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Golden Rule Insurance Company is a major provider of health insurance for individuals, life insurance, and annuities. The company has been on the market for more than 60 years. The products provided by Golden Rule Insurance include home, auto, life insurance policies and annuities, as well as health, business and farm and ranch insurance services. In 2003, Golden Rule became a member of the United Health Group family of businesses. United Health Group serves nearly 70 million individuals nationwide with products and services to help people achieve better health.

Golden Rule Insurance pioneered Medical Savings Accounts in 1993. At the present time, the company, known as Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), is the market leader.

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Golden Rule Insurance Customer Service Phone Number (800 ...

WERE YOU ALREADY BUDDIES WITH JAY? DID YOU WORRY THAT OWNING A BUSINESS TOGETHER WOULD CHANGE YOUR FRIENDSHIP?

I knew Jay when he was a colleague in an another barbershop before I started The Golden Rule. In fact, Jay was an apprentice at that time. I helped in guiding him throughout his apprenticeship there and realised we shared a lot of things in common. Our vision, our music choices and lot of things seems to be aligned. Of course, I wont deny initially theres some questions that arose like what if things happen and might affect the friendship, but sevenyears down the road, our trust and bond have never been stronger. Sometimes, you just have to trust the process!

I LOVE THE CAMARADERIE WITHIN YOUR TEAM. WHAT DO YOU DO TO KEEP EVERYONE TOGETHER AND MAKE SURE EVERYONE GETS ALONG?

I try to run the company like a family unit. Less corporate regimens and less stressful protocols to follow. Like how you are at home. Like, if you are going to be late for dinner, then you inform your family via WhatsApp. Same thing with TGR, I allow everyone to feel like a family creating a mutual understanding and respect with one another. Naturally, the bonding helps to create smooth relationships between them.

ARE ALL OF YOUR BARBERS ALREADY TRAINED WHEN THEY COME TO YOU OR DO YOU DO A LOT OF TRAINING?

Ninety per cent of my barbers started off as apprentices sevenyears ago and were trained by us.

WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF ESTABLISHING THE BUSINESS?

Sustaining good service provided by the barbers. They have to be consistently excellent. And retaining clients. Making sure they become loyal and finding ways to ensure that they keep coming back to your barbershop.

TO DATE, WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BEST THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU BECAUSE OF IT?

Being the only Singaporean barber to be selected for SEA Wahl artistic team. Wahl being an international brand and to be selected to be part of the team, Im honoured to be recognised on an international level for what I have accomplished in my barbering career.

WHAT IS ONE THING YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISHED YOU KNEW WHEN YOU STARTED THE BUSINESS?

The importance to diversify and think ahead. Competition is everywhere. When we first started sevenyears ago, there was not much competition. During that time, I should have thought ahead on what can make us stand out from the rest of the barbershops. We should have already been planning towards creating the brand as a lifestyle brand, concentrating on retail or other business areas which we can leveraged on to diversify and grow the business.

MENS BARBERING BECAME REALLY TRENDY A FEW YEARS BACK. DO YOU THINK THIS TREND IS WANING OR JUST CONTINUING TO GROW?

From my personal opinion, I feel that this industry will continue growing. At this point of time, what I see is that all barbershops are still working to stay on trend. A lot of barbers are posting really interesting content on their social media feeds and this is helping to keep what we do relevant.

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Creative Capital: This man runs 'Singapore's best and coolest barber shop' - CNA

by Jeff Wagner

Hello Loveland! I love you and always have. I dont usually get involved in politics because I dont enjoy it. Im fine reactively engaging in political discussions when I dont have a choice though.Im truly moderate.Ive voted for Democrats and Republicans in recent years. I have an extremely loving family that politically, in my opinion, is a great reflection of this still great countrys freedom.We disagree on politics, but still respect and love each other.I make suggestions to my now-adult children, who had the luxury of attending Loveland Schools in their recurring Glory Days. I suggest that they engage in politics only if it brings them joy, or if they are running candidates.Why? Because nothing matters but your vote. And because Im not changing anyone elses vote and theyre not changing mine.

Regarding Loveland Schools, they have seen better days. But in my opinion, there are also better days ahead! Almost always are. The ebb and the flow. Big mistakes have been made though and residents are upset. Loveland needs to re-earn their trust. Hence, the bounce back will need to be gradual.

Meanwhile, people are more emotional than ever in their lives.Not just in Loveland, but everywhere.Passion can be productive or counterproductive. And when it reveals itself in the form of ire, its almost always counterproductive. Its usually most detrimental and hurtful when things get personal, and/or, far worse in this day of social media, public. Sadly today, thats usually why we employ social media though. To hurt someone badly.

So, whats my point? Believe it or not, its to remind my fellow students what we all learned in one of the places we are discussing. Kindergarten. The Golden Rule is a philosophy for leading ones life that suggests that other people should be treated fairly and with respect. Essentially, people act for the good of others, because they would like to be treated the same way. Too sappy these days?Not if you enjoyed reading it again for the first time in a long time like I did.I needed the reminder, too.

I recently learned my awesome next-door neighbor, Colette Boyko, who is courageously running for Loveland School Board, was publicly accused of some pretty nasty things. Simply put, this was an absolute calling for me to defend Colette publicly.

Colette Boyko may be the most inclusive person I know, especially when it comes to kids.She does not judge people by their skin color or any identity they may have.Heres why I know this to be true: Her adopted son, Anthony, who grew up next-door to us, is African American. And hes a spectacular kid! Anthony is spectacular because of Colette and her loving family.

Colette met Anthony in 1994 when she lived in an apartment in Walnut Hills. Anthony and many other children regularly visited Colettes door asking to take out her garbage for $1. Over a three-year period, Colette befriended the kids, playing games with them, baking them cookies, and becoming friends with their families.They came to know Colette as Coco, and Anthonys nickname was Scooter.

Anthonys mom had personal issues she was never able to overcome. So, Anthony would seek solace from the only parental presence who could provide it: Coco. And Colette has done so ever since.

When he was young, Colette picked Anthony up from work several times a week. She even took him to Disney. She helped him get recommended for a Boys Hope program. Anthonys mom also assisted in getting Anthony into the program and he was accepted.

Boys Hope gave Anthony a place to live during the week with great structure, healthy meals, and a catholic school education from middle school through high school. Colette took Anthony under her wing on weekends, holidays, and summer breaks. He also spent time with his mom and siblings.

When Colette met her husband, Matt, he also accepted Anthony into his life. When they were married, Anthony was in their wedding. When they moved next-door to my family and Anthony started high school, I became friends with Anthony, and we often played basketball together on my court. Anthony remained active in Boys Hope and continued to stay with the Boykos on weekends and holidays.

The week Colette and Matt had their first child, Sky, they threw Anthony a 16th birthday party and made a room for him at their home. They helped him get a job and transported him to and from it. They helped get Anthony through college and made sure he had a good start including a car and supporting family. Colettes children consider Anthony a brother. Anthony now works in Ohio. And he loves his adopted mom, Coco, and family, the Boykos. I love the Boykos too, just like I love Loveland.

Simply put, I know Colette Boyko as a kind, loving and good person who at her very core treats people fairly and with respect. Colette wants the very best for Loveland Schools and our community. She knows the bounce back in Loveland needs to be restrained but that it also requires a lot of work and a solid plan we can all support to get the pendulum heading back in the right direction: Our recurring Glory Days!

And although I dont know the other candidates, I fervently support treating them, and ALL people, per the principles of The Golden Rule. After all, we learned that in Kindergarten.

GO TIGERS!

Respectfully, Jeff Wagner

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Simply put, I know Colette Boyko as a kind, loving, and good person - Loveland Magazine

John Ring| Bluffton Today

What did you fear most as a child? I thought it was having to stay inside on a sunny day. My mother told a story about when she would make me go to bed early. She said I would tell her, Mom, spank me, please, but dont make me go to bed when the sun is up.

I always had a strong dislike for spiders, snakes and dogs that bite. To this day, I dont like strange big dogs. When you are younger than 10 and get bitten by big dogs three times, they tend to go in the dislike column. That is about all I feared, except for one thing: the times Mom said, Wait until your father gets home.

Those words scared me to death. I would rather have a dog grab a snake eating a spider off my chest than hear those words. Dad never spanked us. I dont remember one single time. However, he had a way of expressing his displeasure that melted the heart.

We could con mom. There was no conning Dad. Not only that, but his word was final. It wasnt only the discipline; it was the tone. Oh, the tone. I dont know one single time my dad screamed at us. But the tone, it went deep. Im sure some of you know exactly what I mean.

Lately, there have been several discussions about authority and how we respond to it. Im not sure there is anyone who likes authority. We like it when it comes down on someone we consider offensive, but when authority disciplines us, we dont like it.

What is that feeling you have when the blue lights come on behind your car? It is not one of, Thank you, officer, for pulling me over. I needed a ticket. No way! My first thought was often, What is wrong with this cop? I dont deserve this. I have been told the same attitude exists among most convicts in prison. They seldom admit their guilt.

Authority is a problem for the independent, self-governing, relativistic individual of today. Lets be honest. Few churches split over theological issues. As I look back at those who threatened or left the churches I have been part of, it came down to obeying authority.

Nobody left because the pastor stole the offering. Nobody left because the preacher was teaching heresy. Nobody left because they were offended by an elder. Now, Im sure there has been abuse in some cases. I dont blame anyone for leaving a church for gross moral decay. However, those cases are often rare, not the norm. We leave because we are not happy, and often its because something is demanded from us.

Jesus often pointed this out in his parables. He spoke of authority and being submissive to it. He spoke of obeying authority unless it violated the word of God. Not personal opinion that we masquerade as conviction. He said to obey man when in authority unless it violates something clear in our worship of the Lord.

What can those things be that violate our Lord? We wouldnt steal. We shouldnt lie (by commission or omission). We dont kill someone for the sake of personal gain. We shouldnt even covet what someone else has. The list goes on.

Lets get very practical, and if I may, very straightforward. I have seen too many people give up on their church, and thus their spiritual family, over pandemic issues that have nothing to do with offenses to the Lord. Somehow, American freedom has melded into the word of God to create a buffet of obedience issues.

Add a tinge of political allegiance and this has become a mess. Churches are being torn in two over issues that have no place in the body of Christ. I hate to say this, but we dont worship an American Jesus. We are followers of Jesus who happen to be Americans. No matter what label we can put on, we are believers and followers of Christ first.

When we became believers, we forfeited our personal rights to become children of the living God, Jesus. He gave us the golden rule that has us loving Him first and then loving others so much that we dont do anything to them we would not want done to us.

I understand more than ever part of the problem is that church for most is only a Sunday event. However, relationship is important to being united in Christ. We need it. A friend once told me, When you are going to leave a church for any reason, go and talk to the pastor. That is what we have done. At times we have stayed when we saw the pastor as more than a preacher.

When we do not submit to authority, even in the church, we are leaving an example to the next generation. What example are we leaving? Sometimes we wonder why they did not obey us. Maybe that is exactly what we taught them.

Jesus and the apostles talked a lot about unity in the church. Unity was to be the opposite of how the world does things. In the kingdom of God, unity is obtained by loving my Lord and my spiritual family. That love is defined as laying down your life (opinions, desires, time) for the sake of another.

Lets start with loving the leadership of our church. They need it. Oh, and they have never been through a pandemic either.

John Ring is minister of family counseling and community outreach at Grace Coastal Church in Okatie.

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Ring: Loving the leadership of our church - Bluffton Today

PITTSBURGH Kat Lieder admits she used to hate mushrooms because she thought they were creepy.

When she dug in the garden with her father as a kid, something about the fleshy, spore-bearing fungi gave her the willies.

I thought they were only associated with death and dead things and decay, she says.

So even she was surprised to find herself on a hilly, wooded trail near the Lodge in North Park on a recent Saturday morning, rooting through fallen leaves and scrutinizing dead logs and mossy stumps in search of mushrooms poking up from the forest floor.

The University of Pittsburgh professor of global studies was in fine company: More than 100 new and veteran foragers, divided into small groups depending on how hard and far they wanted to hike, were on trails throughout the park. All had the same mission: to gather, study and exchange information about wild mushrooms. The daylong event also included lectures, displays, a cooking demonstration and a grand feast featuring more than a dozen mushroom dishes.

It was all part of the 21st annual Gary Lincoff Mushroom Foray held Sept. 18 by the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club. Named for national mycology expert and local fungi fanatic Gary Lincoff, it brings together people of all ages, experience levels and interests for a day of mushroom fun and education.

Like so many events, last years foray was canceled because of the coronavirus. So the crowd buzzed with excitement during the early morning welcome at Rose Barn. A table inside held waxed bags and empty egg cartons for those who forgot baskets for collecting.

Longtime member Josh Doty, of McMurray, is an identifier for the club. Like many in the group, he got into foraging 12 years ago while photographing them, then had to learn what I was taking pictures of, he says with a laugh. He knows not just their common monikers such as maitaike, chicken of the woods and black trumpets but also their Latin names.

One mushroom his group encounters again and again is Russula. Found near oak trees, they come in a rainbow of colors and are one of the most recognizable genera among mycologists and mushroom collectors. He also points out Lactarius, also known as milk cap mushrooms because their fruitbodies ooze a sticky, milky latex when sliced with a knife.

While mushrooms often serve as decomposers by digesting dead organic matter, some are actually parasites that attack a living host and live on it, sometimes killing it. Many more, he says, are intimately linked to trees by symbiosis.

Thats what Lieder found so fascinating when she watched the Netflix documentary Fantastic Fungi during the pandemic. She sought out the Real Fungi stand at the Bloomfield Saturday Market. Her many fun conversations with its owner led her to not only grow shiitakes and oyster mushrooms in her basement, but go on her first foray with WPMC.

They are connected with living things in ways I hadnt ever thought about, she says.

The September foray, which netted more than 150 species, including a rare pouzarella, drove the point home.

It was so delightful to really know how many living things that are all around you that you dont see, she says. And everyone was so generous with their knowledge.

Still, fear persists for many would-be foragers, what with toxic beauties such as the milky-white Destroying Angel mushroom a single bite can kill you sprouting on the forest floor along with edible morels, oyster mushrooms and chanterelles. And with book titles such as the soon-to-be-released How to Forage for Mushrooms without Dying by Frank Hyman, who can blame us?

It doesnt help that many mushrooms can only be identified under a microscope.

The popular misconception is that we know what all the mushrooms are, says mycologist Michael Kuo, who was one of the forays guest speakers and the expert voice behind MushroomExpert.com. But we dont, and thats why [foraging] can be dangerous.

Thats why joining a club like WPMC is smart. They follow the mycologists golden rule: Never eat an unidentified mushroom!

Club members Kristen and Trent Blizzard, authors of the new Wild Mushrooms: A Cookbook and Foraging Guide (Skyhorse, $20), understand foraging can be a scary thing for newbies. But as with any hobby, if you invest in a good local or regional identification book and do your research, it can be less so.

This community is full of wonderful people who are willing to share their knowledge, and have so much enthusiasm, says Blizzard.

The Blizzards, who live and forage in Colorado, started their mushroom adventure as bloggers on Modern Forager. They quickly built a tribe by offering burn maps that detail where to find morel mushrooms that carpet charred forest floors.

Full of gorgeous photographs, their cookbook is a go-to guide for anyone who loves to hunt or cook with wild mushrooms. Along with tips on harvesting etiquette and kitchen tricks, it includes chapters on preservation and cooking techniques. (Did you know you can candy chanterelles or infuse mushrooms with alcohol?) Then its on to recipes from 25 skilled foragers around the country.

There are 115 in all, covering 15 different varieties of culinary fungi everything from jams and soups to jerky and pasta dishes, using favorites such as chicken of the woods, oyster, morels and porcini mushrooms. There also are profiles of some of the foragers sprinkled throughout because theyre so awesome and the world needs to know about them, says Ms. Blizzard.

The recipes had to be simple, and dishes the cooks actually ate on a regular basis.

As a result, a lot of flavors came into play that were very exciting, Blizzard says, with Eastern European, Thai and California influences. We learned mushrooms can be delicious prepared in a different way.

What makes foraging such a great hobby, she says, is that it never gets old. Its also sustainable and gets people outside, surrounded by nature.

It grows with you, and its thrilling, she says.

AUTUMN MUSHROOM AND BUTTERNUT TART

PG tested

This tart works because the crust comes together without any rolling. Any fresh wild mushrooms work think chanterelles, hen of the woods, king boletes or black trumpets. With the addition of roasted butternut squash, its a perfect marriage of fall flavors.

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups (9 ounces) shredded white cheddar or Swiss cheese, divided

teaspoon fine salt

cup cold butter, cut into chunks

2 egg yolks

3 tablespoons ice water

pound peeled butternut squash or unpeeled delicata squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices

Olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg and toasted ground cumin, to taste

3/4 pound mixed fresh wild mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

Fresh sage leaves and sliced green onions, for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Make pastry crust: Place flour, 1 cup cheese and salt in bowl of a food processor fit with a metal blade. Process for a few seconds to blend, then add butter. Process for 10-20 seconds or until mixture is like fine crumbs.

Beat yolks and water together with a fork. With motor running, pour into food processor. Process for about 5 seconds or until the dough just comes together.

Crumble dough into an 11-by-7-inch rectangle fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, or a 12-inch round tart pan. Press dough evenly into pan with your fingers, making sure the bottom of the crust isnt too thick. Use a fork to prick dough all over.

Press a double-folded piece of foil down into the pan. Bake pastry for 12 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Remove foil and continue baking for about 10 more minutes or until crust is a light golden brown. Cool.

Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil, then season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cumin. Spread out on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with mushrooms on a second baking sheet. Roast for about 25 minutes or until tender, then cool for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle 3/4 cup cheese in the bottom of pastry crust. Arrange squash and mushrooms on top, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with herbs and onions.

Serve tart warm or at room temperature, cut into slices.

Serves 6.

Untamed Mushrooms: From Field to Table by Michael Karns, Dennis Becker and Lisa Golden Schroeder (Minnesota Historical Press Society Press, $25)

CHICKEN MUSHROOM COCONUT CURRY

PG tested

With its meaty taste and texture, chicken of the woods mushrooms can be substituted for chicken in almost any recipe. Theyre also relatively easy to identify, which makes them a hit with novice foragers.

For this recipe, the authors recommend mushrooms that are young and tender, with barely opened pads. It can be made up to three days in advance; add apples, onions and cranberries just before serving.

On the advice of mycologist Scott Pavelle, I blanched the chicken mushrooms for 30 seconds before roasting to kill any bugs (I know gross!)

Some people experience an allergic reaction to chicken of the woods mushrooms, so start by eating small amounts to test sensitivity.

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons Madras-style Indian curry powder

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon unsweetened coconut flakes

teaspoon nutmeg

5 cups chicken mushroom, bite-sized pieces

cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided

1 cup chicken stock

cup orange juice

1 heaping tablespoon dried chicken-flavored consomme

cup white wine

cup dried cranberries

Juice lemon

1 large Vidalia onion, halved and sliced -inch thick

1 large Granny Smith apple, chopped

2/3 cup thick coconut milk

1/3 teaspoon dark roasted sesame oil

6 drops hot sauce, optional

teaspoon salt, or to taste

Chives, scallions, roasted sesame seeds or unsweetened coconut flakes, for garnish

Heat a large Dutch oven on high heat. Add oil, curry powder, Italian seasoning, pepper, coconut flakes and nutmeg. Stir to heat the spices, about 1-2 minutes.

Add mushroom pieces and stir to coat. Saute 4 minutes on medium-high, stirring occasionally. If using fresh mushrooms, make sure the pieces do not scorch; you may need to add cup of water.

Add half the chopped parsley leaves, chicken stock and orange juice and bring to a boil. Cover Dutch oven and simmer on medium for about 8 minutes.

Dissolve powdered consomme in the wine, pour into Dutch oven and stir to incorporate. Bring to a boil. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, cranberries and lemon juice. Cook on high 3 minutes.

Stir in onion, apple and remaining parsley. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add coconut milk and sesame oil, bring to boil, stir well and turn off the flame

Taste the liquids and correct flavors, adding more salt, curry and acidity as needed.

Serve over rice or pasta, and garnish with chives, scallions, toasted sesame seeds or coconut flakes as desired.

Serves 8.

Wild Mushrooms: A Cookbook and Foraging Guide by Kristen and Trent Blizzard (Skyhorse, $20)

CHICKEN OF THE WOODS BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

PG tested

Chicken mushrooms are one of the easiest to identify. But they can harbor bugs, especially if theyre older. (Check for any tunneling on the cut edges.) So you may want to blanch them in boiling water before using them. You can store them in a paper bag in the refrigerator before cooking, but no longer than a week.

Here, they pinch-hit for shredded rotisserie chicken in one of my favorite football season recipes, buffalo chicken dip. The shelf-like fungi is both beautiful and tasty theyre meaty, with a mild lemony flavor but can cause stomach upset if not thoroughly cooked.

1 pounds roasted chicken of the woods mushrooms, chopped or shredded into bite-sized pieces

6 ounces (3/4 package) cream cheese, softened

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

cup blue cheese crumbles, plus more for garnish

1/3 cup blue cheese dressing, plus more for drizzling (optional)

1/3 cup of Franks Red Hot Sauce, or more to taste

Chopped cilantro, pickled jalapenos or sliced green onion, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

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What fungi! Foraging and cooking with wild mushrooms - Indiana Gazette

I got an email a while back from a fellow by the name of David Lester, who asked if I wanted to read his graphic novel biography of "an 18th-century dwarf and hunchback who fought a lonely, heroic fight for the abolition of slavery."

If you ever want to get my attention, this is how you do it.

Prophet Against Slavery is written and illustrated by Lester, based on the text from Marcus Rediker's biography, The Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist. It's the wild, true story of an historical figure I had certainly never heard about, even though Benjamin Franklin himself would publish Lay's abolitionist treatise. Though Lay was indeed small in stature, he was quite bold and strong in every other way.

Born in 1682 to a humble Quaker family in Essex, England, Lay was a forceful and prescient visionary. Understanding the fundamental evil that slavery represented, he would unflinchingly use guerrilla theatre tactics and direct action to shame slave owners and traders in his community. The prejudice that Lay suffered as a dwarf and a hunchback, as well as his devout faith, informed his passion for human and animal liberation. Exhibiting stamina, fortitude, and integrity in the face of the cruelties practiced against what he called his "fellow creatures," he was often a lonely voice that spoke truth to power.

The opening scene of the graphic novel captures Lay's personality perfectly: he interrupts a Meeting of the Friends to scold his entire Quaker assembly for their hypocrisy in allowing slavery to persist. To make his point, he draws a sword and stabs it through an abolitionist text, which spills blood across the church floor. Later, Lay admits with a chuckle that it was actually just red pokeberry juice.

Even Smithsonian Magazine has a story about this fascinating moment in American history:

Beneath his coat Lay carried a hollowed-out book with a secret compartment, into which he had tucked a tied-off animal bladder lled with bright red pokeberry juice. Because Quakers had no formal minister or church ceremony, people spoke as the spirit moved them. Lay, a Quaker himself, waited his turn.

He nally rose to address this gathering of "weighty Quakers." Many Friends in Pennsylvania and New Jersey had grown rich on Atlantic commerce, and many bought human property. To them Lay announced in a booming voice that God Almighty respects all peoples equally, rich and poor, men and women, white and black alike. He said that slave keeping was the greatest sin in the world and asked, How can a people who profess the golden rule keep slaves? He then threw off his great coat, revealing the military garb, the book and the blade.

A murmur lled the hall as the prophet thundered his judgment: "Thus shall God shed the blood of those persons who enslave their fellow creatures." He pulled out the sword, raised the book above his head, and plunged the sword through it. People gasped as the red liquid gushed down his arm; women swooned. To the shock of all, he spattered "blood" on the slave keepers. He prophesied a dark, violent future: Quakers who failed to heed the prophet's call must expect physical, moral and spiritual death.

The room exploded into chaos, but Lay stood quiet and still, "like a statue," a witness remarked. Several Quakers quickly surrounded the armed soldier of God and carried him from the building. He did not resist. He had made his point.

In other words: this dude was a certified badass. Lay was born with some sort of birth defects, and those physical deformities made it unfortunately easy for historians to dismiss his life and work. (The Smithsonian article notes that leading abolitionist historian David Brion Davis wrote him off as a "mentally deranged, obsessive little hunchback.") While Lay is often referred to as a "dwarf," it's not clear that he actually had dwarfism, though he was only about four feet tall, with an extreme spinal curvature caused by a condition kyphosis. One of his fellow Quakers described him physically as such:

His head was large in proportion to his body; the features of his face were remarkable, and boldly delineated, and his countenance was grave and benignant. His legs were so slender, as to appear almost unequal to the purpose of supporting him, diminutive as his frame.

Lester's graphic novel does a tremendous job capturing this visual, and the fiery empathy with which the man carried himself despite his stature. And I am grateful for that: Prophet Against Slavery has exposed me to a truly fascinating bit of undertold American history.

Prophet Against Slavery [David Lester with Paul Buhle and Marcus Rediker / Beacon Press]

Fearless Benjamin Lay: The Quaker Dwarf Who Became the First Revolutionary Abolitionist [Marcus Rediker / Beacon Press]

The "Quaker Comet" Was the Greatest Abolitionist You've Never Heard Of [Marcus Rediker / Smithsonian Magazine]

All slave-keepers that keep the innocent in bondage [Benjamin Lay / Library of Congress]

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Benjamin Lay was the best radical vegan Quaker hunchback abolitionist of the 1700s - Boing Boing

Atlanta Hawks coach Nate McMillan believes big men entering the league from other countries thrive because they were taught the fundamentals of the game at a young age.

That grasp of the all-around game has helped international big men dominate the NBA.

Last seasons MVP voting confirmed the return to prominence of big men in the NBA. The voting also highlighted the dominance of big men from other countries.

Denvers Nikola Jokic of Serbia was the MVP winner, followed by Philadelphias Joel Embiid from Cameroon. Milwaukees Giannis Antetokounmpo from Greece finished fourth in the voting and was the NBA Finals MVP. Golden States Stephen Curry was third as the only guard in the top four.

Meanwhile, Utahs Rudy Gobert from France won his third defensive player of the year award. Atlantas Clint Capela from Switzerland was the NBAs top rebounder.

McMillan says some U.S. players are missing the lessons of the triple threat skills of shoot, pass and dribble toward the basket that were learned by the players in other nations.

I just think they come in with the basic fundamentals, more so than our players do, McMillan said Tuesday.

It used to be a lot of that, but now our guys are not spending as much time in those types of programs. ... You dont spend four years in college anymore where coaches can develop those basic fundamentals of the triple threat.

McMillan then paused before asking, You know the triple threat? You say that to one of our guys and its like Give me the ball and let me just ...

McMillan didnt have to finish the sentence. He could have said Let me just dunk or let me just score.

Jokic, who averaged 8.3 assists while also posting big scoring and rebounding numbers, flourished while also making his teammates better.

Jokic isnt motivated to dominate the spotlight on the court. Thats also the way he lives.

I dont want to raise my celebrity status, Jokic said. You can control that in some way. I dont have social media. ... I would rather nobody knows me than everybody knows me, you know. So, its much better if nobody knows me.

Embiid couldnt escape the spotlight while averaging 28.5 points last season. He added 2.8 assists per game and wants to be known for his play on the other end of the court.

I have aspirations to be the defensive player of the year, Embiid said at the 76ers preseason media day. I think I have to be more active and its hard to do because offensively Im also asked to do a lot. I dont mind. I love it. I love carrying a team on both ends. I think thats what probably makes me special, because I do it on both ends.

Capela led the league with 14.3 rebounds while making almost 60% of his shots from the field and adding two blocks per game. Capelas rebounding and defense were big reasons the Hawks beat Embiids 76ers to reach the Eastern Conference finals.

The wave of international big men also includes such players as Phoenixs Deandre Ayton from the Bahamas, Chicagos two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic from Switzerland and Dallas center and power forward Kristaps Porzingis, who is from Latvia.

Capela said international big men embrace our role.

Capela said his role is, Make sure that I do my work. Make sure I finish whenever I get the ball inside. ... You rebound, you create extra possessions. You erase mistakes with blocks. I take pride in that.

The international big men also support each other.

Ive know Jokic since I was in high school, Capela said. Joel for a long time. Rudy since I was back in high school as well. Weve known each other and support each other.

Capela hasnt played this preseason while having treatment for a sore left Achilles. He participated in live drills for the second time on Tuesday and expects to be ready for the season.

Some U.S. centers and power forwards still rank among the best in the league. McMillan included Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers with Jokic and Embiid in his list of top big men before adding that Miamis Bam Adebayo has turned into an unbelievable player.

Indianas Domantas Sabonis is a Lithuanian-American who was born in Portland. Minnesotas Karl-Anthony Towns is a Dominican-American who was born in New Jersey.

Theres no denying the impact of international big men.

You see the skill level, the feel of the game, McMillan said. Those guys come into our league with all of that.

___

AP Sports Writers Dan Gelston and Arnie Stapleton contributed to this report.

___

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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International big men rule NBA with their all-around skills - Associated Press

When I was 20 I fell in love with an Australian artist in NYC. He moved in with me, and five months later, I came home to an empty apartment. I began looking for clues to his disappearance and soon realised my student loan and any meager savings had vanished with him. He left me broken, betrayed, and full of anger and regret. New emotions for me. He also left me with a choice. Would I allow this one person and one moment in time to become the lens through which I observed life and love? Would I opt to live in a body and mind drowning in a cesspool of depressive emotions? Or, would I choose to let go of the hurt and move on to love again?

All of us have been hurt by someone. A classmate, a sibling, a parent, a partner, an in-law, a friend. We all have self-inflicted wounds that fill us with shame. I can allow one happening, one bad relationship or one memory to keep me from realising all that I have come onto this Earth to achieve and discover, or I can choose to forgive and forget, to keep living and loving, dreaming and hoping, believing and aspiringknowing that tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities and new possibilities.

Those who have lived every minute, who have taken the good, the bad and the ugly all in their stride, who have not allowed one moment to defeat them, but are the sum of the moments of their lifetime, are the ones who come out stronger, smiling and fulfilled in life. Those who are defined by one failure, one defeat, one tragedy or distemper are the ones at the end of their lives. They have nothing positive to add to life. They become the living dead.

There are many things I do to ensure that the past isnt keeping me stuck in a moment of betrayal, anger, or shame. One of the most important is to take into account what is happening in the life of the person who has hurt me. What were they suffering at that moment, what were their realities? What circumstances led them to a place where they became vulnerable, let down their guard, and acted badly?

The Golden Rule comes into play here. I need to give to another the consideration that I would like them to give to me in my bad moments, when I am most susceptible to censure and condemnation. If I want to be considered a civil and decent person, then I wont cast aspersions on others in situations where there are two people involved, two emotions, two minds, two reactions and two versions of truth. I wont try to sell my interpretation as the only verity. If I want a second, third, fourth, and fifth chance, I must give others the same. I know I have done wrong, and I know people have forgiven me. And, so, I want to forgive.

I must also grow up and own what has happened. I have to accept who I am and the role I played in the situation. Once I do this, I come out stronger, I come out empowered. I can move forward and get on with my life. I dont hide what has happened, but I own it. I dont allow it to own me.

To do this, I engage in self-help, self-care, self-growth, and self-realization. I forgive myself and appreciate that even though I was broken by something yesterday, I must be healthy today, because tomorrow is a new day. One that demands I come to it with mindful presence, a hunger to grow, and a desire to make peace with the world as it is.

When I am tempted to wallow in anger and accusation, I have a mantra ready that will quickly lift me out of tenebrous depths and show me the light that can be mine for today, tomorrow, and going forward. I remind myself that I must do my own work in goodness and kindness and grace and that pointing fingers and blaming others will not get me where I need to be.

Two or three days ago, an ex-employee of mine from my restaurant Devi in New York wrote to me. He said, Im so sorry, Chef, that when I worked for you, our relationship wasnt very good. I have come to respect you over the years. My customers tell me that what I am doing is a reflection of Suvir Saran, that my style reminds them of you. More and more I realise that I am following in your example, and I want to thank you for what youve taught me. I wrote back to him, I hold no grudge against you. When someone hurts me, I react in the moment. I tell them then and there how they are being hurtful, uncivilised, or rude, and then I carry on. I dont take it to bed.

I remember the good days and I disregard and forget the bad ones, not because Im a great person, but because I need to go to sleep without being broken. And so, when I receive an email fifteen years after a bruised relationship ends, I have no ill feelings or regrets that dictate my response.

The smartest amongst us are those who learn from their mistakes and dont try to hide them. The most gallant amongst us are parents who use their missteps as examples for their children to learn from. They can admit I was rude, I was harsh, I was not as intuitive or responsive to a situation as I should have been. Perhaps they were wronged or perhaps they did wrong, but they let bygones be bygones. They dont live in the past, and are not torn or tormented by it.

When someone wrongs me, what have they gotten from me? They havent gotten me, they havent gotten my mind, they havent gotten my talents, they havent robbed me of my peace of mind or my sleep at night or my heart or my soul. The day my affiliation ends with someone is the last day I think about what if something had been different between us. Im not scratching my skin till Im bleeding, asking Why, why, why? Im not injecting the people around me with more poison than the original incident inflicted on me. By looking forward, not backwards, I can open myself to experiencing new love, new life, new delectations, new successes, and new interpersonal relationships that make the old one fade away into a part of my life I can come back to when I need to, but its not the mainstay of my existence. It doesnt define me.

Life, like all journeys, has its ups and downs, its discoveries, its lessons, its joys, its sorrows, its challenges, its victories. The beauty of life is in living it looking forward, with eyes that are wide open and a heart that is ready to feel, a mind that is ready to reflect, and a consciousness that is conscientious about beholding a future full of possibilities.

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The art of letting go - The Indian Express

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DIY Sewing Patterns Online - The GoldenRule

To the Editor:

I find it interesting the response we are having to vaccines and masks. Often I hear arguments against these that are couched in terms of a personal freedom of choice that the authorities have no right to curb our freedoms. So, lets talk about freedom. Freedom is not about what one can or cannot do, but rather about what one ought to do. We can kill someone, but that does not mean it should be allowed. We can drive on the opposite side of the road, but allowing that would not benefit society. This is in part because our rights end at the point they would impinge upon someone elses. Even our Constitution is drafted along this line of thought. The document begins with the word We. It is a set of rules to promote the general welfare among other common ideals. It is written towards the betterment of society by guaranteeing individual freedoms. It delineates individual rights that are properly directed to the good of society. But there are no free lunches, it also demands we accept responsibility when we exercise these freedoms. In this way we are accountable to exercise our rights without trampling on those of our neighbors.

The history of mankind universally portrays us as communal beings. As such, we are called to serve the community. All our individual actions should reinforce this ideal. Freedom demands rules towards this end. These rules should guide our behavior to make clear what is needed to preserve community. It seems some think freedom means no rules dont tell me how to act. Well, in fact, without rules there is no freedom. Without rules there is only chaos. Take for instance the game of chess. It is one of the freest games, so free that it takes supercomputers to develop winning strategies. The board itself sets boundaries, but without rules that govern each piece there is no game. If each piece moves however it chooses, then there is only chaos. There are many other clear examples of how our individual behaviors must be guided by rules for the good of society. So, it is not what we can do but what we ought to do that gives us freedom. In our society, these two forces are balanced. What we ought to do is defined by our rules for the benefit of society. The adage think locally but act globally, the golden rule, our Constitution are all manifestations of this notion of freedom.

Yes, I wear a mask and I am vaccinated, not just for COVID but for diseases that can generally harm society. Yes, my actions are selfish, because they protect me; but, they are also for the benefit of our communityit protects my wife, my family, and you. I do this to respect your freedom, and mine. I do it as a small attempt at humility, my attempt to put your safety before mine. It is my way to act individually in a manner that benefits you and me in short, it is what I ought to do!

Scott O'Neil,

Ridgecrest

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Letter to the editor: Vaccines and masks | Opinion | ridgecrestca.com - Ridgecrest Daily Independent