Carnival of Maryland #25

Welcome to
the Silver Edition of
the Carnival of Maryland.

Almost a year now this group has been together, united only by where we live. We range from the progressive to the conservative (Kucinich to Limbaugh fans) in politics, and other interests are equally all over the map - as long as that map is of the Old Line State, that is. So, with that in mind - you'll find things here you might not normally read - let's get started.

Let's get Politics out of the way first, shall we? On the national level, we have The Patriot Sharpshooter at Common Sense who posts on Illegal/Legal Immigration - an Ominous Issue: "It seems our bureaucratic leaders are either unable or unwilling to deal with an obvious, growing problem. When will Americans become incensed to the point of demanding action?"

And Joyce atl UU Mom reflects on Obama's Clinton Education: "I hate this kind of politics and think it's a shame that Barack has to deal with this."

On the local side, Michael at Monoblogue asks Why are we losing?: "Obviously that’s bad news for the Maryland GOP, which is already a severe minority party in the General Assembly. Registered Democrats get all the propaganda from the party, which in turn builds up name recognition for Democrat candidates. But seeing that the source of this information was the notoriously liberal Sun, I decided to do some checking into the numbers myself. I looked up the end-of-year voter registration numbers for 2003 and 2007."

Bruce at Maryland Weekly offers advice on How to Advocate Effectively for Same-Sex Marriage: "Please learn about Senate Bill 290 /House Bill 351 and urge its passage here in Maryland. This well-drafted bill will protect firmly what's already the law: churches and synagogues are free to bar their front door strictly shut to same-sex couples according to their conscience. But let the courthouse door be opened wide to all of us, finally, in our fair and free state."

Brian at Annapolis Politics disagrees that People's Republic Of China Shames Annapolis; Bans Plastic Bags: "My first point is that banning private market transactions is what socialists do. The Chinese government is telling businesses what prices to charge! That should not be what happens here, and we should not interpret China's action as an example for us."

Stephanie at Jousting for Justice takes a look at A Little Maryland Democracy: "All we hear from the media is how bad politicians are, and how venal and corrupt the entire system is. It's enough to make a lot of people not want to participate. But when you go to one of Maryland's little town hall type meetings like this one, and you get to hear from the people who represent you in a real way, it can infuse you with a little hope."

Attilla at Pillage Idiot shares Gov. O'Malley's to-do list: "A Washington Post headline referred to the governor's 'to-do list.' I've found of a copy of that list."

And on local news, SoccerDad at Soccer Dad thinks the Scalder gets off lightly: "What was the judge thinking?"

Passing to economics, Matt at Going to the Mat takes a look at Teachers, Pay and the Labor Market: "While one could argue that the $40,000 figure is grossly overpaying for some regions and grossly underpaying for others, what is rarely mentioned is the fact that teachers, as workers, are subject to market forces when it comes to their salary, or rather would be if the NEA and local unions would quit interfering."

On a more direct economic note Jeff at Inside Charm City says Free publicity here - send us your press releases: "Want to get publicity for your group, political campaign or organizatiom, your business, or any other entity you’re involved with that sends our press releases to the media?"

And taking economics to the movies, Aaron at Technosailor looks at Marketing 101: How Cloverfield Failed to Deliver on Expectations: "Earlier this evening, I joined several other social media type folks down in D.C. for a first night showing of Cloverfield, the film that was so secretive it didn’t have a name other than 01182008 until sometime last month. The film trailers were released on the internet sometime last year and bloggers, and movie folks started buzzing about what the heck the moview as about. The trailer did not give any information. Nothing since Snakes on the Plane made the net buzz, quite the way early trailers of Cloverfield did. And this is where things went wrong."

And speaking of movies, Clark of Clark's Pick offers Bessie Smith: "St. Louis Blues"This is the only known appearance of Bessie Smith on film. She sings W.C. Handy's St. Louis Blues in a dramatization based on a film treatment written by Handy, himself."

In other entertainment areas, it may be winter but that doesn't stop Maryland Baseball Fan at Oriole Post from looking at a Marker In The Sand; Defeatism...: "Fans clamored for change after the sad last two months of the baseball; alas, like I said in my last posting, the team on paper we have now is what will most likely be the one we see in Spring Training. Reading the news sites, forums like Orioles Hangout, Pressbox, and blogs like Camden Chat there's not a whole lot of news coming out. What does this mean for us? More losing? More hopeless, humid nights at the Yard? We being 20 games out of first by July?"

And UU Mom at Creating a Jubilee County exhorts us to GO OUT! Numerous things to do in Prince George's Co: "It may be cold, but don't be a couch potato! Socialize. Support our local artisans. Learn about your area & neighbors. There are numerous things to do in Prince George's Co."

Turning to literature, pinenut at Pines Above Snow looks at Writing Classes: "The hierarchy is somewhat complicated by snootiness about where you’re publishing (New York-published nonfiction may sometimes trump regionally-published fiction). But the ranking itself, rather than the specific details, bothers me. Such hierarchic attitudes undermine training in my little niche (children’s writers conferences treat publishing picture books and novels as the Holy Grail, ignoring or sidelining a wealth of other creative possibilities). Still worse, this class system constricts teaching and reading of all kinds of literature. "

On a more personal note, the anonymous author of That's What I Think, admits to Consuming Words Like Some People Eat Chocolate: "When I read, I have a hard time getting through books as quickly as I'd prefer. My reading speed has always been fairly swift. However, I'm completely infatuated with words. To me, a word is a vibrant gem that injects reality into the pages at hand. It is a building block, creating and strengthening human understanding across the diversity that is life. Without the right combination, a novel could not convey the story the author hopes to tell."

Then, turning to nature and the environment, Jeremy at The Voltage Gate gives us The Mountains Once Smoldered: "The coal culture, if it can be called that, is fascinating to me, and I can't really explain why. I've been a resident of this area for about four years now, but I have been visiting since I was a kid. It seemed normal then, part of the landscape. It has become more and more alien to me with the passing years."

And finally, I have a few Juncos: "Flitty little things, never still, never letting you get close."

That wraps up the Carnival. The next edition will be at the Spewker on Feb 10; if you've got a submission, you can use the form here.