A week ago today, city and state officials announced plans to tear down First Mariner Arena and replace it with an 18,500-seat, $300 million arena, possibly by 2012. Gov. Martin O'Malley and Mayor Sheila Dixon said they wanted the new venue on the site of the current one because of its proximity to the Inner Harbor, the Baltimore Convention Center and transit lines, and they said they believe it would anchor the revitalization of downtown's west side. On Midday today, we hear from M. J. Brodie, president of the Baltimore Development Corp., sports commentator Milton Kent, and Shani Tate Ross, representing the management of the Sprint Center in Kansas City. The $276 million Sprint Center opened last fall.

Midday, noon, 88.1 FM, WYPR

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David Zurawik joins me on Midday to talk about, among other things, the Emmy nominations. David has been praising AMC's Mad Men as great television -- maybe the greatest -- and I have an e-mail to read from a listener/reader challenging him on that. Where David finds cutting edge drama about pre-feminist America, this listener/reader finds a depressing depiction of male-dominated early 1960s corporate life, "Nazi Berlin without any of the art or culture."

Tune in, call in, e-mail us at midday@wypr.org, 1 pm on 88.1 FM, WYPR

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Midday today is all about farming and the future of food:

Tuesday, July 29
Noon-1:00
We'll talk with Wayne McGinnis, a fourth-generation Maryland farmer, on how to encourage a new generation of farmers, as well as Alice Ammerman, Director of the UNC Center for Health and Disease Prevention. She's working on a study of the public health impact of moving toward a local, sustainable food system. We'll also talk with Dale Allen Pfeiffer, Geologist and author of Eating Fossil Fuels: Oil, Food, and the Coming Crisis in Agriculture.

1:00-2:00
Our look at farming in the 21st century continues with a focus on the benefits of growing and buying locally grown produce. We'll talk with Brian Biggins, who runs Miolea Organic Farm in Frederick County, and Kimberly Triplett, Executive Chef for Sustainability for Bon Appetit Management Company.

88.1 FM, WYPR

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

From a reader in Mount Airy:

"I guess we're very fortunate here, where we not only have a farmer's market every Wednesday afternoon for three hours, but also have a farming family, the Knills, who operate their own produce stand just on the outskirts of town during the growing season.  . . . The next time you come to Frederick, you might want to try a new restaurant, Volt, which is using locally grown foods."
                                                                                                       -- Mary Jane Wilson

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Loads of comment came in on Friday's column on the new arena and  Sunday's column taking things a big step further with my advocating of a state-of-the-art "green" arena for Baltimore.

Thoroughly enjoyed your concept and article about the opportunity before Baltimore to make another major national impact with a green approach for a replacement to 1st Mariner!! It has moved me into wanting to do something to help it (not something I'm usually inclined to do). Can you suggest ways to help encourage the right powers-to-be to take a long, hard and sincere effort at going green? Political (city, county, state), private sector......I would like to make my voice heard and maybe influence some family and friends to get the word out. Thanks again for a wonderful idea!     -- Steve & Marianne Davies, Bel Air, MD

DR: Thanks for the note, Steve and Marianne. Here's what you do: Compose a letter supporting a green arena and send copies to Gov. O'Malley, Mayor Dixon and M.J. Brodie, the president of Baltimore Development Corp. Consider writing a letter to the editor of the Sun too.

The "greening" of a new arena is the only way to go. Your suggestions were realistic and you proved that each suggestion was achievable. Like you, I feel very strongly in reducing my carbon footprint and bringing about positive environmental change.  I have changed my lifestyle to reflect the importance of protecting our environment.   I don't want this to be an idealistic dream; this is a vision that can be achieved and I don't want the people of Baltimore to have to settle for anything less.  My next step is to contact both the mayor and the governor.   -- Felicia Stolusky

You're right.   Baltimore has got to stop thinking small.   This defeatist attitude that
the city can't support another sports franchise is nothing short of cowardly.   Remember
the attitude that the NFL was NEVER returning to Baltimore?   If Memphis,  Oklahoma City,
and other small markets can attract an NBA franchise, why can't Baltimore, especially now
that people from the suburbs do come downtown, which was not the case in 1973 when the
Bullets moved to Landover.   I'm sure you realize that cities like Indianapolis and Cleveland have built two new arenas since Baltimore opened the old Civic Center in 1962 which was functionally obsolete the day it opened.   So what is Baltimore waiting for?  -- Joe Pantaleo, Brookpark,  OH

We could not agree with you more that this facility presents an incredible opportunity to not only meet the requirements of the Green Building Legislation in both the city and the State, but also to serve as an example of how a public facility can operate responsibly.  Heck, it can even be used to educate the public about how buildings actually become "green,"  what that means, why that should actually matter to them, and perhaps how they can incorporate some of these features into their own homes and businesses, without too much cost or trouble.   The costs of green are inappropriately maligned - it's not much of an argument to say that the 2% increase in cost is not worth the 30% energy saving, or the 20% water saving, or the reduction in landfill, or the improvement in health status....
And as much as the environmental movement has reached a tipping point over the past 12 months, particularly in the building industry, there are still too many nay sayers and non believers, and there are still a great number of people who don't even know that there is a very real crisis lurking a round the corner, and that it IS going to affect them right where they live and work and play.  The environmental challenges we face are not someone else's problem anymore.  If the arena is designed by a visionary architect,  it could be built with consideration to every detail, from incorporating every scrap of metal and bolt that can be re-used, to having non toxic paints and fabrics, low flow or waterless urinals, solar energy.... and as each step progresses, the developers and owners could work with the city to make it a learning opportunity for the public.   This certainly applies to many green initiatives, because so many people still think that these energy, water, toxic material issues are going to happen somewhere else, to someone else.    Arena's are supposed to bring people together for a common cause - why not bring them together at the very beginning, as the building is being designed and the plans drawn up... we could start with day one of the design?
-- Lorraine Tunis Doo

A green arena should be a no-brainer  for any public funded contract.
-- Bob Kramer

Article could not have been more on target! Every observation...spot on! From a Baltimore native who loves Baltimore, lives in LA and who has spent time in just about every major city in the US. -- Alan

I am not a Baltimore native. Moved here two years ago to attend law school in DC. Had no plans to stay here at all. But NOW I'm looking at condos in Harbor East and planning all the ways to dump my money in Baltimore...this is a great city...with awesome potential, and even as a newcomer my heart beats fast thinking about where this city is going...  -- Nikkiyah J. Williams

I’m a 50 year old Baltimorean. Grew up in Don’tDock and I currently live in Carroll County. I love Baltimore and have watched it change from an Industrial wasteland to a thriving metropolis. I left town in 76 when I joined the Marine Corps and upon my return in '80 I was floored. The City needs this new arena. Not for the billionaires to use as a bargaining chip but for the rest of us that need other forms of entertainment. With today’s technology this could be a true state of the art arena. Pool? If I’m not mistaken didn’t they put a temporary indoor pool in for the Olympic trials? How many first rate concerts can be held in a large arena off I-95. NCAA basketball? The circus. Ice skating. Regional and national and Olympic events as well as the ever-popular Disney on Ice and don’t forget Sesame Street. Republican and Democratic national conventions. Arena Football. The Blast, if Ed Hale decides to stay. Indoor Lacrosse. Supercross and Monster truck. Don’t forget the X Games. . . . . The key is to do it right. Build an Arena that is flexible and can change to meet the demand. Baltimore has a proven track record on urban revitalization. This could be the next jewel.
-- M. Scott Jones, Petroleum Service & Installation, Inc., Frederick

As a young Baltimorean who has spent the last six years in Atlanta, I often wonder why quite frankly Baltimore isn't a bigger better city. I keep coming back to the lack of an audacious vision. It's as if we feel that we don't belong at the table with other major league cities. "Small-Think" is   why we don't have a real metro, why our skyline lacks vertical height and why most people overlook a great city for other cities in the northeast.  "Small-Think" has ingrained itself into the city's fabric ever since the Great Baltimore Fire. Both Atlanta and Chicago had Great Fires with the latter reemerging as a major international city and the former (Atlanta) becoming a major domestic city. With a new arena Baltimore has an opportunity to really reemerge on the national field. I hope that it is daring in design and symbolic of the new Baltimore. I hope that the mayor, the city council and the Annapolis legislators as well as Baltimore residents won't compromise on the size, design or location of the new arena.  -- Julian Jackson

I confess that when construction started downtown around six or seven years ago  (BEFORE the rehab of the Hippodrome Theater) on Eutaw street to build those condos on top of a parking garage around the corner from University of Maryland Medical Center, I remember thinking, "Who would want to live on top of a parking garage in this part of town?"  I was totally wrong.  Now that whole corridor is hopping. The little coffee shop (Kirby's) that serves all the medical personal on Redwood Street is more than thriving, in spite of the installation of a Starbucks practically across the street. Things have changed for the better. -- Joane Stato

In 1962, we built the largest public arena in a major league city on the east coast south of New York. We got an NBA team and a team in the highest minors of hockey when there were only six NHL teams. But...we built it 3,000 seats too small and lost out on NHL expansion just five years later.  You never know what is going to happen...but you need to be prepared.  -- Bob Leffler

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The Sun's military affairs correspondent and Military Watch blogger David Wood is my guest on Midday today at noon. Last time we spoke, he was in Afghanistan with the Marines. More on the U.S. operation in Afghanistan, where at least 19 Americans have died this month, when David joins us in Studio A.

Midday, noon-2 pm, Monday through Thursday, 88.1 FM WYPR

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Mingodale Farrm, on Masemore Road, off Mount Carmel Road in Hereford, features pick-your-own blackberries and tomatoes this week. The farm is open Wednesdays, 12-6 pm, Saturdays 10 am til 4 pm, Sundays 12-4 pm. Mingodale also sets up at the Tide Point Farmers Market on Thursdays from 4-7 p.m. You can find them at 1040 Hull Street, near Key Highway and Hull Street.

www.mingodalefarm.com
410-357-0403

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Is it a stretch to think of Baltimore as the locale of a national political convention? If we're to reach the next level as a convention destination, a spectacular new arena would be an important factor. Look at what's going on here. There are 6,847 hotel rooms in downtown, with 1,192 under
construction, including the new headquarters hotel. According to the Downtown Partnership, there are another 1,891 in the pipeline for the next four years. That's a possible total of 9,930 just
in downtown.
   That, by itself, doesn't get Baltimore in the running for a national political convention - Mob Town hasn't hosted once since the Democrats nominated New Jersey Gov. Woodrow Wilson here in 1912 - but, figuring on future hotel rooms and suburban hotels within 30 minutes of downtown, we could
make a run for it.
   And a new arena with 18,000 to 20,000 seats would be a must. Even if a presidential nominating convention is a stretch, there are many other meetings that demand the big space a new arena would provide, Thomas J. Noonan, president and CEO of the Baltimore Area Convention and
Visitors Association, told me a few months ago. The arena issue is not just about sports, not just about concerts, not just about conventions. It's about all of it.

Below are early reactions to today's column. More are welcome. But remember: This is a Small-Think/Never-Think Free Zone

"For years, the small-minded have told anyone who would listen that Baltimore can't support the NBA, can't support the NHL, can't afford a new arena, and then get offended when the national media calls our city "minor-league." This a hotbed of high-school basketball talent (don't believe me, check out espn.com for validation), one of the best underground music scenes in America (Rolling Stone said that), and a ever-changing population that is starved for new and different forms of entertainment. Remember, these are some of the same people who preferred the Stallions to the Ravens. Remember, small minds talk about people, mediocre minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas." 
-- David, Baltimore

"how to pay for a new arena? put a casino in the basement. the gambling
industry is always looking to grow, no matter the economy. they can pay
for the building. and with slots on the way, casinos are next. lets just
bite the bullet now, have 1 huge casino in bmore. the devil in the
basement pays for the arean above. just keep the doors locked!"
--john m, bmore

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

If you got a chance to see the HBO doc Hard Times At Douglass High, you might want to check out Midday at noon. The directors Alan and Susan Raymond are to be guests. 88.1 WYPR. The film airs again this weekend.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 7:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The second hour of today's Midday show is themed, "Last of its kind," products, objects, people, traditions or phenomena that are at long last unique -- or just about there. We're looking for things that are going, going . . .  but not quite gone yet.

The last pinball manufacturer, the last duckpin bowling machine repairman, the last company making washboards, the last store with a Baldwin Flyer pulley-and-crank system (tune in to find out what that's all about). If you think of other examples, please drop us an e-mail at midday@wypr.org

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Former Sun editor Ernie Imhoff, author of Good Shipmates, about the rescue and restoration of the World War II Liberty ship John W. Brown, says the ship will make a rare stop at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, where more visitors can get a tour of this almost-last-of-its-kind vessel.

• The S.S. John W. Brown, Baltimore’s still operating World War II museum ship, will visit the city’s Inner Harbor from Thursday July 31 to Sunday August 3 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her rescue and subsequent second sailing career. 
          A fixture in Baltimore since 1988, the Brown nevertheless remains an unknown quantity to many Marylanders because of her location in industrial Canton. You can get a  close-up at the Inner Harbor.
          The Brown will be open to the public at the West Wall of the Inner Harbor. Visiting hours are listed below. The ship’s company, all volunteers, will greet visitors at key spots, explain the ship and help them follow blue arrows painted on deck in self-guided tours of the entire ship.
          The 441-foot Liberty ship carried troops and cargo in the European Theater of World War II from 1942 to 1945 and landed soldiers in the 1944 invasion of Southern France. Her convoys often came under attack, ships were torpedoed near her, but the lucky Brown survived intact.  
          On her first trip in 1942, without convoy and to avoid U-boats, the Brown sailed alone from the East Coast through the Panama Canal, into the Pacific Ocean, past Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope and into the Persian Gulf to Iran where she unloaded goods for wartime ally Soviet Union.
        She was a stationary high school maritime ship in the East River and then the Hudson River in New York City after the war and was in a reserve fleet for five years before rescued by Marylanders in 1988.
         Visitors can see the engine room, museums to the merchant marine that ran the ship, the U.S. Navy Armed Guard that protected her and the shipbuilders who made her at Bethlehem Fairfield in 42 days in 1942. 
          The vessel is owned by Project Liberty Ship, Inc., (PLS) a nonprofit group of spirited veteran seamen and landlubbers who made the Brown a lucky ship once again. They pulled the vessel out of the National Reserve Fleet in the James River, Fort Eustis, VA. and saved her from probable breakup as was the fate of most of her sister ships. Of 2,710 Liberty ships built, only the Brown and the Jeremiah O’Brien in San Francisco still sail. 
           The Baltimore crew worked for three years on the ship at her new home, Pier One, Clinton Street, Canton, East Baltimore, to revive her original triple expansion steam engine and make her presentable again. She resumed sailing in 1991. She has made more than 75 voyages since then on the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean and Great Lakes. 
            The ship is owned by her 2,100 members, some of whom have worked a total of 1.3 million hours on the ship to maintain her and more hours off the ship to promote and manage her. Donations will be requested to defray expenses.
             The shipmates have raised and spent more than $15 million for the many items needed to maintain the ship. The 66-year-old ship has been in drydock several times to insert 20,000 new rivets. The Brown needs one entire barrel of oil to travel one mile and run auxiliaries.
              In 2000, the old steamship travelled 5,200 miles in the Atlantic, St Lawrence Seaway, Lakes Ontario and Erie and associated waterways in its Great Lakes trip which attracted 35,000 visitors. Top speed is 11 knots, about 13 miles an hour.
              The ship has attracted more than 200,000 visitors including 13,000 visitors last year on her Yankee Adventure trip; she stopped at Cape Cod, Portland, ME and Boston. She has visited 20 Atlantic Ports and eight ports in the Great Lakes since 1991.
            The ship’s open hours at the Inner Harbor July 31-August 3 are as follows:
           Thursday July 31: from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (last visitor off at 2:30 p.m.) and from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. (last visitor off at 9 p.m.)
           Friday August 1: from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (last visitor off at 3 p.m.) and from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. (last visitor off at 9 p.m.)
            Saturday August 2: from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last visitor off at 5 p.m.)
            Sunday August 3: from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last visitor off at 6 p.m.).
            Visitors can test their sea legs on the Brown when she sails on the Chesapeake Bay later this year. She departs from the Passenger Terminal at South Locust Point on two six-hour Saturday Living History cruises at 10 a.m. September 6 and 10 a.m. October 4.
            She will take veterans and their guests on her annual two-hour Veterans Week cruise in Baltimore Harbor at 10 a.m. Saturday November 8. 

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The housing collapse, bank failures, government bailouts, inflation in fuel and food prices – the economy is issue numero uno. At 1 pm today on the Miday show, we’ll discuss the economy with two terrific guests --  Anirban Basu, Chief Executive Officer of Sage Policy Group, and Peter Morici, Economist and Professor of Business at the University of Maryland. Midday airs on WYPR-FM, 88.1.  E-mail comments or questions at midday@wypr.org

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In a recent Wall Street Journal piece, Stephen Walters, a Loyola College economics professor, and Steve Hanke, a Hopkins professor and senior fellow at the Cato Institute, said Baltimore deserves the Third-World profile it got from the HBO series, the Wire, and they blame high taxes and wasteful spending. The mayor’s office says facts were distorted to unfairly depict Baltimore as a decaying city. We'll hear from both sides during Midday at noon, on 88.1 WYPR-FM.  E-mail comments or questions at midday@wypr.org

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

1:00-2:00 pm on WYPR-FM, 88.1
As My One and Only wraps production in Baltimore, we note that movie-making and TV production has slowed here in recent years due to lucrative incentive packages offered by other states. I’ll discuss what Maryland needs to do to attract more film production with Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson, casting director Pat Moran, and Jack Gerbes, Director of the Maryland Film Office.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Midday, 88.1, WYPR-FM

Noon-1:00
How does the increasing amount of fear in our lives affect the way we live them?  I’ll talk with Canadian journalist Daniel Gardner, author of The Science of Fear, about the many ways our irrational “gut” reactions can lead us astray and allow others to manipulate us.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I returned home from a trip just in time to see Daniel Cabrera give Detroit a 6-run first inning and make a bad play on a grounder in the second. If Cabrera could have heard what Jim Palmer was saying about him in the TV booth, the next pitch might have gone up there. Not that Cakes said anything that wasn't rational, fair and justified.

The Bad Daniel appeared again last night, and he missed a double steal and walked guys and hit one of the Tigers. Palmer sounded like a pissed-off parent in a public place. The Hall of Famer controlled himself, saying lots of negative things about Bad Daniel in the most pleasant way possible. It has become one of the most entertaining hours in sports television -- Jim Palmer commenting on Daniel Cabrera's pitching.

The whole time I'm listening to this, I'm imagining what Palmer would really like to say: "Dahn-yell-ay! You obtuse stork! Don't you know they all steal on you? Could you throw a change' once in a while? Have you heard anything I've been saying for the last five years?" And Palmer thought Trembley should have ordered someone to warm up in the bullpen when Cabrera started off yet another inning with a walk. It's what Earl would have done.

I enjoy this Palmer-Cabrera thing. I look forward to it. It's like listening to a retired Johns Hopkins professor commenting from the balcony while one of his students, now a surgeon himself, lectures below -- we hear all the points the protégé missed, about his limited diagnostic imagination, his sophomoric understanding of human physiology, his poor choice of surgical instruments. It's a great learning experience, really. It brings out the best in Palmer. He'd have made a terrific medical examiner, dissecting cadavers and dictating the reasons for their premature deaths. CBS should cast Palmer in the lead of a new drama: CSI Cabrera.

At some point, you wanna turn to the professor emeritus and say, "Why don't you go down there, put on a gown and show him how to do it!"

Of course, Palmer has counseled Cabrera, which might be why he sounds so vexed when Bad Daniel appears. It's great television. I may never go to a game when Cabrera pitches, just so I can stay home and listen to this. Please, MASN, when it's time for Cabrera, it's gotta be time for Cakes. 

Nestor Aparicio's comments on Cakes in b

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 8:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Alan Magan, an organic grower from Anne Arundel County and founder of Chesapeake Gardens, says his outfit is planning to get into food processing. "We decided about two years ago to open a kitchen to process local meat and produce from farmers in the region and make ready-to-eat soups and salads. We finally found a kitchen and obtained the necessary permits. We're planning a grand opening on August 20 at the kitchen (and small attached cafe)."

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The production, processing, packaging and distribution of food -- by refirigerated sea, air, train and truck freight -- has been linked in a major way to the production of greenhouse gases and global warming. While the main concern with the globalization of food systems is the escalating cost because of energy prices, there is an evironmental factor. A friend in Harford County sent along this link -- from a California restaurant management company that has integrated local farm products into its services -- that allows you to calculate the environmental cost of your meal: www.eatlowcarbon.org

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Lots of comments by e-mail on yesterday's column about a green renaissance and promoting more local and regional farming for market produce, fish and meat. Here's some comment from Brian Biggins, who runs Miolea Organic Farm in Frederick County.

 We've talked with people all over the states and we all have similar stories to the one you opened with.  Mine was a man who drove up as we were packing up for the day.  He was in a brand new Cadillac, had all this gold on around his neck and wrists, diamond pinky ring etc.  I was selling organic tomatoes 2 for $1.  I had a bag of six tomatoes left and I told the man the price was 2 bucks.  He looked at them and said how bout 1.50. I took the bag back and told him to have a good day.  These same people, that try to get reduced prices, are the same ones that will go out and spend much more for perfume and cologne or a lavish dinner and not think twice about it.

But when you talk about freshness and food safety, local takes the prize.  When was the last time you heard of a vegetable recall from a small local farm or a beef recall from a local butcher?  I'm not that old but I don't recall any.  But if you look at these huge industrial farms the way they do business not only harms the land but kills us.  The feds tell us our food supply is safe. Maybe, but the local food supply is unsurpassed when it comes to freshness and a lack of nasty pathogens.

You have two kinds of farm market consumers out there -- those that get it and those that don't.  The later are the ones that want a deal one way or the other, could care less about the origin, or what was used to make it grow.  The former want not only to buy from you but want to know the history of the product, who grew it, where was it grown, when was it picked what variety of vegetable it is -- is it a Diva cucumber or a Marketmore?  The "ones that get it" want to talk about recipes and how best to use the product they are buying.  They want to know how long it lasts and what kinds of herbs or spices are best with certain dishes.  Today's produce farmer has to do it all from planning, growing, harvesting and most importantly selling.

I feel there is a change brewing now were more people are looking back to foods that had taste, what I call nostalgia foods -- foods that we ate as kids because they were in season.  Foods that we ate that didn't have all of these petroleum and corn derivatives.  When beef, chicken and pork wasn't shot up with hormones and antibiotics because they were kept in such deplorable conditions and fed food that they couldn't digest.  Foods that our grandmothers use to make from scratch from ingredients that were purchased from the Arabber, these are the foods I'm talking about.

You are right, most people do not have a clue as to what it takes to grow vegetables, fruits and berries let alone trying to do it organically.  The people that get it do, they know the struggle and they are grateful for all your efforts and hard work.  And they tell you!!  My wife and I both work outside the farm, which is typical of about 85% to 90% of the small farms in the nation.  We always struggle to break even for the season and sometimes we do better and sometimes we do worse.  Prices are not cheap when it comes to buying organic seed, or organic fertilizer, or organic chicken feed to raise free range eggs.  We set our prices according to what market prices are at the time.  For people that don't get it, they think you threw some seeds in the ground, you got stuff to sell and all you had to do is buy the seed. No thought goes into what bacteria or virus was attacking the plant, no thought as to what insects were trying to eat it or how you kept the weed population down enough so the actual vegetable could get the nutrients out of the ground.  No these same people will buy fruit from the local supermarket, that comes from Chile or other South American countries, that contain trace levels of pesticides that are outlawed in the USA -- and think nothing of it..

I become jumpy about late Januaury when we start to plan what our garden will look like and what will be planted.  Great debate takes place when talking about the corn and tomato placement.  I'm down right giddy when I'm able to hook the tiller up to the tractor for the first time and till the winter cover under for green manure.  It's hard work but it's worth it, it's viceral, it's ancestral. We are not that far removed from when we were a total agrarian society.  There is nothing like a tomato grown in Maryland, picked from the vine and eaten.  Or sweet corn coming off the stalk and cooked imediately.  I love planting seeds and watching them grow and I still get a thrill when I see the first sign of fruit.  I thank my chickens when I take their eggs.  We take our role as  stewards of the land very seriously.  As do all of the other people I know in the Frederick farming community.
 
We were fortunate enough to be able to purchase a farm and land that was once owned by Charles Carroll, he was the last living and only Catholic signer of the Decleration of Independance.  There have been 11 owners since the house was built in 1837 and although the land and house are in our name we don't look upon it as ownership as much as stewardship, we are here just trying to keep it running and functioning as a farm for next owner.

I also wanted to point out that Maryland has a program where they match young farmers with experienced farms so they can learn and eventualy take over the farm.  It is part of the MD Dept. of Agricultre.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The world-reknown pediatric neurosurgeon from Johns Hopkins, who received the Medal of Freedom from President Bush at the White House last month, will be our guest on Midday at 1 pm today. The interview was recorded Tuesday for air today. I was surprised by the famous doctor's views on corporal punishment for children. He also presented a perspective on taxation of the wealthiest that I did not expect (though considering George Bush chose Carson for the medal, I probably should have. Carson says he's politically independent.) It was certainly an interesting and wide-ranging conversation. Midday airs from noon to 2 on WYPR, 88.1

The first hour is a live interview with another interesting man -- Bill Thomas, a true outside-the-box thinker on the subject of elder care. The UMBC professor wants to tear down nursing homes and replace them with small, home-like environments where people can live full and socially active lives. His "Green Homes" are coming to Maryland, and Thomas has a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to support Green House projects across the country.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I was speaking with Shaun Ferris, an ag specialist with Catholic Relief Services, about this idea of a small-farm renaissance in the United States, and whether such a thing is feasible. It's the subject of today's column. One thing Ferris suggested -- when a farmer gets ready to retire and considers putting his land up for sale, the first option should be a sale or lease for continued agriculture, not development of another kind. Good idea, but easier said than done.

Thirty years ago, in northern Baltimore County, I met a young man who bought a relatively small farm to raise hogs. He'd graduated from Hereford High, belonged to FFA, had plenty of family support and he was a hard worker. But he couldn't make the pigs fly. The first fluctuation in costs -- it was 1979, Jimmy Cardigan was president, the ayatollahs came to power in Iran, and we had an energy crisis -- and the young man was out of business.

So this is a tough deal. But not impossible. Consortiums can be formed. The state and county governments can offer a retiring farmer a great deal if he agrees to place the land in ag preservation. (Such a program is already in place but needs to be better funded and more aggressively supported and promoted by the state.) Give a co-operative of young farmers and their families time to get up and running. Let them work the land with an option to buy.

Ferris was right: if we're going to make any effort to put more Maryland-grown food on the tables of Marylanders, we need to sustain the family farm as a farm, and build from there. That needs to be the first option.

Where it can't be done, imagine if every developer in Maryland were forced to design new housing to leave room for ag land. Instead of 40 houses spread over 70 acres, build 40 houses in a cluster on 40 acres, leave the rest for open space and lease a good chunk to a farmer for market crops. The people who live in the development get a share of the harvest.

The state and counties could undertake a land inventory for the purpose of identifying lands where crops can be grown under lease agreements with farmers or even community organizations.

Have you ever seen the amount of acreage of roof there is in Hunt Valley, the old mall? Can't somebody grow something up there? If not a crop, at least something green, something that sucks up carbon dioxide and produces oxygen. The folks up at the Masonic home would certainly have a bonnie blink (Scottish for "beautiful view") again.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

This is a follow-up to last Thursday's column, about the brother and sister of one Avonn Cooper, an Army private shot by a guard at Fort Meade in 1941. Cooper's brother, David Manning, of Towson, had never been able to locate the private's grave at the garrison, and he and his sister, Flora Fitzgerald, had a lot of questions about the circumstances of Cooper's death, including:

1. Why was he shot when, as a prisoner, he ran away from a work detail?

2. Cooper had been serving a one-year sentence for desertion -- he'd walked off his post in North Carolina a year earlier -- and he had been shot while allegedly trying to escape from Fort Meade. Why was he given full military honors?

We had help from a former JAG officer in answering the second question. Cooper's case had not been fully ajudicated; his one-year sentence had not been approved by higher Army authorities at the time of his death. Nor had he been dishonorably discharged. Therefore, as a private, he was entitled to the usual honors bestowed on an active-duty soldier.

The answer to the first question -- why Cooper was shot from behind, apparently in the neck -- is much tougher. And now that he's revisited this sad episode in the life of his family, and spoken to former military officers who contacted him after last Thursday's column, David Manning has even more questions.

"I went to Fort Meade on Sunday," he told me. "I found my brother's grave in the post cemetery. It was not easy, as the location you were given was only partially correct. Emotionally, it was difficult as well. I have requested his service record as well as the results of the investigation of the shooting. From talking to [former military officers], my inclination at this point is that at the very least the shooting was a wrongful death. As [one of the officers] said, in all his years, he had never heard of anyone being shot for desertion or trying to run away. U.S. Army policy has always been not to shoot any prisoner to kill, and without launching into a long diatribe, his running was absolutely not a capital offense. . . "

More to come

-30-

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Twenty-one years ago, he jumped over a fence on the border of Mexico and California and joined the long line of poor immigrants coming into the United States. This summer, he is one of the doctors featured in the six-part ABC series HOPKINS, a neurosurgeon who was once a migrant worker.  The tale of Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa' rise from the tomato fields of California to the OR of the best hospital in the world stands out for its remarkable measure of determination and talent, and it comes in the midst of the high political season, with illegal immigration a flash-point national issue. Join us for a conversation with Dr. Quinones, after the news at 1 on Midday, 88.1, WYPR-FM. E-mail comments or questions via midday@wypr.org

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

John Davis last week received the Board of Governors Emmy Award for his role as creator, host and executive producer of the MPT-produced MotorWeek show, as well as senior executive producer of Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser during its run. The programs are two of public television’s longest-running series. MotorWeek is in itrs 27th season. John will be in Studio A at noon today to talk cars -- specifically, fuel-efficient cars of the future. Hybrid, electric, natural gas-powered, we'll go over all of this. Can an electric car save GM? Comments or questions welcome at midday@wypr.org

Midday 88.1 WYPR-FM

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Today at noon on Midday – Johns Hopkins scholar Charles Doran shares his ideas on how the United States might break its dependency on foreign oil. He's author of a new piece in The American Interest entitled, "Life after Easy Oil."  88.1 WYPR-FM  E-mail questions at midday@wypr.org

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Today on Midday show, 88.1 WYPR-FM

Noon-1:00
Derek Chollet, formerly of the Clinton State Department and author of America Between the Wars, on how the foreign policy decisions between the fall of the Berlin Wall on 11/9 and the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11 shape the events, arguments and politics of the world we live in today.
1:00-2:00
Richard Thompson Ford, Stanford law professor, on playing the race card, and how bluffing about discrimination makes race relations worse.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 8:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Here's a look at the 1976 BMW 2002 mentioned in today's column, restored by Carroll Kohler and the subject of an upcoming raffle. For more photos, click here. If all tickets for the raffle are sold, it could potentially raise $60,060 for an African charity. Kohler says he's had one offer for the car -- guy from New Jersey suggested $22,500. If you read the entire record (below) of Kohler's work on the car, it's clear he put several thousand into it. The record is impressive.

MECHANICS

I. Engine -  stage II re-manufactured
A. Head  74-E12, 46 mm intake, 38 mm exhaust – ported/polished. head
milled .010.
 1. Shrick 292 cam, double springs BMW series 5, Teflon seals,
  valve guides – new, titanium valve keys, blue printed rockers,
 rocker shafts, head bolts, high compression head gasket, distributor
 Tii mechanical advanced:  all new
2. Intake – cannon manifolds polished/ported, 2-40 DCOE webers
 rebuilt and jetted to match cam/pistons, detailed.
3. Exhaust – Bavarian Motors header, reinforced ring welds, ported,
 coated and polished.

B.     Block 74-2002 decked and detailed.
 1. New – water pump, oil pump valve, pistons Euro tii 9:5-1,
  Bearings, rods and mains (oversized), timing chain, tensioner,
  guide rail, gear sprocket on crank and cam, total sea gapless rings,
  rod bushings, seals and gaskets.  Bored ½ mm over.  crank turned
  and polished.  crank, pistons, rods – balanced.

II. Drive train -  new clutch, pressure plate, bearing, flywheel faced/balanced to
 engine with clutch assembly attached.
 A. Transmission – rebuilt by Carroll Kohler
  1. All bearings, thrust washers, synchros (Borg-Warner) 1st/2nd gear
   shift hub, lay shaft gear train – re-aligned to output shaft gear
   train.  shift springs, speedo gear, seals and gaskets, tolerance blue
   printed to .0001, painted case.  mounting and shift bracket
   hardware restored.

 B. Drive shaft -  replaced new with guibos

 C. Rear 390 stock – ok

 D. Half shafts – original ok, back up set included

III. Brake system -  stock except Tii Booster added (rebuilt) to accommodate webers.
 A. Master cylinder – new 2002

 B. Front calipers rebuilt – detailed

 C. Rotors and drums turned, pads and shoes replaced

 D. New wheel cylinders

 E. New lines from master cylinder to front wheels

 F. Front stainless steel brake lines installed

 G. Parking brake adjusted – ok cables previously replaced.

IV. Clutch Pedal Box – completely restored with new bushings, shims, hardware, and rubber, inside and out.

V. Front End Suspension (Cradle) stock
 A. Removed and disassembled, detailed
 B. New ball joints, link arms, center link.  bushings – ok
 C. Adjusted/detailed steering box
 D. New Boge shocks
 E. Aligned
 F. Stabilizer bar hardware replaced new.  brackets, rubber and mounts

VI. Rear Suspension – stock 390 rear original
 
COACH WORKS
I. Body and Trim parts –
 A. New Parts
  1. Entire upper chrome trim package with hardware
  2. Gaskets – doors, windows, trunk, sunroof, tail lenses,
   handles, and mirrors
  3. All lenses, headlights, license plate lights – including fixtures
  4. Lower trim package and rocker trim including hardware
  5. Mirror, door handles, emblems, locks, model numbers and decals
  6. Bumpers – polished and restored
  7. Sun roof – completely restored, polished and cables
  8. Glass – front windshield and both rear wings
  9. Door thresholds with gaskets
10. Latch and strike assembly on doors, trunk, and engine hood restored
11. Wheels – 1976 Italian BWA’s powder coated
12. Back up set of wheels – BMW 320 powder coated
13. Spare tire and wheel original equipment replaced

 B. Sheet metal
  1. Completely disassembled stripped to metal, doors inside and out,
   deck lid under and over, engine hood under and over, engine
   compartment trunk, under the trunk, all four (4) wheel wells
   trans tunnel and gas tank.  Front and rear floor pans original
  2. Shock towers replaced
  3. Rockers original
  4. All seems coated with industrial two (2) part epoxy (flex) and
   water proof with epoxy primers e.g. – trunk, wells, engine
   compartment, shock towers, and rockers
  5. Body parts replaced – driver’s wheel arch cut and welded
  6. Body work applied over wheel arch, shock towers, corners of
   rockers, driver’s door, top left side of engine hood and headlight
   well.  All other metal is original without filters.
  7. Only collision evidence appeared at the left front fender side by
   hood and fender well; based on previous body filler discovered
   when stripping the metal, all other areas Certified by Master ASE
   Body and Fender Technician as original and accident free
  8. Gravel guard/shutz applied to all areas where original factory
   coatings were.

C. Paint – by PPG; primer surfacer, epoxy primer/sealer and finish coat acrylic lacquer.  NO CLEAR COAT APPLIED.
 1. Primer surfacer and putty kote was used in the blocking process
  wet sanded to 600 grit prior to sealing
 2. Metal was treated with chemical etching, prior to primer coat
 3. All finished primer and paint prep done by hand
 4. Prior to painting,  primer was cured for two weeks in a controlled   
   environment
  5. A final 600 grit wet sand followed by a epoxy sealer was applied
  6. 1 dry/tack coat of lacquer was applied and scuffed
  7. 2 coats full wet applied, flash dry, and scuffed
  8. Same as step number 7
  9. Same as step number 7
  10. 1 wet thin coat applied
  11. 1 wet retarder coat, misted twice to allow flow
  12. Paint cured for one year and paint process was duplicated on entire
   bottom part of car, everything except roof and side pillars
  13. Pain cured for two months prior to polishing

 D. Paint polish and care
  1. Final finish was obtained by wet sand 600, 1000, 1500, 2000, extra
   fine compound, polish, then zymol wax applied

INTERIOR
I. Upholstery
 A. Headliner – patterned after original liner installed cloth
 B. Seats – recovered in tweed / vinyl, new horsehair
 C. Visors – new leather
 D. Carpet – new, piece set
 E. Panels – restored rear, restored front (European)
 F. Dashboard – original 
 G. Seat Belts – original
 H. Wood Trim – custom mahogany (including shift knob)
 I. Steering Wheel – Nardi Mahogany
 J. Stereo – CD by Sony ™, powered by Audio Art ™, and JL Audio ™
  speakers; combined power 500 watts, 50 amps
 K. Gauge Pot – after market custom, VDO gauges
 L. Kick Panels – custom made
 M. Heater Box – completely restored, new heater core
 N. Air Condition – all new except condenser and evaporator
 O. Floor – stripped to the pans, painted, coated with liquid rubber, then ¼  in.
  self adhesive roofing material, sound deadening jute applied behind rear
  panels and rockers, upper and lower back seat, and on the floor

SPECIAL FEATURES / OPTIONS
 
* Last year 2002 was made, factory black
* Stored with extreme care
* Operated on “The Ten Best Days of the Year” philosophy
* Restoration completed September 1999;
a brand “new” – “old” ultimate driving machine
* Stage II : Remanufactured engine
* Custom Paint
* Custom Stereo
* Custom woodwork with European panels
* Custom Nardi steering wheel
* Custom upholstery and headliner
* Added gauges – clock, amp. meter, oil pressure
* Detailed engine, trunk, front end
* Custom bumpers
* Italian BWA wheels, Spare set 320 wheels
* Added sound proofing
* Added water proofing
* Factory Air – new hoses, compressor, receiver / dryer, pressure valve, writing and relays (R-12)
* Factory Sunroof detailed

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I parked near Sound Garden in Fells Point yesterday and noticed -- sorry, if I'm just picking up on this -- that Kabobbi's was gone. That's the yummy-curry-Indian place that used to be right next to it. Then I put two and two together and realized that Kabobbi's had moved to a new location because of Sound Garden's expansion. I found Kabobbi's at an odd location, Gough and Central, near Little Italy, but the offerings just as good. (Harry Patel, the owner, specializes in Gujarati Indian cuisine.) I took home the lamb and chicken kabab platters, with rice and two vegetables. ($9.99 and $10.99) Wonderful spices -- just right, I would say -- and plentiful portions. The eggplant-and-potato mix was delicious, as well as the stewed chick peas, the Basmati fresh and light. For something different, worth a try.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Here's a recent e-mail exchange with a woman named Amy, an addict's mother.

Dan: I have never written to any columnist before, but, your recent column on
addicts got me thinking, which is something I have been trying not to do for
the past year.  My 21-year-old daughter died last July 9 of a drug
overdose. Her story is vastly different from those who you write about, yet
it has the same sad ending. My daughter was raised in a two-parent, loving
and stable home in the suburbs. We ate dinner together every night.  She was
beautiful, popular and healthy. She played sports, tried cheerleading, went
to college and ended up addicted first to painkillers and moved to heroin
addiction in the span of two years. She asked for help and we provided it, four 30-day rehabs. When she relapsed for the fourth time, she went to Arizona
for 12 months to another program geared to young adults. She died five months
after completing the program.  She was highly educated in the addiction and
relapse world, but she ultimately went back to drugs.  This is where the
pain part comes in. From the outside it looked like she had the whole world
in front of her. She didn't live in a slum and witness shootings and crime,
so what was her pain? I will never know, but, I do know that if my child
could become an addict anybody's child could, too. Too often we read the
papers and think this will never happen to me, I don't live that kind of
life. My family is here to say it can happen to you and it just might.
Thanks for listening.

Amy: The power of addiction is just so strong -- too strong for many. Drugs have a tremendous amount of power over the brain. I'm very sorry for your loss. That is a mystery -- about pain. Some forms are obvious. The man I wrote about a week ago was sitting on his mother's lap when his father shot her. That seems obvious, a traumatic event causing pain for life. But then there's the quiet, inner pain of depression and desperation. Two of my closest friends in life have had the same experience as yours. They have been baffled forever. I am sorry for your loss. Yours is a kind of pain I cannot imagine. Thanks for having the strength to write.

Dan: Your words did bring me some comfort, especially when you describe the power drugs have over an addict.  When my daughter first went to Father Martins, they asked us if we believed that addiction was a disease.  At the time I said, 'No.'  After watching my daughter
struggle and learning much about drug addiction I changed my mind and I do
absolutely believe this is a disease and it upsets me that the best 'cure'
can be offered in church basements -- although I did see that those kids who
had some faith seemed to do better than those who did not. It is truly  a
miracle when someone can overcome their addiction.  I hope my story can help others who are struggling.
Thanks, Amy

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The talk of Midday at 1 pm today:

Tomorrow, July 11, marks 60 years since a tennis match in Druid Hill Park that became part of Baltimore’s civil rights history. On July 11, 1948, 24 protesters were arrested after staging a demonstration on Druid Hill Parks’ segregated clay courts and supporting a mixed-race match there. If not the first, it was among the first interracial protests against Jim Crow segregation in Baltimore. The protest took place six years before the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, seven years before the bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala. Some of the demonstrators were convicted of charges in a Baltimore court. In what turned out to be his last column in the Evening Sun, H.L. Mencken commented on the verdicts. Here are some excerpts from Mencken's Nov. 9, 1948 column:

   ... There remains an underlying question, and it deserves to be considered
seriously and without any reference whatever to the cases lately at bar. It is
this: Has the Park Board any right in law to forbid white and black citizens,
if they are so inclined, to join in harmless games together on public
playgrounds? Again: Is such a prohibition, even supposing it is lawful,
supported by anything to be found in common sense and common decency?

   I do not undertake to answer the first question, for I am too ignorant of
law, but my answer to the second is a loud and unequivocal No. A free citizen
in a free state, it seems to me, has an inalienable right to play with
whomsoever he will, so long as he does not disturb the general peace. If any
other citizen, offended by the spectacle, makes a pother, then that other
citizen, and not the man exercising his inalienable right, should be put down
by the police.

   Certainly it is astounding to find so much of the spirit of the Georgia
Cracker surviving in the Maryland Free State, and under official auspices. The
public parks are supported by the taxpayers, including the colored taxpayer,
for the health and pleasure of the whole people. Why should cops be sent into
them to separate those people, against their will, into separate herds? Why
should the law set up distinctions and discriminations which the persons
directly affected themselves reject?

   ... It is high time that all such relics of Ku Kluxry be wiped out in
Maryland. The position of the colored people ... has been gradually improving
in the State, and it has already reached a point surpassed by few other
states. But there is still plenty of room for further advances. ... . The Park
Board rule is irrational and nefarious. It should be got rid of forthwith.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Today on Midday at noon: Research by the Nation magazine and the Investigative Fund of the Nation Institute says the subprime crisis, fostered by the practices of banks and other lenders, has disproportionately hurt the black middle class, resulting in a loss of more than $200 billion in wealth and threatening minority advancement for a generation. Kai Wright, who wrote the July 14 Nation cover story, The Subprime Swindle, will be on Midday today at noon, along with Marvin “Doc” Cheatham, president of the Baltimore NAACP.  Midday, noon to 2 pm , 88.1 WYPR-FM, WYPF Frederick, WYPO Ocean City

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

As much as we despise Big Oil -- except, of course, those of us who have pension funds soaked in it -- I hear quiet praise for the price at the pump, and it's coming from two generations: Those who have lived through a couple of gas crunches and knew by the 1970s that we had to move to alternative fuels, and the 20-somethings who think the switch to a greener culture is way overdue and that the only thing that would chasten the HummerHeads is what we have now, $4 a gallon and rising. Here's an epistle from my nephew, Joseph, who's endeavoring to use bike-and-transit each day in his commute from a town on the South Shore of Massachusetts to a job in Boston. This is the first time Joey has been moved to write to his uncle, so I'd say something's afoot.

"My commute is 75 to 100 miles per day by car. A year ago I
bought a different car that got almost twice the mileage as my previous vehicle.
Now gas costs nearly twice as much. So that ends up not helping. Now I take
the train. It costs me the same for the MBTA monthly-pass as it would
for gasoline for the month. I spend three hours a day on a train (or
subway). A a tank of gas now lasts me a month.

"I'll ride my bike the three miles to the train station as the bike racks
are free, while parking is $2 per day. (The weather hasn't been
cooperating as much as I'd like but I ride when I can.)

I've learned to greatly appreciate audiobooks and podcasts. They help
avoid the inherently depressing observations of subway life in the
greater Boston area. There is, as yet, no portable technology to
remove the smell of urine from the subconscious while commuting but I
hear Apple's working on that as well.

"I have the very un-popular opinion that $4/gallon gasoline is among
the most progressive things ever to happen to this country. The Big
Oil, (combined worldwide revenue of $1.25 trillion in 2007) in
their insatiable thirst for more money, has unwittingly started a
revolution. Ask the auto industry.

"I frequently hear something along the lines of 'in Europe they've been
paying $10 a gallon for a long time.' True, and the entire culture of Europe, to speak
nothing of its infrastructure, is built around mass transit.

"In Boston I can take my bike with me on a train, except during rush
hours. While I understand that the train is busy and there may be no
room for my bike, I find the trains most busy during rush hours
because that's when people commute! How am I to combine my rail use
with bike use when I can't take my bicycle on the train?

"Hopefully our Big Oil-inspired reform will trickle down.
Hopefully big change is on the way. I'd really rather plug my car in
overnight and top off the gasoline when needed.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

In the second hour of Midday today, an opportunity to hear from -- and ask questions of -- Sue Halpern, New Yorker writer and scholar in residence at Middlebury College, on what she learned from scientists on the frontier of research into Alzheimer's, dimentia and memory loss. If you've had a relative with Alzheimer's, or if you find yourself concerned with more "senior moments" than you'd like, you might want to know what Sue Halpern learned from the years she spent in the company of neuroscientists, nutritionists, pharmacologists and psychologists. Can't Remember What I Forgot -- some good news, and some hope, from the front lines of memory research -- at 1 pm on Midday.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The producers at the Midday show have assembled a list of links to all people, companies, products and associations mentioned on yesterday's Green Day show. This is a pretty good start for anyone looking for ideas for living greener -- from battery-powered lawn mowers to a rain barrel workshop to the wonders of moss (as a replacement for lawns) to eating more home-grown food and getting $15 off the purchase of your next tree:

Midday Green Day List

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Today on Midday at noon: On Sunday the New York Times reported a pushback -- from Republican businesmen, among others -- on local and state efforts to crackdown on illegal immigrants in the workplace. Local and state pols, with the full cooperation of conservative talk shows, have taken up what had been a federal matter, and the result has been a growing number of raids and deportations conducted randomly by local law enforcement in partnership with the feds. We had one in Anne Arundel County last week, with 45 undocumented workers, employes of an Annapolis painting company, detained. Business owners who rely on immigrants are starting to speak out. ImmigrationWorks USA is a national organization representing businesses calling for common-sense reform of immigration laws in the midst of a rancorous debate that appears to have splintered the Republican party. His position on immigration -- similar to President Bush's -- is going to create problems for John McCain with the most strident and vocal branch of his party. Tamar Jacoby of ImmigrationWorks gives her perspective. Other perspectives are welcome at midday@wypr.org (please keep comments and questions brief) or by calling 410-662-8780 during the show. We invited Anne Arundel County executive John Leopold, who supports crackdowns on illegals in his county, but his office declined the invitation to participate in the program.

Midday, 88.1 WYPR-FM, noon to 2 pm, Mondays through Thursdays

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

What have you done in the past year to live healthier and with a greater consciousness about the environment and resources?. . .  Are you doing more common-sense things to save on energy? Are you driving less, walking more? Have you made a connection to a local farmer for fresh produce?
Are you doing more with less generally?
Do you consider yourself greener today than you were a year ago?
Drop us a line and we might read your comments on the air:  midday@wypr.org

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Here's yesterday's Midday Word Quiz, in case you missed it. One of three definitions is correct; see if you can pick the correct one.

Remember: No cheating, no Googling, no dictionary.com

Just do it -- on the honor system. Answers here.

1. CONFABULATE
   a. To make or become more compact
   b. To chat informally
   c. To put into good or proper condition
2. DOBBIN
   a. A horse, especially a work horse
   b. An impoundment for stray animals
   c. A cable connector, metal or plastic
3. DOSIMETER
   a. Device that measures strength of floors for dancing
   b. An instrument that measures the amount of radiation absorbed in a given period.
   c. An instrument that measures the amount of water needed to extinguish a forest fire
4. MORAINE
   a. a deposit of boulders, gravel, sand left by a glacier
   b. long, slender spatula used to make crepes
   c. a swamp or marsh
5. OBSEQUIOUS
   a. noisy or unruly
   b. tenaciously unwilling to yield or surrendur
   c. showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning
6. PHALAROPE
   a. Any of several small wading shorebirds
   b. Tall summer perennial plant, native to Eastern U.S.
   c. A bone of a finger or toe
7. LOCAVORE
   a. one obssessed with the study of mental illness, insanity
   b. a person who attempts to eat only foods grown locally
   c. one who consumes animal organs
8. POSTLUDE
   a. A short bugle call written in memorial to a commanding officer
   b. An organ voluntary played at the end of a church service
   c. Refering to the after-effects of drug-induced sleep or hypnosis
9. MERETRICIOUS
   a. Having value, of highest quality.
   b. Vulgar, falsely attractive, characteristic of prostitute.
   c. Being earnest, sincere
10. PHRENOLOGY
    a. study of the shape and irregularities of the human skull
    b. the craft of preserving leaves in wax
    c. the study of ancient human hygiene practices
11. NOISOME
    a. MAKING A loud RACKET
    b. BEING overly INQUISITIVE, nosey
    c offensive or disgusting, as an odor
12. PHLEGMATIC
    a. mean-spirited
    b. impassive
    c. mysterious
    

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The theme of Midday today is green. We'll be looking at what easy changes we can make in our daily lives to contribute to the green movement.  Our guests include:

Sarah Zaleski, from the Office of Sustainability in Baltimore City, part of Mayor Dixon's initiative for a Cleaner Greener Baltimore; Clark Semmes, a co-founder of the Mount Washington Green Club, "devoted to finding ways to tread a little more lightly on the earth"; Meredith Niles, coordinator for the Cool Foods Campaign, dedicated to taking a bite out of global warming by suggesting better, more local food choices; Bob Donald, owner of CDM-eCycling, a group that recycles anything with a plug or battery; Diana Cohen from the Growing Home Campaign, an effort to increase Baltimore County's tree canopy; David Benner, owner and founder of Moss Acres in Pennsylvania, on the benefits of replacing your grass lawns with moss; and Darren Crew of the Harring Run Watershed Association, on political and personal action to protect the environment. He's big on rain barrels.

Midday, noon to 2 pm, 88.1 WYPR

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 8:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I enjoyed getting this note about -- and recipe for -- grilled chicken from an Eastern Shore farmer named Mark Sultenfuss. He was listening to the Midday show the other day, when City Paper contributor and food nerd Henry Hong discussed great barbecued ribs and grilled chicken in Maryland. Sultenfuss wants no particular credit for the recipe; it's more of a community concoction -- called the 4-H Park Chicken, a highlight of the annual Queen Anne's County Fair.

"Lately I've been in the tractor listening to the radio a lot. The other day you were talking about barbecue. I wanted to mention to you about the best chicken recipe I know.  The recipe is widely used here in the Centreville/ Queenstown area and our family affectionately calls it 4-H Park Chicken. We call it that because it is the
recipe used at the Queen Anne's County Fair when they do the chicken dinner, on the Wednesday night of the fair.  I do it here at home and everywhere around here for special occasions, or just a Sunday dinner.  We make it for the County Farm Bureau picnic and the local churches and fire departments use it for fundraisers, too.

"It's a simple recipe and can be multiplied to do however much chicken you are
cooking:

"One part vegetable oil, two parts vinegar; a couple of eggs (or many
more for a large batch), lots of salt; lots of poultry seasoning and some
black pepper.  Mix it all up and dunk the chicken parts in it before laying
them on the grill.  Whenever you turn the chicken, sop with the mix.

"Frankly, grilled chicken this way is my favorite. Come on out to the QA
Fair and get a taste this summer in early August.
"The Queene Anne's fair is the week of August 11th, Monday to Saturday.  Wednesday night is the chicken dinner and it has always seemed to be the 'big night' at the fair, though every night has something great. If you've never been to it, it is a real agriculturally-centered, county fair -- lots of farm animal competitions, crop competition, crafts, wholesome nightly entertainment, a slice of apple pie from the past showing off the way of life we love and want to hang on to."

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

So Germano Fabiani -- the Germano of Germano's -- dares to go where no other Little Italy restaurateur has gone before -- offering a cabaret on Thursday nights. Thursday July 31 is "press night," so watch out. That's right out of Big Night, where the brothers (Stanley Tucci and Tony Shahloub) who run the struggling Italian restaurant, invite "the press" to an elaborate meal, and everyone's expecting to see the famous band leader Louie Prima, but Prima never posts. But I digress. Germano is gathering the press for a Big Night to announce the cabaret's fall lineup. Got to hand it to the guy for trying something few places bother with -- live entertainment to augment the food.

www.germanostrattoria.com

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Your article "Try on a New Set of Wheels" truly resonated with us as we are both SUV drivers and cyclists and are trying to decrease our driving and increase our pedaling!  We have been cyclists for years and have biked around many areas of the United States and Europe and have frequently commented how un-bicycle friendly and dangerous the roads of Baltimore are, with little or no shoulder in many places.

And while we are seasoned cyclists, not intimidated by the lack of space for bikes along the road and don't mind making our own bike lanes, and have learned to tolerate and ignore motorists who honk at us when we occupy "their" space, to others who would like to emulate David Schapiro's approach to reducing their carbon footprints, these conditions are discouraging and often frightening.  It is my belief that our roads must be made more biker-friendly before there is a real shift in the commuting habits of Baltimoreans. 

There are plenty of other cities that can serve as models for our communities -- Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Boulder, even Washington, DC.  Perhaps our State and County/City legislators and/or highway administrators can come up with just a bit more asphalt when repaving to add another 18" or so on each side of the road to create a bike lane.  This should be a mandate on all future road resurfacing projects, providing and allowing for space for both cyclists and motorists without jeopardizing the safety of either.  If implemented, eventually more residents would see cycling as a truly viable and safe method of commuting.  Not to mention the positive impact on the environment and the overall health of those who chose to pedal to work.

Sincerely,

Jeff and Ellen Spokes

Pikesville

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 6:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

From a reader in Howard County:

I loved reading your article regarding bicycling as a means of transportation.  As a Danish immigrant I'm very familiar with that concept.  In Denmark a significant portion of the infrastructure supports the use of bicycles.  Everywhere you will find bike paths that separate bikers from motorized traffic.  These paths are well maintained and marked, often with their own traffic signals.  Perhaps that is why (despite the bad weather) Copenhagen is one of the cities in the world with the highest percentage of the population using bicycles as a mode of regular transportation.

It would be wonderful if our politicians would use the Danish system as a model for our traffic system.  Instead of spending untold amounts of money and resources building new roads, we ought to be investing money in public transportation and support of bicyclists. We can hope that if more people begin to heed your advice, this change will occur.

Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen#Cycling

Helene Harbom

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

There's a mistake in today's column that I failed to correct before press time: Bicycling insurance man David Schapiro says the ride from his office in Hunt Valley to his home in Roland Park is 13 miles, not the eight miles mentioned in the column. "My odometer shows it as 13 miles," says Schapiro, who rides from Beaver Dam Road through old Lutherville to North Charles Street to make the trek home. I calculated the distance on MapQuest, and came up with eight miles. Of course, MapQuest is based on the most efficient route for a motor vehicle. Schapiro told me the distance was 13, but I forgot to make the correction before filing the column. The Son of the former Rose Popolo regrets the error.

Here are some web sites about biking to work:

Ken Kifer's Bike Page

BikeTraffic

ZenHabits

Maryland MTA Biking Info

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Lots of predictably angry and ugly e-mail in reaction to Thursday's column on the ICE raids in Annapolis last week; most writers support as much deportation of illegal immigrants as possible. There were, however, several rational letter-writers who joined me in seeing the raid as politically motivated by a Republican county executive, and they found the random nature of the raid -- like all of them -- as further evidence of the mess that is current American policy toward undocumented workers. Here's an interesting take from a reader -- I believe a Californian -- named Tom Ryugo:

The staunchest advocates of deporting illegal immigrants are conservative Republicans - usually county and state chairs like the one in your story or elected officials like Rep. Tom Tancredo (R. CO).  But they should be very careful what they wish for because they obviously haven't thought of what happens if they succeed.
 
A very high percentage - perhaps even a significant majority - of illegal immigrants work in agriculture - produce harvesting, meat processing, etc.  That's not surprising.  Agricultural work is dull, dirty, and dangerous as well as very low paying.  Try carrying 50 lb crates of produce all day in 90 degree heat and walking on soft dirt.   One day and you're hurting in muscles you didn't know existed.  Chicken processing plants and slaughterhouses are even worse.  Manure, blood, and innards make for a disgusting environment while sharp knives and heavy loads create plenty of danger.  No American in his/her right mind takes such jobs - we Americans want temperature-controlled office work and carrying nothing heavier than a laptop.
 
Here's the rub.  Farms, slaugherhouses, and meat processing plants are mainly located in dye-in-wool, blood red Republican congressional districts and very red farm states.  The people benefitting the most from illegal immigration are Republican farmers.  Cut off the supply of illegal immigrants and their labor costs are going to skyrocket - nobody else will take agriculture jobs at minimum wage - they'd be lucky to hire anybody for less than $20 per hour.  The anti-immigrant crowd responds "So what?  Pay people more"  But it's not so easy.  Americans are used to paying $1 for a head of lettuce.  You can bet that many will balk at $5 per head - and that's what it'll cost if you have to pay American-born citizens to do the job.  Especially if lettuce still costs $1 when it's imported from Mexico.  Same with all kinds of other produce.  And that means that a whole lot of American farmers will take it in the pants - higher labor costs, lower profit margins and heavy competition from imports (they'll soon realize what GM and Ford were up against with Toyota).  Many won't survive at all - unless Republican politicians come to their rescue with stringent protectionist laws that drive up the price of agricultural goods.  That public won't exactly take that lying down.
 
So, I'm almost inclined to say let the conservatives have their way and scare off illegal immigrants - while also ensuring that employers who hire them get busted and either fined or imprisoned.  And then watch as farms from staunchly Republican congressional districts from California to Arizona and Texas go belly up and  a whole lot of farm-belt folks start rethinking their political affiliations as well as their attitudes toward immigrants.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

This is a new word for me, and probably for you: Locavore: someone who eats food grown or produced locally. Bill Payack, who tracks English words through his web site, Global Language Monitor, says it's an official word. It has appeared in The Sun eight times since July 2007, and never before that. I looked it up because I've been invited to a Locavore Pot Luck Dinner on July 13 in Mount Washington. I wasn't sure what I'd be eating. (I thought a locavore was some wild animal I'd missed.) "The rule for our locavore dinner is that everyone must bring a dish made from ingredients grown within 75 miles of your home," says Clark Semmes, of the Mount Washington Green Club. Thanks for the invitation. Looking forward to it.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 5:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Among the men I met Friday night at the Baltimore Station was a fellow named Neville Anderson, a resident there who loves to run. He ran in yesterday's 5K, part of the African-American Heritage Festival, and Susan Pompa, a staffer at Baltimore Station, reports that Anderson finished fourth in the race. 

"Neville ran a hell of a race," she says. "And it was hot out there. It is the first race he ran in four years. He was pleased with his endurance, took a wrong turn, which he felt was where he might've lost his edge, but thought that maybe it was more important for the young guy in front of him to come in third.  He told me that he feels he's back and will be running in the 6K at the Dundalk Heritage Race on the 4th of July."

Pompa wrote and shared this profile of Anderson:

For years, Neville was a winning marathon runner. He got used to coming in first place at school, then winning for years after, at local, regional, statewide and national 5K, 10K and long-distance marathon races.  For a while, he did so well he was able to make a living from the prize money he received, and often received money from sponsors all across the country. Neville worked at a Baltimore running store and sold running apparel to the many people with whom he raced. He pretty much stayed to himself, but then started using drugs, spending all his money, and eventually losing everything, even where he was living.

At that point he reached out for help, and his cousin came through for him and directed him to The Baltimore Station.  After three days of detox, Neville arrived at the front door of The Station. According to Neville, counselor Paul Martin took him under his wing from the start and immediately helped him navigate his way through bureaucratic red tape to get some health benefits, food stamps and other basic necessities to make his way back.  “The program is all about the give-back,” Neville says. “It is a lot like school to me.  I am learning something everyday, and you only get out of it, what you put into it.”

“I’ve been here now for 17 months, and I have seen guys come and go.  Some can’t take it, and aren’t really ready to make the change.  For me, I am hungry for the information I am getting.  I am learning which way to turn when things get rough.  The knowledge makes me stronger, and gives me power in my own life,” he says.  “At The Station you come in close contact with so many different personalities every day.  I have learned how to deal with conflicts by realizing we are all in this together.”

Neville has four sons, ages 12 through 22.  One of his sons, a former basketball player, ran into trouble with drugs and got sentenced to two years in jail. Neville wants to invite him to The Station to talk to the guys, to learn from the counselors.  “I would love for him to get on track and start changing his life, too. The Station does a lot of work in Youth Prevention Programs. The residents get the opportunity to talk one-on-one with young teens and students who come by the station to volunteer.” 

He’s been running close to 10 miles a day, and is grateful for the area he is now in, and the places he can run…to the top of Federal Hill with a view of the Baltimore skyline, around the perimeter of the Inner Harbor, and then down to the tip of Fort McHenry.

Though running always came easy to him, he will admit that in the past he has worked hard to win.  “You can’t win, without the work, and it’s the same here at The Station,” Neville says. “I enjoy training as much as the race, but three is nothing like the feeling you get after you win the race. Early on, though, I realized that there is no difference between the people in the back of the race and the ones that come in first.  Everyone is working hard, to do their best with what they have.”   Just like here at The Station, we all make  each other stronger, even through the good and the bad.

Posted by Dan Rodricks at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)