Village Green/Town²

Yes, I have thoughts on the Weinstein email. They can wait until tomorrow. For today, stop what you are doing and read this. RIP ECT  By Marge Neal The East County Times was an independent, family owned newspaper. Its founder, George Wilbanks, died  in February of this year and that put the paper in the precarious position which led to its ultimate demise Please read Ms. Neal’s post. And then, for Heaven’s sake, support whatever local journalism you can. We need it.

Back in the day there was such a thing as a HoCo Blog Party. Well, orginally I believe they were called BlogTale parties. They started out small, a chance for local bloggers to get together and chat. Then they evolved to include bloggers and their readers. At some point they morphed into unwieldy events peopled with those who wished perhaps to influence local bloggers, those who wished to see and be seen, and those who were hoping for a free drink ticket. It became customary to measure the success of the party by the size of the turnout, rather than the content  of the conversation. That’s when they became less interesting to me. I’m not a big crowd person, if you hadn’t guessed already. Last night I found myself at a different sort of event, one that I hope there will be more of. The hosts of the “Elevate Maryland” podcast have rebranded their venture and they’re going live. Live shows, that is. They began with a show at Cured with Goucher Poll Director Mileah Kromer. The ...

Yesterday I made a quick trip to get a few things at the Owen Brown Giant. The cashier who checked me out was an older woman whose height was on the shorter side. She moved slowly but steadily to perform her tasks. It struck me yet again that US groceries are lacking in the most basic and valuable piece of equipment. Here is a photograph from a Tesco, probably in England. (They do business in Northern Ireland as well.) Notice anything? The checkout clerk is seated in a swivel chair with a back. And all the items she needs are located around her at an appropriate height and within easy reach. Why on earth do we not have this in the US?  It’s exhausting to stand on one’s feet for hour after hour and there is no good reason that this particular job requires it. This could make a big difference in allowing older employees or differently-abled ones to succeed. It would, of course, make anyone more productive if combined with setting up all the equipment in an ergonomica...

In order to take the country in a direction that any reasonable person would recognize to be wrong, it is necessary to take away their ability to see the truth. Our vision relies heavily on an access to light. And so light is what is systematically being taken away from our national discourse. Like advance men for a traveling show, the dealers of darkness come in and post big swaths of darkness in our communities. It’s gradual. But it is a steady, ongoing loss of light. We move from walking confidently to crawling along, feeling our way. Any noise in the darkness is something to be feared. Normalizing racist and others forms of hate speech = darkness Demeaning women = darkness Stirring up fear about migrants = darkness Promoting a culture of guns = darkness Closing polling places = darkness Reviling a free press = darkness The mailing of explosive devices to people/institutions that have been criticized by the current president is a direct result of this ongoing process ...

She has always favored her dad. There’s no argument about it. My older daughter looks just like me so it’s only fair. Through the years I’ve occasionally sat across from them in restaurants and marveled. Not only at the physical resemblance but at the body language, the tilt of the head. The twinkle in the eye. It’s uncanny. Last night was one of those nights where I sat across from them at Mission Barbecue and saw it again. And thought about how she will be eighteen in less than a month. I watched as they discussed a music composition she is working on for school. I smiled as he asked her how something on his phone works and the two of them bent their heads over it as she explained the finer points. And then, over their shoulders, a television on the wall caught my eye. It was showing this ad: https://youtu.be/7iZfaep_LS4 It’s a Travelers Insurance spot called “Growing Up”. She has always been her father’s daughter. Neither one of them are big criers. They keep a lot o...

I’m grateful to be a part of this amazing community: Message from Head of School Tom Gibian to our SSFS families: In light of the current administration's proposal to change guidelines regarding how gender is defined—thereby rolling back civil rights that recognize and protect transgender people—the Sandy Spring Friends School community affirms our shared commitment to protecting civil rights for all individuals. As a diverse community inspired by and dedicated to Quaker values of equality and inclusion, we stand in support of transgender people and their right to be accepted and respected in public life. We will continue to be a safe and welcoming space for transgender and gender-nonconforming people, as well as the LGBTQ community as a whole. For a learning community to be safe, it must be safe for everyone. This isn’t a “sex” issue, a religious issue or an issue of morals. It is a civil rights issue. When you cast your vote for members of the Howard County Board of Ed...

My Mid term   election   mood, direct from Twitter, is as follows: You   can't   say   you "love" someone and then vote in such a way that you place their lives and the lives of people like them in real danger. Y'all better start going to the polls with more than yourself on your mind. @word_made_fresh And   this   response : I told someone that voting for Trump while claiming to care about your minority neighbor is like voting for someone whose supporters think they should be able to burn your neighbor's house down to run the HOA. Your neighbor won't care how much you say you love them after that. @ upsidedwnworld This is every bit as much a local issue as a national one. Lately I have noticed how many trolls have filled up the comments of campaign posts for County Executive Candidate Calvin Ball with sneers like, He loves those illegals more than he loves us. Comments like these show fear and a mindset of scarcity.  This...

Approximately one year ago today: The Lonely Hour Dear Bloggers who used to blog, I miss you. I wake up at five am and face the darkness in a lonely little world that doesn’t have your voices in it anymore: Sarah Says, Annathema, Lisa B Mrs. S, Life’s Little Comedies, HoCoRising, Tales of Two Cities, HoCo Hayduke, Do I Amuse You?, Rocket Powered Butterfly, HowChow, Dinosaur Mom... Boo hoo, you say. Sad trombone, or the world’s tiniest violin. Blogging is a hobby largely of the privileged. Most likely one isn’t doing it without some other resources that make the time to write available. So forgive my tiny little pity party over here. I suppose this post is to say that I am happiest as a blogger when I’m in a bustling community of ideas. I miss that. Howard County still has some excellent community and/or political bloggers, for instance: HoCo House Hon, Is This Thing On?, Spartan Considerations, HoCoMDcc, Civility and Truth but they don’t post regularly. (I do...

I’m working on a longer piece about the election. It’s not ready yet. Still cooking. I’ll be buying a Mega Millions ticket at some point today. Will you? I have some big dreams for that amount of money. Yes, I’d do some fun things for myself and my family but wouldn’t it be fun to have money to throw at one’s favorite causes? I can’t think of anything better. The folks at Choose Civility have shared a video called “Why ‘I’m not racist’  is only half the story”. It’s definitely worth your time. It is hard for those of us so deeply rooted in the privilege we have been raised with to get beyond our own bubbles. This is a great primer for understanding why. I went to the BOE Forum hosted by OMCA at The Other Barn but I was only able to stay for the first hour, where candidates made their direct pitches. I missed the portion where questions are taken from the audience. Were you there? Did I miss anything major? I was encouraged by the high turnout although high turnout in Oa...

Two cool stories for you this morning: Columbia fashion designer channels her native Ghana with Ohemaa Couture  by John-John Williams IV, Howard County Times Sandra Takyi is a graduate of Wilde Lake High School and a hocolocal fashion designer. The only thing wrong with this article is that I wished it had been longer. Where did she learn to design clothing? When did she first want to follow this career path? Why has she chosen to stay in this area?I would love to know more. The second story is actually a song: Colors in a Dream  by Alan Scott, performed by Alan Scott Band Alan Scott is a local musician whose earlier video, “You Only See Me When I’m Gone” went viral on YouTube in 2016. It was inspired by the pain Scott felt after the shooting at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston.  Of “Colors in a Dream”, Scott writes: My vision for this song developed a more timely resonance when children, many of them non verbal infants and todd...

Somehow Saturday night found us back at Shake Shack. We had intended to go to Mod Pizza but one of us is lactose intolerant and had forgotten the all important “dairy pill”, so Shake Shack was our next choice. And on October 21st it was still warm enough to eat outside. My daughter chose a table right on the corner. We could see straight across the parking lot to Barnes and Noble, which was the true reason for our coming to the Mall. We wanted to explore the new bookstore. Yes, an exciting night for us is dinner and a bookstore. I continue to be impressed by the atmosphere along that walkway that runs from the movie theater on down towards the Barnes and Noble. It’s alive and bustling with all sorts of people and all different age groups. If you enjoy people watching, then this is the place for you. With dinner finished, we headed across the now-darkened parking lot. It just made sense to do a straight shot to the bookstore, although I’m sure you are supposed to follow the...

Let’s pay a little visit to Mr. Rogers this morning as he talks with the children about political campaigns. “Let’s pretend that they’re almost ready to have the Board of Education election in the Neighborhood of Make Believe...” (Can you hear the Trolley?) Yes, let’s pretend. Let’s pretend that I have decided that I want to be on the board of education. I mean, why not? My blog has always had a strong education focus. I’ve done some of that PTA, PTACHC and supporting school events stuff, arts education advocacy. I know all the major issues and I’m acquainted with all the major players. Look! I even have priorities: Equity and inclusion                                                Special Education                                             ...

The invitation opens with this quote: " Where are the quiet gays supposed to go?… The pressure on my people to express our identity and pride through the metaphor of party is very intense. Don’t get me wrong, I love the spectacle, I really do, but I’ve never felt compelled to get amongst it... I’m a quiet soul. My favorite sound in the whole world is the sound of a teacup finding its place on a saucer." ~Hannah Gadsby, Nanette HoCoPride is hosting an afternoon tea tomorrow and we’re all invited. You don’t need to be a member of the LGBTQ community to attend. You can register (for free) at Eventbrite   . A suggested donation of $10.00 at the door will help to raise funds for Howard County’s first Pride event in 2019. From the event announcement: Come enjoy a quiet fall afternoon with HoCo Pride, as we join with friends and community for tea and conversation in a relaxed, casual atmosphere. We'll provide the tea, small bites, and facilitated conversations f...

Just what you always wanted: more meetings. But, seriously folks. This one caught my eye. Why? Well, because the Downtown Columbia page posted it on Facebook to amplify those required-by-law but zipped-past-on-the-road notification signs. On social media you can actually stop and take the time to read them. Good move. Will this result in more people being informed? I think so. Will more people show up at the meeting? I don’t know. Do you make a habit of going to Downtown presubmission meetings? If so, why? Another thing caught my eye. These particular words: Lakefront Core Neighborhood - Public Square They couldn’t have called it Town Square? Town², even? A missed opportunity, in my humble opinion.

Yesterday my class took a field trip to Sharp’s at Waterford Farm. It was the perfect day for it. It was just the right amount of education and hands-on experience. We learned about bees, explored a corn maze, picked an ear of popcorn to take home, fed the animals, went on a hay ride, and picked a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch. The world is so crazy right now. What a relief it was to get outside and experience the joy of finding the perfect pumpkin. What’s your family’s favorite Fall farm trip in Howard County?

I’ve been following the story of a campaign mailer sent by County Council Candidate David Yungmann. If you haven’t, you can bring yourself up to speed he re, here , and here . Blogger Scott Ewart has assembled pertinent posts as the situation has been evolving. In short, Mr. Yungmann included the following as one of his main accomplishments on a recent campaign mailer: Led opposition to huge school/mosque in the rural west There’s been much discussion as to Mr. Yungmann’s motivation in wording this item as he did. Some have suggested it was a sign of an outright anti-Muslim mindset. Others suggested it was a carefully calculated “dog-whistle” to appeal to anti-Muslim voters. Still others maintained it was merely a statement of fact and that anyone who called it out was actually the one guilty of “playing the race card.” Mr. Yungmann himself went through a process as he responded to this public pushback. He went from appearing somewhat stunned to being ardently on the ...

I put out a rather strange request on the Internet over the weekend. Are there any good places in OM to collect buckeyes aka horse chestnuts? HoCo local (and sometime blogger) Ian Kennedy made this suggestion: I don't know of any in Oakland Mills, but there are several trees along Wilde Lake near the boat house and barn. So I went over there yesterday afternoon and I didn’t get very far because the lay of the land looked different to me. I think I located what Ian referenced as the boathouse, but where was the barn? I’ve certainly seen it before but suddenly I felt like something had changed and I didn’t  know where I was going. Alas, I was not feeling the joy of discovery at that very moment and I gave up and went home. It had already been a long day for me. So here’s my question. Has anything changed over there in the last several years that would make that left hand side of the road look different to me? Construction? Landscaping? Or have I just forgotten? I hav...

I’ve been wondering if any folks from Maple Lawn were startled to hear the current County Executive make this statement in the HoCoBiz debate: When I was on the zoning board, I voted against Maple Lawn. We have to increase our commercial tax base, not more residential density.  Upon reading the tweet one respondent suggested that Kittleman might have alienated numerous voters from the Maple Lawn community. Not sure this was a good choice of tweets to “promote.” Odd to be bragging about voting against a couple hundred more high six figure and millionaire families in your county. I’d delete this if I were you. It does feel a bit like Dad getting up at a big family event and revealing he never really wanted you. But wait, Maple Lawn. Lest you feel unwanted and unloved, it turns out there’s more to this story. Here’s Mr. Kittleman from 2014: I was on the County Council when Maple Lawn was first planned. We had the longest Zoning Board hearing in the history of Howa...

A bit of this and that this morning. Here’s a great article about the importance of pronouncing students’ names correctly. I’ll be writing more about this soon. H/T to BOE candidate Robert Miller for noticing the hcpss mention in this piece. Interesting conversation on Twitter which begins with County Executive Allan Kittleman saying this: Kittleman: when I was on the zoning board, I voted against Maple Lawn. We have to increase our commercial tax base, not more residential density. #HoCoBiz Debate Up this weekend: Opus, in Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods. I did decide to get a ticket to see what all the buzz is about. Free tickets (and more information) available here . Blogger Harry Schwarz writes about the North side of Blandair Park. It looks like there will be a children’s garden and a nature park after all. Local podcast Elevate Maryland is taking a bit of a break but intend to be back soon. If you’ve missed any back episodes, now would be the i...

In one of my favorite Phineas and Ferb moments, Mom Lindana walks by one of their unusual creations and says, “I’ll never understand public art.” Do you understand public art? Is it meant to be “understood”? Do you know that Howard County hosts a County-side display of public art each year? For public ARTsites in Howard, all the pieces are in place   Katie V, Jones, HoCo Times There are twelve ARTsites around the county. I wonder if anyone will take it upon themselves to see them all? I’ve already seen the one at Clarksville Commons. It is entitled  Cube in Motion   by Hanna Jubran. As I left the Maker Faire at Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods I thought I caught sight of another. I’m a firm believer that the arts enrich our communities. There are probably folks who think they are a complete waste of time. Or perhaps that the arts are fine as long as someone else pays for them. But to me the arts are an expression of the human spirit,  an essential ...

I rarely print press releases “as is” but this is just too cool not to share. Thanks, as always, to CA’s David Greisman for keeping me in the loop. Veterans Day parade and ceremony in Downtown Columbia  on November 11 The Howard County community is invited to honor those actively serving in the U.S. armed forces and the more than 20,000 veterans who call Howard County home at a Veterans Day parade and ceremony  on Sunday, November 11  in Downtown Columbia. The parade will begin  at 9:30am , starting at Merriweather Drive and continuing along Little Patuxent Parkway headed toward the Downtown Columbia Lakefront. A ceremony will follow  at 10:45am  at the Downtown Columbia Lakefront, featuring comments from Howard County Veterans Foundation President Robert Gillette, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman, and Columbia Association President/CEO Milton W. Matthews. There will also be music by a local high school band, performances by the Columbia Cente...

Today the blog is going blue to honor the life of Grace McComas. https://www.facebook.com/events/235664543771642/?ti=ia Learn more about Grace and Grace’s Law. Spread kindness today.