Breaking News

Life

Cutting through the noise of media voices

Lifestyle Columns

When the world wide web of the internet was beginning to expand in the mid-1990s, many people grasped onto the idea of how it could be used to spread information and misinformation as the case could be. Remember email chain letters? Just forward it to 10 people to get your wish! Or perhaps someone shared with you an urban legend once spread only in gossip columns but now able to spread even faster. Just look up the origins of eating spiders in your sleep or the Pacific Tree Octopus. Things like these are still around by constantly reinventing the method of their delivery even though the ...

Snail shells have captured artists’ minds for years

Lifestyle Columns

Snails have a lot of negative associations. Their slow movement makes them a symbol of laziness and inefficiency. They are garden pests, eating plants and oozing slime. And yet they often appear in decorative arts, like this miniature brass figure that sold for $51 at an auction by The Benefit Shop Foundations. Its shell is decorated with colorful glass “jewels,” a popular adornment on brass in the Victorian era. The beauty and geometry of snail shells has captured artists’ minds for thousands of years. The image of the “lazy” snail is often reinterpreted to have themes of ...

Hand-crafting greeting cards ‘a good pastime’

Lifestyle Feature

Lois Schorn has moved around a lot over the past 23 years, from Minnesota to Arkansas to Arizona and back to Minnesota. Throughout that time, however, one thing has remained consistent. Since 2001, Schorn has been hand-crafting greeting cards for others to enjoy. The 87-year-old Schorn cuts, ...

Refinishing old furniture is nothing new

Lifestyle Columns

It’s a current trend to buy inexpensive old furniture and paint, decorate or otherwise alter it into something new. Some people may see this as disrespectful to history, but it’s a practice that has been going on for hundreds of years. After all, access to mass-produced “fast furniture” is a recent development; historically, everyday items like furniture and clothing were made to last, handed down for generations and altered to suit changing fashions. Furniture of the Victorian era (about 1830-1900) came in many styles, all of which were elaborately decorated. Sometimes, ...

Fun, high impact learning resources at the New Ulm Public Library

Lifestyle Columns

Play is an important part of child’s early development. A high percentage of brain development happens before age three, so learning must begin before children attend school. The library has many learning resources available for free with your library card that help build cognitive and development skills through play. Check out some of these learning resources to fuel learning in a fun way. Did you know playing in the dirt reduces stress in youth? Not only does nature make people feel better, the natural environment promotes learning by restoring attention and facilitating ...

Resolutions, 2024 edition

Lifestyle Columns

If you made New Year’s resolutions for 2024, how are you doing? According to a Statista Consumer Insights survey from October 2023, these are the top 2024 New Year’s Resolutions. Save More Money (59%), Exercise More (50%) Eat Healthier (47%), Spend More Time with Family/Friends (40%), Lose Weight (35%), Reduce Spending on Living Expenses (26%), Spend Less Time on Social Media (19%), Reduce Stress on the Job (19%). Look to the library for help with some of these resolutions with the following titles. “The Wealth Decision: 10 Simple Steps to Achieve Financial Freedom and Build ...