"Celebrating Lancaster County's German History"
Rumspringa is a Pennsylvania German term meaning "running around" and generally refers to a period of adolescence for some members of the Amish that begins at the age of 16 and ends either with the youth choosing baptism within the Amish church or instead leaving the community. During this time a minority of young Amish might experiment with dressing "English", driving motor vehicles and consuming alcohol.
The Rumspringa ½ marathon starts and finishes in Adamstown, PA which is located in Northern Lancaster County just on the edge of Amish country and the midsection of the course will lead you through some Amish farmland. Obviously while running you will be on your best behavior, however the race finishes in next to an award winning micro-brewery, so you will be able to do a little "Rumspringa" after you were "running around" for 13.1 Miles.
Please note , we do not have an expo because we want to keep this simple and convenient for the runners. Just show up about 1 hour before the start of the race, park your car for free and pick up your bib, shirt, beer ticked and cuckoo clock raffle ticket. Our focus is to provide a course that is fun and well supported, but also more challenging than the average pancake flat big city race (translation, yes there will be hills). We have awesome German themed Aid stations and the best post race food that you will ever find at a race. To top it off, every runner will receive a free Stoudts beer to rehydrate at the post race party were you will be entertained by live German music. We will raffle of a German cuckoo clock and give out imported handmade German weather houses as agegroup awards. If you think you are not fast enough to win of these awesome awards, dress up in German or Amish attire and you have a shot of winning one of these weather-houses for best dressed runners.
This years bling has been designed to match the shirt design.
Fun and challenging ½ Marathon on country roads in Lancaster County.
Race starts at Stoudtsburg village. Mile 1 -3 is mostly downhill through a development and will guide the runners toward the country side. Mile 3 – 5.5 mostly flat and fast stretch along the Muddy Creek. Mile 5.5 is where the race really starts, plenty of rolling hills coming up. Mile 8.5-10 , you get a little break, mostly flat or downhill. Last 3 miles climb back up to the finish.
UES proudly supports the Adamstown Area Library. A portion of your entry fee will go towards the Library, but we would appreciate any additional donations. You may add a donation during the online registration process or add it onto your check if you mail in your app.
www.german-cuckoos.com donated a cuckoo clock. There will be a cuckoo clock raffle before the award ceremony (every runner receives 1 free raffle ticket in your race package), but you may purchase extra tickets before the race or before the award ceremony. Ticket sales will also go the the Adamstown Area Library. We also will sell last years tech shirts for a minimum donation of $2 per shirt.
We have placed the order for the age group awards. These unique awards come from the Black Forest of Germany. They are german weather houses. They can predict future weather pretty much as reliable as "Glen Hurrican Schwarz" . Here is how they work: There is a gut string inside which reacts to all changes in air humidity. Depending on wether the air is dry or humid, the gut string changes it's position and twists more or less, so that the female turns outside when it is dry (predicting nice weather) and the male, when it is humid.
Weather in April can be unpredictable. We have ordered a nice sunny spring day with crisp air.
We will run rain or shine, start might be delayed if there is lightening.
Race will be chiptimed. You can instantly check your result at the timing kiosk or have it emailed to you as soon as you cross the finish line.
We will have 5 Aid Stations on the course. Mile 2.5, 5,7, 9, 11. The Oktoberfest aidstation will feature some Bavarian style carbohydrates.
Would you like to upgrade your stay? Stay at this gem of a B&B less than a mile from the start. 2 night minimum (plenty to see in Lancaster County). Mention 1/2 marathon to get the stay one night get 2nd night half of Bogo special. Late checkout at 1PM available.
Late checkout and breakfast available. $59.99 for 2 people in a room. For reservation call: 717-336-7563, mention 1/2 marathon to get group rate. Located right next to Black Horse Tavern, simply walk across the lot to this nice little restaurant to carboload the night before.
We do not have a prerace pasta party . Instead we recommend one of the listed restaurants below.
2270 N Reading Rd , Denver. This diner has a very extensive menu, including many pasta dishes, you are sure to find something to your liking.
2800 N Reading Rd, Adamstown. This restaurant is part of the Stoudts complex , the location of the postrace party. If you are looking to sample some of their terrific beers the night before, make sure to visit them for a beer and maybe one of their great sandwiches.
Post race refreshments will be available at Stoudtburg plaza, prepared by 2 professional chefs specialized in german food and pastries. Post race party starts around 11:30 ( also at the plaza this year). Live german music, awesome Stoudts beer, award ceremony, cuckoo clock raffle and best amish/german dressed runner award.


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Home :: Security :: Library :: News :: 2020 :: December ::
Strict protocols in place for flight arriving from U.K. Sunday: CECC
Taipei, Dec. 26 (CNA) Taiwan has strict COVID-19 protocols in place for the arrival on Sunday of a flight from the United Kingdom, which has recently faced a surge in cases caused by a new, highly-infectious variant of the coronavirus, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
China Airlines has said it expects around 120 passengers to arrive aboard flight CI082 from London, which is scheduled to arrive at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 6:15 p.m. that day.
The flight will be the first to arrive from the U.K. since the CECC cut the number of weekly flights between the two countries from two to one and introduced new arrival protocols for travelers from Britain in response to the new virus strain, which is believed to be up to 70 percent more contagious than the current one that has caused a global pandemic.
Under the new policies, passengers arriving on the flight will have to be quarantined at designated government facilities and will be tested for COVID-19 prior to finishing their quarantine, CECC spokesman Chaung Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) told CNA on Saturday.
The two main reasons for the new requirements, Chuang said, are that Taiwan has not yet recorded a case of the new variant and the public is concerned about its ability to spread.
However, if any of the travelers are found to be infected with the variant, Taiwan's health authorities could take samples to use for research purposes, he said.
According to Chuang, the CECC expects that around 100 passengers will arrive from the U.K. per week, which will not overburden Taiwan's quarantine centers.
The centers have been operating at around 60 percent of capacity, and that figure is expected to drop due to the recent entry ban on migrant workers from Indonesia, he added.
In separate comments on Sunday, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said Taiwan currently has 29 collective quarantine centers with a capacity of 3,200 and is planning to open another six facilities in January.
(By Chang Ming-hsuan, Yu Hsiao-han and Matthew Mazzetta)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Virginia unemployment drops to 3.4%
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Recreational marijuana is now legal in Montana: what you should know
Tennessee employee files public records lawsuit over denial of COVID-19 consultant report
A state employee has sued the Tennessee Department of Human Resources after being refused a copy of a taxpayer-funded report prepared by McKinsey & Co., a global consulting firm hired to help guide the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thomas Wesley — described by his attorney as a state employee acting in his capacity as a Tennessee citizen entitled to access government documents under the state's public records law — is asking a Davidson County Chancery Court judge to order state officials to appear in court to justify withholding the report and to order its public release.
The report Wesley is seeking was commissioned by the state in April 2020 just as the pandemic was beginning. McKinsey is a Washington, D.C.-based international consulting firm hired by the state to provide advice on a variety of public policy issues for more than a decade. The company has earned $43 million from its work with Tennessee government since 2013, according to a state contractor database that does not provide access to earlier payment information.
The state's COVID-19 contract with McKinsey outlines a series of "deliverables" in its work advising Gov. Bill Lee and state officials on pandemic response.
Among them, a "government efficiency assessment and review to identify potential performance improvements and assist the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic;" "data and best practices to inform the choices that the state will need to make as it reopens Tennessee's economy while still working to minimize further spread of COVID-19" and "fact-based options" for decision-making by the state's Unified Command Group, which consists of high-level state officials responsible for coordinating pandemic response.
Wesley submitted a public records request to the Department of Human Resources on Sept. 26 seeking a copy of the government efficiency assessment cited in the contract.
The next day, he was denied the records by Andrew Puryear, the department's associate general counsel, according to copies of the email exchange filed in court.
"The documents requested are subject to the deliberative process privilege and contain confidential information that is subject to the exception for information regarding operational vulnerabilities," Puryear wrote in his email denying Wesley the records.
Wesley's attorneys say
Puryear had no legal basis for withholding the records, according to Wesley's attorneys, including Wendy Liu, an attorney with the Washington, D.C.-based Public Citizen Litigation Group, along with Nashville attorneys William Harbison II and Ronald Harris.
"Deliberative privilege extends only to communications among high-level government officials," Liu said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "We don't have that here. Operational vulnerabilities is plainly about computers and technical infrastructure security."
Tennessee's public records law broadly allows residents to access state, county and municipal government documents to ensure accountability and transparency. The law includes specific exemptions to safeguard an array of confidential information kept by public officials — information such as employee and voter Social Security numbers, records that identify children in state custody and trade secrets revealed in submissions from companies seeking economic incentives.
Altogether there are 538 exceptions to public records spelled out in Tennessee law, but "deliberative process" isn't one of them, although it has been recognized in some instances by the state's courts. The lawsuit argues that, should there be any confidential information contained in the McKinsey report, the state should instead redact that portion of the report instead of withholding it entirely.
Wesley is not alone in seeking access to the taxpayer-funded work by the global consulting firm.
The Tennessean reported in March the Lee Administration refused to publicly release the report prepared by McKinsey. The newspaper said the refusal also cited "deliberative process" and "operational vulnerability."
Tennessee Republican Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, told the Lookout this week he sought a copy of the report about a month and a half ago. Instead of the report, Gardenhire said he was sent the original contract and a summary. Gardenhire said he is still awaiting the full report.
As chairman of the Fiscal Review Committee, Gardenhire said his request is part of a broader mission to dig into no-bid or sole-source state contracts.
The McKinsey consulting firm has separately been at odds with state and county officials over its role as a paid adviser to opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma as it ramped up distribution of the highly addictive drug, OxyContin, in Tennessee and across the nation.
Attorney General Herbert Slatery III in April announced Tennessee will receive a $15.2 million share of a $573 million, multi-state settlement with McKinsey, which admitted no wrongdoing as a Purdue consultant.
In early December, 12 Tennessee counties and the city of Lexington, Ky. joined in two separate lawsuit seeking to hold McKinsey accountable over its involvement in the opioid crisis.
https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2021/dec/23/state-employee-lawsuit/560276/
Tue Dec 28 , 2021
When the House formed a special committee this summer to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol assault, its stated goal was to compile the most authoritative account of what occurred and make recommendations to ensure it never happens again. But as investigators sifted through troves of documents, metadata and interview transcripts, […]
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Cadence Counsel And Cargill Team Up For An Exclusive Search


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The Reason The Pioneer Woman Almost Never Happened
Monica Schipper/Getty Images
By Courtney Giardina/Aug. 26, 2019 4:27 pm EST
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Ree Drummond didn't know that starting her food blog, The Pioneer Woman, back in 2006 would land her on television. Since 2011 Drummond has been a fan favorite as the face of The Pioneer Woman, one of Food Network's leading television shows. Every Saturday morning viewers can find Drummond mixing up recipes for the whole family in her kitchen, but the jump from blogger to showbiz wasn't an easy one for Drummond. In fact, the idea of being on television put her so far out of her comfort zone that she almost passed on the opportunity.
Back before The Pioneer Woman was a Food Network success, Drummond sat behind a computer screen. As a food blogger she caught the interest of a massive following. In just three years her website was getting 13 million views a month, growing eventually to 23.3 million two years later (via Pop Culture). Drummond's online fan base was much easier for her to handle. "I was a food blogger," she told Delish. "I was very much behind the camera. I'm definitely not someone who ever thought about being a TV personality..."
When Drummond was first approached by the Food Network about a TV show she says she balked at the idea. "I get stage fright," she said, "especially if I have a speaking engagement. I get panicky." Thankfully the Food Network didn't take no for an answer. They offered to come out to her Oklahoma ranch and that changed everything. "When I realized it wouldn't be me traveling and going to a studio somewhere," Drummond said, "I thought, I'm never more comfortable than I am at home in my home kitchen, so I'll give it a try."
Even after years of being on camera Drummond admits there are still days where she isn't sure what she's doing, but says that's all part of the process. She loves that The Pioneer Woman allows her to not only share her life, but the lives of her husband and children, too.
Appearing on The Pioneer Woman has opened quite a few doors for Drummond. She has an exclusive cookware line at Walmart, and has released numerous cookbooks. She even stepped outside of cooking for a bit and published a children's picture book series.
It may seem as if Drummond has a lot on her plate, pun intended, but one thing she has learned in her journey is the art of saying no. "I have learned that if I say yes to everything, I will be more of a crazy person than I already am... It's okay to say no, and make choices, and preserve your resources." Although an important outlook, fans are probably happy that she didn't learn that concept until after she said "yes" to the Food Network.


The University of New Orleans Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing announced today that the newest issue of the UNO Magazine is now available online. The current issue can be accessed at the magazine's website, http://magazine.uno.edu. Readers can flip through a virtual copy of the magazine at http://issuu.com/universityofneworleans.
The cover story for the current issue profiles alumnus Fernando Rivera, the new director and chief executive officer of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System. Readers will learn about Rivera's Cuban roots and his experience at other Veterans Administration facilities that prepared him for taking the reins at the new operation in New Orleans.
Another feature in this issue tells the story of Larry and Melissa Mayeaux. They Mayeauxs are husband and wife who both graduated from UNO in spring 2015, persevering in their studies while managing their daughter's severe health challenges.
English professor Niyi Osundare is the focus of a feature describing how his humility and love of teaching belie his notoriety. Osundare recently received the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award, his native country's most prestigious prize in science, medicine, engineering and the humanities.
Other prominent features in this issue include a photo essay about UNO engineering students gaining valuable experience at the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing and coverage of the opening of UNO's International Center.
The "News and Events" section covers UNO's presence on the local art scene from Prospect 3 exhibits at the UNO-St. Claude Gallery to UNO researchers participating in discussions at the New Orleans Museum of Art about the connections between New Orleans and Central Africa. Other "News and Events" items include recent Theatre UNO successes, Space Day 2014 and a piece about UNO public history graduate students helping the National Park Service celebrate the bicentennial of the Battle of New Orleans.
Faculty accomplishments are detailed in the magazine's "On the Move" section. In the "Athletics" section, readers will learn about the development of the Privateer track and field program and how actor Wendell Pierce helped student-athletes better understand the civil rights movement through film. A section on "Alumni" highlights the first-ever Alumni Week and spotlights the achievements of many of the University's most successful graduates.


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Q: Message passing model in clojure for concurrency I am inquiring to know whether or not one can use the programming language Clojure for a message passing concurrency model i.e. no shared memory region between two processes/threads.
I wish to use Clojure for a few reasons, namely, I know and like Common Lisp and I would like to a functional programming language. I don't know too much about either Clojure or Concurrency however from wikipedia Clojure implements concurrency through software-transactional-memory,an agent system and a dynamic var system.

*

*Can Clojure implement a message passing concurrency model?

*If not, what other languages

Thank you for your help!

A:
Can Clojure implement a message passing concurrency model?

Yes sure. It is already implemented for Clojure. Check Pulsar project. It looks really promising and ready for the prime time.
Of course, nothing stops you from using Akka.io since it is a JVM project (by using Clojure's built-in Java interop). But Pulsar is created with Clojure in mind.

what other languages?

Erlang is the undisputed champion when it comes to Actors model.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Downtown, South Loop & River North
Chuy Vows to Exhaust All Options Before Raising Taxes if Elected Mayor
By Ted Cox |&nbspMarch 13, 2015 12:07pm | Updated on March 13, 2015 2:30pm
Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia was backed by Ald. Scott Waguespack in laying out his approach to city finances.
DNAinfo/Ted Cox
THE LOOP — Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia on Friday promised to improve government efficiency and exhaust all options before raising taxes if he's elected mayor, but would not commit to ruling out a property-tax increase to address what he called the city's "severe" budget "crisis."
The Cook County commissioner and mayoral candidate was grilled by media over specifics of his financial plan at a Loop news conference Friday morning, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel's campaign immediately said he was "stonewalling" and didn't address pensions or how to raise new revenue.
Garcia committed himself to four principles of government: better and more efficient services; transparency and political accountability; comprehensive revenue reforms that are "equitable"; and collaboration between the city's various bodies of government.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, backed by Ald. Carrie Austin (l.), suggests Garcia isn't being honest with voters over the costs of his programs.
"The current administration has failed by all four of these measures," he said.
While acknowledging the Emanuel administration had not raised property taxes for the city, he pointed to the $17 billion overall budgeted for the city and the three other taxing bodies the mayor oversees — Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District and City Colleges — and said their combined tax levies had risen $342 million over the last four years, or 11 percent.
Garcia said that by having those "silos" of government collaborate more, the city could save $350 million, making that a "core" of his proposed reforms.
"I will comprehensively reform how Chicago government is financed," he declared.
Garcia lashed back at Emanuel, saying threats to hike property taxes $250 million, most recently raised as a possibility this week by Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), chairman of the City Council's Budget Committee, reflected an attitude of "we're gonna stick it to homeowners."
"I cannot, at this point, look at taxpayers in the eye and ask them to shoulder another burden before we have exhausted all other options," Garcia said.
He said $150 million could be saved by reforming Tax Increment Finance districts to focus specifically on "the redevelopment of blighted areas."
Garcia called TIF reform and government collaboration "essential before we talk about hitting anyone up for additional taxes."
Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) joined Garcia in insisting a new administration would have to execute "performance audits" on each city department before making any decision to raise taxes.
"You don't need to do that until you figure out where the rest of the money is," Waguespack said.
"Obviously, this is not the whole plan for the city's financial future," said Garcia's economic adviser Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C. Yet he added that the Emanuel administration's reliance on hiking fees instead of taxes was "unfair and inefficient," in that fees are "regressive" in affecting poor as well as rich citizens and tend to add to the city bureaucracy.
"These are the steps in the right direction," Baker added.
Garcia said that, upon election, he would form a "working committee" to "examine the full range of existing and potential revenue options that are available," including changes in the state tax code. "The committee will examine all possible options" and prepare its recommendations within 90 days, according to a white paper prepared by the Garcia campaign.
"I do not support reducing benefits for current retirees" or employees, Garcia said, addressing their pension deals, without exploring all other options as well. The city and CPS both face balloon payments at the end of the year of $500 million or more to make up for earlier insufficient funding in pension packages for teachers, police officers and firefighters — unless pension reform is passed by the General Assembly and approved by the courts.
Yet he added, "I recognize that a part of the pension solution is going to be additional and new revenues. But we owe it to look at a whole host of possibilities that experts will provide me with as we move forward."
Garcia made no mention of his pledge to hire 1,000 additional police officers, which the Emanuel campaign has estimated would cost $120 million and the Chicago Forward agency aligned with Emanuel said would cost $110 million.
"He not only falls far short of covering all the things he has promised, but he's not being straight on the facts," said Chicago Forward Chairwoman Becky Carroll.
Emanuel campaign spokesman Steve Mayberry called Garcia's proposal "stonewalling," adding it "says zero about what Chuy would do to fund pensions and the budget, or where he would find new revenue."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
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Obwód Warna (bułg. Област Варна) – jedna z 28 jednostek administracyjnych Bułgarii, położona we wschodniej części kraju, nad Morzem Czarnym. Graniczy z obwodami: Dobricz, Szumen i Burgas.

Skład etniczny
W obwodzie żyje 462 013	ludzi, z tego 393 884 Bułgarów (85,25%), 37 502 Turków (8,11%), 15 462 Romów (3,34%), oraz 15 165 osób innej narodowości (3,28%).

Warna

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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In this episode, the Good-Good keeps on giving as we learn the full details of Cloud's past, just who the black haired SOLDIER was, and exactly where Jenova's head went. Thanks for listening!
❗First Encounter contains adult themes such as violence, sexual content, and adult language. Listener discretion is advised.
View Uncorrected AI Interpreted Episode Transcript
Haney 0:00
Hey listener first encounters an explicit podcast by grownups for grownups. Content warnings can be found in the episode description. Did you know that first encounter is joined to collective the stilt action collective is a nerdy and independent arts collective farm to support indie creators while promoting community inclusion and the drive to grow and improve
Chris 0:15
go to spell pushing comm to learn more? trying something a little different are we and that this recording is going in today's episode? Oh, instead of the episode, like a month from now, or whatever the recording going? Yeah. Why are we trying that out? Because it just makes more sense. In like the context of what's happening at the time.
What's happening? Well,
we just finished the spectrum. Vermont's sleep out, raised 550 bucks. That's pretty cool. For spectrum, which is pretty sweet.
Nice. Well done.
We just had our twitch stream.
That was fun.
So we raised $375 for extra life so far, but that's like a full year thing. So don't stop donating.
Yeah, come watch the stream every once in a while and play games.
Yeah. We had the tales boys Tales from the cartridge with us. Yeah, so that was really cool. Crime time. nerds, jitters,
all the greatest hits. Yeah,
so that was fun. But now we can say things like that. And it'll make sense when this comes out. Oh, perfect. Yeah. So we're coming at you from the future. But that's what happened in our past.
I don't want to be here today.
We got to thank our donors. Oh, yeah. Oh, who are those? Well, let me pull up this huge list of people who are so kind enough to massive list. In the meantime, would you like to talk about our promo that we're playing now? Take it away? Hani. Yeah. We
got a great promo today from a friend over on YouTube called Drake, etc. Oh, yeah, we're going to be listening to a little clip that Drake he provided to us. Go check out their sweet videos on Final Fantasy lore on YouTube.
Unknown Speaker 2:00
Interested in the history and origins of Final Fantasies most fearsome creatures, then check out Drake EC on YouTube for law of Final Fantasy, chronicling the real world and in game myths and legends about Leviathan, Bahama, Tom babies, and more. Drake also produces a wide variety of content for the desity a series, including a Let's Play cutscene, compilations and random battles with more to come in the future.
All right, for extra live stream. Data, would you? Would you want to go first one second.
I'll go first. All right, cuz I would love to take this opportunity to thank Mary Lindsay. Denise a bar, Eric
Ryan, and multiple anonymous. amazing, beautiful. So thank you so much for the donations. We'll have more extra life event streams coming at you.
These are all for good, cause you're all wonderful. children's hospitals. Yeah. But we got some more donators. I mean, yeah, yeah. Is that right? We got some more donors rather, to think for the spectrum sleep out. So let's take this opportunity to thank and P. Charles C. David L. Denise l. l. t. john f. Kathy, G. Maria L. Kevin C. Michael F. Mary L. Mary C. palsy,
the Strauss and Tyler B. Yeah. Thank you so much.
You're all wonderful.
Welcome to the first encounter, global experience World Tour opening and 64 for 2069 blazes, rah rah rah rah. How are you doing? Doing? Okay, just get comfortable here in this chair. Turn my microphone all around for me. How you doing? helped I
got too much saliva in my mouth if you know what I mean. Yes, I think literally what i said
i Yes. Hey, Hey, how you doing? Pretty good. How are you? Yeah, I'm doing good. got us
a little heavy chunk of good good today. My favorite reveal of the game if you Will.
So what you're saying is it's all downhill from here. Yeah, yeah. All right. I
mean, the podcast is over. We're not going to keep doing this. But yeah, we got a lot to talk about. So why don't we dive right in?
Yeah, we should. I mean, I have you take control and steer me because this I think this is too important to lose track of. Oh,
that's a good idea.
I'm sure it's fine. Um,
so last episode, we got to or so we thought huge metiria Yes, we went to coral we stopped the trains. Some fucking How? still unclear. still unclear.
Don't really unclear as to what happened last episode, not because anything story wise was confusing, but just because I didn't actually succeed at either of the tasks that were given to me. But I still succeeded at the tasks that were given to me so
your natural gamer handy. That's all I can say.
I'm going to show you what they call a pro gamer move.
So We got the huge out
here that did not get any response that I wanted.
So we got the huge material from coral. We also got ultimate materia which doesn't do anything.
Yeah. For now,
we got the huge materia from Eagle Island and also the Phoenix summon Eagle oil import Condor, whatever. What? For Condor, what do you it's birds.
Okay. All right.
So we got that or so we thought. We cleared the mini game.
We definitely got the Phoenix materia Yeah,
so we headed to MMA deal, because you were told previously like, Hey, we should check it on cloud every once in a while. So we checked in on him.
He seemed still bad yet doctor wasn't helpful. Yeah,
I don't know about that doctor. Yeah, so he was unhelpful. Couldn't progress the story? I was like, Well, did we definitely get the materia that we got?
And I was like, yeah, obviously. What do you think we are dumb asses?
Turns out Yes. We didn't pick up to huge metiria from Fort Condor
because you have to talk to someone in a foreign Condor after the only other resident of foreign Condor who's not selling something. And then previous episode Honey, I store I stormed out. I was like, yep, never come back here again. Boy, was I wrong. So we went
back to Fort Condor
got the metiria headed right back to my deal and was able to start the story progression. sort of kind of haltingly forgot to save it before we got back there. Yeah. And at this point, I had done a good chunk of buying and selling.
Finally selling material.
Yeah, it's all Bama.
Okay. Yeah, the second one, why the fuck not?
I haven't used Phoenix yet.
I just don't know why I would sell material. I really, I guess if I have a couple that are continually leveled up, like then I get like a new fire.
You can also sell the ones you don't use that you never equip or use. They're new. Yeah, they're seal. You never use such if you don't use throw. Let's go down the list. Let's see what we got. You don't use trends for most of my triggering.
Transform? Not gonna sell that. It's worth so much money.
Yeah. metiria is fucking expensive. Dude. Sell it.
I feel weird, though. Like,
why you're never gonna use it. It's fine. I'm giving you permission. I thought I can't believe you fucking did.
You so much. A little world exploration. We're gonna have a real going into that cave of a time. That you wish you were.
You can only land on grass.
I don't believe you. Is that a threat? Are you threatening me? Yeah. All right. Fuck you. You're acting like I don't have other options. I don't know where they are. But I'm gonna go find them. You want to know your other options are what chocobos to get there?
Yeah, you have to breed chocos so they can cross the ocean.
I don't believe that's not true. I'm going back up north. What if I just fly right into media?
I'm painting any
been in any movie that tried that? Armageddon? Oh, yeah.
Yeah, it's fucking phenomenal. One of the best made films of all time. What's next, shall we head for fort Condor
really did for calendar. Year man. What's next data? We get the huge metiria Yeah, I have Phoenix
and had gone back to Fort Condor and gotten the damn big metiria so far con dark. Don't tell me. Remember right for Condor yonder here we are not what I wanted.
Shall we take off captain said Sir. Yeah, yeah. Taking off.
Sir, would you like to take off the only thing I don't like about the Highland is my tendency to flatten mash, meaning that there's actual time based consequences.
I feel like button mashing shouldn't be a part of navigation.
How do you play video games? I literally don't understand.
Alright, who around here would have a huge metiria this guy? Show me your huge materia
kaseya. Huge material, please.
Although there's anything we could give you. We'll make sure you can stop in state anytime. So be sure to drop by. Yeah, there's one thing I forgot to tell you, Donna.
It is. Something happens as the story progresses. When you go back and see Tifa and cloud with the materia in hand medela starts shaking and cloud in his ultimate not okayness does. They're coming and said runs outside and weapon is just flying overhead. It's just flying around torching things. The whole middle Island is shaking like it's just a nightmares and said in his ultimate wisdom. TiVo runs out and she's like, what's going on? He's like, no, nothing you unclog. Go back inside. I'll handle it. Not a big deal. Chris very artfully mentioned is probably not something you're supposed to do during an earthquake. But we really don't know. We don't know. We're on the east coast. West Coast listeners. What should you do in a? What should you do in an earthquake? Email us at mail at first encounter podcast calm the last stream is gushing up from below that our surface of the earth. Damn this is bad. I love it said What's wrong? Nothing you can clap again sad quick, but I hey don't worry about a thing. I ain't about to die that easily. Oh boy it's weapon. Damn that's fucking all the times to show up. Okay then come on you fuck fine. Do I have to fight this thing? Oh fuck
Chris 10:38
so said start screaming at weapon just really giving him a bad
Haney 10:42
obviously as you might think weapon turns down and sort of dive bombing said we get into a fight and like i mean i got wrecked immediately just absolutely destroyed. I wasn't prepped for a fight. I wasn't expecting it. And just like I don't even think I gotta move off. Maybe one attack. You got its own attack. Oh, yeah. It had reflecting so I died. I didn't save it recently. No, you didn't.
Oh, but you got Sid with the reflect. Yeah, yeah, that's a pretty sweet design. Talk to me about what that is.
You're gonna heal him? Fucking Hey, wait a minute. What do you do?
I cast life instead of boost job. Oh, I should have fucking taken that reflect Ricky's
potions?
Nope. I made my choice. Oh you know I'm not surviving this fight right oh
and that's a wrap thanks for joining us yes sewed up first encounters I
mean, fuck I lost all my weapons too and the selling and buying and all
that you know you're doing Hey, it'll be easy. Hey,
we ratchet that death count up yet again. And I have a realization at this point which is I haven't saved it in the 10 minutes we just spent doing all this shit is another aggressive 10 minutes worth of doing this shit again. So rebooted the game went back to for counterfeit equipment materials farrakhan nowhere so make it back to me deal again kick off that whole story. I think I was a little bit better equipped for this particular fight and made it three rounds before almost dying The only thing that saved me from dying before the round naturally ended I believe was that revive all I accidentally casts yo so I know for a move yeah accidentally cast to revive all my entire party was alive however weapon got off an attack that killed bear and read 13 and said had like 200 HP left so like I was like well fuck, the restore all goes off. They come back and weapon just ups and flies away and everything's okay. Weird flex but all right. Whoo. Just swings by to find out and get anything from that fight that
feel like you deserve no no.
I'm really glad that it just bailed you back. You try this game. Stop. God said seriously stops it. Oh, thank God. After weapon books, it flies away. The island still is shaking. someone yells the Lifestream is gushing up. This whole island is going to fucking go down. Like we're thinking get off everyone go. And yeah, real depressing watching that entire island fucking blow up. City yells to Tifa to save cloud and get out. So at that point, we see the remnants of our party just kind of go away. And we focus on Tifa. And cloud Tifa grabs clouds wheelchair and is trying to quickly get them out of the doctor's office. However, they don't quite make it off of medela in time. And as the village is collapsing, they fall into the live stream. Oh boy, this was really exciting for me. A couple episodes back, I made a prediction that cloud was going to kind of have a journey where he had to find himself. I think I got pretty close there.
Yeah, you nailed that.
That's where my predictions kind of ended their accuracy for the day. Dear listener, the next chunk of I mean, the rest of this episode Really? Yeah. is incredible. Tifa wakes up kind of in the dark. She's you know, searching for a cloud. She doesn't know where she is. And she stumbles into a vision. I guess. It's best probably described as clouds subconscious. My guess would be as what happened here is that since they're both in the live stream, and the live stream consists of all living beings, their souls kind of merge while they're in there, and that's why TIF is able to see inside of clouds mind at this point and help them kind of sort through his shit. So she stumbles into this area that is basically just bits of nibble. himeko connected through clouds mind, it's like all the pieces that are important to him. And all over this place, there is kind of these ghostly images of clouds crouched down and like kind of, you know, very vulnerable. Not the usual gung ho Big Boy cloud, we usually see teeth is kind of like, Oh, I get it, you have to find yourself by yourself. Like, you have to do this. And she starts talking him through kind of their life. And like the past five years, the first
memory we get is the entrance to nibble on the gates of nipple line five years ago, suffereth pass through these gates. And that's all started
connects to nipple hook. That's right, it's probably best to start from there. Let's go and have a look cloud. I know it's not easy.
I'll be here for you. This is really cool. Because as cloud and sci fi are talking Sephiroth walks kind of passed in between them and is at the gate. And the two soldiers are foot soldiers, not Soldier Soldier. Not all caps soldier. Yeah, the two guards lock up alongside Sephiroth. And you can just see, like that scene replaying that we've seen a couple times now. But teefin clatter talking in the front. And Tifa is like, I gotta be honest with you. Like, I can't lie to you anymore. You never came to Neverland five years ago, that wasn't you Sephiroth did come to nibble home. But it wasn't cloud that came with them. Buck. When Tifa says that wasn't cloud, we do you see the same back of that dark haired person that Sephora showed us previously. And that confirms that Sephora wasn't lying in that instance, about cloud being not who he thinks he is. Five years ago,
two men from soldier came Sephora, and a young and vibrant soldier. Can you tell me again? What happened?
Five years ago, I saw the real suffer off for the very first time. It's your first time back in your hometown in a long time. Right. So how does it feel? I wouldn't know. Because I don't have a hometown. So this is the great Sephora. But to tell the truth, I thought he was very cold.
Alright,
I knew I knew she was gonna shake her head.
No cloud. I've been hiding it for some time, afraid that if I told you something terrible might happen. But I'm not going to hide anything anymore. You weren't here. Cloud did not come to nibble hunt five years ago, I waited. But cloud never came. The two that were ordered here were Sephora. And another person.
We go down to the center of clouds subconscious and talk to the bottom left memory, which is clouds body kind of blocking the well. This is the one I probably remember the least because the first one was like, and the last one was just like, wow. But um, the second one is Tifa basically being like, what about that night like all those years ago, looking up at the stars and get this really cool scene of the camera angle changing to kind of go underneath the characters and look up at the sky. And like change to a starry night. And it was super, super cool. transition
that Starry Night at the well. And our promises. What if the memory was sold? Still, I
thought hey, cloud, don't answer too quickly. Just keep checking all those small emotions and it'll come back slowly. Little by little, like the sky that night. The heavens were filled with stars.
How much good good. Are we getting here? Because it seems like really the cream of the crop of good good.
Trying to remember cloud. I was wearing these clothes. That's up to you. We're so small bun. And cute. Sephiroth once said
that was a really cool I don't know. I don't know how much you're paying attention to it. But that had turned them at the same time was just Ah, that was chef's kiss moment.
Sephiroth once said, cloud made up his memories by listening to my stories. Did you imagine the sky? No. You remembered it. That night the stars were gorgeous. It was just clad and I we talked at the well. That's why I kept thinking you were the real cloud. I still believe that the cloud from niflheim. But you don't believe in yourself. Cloud. What about your other memories? No, not memories, the memories something that is consciously recalled, right? That's why sometimes it can be mistaken or wrong. It's different from a memory lock deep within your heart. That's it. What about some memory that has to do with me? If you say something, and I remember to the mall? No, that's a memory. Talk to me about anything. Why did you want to join soldier in the first place? I always thought it was a sudden decision.
I was devastated. I wanted to be noticed. I thought if I got stronger, someone would notice. Someone to notice you but who you Me, why Tifa? Did you forget about those days?
So the final memory that you can traverse into at this point is a little version of cloud, a little boy cloud, lead CFO over to this third area of niflheim. And it's a window. He's like, do you know where where this is, and she's like, now Should I and he's like, I'll go first things like, I used to only ever look up at this window. And the camera angles, like kind of zooms and turns in. So that is a view of teef his room. And you can see Tifa as a very young child, at this point, probably like eight or so. She's in a room full of other kids. And she's kind of upset sitting in the corner. And cloud is talking about kind of how he used to want to be like, part of her click right. She had this like little group of friends that she hung around with all the time, but cloud wasn't one of them. And turns out that her and cloud actually weren't even close as children. And you know, this whole time, we've been kind of thinking that they've been best friends forever, you know, childhood BFFs. But she wasn't actually really familiar with cloud, even though they live next door to each other. She had her own friends. And cloud was kind of a weird kid. It seemed like he was kind of a tag along. He wanted to always be included, but it seemed like he didn't really know how to ask and the friends and if I weren't really interested in, including him.
That's all right. You were having a hard time back then. You're so busy with your own things. It's only natural. You don't remember me then. Then? I hate to say it, but it's a very important memory. Do you know where this window goes to Tifa? My room was my first time there
was it? That's right. We live next to each other. But I really didn't know you that. Well. I've known you since we were children. And I always thought we were close. Now that you mentioned it. I don't recall you ever been in my room. tifo is used to have our own group. That's right.
I thought they were all stupid. What? You're all childish, laughing at every little stupid thing. But we were children then. I know. I was the stupid one. I really want to play with everyone, but you never let me in the group. And then later, I started thinking I was different from those immature kids. But then, maybe, just maybe they would invite me in. I was so prejudice and weak. At night, I asked Tifa to come out to the well. I thought to myself Tifa would never come that she hated me. That was so sudden, I was a bit surprised. It's true. We weren't that close. But after you left town, I really did think about you a lot. I used to wonder how cloud was doing. I wondered if you were able to get into soldier. I started reading the newspapers thinking I might see an article about you. Thanks, Steve. Tell him what you told me later. We'll probably be so happy. Okay. What happened on say, was it a special day? This was the day to his mother.
Oh, fuck. hadn't really done a lot of thinking about teeth as mom. Yeah. The day mom died for the same changes. And you see Mount nibble with Tifa and her group of friends talking about how dangerous mount nibble is and how like no living creature has ever like gotten across it or something like that, like a legend. And Tifa is like, I wonder about people who aren't living anymore. I wonder if my mom made it across. She's like, I want to see my mom and she just starts fucking running towards Mount nevel. One of her friends turned around at that point. He's like, Nope, I'm gonna go get a grown up. He's He's cloud on the way out. He's kind of just like, hey, cloud, gotta go do grownup stuff. Tifa gets to that bridge, which we are familiar with. Because it's the bridge that felling killed one of the other soldier guards during the first flashback to know behind we had and we get probably my favorite chunk of good good at this point. Tifa gets onto this bridge. And as she does that the two remaining friends like take one step on it and they're like no dog. And they bucket around and you just the cloud trying to follow Tifa I wonder if there's anything beyond that mountain. Mount nibble is scary. Many people have died there. No one crosses that mountain alive. How about those that died? Did mama pester them out? I'm going I have some serious back then. I only got scraped knees vibes coming. Chris. Please let this happen for me.
I don't remember the path I walked. for Mr. Step. I ran to her, but I didn't make it in time. We both fell off the cliff. back then. I only scarred my knees but
back then. I only got scarred up knees. Fuck. Oh, that was so long in the making. So long. That was Episode Three, Chris. Yeah. I mean, that's minutes into the game. You Get that line initially and it makes no sense. Oh, but it's like it's it's perfect because in the moment like as we're running towards the bridge, I was kind of talking to Chris I was like, No, I we're gonna get it. I know we're gonna get it because like, this is all lining up perfectly like he's going in memories he's talking about back then. And now he's on a bridge and like, the last time he had that memory, he was on a bridge and it you know, collapse underneath him, although it was really a tank that bombed it, but you know, semantics, and just Oh, it got so good. I mean, that's probably peaked at my favorite part of the game is that callback now. I'm probably gonna watch that on YouTube, like 30 times tonight. Just that scene over and over again. It's so good. So good. So after the back then I got banged up knees, we find out that Tifa almost died in that accident. Cloud.
Why did you bring Tifa to a place like this? What the hell's the matter with you? What if she dies Tifa was in a coma for seven days
thought.
We all thought she wouldn't make it. Before me It could have saved her. so angry at myself for my weakness. Ever since then. I felt Tifa blamed me. I went out of control again to fights with anyone. was the first time I heard about Sephora. I thought if I were strong like Sephora, then
he just wanted to protect Tifa so that was it. Sorry. Crime now. The tear stone fall crashing.
Sorry, cloud. If I had only remembered more thoroughly What happened? could have done something sooner.
No, it's not your fault. Tifa.
But I remember back when we were eight. That's it. Now I know. You weren't created five years ago. My childhood memories were all made up. Hang in the cloud just a little longer. You've almost found the real you. Let's go back to nibble him again.
There is definitely some weird energy coming off the parents. Yeah. Where they're like, hey, how could you lead to danger like this?
See if I was like fucking charging headfirst stuff out nibble. Cloud at that point strikes me like Naruto and the beginning of Naruto where all the kids are like, he's like, He's weird. Because like our parents halls, he's weird. Otherwise, it'd be like, no, that's fine. Like, you can play with us. We don't care. But yeah, I kind of got that narrative vibe from him. Basically, any attention is better than no attention. Some good good, though. Yeah. It seems like shortly after that was when he made the decision to join soldier because he wanted to be strong because he started hearing the stories about Safra which also puts the former you were a war hero kind of more in perspective,
it wasn't like you're a war hero. It's like, Oh, you're so strong. And if you're that strong,
like I could defend Tifa if I got to be that strong. This little arc was definitely by far my favorite chunk of this super good. Yeah. So he was like, Oh, shit, this is all real. Like, I remember that's and like, I remember us being eight years old together like this, Israel. And finally, at this point, I think Tifa has collected enough fragments of class memory to lead cloud back into niflheim in the subconscious world. So he starts running into town, and she's right behind him. And she's like, Where are you going? He goes, I don't know, the reactor. She's like, Yeah, all right, that sounds right. The next scene is excellent. So once they hit the reactor, it cuts to the scene that we've seen before of sefer off, just slashing Tifa across the chest, I think with his massive moon, but we also know at this point that if cloud wasn't there all those years ago, who was that's when that same dark haired figure runs up the stairs, and promptly gets his ass fucking thrown right back out of the Genova room. unclear if he's dead or unconscious.
This is the first time we get to the name though.
It is so we learned that this is actually Zack. Zack, you remember? I fucking knew it. I fucking knew it. That's right. It was Zach who came nibble? Hi. misafir off then where were you cloud Oh, was that what I think it was? Was that Zack just being absolute? Oh, just ruined just demolish cloud Did you see it all
I saw everything
we get probably the heaviest chunk of that good good. That has ever good good Id ever
has good good
you know I'm saying I want you to set this up again cuz I don't want to fuck it up because I'm gonna have to watch this all over again but just just walk me through it again.
So we're in the reactor Sephiroth Kutztown Tifa Zach blasts through the door and he's very easily put down by self Roth. That's when a Shinra guardsmen, just one of the blue koats runs into the reactor
grabs Zach's Buster Sword, and dives into the Genova room, and fucking runs it through Sephora off.
The shinier guard takes off his helmet. Its cloud.
Was he just a regular soldier? He was just
my town. Give it back. Who are you? It's so much respect for you. admired you.
For Oh, you were there. You were watching me. He was the fucking guy who turned her away.
It's It's so good. But then Tifa goes, wait, you were there. And then you realize that he's been there the whole time. He's been there the whole time. And you see sepher off addressing not Zach at the gate to nibble home. But still cloud just slightly to the right. Yeah, he is still coming home to nibble home for the first time. And cloud starts remembering a little bit more. He remembers riding on the truck into niflheim with Zack, and Zack is the one that's doing the squats and being the cool guy and clouds actually the soldier that's ill up against the side of the car. Fuck, it's good.
Yeah, this is me. I never made as a member of soldier. I even left my hometown telling everyone I was going to join but I was so embarrassed. I didn't want to see anybody. Oh, he
thought TFM had his fucking helmet on. Bach.
How does it feel? It's your first time back to your hometown in a long time, right?
A million. Fucking piece puzzle just fell into goddamn place. I'm and he was the fucking soldier and oh my god. You came? You kept your promise. All that music. So you really did come on. I was in trouble. So he really was the one who carried her after.
Sorry. I didn't get there sooner. That's all right. Cloud.
After we learned that Sephiroth walks out of the gennova chamber and he is seemingly okay. Otherwise, we found her fucking head. Yeah, this is the first time we ever seen where it had went. Safra has it yep, there's holding on to it. And he's just walking down the stairs swaying NASA moon and one hand and Genova his fucking head and the other. He kind of just looks at Cloud and he's just like, come on, down. And he leaves and cloud runs after him and he's like, hey, like, fuckin stop. And Safra just turns around, just rubs them through and just lifts them up and he's like, Don't push me. And you can tell that Safra it's like, I don't want to kill you but good God Almighty. I'm going to if you're going to be like this, but cloud kind of summon some sort of inner crazy strength grabs NASA moon a while it's still inside of him lift sefer off up from the other side much to suffer awesome surprise, and fucking throws separate off massive moon engine novas head up against the wall of the reactor. And they fall to know we don't know what end at this point, I guess into the live stream into the raw live stream at the bottom of the reactor. I think this might be why Sephiroth is seemingly dead or dormant up in the north because we know all the Lifestream is connected under the continents. So I assume similarly to how cloud ended up in the deal. He ends up in North Pole. So that was probably the fucking tetes. Like, that was just the coolest shit as the bees tits, as the kids say, Wow, what a cool theme though, man. That's kind of where that memory ends. You see cloud with Tifa leaving the nipple high memory again and at this point, all of clouds kind of fragments of memories and spirit kind of redrawing into clouds body and he seemingly starts to regain consciousness. Tifa
Oh, cloud. It's really you, isn't it? Yeah. Tifa we finally need again. You stupid jerk. You had us all worried sick.
Funny how he seems to have symptoms again, as soon as he's in trouble. That's what we call a pro gamer. Cloud. Are you all right? voice there.
I see. We're in the live stream early. iPhones waiting. Let's go back cloud back to everyone.
Yeah, I guess. Come on. Tifa. Let's go home.
We exit cloud subconscious and we see our whole crew surround me and Tifa and cloud Somewhere else it looks like on the outskirts of what wasn't ideal and the whole like water around them is just raw lifestream does washing up again so much. Sure that's fine, I believe is like Chris said, but yeah, I think at this point Tifa kind of wakes up and bear it's like, oh my god, are you okay? And she's like, Hey Barrett like, Fuck you. I got him back and he's like, Damn, I never should have underestimated you. He's like, You really are a special lady and I love their friendship. It's so good. It's such a good friendship. We need more friendship and video games, Chris. Yeah, love friends. fucking love friends.
We need more love friends and video game.
Boy. So as Tifa kind of passes back out, we kind of wake up again to everyone gathered in the ops room aboard the high wind.
I never wasn't soldier. I made up that story about what happened five years ago in my being in soldier. I was so ashamed of being so weak. When I heard the story from my friend Zack,
are you saying that good good, isn't done giving.
I created an illusion of myself made up of what I had seen in my life. And I continued to play the charade, as if it were true.
illusion. Hmm. Pretty damn strong for an illusion. Physically.
I'm built like someone in soldier who does plan to call in Sephiroth wasn't that difficult, is just the same procedure they use when creating members of soldier. You see, someone in soldier isn't simply exposed to Maiko energy. Their bodies are actually injected with Genova cells. Ah, so you get that don't like that. For better or worse. Only the strong can enter soldier, but weak people like me, get lost in the whole thing. The combination of Genova cells, Sephora strong Will and my own weakness or what created me, but I can't remain trapped in an illusion anymore. I'm going to live my life without pretending you share my stuff, cloud. Thanks, Tifa. That means he ain't no different from before. Thanks, Barrett. By the way in clown What are you going to me now? Don't tell me you're gonna leave the ship. I'm the reason why Meteor is falling towards us. That's why I have to do everything in my power to fight this thing.
Good. Then you're gonna keep fighting to save the planet.
Like he always told me Barrett. Oh, you mean that? There ain't no getting off
of this train? clouds back Bama?
No. Do you understand why I like cloud so much?
That was good. Yeah. Oh, so good. Um, I really want to go back and just replay this game. Yeah. That we've been waiting 20 fucking five episodes for 24 however many cups, so many little pieces. So it's
all gonna just fit somewhere now for you.
I mean, so much fit in today. So did we get to the point today? Where if I found this out? It was all over?
Yeah, it was the realization that cloud has always been in nobody. Yeah, but he was also like, still there the whole time. He's you know, cloud clouds cloud. Yeah,
he's not anything special. Like in terms of like he's not created. He's a real guy. And just
the fact that he was a fucking Shinra guard. How many of them have we mowed down?
Fucking a billion Yeah, I can honestly say I did not see that part coming at all at fucking all Yeah.
And what a treat
I wrapped up in so many like little bits here. But
at this point, I knew the chance of returning to chinar Mansion because Hanny's just real good experience with it. Probably was a no go so I had to mention. Hey, you remember all the way episodes ago when you found those scratched up beakers? Yeah, maybe they got something for you. Now maybe it means a little bit more documents in there that you could read.
Listen to the Ninja and the jogger. If you haven't. It's really good. It's real good. And that's where that gig was? Actually I don't think it was I don't think so. But also listen to the agenda jogger. It's really good.
Yeah. Well, shall we head to nibble home? Let's go there.
Whoo. So we do our bullshit.
It's your fucking predictions weren't true. Were they fucking cloud being a clone of Zack piece of shit?
I didn't see them being friends coming. Oh, that's where all my fucking material is on up.
Thanks for holding on to it up for
free and two jobs are on here. Okay. Oh shit. What did I just did?
I take you back to a certain scratched beaker. Or someone left some marks on the inside. feeding time.
nibble. nibble Han Dong Dong Dong Dong. Where it is nibble. nibble. This do not harbor
you're on the wrong continent. Okay,
I wouldn't worry about it. Get through the mansion. It was fine. It was fine. Please tell me it's no longer there's no longer enemies in here. random encounters. Yeah. All right. Well, you're gonna have to keep I think
oh, keep directing you because I don't remember where I'm on the stairs.
All right, you have to go up to go down. Right? Yeah, that's Armada obviously,
maybe there aren't gonna be
literally Fuck off. We make our way to the basement where we saw beakers is what they call them, but they're really like back to tanks for Star Wars. So we make it into the room and immediate flashback. And we see in one tank, Zack and the other tank cloud, and it seems like they are cognizant and awake. But it seems like they need to escape right during a certain event because they're locked in the tanks. So a scientist comes in carrying a tray and he's just like, hey, it's feeding time. And he goes up and he tries to open Zach's tank, seemingly to lead him out to eat. Knowing that feeding time is his chance. Zach just fucking punches the guide straight out. He opens up clouds tank and presumably because it's right after the niflheim incident. There's probably light security there. We don't really see how they get out of the mansion. But Zach's first class Yeah, he can also just like murder, his layout. And yeah, they were definitely his point hunted.
They were being hunted. But at this point, we only know of two members who are first class soldier.
Yeah, Sephora, Sephora and Zack, and considering what we just saw sephora.do. Zack, it's probably more than capable as well. Yeah. So Zack grabs the Buster Sword and he grabs cloud. And cloud is in a really bad way from the makeout treatment and the experimentation at this point. And both, and the next time you see them cloud is sick in the back of a truck. And Zach is trying to keep his spirits up. It seems like he's just talking a ton. And he seems a lot more like how cloud pictured himself. I think it seems very obvious at this point. That cloud was definitely emulating Zach all this time, like trying to be that person. sacks doing squats in the back of the truck, like trying to keep the cloud spirits up, trying to talk him what he wants to be anybody like in the future.
He seems very cocky. Super, super
fun character. He's like interacting with the guy driving the truck and the guy driving the truck is clearly regretting picking them up. But he asked him how long it's going to be till they get to mid guy. What are you gonna do once we get to Midgar I know what I'm gonna do. I got a place I can crash for a while. No, wait, the mother lives there too. Yes, that's out.
There, Tim. My first boyfriend was a first class and soldier.
Fuck. That's what I was thinking. I was like now can be. Hmm. No matter what I do. I need some money first. Hey, want to start a business? Now? What could we do? The old guy. What do you think I'd be good at? What do you yappin about? You're still young. And yeah, you know, folks should try everything. Got to pay your dues while you're young. Go out and look for what you really want. Try everything. That's easy for him to say. Of course. I got more brains and skills than most other guys. That settles it. I'm gonna become a mercenary, Jesus. Yeah, thanks, pop. Hey, did you even hear a word? I said? Listen, I'm gonna become a mercenary. And that's that. boring stuff. dangerous stuff. anything for money? I'm gonna be rich. So Cloud, what are you gonna do? No, wait, you got it all wrong. Just kidding. I won't leave you hanging like that. We're friends. Right? mercenaries cloud. That's what you and me are gonna be Oh, so good. And like, I don't want to be that guy. But like Seth would never have a associated with the lower class. Oh, that's not true. Because he knew him. Yeah, he did seem to know him. But
in when clouds stepped in through the back. He was like you like seriously? Like he knows who cloud?
Yeah, I think the thing that sets Zach and sepher off apart as soldier first class is that I don't think Sephora given the situation locked in a tank next to the cloud or Zach, even for that matter. I don't think he would have let the other person out. He would have just cared about himself to leave. I think
Yeah, it's a little hard for us right now, because we've gotten so much post
breaking point. Yeah, right before niflheim he might have but also remember that when the bridge collapsed, he refused to look for the other soldier. And Tifa says that she thought Zephyr off came off cold. Yeah. So well. Obviously, he had his breakdown that we've seen. You don't just break down suddenly like that. There's a lot. Yes, boiling right under the surface. I think on Sephora that makes me think that even pre niflheim he would have probably most likely to save his own skin before saving a friend. And I think that's what sets him apart from Zach cloud. For that matter. Cloud doesn't leave people behind. avalanche doesn't leave people behind. Well, Barrett tried to, but it has a few times. Only cloud to be fair. Yeah. But yeah, it was. It's a really good scene. The next thing we see is Zach, and cloud, Zach supporting cloud, but we hear gunfire and we see a couple of soldier guards and commander running them down and they shoot Zach. And while he's on the ground riding, they shoot him again. Clearly dead as they turn around to leave one of the Shinra guards points at clouds, you know for him and he's like, what about him and the commander is like, Oh, he's too Don't even bother, like just leave them. after they leave, cloud crawls his way over to Zack picks up the Buster Sword and just whales at the sky. The camera pans up and you just see mid Gar. And you know that at that moment, clouds memories connect to where he found Tifa like, right, probably within hours of this moment, and where the game essentially picks up. Yeah. Wild. Yeah, fuck. With that. We shut down and save the game. We know we're heading to junan harbor next to the underwater Maiko reactor. We did get that good, good. But, man,
how do you feel about cloud at this point, going from this cocky first class soldier punk who is not a strong character as we know him, like he has these voices in his head and whatnot, but it doesn't really build him up or describe him at all. Now we know who he is.
I mean, he's fantastic. He is he's a fantastic character. He's complex, he's flawed. He's good. He sees done bad he loses control of himself. Sometimes he's in control. Like he's just he's very human. Which is ironic, because he's, you know, up until right now for quite a while now he's been questioning what he even is, you know, like, Is he an experiment is he you know, a Genova cast off is he like, just created like, what is he, but he's probably the most human character in the game. Like, he's just the guy. He's literally just a guy who had a job and it went too far. That's literally what this game boils down to. I'm, like, cloud just like as a playable character. Like, he's still kind of like, man for me, but like, as like a character like witnessing him like, oh, fucking awesome. Like, just so cool. So, so cool. Miley grasslin at this point is like he levels way too fast. just slow down, buddy. Slow down, buddy. I also don't know how he leveled up six levels while he was unconscious, fine.
It was him fighting himself,
Sam. I'm enjoying cloud at the character. Every day, though, that we play this game. I drive closer and closer to the what happened in Advent Children line that we've been basically basing this podcast off of for the last 25 episodes or whatever.
Yeah, um, apparently a lot of people like average children. Hmm. And I only discovered this interacting with Twitter after we started this podcast, because honestly, it's not my favorite movie, even if the movie itself was standalone. And it was what it was, I'd be more okay with that. But I don't like what it made cloud following Advent Children, if that makes sense. Yeah. All the iterations of cloud at this point are the admin children duration, and he's so much more complex than that character is Yeah, but apparently people like it. And somebody gave me an explanation for why he is the way he is in that movie that I could see and be like, okay, I mean, that makes sense.
Is it something you can tell me or not yet? I think so. Okay, Lay it on me, dad.
So what they said is, at this point in the game, cloud has discovered his family, the people that he wants to be around that he wants to protect. At this point, he has that in at the point of Advent Children following like Eric's death, he's scared of losing that again. So he's like, just setting yourself apart. And
I could see it. I mean, I guess we'll have to play more of the game. Because to me, maybe this is just me mistreating his character. But to me, he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would push it away doesn't he seems like the kind of person who would cling to it. Yeah. So I'm not saying that that person who is explaining to you is wrong. It's just I don't have the information. I need to make a decision on that yet, because we need to see what else could happen with him mentally for the rest of the game, right?
Yeah. And it's also been a long time since we've seen that movie. So yeah,
we could like it. Who knows? Who knows? I mean, I'm sure it like looks cool, and has awesome action. I'm sure like, they'll be parts were like, Oh, that's fuckin cool.
Plot wise. I really enjoy it.
It's just I don't know what the plot is still. Yeah, I thought it was them trying to get to another's head. But I don't remember.
I'm not going to say anything about it. But I think how it connects to the Final Fantasy seven compilation as a whole is pretty cool. Yeah, I think it fits. I think it works. So well. We'll see. We'll get there. Yeah. Anyway,
it feels like the game is winding down
a little bit. That's funny because you have another disc. You got whatever is left of this disc, and another day. Yeah,
it feels like we definitely hit a climax and are coming down, if you Will. So we
got the underwater maker reactor. Yep. What's next after
that? Say we're gonna get the big huge metiria from underwater maker reactor. And then we're going to use that to make something to stop the Meteor. And then when we thought Meteor we're gonna be like, Alright, problem is solved. Let's go kill joven Sephiroth up north there at a high level, if
you Will. Yeah, sure. Way zoomed out.
How do you feel about Zack, what do you think?
Oh, he's so fun. I don't know how much more I Will learn about him. He's definitely Eretz boyfriend though. That's fun. I'm going back to my car. I need you to know that we'll see.
I know it seemed pretty locked up tight.
fell. Let me back in.
How do you feel about the weapons now that you fought one? Um,
I don't think their weapon. No, no talk to me. So I was listening to. So this is how much of a piece of shit I am. I listen to our own podcast, like fairly frequently. Sure. So I was really listening to contracts pro snowboarder too, if you Will, I Will. And when you asked what I thought weapon was at the end of that episode, I said, I'm pretty sure it's a materia that's the opposite, because that's what the planet can produce as materia at that point is that I thought it was a material that was the opposite of the black material. That would be the white material, which is what and correlated that to the white item that we saw drop out of Eric's hands when she died. I'm still on the train that that's the actual weapon that the planet created and the weapons I think those are more artificially created by probably the cetera but just the thought, just a little conjecture, but I'm just a little fun fun. A little bit of my hypothesizing that came out of me snow blowing the other day. All right. It's an entire podcast, like the giant piece of turd I am. I mean, we could just say it's quality control, quality control. Yeah, that episode came out like several weeks ago, so that's fine.
I mean, we didn't need to say you could have been snow blowing at any point. That's true.
Yeah. I mean, it's Vermont. Winter is nine months out of the year. So excellent. My heart is full for sure. Today was a good day. That was some good, good. You have anything you want to talk to your listener? Chris. Thanks for sticking by us. Yeah. Thanks so much for listening. And we'll see you next time. Thank you so much for listening to the first encounter podcast. If you want the journey to continue. Why don't you hit us up on Twitter at one st encounter pod? You can email us at mail at first encounter podcast comm or you can check out our website first encounter podcast.com our intro and outro music is written and performed by Elton Zack.
Want the journey to continue? Support the show on PATREON, and follow us on TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, and YOUTUBE. Our intro and outro music is by ALDEN ZAC.


So, how do you get started? Many start with small hills. With those, you cut a piece of foam out of a huge pink sheet, paint it, flock it, and presto! You have a hill. You can fill a box with them and reuse them. There are tons of tutorials on the web and in various miniature game guidebooks. But, what if you're ready to go a little further?
So that big hill at the top of the article? Looks great, right? Here's how I did it.
Assemble foam insulation, a piece of plywood for a base, some hot wire foam cutting tools, artist's gesso (for primer), and paint. You need to cut out and glue down four layers of foam (or however many you want) to make your hill. The more layers you add, the steeper it gets. What if you'd like something a little more? A hill, after all, is big and hard to store in your basement. Still it's a lot cooler if there's a secret involved.
The trick? Build your hill with a plan and in stages (resulting in two pieces you store together). You will put in pegs to help the top and bottom stay secure.
To get started, you could sketch your design out to make the plan for your work. Then cut the hill out from your huge sheet of insulating foam, and cut your peg holes in the bottom. Glue it down. (Let it cure for 24 hours.) Cut the upper section's pegholes in the lowermost piece. Glue the top two to four parts of the upper layer together. Put the pegs into the cured base. I used plaster on the bottom to hold the wooden craft pegs. If you have the correct drill bit size, you can also cut through the foam to glue the pegs in pace, then cover the joins with gesso.
Now it will move to reveal the secret!
For the detail colors, paint them on your hill all at once. To blend acrylics, you want to work from the same "base" as much as possible. (There are lots of tutorials out there for painting as well, so I'll defer on providing painting guidelines.) For this hill, I knew that I wanted a secret passage. So I made sure to include that in the plans. When done, I got some moss from the craft store to fill the end with. It looks like bushes!
This terrain is just right for a final battle when the PCs use dimension door to get in past your hidden entrance.
Final Tip: The tactical element requires rulers, string markers, or tape measures. Unless you want to spend a lot of time drawing in squares by hand, I suggest just "free handing" with your handy measuring element so you can enjoy your terrain.
When working with foam, be sure to check out any safety warnings that the manufacturer of the foam might have on their product.
Find this (http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/articles13941.php) and other great articles at koboldquarterly.com (http://www.koboldquarterly.com/).


Evanston, IL, July 03, 2018 – YWCA Evanston/North Shore's strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's largest independent charity evaluator.
This is the fourth consecutive time that YWCA Evanston/North Shore has earned a four-star rating, which is the evaluating organization's highest distinction.
YWCA Evanston/North Shore's rating and other information about charitable giving are available free of charge on www.charitynavigator.org. More detailed information is available to the site's visitors who become registered users.
YWCA Evanston/North Shore works to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families, and strengthen local communities. It serves more than 10,000 people annually in northern Cook County. Learn more at www.ywca-ens.org or by calling 847-864-8445.
Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org, is the largest charity evaluator in America and its website attracts more visitors than all other charity rating groups combined. The organization helps guide intelligent giving by evaluating the financial health and accountability and transparency of more than 8,000 charities. Charity Navigator accepts no advertising or donations from the organizations it evaluates, ensuring unbiased evaluations, nor does it charge the public for this trusted data.


The picketer hands her a business card with the words, "GET OUT OF HELL FREE CARD." HELL is centered and typed in a bold, angry red.
That's gonna happen one day, darlin'.
Well, they better open up the gate.
I'm talking to you over here.
I'm listening! You know, we really believe in God at my show.
Yeah, well, your pervert ways don't quite equate to what God is all about, darlin'.
Yeah, you know, the homo stuff.
I went to Catholic school for 13 years.
That's probably most of your problem, that you got raised in a screwy religion.
CUT to Gaga addressing the camera as the car moves on.
What I'm trying to understand is, there's 3,000 people standing in my line, and nobody standing in your line. Who's going to hell?
CUT to Gaga, holding up the cellphone in front of a dressing room mirror, later.
But I think what's mostly confusing is why he printed up these things.
GAGA shows card to camera.
If it was so easy to get out of hell, why don't we print up a bunch of these guys? Just makes me sad that my fans have to see that. But I know that's just part of what I'm supposed to do.
ANAHEIM'S HONDA CENTER MIGHT seem like an unlikely stage for such an iconic moment, but there we have it: while her devotees mill in the background, the artist has a sincere conversation with a lone, disagreeable symbol of a prejudice she hopes to eradicate. The picketer is a great villain, a perfect foil. (He isn't alone, either: Islamic hard-liners have banned Gaga from performing in Indonesia, and Christian groups in the Philippines have tried to do the same, citing the disrespectful and sexual nature of Gaga's songs, "Judas" in particular. In South Korea, minors are not allowed to attend her shows.) The whole exchange typifies, with extraordinary succinctness, the crusade that Lady Gaga is fighting and the kind of Christian she sees herself to be: welcoming, peaceful, political, steeped in God, in favor of "the homo stuff," and utterly resistant to the idea that there is any ideological conflict between those last two things.
While the picketer may have deemed her boundary-blurring music as an especially pernicious development of secular modernity and cultural decline, it would only be because he hasn't studied his history. "Gender-bending and queerness have been present in Christian art and theology since the beginning," says Mark D. Jordan, a Distinguished University Professor of Religion and Politics at the John C. Danforth Center at Washington University in St. Louis, which publishes this journal. The virgin martyrs, for example, were described as displaying a "male strength" in defending their faith and chastity until death itself. St. Sebastian was, for centuries, painted as "young, willowy, and lightly rouged." While these images are not explicitly sexual, they go quite a ways in showing that the male-female binary that we think of as "traditional" is not so very rigid after all, an idea that Gaga runs with, particularly when she's performing as her male alter ego, Jo Calderone.
When it comes to gender norms and sexual mores, religion really is the root of all evil, and that cuts across many religions. This is a bit of a problem for a branch of feminism that … takes Lady Gaga as a kind of mascot. She is, of course, like Madonna, thoroughly saturated in Catholic imagery and narratives of sacrifice, virgin/whore oppositions, and Judas-like betrayals. All the more reason, then, for this feminist, this gaga feminist, to flag some of the differences between Lady Gaga and gaga feminism from the get-go—religion is a no-no and God has got to go-go.
It's a shame Halberstam rejects the complexities of Lady Gaga's fascinating and ambiguous relationship with Catholicism. It's also a little bit ironic, given that Point 3 in the manifesto was to "think counterintuitively." When we do, we find that the Gaga persona is deeply embedded in a vibrant, queer, theological tradition that is as old as Christianity itself, and as relevant now as ever.
To be sure, Lady Gaga's appropriation—some would say perversion—of religious symbols and narratives can be breathtakingly aggressive. At various points in the music video for her song "Judas," Gaga lolls around in a tub with a gold thorn-crowned Jesus and his glowering, dingy betrayer, proclaims her "holy fool" love for Judas, and is stoned for—one assumes—adultery with the same. Imagine a love triangle between Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Judas, except they're all in the same gonzo choreographed biker gang, and no one's wearing a shirt. It's not hard to see why so many religious conservatives are shocked.
What's even easier to see is why Gaga's fans—her glue-gunning, glitter-bombing, hair-halo-wearing fans—adore her all the more for it.
GAGA'S BACKSTORY IS AS well known as any other saint's (or pop star's). Stephani Germanotta was born to a Catholic father and a Methodist mother on New York's Upper West Side. She attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, an elite private, Catholic, all-girl's school. Sacred Heart is legendary in its own right. It has served as the inspiration for a half a dozen fictional prep schools, the most recent of which is Constance Billard School for Girls from "Gossip Girl," which keeps the uniforms but dispenses with the Catholic-inflected name. Other famous alumnae of Sacred Heart include Elaine Stritch, Caroline Kennedy, and Paris Hilton.
In interviews, Lady Gaga goes out of way to portray herself as an outsider at Sacred Heart, neither a rich kid nor a good girl. "I went to a Catholic, very strict school where we had uniforms," she told Extra. "They sort of breed artists, I think, because, you know, we feel so confined where we are and we just want to break free." It's a funny thing to hear from a woman whose corsets look capable of drawing blood. However, it may not be true that the environment at Sacred Heart was all that traditional—students learned everything from computer science to acting.
After high school, Germanotta attended the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, dropping out her sophomore year to focus on music. During those early, hungry years, she performed under her given name in burlesque clubs, go-go bars, and concert venues across the city. Success came fairly quickly and producers helped Germanotta form her new identity. In 2006 Germanotta all but disappeared from public view. And Lady Gaga was born.
Six years later, Gaga's concerts have become more than concerts. They are fantastical affairs where Gaga's "little monsters," her pet name for her fans, dress up in replicas of her wildest costumes: piles of translucent bubbles, lobster headdresses, teal leotards with foot-high shoulders, tutus of origami crystals, and silver gowns layered with Saturn's rings. A particularly ingenious acolyte might outshine the rest by attaching two machine gun barrels to her bra, as Lady Gaga did for the "Alejandro" video.
Why so much devotion? After all, there are plenty of other pop stars making dancehall anthems. But where Rihanna doesn't ask her fans to do much but buy concert tickets, Lady Gaga offers something to believe in. She's gone on the record in favor of social acceptance of the LGBTQ community, freedom of sexual and personal expression, and the political rights of the openly gay to marry and serve in the military. Moreover, unlike other celebrities who philanthropize in their spare time, Gaga wraps her admonitions within the entertainment itself. Her act, living at the intersection of camp's sheer excess, queer theory's rejection of heteronormative gender roles, and Christ's admonishment to love our neighbor and the stranger equally, goes well beyond style and stagecraft: "'There's nothing wrong with lovin' who you are' / She said, 'Cause he made you perfect, babe,'" she sings on "Born This Way," the LGBTQ anthem she released almost exactly two months after her confrontation in Anaheim. The message embodied in her lyrics, her videos, her persona, and her political work for gay rights is the same: God don't make no junk. Even if it's bisexual. Even if it's wearing an outfit made of tenderloin.
It's hard to know exactly how attentive Germanotta is to the theological implications of her creed. She's typically ambiguous in interviews, so our primary texts are either music videos or lyrics such as "I'm just a holy fool, oh baby he's so cruel, But I'm still in love with Judas, baby." But we might safely say that it prioritizes wonder over fear (all those "little monsters" wear sparkly headbands instead of fangs, and the guns are never shooting real bullets), expression over obedience, verdant individuality over abasing humility, liberation over submission, and love (or at the very least tolerance) over nearly anything else.
The obstacle you reach in Gaga's theology is not its haziness. Nor is it the occasional accusation that she's merely an especially canny exploiter of the watered-down love-speak that stands for Christian practice in some quarters. Rather, it's the possibility that despite all that outrageous behavior, what look like revolutionary tactics may be, in the end, merely therapeutic. For example, when Gaga talks about social justice, her main defenses of queer youth are either generically compassionate ("don't you think it's hurtful?") or based in individual empowerment ("just love yourself and you're set"). If social justice is expressed as a purely personal ideology, albeit a friendly and charitable variation, then what gets left out?
Then again, the finer points of doctrine may not matter. It's unlikely the Vatican will sign on to her hyperactive, wildly sexualized, and indiscriminately tolerant version of liberation theology anytime soon, but she hardly needs their endorsement. Her fame is a medium that transcends pulpit, pew, and priesthood and, in a welcome twist, makes half the argument for permissiveness for her. She needs no blessings, preferring to give her own instead.
Xarissa Holdaway is a senior Web producer at The Chronicle of Higher Education. She lives in Washington, DC.


Decided to paint a unique card for my grandson.
Marilyn Anne.. wow what a great design and choice of fonts... very creative, your colors are fantastic... and the design clever and bold.
All times are GMT +13. The time now is 07:53 PM.


To give you a better understanding of our beliefs as a Baptist Church, we have posted an article by American Baptist Churches USA listing 10 facts about Baptists. You can read the full article here.
"The 1.3-million members and 5,200 congregations of American Baptist Churches USA share with more than 42 million Baptists around the world a common tradition begun in the early 17th century. That tradition has emphasized the Lordship and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, believers' baptism, the competency of all believers to be in direct relationship with God and to interpret Scripture, the importance of the local church, the assurance of freedom in worship and opinion, and the need to be Christ's witnesses within society. The following facts are representative of the tradition and practice of American Baptists.
2. For American Baptists the local church is the fundamental unit of mission in denominational life.
3. American Baptists partake of two ordinances: believers' baptism and The Lord's Supper.
4. American Baptists believe that the committed individual Christian can and should approach God directly, and that individual gifts of ministry should be shared.
6. American Baptists support religious freedom and respect the expressions of faith of others.
7. American Baptists acknowledge that God's family extends beyond our local churches, and that God calls us to cooperative ministries.
8. American Baptists have been called to be Christ's witnesses for justice and wholeness within a broken society.
9. American Baptist Churches USA celebrates the racial, cultural and theological diversity witnessed within its membership.


1 fake "bomb" - this can be simply some tubes or a box with wires protruding from it. It doesn't need to tick or have any circuits. I've uploaded a photo of ours (just made from bottles and card). The important part is that it has six wires they can pull out individually as required.
There are computer games like this (and an activity on here which lists one) but I did it this way because we needed something with minimum expense and setup and also to give a physical object to the teams.
The team must defuse the bomb by obeying the rules to decide which wires to pull and in which order.
If they pull the wrong wire - "boom"
If they run out of time - "boom"
If they pull the wires in the wrong order - "boom"


text:
Cochrane Cowboys Wrestling size up competition on the road
Athletes and coaches with the Cowboys Wrestling Club are happy to be back to the mat this season and remain cautiously optimistic about future competitions.
Jessica Lee
1 / 1 Cowboys Wrestling Club mini Remi Clattenburg, left, grapples with an opponent at the Holiday Tussle tournament in Calgary Dec. 17. (Photo Submitted/April Hooper)
The Cochrane Cowboys Wrestling Club got a taste of competition locally and nationally in two separate tournaments this past weekend.
The club's mini and junior division athletes, many of whom are new to the club, and wrestling, went toe-to-toe against other clubs in Calgary at a tournament hosted by Roc Wrestling at Rundle College Friday and Saturday, Dec. 17 and 18.
Meanwhile in Ontario, the club's senior athletes stepped onto the mat to face off against competitors from across the country for the first time in two years at the Matmen Classic — the biggest amateur wrestling competition in Eastern Canada.
"Some of these senior athletes will be facing off against each other at nationals this year," said Cowboys Wrestling Club manager April Hooper. "This was kind of our first taste of where we are in the pecking order."
The club hasn't been travelling much across provinces over the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They only just got back on the road in the past couple of weeks.
The club's coaches feel it's important to reacquaint themselves with the competition as much as possible after the long hiatus, Hooper added.
Measuring up against the other clubs that took part in the Matmen Classic, Hooper said she felt the team performed exceptionally well, though for the club, their mentality focuses more on the learning experience than the results.
"Our whole philosophy is it doesn't really matter — the wins and losses — we don't really count those or even pay attention to results," Hooper said, especially given the lack of opportunities to wrestle over the last while.
"We just want to get as many matches in as possible and wrestle, that's really all we care about," she said. "Then we tweak as we go."
The weekend before the Ontario tournament, the senior athletes were competing in another tournament in B.C.
While athletes and coaches are ecstatic to be competing again, Hooper said they are clinging to a cautious sense of optimism with news of the COVID-19 Omicron variant spreading and potentially affecting their season.
"There's nothing really closer than wrestling," she said. "You are grappling with another person and you're face-to-face, sweating all over each other on a mat."
Due to the close-contact nature of the sport, the club has, understandably, lost a few members during the pandemic.
They were not able to wrestle at all last year due to restrictions. Instead, Hooper said, the club hosted their season online through Zoom fitness training sessions.
This year they're back to in-person training at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre, which is following the Restrictions Exemption Program and following protocols that align closely with the guidelines of the club's governing body, the Alberta Amateur Wresting Association (AAWA).
"We're just trying to make sure we have a season and giving no one any excuses to shut us down," said Hooper. "Hopefully, we can all just stay the course, stay safe and do our part because I really believe that sport is so important — not just for the athletes' physical health but their mental health.
"It has been a world of difference, having this in their lives again, because it was definitely missed when they couldn't do it. You can really see the difference in this case — they're so much happier."
The seniors are building up steam with a number of tournaments coming up beginning the first weekend of January, leading up to nationals in March.
The Cowboys Wrestling Club will also be hosting the AAWA 2022 Junior Olympics at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre Feb. 19-20 from 9-1 p.m.
About the Author: Jessica Lee
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