20070905 Song of the South: No grits, no glory

Song of the South: No grits, no glory

Note: This column first appeared in the Westminster Eagle on August 1^st, 2007. Since it ran I have had several requests for copies… This is a longer version of that column. It is cross posted on my Westminster Eagle blog. "The Winchester Report":

Winchester Report: Song of the South: No grits, no glory

(Also see: “20070802 Welcome to the Outer Banks Grits Grill”)

Please enjoy.

08/01/07 – September 5^th, 2007 By Kevin E. Dayhoff

Recently, my family ventured on our annual sojourn south. It's a combination family reunion and vacation, as folks rendezvous from literally all over the world to a house with its very own ZIP code in Nags Head, N.C.

Many are aware of North Carolina's Outer Banks as a family values-oriented destination of sun, beach and unhurried afternoons reading a book -- not to mention the leisurely romantic walks on the beach at sunset.

But of course, the real reason I like to go is to watch the Tour de France and the readily-available access to the most northern reaches of the "Georgia Ice Cream" belt ... which runs from Louisiana to North Carolina.

What's that, you ask? What is "Georgia Ice Cream?" Honey child, I am so glad you asked. It's perhaps the most misunderstood of Southern delicacies: grits.

Many folks from Carroll County are not familiar with grits -- and that's a crying shame. The South is known for its gentile politeness and friendliness, and there's little doubt that there's direct cause and affect between being accommodating and friendly and the consumption of grits.

Indeed, the state of South Carolina decreed grits its "state food" in 1973. The reverential state declaration proclaimed, in part, that, "grits could very well play a vital role in the future of not only this state, but also the world."

You may very well consider standing, placing your hand on your heart, and re-reading the previous sentence.

In the past, northerners have come up with many well-documented ways of annoying southerners. Lengthy historic and economic dissertations will give the uninformed a certain insight that disagreements over the manufacture and distribution of grits could be considered one of the causes of the “War of Northern Aggression.”

But one of the best sure-fire ways of having “Fort Sumter moment” is to suggest, gasp, that grits is somewhat akin to cream of wheat. Not.

In 1952, the Charleston News and Courier proclaimed that grits, "an inexpensive, simple and thoroughly digestible food, should be made popular throughout the world. Given enough of it, the inhabitants of planet Earth would have nothing to fight about. A man full of (grits) is a man of peace."

The singular noun, "grits" has its roots from the Old English word, "grytta" meaning a coarse meal of any kind.

Native Americans introduced ground maize -- grits -- to the early English settlers many hundreds of years ago when the colonists were illegal aliens and did not speak the language of the land.

Outside the South, folks attempt to make the word "grits" plural. Not so. Consider the word, spaghetti, which is considered to be plural in form but takes a singular verb. (One does not, for example, write "spaghetti are.") Anytime you hear "grits are good," that is a sure-fire sign you're dealing with a Yankee who is not properly schooled in the fine art of grits.

According to one of my holiest Outer Banks destinations, the Grits Grill: "There are two basic types: corn grits and hominy grits. Corn grits (is) made from dried, milled corn kernels. Hominy grits (is) made by soaking corn in lye water for several days and then dried."

Of course, it's worth mentioning that the Grits Grill also serves another Southern delicacy, Krispy Kreme Donuts.

Many folks consider grits to be solely a breakfast food. Wrong. Grits is good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In the traditional South, grits automatically comes with breakfast. Once while traveling in the South, I specifically asked for an order of grits. The waitress glanced at me sideways and chewed her gum at a faster pace as she decreed, "Honey, grits just comes."

Many folks simply eat grits with a touch of salt and butter. Of course the real grits aficionado eats 'em smothered with bacon grease with their pinkie finger extended. I like grits mixed lightly ... with steak and eggs over-light. Please consult your cardiologist for additional consumption instructions.

As you can now easily understand, in a world pre-occupied with conflict and environmental perils, if more grits were served at mealtime, this food of love and peace could very well save the planet.

The Carroll County commissioners should consider passing an ordinance requiring, at a minimum, grits be served in all county restaurants for six months prior to all elections. They should certainly be served at all public hearings.

The Maryland General Assembly might consider going one-step further than South Carolina and passing legislation requiring grits to be a mandatory menu item in all state restaurants.

No grits, no glory.

Have you ever heard of folks arguing while sharing a meal of grits? I rest my case. At the Westminster Eagle, all we are saying is:

Give grits a chance.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster, and welcomes recipe ideas for grits.

E-mail him at kdayhoff AT carr DOT org or kevindayhoff AT gmail DOT com

www.kevindayhoff.net

His columns appear in The Tentacle, www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion www.thewestminstereagle.com and Winchester Report.

20070904 How to Avoid the Freshman 15

How to Avoid the Freshman 15

September 4^th, 2007

This post is dedicated to everyone who just dropped-off a loved-one at college.

I try and follow nutrition issues because a younger family member wants to be a nutritionist and I felt that a good uncle would wanna participate in meaningful conversations… I’m not sure that it’s working, but that might be the stuff of another conversation.

I was howling when I read the part “Unfortunately, as a diet plan, 47 bowls of cereal per day doesn't work so well.”

Our loved-one, whom we just dropped-off at college, immediately bypassed the fresh fruit, tempting wraps, and salads and began wolfing-down bowls of cereal… As much as I am also a cereal-lover myself, cereal must be a college freshman thing.

Me, I was addicted to macaroni and cheese in college. We would purchase it by the case.

Anyway… I just received this in an e-mail…

from Jen Hubley

When I was in school, there was a rumor going around that the cafeteria meat arrived in large crates marked: GRADE D. SUITABLE FOR PRISONS AND STATE UNIVERSITIES. The taste of the food did nothing to dispel the myth.

In the Spotlight

5 Ways to Get Fat in College

Surprisingly, the general yuckiness of the food did nothing to prevent me from overeating. If anything, it made me stuff food down faster and pig out on desserts more than I normally would. And, of course, all of that led to a common college student disorder: The Mysterious Shrinking Pants Syndrome.
- Exercise Guide Paige Waehner

Fight the Freshman 15

The real culprit was probably the overabundance of carbs we were all eating. If dinner is lousy, it makes sense to load up on free cereal. Unfortunately, as a diet plan, 47 bowls of cereal per day doesn't work so well.

Weight Loss Guide Jennifer R. Scott

Stress and the Freshman 15

If you're an emotional eater, freshman year of college is extra hard. For most of us, it's the first time we were away from home and responsible for ourselves.
- Stress Management Guide Elizabeth Scott, M.S.

####

20070827 News Clips

News Clips

August 27, 2007

STATE NEWS

Triathlon organizers win use of county roads
Group will pay an undisclosed fee for an increased police presence Sept. 9
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-ar.triathlon26aug26002635,0,2390475.story
Organizers of Annapolis' first triathlon, who first struggled to win over some angry downtown merchants, have climbed over another obstacle: the possibility of the race being kept off county-owned roads. The Annapolis Triathlon Club last week agreed to pay Anne Arundel County an unspecified fee for a beefed-up police presence during the Sept. 9 event, which is expected to draw 1,500 athletes and thousands more spectators to the city.
Mayor Ellen O. Moyer, a vocal proponent of the event, said s he had asked state Sen. John C. Astle and Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch, who both live in Annapolis, to intervene in last week's controversy to ensure it would go on as planned. She said that the city can and should work to accommodate such events that draw attention to the historic city.

Ulman hopes state funding cuts will be 'reasonable'
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-ho.politics26aug26,0,2234346.story
With General Assembly leaders talking about local governments sharing the pain of the state's $1.5 billion projected revenue shortfall next fiscal year, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman knows his next budget could take a big hit -- up to $40 million -- despite Gov. Martin O'Malley's promise to keep local governments in the clear.
The final decisio ns won't come until next year's General Assembly session is nearing an end in the spring, but Ulman is saying he is not likely to raise county property taxes to compensate for any state cuts.
"If anyone thinks we can easily raise revenue, they're mistaken," he said. "We're at our maximum on the piggyback [income tax]. Raising the property tax is not something I would consider lightly. People need to be prepared that these are cuts that will not be backfilled with local taxes." But County Councilman Greg Fox, a western county Republican, is not buying Ulman's argument."We knew that the state was looking at us as being part of the solution, and we shouldn't have been spending and spending as if we weren't going to be part of it," Fox said.

Craig backs camera plan
County executive supports putting surveillance tool on Edgewood streets
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.crime26aug26002635,0,3502240.story
A crime-fighting tool that has paid dividends when put to use in Baltimore and Aberdeen now is the focus of Harford County officials looking to turn back the tide of crime in Edgewood. The use of surveillance cameras, the topic of frequent discussion in the community in recent weeks, took an important step forward last week when County Executive David R. Craig offered his support for the plan."This won't happen overnight, but I have asked the sheriff to look into the cameras," Craig said Friday.In Aberdeen, two surveillance cameras have been mounted in the town's higher-crime areas. The cameras rotate 360 degrees and are monitored from the city's police station. Harford County State's Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly said prosecutors have used footage from the cameras i n a drug case. "Because of that film, we had enough to get a conviction," Cassilly said. "So it just seemed like an idea that should be explored for Edgewood."

Craig unveils plan for new school
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.elementary26aug26002635,0,5851205.story
An open house at the county's first new high school in 27 years gave County Executive David R. Craig the chance to announce more school construction. As he was about to tour the $70 million Patterson Mill complex Friday, Craig heralded the $1.4 million purchase of 23 acres in Churchville for another elementary school. Harford County will have 34 elementary schools when the two new schools open in 2011 and relieve crowding in the Bel Air area. Although the new schools have long b een needed, the county has been stymied in its efforts to find affordable land.

Lawmaker wants to remove Md. assets from Iran, North Korea, Syria
http://www.examiner.com/a-898459~Lawmaker_wants_to_remove_Md__assets_from_Iran__North_Korea__Syria.html
State retirement and pension assets would be removed from companies doing business in Iran, Syria and North Korea, under a bill an Anne Arundel County lawmaker plans to bring back for the General Assembly's next session.
Delegate Ron George, a Republican, said lawmakers have a responsibility to divest about $1.7 billion Maryland has in those countries to make sure the money is not helping nations that the federal government has designated as state sponsors of terrorism.

O'Malley faces tough choices Taxes , transportation, slots are challenges
http://www.capitalonline.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/08_26-38/TOP
Tax bills will be going up while spending goes down, slots at destination locations near Maryland's borders could become an issue, and nobody should expect a new span for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as long as Gov. Martin O'Malley is in the State House.Leading the state is a much different task than taking over Baltimore, the governor said, especially since the city was going "code blue" and Maryland is strong. Mr. O'Malley - who has a fiery reputation - said the State House has to have a more patient leader to forge compromises. The governor has taken heat from Republicans and Democrats alike for not trying to solve the budget deficit last session, but Mr. O'Malley saw the 90 days of the General Assembly session and the months afterwards as a time to build partnerships. Maryland doesn't have to overcome the "culture of failure" that pervaded in Baltimore, but the challenges ahead will need to be solved by a united front, he said.

Leggett's Strategy On Slots: Hushed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/25/AR2007082501174.html
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett has been quietly urging local lawmakers to take a low profile in the statewide debate over slot machine gambling even though polls have shown repeatedly that county residents are the state's most ardent opponents.Leggett's decision to lower the decibel level on slots marks a new approach for Montgomery Democrats in a debate that for years has divided state political leaders. The payback, Leggett hopes, would be a state budget package that plugs an estimated $1.5 billion shortfall without making Montgomery residents shoulder what county leaders say would be a disproportionate share of the costs.

Rail Projects at the Mercy of U.S. Agency
Federal Guidelines, and Funds, Direct Plans for Dulles, Purple Lines
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/26/AR2007082601189.html
The key decisions about Maryland's proposed Purple Line -- the route it takes, the type of rail cars it uses, the possibility of tunneling underground -- will be determined not by public opinion or political pressure.
Rather, a single agency that controls the limited federal money set aside for transit projects will shape the rail or bus line that could eventually link Bethesda and New Carrollton.
The Federal Transit Administration, which helped sink plans for a tunnel through Tysons Corner and is demanding further cost accounting for the proposed Metro line through Dulles International Airport, will likewise dictate what any new transit line through suburban Maryland would look like and when -- or whether -- there will be money to build it.
"It's the driving force behind the planning process," Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari said of the competition for federal money. "You can have the best conceived transit project in the world, and it's not going forward if it doesn't qualify for federal funding."


EDITORIALS/OP-EDS

Keeping up
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/bal-ed.transpo26aug27,0,585401.story
Since 1971, Maryland has financed its road and transit projects thro ugh a self-sustaining account known as the Transportation Trust Fund. It's proved a highly successful formula. A variety of user fees including the state gas tax, vehicle titling tax, registration fees and the like have fueled billions of dollars of investment in needed infrastructure. But the system is in danger of breaking down. Various alternatives to replenishing the trust fund - from raising the vehicle titling tax (particularly for gas guzzlers) and increasing the trust fund's share of the state tax on corporate profits, to applying the state sales tax to transportation-related transactions like car repairs - deserve serious consideration. But indexing the gas tax - arguably the fairest of all the highway user fees, because those who drive the most also pay the most - ought to be the starting point for next year's debate.

Under new schools CEO, reason for optimism amid the challenges
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.alonso27aug27,0,5381120.story
I'm excited about the new school year in Baltimore, which starts today. And I'm not alone. The appointment of Andres Alonso as CEO has generated hopeful anticipation. One thing's for sure: Under his leadership, city school bells will be chiming a different tune. National as well as local eyes will be on us. He represents a new breed of urban school superintendent, one with potential to bridge traditional and nontraditional schools of thought about what it takes to be a successful superintendent. There's a fighting chance. Mr. Alonso chose to come to Baltimore because he felt the circumstances were ripe: the manageable scale of our city's school population compared with larger cities; the shared vision with the school board; the relative stability of local and state politics; and the school s ystem's foundation of progress in recent years.

Get politics, therapy out of classrooms
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.hanson26aug26,0,1907705.story
Last week I went shopping in our small rural hometown, where my family has attended the same public schools since 1896. Without exception, all six generations of us - whether farmers, housewives, day laborers, businesspeople, writers, lawyers or educators - were given a good, competitive K-12 education. But after a haircut, I noticed that the 20-something cashier could not count out change. The next day, at the electronics outlet store, another young clerk could not read - much less explain - the basic English of the buyer's warranty. At the food market, I listened as a young couple argued over the price of a cut of tri-tip, unable to calculat e the meat's real value from its price per pound.
As another school year is set to get under way, it's worth pondering where this epidemic of ignorance came from.
Our presidential candidates sense the danger of this dumbing down of American society and are arguing over the dismal status of contemporary education: poor graduation rates, weak test scores and suspect literacy among the general population. Politicians warn that America's edge in global research and productivity will disappear, and with it our high standard of living.

Leopold stands up for the law
http://www.examiner.com/a-901298~Editorial__Leopold_stands_up_for_the_law.html
Law-abiding businesses with Anne Arundel County contracts have nothing to fear from a new local government rule. County Executive John R. Leopold, a Republica n, recently signed an executive order requiring all firms with county contracts to certify no illegal immigrants work for them. Why should taxpayers be forced to pay contractors who break the law?
Unlike Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, who earlier this month "forgot" to file tax forms for his housekeeper until days after firing her for being an illegal immigrant, Leopold showed symbolic courage in signing the executive order. Just because everybody else may be ignoring the law does not make it right nor good policy. County executives across the state should reaffirm their local government's commitment to its own laws by issuing similar orders. If it's OK to flout one law, it's a slippery slope to governments choosing to enforce only those laws they find palatable.

Budget to deflect O'Malley's key issues
http://ww w.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070827/METRO/108270041/1004
Maryland's budget problems are likely to push aside many of the special interests that dominated Gov. Martin O'Malley's first General Assembly session. "There's a buffet of issues to keep the voter and the taxpayer angry," said Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley, Frederick Republican. "I think the trick will be to see how the legislature and the governor fill their plates and hope to be rewarded in 2010. There will be a lot of bitter food." Mr. Brinkley said it would help to hold a special session to close the deficit before the next session, which convenes in January. But he expressed little optimism that House Speaker Michael E. Busch, Anne Arundel Democrat; Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., Prince George's Democrat; and Mr. O'Malley, also a Democrat, will agree on a solution before the next session.

NA TIONAL NEWS

Gilchrest swings by Lower Shore
Stops on the congressman's agenda today include Crisfield dock, Salisbury fundraiser
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070827/NEWS01/708270306/1002
U.S. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, R-1-Md., plans a firsthand look at a Crisfield dock in need of a complete overhaul today during stops in all three Lower Shore counties. He will tour the 97-foot dock at the end of Broad Street with Somerset County officials at 3 p.m., between visits to Ocean City and Salisbury. Several months ago, Somerset County officials turned to lawmakers in Washington for funding help after learning it will cost $450,000 to repair the dock. Gilchrest has written $150,000 of federal transportation funds into the House-vers ion of the Appropriations Bill, which has been approved. The bill, however, has not been approved by the Senate, and the congressman will have to ensure the money is not cut, said Tony Caligiuri, Gilchrest's chief of staff.


Poultry farmers fall under plan for terror watch
http://washingtontimes.com/article/20070827/METRO/108270037/1004
Poultry growers are protesting proposed Department of Homeland Security regulations that would label propane gas a "chemical of interest" and require anybody with 7,500 pounds or more of the fuel to register with the agency. At that amount, poultry farmers who use propane to heat chicken houses would have to fill out the forms. British police last month thwarted a terrorist plot in which two vehicles were loaded with nails packed around canisters of propane and gasoline, then set to deto nate. In Iraq, the military has seen propane tanks used in homemade bombs. Still, U.S. Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski and Benjamin L. Cardin, Maryland Democrats, and Sen. Thomas R. Carper, Delaware Democrat, wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff asking that the rule be shelved.
"Given the serious threats that are currently facing our country and the limited resources of the Department of Homeland Security, please explain why this initiative is a good use of federal dollars," the senators wrote earlier this month.

20070827 CyberAlert

CyberAlert

Monday August 27, 2007 (Vol. Twelve; No. 148)

---

1. Shields: 'Overkill' by 'Right-Wing Radio' Will Help Hillary "Overkill" from "right-wing radio," in criticizing Senator Hillary Clinton, is her "secret weapon" that will "transform her into a figure of sympathy by a majority of people" -- and presumably help elect her President -- syndicated columnist and PBS NewsHour political analyst Mark Shields contended Friday night. On Inside Washington, a weekly panel show produced by ABC's Washington, DC affiliate which airs it on Sunday mornings after it first runs Friday night at 8:30pm on DC's PBS affiliate, WETA-TV channel 26, Shields argued: "I think the secret weapon for Senator Clinton, if she is the Democratic nominee, is not simply Rudy's shortcomings, the perceived shortcomings of her opponent, I think you'll see on the part of right-wing radio -- conservative talk, however you want to call it -- such overkill that it will make her, transform her into a figure of sympathy by a majority of people." NPR's Nina Totenberg then chimed in: "That happened in her first Senate run."

2. Kristol Astounds Lauer by Rejecting Media Touting of Warner & NIE Matching the theme of NBC Nightly News from the evening before, the Today show on Friday morning portrayed Republican Senator John Warner's call for 5,000 troops to return home by Christmas as "a major defection" and "sharp rebuke" to President Bush, but to the astonishment of co-host Matt Lauer, who described Warner as "a pretty heavy domino" falling against Bush, guest Bill Kristol rejected the media's presumptions about the importance of Warner's stand. Andrea Mitchell trumpeted "a major defection from the most authoritative Republican Senator on all things military. It is a sharp rebuke to the President" from "the Senate's most influential Republican on the Armed Services Committee." When Kristol made clear he didn't think Warner's comments were such a big deal since he remains opposed to a pull-out timetable, Lauer argued: "What about the signal it sends to moderate Republicans in Congress? You know everybody talks about some sort of large scale defection. Isn't John Warner a pretty heavy domino?" Kristol countered: "No, because it hasn't fallen. He's not going to vote against the President in September, that's the more important thing." Turning to the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq, which Mitchell had described as "grim," Kristol highlighted positive findings about defeating al-Qaeda, prompting an incredulous Lauer to wonder: "Are they looking at the same country that you just saw?"

3. Newsweek's Michael Hirsh Ridicules 'Harsh' Vietnam Aftermath In a "Web-exclusive" commentary posted Thursday, Newsweek Senior Editor Michael Hirsh ridiculed President George W. Bush's warning that a precipitous pull-out from Iraq could lead to the humanitarian horrors that followed the American pull-out from Vietnam. Recalling a trip he made to Vietnam in 1991, Hirsh reported that he found a nation looking to the West and capitalism, adding that "today Vietnam remains" only "nominally communist." He then snidely asserted: "This was the 'harsh' aftermath that George W. Bush attempted to describe this week when he warned against pulling out of Iraq as we did in Vietnam." James Taranto, in his Friday "Best of the Web Today" posting for OpinionJournal.com, asked: "Could that last sentence be any more disingenuous? To Hirsh, the 'aftermath' of America's withdrawal from Vietnam didn't begin until 1991, more than 16 years after Saigon fell. About events between 1975 and 1991, he has only this to say: 'Yes, a lot of Vietnamese boat people died on the high seas; but many others have returned to visit in the ensuing years.'"

4. CBS: Mass. Health Insurance Mandate, Subsidy Don't Go Far Enough A year and a half after the CBS Evening News celebrated the then-upcoming Massachusetts mandate requiring everyone to buy health insurance and the state subsidizing it for those with lower incomes -- "Imagine this: Virtually everyone guaranteed health insurance coverage. It's happening in one state, and it could be a model for the rest" -- Friday's newscast found it has come up short. Anchor Katie Couric teased the upcoming story on how the law didn't go far enough in providing subsidies, "Universal health insurance: It is supposed to mean everyone is covered. But in the only state that has it, hundreds of thousands are not. That story next." Reporter Wyatt Andrews highlighted how state-subsidized coverage saved one man's life, trumpeting that as "the state's achievement. Out of 400,000 uninsured residents last year, around 170,000 now have insurance." But, he continued, "the gap that remains is huge. It includes some 130,000 young adults, most of them middle income men who have to pay their own premiums. They either don't want insurance or can't afford it." For expert advocacy, Andrews turned to the head of a liberal group, Health Care for All: "Health care advocate John McDonough praises the state for a good start but says that gap in affordability has to be filled."

5. CNN's 'God's Warriors' Reflects MSM's Bias Against 'Big 3' Faiths Christiane Amanpour's six-hour "God's Warriors" mini-series first aired Tuesday-Thursday nights last week on CNN reflected less of the reality of "fundamentalist" monotheists -- Jews, Muslims, and Christians -- and more of liberals' attitudes about these faiths. It is clear, given how CNN and Amanpour covered each faith, that they have sympathy towards Muslims in the U.S., "concern" with the Jewish settlers in the West Bank, and are uncomfortable towards the beliefs and practices of Christian evangelicals. Tuesday night's "God's Jewish Warriors" focused on the cause of the "right-wing" Jewish settlers. The term "right wing" was used seven times to describe the settlers and/or their supporters in Israel and in the United States, and "fundamentalist/-ism" was used three times, once in reference to Christian supporters of the settlers in the U.S. On Wednesday night's "God's Muslim Warriors," "fundamentalist/-ism" was the more prevalent term, used 11 times. "Right wing" was used twice, only to describe Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch Parliament.

6. FNC's Fox News Watch Shows MRC Home Page with CyberAlert Headline You saw it here first. FNC's Fox News Watch on Saturday set up a segment, on a Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll on how Americans distrust the media and see it as biased, by showing screen shots of the home pages of a couple of media watchdog groups, including the Thursday CyberAlert headline on the MRC's home page, "Networks: Bush's Vietnam Lesson Hypocritical & Invalid."

A usually-daily report, edited by Brent H. Baker, CyberAlert is distributed by the Media Research Center, the leader since 1987 in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.

The 2,475^th CyberAlert. Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996
11:15am EDT, Monday August 27, 2007 (Vol. Twelve; No. 148)

20070826 Westminster Municipal Band plays Marine Hymn

Westminster Municipal Band plays Marine Hymn

August 27^th, 2007

This video clip portrays the Westminster Municipal Band playing a portion of the Marine Hymn, “From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli” at this year’s annual Belle Grove Square summer concert on August 26^th, 2007 – in Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland USA.

For more information on the history of Belle Grove Square go to: “20040825 WA History of Belle Grove Square in Westminster” or find it here: 20040825 WA History of Belle Grove Square in Westminster

According to an article, “The Marines' Hymn,” on the U.S.M.C. Band website, http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/: “The author of the words to the hymn is unknown.”

“The music to the hymn is believed to have originated in the comic opera Geneviéve de Brabant composed by the French composer Jacques Offenbach. Originally written as a two-act opera in 1859, Offenbach revised the work, expanding it to three acts in 1867. This revised version included the song “Couplets des Deux Hommes d’Armes” and is the musical source of The Marines’ Hymn.”

“From the Halls of Montezuma” refers to the Battle of Chapultepec during the Mexican-American War.

“The Shores of Tripoli” refers to actions during the First Barbary War and the Battle of Derne.

More information can be found under the “Westminster Municipal Band” label at www.kevindayhoff.net. Kevin Dayhoff August 26, 2007

Labels: Westminster Municipal Band, YouTube KED

Lyrics:

From the halls of Montezuma

To the shores of Tripoli,

We fight our country's battles

In the air, on land, and sea.

First to fight for right and freedom,

And to keep our honor clean,

We are proud to claim the title

Of United States Marines.

Our flag's unfurl'd to every breeze

From dawn to setting sun;

We have fought in every clime and place

Where we could take a gun.

In the snow of far-off northern lands

And in sunny tropic scenes,

You will find us always on the job

The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps

Which we are proud to serve;

In many a strife we've fought for life

And never lost our nerve.

If the Army and the Navy

Ever look on Heaven's scenes,

They will find the streets are guarded

By United States Marines.

####

20070826 Westminster Municipal Band plays Marine Hymn

Westminster Municipal Band plays Marine Hymn

August 27^th, 2007

This video clip portrays the Westminster Municipal Band playing a portion of the Marine Hymn, “From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli” at this year’s annual Belle Grove Square summer concert on August 26^th, 2007 – in Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland USA.

For more information on the history of Belle Grove Square go to: “20040825 WA History of Belle Grove Square in Westminster” or find it here: 20040825 WA History of Belle Grove Square in Westminster

According to an article, “The Marines' Hymn,” on the U.S.M.C. Band website, http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/: “The author of the words to the hymn is unknown.”

“The music to the hymn is believed to have originated in the comic opera Geneviéve de Brabant composed by the French composer Jacques Offenbach. Originally written as a two-act opera in 1859, Offenbach revised the work, expanding it to three acts in 1867. This revised version included the song “Couplets des Deux Hommes d’Armes” and is the musical source of The Marines’ Hymn.”

“From the Halls of Montezuma” refers to the Battle of Chapultepec during the Mexican-American War.

“The Shores of Tripoli” refers to actions during the First Barbary War and the Battle of Derne.

More information can be found under the “Westminster Municipal Band” label at www.kevindayhoff.net. Kevin Dayhoff August 26, 2007

Labels: Westminster Municipal Band, YouTube KED

For Corps and Country

Semper Fi, and as always… check six

Lyrics:

From the halls of Montezuma

To the shores of Tripoli,

We fight our country's battles

In the air, on land, and sea.

First to fight for right and freedom,

And to keep our honor clean,

We are proud to claim the title

Of United States Marines.

Our flag's unfurl'd to every breeze

From dawn to setting sun;

We have fought in every clime and place

Where we could take a gun.

In the snow of far-off northern lands

And in sunny tropic scenes,

You will find us always on the job

The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps

Which we are proud to serve;

In many a strife we've fought for life

And never lost our nerve.

If the Army and the Navy

Ever look on Heaven's scenes,

They will find the streets are guarded

By United States Marines.

####

20070827 Saboteur: he may ride forever ‘neath the streets of boston..

Saboteur: he may ride forever 'neath the streets of boston...

August 27^th, 2007

A reader, "Grim Sherman Eagle Saboteur" writes – (in reference to my column which will appear in the Westminster Eagle this Wednesday, August 29, 2007):

i have to assume you already know this, but as i too have heard the old adage about what happens when one assumes, i thought i would pass this along.

in reading your boston column (a good one), i noted your reference to the "charlie pass." is that a reference to the kingston trio song 'm.t.a'?

M.T.A. Lyrics

From The Kingston Trio at Large

Date: 07/01/1959

Spoken:

These are the times that try men's souls. In the course of our nation's history, the people of Boston have rallied bravely whenever the rights of men have been threatened. Today, a new crisis has arisen. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, better known as the M.T.A., is attempting to levy a burdensome tax on the population in the form of a subway fare increase. Citizens, hear me out! This could happen to you!

(Eight bar guitar, banjo introduction)

Well, let me tell you of the story of a man named Charley on a tragic and fateful day.

He put ten cents in his pocket, kissed his wife and family, went to ride on the M.T.A.

Chorus:

Well, did he ever return? No, he never returned and

his fate is still unknown.

(What a pity! Poor ole Charlie. Shame and scandal.

He may ride forever. Just like Paul Revere.)

He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston.

He's the man who never returned.

Charlie handed in his dime at the Kendall Square Station and he changed for Jamaica Plain.

When he got there the conductor told him, "One more nickel."

Charlie couldn't get off of that train.

(Chorus)

Now, all night long Charlie rides through the station, crying, "What will become of me?!!

How can I afford to see my sister in Chelsea or my cousin in Roxbury?"

(Chorus)

Charlie's wife goes down to the Sculley Square Station every day at quarter past two, And through the open window she hands Charlie a sandwich as the train comes rumblin' through.

(Chorus)

Now, you citizens of Boston, don't you think it's a scandal how the people have to pay and pay?

Fight the fare increase! Vote for George O'Brien!

Get poor Charlie off the M. T. A.

(Chorus)

He's the man who never returned.

He's the man who never returned.

Ain't you Charlie?

Mrs. Owl and I sing this song frequently when we are trying to follow the map or driving direction as we are traveling… We were known to have sung this song several times while we were in Boston…

20070827 Saboteur: he may ride forever ‘neath the streets of boston..

####

20070827 Saboteur: he may ride forever ‘neath the streets of boston..

Saboteur: he may ride forever 'neath the streets of boston...

August 27^th, 2007

A reader, "Grim Sherman Eagle Saboteur" writes – (in reference to my column which will appear in the Westminster Eagle this Wednesday, August 29, 2007):

i have to assume you already know this, but as i too have heard the old adage about what happens when one assumes, i thought i would pass this along.

in reading your boston column (a good one), i noted your reference to the "charlie pass." is that a reference to the kingston trio song 'm.t.a'?

M.T.A. Lyrics

From The Kingston Trio at Large

Date: 07/01/1959

Spoken:

These are the times that try men's souls. In the course of our nation's history, the people of Boston have rallied bravely whenever the rights of men have been threatened. Today, a new crisis has arisen. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, better known as the M.T.A., is attempting to levy a burdensome tax on the population in the form of a subway fare increase. Citizens, hear me out! This could happen to you!

(Eight bar guitar, banjo introduction)

Well, let me tell you of the story of a man named Charley on a tragic and fateful day.

He put ten cents in his pocket, kissed his wife and family, went to ride on the M.T.A.

Chorus:

Well, did he ever return? No, he never returned and

his fate is still unknown.

(What a pity! Poor ole Charlie. Shame and scandal.

He may ride forever. Just like Paul Revere.)

He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston.

He's the man who never returned.

Charlie handed in his dime at the Kendall Square Station and he changed for Jamaica Plain.

When he got there the conductor told him, "One more nickel."

Charlie couldn't get off of that train.

(Chorus)

Now, all night long Charlie rides through the station, crying, "What will become of me?!!

How can I afford to see my sister in Chelsea or my cousin in Roxbury?"

(Chorus)

Charlie's wife goes down to the Sculley Square Station every day at quarter past two, And through the open window she hands Charlie a sandwich as the train comes rumblin' through.

(Chorus)

Now, you citizens of Boston, don't you think it's a scandal how the people have to pay and pay?

Fight the fare increase! Vote for George O'Brien!

Get poor Charlie off the M. T. A.

(Chorus)

He's the man who never returned.

He's the man who never returned.

Ain't you Charlie?

Mrs. Owl and I sing this song frequently when we are trying to follow the map or driving direction as we are traveling… We were known to have sung this song several times while we were in Boston…

####

20070827 Carroll County Maryland Arts Council plans trip to Edward Hopper Exhibit Tuesday, September 25th

Carroll County Maryland Arts Council plans trip to Edward Hopper Exhibit

Photo: The Boston Museum of Fine Arts where I had the pleasure of seeing the Edward Hopper exhibition on August 19^th, 2007 www.kevindayhoff.net

Posted Monday, August 27, 2007

On Tuesday, September 25^th, The Carroll County Arts Council will host a bus trip to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC to visit the Edward Hopper exhibit. This is the first comprehensive survey of Hopper’s career to be seen in an American museum outside of New York for more than 25 years. His classic works captured the realities of urban and rural American life with a poignancy and beauty that have placed them among the most enduring images of the 20^th century. The exhibit will feature such iconic paintings as “Nighthawks,” “Automat,” Drug Store,” and “New York Movie.”

Passengers will also have time to visit other parts of the museum or that National Mall. The bus will depart from Westminster at 9 am and return at 4 pm. The cost, which includes transportation, snacks and recorded audio tour of the exhibit, is $30 for Arts Council Members and $35 for Non-Members.

Advance reservations are required and can be made by calling 410/848-7272.

_____

I saw the Edward Hopper exhibit in Boston. It is the subject of my August 22, 2007 Tentacle column, “Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary.”

In a piece I submitted to the Westminster Eagle the other day, I mention the Carroll County Arts Council bus trip. I spoke with the editor earlier today it will not run in this Wednesday’s publication due to space constraints.

So we can look forward to the article running in the September 5^th, 2007 edition of the Westminster Eagle.

See also a post on www.kevindayhoff.net on Saturday, August 25, 2007: “20070822 Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary.”

####

20070822 Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

Posted Saturday, August 25, 2007

My Tentacle column for this past Wednesday, August 22, 2007 is on Edward Hopper: Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

On a recent trip to Boston, I leapt at the opportunity to see the genius of Mr. Hopper, considered by many art historians to be one of the most influential, if not one of the most popular artists of the twentieth century.

Although shows in recent years have featured portions of his work, it was the Whitney in 1980 that put together the last major comprehensive retrospective show of his work, “Edward Hopper: The Art and the Artist,” took place at the Whitney. That show also toured London, Düsseldorf, Amsterdam, San Francisco, and Chicago.

In 1999 an exhibition of fifty-six watercolors from 1923 until the mid-1940s debuted at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. This was the work, painted in Gloucester and Cape Cod, which first caught the eye of the art world and collectors. Forty at the time, his watercolors that finally made him financial secure after struggling many years supporting himself as a teacher and a commercial illustrator.

Seventy of his paintings toured Europe in 2004. It traveled to Cologne, Germany and the Tate Modern in London England where published accounts have noted that in the three months it was exhibited, it was viewed by 420,000 folks becoming the second most popular in the history of the gallery.

[…]

The voyeuristic stark world of American Scene realist artist Edward Hopper was recently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston Massachusetts.

While the exhibit ranges extensively from Mr. Hopper’s early prints, watercolor landscapes and scene paintings, to his iconographic oil paintings, the exhibition focused on a 25-year period of peak artistic expression from 1923 to about 1948. The show distributed about 100 pieces of art, in chronological order across 8 gallery-rooms, including 12 prints, 34 watercolors, 48 oil paintings, and two of his “ledger” notebooks containing his sketches and notes.

Art from 39 public and 13 private collections has been brought together to give visitors the opportunity to listen carefully for the “poetry” of Mr. Hopper’s otherwise famously spare, mute landscapes, blunt geometrics and austere interiors in which the beauty is in the common place, the unexpected, and the unexceptional.

[…]

The Tate restates that one of the many reasons Mr. Hopper remains relevant today is that he has “inspired generations of artists, writers, and filmmakers including David Hockney, Mark Rothko, Alfred Hitchcock, Todd Haynes, and Norman Mailer.”

Coinciding with the National Gallery of Art show will be yet another Hopper-inspired work of art - an opera, “Later the Same Evening: an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper,” by renowned composer John Musto and librettist Mark Campbell.

The opera will be performed November 15-18, 2007 at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, and December 2, 2007 at The National Gallery of Art

Additionally, the artistic impact of Edward Hopper’s work is the subject of a new documentary film that accompanies the exhibition.

It is narrated by actor, writer, and Hopper art collector Steve Martin and produced by the National Gallery of Art. In the Washington area, the documentary will be shown on WETA Channel 26 on Thursday, September 6 at 10:30 p.m. and in the Baltimore area on MPT Channel 67 on Sunday, September 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Read the entire column here: Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

The Carroll County Arts Council is sponsoring a bus trip on September 25 to experience this must-see event in this year’s fall art calendar. Call the Arts Council at 410/848-7272 for details.

Mr. Hopper’s art may have been relatively mute in its spare commentary yet it continues to inspire the viewer to lend their own story to each enigmatic piece and artists in other media continue to add an interpretation of their own. The National Gallery exhibition is a must see event in this fall’s art and culture calendar.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr.org or kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

His columns and articles appear in The Tentacle - www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion; www.thewestminstereagle.com and Winchester Report.