Buzz

A Maryland sports blogger weighs in on reports that a 2011 Baltimore Grand Prix may become a reality. The Baltimore Racing Development is reportedly tapping investors to raise some $1.4 million for the event.

An excerpt from the post reads:

The report is suspect in a couple of areas. For one, BRD (Baltimore Racing Development) was formed specifically to bring a race here. The wording "has been formed to organize the race" is a little misleading, as it implies that it's a new organization. Second, the final paragraph says that Baltimore will join two other cities "in hosting a race," which obviously really means "in hosting a street course race." That second point is a small one, but it does give me pause.

Regardless, I'm pulling for that Monday news conference to happen, and for this event to happen. It would be huge for the city, and on a more basic level it would be a ton of fun.

Read the entire post here.

{budget}fab* blog's "socialite" section lists a number of ways Baltimoreans can have a blast without breaking their budgets. The post provides links to the various activities for quick how-to information.

Excerpt:

There's more to Baltimore than Ravens and Orioles games. Here's a list of free things to do in the city�

•    Visit the Baltimore Museum of Art.
•    Tour the Galleries at the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower.
•    Walk around the Cylburn Arboretum.  The arboretum is currently closed due to construction, but check their website for details on the re-opening.
•    Stroll along Baltimore Inner Harbor promenade.
•    Take in a free movie at Federal Hill or Fells Point.
•    Catch a free performance at the Harborplace Amphitheater.
•    Picnic at Patapsco Valley State Park
•    Pick up a good book at The Book Thing. You can donate books and pick up a few new ones for free.

See the entire blog post here.

Thekitchn.com, a Web site devoted to the joys of cooking at home, has published a Food-Lover's Guide to Baltimore to help cooks and foodies find the best markets, artisans, and shops in town. In addition to flagging culinary hot spots, the guide lists foods every gourmand should try, including snoballs, Smith Island Cake, Berger Cookies, and Smearcase.

Excerpts from the guide:

Food Halls

•    Lexington Market -- The world's largest, continually-running market makes for stellar people watching, as well as good shopping. Come on Saturdays for the live music, or anytime for Faidley's Seafood and Mary Mervis sandwiches.
•    Cross Street Market -- Look for Utz chips in paper (not plastic) bags � that means they were baked that same day.

Specialty Shops of Note

•    Trinacria -- Beloved Italian grocery shop with cut-rate wine, homemade olive oil and droolworthy sandwiches
•    DiPasquale's -- Another popular Italian deli/market
•    OK Natural -- Health food store with bulk grains, vegan staples, prepared foods
•    H-Mart -- It's a bit of a drive to this Asian supermarket, but we always come home with tons of surprising things.

Independent Food Artisans

•    Puffs & Pastries -- Amazing new bakery, emphasizes use of local ingredients
•    Sweet Sin Bakery - Gluten-free desserts
•    Bonaparte Bread
•    Bluebird Coffee -- Sustainable, organic, artisanal coffee

Find the entire guide here.

RA Sushi on Lancaster Street is hosting its inaugural Facebook photo contest for lovers of the restaurant's Viva Las Vegas roll. Fans can snap pics of themselves relishing the rolls and enter them on RA Baltimore's Facebook page under one of four categories: messiest, biggest mouth, most creative, and most people to eat a Viva in one picture.

An excerpt from the article reads:

All they are asking you to do is upload photos of yourselves eating a Viva Las Vegas roll to the RA Baltimore's Facebook page in the "Fans Photos" section. Each photo will be voted on by RA patrons everywhere.

The winners in each of the following categories with receive a $50 Gift Certificate to RA Sushi. Second place winners with get a $25 Gift Certificate to RA Sushi. Runners up will receive a complimentary appetizer card and penny drink card (for those 21 and up).

Read the entire story here.

Examiner.com contributor Meghan Goodrich observes there are boundless opportunities to mistreat books during the Altered Books Competition at Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library.

An excerpt from Goodrich's piece reads:

The eligible victims for revamping are "any book, old or new that has been recycled by creative means into a work of art."  Artistic alteration allows the books to be "rebound, painted, cut, burned, folded, added to, collaged in, rubber stamped, drilled or otherwise adorned." Entries can be simple or complex, remain in their usual dimensions or defy gravity, remain achromatic or burst into colors never attempted on the printed page. Prizes will be awarded to the top three altered books.

While this Examiner primarily focuses on the content of books, she has taken a few book arts classes and has seen books that will boggle the mind. While it's sometimes hard to put an exacto knife to a favorite classic, the results often bring out a new and handsome element to the "victim."

Read the entire post here.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore's 4,000-square-foot "green roof" has helped lead the way to greener roofs in the city. Baltimore is now one of the greener roofed cities, adding roughly 150,000 square feet to its emerald colored skyline in the last year.

Excerpt:
The aquarium built the roof because of its conservation mission. But it isn't the only city building shedding black for green. Offices, hotels and residences are now planting on their roofs, recognizing the benefits that may include storm water management, lower energy bills, better air quality, good looks and even food production. As at the aquarium, most are largely made up of sedum plants, drought-resistant ground covers with water-absorbing leaves

There are at least 20 green roofs in Baltimore, including Sinai Hospital's 1,050-square-foot roof garden on its new eco-friendly addition.

There's a 5,500-square-foot roof on a BP gas station on Key Highway. And the Maryland Science Center plans to build a 4,000-square-foot green roof that will be open for public viewing.

Read the full Baltimore Sun story here.

The introduction by Washington state-based Clearwire Corporation of WiMax service last winter has made Baltimore one of the country's most "wired" cities. Reporter Peter Wayner tries out the "4G" network and reports on speed, ease, and areas for improvement.

Excerpt:

For the last six months, I've used a full WiMax/4G equipped netbook to test the service around Baltimore. The Acer Aspire One with a Sprint U300 WiMax card I used is an ideal companion for sending and receiving e-mail messages. It's small enough to take almost everywhere but it's large enough to act like a PC � a PC that's always connected to a very big Wi-Fi hotspot.

Adding WiMax to a laptop may make it easier to read e-mail messages often, but the real value of the bandwidth becomes apparent when the PC does something more than just send text. VoIP software like Skype turns it into a video phone, a browser pointed at Hulu acts like a television that can fetch shows on command and there's also GPS service for finding directions. It's a smartphone with a normal keyboard and a very open software marketplace. All of the PC software built for the desktop also works with the small package.

Read the entire article here.

A member of the online forum This Alley Life! visits Baltimore for the first time in more than 15 years and comments on the amiableness of the city's African Americans and their dedication to preserving and celebrating Black history.

Excerpt:

Despite the recent news that Baltimore is one of the most dangerous cities to live, and that many violent events have happened here...I have to say that the Black population in Baltimore is STILL friendlier than that of other densely populated Black urban areas that I've visited (Philadelphia, Atlanta and Washington, DC Area). Even when I visited in the early 90s, people always spoke...they smiled and said hello (it's seems like a more common occurrence in Baltimore). I don't even get that in my city.

Even though Baltimore has some rough areas, it's one of the few places where there is visible recognition of Black history (little noted notables) - the slavery museum, the murals, etc. The distinct cultural beat that has pretty much disappeared from the area I grew up in, mostly Black, is still visible in Baltimore.

Read the complete posting and reader comments here.

John Wagner, The Washington Post's Maryland blogger, reports that the Baltimore City Entertainment Group will change its application for a slots parlor to include six times the number of machines previously requested. A state commission is expected to decide on the application in the fall.

An excerpt from the blog reads:

In February, the Baltimore City Entertainment Group emerged as the only bidder for a Baltimore license, one of five authorized by the state. At the time, the group applied for 500 machines, well below the maximum of 3,750 allowed at the site. Michael Cryor, a consultant to the group, said that it is now close to formalizing a rumored change in its application to install 3,750 machines.

The group is also now looking to construct a building to house the machines a few hundred yards away from the previous location. The new site on Russell Street, which was reported this morning by The Daily Record, would be more visible and be further away from neighborhoods, Cryor said.

Read the entire post here.

The state's head honcho, Gov. Martin O'Malley, was busy making transportation news putting his seal of approval on plans for the much debated Red and Purple Lines. In Baltimore, the Gov has chosen to pursue federal funding for the proposed east to west Baltimore Red Line that will be built with limited tunneling. The decision is likely to receive kudos from political and business leaders and leave neighborhood activists steaming.

Excerpt: During an appearance at West Baltimore's MARC station, O'Malley surprised nobody by selecting the plan that has won the endorsement of Mayor Sheila Dixon, Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. and the Greater Baltimore Committee. At the same time, the governor sought without success to reassure opponents of surface light rail in their communities that the Red Line would bear little resemblance to the system that clatters along Howard Street.
 
"This is not your grandfather's light rail," O'Malley told the crowd of several hundred at the station, where the MARC system would interconnect with the Red Line. He promised a system that would be sleeker and quieter than the existing system, which opened in the early 1990s.

Read the entire Baltimore Sun article here.

Meanwhile when it comes to commuting from say Baltimore to Rockville, going east to west across the state, the Gov has opted to use light rail service for the proposed Purple Line running from New Carrollton to Bethesda instead of rapid bus transportation.

Excerpt: Light rail, they say, is the right decision, because it can carry more people and attract more development. It's much better than the alternative, bus rapid transit, they argue. At the same time, however, transportation planners are recommending bus rapid transit for the Corridor Cities Transitway along Interstate 270 and putting together a massive plan for priority bus corridors throughout the region, a project they hope to partially fund with federal stimulus dollars.

Read the entire Washington Business Journal article here.

In an effort to stretch resources and help more families, Anne Arundel's Habitat for Humanity and Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity of Baltimore merged July 1, according to Mike Mitchell, executive director of the new Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake. The merger resulted in two layoffs.

An excerpt from the article reads:

"We had been hearing from donors for at least four or five years that this was something they wanted to see," said Mitchell, former executive director of the Chesapeake Habitat. "We're really excited about it."

One of Arundel Habitat's main projects was in Brooklyn, just over the Anne Arundel County line. In the past few years, the neighborhood along Jack Street has transformed from a rundown city neighborhood to a home for dozens of Habitat families.

But Chesapeake Habitat, which focused on projects in Baltimore city and Baltimore County, was building homes in the Pigtown neighborhood, just a few miles away. Joining forces just made sense, Mitchell said.

Read the entire article here.