October 17, 2017 www.broadcasteronline.com Keeping a Promise By Daris Howard My eighteen scouts were excited to see me do something I feared, the mountain climbing merit badge. But since I promised I would do any valid scout thing they wanted, I was stuck. My first climb up the tower was disastrous since the overconfident boy who was supposed to lower me back down didn’t buckle in well. He was jerked out of the harness, and he passed me going up the tower as I came down. I thought I was done, but then I learned I had to make two more climbs. Devin, who was more trustworthy, was my next belayer—the person holding the rope. I made sure he was buckled tightly in before I turned to make the ascent. I wasn’t hurt in the first fall too much since Gordy’s weight slowed my descent. But I still shook as I climbed so that I could hardly pull myself up. Finally, I reached the top. “Devin, are you ready?” I called back over my shoulder. “Sure,” he said. I took a deep breath and let go. Devin was tethered with a few feet of rope to a post. When I let go, my extra weight lifted him straight in the air. It scared him so badly that he let the rope slip, and I dropped about ten feet before the mechanism caught and stopped me. My heart was pounding, I was yelling, and the boys and Rod, the assistant scoutmaster, were laughing. That is, all of the boys except for Devin were laughing. He was dangling like a kite. Rod and the other boys pulled Devin to the ground, then held onto him until the rope could gradually be let out to get me down. “Just one more climb and you got it,” the tower director said. “Which boy do you want on the rope for the last climb?” “Boy, nothin’,” I said. “A responsible adult is my belayer.” The tower director scowled. “You’re supposed to trust your boys. But I suppose requirements say you just have to make the climbs.” Rod buckled in on the rope, and I started my last climb. By the time I got to the top, I was shaking so much I could hardly hold on. “Are you ready, Rod?” I asked. “Ready,” he replied. I wasn’t sure I liked the chuckle in his voice, but I was too tired to hold on, so I let go. I immediately plunged down the side of the tower. I was in absolute freefall. I fell for over half the distance, and in that instant, I knew I was going to die. But suddenly, the rope pulled tight and stretched. Then I bounced upward about six feet and then came down again. Like a spring I went up and down, finally coming to a stop. My heart was pounding so hard it had choked my voice to a gurgling gasping squeak. I couldn’t even yell. When I finally came to a stop, and my head quit spinning, I did yell, but the boys and Rod were laughing so hard they could hardly hear me. “What the devil kind of belaying was that?” “Knowing how much you hate heights,” Rod chortled, “I thought I’d get you down a little sooner by letting out a little extra rope at the beginning.” “Ha, ha,” I yelled. “You think that’s funny. Well, we’ll just see how funny it is when I get down.” Rod laughed again. “You might want to be careful. I’m still the one deciding how much rope to let out.” By the time I got down, my chest felt like I had been lifting weights on the inside from the pounding of my heart. Rod slapped me on the back. “You’re a good sport. Let’s all go get an ice-cream, and yours is on me.” PRECISION PAINTING “If I have my way,” I re•Interior •Exterior plied, “It might just be on •Commercial you.” •Residential By the time we got to town and purchased our iceQuality Workmanship, Reasonable Rates cream, I had cooled off. And as we ate, Mort said someCLINT TUCKER thing that made it worth it. 624-4621 Since “The main thing we’ll al- 1983 ways remember,” he said, “is that you kept your promise even when you were afraid.” Broadcaster Press 3 Be Proactive Protecting Personal Information BROOKINGS, S.D. - The Equifax data breach announced on September 7, 2017, affected thousands of South Dakotans. To find out if your personal information was affected go to the Equifax website and click on 'Potential Impact.' Once you have entered the requested information, you will receive one of two messages: 1.Personal information was not impacted; or 2.Personal information may have been impacted. Now that you know whether your information was impacted, what do you do? You have a few options, explained Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head, SDSU Extension Family Resource Management Field Specialist including; credit monitoring, fraud alerts and a credit freeze. "This data breach has reminded consumers that our personal information is not private. Consumers need to be diligent about monitoring and protecting personal information," said Saboe-Wounded Head. "Equifax if offering free credit and identity theft monitoring for a year," said Saboe-Wounded Head. "Keep in mind the monitoring is for Equifax only, not for Experian or TransUnion, the other two cred- it reporting agencies. Also, the monitoring is for one year only. After the year is over, you will need to purchase the credit and identity theft monitoring in order to continue the service." Free fraud alert A free fraud alert can be placed on your credit report, which is good for 90 days. "When you register for fraud alert with one credit report bureau, the other bureaus will be contacted to add the alert," said Saboe-Wounded Head. "Freezing your credit file is the most effective option." She explained that this action will prevent anyone from using your credit, including you. The downside to freezing your credit is if you need access to your credit you will need to unfreeze. There is a charge for setting up and removing the credit freeze. Also, you have to set up the credit freeze with each credit bureau separately. More information Saboe-Wounded Head has prepared resources to help consumers make better decisions about how to monitor their credit after the data breach. The iGrow article "Equifax Breach: Was My Personal Information Impacted?" explains how to check if your information was impacted and provides information for monitoring your credit report and identifying signs of fraud. The article "25 Ways to Be Vigilant after the Equifax Data Breach," written by Dr. Barbara O'Neill from Rutgers Cooperative Extension, also provides steps you can take to monitor your credit. To view these articles, visit the iGrow Healthy Families community. If you have never reviewed your credit report, read the article "Reading Your Credit Report" to learn about the information contained in the report. "The information in your credit report affects your credit score," Saboe-Wounded Head explained. To learn about how your score is calculated and how your credit score impacts your access to affordable credit, read "Understanding Your Credit Score." Since a credit freeze is recommended as the best option, read Dr. Barbara O'Neill's article "Credit Freeze in the Wake of the Equifax Hack" to learn about the process. All articles can be found on the SDSU Extension website. 6 3 ????3???3???36???????  3 ???3?37??????34?3?3???35??????????3?????3???????? IS NOW OPEN!!! Live Music NEW ARRIVALS FROM Sat. Oct. 21st at 8pm Hours: Wednesday: 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm Thursday: 4:00 pm – 11:00 pm UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT!! Friday: 4:00 pm - 1:00 am Saturday: 11:00 am to 1:00 am Watch for food Sunday: 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm and drink specials! 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