Category Archives: Golden Rule

Lindsay Bradley Published 9:16 p.m. PT May 10, 2021

Lindsay Bradley(Photo: Jeramie Lu Photography, provided by NCET)

NCET helps you explores business and technology.

We have all been a job seeker at some point in our career, and boy, things sure have changed. While I will admit searching for a job has gotten easier with technology, there are a lot of things I sure miss about the old days one of which was getting a call from an actual human (gasp!).

Somewhere along the way, companies heard taking the human touch out of the recruiting process was a good idea. I am pretty sure those of us who have spent numerous hours combing job postings, guessing what the salary might be,and tailoring our resume to match what we believe aligns with the ideal candidate would wholeheartedly disagree. But wait, I didnt even mention duplicating information into an online portal and crossing our fingers the algorithm will be in our favor. Conquering the application obstacle course feels reminiscent of an episode of American Gladiators.

We have numerous media for communication, yet companies think its OKto leave candidates in the dark, even after conducting an in-person interview. I am talking Crickets. Tumbleweeds. Goose Egg. Nada. Zilch. I mean, whatever happened to the Golden Rule?

Speaking of being in the dark, do you really not know what you are willing (or have in the budget) to pay someone? You may as well start using the 4-square method made famous by your neighborhood used-car salesman. It shows about the same level of genuineness, not to mention it wastes everyones time.

Companies often rely heavily on computer programs to tell them which candidates they should be interested in. Yes, an ATS (applicant tracking system) can be a great way to collect data and tell you who used your magical keywords on their resume, but Im pretty sure it couldnt tell you a lick about culture fit, attitudeor potential. Putting all your eggs in this basket to find a candidate sure screams fast, cheapand easy. And whats the point of having all this data, ahem, such as contact information if you dont plan to use it to communicate?

To the companies who believe less is more when it comes to putting the human touch in their hiring practices,I hope you never have to be on the receiving end of the halfhearted processes you are enabling. I challenge you to step off your soapbox and instead step up your hiring gamefor humanitys sake.

Here are three simple ways to put the human touch back into your hiring process:

Increase your communication. Provide regular updates. Be honest and helpfulthis means giving feedback even if it's uncomfortable. Make phone calls instead of sending emails when possible, but always call those you have personally interviewed. Close the circle with everyone.

Embrace realistic job ads. You should be attracting suitable candidates not everyone so remove the fluff. Take out the mundane list of responsibilities and replace them with the fundamental skills (both hard and human skills aka soft skills) needed for the role. Also, use the correct industry/role lingo, share insights into your companys culture, and include a salary range.

Utilize surveys. Send post-hire surveys to see where you might be missing the mark. A simple survey costs nothing, and the insight is invaluable if you are willing to accept and act on the feedback.

Remember, your hiring process is a direct reflection of who you are as a branda companyand it undoubtedly sends a message about your culture. A poor recruitment experience paints a picture of your company for potential candidates, and I think '90s pop icon Cher Horowitz would say its looking like a full-on Monet: from far away, it's OK, but up close, it's a big ol'mess.By using a more human-centric approach to hiring, you might be surprised at what happens to your retention rate, your talent pooland your bottom line.

Learn about Elevating the Candidate Experience (and your Employer Brand!) at NCETs virtual Biz Cafe on May 19 from 3 to 4p.m. with virtual networking from 2:30 to3p.m. NCET is a member-supported nonprofit organization that produces educational and networking events to help people explore business and technology. More info at http://www.NCETcafe.org.

Lindsay Bradley is vice president of administration at LeisureQuip, Inc. (www.leisurequipinc.com) and is passionate about optimizing cultures and increasing leadership effectiveness through human-centric strategies.

Read or Share this story: https://www.rgj.com/story/news/money/business/2021/05/10/3-simple-ways-put-human-touch-your-hiring-process-ncet-biz-tips/5033250001/

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3 simple ways to put the human touch on your hiring process | NCET Biz Tips - Reno Gazette Journal

State Rep. James Gailliard (Center)

North Carolina joined a growing list of states Tuesday pushing legislation that could restrict how Americas racial history is taught in schools.

House Bill 324, which the House Education Committee approved on a voice vote, prohibits schools from promoting concepts that suggest America is racists and that people are inherently racist or sexist, whether consciously or unconsciously.

HB 324 also prohibits teachers from promoting the concept that anyone is responsible for the sins of their forefathers.

The full House is expected to vote on the bill Wednesday.

It ensures dignity and non-discrimination in school, said Rep. John Torbett, a Gaston County Republican who introduced the bill and co-chairs the Education Committee.

The bill doesnt mention Critical Race Theory, an academic discipline that examines how racism has shaped the nations legal and social systems. The concept is mentioned in a press release posted on House Speaker Tim Moores webpage.

The legislation would not prevent Critical Race Theory or any other concept or materials from being discussed in schools, so long as the public school unit makes clear that it does not sponsor, approve, or endorse such concepts or work, the press release said.

State Superintendent Catherine Truitt

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt endorsed the bill in a statement posted on Moores webpage.

This is a common-sense bill that provides reasonable expectations for the kind of civil discourse we want our children to experience in public schools, Truitt said. This golden rule approach ensures that all voices are valued in our school system.

Truitt said the goal is to encourage students to think freely and to respect differences of opinions.

Classrooms should be an environment where all points of view are honored, Truitt said. There is no room for divisive rhetoric that condones preferential treatment of any one group over another.

Shortly before the Education Committees vote, Rep. James Gailliard, a Democrat from Nash County, pushed back on HB 324, which he called an anti-education bill.

This is an act to ensure discrimination, fanaticism, bigotry, Gailliard said. This is really a dont hurt my feelings bill, dont tell me the truth about our history because it might hurt my feelings.

Gailliard said bill supporters do a disservice to North Carolinas children by hiding the truth about the nations checkered racial past.

This is a bill of hatred, this is a bill of classism, this a bill of privilege, this is a bill of fragility and has no place in North Carolinas General Assembly, he said.

Min. Paul Scott, a Durham activist who often speaks out on issues involving race, called the bill academic Apartheid and classroom colonization.

Scott said parents, teachers and others must create an African American Truth Commission to challenge attacks on Critical Race Theory.

They are trying to make the South rise again, Scott said. Not on our watch.

Heres a look at what the bill would prohibit teachers from promoting:

The language in the North Carolina bill is a lot like that in a Texas bill House Bill 3979 introduced by Republicans that also takes aim at Critical Race Theory. The Texas bill prohibits teaching the idea that one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex or that someone is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive based on their race or sex.

North Carolina Republicans have moved to restrict what students are taught in classrooms about Americas racial history.

Last week, House Republicans introduced House Bill 755 that would require teachers to post educational material prominently on school websites.

Bill sponsor, Rep. Hugh Blackwell, a Republican from Burke County, said HB 755 will improve academic outcomes for students by involving parents in their childrens education.

But Rep. Jeffrey McNeely, an Iredell County Republican, believes it will alert parents when teachers attempt to indoctrinate students with political views or teach critical race theory.

To me, this will help the parents going to the next grade be able to look and see what that teacher taught the year before, and hopefully were just going teach the kids and were not going to try to indoctrinate them and teach them in a certain way to make them believe something other than the facts, the knowledge and the ability to write and the ability to read, McNeely said.

Student indoctrination has been a popular theme in the states GOP circles since the State Board of Education approved new social studies standards in February.

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson criticized the new standards and quickly assembled a task force to end what he calls the political indoctrination of students in classrooms.

Black Democrats took Robinson to task in January after he called the standards divisive and politically charged and claimed systemic racism doesnt exist. Robinson isthe states first Black lieutenant governor

This year, Republican legislatures across the nation have introduced bills that would restrict educators ability to teach about systemic racism, sexism, bias and similar topics.

In Tennessee, the House of Representatives debated a bill this week that would ban classroom discussions about systemic racism. The state would withhold funding to schools that taught about systemic racism and white privilege under the bill.

The Tennessee House approved the bill along party lines with Republicans voting in favor of it while Democrats opposed it. The Senate, however, declined to accept the legislation.

Republican-led legislatures in Oklahoma, Texas, Idaho and other states have introduced similar bills.

GOP lawmakers are searching for a problem that doesnt exist, said Khalilah Harris, acting vice president for K-12 Education Policy at the Center for American Progress.

Talking about racism, sexism, or homophobia doesnt create racism, sexism, or homophobia; neither does centering the voices of people most affected by systemic forms of bias in academic instruction, Harris said. To the contrary, this approach empowers students to leave the classroom with a more informed understanding of our history, peoples lived experiences, and how they can limit the influence of bias in their own lives.

More:

House bill could restrict what students learn about nation's racial history | The Progressive Pulse - The Progressive Pulse

North Carolina State Legislative Building

RALEIGH On May 11, the House Education Committee approved a bill seeking to address increasing concerns about controversial Critical Race Theory in North Carolinas K-12 classrooms.

House Bill 324 was originally a bill to deal with moving the states public charter schools to Plan A. A preferred committee substitute (PCS) has replaced the original language and changed the bills title to Ensuring Dignity & Nondiscrimination/Schools.

No student or school employee should be made to feel inferior solely because of the color of their skin or their gender,Chairman Torbett (R-Gaston) said in a statement.Our public schools should be a place of respectnot hateful ideologies.

The new bill prohibits the promotion of certain concepts tied to Critical Race Theory (CRT), a belief with Marxist roots that holds racism is constant and inherent in all people and institutions. CRT views all facets of society through a racial lens, dividing people into oppressed and oppressor categories by race.

The bill has the backing of House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain).

In a tweet announcing the bill, Moore said that Schools should be places of dignity and respect for ALL students and teachers. Thats why the N.C. House Education Committee passed legislation today to address Critical Race Theory and other hateful ideas that are attacking our kids.

Moore tweeted that he expects the bill to pass the House by the end of the week. The bill is on the calendar for a House vote today, May 12.

N.C. State Superintendent Catherine Truitt also gave her support to the legislation.

This is a common-sense bill that provides reasonable expectations for the kind of civil discourse we want our children to experience in public schools. This golden rule approach ensures that all voices are valued in our school system, Truitt said in the statement.

Truitt continued, We want to encourage students to think freely and respect differences of opinions, while ensuring our classrooms are not promoting ideas contrary to the equality and rights of all. Classrooms should be an environment where all points of view are honored. There is no room for divisive rhetoric that condones preferential treatment of any one group over another.

According to the bill analysis document for the PCS, schools in the state would be prohibited from promoting the idea that one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex or that based only a persons race that that individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.

The House Education committee has already pursued legislation to increase transparency for parents,said Chairman Blackwell (R- Burke) in the press release.This legislation ensures that tax dollars are spent to educate our students and not on distracting political projects.

The bill takes aim at a key CRT tenet, the United States is a meritocracy or that the nation was founded by members of a particular race or sex to oppress members of another race or sex.

Additionally, HB 324 prohibits promotion of concepts that create discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress for any individual solely by virtue of his or her race or sex.

In a press release announcing the bill change, North State Journals reporting on CRT training in Wake County Public Schools was cited. That article cited training conducted by a company called The Equity Collaborative, founded and run by current General Assembly legislator Graig Meyer (D-Durham). The Equity Collaborative also appears to have conducted training in Loudon County, Virginia, where parents have mounted a campaign to recall the local school board.

A second article following the initial report detailed talking points and denial of CRT-infused teacher training in the district by the head of the Wake County Office of Equity Affairs, Rodney Trice. Following publication, it was announced Trice was leaving Wake County and returning to Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools as the director of equity in that district.

On the national level, North Carolina Congressman Dan Bishop (R-09) said that he will be holding a press conference in Washington, D.C. on May 12 at 2 p.m. to introduce legislation to keep Critical Race Theory out of our schools, federal workforce, and the military.

The Biden administration has drawn criticism for a new rule inserting CRT elements into the way history and civics are taught. On April 19, the Bidens Department of Education submitted the new rule to the Federal Register. The proposed rule uses as an example the controversial and historically inaccurate 1619 Project. It also quotes antiracist activist Ibram X. Kendi to support inserting anti-racist practices into teaching and learning on a national scale.

Joining Bishop for the legislation introduction are former OMB Director and President of Citizens for Renewing America Russ Vought, Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14), Rep. Ted Budd (NC-13), Rep. Lauren Boebert (CO-03), Rep Andy Biggs (AZ-05), and Rep. Ralph Norman (SC-05).

More here:

Bill countering Critical Race Theory passed by House Education Committee - North State Journal

How often do you go over your mobile phone bill at the end of the month? Tap or click here for five ways to save money on your phone bill. Have you ever noticed anything strange, like a large number of text messages? If you have, you may have fallen victim to a dangerous new scam.

Cybercriminals are now going for a one-two punch by infecting your phone with malware and stealing your credit card details in the process. Research done by security firm Pradeo unraveled just how brazen cybercriminals are becoming.

Scammers are combining old tricks with new methods to spread chaos and get rich in the process. Falling victim to this scam will lead to enormous phone bills and banking fraud.

Cybercriminals will first send a malicious text message to get your personal information for the attack to be successful. This is also known as a smishing Trojan. In it, the criminals claim that you need to pay a small fee for a package delivery by following a link.

Once you click on the link, a message will inform you that you need to update your Google Chrome to the latest version to proceed. Unsuspecting users will continue with the suggested update, but its nothing but cleverly disguised malware.

Learn the tech tips and tricks only the pros know.

Once you have completed the transaction for the package delivery, which is usually no more than $2, the criminals have your credit card details. Not only did you hand over $2, but also the ability for them to drain your account.

But how did they get your number? Well, that is where the fake Google Chrome app comes in. The malware isnt designed to steal your info but uses your phone as a proxy for sending out thousands of texts like the one you received.

By combining an efficient phishing technique, a malware to propagate actively, and methods to bypass security solutions, this campaign is particularly dangerous, Pradeos researchers explain in a blog post.

The fake Chrome app will also wreak havoc on your mobile phone bill. By using your number, the fake app sends more than 2,000 SMS per week. Its active every day for two or three hours. The numbers targeted are seemingly random but follow a sequential pattern.

The golden rule of online safety is never to trust anything from a person you dont know. If the message or email seems strange, its always best to delete it. If you are not expecting a package delivery, there shouldnt be any reason for you to follow the link and pay a fee.

Never give your credit card details to anybody that you cant independently verify. In this case, it would be best to check with the package delivery company to authenticate the message. If a tracking number hasnt been provided, its probably fake.

For Android users specifically, always download apps from the official Google Play Store. And never blindly follow a link in an unsolicited text or email. It could be malicious and infect your device with malware.

Open database exposes massive Amazon review scam

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Learn the tech tips and tricks only the pros know.

Scams and malware involving Google Alerts are getting worse Dont be fooled

Original post:

Don't click on this scary text that can steal your data and hijack your phone - Komando

We all know or should know that legacies persist. That's why we call them legacies. They have persisted.

But some of us are in denial of the power of legacies. In particular, one called systemic racism.

That crossroads of denial and systemic racism seems to be where we are right now about all things having to do with race and equity and the newest conservative GOP dog whistle and culture wedge.

President Abraham Lincoln understood the legacy of racism. While not spotless in his own opinions of race, he knew the consequences of inequality and inequity. In his second inaugural address during the Civil War, he observed that we "all knew that [slavery] was somehow the cause of the war."

More than a century and half later, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops put it this way in a 2018 report that evolved out its Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism: "Today, racism continues to exist in our communities and in our parishes. Racism is what makes us see the "other" with suspicion or to attribute negative characteristics to an entire group of people ... Today's continuing inequalities in education, housing, employment, wealth, and representation in leadership positions are rooted in our country's shameful history of slavery and systemic racism."

For our money, looking for unity, equality and equity are not unlike the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And when we're not sure what that looks like or how to do it, we talk to friends and leaders and seek help and thoughtful education to learn.

The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce has embarked on that sort of learning experience with Velocity 2040 visioning process, and last week the Chamber began circulating a pledge for racial equity that quickly drew about 40 business signatures along with the unhappy howls of the local right-wing group, Hamilton Flourishing, which has a history of opposing equity and equity training.

Also last week in the Tennessee General Assembly, Rep. John Ragan, R-Oak Ridge, penned an amendment to an education rules bill he is carrying that would ban any school lessons including discussion of systemic racism. Along with the proposed ban is a measure that would withhold funding from school districts that include those and other similar history discussions in curriculum.

(READ MORE: Tennessee Republicans pass bill that punishes public schools that teach systemic racism concepts)

The biggest sticking point for these conservatives seems to be the phrase "systemic racism."

In the statehouse, Ragan specifically included it in his list of lessons to ban, telling members of the GOP House Education Administration Committee, "Today, subversive factions are seeking to undermine our unique form of government, of the people, by the people and for the people."

The use of the phrase also appeared in the Chamber pledge that drew the ire of Hamilton Flourishing. The pledge includes a commitment to "educate ourselves and share the history of systemic racism in Chattanooga and Hamilton County and the barriers that continue, so that as we recognize them, we can find new ways to overcome them."

Doug Daugherty, president of Hamilton Flourishing, fussed: "Tangentially it might help some businesses, but it's not [the Chamber's] primary job to reorient the culture. We're supporting them to recruit business. If they're not doing that, what are they doing?"

He also groused about the Chamber conflating access to opportunity and ensuring success based on race.

"Everybody should have an equal opportunity, but that's not the same as outcome," he said. "This document actually puts the two together," he said.

Well yeah. And it should.

A 2019 report as part of Velocity 2040 showed the racial gap in household earnings in Hamilton County is 30% greater than in the country as a whole, with the typical white household in Chattanooga earning twice as much as the average Black household.

That's not just bad for Black households here. It also has an impact on growing more jobs all jobs locally.

In early 2019, consultants told the Chattanooga City Council that for all our success in recruiting three of the biggest business investments in Tennessee during the previous decade, the city's job growth had slowed in the last five years so much so that it trailed other comparable mid-sized cities and was growing even more slowly than that of the rest of Tennessee and the U.S. as a whole.

Lorne Steedley, the chamber's vice president of diversity and inclusive growth, reminds us that our city competes globally for skilled workers to help companies grow. Working to correct inequity makes Chattanooga a more competitive business destination.

"If you close the wealth gap, [the city] opens itself up to more consumer spending, and provides an environment, and Chattanooga becomes a destination for opportunity," he said.

Mayor Tim Kelly, who campaigned on the issue of narrowing the city's equity gap and growing Chattanooga's economy, has signed the chamber's pledge. He says years of systemic racism have "split us over time into two cities," in which one city has not shared in the rising prosperity experienced by the other.

"But it's not just a moral problem, it's an economic problem. This issue is holding us back from economic progress," Kelly said.

Our state lawmakers and Hamilton Flourishing like Donald Trump and Lindsay Graham would have us deny that there is such a thing as "systemic racism."

But, then, they also seem to be in denial about that "do unto others as you'd have them do unto you" thing.

And that is a moral issue.

See more here:

Sohn: Beware of the legacy of racism, and more so the legacy of GOP denial - Chattanooga Times Free Press

MENDOCINO Co., 4/25/21 Cal Fire will be conducting a series of helicopter safety and air rescue trainings in the vicinity of Lake Mendocino and Ridgewood Ranch, beginning this week and lasting through the end of July. This training will help fire fighters learn and practice the skills needed to work specifically as a firefighter assigned to a helicopter, and involves the cooperation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages Lake Mendocino.

The training will take place periodically and while it is occurring, helicopters and aircraft may be visible in the vicinity of Lake Mendocino, Ridgewood Ranch (Golden Rule), and surrounding areas, including portions of the Ukiah Valley.

You can learn more about the different aircraft used by Cal Fire in the CAL FIRE Firefighting Aircraft Recognition Guide: https://www.fire.ca.gov/media/4950/aviation-guide-2019-access.pdf. Heres the announcement from Cal Fire Mendocino:

CAL FIRE MENDOCINO UNIT BHOS and AIR RESCUE TRAINING

Mendocino County, CA- The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Mendocino Unit will be conducting Basic Helicopter Operations and Safety (BHOS) and Air Rescue training in the areas of Lake Mendocino and Ridgewood Ranch. Training will be conducted periodically between the dates of April 26, 2021 and August 1, 2021.

The aircraft will be training in the Lake Mendocino, Ukiah Valley, and Ridgewood Ranch (Golden Rule) and surrounding areas, at various days and times of the day.

This training for CAL FIRE MEU Helicopter 101 firefighters will include, a combination of classroom training and operational exercise with a focus on safety. They will learn and practice the skills needed to work specifically as a firefighter assigned to a helicopter.

CAL FIRE will be conducting this training with the cooperation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Every effort will be made to not impact the publics use of Lake Mendocino, the trails around the lake, as well as any impacts to nearby residences. All water pulled from the lake for training will be dropped back in due to low water levels.

The training will be conducted under very tight restrictions for the personal safety of firefighters and area residents. CAL FIRE reminds all residents that their safety is of the utmost concern.

To learn more about CAL FIRE aircraft visit: https://www.fire.ca.gov/programs/fire- protection/aviation-program/ and view the CAL FIRE Firefighting Aircraft Recognition Guide: https://www.fire.ca.gov/media/4950/aviation-guide-2019-access.pdf

Read the original:

Cal Fire to conduct Helicopter and air rescue trainings at Lake Mendocino and Ridgewood Ranch, April July - The Mendocino Voice

The last street going west here, leaning like a plank rolling toward the next small Iowa town, is named Broadway.

And if in a fit of sarcasm one would consider Broadway as a trail in Manhattan, the New York street of song and fame, one would miss the geese that squawk 50 yards away, gliding like little sailboats on Lake Norman, a tiny pond listlessly spilling into the marsh water headed to the river.

The outhouse and windmill rising from a 10-foot-wide island are stammering signals that its Iowa, after all.

Here is a barely remembered town, yet alive in stature and warmth. Its small Lenox College once occupied a co-ed community that educated its students through the Presbyterian tradition. It opened during the Civil War era and closed during the beginnings of the second war. Its buildings still stand. A Civil War monument still harkens.

Its a town of Iowa churches and trees that block internet signals, of large garages and small clapboard houses and neighbors who wave at strangers as if to welcome them home.

The main street once held grocery stores, dry goods, meat purveyors, a Farmers State Bank, drug stores and a variety that bespeaks prosperity of spirit.

For more than two blocks in length, brick-and-mortar and wood built by industry still stands against the winds of time that claw away at the proud old facade.

In Hopkinton, a burg of hundreds that rests on U.S. 38, somewhere in the trajectory of geese and autos heading to other spaces, the utilities office clerk smiles as warmly as the sun, cleaning shadow away and offering an authentic heartfelt concern, with a Welcome. How do you do?

A few blocks off U.S. 38, a trek south of the famous Dyersville film iconography and a short stop between Delhi and Monticello, a post office clerk seems to have heeded the greeting at the utilities office, like townsfolk have studied lines to beguile visitors.

Heres your post office key. Welcome. Glad youre here.

Now, the nearby space where morning doves gather in tree tops, grows into a chorus to compete and to echo the clacking fury of the geese two blocks farther along, as it confronts harmony from the inhabitants, a rhythm of life Thorton Wilder or Steinbeck would have found joyful to show.

In this telling, the genuine friend is that person who starts with a warm, Glad to meet you. And means it. Perhaps the preacher Casey from The Grapes of Wrath passed through. And despite the towns effort, hard times did come. But resilience and kindness stand out, markedly real in the buildings, homes and civility at every introduction.

At the library, the young woman behind the glass, at a spot near the old bank tellers window, smiles as sure as the migration of the pond folk. Every time you enter the book aisles and look across to her, she grins with a knowledge of its return in the Golden Rule.

The face of the building proclaims the glory of farms and the heritage of a bank, its red brick and marble face a soothing memory of days past. Yet, in an instant, history is alive in a current generation. Again, that refrain as stout as old glory, as deep as the sweet land of liberty that was carved in unique colonnades across the faces of town.

Here, affixed naturally upon the faces of the residents, the laughter of the children and as sure as the smell of spring drafting into small-town Iowa, grows humanist and humanness.

Its a place of earth and connection, memory and a still hearty faith, given in the Welcome and the hand that passes the key at the post office, not far from the field, the river and the lake of a singular acre, where the horizon holds out to eternity.

Trenkle has had a career teaching psychology. He authored the book, The Kings of the Narrow Gate, about an evangelical mission within a pawn shop in Dubuque. His family traces back to the 19th century in Dubuque, when a relative operated a meat shop, Trenkles Sausages, once located next to city hall.

Continued here:

Trenkle: The size of small town Iowa | Features | telegraphherald.com - telegraphherald.com

Liverpool manager Jrgen Klopp admits they do not deserve to be in the Champions League if they continue to play the way they did in the 1-1 draw at home to Newcastle.

The Reds hopes of a top-four finish were dealt a blow when midfielder Joe Willock scored an equaliser in the fifth minute of added time, benefiting from an additional 60 seconds on the clock after Callum Wilsons goal just moments earlier had been ruled out by VAR for handball.

Mohamed Salahs 20th Premier League goal of the campaign, becoming the first Liverpool player to achieve that feat in three separate seasons, in only the third minute had looked like giving the hosts victory despite a host of missed chances.

Critics, of which there have been many this week in the wake of the clubs involvement in the ill-fated Super League plans, may well enjoy the irony of the dent the result put in Liverpools aspirations of qualifying for the Champions League a competition their owners Fenway Sports Group were seemingly more than happy to abandon just six days ago.

For Klopp, however, the concern was he did not think his side warrant a place among Europes elite on this evidence.

If we play like this and dont finish games like this off, why should we play Champions League? he said.

We want to deserve Champions League and we dont want to come and be cheeky, we want to earn it and with these results you dont earn it.

Its all on the table so go for it. It feels close to being unacceptable but we have to accept it anyway.

Klopp accepted the way his side performed at both ends of the pitch although particularly up front where they had 22 shots and nine on target meant they did not deserve to beat Newcastle.

Very tough day but there is no-one else to blame but ourselves, he added.

We created chances. The golden rule of football is youd better use your chances. Thats what we didnt do and thats why Newcastle deserved a point.

They score a goal which was disallowed the first time we were lucky with VAR but we didnt even take that present and we gave them another one and its 1-1.

Newcastle boss Steve Bruce was delighted with a point but felt the joy of snatching a draw was somewhat lost by the intervention of VAR and the application of rules he feels need changing.

Theres no denying we were sloppy with some of the decisions we made trying to play out from the back but I always thought we carried a threat going forward, he said.

We scored twice in the last minute which is quite remarkable. To go and get something from the game is vitally important.

We were gutted (by Wilsons disallowed goal). When you see the goal back you think what a ridiculous decision that is not to allow the goal.

We are going to have to look at these crazy rules. VAR is becoming laughable and it is not VARs fault, it is the letter of the law. It doesnt make sense.

VAR was brought in for a clear and obvious mistake so to be looking at every goal whether it is a millimetre or two onside is not a great spectacle.

Follow this link:

Klopp says Liverpool dont deserve top four on current form - The Irish Times

EN(dur)ANCE by Robin Gudal

As I walked out the door towards the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didnt leave my bitterness and hatred behind, Id still be in prison. Nelson Mandela

Robin Gudal

One day, whilst visiting with a friend; in the conversation she said, You must have a forgiveness muscle. I had to really ponder that statement. A forgiveness muscle? In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, muscle is defined as a body tissue consisting of long cells that contract when stimulated and produce motion. Motion aka action.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32, NIV. This may be easy enough to read but it is hard to implement sometimes, and usually. Then there is: Matthew 7:12a, NIV, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Also, known as the Golden Rule. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13, NIV.

Do you feel convicted yet? Have you, like me, failed? The hands of the Almighty are often found at the end of our own arms. (Call The Midwife quote) Forgiveness muscle equals action. An extension of grace; to be given by me, by you to others.

There are times when we need to be the one forgiven. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12, NIV. It is so freeing to know this truth. We can lay it all down at the feet of Jesus. He doesnt desire us to carry such a burden; yet we often do. The forgiveness muscle (action) is also to be accepted by me, and by you from others and, ultimately, Jesus.

Soak in and believe the truths in these lyrics (Freedom): You came to set the captives free. You came to bring us liberty. My sin and my rejection met. Your blood and my acceptance. Now Im alive to bring You praise. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Every chain is broken through You, Jesus. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!

Walk in freedom!

Robin (Beckman) Gudal is intentional in life, a wife, momma, nana, friend, a flawed and imperfect follower of Jesus.

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Robin Gudal: Do you have the forgiveness muscle? - Albert Lea Tribune - Albert Lea Tribune

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In this weeks edition of Hey, Mary Kay!, I answer questions about the NFL Draft, Denzel Wards fifth-year option, and more.

Hey Mary Kay: I know it seems pretty obvious that Browns GM Andrew Berry will draft defense in the first round. I think hes actually going to trade up if a receiver he likes drops to the late teens. Can you see a scenario where Berry goes wide receiver in the first round? #clevelandbrownsforever Jeff Lerner, Avon, Ohio

Hey, Jeff: I absolutely do see a scenario in which the Browns draft a receiver in the first round. If a receiver the Browns have rated very highly is within reach, they wouldnt hesitate to draft him. The thing to remember about Andrew Berry is that hes not locked into a particular position and he wont draft for need.

He abides by the golden rule of drafting: Select the most dominant player at the most premium position when youre up and keep adding the best players possible to the team.

He wont get caught up in trying to plug holes, because thats the quickest way to end up with too many players considered just a guy.' You can fill needs through free agency, the waiver wire and trades.

The draft is about selecting great prospects with tremendous upside and developing them into quality starters. Two excellent receivers who could be available near the Browns at No. 26 are Minnesotas Rashod Bateman and Ole Miss Elijah Moore. I still think theyll probably go defense in the first round, but Berry wont be painted into that corner.

Hey, Mary Kay: The Browns picked up the fifth-year option on Denzel Ward, which is great as hes an elite talent and the Browns are better when he is on the field.

The problem is that in each of his first three seasons, hes only played in 12 games each year. If Ward misses a quarter of the season for a fourth straight year, will the Browns hold his unavailability against him in terms of negotiating a long-term deal? Can they put injury/playing time incentives in the contract? Would Ward even agree to such incentives? Thanks, Joe Fraterna, South Bend, Indiana

Hey, Joe: I dont believe the Browns will hold Wards three or four missed games a year against him in terms of negotiating the extension. Hes a premier, lockdown cornerback, and those are hard to find. I think they expect him to miss those three or four games, and that theyll still be willing to pay him his market value, which is currently about $18 million a year. I dont think it can hurt to build some play-time incentives into the deal, and I think Ward would embrace the chance to make more money. The Browns did that with Jadeveon Clowney, adding $1 million in play-time incentives to his $8 million contract, as well another $1 million for sacks.

Hey, Mary Kay: I cant see the Browns drafting anything but linebacker in the first round. Do you think trading up for Micah Parsons is worth it if he falls past 15, or are the off-field issues too troublesome? Also do you see Andrew Billings contributing to the front seven after he opted out last season and after the departure of Sheldon Richardson. Steven Wolford, Newton Falls, Ohio

Hey, Steven: Penn States Parsons is obviously a tremendous talent, and some believe hell go in the top 10, possibly to the Lions at No. 9. If he happens to fall past 15, the Browns would certainly have to consider him, but they also place a premium on character and would definitely think twice. Some teams are bigger on green sticker guys than others, and I believe the Browns are one of those teams. Theyre stocking the locker room with tough, smart, accountable players who exhibit excellent leadership skills and a genuine love for the game.

If theyve determined that Parsons indiscretions were due to immaturity, perhaps hes still rated highly on their board. But I know that theyve kept talented players off their board for off-field red flags in the past. As for Andrew Billings, signed as a free agent last year from the Bengals, the Browns are counting on him being a key part of the tackle rotation this season along with Malik Jackson, Jordan Elliott, and possibly a draft pick.

Hey, Mary Kay: What about the Cleveland Browns for the No. 26 in the first round in the NFL Draft? Ruth Smith, Fairview Park, Ohio

Hey, Ruth: It all depends on how the draft falls, and its an especially difficult year to predict, because so many players opted out because of COVID-19. The Browns are well-positioned in the draft to select the best available player at No. 26, or to make a trade and pick somewhere else. If they stay at No. 26, they could have a couple of edge rushers available in Georgias Azeez Ojulari and Tulsas Zaven Collins, a couple of cornerbacks in Virginia Techs Caleb Farley and Northwesterns Greg Newsome, and a few good receivers in Minnesotas Rashod Bateman and Ole Miss Elijah Moore. They have the luxury of picking whatever position they want with few holes on the roster.

Hi, Mary Kay: I was wondering, do the Browns have a type they are looking for in the draft? Smart, big, fast, hungry.... ? Jason Lyons, Akron, Ohio

Hey, Jason: Their three prerequisites are tough, smart, and accountable. Beyond that, theyre looking to add speed to both sides of the ball, so I think that will be a theme. They look for athletic linemen who can pull and move. They look for linebackers who can play all three spots and defensive linemen who can rush from inside and out. They look for running backs who can catch and receivers who can block and run. The more you can do, the more valuable you are to this front office and coaching staff.

Hey, Mary Kay: How realistic do you see us drafting a wide receiver in the first round? Do you think it can happen? Like on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being it can absolutely happen and might just happen Jonathan Torres

Hey, Jonathan: I would give it a six in terms of it being likely to happen. I still think theyll probably go defense in the first round, but I wouldnt be shocked if they draft a receiver. They have to begin planning for life after Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, and there would be no shame in drafting one of these premier wideouts high and giving him time to develop. Even though they have a surplus at the position, if theres a Pro Bowler in the class, they shouldnt hesitate.

Hey, Mary Kay: What round do you see the Browns taking a linebacker? Ive seen mock drafts that have the Browns taking JOK [Notre Dames Jeremiah Owusi-Koramoah] in the first, all the way to Justin Hilliard in the fourth. I know they already signed Anthony Walker, so Im interested in your opinion about it. Ben Friedman, Canyon Lake, Texas.

Hey, Ben: If they take a linebacker in the first round, I believe it will more of a hybrid player like JOK who can flourish in todays game by covering tight ends over the middle and running backs out of the backfield. JOK has a rare blend of speed, agility and explosiveness that sets him apart from a regular linebacker. Hes only 6-1, 215, but thats adequate for a coverage backer in the NFL. I think Berry would draft a linebacker in the first round like JOK who can run the passer and also make tackles behind the line.

He won the Butkus Award last season as the nations best linebacker, and has the versatility to excel in this scheme. The signing of Anthony Walker wouldnt preclude the drafting of a JOK. But I could also see the Brown drafting a linebacker in the second or third round and opting for a more premium position in the first round such as cornerback or edge.

Hey, Mary Kay: As a huge Browns fan I will be traveling to the Draft. Does it being held in Cleveland hold any bearing at all on what they might do? I completely understand the logic of trading back. I love being smart as Andrew Berry is! Yet, at the same time the draft may never be in Cleveland again. This is one time Id love to see us be a little flashy and would definitely hate us walking away without a player on the first night of a Cleveland-held draft! Derek Heminger, Marysville, Ohio

Hey, Derek: It all depends on how many first-round grades the Browns have in this class, and if there are some of those players left as they approach No. 26. Im guessing theres a wide disparity in grades this year because of so many players opting out or playing partial seasons. The Browns also have enough ammunition to move up some in the first round to grab one of the better players. The fact that the draft is in Cleveland will have no bearing on Andrew Berrys first-round strategy. Im guessing they will make a pick in the first round, in part to secure the fifth-year option exclusive to that round.

Hey, Mary Kay: What backup offensive linemen are on the roster? There were a few asked to fill in during the end of the season and the playoffs who performed well. William Tyminski, Medina, Ohio

Hey, William: There are actually a dozen backup offensive linemen on the roster, including Chris Hubbard, Michael Dunn and Blake Hance, whom Baker Mayfield met in the locker room for the first time before the wild card playoff game in Pittsburgh. A couple of recent draft picks are on the list, including center Nick Harris and guard Drew Forbes. The Browns will have plenty of competition for the backup spots in camp, and will likely add some drafted and/or undrafted rookies.

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Would Browns GM Andrew Berry draft a receiver in the first round? Hey, Mary Kay! - cleveland.com