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Hurtful words are a bold time for people of faith to act

As a pastor who lives in a state that is home to as many as 84,000 people who are of Somalia descent, hearing our president call them “garbage” goes beyond disheartening. In fact, it’s immoral and can in no certain terms be likened to how Jesus lived his life, nor what he preached to his followers. In the 1st century, or now. … And it’s important as people of faith for us to say so. This controversy has raged for more than a week now. But for people who proclaim to be followers of Jesus, there is no basis for this hateful speech in Christianity, nor in general civil ...

Very young kids dealing with trauma

What bad things could possibly happen to children in their first five years of life? What dramatic experiences could possibly happen to a child between birth and 5 years old? It turns out that there are many situations that can expose young children to trauma. Early victimization that can negatively impact how a child develops is more common than many people realize. Psychologists know that these very young children are more vulnerable to things like injury or even traumatic death then they will be later in life. It has been assumed that preschoolers, toddlers, and infants ...

High-tech piracy hits home

Ok, so that was unexpected. It wasn’t unexpected to receive a random email from an unknown sender who presented themselves as a New York law firm. Just another chunk of junk mail to chuck. But just for the heck of it I decided to read the missive before dumping it in the digital dustbin. The email’s headline trumpeted in a bold font: Notice of $1.5 Billion Proposed Class Action Settlement Between Authors & Publishers and Anthropic PBC This was followed in italics by: A federal court authorized this Notice. This is not junk mail, an advertisement, or a solicitation from a ...

There was a time

There was a time when all of us were a child. As we all know, the years flow by quickly, and soon the youngster we were is gone. Or, is that child gone? Let’s explore that a bit... There was a time when we were young, and all decisions were made for us. Now, we make the decisions that form us and those around us. There was a time when falling snow was so amazing. It was so interesting to watch those snowflakes float down from the sky — hopefully, without the help of a blizzard wind. Now as we all know, snow can be a pain in one’s derrière, but it’s still fun to try to ...

Advanced tip-up tips

As early ice settles in across the region and anglers take their first tentative steps out onto their favorite waters, the excitement builds for a season full of fast action, especially at the outset when fish are most aggressive under the frozen surface. From lakes teeming with walleyes to those prairie sloughs packed with plentiful pike, a solid part of any angler’s arsenal is the tip-up. Evolving from the “fish traps” of yore consisting of a spool of dacron, and a spring loaded orange flag on a wooden bridge, today’s models incorporate electronic alarms and Bluetooth options ...

The importance of emotional self regulation in kids

All of us need to keep our emotions under control. Basing our actions on our feelings, to the neglect of thinking before doing or saying something, can have bad consequences. When something is said or done, it is too late to undo the impact. Those words or actions will not be forgotten. It is important that children learn how to control their emotions. Learning emotional self-regulation is an important part of healthy child development. Learning emotional self-regulation develops at a fast rate in a child’s younger years. The pace slows along the way to adulthood. The extent of ...