Awanadjo Almanack 7/23/21: “Weeds We Love”

Producer/Host: Rob McCall
Production Assistance: Rebecca McCall

About the host, Rob McCall:

Born in the Black Hills of South Dakota, grew up in Oregon and Illinois. Father was a Scots-Irish preacher, mother a Yankee Congregationalist tracing her ancestry back to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Father taught him about Scripture, mother taught him about Nature.

Bachelor of arts in philosophy, bachelor of divinity in American religious history, graduate studies in education, doctor of ministry in congregational studies, certified in elementary education, tree fruits and entomology.

Worked as an elementary school teacher, tree and landscape contractor, church sexton, orchard manager, chimney sweep, ambulance driver, musician. Began second career as a preacher at age 40. Served as minister of the First Congregational Church of Blue Hill, Maine 1986 – 2014. He is currently chaplain of the Brooklin Fire Department.

Since 1992 has published the weekly Awanadjo Almanack which is broadcast to midcoast Maine and on the web at WERU-FM and appears in a number of publications. His writing has also appeared in Yankee, Down East, Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors, Island Journal and elsewhere.

His first book, Small Misty Mountain, was published in 2006 by Pushcart Press and distributed by W.W. Norton. Publisher’s Weekly called it “by turns inspiring and infuriating.” His second book, Great Speckled Bird, followed in 2012. His third book, Some Glad Morning, was released in October 2020.

Passions include wild plants and animals, and traditional fiddle tunes. Married for 53 years to Rebecca Haley, artist and singer. Father of two, grandfather of two.

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Let’s Talk Animals 7/22/21: CDC bans dog imports, hinders Dog Rescue

Producer/Host: Dr. John Hunt

Key Discussion Points
a) What Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue (YGRR) group does
b) How dogs are looked at in China
c) How dogs resued from other countries
d) The sudden CDC ban on dog imports- what it means and what needs to be done.

Guest:
Peter Fitzgerald- Law Professor Emeritus, board member of YGRR

About the host:

Dr. Hunt is a retired veterinarian that practiced small animal medicine and surgery for 32 years. For twenty six of those years he owned and operated the Bucksport Veterinary Hospital. He graduated from Michigan State University Vet School in 1982, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resource Conservation from the University of Connecticut in 1974, and a Masters in Zoology at Michigan State in 1976. Although he took special interest in pet behavior problems his primary interest was helping pet owners care for their pets by not only helping them when they were sick but educating, counseling and supporting the family to achieve good pet care.

Dr. Hunt was also a track coach at Bucksport High School for 20+ years, raised his 3 children and loved being part of the Bucksport community. His has written 2 books and currently teaches at the Veterinary Technician program at York County Community College.

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Essential Rhythm 7/22/21: Keeping track of the rocky intertidal

Producer/Host: Sarah O’Malley

In this episode I discuss the science wing of the National Park Service and describe the long term intertidal monitoring project in Acadia National Park that I participate in, including the types of data collected and the way the data could be used for park management.

About the host:
Sarah O’Malley is an ecologist, naturalist and science communicator passionate about deepening her listeners’ experiences with the natural world. She teaches biology and sustainability at Maine Maritime Academy and is currently collaborating on a guide book to the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/22/21: Summer 2021 Encore 1 – Dark Patterns

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Seen any dark patterns lately? If you use the web, the answer is almost certainly yes. That’s why we all need to know what dark patterns are, how they work, and how we can avoid being caught in them

Here are links mentioned on this edition:

Dark Patterns – the website from which some of today’s program quotes from

Link to the academic paper quoted today
About the host:
Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Outside the Box 7/20/21: “Abolish the Police”

Producer/Host: Larry Dansinger

About the host:
Larry Dansinger (no pronouns) of Bangor came to Maine in 1974 and has been here ever since. Some of Larry’s activities since then: Done community organizing on numerous issues through INVERT and then Resources for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC), committed civil disobedience several times, grown a garden yearly since 1977, joined various food cooperatives and two men’s groups, refused to pay federal income taxes for war, lived on a community land trust for 23 years, and met a wonderful partner whom Larry has loved for over 40 years. Larry has produced Outside the Box features on WERU since 2007 and continues to look for unique ways of seeing almost any problem or situation.

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Poetry Express 7/18/21: “Open Season”

“Open Season” by Katherine Hagopian Berry read by Cliftine Fortin

About the host:
Jan Bindas-Tenney is a trans non-binary and queer writer, reader, fighter, lover, friend and parent living on unceded Abenaki land. They hold an MFA in nonfiction from University of Arizona. Their writing has appeared in the opinion pages of Maine newspapers, in legislative testimony, as well as in Orion, Guernica, Gulf Coast, Arts & Letters, CutBank, the Maine Review, among other places. They work at the Maine Humanities Council where they curate a weekly poetry feature on WERU Community Radio called Poetry Express.

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