Feb 20, 2018Member-onlyThe Road“Susan is with her sister in Montana. I don’t know if she’ll come back,” Ernest told friends. “She is really rocked by losing our dream home. There is nothing I can do. The road is coming through our house.” As an engineer for the State of Maine, Ernest had overseen…Fiction2 min readFiction2 min read
Published in Lit Up·Feb 15, 2018Footwear for Americans in AustraliaAustralians wear thongs, and not just at the beach. I know what you’re thinking, just how would I know that. Now, before you get all worked up, what I call flip-flops are called thongs in Australia. It took me back when someone asked if I wore thongs. I didn’t know…Fashion2 min readFashion2 min read
Feb 14, 2018Member-onlyOde to DespairWith the new snow, lightly laden, Blew in a force, new to the East, new to the West, And the blanked newly unbroken, it coated across…Poetry1 min readPoetry1 min read
Feb 11, 2018Member-onlyLeadership Versus ManagementLeadership needs to go hand in hand with management, but one without the other rarely results in success. Weak or absent leadership forces the void to be filled by multiple individuals, leading to a lack of organizational cohesion. Worse yet, a dysfunctional organization may result. Beyond leaders lead and managers…Leadership3 min readLeadership3 min read
Feb 9, 2018Member-onlyFood Insecurity and RiceFood insecurity is a worldwide problem. If you’ve never encountered it, consider yourself fortunate. Over three quarters of a billion people are starving right now — about half the number of obese and overweight people in the world. The World Food Program, the food assistance branch of the UN, is…Food2 min readFood2 min read
Published in Lit Up·Feb 8, 2018Christmastime for Americans In Australia“Yes, there’re Americans living in my guest house,” I heard Marian say at the barbeque. It was Christmas and Australians have cookouts for Christmas. Not sure the tradition will catch on in Northern Maine with a couple feet of snow. We were introduced around as a novelty. But she is…Christmas3 min readChristmas3 min read
Feb 7, 2018Member-onlyDigging up and Destroying Sand Dunes for Volleyball GamesMy first exposure to sand dunes was a visit to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, part of the US National Park System. Then and there, dunes became special to me. Dunes are formed by wind or water flow and are a unique ecosystem. Coastal dunes are an integral part of…Sand2 min readSand2 min read
Feb 5, 2018Member-onlyHow Will the World Feed Itself in 2050?In 2050 I’ll be dead, but that doesn’t mean feeding the world’s population isn’t my concern today. The United Nations predicts 9.7 billion people will be housed on planet earth by 2050. That’s 2 billion more than today. And we can’t feed the people on earth right now. At any…Food2 min readFood2 min read
Feb 2, 2018Member-onlyFarmers are EnvironmentalistsIt is high time that farmers stop viewing environmentalist as a dirty word. Farmers are true environmentalists. Farmers making their living out in the environment spending more than one weekend during summer camping in the woods. Hunting, trapping, fishing, understanding biology of nature occurs from long hours of observation —…Agriculture2 min readAgriculture2 min read
Jan 26, 2018Member-onlyThe Last Days in AustraliaTo: Marcia Reed From: Steve Johnson, Foreign Correspondent Down Under in Warragul, Victoria, Australia Dear Marcia — This will be my last issue from Australia until you send me back again. Next winter in Aroostook County would be nice (hint, hint). I did manage to take a trip to Tazzy…Travel3 min readTravel3 min read
