JUST IN: 🇮🇷🇺🇸 Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei says US ships belong in the "depths of its water." IRGC: "American ships will soon meet the same fate as US bases in the region."

Few in the West realize that the Chinese once saved the Christian civilization. In the 13th century, the Mongol Empire were unstoppable. Forged by Genghis Khan out of the once-fractured steppe tribes, it became the most formidable military machine on earth. Its cavalry, famed for speed, discipline, and operational range, shattered one state after another across Eurasia. The Mongol advance rolled southward and westward in relentless succession: Western Xia fell after the Mongol campaigns beginning in 1209; the Jin dynasty was crushed between 1211 and 1234; Kara-Khitan collapsed in 1218; Khwarezm and much of Persia were devastated between 1219 and 1221; then came the Caucasus and the Rus’, followed by invasions of Georgia and Armenia, and finally the thunderous blows against Poland and Hungary in 1241. In 1258, Baghdad, seat of the Abbasid Caliphate, was taken and destroyed. To many contemporaries, it seemed only a matter of time before the rest of Europe would meet the same fate. That outcome, however, was not inevitable. A crucial turning point came not in Europe or the Middle East, but in southwestern China. In 1259, Möngke Khan, the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire and grandson of Genghis Khan, personally led a major campaign against the Southern Song. To break Song resistance in Sichuan and open the road deeper into China, the Mongols laid siege to Diaoyucheng, a mountain fortress in present-day Hechuan, Chongqing. Diaoyucheng was no ordinary city wall. Built on steep terrain and protected by rivers and cliffs, it was one of the strongest defensive positions in the Song frontier system. The garrison, associated in the sources with commanders such as Wang Jian and Zhang Jue, relied on the fortress’s elevation, layered defenses, and the Song military’s formidable use of projectile weapons, including trebuchets and other siege defenses, to wear down the attackers. The Mongols launched repeated assaults and raids, but failed to break the stronghold. A Mongol commander, Wang Dechen, was killed during the fighting, reportedly by Song artillery or siege fire. Then came the fateful moment. During the siege, Möngke Khan died in 1259. The exact cause remains debated by historians: some sources say he was mortally wounded by a projectile from the fortress, while others suggest he succumbed to disease during the campaign. But on the larger point there is no dispute: his death abruptly transformed the strategic situation. It triggered a succession crisis within the Mongol Empire, forced major commanders to redirect attention to imperial politics, and disrupted broader offensives. Kublai and Ariq Böke soon entered into a struggle for supremacy, while other Mongol armies elsewhere also had to reassess their positions. Diaoyucheng did not destroy Mongol power, but it helped produce the political shock that fractured the momentum of a world-conquering empire. In that sense, Diaoyucheng was far more than a local Chinese battle. It became one of the great defensive stands in world history. The fortress held; the Great Khan died; the Mongol war machine lost its unity of command. The westward drive that had already crushed so many civilizations was checked by events set in motion on the walls of a Chinese mountain stronghold. Without that resistance, the map of Eurasia, and perhaps the fate of Christian Europe itself, might have been very different.

If you’re still on the fence about voting in this election, think about what really matters – about the values we were taught, the kind of country we want to be, and how this is a moment when your vote really does count.  Your vote could determine the fate of our republic – the world that our children and grandchildren will inherit. It’s an awesome responsibility. But what an extraordinary privilege it is to live in a democracy that gives each of us the opportunity to make our voices heard.

🎥 Story Pack 18: SALVATION Official Teaser At the edge of the memory, will salvation truly be waiting for us? Through choices made for one another—and an unescapable fate— What remains at the very end of it all? Discover the true meaning of “salvation” in the Story Pack 18 teaser PV. #Salvation# #BrownDust2#

Extraterrestrial Satellite Communication Gilgamesh "Stellaron, my treasure. When you reach the end of your journey, I shall seal you within the deepest depths of my treasury, in the safest place of all... Hmph. That said, your 'Trailblaze' shall endure for a long time yet, reaching even beyond the ultimate horizon of my own foresight." The King of Heroes from the dawn of human history, hailing from a world beyond the stars. Possessing a nature two-thirds divine and one-third mortal, he claims a natural-born prerogative to rule over all of creation. Laughing out loud today as always, right up until getting dragged into another world by some adversarial Goddess— This time, he will once again reclaim everything that is rightfully his as king. Original Concept Artist: Takashi Takeuchi ——————————————————— "Imagenae Holy Grail War": Honkai: Star Rail × Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] Collaboration will officially launch on July 24. From July 24 at 12:00 (server time) until the end of Version 4.6, Trailblazers can choose to obtain either Gilgamesh (Destruction: Lightning) or Archer (The Hunt: Quantum) for free. Starting from 12:00, July 24 (server time), Trailblazers can also use Star Rail Special Passes to participate in the collaboration Warp and obtain the limited 5-star character Gilgamesh (Destruction: Lightning). Please refer to the follow-up announcements for detailed information.

Entrepreneurs most important assets: 1: Their brain and dedication to life long learning. 2: Their team of advisors. Who is on your team of advisors? Do you have? 1: Book keeper for accurate numbers 2: Accountant 3: Attorney 4: Marketing manager 5: Product developer 6: Banker 7: Gold and silver broker. 8: Stock and bond broker. “No man is an island,” except in school… where cooperation is called “cheating” and mistakes are punished….which is why most teachers are poor. As Marcus Aurelius said: “Accept the things to which fate binds you and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.” A team of advisors will outperform the solitary genius…and I love my team with all my heart. They’ve been with me for years…even when I was poor, shifting from employee to entrepreneur. That is why: Rich entrepreneurs choose their advisors carefully and love them with all their heart. Who are your advisors? If you don’t have a team of advisors….yet, use my list as a guide and start interviewing. Don’t be a school teacher who knows all the answers and does not cheat or make mistakes. Take care

Suffering is inherent to our world. Yet it must remain within reasonable limits and for reasonable causes — and what counts as “reasonable” is for us to decide. : The author acknowledges that suffering is an inherent part of our world, woven into the fabric of existence through natural processes, limitations, and the very conditions that make life possible. However, he insists that suffering must not be unlimited or arbitrary. It should be kept within reasonable bounds and arise only for reasonable causes. Crucially, what counts as “reasonable” is not dictated by nature or fate, but something humanity must consciously define. This places profound moral responsibility on us. We are not powerless victims of suffering, nor are we obligated to accept it without question. Through reason, ethics, and collective will, we can reduce unnecessary pain, alleviate avoidable hardship, and set boundaries on what suffering we tolerate in our societies and in our own lives. The statement is both realistic and empowering. Suffering may be inevitable, but its scale and character are not. Defining and enforcing reasonable limits on suffering is one of the central tasks of a mature civilization.