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Click here to send me a quick message :) Traditional intact cultures, and systems like Ayurveda and TCM, all include not only physical and emotional healing but also speak to how the energetic layers of our beings impact our healing, too.Whether it's tuning into the medicine of the wheel of the year like Summer Solstice (the expansive, invigorating sunlight) or the harmonious dance of Yin and Yang or the subtle energies from the Vedic lens of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, every system holds its own wisdom. What matters most is how these subtle energies truly impact us, what we notice, what we feel affinity towards and what works for each of us as unique individuals.The dance of light and dark, contraction and expansion, the underworld and above world, are part of the necessary path to healing. Without one we cannot have the other. I explore all of this in depth and share some reflective prompts and share some examples of herbs and foods that can help you cultivate some of the subtle energies as well. This was a total riffing episode, so I hope it offers some little gems for at least one of you since it just sort of flowed through!Resources:Today's shownotes: Subtle energies on your path to radiant wellbeingFree guide to Gardening for Your Hormonal HealthEpisode 172: What is vibrational medicine? Flower essences & mantraIf you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdomAnd if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you. ❤️DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I'm an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.
UKTS Podcast Episode 276 played LIVE @ Hackney Studios, LONDON A journey through melodic, progressive and uplifting trance! TRACKLIST 1. Simon Leon - The Slow Dusk (In Search of Sunrise 18) 2. J Ribbon - Man on Fire 3. Ferry Corsten, Ruben De Ronde, AVIRA, NRG2000 - Rise Up 4. BLR - Bonaire 5. Estiva, Jess Ball - Carnal Emotion (Fehrplay Remix) 6. Marcel Vautier -Without You (Hausman Remix) 7. Simon Leon - Waiting for the night (bootleg rework) 8. Nitrous Oxide, Farius - Eterna 9. First State, Anita Kelsey - Falling feat. Anita Kelsey (Dave Neven presents OCATA Remix) 10. SGNLS, OTTAGON - Right Now feat. SGNLS 11. Simon Leon, Christina Novelli, Daniel Kandi - Haunted 12. Atlantis - Fiji (Oliver Smith Remix) 13. Somna, Yang, MIDI Kittyy - No Need to Hide 14. Armin van Buuren, Orjan Nilsen - Belter 15. DIM3NSION, EGGSTA - Shattered 16. Kyau & Albert, Maywave - 1000 Years 17. Super8 & Tab - Helsinki Scorchin' 18. Andy Moor, Somna, Brieanna Grace - I'm Alive 19. Factor B - Sea of Thoughts (Club mix) 20. Yang, Spencer Newell, MIDI Kittyy - Love I Didn't Need 21. Amy Wiles - Dreamland 22. Andy Moor - Safe On Both Sides (Daniel Kandi remix) 23. First State, Anita Kelsey - Falling feat. Anita Kelsey (Craig Connelly Remix) 24. Alan Fullmer, Eyla, Mark Yula - One 25. Transaphonic, HASZSALII - Dream Come True
Eastern Philosophy describes a peace that is found when we fast our minds to release preconceived judgments and get out of our own way. The Taoist Philosophy of Joy teaches that when we are disharmonized with the world, we feel it physically and emotionally, becoming susceptible to being too rigid or totally submissive. But Taoism and happiness aren't just intellectual thoughts to be debated; they are our natural flow. By aligning ourselves with the natural current of existence, we naturally step into effortless living. To discuss the crossroads of Eastern philosophy and effortless living, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen welcomes Professor of Philosophy and author, Dr. Robin R. Wang, PhD. Dr. Yang describes the Taoist principles that offer a short lesson of ancient wisdom for our modern world from her acclaimed book, Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
In this episode, Dr. K is joined by his wife, Kruti (Mrs. K), for a special Call-In style Q&A to celebrate Mental Health May. Together, they discuss the launch of the new Guide to Love, Sex, and Relationships and take a deep dive into community questions regarding attachment styles, the neurobiology of love, and the practical hurdles of modern "adulting". What to expect in this episode: The Yin and Yang of Partnership: Dr. K and Kruti reveal how their vastly different personalities—extroverted vs. introverted and material vs. spiritual—create a balanced relationship through shared accountability and a similar moral compass. The "Adulting" Burden: A look at why modern life feels so overwhelming and why the amount of responsibility carried by individuals today has "ballooned disproportionately" compared to previous generations. Self-Worth and the Playground Shadow: An analysis of how childhood bullying creates a primitive drive for conflict avoidance that can sabotage adult self-esteem until you learn to "hold your ground". "Dark Magic" vs. "Pink Magic": Why using professional "map-hacking" communication skills (dark magic) can actually backfire in romance, and why new daters should instead embrace "pink magic"—the playfulness and boyish joy of being in someone's presence. The Neurobiology of Love: A technical breakdown of the four-part equation for sustainable love involving passion (dopamine), bonding (oxytocin), comfort (serotonin), and sacrifice. Escaping the "Match Made in Hell": How anxious and avoidant partners can navigate gridlocked conflicts by quantifying their needs on a scale of 1 to 10 and recognizing that their tensions are often a "karma" designed for spiritual growth. The Hybrid Build Advantage: Why being a "jack of all trades" is a major competitive advantage in a late-stage capitalist economy and how "wasted time" on diverse skills often leads to the most successful career paths. Action vs. Outcome: Why the quickest way to suffer in life is to focus on outcomes you cannot control rather than the internal actions that you can. Dr. K's NEW Guide to Love, Sex, & Relationships is here! Order now: https://bit.ly/4dO3x0VHG Coaching : https://bit.ly/46bIkdo Dr. K's Guide to Mental Health: https://bit.ly/44z3SztHG Memberships : https://bit.ly/3TNoMVf Products & Services : https://bit.ly/44kz7x0 HealthyGamer.GG: https://bit.ly/3ZOopgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do you think AI will have an impact on science? You are wrong. It will not–it already does. The annual International Conference on Information Systems received over 1,000 more paper submissions this year. Our main journals report a 20%, 40%, or even 100% increase in submission numbers. This could be great if these papers were good, if we simply saw more and better research being produced. Problem is: We don't. What we see is an AI slop tsunami of less readable papers, hastily produced, with marginal insights if any. How should we handle this situation? We discuss a few possible levers on the supply and demand side of research that we as a field could implement. References Gartenberg, C., Hasan, S., Murray, A., & Pierce, L. (2026). More Versus Better: Artificial Intelligence, Incentives, and the Emerging Crisis in Peer Review. Organization Science, 37(3), https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2026.ed.v37.n3. Ho, S. Y., Recker, J., Tan, C.-W., Vance, A., & Zhang, H. (2023). MISQ Special Issue on Registered Reports. MIS Quarterly, https://misq.umn.edu/call_for_papers/registered-reports. Liang, W., Zhang, Y., Cao, H., Wang, B., Ding, D. Y., Yang, X., Vodrahalli, K., He, S., Smith, D. S., Yin, Y., McFarland, D. A., & Zou, J. (2024). Can Large Language Models Provide Useful Feedback on Research Papers? A Large-Scale Empirical Analysis. NEJM AI, 1(8). https://doi.org/10.1056/AIoa240019 Saunders, C. (2005). Editor's Comments: Looking for Diamond Cutters. MIS Quarterly, 29(1), iii–viii. Tyner, A. H., Abatayo, A. L., Daley, M., . . . Errington, T. M. (2026). Investigating the Replicability of the Social and Behavioural Sciences. Nature, 652(8108), 143–150. Dennis, A. R., Valacich, J. S., Fuller, M. A., & Schneider, C. (2006). Research Standards for Promotion and Tenure in Information Systems. MIS Quarterly, 30(1), 1–12.
On the surface, the main characters in Kelly Yang's new novel, “The Take,” have little in common. Ingrid Parker is a rich, white, female movie producer who has paid her dues and scrapped her way to position of power in Hollywood. Maggie Wang is a young, broke, Asian American writer who is desperately looking for approval and a break. But what they share is an an awareness of time: Ingrid doesn't have enough. Maggie is impatient for it to move faster.When a medical experiment ties the two together, their individual assumptions about ambition and aging and mentorship and power are challenged. How much are they each willing to sacrifice in the quest to succeed? Yang, who is mostly known for her middle-grade books, including the wildly successful “Front Desk” series, says she wrote her first adult novel because she needed to process what she experienced firsthand in Hollywood. She talks about that and much more with Kerri Miller on this week's Big Books and Bold Ideas. Guest: Kelly Yang is a New York Times bestselling author of over 15 books for kids and teens, including the “Front Desk” series. “The Take” is her debut adult novel. Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.
In this episode, Skye Sturgeon explores the TCM pattern known as Cold in the Uterus and its role in gynecological and reproductive health. He discusses how Cold, Yang deficiency, Blood stagnation, and lifestyle factors may contribute to menstrual irregularities, pelvic pain, and fertility challenges.Skye also examines classical treatment strategies, including acupuncture approaches and herbal formulas such as Shao Fu Zhu Yu Tang and Wen Jing Tang, while bridging traditional Chinese medicine theory with modern biomedical perspectives on hormonal balance and reproductive function.You can access the article here: https://www.mayway.com/blogs/articles/cold-in-the-uterusSee our Monthly Practitioner Discounts https://www.mayway.com/monthly-specialsSign up for the Mayway Newsletterhttps://www.mayway.com/newsletter-signupFollow ushttps://www.facebook.com/MaywayHerbs/https://www.instagram.com/maywayherbs/
We're taking another game break, which means it's time for some pure, unadulterated nonsense! Vki and Vka are back with another round of Otome Superfight, but this time, we're doing things a little differently. Instead of pulling from multiple worlds, we are confining the chaos to Burlone residents only.That's right, it's a total Piofiore Massacre.We didn't just stop at the main Love Interests either—we threw the side characters into the ring too. Because why should Yang and Gilbert get all the "glory" when we can pit the rest of the mafia (and the church and the police) against each other in ridiculous hypothetical battles?How badly will the sisters bend the laws of physics and logic to make sure their favorites survive? Who gets completely nerfed by a hilarious handicap, and who walks away unscathed? Will Vka lose again because her sister always finds a way to make her concede? It is literally impossible to be serious during this episode, so come pull up a chair and see if you agree who wins each round of Otome Superfight!This episode is sponsored by RipReaderhttps://ripreaderapp.com/Games discussed: Ikemen Villains, PiofioreNone of the games or characters discussed belong to us.Support the show
The lads open with the Wu-Tang connection (RZA has this high on his all-time kung fu list), then jump straight into what makes this film such a riot: a betrayed warrior clan, relentless set-piece combat, and some of the most creative pole/staff fighting you'll ever see.They unpack the story of the Yang brothers being ambushed, the surviving brothers' trauma and vengeance, and Gordon Liu's turn as the Fifth Brother as he channels rage into monk training before the movie detonates into a legendary finale.Highlights from the discussion include:The iconic Shaw Brothers set design and stylised battle stagingThe “remove the wolf's teeth” monk philosophy becoming literal in the climaxThe insane physicality of the cast and practical stunt brutalityThe coffin-room/bar showdown as an all-time kung fu finaleBy the end, it's a full house: huge enjoyment, massive respect for the craft, and a strong recommendation for anyone into action cinema history.You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at baddadsjsy@gmail.com or on our website baddadsfilm.com. Until next time, we remain... Bad Dads
一名叫齐林的摄影师，在2021年、经历人生多重打击后，跑到肯尼亚北部，开启了一场地狱级别的荒原跋涉——他和一位叫马丁的桑布鲁族向导，牵着一头叫“齐沛石”的骆驼，沿着东非大裂谷、从南到北徒步了700公里。更多齐林的沿途摄影作品请于公众号“壮游者”相关推送里观看。口误纠正：37分11秒开始，桑布鲁族（Samburu）的割礼应为每14年一次；每7年为一个年龄组的是邻近部落Gabra族。故事节点07:10 肯尼亚不止是草原 11:26 一头叫“齐沛石“骆驼22:26 小技巧：如何与骆驼相处25:33 来自桑布鲁族的向导马丁36:51 从“割礼”到勇士“莫兰”44:41 部族冲突从哪里来？49:09 白人高地和矛矛起义59:14 一次被“抢劫”的经历01:08:58 “齐沛石”逃出来了壮游者齐林：扎根非洲十余年，前央企驻外人员，搞摄影，拍纪录片，也写作。2026年，其首部旅行文学作品《骆驼日记：徒步纵穿肯尼亚》由商务印书馆出版。主播Yang:一个向往去野的户外小白。壮游者是一档独立播客，很需要你的支持。1、商务合作请邮件至zhuangyouzhe@126.com,或者添加微信“zhuangyouzhe2018”2、请通过ZFB账号zhuangyouzhe@126.com对“壮游者”进行赞助；也可通过微信公众号“壮游者”文章(本期相关细节图片也在文章里呈现)下方的“喜欢作者”以及节目下方的“赞赏”对单期节目进行赞助。3、请订阅、转发、评论和点赞节目，并在你使用的收听平台为“壮游者”专辑打五星好评。加听友群可微信添加"zhuangyouzhe2018"，与主播和听友直接交流。谢谢你，让我们有机会一起前行。
Marriage: Mass weddings held across regions to promote simple ceremonies多地举办集体婚礼倡导婚事简办Couples across China are rushing to tie the knot on Wednesday and Thursday — May 20 and May 21 — two dates that sound like "I love you" when said aloud in Mandarin, with marriage registration slots fully booked weeks in advance in several major cities.全国多地情侣争相在5月20日和5月21日登记结婚——这两个日期的中文谐音均为“我爱你”。多个大城市的婚姻登记预约名额早在数周前就已约满。In Chinese, "520" is pronounced similarly to the Mandarin equivalent of "I love you", making May 20 a sought-after day for registering marriages. The following day, May 21 — or "521" — carries a similar meaning, offering a popular and much-needed alternative.在中文里，“520”的发音与“我爱你”相近，因此5月20日成为情侣登记结婚的热门日子。紧随其后的5月21日（“521”）同样寓意美好，为那些错过首日的新人提供了一个同样受欢迎且急需的备选。All slots in the 15 marriage registration offices in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, were fully booked for May 20 by the first week of this month, as they were in Shenzhen. In Nanjing, Jiangsu province, more than 1,400 couples had reserved May 20 as their chosen date by late April, with scenic registration sites such as the Confucius Temple already at capacity. Some locations were fully booked for May 21 as well.截至5月第一周，广东省广州市15个婚姻登记处5月20日的预约名额已全部约满，深圳的情况同样如此。在江苏省南京市，截至4月底已有超过1400对新人预约了5月20日登记，夫子庙等风景优美的登记点早已满额。部分登记点5月21日的名额也已约满。Wuxi, another city in Jiangsu, has no online slots left for May 20, though local authorities said that couples could still register as walk-ins.江苏省无锡市的5月20日线上预约名额也已告罄。不过当地民政部门表示，新人仍可现场直接办理登记。For one Beijing-based couple, securing a May 20 slot required a midnight digital scramble. Guo Xiangyu, 30, a doctoral student from Xi'an in Shaanxi province, and Yan Xin, 34, an internet worker from Baoji, also in Shaanxi, booked their appointment two weeks in advance. The couple and both sets of parents logged into the system at midnight across PCs and mobile devices, and Yan managed to secure a slot. "We expected it to be crowded, so we feel very lucky," she said.对北京的一对新人而言，抢到5月20日的登记名额需要一场午夜“数字鏖战”。30岁的郭翔宇（音译）是陕西西安人，目前是一名博士生；34岁的闫昕（音译）来自陕西宝鸡，从事互联网工作。两人提前两周就预约了登记。当天午夜，他们和双方父母分头用电脑和手机登录系统，最终闫昕成功抢到了名额。“我们早知道会很火爆，所以感觉特别幸运，”闫昕说。In preparation, the couple had completed free premarital medical checks at a Beijing hospital, taken registration photos at a commercial studio and hired a photographer to document their special day near the civil affairs bureau.为迎接这一天，两人事先在北京一家医院完成了免费婚检，在商业摄影机构拍好了登记照，还专门聘请了一位摄影师，计划在民政局附近记录下这个特殊的日子。The pair met via social media, bonding over photography and skiing, and dated for two-and-a-half years before deciding to marry. They chose May 20 partly because its homophone "520" is a declaration of love in Chinese and is often seen as a Valentine's Day equivalent. "We want to celebrate our anniversary and 520 together," Yan said.两人通过社交媒体相识，因摄影和滑雪结缘，恋爱两年半后决定携手步入婚姻。他们选择5月20日登记，部分原因在于“520”谐音“我爱你”，被视为中国的情人节。“我们想把结婚纪念日和520一起庆祝，”闫昕说。Both originally from Shaanxi but living in Beijing for work and study, the couple benefited from a revised marriage regulation introduced in May 2025. The rule ended a decades-old restriction that required people to register their marriage in a place where either spouse's household registration was recorded. Now, couples can marry anywhere in the country without presenting their household registration booklet. "It saved us time and travel costs, and made us feel more connected to Beijing," Guo said.两人籍贯均为陕西，但因工作和学习长期生活在北京。2025年5月出台的婚姻登记新规让他们受益良多。这项政策打破了延续数十年的限制——过去，新人必须在其中一方的户籍所在地才能办理结婚登记。如今，情侣可以在全国任意城市登记结婚，且无需出示户口本。“新规为我们节省了时间和路费，也让我们对北京更有归属感，”郭翔宇说。Thursday or May 21 is the choice of many this year as it coincides with xiao man, or Grain Buds, a traditional Chinese solar term. Song Jian, an engineer from Sichuan province, chose this date over May 20. "The solar term carries a beautiful saying — a modest half-full state is better than perfection," he said. "That fits our relationship well. You don't have to pursue perfection in life; being content with what you have is enough."今年，5月21日也成为许多新人的首选，因为这一天恰逢中国传统二十四节气中的“小满”。来自四川的工程师宋健（音译）便放弃了5月20日，选择了这一天。“小满这个节气有一句美好的说法——‘人生小满胜万全'，”他说，“这正好契合我们的感情。人生不必事事追求完美，知足常乐就够了。”Multiple provincial-level regions have also organized mass wedding ceremonies on and around the two dates to promote simple ceremonies.多个省份还在5月20日及前后组织了集体婚礼，倡导婚事简办的新风尚。In Hainan province, collective weddings will be held on Wednesday at coastal venues, including Coconut Dream Corridor in Sanya and the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site. Zhejiang province hosted a ceremony on Saturday featuring 520 couples, with a main venue in Hangzhou linked to dozens of sub-venues across the province. Guangdong organized military-civilian collective weddings in Guangzhou on Monday, Zhaoqing on Sunday, Foshan on Friday and Zhongshan on Saturday, involving more than 1,000 couples.海南省于5月20日在三亚椰梦长廊、文昌航天发射场等海滨场地举办了集体婚礼。浙江省于上周末举行了一场集体婚礼，共有520对新人参与，主会场设在杭州，与省内数十个分会场联动。广东省则分别在广州、肇庆、佛山、中山举办了军地共建集体婚礼，参与新人超过1000对。"This collective wedding is a celebration that's both sweet and green, without the complicated preparations," one groom, Zhong Zhiyuan, who was part of the Guangzhou weddings, was quoted by the local media as saying.据当地媒体报道，参与广州集体婚礼的一位新郎钟志远（音译）说：“这场集体婚礼既甜蜜又‘环保'，省去了繁杂的筹备。”But not everyone is keen on getting married on popular dates. Yang Xinran, a marketing professional from the Chinese mainland who now works in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, registered her marriage in Beijing last September and deliberately avoided peak days. "As working people, we have to prioritize our schedules," she said.不过，并非所有人都热衷在热门日子结婚。来自内地、现于香港特别行政区从事市场营销工作的杨欣然，去年9月在北京登记结婚时就特意避开了高峰期。“我们都是有工作的人，得优先考虑自己的时间安排，”她说。Yang and her husband picked several possible dates based on their work calendars, then let their parents make the final call. "Even booking a restaurant for an anniversary is hard enough on popular dates — no need to add to the trouble," she said.杨欣然（音译）和丈夫根据各自的工作日程，先圈定几个可能的日期，最后让父母拍板决定。“热门日子光是预约餐厅庆祝纪念日就已经够难了，没必要再给自己添麻烦，”她说。In the past year, authorities processed more than 682,000 interprovincial marriages, official data showed. China saw a significant surge in marriage registrations in 2025, with 6.763 million couples registering, a 10.76 percent year-on-year increase.官方数据显示，过去一年，全国共办理跨省婚姻登记超过68.2万对。2025年，全国结婚登记数量显著回升，共有676.3万对新人登记结婚，同比增长10.76%。slot /slɒt/名额，时段sought-after /ˈsɔːt ɑːftə/热门的，抢手premarital medical checks /priːˈmærɪtəl ˈmedɪkəl tʃeks/婚前医学检查，婚检civil affairs bureau /ˈsɪvəl əˈfeəz ˈbjʊərəʊ/民政局keen on /kiːn ɒn/热衷，喜爱prioritize /praɪˈɒrɪtaɪz/优先考虑
KATA PEMRED #28PinterPolitik.comPada 7 Mei 2026, di sebuah ruangan di Jakarta, sesuatu yang lebih besar daripada rilis resminya sedang dimulai. Sekitar 60 pimpinan holding BUMN berkumpul. Yang memimpin bukan Menteri, melainkan seorang Chief Technology Officer, Sigit Puji Santosa. Yang dibicarakan kelihatan teknis: sovereign AI, sovereign cloud, kesiapan keamanan siber pasca-kuantum, satu gugus tugas bersama bernama Danantara Digital Transformation Task Force.Pertanyaan yang lebih sulit datang belakangan. Apa, sebenarnya, yang dimulai pada hari itu?
There's a conflict in time management and productivity that few people ever talk about. That's the conflict between being productive and being responsive. It's almost like the Ying and Yang of life. A sort of Newtonian “everything has an equal and opposite reaction.” While we may want to shut ourselves away and give our full focus to an important piece of work, there's always someone, somewhere, who wants to interrupt us and keep us from being productive. It's this that we will be looking at this week. Links: Email Me | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Linkedin Learn more and register for the Ultimate Productivity Workshop here. Get Your Copy Of Your Time, Your Way: Time Well Managed, Life Well Lived The Working With… Weekly Newsletter Carl Pullein Learning Centre Carl's YouTube Channel Carl Pullein Coaching Programmes Subscribe to my Substack The Working With… Podcast Previous episodes page Script | 417 Hello, and welcome to episode 417 of the Your Time, Your Way Podcast. A podcast to answer all your questions about productivity, time management, self-development, and goal planning. My name is Carl Pullein, and I am your host of this show. I'm sure we've all been there. We have an important piece of work to complete, and we need a good two or three hours of uninterrupted focus to do it. We block our calendars and pre-plan our day to minimise the risk of anything happening that will interrupt our plan. And then the day starts, you turn up for work, and all hell has broken loose. Bosses and colleagues are in a panic, and you're told you must attend an urgent meeting in twenty minutes. No ifs or buts, you must attend. Argh! It's enough to have you asking what the point is in making plans when this always happens. Well, not so fast. It's just Newton's third law of Motion acting in a way Sir Isaac Newton never expected. The pressure of needing two or three hours of quiet, focused work is matched by the force of people needing your attention right now. Finding the antidote to this phenomenon is what this week's question is all about. So, without further ado, let me hand you over to the Mystery Podcast Voice for this week's question. This week's question comes from Tim. Tim asks, “ Hi Carl, I've tried to do time blocking for years and have never found a way to stick with it. My colleagues always seem to have urgent questions or need me to do something right now. Do you have any ideas to avoid this from happening? Hi Tim, thank you for your question. You may have heard of the concept of manager vs maker (or sometimes producer). A manager's role is to ensure the work is getting done, allocate resources, and hold meetings. A maker's role is to produce the work. The conflict is between the manager's need to know what's happening and the maker's need for uninterrupted time to produce the work the manager is chasing. In my experience working with teams, the best teams are those where managers trust their teams to get the work done. Where the flow of information is smooth and works both ways, and the need for “update” meetings is minimal. The most ineffective teams are those where managers constantly want to know what's happening, are unclear about what they want and by when, and don't protect their team from interruptions. You can tell these managers by the number of “status” meetings they have each week. Every day is full of them. I remember seeing an interview with Toto Wolff, the CEO and team principal of the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 racing team. In one response to a question, he said: “My role is to hire the best people, tell them what I want, and then get out of the way and let them do their work.” Toto Wolff is not an engineer or aerodynamicist, but he is an excellent leader and manager. Many of the software engineers I've spoken with tell me they need about 4 to 6 hours a day to focus on writing code. And even with the help of AI, there's still a lot of focused work required. AI doesn't magically produce code. It needs prompting, the right context given and a clear outcome. And the results need to be carefully checked and tested. A lot of focused work. The answer to many of these issues for the people who produce the work is to use time blocking. Now, time blocking often gets abused. I've seen countless articles and videos suggesting that you block every hour (and sometimes minute) with something. This is wrong. That's not time blocking. That's setting yourself up for failure, bordering on self-abuse. Time blocking that works is when you protect two or three hours a day for deeper, focused work. You then leave the rest of the day open for meetings, interruptions and lighter work such as responding to messages and emails. It's balancing the need for being productive with the need to be responsive. Yet it's also about putting in place barriers that help you get your work done, and communicating to your colleagues and bosses that you cannot be disturbed right now. I've found it's that communication step people struggle with. There seems to be a fear that people will think less of you because you are not available to their every whim when they need you. Complete fallacy. The people in your organisation who get the most respect are the ones who are strict about when they are available and when they are not. They have clear barriers, and no one crosses those barriers. The people who get the least respect and are often the ones left behind on the promotion ladder have no barriers. They are always willing to stop and chat about this, that, and the other. These are the people who end up taking their work home and are always the last to submit on a project. As Jim Rohn said, "When you work, work. When you play, play. Don't mix the two.” The problem here is that when you don't set boundaries and are always available, your bosses feel they have to supervise you more. You get caught in a vicious circle. And because you are always submitting your work at the last minute, you're being interrupted by colleagues and bosses asking how you're getting on. When it comes to protecting time on your calendar for focused work, timing is everything. According to several studies, around 80% of people are at their most focused and creative in the morning. This means, if you want to produce your best work, do it when you are at your most focused and creative. If that is the morning, protect time in the morning and leave your afternoons open for discussions, meetings and other responsive tasks. To give you one example, I have a client who is a software engineer. She's the manager of a team of engineers, and each morning at 8:30 am, they have a 15-minute ‘stand-up meeting' to inform everyone of their plan for the day. (They all follow the Daily Planning Sequence). This informs the team when each of them will be doing their focused work time (usually a three-hour block), what meetings they have, and when they will be available to discuss projects. My client blocks her calendar from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm for doing her focused work, but does allow 9:00 am to 9:30 am to discuss any issues with individual team members or her bosses. Then 9:30 hits, and she shuts down Slack and email, opens up her coding software, and for the next three hours, it's complete and total focus time. Since she and her team adopted this practice, they've never missed a deadline, and no one ever has to take work home. And more importantly, their productivity, as individuals and as a team, has shot through the roof. This has the added benefit of their bosses now knowing not to disturb them during focus time. There's plenty of time to update projects or gather information before and after a focus block. It works. It's balancing the need to be productive with the need to be responsive. And during an eight-hour workday, her team is only unavailable for three hours, not all at once. So there is always someone available to field questions from higher-ups and clients, if necessary. Now, there is another block I would highly recommend, and this one will help to reduce and even eliminate backlogs. This is the communications and admin hour. Let's be honest, Slack and Teams didn't do what they promised. Make communicating between teams and colleagues easier and faster. All these tools have done is take away the immediacy of email, move it to another tool, and made it noisier than email ever was. We still get far too many communications, and far too many low-value and time-wasting messages. The problem today is the one we've faced since the dawn of email: the feeling that we must respond immediately. Now, I'll take you back to the two opposing forces at play in your workday: the need to be productive and the need to be responsive. If you were 100% productive, you wouldn't be communicating with anyone and would be focused solely on your work. If you were 100% responsive, you'd never get any work done, as you'd be responding to interruptions and answering questions and messages all day. So, there's a need to find some balance. In my real-life tests, I've found that if you set aside an hour later in the day to respond to your messages, backlogs rarely occur, and if they do, they remain under control. This only works, though, if you are consistent with this method. You'll never be on top of your messages if you sporadically deal with them throughout the week. But if you consistently spend an hour or so responding to these messages and catching up on relevant threads, you'll never feel overwhelmed, and if things do build up, adding an extra 30 minutes is often all you need to get things under control. Now, let's deal with the elephant in the room. You're open calendar. Time blocking will never work if you do not get control of your calendar and get in first. In other words, your focus block and your communications and admin time should be pre-blocked on your calendar. I've seen people wait until Monday morning to find time to get their productive work done, only to discover their calendar is full of meetings. No, no, no. It doesn't work like that. You have to go into your calendar and begin protecting time today. Perhaps your calendar is now full for the next two weeks. If so, go out three weeks in the future and set up some recurring blocks of time for doing your productive work now. You can change these later if the time you've protected is needed for something important, but if you don't do it now, you will never do it, and the pattern you're stuck in today will be the same pattern you're stuck in in three weeks. I would also recommend setting these up as recurring blocks. That makes your life easier, and you soon come to respect these time blocks. This also makes planning the week simpler. Knowing that you've got a couple of hours each day protected for your productive work, you can assign dates to your work more confidently. I know when I begin the week, that I will have time on Thursday to write this script. I have time protected for doing so. So there you go, Tim. I hope that has helped. Look at the work you do, calculate where your balance between being productive and responsive lies, and then reflect that in your calendar. I mentioned two hours a day for focused work, but if you are in a role that requires you to be particularly responsive, you may only allow one hour a day. But that is far better than nothing. Good luck, and thank you for your question. Thank you to you, too, for listening. It just remains for me to wish you all a very, very productive week.
We talk about the famous Wu Zetian, as well as Kings Munmu, Sinmun, and Hyoso in Silla. These were the rulers at the same time that Uno no Sarara was overseeing things in Yamato. Here we see a bit of tit for tat politics between Yamato and Silla. We also get a tale of personal sacrifice from veterans of the Silla-Tang war against Baekje. For more notes and references, check out our blogpost page: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-149 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua and this is episode 149: Kings, Queen, and an Empress Uno no Sarara and her son, Crown Prince Kusakabe, sat in court. The trappings of the recent mourning period had been put aside with the recent burial of Uno's husband, Ohoama, and they were now preparing for Crown Prince Kusakabe's coronation. However, the matter in front of them had nothing to do with that. Instead, they listened to an official recounting of what had transpired on the peninsula. The court had explicitly sent an envoy to Silla to inform them of Ohoama's death, but it took much longer than it should have for Norimaro and his party to return. There had even been an envoy mission from Silla while they were away. As Uno no Sarara listened intently, she found it harder and harder to keep her emotions in check. She listened as the story of the Yamato mission was told, and as she heard of how her messengers were treated—how they weren't even allowed to tell the Silla court their news all because someone in Silla had decided that they weren't appropriate ambassadors. Silla had finally come to learn of Ohoama's death, and the mission returned home, but this treatment was inexcusable. These were not just Yamato's messengers, they were carrying the royal word of Queen Uno no Sarara, head of the state and de facto ruler as they mourned the loss of her husband and predecessor. To have them kept waiting because of some invented protocol was an affront to the nation, but it was also an affront to her. This. Would. Not. Do... Greetings, everyone! Thank you once again for tuning in. As you may recall, last episode we covered the ceremonies around the death and burial of Ohoama, aka Temmu Tennou, as well as the unceremonious death of Crown Prince Kusakabe, leading to the throne being taken by his mother, Queen Uno no Sarara, aka Jitou Tennou. One aspect of everything that was going on was the relations with the continent. This included missions from Yamato to the continent—especially those involved with communicating information about the changes in the Yamato court. So this episode I thought we could look at some of the things we see in the record and go over where things sat with regards to the continent. First things first, let's brush up on where we left off. Back in episode 140 we talked about how the Silla-Tang alliance had broken down. With Baekje and Goguryeo both defeated, the Tang had set up commanderies to oversea captured territory in both kingdoms, and even though Emperor Tang Taizong had promised Silla suzerainty over Baekje, his successor, Gaozong, had not adhered to that agreement. In response, and with the help of Goguryeo rebels, Kind Munmu of Silla had fought back against the Tang forces, eventually consolidating everything south of the Taedong river, approximating the extent of the modern country of South Korea. Meanwhile, Goguryeo rebels continued to trouble the Tang, and King Bojang set up by the Tang dynasty would eventually betray them, allying with the northern Malgal people. They would continue to fight to restore their sovereignty. With pressure from Silla and Goguryeo, the Tang commandery pulled back from Pyongyang to Liaoyang—effectively putting the mountainous regions at the head of the Korean peninsula between them and their enemies. Silla control was de facto, but would not be recognized formally by the Tang dynasty until the early 8th century. That didn't meant they were completely at odds, however. Silla would resume diplomatic mission to the Tang, despite their territorial disagreements. Silla's King Munmu, who had pushed back against the Tang, was succeed by his son, known as King Sinmun. Sinmun had been Crown Prince during the wars against Baekje and Goguryeo. Much as Ohoama and Uno no Sarara had been doing on the archipelago, he was working to centralize royal authority in Silla. In 681, as Silla was still mourning the death of King Munmu, a rebellion broke out. It was led by a high ranking Silla official, and father-in-law to Sinmun, Kim Humdol. It was quickly put down, and Kim Humdol and other officials who were implicated were executed. This was actually a golden opportunity for the new King Sinmun to help purge the court of any rivals or ministers with less than absolute dedication to his plan to centralize authority. I kind of get the feeling that, for all of the past conflicts between their nations, Sinmun, Ohoama, and Uno might have gotten along quite well. However, that didn't stop the fact that they were rulers of rival nations, and while they may have had similar concepts of leadership, they also were focused on their own rule and authority. To that end, Sinmun also reached out to the Tang court with tribute missions, and in so doing was at least recognized by the Tang court, who enfeoffed him as King of Silla. This appears to have been a bit of polite fiction, but that was how a lot of this operated, ultimately. King Sinmun would have held power in Silla regardless of the Tang court's approval, but the fiction that the court had bestowed his authority no doubt provided some diplomatic benefits, and a context within which to operate on the international stage. It also no doubt allowed for increased trade, bringing in exotic and high status items, which would have been useful for boosting approval ratings back home. King Sinmun ruled until his death in 691. He was succeeded by his son, known as King Hyoso. However, Hyoso was young—about 5 years old when he took the throne. And so his mother, Queen Sinmok, acted as regent for much of his reign—right up until her death in 700. Hyoso ended up reigning for a decade, until 702, meaning that he and his mother reigned throughout Uno no Sarara's period as sovereign in Yamato. Hyoso's reign saw continued progress towards centralization of authority, as well as improved relationships with the Tang court. Silla maintained diplomatic ties and tribute missions, and the Tang court conferred recognition on Hyoso as the King of Silla, in return. Speaking of the Tang Court, Emperor Tang Gaozong passed away before Ohoama had, departing this world in 683. However, for all that he was the emperor, he had not really been the one running things for some time. Gaozong came to the throne at roughly 21 years of age, and throughout most of his reign he had to share power with others in the court. Originally this meant high ranking minister, but there was also his wife, Wu Zhao, aka Wu Zetian. Wu had been a consort under Tang Taizong, and then continued as a consort for Gaozong as well. Then, in 655, she was officially made empress. In 660, Gaozong began to suffer from an unknown illness, characterized by headaches, dizziness, , and occasional seizures and loss of vision. Some have suggested it was a stroke or some form of hypertension. Either way, these symptoms would plague him for the rest of his reign, and so he began to delegate more and more authority to Wu Zhao, who would handle things on his behalf. Thus, Wu was effectively already running things by the time of Gaozong's death in 683. At that point, she became the Empress Dowager, and her third son became emperor Zhongzong—at least in name. Because Wu Zhao maintained all of the power and authority at court. She was, in fact, the regent, and a mere six weeks after Zhongzong took the throne he was removed by his own mother. It seems that Zhongzong, who came to the throne at the age of 28, was showing signs of being a little too much under the influence of his wife, Empress Wei. In fact, he is said to have considered giving her the Empire. And so Wu had him deposed and exiled. She then had his younger brother made Emperor Ruizong, though still under Wu Zhao's term as regent. Ruizong was about 22 when he took the throne under his mother in 684. He would continue to reign until 690, when he abdicated the throne in favor of his mother. From that point on, Wu Zhao ruled as the sovereign for another 15 years, until the year 705, declaring it a return of the ancient Zhou dynasty. In other words, for all of Uno no Sarara's reign in Yamato, another woman, Wu Zhao, sat atop the traditionally patriarchal seat of power in the Tang—and later Zhou—court. Wu Zhao is more commonly known to us, today, as Wu Zetian. This comes from her final title as reigning monarch: Zetian Dasheng Huangdi, or Heaven-following Great Holy Emperor. She is often depicted as a ruthless and politically savvy ruler who usurped the throne through her feminine wiles and violence. We see how she dethroned her own son to avoid him giving up the throne to his wife. She is also said to have had another son killed because of her ambitions, and is even accused of killing her own daughter just to blame a rival at court. She is also depicted performing plenty of other unflattering acts. Of course, it is worth noting that she was not the one to write her own history. After her reign, her epitaph was inscribed by her own political rivals. It is notable that she is the only Empress to be recognized as ruling in her own right in the entire history of China. Certainly there were others who reigned as regents, and women with tremendous power and influence, but none of them really held the throne uncontested. Given the animosity of the authors who wrote about her reign, we have to take anything we hear about Wu Zhao with a bit of salt. On the other hand, Tang dynasty imperial politics were ruthless, and you didn't get to the top because you had a charming demeanor. While there is no doubt more than a little slander written into the history books, one only has to look at the men who ruled before and after her to wonder whether she really did anything that was so much better or worse than what they did. Just keep that in mind as we go through some of what she was accused of. Now what we are told is that with her younger son, Emperor Ruizong, she was only nominally pretending to be regent. She didn't bother to hide behind a screen with him out front and we are told she openly whispered answers and commands that Ruizong would immediately parrot. Ruizong never moved into the imperial suites of the palace, which his mother maintained. Ruizong didn't even attend imperial functions, and officials were not allowed to meet with him privately. An uprising in Yang state was said to be in part because of her rule, and it was suggested that she should step aside and let her son truly rule to restore confidence, but she was having none of it and had those who suggested it arrested. Later, she would institute post boxes around government buildings for people to snitch on those around them who might be disloyal, and she instituted secret police, who investigated various rumors and false accusations with torture, leading to numerous executions. In 685 she is said to have had an affair with a Buddhst monk, Huaiyi, who was then conferred with various honors. Then, in 686, she offered to return the throne to Ruizong, but Ruizong, realizing that there was no way she would let go of power, saw it as a test of his obedience, and declined. In 688 she summoned senior members of the Li Family, the family of the Tang emperors, under the pretense of making sacrifices to the spirit of the Luo river, which flowed through the Eastern Capital of Luoyang. Several of the Princes of the Li house were worried that she was going to slaughter them all, Red Wedding style, if they showed up, in order to secure the throne to herself, and so they plotted to rebel, but coordination was not the greatest back then, and two princes rose up before the others were ready. They were crushed, and many other members of the Li family were implicated, arrested, and forced to commit suicide. In 690, she completely did away with any dissembling and declared a new dynasty—the Zhou dynasty—declaring herself Shengshen Huangdi, or Holy Divine Emperor of the Zhou dynasty. And yes, this is the same Zhou as the ancient Zhou dynasty—she was apparently claiming descent from the ancient rulers of Zhou. Her son was thus deposed and she ruled uncontested from 690 until her death in705. She would go by various names. Three years in and she would add "Jinlun", or "Golden Wheel" to her title, referring to the Buddhist concept of a Chakravartin, or Golden Wheel Turning Monarch. This latter title came in part as she is said to have elevated the foreign religion of Buddhism over the native Taoist religion. She is also said to have built numerous temples around the capital cities and elsewhere. In 692, the rising power of the secret police appeared to have been halted. One of the officials in charge, Lai Junchen, attempted to have a handful of officials executed for false accusastions. He told them that if they confessed to the accusations, their lives would be spared, and so many of them confessed to the false accusations, but Junchen conspired to have them executed anyway. One of the officials was none other than the famous Di Renjie. Renjie wrote a petition on his blanket and then hid that with the laundry that he sent to his family when it was time to change from winter to summer robes. His family found it and submitted the petition to Wu Zhao, who became suspicious of Junchen. For his part, Junchen has submitted forged petitions from the prisoners, thanking Empress Wu for preparing to execute them. Other accusations against Junchen's methods came to light, and so Empress Wu interrogated the prisoners personally. They all disavowed their confessions, and so Wu commuted their sentences from death to exile. Junchen continued to operate until 697, but there seems to have been a notable decrease in the number of executions after that point. He would eventually go too far, and planning to accuse the Li and Wu princes and princesses of treason, but they acted first and he ended up being executed. Without Lai Junchen, the secret police seem to have largely fallen apart. As for Di Renjie, he eventually worked his way back into the good graces of Wu and the court, eventually being recalled to Luoyang to serve. Di Renjie's own legend grew, and in the 18th or 19th century he was recast as a kind of Tang dynasty detective in the historical crime drama genre popular at the time. The book, "Di Gong An", or "Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee", was found by a Dutch Ambassador to China, Robert van Gulik, in a used bookstore in Tokyo, of all places. Van Gulik would go on to translate the stories and penned a number of others using the style and characters of the original. Judge Dee was cast as the "Sherlock Holmes of China" and has since become popular in both China and the West. The first novel in the series was actually set in the time of Empress Wu. Robert van Gulik also had several scholarly works, including a translation of the Tang Yin Pi Shih, a 13th century manual for magistrates with examples of cases spanning approximately 1400 years, from the Qin to Song dynasty. This work really helps to illuminate how the ancient justice system worked back then. Fictional detectives aside, Empress Wu would continue to reign over an impressive period in history. There were plenty of deadly politics, various attacks by outside forces, and more. Overall, it was a fairly prosperous time for the empires. When Wu passed away in 705, her son, Emperor Zhongzong, resumed the throne, ending the Zhou dynasty and resuming the Tang dynasty of the Li family. Still, Wu Zhao, aka Wu Zetian, would be well remembered. She was buried in the Qianling Mausoleum, near Chang'an, alongside her late husband, Emperor Gaozong. Various other members of the Royal Li family were also buried there, and many of their tombs have been opened. The paintings, statues, and artwork and funerary goods provide a tremendously detailed look at Tang court culture and society at this time. Statues outside indicate officials and ambassadors from across the Tang courts sphere of influence. There are depictions of court dress and the elaborate hairstyles, fabrics, and more, as the tombs generally include court men and women. The famous mural of the Ambassadors is shown with Korean, western, and possibly even a Japanese envoy. The murals also show architectural elements of ancient Chang'an and more. The tombs of Gaozong and Zetian clearly known, but currently have not undergone excavation. Much like with the tomb of Qin Shihuangdi, the government has put a moratorium on opening the tombs until they can be sure that everything can be properly protected as they do so. There is a huge concern that the tombs could be robbed or that priceless works could be damaged if they are opened improperly or without sufficient techniques to adequately preserve them. As noted above, although Empress Wu is often demonized by historians, we have to ask if her reign was truly so much different from others. She was certainly a woman taking power in a male-dominated system. Where a man projecting power was seen as normal, Empress Wu was seen as perverting the natural order. An emperor taking to bed numerous consorts and concubines was considered only natural. However, Empress Wu taking to bed various men for her own enjoyment was seen as licentious and indecent. The double-standard seems pretty clear. I even have to wonder about things like the secret police. While it certainly is alarming to see a government sending people out to arrest and charge people on the barest of evidence, often with little or no accountability or transparency, one should consider what justice looked like at the time, more generally. Tang dynasty justice was often harsh, and torture was considered a standard practice to elicit a confession. Once someone was accused of a crime, their guilt was assumed, and it was on them to prove their innocence. This was a tall order, as the thinking of the day was often that if you hadn't done anything wrong, why would anyone risk falsely accusing you? So clearly you had done *something* to disrupt the social order, even if it wasn't what you were actually accused of. Furthermore, there is a fine line between rooting out disloyalty to the regime and rooting out corruption. Anonymous tips can be used to call SWAT to someone's house, but it can also be a way for a whistleblower to alert those in authority that something untoward is going on. And something begun with the best of intentions, can easily be corrupted, especially in the wrong hands. And so I think we can give Empress Wu at least the benefit of the doubt that she seems to have tried to do right by the people and her country. The Tang court, by all accounts, was a nest of vipers, and I don't think she was a saint, but neither was she the devil incarnate. In fact, a lot of the accusations against Empress Wu would appear to be paralleled, years later, in the archipelago—possibly being parroted by men who were aware of the anti-Wu propaganda. Kouken Tennou—who would also reign a second time as Shoutoku Tennou, was embroiled in conflict. Like Wu, she came to power in a court embroiled in familial politics. She was known to be a supporter of Buddhism, and she was also said to have had an affair with a monk, Doukyou, upon whom she is said to have lavished power and authority. She is also said to have modeled her nengo, the auspicious names for the year, off of Empress Wu. After her death, her reign was used as a reason why there was not another regnant female sovereign on the throne until the Edo period, and she is often seen as the Last Female Sovereign, much as there was never another Empress regnant amongst the various Sinic dynasties. However, returning ourselves back to the 7th century, those histories had yet to be written. Instead, one has to wonder how much communication there was between the continent and the archipelago. Did Uno no Sarara realize that she was not the only woman taking charge at that time? Was Empress Wu considered a model for her? Or was she seen as more of a rival? Or was it neither? Did either one regard the other at all, embroiled as they were in their own, local and domestic pursuits? If they did, there isn't much, if anything, in the record. There is plenty to be said about relations with both Silla and the Tang dynasty in general, however. Most of the focus was actually on Silla, to be honest—not surprising given Silla's place in the international arena in relation to Yamato. Last episode we mentioned that an embassy was sent to Silla to announce the death of Ohoama. It was only several months after he had passed away, on the 19th day of 687. The chief and assistant envoys were Tanaka no Ason no Norimaro and Mori no Kimi no Karita. Norimaro is listed as Jikikwoshi rank—the lowest of the Jiki category, which was the 3rd of 6. This put him about 24 ranks down in the 48 rank system. Karita, on the other hand, was Tsuidaini, putting him at about 43 of 48 court ranks. Normally, I don't pay too much attention to the ranks that are given in the Chronicles, mainly for two reasons. First off is that you aren't always sure that the rank given in the Chronicle corresponds with the rank at the time of the event—sometimes we see ranks that are clearly anachronistic—typically later in their life. Since people don't typically drop in rank, unless they are demoted, this usually gives you some information, but not always. The second reason I often don't pay attention is because it usually isn't germane to the story. It is why I'll also drop the uji and the kabane, once we establish a particular person. Otherwise it feels like word salad. Every once in a while I do like to look at the ranks, however, because they do give us information about things like the individual's general position in the court hierarchy. In this case we see that, of the officials selected for this assignment, one was near the bottom of the upper half of the court, while the other was really in a much more junior position. I believe this may also be important later on, because there was a certain expectation that the person representing a sovereign in diplomatic situations would have sufficient rank to indicate some amount of pull, back home. The mission of Norimaro and Karita to Silla may have been ordered in the first month of the year, but it seems it likely took time before it actually left—or something happened. I say this because in the 9th month we see an embassy from Silla arrive, and they are apparently unaware of any changes in the archipelago. The embassy was headed by the Prince Gim Sangnim. We are also told that there were two other officials, Gim Salmo and Gim Insyul, both of Geupson rank. Then there was So Yangsin of Daesa rank. That was two of vice ministerial rank and one of lower official rank. These ranks were connected both to their office and to their family, as Silla still used a fairly rigid system based on the rank of one's family, similar to the way that the old Kabane system worked before it was reformed under Ohoama in the previous reign. The embassy from Silla also included a student-priest, Chiryu. Presumably Chiryu was from Yamato and had gone abroad to study, and was now making his way back home. It appears as though the embassy had no idea that Ohoama had passed away as we are told that they had to be informed by the Dazai—the Viceroy of Tsukushi. Once they were informed, they all put on mourning clothing, turned towards the east—towards the capital of Yamato—and they bowed three times and then cried out lamentations three times. I would note that there is another record in the first month of the following year, which states that Gim Sangnim and his colleagues were informed of Ohoama's death and lamented three times. That could just be a misplaced duplicate of the previous entry, about the embassy—possibly it got recorded multiple times and different ways and on different dates. It isn't exactly clear. Either way, it seems that this was not meant to be an official condolence envoy, but just a regular embassy bringing trade goods disguised as tribute. In fact, in the 2nd month of 688 we are told that the Viceroy of Tsukushi presented the tribute from Silla to the capital. It is said to have included gold and silver, thin silks, cloth, skins, copper, and iron. There were also images of the Buddha, all kinds of coloured fine silks, birds, and horses. Sangnim himself had presents of gold and silver, colored stuffs, and various rarieties—80 items all told. Sangnim and his crew probably didn't travel to Asuka, because we are told that as of the 10th day of the 2nd month of 688 they were being entertained in the Tsukushi government house, where they were given various gifts by the court, and then they headed out on the 29th day of that month. A year after that, in the first month of 689, Norimaro and Karita returned from Silla, suggesting that the two embassies really had just passed each other—such were the issues with international travel back in the day. Now, normally, we don't hear much about what happened during these embassies. The Nihon Shoki doesn't typically record anything, possibly because they just didn't have any records. And the records in the Samguk Sagi often don't mention anything, either. It is possible that it was just considered too routine to mention the ins and outs. However, in this instance, we may have some insight, because it is mentioned later in the narrative. You see, four months behind Norimaro and Karita came the formal Silla condolence envoy. It was headed by Gim Dona, of Geupson rank—so a vice minister instead of a prince heading up the embassy. Silla also sent student-priests Meiso, Kwanchi, and others, along with a gold-copper image of Amida Buddha and a gold-copper image of Kannon and an image of Daiseishi Boddhisatva, along with colored silks and brocades. A month after they arrived, the condolence envoy received a message from none other than Queen Uno no Sarara herself, but this was not necessarily a good thing. In fact, she appears to be dressing down the Silla envoys and the Silla court more generally, because of how things had gone with Norimaro and Karita—and this possibly also explains why it took so long for them to get to Silla and back. According to the Yamato court, Norimaro and Karita were sent to Silla to announce the death of Ohoama. However, Silla protocol stated that persons charged to deliver a royal message had always had the rank of Sopan. This appears to be equivalent to the rank of Japchan, and indicates the third rank in Silla's system. Because of this, Queen Uno's message goes on to state, Norimaro and Karita were not allowed to deliver their message about Ohoama's passing to the court. However, back when Karu—Koutoku Tennou—had passed away in 654, Kose no Inamochi went to announce the funerals dates, and he was received by Gim Shunshun listened to the report. So saying that it is someone of the third rank that is needed goes against precedent. Furthermore, when Naka no Oe passed away in 671, Silla sent Gim Salyu, who was of 7th rank, but now they send someone of 9th rank. So if precedent was to be followed, wouldn't that also be a problem? This whole thing is really fascinating in that it demonstrates the kind of delicate balance and back and forth that was going on—and I suspect that it was growing even more specific as each country was adopting more rules and laws, and compiling them into codes. It is notable that the Chronicles make sure to state the rank of each ambassador from Silla, at least in the last several reigns. That suggests that the government was tracking such things, and that it was important. The rest of the screed by the Yamato court seems a little more about setting out Yamato's position on Silla-Yamato relations. Here Yamato puts words into the mouths of former Silla officials, claiming that they always addressed Yamato's sovereign with deference. Yamato claimed Silla had promised service to Yamato since the remote royal ancestors, promising that the oars of the ships bringing tribute to the archipelago would "never become dry", and yet this time, there was only one ship that came to offer condolences. Furthermore, the Silla kings were to serve the sovereigns of Yamato faithfully, but they had now broken the faith. Therefore their tribute goods were sealed up and returned back. That said, they weren't completely breaking off communications. This was a rebuke, certainly, but they were willing to keep channels open with hopes that relations might improve in the future. My read on all of this is that the Yamato envoys to Silla had been snubbed by that court for not being of appropriate station by Silla's rules. Therefore, in a tit-for-tat move, Yamato was treating the condolence envoy similarly. That doesn't mean they didn't show them any hospitality, though. Queen Uno no Sarara had the Viceroy, Awada no Mabito no Ason, give the student-priests Meiso and Kanchi, who had just come back with the condolence envoy, 140 kin of floss silk for their teachers back in Silla, in apparent gratitude. And then a few days later they were entertaining the condolence envoys in Wogohori in Tsukushi, and giving them various presents for their trouble. This is likely the kind of "don't shoot the messenger". Sure, they were returning the tribute and sending a message to Silla, but that wasn't the fault of Gim Dona and his colleagues. And they were now taking a rather disappointing message back with them—I doubt anyone wanted to be in Gim Dona's shoes as he told the court what had transpired. Gim Dona and crew left shortly after that. From there, we don't have a lot of information on what happened. The Silla annals of the Samguk Sagi don't record Gim Dona's embassy, let alone what happened when they came back. However, Silla would send future envoys, and diplomatic relations between the two countries continued throughout the reign. The Silla embassies from that point on are largely, for our purposes, unremarkable. I may mention them if they relate to other items of note, but for the most part there is really only two other embassies of note, and they were in the year 693. The first was from Silla, led by Gim Gangnam of Sasan rank, along with Gim Yangweon of Hannama rank—so 8th and 11th rank in the Silla hierarchy, apparently. They had come to announce the death of King Sinmun, who had passed away the previous year. And so, on the 16th day of the 3rd month, an embassy was prepared to depart for Silla. It was headed up by Okinaga no Mabito no Oyu, of Jikikwoshi rank—much as Norimaro had been. He and his proposed vice envoy, Ohotomo no Sukune no Kogimi, who was Gondaini rank—27th of 48—were both given gifts prior to their election as ambassadors, and were sent as condolence envoys, themselves. Meanwhile, let's take a look at Yamato's interactions with the Tang dynasty. First of all, we see a note in the 6th month of 689 that presents of rice were given to Xu Shouyen, Sa Hungko, and others from the land of the Great Tang. So was this an embassy? Not quite. Remember that little scuffle back in the 660s on the Korean Peninsula? That special military operation by Silla and Tang forces against Baekje, where Yamato had tried to assist, only to have their navy bested by Tang forces? Well during the fighting , there had been numerous prisoners taken, on both sides. Xu Shouyen and Sa Hungko were two such prisoners. Except that "prison" in this case was largely being sent to live off the land. They were probably forced to do labor, though if they had special skills, such as reading and writing, they may have been put to work in another way. Indeed, we later see these two mentioned not as prisoners or even slaves, but as teachers of "pronunciation". They were even given rice-land and stipends of their own. Granted, this is decades after they first came to Yamato, so this wasn't exactly a smooth ride. But it wasn't just Tang prisoners in Yamato. Yamato soldiers had also been captured and taken prisoner by Tang forces. And so, in the 9th month of 690, we see three priests who had gone to the land of Tang to study returned in the company of a Silla escort envoy, and they brought back with them a soldier, Ohotomobe no Hakama, from the Upper Yame district in Tsukushi. The three priests, Chishiu, Gitoku, and Jougwan all made their way to the capital, arriving several weeks after they first made landfall in Tsukushi. At this point, Prince Kawachi was the Dazai in charge of affairs out there, and soon after the priests arrived at Naniwa and made their way to the capital, in Asuka, messengers going the other way made it out to Tsukushi with orders to give presents and gifts to the Gim Gohun, the escort envoy who had shuttled them all back from the continent. But even more impressive was the royal edict that was dated a week later for Ohotomobe no Hakama. It lays out the circumstances of his capture and what happened to him that he stayed in the land of the Tang for so long. You see, Hakama was one of many soldiers who was captured during the war to defend Baekje. But three years after that conflict, the Tang dynasty was no longer trying to keep them prisoner. This was a time when you didn't necessarily need to have buildings with walls to keep people prisoner—you just moved them to a new area where they could farm or otherwise set up a livelihood, or starve. Travel was dangerous and expensive, especially if you didn't speak the language. Nonetheless, if you did wish to return, there wasn't a lot stopping you, beyond just having the means to do so. And so this group of Wa soldiers got together and debated what to do. We are told that it was four men—Hashi no Hoto, Kohori no Oyu, Tsukuhi no Satsuyama, and Yuge no Gen Jitsuni—the last one apparently having taken a local name on the continent. Amongst themselves, they wanted to return to the archipelago not just to see their families and friends, but also to let people back home know about the changing conditions on the mainland. As you may recall, around this time, Yamato was fiercely building up forces and defenses because they were convinced that there was going to be an attack by the Tang and Silla forces at any moment. The only problem that these four had in getting back was that they had, well, nothing. They had neither the clothing nor provisions to make such a journey. What would they eat and how would they pay for passage? As such, they were unable to get back. Hearing this, Ohotomobe no Hakama spoke up. He declared that, as much as he also wished to return, he could at least help them out. He offered to be sold into slavery so that his companions could obtain money with which to buy food and clothing. And so they did. Hakama was sold, and he probably had no idea what happened to the four after that. It turns out, however, that they did make it back and were able to give the Yamato court some idea of what had happened. Meanwhile, Hakama remained in a foreign land as a slave for some 30 years, until he was finally able to make it back to Yamato, apparently with the help of the three monks. This whole story was relayed to the court, and when the Queen heard it, she decided to act. And thus the edict. Not only did she recount his story and praise him for his loyalty, but he was granted certain honors. First off, he was granted the rank of Mudaishi—the 39th rank in the court hierarchy, which gave him not a small amount of status, especially if he stayed in Tsukushi. He was also granted5 pieses of coarse silk, 10 bundles of floss silk, 30 tan of cloth, and 1000 sheaves of rice. On top of that, though, he received four chou of rice-land, which was given to him and his descendants, until at least his great-grandchildren. Finally, his parents, siblings, and children, were also exempted from having to ever provide corvee labor. Now, nobody could give him back his 30 years, but this was quite the consolation prize, at the time. To basically get rank and status, a stipend down four generations, and exemption from forced labor for him and his relatives, that was pretty incredible, if you think about it. Hakama wasn't the only one who had suffered in the country of the Great Tang and was rewarded for it. Mononobe no Kusuri, from Iyo, and Mibu no Moroshi, in Higo, were also paid out handsomely in consolation for their sufferings, though we aren't given details on their stories, or even when they came back. There are also other descriptions of Tang men, but it seems that these were individuals in a similar position to Xu Shouyen and Sa Hungko—they had been captured and were now living in Yamato. That they were integrating into Yamato society seems clear from the fact that they were given rank and similarly treated like vassals of the throne. What we don't see, however, are any further diplomatic missions. Those wouldn't start up for a while, and so even if Queen Uno no Sarara had wanted to confer with another female monarch, it would have to have been done through the auspices of Silla, who at t his point seem to have largely controlled the flow of goods, people, and thus information between the straits. And with that, I think we can close out this episode. Moving forward, we have more details about a lot of different things, and yet others are still lacking. It is my goal to try and be a little more selective about the passages we pull from the Chronicles. We don't need to go over every natural disaster or prayer to the wind-gods. We will take a look at things like the completion of the Fujiwara capital, as well as the 22 volumes of the Asuka-Kiyomihara law codes. And then there are a few persons of note that we should probably mention as well, such as the appearance of Fujiwara no Fubito. We should also talk about some of the other royal edicts that were made. All of that for later. For now, if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts. If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page. You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com. Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now. Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.
The guys break down the biggest trade of the day...preview Game 6s in the NBA playoffs tonight...could Swag box out Yang and more Cheating Dodgers.
Is the world fair? How do you find your true purpose in business? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au shares his deeply personal journey into the cancer diagnostics space following a tragic loss. He breaks down the crucial difference between "problem-market fit" and "founder-problem fit," the reality of life's unfairness, and why you must play to your unfair advantages to succeed in the hyper-competitive tech ecosystem. Whether you are a founder in Singapore or an aspiring entrepreneur anywhere in Southeast Asia, these insights will redefine how you view marketing, leadership, and resilience. Tune in to discover the "Yin and Yang" of marketing, why good things don't always happen to good people, and how to harness your unique strengths to build something that truly matters. 00:00 - The Yin and Yang of Marketing 01:09 - The Importance of Founder-Problem Fit 02:07 - Jeremy's Personal Mission to Fight Cancer 04:13 - Breaking the Fairytale: The World Isn't Fair 06:47 - How to Find Your Unfair Advantage 07:46 - Outro & Community Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/find-your-unfair-advantage Audio Description Watch, listen or read the full insight at Get transcripts, startup resources & community discussions at https://www.bravesea.com WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter X : https://x.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts
本期是“中东”系列的第9期。目的地是伊拉克首都巴格达，会从机场“你正身处和平中心”的标语切入，来聊一下我们对这座“战乱之城”的印象与现实的反差。会去到巴格达文化心脏穆塔纳比街，和底格里斯河边，以及穷街陋巷和豪华商场；也会梳理下巴格达从阿巴斯王朝“和平之城”，到两伊战争、海湾战争、ISIS围城的历史片段，最后会和塔法聊一聊天，了解下伊拉克年轻人的生活压力与梦想。更多细节图片请在公众号“壮游者”相关推送中观看。建议收听：67期《巴格达之恋》故事节点00:00 “你正身处和平中心”11:01 民兵 16:35 发电机19:10 “欢迎来到我们的国家”26:01 “和平之城”和“智慧宫”31:30 穆塔纳比街的书34:50 被炸毁过的百年咖啡馆38:40 缓缓的底格里斯河46:44 河边的老枪和老市场51:20 马斯古夫烤鱼和大饼子1:02:31 两场战争和好日子的消失 1:10:57 和伊拉克青年塔法聊聊天 主播贝贝&Yang:完成了半段伊拉克之旅的一对青年男女。壮游者是一档独立播客，很需要你的支持。1、商务合作请邮件至zhuangyouzhe@126.com,或者添加微信“zhuangyouzhe2018”2、请通过ZFB账号zhuangyouzhe@126.com对“壮游者”进行赞助；也可通过微信公众号“壮游者”文章(本期相关细节图片也在文章里呈现)下方的“喜欢作者”以及节目下方的“赞赏”对单期节目进行赞助。3、请订阅、转发、评论和点赞节目，并在你使用的收听平台为“壮游者”专辑打五星好评。加听友群可微信添加"zhuangyouzhe2018"，与主播和听友直接交流。谢谢你，让我们有机会一起前行。
The second golf major championship of the year will tee-off Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia. In 1962, the PGA Championship was played on this same golf course. Future Hall-of-Famer Gary Player won that year with a 2-under par total. Aronimink Golf Club was designed by the legendary Donald Ross and completed in 1928. The superb layout has been stretched to well over 7,300 yards and will play as a par 70. Though Gary Player’s total of 2-under par total was a reasonable score in his day, don’t be surprised if this year’s winner is at least 15-under par. Today’s vastly improved golf equipment and balls are turning classic layouts such as Aronimink Golf Club into glorified drive, pitch, and putt tournaments. The PGA Championship features a large field of 156 golfers. That total includes 20 PGA club professionals who earned their way into this week’s tournament by finishing in the top 20 at a recent PGA club professional qualifying event. Much like The Masters, past winners of the PGA Championship are allowed to participate in this event for as many years as the golfer desires to compete. This weekend’s weather forecast looks delightful. Abundant sunshine with moderate temperatures in the 70’s will slowly increase into the middle 80’s by Sunday. The benign weather conditions will likely create a Philly birdie festival. The PGA Championship has produced a number of champions who “came out of nowhere” to win their one and only professional major in this event. Of the four golf major events, the PGA Championship has produced a large number of surprise winners in recent decades. Let’s review some of those one-and-done major winners and, later, try to identify a few underdogs to win this year’s PGA Championship. Rich Beem – 2002 – Hazeltine (MN) 10-under par Then: Rich Beem was fortunate just to have a PGA Tour playing card entering 2002. He played well during the opening three rounds and trailed third round leader Justin Leonard by three shots entering Sunday’s final 18 holes. Tiger Woods also charged up the final round leaderboard on Sunday to post a 67 and apply some serious pressure. Rich Beem was able to hang on with a final round 68 to win by one shot over Woods. Now: The 55-year old Rich Beem will not be playing in this week’s PGA Championship. In recent years, Beem has been doing golf commentary for Sky Sports. He has not appeared recently on either the PGA or Champions (Senior) golf tours. Shaun Micheel – 2003 – Oak Hill (NY) 3-under par Then: You may remember that Shaun Micheel hit the 7-iron of his lifetime on the 72nd hole at Oak Hill in Rochester, NY in 2003 to win the 27-pound Wanamaker trophy. That was Micheel’s lone PGA Tour victory during a lengthy professional career. He would often finish in the top ten, though. Shaun Micheel recently admitted that he struggled for many years by putting too much pressure on himself to perform well on the golf course. Micheel lamented, “I played every shot like it was life or death.” Now: The 57-year old Shaun Micheel plays in a few PGA Champions Tour events each season. As a past PGA Championship winner, he will be in Philadelphia and plans to tee-it up on Thursday. Y. E. Yang – 2009 – Hazeltine (MN) 8-under par Then: South Korean Y. E. Yang’s victory at the 2009 PGA Championship was memorable for two big reasons. He became the first Asian-born golfer to win a major men’s golf championship. Yang also gained worldwide notoriety by rallying in the final round to win by three shots over a highly-favored golfer named Tiger Woods. Now: The 54-year old Y. E. Yang remains active in professional golf. He just finished in 14th place at last weekend’s PGA Champions Tour event in The Woodlands, Texas. He has posted seven top 25 finishes this season on the senior tour. Yang, like Shaun Micheel, will be playing in this week’s PGA Championship field on Thursday. Y.E. Yang will be trying to make his first cut at the PGA Championship since the year 2015. Jason Dufner – 2013 – Oak Hill (NY) 10-under par Then: Former Auburn University college golfer Jason Dufner had already won twice on the men’s tour coming into the 2013 PGA Championship in Rochester, New York. The laid-back Dufner grabbed a two shot lead over Jim Furyk entering the final nine holes in Sunday’s final round. That duo battled back and forth over the closing holes. Dufner held on to claim the only major championship of his career. Now: The 49-year old Jason Dufner has won five times on the PGA Tour. This year, he has played in only three PGA Tour events (missing the cut each time) prior to this week’s PGA Championship. You may remember that Jason Dufner gained a different type of national notoriety during the spring of 2013. At a Dallas-area PGA publicity event, Dufner appeared before a group of elementary school children. While the teacher was busy talking (and talking), Dufner was photographed sitting on the floor alongside some of the kids. He appeared in the picture to be slumped over in a rather relaxed, sleepy posture. The term “Dufnering” was born. “Dufnering” became even more popular among golfers a few months later after the ultra laid-back Jason Dufner won the 2013 PGA Championship. Jimmy Walker – 2016 – Baltusrol (NJ) – 14-under par Then: Jimmy Walker took the lead at the 2016 PGA Championship with a blistering five-under par 65 in Round 1. He would play well in each day of the tournament. Walker posted a wire-to-wire victory and held off a fast-closing Jason Day. It was Jimmy Walker’s first and only major championship title. It was also his last win on the PGA Tour through this week. Now: At age 47, Jimmy Walker is no longer playing regularly on the PGA Tour. After his 2016 win at the PGA Championship, Walker went hunting with some friends. Upon returning home, his health began to deteriorate. Jimmy Walker told a reporter that he had contracted Lyme disease (generally transmitted by ticks). His recovery was extremely difficult and very slow. Walker’s return to professional golf was hampered by newfound difficulties with his chipping and putting games. Nevertheless, Jimmy Walker is expected to be in the field on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club. Could there be another underdog winner at this week’s 2026 PGA Championship? Absolutely! Here are four golfers seeking their first major title and not receiving a lot of pre-tournament love from the media pundits this week. I will also provide a fifth undervalued golfer looking to break into the winner’s column again this week with the 2026 PGA Championship title. Sam Burns – The former Shreveport resident is one of the tour’s finest putters. If Sam Burns can keep the ball in play off the tee this week, he is quite capable of shooting some very low scores and winning his first major. Thomas Detry – This 33-year old Belgian golfer plays on the LIV Golf Tour. He just posted a solid sixth place finish last weekend. That golf course in northern Virginia is very similar to this week’s layout at Aronimink. Anthony Kim – Another LIV golfer who is coming off a hot finish last weekend in Virginia. Kim shot a closing round of 10-under par 62 to post another top ten finish. Brandt Snedeker – The 45-year old just won in Myrtle Beach last weekend for his first PGA win in nearly eight years. When you’re hot, you’re hot, right? Jordan Spieth – OK, I admit it. I would LOVE to see Jordan Spieth find a way to win this weekend. He hasn’t won a PGA Tour event since 2022. More importantly, Spieth would finally complete golf’s career Grand Slam (The Masters, US Open, The (British) Open, and, finally, the PGA Championship) with a victory on Sunday afternoon. Enjoy this weekend’s PGA Championship! The post PGA Championship Preview – Watch out for Underdogs! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.
On the KMOJ Morning Show, Yee Yang joins Freddie Bell to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and discuss this year's theme, “Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together.” Representing Minneapolis Public Schools, Yang highlights the rich diversity and cultural contributions of AANHPI communities both locally and nationwide. The conversation includes a discussion of Hmong American Day on May 14 and the historical significance of the Hmong community's journey to the United States following the Vietnam War. Yang also previews MPS Hmong Heritage Night at the Davis Center, featuring food, performances, cultural activities, and opportunities for families and community members to connect. Listeners will hear about the deep roots and impact of Hmong Americans in Minnesota, as well as the importance of honoring heritage, resilience, and community throughout the month of May.
Welcome to episode #476 of TMT•Celtic condemn Rangers to 3rd in a two-horse race•Yang ran himself into the ground•Daizen produces one of the all-time derby classics•Motherwell is going to be very toughand much moreand much moreTreat yourself or the 20MT listener in your life, as well as supporting the podcast with some 20MT merch at 20mt.bigcartel.com/You can help support the production of these podcasts, get AD FREE content as well as gaining access to over 1200 extra episodes at patreon.com/20MinuteTimsSign up for Celtic's Youth Development Lottery The Celtic Pools and help shape Celtic's future here - https://celticpools.securecollections.net/index.aspx?Agent=353920MT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Expanded cooperation between China and the United States will help reinforce the stability of global industrial and supply chains, while generating fresh momentum in advanced manufacturing, premium consumption and innovation-driven industries, said analysts and business executives of both sides.中美两国分析人士及企业高管表示，扩大中美合作有助于巩固全球产业链供应链稳定，同时为高端制造业、高端消费及创新驱动产业注入新动能。They also said that stable China-US economic ties are vital to safeguarding global supply chains, and the two countries have shared interests in sectors including frontier technologies that far outweigh any tariff game.他们还表示，稳定的中美经贸关系对维护全球供应链至关重要，两国在前沿技术等领域拥有远超关税博弈的共同利益。Companies are also eyeing emerging business opportunities, as the two economies remain highly complementary. China maintains strengths in manufacturing capacity, supply chain integration and industrial efficiency, while the US continues to lead in high-end consumption, technological innovation and service-related demand.由于中美两大经济体仍具备高度互补性，企业也在紧盯新兴商业机遇。中国在制造产能、供应链整合及产业效率方面保持优势，而美国在高端消费、技术创新和服务需求领域持续领跑。Da Wei, a professor of international relations at Tsinghua University, said that amid rising geopolitical and economic uncertainties, including growing energy security concerns surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, stable China-US economic ties are crucial to safeguarding global supply chains, supporting trade flows and strengthening long-term industrial ties.清华大学国际关系教授达巍表示，在地缘政治与经济不确定性不断上升、霍尔木兹海峡能源安全担忧加剧的背景下，稳定的中美经贸关系对于维护全球供应链、保障贸易流通、夯实长期产业合作纽带意义重大。He Wei wen, a senior fellow at the Beijing-based think tank Center for China and Globalization, said the two countries should place greater emphasis on cooperation in artificial intelligence and other frontier technologies, as China and the US have enormous shared interests and opportunities in trade and investment related to open-source AI, big data, quantum computing, 6G, robotics, green transformation and biotechnology.智库全球化智库高级研究员何伟文表示，两国应更加重视人工智能等前沿技术领域合作，中美在开源人工智能、大数据、量子计算、6G、机器人、绿色转型及生物技术相关的贸易投资领域拥有巨大共同利益与合作空间。Speaking at a sub-forum of the Bo ao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026 in Bo ao, Hainan province, in late March, Carlos Gutierrez, former US secretary of commerce, said the world would benefit from a more stable and constructive economic relationship between China and the US, with both sides ensuring that opportunities remain open and mutually accessible.3 月下旬，美国前商务部长卡洛斯・古铁雷斯在海南博鳌举办的 2026 年博鳌亚洲论坛年会分论坛上表示，中美建立更稳定、更具建设性的经贸关系将惠及全球，双方应确保市场机遇保持开放、相互互通。If the two sides can find ways to manage differences and establish a framework for coexistence, it could provide a model for the global system, he said.他称，若双方能够管控分歧、构建共处框架，将为全球治理体系提供范本。China's strategic role in the global supply chain and its vast market are becoming increasingly prominent for US companies. Nathaniel Madarang, president for the Asia-Pacific region at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co, said that China is not just a market or a production base, but is increasingly a vibrant market, a competitive manufacturing base and an innovation hub.对美国企业而言，中国在全球供应链中的战略地位及庞大市场愈发凸显。固特异轮胎亚太区总裁表示，中国不仅是市场和生产基地，更日渐成为充满活力的消费市场、具备竞争力的制造基地和创新高地。In addition to operating three plants and two research and development centers with 4,000 employees across China, the US tire manufacturer leverages the country as an export platform, supplying tires from its Chinese factories to markets in the Asia-Pacific region.这家美国轮胎制造商在华运营三家工厂和两座研发中心，拥有 4000 名员工，同时将中国作为出口平台，从在华工厂向亚太市场供应轮胎产品。Noting recent visits to China by several US business leaders — including Ray Dalio, founder of asset management firm Bridge water Associates, and Stephen Schwarzman, chairman of investment firm Blackstone Inc — Wang Guan nan, spokeswoman for the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said that despite mounting external uncertainties, business communities in both China and the US continue to favor cooperation over confrontation, underscoring strong demand for deeper economic ties.中国国际贸易促进委员会发言人王冠楠谈及近期桥水基金创始人瑞・达利欧、黑石集团董事长苏世民等多位美国商界领袖访华时表示，尽管外部不确定性持续增加，中美工商界仍坚持选择合作而非对抗，凸显双方深化经贸往来的强烈诉求。With global trade flows changing and regional demand increasing, China's trade with the US dropped 16.6 percent year-on-year to $128.68 billion in the first quarter of 2026. At the same time, trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations rose 18.4 percent in US dollar terms, and trade with the European Union increased 17.6 percent, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.海关总署数据显示，受全球贸易格局变动、区域需求增长影响，2026 年一季度中美贸易额同比下降 16.6%，至 1286.8 亿美元；同期中国与东盟贸易额以美元计价增长 18.4%，与欧盟贸易额增长 17.6%。Huang Kai, vice-president of Fujian Zhong jing Petrochemical Co, the largest private petrochemical company in Fujian province in terms of production capacity, said that stable China-US trade ties are important for the company to ensure operational stability and support steady business growth.福建省产能规模最大的民营石化企业福建中景石化副总经理黄凯表示，稳定的中美贸易关系对企业维持经营稳定、实现业务稳步发展至关重要。The company imported 308,000 metric tons of propane from the US in the first four months of this year, accounting for 34.8 percent of its total propane imports, according to Fuzhou Customs.据福州海关数据，今年前四个月，该企业从美国进口丙烷 30.8 万吨，占其丙烷总进口量的 34.8%。JAC Auto Parts (Ningbo) Co, an automotive parts manufacturer based in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, counts the US among the company's core export markets. Its exports to the US rose 30 percent year-on-year to 40 million yuan ($5.88 million) in 2025, said Ningbo Customs.宁波海关表示，位于浙江宁波的汽车零部件企业江淮汽车零部件（宁波）有限公司将美国列为核心出口市场，2025 年对美出口额同比增长 30%，达 4000 万元人民币，折合 588 万美元。Yang Wei guo, the head of the company's foreign trade unit, said, "The US is not only a major automotive market, but also one of our most important export destinations, and a key import source of core auto components such as rollers and anti-collision beams."该公司外贸部门负责人杨伟国表示：“美国不仅是重要的汽车消费市场，也是我们核心出口目的地，更是辊轴、防撞梁等汽车核心零部件的重要进口来源地。”Yang said the Chinese and US automotive markets remain highly complementary, adding that stable and constructive China-US economic and trade relations are essential to the company's long-term development and steady operations.杨伟国称，中美汽车市场依旧高度互补，稳定且具有建设性的中美经贸关系，是企业长远发展和稳健经营的重要保障。reinforce /ˌriːɪnˈfɔːs/ v. 巩固；加强frontier /ˈfrʌntɪə(r)/ n. 前沿；边界complementary /ˌkɒmplɪˈmentri/ adj. 互补的underscore /ˌʌndəˈskɔː(r)/ v. 强调；凸显
The first thing that Yang Weina, a white-collar worker in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, does every day after waking up is to check the sleep score on her smartwatch.浙江省杭州市白领杨维娜（音译）每天醒来后的第一件事，就是查看智能手表上的睡眠评分。"Probably because I have been working late night shifts in recent weeks, I have consistently been getting low scores of around 75 to 85 out of 100," said the 32-year-old.这位 32 岁的上班族表示：“可能是最近几周一直在上晚班，我的睡眠评分一直偏低，满分 100 分通常只有 75 到 85 分左右。”"The score explains how I feel during the day — my heart races at times, and I feel a bit woozy, especially in the afternoons. So I'm considering taking melatonin or visiting a sleep clinic."“分数也印证了我白天的身体状态：有时会心慌心悸，还会有点头晕，下午尤其明显。所以我在考虑服用褪黑素，或是去睡眠门诊就诊。”Yang also finds her smartwatch's heart rate monitor especially useful.杨维娜（音译）还觉得智能手表的心率监测功能特别实用。"When I'm facing a deadline, my heartbeat sometimes races to more than 120 beats per minute.“每当临近工作截止日期时，我的心率有时会飙升至每分钟 120 次以上。When I see that number on the watch, I tell myself to calm down.看到手表上的数值，我就会提醒自己冷静下来。I step away from my desk, take a few deep breaths and look out the window for a few minutes."我会离开办公桌，做几次深呼吸，再望向窗外静坐几分钟。”The rise of wearable technology and artificial intelligence has made it easier for increasingly health-conscious young people to gather information about their bodies and access health advice, fueling a new trend that some netizens have dubbed "cyber wellness".可穿戴设备技术与人工智能的兴起，让越来越注重健康的年轻人能更便捷地了解自身身体状况、获取健康建议，也催生了被网友称作 “网络养生” 的新潮流。Lin Yiran, 28, told Beijing Daily that every morning she takes a photo of her tongue and sends it to an AI medical diagnosis platform to assess her physical condition.28 岁的林怡然（音译）在接受《北京日报》采访时说，她每天早上都会拍一张舌苔照片，上传到人工智能问诊平台来判断自己的身体状况。In traditional Chinese medicine, the tongue is believed to reflect several aspects of overall health.中医认为，舌苔与舌象能够反映人体整体健康的多个状况。Lin said that she brews barley water if the AI report suggests a thick, greasy coating indicating dampness, and drinks rose tea if it suggests liver qi stagnation — a TCM concept that is linked to emotional imbalance.林怡然（音译）说，如果 AI 诊断显示舌苔厚腻、体内有湿气，她就会煮大麦水饮用；若提示肝气郁结 —— 中医里该症状常和情绪失调相关，她就会喝玫瑰花茶调理。Doctors noted that such tools can be helpful for basic monitoring, but should not replace medical diagnosis.医生表示，这类工具可用于基础健康监测，但不能替代专业医疗诊断。Zhang Jin, director of the disease prevention center at Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, said that digital tools can offer early health alerts.中国中医科学院西苑医院预防保健中心主任张瑾表示，数字化工具能够起到健康早预警的作用。"Many people don't have time to see a doctor," Zhang said.张瑾说：“很多人没有时间去医院就诊。"Using apps and self-study to get an early, basic read about one's condition can help catch problems early.""借助健康 APP、自行了解身体基础状况，有助于及早发现健康隐患。”She said that simple daily checks such as sleep, weight and basic physical parameters can help track health.她表示，日常监测睡眠、体重及基础身体指标等简单方式，有助于长期追踪健康状态。"We often see young people whose tongues clearly reflect high stress," she said.“我们经常看到不少年轻人的舌象明显反映出身心压力过大。"Catching those early signs can prevent symptoms from worsening.""及早发现这些苗头，能避免不适症状进一步加重。”However, Zhang warned against relying on digital tools for diagnosis.但张瑾也提醒，切勿依靠数字化工具自行下诊断结论。"You can't make a diagnosis based on a tongue image alone," she said.她说：“不能仅凭一张舌象照片就判定身体病症。”Jiang Quan, director of rheumatology at Guang'anmen Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, also supported the use of smart devices for tracking one's health.中国中医科学院广安门医院风湿免疫科主任江荃也支持使用智能设备进行健康监测。She noted that it reflects growing awareness of preventive care among young people.她指出，这体现出年轻人的预防保健意识正在不断增强。Jiang said that data from wearables can help people understand how lifestyle habits — such as keeping late hours, stress-inducing routines and prolonged sitting — affect their bodies.江荃表示，可穿戴设备的数据能让人们清楚了解熬夜、高压作息、久坐等生活习惯对身体造成的影响。But she also urged caution.同时她也提醒大众要保持理性。"An occasional high heart rate or slight dip in blood oxygen is often linked to sitting too long, tension, recent meals, anxiety or staying up late, not necessarily a serious illness," she said.她说：“偶尔心率偏高、血氧轻微下降，大多和久坐、精神紧张、刚吃完饭、焦虑或熬夜有关，未必就是患上了严重疾病。”"Repeatedly checking the same parameters can lead to anxiety and insomnia," Jiang added.江荃补充道：“反复频繁查看各项身体指标，反而容易引发焦虑和失眠。"That can end up draining your energy and upsetting your physical and mental balance.""最终只会消耗精力，打乱身心平衡。”Data from smartwatches and health apps should be treated as early warnings, not diagnoses.智能手表和健康 APP 的数据只应当作健康预警参考，不能当作专业诊断结果。"If you feel unwell or see abnormal readings, go to a hospital for a proper examination," she said.她说：“一旦身体感到不适，或是设备数据出现异常，一定要去医院做正规检查。”wearable /ˈweərəbl/adj. 可穿戴的；n. 可穿戴设备monitor /ˈmɒnɪtə(r)/v. 监测；监控 n. 监视器stagnation /stæɡˈneɪʃn/n. 停滞；郁结preventive /prɪˈventɪv/adj. 预防的；防病的
Remember that one time in 2019 when presidential candidate Andrew Yang promised a thousand dollars a month for a whole year to ten U.S. families if they donated to his campaign? Yang would like to address this. Pulling from his latest book titled Hey Yang, Where's My Thousand Bucks?, Yang shares stories from his remarkable life so far, including this viral moment during a live presidential debate. Beyond championing universal basic income, Yang would like to bring a little humor into the world. In his candid and playful accounts, Yang examines where the U.S. sits today through the lens of his unexpected journey from entrepreneur to presidential candidate. Part political memoir, part comedy, and part interior monologue, his stories attempt to make complex ideas accessible and entertaining. It's this entertainment that he sees as a unifying potential. Yang believes in the power of laughter, even in — and maybe especially in — trying times. For anyone frustrated with traditional political narratives, curious about the human behind the headlines, or simply looking for a light-hearted exploration of trying to improve life in the U.S., Yang wants to enlighten, entertain, and inspire. It's through this optimism, Yang hopes, that we can create real positive change. Andrew Yang is an entrepreneur and the cofounder of the Forward Party, a new independent political movement dedicated to restoring the promise of American democracy. He was a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020 whose campaign outlasted over a dozen mainstream political officeholders and attracted support from hundreds of thousands of everyday Americans, dubbed "the Yang Gang." His best-selling books The War on Normal People and Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy helped introduce the idea of universal basic income and ranked choice voting into the mainstream. His most recent work was the novel The Last Election, co-written with Stephen Marche. Named by President Obama as a Presidential Ambassador of Global Entrepreneurship, Yang is the founder of Humanity Forward and Venture for America, and founder and CEO of Noble Mobile. He lives with his family in New York. Jonathan Ng Sposato is a serial entrepreneur, media executive, and impact investor who has helped shape the national tech and media landscape. He is the only entrepreneur to sell two startups to Google (Phatbits and Picnik) and a third, PicMonkey, to Shutterstock. He is chairman and co-founder of GeekWire, one of the country's most trusted technology news platforms. A former senior leader at Microsoft, Jonathan played a key role in the early development of Xbox, MSN applications, and major consumer initiatives. In 2016, he made national headlines by committing to invest exclusively in female-founded companies and has since been honored by organizations including American Women in Science, Vital Voices, and the University of Washington. He is the founder of JoySauce.tv, an American-Asian focused media channel recognized by the Center for Asian American Media and GLAAD, and hosts JoySauce Late Night. He also owns and publishes Seattle Magazine and Seattle Business Magazine, restoring the legacy titles to local ownership. His civic leadership has earned him the Seattle Mayor's Impact Award, and in 2024 he was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame as a media trailblazer.
¡¡NUEVO PODCAST!!Tonatiuh Gómez. Bailarín y Productor de Peter Pan de Septime Webre. Terapia China. Juan Carlos Armenta… “Exceso de Yang de Hígado” Dr. Rodrigo Bolaños Jiménez… “Lentes Intraoculares” Dra. Tere Vale… “¿Se puede aprender a ser feliz?” Dr. Juan Francisco Rivera Ramos… “Día Mundial de la Higiene de manos”
Welcome back to Scaling Theory. In this episode, I speak with Matthew O. Jackson, the William D. Eberle Professor of Economics at Stanford University and an external faculty member at the Santa Fe Institute. Matthew is one of the founders of the modern economics of networks and the author of The Human Network and Social and Economic Networks.We talk about the friendship paradox, why homophily slows how fast a society learns the truth but helps niche ideas catch fire, and the gossip study where villagers in southern India proved remarkably good at naming the most central spreaders in their community. We then turn to AI agents as a different species: Turing tests on LLMs, the steerability of agent personas through system prompts, and what to make of Moltbook, the social network for AI agents.By the end, you will know why telling students how much their peers actually drink reduces binge drinking more than warning them about the dangers of alcohol, why the same network can spread a virus quickly and a belief slowly, and why AI agents change their behavior when asked to explain it.Papers and works referenced in the conversationBooksThe Human Network: How Your Social Position Determines Your Power, Beliefs, and Behaviors — Matthew O. Jackson (Pantheon, 2019). https://web.stanford.edu/~jacksonm/books.htmlSocial and Economic Networks — Matthew O. Jackson (Princeton University Press, 2008). https://web.stanford.edu/~jacksonm/books.htmlPart I — The scaling of human networks"Diffusion and Contagion in Networks with Heterogeneous Agents and Homophily" — Matthew O. Jackson and Dunia López-Pintado, Network Science 1(1), 2013. https://arxiv.org/abs/1111.0073"How Homophily Affects the Speed of Learning and Best-Response Dynamics" — Benjamin Golub and Matthew O. Jackson, Quarterly Journal of Economics 127(3), 2012. https://web.stanford.edu/~jacksonm/homophily.pdf"Using Gossips to Spread Information: Theory and Evidence from Two Randomized Controlled Trials" — Abhijit Banerjee, Arun G. Chandrasekhar, Esther Duflo, and Matthew O. Jackson, Review of Economic Studies 86(6), 2019. https://academic.oup.com/restud/article/86/6/2453/5345571"Empathy and Well-Being Correlate with Centrality in Different Social Networks" — Sylvia A. Morelli, Desmond C. Ong, Rucha Makati, Matthew O. Jackson, and Jamil Zaki, PNAS 114(37), 2017. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1702155114Part II — The scaling of AI agents"Inequality's Economic and Social Roots: The Role of Social Networks and Homophily" — Matthew O. Jackson, in Advances in Economics and Econometrics: Twelfth World Congress of the Econometric Society (Cambridge University Press, 2025). https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.13016"AI Behavioral Science" — Jackson, Mei, Wang, Xie, Yuan, Benzell, Brynjolfsson, Camerer, Evans, Jabarian, Kleinberg, Meng, Mullainathan, Ozdaglar, Pfeiffer, Tennenholtz, Willer, Yang, and Ye, arXiv 2509.13323, 2025. https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13323"A Turing Test of Whether AI Chatbots Are Behaviorally Similar to Humans" — Qiaozhu Mei, Yutong Xie, Walter Yuan, and Matthew O. Jackson, PNAS 121(9), 2024. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2313925121
本期是“中东”系列的第8期。在中东旅行，“劳伦斯”的名字一定是避不开的。从19世纪末到第一次世界大战前后，这是中东格局剧烈变化的时期，当时中东的大部分地区仍然是属于奥斯曼帝国，不过这个延续了数百年的帝国在那个时候已经明显衰落了。与此同时，欧洲列强、特别是英国和法国也在不断的介入到中东事务。1916年在英国的支持下，英国人给阿拉伯人画了个大饼，承诺独立后为他们建立一个大阿拉伯王国。劳伦斯正是在这个过程中进入到历史舞台，并有了“阿拉伯的劳伦斯“的故事。本期节目会以劳伦斯学习、工作和战斗过的几个地方串起一条“劳伦斯之路”，从英国、土耳其、约旦到叙利亚，那通过这条路线，让我们再多了解一点劳伦斯和他那个时代，以及对现代中东的影响。故事节点11:30 牛津大学（1907-1910），就读耶稣学院，主修历史学。他的本科论文研究十字军东征对欧洲军事建筑的影响，着并不是一篇坐在图书馆里完成的论文，而是通过近乎“自虐“”的徒步考察法国和近东城堡完成的实地研究。这段经历不仅奠定了他的学术声誉，也直接把他带进了后来在卡尔凯米什的考古工作。可拜访：牛津大学耶稣学院16:35 卡尔凯米什（1911-1914），使他最终成为“阿拉伯的劳伦斯”的训练营。在此参与英国博物馆在卡尔凯米什的考古发掘工作。名义上，他是一名考古项目成员；实际上，这段经历促成了他从历史研究者向帝国边缘实践者的转变。在卡尔凯米什，他学习的并不仅是考古记录方法，而是语言、地形、人群与权力在现实中的相互作用。可拜访：卡尔凯米什遗址（土耳其侧）29:37 开罗英国情报部门（1914-1916），在开罗，劳伦斯并未直接指挥战争，而是通过分析阿拉伯社会、地理条件与政治结构，为英国的中东战略提供建议。正是在这一阶段，他清楚地意识到英国对阿拉伯人的承诺存在根本性矛盾，这种认知促使他从一名情报官转变为主动协助阿拉伯起义的行动者。可拜访：Garden city社区35:42 攻占亚喀巴（1916-1917），劳伦斯并不是靠一次铁路爆破改变了战争。他真正做的，是在理解费萨尔之后，帮助阿拉伯人选择了一种适合自身条件的战争方式：不决战、不占线，而是持续消耗。铁路袭击削弱了奥斯曼的机动能力，亚喀巴的夺取则让起义获得了生命线。正是在这两者的结合下，阿拉伯部队最终从沙漠一路向北，进入了大马士革。可拜访：亚喀巴城/约旦旅游局在Wadi Ram的Journey Through 1916汉志铁路火车体验46:37 大马士革（1918-1920），1918年10月，劳伦斯随阿拉伯部队进入大马士革。战争在这里结束，但问题也从这里开始。临时政府的混乱、英法势力的迅速介入，让他意识到军事胜利无法自动转化为政治现实。1919的巴黎和会彻底击碎了他对阿拉伯独立的幻想。到1920年，当叙利亚被置于法国委任统治之下时，劳伦斯选择离开阿拉伯世界。可拜访：大马士革Al Azem Palace54:16 回到英国（1920-1935），离开阿拉伯后，他短暂参与了外交部的工作，为丘吉尔提供阿拉伯事务建议。1921年他与丘吉尔一起参与，开罗会议，强烈支持让费萨尔成为伊拉克国王。他还促进了Woolley在乌尔遗址的挖掘许可，算是给老朋友支持。他拒绝了乔治五世颁发的巴斯勋章，用化名重新入伍，在皇家空军和装甲兵部队里，当一名普通士兵，最终死于一次摩托车事故。可拜访：劳伦斯墓地58:24 沙漠女王格楚·贝尔的故事壮游者左:伦敦大学学院中东与埃及考古专业就读。小红书：爱春游的左主播Yang:到过劳伦斯小屋的一名男子。壮游者是一档独立播客，很需要你的支持。1、商务合作请邮件至zhuangyouzhe@126.com,或者添加微信“zhuangyouzhe2018”2、请通过ZFB账号zhuangyouzhe@126.com对“壮游者”进行赞助；也可通过微信公众号“壮游者”文章(本期相关细节图片也在文章里呈现)下方的“喜欢作者”以及节目下方的“赞赏”对单期节目进行赞助。3、请订阅、转发、评论和点赞节目，并在你使用的收听平台为“壮游者”专辑打五星好评。加听友群可微信添加"zhuangyouzhe2018"，与主播和听友直接交流。谢谢你，让我们有机会一起前行。
PERWIRA (The Indonesian Society in Victoria), which actively organizes cultural events, will host Mahasuara at Prahran Market, Melbourne, on the 2nd of May 2026. This festival will feature Dangdut Koplo and Bollywood music. It will also feature stalls of Indonesian food, especially traditional Indonesian cuisine. - PERWIRA (Perhimpunan Warga Indonesia di Victoria) yang aktif menyelenggarakan acara-acara budaya itu, pada tanggal 2 Mei 2026 akan menyelenggarakan Mahasuara di Prahran Square, Melbourne. Yaitu festival musik Dangdut Koplo dan musik Bollywood. Yang diramaikan pula dengan stal-stal makanan khas Indonesia terutamanya.
Di episode kali ini, kita akan mendengarkan pengalaman puluhan Amin Achyar yang bekerja di restoran yang ada di Disney World, atau orang-orang biasa menyebut "the happiest place on earth". Yang menarik, di sana dia sering bertemu artis-artis Hollywood yang katanya kalau udah kasih tip, nilainya gila banget. Tonton video selengkapnya di #RayJansonRadioEnjoy the show!Instagram:Amin Achyar https://www.instagram.com/leogoaround/DON'T FORGET TO LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE !Ray Janson Radio is available on:Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2lEDF01Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/2nhtizqGoogle Podcast: https://bit.ly/2laege8iAnchor App: https://anchor.fm/ray-janson-radioTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rayjansonradioLet's talk some more:https://www.instagram.com/rayjanson#RayJansonRadio #FnBPodcast #Indonesia #DisneyWorld
KATA PEMRED #22PinterPolitik.comPada malam Sabtu, dua Mei dua ribu dua puluh enam, sebuah ponsel menyala di Jakarta. Notifikasi YouTube. Thumbnail huruf kapital merah, judulnya berhuruf besar tentang istana. Yang mendengarnya malam itu adalah algoritma — algoritma yang menyajikan apa pun di tab sebelah, dan yang tidak peduli kepada kredensial siapa pun.Di bawah thumbnail, dalam huruf kecil yang nyaris harus diperbesar untuk dibaca, kredensial pengunggah: Profesor Doktor Muhammad Amien Rais. Mantan Ketua MPR. Bapak Reformasi sembilan delapan. Pria yang dua dekade lalu kalimatnya menggetarkan lantai gedung Senayan, dan malam ini kalimat-kalimatnya berkompetisi dengan apa pun yang muncul di feed yang sama.
What if every time you reached for a packaged snack… you were quietly increasing your risk of a heart attack? In this urgent and deeply personal solo episode, Darin breaks down groundbreaking new research showing that each serving of ultra-processed food may increase cardiovascular risk by over 5%, not over time, but every single time you eat it. This isn't about calories. It's about chemistry, biology, and a system engineered for convenience at the expense of your health. From the shocking data to the underlying mechanisms: gut destruction, visceral fat accumulation, brain hijacking, and toxic exposure, this episode exposes the real cost of ultra-processed food and gives you the tools to reclaim control of your health and your life. What You'll Learn The shocking stat: 5% increased heart risk per serving of ultra-processed food Why ultra-processed foods act like compounding debt on your health The difference between calories vs chemical toxicity in food How emulsifiers and additives destroy your gut microbiome Why ultra-processed foods increase visceral fat around your organs How these foods are engineered to override your brain's satiety signals The hidden toxins from processing and packaging (PFAS, bisphenols, AGEs) Why this crisis disproportionately impacts certain communities The truth: you can't "out-exercise" ultra-processed food damage Practical ways to transition back to real, whole foods Chapters 00:00:04 – Opening: SuperLife mission and setting the stage 00:00:33 – Sponsor: Alkemis Paint and hidden indoor toxicity 00:01:24 – Why conventional paints off-gas harmful chemicals for years 00:02:27 – Cradle-to-Cradle certification and non-toxic living 00:03:24 – Entering the episode: the 5% heart risk question 00:03:34 – The shocking claim: every serving increases heart risk 00:04:16 – Ultra-processed food as "compounding debt" 00:05:08 – Leaning into discomfort as a path to growth 00:06:33 – The convenience trap: food delivered instantly 00:07:15 – The real cost: trading time for lifespan 00:08:07 – 2026 study overview (MESA dataset, 6,800 participants) 00:09:01 – 5.1% increased cardiovascular risk per serving explained 00:09:29 – 66.8% higher risk in high-consumption groups 00:10:08 – Risk is independent of calories, weight, and fitness 00:10:56 – "This is not a calorie story—it's a chemistry story" 00:11:10 – Racial disparities and food system inequality 00:12:08 – Additional studies confirm elevated heart risk 00:13:04 – Global meta-analysis: over 1 million participants 00:13:26 – The conclusion: the science is no longer debatable 00:14:18 – Sponsor: Shakeology and nutrient density 00:15:36 – What is ultra-processed food? (NOVA classification) 00:16:18 – Examples: chips, cereals, protein bars, fast food 00:16:57 – "These foods are engineered—not real food" 00:17:00 – Mechanism #1: gut microbiome disruption 00:18:03 – Emulsifiers and inflammation explained 00:18:49 – Gut inflammation triggers systemic disease 00:19:18 – Mechanism #2: visceral fat accumulation 00:19:56 – Why visceral fat is more dangerous than visible fat 00:20:18 – Mechanism #3: brain hijacking and satiety override 00:20:47 – Engineered foods and addictive eating patterns 00:21:04 – Mechanism #4: toxins from processing and packaging 00:21:30 – PFAS, bisphenols, and chemical contamination 00:21:37 – The solution: whole food first 00:22:02 – Breaking habits and reclaiming control 00:22:20 – Simple swaps: fruit, nuts, whole ingredients 00:23:00 – "If you can't trace it back to a real food, put it down" 00:23:32 – Making whole food convenient 00:24:06 – Batch cooking and preparation strategies 00:24:16 – Personal story: losing a friend to diet-related illness 00:24:40 – The emotional reality: this is life or death 00:25:00 – Community support and accountability 00:25:25 – Call to action: share this message 00:25:41 – Closing: courage, awareness, and living a SuperLife 00:26:23 – Outro Thank You to Our Sponsors: Shakeology: Get 15% off with code DARINO1BODI at Shakeology.com. Alkemis Paint: Go to https://alkemispaint.com/ and use code DARIN10 for 10% off your order. Join the SuperLife Patreon: This is where Darin now shares the deeper work: - weekly voice notes - ingredient trackers - wellness challenges - extended conversations - community accountability - sovereignty practices Join now for only $7.49/month at https://patreon.com/darinolien Connect with Darin Olien: Website: darinolien.com Instagram: @darinolien Book: Fatal Conveniences Platform & Products: superlife.com New Show: Roadmap to Happiness Key Takeaway "Every time you reach for ultra-processed food, you're not just making a small decision—you're compounding a biological cost that your body has to pay later. But the moment you become aware, you reclaim your power. Because the same way those choices can slowly take your health away… different choices, repeated daily, can give it all back." Bibliography/Sources Primary Study — News Hook Haidar, A., Rikhi, R., Watson, K. E., Wood, A. C., & Shapiro, M. D. (2026). Association between ultraprocessed food consumption and cardiovascular disease risk: MESA. JACC: Advances. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.102516 Supporting Studies — 2026 Willett, Y., Yang, C., Dunn, J., et al. (2026). Consumption of ultra-processed foods and increased risks of cardiovascular disease in U.S. adults. The American Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2026.01.012 Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses Dose-response meta-analysis: UPF consumption and cardiovascular events risk — 20 studies, 1.1M participants. (2024). eClinicalMedicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102480 Ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular disease: Analysis of three large US prospective cohorts and a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2024). The Lancet Regional Health – Americas. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(24)00186-8/fulltext Mechanisms — Gut, Inflammation & Additives Ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular diseases: Potential mechanisms of action. (2021). Advances in Nutrition. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8483964/ Ultra-processed foods and food additives in gut health and disease. (2024). Nature Reviews. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38388570/ Ultra-processed foods and incident cardiovascular disease in the Framingham Offspring Study. (2021). Journal of the American College of Cardiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.01.047 Ultraprocessed foods and their association with cardiometabolic health: A science advisory from the American Heart Association. (2023). Circulation. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001365 Visceral Fat Konieczna, J., et al. (n.d.). Contribution of ultra-processed foods in visceral fat deposition: Prospective analysis nested in the PREDIMED-Plus trial. Clinical Nutrition. https://www.explorationpub.com/Journals/edd/Article/100523 NOVA Classification Monteiro, C. A., Cannon, G., Levy, R. B., et al. (2019). Ultra-processed foods: What they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition, 22(5), 936–941. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30744710/ Policy & Public Health Context American College of Cardiology. (2025). ACC 2025 concise clinical guidance: Front-of-package labeling endorsement. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Dietary guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov General Coverage — News Hook Food Safety Magazine. (2026, April). Study links diets high in ultra-processed foods to increased heart attack, stroke risk. https://www.food-safety.com/articles/11290-study-links-diets-high-in-ultra-processed-foods-to-increased-heart-attack-stroke-risk ScienceDaily. (2026, March). Ultra-processed foods linked to 67% higher risk of heart attack and stroke. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/03/260319074604.htm
Dorothy sits down with Dr. Wei Yang, a renowned professor and breast radiologist. Dr. Yang emphasizes the significance of mammography, recommending annual screening starting at age 40 for women at average risk. During this conversation, you’ll hear about the benefits of digital breast tomosynthesis (3D mammography) and breast MRI for women at elevated risk, highlighting the positive outcomes associated with early-stage breast cancer diagnosis. Dr. Yang underscores the importance of early detection and the role of emerging technologies, such as contrast-enhanced mammograms and artificial intelligence, in improving breast imaging, and more. Her personal story is as interesting as the work she is doing to level the playing field for all women, insured or uninsured. Support The Rose HERE. Subscribe to Let’s Talk About Your Breasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and wherever you get your podcasts. Key Questions Answered 1. What is the importance of breast cancer screening, and what are Dr. Yang's recommendations for mammography screening? 2. How do digital breast tomosynthesis (3D mammography) and breast MRI benefit women at elevated risk of breast cancer? 3. What are the positive outcomes associated with early-stage breast cancer diagnosis, and why is early detection so crucial? 4. What new technologies, such as contrast-enhanced mammograms and artificial intelligence, are emerging to improve breast imaging? Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:16 Choosing Radiology and Specializing in Breast Imaging 05:40 Different Screening Modalities in Breast Cancer 07:00 Understanding Digital Breast Tomosynthesis 09:55 The Role of Breast MRI in High-Risk Women 14:11 Diagnostic Workup for Abnormal Mammograms 18:50 Exploring New Technologies in Breast Imaging 20:42 Embracing Artificial Intelligence in Medicine 21:09 Navigating Gender Asymmetry in Medicine 22:36 Supporting Patients and Delivering Clear Communication 25:31 The Importance of Forgiving Self and Taking One Step at a Time 28:23 Hopes for the Future and the Importance of Passion 30:14 Encouraging Women to Prioritize Their HealthSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Negeri Sembilan kini berdepan satu krisis luar biasa yang menggabungkan pertembungan antara institusi beraja, adat, dan kestabilan politik negeri.Episod 196 Keluar Sekejap yang menampilkan Tan Sri Rais Yatim, Mantan Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan membedah kemelut yang bermula sejak April 2026, daripada krisis takhta apabila Undang Yang Empat telah membuat kenyataan untuk menurunlan Yang di-Pertuan Besar, termasuk isu pemecatan Undang Luak Sungai Ujong. Isu ini mencetuskan persoalan besar tentang kesahihan, bidang kuasa, dan keseimbangan dalam sistem adat Negeri Sembilan.Krisis adat ini kemudiannya merebak ke arena politik apabila 14 Adun UMNO- Barisan Nasional menarik sokongan terhadap Menteri Besar, mewujudkan situasi kerajaan tergantung dan ketidaktentuan terhadap hala tuju pentadbiran negeri.Apa sebenarnya yang sedang berlaku? Bagaimana krisis ini boleh berkembang sejauh ini, dan apakah implikasinya kepada Negeri Sembilan?Kupasan penuh dalam episod ini.
Ad Astra Travelers and welcome to Tales of Teyvat: A Genshin Lore Podcast. This week, our hosts are returning to Liyue to talk all about Exorcist Chongyun! We reminisce about Chongyun's initial release with the start of the game and whether or not we used him in our parties. After Feens begs for a better Chongyun build, and we reflect on a terrible Chongyun birthday celebration, our hosts discuss his Yang energy imbalance and whether or not he's able to even see a ghost given his condition. Our hosts review his relationships with Xingqiu and Shenhe, his family of exorcists, and his adoration of Xiao. There are talks of curses vs. blessings, spicy foods, and of course a walk-through of Chongyun's endearing hangout. Make sure to grab your emotional support ice pop for this week's episode! Visit talesofteyvat.com to find a comprehensive lore sheet that provides visual aids and links to videos and important Genshin Impact Resources. Make sure to give us a follow on Twitter or Instagram to stay updated on all things Tales of Teyvat and let us know your thoughts on today's episode. Questions? Thoughts? Theories you have to share? Feel free to email us at talesofteyvatpod@gmail.com and let us know, we would love to hear from you!Tales of Teyvat has partnered with the Shade Chamber Podcast to create a Genshin Community on Discord for our listeners! We are so excited to chat Genshin Lore, Honkai Star Rail, and so much more with you! You can join our server at https://bit.ly/shadesofteyvat.
Decades of agricultural development policy have chased yield. Bigger harvests, better seeds, more fertiliser. But how can we make farming more profitable? Craig McIntosh of UC San Diego is academic lead on a J-PAL Policy Insight covering twenty-three randomised evaluations of credit and grants for farmers in low- and middle-income countries. He tell Tim Phillips that although yields and revenues often rise, profit rarely responds in the same way. When farmers are already running their farms close to the margin, costs rise at the same rate as income, and the household bank balance does not move much. What can we bundle with credit to change that situation?The research behind this episode:Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). 2026. "Can relaxing credit constraints boost farmers' profits?” J-PAL Policy Insights. Last modified February 2026. Academic leads: Craig McIntosh and Tavneet Suri; insight authors: Leonie Rauls and Rebecca Toole.To cite this episode:Phillips, Tim, and Craig McIntosh. 2026. “Boosting farmers' profits?" VoxDev Talks (podcast). Assign this as extra listening. The citation above is formatted and ready for a reading list or VLE.About the guestCraig McIntosh is Professor of Economics at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, UC San Diego. His research spans development finance, agricultural credit, cash transfer design and the evaluation of large-scale anti-poverty interventions. Research cited in this episodeMicrocredit take-up among farmers. Across four randomised evaluations of traditional microcredit aimed at farmers, in Morocco, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Malawi, take-up sat between 13 and 33 percent. Standard microcredit repayment begins a week or two after disbursement, which is incompatible with a crop cycle that pays out cash once or twice a year. Group liability also breaks down in agriculture, where shocks like drought or floods hit borrowers together rather than one at a time.Tailoring credit to the agricultural cycle. Restructured loans push take-up much higher. Nakano and Magezi in Tanzania allowed rice farmers to defer 80 percent of repayment until harvest; 39 percent borrowed and over 92 percent repaid. William Jack and co-authors in Kenya offered dairy farmers asset-collateralised loans for a water tank; take-up reached 44 percent against 2.4 percent for a typical joint-liability product. Lambon-Quayefio, Manjeer and Udry in Ghana offered digital credit with a three-month grace period; 59 percent of farmers took it up.Sell low, buy high. Burke and co-authors in Kenya showed that smallholders routinely sell at the post-harvest price trough and buy back grain at hungry-season prices 20 to 40 percent higher. Harvest-time loans that allowed farmers to delay sales had take-up of 64 percent and produced returns around 29 percent for borrowers. Treated villages also saw flatter price trajectories, generating spillover benefits for non-borrowers.Lean-season credit. Fink, Jack and Masiye in Zambia found that lean-season loans let farmers stop hiring out their labour and instead work their own land. Output rose by 9 percent. Loan repayments were comparable to the gain, leaving farmers roughly even on profits.Selection into credit markets. Beaman, Karlan, Thuysbaert and Udry in Mali first offered loans, then offered grants to those who had refused. Returns to capital among would-be borrowers were on the order of 130 percent. Returns among those who had refused the loan were close to zero. Credit appears to self-target toward farmers who can use it productively, which is regressive in welfare terms and also exactly what a capital-scarce economy needs credit markets to do.Input subsidy programmes (ISPs). Jayne and co-authors reviewed eighty studies of fertiliser subsidies across sub-Saharan Africa. Yields rise while subsidies are in place; profitability is mixed; targeting is frequently politically distorted, often skewed toward better-connected or wealthier farmers. The standout randomised exception is Carter, Laajaj and Yang in Mozambique, where two-thirds of recipients had never used fertiliser before; the programme produced sustained gains and a high benefit-cost ratio. By contrast, Gignoux and co-authors in Haiti found a fertiliser-voucher subsidy crowded out farmers' own input spending and lowered yields once the subsidy ended.Cash transfers and diversification. In six studies measuring both farm and non-farm outcomes, three found households doubled down on agriculture and three saw movement into non-farm enterprises. The Zambian Child Grant evaluation by Handa and co-authors saw women invest in seeds, fertiliser and livestock and start non-farm businesses, with household income roughly doubling.Bundled input programmes. Four randomised evaluations bundled credit or a grant with information, training or market access. All four lifted revenues; three of the four lifted incomes or profits. Harou and co-authors in Tanzania showed that fertiliser vouchers alone and soil testing alone did nothing; only the combination raised yields and revenues. Ashraf, Gine and Karlan's Kenya study on French-bean and baby-corn export found credit increased programme participation from 27 to 41 percent, even where it did not further raise income among participants.
Last time we spoke about the battle of south Guangxi. In late 1939, amid the Sino-Japanese War stalemate, Japan aimed to sever China's vital supply lines from French Indochina by invading southern Guangxi. The 21st Army, including the 5th Division and Taiwan Mixed Brigade landed at Qinzhou Bay on November 15, capturing Nanning by November 24 after feinting at Beihai and overcoming scattered Chinese defenses under the 16th Army Group. Chinese forces, commanded by Bai Chongxi and reinforced by the elite 5th Army launched a counteroffensive in December. The brutal Battle of Kunlun Pass saw repeated assaults. However, Japanese counterattacks in January 1940, bolstered by the 18th Division and Konoye Brigade, recaptured Kunlun Pass and Binyang by February, inflicting over 10,000 Chinese losses and forcing retreats. A stalemate ensued until September 1940, when Japan pressured Indochina. Overextended Japanese forces withdrew south, allowing Chinese to recapture Nanning on October 30 and clear Guangxi by November 17. #199 The battle of West Suiyuan 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. Back in 1936, the Xi'an Incident had forced a fragile alliance between the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek and the Communists, forming a united front against Japan. This front extended to regional warlords like the Ma Clique, who controlled Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai. The Ma family, descendants of Muslim generals loyal to the Qing Dynasty, navigated complex loyalties but ultimately aligned with the Nationalist cause, driven by patriotism and self-preservation. The stakes in West Suiyuan were high. Control of the region meant access to the Suiyuan-Xinjiang Highway, a lifeline for Soviet aid to China. Japanese occupation could threaten the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, a Communist stronghold, and open paths to Lanzhou and beyond. The battles here, though overshadowed by larger theaters like Shanghai or Wuhan, demonstrated how peripheral fronts contributed to the national resistance. Over 70 years later, the sacrifices of more than 2,000 Ningxia soldiers remain a poignant reminder of the human cost of resistance, their anti-Japanese merits etched forever in the annals of Chinese history. The seeds of the Battle of West Suiyuan were sown in the turbulent years following the Xi'an Incident. This event in December 1936 led to the initial formation of a national united front against Japanese aggression. The Communist Party of China (CPC) mobilized masses in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, strengthening anti-Japanese forces and exerting pressure on the Ma Clique. Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist government also influenced the Mas, solidifying their resolve to resist Japan. The Ma Clique, a powerful Muslim warlord faction in Northwest China, was led by figures like Ma Hongkui (governor of Ningxia) and his cousin Ma Hongbin. They controlled a semi-autonomous region with a mix of Hui, Han, and Mongolian populations. Japan, seeking to exploit ethnic divisions, attempted to woo the Mas. Even after the July 7, 1937, outbreak of war, Japan persisted. On October 17, 1937, after occupying Baotou, the Japanese established the "Baotou Hui Muslim Branch" and appointed Jiang Wenhuan, a former Hui commander, to court Ma Hongkui. They sent envoys, including an imam from Northeast China, and even airdropped letters from "Manchukuo." In a dramatic move, Japanese commander Itagaki Seishiro flew to Alashan Banner to invite Ma Hongkui for talks. Ma sent Zhou Baihuang, who rebuffed Itagaki by invoking historical grievances: the Japanese role in the Eight-Nation Alliance's 1900 invasion, where Ma family members died at Zhengyang Gate. "The family feud remains unresolved, and the national humiliation is yet to be avenged; they are irreconcilable enemies," Zhou declared. Japan's plot to persuade surrender failed, leading to a major offensive against Suiyuan and Ningxia. Large numbers of troops reinforced Baotou, and bombings targeted Ningxia. In response, Ma Hongkui began building fortifications in places like Shizuishan and Dengkou. Starting in the winter of 1937, he constructed defense fortifications in the Shizuishan area in four phases. In the Shizuishan Weizha area, trenches several meters wide and deep were dug, covered with branches, straw, and loose soil for camouflage, to prevent the passage of Japanese armored vehicles and heavy weapons. Within a hundred li north of Dengkou and Sanshenggong, all major roads were cut off, and deep trenches were dug to destroy the Japanese army's access to Ningxia. The banks of the Yellow River ferry crossings in northern Ningxia and the Helan Mountain passages were all cut into steep cliffs. Important passageways were fortified with blocking positions and hidden artillery to repel invading Japanese troops. Among the various military commanders in Northwest China, Ma Hongbin possessed the strongest anti-Japanese spirit. Having joined the army at a young age, Ma Hongbin placed great emphasis on cultural learning and the cultivation of his personal character. Outside of military service, he was always seen with a book in hand, resembling a scholar. His long-term study fostered his upright character and patriotism. After the Japanese invasion of China, deeply moved by the nation's peril, he resolved to lead his troops to the battlefield to save the country from its crisis. In the spring of 1938, at the opening ceremony of an officer training course held in Wanghongbao, Yongning, Ma Hongbin addressed his subordinates from the podium: "Always remember that the nation comes first, the people come first, defend the land and country, and fulfill your duties. On the battlefield, you must be able to both attack and defend, and be prepared to live and die with the position, with the determination to fight to the end." The Ma forces were reorganized into the Nationalist structure. Ma Hongkui's 15th Route Army and Ma Hongbin's 35th Division (later expanded to the 81st Army) formed the 17th Army Group, with Ma Hongkui as Commander-in-Chief and Ma Hongbin as Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Commander of the 81st Army. The officer training of the 81st Army improved the anti-Japanese consciousness and combat quality of the entire army, preparing for the counterattack against the Japanese invasion. In May 1938, due to the weakened defenses of Suiyuan (at that time, the troops of Fu Zuoyi, the chairman of Suiyuan Province, had retreated to Shanxi), most of the area was occupied by Japanese and puppet troops. The Kuomintang Central Committee appointed Ma Hongbin as the commander of the Suiyuan West Defense Command. Ma Hongbin led his 81st Army and two cavalry brigades and one infantry brigade of Ma Hongkui's troops to Wuyuan (now Wuyuan County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) to unify the command of the various anti-Japanese forces that had retreated into Suiyuan West. His mission was to prevent the Japanese army from advancing westward. After arriving in Wuyuan, Ma Hongbin convened a meeting of commanders from various forces to discuss the defense against the Japanese. The various armies in western Suiyuan were of different factions and not affiliated with each other, and most adopted a policy of seeking safety and avoiding danger in their defenses. Ma Hongbin deployed the main force of his 81st Army, the 35th Division, at key passes in the Wubu Langshan area northeast of Wuyuan to serve as the first line of defense, while deploying three brigades of Ma Hongkui's troops along the line from Wuyuan to Langshan as reinforcements. The terrain was challenging: vast deserts, mountains like Yinshan and Langshan, and the Yellow River's bends. Wubulangkou, a narrow pass between Erlang and Chashitai Mountains, was strategically vital. Defenses included anti-tank trenches and mines. These preparations reflected the Ningxia Army's blend of traditional cavalry tactics and modern training. The troops, many Hui Muslims, brought cultural cohesion and resilience, but faced equipment shortages—outdated mortars and rifles versus Japanese mechanization. In May 1938, Ma Hongbin arrived in Linhe (now part of Bayannur, Inner Mongolia) to establish his command post. After inspecting the situation of the friendly forces in the defense zone and designating the defense zone of his subordinate 81st Army, he ordered Ma Tengjiao, commander of the 35th Division, to lead four infantry regiments, namely the 103rd and 104th Brigades, to Suiyuan Western Defense Command to fight against the Japanese. Ma Hongbin established a command post in Linhe, where he and his son, Ma Dunjing, the chief of staff of the 81st Army, deployed their troops in areas such as Wuzhen and Siyitang. Ma Dunjing directed his troops to conduct exercises in the Wuzhen and Siyitang area, and invited Soviet military advisors to provide guidance, preparing for combat with an extremely serious attitude. To show his support for Ma Hongbin's leadership of the Suiyuan Western Defense Command, Ma Hongkui dispatched two cavalry brigades to Suiyuan Western Defense Command. The main reason why the Ma Clique army from Ningxia went to Suiyuan to fight against the Japanese was that the defense of Suiyuan was directly related to the safety of Ningxia. At the same time, after the Ma Clique army was incorporated into the anti-Japanese army, its primary task was to fight against the Japanese invaders and defend the country. In addition, the anti-Japanese enthusiasm of the people in the Northwest continued to rise. Under the impetus of the situation, it was inevitable that the Ningxia army would join the anti-Japanese war in Suiyuan. The initial engagement came in the late summer and early autumn of 1939, as Japanese troops, driving cars, armored vehicles, and tanks, advanced from Baotou towards the defenses of the 81st Army in western Suiyuan, attempting to annihilate the main force of the 81st Army. Ma Dunjing (the third son of Ma Hongbin), Chief of Staff of the 81st Army, personally commanded the operation at the front line in Wuda Town. The Japanese advanced to the defensive positions of the 35th Division and bombarded Ma's position with heavy artillery fire. The 35th Division returned fire with 82mm mortars. Because Ma's mortars were old-fashioned, they emitted smoke upon firing, revealing their positions. The Japanese immediately unleashed over 200 shells on the 35th Division's artillery positions, silencing them and rendering them incapable of retaliating. Taking advantage of this, the Japanese, under the powerful cover of artillery and machine gun fire, swarmed in by car, tank, and armored vehicle. The 35th Division held their ground, waiting for the Japanese troops to enter effective firing range and disembark from their vehicles. Suddenly, soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 206th Regiment jumped out of their fortifications and charged into the enemy lines, engaging the Japanese in hand-to-hand combat. The Japanese were thrown into disarray, some killed before they could even disembark. Those who did disembark suffered heavy casualties, with the remaining soldiers turning back to their vehicles and fleeing in panic. Forced to retreat after suffering a decisive blow, the 35th Division captured two Japanese vehicles, over a hundred artillery shells, dozens of boxes of ammunition, as well as firearms and officer's swords. This marked the first victory in the Suiyuan-Western Anti-Japanese War. This victory boosted morale and public spirit. When the captured vehicles entered Wuyuan County, the people cheered enthusiastically, plastering the vehicles with various celebratory slogans. An elderly local artist even composed a song to celebrate the victory and sang it on the street: "Our old Western Army (referring to Ma Hongbin's 81st Army) is really good at fighting. We drove away the Japanese soldiers, captured cars and brought them into Wuyuan City, where the whole city celebrated and welcomed them. Relying on our old Western Army, we defeated the Japanese soldiers, and the people have peace." The campaign's defining battle occurred at Wubulangkou in early 1940, following the Chinese raid on Baotou in December 1939. In the autumn of 1939, the situation in Shanxi stabilized, and Fu Zuoyi, the chairman of Suiyuan Province who had retreated to Shanxi, led his troops back to western Suiyuan, establishing the Deputy Commander's Headquarters of the Eighth War Zone to unify command of military and political affairs in western Suiyuan and actively preparing for a counter-offensive. To coordinate with the nationwide winter offensive, Fu Zuoyi decided to attack Baotou, a key Japanese stronghold, to contain the Japanese forces in North China. The Battle of Baotou was spearheaded by the newly formed 31st Division of Fu Zuoyi's 35th Army, with the 35th Division of Ma Hongbin's 81st Army providing support. Under meticulous planning, on December 20th, Sun Lanfeng's newly formed 31st Division of Fu Zuoyi's army stormed into Baotou. The Japanese army, caught off guard, panicked and suffered over a thousand casualties, scattering in all directions, losing all their supplies within the city. Fu Zuoyi then directed his troops to withdraw to the rear of western Suiyuan, luring the enemy deeper into the territory for a later battle. The Battle of Baotou greatly angered the Japanese army. Therefore, more than 30,000 Japanese troops were mobilized from Zhangjiakou, Taiyuan, Datong, and other places, along with more than 1,500 military vehicles, armored vehicles, tanks, dozens of aircraft, and six divisions of puppet Mongolian troops, totaling more than 40,000 men. Under the command of Division Commander Kuroda, they launched a major offensive into western Suiyuan in early 1940, attempting to seize western and southern Inner Mongolia in one fell swoop. Facing the superior Japanese forces, the people and soldiers of western Suiyuan adopted a scorched-earth policy and mobile warfare to maneuver against the enemy. The specific deployment was as follows: the 7th Cavalry Division of Men Bingyue's troops blocked the Japanese troops in the Xishanzui and Maqidukou areas, and then turned to the right bank of the Yellow River to threaten the enemy's left flank; the 35th Division of Ma Hongbin's troops and the 1st Cavalry Brigade of Ma Hongkui's troops constructed positions in the Wubulangkou and Wuzhen areas, blocked the enemy, and then moved into Langshan to threaten the Japanese right flank; the 35th Army of Fu Zuoyi's troops assembled northwest of Wuyuan to launch mobile attacks on the enemy; other units chose favorable terrain to harass the exhausted enemy at any time; and the logistics personnel were transferred to the Dengkou and Shizuishan areas. Before Langshan Mountain, where the Yang family generals once fought against the Jin dynasty, a thousand-mile-long battlefield against the Japanese was set up. Wubulangkou is located in the western part of the Yinshan Mountains. Nestled between the eastern and western ends of the rugged and precipitous Erlang Mountain and Chashitai Mountain, it forms a strategically vital location. After Fu Zuoyi returned to western Suiyuan in 1939 to serve as deputy commander of the Eighth War Zone, the Ningxia army was placed under his command. At the end of December, Fu Zuoyi's troops stormed Baotou, inflicting over a thousand casualties on the Japanese. Okabe, commander of the Japanese Mengjiang Garrison, considered the defeat at Baotou a great humiliation and declared, "We must sweep through the Hetao region and completely annihilate Fu Zuoyi's army." To eliminate future troubles, the Japanese, "determined to decisively crush the enemy's base in the Hetao region with their main force," began in January 1940, mobilizing over 30,000 Japanese and puppet troops from Zhangjiakou, Datong, and other places, along with over a thousand vehicles, aircraft, artillery, and tanks. Under the command of Division Commander Kuroda Shigetoku, they launched a three-pronged, menacing invasion of western Suiyuan. On January 31, Kuroda led the main force of the Japanese central route, consisting of over 780 vehicles, armored vehicles, and tanks, and launched an attack at 4:30 PM on the positions of the 35th Division of the 81st Army in the area of Wubulangkou, Siyitang, and Wuzhen. Ubulangkou, where Ma Hongbin's 35th Division was stationed, is a transliteration of the Mongolian word "Ubulak," meaning "mouth of large and small springs." Located in the southern part of present-day Urad Middle Banner, it lies at the junction of Wuliangsutai, Delingshan Township, and Wengeng Sumu, a strategically important location nestled between two mountains. When the Battle of Ubulangkou began, Ma Hongbin was in Chongqing attending a high-level military conference convened by Chiang Kai-shek, and his troops were commanded by Ma Tengjiao, commander of the 35th Division. At approximately 8:00 AM on January 31, 1940, the Japanese army amassed its forces in the Zaoshulinzi desert area, directly north of Siyitang and directly east of Ubulangkou. Their vanguard first used three aircraft to circling and bombard the positions of Ma's 205th Regiment, followed by artillery bombardment. Under the cover of aircraft and artillery, Japanese tanks, armored vehicles, and hundreds of military vehicles carrying Japanese troops launched an attack on the Siyitang and Ubulangkou positions. Following Ma Hongbin's orders, a defensive trench, 3 meters wide and 3 meters deep, had been dug in front of the 81st Army's position, stretching approximately 10 kilometers from the foot of Wubulang Pass to the north bank of the Yellow River. A 50-meter-wide pit zone preceded the trench. The two sides fought fiercely until nightfall, suffering heavy casualties and remaining evenly matched. At the Siyitang position, Ding Liangyu, the company commander of the 1st Company, 1st Battalion, 205th Regiment, was wounded and died the following day; more than 30 platoon leaders, squad leaders, and soldiers were killed. Xue Wanyou, the battalion clerk, was hit by an artillery shell, his body torn apart and his head severed. Although the officers and soldiers of Ma's 35th Division suffered heavy casualties, they held their ground. Unable to break through, the Japanese used aircraft to continuously release poison gas with the wind at their backs. Although Ma's troops had prepared simple gas masks made of gauze wrapped in sawdust, the concentration of the gas was too high, causing many to experience headaches, chest tightness, and vomiting, greatly weakening their fighting capacity and making the situation increasingly critical. Around 10 PM, Division Commander Ma Tengjiao ordered Ma Jiangong, deputy battalion commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 206th Regiment, to lead two companies from Wulanaobao to reinforce the 208th Regiment via Siyitang. Ma Jiangong was killed by a grenade in the fierce fighting. The two companies fought desperately to break free from the enemy and finally joined up with the 208th Regiment. The enemy, realizing this, reinforced their forces and intensified their attack. At 11:30 PM, the 208th Regiment's position was breached, but the enemy dared not advance rashly. The battle resumed at dawn the next day, and the fighting at the Siyitang position remained extremely fierce. Ma Tengjiao ordered the 1st Battalion of the 206th Regiment to reinforce the Siyitang position. While traversing a seven- or eight-mile stretch of open land, the reinforcements were subjected to heavy artillery fire from the Japanese, suffering heavy casualties. However, the troops braved the artillery fire, bullets, and thick smoke, breaking through the enemy's fire blockade and reaching the position. The combined forces of the Wubulangkou and Siyitang positions continued to inflict powerful blows on the Japanese army. The 205th Regiment, holding the fortified Siyitang, engaged in bayonet fighting with the Japanese army. When their bayonets bent, the soldiers would grab the enemy and bite them, or detonate grenades to die alongside them. The troops had gone two days and two nights without food or water, and coupled with the bitter cold, they were exhausted and suffering heavy casualties. The battle was exceptionally fierce, tragic, and arduous. Ma Hongbin later recalled this battle, saying, "Even the world-famous battles of Taierzhuang and Changsha, where the National Revolutionary Army fought with such heroic spirit, were no more than this." In the early morning of February 1st, the Japanese army first bombarded the defensive positions at Wubulangkou and Siyitang with heavy artillery, and then used aircraft to dive-bomb the open area in front of Wubulangkou. Under the attack of enemy artillery and tanks combined with infantry, the 208th Regiment suffered heavy casualties, and the front-line positions at Wubulangkou were breached by the enemy. The 205th and 206th Regiments sent reinforcements, using bunkers and high ground fortifications to stubbornly resist the enemy, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. Seeing that they could not capture the positions defended by the Ningxia army, the Japanese army released tear gas and sneezing gas. While attacking from the front, the Japanese army sent puppet Mongolian troops to flank and attack Wubulangkou from the rear of the mountain. Although the Ma troops resisted bravely, they were ultimately outnumbered, and their positions were successively breached by the enemy, forcing the remaining defenders to withdraw. In this battle, more than 1,000 officers and soldiers of the Ningxia Ma troops shed their blood in western Suiyuan, using their lives to block the enemy's advance. Ma's troops retreated, pursued by Japanese ground forces and strafed by aircraft, suffering over a thousand casualties and forced to retreat into the desert. They continued to fight the Japanese in the quicksand, killing another 200 enemy soldiers. After a grueling six-day, six-night march, the troops successfully returned to their Dengkou base for rest. Post-war statistics show that Ma's 35th Division originally had over 5,000 men; in the battle of Wubulangkou, over 1,000 were killed and 2,000 wounded, including 700 suffering from frostbite. This battle exemplified sacrificial defense, buying time for counteroffensives. Upon learning of the defeat of his troops in Chongqing, Ma Hongbin immediately flew back to Ningxia and rushed to Dengkou. After regrouping the troops and investigating officers who had failed in their command, he reorganized two regiments, replenished their equipment, and after a brief rest, led by Brigade Commander Ma Peiqing, returned to western Suiyuan. To cooperate with Fu Zuoyi's troops in continuing the fight against the Japanese invaders, the Ningxia army, mainly composed of the 35th Division, entered the Dala Banner area of Yimeng to fight the enemy. After occupying Wuyuan, the Japanese army believed that the Chinese army in western Suiyuan was in disarray and would be unable to recover its fighting capacity in a short time. Furthermore, due to its overextended battle lines and supply difficulties, the Japanese army had no spare troops to expand the war. Therefore, they centered their forces on Wuyuan, leaving a Japanese regiment and four divisions of puppet Mongolian troops, totaling over 15,000 men, to garrison the Hetao region, while the rest of their forces retreated eastward. After the main Japanese force withdrew, Fu Zuoyi decided to organize a campaign to recapture Wuyuan. In March 1940, he ordered his 35th Army to lead the attack on Wuyuan, while Ma's 81st Army moved from western Suiyuan to the Dalad Banner area on the south bank of the Yellow River in the Ordos League to construct fortifications and block Japanese reinforcements from Baotou. At midnight on March 20, Fu's 35th Army simultaneously launched attacks on Japanese strongholds in Wuyuan, Meilingmiao, and Xingongzhong. After two days of fierce fighting, our army finally recaptured Linhe and Wuyuan, killing Lieutenant General Mizukawa, the division commander of the Japanese army, and several thousand of his puppet troops. Upon hearing the news, the Japanese troops in Baotou crossed the Yellow River, attempting to outflank the 35th Army from the south. However, their westward advance was met with resistance from the positions of Ma's 81st Army. During the defensive battle, Ma's troops were bombarded by more than 30 Japanese artillery pieces. Due to outdated weaponry and lack of artillery counterattack, Ma's right flank was destroyed, allowing the enemy to encircle them from the rear. To avoid being outflanked, Ma's troops retreated north to the Shawo area to regroup. Ma Hongbin ordered each regiment to exploit the enemy's difficulty in vehicular movement in the desert, employing mobile warfare tactics, advancing when the enemy advanced and retreating when the enemy retreated, maintaining a distance of five or six li from the enemy, and choosing opportune moments to attack and exhaust them. Ma's troops also frequently formed assault teams to harass the enemy at night, keeping them constantly on edge. After maneuvering with the Japanese in the desert for several days using mobile warfare, Ma Hongbin's troops occupied a hilltop southwest of Xinminbao and laid an ambush. When the enemy approached, they unleashed a sudden barrage of fire, inflicting hundreds of casualties. This blow forced the Japanese army to abandon its southern reinforcement plan and retreat north across the Yellow River near Zhaojunfen. After the Japanese retreat, the 81st Army immediately launched an attack on the puppet Mongolian cavalry south of the Yellow River. After more than a month of battles, large and small, except for Chaidengtai, which was captured by Fu Zuoyi's troops, all other puppet strongholds were wiped out by Ma Hongbin's troops, and "the entire Damian Beach area in the northeast of the Ih Ju League was recovered." During the Qingming Festival in 1940, the 35th Division, returning to western Suiyuan, buried the officers and soldiers who died in the battle at Wubulangkou. With tears in their eyes, people buried the remains of 148 officers and soldiers at the Cemetery for Fallen Soldiers on the west side of Wubulangkou, and erected brick monuments in front of the graves according to the names on the surviving shoulder insignia of the fallen officers and soldiers' uniforms. Casualties on all sides were significant, reflecting the intensity of the fighting. For the Japanese, two brigades and the 72nd Cavalry Regiment took heavy hits, though official reports admitted only about 1,000 losses. Given that these units were sidelined from combat for an extended period afterward, the true figure was likely far higher. Battle reports from the 26th Division alone recorded over 3,000 casualties, nearly 20% of its strength,pushing the total Japanese toll, including other units, to between 4,000 and 5,000. Puppet forces fared even worse. The "Suiyuan-Western Autonomous Allied Army" proved utterly ineffective, collapsing almost immediately against the superior Ma Clique cavalry of the Nationalist 81st Army. While the puppet Mongolian cavalry had some combat capability, their reluctance to fight for the Japanese—often against their own kin, led to half-hearted engagements and quick retreats. Combined puppet casualties and prisoners numbered around 5,000 to 6,000, bringing the overall Japanese and puppet losses to 10,000–12,000 killed or wounded. The Chinese forces, vastly outmatched in equipment and relying on brave but undertrained local security units, endured heavy sacrifices. Domestic sources estimate their casualties at 15,000–20,000. This campaign marked the only major anti-Japanese engagement involving people from Ningxia, where over 10,000 Hui and Han fighters, under Ma Hongbin and Ma Hongkui, battled fiercely in what is now Linhe and Wuyuan in Inner Mongolia. Thousands perished, buried far from home, embodying the unyielding spirit of the Chinese nation. It stood as Northwest China's sole battlefield in the war, a point of pride for its people. Victory was hard-won, despite the Chinese having slightly more troops but far inferior weaponry. Success stemmed from the soldiers' bravery, tactical use of cavalry mobility, and crucially, the puppet Mongolians' unwillingness to fully commit. The campaign not only repelled the Japanese westward and southward advances, securing Northwest China's northern gateway and blocking incursions into Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Gansu, but also safeguarded key supply routes like the Suiyuan-Xinjiang Highway and connections to Lanzhou. This ensured a steady influx of Soviet aid, bolstering the national resistance and indirectly supporting efforts in Southwest China. 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. After a Chinese raid seized Baotou, Japan launched a major 1940 offensive with tens of thousands of troops, vehicles, armor, aircraft, and puppet Mongolian forces. Chinese defenders used scorched earth, fortifications at Wubulangkou, and mobile cavalry/desert tactics, ambushes, and night harassment. Fu Zuoyi later recaptured Wuyuan/Linhe. Casualties were heavy—Chinese estimates 15,000–20,000; Japanese/puppet losses possibly 10,000–12,000.
Money can start to feel like an either-or decision. Either you're doing the "right" thing and saving, or you're enjoying your life and spending. And for a lot of people, that tension never really goes away, especially when everything feels more expensive right now. That's why I wanted to bring this episode back. Here is the encore airing of Finding Your Financial Yin and Yang, a solo episode that's all about finding balance with your money, without guilt, extremes, and without feeling like you're always getting it wrong. It's a basic idea, but one that can completely change how you think about saving, spending, and what "doing well" with money actually looks like.
VIDEO ALERT! We've got Mat and Peter taking a stroll across Jerez, and that's the episode version I'd most recommend!There's this thing called the law of opposites. You know: for every Ying, there's a Yang. For every good thing, a bad thing. For every exciting sprint, one boring race. Oh bloody hell, we weren't allowed to say that!Well never mind anyway, because it won't stay boring if you look a little closer. And you know who's really good at that? That's right, your hosts Mat and Peter! It's a little cliche to call Jerez "Marquez-country", but there's good reason: in the past, the Spanish 'King of Chaos' has always ruled supreme over his kingdom here. But this year, something's seriously wrong. Marc was out in the second lap; not a great sign for his condition this season. And now the king's younger brother reigns in his stead, while Aprilia is steadily cementing itself further and further as best in class. And right in the middle of this? Mat and Peter, taking a stroll across the grid. Want to come backstage with us and see what they thought of it all? Then jump in! (Small note: today's episode is pretty short, but tune in tomorrow night for a special surprise!)---Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! The song during the sponsor segment is called Dolphin Shores by flowerhead. And thanks to our sponsors, OnTrack Experiences. Check them out if you want an easy all-in-one package for your favourite race!Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors: If you're interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we're working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!
Love is in the air at A Right Royal! In this week's throwback episode, Andrea and Emmy are joined by royal experts Emily Nash, Kate Mansey, and legendary biographer Hugo Vickers to unpick the greatest love stories of the British Monarchy. From the "steely" determination of the Princess of Wales during that infamous 2012 photo scandal to the "Ying and Yang" connection between King Charles and Queen Camilla, we're lifting the lid on what life is really like behind palace doors. Plus, Hugo Vickers takes us back in time to explain the real reason the nation was so scandalized by Wallis Simpson, and we reveal the "Sloane Ranger" era that defined a generation of royal brides. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Türkiye'de son yıllarda artan orman yangınları, hız kazanan madencilik faaliyetleri ve derinleşen ekolojik kriz, kamuoyunda tartışılmaya devam ediyor. Rivayet Muhtelif'te bu hafta doğa ve çevre politikaları mercek altına alınırken; ormanların geleceği, biyolojik çeşitlilikteki kayıplar ve doğal kaynak yönetimi üzerine çarpıcı değerlendirmeler yer alıyor. Programda Hilmi Hacaloğlu'nun, Doç. Dr. Oğuz Kurdoğlu ile yaptığı kapsamlı söyleşide, Türkiye'nin doğal varlıkları üzerindeki baskı tüm boyutlarıyla ele alınıyor. Orman alanlarının madencilik ve enerji projelerine tahsis edilmesi, plansız yapılaşma ve iklim değişikliğinin etkileri dikkat çeken başlıklar arasında yer alıyor. Özellikle son yıllarda artan yangınların yalnızca iklimle değil, insan faaliyetleriyle de doğrudan ilişkili olduğu vurgulanıyor. Programda dikkat çeken en önemli değerlendirmelerden biri, doğal kaynakların plansız kullanımının “ekolojik intihar” riski doğurduğu yönünde. Uzmanlara göre, kısa vadeli ekonomik kazançlar uğruna yapılan uygulamalar, uzun vadede hem doğayı hem de insan yaşamını tehdit ediyor. Ayrıca Türkiye'de ormanların farklı amaçlarla tahsis edilmesi sonucu parçalandığı ve bunun hem yangın riskini artırdığı hem de ekosistemi zayıflattığı ifade ediliyor. Yangınlarla mücadelede asıl çözümün önleyici politikalar ve eğitimli insan gücü olduğu vurgulanırken, mevcut hazırlıkların yeterince şeffaf olmadığına dair eleştiriler de dikkat çekiyor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The LA food media landscape is exploding in 2026, and it's getting harder to keep up. From the return of Gourmet to the rise of Caper Media, RAVENOUS, and LA Material, new outlets are reshaping how restaurants, culture, and criticism are covered.In Part 1 of this episode, Luca and Father Sal break down the biggest food media launches of the year, debating which platforms actually have staying power, what business models might work, and why food media still struggles to scale beyond local audiences. On Chef's Kiss / Big Miss, they get into the dilution of Wagyu in America, the rise of African diaspora fast-casual concepts, a $300 steakhouse cocktail, and a fast food chain leaning hard into RFK Jr.–era food politics.Then in Part 2, chef Christian Yang of Yang's Kitchen joins the show to talk about building one of LA's most distinctive restaurants and launching his new kombucha brand, Joimo, as he expands from hospitality into CPG. --Presented by mva.wine - the uncharted side of wine.
Andrew Yang — entrepreneur, bestselling author, UBI pioneer, and former Presidential candidate — sits down for a wide-ranging conversation covering everything from the existential threat of AI-driven job losses to the Democratic Party's identity crisis, cancel culture, fatherhood, and his bold 2028 election predictions. Yang opens up about his new book, addressing public perception, celebrity status, and life after a presidential run. He breaks down why cancel culture is more complex — and more damaging to society — than most people admit, and why Democrats urgently need to understand the politics of strength if they want to win again. On artificial intelligence and the future of work, Yang sounds the alarm: millions of jobs are at risk due to AI advancements, and the gains won't be shared equally unless we act now. He revisits his core argument for Universal Basic Income (UBI) and equitable distribution of AI's economic benefits. Yang also dives into Noble Mobile, his venture to slash cell phone costs and share profits directly with users — a real-world example of putting economic power back in everyday hands. Plus: Yang reflects on the challenges of fatherhood and shifting personal priorities, shares his outlook for the 2028 presidential race — including which candidates are best positioned to win — and explains why staying personally optimistic in dark times comes down to relationships and community. Be sure to check out the On Brand with Donny Deutsch YouTube page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What if the H-1B visa experience — the lottery, the waiting, the uncertainty about whether to buy a sofa or commit to a relationship — could be experienced in a game? Journalist and game developer Alison Yang did exactly that. Yang talks to Immigration Nerds host, Lauren Clarke, about her upcoming simulation game h1b.life, which drops players into the daily reality of navigating the U.S. immigration system, managing money, legal costs, social support, and mental health, all while outcomes can still spin on a slot machine you don't control.Resource Links:https://h1b.life/https://www.wired.com/story/made-in-china-a-new-game-turns-the-h-1b-visa-system-into-a-surreal-simulation/HOST: LAUREN CLARKE NEWS NERD: ROB TAYLOR PRODUCER: ADAM BELMAR
Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews)
AI disruption is no longer a future scenario, it's already reshaping the workforce. In this episode of Technovation, Andrew Yang, Founder & CEO of Noble Mobile, author of Hey Yang, Where’s My Thousand Bucks? shares why job displacement is accelerating faster than leaders and policymakers can respond. A former presidential candidate and founder of the Forward Party, Yang has been warning about automation's impact for years. Now, he explains why those predictions are becoming reality, and what must change. Key highlights include: Why AI is already eliminating white-collar jobs The case for taxing AI instead of human labor How universal basic income could stabilize the economy Why policymakers continue to lag behind innovation Lessons from launching Noble Mobile to challenge incumbents
In this potent episode of The Feminine Frequency, Amy Natalie sits down with embodied leader and visionary coach Ashae Sundara to explore the deep architecture of sacred partnership. As Ashae prepares for her upcoming wedding and a profound brand reinvention—transitioning her professional identity to reflect her new union—she pulls back the curtain on what it truly means to merge with a beloved. Together, they dive into the "new paradigm" of marriage, the nervous system energetics of trust, and how a woman's ability to soften is the ultimate catalyst for a man's leadership. If you've been navigating the dance between your high-achieving "Yang" energy and your soul's craving for deep devotion, this conversation is a sacred roadmap for your evolution.ThemesAshae shares the vulnerability and intentionality behind changing her name and brand, viewing it not as a loss of self, but as a "spell" for a new identity rooted in interdependence and union.Moving beyond traditional "programming," the conversation explores marriage as a system for generating magic, co-creating worlds, and moving closer to the Divine through intimacy.A deep look at why "feeling safe" is the prerequisite for feminine pleasure, and how partners can build a shared nervous system capacity to hold both grief and glory.How to transition from the "Yang" forward energy required to build a business into the "leaned-back" receptive state that allows a partner to lead.A gentle calling-in for women to stop demanding perfection from their partners and instead focus on becoming the "frequency match" for the devotion they desire.Learning the skill of "reading the room" and honoring a partner's capacity, rather than using feminine expression as a tool for manipulation or venting.Why the primary relationship must always be with the Divine first, ensuring that human partnership is an overflow of spiritual alignment rather than a source of self-abandonment.SPECIAL OFFER:
In this episode, Dr. Linda Chu reviews new Radiology studies exploring how photon counting CT is transforming thoracic imaging with ultra‑high resolution and dramatically lower radiation and contrast doses. She examines whether these visually striking images translate into better diagnostic confidence and meaningful improvements in patient care for emphysema and lung cancer imaging. Ultra-Low-Dose Photon-counting Detector CT for EmphysemaAssessment: A Head-to-Head Comparative Study with Low-Dose CT. Yuan and Yang et al. Radiology 2026; 318(1):e251609. Photon-counting CT versus Energy-integrating Detector CTin Imaging Lung Cancer. Yang et al. Radiology 2026; 318(2):e251126. Photon-counting CT versus Energy-integrating Detector CTPerformance for Various BMI and Tumor Sizes in Lung Cancer. Zhou and Guo et al. Radiology 2026; 318(2):e251663. Prospective Evaluation of Ultra-Low-Dose Photon-counting CT inEmphysema Assessment. Schwartz. Radiology 2026; 318(2):e254065.
South Korea is most famously known as the “Land of the Morning Calm.” This poetic nickname is a back-translation of the ancient name Choson (or Joseon), where cho means “morning” and son means “fresh” or “bright.” Starting around 1000 years ago during the Goryeo Dynasty, Korean herbal medicine — known as Hanbang — began to distinguish itself from Chinese traditions by focusing on indigenous flora. This era saw the compilation of the Hyangyak Gugeupbang (Emergency Remedies using Native Drugs), the oldest surviving medical book in Korea.It shifted the focus toward Hyangyak, or “homegrown medicine,” ensuring that the common people had access to local herbs like mugwort, garlic, and wild ginseng rather than relying on expensive imported Chinese ingredients. This period established the philosophical foundation that the human body is a miniature universe, where health is maintained through the balance of Yin and Yang and the smooth flow of Qi. Monasteries and government-run dispensaries became hubs for refining these botanical formulas, treating everything from seasonal fevers to digestive issues.Around 1000 years ago during the Goryeo Dynasty, the “Land of the Morning Calm” began weaving a sophisticated tapestry of mental health care through the lens of Hanbang. In this era, the mind and body were viewed as an inseparable unity; mental distress was not seen as a purely “brain-based” issue but as a disharmony of the Five Viscera. For example, excessive grief was linked to the lungs, while anger was tied to the liver. To treat the “afflictions of the spirit,” Goryeo physicians utilized Hyangyak (native herbs) like Baekbokryeong (Poria cocos), a fungus found on pine roots known to “calm the heart and soothe the nerves.” This holistic approach was revolutionary because it focused on restoring the flow of Qi (energy) to alleviate symptoms of what we now call anxiety or depression. Rather than isolating the patient, herbal concoctions were used to stabilize the internal environment, allowing the spirit to return to a state of “Morning Calm.”The evolution of mental healing reached its sophisticated peak during the Joseon Dynasty, particularly with the 17th-century masterpiece, the Dongui Bogam. The physician Heo Jun documented extensive treatments for Hwa-byung (fire-illness), a unique Korean psychosomatic disorder caused by suppressed emotions. The primary herbal strategy involved “cooling the fire” of the heart. Formulas such as Cheongsimhwan (Clear Heart Pill), containing a complex blend of herbs including wild ginseng and dried ginger, were used to treat palpitations and emotional instability.
Bonus Episode of "Inside Schizophrenia" podcast from Healthline Media. “Paranoid schizophrenic admits to attacking dog walker.” When we watch a horror movie, we know the “madman” on screen is a work of fiction. But when the nightly news leads with a diagnosis to explain a tragedy, the fear it creates is very real — and often permanent.Why does the media lead with schizophrenia only when the story involves violence, yet remain silent when it comes to stories of recovery, hope, and humanity? In this hard-hitting episode, host Rachel Star Withers (who lives with schizophrenia) explores the Lead with Fear phenomenon — the dangerous journalistic trend of linking a diagnosis to a crime before the facts are even in — and why schizophrenia seems to have the worst PR team in the world. Later in the show, we sit down with two media heavyweights who are using their platforms to overhaul how the world views mental health.: Janet Yang, an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning producer and former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Frank Kosa, an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker for National Geographic, the History Channel, and A&E. Listener Take-A-Ways: why "paranoid schizophrenia" is an obsolete clinical term that journalists refuse to let go of the startling statistic that fewer than 20% of news stories about schizophrenia include themes of recovery practical ways you can hold news outlets accountable and promote stories of hope Our guest, Frank Kosa, is an award-winning documentary producer-writer-director, and a journalist. He produced National Geographic's “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman,” wrote the inaugural season of Travel Channel's hit show “Booze Traveler,” produced the award-winning “The Revolutionary War,” a mini-series for A&E, “Christianity: The Second Millennium” and multiple shows of TV's most engaging documentary series including “Life Without People,” “The Universe,” and “Game Changers.” His shows have aired on The Science Channel, The History Channel, Discovery, A&E, TLC, Animal Planet, The Travel Channel, The Weather Channel, Lifetime, Bloomberg TV, HGTV, and National Geographic. His print journalism has appeared in The LA Times, USA Today, Sacramento Bee, The Christian Science Monitor, and numerous magazines. He has also worked for films and TV shows produced by Universal, Warner Bros., & Sony. He is Emmy-nominated, has won a Cable Ace and other awards, and strives to tell stories that deeply connect with audiences. Our guest, Janet Yang, is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning Hollywood producer, former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and has been named one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Hollywood” by the Hollywood Reporter. Yang's extensive film and television credits include “The Joy Luck Club,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” “The Weight of Water,” “Shanghai Calling,” “High Crimes,” “Zero Effect,” and “Over the Moon.” Yang began her career by running the first distribution company to market Chinese films into North America. She also brokered the reintroduction of American studio films to the Chinese marketplace after a decades-long hiatus. This, in turn, led to joining Steven Spielberg on the historic production of “Empire of the Sun.” This was followed by long-term partnership with multiple Academy-Award winning writer/director, Oliver Stone. Our host, Rachel Star Withers, (Link: www.rachelstarlive.com) is an entertainer, international speaker, video producer, and schizophrenic. She has appeared on MTV's Ridiculousness, TruTV, NBC's America's Got Talent, Marvel's Black Panther, TUBI's #shockfight, Goliath: Playing with Reality, and is the host of the HealthLine podcast “Inside Schizophrenia”. She grew up seeing monsters, hearing people in the walls, and having intense urges to hurt herself. Rachel creates videos documenting her schizophrenia, ways to manage, and letting others like her know they are not alone and can still live an amazing life. She has created a kid's mental health comic line, The Adventures of ____. (Learn more at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Fearless-Unstoppable-Light-Ambitious/dp/B0FHWK4ZHS ) Our cohost, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. He also hosts the twice Webby honored podcast, Inside Bipolar, with Dr. Nicole Washington. To learn more about Gabe, please visit his website, gabehoward.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“Paranoid schizophrenic admits to attacking dog walker.” When we watch a horror movie, we know the “madman” on screen is a work of fiction. But when the nightly news leads with a diagnosis to explain a tragedy, the fear it creates is very real — and often permanent.Why does the media lead with schizophrenia only when the story involves violence, yet remain silent when it comes to stories of recovery, hope, and humanity? In this hard-hitting episode, host Rachel Star Withers (who lives with schizophrenia) explores the Lead with Fear phenomenon — the dangerous journalistic trend of linking a diagnosis to a crime before the facts are even in — and why schizophrenia seems to have the worst PR team in the world. Later in the show, we sit down with two media heavyweights who are using their platforms to overhaul how the world views mental health.: Janet Yang, an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning producer and former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Frank Kosa, an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker for National Geographic, the History Channel, and A&E. Listener Take-A-Ways: why "paranoid schizophrenia" is an obsolete clinical term that journalists refuse to let go of the startling statistic that fewer than 20% of news stories about schizophrenia include themes of recovery practical ways you can hold news outlets accountable and promote stories of hope Our guest, Frank Kosa, is an award-winning documentary producer-writer-director, and a journalist. He produced National Geographic's “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman,” wrote the inaugural season of Travel Channel's hit show “Booze Traveler,” produced the award-winning “The Revolutionary War,” a mini-series for A&E, “Christianity: The Second Millennium” and multiple shows of TV's most engaging documentary series including “Life Without People,” “The Universe,” and “Game Changers.” His shows have aired on The Science Channel, The History Channel, Discovery, A&E, TLC, Animal Planet, The Travel Channel, The Weather Channel, Lifetime, Bloomberg TV, HGTV, and National Geographic. His print journalism has appeared in The LA Times, USA Today, Sacramento Bee, The Christian Science Monitor, and numerous magazines. He has also worked for films and TV shows produced by Universal, Warner Bros., & Sony. He is Emmy-nominated, has won a Cable Ace and other awards, and strives to tell stories that deeply connect with audiences. Our guest, Janet Yang, is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning Hollywood producer, former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and has been named one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Hollywood” by the Hollywood Reporter. Yang's extensive film and television credits include “The Joy Luck Club,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” “The Weight of Water,” “Shanghai Calling,” “High Crimes,” “Zero Effect,” and “Over the Moon.” Yang began her career by running the first distribution company to market Chinese films into North America. She also brokered the reintroduction of American studio films to the Chinese marketplace after a decades-long hiatus. This, in turn, led to joining Steven Spielberg on the historic production of “Empire of the Sun.” This was followed by long-term partnership with multiple Academy-Award winning writer/director, Oliver Stone. Our host, Rachel Star Withers, (Link: www.rachelstarlive.com) is an entertainer, international speaker, video producer, and schizophrenic. She has appeared on MTV's Ridiculousness, TruTV, NBC's America's Got Talent, Marvel's Black Panther, TUBI's #shockfight, Goliath: Playing with Reality, and is the host of the HealthLine podcast “Inside Schizophrenia”. She grew up seeing monsters, hearing people in the walls, and having intense urges to hurt herself. Rachel creates videos documenting her schizophrenia, ways to manage, and letting others like her know they are not alone and can still live an amazing life. She has created a kid's mental health comic line, The Adventures of ____. (Learn more at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Fearless-Unstoppable-Light-Ambitious/dp/B0FHWK4ZHS ) Our cohost, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. He also hosts the twice Webby honored podcast, Inside Bipolar, with Dr. Nicole Washington. To learn more about Gabe, please visit his website, gabehoward.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mea Culpa welcomes for the first time, Andrew Yang. Yang is an entrepreneur businessman, attorney, lobbyist, and politician, who championed universal basic income during his 2020 run for the presidency. Yang proved to be a surprisingly popular candidate, who developed a following known as the “Yang Gang” during the Democratic primaries, though Yang has since founded his own 3rd party known as the “Forward Party”. Yang was born to Taiwanese parents in New York, graduated from Columbia Law School, became an entrepreneur, founded two nonprofit organizations and was named a “Champion of Change” by the Obama administration. Yang ran for mayor of New York City in 2021 and has shown support for innovative ideas like ranked-choice voting, open primaries, and human-centered capitalism. Michael and Andrew discuss the future of the democratic party and 2024.
Last time we spoke about the Xiang-Gan Operation. In 1939, during the Second Sino-Japanese War's stalemate phase, Chiang Kai-shek received intelligence from Wang Pengsheng about Japan's "Xiang-Gan Operation," a plan to pressure Chongqing by advancing on Hunan and supporting Wang Jingwei's puppet regime in Nanjing. Chiang, based in Chongqing's Huangshan Villa, coordinated defenses in the Ninth War Zone. Deputy Chief Bai Chongxi proposed Plan A, luring Japanese forces deep to Hengyang for annihilation, minimizing movements and exploiting supply vulnerabilities. Chen Cheng and acting commander Xue Yue favored Plan B, emphasizing successive resistance north of Changsha to prevent its fall and counter propaganda.Initially approving Plan A, Chiang switched to Plan B after Xue's insistent telegrams highlighted risks like pincer attacks from Guangzhou and political fallout. Xue, haunted by past failures like Lanfeng and Nanchang, sought redemption. Troops under generals like Guan Linzheng fortified positions along the Xin Qiang and Miluo Rivers, with slogans invoking Taierzhuang's prestige. #196 The Road to Changsha: Rivers of Carnage at Miluo and Bijia 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. At 7 a.m. on September 14, over 2,000 troops from Nakai Ryotaro's 106th Division launched a fierce attack on the positions of Wan Baobang's 184th Division in Huibu. When this telegram crackled into the command centers of Chongqing, Guilin, and Changsha simultaneously, a hush fell over those who read it, each uttering the same grave words: "It has begun." Huibu, a forgotten speck in Jiangxi Province, clung precariously close to the Hunan border. It was here, in this unassuming town, that the curtain rose on a brutal symphony of war, the opening act of a larger tragedy. The Japanese 106th and 101st Divisions, fresh from their iron grip on Nanchang, clashed once more with the beleaguered units under General Luo Zhuoying, the front-line commander whose failed bid to reclaim Nanchang still burned like an open wound after five agonizing months of tense standoff, where every shadow hid a potential ambush. This was the calculated first thrust of Okamura Yasuji's insidious "Xiang-Gan Operation" plan: unleash an assault in Jiangxi to draw and pin down Chinese forces, forging the anvil for the hammer blow soon to fall in northern Hunan. The Japanese horde splintered into two relentless routes, surging toward Gao'an and Xiu Shui like twin serpents through the mist-shrouded hills and tangled jungles. Against them stood the Chinese 1st and 19th Army Groups, arrayed in ironclad formation, igniting a ferocious battle that echoed through the valleys with the thunder of gunfire and the cries of the fallen. When Luo Zhuoying received the urgent telephone report from the front lines, not even a flicker of the expected tension crossed his steely facade. The map of the battlefield was etched into his mind, vivid as a fresh scar, with no need to consult paper when strategy pulsed in his veins. His voice remained calm, almost detached, as he issued orders that carried the weight of life and death. The confidential staff scribbling down the commands couldn't help but notice the eerie mismatch between General Luo's serene tone and the savage directives spilling forth. "Order all units to strictly hold their positions, use their own reserves to reinforce critical areas, do not expect the general reserve, retake lost positions on their own. Anyone whose defense zone is breached by the enemy, affecting the overall operation, will be executed without mercy!" After dictating this decree of unyielding resolve, he summoned Deputy Chief of Staff Yang Xiuqi with a pointed command: "Don't handle anything else; just keep an eye on Gao'an for me." As the focus shifted to this critical stronghold, Gao'an stood as the town nearest Nanchang still clutched in Chinese hands, a stubborn thorn in the Japanese side, one they were hell-bent on yanking out with overwhelming fury. On September 15, 1939, the invaders shattered several forward positions of Song Kentang's 32nd Army encircling Gao'an, advancing like a tidal wave from east, west, and north. The soldiers of Li Zhaoying's 139th Division and Tang Yongliang's 141st Division clung desperately to their increasingly pulverized fortifications, enduring a hellstorm of Japanese aircraft and artillery that rained death from the skies. Wave after wave of wounded and martyred heroes were hauled from the lines, their blood staining the earth, while swathes of Japanese troops crumpled at the front in heaps of defeat. Army Commander Song Kentang, his brows furrowed in grim calculation, pondered pulling his forces back from Gao'an to blunt the enemy's razor-sharp advance. But as night cloaked the battlefield, Yang Xiuqi arrived under direct orders to oversee the fray, bearing Luo Zhuoying's unshakeable edict: Hold Gao'an firmly; no withdrawal allowed. The onslaught intensified the next day, September 16, as the Japanese unleashed a frenzy of continuous assaults, their bombs reducing front-line positions to smoking craters. By dusk, each unit had bled over half its strength, yet they held amid the rubble, defiant ghosts in a landscape of ruin. That night, Song Kentang and Yang Xiuqi faced each other with expressions etched in worry, shadows dancing across their faces in the dim light. Song implored Yang to relay to Commander Luo that without reinforcements to hammer the enemy's flanks, clinging on until tomorrow's eve would be impossible—he urged a tactical withdrawal. Yang dispatched the dire situation and Song's plea via overnight telegram to Luo Zhuoying, but by noon on the 17th, silence reigned, no reply pierced the growing dread. Yang Xiuqi recalled that on the afternoon of the 17th, a relentless drizzle fell like tears from the heavens. He accompanied a reception team to a crossroads, witnessing a heartbreaking procession from the front to a makeshift hospital south of Gao'an city. Severely wounded streamed in on stretchers, the lightly injured limped on their own, porters whispered of abandoned guns littering the positions, and military police reported a surge of deserters. In the cold calculus of combat statistics, there lurked a "missing" category—most were those who had fled the carnage. On the 18th, combat erupted at dawn's first light. Japanese planes obliterated Gao'an city into a flattened wasteland, their infantry charging with unprecedented savagery. At noon, Song Kentang issued the fateful order: withdraw from the city and seize the hillsides to the south. Gao'an thus slipped into enemy clutches, a bitter loss that echoed like a death knell. That evening, Operations Section Chief Ji informed Yang Xiuqi of urgent directives from Guilin Office Director Bai Chongxi and War Zone Commander Xue Yue: the 32nd Army must orchestrate an immediate counterattack on Gao'an, with the "ace army" en route. The "ace army" was none other than Wang Yaowu's 74th Army, the Ninth War Zone's prized general reserve. Yang's orderly, fetching water past Song Kentang's quarters, overheard the commander's resigned growl: "If they say fight, then fight; at worst, we'll lose all our men." That night, Army Commander Song Kentang descended to Tang Yongliang's 139th Division to personally oversee the assault, striking from south to north. The 141st Division, bolstered by Li Tianxia's 51st Division and Shi Zhongcheng's 57th Division of the 74th Army, flanked like wolves from both sides, weaving an encirclement around the Japanese in and around Gao'an city. "The 51st Division's code name was 'Vanguard.' This was truly a formidable unit; that night, with a fierce charge, they recaptured Cunqian Street, then built fortifications and stabilized the position," Yang Xiuqi said. Liu Qihuai, an elderly man who was a squad leader in the 4th Company of the 3rd Regiment of the 51st Division during the Gao'an battle, where his thigh was pierced, recalled: "At that time, I was young and remembered one phrase passed down by veterans: The fearful die first, the fearless die later. In the first few battles, I gritted my teeth and charged head-on. Later, I grew bolder, became flexible in battle, calm-headed, quick-eyed and -handed. Once, right after a skirmish, the company commander punched me in the chest and said, 'Good kid, you know how to fight!' and made me squad leader. On the battlefield, bullets don't care if you're afraid or not; those unafraid of sacrifice, brave and tenacious, often seize the initiative for our army but also bear the brunt, suffering the heaviest casualties. On the third day of fighting Gao'an, the wound ticket said Republic Year 28 (1939) September 21. That day, we charged into the city for street fighting with the little devils, all mixed up. I was closely following the deputy company commander, but lost him; no one could find anyone, it was all about who had the quickest eyes. Watching front, left, right, rooftops, and fearing the ones lying on the ground were feigning death to get up and shoot—wished I had more eyes. I killed a devil poking out from a broken wall, thought that wall section could be a cover for observation and shooting, so I rushed toward it. As I got closer to that dead devil, suddenly my thigh felt stabbed; I ran a few more steps before realizing I was hit, and seeing blood, I couldn't stand. The bullet came at an angle; later I thought it might have been friendly fire, since I was charging ahead and there were no devils on the sides. But I didn't dare say that then; admitting it wouldn't count as a combat wound. I was carried by stretcher bearers to the aid station in a Gu clan's ancestral hall. Next to my stretcher was a Henan soldier from the 32nd Army with a through-and-through calf wound; he was quite cheerful, friendly right away. He said our 74th Army could fight because our helmets were special, all bought from the old Russians (Soviets), bulletproof, bullets would spin on the head. I said great, next battle let's swap. Being wounded, I feared disability most; death wasn't scary—die early, reincarnate early. Lying on the stretcher, still joking; we were truly young then. Later, I met a platoon leader surnamed Dang from my company who was wounded around the same time; he said that Henan soldier was transferred to a rear hospital, got gangrene, had his leg amputated, and died a few days later..." According to war history records: At dawn on September 22, with the cooperation of the 74th Army, the 32nd Army's "139th and 141st Divisions fiercely attacked Gao'an city. Since the city walls had been destroyed by the unit before withdrawing, the Japanese could not hold firm and began retreating." By 8 a.m., the entire city was recaptured, "pursuing north in victory. A portion of the 141st Division advanced to Huangpo Bridge." The next day, they recaptured Xiangfuguan, Sigong Mountain, and other places northeast of Gao'an, "restoring the pre-war positions." September 18 was a date the Japanese favored for their grim expeditions, a cursed numeral etched into the annals of invasion and strife. At dawn's first whisper, the Japanese 6th and 33rd Divisions, the Nara Detachment, Uemura Detachment, and their attached artillery, armored, engineer, aviation, and naval units gathered in their respective starting zones, adhering to the precise timings decreed by Okamura Yasuji. They held silent prayer ceremonies, an eerie ritual amid the gathering storm. Over 50,000 Japanese officers and soldiers turned their faces eastward, their hands momentarily abandoning weapons to clasp before their chests, peering through the dense, rain-laden clouds blanketing China toward an imagined sun ascending from a blood-red sea. As the silent prayers dissolved into the mist, hands seized weapons once more. General Okamura Yasuji, prowling the lines of the 6th Division to inspect and ignite the assault, drew his command sword with a savage flourish and barked a short, guttural command in the tongue of his island nation to his fervent compatriots. In response, tens of thousands of military boots thundered in unison upon this foreign soil, so distant from the homeland that flickered in their devotional visions. The offensive in northern Hunan had erupted, a cataclysm of steel and fury. On Okamura Yasuji's military map, three bold red arrows aligned menacingly along the Xin Qiang River, like lethal shafts poised to pierce the south bank. The scattered Chinese forward positions on a handful of high points north of the river appeared as mere pebbles before an inexorable tidal wave. Among these fragile defenses, the one thrust farthest into the jaws of peril was the Bijia Mountain position, held by Qin Yizhi's 195th Division under Zhang Yaoming's 52nd Army—a protruding bastion shaped like an oval with twin camel-like peaks. On Okamura's map, this defiant outpost bore no unit designation or commander's name, perhaps dismissed as inconsequential in the shadow of the massive onslaught. Qin Yizhi recalled: "The enemy broke through the left-wing Songjiawan position on the north bank on the 19th. From dawn on the 20th, they attacked Shi Enhua's battalion at Bijia Mountain from the north and west. Besides artillery, they used planes for repeated bombings. This battalion was the most forward in our division; my attention was always here. The 195th Division was newly added to the 52nd Army after Yueyang's fall in late 1938, based on Henan security forces with poor military quality. I was transferred from army chief of staff to division commander and immediately focused on rigorous military training. First train company commanders, then platoon leaders, finally squad leaders. Marksmanship, bayoneting, grenade throwing—everyone passes; fail and get demoted. This is fighting the devils; personal death is minor, but who takes responsibility for failing the mission? Shi Enhua was my old subordinate from the 25th Division, Huangpu 8th Class graduate as platoon leader. He was upright, brave in combat; I promoted him to company and battalion commander. Shi Enhua had an older brother, Shi Enrong, Huangpu 7th Class, also in my unit, killed at Taierzhuang. Army Commander Zhang Yaoming said holding Bijia Mountain for 3 days completes the task; strive for more to blunt the enemy's edge, consume them heavily before they cross the river, making later battles easier. I barely slept those days. Shi Enhua led a reinforced battalion, over 500 men; this time it was truly bitter. By the second day, fortifications were basically blasted away; by the third day, September 22, the battalion had over half casualties. At dusk, visibility good, I went to a high ground by the river and looked across with binoculars. Shells flipped up patches of yellow earth on the mountain; fortifications in ruins. The chief of staff said the friendly position on Bijia Mountain's right wing was also lost. I called Shi Enhua: 'You've held for three days and nights, meeting army requirements. Troops have heavy casualties, surrounded on three sides; if unable to hold, withdraw if necessary.' Shi Enhua said only: 'A soldier has no "if necessary."' From dawn the next day, intense gunfire at Bijia Mountain; operations officer reported over a dozen tanks supporting infantry. I called for Shi Enhua; the orderly said the battalion commander was at the front. I asked how many troops left; the orderly cried. I ordered him to immediately convey: Withdraw to south bank at once, no delay! Shi Enhua and his brother Shi Enrong were both my subordinates. After Enrong's death, his father visited the troops; the old man tearfully shook my hand: 'Enrong died for the country, in his rightful place.' Enhua's family was affluent; his father educated, deeply principled. Around 3 p.m., I called again, finally reached Shi Enhua. I yelled angrily why not withdraw; Shi said: 'Division Commander, not that we won't; the enemy has us surrounded, we can't.' I ordered him to organize remaining forces for breakout; I'd assign artillery to suppress and send troops on south bank for support. Shi Enhua was silent for a while, finally said: 'Division Commander, see you in the next life!' A reinforced battalion, over 500 men: battalion commander, company commanders, platoon leaders, squad leaders, soldiers. A complete, orderly unit… After the battle, Japanese soldiers made locals collect bodies on the mountain; thousands from nearby villages went, all wanting to see these Chinese soldiers who fought for 4 days. On the mountain, everyone knelt; the hill was covered in fragmented corpses, not one intact for burial; the people wailed loudly." On the night of September 22, under the dim, ethereal glow of the moonlight, the Xiang River flowed in silent mystery, its gentle waves lapping against the shore like whispered secrets of impending doom. Amid this serene rhythm, a faint, ominous hum of engines pierced the air. Upon the river's surface, shadowy vessels glided, not a mere handful, but a colossal fleet, a dark armada poised for conquest! The right wing of the Japanese attacking formation was the 5th Brigade, commanded by Major General Uemura Mikio under Fujita Susumu's 3rd Division. This formidable force—comprising 4 infantry battalions, 1 mountain artillery battalion, two engineer regiments, and two transport companies—bore a perilous mission: "After the frontal offensive begins, advance up the Xiang River to land at Yingtian in Xiangyin County, detour to the area of Daniqiao, Xinkaishi, Qingshansi, and Malinshi south of the Miluo River, cut off the retreat of the Chinese forces, and support the 6th Division, 33rd Division, and 26th Brigade in attacking the area north of Changsha." The Yingtian landing occupied a pivotal, treacherous role in Okamura Yasuji's grand operational scheme, a devastating thrust aimed at the left wing of the Chinese defenses, designed to sever the southern retreat of troops entrenched along the Xin Qiang River and Miluo River lines, while plunging a lethal dagger into their exposed flanks. Among the Japanese soldiers charged with this grim duty was Yoshida Yujin, who in the 1970s resided in Higashi Ward, Osaka, Valley Town 3-chome, once a private first class in the 5th Brigade's 7th Infantry Battalion, 5th Company. He recalled: "It was a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and we were on the 'Xiang-Gan Operation' mission. One night, the troops assembled and boarded naval speedboats near Yueyang. I remember the mission involved our brigade plus attached units, totaling over 3,000 men. The speedboats formed a long line on the river; the one I was on seemed to be near the front. The speedboats ran without lights or whistles for concealment. We headed upstream along the Xiang River. That night, there was a not-quite-full, dark red moon in the sky, with dim reflections on the water; other boats and the land were black. We sat tightly packed in the cabins or on deck, rifles against shoulders, no talking allowed, only hearing the rumble of engines and soft water sounds. Around 1 or 2 a.m., Squad Leader Aota whispered: 'Entering combat zone.' We all instinctively grabbed our rifles, staring at the dark shoreline. About two hours before dawn, we finally reached the landing site. As we disembarked, gunfire erupted from a nearby hillside; the Chinese army had spotted us. Machine guns fired from the boats ahead; urged by the squad leader, we jumped off, wading knee-deep water to run from the shore. The company commander ordered several squads to deploy in battle formation, seize the hill attacking us, and cover the following boats' landing. After the attack began, it drew enemy fire; bullets whistled overhead and around us. Soon, enemy direct-fire cannons bombarded the fleet fiercely. Turning back in the explosion's flash, I saw our boat and an adjacent one hit and sinking, plus a few not yet ashore hit—those on board must have suffered heavy casualties. Because of the fierce enemy fire, our progress was slow. It was dark, targets unclear; 'Follow up, follow up' commands came constantly. Advancing in darkness, uneven ground caused frequent falls, impossible to move fast. Per plan, our battalion was to land at Tuxing Port between Yingtian and Xiongzui, then immediately occupy a place called Liuxing Mountain south of Yingtian as a foothold, before cutting southeast into the main battlefield. Landing led to immediate combat; everyone was momentarily at a loss. Along the riverbank, many spots fired guns and cannons toward the river, making our intent to seize that hill meaningless. When I and another soldier carried a wounded to the company's aid station, I saw officers studying maps with flashlights, probably unsure of position and attack direction. Soon came the order: Conceal in place. At dawn's first light, our planes bombed enemy positions; seven or eight planes dropped bombs and strafed several high grounds controlling the riverbank. By full daylight, we received orders to capture a village. The squad leader ordered us to advance in battle formation. This village, whose name I now forget, was on a hillside not far from the riverbank, with a simple trench in front. We rushed to the trench, threw a few grenades, and jumped in; my foot softly stepped on an enemy soldier's corpse. I jumped in fright, looked down, and saw two bullet holes side by side in his head—from a machine gun. Though I'd been in several battles, I was still afraid; before each, I'd pray inwardly, making a small wish. This time, my wish was to live through the Mid-Autumn Festival. Around 9 a.m., several more battalions landed at another crossing near Yingtian and soon linked with us. After our battalion occupied the empty small village, we turned to attack Yingtian Town. Around noon, we reached a kilometer outside the town, eating in a dry ditch. I heard the company commander say the company had over a dozen killed and wounded each. After eating, we joined the final assault on Yingtian Town. Bayonets fixed on rifles, per tactics, in groups of three or four, alternating cover, advancing stepwise. Enemy fire was quite fierce; we could only rush to forward advantageous positions when planes bombed, then conceal immediately after they left, pushing forward step by step. At 4 p.m., we attacked into the bombed-out ruins of Yingtian streets, engaging in street-by-street fighting with the enemy. My combat group had four; before entering the streets, Oyama-kun was unfortunately killed. After entering, the three of us stayed close. Rushing into a small temple in the town's northwest corner, one of us, my good friend Kurata, was hit in the abdomen and fell. I quickly dropped, took out bandages to wrap him. His expression was pained, holding breath in his lungs, face flushed red. I forcefully pried his hands from his belly; blood surged out. I stuffed gauze in, shouting: 'Medic, medic!' Kurata was my middle school classmate, same grade different class; we met on the school baseball team. His mother was a very kind woman, always smiling beautifully. Sometimes after extended practice, she'd bring water and snacks, wait by the field until done, and share with the team. The medic was nowhere; I was so anxious tears flowed. Kurata teared up too, wanted to say something but dared not breathe, suffering greatly. I picked him up to retreat; after a few steps, a shell exploded nearby, my head boomed, and I knew nothing. When I woke, Company Commander Miki was slapping my face hard; my mouth tasted salty. I got up, felt myself—no injuries; realized I'd been stunned. The commander, seeing me awake, patted my shoulder and handed my gun. Seeing people walking upright, I knew the battle was over. I asked: 'Where's Kurata-kun?' He said: 'He did his duty.' Not far, over thirty bodies lay side by side awaiting transport; I recognized them one by one and found Kurata. No longer curled, he lay flat, comfortably. His face waxy yellow, an arm blown off, abdominal blood soaking his uniform. I knelt beside him, tears unending. My mind kept thinking: I can't live either, because back home, I couldn't face that kind, always beautifully smiling woman; I can't live. Our unit advanced southeast; the column lacked many familiar faces. Before the unit crossed a mountain, I looked back once. Yingtian, a small town on the Xiang River's east bank..." According to war history records: "On the morning of September 23, the Japanese Nara Detachment at Yanglin Street and the 6th Division near Qibutang west of Xin Qiang forcibly crossed the Xin Qiang River (shallow enough to wade). A portion of the Uemura Detachment, supported by naval vessels, assaulted landings at Lujiao and Jiumazui on the left flank of Chinese positions. The Chinese 2nd Division and 195th Division bravely resisted the facing enemy. At this time, the Japanese used over a hundred small boats to carry the main Uemura Detachment force, supported by naval guns and air fire, detouring via Heyehu and Guhu to land south of the Miluo River mouth, at Yingtian, Tuxing Port, Duigongzui, etc., with about 1,500 troops. The Chinese 95th Division immediately counterattacked. Around 10 a.m., the Japanese reinforced landings toward Qingshan, Yanjia Mountain, and Liuxing Mountain south of Yingtian. Chinese counterattacks in these areas failed, and the Japanese captured the line from Yingtian to Qianqiuping." After triumphing at the Xin Qiang River and securing their perilous landing at Yingtian, Okamura Yasuji, adhering to his meticulously crafted deployment, drove his forces relentlessly toward the second defensive bulwark in northern Hunan, the formidable Miluo River, a line that could spell the difference between survival and annihilation. The Miluo River, snaking midway but northward between Yueyang and Changsha, stood as a natural fortress, a gift from the earth that Chinese forces could wield as a shield against the invaders. Chen Pei's 37th Army, under the 15th Army Group, had arrayed Liang Zhongjiang's 60th Division and Luo Qi's 95th Division along its southern bank, a wall of determination forged in the face of encroaching doom. With the Xin Qiang River defenses shattered and the Changsha region pulsing with tension, precious time was needed to fortify further, so Xue Yue issued a draconian order: do not abandon the Miluo River line under any circumstances. Over 20,000 officers and men of the 37th Army toiled ceaselessly through day and night, bolstering fortifications with sweat and resolve, their hearts heavy with the dread of the inferno soon to descend. The 2nd Company of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment of the 37th Army's 60th Division had been entrenched at Xinshi for a full three months, a vigil that turned the town into a pressure cooker of anticipation. Since the eruption of battle at the Xin Qiang River on September 18, the nerves of this riverside outpost had been strung taut, ready to snap at the slightest provocation. Yang Peyao, who would later endure a crippling foot wound that left him disabled, was then a fresh-faced one-year recruit, his innocence yet to be scorched by the fires of war. He harbored a naive conviction that combat was preferable to the drudgery of peacetime; training and fortification labor were exhausting, meals meager and uninspiring, but in the heat of battle, hardships seemed to vanish, and rations improved with each passing day. This notion stemmed from his unit's lack of real action since his enlistment, just endless standbys and guard duties where the enemy remained a phantom, never materializing. That day marked the 13th of the eighth lunar month; Yang Peyao and his entire regiment stood on high alert at their positions beside the dock, as routine as the river's flow. The Xin Qiang River line had held for five grueling days and nights; since two days prior, front-line troops had been streaming southward in retreat, their weary forms a harbinger of the storm to come. Xinshi served as the vital crossroads of east-west and north-south highways, a choke point for withdrawals from the Xin Qiang River, and the precarious junction between the 60th and 95th Divisions of the 37th Army. Army Commander Chen Pei had personally inspected the defenses multiple times, his eyes scanning for any weakness that could unravel their stand. One fateful day, as Yang Peyao's battalion labored to thicken fortification covers, the commander and Division Commander Liang Zhongjiang strode by; Yang overheard the commander's voice, sharp as a blade, declaring to the division commander: "No words; execute on the spot!" After the officers vanished from sight, Yang turned to a grizzled 40-something veteran in his squad: "Uncle Zhao, don't know who the commander is so fierce about executing?" Old Zhao replied with the weary wisdom of one who had seen too much: "Once fighting starts, people die, some by devils' hands, some by officers'; that's a soldier's fate." Around 10 a.m., regimental orders crackled through: Battle was imminent today; front-line troops would withdraw by noon, with Japanese hounds nipping at their heels; all positions must vigilantly scan the north bank; lunch would not be rotated, meals delivered straight to the lines. Yang Peyao positioned himself outside the fortification, peering intently across the water. The Miluo River stretched about 600 meters wide here, bridged by a military pontoon for vehicles linking the north-south highways. Not far upstream on the south bank loomed Xinshi Town; the highway skirted west of it, arrowing straight south to Changsha. With the town as a dividing line, the east fell under the 60th Division's domain, the west to the 95th; Yang's battalion clung to the division's edge, perilously adjacent to the town. Since assuming their post, he had heard tales of the south bank fortifications, erected over a full year: clusters of reinforced concrete bunkers interlinked in a defiant network. With reports of Japanese heavy artillery and aerial onslaughts at the Xin Qiang River, the commander had demanded further reinforcements, ensuring they could withstand multiple direct hits from the sky's fury. At 11:30 a.m., the company phone buzzed with instructions to fetch lunch from the kitchen. As Yang Peyao and another recruit emerged, they beheld another unit trudging across the bridge, a grim procession of battered souls. These brothers had fought through hell itself, their forms caked in grime and soot, the Republic of China flag at their vanguard tattered and filthy like a discarded rag. Stretcher bearers hauled an endless line of wounded and lifeless bodies; Yang caught sight of one injured soldier sitting rigidly on his litter, his upper body and head swathed in bandages, only his wide, haunted eyes visible, staring blankly in his direction. The unit took nearly an hour to cross, a somber parade of exhaustion. Returning with empty bowls after their meal, Yang spotted two collection vehicles groaning under loads of supplies and stragglers rumbling over the bridge. Trailing not far behind were clusters of three to five refugees, burdened with children, their faces etched with desperation. Since taking position, Yang had witnessed such southward streams daily on this crucial route, ghosts fleeing the advancing nightmare. Then the squad leader bellowed his name, jolting him back into the fortification. The company relayed urgent word: Japanese forces were tailing the 79th Army southward, poised to reach the Miluo River imminently. Before the squad leader could finish, the sharp "da-da-da" of machine gun fire erupted nearby. Yang's head buzzed with adrenaline; this was his first true taste of combat since enlisting. Though he had thumped his chest in pre-battle rallies, the real crackle of gunfire twisted his guts, nearly overwhelming him with fear. He dove to his assigned spot: assisting machine gunner Old Zhao by swapping ammo drums. Peering through the narrow firing slit, a vivid, stereoscopic tableau unfolded before him, forever seared into his memory. A thin man in a blue gown, bespectacled like a rural teacher, hoisted a light machine gun, firing wildly as he charged; behind him, a woman clutched a child, racing northward from the bridge's center. Several farmer-like figures miraculously produced machine guns, blasting away while advancing; beside them, women, elders, and old crones, some crouched with hands over heads on the bridge, others fled back, a few leaped into the churning river. The chaos erupted so abruptly that even these battle-ready soldiers froze in shock. Two disguised Japanese assailants stormed the nearest semi-underground permanent fortification by the bridge, circling it while unleashing fire, likely hunting for an entry. One yanked a grenade pin with his teeth, jamming it through the slit; the air quivered silently before exploding, and they lunged toward another target. Several Chinese soldiers, not yet hunkered in their bunkers, stood frozen, as if the pandemonium were a distant spectacle unrelated to them. In that surreal moment, Japanese machine guns spared these bystanders, fixating instead on the bridgehead bunkers. Then, a soldier erupted from a bunker with a primal yell, bayoneted rifle in hand, charging the armed intruders. As the Japanese wheeled around, he closed in, thrusting before bullets felled him, but his stab missed as they evaded; his cry was silenced mid-roar. Over a dozen members of this Japanese suicide squad, masquerading as fleeing Chinese civilians, surged toward the bridge's southern end; our machine guns finally thundered to life, dropping the invaders one by one on the span, yet the survivors pressed on in a desperate sprint. Yang's machine gun roared to life; he watched battle-hardened Old Zhao, sweat streaming, eyes narrowed in fury, teeth gritted, lips pulled back in a savage grimace. They sealed the bridge with a hail of lead; amid the deafening cacophony, Yang caught a frantic shout: "Blow the bridge! Damn it, blow the bridge!" Yang braced for the nightmare of a Japanese bursting in, raking their backs with fire. But then, the bridgehead and the entire river defenses shuddered under a barrage of shells. From the first shot to now, mere minutes had elapsed; yet the opposite bank already bristled with khaki uniforms and the glaring Rising Sun flags fluttering like omens of death. What followed was a relentless alternation of aerial and artillery bombardments, a symphony of destruction. Later, Yang queried Old Zhao: Many in the suicide squad had crossed, so weren't they afraid of bombing their own? Old Zhao pondered deeply, then sighed with bitter resignation: "No matter the country, soldiers' lives are cheap." As the bombing ceased, Japanese forces, now in plain sight and within lethal range, charged in waves from the bridge and through the water toward the south bank; one wave crumpled, only for another to rise, an unyielding, inexhaustible horde. Ammunition was plentiful in the fortification; Old Zhao mentioned three "bases" had been issued—Yang couldn't recall the exact rounds per base. Hours blurred into a frenzy, the ground carpeted with gleaming brass casings; this, Yang realized, was the commander's invocation of the "Art of War: 'Strike when half crossed'", a tactical masterstroke amid the carnage. Japanese blood stained this ancient, storied river crimson; Yang's reinforced concrete bastion cracked wide under the onslaught. In the cataclysmic blast of a heavy bomb from above, the other gunner bled from every orifice, collapsing unconscious and being dragged away. Old Zhao, eyes bloodshot and nose trickling red, paused during a drum swap: "Might not make it this time; don't forget me." Then, with grim pride: "Remember, killed 8 enemy, 1 horse." At dusk, the Japanese assault faltered, granting a fleeting respite. The fortification's survivors scrambled out, frantically repairing and piling more soil. The company commander passed by, eyeing the fissure: "You guys are lucky; this is the best in the company." The squad leader inquired: "Heavy casualties?" The commander paused, his response evasive: "Depends how higher-ups say to fight." Soon after, orders circulated: Two per squad to retrieve ammo and rations from the company; prepare for nocturnal warfare. The squad leader dispatched Yang for rations, handling bullets himself. While distributing the meager sustenance, fresh word arrived: Immediate withdrawal. As darkness enveloped the battlefield, our mortars and small mountain guns hammered the opposite Japanese positions. In column formation, Yang stole one last glance at this place of grueling training, endless drills, and now, brutal initiation. Fortifications erected over a year, inhabited for three months, defended for half a day. At the Xinshi positions on the Miluo River's south bank, recruit Yang Peyao had fought his first battle in his personal saga of the War of Resistance Against Japan. He emerged unscathed, no death or wound; alongside Old Zhao, they had felled 11 enemies and two horses. In a quiet revelation, he discovered Old Zhao wasn't the unflinching hero he proclaimed, trudging onward, Yang secretly tallied his insights. 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. After debating Plans A and B, Chiang adopted Plan B, emphasizing resistance north of Changsha. Japanese forces assaulted Jiangxi and Hunan, capturing Gao'an briefly before Chinese troops, including the 74th Army, recaptured it. At Bijia Mountain, Shi Enhua's battalion held for four days, perishing entirely. The Uemura Detachment landed at Yingtian amid fierce resistance, suffering heavy losses. Defenders at the Miluo River repelled waves of attacks, with suicide squads and bombardments inflicting carnage before a tactical withdrawal.
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