…in the search for truth man must weigh religious questions in the balance of science and reason. God has given us rational minds for this purpose, to penetrate all things,…

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A self-identifying atheist acquaintance — I’ll call him Maynard — posted questions about God on his blog encouraging any believers hanging out there to please answer.

How could I resist?

Maynard asked particularly interesting questions, which most religious people don’t think about all that much. I didn’t. Up until the time I was in my late teens, God was like air, something I depended on being there without giving much thought to its composition.

At eighteen, I seriously questioned my assumptions about things, including God. But by the time I answered Maynard’s questions, I’d spent a significant portion of my life contemplating them and researching the answers.

Maynard asked these questions because he felt “the God hypothesis” wasn’t granular enough. He wanted every detail filled in. An interesting request, in view of the fact that few, if any, scientific hypotheses leap fully formed from even the most advanced minds. Least of all do they leap forth proven, or even with enough evidence to satisfy the scientific community.

Anybody remember back when Walter and Louis Alvarez released their first theories about the KT boundary in 1980? Though they had discovered enough evidence that a large mass had struck the Earth and caused the dinosaur die-off — enough that they were convinced of it — many scientists scoffed openly. The evidence for an impact was circumstantial. No one could observe an asteroid striking the Earth to check the evidence. No one could repair to a laboratory to do controlled experiments. Scientists demanded a smoking gun — or, in this case, a smoking crater. The debate became rancorous, to put it mildly.

The Alvarez’s ideas have since come to be widely accepted as scientific fact. This underscores the strength of the scientific method as a means of studying physical reality and building a body of evidence in support of certain beliefs about it. In my own life, faith has also been about studying reality and building a body of evidence for beliefs about the spiritual world and the human psyche — where the material and spiritual meet.

I have heard several clergymen suggest that the mind is a tool of the devil and that real faith is blind faith. I would propose, rather, that since God gave us minds and encouraged us to use them, He would be pleased if we used them to discover Him with as much zeal as we use to discover the physical laws He set in motion.

Indeed, Baha’i scriptures insist that faith should not be blind because such blindness (not knowing why we believe something) can lead to dogma, fundamentalism, schism, and worse.
So, without further ado, here are the questions Maynard asked the believers who frequented his blog spot:

1. Is God a (a) material or (b) non-material entity? (i.e., is God made up of the same kind of stuff like protons, electrons, etc. with properties like mass, charge, spin, etc. that every other thing in the universe is made up of, or is he made of something that is non-material?)
2. Does God exist everywhere in space?
3. Is God a sentient being like us, with thoughts and feelings?
4. Can God change the past?
5. Does God know the future?
6. Does God know absolutely everything that happens every moment, including every thought of every being?
7. Can god intervene in events whenever and wherever, to violate natural laws and change their course (i.e. perform miracles)?
8. Do you believe that you have a soul or spirit that will continue to exist in some form (perhaps reincarnated) even after you are dead?

As you can see, a number of these questions deal with the concepts of omniscience and omnipotence. Without actually putting it into words, Maynard posed the age-old theological conundrum: Could God create a rock too heavy for Him to lift? (My answer: Why would He want to?)

The questions draw on a number of assumptions around God’s power and abilities, and whether our concept of something being “made” applies to God. Everything we can perceive has been “made” in some way, and it’s a human assumption that things must exist by being made. In other words, the question assumes that God is made just like everything else in our experience.

Which, of course, leads to the problem of infinite regression and the question: What created God? Stephen Hawking asks the same question — and answers it — when he says that the universe came into being spontaneously because of gravity.

Okay. If I put that in spiritual terms, he’s saying the universe came into being because of love (attractive force). That sounds right. But whose love and for what?

Baha’u’llah wrote (speaking as an Emissary for the God in question):

“I loved thy creation, hence I created thee.”

Which brings us back to the first question about God: What sort of being might God be?

Read the next article in the series: Who is this God Person, Anyway?

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The audience listens to Mikaela Shiffrin during her question and answer session Tuesday with the Education Foundation of Eagle County at the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa in Avon.
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily

Olympic ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin took time out of her busy preseason training schedule on Tuesday to address the community at the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa in Avon. The Westin Riverfront teamed up with the Education Foundation of Eagle County to host a discussion entitled “Innovation & Success” in a packed lobby full of Shiffrin’s fans of all ages.

Questions were submitted in advance by area school kids and curious adults who wanted to know more about what makes her – a two-time Olympic gold medalist and seven-time world champion – tick. Oh, and did we mention that last spring, she became the most decorated alpine skier of all time after earning her 87th FIS World Cup win, breaking a record that was held by Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark for more than 30 years?

A humble Shiffrin commented on all sorts of topics at the free event, including how to come back from failure.

“What I’ve found through the course of my career is the years where I was particularly afraid of failing – because I was afraid of disappointing those people who supported me and care about me – what I found was that when I finally did fail and own it, they actually supported me more,” she said. “So, when you are afraid of disappointing the people that you love and you want to love you, they’ll be there when you fall, and it’s OK. That keeps me in a place where I can concentrate because I know that support is there, and I know that they know that I’m going to work as hard as I can to succeed.”

The audience listens to Mikaela Shiffrin during her question and answer session on Tuesday with the Education Foundation of Eagle County at the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa in Avon.Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily

Another question asked Shiffrin to comment on how she recovers physically and mentally between races. She went through her busy schedule, from waking up at 5:30 a.m. to getting home around 8 p.m., after awards ceremonies and bib draws, as well as mentioning that even finding time to eat is hard.

“I’m finally figuring this out, after 12 years into it, but during the season, I’m basically overtired and grumpy!” she laughed. “No, I’m just kidding, that’s a joke! It’s really, really fun!”

With the Education Foundation of Eagle County moderating the event, one of the questions centered around teachers. Shiffrin was asked if she had any teachers who stood out throughout her life.

“I had one teacher, Mr. Lasher, at Vail Mountain School when I was in second grade, and I just remember him being such a wonderful light, full of positive energy in the classroom and funny; he always brought humor into every single day,” she said. “He always had patience with the kids and with us as little troublemakers, but he also knew how to keep the classroom in order, and I just felt like we all looked up to him. Do you guys have a teacher who means something to you? Raise your hand!”

Lots of hands went up in the audience.

A crowd gathered to listen to Mikaela Shiffrin on Tuesday at Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa in Avon.Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily

Shiffrin also mentioned her mother, Eileen Shiffrin, and her role as a teacher, literally, since Mikaela was home-schooled during various years in order for her to pursue her ski racing dreams.

“My mom has taught me so much and inspired me in incredible ways,” Shiffrin said.

After the questions wrapped up, there was time for photos with the ski racing legend. A long line formed with folks clad in green t-shirts provided by the Education Foundation of Eagle County, which is a local non-profit that supports public education and the intellectual and emotional needs of students, focusing on in-school programs for enrichment, mental health support, and efforts to attract and retain top teacher talent.

“I feel that a lot of questions the kids asked about how do you pick yourself up when you fall and how do you keep a good attitude shows where their minds are these days. I think there’s a lot of self-doubt and struggles, and it’s important that we talk about being OK and not being OK and how you get yourself going again,” Shiffrin said. “I love this event, and the Education Foundation of Eagle County supports such an important cause. Our educational system is the foundation for our country; it is so important.”

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Source: Image by Aritha from Pixabay

As I’ve discussed previously, conventional wisdom suggests that using social media promotes poor mental health, especially in teenagers. But there is good reason to question this idea. As more high-quality research becomes available, we can see room for nuance and see that social media is not consistently detrimental to everyone’s well-being.

A critical limitation in many existing studies on this topic is that they are cross-sectional. This means all variables are assessed only once, and at the same time. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it just means we don’t know how behavioral changes over time might be associated with changes in emotional variables. Longitudinal research helps us to better understand how change happens by measuring these variables repeatedly over a period of months or even years.

Longitudinal research is especially valuable in this case because some young people may use social media to alleviate distress, so we might observe that increases in depression or anxiety will predict increases in social media use, rather than the reverse. On the other hand, if the social media hypothesis is correct, then as teenagers spend more and more time online, this should be followed by decreased mental health (i.e., greater anxiety/depression). But that’s not what the data reveal.

What Researchers Found

A research team in Norway recently published a study in which they tracked young people aged 10-16, and assessed them every 2 years. Each time, the researchers interviewed participants about their behaviors online (e.g., posting photos, “liking,” or commenting on others’ posts), and they conducted clinical assessments of depression and anxiety with standardized psychiatric measures. The researchers found no evidence that increased social media use was followed by elevated anxiety or depression. This means that as these teenagers used more social media, their mental health did not change. These findings directly contradict the idea that social media use leads to poor psychological well-being.

The authors are careful to note that even though social media did not make teenagers feel worse, on average, it also did not make them feel better. So, social media use may not have an overall negative or positive effect for the average teenager. This idea is consistent with what I have argued previously, which is that social media use may have differential effects depending on the user’s initial motivations. When people are motivated to use social media because they find it interesting or rewarding, then it’s likelier to make them happy, whereas when they feel compelled or obligated to use it, then it’s likelier to make them feel worse. Motivations matter more than the technology itself.

The researchers also suggest that perhaps subgroups of teenagers may experience different outcomes following social media use, such as those who are bullied or have low self-esteem. The specific content that people view on social media may also play a role. It is also true that digital technologies change rapidly and we cannot assume that all future forms of social media will operate the same way psychologically. New applications have the potential to be better or worse than what people currently use.

Time Trend Data Are Inconclusive

Those who hold with the “social media hypothesis” of mental health will often point to time trend data as evidence. They argue that because social media use has risen in teenagers over the past 15 years, and that teen depression and anxiety has also risen over the same period of time, then those two trends are likely connected.

But if that were true, we ought to be able to observe this trend happening during teenagers’ lives. The fact is, we do not observe this pattern, and these null findings should make us skeptical about such claims. When researchers track teenagers’ mental health over a span of years, there is no link between their social media use and their experiences of depression or anxiety. In the words of the authors, “the frequency with which adolescents engage in behaviors like posting, liking, and commenting on others’ posts does not influence their risk for symptoms of depression and anxiety.”

It would be great to see more mainstream media coverage of studies like this, especially considering the widespread belief that if young people are permitted to use social media, their mental health will deteriorate. Perhaps parents of teenagers can take some comfort in the fact that for the average user, there is little risk of this.

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Cedarious Barfield came to San Diego State as a cornerback out of El Paso, Texas, but has settled in at safety and is now one of the most seasoned players in the secondary.

Barfield is SDSU’s top returning tackler (49), whose accomplishments while starting seven of 13 games last season included an interception, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

The fumble recovery came after he forced a fumble in the 2022 season opener against Arizona and is most memorable for leading to SDSU’s first touchdown at Snapdragon Stadium.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Barfield is using his “COVID year” for a sixth season. The time has been well spent. Barfield earned his undergraduate degree in computer science and will receive his Master’s in December.

Here are five questions with Barfield:

Union-Tribune: How do you set goals for yourself, is it, say, number of tackles and interceptions, or is it in more general terms?

Barfield: “I used to set goals in numbers. I felt that is what put a little more pressure on me. It was mostly getting the ball back. That’s the name of the game when you’re a DB. That’s what scouts are going to look at. Interceptions. Forced fumbles.

“But I feel as though this year is kind of more setting goals and just, where are my eyes each play? Are they looking back at the quarterback or am I keeping my eyes on my man? Being at the right alignment. Being at the right spacing, the right yard line. So when I get those little things down, the plays will come to me. Make the plays that come to you is what our coach always says.”

U-T: There was a lot of turnover on the defense, especially on the defensive line and at linebacker, so what’s the key for the defense to live up to the standards it has set over the years?

Barfield: “It’s going to be one of those things that whoever comes in, we’re going to have to trust them to play their hardest. We might not have a bunch of all-Mountain West guys, but I know for a fact that we’re going to have guys who come in there, bust their butts and play hard. That’s just one thing that as we play, we want to play tougher and harder and longer than the other team.”

Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) and San Diego State safety Cedarious Barfield (27) battle during a 2021 game in Carson.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

U-T: Did Snapdragon Stadium provide a homefield advantage last season, or is that something you have to establish over time?

Barfield: “For the most part I feel it was an advantage because we were able to be in San Diego and a lot of family and friends who maybe couldn’t drive all the way to Carson (during the 2020-21 seasons at Dignity Health Sports Park) could finally make these games. …

“I feel like this year it’s going to be a little more comfortable, more people are going to want to check it out and it is going to be something that everyone knows about. So I feel that this year it’s going to be a great home-field advantage for us.”

U-T: What do you plan to do with your college degree?

Barfield: “Of course, my No. 1 goal is to go to the NFL, but also to be a software programmer. I was always into technology when I was younger. The fact that I do love challenging things, being a competitor, it all added up together. …

“Creating apps. Coding. Stuff like that. I remember the first thing I coded was the hare and the tortoise race, and it was cool just creating that. I feel as though I would probably either make games or help code for sports or whatever it might be.”

The Aztecs’ Cedarious Barfield catches a pass during practice last week.

(Hayne Palmour IV/For The San Diego Union-Tribune)

U-T: What do you do in your spare time?

Barfield: “I’m a big reader … I love self-improvement books and I like poems. One of the books I just got done reading is ‘Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude.’ I feel like that’s a big thing, taking that into life and onto the football field.

“I like to read poems before games. Just something that lets me mellow out. I’m not one of the guys that’s going around yelling and everything like that. I like to just be chill, have a chill mindset and be ready to go.

“The positive, self-improvement books help me always mentally have a positive outlook. You have to have that, especially as a DB. It’s not going to be a perfect game. Something’s going to go wrong. They’re going to expect you to come back out there and forget about it.”

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Have you ever noticed how many different churches are in the world today?

If a single man or women has a desire to attend a church service, how can they decide which one to attend? There are so many “isms and schisms” that it can become mind-boggling! Is it a certain denomination, or is there more to it?

One may ask, “Do I strive to be religious?” “Do I go on Sundays, Saturdays, Wednesday?” “Do I have to clean myself up before I go, or can I go as I am?”

Friends, I have heard people ask all of these questions, and may I say that these concerns are nothing new! I pray that something written in this column will touch you deep down so that you will search for these answers.

I want to be clear here: We must stand on what the Word of God says, not what you may have heard from others.

In the Bible’s book of Jeremiah, it says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

One has to see that they are separated from God because of sin that is in our lives! Sin will destroy us if it goes unchecked.

The Bible does say there is pleasure in sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25), but notice that Moses chose to follow God. Did he make mistakes? Absolutely, but he never quit trusting the Lord.

Romans 3:10 says, “… There is none righteous, no, not one.” This means that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

There are consequences for the wrong we all have in our past. With social media, one will find so many self-help, pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, you’re-not-so-bad information. But please listen, because I want to explain what the Gospel truly is, if I may.

See 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, in the Bible: “Moreover, brethren (believers), I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which you have also RECEIVED (trusted and believed), and WHERE IN YE STAND; By which YE ARE SAVED, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. … Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. … He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures. And that He was seen of Cephas (Peter), then of the twelve. After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep (died). After that He was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last He was seen of me also, as one born out of due time” (Corinthians 15:1-8).

This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ that has been proclaimed by all the apostles and also by the Apostle Paul. The older I become, the more I am aware that life is so short. And eternity is, just as the word says, forever. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement” (Hebrews 9:27).

This is the very reason God sent His Son, to be born as a baby in a simple stable, to grow, and to proclaim the good news (Gospel). Then He willingly died a horrible death on a Cross for you and me.

God’s standard is perfection in one’s life. You cannot be perfect, and neither can I. To be forever separated from God is to do absolutely nothing, to spurn God’s gift of His Son. But before you do, I want to say that on that Cross, Jesus voluntarily took every evil, sinful act you and I have done, had it placed on Himself and bore the humiliation, pain — and for a moment, separation from the Father — to give us an opportunity to be forgiven and to have the perfect life that He lived, given to us.

“He hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Friend, Jesus Christ can and will help you and change your life, but you must come to Him. “Jesus answering said unto them, they that are whole need not a physician: but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32).

Friend, you have just heard the Gospel, the good news. What will you do with the information given?

Some may say, “I will take my chances.” Jesus said, “… Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). And “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44). And “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (John 6:37).

In closing, there is no perfect church — but there is a perfect God who loves you tremendously. Reach out to Him, confess that you are a sinner, ask for His forgiveness and salvation. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and commit your life to Him. Believe that what He said, He will do!

Now let Christ lead you to a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church.

Lance Stevens is an evangelist with Southeastern Evangelistic Group. He and his wife, Judy, are formerly of Greenfield. This weekly column is written by local clergy members. Send comments to [email protected].

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From left, Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, Rep. Meghan Lukens and Sen. Dylan Roberts address the Eagle County community at Gypsum Town Hall on Tuesday.
John LaConte/Vail Daily

Sen. Dylan Roberts, Rep. Meghan Lukens and Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, Democrats who represent Eagle County in the state legislature, on Tuesday updated voters about the 2023 legislative session and hosted a brief question-and-answer session for those in attendance at a Gypsum Town Hall event.

Attendees asked about the funds Colorado would receive from the national opioid settlement, the cause of the Marshall Fire, extending the legislative session, transporting horses for slaughter, and several other issues.

On the opioid settlement, Roberts said the Attorney General’s office has set up councils across the state to determine how the money will be spent, and District Attorney Heidi McCollum is on the council that will determine how the money in the Eagle County region will be spent.

Colorado will receive approximately $270 million over 15 years from the recent settlements, which is in addition to the approximately $400 million Colorado has begun receiving from prior opioid settlements, the Attorney General announced in a press release issued Friday.

“It needs to go to things like harm reduction and substance abuse treatment and it needs to be related to the crisis that the money is coming from,” Roberts said.

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On the cause of the Marshall Fire — which was just released on Thursday, more than 18 months after it occurred — Velasco pointed to SB23-013 “Fire Investigations,” which was signed into law May 12 and will create a new fire investigation fund to determine the cause of wildland fires in Colorado.

“At the state level, we only had one fire investigator,” Velasco said.

The burned remains of a home destroyed by the Marshall Fire are shown Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, in Louisville, Colorado. Jack Dempsey/AP

Velasco worked in wildland firefighting as an on-scene public information officer with incident management teams across the West before joining the legislature.

“The Marshall Fire was the most destructive ever in our history, destroying over 1,000 homes in an hour, and to find out that it was because of an electric line, definitely we have to hold Xcel accountable, to make sure that we’re taking care of aging infrastructure,” she said. “I think that more structures need to be weatherproof, fireproof, and that we’re doing that work ahead of time so that we’re not in that horrible situation.”

Legislative wins

In updating the group on the accomplishments of the legislature, Roberts said he was most excited about his work on affordable housing, citing SB23-001, “Authority Of Public-private Collaboration Unit For Housing,” which was signed into law from Dowd Junction in May.

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“This is a bill that’s going to allow local public-private partnerships to form, to build affordable workforce housing on state-owned land that’s either being underutilized or unused, and the Dowd Junction project is a great proof of concept for how this will work,” he said.

The Dowd Junction area has a parcel of land that’s currently owned by the state land board and leased by the Colorado Department of Transportation, which has entered into an agreement with the town of Vail, the town of Avon, the town of Minturn, and Eagle County, to “engage a partnership between those municipalities and a private developer to build workforce housing on that parcel of land,” Roberts said. The first phase is expected to contain 80 housing units, but there’s room on the parcel to add another 250 units.

“This bill will provide funding to help get that land ready for development, and then incentive that public-private partnership to engage a private developer to build housing,” Roberts said.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs a bill authorizing public-private collaborations for housing on state-owned land on May 20 in EagleVail.Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily

Lukens said the most recent legislative session, her first as a newly-elected representative, contained historic wins for education. Lukens was a teacher at Steamboat Springs High School before joining the legislature.

The top among the wins was SB23-287, “Public School Finance HB23-1003;” Lukens said.

The bill increased per-pupil funding by an additional $1,000 per student, “so each student in the state of Colorado will be allocated $10,000 for their districts to utilize,” Lukens said. “I and other rural legislators advocated for an extra $30 million specifically earmarked for rural schools, and an extra $30 million specifically earmarked for special education.”

Velasco, who is also wrapping up her first legislative session as a newly elected representative to House District 57, lived in mobile home parks in Eagle County as a youth. She said she was particularly proud of her efforts to get HB23-1257, “Mobile Home Park Water Quality,” passed in 2023.

“In our state, we have 800 mobile home parks, over 300 of those are here in House District 57,” she said.

House District 57 includes Dotsero and the Roaring Fork Valley portions of Eagle County, both of which contain mobile home parks. The bill addresses data gathering and testing from the state water quality control division, which is only a first step to ensuring trailer parks have clean water, Velasco said.

“I look forward to continuing that work in the future,” she said.

Following issues

But not all discussions on Tuesday were related to bills that made it through the legislature.

One attendee asked what happened with SB23-038, “Prohibit Equine Slaughter For Human Consumption,” which didn’t make it through the legislature.

“The bill was creating new felony offenses for transportation or slaughter of horses; the issue I found — as an attorney myself — was you can’t make a law in one state that felonizes activity that happens in a different state or even a different country,” Roberts said.

In asking how to follow along with any future activity on the issue, Lukens acknowledged it can be hard to engage with bills that are being floated in the legislature.

“My best suggestion for interacting with bills that you care about is join email lists with interest groups or lobbying groups about a specific issue that you care about,” Lukens said.

In discussing the large breadth of topics that come before the legislature, one attendee asked if there has ever been any talk of extending the legislative session in Colorado.

“I don’t think there’s an appetite to extend it past 120 days,” Roberts said. “I do think there’s a group working to maybe reduce it to have fewer than 120 days.”

Children and schools

Attendees also asked several questions about public schools in Colorado, including HB23-1003, “School Mental Health Assessment;” and the gaps between Latino and non-Latino students in test scores.

Velasco, who speaks three languages, attended Battle Mountain High School and worked as a translator there. She said language access in schools creates a gap when attempting to serve the Latino community.

Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, who grew up in Eagle County and now represents House District 57 in the state legislature, addresses attendees at a town hall meeting in Gypsum on Tuesday. John LaConte/Vail Daily

Velasco said HB23-1263, “Translating Individualized Education Programs,” which was signed into law on May 25, could help bridge the gap in some areas of language access. The bill allows for the creation of an individualized education program for special-needs children so that the program can be translated into the dominant language spoken in the child’s home.

“I think language access is a huge issue for our community,” Velasco said.

On HB23-1003, the legislators were taken to task by Tony Martinez, chair of the Eagle County Republican Party, who asked them to explain why they voted in favor of the bill. HB23-1003, which was signed into law June 5, allows students 12 years of age or older to participate in a mental health screening even if the student’s parent opts out of the screening.

“We have seen that the councilors in the school systems are activists in a sense in that they are manipulating children 12 years of age or otherwise into believing that they may have mental health issues that they may in fact not have,” Martinez said.

Lukens, who was named Mental Health Legislator of the Year by Mental Health Colorado, said educators are seeing concerning rates of suicide and mental health-related issues in schools.

HB23-1003 ensures that students, “if they are experiencing something in the realm of mental-health crisis, they will receive support that they need,” Lukens said. “And there are unbiased ways to test that; often with youth it is harder to put words to what you are experiencing, and this is a way to support the mental health crisis that our youth, specifically, are experiencing.”

Rep. Meghan Lukens speaks about bills SB23-174 “Access to Certain Behavioral Health Services” May 20 in Edwards. Lukens was named Mental Health Legislator of the Year by Mental Health ColoradoPolis-VDN-052123-5

Roberts said it’s important to note that the bill doesn’t allow for the provision of mental health treatment.

“It’s a screening,” he said. “And then it would notify the parents and the school that this student may benefit from mental health services.”

Martinez said the language in the bill was concerning “because it takes away the parents’ rights.”

Martinez also said the rise in mental health issues corresponds with “the rise of the indoctrination from the Pride community.”

Lukens said if a student wants access to mental health services, they should be able to receive mental health services.

Another attendee thanked Roberts, Lukens and Velasco for voting in favor of the bill.

“I would say as a parent I’m really excited that I get to teach my kids how to advocate for themselves,” the attendee said. “And if I couldn’t show up for them in a way that they really need it, that there’s a community of folks in the school system that is looking after them, and get to show up in those ways.”

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So, you are an avid reader and like most of your ilk, you have invested in a Kindle device to take your reading to the digital realm. While that is a nice thing given how great a Kindle is for reading e-books, the other aspect of the Kindle device that adds to its immense appeal the world over is the diverse and expansive content ecosystem backing the e-reader. In fact, Kindle Unlimited can well be considered the flagship Amazon e-book subscription service among several others it has to offer.

Read on to have a complete lowdown on Kindle Unlimited as we get down to answering almost any question that you may have about the premier Amazon e-book lending service. That way, you’ll know if there is anything in it for you.

Before we start, here are a few stats to help you get started.

• Kindle Unlimited makes for one of the largest collections of e-books that you can have. Specifically, there are around 4 million e-books, magazines, comics, and audiobooks on offer.
• The monthly fee is $11.99 with the first one or two months usually free. Taxes to be levied extra.
• As a valid Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can download up to 20 titles. However, you will lose access to all of those if you cancel the subscription but will regain access once again if you re-subscribe.

Next, let’s get to the bottom of it all.

The sort of books that Kindle Unlimited offers

With Kindle Unlimited, you gain access to a vast array of literary treasures, spanning from captivating bestsellers such as Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover and Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score to timeless masterpieces like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and insightful nonfiction like Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Explore an assortment of genres, including biographies and memoirs, romance, self-help, and mystery and thrillers, to unearth your next captivating read. Immerse yourself in a digital library brimming with over 4 million books, all available through Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited.

To identify eligible titles, simply keep an eye out for the Kindle Unlimited badge as you peruse the Kindle Store. Once you spot a book of interest, click on the “Read for Free” button found on its Kindle book page. By doing so, you can swiftly sign up for Kindle Unlimited and embark on your reading journey. Stay updated on the latest additions and noteworthy discoveries by exploring the ever-growing collection of Kindle Unlimited books. Get ready to dive into a world of literary wonders that await you.

Magazines on offer via Kindle Unlimited

Among the popular titles that the service offers include USA Today, Reader’s Digest, Men’s Health, People Magazine, and Bloomberg Businessweek, to name a few. You can have the complete list here.

What about audiobooks?

You have audiobooks in the thousands with Kindle Unlimited. Look for the headphone icon beside a Kindle Unlimited title and you’ll know whether it’s an audiobook or not. Also, it’s an ever-growing catalog with plenty more audiobook versions of popular titles getting added regularly.

Is Kindle Unlimited only available to Kindle users?

That’s a popular misconception and it perhaps has to do with the ‘Kindle’ bit of KU. All that you will need to make the most of KU is the Kindle app, irrespective of the device it is installed in, be it a desktop, a smartphone, a tablet, or whatever. Then of course there is the Kindle device that is very much a part of the party as well.

Is Kindle Unlimited free for Amazon Prime subscribers?

Unfortunately, free access to KU is not part of all the other perks that Prime members are entitled to. Rather, you got to be a KU subscriber even if you are a Prime member to have unlimited access to all the content that the KU service has to offer.

Is Kindle Unlimited truly unlimited?

Yes, you heard that right. It’s a Netflix-like all-that-you-can-eat model where there is virtually no cap on the number of books that you can borrow. This makes it one of the best e-book subscription services for avid book lovers and reading enthusiasts. However, as AboutAmazon stated, it is 20 e-books, comics, and audiobooks that you can borrow at any given moment. Magazine subscriptions are exempted from this limit. This can be a boon for researchers as this gives ample scope for them to consult as many resources as they need might be.

Is Kindle Unlimited available worldwide?

That isn’t the case. Rather, it is available in a select few regions, those being the U.S., Canada, Mexico, UK, Brazil, Japan, India, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Australia.

How do I sign up for Kindle Unlimited?

It’s as easy as it can get.

1. Log in to your Amazon account and get to the ‘Kindle Unlimited signup page’.
2. Opt for ‘Start your 30-day free trial’. Often there are promotions and offers that extend the KU free trial period to two or even three months as well.
3. Once you have signed up and decided to stay onboard after the expiry of the free trial period, you will be automatically charged the requisite fee going forward.

Can I share the content sourced from Kindle Unlimited?

That is possible but only with members of your Amazon Household. However, before you get started with this, there are a few things that you will need to do.

You will first have to Create Your Amazon Household if you haven’t already.

1. For that, go to Amazon Household and select ‘Add Adult,’ ‘Add a Teen,’ or ‘Add a Child’ as the need might be.
2. There are Kindle Unlimited sharing instructions provided. Make sure you adhere to those.

Is Kindle Unlimited the successor of Kindle Owners’ Lending Library?

Maybe yes, Kindle Owners’ Lending Library has ceased to exist. That way, Amazon Prime members who had access to a select range of e-books don’t have that privilege anymore. The next best option is of course Kindle Unlimited where you have access to not thousands but hundreds and thousands of titles.

Does Kindle Unlimited offer standalone audiobooks?

That isn’t the case. Rather, what you have is Audible Narration, which essentially is an audiobook companion which you will have to download to your Kindle app to listen to the audiobooks, that is the books that have a headphone icon accompanying the title. What you need to keep in mind is that a KU subscription won’t let you have free access to Audible which is where standalone audiobooks are available. Also, an inherent quality of Audible Narration is that it automatically syncs with the e-book so that you can resume reading from where you have stopped listening to the audiobook version. As of now, there are more than 60,000 titles available via KU that have Audible Narration enabled.

What happens to Bookmarks, notes, and highlights once you cancel Kindle Unlimited?

Even if you cancel your KU subscription, your progress, bookmarks, and notes, highlights are saved in your Kindle account. To access those, sign in to your Amazon account and go to the read.amazon.com/notebook page. Also, if you choose to reactivate your KU account again, you will find all your bookmarks, notes, and highlights once you download the title. As with any Kindle book, those again are synced across all Kindle apps and devices.

Which devices allow browsing for Kindle Unlimited books?

While KU does not restrict you to any particular device and is accessible via any device where you can download the Kindle app, you can browse Kindle Unlimited titles only via a Kindle device, along with Kindle for Android and Kindle for Samsung apps. For other devices, you will have to do the same using the browser and visiting the Amazon site.

Can you have Kindle Unlimited titles on Apple iPad and iPhone?

Amazon does not allow in-app purchases of books using the Kindle iOS and iPadOS app but you can still have access to the Kindle books you need on either device via KU. All you need for this is a valid KU subscription. It otherwise is a slightly tedious process to get a Kindle book on either the iPhone or the iPad. You will have to get to the Amazon site using the Safari browser, log in to your Amazon account, and make your purchase followed by downloading the same to your iPad or iPhone from the cloud.

Can others in my family also access Kindle books using my Kindle Unlimited subscription?

It is very likely there are multiple smartphone and tablet devices in use in your household. If all of them are connected to the Kindle Store using a single account, all your family members will be able to download the book or other content of their choice on their respective devices. With KU allowing for downloading up to 20 books at a time, that should be enough for everyone in your family.

Can you gift Kindle Unlimited to someone?

Weird that might sound but Amazon does allow for gifting of KU to someone you wish to. This, in spite of it being a monthly subscription service. For this, you will have to go to the Kindle Unlimited Gift Subscription page and opt for any of the three long-term plans spanning 6, 12, and 24 months. After you have purchased a subscription plan, you can send the relevant link via e-mail, much like what you do with Amazon gift cards.

Kindle Unlimited still lacks books from big publishers

In what can be considered one of the biggest drawbacks of KU is that it does not have books from some of the biggest names in the world of book publishing. Those include Hachette, MacMillan, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, and Penguin. That way, KU subscribers could well be regularly missing out on some of the biggest bestsellers out there.

Most Kindle Unlimited titles are priced at less than $4.99

This has been revealed by the website eBookFriendly which stated that most of the bestsellers released by big-name publishers are priced above $10. Unfortunately, such titles fail to make it to KU on a regular basis. Instead, KU is flooded with books priced at $4.99 at the most. So, to remain profitable, you got to read at least two books priced at $4.99 every month.

How to cancel Kindle Unlimited subscription?

All that you have to do is go to ‘Manage your Kindle Unlimited Membership’ and select ‘Cancel Kindle Unlimited Subscription.’ You can do that any time you wish to, no questions asked. However, doing this will mean you lose access to all the e-books that you might have had with you while canceling the membership. All notes and bookmarks are lost too. You will have access to those again if you re-join the service

With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I’ll likely make a film sometime in the future.

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The Office of Personnel Management is hoping its retirement guide will help employees estimate when they can expect payments and promote better transparency of the process for soon-to-be annuitants.

Applying for retirement, many federal employees say, is an unwieldy process. And without a case management system, OPM lacks a way to provide real-time alerts, often leaving retirees in the dark about where their application stands as time goes by.

“That’s something we were asking for,” Lori Amos, deputy associate director for OPM Retirement Services, told reporters on Monday.

In the meantime, the three-page resource consolidates frequently asked questions, lays out each stage of the claims processing timeline and estimates how long each step takes. The guide also provides tips on ensuring applicants fill out forms properly because if they don’t, it takes longer. Last month, about 24% of retirement cases governmentwide had an error.

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“Right now, this information is available to them, but it’s in various places on the website,” said Amos. “What we wanted to do was present a tool to the community so that they would have information that they need right at their fingertips, so that we can start to manage expectations.”

The guide describes what happens in the days, weeks and months that go into processing an individual retirement case. It takes, about three to five months days to get that first full payout, with the longest part of the process happening under OPM’s roof when it calculates annuity.

The efficiency of this system has been a point of concern for lawmakers who sent a letter to OPM Director Kiran Ahuja last month, inquiring about what the office was planning to do about “excessive delays federal retirees in our states are facing as they wait to obtain their hard-earned retirement benefits.”

OPM did not immediately respond to a question about whether that letter had been addressed.

However, the last three months show OPM has processed cases at a record clip, thanks to tiger teams that the office has stood up and shifting of resources to aging cases that have been in-process for more than 180 days.

“A lot of the cases that are aged cases, it’s because of missing information or a missing signature or a form that wasn’t included in the original packet,” Amos said. “It’s not for all of the cases, but for the majority of the cases that may be aged, we were taking a very active role and making sure that we get those packages healthy, get those packages complete and get them processed.”

Amos also attributed improvements to using overtime and training to backfill positions quickly when vacancies arise. The agency has also been working on a hiring strategy, she said.

Knowing retirements are a priority, OPM is requesting a 2024 budget that can support an overall increase of 368 full-time employees over fiscal 2023, including for the enhancement of retirement services.

Amos said in particular, OPM needs staff who “trigger” cases, or route them for payment.

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The office is also asking for money to fully digitize its retirement system. The office began developing a limited online retirement application in 2020, but to scale it, the office is requesting additional funds in 2024 as part of the “necessarily multi-year journey.”

Amos said her department is also looking at how it can redesign forms so that they are user-friendly and lead to fewer errors, noting that the life insurance form in particular is linked to frequent mistakes.

Access the guide online here or print out this PDF version.

Molly Weisner is a staff reporter for Federal Times where she covers labor, policy and contracting pertaining to the government workforce. She made previous stops at USA Today and McClatchy as a digital producer, and worked at The New York Times as a copy editor. Molly majored in journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Article by Jason Setnyk | Submitted Photo

Cornwall, Ontario – In today’s fast-paced world, caring for our feet often takes a backseat in our self-care routines. However, our feet are the foundation that supports our bodies, and neglecting their health can lead to various problems. That’s where Meghan McRae, Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) and Foot Care Nurse, steps in as an entrepreneur and founder of Mindful Feet.

Meghan McRae is a dedicated healthcare professional and a Nurse Ambassador at the Canadian Association of Foot Care Nurses. With her extensive knowledge and experience in foot care, she has established Mindful Feet, a specialized foot care service that caters to individuals with advanced and diabetic foot care needs.

One of Meghan’s primary goals is to empower her clients by providing personalized foot care solutions that promote optimal health and wellness for longevity. She understands that each person has unique foot care requirements and is committed to meeting those needs with care and expertise.

Mindful Feet offers a range of services, both in-home and clinical settings, to ensure accessibility and convenience for clients. Here are some of the services provided by Meghan: toenail care, preventative diabetic foot care, ingrown toenail prevention, trimming, and bracing; also, corn, callus, and wart removals; and fungal toenail thickness reduction.

Mindful Feet is transforming foot care in Cornwall and areas. Mindful Feet goes beyond traditional foot care services by offering holistic nursing foot care solutions to seniors and individuals experiencing lower limb health complications related to medical illnesses. Meghan’s compassionate approach and expertise ensure that clients receive comprehensive care for their specific needs.

Five Questions with The Seeker

1- What inspired you to start Mindful Feet, and how did you get the idea for a foot care nursing company?

“The idiomatic phrase “out of sight, out of mind” does not resonate with me, as I am the founder of Mindful Feet, a foot care nursing company. I have been a Registered Practical Nurse since 2014, and my journey in nursing began with tending to seniors in residential long-term care. I want to bring attention to the fact that foot care is unregulated, which creates a gap within the system and leads to healthcare inequities. A healthcare inequity includes but is not limited to nursing staff performing foot care duties with unsterile nail clippers, which may grow microorganisms and transfer through broken skin, contributing to avoidable healthcare-acquired infections, non-healing wounds, amputations, and mortality.”

2 – Can you tell us about some of the most common foot care issues you see among seniors and individuals with lower limb health complications?

“As we age, our feet undergo anatomical and physiological changes. Difficulties arise in bending over to see and touch our toes, and years of foot injuries and wearing ill-fitting footwear take their toll. Neglected corns and calluses can lead to ulcers, while toenails may become curved, increasing the risk of ingrown toenails. Thickened, discolored, or detached nails are also common.

Preventative care is crucial for individuals with medical conditions. Conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia can impair our ability to safely care for our feet. Diabetes, which often accompanies old age, can cause nerve damage, resulting in a lack of sensation and awareness of foot injuries. Establishing a daily habit of checking our feet becomes essential.

Comfort measures play a significant role in managing foot pain. It’s important to note that pain should not be considered a normal part of aging. Regular foot care, recommended every 4-8 weeks or as needed, can provide relief and alleviate suffering for up to 80% of residents in nursing homes.

Nursing homes have specific practice standards to uphold. While residents typically manage their own foot care until they are unable to do so, registered nursing staff must ensure appropriate referrals for foot care services when necessary. It is essential that nursing staff receive proper training and adhere to up-to-date policies and procedures before performing foot care services.”

3 – Could you talk about how you used the grant award of $4,500 to offset half the cost of an autoclave and how that has impacted your business?

“I received the grant award of $4,500 from the Starter Company Plus program that I applied for through the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre. With the total funds I received, I was able to cover half the expense of an autoclave. This was a significant help in my journey as a foot care nurse specializing in medical device reprocessing, as it is a costly step. Having sufficient funds made it much easier for my business, Mindful Feet, to follow best practice guidelines and standards for the safe reprocessing of reusable medical devices right off the bat.”

4 – Can you speak to the importance of foot care for overall health and wellbeing and how Mindful Feet helps individuals in the community achieve that?

“Early detection of foot complications allows for treating and preventing serious health issues. Mindful Feet stands as an advocate to empower informed choices and protect the public from harm through the delivery of foot care nursing, which includes, but is not limited to, assessments, toenail care, corn, callus and wart removals, ingrown toenail prevention, trimming, filing and nail bracing, fungal toenail thickness reduction, preventative diabetic foot care, health teachings, education, and support. Mindful Feet is a resource for clients to learn in which ways they may improve and maintain their desired or current level of mobility, comfort, and independence through a holistic approach when developing care plans.”

5 – What advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career in foot care nursing?

“I suggest that nurses considering a career in foot care should complete multiple courses. One course alone is not sufficient to start an independent practice. It takes multiple courses to reveal what the others failed to include, posing a health and safety threat to both the client and nurse. I highly recommend nurses interested in foot care to join the Canadian Association of Foot Care Nurses (CAFCN). I am an active member and volunteer on the conference committee. I attended the CAFCN conference in Winnipeg towards the end of May.”

Call Mindful Feet at 613-362-0272 for more information.

• Jason Setnyk is a high school teacher, journalist, published and award winning author and photographer. He writes 5 Questions With and interviews.

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