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1 Minute 45 Seconds and 30 Years

  Some happy news to start your day in one minute and forty-five seconds from UMD Science: Science Terp staff traveled to Columbia, Maryland, to deliver a life-changing surprise! Watch incoming freshman neuroscience major Leah Boka react to winning the Siegall Scholarship—an award that covers four years of tuition, room and board, books and fees. The Clay Siegall Scholarship, a four-year full scholarship for a life science major, was created by Siegall, B.S. '82, zoology, the founder and CEO of Seattle Genetics. Ms. Boka is a graduate of Long Reach High School in Columbia.  You may have seen recently that Long Reach High School is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. County Executive Calvin Ball featured their kick-off celebration on his Facebook page. Images from County Executive’s social media  We celebrated 30 years of Long Reach High School, honoring three decades of academic achievement, student leadership, community connection, and a proud legacy that conti...
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Recent posts

And Jessup is the Star of the Show

  It’s six forty five am. Do you know where your food is? There’s a chance it might have come from farms on the Eastern Shore and passed through the  Maryland Food Center Authority  in Jessup on its way to stores, restaurants, and your refrigerator. This six minute video from MPT’s Farm and Harvest gives you a behind the scenes look at how that all works. How Fresh Produce Gets From Farm to Grocery Store Overnight  PBS, Maryland Public Television  If you aren’t familiar with the show Maryland Farm and Harvest then here's a snippet of how they describe themselves:  Hosted by Joanne Clendining, Maryland Farm & Harvest takes viewers around the state to see and experience what it's like to run a 21st century farm – from technological advances and conservation challenges to age-old complications such as weather hardships. MF&H also captures the number one reason why planters and growers dedicate themselves to it all: their simple love of farming. They’ve...
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The Last Weekend

  There is an odd point in the summer where you arrive at The Last Weekend Before School Starts. It is especially odd since, weather-wise, it doesn’t feel like summer is over at all. I tend to feel as though we could go along doing our favorite summer things for at least several more weeks.  But, here we are. The date is circled on the calendar, supplies are piling up around the house. What did you do on that last weekend of freedom before the annual plunge into the school year? Friday night I requested a trip to Pepperjacks (Scaggsville.)  It was just the right kind of weather for eating dinner outside and enjoying a root beer float - - a summer-specific beverage from my childhood that I’ve never outgrown. I have sentimental feelings about this place. When the weather gets warm enough to eat outside I always think of them. And, when I need to say farewell to those precious summer days, Pepperjacks calls my name.  Saturday morning I wasn’t at all sure about the weat...
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The Big Yellow Math Problem

  And tomorrow is the first day of school. I know this because I keep track of current events and, closer to home, I live with a teacher. The other day when I wrote about safety issues in school zones a commenter raised an issue about school buses, specifically: concern that school buses are not equipped with seat belts. Now, there are ongoing arguments as to whether seatbelts are needed or whether they would be logistically practical. I’m not going to wade into that now. I am going to predict that, in less that two weeks, local online communities will see more than one complaint about students having to stand on school buses due to lack of seats. If I am wrong I will be thrilled.  Whether or not students are sufficiently protected in school buses without seatbelts becomes rather beside the point when those buses are routinely carrying standing passengers. And, unlike subways, school buses are not equipped with those handy-dandy overhead straps.  Over the years one of t...
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Will It Or Won’t It?

  Tut, tut. It looks like rain. - - A. A. Milne Yes, Saturday has rolled around again and you may have been hoping to enjoy some outdoor activities. Good news! The pollen is low. Bad news! It looks like rain.  The theme for tonight’s Lakefront Live was intended to be Y2K Night but I swear to you that I saw a cancellation notice due to rain somewhere. Since I can’t confirm that, here’s the Eventbrite link to register  and get more information. Lakefront Live August 22 Another event which may or may not be impacted by the weather is the Patuxent Jazz Band concert at Carroll Baldwin Hall this evening:   Late summer lingers into dusk as Patuxent Jazz Band joins Carroll Baldwin Hall and Gottaswing! to present an evening of swing. Bring a chair for the lawn or your dancing shoes to hit the Hall's historic floor - either way, your toes will be tapping! Still need to learn to swing dance? Join Gottaswing inside the Hall at 5:30pm for a FREE beginner's lesson! Live music fol...
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F ³: Ignorance is Not Bliss

  In recent years we’ve subscribed to a food delivery service called Hungryroot. Like many companies these  days, they have what is called an online community on Facebook. Normally this is a place where people share recipe ideas, their favorite menu items, and/or ask questions. The other day we had what felt like an anonymous troll visit. Like it or don’t, just FYI…all Thomas Farms meats are Halal.  There were a variety of responses. Most were of the, “Why did you think this post was necessary?” variety. I decided to go the innocently cheery route. Good to know! Now I can feel comfortable recommending Hungry Root to my Muslim friends. I was much disturbed by the person who responded with the 🤮 emoji.  I wondered what that commenter was thinking. I wondered if they even knew what halal meant. Our old friend Google told me what people are asking when it comes to “halal.” Here’s the top ten for two searches. Two thoughts: 1) good for people who made the effort to try t...
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The Missing Village

  The continuing saga of invisible villages… You probably know that Columbia has ten villages.   Nine of them have central shopping/activity areas called Village Centers. Town Center does not - - I’m guessing that is because they have the Mall. As a newbie back in the early oughts, I was so proud of myself for familiarizing myself with information and lore about my new home in Columbia.This is why I was especially puzzled by ads claiming to represent Columbia’s Village Centers - - that didn’t include all of them.  That irked me. Here’s a recent one. The answer I got was that these particular Village Centers are owned and managed by one company: Kimco. The others aren’t. It wasn’t going to be as straightforward as I wanted it to be.  I still think you shouldn’t bill yourself as “Columbia’s Village Centers” if you don’t include all of them. It’s misleading if not downright factually incorrect. Oh, well. I delved into a recent article about Columbia’s Village Cent...
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