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
Remember: No cheating, no Googling, no dictionary.com
Just do it -- on the honor system. Answers here.
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
"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
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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."
]]>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.Helene Harbom
Here are some web sites about biking to work:
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]]>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.
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"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.
]]>Midday, noon-2 pm, 88.1, WYPR-FM
]]>"Nicole very bravely, and very publicly, spoke about her struggle with addiction and prostitution, so that others could avoid the pain her difficult path brought her and those who loved her. In the same generous way, her stepfather [former Baltimore police commissioner Leonard Hamm], who loved Nicole dearly, also spoke out, aware that since so many families face similar challenges, perhaps his family's story could help.
"I saw Nicole from time to time over a period of years, and considered her a friend. She was vivacious, intelligent, witty, and helped everybody who crossed her path, including me. Nicole's memory will undoubtedly continue to help others, as we review what might have prevented this tragedy, and what can be done to stop future losses of someone's daughter, someone's mother, someone's sister, and someone's friend. We at YANA Place join former Commissioner Hamm, and all of Nicole's family and friends, in mourning her death, but also by remembering and celebrating the life of a remarkable and courageous young woman."
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