It was announced last week that Time Magazine’s person of the year was the people who were on the front lines fighting against the ebola virus. There is no doubt that ebola was a big deal in 2014, but I would like to offer my own nomination: the surveillance camera. Things caught on camera have…
The 16th annual Culturefest was held on the grounds of Wilson Elementary School in Owatonna on Saturday, September 27. The event highlights all the different cultures that can be found in our mostly-white southern Minnesota community. There was plenty of entertainment on the main stage, including an Emmy-winning duo, the Okee Dokee Brothers, circus performers…
Just a week before school is to start I notice a major construction project starting at nearby Lincoln Elementary School. (What to Expect When File Photo) Soon it becomes obvious that they are installing new temporary classrooms. (What to Expect When File Photo) The new structure will be in three parts, two sides and a…
The latest incident involving a famous person and a contentious social issue is the case of Adrian Peterson, the star running back for the Minnesota Vikings NFL football team, being charged with child abuse for whipping his four year old son with a tree branch. A doctor saw the marks on the boy during a…
Last year the World Health Organization (WHO) published the results of the first major global review of violence against women. The study found that about a third of women have been physically or sexually assaulted by a former or current partner. The head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, called it “a global health problem…
The Merlin Players kicked off their 20th season at the Paradise Center for the Arts in Faribault, MN, on September 12 with a production of Always Patsy Cline. This play is based on the real-life relationship between Country music legend Miss Patsy Cline and Louise Seeger, one of her biggest fans. Miss Cline was one of the…
For a nursing home service I was conducting recently, I brought with me several works of art showing Jesus as the Good Shepherd. I noticed that the residents took a brief look at each work of art and then were done looking. Now, look again at the artwork at the top of this blog. Here…
First, the reasons why it matters to the world. Nigeria is the most populous African nation with a population of about 175 million. Its population has quadrupled in the last 50 years and is still growing rapidly. Nigeria has vast offshore oil reserves and numerous other natural resources which have generated great wealth for the…
The word “Yooper” finally made it into Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate dictionary according to an article in the online edition of USA Today on Monday, May 19, 2014! It means a person who lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan but of course those of us who have lived there know that not everyone who lives in…
Mr. Nye talked about the joy that new scientific discoveries and human advancements bring him. Mr. Ham pointed out that, according to evolution, when we die we just dissolve into nothing for all eternity so what’s the point of taking joy in anything? Christianity, on the other hand, rejoices in making new discoveries about the world…
Mirror Neurons 