Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The Washington D.C. music scene lost a titan today. How did Brown's music impact your life?
Update: 6:30 p.m. - Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker has issued a press release expressing his condolences over the passing of local music legend Chuck Brown. The statement reads in full: “My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and countless fans of Chuck Brown. It is a sad day for so many in Prince George’s County, the Washington region, and throughout the world. Chuck Brown left an indelible mark on our hearts and minds with his very distinctive voice and incredible genre of music that he created, Go-Go. He was an icon whose music inspired so many and become the sound that defined modern-day Washington, DC and Prince George’s County. He will be missed, but we are so fortunate that his music will be with …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The issue could go before Maryland voters in November.
Facing pressure to take a stand, President Barack Obama on Wednesday said he supports same-sex marriage. In an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, Obama (D) described his “evolution” on the issue through talks with friends, and reflection on military personnel and members of his own staff who, he said, “are not able to commit themselves in a marriage,” adding that “at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.” The interview appeared this morning on ABC’s Good Morning America. Interview excerpts of the interview ran Wednesday evening on ABC’s World News with Diane Sawyer. Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) issued the …
Monday, April 30, 2012
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012
And this time, barely surviving.
If you prefer to save yourself 1,500 words, here’s the bottom line up front: I ran a marathon. Barely. I finished, but not before I threw up in the vicinity of an NFL All-Star. And I’d do it again. The long version follows. I’ve written about running in this space before; I remain convinced that running is an essential human function, the only sport you were literally designed to do. However, you may have noticed that I failed to file an article on the Elkridge Patch last week. (You didn’t? Sad emoticon!) I missed my deadline because even Tuesday night, 26 hours after I had crossed the finish line, my body still refused to obey even the simplest of commands. That included typing or, more realistically, thinking. Doing two things together…
Monday, April 16, 2012
Healthy? Scary? What’s wrong with Enviropig?
There's a lot of talk about genetically modified foods, but we’ve been eating them for years. The history of agriculture is based in selective breeding for "better" plants and animals -- corn, apples, bananas, cows; many of the plants and animals we eat have been carefully selected over hundreds and thousands of years to be bigger, sweeter or juicer. Today, genetic alteration can be done in the lab over much shorter timescales. As opposed to the (relatively) slow process of breeding similar organisms, biotechnicians can insert the gene of one organism into the gene of another -- including an unrelated organism. Enter Enviropig. Recently, CTV News reported Canadian pork farmers decided to pull their financial support for the multimillion-…
Friday, April 13, 2012
The dream is free, but the ticket'll cost ya.
On March 30, six white plastic balls, whose fate would otherwise have landed them in a cup of beer during a college beer pong competition, rolled out of a spinning machine and changed forever the lives of three Maryland public school employees. Over the past few days my mind has often dwelled upon these lucky Baltimore folks who just hit it big in the $656 million Mega Millions jackpot. The self-dubbed “Three Amigos” purchased the winning ticket at a 7-11 in the town of Milford Mill. After the March 30 drawing, each of the amigos immediately became $35 million dollars richer, approximately 583 times more money than the average yearly salary they likely receive as public school employees. This afternoon I discussed the big local win with …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
George Zimmerman charged in death of Trayvon Martin.
Updated, 6:29 p.m. George Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida, according to the Miami Herald. Zimmerman is in custody at an undisclosed location, according to the Herald, after turning himself in without incident. Zimmerman, 28, shot 17-year-old Martin on Feb. 26 in Sanford, FL, where Martin was visiting his father. The story has been in the national spotlight for more than a month, prompting marches and vigils in Florida and across the country, including in Howard County and other parts of Maryland. On Patch, the discussion has taken on different angles, from the general: "Why the decline in civil society?" JH asked, to questions as to why local officials had to have a …
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The congratulations were plentiful, but criticisms of the BOE's appointment of a new superintendent took center stage online.
The Howard County Board of Education (BOE) has chosen a new superintendent. According to a statement from the Howard County Public School System and BOE Chairperson Sandra French, Renee A. Foose will assume the superintendent position July 1. The announcement was sent at noon, about 12 hours after board members finished their deliberation, which included input from the community, according to board member Allen Dyer. “I got home at about 12 a.m.,” he said. Howard County residents have taken to the Internet to discuss the appointment. Scores of "Congratulations" and "Look forward to working with you" tweets peppered Twitter, but elsewhere residents expressed concerns. One blogger questioned the announcement Monday of the other finalist, S…
Friday, March 23, 2012
But what about the environmental impact of grills, especially charcoal?
It’s grilling season early this year, and the scents fill my neighborhood each evening. So…gas or charcoal? According to a 2009 study by scientific research firm Atlantic Consulting, charcoal grills leave a much larger carbon footprint - about 2/3 more in fact -than their gas-powered counterparts. And most of that footprint is from the charcoal itself being burnt. The study included everything – from the process of manufacturing the grills to the transportation of the different fuel to the actual production and burning of the fuels themselves. And charcoal briquettes are inefficient and dirty. They produce smoke and soot particles that can pollute the air, irritate your lungs and exacerbate existing heart and lung problems. In …
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Parents petition Congress for schools to begin after 8 a.m.
"Saved by the bell" may be a common refrain among students, but parents and teachers are starting to ask if children should be saved from the bell instead. The Start School Later Initiative, a petition encouraging lawmakers to start school no earlier than 8 a.m., was recently presented to members of Congress with nearly 5,000 signatures from all 50 states. More than 1,000 of the signatures were from Maryland parents and educators. "The [petition] comments range from student pleas for a more humane schedule to educators wishing their students weren't still asleep to health professionals and researchers seriously concerned about the damage we're doing to kids' mental and physical health," said movement organizer Heather Macintosh. What do …
Denise Smith
8:58 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Chuck was not only an icon but he was also an Ambassador for Washington, DC worldwide through his music...Rest in peace, Mr Brown.. A Washingtonian more ›