Wednesday, December 22, 2010

This week in The Tentacle

This week in The Tentacle http://www.thetentacle.com/

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Christmas night – long ago http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=4122

Kevin E. Dayhoff

As we prepare to celebrate the holiday with friends and family this Saturday, say a prayer for our way of life, our great country and for Gen. George Washington and the brave men who helped save Christmas for our country on a dark, cold, and stormy night in 1776.

Joy to the World

Norman M. Covert

The excitement of Christmas has the grandson agog, full of hope that Santa Claus’ imminent visit Friday night will yield a bounty for everyone, especially him. He also wants lights, lots of them, to herald the big “Eve.” Age and infirmity haven’t dimmed my anticipation of Christmas, but stringing lights has always been an adventure.

After Birth Confinement in Borneo

Tom McLaughlin

Kuching, Malaysian, Borneo – In the Sarawak Malay world, the mother is usually confined to the kampung house for about 40 days. (interesting how that number keeps coming up).

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Art of Politics

Roy Meachum

Rushing to exit the Capitol for America’s High Holidays, the U.S. Senate once again put on national display what politics is really about. I’ve never been able to find the genius who described the game-playing as “the art of compromise.”

The Road to Successful Learning

Nick Diaz

Having inhabited the teaching trenches for 41 years and thousands of students, I’ve grown tired of educationists telling teachers not to use the “drill and kill” method for fear of boring our students.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Defining the Division

Richard B. Weldon Jr.

Asked recently about the state of our Republic, the challenge wasn’t describing the problem, the really hard part was trying to diagnose a prescription for change.

Ideas Whose Time Has Come

Shawn Burns

Sometimes ideas seem to appear out of thin air. Other times ideas are nurtured and developed over long periods of time. Regardless of how ideas come about, they are essential to our existence. Of course, with those ideas, we are also faced with their positive and negative consequences.

To Charter or Not

Michael Kurtianyk

Well, they did it. On December 14 the Frederick Board of County Commissioners voted 4-0 to appoint a charter writing board for a new form of county government. Long time readers know that I have been an advocate for this change.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Ruling Ourselves

Roy Meachum

Never tied to a partisan point of view, I’ve always considered charter to be the best of all possible forms of government for Frederick County.

Morning-After Pill

Norman M. Covert

The era of “Hope ‘n Change” in Frederick County began with re-elected Clerk of the Court Sandra Dalton swearing in the all-Republican Board of County Commissioners and new members to the Board of Education. It is a time of political euphoria for “our side,” but with it the optimism that the elixir of victory doesn’t turn into a morning hangover.

End the Corruption

Joe Charlebois

The argument that eliminating earmarks won’t help reduce the deficit is either naïveté or simply misleading. Those who look only at the effect in actual dollars that the elimination of earmarks would have on the overall budget aren’t seeing the entire picture. Those who do understand are just looking to protect their pet projects, or, in the case of elected officials, their campaign coffers.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The 12 Topics of December

Joan Marie Aquilino

As the end of the year approaches decisions are being made which portend an exciting year ahead. Here are some of the issues that struck my fancy over the past few weeks.

The Grinch Who Stole My Gifts…etc.

Amanda Haddaway

One would think that holiday shopping online would be a convenience, but this year it has turned into more of a nightmare. My Christmas spirit was slightly tarnished earlier this month when packages were stolen from my front porch in the middle of the afternoon.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Fruitcake is forever

Kevin E. Dayhoff

I’m not a psychic and I have never read much of the work of Michel de Nostredame. However, as December stumbles to a close and writers begin to run out of evergreen material on the Top 10 best uses for fruitcake, or do Christmas trees have a soul, our keyboards will often drift aimlessly to the real meaning of the past year and what the heck will happen next.

Ancient Kampung Ways

Tom McLaughlin

Sibu and Kuching, Malaysian Borneo – Following the delivery of my third child and first son via C-section, a sterile clothed masked person handed me a package wrapped in plastic. She informed it was the placenta.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Poor Republicans

Roy Meachum

Bob Ehrlich broke Maryland Republicans’ hearts. By way of expiation, in choosing a chairman for the state GOP, they rejected running mate Mary Kane and chose rightist radical ex-Sen. Alex Mooney.

The Devil’s in the Details

Farrell Keough

When we were last together, we noted that a change in the economy may drive our political choices – good, bad, or indifferent. When we are ‘fat and happy,’ we often do not keep track of what is going on with our politicians, government agencies, or new legislation.