Columns & Editorials

Take a Cue from Industry

Take a Cue from Industry

I was perusing the internet and encountered a variety of websites that offered specialized products that allow customers to enter in their personal characteristics to net suggestions on buying products that are individualized just for the customer. Consumers can purchase food items, makeup, tailored clothing, movies, books and magazines, bath and body products, pet food or hair products that are all tailored for the unique needs of the customer.

Laymen’s Corner

Why didn’t Jesus give humans something to “DO” to obtain eternal life? As a silly example, suppose Jesus had said “go chop down a tree and you will be saved and go to Heaven when you die.” Some people are crippled and could not chop down a tree. Some people do not have arms and could not chop down a tree. There are many other conditions that would keep people from obeying that command from Jesus. Large companies would control all the trees and would charge more than most people could pay. The list would go on and on.

Children First

Children First

We can’t always control the situations we find ourselves in, but we can often determine how long and to what degree they will affect us. The 2020-2021 school year is nearly a wrap. While some students are doing fine academically, many are not. They have only fallen farther behind. Students on behavior plans have likely regressed and students with functional behavior goals may have experienced regression as well, especially if they attended school virtually for some or all of the school year.

Financial Checklist For New(er) Parents

Financial Checklist For New(er) Parents

If you’re a brand-new parent, or even if you’ve been one for a little while, you’re no doubt filled with the many joys your child brings you. But as caught up as you are with the feelings and experiences of today, you also need to think about the future – specifically, the financial issues that accompany a growing family. What are some of the key moves you need to make?

Turn the Classroom Inside Out

Turn the Classroom Inside Out

Spring is just around the corner and with spring in Texas comes warmer weather and beautiful days. On the heels of the monumental winter blast of snow and frigid temperatures that just passed, sunny days should be welcomed with open arms. These sunny days can provide a wonderful diversion from learning all day in front of a computer or spending hours in school behind a mask. I’m not suggesting students skip learning to play in the sun. Instead, I’m suggesting discovering ways to incorporate learning outside in the sunshine.

The other Half of the Story

The other Half of the Story

At only 38 years old, Phillip Bliss had already become quite an accomplished Gospel song writer in 1876 when he agreed to put the words of the poem written by Horatio G Spafford three years earlier to music. Bliss’s name appears on many beloved songs that are still cherished today (mostly by people my age and older I have to admit). Songs like Almost Persuaded, Hallelujah, What a Savior, Let the Lower Lights be Burning and Wonderful Words of Life. It is thought that if he had lived longer, he would have certainly been the most famous Christian song writer in history.

I Am Woman. Hear Me Roar.
I Am Woman. Hear Me Roar.

I Am Woman. Hear Me Roar.

When the 500 female employees of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory came to work in Manhattan on March 25, 1911, they came with scant expectations. The concept of women in the workplace was not held in any esteem in this era. Poor women worked. Period. In fact, the majority of the factory’s employees were recent Italian and Jewish immigrants. While the youngest employees were around 14, it was common knowledge that practically any age of immigrant was eligible to work, provided the proper documentation could be forged. The options were simple. Sew women’s blouses for 60 hours a week to earn your $7 (for the entire week), or starve. Max Blanck & Isaac Harris, the owners of this establishment, weren’t concerned with safety measures or proper ventilation, hence the term sweatshop, because there were no labor laws protecting women. Their rules were simple: show up on time and work. Wanna break? Show up late? You’re out of luck. Starting time meant lockdown time for all doors & stairwells into and out of the 8th, 9th, & 10th floors of the Asch Building in Greenwich Village. The details on this day get fuzzy. Blanck and Harris were both on the premises this particular Saturday afternoon, with their children in tow, leading authorities to believe they weren’t culpable for the tragedy we’re about to discuss. Yet, they’d had very similar issues at four of their other companies. Whether it was a discarded cigarette tossed into two months’ worth of fabric cuttings in waste bins that were rarely emptied, the motors on long underserviced sewing machines, or the knowledge that something must be done since sales were down drastically on the now less popular garments, one thing was certain. The factory was on fire and there was no way to escape for many of the employees. In a macabre game of telephone, a bookkeeper on the 8th floor was able to contact the 9th floor, but there were no alarms and no phone system on the 10th floor. The fire department arrived, but were unable to intervene. The fire truck ladder was only tall enough to access the 7th floor. By nightfall, 146 people would be dead because of asphyxiation, the collapse of the single fire escape accessible but poorly anchored, burns, and willful jumps. The oldest victim was 43-year-old Providenza Panno. The youngest was 14-year-old Rosaria Maltese. Blanck & Harris were cleared of any wrongdoing and collected on their insurance policy at a later date.

Laymen’s Corner

The JEWS believed that Jesus was going to restore the Jewish kingdom before He ascended back into Heaven. Many of His followers sold all they had and moved out into the streets. They put everything together and all lived off of the stockpile while they were waiting for the kingdom to be restored. The apostles asked Jesus just before He ascended back to Heaven if He was going to restore the kingdom at that time. Jesus told them that it was not for them to know when that would be, but GOD only knew when the time would be. Down through the ages when something astonishing happened people started looking for Jesus to come. In one small town a butane tank exploded across town and a woman got her Bible and went out rocking chair. When some of her family came she said, “well He left you too.” So on it goes. Today we are seeing things that make us believe that Jesus may come soon.

Did You Know?

Some taxpayers may be eligible for free tax help through a program offered by the United States Internal Revenue Service. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally earn $56,000 or less, as well as persons with disabilities and people who are not fluent in English. People who are 60 years of age or older also are eligible for free tax help through the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program, which specializes in questions about pensions and retirementrelated issues. The availability of volunteers that work with these programs can vary based on the amount of certified individuals with tax law expertise in a given area. As a result, anyone hoping to take advantage of these services should consider contacting these programs well in advance of the deadline to file their returns. The deadline to file various individual and business tax returns is Tuesday, June 15, 2021.

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Forney Messenger

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