Monthly Archives: September 2022

Disabled students seek solidarity and safe spaces in their collegiate experience. Photo by Grace Hensley.

JACK WILLIAMS | STAFF REPORTER | jrwilliams@butler.edu

According to the CDC, 26% of adults in the United States experience a disability, and six in 10 adults in the U.S. experience a chronic disease. Butler students experience a diverse array of conditions, including chronic illness and hidden disabilities. According to the Invisible Disability Project, a hidden disability is any physical, mental, or emotional impairment that goes largely unnoticed. These types of conditions impact areas of education and social life that may not be apparent to outside observers.

The student experience

Hidden disabilities and chronic illnesses can greatly impact how well collegiate classrooms work for students.

Andie Kalemba, a sophomore exploratory studies major, experiences Fanconi Anemia FA hearing loss and a speech disability. FA is a rare and serious inherited blood disorder that leads to bone marrow failure, according to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. Kalemba feels that her professors have been supportive.

Right off the bat [professors] know your name, Kalemba said. After class, they always come up to me privately and ask if Im able to hear everything.

Kalemba has an Individualized Education Plan, or IEP, which helps ensure that accommodations like professors using microphones or closed captions for assigned videos are available. Kalemba says there have also been frustrating experiences when professors dont take the time to listen and assume she is less capable.

Sometimes I would answer a question, and [a professor] would say, No, thats wrong, Kalemba said. Then somebody else said the exact same thing, and they were correct. Its frustrating, you know? If theres something you cant understand, you can ask me to repeat it.

Advice to students with disabilities or chronic illness

For Carys Durbin, a sophomore multilingual and software engineering double major, it is important to speak up about ones experiences. Durbin experiences the neurodivergencies of OCD, autism and ADHD, as well as the physical illnesses lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

For advice, I would say just to not be ashamed of [disability], Durbin said. As more and more people speak up about their experiences, it does more good in the world to bring about the change that needs to be brought about.

That change, just like disabilities, is not one-size-fits-all. Creating an environment where people feel secure in speaking up is central to creating a world that is equitably accessible.

Anna Lucy, a sophomore in the master of professional accounting program, hopes that awareness is raised about disabilities. She experiences ADHD and other mental health disabilities, as well as a chronic gastrointestinal condition.

I feel like a lot of people do suffer in silence, Lucy said. I think my biggest advice would be with any type of disability that you can always ask for help.

The Student Disability Services (SDS) office at Butler is there to provide accommodations to students that register with the office.

Advice to other students

Hidden disabilities and chronic illnesses are not standard conversation starters. Due to this, it can be easy for those not experiencing them to remain uneducated or dismiss these issues. It is important to avoid the human tendency to assume that ones own experience is shared by all. This includes not dismissing someones sickness.

Just because you cannot see that I am sick, does not mean I am not sick, Lucy said.

Lucys gastrointestinal disability can result in missed classes and last-minute cancellations. Her experience of disability is not abstract but rooted in daily life, and the obstacles she works through are often non-apparent to an outside observer.

In a similar vein, one of Durbins hopes is that people will extend others the grace they would want for themselves. They describe their autism as a different method of processing the world that neurotypical people may not understand. To Durbin, their mannerisms dont feel different from the standard but are the natural way to interact with the world.

You dont have to try and push yourself trying to fit into those standards just because youre different, said Durbin.

The lens people with invisible disabilities see the world through is just as valid as anyone elses. The advice they give is applicable not only in the arena of hidden disability and chronic illness, but in every part of life.

You never know what a person is going through, says Durbin. So practice the golden rule.

Some resources for those experiencing disability or chronic illness are Student Disability Services, the Efroymson Diversity Center, Butler Advocates for Autism, and Bulldogs for Universal Design.

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Chronic illness and hidden disability on campus - The Butler Collegian

Why do you run? Is it to carve out some much-needed me time, keep on top of your fitness levels or something entirely different and unique to you?

Everyone has their own reasons for lacing up, including Nikes expert run coaches.

So we asked the knowledgable athletes for the motivations that keep them running, plus the myths they want to bust about breaking a sweat and smashing goals.

For many fitness obsessives, running can be viewed simply as a necessary chore to improve their overall health which is how East London-based athlete Dora Atim came to discover her passion. The Nike coach crossed paths with running through her love for boxing, after her coach advised her to take up the sport to improve her fitness. At first, the idea of running was a bit boring. I was very judgy, but it was more because of my own confidence, Dora shares. But, with time, the coach pushed through her hard journey and began breaking through small milestones.

As for keeping motivated, the coach recommends being consistent and accepting that youll have good days and bad days. Your motivation is going to dip in and out [but] just try to stay consistent, Dora advises.

Running doesnt always boil down to experience, either. Dora stresses the importance of taking things slow and getting the right equipment to get started: You dont need to go on a long run just run around the block or run to your local bakery. Alongside her beginners tip, she advises newbies to invest and prioritise their sportswear, particularly shoes and sports bras for women. Ive been wearing Nike Pegasus throughout my running journey. Ive always stuck with Pegasus or the Nike invincible runs those are my staples. The Nike Alpha bras are super-amazing if you need that proper support. Those are the best because you can pretty much do all variety of runs in them.

Growing up, Lloyd would be inspired watching his older sister compete in athletic competitions. Motivated from a young age, it shaped his life and career as a trainer. As a Nike coach, Lloyd encourages first-time sportspeople to take their time with progress. Your journey as a runner is special to you, he emphasises. You may meet a runner that succumbs to loads of injuries, but that story is not yours.

Running, for Lloyd, has long served as a helpful outlet that supports a healthier mindset. Running keeps me in shape, it keeps me trim and feeling healthy, which is really important as we grow older, Lloyd explains. When I get to that [older] age, I still want to be mobile. I dont just want to retire and do nothing. The sport has also helped the Nike coach through some difficult moments too. I've had tough times running [has] really dragged me out of those and kept me in a routine.

The reliability and confidence of a run helps kickstart Lloyds day, which is why hes keen to share the positive message of the sport. What you get out of it is what you put into it, he reveals. But if youre not too sold on, well, the fitness part, Lloyd reaffirms that running can hold greater rewards than feeling good. Theres everything that comes with it. Its the friends you can make and the communities you can be a part of. Running has really transformed my life and I dont know where Id be without it.

Based in Berlin, Andi first got into running at a young age after taking up Modern Pentathlon, which includes swimming, shooting, horse riding, fencing and running. Since then, the athlete has been switching between sports but has remained committed to her love of running. The motivation to stick with running stemmed from the euphoric feeling brought on by the exercise: I often get a runners high and I love that feeling, so yeah, thats why I got back into running.

So, as you gear up for tackling your next (or first) run, Andi wants you to keep one golden rule in mind wearing good kit. The Nike coach reminds us that while getting the right gadgets falls down to what kind of runner you are, there is always a need for appropriate trainers, a classic hoodie and a running vest. A really good running vest, in which you can store essentials, like a phone, keys or snack really helped me, Andi shares. On the topic of trainers, the German coach reveals her favourite go-to shoe is the Nike Invincible, which has dropped a new series Nike ZoomX Flyknit Invincible 2 which is perfectly suited to both new and experienced runners.

From taking part in daily runs to helping train others, qualified physiotherapist and Nike coach Manni believes the sport is appealing because its effects are unique to each runner. Running can seem quite daunting and a bit of a challenge, but it can enhance your day. What I find is that it helps you get into a different state. It can elevate your whole life experience, Manni says.

Now, its time to debunk some myths the belief that you need to know absolutely everything before you kick off a run, for Manni, simply isnt true. Instead, the coach likens running progress to a video game: Youre trying to go through the different phases and different levels to reach a new goal. And as you seek to hit these new milestones, Manni encourages sportspeople to invest in good kit, including a waterproof jacket and the all-round shoe: Nike Pegasus 39, which is adaptable to many different environments and terrains.

The positive relationship between running and improved mental health has been scientifically shown. A study from JAMA Psychology revealed that small bursts of exercise can improve mood and health, and Manni agrees. One of the benefits of running is the big positive effect on my mental state and wellbeing. It helps you grind and focus into a flow state that keeps you motivated.

Get to grips with running in Nikes newly launched Nike Zoom Pegasus 39 and Nike ZoomX Flyknit Invincible 2 series running shoes

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'Why I run' 4 runners share the reasons they keep moving - Women's Health UK

I once overheard a conversation. It started like this: I dont want to remember 9/11. Too many people died. It was horrible. Another person responded, If we dont remember, they might do it again. A third person said, The spot where the twin towers stood should be declared a hallowed ground.

Close to 3,000 people died during the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and numerous first responders and survivors became sick from the debris. The anniversary of the terrorist attack brings back vivid memories of a devastating loss and tragedy that will never be forgotten. So how do we deal with the memories of such deep losses?

The proper way may be found in an ideal held in the heart of every U.S. military member. It says, Leave no man behind.

This motto is built into the fabric of our service branches. In the Army Rangers Creed, the fifth stanza says: I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy ... The Soldiers Creed says, I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. The last verse of The Airmans Creed states: I will never leave an Airman behind. Last and by no means the least, the motto of the Marine Corps Personnel Retrieval and Processing Company, those who retrieve the remains of fallen service members, is Nemo resideo, the Latin version of Leave no man behind.

Soldiers have been faithful to this principle since wars began. They have been loyal to the mission, their country, keeping the homeland safe and each other.

It is a comfort on the battlefield to know you will be brought home if you fall and will not be forgotten. It is the loving promise and bond of being a United States service member. Each soldier follows this golden rule, knowing his comrades do as well.

Is the principle of leaving no soldier behind adhered to consistently? Seventy-three thousand troops are still missing from World War II. Although the chances of them being found after several years is slim, the search does not stop. Our nations sense of patriotism and looking out for each other is what has brought us together in the most challenging times.

The memory of the people lost and missing the mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, parents and children, friends and neighbors, brothers and sisters all must remain with us and never be left behind.

The names of our loved ones who died in the 9/11 attack are written in stone at the Sept. 11 memorial site in New York. In Bakersfield, we have honored the fallen with a memorial of the twin towers on the grounds of Bakersfield College. Other similar memorials stand throughout the United States. All of them keep the memory alive of the fallen and remind us of the high cost of freedom.

As a fellow veteran, my heart beats with gratitude when I remember those who have served and given their all to protect our nation. I feel the tragedy of those who died on 9/11. However, they died for you. They died for me. They died for us.

We must never forget to give back what we have been given. Every life lost on 9/11 and in the military response after was a sacrifice. This is America, and we honor our heroes. We are united in our loyalty and follow the golden rule of loving each other. Let us give back a little today. We will sacrifice a bit of our time today to remember the lives lost and the countless families that will never forget that solemn morning. We will offer a place in our hearts. We will always pledge love and allegiance to our flag and each other as we move forward, leaving no one behind.

Sen. Shannon Grove represents Californias 16th Senate District, which encompasses large portions of Kern, Tulare and San Bernardino counties. Find her website at https://grove.cssrc.us.

Link:

Community Voices: Where were you when the world stopped turning? - The Bakersfield Californian

Express News Service

KOCHI: Look at the typical school day of primary school children. Parents wake them up and push them off to the washroom. In most cases, you would hear them yelling about arranging the school bag. In a frantic hurry to put the child on the school bus, parents help them to get dressed up, arrange the books, have breakfast, and put their shoes on.Though development-wise, children are capable of doing all these tasks on their own, many parents end up depriving them of the opportunity to master skills that aid them in the journey to healthy independence and personal autonomy. We often see this pattern extending to the later years of their lives, too.Rescript parenting, right from the daily activities It is essential to encourage children to do things they can from a very young age. There has to be an uncompromising mission to achieve this through healthy child-rearing practices. Lessons of independence suitable for the age have to be initiated right from early childhood.

Golden rule: Daily activities of life, appropriate for the age, need to be performed by themselves.For instance, make them wash up, wear clothes and eat by themselves. At school-going age, they should be prepared to wake up by themselves and be at the table for breakfast on time, without any goading.

School work A personal missionOver-enthusiasm of parents to do everything for their child steals a healthy mindset that tells them that they would ultimately have to manage life by themselves. With the over-involvement of parents in school work, many children end up thinking they study their lessons or do homework just for the sake of the parents. Learning should rather be a personal mission.

Parents who coax children to study or do their homework inadvertently weaken this spirit. But, what if they dont study, if left unsupervised? This is a concern parents often raise. They, however, forget the reality that they cannot sustain this pushing beyond a point in the childs life. So, it is better they equip the child with the spirit of autonomy.

Over-involvement is certainly not good parenting, as many doting parents assume it to be. List activities that the child can do on his or her own. Make it a practice to not get involved in them. Let the children face the negative consequences, if any, of their action/inaction. Facilitate learning from mistakes and lapses, without blaming or punishing them.

Resist the urge to help or protect the child. Understand that it is not an expression of care or love. In effect, it may ruin the spirit of autonomy that is vital for life in the new world.Also, resist the trap of feeling inadequate or getting carried away when other parents elaborate on what all I do for my child. There is absolutely no space for peer pressure in this case!

SELF-DISCOVERY THROUGH INDEPENDENT THINKING Facilitate and stimulate decision-making and opinion-formation appropriate for the age. Allow free expression of aptitudes that would aid in self-discovery. Encourage everything that the child does by oneself to boost confidence. This would surely be the building blocks for a confident personality, capable of executing life plans independently. There is a need to rescript parenting styles that heavily encourage dependency. A young generation that is economically dependent on parents, but is rebellious for independence in all other aspects, as in the western culture, is perhaps a paradoxical outcome of such faulty parenting. The question is how many parents would be ready for the rescripting.

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Dear parents, dont ruin kids autonomy - The New Indian Express

With sustainability and ESG high up on the agenda at the Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) in Dubai this September, we asked a number of industry partners how they are leading the change when it comes to sustainable tourism and hospitality.

The global tourism industry is facing the perfect storm of ongoing uncertainty, amplified by troubling inflation, concerns about recession, geo-political uncertainty and increasing fuel prices. How are destinations and operators facing these new challenges, and how can they successfully navigate through these troubled waters?

The tourism and hospitality industry has undoubtedly been among the most affected industries over the past 24 months or so. In my 20 plus years working with international hotel brands, global attractions and theme parks as well as starting-up several F&B and hospitality concepts, the past two years have given us all the opportunity to be daring. This new (and constantly changing) reality allows us to completely rethink and revolutionise the way we do things. My golden rule is that its essential to be agile, quick and decisive, and never lose sight of whats needed to ensure long-term resilience.

In an ever-changing world, the pandemic brought into focus the need more so than ever to commit to a sustainable and responsible tourism growth. Even pre-pandemic, consumers were more mindful of sustainability and travelling in a responsible and purposeful manner and this trend is only accelerating. In a recent report from Booking.com, a huge 81% of global travelers confirmed that sustainable travel is important to them - a 10% increase over 2021 data - with 50% saying that recent news about climate change has influenced them to make more sustainable travel choices. Sustainability must now be top of mind for any destinations long-term investment and hospitality development to tap into this evolving landscape.

Often when people talk about sustainability, it is usually just a buzzword that means recycling or reducing single-use plastic. The need for good stewardship of our cultural heritage, environment, people and infrastructure has never been stronger, especially as customers look to engage and connect with brands that reflect their evolving values.

The expectation for companies to back up words with impactful actions is becoming more important. As the licensing authority for all new hotel developments, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority is able to set guidelines and protocols to regulate sustainability standards and work closely with hotels to ensure sustainable practices. To provide independent and transparent credentials, we work with EarthCheck, experts in global environment, to co-create green practices and together with our hotel partners, collectively reduce food wastage, energy and water consumption, as well as undertake green procurement from local suppliers. In addition, we have launched the Green Hotels Rating with the aim to achieve 100% integrated sustainability across our hotels.

However, sustainability is a lot more than environmental management, waste management and water consumption - it is also about economic progress and social development. True sustainability must encompass all aspects including environment, culture, conservation and liveability. This is something that emerging destinations such as Slovenia have done with great success and is the rationale behind Ras Al Khaimahs own bold new approach to responsible stewardship and development - Balanced Tourism.

Under our all-encompassing banner of Balanced Tourism, the Authority is shaping tourism in the UAE by placing all aspects of sustainability (environment, culture, conservation and livability) at the center of its investment and development strategy. As part of this commitment, we have a adopted a measured approach with a controlled pipeline of sustainable development to ensure issues surrounding over tourism such as over development, crowding of heritage sites, and the spoiling of its unique natural environment are avoided, and creating a destination that will resonate with todays responsible traveller.

By working towards establishing the destination as a leader in sustainable tourism, we improve the lives of our citizens and workforce, protect and enhance our unique natural environments and traditional communities, as well as address the needs of the visitors and the industry.

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Leading The Change In Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality | By Raki Phillips - Hospitality Net

Aimed at students of all ages, they will cover topics such as evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency

Published: Tue 13 Sep 2022, 3:30 PM

Emirates Transport (ET), the UAE's largest school transport provider, released three short cartoon films targeting school students of all grades that highlight important passenger safety guidelines for the school transport services provided by the company.

The films were launched during a visit by an ET delegation headed by Amer Al Shehhi, the supervisor of school transport operations in Abu Dhabi, Al Dhafra and Al Ain in coordination with the Abu Dhabi Police to Khalifa City, a primary school in Abu Dhabi, where it was then shown to the students.

Jasim Al Marzouqi, Executive Director of School Transport at Emirates Transport, said: Emirates Transport harnesses all its available capabilities to deliver its safety awareness messages to students benefiting from its services. It takes into account in its messages the optimal method and the best channels to reach its young target audience and achieve its awareness goals.

Raising safety levels in school transport cannot be completed without educating transported students, by providing them with appropriate knowledge and behaviour guidelines, as well as engaging with them positively regarding their role and responsibility for safety, he added.

Khaled Shukur, manager of the Environmental, Occupational Health and Safety Department, said: The three new safety awareness films use animated cartoons with an attractive modern appeal, and is available in both Arabic and English languages.

They will be circulated and shown in coordination with school administrations, according to the agreed awareness and training programmes in addition to being accessible on the company's social media channels to achieve as wide a reach as possible.

Shukur added that the films deal with various topics covering safety during the school bus journey, in which the main character 'Salem' plays the role of a mentor student who urges his colleagues to follow the optimal safety behaviour during various situations that occur on the bus, thus providing them with appropriate instructions and guidelines.

The first short film shows how to get on and off the bus safely by adhering to the Golden Rule. The second deals with evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency during the school trip, and the third short film relates to general safety procedures and regulations during the school transport trip, added the manager of the Environmental, Occupational Health and Safety Department.

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Back to school in UAE: Emirates Transport releases 3 animated films on school transport safety awareness - wknd.

Many fans do not subscribe to superstitious actions, but many border on psychosis in their rituals. Lets take a look inside the behaviors of a wildly superstitious Chiefs fans game-daypreparation.

A couple of weeks ago I took you all on a Sherpad journey through the experience that is a Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. One of the more hallowed venues in North American sports and what many consider to be objectively the best place on Earth. Now I want to introduce you to another ritualistic practice that plagues my existence throughout the entirety of football season.

Human beings are without a doubt creatures of habit. Some of you do the same thing every single day without even realizing youre conditioned to doing it. In fact, the foundation of how most of us feed and groom ourselves on a daily basis is formed from habits learned from a very early age. Outside of eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time essentially every day and showering, brushing your teeth, doing your hair, plucking your eyebrows whatever your morning routine consists of we all have our habitual quirks in life.

Some take the same walk around the neighborhood every evening with their dogs or their family. Some workout every morning at the same time at the same gym. Others sit in the same chair in their house or apartment to take in some quality Netflix programming or if youre really old school reading a book. Some meditate, some play video games, and some even blog at the same time every day.

Others take rituals way too far. Im not talking about anything perverted or occult here, keep your eyes on the road. Im of course talking about sports football specifically, and the craziness that it can induce from even the most mentally capable and emotionally calm individuals. Am I mentally capable and emotionally calm? Maybe and no. Anyone who tries to tell you theyre calm probably isnt calm in the first place, but Im definitely not, especially when it comes to Chiefs football. But before you write this off as crazy talk, take a walk in my meticulously selected shoes for a second.

Youll find football guys everywhere who will tell you that luck is when preparation meets opportunity. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, even Andy Reid and the coaching staff work tirelessly around the clock all year long to prepare for 17 Sundays from September to January. They grind, they sweat, they bleed, they eat Q39 in their office while watching film until the wee hours of the morning. They prepare relentlessly for not just their opponents, but for situations that each season can throw at them. And when the work pays off, and the opportunity presents itself, they tend to excel.

NFL coaches, executives, and players are some of the more driven people on Earth. But what truly sends a championship caliber team over the top from contender to champion? Does everything I mentioned above help? Well, yeah. For sure. But you know what really does it?

The anonymous actions of fans across the country on the days specifically during the hours that they play football games.

Were talking every aspect of someones day revolving around something they cant control in the least bit. Is it crazy? Absolutely. But isnt that part of the beauty of sports? ESPN famously ran an ad campaign in the early 2000s touting the tagline Its not crazy, its sports. If youve rooted for a team long enough, youve more than likely been driven crazy by said organization, or atvery least know someone who has. But you know what they say: its not crazy if it works.

Im glad you asked.

To truly understand, you have to wrap your head around what it means to be truly superstitious. Not just a little stitious. Im talking super superstitious. I was around my great grandma a lot when I was a kid. She was raised in the south in the 1920s and 30s the dust bowl south. The birthplace of wives tales. So to say that Ive learned some things that I should never do, under any circumstance, would be an understatement.

I am 34 years old. Ive never knowingly crossed the path of a black cat. Ive never once stepped under a ladder. Never broken a mirror. Ive never even clipped my fingernails or toenails on a Friday or a Sunday. I abstain from both because no one really ever knew which day was correct, so Ive just been oddly terrified of both my entire life.

Once you begin to understand how my brain works, youll begin to understand how I operate on game-days. When at Arrowhead you park in the same spot (or at least close by, depending on availability). You drink the same beverage combo. You walk in at the same time, etc, etc, etc.

But it all really starts before hand and permeates more deeply when youre watching from the safety and security of your own home.

Everyone knows that the proper game-day prep begins with the proper game-day threads. A game-day shirt is a must. Of course it gets cooler towards the end of season, so make sure you designate a game-day hoodie for the colder months. If youre like me, you need consistency all the way through the process. Game-day shorts (and pants, again it gets cold) come highly recommended, but are not as crucial as the shirt. If youre living or have lived life as a balding man like I did for years, might I interest you in a game-day hat as well? For our female readers, a hat would also work or you could even go oppo from that and rock a Chiefs headband, bow, or hair tie. Guys, help yourselves on that too not my style, but it takes all kinds to make the world go round.

Were not just covering our mid-drifts here, folks. This is head to toe exercise. That means you need to find and commit to a pair of game-day shoes that you feel will make 53 grown men play football to the best of their abilities. My choice? My Nike Killshots I got inyou guessed it, 2019. They work! Why would I change it up? I do in the winter months if Im at Football Mecca on Sundays, but otherwise its the tennies. Find what works for you, and rock it.

The final part of the clothing portion is without question the most crucial. Youre now set on what other peoplecan see about your wardrobe, but what about what theycantsee? This is no exaggeration I wore the same underwear to and during every game for 3 years until they became simply tattered. Your undies matter. Your socks matter. If youre an undershirt person, that matters. It all matters, but when you consider the proximity of undergarments to majorly important parts of your anatomy, I would argue underwear are the most crucial of game-day fan traditions.

Caveat: In any of these scenarios, if the Chiefs go on a losing streak, consider switching it up. You can always come back to it if the alternative doesnt work. And always change your underwear in a responsible and sanitary way.

This can have numerous answers. It all depends on where you watch the game. If youre always on the go, you may be watching from a phone, laptop, or tablet. Thats fine! For the more nomadic of us, I would advise you find a spot that you deem A) most effective to your teams success and B) most comfortable, in that order. Bonus points if youre in an airport, bus stop, or train station and you find a fellow traveller wearing your teams gear to enjoy the game with.

Watching from home? Heres where the tedious superstitions come back in to play. I dont care if you have a favorite recliner, if you watch from a specific couch, or you sit on the floor. I dont care if you stand up. Justcommit to something.I sit in the exact same spot on my couch downstairs the comfy couch every time I watch the Chiefs at home. Do I always watch the Chiefs at home? No. But if Im at my in-laws house, you better believe Im in the same spot on their couch. If Im at my parents house? Same. Follow the golden rule: commit, then sit.

Caveat: If the Chiefs have turnovers on multiple drives in a row, switch up the seating. Theres bad energy everywhere, do what you can to change it. Be the sage.

Dont be crazy. Of course you dont have to eat the same thing every week. Each weeks menu should be carefully and individually crafted to maximize your dietary needs for the given week and opponent.

Playing the Bills this week? Emasculate the population of Buffalo by making wings better than they could ever dream of. Eagles? Cheesesteaks on the menu that would make Genos mouth water. What about a team like the Ravens, a food that would be repulsive to consume? Just grill a whole chicken and tell people its a Raven, I promise you it works and our quarterback will maintain legal custody of theirs.

My point is that the menu can change. In all honesty, it doesnt have to be themed every week. I would eat pizza for every meal, including game-days even when the Chiefs arent playing a team from a city with pizza-rich tradition. And while the food can rotate, Id encourage you to have at least one game-day beverage that you keep coming back to. I have a general rule of thumb for my beverage consumption on Sundays in the fall, but I will not try to sway you one way or the other you choose your own path on this one.

Caveat: If electing to consume adult beverages, do so responsibly. No one likes the drunk guy who thinks the officials can hear him through the TV.

Thats the beauty of it all you dont.

Embrace the process. Specifically in Chiefs Kingdom, we have the privilege of watching a historically significant span of consistent high level football. Since 2013 when Andy Reid took the helm, and specifically since 2018 when Patrick Mahomes was named the starting quarterback, the Chiefs have been on a historic tear from an offensive standpoint as well as a team achievement perspective. Being the first team to host four consecutive AFC Championships is nothing to sneeze at, especially with two Super Bowl appearances and a Lombardi to show for it.

So why not try to keep pushing them to greater heights? Lets face it, nothing we do is going to impact the way that the 53 guys on the field play. Its just not. Sure, we can get loud at Arrowhead and get the defense hyped up, that definitely helps. For those guys, the drive comes from within. But our quirky, albeit in some instances deeply personal, rituals that we commit to on Sundays dont really move the needle.

But when you wear that same shirt, those same shoes, sit in that same seat, around the same people, wearing the same underwear and the team does something unexpectedly spectacular, for a second it gives you some pause to wonder if the two things arent somehow weirdly tied together. When you really commit to it and your team finds real, consistent success, you can trick yourself into thinking that maybe, just maybe, you had something to do with it.

I know this all sounds crazy. But I promise you its not crazy if it works.

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Chiefs gameday 101: A wildly superstitious fans guide to rituals - Arrowhead Addict

When the church service ended, a father scolded his preschool son for being noisy.

Dont you understand why its important to be quiet during the sermon? the father asked.

Yeah, because other people are sleeping, the preschooler said.

Sometimes things backfire when were trying to make a point to our children, and that was perhaps one of those times.

Another was when a father was trying to teach his son to steer clear of alcohol. That father put a worm in a glass of water and another worm in a glass of moonshine.

The worm in the water lived, and the worm in the moonshine died.

The father then looked at his son, and asked, What does that show you?

Well, the son answered, it shows that if you drink moonshine you wont have worms.

Fathers really do teach their children lots of things sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally.

Perhaps you remember the Like father, like son anti-smoking TV commercial from the late 1960s. It showed a little boy wanting to do everything his father does. When the father lights up a cigarette, the little boy watches closely. A narrator says, Like father like son. Think about it.

So I was reading Hosea the other day and ran into an interesting parallel to the like father, like son idea.

Like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways and reward them their doings (Hosea 4:9).

That verse reminds us that we can learn good habits and bad from those we worship with. Its very important that congregations have biblically solid preachers to lead them and to show them the way.

I wrote an article not long ago about a pastor who gave a kidney to one of his church members. You know why he did it? Because his church member needed one, and he, the pastor, happened to have two. So, it seemed altogether natural to that dear pastor to give one away.

Thats the kind of pastor who sets a great example for a congregation.

Great pastors are always doing incredible things like that. Great pastors live by the Golden Rule of Matthew 7:12 by treating others the way theyd want to be treated.

Great pastors lead their congregations into closer walks with the Lord by being living, breathing examples of love.

Jesus said, A new commandment I give you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you. By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one to another (John 13:34-35).

A great pastor lives out that kind of love. and a great pastors ultimate reward is to see Gods people do the same.

The TV commercial that declared like father, like son is perfectly true.

And thats why we need noisy little boys in church, to make sure others stay awake and listen to the preacher.

Reach Roger Alford at 502-514-6857 or rogeralford1@gmail.com.

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The U.S. and the Holocaust, a three-episode film by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein, will debut on Sept. 18 on PBS. Burns and his partners and staff at Florentine Films work out of a production studio in Walpole, N.H. After watching the film, I interviewed Burns.

Our discussion has been shortened and lightly edited for length and clarity.

Did your thinking about this project change between when you started it, before the Trump presidency, and when you finished it?

We did it because we were interested in the subject. Were not interested in scoring any contemporary points. We know that whatever we work on will resonate with today, that the echoes of yesterday will fully engage with the present moment, but its our responsibility not to pay any attention to that.

After the World War II film [The War] came out in 2007, we were approached by people saying, How come you didnt talk about what an anti-Semite FDR was? or Why didnt you explore why the St. Louis [a ship carrying Jewish refugees] was turned away from American shores? or Why didnt the United States bomb Auschwitz? Finally, we said, You know what? We really have to do this.

Coincidentally, the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., had just started an exhibition called Americans and the Holocaust and asked if we would be interested in making a film about it. We said yes, wed love to be associated with you and get your help in identifying sources, archives, and scholars.

Then it was just pushing to get to a complex relationship between what transpired in the Holocaust through the filter of what Americans saw, what we knew, what we didnt know, what we did, what we didnt do, what we should have done. You could just march the Holocaust story along while going back and forth between the United States and Germany and seeing uncomfortable echoes between the two places.

What do you hope people will take from the film in the current political environment?

Were storytellers, and every person will relate, or not relate, in their own individual ways. And thats a good thing.

A sensitivity to our fragility is an important reason we accelerated the project it was going to come out next year. I think everyone in the film articulates this, but no one more precisely than Daniel Mendelsohn, when he says, dont kid yourself, theres no bottom to what human beings can do and how fragile our institutions are.

I insisted on putting a paragraph early in episode one saying that if you wanted to be in the hippest, most democratic, artistically exciting, vibrant place in 1931 and 32, youd do no better than Berlin in arts, architecture, music, intellectual circles. And the change was almost instantaneous.

The willingness of people to believe the lies of an evil regime and manipulative leaders demagogues isnt something thats a one-off. It isnt, Oh, its too bad that happened. We see the rise of authoritarianism, we see the stresses on democratic institutions, we see that the superficial appeal of order has a huge human consequence.

I was glad to see Mendelsohn in the film. Years ago, I read his book, The Lost: A Search for Six of the Six Million. He goes looking for six family members killed by the Nazis. The book changed the way I saw the Holocaust.

The number 6 million is impenetrable. It means nothing anymore. We begin the film by saying lets reconfigure that equation. There are 9 million Jews in Europe in 1933, and by 1945, two out of three are missing. Were looking at a woman looking out the window joined by, one assumes, her father and her mother, and you realize that in any given threesome, two are missing.

Or it is Mendelsohn devoting so much of his life to finding out what happened to his great uncle, Shmiel Jager, and his wife and four daughters, whatever it takes. And he particularizes it that was the word he used.

More than half the Jews in Germany and Austria escaped. They often had connections in Western Europe and the United States. But when Germany expanded for the breathing room the lebensraum that Hitler wanted in places where he considered people stateless and nameless, much the way we treated Native Americans, he ended up acquiring Jews. That led to a decision to kill them all.

In your film the United States before World War II is full of anti-Semitism, racism, eugenics, the Chinese Exclusion Act, forced deportation of Mexicans who had become American citizens, attempts to restrict immigration to Nordic races. This is so different from the history I learned in high school. Should this be part of the curriculum?

Nell Irvin Painter [historian quoted in the film] is smart about this: We are an exceptional country, but sometimes were not. If you say, as Lincoln put it, you are the last best hope of earth, youve got to be tougher on yourself than anybody else.

We cannot get by anymore with a sanitized view of our history. It exposes women to all the things that the Me Too movement is trying to say. It relegates Native peoples and African Americans to backseat, passive victims or non-existent people whose stories dont need to be told because its upsetting to some. That is not right.

Were obliged to tell a fuller story, and that makes it richer. We need to honor what actually takes place.

Your film describes Franklin D. Roosevelts Holocaust strategy. It was to win the war as quickly as possible and punish the perpetrators afterward, not to rescue the Jews. He could see no way to rescue them, and with all the losses his armies were suffering, he thought it impolitic to lose more lives in a rescue attempt. Was he wrong?

Politically, nothings wrong with it. Its accurate. Hes not a king or absolute dictator he cant by fiat rescue Jews and admit them to the United States.

Hes not unmindful of the problem. He just knows what he has to do. It seems, in retrospect, perhaps cruel, but lets back up were all culpable. We repeatedly tell you about the polls taken at the time. Theyre devastating. Even after we learn about Kristallnacht, even after we see the footage from liberated concentration camps, nobody wants to let any more Jews in.

Roosevelt, a masterful politician, knows this what he can pass, what he cant do. Lets not just put it on FDR. There are lots of forces operating.

If we had been more public about the crimes being committed, earlier and louder, that might have helped. We didnt do that. That is on FDR, but its also on members of his administration who were virulently anti-Semitic and slow-walked or obstructed anything good. It is true of Congress, reflecting the mood of the country a vast majority of American citizens.

Holocaust survivors, long the tellers of this story, are dying off. Has that reduced the attention rising generations pay to this tragedy and what they know about it?

Youre sadly right were losing a lot of witnesses. A generation from now, there wont be any around, so it seems important to hear their stories.

Fortunately, Steven Spielberg and the Shoah Foundation have saved 54,000 testimonies. Hes got an elaborate hologram project that has asked questions of dozens of survivors. Its almost impossible when a school group comes through for someone to ask a question these survivors havent already been asked and have a hologram answer it. That is a way to keep it alive.

But there were themes that needed to be told. There were back eddies of American experience germane to this story, whether its the Germans modeling their exclusionary laws against the Jews in the early 1930s by studying our Jim Crow laws in the South, whether its Hitlers approval of our treatment of Native peoples or our immigration act.

And then hearing that some of the titans of our mythological past Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, just to mention two were virulent anti-Semites. And the eugenics movement that bone-chilling comment by Helen Keller essentially approving of death committees. Here is a kind of eugenics that would not have let her live.

How do you think what your film conveys about our behavior 75-80 years ago can help us face the problems were having today with similar issues: a rise in anti-Semitism, a racial divide, white supremacist violence, prejudice against immigrants?

Yes, there are similar issues, which is why, in the past, we rarely brought our films up to the present, but in this film we do. Its just information, but its important. As the novelist Richard Powers said, the best arguments in the world wont change a single point of view. The only thing that can do that is a good story, and we hope weve told a good story.

Why do you think anti-Semitism persists in American today?

When I was working on the country music film, I realized that I had been making films about the U.S. for nearly 50 years. But I had also been making films about us, the lower-case, two-letter plural pronoun all the intimacy of us and all the majesty, intricacy, complexity, and controversy of the U.S. Thats been my beat.

The epiphany was that theres only us, theres no them. When you see somebody creating a them, were on our way. It was the malevolent strategy and tactics of an evil demagogue to blame a group of others. In this case that was Jews, people without a country, people who brought us the ideas of the Golden Rule, fair play, the ideals of socialism, an internationalist view.

If you are appealing to the lowest common denominator in people, its easy to make Jews or someone whose skin pigmentation is slightly different the enemy.

The rest is here:

'The number 6 million is impenetrable': Burns discusses new film, 'The U.S. and the Holocaust' New Hampshire Bulletin - New Hampshire Bulletin