Podcasts about YU

We’re talking about the phenomenon known as BookTok, and how social media is giving publishing a real boost. Yu may have seen this in Kinokuniya or other bookstores that now have some shelves dedicated to social media recs! Audrey and Dan chat about our last reads and how we get our reviews. Presented by Audrey Siek & Dan Koh Produced by Audrey Siek Edited by Trisha Yeong Photo and music credit: Pixabay & its talented community of contributorsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charles Yu has written a lot about the nature of reality, how we understand what is real, and the assumptions we make about each other and the universe we live in. Yu’s first novel, “How to live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe,” follows a time machine repairman who is searching for his father who is lost in time and memory. His latest book, National Book Award winning “Interior Chinatown,” takes place in a Chinese restaurant that’s also the set for a police procedural TV show and a sendup of stereotypes of Asian American characters. Yu spoke to us on February 29, 2024 in front of an audience of students from Ida B. Wells High School.

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

NASA Physicist Dr Weiping Yu joins David Gornoski to discuss Uon theory and answer questions challenging it. Among the topics Dr Yu tackle are standard model particle collision, quantum superposition, dark matter, inverse-square law, chemistry, consciousness, and more. Follow Dr Weiping Yu on X here. Follow David Gornoski on X here. Visit aneighborschoice.com for more

Landen Baum tells of his love for the YU community, encouraging others to not be afraid to go out and get involved to help build God's kingdom.

In this episode, Nichole sits down with Dr. Robert Yu, a holistic-minded periodontist based in St. Petersburg, Florida, to explore how pregnancy, postpartum, and the seasons of motherhood can impact your teeth, gums, and overall oral health.Dr. Yu was the surgeon behind Nichole's year-long dental healing journey — removing old root canals, clearing infections, rebuilding bone with grafts and a sinus lift, and placing a ceramic dental implant. Together, they dive into the often-overlooked connection between motherhood, hormones, nutrient depletion, bone health, and gum disease — and what every woman should know about supporting her mouth and body through each stage of life.This conversation bridges holistic dentistry and conventional periodontal care, offering education, empowerment, and real-life insight for women who want to approach dental health from a whole-body perspective.What You'll Learn in This EpisodeHow pregnancy and postpartum nutrient depletion affect bone and gum healthThe link between periodontal disease and pregnancy outcomes like preterm or low-birth-weight babiesWhy many OB-GYNs and midwives don't emphasize gum exams — and why they shouldThe difference between traditional titanium implants and metal-free ceramic (zirconia) implantsThe mouth–body connection: how oral bacteria can influence heart health, inflammation, and systemic diseaseDr. Yu's preferred vitamin and mineral support for jawbone healing (vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and Metagenics Bone BuilderWhy informed consent matters in dentistry — and how to advocate for yourself as a patientThe truth about bone graft materials (human, animal, and synthetic) and how to make an informed choiceDr. Yu's thoughts on light therapy, microcirculation, and energy-based healing for post-surgical recoveryThe power of collaboration between dentists, functional medicine doctors, and holistic providersPregnancy and breastfeeding can deplete minerals and weaken bone structure, including the jawbone.Healthy gums support a healthy pregnancy — untreated gum disease has been linked to preterm birth.A gum exam (periodontal exam) is just as important as a dental cleaning for expecting or new moms.Bone and gum health are influenced by vitamin D, calcium, and hormonal shifts.Holistic dentistry bridges prevention and science, empowering women to make choices that align with both intuition and evidence.

In this episode of the Award-winning PRS Journal Club Podcast, 2025 Resident Ambassadors to the PRS Editorial Board – Christopher Kalmar, Ilana Margulies, and Amanda Sergesketter- and special guest, David Stepien, MD, discuss the following articles from the October 2025 issue: “Private Equity Investment in Plastic Surgery Clinics: A Scoping Review” by Roth, Yu, and Taub. Read the article for FREE: https://bit.ly/PSClinicInvest Special guest, David Stepien, MD, is currently an Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery at Duke University, where he performs both aesthetic and reconstructive surgery focusing primarily on facial rejuvenation, rhinoplasty, and aesthetic breast surgery. He obtained his MD and his PhD from Boston University, followed by integrated plastic surgery residency at the University of Michigan and aesthetic surgery fellowship at The Aesthetic Surgery Fellowship of Los Angeles. READ the articles discussed in this podcast as well as free related content: https://bit.ly/JCOct25Collection The views expressed by hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of ASPS.

From CAR-T therapies to viral vectors, cell and gene treatments are redefining the boundaries of pharmacy practice—but with innovation comes complexity. Host Carolyn Liptak welcomes Dr. Mark Wiencek, Principal Microbiologist with the Technical Services Group at Contec, and Dr. Amanda Frick, Senior Clinical Manager of Market Intelligence at Vizient, to break down the challenges of compounding these advanced therapies.   Listen in as they discuss real-world risk assessments, biosafety considerations, and how hospital pharmacies can safely manage these groundbreaking yet high-risk treatments.   Guest speakers:  Mark Wiencek, PhD Principal Microbiologist, Technical Services Group Contec Amanda Frick, PharmD, BCPS Senior Clinical Manager, Market Intelligence Vizient   Host:  Carolyn Liptak, MBA, RPh  Pharmacy Executive Director  Vizient   Show Notes:  [01:02-01:51] Mark shares his background and experience in microbiology [01:52-04:04] Overview of the types of cell and gene therapies (CGT) currently used in clinical practice [04:05-05:14] Which CGT therapies are most applicable to pharmacy compounding and why [05:15-10:29] Things not on the NIOSH list and the risks [10:30-12:03] Evaluating whether viral vectors can penetrate intact skin and the true occupational exposure risks [12:04-13:18] If hazards are not defined by the NIOSH list, how should these CGT hazards be classified [13:19-15:03] Determining the safest environment for compounding CGT therapies [15:04-20:14] Best practices for decontamination, disinfection, and viral vector handling [20:15-20:59] Do you need a dedicated biosafety cabinet for CGT therapies [21:00-22:55] Recommended resources for further learning   Links | Resources:   Blind and colleagues (Nationwide): Click here Wang and colleagues (Stanford): Click here CONTEC HEALTHCARE WEBINAR Using Bugs as Drugs: Compounding Viral Vectors in Cell & Gene Therapy for Hospital Pharmacies, Mark Wiencek, May 13, 2025: Click here Blind, J.E., Ghosh, S., Niese, T.D., Gardner, J.C., Stack-Simone, S., Dean, A. and Washam, M., 2024. A comprehensive literature scoping review of infection prevention and control methods for viral-mediated gene therapies. Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology, 4(1), p.e15. Click here Deramoudt, L., Pinturaud, M., Bouquet, P., Goffard, A., Simon, N. and Odou, P., 2024. Method for the detection and quantification of viral contamination during the preparation of gene therapy drugs in a hospital pharmacy. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 81(12), pp.615-621. Click here Korte, J., Mienert, J., Hennigs, J.K. and Körbelin, J., 2021. Inactivation of adeno-associated viral vectors by oxidant-based disinfectants. Human Gene Therapy, 32(13-14), pp.771-781. Click here (abstract only; full article available for purchase) Martino, J.G., McConnell, K., Greathouse, L., Rosario, B.D. and Jaskowiak, J.M., 2024. Cellular therapy site-preparedness: Inpatient pharmacy implementation at a large academic medical center. Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice, 30(8), pp.1442-1449. Click here Penzien, C., 2023. Safe handling of BioSafety drugs and live virus vaccines. Pharm Purch Prod, 20(4), p.12. Click here Petrich, J., Marchese, D., Jenkins, C., Storey, M. and Blind, J., 2020. Gene replacement therapy: a primer for the health-system pharmacist. Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 33(6), pp.846-855. Click here Wang, A., Ngo, Z., Yu, S.J. and MacDonald, E.A., 2025. Implementing standard practices in the safe handling of gene therapy and biohazardous drugs in a health-system setting. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, p.zxaf026. Click here   VerifiedRx Listener Feedback Survey: We would love to hear from you - Please click here   Subscribe Today! Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube RSS Feed

❗️未滿18歲禁止收聽❗️

Liza's Late Puberty Finally Comes.Based on a post by DangerHunt69. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.  Late BloomerHave you ever felt like you didn't belong? I've felt that way my entire life. My name is Liza Thomas and growing up I was a nobody. I had very few friends in school and what few "friends" I did have were more like acquaintances that never even thought about my existence outside of 8 AM to 3 PM, Monday , Friday. I was bullied too. But then again, wasn't everyone? I'm seriously asking, "was everyone?" because the other girls constantly ridiculed me for the way I looked (growing up I looked quite androgynous), for never talking during class and for sneaking my Nintendo DS into school to play during lunch. I never did anything to them, but they made me feel like shit every single day.Fast forward to my 18th birthday and, nothing. I was flat all over. My chest, my ass, my stomach. My tits were 32 A, maybe the size of lemons and my ass cheeks were like two little pancakes. But then, something magical happened. During the Christmas break after my birthday, I began to grow. My lemons turned into 34 D cantaloupes quite fast, almost overnight. My pancakes turned into, pillows? My ass certainly wasn't flat enough to set your drink on anymore but I'd be lying if I said that it caught anyone's gaze.My mom took quick notice of this change and in regards to it; liked to say, "Lions, tigers, boobs oh my!" (I wish I was making this up. My mom says the stupidest and most embarrassing shit sometimes, I swear to God). Apparently, the Thomas women were all late bloomers, so it's unsurprising that it took me all the way until adulthood before my tits were as big as my mom's.That January I returned to school after "the change" I kind of figured no one would notice, or care, but boy was I wrong. I started to get unwanted attention, and as an introvert this sucked. It wasn't all bad though, that same month this guy named Brian started talking to me and, Brain made me feel special. He'd come up to me every day at my locker to chat me up. Nobody had ever done that before, especially not a boy. A little bit about Brian, Brian was 19 when we first met. He was held back in first grade so he was in the same class as me despite being a year older. His mother was an alcoholic who was in and out of the county jail and his father was an honest man who made a living restoring old cars. I guess this is different from being a mechanic but don't ask me how, I am not a car girl. Anywho, after a month Brian asked me out on a date and, I said yes! We went to the local ice cream place, the Twist and Shake (I think it was supposed to be a Beatles pun), and had a nice little conversation. There was not much to do in Locust, Pennsylvania after all. I had even taken the opportunity to wear a low-cut shirt to "show off the goods" so to speak. In truth, the shirt had not been low cut prior to my cleavage metamorphosis. After a few weeks he even asked me to be his girlfriend and I was elated! No one had ever thought of me in that way before, it was like I was experiencing my sexual coming of age, the only thing was that at this point I was very much anti-sex traditionalist.I grew up in a very strict Eastern Orthodox family and had taken my parents' views on sex as my own. I was supposed to wait until marriage. I told Brian this a little while after we started dating. Despite him reassuring me that everything was okay, I could see the disappointment on his face. I would try to satiate him by compromising. I offered him handjobs at first, then gave my first blowjob, but this wasn't good enough. He was horny all the time, and I just couldn't keep up. I started sending nudes. Something until then I thought people were stupid for doing. Then, one day in April, when we were over at his house; he was always trying to get me to come over and come into his bedroom, which I tried to stay away from like the plague. I foolishly went in there, like an idiot. He then begged me for sex and tried to take off my clothes. I told him no, but when he got upset I felt bad and said that if he wanted to there was another way that we could do it. That was how I lost my anal cherry.Still with me? Good. So the next month, May, was the big prom. It was my senior prom, so my parents went all out and purchased me the most expensive black and pink dress (yes, I listen to K-pop), I think it cost a thousand dollars! Daddy bought it for me and even paid for a limo for Brian and me! That night was perfect. In his suit, Brian looked like the most suave handsome man in the world, and could have easily passed for Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne. After prom the limo dropped us off at my house and Brian (at this point I didn't have my license yet, just a learner's permit), drove us to "after prom", which was held at the Macedonian-American Cultural Center. Well during the hour break between prom and "after prom" (Which might I add is stupid. Like as far as I can tell it's always been this way but it feels like the school is just begging the students to have sex?). Brian pulled the car over to a discrete area. I was a little worried at first, but just figured that I was going to unzip his pants and give him head, but he had other things in mind. He gave me this long impassioned speech about how much he loved me and how we were meant to be together. I felt moved by the moment, and well, I loved him. So I told him that if he was still a virgin then yes, we could have sex. But if not, then I would still let him fuck me in the ass. He told me that I would be his first. So we had sex. I was so stupid for believing him.I wish I could tell you this long passionate tale about my first time, and how amazingly romantic it was, but;1.       That's not the point of this story, and;2.       He humped me in the back of a Honda Accord until he jizzed all over my belly button, not exactly the most romantic first time.Anyway, for the rest of the night, and until the end of the school year, I was in a very romantic mood.Graduation felt like such a big deal at the time, like the rest of my life was starting and that I had finally become a woman. Like my whole life was starting to come together. Prom night was kind of a bursting of the dam, or watershed moment. After that he would start fucking me in his bedroom almost every day after classes, and then when school ended, just whenever he could get me to come over. I would typically just lay there, on my back or stomach, not moving much until he finished up. Nobody ever taught me how to have sex, and Brian was fine with me just being a dead fish. This would only last until early July however.When a seemingly innocuous comment from Brian's father about him "finally finding a good girl," caused me to spiral and stalk his Facebook and Instagram profiles. I found out that he dated over a half-dozen women before me. Some he had told me about, others he did not. Could he really expect me to believe that he never had sex with any of these women?I have a tendency to internalize my frustrations and shut down when there's a problem in my life. I gave up my virginity on a fraud! For the rest of July I did not let Brian have sex with me, not even once. He got very upset with this, but I refused to say why. Until, finally, in August when during a discussion about how our relationship was going to proceed. He was going to Ohio University, a party school, and I was going to Penn State. I confronted him. I asked him about these past girlfriends. He told me that he lied and that he was sorry.I broke down into tears, and then he said, "Since you're already crying. I might as well tell you: I'm breaking up with you." I could not breathe. My mind was racing a mile a minute but the words I wanted to say would not come out. He continued, "I just don't think that you're intimate enough for me.  I don't want you weighing me down while I'm at college. You understand."No, I do not understand, You bastard! And if you're reading this, I fucking hate you, Brian Romanchuck!Fuck him! No, don't! But I hope some brute at the state prison fucks his ass with a led pipe! New FriendsOnly a few weeks later, at the end of August (or maybe it was September at this point), I was shipped away from home and started my new life as a freshman at Penn State Brandywine. I chose Penn's Brandywine campus because it not only had the Micro-electromechanical systems program I was looking for but was also refreshingly rural and familiar, despite how close to Philadelphia it was. Plus I had a nice scholarship for being a female stem major.Since my breakup, I began wearing baggy clothes to hide my body. I didn't need asshole boys wanting me for my body. Trust me, at this point in time I hated my body (don't worry dear reader, that was going to change soon, but thanks for your concern). This was made even harder by the fact that I had a second growth spurt over the summer and now my tits were the size of watermelons and none of my bras fit me anymore! (Okay so maybe watermelons is a bit of an exaggeration. But they're 34 F, like in between a cantaloupe and a watermelon, and were annoying as hell for the longest time because I wasn't used to carrying these large udders on my body). My Ass pillows turned into, basketballs? Okay I'm totally trolling you now by calling my ass basketballs but I don't care what you want me to say, my ass simply got fatter. Other than that, my waist and overall fitness was good.After losing my virginity to a lying asshole, I overcorrected and stayed away from all things sex for a time, but this didn't mean I wasn't lonely. For the past six months I had not only finally discovered companionship and having a social life; but also had it all ripped away from me. The one person who I talked to every day, and was vulnerable with was gone. Away from family and any familiarity, I was scared. Scared to even try to make any friends at all. I had five classes a week but pretty much kept to myself the entire time. Despite sitting near the front of the class as I was accustomed to, I rarely spoke and never raised my hand.The day that would change the course of my life forever, was during the onset of October, I decided to visit the gaming lounge in building C. It was nice! It had four flat screen TVs mounted on the walls, and a fancy kitchenette. Each TV was spaced maybe ten yards from the next, & featured a round table with six black fake leather, cushioned chairs, and was paired with a PlayStation 4, or Xbox One, I want to say it's called? Microsoft has such stupid naming conventions for their consoles (PlayStation supremacy).My first time stepping in there, I stood around for a moment to scan the room, before I caught a glimpse of a group of five college boys. Well apparently I, a 5' 3" woman with big black boots, short blonde hair, a Sailor Moon skirt and long black socks leading up to said skirt, caught their eye too. Because not a minute later, one of the boys called out to me, "Hey!" Nervous, I immediately darted out of the room. Caught off guard, the guy said "Welcome, wait!" as I then ran down the hallway and out of building C. My anxiety had gotten the best of me.Later that week, I took another trip out to the gaming lounge. I was tired of being lonely and was determined to march in there and befriend those boys. They liked video games (and let's be honest, probably anime too), and I loved video games and anime! I would make friends or die of embarrassment trying.I entered the lounge and not two seconds later I overheard a discussion about Naruto."They totally wasted Neji as a character, probably should've just let him die in the hospital after his fight with Kidomaru." said a short man with a vest and a fedora."No way! And miss his redesign after the time skip, and all the love he got in the filler arcs? At least have him survive until the Team Gai fight, with Kisame. Maybe have Lee and Gai fight the clone, and have Neji die saving Tenten." said one who was over six foot tall, but also quite stocky."Now that's an," the short one stopped, when he looked over at me, after finally noticing my presence.All five guys turned their heads to look at me, and my face turned beet red from all the attention I was getting. A short awkward silence ensued before I spoke in a high pitched and slightly nervous tone. "Hi guys! My name's, umm, Liza.  And I, well sorry about running out the other day. I just wanted to say hi, and see what you guys are doing here! I see you're talking about Naruto, that's pretty swell!"One of them sat up from his chair and waved to me. "Hey! My name's Mike. We were just debating on what we wanted to play, and got a little sidetracked." He was kinda cute with the most adorable head of jet black hair I've ever seen and a denim jacket. "What's your name?"I paused as if to think, "Liza! My name's Liza!"Mike stood, and approached me as he introduced me to everyone. They were: Mike the cute one, Brad the fedora wearing hipster one, Rob the tall stocky one, Hahn the Asian one, and Chester the, Chester one.Mike, a natural leader; then asked the guys; "So why doesn't everyone introduce themselves and tell Liza here what their favorite game is?""Name's Chester, and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past." Chester answered."Majora's Mask is ten times better, but I'd have to say Elden Ring. PC Master Race!" Asian Hahn cheerily shouted."Fuck you!" retorted Chester."Horizon: Zero Dawn! Aloy is my waifu." said Big Rob."Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves." Hipster Brad answered."The thing about Sly Cooper fans is that they don't shut up about it." whispered Mike, standing next to me."And what about you, Mike?" I asked."Me? Oh my favorite game is Fallout: New Vegas." Mighty Mike answered."Dog shit performance, looks like a PlayStation 2 game." Asian Hahn butted in."Pixel snob." Mike rolled his eyes and then looked over at me. "What's your favorite game Liza?""Well; I really love Pokémon, but that kinda feels like cheating. Black 2 is my favorite Pokémon game, but I really liked The Last of Us Part 2.""Lame, Emerald is better." Hipster Brad interjected."Gen Threer! Everyone knows Platinum is the best." Asian Hahn protested."In case you haven't noticed, everyone's pretty opinionated." Mike laughed.I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with them, watching them play Smash Bros on a Switch that Rob brought from his dorm. I even played a match and got my ass kicked, which is what happens when you main Isabelle, or so they told me, but I can't help it, she's my comfort character. Then I left for my dorm to do my 3D Modeling homework. I hung out with them the next day after class, again at the gaming lounge, and before I went home they even invited me into their group chat! "Switches, No Bitches" was the name when I first joined but shortly after they changed it to "Switches, One Bitches". Laughing my ass off.One day after class I came to the gaming lounge and to my surprise, only Mike was there."Where is everyone?" I asked."Rob's on a fieldtrip, and Brad's with his girlfriend for date night.""And Hahn and Chester?""They're at the Yu gi oh regionals in Philadelphia.""Oh, so just the two of us today?""Yep." Mike affirmed."Well that's fun! Did you maybe wanna go somewhere, to get something to eat?" I took the initiative with Mike."Sure!” Mike beamed. “Where did you wanna go?""There's a nice ramen place in Ridley Park?""You Bet." He smiled.A half an hour later we were inside the restaurant, waiting to order. We got to talking and Mike told me more about himself. His mom died when he was very little, and he was going to school to become a structural engineer, because of his dream of serving in the Army Corps of Engineers. To be honest, I don't even know what this, is or what they do. Now that I think of it though, what even is an engineer? Sort of ambiguous, given all the types of engineer careers I've heard of. Is a chemical engineer sorta like a structural engineer?Mike's bushy black hair was so beautiful that I couldn't look away. I was really starting to crush on him. As he talked about his career aspirations and favorite Manga literature, all I could think about was how cute his head would look sandwiched between my thighs. I started to feel, daring.At the end of the meal, when the check came; he paid and left a generous tip for our server."Hey, you wanna come back to my place and watch a movie?" I invited."Sure, what did you have in mind?" Mike asked.Silly boy. I thought. He actually thinks I have a movie in mind.We went back to my dorm and I sat on my bed, as he awkwardly stood in the middle of the room."Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. It's been such a long time since I've hung out with a friend one-on-one, or a boy, for that matter." I was flirting."You don't have a lot of friends?""No." I answered honestly."When was the last time you hung out with a group of friends?" he asked."6th grade.""Wow, I'm actually really sorry to hear that.” He came and sat next to me. “But I can relate somewhat. Growing up my family moved around so much that I never really got to stop in one place and build a group of friends.""Aww, I'm sorry. What about all the guys from the lounge?""I met most of them last year, my first year at Penn. Except Brad, he's a freshman I think.""So you never really had many friends, either?""Yeah." He hesitated, "Which is actually why I really wanted to thank you for hanging out with us. I know it's only been a few weeks; and don't feel obligated to hang out with us every week if you have something else going on; but the guys really like having you there. And so do I."We hugged.My cheeks turned crimson. I wanted to get over Brian so bad. Besides, Mike was a nice guy and you know what they say; ‘the best way to get over someone; is by getting under someone.'After we embraced, I stood in front of him and slowly unzipped my black Pokémon athletic warmup jacket, and slowly slid it off my shoulders. As if my tits weren't massive enough, I had them hiked up in a pushup bra.I then did a half turn and I pulled down my baggy matching athletic warmup pants. I was wearing pink satin panties with purple hearts on them, I glanced back over my shoulder at him with a seductively raised eyebrow and wink. At first Mike was really surprised, like a dream was happening in real life. But after he got over his shock, he understood my terribly unsubtle gesture. (Fellas, what's the weirdest way a socially awkward woman signaled to you that she wanted to bang?)

Liza's Late Puberty Finally Comes.Based on a post by DangerHunt69. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.  Late BloomerHave you ever felt like you didn't belong? I've felt that way my entire life. My name is Liza Thomas and growing up I was a nobody. I had very few friends in school and what few "friends" I did have were more like acquaintances that never even thought about my existence outside of 8 AM to 3 PM, Monday , Friday. I was bullied too. But then again, wasn't everyone? I'm seriously asking, "was everyone?" because the other girls constantly ridiculed me for the way I looked (growing up I looked quite androgynous), for never talking during class and for sneaking my Nintendo DS into school to play during lunch. I never did anything to them, but they made me feel like shit every single day.Fast forward to my 18th birthday and, nothing. I was flat all over. My chest, my ass, my stomach. My tits were 32 A, maybe the size of lemons and my ass cheeks were like two little pancakes. But then, something magical happened. During the Christmas break after my birthday, I began to grow. My lemons turned into 34 D cantaloupes quite fast, almost overnight. My pancakes turned into, pillows? My ass certainly wasn't flat enough to set your drink on anymore but I'd be lying if I said that it caught anyone's gaze.My mom took quick notice of this change and in regards to it; liked to say, "Lions, tigers, boobs oh my!" (I wish I was making this up. My mom says the stupidest and most embarrassing shit sometimes, I swear to God). Apparently, the Thomas women were all late bloomers, so it's unsurprising that it took me all the way until adulthood before my tits were as big as my mom's.That January I returned to school after "the change" I kind of figured no one would notice, or care, but boy was I wrong. I started to get unwanted attention, and as an introvert this sucked. It wasn't all bad though, that same month this guy named Brian started talking to me and, Brain made me feel special. He'd come up to me every day at my locker to chat me up. Nobody had ever done that before, especially not a boy. A little bit about Brian, Brian was 19 when we first met. He was held back in first grade so he was in the same class as me despite being a year older. His mother was an alcoholic who was in and out of the county jail and his father was an honest man who made a living restoring old cars. I guess this is different from being a mechanic but don't ask me how, I am not a car girl. Anywho, after a month Brian asked me out on a date and, I said yes! We went to the local ice cream place, the Twist and Shake (I think it was supposed to be a Beatles pun), and had a nice little conversation. There was not much to do in Locust, Pennsylvania after all. I had even taken the opportunity to wear a low-cut shirt to "show off the goods" so to speak. In truth, the shirt had not been low cut prior to my cleavage metamorphosis. After a few weeks he even asked me to be his girlfriend and I was elated! No one had ever thought of me in that way before, it was like I was experiencing my sexual coming of age, the only thing was that at this point I was very much anti-sex traditionalist.I grew up in a very strict Eastern Orthodox family and had taken my parents' views on sex as my own. I was supposed to wait until marriage. I told Brian this a little while after we started dating. Despite him reassuring me that everything was okay, I could see the disappointment on his face. I would try to satiate him by compromising. I offered him handjobs at first, then gave my first blowjob, but this wasn't good enough. He was horny all the time, and I just couldn't keep up. I started sending nudes. Something until then I thought people were stupid for doing. Then, one day in April, when we were over at his house; he was always trying to get me to come over and come into his bedroom, which I tried to stay away from like the plague. I foolishly went in there, like an idiot. He then begged me for sex and tried to take off my clothes. I told him no, but when he got upset I felt bad and said that if he wanted to there was another way that we could do it. That was how I lost my anal cherry.Still with me? Good. So the next month, May, was the big prom. It was my senior prom, so my parents went all out and purchased me the most expensive black and pink dress (yes, I listen to K-pop), I think it cost a thousand dollars! Daddy bought it for me and even paid for a limo for Brian and me! That night was perfect. In his suit, Brian looked like the most suave handsome man in the world, and could have easily passed for Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne. After prom the limo dropped us off at my house and Brian (at this point I didn't have my license yet, just a learner's permit), drove us to "after prom", which was held at the Macedonian-American Cultural Center. Well during the hour break between prom and "after prom" (Which might I add is stupid. Like as far as I can tell it's always been this way but it feels like the school is just begging the students to have sex?). Brian pulled the car over to a discrete area. I was a little worried at first, but just figured that I was going to unzip his pants and give him head, but he had other things in mind. He gave me this long impassioned speech about how much he loved me and how we were meant to be together. I felt moved by the moment, and well, I loved him. So I told him that if he was still a virgin then yes, we could have sex. But if not, then I would still let him fuck me in the ass. He told me that I would be his first. So we had sex. I was so stupid for believing him.I wish I could tell you this long passionate tale about my first time, and how amazingly romantic it was, but;1.       That's not the point of this story, and;2.       He humped me in the back of a Honda Accord until he jizzed all over my belly button, not exactly the most romantic first time.Anyway, for the rest of the night, and until the end of the school year, I was in a very romantic mood.Graduation felt like such a big deal at the time, like the rest of my life was starting and that I had finally become a woman. Like my whole life was starting to come together. Prom night was kind of a bursting of the dam, or watershed moment. After that he would start fucking me in his bedroom almost every day after classes, and then when school ended, just whenever he could get me to come over. I would typically just lay there, on my back or stomach, not moving much until he finished up. Nobody ever taught me how to have sex, and Brian was fine with me just being a dead fish. This would only last until early July however.When a seemingly innocuous comment from Brian's father about him "finally finding a good girl," caused me to spiral and stalk his Facebook and Instagram profiles. I found out that he dated over a half-dozen women before me. Some he had told me about, others he did not. Could he really expect me to believe that he never had sex with any of these women?I have a tendency to internalize my frustrations and shut down when there's a problem in my life. I gave up my virginity on a fraud! For the rest of July I did not let Brian have sex with me, not even once. He got very upset with this, but I refused to say why. Until, finally, in August when during a discussion about how our relationship was going to proceed. He was going to Ohio University, a party school, and I was going to Penn State. I confronted him. I asked him about these past girlfriends. He told me that he lied and that he was sorry.I broke down into tears, and then he said, "Since you're already crying. I might as well tell you: I'm breaking up with you." I could not breathe. My mind was racing a mile a minute but the words I wanted to say would not come out. He continued, "I just don't think that you're intimate enough for me.  I don't want you weighing me down while I'm at college. You understand."No, I do not understand, You bastard! And if you're reading this, I fucking hate you, Brian Romanchuck!Fuck him! No, don't! But I hope some brute at the state prison fucks his ass with a led pipe! New FriendsOnly a few weeks later, at the end of August (or maybe it was September at this point), I was shipped away from home and started my new life as a freshman at Penn State Brandywine. I chose Penn's Brandywine campus because it not only had the Micro-electromechanical systems program I was looking for but was also refreshingly rural and familiar, despite how close to Philadelphia it was. Plus I had a nice scholarship for being a female stem major.Since my breakup, I began wearing baggy clothes to hide my body. I didn't need asshole boys wanting me for my body. Trust me, at this point in time I hated my body (don't worry dear reader, that was going to change soon, but thanks for your concern). This was made even harder by the fact that I had a second growth spurt over the summer and now my tits were the size of watermelons and none of my bras fit me anymore! (Okay so maybe watermelons is a bit of an exaggeration. But they're 34 F, like in between a cantaloupe and a watermelon, and were annoying as hell for the longest time because I wasn't used to carrying these large udders on my body). My Ass pillows turned into, basketballs? Okay I'm totally trolling you now by calling my ass basketballs but I don't care what you want me to say, my ass simply got fatter. Other than that, my waist and overall fitness was good.After losing my virginity to a lying asshole, I overcorrected and stayed away from all things sex for a time, but this didn't mean I wasn't lonely. For the past six months I had not only finally discovered companionship and having a social life; but also had it all ripped away from me. The one person who I talked to every day, and was vulnerable with was gone. Away from family and any familiarity, I was scared. Scared to even try to make any friends at all. I had five classes a week but pretty much kept to myself the entire time. Despite sitting near the front of the class as I was accustomed to, I rarely spoke and never raised my hand.The day that would change the course of my life forever, was during the onset of October, I decided to visit the gaming lounge in building C. It was nice! It had four flat screen TVs mounted on the walls, and a fancy kitchenette. Each TV was spaced maybe ten yards from the next, & featured a round table with six black fake leather, cushioned chairs, and was paired with a PlayStation 4, or Xbox One, I want to say it's called? Microsoft has such stupid naming conventions for their consoles (PlayStation supremacy).My first time stepping in there, I stood around for a moment to scan the room, before I caught a glimpse of a group of five college boys. Well apparently I, a 5' 3" woman with big black boots, short blonde hair, a Sailor Moon skirt and long black socks leading up to said skirt, caught their eye too. Because not a minute later, one of the boys called out to me, "Hey!" Nervous, I immediately darted out of the room. Caught off guard, the guy said "Welcome, wait!" as I then ran down the hallway and out of building C. My anxiety had gotten the best of me.Later that week, I took another trip out to the gaming lounge. I was tired of being lonely and was determined to march in there and befriend those boys. They liked video games (and let's be honest, probably anime too), and I loved video games and anime! I would make friends or die of embarrassment trying.I entered the lounge and not two seconds later I overheard a discussion about Naruto."They totally wasted Neji as a character, probably should've just let him die in the hospital after his fight with Kidomaru." said a short man with a vest and a fedora."No way! And miss his redesign after the time skip, and all the love he got in the filler arcs? At least have him survive until the Team Gai fight, with Kisame. Maybe have Lee and Gai fight the clone, and have Neji die saving Tenten." said one who was over six foot tall, but also quite stocky."Now that's an," the short one stopped, when he looked over at me, after finally noticing my presence.All five guys turned their heads to look at me, and my face turned beet red from all the attention I was getting. A short awkward silence ensued before I spoke in a high pitched and slightly nervous tone. "Hi guys! My name's, umm, Liza.  And I, well sorry about running out the other day. I just wanted to say hi, and see what you guys are doing here! I see you're talking about Naruto, that's pretty swell!"One of them sat up from his chair and waved to me. "Hey! My name's Mike. We were just debating on what we wanted to play, and got a little sidetracked." He was kinda cute with the most adorable head of jet black hair I've ever seen and a denim jacket. "What's your name?"I paused as if to think, "Liza! My name's Liza!"Mike stood, and approached me as he introduced me to everyone. They were: Mike the cute one, Brad the fedora wearing hipster one, Rob the tall stocky one, Hahn the Asian one, and Chester the, Chester one.Mike, a natural leader; then asked the guys; "So why doesn't everyone introduce themselves and tell Liza here what their favorite game is?""Name's Chester, and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past." Chester answered."Majora's Mask is ten times better, but I'd have to say Elden Ring. PC Master Race!" Asian Hahn cheerily shouted."Fuck you!" retorted Chester."Horizon: Zero Dawn! Aloy is my waifu." said Big Rob."Sly Cooper 2: Band of Thieves." Hipster Brad answered."The thing about Sly Cooper fans is that they don't shut up about it." whispered Mike, standing next to me."And what about you, Mike?" I asked."Me? Oh my favorite game is Fallout: New Vegas." Mighty Mike answered."Dog shit performance, looks like a PlayStation 2 game." Asian Hahn butted in."Pixel snob." Mike rolled his eyes and then looked over at me. "What's your favorite game Liza?""Well; I really love Pokémon, but that kinda feels like cheating. Black 2 is my favorite Pokémon game, but I really liked The Last of Us Part 2.""Lame, Emerald is better." Hipster Brad interjected."Gen Threer! Everyone knows Platinum is the best." Asian Hahn protested."In case you haven't noticed, everyone's pretty opinionated." Mike laughed.I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with them, watching them play Smash Bros on a Switch that Rob brought from his dorm. I even played a match and got my ass kicked, which is what happens when you main Isabelle, or so they told me, but I can't help it, she's my comfort character. Then I left for my dorm to do my 3D Modeling homework. I hung out with them the next day after class, again at the gaming lounge, and before I went home they even invited me into their group chat! "Switches, No Bitches" was the name when I first joined but shortly after they changed it to "Switches, One Bitches". Laughing my ass off.One day after class I came to the gaming lounge and to my surprise, only Mike was there."Where is everyone?" I asked."Rob's on a fieldtrip, and Brad's with his girlfriend for date night.""And Hahn and Chester?""They're at the Yu gi oh regionals in Philadelphia.""Oh, so just the two of us today?""Yep." Mike affirmed."Well that's fun! Did you maybe wanna go somewhere, to get something to eat?" I took the initiative with Mike."Sure!” Mike beamed. “Where did you wanna go?""There's a nice ramen place in Ridley Park?""You Bet." He smiled.A half an hour later we were inside the restaurant, waiting to order. We got to talking and Mike told me more about himself. His mom died when he was very little, and he was going to school to become a structural engineer, because of his dream of serving in the Army Corps of Engineers. To be honest, I don't even know what this, is or what they do. Now that I think of it though, what even is an engineer? Sort of ambiguous, given all the types of engineer careers I've heard of. Is a chemical engineer sorta like a structural engineer?Mike's bushy black hair was so beautiful that I couldn't look away. I was really starting to crush on him. As he talked about his career aspirations and favorite Manga literature, all I could think about was how cute his head would look sandwiched between my thighs. I started to feel, daring.At the end of the meal, when the check came; he paid and left a generous tip for our server."Hey, you wanna come back to my place and watch a movie?" I invited."Sure, what did you have in mind?" Mike asked.Silly boy. I thought. He actually thinks I have a movie in mind.We went back to my dorm and I sat on my bed, as he awkwardly stood in the middle of the room."Thanks for hanging out with me tonight. It's been such a long time since I've hung out with a friend one-on-one, or a boy, for that matter." I was flirting."You don't have a lot of friends?""No." I answered honestly."When was the last time you hung out with a group of friends?" he asked."6th grade.""Wow, I'm actually really sorry to hear that.” He came and sat next to me. “But I can relate somewhat. Growing up my family moved around so much that I never really got to stop in one place and build a group of friends.""Aww, I'm sorry. What about all the guys from the lounge?""I met most of them last year, my first year at Penn. Except Brad, he's a freshman I think.""So you never really had many friends, either?""Yeah." He hesitated, "Which is actually why I really wanted to thank you for hanging out with us. I know it's only been a few weeks; and don't feel obligated to hang out with us every week if you have something else going on; but the guys really like having you there. And so do I."We hugged.My cheeks turned crimson. I wanted to get over Brian so bad. Besides, Mike was a nice guy and you know what they say; ‘the best way to get over someone; is by getting under someone.'After we embraced, I stood in front of him and slowly unzipped my black Pokémon athletic warmup jacket, and slowly slid it off my shoulders. As if my tits weren't massive enough, I had them hiked up in a pushup bra.I then did a half turn and I pulled down my baggy matching athletic warmup pants. I was wearing pink satin panties with purple hearts on them, I glanced back over my shoulder at him with a seductively raised eyebrow and wink. At first Mike was really surprised, like a dream was happening in real life. But after he got over his shock, he understood my terribly unsubtle gesture. (Fellas, what's the weirdest way a socially awkward woman signaled to you that she wanted to bang?)

An Indigenous anthropologist is embarking on a years-long process to document how Alaska Native hunters are changing their hunting patterns in the face of climate change. To complicate things, the war in Ukraine is preventing Native researchers from sharing information with their counterparts in Russia, which plays a role in the overall health of walrus herds. In addition to food and other uses, walrus ivory is a significant part of a traditional Native artform. We'll talk with Indigenous people who have a stake in Pacific walruses and are working to protect them. GUESTS Vera Metcalf (Yu'pik), director of the Eskimo Walrus Commission Eduard Kergytagyn Zdor (Chukchi), cultural anthropologist and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alaska's Arctic Leadership Initiative Leon Misak Kinneeveauk (Iñupiaq), artist and director of the Alaska Art Alliance

Lucy opened Yu & Me Books in December of 2021, bringing to life an idea she’d carried since childhood. After leaving a career in chemical engineering, she finally built the kind of space she’d always imagined: a community hub grounded in three pillars: championing writers of color, uplifting debut authors, and offering a welcoming third place. The store quickly found its audience, drawing both national attention and strong local support. Then came the July 4th, 2023 fire that devastated the store and forced Lucy to start over. Eight months later, Yu & Me reopened, but the recovery took a personal toll. Today, Lucy speaks with Epicenter-NYC reporter Ambar Castillo openly about burnout, a mental health crisis, and what it means to rebuild both a business and a sense of self… reflecting on how she’s learning to balance entrepreneurship and self-care. She also shares how her background in chemical engineering helped her turn a lifelong dream into a reality. Editor’s note: This conversation includes discussion of mental health and suicidal ideation. Please listen with care and take breaks if needed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Ohtsji joins Dial the Gate to discuss his portrayal of Oshu, Yu's First Prime, whom he played with nuance and depth! We are excited to welcome the actor LIVE alongside producer, writer and Stargate novelist Diana Dru Botsford to explore facets of the part you may not know exist!

ABOUT THIS EPISODEEvery provider on a multidisciplinary neuroendocrine cancer (NET) team brings a distinct and valuable perspective. In this episode, UCLA endocrinologist Dr. Run Yu sheds light on the unique role of the endocrinologist. He explains what endocrinology is, which types of NETs may require an endocrinologist's care, and how endocrine issues intersect with NET management. Dr. Yu also explores the “endocrine” side of neuroendocrine—discussing key concerns related to diabetes, thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenals.TOP TEN QUESTIONS 1. What is an endocrinologist? What training is involved? 2. Since there is “endocrine” in neuroendocrine, would NET patients need to see an endocrinologist? When should one see an endocrinologist? What is your role with your medical team? How is an endocrinologist different from a medical oncologist?If someone with neuroendocrine cancer needs to see an endocrinologist, does that person need to specialize in neuroendocrine cancer?3. If someone sees both an endocrinologist and a medical oncologist, what do you do and what does the medical oncologist do? How are treatment decisions made or coordinated? (Who is the “quarterback?”)4. Who orders the somatostatin injections? Are they done through the oncologist or endocrinologist? What if I need something else to control my neuroendocrine cancer symptoms?5. What are hormonal issues? How do I know if my neuroendocrine tumor produces hormones? 6.  What hormone tests do you check? 7. What tumor markers do you check? How do you interpret them?8. When might endocrine issues arise with neuroendocrine cancer?ThyroidParathyroidAdrenal9. How do hyperglycemia and diabetes issues relate to neuroendocrine cancer?What is hyperglycemia, pre-diabetes and diabetes?Is diabetes inevitable with NET? Is diabetes inevitable with somatostatin analogue therapy?Does metformin potentially slow down NET tumor growth?What monitoring do you recommend?10. When does one encounter hypoglycemia with neuroendocrine cancer?What is insulinoma? What is the treatment?BONUS: What is on the horizon for neuroendocrine cancer that you're most optimistic about? ABOUT DR. RUN YURun Yu, MD, PhD, received his MD degree from Peking Union Medical College in Beijing and his PhD degree in pharmacology from the University of Rochester in New York. Dr. Yu completed an endocrine research fellowship, an internal medicine residency, and a clinical endocrinology fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.Dr. Yu's clinical and research interests include diabetes, thyroid, and endocrine tumors and syndromes.Dr. Yu enjoys describing novel clinical findings in endocrinology.For more information, visit https://www.ncf.net/podcast/47For more information, visit NCF.net.

Sunday, October 5: Kickin It with YU by FiredUp Network

We discuss and break down everything regarding the recent episode of Yu-gi-oh: The Card Game Chronicles!! Sit back, relax, and enjoy our thoughts on the episode, and theories about where the show will go! Subscribe to our Youtube channel to stay up to date and join us live: https://www.youtube.com/yugioheverything

❗️未滿18歲禁止收聽❗️

This show has been flagged as Explicit by the host. Quick-Glance Summary I walk you through an MIT experiment where 54 EEG-capped volunteers wrote essays three ways: pure brainpower, classic search, and ChatGPT assistance. Brain-only writers lit up the most neurons and produced the freshest prose; the ChatGPT crowd churned out near-identical essays, remembered little, and racked up what the researchers dub cognitive debt : the interest you pay later for outsourcing thought today. A bonus “switch” round yanked AI away from the LLM devotees (cue face-plant) and finally let the brain-first team play with the toy (they coped fine), proving skills first, tools second. I spiced the tale with calculator nostalgia, a Belgian med-exam cheating fiasco, and Professor Felienne's forklift-in-the-gym metaphor to land one mantra: *scaffolds beat shortcuts*. We peeked at tech “enshittification” once investors demand returns, whispered “open-source” as the escape hatch, and I dared you to try a two-day test—outline solo, draft with AI, revise solo, then check what you still remember. Net takeaway: keep AI on a leash; let thinking drive, tools navigate . If you think I'm full of digital hot air, record your own rebuttal and prove it. Resources MIT study MIT Media Lab. (2025). Your brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of cognitive debt. https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/ Long term consequences (to be honest - pulled these from another list, didn't check all of them) Clemente-Suárez, V. J., Beltrán-Velasco, A. I., Herrero-Roldán, S., Rodriguez-Besteiro, S., Martínez-Guardado, I., Martín-Rodríguez, A., & Tornero-Aguilera, J. F. (2024). Digital device usage and childhood cognitive development: Exploring effects on cognitive abilities. Children , 11(11), 1299. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11592547/ Grinschgl, S., Papenmeier, F., & Meyerhoff, H. S. (2021). Consequences of cognitive offloading: Boosting performance but diminishing memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology , 74(9), 1477–1496. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8358584/ Ward, A. F., Duke, K., Gneezy, A., & Bos, M. W. (2017). Brain drain: The mere presence of one's own smartphone reduces available cognitive capacity. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research , 2(2), 140–154. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/691462 Zhang, M., Zhang, X., Wang, H., & Yu, L. (2024). Understanding the influence of digital technology on cognitive development in children. Current Research in Behavioral Sciences , 5, 100224. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266724212400099X Risko, E. F., & Dunn, T. L. (2020). Developmental origins of cognitive offloading. Developmental Review , 57, 100921. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32517613/ Ladouceur, R. (2022). Cognitive effects of prolonged continuous human-machine interactions: Implications for digital device users. Behavioral Sciences , 12(8), 240. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10790890/ Wong, M. Y., Yin, Z., Kwan, S. C., & Chua, S. E. (2024). Understanding digital dementia and cognitive impact in children and adolescents. Neuroscience Bulletin , 40(7), 628–635. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11499077/ Baxter, B. (2025, February 2). Designing AI for human expertise: Preventing cognitive shortcuts. UXmatters . https://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2025/02/designing-ai-for-human-expertise-preventing-cognitive-shortcuts.php Tristan, C., & Thomas, M. (2024). The brain digitalization: It's all happening so fast! Frontiers in Human Dynamics , 4, 1475438. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-dynamics/articles/10.3389/fhumd.2024.1475438/full Sun, Z., & Wang, Y. (2024). Two distinct neural pathways for mechanical versus digital memory aids. NeuroImage , 121, 117245. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811924004683 Ahmed, S. (2025). Demystifying the new dilemma of brain rot in the digital era. Contemporary Neurology , 19(3), 241–254. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11939997/ Redshaw, J., & Adlam, A. (2020). The nature and development of cognitive offloading in children. Child Development Perspectives , 14(2), 120–126. https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cdep.12532 Geneva Internet Platform. (2025, June 3). Cognitive offloading and the future of the mind in the AI age. https://dig.watch/updates/cognitive-offloading-and-the-future-of-the-mind-in-the-ai-age Karlsson, G. (2019). Reducing cognitive load on the working memory by externalizing information. DIVA Portal . http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1327786/FULLTEXT02.pdf Monitask. (2025). What is cognitive offloading? https://www.monitask.com/en/business-glossary/cognitive-offloading Sharma, A., & Watson, S. (2024). Human technology intermediation to reduce cognitive load. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association , 31(4), 832–841. https://academic.oup.com/jamia/article/31/4/832/7595629 Morgan, P. L., & Risko, E. F. (2021). Re-examining cognitive load measures in real-world learning environments. British Journal of Educational Psychology , 91(3), 993–1013. https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjep.12729 Podcast episodes that inspired some thoughts Felien Hermans (NL) Tech won't save us Screenstrong Families Provide feedback on this episode.

En Ivoox puedes encontrar sólo algunos de los audios de Mindalia. Para escuchar las 4 grabaciones diarias que publicamos entra en https://www.mindaliatelevision.com. Si deseas ver el vídeo perteneciente a este audio, pincha aquí: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU_p-Z9QCRU Ana Lorente (Muy Ciela) nos acerca al Tarot utilizado como Herramienta Evolutiva y de desarrollo personal y profesional. En esta entrevista, nos explica cómo conseguir la vida de nuestros sueños, abrazando el ciclo de los Arcanos Mayores, y comprendiendo cómo nos ayudan a mejorar en el amor, el trabajo y la economía. Ana Lorente Coach, Tarotista y autora. Fundadora de su Escuela propia, con más de 800 alumnos. Forma en Tarot, Astrología y Canalización, y colabora con medios como Vogue y Marie Claire. https://lasfavoritas.es/ / muyciela / muyciela1 https://open.spotify.com/show/5hsu1qt... Más información en: https://www.mindalia.com/television/ PARTICIPA CON TUS COMENTARIOS EN ESTE VÍDEO. ------------INFORMACIÓN SOBRE MINDALIA----------DPM Mindalia.com es una ONG internacional, sin ánimo de lucro, que difunde universalmente contenidos sobre espiritualidad y bienestar para la mejora de la consciencia del mundo. Apóyanos con tu donación en: https://www.mindalia.com/donar/ Suscríbete, comenta positivamente y comparte nuestros vídeos para difundir este conocimiento a miles de personas. Nuestro sitio web: https://www.mindalia.com SÍGUENOS TAMBIÉN EN NUESTRAS PLATAFORMAS Facebook: / mindalia.ayuda Instagram: / mindalia_com Twitch: / mindaliacom Odysee: https://odysee.com/@Mindalia.com *Mindalia.com no se hace responsable de las opiniones vertidas en este vídeo, ni necesariamente participa de ellas.

Terrence Howard and Dr Weiping Yu sit down with David Gornoski at TeslaTech 2025 for an audience Q&A session. The two answer questions related to the Uon theory, the geometry of the Vesica Piscis, zero-point energy, and more. Along the way, they confront criticisms of their ideas, share inspirations, and reflect on the relationship between truth, consciousness, and the nature of light. With humor, curiosity, and a spirit of discovery, Howard and Yu invite the audience to rethink what science can be and hint at what's to come in the future. For more visit aneighborschoice.com

❗️未滿18歲禁止收聽❗️

Fetishized is a memoir-in-essays by Kaila Yu--a former pin-up model and lead singer of the all-Asian American female rock band Nylon Pink. The book delves into her personal journey as she confronts--and unpacks--the complexities of being both the object and agent of fetishization in a media landscape shaped by stereotypes and colonial mindsets. Her memoir interrogates harmful portrayals--from geishas in Memoirs of a Geisha, to the Austin Powers twins in Goldmember, to the character in Full Metal Jacket, and even pin-up iconography figures like Sung-Hi Lee. These archetypes--and the lack of diverse Asian representation--led Yu to internalize the painful belief that sexualizing herself was her only path to perceived value or desirability. Ultimately, Fetishized is a path toward self-reclamation. It's an unflinching look at the violence of objectification, balanced with deep empathy for the fractured relationships we might have with beauty, desire, and our own bodies.

Chairman Kang is upset that Ha-ri comes to the hospital. Tae-moo tells him that Ha-ri is the woman he is going to spend his life with. Yeong-seo shows Ha-ri that there is some online drama, thanks to Yu-ra. She has accused her of playing Min-woo and Tae-moo. Tae-moo calls Ha-ri from a payphone to tell her he misses her. When he goes back to his room, Chairman Kang informs him he plans on sending Tae-moo abroad. Yeong-seo and Seung-hoon have dinner with her dad. Tae-moo learns about the online scandal and what Ha-ri is going through at work. Confronts his grandfather about his actions towards Ha-ri.Yeong-seo finds a ring box in Seung-hoon's car. Ha-ri and Tae-moo meet up and spend the night together.Find us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music Follow us on Instagram @thekdramashow https://www.instagram.com/thekdramashow/ Email : the kdramashowashandkim@gmail.com Thanks for listening!!!

In this introductory episode to their new series on the Parables of Jesus, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb explore the profound theological significance of Christ's parables. Far from being mere teaching tools to simplify complex ideas, parables serve a dual purpose in God's redemptive plan: revealing spiritual truth to those with "ears to hear" while concealing these same truths from those without spiritual illumination. This episode lays the groundwork for understanding how parables function as divine teaching devices that embody core Reformed doctrines like election and illumination. As the hosts prepare to journey through all the parables in the Gospels, they invite listeners to consider the blessing of being granted spiritual understanding and the privilege of receiving the "secrets of the kingdom" through Christ's distinctive teaching method. Key Takeaways Parables are more than illustrations—they are comparisons that reveal kingdom truths to those with spiritual ears to hear while concealing truth from those without spiritual illumination. Jesus intentionally taught in parables not to simplify his teaching but partly to fulfill Isaiah's prophecy about those who hear but do not understand, confirming the spiritual condition of his hearers. The ability to understand parables is itself evidence of God's sovereign grace and election, as Jesus states in Matthew 13:16: "Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear." Parables vary in form and function—some are clearly allegorical while others make a single point, requiring each to be approached on its own terms. Proper interpretation requires context—understanding both the original audience and the question or situation that prompted Jesus to use a particular parable. Parables function like Nathan's confrontation of David—they draw hearers in through narrative before revealing uncomfortable truths about themselves. Studying parables requires spiritual humility—recognizing that our understanding comes not from intellectual capacity but from the Spirit's illumination. Understanding Parables as Revelation, Not Just Illustration The hosts emphasize that parables are fundamentally different from mere illustrations or fables. While modern readers often assume Jesus used parables to simplify complex spiritual truths, the opposite is frequently true. As Tony explains, "A parable fundamentally is a comparison between two things... The word parable comes from the Greek of casting alongside." This distinction is crucial because it changes how we approach interpretation. Rather than breaking down each element as an allegorical component, we should first understand what reality Jesus is comparing the parable to. The parables function as a form of divine revelation—showing us kingdom realities through narrative comparison, but only those with spiritual insight can truly grasp their meaning. This is why Jesus quotes Isaiah and explains that he speaks in parables partly because "seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear nor do they understand" (Matthew 13:13). The Doctrine of Election Embedded in Parabolic Teaching Perhaps the most profound insight from this episode is how the very form of Jesus' teaching—not just its content—embodies the doctrine of election. Jesse notes that "every parable then implicitly teaches a doctrine of election," because they reveal spiritual truth to some while concealing it from others. This isn't arbitrary but reflects spiritual realities. The hosts connect this to Jesus' words in Matthew 13:16: "Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear." This blessing comes not from intellectual capacity or moral superiority but from God's sovereign grace. Tony describes this as "the blessing in our salvation and in our election that we are enabled to hear and perceive and receive the very voice and word of God into our spirit unto our salvation." The parables thus become a "microcosm" of Reformed doctrines like election, regeneration, and illumination. When believers understand Jesus' parables, they're experiencing the practical outworking of these doctrines in real time. Memorable Quotes "The parables are not just to illustrate a point, they're to reveal a spiritual point or spiritual points to those who have ears to hear, to those who've been illuminated by the spirit." - Tony Arsenal "Jesus is giving this message essentially to all who will listen to him... And so this is like, I love the way that he uses that quote in a slightly different way, but still to express the same root cause, which is some of you here because of your depravity will not be able to hear what I'm saying. But for those to whom it has been granted to come in who are ushered into the kingdom, this kingdom language will make sense." - Jesse Schwamb "But blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. There's a blessing in our salvation and in our election that we are enabled to hear and perceive and receive the very voice and word of God into our spirit unto our salvation." - Tony Arsenal About the Hosts Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb are the regular hosts of The Reformed Brotherhood podcast, where they explore Reformed theology and its application to Christian living. With a conversational style that balances depth and accessibility, they seek to make complex theological concepts understandable without sacrificing nuance or biblical fidelity. Transcript [00:00:45] Introduction and New Series Announcement [00:00:45] Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to episode 460 of The Reformed Brotherhood. I'm Jesse. [00:00:54] Tony Arsenal: And I'm Tony. And this is the podcast with ears to hear. Hey brother. [00:00:59] Jesse Schwamb: Hey brother. New series Time, new series. Time for the next seven years that, that's probably correct. It's gonna be a long one. New beginnings are so great, aren't they? And it is. [00:01:10] Jesse Schwamb: We've been hopefully this, well, it's definitely gonna live up to all the hype that we've been presenting about this. It's gonna be good. Everybody's gonna love it. And like I said, it's a topic we haven't done before. It's certainly not in this format. [00:01:23] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know what, just, um, as a side note, if you are a listener, which you must be, if you're hearing this, uh, this is a great time to introduce someone to the podcast. [00:01:33] Tony Arsenal: True. Uh, one, because this series is gonna be lit as the kids say, and, uh, it's a new series, so you don't have to have any background. You don't have to have any previous knowledge of the show or of who these two weird guys are to jump in and we're gonna. [00:01:53] Tony Arsenal: Talk about the Bible, which is amazing and awesome. And who doesn't love to talk about the Bible. [00:01:58] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's correct. That's what makes these so good. That's how I know, and I could say confidently that this is gonna be all the hype and more. All right, so before we get to affirmations and denials, all the good ProGo, that's part and parcel of our normal episode content. [00:02:12] Jesse Schwamb: Do you want to tell everybody what we're gonna be talking about? [00:02:16] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I'm excited. [00:02:17] Introducing the Parables Series [00:02:17] Tony Arsenal: So we are gonna work our way through, and this is why I say it's gonna take seven years. We are gonna work our way through all of the parables. Parables, [00:02:25] Jesse Schwamb: the [00:02:25] Tony Arsenal: gospels and just so, um, the Gospel of John doesn't feel left out. [00:02:30] Tony Arsenal: We're gonna talk through some of the I am statements and some of that stuff when we get to John. 'cause John doesn't have a lot of parables. Uh, so we're gonna spend time in the synoptic gospels. We're gonna just walk through the parables one by one. We're taking an episode, sometimes maybe two, sometimes 10, depending on how long the parable is and how deep we get into it. [00:02:47] Tony Arsenal: We're just gonna work our way through. We're gonna take our time. We're gonna enjoy it. So again, this is a great time to start. It's kinda the ground floor on this and you thing. This could really be its own podcast all by itself, right? Uh, so invite a friend, invite some whole bunch of friends. Start a Sunday school class listening to this. [00:03:04] Tony Arsenal: No, don't do that. But people have done that before. But, uh, grab your bibles, get a decent commentary to help prep for the next episode, and, uh, let's, let's do it. I'm super excited. [00:03:14] Jesse Schwamb: When I say para, you say Abel Para, is that how it works? Para? Yeah. I don't know. You can't really divide it. Pairable. If you jam it together, yes. [00:03:24] Jesse Schwamb: You get some of that. You can say, when I say pair, you say Abel p [00:03:27] Tony Arsenal: Abel. [00:03:31] Jesse Schwamb: And you can expect a lot more of that in this series. But before we get into all this good juicy stuff about parables, and by the way, this is like an introductory episode, that doesn't mean that you can just skip it, doesn't mean it's not gonna be good. We gotta set some things up. We wanna talk about parables general generally, but before we have that good general conversation, let's get into our own tradition, which is either affirming with something or denying against something. [00:03:54] Affirmations and Denials [00:03:54] Jesse Schwamb: And so, Tony, what do you got for all of us? [00:03:58] Tony Arsenal: Mine is kind of a, an ecclesial, ecclesiastical denial. Mm-hmm. Um, this is sort of niche, but I feel like our audience may have heard about it. And there's this dust up that I, I noticed online, uh, really just this last week. Um, it's kind of a specific thing. There is a church, uh, I'm not sure where the church is. [00:04:18] Tony Arsenal: It's a PCA church, I believe it's called Mosaic. The pastor of the church, the teaching elder, one of the teaching elders just announced that he was, uh, leaving his ministry to, uh, join the Roman Catholic Church, which, yes, there's its own denial built into that. We are good old Protestant reformed folks, and I personally would, would stick with the original Westminster on the, the Pope being antichrist. [00:04:45] Tony Arsenal: But, um, that's not the denial. The denial is that in this particular church. For some unknown reason. Uh, the pastor who has now since a announced that he was leaving to, uh, to convert to Roman Catholicism, continued to preach the sermon and then administered the Lord's supper, even though he in the eyes, I think of most. [00:05:08] Tony Arsenal: Reformed folk and certainly historically in the eyes of the reformed position was basically apostate, uh, right in front of the congregation's eyes. Now, I don't know that I would necessarily put it that strongly. I think there are plenty of genuine born again Christians who find themselves in, in the Roman Catholic, uh, church. [00:05:27] Tony Arsenal: Uh, but to allow someone who is one resigning the ministry right in front of your eyes. Um, and then resigning to basically leave for another tradition that, that the PCA would not recognize, would not share ecclesiastical, uh, credentials with or accept their ordination or any of those things. Um, to then just allow him to admit, you know, to administer the Lord's Supper, I think is just a drastic miscarriage of, uh, ecclesiastical justice. [00:05:54] Tony Arsenal: I dunno if that's the right word. So I'm just denying this like. It shows that on a couple things like this, this. Church this session, who obviously knew this was coming. Um, this session does either, does not take seriously the differences between Roman Catholic theology and Protestant theology, particularly reformed theology, or they don't take seriously the, the gravity of the Lord's supper and who should and shouldn't be administering it. [00:06:22] Tony Arsenal: They can't take both of those things seriously and have a fully or biblical position on it. So there's a good opportunity for us to think through our ecclesiology, to think through our sacrament and how this applies. It just really doesn't sit well and it's not sitting well with a lot of people online, obviously. [00:06:37] Tony Arsenal: Um, and I'm sure there'll be all sorts of, like letters of concern sent to presbytery and, and all that stuff, and, and it'll all shake out in the wash eventually, but just, it just wasn't good. Just doesn't sit right. [00:06:48] Jesse Schwamb: You know, it strikes me of all the denominations. I'm not saying this pejoratively. I just think it is kind of interesting and funny to me that the Presbyterians love a letter writing campaign. [00:06:56] Jesse Schwamb: Like that's kind of the jam, the love, a good letter writing campaign. [00:07:00] Tony Arsenal: It's true, although it's, it's actually functional in Presbyterianism because That's right. That's how you voice your concern. It's not a, not a, a rage letter into the void. It actually goes somewhere and gets recorded and has to be addressed at presbytery if you have standing. [00:07:17] Tony Arsenal: So there's, there's a good reason to do that, and I'm sure that that will be done. I'm sure there are many. Probably ministers in the PCA who are aware of this, who are either actually considering filing charges or um, or writing such letters of complaints. And there's all sorts of mechanisms in the PCA to, to adjudicate and resolve and to investigate these kinds of things. [00:07:37] Jesse Schwamb: And I'd like to, if you're, if you're a true Presbyterian and, and in this instance, I'm not making light of this instance, but this instance are others, you. Feel compelled by a strong conviction to write such a letter that really you should do it with a quill, an ink. Like that's the ultimate way. I think handwritten with like a nice fountain pen. [00:07:54] Jesse Schwamb: There's not, yeah. I mean, you know what I'm saying? Like that's, that is a weighty letter right there. Like it's cut to Paul being like, I write this postscript in my own hand with these big letters. Yeah, it's like, you know, some original Presbyterian letter writing right there. [00:08:07] Tony Arsenal: And then you gotta seal it with wax with your signe ring. [00:08:10] Tony Arsenal: So, and send it by a carrier, by a messenger series of me messengers. [00:08:14] Jesse Schwamb: Think if you receive any letter in the mail, handwritten to you. Like for real, somebody painstakingly going through in script like spencerian script, you know, if you're using English characters writing up and then sealing that bad boy with wax, you're gonna be like, this is important. [00:08:30] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, this, even if it's just like, Hey, what's up? Yeah, you're gonna be like, look at this incredible, weighty document I've received. [00:08:36] Tony Arsenal: It's true. It's very true. I love it. Well, that's all I have to say about that to channel a little Forrest Gump there. Uh, Jesse, what are you affirming or denying tonight? [00:08:44] Jesse Schwamb: I'm also going to deny against, so this denial is like classic. [00:08:49] Jesse Schwamb: It's routine, but I got a different spin on it this time, so I'm denying against. The full corruption of sin, how it appears everywhere, how even unbelievers speak of it, almost unwittingly, but very commonly with great acceptance. And the particularity of this denial comes in the form of allergies, which you and I are talking about a lot of times. [00:09:09] Jesse Schwamb: But I was just thinking about this week because I had to do some allergy testing, which is a, a super fun experience. But it just got me think again, like very plainly about what allergies are. And how an allergy occurs when your immune system, like the part of your body responsible for protecting your body that God has made when your immune system mistakes like a non-harmful substance like pollen or a food or some kind of animal dander for a threat, and then reacts by producing these antibodies like primarily the immunoglobulin E. [00:09:36] Jesse Schwamb: So here's what strikes me as so funny about this in a, in a way that we must laugh. Because of our, our parents, our first parents who made a horrible decision and we like them, would make the same decision every day and twice in the Lord's day. And that is that this seems like, of course, such a clear sign of the corruption of sin impounded in our created order because it seems a really distasteful and suboptimal for human beings to have this kind of response to pollen. [00:10:03] Jesse Schwamb: When they were intended to work and care in a garden. So obviously I think we can say, Hey, like the fact that allergies exist and that it's your body making a mistake. [00:10:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. [00:10:13] Jesse Schwamb: It's like the ultimate, like cellular level of the ubiquity of sin. And so as I was speaking with my doctor and going through the, the testing, it's just so funny how like we all talk about this. [00:10:25] Jesse Schwamb: It's like, yeah, it's, it's a really over-indexed reaction. It doesn't make any sense. It's not the way the world is supposed to be, but nobody's saying how is the world supposed to be? Do you know what I mean? Like, but we just take it for granted that that kind of inflammation that comes from like your dog or like these particles in the air of plants, just trying to do a plant stew and reproduce and pollinate that, that could cause like really dramatic and debilitating. [00:10:49] Jesse Schwamb: Responses is just exceptional to me, and I think it's exceptional and exceptional to all of us because at some deep level we recognize that, as Paul says, like the earth, the entire world is groaning. It's groaning for that eschatological release and redemption that can only come from Christ. And our runny noses in our hay fever all prove that to some degree. [00:11:09] Jesse Schwamb: So denying against allergies, but denying against as well that ubiquity of corruption and sin in our world. [00:11:15] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, I just have this image in my head of Adam and Eve, you know, they're expelled outta the garden and they, they're working the ground. And then Adam sneezes. Yes. And Eve is like, did your head just explode? [00:11:28] Tony Arsenal: And he's like, I don't know. That would've been a, probably a pretty terrifying experience actually. [00:11:33] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, that's that's true. So imagine like you and I have talked about this before, because you have young children, adorable. Young children, and we've talked about like the first of everything, like when you're a child, you get sick for the first time, or you get the flu or you vomit for the first time. [00:11:45] Jesse Schwamb: Like you have no idea what's going on in your body, but imagine that. But being an adult. [00:11:49] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, where you can process what's going on, but don't have a framework for it. [00:11:52] Jesse Schwamb: Yes, exactly. So like [00:11:54] Tony Arsenal: that's like, that's like my worst nightmare I think. [00:11:55] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. It's like, to your point, 'cause there, there are a lot of experiences you have as an adults, even health wise that are still super strange and weird. [00:12:01] Jesse Schwamb: But [00:12:02] Tony Arsenal: yeah, [00:12:02] Jesse Schwamb: you have some rubric for them, but that's kind of exactly what I was thinking. What if this toiling over your labor is partly because it's horrible now because you have itchy, watery eyes or you get hives. Yeah. And before you were like, I could just lay in the grass and be totally fine. And now I can't even walk by ragweed without getting a headache or having some kind of weird fatigue. [00:12:23] Jesse Schwamb: Like I have to believe that that was, that part of this transition was all of these things. Like, now your body's gonna overreact to stuff where I, I, God put us in a place where that wouldn't be the case at all. [00:12:35] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Sometimes I think about like the first. Time that Adam was like sore or like hurt himself. [00:12:42] Tony Arsenal: True. Like the, just the, just the terror and fear that must have come with it. And sin is serious stuff. Like it's serious effects and sad, sad, sad stuff. But yeah, allergies are the worst. I, uh, I suffered really badly with, uh, seasonal allergies. When I was a a kid I had to do allergy shots and everything and it's makes no sense. [00:13:03] Tony Arsenal: There's no rhyme or reason to it, and your allergies change. So like you could be going your whole life, being able to eat strawberries and then all of a sudden you can't. Right? And it's, and you don't know until it happens. So [00:13:14] Jesse Schwamb: what's up with that? [00:13:15] Tony Arsenal: No good. [00:13:16] Jesse Schwamb: What's up with that? So again, imagine that little experience is a microcosmic example of what happens to Adam and Eve. [00:13:24] Jesse Schwamb: You know, like all these things change. Like you're, you're right. Suddenly your body isn't the same. It's not just because you're growing older, but because guess what? Sins everywhere. And guess what, where sin is, even in the midst of who you are as physically constructed and the environment in which you live, all, all totally change. [00:13:40] Jesse Schwamb: So that, that's enough of my rants on allergies. I know the, I know the loved ones out there hear me. It's also remarkable to me that almost everybody has an allergy of some kind. It's very, it's very rare if you don't have any allergies whatsoever. And probably those times when you think you're sick and you don't have allergies could be that you actually have them. [00:13:57] Jesse Schwamb: So it's just wild. Wild. [00:14:02] Tony Arsenal: Agreed. Agreed. [00:14:03] Theological Discussion on Parables [00:14:03] Tony Arsenal: Well, Jesse, without further ado, I'm not, I, maybe we should have further ado, but let's get into it. Let's talk about some parable stuff. [00:14:13] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, let's do it again. When I say pair, you say able pair. [00:14:17] Tony Arsenal: Able. [00:14:20] Jesse Schwamb: When I say [00:14:21] Tony Arsenal: para you say bowl. [00:14:24] Jesse Schwamb: That's what I was trying to go with before. [00:14:26] Jesse Schwamb: It's a little bit more, yeah, but you gotta like cross over like we both gotta say like that middle syllable kind of. Otherwise it's, it sounds like I'm just saying bowl. And [00:14:34] Tony Arsenal: yeah, there's no good way to chant that. Yeah, we're work. This is why Jesse and I are not cheerleaders. [00:14:39] Jesse Schwamb: We're, we're work shopping everybody. [00:14:40] Jesse Schwamb: But I agree with you. Enough of us talking about affirmations, the denials in this case, the double double denial. Let's talk about parables. So the beauty of this whole series is there's gonna be so much great stuff to talk about, and I think this is a decent topic for us to cover because. Really, if you think about it, the parables of Jesus have captivated people for the entirety of the scriptures. [00:15:06] Jesse Schwamb: As long, as long as they were recorded and have been read and processed and studied together. And, uh, you know, there's stuff I'm sure that we will just gloss over. We don't need to get into in terms of like, is it pure allegory? Is it always allegory? Is it, there's lots of interpretation here. I think this is gonna be our way of processing together and moving through some of these and speaking them out and trying to learn principally. [00:15:28] Jesse Schwamb: Predominantly what they're teaching us. But I say all that because characters like the prodigal son, like Good Samaritan, Pharisees, and tax collector, those actually have become well known even outside the church. [00:15:40] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. And [00:15:40] Jesse Schwamb: then sometimes inside the church there's over familiarity with all of these, and that leads to its own kind of misunderstanding. [00:15:46] Jesse Schwamb: So, and I think as well. I'm hoping that myself, you and our listeners will be able to hear them in a new way, and maybe if we can try to do this without again, being parabolic, is that we can kind of recreate some of the trauma. In these stories. 'cause Jesus is, is pressing upon very certain things and there's certainly a lot of trauma that his original audiences would've taken away from what he was saying here. [00:16:13] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. Even just starting with what is a parable and why is Jesus telling them? So I presume that's actually the best place for us to begin is what's the deal with the parables and why is this? Is this Jesus preferred way of teaching about the kingdom of God. [00:16:30] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think, you know, it bears saying too that like not all the parables are alike. [00:16:35] Tony Arsenal: Like true. We can't, this is why I'm excited about this series. You know, it's always good to talk through the bible and, and or to talk through systematic theology, but what really excites me is when we do a series like this, kind of like the Scott's Confession series, like it gives us a reason. To think through a lot of different disciplines and flex like exercise and stretch and flex a lot of different kinds of intellectual muscles. [00:17:00] Tony Arsenal: So there's gonna be some exegetical work we have to do. There's gonna be some hermeneutical work we're gonna have to do, probably have to do some historical work about how the parables have been interpreted in different ways. Yes, and and I think, so, I think it's important to say like, not every parable is exactly the same. [00:17:14] Tony Arsenal: And this is where I think like when you read, sometimes you read books about the, the parables of Christ. Like you, you'll hear one guy say. Well, a parable is not an allegory. Then you'll hear another guy say like, well, parables might have allegorical elements to it. Right. Now if one guy say like, well, a parable has one main point, and you'll have another guy say like, well, no, actually, like parables can have multiple points and multiple shades of meaning. [00:17:37] Tony Arsenal: And I think the answer to why you have this variance in the commentaries is 'cause sometimes the parables are alleg. [00:17:44] Jesse Schwamb: Right. And [00:17:44] Tony Arsenal: sometimes they're not allegorical. Sometimes they have one main point. Sometimes there's multiple points. So I think it's important for us to just acknowledge like we're gonna have to come to each parable, um, on its own and on its own terms. [00:17:57] Tony Arsenal: But there are some general principles that I think we can talk about what parables are. So parables in general are. Figurative stories or figurative accounts that are used to illustrate, I think primarily used to illustrate a single main point. And there may be some subpoints, but they, they're generally intended to, uh, to illustrate something by way of a, of a narrative, a fictional narrative that, uh, helps the reader. [00:18:27] Tony Arsenal: Uh, or the hearer is just, it's also important that these were primarily heard, these are heard parables, so there are even times where the phrasing of the language is important in the parable. Um, they're helping the, the hearer to understand spiritual truth. And this is where I think it's it's key, is that this is not just. [00:18:48] Tony Arsenal: When we're talking about the parables of Christ, right? There's people tell parables, there's all sorts of different teachers that have used parables. Um, I, I do parables on the show from time to time where I'll tell like a little made up story about a, you know, a situation. I'll say like, pretend, you know, let's imagine you have this guy and he's doing this thing that's a form of a parable when I'm using. [00:19:08] Tony Arsenal: I'm not, it's not like a makeup made up story. It's not asaps fables. We're not talking about like talking foxes and hens and stuff, but it's illustrating a point. But the parables of Christ are not just to illustrate a point, they're to reveal a spiritual point or spiritual points to those who have ears to hear, to those who've been illuminated by the spirit. [00:19:29] Tony Arsenal: And I just wanna read this. Uh, this is just God's providence, um, in action. I, um, I've fallen behind on my reading in The Daily Dad, which is a Ryan Holiday book. This was the reading that came up today, even though it's not the correct reading for the day. Uh, it's, it's for September 2nd. We're recording this on September, uh, sixth. [00:19:48] Tony Arsenal: Uh, and the title is, this is How You Teach Them. And the first line says, if the Bible has any indication, Jesus rarely seemed to come out and say what he meant. He preferred instead to employ parables and stories and little anecdotes that make you think. He tells stories of the servants and the talents. [00:20:03] Tony Arsenal: He tells stories of the prodigal son and the Good Samaritan. Turns out it's pretty effective to get a point across and make it stick. What what we're gonna learn. Actually that Jesus tells these stories in parables, in part to teach those who have spiritual ears to hear, but in part to mask the truth That's right. [00:20:24] Tony Arsenal: From those who don't have spiritual ears to hear, oh, online [00:20:26] Jesse Schwamb: holiday. [00:20:27] Tony Arsenal: So it's not as simple as like Jesus, using illustration to help make something complicated, clearer, right? Yes. But also, no. So I'm super excited to kind of get into this stuff and talk through it and to, to really dig into the parables themselves. [00:20:42] Tony Arsenal: It's just gonna be a really good exercise at sort of sitting at the feet of our master in his really, his preferred mode of teaching. Um, you know, other than the sermon on the Mount. There's not a lot of like long form, straightforward, didactic teaching like that most of Christ's teaching as recorded in the gospels, comes in the form of these parables in one way or another. [00:21:03] Tony Arsenal: Right. And that's pretty exciting to me. [00:21:05] Jesse Schwamb: Right. And there's so many more parables I think, than we often understand there to be, or at least then that we see in like the headings are Bible, which of course have been put there by our own construction. So anytime you get that. Nice short, metaphorical narrative is really Jesus speaking in a kind of parable form, and I think you're right on. [00:21:25] Jesse Schwamb: For me, it's always highlighting some kind of aspect of the kingdom of God. And I'd say there is generally a hierarchy. There doesn't have to be like a single point, like you said. There could be other points around that. But if you get into this place where like everything has some kind of allegory representation, then the parable seems to die of the death of like a million paper cuts, right? [00:21:40] Jesse Schwamb: Because you're trying to figure out all the things and if you have to represent something, everything he says with some kind of. Heavy spiritual principle gets kind of weird very quickly. But in each of these, as you said, what's common in my understanding is it's presenting like a series of events involving like a small number of characters. [00:21:57] Jesse Schwamb: It is bite-sized and sometimes those are people or plants or even like inanimate objects. So like the, yeah, like you said, the breadth and scope of how Jesus uses the metaphor is brilliant teaching, and it's even more brilliant when you get to that level, like you're saying, where it's meant both to illuminate. [00:22:13] Jesse Schwamb: To obfuscate. That is like, to me, the parable is a manifestation of election because it's clear that Jesus is using this. Those who have the ears to hear are the ones whom the Holy Spirit has unstopped, has opened the eyes, has illuminated the hearts and the mind to such a degree that can receive these, and that now these words are resonant. [00:22:32] Jesse Schwamb: So like what a blessing that we can understand them, that God has essentially. Use this parabolic teaching in such a way to bring forward his concept of election in the minds and the hearts of those who are his children. And it's kind of a way, this is kind of like the secret Christian handshake. It's the speakeasy of salvation. [00:22:52] Jesse Schwamb: It's, it's coming into the fold because God has invited you in and given you. The knowledge and ability of which to really understand these things. And so most of these little characters seemed realistic and resonant in Jesus' world, and that's why sometimes we do need a little bit of studying and understanding the proper context for all those things. [00:23:12] Jesse Schwamb: I would say as well, like at least one element in those parables is a push. It's in, it's kind of taking it and hyping it up. It's pushing the boundaries of what's plausible, and so you'll find that all of this is made again to illuminate some principle of the kingdom of God. And we should probably go to the thing that you intimated, because when you read that quote from, from Ryan Holiday, I was like, yes, my man. [00:23:34] Jesse Schwamb: Like he's on the right track. Right? There's something about what he's saying that is partially correct, but like you said, a lot of times people mistake the fact that, well, Jesus. Is using this language and these metaphors, these similes, he speaks in parables because they were the best way to get like these uneducated people to understand him. [00:23:57] Jesse Schwamb: Right? But it's actually the exact opposite. And we know this because of perhaps the most famous dialogue and expression and explanation of parables, which comes to us in Matthew 13, 10 through 17, where Jesus explains to his disciples exactly why he uses this mode of teaching. And what he says is. This is why I speak to them of parables because seeing they do not see and hearing, they do not hear they nor do they understand. [00:24:24] Jesse Schwamb: So, so that's perplexing. We should probably camp there for just a second and talk about that. Right, and, and like really unpack like, what is Jesus after here? Then if, like, before we get into like, what do all these things mean, it's almost like saying. We need to understand why they're even set before us and why these in some ways are like a kind of a small stumbling block to others, but then this great stone of appreciation and one to stand on for for others. [00:24:47] Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think you know, before we, before we cover that, which I think is a good next spot. A parable is not just an illustration. Like I think that's where a lot of people go a little bit sideways, is they think that this is effectively, like it's a fable. It's like a made up story primarily to like illustrate a point right. [00:25:09] Tony Arsenal: Or an allegory where you know, you're taking individual components and they represent something else. A parable fundamentally is a, is a, a comparison between two things, right? The word parable comes from the Greek of casting alongside, and so the idea is like you're, you're taking. The reality that you're trying to articulate and you're setting up this parable next to it and you're comparing them to it. [00:25:33] Tony Arsenal: And so I like to use the word simile, like that's why Christ says like the kingdom of God is like this. Yes. It's not like I'm gonna explain the kingdom of God to you by using this made up story. Right on. It's I'm gonna compare the kingdom of God to this thing or this story that I'm having, and so we should be. [00:25:49] Tony Arsenal: Rather than trying to like find the principles of the parable, we should be looking at it and going, how does this parable reflect? Or how is this a, um, how is this an explanation? Not in the, like, I, I'm struggling to even explain this here. It's not that the cer, the parable is just illustrating a principle. [00:26:10] Tony Arsenal: It's that the kingdom of God is one thing and the parable reveals that same one thing by way of comparison. Yes. So like. Uh, we'll get into the specifics, obviously, but when the, when the, um, lawyer says, who is my neighbor? Well, it's not just like, well, let's look at the Good Samaritan. And the Good Samaritan represents this, and the Levite represents this, and the priest represents this. [00:26:32] Tony Arsenal: It's a good neighbor, is this thing. It's this story. Compared to whatever you have in your mind of what a good neighbor is. And we're gonna bounce those things up against each other, and that's gonna somehow show us what the, what the reality is. And that's why I think to get back to where we were, that's why I think sometimes the parables actually obscure the truth. [00:26:53] Tony Arsenal: Because if we're not comparing the parable to the reality of something, then we're gonna get the parable wrong. So if we think that, um, the Good Samaritan. Is a parable about social justice and we're, we're looking at it to try to understand how do we treat, you know, the, the poor people in Africa who don't have food or the war torn refugees, you know, coming out of Ukraine. [00:27:19] Tony Arsenal: If we're looking at it primarily as like, I need to learn to be a good neighbor to those who are destitute. Uh, we're not comparing it against what Jesus was comparing it against, right? So, so we have to understand, we have to start in a lot of cases with the question that the parable is a response to, which oftentimes the parable is a response to a question or it's a, it's a principle that's being, um, compare it against if we get that first step wrong, uh, or if we start with our own presuppositions, which is why. [00:27:50] Tony Arsenal: Partially why I think Christ is saying like, the only those who have ears to hear. Like if you don't have a spiritual presupposition, I, I mean that, that might not be the right word, but like if you're not starting from the place of spiritual illumination, not in the weird gnostic sense, but in the, the. [00:28:07] Tony Arsenal: Genuinely Christian illumination of the Holy Spirit and inward testimony of the Holy Spirit. If you're not starting from that perspective, you almost can't get the parables right. So that's why we see like the opponents of Christ in the Bible, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, constantly. They're constantly confused and they're getting it wrong. [00:28:26] Tony Arsenal: And, and even sometimes the disciples, they have to go and ask sometimes too, what is this parable? Wow, that's right. What is, what does this mean? So it's never as simple as, as what's directly on the surface, but it's also not usually as complicated as we would make it be if we were trying to over-interpret the parable, which I think is another risk. [00:28:44] Jesse Schwamb: That's the genius, isn't it? Is that I I like what you're saying. It's that spiritual predisposition that allows us to receive the word and, and when we receive that word, it is a simple word. It's not as if like, we have to elevate ourselves in place of this high learning or education or philosophizing, and that's the beauty of it. [00:29:03] Jesse Schwamb: So it is, again, God's setting apart for himself A, a people a teaching. So. But I think this is, it is a little bit perplexing at first, like that statement from Jesus because it's a bit like somebody coming to you, like your place of work or anywhere else in your family life and asking you explicitly for instruction and, and then you saying something like, listen, I, I'm gonna show you, but you're not gonna be able to see it. [00:29:22] Jesse Schwamb: And you're gonna, I'm gonna tell you, but you're not gonna be able to hear it, and I'm gonna explain it to you, but you're not gonna be able to understand. And you're like, okay. So yeah, what's the point of you talking to me then? So it's clear, like you said that Jesus. Is teaching that the secrets, and that's really, really what these are. [00:29:37] The Secrets of the Kingdom of God [00:29:37] Jesse Schwamb: It's brilliant and beautiful that Jesus would, that the, the son of God and God himself would tell us the secrets of his kingdom. But that again, first of all by saying it's a secret, means it's, it's for somebody to guard and to hold knowledge closely and that it is protected. So he says, teaching like the secrets of the kingdom of God are unknowable through mere human reasoning and intuition. [00:29:56] Jesse Schwamb: Interestingly here though, Jesus is also saying that. He's, it's not like he's saying no one can ever understand the parables, right, or that he intends to hide their truth from all people. [00:30:07] Understanding Parables and God's Sovereign Grace [00:30:07] Jesse Schwamb: Instead, he just explains that in order to highlight God's sovereign grace, God in his mercy has enlightened some to whom it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. [00:30:17] Jesse Schwamb: That's verse 11. So. All of us as his children who have been illuminated can understand the truth of God's kingdom. That is wild and and that is amazing. So that this knowledge goes out and just like we talk about the scripture going out and never returning void, here's a prime example of that very thing that there is a condemnation and not being able to understand. [00:30:37] Jesse Schwamb: That condemnation comes not because you're not intelligent enough, but because as you said, you do not have that predisposition. You do not have that changed heart into the ability to understand these things. [00:30:47] Doctrine of Election and Spiritual Insight [00:30:47] Jesse Schwamb: This is what leads me here to say like every parable then implicitly teaches a doctrine of election. [00:30:53] Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, because all people are outside the kingdom until they enter the Lord's teaching. How do we enter the Lord's teaching by being given ears to hear. How are we understanding that? We have been given ears to hear when these parables speak to us in the spiritual reality as well as in just like you said, like this general kind of like in the way that I presume Ryan Holiday means it. [00:31:12] Jesse Schwamb: The, this is like, he might be exemplifying the fact that these stories. Are a really great form of the ability to communicate complex information or to make you think. [00:31:21] The Power and Purpose of Parables [00:31:21] Jesse Schwamb: So when Jesus says something like The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, wow, we, you and I will probably spend like two episodes just unpacking that, or we could spend a lot more, that's beautiful that that's how his teaching takes place. [00:31:34] Jesse Schwamb: But of course it's, it's so much. More than that, that those in whom the teaching is effective on a salvation somehow understand it, and their understanding of it becomes first because Christ is implanted within them. Salvation. [00:31:46] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. [00:31:48] Parables as More Than Simple Teaching Tools [00:31:48] Tony Arsenal: I think people, and this is what I think like Ryan Holiday's statement reflects, is people think of the parables as a simple teaching tool to break down a complicated subject. [00:32:00] Tony Arsenal: Yes. And so, like if I was trying to explain podcasting to a, like a five-year-old, I would say something like, well, you know. You know how your teacher teaches you during class while a podcast is like if your teacher lived on the internet and you could access your teacher anytime. Like, that might be a weird explanation, but like that's taking a very complicated thing about recording and and RSS feeds and you know, all of these different elements that go into what podcasting is and breaking it down to a simple sub that is not what a parable is. [00:32:30] Tony Arsenal: Right? Right. A parable is not. Just breaking a simple subject down and illustrating it by way of like a, a clever comparison. Um, you know, it's not like someone trying to explain the doctrine of, of the Trinity by using clever analogies or something like that. Even if that were reasonable and impossible. [00:32:50] Tony Arsenal: It's, it's not like that a parable. I like what you're saying about it being kind of like a mini doctrine of election. It's also a mini doctrine of the Bible. Yes. Right. It, it's right on. [00:33:00] The Doctrine of Illumination [00:33:00] Tony Arsenal: It's, it's the doctrine of revelation. In. Preached form in the Ministry of Christ, right? As Christians, we have this text and we affirm that at the same time, uh, what can be known of it and what is necessary for salvation can be known. [00:33:19] Tony Arsenal: By ordinary means like Bart Iman, an avowed atheist who I, I think like all atheists, whether they recognize it or not, hates God. He can read the Bible and understand that what it means is that if you trust Jesus, you'll be saved. You don't need special spiritual insight to understand that that is what the Bible teaches, where the special spiritual. [00:33:42] Tony Arsenal: Insight might not be the right word, but the special spiritual appropriation is that the spirit enables you to receive that unto your salvation. Right? To put your trust in. The reality of that, and we call that doctrine, the doctrine of illumination. And so in, in the sense of parables in Christ's ministry, and this is, this is if you, you know, like what do I always say is just read a little bit more, um, the portion Jesse read it leads way into this prophecy or in this comment, Christ. [00:34:10] Tony Arsenal: Saying he teaches in parable in order to fulfill this prophecy of Isaiah. Basically that like those who are, uh, ate and are apart from God and are resistant to God, these parables there are there in order to confirm that they are. And then it says in verse 16, and this is, this is. [00:34:27] The Blessing of Spiritual Understanding [00:34:27] Tony Arsenal: It always seems like the series that we do ends up with like a theme verse, and this is probably the one verse 16 here, Matthew 1316 says, but blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. [00:34:40] Tony Arsenal: And so like there's a blessing. In our salvation and in our election that we are enabled to hear and perceive and re receive the very voice and word of God into our spirit unto our salvation. That is the doctrine of of election. It's also the doctrine of regeneration, the doctrine of sanctification, the doctrine. [00:35:03] Tony Arsenal: I mean, there's all of these different classic reformed doctrines that the parables really are these mic this microcosm of that. Almost like applied in the Ministry of Christ. Right. Which I, I, you know, I've, I've never really thought of it in depth in that way before, but it's absolutely true and it's super exciting to be able to sort of embark on this, uh, on this series journey with, with this group. [00:35:28] Tony Arsenal: I think it's gonna be so good to just dig into these and really, really hear the gospel preached to ourselves through these parables. That's what I'm looking forward to. [00:35:38] Jesse Schwamb: And we're used to being very. Close with the idea that like the message contains the doctrine, the message contains the power. Here we're saying, I think it's both. [00:35:47] Jesse Schwamb: And the mode of that message also contains, the doctrine also contains the power. And I like where you're going with this because I think what we should be reminding ourselves. Is what a blessing it is to have this kind of information conferred to us. [00:36:01] The Role of Parables in Revealing and Concealing Truth [00:36:01] Jesse Schwamb: That again, God has taken, what is the secrets that is his to disclose and his to keep and his to hold, and he's made it available to his children. [00:36:08] Jesse Schwamb: And part of that is for, as you said, like the strengthening of our own faith. It's also for condemnation. So notice that. The hiding of the kingdom through parables is not a consequence of the teaching itself. Again, this goes back to like the mode being as equally important here as the message itself that Christ's teaching is not too difficult to comprehend as an intellectual matter. [00:36:27] Jesse Schwamb: The thing is, like even today, many unbelievers read the gospels and they technically understand what Jesus means in his teaching, especially these parables. The problem is. I would say like moral hardness. It's that lack of spiritual predilection or predisposition. They know what Jesus teaches, but they do not believe. [00:36:47] Jesse Schwamb: And so the challenge before us is as all scripture reading, that we would go before the Holy Spirit and say, holy Spirit, help me to believe. Help me to understand what to believe. And it so doing, do the work of God, which is to believe in him and to believe in His son Jesus Christ and what he's accomplished. [00:37:02] Jesse Schwamb: So the parables are not like creating. Fresh unbelief and sinners instead, like they're confirming the opposition that's already present and apart from Grace, unregenerate perversely use our Lord's teaching to increase their resistance. That's how it's set up. That's how it works. That's why to be on the inside, as it were, not again, because like we've done the right handshake or met all the right standards, but because of the blood of Christ means that the disciples, the first disciples and all the disciples who will follow after them on the other hand. [00:37:33] The Complexity and Nuances of Parables [00:37:33] Jesse Schwamb: We've been granted these eyes to see, and ears to hear Jesus. And then we've been given the secrets of the kingdom. I mean, that's literally what we've been given. And God's mercy has been extended to the disciples who like many in the crowds, once ignorantly and stubbornly rejected God and us just like them as well in both accounts. [00:37:49] Jesse Schwamb: So this is, I think we need to settle on that. You're right, throughout this series, what a blessing. It's not meant to be a great labor or an effort for the child of God. Instead, it's meant to be a way of exploring these fe. Fantastic truths of who God is and what he's done in such a way that draw us in. [00:38:07] Jesse Schwamb: So that whether we're analyzing again, like the the lost coin or the lost sheep, or. Any number of these amazing parables, you'll notice that they draw us in because they don't give us answers in the explicit sense that we're used to. Like didactically instead. Yeah. They cause us to consider, as you've already said, Tony, like what does it mean to be lost? [00:38:26] Jesse Schwamb: What does it mean that the father comes running for this prodigal son? What does it mean that the older brother has a beef with the whole situation? What does it mean when Jesus says that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed? How much do we know about mustard seeds? And why would he say that? Again, this is a kind of interesting teaching, but that illumination in the midst of it being, I don't wanna say ambiguous, but open-ended to a degree means that the Holy Spirit must come in and give us that kind of grand knowledge. [00:38:55] Jesse Schwamb: But more than that, believe upon what Jesus is saying. I think that's the critical thing, is somebody will say, well, aren't the teaching simple and therefore easy to understand. In a sense, yes. Like factually yes, but in a much greater sense. Absolutely not. And that's why I think it's so beautiful that he quotes Isaiah there because in that original context, you the, you know, you have God delivering a message through Isaiah. [00:39:17] Jesse Schwamb: Uh. The people are very clear. Like, we just don't believe you're a prophet of God. And like what you're saying is ridiculous, right? And we just don't wanna hear you. This is very different than that. This is, Jesus is giving this message essentially to all who will listen to him, not necessarily hear, but all, all who are hear Him, I guess rather, but not necessarily all who are listening with those spiritual ears. [00:39:33] Jesse Schwamb: And so this is like, I love the way that he, he uses that quote in a slightly different way, but still to express the same root cause, which is some of you here. Because of your depravity will not be able to hear what I'm saying. But for those to whom it has been granted to come in who are ushered into the kingdom, this kingdom language will make sense. [00:39:54] Jesse Schwamb: It's like, I'm going to be speaking to you in code and half of you have the key for all the code because the Holy Spirit is your cipher and half of you don't. And you're gonna, you're gonna listen to the same thing, but you will hear very different things. [00:40:06] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And you know, the other thing I think is, is interesting to ponder on this, um. [00:40:12] The Importance of Context in Interpreting Parables [00:40:12] Tony Arsenal: God always accommodates his revelation to his people. And the parables are, are, are like the. Accommodated accommodation. Yeah. Like God accommodates himself to those he chooses to reveal himself to. And in some ways this is, this is, um, the human ministry of Christ is him accommodating himself to those. [00:40:38] Tony Arsenal: What I mean is in the human ministry of the Son, the parables are a way of the son accommodating himself to those he chooses to reveal himself to. So there, there are instances. Where the parable is said, and it is, uh, it's seems to be more or less understood by everybody. Nobody asks the question about like, what does this mean? [00:40:57] Tony Arsenal: Right? And then there are instances where the parable is said, and even the apostles are, or the disciples are like, what does this parable mean? And then there's some interesting ones where like. Christ's enemies understand the parable and, and can understand that the parable is told against them. About them. [00:41:13] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. So there, there's all these different nuances to why Christ used these parables, how simple they were, how complicated they were. Yes. And again, I think that underscores what I said at the top of the show here. It's like you can't treat every parable exactly the same. And that's where you run into trouble. [00:41:28] Tony Arsenal: Like if you're, if you're coming at them, like they're all just simple allegory. Again, like some of them have allegorical elements. I think it's fair to look at the, the prodigal son or the, the prodigal father, however you want to title that. And remember, the titles are not, generally, the titles are not, um, baked into the text itself. [00:41:46] Tony Arsenal: I think it's fair to come to that and look at and go, okay, well, who's the father in this? Who's the son? You know, what does it mean that the older son is this? Is, is there relevance to the fact that there's a party and that the, you know, the older, older, uh, son is not a part of it? There's, there's some legitimacy to that. [00:42:02] Tony Arsenal: And when we look at Christ's own explanation of some of his parables, he uses those kinds, right? The, the good seed is this, the, the seed that fell on the, the side of the road is this, right? The seed that got choked out by the, the, um, thorns is this, but then there are others where it doesn't make sense to pull it apart, element by element. [00:42:21] Tony Arsenal: Mm-hmm. Um, and, and the other thing is there are some things that we're gonna look at that are, um. We're gonna treat as parables that the text doesn't call a parable. And then there are some that you might even look at that sometimes the text calls a parable that we might not even think of as a normal parable, right? [00:42:38] Tony Arsenal: So there's lots of elements. This is gonna be really fun to just dig stuff in and, and sort of pick it, like pull it apart and look at its component parts and constituent parts. Um, so I really do mean it if you, if you're the kind of person who has never picked up a Bible commentary. This would be a good time to, to start because these can get difficult. [00:42:59] Tony Arsenal: They can get complicated. You want to have a trusted guide, and Jesse and I are gonna do our, our work and our research on this. Um, but you want someone who's more of a trusted guide than us. This is gonna be the one time that I might actually say Calvin's commentaries are not the most helpful. And the reason for that is not because Calvin's not clear on this stuff. [00:43:17] Tony Arsenal: Calvin Calvin's commentaries on the gospel is, is a harmony of the gospels, right? So sometimes it's tricky when you're reading it to try to find like a specific, uh, passage in Matthew because you're, you, everything's interwoven. So something like Matthew Henry, um, or something like, um, Matthew Poole. Uh, might be helpful if you're willing to spend a little bit of money. [00:43:38] Tony Arsenal: The ESV expository commentary that I've referenced before is a good option. Um, but try to find something that's approachable and usable that is reasonable for you to work through the commentary alongside of us, because you are gonna want to spend time reading these on your own, and you're gonna want to, like I said, you're gonna want to have a trust guide with you. [00:43:55] Tony Arsenal: Even just a good study bible, something like. The Reformation Study Bible or something along those lines would help you work your way through these parables, and I think it's valuable to do that. [00:44:06] Jesse Schwamb: Something you just said sparked this idea in me that the power, or one of the powers maybe of good fiction is that it grabs your attention. [00:44:15] The Impact of Parables on Listeners [00:44:15] Jesse Schwamb: It like brings you into the plot maybe even more than just what I said before about it being resonant, that it actually pulls you into the storyline and it makes you think that it's about other people until it's too late. Yeah. And Jesus has a way of doing this that really only maybe the parable can allow. [00:44:30] Jesse Schwamb: So like in other words, by the time you realize. A parable is like metaphorical, or even in a limited case, it's allegorical form you've already identified with one or more of the characters and you're caught in the trap. So what comes to my mind there is like the one Old Testament narrative, virtually identical, informed to those Jesus told is Nathan's parable of the You lamb. [00:44:52] Jesse Schwamb: So that's in like second Samuel 12, and I was just looking this up as you were, as you were speaking. So in this potentially life and death move for the prophet Nathan confronts King David. Over his adultery with, or depending on how you see it, rape of Bathsheba, and then his subsequent murder of her husband Uriah, by sending him to the front lines of battle. [00:45:10] Jesse Schwamb: So he's killed. And so in this parable that Nathan tells Uriah is like the poor man. Bathsheba is like the Yu a and the rich man obviously represents David. If you, you know what I'm talking about, go back and look at second Samuel 12. And so what's interesting is once David is hooked into that story, he cannot deny that his behavior was unjust as that of the rich man in the story who takes this UAM for himself and he, which he openly. [00:45:38] Jesse Schwamb: Then David openly condemns of course, like the amazing climax of this. And as the reader who has. Of course, like omniscient knowledge in the story, you know, the plot of things, right? You're, you're already crying out, like you're throwing something, you know, across the room saying like, how can you not see this about you? [00:45:53] Jesse Schwamb: And of course the climax comes in when Nathan points the finger at David and declares, you are the man. And that's kind of what. The parables due to us. Yes. They're not always like the same in accusatory toward us, but they do call us out. This is where, again, when we talk about like the scripture reading us, the parable is particularly good at that because sometimes we tend to identify, you know, again, with like one of the particular characters whom we probably shouldn't identify with, or like you said, the parable, the sower. [00:46:22] Jesse Schwamb: Isn't the Christian always quick to be like, I am the virtual grounds? Yeah. You still have to ask like, you know, there is not like a Paul washer way of doing this, but there is like a way of saying like, checking yourself before you wreck yourself there. And so when Jesus's parables have lost some of that shock value in today's world, we maybe need to contemporize them a little bit. [00:46:43] Jesse Schwamb: I, and I think we'll talk about that as we go through it. We're not rewriting them for any reason that that would be completely inappropriate. Think about this though. Like the Jew robbed and left for dead. And you know the story of the Grace Samaritan may need to become like the white evangelical man who is helped by like the black Muslim woman after the senior pastor and the worship leader from the local reformed church passed by like that. [00:47:05] Jesse Schwamb: That might be the frame, which we should put it to try to understand it whenever we face a hostile audience that this indirect rhetoric of compelling stories may help at least some people hear God's world more favorably, and I think that's why you get both like a soft. And a sharp edge with these stories. [00:47:20] Jesse Schwamb: But it's the ability to, to kind of come in on the sneak attack. It's to make you feel welcomed in and to identify with somebody. And then sometimes to find that you're identifying entirely with a character whom Jesus is gonna say, listen, don't be this way, or This is what the kingdom of God is, is not like this. [00:47:35] Jesse Schwamb: Or again, to give you shock value, not for the sake of telling like a good tale that somehow has a twist where it's like everybody was actually. All Dead at the end. Another movie, by the way, I have not seen, but I just know that that's like, I'll never see that movie because, can we say it that the spoiler is, is out on that, right? [00:47:54] Tony Arsenal: Are we, what are we talking about? What movie are we talking about? [00:47:56] Jesse Schwamb: Well, I don't, I don't wanna say it. I didn't [00:47:57] Tony Arsenal: even get it from your description. Oh. [00:47:59] Jesse Schwamb: Like that, that movie where like, he was dead the whole time. [00:48:02] Tony Arsenal: Oh, this, that, that, that movie came out like 30 years ago, Jesse. Oh, seriously? [00:48:06] Jesse Schwamb: Okay. All right. [00:48:06] Tony Arsenal: So Six Sense. [00:48:07] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. That movie came out a long time ago. [00:48:10] Jesse Schwamb: So it's not like the parables are the sixth sense, and it's like, let me get you like a really cool twist. Right. Or like hook at the end. I, and I think in part it is to disarm you and to draw you in in such a way that we might honestly consider what's happening there. [00:48:22] Jesse Schwamb: And that's how it reads us. [00:48:24] Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah. And I, I think that's a good point. And, and. It bears saying there are all sorts of parables all throughout the Bible. It's not just Jesus that teaches these, and they do have this similar effect that they, they draw you in. Um, oftentimes you identify it preliminarily, you identify with the wrong person, and it's not until you. [00:48:45] Tony Arsenal: Or you don't identify with anyone when you should. Right. Right. And it's not until the sort of punchline or I think that account with Nathan is so spot on because it's the same kind of thing. David did not have ears to hear. [00:48:58] Jesse Schwamb: Right. Until he had That's good point. Ears [00:49:00] Tony Arsenal: to hear. [00:49:00] Jesse Schwamb: Good point. [00:49:01] Tony Arsenal: And he heard the point of the parable. [00:49:03] Tony Arsenal: He understood the point of the parable and he didn't understand that the parable was about him, right? It's like the ultimate, I don't know why you're clapping David, I'm talking about you moment. Um, I'm just have this picture of Paul washer in like a biblical era robe. Um, so I think that's a enough progam to the series. [00:49:20] Preparing for the Series on Parables [00:49:20] Tony Arsenal: We're super excited we're, we'll cover some of these principles again, because again, different parables have to be interpreted different ways, and some of these principles apply to one and don't to others, and so we'll, we'll tease that out when we get there next week. We're gonna just jump right in. [00:49:34] Tony Arsenal: We're gonna get started with, I think, um, I actually think, you know, in the, the providence of, of the Holy Spirit and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and then obviously the providence of God in Christ's ministry, the, the parable that kind of like frames all of the other parables,

Tiffany Yu is the founder of Diversability and author of "The Anti-Ableist Manifesto." After a childhood accident left her with a permanent disability, Yu dedicated her life to creating communities where people with disabilities of every kind can be seen, supported and celebrated. She gives her Brief But Spectacular take on embracing disability pride. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Tiffany Yu is the founder of Diversability and author of "The Anti-Ableist Manifesto." After a childhood accident left her with a permanent disability, Yu dedicated her life to creating communities where people with disabilities of every kind can be seen, supported and celebrated. She gives her Brief But Spectacular take on embracing disability pride. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In episode 1927, Jack and Miles are joined by author of Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism and Beauty, Kaila Yu, to discuss… Mike Johnson Walks Back Claim That Trump Helped The FBI Take Down Epstein, Eric Adams To Stay In Mayor’s Race... Until He Loses And Becomes A Saudi Ambassador, Women Are Going To Turkey For Limb Shortening Procedures? And more! Mike Johnson claimed Trump was anti-Epstein informant, then retreated amid criticism BREAKING: Mike Johnson just claimed that Trump “was an FBI informant” to help take down Jeffrey Epstein. New York City Mayor Eric Adams being eyed as Saudi ambassador: Reports Adams Insists He’s Running for Mayor Despite Saudi Ambassadorship Talks Women Are Going To Turkey For Limb Shortening Procedures? LISTEN: Victory Lap feat. Skepta, PlaqueBoyMax by Fred again..See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Toni Rose is joined by Dykeisha Hill to talk about using games of all types to bring joy into the classroom and connect with students Show Notes ArtyNerdShop - Dykeisha's Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtyNerdShop?dd_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F) City Year (https://www.cityyear.org) Freedom Riders (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1558952/) Some of the games Dykeisha mentions: God of War (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_War_(franchise)) Kingdom Hearts (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Hearts) The Legend of Zelda (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda) Ed Tech tools Dykeisha mentions: Edpuzzle (https://edpuzzle.com/) Nearpod (https://nearpod.com/) Peardeck (https://peardeck.com) Comic book characters Dykeisha mentions Deadpool (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadpool) Batman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman) Harley Quinn (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley_Quinn) A few of the anime and manga mentioned on this episode: Demon Slayer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_Slayer:_Kimetsu_no_Yaiba) Afro Samurai (http://www.afrosamurai.com/) My Hero Academia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Hero_Academia) Dragonball Z (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Ball_Z) Sailor Moon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor_Moon) Pokemon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokémon_(TV_series)) Yu-gi-oh (https://www.yugioh.com/) Dykeisha's interactive classroom resource "Innocent or Guilty (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19wAeusuG1JdiwU6TOGtexUWTV3AJIZOSEk_39haWhjg/edit?slide=id.p3#slide=id.p3)," based on the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_Attorney) series of video games Connect with Dykeisha by email at dhill@bronxhaven.org (mailto:dhill@bronxhaven.org) Learning Experiences for the Upcoming Week: Want to start building your own Modern Classroom and work one-on-one with an expert educator? If you're an educator in Chicago, St. Louis, Alabama, or any of the districts we're partnered with, you can sign up now for the Virtual Mentorship Program! The next session runs from October 20 to January 19, and the whole program is virtual and self-paced. See if there's an opportunity in your area by going to modernclassrooms.org/apply-now (http://modernclassrooms.org/apply-now) Looking for virtual connection? We've renamed the implementer meetups to The Co-Lab. Join our first one Wednesday, September 10, at 7 pm EST to connect with other Modern Classroom educators and talk about building authentic relationships with students through Unit 0 and beyond! Register here (https://modernclassrooms.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sGWuKcRpRYmJ2YGLu2ZXUA)  Ready to Transform Your Classroom? Dive into our Back-to-School Toolkit—your go-to guide for building a self-paced, blended, and mastery-based learning environment. Don't miss out on the tips and strategies that'll make this school year your best one yet! Click here to access the toolkit (https://www.modernclassrooms.org/toolkit/back-to-school) Contact us, follow us online, and learn more: Email us questions and feedback at: podcast@modernclassrooms.org (mailto:podcast@modernclassrooms.org) Listen to this podcast on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1SQEZ54ptj1ZQ3bV5tEcULSyPttnifZV) Modern Classrooms: @modernclassproj (https://twitter.com/modernclassproj) on Twitter and facebook.com/modernclassproj (https://www.facebook.com/modernclassproj) Kareem: @kareemfarah23 (https://twitter.com/kareemfarah23) on Twitter Toni Rose: @classroomflex (https://twitter.com/classroomflex) on Twitter and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/classroomflex/?hl=en) The Modern Classroom Project (https://www.modernclassrooms.org) Modern Classrooms Online Course (https://learn.modernclassrooms.org) Take our free online course, or sign up for our mentorship program to receive personalized guidance from a Modern Classrooms mentor as you implement your own modern classroom! The Modern Classrooms Podcast is edited by Zach Diamond: @zpdiamond (https://twitter.com/zpdiamond) on Twitter and Learning to Teach (https://www.learningtoteach.co/) Special Guest: Dykeisha Hill.

Episode 10 Tae-moo and Ha-ri are caught by Chairman Kang, but not really. Yeong-seo laments how Seung-hoon hasn't even reached out. She drags Ha-ri along and follows Seung-hoon and Tae-moo, only to meet Seung-hoon's mom.Ha-min catches Ha-ri and Tae-moo and learns the truth of their relationship. Yeong-seo is sent a video of a drunk Seung-hoon wailing about how much he misses Yeong-seo, as a bribe from Tae-moo.Ha-ri calls Yu-ra out for trying to use her and stands up to Min-woo for how he treats both his girlfriend and her. Ha-ri takes Tae-moo out on a date during a rainy night.Chairman Kang calls Ha-ri to meet him. Find us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music Follow us on Instagram @thekdramashow https://www.instagram.com/thekdramashow/ Email : the kdramashowashandkim@gmail.com Thanks for listening!!!

Drs. Shipra Agrawal and Monoj K. Das discuss the results of their study, "RNA Alternative Splicing and Polyadenylation and Regulation of the Glomerular Filtration Barrier," with JASN Deputy Editor Alan S.L. Yu and Junior Associate Editor Jason O. Wu.

This week, host Jo Reed welcomes AudioFile contributor Kendra Winchester to chat about three new sci-fi/fantasy audiobook gems: MODERATION, written and read by Elaine Castillo, a cautionary tale that dives into tech, class, and immigration; SUNBIRTH by An Yu, a character-driven story in which slices of the sun start disappearing, read by Mei Mei Macleod; and a historical horror-romance with elements of fantasy, THE POSSESSION OF ALBA DÍAZ by Isabel Cañas, read by Carolina Hoyos and Anthony Rey Perez. MODERATION: Published by Penguin Audio SUNBIRTH: Published by Simon & Schuster Audio THE POSSESSION OF ALBA DÍAZ:   Published by Penguin Audio Discover thousands of audiobook reviews and more at AudioFile's website   Support for AudioFile's Behind the Mic comes from Blackstone Publishing: an independent, award-winning publisher of bestselling books and audiobooks. Find your next great listen at BlackstonePublishing.com.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A 2020 study found that only the right brand architecture strategy maximizes reputation spillover while preventing underinvestment. But most companies make this critical decision based on emotion rather than data. This week, Elena, Rob, and Director of Brand Beth Kuchera explore when to use one brand across everything versus splitting them up. They reveal the five ways brand architecture impacts business success and share why getting this wrong can waste expensive "brain space" that's impossible to recover. Topics covered: [01:00] Research on branded house versus house of brands strategy[05:00] Five ways brand architecture helps or harms your business [10:00] Strategic upsides and downsides of branded house approach [14:00] Creative challenges of extending versus building new brands [17:00] Resources as the most important decision-making factor [24:00] Measuring brand effectiveness across multiple products  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: Yu, Jungju, A Model of Brand Architecture Choice: A House of Brands vs. A Branded House (May 28, 2020). Yu, J. (2021). A model of brand architecture choice: a house of brands vs. A branded house. Marketing Science, 40(1), 147-167., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3116284 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3116284  Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

In this groundbreaking keynote lecture, Dr. Weiping Yu, physicist at NASA, challenges the very foundations of modern physics. Speaking at TeslaTech 2025 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Dr. Yu unveils his revolutionary Uon Theory — a unifying framework that rethinks particles, forces, light, magnetism, and even gravity itself. From questioning Coulomb's law to reinterpreting the double-slit experiment, Dr. Yu invites us to look beyond the traditional models of electrons, atoms, and forces — toward a universal magnetic medium powered by the fundamental Uon particle. This talk pushes the boundaries of conventional science and offers bold answers to some of physics' greatest mysteries. Dr Yu's presentation can be downloaded here. For more content by Dr Yu visit aneighborschoice.com Support us here.

We discuss and break down everything regarding the recent episode of Yu-gi-oh: The Card Game Chronicles!! Sit back, relax, and enjoy our thoughts on the episode, and theories about where the show will go! Subscribe to our Youtube channel to stay up to date and join us live: https://www.youtube.com/yugioheverything

Send us a textOn this week's episode, Janey is going to tell a story about a boy-kicker who got the last stomp, and Max is going to tell us about a little guy who gets his juice squeezed! (Some days writing these intros feels like a cosmic test....) Hope you enjoy!Janey's Sources - Ragged Emperor“The Bronze Cauldron: Myths and Legends of the World” by Geradline McCaughrean and Bee Wiley (Illustrator)  Wikipedia entry for "Yu the Great" Max's Sources - Crooked Foot the DwarfLITTLE BOOK OF LATIN AMERICAN FOLKTALES  Support the showCheck out our books (and support local bookstores!) on our Bookshop.org affiliate account!Starting your own podcast with your very cool best friend? Try hosting on Buzzsprout (and get a $20 Amazon gift card!)Want more??Visit our website!Join our Patreon!Shop the merch at TeePublic!If you liked these stories, let us know on our various socials!InstagramTiktokGoodreadsAnd email us at sortofthestory@gmail.com

We're chatting with Kaila Yu, author of "Fetishized," about her experience growing up online in the 90s and 00s and reckoning with her relationship to Asian fetishization. Yu started as an "import model" and pin-up girl who appeared in "Playboy" and the "Fast and Furious" franchise, then became a MySpace star and lead of the all Asian-American punk band Nylon Pink, and now, she's a writer and content creator studying the portrayal of Asian women in the media.Links"Fetishized" by Kaila YuKaila's Instagram & TikTokFind Us Online Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wowiftrue.bsky.socialTwitter: https://twitter.com/wowiftruepodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wowiftruePatreon: https://www.patreon.com/wowiftrueWebsite: https://wowiftrue.com/ Email: wowiftruepod@gmail.comAbout Us Wow If True was created by Isabel J. Kim and Amanda Silberling. Our editors are Allison Mills and David Newtown. Wow If True is a member of Multitude, a podcast collective, production studio and ad sales provider.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, I got to talk with Kaila Yu about her memoir Fetishization: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty.  We dive into her experience growing up amidst yellow fever, how her self image was affected, and how she learned to love and accept herself.Fetishization: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty SynopsisNo one fetishized Kaila Yu more than she fetishized herself. As a young girl, she dreamt of beauty. But none of the beautiful women on television looked like her. In the late '90s and early 2000s Asian women were often reduced to overtly sexual and submissive caricatures—the geishas of the book-turned-film Memoirs of a Geisha; the lewd twins, Fook Mi and Fook Yu, in Austin Powers in Goldmember; Papillon Soo Soo's sex worker character in the cult Vietnam War movie Full Metal Jacket; and pin-up goddess Sung-Hi Lee. Meanwhile, the "girls next door" were always white. Within that narrow framework, Kaila internalized a painful conclusion: The only way someone who looked like her could have value or be considered beautiful and desirable was to sexualize herself.Blending vulnerable stories from Yu's life with incisive cultural critique and history, Fetishized is a memoir-in-essays exploring feminism, beauty, yellow fever, and the roles pop culture and colonialism played in shaping pervasive and destructive stereotypes about Asian women and their bodies. Yu reflects on the women in media who influenced her, the legacy of U.S. occupation in shaping Western perceptions of Asian women, her own experiences in the pinup and import modeling industry, auditioning for TV and film roles that perpetuated dehumanizing stereotypes, and touring the world with her band in revealing outfits. She recounts altering her body to conform to Western beauty standards, allowing men to treat her like a sex object, and the emotional toll and trauma of losing her sense of self in the pursuit of the image she thought the world wanted.  Get Bookwild MerchCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackCheck Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck out the Imposter Hour Podcast with Liz and GregFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrian

On this episode of the Family Docs Podcast, Dr. Cynthia Chen-Joea discusses physician wellness and the pursuit to recapture the joy in medicine with Drs. Lauren Brown-Berchtold and Kim Yu.  Guests: Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, MPH, CPH, FAAFP - Dr. Cynthia Chen-Joea is a physician career and life coach, double board-certified in Family Medicine and Obesity Medicine, and the founder of Thrivation, dedicated to coaching early-career physicians break free from burnout and build sustainable, fulfilling careers. She is also the co-founder of Physician Contract Negotiation, empowering physicians to advocate for their worth and navigate their careers with confidence. She serves as the Director of Inpatient Medicine at Charles Drew Family Medicine Residency Program and Medical Director of Copa de Oro Medical Group.  Her previous leadership positions include, Physician Advisor, Secretary-Treasurer of the Medical Staff and Department Chair of Family Medicine at Emanate Health.   A passionate advocate for physician well-being and healthcare transformation, Dr. Chen-Joea has held multiple leadership roles at the local, state, and national levels working in advocacy within her specialty organization. She currently serves as the New Physician member on the AAFP Board of Directors, working to create a more sustainable future in medicine.   Kim Yu, MD, FAAFP, DABFM - Dr. Kim Yu is a national and international speaker, executive family physician leader, past president of the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians, and current Speaker of the California Academy of Family Physicians. Based out of California, Dr. Yu lives to #inspirecreatelead and currently works at the American Board of Family Medicine as the PRIME National Strategy Consultant and as Director of Health Care Strategy at KCS Inc., a multisite FQHC in Orange County, CA, serving the Asian community and the underserved in Southern California. Dr. Yu has served as the chair for the AAFP's Global Health Member Interest Group and as convener for WONCA's Special Interest Group in Health Equity. She currently serves on the AAFP delegation to the AMA, Wonca Working Party of Women in Family Medicine - USA country lead,  and has interests in physician wellbeing, population health, practice management, health IT, value based care, global health, health equity, advocacy, disaster relief, and a wide range of primary care topics.  Lauren Brown-Berchtold, MD, FAAFP -  Dr. Lauren Brown-Berchtold is the program director for the Valley Consortium for Medical Education (VCME) Family Medicine Residency program in Modesto, California. She previously was a core faculty member and later program director of San Joaquin General Hospital for 8 years in total. She graduated from Keck School of Medicine of USC in Los Angeles, then joined John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, to complete her family medicine residency and Maternal-Child Health fellowship equivalent training. Dr. Brown-Berchtold is a fervent advocate for physician mental health protections and burnout prevention, and spends a lot of extracurricular time working on this topic nationally. When away from the hospital, she loves to read as well as explore life with her husband and very active daughter! Resources: https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/issues/2018/0700/p38.html Dr. Kim Yu Finds ‘Reason for Being' in Family Medicine Advocacy - https://www.theabfm.org/dr-kim-yu-finds-reason-for-being-in-family-medicine-advocacy/ Ikigai - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai / https://positivepsychology.com/ikigai/  26 hours of work per day: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-022-07707-x Weidner AKH, Phillips RL Jr, Fang B, Peterson LE. Burnout and Scope of Practice in New Family Physicians [published correction appears in Ann Fam Med. 2018 Jul;16(4):289. doi: 10.1370/afm.2281]. Ann Fam Med. 2018;16(3):200-205. doi:10.1370/afm.2221 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5951247/ Pixar Films mentioned - Inside Out and Inside Out 2 Learned helplessness - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4920136/  Job crafting - Amy Wrzesniewski - https://hbr.org/2010/06/managing-yourself-turn-the-job-you-have-into-the-job-you-want  Baader-Meinhof phenomenon / frequency illusion - https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/frequency-illusion  Nine recs for physician wellbeing for c-suite article: Shanafelt TD, Noseworthy JH. Executive Leadership and Physician Well-being: Nine Organizational Strategies to Promote Engagement and Reduce Burnout. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017;92(1):129-146. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.10.004.  https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(16)30625-5/pdf  AMA Cost Of Burnout:  https://edhub.ama-assn.org/steps-forward/interactive/16830405  Physician coaching: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2740206  Family Medicine POP: Prism of Practice conference, September 5-7, 2025 (San Diego) - www.familydocs.org/pop CAFP's All Member Advocacy Meeting (AMAM), March 14-16, 2026 (Sacramento) - www.familydocs.org/amam  Information: The Family Docs Podcast is hosted by Rob Assibey, MD, FAAFP and Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, FAAFP.  The Family Docs podcast is developed, produced, and recorded by the California Academy of Family Physicians. The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent or the California Academy of Family Physicians. More information at www.familydocs.org/podcast. Visit the California Academy of Family Physicians online at www.familydocs.org. Follow us on social media: Twitter - https://twitter.com/cafp_familydocs  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cafp_familydocs  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/familydocs  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/california-academy-of-family-physicians 

La última ola nunca llega. Pero las marejadas de las últimas dos décadas nos trajeron muchas bandas y discos que combinaban influencias del garage, el surf, la psicodelia o el folk sobre un tapiz actualizado a su momento. Esto es solo una mínima parte de la punta de ese iceberg.Playlist;(sintonía) LA LUZ “In the country” (Instrumentals, 2022)BLACK LIPS “Get it on time” (Sing in a world that’s falling apart, 2020)THE LOVE LANGUAGE “Brittany’s back” (Libraries, 2010)HOUNDSTOOTH “Francis” (Ride out the dark, 2013)WARM SODA “Tell me in a whisper” (I don’t wanna grow up, 2017)ALLAH-LAS “Could be you” (Calico review, 2016)JENNY O. “Well Ok honey” (Home EP, 2010)GRINGO STAR “Hanging around” (On and on and gone, 2023)THE NUDE PARTY “Paper trail (money)” (The Nude Party, 2018)ULTIMATE PAINTING “Ultimate painting” (Ultimate Party)THE PROPER ORNAMENTS “Shining bright” (Waiting for the summer, 2013)SHANNON and THE CLAMS “The boy” (Onion, 2018)ARTHUR and YU “Afer glow” (In camera, 2007)THE SNAILS “Heters be learners (respect my snail style)” (Worth the wait, 2014)THE ROARING 420’S “Sweet destiny” (You can’t get out alive, 2015)THE BLANK TAPES “Don’t ever get old” (Vacation, 2013) Escuchar audio

【周郁凱的八角框架商業攻略】

Lisa Everett, Republican chair (LD-29) and Brent Peak, co-chair of the progressive Northwest Valley Indivisible Group joined the show to speak about their efforts to stop the deportation of Kelly Yu. Yu is a Peoria business owner who was taken to the Eloy Dentention Center after showing up for one of her immigration hearings.

❗️未滿18歲禁止收聽❗️

Playlist: Halfcut x Cole The God - A Man Named CuttyDJ Premier x Roc Marciano - Prayer HandsNowaah the Flood x D-Styles - Rent DueCrisis, featuring Vel Nine, InZom & Sirealist - No LoveRasheed Chappell x Mickey Blue - SinkParadime - So LongGhostface Killah - Rap KingpinLegit - 8-Bit BluesShark the SOB, featuring Illtone, AGE, Mista D - The HeistDJ Moya x Daniel Son - Neuvau LoungeGhostboyRJ, featuring The 6th Letter - Smoke SumnMr. Skip x Tha God Fahim - BuellerDaKidT - FlashbacksOT The Real x 38 Spesh - Philly SpecialJ. Scienide x Bes Kept - Dundas ThemeTachichi - Move in the LightsM-Dot x Confidence - The ConsistencyVan Gunz, featuring Honey Dinero - Shooter's ShootHomeboy Sandman x Sonnyjim - There and BackReverie x Louden - Power to the PeopleLxvndr x Uncle Fester, featuring Tachichi - CompetitionPotatohead People & Slippery Elm, featuring Bahamadia - Up CloseDJ Es-Pro, featuring yU the 78er - SmileHalfcut x Cole the God - Cocaine & Vodka

Dr. Weidong Yu is widely recognized as one of Canada's premiere Doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine. At Wellspring Clinic for Holistic Medicine, his clinic in Vancouver, Canada, Dr. Yu developed a groundbreaking treatment protocol for Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) patients: "Wellspring Vision Improvement Protocol (WVIP)". Since 1999, he has treated over 800 cases of Retinitis Pigmentosa and has become sought after worldwide for his success with RP and other disorders and diseases of vision. Dr. Yu TCMD, R.Ac, BM (China), MPH (Belgium) is a registered Doctor of Traditional Medicine in British Columbia, BC and a Licensed Acupuncturist in the State of California, United States. Dr. Yu graduated from Shandong College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1983, where he studied both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine for five years, to earn a Bachelor of Medicine degree. In 1991, he earned a Master's degree in Public Health from the School of Public Health, Free University of Brussels, Belgium. Dr. Yu has practiced both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine at Binzhou Medical College Hospital as a resident physician. He also worked as an Assistant Research Fellow at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing, the foremost research institute in Chinese medicine in China. He has practiced Traditional Chinese Medicine in Belgium, the United States, as well as in Canada Dr. Yu's passion in medicine and healing come from his medical family tradition. Both of his parents were doctors, his aunt, uncle were doctors, his wife is doctor, his mother in law is nurse. He has extensive training in Chinese medicine, western medicine, public health. He has practiced western medicine, Chinese medicine, lab research, strategic and policy research on traditional Chinese medicine, medical history research, medical philosophy and methodology, health economics. However he has focused on one most difficult disease, retinitis pigmentosa in last 21 years . He is able to treat the genetic retinal disorder with consistent positive clinical outcome. Many recovered their vision and resume normal life again. He has discovered key factors in vision health and healing. Dr. Yu then apply his clinical protocol to Age related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye disease, myopia, astigmatism, presbyopia, amblyopia, viral optic neuritis. Contact Dr. Weidong Yu:www.tcmrp.comwww. Sightsage.comFacebook:Wellspring clinic for retinitis pigmentosa Instagram: Sightsage. Wellspring clinicYouTube : Wellspring clinic Dr. Kimberley LinertSpeaker, Author, Broadcaster, Mentor, Trainer, Behavioral OptometristEvent Planners- I am available to speak at your event. Here is my media kit: https://brucemerrinscelebrityspeakers.com/portfolio/dr-kimberley-linert/To book Dr. Linert on your podcast, television show, conference, corporate training or as an expert guest please email her at incrediblelifepodcast@gmail.com or Contact Bruce Merrin at Bruce Merrin's Celebrity Speakers at merrinpr@gmail.com702.256.9199Host of the Podcast Series: Incredible Life Creator PodcastAvailable on...Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/incredible-life-creator-with-dr-kimberley-linert/id1472641267Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6DZE3EoHfhgcmSkxY1CvKf?si=ebe71549e7474663 and on 9 other podcast platformsAuthor of Book: "Visualizing Happiness in Every Area of Your Life"Get on Amazon:https://amzn.to/4cmTOMwWebsite: https://www.DrKimberleyLinert.comPlease subscribe, share & LISTEN! Thanks. incrediblelifepodcast@gmail.comSocial Media LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-kimberley-linert-incredible-life-creator/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimberley.linert/The Great Discovery eLearning Platform: https://thegreatdiscovery.com/kimberleyl

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Lucy Yu, founder and owner of Yu & Me Books. Trained as a chemical engineer, her life took an unexpected turn during the pandemic when grief from losing a close friend led to deep reflection about her purpose. "I'm here on earth to do art and foster love," she realized, and from this epiphany, You and Me Books was born—the first female Asian American-owned bookstore in New York City's historic Manhattan Chinatown.  Yu's vision of creating a genuine community space resonated deeply in a time when people were starved for connection. The bookstore became more than just a place to buy books—it transformed into a sanctuary where diverse voices are celebrated and where customers feel so at home they comfortably take naps in the chairs.  The journey hasn't been without heartbreak. In July 2023, a devastating fire ravaged the bookstore, forcing Yu to watch helplessly as her dream literally went up in smoke. But what followed was nothing short of miraculous. A GoFundMe campaign raised over $360,000 from 6,000 individual donors, fellow bookstore owners offered their spaces, and community members rallied with practical and emotional support. This outpouring of love affirmed Yu's belief that "chasing love and art will never let you down."  You and Me Books stands today as a testament to resilience, the power of community, and the vital role that independent bookstores play as third spaces where people can gather, connect, and belong. Lucy's story reminds us that books aren't just products—they're vessels for connection that show us we're never alone in our experiences.Yu & Me BooksScattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder, Gabor MatéTranscending Trauma: Healing Complex Ptsd with Internal Family Systems, Frank Anderson Asymmetry, A Novel, Lisa Halliday Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, Max Porter Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America's Civil Rights Revolution, Peniel E. Joseph  Support the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

We continue our week of beach reads with a debut novel from Katie Yee, called Maggie: Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar. The story follows a woman who finds out her husband has been having an affair with a woman named Maggie... and that she has also been diagnosed with cancer. Yee discusses the novel, which is out on July 22, and will be speaking on 'pub day' at Yu and Me Bookstore at the NYPL Chatham Square Branch, and on July 24 with Books Are Magic at the Melissa Joy Manning Jewelry Store.  

On June 29, Eden will be hosting a webinar to speak in detail about the vision for this project. In order to register please click here or email info@edenbeitshemesh.com to find out more.In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, David Bashevkin moderates a debate between Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig and Rabbi Yitzchak Blau on whether morality exists independently of Judaism. This is a recording of a live event hosted at Young Israel of Teaneck on May 4. In this episode we discuss: What does it mean for God to be good, and who defines the “good” in the first place? Do Torah Jews base their values on halacha, or something else?Should we make any changes to halachic and moral education in the Jewish community? Tune in to hear a conversation about how halacha and morality bring order and prioritization to our chaotic and confusing lives. Debate begins at 10:57.Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig is a professor of Jewish law and jurisprudence at Yeshiva University, a rabbinic judge and chaver beit din at the Beth Din of America, and the rav of the Shtiebel of Lower Merion. He holds a secondary appointment as an assistant professor of philosophy at Yeshiva College and serves as the chair of Jewish studies at the Sy Syms School of Business. He received his semikha, Yoreh Yoreh and Yadin Yadin, from RIETS, where he was a fellow of the Wexner Kollel Elyon and editor-in-chief of the Beit Yitzchak Journal of Talmudic and Halakhic Studies.Rabbi Yitzchak Blau is the author of Fresh Fruit & Vintage Wine: Ethics and Wisdom of the Aggada and is Tradition's associate editor. He has taught at Yeshivat Hamivtar, Yeshivat Shvilei Hatorah, and the Yeshivah of Flatbush and currently also teaches at Midreshet Lindenbaum. Rabbi Blau has a BA in English Literature from YU, an MA in Medieval Jewish History from Revel, and semikha from RIETS. Rabbi Blau lives in Alon Shevut with his wife and four children.References:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. LewisMere Christianity by C. S. LewisFresh Fruit & Vintage Wine: Ethics and Wisdom of the Aggada by Yitzchak BlauHaEmunot veHaDeot by Saadia GaonReligion And Morality by Avi Sagi and Daniel StatmanPlato's EuthyphroGenesis 9The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor DostoevskyEight Chapters by Maimonides Halakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. SoloveitchikA Theory of Justice by John RawlsFor more 18Forty:NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/joinCALL: (212) 582-1840EMAIL: info@18forty.orgWEBSITE: 18forty.orgIG: @18fortyX: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join hereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

Last time we spoke about Operation Chahar. In July 1937, the tensions between Japan and China erupted into a full-scale conflict, ignited by the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. Following a series of aggressive Japanese military maneuvers, Chiang Kai-shek, then enjoying a brief respite at Kuling, learned of the escalating clashes and prepared for battle. Confident that China was primed for resistance, he rallied his nation, demanding that Japan accept responsibility and respect China's sovereignty. The Japanese launched their offensive, rapidly capturing key positions in Northern China. Notably, fierce battle ensued in Jinghai, where Chinese soldiers, led by Brigade Commander Li Zhiyuan, valiantly defended against overwhelming forces using guerrilla tactics and direct assaults. Their spirit was symbolized by a courageous “death squad” that charged the enemy, inflicting serious casualties despite facing dire odds. As weeks passed, the conflict intensified with brutal assaults on Nankou. Chinese defenses, though valiant, were ultimately overwhelmed, leading to heavy casualties on both sides. Despite losing Nankou, the indomitable Chinese spirit inspired continued resistance against the Japanese invaders, foreshadowing a long, brutal war that would reshape East Asia.   #156 The Battle of Shanghai Part 1: The Beginning of the Battle of Shanghai 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. On August 9, a bullet riddled sedan screeched to an abrupt halt at the entrance to the Hongqiao airport along Monument Road. The gruesome scene on the dashboard revealed that one of the victims had died in the car. He had been dragged out and subjected to brutal slashing, kicking, and beating until his body was a mangled mess. Half of his face was missing, and his stomach had been cut open, exposing the sickly pallor of his intestines, faintly glimmering in the night. The other man had managed to escape the vehicle but only got a few paces away before he was gunned down. A short distance away lay a third body, dressed in a Chinese uniform. Investigators swiftly identified the badly mangled body as belonging to 27-year-old Sub-Lieutenant Oyama Isao, while the other deceased Japanese man was his driver, First Class Seaman Saito Yozo. The identity of the Chinese victim remained a mystery. At first glance, the scene appeared to be the aftermath of a straightforward shootout. However, numerous questions lingered: What were the Japanese doing at a military airfield miles from their barracks? Who had fired the first shot, and what had prompted that decision? The Chinese investigators and their Japanese counterparts were at odds over the answers to these questions. As they walked the crime scene, searching for evidence, loud arguments erupted repeatedly. By the time the sun began to rise, they concluded their investigation without reaching any consensus on what had transpired. They climbed into their cars and made their way back to the city. The investigators were acutely aware of the repercussions if they failed to handle their delicate task with the necessary finesse. Despite their hopes for peace, it was evident that Shanghai was a city bracing for war. As they drove through the dimly lit suburbs on their way from Hongqiao back to their downtown offices, their headlights illuminated whitewashed trees, interspersed with sandbag defenses and the silhouettes of solitary Chinese sentries. Officially, these sentries were part of the Peace Preservation Corps,  a paramilitary unit that, due to an international agreement reached a few years earlier, was the only Chinese force allowed to remain in the Shanghai area. In the hours that followed, both sides presented their versions of the incident. According to the Chinese account, the Japanese vehicle attempted to force its way through the airport gate. When members of the Peace Preservation Corps stationed at the entrance signaled for Saito, the driver, to stop, he abruptly turned the car around. Sub-Lieutenant Oyama then fired at the Chinese guards with an automatic pistol. Only then did the Chinese return fire, killing Oyama in a hail of bullets. Saito managed to jump out before he, too, was gunned down. The commander of the Chinese guards told a Western reporter that this wasn't the first time someone Japanese had attempted to enter the airport. Such incidents had occurred repeatedly in the past two months, leading them to believe that the Japanese were “obviously undertaking espionage.” The Japanese account, predictably, placed the blame for the entire incident squarely on China. It asserted that Oyama had been driving along a road bordering the airfield with no intention of entering. Suddenly, the vehicle was stopped and surrounded by Peace Preservation Corps troops, who opened fire with rifles and machine guns without warning. Oyama had no opportunity to return fire. The Japanese statement argued that the two men had every right to use the road, which was part of the International Settlement, and labeled the incident a clear violation of the 1932 peace agreement. “We demand that the Chinese bear responsibility for this illegal act,”. Regardless of either side, it seemed likely to everyone in the region, war would soon engulf Shanghai.  Meanwhile, as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident escalated into a full blown in the far north, General Zhang Fakui was attending a routine training mission at Mount Lu in southeastern Jiangxi. A short and small man, not considered too handsome either, Zhang had earned his place in China's leadership through physical courage, once taking a stand on a bridge and single handedly facing down an enemy army. He was 41 years old in 1937, having spent half his life fighting Warlords, Communists and sometimes even Nationalists. In the recent years he had tossed his lot in with a rebel campaign against Chiang Kai-Shek, who surprisingly went on the forgive him and placed him in charge of anti communist operations in the area due south of Shanghai. However now the enemy seemed to have changed.  As the war spread to Beijing, on July 16th, Zhang was sent to Chiang Kai-Shek's summer residence at Mount Lu alongside 150 members of China's political and military elites. They were all there to brainstorm how to fight the Japanese. Years prior the Generalissimo had made it doctrine to appease the Japanese but now he made grandiose statements such as “this time we must fight to the end”. Afterwards Chiang dealt missions to all his commanders and Zhang Fakui was told to prepare for operations in the Shanghai area.  It had been apparent for weeks that both China and Japan were preparing for war in central China. The Japanese had been diverting naval troops from the north to strengthen their forces in Shanghai, and by early August, they had assembled over 8,000 troops. A few days later, approximately thirty-two naval vessels arrived. On July 31, Chiang declared that “all hope for peace has been lost.” Chiang had been reluctant to commit his best forces to defend northern China, an area he had never truly controlled. In contrast, Shanghai was central to his strategy for the war against Japan. Chiang decided to deploy his finest troops, the 87th and 88th Divisions, which were trained by generals under the guidance of the German advisor von Falkenhausen, who had high hopes for their performance against the Japanese. In doing so, Chiang aimed to demonstrate to both his own people and the wider world that the Chinese could and would resist the invader. Meanwhile, Chiang's spy chief, Dai Li, was busy gathering intelligence on Japanese intentions regarding Shanghai, a challenging task given his focus in recent years. Dai, one of the most sinister figures in modern Chinese history, had devoted far more energy and resources to suppressing the Communists than to countering the Japanese. As a result, by the critical summer of 1937, he had built only a sparse network of agents in “Little Tokyo,” the Hongkou area of Shanghai dominated by Japanese businesses. One agent was a pawnshop owner, while the rest were double agents employed as local staff within the Japanese security apparatus. Unfortunately, they could provide little more than snippets, rumors, and hearsay. While some of this information sounded alarmingly dire, there was almost no actionable intelligence. Chiang did not take the decision to open a new front in Shanghai lightly. Built on both banks of the Huangpu River, the city served as the junction between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the great Yangtze River, which wound thousands of kilometers inland to the west. Shanghai embodied everything that represented modern China, from its industry and labor relations to its connections with the outside world. While foreign diplomatic presence was concentrated in nearby Nanjing, the capital, it was in Shanghai that the foreign community gauged the country's mood. Foreigners in the city's two “concession” areas nthe French Concession and the British-affiliated International Settlement often dismissed towns beyond Shanghai as mere “outstations.” Chiang Kai-shek would throw 650,000 troops into the battle for the city and its environs as well as his modest air force of 200 aircraft. Chiang, whose forces were being advised by German officers led by General Alexander von Falkenhausen, was finally confident that his forces could take on the Japanese. A German officer told a British diplomat, “If the Chinese Army follows the advice of the German advisers, it is capable of driving the Japanese over the Great Wall.”   While Chiang was groping in the dark, deprived of the eyes and ears of an efficient intelligence service, he did have at his disposal an army that was better prepared for battle than it had been in 1932. Stung by the experience of previous conflicts with the Japanese, Chiang had initiated a modernization program aimed at equipping the armed forces not only to suppress Communist rebels but also to confront a modern fighting force equipped with tanks, artillery, and aircraft. He had made progress, but it was insufficient. Serious weaknesses persisted, and now there was no time for any remedial action. While China appeared to be a formidable power in sheer numbers, the figures were misleading. On the eve of war, the Chinese military was comprised of a total of 176 divisions, which were theoretically organized into two brigades of two regiments each. However, only about 20 divisions maintained full peacetime strength of 10,000 soldiers and officers; the rest typically held around 5,000 men. Moreover, Chiang controlled only 31 divisions personally, and he could not count on the loyalty of the others. To successfully resist Japan, Chiang would need to rely not only on his military command skills but also on his ability to forge fragile coalitions among Warlord generals with strong local loyalties. Equipment posed another significant challenge. The modernization drive was not set to complete until late 1938, and the impact of this delay was evident. In every category of weaponry, from rifles to field artillery, the Chinese were outmatched by their Japanese adversaries, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Domestically manufactured artillery pieces had shorter ranges, and substandard steel-making technology caused gun barrels to overheat, increasing the risk of explosions. Some arms even dated back to imperial times. A large proportion of the Chinese infantry had received no proper training in basic tactics, let alone in coordinated operations involving armor and artillery. The chief of the German advisory corps was General Alexander von Falkenhausen, a figure hard to rival in terms of qualifications for the role. Although the 58-year-old's narrow shoulders, curved back, and bald, vulture-like head gave him an unmilitary, almost avian appearance, his exterior belied a tough character. In 1918, he had earned his nation's highest military honor, the Pour le Mérite, while assisting Germany's Ottoman allies against the British in Palestine. Few, if any, German officers knew Asia as well as he did. His experience in the region dated back to the turn of the century. As a young lieutenant in the Third East Asian Infantry Regiment, he participated in the international coalition of colonial powers that quelled the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. A decade later, he traveled through Korea, Manchuria, and northern China with his wife, keenly observing and learning as a curious tourist. From 1912 to 1914, he served as the German Kaiser's military attaché in Tokyo. He was poised to put his extensive knowledge to good use in the months ahead. Chiang believed that Shanghai should be the location of the first battle. This decision was heavily influenced by Falkenhausen and was strategically sound. Chiang Kai-shek could not hope to win a war against Japan unless he could unify the nation behind him, particularly the many fractious warlords who had battled his forces repeatedly over the past decade. Everyone understood that the territory Japan was demanding in the far north did not need to be held for any genuine military necessity; it was land that could be negotiated. The warlords occupying that territory were unpredictable and all too willing to engage in bargaining. In contrast, China's economic heartland held different significance. By choosing to fight for the center of the country and deploying his strongest military units, Chiang Kai-shek signaled to both China's warlords and potential foreign allies that he had a vested interest in the outcome.  There were also several operational reasons for preferring a conflict in the Yangtze River basin over a campaign in northern China. The rivers, lakes, and rice paddies of the Yangtze delta were much better suited for defensive warfare against Japan's mechanized forces than the flat plains of North China. By forcing the Japanese to commit troops to central China, the Nationalists bought themselves the time needed to rally and reinforce their faltering defenses in the north. By initiating hostilities in the Shanghai area, Japan would be forced to divert its attention from the northern front, thereby stalling a potential Japanese advance toward the crucial city of Wuhan. It would also help safeguard potential supply routes from the Soviet Union, the most likely source of material assistance due to Moscow's own animosity toward Japan. It was a clever plan, and surprisingly, the Japanese did not anticipate it. Intelligence officers in Tokyo were convinced that Chiang would send his troops northward instead. Again in late July, Chiang convened his commanders, and here he gave Zhang Fukai more detailed instructions for his operation. Fukai was placed in charge of the right wing of the army which was currently preparing for action in the metropolitan area. Fukai would oversee the forces east of the Huangpu River in the area known as Pudong. Pudong was full of warehouses, factories and rice fields, quite precarious to fight in. Meanwhile General Zhang Zhizhong, a quiet and sickly looking man who had previously led the Central Military Academy was to command the left wing of the Huangpu. All of the officers agreed the plan to force the battle to the Shanghai area was logical as the northern region near Beijing was far too open, giving the advantage to tank warfare, which they could not hope to contest Japan upon. The Shanghai area, full of rivers, creaks and urban environments favored them much more. Zhang Zhizhong seemed an ideal pick to lead troops in downtown Shanghai where most of the fighting would take place. His position of commandant of the military academy allowed him to establish connections with junior officers earmarked for rapid promotion. This meant that he personally knew the generals of both the 87th and 88th Divisions, which were to form the core of Zhang Zhizhong's newly established 9th Army Group and become his primary assets in the early phases of the Shanghai campaign. Moreover, Zhang Zhizhong had the right aggressive instincts. He believed that China's confrontation with Japan had evolved through three stages: in the first stage, the Japanese invaded the northeast in 1931, and China remained passive; in the second stage, during the first battle of Shanghai in 1932, Japan struck, but China fought back. Zhang argued that this would be the third stage, where Japan was preparing to attack, but China would strike first.   It seems that Zhang Zhizhong did not expect to survive this final showdown with his Japanese adversary. He took the fight very personally, even ordering his daughter to interrupt her education in England and return home to serve her country in the war. However, he was not the strong commander he appeared to be, as he was seriously ill. Although he never disclosed the true extent of his condition, it seemed he was on the verge of a physical and mental breakdown after years in high-stress positions. In fact, he had recently taken a leave of absence from his role at the military academy in the spring of 1937. When the war broke out, he was at a hospital in the northern port city of Qingdao, preparing to go abroad for convalescence. He canceled those plans to contribute to the struggle against Japan. When his daughter returned from England and saw him on the eve of battle, she was alarmed by how emaciated he had become. From the outset, doubts about his physical fitness to command loomed large. At 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 10, a group of officers emerged from the Japanese Consulate along the banks of the Huangpu River. This team was a hastily assembled Sino-Japanese joint investigation unit tasked with quickly resolving the shooting incident at the Hongqiao Aerodrome of the previous night. They understood the urgency of reaching an agreement swiftly to prevent any escalation. As they drove to the airport, they passed armed guards of the Chinese Peace Preservation Corps stationed behind sandbag barricades that had been erected only hours earlier. Upon arriving at Hongqiao, the officers walked up and down the scene of the incident under the scorching sun, attempting to piece together a shared understanding of what had transpired. However, this proved to be nearly impossible, as the evidence failed to align into a coherent account acceptable to both parties. The Japanese were unconvinced that any shootout had occurred at all. Oyama, the officer who had been in the car, had left his pistol at the marine headquarters in Hongkou and had been unarmed the night before. They insisted that whoever shot and killed the man in the Chinese uniform could not have been him. By 6:00 pm the investigators returned to the city. Foreign correspondents, eager for information, knew exactly whom to approach. The newly appointed Shanghai Mayor, Yu Hongjun, with a quick wit and proficiency in English, Yu represented the city's cosmopolitan image. However, that evening, he had little to offer the reporters, except for a plea directed at both the Japanese and Chinese factions “Both sides should maintain a calm demeanor to prevent the situation from escalating.” Mayor Yu however was, in fact, at the center of a complex act of deception that nearly succeeded. Nearly eight decades later, Zhang Fakui attributed the incident to members of the 88th Division, led by General Sun Yuanliang. “A small group of Sun Yuanliang's men disguised themselves as members of the Peace Preservation Corps,” Zhang Fakui recounted years later in his old age. “On August 9, 1937, they encountered two Japanese servicemen on the road near the Hongqiao military aerodrome and accused them of forcing their way into the area. A clash ensued, resulting in the deaths of the Japanese soldiers.” This created a delicate dilemma for their superiors. The two dead Japanese soldiers were difficult to explain away. Mayor Yu, likely informed of the predicament by military officials, conferred with Tong Yuanliang, chief of staff of the Songhu Garrison Command, a unit established after the fighting in 1932. Together, they devised a quick and cynical plan to portray the situation as one of self-defense by the Chinese guards. Under their orders, soldiers marched a Chinese death row inmate to the airport gate, dressed him in a paramilitary guard's uniform, and executed him. While this desperate ruse might have worked initially, it quickly unraveled due to the discrepancies raised by the condition of the Chinese body. The Japanese did not believe the story, and the entire plan began to fall apart. Any remaining mutual trust swiftly evaporated. Instead of preventing a confrontation, the cover-up was accelerating the slide into war.  Late on August 10, Mayor Yu sent a secret cable to Nanjing, warning that the Japanese had ominously declared they would not allow the two deaths at the airport to go unpunished. The following day, the Japanese Consul General Okamoto Suemasa paid a visit to the mayor, demanding the complete withdrawal of the Peace Preservation Corps from the Shanghai area and the dismantling of all fortifications established by the corps. For the Chinese, acquiescing to these demands was nearly impossible. From their perspective, it appeared that the Japanese aimed to leave Shanghai defenseless while simultaneously bolstering their own military presence in the city. Twenty vessels, including cruisers and destroyers, sailed up the Huangpu River and docked at wharves near "Little Tokyo." Japanese marines in olive-green uniforms marched ashore down the gangplanks, while women from the local Japanese community, dressed in kimonos, greeted the troops with delighted smiles and bows to the flags of the Rising Sun that proudly adorned the sterns of the battleships. In fact, Japan had planned to deploy additional troops to Shanghai even before the shooting at Hongqiao Aerodrome. This decision was deemed necessary to reinforce the small contingent of 2,500 marines permanently stationed in the city. More troops were required to assist in protecting Japanese nationals who were being hastily evacuated from the larger cities along the Yangtze River. These actions were primarily defensive maneuvers, as the Japanese military seemed hesitant to open a second front in Shanghai, for the same reasons that the Chinese preferred an extension of hostilities to that area. Diverting Japanese troops from the strategically critical north and the Soviet threat across China's border would weaken their position, especially given that urban warfare would diminish the advantages of their technological superiority in tanks and aircraft. While officers in the Japanese Navy believed it was becoming increasingly difficult to prevent the war from spreading to Shanghai, they were willing to give diplomacy one last chance. Conversely, the Japanese Army was eager to wage war in northern China but displayed little inclination to engage in hostilities in Shanghai. Should the situation worsen, the Army preferred to withdraw all Japanese nationals from the city. Ultimately, when it agreed to formulate plans for dispatching an expeditionary force to Shanghai, it did so reluctantly, primarily to avoid accusations of neglecting its responsibilities. Amongst many commanders longing for a swift confrontation with Japan was Zhang Zhizhong. By the end of July, he was growing increasingly impatient, waiting with his troops in the Suzhou area west of Shanghai and questioning whether a unique opportunity was being squandered. On July 30, he sent a telegram to Nanjing requesting permission to strike first. He argued that if Japan were allowed to launch an attack on Shanghai, he would waste valuable time moving his troops from their position more than 50 miles away. Nanjing responded with a promise that his wishes would be fulfilled but urged him to exercise patience: “We should indeed seize the initiative over the enemy, but we must wait until the right opportunity arises. Await further orders.” That opportunity arose on August 11, with the Japanese display of force on the Huangpu River and their public demand for the withdrawal of China's paramilitary police. Japan had sufficiently revealed itself as the aggressor in the eyes of both domestic and international audiences, making it safe for China to take action. At 9:00 p.m. that evening, Zhang Zhizhong received orders from Nanjing to move his troops toward Shanghai. He acted with remarkable speed, capitalizing on the extensive transportation network in the region. The soldiers of the 87th Division quickly boarded 300 trucks that had been prepared in advance. Meanwhile, civilian passengers on trains were unceremoniously ordered off to make room for the 88th Division, which boarded the carriages heading for Shanghai. In total, over 20,000 motivated and well-equipped troops were on their way to battle.  On August 12, representatives from the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Italy, Japan, and China gathered for a joint conference in Shanghai to discuss ceasefire terms. Japan demanded the withdrawal of Chinese troops from Shanghai, while the Chinese representative, Yu Hung-chun, dismissed the Japanese demand, stating that the terms of the ceasefire had already been violated by Japan. The major powers were keen to avoid a repeat of the January 28 Incident, which had significantly disrupted foreign economic activities in Shanghai. Meanwhile, Chinese citizens fervently welcomed the presence of Chinese troops in the city. In Nanjing, Chinese and Japanese representatives convened for the last time in a final effort to negotiate. The Japanese insisted that all Peace Preservation Corps and regular troops be withdrawn from the vicinity of Shanghai. The Chinese, however, deemed the demand for a unilateral withdrawal unacceptable, given that the two nations were already engaged in conflict in North China. Ultimately, Mayor Yu made it clear that the most the Chinese government would concede was that Chinese troops would not fire unless fired upon. Conversely, Japan placed all responsibility on China, citing the deployment of Chinese troops around Shanghai as the cause of the escalating tensions. Negotiations proved impossible, leaving no alternative but for the war to spread into Central China. On that same morning of Thursday, August 12, residents near Shanghai's North Train Station, also known as Zhabei Station, just a few blocks from "Little Tokyo," awoke to an unusual sight: thousands of soldiers dressed in the khaki uniforms of the Chinese Nationalists, wearing German-style helmets and carrying stick grenades slung across their chests. “Where do you come from?” the Shanghai citizens asked. “How did you get here so fast?” Zhang Zhizhong issued detailed orders to each unit under his command, instructing the 88th Division specifically to travel by train and deploy in a line from the town of Zhenru to Dachang village, both located a few miles west of Shanghai. Only later was the division supposed to advance toward a position stretching from the Zhabei district to the town of Jiangwan, placing it closer to the city boundaries. Zhang Zhizhong was the embodiment of belligerence, but he faced even more aggressive officers among his ranks. On the morning of August 12, he was approached by Liu Jingchi, the chief of operations at the Songhu Garrison Command. Liu argued that the battle of 1932 had gone poorly for the Chinese because they had hesitated and failed to strike first. This time, he insisted, should be different, and Zhang should order an all-out assault on the Japanese positions that very evening. Zhang countered that he had clear and unmistakable orders from Chiang Kai-shek to let the Japanese fire first, emphasizing the importance of maintaining China's image on the world stage. “That's easy,” Liu retorted. “Once all the units are deployed and ready to attack, we can just change some people into mufti and send them in to fire a few shots. We attack, and simultaneously, we report that the enemy's offensive has begun.” Zhang Zhizhong did not like this idea. “We can't go behind our leader's back like that,” he replied. Zhang Zhizhong's position was far from enviable. Forced to rein in eager and capable officers, he found himself acting against his own personal desires. Ultimately, he decided to seek the freedom to act as he saw fit. In a secret cable to Nanjing, he requested permission to launch an all-out attack on the Japanese positions in Shanghai the following day, Friday, August 13. He argued that this was a unique opportunity to capitalize on the momentum created by the movement of troops; any further delay would only lead to stagnation. He proposed a coordinated assault that would also involve the Chinese Air Force. However, the reply from Chiang Kai-shek was brief and unwavering: “Await further orders.” Even as Chiang's troops poured into Shanghai, Chinese and Japanese officials continued their discussions. Ostensibly, this was in hopes of reaching a last-minute solution, but in reality, it was a performance. Both sides wanted to claim the moral high ground in a battle that now seemed inevitable. They understood that whoever openly declared an end to negotiations would automatically be perceived as the aggressor. During talks at the Shanghai Municipal Council, Japanese Consul General Okamoto argued that if China truly wanted peace, it would have withdrawn its troops to a position that would prevent clashes. Mayor Yu responded by highlighting the increasing presence of Japanese forces in the city. “Under such circumstances, China must adopt such measures as necessary for self-defense,” he stated. Late on August 13, 1937, Chiang Kai-shek instructed his forces to defend Shanghai, commanding them to "divert the enemy at sea, secure the coast, and resist landings."  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. In July 1937, tensions between Japan and China escalated into war following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. Confident in his country's resolve, Chiang Kai-shek rallied the Chinese against Japanese aggression. On August 9, a deadly confrontation at Hongqiao Airport resulted in the deaths of Japanese soldiers, igniting further hostilities. As both sides blamed each other, the atmosphere became tense. Ultimately, negotiations failed, and the stage was set for a brutal conflict in Shanghai, marking the beginning of a long and devastating war.