I am currently news editor for Farm News, an Ogden Newspapers publication based in Fort Dodge, Iowa. I have been a working journalist since 1981. I've worked for magazines and weekly and daily newspapers in California, Minnesota and Iowa. I have won my share of awards in several categories of reporting in Minnesota and Iowa, but I seldom enter contests anymore. When I do it's just a few pieces that I feel especially proud of. Awards are nice, but after a few decades, and after one has served on a judging team, the lure and romance of entering contests just aren't as strong as it used to be. I am the husband of one and father of four and master of none, and I like it that way. The children are grown and gone and working on their own families. Marlene and I have two grandsons. I enjoy playing chess and studying chess, playing racquetball and swimming and enjoy cooking, especially baking. I enjoy reading biographies and other non-fiction titles, but when I want a novel I enjoy the older authors' works, such as Jack London's adventures and Anthony Trollop's deep characters, or G.K. Chesterton's twisty plots. I have an eclectic taste in music that spans many genres, but just because I like an artist, doesn't mean I like everything he or she creates. I'm not much of an art lover. I leave those pursuits to my wife. My best online sources for news includes drudgereport.com which gets news online quick. (If you want to see what FOX, CNN and the others will be broadcasting tomorrow, read Dudge today.) Another is the Christian Science Monitor. For objectivity, CSM is one of the best. (And no, I'm not a Mormon. I'm one of those socially dreaded born agains. PTL.)