This week in The Tentacle

This week in The Tentacle

Thursday, February 5, 2009

An Overdue Alternative
Tony Soltero
With our economy in dire straits, President Barack Obama has asked Congress to pass an economic stimulus bill to stave off a massive depression. There are many items in this bill to like – and some not to like, but there is one item that should be taking precedence over all others, and it's nowhere near being adequately addressed in this proposal, whatever shape it eventually takes.

From Grease to Life’s Challenges
Patricia A. Kelly
Tuesday night at the Hippodrome, I became 12 again, ever so briefly, doing the Twist in my seat and singing along with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Why is it that silly song lyrics you learned at that age stay in your head forever, but you can’t remember why you just walked into the laundry room?

WTE Derangement
Norman M. Covert
Here’s a shout-out to Commissioner Kai J. Hagen, who needs a kind word from someone, anyone. His “noogies” have been few since objecting to the $323 million Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant proposed for Frederick County. Mr. Hagen should declare victory and admit he was “for it” before he was against it.



Wednesday, February 4, 2009
When Stimulus Ain’t
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Last Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed its $819 billion version of the economic stimulus package by a vote of 244 to 188. Not a single Republican voted for the measure – for good reason.

Up The River…Part 1
Tom McLaughlin
Sibu, Sarawak, East Malaysia – Christine and I left Kuching via the Sarawak River in the continuing monsoon for our trip up the Rajang River. Rains have poured from the clouds since early December and would follow us into the interior.



Tuesday, February 3, 2009
"Let us sit upon the ground – "
Roy Meachum
As readers know when faced with startling turns in life, I turn to Shakespeare. The column's title is taken from "Richard II" and is part of a speech in the third act:

Dumbing Down Mathematics – Part III
Nick Diaz
Across the country, the way mathematics is taught in the classroom and in textbooks has been changing notably in the past 20 years. Classrooms are often organized in small groups where students ask each other questions and the teacher is discouraged from providing information. Students may even take tests in groups, if they have tests at all.



Monday, February 2, 2009
When the “Have Nots” Rule
Steven R. Berryman
With 40 percent of America having now achieved entitlement-class status, it stands to reason that the burden of supporting our welfare country is born by the remaining 60 percent of the citizens.

Disastrous Global Warming Bill
Farrell Keough
We have a black cat which is a walking bad hair day. I have determined her given name, Elvis, (yes, the animal is female) does not fit her, hence I have renamed her Spawn of Satan.



Friday, January 30, 2009
People Conforming
Roy Meachum
As some readers recall, for the past several years I have worked on a book, a collection of memories from my colorful past. Recently I have written on the Eisenhower era. After two hitches in the Army, I started my civilian career on the general's first inauguration day. I was already married with child; future attorney Thomas Moore Meachum born in 1951.

Super Sunday
Joe Charlebois
This Sunday, our nation and hundreds of millions of people worldwide will sit down and watch what is arguably the biggest single sporting event in the world. This Sunday the 43rd edition of the National Football League's Super Bowl will be held in Tampa, Florida.



Thursday, January 29, 2009
Living Like The Rest of Us
Joan McIntyre
I caught the Board of County Commissioners meeting that was held on Tuesday. Ron Hart, the county manager, was singing the commissioners’ praises for saving the county $12,000 to $15,000 by not filling their receptionist position.

Rebuilding A Party
Chris Cavey
If the Republican Party was a person and not an entity, it would be in the hospital – condition listed as serious, awaiting a transplant and full recovery would be expected only after long periods of physical therapy.

Reconstruction and the Old Plantation
Norman M. Covert
What a week we experienced (drool, tingle, shudder). On reflection I realize that after 128 years, the Second Period of Reconstruction is upon us. A sea of organizers, charlatans, tax cheats, and political insiders from Chicago, New York, and Arkansas, have taken charge of the nation’s government.



Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Sun Also Sets – Part 2
John W. Ashbury
[The Baltimore Sun’s decision to cease home delivery – and even newsstand sales west of the metropolitan area, brought back countless memories of my days as a reporter and editor there in an age that has passed this gray lady by. We continue…] (See yesterday’s Part 1)

The 2009 Intergenerational Theft Act
Kevin E. Dayhoff
As you read this column Congress is attempting to put the finishing touches on an $825 billion economic stimulus package – otherwise known as the 2009 Intergenerational Theft Act.

Indonesia and the Inauguration
Tom McLaughlin
Bali, Indonesia – Four factors influenced my desire to forego watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama with fellow Americans here in Kuta Beach. I did not seek out places that Americans congregate, nor the American Consulate.



Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Setting Baltimore Sun
Roy Meachum
You've heard and read about the calamitous state of America's newspaper industry; it has been firmly fixed on the availability of numerous competitive news sources on the cable channels. Nobody dares to broach the possibility the venerable medium may have done itself in.

The Sun Also Sets – Part 1
John W. Ashbury
After starting a career in journalism with The Frederick News-Post, way back in 1959, it wasn’t hard to jump 50 miles to the east and settle in as a police reporter at the venerable Sun in Baltimore. It was an introduction to a newsroom once populated by such as H. L. Mencken and still the bastion of men long respected as reporters, editors and columnists.

Raise Your Voices…
Farrell Keough
A new president and a new session for the Maryland Legislature – what more could a columnist ask for? Uh… substance?

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Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/