Breaking News

Columns

Paris Olympics showcase world’s best in athletic competition

I’ve been watching television more than usual in the past two weeks, and it’s mainly for one reason. It’s the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Every afternoon and evening it features a wide range of sports, many of which are things people can enjoy as participants for a lifetime. The Olympics are the finest sports event in the world. They’re easily more important than the Super Bowl. They’re even more important than World Cup Soccer or baseball’s World Series. They benefit viewers in several ways. They promote lifetime fitness. They’re a great example of sportsmanship. ...

NU Film Society mockumentary series get animated

NEW ULM — The New Ulm Film Society continues to ride the wave of mockumentary films with a screening of the film “Surf’s Up.” The screening starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13 at the New Ulm Public Library. “Surf’s Up” was released in 2007 and represented a mash-up of two popular comedy sub genres: mockumentaries and penguin movies. “Surf’s Up” revolves around a film crew who is covering the annual “Big Z Memorial Surf Off” on Pen Gu Island. The crew follows around several of the surfing competitors — all of whom are birds. Most of the film follows a young ...

It begins

The joke goes that Ole, the quintessential doofus Norwegian, was working atop a 50-story skyscraper when he lost his footing and plummeted toward the ground. As he passed the 25th floor, several witnesses heard Ole exclaim, “Well, so far so good!” I related this tale to my radiation oncologist after having had one chemotherapy session and three daily doses of radiation. I am slated to receive a total of 35 radiation sessions. Some six doses of chemotherapy are also scheduled to be doled out at the rate of one per week. I shared that joke with the good doctor because I felt ...

All citizens — even those without kids — have stake in future of country

Just in case it needs to be said directly: Just because someone is childless does not mean that they do not like kids. Just because someone is childless does not mean that they are anti-family. Just because someone does not have kids does not mean that they lack values. Just because someone does not have kids does not mean that they do/did not want kids. There are many reasons why a person may not have kids, and many of those are varied and personal and painful. This may not be evident or even a regular point of consideration for people who have wanted and then had the great ...

New plumbing

I had some new, very personal plumbing installed recently. And no, I’m not talking about a bidet. I wish it had been as simple as choosing chrome or brass fixtures. My new plumbing is so personal that you can’t even see it. Part of preparing for my cancer treatments included the installation of a device called a port-a-cath. It’s a long, thin plastic tube that’s attached to a silver dollar-sized plastic hub. The tube was inserted into a vein in my neck and the hub was placed in a subcutaneous pocket below the clavicle. If I wear a shirt with a collar you can’t even tell ...

Beware: Bad actors want to steal from veterans

Thieves are working aggressively to steal from veterans, veteran service organizations, veteran nonprofits and government agencies that work with veterans. It’s a numbers game. If they get one success out of 100 attempts, that’s worth their efforts. Don’t fall prey to their predator tactics. A post for a veteran service organization received a text from someone claiming to be a Hennepin County veteran service officer and asking for $200. Soon, the CVSO learned the same message was sent to another post. This time, the post shared a screenshot (shown). In another case, people ...