Latest news with #Lutheran
Daily Record
a day ago
- General
- Daily Record
Dumfriesshire rural members and friends visit the Ukrainian Chapel at Hallmuir near Lockerbie
The group were given a warm welcome by Peter Kormylo before he gave a history of the chapel and a tour of the site which had once been a prisoner of war camp. Members of the Four Towns SWI and their family and friends paid a visit to the Ukrainian Chapel at Hallmuir recently where they were given a warm welcome by Peter Kormylo. The group went into the chapel and were amazed at the beautiful interior and those who had visited previously remarked that the renovation back to the whitewashed walls was superb. Peter explained that Italian prisoners of war had converted this barrack into a Roman Catholic chapel. The German prisoners who came later changed it to a Lutheran chapel. The Ukrainians who lived at Hallmuir from 1947 were not prisoners, they had surrendered and were a key part of the plan by UK and the Allies to be ready for a possible invasion by Stalin and Soviet troops. Later on they were classed as European Voluntary Workers who worked locally on farms and in forestry. They adapted the chapel to the Ukrainian style of Greek Orthodox Church and many of those men stayed on and married local girls to become part of the community. Peter then led the group to the barrack that is being adapted to become a small museum. He gave a fascinating and informative power point presentation and enjoyed the reminiscences of some in the group who had interactions with Ukrainians and their families. There is an open day on the last Sunday of each month and Peter gives a presentation at 2pm on those days and everyone present agreed they would recommend this to friends. President, Norah Muirhead gave an ardent vote of thanks for such an interesting and educational visit. Tea, coffee and biscuits were provided showing that Ukrainians and Scots have similar hospitable cultures.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Money manager Thrivent opens digital bank to attract younger retail clients
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Money manager Thrivent opened a digital bank on Sunday, aiming to attract young people as part of a nationwide push, the company said on Monday. "For over 120 years, Thrivent has provided purpose-based advice and now we're expanding in banking to grow and serve even more people," Thrivent CEO Terry Rasmussen said in a statement. The bank "will help us build relationships with younger clients earlier," she said. The company, which has Lutheran roots, currently serves 2.4 million clients through thousands of financial advisors and manages more than $193 billion in assets. "There's been this very notable upswell out there for more purpose-driven experiences," Brian Milton, CEO of Thrivent Bank, told Reuters in an interview. "There are 20 million Americans out there who are shopping for a bank account... we know they're younger, we know they're diverse, we know they're looking for transparency and fairness.' The new bank is one of few to have gained approval to operate from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation under the Biden administration. It secured a rare charter from the government to become an industrial loan company, the first since 2020. The digital bank will take on a group of about 50,000 members from Thrivent's existing credit union, which will be merged into the bank. It already houses about $700 million in deposits and will continue to offer loan products, such as mortgages, to retail clients. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rivals Roundtable: Which 2028 prospect will you be watching this fall?
Jeff McCulloch/ Standout prospects in the 2028 class will take a big step forward as sophomores this coming season. Which one will our national analyst team be watching the closest this fall? Adam Friedman, John Garcia Jr., Adam Gorney, Greg Smith and Sam Spiegelman give their takes below. Advertisement MORE: Five prospects poised to climb in the next rankings update CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info FRIEDMAN: Tahj Gray Gray is advanced well beyond his years and is on track to be one of the top defenders in the 2028 class. At nearly 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, the Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph's Regional standout has the tools to be a devastating defender. Gray has the speed to stick with running backs and tight ends in coverage while displaying the strength and physical style that will allow him to be a playmaker near the line of scrimmage. Advertisement He is slated to play linebacker this fall but he is trending toward being an edge defender at the next level. Gray's offer sheet already features Oregon, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee and many others. GARCIA: Jayden Wade The California native is set to be the trigger man at IMG Academy after waiting his turn to be QB1. Before his first official start, the 6-foot-4, 190-pounder has collected offers from the nation's top programs including Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon and scores of others, thanks to what appears to be a can't-miss skill set as a legitimate dual-threat talent. Advertisement Wade has a quick motion on a strong arm, has clocked multiple 4.4-second laser 40-yard dash times and carries himself with a combination of California cool and Florida confidence while competing with and against some of the nation's top prospects every day. If he can flash and begin living up to lofty expectations this fall, Wade has a chance to become a household name in the sport before he ever sets foot on a college football field. GORNEY: Marcus Fakatou There are a lot of interesting players already in the 2028 class and I always like to start at quarterback, but in the West, Orange (Calif.) Lutheran defensive end Marcus Fakatou is the name I'll be watching. Advertisement Fakatou has already been on the scene for a few years in California and at 6-foot-7 and 258 pounds, the 2028 prospect is a striking figure. He's not fully there yet in terms of technique but he played a significant amount as a freshman in the country's best high school football league and should only develop more in the coming years because his work ethic is off the charts. There are a lot of similarities between Fakatou and Oregon star defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei at the same stage except Fakatou is a few inches taller. We'll see if the same success is found and it should be because Fakatou has all the tools to be special. SMITH: Wonderful Monds IV Monds is a player that the entire country will know by the time he leaves high school. He's got terrific bloodlines with multiple family members having played college football. Monds is already standing at 6-foot-2, 200-plus pounds. He's also productive throwing for 2,500 yards and 25 touchdowns, and running for 600 yards and eight touchdowns. Advertisement The Florida native is already closing in on 20 scholarship offers from around the country. It'll be fun to see his development over the next few years. SPIEGELMAN: Calvin Ursin One 2028 prospect I'm very excited about is athlete Calvin Ursin out of Watson (La.) Live Oak. A two-way standout, we've been able to evaluate Ursin in the camp setting and in live game action. He is a projected wide receiver at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds with through-the-roof verified testing as an underclassman. Ursin's ability to make plays down the field, attack the ball in mid-air, make contested catches, attack different levels of the field and make plays in space is outstanding. He plays offense, defense and special teams for Live Oak but ultimately we project him to be one of the best receivers in the 2028 class.
Indianapolis Star
6 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Mark Zackery IV lived for big moments at Ben Davis. But he appreciates the quiet ones too.
Mark Zackery IV's senior season of basketball did not go according to plan. Surgery on his left thumb, stemming from an injury suffered during football season, mostly relegated the two-sport star to a bench role for Ben Davis. Not ideal. It was unlike any previous athletic experience in Zackery's life. 'I learned that certain things are out of my control,' Zackery said. 'And what do you do to better yourself when you are not doing the things you love? From a leader's standpoint, it was having a voice instead of being able to show by action.' Zackery, fresh off winning 2025 IndyStar Indiana Mr. Football, was able to return to the basketball court and play in the sectional for the Giants. Though it was not the finish he envisioned, Zackery believes the experience made him tougher and more appreciative of his hundreds of athletic experiences. He loves the idea of starting at the bottom again as he prepares to get started on his college life – and football career – at Notre Dame. 'I'm feeling pretty good and pretty confident,' Zackery said of the transition from high school to college. 'I have the mindset going there that I'm the worst player in the team. That's my mindset. I've always been a humble guy and it's important that in my head, I want to hit the refresh button and build back that confidence at the next level. I'm appreciative of all the recognition I've gotten in high school, but I know you have to hit the reset button and start over when you are competing with players who are your same ability.' Zackery has at least one more accomplishment to add to his achievements before he departs for South Bend: 2024-25 Marion County Male Athlete of the Year. Zackery was the ultimate winner in high school, helping his basketball team to a Class 4A state championship as a sophomore and his football team several months later, as a junior, to a Class 6A state title. Zackery was the choice for County Male Athlete of the Year from a vote of the county's athletic directors, who had narrowed the finalists to Zackery, Lawrence North football/track standout Davion Chandler and Lutheran three-sport star L.J. Ward. 'I'll remember the people at Ben Davis the most,' Zackery said of his high school experience. 'Just seeing different people every day. With a big school like Ben Davis, you see your friends and people you know but also learn about new people and new walks of life. Everybody is human and personally, I just hopefully was able to treat everybody with respect because you don't always know what somebody is going through in their lives.' His individual accomplishments were numerous, culminating in football with the Mr. Football award after his senior season. As a senior, he caught 58 passes for 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns to finish his four-year career with 119 receptions for 1,924 yards and 21 TDs on offense and 140 tackles, 14 interceptions (eight as a senior), four recovered fumbles and four defensive TDs. On the basketball court, he earned Indiana All-Star honors after helping Ben Davis to two state finals appearances (winning as a sophomore). In his best season, as a junior, Zackery averaged 11.0 points, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals, shooting 39.4% from the 3-point line. But for all of special moments in sports, one of Zackery's favorite people at Ben Davis was completely outside the athletic realm. She wanted it that way, in fact. 'Miss Jessica Breedlove,' Zackery said of his sophomore year geometry honors teacher. 'She never attached me to my sport. I feel like that's the thing I really liked was that she didn't really look at me as an athlete. She looked at me as a regular person and helped me succeed in school.' Breedlove said she always leaned more into basketball due to her roots in hoops-centric Kokomo. She assumed Zackery was a basketball player. But even though Alijah Price, the Giants' star running back, and Zackery were in her class that fall, she did not even realize they played football until deep into the fall semester. Over the next 2 ½ years, Breedlove served as sounding board for Zackery at school. The topics of discussion rarely involved his athletic achievements. 'My approach with Mark is that we don't talk about sports,' Breedlove said. 'I think he's looking forward to being the little fish in the big pond again. It's weird being 18 and people knowing who you are. I think they get a lot of ideas about how they are supposed to act from social media and seeing how other people behave. One of the blessings of being a classroom teacher is you get to see them be their authentic selves. I don't have to also be his coach.' Breedlove would give Zackery knuckles on his way out the door with only three rules as it related to football and basketball: have fun; don't get hurt; and win. In that order. 'I always appreciated that in the offseason I could find him in my room because he would always have to wait around to go pick up his sister from middle school,' Breedlove said. 'So, he'd come and clean the calculators off my desk and kill time and chat for a few minutes. Just a kid.' Breedlove figured those moments outside of playing sports, talking about sports or practicing sports allowed Zackery a needed opportunity to take a deep breath now and then. When Zackery's family asked her to write a letter of recommendation for the Watkins Award, which is presented by the National Alliance of African American Athletes (Zackery was one of six high school athletes to win), she called it 'the easiest recommendation letter I've ever been asked to write.' 'I joked with his mom (Keisha) and him that I would never to get share my two cents,' Breedlove said. Breedlove brought her 9-year-old son to some of Zackery's basketball games. She joked that she gained some cool points in her son's eyes when she introduced them after a game. But the teacher in her just wants to see Zackery be able to enjoy being a kid as long as he can. 'Most of the time, I want to him to feel not like a celebrity,' she said. 'We just kind of do our little nods to let him know I'm there.' It is fun to think about where Zackery could be 5, 10 or 15 years from now. Though he will be 'starting from the bottom' at Notre Dame as a freshman, the coaching staff obviously has high hopes for a four-star prospect who is projected as a cornerback in college. His roommate will be Tampa, Fla., native Dallas Golden, another four-star cornerback prospect. But beyond his hopefully lengthy playing career, Breedlove said she could see Zackery as a coach. 'I've watched him coach his teammates I've had in class through my math course that he will still swear up and down is the hardest class he's had to take,' Breedlove said. 'I'd love for him to be able to experience playing, but I just want him to be safe and healthy and have any bit of normalcy that he wants. But he's so good at speaking and motivating his teammates, older and younger than him, that I could see him coaching. I think he'll figure it out. Either way, I think he'll be mentoring other people. He'd be fantastic at that.'
Epoch Times
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Sweden's National Identity Crisis
Commentary In the 20th century, Sweden became a global beacon of socioeconomic harmony and political stability. While widely seen as a successful fusion of capitalism and equality, drawing international praise for its expansive welfare state and diplomatic humanitarianism, Swedes saw their nation as a 'moral superpower' at home. Today, this image is crumbling under the weight of grim headlines. Unemployment hovers around 9 percent—one of the highest rates in the European Union—with youth unemployment nearing 25 percent. Despite an average income tax rate exceeding 40 percent, plus payroll taxes and a 25 percent national sales tax, public services are failing: patients in the public healthcare system often wait months for basic treatments, roads are in disrepair, and schools are grappling with plummeting performance. In 2022, 800,000 of Sweden's 10 million residents were classified as illiterate, the highest number since the late 19th century. Even more alarming is the surge in violent crime. Once among the safest countries in the world, Sweden today has one of Europe's highest gun homicide rates. In 2022, authorities recorded 391 shootings, resulting in 62 deaths. The violence has also spread from the big cities to smaller towns. A recent triple murder in a barber shop in central Uppsala—long considered one of Sweden's safest communities—shocked the nation. Related Stories 3/26/2025 3/22/2025 Also, bombings, previously inconceivable in Swedish society, have become common. In 2023, police reported 149 explosive attacks, up from a handful a decade ago. This situation has prompted authorities to designate more than 60 neighborhoods as 'no-go zones,' and the government has floated the idea of deploying the military to help restore order. Analysts argue that immigration is the cause of this upheaval. Since the 1990s, Sweden has indeed accepted over two million migrants, mainly from war-torn countries like Syria, Somalia, and Afghanistan. Thus, immigration has emerged as the country's most combative political issue, and in the 2022 election, the populist Sweden Democrats surged to become the second-largest party. Yet, despite its hardline immigration policy, the party's platform mainly reflects the ideals of Sweden's traditional welfare state rather than the conservatism of notables like Donald Trump. One must look deeper into Sweden's historical identity to understand this paradox. Swedes' self-image traces back to the 16th century when it broke away from the Danish-dominated Kalmar Union, transformed into an autocratic, Lutheran military state, and in the 17th century, gained great power through its Thirty Years' War exploits. This unlikely ascent—from a poor, sparsely populated country to a regional empire—was achieved through military ingenuity, bureaucratic efficiency, and hefty sacrifices imposed on the people through high taxes, forced labor, and mass conscription. This combination of implausible success and suffering helped forge national unity. Even after the loss of their Baltic empire in 1718 and the cession of Finland to Russia in 1809, the Swedes continued to see themselves as a people with a divine mission—to show the world how a well-ordered state should function. In the mid-19th century, this exceptionalist sense found a new outlet in capitalism. After centuries of hardship, Sweden's Protestant work ethic and engineering ingenuity began to flourish. By the early 20th century, the country had become one of the world's most industrialized nations, a development driven by figures like inventor-entrepreneur Alfred Nobel. Then came the Social Democratic era. From 1932 to 1976, the Social Democrats held uninterrupted power, building a robust welfare state. Their rule initially promoted continuous growth through moderate taxation and focused on solving practical problems rather than pushing ideological agendas. By 1970, Sweden thus briefly became the third wealthiest nation on earth. However, a turning point came around 1970 when the party shifted sharply to the left. Taxes rose, the healthcare system was socialized, and experimental policies like 'wage-earner funds'—intended to transfer company ownership to workers partially—were introduced. As a result, the private sector began to flounder, and Sweden's GDP per capita began to slip towards today's 13th place globally. This decline has been difficult to accept for a country whose self-image is bound up with the idea of national superiority. Yet, instead of rethinking their system, Swedish politicians across the spectrum clung to the welfare model with religious fervor. Case in point: The Sweden Democrats today echo the ideals of early 20th-century Social Democratic leaders like Per Albin Hansson, 'the father of the Swedish welfare state,' more than present-day populists akin to Donald Trump. Hence, Sweden's current crisis is not just economic but existential. A nation once seeing itself as a model for the world struggles to reconcile its historical myths with reality. To overcome this identity crisis, Sweden will be forced to do more than implement tighter immigration laws, introduce economic reform, and improve policing. It will be forced to go through a national reckoning: Confront past mistakes and discard outdated self-perceptions. Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
