Podcasts about Japanese

The Israeli prime minister has condemned Jewish settlers who attacked two Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank including Qusra where an earlier siege by settlers sparked an international outcry. Benjamin Netanyahu called the settlers rioters who violated the law and harmed Israel's standing in the world. Also: A Russian drone strike on an ammunition store in Ukraine kills 37 civilians in a residential area of Kyiv. Lake Ontario gets a new sign - the latest salvo in the ongoing trade war between Canada and the United States. The world's number one cyclist Tadej Pogačar requires surgery after crashing out of La Vuelta in Spain, and why the Japanese custom of removing and tidying shoes is causing problems for emergency services.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Settlers throwing stones at a house in the Palestinian village of Qusra in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Credit: Reuters

In this episode, the U.S. Treasury's massive bailout of the Japanese yen—framed as helping an ally but really a desperate move to prop up the dollar system as global de-dollarization accelerates and foreign governments flee U.S. debt. Also, The Guardian's shady anti-Iran psy-op—an unsigned opinion piece that tricks prominent activists into signing onto a pro-war narrative at the exact moment the U.S. and Israel are escalating their assault on Iran, ignoring the regime-change meddling, Mossad-backed violence, and blatant hypocrisy behind it all. And Nick Estes joins the show! All that and much more! My livestreams are on Mon and Fri at 3pm ET/Noon PT and Wednesday at 8pm ET/5pm PT. I am one of the most censored comedians in America. Thanks for the support!

Tonight, we welcome JJ from Southern Demonology, joining us from Virginia. His paranormal encounters began in an old Appalachian log cabin, but they did not end there. Tonight, JJ will take us from the shadowed mountains of Virginia to the mist-shrouded landscapes of Japan, sharing unsettling encounters from two very different cultures. Different countries, different beliefs, but perhaps the same unseen world waiting in the darkness.More information on this episode on the podcast website:Southern Demonology Podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/southerndemonologyIf you enjoy this podcast, please support the show with a virtual coffee:https://ko-fi.com/ufochroniclespodcastFollow and Subscribe on X to get ad-free episodesX: https://x.com/UFOchronpodcast/Want to share your encounter on the show?Email: UFOChronicles@gmail.comOr Fill out Guest Form:https://forms.gle/uGQ8PTVRkcjy4nxS7Podcast Merchandise:https://www.teepublic.com/user/ufo-chronicles-podcastHelp Support UFO CHRONICLES by becoming a Patron:https://patreon.com/UFOChroniclespodcastAll Links for Podcast:https://linktr.ee/UFOChroniclesPodcastThank you for listening!Like share and subscribe it really helps me when people share the show on social media, it means we can reach more people and more witnesses and without your amazing support, it wouldn't be possible.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ufo-chronicles-podcast--3395068/support.

— In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to become disconnected—from ourselves, from one another, and from the natural world. We're constantly chasing the next task, the next notification, the next destination, often forgetting that some of life's greatest healing happens when we simply slow down and pay attention. But what if one of the most powerful practices for reducing stress, restoring mental clarity, and reconnecting with a deeper sense of peace wasn't another productivity hack—but simply spending intentional time among the treesToday, we're exploring the beautiful practice of forest bathing, also known as Shinrin-yoku—a gentle invitation to step away from the noise of everyday life and immerse ourselves in nature through our senses. We'll talk about the growing science behind this practice, how it supports our emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being, and why slowing down may be one of the most profound pathways to joy. Valeria sits with Amanda Chapman   — She has been a Licensed Professional Counselor since 1997 and has worked with people from all walks of life and ages from diverse backgrounds.  Amanda is also a Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy; a Certified Heart Math Practitioner; a Certified Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapist; and a Certified Life Coach, with a specialty in Spiritual Direction. Amanda currently offers both counseling and nature-based services through a branch of Elizabethton Counseling and Arts Center, located at Shakti in the Mountains, in Johnson City, Tennessee.  Within her practice, Amanda specializes in what she calls Psycho-Spiritual Counseling, a blend of traditional psychotherapy or "talk therapy", outdoor or nature connection experiences, and spiritual direction or guidance. In addition to her counseling services, Amanda offers seasonal forest bathing experiences, which are guided nature walks, inspired by the Japanese practice of "shinrin-yoku," an outdoor practice that opens doors for physical and mental system regulation and relaxation and a reconnection to Mother Earth.  Amanda also offers workshops and facilitates community talks on various subjects, such as Spiritual Awakenings, How to Age with Grace and Gusto, the Hidden Powers of the Highly Sensitive Person, Animal Communication, and Embracing the Inner Child. She also hosts and guides a local monthly group that explores the nature of reality and spirituality.  Amanda's personal story of spiritual awakening will be coming out in a soon-to-be published nonfiction anthology, What Happened Next: Stories of Life Altering Encounters, and she is currently working on her memoir.  Amanda is a proud native of her community and loves sharing the magic of what nature and spirit can do for our hearts, bodies, and minds. When not working, Amanda can be found spending time with her granddaughter or just sitting in silence in her backyard woods, listening to the birds and watching the deer and squirrels, and the occasional neighborhood bear.  To learn more about Amanda Chapman and her work, please visit: https://www.oneforestworld.com/

Curious to explore the wonders of quantum physics?Dive into this fascinating world and explore what makes up subatomic particles, how exactly entanglement works, and learn about the new theories going around the science community gossip mill; like parallel universes, the holographic principle, and the multiverse.“Quantum Design” starts with a quick and lively tour through the history of quantum physics and how we got to where we are today, and continues to unravel the mysteries of Spacetime, Schrödinger's Equation and Wave Mechanics, the famous Double-Slit experiments, and the interesting nature of quantum spin. “Quantum Design” also delves into the future of quantum mechanics, shedding light on the groundbreaking applications emerging from new technologies such as quantum computers and cryptography.In this book, you'll find:- A Quick Tour through Quantum History- Understanding Subatomic Particles- Schrödinger and Wave Mechanics- The Double-Slit Experiment- Photons and Entanglement- Spacetime and Spin- Proton Stability and New Explorations- New Theories on Gravity and Spacetime- Theories on the Holographic Principle, the Multiverse, Parallel Universes, and more- Quantum Applications in Technology- And MORE…Written in an engaging and accessible style, "Quantum Design" is the perfect companion for anyone eager to grasp the core principles of quantum physics.Whether you're a novice or a curious enthusiast, this book offers a fun and informative exploration of the mysterious and wonderful world of quantum physics!Katie Norris was is originally from the suburbs of Maryland where her pastimes included climbing trees, singing and dancing, and asking a lot of questions. In school she enjoyed attending her classes, but she also had an insatiable passion for learning new skills beyond what was required. At an early age, she began creating a habit of self-study on different topics of interest. At eight years old, Katie taught herself to play the piano and began writing songs. She continued in music and theater all through high school and college, all while maintaining honors in her other academic subjects. When she wasn't playing music or acting on stage, Katie was reading a book or visiting her friends in the science department, always curious about their new projects. She graduated with a Bachelor's in Theater and Music from Frostburg State University, Maryland, and then moved to New York City to start her career in the theater world. Katie continued with her self-study practices between auditions and performance gigs, and learned a handful of random other skills, one of which was teaching herself Japanese, initially on a dare.After a few years in the NYC, Katie moved to Los Angeles where she continues her career in the entertainment industry. And her pursuits of science and self-study on all the topics that interest her have not slowed down. After locating to L.A., Katie dove more deeply into the world of physics and quantum physics. And for a time, she even held a position teaching after-school programs on physics and robotics for elementary and middle school kids. Her passion for knowledge on quantum physics has been ever-growing and evolving.https://katienorris.org/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support.

Is Jordan the Joe Pesci of the show? Are toilets with bidets and seat warmers better? Is Max officially a Dark Triad after a text with the all-star formerly known as Netflix Andy? Plus, what's the Pasjoli schlep meter, will Max start shooting up with Reta, and is the closest thing to an Alice Waters restaurant in LA any good?

Four nights of Nordic folklore. Night one: Denmark buried things alive under its churches — and some of them are still working.Something different for the next four weeks. No true crime at all.Mørketid — Four Nights North is a mini-series: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, one night each, pure folklore. Night one is out now.The bit that stopped me while I was writing it...The kirkegrim isn't a legend in the way the others are. It's a practice. When a new churchyard was consecrated, the belief was that the first body buried there had to stand guard over the ground forever — so rather than doom a person to that, they buried an animal alive instead. Usually a lamb.That happened. Across Denmark, across Sweden, across England, for centuries. There are churches standing today where the bones are still down there.I wrote that section three times because I kept making it too gothic. It works better plain — a man in a wool coat, on a cold morning, holding a lamb that isn't frightened because lambs aren't frightened of people. That's the version that's in the episode.A note on the format...These aren't candles. The hundred-candle game is specifically Japanese, and burning four of the hundred on Nordic material would break that whole arc. So Mørketid gets its own frame, and it's the exact inverse: in Japan you blow candles out until the dark arrives. Up north the dark is already there — you light one and count nights until the sun comes back.Four nights, then we go back to Japan.Next Weekend...Finland. And Finland is the worst of the four. There's a word up there for what happens when the forest doesn't take you anywhere, doesn't hurt you, and simply stops letting you be found — while you stand in it, awake, listening to the search party call your name.The candle stays lit.

In this episode of The Grant Williams Podcast, I welcome back Andrew McDermott of Mission Value Partners for a fascinating reassessment of one of the world's most misunderstood economies. While many investors remain focused on Japan's currency, bond market, and decades of sluggish growth, Andrew argues that these headline narratives obscure a far more important story: Japan remains one of the world's indispensable industrial powers. Together, we explore how Japanese companies quietly embedded themselves deep within global supply chains after the trade tensions of the 1980s and 1990s, becoming world leaders in advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, robotics, defence systems, machine tools, and precision engineering. The discussion also examines the strategic consequences of a weaker yen, Japan's evolving relationship with the United States, and why the country's greatest investment opportunities may lie not in broad market indices but in the globally competitive industrial businesses that continue to underpin much of the modern economy.   Every episode of the Grant Williams podcast, including This Week In Doom, The End Game, The Super Terrific Happy Hour, The Narrative Game, Kaos Theory, Shifts Happen and The Hundred Year Pivot, is available to Copper and Silver Tier subscribers at my website www.Grant-Williams.com.  Copper Tier subscribers get access to all podcasts, while members of the Silver Tier get both the podcasts and my monthly newsletter, Things That Make You Go Hmmm… 

Podcasting 2.0 August 28th 2026 Episode 269 - "Verbal Pollution" Shownotes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 00 - DATABASE SURGERY WEEK — AND THE THIRD EMERGENCY OF THE MONTH The lead, and it's Dave's: Saturday 22 Aug — "#api I'm in the middle of a big refactor with the Podcast Index database schema. If I do my job right, nobody will notice it. But, the side effect will be an overall huge increase in the consistency of the data (duplicates, url change lag, etc)." @dave — the big schema refactor (22 Aug) Wednesday night: "Podcast Index database surgery will begin in the morning." Thursday: "Step 1. Expect a brief api outage. It should last just a few minutes." — then "Done" — then "#api Adding a very large table index..." — and finally, Thursday evening: "Finished. Butt is intact." (6 favourites. The board's favourite status update of the month.) What Adam should ask: what actually changed under the hood, what does "consistency" buy an app developer in practice, and is there anything a host or an app should do differently now that duplicates and url-change lag are being cleaned up?

In a wide-ranging episode intended just to be the introduction to the largest mass prisoner breakout of WWII, we first have to tackle...the history of Japan-Australia relations all the way up to 1940 and the role Australia played in Japanese militarist thought.  Show notes here. 

 It's ev.news Briefly for Friday 28 August 2026, only todays headlines and nothing else, in just 4 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the ev.news Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/evnewsVOLKSWAGEN TURNS ID.BUZZ INTO CALIFORNIA CRUISEVolkswagen Commercial Vehicles has unveiled the fully electric ID. California Cruise in Düsseldorf, offered in short- and long-wheelbase forms with 79 kWh and 86 kWh batteries respectively, sleeping accommodation for two, and first deliveries due in early 2027 from €60,761 (about $70,800). Standard kit includes the Interior Style and Comfort Packages plus the PowerSocket vehicle-to-load adapter, which delivers 2 kW continuous and 3.6 kW peak power, while California Mode keeps USB ports live and air conditioning running at sleeping temperature for up to 48 hours depending on charge and outside conditions.MERCEDES-AMG CLA 45 IS A DIFFERENT BEASTThe electric Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 saloon is on sale in the UK at £66,750 (about $90,660), matching the outgoing petrol car's price and undercutting the plug-in hybrid C63 by £34,000 for comparable output, with the Shooting Brake £1000 more and the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N its nearest rival at £65,800. Three Yasa axial-flux motors produce 671bhp for a 3.0sec 0-62mph time in the 2.3-tonne saloon, with claimed ranges of 416 and 398 miles, 330kW charging giving 10-80% in 22 minutes, a rear-axle drift mode, and deliveries starting next year.51% OF U.S. CONSUMERS WOULD CONSIDER A CHINA-MADE VEHICLEA Dave Cantin Group market outlook report found 51% of U.S. consumers would consider a China-made vehicle despite Chinese brands not being sold there, with willingness at 77% among under-35s versus 36% among those 55 and older, driven by affordability as average transaction prices sit near $50,000 and monthly payments run far above five-year-ago levels. Chinese brands have taken roughly 10% share in Europe and Mexico in under five years, a pace that took Japanese and Korean makers nearly two decades, and the resulting collapse in established automakers' China business, combined with the EV unwind and tariffs, is already reshaping product and production decisions with direct consequences for U.S. dealers.ELECTRIFIED MODELS FILL JULY'S FASTEST-SELLING USED-CAR TOP 10For the first time since Autotrader UK began tracking the data, no petrol or diesel model appeared in July's 10 fastest-selling used cars, with eight BEVs and two hybrids from MG and Toyota filling the list, led by the hybrid MG ZS at 13 days, the Kia Niro at 15 and the Tesla Model 3 at 17. A year earlier BEVs held only four of the ten places, and July's slowest-selling used models were entirely petrol and diesel, with no BEV among them.TERRA CHARGE PLANS 2,500 NACS POINTS IN JAPANJapan's Terra Charge will begin adding NACS charging from 2028 at commercial sites, major transport routes and hotels, targeting 2,500 points by the end of 2033 and studying a NACS-based AC charger for hotels and apartment blocks, though no specifications or timeline have been disclosed. The move responds partly to Tesla driver demand reported by Nikkei Asia, but with only 1,323 registered NACS points against roughly 68,000 charging points nationally, most on CHAdeMO, and a government goal of 300,000 points by 2030, NACS will add connector variety rather than displace the incumbent standard.DCBEL PLATFORM ADOPTED IN THREE V2X PILOTSDcbel's bidirectional charging platform has been selected for three V2X pilots — California's REDWDS scheme, a PG&E programme and a MassCEC demonstration — offering drivers and fleets equipment funding, lower bills and payments of up to $3,200 per vehicle per year for exporting energy to the grid. The economics depend on vehicle-to-grid export, yet customers have so far opted for vehicle-to-home installations, dcbel had shipped nothing under the programmes at the time of reporting, and most jurisdictions still prohibit grid export altogether.KGM RAISES MUSSO EV AWD TOWING RATINGKGM has lifted the all-wheel-drive Musso EV dual-cab ute's braked towing rating from 1,800kg to 2,300kg, exceeding the 2,000kg rating of Toyota's AWD electric Hilux. The revision undercuts the claim made by former prime minister Scott Morrison during the 2019 Australian election that EVs could not tow a trailer or boat to a camping spot, an argument that became part of the climate culture war, though what any BEV can tow still rests on the rating its manufacturer assigns.PSW WINS ESTONIA FERRY MCS CONTRACTNorway's PSW Power & Automation will equip Estonia's Virtsu–Kuivastu route with a Megawatt Charging System of two charging points at each end, each rated up to 5 MW on a 1,500-volt architecture, to recharge the country's new battery-electric ferry during port stops before its scheduled completion by the end of 2028. The ferry will carry 380 passengers and either 110 cars or eight lorries, making it smaller than the incumbent Piret and Toll, while the charging system will also be open to other compatible vessels, drawing on PSW's Nordic record of more than 250 MW of shore power and over 100 MWh of battery storage.WAYMO SAYS L2 IS INSUFFICIENT FOR L4Waymo has published 10 AI lessons drawn from over 200 million fully autonomous miles, arguing that incrementally improving a Level 2 driver-assistance system is a "false summit" that cannot safely reach Level 4, because neither billions of simulated miles nor millions of supervised miles replicate operating without a human backup. The company, which runs more than 500,000 paid driverless rides a week and targets a million by year-end, uses camera, lidar and radar redundancy and warns against black-box end-to-end networks, in contrast to Tesla's camera-only Tesla Vision, its end-to-end Full Self-Driving versions 14 and 15, and an Austin robotaxi service that has logged 380,000 unsupervised miles.

Dan Rasmussen, founder and managing partner of Verdad Advisers and author of The Humble Investor, joins Kai Wu to examine the unraveling of private equity, the rise of private credit, and how AI is reshaping software, labor, and the economics of technology investing. They also explore the massive AI CapEx boom, why value investing has struggled in the intangible-heavy U.S. market, the unusual opportunity in Japanese small caps, and how investors can quantify intangible value in biotech.Subscribe on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe on AppleTopics covered:Why private equity became a consensus trade and why exits are now cloggedHow leverage and high debt costs threaten private equity returnsWhat publicly traded private equity funds reveal about true volatility and NAV discountsHow private equity shifted from old-economy buyouts into software and healthcare technologyWhy AI may have erased code as a software moat while strengthening other intangible advantagesHow ARR lending helped private credit finance software buyouts and created an obsolescence mismatchWhat AI is doing to hiring, junior roles, productivity and the composition of workWhy the AI CapEx boom may be a crowded, path-dependent overinvestment cycleWhy traditional value metrics work better in Japan than in the intangible-heavy U.S.How Tokyo Stock Exchange reforms, buybacks and dividends can unlock value in Japanese small capsHow R&D spend, specialist ownership and short interest can help quantify biotech valueTimestamps:00:00 Intro04:03 Why private equity's debt burden changes the equity math09:24 How private equity became a software momentum trade13:29 Why code may no longer be a durable software moat17:48 How private credit enabled software buyouts through ARR lending23:56 AI productivity, jobs and why displacement is slower than expected30:23 Why the AI CapEx boom may be the market's most crowded risk34:29 Rational overinvestment, leverage and the timing risk in AI38:46 Why consumers may capture more of AI's value than investors44:07 Japan's below-book-value reform and the return of old-school value51:03 Quantifying biotech value with R&D, specialist ownership and short interest55:08 Dan's non-consensus views on private markets and JapanLearn more about the Excess Returns podcast network:https://excessreturns.coNo information discussed in this podcast should be construed as investment advice. Securities discussed may be held by the hosts and guests, their firms or their clients.

Support NEStalgia directly by becoming a member of our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/Nestalgia  Members at the $5 and above level get access to our brand new show NEStalgia Bytes. A look at the famicom games you can play without any Japanese knowledge! For More NEStalgia, visit www.NEStalgiacast.com

The Japanese bring their A Game. Their communications are changed, leaving the Americans blind and deaf, their air attack tactics are improved and more men are landed to take command of the east bank of the Matanikau River. On the other side, Adm. Nimitz is determined to give Gen. Vandegrift more help.  This episode is sponsored by Coveron. One scam can cost you everything. Protect yourself now. The first 100 users get 20% off with code thehistory20 at coveron.com/thehistory20. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We often underestimate how much small talk can impact our wellbeing. Research shows that even brief conversations with strangers can boost our happiness and sense of connection, but fear and anxiety often keep us from reaching out.Summary: We often avoid talking to strangers because we assume they'd rather be left alone, or worry the interaction will be awkward. But research shows that our expectations about these interactions are often wrong. Even brief conversations can make us happier and more connected. On this episode of The Science of Happiness, learn how small choices like saying hello, asking a question, or offering a compliment can help us overcome our hesitation and create meaningful moments of connection.How To Do This Practice: Notice an opportunity: Throughout your day, look for moments when you're near someone you don't know—a person on public transit, in line at a coffee shop, or walking through your neighborhood. Put away your phone: Create a little more space for connection by taking out your earbuds or putting your phone away, rather than using it to avoid interacting with the people around you. Take the first step: When you notice an opportunity, say hello, introduce yourself, or ask a simple question. You don't need the perfect opening—just get the conversation started. Ask a follow-up question: Show genuine curiosity about the other person. Ask about something they've mentioned and let the conversation unfold naturally. Share something about yourself: Connection goes both ways. Offer a little about your own experiences, interests, or perspective so the conversation becomes a two-way exchange. Try it again: Pay attention to how you feel afterward, then look for another opportunity to connect. Treat it as an experiment and practice making small choices that bring you closer to the people around you. Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.Today's Guests:CHRIS FUJINAKA HEIN is a community organizer in the Bay Area and a coordinator at a Japanese cultural senior center.NICHOLAS EPLEY is the John Templeton Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Faculty Director of the Roman Family Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.Learn more about Nicholas Epley here: https://www.nicholasepley.com/Related Science of Happiness episodes:Why Compassion Requires Vulnerability: https://tinyurl.com/mrxsad33When It's Hard To Connect, Try Being Curious: https://tinyurl.com/mr32nwtvRelated Happiness Break episodes:A Meditation on Original Love and Interconnectedness:https://tinyurl.com/mu2uzs2cOur Deep Interconnectedness: https://tinyurl.com/y2epxyxnMessage us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. E-mail us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aapTranscription:

It's August, so we have the annual debate over the dropping of two atomic bombs, one on August 6, the uranium bomb called "Little Boy" that was dropped on the dual-use target, military and industrial Japanese city of Hiroshima, and then three days later on Nagasaki with a plutonium bomb.    “The dropping of the atomic bomb, it was not a satanic enterprise...Good men made a bad weapon to stop far worse men from killing innocents,” argues Victor Davis Hanson on today's edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words.” 

Rescuers in China and Nepal are searching for about 1,300 people who are missing after a flash flood hit the two countries.At least 359 people have died in Nepal, with three confirmed deaths in China. We'll hear from both countries.Also in the programme: Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb commander who was convicted of genocide, has died in prison - we hear from the journalist Allan Little who covered him for the BBC and Hasan Hasanovic, a survivor of Srebrenica massacre; why some species of bats are able to live so long; and we'll remember the Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, whose struggles with her mental health fuelled her work:(Photo shows flood survivors in Devighat Village, Nuwakot district, Nepal on 27 August 2026. Credit: Narendra Shrestha/EPA)

CNN has arrived at the site of deadly flooding in Nepal – we'll tell you what our crew is seeing. An ICE officer accused of shooting a Venezuelan immigrant and covering it up is released from a Texas jail. Lawyers give their closing arguments in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. Another US aircraft carrier is preparing for a long deployment in the Middle East. And the art world is remembering renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's August, so we have the annual debate over the dropping of two atomic bombs, one on August 6, the uranium bomb called “Little Boy” that was dropped on the dual-use target, military and industrial Japanese city of Hiroshima, and then three days later on Nagasaki with a plutonium bomb. “The dropping of the atomic […]

In this episode of GuildSomm: Into the Glass, host and Master Sommelier Chris Tanghe speaks with Master of Wine Bree Stock about what's happening in Oregon, including Method Oregon, a peer-based organization setting the standard for traditional method sparkling wine throughout the state.  Be sure to check out all the latest content on GuildSomm.com! Yasha Lysenko wrote an excellent article on the Japanese wine industry, and Master of Wine Bryce Wiatrak shared an MW essay on how typicity plays a role in evaluating wine quality.  Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a review, as it helps us connect and grow the GuildSomm community. Cheers!

On the occasion of Jacob's show at SFMOMA, we are reissuing his interview from 10 years ago. Jacob Hashimoto: Giant ArcInstallation Opened August 22, 2026 on Floor 1. Jacob Hashimoto creates mesmerizing and intricate installations through repetition and composition. Each work comprises thousands of hand-built kites made of bamboo and Japanese paper, suspended together into complex assemblages that seem to float through the air. Blending sculpture, design, and environment, these kites form clusters, some blank or in solid colors, others layered with colorful collaged-paper graphics. At SFMOMA, Hashimoto will create the largest work of his career, mixing nearly 75,000 elements into a cloud canopy that will cover the Roberts Family Gallery floor to ceiling and wall to wall.

ちなみに、「大衆」は古いイメージだけど、あえて古いイメージの言葉を使って若者に対して逆に新鮮イメージを持たせる…という名前の付け方もあるらしい。難しいね。-------------------------------------------------------------------コーヒー1杯ぶん、応援してもらえたらうれしいです ☕スクリプト・メンバーシップ・トピックのリクエストもこちら。For scripts, membership, and topic requests:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ruby-s.net/support/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your support helps me keep creating “just-right” Japanese episodes.-------------------------------------------------------------------【台湾関係の Podcast『一起用日文聊天吧！』】［YouTube］https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTpkAQuWvG9ToTiloA7bQsuoiSI5Z2Axq［Spotify］https://open.spotify.com/show/6C1BaqAKGXLrVclws2LAHb?si=2_5u0bbMSp-8wCMa6ICstQ［Apple Podcast］https://podcasts.apple.com/jp/podcast/%E4%B8%80%E8%B5%B7%E7%94%A8%E6%97%A5%E6%96%87%E8%81%8A%E5%A4%A9%E5%90%A7/id1895769003

SUZUKI=BAKUDAN is a 2025 Japanese crime thriller directed by Akira Nagai and based on Katsuhiro Go's bestselling novel Bomb. After a seemingly ordinary drunk named Tagosaku Suzuki is arrested for a minor assault, he casually predicts an explosion in Tokyo. When it happens exactly when he said it would, Suzuki announces that more bombs are coming, and the police are forced into a race against time while trying to understand whether the strange man sitting in their interrogation room is psychic, lucky or something much more dangerous. In this Force Five video, I give you five reasons you might want to watch SUZUKI=BAKUDAN. Buy a shirt: https://www.teepublic.com/user/forcefive Other helpful links: YouTube: https://youtu.be/sG7OxFAYb64 Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/forcefive/ Website: www.forcefivepodcast.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/forcefivepodcast Email: forcefivepodcast@gmail.com

Your daily news in under three minutes.For more on these stories, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com And connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Learn the English expression, "better off"Get the full story and learning resources: https://plainenglish.com/expressions/better-off--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

An IDF social media video appeared to advise ultra-Orthodox Israelis facing military draft enforcement on how to avoid arrest at Ben Gurion Airport — and it was quickly deleted. In this episode of Israel Daily News, Shanna Fuld breaks down the controversy surrounding the now-deleted IDF video ahead of the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to Uman, Ukraine. The video reportedly used an AI character called “Dudy the Explainer” to explain how draft evaders could avoid being detained at the airport. The controversy comes as Israel's long-running battle over Haredi military service intensifies and new legislation has left some pilgrimage-bound Israelis facing draft-evader status. Shanna also examines the growing security tensions in Judea and Samaria, including the strategic significance of the proposed E1 settlement expansion, British pressure over Israeli settlements, and warnings about settler violence. Meanwhile, election season is heating up. Gadi Eisenkot is calling a two-state solution “delusional” following October 7th while simultaneously criticizing the E1 expansion as a strategic mistake. He also takes aim at Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir over settler violence. The episode also looks back at the 2014 Gaza war, including reports of secret direct back-channel contacts between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas through intermediary Shlomi Fogel — contacts that Netanyahu's office and Fogel have denied. Plus, Shanna speaks about Tal Goldstein-Almog, a young survivor of Hamas captivity, and highlights his interview with Australian journalist Erin Molan. And in a cultural tribute, Shanna remembers Dolly Parton and the extraordinary impact of her Imagination Library, including its connection to PJ Library and Israel's Sifriyat Pijama program. The episode also remembers Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, including her acclaimed 2021 exhibition at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Finally, Rabbi Yossi Madvig explores this week's Torah portion, Ki Tavo, discussing light and darkness, the Messianic era, and the difference between the afterlife and the “world to come.” In this episode: • The controversial IDF video for draft evaders • Why the IDF deleted the video • The Haredi military draft crisis • The Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to Uman • Airport enforcement and draft evaders • Rising tensions in Judea and Samaria • The E1 settlement expansion plan • British pressure over Israeli settlements • Gadi Eisenkot's election campaign • Israel's upcoming elections • IDF operations against October 7th attackers • Tal Goldstein-Almog and his experience in captivity • Reports of secret Netanyahu-Hamas contacts in 2014 • Israel Daily News' independent journalism • Rosh Hashanah gifts from Israeli artists • Dolly Parton's global legacy and PJ Library • Yayoi Kusama's legacy in Israel • Torah thought with Rabbi Yossi Madvig Support independent journalism: Israel Daily News is independently produced and does not work for the Israeli government. Your support helps us continue reporting on Israel and the region. Visit israeldailynews.org to make a one-time or monthly donation. Subscribe to Israel Daily News on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and sign up for the Israel Weekly News newsletter for the top stories from Israel each week. Israel Daily News website: https://israeldailynews.org YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@israeldailynews Israel Daily News Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/shannafuld Support our Wartime News Coverage: https://www.gofundme.com/f/independent-journalist-covering-israels-war Links to all things IDN: https://linktr.ee/israeldailynews Timestamps 00:00 IDF Video Advises Draft Evaders Ahead of Uman Pilgrimage01:00 The Deleted “Dudy the Explainer” Video02:00 Why the IDF Post Was Removed03:00 How Draft Evaders Are Caught at the Airport04:00 Rising Tensions in Judea & Samaria05:00 The E1 Settlement Expansion Plan06:00 Israel Responds to British Sanctions07:00 Gadi Eisenkot Rejects Two-State Solution08:00 Eisenkot Takes Aim at Smotrich & Ben-Gvir09:00 IDF Kills October 7th Attackers in Gaza10:00 Tal Goldstein-Almog's Story of Captivity11:00 Secret Netanyahu-Hamas Talks?12:00 What Happened During the 2014 Back Channel13:00 Supporting Independent Journalism14:00 Rosh Hashanah Gifts From Israeli Artists15:00 Remembering Dolly Parton16:00 Dolly Parton's Imagination Library & PJ Library17:00 Sifriyat Pijama & Dolly's Global Impact18:00 Remembering Yayoi Kusama19:00 Kusama's Legacy in Israel20:00 Her 2021 Tel Aviv Exhibition21:00 Torah Thought: Ki Tavo22:00 Rising Above the Darkness23:00 The Afterlife vs. the World to Come24:00 The Messianic Paradox25:00 Sign-Off & Shabbat Shalom #Israel #IsraelNews #IDF #IsraeliPolitics #IsraelPolitics #HarediDraft #DraftCrisis #Uman #RoshHashanah #JudeaAndSamaria #WestBank #E1 #Gaza #Hamas #Netanyahu #GadiEisenkot #October7 #IsraelDefenseForces #MiddleEast #DollyParton #YayoiKusama #IsraelDailyNews #IsraelDailyNewsPodcast #BreakingNews Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

*Timestamps are approximate* TIME TOPIC 0:00 Podcast intro with Dave & Chuck "The Freak"0:01 - - - AD MARKER - - -0:01 EMAIL: Wondering how to deal with a stinky co-worker0:26 EMAIL: He is having ED troubles after an accident 0:33 NEWS0:33 DOUCHEBAG OF THE DAY0:33 Delivery Driver struck an old guy for taking his parking space0:37 Airport worker was struck by a plane on the tarmac0:42 The guy who was terrorizing a community wearing a Chucky mask has been caught0:45 Bus driver wouldn't let students off until police arrived0:48 Update on young female pilot who made emergency water landing0:52 Partial lunar eclipse tomorrow0:53 A 93-year-old woman who is still working0:58 - - - AD MARKER - - -0:58 CELEBRITY DIRT0:58 The passing of Dolly Parton1:14 Howie Mandel's fear of infection nearly killed him during COVID1:17 Why a weather man couldn't stop laughing during a live broadcast1:24 Which actor admits to having pleasured themself to a co-star1:31 Ryan Gosling is producing a live-action movie based on an adult Bam Bam1:35 - - - AD MARKER - - -1:35 What Dave got on the text line1:40 THOSE CRAZY CANADIANS1:40 Delivery driver wrote a number on a house1:46 Brawl at a wedding reception1:51 Guy with drugs was pulled over driving a riding mower1:56 Guy facing prison for having public sex in Indonedia2:06 A doctor woke up with something horrible in her mouth (What's the worst thing you've had in your mouth?)2:26 - - - AD MARKER - - -2:26 Child got into an animal exhibit at the zoo2:32 Triathlon coach was attacked by alligator while swimming2:37 Why are people raging so much these days2:42 How a drive thru worker is winning customers over2:51 - - - AD MARKER - - -2:51 NEWS2:51 Shark bite victims were lucky that a couple of off-duty nurses were nearby2:55 Man accused of slapping a team over play on a golf course2:58 Young kid fell from a 2nd story windown3:02 - - - AD MARKER - - -3:02 Woman had medical emergency, crashed into the gym3:04 Aggressive wild donkey on the loose3:06 Guy sets record for number of shirts he put on while bouncing a soccer ball on his head3:09 Sculpture carved the history of Tennessee into a block of cheese3:13 - - - AD MARKER - - -3:13 WHAT'S UP WITH THE ASIANS3:13 1,800 Japanese people teamed up to do something incredible END OF SHOWSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Subscribe now for an ad-free experience and all of our episodes. Danny and Derek speak with Jonathan Cheng, China bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, about the Christian origins of North Korea's founding ideology and the subsequent personality cult. The discussion explores missionary Samuel Moffat's work in Pyongyang, the conversion of Kim Il-sung's family to Christianity, Christian nationalism during Japanese colonial rule, the turn toward socialism, Kim's postwar personality cult, and how Christianity informs the Kim family's rule today.   Be sure to grab a copy of Jonathan's book Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's ev.news Briefly for Tuesday 25 August 2026, only today's headlines and nothing else, in just 4 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the ev.news Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/evnewsWALMART OPENS 100TH FAST-CHARGING STATIONWalmart has opened its 100th branded EV fast-charging station at its Monument, Colorado Supercenter, extending a network that now covers 20 states — up from 17 a month earlier — despite the retailer having no branded chargers less than two years ago. The four-stall site uses ABB Mobility all-in-one dispensers delivering up to 400 kW with NACS and CCS1 connectors and app-only payment, part of a rollout that added 612 stalls in the first half of 2026 and ranked second only to Tesla for new ports energised in Q2, at an average $0.43 per kWh with 10% off for Walmart+ members.HYUNDAI OPENS IONIQ V PRE-SALES IN CHINABeijing Hyundai has begun pre-sales of the Ioniq V at the 2026 Chengdu Auto Show ahead of a September launch, priced from 119,900 yuan (about $17,300) to 139,900 yuan across three versions, with up to 650 km of CLTC range, an 800-volt E-GMP architecture, CATL LFP batteries of 53.5 or 66.8 kWh and single motors of 140 or 168 kW. It is the first production Ioniq developed in China, using a 27-inch 4K Snapdragon 8295 screen, Momenta highway L2+ assistance and Baidu and ByteDance AI infotainment, as Hyundai targets 20 electrified models and 500,000 annual Chinese sales by 2030.POLESTAR CLAIMS UNEQUAL US TREATMENTPolestar has accused the US Commerce Department of "disparate treatment" after a June 24 denial blocked its American sales from model year 2027, noting that Volvo — which shares Chinese majority owner Geely and builds the Polestar 3 on the same South Carolina line — was authorised earlier in 2026. In an Aug. 18 letter, Peter Wexler said the 13-month review dismissed mitigation offers including audits, cybersecurity reviews and removal of China links from data management, despite officials indicating in January and April that approval was likely; dealers have called the outcome devastating, with a New Jersey group suing for $25 million over an allegedly concealed US withdrawal.DUTCH PLUG-IN MARKET FAVOURS RICH HOUSEHOLDSStatistics agency CBS found that the Netherlands' shift to electric cars has mainly benefited wealthy households, with the top-earning 10% buying almost 75,000 of the roughly 259,000 electric and plug-in hybrid cars traded in 2025 and the top 20% accounting for nearly half. The lowest-earning 10% bought about 6,000, or 2%, and two-thirds of cars bought by the poorest fifth were over a decade old, prompting a €52 million, three-year subsidy scheme from the final quarter of 2026 for lower- and middle-income buyers of second-hand EVs who scrap older petrol or diesel vehicles.MERCEDES CLA ELECTRIC COVERS 385 MILES AT 70 MPHThe dual-motor 2027 Mercedes-Benz CLA 350 4MATIC Electric covered 385 miles in a constant-speed 70 mph range test on 19-inch wheels, exceeding its 312-mile EPA Combined rating by 73 miles, or 23%, with 2 miles remaining at 0% charge. Consumption of 225 Wh per mile implied 86.6 kWh used against an 85-kWh net battery, with the result credited to the 800-volt Mercedes Modular Architecture and a two-speed rear-motor transmission of the type that has also helped Porsche and Audi models beat their ratings.OPEL SETS 2028 DATE FOR ELECTRIC CORSAOpel CEO Florian Huettl has pushed the all-electric Corsa successor from 2027 to 2028, moving the brand's best-seller onto Stellantis' STLA Small platform as a battery-electric-only model with bigger batteries, more range and prices from €25,000, against the current e-CMP Corsa Electric's 46-49 kWh battery, 429 km claim and €30,440 starting price. Huettl cited improving range, charging and fuel costs rather than any fixed date to end combustion engines, and Opel will still deliver the e-CMP-based Corsa GSE, capable of 0-100 kph in 5.5 seconds, to dealers this year.ROME BACKS ELECTRIC AND HYDROGEN BUSESRome will spend €117 million from Italy's infrastructure ministry on new buses through operator ATAC, split between €83.6 million for hydrogen models and €27.1 million for battery-electric ones plus depot upgrades, though neither quantities nor manufacturers have been named. A further €6 million in European funding will build a green hydrogen hub using local electrolysis at ATAC's Acilia site, complementing a charge introduced in July 2026 for EVs entering a restricted central zone that takes about 50,000 cars a day against a designed capacity of 20,000.SUZUKI PLANS VISION E-SKY EUROPE EXPORTSuzuki intends to export its Vision e-Sky electric microcar from Japan, with Europe possible in 2027 and the UK and Italy under review at an expected UK price below £20,000, ahead of a Japanese world premiere in autumn and production at a plant southwest of Tokyo. Based on Japan's kei-car class and targeting 310 km of range with likely LFP cells from BYD's corporate network, it would be Suzuki's first battery-electric kei car and reportedly the first exported almost unchanged, offering growth potential after European sales fell 15% to 187,000 in the year to March.MEXICO ELECTRIFIED SALES RISE AS PRODUCTION FALLSMexico sold 95,037 electrified vehicles in the first half of 2026, up 44% year on year for a 12.6% market share, led by Toyota in conventional hybrids and boosted by expanding Chinese brands, while charging points reached 60,934 and 170 electrified models are now offered. Production moved the other way, falling to 47,411 units from 110,002 a year earlier as weaker US demand cut Equinox output by 81.6% and Blazer output by 80%, prompting the Electro Mobility Association to call for policies supporting both electrification and domestic manufacturing.ELECTRIC MOTORHOME USES EVOLVE PLATFORMCityFreighter, Vöhringer and Motive Development have unveiled an electric motorhome demonstrator for Europe's 4.25-tonne Class B category, built on CityFreighter's Evolve skateboard with a Vöhringer AIRPLY lightweight interior and coming in under 3.5 tonnes complete with kitchen, bathroom and heat pump, leaving about 750 kg of payload. Its 128-kWh battery gives roughly 400 km of range, supports vehicle-to-load and charges from 10-80% in about 20 minutes at up to 200 kW, while independent battery replacement and upgrades are pitched as protecting residual value in vehicles that often stay in service for decades.

Danny and Derek speak with Jonathan Cheng, China bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, about the Christian origins of North Korea's founding ideology and the subsequent personality cult. The discussion explores missionary Samuel Moffat's work in Pyongyang, the conversion of Kim Il-sung's family to Christianity, Christian nationalism during Japanese colonial rule, the turn toward socialism, Kim's postwar personality cult, and how Christianity informs the Kim family's rule today. Be sure to grab a copy of Jonathan's book Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea's Personality Cult.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of Flame Bearers, guest host Dana Mathewson speaks with Japanese wheelchair tennis superstar, world number one, and newly minted Career Golden Slam winner Yui Kamiji on capturing her elusive first Wimbledon singles title, adapting to an increasingly powerful era of tennis, and finding mental clarity under intense pressure. Fun fact: To get pumped up before a big match, Yui listens to Eminem's "Not Afraid," and considers staying in high-grade tour hotels one of her favorite parts of traveling. She shows us that true championship performance stems from deep gratitude for your team and holding onto the simple joy of the game.

Enroll here: acidhorizonpodcast.com/ahrc-courses. Use code 3FOR2FALL2026 at checkout for three courses at the price of two.Were the philosophers of the Kyoto School fascist collaborators, or were they meeting in secret with the Imperial Navy to try to stop a war? Fernando Wirtz and Takeshi Morisato join Craig for a primer on Japan's most influential and most contested philosophical tradition, from Nishida and Tanabe through Miki Kiyoshi and Tosaka Jun. The conversation covers what "nothingness" actually means in Japanese thought and why it isn't Heidegger's, how Miki tried to collapse reason and unreason into a logic of imagination, and what tenkō, or forced ideological conversion, did to a generation of Marxist intellectuals. It closes on the newly surfaced Ōshima Memo and the question of what it costs to think under fascism.Books mentioned in this episodeMiki Kiyoshi, The Logic of Imagination, translated by John W. M. Krummel (Bloomsbury Studies in World Philosophies)Itabashi Yūjin, Nishitani's Philosophy of the Body (Bloomsbury Studies in World Philosophies)Nishida Kitarō, An Inquiry into the Good (Zen no Kenkyū)By our guestsŌhashi Ryōsuke, The Kyoto School and the Japanese Navy, translated by Takeshi Morisato (Bloomsbury Studies in World Philosophies, forthcoming)Fernando Wirtz, Myth and Ideology: An Essay on Philosophy of Political Action in Japan (2023)Support the showSupport the podcast:AHRCCurrent classes at Acid Horizon Research Commons (AHRC): acidhorizonresearchcommons.comAHRC Course Archive: https://www.acidhorizonpodcast.com/ahrc-course-archivesSubmit your course proposal: acidhorizonresearchcommons@gmail.comMore LinksWebsite: https://www.acidhorizonpodcast.com/Linktree: https://linktr.ee/acidhorizonAcid Horizon on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acidhorizonpodcastBoycott Watkins Media: https://xenogothic.com/2025/03/17/boycott-watkins-statement/Subscribe to us on your favorite podcast: https://pod.link/1512615438Merch: http://www.crit-drip.comSubscribe to us on your favorite podcast platform: https://pod.link/1512615438LEPHT HAND: https://www.patreon.com/LEPHTHANDHappy Hour at Hippel's (Adam's blog): https://happyhourathippels.wordpress.com​Split Infinities (Craig's Substack): https://splitinfinities.substack.com/​Music: https://sereptie.bandcamp.com/ and https://thecominginsurrection.bandcamp.com/

Here's a pattern you might recognize: you see a problem clearly, you know you can help, you have something to contribute. You offer it and it doesn't land. Did they even hear you? Your personality type has been shaping your style instincts your whole life. But those same instincts are pointing at something bigger than your closet. There's a Japanese concept called ikigai: the reason you get up in the morning. Its four questions are what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. The hardest question to answer from the inside is "what does the world need?" It feels too vast, too external to grab onto. Your personality type answers it. What you notice as broken in the world is not random. It's filtered through your type. Your fixation is the wound you keep seeing. Your superpower is the response to it. Knowing how to dress for congruent visibility is the most direct path to being found by the people whose problems you were made to solve. This episode connects your type, your closet, and that intersection. Because the world's problems need everyone who was made to help solve them to be visible and findable. Let's connect! Have you found yourself in other style systems, but shopping and getting dressed still isn't easy? Schedule a Style System Synthesis call! To suggest a podcast topic, send email to hello@signaturestylesystems.com. Want to learn more about how to discover your Style DNA? Get started with The Congruence Code.

The US has announced a new round of sanctions targeting Iran's oil, shipping, weapons and financial networks. Also, Washington has removed Syria from its “State Sponsors of Terrorism” list, paving the way for more foreign investment. And, Colombia's president is calling for a major immigration crackdown, one that would largely affect Venezuelan immigrants. Plus, a thousand Japanese people have together pulled a 400-year-old castle about three feet closer to where it originally stood. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

If you're creating content — YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, a podcast, whatever — and it's not turning into money, I want to tell you something that might sting a little: it's not an algorithm problem. It's not a consistency problem. It's a words problem. You're posting. You're showing up. But most of what's coming out of your mouth or off your keyboard isn't the kind of content that actually gets people to buy. Here's the thing nobody tells you: people don't pay for information anymore — they can get that anywhere for free. What they pay for is life. And there are three specific kinds of words that create it. Once you know what they are, you'll know exactly why your content hasn't been converting — and exactly what to say instead. Chapters 00:00 Content isn't a algorithm problem, it's a words problem02:08 Words as a tool for creating life and connection03:31 The metaphor of the tree of life in words05:12 People pay for life, not information06:04 Infusing life into relationships, health, finances, and hobbies07:25 The influence of Myron Golden and feeling alive09:07 Three types of words: healing, hopeful, helpful10:19 Healing words mend the heart and address pain12:27 The power of storytelling and emotional connection14:09 Hopeful words reignite dreams and optimism16:18 Helpful words guide action and application18:37 The role of wisdom and actionable content20:39 Encouragement and the power of small drops of hope21:49 The importance of guiding actions with helpful words23:56 Wisdom as a tree of life in content25:38 Storytelling frameworks for engaging content27:21 The importance of actionable takeaways in content28:41 The three-step content wealth machine29:50 Focusing on one person, one platform, one payoff33:55 Case study: helping Japanese speakers improve English pronunciation

Dan speaks with Firas Modad about the strange, possibly self inflicted decline of Germany and Japan.

The Supreme Court hands President Trump a win on mail-in ballots. The US threatens sanctions on countries with economic ties to Iran. Today is expected to be the final day of testimony in the Lindsay Clancy trial. The FDA clears a new blood test help detect Alzheimer's disease. Plus, a Japanese company makes wearable air-conditioning vests for pets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tokyo-born Lisa Katayama took her parenting techniques with her to Northern California and found that what Japanese culture had to offer was quite useful when it came to raising kids. We discussed the pain points of parenting, how she puts her ideas into practice, and how she pulled off writing a book in the midst of all of it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of GuildSomm: Into the Glass, host and Master Sommelier Chris Tanghe speaks with Master of Wine Bree Stock about what's happening in Oregon, including Method Oregon, a peer-based organization setting the standard for traditional method sparkling wine throughout the state.  Be sure to check out all the latest content on GuildSomm.com! Yasha Lysenko wrote an excellent article on the Japanese wine industry, and Master of Wine Bryce Wiatrak shared an MW essay on how typicity plays a role in evaluating wine quality.  Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving us a review, as it helps us connect and grow the GuildSomm community. Cheers!

新しいepisodeしか聞いていない人のために自己紹介。100の質問を作ってみました&答えてみました。質問はこちら↓https://ruby-s.net/100.html【日本語ポッドキャストリレー進行中！】https://ruby-s.net/jpr/-------------------------------------------------------------------コーヒー1杯ぶん、応援してもらえたらうれしいです ☕スクリプト・メンバーシップ・トピックのリクエストもこちら。For scripts, membership, and topic requests:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ruby-s.net/support/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your support helps me keep creating “just-right” Japanese episodes.-------------------------------------------------------------------【台湾関係の Podcast『一起用日文聊天吧！』】［YouTube］https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTpkAQuWvG9ToTiloA7bQsuoiSI5Z2Axq［Spotify］https://open.spotify.com/show/6C1BaqAKGXLrVclws2LAHb?si=2_5u0bbMSp-8wCMa6ICstQ［Apple Podcast］https://podcasts.apple.com/jp/podcast/%E4%B8%80%E8%B5%B7%E7%94%A8%E6%97%A5%E6%96%87%E8%81%8A%E5%A4%A9%E5%90%A7/id1895769003

If you’ve ever doubted whether you still had the “music in you,” to take a bold leap at midlife, this conversation with Edi Matsumoto offers proof that reinvention is possible. After 30 years as a nurse practitioner and disallusioned by the health care system, Edi traded in her stethoscope for a paintbrush. We talk about the moment she realized her calling had shifted, the leap of faith that led her to open her own gallery in California, and how a whimsical concept called “Otter Therapy” became a genuine source of joy and healing for thousands of people. In this episode, you'll discover: Why burnout and disillusionment can be the universe’s way of pointing you toward your next chapter, not a sign that you’ve failed. How Edi found her niche by paying attention to what people genuinely responded to, not just what she thought she “should” be painting. Why the Japanese concept of ikigai offers a simple framework for midlife reinvention. How community, like Edi’s monthly “Carmel Bohemian Club” gathering, became essential fuel for staying the course when self-doubt crept in. About My Guest Edi Matsumoto spent nearly 30 years as a nurse practitioner before leaving healthcare in 2021 to become a full-time artist. She’s the creator of “Otter Therapy,” a series of whimsical fine art pieces that reimagine beloved paintings and portraits with sea otters. She’s also the owner of own gallery in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Edi is the author of “Otter Therapy” and hosts a monthly community gathering for local artists called the Carmel Bohemian Club. Connect with Edi Website: edimatsumoto.com Email: edi (at) edimatsumoto.com Book: “Otter Therapy” available on Amazon and in bookstores Resources & links mentioned: The concept of ikigai – a Japanese framework for finding life’s purpose Carmel Bohemian Club – Edi’s monthly community gathering for local artists Watch more conversations like this one, completely free, on New Reality TV. Consciousness, healing, the paranormal, the unexplained, all in one place. Available on Roku, FireTV, iOS, and Android. newrealitytv.com Design Your Life, Your Way – next steps: Learn more about working with Gloria Grace Rand at gloriarand.com Explore the Life On Purpose Accelerator: lopa.cc If this episode spoke to you, leave us a review. Follow/subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. Share this with a friend who's navigating transition, reinvention, or a fresh start after 50. Connect with me on LinkedIn @GloriaGraceRand to continue the conversation about midlife, meaning, and living on purpose.

Sony's mishandling of its games-as-a-service initiative is well-worn territory here on Sacred Symbols, but that doesn't mean the fallout doesn't persist. This time around, Guerrilla's new multiplayer title Horizon: Hunters Gathering is the focal point. Based on recent reporting, it appears Sony is having the dev team rework the game to remove live service and other persistent elements, and its fate will be decided by December, with cancellation still very much on the table. Bungie and Marathon, Haven and Fairgames, Firewalk and Concord, Naughty Dog and The Last of Us Online, the Deviation-turned-Dark Outlaw project, Bluepoint and God of War Online, a cancelled multiplayer Spider-Man game at Insomniac, Twisted Metal never getting far off the ground at Lucid... Truly, it's enough already. Plus: Until Dawn star Hayden Panettiere sadly passes away at 37 years old, Grand Theft Auto VI suffers a catastrophic leak, Hiroko Totoki talks to the Wall Street Journal about Sony's move away from tech and towards entertainment, Square Enix swears Kingdom Hearts IV will launch in 2027, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Is Naughty Dog's high-caliber approach ultimately unsustainable? Have we lost sight of the reality of how bad the experience of using physical media actually is? How can we both run Sacred Symbols effectively while ignoring the endless, persistent, and unrealistic negativity? Will Colin ultimately push Dustin over the line by insisting he's Japanese? Timestamps: Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00 - Intro39:18 - Shoutout to Chris and Porter50:08 - "Dustin is Japanese"52:26 - Drinking in the pool1:03:09 - Digital ownership brother in arms1:09:27 - RIP Hayden Panettiere1:15:08 - GTAVI Leaks1:44:20 - Horizon: Hunters Gathering is being reworked2:28:31 - Hiroki Totoki Literature Club interview2:42:15 - Sony's shovelware purge gone wrong?2:55:21 - Kingdom Hearts IV releases late 20273:01:28 - Terranigma port3:05:32 - Pulse Elevate speakers coming in November3:07:53 - Call of Duty beta includes campaign level3:09:44 - Simpsons Hit and Run returns?3:14:25 - July US sales data3:18:42 - What We're Playing (Beast of Reincarnation, Spider-Man 2, Mortal Shell 2)3:40:39 - Toxic fandoms3:56:42 - Enshittification across media4:06:53 - Curbing your expectations4:20:17 - Is Naughty Dog unsustainable?4:24:14 - Is America AAA game dev dead?4:30:34 - Was physical media a nightmare? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This podcast is sponsored by Earn Haus.  More information at www.EarnHaus.com/Bobandtom The BOB & TOM Show — August 24, 2026 6:00 Orange Barrels — Todd Snider6:04 May I have a piece of chest? — Pat's friend to his date6:11 Saw Garth Brooks in concert — Kristi — He was rock and roll6:21 Tom exploded a tire6:22 Letter — Pat was great in person — sorry about Jordan6:24 Signed a coozi — Pat6:25 My little heckler song — Pat Godwin6:26 Letter — A Penny farthing race in Ohio — Chick6:31 Letter — Mauri Povich and Connie Chung have a kid6:32 Letter — Rotating stairs = escalator6:34 Letter — Loves Jess Hooker breakfast sandwich6:36 $6,500 nursing home — Pat wants more info6:37 Coffee shop on the Staten Island Ferry6:49 Her daughter buys accessories for dispensaries — Kristi6:50 In studio — Jeff6:50 Elderly people smoking in nursing homes6:51 Alligator clips talk6:54 My mom's friends are doing gummy bears6:56 You don't even tell your dogs no — Jeff to Tom 7:08 Letter — Want any of this to wife — she said sure — we can do a quickie7:09 Letter — Loves Josh's laugh — sounds like Phyllis Diller7:24 Letter — Enjoyed your moving all your worldly possessions in your car story7:33 Old-fashioned toilet as a planter story — Tom7:37 Tom chipped a tooth7:50 Modern versions of snakes in a can 8:07 Shock pens8:14 Woman is star of show Sheriff Country8:25 Shimmy Shimmy song/copyright8:32 Robot Running World Record reaction8:35 David Rush record with balloons8:50 Today in History8:50 "Boosey" talk8:53 Marlee Matlin birthday — Chick 9:07 Sexual humor9:08 Breastfeeding discussion — Kristi9:11 Calamari on the highway — Pat Godwin9:13 Squid ink mayo9:31 Weird merch9:38 We're still friendly with the Japanese, right? — Tom9:48 Rock bands that sold games9:50 Bikini humor9:52 Had a fart that sounded like it was looking for the right note — Josh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Watch every episode ad-free & uncensored on Patreon: https://patreon.com/dannyjones Professor Jiang (Xueqin Jiang) is a teacher in China who has a popular YouTube channel @PredictiveHistory that covers philosophy, politics, education, and geopolitical forecasting. SPONSORS https://hims.com/danny - Get simple online access to personalized & affordable care for hair loss, ED, weight loss, and more. https://quo.com/danny - Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months. https://irestore.com/djp - Use code DJP to unlock your best hair, skin, & body plus HUGE savings. https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/zralgyl0 - Download Cash App today. https://whiterabbitenergy.com/?ref=DJP - Use code DJP for 20% off. EPISODE LINKS Professor Jiang's channel:  @PredictiveHistory Substack: https://substack.com/@predictivehistory *NEW* DJP MERCH https://dannyjonespodcast.com FOLLOW DANNY JONES https://www.instagram.com/dannyjones https://twitter.com/jonesdanny OUTLINE 00:00 - Danny confronts Jiang on being CCP spy 05:06 - Why Chinese people are so good at math 10:15 - The video that made Professor Jiang viral 13:44 - WeChat, the Chinese super-app 17:31 - Misconceptions about life in China 19:35 - China's one-child policy 25:40 - Raising kids in U.S. vs. China 29:49 - American food is poisonous 32:00 - Apple's Chinese factories are like prisons 35:38 - Chinese launders money for Mexican cartels 42:09 - How Xi Jinping and the CCP came to power 49:10 - Importance of the "Creative Class" in a global economy 56:02 - The most sensitive topic in China right now 57:37 - Xi Jinping is losing control of China 01:05:27 - The China-Taiwan dilemma 01:14:34 - Japan's Quad alliance 01:17:02 - China is in a lot of danger 01:18:38 - The Chabad-Lubavitch movement 01:19:27 - The Clean Break Memo 01:24:21 - The Jackson-Vanik amendment 01:28:43 - Henry "Scoop" Jackson & Rebbe Schneerson 01:35:36 - Most powerful Zionist in American history 01:43:37 - Rebbe Schneerson meets Netanyahu 01:50:46 - How Mark Zuckerberg REALLY made his money 01:56:23 - Mark Zuckerberg's connection to Rebbe Schneerson 02:05:59 - Kushner family's connection to Netanyahu & Trump 02:13:20 - Rebbe Schneerson & mysteries of the Bible 02:21:25 - Kabbalists believe the Holocaust was God's punishment 02:27:31 - Building the Third Temple in Jerusalem 02:35:31 - Natalie Harp believes Trump is Jesus 02:38:00 - Gog & Magog 02:42:59 - Laura Loomer's meeting with Ukraine's Chabad rabbi 02:46:15 - Why Trump invaded Iran 02:52:59 - The Iran & Ukraine wars are about to merge 02:59:35 - The Japanese yen carry trade 03:05:22 - American general's confession about foreign invasion 03:10:41 - How Trump gets a 3rd term 03:18:01 - Butler assassination attempt was a "ritual" 03:24:10 - Rothschilds' connection to religious elites 03:35:43 - Strangest details about Jeffrey Epstein 03:45:35 - The redacted Epstein files around 9/11 03:51:50 - History is about to repeat on free speech 03:55:25 - Jiang's 10-year prediction Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last time we spoke about the reaction after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. After four years of fighting Japan almost alone, China's Chiang Kai-shek learned of Pearl Harbor with profound relief. Japan's attack, meant to neutralize American naval power, instead galvanized the entire Western world against Tokyo. Within hours, Chiang declared war on the Axis powers, transforming China from an isolated nation to a recognized Allied member. The strategic mathematics were clear to Chiang: America's industrial might would ultimately crush Japan. China simply needed to survive long enough. The United States quickly formalized this partnership, pledging military support through Lend-Lease and elevating Chiang to leadership of Allied forces in the China theater. Yet Pearl Harbor brought catastrophe for Western civilians in China. Americans and Britons, previously protected as neutral foreigners, were suddenly rounded up and interned in camps. For many, decades of presence in China ended in hasty evacuation, leaving behind lives built over generations.   #216 The Battle of Hong Kong Part 1: The Approaching Storm 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. Japan emerged as a significant threat to British interests during the 1920s following the collapse of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. This concern intensified dramatically after Japan's invasion of China, with the ensuing Sino-Japanese War escalating tensions further. British assets in the region came under direct assault, including attacks on Western military and commercial vessels such as HMS Ladybird. Yet despite these provocations, the British Government maintained an inconsistent stance toward Japan, responding with only feeble diplomatic and military countermeasures. This contradiction characterized London's approach: while diplomatic channels remained conciliatory, military planners viewed Japan with genuine apprehension. During the 1930s, Singapore and Malaya represented Britain's most valuable and prosperous holdings in the Far East and consequently received substantial garrison reinforcements. By contrast, Hong Kong was widely acknowledged to be indefensible—a conclusion reached repeatedly by successive military studies. Despite this consensus, the British Government proceeded with the Hong Kong Defence Scheme in 1936, which aimed to transform Hong Kong Island into a fortified redoubt while establishing delaying positions in Kowloon and the New Territories. The Hong Kong Garrison's mandate was straightforward: repel external attacks and prevent enemy use of the harbour and dry dock. The underlying strategy relied on a simple principle: hold Hong Kong Island as an impregnable fortress and await relief from the Royal Navy. Consequently, protecting the harbour became the paramount objective. Japanese strategists were correctly identified as Hong Kong's primary threat, with military planners anticipating attack from the sea rather than overland. To counter such an offensive, the defence scheme incorporated five successive layers of protection: naval mines fitted with indicator nets and anti-submarine booms formed the first barrier; coastal artillery provided the second; beach installations featuring pillboxes, wire entanglements and mines constituted the third; infantry strongpoints positioned on commanding heights guarded against amphibious landings; and finally, a mobile reserve force stood ready to counterattack and eliminate any successful enemy incursion. The 1936 plan also mandated extensive fortification of Kowloon's bottleneck approaches through bunkers, trenches and blocked passages, with a principal defensive line—resembling a miniature Maginot Line—constructed across the mountains immediately north of Kowloon. The garrison structure comprised three infantry battalions plus the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC), a unit approximately regiment-strength equipped with armoured cars, engineers, artillery, anti-aircraft guns and infantry. These forces organized into three brigades: mainland, island, and garrison reserve. The air component was planned to be formidable: a reconnaissance squadron, a fighter-bomber squadron, two torpedo squadrons and a flight of auxiliary spotting aircraft operated by the HKVDC. Naval forces consisted of a modest destroyer contingent, an MTB flotilla, gunboats and patrol vessels. When Japan occupied Guangzhou, Hong Kong found itself effectively encircled. In response, limited conscription was implemented, though restricted to non-Chinese males for HKVDC service. Chinese personnel were largely confined to non-combat positions such as air-raid precautions and medical duties. The expanding Japanese threat prompted a substantial expansion of the Hong Kong Garrison to four regular infantry regiments—two British units (one specializing in medium machine-gun support) and two Indian regiments. Supporting forces included two coastal artillery regiments, a field artillery regiment-plus, and an anti-aircraft regiment. The Royal Navy expanded to include the 2nd MTB flotilla (eight 60-foot, 29-knot motor torpedo boats armed with twin torpedoes and eight Lewis guns each, plus two smaller 55-foot vessels), four shallow-draught river gunboats (HMS Cicala, Tern, Moth and Robin), four aging World War I S-class destroyers (HMS Thracian, Thanet, Scout and Tenedos—the last transferred to Singapore in 1939), HMS Cornflower sloop, and various auxiliary vessels including tugs, boom defence ships and minelayers. The Fleet Air Arm deployed three Supermarine Walruses—single-engine reconnaissance amphibians—at Kai Tak Airport. The Royal Air Force remained the weakest service, equipped with only four Vickers Wildebeest torpedo-bombers and a handful of HKVDC aircraft: one Avro Tutor, two Hornet Moths and two Cadet biplanes. When World War II erupted in Europe, Britain's focus necessarily shifted to national survival, inevitably leaving distant imperial outposts like Hong Kong neglected. Rather than receive reinforcements, Hong Kong actually lost capable personnel; many veteran troops were repatriated to Europe, leaving behind a less proficient garrison. Peacetime duties had proven a poor preparation for combat—officers and men had passed their time socializing rather than maintaining combat readiness. Governor Sir Geoffrey Northcote persistently urged London to adopt a firmer stance against relentless Japanese provocations: aircraft incursions, sinking of junks and fishing vessels, and infiltration by Taiwanese fifth columnists (Japan had colonized Taiwan in 1895). Recognizing the hopelessness of his position, Northcote recommended withdrawal in October 1940, arguing that defending the colony would inevitably result in mass civilian casualties and widespread destruction—a pragmatic assessment given Hong Kong's indefensible state. London categorically rejected this proposal, reasoning that withdrawal would demoralize China, embolden Japan and undermine American confidence in British resolve. Underlying this decision was an additional consideration: the long-standing dispute over Hong Kong's sovereignty. Since Britain acquired Hong Kong in 1841, the prospect of surrendering it, even temporarily, raised fears about reclaiming it afterward. Preserving the appearance of British determination was deemed crucial to demonstrating to Chiang Kai-shek, Nationalist China's leader, that Britain intended to retain the territory. Despite these political calculations, London consistently refused fresh troop deployments. Major-General A. E. Grasett, the China theatre commander, requested reinforcements only to face rejection—London offered only Indian or other colonial forces. Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, appointed British commander in the Far East in 1941, likewise pressed for garrison strengthening, to no avail. The situation shifted dramatically after Grasett, a retired Canadian who had recently left his China post, travelled to Britain via Canada. Upon arriving in Canada, he independently approached his former classmate Major-General Crerar, Chief of the Canadian General Staff, and advocated for reinforcement. Grasett argued persuasively that deploying two or more additional battalions would enable the Hong Kong garrison to withstand an extended siege. When Grasett reached London in early September 1941, he presented this case directly to the British Chiefs of Staff, simultaneously proposing that Canada could provide the extra units. His arguments proved persuasive; the Chiefs of Staff altered course and convinced a reluctant Churchill to reconsider. In light of accelerating Japanese pressure, Britain substantially enlarged the Malaysia/Singapore garrison from nine to 32 battalions and despatched two capital ships—HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse—to the region, reasoning that this show of force would deter Japanese aggression against British Far Eastern interests, including Hong Kong. The original defence strategy envisaged holding Hong Kong Island exclusively while denying the harbour to attackers. A single battalion (the Punjabis) would execute delaying actions across the New Territories, followed by a three-battalion defensive stand on the Gin Drinkers Line. This brief mainland resistance would allow time for demolishing stores, power installations, docks and wharves, clearing food stocks and removing vital matériel before withdrawing to Hong Kong Island for a protracted resistance awaiting relief from Singapore or American forces from the Philippines. The Gin Drinkers Line—styled after the French Maginot Line in miniature—ran approximately 18 kilometres south of the Sino-Hong Kong border. Beginning near Gin Drinkers Bay west of Kowloon, it extended 17 kilometres across the Kowloon Peninsula hills toward its eastern extremity. The strategic expectation was that this line would delay the Japanese assault for three weeks or longer, permitting battalion withdrawal to Hong Kong Island for sustained resistance while mainland forces completed evacuation procedures. The 1937 war plan stipulated that four battalions would be necessary for an effective delaying action and seven for an adequate Gin Drinkers Line defence—figures which excluded the aircraft and naval support essential to success. With only a single army brigade available and virtually no air capability, planners abandoned the mainland defence concept, leaving defensive works incomplete and deteriorating under tropical conditions. Chinese personnel were conspicuously absent from initial war preparations and strategic planning, only being incorporated late in the process. The largest Chinese component was the volunteer contingent serving with the HKVDC. On the regular army side, approximately 150 Chinese recruits were enlisted in mid-1941 for the 5th Anti-Aircraft Regiment. The Hong Kong Chinese Regiment, hastily constituted on 3 November 1941, comprised officers borrowed from British and Indian units alongside 52 Chinese junior NCOs and other ranks with minimal training. A Royal Engineers troop staffed entirely by Chinese soldiers saw service, and some Chinese personnel served with the Royal Navy and Dockyard Defence Corps. Chinese participation increased substantially in auxiliary services—air-raid precautions, auxiliary police, nursing, St John Ambulance and fire brigades. This reluctance to fully integrate Chinese forces likely reflected prevailing attitudes of the era. Pre-war British propaganda had frequently mocked Japanese military capability, portraying officers and soldiers as myopic and incompetent. Japanese combat prowess was systematically underestimated; their victories in China were attributed to facing inferior opposition rather than evidence of genuine military strength. Japanese weaponry was dismissed as inferior to European standards. Consequently, British confidence remained high that the colony could hold indefinitely if adequately reinforced. In September 1941, Hong Kong received heartening news: two additional Canadian battalions would be deployed to the garrison. Brigadier John Maltby promptly revived the pre-war plan for defending the Gin Drinkers Line, developing a strategy centred on three mainland battalions (2nd Royal Scots, 5/7 Rajputs and 2/14 Punjab) supported by HKVDC elements and four artillery troop detachments, while three island battalions (1st Middlesex, Royal Rifles of Canada and Winnipeg Grenadiers) bolstered by the bulk of the HKVDC would hold Hong Kong Island. Command responsibility was divided between two brigades: the Island Brigade (Hong Kong Infantry Brigade) under Brigadier Lawson, a recently arrived Canadian, and the mainland Kowloon Infantry Brigade under Brigadier Wallis. The Canadian regiments arrived on 16 November 1941. Maltby was commissioned into the Indian Army in 1911, and  saw extensive service across multiple campaigns: World War I, the Persian Gulf (1913–14), and the North-West Frontier (1923–24). His early promise earned him selection for accelerated advancement through prestigious staff colleges at Quetta and RAF Andover. By 1937, he was again serving on the North-West Frontier, and by 1939 commanded both the 3rd Jhelum Brigade (later the Calcutta Brigade) and the 19th Infantry Brigade in Deccan. In 1940, posted to China, Maltby orchestrated the closure of the North China Command by withdrawing two infantry battalions from Shanghai. Promoted to major-general as GOC China in August 1941, he had only three months to prepare the colony's defenses, a race against time he could not win.  The Gin Drinkers Line occupied a naturally dominant position atop mountains spanning northern Kowloon's breadth, yet possessed inherent weaknesses that would prove fatal. The line lacked defensive depth and remained vulnerable to flanking manoeuvres, with two sectors representing particular danger: Customs Pass and the gap between Golden Hill and Laichikok Peninsula near Gin Drinkers Bay. Given the extended front, each battalion arranged its forces in a string of platoon positions with gaps covered by daytime fire and nighttime patrols. One company per battalion could be held in reserve within prepared positions guarding the most dangerous sectors. The reserve company of the centre battalion (2/14 Punjab) initially advanced as forward troops, screening demolition operations and delaying the enemy's initial thrust. The hasty decision to establish mainland defences meant that essential support systems—communication networks, artillery registrations, mortar calibrations—remained incomplete when combat commenced. Ammunition shortages compounded the problem. For instance, the 2/14 Punjab conducted only a single 3-inch mortar practice session before the attack; adequate ammunition arrived only in November and totalled a mere 70 rounds per battalion for both training and combat. These mortars were registered for the first time in their battle positions, with combat beginning just 12 hours later. The 2-inch mortar situation was even more desperate: troops received live ammunition only as fighting started, making their baptism of fire an actual combat situation. Transportation deficiencies—trucks and animals in short supply—forced manual ammunition transport across Hong Kong's challenging terrain, imposing severe physical demands on already stretched personnel.   On 6 November 1941, Imperial Japanese Headquarters ordered its Commander-in-Chief in China to prepare plans for capturing Hong Kong. The 23rd Army, part of the China Southern Expeditionary Army Group and commanded by Lt. Gen. Sakai Takashi with Maj. Gen. Kuribayashi Tadamichi serving as Chief of Staff, would form the invasion's backbone. All preparations were to be completed by the end of November 1941. The operation, designated 'Operation C', sought to 'seize Hong Kong within ten days'. Takahashi was the son of a factory worker, and rose through the ranks to become a veteran of China campaigns. He was tasked with capturing Hong Kong using the 38th Division normally assigned to the Southern Expeditionary Army Group. Despite setbacks and humiliation over requests for additional resources—particularly following intelligence reports of tanks (actually Bren carriers) in Hong Kong—Sakai remained determined to succeed. He served as Governor of Hong Kong from 26 December 1941 to 20 February 1942. Kuribayashi, best remembered as the Japanese commander at Iwo Jima, graduated from the Army Academy in 1914 specializing in cavalry. He served as deputy military attaché to Washington and Canada and studied at Harvard University. In December 1941, he held the position of Chief of Staff to the 23rd Army during the Hong Kong operation. Operation C followed a straightforward strategic framework. A blocking force would prevent Chinese interference from the rear, while the main invasion force would spearhead the assault. The 23rd Army, comprising four divisions plus a mixed brigade and two infantry regiments, received the assignment to attack Hong Kong. Of these four divisions, only the 38th played a substantive role in the invasion itself. The attack employed a combined-arms approach. Naval forces would establish a blockade and deliver bombardment while aircraft targeted key installations. Ground forces from the 38th Division—specifically the 228th, 229th, and 230th Regiments—would execute the land invasion using a three-pronged strategy. The right column would sweep westward in a wide arc, clearing Castle Peak Road and targeting the western flank of the Gin Drinkers Line near Laichikok Peninsula. The centre force would press directly through the line's middle, while the left column would cross Tidal Cove (Tolo Harbour) toward Kai Tak Airport and eastward toward Devil Peak, a crucial defensive position. The objective was to annihilate British forces on the mainland and compel Hong Kong's surrender through sustained bombardment. Should British forces resist, the island phase of the campaign would commence. Securing the rear against the Chinese National Army of the 7th Military District and Communist guerrillas fell to the 66th Regiment, normally part of the 51st Division but attached to the 38th for this operation. The 66th would simultaneously occupy and secure rear areas throughout the New Territories and Kowloon while the three assault regiments engaged the main defensive forces. This rearguard operation was organised into columns named after their commanding officers: Kitazawa, Kobayashi, Sato, and Araki. The Japanese selected the narrowest approach between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, targeting the eastern coast near Lyemun Passage where only 410 metres of water separated the mainland from the island. Upon landing, forces would rapidly advance inland to seize the critical junction of Wongneichong Gap, then pivot westward and southward to capture Victoria City and the remainder of Hong Kong. The naval contingent divided into two groups: the Bombardment Group and the Attack Group. Approximately 300 personnel from the Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) were attached to the invasion force. Air support came from the First Air Brigade under Col. Habu Hideharu, which contributed 56 light bombers and fighters. Their mission was to neutralise the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, thereby securing aerial and maritime superiority for the ground campaign.   On the eve of war, the British garrison numbered 13,981 all ranks, including nursing staff and St John Ambulance personnel. Of these, 8,919 were British and Canadian, with 4,402 Indian and Chinese. The core infantry force comprised 5,422 regular soldiers, complemented by approximately 6,000 additional personnel across artillery, engineering, naval, and Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps (HKVDC) units. By 1941, the Royal Navy had become a shadow of its former self as the once-dominant China Squadron. Of the three World War I destroyers present on 8 December, two had been sent to Singapore—the third undergoing repairs—by 1930. This redeployment stemmed partly from the futility of defending the colony and partly from a commitment by senior US Navy officers: Britain would reinforce Singapore with Hong Kong's fleet in exchange for four American destroyers at Singapore. This American guarantee, however, never materialized. The defensive infrastructure focused primarily on countering a seaborne attack: twenty-nine coastal guns (9.2in., 6in., 4.7in., and 4in. calibres), ten 18- and 2-pounder beach defense guns, and twenty-eight field guns (60-pounder, 6in., 4.5in., and 3.7in. calibres). The Hong Kong Garrison's infantry comprised four regular army battalions—two British and two Indian—bolstered by five HKVDC infantry companies, each averaging 100 men. The 1st Middlesex Regiment, deployed in August 1937, served as a machine-gun battalion equipped with forty-eight Vickers medium machine guns. Having been abroad since 1931, the regiment had deteriorated through protracted garrison service, Hong Kong being among the softest postings available. From September 1939 onward, all regiments—including the 5/7 Rajputs (arrived June 1937) and the 2/14 Punjab—experienced systematic loss of experienced officers and NCOs to other theaters. The Royal Scots proved particularly hard hit, suffering disciplinary problems and an unusually high court-martial rate. Units like the Hong Kong and Singapore Royal Artillery suffered critical leadership gaps that went unaddressed. By December 1941, many formations fielded inexperienced replacement troops, significantly undermining combat readiness. The Punjabis exemplified these deficiencies. Stationed in Hong Kong since November 1940, they received their vehicles and mortars only in August 1941—three months before combat. Compounding this, forty percent of their strength consisted of raw recruits arrived just in October. When war erupted, artillery regiments found themselves relying on junior officers in senior roles, with British commanders unfamiliar with Urdu directing Indian troops, a handicap that severely compromised effectiveness. Deficient equipment compounded leadership shortages. Shells dating from 1918 detonated prematurely upon discharge, while ammunition shortages crippled operations. On 8 December, all field guns deployed with merely 100 rounds apiece, with 200 rounds held in reserve for the entire campaign, and coastal guns received only 25 rounds each. Insufficient cross-training meant many infantrymen failed to understand the artillery "clock face" targeting system, causing them to miss their objectives. Malaria devastated European troops, particularly the Royal Scots. Of approximately 770 personnel, at least 180 suffered recurring malarial episodes from the Shing Mun Redoubt area's notoriously endemic conditions. Staff shortages forced nearly every unit to promote junior officers to positions beyond their rank, exacerbating structural weaknesses. Although the Canadians' arrival bolstered the garrison, significant handicaps undermined their effectiveness. Both battalions carried a C-class designation—deemed unfit for foreign service—having spent years in soft garrison postings without rigorous training. The deficit was stark: each Canadian soldier received only thirty-five rifle practice rounds. The two battalions incorporated 115 men with fewer than sixteen weeks' training, while sixty-two of seventy-five recruits joining the Winnipeg Grenadiers in June came directly from a training depot lacking even basic rifles. Twelve percent of the Canadian force remained untrained. Equipment deficiencies proved even more damaging. A standard 1941 Canadian infantry battalion required 102 motor vehicles—including twenty-two Universal Carriers, thirty-seven ¾-ton trucks, thirteen 1-ton trucks, thirty-one bicycles, and twenty-two Boys anti-tank rifles. When the Canadians landed, logistical failures left them with only six Bren carriers, two water tankers, twelve ¾-ton trucks, and a single Boys anti-tank rifle. Although they carried 3in. mortars, neither ammunition nor radios accompanied them. Canada possessed only 300 3-inch mortar bombs in its entire inventory at that time, making any allocation to Hong Kong impossible. A second vessel, the SS Don Jose, was dispatched with replacement vehicles and equipment but never reached Hong Kong before 8 December. The Japanese seized it en route to Manila. Despite these shortcomings, the force departed on 27 October with 1,975 men and arrived on 16 November. Intelligence estimates regarding Japanese available forces varied widely, ranging from two to four divisions. On 6 December evening, Chinese reports confirmed the previous day's arrival of three Japanese divisions at Buji township, located eight miles from the border in what is now Shenzhen. Earlier, around 1 November, a Japanese deserter provided intelligence of significant troop concentrations north of the frontier, including large-calibre artillery indicative of at least divisional strength.   The Hong Kong invasion force comprised three service branches: the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) deployed the 38th Infantry Division, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) committed the Second China Fleet, and the Imperial Japanese Air Force (IJAF) contributed the 1st Air Group. Command of the ground assault rested with Lieutenant-General Sano Tadayoshi of the 38th Division, supported by Major-General Ito Takeo heading the infantry group, while supporting arms including artillery, engineers, armor, and transport fell under Sano's authority. The main assault force consisted of three infantry regiments from the 38th Division, each led by a colonel: the 228th under Doi Teihichi, the 229th under Tanaka Ryosaburo, and the 230th under Shoji Toshishige. The 38th Division itself was a standard 1940s B-class infantry division of approximately 20,000 troops (ranging from 18,000–21,000 depending on operational requirements), organized into three regiments with three battalions each. Reflecting the Japanese army's reliance on animal and human transport, each regiment fielded roughly 3,800 troops supported by some 700 horses. Battalion strength averaged around 1,071 personnel, with companies numbering approximately 180 men. Japanese infantry battalions of this period featured a distinctive organization: rifle platoons consisted of four sections (three equipped with rifles and light machine guns, one with light mortars and rifles), complemented by an additional heavy machine-gun company fielding twelve Type 92 weapons and a troop of light artillery—likely Type 92 70mm infantry guns. The divisional field artillery regiment operated 75mm Type 41 mountain guns organized into three 688-man battalions, each with two troops of two guns. Mountain artillery units, numbering 36 guns total, carried additional personnel (3,400) and animals (1,400) to navigate the terrain complexities of Hong Kong operations. Recognizing the need for overwhelming firepower to compel Hong Kong's surrender, the IJA augmented the invasion force with heavy artillery—15cm and 24cm howitzers commanded by Major-General Kitashima Kineo. News of the Canadian reinforcements arriving in Hong Kong forced a reassessment. Commander-in-Chief Sakai Takashi of the 23rd Army informed his superiors that the original ten-day timeline was unrealistic and requested additional troops. Although most formations were already committed to other operations, Imperial Headquarters eventually authorized two depot regiments from Japan to support the campaign. Intended for second-line duties rather than frontline combat, these units were to be returned promptly after freeing experienced personnel for Hong Kong operations. This arrangement allowed the 19th and 20th mixed brigades—approximately 6,000 men organized in five infantry battalions, a field artillery battalion, and an engineer battalion—to be released for Hong Kong. However, Sakai's request for reinforcements met with disapproval from Imperial Headquarters, and he received an unmistakable message: a swift, decisive campaign was essential. His situation worsened when Japanese agents mistakenly identified British Bren carriers as tanks, forcing Sakai to improvise armor by raiding the 1st Reserve Tank Battalion and tankette units from infantry depot divisions. In attempting to secure additional armor from the 11th Army's 9th Reconnaissance Regiment, Sakai encountered resistance. General Hata Shunroku lodged sustained complaints with senior officials, and Sakai received a sharp rebuke—further requests would not be entertained, and his replacement would follow if necessary. Stung by this loss of face, Sakai abandoned all additional requests and became even more determined to achieve success. Vice-Admiral Niimi Masaichi, commanding the 2nd China Expeditionary Fleet, oversaw the entire naval element, divided into bombardment and attack groups. His flagship, the light cruiser Isuzu, carried Captain Ura Koichi, who simultaneously commanded the bombardment group. This naval force assembled ships from various China Expeditionary Fleet units, particularly from the Canton Special Base Force, 15 Squadron, and 11 Torpedo Boat Division at Guangzhou. Reflecting Niimi's lack of confidence in the army's air support capabilities, the seaplane tender IJN Kamikawa Maru joined the operation on his insistence, providing organic naval aviation against the threat posed by British Wildebeests. Niimi also petitioned for destroyers IJN Wakaba and Yugure to counter the three British destroyers, though this request was denied. The Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) were assigned to conduct diversionary attacks south of Hong Kong Island, intended to distract British forces from the main land invasion thrust. The IJAF's 1st Air Brigade, commanded by Colonel Habu Hideharu, centered on the 45th Air Regiment with 34 Kawasaki Ki-32 Type 98 'Mary' light bombers. This composite force drew aircraft and units from airfields across China and Manchuria—Beijing, Shanghai, Taiwan, and Qiqihar—all assembled at Baiyun Aerodrome in Guangzhou on 7 December 1941. Supporting the 1st Air Brigade were the 10th Independent Squadron under Captain Takatsuki Akira with 13 Nakajima Ki-27 Type 97 'Nate' fighters, 3 Mitsubishi Ki-15 Type 97 'Babs' command reconnaissance aircraft from the 18th Independent Reconnaissance Squadron, and the 44th Independent Squadron fielding 6 Tachikawa Ki-36 Type 98 'Ida' observation aircraft. Years before the invasion, the Japanese cultivated an extensive network of agents and sleeper operatives in Hong Kong, methodically gathering intelligence and mapping military installations. This sophisticated network proved remarkably effective: invasion maps carried by IJA officers were actually Hong Kong Government and British military maps, overprinted with Japanese annotations and interpretations. British officers later discovered in captivity that the Peninsula Hotel's regular barber was a Japanese Navy lieutenant-commander who had exploited the intimate setting to extract valuable information about British force dispositions. Intelligence operatives infiltrated every level of Hong Kong society—the garrison tailor and barber both served as spies. This groundwork enabled exceptional accuracy in artillery fire and bombing campaigns. The Japanese further leveraged criminal networks, recruiting gangsters throughout Hong Kong and Guangdong province with money and arms, turning them into irregular auxiliaries supporting the invasion.   On Sunday, 7 December, seven hundred members of the 2nd Royal Scots and Middlesex Regiment marched to St John's Cathedral for the morning service. As Major-General Maltby read a passage from Matthew, his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant I. MacGregor, delivered an urgent message that would change everything. Preparations for conflict had already begun. On 5 December, the HKVDC had mobilized fully, yet Hong Kong's broader population remained unmoved—the Happy Valley racetrack reported record attendance that very day. The contrast was stark: while one institution prepared for war, another celebrated as though nothing threatened. Japanese forces had been positioned advantageously since autumn 1941. The 23rd Army was already stationed west of Guangzhou, with contingents scattered across Foshan Town, Zhuhai, and other locations on the Pearl River delta. Upon orders for war on 1 December, they faced minimal distances to cover. The army regrouped at Humen, Shilong Town, and Guangzhou itself—staging areas for the invasion. The first visible signs arrived on 4–5 December when Japanese forces landed at Mirs Bay; the 228th Regiment moved into its staging area at Buji Town, now part of Shenzhen City. Maltby received these reports and immediately departed the cathedral service to issue urgent stand-to orders. Yet skepticism persisted within military circles. Some dismissed the threat, dismissing such intelligence as "astonishingly erroneous." Meanwhile, the Imperial Japanese Navy massed in the waters beyond Hong Kong's horizon. The Kowloon Infantry Brigade held a stretched defensive line: the 5/7 Rajputs anchored the centre, the 2/14 Punjab the east, and the 2nd Royal Scots the west. Forward positions extended far—C Company, 2/14 Punjab, under Major S. Burns ranged along Castle Peak Road toward Yuen Long. The brigade screen, C Company of the 2/14 Punjab, held Shueng Shui and Taipo Market with four Bren carriers and two armoured cars from the HKVDC, backed by engineers and the 22nd Fortress Company. The Hong Kong Infantry Brigade held Hong Kong Island itself. The Winnipeg Grenadiers occupied Victoria City on the north-west coast, while the Royal Rifles of Canada stretched along the north-east shores from Saukiwan to Lyemun. Brigadier Lawson commanded from his headquarters at Wongneichong Gap in the island's centre. At 0355 hours on 8 December, the code word "Blossom Blossom" was transmitted. Eleven minutes later, Lieutenant-General Sakai ordered the invasion to commence. Fifty minutes after that, at 0445 hours, Major Charles Boxer—a fluent Japanese speaker formerly of the Lincolnshire Regiment—was roused by Radio Tokyo announcing that war was imminent. Governor Young and Major-General Maltby were informed at once. By 0500 hours, the forward demolition points had been blown by Major Gray, OC of C Company 2/14 Punjab, and the HKVDC engineers under Major J. H. Bottomley. At 0645 hours, the garrison received formal notification: Britain and Japan were at war. Seventy-five minutes later, air-raid sirens wailed. Within moments, smoke billowed from Kai Tak Airport as Japanese aircraft destroyed virtually the entire air garrison. The Wildebeests, Walruses, HKVDC biplanes, and several civilian planes were engulfed in flames. Only two Ju-52s of the Eurasia Corporation and one CNAC T-32 Condor escaped destruction—dispersal bays had never been built due to lack of funds. The Japanese then turned to secondary targets, bombing Shamshuipo Camp and the neighbouring police station. The Canadians suffered few large-scale casualties in the initial strikes, though Sergeant Routledge and Signalman Fairley of the signal platoon were wounded—the first Canadian soldiers injured in World War II. Remarkably, Hong Kong Island's theatres, cinemas, and restaurants continued operating as though the island faced no peril. Japanese demolition efforts proved only minor obstacles. Bridges blown were quickly replaced. The invasion proceeded on three fronts: the 230th Regiment advanced westward along the northern route toward Yuen Long and Castle Peak, targeting the northern slope of Tai Mo Mountain. The 228th Regiment drove down the centre, following the Sheung Shui–Taipo–Kowloon road toward Grassy Hill north of the Shing Mun Redoubt. The 229th Regiment, crossing at Sha Tau Kok and by boat at Starling Inlet, proceeded via Taipo toward Tai Shui Hang and Ma On Mountain. Whenever confronted with strongly defended positions, the Japanese bypassed them entirely rather than engage. The first day brought scattered but spirited resistance. Around 1300 hours, the Punjabis inflicted the first serious check, drawing blood from advancing Japanese forces. At 1830 hours, they ambushed and decimated several Japanese platoons south of Taipo market town. The HKVDC's armoured cars and Bren carriers struck similar successes nearby. The 2 Royal Scots' reconnaissance platoon clashed with elements of the 229th Regiment around Yuen Long. Despite these minor victories, Japanese momentum continued. Armed with stolen British maps and guided by fifth columnists, they pushed forward relentlessly. By late afternoon on the 8th, the Punjabis withdrew toward Grassy Hill to avoid being outflanked. The artillerymen of the 12th Battery engaged an IJN destroyer and Japanese forces around Taipo, inflicting heavy casualties. Farther south near Shatin, on the Taipo–Kowloon highway, rapidly advancing Japanese troops surprised the defenders and severed the fuse at an HKVDC demolition point. Their triumph proved momentary; the engineers completed the backup circuit and detonated the bridge, destroying it along with the Japanese soldiers crossing it. By early morning on 9 December, orders came to withdraw all mainland units to the Gin Drinkers Line. The Punjabis, already at Shatin Wai overlooking Tide Cove, held their position under pressure and continuous shelling for the next two days. The HKVDC withdrew to Fotan, a village south of Shatin. Maltby ordered D Company, 5/7 Rajputs, under Captain H. R. Newtons to Smuggler's Ridge to close the gap between the 2 Royal Scots and 2/14 Punjab. HKVDC armoured cars and Bren carriers continued patrols along Castle Peak Road while HMS Cicala, having survived two air attacks, maintained station in Castle Peak Bay. Despite an IJN blockade, the destroyers HMS Thanet and Scout slipped anchor and escaped to Singapore around 2130 hours. The surviving CNAC and Eurasia aircraft took off with high-value evacuees: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's widow and her two equally renowned sisters—the Soong sisters—along with Chinese Finance Minister H. H. Kung. Also departing was Lieutenant-Colonel H. Owen-Hughes of the HKVDC, who carried orders to coordinate with the Chinese Nationalist Army for a rear-guard attack on Japanese forces to relieve the pressure on Hong Kong. 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. On 8 December 1941, Japan attacked Hong Kong with the 38th Division, supported by naval and air forces. Despite British defenses manned by undertrained, under-equipped troops, Japanese forces advanced rapidly across three fronts. Within hours, the RAF was destroyed, demolitions proved futile, and British units withdrew toward the Gin Drinkers Line facing overwhelming odds.

Shigeko Ito is a Japanese-born educator and mental health advocate with a PhD in Education from Stanford University. She is the author of The Pond Beyond the Forest, a memoir exploring childhood emotional neglect, intergenerational trauma, and the long path toward healing. Drawing on lived experience and cross-cultural insight, she offers a deeply honest and moving story of resilience, punctuated by moments of levity and hope.In This EpisodeShigeko's websiteShigeko Ito on InstagramThe Pond Beyond the ForestBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.---Thank you to our Sponsors: Jane App - use code GUY1MO at https://janesoftware.partnerlinks.io/ngvcwcxqt2jx-4afv8i (https://jane.app/book_a_demo)Beducated - Complete the quiz for one month free https://beduc.at/pd2633-traumatherapist

In this episode, Jason explains why focusing on people, process, and product quality can drive stronger business results. Instead of chasing sales first, he argues that improving what you deliver creates growth naturally. Jason shares how continuously improving Super PM Boot Camp, Lean simulations, training systems, and client support led to stronger demand and larger events. He connects this experience to the Japanese approach of prioritizing people, process, and quality, and explains why continuous improvement does not stop once something is "good enough." What you'll learn in this episode: Why focusing on product quality can generate stronger demand and business growth. How continuous improvement can transform a training program, service, or product over time. Why reaching one level of excellence often reveals another level of improvement. How prioritizing people, process, and quality can create better outcomes for both clients and the business. Are you spending more energy trying to grow the business, or making the product so remarkable that growth follows naturally?   If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode.  And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two

Today's story: Scientists at the University of Minnesota built a synthetic cell entirely from non-living chemical ingredients. Called SpudCell, it can absorb nutrients, copy its genetic code, divide into two, and even show natural selection over several generations. However, it still depends on scientists to supply key cellular machinery, cannot reproduce forever, and does not always pass on a complete set of DNA. Researchers hope this fully documented cell will help them understand how life works and eventually develop engineered cells that can produce fuels, plastics, or medicines. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/893Get the full story and learning resources: https://plainenglish.com/893--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

What is the future of security in Asia as Japanese lawmakers head to China? Then: Canada’s tariff war with the US, Kazakhstan’s elections, fashion archives from around the world and rentrée littéraire in France.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's story is an adaptation of a Japanese legend, written for you by Grace Hinds. It's a story about a goddess named Amaterasu and her younger brother Susanoo. She goes to Amanoiwato, Heaven's Rock Cave, after an argument with her brother. Draw us a picture of what you think any of the characters in this story look like, and then tag us in it on instagram @storiespodcast! We'd love to see your artwork and share it on our feed!! If you would like to support Stories Podcast, you can subscribe and give us a five star review on iTunes, check out our merch at storiespodcast.com/shop, follow us on Instagram @storiespodcast, or just tell your friends about us! Check out our new YouTube channel at youtube.com/storiespodcast. If you've ever wanted to read along with our stories, now you can! These read-along versions of our stories are great for early readers trying to improve their skills or even adults learning English for the first time. Check it out.