Why are Somalis choosing to live in one of the coldest states in the U.S.? I had been asked this question many times. The answer lies in Somali music and poetry. The lyrics are full of a fictional world: A world of clouds and thunder, rainy, cold and snowy – yet green, full of rivers, […]
Lakes Region Weekly opinion
Posted inLakes Region Weekly
Letter: Balentine’s MLK column reflects lack of change
Thank you, John Balentine, for your recent article about Martin Luther King Jr., “a man of honor … a modern saint,” as you called him (“Here’s Something: BLM should be more like MLK,” Jan. 21). I did as you suggested and read some of his speeches, and yes, I was in “absolute awe.” I also […]
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Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Here’s Something: America shouldn’t be playing along in the Winter Olympics
As the old saying goes, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. That’s especially true when leadership fails. And right now, American political leadership is failing on many levels. If the last year hasn’t made it abundantly clear already, President Biden is failing when it comes to causing inflation by […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: The future for Maine farms could include happy trails and horses
Small family farms are a huge part of what makes Maine special. Farms provide jobs, drive local economies, maintain cultural connections and keep land open. More importantly, last year when the supply chain broke down and supermarket shelves were empty, our small farms literally kept us fed. Despite all this, they’re in trouble. A recent […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: Hope springs eternal – or does it? That depends …
This week I reread holiday cards and saw in many of them, “Here’s hoping for an easier 2022. Let’s hope for an end to all this darkness.” Packing up hope messages, I remembered a lecture I gave years ago in South Carolina. I stood ready to speak, the “mindfulness woman” there to teach “some things […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Through My Lens: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’
Growing up in Somalia, I did not hear about Martin Luther King Jr. I had not heard the slavery stories of the United States and the persecution that African Americans have experienced. In fact, the whole experience seemed so distant that I thought the colonial stories of Somalia I heard on the radio every night […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Honor Betty White by taking up challenge in her name
Betty White, Betty White, amazing Betty White. At half her age, I wish I was even one quarter as cool. With her death, the internet, in one of those all-too-rare moments when it actually proves to be a worthwhile tool of goodness, quickly spawned the idea of The Betty White Challenge. Although I quite recently […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Life Unwound: The sweetness of the past is worth remembering
Sometimes we don’t know or want to know big, worldly truths. International politics. Fast-moving viruses. The Earth’s climate crises. And there are smaller personal truths that we also cannot or do not want to see. I acknowledge one here: I am forgetting things. Names. Words. It’s as if “my friend’s name is Grace” or “that […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Mainewhile: Seeing the writing on the wall at the U.S. Postal Service
I think we can all agree that 2021 was a challenging year. Unlike the jubilant parties of New Year’s past, this year seemed to be less of a celebration and more of a collective sigh of relief that it is over. I know at our house, we kept it low-key, opting for board games, creating […]
Posted inAmerican Journal, Forecaster Opinion, Lakes Region Weekly
Through My Lens: Here’s hoping that as Maine goes, so goes the nation
Thanks to Maine’s immigrants, our state made headlines in many languages in 2021. Every Mainer should be proud of the history Maine and the United States made in the last few weeks of 2021. This was the best holiday season for every single Maine immigrant. Imagine a Maine mayor whose story is published in languages […]