Category Archives: Golden Rule

A few weird, dystopian phases of coronavirus ago, when toilet paper supplies were treacherously low and few of us could be sure where our next roll was coming from, the bidet discourse was as inescapable as sourdough starters.

During this time, the thought may have occurred to you, Wait, should I have been washing my asshole all along? The answer is yes, and even if you have been, theres a not insignificant chance youve been doing it wrong anyway. But dont worry, its not really your fault.

The reality is that nobody teaches us these things, says Dr. Evan Goldstein, renowned anal surgeon and founder of Bespoke Surgical and sexual wellness brand Future Method. Nobody teaches us the right way to shit. Nobody teaches us the right way to wipe. Nobody teaches us that we shouldnt be using wet wipes, he tells InsideHook.

Fortunately, Dr. Goldstein is here to teach you everything your potty trainers missed, and theres more to it than bidets and douching. We talked to the premier butt doctor himself about all things anal hygiene, because no matter who you are or what youre putting up your butt, it should be clean.

Hate to say it, but anal hygiene begins well before you even think about entering the bathroom. According to Goldstein, a clean anus starts with a good diet.

For inspiration, look no further than your dog. Think about when you watch dogs take a poop, says Goldstein. Their diet is so high in fiber that they dont even need to wipe after they have a bowel movement.

Essentially, thats your goal. The less wiping you have to do, the better.

Less wiping, says Goldstein. Everyone wipes from front to back, and thats obviously how we were taught. But the skin in that area is very, very fragile. So a lot of people are over-wiping, especially if your stool is not super formed.

Step one to getting that stool well-formed? Fiber. Goldstein recommends a high-fiber diet, but if you, unlike your dog, cant squeeze enough fiber into your daily meal plan, supplements are your next best bet. Goldstein recommends Pure for Men, a fiber supplement designed with anal hygiene in mind.

These supplements work best when taken at night, Goldstein explains. Taken before bed with plenty of water, fiber supplementation starts to do its thing while youre sleeping, he says. What winds up happening is most people start to have a bowel movement first thing in the morning. When you stand up, it changes the pelvic angle, and when that angle changes you feel the urge to have a bowel movement, and then you evacuate everything.

Sounds gross, but evacuating everything on a regular basis is step one to a healthy, hygienic butt, and it can actually save you more drastic cleaning measures down the line.

For the love of god, stop wiping your ass.

As discussed, if you have your fiber situation under control, there shouldnt be much need for aggressive post-poop cleaning anyway. But even if there is, you should be aiming for more of a blot than a wipe, says Goldtstein. And please, do not even think about going back there with a wet wipe.

A lot of people, especially straight guys, are using wet wipes, which are so terrible for you, says Goldstein. When people are over-wiping or using wet wipes, theyre creating more irritation and getting rid of good bacteria. That buildup of moisture and bad bacteria causes a lot of issues, he explains. And, as Goldstein says, When you have an anal problem, it literally is a pain in the fucking ass.

So if wiping is bad and wet wiping is worse, what exactly is a guy supposed to do after taking a shit?

Ideally, youd hop in the shower.

You should shower, or use water and clean yourself after bowel movements. It minimizes your wiping irritation, and it minimizes any residual stool that may cause some contamination, says Goldstein. If you have time to pop in the shower, using a gentle exfoliant would be great. It fosters a lot of really great health in the area and soothes it, and also gets rid of any excrement.

That said, most of us cant always jump in the shower every time we poop. Which brings us to the bidet. Goldstein recommends TUSHY for a simple, relatively inexpensive option that you can attach to your existing toilet seat (and so do we).

Historically, anal douching has been associated with the gay community, or at least with people who have anal sex. But should straight men be douching?

Obviously, I want straight guys to start having more anal sex, says Goldstein. When you stimulate the prostate sexually, its so much better from an orgasm perspective, and the reality is that most guys have never had that type of an orgasm before, he explains. If straight guys would just lose the phobia, not think of it as a gay thing, I think that they would tap into something that would really bring them so much more joy from a sexual perspective.

Obviously, butt stuff has long since spread its wings outside the exclusive domain of gay sex. For the last decade or so, butt play has taken over the sexual zeitgeist in a major way, with various anal activities entering the bedrooms of people representing a diverse range of gender and sexual identities. As Goldstein puts it, Its such a fun time to be into all things anal. Anal is the thing. Everybody wants to have anal these days.

But with an increased interest in anal sex comes an increased awareness of anal hygiene. Naturally, in this, the age of ass, anal douching is for everyone and no one. Allow Dr. Goldstein to explain.

If you dont need to douche, dont douche, he says. And, statistically speaking, you probably dont need to.

If I line up 10 guys or girls, and we have anal sex with all of them, and theyre not douching, nine times out of 10, there wont be any issues in terms of stool being present, he says.

Ultimately, says Goldstein, the pressure to douche is largely a societal one.

I think in sexual culture, whether gay or straight or whatnot, everybody is very phobic of being dirty, he says. But nine times out of 10, most people are actually going to be super, super clean. If you have a good diet, youre using fiber, and youre shitting regularly, then I dont think most people need to go to that degree.

That said, Goldstein understands that, societal pressures being what they are, many people might feel the urge to ensure theyre super clean before engaging in anal play. In which case, he recommends first checking out the situation for yourself.

Use toys, show yourself that youre clean, he suggests. Put a toy in there, and prove to yourself that youre actually clean. If youre not, or if you want to feel super clean, then yes, I think douching with the right product, with the right solution thats not causing harm, is a good option.

Thats exactly why Goldstein designed a safe anal douche for Future Method. The products pH balanced, isotronic solution and small bulb are meant to prevent the damage and over-douching to which most other products can lead.

That said, Goldstein maintains that the golden rule of douching is dont do it if you dont need to. In most cases, he says, fiber supplementation, great diet and good exercise, are all you really need to ensure your butt is ready for whatever it may encounter.

At the end of the day, regardless of who you are and who or what is going up your anus, it should be clean. Fortunately, for the vast majority of people, all it takes to maintain a clean asshole is plenty of fiber and maybe a bidet.

You should definitely be having anal sex, though.

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What Men Don't Know But Should About Cleaning Their Butts - InsideHook

The multilayers of our present-day predicament have erupted in a perfect storm. One layer is the COVID pandemic keeping everyone at home, schools and camps closed, social distancing. Containing the virus requires following rules. Another layer is the protests of police brutality againstBlack peoplebringing people to the streets stretching the pandemic rules. In the deeper layers is the unrest of factions of society subjugated for so many generations by other factions of society deemed superior. Adding to the perfect storm, the coronavirus attacks the black faction at a vastly greater rate. And the virus is spiking in many states. Our country has been brought to its knees.

I cannot help but draw parallels between the macrocosm of society and the microcosm of the family.

As Trevor Noah of The Daily Show so eloquently described in his off-the-cuff FacebookLive event, society is a group of people who agree to a contract. There are rights and wrongs, written laws, and a constitution that bind that contract. As well as unspoken rights and wrongs that mature members of society agree to in order to get along.

In the microcosm, children are raised by the rules and agreements of a family structure. They mature under the authority of parents until they are ready to join into the contract of society.

Ideally, the principles and agreements of both the family and society are established for the good of all the people to be looked out for, cared for by those principles. This is what binds us and supports us unless they dont apply to all. Both the family and society have lived under double standards for a very, very long time. What is good for some is not good for all.

When some factions are not treated by the same standards as others, uprisings occur. In the family, teen rebellion both civil and violent; in society, protests and demonstrations both civil and violent. What we are seeing in the streets is an uprising of the people for whom the principles of society do not apply. Trevor Noah left us with the question, What if you lived in a society, whose principles you had agreed to, but those very principles neglected to care for you and protect you? How would you feel?

So too within a family. Children blindly trust they will be cared for and their needs met within their family. But when those in authority think their own needs are more important, children fall under the fear and control of manipulative rules of behavior the reward and punishment methods that have been used for ages leaving children feeling powerless and misunderstood. Many protest when age allows, and when the protest is loud enough, they become problems to society. Others submit, losing themselves and their sense of agency in the process.

When authority figures in society and in the family behave in the way they want their people to behave, when double standards disappear, they set an example that people want to follow. This is a democracy. This is a caring, connected family. The golden rule binds to build a strong structure.

The legitimacy and authenticity of society and family both depends on agreeing to a set of basic core principles of respect, trust, balance, fairness. With agreement comes the expectation that those principles apply to all. But when both the family and society live by a you do as I say or else principle, fear replaces respect and havoc will wreak at some point. Human beings can only be held down for so long.

When some respond to Black Lives Matter by saying all lives matter, they are missing the point. When parents respond to a childs out of control behavior with punitive tactics, they are missing the point. When society uses its principles to protect some and not others, society misses the point. The point is that those who are in revolt are screaming to matter. Because they feel invisible, rejected, unacceptable, powerless, and misunderstood the opposite of mattering.

Will we learn anything from this perfect storm, or will we just get tired and go back to the same old, same old?

Ask yourself, do you model behavior toward your children that you want them to mirror? What do you think will happen if you allow yourself to behave in ways you dont allow your children to behave? If you yell and threaten and punish, what do you think your children learn to do to get what they want?

We want our children to move into society with the standards of the golden rule. They will if they have been nurtured on it. We want the golden rule to apply to all factions of that society dont we?

Look for Bonnies new podcast, Tell Me About Your Kids, launching this week wherever you get podcasts.

Bonnie Harris is a parenting specialist who teaches and speaks internationally and at The River Center in Peterborough. Bonnie offers individual parent counseling, parenting workshops and professional trainings. To set up an in-person or online coaching session, email her at bh@bonnieharris.com. You can sign up for her email newsletter on her website, bonnieharris.com.

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ParentWise: What happened to the Golden Rule? - Monadnock Ledger Transcript

Many of us grew up learning the Bible's "Golden Rule." This tells us that we should do to others as we want them to do to us.

During this COVID-19 crisis, this means I should wear a mask to protect you from the virus, and you should extend the same protection to me and others. Wear your mask!

Countries such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand and Australia immediately implemented many safeguards in January and February, including nearly universal wearing of masks. Taiwan, with a population of 24 million, has had only 447 infections and seven deaths since the outbreak.

Australia with a population slightly larger than Florida, has had fewer total infections in six months than Florida had recently in one day. Masks are not the only reason, but they have played a key role in limiting the spread of COVID-19 in these countries.

Contrary to the President's false assertions that 99% of cases are "totally harmless," and that "by April, you know, in theory, when it gets warmer, it miraculously goes away," between 15-20% of COVID cases require hospitalizations, with 3-5% of total cases resulting in death. Clearly this is not harmless! In addition, the pandemic is projected to last at least another year.

Wearing masks is not about "individual freedoms." It is about protecting our families and neighbors. Please, please wear a mask. Live the Golden Rule!

Paul Anderson

Wadena

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Your letters: Live the 'Golden Rule' - wear your face mask - Wadena Pioneer Journal

Bronx: Im confused. First, the Daily News and the public howl about summons and arrest quotas, even publishing stories about the brave police officers who came forward to whine about this evil. Now, you complain that not enough arrests and summonses are being made. If you dont want a quota, you cannot complain about the number of arrests and summonses, since there is no mandatory number expected of officers. I also remember reading some nonsense about smart policing, which is a fantasy, just like, you cannot arrest your way out of crime. I had to laugh when I heard that one. If thats true, why are arrests down and crime going up? Stop talking out of both sides of your mouth. I fully support cops standing on the sidelines until the mayor, the City Council, the press and the defund the police believers decide theyve had enough. Eric Reynolds, NYPD Det., retired

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Readers sound off on police criticism, nuns and the Golden Rule - New York Daily News

The Golden Rule encourages us to treat others with respect, kindness and fairness. It is advanced by the concepts of compassion and empathy.

It is hard to imagine but there was a recent time when we looked forward to renting videotapes.

Yeah, I pretty much dated myself. Each tape had a sticker affixed that said, Please be kind and rewind

It was not a requirement, but a hope that one would be mindful of the next viewers desire to enjoy the same experience. The sticker was in essence a visual appeal to the renter to be considerate of others.

The Golden Rule is the moral principle and practice of treating other people as one's self would prefer to be treated. It is considered to be one of Jesus' most profound and impactful teachings. He taught in Matthew 7:12 Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

The Golden Rule encourages us to treat others with respect, kindness and fairness. It is advanced by the concepts of compassion and empathy. Its basic principle is that you would extend yourself to others as you want to be done to you. Kindness is a virtue that is embraced by many cultures and religions.

Kindness is the ability to display concern for others without expecting praise, recognition or reward.

I also believe that within the Golden Rule, we should treat others as they wish to be treated. I try not to presume to know what is best for someone, especially if their approach is not the same as mine; I try to honor and respect their preference.

In third grade at Mary Haddow Elementary School, a classmate untied my shoe in a failed attempt to be funny. However it was not known, but my younger sister tied my shoes for me daily!

Raising my hand in horror yet without shame, upon being acknowledged I said, "Mrs. Phifer, Anthony untied my shoes and I don't know how to tie them!"

I don't remember her immediate response but we were then given classwork to complete independently. It was then she took me to a private area and observed my unsuccessful attempts to tie. She quickly realized that I was left-handed trying to tie like I was right-handed!

It was not on her lesson plans for the day or within the curriculum to teach ME a skill others had already mastered in kindergarten! Without judgment or scorn, she taught me how to complete this once difficult task!

Recently I recalled the impact of that episode several times on the same day yet on different occasions. While I have long acknowledged this act to her directly, I felt led to further express my appreciation in a tangible way.

My Granny often said, "Give me my flowers while I can smell them!" It is a blessing that Mrs. Phifer still lives within walking blocks of my home. As an educator, she lived among the students she taught. Hence, I arrived at her home with a floral arrangement unannounced!

It was Lewis/Louie standing at her door, but she kept addressing me as "Rev. Macklin" After excusing myself for the impromptu visit, I shared my appreciation for that impactful teaching moment.

She recalled the moment as well, saying "I was not going to let him do that to you again! This act also effectively took away the power of the bully. I remain grateful for her intentional response of kindness. Four decades later I still vividly recall her single act of empathy.

We have been bombarded in the midst of this pandemic with a series of unnatural disasters the human acts or inactions which cause harm or aggravate circumstances which are in our control. Even the wearing of face masks to protect others has become a contentious act for some.

The Golden Rule is reinforced and stated in the Old Testament as well. Leviticus 19:18 admonishes, Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. While we can debate the justification or gross injustice of any one conflict, I am disheartened when I think of the devastation created by wars motivated by racial or religious hatred.

The local and national news has reported numerous examples of inhumane domestic aggression and insensitivity with increasing episodes of violence, racial strife, sexual harassment, civil unrest, marginalization of victims and intimidation.These behaviors demean the victim and damage our civic life. Flashes of aggression in word and deed can be life-changing.

We all become less when these offenses are perpetrated. I contend that preventing conflict should be one of the most important human aspirations.

Be kind especially to unkind people they need it the most. Kind words can heal the heart and mind. Luke 6:35 directs us to Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great."

Pope Francis said it well, Let us learn to live with kindness, to love everyone, even when they do not love us. The true reward of being good to others is spreading some joy and offering hope.

John Wesley once said, Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.

Even when things seem to be in disarray, God still finds a way to show love and kindness. As we are made in His image, we have the ability to do the same to others.

The world is demanding us to be kind especially under the pressure given the climate in this country and the extraordinary pressure we are all under. We all need to give each other a lot more mercy! We have been through some challenging times where we must constantly reassess, recalculate and readjust things differently in real-time.

The late Rev Lonnie Kwajo Asim Simon, the pastor emeritus of the New Bethel Baptist Church and was recognized in the community as The Peoples Pastor for his stalwart advocacy for humanity. He was an accomplished author and poet in his own right. However he would frequently conclude public gathering with a recitation by Charles Meigs entitled Others

Lord help me live from day to dayIn such a self-forgetful wayThat even when I kneel to prayMy prayer shall be for Others.

Help me in all the work I doTo ever be sincere and trueAnd know that all I do for youMust needs be done for Others.

Let self be crucified and slainAnd buried deep; and all in vainMay efforts be to rise againUnless to live for Others.

And when my work on earth is doneAnd my new work in heavens begunMay I forget the crown Ive wonWhile thinking still of Others.

Others, Lord, yes othersLet this my motto beHelp me to live for othersThat I may live like Thee.

We must embrace kindness as a lifestyle so that in the event of conflict, kindness would ebb naturally from us instead of forced politeness or attempting to be nice without being offensive. Proverbs 16:23-24 From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive. Kind words are like honey sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.I contend the best medicine for the world today is kindness so please administer a generous dose often!

I honor the legacy of civil rights icons Reverend C. T. Vivian and the honorable U.S. Rep. John Lewis who passed away within hours of each other. These men were central figures in the early struggles of Americas Civil Rights Movement. These agents of change used their platforms to show the world how it could be better using the approach of non-violence. Both valiantly faced while experiencing violent bigotry as they walked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the cause of equality.

They displayed the essence of the Golden Rule during a time when it was not extended to them. As Congressman Lewis stood earlier this year, battling terminal cancer, on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday he issued a challenge to the conscience of America to get in good trouble, necessary trouble Remember it is always your choice whether to be an instrument of peace or a tool of torture. Choose wisely and keep fighting the good faith!

Rev. Lewis W. Macklin II is the lead pastor of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, chaplain for the Youngstown Police Department and coordinator of the Mahoning Valley African American Male Wellness Walk. He resides in Youngstown with Dorothy, his partner in marriage and ministry. They share the love and joy of 5 children and 6 grandchildren.

All biblical references cited are New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.

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KEEPING THE FAITH | How to embrace kindness as a lifestyle - Mahoning Matters

John McGee of Simsboro, Louisiana, began driving truck in 1985, buying his first one and going into business for himself six years later. He got his start hauling for a brother-in-laws logging business in the North-Central part of the state, where hes lived his entire life.

Then oil field work in his area started picking up around 2004 and he leased to an oil-services hauler. The company sold out in 2010. When he did that, I acquired some of his customer base the new company didnt want, McGee said. He got his authority and has been running John McGee Trucking ever since.

In 2013, McGee was still hauling full time himself and employed two operators. A few years later, he began to add trucks and tankers. The company nearly quadrupled annual revenues to almost $4M between 2016 and the present. McGee cleared a healthy 30% profit in 2019, though he has almost the same amount tied up in financed equipment and a new shop finished the early part of that year. The company now employs 16 full-time drivers.

John McGees equipment-procurement approach utilizes financing for the late-model power units with an autodraft for the payments and cash for the trailers in efforts to minimize debt. The power units are replaced on a five-year cycle.

Through it all, hes considered the Golden Rule to be the lynchpin of his success. As he puts it: Treat all people employees, customers, vendors as we wish to be treated.

Drivers are paid by the hour, with overtime. Schedules are somewhat staggered to serve what can be a 24/7 business.

Drivers at the fleet operate Mack daycabs, pulling mostly tankers with wastewaster from producing wells, doing generally as much site work as they do driving. A typical haul might be around 30 miles or so one-way, and McGee generally keeps drivers within a 125-mile, four-state radius around his home base. I decided early on in my career to try to be at home every night, he says, and hes structured his business to allow the same for his drivers.

With the finishing touches put on this 7,000-square-foot, two-bay shop in early 2019, John McGee Trucking realized a diversification opportunity when a chicken-feed mill came in across the street. McGee bought his first hopper bottom trailers this year with hopes of securing a stable grain contract with one of the mills suppliers.

The pre- and mid-pandemic downswing in oil prices on the world market didnt impact his midstream oil production customers like it did the completion side, where products are refined. Not yet, anyway, though he well knows oil field work largely depends on world markets. If production companies decide to go forward with projects, well probably expand with one or two trucks there over the next year.

John McGee

Hes got an eye out on diversification as a backstop, however. After the company finished building its 7,000-square-foot shop for more in-house maintenance about a year and a half ago, a chicken-feed mill started going up across the street. Earlier this year, McGee Trucking got its feet wet with a couple of hopper bottom trailers hauling grain for another customer. McGee characterizes the grain business as an awfully cutthroat one compared to what hes used to.

I turn down loads every day, he says. Nonetheless, with the mill scheduled for completion in early 2021, hes hopeful we can get a stable contract with one of their suppliers hauling grain.

Toward that end, he seeks to emphasize dependability and quality service. There are people still out here that appreciate quality, he says. Some can haul for a dollar a turn cheaper, but are they going to be reliable and dependable and safe? Some shippers do want more than just the cheapest price. We try to go over and above our competitors in that respect.

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Putting the Golden Rule to work at John McGee Trucking - Overdrive Magazine

The golden rule is one rule that has universal application and endorsed by all the great world religions, as shown in their sacred books as follows:

Christianity: Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Matt. 7:12)

Confucianism: Do not do to others what you would not like yourself. Then there will be no resentment against you, either in the family or in the state. (Analects 12:2)

Buddhism: Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful (Udana-Varga 5,1)

Hinduism: This is the sum of duty; do naught onto others what you would not have them do unto you. (Mahabharata 5,1517)

Islam: No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. (Sunnah, 40 Hadith of an-Nawawi 13)

Judaism: What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellowman. This is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary. (Talmud, Shabbat 3id)

Taoism: Regard your neighbours gain as your gain, and your neighbours loss as your own loss. (Tai Shang Kan Yin Pien)

Zoroastrianism: That nature alone is good which refrains from doing another whatsoever is not good for itself. (Dadisten-I-dinik, 94,5)

Philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle also upheld the Golden Rule:Socrates (436-338 BC): Do not do unto others what angers you if done to you by others.Aristotle (384-322 BC) We should behave toward friends as we would wish friends to behave toward us.

However, unfortunately, out of selfishness and evil heart, many people do not only fail to live up to it, but also go further to act wickedly towards their neighbours. People in some of these religions even kill others ritually and religiously (in the name of religion like the Boko Haram). It should not be so with Christians because Christianity is built on love, even for the unbelievers and enemies! This love is to be in practical terms Love in Action.

The Ven. Dr. Princewill Onyinyechukwu Ireoba is the Rector, Ibru International Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State.

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Love in action the Golden Rule: Meditation for 6th Sunday after Trinity - Guardian

Brotherhood of man

In response to the letter by Mr. Karl T. Kimball: Now you have done it! You exposed that entire elusive Masonic secret, i.e., "Fatherhood of God and Brotherhood of Man." Now everyone knows. Of course, a few other things might go on behind doors. Things such as seeing to the welfare of widows, orphans and others that might be in distress. They also support the right to protest as shown by the meeting they broke up and passed through the downstairs barroom with the words, "Come on, boys, we are going to Boston Harbor for a Tea Party."

Albert Pike's "Morals and Dogma" is a long read, but it is all there and with lessons for all of us. Masonry was opposed to everything the Nazis stood for, and for that 200,000 of them perished in the Holocaust.

I thank Mr. Kimball for his enlightening letter. I don't get out much anymore, but when I do, I always wear my mask because "your life matters too."

DONAL B. WRIGHT

Cabot

Bully in White House

It's a wonder our POTUS can even find time to play golf these days what with all the time spent bullying, fabricating lies, and generally defaming honest, well-respected folks' character.

Recently he bullied the profoundly ethical Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman to a point where Vindman understandably decided it was time to retire. We salute you, brave sir, for your service to our country. It is a sad day when a person of your character is driven off while a convicted criminal, Roger Stone, is given clemency.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is the latest target of Trump's ire, to the point that our president has mounted a smear campaign to soil the good doctor's name in an effort to make himself look good. Dr. Fauci' s popularity has Trump taking, out of context, things Dr. Fauci may or may not have said, or said months ago when scientists had much to learn of covid-19. Well, Dr. Fauci is the person I would trust with my life as opposed to trusting a pathological liar who openly denies the validity of science. Sorry to say, but wishing the pandemic away isn't really a plan!

On another topic, U.S. Education Secretary DeVos has done as much planning for opening up schools as her boss has for coping with the pandemic. There's nothing like getting help from our leaders.

KATHY HODNETT

Mountain Home

Follow Golden Rule

I continue to be amazed and saddened at the high level of refusal by some to wear masks in the effort to slow and someday stop the coronavirus. It just seems so sad that there are folks who object to doing something that to them must seem inconvenient and displeasing, especially if someone in authority asks or tells them to.

At the same time, I'm guessing that many of the protesters, if you asked them, would indicate that they were believers in religious matters, and that they endorsed what is known as the Golden Rule, which I believe says something along the lines of, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

In other words, I will do my part to not give you the virus if I have it, and I hope you will do the same for me.

JACK W. HILL

Bismarck

Not just the symptoms

As a young man, I revered the Confederate flag. As a wiser and older man, I better understand the traitorous, destructive idea of preserving white supremacy that that flag represented. It was intended to destroy the United States of America.

Events of recent weeks including protests, riots, and looting are the result of a legacy we have inherited from our forefathers. My friends, relatives, and acquaintances on Facebook, in conversations, and in other forms of media want to talk about these unpleasant events instead of the underlying problems; 400 years of slavery, segregation, Jim Crow laws, job discrimination, and housing discrimination have left us with this problem.

No one is now a slave or slave owner, so many believe there is no problem. Talking about looters and rioting is not a discussion of how we make this country whole and not two societies. Time to discuss the problem and make it better. I have heard harsh words from Black leaders that hit me like a sharp needle. As much as I didn't want to hear those words, I needed a better understanding. Maybe we all need a slap in the face to wake us up.

Mr. Jack Mayberry wrote an opinion printed in Sunday's paper directed at the Black community regarding Black-on-Black crime. It stung a little like a slap in the face, but his words should be heard. Bottom line is we all need to wake up and start a dialogue on how we can make this one nation. Houston, we have a problem, and we should look for ways to solve it. Let's make that effort on how to make it better and not just discuss the symptoms.

BRUCE OWENS

Benton

Foreign-born genius

An article in the July 8 edition of the Democrat-Gazette talked about Peter Tsai, the scientist who invented the filtration material used in N95 respirators. The article described how this brilliant man has recently come out of retirement to volunteer his time, intelligence, and energy to engineer methods of decontaminating N95 masks so that they can be reused to help reduce shortages of that critical medical equipment. He also has investigated materials for homemade masks, and helped a group of researchers at the Oak Ridge National Lab researching ways to increase production of N95 masks.

Dr. Tsai was born in Taiwan, and he came to the United States in 1981 to obtain his doctoral degree, after which he stayed, enriching our country immeasurably.

A few days before this article appeared, President Trump's administration issued new policies that would have forced international students to leave the U.S. if their schools operate entirely online this fall. I am completely unable to conceive how kicking out foreign-born geniuses like Dr. Tsai could possibly help make America great again.

PATRICK STAIR

North Little Rock

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Brotherhood of man | Bully in White House | Follow Golden Rule - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Dear Sir,

Every great religion on our planet teaches some version of the Golden Rule, that we should treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated. This ancient and universal concept underlies all of the progress that human societies have made over the millenia. A current obvious example of that concept is the obligation to others in our society to protect ourselves and them by wearing face coverings when we go out in the world.

We can all understand the basis of this concept. It comes from scientific study of the way the virus spreads and what it can do to our societies if we do not keep it under control. Less appreciated is the obvious corollary, that God is presently testing our societies to determine whether we are practicing His central spiritual concept. The extent to which we go out of our way to protect others is the extent to which Gods blessings of further progress in our cultures will come to us.

Jacqueline Osborne

Florence

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Be In the Right Spirit | Letters To Editor | courierjournal.net - courierjournal

Revolutions take time. Jrgen Klopps record in his first 19 or so games for Liverpool was not sparkling. But what he did do was lay the foundations for all the success that followed.

What Mikel Arteta is putting in place at Arsenal is similar in approach to what we saw in Klopps first 100 days in office. His teams playing style and how he wants the club to play moving forward is already well established (a major issue under Artetas predecessor Unai Emery). And just as importantly, the culture that Arteta believes will bring long-term success is already being put in place.

Artetas use of asymmetric formations has been well chronicled. At the time of writing, Arteta is using a three at the back system with a rotating five grid system in the final third. The system is about as adaptable as a modern system can get. Their current three-at-the-back system uses a fullback as one of the wider centre backs, allowing Arsenal to flit to a back four as and when they see fit (this is not only for prolonged periods say five, ten minutes but on a possession to possession basis). It also allows them to protect David Luizs, umm, specialised brand of defending.

But as much as Arteta is considered an innovative, progressive coach, the success or failure of his tenure will come down to off-the-pitch issues. When ownership insists on the club being self-sufficient (as Klopp is well aware) culture becomes even more important; you cannot mask mistakes with money. A rotten core will sink any club, but a rotten core at a club that demands to break even will crater the reputation of the manager (its easy to gorget now that Unai Emery was considered a brilliant mind across Europe for his work at Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain).

Arsenals iffy recruitment strategy is a constant source of conversation and consternation. Is there too much agent involvement? Sure. Has the clubs once industry-defining data analysis department been pushed to the side? Absolutely. Is it salvageable? Yes.

In the post-Arsene Wenger years, the club moved to a transfer committee model, but the coach still has plenty of input. Under Emery, it was often tough to see how the players he had asked for would fit into his style one that chopped and changed on a month to month basis. Under Arteta, the underlying skills hes looking for are self-evident: athleticism and technical ability. In nerdy terms, he wants players who can press, non-stop, without the ball and players who are press resistant with it.

Its a similar simple-on-paper approach to Liverpools strategy under Klopp and sporting director Michael Edwards: the system and culture come above signing world-class players. In having the correct system and culture for the right players to shine, they will become world-class players. Rinse. Repeat.

Replicating Liverpools success in the transfer market is damn near impossible, though. The club hasnt missed once. As in, not at all; there is not a single miss.

Its a phenomenal record, one that is nigh-on impossible for Arsenal match, particularly with an approach based more on contacts that on-the-ground scouting. Theyve already had misses.

But there is one element Arsenal can and are looking to copy: the no bleep heads policy.

Culture was one of the big stresses of Klopps early years. He wanted talent, yes, but more than anything he wanted dedicated professionals. He wanted players who loved football, who loved to win. Klopp was quick to make clear players who didnt bring the right attitude or intensity every day would be jettisoned from the club -- the everyday part being the crucial piece of the puzzle.

Mamadou Sakho was bounced once Klopp deemed the player did not fit into his two-word culture. Sakho acts as a tidy pivot point of when Klopps policy was at its most evident. There was a player in there (a rotational piece if nothing else), but his style on and off the pitch (mostly off) did not jive with Klopps methods.

Arteta is chartering the same path. Already, he has challenged players. Dani Ceballos, on loan from Real Madrid, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, an academy graduate, were both questioned by Arteta early on. Are these guys really up for the fight? Do they want to be here? Do they want to earn their place? Both responded with the kind of bleep you attitude that gets coaches excited; they proved they wanted to be more than passengers.

Rather than the early obvious candidates, its Matto Guendouzi who has offered Arteta his Sakho moment. When we look back at Artetas reign, whenever it is that a look back takes place, the Guendouzi saga will be a defining moment. Young, talented, and a complete wildcard, Guendozi received a bunch of time from Arteta in the early days. But the relationship between the player and his manager and the player and his teammates has soured.

Guendouzi was always a funky fit in Artetas style: A manager who lives for structure despite the pretense of a free-flowing style; a player who excels out of structure, who is happy to just make stuff happen.

According to reports, Guendozi bombed a bridge-the-gap meeting with club hierarchy last week after a string of not-so-great events. He is now training away from the first team and will be sold this summer.

Ruthless. But that is what building a culture in a modern sports environment takes. If the coach needs to dump a valuable club asset in order to get his message across, so be it. Coaches dont java the time to get young players onside anymore -- move them on, bring in players with complete buy-in.

The success or failure of Artetas tenure will likely come down to recruitment: finding the right personalities and talent and stylistic fits. That aspect is never, ever easy. But Arteta and the club have started to institute the kind of policy that can make a tricky market that little bit easier.

On Monday, they will see Liverpool, the runaway champions, as a manifestation of those principles, on and off the pitch. Klopp laid that foundation in the early days; Arteta and Arsenal are just at the start of their journey.

There are reports that Jurgen Klopp will make a decent number of changes tonight, but I'm going with the strongest possible first-team: Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Fabinho, Naby Keita, Gini Wijnaldum; Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Man.

We need to talk about Bobby. Joel Rabinowitz's piece yesterday is the best summation you will read on the Firmino performing/under-performing debate. Give it your time.

Release the Ox!

Barney Ronay's commentary on all things sport and culture is always necessary reading. This on Man City, Uefa, and that CAS decision is extra good.

We will tape the latest edition of the Liverpool.com podcast tomorrow. If you haven't already, you can catch it on the Blood Red channel wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube. Questions, comments feedback all welcome on Twitter.

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Arsenal have already copied Jrgen Klopp's golden rule at Liverpool, with intent to rival them - Liverpool.com