Buzz

The Easter holiday and fine weather had us out and about last week, but a few tweets caught our eye...

@TheWordPimp says, "Best restaurant in Bmore isn't even a restaurant, it's a cupcake shop. Just had blackened tilapia w basmati rice & plantains @SweetSin �YUM!" We think they're yummy too! Read about Sweet Sin here.

We were struck by @WhatsToEatBmore's delicate dilemma...

@WhatsToEatBmore asks, "is it tacky to give an Easter Basket as a sympathy basket to a friend who's bunny died?" and continues, "I mean they are all on sale right now- and nothing is a better condolence than large amounts of chocolate....."

@Baltimore21201 replies, "I know your heart's in the right place, but if someone's chick died would you sent Peeps? ;-)"

And all turns out well after @WhatsToEatBmore says, "Just called my GF who's bunny passed about the Easter Basket - She laughed hysterically....I knew we had the same sick humour"

Didn't get an invite to the White House Easter Egg Hunt? Check out our mayor and her daughter in their Easter Monday finery...@MayorSRB shares this, "http://twitpic.com/1dgxje - Sophia and I at the White House Easter Egg Hunt."

@MissMktr says, "No time to say hello, goodbye!"

The Swedes have been at it again, handing out prizes to American researchers. It ain't a Noble Prize, but the work of Rita Colwell, a professor at the University of Maryland and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Heath has won the Stockholm Water Prize for her research that has helped solve many water-related public health problems including cholera.


Here's an excerpt

"Colwell, 76, received the award for her "numerous seminal contributions towards solving the world's water and water-related public health problems," the jury of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) said.

Her work, especially on preventing the spread of cholera, "has established the basis for environmental and infectious disease risk assessment used around the world" and "is of the utmost global importance," it added in a statement.

The 76-year-old professor at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health was also honoured for being one of the first to study "the impact of climate change on the spread of disease," SIWI scientific director Per-Arne Malmqvist told a gathering in Stockholm where the prize was announced."

Read the entire article here.

As more and more drivers consider trading in their gas guzzlers for the more environmentally-friendly alternatives that include models that are fully or partially powered by electricity, a Maryland company, SemaConnect, has created charging stations that can be installed in area hotels, parking garages, etc.

Listen to the interview:

 

Or read the transcript here.

It's almost that time of year -- road trip time, that is. Instead of heading out of state, you might want to expore the section of the Historic National Road running through Maryland.

Here's an excerpt:

"As the first federally funded road, this byway blazed a trail for the emerging nation to follow. Maryland's Baltimore to Cumberland section of the Historic National Road was designated the Historic National Pike. Towns and cities along the pike began to spring up to provide comforts for weary travelers heading west. Modern travelers of the Historic National Pike will find communities proud of their vibrant heritage. With Interstate 70 bypassing many of the original Historic National Pike cities, they have developed into artistic communities with a passion for diversity.

From the shores of the Chesapeake Bay to the majestic Negro Mountain, the Historic National Road offers many natural wonders. Many state parks along the byway offer quiet breaks in the long drive. As the byway continues into western Maryland, it passes through many mountain peaks. Before the byway continues into Pennsylvania, it journeys through the city of Cumberland, which is nestled in a small mountain valley. Here, mountains tower 1,000 feet around the city."

Read the entire article here.

There's no question that the HBO series The Wire changed both television and the way the world looks at Baltimore, now it's changing the way university professors are educating their students. The seminal show about life on streets of Mob City has become a teaching tool for more than just film classes.

Here's an excerpt:

"Among the police officers and drug dealers and stickup men and politicians and dockworkers and human smugglers and teachers and students and junkies and lawyers and journalists who populate the late, great HBO series The Wire, there is one academic. His name is David Parenti and he teaches social work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Academics, on the other hand, can't seem to get enough of The Wire. Barely two years after the show's final episode aired�and with Simon's new show, Treme, premiering next month on HBO�there have already been academic conferences, essay anthologies, and special issues of journals dedicated to the series. Not content to write about it and discuss it among themselves, academics are starting to teach it, as well. Professors at Harvard, U.C.�Berkeley, Duke, and Middlebury are now offering courses on the show."

Read the entire article here.

Students from Baltimore city schools crushed the competition at the 2010 Maryland Scholastic Chess Championships winning third place or better in all divisions.

Here's an excerpt:

"Over 350 players from across the state traveled to the Hagerstown Convention Center this weekend to compete in the 2010 Maryland Scholastic Chess Championships. Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) middle school teams swept to victory in both the varsity and junior varsity divisions. In the junior varsity division, Woodhome Elementary/Middle School took the championship (pictured, below), with Cross Country Elementary/Middle School in second. And in the varsity division, Cross Country Elementary/Middle School (pictured, above) took the state title, with Pimlico Elementary Middle School in second place. This is the first varsity state chess championship title ever for City Schools."

Read the entire article here.

A bevy of tweets had us either nodding in agreement, laughing out loud or scratching our heads...


@shari_tweets says, "LOVE Howard County Library. Ask the librarian for a recommendation on something - i dare u to come away with less than 10 results. #HoCo"

@joelmarkwitt says, "I see flowers popping up and buds on the trees. Ah spring is here."

@RockinBrock says, "If I were a drill sergeant I would command my men spit shine their boots with a biscuit."

@baltcollegetown says, "Check out our new blog posting - "Baltimore - beyond what the media portrays" http://bit.ly/bOglBp"

@ArtsAdvocate_MD says, "Are you aware of MCA's Tumblr blog? Neat place for arts-related news and notables - see what we're checking out! http://mdarts.tumblr.com"

@davetroy says, "Very honored to have received the @ChesTech Legends Circle award at tonight's event. Thanks so much to everyone in the community!"

@travelmd says "Attn Foodies: Putting together a Maryland Cookbook webpage - would appreciate your suggestions - thx! (example: bit.ly/aNzWc3 )"

@KatharineS84 says, "Great question! RT @WholeFoods Do you think your food choices affect the earth? #foodthoughts"

@JennNull says, "Baltimore has gotten our own identity for LinkedIn!"

@WhatsToEatBmore says, "Why is it that I will drink 10 x's more water if I simply have a straw in my cup.......?"

@LawrenceBland reminds us that, "Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence. ~Unknown"

@BaltSymphony says "There was romance among the rutabagas and passion among the persimmons. Check out the BSO Wholefoods Opera video: http://bit.ly/dyrVB9"

Counting the ways we love Maryland and Baltimore...

@1000FriendsofMD shares this RT from @JessicaBonifant, "What's not to love? Our state is fantastic <<We have to agree. :)"

@AnnieECaseyFndn adds, "How about the Mt. Vernon Flower Market? via @1000friendsofMD In celebration of Maryland Day, what's your favorite thing about living in MD?"

@lifestylecopy says, "We all know someone who went to high school with you, Lax="lacrosse" not "lenient", out-of-towners unable to find "Blair Road" #whywelovemd"

@baltimoresun says there're "More reasons you love MD: black-eyed Susans, Old Bay, Hon' is a noun & verb, local beer, "Bmore..."

@MDBiz is encouraging us to help, "MD is trying to provide broadband to all areas of the State - find out how and take the speed test - http://bit.ly/cQqJQf #mdbroadband"

@HappyTown10 wonders, "Why is it brain cells come, brain cells go but fat cells live forever?"

A few tweets just want people to do something...

@Just_Ericka says, "Do something different today that you didn't do yesterday...perhaps something will change? #FB"

@BaltimoreActs says, "Are you going to "Do Something"? It starts April 13. Get the scoop: http://bit.ly/9iJLZr"

@jbenson22 has an excellent plan, "humm, might go for a run around the harbor tonight just so i can pass ben and jerry's on my way back!"

Don't see your tweet? Follow @bmoremediaME and @bmoremedia.

A bus filled with financial advisors made a stop in Baltimore during its nationwide tour. The advisors offered Baltimore residents affected by the recession free financial advices.

Here's the video:

No longer a simple hobby, blogging has become a career for many. The founders of the "Secret Is in the Sauce" sponsored their first Bloggy Boot Camp with Baltimore as the first stop in a five city tour. The one-day conference is an educational seminar as well as a networking/social event.

Here's an excerpt:

"The topics on the agenda included search-engine optimization, building a "comment tribe" and how to create an effective media kit. There would be much talk of defining your "brand" and driving up page views.

You know. For your blog.

Yes, they had come to Bloggy Boot Camp, the sold-out first stop on a five-city tour. It is the brainchild of Tiffany Romero and Heather Blair, the founders of the Secret Is in the Sauce, a community of 5,000 female bloggers. Boot Camp is at once a networking and social event, bringing together virtual friends for some real-time girly bonding, and an educational seminar designed to help the participants � about 90 percent of them mothers � to take their blogs up a notch, whether in hopes of generating ad revenue and sponsorships, attracting attention to a cause or branching out into paid journalism or marketing.

"You're here because you want to be seen as a professional," Romero told the group."

Read the entire article here.

Did you know that Mondawmin Mall was built some 52 years ago? Or that it as originally anchored by a Sears & Roebuck store? You'll find more about the mall located in northwest Baltimore, including before and after pics of its recent renovations.

Here's an exerpt:

"Anchored by Sears and a supermarket, it took a few years for Mondawmin Center's 58 store spaces to be filled to capacity; however, once they were, the mall became very popular. Meanwhile, competition came calling from nearby Westview Center in 1958, which opened a few miles away in the suburb of Catonsville on US 40, and from Reisterstown Road Plaza, which opened in far northwest Baltimore City in 1962."

Read the entire article here.

In a switcheroo that's been 145 years in the making, Maryland is trying to secede from the South and join the North, despite its geographical location below the Mason-Dixon line, the traditional boundary between the northern and sourthern regions of the U.S.

Here's an excerpt:

"Maryland's official song may include a line about "Northern scum" left over from the Civil War era, but the state isn't feeling so Southern anymore.

Though Marylanders live just south of the Mason-Dixon Line, their attitudes and even their accents straddle that border. These days, leaders feel they've got more in common with states to the north.

In one sign of the shift, lawmakers successfully petitioned to move from the Southern Region of the Council of State Governments to the Eastern Region, where they'll be able to trade ideas with fellow officials from Pennsylvania, New York, and other states they consider more like-minded.

"I just don't think we're as Southern as people used to think," said state Sen. Catherine Pugh, a Baltimore Democrat.

It's unusual for states to switch regions in the 77-year-old council, which provides a forum for state officials to share ideas. The last time was when Missouri switched from the Midwestern Region to the Southern Region in 1994."

Read the entire article here.

Who should be the decision makers when a neighborhood begins the long and sometimes painful steps toward revitalization? In this blog post, the suggestion is to work with residents, not for them.

Here's an excerpt:

"If the Oldtown community of East Baltimore is to be revitalized without the gentrification created in other Baltimore neighborhoods, a new form of economic development must be undertaken. Systemic barriers that exclude entire groups must be dealt with realistically. Change4Real, a coalition led by Sojourner-Douglass College consisting of local residents and core community institutions, believes that working collaboratively and with the proper resources, even people perceived as poor can successfully plan their own development. Therefore, Coalition members intend to work with, not for, the residents to help them acquire the necessary resources."

Read the entire post here.

With temps hitting the high '60s and 70's we were more outside than inside last week, but here're a few tweets that caught our eye.

A good question...@bmoreconnected wonders, "Dear founders. Does it make you sad that everytime someone doesn't like something, but lacks the ability to stop it, they invoke your name"

@SpaceManAndy asks, "Settle a bet for me. Which is weirder: being nude at NASA or being nude in a church? Not that I've done either of those things..." We think the question is a little weird, but...

Now here's something we can all get behind, @davetroy says, "Just got done with @BmoreFibermeeting. We have real fundamentals in place - and we're making a better city here. No stunts, just smarts."

In response to the news that Maryland is trying to switch its regional identification from a southern state to a northern state because Maryland's culture is not particularly Southern, @clippersncrows says, "Go down to Southern Maryland or the Eastern Shore. Heck, go up to North East. You'll see it. I doubt it. Only people who just moved in from elsewhere or who visit from NY, NJ, CA, or Boston would think this."

@JanineCulotta says something we think everyone can agree with, "I'm really tired of all this healthcare fighting...it is making me SICK!"

Seems we're not the only ones with spring on our minds...

@danieldubya says, "Raise your hand if you'd rather be outside!" (We're raising our hands and waving wildly!)

And finally, mad props to @a_nic who says, "I just signed up for the Baltimore 10-miler in June and for training for a half marathon in the fall. Nervous but also excited!" Good luck!

Want a chance to see your tweet in our weekly roundup? Follow @bmoremediame or @bmoremedia.

Close proximity to D.C. is a boon for several counties in Maryland. Not only do workers benefit from employment provided by the Feds, but also from businesses closely associated with the government, according to yet another Forbes list.

Here's an excerpt:

"The country's riches tend to trickle away from big cities. It's not major metro areas raking in the biggest salaries; rather, it's the tony suburbs just outside big-industry centers that soak up big-city money.

Glitzy Southern California and big oil states are largely absent from the list: 19 of the 25 richest counties in the country are on the East Coast. In part, that's because our list looks at the middle incomes, and counties in the East tend to be smaller, thereby allowing for less of a spread between the richest and poorest workers...The federal government generates a wealth of jobs, keeping unemployment in the D.C. metro area at a low 6.2% (the national average is still near 10%)...

Not far from D.C. lies another cluster of wealthy counties. Howard County, Md., a suburb of Baltimore, has a standout school system with standardized test scores that consistently beat out the national average, and median household incomes of $101,710. In nearby Montgomery County, where 59% of residents over 25 have an advanced degree, households bring in a median $93,999. Historic Calvert County, Md., has profited from its roots as a tobacco-rich farmland as well as its proximity to Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, and claims a median income of $89,049."

Read the entire article here. Or, cut to the chase and check out the stats on No. 13 Calvert County, No. 21 Charles County, No. 3 Howard County, and No. 10 Montgomery County.

Spurred on by both the growing local sustainability movement and the current economic downturn, home gardens have been springing up all across the country. However, new gardeners find growing their own produce is not as easy as it may seem.

"First-timers typically overlook fundamentals like light, good soil, planting time and proper spacing between plants. Also, "a lot of young people are kind of curious but don't know the time commitment," says Jon Traunfeld, a senior agent with the University of Maryland's Extension service, which assists gardeners in communities statewide. Mr. Traunfeld, who specializes in fruits and vegetables, says the service was hammered with questions, logging in 1,963 phone calls and emails last year, up 47% from the year before.

The city of Baltimore replaced its flower beds in front of city hall with vegetables last year. The goal, says designer Angela Treadwell-Palmer, was to show that vegetable gardens could be attractive and to grow harvests to donate to a local soup kitchen. But the local charity reported that some crops�particularly beets, kohlrabi and eggplant�weren't appetizing to people.

So this year, Ms. Treadwell-Palmer is redesigning the garden to grow bigger yields of fewer crops like cabbage, kale and collard greens. The garden will also have a less-fussy, more minimalist look. And in the spring, at least, not all the beds will be vegetable plots, leaving room for some tulips�and more time for gardeners to breathe. "It was hard work," she says."

Read the entire article here.