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NU Film Society’s to sweep the series with screening of ‘Moneyball’

NEW ULM – The New Ulm Film Society has crunched the numbers and has drafted “Moneyball” as the final film in its baseball film series. The screening starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, at the New Ulm Public Library. “Moneyball” is a 2011 film that is based on the true story of the Oakland Athletics 2002 season, in which general manager Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt, used the sabermetric approach to create a competitive baseball team. Sabermetrics analyzes a player’s abilities using game statistics and in-game activity. The concept of sabermetrics had been around for ...

Minnesota Soybean marks B2 milestone — Advocacy efforts led to nation’s first biodiesel law

Twenty years is a long time. Two decades ago, in 2005, George W. Bush was president, “The Office” and “Grey’s Anatomy” both premiered on network TV, Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, Zygi Wilf took ownership of the Minnesota Vikings…and, most importantly to soybean farmers and biofuels advocates, a new frontier was crossed when the B2 biodiesel law was implemented in the state of Minnesota. Time, well, it’s all relative — for some, 20 years feels like a lifetime, or at least a generation. For others, two decades since Minnesota’s historic adoption of biodiesel went by ...

Protecting what’s private

Dear Annie: My husband and I have a large family, and earlier this year we welcomed our newest baby, “Izzy.” The pregnancy went smoothly, and everyone thought she was healthy until about half a week after coming home, when she began showing concerning symptoms. We’ve been working closely with her doctor ever since and recently learned she has a rare genetic condition. It’s incurable, causes severe symptoms and is usually fatal in childhood. We’re OK sharing information about her condition with concerned family and friends in our children’s school group. However, I’m not ...

Stay aware of breast cancer this October

Pink ribbons, pink hair and pink T-shirts are signs of the season this October, yet more importantly, these colorful reminders can save lives. Did you known that breast cancer deaths have steadily decreased by 44% since 1989, thanks to better screening and early detection? This strong track record is a reminder that all women age 40 and over should have regular mammograms, the gold standard in breast cancer screening. Because breast cancer is most treatable when discovered in its earliest stages, we are grateful to have the latest screening mammogram equipment here in Marshall, so we ...

Looking at empathy

The word empathy is used a lot. Sometimes it is confused with sympathy, but they are different. When you feel sympathy for somebody those are your feelings, experienced by you. Sympathy involves what you feel when you witness another person’s suffering or terrible misfortune. You may feel compassion, pity, sadness, or sorrow for him or her. So what is empathy? Empathy is your ability to understand someone else’s feelings. In a way, it is something like putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. It involves recognizing, understanding, responding to, sharing, or even ...

Focus on mental health first

When tragedy strikes close to home, it leaves a mark that, hopefully, never fades. The recent shooting at Annunciation church and school has shaken Minnesotans to our core. Parents, teachers, neighbors, and all of us are asking the same question: how do we make sure something like this never happens again? Gov. Walz and many Democrats in the legislature have been quick to use this tragedy to focus on what kinds of guns should be banned and what new gun ownerships restrictions can be put in place. I understand why that is the instinct, but I believe we will be more effective if we ...