DL News Staff
Author Content
When Thanksgiving turkey is still digesting, the Christmas season, or should I say the Holiday Shopping season commences. Like a shot, the American public leaves the starting blocks, sprinting to the nearest big box stores on a treasure hunt of discounted popular merchandise. Hey, it's good for the economy, right? Retailers claim Friday after Thanksgiving is when they first operate profitably "in the black" for the fiscal year.
The holiday season is a time for many of us to reflect on our blessings. We are thankful for the love of family and the warmth of friends. I know this season I am feeling especially grateful to live in such a generous and caring community. Did you know we can be a hero to a child in need; we can help a family through tough times; we can give assistance to a senior citizen?
There's something special about a group of people gathering together on a cold, windy morning to participate in a 5k. It doesn't matter how many races I run or how large or small the event, every time I stand at the starting line I get an overwhelming surge of excitement and energy for what I'm about to do. This Thanksgiving morning was no different as I, and nearly 75 others, came together in Lake Park to run the first annual Families Forever Turkey Day 5k.
As a graduate of Detroit Lakes High School, it has been brought to my attention that there is an issue of cyber bullying in Detroit Lakes, especially via Twitter. In my public discourse class at Gustavus Adolphus College I have been researching the effects cyber bullying, specifically Twitter bullying, has on students and other members of the community. From my research I learned that students who have been Twitter Bullied may have lower self-confidence than other peers. This can have a negative impact on the student's academic achievement and also lead to depression and anxiety.
November is National Hospice Month and National Family Caregiver Month. As a provider of hospice services, we are intimately involved in the day-to-day lives of many caregivers, both personal and professional, and know the challenges and rewards of their roles. Caregiving is hard work. And, for those who unwittingly find themselves in this role, it can be overwhelming and daunting. They are daughters, husbands, parents, and dear friends who care for their loved ones; strangers down the street; and people who just show up to help.
Congratulations to Steve, Don and Tammie on winning seats on the Frazee-Vergas School board. I am confident they will do a good job in continuing the sucesss we have in our school district. I appreciated all the support I received and continue to receive. Also, congratulations to the district for passing the $700/pupil operating referendum. I believe the administration and school board made an honest effort to see what was needed and what would work best for the district. With the new school board and referendum in place, I believe more good things will be happening in the future!
Last year, more than 47,000 individual donors logged on to GiveMN.org and gave more than $13 million to nearly 4,000 Minnesota charities and non-profits in 24 hours during Give to the Max Day. The Marshmallow Foundation, local animal rescue and shelter, has been a participant in past years, but this fundraising event was not as highly publicized as we plan this year. With our services extending across seven cities, we rely solely on the donations we receive from events like these. Thursday, Nov.
Thanksgiving should be a time for celebration, not cruelty, yet approximately 45 million turkeys -- gentle birds who enjoy having their feathers stroked and gobbling along to music -- are killed every year for Thanksgiving dinner. Before they're killed, turkeys spend several months packed tightly together in filthy, dark sheds. To keep them from pecking one another in stress and deprivation, factory workers cut off part of the birds' sensitive upper beaks with a hot blade -- using no pain relievers.
We are fast approaching that time of the year when we strive to be less concerned with ourselves and we become more aware of our blessings and the gift of giving. Thanksgiving should put us in a frame of mind where we reflect on the many blessings that have come our way through our own efforts and those blessings that have been made available to us by the opportunities that others have given through their concern, love and example. If we give ourselves some time to review our lives, we will find that we have had many doors opened for us that give us reasons to be thankful and the incentive
On Monday, Nov. 5, 2012, there was a story on WDAY TV in regards to public employee pension programs. They took a feed from ABC Channel 5 in the Twin Cities and it was filled with misinformation. The story stated that the state government was paying into the retirement programs. I cannot speak to Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) or Minnesota State Retirement Systems (MSRS), but the information on the Teachers Retirement Association (TRA) was false. The state government does not pay into the TRA program.