A Traveller’s Eye, A Thinker’s Heart
I like to tell stories. I like to take photos.
And I like to share them. Enjoy.
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ALEX’S LAST GOOD TURN
As a boy growing up in rural Wisconsin, I used to ride my bike every Monday to the VFW hall, raise my hand and recite the Scout Oath. “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country … and to help other people at all times…” Scouting
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2026 IS THE NEW 1984
Back in 1984 I read ‘1984’ to see if George Orwell’s prophecy had been fulfilled. I thought it was a great yarn but it was a dystopian scenario that would never actually come true. At least not in my lifetime and certainly not in the United States of America. How wrong I was. ‘1984’ is
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THE SIGN IN THE WINDOW
I don’t know how many times I’ve yelled at my television and told world leaders, politicians and CEOs to get a spine and stand up to the bully in the White House. I’ve become pretty hoarse. But I know the reality. When that bully has control of incredible military, economic and political might you just
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THE SAFARI LESS TAKEN
My neighbour from Aleppo, Syria and mate for 35 years, Scott Christiansen, and I were in Tanzania last month for a consultancy. It was a Sunday, and we had Bambara groundnut and sweetpotato leaves growing out of our ears. So we decided to get out of Dodge. When in Tanzania the thing to do is
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SWEETPOTATOES A LA SINGIDA
When I heard that my colleague Scott Christiansen and I were assigned to look at the value chain of sweetpotatoes in Tanzania I assumed we’d be looking at the same orange, white, or purple tubers that make their way into our meals in a hundred different forms. But in Tanzania, especially in the Singida region,
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THE BAMBARA GROUNDNUTS OF UNYAMIKUMBI
If you look at a dried Bambara groundnut in its shell you’d be forgiven if you thought it was a deformed peanut. They share a name. Peanuts are called ‘groundnuts’ in many places in the world. And they are both legumes. And both need to have hard shells removed prior to eating. But that’s pretty
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THE SINGIDA MORNING MARKET
Sweetpotato leaves wilt quickly. They’re harvested in the early morning and usually consumed by nighttime. We wanted to see them nice and fresh so we ventured to the Singida market as the sun rose. We found leafy green vendors, Domina, Rahel and Mwasiti, setting up shop. They pulled out African nightshade, amaranth, mustard greens and
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NJUGU
Esther Yoham Majija wanted to make her bakery, the Fortlene Bakery, a step apart from other bakeries in her town of Babati, Tanzania. She wanted to use traditional African vegetables in her baked products. The mother of three visited a booth of the World Vegetable Center at a trade fair and learned of different ingredients
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THE SEA FARMERS OF WADEYE
Theodore Kormin-Kormin Dooling was pretty stoked about getting his commercial fishing license. He showed it to me with all the pride he could muster and somewhere underneath that long thick beard I sensed a smile. There’s now hope in Wadeye, an Aboriginal settlement about an hours’ flight down the coast from Darwin. Thanks to support
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