Friday, May 18, 2012
My friend and I thought we were joking. School leaders took it seriously.
This sounds unbelievable, but it’s true. My life was almost completely changed, because days before my high school graduation, some school staff members had reason to worry that I was part of a plot to bomb the library. This was 13 years ago this May, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. And, it’s also one of the more difficult stories for me to tell, and it usually comes out after a few beers or with a very trusted friend. But writing Wednesday about senior pranks gone awry, resulting in arrests with student mugshots splashed across news websites, I got a cold pit in my stomach, remembering. It could have been me. I was a straight-A student in a senior class of about 70 or so at a small high school in Iowa, Dike-New Hartford. I …
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
A lane of the Jones Falls Expressway is under construction.
While the West Side of the beltway has its share of construction snarls, the I-83 Jones Falls Expressway--a major route in and out of downtown Baltimore--is also undergoing extensive work for the next eight weeks. Baltimore City crews are working on drainage pipes around 29th Street. One lane in each direction has been closed there since Friday evening, and the city asks drivers to take detours. From the Towson area, those routes include Loch Raven Boulevard, Charles Street, York Road and Falls Road. Incidentally, many of these roads are also home to state construction projects happening now and in the coming months. "I know that in the grand scheme of things, this is another first-world problem to complain about," columnist Amy Lunday …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
George Zimmerman charged in death of Trayvon Martin.
George Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Florida, according to the Miami Herald. Zimmerman is in custody at an undisclosed location, according to the Herald, after turning himself in without incident. Zimmerman, 28, shot 17-year-old Martin on Feb. 26 in Sanford, FL, where Martin was visiting his father. The story has been in the national spotlight for more than a month, prompting marches and vigils in Florida and across the country, including in Howard County and other parts of Maryland. On Patch, the discussion has taken on different angles, from the general: "Why the decline in civil society?" JH asked, to questions as to why local officials had to have a say. Bill bissenas …
Friday, March 30, 2012
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to respond to a petition to ban BPA in food-related items.
By March 31, 2012 the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to decide whether or not to continue allowing food packaging that contains BPA. You’ve probably heard a lot about BPA in regards to baby bottles, sippy cups and other products made for children. But it’s in many, many products that we all use, and in too many instances BPA is used in food packaging and other consumer products. BPA, or Bisphenol A, is a “synthetic estrogen that disrupts normal endocrine function,” notes The New York Times, adding that “there is growing evidence in animal studies that exposure during fetal growth affects the development of reproductive systems and, in offspring, can lead to neurological problems. BPA has also been linked to prostate and …
Friday, March 23, 2012
But what about the environmental impact of grills, especially charcoal?
It’s grilling season early this year, and the scents fill my neighborhood each evening. So…gas or charcoal? According to a 2009 study by scientific research firm Atlantic Consulting, charcoal grills leave a much larger carbon footprint - about 2/3 more in fact -than their gas-powered counterparts. And most of that footprint is from the charcoal itself being burnt. The study included everything – from the process of manufacturing the grills to the transportation of the different fuel to the actual production and burning of the fuels themselves. And charcoal briquettes are inefficient and dirty. They produce smoke and soot particles that can pollute the air, irritate your lungs and exacerbate existing heart and lung problems. In …
Thursday, March 22, 2012
As I waited for Mitt Romney to enter his town hall meeting in Arbutus, I took note of the songs playing on the PA system.
How do you entertain a hyped audience of Mitt Romney supporters as they wait for the Republican presidential candidate? Play some good tunes, of course. Before Romney’s campaign song, Kid Rock’s “Born Free,” played, and before he spoke to a packed house at Arbutus’ Dewey Lowman American Legion Post 109, a playlist consisting almost entirely of songs I have my own iPod played. I’m not sure what it all means, but it seems like the majority of the music was Motown or classic rock – songs that have a multi-generational appeal. I did miss a song or two, after all I was covering a presidential candidate’s town hall meeting, but here is the playlist from what I could tell: 1. Martha and the Vandellas – “Dancing in the Street” This is a pretty …
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
I know, I know. Just try one or two of these before you call me crazy!
In a small town in a country that's about as meat-centric as they come, tofu gets no respect. (Try ordering it in a restaurant and see what kinds of stares your friends give.) But the time may come, or may be now, when you're feeling a little more adventurous. Maybe your vegan brother/cousin/colleague is coming over for dinner and you want to feed him more than salad. Maybe you've been keeping up with the pink slime question in the news and are looking for something a little more natural: tofu is just soybeans and water, plus a mineral that makes it firm up, and you can make it yourself. Or maybe you're just looking to save a little money: meat, especially clean meat, is expensive, and tofu is quite cheap. The key to cooking tofu is to …
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
…and why should you care?
People are talking about Fracking. The country’s largest fracking site, a 350 million-year-old formation called the Marcellus Shale, spans the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland. So what is fracking? And why should you care? Hydraulic fracturing has been around for decades. Oklahoma-based Natural Gas producer Chesapeake Energy explains that “Hydraulic fracturing is a proven technological advancement which allows producers to safely recover natural gas and oil from deep shale formations.” On the other hand, The Environmental Working Group (EWG) explains that now, natural gas producers are deploying a new gas drilling method called high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing to release gas locked in …
Friday, March 16, 2012
The best pots and pans don't come cheap, but they are worth every penny.
I had visited the Le Creuset store half a dozen times over a span of several years before I finally purchased the pot I'd been eyeing all along. I gulped, signed the receipt and brought home the cherry-red skillet, waiting to see whether it would change my life. Paying almost $200 for one pan was hard to do but it was amazing how quickly it became the most indispensable item in my kitchen. The cast iron conducted heat beautifully, and the enamel finish came clean instantly. I used it for everything: chili, coq au vin, rice pudding. Bacon left beautiful, crispy browned (not burned) spots that came off with a damp sponge and a drop (really!) of dish soap. Jim Lahey's bread emerged perfectly puffed and dense. After a few years of cooking …
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The worth of public radio.
There are two public radio stations on my preset dial: WAMU, out of D.C., prototypical public radio delivering standard NPR fare; and WTMD, out of Baltimore, independent and alternative delivering anything but your standard music fare. WTMD generally soundtracks my drive-time, dish-washing, and dinner-making, but its steady rhythm has been somewhat interrupted this week as the station soldiers through its winter membership campaign. The station’s Pinfieldian DJs, usually discussing the most arcane of Arcade Fire tracks, stand instead one small step above begging for money from listeners. Public radio fundraising drives are a test of listener patience. Get back to the music, we think. And geez, even Click and Clack can sound desperate. …
Bruce Goldfarb
2:14 pm on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The light rail is a good idea, Chelsea. I like taking it when I can. Sadly, the light rail is not convenient to downtown Towson. more ›