Yeah. Kindergarten. Kindergarten. Yeah. Yeah, a garden for kinders. Yeah. That's a cute name. Oh my god. Oh no, it's okay. I'm just gonna pack my dish. Welcome back to life lessons in film. Hello. Today, on the program, we are talking about analyzing the kindergarten teacher. There's a good film. There's a good film. There's a lot to reflect on. Wait, I have to do the 22nd thing? Oh yes, yes, yes, yes. To describe it. Yes, yes, yes. 20 seconds to give a synopsis so that we're all on the same page. The movie is about a kindergarten teacher who, an aspiring poet, she's always wanted to be a poet but she did not succeed, so she is living with unfulfilled dreams. Then she discovers that one of her pupils is a child protégé poet and then starts to live vicariously through that kid and that is basically the whole movie. Yeah, basically doing lots of things that go back to her, living vicariously through the kid. Yeah, there were a couple main strains there in that movie. The character, the main Maggie Kellar character is very good. There's a lot of unfulfilled parents out there and it can manifest in a lot of different ways and it's never good. Again, life is unfulfilling for everyone to a certain degree. You just have to accept it and I don't know, I think maybe also it's easy.  To be fair, she is going to poetry classes, right? Yeah, that's true.  So she does keep going when she has her career as a kindergarten teacher and then at night, once a week goes to these classes and so she is, she thinks she's following her gut. Yeah, yeah, you're right. She's probably hoping, oh maybe I will get some recognition out of this. I'll do it enough and they also write my own poetry and then I'll get recognized a little bit. Yeah, that's true. So yeah, to her credit she is trying to follow her dreams and to, you know, what you're saying about like people following their gut biome or their butt guy however, as we say that, right, there is that whole thing where sometimes, you know, you talked about acceptance and sometimes I think following your gut means more aligning or accepting your real who you really are instead of pursuing relentlessly your ideal self because I think that's the thing with a lot of people. A lot of us have this idea of what we want and obviously that's molded by society and so you have this vision of yourself that you keep pushing for and sometimes you just keep pushing for it even though there's so many things, so many signs that say stop pushing, it does not work for you. Like I don't have the most magnificent voice but I would have loved it when I was a kid. I used to, the idea of being a singer on stage, I would pretend whenever there was this a singer that I loved, you know, that I was watching and I'm like oh my gosh that would be so cool if I were that but you know then imagine then despite the fact that I cannot sing to save my life, I'm not the worst but you know imagine then I'm pushing for this thing when I'm very clearly aware of the fact that I do not have that capacity. Yeah, do you know what I mean? That reminder or it may be depicting us pursuing our ideal self despite all evidence that you should stop and then look at yourself as you are and maybe start looking at the things about you that or even appreciating. You know what I mean? Like appreciating yourself as you are, I think that's something for me in that movie the whole time. There's this lack of appreciation of who she is at that present moment and she has a very beautiful life she has. The husband that loves her, she has, she's a kindergarten teacher, kids are just fantastic and she's also very good at it. Which is it's it's hard enough to find a job that you're good at that you get enjoyment out of and and as the one person I think in her class said it's an honorable profession to be a kind of grand teacher that's the future that's our kids and you got to leave a good impression on kids when they're young and you know but it doesn't seem to really she's like yeah and I get it right when you do it as a job it's never as magical as someone that just hears that sounds important that sounds great good for you you know because you do it every day and you're like yeah but it's my life you know but I think there is that where people still want more and I think first of all accept again that you know there's gonna be you're probably gonna find yourself a little disappointed with your life but also that's a frame of mind like that you can also just look at it as look like especially where it came from depending on all the hurdles I got over look what I've accomplished and and yeah look you know this isn't so bad you know why do I even feel the need to you know have have things differently you know and when you have things differently you have other negatives that come along with that too so it's yeah you know it's important to keep that perspective I uh the part that that I like thinking about with that movie the most and it's because I just like thinking about it it tackles a little bit about art and the the creativity what is creativity what is good art versus bad art because she's in the poetry class and and the teacher doesn't want them to compare he's like don't try and please me with your stuff just allow yourself to feel free and comfortable and write something which I think is the right approach for good creativity um or good creativity for just creativity um but you know the people are competitive and so you read it out and there's still people being like oh I like that you know and they probably feel like oh my things crap but especially with poetry it's it's it's like painting I think it's a bit more of an abstract art music to a degree you can still feel like people most people even if you're tone deaf yourself you can generally tell when people are singing out of key so there's still a bit of that kind of technical like that is at least your least hitting the notes properly where the poetry and painting there's even kind of in my in my point in my mind might be less rules uh concrete rules with that apart from like being able to spell be able to actually like read the yeah um so it's hard to really know it's all about do you connect with it yeah and everyone's going to connect with different stuff differently so it's really hard to tell and they have like not a they have a poetry competition I think at one point in the movie which again it's I think it's more just it's you can only ever take it so seriously because it's so subjective a lot of competitions are but especially but that's not a bad thing either I like the poetry subjective but anyway it's all it's it's to think about you know what is good technique in things like poetry or art in general and how do you develop that she got critiqued at one point because her metaphors were kind of the stuff that people go to a lot when you're first starting out so you know it's it's kind of like your mainstream your mainstream or and then kind of just yeah like the stuff like okay you clearly took that from like a well-known poet right you're kind of which but the the thing the reason why the the teacher recognizes that is I think he gets the process of poetry it's like if you're starting off playing guitar you first okay what are some of the most iconic fun licks to play so you learn like some of the classic jimmy page jimmy hendrix licks right and then from there you try and change it up and you played enough that you start to develop your own but everything you know bob dillon started off just ripping off I think Woody Guthrie you know you have to at first um creativity is only ever so original it's mostly just taking stuff that's already been and you mix it in different ways so everyone has to first just start ripping off people and then you you hopefully also have to immerse yourself enough to have different influences and then yeah and then your own voice is kind of a different amalgam of these things yeah but I always find that very interesting when it comes to what is creativity and and how do you keep a creative mind and and trust yourself enough to feel like I think this is original and and I also don't think that you know how do you avoid you know plagiarism and things and um yeah it's it's fascinating for me I don't know I was just thinking about her that the relationship she has with the with the poetry teacher that the poetry teacher points out later as when he discovers that she so she starts writing the the the child protege's poet poems and then presents them as her own in class initially but then later reveals that they were her the kids all all along and when the poetry teacher thought that they were her poems that he then has his conversation with with her about how wow you know you've really come a long way I'm very impressed by it because initially when you started I thought you were really not a good poet and then you all of a sudden come with these things these poems and it's fascinating and then she sees him see her as her ideal self right and and that makes her sad in the beginning because at that time when they went when she's having that conversation with him she'd gone there to recite a poem that she that was original that she'd written and he's like ah it's okay but you know it's not one of your best but like you've been really good I'm sure you wrote it you know maybe you were tired because she does that I was tired and she's like and he's like yeah but you've been so great like the path the refers again to the kids poems and that she feels really lush it knocks her down but then as after not after that happens he goes and he and he goes back to talking about the how incredible the poems that she's been reciting have been the kids poems right she just looks she sees him looking at him that way and she revels in that you know and I think it's really interesting you know how sometimes even though even though it's a lie in that moment being seen for this thing that you aspire to be I think it gave her this it filled that emptiness that she had in that moment and so that's when she just ends up having the affair which is obviously very problematic you know just to enjoy the moment of being adored for this ideal self that she keeps pushing for so relentlessly you know I can see that she's really putting in the work I think a lot of us you know we would have it's it's hard for all for people to keep putting in the work every single day you know even with just this youtube thing sometimes you know like after work I'm so exhausted but I'm like okay we commit it to this and we love it and and so we're gonna do it despite how exhausted I am and so and then you keep at it and you get better you know and but then when you're when you're doing that when you are truly putting in the work because she is and it's not getting you anywhere it is so um what's the word yeah it is it is so deflating and it just and you just feel like man can I can't can't I catch a break so I feel bad for her in that sense and I think that's probably why it is that her mental capacities fail a little bit and that's why she ends up doing all of these things that are just make no sense and she does not see clearly I think that's what it is yeah although I would say I would even bring that back to uh you know what is creator or how do you maintain creativity and a sense of originality is is even though I think we all now and then even if you're someone that truly just does their creative outlet there are purely for the enjoyment of the process of it and not caring about getting recognition or oh I should you know I should catch a break by now they don't care about any outside recognition or or you know esteem they don't care about any of that even though now and then everyone enjoys that but that I think is crucial to have because then that's also what helps you develop your own sense because I think eventually you also stop stop looking at other influences so much because then you just start getting into your own groove and then you just enjoy that your own groove so much that it evolves on its own thing without being influenced as much you know and then you're also not worrying about you know will this so then you can focus purely on that which keeps you motivated keeps you inspired and then that's how it evolves I think I think if you're living life with the view to get validated by other people if you are someone who is in that space of not being okay with yourself not having that validation within yourself and not eating other people to do that for you I think if you are that then you can be creative and write and all these things without being knocked down by external influences you know what I mean yeah but and and I think for example as much as she's here kind of seemingly flogging a dead horse with the poetry classes she keeps doing this and then she keeps getting negative feedback from her peers and that then turns this love that she basically her relationship with poetry becomes very unhealthy and toxic for her and the people around her and but then this is the thing that she loves right and so for me if she was more confident within herself these things wouldn't knock her down do you know what I mean and also no one knows what's going on in your head and your heart and with something that's really creative I think it's just difficult to get direction from someone because their direction as well stems from so many things their personality their character right there how they were socialized whatever you know what I mean it's a tricky thing with creative stuff to take someone's advice but then also listen to what you're trying to do yeah stuff thing and it's kind of create art creating is kind of a different version of do you compare yourself to other people or do you compare yourself to how you used to be because then that way that keeps you motivated you're like well I know I've improved from how I used to be in this way you know because you'll never there's you'll never really feel good about yourself you're always looking outward you know there's always going to be someone who's thicker than you or wider than you or larger than you yeah you know metaphorically yes yeah one of the things that stood out of course in the movie is her relationship with her kids you know her being this regret that she has for her unfulfilled dreams it then affects how how she parents her children and the kind of relationship she has with her kids there are those parents who want to live vicariously through her kids I think she first she in the movie we see her living vicariously through this child but it seems based on the relationships and the conversations that I had with the family that she initially was trying to do that with her kids a lot of parents do do that right like they see their kids as an extension of themselves and they have this idea that if you're if you if there were hope if you had hopes and dreams that you didn't fulfill you can have a kid and then you can channel your kid towards your own hopes and dreams and then when the kid accomplish the accomplishes those hopes and dreams that you've never did then finally you can breathe that sigh of relief finally having accomplished this thing it manifested in a very bad relationship with the with the with her kids right yeah leads her to steal a child as much as we talked about how not you shouldn't want external sources of validation but it is very different when it comes to your parents you want your parents to not to be proud of you because these are people you love like even if you have a horrible relationship with your parents and you fought and you feel like you're in you're so angry at them and you move countries they are with you your family your blood is with you no matter what even that anger that anger is a sign that you love them no matter how much you try and you know fool yourself into thinking that no i'm over this family and so your life and your happiness in primarily depends on um how good a relationship the kind of relationship what you have with your family with your parents and you know how your how your family uh works also then will translate into how you interact with the world right this they influence in so many ways so having a parent that tells you i'm so proud of you that really sees you and appreciates you for who you are and talks to you and says to you i see this thing about you even though it's completely different um from who i am and um you know what like what i would like i really love this thing about you and i'm so curious about it i want to learn about it and i'm so proud of you for for finding things that you love and following um your dreams you know and so that's the kind of relationship you'd ideally want with your parents and she doesn't give that to her kids because she's so obsessed with her own ambitions and she's wanting her kids to fulfill her own dreams and she talks about how the kids the kids are not cultured they're not into poetry you know and intellectualism they're all about instagram and commercialism and how did this happen this generation and i'm like how do you these are your kids how did it happen parent you are the parent your kids are the way that they are because of you yeah can't blame it all on the school or society you know you have the biggest impact especially early on exactly maybe people kind of like that takes away some of the like the the uh responsibility yeah maybe like ah well it's the world's fault yeah it's not going to do with me everyone wants at the end of the day is to be appreciated seen for who they are by their parents primarily but also by everybody or as many people as possible and uh and that's where so much of the the fights i think come in the dysfunction and an over identity and who you are and and trying to find something that that feels like a true self that's ever everyone's going through that so really be a parent and just have kids and i know it's it's maybe easier said than done but uh that that's that's like so much of the struggle in the human condition is just not being seen for who you want to be seen as yeah just let people have a human experience yeah let them be yeah you just be yeah it's it's interesting to me because we've had this conversation a lot about parents and how they don't when you're when they have children they they don't see you as an individual and they don't raise you as an individual which i think that's what parents ought to do when you're having when you have a kid i don't think it's fair to have a kid just because you're like you know because this is someone you want to mold in a certain direction i think being a parent is looking at your kid and seeing what are the what traits does this person have what kinds of things are they interested in if they are like you okay great it makes it easier you know you can channel them towards you know towards a certain career or any first or something it's easier for you because you're similar right because at the end of the day as a parent you're supposed to be guiding your kids through life right you're the person who helps them socialize into their society and so that's your role as a parent but if you do it in a way where you are um in a restrictive way you know where you say i want you to become a whatever you know and you're doing that just because that's something that you wanted to do and so well if i didn't do it you have to do it so i can finally be happy yeah and then you start ignoring who your kids are and then it kind of feels like a contingent love i only care you only love me if i if i act this way and if or if i am this kind of person and on the on the flip side it's either wanting to live vicariously through the person through your kid or uh there seems to be a lot of people that struggle with yeah i guess like thinking not even more abstractly but just being more open-minded where they can only get along with people that like this sports team that have this kind of job that live in this area so that really limits what your kid can then do so then you know understandably they kind of want to hold on because they're like well i'm i love my kid because growing up you can create this bond but then what if they start to become someone that goes in a totally different career chant then i'm not going to be able to get along with them yeah that's fine again you can still find common stuff to get along with them like doesn't it suck when you your body starts to age and you notice you you start to creep and crack and it's you struggle everyone can relate to that or like find just universal things everyone can relate to if they do end up being you know an architect versus working in finance it's like you can still find you know but some people to have like unless you are the exact same i can't get along with anyone else who's not who's slightly deviated from me yeah and which is the other interesting thing right because um i think that's that is why she does that because and a lot of parents i think do that too where they're trying to have their kids be interested in the same kinds of things um that they were because then there's that similarity you create your own kind of friend and in the family like on the dinner at the dinner table then you're having a conversation around things that you as a parent understand instead of like of things that you know that you don't understand again that is really problematic if you're the kind of person um who's who needs to be into the same kinds of things who needs to you know watch the same kinds of movies or uh i don't know like the same kinds of fun activities or extracurricular activities if you're that kind of person who only makes friends with people who watch exactly the same things you know that's i don't know that's such a limiting thing you know i also don't think that material things um should be the premise of a relationship because we could be watching the same movie we could love hiking both you and i and we really truly love hiking but what's happening like um at the height the conversation the conversation is not really filling me up here and um after i just feel very dry or even drained um after having after going for the hike with you which never mind the height you know at that point it doesn't really matter well like i said that's why i think everyone should talk about their mortality more with people because that's something we can all relate to it's a it's a looming thing uh and instead of exactly because as much as we were saying you shouldn't need to have all the same material interests to get along with someone and then i'm thinking myself i'm like to be fair if there's someone that i can't really connect with on just a base human level and all we can do is talk about oh did you want do you like that show would you watch that and if you don't have those same interests it does make it hard to be on that person but that's not what i'm saying i'm not saying like we're not supposed to hang out that's the that's exactly the point right even if the um someone enjoys stuff that i like i know people who enjoy the the material things that i like you know the outdoors right i know people who love that and but but despite the fact that these people enjoy those things we do not they're not people that i really you know like we don't connect in ways that matter yeah i don't feel well that's what i'm saying is if you can't connect with people on the on the on the real the heart on the soul nothing else matters yeah to me that then you do need to find people then it is important that you like the same material things why because then you can at least be like oh wasn't that great yeah that was great that was a cool for what for a relationship a lasting relationship it's not gonna be great but i'm just saying you can at least if we're talking about if we're talking about small talk yeah sure yeah but even then yeah i feel like but that's the thing is i think why some people look like you gotta like the same sports team you gotta have all these things because they're unable to connect on more uh meaningful levels then that's why they're so desperate to like i hope you like the same sport as i do hope you like the same music as i do because that's all i got yeah but i yeah exactly but that's why i think people should talk about death more well i don't know what people should talk about more i i don't necessarily want that we don't talk about death at all no i mean we do for whatever reasons uh every now and then but it's um i i don't i never first thing you should do when you're meeting a new person is you're like how are you gonna feel right before you die are you gonna feel good about yourself no but just being vulnerable is the most important i think that that is the foundation of a good relationship being vulnerable naggy gillen hall's character um so vehemently tries to mold her kids in a certain way attest to her inability to connect in that way her inability to connect with people outside of material things and i think that's then that then manifests as a parent then you become that kind of parent who who only sees your kids mattering if they do perform a certain way and unfortunately you know like that creates a very distant relationship you know because then your your parent is never even the things that you accomplish your parent is never recognizing as accomplishments because there aren't stuff that she wants you to accomplish at the end of the day so you're never feeling you know like someone is proud of you you're never and the person that matters the most is proud of you yeah i'll say that's pretty much i don't know funny did we talk about like the relationship between the her and the kid it was unhealthy i liked it me too i absolutely love it i i love the movie it there was a lot there to talk about um no i just remember one time when she talks about the kid she's like don't let your nanny call you puppy bear oh yeah she's infantilizing like a baby you know she's infantilizing you and i'm like well she didn't say infantilizing she just said she's being treating you like a baby yeah and i'm like he is five yeah first of all it's five also you're in some ways treating him like a kid by taking away his agency yeah like i know what's best for you even though i'm just your teacher yeah so but but that's how people do it is you know you can you can you can twist things so much to being like no i'm seeing you as an adult and i'm treating you maturely no you're kind of treating them the same just in a you're being selfish for your needs and they're kind of being so the the the character you know the uh the babysitters selfish needs are it's money so i'm just gonna like oh yeah make you happy you want some ice cream or that will play games you know that kind of thing or i'll call you call you a duggy puppy dog you know because for her mind she's like it's just a gig you know i just watch over the kid it's pleasant enough yeah and it's also so interesting you know because she all goes to the parent and says you know you have a project here i i think we should cultivate this and the parent is like no i just want my kid to be a kid which is also very extremely fair although obviously he's quite a neglectful parent so i'm not even saying that he's great it's kind of just fine like i want to continue being neglectful yeah exactly so yeah because i'm thinking okay he's a kid yeah be hit let him be a kid but also if he is not a day find a way to find that balance where he can be a kid but also nurture this um this skill that he has this gift that he has it is so problematic to have and to to to think that you know better what how someone else should live you know it is the worst thing because you know like you don't you don't even know how how you should live right because think about yourself every single day i mean if you're someone who's really healthily living life even if there are problems in your life you are always constantly reassessing and looking at yourself and trying to figure out what am i doing wrong here you know how did i interact with that person it was i right when i said that you know i think that i might have maybe overstepped or let me call and let me you know kind of make make amends or myself right okay i tried this this didn't work what does that mean am i really capable here you're reflecting reflecting all the time and so even for yourself you're never really certain you can never really you know say that this is a hard fast true or the truth or fact i am this way or what i do is right or this way that i'm living is the right way you know especially looking back yourself 10 years ago look at yourself now so much of a difference so what kind of audacity you know must you have to tell a parent that someone else that they should parent their kid a certain way and also how do you how can you really truly say that you know for a fact that this is something that's good for someone yeah well anyway that's about it that's it that's the kindergarten teacher yeah kindergarten kindergarten yeah yeah i'm garden for kinders yeah it's a cute name that's so what do you guys think of the kindergarten teacher i give it honestly like maybe i'd give it a nine simply because the end was a little contrived with her getting locked up uh but everything else i gotta say still not nine out ten is still good that's the only thing seriously i'm giving it a ten out of ten truly well just because like it wasn't flawless to me i guess okay that's fair yeah for me a 10 out of 10 like the last few movies that were 10 10 i'm like i really can't pin down anything in particular that i would have changed you know yeah but like i i feel like it was yeah i don't know i think that it ended the way that it oh it should it i like how it ended how else could it have no well that's well that's why i understand why it's just you're just upset that because because the the lock was outside there was a lock outside yeah yeah it doesn't make sense if she got yeah but but it could happen if it had if it if there's a key yeah you know you could have the um that key that's out that's maybe the key is outside of the door and obviously maybe the person who was there before i left it out there maybe in some hotels they have doors that can be locked from the doesn't make sense i'm gonna say that's literally the only reason you're giving it a nine out of ten yeah i'm allowed to rate it however i want to rate it that is fair i'm giving it a you've rated other movies lower than i have in the past that's true i'm a little more yeah okay so then nine point five yeah out of ten yeah that's good that's fine that's fine i don't work with that yeah so what do you guys think yeah and next time till next time until next time bye


So interesting seeing Gwen's development. Her evolution from Into the Spider-Verse, a film where she was so, well, cool. It seemed like she had everything under control. She had been an established spider-woman for a few years, and Miles was the awkward newcomer. Though edgy, Gwen was confident in who she was, and it felt like she had it all figured out. She didn't do friends, but she seemed to be at peace with it all. However, in this sequel, which is almost just as much her film as it is Miles's, she is the complete opposite. Underneath all that edge, we are presented with a broken teenager. The loss of Peter Parker truly shook Gwen's world. In her world, the spider-woman isn't met with the kindness or praise that other Spider-men are met with. She's not friends with her Captain, or the police force, like the other Spider-people. To Captain Stacey, to them, she is a murderer, a menace, the reports call her. And Gwen herself feels very much responsible for the death of her best friend. That has left her guarded. Gwen pushes everyone close to her away. She doesn't allow herself to be close to others because she fears losing someone she cares about again. She refuses to lose another friend. Guilt rules Gwen Stacey's world. Her lack of friends, her response to her former bandmates, she has decided that she is not allowed to have friends anymore. So when she loses her father, when he aims a gun at his only daughter, who he has been calling a criminal for over a year now, Gwen Stacey hits rock bottom. There's nothing left for her in her world at 16 years old. When Miguel and Jess take her in, things begin to make sense. Her suffering being part of the canon makes complete sense. Like every other Spider-person, Gwen starts to rationalize her situation. All Spider-people are lonely. All Spider-people suffer. It is their fate. Hundreds of Spider-people gathered in the Spider-society, all with similar stories and feelings to her. Suddenly, she's not that lonely anymore. There's this idea in Across the Spiderverse that because they all share canon events, the most important one being loss, since they all share that grief and pain, that loss is synonymous with being Spider-man, that that is what makes Spider-man. Furthermore, Miguel plans this idea in them all that canon events bring meaning to their suffering. These Spider-people, they might be afraid to face the possibility that maybe they were too weak. Perhaps they simply failed that day, and they couldn't save those closest to them. They all blame themselves. It's human nature, so instead they cope by saying that no matter what, these people that they couldn't save would have died anyways. It was for a greater purpose, to save their universe. If guilt rules Gwen Stacy's world, then the canon answers this problem. It's the answer to her grief. With everything that has happened to her, the canon makes sense. She resigns herself to the fact that the canon can't be changed, and so she accepts it. Miguel, Jess, Lila, all these older, wiser figures, even Peter B, all tell her that to save their universes, to save billions, to be the good guys that Spider-man is meant to be and meant to represent, they have to accept their shared destiny. She has to accept that her father will die, and she has to accept that Miles Morales is an anomaly. In addition to her belief in the canon, there is more at stake for Gwen than the others. Gwen has to lie to Miles and she has to avoid him, because underneath everything, she doesn't want to go home. If she messes up, if she breaks the rules, if she steps out of line, Miguel will send her back to her dimension. She can't go back home. Her father pointed a gun at her, she isn't ready to face him. At home, she is a murderer, and at home, she will eventually have to face the fact and face the reality of things. Her father will die. Gwen here is forced to juggle and to consider so many things. She's even had to contemplate her own mortality. In the dimensions she's visited, Gwen Stacy doesn't live long. She hints at Miles that she is holding out on her own feelings towards him because of fate. Destiny has rendered her powerless in her own life. In the spider society, she sees all these spider women, but there aren't any Gwen Stacy's. Why is that? And so there's potential survivors guilty. Why is she alive and Peter Parker isn't? Like he's supposed to be. Speaking of Peter, she's reminded of her failure quite often over there. In the spider society, she's bombarded with the idea of Peter Parker. Some young, many a bit older, and yet all a reminder of how she couldn't save her own. How her own didn't get to grow up, or even graduate high school or get married. And it's all her fault. When Miles comes along, they form a rather unique bond. One that over time and time apart blossoms into something more. She resigned herself to never having friends again. But Miles' radiance and kindness were too strong for Gwen to resist, and that friendship turned into admiration. Gwen cares so much for Miles. When seeing Miguel for the first time, she asks him about his watch that could take her to any dimension. She keeps a Polaroid of the two of them in her drum kit. Gwen risks being sent back home just to spend one more day with Miles, not to mention her confession on the Williamsburg Bank building. But for someone like Gwen, all of this only means that Miles is a person that she must push away. She has been given a chance to ensure that he is safe. To, in a sense, atone for letting Peter Parker die. Miles Morales is a friend that she feels she does not deserve. So isolating herself from one more person, missing out on love, if it means saving him, Gwen is willing to do it. Gwen has already lost a best friend, and her father would instead raise his weapon at her, then accept her for who she truly is. Spider-Woman has lost her sense of self parading these universes, questioning her very morality. And on a whim, she finally reunited with the last person who means as much to her as Peter, or her father does. It's imperative to hammer home this point that Gwen's mental state is in a terrible, terrible place. Because it has her even considering the possibility that it is okay to let people die. It has her contemplating the chance that maybe it's okay for Inspector Singh and that little girl to die, if it means not losing her best friend. She tries to stop Miles, yes, to save the canon, but she also tries to stop him because she does not want to lose another friend to fall in rubble. The panic in her voice when Miles is under the ruins tells it all. Loss has made Gwen feel powerless, and her fear has given her tunnel vision. It has made her selfish and confused and she has ignored her emotions because of it. She ran away from her dimension, she ran away from her emotions, and she's latched onto this community, onto Miguel and Jess and the canon, because they are a way out. They are an escape. Gwen messed up. She was wrong. She's done nothing but lie to Miles. But everything she did, she did out of love. Given all these factors, given her deteriorating mental state, her guilt, she's just a kid. A kid who thought she was doing the right thing, who thought she was part of the good guys. A kid who needed to run away from home. Gwen Stacy doesn't do friends and she certainly doesn't do love. And yet, love has ultimately saved her and her father in this movie. Her love for Miles allowed her to witness Spider-Man fight against the canon and survive. And in that moment, she remembers why she admires him. She remembers that he is amazing. Why he is amazing? Miles reminds Gwen what it means to be a spider person. What that responsibility entails. Look at how proud she looks when Miles takes his destiny into his own hands. Look at how inspired she is. Miles doesn't know a world where the canon or where fate can constrain him. He says that to her on the Williamsburg bank building. There is a first time for everything. Her world was dark. A world that was never solid, never consistent in the colors and in the emotions. Very fluid. But when she is influenced by the young Spider-Man, he inspires her to force her hand on the world. And she forces her world to become brighter. Gwen Stacy at the end of this film decides to take a leap of faith. And she fully falls for Miles Morales, even if she might perish because of it. She is now willing to defy destiny for Miles. Because she knows that at the end of it all, even if she dies, at least Gwen Stacy can say that she tried. She tried to save someone she loves. She tried to save someone who might need her help. Because that is what the mask represents.


Sgt. Robin Marismasailas, Naples, Florida Sgt. Brian Arana, Miami, Florida I have myself sourced to be regretted upon the poor, the military service, and my country I am the officer of my mission, and the love and care of my home I will fulfill my responsibilities and heritage in that role All soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership We need more time, more time to accomplish their duties They will not have to accomplish mine We are professionals, non-commissioned officers, leaders We're the army and proud of We're the army and proudly proclaim The army's on its way, now and on Sgt. Braxton Carr, Ogden, Utah Sgt. Eduardo Garcia, Delero, California Sgt. Donald McEwan, Winston-Salem, North Carolina Hey, stop! Remember, the red ribbon, which is tied so prominently on the base is reminiscent of the red ribbon worn upon the lapel and breast of thousands of our comrades who bear witness to the unduly determination to demand a proper counting of our missing Remember, booze have been basic to soldiering Where the strap, lace, button, or buckle wrap at lanes Booze have marched, paced, sloshed, trampled, jumped and charged over dirt, mud, snow, brush, rock, sand, and water Now, like the white handle, the letter C represents the present and the period Before we can be an NCO who are owning it every day and before we can have strong co-leaders of teams every single one of us must first be great teammates End of D's, raise your right hand and repeat after me We'll discharge carefully and diligently the duties of the grade for their actions as a non-commissioned officer for their actions as non-commissioned officers the orders and directions governing the discipline of the army our greatest obligation as a leader and thereby confer my status Do you swear or affirm to uphold and secure the value and responsibilities of the non-commissioned officer for? Yes, Sergeant Major! As you demand, your guidance, patience, and understanding will more quickly teach me to be, know, and do Sergeant, for the praise and counseling you give is expected. I'm an American soldier expecting to be trained Sergeant, train me that I too can earn the title Sergeant Braxton Carr, Upton, Utah Sergeant Cody Pimson, Marion, Kentucky Brandish, DeWitt, Michigan


Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, good morning and welcome to Skip Dictation Live. My name is Sherman and in case you're new to the channel, this is my live stream where you can hang out, watch me go through the recording process of the skip of the day or week. Or maybe you just want to hang out with me for an hour while I work. Let's see. Channel updates for this week. The YouTube channel is a YouTube channel. I did update my Patreon. Someone had mentioned Patreon as a thing, so hey, if you want to help me make more of these things, I'm pitching towards maybe getting an actual webcam so I don't have to YouTube off my cell phone, though just plugged into my computer so it doesn't die. Or maybe getting a microphone, it's not a stage microphone. These are all things. Hey, if you like the videos, maybe you want to help out, that is going to be linked in the description. The best thing you can do if you want to help me out is the old like, share, and subscribe business that YouTube is all about. Anything you want to do to help me, I will keep pumping these out because I just love these skips. This week we're going to be recording SCP-1177. This was requested by Azimov's Rule Breaker, frequent commenter on the channel. 1177 is known as the coupon cutter. This one's going to be a lot less complicated than last week's creepypasta version. 1177 is kind of a news of the weird skip. What you end up with is just a Latin American woman who can cut off pieces of herself and give them to you and you will think they are money. So it's a bit more news of the weird than scary or funny or anything like that. But what I like about it is this is going to be short and sweet. We're not going to have a whole bunch of crazy sound effects and stuff because this is just a report. It's not so much a format screw. If you guys have any questions or comments, I will get to those in between takes in the live chat. Otherwise, I'm going to get back down or I'm going to get down to business. So the microphone's all tested and set up. Let's take it from the top. Item number SCP-1177, Object Class, Safe, Special Containment Procedures, SCP-1177 is currently housed in the containment quarters of Site 40. A staffed closed-circuit camera monitors SCP-1177 at all times. If SCP-1177 attempts to practice self-harm, alert the head researcher as soon as possible. Per standard humanoid containment precautions. So you're going to see this about me. I'm very picky with my takes. I do not like letting a stutter or a small word sneak in. I hear that on a lot of videos and it's like nails on a chalkboard. I hear it on some of my old videos and it's like nails on a chalkboard. It's like I can't believe I let that slide. Clean it up, Sokka. Per standard humanoid containment precautions. Personnel are to be searched before entering SCP-1177's chamber. Personnel are subject to an additional search upon exiting the chamber. Description SCP-1177 is a Latin American female of indeterminate age who possesses the ability to exchange severed pieces of her own body for goods and services. Although she appears elderly, this may be a result of her long-term abuse of her Sometimes she just can't read fast enough. In fact I think I read that right. I'm just not sure that I got the meaning of the sentence along the way. So from although she appears elderly we'll call that good.  End of the line. Alright, keeping it going. So although she appears elderly, this may be a result of her long term abuse of her anomalous property and lifestyle. Good. Although she appears elderly, this may be a result of her long-term abuse of her, I realize halfway through that sentence that I was saying it wrong because I already have the first line, although she may be elderly. So this may be a result of her, that's what I need to start with. This may be a result of her long-term abuse of her anomalous property and lifestyle. Interviews reveal that prior to entering foundation custody, she'd spent much of her adult life as a homeless vagrant. SCP-1177 was discovered in the Boop Casino in Kansas, after she bribed the doorman into allowing her entry and made several attempts to play nickel slot machines without the use of casino tokens before being apprehended by security and delivered to paramedics. I didn't do anything wrong there. I just gotta, I only realized during my last read through of this while I was studying it that she's playing nickel slots without tokens. Oh, oh, God, that hurts in my soul. Ugh, that's the worst.  That's just so painful. All right, where was I? Here we go. Foundation agents alerted to these events posed as employees of a local mental health facility and were given custody of the woman without incident. The slot machine and the rug under it were submitted for cleaning. Possessions found on SCP-1177's person upon containment included one costume jewelry ring, two plastic earrings, one toothbrush, one comb, fine-toothed, three empty wrappers belonging to the boop fast food chain, two instant lottery tickets, scratched off with no redemption value, one pocket knife, one washcloth, blood stained, one movie ticket stub, one piece of ham kept in an additional fast food chain wrapper, and one 16 ounce bottle of rubbing alcohol with half the contents remaining. These objects were evaluated and discarded. I think I did something weird on one of that. Let me go back and read. No, no, I got that, I got that, I got that. Nope, I was good. Excellent. It's fantastic. Rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling, rolling. Moving on down. Physical examination following containment revealed signs of self-mutilation covering her body, including numerous scars, healing wounds, missing teeth, and patches of hair. SCP-1177's fifth toes and right fourth finger are missing. Her right middle finger has been crudely amputated after the lower joint, as has the upper joint of her right index finger. Tissue samples, tissue, tissue, tissue, tissue, tissue, tissue, tissue, tissue, tissue, tissue. Excellent. Something I gotta fix this. Backing up, backing up, backing up, backing up, because I screwed up my life stream, go to the live control room, so I can actually see comments if they come through, because now I can't. Oh, hey, Asimov, I didn't see you a minute ago. I had a, I did a three-second live stream a minute ago because I wrecked my, what's the word I'm looking for? I wrecked my live stream by not testing my microphone beforehand, so I ran a three-second live stream, had it all set up, canceled it immediately, and then started a second one on the phone, but I didn't change the live station so I couldn't see comments. So, good morning, Asimov, welcome to the live stream. Yep, we're doing your request. It's a very straightforward one. We're gonna knock it right out way faster, no extra special effects, super exciting. But now I need to see where I am. Here we go. Tissue samples used by SCP-1177. I can do better than that. Tissue samples used, tissue samples used is a lot of Ss. Wake up the lips, wake up the lips, it's early in the morning today. Tissue samples used by SCP-1177 are most commonly strips of flesh from the arm or the leg. Gosh darn it. Tissue samples used by SCP-1177 are most commonly strips from, are most commonly strips of flesh from the arm or leg. Nope, stop, stop everything. What are you doing, audacity? Stop, stop freaking out, there we go. We're back, everything's fine, nothing is wound. Tissue samples used by SCP-1177 are most commonly strips of flesh from the arm or leg. Irregularly cut off using a pocket knife or other implement. Removed and cleaned of blood using a washcloth before being presented. Those who are offered a section of SCP-1177's body recognize it as being detached human flesh but do not manifest revulsion or surprise. Instead, they accept the flesh as an alternate form of payment like a voucher or debit card. This varies in effectiveness based on several factors, including the subject's normal likeliness of accepting alternate forms of payment, the size of the payment accepted, and the amount and type of flesh given. Incident log, 07-40-111. Drat. So close on that weird string of numbers. But we're over halfway done, this is gonna be a shorty because we're down to the incident logs already. All right, so rocking back along. Let me close all these other ones because I don't need to actually press the button in between. Here we go. Wait, good, that's where that's at. Continuing on. Audacity. You're doing the thing. Good, we're here. Incident log, 07-40-1177. As demonstrated by an attempted containment breach on 07-24. Cried, I was doing so good. On dates, I don't say 07, I just say the number that was there. Part of the quality is keeping consistency in format. Saying numbers the same throughout the speech. You don't want changing formats, it makes for bad consistency. As demonstrated by an attempted containment breach on 07-24, boop. SCP-1177 is capable of using body parts as a form of bribery. During food delivery, the woman gave the attendant boop, which she had apparently nod off without detection in exchange for release from containment quarters. According to testimony, SCP-1177 quickly maneuvered to the frontal lobby of Site-40. The woman borrowed a pair of scissors from the receptionist before attempting to exit, failing and requesting that the front doors be unlocked. The desk attendant denied the request and called for a security officer. When security arrived, SCP-1177 was attempting to use scissors to sever the remainder of her left ring finger. Experiment log, 1177-1. On eight, six, boop. An experiment was conducted in which two strips of flesh, each measuring a square inch, were taken from SCP-1177's leg, sanitized and given to researchers. Dr. Reigns purchased a hamburger at the Site-40 cafeteria, but did not consume it, citing loss of appetite. Research assistant Clark took his sample to SCP. Ah, lost appetite. Now we got jokes in the creepypasta. Research assistant Clark took his sample of SCP-1177. Research assistant, nope, bad take. Get some drank. Research assistant Clark took his sample of SCP-1177 to a local convenience store and attempted to exchange it for a pack of cigarettes. When the shopkeeper asked for his ID, Clark displayed, I'm not a night owl and it's not 10 in the morning yet. I'm not awake until 11. What was the last thing I successfully said? Pack of cigarettes. Pack of cigarettes. When the shopkeeper asked for his ID, Clark displayed the piece, I didn't say it wrong, I just thought I said it wrong. When the shopkeeper asked for his ID, Clark displayed the piece of flesh and was met with revulsion, hoping to further, sometimes you get stuck in a hole of failed takes. Gotta dig my way out of the hole and get back on a roll. Hoping to avoid further argument, the research assistant left for a bookstore. Left, several long take there. The long left. Hoping to avoid further argument, the research assistant left for a bookstore, where he successfully bought a used book with the sample. Stress fact. Stress fact shows. Stress fact shows and you. I'm a stress factor, this computer. Gaston. Whew, pardon. Whew, better out than in. So I wanna be a voice actor. I work for hours on these things, but I have a secret. My accents are dead. That was supposed to be Shrek. It was not even Scottish. Stress fractures, keeping your job from getting to you on clearance for $3. Since then, further experimentation has yielded the following transactions. One piece of muscle tissue, 0.5 ounce by weight for three bags of brand chocolate candies priced at 50 cents each. Successful. One lock of hair for one comic book. Boop, volume one, issue three. Priced at $2.99. Transaction failed. The operator considered the payment insufficient. One lock of hair for one comic book. NFL Super Pro, volume one, issue one. Priced at three for $1. Transaction successful. Oh, pardon me, that was Dr. Pepper. Yep, we're friends now, right? That's what happens when you hang out with me. We're all gross together. Shoot. Transaction successful. One two ounce vial of blood for one bag of brand charcoal briquettes priced at $6.99. Transaction failed. The convenience store clerk considered the payment insufficient. Three two ounce vials of blood for one bag of brand charcoal briquettes priced at $6.99. Transaction successful. The researcher was given three dimes and one nickel, value 35 cents, in change. One piece of skin measuring nine square inches in area for one gold plated necklace. Successful. The transaction was made at a pawn shop. As of eight, 10, boop, the piece of skin is framed and on display in one of the shop's cabinets. Experiment log 1177-2 on eight, 12, boop. Researcher McAims. I'm gonna look out on, I'm gonna look up how to process researcher McAims because I think it's McAims, MacAims, McAims. Do-do-do. Well, I'm glad your boss is a fan of the project. Helps you get away with stuff. And by the way, I do not want anyone getting in trouble listening to the stream. The hours of these streams are gonna be very, very odd because sometimes I'll record in the daytime, sometimes I'll record in the nighttime. I'm gonna be all over the place. It's gonna be really random and hard to schedule. So tune in when you can. Don't get in trouble at work. Don't crash your car. It'll always post up after the fact on eight, 12, boop is where we're at now. We gotta find out researcher McAims, I believe. McAims, but gonna pronunciation guide that cause I can't pronounce words. Pronunciation, McAims. I'm certain it's McAims. It has to be McAims. No, I did not mean games or memes. So that's not a word they're gonna pronounce for me. So I'm just gonna go with McAims. Go for authenticity. And if you can't get authenticity, wing it. Researcher McAims stood on Fifth Street in downtown, boop, from 1321 to 1352. During this time, he approached numerous pedestrians and requested that they make change for him for the subway from one of 10 samples of SCP-1177 stamped 1177-45 through 1177-55. Each a 0.5 ounce chunk of skin and flesh taken from SCP-1177's abdomen. Each person who accepted the sample was tracked by a foundation task force until a transaction was made which used their piece of the sample. Dread, I was so close to finishing that sentence. Each person is where I'm gonna start from. And by the way, just for your foundation cannon paying attention to this, this is pointing out that the foundation has flayed this woman multiple times and drained her blood. So yeah, part of your squick is that she's like gnawing off pieces of herself and trading them. And yeah, it was funny that that guy lost his appetite but realize that the foundation is skinning this woman for experimentation purposes. Oh, man. And that's why we love them. Each person who accepted the sample was tracked by a foundation task force until a transaction was made which used their piece of tissue. The following results were recorded. 1177-45, placed in the tip jar of a coffee house. 1177-46, used at an electronic store to purchase the PC game. Boo! 1177-47, used to partially cover the bill at an Irish tavern. 1177-48, placed in an envelope and mailed. 1177-49, given to a homeless man. When this occurred, the man became very agitated and shouted unintelligibly at the subject until he was out of sight. 1177-51, deposited in a savings account at the local branch of Wachovia Bank. 1177-52, placed in a dancer's top at the Boo! Gentleman's Club. 1177-53, dragged five three, so close, almost made it through all of them. Oh, and by the way, on the word of redactions, can we get a, we redacted a comic book, redacted a brand of PC game, but we're totally not gonna redact Wachovia Bank. Cause we're redacting the name of the Gentleman's Club or we're redacting the name of the casino and the church, but we're not redacting Wachovia, which I guess could be funny, except they don't exist anymore, so we have dated this article now, but whatever, 1177-53, exchanged for, exchanged, exchanged 1177-53, exchanged for chips at Boo! Casino. 1177-54, possessor evaded tracking behind an abandoned storage building. When the foundation agent continued pursuit, he was met with gunfire. Agent disengaged, further investigation recommended. 1177-55, given in the offering plate at the Boo! Lutheran Church. Conclusion, samples of SCP-1177 are not single use, though their value may not remain consistent amongst transactions. The only method of estimating how much of SCP-1177 remains in circulation is through noting the amount of scar tissue and number of open wounds on SCP-1177. Of special note is that, at no point during any one, so close! Of special note is that, put it back on, put it back on. Of special note is that, at no point during any SCP-1177 experiment it subjects other than informed researchers display awareness of their composition. Experimentalog, 1177-3. Experiment 1177-3 is currently in process with a more long-term focus. The intention of measuring the age at which 1177 ampels, 1177 ampels, ampels, S's are just not necessary anymore. Don't need them. Can skip them completely. Oh, fudge. Where am I? With a more long-term focus. The intention of measuring the age at which 1177 samples become inert. As of 3-18, boo! Sample 1177-71, which was removed from SCP-1177 six months prior to this date, remains value in Lou's sentence. I just gotta get it. Retains value. Come on, come on. Retains value in Lou of legal tender or as a voucher for other transactions. Yes, we made it. All done. That is the last line of this. And just because we made a guess, I'm gonna really quickly come in here, line all these up. And let's, I might as well do the quick. So the editing process takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the complexity. I mean, I say 30 minutes to an hour, but sometimes it takes like 20 hours. If it's like a 399 situation, which we have a couple of those complicated ones on the docket of requests. So we will see how that goes. But this one should could be up later today. This is not the most crazy idea in the world, skip-wise. So we should be able to just run this sucker. Oh wait, don't do that yet. On audacity, always run your noise reduction first and then normalize. Otherwise you get really loud clicky noises. So we noise reduce. We follow that up by normalizing. Do, do, do, do, do, do. And then we follow that up with trunctuating the silence. These are the sounds of silence. Detect silence, maybe. SCP-1177, object class, safe. Okay, so if I trunctuate all the silence out of this, this SCP came out to nine minutes and 23 seconds. Approximately, give or take a little bit of an edge, but guess what, Asimov, you said there's gonna be about 10 minutes. So that is the end of our second live stream. Good work team, we have SCP-1177 in the can. So I'm going to run through this real quick, get a clean up, get a little sound music behind there. This is gonna be a simple one. So yeah, thank you for joining us again today. Hope you guys enjoy the finished product. Remember, the best thing you can do if you like these videos is the old like, share, subscribe. And like, share, subscribe this video, like, share, subscribe the finished video, the channel, everything, everything, including the new Patreon. Send it all out there. If it is me, it is T-H-E-E, shirm. And that is all kind of noise gate you were using. Volume levels are clearly the same, even though your sentences are sometimes chopped. Are you talking about during the live stream or during the recordings, for comments on the live streams? Tech-wise, I just got a very cheap, what's the word I'm looking for?  I've got my sure beta microphone. I've got my microphone stand. I'm using Audacity to edit. So sometimes I punctuate the silence and that cuts things really quickly for me.  But overall, it saves time. So it causes less problems than it makes. I actually don't know the definition of the word noise gate. So perhaps as a mom, you have taught me a new thing. What is noise gate? Because that's not a thing I've heard of. Software that's used to control the volume of an audio signal, comparable to a compressor, which attenuates signals above a threshold. Noise gates attenuate signals that register below the threshold. So, hmm, not sure I'm using one of those. Oh, actually, does this count? Is a focus right to I2? Is this sucker a noise gate maybe? I know it's what my microphone hooks into. So perhaps that is what you were talking about. I just know it as the thing that allows my professional microphone to hook into a USB because it does not work. The other way, playback. So there we go. Retour as a voucher for other transactions. All right, and we made it through a live. So yeah, via bridge dending. Thank you guys for being on board. Like the channel, share the channel, share the Patreon. And I'll see you guys in the next live stream. Send in requests and we will, I will start picking out the next skip. We'll probably start recording the next couple of days. Cheers. Finish. Okay.


Okay, one more. No more patrol. No more diesel. Burning fossil fuels is evil. No more patrol. No more diesel. Burning fossil fuels is evil. Alright, one more. No borders. No nations. No gas power stations. No borders. No nations. No gas power stations. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep it going. Yeah, yeah, okay, okay. Here, come face us with the... Face you? Okay, we're gonna go again with the same ones we just did. Yeah. No more... Keep your carbon in the soil. No diesel. Keep... No burning fossil fuels is evil. No more petrol. No more diesel. Burning fossil fuels is evil. No borders. No nations. No gas power stations. No borders. No nations. No gas power stations. Hey, hey, ho, ho. Climate change has got to go. Hey, hey, ho, ho. Climate change. Keep the music here. Really appreciate it. So yeah, hi everyone. I'm Gabe Groveman. I'm a senior at Montpelier High School and a member of the Vermont Youth Lobby. Almost exactly two years ago, I stood in the same place, reminded the same people as part of the Youth Climate Congress. Young people from elementary school through law school from every corner of the state joined together to craft a resolution urging policymakers to protect our future in the Young Vermoners United Climate Declaration. And we offer specific ways that the youth of Vermont want to climate justice and act it in our state. The declaration was given to every legislator and personally delivered to committee rooms. Now, two years later, it's fair to reflect and ask ourselves, what have we really done? As we again stand outside of the state house, we still find ourselves fighting for Vermont to do its part in addressing the climate crisis. This part of our vision has been adapted while much of it has not. Since the declaration, there has been some legislation passed, namely the Global Rural Solutions Act. But even with the support of many of our legislators, Governor Phil Scott and his administration has done almost everything they can at every step of the process to be a barrier to what the youth of Vermont really want. Governor Scott originally vetoed the Global Rural Solutions Act, and after a lot of youth-led protests and other types of demonstrations, we over-rid that. And while Governor Scott was not successful in halting the Global Rural Solutions Act, he has since supported a deal with the multi-billion-dollar corporation Global Foundries that would essentially exempt them from meeting the GWSA's full emissions reduction requirements. Allowing Global Foundries to make that deal would not only be unfair to the planet, but to all of us young people who have dedicated our time and energy to seeing these solutions put into action. I think I can safely speak for everyone here when I say it's exhausting to constantly have to advocate for the lead of our state to do the bare minimum. We will not let Phil Scott and Global Foundries move us backwards. The fight is ongoing. The road to a green future that hundreds of young people have outlined in detail will ultimately be difficult, and there's absolutely no reason we should make it any harder. Standing here today, this is not just upholding one bill, but it's about a churning at a time where leaders from around the world are meeting to find solutions and still missing the mark that we as a state follow through and become the leaders that I know we can be. No more putting people over profit, or putting profit over people. Yeah, good distinction. No more excuses. The youth of Vermont will not stand back while our leaders, while our efforts to fight climate change and secure the safety of our future approach to sign. Should I introduce myself? I'm a senior at Essex High School. I was in Australia and California, scorching heat waves in Canada and Pakistan, severe flooding in China, and a drought that has caused severe famine and displaced over one million people in Madagascar. Climate change is no longer just a looming threat. It is here. It is a human rights issue that is detrimental, and an all-encompassing threat to our environment, our health, our security, and to the very ground that we stand on. The failure of our government and global leaders to act on this and the face of overwhelming scientific evidence in human suffering is one of the biggest human rights violations that we have ever faced. Today is the last day of COP26, a global conference where countries come together to pledge to take action on climate change. This is nothing to celebrate, though. This has been happening for almost three decades, longer than I have been alive, yet it is evident that the pledges made are empty promises inciting false hope and perpetuating suffering. Almost three decades of conferences with almost no change to show for it. With the policies that governments have right now, warming is expected to reach 2.7 degrees Celsius. And what's driving this inaction? It is a continued commitment to coal and gas. The U.S., China, and India, three of the biggest emitters of fossil fuels refused to sign the Glasgow coal pact. The European Union is still planning to fund new gas plants. Most countries aren't even meeting the pledges they made to cut emissions back in the 2015 Paris negotiations. Here at home, Biden promised to have greenhouse gas emissions, but now that seems out of reach. Senator Joe Manchin's opposition to Biden's $150 billion clean electricity protection program, which would drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions tied to electricity generation, killed the plan. Even though the policies would have tackled the crisis that are affecting his state of West Virginia, he is more concerned with filling his pockets rather than fulfilling his promises to help people. Governments and leaders are not taking their commitments seriously. They use aspirational messaging to distract from their inadequate action. There is a frightening lack of leadership. Their inaction is fueling inequity. The ones who are making the decisions aren't the ones who will be around to face the impacts which will widen inequalities resulting in violence and displacement. The stark reality is that our future isn't guaranteed. What will we have to do in order to survive? Tell me, why are we putting profits over people? We cannot undo the mistakes of the past, but we can make things right. This means we have to take action now. Our generation of conscious citizens can make things right. We have to make systemic changes that will ensure peace, prosperity and equity. Because our lives are valuable and our futures are worth it. Climate change is here now, but we are also here now. And if we don't act, thank you. It's not just one. And that those who created it will be least affected by it. For example, the US is one of the top carbon emitters in the world. But even as we exacerbate climate change, we don't have to face the most devastating of events. We don't have to face the 8 million people who have relocated in Southeast Asia due to unpredictable weather patterns. We don't have to face the millions who have moved away from their homes in the African Sahel because of crop failures and drought. We don't have to face the hundreds of thousands of people who are forced from their lands in Latin America from the extreme drought and flooding. 71% of emissions are created by just 100 companies. Just 100! These companies make unimaginable amounts profiting off the destruction of our futures. They pollute our air, they flood our cities, they bleach our coral and burn our forests and exploit people on a global scale. These corporations are not the ones paying the price for their actions. Instead, those in poverty, those that are exploited, homeless and hungry, are paying the price. Indigenous folks, having been the responsible stewards of the Earth for hundreds of thousands of years, are paying the price. Black folks and people of color are paying the price when companies put their hazardous facilities and toxic waste in their communities. While this harm is inflicted, these corporations stand by. As one of the richest nations in the world and the top contributor to the climate crisis, it is our responsibility to act. Even if we don't see severe effects in Vermont just yet, we still can prevent further atrocities from happening. And we must act in an inclusive, just way so that no groups are further sidelined. In 2019, the youth lobby created the United Climate Declaration. We asked then and we ask again now that in the upcoming transitional years, you prioritize low-income, rural, BIPOC, and frontline communities safety, health, and knowledge. If we are going to solve this climate crisis, then we are going to do it with justice at the center. Thank you. We call for legislative action against climate change. We need climate legislation before it's too late. Climate change affects everyone, but to those experiencing homelessness, it can be deadly. People who contribute the least to climate crisis are the ones who are most affected by it, who suffer socioeconomic inequalities and are more likely to feel the effects of climate change. Climate change causes increases and decreases in temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, forms and reduction in water availability, all of which can lead to reduced agricultural production. Less agricultural production leads to less available food, higher prices, and more people being food insecure. The people who are producing the most greenhouse gases are not the ones who are food insecure or lower income. BIPOC members are far more likely to live in polluted areas, be food insecure, and experience homelessness. Environmental racism, which is the unequal access to clean environments and basic environmental resources based on race. Communities of color are disproportionately affected by the environmental hazards and are much more likely to live in areas with heavy pollution. Air pollution, OSIN, acidification, and natural disasters are all more likely to impact BIPOC communities. All of these issues are interconnected and we need legislation to fix it. The Vermont Climate Council needs to listen and support BIPOC, houseless, low income, and other frontline communities. We need more accessible and free public transportation. We need solutions for climate change, food insecurity, the housing crisis, and so much more. The administration just extended the GA Motel program, a program to house people experiencing homelessness in motels, showing they care. They can further support Vermont people by taking more action against climate change. I hope Vermont can become an example to the nation in social and environmental legislation. This is Mia Kanazaro and I'm a sophomore at Essex High School. Addie Lensner was sadly not able to make it today, but she asked me to give her speech. As our world leaders are deliberating in Glasgow at COP26, the most vulnerable of our community are suffering and going unheard. People experiencing homelessness are at the mercy of climate destruction. Hurricanes and rabbit storms, extreme heat and intense cold, people experiencing homelessness are at the foot of it all. In the meantime, the total emissions in the top richest 10% will exceed the 1.5 Celsius limit, the impacts of which will harm the lower 90% disproportionately. We need big and bold climate action if we want to prevent the suffering that climate change causes people experiencing homelessness, and if we truly seek equity. It is easy to turn a blind eye to the most vulnerable, yet understanding their experiences is key to finding the solutions. Disparities do not just exist in populations experiencing homelessness. People of color and low income individuals are disproportionately affected by climate change as well.  People of color breathe in 40% more polluted air than white people, and 68% of African Americans live near coal plants, compared to just 56% of white people. Climate change does not affect everyone the same. When our world leaders, as well as our state and local leaders, discuss climate change, they need to consider and listen to the most impacted communities. With little time left for our planet to survive, we need to be looking at their stories, rather than the stories of those of us minimally impacted by climate change. The stories of sleeping outside during a hurricane, of growing up near hazardous waste sites, of getting asthma as a kid due to pollution.  COP26 is a start, but we need sustained action. Vermont must take up the reins and be a model to the nation, with bold action before it is too late. The administration just extended the GA Motel Program for all people experiencing homelessness, displaying their support for vulnerable community members. Will the administration do the same with climate change, listening to vulnerable communities, and taking courageous action? As I stand on these steps of the State House, with young people from across the state, Senator Manchin is holding up direly needed climate legislation, and leaders are sitting in Glasgow on the final day of COP, specifically COP26, because this is the 26th year that these people have discussed action that is needed, and then decided that our futures are just not worth it. As the nation and the world turn their backs on the horrors of climate change, and the much needed actions that they have the ability to take, what is Vermont doing? More importantly, what will Vermont do? The Global Warming Solutions Act set out the process for creating a climate council to put out state climate action plans that must meet requirements. As we put together the climate action plan that's going to come out in December 1st, I want to start by expressing my deep gratitude for the work that all the counselors and staff has done, but while this plan will be an okay step in the right direction, and on an all-right step towards meeting the demands laid out in the Climate Congress declaration, it is not nearly enough, and we deserve better. We need better. Two years ago, we demanded collectively that the state actively work to serve the needs of marginalized communities who are socioeconomically and geographically vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This was mostly tasked to the council, and we have failed. A plan that should have been co-created with the most impacted communities instead has public engagement that looks more like marketing. And without input from the most impacted Vermonters, this plan does not, cannot harness the power that this moment of transition to repair harm in the way that we might have been able to. That doesn't mean this plan should be scrapped. I want to be clear about that, but instead that we must do better in the next few months, in the next plan, we must prioritize engaging frontline communities in this work. Two years ago, we stood on these steps and told the Senate to prioritize low-income, rural, indigenous, and frontline communities for critical services, including but not limited to access to educational facilities, incentives, job trainings, and transitional assistance. We called for the training needed to create a quality of opportunity to train us for the jobs of tomorrow. This was part of the purview task of the Council. And again, we have failed. In this process, workforce development has been pushed off and swept away so that any actions that were guarded are having to be created and compiled at the last minute. And it has been set aside as the afterthought of the problems of the next generation, the way that the issues of the climate crisis so often are. And still, I will tell you that this plan is necessary because we need to have these stopgap actions that will allow us to do the important work in the coming years. Two years ago, we stood in the cold with some of these states. I stood in the cold with some of these same people. I remember that we stood together and demanded climate action for our state, climate action that was delegated to the Council, climate action that costs money, that requires investments in our futures. And again, in this right as the Council, we have failed. We have shoved down the conversations about funding in the name of political palatability, allowing that escape hatch that has been all used all too many times of that costs too much and we can't afford it. When in reality, we cannot afford inaction. It will cost us our lives if we do not invest in our futures right now. As I look to the future, I hope that the state has the courage to make these investments now because when leaders finally wake up to the reality of the climate crisis, their investments may not be too little, they will be too late. This climate action plan is not enough. It is not enough for us. It is not enough for the state and it is not enough for the generations to come to whom we are accountable. This plan is imperfect. It is far less than we deserve and far less than we need. And yet, I want to point out that inaction is worse. The climate crisis exacerbates in the existing inequities in the world. Every single moment we do nothing, we are perpetuating injustice. Every year you all make us wait is active harm to our futures. And so, as imperfect as it is, we need this plan because we need action. Because we cannot afford to kick this down, can down the road. We cannot afford to wait any longer to take the actions that we have expressed the need for two years ago because we need you to fight for our future with the same urgency that we do. And so, I turn to the legislature, I turn to the governor and I tell them to pass the recommendations of this plan to engage communities, to create workforce development, to fund our futures, to meet the demands and, for once, stand up and be the adults, be the leaders that we have always asked you to be and take bold climate action. We stood here two years ago and we are back again now to tell you and tell the so-called leaders of the state you failed. You failed Vermont. You failed our communities and you failed the future. Thank you. In the wake of recent climate disasters and as new ones lean in the future, it is easy to feel powerless at making a difference. It seems that even as the situation grows more dire, many people are in power or more inclined to turn a blind eye to the chaos that we humans have inflicted on the environment and each other. As we look to the future, we need concrete climate legislation if we want to make a change. Even as young as a fourth grader, I felt the pressure of the climate crisis looming over me and I felt like I needed all I need to do, all I could to stop it from happening. But what can a ten-year-old do to stop a global crisis? Focusing on climate legislation has given me some of the power back in making a difference and I need leaders to step up and make the changes for us to rally around. We should follow the example of the members of our legislature who have made many attempts to impose very thoughtful climate legislation. Some of the proposed bills have acknowledged the multifaceted climate crisis and who it is hurting. For example, at the beginning of last legislative session, there was a small push to incorporate a Vermont version of AOC's Green New Deal. But it never got off the ground because of lack of support. One person in opposition of the act went as far as saying that the top 5% of wealthy Vermonters would leave the state if they were taxed for climate infrastructure. Given the fact that the proposed taxes were minute in comparison to the incomes of these people's tax, this sentiment undermined the work that was put into this piece of legislation. We need support not just from the legislature who in many ways have tried, but also from Governor Phil Scott.  I'm calling for legislation to rally behind. If we want to progress forward, we need good legislation that we can root for. And when it comes time to put in place these laws, we need to keep the pressure on and work together to avoid a veto that would destroy the months of work put into these laws. Thank you. In summary, we are asking for you to listen to our words and very, very importantly, we are asking you to give in your time and energy to climate action. Students from across the state, thank you all so much.


Being a professional speaker was not something that I grew up wanting to be. Every time I would go to class, it was just hard for me to sit still. I had a hard time focusing. I would just, I would move. I would tap. And I got sent to the principal's office.  And that worked for about five seconds as soon as I'd sit on my hands and my feet would start tapping. One day there was a teacher and he looked at me in class as I was tapping and he said, Clint, I need you to stay after class. And I'm thinking to myself, this is it. I am going to get kicked out of school as a 10-year-old. Bell rang, class dismissed.  And he said, I watch what you do. He said, you tap in my class. You'll do something with your right hand. You'll do something completely different with your left hand. And he said in big adult words, we call that ambidextrous.  I gave it a go and I could do it. And then he said, now switch it. Without thinking about it, I could do it.  I just think you're a drummer. That was the beginning of my story. I had the opportunity to tour and record all over the world playing drums. But on America's Got Talent, one person in my life who looked at me and said, you're not a problem.  Great mentors know how to connect people to their dreams. We need people like that to help us see the possibilities of what could be. There's two important days in a person's life. The day you're born and then the day you figure out why. Enjoy the journey. The best is yet to come.


Minnesota head football coach Tracy Claes has been relieved of his duties earlier this afternoon. Claes spent parts of two season with the Govers and went nine and four this season. He learned of his fate after a meeting with athletic director Mark Coyle today. Shortly after being fired, Claes was spotted leaving the goal for complex, but would not comment on his firing. Coyle said in a statement released through the university quote, I made a difficult decision today on behalf of the University of Minnesota. He continued saying, I determined that the football program must move in a new direction to address challenges in recruiting, ticket sales, and the culture of this program. This decision is about the future of Minnesota football. In a text message to players, Coyle said they are conducting a national search for a new coach. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland news, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland public television.