Podcasts about Tang

Simon Tang er forbi til en snak om hele molevitten, bekymringsløst skrivearbejde, og hvor meget sjælland der egentligt er. Vi jammer på jokes om hyggeallergi og Pelle Hvenegaards frelste skjult kamera projekt. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What an honour to play for The Great Oven's Disco Cantina at All Together Now Festival 2025 - here's my banquet soundtrack. Read more about the project below: ** THE GREAT OVEN DISCO CANTINA **with TANG, RADIO ALHARA & MIXMAGSince its inception in 2019, The Great Oven has been forging giant, beautifully decorated, community ovens – installing them in refugee camps, conflict zones and informal settlements across Lebanon and South Africa.This year, their mission is to expand to the West Bank whilst creating a cultural bridge between Palestine and a homebase in Ireland. Artists from both countries have been collaborating all year to construct two Great Ovens that will be decorated at IMMA, Irish Museum of Modern Art and unveiled at All Together Now 2025.You'll find them at The Great Oven Disco Cantina: a feast for the senses where festivalgoers can dance, dine and support the journey of a Great Oven to Palestine. An exceptional lineup of longstanding partners and allies have gathered all together now, to bring this vision to life.Leading the Disco Cantina's culinary experience is beloved Middle Eastern eatery, Tang who are shutting all their Dublin sites for the weekend to send their talented team to host this gastronomic extravaganza. Cherished recipes from Great Oven refugee cooks will feature alongside favourite dishes from the restaurant. Once a day, 100 diners will be given the opportunity to attend a DJ Banquet where special guests will perform a once-in-a-lifetime, intimate show at the cantina. The rest of the day Tang will be serving up a buzzy BBQ feast with freshly made Saj bread, all cooked live in this unique setting.Bringing the disco is Palestinian radio station turned global cultural phenomenon, Radio Alhara. From day to night, DJs from Palestine and across the Middle East, along with renowned Irish and international acts, will spin a soundtrack of sonic solidarity. The entire experience will be captured and amplified by Mixmag, the world's largest and longest-running electronic music platform. The Disco Cantina's dancefloor will host Ireland's first-ever Mixmag Lab, which will be streamed globally.When the festival lights go out, the voyage of these Great Ovens begins. One will make its way to Palestine, where it will be housed at the Wonder Cabinet, a creative hub in the West Bank. The other will find its home at Dalymount Park, Bohemian Football Club's historic ground. These twin ovens will nourish communities, honour shared struggle and will create a cultural bridge between Ireland and Palestine where recipes, art, music and solidarity will be shared for generations to come.

This episode we start to get more into the material culture of the period with court fashion, as we look at the court robes that went along with the updated court ranks.  Granted, we only have a few resources, but from those it does seem like we can construct at least a plausible idea of what the court may have looked like at this time. For more discussion, check out the blogpost:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-137   Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is Episode 137:  Courtly Fashion. In the New Year's ceremony, the court officials lined up in front of the Kiyomihara Palace, arranged by their relative court rank, dressed in their assigned court robes.  The effect was impressive—the rows of officials painting the courtyard like the bands of color in a rainbow, albeit one with only a couple of hues.  The fact that they were all wearing the same style of dress and black, stiffened gauze hats only added to the effect.  The individual officers were all but lost in what was, at least in outward form, a single, homogenous machine of government, just waiting for the command of their monarch to attend to the important matters of state. We are covering the reign of Ohoama no Ohokimi, aka Ama no Nunahara oki no mabito no Sumera no Mikoto, aka Temmu Tennou.  Last episode we went over the changes he had made to the family titles—the kabane—as well as to the courtly rank system.  For the former, he had consolidated the myriad kabane and traditional titles across Yamato into a series of eight—the Yakusa no Kabane.   These were, from highest to lowest: Mabito, Asomi, Sukune, Imiki, Michinoshi, Omi, Muraji, and Inaki.  By the way, you might notice that "Mabito" actually occurs in Ohoama's posthumous name:  Ama no Nunahara oki no mabito, which lends more credence to the idea that that kabane was for those with a special connection to the royal lineage. Besides simplifying and restructuring the kabane, Ohoama also reformed the court rank system.  He divided the Princely ranks into two categories:  Myou, or Bright, and Jou, or Pure.  For the court nobles the categories were:                Shou – Upright                Jiki – Straight                Gon – Diligent                Mu – Earnest                Tsui – Pursue                Shin – Advancement Each category was further divided into four grades (except for the very first princely category, Myou, which was only two).  Each grade was then further divided into large, "dai", or broad, "kou". And this brings us to our topic today. Along with this new rank system, Ohoama's administration also instituted a new set of court sumptuary laws. Some are vague in the record—we can just make assumptions for what is going on based on what we know from later fashion choices.  Others are a little more clear.  We'll take a look at those sumptuary laws, particularly those that were directly associated with the new court rank system, but we'll also look at the clothing styles more generally. To start with, let's talk about what we know about clothing in the archipelago in general.  Unfortunately, fabric doesn't tend to survive very well in the generally acidic soils of the Japanese archipelago.  Cloth tends to break down pretty quickly.  That said, we have fragments here and there and impressions in pottery, so we have some idea that there was some kind of woven fabric from which to make clothing out of. And before I go too far I want to give a shout out to the amazing people at the Kyoto Costume Museum.  They have a tremendous website and I will link to it in the comments.  While there may be some debate over particular interpretations of historical clothing, it is an excellent resource to get a feel for what we know of the fashion of the various periods.  I'll also plug our own website, SengokuDaimyo.com, which has a "Clothing and Accessory" section that, while more geared towards Heian and later periods, may still be of some use in looking up particular terms and getting to know the clothing and outfits. At the farthest reaches of pre-history, we really don't have a lot of information for clothing.  There is evidence of woven goods in the Jomon period, and we have Yayoi burials with bits of cloth here and there, but these are all scraps.  So at best we have some conjecture as to what people were wearing, and possibly some ability to look across the Korean peninsula and see what people had, there. There are scant to no reliable records from early on in Japanese history, and most of those don't really do a great job of describing the clothing.  Even where we do get something, like the Weizhi, one has to wonder given how they tended to crib notes from other entries. There is at least one picture scroll of interest: Portraits of Periodical Offering of Liang, or Liáng -Zhígòngtú.  It is said to have been painted by Xiao Yi in the early 6th century, and while the original no longer exists there is an 11th century copy from the time of the Song Dynasty.  The scroll shows  various ambassadors to the Liang court, including one from Wa.  The Wa ambassador is shown with what appears to be a wide piece of cloth around his hips and legs, tied in front.  His lower legs are covered in what we might call kyahan today: a rather simple wrap around leg from below the knee to the foot.  He has another, blue piece of cloth around his shoulders, almost like a shawl, and it is also tied in front.  Then there is a cloth wrapped and tied around his head. It's hard to know how much of this depiction is accurate and how much the artist was drawing on memory and descriptions from things like the Weizhi or Wei Chronicles, which stated that the Wa people wore wide cloths wrapped around and seamlessly tied As such, it may be more helpful to look at depictions actually from the archipelago: specifically, some of the human-figured haniwa, those clay cylinders and statues that adorned the burial mounds which gave the kofun period its name.  Some of these haniwa are fairly detailed, and we can see ties, collars, and similar features of clothing. These haniwa primarily seem to cluster towards the end of the Kofun period, in the later 6th century, so it is hard to say how much they can be used for earlier periods, though that is exactly what you will typically see for periods where we have little to know evidence.  I'm also not sure how regional certain fashions might have been, and we could very much be suffering from survivorship bias—that is we only know what survived and assume that was everything, or even the majority. Still, it is something. Much of what we see in these figures is some kind of upper garment that has relatively tight sleeves, like a modern shirt or jacket might have, with the front pieces overlapping create a V-shaped neckline.  The garment hem often hangs down to just above the knee, flaring out away from the body, and it's held closed with ties and some kind of belt, possibly leather in some cases, and in others it looks like a tied loop of cloth.  There is evidence of a kind of trouser, with two legs, and we see ties around the knee.  In some cases, they even have small bells hanging from the ties.  Presumably the trousers might have ties up towards the waist, but we cannot see that in the examples we have. We also see individuals who have no evidence of any kind of bifurcated lower garment.  That may indicate an underskirt of some kind, or possibly what's called a "mo"—but it could also be just a simplification for stability, since a haniwa has a cylindrical base anyway.  It is not always obvious when you are looking at a haniwa figure whether it depicts a man or woman: in some cases there are two dots on the chest that seem to make it obvious, but the haniwa do come from different artisans in different regions, so there is a lot of variability. We also see evidence of what seem to be decorative sashes that are worn across the body, though not in all cases.  There are various types of headgear and hairstyles.  Wide-brimmed and domed hats are not uncommon, and we also see combs and elaborate hairstyles depicted.  On some occasions we can even see that they had closed toed shoes.  For accessories, we see haniwa wearing jewelry, including necklaces (worn by both men and women), bracelets, and earrings.  In terms of actual human jewelry, early shell bracelets demonstrate trade routes, and the distinctive magatama, or comma shaped jewel, can be found in the archipelago and on the Korean peninsula, where it is known as "gogok".  Based on lines or even colored pigment on the haniwa, it appears that many of these outfits were actually quite heavily decorated.  Paint on the outfits is sometimes also placed on the face, suggesting that they either painted or tattooed themselves, something mentioned in the Wei Chronicles.  We also have archaeological examples of dyed cloth, so it is interesting that people are often depicted in undyed clothing.  There is one haniwa that I find particularly interesting, because they appear to be wearing more of a round-necked garment, and they have a hat that is reminiscent of the phrygian cap: a conical cap with the top bent forward.  These are traits common to some of the Sogdians and other Persian merchants along the silk road, raising the possibility that it is meant to depict a foreigner, though it is also possible that it was just another local style. If we compare this to the continent, we can see some immediate difference.  In the contemporaneous Sui dynasty, we can see long flowing robes, with large sleeves for men and women.  The shoes often had an upturned placket that appears to have been useful to prevent one from tripping on long, flowing garments.  Many of these outfits were also of the v-neck variety, with two overlapping pieces, though it is often shown held together with a fabric belt that is tied in front.  The hats appear to either be a kind of loose piece of fabric, often described as a turban, wrapped around the head, the ends where it ties together trailing behind, or black lacquered crowns—though there were also some fairly elaborate pieces for the sovereign. As Yamato started to import continental philosophy, governance, and religion, they would also start to pick up on continental fashion.  This seems particularly true as they adopted the continental concept of "cap rank" or "kan-i". Let's go over what we know about this system, from its first mention in the Chronicles up to where we are in Ohoama's reign. As a caveat, there is a lot we don't know about the details of these garments, but we can make some guesses. The first twelve cap-ranks, theoretically established in 603, are somewhat questionable in their historicity, as are so many things related to Shotoku Taishi.  And their names are clearly based on Confucian values:  Virtue, Humanity, Propriety, Faith, Justice, and Wisdom, or Toku, Nin, Rei, Shin, Gi, and Chi.  The five values and then just "Virtue", itself. The existence of this system does seem to be confirmed by the Sui Shu, the Book of Sui, which includes a note in the section on the country of Wa that they used a 12 rank system based on the Confucian values, but those values were given in the traditional Confucian order vice the order given in the Nihon Shoki.   The rank system of the contemporaneous Sui and Tang dynasties was different from these 12 ranks, suggesting that the Yamato system either came from older dynasties—perhaps from works on the Han dynasty or the Northern and Southern Dynasty, periods—or they got it from their neighbors, Baekje, Silla, and Goguryeo.  There does seem to be a common thread, though, that court rank was identifiable in one's clothes. As for the caps themselves, what did they look like?  One would assume that the Yamato court just adopted a continental style cap, and yet, which one? It isn't fully described, and there are a number of types of headwear that we see in the various continental courts. Given that, we aren't entirely sure exactly what it looked like, but we do have a couple of sources that we can look at and use to make some assumptions.  These sources l ead us to the idea of a round, colored cap made of fabric, around the brim that was probably the fabric or image prescribed for that rank.  It is also often depicted with a bulbous top, likely for the wearer's hair, and may have been tied to their top knot.     Our main source for this is the Tenjukoku Mandala Embroidery (Tenjukoku-mandara-shuuchou) at Chuuguuji temple, which was a temple built for the mother of Prince Umayado, aka Shotoku Taishi.    This embroidery was created in 622, so 19 years after the 12 ranks would have been implemented. It depicts individuals in round-necked jackets that appear to have a part straight down the center.  Beneath the jacket one can see a pleated hem, possibly something like a "hirami", a wrapped skirt that is still found in some ceremonial imperial robes.  It strikes me that this could also be the hem of something like the hanpi, which was kind of like a vest with a pleated lower edge.  Below that we see trousers—hakama—with a red colored hem—at least on one figure that we can see.  He also appears to be wearing a kind of slipper-like shoe. As for the women, there are a few that appear to be in the mandala, but it is hard to say for certain as the embroidery has been damaged over the years. That said, from what we can tell, women probably would have worn something similar to the men in terms of the jacket and the pleated under-skirt, but then, instead of hakama, we see a pleated full-length skirt, or mo.  We also don't have a lot of evidence for them wearing hats or anything like that. The round necked jacket is interesting as it appears to be similar to the hou that was common from northern China across the Silk Road, especially amongst foreigners.  This garment  came to displace the traditional robes of the Tang court and would become the basis for much of the court clothing from that period, onwards.  The round necked garment had central panels that overlapped, and small ties or fastenings at either side of the neck to allow for an entirely enclosed neckline.  This was more intricate than just two, straight collars, and so may have taken time to adopt, fully. The next change to the cap-rank system was made in 647, two years into the Taika Reform.  The ranks then were more directly named for the caps, or crowns—kanmuri—and their materials and colors.  The ranks translate to Woven, Embroidered, Purple, Brocade, Blue, Black, and finally "Establish Valor" for the entry level rank. The system gets updated two years later, but only slightly.  We still see a reference to Woven stuff, Embroidery, and Purple, but then the next several ranks change to Flower, Mountain, and Tiger—or possibly Kingfisher.  These were a little more removed from the cap color and material, and may have had something to do with designs that were meant to be embroidered on the cap or on the robes in some way, though that is just speculation based on later Ming and Qing court outfits. Naka no Ohoye then updates it again in 664, but again only a little.  He seems to add back in the "brocade" category, swapping out the "flower", and otherwise just adds extra grades within each category to expand to 26 total rank grades. And that brings us to the reforms of 685, mentioned last episode.  This new system was built around what appear to be moral exhortations—Upright, Straight, Diligent, Earnest, etc.  And that is great and all, but how does that match up with the official robes? What color goes with each rank category?  Fortunately, this time around, the Chronicle lays it out for us pretty clearly. First off we are given the color red for the Princely ranks—not purple as one might have thought.  Specifically, it is "Vermillion Flower", hanezu-iro, which Bentley translates as the color of the "Oriental bush" or salmon.  In the blogpost we'll link to a table of colors that the founder of Sengoku Daimyo, Anthony Bryant, had put together, with some explanation of how to apply it.  I would note that there is often no way to know exactly what a given color was like or what shades were considered an acceptable range.  Everything was hand-dyed, and leaving fabric in the dye a little longer, changing the proportions, or just fading over time could create slightly different variants in the hue, but we think we can get pretty close. From there we have the six "common" ranks for the nobility.  Starting with the first rank, Upright, we have "Dark Purple".  Then we have "Light Purple".  This pattern continues with Dark and Light Green and then Dark and Light Grape or Lilac.  Purple in this case is Murasaki, and green here is specifically Midori, which is more specifically green than the larger category of "Aoi", which covers a spectrum of blue to green.  The grape or lilac is specifically "suou", and based on Bentley's colors it would be a kind of purple or violet. The idea is that the official court outfits for each rank would be the proper color.  And yes, that means if you get promoted in rank, your first paycheck—or rice stipend—is probably going to pay for a new set of official clothes.  Fortunately for the existing court nobles at the time, in the last month of 685, the Queen provided court clothing for 55 Princes and Ministers, so they could all look the part. And the look at court was important.  In fact, several of the edicts from this time focus specifically on who was allowed—or expected—to wear what.  For instance, in the 4th month of 681, they established 92 articles of the law code, and among those were various sumptuary laws—that is to say, laws as to what you could wear.  We are told that they applied to everyone from Princes of the blood down to the common person, and it regulated the wearing of precious metals, pearls, and jewels; the type of fabric one could use, whether purple, brocade, embroidery, or fine silks; and it also regulated woollen carpets, caps, belts, and the colors of various things. And here I'd like to pause and give some brief thought to how this played into the goals of the court, generally, which is to say the goal of creating and establishing this new system of governance in the cultural psyche of the people of the archipelago.  From the continental style palaces, to the temples, and right down to the clothing that people were wearing, this was all orchestrated, consciously or otherwise, to emphasize and even normalize the changes that were being introduced.  When everything around you is conforming to the new rules, it makes it quite easy for others to get on board. The court had surrounded themselves with monumental architecture that was designed along continental models and could best be explained through continental reasoning.  Even if they weren't Confucian or Daoist, those lines of reasoning ran through the various cultural and material changes that they were taking up.  Sure, they put their own stamp on it, but at the same time, when everything is right in front of you, it would become that much harder to deny or push back against it. And when you participated in the important rituals of the state, the clothing itself became a part of the pageantry.  It reinforced the notion that this was something new and different, and yet also emphasized that pushing against it would be going against the majority.  So court uniforms were another arm of the state's propaganda machine, all designed to reinforce the idea that the heavenly sovereign—the Tennou—was the right and just center of political life and deserving of their position.  Getting back to the sumptuary laws and rank based regulations: It is unfortunate that the record in the Nihon Shoki doesn't tell us exactly how things were regulated, only that they were, at least in some cases.  So for anything more we can only make assumptions based on later rules and traditions.  A few things we can see right away, though.  First is the restriction of the color purple.  Much as in Europe and elsewhere in the world, getting a dark purple was something that was not as easy as one might think, and so it tended to be an expensive dye and thus it would be restricted to the upper classes—in this case the princely and ministerial rank, no doubt.  Similarly brocade and fine silks were also expensive items that were likely restricted to people of a particular social station for that reason. The mention of woolen rugs is particularly intriguing.  Bentley translates this as woven mattresses, but I think that woolen rugs makes sense, as we do have examples of woolen "rugs" in Japan in at least the 8th century, stored in the famous Shousouin repository at Toudaiji temple, in Nara.  These are all imported from the continent and are actually made of felt, rather than woven.  As an imported item, out of a material that you could not get in the archipelago, due to a notable lack of sheep, they would have no doubt been expensive. The funny thing is that the carpets in the Shousouin may not have been meant as carpets.  For the most part they are of a similar size and rectangular shape, and one could see how they may have been used as sleeping mattresses or floor coverings.  However, there is some conjecture that they came from the Silk Road and may have been originally meant as felt doors for the tents used by the nomadic steppe peoples.  This is only conjecture, as I do not believe any of these rugs have survived in the lands where they would have been made, but given the size and shape and the modern yurt, it is not hard to see how that may have been the case.  Either way, I tend to trust that this could very well have meant woolen rugs, as Aston and the kanji themselves suggest, though I would understand if there was confusion or if it meant something else as wool was not exactly common in the archipelago at that time or in the centuries following. The last section of the regulations talks about the use of caps and belts.  The caps here were probably of continental origin:  The kanmuri, or official cap of state of the court nobles, or the more relaxed eboshi—though at this time, they were no doubt closely related. In fact, a year later, we have the most specific mention to-date of what people were actually wearing on their heads: there is a mention of men tying up their hair and wearing caps of varnished gauze.  Earlier caps related to the cap rank system are often thought to be something like a simple hemisphere  that was placed upon the head, with a bulbous top where the wearer's hair could be pulled up as in a bun. The kanmuri seems to have evolved from the soft black headcloth that was worn on the continent, which would have tied around the head, leaving two ends hanging down behind.  Hairstyles of the time often meant that men had a small bun or similar gathering of hair towards the back of their head, and tying a cloth around the head gave the effect of a small bump.  This is probably what we see in depictions of the early caps of state.  Sometimes this topknot could be covered with a small crown or other decoration, or wrapped with a cloth, often referred to as a "Tokin" in Japanese.  But over time we see the development of hardened forms to be worn under a hat to provide the appropriate silhouette, whether or not you actually had a topknot (possibly helpful for gentlemen suffering from hair loss).  And then the hat becomes less of a piece of cloth and more just a hat of black, lacquered gauze made on a form, which was much easier to wear.  At this point in the Chronicle, the cap was likely still somewhat malleable, and would made to tie or be pinned to that bun or queue of hair.  This explains the mention of men wearing their hair up.  This pin would become important for several different types of headgear, but ties were also used for those who did not have hair to hold the hat on properly. Two years after the edict on hats, we get another edict on clothing, further suggesting that the court were wearing Tang inspired clothing.  In 685 we see that individuals are given leave to wear their outer robe either open or tied closed. This is a clue that this outer robe might something akin to the round-necked hou that we see in the Tenjukoku Mandala, where the neck seems to close with a small tie or button.  However, we do see some examples, later, of v-necked garments with a tie in the center of the neck, so that may be the reference..  Opening the collar of the formal robes was somewhat akin to loosening a necktie, or unbuttoning the top button of a shirt.  It provided a more relaxed and comfortable feeling.  It could also be a boon in the warm days of summer.  Leaving it closed could create a more formal appearance. The courtiers also had the option of whether or not to wear the "Susotsuki", which Bentley translates as "skirt-band".  I believe this refers to the nai'i, or inner garment.  This would often have a pleated hem—a suso or ran—which would show below the main robe as just a slight hem.  Again, this is something that many would dispense with in the summer, or just when dressing a bit more casually, but it was required at court, as well as making sure that the tassles were tied so that they hung down.  This was the uniform of the court.  We are also told that they would have trousers that could be tied up, which sounds like later sashinuki, though it may have referred to something slightly different.  We are also given some regulations specifically for women, such as the fact that women over 40 years of age were allowed the discretion on whether or not to tie up their hair, as well as whether they would ride horses astride or side-saddle.  Presumably, younger women did not get a choice in the matter.  Female shrine attendants and functionaries were likewise given some leeway with their hairstyles. A year later, in 686, they do seem to have relaxed the hairstyles a bit more: women were allowed to let their hair down to their backs as they had before, so it seems that, for at least a couple of years, women under the age of 40 were expected to wear their hair tied up in one fashion or another. In that same edict, men were then allowed to wear "habakimo".  Aston translates this as "leggings" while Bentley suggests it is a "waist skirt".  There are an example of extant habakimo in the Shousouin, once again, and they appear to be wrappings for the lower leg.  It actually seems very closely related to the "kyahan" depicted all the way back in the 6th century painting of the Wo ambassador to Liang. Even though these edicts give a lot more references to clothing, there is still plenty that is missing.  It isn't like the Chroniclers were giving a red carpet style stitch-by-stitch critique of what was being worn at court.  Fortunately, there is a rather remarkable archaeological discovery from about this time. Takamatsuzuka is a kofun, or ancient burial mound, found in Asuka and dated to the late 7th or early 8th century.  Compared to the keyhole shaped tombs of previous centuries, this tomb is quite simple: a two-tiered circular tomb nestled in the quiet hills.  What makes it remarkable is that the inside of the stone burial chamber was elaborately painted.  There are depictions of the four guardian animals, as well as the sun and the moon, as well as common constellations.  More importantly, though, are the intricate pictures of men and women dressed in elaborate clothing. The burial chamber of Takamatsuzuka is rectangular in shape.  There are images on the four vertical sides as well as on the ceiling.  The chamber is oriented north-south, with genbu, the black tortoise, on the north wall and presumably Suzaku, the vermillion bird, on the south wall—though that had been broken at some point and it is hard to make out exactly what is there. The east and west walls are about three times as long as the north and south walls.  In the center of each is a guardian animal—byakko, the white tiger, on the west wall and seiryuu, the blue—or green—dragon on the east.  All of these images are faded, and since opening of the tomb have faded even more, so while photos can help, it may require a bit more investigation and some extrapolation to understand all of what we are looking at. On the northern side of both the east and west wall we see groups of four women.  We can make out green, yellow, and red or vermillion outer robes with thin fabric belt sashes, or obi, tied loosely and low around the waist.  There is another, lightly colored—possibly white, cream or pink—that is so faded it is hard to make out, and I don't know if that is the original color.  These are v-necked robes, with what appear to be ties at the bottom of the "v".  Around the belt-sash we see a strip of white peaking out from between the two sides of the robe—most likely showing the lining on an edge that has turned back slightly.  The cuffs of the robe are folded back, showing a contrasting color—either the sleeves of an underrobe or a lining of some kind.  Below the outer robe is a white, pleated hem—possibly a hirami or similar, though where we can make it out, it seems to be the same or similar color as the sleeves.  Under all of that, they then have a relatively simple mo, or pleated skirt.  The ones in the foreground are vertically striped in alternating white, green, red, and blue stripes.  There is one that may just be red and blue stripes, but I'm not sure.  In the background we see a dark blue—and possibly a dark green—mo.  At the base of each mo is a pleated fringe that appears to be connected to the bottom of the skirt.  The toe of a shoe seems to peek out from underneath in at least one instance.  They don't have any obvious hair ornaments, and their hair appears to be swept back and tied in such a way that it actually comes back up in the back, slightly.  They appear to be holding fans and something that might be a fly swatter—a pole with what looks like tassels on the end. In comparison, at the southern end of the tomb we have two groups of men.  These are much more damaged and harder to make out clearly.  They have robes of green, yellow, grey, blue, and what looks like dark blue, purple, or even black.  The neckline appears to be a v-necked, but tied closed, similar to what we see on the women.  We also see a contrasting color at the cuff, where it looks like the sleeves have turned back, slightly.  They have belt-sashes similar to the women, made of contrasting fabric to the robe itself.  Below that we see white trousers, or hakama, and shallow, black shoes.  On some of the others it is suggested that maybe they have a kind of woven sandal, but that is hard to make out in the current image.  On their heads are hats or headgear of black, stiffened—probably lacquered—gauze.  They have a bump in the back, which is probably the wearer's hair, and there is evidence of small ties on top and larger ties in the back, hanging down.  Some interpretations also show a couple with chin straps, as well, or at least a black cord that goes down to the chin.  They carry a variety of implements, suggesting they are attendants, with an umbrella, a folding chair, a pouch worn around the neck, a pole or cane of some kind, and a bag with some kind of long thing—possibly a sword or similar. The tomb was originally found by farmers in 1962, but wasn't fully examined until 1970, with an excavation starting in 1972.  The stone at the entryway was broken, probably from graverobbers, who are thought to have looted the tomb in the Kamakura period.  Fortunately, along with the bones of the deceased and a few scattered grave goods that the robbers must have missed, the murals also survived, and somehow they remained largely intact through the centuries.  They have not been entirely safe, and many of the images are damaged or faded, but you can still make out a remarkable amount of detail, which is extremely helpful in determining what clothing might have looked like at this time—assuming it is depicting local individuals. And there is the rub, since we don't know exactly whom the tomb was for.  Furthermore, in style it has been compared with Goguryeo tombs from the peninsula, much as nearby Kitora kofun is.  Kitora had images as well, but just of the guardian animals and the constellations, not of human figures. There are three theories as to who might have been buried at Takamatsuzuka.  One theory is that it was one of Ohoama's sons.  Prince Osakabe is one theory, based on the time of his death and his age.  Others have suggested Prince Takechi.  Based on the teeth of the deceased, they were probably in their 40s to 60s when they passed away. Some scholars believe that it may be a later, Nara period vassal—possibly, Isonokami no Maro.  That would certainly place it later than the Asuka period. The third theory is that it is the tomb of a member of one of the royal families from the Korean peninsula—possibly someone who had taken up refuge in the archipelago as Silla came to dominate the entire peninsula.  This last theory matches with the fact that Takamatsuzuka appears to be similar to tombs found in Goguryeo, though that could just have to do with where the tomb builders were coming from, or what they had learned. That does bring up the question of the figures in the tomb.  Were they contemporary figures, indicating people and dress of the court at the time, or were they meant to depict people from the continent?  Without any other examples, we may never know, but even if was indicative of continental styles, those were the very styles that Yamato was importing, so it may not matter, in the long run.     One other garment that isn't mentioned here is the hire, a scarf that is typically associated with women.  It is unclear if it has any relationship to the sashes we see in the Kofun period, though there is at least one mention of a woman with a hire during one of the campaigns on the Korean peninsula.  Later we see it depicted as a fairly gauzy piece of silk, that is worn somewhat like a shawl.  It is ubiquitous in Sui and Tang paintings of women, indicating a wide-ranging fashion trend.  The hire is a fairly simple piece of clothing, and yet it creates a very distinctive look which we certainly see, later. Finally, I want to take a moment to acknowledge that almost everything we have discussed here has to do with the elites of society—the nobles of the court.  For most people, working the land, we can assume that they were probably not immediately adopting the latest continental fashions, and they probably weren't dressing in silk very much.  Instead, it is likely that they continued to wear some version of the same outfits we see in the haniwa figures of the kofun period.  This goes along with the fact that even as the elite are moving into palaces built to stand well above the ground, we still have evidence of common people building and living in pit dwellings, as they had been for centuries.  This would eventually change, but overall they stuck around for quite some time.  However, farmers and common people are often ignored by various sources—they aren't often written about, they often aren't shown in paintings or statues, and they did often not get specialized burials.  Nonetheless, they were the most populous group in the archipelago, supporting all of the rest. And with that, I think we will stop for now.  Still plenty more to cover this reign.  We are definitely into the more historical period, where we have more faith in the dates—though we should remember that this is also one of the reigns that our sources were specifically designed to prop up, so we can't necessarily take everything without at least a hint of salt and speculation, even if the dates themselves are more likely to be accurate. Until then, if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  

Linktree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/Analytic⁠Join The Normandy For Additional Bonus Audio And Visual Content For All Things Nme+! Join Here: ⁠https://ow.ly/msoH50WCu0K⁠Dive into Segment of Notorious Mass Effect with Analytic Dreamz as he dissects WEi's emotional comeback single “Home” from their 8th mini-album Wonderland, released October 29, 2025. Analytic Dreamz analyzes the nostalgic ballad's Chainsmokers-inspired synths, healing melodies, and chart impact—debuting #45 on Gaon Digital, #12 on Bugs Realtime, with 5M+ Day 1 Spotify streams, 80K pre-orders, and 15K physical units sold. Explore Junseo's Boys Planet boost, Kim Yo-han's K-drama OST tie-in adding 10K streams, and 50% international listener growth. Then, Analytic Dreamz honors Asian Film Awards 2025 winners Jang Dong-gun and Tang Wei, celebrating 30+ years of pan-Asian cinema excellence in Hong Kong on March 16. From Jang's iconic roles in Friend and Taegukgi to Tang's Decision to Leave and cross-cultural collaborations, Analytic Dreamz highlights legacy and regional influence. Tune in for K-pop analytics, streaming trends, and cinematic milestones with Analytic Dreamz. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/analytic-dreamz-notorious-mass-effect/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Part 1- Best-selling author Tom Clavin talks about his latest book, "Running Deep: Bravery, Survival, and the True Story of the Deadliest Submarine in World War II." The book describes the crucial role played by American submarines in the Pacific Theater during World War Two (especially given the disaster suffered by the U.S. at Pearl Harbor and the way in which our naval forces were so badly compromised.) The book focuses particularly on the U.S.S. Tang, and its commander, Captain Richard Hetheringrton O'Kane- which sank more Japanese vessels and rescued more downed aviators than any other American submarine. Part 2- From 2010, Eric Blehm tells a story of heroism from the War in Afghanistan in his book "The Only Thing Worth Fighting For: How Eleven Green Berets Fought for a New Afghanistan."

Pour écouter l'émission en entier, sans pub, abonnez-vous ! https://m.audiomeans.fr/s/S-tavkjvmo Une histoire de la médecine chinoise Et si soigner, c'était d'abord écouter ?De la Chine ancienne aux cabinets d'aujourd'hui, cette émission vous plonge dans une histoire millénaire : celle de la médecine chinoise, née des souffles du monde, du feu de l'armoise et du regard patient des guérisseurs.À travers les récits, les textes anciens et le témoignage en direct du Dr Philippe Jeannin, médecin et acupuncteur, nous découvrons comment cette médecine a su unir observation, symbolique et science du geste.Des mythes fondateurs à la rigueur des traités Tang et Song, de la moxibustion à l'acupuncture, l'émission dévoile une autre façon de comprendre le corps : non comme une machine, mais comme un paysage vivant où circulent les forces de la nature.Une heure pour comprendre comment la Chine a inventé une écologie du soin — et pourquoi cette sagesse nous parle encore aujourd'hui. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

“With the heart of a serpent and the nature of a wolf, she gathered sycophants to her cause and brought destruction to the just. She slew her sister, butchered her brothers, killed her prince, and poisoned her mother. She is hated by men and gods alike.”Jonathan Clements came back on to talk about his book on Wu Zetian (623–705), the only woman ever to rule China in her own name. Rising from lowly concubine/chambermaid to God-Emperor, she outmanoeuvred courtiers, generals, monks and poets alike - sometimes with charm, sometimes with a knife - and ruled over the empire at the height of the Silk Road.Jonathan describes Wu's ascent through the Tang court: a place of whispered plots, divine omens, and women struggling to survive. Along the way we encounter girls on top, a boob-shaped tomb, a harem of 120 pretty boys, dogs on sticks, a honey-trap gone wrong, and an inadvisable attempt to train a cat not to eat a parrot.A story of power, paranoia, and the perilous art of surviving your own success.If you find this journey into Tang politics, gender, and myth entertaining and informative then follow the show, share with a friend, and leave a review telling people what bit you liked best.If you click here you can text me with feedback. Or email russellhogg@proton.me if you want a response

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 19 It Doesn t Matter, and I Don t Understand. In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.             Being dead is wonderful; you never get tired and you have all the time in the world to regret how you ended up this way      "You are so good to me, Zane, and I appreciate it," Barbie Lynn murmured. "You never give me less than 100% and I've never felt like you take me for granted." "It is you and only you, Sarah, Cindy, Eve, umm, help me out here," I grinned. Barbie Lynn lilted in the voice of an angel while she pressed off the glass with her upper body and leveraged down onto my cock. I shifted one hand off an ass cheek to move it to the back of her neck and pull her face in and up to mine. She also constricted her anal muscles around my shaft, concentrating on my cockhead. "Does this make my body more familiar to you?" she panted, our lips only inches away. "Not as much as these eyes, these eyes of my own beautiful seraph," I whispered. Barbie Lynn completed the kiss. Her hips rotated up slightly and mine shifted lower and under so that my penetration reached deep inside. For thirty seconds we kept the tender kiss going before she had to break free. "Oh, Jesus, Zane, this feels so good, I can't, oh, Lord Jesus," she gasped out as I shifted out, then back in rhythmically. "More time, I want more time with you, Zane," Barbie Lynn panted with a heavy breath. "We have tests this afternoon and Vivian is waiting," I shook my head in disappointment. Fierce passion engulfed both of us. Clearly, I got my money's worth from the contractor who had installed the shower because the glass wall didn't give way despite our enthusiasm. "Lord Jesus loves, ," Barbie Lynn screamed across campus. Her arms locked my head and shoulders in place, her face grinding into my chest. Her torso desperately tried to impale her hole deeper onto my rod. Her scream degenerated to an uncontrolled growling against me while I kept her back to the glass and up against my body. "Zane, I know I've been really needy today but you've been so kind and understanding, and I appreciate you putting up with me the kind way you have," Barbie Lynn snuggled into me. "You are the best." That's what I wanted to talk to Barbie Lynn about, taking me for granted and using me like a sex toy. Boy, I just saved myself from acting like a total ass! "Babe, you are better than I deserve." I kissed her neck as I lowered her legs down to the tiled floor. "If I ever take you for granted, promise me you'll kiss me, rub your body against me front and back, and then walk away. I guarantee you I'll fall on my knees and beg for forgiveness." "I like it when you beg," she said with a glimmer in her eye. "Why am I being nice to you again?" I teased. Barbie Lynn simply let her eyes go wide and innocent with a cute little smile on her face. "Oh, yeah," I whistled, "you give me hope, happiness, and warmth in good times and bad." "My body has nothing to do with it?" she questioned in a coquettish fashion. "It's passable," I shrugged as I cut the water off, "but I hope you will fill out one day, you know, quit the training bra and become a little more womanly." Mind you, Barbie Lynn hadn't seen a training bra in ten years. Hourglasses went to Barbie for lessons on how they should be shaped and her ass was the perfect balance between fantasy cheerleader and soccer girl. "Thank you for spending time with someone as poorly endowed as me," she purred. "I admit that I'm holding out for Doctor Burns. He's got it going on," I struggled to say convincingly. Barbie Lynn fought valiantly to hold back her reaction to the thought of seeing our over-70-year-old male Biology teacher in any sexual manner. "Burns without his clothes on is an image I could have forever gone without," she shuddered. "Gosh, I value you more than my own personal desires so I guess I'm stuck with you, Barbie Lynn," I sighed playfully. "Would you two get out of the shower!" barked Vivian. She was sitting in a chair in the main room. We stepped out of the shower, grabbed the waiting towels, and began drying each other off. Vivian surprised me by keeping a somewhat detached eye on the two of us. Maybe she wanted to make sure Barbie Lynn and I didn't turn drying into fondling, thus ending up with us rolling on the tiled floor. The floor would be uncomfortable but having hot, sweaty Barbie Lynn flesh pressing into me, I put this on my 'to do' list. We quickly got dressed and moved to where Vivian was standing and waiting. It wasn't until we were making our way to the elevator that Vivian spoke. "Barbie Lynn, would you take the elevator? Zane and I need to take the stairs," she said. "Sure thing, Vivian," Barbie Lynn smiled. She stepped up to me and kissed me on the lips. "I'll see ya Sunday night, slugger." "I kinda, sorta have a standing date with Heaven," I cautioned her, "so if you come by, be careful." I didn't miss Vivian rolling her eyes in exasperation. The elevator came and took Barbie Lynn away. I waved Vivian to the stairwell, held the door for her, and together we went down. "What are we going to do?" I broke the insufferable silence. "What do you mean?" Vivian evaded. "Damn it!" I snapped. Since I stopped moving, Vivian decided to stop too. "Yes?" she looked to me with what I was learning to read was a disarming friendliness. "I want to make you happy but I don't want to change, Vivian," I grumbled. "So, what are we going to do?" "How much of your time and energy are you willing to devote to Christ?" she countered. I had to think that over. Monday was no good; it was Recovery night. Tuesday was 'make it up to the girls' night. Wednesday was Specialty Night, Thursday, that was no good; it was Orgy Night. Friday was first date night, Saturday was SYFY/Party night and Sunday was second-date night. "I am on a committee at Church on Wednesday nights and I go to both Sunday school and Church service on Sundays," I offered. "Isn't that enough religious stuff?" "Zane, do you have sex at Church?" Vivian pierced me with her eyes. I was so boned because while I was preparing some sort of verbal obfuscation, Vivian sighed and looked down at the stairs. "Why do I even bother?" she moaned with despair. She looked up at me, clearly in pain, "It is a Church, Zane. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Because it definitely means something to me." "Vivian, it is a building, made of stained glass, brick, stone, and lumber," I responded heatedly, "and I don't need any of those to be in God's presence." "It was sex in a church," Vivian nearly screamed. "Come on, now, do you respect anything at all?" "You are right, I don't respect a building simply because someone declares it to be holy. I don't recall my vote being consulted. I don't respect people who bully with scripture but won't study the original Greek and Latin texts it was written in to learn what was really said. I don't respect anyone who refuses to think for themselves and listens to some two-bit liar like Pastor William." "He is your pastor," Vivian growled back. "He deserves, " "Nothing," I snapped. "He's an adulterer, and I've seen it with my own two eyes so don't you dare lecture me on him. If you defend him, it is only because you don't know shit about him." Vivian glared at me but I could see she was trying to see if I was making stuff up. "I respect you, Vivian, and that's no lie," I continued. "Since our fight I haven't a clue what to do with you but I have respected you. You believe in give and take; you believe in consequences and redemption. The only other person I've met like you is Iona. I trust Iona with more than my life; I trust her with Rio's." "Right now you are pissing the hell out of me, but that doesn't change the fact that I trust you and respect you," I added. "I don't need someone with spiritual authority to tell me what to do; my heart does that for me." "Zane, it is the constant sex," Vivian groaned. "I thought I could take it but it never seems to slow down with you." I had to think that over. "Vivian, you can't confuse love and sex," I insisted. "You are in love with your boyfriend and you two have been through some rough patches and survived. Sex without passion is masturbation, Vivian. If you are ever tempted, fall back on your love for that man because when you love something, there is nothing you will let stand in your way." I could see the turn in the argument defused some of Vivian's wrath and sent her mind down different pathways. "Okay, then why is it okay for you to have sex without love?" Vivian said as we resumed our progress downstairs. "I love in different ways, Vivian. I love Iona and Rio as best friends, there is nothing I wouldn't do for them. I love Heaven and Paige because they do for me things that make me want to do for them right back. I love Brandi and Opal because they are fun and they give me the space to be me. I love Barbie Lynn, well, just because it feels natural and right. Christina, Christina, I will always love without cause or reason. I love her," I related. "If Christina asked you to stop seeing all those other women, would you?" Vivian asked with a glimmer of hope. "I don't know. Our pseudo-agreement lets me have my college years to go wild before I give it all up to be a good husband and father," I replied. "Are you thinking of going to Christina and asking for her help with me?" "Yes. Yes, I am," Vivian told me. "The only problem with that plan is that it requires Christina to declare her feelings toward me and make a commitment about what she wants to do with me," I pointed out. "Good luck with that." We hit the bottom of the stairs at a run and raced through the halls and doors on our way to the Dining Hall. We found Christina and company waiting outside for us when we got there. Christian handed a thick envelope over, my bribe to Deacon of the Warlord's motorcycle gang. "Heaven, date night Sunday? I've found a theater playing Hugo," I asked my fox-faced girl. "What? You think you can ask me out on Friday for a date on Sunday? What kind of girl do you think I am?" she growled. "Heaven, you weren't here for most of the week, and you have to admit the world had gone crazy. Come on, Babe," I pleaded. "I'll have to think about it," Heaven grumbled. Behind her back all her other friends were stifling their grins. All those grins fell behind impassive masks when Heaven turned around facing them and stomped back and forth. "What's the problem, Heaven?" Hope asked. "Barbie Lynn comes skipping across the yard from her dorm with a smile that outshines the Sun, Heaven began. "She said she's been doing intensive physical therapy," Christina interrupted. Yay! I've graduated to being considered exercise equipment. "Harrumph," Heaven grunted. "How come his hair is wet? Besides, he's taking another girl home for the weekend." "It's Iona," Chastity explained. "Think about how wound up he's going to be by Sunday evening, because you know he's not going to do anything Iona's uncomfortable with." "Yes," added Faith, "he'll be ready to knock 'em out of the ballpark after a whole weekend of physical denial. Maybe you shouldn't go out with him; he's probably going to be pretty fierce." Heaven glared at all her friends before turning on me. "Fine, I'll go out with you, but if I can still walk by curfew, you had better know I'm going to make next week hell for you. Are we clear?" Heaven threatened. "Is that all Zane is to you, a sexual release valve?" Vivian gasped before I could answer Heaven. "You are making light of a serious moral struggle for him." "Vivian, Zane was the first man to tell me he loved me and I've believed," Christina said. "He saved me from a fight and academic troubles by putting his body on the line," Chastity added. "Me too," continued Hope. "He pretty much saved my life," Faith chimed in, which oddly twisted back to ruining her life with Christina and company when I exposed her as the Chancellor's spy. Maybe the girls had made up somehow. "He's put up with more of my crap than I care to get into. He loves me for who I am, and he's my lover and boyfriend," Heaven clarified. "If you spent one night with Zane making love, you would know I'm more of an addict than anything else. It is just that I get, grumpy when he's not around every minute of every day." Everyone's eyes sort of gravitated toward me. "You are all great women but I have to go to class," I grinned, then took off. Vivian raced to catch up with me. "Do you have commitment issues?" she panted beside me. "No. I was getting hard. All that feminine compassion directed my way was getting me sexually aroused and they were all staring at my crotch," I explained. "I figured running away was the best resolution for what was coming down the pipeline." "Have you ever considered chemical castration?" Vivian asked. WHAT? The last quarter of the school day went rather well, considering I had to juggle balls once between classs. (Apparently I resemble a dancing bear or something.) My second chore required me to bounce a soccer ball on my knees for a trip to the soccer field. Considering some of the crap I've had to do here, I almost volunteered to do it walking backwards. Karate started out so surprisingly normal (not my normal, but normal-normal), I should have known better. We had barely finished warming up and stretching when Gabrielle Black walked into the room. She stood against the far wall poised for our dispersal into teams. When first team knelt and waited for Coach Gorman's instructions for today, Gabrielle made her approach. "Coach Gorman, we seem to have had some difficulty connecting so I decided this would be the best place to meet," Gabrielle said in a deceptively upbeat manner. "I'm teaching a class," Gorman replied deadpan. "I teach several classes. I guess that makes me a teacher. In fact, I'm teaching right now, get lost." "I'd rather not." Gabrielle gave her deadliest smile. "Care to make me?" They really need to start psychological testing of the staff at FFU, or at least stop giving them daily doses of testosterone. "Since reason and rationality have clearly avoided you like the plague," Gorman growled, "why don't you tell me what you have in mind?" "A little sparing match," Gabrielle suggested. "So you really need to see if you can kick my ass, or is it just that you have to be Alpha bitch?" Gorman countered. Several of the more religious-minded students gasped, but they didn't realize this wasn't a game. Someone needed to do something, and of course it had to be me. I didn't very well have the time to overdose Rio with caffeine and throw her at Gabrielle. Besides, I am sure that's a war crime. "Me first!" I declared as I broke free of my second-team circle and walked toward the two adults. This was the point where I expected one or both of the women to tell me to ass out, mind my own business, I'm stupid, or something. Gabrielle stepped back and stripped off her jacket and slipped off each boot. I figured that since I was about to die, I'd best get rid of my gi; that way they'd have something to drape over my lifeless eyes. "Zane, what are you doing?" Cappadocia belatedly hissed at me. "Eh, you know, sometimes a woman has to be put in her place," I joked. It wasn't like Gabrielle was going to take it easy on me in the first place. Several girls laughed at what they were sure was levity on my part. You see, I was about to become a legend. Unfortunately, it was the legend of Don Quixote, damn fucking windmills dressed in tight black form-fitting outfits. To the credit of my limited intellect, I approached this fight with a totally different philosophy than any I'd faced before. I discarded every tenet of Thai kick-boxing (except the one that says never do anything that will make the lady-boys mock you). I went completely defensive, abandoning any hope of striking Gabrielle. I figured if such an opportunity presented itself, it would only be a trap. It took Gabrielle about two seconds to unravel my master plan, then she was on me like a fart in an airplane bathroom, choking the life out of you with nowhere to run. Because I am such a badass, it took Gabrielle eight more seconds to land a telling blow. I staggered back but instead of coming at me, she shifted to my side. Since I had my arms up to defend my head, she was slipping out of my field of vision. There was an added bonus; I discovered I couldn't hear her move over the mats. I somersaulted in the other direction which bought me a few more seconds, but I never regained my feet. Once more she opted to shift to my flank than come head-on. A man on his knees cannot out-turn a woman on her feet. I caught her knee in my shoulder, propelling me face-first into the mat. I tried to turn with the blow so I could keep eyes on her. Gabrielle slammed into my shoulder blade and I slapped the mat hard. I pressed up with my arms but Gabrielle was on my back so fast I might as well have been standing still. For a second our legs struggled as she tried to put me into a leg lock. Then her body rolled over on me and drove three fingers into my spine right above the coccyx. Blinding pain exploded over my body and I screamed. I wasn't paralyzed but I didn't need to be; I was in too much God-damn pain. Gabrielle's body was tight against my back. One hand cupped my chin and the other was placed on the back of my skull. She gave my head a quarter-twist. "You are dead," she whispered. Technically, she would have merely snapped my spine at the base of my skull. My cells would have struggled on for a few more minutes but that hardly seemed to be the point. Gabrielle stood up within inches of me and gave me an emotionless, pitiless stare. "Did you get what you wanted?" she asked softly. "We'll see," I grunted, then rolled onto my back. "Did you put me in my place?" she queried next. I had to chuckle, then I had to choke back on the pain. "Oh, yeah, we are perfectly placed." Seeing her brows crowd together in displeasure, I added with a pained gasp, "You've clearly never stood on a mirror and looked up at your cleavage the way I am now." Gabrielle reached down and touched my wrist before letting her fingers work up to my elbow. She pulled me up quite rapidly and gave me a soulless, piercing gaze. "You are insane," Gabrielle noted. That wasn't said as a joke or a condemnation. She said it as if she was recognizing a kindred spirit. When you are ten years old, being best friends with an assassin sounds pretty cool. Most of us grow out of that. After all, being buddies with a person who has a casual disregard for human life might come back to haunt you if they ever decide you are an encumbrance they can do without. "When I beat you, can I draw a smiley face on your forehead?" I blurted out. Why did I say those things? Maybe it was a brain tumor, or maybe Gabrielle was right and I am insane. Maybe my buddy Don Quixote was telling me the windmill is still standing. "What do I get when I beat you, again?" she inquired. "I've developed an inside track on some authentic saltwater taffy," I shrugged. Gabrielle didn't seem very impressed. "I could feel honor-bound to jump on the next grenade thrown your way?" "I'll think of something when the time comes," Gabrielle informed me. Turning to Gorman, she said, "Are you ready?" "I'd like a, Wilhelmina started to say as she stood. Dana put a hand on Willy's shoulder and shook her head. "I've got this," Coach said. She stood up and discarded her gi, depending on your point of view, she was fortunately/unfortunately wearing a white sports bra. Wait! Am I in chest-to-chest proximity with Gabrielle while scoping out Dana? Was I dropped on my head repeatedly as a child? Maybe I should hunt down my former nanny and ask her. "Let's make Zane's idiocy, Dana continued telling Captain Willy, ", worth more than the beating he took." Gorman stripped off her pants, revealing white biker shorts. It was very cinematic; Gorman in white and Black in black. Sadly, I believed White needed some serious Divine intervention to win this showdown. "Zane," Gabrielle requested my attention with that deathly quiet voice of hers. I must have looked pretty scared because she almost smiled at me. "You can let go of my hand now." Jumping back felt like a surefire way to test her killer instinct so I let go of her hand and backed away slowly and carefully. Only after I gave us some space did I contemplate the trust she'd put in me, allowing anyone to be that close outside of combat. I was walking past Dana when she grabbed my shoulder, stopping my progress. She pointed me to the spot on the floor she had just vacated. Wow, I had my ass kicked and still made First Team. I moved over to my new place in the hierarchy and thanked Dana in the only way I knew how. "Does this mean you are going to sit on my lap when you get back?" I said with a voice as sincere as I was serious. "Zane," Coach Gorman said over her shoulder. She was keeping her eyes on Gabrielle, "when I get back, I am giving grave consideration to having a general melee, and I'm placing a bounty on your head if we do. You will have all weekend to recover." A general melee sounded a whole lot like a 'beat up the new guy' kind of thing, and I had planned on devoting my weekend to Iona. Further banter was ended by Black and Gorman facing off. Willie gave the 'Go' and things went John Wu-crazy. My bright shining moment was delivered right off the bat. Gorman went fullout, denying Gabrielle the ability to control the maneuvering in the fight the way she'd controlled me. My beating hadn't been in vain; Gabrielle undoubtedly knew Gorman's fighting style but Dana knew nothing of hers. My body had bought Dana what little insight Gabrielle had been willing to give up. After all, Gabrielle knew my game from the moment I'd thrown out my challenge. Still, she had to beat me up to get at Dana. I could take on most members of the first team and, as Dana constantly reminds the world, I can take a beating, which meant I was the body for the job. I've fought Gorman on several occasions and she's damn impressive. Gabrielle was doing crap I'd never seen before and I wasn't even sure was humanly possible. I swear, if she'd turned into a Terminator, I couldn't have been more surprised. Dana's fighting prowess only went up in my estimation because she wasn't impaled on Gabrielle's fist in the first thirty seconds. It wasn't a misstep that screwed up Dana's game plan; her mistake was predictability. One second she was pushing Gabrielle back and the next she was on the floor, struggling to keep Gabrielle from establishing a chokehold. For a second I contemplated grabbing up Cappy and Willy, then rushing Gabrielle. After all, it would have been a shame for Dana to die alone. It would also seriously curtail my desire for an open-casket funeral but hey, Dana is almost a friend. Dana wasn't finished yet. Unknown to me, she has the ability to dislocate and relocate her shoulder. No one in the class wanted to consider how painful that had to be. The loud popping noise was enough to make us decide to miss dinner. Dana got an elbow and fist in before they separated. They went at it again, but this time, it was harder on Dana. I could feel that her confidence was shaken now that she had a clearer measure of Gabrielle's strengths and weaknesses. Gabrielle remained a steadfast cypher. If Dana was turning out to be a tougher opponent to crack than she'd expected, Gabrielle wasn't showing it. What she was doing was exhibiting the iron stamina of a triathlete. Dana wasn't fighting for air but I didn't see Gabrielle even breaking a sweat yet. Had I been Dana, this would have been the time I started crying out to a vengeful God for forgiveness. Dana didn't do that. Instead, digging down to her dogged determination and fighting on, her game, her gamble, was for Gabrielle to screw up somehow and take advantage of it. She had to hope that something came up before her endurance failed. And in the fourth minute of the fight, it happened. Of course it was a trap. I couldn't blame Dana for risking it because fighting hard, non-stop, for over four minutes is its own form of torture. Gabrielle caught Dana's leg, swept the other one out from under our Coach, then finished up with driving an elbow into her hip as they hit the mat. There is fast, unbelievably fast, a weasel on speed, and then Gabrielle, and if you gave a weasel enough speed to keep up with Gabby, the weasel would explode first. Dana is fast, but I'm faster and I know I didn't have a prayer of blocking Gabrielle at this point in their fight. The blow to Gorman's hip seemed to have temporarily paralyzed that leg. Without the leg, her torso below the ribcage was fatally exposed. Getting repeatedly punched in the stomach sucked. Sadly, Dana thought the same thing and totally missed Gabrielle flipping her over onto her stomach. Gabrielle came down with a palm to the center of Dana's spine. It had to hurt, but I had little doubt that if Gabby had used her fist, the spine would have been broken. "We are done here," Gabrielle announced calmly as she rose to her feet. No one said a word until Dana stirred on the ground. With varying degrees of speed, the first team swarmed over Dana. I alone approached Gabrielle. After she finished dressing and stood, she acknowledged my presence. "Did you learn what you wanted to know?" I asked. "Yes," she stated, once more into her emotionless mode. "Then you asked the wrong question." I drilled her with a combination of bravery and anger. Gabrielle walked away without acknowledging my statement. She got to the door and stopped before exiting through the door. "What do you think I should have asked?" she said with a vapor of condescension. "You should have asked us if we can help," I told her. Maybe I'm na ve, but I'm sure she's facing her past alone. Purity is a paradox; we are awed by it yet we are repulsed by it as well. Vivian was terribly subdued as she walked me back to the dorm. It was the two of us because my Handmaiden mistress was Erica, a second-team Karate classmate. She'd given me a rain check due to the trauma we had all just been through during class. "You can use my room this weekend if you like," I broached the silence. "I'll ask Rio and Mercy to be somewhere else and Barbie Lynn can stay with you." "I don't want to sleep with Barbie Lynn, Zane," Vivian replied. "I want to sleep in my own bed." "That's bull- , I decided saying "shit", while a minor infraction, wouldn't do my argument any good. "You know Barbie Lynn to be kind-hearted and decent. She's not going to molest you. You two will be totally platonic." "I don't know what to think," she replied. "I never thought Barbie Lynn would be the one to have sex outside of marriage." "I knew she was flirty but that was it," she continued. "Now, now she's moved into your room and is having sex with you as if you were a married couple." She sighed. "Fine, not like a 'normal' married couple so we don't need to go there." Ah, no mention of anal sex I see. "Vivian, I don't like to talk about my relationships with other women but I think Barbie Lynn would understand," I tried to explain. "There was no seduction between us, we collided. I showed up at FFU pretty depressed. I'd spent a long month with my Aunt trying to adjust to America and a place and lifestyle I didn't know." "My Aunt and I fought a lot and that Sunday Pastor Bill and his buddies tried to shake me down for my inheritance. I had the feeling that is why they wanted Aunt Jill in their church, and after all the crap Jill had been through, I felt that sucked," I said. "I'm in my room, sad and pissed off, then Barbie Lynn Masters comes soaring into my life." "She thought I was 'Glenda's' brother, I told her my name was Zane, and next thing I knew we were all over one another. She gave me a blowjob and I gave her multiple orgasms and we parted ways. She thought she might see me once a month and I had no idea this was a girl's college. You are aware of the humiliation that followed," I concluded. "Zane, that explains nothing," Vivian observed. "Okay, I could have been clearer," I admitted. "What I was trying to say is that Barbie Lynn didn't change. I allowed her to do what she wanted to do with a guy all along. She is still the same woman who goes after life full of enthusiasm, who likes to work with kids, teaching Sunday school and going to church." "And you want me to sleep with her when I've avoided the pleasure for the past three years?" Vivian refused to give in. "I'd want you to sleep with Iona if she wasn't already heading out with me. I have a few others I could ask but that would be awkward. I like Opal and Brandi but I also know they'd hit on you if given half a chance," I outlined. "I can sleep alone, Zane," Vivian stated. "I know that, but do you want to?" I asked. Vivian didn't immediately reply. "You climbed into bed with me and some of the ladies, Vivian. There is a certain quality provided by a sleeping companion that you enjoy. You wanted it enough to put some faith in me and Barbie Lynn last night," I added. "Zane, why are you making a big deal about this?" Vivian inquired. "Your happiness matters to me," I answered. Vivian and I walked into the dorm and into the elevator before she spoke. "Coach Gorman warned me about this," Vivian groaned. "Do you realize how much easier my life would be if you grabbed my breast or something like that?" "Is that an invitation?" I perked up. "No," she stated decisively. Her glare emphasized the point. "I mean my job keeping the Devil in line would be easier if he wasn't constantly giving me my favorite cupcakes." "What's your favorite cupcake?" I grinned. "Behave yourself," she sighed, somewhat amused and somewhat exasperated. "Yes, ma'am," I nodded. "That's a good boy," Vivian acknowledged. "When I'm a good boy Heaven gives me a ginger cookie," I prodded. "We are Not going to go there," Vivian declared authoritatively, and that was that. I thought I would have to stop by and pick up Iona Beckett on my way out. I was obviously forgetting I was dealing with the most organized person I'd ever met. I know Iona looks after all her own affairs and most of mine, plus I suspect she keeps an eye out for Rio as well. She was waiting in the main area of my 'room' when Vivian and I arrived, her overnight bag beside her. I gave her a kiss and hurried to my room, where someone had already packed a weekend worth of stuff for me. I do not deserve one tenth of the affection aimed my way. Being hung by my toes from a ceiling fan is a small price to pay for what I receive. Still, I make a note to avoid girls with bizarre foot fetishes while in close proximity to ceiling fans, my life is pretty freaking weird enough already. I gathered my stuff, gathered up Iona, and made my good-byes. Brandi was kind enough to snuggle up to my back, reach around and pinch my nipples. It was playful, not painful, so I didn't mind too much. Besides, I had bigger fish to fry. When I told Rio that she'd need to share another bed with Mercy for the weekend she nodded. "No problem, Bro," Rio told me. She then stepped up under the guise of hugging me good-bye and tried to nut me. She's a dangerous friend to have but since I can count her public displays of affection for me on one hand, I was ready for her. "Damn it," Rio snarled, "you can't give my room to that Jesus-freak!" By 'my room' she really meant my (Zane's) room and 'Jesus-freak' was Vivian, who was eight feet away looking at her. "It isn't going to kill you two to behave for two days, Rio," I stated. Mercy, standing right behind Rio, remained unfortunately silent on the subject. "Rio, if you two would agree to abstain until I got back, I'd be willing to let you stay, but you are the King Kong of bedroom antics and Vivian needs the space," I explained. "Fine, we'll crash at Aunt Jill's," Rio smirked. "I'm sure she can't shut the door before I get a foot in. She's far too nice to break it or kick me out." Oh yeah, I cannot begin to describe what Jill's reaction to a Mercy-Rio lesbian love-fest at 2:00 in the morning would be like. It would probably involve paramedics and a defibrillator. "Okay," I shrugged. I fished out my keys and tossed them to Rio. "Sweet!" Rio trumpeted. "We'll meet you at the car." "We are not going," I corrected Rio. "Iona and I will stay here, camp out on a sleeper-sofa, and take in some Pay-per-View. Come by and pick us up for the party around nine tomorrow night." "Your loss, Princess," Rio mocked me and walked away. Mercy loyally padded along. "I'm sorry, Iona," I said to my petite friend. "I promise I'll make it up to you." "I'm not looking for any particular place but a particular man," she smiled serenely. "Sadly, I still have a piece of business to attend to and I see the person I need to see," I said as I spotted Valerie playing a competitive game of pool versus Raven of all people. When Valerie had taken her shot I stepped up to her side. "Can I catch a ride to the Dixie Roadhouse in the next few minutes?" I whispered. "Sure. Wait,  are you expecting me to hang around when you go inside?" Val smirked. "I've already gone a round with Gabrielle Black today so I don't feel I deserve a second ass-whooping. I'd appreciate you sticking around at least until the gunfire starts," I chuckled. "Fine, I'll stay, but you'll owe me one," Valerie smiled. "By the way, how tough is Gabrielle?" "I'll let you know when my concussion fades," I responded. "That good, huh?" Valerie persisted. "In less than thirty seconds she snapped my neck. It took her less than five minutes to break Dana's back after that, and right there at the end I swore I saw a lone bead of sweat on Gabrielle's brow," I related. "Just so we are clear; if I ever see her chasing your ass down like Gorman did that day, you are on your own," Valerie snorted. "I thought you were a bad-ass," I taunted her. I really didn't want her fighting Ms. Black on my behalf. "Granddad is a bad-ass; I'm a teenage girl who is good with bikes and can handle myself in a brawl but I'm not a true bad-ass. What I am is smart enough to not attempt the craziness that is your life," she huffed. "Being smarter than me is hardly an accomplishment to be proud of," I jibbed back. Raven, who had been pretending to not be eavesdropping, made this choking sound at that comment. "Let me finish Raven off and I'll take you there," Valerie said. "Valerie, she's killing you," I noted. "I like a challenge," Valerie countered. She must because Raven only had one ball left to sink while Valerie had four. Less than a minute later Raven sent Valerie and I heading for the stairs. Iona gave me a slight nod and grin. Rio came storming up at us half-way down. "You motherfucker," she snarled. "Problems?" I replied cautiously. "Mercy said she wasn't going with me," Rio growled. "What did you do?" I asked. "I slapped the bitch," Rio retorted. I could tell that pissed Valerie off; I wasn't too happy either. "You put her up to this, didn't you?" "I certainly did. I told her that she was going to have to step up instead of taking advantage of you all the time," I explained. "Did it hurt?" Rio knew I wasn't talking about Mercy's pain. "Yes," she rumbled. "If I can't trust her, I can't use her." "Whatever you decide to do, I'll live with," I shrugged. "I hope you know how hard it was for her to do what she did." Thankfully, Valerie was far more controlled than Rio and judged the conversation to be too delicate for her input. "Mercy is my deal, Zane. She's my responsibility and I'll take care of her without your interference," Rio stated aggressively. "It doesn't work that way. People aren't one dimensional and you can't expect to help people and not have them change," I countered. "You changed Mercy, for the better, and that includes her desire to take up some of the responsibility you've borne onto her shoulders. And the only reason for her to do that is, you annoy her so much." "Yeah," Rio finally deflated, "she was looking pretty miserable." "Buddies take your pizza; friends take your pain, Rio. Get used to the fact that there are three of us standing beside you when you need us," I reminded her. "I wasn't asking for anyone's help," Rio insisted. "In that case, get in Zane's car and take a trip. When the cops finally pull you over you will have three years friend-free in prison," Valerie now interjected. "Ha!" Rio snorted. "That's no good. Zane already promised to break me out if I get sent away." "Zane," groaned Valerie, "do you have even a passing acquaintance with common sense?" "I get a lot of that," I answered. "What now, Rio?" "I go back to my room," she sighed, "apologize to Mercy, then come back upstairs and work out a deal with Vivian for use of your room." "No tying them up and gagging Vivian and Barbie Lynn in their sleep," I cautioned Rio. "Fuck you," Rio muttered darkly. "Fuck you and your mind-reading ability. Fine, I'll be good, okay, I'll be as good as I can be." With that, Rio tossed me back my keys and then bounded downstairs and out the door. "I swear to God I would have tossed her out a window by now, if I were you," Valerie snorted. "Umm, she grows on you, kind of like a tapeworm," I chuckled. "I think my invitation to catch a bullet has been voided now that you have your keys back," Valerie noted. "I'll catch you tomorrow night." "Sure thing, but I may need you for that 'thing' if I can set up a meeting," I replied. That thing was meeting up with a possible undercover officer which held the possibility of being a real disaster. Valerie was being kind enough to ignore her instincts, and her advice to me, by helping me out. Valerie shook her head in skeptical amusement at my poor decision-making before we walked back upstairs. That bit of drama over, I swooped in, picked up Iona (figuratively) and escaped my room before anyone else could intervene. I thought we were doing quite well until I spotted someone sitting on the hood of my car, with a suitcase. "Hey, Paige, what's up?" I inquired with a good deal of exasperation. It was kind of stupid, actually. I knew exactly what she was doing here; I hadn't invited her and I didn't want her coming along on Iona's weekend. "I thought I'd let you spend the weekend with me," Paige smiled smugly. A light breeze tossed her alabaster hair across her translucent albino features. "You are late, by the way." "No, Paige, this is Iona's, I started to say. "It would be wonderful spending the weekend with you, Paige," Iona stepped up and hugged her. "It will be so great; their house is huge, Aunt Jill is so kind, and there is the sorority right next door." "Okay, Paige, you can come along, but this is a no sex weekend. Are we clear?" I warned her. "We'll see," Paige smirked. "I plan to sleep both nights in his bed, completely naked and rubbing against him," Iona beamed. "He'll crack," Paige wagered. "No, he won't. I trust him," Iona pledged. Paige appraised me for a second. "Okay, I'm game. We'll see if we can break him," Paige allowed. I once joked with some Kappa Sigmas about joining a monastery. I'm being driven to reconsider that option. After that exchange I was happy enough to make it to my home in one piece. I'd have been happier if there wasn't a police car in the driveway. I was walking onto the porch when my ladies spoke up. "Zane, why would the police be here?" Iona worried. "Zane, if they arrest you and I then attack them, will they let us share a cell?" Paige mused. "Iona, I have a few ideas and none of them are good," I responded. "Paige, they don't house men and women together, but I can probably smuggle a message to your side and tell all the lesbians what a screamer you are." Iona didn't get to question and Paige didn't get pick on me before I opened the door and went inside. "Hey, Aunt Jill," I called out, "I'm home and I've brought Iona Beckett and Paige Zeller with me." We had already talked over Iona's stay with Jill; Paige would be a whole new series of complicated hurdles. "Zane," Aunt Jill greeted me heartily. She was coming off her lounger while Officer Danica Campbell rose from the sofa and gave me a measured look. "This is Officer Campbell of the Lancaster Police and she has an official criminal matter to discuss with you," Jill finished in a worried tone. "Mr. Braxton, if I could have a word with you on the porch," Danica put forth the question that wasn't really a request. "Of course, officer," I responded. "Ladies, could you please hang out here with Aunt Jill for a few minutes and I should be back as soon as possible." I walked back to the porch. When Danica passed me, I shut the door and we turned to face one another. "Zane," Danica smiled. "Hey, it is good to see you, Officer Danica Campbell, but I have a feeling this isn't a social call," I sighed. "You are correct. There was an incident at the Dixie Roadhouse last night and your name came up during the inquiry. The Sheriff's Department contacted the PD and I decided that it would be more discrete that I meet you at your home as opposed to on campus," Danica related. "What can you tell me about the Dixie Roadhouse?" "I went there with a few buddies, got into a fight, and beat a Warlord named Big Ted into unconsciousness," I informed Danica. "What do you know about a guy named Peter 'Deacon' Baker?" Danica asked. "He's like a big deal with the local chapter but I don't actually know the guy," I replied. She studied me for a moment then appeared to accept me at my word. "This is a different crop of girls," she said with smirk. "Yes, they are friends of mine. Iona is a best bud and Paige is, Paige. She's very smart but very hard to get along with at times too," I explained. "How is your other friend?" She tried to sound casual. "I was curious if she'd be here tonight." "I'll tell her that," I grinned. "It will make her week when she hears you've asked about her. She still thinks you are very special." "She's quite a handful," she grinned back. "Not that I'm complaining. I can hardly get over the sensation of her nipples on my back as she drove into me." Heaven was going to love that, I was sure. Her eyes wandered northward to the adjoining property. "More girls?" I followed her gaze to see three Kappa Sigmas coming through the tree-line. "Those are some Kappa Sigma sorority sisters, friends of mine. They are cool," I told her. "Uh-huh," she sounded skeptical. "There has to be a story behind that that statement, I'm willing to bet." She pulled out a business card from her breast pocket. "Here's my card, in case something regarding the case occurs to you, or whatever." The girls were almost on us so I had to whisper. "You aren't, like, married, or divorced from somebody with violent tendencies, are you?" I inquired softly. "No," she chuckled, "and cause for you asking that question has to be yet another interesting story, I'll bet. Maybe you can tell me about it if we get together." "Mr. Braxton," she said a bit louder as she took a half-step back from me, "have a good weekend and try to stay out of trouble." "I'll do my best, Officer Campbell," I responded. "Ladies," she made a passing recognition of the Kappa Sigs as she left the porch and headed for the car. Only when Danica's cruiser pulled onto the road did the Kappas speak. "Hey, Zane," Leigh spoke up first, "isn't that the speed trap lady?" "Yeah, she's nailed me before," I admitted, and immediately regretted my choice of words. "Really?" Paris prodded me. "Isn't she a bit old for you?" "No, speed trap, she pulled me over but I got off with a warning ticket," I back-pedaled. "So, she got you off," Ferrara skewered me. "Which of her orifices was required for that?" "Aarrrggh," I cried heavenward. "Fine, Iona and Paige Keller are inside. Together with Jill, they will be making dinner for those of us who care to share our table. I have to go a bar and pay off a biker gang chieftain before he hunts me down and kills me." "Can we come along?" Leigh smiled. "We don't want to fight or anything like that, but I'd like to get some video of it, in case something fun happens." "That's right," Ferrara joked. "Something like him being beaten up, shot, stabbed, or killed. Leigh, Zane has sustained two beatings on our behalf. Let's not go for a third time before the month's out." "He didn't take a beating in the second fight," Paris corrected her sister. She was right; in the fight at the mall my opponents hadn't landed a blow. "I heard he was pretty roughly abused when he went to jail over that," Ferrara gave me a knowing smile. "All that conjecture is fascinating, ladies, but I do have a guy to pay off so go inside, make yourself at home, and I'll be back soon," I announced. I kissed each sister; Ferrara on the cheek, Paris on the lips, and Leigh with a tonsillectomy. I double-timed it to my car and didn't look back. The Fading Light And The Lord Mafia. I made it to the Dixie Roadhouse five minutes late. There were only fifteen bikes parked out front so I figured that if something went wrong I'd only be kinda dead, as opposed to the totally dead, killed in five or more fashions. There were three biker babes outside the door, drinking beers and talking; one was thankfully Willa. I made sure I had the money before disembarking from my car and heading in. "Hi there, Zane," Willa greeted me. I recalled that Belle would be working at the bar near UV campus tonight and tomorrow. "Hey, Willa, Katt, and Janet," I grinned. "Willa, if I get out of this, can I have a moment of your time when I get back?" "Sure," Willa seemed curious. "I would like to talk to you too." That was a bit odd but okay. When I entered the Dixie Roadhouse it took me a moment for my eyes to adjust but I knew where Deacon's table was from my last visit. Deacon was there with two of his associates, all in similar states of disrepair. My first thought was: What in the hell happened to them? The second was: Wow, they let someone in a half-body cast out of the hospital rather quickly these days. It looked like a herd of water buffalo had worked out the dance routine from that prison scene in the play Chicago, he had it coming, all over their bodies. None of his infirmities kept Deacon from glaring with horrible malevolence at me as I approached. "Here is your five thousand dollars," I stated as I lay the envelope on the table. None of them made a move on the money and I began to worry. Then I took in the full effects of their injuries and I figured out that not one of the three could reach over and get it. I opted to push the money across the table to the closest cripple. One of the guys managed, with some pain, to pick up the envelope and count the money. "It is all here," the guy mumbled to Deacon. I could see in Deacon's eyes that his hate for me was far from quenched but I didn't know why. It wasn't like I came back and kicked his ass, oh fuck, maybe I had. "I'll be going, then," I said as I backed up four steps. "I hope you feel better next time we meet." With that, I rapidly evacuated myself from the building. I found myself de-stressing next to Willa outside. "So, who in the hell fucked up Deacon and his buddies that bad?" I inquired. "Some people were hoping you could tell us," Willa prodded. "It wasn't me if that is what you are worried about," I assured her. "Tell me what happened." "From what little we've been told or been able to figure out, Deacon and his two senior officers stepped out to their rides around 11:30 last night when they got jumped," Willa related. "Then it gets weird, weirder," Katt continued. "Their attackers dragged them thirty yards over to the electrical shed," she pointed. That way no one could see them from the bar. "Then they proceeded to beat the ever-living hell out of them," Janet concluded, then took a swig of beer. I had to think about that for a moment. "Didn't they see who did it?" I questioned. "Blackbeard and Booth (who I assumed were the other two broken bikers) were knocked out before they saw anything and Deacon hasn't related what he saw, his jaw is wired shut because it's been broken in four places," Willa tried and failed to hide her grin. I had to think about that for a second; Deacon's jaw looked like it was carved out of granite. "Ladies (an affectation they found amusing), if Deacon and his two buddies had gotten into a fight outside the Roadhouse, wouldn't the rest of you come running, and wouldn't they have called out if they saw a gang of guys they didn't know coming toward them?" I ruminated. "That makes sense," Katt confirmed, "but what does that mean?" "One person," I muttered; "one really, really skilled person." "No way," Janet shook her head. "I can and have one-punched a person and I'm only so good," I countered. "I would have figured out which bike was Deacon's, picked the third one closer to the door to hide behind. After that, when he passed by me, I would come around the bike at a crouch-run and kick the closest target where the ear and jaw meet. If I do it right his brain beats around inside his skull a few times and it's lights out," I explained. "It looks like you've given this some thought," Willa observed. "No; the move is standard kick-boxing and the tactics are the usual for ambushing a dangerous animal. If you come at it head-on, you might still win but the price is much higher. Deacon and the other two talking in a place they felt safe was the 'distraction' for the ambush," I explained. "Oh," Willa contemplated the scenario. I could see her eyes walk over the parking lot as she considered the events playing out. "Of course, that still leaves you facing two opponents, right around six feet and 220 to 240 who are adept at violence," I pointed out. "If you could hit the second guy the same way fast enough and somehow render the last one incapable of speech, Willa concluded. "You would have to be insanely fast and if someone was that good, what would they be doing at a biker bar in Lancaster, Virginia?" "Don't you know? This is the destination of choice for all international assassins on the run?" I joked. "Willa, can I have that moment now?" She shrugged, grinned, and walked with me to my car. It was refreshing to be side-by-side with a woman not interested in jumping my bones. If she'd been a lesbian instead of what she was, it would have been perfect. "You are too young for me, Zane," Willa headed me off. "Cool," I answered, which was not what she expected. "I need to talk with you a bit but not here. I don't want to risk anyone else listening in." Now Willa appeared to be curious. "Okay. The abandoned roadside motel on Chandler Road, 2:00 pm tomorrow," she responded. "Thanks, Willa. And also, do you know where I can get some fake ID's?" I asked as I got into my car. "I'll see what I can dig up," Willa smirked. She rejoined her buddies on the porch and was chatting away as I took off for home. I knew that my ordeal for this evening was far from over. There still was the hurdle of finding a place for Paige to sleep and making sure she stayed in the room Jill and I agreed on. The struggle with Jill over Rio had been epic enough; I certainly didn't expect the sounds of women's laughter and modern music to be the first thing I heard when I stepped out of my ride. Mind you, Jill thought Rio still had moral fiber. If I told Rio she had even a single moral fiber left she'd span Heaven and Earth hunting the mythical beast down a la King Pellinore. On the plus side, Aunt Jill knew nothing of Paige so I could play up that angle. I walked indoors to a chorus of 'hey' and 'Zane' coming from the kitchen. I strode into a flurry of dinner-prep activity. Apparently we were attempting Italian sausage ravioli, broccoli & carrots, mashed potatoes, salad, and gazpacho. Okay, I was pretty sure Jill thought ravioli was the invention of Chef Boyardee and

Pour écouter l'émission en entier, sans pub, abonnez-vous ! https://m.audiomeans.fr/s/S-tavkjvmo Une histoire de la médecine chinoise Et si soigner, c'était d'abord écouter ?De la Chine ancienne aux cabinets d'aujourd'hui, cette émission vous plonge dans une histoire millénaire : celle de la médecine chinoise, née des souffles du monde, du feu de l'armoise et du regard patient des guérisseurs.À travers les récits, les textes anciens et le témoignage en direct du Dr Philippe Jeannin, médecin et acupuncteur, nous découvrons comment cette médecine a su unir observation, symbolique et science du geste.Des mythes fondateurs à la rigueur des traités Tang et Song, de la moxibustion à l'acupuncture, l'émission dévoile une autre façon de comprendre le corps : non comme une machine, mais comme un paysage vivant où circulent les forces de la nature.Une heure pour comprendre comment la Chine a inventé une écologie du soin — et pourquoi cette sagesse nous parle encore aujourd'hui. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Pour écouter l'émission en entier, sans pub, abonnez-vous ! https://m.audiomeans.fr/s/S-tavkjvmo Une histoire de la médecine chinoise Et si soigner, c'était d'abord écouter ?De la Chine ancienne aux cabinets d'aujourd'hui, cette émission vous plonge dans une histoire millénaire : celle de la médecine chinoise, née des souffles du monde, du feu de l'armoise et du regard patient des guérisseurs.À travers les récits, les textes anciens et le témoignage en direct du Dr Philippe Jeannin, médecin et acupuncteur, nous découvrons comment cette médecine a su unir observation, symbolique et science du geste.Des mythes fondateurs à la rigueur des traités Tang et Song, de la moxibustion à l'acupuncture, l'émission dévoile une autre façon de comprendre le corps : non comme une machine, mais comme un paysage vivant où circulent les forces de la nature.Une heure pour comprendre comment la Chine a inventé une écologie du soin — et pourquoi cette sagesse nous parle encore aujourd'hui. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Nouveaux pilotes, un brin déjantés, à bord de la Libre Antenne sur RMC ! Jean-Christophe Drouet et Julien Cazarre prennent le relais. Après les grands matchs, quand la lumière reste allumée pour les vrais passionnés, place à la Libre Antenne : un espace à part, entre passion, humour et dérision, débats enflammés, franc-parler et second degré. Un rendez-vous nocturne à la Cazarre, où l'on parle foot bien sûr, mais aussi mauvaise foi, vannes, imitations et grands moments de radio imprévisibles !

A vida não é fácil. Ganhar o sustento e manter a família pode ser um grande desafio. Conheça duas maneiras de lutar pela sobrevivência, dois métodos de sustento e escolha um deles.Este episódio foi apresentado em uma reunião virtual do grupo "Conecta!" da Igreja de Moema, SP, em 24 de julho de 2025.Se quiser assistir à vigília do Pastor Sam Neves que menciono neste episódio, basta acessar aos links abaixo:Nossa Autoridade em Cristo 1/3 - https://www.youtube.com/live/qlNmhIY-XvY?si=ftcdEklcc5mu05ioNossa Autoridade em Cristo 2/3 - https://www.youtube.com/live/vyOX99vGmI4?si=t3MHnl-rY4xwsYdRNossa Autoridade em Cristo 3/3 - https://www.youtube.com/live/vyOX99vGmI4?si=w12aPU2h3AHuDFgD

Pour écouter l'émission en entier, sans pub, abonnez-vous ! https://m.audiomeans.fr/s/S-tavkjvmo Une histoire de la médecine chinoise Et si soigner, c'était d'abord écouter ?De la Chine ancienne aux cabinets d'aujourd'hui, cette émission vous plonge dans une histoire millénaire : celle de la médecine chinoise, née des souffles du monde, du feu de l'armoise et du regard patient des guérisseurs.À travers les récits, les textes anciens et le témoignage en direct du Dr Philippe Jeannin, médecin et acupuncteur, nous découvrons comment cette médecine a su unir observation, symbolique et science du geste.Des mythes fondateurs à la rigueur des traités Tang et Song, de la moxibustion à l'acupuncture, l'émission dévoile une autre façon de comprendre le corps : non comme une machine, mais comme un paysage vivant où circulent les forces de la nature.Une heure pour comprendre comment la Chine a inventé une écologie du soin — et pourquoi cette sagesse nous parle encore aujourd'hui. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

News with Sean 10-27-2025 …The Chicken has a little metal tang to it

Pour écouter l'émission en entier, sans pub, abonnez-vous ! https://m.audiomeans.fr/s/S-tavkjvmo Une histoire de la médecine chinoise Et si soigner, c'était d'abord écouter ?De la Chine ancienne aux cabinets d'aujourd'hui, cette émission vous plonge dans une histoire millénaire : celle de la médecine chinoise, née des souffles du monde, du feu de l'armoise et du regard patient des guérisseurs.À travers les récits, les textes anciens et le témoignage en direct du Dr Philippe Jeannin, médecin et acupuncteur, nous découvrons comment cette médecine a su unir observation, symbolique et science du geste.Des mythes fondateurs à la rigueur des traités Tang et Song, de la moxibustion à l'acupuncture, l'émission dévoile une autre façon de comprendre le corps : non comme une machine, mais comme un paysage vivant où circulent les forces de la nature.Une heure pour comprendre comment la Chine a inventé une écologie du soin — et pourquoi cette sagesse nous parle encore aujourd'hui. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Pour écouter l'émission en entier, sans pub, abonnez-vous ! https://m.audiomeans.fr/s/S-tavkjvmo Une histoire de la médecine chinoise Et si soigner, c'était d'abord écouter ?De la Chine ancienne aux cabinets d'aujourd'hui, cette émission vous plonge dans une histoire millénaire : celle de la médecine chinoise, née des souffles du monde, du feu de l'armoise et du regard patient des guérisseurs.À travers les récits, les textes anciens et le témoignage en direct du Dr Philippe Jeannin, médecin et acupuncteur, nous découvrons comment cette médecine a su unir observation, symbolique et science du geste.Des mythes fondateurs à la rigueur des traités Tang et Song, de la moxibustion à l'acupuncture, l'émission dévoile une autre façon de comprendre le corps : non comme une machine, mais comme un paysage vivant où circulent les forces de la nature.Une heure pour comprendre comment la Chine a inventé une écologie du soin — et pourquoi cette sagesse nous parle encore aujourd'hui. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Pour écouter l'émission en entier, sans pub, abonnez-vous ! https://m.audiomeans.fr/s/S-tavkjvmo Une histoire de la médecine chinoise Et si soigner, c'était d'abord écouter ?De la Chine ancienne aux cabinets d'aujourd'hui, cette émission vous plonge dans une histoire millénaire : celle de la médecine chinoise, née des souffles du monde, du feu de l'armoise et du regard patient des guérisseurs.À travers les récits, les textes anciens et le témoignage en direct du Dr Philippe Jeannin, médecin et acupuncteur, nous découvrons comment cette médecine a su unir observation, symbolique et science du geste.Des mythes fondateurs à la rigueur des traités Tang et Song, de la moxibustion à l'acupuncture, l'émission dévoile une autre façon de comprendre le corps : non comme une machine, mais comme un paysage vivant où circulent les forces de la nature.Une heure pour comprendre comment la Chine a inventé une écologie du soin — et pourquoi cette sagesse nous parle encore aujourd'hui. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Pour écouter l'émission en entier, sans pub, abonnez-vous ! https://m.audiomeans.fr/s/S-tavkjvmo Une histoire de la médecine chinoise Et si soigner, c'était d'abord écouter ?De la Chine ancienne aux cabinets d'aujourd'hui, cette émission vous plonge dans une histoire millénaire : celle de la médecine chinoise, née des souffles du monde, du feu de l'armoise et du regard patient des guérisseurs.À travers les récits, les textes anciens et le témoignage en direct du Dr Philippe Jeannin, médecin et acupuncteur, nous découvrons comment cette médecine a su unir observation, symbolique et science du geste.Des mythes fondateurs à la rigueur des traités Tang et Song, de la moxibustion à l'acupuncture, l'émission dévoile une autre façon de comprendre le corps : non comme une machine, mais comme un paysage vivant où circulent les forces de la nature.Une heure pour comprendre comment la Chine a inventé une écologie du soin — et pourquoi cette sagesse nous parle encore aujourd'hui. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

In this episode of The Egg Whisperer Show, I'm joined by Dr. Karen Tang, a renowned gynecologist and advocate for women's health. With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Tang specializes in endometriosis, fibroids, chronic pelvic pain, menopause, and gender-affirming care. She is the founder of Thrive Gynecology in Philadelphia, where she provides expert care to patients nationwide. Dr. Tang shares insights from her new book, It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health, which educates and empowers women by dispelling myths and addressing common issues like endometriosis, PCOS, and fibroids. The discussion also delves into systemic barriers in healthcare, the importance of self-advocacy, and practical tips for making the most of your doctor's visits. Read the full show notes on Dr. Aimee's website.Get Dr. Tang's book: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250894151/itsnothysteria/ Visit Dr. Tang's website: https://thrivegyn.com/Dr. Aimee's Fertility Essentials: https://www.draimee.org/fertility-essentials   Join me for a screening of the movie THAW: Parenthood on Ice.  Wednesday November 5: Doors Open 6 PM / Screening starts 6:30 PM Alamo DraftHouse, Mountain View, California The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Aimee (me!), Ivana Muncie-Vasic (Vitra Labs), Prof. Hank Greely and other fertility tech experts. Moderated by Sara Vaughn, MD. THAW examines the rapidly growing egg and embryo freezing industry, revealing its profound implications for women's reproductive health and rights. Through the stories of three American women navigating the world of fertility preservation, the film sheds light on the deeply personal, social, and ect. Get your tickets here.   Click to find The Egg Whisperer Show podcast on your favorite podcasting app.   Watch videos of Dr. Aimee answer Ask the Egg Whisperer Questions on YouTube.  Sign up for The Egg Whisperer newsletter to get updates  Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh is one of America's most well known fertility doctors. Her success rate at baby-making is what gives future parents hope when all hope is lost. She pioneered the TUSHY Method and BALLS Method to decrease your time to pregnancy. Learn more about the TUSHY Method and find a wealth of fertility resources at www.draimee.org.

Nothing captivates the human imagination like the vast unknowns of space. Ancient petroglyphs present renderings of the heavens, proof that we have been gazing up at the stars with wonder for thousands of years. Since then, mankind has systematically expanded our cosmic possibilities. What were once flights of fancy and dreams of science fiction writers have become nearly routine – a continuous human presence orbiting the Earth, probes flying beyond our solar system, and men walking on the moon. NASA and the Russian space program make traveling to the stars look easy, but it has been far from that. Space travel is a sometimes heroic, sometimes humorous, and always dangerous journey fraught with perils around every corner that most of us have never heard of or have long since forgotten.Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding of the Universe (Doubleday, 2024) brings these unknown, offbeat, and obscure stories of space to life. From the showmanship and bravado of the earliest known space fatality, German Max Valier, to the first ever indictment under the Espionage Act on an Army officer who leaked secrets concerning the development of early U.S. rockets; and the story of a single loose bolt that defeated the Soviet Union's attempt to beat America to the moon.Author Joe Cuhaj also sheds light on the human aspects of space travel that have remained industry secrets – until now: how the tradition of using a musical playlist to wake astronauts up began, fascinating tales about inventions like the Fischer Space Pen, Omega watches, and even Tang breakfast drink.In addition to fun and entertaining space trivia, Space Oddities also features stories of the profound impact that space travel has had on challenges right here at home, like the effort by civil rights leaders and activists in the 1960s to bring the money from the space program back home to those in need on Earth; NASA's FLATs (First Lady Astronaut Training) program and the 13 women who were selected to become astronauts in 1960, but were denied a chance at flying even after successfully completing the rigorous astronaut training program; and, the animals who many times sacrificed their lives to prove that man could fly in space.Filled with rare and little-known stories, Space Oddities will bring the final frontier to the homes of diehard space readers and armchair astronauts alike. 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

Pour écouter l'émission en entier, sans pub, abonnez-vous ! https://m.audiomeans.fr/s/S-tavkjvmo Une histoire de la médecine chinoise Et si soigner, c'était d'abord écouter ?De la Chine ancienne aux cabinets d'aujourd'hui, cette émission vous plonge dans une histoire millénaire : celle de la médecine chinoise, née des souffles du monde, du feu de l'armoise et du regard patient des guérisseurs.À travers les récits, les textes anciens et le témoignage en direct du Dr Philippe Jeannin, médecin et acupuncteur, nous découvrons comment cette médecine a su unir observation, symbolique et science du geste.Des mythes fondateurs à la rigueur des traités Tang et Song, de la moxibustion à l'acupuncture, l'émission dévoile une autre façon de comprendre le corps : non comme une machine, mais comme un paysage vivant où circulent les forces de la nature.Une heure pour comprendre comment la Chine a inventé une écologie du soin — et pourquoi cette sagesse nous parle encore aujourd'hui. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

The ultimate loot-box... This week, on the world's greatest user-generated movie creation podcast, we've got dairy danger, potato pontification & comedian chaosSend us YOUR film (or TV) suggestions by leaving a review on Apple or by getting in touch with us by email dreamfactorypod@gmail.com, Twitter, Facebook, Threads, Tik Tok or Instagram.The Dream Factory is a comedy podcast that turns YOUR film ideas into movie masterpieces. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jérôme Rothen se chauffe contre un autre consultant, un éditorialiste ou un acteur du foot.

Nothing captivates the human imagination like the vast unknowns of space. Ancient petroglyphs present renderings of the heavens, proof that we have been gazing up at the stars with wonder for thousands of years. Since then, mankind has systematically expanded our cosmic possibilities. What were once flights of fancy and dreams of science fiction writers have become nearly routine – a continuous human presence orbiting the Earth, probes flying beyond our solar system, and men walking on the moon. NASA and the Russian space program make traveling to the stars look easy, but it has been far from that. Space travel is a sometimes heroic, sometimes humorous, and always dangerous journey fraught with perils around every corner that most of us have never heard of or have long since forgotten.Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding of the Universe (Doubleday, 2024) brings these unknown, offbeat, and obscure stories of space to life. From the showmanship and bravado of the earliest known space fatality, German Max Valier, to the first ever indictment under the Espionage Act on an Army officer who leaked secrets concerning the development of early U.S. rockets; and the story of a single loose bolt that defeated the Soviet Union's attempt to beat America to the moon.Author Joe Cuhaj also sheds light on the human aspects of space travel that have remained industry secrets – until now: how the tradition of using a musical playlist to wake astronauts up began, fascinating tales about inventions like the Fischer Space Pen, Omega watches, and even Tang breakfast drink.In addition to fun and entertaining space trivia, Space Oddities also features stories of the profound impact that space travel has had on challenges right here at home, like the effort by civil rights leaders and activists in the 1960s to bring the money from the space program back home to those in need on Earth; NASA's FLATs (First Lady Astronaut Training) program and the 13 women who were selected to become astronauts in 1960, but were denied a chance at flying even after successfully completing the rigorous astronaut training program; and, the animals who many times sacrificed their lives to prove that man could fly in space.Filled with rare and little-known stories, Space Oddities will bring the final frontier to the homes of diehard space readers and armchair astronauts alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science

Nothing captivates the human imagination like the vast unknowns of space. Ancient petroglyphs present renderings of the heavens, proof that we have been gazing up at the stars with wonder for thousands of years. Since then, mankind has systematically expanded our cosmic possibilities. What were once flights of fancy and dreams of science fiction writers have become nearly routine – a continuous human presence orbiting the Earth, probes flying beyond our solar system, and men walking on the moon. NASA and the Russian space program make traveling to the stars look easy, but it has been far from that. Space travel is a sometimes heroic, sometimes humorous, and always dangerous journey fraught with perils around every corner that most of us have never heard of or have long since forgotten.Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding of the Universe (Doubleday, 2024) brings these unknown, offbeat, and obscure stories of space to life. From the showmanship and bravado of the earliest known space fatality, German Max Valier, to the first ever indictment under the Espionage Act on an Army officer who leaked secrets concerning the development of early U.S. rockets; and the story of a single loose bolt that defeated the Soviet Union's attempt to beat America to the moon.Author Joe Cuhaj also sheds light on the human aspects of space travel that have remained industry secrets – until now: how the tradition of using a musical playlist to wake astronauts up began, fascinating tales about inventions like the Fischer Space Pen, Omega watches, and even Tang breakfast drink.In addition to fun and entertaining space trivia, Space Oddities also features stories of the profound impact that space travel has had on challenges right here at home, like the effort by civil rights leaders and activists in the 1960s to bring the money from the space program back home to those in need on Earth; NASA's FLATs (First Lady Astronaut Training) program and the 13 women who were selected to become astronauts in 1960, but were denied a chance at flying even after successfully completing the rigorous astronaut training program; and, the animals who many times sacrificed their lives to prove that man could fly in space.Filled with rare and little-known stories, Space Oddities will bring the final frontier to the homes of diehard space readers and armchair astronauts alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/science-technology-and-society

Bright on Buddhism - Episode 126 - Who is Xuanzang? What were some of his views and written works? How did they affect Buddhism in East Asia?Resources: Beal, Samuel, trans. (1911). The Life of Hiuen-Tsiang. Translated from the Chinese of Shaman (monk) Hwui Li. London. 1911. Reprint Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi. 1973. (a dated, abridged translation)Bernstein, Richard (2001). Ultimate Journey: Retracing the Path of an Ancient Buddhist Monk (Xuanzang) who crossed Asia in Search of Enlightenment. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. ISBN 0-375-40009-5.Christie, Anthony (1968). Chinese Mythology. Feltham, Middlesex: Hamlyn Publishing. ISBN 0600006379.Gordon, Stewart. When Asia was the World: Traveling Merchants, Scholars, Warriors, and Monks who created the "Riches of the East" Da Capo Press, Perseus Books, 2008. ISBN 0-306-81556-7.Julien, Stanislas (1853). Histoire de la vie de Hiouen-Thsang, par Hui Li et Yen-Tsung, Paris.Yung-hsi, Li (1959). The Life of Hsuan Tsang by Huili (Translated). Chinese Buddhist Association, Beijing. (a more recent, abridged translation)Li, Rongxi, trans. (1995). A Biography of the Tripiṭaka Master of the Great Ci'en Monastery of the Great Tang Dynasty. Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. Berkeley, California. ISBN 1-886439-00-1 (a recent, full translation)Nattier, Jan. "The Heart Sutra: A Chinese Apocryphal Text?". Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies Vol. 15 (2), p. 153-223. (1992) PDF Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback MachineSaran, Mishi (2005). Chasing the Monk's Shadow: A Journey in the Footsteps of Xuanzang. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-306439-8Sun Shuyun (2003). Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud (retracing Xuanzang's journeys). Harper Perennial. ISBN 0-00-712974-2Waley, Arthur (1952). The Real Tripitaka, and Other Pieces. London: G. Allen and Unwin.Watters, Thomas (1904–05). On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India. London, Royal Asiatic Society. Reprint, Delhi, Munshiram Manoharlal, 1973.Wriggins, Sally Hovey. Xuanzang: A Buddhist Pilgrim on the Silk Road. Westview Press, 1996. Revised and updated as The Silk Road Journey With Xuanzang. Westview Press, 2003. ISBN 0-8133-6599-6.Wriggins, Sally Hovey (2004). The Silk Road Journey with Xuanzang. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-6599-6.Xuanzang (1996). The great Tang dynasty record of the western regions. Translated by Li, Rongxi. Berkeley, CA: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation & Research. ISBN 978-1-886439-02-3.Yu, Anthony C. (ed. and trans.) (1980 [1977]). The Journey to the West. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-97150-6 (fiction)https://wck.org/relief/chefs-for-gazaDo you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com.Credits:Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-HostProven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host

Nothing captivates the human imagination like the vast unknowns of space. Ancient petroglyphs present renderings of the heavens, proof that we have been gazing up at the stars with wonder for thousands of years. Since then, mankind has systematically expanded our cosmic possibilities. What were once flights of fancy and dreams of science fiction writers have become nearly routine – a continuous human presence orbiting the Earth, probes flying beyond our solar system, and men walking on the moon. NASA and the Russian space program make traveling to the stars look easy, but it has been far from that. Space travel is a sometimes heroic, sometimes humorous, and always dangerous journey fraught with perils around every corner that most of us have never heard of or have long since forgotten.Space Oddities: The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding of the Universe (Doubleday, 2024) brings these unknown, offbeat, and obscure stories of space to life. From the showmanship and bravado of the earliest known space fatality, German Max Valier, to the first ever indictment under the Espionage Act on an Army officer who leaked secrets concerning the development of early U.S. rockets; and the story of a single loose bolt that defeated the Soviet Union's attempt to beat America to the moon.Author Joe Cuhaj also sheds light on the human aspects of space travel that have remained industry secrets – until now: how the tradition of using a musical playlist to wake astronauts up began, fascinating tales about inventions like the Fischer Space Pen, Omega watches, and even Tang breakfast drink.In addition to fun and entertaining space trivia, Space Oddities also features stories of the profound impact that space travel has had on challenges right here at home, like the effort by civil rights leaders and activists in the 1960s to bring the money from the space program back home to those in need on Earth; NASA's FLATs (First Lady Astronaut Training) program and the 13 women who were selected to become astronauts in 1960, but were denied a chance at flying even after successfully completing the rigorous astronaut training program; and, the animals who many times sacrificed their lives to prove that man could fly in space.Filled with rare and little-known stories, Space Oddities will bring the final frontier to the homes of diehard space readers and armchair astronauts alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/popular-culture

What Flavor Was Tang Drink Mix? The correct answer could win you $1,000 on The Andie Summers Show with Minute To Win It!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

英语美文-如何用英文介绍糖葫芦呢？今年北方很多城市似乎都提前入冬了。而每个季节，都有自己独特的美食相伴。糖葫芦就是在秋冬季非常有代表性的一种美食。如何用英文介绍这种可口的美食呢？今天卡卡老师带你学习！traditional /ˈtrədɪʃənl/：adj. 传统的；惯例的snack /snæk/：n. 小吃；点心layer /ˈleɪər/：n. 层；层次resemble /rɪˈzembl/：v. 类似；像gourd /ɡʊrd/：n. 葫芦Hawthorn /ˈhɔːθɔːrn/：n. 山楂therapeutic[ˌθerəˈpjuːtɪk]：adj.治疗的，医疗的;digestion /daɪˈdʒestʃən/：n. 消化appetizing /ˈæpɪtaɪzɪŋ/：adj. 开胃的；促进食欲的Tang Hulu is a traditional Chinese snack, which is rather common in North China in winter.糖葫芦是中国传统小吃，在北方冬季尤为常见。It is also known as Bingtang Hulu or TangQiu.亦称冰糖葫芦或糖球。Tang refers to a layer of sugar wrapped outside, and Hulu means that it resembles the shape of the gourd."糖"指外表包裹的糖衣，"葫芦"因其形似葫芦。According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the Hawthorn is a natural therapeutic fruit that helps digestion effectively.中医理论认为山楂具药用价值，能有效助消化。Therefore, in addition to its unique taste, Tanghulu is an appetizing snack that helps digestion.故糖葫芦除独特风味外，更是开胃助消化的美味小吃。27期爱趣英文开启限额招募，跟着卡卡老师彻底摆脱懒癌，全面系统提升！公众号：卡卡课堂 卡卡老师微信：kakayingyu002

Van Tang is engineering giant GHD’s CEO for the Asia Pacific region. She leads a team of over 5600 people, spanning numerous countries and time zones. And yet, despite being incredibly hardworking, she holds onto a “lazy” leadership philosophy. In this episode, Van unpacks what she means by this and also shares why she can’t stand managing up and calls herself a 'bridging leader'. Join the movement to fast-track your professional development. Become an FW Diamond member today. Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Threads See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when a daughter grows up without her dad—and how does that absence echo into the rest of her life?In this deeply moving conversation, we sit down with Jeaneen Tang, a Los Angeles–based speech-language pathologist, author, and mom, who opens up about growing up without her father, breaking generational cycles, and using her own story to guide how she raises her son today. Jeaneen’s story reminds every father that the quiet moments—the ones we think don’t matter—are often the ones our daughters carry the longest. From learning to build self-worth without validation to understanding the lifelong effects of presence and absence, this episode is a call for dads everywhere to lean back into what truly matters: being there. We also talk about her work as a speech therapist and her powerful approach to early childhood communication outlined in her new book, Play Dumb and Sabotage—a mindful guide for parents who want to help their children build confidence and language through connection. Book: Play Dumb and Sabotage — available on Amazon and all major audiobook platforms Play Dumb & Sabotage Jeaneen on Instagram Daughteredpodcast.com   Oscar on Instagram   Few Will Hunt. 10% OFF use GIRLDAD   00:00 – Intro: Welcome to The Daughtered Podcast01:12 – Growing up without a present father05:58 – Learning self-worth when love feels conditional09:44 – How absence shapes confidence and relationships13:22 – The moment she realized she had to break the cycle17:50 – “Presence over Provision” — what daughters truly remember23:11 – Lessons for fathers: listening, showing up, and dropping the ego28:40 – How childhood wounds impact how we parent33:15 – Building language, confidence, and connection with kids37:42 – Why fathers should ask for help and lead without pride41:00 – Everyday ways to strengthen the father–daughter bond45:55 – Closing reflections: Be the dad you wish you had Guest Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are solely those of the guests. They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the host, any organizations, companies, or institutions mentioned, or corporate entities represented by the host. Our aim is to provide a platform for diverse perspectives and open dialogue. While we strive for accuracy and balance, it's important to recognize that opinions may vary. We encourage critical thinking and further exploration of the topics discussed.

Tons of history in Hour 2! Simon starts with Tom Clavin, author of "Running Deep" and the incredible story of the deadliest sub in WW2, the TANG, including her heartbreaking torpedo #24. Then Simon interviews Director/Producer, Michael Pack, about his new film "Last 600 Meters" which opens over Veterans Day weekend. It is an inside look and firsthand interviews of those that were there in the deadly battles of Fallujah and Najaf.

Did you know the word hysteria comes from the Greek word hystera, meaning uterus? On this episode, Dr. Karen Tang and Dr. Sharon chat about the history and evolution of Obstetrics Gynecology, unpack different subspecialties, and discuss the myth of the "wandering womb". Plus, Dr. Tang shares experiences patients may have on the operating table, surgical options for reproductive health, and why you may want to choose a minimally invasive surgery for gynecologic conditions. Board Certified OBGYN and Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgeon, Dr. Karen Tang, reaches millions of people every month through her educational videos on TikTok and IG. With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Tang specializes in endometriosis, fibroids, chronic pelvic pain, menopause, and gender-affirming care. She is the founder of Thrive Gynecology in Philadelphia, where she provides expert care to patients nationwide. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Have questions? Submit them here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Hoes Throughout History, we dive deep into the unhinged, unstoppable, and undeniably iconic life of Empress Wu Zetian — the first and only female emperor of China. From concubine to supreme ruler of the Tang dynasty, Wu played the political game like a damn chess master while rewriting what it meant to be a woman in power...and the brutal rumors spread by salty men who couldn't handle her crown. Was she ruthless? Sure. Revolutionary? Absolutely.

Welcome back to the EUCVC Summit Talks, where we bring you candid conversations with Europe's leading founders, corporate leaders, and investors shaping the future of venture collaboration.In this session, Christian Tang, Partner at San Francisco–based Acme, and Claus Gregersen, CEO of the 275-year-old evergreen investor Augustinus Fabrikker, explore what global ambition really means in today's venture landscape.From recalibrating US expansion strategies to navigating sovereignty, trade tensions, and structural resets, they unpack how investors and founders must adapt to thrive in a more complex—but still interconnected—world.

Welcome to a special episode of CD Voice, where we dive into the literary world's big news: Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai has won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature.Famous for his demanding, cinematic, and often bleak writing—think dystopian melancholy, spiritual void in modern life, and groundbreaking works like Satan Tango—Krasznahorkai isn't just a master of “European despair.” What makes his win even more compelling is a surprising twist: his deep, decades-long connection to Eastern philosophy and Chinese culture.From his 1991 trip to China that sparked a personal and literary shift, to his obsession with the Tao Te Ching, his adoption of the Chinese name “Qiu,” and his pilgrimage tracing Tang poet Li Bai's steps—this episode explores how Eastern wisdom softened his dark style, creating a unique synthesis of West and East. We'll also look at how this fusion shines in his later works, like the short story collection The World Goes On, and why the Swedish Academy honored him for “reaffirming the power of art in the midst of apocalyptic terror.”Whether you're a literary fan or curious about cross-cultural inspiration, this episode unpacks what makes Krasznahorkai's oeuvre so visionary.Enjoy the deep dive, and keep exploring the stories behind great writing!

China's rapid development and strong protection of intellectual property have been praised by Daren Tang, director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization, as a significant achievement not only for the country but also for the world.世界知识产权组织总干事邓鸿森（Daren Tang）称赞中国知识产权领域的快速发展与有力保护，认为这不仅是中国的重大成就，也为世界作出重要贡献。"The Chinese IP ecosystem cannot just be said to be one of huge quantity, but increasingly of high quality as well," Tang said at the opening ceremony of the 14th China International Patent Fair in Dalian, Liaoning province, on Monday.邓鸿森周一在辽宁省大连市举行的第十四届中国国际专利技术与产品交易会上致辞时表示：“中国的知识产权生态系统不仅规模庞大，质量也在不断提升。”Tang highlighted China's innovative progress, noting that the country entered the top 10 in WIPO's Global Innovation Index in 2025, making it the highest-ranked among upper-middle-income economies. He said 24 of China's innovation clusters are among the world's top 100, with the Hong Kong-Guangzhou-Shenzhen cluster ranked first.邓鸿森强调了中国在创新领域的进步，指出中国在2025年世界知识产权组织《全球创新指数》中跻身前10位，成为排名最高的中高收入经济体。他表示，中国有24个创新集群进入全球百强，其中“香港-广州-深圳”创新集群位列全球第一。He also commended China's strong momentum in its green transition, citing rapid growth in the electric vehicle industry, which has surged by 36 percent, the battery industry (53 percent) and the solar industry (18 percent). These advancements, he said, are helping drive green technology and artificial intelligence-enabled industries, which now make up nearly one-fifth of China's economy.他还赞扬中国在绿色转型方面势头强劲，并以相关产业的快速增长为例：电动汽车产业增长36%、电池产业增长53%、太阳能产业增长18%。他表示，这些进展正推动绿色技术和人工智能赋能产业发展，目前这类产业已占中国经济的近五分之一。In response to challenges brought by emerging digital technologies, especially AI, Tang called for adjustments to better support the integration of digital and industrial innovation. He stressed that intellectual property should be made more accessible, benefiting not only large enterprises but also startups and small and medium-sized companies.针对新兴数字技术（尤其是人工智能）带来的挑战，邓鸿森呼吁作出调整，以更好地支持数字创新与产业创新的融合。他强调，应提高知识产权的可及性，让其不仅惠及大型企业，也能助力初创企业和中小企业发展。"IP must accompany the aspirations of researchers and scientists so that laboratory results can have a real impact on society and the economy," he said.他表示：“知识产权必须与科研人员的愿景相伴而行，唯有如此，实验室里的成果才能对社会和经济产生切实影响。”Tang also called for a more comprehensive approach to intellectual property management—integrating patents, trademarks and designs into cohesive business strategies—and suggested policymakers align IP policies across industrial, digital and creative sectors to encourage innovation synergies.邓鸿森还呼吁采用更全面的知识产权管理方法，将专利、商标和外观设计整合为统一的商业战略。他建议政策制定者协调产业、数字和创意领域的知识产权政策，以激发创新协同效应。The 14th China International Patent Fair, which concludes on Wednesday, aims to promote patent transformation and utilization to empower innovative development. The event, considered China's premier national exhibition in the IP field, has become an important platform for exchanging innovations and fostering trade cooperation across industries both domestically and internationally.第十四届中国国际专利技术与产品交易会将于周三闭幕，展会旨在推动专利转化运用，为创新发展注入动力。作为中国知识产权领域的顶级国家级展会，该交易会已成为国内外各行业交流创新成果、促进贸易合作的重要平台。During the opening ceremony, Antonio Campinos, president of the European Patent Office, delivered a speech via video link. He said that in 2024, the office received 200,000 patent applications, with more than 10 percent coming from China, making the country the fourth-largest source of applications.开幕式上，欧洲专利局局长安东尼奥·坎皮诺斯（Antonio Campinos）通过视频连线致辞。他表示，2024年欧洲专利局共收到20万件专利申请，其中逾10%来自中国，中国成为该局第四大专利申请来源国。Campinos said the office has launched services to help innovators gain easier and faster access to the European market and expressed his eagerness to continue working with China to build a high-quality intellectual property system.坎皮诺斯表示，欧洲专利局已推出相关服务，帮助创新者更便捷、更快速地进入欧洲市场。他还表达了与中国继续合作、共建高质量知识产权体系的期待。Shen Changyu, head of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, likened the use of patents to a "bridge" that transforms innovative achievements into productive forces. He emphasized its importance for driving innovation-led development.中国国家知识产权局局长申长雨将专利运用比作一座“桥梁”，能将创新成果转化为现实生产力。他强调，这对于推动创新驱动发展具有重要意义。Shen encouraged more intellectual property exchanges during the event, describing it as a platform to promote high-level opening-up and support high-quality growth.申长雨鼓励各方在此次展会上开展更多知识产权交流，并表示该展会是推动高水平对外开放、支持高质量发展的重要平台。World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)n.世界知识产权组织 /wɜːld ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl ˈprɒpəti ˌɔːɡənaɪˈzeɪʃn/China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)n.中国国家知识产权局/ˈtʃaɪnə ˈnæʃnəl ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl ˈprɒpəti ədˌmɪnɪˈstreɪʃn/

Don't pick up the phone! Oh, wait, this time you'll want to. We're watching The Black Phone (2021) just before the sequel drops! Listen along as we sip on a Tang and Vodka (tune in to find out why), piece together the puzzle of the plot, and hear some psychology on trauma and resilience. Bonus for the fun facts on the writer behind the film. Thanks for listening! Don't forget to subscribe wherever you're listening and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spookysips_podcast/Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/SpookySipsPodWebsite: https://spookysipspod.buzzsprout.com

Tang Fulong, a survivor of the Nanjing Massacre, passed away at the age of 90 on Thursday, reducing the number of living registered survivors to 24, the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders said on Saturday.侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆于周六表示，南京大屠杀幸存者唐福龙于周四逝世，享年90岁，至此南京大屠杀在册在世幸存者人数降至24人。The Nanjing Massacre refers to a period of history that started when Japanese troops captured the then Chinese capital on Dec 13, 1937. In the space of six weeks, the Japanese invaders killed approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.南京大屠杀是指1937年12月13日日军攻占当时的中国首都南京后发生的一段历史。在随后的六周内，日本侵略者杀害了约30万中国平民和手无寸铁的士兵，这是二战中最野蛮的暴行之一。In 1937, Tang's father, cousin and three uncles were captured by the Japanese invaders. Except one of the uncles, who narrowly escaped, the other four were all shot dead by Japanese soldiers.1937年，唐福龙的父亲、堂兄及三位叔叔被日本侵略者抓获。除其中一位叔叔侥幸逃脱外，其余四人均被日军枪杀。Eight survivors, including Tang, have passed away since the beginning of 2025, according to the Memorial Hall in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.据位于中国东部江苏省省会南京的侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆消息，自2025年初以来，包括唐福龙在内已有8位幸存者逝世。In 2014, China's national legislature designated Dec 13 as a national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre.2014年，中国全国人大常委会将12月13日设立为南京大屠杀死难者国家公祭日。The Chinese government has preserved the testimonies of survivors, recorded in both written and video transcripts. These documents about the massacre were listed by UNESCO in the Memory of the World Register in 2015.中国政府保存了幸存者的证词，这些证词以文字和视频记录的形式留存。2015年，关于南京大屠杀的相关文献被联合国教科文组织列入《世界记忆名录》。registered Nanjing Massacre survivorsn.南京大屠杀在册幸存者/ˈredʒɪstəd ˈnænˈdʒɪŋ ˈmæsəkə ˈsərvaɪvəz/Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invadersn.侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆

Today we bring you an episode of "The Second Opinion with Dr. Sharon Malone."  On Dr. Sharon's new podcast, women take back the conversation on health with straight talk, real experience, and the care we all deserve. You'll hear prominent female advocates, experts and patients just like you sharing how they confronted gaps in our healthcare system and got second opinions that saved their lives. Alongside each guest, Dr. Sharon tackles the questions and topics we've been conditioned to ignore — the ones we search for at 3 a.m. but never bring up at the doctor's office. From dismissed symptoms to systemic failures, she pulls back the curtain on what's really going on in women's health and gives women the tools to advocate for themselves and each other. In this episode, Dr. Sharon talks to Board Certified Ob/GYN and Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgeon, Dr. Karen Tang. The two unpack the evolution of Obstetrics Gynecology, the different OB-GYN subspecialties, and surgical options for reproductive health. Plus, Dr. Tang shares experiences patients may have on the surgical table and why you may want to choose a minimally invasive surgery for gynecologic conditions. Find more episodes of “The Second Opinion with Dr. Sharon Malone” wherever you get your podcasts. … • Join LST+ for community and access to You Know What, another show in the Longest Shortest universe! • Follow us on Instagram • Sign up for our newsletter, where we recommend other parenting + reproductive health media • Buy books by LST guests (your purchase supports the show!) • Website: longestshortesttime.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sharing a special episode this week from past guest Dr. Sharon Malone. On her new podcast, The Second Opinion with Dr. Sharon, women take back the conversation on health with straight talk, real experience, and the care we all deserve. You'll hear prominent female advocates, experts and patients just like you sharing how they confronted gaps in our healthcare system and got second opinions that saved their lives. Alongside each guest, Dr. Sharon tackles the questions and topics we've been conditioned to ignore — the ones we search for at 3 a.m. but never bring up at the doctor's office. From dismissed symptoms to systemic failures, she pulls back the curtain on what's really going on in women's health and gives women the tools to advocate for themselves and each other. In this episode, Dr. Sharon talks to Board Certified Ob/GYN and Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgeon, Dr. Karen Tang. The two unpack the evolution of Obstetrics Gynecology, the different OB-GYN subspecialties, and surgical options for reproductive health. Plus, Dr. Tang shares experiences patients may have on the surgical table and why you may want to choose a minimally invasive surgery for gynecologic conditions.Find more episodes of The Second Opinion with Dr. Sharon Malone at https://link.mgln.ai/shemdSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Audrey Tang, Taiwan's cyber ambassador, sits down with Margaret Hoover to talk about technology, democracy, and the fate of Taiwan amid new threats from China.Tang, who served as Taiwan's first minister of digital affairs, reflects on her work integrating technology into the government and the lessons learned from its successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic.She explains why she believes technological advances like social media can be used to bring people together instead of dividing them, and she discusses projects in California and Kentucky that have attempted to do that.Tang also addresses how Taiwan is preparing for potential attacks by China and why Taiwan's freedom is important to other democracies around the world.Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, The Tepper Foundation, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, and Pritzker Military Foundation.

I had never heard of Ed Gein, kind of wish I never has,,,,,

My fellow pro-growth/progress/abundance Up Wingers,For most of history, stagnation — not growth — was the rule. To explain why prosperity so often stalls, economist Carl Benedikt Frey offers a sweeping tour through a millennium of innovation and upheaval, showing how societies either harness — or are undone by — waves of technological change. His message is sobering: an AI revolution is no guarantee of a new age of progress.Today on Faster, Please! — The Podcast, I talk with Frey about why societies midjudge their trajectory and what it takes to reignite lasting growth.Frey is a professor of AI and Work at the Oxford Internet Institute and a fellow of Mansfield College, University of Oxford. He is the director of the Future of Work Programme and Oxford Martin Citi Fellow at the Oxford Martin School.He is the author of several books, including the brand new one, How Progress Ends: Technology, Innovation, and the Fate of Nations.In This Episode* The end of progress? (1:28)* A history of Chinese innovation (8:26)* Global competitive intensity (11:41)* Competitive problems in the US (15:50)* Lagging European progress (22:19)* AI & labor (25:46)Below is a lightly edited transcript of our conversation. The end of progress? (1:28). . . once you exploit a technology, the processes that aid that run into diminishing returns, you have a lot of incumbents, you have some vested interests around established technologies, and you need something new to revive growth.Pethokoukis: Since 2020, we've seen the emergence of generative AI, mRNA vaccines, reusable rockets that have returned America to space, we're seeing this ongoing nuclear renaissance including advanced technologies, maybe even fusion, geothermal, the expansion of solar — there seems to be a lot cooking. Is worrying about the end of progress a bit too preemptive?Frey: Well in a way, it's always a bit too preemptive to worry about the future: You don't know what's going to come. But let me put it this way: If you had told me back in 1995 — and if I was a little bit older then — that computers and the internet would lead to a decade streak of productivity growth and then peter out, I would probably have thought you nuts because it's hard to think about anything that is more consequential. Computers have essentially given people the world's store of knowledge basically in their pockets. The internet has enabled us to connect inventors and scientists around the world. There are few tools that aided the research process more. There should hardly be any technology that has done more to boost scientific discovery, and yet we don't see it.We don't see it in the aggregate productivity statistics, so that petered out after a decade. Research productivity is in decline. Measures of breakthrough innovation is in decline. So it's always good to be optimistic, I guess, and I agree with you that, when you say AI and when you read about many of the things that are happening now, it's very, very exciting, but I remain somewhat skeptical that we are actually going to see that leading to a huge revival of economic growth.I would just be surprised if we don't see any upsurge at all, to be clear, but we do have global productivity stagnation right now. It's not just Europe, it's not just Britain. The US is not doing too well either over the past two decades or so. China's productivity is probably in the negative territory or stagnant, by more optimistic measures, and so we're having a growth problem.If tech progress were inevitable, why have predictions from the '90s, and certainly earlier decades like the '50s and '60s, about transformative breakthroughs and really fast economic growth by now, consistently failed to materialize? How does your thesis account for why those visions of rapid growth and progress have fallen short?I'm not sure if my thesis explains why those expectations didn't materialize, but I'm hopeful that I do provide some framework for thinking about why we've often seen historically rapid growth spurts followed by stagnation and even decline. The story I'm telling is not rocket science, exactly. It's basically built on the simple intuitions that once you exploit a technology, the processes that aid that run into diminishing returns, you have a lot of incumbents, you have some vested interests around established technologies, and you need something new to revive growth.So for example, the Soviet Union actually did reasonably well in terms of economic growth. A lot of it, or most of it, was centered on heavy industry, I should say. So people didn't necessarily see the benefits in their pockets, but the economy grew rapidly for about four decades or so, then growth petered out, and eventually it collapsed. So for exploiting mass-production technologies, the Soviet system worked reasonably well. Soviet bureaucrats could hold factory managers accountable by benchmarking performance across factories.But that became much harder when something new was needed because when something is new, what's the benchmark? How do you benchmark against that? And more broadly, when something is new, you need to explore, and you need to explore often different technological trajectories. So in the Soviet system, if you were an aircraft engineer and you wanted to develop your prototype, you could go to the red arm and ask for funding. If they turned you down, you maybe had two or three other options. If they turned you down, your idea would die with you.Conversely, in the US back in '99, Bessemer Venture declined to invest in Google, which seemed like a bad idea with the benefit of hindsight, but it also illustrates that Google was no safe bet at the time. Yahoo and Alta Vista we're dominating search. You need somebody to invest in order to know if something is going to catch on, and in a more decentralized system, you can have more people taking different bets and you can explore more technological trajectories. That is one of the reasons why the US ended up leading the computer revolutions to which Soviet contributions were basically none.Going back to your question, why didn't those dreams materialize? I think we've made it harder to explore. Part of the reason is protective regulation. Part of the reason is lobbying by incumbents. Part of the reason is, I think, a revolving door between institutions like the US patent office and incumbents where we see in the data that examiners tend to grant large firms some patents that are of low quality and then get lucrative jobs at those places. That's creating barriers to entry. That's not good for new startups and inventors entering the marketplace. I think that is one of the reasons that we haven't seen some of those dreams materialize.A history of Chinese innovation (8:26)So while Chinese bureaucracy enabled scale, Chinese bureaucracy did not really permit much in terms of decentralized exploration, which European fragmentation aided . . .I wonder if your analysis of pre-industrial China, if there's any lessons you can draw about modern China as far as the way in which bad governance can undermine innovation and progress?Pre-industrial China has a long history. China was the technology leader during the Song and Tang dynasties. It had a meritocratic civil service. It was building infrastructure on scales that were unimaginable in Europe at the time, and yet it didn't have an industrial revolution. So while Chinese bureaucracy enabled scale, Chinese bureaucracy did not really permit much in terms of decentralized exploration, which European fragmentation aided, and because there was lots of social status attached to becoming a bureaucrat and passing the civil service examination, if Galileo was born in China, he would probably become a bureaucrat rather than a scientist, and I think that's part of the reason too.But China mostly did well when the state was strong rather than weak. A strong state was underpinned by intensive political competition, and once China had unified and there were fewer peer competitors, you see that the center begins to fade. They struggle to tax local elites in order to keep the peace. People begin to erect monopolies in their local markets and collide with guilds to protect production and their crafts from competition.So during the Qing dynasty, China begins to decline, whereas we see the opposite happening in Europe. European fragmentation aids exploration and innovation, but it doesn't necessarily aid scaling, and so that is something that Europe needs to come to terms with at a later stage when the industrial revolution starts to take off. And even before that, market integration played an important role in terms of undermining the guilds in Europe, and so part of the reason why the guilds persist longer in China is the distance is so much longer between cities and so the guilds are less exposed to competition. In the end, Europe ends up overtaking China, in large part because vested interests are undercut by governments, but also because of investments in things that spur market integration.Global competitive intensity (11:41)Back in the 2000s, people predicted that China would become more like the United States, now it looks like the United States is becoming more like China.This is a great McKinsey kind of way of looking at the world: The notion that what drives innovation is sort of maximum competitive intensity. You were talking about the competitive intensity in both Europe and in China when it was not so centralized. You were talking about the competitive intensity of a fragmented Europe.Do you think that the current level of competitive intensity between the United States and China —and I really wish I could add Europe in there. Plenty of white papers, I know, have been written about Europe's competitive state and its in innovativeness, and I hope those white papers are helpful and someone reads them, but it seems to be that the real competition is between United States and China.Do you not think that that competitive intensity will sort of keep those countries progressing despite any of the barriers that might pop up and that you've already mentioned a little bit? Isn't that a more powerful tailwind than any of the headwinds that you've mentioned?It could be, I think, if people learn the right lessons from history, at least that's a key argument of the book. Right now, what I'm seeing is the United States moving more towards protectionist with protective tariffs. Right now, what I see is a move towards, we could even say crony capitalism with tariff exemptions that some larger firms that are better-connected to the president are able to navigate, but certainly not challengers. You're seeing the United States embracing things like golden shares in Intel, and perhaps even extending that to a range of companies. Back in the 2000s, people predicted that China would become more like the United States, now it looks like the United States is becoming more like China.And China today is having similar problems and on, I would argue, an even greater scale. Growth used to be the key objective in China, and so for local governments, provincial governments competing on such targets, it was fairly easy to benchmark and measure and hold provincial governors accountable, and they would be promoted inside the Communist Party based on meeting growth targets. Now, we have prioritized common prosperity, more national security-oriented concerns.And so in China, most progress has been driven by private firms and foreign-invested firms. State-owned enterprise has generally been a drag on innovation and productivity. What you're seeing, though, as China is shifting more towards political objectives, it's harder to mobilize private enterprise, where the yard sticks are market share and profitability, for political goals. That means that China is increasingly relying more again on state-owned enterprises, which, again, have been a drag on innovation.So, in principle, I agree with you that historically you did see Russian defeat to Napoleon leading to this Stein-Hardenberg Reforms, and the abolishment of Gilded restrictions, and a more competitive marketplace for both goods and ideas. You saw that Russian losses in the Crimean War led to the of abolition of serfdom, and so there are many times in history where defeat, in particular, led to striking reforms, but right now, the competition itself doesn't seem to lead to the kinds of reforms I would've hoped to see in response.Competitive problems in the US (15:50)I think what antitrust does is, at the very least, it provides a tool that means that businesses are thinking twice before engaging in anti-competitive behavior.I certainly wrote enough pieces and talked to enough people over the past decade who have been worried about competition in the United States, and the story went something like this: that you had these big tech companies — Google, and Meta, Facebook and Microsoft — that these were companies were what they would call “forever companies,” that they had such dominance in their core businesses, and they were throwing off so much cash that these were unbeatable companies, and this was going to be bad for America. People who made that argument just could not imagine how any other companies could threaten their dominance. And yet, at the time, I pointed out that it seemed to me that these companies were constantly in fear that they were one technological advance from being in trouble.And then lo and behold, that's exactly what happened. And while in AI, certainly, Google's super important, and Meta Facebook are super important, so are OpenAI, and so is Anthropic, and there are other companies.So the point here, after my little soliloquy, is can we overstate these problems, at least in the United States, when it seems like it is still possible to create a new technology that breaks the apparent stranglehold of these incumbents? Google search does not look quite as solid a business as it did in 2022.Can we overstate the competitive problems of the United States, or is what you're saying more forward-looking, that perhaps we overstated the competitive problems in the past, but now, due to these tariffs, and executives having to travel to the White House and give the president gifts, that that creates a stage for the kind of competitive problems that we should really worry about?I'm very happy to support the notion that technological changes can lead to unpredictable outcomes that incumbents may struggle to predict and respond to. Even if they predict it, they struggle to act upon it because doing so often undermines the existing business model.So if you take Google, where the transformer was actually conceived, the seven people behind it, I think, have since left the company. One of the reasons that they probably didn't launch anything like ChatGPT was probably for the fear of cannibalizing search. So I think the most important mechanisms for dislodging incumbents are dramatic shifts in technology.None of the legacy media companies ended up leading social media. None of the legacy retailers ended up leading e-commerce. None of the automobile leaders are leading in EVs. None of the bicycle companies, which all went into automobile, so many of them, ended up leading. So there is a pattern there.At the same time, I think you do have to worry that there are anti-competitive practices going on that makes it harder, and that are costly. The revolving door between the USPTO and companies is one example of that. We also have a reasonable amount of evidence on killer acquisitions whereby firms buy up a competitor just to shut it down. Those things are happening. I think you need to have tools that allow you to combat that, and I think more broadly, the United States has a long history of fairly vigorous antitrust policy. I think it'd be a hard pressed to suggest that that has been a tremendous drag on American business or American dynamism. So if you don't think, for example, that American antitrust policy has contributed to innovation and dynamism, at the very least, you can't really say either that it's been a huge drag on it.In Japan, for example, in its postwar history, antitrust was extremely lax. In the United States, it was very vigorous, and it was very vigorous throughout the computer revolution as well, which it wasn't at all in Japan. If you take the lawsuit against IBM, for example, you can debate this. To what extent did it force it to unbundle hardware and software, and would Microsoft been the company it is today without that? I think AT&T, it's both the breakup and it's deregulation, as well, but I think by basically all accounts, that was a good idea, particularly at the time when the National Science Foundation released ARPANET into the world.I think what antitrust does is, at the very least, it provides a tool that means that businesses are thinking twice before engaging in anti-competitive behavior. There's always a risk of antitrust being heavily politicized, and that's always been a bad idea, but at the same time, I think having tools on the books that allows you to check monopolies and steer their investments more towards the innovation rather than anti-competitive practices, I think is, broadly speaking, a good thing. I think in the European Union, you often hear that competition policy is a drag on productivity. I think it's the least of Europe's problem.Lagging European progress (22:19)If you take the postwar period, at least Europe catches up in most key industries, and actually lead in some of them. . . but doesn't do the same in digital. The question in my mind is: Why is that?Let's talk about Europe as we sort of finish up. We don't have to write How Progress Ends, it seems like progress has ended, so maybe we want to think about how progress restarts, and is the problem in Europe, is it institutions or is it the revealed preference of Europeans, that they're getting what they want? That they don't value progress and dynamism, that it is a cultural preference that is manifested in institutions? And if that's the case — you can tell me if that's not the case, I kind of feel like it might be the case — how do you restart progress in Europe since it seems to have already ended?The most puzzling thing to me is not that Europe is less dynamic than the United States — that's not very puzzling at all — but that it hasn't even managed to catch up in digital. If you take the postwar period, at least Europe catches up in most key industries, and actually lead in some of them. So in a way, take automobiles, electrical machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, nobody would say that Europe is behind in those industries, or at least not for long. Europe has very robust catchup growth in the post-war period, but doesn't do the same in digital. The question in my mind is: Why is that?I think part of the reason is that the returns to innovation, the returns to scaling in Europe are relatively muted by a fragmented market in services, in particular. The IMF estimates that if you take all trade barriers on services inside the European Union and you add them up, it's something like 110 percent tariffs. Trump Liberation Day tariffs, essentially, imposed within European Union. That means that European firms in digital and in services don't have a harmonized market to scale into, the way the United States and China has. I think that's by far the biggest reason.On top of that, there are well-intentioned regulations like the GDPR that, by any account, has been a drag on innovation, and particularly been harmful for startups, whereas larger firms that find it easier to manage compliance costs have essentially managed to offset those costs by capturing a larger share of the market. I think the AI Act is going in the same direction there, ad so you have more hurdles, you have greater costs of innovating because of those regulatory barriers. And then the return to innovation is more capped by having a smaller, fragmented market.I don't think that culture or European lust for leisure rather than work is the key reason. I think there's some of that, but if you look at the most dynamic places in Europe, it tends to be the Scandinavian countries and, being from Sweden myself, I can tell you that most people you will encounter there are not workaholics.AI & labor (25:46)I think AI at the moment has a real resilience problem. It's very good that things where there's a lot of precedent, it doesn't do very well where precedence is thin.As I finish up, let me ask you: Like a lot of economists who think about technology, you've thought about how AI will affect jobs — given what we've seen in the past few years, would it be your guess that, if we were to look at the labor force participation rates of the United States and other rich countries 10 years from now, that we will look at those employment numbers and think, “Wow, we can really see the impact of AI on those numbers”? Will it be extraordinarily evident, or would it be not as much?Unless there's very significant progress in AI, I don't think so. I think AI at the moment has a real resilience problem. It's very good that things where there's a lot of precedent, it doesn't do very well where precedence is thin. So in most activities where the world is changing, and the world is changing every day, you can't really rely on AI to reliably do work for you.An example of that, most people know of AlphaGo beating the world champion back in 2016. Few people will know that, back in 2023, human amateurs, using standard laptops, exposing the best Go programs to new positions that they would not have encountered in training, actually beat the best Go programs quite easily. So even in a domain where basically the problem is solved, where we already achieved super-human intelligence, you cannot really know how well these tools perform when circumstances change, and I think that that's really a problem. So unless we solve that, I don't think it's going to have an impact that will mean that labor force participation is going to be significantly lower 10 years from now.That said, I do think it's going to have a very significant impact on white collar work, and people's income and sense of status. I think of generative AI, in particular, as a tool that reduces barriers to entry in professional services. I often compare it to what happened with Uber and taxi services. With the arrival of GPS technology, knowing the name of every street in New York City was no longer a particularly valuable skill, and then with a platform matching supply and demand, anybody could essentially get into their car who has a driver's license and top up their incomes on the side. As a result of that, incumbent drivers faced more competition, they took a pay cut of around 10 percent.Obviously, a key difference with professional services is that they're traded. So I think it's very likely that, as generative AI reduces the productivity differential between people in, let's say the US and the Philippines in financial modeling, in paralegal work, in accounting, in a host of professional services, more of those activities will shift abroad, and I think many knowledge workers that had envisioned prosperous careers may feel a sense of loss of status and income as a consequence, and I do think that's quite significant.On sale everywhere The Conservative Futurist: How To Create the Sci-Fi World We Were PromisedFaster, Please! is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fasterplease.substack.com/subscribe

Sharing a special episode this week from Dr. Sharon Malone. On Dr. Sharon's new podcast, The Second Opinion, women take back the conversation on health with straight talk, real experience, and the care we all deserve. You'll hear prominent female advocates, experts and patients just like you sharing how they confronted gaps in our healthcare system and got second opinions that saved their lives. Alongside each guest, Dr. Sharon tackles the questions and topics we've been conditioned to ignore — the ones we search for at 3 a.m. but never bring up at the doctor's office. From dismissed symptoms to systemic failures, she pulls back the curtain on what's really going on in women's health and gives women the tools to advocate for themselves and each other. In this episode, Dr. Sharon talks to Board Certified Ob/GYN and Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgeon, Dr. Karen Tang. The two unpack the evolution of Obstetrics Gynecology, the different OB-GYN subspecialties, and surgical options for reproductive health. Plus, Dr. Tang shares experiences patients may have on the surgical table and why you may want to choose a minimally invasive surgery for gynecologic conditions. Find more episodes of The Second Opinion with Dr. Sharon Malone at https://link.mgln.ai/unladylikeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sharing a special episode this week, from Dr. Sharon Malone. On Dr. Sharon's new podcast, The Second Opinion, women take back the conversation on health with straight talk, real experience, and the care we all deserve. You'll hear prominent female advocates, experts and patients just like you sharing how they confronted gaps in our healthcare system and got second opinions that saved their lives. Alongside each guest, Dr. Sharon tackles the questions and topics we've been conditioned to ignore — the ones we search for at 3 a.m. but never bring up at the doctor's office. From dismissed symptoms to systemic failures, she pulls back the curtain on what's really going on in women's health and gives women the tools to advocate for themselves and each other. In this episode, Dr. Sharon talks to Board Certified Ob/GYN and Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgeon, Dr. Karen Tang. The two unpack the evolution of Obstetrics Gynecology, the different OB-GYN subspecialties, and surgical options for reproductive health. Plus, Dr. Tang shares experiences patients may have on the surgical table and why you may want to choose a minimally invasive surgery for gynecologic conditions.Find more episodes of The Second Opinion with Dr. Sharon Malone at https://link.mgln.ai/shessoluckySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last time we spoke about the Nanjing Massacre. Japanese forces breached Nanjing as Chinese defenders retreated under heavy bombardment, and the city fell on December 13. In the following weeks, civilians and disarmed soldiers endured systematic slaughter, mass executions, rapes, looting, and arson, with casualties mounting rapidly. Among the most brutal episodes were hundreds of executions near the Safety Zone, mass shootings along the Yangtze River, and killings at improvised sites and “killing fields.” The massacre involved tens of thousands of prisoners, with estimates up to 300,000 victims. Women and children were subjected to widespread rape, mutilation, and terror intended to crush morale and resistance. Although the Safety Zone saved many lives, it could not shield all refugees from harm, and looting and arson devastated large parts of the city. Foreign witnesses, missionaries, and diary entries documented the extensive brutality and the apparent premeditated nature of many acts, noting the collapse of discipline among troops and orders that shaped the violence.    #169 Nanjing has Fallen, the War is not Over Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Directly after the fall of Nanjing, rumors circulated among the city's foreigners that Tang Shengzhi had been executed for his inability to hold the city against the Japanese onslaught. In fact, unlike many of his subordinates who fought in the defense, he survived. On December 12, he slipped through Yijiang Gate, where bullets from the 36th Division had claimed numerous victims, and sailed across the Yangtze to safety. Chiang Kai-shek protected him from bearing direct consequences for Nanjing's collapse. Tang was not unscathed, however. After the conquest of Nanjing, a dejected Tang met General Li Zongren at Xuzhou Railway Station. In a brief 20-minute conversation, Tang lamented, “Sir, Nanjing's fall has been unexpectedly rapid. How can I face the world?” Li, who had previously taunted Tang for over-eagerness, offered sympathy. “Don't be discouraged. Victory or defeat comes every day for the soldier. Our war of resistance is a long-term proposition. The loss of one city is not decisive.” By December 1937, the outlook for Chiang Kai-shek's regime remained bleak. Despite his public pledges, he had failed to defend the capital. Its sturdy walls, which had withstood earlier sieges, were breached in less than 100 hours. Foreign observers remained pessimistic about the prospects of continuing the fight against Japan. The New York Times wrote “The capture of Nanking was the most overwhelming defeat suffered by the Chinese and one of the most tragic military debacles in modern warfare. In defending Nanking, the Chinese allowed themselves to be surrounded and then slaughtered… The graveyard of tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers may also be the graveyard of all Chinese hopes of resisting conquest by Japan.” Foreign diplomats doubted Chiang's ability to sustain the war, shrinking the question to whether he would stubbornly continue a losing fight or seek peace. US Ambassador Nelson Johnson wrote in a letter to Admiral Yarnell, then commander of the US Asicatic Fleet “There is little left now for the Chinese to do except to carry on a desultory warfare in the country, or to negotiate for the best terms they can get”.  The Japanese, too, acted as if Chiang Kai-shek had already lost the war. They assumed the generalissimo was a spent force in Chinese politics as well, and that a gentle push would suffice to topple his regime like a house of cards. On December 14, Prime Minister Konoe announced that Chiang's losses of Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and now Nanjing, had created a new situation. “The National Government has become but a shadow of its former self. If a new Chinese regime emerged to replace Chiang's government, Japan would deal with it, provided it is a regime headed in the right direction.” Konoe spoke the same day as a Liaison Conference in Tokyo, where civilian and military leaders debated how to treat China now that it had been thoroughly beaten on the battlefield. Japanese demands had grown significantly: beyond recognizing Manchukuo, Japan pressed for the creation of pro-Japanese regimes in Inner Mongolia and the north China area. The same day, a puppet government was established in Japanese-occupied Beijing. While these demands aimed to end China as a unitary state, Japanese policy was moving toward the same goal. The transmissions of these demands via German diplomatic channels caused shock and consternation in Chinese government circles, and the Chinese engaged in what many regarded as stalling tactics. Even at this late stage, there was division among Japan's top decision makers. Tada, deputy chief of the Army General Staff, feared a protracted war in China and urged keeping negotiations alive. He faced strong opposition from the cabinet, including the foreign minister and the ministers of the army and navy, and ultimately he relented. Tada stated “In this state of emergency, it is necessary to avoid any political upheaval that might arise from a struggle between the Cabinet and the Army General Staff.” Although he disagreed, he no longer challenged the uncompromising stance toward China. On January 16, 1938, Japan publicly stated that it would “cease henceforth to deal with” Chiang Kai-shek. This was a line that could not be uncrossed. War was the only option. Germany, the mediator between China and Japan, also considered Chiang a losing bet. In late January 1938, von Dirksen, the German ambassador in Tokyo, urged a fundamental shift in German diplomacy and advocated abandoning China in favor of Japan. He warned that this was a matter of urgency, since Japan harbored grudges against Germany for its half-hearted peace efforts. In a report, von Dirksen wrote that Japan, “in her deep ill humor, will confront us with unpleasant decisions at an inopportune moment.” Von Dirksen's view carried the day in Berlin. Nazi Germany and Hirohito's Japan were on a trajectory that, within three years, would forge the Axis and place Berlin and Tokyo in the same camp in a conflict that would eventually span the globe. Rabe, who returned to Germany in 1938, found that his account of Japanese atrocities in Nanjing largely fell on deaf ears. He was even visited by the Gestapo, which apparently pressed him to keep quiet about what he had seen. Ambassador von Dirksen also argued in his January 1938 report that China should be abandoned because of its increasingly friendly ties with the Soviet Union. There was some merit to this claim. Soviet aid to China was substantial: by the end of 1937, 450 Soviet aviators were serving in China. Without them, Japan likely would have enjoyed air superiority. Chiang Kai-shek, it seemed, did not fully understand the Russians' motives. They were supplying aircraft and pilots to keep China in the war while keeping themselves out. After Nanjing's fall, Chiang nevertheless reached out to Joseph Stalin, inviting direct Soviet participation in the war. Stalin politely declined, noting that if the Soviet Union joined the conflict, “the world would say the Soviet Union was an aggressor, and sympathy for Japan around the world would immediately increase.” In a rare moment of candor a few months later, the Soviet deputy commissar for foreign affairs spoke with the French ambassador, describing the situation in China as “splendid.” He expected China to continue fighting for several more years, after which Japan would be too weakened to undertake major operations against the Soviet Union. It was clear that China was being used. Whatever the motive, China was receiving vital help from Stalin's Russia while the rest of the world stood on the sidelines, reluctant to upset Japan. Until Operation Barbarossa, when the Soviet Union was forced to the brink by the German Army and could no longer sustain extensive overseas aid, it supplied China with 904 planes, 1,516 trucks, 1,140 artillery pieces, 9,720 machine guns, 50,000 rifles, 31,600 bombs, and more. Despite all of this, all in all, China's position proved less disastrous than many observers had feared. Chinese officials later argued that the battle of Nanjing was not the unmitigated fiasco it appeared to be. Tang Shengzhi had this to say in his memoirs“I think the main purpose of defending Nanjing was to buy time, to allow troops that had just been pulled out of battle to rest and regroup. It wasn't simply because it was the capital or the site of Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum.” Tan Daoping, an officer in Nanjing, described the battle “as a moderate success because it drew the Japanese in land”. This of course was a strategy anticipated by interwar military thinker Jiang Baili. It also allowed dozens of Chinese divisions to escape Shanghai, since the Japanese forces that could have pursued them were tied down with the task of taking Nanjing. Tan Daoping wrote after the war “They erred in believing they could wage a quick war and decide victory immediately. Instead, their dream was shattered; parts of their forces were worn out, and they were hindered from achieving a swift end”. Even so, it was a steep price was paid in Chinese lives. As in Shanghai, the commanders in Nanjing thought they could fight on the basis of sheer willpower. Chinese officer Qin Guo Qi wrote in his memoirs “In modern war, you can't just rely on the spirit of the troops. You can't merely rely on physical courage and stamina. The battle of Nanjing explains that better than anything”. As for the Brigade commander of the 87th division, Chen Yiding, who emerged from Nanjing with only a few hundred survivors, was enraged. “During the five days of the battle for Nanjing, my superiors didn't see me even once. They didn't do their duty. They also did not explain the overall deployments in the Nanjing area. What's worse, they didn't give us any order to retreat. And afterwards I didn't hear of any commander being disciplined for failing to do his job.” Now back in November of 1937, Chiang Kai-shek had moved his command to the great trinity of Wuhan. For the Nationalists, Wuhan was a symbolically potent stronghold: three municipalities in one, Hankou, Wuchang, and Hanyang. They had all grown prosperous as gateways between coastal China and the interior. But the autumn disasters of 1937 thrust Wuhan into new prominence, and, a decade after it had ceased to be the temporary capital, it again became the seat of military command and resistance. Leading Nationalist politicians had been seen in the city in the months before the war, fueling suspicions that Wuhan would play a major role in any imminent conflict. By the end of the year, the generals and their staffs, along with most of the foreign embassies, had moved upriver. Yet as 1937 slipped into 1938, the Japanese advance seemed practically unstoppable. From the destruction of Shanghai, to the massacre in Nanjing, to the growing vulnerability of Wuhan, the NRA government appeared powerless against the onslaught.  Now the Japanese government faced several options: expanding the scope of the war to force China into submission, which would risk further depletion of Japan's military and economic resources; establishing an alternative regime in China as a bridge for reconciliation, thereby bypassing the Nationalist government for negotiations; and engaging in indirect or direct peace negotiations with the Nationalist Government, despite the failure of previous attempts, while still seeking new opportunities for negotiation. However, the Nanjing massacre did not compel the Chinese government and its people to submit. On January 2, Chiang Kai-shek wrote in his diary, “The conditions proposed by Japan are equivalent to the conquest and extinction of our country. Rather than submitting and perishing, it is better to perish in defeat,” choosing to refuse negotiations and continue resistance.  In January 1938 there was a new escalation of hostilities. Up to that point, Japan had not officially declared war, even during the Shanghai campaign and the Nanjing massacre. However on January 11, an Imperial Conference was held in Tokyo in the presence of Emperor Hirohito. Prime Minister Konoe outlined a “Fundamental Policy to deal with the China Incident.”The Imperial Conference was attended by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe, Army Chief of Staff Prince Kan'in, Navy Minister Admiral Fushimi, and others to reassess its policy toward China. Citing the Nationalist Government's delay and lack of sincerity, the Japanese leadership decided to terminate Trautmann's mediation. At the conference, Japan articulated a dual strategy: if the Nationalist Government did not seek peace, Japan would no longer regard it as a viable negotiating partner, instead supporting emerging regimes, seeking to resolve issues through incidents, and aiming either to eliminate or incorporate the existing central government; if the Nationalist Government sought reconciliation, it would be required to cease resistance, cooperate with Japan against communism, and pursue economic cooperation, including officially recognizing Manchukuo and allowing Japanese troops in Inner Mongolia, North China, Central China, and co-governance of Shanghai. The Konoe cabinet relayed this proposal to the German ambassador in Japan on December 22, 1937: It called for: diplomatic recognition of Manchukuo; autonomy for Inner Mongolia; cessation of all anti-Japanese and anti-Manchukuo policies; cooperation between Japan, Manchukuo, and China against communism; war reparations; demilitarized zones in North China and Inner Mongolia; and a trade agreement among Japan, Manchukuo, and China.  Its terms were too severe, including reparations payable to Japan and new political arrangements that would formalize the separation of north China under Japanese control. Chiang's government would have seventy-two hours to accept; if they refused, Tokyo would no longer recognize the Nationalist government and would seek to destroy it.  On January 13, 1938, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Chonghui informed Germany that China needed a fuller understanding of the additional conditions for peace talks to make a decision. The January 15 deadline for accepting Japan's terms elapsed without Chinese acceptance. Six days after the deadline for a Chinese government reply, an Imperial Conference “Gozen Kaigi” was convened in Tokyo to consider how to handle Trautmann's mediation. The navy, seeing the war as essentially an army matter, offered no strong position; the army pressed for ending the war through diplomatic means, arguing that they faced a far more formidable Far Eastern Soviet threat at the northern Manchukuo border and wished to avoid protracted attrition warfare. Foreign Minister Kōki Hirota, however, strongly disagreed with the army, insisting there was no viable path to Trautmann's mediation given the vast gap between Chinese and Japanese positions. A second conference followed on January 15, 1938, attended by the empire's principal cabinet members and military leaders, but without the emperor's presence. The debate grew heated over whether to continue Trautmann's mediation. Hayao Tada, Deputy Chief of Army General Staff, argued for continuation, while Konoe, Hirota, Navy Minister Mitsumasa Yonai, and War Minister Hajime Sugiyama opposed him. Ultimately, Tada acceded to the position of Konoe and Hirota. On the same day, Konoe conveyed the cabinet's conclusion, termination of Trautmann's mediation, to the emperor. The Japanese government then issued a statement on January 16 declaring that it would no longer treat the Nationalist Government as a bargaining partner, signaling the establishment of a new Chinese regime that would cooperate with Japan and a realignment of bilateral relations. This became known as the first Konoe statement, through which Tokyo formally ended Trautmann's mediation attempt. The Chinese government was still weighing its response when, at noon on January 16, Konoe publicly declared, “Hereafter, the Imperial Government will not deal with the National Government.” In Japanese, this became the infamous aite ni sezu (“absolutely no dealing”). Over the following days, the Japanese government made it clear that this was a formal breach of relations, “stronger even than a declaration of war,” in the words of Foreign Minister Hirota Kōki. The Chinese ambassador to Japan, who had been in Tokyo for six months since hostilities began, was finally recalled. At the end of January, Chiang summoned a military conference and declared that the top strategic priority would be to defend the east-central Chinese city of Xuzhou, about 500 kilometers north of Wuhan. This decision, like the mobilization near Lugouqiao, was heavily influenced by the railway: Xuzhou sat at the midpoint of the Tianjin–Pukou Jinpu line, and its seizure would grant the Japanese mastery over north–south travel in central China. The Jinpu line also crossed the Longhai line, China's main cross-country artery from Lanzhou to the port of Lianyungang, north of Shanghai. The Japanese military command marked the Jinpu line as a target in spring 1938. Control over Xuzhou and the rail lines threading through it were thus seen as vital to the defense of Wuhan, which lay to the city's south. Chiang's defense strategy fit into a larger plan evolving since the 1920s, when the military thinker Jiang Baili had first proposed a long war against Japan; Jiang's foresight earned him a position as an adviser to Chiang in 1938. Jiang had previously run the Baoding military academy, a predecessor of the Whampoa academy, which had trained many of China's finest young officers in the early republic 1912–1922. Now, many of the generals who had trained under Jiang gathered in Wuhan and would play crucial roles in defending the city: Chen Cheng, Bai Chongxi, Tang Shengzhi, and Xue Yue. They remained loyal to Chiang but sought to avoid his tendency to micromanage every aspect of strategy.  Nobody could say with certainty whether Wuhan would endure the Japanese onslaught, and outsiders' predictions were gloomy. As Wuhan's inhabitants tasted their unexpected new freedoms, the Japanese pressed on with their conquest of central China. After taking Nanjing, the IJA 13th Division crossed the Yangtze River to the north and advanced to the Outang and Mingguang lines on the east bank of the Chihe River in Anhui Province, while the 2nd Army of the North China Front crossed the Yellow River to the south between Qingcheng and Jiyang in Shandong, occupied Jinan, and pressed toward Jining, Mengyin, and Qingdao. To open the Jinpu Railway and connect the northern and southern battlefields, the Japanese headquarters mobilized eight divisions, three brigades, and two detachments , totaling about 240,000 men. They were commanded by General Hata Shunroku, commander of the Central China Expeditionary Army, and Terauchi Hisaichi, commander of the North China Front Army. Their plan was a north–south advance: first seize Xuzhou, a strategic city in east China; then take Zhengzhou in the west along the Longhai Railway connecting Lanzhou and Lianyungang; and finally push toward Wuhan in the south along the Pinghan Railway connecting Beijing and Hankou. At the beginning of 1938, Japan's domestic mobilization and military reorganization had not yet been completed, and there was a shortage of troops to expand the front. At the Emperor's Imperial Conference on February 16, 1938, the General Staff Headquarters argued against launching operations before the summer of 1938, preferring to consolidate the front in 1938 and undertake a large-scale battle in 1939. Although the Northern China Expeditionary Force and the Central China Expeditionary Force proposed a plan to open the Jinpu Line to connect the northern and southern battlefields, the proposal was not approved by the domestic General Staff Headquarters. The Chinese army, commanded by Li Zongren, commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone, mobilized about 64 divisions and three brigades, totaling roughly 600,000 men. The main force was positioned north of Xuzhou to resist the southern Japanese advance, with a portion deployed along the southern Jinpu Railway to block the southern push and secure Xuzhou. Early in the campaign, Chiang Kai-shek redeployed the heavy artillery brigade originally promised to Han Fuju to Tang Enbo's forces. To preserve his strength, Shandong Provincial Governor Han Fuju abandoned the longstanding Yellow River defenses in Shandong, allowing the Japanese to capture the Shandong capital of Jinan in early March 1938. This defection opened the Jinpu Railway to attack. The Japanese 10th Division, under Rensuke Isogai, seized Tai'an, Jining, and Dawenkou, ultimately placing northern Shandong under Japanese control. The aim was to crush the Chinese between the two halves of a pincer movement. At Yixian and Huaiyuan, north of Xuzhou, both sides fought to the death: the Chinese could not drive back the Japanese, but the Japanese could not scatter the defenders either. At Linyi, about 50 kilometers northeast of Xuzhou, Zhang Zizhong, who had previously disgraced himself by abandoning an earlier battlefield—became a national hero for his determined efforts to stop the Japanese troops led by Itagaki Seishirō, the conqueror of Manchuria. The Japanese hoped that they could pour in as many as 400,000 troops to destroy the Chinese forces holding eastern and central China. Chiang Kai-shek was determined that this should not happen, recognizing that the fall of Xuzhou would place Wuhan in extreme danger. On April 1, 1938, he addressed Nationalist Party delegates, linking the defense of Wuhan to the fate of the party itself. He noted that although the Japanese had invaded seven provinces, they had only captured provincial capitals and main transport routes, while villages and towns off those routes remained unconquered. The Japanese, he argued, might muster more than half a million soldiers, but after eight or nine months of hard fighting they had become bogged down. Chiang asserted that as long as Guangzhou (Canton) remained in Chinese hands, it would be of little significance if the Japanese invaded Wuhan, since Guangzhou would keep China's sea links open and Guangdong, Sun Yat-sen's homeland, would serve as a revolutionary base area. If the “woren” Japanese “dwarfs” attacked Wuhan and Guangzhou, it would cost them dearly and threaten their control over the occupied zones. He reiterated his plan: “the base area for our war will not be in the zones east of the Beiping–Wuhan or Wuhan–Guangdong railway lines, but to their west.” For this reason he authorized withdrawing Chinese troops behind the railway lines. Chiang's speech mixed defiance with an explanation of why regrouping was necessary; it was a bold public posture in the face of a developing military disaster, yet it reflected the impossible balance he faced between signaling resolve and avoiding overcommitment of a city that might still fall. Holding Xuzhou as the first priority required Chiang Kai-shek to place a great deal of trust in one of his rivals: the southwestern general Li Zongren. The relationship between Chiang and Li would become one of the most ambivalent in wartime China. Li hailed from Guangxi, a province in southwestern China long regarded by the eastern heartland as half civilized. Its people had rarely felt fully part of the empire ruled from Beijing or even Nanjing, and early in the republic there was a strong push for regional autonomy. Li was part of a cohort of young officers trained in regional academies who sought to bring Guangxi under national control; he joined the Nationalist Party in 1923, the year Sun Yat-sen announced his alliance with the Soviets. Li was not a Baoding Academy graduate but had trained at Yunnan's equivalent institution, which shared similar views on military professionalism. He enthusiastically took part in the Northern Expedition (1926–1928) and played a crucial role in the National Revolutionary Army's ascent to control over much of north China. Yet after the Nanjing government took power, Li grew wary of Chiang's bid to centralize authority in his own person. In 1930 Li's so‑called “Guangxi clique” participated in the Central Plains War, the failed effort by militarist leaders to topple Chiang; although the plot failed, Li retreated to his southwest base, ready to challenge Chiang again. The occupation of Manchuria in 1931 reinforced Li's belief that a Japanese threat posed a greater danger than Chiang's centralization. The tension between the two men was evident from the outset of the war. On October 10, 1937, Chiang appointed Li commander of the Fifth War Zone; Li agreed on the condition that Chiang refrain from issuing shouling—personal commands—to Li's subordinates. Chiang complied, a sign of the value he placed on Li's leadership and the caution with which he treated Li and his Guangxi ally Bai Chongxi. As Chiang sought any possible victory amid retreat and destruction, he needed Li to deliver results. As part of the public-relations front, journalists were given access to commanders on the Xuzhou front. Li and his circle sought to shape their image as capable leaders to visiting reporters, with Du Zhongyuan among the most active observers. Du praised the “formidable southwestern general, Li Zongren,” calling him “elegant and refined” and “vastly magnanimous.” In language echoing the era's soldiers' public presentation, Du suggested that Li's forces operated under strict, even disciplined, orders “The most important point in the people's war is that . . . troops do not harass the people of the country. If the people are the water, the soldiers are the fish, and if you have fish with no water, inevitably they're going to choke; worse still is to use our water to nurture the enemy's fish — that really is incomparably stupid”.  Within the southern front, on January 26, 1938, the Japanese 13th Division attacked Fengyang and Bengbu in Anhui Province, while Li Pinxian, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the 5th War Zone, directed operations south of Xuzhou. The defending 31st Corps of the 11th Group Army, after resisting on the west bank of the Chi River, retreated to the west of Dingyuan and Fengyang. By February 3, the Japanese had captured Linhuai Pass and Bengbu. From the 9th to the 10th, the main force of the 13th Division forced a crossing of the Huai River at Bengbu and Linhuai Pass respectively, and began an offensive against the north bank. The 51st Corps, reorganized from the Central Plains Northeast Army and led by Commander Yu Xuezhong, engaged in fierce combat with the Japanese. Positions on both sides of the Huai shifted repeatedly, producing a riverine bloodbath through intense hand-to-hand fighting. After ten days of engagement, the Fifth War Zone, under Zhang Zizhong, commander of the 59th Army, rushed to the Guzhen area to reinforce the 51st Army, and the two forces stubbornly resisted the Japanese on the north bank of the Huai River. Meanwhile, on the south bank, the 48th Army of the 21st Group Army held the Luqiao area, while the 7th Army, in coordination with the 31st Army, executed a flanking attack on the flanks and rear of the Japanese forces in Dingyuan, compelling the main body of the 13th Division to redeploy to the north bank for support. Seizing the initiative, the 59th and 51st Armies launched a counteroffensive, reclaiming all positions north of the Huai River by early March. The 31st Army then moved from the south bank to the north, and the two sides faced across the river. Subsequently, the 51st and 59th Armies were ordered to reinforce the northern front, while the 31st Army continued to hold the Huai River to ensure that all Chinese forces covering the Battle of Xuzhou were safely withdrawn. Within the northern front, in late February, the Japanese Second Army began its southward push along multiple routes. The eastern axis saw the 5th Division moving south from Weixian present-day Weifang, in Shandong, capturing Yishui, Juxian, and Rizhao before pressing directly toward Linyi, as units of the Nationalist Third Corps' 40th Army and others mounted strenuous resistance. The 59th Army was ordered to reinforce and arrived on March 12 at the west bank of the Yi River in the northern suburbs of Linyi, joining the 40th Army in a counterattack that, after five days and nights of ferocious fighting, inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese and forced them to retreat toward Juxian. On the western route, the Seya Detachment (roughly a brigade) of the Japanese 10th Division crossed the Grand Canal from Jining and attacked Jiaxiang, meeting stiff resistance from the Third Army and being thwarted, while continuing to advance south along the Jinpu Railway. The Isogai Division, advancing on the northern route without awaiting help from the southeast and east, moved southward from Liangxiadian, south of Zouxian, on March 14, with the plan to strike Tengxian, present-day Tengzhou on March 15 and push south toward Xuzhou. The defending 22nd Army and the 41st Corps fought bravely and suffered heavy casualties in a hard battle that lasted until March 17, during which Wang Mingzhang, commander of the 122nd Division defending Teng County, was killed in action. Meanwhile, a separate Japanese thrust under Itagaki Seishirō landed on the Jiaodong Peninsula and occupied Qingdao, advancing along the Jiaoji Line to strike Linyi, a key military town in southern Shandong. Pang Bingxun's 40th Army engaged the invaders in fierce combat, and later, elements of Zhang Zizhong's 333rd Brigade of the 111th Division, reinforced by the 57th Army, joined Pang Bingxun's forces to launch a double-sided pincer that temporarily repelled the Japanese attack on Linyi. By late March 1938 a frightening reality loomed: the Japanese were close to prevailing on the Xuzhou front. The North China Area Army, commanded by Itagaki Seishirō, Nishio Toshizō, and Isogai Rensuke, was poised to link up with the Central China Expeditionary Force under Hata Shunroku in a united drive toward central China. Li Zongren, together with his senior lieutenants Bai Chongxi and Tang Enbo, decided to confront the invaders at Taierzhuang, the traditional stone-walled city that would become a focal point of their defense. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Nanjing falls after one of humanities worst atrocities. Chiang Kai-Shek's war command has been pushed to Wuhan, but the Japanese are not stopping their advance. Trautmann's mediation is over and now Japan has its sights on Xuzhou and its critical railway junctions. Japan does not realize it yet, but she is now entering a long war of attrition.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Last time we spoke about the continuation of the war after Nanjing's fall. The fall of Nanjing in December 1937 marked a pivotal juncture in the Second Sino-Japanese War, ushering in a brutal phase of attrition that shaped both strategy and diplomacy in early 1938. As Japanese forces sought to restructure China's political order, their strategy extended beyond battlefield victories to the establishment of puppet arrangements and coercive diplomacy. Soviet aid provided critical support, while German and broader Axis diplomacy wavered, shaping a nuanced backdrop for China's options. In response, Chinese command decisions focused on defending crucial rail corridors and urban strongholds, with Wuhan emerging as a strategic hub and the Jinpu and Longhai railways becoming lifelines of resistance. The defense around Xuzhou and the Huai River system illustrated Chinese determination to prolong resistance despite daunting odds. By early 1938, the war appeared as a drawn-out struggle, with China conserving core bases even as Japan pressed toward central China.   #170 The Battle of Taierzhuang Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Following their victory at Nanjing, the Japanese North China Area Army sought to push southward and link up with the Japanese Eleventh Army between Beijing and Nanjing. The two formations were intended to advance along the northern and southern ends of the JinPu railway, meet at Xuzhou, and then coordinate a pincer movement into Chinese strongholds in the Central Yangtze region, capturing Jiujiang first and then Wuhan. Recognizing Xuzhou's strategic importance, Chinese leadership made its defense a top priority. Xuzhou stood at the midpoint of the JinPu line and at the intersection with the Longhai Line, China's main east–west corridor from Lanzhou to Lianyungang. If seized, Japanese control of these routes would grant mobility for north–south movement across central China. At the end of January, Chiang Kai-shek convened a military conference in Wuchang and declared the defense of Xuzhou the highest strategic objective. Chinese preparations expanded from an initial core of 80,000 troops to about 300,000, deployed along the JinPu and Longhai lines to draw in and overstretch Japanese offensives. A frightening reality loomed by late March 1938: the Japanese were nearing victory on the Xuzhou front. The North China Area Army, led by Generals Itagaki Seishirô, Nishio Toshizô, and Isogai Rensuke, aimed to link up with the Central China Expeditionary Force under General Hata Shunroku for a coordinated drive into central China. Li Zongren and his senior colleagues, including Generals Bai Chongxi and Tang Enbo, resolved to meet the Japanese at the traditional stone-walled city of Taierzhuang. Taierzhuang was not large, but it held strategic significance. It sat along the Grand Canal, China's major north–south waterway, and on a rail line that connected the Jinpu and Longhai lines, thus bypassing Xuzhou. Chiang Kai-shek himself visited Xuzhou on March 24. While Xuzhou remained in Chinese hands, the Japanese forces to the north and south were still separated. Losing Xuzhou would close the pincer. By late March, Chinese troops seemed to be gaining ground at Taierzhuang, but the Japanese began reinforcing, pulling soldiers from General Isogai Rensuke's column. The defending commanders grew uncertain about their ability to hold the position, yet Chiang Kai-shek made his stance clear in an April 1, 1938 telegram: “the enemy at Taierzhuang must be destroyed.” Chiang Kai-shek dispatched his Vice Chief of Staff, Bai Chongxi, to Xuzhou in January 1938. Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi were old comrades from the New Guangxi Clique, and their collaboration dated back to the Northern Expedition, including the Battle of Longtan. Li also received the 21st Group Army from the 3rd War Area. This Guangxi unit, commanded by Liao Lei, comprised the 7th and 47th Armies. Around the same time, Sun Zhen's 22nd Group Army, another Sichuan clique unit, arrived in the Shanxi-Henan region, but was rebuffed by both Yan Xishan, then commander of the 2nd War Area and Shanxi's chairman and Cheng Qian, commander of the 1st War Area and Henan's chairman. Yan and Cheng harbored strong reservations about Sichuan units due to discipline issues, notably their rampant opium consumption. Under Sun Zhen's leadership, the 22nd Group Army deployed four of its six divisions to aid the Northern China effort. Organized under the 41st and 45th Armies, the contingent began a foot march toward Taiyuan on September 1, covering more than 50 days and approximately 1,400 kilometers. Upon reaching Shanxi, they faced a harsh, icy winter and had no winter uniforms or even a single map of the province. They nevertheless engaged the Japanese for ten days at Yangquan, suffering heavy casualties. Strapped for supplies, they broke into a Shanxi clique supply depot, which enraged Yan Xishan and led to their expulsion from the province. The 22nd withdrew westward into the 1st War Area, only to have its request for resupply rejected by Cheng Qian. Meanwhile to the south Colonel Rippei Ogisu led Japanese 13th Division to push westward from Nanjing in two columns during early February: the northern column targeted Mingguang, while the southern column aimed for Chuxian. Both routes were checked by Wei Yunsong's 31st Army, which had been assigned to defend the southern stretch of the Jinpu railway under Li Zongren. Despite facing a clearly inferior force, the Japanese could not gain ground after more than a month of sustained attacks. In response, Japan deployed armored and artillery reinforcements from Nanjing. The Chinese withdrew to the southwestern outskirts of Dingyuan to avoid a direct clash with their reinforced adversaries. By this point, Yu Xuezhong's 51st Army had taken up a defensive position on the northern banks of the Huai River, establishing a line between Bengbu and Huaiyuan. The Japanese then captured Mingguang, Dingyuan, and Bengbu in succession and pressed toward Huaiyuan. However, their supply lines were intercepted by the Chinese 31st Corps, which conducted flanking attacks from the southwest. The situation worsened when the Chinese 7th Army, commanded by Liao Lei, arrived at Hefei to reinforce the 31st Army. Facing three Chinese corps simultaneously, the Japanese were effectively boxed south of the Huai River and, despite air superiority and a superior overall firepower, could not advance further. As a result, the Chinese thwarted the Japanese plan to move the 13th Division north along the Jinpu railway and link up with the Isogai 10th Division to execute a pincer against Xuzhou. Meanwhile in the north, after amphibious landings at Qingdao, the Japanese 5th Division, commanded by Seishiro Itagaki, advanced southwest along the Taiwei Highway, spearheaded by its 21st Infantry Brigade. They faced Pang Bingxun's 3rd Group Army. Although labeled a Group Army, Pang's force actually comprised only the 40th Army, which itself consisted of the 39th Division from the Northwestern Army, commanded by Ma-Fawu. The 39th Division's five regiments delayed the Japanese advance toward Linyi for over a month. The Japanese captured Ju County on 22 February and moved toward Linyi by 2 March. The 59th Army, commanded by Zhang Zizhong, led its troops on a forced march day and night toward Linyi. Seizing the opportunity, the 59th Army did not rest after reaching Yishui. In the early morning of the 14th, Zhang Zizhong ordered the entire army to covertly cross the Yishui River and attack the right flank of the Japanese “Iron Army” 5th Division. They broke through enemy defenses at Tingzitou, Dataiping, Shenjia Taiping, Xujia Taiping, and Shalingzi. Initially caught off guard, the enemy sustained heavy losses, and over a night more than a thousand Japanese soldiers were annihilated. The 59th Army fought fiercely, engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat. By 4:00 a.m. on the 17th, the 59th Army had secured all of the Japanese main positions. That same day, Pang Bingxun seized the moment to lead his troops in a fierce flank attack, effectively supporting the 59th Army's frontal assault. On the 18th, Zhang and Pang's forces attacked the Japanese from the east, south, and west. After three days and nights of bloody fighting, they finally defeated the 3rd Battalion of the 11th Regiment, which had crossed the river, and annihilated most of it. The 59th Army completed its counterattack but suffered over 6,000 casualties, with more than 2,000 Japanese killed or wounded. News of the Linyi victory prompted commendations from Chiang Kai-shek and Li Zongren. General Li Zongren, commander of the 5th War Zone, judged that the Japanese were temporarily unable to mount a large-scale offensive and that Linyi could be held for the time being. On March 20, he ordered the 59th Army westward to block the Japanese Seya Detachment. On March 21, the Japanese Sakamoto Detachment, after a brief reorganization and learning of the Linyi detachment, launched another offensive. The 3rd Corps, understrength and without reinforcements, was compelled to retreat steadily before the Japanese. General Pang Bingxun, commander of the 3rd Corps, urgently telegraphed Chiang Kai-shek, requesting reinforcements. Chiang Kai-shek received the telegram and, at approximately 9:00 AM on the 23rd, ordered the 59th Army to return to Linyi to join with the 3rd Corps in repelling the Sakamoto Detachment. Fierce fighting ensued with heavy Chinese losses, and the situation in Linyi again grew precarious. At a critical moment, the 333rd Brigade of the 111th Division and the Cavalry Regiment of the 13th Army were rushed to reinforce Linyi. Facing attacks from two directions, the Japanese withdrew, losing almost two battalions in the process. This engagement shattered the myth of Japanese invincibility and embarrassed commander Seishirō Itagaki, even startling IJA headquarters. Although the 5th Division later regrouped and attempted another push, it had lost the element of surprise. The defeat at Linyi at the hands of comparatively poorly equipped Chinese regional units set the stage for the eventual battle at Tai'erzhuang. Of the three Japanese divisions advancing into the Chinese 5th War Area, the 10th Division, commanded by Rensuke Isogai, achieved the greatest initial success. Departing from Hebei, it crossed the Yellow River and moved south along the Jinpu railway. With KMT General Han Fuju ordering his forces to desert their posts, the Japanese captured Zhoucun and reached Jinan with little resistance. They then pushed south along two columns from Tai'an. The eastern column captured Mengyin before driving west to seize Sishui; the western column moved southwest along the Jinpu railway, capturing Yanzhou, Zouxian, and Jining, before turning northwest to take Wenshang. Chiang Kai-shek subsequently ordered Li Zongren to employ “offensive defense”, seizing the initiative to strike rather than merely defend. Li deployed Sun Zhen's 22nd Group Army to attack Zouxian from the south, while Pang Bingxun's 40th Division advanced north along the 22nd's left flank to strike Mengyin and Sishui. Sun Tongxuan's 3rd Group Army also advanced from the south, delivering a two-pronged assault on the Japanese at Jining. Fierce fighting from 12 to 25 February, particularly by the 12th Corps, helped mitigate the reputational damage previously inflicted on Shandong units by Han Fuju. In response to Chinese counterattacks, the Japanese revised their strategy: they canceled their original plan to push directly westward from Nanjing toward Wuhan, freeing more troops for the push toward Xuzhou. On March 15, the Japanese 10th Division struck the Chinese 122nd Division, focusing the action around Tengxian and Lincheng. Chinese reinforcements from the 85th Corps arrived the following day but were driven back on March 17. With air support, tanks, and heavy artillery, the Japanese breached the Chinese lines on March 18. The remaining Chinese forces, bolstered by the 52nd Corps, withdrew to the town of Yixian. The Japanese attacked Yixian and overran an entire Chinese regiment in a brutal 24-hour engagement. By March 19, the Japanese began advancing on the walled town of Taierzhuang. To counter the Japanese advance, the Chinese 2nd Army Group under General Sun Lianzhong was deployed to Taierzhuang. The 31st Division, commanded by General Chi Fengcheng, reached Taierzhuang on March 22 and was ordered to delay the Japanese advance until the remainder of the Army Group could arrive. On March 23, the 31st Division sallied from Taierzhuang toward Yixian, where they were engaged by two Japanese battalions reinforced with three tanks and four armored cars. The Chinese troops occupied a series of hills and managed to defend against a Japanese regiment (~3,000 men) for the rest of the day. On March 24, a Japanese force of about 5,000 attacked the 31st Division. Another Japanese unit pressed the Chinese from Yixian, forcing them to withdraw back into Taierzhuang itself. The Japanese then assaulted the town, with a 300-strong contingent breaching the northeast gate at 20:00. They were subsequently driven back toward the Chenghuang temple, which the Chinese set on fire, annihilating the Japanese force. The next day, the Japanese renewed the assault through the breached gate and secured the eastern portion of the district, while also breaking through the northwest corner from the outside and capturing the Wenchang Pavilion. On March 25, a morning Japanese onslaught was repelled. The Japanese then shelled Chinese positions with artillery and air strikes. In the afternoon, the Chinese deployed an armored train toward Yixian, which ambushed a column of Japanese soldiers near a hamlet, killing or wounding several dozen before retreating back to Taierzhuang. By nightfall, three thousand Chinese troops launched a night assault, pushing the Japanese lines northeast to dawn. The following three days subjected the Chinese defenders to sustained aerial and artillery bombardment. The Chinese managed to repulse several successive Japanese assaults but sustained thousands of casualties in the process. On March 28, Chinese artillery support arrived, including two 155 mm and ten 75 mm pieces. On the night of March 29, the Japanese finally breached the wall. Setting out from the district's southern outskirts, a Chinese assault squad stormed the Wenchang Pavilion from the south and east, killing nearly the entire Japanese garrison aside from four taken as prisoners of war. The Chinese then retook the northwest corner of the district. Even by the brutal standards already established in the war, the fighting at Taierzhuang was fierce, with combatants facing one another at close quarters. Sheng Cheng's notes preserve the battlefield memories of Chi Fengcheng, one of the campaign's standout officers “We had a battle for the little lanes [of the town], and unprecedentedly, not just streets and lanes, but even courtyards and houses. Neither side was willing to budge. Sometimes we'd capture a house, and dig a hole in the wall to approach the enemy. Sometimes the enemy would be digging a hole in the same wall at the same time. Sometimes we faced each other with hand grenades — or we might even bite each other. Or when we could hear that the enemy was in the house, then we'd climb the roof and drop bombs inside — and kill them all.” The battle raged for a week. On April 1, General Chi requested volunteers for a near-suicide mission to seize a building: among fifty-seven selected, only ten survived. A single soldier claimed to have fired on a Japanese bomber and succeeded in bringing it down; he and his comrades then set the aircraft ablaze before another plane could arrive to rescue the pilot. One participant described the brutal conditions of the battle “"The battle continued day and night. The flames lit up the sky. Often all that separated our forces was a single wall. The soldiers would beat holes in the masonry to snipe at each other. We would be fighting for days over a single building, causing dozens of fatalities." The conditions were so brutal that Chinese officers imposed severe measures to maintain discipline. Junior officers were repeatedly forbidden to retreat and were often ordered to personally replace casualties within their ranks. Li Zongren even warned Tang Enbo that failure to fulfill his duties would lead him to be “treated as Han Fuju had been.” In Taierzhuang's cramped streets, Japan's artillery and air superiority offered little advantage; whenever either service was employed amid the dense melee, casualties were roughly even on both sides. The fighting devolved into close-quarters combat carried out primarily by infantry, with rifles, pistols, hand grenades, bayonets, and knives forming the core of each side's arsenal. The battle unfolded largely hand-to-hand, frequently in darkness. The stone buildings of Taierzhuang provided substantial cover from fire and shrapnel. It was precisely under these close-quarters conditions that Chinese soldiers could stand as equals, if not superior, to their Japanese opponents, mirroring, in some respects, the experiences seen in Luodian, Shanghai, the year before. On March 31, General Sun Lianzhong arrived to assume command of the 2nd Army Group. A Japanese assault later that day was repulsed, but a Chinese counterattack also stalled. At 04:00 on April 1, the Japanese attacked the Chinese lines with support from 11 tanks. The Chinese defenders, armed with German-made 37mm Pak-36 antitank guns, destroyed eight of the armored vehicles at point-blank range. Similar incidents recurred throughout the battle, with numerous Japanese tanks knocked out by Chinese artillery and by suicide squads. In one engagement, Chinese suicide bombers annihilated four Japanese tanks with bundles of grenades. On April 2 and 3, Chi urged the Chinese defenders around Taierzhuang's north station to assess the evolving situation. The troops reported distress, crying and sneezing, caused by tear gas deployed by the Japanese against Chinese positions at Taierzhuang's north station, but the defenders remained unmoved. They then launched a massive armored assault outside the city walls, with 30 tanks and 60 armored cars, yet managed only to drive the Chinese 27th Division back to the Grand Canal. The fighting continued to rage on April 4 and 5. By then, the Japanese had captured roughly two-thirds of Taierzhuang, though the Chinese still held the South Gate. It was through this entry point that the Chinese command managed to keep their troops supplied. The Chinese also thwarted Japanese efforts to replenish their dwindling stocks of arms and ammunition. In consequence, the Japanese attackers were worn down progressively. Although the Japanese possessed superior firepower, including cannon and heavy artillery, the cramped conditions within Taierzhuang nullified this advantage for the moment. The Chinese command succeeded in keeping their own supplies flowing, a recurring weakness in other engagements and also prevented the Japanese from replenishing their dwindling stock of arms and bullets. Gradually, the Japanese maneuvered into a state of attrition. The deadlock of the battle was broken by events unfolding outside Taierzhuang, where fresh Chinese divisions had encircled the Japanese forces in Taierzhuang from the flanks and rear. After consulting their German advisors earlier, the commanders of the 5th War Area prepared a double envelopment of the exposed Japanese forces in Taierzhuang. Between March and April 1938, the Nationalist Air Force deployed squadrons from the 3rd and 4th Pursuit Groups, fighter-attack aircraft, in long-distance air interdiction and close-air support of the Taierzhuang operations. Approximately 30 aircraft, mostly Soviet-made, were deployed in bombing raids against Japanese positions. On 26 March, Tang Enbo's 20th Army, equipped with artillery units, attacked Japanese forces at Yixian, inflicting heavy casualties and routing the survivors. Tang then swung south to strike the Japanese flank northeast of Taierzhuang. Simultaneously, the Chinese 55th Corps, comprised of two divisions, executed a surprise crossing of the Grand Canal and cut the railway line near Lincheng. As a result, Tang isolated the Japanese attackers from their rear and severed their supply lines. On 1 April, the Japanese 5th Division sent a brigade to relieve the encircled 10th Division. Tang countered by blocking the brigade's advance and then attacking from the rear, driving them south into the encirclement. On 3 April, the Chinese 2nd Group Army launched a counter-offensive, with the 30th and 110th Divisions pushing northward into Beiluo and Nigou, respectively. By 6 April, the Chinese 85th and 52nd Armies linked up at Taodun, just west of Lanling. The combined force then advanced north-westward, capturing Ganlugou. Two more Chinese divisions arrived a few days later. By April 5, Taierzhuang's Japanese units were fully surrounded, with seven Chinese divisions to the north and four to the south closing in. The Japanese divisions inside Taierzhuang had exhausted their supplies, running critically low on ammunition, fuel, and food, while many troops endured fatigue and dehydration after more than a week of brutal fighting. Sensing imminent victory, the Chinese forces surged with renewed fury and attacked the encircled Japanese, executing wounded soldiers where they lay with rifle and pistol shots. Chinese troops also deployed Soviet tanks against the defenders. Japanese artillery could not reply effectively due to a shortage of shells, and their tanks were immobilized by a lack of fuel. Attempts to drop supplies by air failed, with most packages falling into Chinese hands. Over time, Japanese infantry were progressively reduced to firing only their machine guns and mortars, then their rifles and machine guns, and ultimately resorted to bayonet charges. With the success of the Chinese counter-attacks, the Japanese line finally collapsed on April 7. The 10th and 5th Divisions, drained of personnel and ammunition, were forced to retreat. By this point, around 2,000 Japanese soldiers managed to break out of Taierzhuang, leaving thousands of their comrades dead behind. Some of the escapees reportedly committed hara-kiri. Chinese casualties were roughly comparable, marking a significant improvement over the heavier losses suffered in Shanghai and Nanjing. The Japanese had lost the battle for numerous reasons. Japanese efforts were hampered by the "offensive-defensive" operations carried out by various Chinese regional units, effectively preventing the three Japanese divisions from ever linking up with each other. Despite repeated use of heavy artillery, air strikes, and gas, the Japanese could not expel the Chinese 2nd Group Army from Taierzhuang and its surrounding areas, even as the defenders risked total annihilation. The Japanese also failed to block the Chinese 20th Group Army's maneuver around their rear positions, which severed retreat routes and enabled a Chinese counter-encirclement. After Han Fuju's insubordination and subsequent execution, the Chinese high command tightened discipline at the top, transmitting a stringent order flow down to the ranks. This atmosphere of strict discipline inspired even junior soldiers to risk their lives in executing orders. A “dare-to-die corps” was effectively employed against Japanese units. They used swords and wore suicide vests fashioned from grenades. Due to a lack of anti-armor weaponry, suicide bombing was also employed against the Japanese. Chinese troops, as part of the “dare-to-die” corps, strapped explosives such as grenade packs or dynamite to their bodies and charged at Japanese tanks to blow them up.  The Chinese later asserted that about 20,000 Japanese had perished, though the actual toll was likely closer to 8,000. The Japanese also sustained heavy material losses. Because of fuel shortages and their rapid retreat, many tanks, trucks, and artillery pieces were abandoned on the battlefield and subsequently captured by Chinese forces. Frank Dorn recorded losses of 40 tanks, over 70 armored cars, and 100 trucks of various sizes. In addition to vehicles, the Japanese lost dozens of artillery pieces and thousands of machine guns and rifles. Many of these weapons were collected by the Chinese for future use. The Chinese side also endured severe casualties, possibly up to 30,000, with Taierzhuang itself nearly razed. Yet for once, the Chinese achieved a decisive victory, sparking an outburst of joy across unoccupied China. Du Zhongyuan wrote of “the glorious killing of the enemy,” and even Katharine Hand, though isolated in Japanese-controlled Shandong, heard the news. The victory delivered a much-needed morale boost to both the army and the broader population. Sheng Cheng recorded evening conversations with soldiers from General Chi Fengcheng's division, who shared light-hearted banter with their senior officer. At one moment, the men recalled Chi as having given them “the secret of war. when you get food, eat it; when you can sleep, take it.” Such familiar, brisk maxims carried extra resonance now that the Nationalist forces had demonstrated their willingness and ability to stand their ground rather than retreat. The victors may have celebrated a glorious victory, but they did not forget that their enemies were human. Chi recalled a scene he encountered: he had picked up a Japanese officer's helmet, its left side scorched by gunpowder, with a trace of blood, the mark of a fatal wound taken from behind. Elsewhere in Taierzhuang, relics of the fallen were found: images of the Buddha, wooden fish, and flags bearing slogans. A makeshift crematorium in the north station had been interrupted mid-process: “Not all the bones had been completely burned.” After the battle, Li Zongren asked Sheng if he had found souvenirs on the battlefield. Sheng replied that he had discovered love letters on the corpses of Japanese soldiers, as well as a photograph of a girl, perhaps a hometown sweetheart labeled “19 years old, February 1938.” These details stood in stark contrast to news coverage that depicted the Japanese solely as demons, devils, and “dwarf bandits.” The foreign community noted the new, optimistic turn of events and the way it seemed to revive the resistance effort. US ambassador Nelson Johnson wrote to Secretary of State Cordell Hull from Wuhan just days after Taierzhuang, passing on reports from American military observers: one had spent time in Shanxi and been impressed by Communist success in mobilizing guerrilla fighters against the Japanese; another had spent three days observing the fighting at Taierzhuang and confirmed that “Chinese troops in the field there won a well-deserved victory over Japanese troops, administering the first defeat that Japanese troops have suffered in the field in modern times.” This reinforced Johnson's view that Japan would need to apply far more force than it had anticipated to pacify China. He noted that the mood in unoccupied China had likewise shifted. “Conditions here at Hankow have changed from an atmosphere of pessimism to one of dogged optimism. The Government is more united under Chiang and there is a feeling that the future is not entirely hopeless due to the recent failure of Japanese arms at Hsuchow [Xuzhou] . . . I find no evidence for a desire for a peace by compromise among  Chinese, and doubt whether the Government could persuade its army or its people to accept such a peace. The spirit of resistance is slowly spreading among the people who are awakening to a feeling that this is their war. Japanese air raids in the interior and atrocities by Japanese soldiers upon civilian populations are responsible for this stiffening of the people.”. The British had long been wary of Chiang Kai-shek, but Sir Archibald Clark Kerr, the British ambassador in China, wrote to the new British foreign secretary, Lord Halifax, on April 29, 1938, shortly after the Taierzhuang victory, and offered grudging credit to China's leader “[Chiang] has now become the symbol of Chinese unity, which he himself has so far failed to achieve, but which the Japanese are well on the way to achieving for him . . . The days when Chinese people did not care who governed them seem to have gone . . . my visit to Central China from out of the gloom and depression of Shanghai has left me stimulated and more than disposed to believe that provided the financial end can be kept up Chinese resistance may be so prolonged and effective that in the end the Japanese effort may be frustrated . . . Chiang Kai-shek is obstinate and difficult to deal with . . . Nonetheless [the Nationalists] are making in their muddlIn the exhilaration of a rare victory”. Chiang pressured Tang and Li to build on their success, increasing the area's troop strength to about 450,000. Yet the Chinese Army remained plagued by deeper structural issues. The parochialism that had repeatedly hampered Chiang's forces over the past six months resurfaced. Although the various generals had agreed to unite in a broader war of resistance, each prioritized the safety of his own troops, wary of any move by Chiang to centralize power. For example, Li Zongren refrained from utilizing his top Guangxi forces at Taierzhuang, attempting to shift the bulk of the fighting onto Tang Enbo's units. The generals were aware of the fates of two colleagues: Han Fuju of Shandong was executed for his refusal to fight, while Zhang Xueliang of Manchuria had allowed Chiang to reduce the size of his northeastern army and ended up under house arrest. They were justified in distrusting Chiang. He truly believed, after all, that provincial armies should come under a national military command led by himself. From a national-unity standpoint, Chiang's aim was not unreasonable. But it bred suspicion among other military leaders that participation in the anti-Japanese war would erode their own power. The fragmented command structure also hindered logistics, making ammunition and food supplies to the front unreliable and easy to cut off a good job of things in extremely difficult circumstances. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Chinese victory at the battle of Tairzhuang was a much needed morale boost after the long string of defeats to Japan. As incredible as it was however, it would amount to merely a bloody nose for the Imperial Japanese Army. Now Japan would unleash even more devastation to secure Xuzhou and ultimately march upon Wuhan.

Back in the 80s and 90s, earplugs at a concert were a one-way ticket to dweeb status. Protecting your hearing? Please. You might as well have stayed home with a VHS and some Tang. These days it's the opposite—walk into any venue and half the crowd is rocking hi-fi earplugs that make the music sound better and keep your ears intact.Etymotic's new Music Pro Elite are at the front of that shift, and Tim Monroe, Sr. Director of Engineering, along with Chris Roth, Principal Engineer at Etymotic Research, join us to break down why and how these things work so damn well.Thank you to HEOS, and SVS for supporting this episode!www.svsound.comhttps://www.marantz.com/en-us/world-of-marantz/heosCredits:• Original intro music by The Arc of All. https://sourceoflightandpower.bandcamp.com• Voice Over Provided by Todd Harrell of SSP Unlimited. https://sspunlimited.com• Production by Mitch Anderson, Black Circle Studios. https://blackcircleradio.comDon't forget to check our website for daily updates on the latest electronics, news, recommendations, and deals on high-end audio, loudspeakers, earphones, TVs, and more.www.ecoustics.com#ecoustics #hifi #audiophile #avtech #musicindustry #liveconcertexperience #hearingprotection #hifiearplugs #hearingsaftey #loudnesswars #hearingaid #etymotic #lifestyleav #earplugs

Interviewee: Bassel Shanab, BS is a fourth-year medical student at the Yale School of Medicine.  Interviewer:  Lisa Meeks, PhD, MA, Guest Editor, Academic Medicine Supplement on Disability Inclusion in UME. Description: This episode of Stories Behind the Science sits down with Bassel Shanab (Yale School of Medicine), co-first author of “The Intersection of Disability, Race, Ethnicity, and Financial Background on Food Insecurity Among Medical Students,” part of the Academic Medicine supplement on Disability Inclusion in UME. We move beyond prevalence rates to the lived realities behind them—and why hunger so often hides in plain sight in elite training environments. Bassel shares the personal experiences that shaped his questions, the multi-institutional data that sharpened the answers, and the practical moves any school can make now: screen routinely, get cost-of-living estimates right, normalize help-seeking, and invest in evidence-based campus supports. Along the way, we talk flourishing (not just “fixing”), student-led research networks, and why transparency beats stigma every time. Whether you're a dean, DRP, faculty member, or student, this conversation offers a humane roadmap from surviving to thriving. Links to the open-access article, and related tools are in the show notes. Transcript:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/184LJqvcAgHGmpHyOcaxOxRw4yetR7qrGPPin0HDX7i4/edit?usp=sharing   Bios:   Bassel Shanab, BS is a fourth-year medical student at the Yale School of Medicine. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences and Global Health Studies from Northwestern University, graduating with distinction. His academic interests include medical education, cardiovascular health, social determinants of health, and health policy. Key Words:   Food insecurity Medical students Disability Race and ethnicity Underrepresented in medicine (URiM) Low-income background Intersectionality Student well-being Academic performance   Resources:  Article from Today's Talk The Intersection of Disability, Race, Ethnicity, and Financial Background on Food Insecurity Among Medical Students   Nguyen, Mytien MS; Shanab, Bassel M.; Khosla, Pavan; Boatright, Dowin MD, MBA, MHS; Chaudhry, Sarwat I. MD; Brandt, Eric J. MD, MHS; Hammad, Nour M. MS; Grob, Karri L. EdD, MA; Brinker, Morgan; Cannon, Caden; Cermack, Katherine; Fathali, Maha; Kincaid, John W.R. MS, MPhil; Ma, Yuxing Emily; Ohno, Yuu MS; Pradeep, Aishwarya; Quintero, Anitza MBA; Raja, Neelufar; Rooney, Brendan L.; Stogniy, Sasha; Smith, Kiara K.; Sun, George; Sunkara, Jahnavi; Tang, Belinda; Rubick, Gabriella VanAken MD; Wang, JiCi MD; Bhagwagar, Sanaea Z.; Luzum, Nathan; Liu, Frank MS; Francis, John S. MD, PhD; Meeks, Lisa M. PhD, MA; Leung, Cindy W. PhD. The Intersection of Disability, Race, Ethnicity, and Financial Background on Food Insecurity Among Medical Students. Academic Medicine 100(10S):p S113-S118, October 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000006156   https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/fulltext/2025/10001/the_intersection_of_disability,_race,_ethnicity,.12.aspx The Docs With Disabilities Podcast https://www.docswithdisabilities.org/docswithpodcast