Why do Schools in this Area Close Before Anything Hits the Ground?
Because of the inclement weather in the forecast, schools in Berkeley and Jefferson counties will be operating on a two-hour delay Friday.
Berkeley County Schools spokeswoman Jaimee Borger said another decision will be made in the morning should the weather warrant it.
Closings and Cancellations - The Herald-Mail Online - News for Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
Ok, this is just one of these things that I constantly wonder about during the winter in this area. Why do schools here close before there is any snow or ice even touching the ground? Are they that afraid of weather? Are they afraid that they will look like they don't care if they wait until the morning? I guess growing up in New Hampshire taught me to expect that School really was not canceled very often for winter weather and you just had to deal with it. Here were the criteria for a successful snow-day in New Hampshire when I was a kid:
- Snow must begin at or a little after midnight (so the plows wouldn't have time to get all of the streets cleared before 5 AM)
- Snowfall total must be greater than or equal to 6 inches by 5 AM in the morning
- Roads must not have been pre-treated in any way
- The temperature must be approximately 25 degrees to guarantee relatively wet snow and also that the snow is not so dry that it doesn't accumulate
Not once have I ever seen these criteria met in this part of the country yet the place shuts down as soon as we have two inches over the course of a day. I guess I just am not quite sure why people shouldn't expect snow down here every year and be used to it. After all, not every snow storm requires an emergency trip to the grocery store but I laugh each time we get any because the stores have a rush on things like bread and milk. It just goes to show you that the definition of bad weather is very relative depending on where you live and apparently I now live in an area where the standards are somewhat relaxed.
Was Your Vegetarian Letter not Good Enough for the Post?
To the editor:
Think a small serving of meat each day is harmless? Think again. A new study from the National Cancer Institute showed that the more red and processed meat you eat, the greater your risk of developing a variety of cancers becomes.
In the study, the average red meat consumption was about 2.5 ounces of red meat per day for a person consuming the average 2,000-calorie diet. This study found an association between high consumption of red and processed meat and an increased risk for myeloma and colon, esophageal, liver, bladder and lung cancer.
The good news is that scientific studies also show that fruits, vegetables and other vegetarian foods can help prevent cancer. In addition, following a plant-based diet can help people trim their waistlines and maintain a healthy weight - another key factor in preventing cancer.
Jennifer K. Reilly
Washington, D.C.
Letters to the Editor - The Herald-Mail Online - News for Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
Remind me why this was printed in the Herald Mail? I don't think anyone living in Washington DC is considering Hagerstown a huge media outlet for announcing National Cancer Institute findings. I would assume from this letter that your are a vegetarian and I would point out that humans are omnivores for a reason. We eat meat, we eat fruit and we eat vegetables because they all contain things we need. I bet if you ate oranges your entire life laced with all of the crazy pesticides they use you would have an increased risk of getting cancer too. I'm not a big red meat person, I prefer chicken myself, but people have been eating this for millennia and it hasn't seemed to kill off the majority of us yet.
Try taking a swim in the Anacostia and see what that does for your cancer risk and get back to me on whether I should worry about red meat.
Maryland Primary: Do We Count This Year?
Ok, so I grew up in New Hampshire and I liked being one of the first kids on the block to have my say in the electoral process and I am still not sure how much I like this whole February 12th primary date in Maryland. I guess it is better than in previous years, or so I am told, when it was even further removed from the process but I still feel like I am being left out of something important; it's almost like I am entering into a very important decision after it has pretty much been decided for me.
Don't get me wrong, I am still going to vote and I still think it is very important, especially for the younger generation, to get out there and vote this year but I can't help feel left out. I'll tell you that I'm going to vote democrat this year and for Barack Obama in the primary and the general election if he is the nominee and I am pulling for him every step of the way, I just hope I have the chance. Why am I coting for Barack? Because I feel like this country needs a shot of inspiration in the butt and he is the person to do it. You'd be surprised what an inspired populous can do, just take a look at the response JFK got during his presidency even though it was far too short lived. That is what I want to feel and Barack is just the person who can do that for us. Experience is all relative in Washington if you want to use that as an argument against him and I would challenge you to find a president that doesn't have advisers making most of the decisions for them anyways.
I guess I will plunk down my list of candidates in order that I would vote for them depending on who is still in the general election on either side.
- Barack Obama
- Hillary Clinton
- John Edwards
- Mitt Romney
- John McCain
- Rudy Giuliani
- Mike Huckabee
So there it is and whether you agree with the order or not, I'm sticking to it.
Soldier Crosses Finger in Hillary Clinton Photo Op
I'm not sure if this means he really doesn't want to Hillary win or not but I think this is one heck of a funny picture regardless of the true intentions. Thanks to Bored.com for posting this one for us all. Check out the link below to see a soldier standing with Hillary Clinton, shaking her hand as he crosses his fingers in his other hand.
State of the Union: Same as Last Year + A Slowing Economy
Ok, so I know I will be ripped apart by the conservative readers out there for this but was there anything new in the State of the Union address this year? Here is my summarization of the address:
- Let's accomplish more in a bi-partisan atmosphere
- The economy is slowing
- The war in Iraq is and will be successful
- No Child Left Behind is successful
- Let's make my tax cuts permanent
- The housing market is still in trouble
- Stop putting ear-marks in spending bills
- We need to develop alternative energy sources and people tell me we have a thing called "Global Warming" going on
- By the way... If you attempt to send me anything that isn't exactly what I want, it will be vetoed. How's that for bi-partisan action!
So rather than saying what will be coming this year and all of the great things we are going to do, President Bush dwelled on the past and tried to convince us that he had done a good job in the past year. Shouldn't the achievements of the past year speak for themselves? Should we need this speech to try and convince us that everything finally went to plan? I would have liked to hear some plans for things that he hopes to accomplish that maybe are not what he would have attempted earlier in his presidency. Instead we got a regurgitation of what has already happened which is not what should be said in this type of forum.
I guess I am just a disappointed moderate that really has become completely disillusioned with the current administration. All I seem to ever hear are hollow promises and arguments that use half truths to try and convince me that things are not as bad as they sound. The only good thing to come of this presidency is that it has energized the population to finally take who they elect as president seriously again and get out there to make a choice. I just hope it is the right one.
Dumb Maryland Laws
I found this list of laws on Digg not to long ago and I figured I would pass it along, while none are Hagerstown specific, they are pretty crazy none the less.
- Baltimore City: Though you may spit on a city roadway, spitting on city sidewalks is prohibited. You may not curse inside the city limits.
- Baltimore: It's illegal to throw bales of hay from a second-story window within the city limits. It's illegal to take a lion to the movies. It is a park rule violation to be in a public park with a sleeveless shirt. $10 fine. This would include joggers that go shirtless. (1898) -Park Rule 6 It is a violation of city code to sell chicks or ducklings to a minor within 1 week of the Easter holiday.
- Baltimore has regulations governing the disposal of hog's heads, pet droppings and oyster shells.
- Columbia: You can not have a antenna exposed outside of your house yet you can have a 25' satellite dish. Though clotheslines are banned, clothes may be draped over a fence.
- Eating while swimming in the ocean is prohibited.
- Gypsies should steer clear of Caroline County, Md., where it's a $100 fine or six months in the can for "forecasting or pretending to foretell the future."
- In Baltimore it's illegal to block the sidewalk with a box. But the offense only carries a $1 fine. Another law makes it illegal to throw bale of hay (or of anything else) out a second-story window. That gets you a $20 fine.
- In Baltimore it's illegal to play professional croquet before 2 p.m. Sunday. The law also applies to professional quoits.
- In Baltimore it is illegal to mistreat oysters.
- In Baltimore, it is illegal to wash or scrub sinks no matter how dirty they get.
- In Baltimore, Maryland, it is not legal to take a lion to the movies.
- In Halethrope, Maryland kisses longer than one second are illegal.
- In Maryland, a woman may not go through her husband's pockets while he is sleeping.
- In Maryland, men may not buy drinks for female bartenders.
- In Maryland, it is illegal to sell condoms from vending machines with one exception: prophylactics may be dispensed from a vending machine only "in places where alcoholic beverages are sold for consumption on the premises."
- In Maryland, the legislature once proposed a board of parachute examiners to be made up of five licensed parachute instructors who would test and license all other parachute instructors. The plan had been abandoned when it was learned there were only three licensed parachute instructors in the state.
- In the entire state of Maryland, it is illegal to give or recieve oral sex.
- It is a violation to be in a public park with a sleeveless shirt. $10 fine.
- It's illegal to take a lion to the movies.
- Maryland now requires that alcohol beverage writers be certified as experts by an agency of the state before they can receive product samples, which it limits to three bottles per brand.
- Ocean City: A law from the early 1900's prohibits men from going topless on the Boardwalk. Eating while swimming in the ocean is prohibited
- Thistles may not grow in one's yard.
- You can not have a antenna exposed outside of your house yet you can have a 25' satellite dish.
- You cannot throw a bail of hay out of a second story window in Annapolis.
Google Pimps its Logo for Lego!
As usual Google has gone all out and done its magic with their logo to show the world what real nerds love... LEGOS! In addition to showing just how sweet the people at Google must be, the logo also commemorates the Lego company's 50th anniversary selling the greatest toys on Earth!
Legos are probably the coolest toy ever invented and I have as many as I can get my hands on. Actually, over the past year or so I have started buying them again and building them because I miss that part of when I was a kid. I primarily build Technic sets but I still have all of my other sets in a closet at my parents house in New Hampshire.
Someday when my kids are old enough I will give all of my old Legos to them and then they can discover just what makes them so cool. Building something out of basic rectangular and square bricks inspires kids to be more creative and think about what they are doing way more so than playing a computer game or some other type of activity. Every time you build a Lego set you force your self to use both your left and right brain to work together and that is why Legos are the ultimate toy for people who like to think about what they are doing. If you are or have smart kids or are still a smart kid at heart I would encourage you to bring these toys into your home and see just how much time you will spend playing with them.
Mail Call Quotes of the Past 2 Weeks
"I only have one thing to say when I read the paper. People think they got taken with those bulbs, or the company's kind of went after them. But wait until the end of the year and see what happens when this new rate comes into effect. It's gonna be anywheres between 60 and 70 percent of what you're paying today. Then you'll have something to really complain about." - Halfway
Why would I complain about spending less again???
"I stopped off at Sheetz and got a pack of cigarettes today. They're up to $4.87, and the other day they was $3.57. That's up $1.20."
Some people need to go back and learn how to add and subtract again...
"I was reading your Mail Call on Tuesday, Jan. 22, and I just wanted to say I'm the lady that was in the Lexus at the grocery store, and yes, I am well-dressed and I carry myself well. Those were not my food stamp cards. Those were not my groceries. I work for an organization that shops for elderly people who cannot get out and do their own shopping. These people do deserve their food stamps. So the next time someone's in a grocery store and you see a well-dressed lady in a Lexus or a Cadillac or a Rolls Royce, why don't you walk up and ask us? We'll be glad to show you our badges and explain to you why we're using food stamp cards. Don't judge, and don't jump into it unless you know the facts." - Hagerstown
You have to admit though, it does look pretty bad when you are driving one of those to pick up food stamps. Why not drive a Toyota and then give the rest back to the people that need the food stamps?
And They Wonder Why Nobody is Joining the Elks
It's sad and I don't want to sound like I am beating up on the organization, but organizations like the Hagerstown Elks wonder why their membership is dropping and it is so apparent to people on the outside. I'm not someone who is against these organizations, I was a member of a fraternity myself in college and think that a lot of good can come from people banding together to do good work but these places will cease to exist in the next 25 years if they do not learn to appeal to a wider audience of young people.
Just taking a look at their membership requirements would make most people my age (25) just laugh and turn away immediately. Take a look at their stated membership guidelines:
You must be 21 years of age, an American Citizen and believe in God. You may not have been convicted of a felony, be a member of a Communist Party, or been discharged from the United States military with less than an honorable discharge.
Are we that worried about communists in this day and age? The least they could update this to say now is "you may not be a member of a terrorist organization" or something along those lines. This just brings back memories of 1950's America where McCarthyism ruled and it was America against the world. The passage suggest that people in the organization are stuck in this era and this is a huge turn off to any young person looking to belong to an organization like this. We don't want to be part of an good old boys club, we want to be part of something bigger and more meaningful than this.
What can they do to help themselves?
- Organize intramural sports
- Organize computer LAN parties
- Get rid of exclusionary or ideologically driven messages that stop people with open minds from joining
- Don't advertise bingo as your main activity on your site
Any of these things would help them appeal to the younger generation. It will take an effort on their part and it will not be easy to adjust to a reality that has evolved from the 1950's but with time these organizations just might be able to save themselves by promoting activities that appeal to the younger generation and still offer a great service opportunity.
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