-
1 week ago | 
seacoastonline.com | Ron McAllister
In the middle of March, Donald Trump signed one of the 100 or so executive orders he has issued since becoming president in January. This executive order effectively eliminated seven federal programs Trump judged “unnecessary.” Included among them was the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Within a week, Keith E. Sonderling, a man with no experience leading cultural institutions, was appointed acting director of the IMLS, presumably to wind it down.
-
1 week ago | 
fosters.com | Ron McAllister
In the middle of March, Donald Trump signed one of the 100 or so executive orders he has issued since becoming president in January. This executive order effectively eliminated seven federal programs Trump judged “unnecessary.” Included among them was the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Within a week, Keith E. Sonderling, a man with no experience leading cultural institutions, was appointed acting director of the IMLS, presumably to wind it down.
-
3 weeks ago | 
fosters.com | Ron McAllister
To be truly literate in the modern world, you need more than the ability to read, write and understand the meaning of words and sentences. You need to develop other forms of literacy, including visual literacy, social media literacy, and, in particular, news literacy. I started thinking about the importance of these literacies after attending a webinar last month sponsored by DCK, the Democracy Co-operative of Kennebunk.
-
3 weeks ago | 
seacoastonline.com | Ron McAllister
To be truly literate in the modern world, you need more than the ability to read, write and understand the meaning of words and sentences. You need to develop other forms of literacy, including visual literacy, social media literacy, and, in particular, news literacy. I started thinking about the importance of these literacies after attending a webinar last month sponsored by DCK, the Democracy Co-operative of Kennebunk.
-
1 month ago | 
seacoastonline.com | Ron McAllister
Is there such a thing as a good death? What might that mean to you? Dying pain-free, without distress or suffering? Dying suddenly in your sleep, or fully aware with enough time to say your goodbyes? At home or in a medical setting? Surrounded by your loved ones? Accepting death with a sense of having completed your life, or perhaps wishing you had more time?
-
2 months ago | 
seacoastonline.com | Ron McAllister
People are talking about the future of the nation’s newspapers… and with good reason. According to a 2024 report from Northwestern University’s School of Journalism: Since 2005, more than 3,200 print newspapers have disappeared. In the previous year alone, some 130 newspapers ceased publishing. Perhaps the most striking recent example is the once venerable Star Ledger, New Jersey's paper of record. In its prime, The Star Ledger boasted 600,000 print subscribers. As of February 9, 2025, it had none.
-
2 months ago | 
seacoastonline.com | Ron McAllister
I had experienced a couple of earthquakes prior to the one that rolled through York last week. We lived in Southern California in 1971 when the San Fernando Valley earthquake struck. It was a doozy, centered less than 75 miles away. At 6.5 on the Richter Scale, it was what experts consider a “strong” quake i.e., between 6.0 and 6.9. Scores of people died, and thousands were injured. The earthquake did at least $500 million worth of damage to buildings and property.
-
Jan 22, 2025 | 
seacoastonline.com | Ron McAllister
It was a cloudless January night. By 5:30, the sun had been down for an hour, and the full moon — the Wolf Moon — was low in the sky. Just outside the patio door, I heard a sharp click — like a pebble hitting glass — followed in the same instant by a thud. A bird strike!Indeed, a beautiful, barred owl had crashed into the patio door, beak-first. Whether it had broken its neck or was merely stunned was not clear. Its breathing was deep and regular, but otherwise, the spreadeagled bird lay motionless.
-
Jan 7, 2025 | 
seacoastonline.com | Ron McAllister
Several damaging storms struck parts of Maine last winter. There was a major windstorm in December 2023, two snowstorms in January, and a nor’easter this past April. Each of these events resulted in damage to property and widespread power outages. Having no power in Maine in winter is more than an inconvenience. It can be life-threatening. It is safe to assume that the next twelve months will present us with our fair share of weather emergencies.
-
Dec 10, 2024 | 
yahoo.com | Ron McAllister
I was in Ireland over Thanksgiving. My visit coincided with a national election, which was held on Friday, Nov. 29. It was interesting to observe the campaigning in Dublin city in the brief run-up to the election. There were posters on every lamppost carrying the names, faces, slogans and political parties of candidates who had thrown their hats into the ring.
