Known as the interior designer of the Fourth Generation 1994 SN-95 Mustang under Bud Magaldi, Emeline came down to witness Bud's induction into the HoF as well as to offer the backstory behind her inspirational book, "What Do You Mean A Black Girl Can't Design Cars? Emeline King, She Did It!"This year's 9th Annual Mustang Owner's Museum National Mustang Day event wrapped up with a brief awards ceremony, with each car show award winner chosen by the Hall of Fame Inductees, the Mustang Owner's Museum and by event attendees. They were:Carrie Boschan - Black 1996 SVT Cobra CoupeChosen by Mustang Industry Inductee Bud MagaldiBrian Rosenstein - Grey 1985 GTChosen by Mustang Journalism inductee Brad BowlingMike & Lorie Williams - Bright Yellow 1977 Mustang II ConvertibleJimy Reid - Vapor Blue 2024 Dark HorseChosen by Emeline King on behalf of Mustang Hobby inductee Steve HallEric Hausfeld - Dusk Rose 1967 Coupe Sports SprintChosen by the Mustang Owner's MuseumCJ Carter - Ivy Green1966 Shelby GT350And finally, the winner of the drawing for the 2009 Shelby GT500 Giveaway Car was Anthony Greene – who was actually in attendance when his name was drawn!

Hello Beautiful, I'm so grateful you're here with me. Step into a magical world where forgotten smiles are gently gathered, restored, and returned to their rightful owners. This calming sleep story for women blends soothing storytelling, comforting imagery, and peaceful narration to ease anxiety, reduce stress, and support deep sleep. Let this heartwarming bedtime story guide you into rest and relaxation tonight. TAKE THE FREE QUIZ!

In this episode of the Matthews Mentality Podcast, Kyle Matthews sits down with Dr. Abbie Marono, behavioral scientist, author, and international expert on trust, influence, body language, and human behavior.Dr. Marono has trained the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and numerous federal agencies on behavioral analysis, interviewing, and nonverbal communication. In this conversation, she explains how to better understand people, build trust faster, communicate more effectively, and become a stronger leader by learning the science behind human behavior.Beyond the research, Abbie shares her incredible personal journey through addiction, homelessness, trauma, and rebuilding her life into one dedicated to helping others better understand themselves and the people around them.Topics covered in this episode:How to read body language without falling for common mythsWhy body language often reveals more than wordsThe science behind trust, influence, and first impressionsFight-or-flight responses and what they reveal about behaviorSelf-soothing behaviors, confidence, and anxiety cuesWhy context and cue clusters matter more than individual gesturesThe psychology of negotiation and influenceEmotional regulation and the hidden side of leadershipHow curiosity creates stronger conversations and better outcomesDr. Marono's journey from addiction and homelessness to becoming a leading behavioral scientistHealing from trauma and rebuilding self-agencyTraining the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and federal agenciesWhy the best negotiators stop trying to "win"Whether you're a leader, entrepreneur, salesperson, negotiator, or simply someone who wants to better understand people, this episode is packed with practical insights you can apply immediately in both business and everyday life.Follow Dr. Abbie Marono:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbiemarono LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbiemarono Website: https://www.abbiemarono.comFollow Kyle Matthews:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylematthewsceo TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kylematthewsceo X: https://x.com/kylematthewsceo LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylematthewsceo00:00 Listen to Understand 00:45 Meet Dr. Abbie Marono 02:47 Why Body Language Matters 04:33 Fight or Flight Signals 06:29 Confidence and Self-Soothing 08:39 Reading Proximity Cues 12:11 Smiles and Building Trust 14:52 Influence vs. Manipulation 16:03 Addiction, Homelessness & Recovery 22:15 The Turning Point 23:14 Rebuilding After Trauma 27:56 Back to School & Finding Mentors 32:48 Research, Joe Navarro & Behavioral Science 41:48 Reading Context, Not Just Cues 43:57 Trauma and Mental Contamination 48:52 Intuition vs. Trauma 49:26 A Relationship Turns Dark 50:48 Betrayal and Assault 51:36 Feeling Trapped 53:14 Family, Healing & Recovery 54:29 The Science of Emotional Shutdown 56:23 Healing Through Safe Relationships 59:03 The Hidden Half of Leadership 01:01:39 Joe Navarro's Influence 01:06:10 Training Federal Agents 01:08:54 Building Trust Under Stress 01:12:08 Executive Blind Spots 01:19:50 Why Personal Becomes Professional 01:21:31 Self-Reflection and Shame 01:23:41 Rapid Fire: Body Language 01:28:54 Negotiation: Drop the Goal 01:31:42 Closing Thoughts

Fluent Fiction - Norwegian: From Solitude to Smiles: Sindre's Surprising Summer Revelation Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/no/episode/2026-07-01-07-38-20-no Story Transcript:No: Solen skinte over den store familien, som hadde samlet seg i hagen til det store huset.En: The sun shone over the large family gathered in the garden of the big house.No: Latter og grillrøyk fylte luften.En: Laughter and grill smoke filled the air.No: Det var sommer, og familien Grønnvik feiret med en stor grilling.En: It was summer, and the Grønnvik family was celebrating with a big barbecue.No: Barna lekte, de voksne snakket og grillet, men én person manglet: Sindre.En: The children played, the adults chatted and grilled, but one person was missing: Sindre.No: Sindre, en ung mann med et stille vesen, foretrakk bøker og ro fremfor store samlinger.En: Sindre, a young man with a quiet demeanor, preferred books and peace over large gatherings.No: Dagens plan var enkel for ham: unngå familien, unngå kaoset.En: His plan for the day was simple: avoid the family, avoid the chaos.No: Han listet seg opp på loftet, der han kunne gjemme seg bort med bøkene sine.En: He sneaked up to the attic, where he could hide away with his books.No: Der oppe var det rolig og fredelig.En: Up there, it was calm and peaceful.No: Han kunne høre summingen av festligheter nede, men nå føltes det som han hadde verdens beste gjemmested.En: He could hear the humming of festivities below, but now it felt like he had the world's best hiding place.No: Men plutselig hørte han trinn i trappen.En: But suddenly, he heard footsteps on the stairs.No: Det var ingen andre enn tante Kari.En: It was none other than Aunt Kari.No: Hun var kjent i familien for å ha en sjette sans for å oppdage Sindre når han gjemte seg.En: She was known in the family for having a sixth sense for finding Sindre when he hid.No: Med et bredt smil og en kurv fylt med grillmat, kom hun inn og satte seg ved siden av ham.En: With a broad smile and a basket filled with grilled food, she came in and sat down next to him.No: "Hva gjør du her oppe, Sindre?En: "What are you doing up here, Sindre?"No: " spurte hun muntert.En: she asked cheerfully.No: "Det er en fest der nede!En: "There's a party down there!"No: "Sindre sukket, men kunne ikke unngå å smile tilbake.En: Sindre sighed but couldn't help but smile back.No: Det var vanskelig å ignorere tantens smittsomme energi.En: It was hard to ignore his aunt's infectious energy.No: "Jeg liker å være alene," svarte han litt sjenert.En: "I like being alone," he replied a bit shyly.No: Kari lo og begynte å fortelle historier.En: Kari laughed and began telling stories.No: Historier om rare familieøyeblikk, som den gangen Ola, Sindres onkel, fanget en enorm fisk bare for å miste den i det øyeblikk den skulle vises frem.En: Stories of quirky family moments, like the time Ola, Sindre's uncle, caught an enormous fish only to lose it the moment it was to be shown off.No: Sindre kunne ikke la være å le.En: Sindre couldn't help but laugh.No: Gradvist begynte han å slappe av mens han og Kari spiste og lo.En: Gradually, he began to relax as he and Kari ate and laughed.No: Så smilte hun lurt og sa: "Visste du at besteforeldrene våre en gang gikk seg vill på en tur, men endte opp med å bli funnet av en vennlig elg?En: Then she smiled slyly and said, "Did you know that our grandparents once got lost on a hike, but ended up being found by a friendly moose?"No: "Sindre lo høyt.En: Sindre laughed out loud.No: Tantes historier var for gode til å gå glipp av.En: Aunt's stories were too good to miss.No: Hun reiste seg, rakte ut hånden mot ham og sa: "Kom og bli med oss.En: She got up, reached out her hand to him and said, "Come join us.No: Det venter flere historier nedenunder.En: There are more stories waiting downstairs."No: "Med et lite sukk, men likevel smilende, lot Sindre seg lede ned trappen.En: With a small sigh, yet smiling, Sindre let himself be led down the stairs.No: Hvert trinn bort fra loftet var et steg nærmere familien hans, lydene og luktene av sommerens liv.En: Each step away from the attic was a step closer to his family, the sounds, and smells of the summer's life.No: Da de kom ut, ble han møtt av varme smil og kald brus.En: When they came out, he was greeted with warm smiles and cold soda.No: Familien hans var akkurat passe kaotisk og akkurat passe kjærlig.En: His family was just the right amount of chaotic and just the right amount of loving.No: Sindre var glad han hadde kommet ned.En: Sindre was glad he had come down.No: Kanskje familietid ikke var så verst likevel.En: Maybe family time wasn't so bad after all.No: Hagen i kveldssol var fylt med samtaler, latter og fortellinger, og Sindre oppdaget noe han tidligere ikke hadde sett: verdien av å være tilstede med dem han var glad i, selv om det betydde å forlate sitt stille tilfluktssted.En: The garden in the evening sun was filled with conversations, laughter, and stories, and Sindre discovered something he hadn't seen before: the value of being present with those he loved, even if it meant leaving his quiet refuge.No: Og så, med tante Kari ved sin side, hadde han det faktisk hyggelig.En: And so, with Aunt Kari by his side, he actually had a good time.No: Han bestemte seg for at familien var verdt kaoset.En: He decided that family was worth the chaos. Vocabulary Words:demeanor: vesenavoid: unngåchaos: kaossneaked: listetattic: lofthumming: summingenfootsteps: trinnbasket: kurvgrilled: grilletcheerfully: muntertinfectious: smittsommeshyly: sjenertquirky: rareenormous: enormmoment: øyeblikkslyly: lurthike: turfriendly: vennligmoose: elggreets: møttchaotic: kaotiskpresence: tilstederefuge: tilfluktsstedlaughter: lattersmells: luktenegrilled food: grillmattrapped: fangetstories: fortellingerrelax: slappe avworth: verdt

Hannah is becoming a triathlete and Paige isn't pissed off this week. subscribe to our newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A nationally-touring headline comedian that has been seen on Conan, The Late Show, The Tonight Show as well as his two Netflix specials.  

The couple's view of life stays stateside, but not for long as we get set for another European adventure. Pre-trip excitement, trbutes, entertainments, good friends. and more are part of the mix featurng Theodore Roosevelt, Netherlands Orange March, Fred Astaire, Billy Mumy, Newton KS., our dog Charlie, Andy Williams, Clive Davis, and many more. Smiles and tales abound!

The Making Of Evelina Smiles | Front Desk, Floors, and Soft Opening Strategy with Dr. Rich ConstantineIn this episode Ashley catches up with Dr. Rich Constantine after a few weeks away and gets a full update on everything happening at Evelina Smiles. From hiring the front office team to finally solving the herringbone flooring saga, to insurance decisions and the philosophy that is shaping how Rich is building his team this time around, this episode is packed with real, in the moment startup updates.What You'll Hear In This Episode:The Herringbone Floor Update Remember the flooring drama from a few episodes back? Rich's team found a machine that could finally cut the planks the way they envisioned. The floors look incredible and prove that sometimes the answer really is just more elbow grease.Building The Front Office Team First Rich hired two full time front desk administrators right out of the gate, both former assistants, so they can speak clinical language and step in when needed. He explains why splitting check in and check out responsibilities matters so much in a larger office and why he wanted them trained up together before adding the clinical team.Slow Is Smooth, Smooth Is Fast Rich shares an update on his favorite phrase from training. This time he is intentionally building in time to coach his team, role play patient conversations, and make sure everyone is on the same page before opening the doors. He breaks down why confused patients do not commit to treatment and why getting the team aligned matters more than speed.Construction And Equipment Status Six operatories are fully equipped. Chairs, sterilization, cabinetry, and CBCT are all in. Scanners and the handheld x-ray unit are still on the way. The parking lot needed an unexpected redo and furniture is being timed around construction completion.Schedule And Sedation Plans Rich shares his initial hours, Monday through Thursday from 8 to 5, and his plan to reserve Fridays for longer procedures and sedation cases once he is solo. He also talks about why he works with a CRNA group for sedation rather than managing it himself.Dropping Delta Dental Rich shares his reasoning for stepping away from being in network with a major insurance plan and how comparing the membership plan cost to typical payroll deductions made the decision clear.The Membership Plan Breakdown Rich walks through how his membership plan works through Clerri, including the 20% discount structure, how clear aligners are included, and why tracking a membership plan is the real challenge, not setting one up.Hiring Challenges In This Job Market Ashley and Rich get honest about no shows, ghosting, and how different hiring feels compared to his their startup. He also shares how leaning on a consultant's team member helped streamline some of the interview process.Connect with Ashley: Instagram: @ashleyjovesddsConnect with Rich: Instagram @dr.c_smiles or richconstantinedds@gmail.comThank You to Our PartnersNet32: The dental marketplace that helps practice owners stop overpaying for supplies. Compare and save at net32.com/themakingof.Studio 8E8 — Dentistry's story-driven growth agency for startups. s8e8.com/vslKasper Opportunity Finder: Fill those empty chairs and reclaim lost revenue with one click. Get it free at meetkasper.com/register.Support the showFind Out MoreThank you for listening to The Making Of podcast. If you enjoyed it, please share with anyone you think will gain value from the show by clicking on one of the sharing tabs above.SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER HEREAlso, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. It helps other listeners find the show, and I would be forever grateful.Questions or comments? Feel free to contact us at - themakingofadental@gmail.comFollow us on Instagram or Facebook and improve your dental practice every day!Have you subscribed? Don't miss a single episode!

Dr. Ken "Smiley" Rochon spent a year researching the power of a smile — and built 1,600+ shows, 64 books, and a global movement from it. His formula? SPH: Smiles Per Hour. The higher your smiles per hour, the higher your velocity of income, impact & inspiration.

*EZ's new "DEFECTOR" hoodie available hereNote: "Act 1" is a separate published audio podcast.*Check out EZ's morning radio show "The InZane Asylum Q100 Michigan with Eric Zane" Click here*Get a FREE 7 day trial to Patreon to "try it out."*Watch the show live, daily at 8AM EST on Twitch! Please click here to follow the page.Email the show on the Shoreliners Striping inbox: eric@ericzaneshow.comTopics:*Why does EZ smile when he is giving bad news?*EZ has been getting pictures of feces mailed to him.*EZ had a word scramble.*Spoiler alert: FB and Kelly ruin "Maternal Instinct."*Male Karen flips out on dude as he takes 2 little girls to the girls restroom.*Michael Vick isn't remorseful about anything.*Grandpa loves porno.*Cat hilariously crashes "Romeo and Juliet."*10 year-old UK case of jogger who pushed woman in front of bus has been solved.*UFC fighter says Michelle Obama is a man.*Dana White on fucked up shit that UFC fighters say.*Asshole of the DaySponsors: Lexie Marie Photography, Jenison Pool and Spa Depot, Zalenski Outdoor Services, Impact Power Sports, Kuiper Tree Care, Frank Fuss / My Policy Shop Insurance, Kings Room Barbershop, Shoreliners Striping, Ervines Auto Repair Grand Rapids Hybrid & EV,Interested in advertising? Email eric@ericzaneshow.com and let me design a marketing plan for you.Contact: Shoreliners Striping inbox eric@ericzaneshow.comDiscord LinkEZSP TikTokSubscribe to my YouTube channelHire me on Cameo!Tshirts available herePlease subscribe, rate & write a review on Apple Podcastspatreon.com/ericzaneInstagram: ericzaneshowTwitterAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

*EZ's new "DEFECTOR" hoodie available hereNote: "Act 2" is a separate published audio podcast.*Check out EZ's morning radio show "The InZane Asylum Q100 Michigan with Eric Zane" Click here*Get a FREE 7 day trial to Patreon to "try it out."*Watch the show live, daily at 8AM EST on Twitch! Please click here to follow the page.Email the show on the Shoreliners Striping inbox: eric@ericzaneshow.comTopics:*Why does EZ smile when he is giving bad news?*EZ has been getting pictures of feces mailed to him.*EZ had a word scramble.*Spoiler alert: FB and Kelly ruin "Maternal Instinct."*Male Karen flips out on dude as he takes 2 little girls to the girls restroom.*Michael Vick isn't remorseful about anything.*Grandpa loves porno.*Cat hilariously crashes "Romeo and Juliet."*10 year-old UK case of jogger who pushed woman in front of bus has been solved.*UFC fighter says Michelle Obama is a man.*Dana White on fucked up shit that UFC fighters say.*Asshole of the DaySponsors: Lexie Marie Photography, Jenison Pool and Spa Depot, Zalenski Outdoor Services, Impact Power Sports, Kuiper Tree Care, Frank Fuss / My Policy Shop Insurance, Kings Room Barbershop, Shoreliners Striping, Ervines Auto Repair Grand Rapids Hybrid & EV,Interested in advertising? Email eric@ericzaneshow.com and let me design a marketing plan for you.Contact: Shoreliners Striping inbox eric@ericzaneshow.comDiscord LinkEZSP TikTokSubscribe to my YouTube channelHire me on Cameo!Tshirts available herePlease subscribe, rate & write a review on Apple Podcastspatreon.com/ericzaneInstagram: ericzaneshowTwitterAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/barstoolyakYou can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/barstoolyak

Things take a turn this episode when Liz and Alicia go from arguing to Liz and Jo-Ellen almost getting physical! Ben and Lauren break down the argument from both sides' perspectives. Is Liz really the Queen Bee everyone is scared of??Plus, Lauren clears up some confusion on the Audrey’s storyline and lets us know where the true source of the business stress is! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.