Another element comes into play – wind chill factor. Wind chill factor is usually defined as the cooling effect from wind and temperature on the human body. Wind whisking by exposed skin during cold weather increases a person’s heat loss.

An Antarctic explorer, Paul Siple, and his colleague, Charles Passel, first coined the term “wind chill” in 1939. Siple described wind chill as the relative cooling power – heat removal – from the body with various combinations of wind speed and low temperatures.

Some 75 years later, wind chill has become a common term in our everyday conversation. Knowing the factors help people protect themselves against frostbite and hypothermia. Tissue damage occurs in frostbite when wind chill temperatures fall below –25 degrees F. Hypothermia results when the rapid loss of the body’s internal temperature alters judgment. This sometimes results in death.

Western Kansas stockmen know the harder the wind blows, the lower the wind chill factor. Simply put, it is the relationship between wind speed and actual temperature that produces this chilling effect.
People who spend time outdoors during these cold periods – stockmen, construction workers, hunters, runners and skiers – may create their own winds or increase the existing wind. Because movement magnifies airflow, they should be especially cautious of wind chill.

Manual labor and other physical exertion can cause heat loss also. Sweat begins and heat is removed by vaporization. Breathing cold air also results in the loss of heat from the lungs.

Few people realize that smoking, drinking, prescription drugs and illegal narcotics may also contribute to frostbite or hypothermia during bitterly cold temperatures. All of these dull the senses.

Alcohol dilates the capillaries of the skin and that increases the body’s heat loss. Nicotine smoke absorbed by the blood causes the capillaries to constrict. This restricts the blood flow to the earlobes, fingertips and other regions of the body. Medication can have side effects too, so venture outside during cold weather with caution.

Wind chill charts for regular references are available wherever outdoor equipment is sold. Use these charts only as a point of information. Wind chill charts aren’t always accurate because they don’t consider all the possibilities of heat loss, or the preventive measures against it.

Air temperature is rarely a reliable indicator of how cold a person will feel outdoors. Elements such as wind speed, relative humidity and sunshine or solar radiation also play a part. A person’s health and the type of clothing worn will also affect how a person feels.

When you go outside, dress for the weather and the wind. Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing in several layers. These layers can be removed to prevent perspiration and subsequent chilling. Snug mittens are better protection than fitted gloves.

Always wear a hat, preferably wool, ear protection and a scarf or neck gaiter. If it’s bitter cold – stay inside or limit your exposure to the elements.

John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.

Kansas pump price is $2.28, as gas continues its seasonal downward slide

AAA

TOPEKA – Kansas gas prices tied the second largest weekly decline in the country, falling another four cents per gallon to a statewide average of $2.28. Kansas gas prices have fallen 13 cents in the past month, and the state currently has the 11th lowest gasoline prices in the nation.

“Kansas motorists are now enjoying our typical downward gas price trend as we approach the end-of-year holiday driving season,” said Jennifer Haugh, AAA Kansas spokeswoman. “Factors such as favorable gas supply, declining demand and the integration of less expensive winter blend gasolines are playing a role in these lower prices at the pumps.”

Of the 10 Kansas cities regularly highlighted by AAA Kansas (see chart above), all saw gas price declines this week, with the largest drops being Hays (-12 cents), Garden City (-9), and Emporia, Kansas City, Kan. and Wichita (all at -5).

According to AAA Kansas, this week’s Kansas gas price extremes are at the extreme northwest and southeast corners of the state:
HIGH: St. Francis (Cheyenne County) – $2.75
LOW: Baxter Springs (Cherokee County) – $2.13

National Perspective
The national average price for a gallon of gasoline dropped two cents on the week to $2.46. East Coast and Midwest states are seeing the largest drops in gas prices – as much as six cents – in the last week. While a small number of states, who historically experience ongoing volatility, are seeing increases: Indiana (+11 cents), Michigan (+8 cents), Ohio (+4 cents), Hawaii (+1 cent) and Illinois (+1 cent). Drivers can expect pump prices to continue to drop heading into the holiday season as supply strengthens and fall gasoline demand weakens.

“Nationally, gas prices are 10 cents cheaper on the month and will continue to drop as we count down the days to the holidays,” said AAA Kansas’ Haugh. “AAA expects gasoline demand to weaken throughout the winter, which translates to better prices at the pump.”

Consumer gasoline demand is registering under 9 million b/d for the second consecutive week, while gasoline inventories increased by nearly 7 million bbl, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Great Lakes and Central States Report
Gas prices in the region range from $2.22 (Missouri) to $2.51 (Michigan). In many states, drivers are paying as much as five cents less at the pump compared to last Monday, except for those filling up in Indiana (+11 cents), Michigan (+8 cents) and Ohio (+4 cents).

Of note, last Monday Kentucky was the only state in the region to see pump prices jump. Today, gas prices have decreased six cents, which is the largest decrease of any state in the country on the week.
Adding 1.6 million bbl, the region’s gasoline inventories register at 47.2 million bbl. This is the largest inventory total for the Great Lakes and Central states since mid-October, yet two million bbl below this time last year.

It was well before dawn on the first Saturday of the 2017 deer firearms season as 14-year-old Inman High School freshman Halee Konrade and her dad Jory set up their pop-up hunting blind along the Smoky Hill River near Abilene, Kansas. Inside, they each settled into camp chairs and unzipped blind windows so they could see around them when the sun arose. Halee adjusted her shooting stick to the right height for her rifle them retreated into the warmth of her hunting coat for a little snooze before legal shooting time was upon them.

Deer hunting runs deep within the Konrade family. Jory’s grandfather and father began taking him and his four brothers deer hunting when they were teenagers, and today Jory’s two sons, Blayne and Kyler, daughter Halee and wife Tamara all hunt deer with him when they can. Jory shared with me how Halee’s only time out with them last year was a bad experience. It had been a cold, wet, rainy day and she was with her dad in the blind that evening.

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About dusk, they were ready to leave, when 4 or 5 bucks strolled into view. She shouldered her rifle, only to find the scope completely fogged-over, dashing any hopes of a shot. Her dad was afraid that bad first experience might keep her from wanting to hunt deer again, but he was pleased to hear she was raring to go again this year. The rifle Halee carried Saturday is a battled-scared old Remington .243 that was once Jory’s grandfathers and has been passed down through the family to Jory and now to his kids, and has put many Kansas whitetails in the freezer.

After the sun came up, and just minutes after legal shooting time Saturday morning, Halee’s dad quietly roused her from her nap, telling her a deer was approaching their blind. It appeared to be a nice buck, but was slowly heading toward them at an angle that wouldn’t allow Halee a shot. Their only option was to reposition themselves in the blind. But as grazing deer often do, it looked up often to survey its surroundings, and at that moment the buck was starring directly at them. They both froze until the deer decided they were not a threat and continued grazing. Then it became a mad but silent game of musical chairs in the blind as father and daughter moved chairs, rifles and Halee’s shooting stick to put her in a position for a shot. Move accomplished, Halee said “I clicked off the safety, put the scope crosshairs just behind the shoulder of the buck like dad had shown me,” and with his encouragement, she squeezed the trigger.

Something that’s always on the mind of every deer hunter, especially when coaching a young new hunter, is the possibility of them making a less-than-perfect shot and then having to trail and find a wounded deer. Jory told me at the crack of the shot, the deer crumpled where it stood, taken cleanly with one perfect first shot. An interesting addition to the story is that older brother Blayne was across on the other side of the field and could have taken the buck which is bigger than any of the several Kansas whitetails he has harvested. But in perfect big-brother fashion, he allowed Halee the first shot. After a happy dance or two, a round of “high-fives” and some pictures, they loaded the 11 point buck onto the pickup and headed to a local facility where Halee said “I got to sit around the fire and swap stories with other hunters,” while dad skinned the deer and hung it in a cooler. The Konrades will process it themselves into strips for jerky and into ground venison.

I always ask kids why they like to hunt, and to answer that question Halee told me “I like the outdoors, I like to shoot and I especially like the deer jerky we make, which will be a special treat this year, knowing I shot that deer for my family.” She said “I put on camo, shot a deer and did all that tomboy stuff, then 3 hours later went shopping with my mom for a new dress for this year’s winter formal dance.”

Now that’s what it’s like to be a Kansas outdoor girl!…Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].

If you ask, I’d bet every American believes they’re the real deal–100% red, white, and blue. Unfortunately, some media outlets highlight divisions, making us question what’s true. Travelers remind us one cure for confusion is visiting new places and welcoming tourists to our state. While regional and cultural differences exist, they offer educational opportunities for visitors and locals. It’s best to keep a straight face when strangers ask about something natives consider obvious. Their mistake is probably sincere. I hope they do the same to correct other’s confusion without embarrassing them.

A friend who manages a rural clothing and collectible store has occasion to enlighten urban travelers stopping to shop. Many vacationing city dwellers end up in her locale which is populated by boot and cowboy hat wearing citizenry. Outside town limits, deer and antelope defy fences to join domestic cows and horses in the munching and digestion of native grasses or hay. Viewing western fashion and wild critters eating alongside domestic herds seems perfectly normal to this entrepreneur and her fellow residents. However, chats with out-of-state customers informed this woman that some see her world as unusual or exotic.

Several times during tourist season, folks stopping through inquire, “What’s going on in town today?” Typically, she hands them a visitor guide and encourages them to explore area museums and nature sites. Eventually, one visitor was more direct and added, “No, why are so many people dressed up like cowboys?”

She peered out the door to note locals dining at the hometown restaurant? “Like those guys?” she asked.

“Yea. Are they dressed for a special event?”

Striving to promote her town, she considered her response. “No, that’s how many people who live here dress. It’s lunch hour.”

Clearly, this confused someone used to urban professional attire. In their experience, business people don’t wear western shirts, jeans, and cowboy boots to the office. As a counter point, those accustomed to rural dress codes would be curious about someone showing up on the job wearing an Armani suit or Manolo heels. It’s not what we’re used to.

Later that summer, more out-of-staters paused to shop and inquire about the area. This approachable woman encourages customers to chat. Before long, someone mentioned farms and ranches they’d passed on their cross-country journey. They wondered how farmers and ranchers managed raising cattle or horses as well as the deer and antelope grazing alongside livestock. Keep in mind, these weren’t high-fenced game farms. These were standard agricultural operations.

A quick glance told my friend the misconception was genuine. She explained only the cows and horses were domestic. Deer and antelope are wild and leap over or crawl under fences anytime they wanted.

She shared these insights with me during a discussion about differences between American regions and how that affects what people know. Though citizens share a common government, it’s clear we don’t necessarily understand one another’s lifestyles. Anyone can take a lesson from this kind woman and make time to clarify misunderstandings. We’d all get along better.

Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.

But two wrongs can misuse a right — as in our right to free expression, guaranteed by the First Amendment.

First, there’s the wrong done by “Project Veritas,” a gaggle of self-proclaimed operatives on a purported mission to root out corruption and dishonesty in the media. The group uses deceitful tactics to wrong-foot reporters.

Most recently, Project Veritas attempted to plant a fake story in The Washington Post, hiring a woman to make false claims that she was made pregnant by Alabama senatorial candidate Roy Moore. The Post’s thorough reporting exposed deep flaws in the woman’s story and uncovered her tie to Project Veritas. In a story published on Nov. 29, the Post also detailed attempts by the woman and her colleagues to infiltrate social meetings and professional events for journalists.

Checking on the accuracy and credibility of news stories is one thing, and is even advisable in an era when anyone can claim to be a journalist. But repeated attempts to play “trick and trap” with reporters proves nothing more than that they are, at times, as vulnerable to con artists as anyone.

The other “wrong” was made right by Walmart last week, after the company took down a T-shirt that was for sale on Walmart.com, which read “Rope. Tree. Journalist. Some assembly required.” Walmart says it took down the shirt within hours after receiving a complaint from the Radio Television Digital News Association. But a third party was able to put it up for sale in the first place. While the words printed on the shirt are protected by the First Amendment, they’re still shameful.

NPR reported that “the shirt first gained attention a year ago, when a Reuters photographer snapped an image of a man wearing it at a gathering of Trump supporters two days before the November presidential election.”

I’m sure some smug, smarmy types will find the “humor” worthy of a smirk, if not a smile — and I won’t hold my breath waiting for the outrage that erupted months ago when comedian Kathy Griffin held up a fake severed head of President Trump as part of an online spoof.

My colleagues at the Newseum tweeted their response to this stupid attempt at satire: “Hey @Walmart, we can think of 2,305 reasons why this shirt is offensive. #JournalistsMemorial #PressFreedom.”

The Newseum’s Journalists Memorial contains the names of 2,305 journalists who died in pursuit of the news. The memorial is rededicated each year — next year’s ceremony will be on June 4, 2018.

Those of us involved in that event will be joined once again by the family and friends of men and women who were killed by despots, drug lords, corrupt government officials and others, for gathering and reporting the news, in the United States and around the world.

We’ll once again experience the anguish and see the tears of spouses and colleagues in mourning for those who made the ultimate sacrifice to speak truth to power, and to bring facts and truth to a world sorely in need of both.

So, to the clown who designed and promoted the “Some Assembly Required” T-shirt, we extend an invitation: Show up on June 4 and explain why you thought your shirt slogan was funny.

We’ll save a chair for you.

Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute and of the Institute’s First Amendment Center. He can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter at @genefac.

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

“The cutting edge.” Where would one expect to find the cutting edge with the latest in pharmaceutical care? Today we’ll meet a young rural Kansas pharmacist who is combining cutting edge technology with old-fashioned customer service.

Tyson and Emily Mullen own and operate Grant County Drug in Ulysses, Kansas. Tyson came into the pharmacy business naturally. “My great-grandfather opened the first drugstore in Wichita County,” Tyson said. “I grew up hearing stories about how he would compound his own medicines and deliver them on horseback.”

Tyson grew up in the rural community of Leoti, population 1,534 people. Now, that’s rural.

He found he enjoyed science and math, and he had good mentors who encouraged him toward the medical field. As did his ancestor, he gravitated toward pharmacy. “I believe a pharmacist can impact people and help people on a daily basis,” Tyson said.

His research found that Hutchinson Community College had an excellent track record of preparing people for pharmacy school, so Tyson went there for two years. That was also where he met Emily whom he later married.

Tyson went on to the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy where he was president of his class. He served as a national student representative for the National Community Pharmacy Association and was inducted into Phi Lambda Sigma, the pharmacy national leadership society.

To his great credit, he felt strongly about coming back to western Kansas and maintaining the tradition of independent pharmacy.

After graduation, Tyson worked for a pharmacy in Lakin. In July 2013, Tyson and Emily bought Grant County Drug in Ulysses. Tyson serves as the pharmacist while Emily, who is also trained as a nurse, keeps the books and looks after their two daughters. It is especially exciting to see a young pharmacist take ownership during a time when the average age of pharmacists across Kansas is in the mid- to late-50s.

“My generation is pretty flexible,” Tyson said. “We use technology so much more than our predecessors.” A simple example is sending customers text messages about their needed prescription refills. They also have a system which automatically sends recorded calls using Tyson’s voice as refill reminders.

“There is an iPhone app that lets you scan the bar code on the medicine bottle which makes it more convenient to get refills,” Tyson said. He is working on integrating multiple software programs to assist with patient information.

“Studies show people only refill their monthly maintenance medicines eight times a year (rather than the twelve they should have),” Tyson said. “With better information for them, we’re taking better care of people.”

He pointed out that pharmacy school has evolved also. “It’s not about pills,” Tyson said. “We are moving more toward wellness programs and preventative health.”

Even more exciting scientific developments are on the horizon. “It is possible to do genetic testing with a rapid swab now, which helps us understand individual differences in metabolism,” Tyson said. “That means we can adjust or identify medicines that they will work most effectively for the individual,” he said. Imagine medicines that can be scientifically tailored for each patient.

This is cutting-edge technology being pursued in a rural pharmacy. However, the most important factor for Tyson is still service with a personal touch.

“Unlike the big chain stores, we can take the time to get to know our customers,”
Emily Mullen said. “When Mrs. Jones walks in the door, we don’t have to ask, `How do you spell your name again?’”

“The conversations are important,” Tyson said. “When I call a patient and learn that a particular medicine upsets their stomach, I can adjust to another product which will serve them better.”

For more information, see www.grantcountydrug.com.

The cutting edge. It is exciting to see a young pharmacist in a rural setting pursue these advances in technology. We commend Tyson and Emily Mullen for making a difference with technology while maintaining the personal touch. This approach provides them a positive edge.

And there’s more. These innovative Kansans also expanded their business next door, and we’ll learn about that next week.

By TOM PARKER
For the Kansas Rural Center

Looking back on four decades of advocating for sustainable agricultural issues and policies, most of it on the federal level, Ferd Hoefner, Senior Strategic Advisor for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), has seen his share of gains, losses and missed opportunities. For every notable success, such as the implementation of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE) in 1988, there was a notable loss.

But it is important to remember, Hoefner stated, that great advances have been made, and that despite continued obstacles to achieving good food and farm policies, a celebration is in order. “This is not the time to abandon the mission of reforming public policy at all levels,” he said, “but rather a time to remain engaged, with even more passion than before.”

Hoefner was a keynote speaker for “Driving the change that matters: Practical and political solutions for our farm and food future,” the Kansas Rural Center’s 2017 Farm and Food Conference, held Nov. 17-18 in Manhattan, Kansas. Nearly 200 farmers, local food advocates, conservationists, and consumers gathered for two days of speakers and workshops, ranging from practical farming and marketing how-to’s to policy analysis and organizing tips, and exhibitors focused on topics ranging from beekeeping to soil health and voting rights.

Hoefner addressed the crowd on the “past, present and future of sustainable agriculture”, having spent the last 40 years addressing federal policies supporting long-term economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources and rural communities. Hoefner started on this path in 1977 as a congressional intern working on the Farmer to Consumer Direct Marketing Act and the Urban Gardening Program.

It was a heady time to be working on farm issues. New innovations were being introduced and a new movement was emerging. Even Congress seemed ready to consider the “why”of the farm bill rather than simply tinkering with support programs. Title 1 was not the commodity title as it is now, but the family farm title, specifically stating that federal laws and programs should foster the family farm system of agriculture and that no policies or programs should be enacted or administered in a manner that would place the family farm operation at an unfair economic disadvantage. It also put commodity program payment limits front and center, rather than buried at the end of the commodity title.

Though it proved imperfect in practice, Hoefner said, the bill’s payment limit provision at least attempted to target commodity benefits to moderate-scale agriculture, reducing coverage at the high end to tamp down over-expansion and consolidation.

Following the passage of the 1977 farm bill, the USDA undertook the Structure of Agriculture project and the Organic Farming project, both of which led to two highly important USDA reports, Hoefner said. “A Time to Choose” profiled the federal policy changes needed to save and grow an agriculture backed by mid-size family farms, while the “Report and Recommendations on Organic Agriculture” profiled the potential for widespread adoption of organic farming – a first for a USDA publication.

The euphoria was short-lived. Immediately following the 1980 election and the installation of the new administration, both reports were pulled, publication ceased, and the recommendations left on the cutting room floor.

During and following the farm crisis of the mid-1980’s, many farmers started looking for alternatives to the “get big or get out” concept. They were looking at ways to reduce input costs and rely more on management and on-farm resources, as well as looking for ways to find increased value in the marketplace. Sustainable agricultural societies and grassroots organizations across the Midwest formed to change the direction of federal policy toward a more sustainable vision of agriculture. One of them, the Kansas Rural Center, was a vital contributor to those early organizing efforts, Hoefner said. Another was the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, now known as the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), which formed in the late 1980s.

The organization’s goals were simple. “We argued for a seat at the table,” he said. “We warned policymakers to not put all their eggs in one basket. We pleaded that they allow an alternative to have a chance. We argued for a fair share and a fair shake.”

Winning congressional appropriations for the SARE program after it had been shelved for almost a decade was their first mission, and getting it off the ground was their first big win in 1988. Two years later the organization won the full-scale authorization of SARE into the 1990 Farm Bill. Other initiatives followed, including the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative, the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, and the Small and Medium-Size Farm Viability Program.

“It was no coincidence that SARE and NSAC got started in the same year,” he said. “The impact of our work to create and fund SARE has been hugely important to the movement. It’s difficult to imagine where we would be in sustainable agriculture both now and in the future were it not for the combined $75 million a year we are pumping into the four programs.”

Support for new and beginning farmers has been a central tenet of the NSAC policy agenda from the 1990 farm bill to the present. “We have consistently kept the issue of the aging of American agriculture in front of Congress and the USDA,” Hoefner said.

Also, with the newfound interest in soil health and cover crops really beginning to take off, Hoefner said, NSAC has been overwhelmed by the interest in a topic they have championed for decades in their conservation policy work. “We are trying to harness that broader support to gain stronger policy and better funding for working lands conservation, and also to better integrate conservation and soil health with the federal crop insurance program.”

During the past decade, marketing issues have accelerated. Legislative wins included the Value-Added Producer Grant Program, the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program, the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program, and others that were combined into the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative passed during the Obama Administration.

All of these programs required hard work and dedication to develop, launch and campaign for, Hoefner said. But when it came to tackling the Big Ag programs, whether commodity programs, crop insurance, tax shelters, CAFO regulations, or anti-trust and fair competition policy, the going got a lot tougher.

“Farm policy overall is stacked against diversification and farming in concert with the environment,” he said. “Switching from the production system side of the equation to the structure of agriculture side, we have had nothing if not an agonizing time trying to get Congress and USDA to enact and implement real subsidy payment limitation reform to reduce incentives to over expansion and subsidized farm consolidation. We repeatedly seem to make progress, passing real reform measures on one side of Congress but not the other, or winning small reforms from Congress only to watch USDA undo them in the implementation phase.”

Positive change will come only when we are able to construct a wider coalition of farmers, workers, and consumers who will stand up and fight for a better food policy, building a stronger power base to make fundamental change, he said.

NSAC and its member organizations are now focusing on the 2018 Farm Bill, but Hoefner expects it to be a difficult struggle. “Support for beginning farmers and new farming opportunities in Congress and even among agricultural interest groups is a mile wide and an inch deep,” he said. “But for the sake of the future of a sustainable agriculture based on family farms, we really need to confront the barriers in a more systemic way and try to get support levels to a mile wide and a mile deep. The future of a more sustainable agriculture depends on it.”

Policy, he said, is not the be all and end all, but it can help to move us in the right direction. It’s also important to recognize that legislative successes happened from the grassroots up. “We know that the future of sustainable food systems at home and abroad hinge on how we respond to the challenges of today and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow, which are coming at us fast and furious.

“Sustainable farming tomorrow will not be exactly like that of today. The principles and values may remain constant, but the challenges and opportunities will continue to evolve, and in many respects intensify. That makes fighting the fight for more research dollars in general, and more dollars for sustainability, regeneration and resilience research in particular, more important than ever.”

Hoefner’s and other conference presentations are available on the KRC website at www.kansasruralcenter.org.

Tom Parker is a freelance writer from Blue Rapids, Kansas, who prepared this article for the Kansas Rural Center.

Courtesy of DaveRamsey.com

Stocking stuffers at Christmas are kind of like cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. It’s there every year, but it’s usually an afterthought. It’s the opening band for the big concert.

But don’t you think the Christmas stocking deserves a little more love? After all, those stockings — hung delicately over the fireplace — are the first to greet Santa as he belly flops into your living room, and the first to bid him farewell when he climbs back up.

Because we think stockings deserve a little more attention this Christmas, we thought we’d share our five rules for stocking stuffers:

• Set a dollar limit. This is top priority! How much are you going to spend on each stocking?

Some people like to keep the stocking stuffers cheap, while other people use the stockings to go all out with smaller gifts like jewelry or watches. Either way is fine, but make sure you budget for the stocking just like everything else.

• Put some thought into it. The stocking isn’t an afterthought. It’s a gift, like any other gift under the tree. Ask yourself this question: Am I filling the stocking just to say I’ve filled it, or am I buying stuff the other person will appreciate?

Maybe your spouse would like a Starbucks gift card and some chocolate more than a 10-pack of socks!
Think outside the stocking

Do you give the same stocking stuffers every year — a gift card, maybe a pack or two of gum and some candy? What could you do that’s completely different this year?

You might consider giving coupons for acts of kindness (like watching the kids one night while your wife goes out for a girl’s night), or giving details about a special summer vacation you’re saving for. Sometimes an experience is more memorable than a physical gift, so what type of experience can you provide with the stocking?

• Consider a theme. Rather than just a hodgepodge of different stuff, you might want to consider creating a theme for each stocking. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but that little bit of extra effort could make someone’s Christmas morning even more special.

• Don’t force it. There’s nothing wrong with simply using the stockings as decorations, and saving all your money for the gifts under the tree.

If your family has never done the stocking thing there’s no need to start now — unless you truly feel like the change will be worth it. Your traditions are your traditions. Own them, and be proud!

But if you find yourself trying to spice up your stocking-stuffer game this year, take these ideas to heart. We think your family and friends will appreciate the extra effort!

—Used with permission from DaveRamsey.com

Their small college student population consisted of those very top scorers on the high school leaving exam (the gao kao). The acceptance cut off was set by the number of seats in university classrooms, as it still is today. So as more classrooms were built, China already had the qualified students to fill them. Classrooms for undergraduate classes hold 60 students, the normal number in a high school class.

Older faculty trained before the Cultural Revolution would be retiring off. That 1965-1976 suppression of education also caused a professor shortage. Older professors trained under the pre-1965 Soviet model spoke Russian as a second language. Deng Xiaoping’s “opening up” of China in 1980 switched this second language — to be learned from elementary school upward — to English.

These older professors bridged the transformation of China’s universities. Most have now retired and the last of them will retire within the next five years. Professor’s retirement in China is mandatory at 60 or 65 for men and five years earlier for women, depending on their region and rank.

Before 1980, getting a Western masters or doctoral degree was considered capitalist. Overnight this changed. China adopted the American style of ranking: from assistant to associate to full professor. Masters and then doctorate degrees became required for all new university faculty. For evaluation, they adopted the U.S. Carnegie Research I university criteria, which focuses on three performances: research, research and research. I am speaking to the reality rather than their paperwork that purports to award research, teaching and service.

Placing research foremost short-changed their teaching. Formerly, Chinese professors had given quizzes (“little tests”) and one or more mid-term tests. Now they hurried to class, flashed a PowerPoint on the screen, read it, and asked “any questions?” They then run back to their labs and research like crazy. And it has paid off like crazy. Faculty pay relative to the U.S. is very low, but professors are then paid for extra duties such as masters and doctoral examinations and other tasks that we expect of American professors as part of their job. But publish research in an English language journal, and the cash reward can be as high as US$180,000 if the journal is Science or Nature! This has allowed China to rapidly close the research gap with the U.S. Based on author counts in Nature Index, Chinese authors will soon surpass us in the next few years.

Unlike equivalent U.S. schools, China does not assign graduate students to teach mammoth classes in huge lecture halls. But they stair-step their young faculty into teaching. A freshly-minted Ph.D. or post-doc student accepted at a Chinese university may not immediately enter the classroom. They may move up a research route instead. If they take the teaching track, they must take a language test. China still has many dialects and despite having mandated and universally taught standard Mandarin since 1949, they use an aural test for young aspiring lecturers who usually first spend time as tutors under senior professors. We only test English of foreign graduate teaching assistants…sometimes.

New American professors begin their own independent research on Day One. However, in Japan or France (until recently), all researchers work on the project of the top professor in the department. When he or she retires, everyone switches to working for the next senior professor. China has a hybrid system; some may have their own research lab if they are exceptional, or they may apprentice if they are not.

China also recruited to attract the best professors worldwide. Their “Thousand Talents” program brought in experts who were paid a million yuan (US$180,000) a year with an additional 3-4 million yuan a year to support their graduate assistants and research. While federal grant money in the U.S. is becoming harder to get, the Chinese NSF has tripled academic grants over the last three years.

Whether on a research or teaching track, you cannot achieve full professor rank here unless you have won the top teaching award. And to reach full professorship, you must work at least a semester at an overseas university. Many of my colleagues here have spent a semester or a year at Arizona State or University of Kansas or Cornell, or at other universities in Australia, Europe, etc. They have an extensive first-hand view of the world outside their country and they bring back state-of-the-art research experience.

Chinese universities are ranked “first ban,” ”2nd ban” and “3rd ban” and both students and professors strive to enter the highest rank. The 42 national universities contain the elite faculty, elite students and best facilities. Some provincial universities also have “key” centers of study. So the above descriptions and practices may vary across provinces and fields of study.

And for the last decade, China’s university faculty and staff have both an ample retirement plan and a health insurance package where none will go bankrupt from a health emergency. Maybe I should repeat that last statement.

John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.

Next month, the 2018 Kansas Legislature begins its annual session. It will face a host of major issues, starting with school finance and including constructing a new prison, funding KPERS, and addressing the endemic secrecy within state government, comprehensively documented by the Kansas City Star.

Last year our lawmakers demonstrated that they could address numerous issues, even as they passed major tax legislation over a gubernatorial veto. Give this record, the Legislature has an obligation to act decisively on one small –but not minor – issue: Kansas’s deeply flawed Crosscheck voter verification program, which 30 states continue to use.

The Legislature should stop all funding for Crosscheck, which ostensibly addresses the alleged problem of multiple voter registrations in two or more states.

Begun in 2005 at the urging of then-state GOP chair and later Secretary of State Kris Kobach, Crosscheck claims to root out potential voter fraud by comparing registration records across thirty states. There is a separate program, established in 2012, called ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center), funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, which includes twenty states and the District of Columbia.

Although it may seem simple to validate duplications in registrations and possible double voting, in practice myriad problems have arisen as these systems deal with huge data bases from many states, each with their own rules. ERIC’s great advantage lies in its data security and careful culling of false positive registrations.

Crosscheck raises numerous questions; most fundamental are its core assumption that multiple registrations and double voting are commonplace in American electoral politics. Kobach and others continue to complain that this is the case – or may well be – even as study after study debunks the existence of such a problem. Indeed, in his role as co-chair of a national voting commission, Kobach anticipates expanding Crosscheck to all fifty states.

Crosscheck advocates argue that it has discovered as many as three million voters who have the same name and birthdate and are registered in two or more states. Such a finding must mean that there is a tremendous potential for fraud, right?

Not really. Solid, sophisticated studies have demonstrated the statistical basis for having three million registration duplications. Without going into excruciating detail, consider the fact that in any group of 23 individuals, there is an even chance that two will have the same birthday. Now think of 150 million voters, and all the combinations of apparently identical names with the same birthdates. Probability dictates that many, many of these individuals will have the same names and birthdates.

Add in sloppy record-keeping and administrative errors, and almost all the three million duplications can be accounted for. Moreover, large numbers of actual double registrations should lead to numerous prosecutions, especially with an aggressive prosecutor like Kobach. But there have been only a handful. This means is that 30 states keep propping up a system that has accomplished little save to further Kobach’s relentless voter suppression agenda, with the states bearing the costs of all the errors. And now, with a national commission, Kobach wants to compound these mistakes.

Kansas, Crosscheck’s originator and prime funder, can proceed in one of two ways. First, it can simply stop paying for Crosscheck and withdraw its participation, which might topple the system completely. Or legislators can choose ERIC, with its superior security, to address double registrations.

Again, this is not the state’s most pressing problem, but Crosscheck wastes our resources and those of 30 other states with no offsetting benefits. In short, a coalition of sensible lawmakers should defund Crosscheck and, if desired, join ERIC, post haste.

Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas.

My husband grew up in upstate New York and has many relatives in Canada. His friends are scattered across the country. I’ve worked as an Extension agent in four counties and made friends in each location that I want to keep in touch with. And I still send cards to a couple of host families in the Philippines from my 4-H exchange trip more than 30 years ago. We correspond with some of these people only once a year, so our Christmas cards are an important way to stay connected.

We’re not alone. In the US, over a billion Christmas cards are sold every year. Ever since the first Christmas card was sent by England’s Queen Victoria in the 1840s, they have represented a way of sharing holiday cheer with friends and family.

Author Annalisa Merilli, writing online in the article “The History of Christmas Cards From Victorian Britain to the Internet” said the cards meet a “widely held desire to share greetings with friends and family in a personal, yet efficient and affordable way.”

“This need is as relevant today as it was nearly two centuries ago, when greeting cards were first introduced. Since then, they’ve become entrenched in our holiday customs and remained so, despite the fact that most of our communication has shifted to digital media,” Merilli says.

In the Internet age, with electronic greetings of all kinds now available, sales of traditional greeting cards have been on a long, gradual decline. In 1995, the national Greeting Card Association estimated that 2.7 billion Christmas-holiday cards would be sold that year. This year, that number has dropped to 1.4 billion cards. Even so, greeting-card makers say don’t count them out. The industry estimates overall sales of 7 billion greeting cards annually.

With everything increasingly becoming more digital, The Stationery Studio, an online paper products vendor, wanted to know if sending holiday cards is still relevant in 2017.

The first question of their October 2017 survey asked if respondents were planning to send holiday cards this year and 89% answered yes.

Seeing the trend in photo cards, another question asked what kind of cards respondents were planning on sending. Custom printed with photo(s) was the biggest response (49% of respondents) followed by pre-printed (boxed or individual) at 35%.

So while some may have seen a decline in holiday cards in their mailbox, many people still feel sending holiday cards is relevant. “Sending holiday cards is still a wonderful way to stay connected to family and friends,” says Renee Redman, president of The Stationery Studio. “Now more than ever, a holiday card is appreciated in the digital age we live in.”

I’m a supporter of mailed Christmas greetings, yet my methods have changed over the years to take advantage of increasing technology and cope with rising costs. But as my generation ages and the children of the digital age take over family holiday traditions, it will be interesting to see how this custom changes into the future.

How about you? Will you be mailing Christmas greetings this year?

Linda K. Beech is Cottonwood District Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

State’s 8-cent drop is the 8^th largest monthly decline in the country

TOPEKA – Kansas gas prices, on average, have continued their recent decline, falling four cents in the past week to $2.32, and down from the statewide average of $2.40 a month ago. Kansas has the 12th lowest gasoline prices in the nation and has seen the country’s eight largest drop in the past 30 days. “A seasonal fall and winter gas price drop is usual,” said Shawn Steward, AAA Kansas spokesman. “But this year, until recently, prices had stayed fairly high and steady due to strong demand and good weather conditions for driving. We now seem to be experiencing our typical downward price trend as we approach the end-of-year holiday driving season.” Of the 10 Kansas cities regularly highlighted by AAA Kansas (see chart above), Manhattan remained the same at $2.45, while all others fell. Salina (-14 cents) experienced the largest price decline, falling to $2.19, while Garden City (-8), Emporia (-7) and Kansas City, Kan. (-6) all saw significant decreases this week. According to AAA Kansas, this week’s Kansas gas price extremes are at the extreme northwest and southeast corners of the state: HIGH: St. Francis (Cheyenne County) – $2.65 LOW: Galena (Cherokee County) – $2.13 National Perspective At $2.48, the national gas price average is at the cheapest price since early November. More so, pump prices nationally have been steadily dropping during the last two weeks. Today’s gas price is three cents less than a week ago, four cents cheaper than one month ago and 30 cents more than a year ago. “Cheaper winter gas prices are being seen for the bulk of the country as gasoline demand hits the lowest mark since February,” said AAA Kansas’ Steward. “On the week, 90 percent of states saw their gas price average drop – some even by double digits.” Declining gas prices mirror the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest consumer gasoline demand report, showing a drop of 871,000 b/d on the week for a total demand number of 8.7 million b/d (week ending Nov. 24). EIA’s next report, due out on Wednesday, will indicate if the drop is a trend. Great Lakes and Central States Report For a second week, the Great Lakes and Central states are seeing the largest drops at the pump in the region and the country. Eight states land on this week’s top 10 states biggest change list: Indiana (-14 cents), Ohio (-12 cents), Illinois (-11 cents), Michigan (-9 cents), Missouri (-6 cents), Wisconsin (-6 cents), Nebraska (-4 cents) and Kansas (-4 cents). Of note, Kentucky (+3 cents) was the only state in the region to see pump prices jump in the last seven days. Compared to one month ago, all states in the region except two are paying less at the pump with Indiana (-40 cents), Ohio (-34 cents), Michigan (-30 cents), Illinois (-29 cents), Wisconsin (-18 cents) and Missouri (-14 cents) seeing double-digits drops. Only North Dakota (+1 cents) is paying more on the month in the Great Lakes and Central region. After shutting down for two weeks following a spill, the Keystone pipeline resumed operations last Tuesday. The shutdown had minimal impact on gas prices in the region. The pipeline runs from Hardisty, Alberta to Cushing, Oklahoma and to Wood River/Patoka, Illinois. With a small build on the week, gasoline inventories remain above the 45 million bbl level for the third consecutive week. According to OPIS, this inventory level mark is close to the five-year average for this time of the year.