Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art One-half Banana Stems

Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art One-half Banana Stems - www.kevindayhoff.com Address: PO Box 124, Westminster MD 21158 410-259-6403 kevindayhoff@gmail.com Runner, writer, artist, fire & police chaplain Mindless ramblings of a runner, journalist & artist: Travel, art, artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalists and journalism, reporters and reporting, technology, music, culture, opera... National & International politics www.kevindayhoff.net For community: www.kevindayhoff.org For art, technology, writing, & travel: www.kevindayhoff.com

Thursday, September 28, 2006

20060928 New Bedford Herald


www.kevindayhoff.net or http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/index.html

The Tentacle: http://www.thetentacle.com/

Westminster Eagle (click on "Opinion"): http://news.mywebpal.com/index.cfm?pnpid=978

Westminster Eagle pieces on "Soundtrack": http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/search/label/Westminster%20Eagle

Winchester Report: http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?NPV2Datasource=mywebpal&pnpid=978&show=newscast&CategoryID=18298

Winchester Report Archives: http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?NPV2Datasource=mywebpal&pnpid=978&show=newscast&CategoryID=18298



Sugarshoot



New Bedford Herald

Linkin Park - Numb



Andrew Bird - "Imitosis"

Andrew Bird - "Imitosis".

From the 2007 release "Armchair Apocrypha"

Directed by Britta Johnson

Produced by Xan Aranda

For more: Andrew Bird





20060927 KDDC Winchester Report on Local News in Spanish



My latest post on the Westminster Eagle blog, The Winchester Report, is up. It is: “Local news coverage, in Spanish, of the tragic accident in Westminster.”

09/23/06 By Kevin Dayhoff

Last Tuesday night there was a tragic accident in Westminster in which a bicyclist, a native of Mexico, was killed on Route 140.

The Carroll County Times published an article week by Ari Natter and Tomas Pagan-Motta in the print edition which referred the reader to the story – in Spanish – online.

The Times is to be congratulated for including an article in the language of the victim.

I only wish that the paper had been able to find the space to publish the Spanish version in the print edition. Better yet, I wish I had thought of it first.

[I added the hyperlinks…]

Read the rest of it here.

For pervious posts:

20060921 KDDC Spanish language coverage of the tragic traffic ...

22 Sep 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

In regards to the local news coverage of the tragic accident in Westminster in which a bicyclist was killed on Rte 140, the Carroll County Times published an article today by Ari Natter and Tomas Pagan-Motta in the print edition which ...

20060919 KDDC Bicyclist killed in late night accident on Rte 140 ...

20 Sep 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

A dark stretch of eastbound Rte 140 between the Rte 27 overpass and Center St . in Westminster was the scene of a fatal accident involving a bicyclist and a Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputy late Tuesday evening. ...

####

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

20060926 KDDC Krauthammer’s Law


Krauthammer's Law: Everyone is Jewish until proven otherwise

Posted by Kevin Dayhoff Sept. 27th, 2006

If you have not had a chance to read Charles Krauthammer’s latest column: “Krauthammer's Law: Everyone is Jewish until proven otherwise,” it is a keeper.

Is it me, or does it seem that the senatorial contest in Virginia just keep getting curiouser and cuiouser?

Can anyone explain to me just what the fact that Governor-Senator Allen has Jewish ancestors have to do with the price of tea in China – or the Senate contest, for that matter? A glick hot dir getrofen.

“Krauthammer's Law: Everyone is Jewish until proven otherwise”

By Charles Krauthammer

Jewish World Review Sept. 25, 2006 / 3 Tishrei, 5766

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com Strange doings in Virginia. George Allen, former governor, one-term senator, son of a famous football coach and in the midst of a heated battle for reelection, has just been outed as a Jew. An odd turn of events, given that his having Jewish origins has nothing to do with anything in the campaign and that Allen himself was oblivious to the fact until his 83-year-old mother revealed to him last month the secret she had kept concealed for 60 years.

Apart from its political irrelevance, it seems improbable in the extreme that the cowboy-boots-wearing football scion of Southern manner and speech should turn out to be, at least by origins, a son of Israel. For Allen, as he quipped to me, it's the explanation for a lifelong affinity for Hebrew National hot dogs. For me, it is the ultimate confirmation of something I have been regaling friends with for 20 years and now, for the advancement of social science, feel compelled to publish.

Krauthammer's Law: Everyone is Jewish until proven otherwise. I've had a fairly good run with this one…

Read the rest here.

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20060926 KDDC Kelsey Volkmann on the Hoff Barn


Kelsey Volkmann on the Hoff Barn

Posted by Kevin Dayhoff September 26th, 2006

Last Friday I missed a nice piece by Kelsey Volkmann in the Baltimore Examiner on the Hoff Barn.

If you missed it: “Historic barn to be rebuilt at museum,” is yet another in a series community newspaper work by Kelsey Volkmann that is worth going out of your way to check out. I periodically do a search on “Volkmann” in the Examiner web site to be sure that I have not missed any of her work.

She begins her article: “Westminster - For more than two centuries, the Hoff barn withstood thunderstorms, blizzards and even a fad in the late 1800s to demolish structures like it because they were considered old-fashioned.

Now, the barn on a New Windsor dairy farm has survived long enough to become one of the oldest log barns in Maryland and earn a spot at the Carroll County Farm Museum, an architectural historian said.

“It’s a large part of what the county was and who the people were who came here. It’s like looking back in time,” said Ken Short, a former historian with the county who is writing a report for the museum on the barn.”

Be sure to read the rest of her piece here.

For past posts by me on the Hoff Barn go:

20060913 KDDC Hoff Memorial Barn ceremonial groundbreaking on ...

13 Sep 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

In the earlier KDDC piece on May 6th, 2006, titled “Historic Hoff Barn Relocation and ... Contributions can be mailed to “The Hoff Barn Project,” PO Box 124 ... Put the words, “The Hoff Barn Project” in the subject line. ...

20060506 Historic Hoff Barn Relocation and Restoration Solicitors ...

7 May 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

Contributions can be mailed to “The Hoff Barn Project,” PO Box 124, Westminster, MD 21158. ... Put the words, “The Hoff Barn Project” in the subject line. ... Marlin K. Hoff ran Coldsprings Farms, the largest dairy operation in the ...

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20060925 KDDC Cartoon on Carroll County primary elections


“A little group of lit’l green people have landed in my soup”

© Kevin Dayhoff Sept. 13th, 2006

Of schadenfreude and irony

September 25th, 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

Perhaps the cartoon above will explain the results of the Carroll County primary elections. It is as if a group of little green people have landed in Carroll County to provide us with the proverbial “fly in the ointment” to our quality of life.

I’m not really sure if this past Carroll County primary election is a few clowns short of a circus or an experiment in artificial stupidity.

To repeat a wonderful observation by the Washington Post some time ago – that I sure wish I had written: “The numbing repetition of uncorrected falsehoods creates a phony atmosphere of uncertainty around key questions... Eventually voters throw up their hands and accept the fact that they’ll never know for sure what the truth is, and confusion ensues.”

Confusion as to what is real and what is nefarious mythology reigns in Carroll County today and there is plenty of blame for everyone.

Hopefully soon, our community leaders will take heed to the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a January 8th, 1940 speech, in which he said: “The future lies with those wise politicians who realize that the great public is interested more in government that in politics.”

We would all like to think that misrepresentations about the issues or the legacy and performance of a particular candidate or candidates is foreign to what we hold dear as Carroll County values.

That said; our history is replete with examples to the contrary. But that doesn’t mean that in the past such misrepresentations prevailed to sway the outcome of the election or that such negative campaigning represents our values.

To be sure there have been many pivotal elections in Carroll County’s history. Only history will decide if this is one. But looking back 150 years ago to the Carroll County of 1856 is worthy of note.

When Carroll County was formed in 1837, the nation was dealing with the “Panic of 1837,” one of the worst recessions in our nations history.

The late 1840s and early 1850s witnessed many new folks move into Carroll County and roads and infrastructure, jobs creation and access to markets became hotly contested political issues. The new folks agitated aggressively for changes.

It was in this time period that the “Know-Nothing Party” reared its ugly head against immigrants; the scope, size and role of government; local decision making versus federal or centralized state decisions; and just a generalized anger about anything that moved or wanted to move.

The challenge for the elected leadership was the lack of revenue to execute the changes for which many clamored. As the revenue picture brightened, everyone wanted everything for which they had waited for so many years.

The 1837 recession lasted well into the 1840s. In 1851, the form of government in Carroll County was changed from nine commissioners appointed by the governor to three commissioners elected locally to two year terms.

But the acrimony and turmoil of the cry for changes continued, fueled by what some historians call the great Carroll County newspaper war, in which the warring camps fought it out in the newspaper, that is, when they weren’t verbally and physically assaulting each other. And the newspapers certainly threw gasoline on the fire…

Fast-forwarding to the present; my definition of negative campaigning is either a concerted whisper campaign to distort the performance of a candidate or the outright publication of such distortions, either by political ads and literature or by an advocacy oriented newspaper(s).

Selective quotation and trivialities trumping substance in an obvious attempt to distort the facts seem to be the rule of the day. It is always the source of amazement to observe folks who, in the same utterance, plead for understanding and tolerance for their views and then demonize anyone who doesn't agree with them.

A rule among classier community leaders prohibits promoting oneself by personally sniping at someone who holds a different point of view than yours. It is not only bad form but smacks of bullying and could wind up hurting your own cause, as you only look like someone with the warmth and humanity of a water moccasin.

However, it is fascinating to now see folks who have in the past participated in negative campaigning now write columns suggesting the horror of it all in righteous indignation.

In the scalding criticism and politics of personal destruction that passes for contemporary political realism and the social commentary of the day, it is important that we take out a moment to appreciate what a great county we live in and all the positive things for which we have to be thankful.

Not a day passes when we don’t read scathing criticism of someone who has taken time away from his or her family to try and make our community, municipality, county or country a better place. One can be sure that this certainly doesn’t encourage other good folks to step forward and volunteer time for their community.

Any community leader, whether we agree or disagree with his or her ideas, needs to be respected for sticking their head above the crowd to try and make a difference and contribution. It is important to confine our disagreement to their ideas and leave the person, their chosen profession and their family out of it. Remember, you can’t get to heaven based on the sins of others.

The sea change on the part of Carroll County citizens against residential growth in Carroll County has long-since taken a turn for the ugly – and this didn’t take place over-night.

The seeds for the unpleasantness of this past primary election were sown in the 2002 elections when good folks were simplistically demonized in a smear campaign to promote another approach to managing growth in our county.

As much as I continue to have no interest in any hardly any new housing development in Carroll County - - you can’t take away a person’s property rights by plebiscite or an angry mob.

I have grown exhausted with the erosion of our quality of life. Not only the traffic, mind you – but the pollution that pervades the public discourse about residential growth.

Folks seem to feel indemnified to be painfully unpleasant because of their righteous outrage over any new development in the county. Often, but not always, they are the very same folks, who travel to the public hearing from their half-a-million dollar home in what was once a beautiful farm.

However demonizing developers and real estate professionals is a non-starter. Personally attaching an elected official because they have a different point of view about growth, taxation or the size and scope of government, should also be off the table.

The fascinating thing about the primary election for the Carroll County Commissioners is that the one commissioner that was most respectful to those with a different point of view was Commissioner Perry Jones – the only commissioner to not make it through the primary. Go figure.

The worst thing that can happen to a community is that everybody thinks the same way all the time.

But it will be catastrophic if potential leaders are unwilling to step out of the comfortable cocoon of their lives to assume a leadership role or proffer a different point of view for fear of the politics of personal destruction.

If you have the negative energy and the time, anything or anyone can be criticized. It takes only a little misplaced imagination.

Saint Francis of Assisi, who lived back in the 13th Century, said where there is hatred you have to send love; where there is doubt you have to send faith; where there is injury you have to send pardon...

The answer to the problems we face personally and as a society is in being able to bring a higher, more loving, more spiritual energy to whatever it is we confront. When we do, slowly, inch-by-inch, we will become a better society, a better people, and a better world.

A community cannot prosper if individuals fail and we don't rediscover some sense of civility and practice daily acts of kindness to one another.

The answer lies in the ability to listen with respect to those with whom we deeply disagree, in an attempt to catch in their remarks some truth we may have missed, in order to find a meaningful compromise.

Misrepresenting history, comparing our neighbors to nefarious folks from the past and calling folks names is not a good place to begin the healing process for Carroll County. Such righteous indignation, often by the very same folks who have participated in negative campaigning in the past, only perpetuates a negative climate and atmosphere in our community.

Participatory grass roots democracy, open and transparent dialogue is not for the weak of heart. However, if we have learned anything from history, hopefully we have learned that name-calling, pointing fingers, rumor mongering and being impolite, loud, bizarre and disagreeable is not the best way of solving problems.

It is extremely important that we explore alternative ways of peace, positive conflict resolution and nonviolence. It is not necessarily the challenge that counts nearly as much as the thoughtful and well considered response to the challenge.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org www.thetentacle.com Westminster Eagle Opinion and Winchester Report www.thewestminstereagle.com www.kevindayhoff.com

20060926 KDDC Russell Mills A Dream Keeper gets recognized

Russell Mills - A Dream Keeper gets recognized

Posted by Kevin Dayhoff on September 26th, 2006

Speaking of great community oriented newspaper work, it was no surprise for me that when someone called to my attention that there was an article written about the great work of fellow Carrollinian, Russell Mills, Jr., I found the excellent article to be written by Ellie Baublitz: “'Mr. Lion' gets a roar of support,”

Ms. Baublitz must have started writing for the Baltimore Sun when she was in elementary school as I have clippings of her work going back forever…

It would be great if more Baltimore Sun writers took her approach. She has been one of my favorite journalists for quite some time.

On September 24th, 2006, she penned a great piece about the wonderful community work of Russell Mills, Jr.

It is only fitting and proper that the article came out at the beginning of Fallfest, because when thinks of folks who are the dream keepers in our community, Mr. Mills makes the “A” team quickly and easily.

It is always good to recognize the folks who make this community a wonderful place to live and congratulations are in order for Mr. Russell Mills and a big thank you for Ellie Baublitz for calling to our attention his award.

Among several excerpts that are worthy of your attention are: “Mills was chosen out of 26 nominees for the annual honor at an awards ceremony at the new North Carroll Senior and Community Center.”

“Next month will mark 31 years as a Westminster Lion for Mills. He has been president twice, vice president, fundraiser committee chair, district chair, board member, youth chair, and this year, zone chair, responsible for circulating news to six regional clubs.”

“Ron Brewer, a fellow Lion who nominated Mills, said, ‘He does everything and anything for the Westminster club and any other club he can help out.’”

Read the rest of Ms. Baublitz’s article: “'Mr. Lion' gets a roar of support,” here.

When ya run across Mr. Mills, thank him for everything that he does for our community and be sure to thank Ms. Baublitz for all her good work also.

####

20060924 KDDC Commissioner Candidate Dennis Beard on the issues


Carroll County Commissioner Candidate Dennis Beard on the issues
September 24th, 2006

I recently ran across one of the three Democratic candidates for Carroll County Commissioner, Dennis Beard, at the annual Fallfest parade. Then the other day, he sent me a link to his new web site.

On the issues, Mr. Beard writes:

For the Record: The Issues We Face
1. Accountability
2. Agriculture
3. Economic Development
4. Education
5. Growth
6. Parks and Recreation
7. Public Safety
8. Roads
9. Taxation
10.Water

These 10 issue areas will require working together with many different groups. It will require a Board of Commissioners who can work together, and who can respect each other, even if they have individual differences in points of view. It will require commissioners who can work with municipalities and communities, through the Council of Governments. It will require commissioners who can work effectively with the Board of Education to ensure a quality education for all children in Carroll County. It will require commissioners who can work together with emergency services volunteers to plan for the future, so that lives can be saved. It will require commissioners who can work effectively with state officials on a wide variety of projects, and regional officials in a spirit of cooperation.

It will also require a Board of Commissioners to commit to an open government policy that encourages citizens to be part of their government. This is your government – the commissioners are there to serve you – but at the same time we will need your help. We will not be able to tackle all of these issues without your help and your involvement.

Read the rest of Mr. Beard’s narrative on the issues here.

####

20060926 KDDC Frog salad


Frog salad
Posted September 26, 2006

With all the recent media attention to the outbreak of E. coli in spinach and the folks who have become sick as a result; along comes this image above of a frog in the salad, being circulated around the internet. Perhaps it has come to an inbox near you.

Hopefully that by the time I get this up on the web site, the image is big enough to see it, but if you look closely at the package and look just below the words "Fresco Lavado"...

The explanation that circulates with the image did not make me real comfortable. “What probably happened is, the water which the lettuce was washed in, contained polliwogs and these became fresh new frogs, right in the packages. So if you're looking for salad fixins with a little more body, then be sure and try this brand.”

Good gracious. If the water in which the lettuce was washed contained polliwogs, just what else could possible be in the water?

Hat Tip: Grammy

####

PS: “Polliwog” is a great word. I’ve met a few “polliwogs” in the political world…

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

20060926 KDDC My day with The plight of the tooth Valkyries


My day with “The plight of the tooth Valkyries”

“The plight of the tooth Valkyries”

(c) www.kevindayhoff.com Sept. 26th, 2006

When I awakened this morning to the “Flight of the Valkyries,” I was all ready to quixotically do battle with whatever windmills presented themselves.

The only problem is that my front tooth never got that memo and it would appear that in my advancing age, one of my front teeth is annoyed with my body corpus and raising a ruckus.

Ever curious as to what could possible be the problem, I went to the x-ray program in Adobe Photoshop and immediately found the problem.

Now I’m eagerly awaiting for the miracle of amoxicillin to do battle with the guy with the chisel.

I call it my day with “The plight of the tooth Valkyries”

PS: This was placed on the blog so that the wonderful folks at Drs. Eden and Young, D.D.S., P.A., Family Dentistry, 715 Baltimore Blvd. (Rte. 140), Westminster, MD 21157; may access it and get a little advanced notice of the perils they face tomorrow morning when they do battle with the guy with the chisel in an attempt to alleviate my discomfort.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org http://www.thetentacle.com/ Westminster Eagle Opinion and Winchester Report http://www.thewestminstereagle.com/ http://www.kevindayhoff.com/

20060925 KDDC Dennis Beard event at Piney Run Park on October 1 2006


Dennis Beard event at Piney Run Park on October 1, 2006

20060925 KDDC Some Fallfest pictures







Some Fallfest pictures

Posted September 25th, 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

I did not take nearly as many pictures at this year’s Fallfest as I have in the past. Too much to do and too little time in which to do it.

By all accounts, this year’s Fallfest was another great success.

The Carroll County Times carried a nice article on Fallfest in the Monday, September 25th edition. Find it here: 'Quality time' at Fallfest by Diane Reynolds, Times Staff Writer, “Brian Kasik's goal is nothing less than to make Fallfest the best event in the area…”

From top to bottom, here is sampling of some of the photos that I took. I’ll get more up on the site as soon as I beg and borrow the time…

Audrey and Joe Cimino staff the Fallfest information booth on September 22nd, 2006.

Bob Keefer helps out in the Lions Club food stand on September 22nd, 2006

Greene helps out in the Lions Club food stand on September 22nd, 2006

Westminster Police officers Andy Hundertmark and Keith Benfer guard the Kettle Corn stand on September 22nd, 2006

Jane Schroeder enjoys an ice cream cone at Fallfest on September 22nd, 2006

Kevin and Caroline display a purple teddy bear at the entrance sign for Fallfest on September 23rd, 2006.

####

Sunday, September 24, 2006

20060923 KDDC The Linda Lamone Vote-o-matic


The Linda Lamone Vote-o-matic.

© Kevin Dayhoff September 23rd, 2006

Linda Lamone unveils her plan for Maryland’s Nov. 2006 general election.

####

20060923 KDDC Lamoned again and again


Lamoned again and again

September 23rd, 2006

Photo credits: left photo, “Linda Lamone answers questions at the Board of Public Works meeting (Photo by WBAL's Scott Wykoff)”

Right photo: YouTube: “Linda Lamone: I’m the boss.”

Much has been written about the elections meltdown in several jurisdictions in Maryland during the September 12th, 2006 Maryland primary elections.

Throughout it all, Maryland state elections administrator Linda Lamone has remained relatively unscathed by the awkward series of events.

In my Tentacle column on Wednesday, September 20th, 2006, “Lamoned, again,” I noted: “The Baltimore Sun is quick to say in a September 14th, 2006 article: “Lamone, for her part, said she was "horrified" by the problems that snarled the start of voting on Tuesday … but she attributed most of the problems to the largely autonomous local election boards -- especially in Montgomery County and Baltimore -- not to anything that her office or its staff did wrong.”

I also called to the reader’s attention: “Then in a letter to the Maryland Attorney General Joseph Curran (D), (on September 13th, 2006) Ms. Lamone says, “As you know, the local election boards are gubernatorial appointments, the local boards appoint the local directors and they are locally funded…””

Last Wednesday, September 20th, 2006, Ms. Lamone was asked to address the election challenges with the Board of Public Works in Annapolis. WBAL Radio carried an article about the meeting on its web site: “State Election Director Grilled; Schaefer Says 'This Is The Dirtiest, Stinking Game I've Ever Known’” by
WBAL Radio's Scott Wykoff.

In Mr. Wykoff’s piece, he reported, “Tough questions Wednesday for the state elections chief who went before the Board of Public Works.

Linda Lamone and other election officials have been criticized for widespread problems on primary election day.

Lamone was questioned for more than a hour by Governor Ehrlich, Comptroller Schaefer and Treasurer Kopp.”

As far as responsibility for the election problems, the WBAL article said: “When asked by Comptroller Schaefer who is to blame, she said she was not here to point figures.”

WBAL went on to say: “Meanwhile, new audio has emerged from testimony Lamone gave before the Virginia legislature in July 2005. Testifying about elections in Maryland, Lamone told lawmakers there, "...in Maryland, the authority to run elections is centralized. I am the boss. The buck stops with me. I'm the one who gets in trouble when anything happens. The counties have to use the voting systems that the state selected. They have to follow state procedures."

Lamone's comments seem to conflict with statements she's made since last week's primary election. Lamone has been saying elections in Maryland are decentralized and local boards have the most authority.”

WBAL Radio’s web site has a link to the audio of Ms. Lamone’s presentation in Virginia in July 2005 - - but now, [Hat Tip: TSL, September 22nd, 2006, “Marbella Misses Lamone Concession”] a video has surfaced.

It is on YouTube: “Linda Lamone: I’m the boss.” It is a very enlightening snippet of her presentation.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org http://www.thetentacle.com/ Westminster Eagle Opinion and Winchester Report http://www.thewestminstereagle.com/ http://www.kevindayhoff.com/

Saturday, September 23, 2006

20060923 Local News in Spanish



Local News in Spanish


September 23, 2006


My latest post on the Westminster Eagle blog, The Winchester Report, is up. It is: “Local news coverage, in Spanish, of the tragic accident in Westminster.”


09/23/06 By Kevin Dayhoff


Last Tuesday night there was a tragic accident in Westminster in which a bicyclist, a native of Mexico, was killed on Route 140.


The Carroll County Times published an article week by Ari Natter and Tomas Pagan-Motta in the print edition which referred the reader to the story – in Spanish – online.


The Times is to be congratulated for including an article in the language of the victim.


I only wish that the paper had been able to find the space to publish the Spanish version in the print edition. Better yet, I wish I had thought of it first.


[I added the hyperlinks…]


Read the rest of it here.


For previous posts:


20060921 KDDC Spanish language coverage of the tragic traffic ...

22 Sep 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

In regards to the local news coverage of the tragic accident in Westminster in which a bicyclist was killed on Rte 140, the Carroll County Times published an article today by Ari Natter and Tomas Pagan-Motta in the print edition which ...


20060919 KDDC Bicyclist killed in late night accident on Rte 140 ...

20 Sep 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff

A dark stretch of eastbound Rte 140 between the Rte 27 overpass and Center St. in Westminster was the scene of a fatal accident involving a bicyclist and a Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputy late Tuesday evening. ...

####

20060922 KDDC Westminster Fallfest Montage



20060922 KDDC Westminster Fallfest Montage
(c) Kevin Dayhoff Sept. 23, 2006

20060923 KDDC Welcome aboard Fasten your seatbelts and prepare to laugh


Welcome aboard. Fasten your seatbelts and prepare to laugh

September 23rd, 2006

Leisurely grazing through the web, I came across this funny post about flying.

I’ve flown a bit in my time and have come to find flying and airports to be an adventure all to itself - - far above and beyond the events of whatever destination to which I am flying.

I’m glad to read a piece that pokes some fun at all the obsessive rituals that have evolved.

The piece, “Welcome aboard,” is found in the Economist.com and was posted September 7th, 2006.

Hat Tip: I found it posted September 10th, 2006, on a blog named “Dilettante,” which I think comes out of India? The post title is: “Fear of Flying.” (Word association: A phrase coined in a book I read quite a number of years ago by Erica Jong.)

The photograph posted above is one that I have had filed in my images files for quite sometime and I haven’t a clue as to where I got it…

I have reformatted the piece pasted below for better readability:

Fear of flying

Welcome aboard

Sep 7th 2006
From The Economist print edition

In-flight announcements are not entirely truthful. What might an honest one sound like?

“GOOD morning, ladies and gentlemen. We are delighted to welcome you aboard Veritas Airways, the airline that tells it like it is. Please ensure that your seat belt is fastened, your seat back is upright and your tray-table is stowed.


At Veritas Airways, your safety is our first priority. Actually, that is not quite true: if it were, our seats would be rear-facing, like those in military aircraft, since they are safer in the event of an emergency landing. But then hardly anybody would buy our tickets and we would go bust.


The flight attendants are now pointing out the emergency exits. This is the part of the announcement that you might want to pay attention to. So stop your sudoku for a minute and listen: knowing in advance where the exits are makes a dramatic difference to your chances of survival if we have to evacuate the aircraft.


Also, please keep your seat belt fastened when seated, even if the seat-belt light is not illuminated. This is to protect you from the risk of clear-air turbulence, a rare but extremely nasty form of disturbance that can cause severe injury. Imagine the heavy food trolleys jumping into the air and bashing into the overhead lockers, and you will have some idea of how nasty it can be. We don't want to scare you. Still, keep that seat belt fastened all the same.


Your life-jacket can be found under your seat, but please do not remove it now. In fact, do not bother to look for it at all. In the event of a landing on water, an unprecedented miracle will have occurred, because in the history of aviation the number of wide-bodied aircraft that have made successful landings on water is zero.


This aircraft is equipped with inflatable slides that detach to form life rafts, not that it makes any difference. Please remove high-heeled shoes before using the slides. We might as well add that space helmets and anti-gravity belts should also be removed, since even to mention the use of the slides as rafts is to enter the realm of science fiction.


Please switch off all mobile phones, since they can interfere with the aircraft's navigation systems. At least, that's what you've always been told. The real reason to switch them off is because they interfere with mobile networks on the ground, but somehow that doesn't sound quite so good.


On most flights a few mobile phones are left on by mistake, so if they were really dangerous we would not allow them on board at all, if you think about it. We will have to come clean about this next year, when we introduce in-flight calling across the Veritas fleet. At that point the prospect of taking a cut of the sky-high calling charges will miraculously cause our safety concerns about mobile phones to evaporate.


On channel 11 of our in-flight entertainment system you will find a video consisting of abstract imagery and a new-age soundtrack, with a voice-over explaining some exercises you can do to reduce the risk of deep-vein thrombosis. We are aware that this video is tedious, but it is not meant to be fun. It is meant to limit our liability in the event of lawsuits.


Once we have reached cruising altitude you will be offered a light meal and a choice of beverages—a word that sounds so much better than just saying ‘drinks’, don't you think?


The purpose of these refreshments is partly to keep you in your seats where you cannot do yourselves or anyone else any harm. Please consume alcohol in moderate quantities so that you become mildly sedated but not rowdy. That said, we can always turn the cabin air-quality down a notch or two to help ensure that you are sufficiently drowsy.


After take-off, the most dangerous part of the flight, the captain will say a few words that will either be so quiet that you will not be able to hear them, or so loud that they could wake the dead.

So please sit back, relax and enjoy the flight.


We appreciate that you have a choice of airlines and we thank you for choosing Veritas, a member of an incomprehensible alliance of obscure foreign outfits, most of which you have never heard of.

Cabin crew, please make sure we have remembered to close the doors. Sorry, I mean: ‘Doors to automatic and cross-check’.


Thank you for flying Veritas.”

####

Friday, September 22, 2006

20060921 KDDC Carroll Times article in Spanish

Crash victim was saving for wedding

The Carroll County Times

Para la historia completa vaya a la página.

For previous KDDC post (Spanish language coverage of the tragic traffic accident in Westminster)
click here.

POR ARI NATTER AND TOMAS PAGAN-MOTTA, TIMES STAFF WRITERS

Un imigrante Hispano de 21 años que fue atropeyado por un carro de la policía y herido mortalmente Martes por la noche vivia y trabajaba en Westminster para ahorrar dinero para poder casarse por la iglesia en su pais, dijo uno de sus hermanos el Miércoles.

Mario GarcĂ­a Salgado muriĂł cuando fue atropeyado por un carro de el Carroll County Sheriff’s deputy mientras cruzaba en bicicleta una parte de la Md. 140 cerca de la Md. 27, dijo la policĂ­a.

Find the rest of this article here.

Reach staff writer Ari Natter at 410-751-5908 or nattera@lcniofmd.com.

Para comunicarse con staff writer Tomas Pagan-Motta llame al 410-857-7890 or tmotta@lcniofmd.com.

####

20060921 KDDC Spanish language coverage of the tragic traffic accident in Westminster


“Thumbs Up” © Kevin Dayhoff Sept. 21, 2006

Spanish language coverage of the tragic traffic accident in Westminster

Posted by Kevin Dayhoff September 21st, 2006

In regards to the local news coverage of the tragic accident in Westminster in which a bicyclist was killed on Rte 140, the Carroll County Times published an article today by Ari Natter and Tomas Pagan-Motta in the print edition which referred the reader to the story – in Spanish – on-line. Para la historia completa vaya a la página.

The Carroll County Times is to be congratulated for including an article in the language of the local Latino community of the victim.

I only wish that the paper had been able to find the space to publish the Spanish version in the print edition.

Never-the-less, I especially appreciated that the article was on-line. In today’s globalized world, one can only wonder just how many folks from this gentleman’s native community were able to access the article, by way of the internet, and read a news account about his unfortunate death. In my limited experience, knowing the circumstances is sometimes helpful in attempting to make some sense out of the tenuous mysteries of life and death.

In today’s world, at the first hint that a friend, a neighbor, former classmate or a loved one is involved in the news outside our immediate community, the first place the computer literate goes is on-line to find a local newspaper account.

Of course, this is easier now that more newspapers are on-line. It gets hard when the publication is in a foreign language.

My ear to the ground reveals that there are folks in our community who are unhappy that the Times did this. Ay caramba.

Folks, this is not a political issue and hurts one’s head when local activists project their political agenda ahead of their humanity. Putting the article in Spanish was a compassionate thing to do and again, the Times is to be applauded.

My article in the Westminster Eagle did not make it on-line until late Wednesday afternoon. I only wish that I had thought of making it available in Spanish.

As far as the criticism, if I worked for the Carroll County Times, I would be one of the first to present myself in Jim Lee’s office, the editor of the Times, and commence to pound on his desk with a frozen burrito requiring him to respond to the criticism – in the print edition, in Spanish. He may refer the readers to the on-line edition of the paper to read it in English.

Ya know, sometimes integrity requires one to do the right thing when everyone around you disagrees. Leadership is often leading folks to someplace to somewhere that they were unaware that they needed to go.

We live in a community in which many new folks have arrived that are of a different culture and speak a different language. They have feelings. They cry at tragedies. They have families and they work hard and try to do the right thing.

And oh, did I mention - they also speak a different language.

I ain’t threatened by that and nor should you. As an artist and a writer, I have probably more insecurities than the next person in the grocery store check-out line. The fact that the next person in line speaks Spanish just is not one of my hang-ups.

They will learn English just as most of our forbearers in Carroll County learned English when the predominant language was German.

The artificial walls in our community are not a Carroll County tradition and this is not the time to begin such a tradition. We have a tradition in Carroll County of being a caring and compassionate community and instead of erecting artificial walls we should be building bridges.

For those who are not aware, I made a living in the green industry. I used to say that I knew what a “greenhouse” was long before it was an “effect.” Growing up near Westminster Nurseries, I became aware of immigrant Spanish speaking workers long before they became a national discussion, much less a local conversation. I went on to work with Spanish workers throughout my professional life. Being around Spanish speaking folks is not an anomaly for me and I certainly don’t feel threatened, physiologically, socially, politically and most certainly not physically.

They are folks just like us. They have my utmost respect. They travel thousands of miles away from home to work long hours and send money home to make for a better life for their families. Can someone please explain to me where’s the problem?

And don’t tell me that they are taking away work from Americans. Any American that wants to work can compete for a job with anyone anywhere. It’s just that there is more work on hand than folks available to fill the jobs and the global market has stepped-in to fill a void. I don’t always like market forces, but the market is a natural phenomenon for which I have profound respect.

If someone can do my job better than me, then I guess they deserve to have my job and it is my responsibility to redouble my efforts to be employable.

I would like to see the local papers include more articles in Spanish. Not only is it good marketing, but it also aids in making our community the best salad we can be as we don’t lose our individual identity, yet come together to make a better whole.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org www.thetentacle.com Westminster Eagle Opinion and Winchester Report www.thewestminstereagle.com www.kevindayhoff.com