July is UV Safety Awareness Month

July is UV Safety Awareness Month and UV radiation is the main factor responsible for skin cancers.

As one of the busiest outdoor-activity months of the year occurs, The Skin Cancer Foundation wants to remind people of potential harm from UV rays.

If you got sunburned, it’s import-

As I Have Forgiven You

Some of the most important words Jesus ever spoke. The key to making relationships work, whether in home and marriage, in the Church, or anywhere else, is found in these few words.

Human relationships are difficult at best. We all make mistakes... all of us. And often those mistakes bring an end to what might have been a very good relationship. So how do we keep the break from happening?

Jesus told us. In the Model Prayer (Matthew 6) Jesus said that we are to forgive others as we would have them do to us. But the key is when He said that if we do not forgive others He would not forgive us! “And we all stand in need of His forgiveness often.

ant to take steps to mitigate the harm. Many people spend July fourth and most of the month outside in the sun and may have sustained sun damage in the form of a sunburn.

• Drink water, juice or sports drinks to replace bodily fluids.

• Take a cool bath in tepid water to soothe the skin.

• Gently apply a light moisturizer to the skin.

• Stay out of the sun until the burn fades.

Above all, the net time you are in the sun, do not burn.

For more information about keeping you and your family sun safe, visit skincancer.org.

“But I just can’t forgive him/her.” Don’t make God a liar! He said you could! “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13) means what it says. Anyone can forgive the small things; Christians can, and are expected to do so, forgive any and all things!

To forgive means that all anger, all resentment, all bitterness are taken away by the blood of Jesus Christ. If we hold on to those things, two things happen: First, our fellowship with our Lord is broken, and second, we lose all of our prayer power! And a relationship that might have been saved has been destroyed. Think about it.

By Ethan Nahté

The Arkansas Secretary of State Mobile Office visited the Polk County Library in Mena on Thursday. The purpose for Secretary of State John Thurston’s people was to interact with local constituents.

Paul Graham is a community outreach coordinator for the SOS office out of Fayetteville. He’s been with the SOS a little over nine years, assisting people with matters related to much of what the SOS handles.

It is possible to go online to https:// www.sos.arkansas.gov/, but there are times some people may need assistance or prefer talking to someone.

Graham said, “Not everyone can make it into our Little Rock or Fayetteville offices. I help a lot of small business owners find what they’re looking for on our site,” Graham said, “because they’re not exactly sure what they are looking for — the wording. With these mobile offices, I’m able to help small business owners and others with working them through our website and showing them where stuff is at… not telling them how to fill anything out, but where it’s at.”

Gathering information or finding

Secretary of State’s office is quite diverse

the necessary forms for new and current small businesses at the SOS site is not the same as working with the Small Business Administration (SBA).

“We can’t tell people what forms to file or how to file it. All we can do is show them where it’s at. [For example] a lot of times people don’t know where to find a change of address or how to find their business so they can pay their franchise fees.”

Some of the other subjects and handouts Graham had available included how to become a notary, and literature on the various things the SOS does such as maintaining the Arkansas Capitol grounds.

They also conduct tours of the Capitol. The Capitol receives thousands of visitors from around the world each year. Believe it or not, there’s even the Capitol Gift Shop and the 500 Grill. If you’re wondering, the Arkansas State Capitol is located at 500 Woodlane Street in Little Rock.

“I’ve had people at past mobile offices show up and I’ve been able to arrange tours for them to tour the Capitol, which is the people’s building. We are charged with taking care of the monuments and the placing of the monuments; howev- er, the legislature approves what monuments are on the grounds, but we do the upkeep.”

Voting and voter’s registration is another important responsibility of the SOS.

Graham said, “We’re the chief administrators of elections in Arkansas.”

In addition to the voter registration applications Graham had available, a voter registration form can be downloaded from the SOS site, as well as VoterView to ascertain one’s voting eligibility and precinct to find where to vote; election results; locating elected officials; and information on candidate filing for those desiring to run for district, state and federal elections. For local and county offices candidates would contact their county clerk, such as the Polk County Court House.

The SOS also oversees the Arkansas State Capitol Police, which are charged with protecting the Capitol and grounds. They have statewide jurisdiction.

Education

Beyond the mobile offices, the SOS reaches out to schools. “We provide educational services to a lot of schools. We are the official state record keepers for the state of Arkansas. We have an education team that goes out to the schools and does different presentations for the students.”

Some of the information they touch upon includes information about elections, citizenship and Arkansas history. They also provide schools with free educational materials.

The outreach team also educates educators. “During the summer there will be some educational courses they do for continuing education for Arkansas history.”

The SOS website has educational videos, archival and current news and photography for adults and youth.

“The displays that are put up in the Capitol, we do that,” Graham said, “especially the Christmas. We decorate the Capitol for Christmas.”

As Graham said, not everyone can make it to the SOS offices, which is why people such as himself tour the state and come to the people.

“The importance is that we’re reaching out to the citizens of Arkansas and urging them to stop by so we can help them. We’re trying to do the mobile offices in every county throughout the state of Arkansas.”

OLT’s summer musical ‘The Fantasticks’ in rehearsal

Submitted by Julie Ulmer

“The Fantasticks,” music by Harvey Schmidt with book and lyrics by Tom Jones, is a 1960’s musical that has retained its popularity through the decades. The plot revolves around two neighboring fathers who hope to trick their children into falling in love by pretending to be in a feud with each other.

Rehearsals are well underway, and the cast and crew under the direction of April Renée Burt are excited to bring this popular and revered musical to audiences in our community. She stated, “I can’t wait for our audiences to experience this show! There’s truly something for everyone in it; romance, comedy, social com- mentary, elements of avant-garde, etc. But at its core, the story of ‘The Fantasticks’ is a love story. It’s a story about humans, and the lengths to which we will all go for love.”

Performances will run July 28, 29, 30, and Aug. 4, 5, and 6. Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are now available online at oltmena.com.

Elite Hospice hosted a Veteran’s Appreciation treat for all veteran’s and their spouses at the VA Clinic on Morrow Street in Mena from noon-2 p.m. last Friday. They could either drop by and pick up free strawberry shortcake and lemonade to go, or they could stay and visit.

By Richie Lawry

Light filled my hotel room as I rolled over and looked out the window. I reached for my phone on the bedside table to see what time it was. The screen showed 4:30. “How can that be?” I thought.

I rolled back over and tried to go back to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come. It was my first morning in Germany, and I was excited to be there. A half-hour later, I was dressed and walking out of the hotel to explore Alexanderplatz, the largest public square in Germany.

Today our tour group will be going to the Pergamon Museum, and I was looking forward to seeing its striking reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate. I knew from my research of the museum that the Ishtar Gate was a passageway to the inner city of Babylon, constructed by King Nebuchadnezzar II in about 575 BCE. The gate was a part of the city walls of Babylon and was considered one of the original Seven Wonders of the World.

After walking three-quarters of a mile from our hotel and standing in long lines, I finally entered the museum. After months of anticipation, I would see one of Europe’s most important museums. I walked through several rooms, taking in the bas-relief sculptures, statues, and other artifacts from thousands of years ago. As impressive as they were, I was not prepared for the visceral reaction I had when I walked out of the room into the Ishtar Gate Processional Way.

The vivid colors of these 2600-year-old blue, yellow, and green tiles leave a lasting impression. The Ishtar Gate Processional Way is a red and yellow brick-paved corridor, initially over half-a-mile long with walls on each side, over 15 meters tall. The walls were decorated with over 120 images of lions, bulls, dragons, and flowers, made from enameled blue, yellow, and brown tiles. This processional way led to the Ishtar Gate and the temple of Marduk.

My thoughts propelled me back to ancient Babylon, and I wished I could have seen the entire structure. The blue walls around me whispered of the souls and history of Babylon. As I walk down the hallway, stopping to take photos and inspect the deep rich color