Skip to main content

Words, Pictures, and Cash


When Facebook tells you to stop dithering around and go write your blog, well, what can you do?


Yep, nothing but a blank page and a whole lot of space for my thoughts. I‘ve never gotten that before.

What’s on my mind? A little bit of this and that.

In the race to fill the seat of the late Elijah Cummings, I am torn. I’m a big fan of Delegate Terri Hill, but I think she is doing valuable work where she is in Annapolis. I liked Maya Rockeymoore Cummings when I heard her interview on Elevate Maryland but does she have the necessary experience to do the job? I need to make up my mind soon. The primary is February 4th. There’s no early voting for this one, so make plans on how you can fit it into your regular schedule.

This photo by Doug Kapustin of the Baltimore Sun Media Group. It accompanies Katie V. Jones piece in the HoCo Times about the Historical Society’s kick off event for the Howard County Year of the Woman.

    

                                                 (Photo by Doug Kapustin)

What I love about the photo is how human all the women look. I get so tired of perfectly posed pictures of women in public service with perfect makeup and perfect hair and perfect clothing and perfect expressions on their faces. That may be the rule for fashion modeling but these women are not commercial models. They are doing important work in our community and they are real people. All too often we discuss the ideas and accomplishments of men but the physical appearance of women. In my mind, this photo shows women who clearly have ideas and accomplishments.

Also on my mind, this contest in which Wilde Lake High School is competing to win $5,000 to support their library’s goal to make their collection more representative of the student body. Watch their video entry, “When I See Myself” and cast your vote  starting Monday, January 20th. A big eye roll to the commenter who made fun of this entire endeavor by poking fun of the concept of being able to see oneself represented in the books they read. The “I don’t know what this is so it doesn’t exist” theory is ignorant at best and smacks of an appalling lack of empathy.

A shout-out to our local media writers and photographers at Baltimore Sun/Howard County Times for providing the coverage I could share with you to back up this post. Did you know they’re facing another round of “cost-cutting” buyouts which will compromise coverage even further? You can follow @baltsunguild on Twitter to stay informed. Do you know anyone with the resources to purchase the Baltimore Sun? They are advocating for home town ownership. There must be someone or someone(s) out there willing to make the investment required to save our local news coverage.

If you have any friends with deep pockets, maybe you can share this post with them. Until then - - you do subscribe, right?











Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more