If you decided to get on the backyard gardening bandwagon -- in the face of recession, the growing cost of tomatoes and/or global warming -- then I'd like to hear from you, by e-mail or Tweet or phone call. We're taking a look at the 2009 growing season, from the White House to your house, on the Midday show, from noon to 1 pm Eastern today. You can call during the show, at 410-662-8780 or toll-free at 866/661-9309, or drop our producers, Marcus and Claire, a line at midday@wypr.org.

Tell us about your experiences. Did you have success? Did your eggplant come in? How do the tomatoes look? Are you thinking of putting pickles up? Did you try the gardening thing for about three weeks, then given up completely? Let me know.

You can listen on WYPR, 88.1 FM, or on-line at www.wypr.org/listen.html

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 10:45 AM | Permalink
        

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12:00-1:00 pm Eastern: This summer of recession saw growing interest in gardens as a way to save money on grocery bills, eat locally, and help the environment. We'll take a look at what the backyard gardening scene in Maryland has yielded with Sarah Krones, Community Greening Resource Network coordinator at Parks and People; Gregory Strella, farm manager for Baltimore City Public Schools; and Brian Biggins, who runs the Miolea Organic Farm in Frederick County.

1:00-2:00 pm Eastern: Electronic medical records, a Maryland-produced alternative to the Amazon's Kindle, and Pocket Cops: we'll look at three local technology innovations with BaltTech blogger Gus Sentementes.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 7:37 AM | Permalink
        

Mr. I. Weiss got off these quick comments in reaction to those in my Wednesday column about the Obama bashers who oppose health care overhaul because "anything the government touches is a failure."

These people who attack all forms of government use the air traffic controllers when they fly and the interstates when they drive. They eat food that is healthy to eat, thanks to the USDA, and they consume medication that is proven to be safe and effective, thanks to the FDA.  In general, they support mandatory jail terms, governmental monitoring of child sex offenders, and the death penalty, all of which are expensive government programs.  One government program they seem to utilize rarely is the public library system, as they seem to get their viewpoints not from reading and critical thinking but from daily infusions of right-wing rhetoric from what has become the compost heap of talk radio.
 
I am reminded of the expression that used to be used, and perhaps still is, by the United Negro College Fund. They closed their advertisements by saying, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." Unfortunately, most of these right-wingers have minds that they fail to exercise with critical thought, and their brains are seriously atrophied from only sporadic use.

Now, this is not to say that every government program works nor that no government program is wasteful. 

Some stupid liberals said in regard to prior elections, "If that evil Republican wins, I will leave the country." They didn't.  I haven't seen any mass exodus of conservatives to other places either. The fact is that, all told, this is a great country to live in, despite the faults that we have.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 7:05 AM | Permalink
        

Nice to hear (on Labor Day, of course) from the intrepid work-life adventurer Mike Rowe, once of Baltimore and creator and host of the excellent Dirty Jobs show on Discovery. He posted my Sunday column under "What we leave behind" on his well-stocked world-of-work web site.

Even though the mail comes to San Francisco, I still think of Baltimore as home, and find myself missing it more often than not. I wanted to thank you for your most recent column. I meet and work with guys like Bob Miller everyday, and tell their stories as best I can on Dirty Jobs. Last Labor Day, I started a website called www.mikeroweWORKS.com, to try and keep the
importance of hard work and skilled labor as a worthwhile topic of conversation. Check it out if you have a moment.

Thanks, and Happy Labor Day

Mike Rowe

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 5:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

TODAY ON RADIO 88.1 FM  WYPR  WYPO  WYPF  

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1:00-2:00 pm Eastern: Does our country glorify ignorance, and why is anti-intellectualism on the rise again? Charlie Pierce, Boston Globe columnist and a regular on NPR's Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!, sees a war against expertise out there, and he thinks stupidity has become a virtue in the Land of the Free.  Questions or comments:  midday@wypr.org

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The Baltimore schools CEO, Andres Alonso, emailed a plea Thursday for donations to help pay for school uniforms for city kids. I picked this up from Noel Acton, who helps underprivileged boys and girls from the east side of town get back and forth to recreational activities. Here's the content of Alonso's letter:

I am writing to ask you to help our students and families afford the uniforms they need for school.

In the current economy, many Baltimore City Public Schools families are struggling more than ever to afford uniforms and supplies. Uniforms make our students feel more confident among their peers, and they go a long way to cultivating school spirit and a strong school culture conducive to learning and achievement.

To start the school year, we had a limited pool of funds for uniform assistance to needy families, thanks to a generous gift from The Women’s Giving Circle. But the response in the past week has been so overwhelming that the fund is already depleted. We have issued $10,000 in uniform vouchers to our students, and it appears we have only just begun to meet the need.

Please consider helping City Schools make sure all of our students are outfitted for school and able to start the new year fully ready to learn. Through our partnership with the Baltimore Community Foundation, you can make a tax-deductible donation of $25 or more to this cause. Click here to visit the Baltimore Community Foundation’s web site, or call City Schools’ Office of Partnerships, Communications and Community Engagement at 410-545-1870 for more information about the donation process.

I thank you for all that you do for our great kids and our schools.

 

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 9:00 AM | Permalink
        

I met Bob Miller -- his recent death noted in my Sunday Sun column -- in 2002, as the 50th anniversary of the opening of the first Chesapeake Bay Bridge approached. Here's the story that appeared then: The Bridge Bob Miller Built. If you drive over the bridge this Labor Day weekend, check out the rivets -- Bob tested just about everyone of them -- and remember him and the thousands who worked on that still-amazing structure, four of whom died in the effort.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:38 AM | Permalink
        

RODRICKS ON THE RADIO

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LISTEN TO PODCAST OF VAN HOLLEN INTERVIEW

Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Montgomery County Democrat who serves as assistant to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and as Democratic Congressional Campaign Chairman, believes there's still hope for health care overhaul, despite all the damage done in August. He also thinks President Obama could play the role of fixer and healer in September, starting with his speech to a joint session Wednesday. Van Hollen was on my show Thursday and he handled a bunch of smart questions from listeners with smart, concise answers. You can listen to a podcast of the interview by visiting the Midday page of WYPR's web site.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I can't imagine I could find a state official to answer this question -- from a reader named Laura on the Severn -- on the Friday of Labor Day weekend, at 4:23 pm. So I'm going to throw it out there and see who catches it. I'm going to pour it in the saucer and see what cat takes a lick at it:

"If the state decides a certain day is a furlough day and state offices, including the MVA, are closed, does that mean you cannot be cited if your tag/registration/license expires that day?"

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 4:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

TODAY ON RADIO 88.1 FM  WYPR  WYPO  WYPF  

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1:00-2:00 pm Eastern: He's football's ultimate unsung hero -- the guy who snaps the ball for extra points, field goals and punts. He's the long snapper, and no one knows his name -- until he messes up. Jeffrey Marx, one-time Baltimore Colts ball boy and now best-selling author (Season of Life) tells the story of former Baltimore Raven Brian Kinchen, who came out of retirement a few years ago to take the most thankless job in all of sports for a shot at a Super Bowl ring with the New England Patriots.

Comments or questions:  midday@wypr.org

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 9:18 AM | Permalink