Podcasts about Taiwanese

The other day I sat down with Pastor Doug Wilson in Moscow, Idaho to have a conversation on all things China. I was excited to get his perspective, since he has personally lived through much of China’s modern communist history. I was not disappointed. In our 30+ minute conversation, we touched on many topics including the Great Leap Forward, Mao’s Great Famine, Doug’s Submarine Adventures with a Taiwanese crew, the China Legacies of Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, the Tiananmen Square massacre (and revival), China’s modern-day revival, C.S. Lewis’s 1946 China optimism vs. Doug’s (short-term) pessimism, Hebrews 13:3 and how to pray for the persecuted, and PrayforChina.us’s helpful strategy! Follow me on X (@chinaadventures) where I post new China city prayer profiles every single day. Feel free to send any notes or comments via email @ bfwesten at gmail dot com Find much more about our work in Asia, including my missionary biographies, at PrayGiveGo.us! Frank Dikotter (Dutch, not German) on China https://www.frankdikotter.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Maos-Great-Famine-Devastating-Catastrophe/dp/1408886367 Jimmy Carter’s Complicated China Legacy https://www.crosspoliticnews.com/news/jimmy-carters-complicated-china-legacy The C.S. Lewis China Letters https://chinacall.substack.com/p/the-cs-lewis-china-letters C.S. Lewis, Burnt Marshwiggle, and the Brainwashing of Richard Wurmbrand https://chinacall.substack.com/p/cs-lewis-burnt-marshwiggle-and-the The NBA, LeBron James, and China https://www.crosspoliticnews.com/news/nba-back-in-bed-with-china Pray for China places of the week (Follow @chinaadventures for daily updates) https://open.substack.com/pub/chinacall/p/pray-for-china-oct-13-19-2025 Subscribe to China Compass and leave a review on your preferred podcast platform. Follow us on X (@chinaadventures), and find much more @ PrayGiveGo.us. Luke 10, verse 2, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Talk again soon!

CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR 1900 KYIV THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS THAT CONGRESS IS CAPABLE OF CUTTING SPENDING..... 10-8-25 FIRST HOUR 9-915 HEADLINE: Arab Intellectuals Fail Palestinians by Prioritizing Populism and Victimhood Narrative in Gaza ConflictGUEST NAME: Hussain Abdul-Hussain SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Hussain Abdul-Hussain about Hamas utilizing the power of victimhood to justify atrocities and vilify opponents. Arab and Muslim intellectuals have failed Palestinians by prioritizing populism over introspection and self-critique. Regional actors like Egypt prioritize populist narratives over national interests, exemplified by refusing to open the Sinai border despite humanitarian suffering. The key recommendation is challenging the narrative and fostering a reliable, mature Palestinian government. 915-930 HEADLINE: Arab Intellectuals Fail Palestinians by Prioritizing Populism and Victimhood Narrative in Gaza ConflictGUEST NAME: Hussain Abdul-Hussain SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Hussain Abdul-Hussain about Hamas utilizing the power of victimhood to justify atrocities and vilify opponents. Arab and Muslim intellectuals have failed Palestinians by prioritizing populism over introspection and self-critique. Regional actors like Egypt prioritize populist narratives over national interests, exemplified by refusing to open the Sinai border despite humanitarian suffering. The key recommendation is challenging the narrative and fostering a reliable, mature Palestinian government. 930-945 HEADLINE: Russian Oil and Gas Revenue Squeezed as Prices Drop, Turkey Shifts to US LNG, and China Delays Pipeline GUEST NAME: Michael Bernstam SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Michael Bernstam about Russia facing severe budget pressure due to declining oil prices projected to reach $40 per barrel for Russian oil and global oil surplus. Turkey, a major buyer, is abandoning Russian natural gas after signing a 20-year LNG contract with the US. Russia refuses Indian rupee payments, demanding Chinese renminbi, which India lacks. China has stalled the major Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline project indefinitely. Russia utilizes stablecoin and Bitcoin via Central Asian banks to circumvent payment sanctions. 945-1000 HEADLINE: UN Snapback Sanctions Imposed on Iran; Debate Over Nuclear Dismantlement and Enrichment GUEST NAME: Andrea Stricker SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Andrea Stricker about the US and Europe securing the snapback of UN sanctions against Iran after 2015 JCPOA restrictions expired. Iran's non-compliance with inspection demands triggered these severe sanctions. The discussion covers the need for full dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program, including both enrichment and weaponization capabilities, to avoid future conflict. Concerns persist about Iran potentially retaining enrichment capabilities through low-level enrichment proposals and its continued non-cooperation with IAEA inspections. SECOND HOUR 10-1015 HEADLINE: Commodities Rise and UK Flag Controversy: French Weather, Market Trends, and British Politics GUEST NAME: Simon Constable SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Simon Constable about key commodities like copper up 16% and steel up 15% signaling strong economic demand. Coffee prices remain very high at 52% increase. The conversation addresses French political turmoil, though non-citizens cannot vote. In the UK, the St. George's flag has become highly controversial, viewed by some as associated with racism, unlike the Union Jack. This flag controversy reflects a desire among segments like the white working class to assert English identity. 1015-1030 HEADLINE: Commodities Rise and UK Flag Controversy: French Weather, Market Trends, and British Politics GUEST NAME: Simon Constable SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Simon Constable about key commodities like copper up 16% and steel up 15% signaling strong economic demand. Coffee prices remain very high at 52% increase. The conversation addresses French political turmoil, though non-citizens cannot vote. In the UK, the St. George's flag has become highly controversial, viewed by some as associated with racism, unlike the Union Jack. This flag controversy reflects a desire among segments like the white working class to assert English identity. 1030-1045 HEADLINE: China's Economic Contradictions: Deflation and Consumer Wariness Undermine GDP Growth ClaimsGUEST NAME: Fraser Howie SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Fraser Howie about China facing severe economic contradictions despite high World Bank forecasts. Deflation remains rampant with frequently negative CPI and PPI figures. Consumer wariness and high youth unemployment at one in seven persist throughout the economy. The GDP growth figure is viewed as untrustworthy, manufactured through debt in a command economy. Decreased container ship arrivals point to limited actual growth, exacerbated by higher US tariffs. Economic reforms appear unlikely as centralization under Xi Jinping continues. 1045-1100 HEADLINE: Takaichi Sanae Elected LDP Head, Faces Coalition Challenge to Become Japan's First Female Prime Minister GUEST NAME: Lance Gatling SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Lance Gatling about Takaichi Sanae being elected head of Japan's LDP, positioning her to potentially become the first female Prime Minister. A conservative figure, she supports visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. Her immediate challenge is forming a majority coalition, as the junior partner Komeito disagrees with her conservative positions and social policies. President Trump praised her election, signaling potential for strong bilateral relations. THIRD HOUR 1100-1115 VHEADLINE: DeepSeek AI: Chinese LLM Performance and Security Flaws Revealed Amid Semiconductor Export Circumvention GUEST NAME: Jack Burnham SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Jack Burnham about competition in Large Language Models between the US and China's DeepSeek. A NIST study found US models superior in software engineering, though DeepSeek showed parity in scientific questions. Critically, DeepSeek models exhibited significant security flaws. China attempts to circumvent US export controls on GPUs by smuggling and using cloud computing centers in Southeast Asia. Additionally, China aims to dominate global telecommunications through control of supply chains and legal mechanisms granting the CCP access to firm data.E V 1115-1130 HEADLINE: DeepSeek AI: Chinese LLM Performance and Security Flaws Revealed Amid Semiconductor Export Circumvention GUEST NAME: Jack Burnham SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Jack Burnham about competition in Large Language Models between the US and China's DeepSeek. A NIST study found US models superior in software engineering, though DeepSeek showed parity in scientific questions. Critically, DeepSeek models exhibited significant security flaws. China attempts to circumvent US export controls on GPUs by smuggling and using cloud computing centers in Southeast Asia. Additionally, China aims to dominate global telecommunications through control of supply chains and legal mechanisms granting the CCP access to firm data. 1130-1145 HEADLINE: Taiwanese Influencer Charged for Threatening President; Mainland Chinese Influence Tactics ExposedGUEST NAME: Mark Simon SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Mark Simon about internet personality Holger Chen under investigation in Taiwan for calling for President William Lai's decapitation. This highlights mainland Chinese influence operations utilizing influencers who push themes of military threat and Chinese greatness. Chen is suspected of having a mainland-affiliated paymaster due to lack of local commercial support. Taiwan's population primarily identifies as Taiwanese and is unnerved by constant military threats. A key propaganda goal is convincing Taiwan that the US will not intervene. 1145-1200 HEADLINE: Sentinel ICBM Modernization is Critical and Cost-Effective Deterrent Against Great Power CompetitionGUEST NAME: Peter Huessy SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Peter Huessy about the Sentinel program replacing aging 55-year-old Minuteman ICBMs, aiming for lower operating costs and improved capabilities. Cost overruns stem from necessary infrastructure upgrades, including replacing thousands of miles of digital command and control cabling and building new silos. Maintaining the ICBM deterrent is financially and strategically crucial, saving hundreds of billions compared to relying solely on submarines. The need for modernization reflects the end of the post-Cold War "holiday from history," requiring rebuilding against threats from China and Russia. FOURTH HOUR 12-1215 HEADLINE: Supreme Court Battles Over Presidential Impoundment Authority and the Separation of Powers GUEST NAME: Josh Blackman SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Josh Blackman about Supreme Court eras focusing on the separation of powers. Currently, the court is addressing presidential impoundment—the executive's authority to withhold appropriated funds. Earlier rulings, particularly 1975's Train v. City of New York, constrained this power. The Roberts Court appears sympathetic to reclaiming presidential authority lost during the Nixon era. The outcome of this ongoing litigation will determine the proper balance between executive and legislative branches. 1215-1230 HEADLINE: Supreme Court Battles Over Presidential Impoundment Authority and the Separation of Powers GUEST NAME: Josh Blackman SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Josh Blackman about Supreme Court eras focusing on the separation of powers. Currently, the court is addressing presidential impoundment—the executive's authority to withhold appropriated funds. Earlier rulings, particularly 1975's Train v. City of New York, constrained this power. The Roberts Court appears sympathetic to reclaiming presidential authority lost during the Nixon era. The outcome of this ongoing litigation will determine the proper balance between executive and legislative branches. 1230-1245 HEADLINE: Space Force Awards Contracts to SpaceX and ULA; Juno Mission Ending, Launch Competition Heats UpGUEST NAME: Bob Zimmerman SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Bob Zimmerman about Space Force awarding over $1 billion in launch contracts to SpaceX for five launches and ULA for two launches, highlighting growing demand for launch services. ULA's non-reusable rockets contrast with SpaceX's cheaper, reusable approach, while Blue Origin continues to lag behind. Other developments include Firefly entering defense contracting through its Scitec acquisition, Rocket Lab securing additional commercial launches, and the likely end of the long-running Juno Jupiter mission due to budget constraints. 1245-100 AM HEADLINE: Space Force Awards Contracts to SpaceX and ULA; Juno Mission Ending, Launch Competition Heats UpGUEST NAME: Bob Zimmerman SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Bob Zimmerman about Space Force awarding over $1 billion in launch contracts to SpaceX for five launches and ULA for two launches, highlighting growing demand for launch services. ULA's non-reusable rockets contrast with SpaceX's cheaper, reusable approach, while Blue Origin continues to lag behind. Other developments include Firefly entering defense contracting through its Scitec acquisition, Rocket Lab securing additional commercial launches, and the likely end of the long-running Juno Jupiter mission due to budget constraints.

HEADLINE: Taiwanese Influencer Charged for Threatening President; Mainland Chinese Influence Tactics ExposedGUEST NAME: Mark Simon SUMMARY: John Batchelor speaks with Mark Simon about internet personality Holger Chen under investigation in Taiwan for calling for President William Lai's decapitation. This highlights mainland Chinese influence operations utilizing influencers who push themes of military threat and Chinese greatness. Chen is suspected of having a mainland-affiliated paymaster due to lack of local commercial support. Taiwan's population primarily identifies as Taiwanese and is unnerved by constant military threats. A key propaganda goal is convincing Taiwan that the US will not intervene. 1906

Life, Economy, and Chinese Threat Perception in Taipei, Taiwan Guest: Anne Stevenson-Yang Anne Stevenson-Yang reports from Taipei, Taiwan, a vibrant economy and republic vital to the global economy due to TSMC, the microchip maker. Taiwan is characterized by a wonderful public culture where honesty and personal safety are prevalent. Despite its high-tech focus, the economy suffers from problems common elsewhere, including increasing income inequality, unaffordability, high housing prices, and stagnant wages. Regarding geopolitical tensions, the average Taiwanese person is largely immune to the constant threat from China, having heard talk of belligerence for the last 30 years. However, there is apprehension related to China's grim economic winter and growing concern that the US protective umbrella may be receding, leading to more interest in investing in Taiwan's own defense. 1925 TAIPEI

Taiwanese Resilience and Japan's New Conservative Leader Guest: Scott Harold Scott Harold discusses Taiwan's resilience, rooted in its democratic rule of law and high societal trust, which China attempts to undermine. Taiwanese self-identity is deepening, particularly among younger generations. However, concerns exist in Taipei that the US administration's "Fortress America" focus is inducing doubt about Washington's commitment to Taiwan's defense, a doubt China exploits. Harold also covers the historic rise of Takaichi Sanae as the LDP head in Japan, positioning her to become the first female Prime Minister. Takaichi is a conservative acolyte of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo who emphasized increased defense spending to enhance the US-Japan alliance. Her selection was seen as an effort to bring conservative votes back to the LDP, responding to growing political frustration and capitalizing on sentiment against an influx of foreigners.  1935 TAIWAN UNDER JAPAN

Taiwanese Resilience and Japan's New Conservative Leader Guest: Scott Harold Scott Harold discusses Taiwan's resilience, rooted in its democratic rule of law and high societal trust, which China attempts to undermine. Taiwanese self-identity is deepening, particularly among younger generations. However, concerns exist in Taipei that the US administration's "Fortress America" focus is inducing doubt about Washington's commitment to Taiwan's defense, a doubt China exploits. Harold also covers the historic rise of Takaichi Sanae as the LDP head in Japan, positioning her to become the first female Prime Minister. Takaichi is a conservative acolyte of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo who emphasized increased defense spending to enhance the US-Japan alliance. Her selection was seen as an effort to bring conservative votes back to the LDP, responding to growing political frustration and capitalizing on sentiment against an influx of foreigners.

CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION GAZA PLAN.. 1950 RAMALLAH 10-6-25 FIRST HOUR 9-915 The Trump Peace Plan and the Problematic Role of the Palestinian Authority Guest: Peter Berkowitz Peter Berkowitz examines the Trump peace plan, which calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of 50 remaining hostages (living and dead) within 72 hours, and the disarming of Hamas. Hamas disarmament is a crucial Israeli war aim. The central challenge is the future role of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which Berkowitz argues is corrupt, incompetent, weak, and lacks democratic legitimacy, having not held elections since 2005. International recognition of a Palestinian state is viewed as counterproductive, as it rewards proponents of armed struggle. The plan anticipates a pathway toward a Palestinian state only after substantial and comprehensive PA reform, including ceasing terror incitement and abandoning the goal of Israel's destruction. Given the security challenges and the history of Palestinian rejection of a state coexisting with Israel, the realistic possibility of a two-state solution is seen as many years in the future. 915-930 The Trump Peace Plan and the Problematic Role of the Palestinian Authority Guest: Peter Berkowitz Peter Berkowitz examines the Trump peace plan, which calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of 50 remaining hostages (living and dead) within 72 hours, and the disarming of Hamas. Hamas disarmament is a crucial Israeli war aim. The central challenge is the future role of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which Berkowitz argues is corrupt, incompetent, weak, and lacks democratic legitimacy, having not held elections since 2005. International recognition of a Palestinian state is viewed as counterproductive, as it rewards proponents of armed struggle. The plan anticipates a pathway toward a Palestinian state only after substantial and comprehensive PA reform, including ceasing terror incitement and abandoning the goal of Israel's destruction. Given the security challenges and the history of Palestinian rejection of a state coexisting with Israel, the realistic possibility of a two-state solution is seen as many years in the future. 930-945 Houthi Attacks, Sanctions, and the Implications of a Gaza Ceasefire Guest: Bridget Toumey Bridget Toumey reports that the Houthis, who are well-organized and disciplined, attacked a Dutch ship in the Gulf of Aden and continued launching at least one missile and one drone at Israel, a slower pace than the nearly daily attacks seen in September. The Houthis also sanctioned 13 US oil and energy companies and their CEOs, citing the war in Gaza and US support for Israel. This announcement mirrored US sanctions and may be a precursor to resuming attacks against US-connected vessels. Israel's counter-Houthi air strikes have hit targets but have failed to deter the group, which also exploits connections with other terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). If the Gaza conflict ends, the Houthis might need a new casus belli to justify attacks, but they are willing to invent excuses if Iran wishes to continue stirring chaos. 945-1000 Life, Economy, and Chinese Threat Perception in Taipei, Taiwan Guest: Anne Stevenson-Yang Anne Stevenson-Yang reports from Taipei, Taiwan, a vibrant economy and republic vital to the global economy due to TSMC, the microchip maker. Taiwan is characterized by a wonderful public culture where honesty and personal safety are prevalent. Despite its high-tech focus, the economy suffers from problems common elsewhere, including increasing income inequality, unaffordability, high housing prices, and stagnant wages. Regarding geopolitical tensions, the average Taiwanese person is largely immune to the constant threat from China, having heard talk of belligerence for the last 30 years. However, there is apprehension related to China's grim economic winter and growing concern that the US protective umbrella may be receding, leading to more interest in investing in Taiwan's own defense. SECOND HOUR 10-1015 Iran's Strategy, Setbacks for Hezbollah, and the Chinese Economic Lifeline Guest: Jonathan Sayah Jonathan Sayah discusses US efforts to bolster the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) with $230 million, intending to empower the national identity over sectarian militias like Hezbollah. Iran consistently seeks to arm its proxies, but Hezbollah is currently on its back foot, having lost leadership, money, and the Syria corridor due to Israeli attacks and the new regime in Syria. A peace deal in Gaza would significantly weaken Iran, as stability does not favor the Islamic Republic, which thrives by exploiting regional instability. The morale of the Islamic Republic has crumbled due to external defeats and internal incompetence (failing infrastructure, high inflation). Furthermore, Iran relies heavily on China to purchase oil, utilizing a money-laundering network to evade US sanctions, securing an economic lifeline for the regime in return for natural resources and infrastructure projects. 1015-1030 Iran's Strategy, Setbacks for Hezbollah, and the Chinese Economic Lifeline Guest: Jonathan Sayah Jonathan Sayah discusses US efforts to bolster the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) with $230 million, intending to empower the national identity over sectarian militias like Hezbollah. Iran consistently seeks to arm its proxies, but Hezbollah is currently on its back foot, having lost leadership, money, and the Syria corridor due to Israeli attacks and the new regime in Syria. A peace deal in Gaza would significantly weaken Iran, as stability does not favor the Islamic Republic, which thrives by exploiting regional instability. The morale of the Islamic Republic has crumbled due to external defeats and internal incompetence (failing infrastructure, high inflation). Furthermore, Iran relies heavily on China to purchase oil, utilizing a money-laundering network to evade US sanctions, securing an economic lifeline for the regime in return for natural resources and infrastructure projects. 1030-1045 Taiwanese Resilience and Japan's New Conservative Leader Guest: Scott Harold Scott Harold discusses Taiwan's resilience, rooted in its democratic rule of law and high societal trust, which China attempts to undermine. Taiwanese self-identity is deepening, particularly among younger generations. However, concerns exist in Taipei that the US administration's "Fortress America" focus is inducing doubt about Washington's commitment to Taiwan's defense, a doubt China exploits. Harold also covers the historic rise of Takaichi Sanae as the LDP head in Japan, positioning her to become the first female Prime Minister. Takaichi is a conservative acolyte of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo who emphasized increased defense spending to enhance the US-Japan alliance. Her selection was seen as an effort to bring conservative votes back to the LDP, responding to growing political frustration and capitalizing on sentiment against an influx of foreigners. 1045-1100 Taiwanese Resilience and Japan's New Conservative Leader Guest: Scott Harold Scott Harold discusses Taiwan's resilience, rooted in its democratic rule of law and high societal trust, which China attempts to undermine. Taiwanese self-identity is deepening, particularly among younger generations. However, concerns exist in Taipei that the US administration's "Fortress America" focus is inducing doubt about Washington's commitment to Taiwan's defense, a doubt China exploits. Harold also covers the historic rise of Takaichi Sanae as the LDP head in Japan, positioning her to become the first female Prime Minister. Takaichi is a conservative acolyte of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo who emphasized increased defense spending to enhance the US-Japan alliance. Her selection was seen as an effort to bring conservative votes back to the LDP, responding to growing political frustration and capitalizing on sentiment against an influx of foreigners. THIRD HOUR 1100-1115 Europe Responds to Russian Harassment Without US Lead Guest: Mary Kissel Mary Kissel analyzes the European emergency summit in Copenhagen, convened due to alarming mysterious drone activity over European airports, likely instigated by Russia. This harassment, which includes potential risks like hitting a passenger jet, aims to create confusion and test the resolve of the continent. The outcome, focusing on a "drone wall," suggests that the EU is starting to take more responsibility for its own defense, a long-term goal of US presidents. Kissel notes that the US absence from the prominent conversation does not signal the end of NATO. She also highlights that politicians like Starmer and Meloni are moving toward stronger defense measures, realizing that their voting bases are unhappy with current economic and security outcomes 1115-1130 Syria's Search for Stability: Security Deals, the Golan Heights, and the Gaza Impact Guests: Ahmad Sharawi, Bill Roggio Ahmad Sharawi and Bill Roggio discuss Syrian President al-Sharaa's focus on stability and his pursuit of a security agreement with Israel. Negotiating away the Golan Heights is considered a non-starter for al-Sharaa's survival, as his father, Hafez Assad, is often seen as the man who lost the territory, and al-Sharaa would be domestically labeled a traitor by all segments of the Syrian population, including hardliners. A full peace agreement is out of the question, but a limited security agreement might be possible, allowing Israel to maintain its presence in the Golan Heights while potentially withdrawing from areas entered after the fall of the Assad regime. The end of the war in Gaza is expected to expedite negotiations between Syria and Israel toward a security deal, as it affects the optics of al-Sharaa making such a move in the Arab world. Al-Sharaa's main priority is removing Israeli presence and stopping Israeli air strikes inside southern Syria 1130-1145 Russia's Multi-Front War: European Drones, Space Threats, and Tomahawk Missiles Guests: John Hardie, Bill Roggio John Hardie discusses Russia's expanding conflict, which includes drones over European airports like Munich and Berlin, viewed by Denmark as Russian "gray zone" activity aimed at testing Western response. NATO has been slow to adopt cost-effective counter-drone measures, unlike Ukraine's use of mobile fire groups. Russia is also engaging in anti-satellite activity, with Russian satellites reportedly stalking UK military satellites in low Earth orbit. Russia continues to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure with massive barrages as winter approaches. The US is reportedly considering supplying longer-range Tomahawk missiles to allies for transfer to Ukraine. These missiles could strike deep into Russian military-industrial sites, which, coupled with economic pressure, might convince Putin to pause the war. 1145-1200 Russia's Multi-Front War: European Drones, Space Threats, and Tomahawk Missiles Guests: John Hardie, Bill Roggio J FOURTH HOUR 12-1215 Gaza Ceasefire Talks: Hostages, Disarmament, and Hamas's Reach into Europe Guest: Joe Truzman Joe Truzman details the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, which center on the release of the remaining 48 hostages (living and deceased) within 72 hours, potentially in exchange for a significant number of Palestinian prisoners, including convicted terrorists. The central obstacle to peace is Hamas's refusal to disarm, viewing it as tantamount to surrendering their identity. Fighting has lessened, with Israel toning down air strikes, possibly to show goodwill to President Trump. Truzman emphasizes that if Hamas retains its arms, another conflict is inevitable. He also notes the rise in reported Hamas plots in Europe, something uncommon historically, indicating the organization may be branching out its operations and feeling emboldened, as seen in the recent deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester. 1215-1230 Gaza Ceasefire Talks: Hostages, Disarmament, and Hamas's Reach into Europe Guest: Joe Truzman . 1230-1245 Maduro Regime Threatens US Embassy; Lula's Concern over US Pressure Guests: Alejandro Piña Esclusá, Ernesto Araújo Alejandro Piña Esclusá reports that Nicolás Maduro's chief negotiator, Jorge Rodríguez, falsely claimed a third party plans to assault the US embassy in Caracas, but Esclusá warns that Maduro himself ordered the operation. The regime is allegedly interested in the embassy because they believe opposition leader María Corina Machado is hidden there. The regime, which stole the election, is now persecuting and imprisoning more opposition members than ever to infuse terror into the population. Ernesto Araújo views an attack on the embassy—an action against the "only thing that's sacred in international relations"—as very serious, suggesting Maduro is desperate for a bargaining chip with the US. Brazil's Lula da Silva is reportedly worried about the seriousness of the US attitude toward Maduro and may be softening his stance with Trump, fearing what information might emerge regarding the Foro de São Paulo organization if the Maduro regime falls. 1245-100AM Maduro Regime Threatens US Embassy; Lula's Concern over US Pressure Guests: Alejandro Piña Esclusá, Ernesto Araújo

The 2025 World Championships are next week! What do you need to know before the first ever Southeast Asian world championships? Who are our top all-arounders? We look at the data and tell you subdivision by subdivision  WIN STUFF Raffle: Win a Full Commission Episode for $10! Raffle closes Oct. 7th! Club Gym Nerd Membership Scholarship GymCastic is matching all donations Nearly 50 scholarships have been awarded so far UP NEXT: Behind The Scenes: Live Podium Training Report podcast with Q&A from Jakarta on October 17th.  Chapters - pre auto-ad insertion 00:00 Show Intro – Why This Worlds is Different (No Teams!) 05:19 Individual Worlds Stories – Deng Yalan ; Misha Koudinov 09:55 Roster by the Numbers – Record Entries, Age Trends & Veterans 16:37 All-Around Preview & Draft – Jessica & Spencer Pick Their Lineups 30:00 Subdivision 1 – Japan Beam Standard, Fun Floor, Dutch Bars 30:30 Subdivision 2 – Canada Legends & Newbies, South Korea Beam Challenge 31:00 Subdivision 3 – Kaylia Nemour, Beam Nerd Session, Germany's Glow-Up 31:30 Subdivision 4 – USA & Great Britain, Marta PK's 13th Worlds 32:00 Subdivision 5 – Italy & France, Asia D'Amato Returns, Charpy Revenge Tour 32:30 Subdivision 6 – Romania, Ruby Pass & Australia, Jade Vansteenkiste 33:00 Subdivision 7 – Philippines Team, Host Indonesia, Mexico Veterans 33:30 Subdivision 8 – Brazil with Flavia, South Africa, Chile, Norway 34:00 Subdivision 9 – Neutral Russians, Vault Specialists 34:30 Subdivision 10 – China Anchors, Spain's Petisco, Hungary's Mayer 38:27 Updates – Live Podcasts, Raffle & Scholarships 45:00 Ad Break – Club Gym Nerd Bonus Coverage 54:45 Gymternet News – Russia's Scoring Experiments & Clemson Scandal 1:08:00 Show Close – What's Next from Jakarta WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS PREVIEW The World Championships are here! We are recording 8 podcasts LIVE from Jakarta Check out the new GymCastic World Championships headquarters for podcast schedules, competition schedules, and competition previews The World Championships are coming to Southeast Asia for the first time! What should we know about the host, venue, and format of this competition? Sexism alert: the men are awarded more prize money than the women Why are these championships called a Jessica worlds? How is it different from the other worlds? Why we're so excited for this to be the year of Deng Yalan (China) The story of Misha Koudinov getting the full twisting front tuck over the high bar and why we think something similar could happen again this year SPENCER'S GYMNASTICS LAB There are currently 186 women on the roster which is HUGE How does this year's participation compare to individual worlds of the past? Do we think participation has to do with geographic proximity to the host nation? Or is there a wider trend? What percentage of gymnasts are at their first World Championships? What is the average age of gymnasts at these Championships? Who are the World and Olympic medalists competing here? ALL-AROUND DRAFT with PREVIEW This is a wide open year, who do we want included in the medal conversation? Who might Dulcy their way onto the podium? Jessica and Spencer each pick their “lead group” - the six gymnasts starting on vault and competing in Olympic order in the AA final The United States has won an all-around medal every year since 2001. Do we think this could be the year where that streak is broken? 30 SECOND SUBDIVISION PREVIEW Subdivision 1: The fun floor workers session Okamura Mana setting the gold standard for artistry on beam Our favorite fun floor contenders, Charlize Moerz and Hillary Heron Watch out for Dutch bar workers like Sanna Veerman and Naomi Visser Subdivision 2: The legends and newbies session Canada is bringing legends and newbies: Ellie Black, Shallon Olsen, Lia-Monica Fontaine, and Gabrielle Black. Our big question is who isn't vaulting in qualification? Hwang Seohyun is not here to play around on beam and is bringing a potential 6.9 D-score! Kaia Tanskanen bringing some NCAA realness to the elite world Subdivision 3: The glow up queens session Kaylia Nemour. You might have heard of her. Our favorite Taiwanese beamers Lai Pin-Ju and Ting Hua-Tien are here and might not make a final, but they will fill our emotional chalk bucket Germany and Karina Schoemaier winning the glow-up queen of the year award Subdivision 4: The grown ass women session The United States is here. What kind of performance are we expecting? Do we think Ruby Evans brought her Amanar back? Martha PK is back for her THIRTEENTH World Championships! Subdivision 5: The Italy and France artistry session Asia D'Amato is so back and will be competing at her first Worlds since 2021 Lorette Charpy and Celia Serber are on their no-Olympic revenge tour Thelma Aðalsteinsdóttir has some cool skills she's bringing to the table Subdivision 6: The 'What Will Romania Do?' Subdivision Will Romania's Sabrina Voinea hit and make multiple finals? Denisa Golgota is soo back, could she make finals? How is Australia looking? Could Ruby Pass contend for an all-around medal? We are so here for Jade Vansteenkiste's unapologetic, wine-glass breaking floor routine Subdivision 7: The 'look out for 2028' programs session Finnegan and Malabuyo are here competing for the Philippines What to look out for from our host team, team Indonesia Mexico is bringing some veteran newbies to the meet Subdivision 8: The artistry checklist session Flavia and the Brazilians. Do we need to say more? Why this will be the year Caitlin Rooskrantz (South Africa) finishes in the top 25 on bars Why we're dubbing Keisha Lockert (Norway) as the 'involvement of the body parts' queen Subdivision 9: The very neutral Russian session How will a very inexperienced Russian squad respond to being back on the international stage? On paper this squad has the potential to make lots of finals and win lots of medals. Will this all pan out in competition? Which Russians will do the all-around during qualifications? If you want to see some beautiful vaulting, look out for Valentina Georgieva (Bulgaria) Subdivision 10: The 'we understand the assignment' session  China anchors the competition with medal favorites on nearly every event Alba Petisco (Spain) is coming off a European all-around silver, could she factor into the medals here? DO NOT be sleeping on the Hungarians Are we all sleeping on Greta Mayer in the all-around? WIN STUFF Raffle: Win a Full Commission Episode for $10! Raffle closes Oct. 7th! Club Gym Nerd Membership Scholarship GymCastic is matching all donations Nearly 50 scholarships have been awarded so far UP NEXT: Behind The Scenes: Live Podium Training Report podcast with Q&A from Jakarta on October 17th. SUPPORT THE SHOW Join Club Gym Nerd: https://gymcastic.com/club/ Headstand Game: https://gymcastic.com/headstand-plugin/ Forum: https://gymcastic.com/community/ Merch: https://gymcastic.com/shop/ Try Huel with 15% OFF for New Customers today using my code GYMCASTIC at https://huel.com/gymcastic. Fuel your best performance with Huel today! RELATED EPISODES: Episode - Chinese World Team analysis on Behind The Scenes Episode - 2025 U.S. Championships Recap Episode - 2025 U.S. Classic Recap Episode - Paris World Cup with Laura Cappelle Behind the Scenes - all episodes LIVE SHOWS Experience GymCastic live! ✨ Replay: GymCastic Live in New Orleans with Morgan Hurd NEWSLETTERS Sign up for all three GymCastic newsletters  RESOURCES The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles by Aimee Boorman with Fact Checker. Aimee coached Simone from day one in gymnastics to three back to back World All Around titles, 14 world medals and an unprecedented 5 medals at the Rio Olympics. Get your copy now. And if you loved reading (or listening) to the book, please leave a review. Spencer's essential website The Balance Beam Situation  GIFs of the Week and Meet schedule with links. Gymnastics History and Code of Points Archive from Uncle Tim Kensley's men's gymnastics site Neutral Deductions    

Moon cakes are a traditional treat in many Asian countries that celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. St. Louisans Ray and Leah Yeh, owners and bakers at Foundry Bakery, have their own tradition of creating Taiwanese-style moon cakes: Instagram-worthy pastries whose fillings reflect personal heritage and a commitment to sourcing the best ingredients available from U.S. farmers and purveyors. The Yehs talk about their newest moon cake flavour — jujube, goji berry and walnut — and the role word-of-mouth and key partnerships have played in their products reaching a broad audience locally and nationally.

Taiwanese worry about living costs and their everyday lives while pushing the prospect of action from China to the back of their mindsTaiwanese people are used to air raid sirens and preparations for action ahead of any Chinese invasion, but life must be lived well in the mean timeGuests: Mark Hanson - journalist, publisher White FungusDr Ming-Shih Shen, Institute for National Defense and Security Research, TaiwanDr Jie Zhong - Institute for National Defense and Security Research, TaiwanKelly Sloan - Sloan & Associates, DenverYurii Poita - Ukraine scholar, specialist on Asia Pacific securityLearn more:Find The Detail on Newsroom or RNZ Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Everyone knew it was coming, but when U.S. President Carter announced on Dec. 15, 1978 that Washington D.C. was switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in two weeks, both the Taiwanese people and the foreign community (then mostly Americans) were shocked. On that historic day of Jan. 1, 1979, Robert Parker began his term as the President of the American Chamber of Commerce. He soon found himself forced to act as a kind of de facto U.S. ambassador. Part of the bombshell announcement was the deadline for decoupling: everything and everyone officially connected to the United States would vanish by April 1979. For Parker, this resulted in near-surreal experiences that included helping cobble together a civilian radio station in 90 days (ICRT FM100.7), walking a political tightrope to determine the legality of the Taipei American School, and testifying before the U.S. Congress as American officials reacted to Carter's recognition of the PRC by passing the Taiwan Relations Act… a large part of which was based on his testimony. These tumultuous times are described in his 2025 book (written with Don Shapiro), “Derecognition: How Americans in Taiwan surmounted multiple crises and helped shape the Taiwan Relations Act when the U.S. broke diplomatic relations with a loyal ally” – and this week, we're happy to have Mr. Parker on Formosa Files for a fascinating chat.Please share, like, comment, review - we need your help so that others can discover this podcast.

取…名字 qǔ … míng zi – to give (someone) a name肥 féi – fat瘦 shòu – thin; slim幼稚園 yòu zhì yuán – kindergarten崇洋媚外 chóng yáng mèi wài – to worship foreign things and fawn over foreign countries畢恭畢敬 bì gōng bì jìng – with the utmost respect; very polite and respectful正式的場合 zhèng shì de chǎng hé – formal occasion稱呼 chēng hū – to address; form of address平衡點 píng héng diǎn – balance point; point of equilibrium外商 wài shāng – foreign company (operating in another country)華裔 huá yì – ethnic Chinese (born or living outside China)Feeling stuck or frustrated with your Chinese progress? Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me

Voor het eerst in zeven jaar tijd komt het er weer op aan: de Amerikaanse overheid gaat in 'shutdown'. Het schuldenplafond is bereikt en er is nog geen akkoord voor de begroting. Normaal gesproken wordt zo'n shutdown vlak van tevoren afgewend, en is het een politiek steekspel tot het einde. Maar met Trump is alles anders. Wat dat voor jouw aandelen betekent, hoor je in deze aflevering. Dan hebben we het dus ook over Warren Buffett. De cashberg van zijn Berkshire Hathaway groeit en groeit en groeit. Maar ein-de-lijk lijkt daar verandering in te komen. Berkshire zou interesse hebben in het overnemen van een compleet bedrijfsonderdeel. Gaat om de petrochemische tak van oliebedrijf Occidental Petroleum. En dat ten tijde van een slecht lopende oliesector. Een slimme zet? Verder hoor je over Nike. Ook daar was het lang wachten, maar betere tijden lijken aan te breken voor het sportmerk. De omzet groeit weer. En dat is te danken aan de strategie van topman Elliott Hill, die nu een klein jaar erop heeft zitten. En het gaat over Mark Zuckerberg. Die kijkt mee met alles wat je doet, zo blijkt maar weer. Hij heeft een nieuwe manier gevonden om nog meer data van jou te verkopen aan adverteerders.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe's Premium Subscription: www.standardgrain.comGrain Markets and Other Stuff Links-Apple PodcastsSpotifyTikTokYouTubeFutures and options trading involves risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone.0:00 What Will Taiwan Buy?3:20 Grain Stocks Report Today4:33 Harvest Update8:24 Soybean Shipment Problem10:25 Better Demand for Russian Wheat11:40 Flash Sales

Jin Synth is a Taiwanese sound designer, producer, and DJ whose name has been a long-time fixture in the London scene. Her artistic delivery is characterised by ambience, experimentation, and a never-settling nature. This four-track project on Italian label KR3 marks five years around the sun for the label and showcases the distinct yet complementary visions of Jin and Marco Maldarella, and mastered by Peter Van Hoesen. A recipe for success? We think so. "From many strange places and by many strange roads" is the label's message to us on Bandcamp, and this EP ‘The Neural Abyss' facilitates a new place to explore. When first attempting to describe this track, I immediately felt it was a calling - a cry for communion, a summons to meet, a pull towards something unfamiliar, somewhere to unravel and understand more, perhaps from within a snowy mountain range? I hadn't yet noticed the title, but it makes complete sense that the track is called "Signal." A signal and a calling are fundamentally similar: a message, which is precisely what this music is. The sounds funnel us through the deep, spiralling crevices and dark corners of the mountain. The echoes are hypnotic, fuelling this journey. What Jin achieves here is the expression of a route of thought of her own, providing many paths for the listener to interpret as their own and it's available to pre-order on vinyl and digital now and will be released on Friday 24th October on Bandcamp. @jinsynth https://www.instagram.com/jinsynth Write up by @danpeplow Follow us on social media: @itsdelayed linktr.ee/delayed www.delayed.nyc www.facebook.com/itsdelayed www.instagram.com/_____delayed www.youtube.com/@_____delayed Contact us: info@delayed.nyc

Kia ora,Welcome to Wednesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.And today we lead with news the US faces a federal government shutdown as markets start to realise Trump has no problem being reckless and has no problem hurting his 'friends'..But first, there was another Pulse dairy auction overnight. And that brought marginally weaker prices for both SMP and WMP, down a bit less than -0.5% in USD terms. In fact these prices are now at their lowest level of 2025. But because the NZD is falling, the prices achieved actually rose about the same amount in local currency.In the US, the number of job openings in August were virtually unchanged from July at 7.2 mln as was expected.But the Chicago PMI fell again in September, well below market expectations that it would improve. And the dip was sharp, the most in three months.Also weaker was the Dallas Fed services sector with their retail sector retreating rather fast in an unusual move lower.Adding to the downbeat sentiment was the September report from the Conference Board showing consumers are glummer than at any time since the start of the year. A common theme in the survey responses is the impact of rising inflation.And the downbeat sentiment may well get worse, and quickly. The White House seems to relish a full government shutdown to start their fiscal year tomorrow with mass firings rather than furloughs. And Trump says some American cities he considers dangerous should become training grounds for American troops, proposing 'his' troops be used to fight other Americans in their home cities. It is getting toxic very fast there.For their economy, there is a real possibility now that this weekend's non-farm payrolls release will be cancelled because the department releasing it will be closed. If that turns out to be the case, it could mask some quite weak results. Analysts now expect less than a +50,000 gain.Financial markets are downplaying the risks of all this, mainly because there have been many 'shutdown' crises over the decades. But at least the earlier ones involved parties prepared to reach a deal. Maybe not this time.Across the Pacific in China, their official factory PMI contracted again. But even though it is the sixth straight monthly contraction, the pace of decline was the least in that time. (Their factory PMI rose in February and March, but only by marginal levels.) Their official services PMI for September is no longer expanding. These official PMIs have been more conservative than the private surveys (RatingDog, ex Caixin) probably because they have a heavier weighting to Chinese SOEs. The private ones are more attuned to private and foreign enterprises, surveyed by S&P Global, and they report a faster expanding factory sector, and solidly expanding services sector.Meanwhile, China has frozen imports of BHP iron ore in a pricing dispute. BHP is their third largest supplier after Rio Tinto and Brazil's Vale.Taiwanese consumer sentiment rose in September, but to be fair the bar is low because it has been stunted since May.In Europe, Germany said their CPI inflation edged up to 2.4% in September, marginally above the August level. But ist was a rise that was slightly more than expected.In Australia, there were no surprises from their central bank which held its cash rate target at 3.6%. But even though this hold was all priced in, there was some surprising reaction in financial markets. Somehow the decision was regarded as 'hawkish' and the AUD rose and benchmark bond interest rates fell on the news. The strong currency remained although the bond move was later reversed. Air cargo volumes in August grew +4.1% globally, driven by a near +10% rise from a year ago in the Asia/Pacific region. But notably, North American air cargo volumes fell -2.1% on the same basis in August, the weakest global region. And the pattern was similar for passenger travel. Asia/Pacific and Latin America brought strong growth, underpinning a +4.6% expansion, but North America lagged here too, only up +0.5% from a year ago.The UST 10yr yield is still at 4.14%, unchanged from yesterday.The price of gold will start today at US$3846/oz, up +US$16 from yesterday and a new all-time high. Silver is -50 USc softer however.American oil prices are down another -50 USc at just over US$62.50/bbl, with the international Brent price now just under US$66.50/bbl and down more than -US$1.The Kiwi dollar is at just on 58 USc and up +20 bps from yesterday. Against the Aussie however we are down -30 bps at 87.6 AUc and a new three year low. Against the euro we are little-changed at 49.4 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at just on 65.1, and unchanged.The bitcoin price starts today at US$112,876 and down -0.8% from yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at just on +/- 0.9%.You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston. And we will do this again tomorrow.

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Join Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, as he dives into today's top stories shaping America and the world. In this Monday Headline Brief of The Wright Report, we cover the tragic LDS church attack in Michigan, Trump's budget showdown in Washington, new federal action against Antifa, updates on James Comey and John Brennan, immigration battles over Guatemalan children, China's deepening grip on the Pacific, and promising medical research out of California. Quick hits to launch your week with the facts shaping America and the world.   Michigan LDS Church Attack: A man drove his car into an LDS church, set it ablaze, and killed members at gunpoint. At least 11 were shot and three are confirmed dead. Early reports suggest the killer's mother was a church member. Bryan calls it “a very hard morning in Michigan” and urges prayers for the families.   Trump's Budget Showdown and Supreme Court Ruling: With a government shutdown looming, Trump meets lawmakers knowing he holds the stronger hand. “Trump wins in either case,” the Washington Post observed, since a shutdown gives him unilateral power to cut programs and staff. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled he can withhold $4 billion in foreign aid, pushing executive power back to Jeffersonian levels.   Antifa Declared Terror Group and Troops Sent to Portland: Days after Trump designated Antifa as domestic terrorists, he ordered 2,000 National Guardsmen to Portland. “I am authorizing Full Force, if necessary,” Trump posted, after repeated ICE attacks. AG Pam Bondi said, “We're witnessing a new era of political violence,” vowing to use Joint Terrorism Task Forces to dismantle leftist extremists.   Comey Indictment and Brennan Warnings: James Comey's indictment centers on whether he lied under oath about leaking FBI documents. His own lawyer admitted to helping him “get information out” to the press. Trump says “there will be others” prosecuted, with Brennan admitting he may be next but insisting his actions were “consistent with the law.”   Guatemalan Parents Reject Their Children: Tens of thousands of kids trafficked north under Biden remain in U.S. custody after Guatemalan parents refused to take them back. Bryan asks if taxpayers should now become “the world's orphanage.”   China Expands Grip in the Pacific: Trump considers shifting U.S. policy to “oppose” Taiwanese independence, aligning closer with Xi. Beijing secured a policing deal in Vanuatu and continues buying influence in the Solomons. Reuters reports China is even training villagers to spy on neighbors, reviving Mao-era tactics.   Medical News from California: UC Irvine and UC San Diego researchers reversed vision loss in mice using polyunsaturated fatty acid injections, opening potential therapies for age-related macular degeneration. Bryan jokes, “If you're the first to ditch reader glasses, I demand you tell me about it.”   "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32     Keywords: Michigan LDS church shooting fire, Trump government shutdown budget fight, Supreme Court foreign aid ruling, Antifa domestic terror Portland National Guard, AG Pam Bondi political violence JTTF, James Comey indictment leaks oath, John Brennan CIA Russia ICA testimony, Guatemalan migrant children deportation refusal, Trump Taiwan independence oppose policy, China policing deal Vanuatu Solomon Islands influence, UC Irvine UC San Diego macular degeneration fatty acids

For episode 607 of the BlockHash Podcast, host Brandon Zemp is joined by Michael Heinrich, CEO of 0G Labs.Michael Heinrich is a Stanford graduate who previously worked at Garten as a Founder and CEO. A Top 100 Entrepreneur of 2022, Michael has had his work published in journals ranging from Harvard Business Review to Hacking Consciousness. While at Stanford he was nominated to work with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to transform Taiwanese entrepreneurial education. His previous company Garten was accepted into YCombinator in 2016 and raised multiple rounds, eventually achieving unicorn status. With 0G Labs, Michael is leading the development of the first modular AI chain to support off-chain data verification. ⏳ Timestamps: (0:00) Introduction(1:30) Korea Blockchain Week(2:35) Update on 0G Labs in 2025(5:52) New AI Model breakthrough(8:50) Use-cases(13:46) 0G’s modular L1(15:50) Future of DeAI(24:00) 0G Labs roadmap

比特幣 bǐ tè bì – Bitcoin虛擬貨幣交易所 xū nǐ huò bì jiāo yì suǒ – cryptocurrency exchange幣託 Bì tuō – BitoPro區塊鏈 qū kuài liàn – blockchain以太幣 yǐ tài bì – Ethereum (ETH), a popular cryptocurrency泰達幣 tài dá bì – Tether (USDT), a stablecoin cryptocurrency出入金 chū rù jīn – deposit and withdrawal (of funds, typically in trading platforms)手續費 shǒu xù fèi – transaction fee; handling charge駭客 hài kè – hacker入侵 rù qīn – to hack into; to invade得手 dé shǒu – to succeed in stealing; to succeed in a theft or attack拋售 pāo shòu – to dump; to sell off (assets quickly)洗去 xǐ qù – to wash away; in this context, to launder or obscure (money trail)資金流向 zī jīn liú xiàng – the flow/direction of funds擔憂 dān yōu – to worry; to be concerned用戶 yòng hù – user; account holder (of a platform)資產 zī chǎn – asset(s)加值 jiā zhí – to add value; to recharge (an account)提款 tí kuǎn – to withdraw money交易 jiāo yì – transaction; trade冷錢包 lěng qián bāo – cold wallet (a cryptocurrency wallet not connected to the internet for better security)啟動 qǐ dòng – to activate; to initiate緊急應變機制 jǐn jí yìng biàn jī zhì – emergency response mechanism阻斷 zǔ duàn – to block; to cut off (an attack or connection)規範 guī fàn – regulation; standard; to regulate資產分散 zī chǎn fēn sàn – asset diversification; spreading out your assets to reduce riskIf you're ready to take your Chinese to the next level, not just memorizing words but actually having meaningful conversations with Taiwanese people about real topics like politics, culture, war, news, economics, and more. I invite you to join a one-on-one trial lesson with me. I'll help you build a clear, personalized plan so you can speak more naturally and truly connect with others in Chinese. Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me !

感謝歐歐從聽眾時期就很支持節目，自告奮勇報名當來賓～這集聊了她在英國工作的一些經歷，並將與印度男友的故事聊給我們聽。他們在疫情期間一認識就開始同居的生活，到底怎麼面對文化差異？祝福歐歐接下來訪問北印平安順利，下次再來聊。 如果有興趣的聽眾也歡迎在英文頻道收聽他們的故事 Chai with Ping | Ep108 Who Stole My Ice-cream? Taiwanese & Indian Couple in the UK ft. OuOu & Rohit 如果你喜歡這個單集，我推薦這些相關單集給你。 ➡️ [歐洲] Ep112 在童話王國丹麥的視窗 ft. Danielson (2) ➡️ [歐洲] Ep103 異國戀的辛酸/戰敗國的悲情/勇闖布達佩斯 ft. Engama ➡️ [歐洲] Ep91 從台灣到芬蘭極地導覽/隨手投履歷就上了 ft. 北國老虎 Ralph ➡️ [文化] Ep66 愛在肯亞十多年 | Michelle Ko ➡️ [北美] Ep93 抽籤移民到美國 | 洋甘菊 ➡️ [亞洲] Ep97 蒙古媳婦不住蒙古包 ft. Rau (2)

OuOu and Rohit met in the university and started living together during COVID time. How do Taiwaneses and Indians get along? What happened to the ice-cream? What cultural adjustments did they experience? How did they get through differences and move forward in their relationship in such a close proximity?OuOu has a Mandarin episode on my other channel.Search 香料茶時間If you enjoy this episode, I recommend...➡️ Ep96 Doc Student from Chennai to Colorado w/ Sneha➡️ Ep92 From Taiwan to Finland (Part 2) w/ Ralph➡️ Ep90 I'm From Georgia, the Country w/ Elene➡️ Ep84 South Indian & Private School w/ Daphne ➡️ Ep76 Learning Hindi in India w/ Sarah➡️ Ep68Teaching ESL in China w/ Kevin Foslund

On the latest edition of Hoosier Ag This Week: Indiana farmers were at the statehouse this week to participate in corn and soybean purchase commitments by a Taiwanese delegation and we were there too to get the story. Eric Pfeiffer reports from a Canadian potash mine, and vomitoxin in corn is something to be on the lookout for this harvest. Speaking of harvest, C.J. Miller has an update from southwest Indiana fields, and we address ways to keep harvest safe. Chief Meteorologist Ryan Martin is looking at a lengthy harvest window with the new Harvest Weather Forecast presented by Beacon Credit Union. Plus, Brian Basting with Advance Trading reviews Friday's grain markets. That's all part of the Hoosier Ag This Week Podcast!

Indiana Pacers matriarch Nancy Leonard passed away Tuesday evening at the age of 93. Governor Mike Braun signed letters of intent Thursday with Taiwanese officials to purchase nearly six point four billion dollars of Indiana corn and soybeans over the next four years. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. will release the results of a forensic examination into the agency and its partners once a legal review is completed next week. A new report outlines how courts could reduce eviction filings and ease the impact on families. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and follow us on social media to get comprehensive analysis and local news daily. Subscribe to WFYI News Now wherever you get your podcasts. WFYI News Now is produced by Zach Bundy and Abriana Herron, with support from News Director Sarah Neal-Estes.

Preview: Steve Yates explains how the People's Republic of China uses comments by the President about trading Taiwan as propaganda to undermine the Taiwanese people's confidence in the United States. 1925 TAIPEI

On this episode of The Kara Goldin Show, we're joined by Hannah Cheng, Co-Founder and CEO of Mimi Cheng's — the cult-favorite dumpling brand on a mission to bring family recipes to the world in a fresh, modern way. What began in 2014 as a small New York City dumpling shop, inspired by Hannah and her sister Marian's mom's recipes, has grown into a thriving brand with restaurants, ready-to-eat Taiwanese meals, and soon frozen dumplings launching nationwide at Whole Foods in Fall 2025.In our conversation, Hannah shares her journey from JP Morgan's trading floor to running one of NYC's most beloved dumpling spots, and how she balanced Wall Street with entrepreneurship during the early years. We dive into what has allowed Mimi Cheng's to thrive for over a decade in a notoriously tough industry, why staying self-funded and self-operated has been key, and what it takes to expand from restaurants into CPG. Hannah also opens up about building a business with her sister, her favorite collaborations, the lessons she's learned as an angel investor, and her vision for turning Mimi Cheng's into more than a meal — but a lifestyle brand.Whether you're a foodie, a founder, or simply someone who loves a great family business story, this episode is full of inspiration and insight you won't want to miss. Now on The Kara Goldin Show. Are you interested in sponsoring and advertising on The Kara Goldin Show, which is now in the Top 1% of Entrepreneur podcasts in the world? Let me know by contacting me at karagoldin@gmail.com. You can also find me @‌KaraGoldin on all networks. To learn more about Hannah Cheng and Mimi Cheng's:https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-cheng-9480bb7/https://www.instagram.com/hannahjcheng/https://www.instagram.com/mimichengs/https://www.mimichengs.com/ Sponsored By:Apple Card - Visit apple.co/cardcalculator today and discover just how much Daily Cash you can earn.Shopify - Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at Shopify.com/karaLinkedIn Jobs - Head to LinkedIn.com/KaraGoldin to post your job for free.Boll & Branch. Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at BollAndBranch.com/KARAGOLDIN Check out our website to view this episode's show notes: https://karagoldin.com/podcast/745 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tristan Tang discusses Taiwan's security dilemma in the face of increasing threats from China. The conversation explores the Taiwanese perspective on military preparedness, defense spending, and the expectations of U.S. support in the event of a conflict. Tristan shares insights on the societal attitudes towards the threat of invasion, the military strategies being employed, and the potential consequences of a Chinese takeover. The discussion concludes with Tristan's wishes for Taiwan's future, emphasizing the need for peace, political harmony, and strong U.S. military presence in the region.K. Tristan Tang is an associate fellow at the Research Project on China's Defense Affairs, Secure Taiwan Associate Corporation, and a member of the Pacific Forum's Young Leaders Program. His research focuses on China's defense industry and the People's Liberation Army. His work has appeared in the U.S. Naval War College's CMSI Note, U.S. Air University's Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, the Jamestown Foundation's China Brief, the Pacific Forum's PacNet, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute's The Strategist, and The Diplomat. He frequently posts overview maps of PLA activities around Taiwan and across the Pacific on X (@KTristanTang) and LinkedIn. He is also the founder of KTT's wargame, a popular science simulation of cross-strait conflict scenarios designed for non-military experts and the general public.Socials:Follow on Twitter at @NucleCastFollow on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/nuclecastpodcastSubscribe RSS Feed: https://rss.com/podcasts/nuclecast-podcast/Rate: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuclecast/id1644921278Email comments and topic/guest suggestions to NucleCast@anwadeter.org

Great leaders know there's no one-size-fits-all formula. In this episode, Bill Scherkenbach and Andrew Stotz discuss practical lessons on how to connect with people on physical, logical, and emotional levels to truly get things done.  Discover why balancing “me” and “we” is the secret to lasting results—and why empathy might be your most powerful leadership tool. Tune in now and start rewriting your own leadership playbook. (You can view the slides from the podcast here.) TRANSCRIPT 0:00:02.1 Andrew Stotz: My name is Andrew Stotz, and I'll be your host as we dive deeper into the teachings of Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Today, I'm continuing my discussion with Bill Scherkenbach, a dedicated protégé of Dr. Deming since 1972. Bill met with Dr. Deming more than a thousand times and later led statistical methods and process improvements at Ford and GM at Deming's recommendation. He authored The Deming Route to Quality and Productivity at Deming's behest, and at 79, still champions his mentor's message, "learn, have fun, and make a difference." And the episode today is Getting Things Done. Bill, take it away.   0:00:41.5 Bill Scherkenbach: Okay, Andrew. We will get 'er done today. The reason I put that on there is that in many of his seminars, Deming said that, "I am not a businessman and not trying to be one." But you need to think about these things. And his approach really was to improving organizations was to put people who he thought were masters of his teachings into organizations, and they would be there full time to facilitate the transformation when he wasn't there, such as Ford and GM and a few other companies. There were a few of us who he trusted to be able to be there to get things done. And I'm reminded of the philosopher, the Asian, Chinese philosopher, Mencius, and I'll read it there. It says, "Don't suspect that the king lacks wisdom. Even in the cases of things that grow most easily in the world, they would never grow up if they were exposed to sunshine for one day and then to cold for 10 days. And it's seldom that I have an audience with the king. And when I leave others who exposed him to cold arrive, even if what I say to him is taking root, what good does it do?"   0:02:35.7 Bill Scherkenbach: And quite honestly, that's the lament of every consultant trying to get stuff done in today's world, in Western style management. And so one of the things in this slide, the framework for getting things done, for having fun learning and making a difference, is one of the two, I think, major contributions I do say that I've made to the profession of quality. And that is using this Venn diagram to be able to show that even though other people have used other terms for physical, logical, and emotional, that there usually have been holy wars being fought by people who say, "Well, emotional is better. That's how you get stuff done." And other people saying logic and other people saying physical. And in fact, I think in the last time we spoke, the three major gurus of quality were those ships sailing in the night. Dr. Deming was the epitome of logical thinking, whereas Phil Crosby was looking for the wine and cheese parties and the emotional sell part of it. And Joe Duran was looking at physical, how are you going to organize to get stuff done? Now, they all had their followers who were pretty much on those frequencies, and they reached people in other frequencies. I came up with this idea for the Venn diagram to show no hierarchy, I guess back in 1987, something like that.   0:04:49.3 Andrew Stotz: And for the listeners out there, we're looking at a diagram that shows one circle that says physical, that's interlocked with another one that says logical, and then there's a third, a Venn diagram, that third is emotional. And so those are the three pillars that Bill's talking about. All right, keep going, because you got stuff in the middle too, which is interesting.   0:05:16.1 Bill Scherkenbach: And the thing is that I based it primarily at the time in the mid-60s, there was a theory of brain structure called the triune brain. Now, and it was the limbic system, the neocortex, and the R-complex. And pretty much followed the logical, emotional, physical words that I'm using. Now, our understanding of the brain in the decades up through now, it's a little bit more complicated than that. But physical, logical, and emotional is in all of us. In our body, I mean, the latest looks at neural connections extend to your gut. And nerves are just about everywhere and connected, and that the way the brain works is still not even fully, not begun to be fully understood. Having said that, in order to get stuff done, this Venn diagram shows very, very simply that the intersection of physical and logical, I put as science. It's the logical explanation of physical phenomenon. And the intersection of logical and emotional is psychology, logic of the soul. And the intersection of emotional and physical is art. All art is is the emotional interpretation of sensory input, whether it's a great meal, whether it's a Mona Lisa picture.   0:07:27.9 Bill Scherkenbach: But what will make one person absolutely swoon will make another person barf. So it's all personal, but it's physical, logical, and emotional is in all of us. And in the center, we're looking at what Eastern philosophies call harmony, where all of these are working together. And Western philosophies would call them peak experiences. And it's where the whole can be a lot greater than the sum of its parts, but with some slight changes can be a whole lot less than the sum of its parts.   0:08:14.3 Andrew Stotz: Great. I like the harmony in the middle. That's the challenge, really. Now, just out of curiosity, is harmony the goal? Is that what you're thinking with that being at the center? Or what is the meaning of harmony being in the middle?   0:08:28.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. When I apply this to the individual, harmony would be the goal. When I'm applying it to an organization, the larger an organization grows, the more you really need to use this overarching approach. And the reason I say that is, and it doesn't happen all the time, but most of the time when we're starting up a company, you want to surround yourself with fine people just like yourself. And so if you have a particular way of getting stuff done, you're going to hire people or surround yourself with people that are just like that, and everything is fine. But the more you grow the company, the more you're going to get people that are absolutely vital to your organization that aren't on those frequencies. And certainly, if you're in international business, you're trying to sell things to the world that in the larger the group of people, the more you have to be broadcasting on the physical, logical, and emotional frequencies. I mean, one of the first things that I did at GM when I joined was looked at the policy letters that Alfred Sloan wrote. And Sloan, it was very interesting because in any policy, Sloan had a paragraph that said, "make no mistake about it, this is what we're going to do."   0:10:31.8 Bill Scherkenbach: That's a physical frequency. In the Navy, it's shut up and fly wing. And so make no mistake about it, this is our policy. The second paragraph had, well, this is a little bit why we're doing it. And to be able to get the, and I don't know whether he was thinking that, but to my mind, it was brilliant. He was explained things. And the third paragraph or so in the policy letter was something that would instill the GM spirit, that there's something to do with the values. Hugely, hugely prescient in my viewpoint, but he's Sloan, I'm me, so he knew what he was doing.   0:11:29.9 Andrew Stotz: For people that don't know Alfred Sloan, he took over and was running General Motors at the time when Ford had, I don't know, 50% of the market share by producing one vehicle. And part of the brilliance of Sloan was the idea of building a lineup of different brands that went from the low all the way up to the high of Cadillac. And within a short period of time, he managed to flip things and grab the majority of the market share from Ford at the time, as I recall. Now, I don't recall it from being there, but I recall from reading about it.   0:12:12.3 Bill Scherkenbach: There you go. There you go. Yeah, having saying that, he offered those by buying the various little auto companies, littler auto companies to put that conglomerate together. But as people who have read my works, specifically my second book, The Deming's Road to Continual Improvement, this change philosophy is in there. And as I said, that's one of, I think, my major contributions to the field of quality. The other one being in a process model back in '86, we also were learning about Taguchi, Genichi Taguchi's approach to customers and the loss function, and he used the title or the terminology voice of the customer. And it occurred to me in our process definition, there was something called the voice of the process to go along. And so the voice, I introduced the voice of the process, and the job of anyone is to reduce the gap between the voice of the customer and the voice of the process. And I mentioned that because this matrix that we're showing now has physical, logical, and emotional, and the various process states that you could be in, there's a dependent state where you're completely dependent upon your customers or suppliers.   0:14:00.9 Bill Scherkenbach: There's an independent state where it's just you and an interdependent state. And I have that cross-reference with physical, logical, and emotional. In dependent state, it's essentially feed me, teach me, love me, do it for me, teach me, and love me. Now, in the independent, it's, I do it, I understand what I do, and I take great joy in doing what I do. And in the interdependent is, we do it. I understand how what I do helps optimize our process, and I take great joy in belonging to this team. And joy is the ultimate goal of what Dr. Deming had said for years, the ability to take joy in one's work. Now, I mean, every one of us starts out in life as dependent. It's feed me, teach me, love me, newborns, parents have to do everything. When you're a new employee, you might have some skills and understanding and emotion or pride, but this is how we do it in this company. And so you're dependent upon how you are introduced to that organization. But everyone tries to get out of that. Now, having said that, a pathology is there are givers and takers in this world, and some of the takers would just be very happy for other people to feed me, teach me, love me.   0:16:18.8 Bill Scherkenbach: My point or my philosophy is you've got to get out of the dependency and you have to balance that sense of independence and interdependence that is in each of us. Whether you're doing it or whether you're doing it in your family, as part of a family or a company or a motorcycle gang, whatever your group is, you're looking to blend being a part of that. Every human being looks to balance that sense of me and we. And in the thing we're finding in Western cultures, obviously, especially in North America or the US, we celebrate the me. It's the individual. And the team, we talk a good game about team, but mostly we're celebrating the me. In Eastern philosophies, they're celebrating the we. It's the team. It's not necessarily the, well, not the individual. The point is that in the Western philosophies, if you can't feel a part of a family or express that part, what we see in the US, there's a whole wave of people volunteering to belonging to organizations, whether it's sports teams, whether it's volunteer teams, whether the family balance. If you can't be a part of a family at work, you're going to go offline and do it.   0:18:24.9 Bill Scherkenbach: And the problem is your life suffers because you can't fulfill yourself as a person. In the Asian cultures, if you can't feel important as an individual, you go offline. Golf is huge in Japan and elsewhere, and it ain't a team sport. Calligraphy isn't a team sport. Karaoke isn't a choir event. There are ways to be able to express yourself offline if you can't feel important as an individual in your group. And so my philosophy is every human being needs to find that balance for each individual to be able to lead a fulfilled life.   0:19:28.7 Andrew Stotz: I'm reminded of a book by Dr. William Glasser called Reality Therapy, brought out in late '60s, I believe. And his philosophy was that part of the root cause of mental illness was that people didn't have one person they could trust. And that all of a sudden sets up all kinds of defense mechanisms that if prolonged end up leading to mental illness. That was a very interesting book, but the thing I took from it is that people want to connect. They want to belong. They want to be a part of it. They may act like they don't sometimes and all that, but we want to be in this interdependent position. And I'm looking at the bottom right corner of the matrix where it says, "I take joy in belonging to a team or this team." And that to me is, you know, that book helped me understand that it's not just the idea of, "Hey, we should all get along and work together." There is true value for a human being to be able to feel good about being part of a family or part of a business or part of a team. Something that just reminded me of.   0:20:53.7 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. Where I'm coming from is that everyone needs to balance that pride that you take as an individual and as you take as a member of a team or a family. That the independence is not, the interdependence is not the preferred state. Everyone, even people who are celebrating team need some time out to be alone, to do whatever they need to do to hone their skills, improve their knowledge, get excited about things that they also do as individuals. So it's a balance that I'm pushing for.   0:21:51.4 Andrew Stotz: Okay, got it.   0:21:53.3 Bill Scherkenbach: Okay. So with that as a framework, I think there are a couple of mistakes, well, there are many mistakes that leaders make, but the two big ones are, is don't think that what works for you must work for everyone. Okay. And don't even think that the sequence that works for you has got to work for everyone. Change is not a predictable hierarchy. And I'll explain that further. Let's see here. Yeah, I can do it on this next one here. I've got the matrix again, and of physical, logical, emotional, and physical, logical and emotional. And if a physical person is talking to another physical person, they're communicating on a similar frequency. And so a physical person is going to say, "Okay, this is the policy." The mother will say, "Because I said so." However, that physical person is communicating, the physical person receiving that communication is going to say, "Aye, aye, roger that, consider it done."   0:23:43.6 Andrew Stotz: Loud and clear.    0:23:45.3 Bill Scherkenbach: Okay. If a physical person is telling a logical person, using those same things, these are the policy, you could be a dean at a college and you're telling your professors, "This is what we're going to do," a logical person would say, "They're ignorant suit."    0:24:11.3 Andrew Stotz: Suit, what do you mean when you say suit? You mean an ignorant executive? What does it mean suit?    0:24:16.4 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah, executive. Over here, they're called suits.   0:24:19.5 Andrew Stotz: Okay.   0:24:22.3 Bill Scherkenbach: So, no, but I'd be interested, you're logical, what would a logical person respond to a physical person who said, "Do this"?   0:24:34.5 Andrew Stotz: Yeah, I think without any logical backing, it's rejection maybe is what I would say is that ignorant, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about, he thinks just do it.   0:24:51.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. Yep, yep, yep. Okay. So, and again, if that same physical leader is saying, "Well, get this done," to an emotional person, that person might say, "You Neanderthal, you don't, you don't feel what the value system is." Okay. So, I'm trying to come up with sayings or whatever that these particular people would be saying. So if the logical person tells the physical person, "We've got to do this," it could be, well, the physical person is going to say, "That's too academic, spray some paint on it so I can see it." So, and that's the diss. Logical person talking to another logical person, "Yep, I got it, I understand it, it'll be done." A logical person talking to the emotional person, "You're heartless," or, "Quit mansplaining," as they say over here. So, and again, an emotional person trying to talk to a physical person to get stuff done, the physical person's going to say, "There's no crying in baseball." And so, and the logical person will say, "That's too touchy feely," and the emotional person reacting to the emotional signal, "Oh, they really like me." So, I'm trying to use movie quotes there to express the feelings and the understanding and the, what to really get done.   0:27:04.4 Andrew Stotz: So, people really come from different places, and if we don't take that into consideration, we may, it's one of the things I teach, Bill, when I teach a course on presenting, and I say, "Are you more of a logical person or are you more of an emotional?" And half the audience will say logical, half the audience will say emotional, let's say. And I said, "If I look at your presentations that you create, they're going to be based around what you are, logical or emotional. The problem with that is that you're only going to connect with half the audience. So, you need to build the logical and emotional aspect into your presentation to capture the whole audience."   0:27:50.8 Bill Scherkenbach: Well, I would argue that you're missing a third of it because you didn't check for the physical folks. I mean, in the story I tell about what we were doing at Ford, our vice president of supply purchasing was listening to Dr. Deming and said, "Well, we need longer term contracts." And so he had his people talk to the buyers down through the ranks and we need longer term contracts. And at Ford, a longer term contract was a contract that was more than one year. And so, yep, there were classes. It's important to get it done. Everyone's enthused. We look at it six months later, no change. A year later, no change. And so we looked at, because some people react to physical stimuli. And so we looked at the policy. And in order to get a long term contract, then you had to go through three levels of supervisory approval. No person in their right mind is going to go through that hassle. So we changed one word in the policy and it changed overnight. So now if you need a contract that's less than a year, you need to go through three levels of supervisory approval.   0:29:48.5 Bill Scherkenbach: And the long term contracts were magically appearing. So there are physical people. That is not a pejorative. I know that the educators are saying, "Well, the logical and emotional, but physical is a very viable way of getting stuff done." That should not be a pejorative.   0:30:14.1 Andrew Stotz: So I think now when I'm looking at my teaching in presentation, when I think about physical and presentation, there's people that really like props. They like having physical things to bring up on the stage. They like people, "Hey, stand up and raise your hands," or "Turn and talk to the person next to you," or something like that. So maybe that's what I need to do is bring that physical into my thinking and teaching.   0:30:44.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah, I would recommend that. Find a way. There are many dimensions of physical. But you've got my second book. There are a bunch of ideas.    0:30:58.9 Andrew Stotz: Right here.    0:30:59.8 Bill Scherkenbach: Okay. Yep, yep, yep. Let's see here. Now we're going to go that transformation is not hierarchical. And this is hugely, hugely important. Again, if it works for you, don't make the mistake that it's going to work for everyone. And one of the sequences is everyone knows form follows function, form follows function. Physical form follows logical function. And in the automobile industry, if an automobile is to be fuel efficient, that's the function. It's got to have a jelly bean form. It's got to be aerodynamic. If the function of the vehicle is to carry passengers in comfort, the form has got to be a shoebox. Okay. And so that certainly form follows function. A screwdriver, whether it's the tool or the drink, the form follows function. If the function is to, no matter what the screw head is, you need to be able to screw it in or unscrew it, the form of it, you're going to give that head some leverage to be able to turn it.   0:32:36.9 Bill Scherkenbach: And if the function is to relax, you need to have a good vodka in the screwdriver, in the drink anyway. So if we look at how animals have evolved, a bird's beak is a prime example of over the years of whatever you want and whatever you want to say happened, the beaks went from blunt to very peaked so that they could get into a particular flower and be able to feed themselves. Dr. Deming used the example of what business are you in and the carburetor people went out of business because they only thought in terms of form. But if the function of the carburetor was, as Dr. Deming said, provide a stoichiometric mixture of air and fuel to the combustion chamber, then you might expand the number of forms that could be useful. So a number of examples of form following function, but function also follows form. The logical follows physical. And we're looking at it in the US government today. If your headcount is cut in half, you can't keep doing the same functions you were doing.   0:34:43.4 Bill Scherkenbach: You've got to figure out what your function is. So your function is going to follow form. Logical is going to follow the physical because you don't have the resources. In other times, when I was in Taiwan, I used the example of, if the price of petrol gets to 50 new Taiwanese dollars, the function of the automobile is to sit in the parking space because gas is too expensive to go anywhere. And again, the function of, I mean, if the function is security on the internet, one of the forms is the CAPTCHA. You have to identify, click the picture of all of the cars in this picture to prove you're a human. Next week, I'm going back up to Michigan to be with some of the grandchildren, but my daughter has toddlers, twins, that are 19 months old now. And whenever she is lying on the ground or on the floor, the twins sit on her. And I keep thinking of these large language models who are, that are in the AI approach to, she could be classified as a chair because her function is something for babies to sit on.   0:36:43.3 Bill Scherkenbach: And so it even applies in the AI generation. Okay, so now we come to seeing is believing. Physical leads the emotional. In Christianity, the doubting Thomas must see for himself. Some people don't really appreciate, it's not necessarily believing, but the emotional impact of going to our Grand Canyon or seeing something that is so indescribably beautiful and vast is, you have to see it to believe it or appreciate it, actually. The use of before and after pictures, if unless I see the before picture, I don't believe you did lose 150 pounds or whatever the before and after is, seeing is believing. Other, who is it? Thomas Kuhn in The Essential Tension wrote of Foucault. There's something called Foucault's Pendulum. It's a weight on maybe a 20 meter wire that back in the 1850s, he really was able to unequivocally get people behind the Copernican view that the earth really is rotating because that was the only explanation that this big, huge pendulum and the figure it was tracing in the sand, he had a spike at the end of it. Absolutely, okay, I believe the earth is spinning before the space shuttle.   0:39:07.4 Bill Scherkenbach: So, and yet, okay, seeing is believing, believing is seeing. Emotional leads the physical. Many times our beliefs cause us to use or see or miss seeing something I've said or quoted a number of things. The greatest barrier to the advancement of knowledge has not been ignorance, but we think we already know it. And so we're not going to even consider another perspective. Our friendships, our like of someone or dislike of someone can blind us to other qualities. The placebo effect, conspiracy theories, they're all believing is seeing. You believe in UFOs or unidentified aerial phenomena now, you're going to see a whole bunch of them based on your belief. And then there's feeling should drive reason. Emotional drives logical. You use your gut or intuition to make decisions. I mean, impulse sales, what's on the cap in any grocery store. You're going to buy the sizzle, not the steak. At least that's what they're selling, the sizzle. Political battles often play on the heart. So rescuing someone, emotional drives logical. If you see on YouTube, but even before that in the newspapers. I don't know if anyone remembers newspapers, but yeah, they would show pictures of someone running into a burning building and try and rescue someone or a crashed car getting them out before it explodes.   0:41:30.3 Bill Scherkenbach: If you had to think about it, you wouldn't do it perhaps, but the spur of the moment, the feelings driving over reason. Choosing a career for fulfillment and not the money. A lot of people do that and that perfectly fine. None of these as I go through them are a pejorative. They're perfectly, everyone uses, well, all of these at various points in time in your life. And last but not least, reason should prevail over passion. That logical rules the emotional, make a decision on the facts. Don't cloud your decision with emotions. Some of the ending a toxic relationship or diet and exercise. You're using reason. I've got to stick to this even though I'm hungry and sore. I've got to do this. And hopefully investing. You're not going to go for the latest fad. And there hopefully is some reason to investment strategies.   0:43:04.7 Andrew Stotz: And when...   0:43:06.8 Bill Scherkenbach: Go ahead.   0:43:09.1 Andrew Stotz: Let's just take one just to make sure that we understand what you want us to take from this. So seeing is believing and believing is seeing. And I think in all of our lives, we have some cases where we don't believe something and then we see it and then we think, "Okay, I believe now." And there's other times where we have a vision of something and we believe that it can occur and we can make it happen. And eventually we get it, we get there. So seeing is believing happens sometimes and believing is seeing happens sometimes in our life. And then some people may be more prone to one or the other. So what is the message you want us to get is to recognize that in ourselves, we're going to see it. It's going to be one way sometimes and another way and other times. Or is it to say that we want to make sure that you're aware that other people may be coming from a different perspective, the exact opposite perspective?    0:44:04.5 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah, it's the latter. This whole thing is really what management, how is management going about communicating. And if they think if what works for them is form follows function or feelings should drive reason, then they have to be aware that other people need to, might look at it the other way around and approach their communication. Again, and this goes to the voice of the customer and the voice of the process. Every one of us has an individual voice of the customer. And people, psychologists would say, "Well, that's internal motivation or motivation's internal." Many of them do. Having said that, it's management's job who manages the process to be able to, if someone is motivated by money, that's important to them, then management needs to talk on that frequency. If they want retirement points or time with their family or recognition in other ways, what will, and Deming mentioned it, what will, he gave a tip to someone who just wanted to help him with his luggage getting to the hotel room and gave him a tip and completely demoralized him. And so management's job is to know their people, they're the most important customers that management has if you're going to satisfy whatever customer base your organization is trying to meet. And so how to get stuff done, getting things done, this applies to all of it.   0:46:15.5 Andrew Stotz: Fantastic. All right, I'm going to stop sharing the screen if that's okay?   0:46:19.9 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah.   0:46:20.6 Andrew Stotz: Okay, hold on. So an excellent run through of your thinking, and I know for listeners and readers out there, you've got both of your books, but one of them I've got in my hand, Deming's Road to Continual Improvement, and also the other one, which we have right here, which is The Deming Route to Quality and Productivity, both of these books you can find on Amazon, and you go into more detail in it, in particular in The Deming's Road to Continual Improvement. Is there anything you want to say either about where people can go to find more and learn more about it, and anything you want to say to wrap up this episode?   0:47:04.1 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah, the first book, my second edition, is in e-book form on Kindle. You can get it through Amazon or Apple Books. And in Apple Books, that second edition has videos of Dr. Deming as well as audio. And a whole bunch of stuff that I put in my second book. And that's in e-book format, immediately available from Apple or Kindle.   0:47:37.0 Andrew Stotz: So let's wrap up this episode on getting things done. Maybe you can just now pull it all together. What do you want us to take away from this excellent discussion?   0:47:49.6 Bill Scherkenbach: As we began, if what works for you doesn't necessarily work for everyone else. And the larger your span of control, the larger your organization, you have to understand to be broadcasting on physical, logical, and emotional levels, as well as trying to help people balance their sense of individual and their sense of team and family.   0:48:22.5 Andrew Stotz: Great, great wrap up. And the one word I think about is empathy, and really taking the time to understand that different people think differently, they understand differently. And so if you really want to make a big change and get things done, you've got to make sure that you're appealing to those different aspects. So fantastic. Well, Bill, on behalf of everyone at the Deming Institute, I want to thank you again for this discussion. And for listeners, remember to go to deming.org to continue your journey. And also, you can find Bill's books on Amazon. And as he mentioned, on Apple, where there are videos in that latest book. You can get them on Kindle, on printed books. I have the printed books because I love taking notes. And so this is your host, Andrew...    0:49:12.0 Bill Scherkenbach: Yeah. But old people like that.   0:49:15.4 Andrew Stotz: Yes. We like that. So this is your host, Andrew Stotz, and I'm gonna leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Deming. And that is, that "people are entitled to joy in work."

電費 diàn fèi – electricity bill用電量 yòng diàn liàng – amount of electricity used台電 tái diàn – Taiwan Power Company (Taipower, the main electricity provider in Taiwan)電廠 diàn chǎng – power plant開啟 kāi qǐ – to turn on; to activate發電機 fā diàn jī – generator運轉 yùn zhuǎn – to operate; to run (machinery)供電成本 gōng diàn chéng běn – cost of supplying electricity實施 shí shī – to implement; to carry out隔年 gé nián – the following year累進方式 lěi jìn fāng shì – progressive method (e.g., pricing or taxation based on increasing usage)省電 shěng diàn – to save electricity搭配 dā pèi – to pair with; to be used together with電風扇 diàn fēng shàn – electric fan空氣循環 kōng qì xún huán – air circulation壓縮機 yā suō jī – compressor (part of an air conditioner)電器 diàn qì – electrical appliance插著電 chā zhe diàn – plugged in (still connected to electricity)待機 dài jī – standby mode耗電 hào diàn – to consume electricity插頭 chā tóu – plug (for an electrical outlet)拔掉 bá diào – to pull out; to unplug延長線 yán cháng xiàn – extension cord關掉 guān diào – to turn off插座 chā zuò – power socket開關 kāi guān – switch (for turning something on or off)變頻冷氣 biàn pín lěng qì – inverter air conditioner (more energy efficient)清洗 qīng xǐ – to clean (by washing)濾網 lǜ wǎng – filter (mesh/net for air or liquid)效能 xiào néng – efficiency; performanceIf you're ready to take your Chinese to the next level, not just memorizing words but actually having meaningful conversations with Taiwanese people about real topics like politics, culture, war, news, economics, and more. I invite you to join a one-on-one trial lesson with me. I'll help you build a clear, personalized plan so you can speak more naturally and truly connect with others in Chinese. Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me !

Jenn speaks to Taiwanese online education platform founder, Hahow, Arnold Chiang. Having spent his college extracurricular activity creating a platform to solve a missed learning opportunity he encountered to encourage students who wanted to study cross disciplinary studies but didn't have the opportunity to do so meet and teach one another soon turned into his startup post graduation. Now 10 years later, Arnold shares with us what he has learned as a startup founder in Taiwan, the importance of letting your ego go, seeking therapy to massage your heart and what is in store for him and Hahow in the future. (Recorded on August 7, 2025)About Arnold ChiangArnold Chiang is the co-founder and CEO of Hahow, Taiwan's leading online learning platform with over 1.1 million users and 300+ enterprise clients. Over the past decade, he has led Hahow's mission to redefine education by empowering creators and learners alike. Most recently, Arnold expanded the company internationally by launching Myte.jp, a localized online learning platform built specifically for the Japanese creator economy. With a passion for cross-cultural education and platform innovation, Arnold continues to explore how online learning can unlock human potential across borders.Episode Resources:Website Hahow Youtube  Hahow IG Hahow FB Better Help Group

腦袋卡住 nǎodài kǎ zhù – to have a mental block; to feel mentally stuck連鎖咖啡品牌 liánsuǒ kāfēi pǐnpái – chain coffee brand85度c bāshíwǔ dù C – 85°C (a Taiwanese coffee and bakery chain)鄉鎮 xiāngzhèn – towns and townships平價 píngjià – affordable; reasonably priced精品咖啡 jīngpǐn kāfēi – premium coffee嘴饞 zuǐchán – to crave food; to have a craving提拉米蘇 tílāmǐsū – tiramisu (Italian dessert)國民品牌 guómín pǐnpái – national brand路易莎咖啡 Lùyìshā kāfēi – Louisa Coffee (a Taiwanese coffee chain)猛 měng – strong; impressive; formidable南港 Nángǎng – Nangang (a district in Taipei)打造 dǎzào – to create; to build; to forge星巴克 Xīngbākè – Starbucks進軍台灣 jìnjūn Táiwān – to enter/expand into the Taiwan market代名詞 dàimíngcí – synonym; byword; representative term生活品味 shēnghuó pǐnwèi – lifestyle taste; sense of living style收走 shōu zǒu – to take away; to remove佔位 zhàn wèi – to occupy a seat or placePlanning to travel or move to Taiwan? If you'd like to improve your Chinese before you go, feel free to book a one-on-one lesson with me.I'll help you improve your Chinese so you can settle in more comfortably when you arrive.Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me !

Imagine you're an Allied soldier in the Pacific during WWII. You're captured by the Japanese, survive brutal conditions as a POW, and the dangerous voyage in a “hell ship” to Japan, where you endure more years of captivity. Finally, in August 1945, the war ends. You're freed, ready to go home. But there will be no happy ending. Some transport planes and ships never make their destination, including a B-24 carrying 20 former POWs, which crashes into a 3,496-meter peak in Taiwan's southern Central Mountain Range during a typhoon. Compounding the sadness, 26 members of a team made up of Japanese, Taiwanese, and Indigenous people die in a rescue/retrieval attempt.This once little-known story was featured in Season Two of Formosa Files. In 2025, however – the 80th anniversary – many news organizations featured stories marking the event. Taiwan President Lai offered a moving tribute in a Facebook post, which in part read, “Eighty years ago, a group of people, without regard to nationality, blood, or side in the war, risked their lives to save others.”Help others find us by rating/reviewing the show.

保溫杯 bǎo wēn bēi – insulated cup; thermos cup裝 zhuāng – to fill; to hold (something inside a container)溫開水 wēn kāi shuǐ – warm boiled water根深蒂固 gēn shēn dì gù – deeply rooted; ingrained熱得滿頭大汗 rè de mǎn tóu dà hàn – to be so hot that one is sweating all over the head一口乾掉 yì kǒu gān diào – to drink it all in one gulp身體縮起來 shēn tǐ suō qǐ lái – the body contracts/shrinks (from cold)文化衝擊 wén huà chōng jí – culture shock訝異 yà yì – surprised; amazed傷脾胃 shāng pí wèi – to harm the spleen and stomach (in traditional Chinese medicine)器官 qì guān – organ (of the body)循環 xún huán – circulation; cycle氣血循環 qì xiě xún huán – circulation of qi and blood (in traditional Chinese medicine)養生之道 yǎng shēng zhī dào – the way of maintaining health; health regimen陰陽五行 yīn yáng wǔ xíng – Yin-Yang and Five Elements (traditional Chinese philosophy)冰水屬寒 bīng shuǐ shǔ hán – ice water belongs to the “cold” category (in TCM theory)腸胃敏感 cháng wèi mǐn gǎn – sensitive stomach and intestines體質比較寒 tǐ zhí bǐ jiào hán – having a body constitution that is relatively cold (in TCM terms)Feeling stuck or frustrated with your Chinese progress? Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me

The book is about Chinese literary exiles in California. There's a scandal and a roadtrip as they investigate and look for a mysterious woman who was involved in a murder of one of their friends.

國定假日 guó dìng jià rì – national holiday (official public holiday set by the government)立法院 lì fǎ yuàn – Legislative Yuan (Taiwan's law-making body)三讀通過 sān dú tōng guò – passed after three readings (the final approval process of a bill in the legislature)法案 fǎ àn – bill; proposed law紀念日及節日實施條例 jì niàn rì jí jié rì shí shī tiáo lì – Memorial and Holiday Implementation Act (a law regulating commemorative and national holidays)教師節 jiào shī jié – Teacher's Day孔子 kǒng zǐ – Confucius至聖先師 zhì shèng xiān shī – "Great Sage and First Teacher" (an honorific title for Confucius)有教無類 yǒu jiào wú lèi – to teach all regardless of background (Confucian principle)誨人不倦 huì rén bú juàn – never tired of teaching others補假 bǔ jià – compensatory day off; substitute holiday光復節 guāng fù jié – Retrocession Day (Oct. 25, commemorating Taiwan's return from Japanese to ROC rule)殖民統治 zhí mín tǒng zhì – colonial rule中華民國 zhōng huá mín guó – Republic of China (official name of Taiwan)投降 tóu xiáng – to surrender接收 jiē shōu – to take over; to receive (control or responsibility)共產黨 gòng chǎn dǎng – Communist Party (usually referring to the Chinese Communist Party)打仗 dǎ zhàng – to fight a war; to engage in battle行憲紀念日 xíng xiàn jì niàn rì – Constitution Day (Dec. 25, commemorating the enforcement of the ROC Constitution)憲法 xiàn fǎ – constitution象徵 xiàng zhēng – symbol; to symbolize民主憲政 mín zhǔ xiàn zhèng – democratic constitutional government制度 zhì dù – system; institution勞動節 láo dòng jié – Labor Day (May 1st)If you're ready to take your Chinese to the next level, not just memorizing words but actually having meaningful conversations with Taiwanese people about real topics like politics, culture, war, news, economics, and more. I invite you to join a one-on-one trial lesson with me. I'll help you build a clear, personalized plan so you can speak more naturally and truly connect with others in Chinese. Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me !

In Season 6, Episode 4 of Global Taiwan Insights, Ben Sando interviews Sze-Fung Lee, an independent researcher specializing in hybrid warfare. In December 2024, the Taiwanese YouTuber "Ba Jiong" (八炯) made the explosive claim that some 200,000 Taiwanese citizens possess People's Republic of China (PRC) ID cards – an activity that is illegal under Taiwanese law. The report sparked an uproar in Taiwan, and led to an investigation by Taiwan's National Immigration Agency. Lee explains the PRC hybrid warfare tactics behind issuing ID cards to Taiwanese citizens, why cracking down on this activity has proven so controversial, and how this issue connects to broader efforts by Taiwan's government to push back against PRC subversion.

It's not often that I'll get to introduce a guest whose moniker is “banana-brained and voice-trained”!  But joining me today is a woman who is the embodiment of quirkiness, versatility, and her own words “a bit unhinged”.  From clown noses to stage and to your favorite streaming platforms, Jo Yuan has covered a lot of ground...and that's saying something given she's been in the entertainment industry just shy of 6 years, and in voiceover for five of those years. She's made audiences laugh, cry while pondering social biases through the roles and characters she's played, whether it's in a packed house, on a TV set, or through your earbuds while narrating the Harper Collins' audiobook Counterattacks at Thirty. An Asian American actor of Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean heritage, Jo's career spans theatre, television, voiceover, and comedy, and brings authenticity, wit, and heart to every role. She's trained in the Meisner technique, on-camera acting, clown and sketch comedy to long-form improv, as a graduate of the now defunct Second City Conservatory, in Hollywood. Her stage work includes performances at East West Players, IAMA Theatre, Artists at Play, and as a company member of PlayGround-LA. As a voice actor, Jo's credits read like a streaming guide - with an impressive list of dubbing credits, lead and recurring roles on Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, and Amazon Prime and Nat Geo.  In 2024, Jo was named one of 24 New Digital Audio Narrators by Macmillan Audio, selected from over 350 applicants.  Jo is also a proud and active member of the Television Academy, the Asian American Theatre Artists Collective, and the century old Los Angeles Breakfast Club, to name a few.  In addition, she is my fellow Door Builder in the Building Doors VO Campaign!  From the stage to the booth, Jo's work is a testament to the power of curiosity, craft, and connection. To contact Jo, you can reach out to her via the followng: Business email Address: joyuanactor@gmail.com Business Website:  www.jo-yuan.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/itsme.joyuan/ For more information on Jo Yuan's one woman show on September 21, 2025 'Something Borrowed. Something Blue. Something Tesla. Something True.': https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=brea For more on the Building Doors VO Campaign: https://www.buildingdoorsvo.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to follow 19 Stories wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. It would be greatly appreciated if you gave a nice review and shared this episode well :-) To give feedback or a story idea: 19stories@soundsatchelstudios.com To listen to my demos: https://www.cherylholling.com/ To contact me for voiceover work, or to host your podcast, reach out to me at: cheryl@cherylholling.com Follow me on Instagram: @cherylhollingvo Theme Song Credit:  'Together' by For King & Country Proverbs 23:18 "Surely there is a future, and your Hope will not be cut off."

二手書 èr shǒu shū – second-hand book; used book環保 huán bǎo – environmental protection; eco-friendly省錢 shěng qián – to save money划算 huá suàn – cost-effective; worth the price紙張浪費 zhǐ zhāng làng fèi – paper waste碳排放 tàn pái fàng – carbon emissions為地球出一份力 wèi dì qiú chū yí fèn lì – to do one's part for the planet雜誌 zá zhì – magazine絕版書 jué bǎn shū – out-of-print book版本 bǎn běn – edition; version封面 fēng miàn – cover (of a book or magazine)讀冊 dú cè – a Taiwanese online second-hand book marketplace (https://www.taaze.tw/)博客來 bó kè lái – a large Taiwanese online bookstore (https://www.books.com.tw/)匯錢 huì qián – to transfer money; to remit money積灰塵 jī huī chén – to gather dustFeeling stuck or frustrated with your Chinese progress? Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me

Last time we spoke about the surrender of Japan. Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender on August 15, prompting mixed public reactions: grief, shock, and sympathy for the Emperor, tempered by fear of hardship and occupation. The government's response included resignations and suicide as new leadership was brought in under Prime Minister Higashikuni, with Mamoru Shigemitsu as Foreign Minister and Kawabe Torashiro heading a delegation to Manila. General MacArthur directed the occupation plan, “Blacklist,” prioritizing rapid, phased entry into key Japanese areas and Korea, while demobilizing enemy forces. The surrender ceremony occurred aboard the Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, with Wainwright, Percival, Nimitz, and UN representatives in attendance. Civilians and soldiers across Asia began surrendering, and postwar rehabilitation, Indochina and Vietnam's independence movements, and Southeast Asian transitions rapidly unfolded as Allied forces established control. This episode is the Aftermath of the Pacific War Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, 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 world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two 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 you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  The Pacific War has ended. Peace has been restored by the Allies and most of the places conquered by the Japanese Empire have been liberated. In this post-war period, new challenges would be faced for those who won the war; and from the ashes of an empire, a defeated nation was also seeking to rebuild. As the Japanese demobilized their armed forces, many young boys were set to return to their homeland, even if they had previously thought that they wouldn't survive the ordeal. And yet, there were some cases of isolated men that would continue to fight for decades even, unaware that the war had already ended.  As we last saw, after the Japanese surrender, General MacArthur's forces began the occupation of the Japanese home islands, while their overseas empire was being dismantled by the Allies. To handle civil administration, MacArthur established the Military Government Section, commanded by Brigadier-General William Crist, staffed by hundreds of US experts trained in civil governance who were reassigned from Okinawa and the Philippines. As the occupation began, Americans dispatched tactical units and Military Government Teams to each prefecture to ensure that policies were faithfully carried out. By mid-September, General Eichelberger's 8th Army had taken over the Tokyo Bay region and began deploying to occupy Hokkaido and the northern half of Honshu. Then General Krueger's 6th Army arrived in late September, taking southern Honshu and Shikoku, with its base in Kyoto. In December, 6th Army was relieved of its occupation duties; in January 1946, it was deactivated, leaving the 8th Army as the main garrison force. By late 1945, about 430,000 American soldiers were garrisoned across Japan. President Truman approved inviting Allied involvement on American terms, with occupation armies integrated into a US command structure. Yet with the Chinese civil war and Russia's reluctance to place its forces under MacArthur's control, only Australia, Britain, India, and New Zealand sent brigades, more than 40,000 troops in southwestern Japan. Japanese troops were gradually disarmed by order of their own commanders, so the stigma of surrender would be less keenly felt by the individual soldier. In the homeland, about 1.5 million men were discharged and returned home by the end of August. Demobilization overseas, however, proceeded, not quickly, but as a long, difficult process of repatriation. In compliance with General Order No. 1, the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters disbanded on September 13 and was superseded by the Japanese War Department to manage demobilization. By November 1, the homeland had demobilized 2,228,761 personnel, roughly 97% of the Homeland Army. Yet some 6,413,215 men remained to be repatriated from overseas. On December 1, the Japanese War Ministry dissolved, and the First Demobilization Ministry took its place. The Second Demobilization Ministry was established to handle IJN demobilization, with 1,299,868 sailors, 81% of the Navy, demobilized by December 17. Japanese warships and merchant ships had their weapons rendered inoperative, and suicide craft were destroyed. Forty percent of naval vessels were allocated to evacuations in the Philippines, and 60% to evacuations of other Pacific islands. This effort eventually repatriated about 823,984 men to Japan by February 15, 1946. As repatriation accelerated, by October 15 only 1,909,401 men remained to be repatriated, most of them in the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the Higashikuni Cabinet and Foreign Minister Shigemitsu Mamoru managed to persuade MacArthur not to impose direct military rule or martial law over all of Japan. Instead, the occupation would be indirect, guided by the Japanese government under the Emperor's direction. An early decision to feed occupation forces from American supplies, and to allow the Japanese to use their own limited food stores, helped ease a core fear: that Imperial forces would impose forced deliveries on the people they conquered. On September 17, MacArthur transferred his headquarters from Yokohama to Tokyo, setting up primary offices on the sixth floor of the Dai-Ichi Mutual Life Insurance Building, an imposing edifice overlooking the moat and the Imperial palace grounds in Hibiya, a symbolic heart of the nation.  While the average soldier did not fit the rapacious image of wartime Japanese propagandists, occupation personnel often behaved like neo-colonial overlords. The conquerors claimed privileges unimaginable to most Japanese. Entire trains and train compartments, fitted with dining cars, were set aside for the exclusive use of occupation forces. These silenced, half-empty trains sped past crowded platforms, provoking ire as Japanese passengers were forced to enter and exit packed cars through punched-out windows, or perch on carriage roofs, couplings, and running boards, often with tragic consequences. The luxury express coaches became irresistible targets for anonymous stone-throwers. During the war, retrenchment measures had closed restaurants, cabarets, beer halls, geisha houses, and theatres in Tokyo and other large cities. Now, a vast leisure industry sprang up to cater to the needs of the foreign occupants. Reopened restaurants and theatres, along with train stations, buses, and streetcars, were sometimes kept off limits to Allied personnel, partly for security, partly to avoid burdening Japanese resources, but a costly service infrastructure was built to the occupiers' specifications. Facilities reserved for occupation troops bore large signs reading “Japanese Keep Out” or “For Allied Personnel Only.” In downtown Tokyo, important public buildings requisitioned for occupation use had separate entrances for Americans and Japanese. The effect? A subtle but clear colour bar between the predominantly white conquerors and the conquered “Asiatic” Japanese. Although MacArthur was ready to work through the Japanese government, he lacked the organizational infrastructure to administer a nation of 74 million. Consequently, on October 2, MacArthur dissolved the Military Government Section and inaugurated General Headquarters, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, a separate headquarters focused on civil affairs and operating in tandem with the Army high command. SCAP immediately assumed responsibility for administering the Japanese home islands. It commandeered every large building not burned down to house thousands of civilians and requisitioned vast tracts of prime real estate to quarter several hundred thousand troops in the Tokyo–Yokohama area alone. Amidst the rise of American privilege, entire buildings were refurbished as officers' clubs, replete with slot machines and gambling parlours installed at occupation expense. The Stars and Stripes were hoisted over Tokyo, while the display of the Rising Sun was banned; and the downtown area, known as “Little America,” was transformed into a US enclave. The enclave mentality of this cocooned existence was reinforced by the arrival within the first six months of roughly 700 American families. At the peak of the occupation, about 14,800 families employed some 25,000 Japanese servants to ease the “rigours” of overseas duty. Even enlisted men in the sparse quonset-hut towns around the city lived like kings compared with ordinary Japanese. Japanese workers cleaned barracks, did kitchen chores, and handled other base duties. The lowest private earned a 25% hardship bonus until these special allotments were discontinued in 1949. Most military families quickly adjusted to a pampered lifestyle that went beyond maids and “boys,” including cooks, laundresses, babysitters, gardeners, and masseuses. Perks included spacious quarters with swimming pools, central heating, hot running water, and modern plumbing. Two observers compared GHQ to the British Raj at its height. George F. Kennan, head of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff, warned during his 1948 mission to Japan that Americans had monopolized “everything that smacks of comfort or elegance or luxury,” criticizing what he called the “American brand of philistinism” and the “monumental imperviousness” of MacArthur's staff to the Japanese suffering. This conqueror's mentality also showed in the bullying attitudes many top occupation officials displayed toward the Japanese with whom they dealt. Major Faubion Bowers, MacArthur's military secretary, later said, “I and nearly all the occupation people I knew were extremely conceited and extremely arrogant and used our power every inch of the way.” Initially, there were spasms of defiance against the occupation forces, such as anonymous stone-throwing, while armed robbery and minor assaults against occupation personnel were rife in the weeks and months after capitulation. Yet active resistance was neither widespread nor organized. The Americans successfully completed their initial deployment without violence, an astonishing feat given a heavily armed and vastly superior enemy operating on home terrain. The average citizen regarded the occupation as akin to force majeure, the unfortunate but inevitable aftermath of a natural calamity. Japan lay prostrate. Industrial output had fallen to about 10% of pre-war levels, and as late as 1946, more than 13 million remained unemployed. Nearly 40% of Japan's urban areas had been turned to rubble, and some 9 million people were homeless. The war-displaced, many of them orphans, slept in doorways and hallways, in bombed-out ruins, dugouts and packing crates, under bridges or on pavements, and crowded the hallways of train and subway stations. As winter 1945 descended, with food, fuel, and clothing scarce, people froze to death. Bonfires lit the streets to ward off the chill. "The only warm hands I have shaken thus far in Japan belonged to Americans," Mark Gayn noted in December 1945. "The Japanese do not have much of a chance to thaw out, and their hands are cold and red." Unable to afford shoes, many wore straw sandals; those with geta felt themselves privileged. The sight of a man wearing a woman's high-buttoned shoes in winter epitomized the daily struggle to stay dry and warm. Shantytowns built of scrap wood, rusted metal, and scavenged odds and ends sprang up everywhere, resembling vast junk yards. The poorest searched smouldering refuse heaps for castoffs that might be bartered for a scrap to eat or wear. Black markets (yami'ichi) run by Japanese, Koreans, and For-mosans mushroomed to replace collapsed distribution channels and cash in on inflated prices. Tokyo became "a world of scarcity in which every nail, every rag, and even a tangerine peel [had a] market value." Psychologically numbed, disoriented, and disillusioned with their leaders, demobilized veterans and civilians alike struggled to get their bearings, shed militaristic ideologies, and begin to embrace new values. In the vacuum of defeat, the Japanese people appeared ready to reject the past and grasp at the straw held out by the former enemy. Relations between occupier and occupied were not smooth, however. American troops comported themselves like conquerors, especially in the early weeks and months of occupation. Much of the violence was directed against women, with the first attacks beginning within hours after the landing of advance units. When US paratroopers landed in Sapporo, an orgy of looting, sexual violence, and drunken brawling ensued. Newspaper accounts reported 931 serious offences by GIs in the Yokohama area during the first week of occupation, including 487 armed robberies, 411 thefts of currency or goods, 9 rapes, 5 break-ins, 3 cases of assault and battery, and 16 other acts of lawlessness. In the first 10 days of occupation, there were 1,336 reported rapes by US soldiers in Kanagawa Prefecture alone. Americans were not the only perpetrators. A former prostitute recalled that when Australian troops arrived in Kure in early 1946, they “dragged young women into their jeeps, took them to the mountain, and then raped them. I heard them screaming for help nearly every night.” Such behaviour was commonplace, but news of criminal activity by occupation forces was quickly suppressed. On September 10, 1945, SCAP issued press and pre-censorship codes outlawing the publication of reports and statistics "inimical to the objectives of the occupation." In the sole instance of self-help General Eichelberger records in his memoirs, when locals formed a vigilante group and retaliated against off-duty GIs, 8th Army ordered armored vehicles into the streets and arrested the ringleaders, who received lengthy prison terms. Misbehavior ranged from black-market activity, petty theft, reckless driving, and disorderly conduct to vandalism, arson, murder, and rape. Soldiers and sailors often broke the law with impunity, and incidents of robbery, rape, and even murder were widely reported. Gang rapes and other sex atrocities were not infrequent; victims, shunned as outcasts, sometimes turned to prostitution in desperation, while others took their own lives to avoid bringing shame to their families. Military courts arrested relatively few soldiers for these offenses and convicted even fewer; Japanese attempts at self-defense were punished severely, and restitution for victims was rare. Fearing the worst, Japanese authorities had already prepared countermeasures against the supposed rapacity of foreign soldiers. Imperial troops in East Asia and the Pacific had behaved brutally toward women, so the government established “sexual comfort-stations” manned by geisha, bar hostesses, and prostitutes to “satisfy the lust of the Occupation forces,” as the Higashikuni Cabinet put it. A budget of 100 million yen was set aside for these Recreation and Amusement Associations, financed initially with public funds but run as private enterprises under police supervision. Through these, the government hoped to protect the daughters of the well-born and middle class by turning to lower-class women to satisfy the soldiers' sexual appetites. By the end of 1945, brothel operators had rounded up an estimated 20,000 young women and herded them into RAA establishments nationwide. Eventually, as many as 70,000 are said to have ended up in the state-run sex industry. Thankfully, as military discipline took hold and fresh troops replaced the Allied veterans responsible for the early crime wave, violence subsided and the occupier's patronising behavior and the ugly misdeeds of a lawless few were gradually overlooked. However, fraternisation was frowned upon by both sides, and segregation was practiced in principle, with the Japanese excluded from areas reserved for Allied personnel until September 1949, when MacArthur lifted virtually all restrictions on friendly association, stating that he was “establishing the same relations between occupation personnel and the Japanese population as exists between troops stationed in the United States and the American people.” In principle, the Occupation's administrative structure was highly complex. The Far Eastern Commission, based in Washington, included representatives from all 13 countries that had fought against Japan and was established in 1946 to formulate basic principles. The Allied Council for Japan was created in the same year to assist in developing and implementing surrender terms and in administering the country. It consisted of representatives from the USA, the USSR, Nationalist China, and the British Commonwealth. Although both bodies were active at first, they were largely ineffectual due to unwieldy decision-making, disagreements between the national delegations (especially the USA and USSR), and the obstructionism of General Douglas MacArthur. In practice, SCAP, the executive authority of the occupation, effectively ruled Japan from 1945 to 1952. And since it took orders only from the US government, the Occupation became primarily an American affair. The US occupation program, effectively carried out by SCAP, was revolutionary and rested on a two-pronged approach. To ensure Japan would never again become a menace to the United States or to world peace, SCAP pursued disarmament and demilitarization, with continuing control over Japan's capacity to make war. This involved destroying military supplies and installations, demobilizing more than five million Japanese soldiers, and thoroughly discrediting the military establishment. Accordingly, SCAP ordered the purge of tens of thousands of designated persons from public service positions, including accused war criminals, military officers, leaders of ultranationalist societies, leaders in the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, business leaders tied to overseas expansion, governors of former Japanese colonies, and national leaders who had steered Japan into war. In addition, MacArthur's International Military Tribunal for the Far East established a military court in Tokyo. It had jurisdiction over those charged with Class A crimes, top leaders who had planned and directed the war. Also considered were Class B charges, covering conventional war crimes, and Class C charges, covering crimes against humanity. Yet the military court in Tokyo wouldn't be the only one. More than 5,700 lower-ranking personnel were charged with conventional war crimes in separate trials convened by Australia, China, France, the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Of the 5,700 Japanese individuals indicted for Class B war crimes, 984 were sentenced to death; 475 received life sentences; 2,944 were given more limited prison terms; 1,018 were acquitted; and 279 were never brought to trial or not sentenced. Among these, many, like General Ando Rikichi and Lieutenant-General Nomi Toshio, chose to commit suicide before facing prosecution. Notable cases include Lieutenant-General Tani Hisao, who was sentenced to death by the Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal for his role in the Nanjing Massacre; Lieutenant-General Sakai Takashi, who was executed in Nanjing for the murder of British and Chinese civilians during the occupation of Hong Kong. General Okamura Yasuji was convicted of war crimes by the Tribunal, yet he was immediately protected by the personal order of Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek, who kept him as a military adviser for the Kuomintang. In the Manila trials, General Yamashita Tomoyuki was sentenced to death as he was in overall command during the Sook Ching massacre, the Rape of Manila, and other atrocities. Lieutenant-General Homma Masaharu was likewise executed in Manila for atrocities committed by troops under his command during the Bataan Death March. General Imamura Hitoshi was sentenced to ten years in prison, but he considered the punishment too light and even had a replica of the prison built in his garden, remaining there until his death in 1968. Lieutenant-General Kanda Masatane received a 14-year sentence for war crimes on Bougainville, though he served only four years. Lieutenant-General Adachi Hatazo was sentenced to life imprisonment for war crimes in New Guinea and subsequently committed suicide on September 10, 1947. Lieutenant-General Teshima Fusataro received three years of forced labour for using a hospital ship to transport troops. Lieutenant-General Baba Masao was sentenced to death for ordering the Sandakan Death Marches, during which over 2,200 Australian and British prisoners of war perished. Lieutenant-General Tanabe Moritake was sentenced to death by a Dutch military tribunal for unspecified war crimes. Rear-Admiral Sakaibara Shigematsu was executed in Guam for ordering the Wake Island massacre, in which 98 American civilians were murdered. Lieutenant-General Inoue Sadae was condemned to death in Guam for permitting subordinates to execute three downed American airmen captured in Palau, though his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1951 and he was released in 1953. Lieutenant-General Tachibana Yoshio was sentenced to death in Guam for his role in the Chichijima Incident, in which eight American airmen were cannibalized. By mid-1945, due to the Allied naval blockade, the 25,000 Japanese troops on Chichijima had run low on supplies. However, although the daily rice ration had been reduced from 400 grams per person per day to 240 grams, the troops were not at risk of starvation. In February and March 1945, in what would later be called the Chichijima incident, Tachibana Yoshio's senior staff turned to cannibalism. Nine American airmen had escaped from their planes after being shot down during bombing raids on Chichijima, eight of whom were captured. The ninth, the only one to evade capture, was future US President George H. W. Bush, then a 20-year-old pilot. Over several months, the prisoners were executed, and reportedly by the order of Major Matoba Sueyo, their bodies were butchered by the division's medical orderlies, with the livers and other organs consumed by the senior staff, including Matoba's superior Tachibana. In the Yokohama War Crimes Trials, Lieutenant-Generals Inada Masazumi and Yokoyama Isamu were convicted for their complicity in vivisection and other human medical experiments performed at Kyushu Imperial University on downed Allied airmen. The Tokyo War Crimes Trial, which began in May 1946 and lasted two and a half years, resulted in the execution by hanging of Generals Doihara Kenji and Itagaki Seishiro, and former Prime Ministers Hirota Koki and Tojo Hideki, for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes against peace, specifically for the escalation of the Pacific War and for permitting the inhumane treatment of prisoners of war. Also sentenced to death were Lieutenant-General Muto Akira for his role in the Nanjing and Manila massacres; General Kimura Heitaro for planning the war strategy in China and Southeast Asia and for laxity in preventing atrocities against prisoners of war in Burma; and General Matsui Iwane for his involvement in the Rape of Nanjing. The seven defendants who were sentenced to death were executed at Sugamo Prison in Ikebukuro on December 23, 1948. Sixteen others were sentenced to life imprisonment, including the last Field Marshal Hata Shunroku, Generals Araki Sadao, Minami Hiro, and Umezu Shojiro, Admiral Shimada Shigetaro, former Prime Ministers Hiranuma Kiichiro and Koiso Kuniaki, Marquis Kido Koichi, and Colonel Hashimoto Kingoro, a major instigator of the second Sino-Japanese War. Additionally, former Foreign Ministers Togo Shigenori and Shigemitsu Mamoru received seven- and twenty-year sentences, respectively. The Soviet Union and Chinese Communist forces also held trials of Japanese war criminals, including the Khabarovsk War Crime Trials, which tried and found guilty some members of Japan's bacteriological and chemical warfare unit known as Unit 731. However, those who surrendered to the Americans were never brought to trial, as MacArthur granted immunity to Lieutenant-General Ishii Shiro and all members of the bacteriological research units in exchange for germ-w warfare data derived from human experimentation. If you would like to learn more about what I like to call Japan's Operation Paper clip, whereupon the US grabbed many scientists from Unit 731, check out my exclusive podcast. The SCAP-turn to democratization began with the drafting of a new constitution in 1947, addressing Japan's enduring feudal social structure. In the charter, sovereignty was vested in the people, and the emperor was designated a “symbol of the state and the unity of the people, deriving his position from the will of the people in whom resides sovereign power.” Because the emperor now possessed fewer powers than European constitutional monarchs, some have gone so far as to say that Japan became “a republic in fact if not in name.” Yet the retention of the emperor was, in fact, a compromise that suited both those who wanted to preserve the essence of the nation for stability and those who demanded that the emperor system, though not necessarily the emperor, should be expunged. In line with the democratic spirit of the new constitution, the peerage was abolished and the two-chamber Diet, to which the cabinet was now responsible, became the highest organ of state. The judiciary was made independent and local autonomy was granted in vital areas of jurisdiction such as education and the police. Moreover, the constitution stipulated that “the people shall not be prevented from enjoying any of the fundamental human rights,” that they “shall be respected as individuals,” and that “their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness shall … be the supreme consideration in legislation.” Its 29 articles guaranteed basic human rights: equality, freedom from discrimination on the basis of race, creed, sex, social status or family origin, freedom of thought and freedom of religion. Finally, in its most controversial section, Article 9, the “peace clause,” Japan “renounce[d] war as a sovereign right of the nation” and vowed not to maintain any military forces and “other war potential.” To instill a thoroughly democratic ethos, reforms touched every facet of society. The dissolution of the zaibatsu decentralised economic power; the 1945 Labour Union Law and the 1946 Labour Relations Act guaranteed workers the right to collective action; the 1947 Labour Standards Law established basic working standards for men and women; and the revised Civil Code of 1948 abolished the patriarchal household and enshrined sexual equality. Reflecting core American principles, SCAP introduced a 6-3-3 schooling system, six years of compulsory elementary education, three years of junior high, and an optional three years of senior high, along with the aim of secular, locally controlled education. More crucially, ideological reform followed: censorship of feudal material in media, revision of textbooks, and prohibition of ideas glorifying war, dying for the emperor, or venerating war heroes. With women enfranchised and young people shaped to counter militarism and ultranationalism, rural Japan was transformed to undermine lingering class divisions. The land reform program provided for the purchase of all land held by absentee landlords, allowed resident landlords and owner-farmers to retain a set amount of land, and required that the remaining land be sold to the government so it could be offered to existing tenants. In 1948, amid the intensifying tensions of the Cold War that would soon culminate in the Korean War, the occupation's focus shifted from demilitarization and democratization toward economic rehabilitation and, ultimately, the remilitarization of Japan, an shift now known as the “Reverse Course.” The country was thus rebuilt as the Pacific region's primary bulwark against the spread of Communism. An Economic Stabilisation Programme was introduced, including a five-year plan to coordinate production and target capital through the Reconstruction Finance Bank. In 1949, the anti-inflationary Dodge Plan was adopted, advocating balanced budgets, fixing the exchange rate at 360 yen to the dollar, and ending broad government intervention. Additionally, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry was formed and supported the formation of conglomerates centered around banks, which encouraged the reemergence of a somewhat weakened set of zaibatsu, including Mitsui and Mitsubishi. By the end of the Occupation era, Japan was on the verge of surpassing its 1934–1936 levels of economic growth. Equally important was Japan's rearmament in alignment with American foreign policy: a National Police Reserve of about 75,000 was created with the outbreak of the Korean War; by 1952 it had expanded to 110,000 and was renamed the Self-Defense Force after the inclusion of an air force. However, the Reverse Course also facilitated the reestablishment of conservative politics and the rollback of gains made by women and the reforms of local autonomy and education. As the Occupation progressed, the Americans permitted greater Japanese initiative, and power gradually shifted from the reformers to the moderates. By 1949, the purge of the right came under review, and many who had been condemned began returning to influence, if not to the Diet, then to behind-the-scenes power. At the same time, Japanese authorities, with MacArthur's support, began purging left-wing activists. In June 1950, for example, the central office of the Japan Communist Party and the editorial board of The Red Flag were purged. The gains made by women also seemed to be reversed. Women were elected to 8% of available seats in the first lower-house election in 1946, but to only 2% in 1952, a trend not reversed until the so-called Madonna Boom of the 1980s. Although the number of women voting continued to rise, female politicisation remained more superficial than might be imagined. Women's employment also appeared little affected by labour legislation: though women formed nearly 40% of the labor force in 1952, they earned only 45% as much as men. Indeed, women's attitudes toward labor were influenced less by the new ethos of fulfilling individual potential than by traditional views of family and workplace responsibilities. In the areas of local autonomy and education, substantial modifications were made to the reforms. Because local authorities lacked sufficient power to tax, they were unable to realise their extensive powers, and, as a result, key responsibilities were transferred back to national jurisdiction. In 1951, for example, 90% of villages and towns placed their police forces under the control of the newly formed National Police Agency. Central control over education was also gradually reasserted; in 1951, the Yoshida government attempted to reintroduce ethics classes, proposed tighter central oversight of textbooks, and recommended abolishing local school board elections. By the end of the decade, all these changes had been implemented. The Soviet occupation of the Kurile Islands and the Habomai Islets was completed with Russian troops fully deployed by September 5. Immediately after the onset of the occupation, amid a climate of insecurity and fear marked by reports of sporadic rape and physical assault and widespread looting by occupying troops, an estimated 4,000 islanders fled to Hokkaido rather than face an uncertain repatriation. As Soviet forces moved in, they seized or destroyed telephone and telegraph installations and halted ship movements into and out of the islands, leaving residents without adequate food and other winter provisions. Yet, unlike Manchuria, where Japanese civilians faced widespread sexual violence and pillage, systematic violence against the civilian population on the Kuriles appears to have been exceptional. A series of military government proclamations assured islanders of safety so long as they did not resist Soviet rule and carried on normally; however, these orders also prohibited activities not explicitly authorized by the Red Army, which imposed many hardships on civilians. Residents endured harsh conditions under Soviet rule until late 1948, when Japanese repatriation out of the Kurils was completed. The Kuriles posed a special diplomatic problem, as the occupation of the southernmost islands—the Northern Territories—ignited a long-standing dispute between Tokyo and Moscow that continues to impede the normalisation of relations today. Although the Kuriles were promised to the Soviet Union in the Yalta agreement, Japan and the United States argued that this did not apply to the Northern Territories, since they were not part of the Kurile Islands. A substantial dispute regarding the status of the Kurile Islands arose between the United States and the Soviet Union during the preparation of the Treaty of San Francisco, which was intended as a permanent peace treaty between Japan and the Allied Powers of World War II. The treaty was ultimately signed by 49 nations in San Francisco on September 8, 1951, and came into force on April 28, 1952. It ended Japan's role as an imperial power, allocated compensation to Allied nations and former prisoners of war who had suffered Japanese war crimes, ended the Allied post-war occupation of Japan, and returned full sovereignty to Japan. Effectively, the document officially renounced Japan's treaty rights derived from the Boxer Protocol of 1901 and its rights to Korea, Formosa and the Pescadores, the Kurile Islands, the Spratly Islands, Antarctica, and South Sakhalin. Japan's South Seas Mandate, namely the Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, and Caroline Islands, had already been formally revoked by the United Nations on July 18, 1947, making the United States responsible for administration of those islands under a UN trusteeship agreement that established the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. In turn, the Bonin, Volcano, and Ryukyu Islands were progressively restored to Japan between 1953 and 1972, along with the Senkaku Islands, which were disputed by both Communist and Nationalist China. In addition, alongside the Treaty of San Francisco, Japan and the United States signed a Security Treaty that established a long-lasting military alliance between them. Although Japan renounced its rights to the Kuriles, the U.S. State Department later clarified that “the Habomai Islands and Shikotan ... are properly part of Hokkaido and that Japan is entitled to sovereignty over them,” hence why the Soviets refused to sign the treaty. Britain and the United States agreed that territorial rights would not be granted to nations that did not sign the Treaty of San Francisco, and as a result the Kurile Islands were not formally recognized as Soviet territory. A separate peace treaty, the Treaty of Taipei (formally the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty), was signed in Taipei on April 28, 1952 between Japan and the Kuomintang, and on June 9 of that year the Treaty of Peace Between Japan and India followed. Finally, Japan and the Soviet Union ended their formal state of war with the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956, though this did not settle the Kurile Islands dispute. Even after these formal steps, Japan as a nation was not in a formal state of war, and many Japanese continued to believe the war was ongoing; those who held out after the surrender came to be known as Japanese holdouts.  Captain Oba Sakae and his medical company participated in the Saipan campaign beginning on July 7, 1944, and took part in what would become the largest banzai charge of the Pacific War. After 15 hours of intense hand-to-hand combat, almost 4,300 Japanese soldiers were dead, and Oba and his men were presumed among them. In reality, however, he survived the battle and gradually assumed command of over a hundred additional soldiers. Only five men from his original unit survived the battle, two of whom died in the following months. Oba then led over 200 Japanese civilians deeper into the jungles to evade capture, organizing them into mountain caves and hidden jungle villages. When the soldiers were not assisting the civilians with survival tasks, Oba and his men continued their battle against the garrison of US Marines. He used the 1,552‑ft Mount Tapochau as their primary base, which offered an unobstructed 360-degree view of the island. From their base camp on the western slope of the mountain, Oba and his men occasionally conducted guerrilla-style raids on American positions. Due to the speed and stealth of these operations, and the Marines' frustrated attempts to find him, the Saipan Marines eventually referred to Oba as “The Fox.” Oba and his men held out on the island for 512 days, or about 16 months. On November 27, 1945, former Major-General Amo Umahachi was able to draw out some of the Japanese in hiding by singing the anthem of the Japanese infantry branch. Amo was then able to present documents from the defunct IGHQ to Oba ordering him and his 46 remaining men to surrender themselves to the Americans. On December 1, the Japanese soldiers gathered on Tapochau and sang a song of departure to the spirits of the war dead; Oba led his people out of the jungle and they presented themselves to the Marines of the 18th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Company. With great formality and commensurate dignity, Oba surrendered his sword to Lieutenant Colonel Howard G. Kirgis, and his men surrendered their arms and colors. On January 2, 1946, 20 Japanese soldiers hiding in a tunnel at Corregidor Island surrendered after learning the war had ended from a newspaper found while collecting water. In that same month, 120 Japanese were routed after a battle in the mountains 150 miles south of Manila. In April, during a seven-week campaign to clear Lubang Island, 41 more Japanese emerged from the jungle, unaware that the war had ended; however, a group of four Japanese continued to resist. In early 1947, Lieutenant Yamaguchi Ei and his band of 33 soldiers renewed fighting with the small Marine garrison on Peleliu, prompting reinforcements under Rear-Admiral Charles Pownall to be brought to the island to hunt down the guerrilla group. Along with them came former Rear-Admiral Sumikawa Michio, who ultimately convinced Yamaguchi to surrender in April after almost three years of guerrilla warfare. Also in April, seven Japanese emerged from Palawan Island and fifteen armed stragglers emerged from Luzon. In January 1948, 200 troops surrendered on Mindanao; and on May 12, the Associated Press reported that two unnamed Japanese soldiers had surrendered to civilian policemen in Guam the day before. On January 6, 1949, two former IJN soldiers, machine gunners Matsudo Rikio and Yamakage Kufuku, were discovered on Iwo Jima and surrendered peacefully. In March 1950, Private Akatsu Yūichi surrendered in the village of Looc, leaving only three Japanese still resisting on Lubang. By 1951 a group of Japanese on Anatahan Island refused to believe that the war was over and resisted every attempt by the Navy to remove them. This group was first discovered in February 1945, when several Chamorros from Saipan were sent to the island to recover the bodies of a Saipan-based B-29. The Chamorros reported that there were about thirty Japanese survivors from three ships sunk in June 1944, one of which was an Okinawan woman. Personal aggravations developed from the close confines of a small group on a small island and from tuba drinking; among the holdouts, 6 of 11 deaths were the result of violence, and one man displayed 13 knife wounds. The presence of only one woman, Higa Kazuko, caused considerable difficulty as she would transfer her affections among at least four men after each of them mysteriously disappeared, purportedly “swallowed by the waves while fishing.” According to the more sensational versions of the Anatahan tale, 11 of the 30 navy sailors stranded on the island died due to violent struggles over her affections. In July 1950, Higa went to the beach when an American vessel appeared offshore and finally asked to be removed from the island. She was taken to Saipan aboard the Miss Susie and, upon arrival, told authorities that the men on the island did not believe the war was over. As the Japanese government showed interest in the situation on Anatahan, the families of the holdouts were contacted in Japan and urged by the Navy to write letters stating that the war was over and that the holdouts should surrender. The letters were dropped by air on June 26 and ultimately convinced the holdouts to give themselves up. Thus, six years after the end of World War II, “Operation Removal” commenced from Saipan under the command of Lt. Commander James B. Johnson, USNR, aboard the Navy Tug USS Cocopa. Johnson and an interpreter went ashore by rubber boat and formally accepted the surrender on the morning of June 30, 1951. The Anatahan femme fatale story later inspired the 1953 Japanese film Anatahan and the 1998 novel Cage on the Sea. In 1953, Murata Susumu, the last holdout on Tinian, was finally captured. The next year, on May 7, Corporal Sumada Shoichi was killed in a clash with Filipino soldiers, leaving only two Japanese still resisting on Lubang. In November 1955, Seaman Kinoshita Noboru was captured in the Luzon jungle but soon after committed suicide rather than “return to Japan in defeat.” That same year, four Japanese airmen surrendered at Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea; and in 1956, nine soldiers were located and sent home from Morotai, while four men surrendered on Mindoro. In May 1960, Sergeant Ito Masashi became one of the last Japanese to surrender at Guam after the capture of his comrade Private Minagawa Bunzo, but the final surrender at Guam would come later with Sergeant Yokoi Shoichi. Sergeant Yokoi Shoichi survived in the jungles of Guam by living for years in an elaborately dug hole, subsisting on snails and lizards, a fate that, while undignified, showcased his ingenuity and resilience and earned him a warm welcome on his return to Japan. His capture was not heroic in the traditional sense: he was found half-starving by a group of villagers while foraging for shrimp in a stream, and the broader context included his awareness as early as 1952 that the war had ended. He explained that the wartime bushido code, emphasizing self-sacrifice or suicide rather than self-preservation, had left him fearing that repatriation would label him a deserter and likely lead to execution. Emerging from the jungle, Yokoi also became a vocal critic of Japan's wartime leadership, including Emperor Hirohito, which fits a view of him as a product of, and a prisoner within, his own education, military training, and the censorship and propaganda of the era. When asked by a young nephew how he survived so long on an island just a short distance from a major American airbase, he replied simply, “I was really good at hide and seek.”  That same year, Private Kozuka Kinshichi was killed in a shootout with Philippine police in October, leaving Lieutenant Onoda Hiroo still resisting on Lubang. Lieutenant Onoda Hiroo had been on Lubang since 1944, a few months before the Americans retook the Philippines. The last instructions he had received from his immediate superior ordered him to retreat to the interior of the island and harass the Allied occupying forces until the IJA eventually returned. Despite efforts by the Philippine Army, letters and newspapers left for him, radio broadcasts, and even a plea from Onoda's brother, he did not believe the war was over. On February 20, 1974, Onoda encountered a young Japanese university dropout named Suzuki Norio, who was traveling the world and had told friends that he planned to “look for Lieutenant Onoda, a panda, and the abominable snowman, in that order.” The two became friends, but Onoda stated that he was waiting for orders from one of his commanders. On March 9, 1974, Onoda went to an agreed-upon place and found a note left by Suzuki. Suzuki had brought along Onoda's former commander, Major Taniguchi, who delivered the oral orders for Onoda to surrender. Intelligence Officer 2nd Lt. Onoda Hiroo thus emerged from Lubang's jungle with his .25 caliber rifle, 500 rounds of ammunition, and several hand grenades. He surrendered 29 years after Japan's formal surrender, and 15 years after being declared legally dead in Japan. When he accepted that the war was over, he wept openly. He received a hero's welcome upon his return to Japan in 1974. The Japanese government offered him a large sum of money in back pay, which he refused. When money was pressed on him by well-wishers, he donated it to Yasukuni Shrine. Onoda was reportedly unhappy with the attention and what he saw as the withering of traditional Japanese values. He wrote No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War, a best-selling autobiography published in 1974. Yet the last Japanese to surrender would be Private Nakamura Teruo, an Amis aborigine from Formosa and a member of the Takasago Volunteers. Private Nakamura Teruo spent the tail end of World War II with a dwindling band on Morotai, repeatedly dispersing and reassembling in the jungle as they hunted for food. The group suffered continuous losses to starvation and disease, and survivors described Nakamura as highly self-sufficient. He left to live alone somewhere in the Morotai highlands between 1946 and 1947, rejoined the main group in 1950, and then disappeared again a few years later. Nakamura hinted in print that he fled into the jungle because he feared the other holdouts might murder him. He survives for decades beyond the war, eventually being found by 11 Indonesian soldiers. The emergence of an indigenous Taiwanese soldier among the search party embarrassed Japan as it sought to move past its imperial past. Many Japanese felt Nakamura deserved compensation for decades of loyalty, only to learn that his back pay for three decades of service amounted to 68,000 yen.   Nakamura's experience of peace was complex. When a journalist asked how he felt about “wasting” three decades of his life on Morotai, he replied that the years had not been wasted; he had been serving his country. Yet the country he returned to was Taiwan, and upon disembarking in Taipei in early January 1975, he learned that his wife had a son he had never met and that she had remarried a decade after his official death. Nakamura eventually lived with a daughter, and his story concluded with a bittersweet note when his wife reconsidered and reconciled with him. Several Japanese soldiers joined local Communist and insurgent groups after the war to avoid surrender. Notably, in 1956 and 1958, two soldiers returned to Japan after service in China's People's Liberation Army. Two others who defected with a larger group to the Malayan Communist Party around 1945 laid down their arms in 1989 and repatriated the next year, becoming among the last to return home. That is all for today, but fear not I will provide a few more goodies over the next few weeks. I will be releasing some of my exclusive podcast episodes from my youtube membership and patreon that are about pacific war subjects. Like I promised the first one will be on why Emperor Hirohito surrendered. Until then if you need your fix you know where to find me: eastern front week by week, fall and rise of china, echoes of war or on my Youtube membership of patreon at www.patreon.com/pacificwarchannel.

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 103-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 24,650 on turnover of 7.2-billion N-T. The market closed at a new high on Monday - with buying focused on the semiconductor sector as investors remain upbeat about global demand ahead of the opening tomorrow of SEMICON Taiwan. VP highlights need to bolster defense as new patrol cutter delivered Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim is underscoring the importance of strengthening national defense in the pursuit of peace and prosperity. Hsiao made the comment while overseeing (監督) the delivery to the Coast Guard Administration of the fourth 1,000-tonne class patrol cutter. Speaking at a handover ceremony at C-S-B-S's Keelung shipyard for the vessel - which has been named the "Hualien" - Hsiao underlined the importance of a modernized Coast Guard fleet amid geopolitical uncertainties. Hsiao also christened the fifth 1,000-tonne patrol cutter the "Penghu," at the ceremony. That vessel will be delivered to the Coast Guard Administration at a later date. Germany debuts at SEMICON Taiwan for stronger chip ties with Taipei And,Germany will be setting up its first ever national pavilion at SEMICON Taiwan - when the event opens tomorrow in Taipei. Semiconductor investment expert at Germany Trade & Invest, Martin Mayer says his country is looking to raise its profile (形象) and strengthen semiconductor ties with Taiwan as global chip demand accelerates. According to Mayer, Taiwan is seen as a crucial (至關重要的) partner in developing Germany's semiconductor ecosystem … … and Germany's first ever appearance at at the international semiconductor exhibition in Taipei is intended to "show presence" and signal its commitment to semiconductors, while building trust with Taiwanese companies, government and industry associations. Israel Strikes on Lebanon Kills Hezbollah Members Israel has launched airstrikes on the outskirts of northeastern Lebanon, killing five people, including four Hezbollah members. An Israeli military spokesperson said the air forces targeted Hezbollah positions and infrastructure. This comes as global pressure mounts to disarm (解除武裝) the Lebanese militant group. Since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire ended a war between Hezbollah and Israel in November, Israel has struck southern Lebanon almost daily, targeting the group. The Lebanese government has recently backed a plan to gradually disarm Hezbollah, which the group opposes. Hezbollah has not fired at Israel since November. It maintains it no longer has an armed presence south of the Litani River, but refuses to discuss disarmament until Israel stops its attacks and withdraws from five hilltop points that it captured during the war. US Supreme Court rules LA immigration raids are legal The Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump Administration's immigration agents to resume what critics call indiscriminate sweeps in Los Angeles. The unsigned ruling lifted a lower-court order that had blocked (封鎖，阻止) stops based on race, language, or type of work. Ira Spitzer reports That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. －－－－以下為 SoundOn 動態廣告－－－－ 中國信託聯手統一集團推出uniopen聯名信用卡 2025年12月31日前消費享最高11%回饋 完成指定任務加碼每月免費跨行轉帳10次，ATM存領外幣各1次免手續費 了解詳情> https://sofm.pse.is/84pk5e 謹慎理財 信用至上 -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

We're talking many, many things Taiwanese food with Nancy Jeng and Felicia Liang, the author and illustrator of A Very Asian Guide to Taiwanese Food. We talk about Nancy and Felicia's childhood embarrassment of Taiwanese food, requesting more “American” foods, and finding their way back to Taiwanese food as young adults. We talk about how their author/illustrator collaboration came to be, Nancy's long-con to get her husband to cook Taiwanese classics, the untapped potential of Taiwan's beaches, and the popularity of Trader Joe's scallion pancakes. Find this wonderful beautiful book on Gloo Books or wherever you get your books, and hang out with Nancy and Felicia at their book launch event at On Waverly on Sunday, September 14. Plus themed bites by past guest Jessic Fu and (possible future guest) Henry Hsu. And if you're looking for some recipes, find three great ones in the back of this book, including one for Nancy's Nai Nai's scallion pancakes. We'll be trying these out in our house along with tea eggs.

背 bèi – to memorize; to recite from memory經典 jīng diǎn – classic texts; classics (especially in literature, philosophy, or religion)三字經 sān zì jīng – Three Character Classic, a traditional Chinese text used to teach Confucian values to children論語 lún yǔ – The Analects of Confucius, a collection of sayings and ideas of Confucius文言文 wén yán wén – Classical Chinese; literary Chinese used in ancient texts人之初，性本善 rén zhī chū, xìng běn shàn – "At the beginning of life, human nature is inherently good" (opening line of the Three Character Classic)本性 běn xìng – innate nature; true nature性相近，習相遠 xìng xiāng jìn, xí xiāng yuǎn – "Human nature is similar, but habits lead people far apart" (a line from the Three Character Classic)孔子 kǒng zǐ – Confucius, a famous Chinese philosopher and educator儒家思想 rú jiā sī xiǎng – Confucian thought or philosophy己所不欲，勿施於人 jǐ suǒ bú yù, wù shī yú rén – "Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself" (from The Analects)強加 qiáng jiā – to impose (something unpleasant) on someone學而時習之，不亦說乎 xué ér shí xí zhī, bù yì yuè hū – "To learn and practice it from time to time, is that not a joy?" (opening line of The Analects)修養 xiū yǎng – self-cultivation; personal development打擊樂 dǎ jí yuè – percussion (musical instruments)敲木琴 qiāo mù qín – to play the xylophone (literally "knock wooden instrument")芭蕾 bā lěi – balletIf you're ready to take your Chinese to the next level, not just memorizing words but actually having meaningful conversations with Taiwanese people about real topics like politics, culture, war, news, economics, and more. I invite you to join a one-on-one trial lesson with me. I'll help you build a clear, personalized plan so you can speak more naturally and truly connect with others in Chinese. Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me !

On this episode, Patrick and Ted begin with Tottenham Hotspur and life after Daniel Levy. Why was he let go and what does his departure mean for Spurs' future? Then, we look ahead to the Champions League: can Antonio Conte's Napoli exploit Pep Guardiola's fragile Manchester City? Next, Juventus face Dortmund in a clash of two fallen giants. Are Juventus finally fun again and has Dortmund lost its edge? Newcastle vs Barcelona could be the nightmare matchup for Hansi Flick's side, while Bayern Munich host Chelsea in a battle of two teams still figuring out their identities. The episode wraps up with some news on future content, a tangent on K-Pop Demon Hunters, and Ted's wild story about meeting a Taiwanese mafia boss at a boy band concert. Enjoy! Moe's Woltemade article: https://www.thetransferflow.com/p/nick-woltemade-isn-t-exactly-an-alexander-isak-replacement Subscribe to our FREE newsletter: https://www.thetransferflow.com/subscribe Join Variance Betting: https://www.thetransferflow.com/upgrade Follow us on our Socials: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe1WTKOt7byrELQcGRSzu1Q X: https://x.com/TheTransferFlow Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetransferflow.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetransferflow/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@transferflowpodcast Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:12 – Ted on Levy's Legacy at Tottenham 05:39 – Why Spurs Fell Behind 07:41 – Spurs Ownership & Recruitment Shake-Up 10:11 – Football Execs vs Coaches: Who's Paid More? 11:05 – Transfer Grades Coming Soon 12:10 – UCL Matchday 1 Previews Begin 12:55 – Man City vs Napoli: Conte vs Pep 17:36 – Conte the UCL Nightmare? 19:10 – Juventus vs Dortmund Preview 21:43 – Juventus Look Different This Season 23:03 – Dortmund's Decline & Lost Edge 24:23 – Patrick Rants About Juventus 26:15 – Newcastle vs Barcelona Preview 29:18 – Why Newcastle Could Trouble Barça 33:06 – Voltemata's Price Tag Debate 34:38 – How Far Can Newcastle Go in UCL? 35:26 – Bayern Munich vs Chelsea Preview 39:28 – Did Chelsea Get Worse in Attack? 40:55 – Why Bayern Still Look Dangerous 41:41 – Chelsea's Pressing & Defensive Weakness 41:58 – Wrapping Up UCL Previews 42:37 – Transfer Flow Community Shoutouts 44:36 – B-roll: K-Pop Demon Hunters 48:03 – Ted's Taiwan Mafia K-Pop Story 50:05 – Singapore Brothel Story & Zhang Ziyi 52:27 – Movie Talk: Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis & More

算命 suàn mìng – fortune-telling; to tell someone's fortune安太歲 ān tài suì – a ritual to appease the Tai Sui (Grand Duke Jupiter) deity for safety and good luck in the year文昌帝君 wén chāng dì jūn – Wen Chang Emperor, the Chinese deity of culture and literature, worshipped for academic success祈求 qí qiú – to pray for; to request earnestly求籤 qiú qiān – to draw a divination stick (at a temple) for guidance生辰八字 shēng chén bā zì – the Eight Characters of Birth Time (used in Chinese fortune-telling, based on lunar calendar date and time of birth)接觸 jiē chù – to come into contact with; to engage with進入社會 jìn rù shè huì – to enter society (often refers to starting work life after school)交往的對象 jiāo wǎng de duì xiàng – dating partner; the person one is in a relationship with看星盤 kàn xīng pán – to read or interpret a natal chart (astrology)問塔羅 wèn tǎ luó – to consult tarot cards事業 shì yè – career; professional life婚姻 hūn yīn – marriage創業 chuàng yè – to start a business迷信 mí xìn – superstition; to be superstitious算八字 suàn bā zì – to predict one's fate using the Eight Characters of Birth Time紫微斗數 zǐ wēi dǒu shù – Zi Wei Dou Shu, a traditional Chinese method of fortune-telling using astrology風水 fēng shuǐ – feng shui, Chinese geomancy星座 xīng zuò – zodiac sign (astrological)塔羅牌 tǎ luó pái – tarot cards占卜 zhān bǔ – divination; to predict using omens or methods娛樂 yú lè – entertainment帝王 dì wáng – emperor; monarch卜卦 bǔ guà – to predict the future using the I Ching or other divination methods不確定感 bù què dìng gǎn – sense of uncertainty感情困擾 gǎn qíng kùn rǎo – emotional or romantic troubles人際煩惱 rén jì fán nǎo – interpersonal problems心理安慰 xīn lǐ ān wèi – psychological comfort; emotional reassuranceFeeling stuck or frustrated with your Chinese progress? Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me

陳之漢 chén zhī hàn – Chen Zhi-han, a well-known Taiwanese internet personality and fitness entrepreneur館長 guǎn zhǎng – gym director (nickname of Chen Zhi-han, referring to his role as gym owner)爭議 zhēng yì – controversy; dispute健身教練 jiàn shēn jiào liàn – fitness coach海軍陸戰隊 hǎi jūn lù zhàn duì – Marine Corps (of the Navy)志願役 zhì yuàn yì – voluntary military service (non-drafted)士官 shì guān – non-commissioned officer (NCO)退伍 tuì wǔ – to retire or be discharged from military service連鎖 lián suǒ – chain (store, business)成吉思汗健身館 chéng jí sī hàn jiàn shēn guǎn – Genghis Khan Fitness Center (Chen's gym brand)經營 jīng yíng – to operate; to run (a business)電商 diàn shāng – e-commerce直播 zhí bō – live streaming直白 zhí bái – straightforward; blunt顛沛流離 diān pèi liú lí – displaced and wandering; a life full of hardships欺負 qī fù – to bully拳頭 quán tóu – fist堅強 jiān qiáng – strong; resilient剛硬 gāng yìng – tough; unyielding竹聯幫 zhú lián bāng – Bamboo Union (a Taiwanese gang)黑道 hēi dào – gangster; organized crime亂七八糟 luàn qī bā zāo – a mess; chaotic; disorganized推銷 tuī xiāo – hard selling; aggressive sales promotion企業家精神 qì yè jiā jīng shén – entrepreneurial spirit共產黨 gòng chǎn dǎng – Communist Party (usually referring to the Chinese Communist Party, CCP)反感 fǎn gǎn – dislike; aversion中華民國派 zhōng huá mín guó pài – pro-Republic of China faction極統 jí tǒng – extreme unification (with China)極獨 jí dú – extreme independence (for Taiwan)統一 tǒng yī – unification獨立 dú lì – independence中立 zhōng lì – neutral和平 hé píng – peace骨氣 gǔ qì – integrity; moral backbone被...壓著打 bèi ... yā zhe dǎ – to be oppressed by...; to be suppressed by... (used metaphorically)杭州 háng zhōu – Hangzhou, a city in eastern China西湖 xī hú – West Lake, a famous scenic spot in Hangzhou翻牆 fān qiáng – to bypass internet censorship (using VPNs to "climb over the firewall")If you're ready to take your Chinese to the next level, not just memorizing words but actually having meaningful conversations with Taiwanese people about real topics like politics, culture, war, news, economics, and more. I invite you to join a one-on-one trial lesson with me. I'll help you build a clear, personalized plan so you can speak more naturally and truly connect with others in Chinese. Book a one-on-one trial lesson with me !

The longheld US position to defend Taiwan's independent status in the face of Chinese aggression is looking shaky under the Trump administration, in spite of Taiwanese efforts to court the American president. This week, Gideon talks to analyst and author James Crabtree - former director of the Asia office of the International Institute for Strategic Studies - about why the US now seems more interested in doing a deal with China than showing support for Taiwan. They also discuss the broader implications that this, and other issues, might have for US alliances across the Indo-Pacific region, including relations with South Korea, Japan, Australia and India.Clips: Amazon PrimeFollow Gideon on Bluesky @gideonrachman.bsky.social or X @gideonrachmanMore on this topic:Taiwan raises defence spending by 23% under US pressure to counter China threatDonald Trump blocks Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te from New York stopoverUS cancelled military talks with TaiwanTrump is the gift that keeps giving to ChinaThe geopolitics of chips: Taiwan's ‘Silicon Shield'Subscribe to The Rachman Review wherever you get your podcasts - please listen, rate and subscribe.Presented by Gideon Rachman. Produced by Clare Williamson. Sound design is by Breen Turner. The executive producer is Flo Phillips.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Angelica Oung (https://taipology.substack.com/) talks with Teen about recent changes in Taiwanese political consciousness and its attitudes towards China vs. America. Also, Angelica talks about going to fancy private schools, and the great Chinese real estate develeraging.] Part 1 of 2 For access to Part 2 and all bonus episodes: patreon.com/planamag

Dan Wang is a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover History Lab, and previously a fellow at Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center. Before that, he was an analyst focused on China's technology capabilities at Gavekal Dragonomics, based across Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai. Dan is perhaps best known for a series of annual letters, published between 2017-2023, which encapsulate his reflections on Chinese society; his writing has also appeared in other outlets including Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and beyond. In this New Books Network Episode, Dan discusses his debut book Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future (Norton, 2025). Styled as an aggregation of seven of his famed annual letters, Breakneck presents a dichotomy of China and the US as an “engineering state” and "lawyerly society” respectively, and traces how China's “engineering state” has shaped Chinese society over the last decade.  Breakneck is now available for purchase online and in physical bookstores. Show notes: Dan's website Dan's annual letters: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 Dan's blogpost about Breakneck, which we reference several times in the episode China-related English books that Dan mentions: The Halls of Uselessness (Simon Leys), Other Rivers (Peter Hessler), Invitation to a Banquet (Fuchsia Dunlop) Chinese-language movies from 2017+ that Anthony recommends for illustrating a diverse spectrum of sociopolitical noteworthiness: Wolf Warrior 2 (for China's nationalistic/geopolitical narrative), Upstream (for China's tech industry/labor market), Detention (for Taiwanese popular memory on authoritarianism); plus two additional movies not mentioned in the episode — Ne Zha 2 (for China's soft power potential) and Limbo (for a dark taste of Hong Kong's contemporary malaise).  Chinese-language movies that Dan recommendations: Caught by the Tides (Jia Zhangke), One Second (Zhang Yimou) Anthony Kao is a writer who intersects international affairs and cultural criticism. He founded/edits Cinema Escapist—a publication exploring the sociopolitical context behind global film and television—and also writes for outlets like The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Diplomat, and Eater. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Dan Wang is a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover History Lab, and previously a fellow at Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center. Before that, he was an analyst focused on China's technology capabilities at Gavekal Dragonomics, based across Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai. Dan is perhaps best known for a series of annual letters, published between 2017-2023, which encapsulate his reflections on Chinese society; his writing has also appeared in other outlets including Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and beyond. In this New Books Network Episode, Dan discusses his debut book Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future (Norton, 2025). Styled as an aggregation of seven of his famed annual letters, Breakneck presents a dichotomy of China and the US as an “engineering state” and "lawyerly society” respectively, and traces how China's “engineering state” has shaped Chinese society over the last decade.  Breakneck is now available for purchase online and in physical bookstores. Show notes: Dan's website Dan's annual letters: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 Dan's blogpost about Breakneck, which we reference several times in the episode China-related English books that Dan mentions: The Halls of Uselessness (Simon Leys), Other Rivers (Peter Hessler), Invitation to a Banquet (Fuchsia Dunlop) Chinese-language movies from 2017+ that Anthony recommends for illustrating a diverse spectrum of sociopolitical noteworthiness: Wolf Warrior 2 (for China's nationalistic/geopolitical narrative), Upstream (for China's tech industry/labor market), Detention (for Taiwanese popular memory on authoritarianism); plus two additional movies not mentioned in the episode — Ne Zha 2 (for China's soft power potential) and Limbo (for a dark taste of Hong Kong's contemporary malaise).  Chinese-language movies that Dan recommendations: Caught by the Tides (Jia Zhangke), One Second (Zhang Yimou) Anthony Kao is a writer who intersects international affairs and cultural criticism. He founded/edits Cinema Escapist—a publication exploring the sociopolitical context behind global film and television—and also writes for outlets like The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Diplomat, and Eater. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

When we decided to travel back to Taiwan to cover the vote to recall 24 KMT legislators on July 26th we had no idea how things would turn out. The Great Recall (or da ba mian) as it came to be known in Taiwan, was notable not just because it led to a record number of 31 KMT legislators in total being put up for a recall vote. What was most impressive about is that it was a nationwide effort that started at a grassroots level by everyday people.   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/3-perspectives-in-taiwan-why-the-great-recall-failed-ep-325/   It's been incredible to watch everything leading up to the Great Recall. Going back to last May in 2024 during what came to be known as the Bluebird Movement when tens of thousands of people and upwards of 100,000 took to the streets of Taiwan in a series of protests against controversial bills proposed in the legislative yuan. What happened during the Bluebird Movement protests is said to be what in part galvanized citizens to organize the recall campaigns.   I can't deny that our hopes were high for the results of the July 26th recall vote and after we learned that none of the KMT legislators were successfully recalled, we did our best during the remaining days of our time in Taiwan to try to make sense of the results by talking to a number of our friends and peers.   What you'll hear in this episode are some sound bites from conversations we had on July 30th with Rath Wang, Safe Spaces Senior Policy Fellow and Dennis Chen, Chairman of Wikimedia Taiwan. They shared their observations and thoughts on why the recalls failed, the recall campaigners and what the results of the recall vote could mean for President Lai.   Later that day I also spoke with Morrison Lee a Taiwanese businessman who went to China on what was supposed to be a 48-hour trip and ended up getting detained and stuck there for nearly 4 years. Morrison talked about his personal involvement in the recall effort also shared his thoughts on why the recall votes failed.   As mentioned, recall campaign groups succeeded in putting up a total of 31 KMT legislators for a recall vote. Another 7 legislators will be up for a recall vote on August 23rd.   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/3-perspectives-in-taiwan-why-the-great-recall-failed-ep-325/

Mick Ryan is a retired major general in the Australian army and author of three books — War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict, White Sun War, which is a piece of fiction about a near-future Taiwan war, and The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire. He also writes the excellent Futura Doctrina Substack, which has taught me a tremendous amount over the past few years. The way Mick synthesizes history and contemporary conflict makes it one of my few true must-read Substacks. In today's conversation, we discuss… Lessons from the history of warfare, and how to apply them to modern conflict, Why superweapons don't win wars, and how the human dimension of war will shape military applications of AI, Why economic integration alone cannot prevent a US-China war, The role of deception and the limits of battlefield surveillance, with case studies in Ukraine and Afghanistan, Mick's four filters for applying lessons from Ukraine to a Taiwan contingency, and the underappreciated role of Taiwanese public opinion in shaping CCP goals. Thanks to the Hudson Institute's Center for Defense Concepts and Technology for sponsoring this podcast. Outro music: Elvis Presley — Down by the Riverside (YouTube Link) Reading recommendations: Paul Kennedy — The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers and Engineers of Victory: The Problem Solvers Who Turned the Tide in the Second World War Norman F. Dixon — On the Psychology of Military Incompetence  Aimée Fox — Learning to Fight: Military Innovation and Change in the British Army, 1914–1918  Williamson Murray & Allan R. Millett — Military Innovation in the Interwar Period and Military Effectiveness trilogy  Trent Hone — Learning War: The Evolution of Fighting Doctrine in the U.S. Navy, 1898–1945  Brent L. Sterling — Other People's Wars: The U.S. Military and the Challenge of Learning from Foreign Conflicts (2021) Dima Adamsky — The Culture of Military Innovation: The Impact of Cultural Factors on the Revolution in Military Affairs in Russia, the US, and Israel (2010) Meir Finkel — On Flexibility: Recovery from Technological and Doctrinal Surprise on the Battlefield and Military Agility: Ensuring Rapid and Effective Transition from Peace to War Andrew Krepinevich —  The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovation Determines the Fates of Great Powers R.V. Jones —  The Wizard War: British Scientific Intelligence 1939-1945 Francis Hoffman — Mars Adapting: Military Change During War You can find more syllabi on Mick Ryan's Substack (here and here) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices