The total number of homes destroyed by a two-week old wildfire in northern Colorado was raised to 248 on Sunday as residents of a subdivision near Fort Collins learned that 57 more homes in their neighborhood had been lost, authorities said.

Fire officials had previously said that 191 homes had burned, the most in state history. The High Park Fire is the second-largest wildfire and among the most expensive in Colorado’s history. It has scorched more than 130 square miles and was just 45 percent contained on Sunday, The Denver Post reported.

With a total of eight fires burning, Colorado is having its worst wildfire season in a decade.

A fire near Colorado Springs erupted Saturday and grew out of control to more than 3 square miles early Sunday, prompting the evacuation of more than 11,000 residents and an unknown number of tourists. Authorities said Sunday that they were allowing about 5,000 of those residents to return.

Also on Saturday, a blaze destroyed structures near the mountain community of Estes Park, where many visitors stay while visiting Rocky Mountain National Park. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday that 22 homes and 2 outbuildings had been burned.

“We’re used to flooding and tornadoes, nothing like this,” said Amanda Rice, who recently moved to the area from Rock Falls, Ill. Rice, her husband, four children and dog left a Manitou Springs hotel late Saturday.

Rice, scared when she saw flames, took her family to the evacuation center before she was told to go.

“It was just this God-awful orange glow. It was surreal. It honestly looked like hell was opening up,” Rice said Sunday.

With Colorado midway through its worst wildfire season in a decade, travelers have seen some of their favorite sites closed to the public, obscured by smoke and haze. Some travelers were awoken with evacuation orders.

Plumes of gray and white smoke poured from the mountains Sunday, obscuring at times Pikes Peak, the most-summited high-elevation mountain in the nation and inspiration for the song “America The Beautiful.” Winds were pushing smoke away from Colorado Springs, but residents and tourists watched nervously as haze wrapped around the peak.

Families planning whitewater rafting trips or visits to the stunning red-rock formations in Garden of the Gods park in Colorado Springs were instead spending their vacations passing out bottled water and setting up cots in evacuee centers.

They included Mark Stein of Morristown, N.J., whose family arrived after midnight Sunday at their Manitou Springs hotel for a week of whitewater rafting and sightseeing.

“We were sleeping for 15 minutes when they started knocking on the door — a day from hell,” Stein said of the day of travel. With his wife and two sons, Stein spent the first night of his vacation setting up cots for more than 200 evacuees who slept at the school.

“I think it’s the best vacation ever. This is what the real world is about. There’s a lot of people that need help,” Stein said.

Also Sunday, a brushfire that began near Elbert, about 50 miles southwest of Denver, quickly spread to about 60 acres, forcing the evacuation of about 100 residents.

Half the nation’s firefighting fleet is now battling fires in Colorado, said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. He said C-130 military transport planes from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs would begin assisting on Monday.

“People recognize this is going to take a big push” to extinguish, Hickenlooper said Sunday from a Colorado Springs grocery store, where volunteers were passing out burritos, sandwiches and drinks to 350 firefighters working near Pikes Peak.

The wildfire near Rocky Mountain National Park destroyed vacation cabins and closed the most commonly used entrance to the park. Clouds of smoke blew toward the 102-year-old Stanley Hotel that inspired Stephen King to write “The Shining.”

Elsewhere in the West, firefighters made progress against wildfires in Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

— In Utah, a 15-square-mile blaze around Fountain Green in Sanpete County was threatening more than 359 permanent structures and 213 mobile homes and travel trailers in four rural subdivisions, forcing about 1,000 people to flee. BLM says the human-caused fire erupted Saturday afternoon. Officials report progress on a 9-square-mile wildfire around Saratoga Springs, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City.

— In California, a wildfire about 60 miles north of Los Angeles triggered evacuations of campgrounds around an off-road recreation area on Saturday. Officials said the fire has blackened at least 1,000 acres in the Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area, along the Interstate 5 corridor in Gorman.

— In New Mexico, a lightning-caused wildfire that destroyed 242 homes and businesses is 90 percent contained. The 69-square-mile fire near Ruidoso began June 4. Meanwhile, the largest wildfire in state history was 87 percent contained, having burned more than 464 square miles after two blazes merged on May 16.

— In Montana, two wildfires were burning in the southwest part of the state, including the fast-moving Antelope Fire, which started Saturday afternoon about 10 miles north of Whitehall and had grown to 462 acres on Sunday. About 100 firefighters were battling that blaze.

— In Arizona, the U.S. Forest Service said Sunday that containment against the Poco Fire, just outside of Young, is up to 50 percent and remains under 12,000 acres. Officials say many of the firefighting resources are being released to their home units or to other fire assignments.

A framed poster on the wall of a kindergarten classroom shows bright-eyed children brandishing rifles and bayonets as they attack a hapless American soldier, his face bandaged and blood spurting from his mouth.

“We love playing military games knocking down the American bastards,” reads the slogan printed across the top. Another poster depicts an American with a noose around his neck. “Let’s wipe out the U.S. imperialists,” it instructs.

For North Koreans, the systematic indoctrination of anti-Americanism starts as early as kindergarten and is as much a part of the curriculum as learning to count.

Toy pistols, rifles and tanks sit lined up in neat rows on shelves. The school principal pulls out a dummy of an American soldier with a beaked nose and straw-colored hair and explains that the students beat him with batons or pelt him with stones – a favorite schoolyard game, she says.

For a moment, she is sheepish as she takes three journalists from The Associated Press, including an American, past the anti-U.S. posters. But Yun Song Sil is not shy about the message.

“Our children learn from an early age about the American bastards,” she says, tossing off a phrase so common here that it is considered an acceptable way to refer to Americans.

North Korean students learn that their country has had two main enemies: the Japanese, who colonized Korea from 1910 to 1945, and the U.S., which fought against North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War.

They are told that North Korea’s defense against outside forces – particularly the U.S., which has more than 28,000 soldiers stationed in South Korea – remains the backbone of the country’s foreign policy.

And they are bred to seek revenge, even as their government professes to want peace with the United States.

“They tell their people there can be no reconciliation with the United States,” says American scholar Brian Myers, who dissected North Korean propaganda in his 2010 book “The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why It Matters.” “They make it very clear to the masses that this hate will last forever.”

In recent years, state propaganda has shifted away from the virulent anti-American slogans of the past and has instead emphasized building up the economy. On the streets of Pyongyang, anti-American posters have largely given way to images of soldiers in helmets and workers in factories.

But the posters and curricula at kindergartens across North Korea remain unchanged. One glimpse inside a school, and it’s clear that despite U.S.-North Korean diplomacy behind closed doors, 4-year-olds are still being taught that the “Yankee imperialists” are North Korea’s worst enemy.

At the Kaeson Kindergarten in central Pyongyang, one of several schools visited by the AP, U.S. soldiers are depicted as cruel, ghoulish barbarians with big noses and fiendish eyes. Teeth bared, they brand prisoners with hot irons, set wild dogs on women and wrench out a girl’s teeth with pliers. One drawing shows an American soldier crushing a girl with his boot, blood pouring from her mouth, her eyes wild with fear and pain.

“The American imperialists and Japanese militarism are the sworn enemies of the North Korean people,” reads a quote from late leader Kim Jong Il affixed to the top of one wall in a large room devoted to anti-U.S. education.

“The main theme of anti-American propaganda is not `We must be ready for an attack’ but `We must be ready for revenge,'” Myers says. “People are being whipped up to hate the United States on the basis of past actions.”

The Americans also are portrayed with nuclear symbols on their helmets and uniforms, a reference to the North Korean insistence that the U.S. poses an atomic threat to the region. An undated poster in French is dotted with places in South Korea where missiles and fighter jets purportedly were kept.

The U.S. denies having nuclear weapons in Korea.

The North cites the presence of U.S. soldiers in South Korea, as well as the alleged nuclear threat, as key reasons behind its drive to build atomic weapons in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions designed to hobble its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

As disarmament discussions continue in fits and starts, the message in classrooms across the country remains the same: North Korea needs its rockets, bombs and missiles and is proud of its atomic arsenal.

Kaeson Kindergarten is a model school. In the mornings, the children line up for calisthenics and to sing patriotic songs, and at lunchtime they are fed rice, fish and tofu, according to the principal. They learn to sing, dance and ride unicycles, and at 4 p.m. they get a snack and soy milk.

History lessons include tales about Kim Jong Il’s childhood, life under Japanese occupation and the Korean War.

“First, we start by teaching that the American imperialists started the war,” said soft-spoken schoolteacher Jon Chun Yong, citing the North Korean version of how the war began.

“From that time on, the tragedy emerged by which our nation was divided in two,” said Jon, who has taught at the kindergarten for 15 years. “Since then, our people had to endure the pain of living divided for a long half-century.”

Outside North Korea, history books tell a different story. Western textbooks say that two years after North and South Korea declared themselves separate republics, North Korean troops marched into South Korean capital, Seoul, on the morning of June 25, 1950. U.S.-led United Nations and South Korean forces fought communist North Korean troops backed by Chinese soldiers in a three-year battle for control of the peninsula. The U.S. and North Korea finally called a truce in 1953, and Korea remains divided to this day.

At the Kaeson Kindergarten, children sit hunched over sheets of drawing paper clutching pastel crayons. One girl has drawn a school of bright blue fish; the boy next to her has covered his paper with tanks.

Another boy depicts a whole battlefield: a North Korean plane dropping bombs on dead, bloodied American soldiers, as well as grenades and tanks. In a final flourish, he adds the name of the South Korean president to the tableau, muttering the name under his breath as he labors over the letters.

The North Korean hate campaign generally does not include South Koreans, who are portrayed as puppets of the U.S. However, in recent months, it has come to encompass South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, whose tough policies toward the North have enraged its leaders as well as the South’s conservative media.

The best of the children’s work is pinned up on a board: One kindergartner used color pencils to draw a boy in a blue cap attacking a midget American soldier with a studded club. Another drawing depicts North Korean fighter jets dropping bombs on American soldiers trapped in flames. In a third, a man wearing a helmet marked “U.S.” in English is on his knees begging for mercy as he is pummeled on the head with a stick.

The children run around beating up mock American soldiers and planes, Jon said. The worst schoolyard taunt is to call someone “miguk nom” – “American bastard.”

The games culminate every year on International Children’s Day on June 1. Across the nation, students convene en masse, dressed in military uniforms and armed with toy rifles and bayonets. At one such celebration in Pyongyang this month, students took turns charging dummies of U.S. soldiers with their weapons.

Still, like children everywhere, the littlest North Koreans show more fascination than fear when they encounter the rare American in Pyongyang, invariably waving and calling out “Hello!” in English.

And spotted among the mourners following Kim Jong Il’s death in December was a boy who clearly had no problem with a Yankee of a different kind. Perched on his head was a blue knit cap with the New York Yankees logo from a distinctly American sport: baseball.

Adidas canceled plans for a sneaker with a shackle-like ankle cuff Monday night after some critics said it too closely resembled a symbol of slavery.

The JS Roundhouse Mid, a high-top sneaker with an orange plastic cuff, was made in collaboration with fashion designer Jeremy Scott.

The sneaker “is nothing more than the designer Jeremy Scott’s outrageous and unique take on fashion and has nothing to do with slavery,” Adidas said in a statement. “Since the shoe debuted on our Facebook page ahead of its market release in August, Adidas has received both favorable and critical feedback. We apologize if people are offended by the design and we are withdrawing our plans to make them available in the marketplace.”

The sneaker was supposed to be a reboot of a classic high-top sneaker with a strap across the middle. A preview was offered months ago and generated little chatter, but the company recently started promoting it on its Facebook page.

Scott is known as one of fashion’s more outrageous characters. Adidas said he is heralded for a style that is “quirky and lighthearted.”

The Roundhouse Mid was inspired by a furry toy called My Pet Monster. “My work has always been inspired by cartoons, toys & my childhood,” Scott said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

Previous collaborations between Scott and Adidas include sneakers with Mickey Mouse and panda bear themes.

Men that have children are packing on the pounds.

On average, after their first child is born, dads will pack on 20 pounds. Experts say that a lack of time to exercise, more take out food and less sleep are to blame for the problem.

A dad’s hectic schedule leaves little time for exercise and with this study it also found that six out of ten dads are out of shape.

 

I can certainly relate…how bout you?

(Men’s Health)

By Tom Wilbur

Life is filled with amazing moments. We’re born. We live. We die.

And tucked in the middle there’s all kinds of interesting stuff. Growing up. Attending school. Finding a job. And seeking out a life partner—someone with whom you can share the rest of your life.

The earliest thing I can remember in life, is sitting as a toddler in a pretty good sized ant hill, introducing myself to the little red fellas, as they crawled all over me, and proceeded to bite me everywhere. It may be the reason I am the way I am today. Adventurous— to a point.

Then my brother, Paul, came along and I assumed the role of “big brother.” We were four years apart, so it was my responsibility to watch over him. I did mess up a couple of times when I shared a box of chocolate X-Lax with him before a lengthy train trip, and in later years— lit a firecracker while he was holding it in his hand. Outside of those two things, I think I did a pretty good job. (There may have been other slip ups but you’ll have to check with Paul, because I’ve forgotten them).

Unequivocally, there is nothing more rewarding in life than being a Dad. From the moment Brock was born in 1984, until today—being a Dad has been a sustaining thread for everything that I do. I worked very hard to provide for my wife and kids. We coached the kids in sports. We attended their plays, and school activities—and encouraged them to be the best they could be. I shared with them my vast knowledge of almost everything (hmmm), and all the engaging stories about my life (which they now know, and can recite, by heart because– I am The Big Fish).

But now that they’re gone, I miss every minute of our time together. I wish they were here. I wish I could do it all over again. I’d love them up even more. And spend more time with them than at work. And make them pancakes just because it’s a Saturday. But, that will never happen. The moments have passed.

Brock was more than unique—a one of a kind child that never had a teacher taller than him, and intellectual capacity beyond comprehension. He was very smart, and from the moment he could read, he never stopped increasing the expanse of his knowledge. We went on a white water rafting trip once, when he was in first grade, and yeah, he brought a book to read.

I took him to his first concert, Bon Jovi, at age 4. He liked everything but the fireworks at the end. In 6^th grade, as a graduation present, he and I saw U2 in concert together, and that sparked his love for music. To date he has written, and recorded hundreds of songs on nearly every subject. One piece he wrote won a music contest at Northwestern, and another was on MTV a couple of years ago. We’ve attended at least a hundred concerts together. Now I don’t have an excuse to go see Buckcherry or A Perfect Circle. Or Interpol.

When we went to the hospital in 1988, we had a boy’s name picked out. The nurse got Marlis settled and said, “I hear that fast little heart beat—it must be a girl.” I look at Mar and said, “Do we even have a girl’s name picked out?” We did not. And out popped Brooke Reece Wilbur. I saw from the tears of joy in my wife’s eyes what a dunderhead I had been in not even considering that a girl might be on the way. I got out my Sharpie and legal pad and we cranked out an awesome name.

Brooke was the beautiful daughter I never thought I’d have. A princess. She loved to run, and jump, and swim and play. She loved horses, the Backstreet Boys and N’Sync, Sunday school—and being with her Dad. Every day was joyful to Brooke as long as you didn’t engage her before Noon. Not exactly a morning person, Brooke is strong of will with a loving heart for people in any circumstance or situation. She has an incredible love for her husband, and for the Lord. And I love her so very much, because she is special.

We made the conscious decision to come to Salina to raise our kids—because Salina is such a great community.  Brock and Brooke both grew up in YMCA, and in the Salina Community Theatre, which was an integral part of their lives. It was beyond special for me to be on stage with them when they were older for seventeen sold out performances of “Peter Pan”.  Beyond cool. Unforgettable. Salina provided the right amount of opportunity for them to compete and grow in everything. We love Salina.

It seems somehow appropriate on Father’s Day weekend, that I share with each of you younger Dads some of the things that I learned as Dad. It may be of help, and it may not—I share in the hope that you find it of some value:

1.      Hug your kids every day. Even when they don’t think it’s cool.

2.      Find professional help on being Dad to a daughter between ages 12 and 20. This too shall pass.

3.      Take your kids to church—whether you think it sinks in or not, it does.

4.      Love your kids more than a career.

5.      Be there for them every step of the way. You’ll learn a lot about yourself.

6.      Do not try to live your life vicariously through your kids—support them in the activities that they think are right for them. They generally know what’s right for them.

7.      Listen to your wife. Sometimes ideas you have on being The Dad, just aren’t that great.

8.      Since you don’t get a manual on how to raise a child, be prepared to say “I’m sorry” every once in a while when you screw up.

9.      Sometimes, the decision you make in being a Dad involves doing the right thing for them, instead of being a buddy. Be a Dad that instills a set of good values into their lives. Be a dad who demonstrates those values in his actions. And be a leader in your household.

10.  Love them some more.

Brock lives in Hollywood now—is a screenwriter, actor, and stand-up comedian in the Los Angeles area. Oh, and he has a band. Those are his sideline activities, while he works daily for an international online marketing firm. He calls once in a while, and we are very proud of him.

Brooke had a great time in school and theatre at K-State and married a fine young man, Landon Vinson— last year about this time. They live in Kansas City, while Landon attends KU Medical School, and Brooke works in retail sales. They are busy with their new life ahead, and with Church of the Resurrection, and we try to see them when we can. They are caring for the family grand-pig—a miniature English bulldog, named Roxy. So we have that going for us. And we are very proud of them.

On this Father’s Day, I’m grateful for the Dad that provided me the foundation that has made me the man I am today. So Roy Wilbur, I love you very much. Thank you for always being there for me.

And on Father’s Day, I’m grateful for the love of my wife, Marlis, for the past thirty-eight years. Where has time gone?

And to my kids, Brock and Brooke—I love you with all of my heart.

I always will.

Happy Father’s Day everyone. May God bless you each and every day.

See you in church.

tw 

Tom Wilbur is President/CEO of BANK VI in Salina, Kansas. A graduate of Salina Central and the University of Kansas, Tom has held numerous leadership positions in banking, non-profit organizations, and area civic groups. He is a founding member of The Last National Band. He regularly writes about life, business, faith, and family. Tom can be reached at [email protected]

Thursday is Flag Day, marking the date in 1777 when Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes. Some facts about the U.S. flag:

• President William Taft issued an executive order in 1912 dictating the proportions for the flag and placement of the stars. Before then, these features were left up to the flagmaker, resulting in unusual star arrangements and odd proportions.
• Betsy Ross, often credited with sewing the nation’s first flag, apprenticed not as a seamstress but as an upholsterer, learning to make and repair curtains, bedcovers, tablecloths, rugs, umbrellas and Venetian blinds.
• Congress officially adopted the Stars and Stripes as the nation’s flag on June 14, 1777. The next day, Ross married her second husband, Joseph Ashburn. Her first husband, John Ross, had died during the Revolutionary War, as did Ashburn a few years later. Her third marriage, to John Claypoole, lasted 34 years.
• The national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” is based on a 15-star, 15-stripe flag sewn by Mary Pickersgill for Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Vermont and Kentucky had recently been added to the original 13 states.The U.S. flag has been modified 26 times since its adoption in 1777. Today’s 50-star flag, created in 1960, has been in use the longest.

Republicans and Democrats seem to be living on different planets when it comes to how to meet U.S. energy needs.

A new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research of public attitudes about energy shows that Republicans in the poll overwhelmingly push for more oil drilling, while Democrats back conversation and new sources such as wind and solar power.

That reflects the polarized position on energy that have divided Congress and emerged in the presidential campaign.

The poll shows that majorities in both parties say energy is an important issue. But political party identification is closely tied to people’s perceptions of the causes of energy problems and possible solutions. No other demographic factor is as consistently associated with opinions on energy.

 

By Tom Wilbur

If someone empowered you to be fearless today—I mean really fearless—what would you do?

You’d be afraid of nothing. You’d be afraid of no one. You’d have the power to go out and follow your dreams. So, what would you do?

You would have the freedom and the power to take on anything ahead. So, what would you do?

The fact of the matter is—you already are potentially the most fearless human being on the planet. No one can really hold you back. Whatever you dream, you most certainly can become. The choices you can make for your life ahead can be as bold as you want them to be. You can take risks well beyond the safety net you’ve established for yourself, because a life filled with chances— is also a life full of the most opportunity for rewards. Do exactly what you did yesterday, and hey baby, you’re headed for a Groundhog Day life.

You may have certain things that tie you down . . . things you are unwilling to let go of . . . barriers you’ve placed in front of yourself, keeping you from the target. But all things can be changed. Most barriers can be overcome. That’s what I believe.

I read a relatively disturbing article over the weekend from Business Insider, called “The American Dream is now a Myth.” It was a discussion that suggested that there has been a huge decrease in social mobility in the United States. That is, if a person is born poor, there is an overwhelming chance that they will stay poor. Folks that have money are, according to this piece, more likely to maintain it. And it raised questions as to whether the American dream even exists anymore. The article ponders if we have become a nation where the luck of the draw defines us more than our individual freedoms give opportunity to succeed. Is that where we are? A lot of people sure seem to think so—as we’ve seen in the “Occupy movements.” There’s a widespread philosophy that things are just patently unfair, and that the government should just provide us more stuff—and then everything will be better.

In banking, I have opportunity to hear lots of excuses. And I have to admit, there have been a number of times where I have made excuses myself. I’m not sure there is anything more pathetic than being an excuse maker—and I’ve been ashamed of myself when I’ve attempted to do so. An excuse is not a positive response. Essentially, within the concept of an excuse are all of the ingredients for ongoing failure. Excuses are defined as “a reason or an explanation for somebody’s behavior that makes an action appear more acceptable or less offensive.” To excuse someone is to “allow somebody to leave, or say politely that somebody should leave.” An excuse is an attempt to “release somebody from an obligation or a responsibility.” So what’s your excuse?

Seriously, think about it. You probably have one. An ongoing excuse that keeps you from reaching your dreams. Or maybe you have taken personal ownership in a bunch of excuses that spew forth whenever you’re asked about where life it taking you.

I routinely work with people in personal growth and development, and have been more than willing throughout my life to help others—whenever I can. I meet people with very real and disabling circumstances. But far too many others convince themselves that none of their dreams are achievable, due to a series of rationalizations and objections that discount or hamper their ability to reach new targets. Yep, they just make excuses. And sometimes, they seem genuinely happy that they have something to complain about in life. Things like:

I hate my job. (So what have you done about that? Why are you still there?)

My spouse holds me back. (Why do you stay with him?)

I need to move to a bigger city to get the right job for me. (So, move? No one is stopping you.)

I’m unqualified to do something better. (With all the resources available in the world, go get qualified, instead of watching TV every day, or partying on Friday and Saturday nights.)

It will be too hard to do something different. (If you believe that to be the case— it will be.)

I’m afraid. (Who isn’t? Life has pitfalls. Deal with it. Get going. No more excuses.)

So, I have a friend Joanie, whose husband left her, because they had a child born with a very devastating disease—a disease that has no cure. The husband didn’t want to deal with it—so she had to—by herself. She had no skills, and hadn’t worked a day in her life– and so she was forced to go on welfare. Once there, she learned how to be a secretary. When she got a job as a secretary, she started attending night school in law, and then became an attorney. She is now a very successful attorney. Years, later she still cares for her son daily. She refused to allow life’s knocks to beat her. Fearless. No excuses.

I had a couple that applied for a thirty year home loan with me, from the Czech Republic. They escaped over the Alps with their kids, finding sustaining water by licking the dew of the ground in the mornings for moisture. They came to Salina and without being able to speak English—both the husband and wife got a day job, a night job, and a weekend job. In just under three years, they paid off the home loan because they were determined not to make debt part of their life. Fearless. No excuses.

A friend of mine was fired by his father-in-law’s company in Wichita. He came to Salina, with his wife and kids, and with little money. He came to the bank to get a loan to start his own business—and on his first attempt, he was turned down. He went out and worked day and night to sign up 75 businesses for his services, without even having the necessary equipment to provide them, and returned to the bank. He got the loan. He became very successful, and sold his business a few years ago— for millions of dollars. Fearless. No excuses.

My Dad brought my Mom, my brother and I to Salina, following his service in the Air Force as a flight instructor. Dad had no job here. But he wanted to raise us in Salina, Kansas. He and my Mom got a small loan, and built our house themselves. I repeat, they built our house– by themselves. My brother and I (6 and 2 at the time) lived in the basement, while they sanded, painted, sawed, varnished, and hammered away. Dad barely had enough money to buy a 15 year old pickup, and a couple of shovels and trowels. And he founded a small company that over the years grew to be a very successful commercial concrete business. Lots of risks. Fearless. Never any excuses.

We have clients who buy and fix up property. Mow lawns. Drive trucks. Paint homes. Rent buildings. Work in health care. Teach. Manage investments. Sack groceries. Plow the land. Pull teeth. Count beans. Roof houses. Raise cattle. Make pizzas. None of it is easy. But they are in the game—charting a path—and taking action. They are responsible for their lives through old fashioned hard work. They are committed to their goals– honest and energetic. Making it happen. We don’t hear many excuses from the successful ones.

I think the difference is that those who achieve know what they want out of life, and are genuinely fearless. They look at the risks, and take on the day. They are out to win. And they refuse to take no when it comes to obstacles and barriers that will keep them from their dreams. They don’t read headlines from someone telling them that they can’t do it. They don’t accept the fact that some things are tougher.

A good friend of mine, a former basketball coach, and a successful businessman always says “meet pressure with pressure.” It’s as true in life as it is in basketball. But life isn’t a game.

I believe in the American Dream. I believe in a God that empowers us to love, achieve and serve others in the greatest nation on Earth. And I genuinely believe in your ability to become whatever you wish to become. I’m simply refusing to allow yesterday to determine where I will go tomorrow— and you should, too.

Break the old habits. Stop listening to news that tries to box you in with stories that the world is handing you a bad deal. Take personal responsibility for you, and get on with your life. Do what it takes to reach your dreams. Chart a course for yourself in this State whose very motto “Ad Astra Per Aspera” means “to the stars through difficulty.” Life wasn’t easy way back when, and it’s certainly challenging now. But you can do it.

Be fearless. You have my permission.

Blessings,

tw

Tom Wilbur is President/CEO of BANK VI in Salina, Kansas. A graduate of Salina Central and the University of Kansas, Tom has held numerous leadership positions in banking, non-profit organizations, and area civic groups. He is a founding member of The Last National Band. He regularly writes about life, business, faith, and family. Tom can be reached at [email protected]

Catharine Leach is married and has two boys, ages 2 and 8. She has a good job with a federal contractor and smokes pot most every day.

While she worries that her public support for marijuana decriminalization and legalization could cost her a job or bring the police to her door, the 30-year-old Warwick resident said she was tired of feeling like a criminal for using a drug that she said is far less harmful than the glass of wine or can of beer enjoyed by so many others after a long day’s work. Like others around the nation working to relax penalties for possession of pot, she decided to stop hiding and speak out.

“I’m done being afraid,” she said. “People in this country are finally coming around and seeing that putting someone in jail for this doesn’t make sense. It’s just a changing of the time.”

Once consigned to the political fringe, marijuana policy is appearing on legislative agendas around the country thanks to an energized base of supporters and an increasingly open-minded public. Lawmakers from Rhode Island to Colorado are mulling medical marijuana programs, pot dispensaries, decriminalization and even legalization. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia now authorize medical marijuana and 14, including neighboring Connecticut and Massachusetts, have rolled back criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of pot.

Rhode Island is poised to become the 15th state to decriminalize marijuana possession. The state’s General Assembly passed legislation last week that would eliminate the threat of big fines or even jail time for the possession of an ounce or less of pot. Instead, adults caught with small amounts of marijuana would face a $150 civil fine. Police would confiscate the marijuana, but the incident would not appear on a person’s criminal record.

Minors caught with pot would also have to complete a drug awareness program and community service.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee has said he is inclined to sign the legislation.

One of the bill’s sponsors, state Rep. John Edwards of Tiverton, has introduced similar proposals in past years but the idea always sputtered in committee. Each year, though, he got more co-sponsors, and the bill passed the House this year 50-24. The state Senate passed it 28-6.

Some supporters of decriminalization say they’d like to go even further.

“America’s 50-year war on drugs has been an abysmal failure,” said Rep. John Savage, a retired school principal from East Providence. “Marijuana in this country should be legalized. It should be sold and taxed.”

Opponents warned of dire consequences to the new policy.

“What kind of message are we sending to our youth? We are more worried about soda – for health reasons – than we are about marijuana,” said one opponent, Rhode Island state Rep. John Carnevale a Democrat from Providence.

A survey by Rasmussen last month found that 56 percent of respondents favored legalizing and regulating marijuana. A national Gallup poll last year showed support for legalizing pot had reached 50 percent, up from 46 percent in 2010 and 25 percent in the mid-’90s.

Medical marijuana helped bring marijuana policy into the mainstream back in 1996, when California became the first state to authorize the use of cannabis for medicinal use. Other states followed suit.

“It’s now politically viable to talk about these things,” said Robert Capecchi, legislative analyst with the Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington, D.C.-based group that supports the reduction or elimination of penalties for medical and recreational pot use. “The public understands that there are substances that are far more harmful – alcohol, tobacco – that we regulate. People are realizing just how much money is being wasted on prohibition.”

Colorado and Washington state will hold fall referendums on legalizing marijuana. A ballot question on legalization failed in California in 2010.

This month, Connecticut’s governor signed legislation to allow medical marijuana there. Last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed cutting the penalty for public possession of small amounts of pot.

Liberal state policies on marijuana have run into conflict with federal prohibition. Federal authorities have shut down more than 40 dispensaries this year in Colorado, even though they complied with state and local law.

 

By Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger

Filing an insurance claim can be an added stressful process following an accident or natural disaster.

In fact, according to the new 2011 Kansas Consumer Complaint  Ratio booklet from the Kansas Insurance Department (KID), of the complaints registered for all lines of insurance in 2011, almost two-thirds — 65 percent — of complaints concerned problems related to claims handling.

In breaking down that statistic some more, most claims processing problems involved an unsatisfactory claim settlement/offer, denial of a claim, or claims delays. Those three areas certainly can lead to your anxiety with the whole process. What might help are the following tips, all commonsense aids in keeping your cool in stressful circumstances:

1.  Know your policy — Understand what your policy says. The policy is a legal contract between you and your insurance company. Know what’s covered, what’s excluded and what the deductibles are. Enlist your local agent, if needed, to guide you through the coverage details.

2.  File claims as soon as possible — Don’t let the bills or receipts pile up. Call your agent or your company’s claims hotline as soon as possible. Your policy might even require that you make the notification within a certain time frame.

3.  Provide complete, correct information — Be certain to give your insurance company all the necessary information. Incorrect or incomplete information will only cause a claims processing delay.

4.  Keep copies of all correspondence — Whenever you communicate with your insurance company, be sure to keep copies and records of all correspondence, emails and phone calls. Write down information about your telephone and in-person contacts, including the date, name and title of the person you spoke with and what was said. Also, keep a record of your time and expenses.

5.  Document homeowners temporary repairs — Homeowners policies might require you to make temporary repairs to protect your property from further damage. Your policy should cover the cost of these temporary repairs, so keep all receipts. Also, take photos or video of the damage before making those repairs.

6.  Document accident and health claims details — A consumer should keep track of bills and claim correspondence to make sure that his/her insurance company has received a claim for every service being billed. Sometimes claims are not submitted, or not received, and the problem may not become apparent until the consumer is contacted by a collection agency several months later.

7.  Ask questions — If there is a disagreement about the claim settlement, ask the company for the specific language in the policy that is in question. Find out if the disagreement is because you and the insurance company interpret your policy differently.

8.  Don’t rush into a settlement — If the first offer made by your insurance company does not meet your expectations, be prepared to negotiate to get a fair settlement. If you have any questions regarding the fairness of your settlement, talk with your local agent or call our Kansas Insurance Department’s Consumer Assistance Hotline, 1-800-432-2484.  

Being a savvy insurance consumer is a great way to avoid the potential frustrations of a claim when you have an accident or have to deal with a natural disaster. But, if you need additional assistance, KID employees will be here to help.

 Sandy Praeger, Kansas Commissioner of Insurance

By Tom Wilbur

I don’t know what it means to serve in the military. Growing into early manhood in the late 60’s and early 70’s, the culture among my peers was that the Vietnam War was not in the interests of the United States of America, and there was a lot of resistance and various efforts to get it stopped, and for us to get out of there.

President Nixon ended the lottery for service in the armed forces, the year I was to have my name in the hat. They drew for the lottery by birth date. And my number, in the year that counted, was 5.  That meant, the following year, they were to start calling young men with a birthday corresponding to number 1, and go to 365. Based upon my number, I would have been selected to report for duty somewhere, or enlist, in the military. For whatever reason, it just never happened. Today, I think about the sacrifices those young men and women (who were my peers) made in service in Vietnam and am so grateful to those who served. I lost a number of friends in that war.

There’s a growing sentiment among many today that we need to get our young men and women out of an “unwinnable presence” in Afghanistan, and that region of the world. I’d like to see us bring our soldiers home, because I detest the ravages of war—and the loss of life to our nation’s young men and women. But it’s not my decision, and I’m compelled to support my country and its leadership with prayers that there might be ongoing clarity and wisdom in their decision making. And that we can soon bring our troops home safely—as soon as possible.

So here we are—Memorial Day Weekend.  Memorial Day was originally a day set aside to honor the dead from the Union and Confederacy in the Civil War, and was called “Decoration Day”. As we know, it has morphed into a remembrance for all veteran’s who have given their lives for others, and more generally, a remembrance for family members who have passed before us. For still others—it’s just another three day holiday.

In the bustle of the day, we often find wisdom in returning to the words of great leaders who have come before. Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” gives us a few ideas as to his thoughts on war and remembrance, in a time of conflict:

“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war.

We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract.

The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these honoured dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion – that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

By Lincoln’s words we are given this phrase, “it is for us, the living, to be dedicated…to the unfinished work… so nobly advanced.” As a nation, we need to stay resolute in our vow to protect ourselves and further the prospects of freedom wherever we can, and remain “dedicated to the great task remaining before us … that these dead shall not have died in vain.”

This weekend, it is incumbent upon us all to honor the veterans of the United States of America, and our fallen brothers and sisters from every war— brave Americans who gave their lives for the incredible freedoms we enjoy.

Thank you to those who have served this nation of ours with distinction and honor. Thank you to each of you who are actively serving now wherever you are—in some far-away place, or here at home. You are in our prayers, and we as Americans, we salute you—and wish you God-speed.

May God continue to bless this nation, its leadership, and our military direction in preserving the vast freedoms we enjoy through the combined efforts of all of our valiant veterans, living and dead—freedoms that have been fought to bestow upon each of us.

tw

Tom Wilbur is President/CEO of BANK VI in Salina, Kansas—and was born on an Air Force base near San Marcos, Texas. He is a regular contributing editor to The Salina Post, and a graduate of the University of Kansas. This weekend, he honors his father, Lt. Roy Wilbur, a flight instructor in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. (I love you, Dad.) You can reach Tom at [email protected]

It was a casual invitation to dinner but she wanted more.  She wanted to at least feel that she was being courted, but when the check arrived the dance of “who’s going to pay for dinner?” ensued. Being a progressive young career woman, Lauren offered to split the check.  Her dinner date happily agreed.  There have been more dinner dates over the past month with the all-too-familiar dance of “who’s going to pay”.  Sometimes they split the check; at other times they take turns paying.

When I asked Lauren if her girlfriends help pay for their dates she explained how they all seem to approach this dilemma differently.  Some expect the guy to pay for all the first dates until they are officially a couple.  Others, like her, don’t have problems taking turns paying.

What do you think?  Who do you think should pay for dates?

There’s more to Lauren’s dating story than who’s paying for dinner.  To hear Life Coaching with Lauren listen this weekend, May 26 & 27, at 9am on 910 KINA or go to https://joanjerkovich.com/ for the Podcast titled “Dating” or link to iTunes.

 

WIN a $10 Amazon gift card!

For contest details go to “Click HERE” at https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

Joan Jerkovich is a Board Certified Life Coach

For Free Life Coaching on The Joan Jerkovich Show

Go to https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

 The Joan Jerkovich Show

Weekends at 9am on 910 KINA

On the web at www.joanjerkovich.com