Podcasts about Memorial Day

Friends of the Rosary,Today, August 21, is the Memorial Day of Pope Pius X, an intrepid defender of the purity of the Christian doctrine, and also the anniversary of Our Lady of Knock.The Holy Virgin appeared on August 21, 1879, with St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist, a Lamb and cross on an altar in a parish church of the village of Knock, in County Mayo, in Ireland.Fifteen people witnessed the Blessed Virgin Mary standing in the middle, clothed in white garments, wearing a brilliant crown, with a golden rose over her forehead (A golden rose is often the symbol of this Marian apparition).Her hands were raised as if in prayer. All knew that it was Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Queen of Angels and Saints.On the right of Our Lady stood St. Joseph, his head inclined toward her. On her left stood St. John the Evangelist, dressed as a bishop.To the left of St. John stood an altar that had a lamb and a cross surrounded by angels.The vision lasted about two hours. People who were not at the apparition site reported that they saw a bright light illuminating the area around the church.Many of the sick were healed upon visiting the church at Knock.Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠August 21, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

TO LEARN MORE:       www.CrossFitEdwardsville.com       www.Facebook.com/CrossFitEdwardsville      TikTok: @crossfitedwardsville      Instagram: @crossfitedwardsville        Twitter: @cfedwardsville        YouTube: CrossFit Edwardsville TO GET STARTED AT CFE:     Book a No-Sweat Conversation with a coach, using this scheduler:          https://crossfitedwardsville.com/intro/    You can also find the link to schedule on our website. While this show is educational & entertaining in nature, it does not replace or supplant professional medical guidance from your own physician. Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, please first consult with your doctor. 

 TO LEARN MORE:       www.CrossFitEdwardsville.com       www.Facebook.com/CrossFitEdwardsville      TikTok: @crossfitedwardsville      Instagram: @crossfitedwardsville        Twitter: @cfedwardsville        YouTube: CrossFit Edwardsville TO GET STARTED AT CFE:     Book a No-Sweat Conversation with a coach, using this scheduler:          https://crossfitedwardsville.com/intro/    You can also find the link to schedule on our website. While this show is educational & entertaining in nature, it does not replace or supplant professional medical guidance from your own physician. Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, please first consult with your doctor. 

Friends of the Rosary,Today, August 11, is the Memorial Day of St. Clare (1194-1253), the sister of St. Francis of Assisi, who her the head of the order of women, the Poor Clares.She established a community of nuns and acted as their superior. Clare was a most perfect follower of Francis of Assisi.The order was devoted to Eucharistic prayer and joyful poverty. Clare was the first woman to practice the life of entire poverty as taught by St. Francis.The Rule of the Order included austere unknown in monasteries of women. They went barefoot, slept on the ground, kept perpetual abstinence, and made poverty the basis of their lives.Clare desired to be the servant of all, in imitation of Christ.She told her sisters, "Do what you want with me. I am yours because my will is no longer my own. I have given it to God."Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• August 11, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

TO LEARN MORE:       www.CrossFitEdwardsville.com       www.Facebook.com/CrossFitEdwardsville      TikTok: @crossfitedwardsville      Instagram: @crossfitedwardsville        Twitter: @cfedwardsville        YouTube: CrossFit Edwardsville TO GET STARTED AT CFE:     Book a No-Sweat Conversation with a coach, using this scheduler:          https://crossfitedwardsville.com/intro/    You can also find the link to schedule on our website. While this show is educational & entertaining in nature, it does not replace or supplant professional medical guidance from your own physician. Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, please first consult with your doctor. 

In this inspiring Fuck Yeah Friday episode, Lesley Logan empowers you with seven assertive phrases you can use to stand up for yourself calmly and confidently. She highlights the difference between reacting emotionally and responding with strength and clarity. Plus, a teaching win from Jennifer Lapina and a personal reminder that joy lives in the hobbies we come back to. Let this episode inspire you to speak up, celebrate your progress, and give yourself permission to prioritize what matters most to you. If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:How to speak your truth without raising your voice.The power of using mat Pilates to build deeper client connections.Why revisiting old passions can reignite your joy.How hobbies like hiking can ground and reset your nervous system.Episode References/Links:@thealphawomenclub | Women Empowerment - https://www.instagram.com/p/DJcCzZUPbDt/Submit your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questions If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/ Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  It's Fuck Yeah Friday. Brad Crowell 0:01  Fuck yeah. Lesley Logan 0:02  Get ready for some wins. Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Lesley Logan 0:48  Hi Be It babe, welcome back to the FYF episode, the Fuck Yeah Friday episode, the episode where we are inspired before we go into the weekend that we've been looking forward to. I hope for you. Also we share your wins. And the cool thing about that is that you get to one, inspire other people what a win is. Two, when I share your win, you might actually need a reminder that you had that win. I know I do. I'm filming these before we leave for tour, so I can't wait that while I'm on tour, and probably a little tired of driving and getting a little tired of living out of the van, because we're going on week three that I'll be reminded of a win. I had to be like, oh yeah, I did that. I'm amazing, right? You're amazing. We're all amazing because we're being it until we see it around here. Lesley Logan 1:27  So first share, something that inspired me on the internet that I think you need to know. So these are seven phrases to put someone in their place without raising your voice. So we'll put the link in the show notes so you can, like, save this for yourself as well. But I thought this is really great, because do you remember in You've Got Mail she's like, I just wish I knew the right thing to say the right time. And he's like, well, you have to, like, you know, remember that whatever you say, when you say what you're gonna say, you have to live with that. And it's like, yeah, but sometimes you have to put someone in their place, and you want to do it without raising your voice, because then you won't feel bad about it, correct? I know I won't. If I don't raise my voice, I could be, you know, like, I'm just giving someone candid information about how they're treating someone. So here's number one, you're not used to people holding you accountable. That's not my problem. Do this with a straight spine and a soft tone. There's like, actual little tips on these. So number one, you're not used to people holding you accountable. That's not my problem. So I love that, because some people don't like when we hold them accountable to things, and they get frustrated, and it's like, well, you get to be frustrated, like, sometimes we'd be the lesson people have to learn. All right, number two, you clearly thought I wouldn't respond. That was your first mistake. So I love this person at one, because they said, I don't argue, I clarify. So we're not in argument. I'm clarifying. You clearly thought I wouldn't respond. That was your first mistake. Number three, let's be honest, you weren't looking for a conversation. You were looking for control. Number four, I'm not here to match disrespect, I'm here to show you where it ends. Oh, so good. It says to read it again, one more time for you. I'm not here to match disrespect, I'm here to show you where it ends. Oh, can you imagine? Like, do you, like, picture the person who's like, being so disrespectful right now in your life, and just like, say, ah, practice it in your head, make sure you find a time to say it. All right, number five, you don't get to play the victim when you started the fire. Oh, that one's for the manipulated person in your life. You're you don't get to play the victim when you started the fire. Number six, keep the same energy when I stop responding completely. So, you know, someone who's probably acting confused or raising their voice or like doing this stuff, it's like, if you were really clear, then you can, you don't have to go back and forth with people. This is definitely for the narcissist in your life. Number seven, I don't raise my voice. I raise the standard, and now you know. So this is basically saying I meant what I said, and you just say it calmly. All right, so they also finish this up with saying power isn't about shouting, it's about making someone rethink everything they just said without you even flinching. So I think this is really important, because I wasn't really taught to, like, I wasn't really taught to talk back to people. And I think that was, it's fine. My parents were well intentioned. It's not like, a huge deal. But sometimes I like, I'm the person who, like, leaves the conversation like, oh, I should have said that. Oh, I should have said that. And so, like, I just wanted to give some phrases to you, in case you find yourself in a narcissistic, manipulated or working with a contractor or someone that you've hired to do a project in your home, and they try to make you feel like you're stupid. You are not stupid. They were not clear, or they, they misrepresented a timeline that they couldn't do. And so you know having phrases like this and others in your back pocket will help you continue to be in control of what you can control, right? And you can you can't control what people say or do or think about you, but you can stand up for yourself and demand the respect that you deserve. So anyways, hopefully those help let me know if you use any of them. Lesley Logan 4:55  Okay, this is a win from Jennifer Lapina. She's an eLevate grad. She said, just wanted to say how much I appreciate the Pilates system since eLevate, that's my mentorship program, guys, I have embraced incorporating mat exercises into my private lessons. Previously, I felt pressured to teach physical equipment per client expectation. Now, I always start newbies with mat and only pepper and springs and the fun stuff when I feel they're ready for the connection, always referring them to the shape and or feeling of doing X, Y, Z, as I've seen clients experience my new way of teaching, I can definitely see them progress and embody it quicker. And much to my surprise, if given the choice, most of my clients will choose to take it to the mat. Pilates so much more than mere exercise. I love seeing the satisfaction in their faces when they can finally do the thing that frustrated them for weeks or even months prior. I recently had a long term client master something, and I asked her, what made it click. She looked surprised and simply said that was the way I taught her. Grateful for the compliment. But honestly, it's not me. It's the system. It just works. Jennifer Lapina, I couldn't agree more. It's really something that I'm so grateful for, that I get to use the system that I that I I'm not having to make things up or take on something like Joe gave us this wonderful system, and I guess, I get to use it, and I get to use it for the client that's in front of me and what they need. And it means that there's not right and wrong or black and white, there's just like, what is right for you today, and that kind of practice, that's why I love Pilates so much, that kind of practice is something we get it in our minds, we get it in our bodies. We get in our clients bodies, you guys, and it helps you with other things you're doing in your life. What is right for me today? What does my body need? What a great practice you can have there. What a great way to honor yourself and listen to what your body is. So way to go. Jennifer, thank you for sharing, and congratulations on all you've done. Lesley Logan 6:50  Okay, so Brad and I started a hiking tradition, and I just want to share it with you, because we obviously don't are not in town every single day or every single weekend. In fact, we haven't been in town for a couple of weeks, but when we lived in L.A. we used to hike at least one time a month, maybe two. And depending on travel and we running shoes, was never like this, like the thing we had, like, we're professionals. And then we, you know, moved to Vegas, and we kind of got out of hiking because of the just the summer weather here, so we thought, and so we never really invested in the shoes. We also had dogs that couldn't really hike, but Bayon could, and we'd be on the road. We're like, oh, let's find, like, a hike or a trail, but like, we're kind of out of hiking shape, to be completely honest. And now that we have one dog, and we live in an area that we drive 30 minutes, it's like 20 degrees cooler or even more. And so we started going hiking. And we went to the store, got shoes for the dog, got shoes for ourselves, truly invested in this, like hobby. And I have to say, if you've been listening to the podcast for a while, you know I've been hobby hunting. I am loving that we're hiking again. Oh my God, I didn't need a new hobby. I need to return to another hobby I used to have, and I absolutely love it. And we can't hike at all the trails that are near us because of the heat, but when the fall comes, we're ready to hike those ones. And so it's quite cool being able to do that. And so you're like, how is this a win? The win is one we like said, let's do it. And then on, it was like, Memorial Day, it was like, oh, should we go hiking today? And like, of course, we could have been like, oh, we gotta clean the closets out. We gotta do these things, or 17 other things on our schedule to do. But instead, we're like, no, we said we wanna go hiking this weekend. It's the last day of the weekend. Let's go hiking. And we went, and it was absolutely so much fun. Until the next weekend, we went and got shoes and went straight to a hike. And on this tour, we've done several hikes, and I'm just really, I'm really excited to see where this goes. And so if you need a moral of the story, if you said you wanted to do something, give yourself permission to go do it. Right? Yes, you're busy. Yes, there's a million things you could be doing. But you know what? I haven't regarded a single hike we've done, and it's really fun to see the dog really enjoy it. He gets exercise. We get exercise. So a little bit of investment financially, and now it's just the time. And it's great. It's really fun. We also, if you listen to the last FYF, we are not really on our phones, you know, like, I have the trail map out so that I, like, know that we're going somewhere, but like, we're not checking email, we're not checking text, we're not we're like, we don't even listen to a podcast. We're just listening to the sounds of the of the nature, and it's really quite grounding. And in like a chaotic life, it's something that we need. So my win is pick back up hiking. And it took us five years taking this down, and I regret that we waited this long, but I'm super, super happy that we're doing it now. Lesley Logan 9:46  So, send your questions or your wins in to beitpod.com/questions. You can send in mini questions and mini wins. We can't wait to share them with people. Send this episode, or any of your favorite episodes to a friend who needs this help. The podcast grows because of you. And so the more listeners, the better guests we can get. So please share this with a friend who needs it, and you know what to do, until next time, Be It Till You See It. Lesley Logan 9:46  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 10:50  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 10:54  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 10:59  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 11:05  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 11:09  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Six days, two countries, multiple ferries, and one very stubborn e-bike brake magnet later, the Lake Ontario circumnavigation attempt has wrapped up in ways both expected and completely unforeseen. What started as an ambitious 540-mile loop around one of the Great Lakes became a masterclass in adventure adaptation, international border logistics, and the reality of shoulder season touring. On this episode, takeaways from a trip that delivered lessons extending far beyond the original route plan. Lake Ontario 2025 Takeaways 1. Plan for Ferry Contingencies Ferry schedules can be unreliable, especially early or late in the season. The US-Canada ferry that was supposed to be running for Memorial Day weekend simply wasn't operational, despite being a critical piece of the route. Always have backup plans for ferry-dependent routes and call ahead rather than assuming seasonal schedules are accurate. 2. E-bike Mechanical Knowledge is Essential This adventure nearly ended before it began due to a simple brake magnet issue that couldn't be initially diagnosed. If you're planning to tour with an e-bike, invest time in learning the electrical components and common failure points. Carry backup magnets, electrical tape, and basic electrical tools. 3. Weight Distribution Matters More on E-bikes The combination of heavy batteries, chargers, and touring gear created concerns about spoke and wheel integrity on a bike not designed for that load. Consider front panniers or other weight distribution solutions when carrying substantial battery backup systems for longer tours. 4. International Border Crossings Require Flexibility International bike touring adds layers of complexity that can derail plans. Without vehicle backup, a cyclist would have been stranded when the expected ferry crossing wasn't running. Research multiple crossing points and have contingency transportation options for international routes. 5. E-bikes Excel at "Twice the Speed, Half the Effort" Consistently maintaining 20+ mph with moderate effort effectively doubles your range compared to acoustic cycling. This opens up longer day rides and different touring philosophies - you can cover more ground in less time or take more time to explore without distance pressure. 6. Shoulder Season Has Trade-offs Riding in late May meant fewer crowds and cooler temperatures, but also meant many seasonal services weren't yet operational. Consider what matters more for your trip: solitude and cooler weather, or full service availability and guaranteed open businesses. 7. Battery Management is Both Psychological and Practical Having two batteries completely eliminated range anxiety and changed the entire riding approach. The faster-charging newer battery became primary, with the backup providing peace of mind. Invest in quality charging equipment and understand your system's charging capabilities and timing. 8. Vehicle-Supported Adventures Have Merit While purists might prefer self-supported touring, hybrid approaches can still deliver meaningful bike experiences while providing important safety nets. Sometimes adapting your adventure style is better than canceling entirely when plans go sideways. 9. Memorial or Meaningful Rides Can Evolve Despite not completing the original circumnavigation plan, the spiritual goal of honoring family through cycling around meaningful places was still achieved. The intention and connection to place often matters more than perfect execution of your original route. 10. Equipment Confidence Takes Time and Experience The relationship with the e-bike evolved from skeptical to confident over the course of the trip. Don't expect immediate comfort with new bike setups - allow for a learning curve and consider adventures like this as extended shakedown rides for future longer tours. Bonus Insight: Toronto Island proved to be an unexpected highlight, demonstrating that some of the best bike touring moments come from unplanned discoveries when you maintain flexibility to explore interesting detours.

TO LEARN MORE:       www.CrossFitEdwardsville.com       www.Facebook.com/CrossFitEdwardsville      TikTok: @crossfitedwardsville      Instagram: @crossfitedwardsville        Twitter: @cfedwardsville        YouTube: CrossFit Edwardsville TO GET STARTED AT CFE:     Book a No-Sweat Conversation with a coach, using this scheduler:          https://crossfitedwardsville.com/intro/    You can also find the link to schedule on our website. While this show is educational & entertaining in nature, it does not replace or supplant professional medical guidance from your own physician. Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, please first consult with your doctor. 

In this episode of Haulin Assets, we're giving a freight market update—and while the beginning might sound a little doom-and-gloom, don't worry. There's light at the end of the tunnel, and we share why things are finally starting to turn around. We walk through the current market forces, how we got here, and why I believe the 4th quarter of 2025 could be the best we've seen in quite a while. You can listen to the full episode here or on your favorite podcast app. What We Talk About In This Episode We start off with a quick story about a rental truck and a call I had with a judge in Oregon who, until now, had never let anyone off the hook for an OR citation. After I explained how Oregon's system works—and how it differs from other states—she had a change of heart. It was a good reminder of how misunderstood the trucking world can be from the outside. Then we dig into the big topic: how the freight market has evolved over the past five years, with a focus on: A quick refresher on supply and demand, complete with a graph analogy: Y-axis = freight rates X-axis = number of trucks and volume of freight Where the lines cross is market equilibrium—where supply meets demand What happened during and after COVID: Massive consumer spending on goods instead of travel Skyrocketing freight volume and rates A wave of new entrants into the trucking industry How it all began to change around March 2022: Too many trucks on the road Freight rates dropping consistently for nearly two years Signs of stabilization in 2024–25: Truck count slowly decreasing Demand holding steady Recent holidays (DOT Blitz, Memorial Day, July 4th) showed stronger rate spikes than we've seen in years The Bottom Line For the first time in a long while, we're back near equilibrium. There's very little excess capacity in the market right now, and when capacity dips—even a little—rates jump. That's a good sign. I think we're heading into a much stronger Q4 than we've had in recent years. If you've been hanging on, it might finally start paying off.

In this new episode of Hidden in the Shadows, we're doing something we've never done before - a re-release. This episode comes from our very first year of podcasting back in 2020 and features an interview between Isaac and my dad, Joe. My dad dives headfirst into one of the most bizarre nights he ever experienced—just after Memorial Day in 1987. This episode walks the fine line between eerie coincidence and something far more unsettling. His encounter wasn't just about being in the wrong place at the wrong time—it was about instinct, timing, and the unnerving feeling that something was watching.It's the kind of story you'd tell around a campfire, with goosebumps rising at every twist. We hope you enjoy this re-edited and re-released version of a truly chilling tale.Side Note: This episode sets the stage perfectly for next week's release!Lovin' the intro and outro music?"Swamp Witch”Our other intro Music: "Stacy Dahl" by MaudlinWant to hear more from Maudlin? Check them out on social media!Tik Tok: @maudlinInstagram: @maudlinListen on Spotify and YouTube!Have a paranormal experience to share? Reach out to us! Send us a message on social media, fill out our contact form, or shoot us an email (Hiddenintheshadowspodcast@gmail.com)Get ready for more spooky content coming soon! Follow us for updates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this trial run for the “GrowthBusters Book Club,” we discuss The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World - by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Cannibal economies, gift economies, reciprocity, and doughnut economics all come up. Sally Gillespie in her Substack column, Psyche's Nest wrote this about Kimmerer's book: “As disruptions and destructions reach our communities in all manner of ways, acts of kindness and generosity are already challenging modernity's stories of ‘never enough' and ‘you're on your own'. Often led by those on the margins, we are remembering how to pool resources and gather for action and care as we tend to losses, connections, breakthroughs, emergencies and emergence. It seems to me that no one word is sufficient to describe this devolving and evolving process we are now in. What we need more than a word or a phrase are stories bearing ancient roots and seeds of possibility for the future.” We also talk briefly about President Trump's “big, beautiful bill” beautifully illustrating how policymakers – cheered on by Jeff Bezos – frequently rely on the crutch of economic growth rather than a sharp pencil in balancing the budget. The increased tax revenue never ends up covering costs – because costs skyrocket, too, in a growing economy. The hard budget-balancing work is looking at the detail, doing the math, ferreting out REAL waste, and setting and following priorities. Interestingly, Robin Wall Kimmerer wrote about this phenomenon: “An economy based on the impossibility of ever-expanding growth leads us into nightmare scenarios. I cringe when I hear economic reports celebrating the accelerating pace of economic growth, as if that were a good thing. It might be good for the Darrens, for the short term, but it is a dead end for others – it is an engine of extinction.” Also, a note about how “record Memorial Day travel” also means record carbon emissions. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Beyond collapse: Carrying Stories of Care – by Sallie Gillespie in Psyche's Nest on Substack: https://sallygillespie.substack.com/p/beyond-collapse-carrying-stories The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance - by Robin Wall KimmererOriginal essay in Emergence Magazine: https://emergencemagazine.org/essay/the-serviceberry/ A Resolution for 2021: Be a Better Ancestor (review of The Good Ancestor): https://grist.org/climate/a-resolution-for-2021-be-a-better-ancestor/ The Good Ancestor: Following the Intergenerational Golden Rule – episode 54 of the GrowthBusters podcast featuring philosopher Roman Krznarik, author of The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking: https://www.growthbusters.org/good-ancestor/ What Doughnut Economics Can Learn From History – Roman Krznaric & Kate Raworth: https://youtu.be/FfUOs4ZJ1wM?si=dAIJjeYBUt6Amr3C Flipping Economics on Its Head: Kate Raworth – episode 219 of Conversation Earth: http://www.conversationearth.org/flipping-economics-head-kate-raworth-219/ Thriving Economy: Not Rocket Science – Kate Raworth – episode 220 of Conversation Earth: http://www.conversationearth.org/thriving-economy-not-rocket-science-kate-raworth-220/ Kate Raworth – Exploring Doughnut Economics: https://www.kateraworth.com/ Doughnut Economics Action Lab: https://doughnuteconomics.org/ End of Ponzi Economy: Jerry Mander – episode 203 of Conversation Earth: http://www.conversationearth.org/end-ponzi-economy-jerry-mander-203/ Bright Future Project: https://brightfutureproject.us We've been unable to find Bob Banner's essay, Why Relocalization? – A Return to the Local, so in its place: Relocalization: A Strategic Response to Climate Change and Peak Oil – by Jason Bradford (2007, but still very relevant and informative): http://theoildrum.com/node/2598 Sustainability: Radical Solutions Inspiring Hope – edited by Bob Banner: https://www.amazon.com/Sustainability-Radical-Solutions-Inspiring-Hope/dp/0980230802   Give Us Feedback: Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/ On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth. Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy. Join the GrowthBusters online community https://growthbusters.groups.io/ GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/growthbusting/ Follow us on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/growthbusters.bsky.social Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/ Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/ Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:  

TO LEARN MORE:       www.CrossFitEdwardsville.com       www.Facebook.com/CrossFitEdwardsville      TikTok: @crossfitedwardsville      Instagram: @crossfitedwardsville        Twitter: @cfedwardsville        YouTube: CrossFit Edwardsville TO GET STARTED AT CFE:     Book a No-Sweat Conversation with a coach, using this scheduler:          https://crossfitedwardsville.com/intro/    You can also find the link to schedule on our website. While this show is educational & entertaining in nature, it does not replace or supplant professional medical guidance from your own physician. Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, please first consult with your doctor. 

The Assyrian Democratic Movement, in collaboration with the Assyrian Organisations Alliance, will commemorate Assyrian Martyrs Day on Thursday, 7 August, at the Assyrian Cultural and Sports Club. This solemn occasion honors the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the Assyrian cause. Invitations have been extended to representatives across all levels of government, including local, state, and federal Members of Parliament. Mr. Emmanuel Sada, representing the Assyrian Democratic Movement, spoke to the program and emphasized the enduring significance of this day for the Assyrian community—both as a tribute to the fallen and a reminder of the resilience of a people striving to preserve their identity and rights.

On this week's installment of True Crime New England's mini-episode series, Katie and Liz share two heartbreaking stories of unnecessary murders that remain unsolved to this day. First, Liz goes over the details of extremely inspiring 17-year-old Ivol Brown, who used his own criminal history as motivation to better himself and his community. On Memorial Day of 2010, Ivol was stabbed to death. Then, Katie talks about 30-year-old Nakieka Taylor, who was a caring and giving woman that met a brutal fate in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 2017.If you or anyone you know has any information regarding the fatal stabbing of Ivol Brown, please contact the CrimeStoppers tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word “TIP” to 27463.Anyone with any information on the murder of Nakieka Taylor is asked to please call homicide detectives at 617-343-4470. You can also call anonymously at CrimeStoppers at 1-800-494-TIPS.

The Storm does not cover athletes or gear or hot tubs or whisky bars or helicopters or bros jumping off things. I'm focused on the lift-served skiing world that 99 percent of skiers actually inhabit, and I'm covering it year-round. To support this mission of independent ski journalism, please subscribe to the free or paid versions of the email newsletter.WhoGreg Pack, President and General Manager of Mt. Hood Meadows, OregonRecorded onApril 28, 2025About Mt. Hood MeadowsClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: The Drake Family (and other minority shareholders)Located in: Mt. Hood, OregonYear founded: 1968Pass affiliations:* Indy Pass – 2 days, select blackouts* Indy+ Pass – 2 days, no blackoutsClosest neighboring U.S. ski areas: Summit (:17), Mt. Hood Skibowl (:19), Cooper Spur (:23), Timberline (:26)Base elevation: 4,528 feetSummit elevation: 7,305 feet at top of Cascade Express; 9,000 feet at top of hike-to permit area; 11,249 feet at summit of Mount HoodVertical drop: 2,777 feet lift-served; 4,472 hike-to inbounds; 6,721 feet from Mount Hood summitSkiable acres: 2,150Average annual snowfall: 430 inchesTrail count: 87 (15% beginner, 40% intermediate, 15% advanced, 30% expert)Lift count: 11 (1 six-pack, 5 high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 3 doubles, 1 carpet – view Lift Blog's inventory of Mount Hood Meadows' lift fleet)About Cooper SpurClick here for a mountain stats overviewOwned by: The Drake FamilyLocated in: Mt. Hood, OregonYear founded: 1927Pass affiliations: Indy Pass, Indy+ Pass – 2 days, no blackoutsClosest neighboring U.S. ski areas: Mt. Hood Meadows (:22), Summit (:29), Mt. Hood Skibowl (:30), Timberline (:37)Base elevation: 3,969 feetSummit elevation: 4,400 feetVertical drop: 431 feetSkiable acres: 50Average annual snowfall: 250 inchesTrail count: 9 (1 most difficult, 7 more difficult, 1 easier)Lift count: 2 (1 double, 1 ropetow – view Lift Blog's inventory of Cooper Spur's lift fleet)Why I interviewed himVolcanoes are weird. Oh look, an exploding mountain. Because that seems reasonable. Volcanoes sound like something imagined, like dragons or teleportation or dinosaurs*. “So let me get this straight,” I imagine some puzzled Appalachian miner, circa 1852, responding to the fellow across the fire as he tells of his adventures in the Oregon Territory, “you expect me to believe that out thataways they got themselves mountains that just blow their roofs off whenever they feel like it, and shoot off fire and rocks and gas for 50 mile or more, and no one never knows when it's a'comin'? You must think I'm dumber'n that there tree stump.”Turns out volcanoes are real. How humanity survived past day one I have no idea. But here we are, skiing on volcanoes instead of tossing our virgins from the rim as a way of asking the nice mountain to please not explode (seriously how did anyone make it out of the past alive?).And one of the volcanoes we can ski on is Mount Hood. This actually seems more unbelievable to me than the concept of a vengeful nuclear mountain. PNW Nature Bros shield every blade of grass like they're guarding Fort Knox. When, in 2014, federal scientists proposed installing four monitoring stations on Hood, which the U.S. Geological Survey ranks as the sixth-highest threat to erupt out of America's 161 active volcanoes, these morons stalled the process for six years. “I think it is so important to have places like that where we can just step back, out of respect and humility, and appreciate nature for what it is,” a Wilderness Watch official told The New York Times. Personally I think it's so important to install basic monitoring infrastructure so that thousands of people are not incinerated in a predictable volcanic eruption. While “Japan, Iceland and Chile smother their high-threat volcanoes in scientific instruments,” The Times wrote, American Granola Bros say things like, “This is more proof that the Forest Service has abandoned any pretense of administering wilderness as per the letter or spirit of the Wilderness Act.” And Hood and the nation's other volcanoes cackle madly. “These idiots are dumber than the human-sacrifice people,” they say just before belching up an ash cloud that could take down a 747. When officials finally installed these instrument clusters on Hood in 2020, they occupied three boxes that look to be approximately the size of a convenience-store ice freezer, which feels like an acceptable trade-off to mass death and airplanes falling out of the sky.I know that as an outdoor writer I'm supposed to be all pissed off if anyone anywhere suggests any use of even a centimeter of undeveloped land other than giving it back to the deer in a treaty printed on recycled Styrofoam and signed with human blood to symbolize the life we've looted from nature by commandeering 108 square feet to potentially protect millions of lives from volcanic eruption, but this sort of trivial protectionism and willful denial that humans ought to have rights too is the kind of brainless uncompromising overreach that I fear will one day lead to a massive over-correction at the other extreme, in which a federal government exhausted with never being able to do anything strips away or massively dilutes land protections that allow anyone to do anything they can afford. And that's when we get Monster Pete's Arctic Dune Buggies setting up a casino/coal mine/rhinoceros-hunting ranch on the Eliot Glacier and it's like thanks Bros I hope that was worth it to stall the placement of gardenshed-sized public safety infrastructure for six years.Anyway, given the trouble U.S. officials have with installing necessary things on Mount Hood, it's incredible how many unnecessary ones our ancestors were able to build. But in 1927 the good old boys hacked their way into the wilderness and said, “by gum what a spot for snoskiing” and built a bunch of ski areas. And today 31 lifts serve four Mt. Hood ski areas covering a combined 4,845 acres:Which I'm just like, do these Wilderness Watch people not know about this? Perhaps if this and similar groups truly cared about the environmental integrity of Mount Hood they would invest their time, energy, and attention into a long-term regional infrastructure plan that identified parcels for concentrated mixed-use development and non-personal-car-based transit options to mitigate the impact of thousands of skiers traveling up the mountain daily from Portland, rather than in delaying the installation of basic monitoring equipment that notifies humanity of a civilization-shattering volcanic eruption before it happens. But then again I am probably not considering how this would impact the integrity of squirrel poop decomposition below 6,000 feet and the concomitant impacts on pinestand soil erosion which of course would basically end life as we know it on planet Earth.OK this went sideways let me try to salvage it.*Whoops I know dinosaurs were real; I meant to write “the moon landing.” How embarrassing.What we talked aboutA strong 2024-25; recruiting employees in mountains with little nearby housing; why Meadows doesn't compete with Timberline for summer skiing; bye-bye Blue double, Meadows' last standing opening-year chairlift; what it takes to keep an old Riblet operating; the reliability of old versus new chairlifts; Blue's slow-motion demolition and which relics might remain long term; the logic of getting a free anytime buddy lift ticket with your season pass; thoughts on ski area software providers that take a percentage of all sales; why Meadows and Cooper Spur have no pass reciprocity; the ongoing Cooper Spur land exchange; the value of Cooper Spur and Summit on a volcano with three large ski areas; why Meadows hasn't backed away from reciprocal agreements; why Meadows chose Indy over Epic, Ikon, or Mountain Collective; becoming a ski kid when you're not from a ski family; landing at Mountain Creek, New Jersey after a Colorado ski career; how Moonlight Basin started as an independent ski area and eventually became part of Big Sky; the tension underlying Telluride; how the Drake Family, who has managed the ski area since inception, makes decisions; a board that reinvests 100 percent of earnings back into the mountain; why we need large independents in a consolidating world; being independent is “our badge of honor”; whether ownership wants to remain independent long term; potential next lift upgrades; a potential all-new lift line and small expansion; thoughts on a better Heather lift; wild Hood weather and the upper limits of lift service; considering surface lifts on the upper mountain; the challenges of running Cascade Express; the future of the Daisy and Easy Rider doubles; more potential future expansion; and whether we could ever see a ski connection with Timberline Lodge.Why now was a good time for this interviewIt's kind of dumb that 210 episodes into this podcast I've only recorded one Oregon ep: Timberline Lodge President Jeff Kohnstamm, more than three years ago. While Oregon only has 11 active ski areas, and the state ranks 11th-ish in skier visits, it's an important ski state. PNW skiers treat skiing like the Northeast treats baseball or the Midwest treats football or D.C. treats politics: rabid beyond reason. That explains the eight Idaho pods and half dozen each in Washington and B.C. These episodes hit like a hash stand at a Dead show. So why so few Oregon eps?Eh, no reason in particular. There isn't a ski area in North America that I don't want to feature on the podcast, but I can't just order them online like a pizza. Relationships, more than anything, drive the podcast, and The Storm's schedule is primarily opportunity driven. I invite folks on as I meet them or when they do something cool. And sometimes we can connect right away and sometimes it takes months or even years, even if they want to do it. Sometimes we're waiting on contracts or approvals so we can discuss some big project in depth. It can take time to build trust, or to convince a non-podcast person that they have a great story to tell.So we finally get to Meadows. Not to be It-Must-Be-Nice Bro about benefits that arise from clear deliberate life choices, but It must be nice to live in the PNW, where every city sits within 90 minutes of a ripping, open-until-Memorial-Day skyscraper that gets carpet bombed with 400 annual inches but receives between one and four out-of-state visitors per winter. Yeah the ski areas are busy anyway because they don't have enough of them, but busy with Subaru-driving Granola Bros is different than busy with Subaru-driving Granola Bros + Texas Bro whose cowboy boots aren't clicking in right + Florida Bro who bought a Trans Am for his boa constrictor + Midwest Bro rocking Olin 210s he found in Gramp's garage + Hella Rad Cali Bro + New Yorker Bro asking what time they groom Corbet's + Aussie Bro touring the Rockies on a seven-week long weekend + Euro Bro rocking 65 cm underfoot on a two-foot powder day. I have no issue with tourists mind you because I am one but there is something amazing about a ski area that is gigantic and snowy and covered in modern infrastructure while simultaneously being unknown outside of its area code.Yes this is hyperbole. But while everyone in Portland knows that Meadows has the best parking lot views in America and a statistical profile that matches up with Beaver Creek and as many detachable chairlifts as Snowbasin or Snowbird and more snow than Steamboat or Jackson or Palisades or Pow Mow, most of the rest of the world doesn't, and I think they should.Why you should ski Mt. Hood Meadows and Cooper SpurIt's interesting that the 4,845 combined skiable acres of Hood's four ski areas are just a touch larger than the 4,323 acres at Mt. Bachelor, which as far as I know has operated as a single interconnected facility since its 1958 founding. Both are volcanoes whose ski areas operate on U.S. Forest Service land a commutable distance from demographically similar markets, providing a case study in distributed versus centralized management.Bachelor in many ways delivers a better experience. Bachelor's snow is almost always drier and better, an outlier in the kingdom of Cascade Concrete. Skiers can move contiguously across its full acreage, an impossible mission on Balkanized Hood. The mountain runs an efficient, mostly modern 15 lifts to Hood's wild 31, which includes a dozen detachables but also a half dozen vintage Riblet doubles with no safety bars. Bachelor's lifts scale the summit, rather than stopping thousands of feet short as they do on Hood. While neither are Colorado-grade destination ski areas, metro Portland is stuffed with 25 times more people than Bend, and Hood ski areas have an everbusy feel that skiers can often outrun at Bachelor. Bachelor is closer to its mothership – just 26 minutes from Bend to Portland's hour-to-two-hour commutes up to the ski areas. And Bachelor, accessible on all versions of the Ikon Pass and not hamstrung by the confusing counter-branding of multiple ski areas with similar names occupying the same mountain, presents a more clearcut target for the mainstream skier.But Mount Hood's quirky scatterplot ski centers reward skiers in other ways. Four distinct ski areas means four distinct ski cultures, each with its own pace, purpose, customs, traditions, and orientation to the outside world. Timberline Lodge is a funky mix of summertime Bro parks, Government Camp greens, St. Bernards, and its upscale landmark namesake hotel. Cooper Spur is tucked-away, low-key, low-vert family resort skiing. Meadows sprawls, big and steep, with Hood's most interesting terrain. And low-altitude, closest-to-the-city Skibowl is night-lit slowpoke with a vintage all-Riblet lift fleet. Your Epic and Ikon passes are no good here, though Indy gets you Meadows and Cooper Spur. Walk-up lift tickets (still the only way to buy them at Skibowl), are more tier-varied and affordable than those at Bachelor, which can exceed $200 on peak days (though Bachelor heavily discounts access to its beginner lifts, with free access to select novice areas). Bachelor's $1,299 season pass is 30 percent more expensive than Meadows'.This dynamic, of course, showcases single-entity efficiency and market capture versus the messy choice of competition. Yes Free Market Bro you are right sometimes. Hood's ski areas have more inherent motivators to fight on price, forge allegiances like the Timberline-Skibowl joint season pass, invest in risks like night and summer skiing, and run wonky low-tide lift ticket deals. Empowering this flexibility: all four Hood ski areas remain locally owned – Meadows and T-Line by their founding families. Bachelor, of course, is a fiefdom of Park City, Utah-based Powdr, which owns a half-dozen other ski areas across the West.I don't think that Hood is better than Bachelor or that Bachelor is better than Hood. They're different, and you should ski both. But however you dissect the niceties of these not-really-competing-but-close-enough-that-a-comarison-makes-sense ski centers, the on-the-ground reality adds up to this: Hood locals, in general, are a far more contented gang than Bachelor Bros. I don't have any way to quantify this, and Bachelor has its partisans. But I talk to skiers all over the country, all the time. Skiers will complain about anything, and online guttings of even the most beloved mountains exist. But talk to enough people and strong enough patterns emerge to understand that, in general, locals are happy with Mammoth and Alpine Meadows and Sierra-at-Tahoe and A-Basin and Copper and Bridger Bowl and Nub's Nob and Perfect North and Elk and Plattekill and Berkshire East and Smuggs and Loon and Saddleback and, mostly, the Hood ski areas. And locals are generally less happy with Camelback and Seven Springs and Park City and Sunrise and Shasta and Stratton and, lately, former locals' faves Sugarbush and Wildcat. And, as far as I can tell, Bachelor.Potential explanations for Hood happiness versus Bachelor blues abound, all of them partial, none completely satisfactory, all asterisked with the vagaries of skiing and skiers and weather and luck. But my sense is this: Meadows, Timberline, and Skibowl locals are generally content not because they have better skiing than everyplace else or because their ski areas are some grand bargain or because they're not crowded or because they have the best lift systems or terrain parks or grooming or snow conditions, but because Hood, in its haphazard and confounding-to-outsiders borders and layout, has forced its varied operators to hyper-adapt to niche needs in the local market while liberating them from the all-things-to-everyone imperative thrust on isolated operations like Bachelor. They have to decide what they're good at and be good at that all the time, because they have no other option. Hood operators can't be Vail-owned Paoli Peaks, turning in 25-day ski seasons and saying well it's Indiana what do you expect? They have to be independent Perfect North, striving always for triple-digit operating days and saying it's Indiana and we're doing this anyway because if we don't you'll stop coming and we'll all be broke.In this way Hood is a snapshot of old skiing, pre-consolidation, pre-national pass, pre-social media platforms that flung open global windows onto local mountains. Other than Timberline summer parks no one is asking these places to be anything other than very good local ski areas serving rabid local skiers. And they're doing a damn good job.Podcast NotesOn Meadows and Timberline Lodge opening and closing datesOne of the most baffling set of basic facts to get straight in American skiing is the number of ski areas on Mount Hood and the distinction between them. Part of the reason for this is the volcano's famous summer skiing, which takes place not at either of the eponymous ski areas – Mt. Hood Meadows or Mt. Hood Skibowl – but at the awkwardly named Timberline Lodge, which sounds more like a hipster cocktail lounge with a 19th-century fur-trapper aesthetic than the name of a ski resort (which is why no one actually calls it “Timberline Lodge”; I do so only to avoid confusion with the ski area in West Virginia, because people are constantly getting Appalachian ski areas mixed up with those in the Cascades). I couldn't find a comprehensive list of historic closing dates for Meadows and Timberline, but the basic distinction is this: Meadows tends to wrap winter sometime between late April and late May. Timberline goes into August and beyond when it can. Why doesn't Meadows push its season when it is right next door and probably could? We discuss in the pod.On Riblet clipsFun fact about defunct-as-a-company-even-though-a-couple-hundred-of-their-machines-are-still-spinning Riblet chairlifts: rather than clamping on like a vice grip, the end of each chair is woven into the rope via something called an “insert clip.” I wrote about this in my Wildcat pod last year:On Alpental Chair 2A small but vocal segment of Broseph McBros with nothing better to do always reflexively oppose the demolition of legacy fixed-grip lifts to make way for modern machines. Pack does a great job laying out why it's harder to maintain older chairlifts than many skiers may think. I wrote about this here:On Blue's breakover towers and unload rampWe also dropped photos of this into the video version of the pod:On the Cooper Spur land exchangeHere's a somewhat-dated and very biased-against-the-ski-area infographic summarizing the proposed land swap between Meadows and the U.S. Forest Service, from the Cooper Spur Wild & Free Coalition, an organization that “first came together in 2002 to fight Mt. Hood Meadows' plans to develop a sprawling destination resort on the slopes of Mt. Hood near Cooper Spur”:While I find the sanctimonious language in this timeline off-putting, I'm more sympathetic to Enviro Bro here than I was with the eruption-detection controversy discussed up top. Opposing small-footprint, high-impact catastrophe-monitoring equipment on an active volcano to save five bushes but potentially endanger millions of human lives is foolish. But checking sprawling wilderness development by identifying smaller parcels adjacent to already-disturbed lands as alternative sites for denser, hopefully walkable, hopefully mixed-use projects is exactly the sort of thing that every mountain community ought to prioritize.On the combination of Summit and Timberline LodgeThe small Summit Pass ski area in Government Camp operated as an independent entity from its 1927 founding until Timberline Lodge purchased the ski area in 2018. In 2021, the owners connected the two – at least in one direction. Skiers can move 4,540 vertical feet from the top of Timberline's Palmer chair to the base of Summit. While Palmer tends to open late in the season and Summit tends to close early, and while skiers will have to ride shuttles back up to the Timberline lifts until the resort builds a much anticipated gondola connecting the full height, this is technically America's largest lift-served vertical drop.On Meadows' reciprocalsMeadows only has three season pass reciprocal partners, but they're all aspirational spots that passholders would actually travel for: Baker, Schweitzer, and Whitefish. I ask Pack why he continues to offer these exchanges even as larger ski areas such as Brundage and Tamarack move away from them. One bit of context I neglected to include, however, is that neighboring Timberline Lodge and Mount Hood Skibowl not only offer a joint pass, but are longtime members of Powder Alliance, which is an incredible regional reciprocal pass that's free for passholders at any of these mountains:On Ski Broadmoor, ColoradoColorado Springs is less convenient to skiing than the name implies – skiers are driving a couple of hours, minimum, to access Monarch or the Summit County ski areas. So I was surprised, when I looked up Pack's original home mountain of Ski Broadmoor, to see that it sat on the city's outskirts:This was never a big ski area, with 600 vertical feet served by an “America The Beautiful Lift” that sounds as though it was named by Donald Trump:The “famous” Broadmoor Hotel built and operated the ski area, according to Colorado Ski History. They sold the hotel in 1986 to the city, which promptly sold it to Vail Associates (now Vail Resorts), in 1988. Vail closed the ski area in 1991 – the only mountain they ever surrendered on. I'll update all my charts and such to reflect this soon.On pre-high-speed KeystoneIt's kind of amazing that Keystone, which now spins seven high-speed chairlifts, didn't install its first detachable until 1990, nearly a decade after neighboring Breckenridge installed the world's first, in 1981. As with many resorts that have aggressively modernized, this means that Keystone once ran more chairlifts than it does today. When Pack started his ski career at the mountain in 1989, Keystone ran 10 frontside aerial lifts (8 doubles, 1 triple, 1 gondola) compared to just six today (2 doubles, 2 sixers, a high-speed quad, and a higher-capacity gondy).On Mountain CreekI've talked about the bananas-ness of Mountain Creek many times. I love this unhinged New Jersey bump in the same way I loved my crazy late uncle who would get wasted at the Bay City fireworks and yell at people driving Toyotas to “Buy American!” (This was the ‘80s in Michigan, dudes. I don't know what to tell you. The auto industry was falling apart and everybody was tripping, especially dudes who worked in – or, in my uncle's case, adjacent to (steel) – the auto industry.)On IntrawestOne of the reasons I did this insane timeline project was so that I would no longer have to sink 30 minutes into Google every time someone said the word “Intrawest.” The timeline was a pain in the ass, but worth it, because now whenever I think “wait exactly what did Intrawest own and when?” I can just say “oh yeah I already did that here you go”:On Moonlight Basin and merging with Big SkyIt's kind of weird how many now-united ski areas started out as separate operations: Beaver Creek and Arrowhead (merged 1997), Canyons and Park City (2014), Whistler and Blackcomb (1997), Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley (connected via gondola in 2022), Carinthia and Mount Snow (1986), Sugarbush and Mount Ellen (connected via chairlift in 1995). Sometimes – Beaver Creek, Mount Snow – the terrain and culture mergers are seamless. Other times – Alpine and the Palisades side of what is now Palisades Tahoe – the connection feels like opening a store that sells four-wheelers and 74-piece high-end dinnerware sets. Like, these things don't go together, Man. But when Big Sky absorbed Moonlight Basin and Spanish Peaks in 2013, everyone immediately forgot that it was ever any different. This suggests that Big Sky's 2032 Yellowstone Club acquisition will be seamless.**Kidding, Brah. Maybe.On Lehman BrothersNearly two decades later, it's still astonishing how quickly Lehman Brothers, in business for 158 years, collapsed in 2008.On the “mutiny” at TellurideEvery now and then, a reader will ask the very reasonable question about why I never pay any attention to Telluride, one of America's great ski resorts, and one that Pack once led. Mostly it's because management is unstable, making long-term skier experience stories of the sort I mostly focus on hard to tell. And management is mostly unstable because the resort's owner is, by all accounts, willful and boorish and sort of unhinged. Blevins, in The Colorado Sun's “Outsider” newsletter earlier this week:A few months ago, locals in Telluride and Mountain Village began publicly blasting the resort's owner, a rare revolt by a community that has grown weary of the erratic Chuck Horning.For years, residents around the resort had quietly lamented the antics and decisions of the temperamental Horning, the 81-year-old California real estate investor who acquired Telluride Ski & Golf Resort in 2004. It's the only resort Horning has ever owned and over the last 21 years, he has fired several veteran ski area executives — including, earlier this year, his son, Chad.Now, unnamed locals have launched a website, publicly detailing the resort owner's messy management of the Telluride ski area and other businesses across the country.“For years, Chuck Horning has caused harm to us all, both individually and collectively,” reads the opening paragraph of ChuckChuck.ski — which originated when a Telluride councilman in March said that it was “time to chuck Chuck.” “The community deserves something better. For years, we've whispered about the stories, the incidents, the poor decisions we've witnessed. Those stories should no longer be kept secret from everyone that relies on our ski resort for our wellbeing.”The chuckchuck.ski site drags skeletons out of Horning's closet. There are a lot of skeletons in there. The website details a long history of lawsuits across the country accusing Horning and the Newport Federal Financial investment firm he founded in 1970 of fraud.It's a pretty amazing site.On Bogus BasinI was surprised that ostensibly for-profit Meadows regularly re-invests 100 percent of profits into the ski area. Such a model is more typical for explicitly nonprofit outfits such as Bogus Basin, Idaho. Longtime GM Brad Wilson outlined how that ski area functions a few years back:The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us. Get full access to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast at www.stormskiing.com/subscribe

Episode 62: Show Notes Friend of the show, Han Chicago, is fast becoming one of our most frequent and favorite guests, and today he joins Trevor and Tom to reminisce about his recent transatlantic trip. First, Han walks us through Ben Schlappig's Lufthansa debacle before explaining how another travel aficionado, Matthew Klint, influenced his itinerary for his transatlantic Memorial Day weekend trip. Then, we learn why Han travelled not once but twice across the Atlantic on the same trip, how airlines change aircrafts without alerting passengers causing booking and seating complications, why flying economy across the Atlantic is a better option now than ever before, the ins and out of the Delta One Lounge at JFK, and Han's short stay in London. Trevor, Tom, and Han all share similar negative experiences of the Frankfurt airport, and after trying to ascertain why Frankfurt is one of Europe's least pleasant airports, they all agree that Lufthansa First Class is better in the air than on the ground. We also discuss the new T5 train at O'Hare International Airport, what American Airlines is getting wrong with their new 787 flagship seats, the standout moments from Han's transatlantic journey, and everything that our guest has planned for the near future. To end, we unpack Boeing's never-ending woes, Han's final thoughts on JetBlue's transatlantic product, and what the future of aviation may hold in terms of Business and First Class layouts. Key Points From This Episode: [0:00:00] Han Chicago shares important travel news about Ben Schlappig and Lufthansa.    [0:10:00] The way Matthew Klint influenced Han's transatlantic Memorial Day weekend trip.   [0:15:21] How one transatlantic trip became two, and being “Qatared” onto a lesser aircraft.     [0:18:17] Why transatlantic trips in economy are more appealing today than ever before.    [0:20:40] The Delta One Lounge at JFK, a short London stay, and travelling from Heathrow.  [0:32:50] Frankfurt versus Munich, and comparing aircraft to address airline inconsistencies.  [0:43:16] Han's highs and lows from his time at Frankfurt airport.    [0:55:15] Why Lufthansa First Class is a better in-air experience compared to on the ground.  [1:02:28] Landing at O'Hare, the new T5 train, and American Airlines' 787 flagship seats.    [1:10:35] The flight from Frankfurt to Munich and other standout moments from Han's trip. [1:14:20] Acquisitions and everything else our guest has planned for his future.   [1:16:42] Unpacking Boeing's persistent woes. [1:22:48] Han's review of JetBlue's transatlantic product.   [1:29:24] The future of aviation: A new era of Business and First Class products. Quotes: “The devil's in the details on some of these partner programs.” — @tmount [0:16:14] “Guys, to me, [the Delta One Lounge at JFK] is one of the best lounges in the US, and it can rival a lot of lounges overseas, too.” — @hanchicago [0:20:54] “I'm trying to fly all the A380s on all the airlines that still fly them. After Lufthansa, the only one I think I have left now is Korean [Air].” — @hanchicago [0:31:43] “Frankfurt is one of the least pleasant airports in Europe. Considering you've got Charles de Gaulle and Heathrow included there, that's saying something.” — @TktweetsKim [0:44:57] “Luckily, I made all my connections. So many times, I could've missed something; something could've gone wrong. That's definitely happened to me on these kinds of [trips before], but Memorial Day weekend, it all worked out.” — @hanchicago [1:02:12] “I'm always looking for that special feeling. And I have to say, as much as we started this episode off about bagging on Lufthansa for this and that, I would say that they deliver that [feeling] for me.” — @hanchicago [1:10:48] “It's turbulent times for us in the world, on various fronts.” — @hanchicago [1:12:38] “Everyone's planning a new first-class seat, but because of Boeing's woes, everyone's putting that off as to when they're going to introduce it.” — @hanchicago [1:16:34] “It's a blessing to get on any of these aircrafts. Let's never forget. It's a blessing to be able to fly the way that we fly [and] in the luxury that we get to experience.” — @tmount [1:31:52] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Han Chicago on X Han Chicago on Instagram Episode 30: First Time Istanbul Visit with Han Episode 53: Aspirational Flying with Han Chicago Lufthansa Allegris First Class ‘Frustrating Lufthansa Allegris First Class Upgrade Glitch' ‘Lol, Oops: Downgraded From Lufthansa Allegris First Class' ‘American's Brand New Boeing 787 Has Serious Maintenance Issues' Ben Schlappig on Instagram Matthew Klint | Live and Let's Fly Alaska Airlines JetBlue Etihad Airways Qatar Airways Virgin Atlantic Delta One Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Chase Sapphire Lounge SkyClub Priority Pass Korean Air Thai Airways American Airlines United Airlines U.S. Bank JonNYC on X Thomas Kim on X Trevor Mountcastle on X The Milenomics Podcast Network

Combat veteran, West Point graduate and former Deputy Director of the Peace Corps, David E. White joined Dane Neal for Veteran Voices during Memorial Day on WGN Radio. Hear how David credits his West Point experience with helping him effectively lead as an Army Officer in Afghanistan and how lessons learned in the academy have […]

A dream life ends when pretty mom-to-be Kelsey Monahon is found hogtied and beaten in her coastal home. At first, the bizarre scene looks like a home invasion, but detectives dig deeper and turn up a trio of unlikely suspects, including Kelsey's husband. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Memorial Day isn't about a long weekend and BBQs. It's about honoring those who gave their lives in defense of America…and it's about supporting the families they left behind. Across US Army Special Operations Command remembering the legacy and impact of the fallen is a daily duty. This Memorial Day, Fran Racioppi sat down with Major General Gil Ferguson and Dalia Munoz to share the story of the day that changed, and intertwined, their lives forever. The day SFC Pedro Munoz, Dalia's dad, was killed in action. General Ferguson was the officer charged with informing her and her family of his death. Delivering a message no one wants to receive and no one wants to give. Dalia, her mother and her grandmother have never been the same.In this emotional tribute, Dalia and General Ferguson recount that grief-stricken January morning; the planning and preparation behind the casualty affairs process; and the shock, disbelief and sadness that suddenly overcomes a family. Regulation says the casualty officer and the family shall never meet again; which was the case until General Ferguson became the USASOC Chief of Staff, a role that put him in charge of the Protocol office, the office in which Dalia worked. Confronted with the biggest leadership challenge of his career, General Ferguson had to decide if, and how, to tell Dalia about their encounter years earlier. This episode is about service. It's about leadership when it matters most. And it's about what it means to live a life shaped by loss, and still find purpose on the other side. It's raw, it's real, and it's one to never forget.Special thanks to General Ferguson and Dalia for their openness and willingness to share the rare bond they hold. Thanks to the USASOC Historian's office for hosting us. HIGHLIGHTS0:00 Introduction2:02 Welcome to USASOC4:01 The Importance of Memorial Day7:26 January 1st, 200511:31 Constructing a plan28:25 SFC Pedro Munoz32:30 Navigating Grief35:45 Dealing with loss of a Green Beret40:45 Reconnecting52:31 Gold Star Families56:25 Remaining a part of the Regiment59:59 Resources for Mental Health1:02:50 Memorial Day MessageQuotes“Memorial Day is an opportunity for us to stop, honor the fallen and take a moment to remember.”“It takes a deliberate effort to remember folks once there's no one else in the formation who personally knew them.”“The Army does such a good job of preparing people for what they tell you is going to be a task for which it is impossible to actually really prepare.”“You don't want somebody who's an early riser waking up and turning on the news and finding out there's a casualty, and then the next thing you know there's people calling around and speculation.”“That's the system. You deliver the message as the notification officer and then get off the X.”“Doesn't matter how much you prepare, you're not prepared.”“Everything you think you've known is completely shattered.”“You kind of only get one shot at things that you're doing and so you have to do them well.” “The leadership has to be able to understand how to give the formation the room and the space to grieve, but also how to channel that grief into the next step, which is the requirement to potentially go out the door the next day.”The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by University of Health & Performance, providing our Veterans world-class education and training as fitness and nutrition entrepreneurs.Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are an official program of The Green Beret Foundation.

TO LEARN MORE:       www.CrossFitEdwardsville.com       www.Facebook.com/CrossFitEdwardsville      TikTok: @crossfitedwardsville      Instagram: @crossfitedwardsville        Twitter: @cfedwardsville        YouTube: CrossFit Edwardsville TO GET STARTED AT CFE:     Book a No-Sweat Conversation with a coach, using this scheduler:          https://crossfitedwardsville.com/intro/    You can also find the link to schedule on our website. While this show is educational & entertaining in nature, it does not replace or supplant professional medical guidance from your own physician. Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, please first consult with your doctor. 

Who is Howard?Howard Polansky is a pragmatic individual who navigates life's financial intricacies with a focus on strategic decision-making. Recognizing common defaults in financial practices, he often critiques the conventional 30-year mortgage system prevalent in the United States. Polansky understands that while many opt to pay extra on their monthly mortgage to reduce the term, the fixed nature of the monthly payment remains unchanged, a topic he frequently discusses. His insights reflect a deep understanding of financial commitments, emphasizing the impact of additional payments and highlighting the etymology of "mortgage" as a lasting "death pledge." Through his observations, Polansky shares his wisdom on making informed financial choices.Key Takeaways00:00 "Cash Flow Chat with Howard"06:03 Pay Yourself First, Always08:01 "Ebook Insights on Home Equity"12:40 "Prepare Financially During Success"16:21 "Key Unasked Question"19:32 "Motivating Business Financial Freedom"_________________________________________________________________________________________________Subscribe to our newsletter and get details of when we are doing these interviews live at https://systemise.me/newsletterFind out more about being a guest at : link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/beaguestSubscribe to the podcast at https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/podcastHelp us get this podcast in front of as many people as possible. Leave a nice five-star review at apple podcasts : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/apple-podcasts and on YouTube : https://link.thecompleteapproach.co.uk/Itsnotrocketscienceatyt!Here's how you can bring your business to THE next level:If you are a business owner currently turning over £/$10K - £/$50K per month and want to grow to £/$100K - £/$500k per month download my free resource on everything you need to grow your business on a single page :systemise.meIt's a detailed breakdown of how you can grow your business to 7-figures in a smart and sustainable way————————————————————————————————————————————-TranscriptNote, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast)SUMMARY KEYWORDSCash flow, cash flow coach, financially led, debt management, high debt professions, medical debt, student loan debt, mortgage payments, fixed debt payments, paying off debt, interest reduction, offset mortgage, home equity line of credit, business owners, business cash flow, paying yourself first, tax payments, IRS, emergency fund, financial planning, risk management, business continuity, business loans, personal finance education, burnout, work-life balance, entrepreneur finances, insurance planning, financial ebook, income preservationSPEAKERSHoward Polansky, Stuart WebbStuart Webb [00:00:33]:Hi, and welcome back to It's Not Rocket Science, five questions over coffee. I haven't actually got a coffee in front of you at the moment. This is actually fruit tea, because if I drink too much coffee, after lunchtime, I start to go to sleep. And I don't wanna go to sleep right at the moment because I'm really interested in speaking with Howard Polanski. Howard is a he's a cash flow coach, who doesn't need to speak to one of those nowadays. Howard is the cash flow coach at Financially Led, and we're we're gonna get into what that means at the moment. But who doesn't wanna spend some time thinking about cash flow and how to preserve it in these days? So, Howard, welcome to It's Not Rocket Science, five questions over coffee, and I trust you're ready to take us through cash flow and financially led.Howard Polansky [00:01:26]:Thank you, Stuart. Thank you for the opportunity.Stuart Webb [00:01:30]:It's It's terrific. So let's start with, let's just start. You're you're you're a former dentist, so we'll get into how you ended up in this situation. But who is it you're trying to help with your advice on on cash flow and and financial matters overall?Howard Polansky [00:01:47]:Those that don't like being in debt. And if we're talking about people let me just use The US since that's where I'm based. Those professions that are high debt type of professions, medical doctors, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists, lawyers, where they just have these massive fixed payments that they're trying to navigate around. And sometimes it feels like all I'm doing is going to work to literally pay off these debts. When do I get to enjoy my life?Stuart Webb [00:02:25]:Yeah.Howard Polansky [00:02:25]:And and I'm not saying that there's not other industries that face that challenge, but those are the obvious ones that if there is a way for us to minimize the impact of those fixed debt payments, get them out of our lives sooner, pay less interest. Now all of a sudden, you have more money freed up at the end of each month.Stuart Webb [00:02:47]:And and and, Howard, I'm I'm sure you can you can sort of, you can help us to understand this, but was that a situation that you were in as a dentist? Did you find yourself wondering every day, why am I doing this? There must be an easier way to make a loss, and that's what you led you to where you are?Howard Polansky [00:03:05]:Well, I didn't know if that was gonna be the question now or it was gonna be question number five in terms of how I got into this. If you wanna wait until then, we can, or you want me to go through the story now, I will.Stuart Webb [00:03:16]:Yeah. I'll put it I'll put it to you as question five. Let's just talk a little bit more about how you, what you the the sort of things that the the people you've helped have got into the sort of trouble they have, and what are they trying to do to get out of it? What is it what is it you see when you sort of they they eventually engage an expert like you and you start dealing with them? So they they recognize eventually they they have a problem and they need to do something about it.Howard Polansky [00:03:42]:Yeah. So, I mean, one of the I hate to call it a mistake, but one of the ways that people are doing it just because it's either it's by default or by design. And so by default, they're like, I've got this mortgage. Let's just say that. And in The US it's a thirty, traditionally a thirty year mortgage. Well, I don't wanna pay on this for thirty years, so let me throw a little bit of additional money against this. So if I've got a $2,000 mortgage, let me put 2,200 and I know that's going to save me some time. The problem is, what's your payment the next month? It's still the $2,000 It does not change when you put extra money against the mortgage because the more mortgage is two French words put together, which literally means death pledge.Howard Polansky [00:04:39]:So the system is set up for you to make payments until the day you die or you're gonna die trying. This allows you and, again, you're we're over on different sides of the pond, so I'm not gonna keep this a secret. Over in The UK and Australia, they're known as offset mortgages. So the open ended mortgages where all of the money can go in to lower the overall balance of the debt. When you lower the overall balance of the debt, you're lowering the amount of interest you pay on a daily basis. And then when the expenses come due, you just take that much out, but you've got the excess now attacking the entirety of the debt versus the way that it's set up in The US. They have a one way street known as your house in front of you. You only make the minimum payment because you're like, if I put more money in, I can't get the money back out.Howard Polansky [00:05:42]:And when we don't have access to money, that's when people don't sleep very well. So that's the common mistake is how I'm just putting more money into this loan, but then if something happens, I get disabled, I get fired, I still have this fixed payment in front of me, and now I have no wiggle room.Stuart Webb [00:06:03]:Yeah. I I'm always very aware that a lot of business owners, disobey, for want of a better word, one of the golden rules which which I think is is something I hope you'll you'll agree with, which is they forget that they need to pay themselves first out of the income into their business. They're putting it against all sorts of other things, and then eventually they realize that there isn't anything left for them. And they they're left in a situation like you've just said where suddenly they are unable to pay the bills that have come in for their family, and they then have to get back on the treadmill and work even harder because they've now forgotten that they've got a life. And and I just think it's it's it's often this the the the the the golden rules of, you know, thinking about your cash flow and how you allocate it are so difficult for many business owners for for reasons because often we are not taught. We are not given the instruction early enough in our lives about how to manage money.Howard Polansky [00:07:04]:What's even worse than not paying yourself first is not only do you pay yourself, you take the money from the IRS that you have to pay them and use that on your expenses too. I've seen that situation happen also. That's never a good situation that I wanna be involved in.Stuart Webb [00:07:23]:Now if there's one thing you should definitely be very aware of is the tax man will find you and will hunt you down if you are if you are diligent in, not diligent in playing that that money off. Howard, look. The the the these must be times at the moment. People are are listening to you and thinking, I think I hear myself in this. This might be me. What valuable piece of advice or or or free free offer can you sort of help people with? And, and how would you sort of, you know, give them that that allow them to sort of access you?Howard Polansky [00:08:01]:Yeah. The probably the easiest way to understand a little bit more of the concept behind this is my ebook. So financiallyled.com, so that's just LEDfinanciallyled.com/ebook. It'll take you maybe about twenty minutes to go through and start to understand the three lessons on how and why this works. The second, if I'm okay if it's okay for me to get a second piece of advice, Stuart, is if you have lived in let's just keep it on the personal side for now. If you've lived in your residence for a number of years now, whether it's in overseas or in The US, it doesn't matter, Your house is probably appreciated substantially, and there is equity. There is cash literally trapped in the bricks. While you're employed, while business looks good, go get a home equity line of credit.Howard Polansky [00:09:08]:Have access to the cash because you just never know what's gonna happen in life. I mean, here's a perfect example. One of my clients is a dentist. She texts me back in November saying, guess what happened to me two months ago? I'm like, this is just out of the blue. I'm like, I don't know. COVID? It's like, no. Two ruptured aneurysms and a mini stroke. Mhmm.Howard Polansky [00:09:34]:Mhmm. She's 40 she's 46 years old, Stuart. I don't think this was in her life plan in terms of, oh, I'm gonna go I wanna be in the ICU and have brain surgery for three weeks sitting in a hospital. If it wasn't for having the business line of credit set up twelve to eighteen months ago, her business would be toast. That buffer of cash is what allowed her to keep paying the bills. Even though there was no money coming in, it was the access to cash that allowed her to pay her team, pay the bills so that she could get back to still having a a functioning business.Stuart Webb [00:10:19]:I've just put a link, on the the screen in front of you, Howard. I'm gonna put that story and the link to your ebook into our vault. Our vault, if you if it listen, guys, it if you're listening to this and you go, I need to do that. If you didn't capture what Howard just said, go to, Systemize, and that's the word systemize, but it's spelled with an s, not a zed, systemize slash free hyphen stuff. There's a vault there with with and and we'll put Howard's link, and we'll put that story in order for you to be able to sort of capture that and come back to it again and again and again because that is really valuable advice. I think that's a truth that everybody should be trying to do, Howard. It's not just dentists that have aneurysms. Anybody can have one of those.Stuart Webb [00:11:03]:You know, I I have a a a a friend who went on a very nice holiday, fell over, skiing, and they were in a similar situation. They were suddenly unable to work. And if they hadn't set up the right systems in place in in his case, it was the fact that his business carried on because he had set up teams that were working. But he had to you have to think ahead, don't you? You have to you do have to do exactly what you said. This might not be in the plan, but there is a risk that this could happen. So, therefore, I need to sort of deal with the risk before it happens, not as it happens because it takes time. These things take time to set up. They don't happen overnight.Stuart Webb [00:11:46]:You have to plan it. You have to think about it. You have to put that into your thinking, don't you?Howard Polansky [00:11:51]:Absolutely. And and look, you know as well as I do, when are banks gonna gonna be most, when are they gonna be most appreciative of giving you money? When you don't need it.Stuart Webb [00:12:06]:When you've got it.Howard Polansky [00:12:08]:That's exactly as soon as you're in distress, they're the last people that wanna help you. So get this set up while things are going goodStuart Webb [00:12:18]:Yeah.Howard Polansky [00:12:19]:And just have it there just in case because stuff happens. I mean, we're live, so I definitely don't wanna say what I normally say, but stuff happens. And it's just far easier to have this all in place before any of this stuff happens because we know it's happened to everyone. It's a it's part of life.Stuart Webb [00:12:40]:It is. And, you know, there's an old there's an old story about a man walking down the road, it's pouring with rain, and he sees a farmer digging a well. And he turned around and said, why are you digging the well when it's raining? And he said, because now the ground is soft and the digging is easy. The last thing you wanna be doing is digging a well when there is no water and the ground is hard. So if you're in a situation at the moment where your business is still doing well, I know we're going into some, economically interesting times at the moment, but if you've got a business that's doing well, now's the time to be digging that well ready for when, perhaps the the ground hardens and it's not quite as easy digging. Howard, I'm I'm I'm gonna gonna, gonna get on with this because otherwise, I think we'll be here for many, many hours talking about this. So was there a sort of we we sort of talked about the the the origin of your sort of, a realization that financially led was the way that you wanted to go. Was there a a books, a course, something that led you from from where you are as a dentist now to being, the guy that tries to advise other people that, they need to think about their cash flow?Howard Polansky [00:13:50]:Yeah. The the one book which really helped in terms of solidifying this whole concept, the author's name is Harsh Gill, h a r j is the first name, g I l l. And it's the book is something like pay off your debt sooner. That was the first time I ever heard in terms of this offset mortgage, they call it the Australian mortgage or whatever. And I was like, oh my god. This is the most logical way I've ever seen in terms of being able to pay off debt. It doesn't have to be a house. It can be student loans.Howard Polansky [00:14:29]:It can be cars. It can be business loans, whatever it is. I just realized that once I was able to utilize this for myself and I got my I got down to a $24 house payment, which might be about £20 for you. I shared that with another dentist and he could not believe what he was seeing and is like, can you help me? And I'm like, I think so. And he ended up paying off his house in eight months instead of thirty years. Wow. Wow. And and that and that's when it really the light bulb went off.Howard Polansky [00:15:07]:And then later on, I was like, wait. I think I can help apply this idea to businesses because if the business has more cash flow, where's it gonna spill over? It's gonna spill over to that owner's personal life, which is where I was trying to make the impact anyway. And the answer is, yeah, it works beautifully, for the average business owner, the cash flow improvements been over $65,000 in year one. SoStuart Webb [00:15:39]:But again, notHoward Polansky [00:15:41]:doing anything crazy.Stuart Webb [00:15:43]:For those that want a personal testimony, I had an offset mortgage. We became mortgage free quite a while ago, and, I'm very grateful for the fact that I found it. So, Howard, perhaps perhaps if I'd got this advice from you many years ago, I'd I'd have to but but I found it myself. So they're a great thing. They're a great thing.Howard Polansky [00:16:03]:For the right person, if you're gonna go and just, you know, spend on Louis Vuitton and Lamborghinis and and trips around the world and you don't have the cash flow to back that up, please don't do this. You are going to get yourself in trouble.Stuart Webb [00:16:21]:I will I will not I will not immediately go out and buy a Lamborghini then. I will I will keep that. I'll keep what I've got at the moment because, clearly, that would be the wrong wrong thing for me. So, Howard, let let me let me let me sort of, help you get back out to helping people do this rather than talking about it. Is there a question that you think I should have asked you in these questions? Is there one thing that you're thinking? I wish you'd hurry up and get to the really important question. And, obviously, once you've posed the question, you need to answer it because I don't know what the question is at the moment.Howard Polansky [00:16:55]:We've kinda hinted at it before. How the heck does someone go from being a dentist to doing this?Stuart Webb [00:17:02]:Let's talk about it.Howard Polansky [00:17:04]:Yeah. So I tell people now sometimes life leaves you little clues and other times life hits you with a two by four. My two by four moment was Sunday morning, Memorial Day weekend twenty eighteen. Jaden, my older son, is 12 years old. I'm sitting next to his bed. He realizes I'm there and he says, Dad. His voice is barely above a whisper. Yeah, buddy.Howard Polansky [00:17:30]:I lean over the bed, I put my ear over his mouth to make sure I can hear him, and he says three words I'll never forget. Am I dying? Oh. Twelve days earlier, Jaden came home with a stomachache. Three days after the stomachache were in the ICU at the Children's Hospital having emergency surgery. Woah. It was a it was appendicitis that turned septic, twenty nine days in the hospital, 19 of them in the ICU, eight straight days of sedation because he went to the Operating Room 5 times. After they take the tube out of his throat, they give him methadone and morphine to bring him down from the drugs he was on. So my 12 year old son looks like a heroin addict coming down from a high, and the very first question he will only ask me are those three little words, am I dying? My first breath was, did I hear him correctly? My second breath was, do not lose it right now.Howard Polansky [00:18:34]:I look him in the eyes, and I tell him, no. You're not dying. You've had prayers from thousands of people all around the world, and you're gonna be just fine. He looks at me, he knows I'm telling him the truth. He closes his eyes to get more rest. I walk outside the room and then I broke. I was already miserable. I was burnt out from sixteen years of dentistry.Howard Polansky [00:18:57]:And one thought seared into my mind, if life is this fragile and I'm unhappy with the path that I'm on, burn the ships, it's over. That's what I did. I sold my practice September 2018, just walked away. And if I didn't make the bold move of walking away from dentistry, I would have never had this $24 house payment and never took the shot to open open a new business and do this. So that's that's the one question, Stuart.Stuart Webb [00:19:32]:Howard, if if if that is the story that motivates people to get and think about their cash flow situation, to manage their business in such a way that they turn it from being a millstone around their neck to something which is actually an asset and something which brings them the financial freedom that you got from making that decision. I trust and pray nobody has to go through what you went through to make that decision, But we can all learn from the fact that you cannot regulate, cannot plan for life to continue being the joy that it is. So if it is currently raining in your business and the ground is soft and you are not currently digging the well and taking advice from people like Howard, I would encourage you, please go and find that stuff in the in what we've said with that, Howard. Get that ebook and get on and listen to some of the brilliant advice. Howard, listen. That is a hugely, humbling story for me to have listened to, and I'm grateful for the fact that you spent just a few minutes with us giving us that story. Let me just let me just be slightly flippant now and just say please come subscribe to our newsletter list because I would love you listening to us now to to be able to get and hear people like Howard talk about these stories and really motivate you to make your business better. If you go to www.systemize.me/subscribe, there's a simple form.Stuart Webb [00:21:06]:It just asks for your first name, your email address, and that's all I want from you. Just so I can send you an email once a week saying we've got this really great guest coming up tomorrow. Come listen to some of the stuff they do, and you can listen to some real truth bombs, like Howard's given us today. Howard, that is a powerful way to end. I'm not really wanting to say very much more other than thank you very, very much for coming on and motivating us to get control of our finances and our cash flow. And and and thank you for taking the steps that you've taken in order to be that, that cash flow coach.Howard Polansky [00:21:41]:Stuart, thank you for the opportunity.Stuart Webb [00:21:44]:It's been brilliant. Thank you. Get full access to It's Not Rocket Science! at thecompleteapproach.substack.com/subscribe

Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 8 Summer Plans Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.  At dinner I checked in with Ivy first, then Vanessa when she had finished for the day and joined us. I also made a point of stopping to check in with Dani to see what she was thinking about her new co-team members, who she thought would work out fine, and Kyla. "I think she's a lot quieter than the rest of us," Dani told me as we sat side by side near Leo's RV. "Which isn't a bad thing, obviously. She isn't as used to being around girls like us though. Erica worked with strippers because of her job, along with all sorts of other crazy people, so it's whatever for her. Kyla obviously isn't used to how open we all are about sex things." I pressed my lips together and nodded, watching her as she sat in a group with Erica, Vanessa and Aria chatting. She was obviously engaged, but didn't offer much to the conversation and seemed happy to listen. "Anything else?" I asked. "Anything weird come up?" "No. Should I be watching for something?" Danielle asked. "No, no," I assured her. "I just; Erica, Ivy, Vanessa; it's working. It's crazy, but it's working. I'm worried about Kyla messing that up." "It should be fine," Dani said, patting me on the shoulder. "Erica will Mom them into shape if things get out of whack, and if she's the problem you can just spank her until she apologizes." That made me snort and shake my head with a grin. "You and her talk too much." "Or maybe we don't talk enough," Dani grinned. We folded ourselves back into the larger conversations, me joining the group with Kyla while Dani went to sit with Leo, India and Ivy. As the sun was setting we busted out the fire pit and Vanessa pointed me towards the nearest brush piles I could harvest some wood from; it seemed she'd handily directed some of her workers to pile it within easy walking distance. Then, once the fire was crackling and we all had our drinks of choice, we told the new women our story. We started with Leo and I, then how Erica had joined us for quarantine. We both teased her about hearing her masturbating, which until that moment she hadn't realized had been the case and made her blush. Then we talked about the land lease, the construction, and the introduction of Dani, Vanessa, and Ivy. Vanessa told us how fucking crazy she thought we were at first, but after that first night around the fire she'd realized something weird but special was going on so she stopped judging and started getting a little jealous. Then Ivy told her perspective, stepping into a life with Erica and me. Then we had to tell the story of Vanessa joining us, which got rushed over really quickly and then had to be retold because even Dani hadn't gotten all the details. I'd purposefully sat beside Kyla around the fire, Erica taking the spot on the other side of me. As India and Aria started ragging on Vanessa for not giving them the full story in the initial car ride when they met her, Kyla leaned over to me. "Can we talk? In private?" "Sure," I said, nodding towards our RV. I leaned back in the other direction to Erica and kissed her cheek, and she met my eye and nodded. Inside the RV Kyla had taken the Murphey seat this time so I sat on the bench opposite her. "You still feeling alright?" I asked her. "No," she laughed. Inside, in the more steady light of the RV, I could see she was flushed even with her slightly darker Filipina skin. "I feel like I've got a fever, but it's concentrated in all my erogenous zones. I don't even like women but that story about Vanessa has me..." She blew out a long breath. "I don't know how much more sex talk I can take before I snap." "I can ask them to stop if you want. Or we can have that conversation if you think you're ready." "I'm; Yeah, I'm ready to talk," she said. She took another deep breath and sat up straighter, putting her hands on her knees like she was trying to focus herself. "You can ask anything you want, and I'll try to answer," I promised her. "I don't have questions," she said. "Well, I actually have lots of questions, but they aren't important right this second. Seeing you with Erica and Ivy, and meeting Vanessa. Hearing the way Leo and Danielle talk about you. I think I know what I'd be getting into if I do this with you. And to be honest, it sounds pretty greater considering the other options that the world seems to be moving toward right now. But I never want to be someone who just takes the easy thing because it's in front of them. I know a lot about you now, but you don't know much about me. And I'll tell you, pretty much anything you want to know, but there's something I need to know if you're Okay with. More than my past, more than whatever your government is worried about." "The only way to know is to ask," I said, trying not to let my own nerves out. Kyla, who had been steady throughout the day, was showing signs of anxiety amidst her hard pressure to keep herself under control. "If I don't like it, we can try and find someone else as soon as possible." "I don't want,” She bit her tongue, cutting herself off, and took a breath. "Harrison. If I do this, if I imprint on you, this is my out. I've been doing everything my father wanted since I was a kid. The only escape I ever had was through dance, and even that he took control of to make sure I was getting the best lessons and tutors and going to the best camps and schools. And even then, he and NICA used it as well. My entire life I've been pushed and trained and taught and used because I didn't matter and my country and my service did. I want a new life, Harri. But I want that life the way I want it. I want a big family. I was an only child, and my parents tolerated each other at best in a political marriage. I want six kids at least, more if we can. Fuck, I'll pop out an even dozen and be happy. Or maybe not, maybe I'll be happy earlier than that, but I know I want a lot of kids to love on and raise in a big, supportive family. "If you can handle that, and if Erica can handle that because I know she's going to need to agree to it too, then I swear to God I'll be loyal to you and only to you. My father, NICA, my country; I can leave them all behind and in the dust if you can promise me we'll try to make my dream life happen. And I promise I'll be the best, hottest housewife I can be for as long as you can keep me barefoot and pregnant. I'll make sure I'm fit and tight and everything I can be for you in between pregnancies, but God I want this, Harri. I've never told anyone this before, but I want it so fucking bad." I didn't know what to say. She was practically sobbing in her earnest desire for what she was asking. I just slid down to my knees on the floor of the RV and wrapped my arms around her and Kyla clutched at me as she panted hard. Not crying, but desperately trying to control herself. "Kyla, I would be an extremely lucky man if I can give that all to you," I said. "And I want to tell you yes right away, but you're right. I do need to check with Erica first. Do you want me to call her in to ask her now?" She hesitated a moment, then nodded and sat back on the chair, sucking in a deep and unsteady breath. I stood up and opened the RV door, sticking my head out. All three of my women looked over to me and I made what I hoped was a reassuring smile, then locked eyes with Erica and motioned her over with a head jerk. She joined us, shutting the RV door behind her. "What's up?" she asked. "Everything Okay?" I looked at Kyla. "Do you want me to ask, or you?" "I; You," she said after hesitating. I turned to Erica and reached out, holding her hand. "So, I know we had our conversation earlier, but I didn't realize this was coming or maybe we would have talked about it more seriously. Kyla is ready to join us, but she has an ask. Because of her own family past, one thing she wants more than anything is to have kids. A whole bunch of them. So she wants to know if you and I are Okay with that and willing for that to happen, or if we should try to find her someone else who can help her get the life she wants." Erica's eyes had widened as I was speaking and her jaw worked a few times before she could find the right words. Then she turned to Kyla and looked at her for a long, long moment before putting a hand on her shoulder. "That's the most important thing for you?" she asked quietly. Kyla nodded, then looked up to meet Erica's gaze. "More than anything else. And I want to do that with Harrison; God, I haven't even known him a day but it's like I can see it right there in front of me. He'd make a great husband and an even better father. I just know he's yours more than either of the others, and I couldn't risk saying yes to him without you saying yes to this." "God, fuck," Erica sighed, and I realized she was tearing up as well. She looked to me. "Yes, obviously, if it's what she needs then yes. But I guess now I need to stop taking the pill because I'm not just gonna sit by and not be in the running for the first mother of your child." Now it was my turn to be surprised. "But we just,” She kissed me to shut me up. "It doesn't matter," she said. "I love you, you love me. If the world implodes and we're all shot off into space, I still won't regret making a kid with you." She turned to Kyla. "Are you going to love him?" "I'm going to try," she said. "And I'll work harder at it than my parents ever did." "Then yes," Erica said. "But, and I'll only ever say this once and you need to listen to me closely, if this isn't the truth and you hurt Harrison or me or anyone else here then I swear to everything in heaven and hell that I will end you. Do we understand each other?" Kyla nodded, taking her seriously. "I do, and I won't." "Okay," Erica said, and leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "You clearly need a fuck, so unless you've suddenly turned Bi then I should leave you to it." She turned to me and kissed me hard, and I hugged her to keep her close. "You're sure?" I asked her in a whisper. She nodded. "Rock her world, babe. Show her why she's one of the four luckiest women on the planet." She kissed my cheek, squeezed my fingers in hers, and then stepped away and out of the RV. Kyla looked like she was going to jump out of her seat. "So,” I started. Kyla stood up abruptly and grabbed me by the face, smashing her plush lips to mine. I naturally grabbed her by the waist as we started making out right there in the middle of the RV. She'd been wearing that bulky coverall the entire day and now she started to scramble to try and get it unzipped and off at the same time as trying to get me to get my shirt off, which just turned into an awkward mess of her hands moving back and forth between us. "Stop, stop," I murmured, pulling my lips from hers. She actually whined a little in her throat and then blinked in surprise at her own reaction. I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist as I carried her back towards the bed. Like this, she was taller than me and she bent down to kiss me some more, making it hard for me to navigate. Thankfully it was a straight shot, and there wasn't a lip at the door to the bedroom area that I needed to duck under or step over. I found the bed with my shin and stopped and lowered her down onto it so we lay somewhere in the middle, me on top of her as we kept making out. Once we were done I pulled away and tugged off my shirt. "Fuck," she groaned, looking at me hungrily. "Not what you're used to?" I asked. She shook her head. "No, so much better." She raised her hands to my stomach and up to my chest, letting her fingers play through my chest hair. I couldn't help myself and I reached down and unzipped the coverall down to her belly button. Underneath, all she had on was a set of black bra and panties. On the one hand, I was starting to get mesmerized by her body very quickly, but on the other, I remembered in the back of my mind that she hadn't arrived with any luggage. I lifted her from under her arms and she let me help her pull the coveralls off, then raised her ass so I could pull them from her legs as well. I crashed back down onto her, now feeling her smooth skin on mine. Her body was everything I would have expected from a dancer; smooth and sleek all over, with toned muscling and a sort of feline grace as she moved around. "Where; are; your clothes; and things?" I asked between kisses. "They said; they would bring; them up; from Cali,” she replied. Then she stopped the kissing and looked up at me. "Seriously, I've got this fucking craving for your cock right now like I can't believe, Harri. I need you to fuck me so fucking bad." "Okay," I said, and then kissed her again as I reached under her to unsnap her bra. When she realized what I wanted she didn't even bother with the snap, she just yanked the black cups off her tits and the whole thing over her head. Her tits were a perfect size for my big hands to palm, a bit bigger than Ivy's but much smaller than Erica's, and her dark brown areolas were smooth and a little puffy, with two perfect nubs for nipples. I sucked on one, feeling how hard they were, but she was stretching to try and get my shorts off of me. She needed the imprinting. We could always explore each other more in the future. I leaned away from her, one hand still on her tit and holding her down, as I shoved down my shorts and boxers. For her part, she pushed her panties down to her knees and I pulled them the rest of the way off. Her cunt was a gorgeous brown, flushed darker than the skin above and slick with her chemically-induced horniness. Even her clit hood was a little pulled back, the softer pink of her clit just visible from being swollen. She was entirely bare, and I wondered if that was a personal choice or a seduction tactic she'd been told to follow. Not that I cared at the moment. I wanted to eat her out and taste her. I wanted to make this last, to wow her like Erica had said. Fuck, let's be real, I wanted to impress the seductive honey trap spy with my sex skills. "Fuck my brains out," Kyla demanded. "Fuck me until I can only ever think of you. Take me and make me yours, you fucking massive wall of American god." I could impress her later. Her cunt accepted my cock like a perfectly tailored suit. I slid in, and even though she was tight and her muscles were firm as hell as they clenched at me she was also extremely willing. That changed when I was almost all the way in though, but not from want of trying. Kyla came, her entire body rolling and arching as her cunt clenched down enough to almost start forcing my cock out. She grabbed me around the shoulder and hugged herself up, clinging to me, and her hips roiled as she thrust hard up and down. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her lips curled in an ugly snarl for a long moment, until the orgasm passed and she let go of me, falling a couple of inches back to the bed with a 'whumph.' "H-Holy fuck," she panted, looking up at me in confusion. "What was that? That,” She blinked rapidly. "Did no one tell you about the first orgasm?" I asked her. She shook her head, still blinking like she was trying to gain her focus. "Fuck me and tell me," she said. I started to slow-thrust, enjoying the delicious warmth of her as I leaned down a bit more, pressing my full body against hers as she spread her legs wider for me. "They told Erica in the information session that she should expect a massive orgasm the first time she ingested a man's precum, and the biggest one of her life when they ingest their actual cum." "She got an information session?" Kyla panted, looking slightly alarmed. "You didn't?" I asked, equally alarmed. We'd both stopped thrusting at each other, not sure what to do. "Fuck it, fucking fuck me," she said and rolled her body to get my cock deeper inside her again. I wasn't going to argue with that. We fucked like that, mutually, for a bit and then I took some more control and went up high on my hands for better leverage and started to fuck her harder. Kyla moaned and panted beneath me, then raised her lips up and sucked on one of my nipples, which was an oddly pleasurable surprise, and then she took some of my hairy pec muscle between her teeth and bit me lightly as she came again. "Ow," I said when she dropped back to the bed again. "Sorry," she panted. "I just; you're really fucking good." Huh, maybe I can impress the spy, I thought. "I'm getting closer," I told her. I'd had... well, not the most amount of sex I'd had in a day, but a bunch, so I wasn't entirely surprised I was lasting as long as I was. "Do you want to try something else?" "I want to try everything with you," she gasped and kissed me. "But... let me..." I disengaged with her, which made her moan like a whore, and she scrambled around on the bed until she was at the bottom corner on her back. Then she spread her legs wide into a full split, and then even wider until she had one leg practically parallel with her torso and the other was way out to the other side. If she was a clock, she would have been showing 10 o'clock. "Fuck me hard. Use my hole," she said, licking her lips. "Get your cock back inside; yes! Oh, fuck, Harrison. Make my cunt fucking squirm. Make your cunt squirm. It's yours now. I'm yours. My whole body. Fuck! I've never felt it like this before. I've never felt anything like this." I was crushing down into her in big, hard strokes and I could feel her cunt squishing with her juices and my balls slapping against her ass cheeks. I was hovering over her and a bead of sweat had trailed down to the end of my nose. Kyla opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, licking it off of me. I lowered the rest of the way to her and kissed her hard, then hugged her tightly as I started pumping short and quick, barely leaving her cunt. "I can't wait to fall in love with you," I whispered to her. "I can't wait to make babies with you, and start a family." "Do it," she gasped. "Put a baby in me. Make my womb yours forever. Breed me, make me your breeding wife-whore. Love me, may-ari. Oh, fucking; that's what you are, you beautiful big bastard. You're my may-ari. My owner. I choose you. I choose; I,” I couldn't have stopped from coming in her if my life depended on it. She was pushing towards her own orgasm already, and her years of dance and other physical activity had turned her core into a vice that sucked at my cock like a hoover. I came as she lost her grip on her words, chanting about choosing me. She came as well, a scream quenched in her throat as her entire body flexed and tensed. I filled her up, releasing over and over in her, but I finished before she did and just went right back to fucking her since my cock hadn't gone soft yet and she was still coming. I only stopped when she went slack, her legs falling back to a more natural position, and her face went from that clenched teeth-gritting tension to a soft, satisfied smile. "Imprinting. Imprinting. Imprinting." I pulled away from her slowly, making sure she wasn't going to fall from the bed, and found that the entire bottom corner and the edge of the mattress were wet and sticky with juices. Along with my legs, crotch and hips. "Great, another squirter," I sighed. Not that I actually minded, but it just meant we'd be doing even more laundry in the tiny machine the RV held. I stood and, once I felt like I could be coordinated enough, I picked Kyla up in a cradle and lifted her higher on the bed and tucked her in. She was in the fetal position, still mumbling the imprinting sequence with that smile. I had to grab a new pair of shorts since mine had ended up in the splash zone, and I didn't bother putting on a shirt but did wipe myself down with some wet paper towel. Stumbling out of the RV, I was greeted by catcalls and applause. Looking around, the fire was still going and someone had stocked it higher with wood. Erica, Dani and Vanessa were all sitting in the Adirondack chairs, and Ivy was sitting curled up in Erica's lap. "Where are Leo and the girls?" I asked, trying my best not to let them show the embarrassment I knew they were going for with their teasing. "Aria and India were going to fuck, and invited Leo to watch," Dani smirked. "So I assume he's in there either jerking off, or fucking." "I don't need to picture that," Erica rolled her eyes. I stepped over and kissed Vanessa as she leaned her head back and reached up to hug me around the neck. Then I slipped around the circle to Ivy and Erica and kissed both of them. Dani opened her arms to me as well, so I hugged her and she kissed my cheek. "Congrats," she said as I pulled away. "Pops." "Oh, God," I groaned and looked at Erica. "You told them?" "Was I supposed to keep it a secret?" she countered. "I needed to talk it out with someone." Vanessa had stood from her chair and gestured for me to take her seat and went inside the RV, coming back out with some more beers. She passed them around and then sat on my lap similar to the way Ivy was with Erica. We sat that way for a while talking as the night sky played out above us. I'd always loved looking up at the sky out on the property, away from any major sources of light pollution. Now spotlights were lighting up the construction area a hundred yards away, where men and women were working through the night. The view was dimmed, and I wondered if it would ever be as clear again as it had been a month ago. Dani slipped off to bed first, and Vanessa grumbled that she had to be up in the morning for work so the rest of us went quickly. We never had discussed the sleeping arrangements, so I ended up sleeping next to Kyla, with Erica pressing her back to my side and holding my arm under her and around her stomach, with Vanessa spooning up to her and Ivy on the end on her back, snuggled partially under Vanessa. I knocked on the door and set the two big brown paper bags down on the stoop and backed away. The house wasn't 'old' per se, located in a neighborhood that had been developed almost twenty-five years ago, and hadn't been updated since it was first built. To be fair, there hadn't ever exactly been a housing boom in the area, so other than the one-off builds it was probably one of the newest places around. The inner front door opened and Mary looked out cautiously, then in surprise as she saw me. She hadn't texted me like I'd asked her to, and it had almost been a week since I'd seen her in the parking lot at the grocery store. She looked a little better, though not by much, and I wondered how far she'd been able to stretch that $70 I'd been able to give her then. "Harri?" she asked in surprise. "Hey, Mary," I said with a little wave. "How did you; Is this;?" "It wasn't that hard, Mary," I said. "I just made a couple of calls. You never texted me." "I know, I,” she hesitated, and then hung her head. "I was so embarrassed." "You don't need to be," I told her. "You're in a tough spot, and I'm not. I want to help out." "Mom? Who's at the door?" came a little voice from inside. A boy poked his head around Mary's hip, looking cute and curious. "It's an old friend of Mommies," Mary said. "He's just here to say hello." "Hey there buddy," I said, smiling as I pulled my mask down and waved, then let the mask snap back up and played like it had rocked me. The kid giggled. "My name is Harrison, but everyone calls me Harri on account of my big beard and hair." "That's a funny name," the kid said. "If you got rid of your beard, what would they call you?" "Hmm, that's a good question!" I said. "I don't know. Maybe you should ask your Mom, she knew me when I didn't have a beard." "We still called him Harri, baby," Mary said, smiling down at the boy and running her fingers through his hair. The kid had keen eyes and noticed the bags on the stoop and the food inside. "Is that for us?" "It is, kiddo," I said. "Could you help your Mom get it inside?" "Sure!" he said. Mary sighed and opened the screen door for him, and the kid came out in his socks and hefted up one of the bags and started carrying it in. "Harri, you don't need to,” "I made sure there are some snacks for the kids in there," I said, pretending like she hadn't been talking. "I know they aren't nutritious, but I figured you can bribe some good behavior for some Oreos and stuff every once in a while. There's also a bottle of merlot in that other one there, so you may not want the kiddo to lift it. He's a cute kid, by the way. I've got an order in down at the butcher's that I'm supposed to pick up tomorrow, so I'll be by sometime tomorrow afternoon with some meat for you guys too. Maybe I can meet your little girl then? Charlie, right?" Mary looked like she was about to cry, and I didn't want to push her over the edge so I tried to make it all like it wasn't a big deal. "Alright, Mary. See you tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything specific and I'll see what I can do, alright? Tell the kiddo not to eat all the gummy worms at once." I was halfway down the driveway to my truck when the screen door opened again. "Harri," Mary called. I looked back and she was standing on the porch, looking at me with tears brimming in her eyes and a happy frown on her face. From this distance, without a mask, I could still see her as the little button-nosed cheerleader I'd known. "Thank you." I just winked and waved, heading back to my truck. "That was really kind of you," Kyla said as I got in. "It's nothing," I said. "I knew her in high school and her husband's been missing for a while." Kyla took one of my hands from the steering wheel and wrapped her fingers in mine, looking at it. The casual intimacy was still new; the first couple days after her imprinting had been us feeling each other out, and her getting comfortable with the general openness to sex that was our new life. I'd made it a point to spend time with her, both sexually and non-sexually, each day and we were slowly starting to find a soft groove. "That's still kindness, Harri," she said. "You're sure she needs it? I don't want to see you getting taken advantage of." "I'm sure," I said. "Okay," Kyla nodded. "Then we'll help her. Now, let's continue this tour. I want to know everything I can about this little podunk, backwoods town I've been shipped off to." "Well, the first thing you should know is that I'm pretty sure it isn't big enough to be considered a town. Maybe a village?" "Oh, God," she laughed. "Not if you consider all the construction workers moving in." "True. I bet we're close to half-againing the local population at this point. Vanessa said we'll hit a thousand by the end of the week." "With that many," Kyla said. "We should have our house in, what, a few months?" "No idea," I said. "No fucking idea." "Fuck, it's already June," I groaned. It was hot as balls and I was regretting putting on my 'go out into the world' getup. "How did you miss the 1st?" Erica asked, also done up in her gear. "How did we miss Memorial Day?" I countered. "Oh, shit," Leo said, standing up from where he'd been sitting over near his RV. "You're right, we did miss Memorial Day. Should we do something?" "Like what?" I asked. "We could throw a party," Ivy suggested. "We could all dress up fancy and have a dance?" The surveyors had been needing Leo and me less and less lately and I was starting to get a little twitchy with how little I had to do. Quarantine before all of this really kicked off had been one thing, but now we didn't even have our big wide backyard to ourselves. When Erica had mentioned that she wanted to take a drive into Portland to pick up some things from the tattoo parlor and check her apartment I'd jumped on the chance and we'd made the plan. The girls were already starting to excitedly talk about planning our late Memorial Day celebration as I stretched and sighed, checking my watch. We'd been planning to leave right after lunch and it was already 3pm. Vanessa had taken an extended break since she'd worked late the night before and we'd had some one-on-one fun in the RV, which had been sorely needed for her. Where the rest of us were struggling to find things to keep busy and motivated, the last week had seen more and more responsibility and work landing in Vanessa's lap as the construction crews started to show up and move into the barracks. It meant there was an entirely new crew of cleaners, maintenance workers and delivery people under her supervision along with her 'gorillas.' Not to mention her wrangling of the other foremen and administrators on-site as her father handled the top-end details of the job. Every day it seemed like new equipment and supplies were being delivered and a third barracks was quickly being erected as even more hands were around. But an hour with Vanessa had delayed us, and when I was finally ready to go Dani was busy with Leo over at their place, and since she was coming with us Erica and I had to wait. Then Erica and Kyla were ensconced in a private conversation in our RV when Dani emerged ready to go, so we lost another half hour before the three of us were all finally dressed and prepped to leave. "Okay," I said loudly, trying to cut through the multiple party-related conversations. "We're all agreed we'll do a Memorial Day thing, but we're burning daylight. Erica and Dani, let's go." We took my truck, only needing one vehicle since we weren't hauling a ton of stuff like the last time. As we pulled around the site offices I spotted Vanessa walking with one of the other foremen in conversation and gave her a little double honk. She smiled and waved. Driving down the old driveway path there were now a half dozen wide offshoots winding off into the trees and closer to the highway there were big swathes of ground that had been cleared and were starting to get flattened by scrapers and excavators. Vanessa had mentioned that we'd end up with a couple of strip malls worth of stores to help provide for the eventual community; a convenience store, a clinic, a dentist, that sort of thing. Right at the end of the driveway a guard hut had been erected, little more than a fancy roadside fruit stall that could barely fit two people inside. I pulled up next to it and Erica rolled down the window. "Hey Patrick," I said, waving to the construction worker manning the booth and tracking the ins and outs. "Hey folks," the older guy said with a grin. He was supposed to be on the road crews but had arrived earlier than needed. I'd asked him once if standing in the guard booth all day working a clipboard was boring and he assured me that after three decades manning a 'Slow/Stop' sign in the middle of roads through sun, rain and sleet, the booth and the clipboard were welcome. "We'll be out for a few hours," I said. "Sounds good," he replied and made a note on his clipboard. Then he wiped at his eyes and cleared his throat, blinking. "Y'all didn't say anything about how bad the pollen got up here. I think my allergies are kicking up and I didn't bring any of my meds, I thought the North West was supposed to be wet." "It usually is. We'll pick you something up," Erica offered. "We need to stop at a pharmacy anyways." "We do?" I asked. "We do," Erica said, patting me on the knee. "Hah," Patrick laughed. "And here I thought you was some sort of Big Dog, Harri. But you're as whipped by your women as the rest of us." "See you in a bit, Patrick," I said. He waved us off, then covered his mouth to cough a little. "Poor guy," Dani said. "I'd hate if I had allergies like that." "We'll get him fixed up," I said as I pulled onto the highway and started heading in the direction of Portland. "It's been weirdly dry and hot so I'm betting the dust from the brush cutting is doing it to him." And I didn't think anything more of it. Erica unlocked the metal grate that pulled down over the front of the tattoo parlor and lifted it up on the rollers enough to uncover the door. The good news was that the whole thing with the 'Autonomous Zone' seemed to have burned itself out and Portland was no longer hosting big protests at the moment. The bad news was that only happened after a week of riots and several news-worthy moments of violence and vandalism. Thankfully the parlor wasn't on one of the major routes the riots had travelled down and there didn't seem to be any damage other than sprayed graffiti on the grate and some of the glass windows behind it. I'd pulled my truck right up over the curb and parked us as close as possible. The streets were as empty of people moving around as the last time we'd come into the city, except there was more trash. I'd seen old newsreels of when there had been major strikes in New York City back in the early 80s and it wasn't exactly that bad, but another couple of weeks and it might get there. Someone must have been doing collections, they were just overburdened or understaffed or something. I had to nudge a pile out of the way with the front of my truck to wedge into the open space, but it almost immediately proved worth it as a trio of ambulances came burning down the street with their lights running. If I'd parked on the street one of them would have needed to swerve out of the way and who knew if those extra seconds would be the difference between life or death for someone; not to mention the potential of the ambulance not swerving fast enough and clipping my truck. Inside the tattoo parlor Erica went straight to her bay and started unhooking and gathering her equipment. Dani was looking around at the place, grinning as she examined the wild decor. She would call out questions to Erica, who would tell her who had done what mural, or the brief story behind the broken surfboard hanging from the ceiling and the skateboard deck covered in almost a hundred different signatures. I spotted a photo on the wall and realized it was of Erica and all of her staff at the most recent DragonCon where they had put up a booth and done live tattooing. Erica had said beforehand she thought it might be a waste of time, but the owner of the parlor was a huge nerd and wanted to do it so it was her job to organize. I never had found out how it went, but she looked happy in the photo. I grabbed the frame from the wall and brought it over to her. "Do you want to bring this, too?" I asked. She glanced at it and paused her work, then smiled and hugged me. "That's sweet, Harri. Yes, absolutely." She took the frame and put it in one of the boxes we'd brought for her to carry stuff, then turned to me. "Hey, could you just empty all those drawers there into the boxes? Don't just dump them, but there isn't anything particularly fragile. It's mostly inks and cleaner solutions and stuff." "Sure," I said. "Thanks, babe," she said and kissed my cheek. "Dani and I are just going to slip through to next door." "Oh, God," I groaned. I hadn't realized that was her plan. "Don't worry," she grinned. "It'll all be fun for you, I promise." The owner of the tattoo parlor also owned the sex shop next door and had installed a door between the two since the clientele crossed over fairly consistently. Erica led Dani through the door, opening it with her key, and I could hear them laughing and giggling. By the time I was done with the drawers Erica had pointed out, placing what seemed like hundreds of little vials and bottles of inks and other liquids into the boxes along with some other art supplies, they hadn't come back. I went to the door and opened it, looking in. Erica glanced over, grinning as she held another box and Dani was placing something inside. "You want any porn, babe?" "What do I need porn for?" I asked. "I dunno," she said. "Variety?" "Ooh, this one is called 'Big Black Booties 15,'" Dani said, grabbing a DVD from a nearby shelf and waving it at me. "You don't have that kind of variety yet, Harri." I snorted and shook my head. "I'm perfectly happy with the booties at my disposal, thank you." Dani shrugged and put the DVD in the box. "I'll see if Leo wants it." "Gag!" Erica laughed, making them both start giggling. I had a feeling that was a running joke between them. "How are we paying for this stuff?" I asked. "Everything is turned off and we don't have any cash." "Artie told me I could Venmo him at a 75% discount," Erica said. "Plus anything with an expiry date I could have for free. So we've got a lot of lube now, along with a bunch of penis-shaped candy and some candy underwear." I sighed and shook my head. "Oh my God, we should take her with us," Dani said, pointing up on a high shelf where a creepily lifelike sex doll was sitting. "I think you mean rescue her," Erica said. "Harri, help me get her down." "Really?" I asked. "Yes," they both demanded. When we packed up the truck we had two boxes of Erica's tattoo gear and other possessions from the shop, another full box of Sex Shop stuff, and Dani was sitting in the back next to 'Sexy Susan' who had also happened to get dressed in a sexy nurse costume. They thought it was fucking hilarious, I just thought 'Sexy Susan' was a little creepy. Dani stayed down in the truck, taking the front seat as I pointed out that the 1911 was in its case under the passenger seat if she needed it, while Erica and I headed up to her apartment. The elevator had an 'out of order' sign on it, and Erica had to use her key to the building to get into the stairwell which she said she'd never had to do before. That was an immediate red flag to me, but I kept my cool to try and not worry her. "You know," Erica said as we climbed the stairs. All our sex cardio seemed to be paying off because we weren't puffing from the exertion yet. "You haven't officially asked me to move in yet." "What?' I asked. "Leo and I,” "That wasn't asking me to move in permanently," Erica cut me off. "That was just for quarantine." I rolled my eyes, knowing where she was going with this. At the next floor I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to me, pulling down my mask and hers and kissing her hard and deep. "Erica Lacosta, will you move in with me forever and ever?" I asked her. "Yes," she grinned. "Yes, I will." She kissed me lightly to seal it, then sighed and we raised our masks and started climbing more stairs. "With that out of the way, I should really try and find a way out of my lease. Just because you have money doesn't mean I should be wasting mine on a place I'm not ever planning on moving back into." "I'll help with some research," I said. "I know there's all the clamor about halting eviction notices, but maybe there's something that will help. I could text Miriam, see if Captain Bloomberg knows anything offhand." "Hmm, maybe,” Erica started, but stopped as we reached her floor and found that door locked as well. "What the fuck?" she sighed and unlocked it. "Let me go first," I said. "Why? It's just..." As we entered the corridor Erica trailed off, seeing the tracks of dirty footprints in the hall and the spray paint on the walls. She immediately started to move forward, but I grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Wait," I said. "Look." I pointed at the big circles on the walls next to each door, but she clearly didn't understand what I was pointing out. "Those are FEMA search and rescue marks." Erica blinked once and was obviously unsure of what to say. "Let's just take it slow," I said. We walked down the hallway. Some of the doors were shut, but others looked like they'd been kicked in. "What do they mean?" Erica asked me, looking at the circles and the scribbles of letters and numbers on the walls. Each circle had an X dividing it into four parts, and each quadrant was marked. "The top part is the date the location was searched," I said. "5-24 means it happened May 24th, so a little over a week and a half ago. The left side is who did the search, the numbers are probably a military code for a National Guard unit. If it said PPD that would be the Portland police, or CDC or DEA or whoever. The right side is if there are any hazards." I pointed to one of the doors that were kicked in. "NE means 'No Entry.'" Then I pointed to another. "F/W means there's contaminated food and water." I pointed at another door, this one wasn't kicked in. "A 0 means no hazards. "What are the bottom parts?" Erica asked. I frowned and swallowed. "The crossed 0 means no one found. DB or DOA means dead bodies. LB means live people are, or were, inside." Erica looked at the carnage of the corridor, her eyes scanning the doors of her neighbors as she weighed the number of DBs. There weren't many 0s, but about half of the apartments were labelled LB and hadn't been kicked open. Half. We got to Erica's place around the hall corner, passing the old lady Diane's door. It was kicked in and labelled NE, DB. Erica poked the door with her boot and it swung in. Inside, other than the dirty boot prints, it looked generally neat and tidy... other than the pool of dark something that had dried on the kitchen linoleum. I grabbed Erica and held her as she gasped and her knees went weak. I pulled her away from the door and she saw that her own apartment had also been kicked in, but was labelled 0 hazards and 0 bodies. We went in and she sat down on the couch, burying her head in her hands. Kneeling in front of her, I cradled her head on my shoulder and hugged her tightly as the reality of the world settled on her. She cried, though not as long as she probably needed, as I talked her through what had probably happened. Enough people had gotten sick and called emergency services that they came to do a sweep of the building. They knocked on every door, and anywhere someone didn't answer they kicked it in. Then I assumed they had extracted the bodies. "I need to get out of here," Erica breathed. "Okay," I said. "Do you need me to grab anything? Did we forget anything last time?" "No, nothing," she shook her head. "Just get me out of here." I picked her up and carried her out. Erica wasn't Ivy or Vanessa, or even Kyla. She was a full-figured woman. But I carried her every fucking step, down every stair. She stopped me right at the doors to the building and had me let her down. "I don't want Dani to see me like this," she said. "Why?" I asked. "She would understand." "I know," she said, blinking under her ski goggles. "But if she sees me like this, she'll start thinking about what might be happening back home for her, and she doesn't need that." I held Erica's hand at the door for another minute as she breathed deeply and got control of herself, and finally she smiled at me and it actually travelled up to her eyes. "Thanks, babe," she said. "Love you," I said. "You too," she said and touched her forehead to mine since we were both masked and goggled. "Hey, Charlie," I grinned, waving to the little four-year-old as she sprawled in Mary's arms and waved back with her little grin. "Hi," she chirped. "Okay," Mary said, setting her daughter down. "Scoot, you. Let Mommy talk with Harri for a second. Go see what your brother is doing." "Okay," Charlie said and pounded off in the way only a four-year-old could. "You're looking more like yourself, Mary," I said. I was standing off the porch and we kept the screen door closed, but I had my mask lowered so she could see my face. She smiled softly and shrugged. "I don't feel like it, but thanks." "How are the kids doing?" I asked. "Well, I regret letting them eat sugar again," she smirked a little. "But they're good. Better than me, anyways, though Thomas misses his friends from school and keeps asking when he can go back to class." She laughed and wiped under one eye. "He used to hate going to school every morning, now it's all he wants to do." "We'll get there eventually," I assured her. "What about you? How are you doing?"

Audio, eng_t_norav_2025-07-29_lesson_yortzait-ari_n1_p3. Lesson_part :: Daily_lesson 1

Audio, eng_t_rav_2025-07-29_lesson_yortzait-ari_n1_p2. Lesson_part :: Daily_lesson 1

Audio, eng_t_norav_2025-07-29_lesson_yortzait-ari_n2_p1. Lesson_part :: Daily_lesson 2 :: Lessons_series. Memorial Day for the ARI

Video, eng_t_norav_2025-07-29_lesson_yortzait-ari_n2_p1. Lesson_part :: Daily_lesson 2 :: Lessons_series. Memorial Day for the ARI

Video, eng_t_norav_2025-07-29_lesson_yortzait-ari_n1_p3. Lesson_part :: Daily_lesson 1

Video, eng_t_rav_2025-07-29_lesson_yortzait-ari_n1_p2. Lesson_part :: Daily_lesson 1

Audio, eng_t_norav_2025-07-29_lesson_yortzait-ari_n2_p1. Lesson_part :: Daily_lesson 2 :: Lessons_series. Memorial Day for the ARI

Audio, eng_t_rav_2025-07-29_lesson_yortzait-ari_n1_p2. Lesson_part :: Daily_lesson 1

Audio, eng_t_norav_2025-07-29_lesson_yortzait-ari_n1_p3. Lesson_part :: Daily_lesson 1

Video, eng_t_rav_2025-07-29_lesson_yortzait-ari_n1_p2. Lesson_part :: Daily_lesson 1

Video, eng_t_norav_2025-07-29_lesson_yortzait-ari_n1_p3. Lesson_part :: Daily_lesson 1

Video, eng_t_norav_2025-07-29_lesson_yortzait-ari_n2_p1. Lesson_part :: Daily_lesson 2 :: Lessons_series. Memorial Day for the ARI

I was haunted by the opposite of black eyed children - Possessed on Memorial Day, from Disturbed Listener Cole,  - Haunted In The Bayou? - I Encountered "The Lady of the Bank" This is Disturbed: True Paranormal Featuring narrations by: Daryl Ellis Gregory James Amanda McKnight Kim Miller Get exclusive content, ad-free & early episodes, and more: ⁠www.patreon.com/disturbedpodcast⁠ Submit your true, horrifying experience to hear it on the podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠disturbedpodcast.com/submit⁠⁠⁠⁠ Voicemail: ⁠⁠⁠⁠hotline.disturbedpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Station: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://station.page/disturbed⁠⁠⁠⁠ Merch: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.disturbedpodcast.com/p/merch/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Disturbed: True Paranormal is a production of Killer Podcasts, a part of the Evergreen network. For more paranormal and true crime shows, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠KillerPodcasts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us ⁠⁠⁠⁠@disturbedpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram. If you enjoyed the show, subscribe and give us a review on your favorite listening platform. Music by epidemic sound and by Carl Casey at white bat audio. Our Host is Doug Bailey. Our Producer is Declan Rohrs. Our audio engineer is Nathan Corson. Thanks for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TO LEARN MORE:       www.CrossFitEdwardsville.com       www.Facebook.com/CrossFitEdwardsville      TikTok: @crossfitedwardsville      Instagram: @crossfitedwardsville        Twitter: @cfedwardsville        YouTube: CrossFit Edwardsville TO GET STARTED AT CFE:     Book a No-Sweat Conversation with a coach, using this scheduler:          https://crossfitedwardsville.com/intro/    You can also find the link to schedule on our website. While this show is educational & entertaining in nature, it does not replace or supplant professional medical guidance from your own physician. Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, please first consult with your doctor. 

 n a quiet Memorial Day visit to a remote Kentucky cemetery, two young sisters wander into a long-abandoned chapel across the dirt road—a place once home to sermons, now empty and sealed shut. Inside, they discover something impossible: a card game laid out like players had just stepped away... and dollar bills scattered everywhere. What starts as childish curiosity turns to full-blown terror when an unseen force rushes through the locked building. Years later, a familiar setup in a haunted asylum sends a chilling reminder: some games aren't meant to be played with. Especially not with the dead. If you have a real ghost story or supernatural event to report, please write into our show or call 1-855-853-4802! If you like the show, please help keep us on the air and support the show by becoming a Premium Subscriber. Subscribe here: http://www.ghostpodcast.com/?page_id=118 or at or at http://www.patreon.com/realghoststories

TO LEARN MORE:       www.CrossFitEdwardsville.com       www.Facebook.com/CrossFitEdwardsville      TikTok: @crossfitedwardsville      Instagram: @crossfitedwardsville        Twitter: @cfedwardsville        YouTube: CrossFit Edwardsville TO GET STARTED AT CFE:     Book a No-Sweat Conversation with a coach, using this scheduler:          https://crossfitedwardsville.com/intro/    You can also find the link to schedule on our website. While this show is educational & entertaining in nature, it does not replace or supplant professional medical guidance from your own physician. Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, please first consult with your doctor. 

Join everyones favorite Duck Jodie B. and her special guests Grace as they delve into the adventures of Grace's Memorial Day trip to Disney. As always, follow us on our socials at: Https://linktr.ee/disneywiththeducks #DucksFlyTogether #runDisney #magickingdom #epcot #animalkingdom #hollywoodstudios #disneypodcast #DVC

TO LEARN MORE:       www.CrossFitEdwardsville.com       www.Facebook.com/CrossFitEdwardsville      TikTok: @crossfitedwardsville      Instagram: @crossfitedwardsville        Twitter: @cfedwardsville        YouTube: CrossFit Edwardsville TO GET STARTED AT CFE:     Book a No-Sweat Conversation with a coach, using this scheduler:          https://crossfitedwardsville.com/intro/    You can also find the link to schedule on our website. While this show is educational & entertaining in nature, it does not replace or supplant professional medical guidance from your own physician. Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, please first consult with your doctor. 

TO LEARN MORE:       www.CrossFitEdwardsville.com       www.Facebook.com/CrossFitEdwardsville      TikTok: @crossfitedwardsville      Instagram: @crossfitedwardsville        Twitter: @cfedwardsville        YouTube: CrossFit Edwardsville TO GET STARTED AT CFE:     Book a No-Sweat Conversation with a coach, using this scheduler:          https://crossfitedwardsville.com/intro/    You can also find the link to schedule on our website. While this show is educational & entertaining in nature, it does not replace or supplant professional medical guidance from your own physician. Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, please first consult with your doctor.

Another great year of Animazement has come and gone and Bill, Austin, and Tori are here to tell you all about it. Pay no mind that the convention ended almost a month and a half ago! This episode was a beast to edit, and for good reason! Not only do we talk about our panels, the cool sights and sounds we experienced, the good food we ate, and merch we bought, but we also had not one or two, but FIVE special guests join us for various segments throughout this episode to talk about some of the cool things they saw and did over the weekend. Going through them in appearance order, you may know a few of them from being on the show before or encountering their work on the internet in various places; we have returning friends Coop (@RiderStrike) and Maddy (@hyakushiki0087) back on the show but also Megan (@brainchild129), Cody (@codyanskaya), and Kurt (@GreatSG) join us for the first time! Coop, Megan, and Maddy travelled from far off lands (the Midwest and the west coast) to see if the rumors about Animazement being "good" were true. Listen to find out! Coop regularly writes for Anime News Network, contributes to releases from Discotek and AnimEigo, and does some podcasty stuff from time to time. Maddy appears as a regular contributor to Giant Robot FM. Megan is a frequent panelist and writes for Anime Feminist as well as her own blog, The Manga Test Drive! Cody is a long-time Animazement head but joins us to talk about their debut panel Rotund Mecha Gentleman, something we really got a kick out of and I'm sure you all will too. Kurt is the mastermind behind panels such as the Awesomely Bad Japanese Music Videos and Ugly Giant Robots Arbitrarily Ranked but we had him on specifically to talk about his brand new endeavor The Anime Home Video Museum, a audio visual odyssey through the history of anime on home video. It's a heck of a thing and I know you guys will love to hear Kurt talk about it. Did you attend Animazement this year? If not, did you attend one of the other 900 conventions happening over Memorial Day weekend? Let us know by sending us an email at thirdimpactanime@gmail.com and we'll discuss it on the show. 00:00:00 - Live from the hotel room on Sunday afternoon, it's The Nagahomies! (Austin, Tori, Coop, Maddy, and Megan!) 00:19:23 - The actual con-versation starts! (Lots of autograph and panel talk) 00:39:48 - Cody joins us to talk about Rotund Mecha Gentlemen and their general thoughts about the con 00:59:39 - The con-versation continues! (Mostly on the Aimi concert) 01:04:38 - Kurt joins us to talk about the origins and the madness of The Anime Home Video Museum! 01:35:59 - Extra talking about the AHVM, Tori's horrors in the horror panel, most notable cosplays, Austin talks about his panels (10 Anime Movies You May Have Missed and Road of Resistance: 15 Years of BABYMETAL), Bill and Austin talk about being invited onto a Trivia Knights game show, reflecting on the Masao Maruyama panel, Bill playing Mario Golf, and talking about what we did (and didn't) buy. 02:19:00 - Wrap up, recommendations, and social media plugs! If you enjoy this or any other episode, leave us a Rating and Review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or elsewhere! Show notes are available on our website: www.thirdimpactanime.com More helpful links: https://beacons.ai/thirdimpactanime Follow us on Bluesky at thirdimpactanime.bsky.social Follow us on Instagram at instagram.com/ThirdImpactAnime Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Podbean Support us on Ko-Fi | Patreon

Great Pop Culture Debate host Eric Rezsnyak explains how we created the bracket for our 2025 Summer Special devoted to the best blockbuster movies released between Memorial Day and Labor Day, from 1975's "Jaws" through 2023's "Barbie" -- and walks you through the Round 1 match-ups. The main episode will release on Tuesday, July 15, wherever you listen to podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any upcoming episodes: https://www.greatpopculturedebate.com/subscribe And if you love pop culture, sign up for our weekly newsletter to keep up on all the new movies, music, and TV shows dropping every week! CREDITS: Intro/outro music: "Dance to My Tune" by Marc Torch ⁠⁠⁠https://www.greatpopculturedebate.com/blog/top-10-reasons-to-join-great-pop-culture-debate-patreon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TO LEARN MORE:       www.CrossFitEdwardsville.com       www.Facebook.com/CrossFitEdwardsville      TikTok: @crossfitedwardsville      Instagram: @crossfitedwardsville        Twitter: @cfedwardsville        YouTube: CrossFit Edwardsville TO GET STARTED AT CFE:     Book a No-Sweat Conversation with a coach, using this scheduler:          https://crossfitedwardsville.com/intro/    You can also find the link to schedule on our website. While this show is educational & entertaining in nature, it does not replace or supplant professional medical guidance from your own physician. Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, please first consult with your doctor. 

Jeff Passan and Rays closer Pete Fairbanks discuss Pokemon and the Tampa Bay way. Then, Jeff and Kiley McDaniel look at how the recent changes atop the Nationals will impact their draft approach, before going through some of the "best of's" in the upcoming MLB Draft. And Jeff checks in with John Schneider, manager of baseball's hottest team, the Toronto Blue Jays on what has made the difference for Toronto since Memorial Day. CALL THE SHOW: 406-404-8460 EMAIL THE SHOW: BleacherTweets@gmail.com REACH OUT ON X: #BLEACHERTWEETS 08:02 Pete Fairbanks 23:24 Kiley McDaniel 41:09 John Schneider 01:02:41 Bleacher Tweets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeff Passan and Rays closer Pete Fairbanks discuss Pokemon and the Tampa Bay way. Then, Jeff and Kiley McDaniel look at how the recent changes atop the Nationals will impact their draft approach, before going through some of the "best of's" in the upcoming MLB Draft. And Jeff checks in with John Schneider, manager of baseball's hottest team, the Toronto Blue Jays on what has made the difference for Toronto since Memorial Day. CALL THE SHOW: 406-404-8460 EMAIL THE SHOW: BleacherTweets@gmail.com REACH OUT ON X: #BLEACHERTWEETS 08:02 Pete Fairbanks 23:24 Kiley McDaniel 41:09 John Schneider 01:02:41 Bleacher Tweets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Ciociola and Michael Jr. of Calvary Christian Center join us on this episode to talk about A Grateful Nation Remembers. This is the event held at the California based church every year on Memorial Day to honor heroes. This year Kris was the keynote speaker, and was blown away by what they do, so we figured we'd have them on to talk about the history of the event and what goes into it. You can can learn more about the church at http://cccyc.net and @CalvaryCCYC on Instagam. Follow Michael Sr. on Instagram @Mcioc and on X @MichaelCiociola. Follow us:http://instagram.com/battlelinepodcasthttp://x.com/battlelinepod You need electrolytes. But not just any electrolytes. Try the best. Try BUBS Hydrate or Die. 20% off your first order when you use the code Battleline - https://www.bubsnaturals.com/?discount=BATTLELINE For 15% off select Fort Scott Munitions products go to http://fsm.com & use promo code: Battleline Photonis Defense is the global leader in night vision solutions providing more high-quality night vision capabilities than anyone. Hunters, shooters, boaters and outdoor enthusiasts rely on Photonis Defense systems to make their adventures safer and more successful. Visit http://photonisdefense.com for more information; or look for Photonis Defense product options from your night vision dealer.   For full video of this episode, head over to our Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/@battlelinepodcast      

This week on From the Front Porch, Annie and Hunter discuss the best books of 2025 (so far)! To purchase the books mentioned in this episode, stop by The Bookshelf in Thomasville, visit our website (search episode 536) or download and shop on The Bookshelf's official app: Annie's books: First five-star read: Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld Most surprising: Blessings and Disasters by Alexis Okeowo (releases August 5th) Least favorite: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins Next on your TBR: The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley, The Names by Florence Knapp Most anticipated fall release: Same by Hannah Rosenberg (releases October 21st), Heart the Lover by Lily King (releases October 7th) Annie's Top Ten (So Far): 1. Tilt by Emma Pattee 2. Flashlight by Susan Choi 3. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 4. Things in Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li 5. Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld 6. Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks 7. Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green 8. The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett 9. Lucky Night by Eliza Kennedy 10. Playworld by Adam Ross Hunter's books: First five-star read: Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett Most surprising: Exit Zero by Marie-Helene Bertino Least favorite: When The Harvest Comes by Denne Michele Norris Next on your TBR: Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley Hunter's Top Ten (So Far): 1 Audition by Katie Kitamura 2. Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones 3. Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett 4. Alligator Tears by Edgar Gomez 5. Among Friends by Hal Ebbott 6. The Wilderness by Angela Flourney (releases September 16th) 7. Open Heaven by Sean Hewitt 8. The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett 9. Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico 10. Exit Zero by Marie-Helene Bertino From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf's daily happenings on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, and all the books from today's episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com.  A full transcript of today's episode can be found here. Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Podcast Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations.  This week, Annie is reading A Change of Habit by Sister Monica Clare. Hunter is reading The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong. If you liked what you heard in today's episode, tell us by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us on Patreon, where you can access bonus content, monthly live Porch Visits with Annie, our monthly live Patreon Book Club with Bookshelf staffers, Conquer a Classic episodes with Hunter, and more. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch. We're so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week. Our Executive Producers are...Beth, Stephanie Dean, Linda Lee Drozt, Ashley Ferrell, Wendi Jenkins, Martha, Nicole Marsee, Gene Queens, Cammy Tidwell, Jammie Treadwell, and Amanda Whigham.

MUSICOzzy Osbourne wants to do a duet with Beatles legend Paul McCartney. In case you haven't heard, LeAnn Rimes had an embarrassing moment Saturday night when her teeth FELL OUT in the middle of her performance of "One Way Ticket".Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong scolded a fan last weekend during their set at a German festival, threatening to "beat their a**" if they didn't stop shooting him with a water gun. Last year, Sabrina Carpenter teamed up with Dunkin to offer us Sabrina's Brown Sugar Shakin' Espresso. And this summer she's doing it again. Except this time, we're getting Sabrina'sNEW MUSIC OUT TODAY in RECORD STORES AND STREAMING311's 90s Throwback EP: Volume 2 contains vintage live tracks.Awolnation's Run 10th Anniversary Edition adds a bunch of bonus tracks.Lynyrd Skynyrd's Celebrating 50 Years - Live at the Ryman includes a roster of guest stars, including Brent Smith of Shinedown.A Tribute to the King of Zydeco includes a new track from The Rolling Stones.TVThe Jeff Bezos / Lauren Sanchez wedding festivities kicked off yesterday, and the celebrities have been pouring into Venice. MOVING ON INTO MOVIE NEWS: New in Theaters: "F1: The Movie" and "M3GAN 2.0""F1: The Movie" (PG-13) Trailer and Trailer 2: Brad Pitt plays a driver whose promising career was derailed by an accident 30 years ago. He gets a shot at redemption when former teammate Javier Bardem asks him to help save his floundering team, led by rookie driver Damson Idris.Buckle up for the F1 movie … The movie F1, starring Brad Pitt, is now in theaters. Critics suggest that hardcore Formula 1 fans might be distracted because of aspects about the sport that the film gets wrong. But if you can suspend your disbelief – and allow yourself to get swept up by the speed and special effects – it might be a popcorn movie worth watching.2. "M3GAN 2.0" (PG-13) Trailer and Trailer 2: This one takes place two years after the first movie, with M3GAN's creator Gemma (Allison Williams) now an advocate for strict government A.I. oversight.But after a defense contractor steals M3GAN's tech and creates a self-aware killer robot named Amelia, Gemma is forced to resurrect and upgrade M3GAN to prevent Amelia from wiping out the rest of humanity.3. "Ice Road: Vengeance" (Not Yet Rated) Trailer: Liam Neeson stars in this sequel to his 2021 big rig movie "The Ice Road". In this one, he takes on some ruthless mercenaries on the road to Mt. Everest to protect a busload of tourists and save a village they're threatening.Subway was a sponsor for Adam Sandler's character in the original "Happy Gilmore". And now with "Happy Gilmore 2" on the way, they're actually offering a tie-in meal.The original Spider-Man movies are heading back to the big screen.Disney live-action version of Lilo & Stitch was released over Memorial Day weekend and has grossed $910 million worldwide. Disney made the announcement on 6/26 to correspond with the space alien's government name, Experiment 626, that a sequel will be in development, no word on when production will begin. "M3GAN 2.0" hits theaters this weekend . . . but there's an ADULT spinoff on the way called "SOULM8TE". GAMINGEpic Games, maker of Fortnite, has started issuing refunds to Americans who were "tricked" into making unwanted game purchases as part of a $245 million settlement.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We talked to Scuba Steve after some people suspected he is leaving the show. He clears up the rumors and addressed what he’s really doing. Bobby wanted to know if he should have tipped the guy at the phone store after spending 2 hours with him getting a new phone. We discussed if you can get arrested for peeing on a golf course, Luke Bryan refunding an entire concert, and how Eddie made his kid’s team practice over Memorial Day Weekend. The show also competes to see who knows more about lyrics to famous country songs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.