Village Green/Town²

  Another day, another mystery. Screenshot from Bluesky Who or what is RingJing? I’ve never heard of this company before. Here’s how they describe themselves on BlueSky: Okay, they have a website . They have an “About Us” page. But it doesn’t tell me who they are.  This drives me nuts. If you want me to trust your product and the information you disperse - - tell me who you are.  You wouldn’t drink water if you didn’t know its source. Especially today, when so much of what we see is the result of an aggregator on the other side of the planet or unadulterated AI slop.  A simple Google search shows that the only information available about RingJing is the company’s own website. So, naturally, the Google AI function is attempting to extrapolate that tiny bit of information into an entire explanation. Ugh. It is operated by its own RingJing Editorial Team.  Okay? They have an editorial team. Who are they? Are they local? Are they also the owners? Is RingJing a HoCoL...

  Hold everything! New HoCoLocal restaurant brings back a local favorite! This glowing testimonial comes from the Howard County Eats FB Group: We went to Tony's of NY in Ellicott City tonight and everything was great!!! We had garlic knots, Caesar salad, mozzarella logs, pepperoni and cheese New York style pizza!!! We will be back again. Yes, community foodies have been abuzz with word of the opening of Tony’s, more officially known as Tony’s of New York, Ellicott City. They’re located in the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center. Image from Google Maps  Here’s a reel from their Instagram that gives you a glimpse of today’s magic words. “ All You Need ” Tony’s of NY EC Have you guessed yet? No? It’s “garlic knots”. Long time hocolocals may remember the outcry that arose when the Tomato Palace at the Lakefront took garlic knots off their menu. The outrage! The laments! And it wasn’t just a brief objection - - people mourned the loss. It was ongoing.  Some folks even went so far...

  It’s Saturday in the summertime. The top story in the Banner is not the usual “What to do this weekend.” It’s this: How to protect yourself as wildfire smoke blankets Maryland,  Sara Ruberg, Baltimore Banner Nota bene: a doctor quoted in the article states that wearing a mask won’t help. A reader comment disputes that. The doctor quoted is rejecting the advice of many public health officials who say a well fitted N95 or KN95 mask can significantly help reduce exposure to these type of fine particulate. Please be more accurate when reporting on public health emergencies. Even Fox is reporting that those masks can help. - - reader comment In my opinion you should limit outside time as much as possible but, if you must leave the house, wear a high quality, well fitting mask.  Lung damage is no joke. This air is ugly stuff right now. Food for thought - - I noticed this comment in a Bluesky conversation about outdoor events this weekend: I'm starting to think that in our li...

  The Maryland State Department of Education proposes increasing instructional time for mathematics at the Middle School level. This will necessitate decreasing instructional time for other subjects. Want to comment? Time is running out. Revised Mathematics Policy Implementation Timeline & Secondary Mathematics Program , Comment form Every time I see those “other” subjects reduced or eliminated in schools I want to throw things. I am not a violent person.  Students are not geese to be force-fed with the aim of producing foie gras somewhere down the line. They are human. We are preparing them to have full human lives.  We have to give them a reason to live.  The more we narrow educational experiences, the less kids have to connect with and care about. What kind of a life is that? It’s also an ineffective methodology for education. We can’t simply pour content onto children and young people. They need to have the ability to absorb it. Reducing time spent in areas ...

  It’s Farmer’s Market Season. It’s CSA season. It’s bury your face in buttery, sweet corn on the cob season. Fresh, juicy raspberries. Salads with every variety of greens. It’s the very best of summer brought to you by our local farmers. And now it’s cyclosporiasasis season, too. Information shared by the Howard County Health Department  Without nationwide diligence in monitoring food safety issues, our food supply is compromised. What we once anticipated as special summer treats are now something to be feared. And it’s not simply a “special treat” issue. Access to fresh fruits and vegetables is an adequate nutrition issue. It’s an addressing food insecurity and hunger issue. It’s also a terrible blow to our HoCoLocal farms. Farm map from HoCoGov While there is information available* about safe ways to consume fresh produce, many folks are likely to deal with this current crisis in food safety by avoiding it altogether.  What happens, then, to our farmers? And to local r...

  Where do you get your local news? Do you like to read it? Hear it? Watch it? I’ve written a lot over the years about print media when it comes to local journalism. Lately I’ve been starting to look at how area television stations cover Columbia/HoCo. I got into a bit of trouble over on Reddit for speaking bluntly about WBFF Fox 45 reporting.  Go away, Fox News! If you look at the general output of Fox locally the vast majority of stories skew "crime", "danger", "fear" while other significant news is ignored. By trouble I mean that it was my first experience with being downvoted. Obviously I’ll live, but - - I was surprised. So let’s look at what comes up in a basic Google search for Howard County for each of our Baltimore area tv stations. WJZ CBS News: WMAR 2 News: WBAL-TV: Now look at WBFF Fox 45: Do you see it? The first three stations are covering a variety of topics. WBFF, the Sinclair station, shows 100 per cent crime stories in the top six hits on...