That Last Big Weekend of Summer

Well, I have learned my lesson. Doing a Saturday activity calendar is time consuming, labor intensive, and just the kind of fiddly organizational work that drives me batty. I have made it until Labor Day but I am officially setting myself free after today.

I commend other local outlets who are doing these kinds of weekly listings. Keep these links handy:

Events on Facebook (Choose Local and This Week), the activity calendar at Visit Howard County, and HoCo Calendar from Guilford Gazette, plus the weekly roundup from the Baltimore Banner. 

A few suggestions:

Todays the last day to see “When Sustainability Meets Creativity” at the Miller Branch Library in Ellicott City.

The upcycling artwork showcase is hosted by Clarksville Youth Care Group. More than 60 pieces of artwork are featured, all made by Howard County students from household items like magazines, shopping bags, toilet paper rolls, eggshells, glass, and more.

Sobar Maryland will be gathering at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Ellicott City this evening to observe International Overdose Awareness Day.

Join us Saturday from 6 pm to 8:30 pm at St. John's Episcopal Church in Ellicott City for International Overdose Awareness Day.  Celebrate recovery, learn about county resources, and honor those lost to overdose.

More Than Java Cafe is hosting “Wine, Words, & Wisdom: Expressions Under the Stars Open Mic Night” at their new location in Savage Mill from 7-9 PM.

For more information and to purchase tickets: Wine, Words & Wisdom. 

Maple Lawn Farmers Market begins at 9 am, Clarksville Commons Market starts at 10, and Freetown Farm is closed today, taking a well-deserved rest from all of their labors. 

Do you have any exciting HoCoLocal plans for today or for the rest of the Labor Day weekend? Let me know.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

F ³: Résumé Revelations

 

In a week where Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been essentially accused of consorting with dogs other than his own at the dog park, I shouldn’t be surprised that someone tried to pass off the following as actual news:

NEW: Kamala Harris’s missing “summer job” at McDonald’s job. Her resume and job application a year after graduating college — @FreeBeacon obtained through FOIA — don’t mention it. Neither do either of her books, or either of the biographies on her. - - Joseph Simonson, Chuck Ross and Andrew Kerr, Washington Free Beacon

Oh. Good. Grief. Yes, there are people whose jobs include digging up the past but how desperate do you have to be to think that not including a McDonald’s job on one’s résumé is NEWS?

One of my favorite Twitter responses to this comes from Keith Olbermann:

Note: you may have made yourself look like an idiot and your website look like Play-Skool My-First-Computer. At 16 I had a job that involved cleaning out a giant dumpster full of Hostess Cupcake boxes. Oddly I did not put this on my resume or in my autobiography.

But, more to the point: 

How does this piece have three authors and none of them appear to be familiar with the process of "applying for a job"? - - Matt Darling 

This “accusation” has motivated all kinds of folks - - from the famous to the ordinary - - to confess the once-held jobs they never included on their résumés. Here’s a sampling:

• I taught little girls’ gymnastics part time for a while at the Y but it's not on my résumé.
• I worked Sunday mornings at Dunkin' Donuts one summer when I was 17 and you won't find it on my résumé.  Or anywhere.
• I worked the 4-midnight shift on the engine assembly line at Mack Trucks the summer I was 19 but I don't have it on my résumé, either.
• My first job was cleaning bathrooms at NASCAR races at the age of 13.
• I worked at Hardee’s and you won’t find that in my book, résumé, or anywhere.  Because I was 16
• While we’re doing this:  Marshall’s 1994-1995. Swept floors.
• I started my own snow shoveling business when I was 13 called "Melt 4 You" but I've never put that on my CV, and I don't call myself a former "small business owner." I guess I'm a fraud too.

In the interests of complete transparency I find myself to compelled to reveal a job I have long hidden from general knowledge. My first job as a high school student was in a warehouse in Stamford, Connecticut. It was a mail order fulfillment house which processed orders for a number of small mail order businesses. I sat a table with a handful of other high school students who were counting and sorting groups of mailing tags - - the kind which are affixed to those big heavy mailbags that the post office uses.

The job was mind numbingly repetitive. I hated it. I often found I had lost count because I had been distracted by the flashing lights of a telephone extension that sat at our table. The only bright spot in this job was when the coffee truck came. This is where I started drinking coffee, sweet and light, and craving the pastries on offer which were the real thing from a bakery and not wrapped in plastic like vending machine fare. 

The warehouse staff were divided between clerical, what I did,  and “the line” where workers physically processed the orders and prepared them for mailing. I learned quickly that those of us on the clerical side had more freedom and were treated with a bit more respect.  Working the line was physical work and thus considered unskilled labor. They stood the whole time. They had get permission to use the bathroom, too.

I lasted a few months on that job, right up until my boss said I could earn extra money working on Saturdays with him processing product returns. When my father came to pick me up he noticed that my boss and I were the only people there. 

I never had to go back.

This is not why I have tended to suppress this facet of my employment history. As others have mentioned, these are the kinds of jobs that aren’t very important in the long run: low level, low wage, short term positions. But for me the truth is a little more complicated: it was the name of the business itself.

One day I asked my AP English teacher if I could make an announcement before class. I needed a ride to work. He asked me the particulars, then said he would make the announcement for me. 

As he stood at the podium I should have noticed the twinkle in his eye.

“Can anyone drive Julia to ‘Total Fulfillment’?” he asked.

And that is why I don’t talk about my first job. I didn’t include it on my résumé and if I ever write an autobiography it will not be mentioned.  There are just some moments you don’t want to relive.

If this prevents me from seeking higher office…well, I’m okay with that.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Sisyphus at the Lakefront

I do not know how anything in government is ever accomplished. Ever.

Imagine that you are in a college lecture hall and the professor has begun their presentation right on time when, at about ten after the hour, another student comes in. 

“What did I miss?” 

Imagine that in this world the professor must go back to the beginning of the lecture and start again, every time another student enters the room, because they feel entitled to receive the information that everyone else has received in that very moment and in the same format. No matter whether they had a perfectly good reason to have been delayed or they simply overslept: this is no way to teach a lesson. 

This is one of the aspects of the discussion around the the Downtown Library that drives me to distraction. Whether you are inspired by the concept or not, whether you think libraries are valuable investments in communities or not, the process to get to this point has been going on for years and is well documented. The decision to replace the Central Branch was made a long time ago as a part of the Downtown Plan. 

It wasn’t sudden or secret or a part of a backroom deal. If you didn’t know that’s perfectly fine and there are ways you can bring yourself up to date and become better informed. Using the reasoning that because you didn’t know, we must all go back to the drawing board and start over again makes no sense to me. But that’s what a lot of people are doing. 

And…another thing. There’s a line of thinking circulating out there that seems to be looking at the new library as an invitation to play Let’s Make A Deal. 

They see the dollar amounts connected to the library project and say, “Gee, I’d like to spend that on something else. How about capital improvements to schools? A new hospital?”

Has anyone officially come out and announced: 

“Hey, Howard County! We have this big pot of money that has no strings attached, how’d you like to spend it?”

No. The money for the library project is attached to the library project.

You’d think it was a free-for-all from the way some people are talking. 

Frankly, I don’t know how to fix it. 

These conversations remind me of dinnertime exchanges with my daughter years ago. 

“What’s for dinner?”

“Well, we could have pizza, chicken tenders, or spaghetti. What do you choose?”

“Tacos.”

The Howard County Government has solicited feedback from the community and I’m sure the formulation of the Downtown Plan involved community input. But there is no way we are going to have a reasonable conversation if the available parameters fall within pizza, chicken, and spaghetti and we demand tacos. 

Aw, heck. Maybe we should just go back to the beginning and talk about it some more, right? 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

The Columbia Connection

 

In May the local Facebook “foodie” group was abuzz with the news that Red Lobster was closing restaurants in Maryland. The Columbia location was one of them. Financial woes forced the seafood chain to pare down as it went into bankruptcy and looked for a new owner.

I haven’t thought much about it since then. Red Lobster wasn’t in our regular rotation, as they say. 

This morning I saw a piece of news that brought it back into my thoughts. This is Damola Adamolekun. He is the new CEo of Red Lobster. He is 35 years old. That in itself is pretty astounding. But wait, there’s more.

Mr. Adamolekun is from Columbia. Yes, this Columbia. He ran track at Wilde Lake High School.

According to a bio published when he was the CEO of P.F. Chang’s, Adamolekun is the son of a neurologist and pharmacist who was born in Nigeria, and raised in Zimbabwe, Amsterdam, Springfield, Ill., and Columbia, Md. He now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Red Lobster's New Leader is a Millennial Wall Street Fave , Chloe Berger, Wall Street Finance

Alas, his connection to Columbia probably won’t have any influence over whether we see a return of our local Red Lobster. I wonder if he has ever eaten there?

I don’t think much of the views he is seen espousing in a TikTok from 2023. “Red Lobster’s CEO doesn’t believe in work/life balance.”  The clip, taken from an interview with Fortune, describes work/life balance as a kind of personal choice that may be necessary for some but not for him. 

That may be possible if one is at the high end of the hospitality industry where big money decisions are being made. But the people who actually run the restaurants on a daily basis are being eaten alive by excessive work demands and unreasonable expectations, and they don’t have any choice about it. It sounds very much like the opinion of a relatively young man without family responsibilities. 

Still, it’s pretty cool to see someone from Columbia in the news. I wish Mr. Adamolekun well and I hope that his involvement in the Red Lobster brand brings about positive change for the people who work there.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Tattling

 

Some folks just love to tattle. They may have a good reason, they may not. But they are just downright driven to tell on people who are transgressing the rules that they feel must be followed. 

Think of our anonymous tattler providing HCPSS forms to Libs of TikTok, for instance. Or the folks who tagged the former Governor on Twitter when County Executive Calvin Ball did things they didn’t like during the height of the pandemic. I sometimes wonder if some people operate under the mindset that “It is not enough for me to be good. Others must be punished.”

In Columbia each Village has very specific guidelines for the exterior appearance of their residences. (If you know, you know.) Normally one comes up against this only when wanting to make changes or requesting a letter of compliance before selling. However…

This system is what is euphemistically called a  “complaint-driven system.” In other words, if someone objects to your house they can report you to the Village Association who will then be obliged to follow up. I’m not philosophically opposed to having and maintaining architectural guidelines but I’ve never been too comfortable with an entrenched system of what amounts to neighbors tattling on neighbors.

This is why I had to stop and read the title of this piece more than once.

Howard County just made it easier to report the roads drivers take too fast, Lillian Reed, Baltimore Banner

Residents and neighborhoods beginning this week can go online to report dangerously busy county roads and request traffic calming measures that prevent speeding. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball released a new policy this week that overhauls the way the jurisdiction collects such applications — and the way officials decide which county-owned and maintained roads will eventually get speed bumps, roundabouts or rumble strips.

Oh. Well, that’s refreshing. They’re encouraging you to tattle on the roads, not the drivers. I wonder if anyone out there will take this as an invitation to send in photos of cars and license plates anyway. I have observed social media complaints about excessive speed on Great Star Drive in River Hill for years which range from polite reminders to borderline threats. Maybe it’s time somebody reported the road, instead.

Closer to where I live, the road where everyone seemed to feel the need for speed had long been Oakland Mills Road from Pete’s Snowballs to Snowden River Parkway. I used to feel anxious that someone might report me for driving the actual speed limit. Since the County has made changes to the road as a part of the Complete Streets program, the general speed of traffic has been substantially “calmed.” 

I love it. Others? Possibly not so much.

But even I, generally a cautious driver and all around Goody Two Shoes, had experienced those moments on Oakland Mills Road where I just went on autopilot and stopped looking at my speedometer.  There are just some roads like that. Experts in the field could probably explain to you exactly what the factors are that cause that to happen. By the same token, there are a variety of mitigations available to make those roads safer.

And that’s what this is all about.

So, if you feel the urge to tattle, you have an opportunity to get it out of your system by reporting one of those pesky roads where people are always speeding. You won’t run the risk of hurting anyone’s feelings but you just might make the community a safer place.

Village Green/Town² Comments

In Honor of Miss B: A First Day of School Tale

In honor of the first day of school, here is the story of Miss B. I saw this unfolding on Twitter about a year ago and I’ve been saving it for just the right occasion. Miss B posted the following statement and it captured the imagination of fellow teachers and many, many others.

I’m sharing the thread in its entirety today in honor of teachers everywhere who find ways to solve problems and cope with the realities of day-to-day classroom life with creativity and a special kind of brilliance. 

 Miss B @MissBThe3rd: Giving my classroom gluesticks human names has been revolutionary. Does a student care if a glue stick goes missing? No! Do they care if DEREK the glue stick has not been returned? ABSOLUTELY. It's like a manhunt until Derek has been returned to his rightful spot. Haven't lost a glue stick since I labelled them all with names. Year 11 thought it was weird at first but now are totally invested in them. Year 7 think it's hilarious. It is win win.

What do you do when one runs out? Funeral? Or do you quietly replace it with a new one like my parents did to my brothers hamster?

Miss B: I let the student ceremoniously launch it in the bin while the class watch to see if they make the shot.

Keep the lids though; like the organ donor list, the spare lids can keep a future glue stick alive, should the lid go missing.

Does this mean certain glue sticks have hearts on their ID cards and others don't? 

No, it's an automatic opt-in system now, all glue sticks get to be donors eventually. None have objected so far.

Did you let them come up with the names or did you give them names before classes began??? I'm eternally curious

Miss B: I named them after family and friends so they all have a back story and a meaning to me Derek is my father in law and I tell them they can't lose him as he's got to be at my wedding! @Henkel* please can you see the potential of bringing out named gluesticks and pay me royalties so I can afford to get married because that thing is very EXPENSIVE.

We did this with walkie talkies at work (bearing in mind we're all fully grown adults) and when I accidentally took one (Clifford) home with me, I felt so bad that I created a collage of evidence of me taking care of him and our adventures together on my way to return him. 

Clifford:

I've done this the last couple of years. I love it. 'Betty's hat is missing, please find it.' 'Clinton has been left on the floor!' Who does Beryl belong to?’

I drew smiley faces on the lids; I say "there's an unhappy glue stick" and suddenly 30 children rush to find the lid! 4 weeks in and no lost lids!

Brilliant!

Have you let the parents know? Because now I'm imagining the reaction when a kid goes home and says "we lost Derek for a while today...”

I numbered the toy cars 1-10. My year 1s had sticky fingers so wanted to make sure at the end of tidy up time that we had all 10. It's been great for maths. They’ll count them and then if one's missing they work out which number then hunt tor it!

My year 11's fight over who is naming new glue sticks.

THIS is GENIUS!

I wish I'd thought of this during the 25 years that I was Ms. B, 4th Grade Teacher. It would've made life SO much easier. I'm sending this Tweet to my niece...

I do this, too! I'm now on my second cycle of glue sticks and the next step to ensuring they'll be fiercely protected is I now let the students choose the names for each new one. (Side note: Betsy is the only OG glue stick left and the students treat her like a queen!)

I tell them to imagine glue sticks as a chilly lil guy. Gotta have his hat on, and he only has a little tiny bit of hair because if he's got long hair his hat won't fit.

Works well for returning their lids too. My year 2s spring into action when I tell them that 'Ethel has lost her hat and it must be found.’

This is genius...now how do we name all the crayons and pencils?

OK - I'm 70, taught for 32 years and have worked in education policy for 15 years. This is the best Continuing Professional Development I have seen.

I applied the same concept for my sourdough starter and Brenda is alive to this day! She was born on 25 January 2023. I'm leaving for a holiday so she's currently hibernating in our freezer. I remember telling my partner if I gave it a name, I'll keep it alive!

Brenda:

Wow, this same lesson can be used in high school as an example of humanizing vs. dehumanizing. When we feel a human connection, we are more likely to care. Sad, but true.

Remember, this entire conversation started here:

I checked back to see how Miss B is doing these days. She’s still planning that (very expensive!) wedding. Her Twitter bio reads:

@MissBThe3rd

English teacher in their 3rd year. Mother of cats, lover of food. Wrote a viral tweet about glue sticks once. All views my own!

I hope that everyone has a good first day back today. And, if your child comes home saying, “We lost Derek for a while today…” it may not be as bad as it sounds. 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

*Henkel is the manufacturer of Pritt Glue Sticks. 

The Green Lady Sings

 

It’s been awhile since I’ve written about the Chrysalis. That may be because the Park has been a little quieter than usual this summer. Fear not: they’re gearing up for the big finish to the 2024 season.

Today, from 5:00 PM  7:00 PM, the Accord Symphony Orchestra.

Accord Symphony Orchestra returns to the Chrysalis stage to wrap up the summer with a bright medley of pops, opera, and classical songs sure to have the whole family singing along while enjoying the evening outdoors in beautiful Merriweather Woods at Symphony Park!

Register for your free tickets here so they’ll know how many people to expect and are able assign parking accurately for the event.

Accord Symphony Orchestra Summer Concert , info and registration 

Yoga in the Park is ongoing: Monday nights from 6:00 to 7:00 PM on the Chrysalis stage. It will run until October 28th, weather permitting.

Start your week off right with an outdoor yoga class at the Chrysalis! Put on in partnership with the Columbia Association, this free series of classes is the ultimate way to embrace the outdoors while revitalizing your mind and body.

Yoga in the Park, info and registration 

Enjoy Labor Day in the Park on September 2nd from 12-4 PM with a band concert at the Chrysalis:

Patuxent Jazz Band, Maryland Community Band, and the High and Wides all take the Chrysalis stage this Labor Day for a fun, musical celebration to wrap up the summer in Columbia's beautiful Symphony Woods!

Labor Day Celebration in the Park, info and registration 

HOCO Pride will be back on October 13th from 12 - 4 PM for its 5th year.

This year, we are celebrating Finding Vibrance Everywhere at our 5th annual HoCo Pride Festival!!

Our Pride festival is a vibrant, family-friendly event that brings together people from all walks of life to celebrate diversity, promote equality, and foster a sense of community. The festival will feature a variety of activities, including live music, entertainment, vendors, food trucks, and games. 

Our goal is to create a welcoming space where everyone can feel proud of who they are and who they love.

Howard County Pride at Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods

Finally…drumroll, please…

The Columbia Orchestra returns for their much-beloved annual Pops Concert on October 20th at 4 PM.

Presented by BWFA, this free, family-friendly performance by the Columbia Orchestra is the perfect way to spend a beautiful evening outdoors enjoying music in the park.

Don’t miss this fun and exciting musical journey filled with possibilities as the Columbia Orchestra performs a captivating program of popular pops melodies for all ages, including thrilling themes from classics like "Star Wars" and "Mission: Impossible."

Pops Concert at the Chrysalis, info and registration 

These events are free and open to all. You can help support the mission of the Park by sending a donation here. Whether it’s loose change or major funding, your gift helps make free arts and culture experiences possible for the entire community. 

I hope I’ll be seeing you in the Park.

Village Green/Town² Comments

So Much to Do

 

Good morning, HoCo campers!

Ahem. Maybe that’s a bit too enthusiastic. The weather predictions call for sun or partial sun with no rain and a high of 83 and I’m a bit delirious. 

Today’s activities include the expected markets in Clarksville and Maple Lawn. (Freetown Farm is taking the Saturday off.) Maple Lawn Market is introducing a Children’s Activity Tent where you can pay for childcare while you shop. You can learn more here.

The movie at the Wine Bin is The Princess Bride, 8:30 PM.

A few highlights for your consideration:

It’s Super Saturday at Howard Community College, featuring Dragon Days and New Student Orientation. Learn what’s happening at their website. 9 am - 2 pm

Brewing Good Coffee Company at Savage Mill is hosting a Queer Art Hangout: make crafts and build community, 3-6 PM.

At Turf Valley Resort: Rally for the Wreaths car show and summer concert to support Maryland Veterans’ Cemeteries, 12-4 PM.

There’s a sunflower festival at the Clarkville Sunflower Market at Mary’s Land Farm, 9 am - 5 pm.

The Howard County Conservancy is offering free tours of their historic Farm House at ten and eleven am, but you must register to attend. 

As always, check local listings for what’s happening around town this weekend:

Events on Facebook (Choose Local and This Week), the activity calendar at Visit Howard County, and HoCo Calendar from Guilford Gazette, plus the weekly roundup from the Baltimore Banner. 

Have a great Saturday whether you are out and about or home cocooning with a good book. 

Village Green/Town² Comments

F ³: No Angel

  

We have seen this before, and not that long ago. The brutal violence of police towards Black Americans followed by the swift demonization of their victims. It starts with photos released to the public. They’re never graduation or prom photos or family scenes. The faces that look at us from news stories have been carefully selected: expressions and clothing suggesting to us that this was a dangerous person, or, at the very least, questionable. 

And by now we know what’s coming next. No matter how unspeakable the treatment at the hands of police, we are told to look away and to justify it: he was no angel.

We know what that means: blame the victims. They deserved it.

I have come very late in life to understanding how these things work and I have become convinced that if we say we have standards (as to how police treat people they believe to be suspects) then they must apply to everyone. Honestly until about ten years or so ago I thought they did apply to everyone. I was ignorant.

We must never allow agents of our government to be able to commit atrocities and excuse it by saying: he was no angel. I want members of law enforcement to follow safe and ethical protocol across the board. If I don’t expect my kid to be executed for selling loose cigarettes or running from the police, then that shouldn’t be the expectation for anyone else.

If we have morals they should not be movable.

But they are. This is probably the greatest disappointment of my adult life. Idealism can get you a long way if you are white and have had many opportunities to learn and work and sit at tables with people who actually listen to you. If you want to believe that everyone has those opportunities it may take you a long time to truly “get it” that they do not.

And this, sadly, brings us to Gaza. Money coming from our government enables the Israeli military to commit horrific atrocities upon Palestinian civilians. Women and children. Newborns. 

We are told to look away because this is, somehow, different. These are really bad people. Different than people like us.

They were no angels. 

Isn’t that always the way when we don’t want to follow our own moral code? Dehumanize the enemy. 

It’s true that Hamas has committed violence against Israelis. That is undeniable. But in Israel’s response I have watched as every standard for what is acceptable in military action is violated and practically mocked. What is the point of having such ethical guidelines? Why did human beings work so hard to create them? These are not kindly suggestions from some idealistic committee far removed from hardship. Weren’t they born from first hand experience of the worst that humans could do to eachother? 

Don’t they mean that we all have an obligation to adhere to them to prevent unleashing what the worst of humanity looks like? 

But no, my friends. It seems our morals are moveable. Under pressure they will not hold. 

In response to some of the heartless mockery of Guz Walz, the neurodivergent son of Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz, a friend of mine said:

I find it so profoundly sad when people can’t recognize a loving family when they see one. 

I don’t think that’s exactly true, although I admire the inclination to compassion. I think that if Guz Walz had been the child of someone they have been inculcated to like and respect, they’d be able to recognize it.  But he isn’t. So ‘he’s no angel.’

We all do this to some degree. I hate it. And I have not done nearly enough to articulate it: we must defend the rights of all not because they are angels, but because they are human. They are us. That should be enough. 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Hate Group in the Henhouse

 

Well, here’s some disturbing news.

Someone, very possibly an employee, thought they ought to “tell on” the Howard County Schools. Why? What terrible thing has happened that warrants this kind of intervention? Well, it seems that HCPSS encourages teachers to assess their classroom reading collections with an eye to how inclusive they are.

Complete the guide below to assess your instructional space and resources. This tool is not an exhaustive list, nor is it a mandatory list. Use a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion as you take stock of the learning environment that you have created for your students, and consider ways to supplement so that all students can see themselves within the walls of your classroom.

To which authority did this self-appointed “whistleblower” report this information? The Maryland State Department of Education? The U.S. Department of Education?

No. They ratted out the Howard County Schools to a social media account called “Libs of TikTok.”

SCOOP: @HCPSS gave this “audit” to elementary teachers to make sure their classroom and curriculum have enough DEI and wokeness.

They must properly represent migrants, LGBTQ, and fat people for example. Library books must include trans/nonbinary people.

A great ad for homeschooling!

A few things worth noting. Libs of TikTok is the name of a proven hate initiative founded by Chaya Raichik. From Wikipedia:

Raichik uses the accounts to repost content created by left-wingand LGBT people on TikTok, and on other social-media platforms, often with hostile, mocking, or derogatory commentary. The accounts promote hate speech and transphobia, and spread false claims, especially relating to medical care of transgender children. The Twitter account, also known by the handle @LibsofTikTok, has nearly 3 million followers as of February 2024 and has become influential among American conservatives and the political right. Libs of TikTok's social-media accounts have received several temporary suspensions and a permanent suspension from TikTok.

Raichik uses these social media posts to stir up anger and instigate viral “pile-ons” against those whose opinions or actions she disapproves of. It’s a kind of shaming factory.

Or, as Wikipedia words it: 

Some Libs of TikTok posts have resulted in harassment against teachers, medical providers, children's hospitals, libraries, LGBT venues, and educational facilities, several of which received bomb threats after being featured on a post.

It seems highly unlikely that anyone would “tip off” Libs of TikTok with the intent of addressing concerns, opening conversation about disagreements, or sincere desire to improve education. The whole point of Libs of TikTok is to threaten and shame. The end result of these posts is that those on the receiving end feel fearful and under attack.

If a local employee made the choice to subject our schools to this kind of harassment? That is extremely concerning. 

The next thing to ponder is Libs of TikTok inaccurately represents what the form says and how it is meant to be used. The form is optional. It is meant to help teachers assess how their classroom library meets the needs of the students they teach. It’s not an edict. But saying that it represents some kind of mind-controlling commandment is bound to stir up more social media frenzy. So, either the person who wrote this post has terrible reading comprehension or they are deliberately lying to cause greater harm.

Finally, that last sentence is a frightening revelation.

A great ad for homeschooling!

The prospect that your child might be in a classroom that accepts and supports students who are different than your child is so horrifying that the only possible choice would be to keep them at home. 

Wow. Imagine looking at a way that teachers can be considerate of others and thinking, “Oh, hell no!”

The choice to homeschool is, of course, their right. But the desire to extend that exclusionary, racist, homophobic mindset into the public school system is not theirs to demand. Public education is for all children.

Something else you should know. Moms for Liberty Howard County supports Libs of TikTok and they are trying to make inroads into the Howard County Board of Education.

Many of us have had our eyes on national and international events this week. That’s understandable. But please don’t lose sight of the Board of Education race. I’d rather have qualified and experienced educators choose reading material for our kids than M4L and Libs of TikTok.

Village Green/Town² Comments

School Traditions and Climate Change

It does not matter if your sports team has a winning season. It does not matter if your marching band aces the competitions. You may think it does but you are wrong. 

What matters is that you take care of the kids in your care and send them home each day: alive.

Franklin High School student dies after experiencing medical emergency, school says, Lilly Price, Glenn Graham, Madisson Weyrich,  Baltimore Sun

The Baltimore Sun is careful to describe the student’s death as the result of a “medical emergency.” Autopsy results are pending. 

But in a related article in the Capital Gazette by Lilly Price:

First responders with the Baltimore County Fire Department  arrived at the football field Wednesday morning, responding to a call for an “unconscious subject” who “had a heatstroke.” There, Leslie Noble, a junior guard on the Reisterstown school’s varsity football team, was undergoing resuscitation efforts. He was transported in critical condition to a hospital, where he later died. 

Climate change has brought extended periods of extreme heat. I don’t know how much the truth of that has transformed the time-worn traditions of back to school sports and band camps. I’m not saying that it hasn’t. Athletic and music staff very likely work extremely hard to balance each day’s goals with enough rest, hydration, and shade/cooling-off time. 

But this is certainly not the first heat-related student death in Maryland in recent years.

In 2018, University of Maryland player Jordan McNair collapsed after a conditioning test from exertional heatstroke. The freshman and graduate of McDonogh School in Reisterstown died after a two-week hospitalization at Shock Trauma.

His death moved his family and Maryland legislators to pass the Jordan McNair Safe and Fair Play Act in 2021, requiring athletic departments to provide guidelines for preventing and treating brain injuries, heat-related illnesses and other conditions.

That same year, Elijah Gorham, a 17-year-old Baltimore City player, suffered a fatal traumatic brain injury while playing for Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School.

The Elijah Gorham Act became law in 2022, requiring all middle and high schools in Maryland to develop emergency action plans for all of their athletic venues, including for the use of defibrillators, which must be a "brief walk" from an athletic practice or event, and cooling equipment for heatstroke, which must be "readily available."

The law was passed a day after the city settled with Gorham's family. The lawsuit compels each city high school to hire an athletic trainer by the 2024-25 academic year.

This continuing pattern indicates to me that we haven’t yet taken the impact of climate change on these traditional student activities as seriously as we must. It looks as though we are trying to accommodate it as one might deal with a small inconvenience - - like an unexpected change in a daily schedule or a misplaced band instrument. But it’s far bigger than that.

2018, 2021, 2024. 

If we are losing one student every three years that says to me that what we are doing is not working and that it is time to make profoundly transformative changes. That means asking some unthinkable questions.

• Is it necessary to hold these practices at one of the hottest times of the year?
• Do we consider the possibility that these events should be held inside in air-conditioned spaces?
• Have we invested in enough large indoor air conditioned spaces to accommodate that?
• Are we so wedded to these practices that we’d rather accept student deaths rather than let go of these traditions?

Another worry is the degree to which athletic culture and band culture may contribute to a message to kids that they must “tough it out” or be thought a weakling or a sissy. Students who are trained in such a mindset may be afraid to speak up when they start to feel ill from the heat. They need to be able to trust the adults around them to set a very high standard for healthy conditions and to be open and supportive to students who need medical assistance.

But we always start with football! 

And the marching band needs to be ready for football season!

Why? Is it absolutely necessary? Is it a need or a want?

How many deaths will it take for us to make better choices for our kids?

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Blast from the Past

 

The Columbia, MD subreddit continues to be a refreshingly drama free source of local information and lore. Consider the following:

What’s something about old school Columbia that newer residents never experience?

There used to be a peacock farm visible from 175.

     Where was it?

The farm house was about where the hotel (was a Hilton, now Double Tree?) and the barn was about where the funeral home was. Back along Twin Knolls.

The hill was great for sledding before it became a bunch of businesses and peacocks wandered a bit.

- - Where the Walgreens is.

A peacock farm? I live right down the street from the site of a former peacock farm and no one ever told me?

A quick Google search didn’t turn up any record of this place, but, I’m not done looking yet. In the meantime, I did discover two HoCoLocal places that raise peacocks.

Breezy Hill Alpaca Farm, Woodbine 

Clark’s Elioak Farm, Ellicott City

Neither of these businesses has photos of peacocks on their websites. Phooey. It seems rather ridiculous to write about the male of the peafowl species without letting you look at one. After all, in general the fuss is all about the feathers. At least, to me it is. I remember being fascinated in my childhood by the peacocks who roamed free at the Cleveland Zoo. I don’t know if they do that anymore.

Well, here’s Oliver. He lives at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. That’s apparently as close as we’re going to get this morning.

It turns out that farmers raise peafowl for a variety of reasons apart from the male’s decorative plumage. You can indeed eat their meat and their eggs. Plus, peafowl are prodigious foragers which helps with pest control. 

Do you remember the peacock farm in Columbia? Or, have you visited with any other local peacocks? Let me know.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Time Capsule

 

One year ago I was writing a Saturday sampler of local events.

Five years ago I used a popular meme to discuss school redistricting.

Ten years ago I attended a soft-open event for the Columbia Lakefront Whole Foods.

It’s kind of amazing that I have an organized way to look back on what I was thinking about over the last…thirteen-ish years or so. Some issues that I cared passionately about back then have moved more into the background for me. Some problems still have not been solved. Some beautiful things have come to fruition.

On my mind today: 

• This thank-you video from HCC President Daria Willis recounting her many reasons to be grateful to her staff and members of the HCC Foundation. 
• A Facebook post from a local law firm that asks “Can women have it all?” while revealing a roomful of white people and, from what I can see, one Black woman. 
• I’ve noticed that (at least ) two HCPSS schools (Homewood and Stevens Forest) are designated as Community Schools and I need to learn more about what that means.
• I have come to the conclusion that they should screen who is allowed to go to restaurants in the first month. The soft open concept is obviously not for everyone.
• How many teachers and staff do you think will get COVID during teachers meetings and building prep and will be out of commission for the first week of school? Does Central Office have a backup plan?

Whats on your mind today?

Village Green/Town² Comments

You Knew It Was Coming

 

Here we are again, Saturday. There’s a chance of rain but no storm warnings. Do you have any immediate plans?

You already know about the markets.

Community Ecology Institute at Freetown Farm, 9 am - 1 pm

Maple Lawn, 9 am - 1 pm

Clarksville Commons, 10 am - 2 pm

Abiding Savior Lutheran Church Youth Group is hosting a car wash and food truck fundraiser beginning at ten am.

Queen Takes Book is celebrating Bookstore Romance Day from 10 - 6.

Patuxent Jazz Band and Gotta Swing free concert and community dance event at Carroll Baldwin Hall tonight at 6:00 PM. Dancing lesson starts at 5:30.

Tonight’s movie at The Wine Bin in Old Ellicott City is “To Catch a Thief”, beginning at 8:30 PM.

The Major League Quadball Championship is again in Howard County this weekend at Troy Park. This is a ticketed event. You must purchase tickets to attend. If you are wondering why it’s not called Quidditch anymore, this piece from NPR will bring you up to date. 

Check out these other resources for info on local events: Events on Facebook (Choose Local and This Week), the activity calendar at Visit Howard County, and HoCo Calendar from Guilford Gazette. 

A look at Abby Zimmardi’s events piece for the Baltimore Banner reminded me that it’s Restaurant Week in Howard County. You can learn more here.

Have a wonderful Saturday! Got anything exciting planned?

Village Green/Town² Comments

F ³: My Date with the Patriarchy

 

In the relentless march of patriarchy, one thing is certain. Just because they have not come for you today does not mean that they are not coming for you. 

As offensive as recent verbal attacks on women have been and, in spite of how emphatically I reject them, they haven’t been personal. 

• I am not childless
• I do not own cats (allergic)
• I am not currently in need of birth control or abortion access

And then yesterday an old interview with now-VP hopeful J.D. Vance surfaced. While on a podcast with host Eric Weinstein, Vance agreed with his statement that “the whole purpose of the postmenopausal female is to raise children.“

I should have known they’d eventually come for me: a post-menopausal woman. The whole point of the patriarchy is to maintain power by seizing that of others. For men to be the default leaders, women must be required to be the followers. The structures of society and the stories we are told from birth must reinforce those notions in order to perpetuate them. 

The sole purpose of women is to be servile and to be oppressed and it would be awfully convenient if we, the women, believed it was God’s will and submitted joyfully and in good faith. If for some odd reason we do not wish to submit than laws must be contrived to make us. 

This is what lies underneath the obsession with purity culture, tracking menstrual cycles, reproductive autonomy, no-fault divorce, and now the wholesale assignment of post menopausal women to provide free childcare. If the only way your world view can be perpetuated is through the subservience of others then you will be highly committed to make them submit. 

Consider the issue of childcare. We need more highly qualified childcare providers and safe, and supportive learning environments for young children. That is going to cost money.

But if you think you’re entitled to declare an entire class of human beings to be free childcare providers, it won’t cost you a cent. You know you’re dealing with the patriarchy when you see that all of their “solutions” are dependent upon the oppression of women.

I went to Twitter to see what other women had to say about this. Here are a few tweets that spoke to me.

I have spent the entirety of my adult life caring for my own children and other people’s children. I have given it my all. But I did it because I chose to. I pursued these choices because I had free will. No one should be in a position to take away that free will in order to make the world run at their convenience. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all humans are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - - Declaration of Independence 

Yes, the original word used was “man” but it was meant to encompass all humans. If you are a man in the year 2024 you think it only applies to you - - there’s something you should know.

We are not going back. 

Village Green/Town² Comments