3.14.13 - Prince George`s Post

Transcription

The Prince George’s Post
A CommuniTy newsPAPer for PrinCe GeorGe’s CounTy Since 1932
Vol. 81, No. 11 March 14 — March 20, 2013 Prince George’s County, Maryland
After Passing the Senate,
Gun Bill Goes to House
BY LUCAS HIGH
Capital News Service
ANNAPOLIS – A day after
the Senate passed one of the
strictest gun control bills in the
nation, Gov. Martin O’Malley
told two House committees that if
his bill “saves even one more life,
it’s as if we’ve saved the world.”
But opponents, still stinging
over their defeat in the Senate,
turned out en masse to testify
against the Firearm Safety Act of
2013, which they consider a violation
of
their
Second
Amendment rights.
“These reforms are common
sense,” said O’Malley, reading
from prepared remarks that closely resembled the testimony he
provided to the Senate Judicial
Proceedings Committee last
month.
He went on to describe the
major provisions of the bill, HB
294, which include: a ban on
assault weapons and high capacity magazines, licensing and fingerprinting requirements for
handgun purchases, increased
funding for school security and
new restrictions on firearm access
for the mentally ill.
O’Malley brought a cadre of
law enforcement personnel and
gun policy experts with him to
testify in support of the bill.
Gun violence in Maryland is a
“public health epidemic,” said
James W. Johnson, Baltimore
County’s chief of police, who
urged that delegates keep the
bill's strongest restrictions intact.
“(Handgun licensing) will
Newspaper of Record
Phone: 301-627-0900
25 cents
Maryland’s Congressional Delegation,
Minus One, Aims for Gun Control
By JEREMY BARR
WASHINGTON - Maryland’s congressional delegation generally supports new
gun control legislation proposed in the
wake of the Dec. 14 shooting in Newtown,
Conn., that claimed the lives of 20 schoolchildren. Proposals for increased regulations on weapon types, background checks
and ammunition magazine size have circulated through Congress, though only a few
bills have been formally introduced.
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Baltimore,
sponsored one of them: a bipartisan bill to
make gun trafficking a federal crime and
attempt to stop so-called “straw buyers”
who purchase guns with the intent of passing them on to criminals.
“I know for a fact that (President
Barack Obama) supports it,” Cummings
said of the bill in a recent interview. But, he
said, Obama “would like to have a package
of bills” rather than one specific measure.
Obama signed 23 executive orders on gun
control in mid-January. And at the end of
his Feb. 12 State of the Union speech, he
said the families of victims of gun violence
“deserve a vote,” though he did not propose specific gun control policies.
Cummings’ nephew was shot and killed in
2011, which has made gun control a personal issue for him.
“It makes you
mourn for what could have been,” he said.
“That mourning will probably last me until
I die.”
Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Towson, calls
gun control a “long-term concern” of his
and has co-sponsored unsuccessful gun
control legislation in the past.
“I’m just hopeful that the conversation
continues and that we get some meaningful
action this time,” Sarbanes said in an interview. “If we can’t act now I don’t know if
we’ll ever be able to act as a nation.”
Sarbanes, who serves on the House
Energy and Commerce Committee’s health
subcommittee, sees a “public health component” to gun control.
“We often don’t look at it through that
lens but I think that’s an appropriate lens,”
he said.
Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, DCockeysville, “supports the Second
Amendment, but...doesn’t think private citizens should be able to purchase weapons
of war,” said Jaime Lennon, his communications director.
Ruppersberger, who owns guns, supports “fair, reasonable and comprehensive
reforms,” Lennon added, giving no further
specifics. The state delegation’s lone
Republican, Rep. Andy Harris, RSee GUNS, Page A3
See BILL, Page A3
Generators'
May Become as
Common as
Air-conditioners
Plan to Toll
Stretch of
Interstate-95
Blocked
By NICOLE MACON
WASHINGTON – Maryland residents
who fear the next winter storm will cut
their power supply might appreciate CDS
Logistics President Roy Cranford’s vision
of stationary generators one day becoming
as commonplace as air conditioners.
He sees generators incorporated into
new housing projects and more and more
residents adding them to their homes to
protect themselves against a potential
power outage. The part of the company
that handles generators, CDS Emergency
Power Services, has an “unprecedented
level” of demand for stationary, or standby, generators, with a backlog of over 400
installation jobs, according to Cranford.
“Due to the combined impact of hurricanes Irene and Sandy, along with the
2012 summer thunderstorms, we are seeing demand increase for home standby
generators,” Cranford said. The
Baltimore-based company installs generators in Maryland, eastern Pennsylvania,
northern Virginia and Delaware.
Three basic types of stationary generators can be installed to automatically start
once a home has lost its main power
source. Basic generators that can power
only a few circuits are the most popular
and cheapest option. These types of generators are 80 percent of the generators that
CDS installs. The systems cost from
$4,000 to $7,500, according to CDS.
Homeowners can power the lights and
most electrical appliances through a managed load generator, the second type. A
transfer switch installed near the power
breaker allows the homeowner to determine which appliances and lights will be
powered by the generator. This option
costs between $7,000 and $10,000,
according to CDS.
The third type of generator is for those
who want to literally power their entire
See POWER, Page A5
By STEPHEN NIELSEN
in development for children who
haven’t had those opportunities,”
he said.
Students who enter kindergarten
without having attended preschool
are 12-14 months behind their
preschool-educated counterparts,
he said.
“Dramatically expanding highquality learning is absolutely a winwin opportunity. It would make
America more productive, competitive...we can’t win the race for the
future by cheating children at the
starting line,” he said.
Duncan pointed to members of
Congress, who he said are not in
touch with the concerns of their
constituents or with the results of
their actions.
Schools have little choice but to
cut teachers, Duncan said, because
personnel are about 80 percent of
their costs on average.
“Do you hurt more special needs
kids to help more poor children?
There’s no choice. There’s no right
RICHMOND – There will be no tolling
on the southern end of Interstate 95 without
the General Assembly’s say-so, thanks to
approval of the transportation funding bill
during the recently concluded legislative
session.
A plan to toll the stretch of I-95 in
Sussex County, which was part of a larger
federal pilot program, will be blocked by
language added to the transportation bill:
“No tolls shall be imposed or collected on
Interstate 95 south of Fredericksburg pursuant to the Interstate System
Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot
Program without the prior approval of the
General Assembly.”
The ISRRPP was created to test tolling
as a possible way to “fund needed reconstruction or rehabilitation on Interstate
highway corridors that could not otherwise
be adequately maintained or functionally
improved without the collection of tolls,”
according to the Federal Highway
Administration’s website.
The
Virginia
Department
of
Transportation reserved one of three slots
for the pilot program, and plans were under
way to establish a tolling facility to test the
idea. Involvement in the ISRRPP will now
require approval from the General
Assembly, effectively halting such plans.
“Although I wasn’t pleased with the
overall transportation plan, the elimination
of tolls was one of the few bright spots in
the bill,” said Delegate Chris Peace, RMechanicsville.
“I’m pleased that we were able to send
a clear message that imposing tolls on I-95
in Sussex County was a bad idea, and
more importantly, that the Virginia
General Assembly will now serve as a bar-
See SCHOOL, Page A7
See TOLLS, Page A5
Movie Review “Jack the Giant Slayer.”
You can see the business logic
behind “Jack the Giant Slayer.” Take
a familiar fairy tale (one that’s in the
public domain so you don’t have to
pay anybody’s estate), flesh out the
backstory, Give it an epic-sized climactic battle, and slap it up on the
big screen, – it’ll draw enough of a
crowd to make it worth your while.."
Out on the Town, Page A6
Earth Talk
Dear EarthTalk:
PHOTO BY MICHAEL BOND, FLICKR
Education Secretary Arne Duncan along with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
visited classrooms Friday with students and teachers at Rolling Terrace Elementary School emphasizing the
importance of early childhood education.
Education Secretary Visits Maryland
School on Heels of Sequester
By YAGANA SHAH
TAKOMA PARK -- Federal
budget cuts to early childhood education that could affect 800
Maryland students are a poor idea,
according to Education Secretary
Arne Duncan, who met Friday with
students and teachers at Rolling
Terrace Elementary School.
“Sequestration, with its indiscriminate approach to slashing the
budget is an example of dumb government at its finest,” Duncan said
of the automatic budget reductions
that began Friday under what's
called sequestration.
White House estimates put
Maryland cuts in primary and secondary education at $14.4 million.
These cuts will affect the classrooms of around 12,000 Maryland
students and put 200 teacher and
aide jobs at risk. An additional $9.7
million in educational disabilities
program cuts will affect 120 educators working with students with disabilities.
White House figures also show
that 800 Maryland children could
be affected by cuts to early childhood programs such as Head Start
and Early Head Start, a federal program that prepares children of lowincome families, up to age 5, for
school readiness through educational, health and social services.
Duncan emphasized the importance
of early childhood education as he
visited classrooms with Secretary
of Health and Human Services
Kathleen Sebelius. Rolling Terrace,
the fifth-largest elementary school
in the Montgomery County Public
School system, has a high-performing, high-poverty student body.
“The president has pledged to
fully offset the cost of an early
learning plan so it will not add a
dime to the deficit. But some skeptics still question if we should make
a major investment in preschool in
a tough time, in a period of fiscal
austerity,” Duncan said.
“The urgent need for high-quality preschool for low-and-moderate-income students is not in dispute today. Just ask any parent or
kindergarten teacher about the gaps
INSIDE
Regional Medical Center
The proposed new Regional Medical
Center site locations and criteria were
exhibited for public review, input and
discussion. The meeting was hosted
by officials representing Dimensions
Healthcare System, the University of
Maryland Medical System (UMMS),
the State of Maryland and Prince
George’s County Government.
Community, Page A3
Bloody Sunday Remembered
In commemoration of the 48th
anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” a
coalition of citizens and civil rights
advocates, re-enacted the March 7,
1965 Selma to Montgomery voting
rights march that was halted on the
Edmund Pettus bridge by Alabama
state troopers wielding billy clubs
and tear gas.
Opinion, Page A4
Minority Business
The Center for Minority Business
Development at Prince George’s
Community College assists minorityowned businesses as they grow and
achieve profitability in the National
Capital region. CMBD created the
Accelerator Program to help construction companies win construction
contracts at National Harbor.
Business, Page A5
I heard that my food choices can
affect the use and therefore availability of fresh water around the world.
How so?
— Denise Beck,
Washington, DCY
Features, Page A7
A2 — March 14 — March 20, 2013 — The Prince George’s Post
Towns and
NeighborS
In and Around Morningside-Skyline
by Mary McHale 301 735 3451
Playground opening soon at
Cedarville State Forest
A new playground—built
entirely of natural things—is
scheduled to open this spring at
Cedarville State Forest, in
Brandywine. Already waiting
for you to see is a canoe made
from a downed tree.
Cedarville State Forest was
originally a winter camping
ground for the Piscataway
Indians.
Maryland-National
Capital Parks & Planning
Commission purchased it in 1930
and, three years later, the CCC
(Civilian Conservation Corps)
developed roads and trails in the
park, planted plantations of
loblolly pine, and built two pavilions, which are still in use.
Several years ago I went letterboxing at Cedarville with my
sister Rosie. According to their
website, letterboxing is “an
intriguing pastime combining
navigational skills and rubber
stamp artistry in a charming treasure hunt style outdoor quest.”
We found one letterbox.
It’s a beautiful place. Plan to
visit the new playground.
Neighbors
Major Raphael Grant, the new
commander of Police District IV;
Carletta Fellows, our newlyelected School Board Member;
and our County Council Member
Mel Franklin were guest speakers at the February meeting of the
Skyline Citizens Association. A
very stimulating evening.
At the meeting we had our
usual collection of canned goods
for the Oxon Hill Food Pantry. A
table was nearly filled with bags
of food, later delivered to the
pantry by Betty Cottrell.
John Howie, of Suitland
High’s Class of ’63, was discharged from Suburban Hospital
on March 4 and is recovering at
home. Among those who visited
him
recently
were
his
Morningside friends Patty and
her brother Marty Loughmiller. I
got the news from Sue Mason
who wrote that John had been
King of Suitland and his classmate Karen Knott was Queen.
They married after graduation
and had a son but, sad to say,
Karen died suddenly soon after.
Alicia Hinds Ward, a
Relocation Assistance contractor
at Joint Base Andrews, has been
selected as the Washington, D.C.
2013 Armed Forces Insurance
Military Spouse of the Year.
Eighteen women from across the
country, and every branch of military service, have been selected,
and the national winner was due
to be announced March 9.
My former Skyline Drive
neighbors, Evelyn Poe with her
daughters Sharon Parker and
Terry Wright, dropped by for a
visit in February. They were in
the area to visit Evelyn’s husband
Joe at Cedar Hill Cemetery on
the 5th anniversary of his death,
Feb. 17, 2008. The Poes were
among the first residents of
Skyline. Evelyn now lives at
Wildewood Senior Living in
California, Md.
It’s Lent
How about a Lenten Fish Fry?
Mount Calvary School, 6704
Marlboro Pike in Forestville, is
holding a fry Friday, March 15.
Dine-in and carryout are available. Dinner includes two sides
(choice of potatoes, green beans
or cabbage), bread or cornbread,
and beverage, $10; sandwich, $7.
Advance orders strongly recommended. Info: Celeste Locke,
202-841-2741.
The light is on for You! On
Wednesday evenings during
Lent, visit any Catholic church in
the Washington Archdiocese for
confession, now called the
Sacrament of Reconciliation. At
St. Philip’s the time is 6:30 to 8
p.m. At Mount Calvary, 6 to 8
p.m.
Family-owned Bethlehem
Christian Olive Wood Carvings
will be available for sale in St.
Philip’s Parish Hall on March 9
after the 5 p.m. Mass and on
March 10 after the 9 and 11:30
a.m. Masses.
May they rest in peace
Elder Walter Stinson Parson,
84, of Suitland Road Baptist
Church, died Jan. 2. A native of
Scottsville, Va., he was the first
of his family to graduate from
college—Knoxville College,
master’s at Coppin State, Bowie
State and Washington Bible
College. At Suitland Road
Baptist, he was superintendent,
Sunday School teacher, Board of
Trustees and choir member. He
loved to work with old cars and
to help kids build racers for soapbox derbies. At 75 he began
building a two-seater airplane
and at 82 he started flying
lessons. Survivors include his
wife Jackie C, two children, two
sisters and a brother.
Edwin Comer Eads, 85, of
Wake Forest, N.C. and formerly
of Ft. Washington, died Feb. 23.
He was president of the Oxon
Hill Lions Club and member of
the Heritage Golf Club and
Legends. Survivors include his
wife of 64 years, Shirley Thorne
Eads;
children,
Deborah
Reishman, Susan Carskadon and
Christopher Eads; brother
Howard Eads; four grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
Milestones
Happy birthday to Jon
McKlveen, Shirley Dodgson and
my grandson Richard Shearer,
March 9; Angelo Meoli, John F.
Latimer, Karl Kaufman Jr.,
Alberta M. Smith and my son-inlaw John Mudd, March 10; Karen
Cordero, Blake James Shipman
and Father Scott Hahn, March 11;
Harold Wilson, Rebecca Turner
and Marcy Richardson, March
12; Kathy Elborne, Pamela
Woodall, Cordelia Bland, Shirley
Carruth and Gregory Ritter,
March 13; my daughter Therese
Gallegos and Belinda Benavidaz,
March 14.
Brandywine-Aquasco
by Ruth Turner 301 888 2153
NOTTINGHAM MYERS
UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH
It is time again for our annual
Down
Home
Gospel
Celebration.
On Saturday,
March 30, 2013 at 4:00 PM, we
will celebrate the spirit of the
Lord with the Mighty Wonders,
The Briscoe Brothers, SOUL,
and other talented artists.
Come out and enjoy a wonderful time in the Lord. There will
be a free will offering.
Proceeds will go towards the
building fund.
Timothy West, Pastor. Visit
w w w. w e s t p h a l i a u m . o r g
CHRIST
UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
Happy Birthday to Rodney
Adams, Alberta Butler, Lillian
Duckett, Shirley Hicks, James
I. Lee, LaMarion Johnson,
Devin Pinkney, Demetrius
Strickland during the month of
March. Congratulations to Mr.
& Mrs. Clinton Holland as you
celebrate
your
Wedding
Anniversary during the month
of March.
WORLD VIEW ACADEMY
Our church is located at 15601
Brooks Church Road Upper
Marlboro, Maryland 20772.
Pastor is Reverend Daryl L.
Williams. Visit www.nottinghammyers.com.
WUMC EASTER PLAY
Westphalia UMC’s Drama
Ministry’s Easter production
“Raising Jesus Reflections”
will be held on Saturday March
30, 2013 at 6:00 PM. The Final
Act” The Resurrection” will be
performed at Easter Sunrise
service on Sunday, March 31st.
Our church is located at 9363
D’Arcy Road, Upper Marlboro,
Maryland 20774. Rev. Dr.
World View Academy will be
holding an informational meeting to expand our school to possibly 9th Grade this fall on
Saturday March, 16, 2013 from
10:00 AM-12 Noon at 6701
Clinton Manor Drive Clinton,
Maryland 20735. All are invited and Child Care available.
Please RSVP at 301-372-0053.
MARYLAND SUMMER
CENTERS
The
Maryland
Summer
Centers for Gifted and Talented
Students to obtain application
forms, course offerings, a voice
call or video please visit
www.marylandpublicschools.o
rg/summercenters or call
Stephanie Zenker, Program
Manager at 410-767-0821.
Application deadline is April
15.
SUPER SUMMER CAMP
Come experience the fun at
World View Summer Camp
2013. The Camp will provide
Academic Enrichment, Music,
Drama, Dance, Step, Art,
Cosmetology, Art, Sports Camp
and field trips every day. We
have two locations: Clinton and
Brandywine. Early registration
has begun. Spaces are limited.
Registration fees are waived
until April 1st.
Web:
www.worldviewchristiancenter.com.
BADEN COMMUNITY
CENTER
Tuesday, April 2, 2013 and
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Zumba: Dance, Adults will be
offered at Baden Community
Center. Zumba is a fusion of
Latin and International music
and dance themes that create a
dynamic and exciting workout.
Smartlink# is 1092866. The
address is 13601 Baden
Westwood Road Brandywine,
Maryland. Contact 301-8881500 or TTY 301-203-6030 for
additional information.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Call 310-627-0900
Neighborhood Events
County Council Member Karen R. Toles
Elected for Leadership Maryland
Toles among 52 Maryland
Leaders Tapped for the Class
of 2013
Prince George’s County
Council Member Karen R.
Toles (D) – District 7, is one of
52 Maryland leaders statewide
chosen to participate in
Leadership Maryland 2013, an
eight-month
program
designed to develop seniorlevel leaders.
Leadership Maryland was
created to cultivate the interest, statewide knowledge and
leadership capacities of
Maryland’s leaders. Founded
in 1992, Leadership Maryland
offers an intensive, issues-oriented, educational program
based on the belief that knowledge is a key element and
prime motivator of leadership.
Council Member Toles
looks forward to participating
in Leadership Maryland this
year.
“As a lifelong resident and
elected official, I have a great
deal of pride in Prince
George’s County and the
tremendous work we are
doing to help move Maryland
forward. The opportunity to
connect with leaders from
across the state as a participant
in Leadership Maryland is
exciting. I look forward to
making significant contributions of my own, learning
from my fellow participants,
and applying what I learn to
benefit our residents.”
“The participants represent
a broad spectrum of highly
qualified individuals from an
group
of
extraordinary
statewide applicants,” said
Nancy Minieri, founding president and CEO of Leadership
Maryland. “After participating in a comprehensive range
of experiences during this
milestone anniversary year,
these leaders will serve as
important participants in the
unified effort to shape
Maryland’s future.”
Founded
in
1992,
Leadership Maryland is an
independent, educational, nonprofit organization designed to
inform top-level executives
from the public and private
sectors about the critical
issues, challenges and opportunities facing the state of
Maryland and its regions.
Board of Education
Narrows Superintendent
Search to Three Candidates
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
– After an extensive national
search, the Prince George’s
County Board of Education
has identified three candidates
for
the
position
of
Superintendent of Schools.
The finalists are:
Dr. Eric J. Becoats, superintendent of schools for
Durham Public Schools in
Durham, NC;
Dr. Alvin L. Crawley, interim superintendent of schools
for Prince George’s County
Public Schools; and
Mr. Harrison A. Peters,
chief of schools for Chicago
Public Schools in Chicago, IL.
“We set out an ambitious
timeline for our superintendent search and we are happy
we attracted these qualified
candidates,” said Board of
Education Chair Verjeana M.
Jacobs, Esq. “During the next
few weeks, the public will
have an opportunity to interact
with the three candidates and
provide their input to the
Board as we select the next
leader who will further the
mission of our school district.”
Becoats serves as superintendent of Durham Public
Schools. Previously, Becoats
served as chief administrative
officer for Guilford County
Schools in Greensboro, North
Carolina; director of community economic development
for University Park Baptist
Church in Charlotte, North
Carolina; assistant superintendent for planning and developfor
Charlottement
Mecklenburg Schools in
Charlotte, North Carolina; and
chief of planning for
Baltimore City Schools in
Baltimore, Maryland. He
holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the
University of North Carolina
at Charlotte.
Crawley serves as interim
superintendent of Prince
George’s County Public
Schools. Previously, Crawley
served as deputy chief of programming for the District of
Columbia Public Schools in
Washington, DC; assistant
superintendent and director of
special
education
for
Arlington Public Schools; and
assistant superintendent for
special education and gifted
programs for Chicago Public
Schools. He holds a doctorate
in instructional leadership
from the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst.
Peters serves as chief of
schools for Chicago Public
Schools. Previously, Peters
served as chief area officer for
Chicago Public Schools; principal of Ardrey Kell High
School in Charlotte, North
Carolina; and principal of
Robinswood Middle School in
Orlando, Florida. He is currently completing his doctorate in organizational leadership at Nova Southeastern
University in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida.
In the coming weeks, the
finalists will visit Prince
George’s County to meet with
the community. The Board is
expected to announce the new
superintendent before July 1.
In Maryland:
According to the state
Department of Budget and
Management, the sequester
could result in almost $100
million in federal grant reductions to state and local governments in Maryland, which
could mean cuts to education,
job training, housing, health
and social services, and other
critical
investments.
[Governor O’Malley’s Office]
The Maryland Board of
Revenue Estimates suggests
about 12,600 jobs could be
lost in Maryland.[Governor
O’Malley’s Office]
Approximately, 46,000
civilian
Department
of
Defense employees could be
furloughed in Maryland alone,
reducing gross pay by around
$353.7 million. [White House]
Military installations in our
state, which employ thousands
of Marylanders and support
thousands of private sector
jobs, could experience over
$114 million in spending cuts.
[White House]
Over 9,000 fewer people
could receive the training and
placement services needed to
find jobs. [White House]
A Washington Post Poll
found that 38 percent of
Marylanders and 57 percent of
households with one or more
federal employees say the
sequester will have a major
impact on their family’s finances.
[Washington Post, 2/26/13]
Nationwide:
Without
sequestration,
GDP growth could be about
0.6 percentage points faster in
2013 and the equivalent of
about 750,000 more full-time
jobs could be created or
retained by the fourth quarter.
[Congressional Budget Office,
2/28]
Small
Business
Administration loan guarantees could be cut by up to $902
million, constraining financing needed by small businesses to maintain and expand
their operations and create
jobs. [White House]
The
Economic
Development
Administration’s ability to
leverage
private
sector
resources to support projects
that spur local job creation
could be restricted, likely
resulting in more than 1,000
fewer jobs created than expected and leaving more than $47
million in private sector investment untapped. [White House]
The International Trade
Administration could be
forced to reduce its support for
America’s exporters, trimming
assistance to U.S. businesses
looking to increase their
exports and expand operations
into foreign markets.
In addition, ITA may not be
able to place staff in critical
international growth markets,
an opportunity for many
American businesses to
increase their sales and create
jobs at home. These staff
would have been part of a key
program working to promote
and facilitate global investment in the U.S., supporting
thousands of new jobs through
Foreign Direct Investment.
[White House]
New poll by the Pew
Research Center and The
Washington Post finds that
most say the budget sequester
would have a major effect on
the economy as well as on the
U.S. military. [People Press,
2/25]
Policy
Experts
and
Economists:
· Bank of America Chief
Executive Brian Moynihan:
“If they could get this fixed,
the economy is poised to take
off.” [Wall Street Journal,
2/28]
· Federal Reserve Chairman
Ben Bernanke: “Besides having adverse effects on jobs and
incomes, a slower recovery
would lead to less actual deficit
reduction in the short run for
any given set of fiscal actions.”
[Reuters, 2/28]
· Informational Technology
and Innovation Foundation:
“The most devastating, longterm effects from sequestration will be in innovation, and
these could ultimately reduce
U.S. GDP by over $200 billion
per year,” [Christian Science
Monitor, 2/27]
· Paul Kasriel, economist
who
publishes
“The
Econtrarian” blog: “Fewer air
traffic controllers imply a reduction in flights, both passenger
and freight, [and longer airport
delays]. This ... will slow the
wheels of commerce, i.e., slow
real GDP growth." [Christian
Science Monitor, 2/27]
·
Bipartisan Policy
Center: “gross domestic product will grow by 1.4 percent this
year, compared to 2.0 percent if
the sequester was not in place.
The Bipartisan Policy Center
estimates the sequester will lead
to 1 million lost jobs in 2013
and 2014.” [Reuters, 2/28]
March 14 — March 20, 2013 — The Prince George’s Post —A3
CommuNiTy
Practical Money Skills
By Jason Alderman
Big tax refunds can be costly
This is the season for
income taxes – and income
tax refunds. According to the
IRS, nearly 78 million people
received federal tax refunds in
2009 averaging $2,705. If
you're one of those folks, it
may be tempting to think of
your refund as a gift; but in
fact, you've essentially been
giving the government an
interest-free loan for the past
year.
Before spending this year's refund, get on the right track for
next year: Complete a new W-4 form so your employer withholds the correct amount from your paycheck. This recalculation is especially important if your income level or family situation changes – for example, new kids, fewer dependents, marriage or divorce, etc. Your goal should be to receive little or no
refund.
So what should you do with this year's refund? Here are a
few suggestions:
Pare down debt. By accelerating your credit card and loan
payments, you can significantly lower the amount of interest
paid over the long run. For example, suppose your credit card
balance is $2,000 at 18 percent interest and you're only paying
$80 a month. Even with no further purchases, it will take 32
months and an additional $526 in interest to pay it off; by doubling your payment to $160, you reduce the payoff time to 14
months, and save $295 in interest.
One caution: Before making extra payments on your mortgage or car loan, make sure there's no prepayment penalty. If
there is, see if you can renegotiate the terms; otherwise, pay
down another debt.
Save for emergencies. To protect against layoffs or other
unexpected financial crises, build up your savings to cover six
months of living expenses. It's best to keep emergency savings
in accounts like a money market account that you can access
easily paying without early withdrawal penalties.
Another option is to park that money in a high-yield checking account where, in exchange for certain restrictions (like
mandatory direct deposit and a minimum number of monthly
debit card transactions), you can earn much higher interest then
a traditional savings or checking account. Numerous websites
track high-yield accounts including www.highyieldcheckingdeals.com and www.checkingfinder.com. Just be sure to
compare terms and restrictions carefully.
Save for retirement. If your debt and emergency savings are
under control, consider beefing up your IRA or 401(k)
accounts, particularly if your employer matches contributions,
since that's like getting free money. Practical Money Skills for
Life, Visa Inc.'s free personal financial management program,
contains detailed retirement financial planning information
such as how 401(k) plans work, tax ramifications and interactive retirement savings calculators (www.practicalmoneyskills.com/401k).
Save on energy, save on taxes. You can claim a tax credit for
up to 30 percent of the cost of certain home improvements to
existing homes (including central air conditioning, furnaces,
windows, insulation and water heaters) purchased by the end of
2010, up to a maximum of $1,500. Not every product qualifies,
so visit the government's Energy Star website for details before
you buy (www.energystar.gov/taxcredits).
Bottom line: Before you splurge on something you don't
really need, consider investing at least part of your tax refund
on something that will boost your future financial security.
Red Cross
Blood Donors
Can Honor the
Fight Against
Breast Cancer
The American Red
Cross,
Greater
Chesapeake and Potomac
Region is honoring those
who have struggled with
this disease with “Walls
of Hope” at all blood drives and donor centers
throughout the month of
October.
Participants
may write a small card in
honor of a cancer patient
to post on the Wall Of
Hope. Call 1-800-RED
CROSS (1-800-733-2767)
to schedule a life-saving
donation
appointment.
Platelet donors can call 1800-272-2123 to schedule
an appointment.
Blood is often used to
treat those undergoing
treatment for all types of
cancer, including breast
cancer. Cancer treat-
ments
such
as
chemotherapy can kill
red blood cells and
platelets,
and
these
patients rely on blood
transfusions throughout
their treatment to remain
strong and recover.
According
to
the
American
Cancer
Society, over 1.5 million
people are expected to be
diagnosed with cancer in
2010 in the United
States.
Many of those patients
will require transfusions
of blood and platelets.
“This is a wonderful
opportunity to give life to
local patients in need with
a blood donation and
show your support of the
fight
against
Breast
Cancer” said Gary J.
Ouellette,
Chief
Executive Officer for the
GC&P Region. “Many of
us know someone who has
been touched by this disease, or by another form
of cancer, and this give
our donors the opportunity to share their experience.
Community meeting at the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex in Landover, Maryland, on the proposed new Regional Medical Center site locations and criteria.
Proposed Regional Medical Center Locations Discussed
By Press Information Ofﬁcer
Ofﬁce of the County Executive
Landover, MD – During a
standing room only community
meeting of 350 attendees at the
Prince George’s Sports &
Learning Complex in Landover,
Maryland, the proposed new
Regional Medical Center (RMC)
site locations and criteria were
exhibited for public review, input
and discussion. The meeting was
hosted by officials representing
Dimensions Healthcare System,
the University of Maryland
Medical System (UMMS), the
State of Maryland and Prince
George’s County Government.
“The Baker Administration
has been steadfast in our efforts
to prioritize and propel the
County and region’s health care
system” stated Bradford L.
Seamon, Chief Administrative
Officer for Prince George’s
County. “Tonight’s community
meeting marks another move forward in our multi-party agreement supported through our partners. Additionally, this opportunity allows us to interface with
the most important voice in the
process, the people who will ultimately receive care from the new
Bill from A1
help law enforcement,” Johnson
said. “Don’t take this from me.”
The licensing requirement
and its controversial fingerprinting component were nearly
stripped from the Senate version
of the bill in the amendment
Guns from A1
Cockeysville, takes a different
view altogether.
“Before
we go to expand the laws, we
ought to make sure that we are
enforcing the laws,” Harris said
in an interview.
Background checks have not
worked as intended, Harris said,
and states that have more stringent gun control laws, such as
Connecticut, have not been
immune
from
shootings.
“The most important issue is
making sure people who have
mental health problems have the
ability to get care,” said Harris, a
doctor and gun owner.
Harris recently brought his views
on gun control and the Second
Amendment to a well-attended
town hall in Ocean City. “The
majority of people in the 1st
Congressional District are very
skeptical of increasing gun control as a solution to the problem,”
he said. Harris’ views on gun
controls are partly informed by
the experience of his Hungarian
and Ukrainian-born parents, who
“escaped” from countries where
guns were banned. “I understand from one extreme what
gun control can lead to,” Harris
said.
Some in Maryland’s delegation are strong supporters of gun
control legislation but don’t
anticipate being asked to play a
major role in upcoming legislatives battles.
“It’s something I want to be
supportive of and contribute to,
regional medical center.”
"This is an important project
to improve the health of Prince
George's County. I look forward
to continuing to work with our
partners to move this project forward.” stated Joshua M.
Sharfstein, M.D. Secretary,
Maryland Department of Health
& Mental Hygiene.
Highlights of the meeting
included background information
and site selection criteria for this
project.
Four Proposed site locations
Ø Landover Mall Location
Ø
Largo Town Center
Location
Ø
Morgan Boulevard
Location
Ø Woodmore Town Centre
Location
of
Regional
Summary
Medical Center Site Selection
Criteria
Ø Central area of Prince
George’s County
Ø
Accessible
to
Transportation
Ø Cost of Site Development
Ø Size of Site
Ø Timing of Site Control
Future Development
Ø
Potential
"Hearing from the community we serve is an important part of
the location review process
regarding the new regional medical center planned in Prince
George's County," adds Neil J.
Moore, President & CEO of
Dimensions Healthcare System.
"We share our partners' commitment to enhance health care in
the region and appreciate the
community's interest and participation."
On July 21, 2011, a multiparty agreement was signed by
Prince
George’s
County
Executive Rushern L. Baker, III,
former Prince George’s County
Council Chair Ingrid M. Turner,
Governor Martin O’Malley, Lt.
Governor Anthony Brown along
with Dimensions Healthcare
System, University of Maryland
Medical System (UMMS),
University System of Maryland
(USM) and State of Maryland
officials which marked a major
step forward in the long-standing
efforts to stabilize the health care
system in Prince George’s
County.
On July 31, 2012 another historic milestone took place when
officials highlighted the progress
made over the last year and
unveiled the findings from a first
of its kind public health impact
study conducted in Prince
George’s County by the
University of Maryland’s School
of Public Health. The study
results revealed the necessity of
improving existing health services, increasing access to primary care, enhancing the County’s
overall health infrastructure, and
ensuring a stable and reliable
health care system for Prince
George’s County and Southern
Maryland. These and other findings serve as a guide in implementing next steps of the agreement.
“We continue to work diligently with all the parties to outline the steps needed to build a
new regional medical center. The
site selection is one of those key
steps." stated John W. Ashworth
III, Senior Vice President for
Network
Development,
University of Maryland Medical
System.
To Read More About the
Progress of the New Regional
Hospital Medical Center Log
on to: http://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/regional_hospital/maps.asp
process.
During the question and
answer portion of the hearings,
Delegate John Cluster Jr., RBaltimore County, questioned
the need for an assault rifle ban
given that none of the murders
in Maryland last year were
committed with an assault
weapon.
“Why would you want to
wait for the first one?” responded
Scott
Shellenberger,
Baltimore County state’s attorney. “I’m sure there weren’t any
(assault weapon murders) in
Newtown last year, either.”
Opponents of the bill
stressed that the legislation
would curtail citizens’ Second
Amendment rights.
“It is wrong for the state of
Maryland to require a license to
exercise a fundamental right,”
said Shannon Alford, state liaison for the National Rifle
Association.
recognizing there are other people who’ve been working on this
issue a lot longer than I have and
I defer to their leadership on the
issue,” said Rep. John Delaney,
D-Potomac, in an interview.
“But it doesn’t feel like an area
where they need me to step forward and actually do specific
things on it.”
A banker by trade, Delaney
was recently appointed to the
Joint Economic Committee and
serves on the House Committee
on Financial Services.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, DKensington, is also known more
for his financial acumen, though
he has waded into gun control
efforts. He was the only member
of Congress to speak at the
March on Washington for Gun
Control in late January.
“We are gathered here....to
say to the United States Congress
that the price of inaction is too
high. That the death toll across
America is unacceptable,” Van
Hollen said.
His guest at
the State of the Union was
Carole Price, who became a gun
safety advocate after her 13year-old son was accidentally
shot and killed by a young neighbor in 1998.
House Minority Whip Steny
Hoyer,
D-Mechanicsville,
brought Patricia Bell and Sabrina
Worthington, the mother and sister of a Maryland State Trooper
who was fatally shot in 2010.
“Gun violence continues to
plague communities here in
Maryland and across the country,
putting our brave law enforce-
ment officers at risk every day,”
Hoyer said in a statement at the
time. Hoyer and Rep. Donna
Edwards, D-Fort Washington,
represent Prince George’s
County, which has been hard hit
by gun violence. Edwards, who
was unable to be reached for
comment, spoke about gun control on the House floor
Wednesday, though she has not
released a statement about the
issue since mid-December.
State level gun control efforts
are moving swiftly in Maryland.
The state Senate on Thursday
approved
Gov.
Martin
O’Malley’s gun control bill,
which would ban many assault
rifles, lower ammunition magazine capacity and require fingerprinting for people who purchase
handguns.
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and Sunday (Oct. - Aug.) 1 pm - 5 pm. Closed Wednesday and Sunday.
*Please note store hours are subject to change.
CommeNTary
The PriNCe george’S PoST
Open to the Public
A Community Newspaper for Prince George’s County
Cong. Steny H. Hoyer
House Democratic Minority Whip
A Balanced Approach Can Spare Jobs
The Congress is dysfunctional. As a result, in
just a few days, should Congress fail to act, automatic spending cuts known as sequestration will
take effect, with painful consequences in
Maryland’s 5th District.
Sequestration imposes cuts irrationally without regard to our priorities and will harm our
economy and our national security. It was meant
to force both parties to negotiate a careful, balanced approach to deficit reduction. While I have
been urging my colleagues to work together on
such an approach, that has not occurred.
Maryland stands to pay a heavy price.
Sequestration could lead to the potential loss of
12,600 jobs in Maryland and could cost our state
$1.3 billion in Defense Department spending in
and around military facilities — including
Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Webster Field,
Indian Head and Joint Base Andrews, which
employ thousands of Marylanders and contribute
billions to our state economy.
Sequestration also threatens our economic
recovery and investments that grow our middle
class. It could lead to 200 teachers and aides losing their jobs and 800 fewer children enrolled in
Head Start and Early Head Start. Up to 10,000
low-income households could see their heating
assistance reduced or eliminated. Cuts to the
Women, Infants and Children program would
mean reductions for 8,600 individuals. More than
9,000 fewer Marylanders would receive job
training and placement services needed to find
employment.
Congress can prevent these cuts by reaching a
big, balanced agreement to reduce the deficit and
replace the sequester. Already, Congress has
achieved $2.2 trillion in savings, with $1.6 trillion in spending cuts and $600 billion in revenues. That leaves another $1.2 trillion in savings
needed to replace sequestration. Congress should
be able to do this. But, during the last two years,
many members of Congress have refused commonsense compromise.
I believe these remaining savings should be
found through a balance of spending cuts and
revenues, and I am a co-sponsor on a bill that
would replace sequestration in that manner.
Pursuing a balanced approach is consistent with
recommendations put forward by every outside,
bipartisan group.
Unfortunately, many Republicans have
embraced these irrational spending cuts. One
Republican, Rep. Mike Pompeo from Kansas,
even called sequestration “a home run” that
Americans would applaud. As a result, House
Republican leaders have refused to allow consideration of our bill to replace sequestration, which
both cuts spending and asks our best-off citizens
to pay a similar percentage of taxes as average
working Americans.
For the sake of families and businesses in
Maryland, I will continue urging Republican
leaders to replace sequestration with a balanced
solution. And, at the very least, to allow the
House to vote on such an alternative so the public can see where their representatives stand.
We cannot accept the defeatist and irresponsible view that sequestration is unavoidable.
Congress created the problem of sequestration,
and it still has the ability to solve it. The pursuit
of irresponsibility as policy is an abysmal abandonment of our duty and is hurting our country.
To Be Equal
Marc Morial, President and CEO
National Urban League
Keep Section Voting Rights Act 5 Alive!
“I risked my life defending that right. If we
are ever to actualize the true meaning of equality,
effective measures such as the Voting Rights Act
are still a necessary requirement of democracy.”
Georgia U.S. Representative, John Lewis
This week, in commemoration of the 48th
anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” John Lewis,
Vice President Joe Biden and a coalition of citizens and civil rights advocates, including representatives of the National Urban League, will reenact the March 7, 1965 Selma to Montgomery
voting rights march that was halted on the
Edmund Pettus bridge by Alabama state troopers
wielding billy clubs and tear gas. Bloody Sunday
led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act,
outlawing discriminatory voting tactics that had
routinely denied the right to vote to millions of
African Americans, especially in the South.
Although an overwhelmingly bipartisan
majority of Congress reauthorized the Voting
Rights Act in 2006 for 25 more years, Shelby
County v. Holder, which was argued before the
Supreme Court last week, threatens the very
heart of the law and challenges the constitutionality of the critical pre-clearance provision—
known as Section 5. Section 5 of the Voting
Rights Act requires jurisdictions with a history of
voting discrimination to receive preapproval
from the Justice Department or a federal district
court in D.C. for any change to their voting rules
to ensure such changes do not discriminate
against voters who are racial, ethnic or language
minorities.
The flagrant and aggressive voter suppression
efforts that occurred in many of the very states
subject to Section 5 preclearance during the past
election underscores that this critical measure is
still necessary to protect the fundamental right to
vote. The Urban League has joined other civil
rights organizations in signing on to an amicus
brief in support of Section 5, and is speaking out
in favor of keeping it alive. In fact, on February
27, the day the law was debated in the Supreme
Court, we rallied with thousands of other supporters outside the Court in a mass show of support.
Section five detractors argue that so much
progress has been made since 1965 that its protections are no longer necessary. Justice Antonin
Scalia even went so far as to call it “the perpetuation of racial entitlement.” Nothing could be
further from the truth. Congressman John Lewis,
who was one of hundreds beaten during Bloody
Sunday, gave several examples in a recent
Washington Post op-ed that demonstrate how
much Section 5 is still needed. He reminds us
that in 2008, the city legislature in Calera, a city
in Shelby County, Alabama, in disregard of
Section 5, redrew the boundaries to dilute the
voting power of black citizens, resulting in the
defeat of Ernest Montgomery, the city’s only
black Councilman. During last year’s presidential campaign, the Justice Department blocked
discriminatory voting changes in South Carolina
and Texas that would have disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of minority voters. In ruling
against South Carolina’s onerous new voter ID
law, U.S. District Judge, John D. Bates wrote,
“One cannot doubt the vital function that Section
5 of the Voting Rights Act has played here.”
A decision by the Justices is expected in June.
Too many Americans have fought and died for
the precious right to vote. The Supreme Court
must not turn back the clock. Keep Section 5
Alive!
TONY HAWK WATER SLIDE AT SIX FLAG AMERICA
Child Watch
by Marion Wright Edelman
What Killed President Kennedy
and Trayvon Martin?
Mrs. Rosa Parks - Before
and After the Bus
“Our minds fasten on that
single moment on the bus —
Mrs. Parks alone in that seat,
clutching her purse, staring out
a window, waiting to be arrested. That moment tells us something about how change happens, or doesn’t happen . . . We
so often spend our lives as if in
a fog, accepting injustice, rationalizing inequity, tolerating the
intolerable. Like the bus driver,
but also like the passengers on
the bus, we see the way things
are — children hungry in a land
of plenty, entire neighborhoods
ravaged by violence, families
hobbled by job loss or illness
— and we make excuses for
inaction, and we say to ourselves, that's not my responsibility, there’s nothing I can do.
Rosa Parks tells us there’s
always something we can do.
She tells us that we all have
responsibilities, to ourselves
and to one another. She reminds
us that this is how change happens — not mainly through the
exploits of the famous and the
powerful, but through the
countless acts of often anonymous courage and kindness and
fellow feeling and responsibility that continually, stubbornly,
expand our conception of justice — our conception of what
is possible.”
President Obama spoke
these moving and right words at
the February 27 unveiling of
the beautiful new statue of Mrs.
Rosa Parks in the United States
Capitol’s Statuary Hall the first
Black woman so honored. The
ceremony also included eloquent
remarks
from
Congressional leaders and a
stirring performance of “Lift
Every Voice and Sing” by the
military choir that was a tribute
to this bright North Star to freedom. Mrs. Parks, like Harriet
Tubman before her, lit our
nation’s way. The President’s
words were a needed reminder
that Mrs. Parks was just one
very bright star in a constellation of sacrificial Black and
White stars who pushed and
pulled our nation forward on
the long stony road of struggle,
activism, and sacrifice that
began generations before her
birth in Tuskegee, Alabama one
hundred years ago. So many
Americans keep looking for the
next Dr. King or Mrs. Parks to
come and solve our problems
and save us from our own
responsibility to act. But Mrs.
Parks and Dr. King were
always part of a much larger
whole. On the particular day in
December 1955 when she
refused to give up her seat on a
Montgomery city bus, she was
one of a trained cohort of civil
rights leadership in the city who
had been putting the community infrastructure in place waiting for the right spark to ignite
the needed anti-Jim Crow
movement
time
in
Montgomery.
Jeanne
Theoharis’s new biography The
Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa
Parks (and other recent books)
is now shedding extra light on
the fact that there was much
more to Mrs. Parks than the
story of the quiet seamstress
who one day was just so tired
she finally decided to sit down.
In reality, Mrs. Parks was
not only a seamstress but a
respected local activist; was
willing to work without a spotlight but was not meek or quiet;
and did not spontaneously act
out of the blue just because she
felt tired. Mrs. Parks was neither complacent nor long suffering, and had been fighting
for equality and justice years
before December 1955. In fact,
like most Black people raised
under Southern segregation,
Jim Crow, and injustice, Mrs.
Parks resented them from the
day she was born.
Before her arrest Mrs. Parks
had served as the secretary of
the Montgomery branch of the
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored
People (N.A.A.C.P.) for more
than 10 years. As part of her
work with the N.A.A.C.P. she
investigated cases of violence
and sexual assault against
Black women, including Recy
Taylor, a married Black mother
who was walking home from
church when she was abducted
at gunpoint and gang-raped by
a group of six White men in
Abbeville, Alabama in 1944. In
response, Mrs. Parks helped
found the Committee for Equal
Justice for Mrs. Recy Taylor
which attracted nationwide
support and which the Chicago
Defender called the “strongest
campaign for equal justice to be
seen in a decade.” Although
Mrs. Taylor’s attackers had
admitted their guilt to local
authorities, they were not convicted of the crime or punished—and Mrs. Parks was not
done fighting injustice.
Nor was she alone. In all of
her battles before and after her
own arrest, Mrs. Parks was part
of a coordinated movement of
others sharing the same goal.
The summer before her arrest
she attended Highlander Folk
School
near
Knoxville,
Tennessee, a training center for
activism in civil rights and
workers’ rights. Immediately
after her arrest, Mrs. Parks was
supported by N.A.A.C.P. colleagues including E.D. Nixon
and others in Montgomery
actively watching for the right
See WATCH, Page A8
The Prince george’s Post
The Prince George’s Post
P.O. Box 1001 15207 Marlboro Pike
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772-3151
Phone 301-627-0900 Legal Fax • 301-627-6260
Editorial Fax • 301-627-8147
Contents © 2013, The Prince George’s Post
Publisher
Legusta Floyd
Subscriptions/Legals
Liz Brandenstein
General Manager/
Legal Advertising Manager
Brenda Boice
Editor
Legusta Floyd
Legal Advertising Assistant
Robin Boerckel
Web Manager
Kyler Quesenberry
Prince George’s County, Md. Member National Newspaper Publishers Association,
and the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Press Association.
The Prince George’s Post (ISSN 10532226) is published every Thursday
by the New Prince George’s Post Inc., 15207 Marlboro Pike,
Upper Marlboro, Md. 20772-3151.
Subscription rate: 25 cents per single copy; $15 per year;
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Postmaster, send address changes to Prince George’s Post, P.O. Box 1001,
Upper Marlboro, Md. 20772-3151.
buSiNeSS
Small Business Spotlight
More Maryland Markets
Need More Local Farmers
By ANGELA HARVEY
BELTSVILLE- The popularity of farm-fresh produce has
brought about a boom in the number of farmers markets in
Maryland, but that success has brought problems of its own.
“There just doesn’t seem to be enough farmers out there to
satisfy the demand that consumers have for these markets,” said
Pat McMillan, assistant secretary for the Maryland Department of
Agriculture.
About 150 farmers, vendors and market managers met
Thursday at the Maryland Farmers Market Conference where the
MDA and other agencies discussed food safety regulations,
licensing and federal nutrition benefits programs.
“One of the purposes of this conference is to bring everybody
together to see what we can do collectively and individually to
make these more vibrant venues for our farmers to sell and sustain this enterprise that has been growing in leaps and bounds for
decades,” McMillan said.
At farmers markets, consumers can buy local produce, poultry, dairy and meat directly from farmers or vendors. There are
110 farmers markets in the state, and at least one is available in
every county, according to the tourism office. There were no
available figures for the rate of growth of the markets in the state.
The market season typically begins in May and runs through
October or November, and several markets are yearlong. Each
market is individually managed and can determine from how far
away participants may bring their wares and still be considered
local, said Amy Crone, agricultural marketing specialist at the
MDA. The term “local” can encompass farms in Maryland,
Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
The high cost of breaking into the farming industry was noted
as one reason for the deficit of farmers able to supply the markets.
McMillan said agricultural land in Maryland is routinely sold
from $7,000 to $10,000 an acre. He said that supporting smallscale farms is the best way to help the industry grow.
“Farmers markets are one of the only entry points, practically
speaking, for someone interested in farming that maybe wasn’t
born into the occupation to get their foot in the door and actually
make a living at it,” said McMillan.
Jennie Dorrell owns Lavender Hills, a family-run farm in
Lineboro that has produce and livestock. Dorrell agreed that land
costs are an impediment to starting farms. She got a good deal on
her land because she knew the seller, and since then she has been
able to slowly expand her operation.
“If you weren’t born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you
just kind of have to do things as the money becomes available,”
Dorrell said.
Dorrell has been selling at farmers markets in Maryland for
three years. She said her farm does not produce enough to be able
to sell to grocery stores, so farmers markets are a great venue.
Dorrell said the road to becoming profitable can have a steep
learning curve, but she is glad the MDA offers many resources to
help along the way.
“One of the hardest things is learning how to grow enough to
have a continuous supply of products to bring to the markets,”
Dorrell said. “The Department of Agriculture has been great in
providing information and classes to help farmers in this state be
successful.”
Maryland Day at the MD Historical Society
BALTIMORE, March 7, 2013: "After a long and difficult
Atlantic winter crossing, the ships Ark and Dove sailed up the
Potomac River in March of 1634," says President Burt
Kummerow, "Almost four centuries and twenty generations of
dramatic history have followed those humble beginnings."
The Maryland Historical Society will be honoring Maryland's
brave and hopeful first settlers on Thursday, March 21 at 6pm in
France Hall.
The event, entitled "Maryland at the Beginning" will feature
a presentation from Dr. Henry Miller, Director of Research at
Historic St. Mary's City. A great storyteller, Dr. Miller will bring
the tale of Maryland's first century to life.
The cost is $25.00 for MdHS members and $35.00 for nonmembers. Call 410-685-3750 Ext. 377 or visit
www.mdhs.org/events to register.
In addition, in celebration of Women's History month, the
Maryland Historical Players are hosting a Tribute to Maryland's
Civil War Heroines on Saturday, March 9. Actors portraying
Harriet Tubman and Clara Barton will lead an interactive audience discussion in the Maryland Historical Society Galleries at
2pm.No advance reservations are necessary.
Speaking of famous Maryland women, the Maryland
Historical Society is referring to 2013 as the 'Year of Betsy,' as it
presents a major new exhibition about the life, the love and the
fashion of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte.
Known as Betsy to her friends, she was regarded as the most
beautiful woman of the 1812 era - and set the gossipmongers
atwitter with her revealing dresses. Betsy married Napoleon's
brother, moved to France, faced family heartbreak and eventual
betrayal from her husband Jerome Bonaparte and returned to
Baltimore, where she became one of the city's wealthiest
landowners. Betsy truly was the Notorious Belle of Baltimore,
and she is regarded today as one of the country's most fascinating early celebrities.
The Woman of Two Worlds: Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte
and the Quest for an Imperial Legacy exhibition will feature hundreds of objects - including Betsy's scandalous fashions - on display beginning on June 9th 2013.
Local Minority-Owned Businesses Win
Contracts for Projects at National Harbor
By PRESS OFFICER
Prince George’s Community College
LARGO, Md.—The Center
Minority
Business
for
Development (CMBD) at
Prince George’s Community
College assists minority-owned
businesses as they grow and
achieve profitability in the
National Capital region. CMBD
created
the
Accelerator
Program to help construction
companies compete for and win
construction
contracts
at
National
Harbor.
The
Accelerator Program provides
participants with intense specialized training, C-Suite development, personalized consultation and on-site technical assistance.
“Participants
in
the
Accelerator Program learn how
to better manage their firms,
improve back office operations,
meet industry standards and
embrace cutting-edge technologies,” said Carl E. Brown, Jr.,
executive director of Center for
Minority
Business
Development
at
Prince
George’s Community College.
Six businesses have completed the CMBD Accelerator
Program and signed contracts
for development projects at
National Harbor, Md.
-- NDB Services, LLC’s
(Upper Marlboro, Md.), carpentry at Rosa Mexicana
-- G-11 Enterprise, Inc. (Fort
Washington, Md.), outdoor
electrical
for
Peterson
Companies at National Harbor;
Tolls from A1
rier
to tolls on this important transportation corridor.”
Peace sponsored a bill to
require approval by the General
Assembly prior to any tolling on
any part of an interstate highway in operation before July
2013. His proposal died in committee, but the transportation
bill is a partial win.
“While it is not a ban on
tolling, it is a clear indication
that the General Assembly does
Power from A1
home. Liquid-cooled generators
are the most expensive, with
costs varying greatly depending
on the number of devices in the
home. Prices range from $8,000
to $22,500, according to CDS.
Portable generators are less
expensive and don’t have to be
installed. They can be used simply by plugging an extension
cord into the generator, and then
plugging in electric-powered
devices into that extension cord.
These generators can be hazardous if homeowners don’t
understand how to use them
properly. The generator must be
plugged in via an extension cord
to a device. There are safety
risks from these types of generators if the generator is plugged
into a wall outlet. Back-feeding
could injure utility workers who
are fixing electrical wires
because the generator feeds electricity into wires that workers
believe are dead. It can harm
interior electrical lighting fixMGM
Resorts
tures,
International at National Harbor
-- K. Dixon Architecture,
PLLC (Upper Marlboro, Md.)
architect for Galina Perova Fine
Art Gallery
-- Lendana Construction
Company,
LCC
(Upper
Marlboro, Md.), sidewalks
pavers for Peterson Companies
at National Harbor
-- Rich Moe Enterprises,
LLC (Upper Marlboro, Md.),
prime general contractor for
office build out, MGM Resorts
-- Kiroma Contracting, Inc.
(Temple Hills, Md.), flooring
and ceiling tiles, MGM Resorts
The Accelerator Program
focuses on estimating, construction project management,
cost accounting and strategic
marketing. After CMBD identifies a company’s needs through
one-on-one coaching, interviews, questionnaires and onsite reviews, training is divided
into intermediate, advanced and
technology driven modules.
Candidates accepted into the
Accelerator Program are executives of post-start-up ventures
in the construction industry
who meet strict criteria and
undergo a thorough application
and screening process.
College established the Center
Minority
Business
for
Development in 2009 through a
$5 million grant from the
Peterson Companies to increase
PHOTO BY MBECONNECT
Prince George’s Community College established the Center for
Minority Business Development in 2009 to increase the number of minority business enterprises and strengthen their ability to compete in Prince George’s County.
the number of minority business enterprises and strengthen
their ability to compete in
Prince George’s County. For
more
information,
visit
www.cmbd.biz.
College is a National Center of
Academic
Excellence
in
Information Assurance Twoyear Education designated by
the National Security Agency
and the Department of
Homeland Security (20102015). Established in 1958,
College provides transfer and
career programs that help students transfer to four-year colleges and universities and prepare them for the workforce.
Each year, 40,000 students take
part in more than 200 academic programs and workforce
development and continuing
education courses. Located in
Largo, Maryland, Prince
George’s Community College
has additional sites at Joint
Base Andrews, University Town
Center in Hyattsville, Laurel
College Center, Skilled Trades
Center in Camp Springs,
Westphalia Training Center in
Upper Marlboro, and John
Eager Howard Community
Center. For more information,
visit the college website at
www.pgcc.edu, follow on
Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare,
LinkedIn and tune-in to
Transforming Lives at Prince
George’s Community College,
Mondays at 11 a.m.
not support tolling I-95,” said
Dale Bennett, president and
chief executive officer of the
Virginia Trucking Association.
The association is part of Toll
Free 95 in Virginia, an organization opposing all tolls on the
interstate. Twenty-three localities, 13 business associations,
five economic and planning
organizations and other groups
have signed Toll Free’s online
petition against tolling on I-95.
More than 7,000 individuals
also have signed the petition.
“From the beginning, resi-
dents of Southside Virginia
knew the devastating impact
that tolls on I-95 would have on
public safety and our business
environment,” said Delegate
Roslyn Tyler, D-Jarratt. “A
tolling facility in Sussex would
unfairly single out the hardworking people of Southside
Virginia, and we are glad that it
will not come to fruition.
“Collectively, we can claim
victory.”
The restrictions on tolling are
contained in House Bill 2313,
which cleared the Senate on
Feb. 23, the final day of the legislative session. The bill, which
is
awaiting
Gov.
Bob
McDonnell’s signature, raises
sales taxes and overhauls fuels
taxes to raise money for road
and transit projects. On the Web
For more about interstate
tolling, see:
·
Federal Highway
Administration
–
www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/revenue/road_pricing/tolling_pricing/interstate_rr.htm
·
Toll Free 95 in Virginia
– http://virginiatollfree95.com/
generator users as well, because
the power's return can send
thousands of volts of electricity
to the generator, according to a
press release by the Insurance
Institute for Business and Home
Safety.
Gasoline
and
propane
portable generators, which users
must refuel when the gas is running low and the generator has
cooled down. This not only limits the amount of time a portable
generator can be continuously
used, it can also require storage
of a large quantity of these fuels.
Stationary generators can be
connected to a home’s gas system so that a fuel tank doesn’t
have to be replenished.
Prices for the most popular,
portable, home generators range
from $699 to $1,000 with a
power range of 5,500 to 6,500
watts, Aspen Hill Home Depot
Store Manager Matthew Bobbitt
said. The higher price can come
from increased wattage and features such as a push-button start
switch and an auto-shut off feature that turns the generator off
when it is running out of oil.
All generators must be kept
outdoors at least five feet away
from any entrances to the home
to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Bruce Bouch, director of
public education for the Office
of the State Fire Marshal, recommends anyone using a generator install a carbon monoxide
detector in their home.
Neighborhoods are starting to
experience some of the consequences of generators in the
community. The Montgomery
County
Department
of
Environmental Protection has
received an increasing number
of inquiries on generators, as
well as noise complaints,
according to Stan Edwards, division chief of environmental policy and compliance.
Monthly maintenance-testing
of stationary generators is what
often leads neighbors to discover that there is one in their neighborhood, according to Edwards.
He encourages people thinking
about purchasing a stationary
generator to “think about the
noise issues while they’re
installing, instead of after the
fact,” to avoid having to move
the device in response to a complaint.
Specializing in: Drywall, Metal Studs,
Insulation, and Acoustical Ceilings
BRONCO CONSTRUCTION INC.
telephone: (301) 855-4700
fax: (301) 855-6496
Commercial and Residential
CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE PHOTO BY NICOLE MACON
A CDS employee moves standby generators in the company’s
138,000 square foot warehouse.
TOWN
OUT ON THE
ERIC D. SNIDER'S
IN THE DARK
Movie Review
by DAVE ZIRIN
“Jack the Giant Slayer.”
"JACK THE GIANT SLAYER"
C+
1 hr., 54 min.;
rated PG-13 for a lot of fantasy violence, some of it
bordering on graphic
You can see the business
logic behind a movie like “Jack
the Giant Slayer.” Take a familiar fairy tale (one that’s in the
public domain so you don’t have
to pay anybody’s estate), flesh
out the backstory, find a way to
give it an epic-sized climactic
battle, and slap it up on the big
screen in 3D. Even if it’s not particularly good – and “Jack the
Giant Slayer isn’t – it’ll draw
enough of a crowd to make it
worth your while.
The business decisions
behind this jolly CGI-laden confection are more evident than the
creative ones, but it’s not a wholly cynical enterprise. It was
directed by Bryan Singer (“XMen,” “Superman Returns”), a
purveyor of enjoyable fluff who
strives to deliver popular entertainment that isn’t too dumb.
“Jack the Giant Slayer” is by far
his silliest film, and it’s hindered
by a screenplay (credited to
three writers) that seems to
actively avoid giving the main
characters any personality. But
when it really gets going, and
especially in the last 30 minutes,
it’s passable as matinee fodder.
In this version, Jack
(Nicholas Hoult) is an orphaned
peasant who yearns for adventure. So does the kingdom’s fair
princess, Isabelle (Eleanor
Tomlinson). Jack is restricted by
his poverty and social class;
Isabelle is limited by the usual
over-protective rules placed
upon royalty in fairy tales. (Her
loving father, the king, is played
by Ian McShane – not someone
you want to disobey.) When the
magic beans come into Jack’s
possession and a beanstalk is
produced, Isabelle gets stuck in
the giants’ world. The king sends
his army, led by Sir Elmont
(Ewan McGregor), up the stalk
to rescue her, accompanied by
fearless young Jack.
To add some perfidy to the
story, there is Stanley Tucci as
Roderick, the king’s power-hungry adviser and the man to
whom Isabelle’s hand in marriage has been promised.
Roderick knows of an artifact
that would enable him to rule the
giants as their king, and he sees
the quest to rescue Isabelle as his
golden opportunity to try it out.
Why Major League Baseball
Owners Will Cheer the Death of
Hugo Chavez
PHOTO COURTESY ROTTENTOMATOES
"Jack the Giant Slayer" tells the story of an ancient war that is
reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway
between our world and a fearsome race of giants. -- (C) Warner Bros.
Complications ensue, and there
is a battle between the race of
men and the race of giants.
McGregor,
and
Tucci,
McShane are all in fine form,
giving robust performances as
characters who hardly deserve
such attention. They add sparkle.
Jack and Isabelle are blank
slates, though: likable enough,
as far as that goes, but completely uninteresting as protagonists.
Hoult had more chemistry with
his co-star in “Warm Bodies,” in
which he played a zombie. And
it doesn’t help that Isabelle, supposedly an adventure seeker,
proves to be a disappointingly
typical damsel-in-distress type.
I’ve heard people compare
“Jack the Giant Slayer” to last
year’s “John Carter,” in terms of
budget and scope as well as
entertainment value. That feels
about right to me. Neither film is
“bad,” but neither film is really
necessary or memorable, either.
“Jack” passes the time. Whether
that’s worth paying money for is
up to you.
Bulldogs Capture CIAA Basketball Crown
By GREGORY GOINS
Sports Information Director
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Bryon
Westmorland had a huge night in
leading Bowie State to the CIAA
championship.
The senior forward scored a
career-high 38 points including
26 points in the second half to
outduel Livingstone’s Mark
Thomas and help Bowie State
break open a tight game for an 8574 victory over Livingstone in the
CIAA finals at Time Warner
Cable Arena on Saturday. The
Bulldogs (16-13 overall) won
their second championship,
including the first under Head
Coach Darrell Brooks, after entering the tournament as the No. 4
Northern Division seed. The latest title comes 10 years and one
day after the Bulldogs claimed
their first CIAA crown in 2003.
With the victory, the Bulldogs
received the conference’s automatic bid in the NCAA Division
II Tournament. The Blue Bears
(22-6 overall) are anticipating an
at-large bid after reaching the title
game as the No. 6 ranked team in
the Atlantic Region. The top eight
teams in the region will advance
to the tournament.
“I’m so proud of my team,
especially my five seniors,”
Brooks said. “They’ve worked
hard. We’ve had a lot of adversity
this year and all through it, they
stuck together and we got a great
reward for it.”
However, the Blue Bears
missed out on that elusive first
league championship after winning their first Southern Division
title and coming into the tournament as the division’s top seed.
The Blue Bears can blame
Westmoreland, the tournament
MVP, for that.
The Bulldogs’ star sparked a
late run which clinched the title
for the Bulldogs. Down 53-51
with 14:42 left, the Bulldogs
outscored the Blue Bears 34-21
with Westmoreland scoring 18
points during the spurt. The
Bulldogs’ finish was similar to
Friday’s
semifinal
against
Winston-Salem State when they
went on a late surge to reach the
championship game.
The Bulldogs withstood an
outstanding effort by Thomas of
the Blue Bears, a talented guard
who scored a career-high 34
points before fouling out late.
Thomas kept the Blue Bears in
the game by scoring 18 points in
the second half. His layup on a
drive cut the Blue Bears’ deficit to
75-67. But Westmoreland completed a three-point play of his
own for a 78-67 lead with 2:05
left that wrapped up the game for
the Bulldogs, who outscored the
Blue Bears 42-33 in the second
half.
Westmorland finished the
night making 13 of 19 shots
which ranged from jumpers to
layups in transition which resulted in three-point plays at times.
He also made 10 of 15 free throws
in addition to getting six rebounds
and four steals.
Westmorland got support from
his inside players. Junior forward
Carlos Smith had 11 points and
seven rebounds and senior forward Najee White contributed 10
points. Senior forward Dameatric
Scott had seven rebounds and five
assists. Senior guard Bryan
Wilson also helped out on the
boards, grabbing six to go along
with eight points. The inside play
complemented Westmoreland as
the Bulldogs scored 46 points in
the paint and 16 second-chance
points.
“[The] game was kind of what
we expected,” Brooks said. “It
was a war. We thought it was
going to be a very physical game.
We thought that the team that did
the best job defending and on the
backboards would be the team
that would probably win the game
and fortunately, it was us.”
As a team, the Bulldogs shot
56 percent. Meanwhile, the Blue
Bears shot 38 percent.
Other than Thomas, the Blue
Bears struggled from the floor.
Thomas was 11 of 21 from the
floor and 9 of 13 from the freethrow line in addition to three
steals. Darnell Turner added 11
points but he was the only other
double figure scorer. Anthony
Welch scored nine points on 3 of
4 three-point shooting.
PHOTO BY RANDY SINGLETON
Byron Westmorland had a huge night in leading Bowie State to
the CIAA championship.
The Bowie State big men
impacted the contest from the
start by limiting the Blue Bears to
one shot and getting inside for
easy baskets. A dunk by Smith off
a missed layup lifted the Bulldogs
to an early 15-7 lead.
Led by Thomas, the Blue
Bears came back to pull within
22-19. The Blue Bears led 26-24
on his three-point play.
The Bulldogs reclaimed
momentum when Wilson swished
a three pointer for a 40-36
Bulldogs lead with under a
minute remaining in the half. A
three-pointer by Westmorland
made the score 43-38 Bowie
State, but Thomas answered with
a three before halftime to cut the
Bulldogs lead to 43-41 at the
break.
Thomas scored 16 points in
the first half for the Blue Bears.
Westmorland scored 12 and
Smith with 10 for the Bulldogs.
White added eight points for the
Bulldogs.
Thomas gave the Blue Bears a
46-44 lead in the second half on a
three-pointer, but Bowie State
The Edge of Sports
reclaimed the lead at 51-46 on a
free throw and layup by
Westmorland.
Once again, it was Thomas
who brought back the Blue Bears.
His free throw and three from the
deep corner put the Blue Bears
back ahead 53-51. Westmoreland
scored five straight points as the
Bulldogs regained the lead at 5653. A dunk by White and a layup
by Westmoreland extended their
lead to 65-56, giving the Bulldogs
the cushion they needed to hold
off the Blue Bears. When Scott
scored on a tip-in, the lead
reached 13 points at 75-62.
The All-CIAA Tournament
team featured Westmorland and
Scott of Bowie State, and
Thomas, Jody Hill and Ethan
Anderson of Livingstone. The
other All-CIAA Tourney members are Quinton McDuffie of
Chowan, Christopher Grier of
Virginia State, Justin Glover of
Winston-Salem State, Derrick
Washington of Lincoln (Pa.), and
Angelo Sharpless of Elizabeth
City State. Johnson C. Smith won
the Team Sportsmanship Award.
The death of Venezuelan
President Hugo Chávez will
mean unseemly celebration
on the right and unending
debate on the left. Both
reflect the towering legacy of
Chavismo and how it challenged the global free market
orthodoxy of the Washington
consensus.
Less discussed will be that
the passing of Hugo Chávez will also provoke unbridled joy in
the corridors of power of Major League Baseball.
Historically, Venezuela has trailed only the Domincan
Republic in the global race to provide a cheap source of Major
League Baseball talent. In 2012, 58 players on MLB rosters
were born in Venezuela, second only to the DR's 64.
For decades, teams had set up unregulated "baseball academies" in both countries where children as young as 15 could
be signed for a pittance, and then, for 97 percent of major
league hopefuls, casually disposed without any future
prospects. A Mother Jones article published this week exposed
in excruciating detail the DR baseball "sweatshops" and the
preventable death of young Washington Nationals teenage
prospect Yewri Guillen. They describe the academies as a
deadly breeding ground for tragedy defined by "corruption and
youth exploitation."
This is exactly what Chávez, a baseball fanatic himself, was
aiming to challenge. Venezuela is the birthplace of towering
talents such as the 2012 Triple Crown Winner Miguel Cabrera,
"King" Félix Hernández and World Series MVP Pablo
Sandoval. In the last twenty years, 200 Venezuelans have
played in the Major Leagues with more than 1,000 in the
minors.
But the academies also left a wreckage of young lives
behind, a status quo Chávez sought to challenge. He told MLB
that they would have to institute employee and player benefits
and job protections. He wanted education and job training, subsidized by MLB, to be a part of the academies. He also insisted that teams pay out 10 percent of players’ signing bonuses to
the government. Chávez effectively wanted to tax MLB for the
human capital they blithely take from the country.
As the CS Monitor put it, "the threat of expropriations and
onerous foreign exchange controls make teams wary of doing
business in Venezuela.
Sure enough over the last decade, the number of teams with
"academies" in Venezuela has dwindled from 21 to 5. The
threats of kidnapping and violence are often cited by teams as
the primary reason for this move, but the facts say otherwise.
As one major league executive said anonymously to the LA
Times, "Teams have left Venezuela because of issues with the
government and security that have made it more difficult to do
business there. Absent those problems, there would be a lot
more teams here using academies."
Major League Baseball has never been shy in their rage that
Chávez wasn't "rolling out the red carpet" for them "like they
do in the Dominican Republic." Lou Meléndez, senior advisor
to the MLB's international relations department, said in 2007,
“We don’t pay federations money for signing players anywhere in the world, and we don’t expect to do so. It’s certainly not a way to conduct business.... When you see certain
industries that are being nationalized, you begin to wonder if
they are going to nationalize the baseball industry in
Venezuela.”
But despite the academy closures, baseball never stopped
strip-mining Venezuela's baseball hopefuls. Instead, they now
sign Venezuelan children and whisk them off to the Dominican
Republic to be trained, miles and an ocean apart from their
families. Rather than be more humane in response to Chávez,
MLB was just more brutal.
I spoke with Illinois history professor and author of Playing
America's Game, Adrian Burgos, Jr. He said it in perfect albeit
wrenching fashion:
The irony is palpable. On the same day Mother Jones publishes an article on Yewri Guillen's death and the Washington
Nationals' lack of having a certified medical official on staff at
its Dominican academy, Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez
dies. Certainly, Chávez's demise makes MLB officials excited
at the prospect of re-establishing their own blueprint for a
baseball academy system being put into place in Venezuela, an
effort that Chávez had forestalled. I still wonder who is/are the
Latino representative(s) within the Commissioner's Office
speaking for Latinos. Do we need any more teenagers [like]
Yewri Guillen, MLB prospect, dying for a lack of access to
proper medical care due to a lack of health insurance and funds
in the DR or Venezuela—health care that ought to have been,
would have been, provided for such a signed prospect in the
US? Dead prospects and dead president—I am weary of the
road ahead in Venezuela and on its baseball diamonds.
Don’t Keep it a Secret!
It Pays to Advertise!
in The Prince George’s Post
301 627 0900
Calendar of Events
March 14 — March 20, 2013
Black History Month: Biannual Fine Arts Exhibit: Winston
Harris
Date and Time: Through -Saturday, March 16
Mr. Harris work combines traditional and nonDescription:
traditional abstract printmaking techniques that produce compelling two-dimensional and three-dimensional mono prints.
Through experimentation and working with established painters,
sculptors and printmakers, Mr. Harris has been able to expand his
printmaking into the third dimension.
Cost: FREE
Ages: All ages
Location: Harmony Hall Regional Center
10701 Livingston Road, Fort Washington 20744
Contact: 301-203-6070
Black History Month: Black Artists of DC
Date and Time: Monday, February 11-Saturday, April 6
Description:
In celebration of Black History Month, the
Brentwood Arts Exchange presents an exhibition of two and
three-dimensional artworks by members of Black Artists of DC
(BADC). Established with the purpose of creating a community
of support for black artists, BADC exists to promote, develop
and validate the culture, artistic expressions and aspirations of
past and present artists of Black-Afrikan ancestry in the metropolitan area.
Ages: All ages
Cost: FREE
Location: Brentwood Arts Exchange
3901 Rhode Island Avenue, Brentwood 20722
Contact: 301-277-2863; TTY 301-446-6802
Senior Days
Date and Time: Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays, 8 am-12 noon
Description: Seniors (Prince George's County residents only) are
allowed FREE use of both the fitness center and pool during
these times.
Ages: 60 & up
Cost: FREE
Location: Prince George's Sports & Learning Complex
8001 Sheriff Road
Landover, MD 20785
Contact: 301-583-2400; TTY 301-583-2483
Tiny Tot Thursdays: “Punch & Judy Show”
Date & Time:
Thursday, March 7, 9:30 am & 11:30 am
Description:
Professor Horn captivates toddlers and makes
parents laugh along with clever comedy, magic and America’s
own version of the world-famous British "Punch & Judy Show."
Tickets: $3/child; $4/adult
Ages: Recommended for Grades pre-K-2
Location: Publick Playhouse
5445 Landover Road, Cheverly 20784
Contact: 301-277-1710; TTY 301-277-0312
LIVE at Montpelier! Warren Wolf
Date & Time:
Friday, March 8, 8 pm
Description:
Warren Wolf and his quartet are back for a special encore performance at Montpelier. Wolf has played vibes,
drums and piano with musicians ranging from Wynton Marsalis
to Cyrus Chestnut.
Tickets: $25/person; 10% discount for Montpelier members &
seniors
Location: Montpelier Arts Center
9652 Muirkirk Road, Laurel 20708
Contact: 301-377-7800; TTY 301-490-2329
Café Groove
Date and Time: Fridays, March 2, April 5 & May 3, 7:30 pm
Description:
Where YOU are the star! Featuring a night of youth poetry,
dance, comedy, open mic, and visual arts contest with cash prizes
at the following locations:
Friday, March 2, 7:30 pm
Publick Playhouse
Friday, April 5, 7:30 pm
Glenn Dale Community Center
Friday, May 3, 7:30 pm
Southern Regional Technology & Recreation Complex
7007 Bock Road, Fort Washington 20744
Cost: $3/person
Ages: 13-17
Contact: 301-446-3232; TTY 301-446-6802
“The Butterfly Story”
Date & Time:
Tuesday, March 12, 10:15 am & 12 noon
Description:
Hudson Vagabond Puppets bring their largerthan-people dancing butterflies for a beautiful science lesson, following the monarch as it grows from caterpillar.
Tickets: $6/person; $5/person in groups of 15 or more
Ages: Recommended for Grades pre-K-2
Location:
Publick Playhouse
5445 Landover Road, Cheverly 20784
Contact: 301-277-1710; TTY 301-277-0312
Kids' Day Out: Rockcreek Steel Drums "The Birth of Steel
Drum Music"
Date and Time: Wednesday, March 13, 10:30 am
Description:
Rockcreek Steel Drum’s band, Bermuda Blue,
takes the audience on a journey through the development of the
modern steel drum instrument. Bermuda Blue demonstrates different types of steel drums and other Caribbean instruments
while playing Calypso music.
Cost: $5/person
Ages:
All ages
Location:
Harmony Hall Regional Center
10701 Livingston Rd., Fort Washington, MD 20744
Contact: 301-203-6070; TTY 301-203-3803
Toddler Time
Date & Time:
Thursday, February 7, 11 am-12 noon
Description:
Parents and their toddlers can have fun at the
nature center with hands-on treasures, crafts, stories, soft play,
and much more.
Cost: Free
Ages:
2 & up
Location: Mount Rainier Nature & Recreation Center
4701 31st Place, Mount Rainier 20712
Contact: 301-927-2163; TTY 301-445-4512
EARTH TALK ... The environmental justice movement.
Dear EarthTalk:
I heard that my food choices
can affect the use and therefore
availability of fresh water
around the world. How so?
— Denise Beck,
Washington, DC
Our food choices and the
availability of fresh water are
inextricably linked. The crux of
the problem is that human population numbers keep growing—we recently topped seven
billion people worldwide—yet
the amount of fresh water available remains finite. And growing food and raising livestock to
feed increasing numbers of
humans takes a great deal of
water. Worldwide, some 70 percent of fresh water is used for
agriculture. The United Nations
and
Agriculture
Food
Organization (FAO) estimates
that, by 2050, two-thirds of the
people on the planet will lack
clean water to meet even basic
needs.
According to the Vegetarian
Resource Group, the livestock
industry is the largest user of
fresh water in the U.S. and in
many other countries. The billions of livestock animals raised
for food around the world each
year consume substantial
amounts of water directly. The
industry also negatively impacts
the replenishment of fresh water
through the compaction of soil,
the degradation of banks along
watercourses, the clearing of
School from A1
answer,” he said.
Maryland anticipates the
main cuts will be to child care
subsidy programs and Head
Start programs, said Rolf
Grafwallner, assistant superintendent of early childhood education at the Maryland State
Department of Education.
“That does have its effect on
enrollment and the way we can
accommodate low-income children. There may be some children who may not have access,”
forests to expand grazing, and
other factors.
An even larger issue is the
water needed to grow the feed
that livestock eat. Researchers
for the 2006 FAO report
“Livestock’s Long Shadow”
report that 2,400 liters of water
go into the production of one
hamburger, while only 25 liters
are needed to produce a potato.
Likewise, a cheese pizza
requires 1,200 liters of water—
given the drinking, cleaning and
feed needs of dairy cows—while
a tomato pizza only needs 300.
Eliminating meat consumption would be a surefire way to
save vast amounts of fresh
water, and switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet is one way
an individual can make a big
impact on water consumption.
“On average, a vegan, a person
who eats no meat or dairy, indirectly consumes nearly 600 gallons of water per day less than a
person who eats the average
American diet,” reports Sandra
Postel, director of the Global
Water Policy Project and the
lead water expert on the
National Geographic Society’s
Freshwater Initiative.
But those loathe to giving up
meat entirely should consider
switching to only grass-fed
beef. According to Postel, it
takes some 5,300 liters of fresh
water for every dollar’s worth of
grain fed to a typical beef cow,
while the water required to feed
grass-fed cattle falls on the pasture from the sky, meaning it is
free and does not deplete
groundwater reserves at all.
“Not all burgers are created
equal,” she says.
Postel adds that another way
to cut down on one’s water footprint would be to give up or cut
back on coffee: One cup takes
some 55 gallons of water to
make, with most of used to
grow the coffee beans.
Choosing organic food can
also help keep an individual’s
indirect water consumption in
check. Organic farming techniques conserve water both by
using less, increasing the waterholding capacity of soils and
reducing erosion as well as by
not polluting nearby water bodies with run-off from synthetic
chemical inputs.
CONTACTS: Livestock’s
Long Shadow,
www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0
701e/a0701e00.htm;
Global Water Policy Project,
www.globalwaterpolicy.org;
National
Geographic’s
Freshwater Initiative,
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/fr
eshwater/about-freshwater-initiative.
EarthTalk® is written and
edited by Roddy Scheer and
Doug Moss and is a registered
trademark of E - The
Environmental Magazine
( w w w. e m a g a z i n e . c o m ) .
Send questions to:
earthtalk@emagazine.com.
Subscribe:
www.emagazine.com/subscribe.
Free Trial Issue:
www.emagazine.com/trial.
Grafwallner said. “We’re concerned about that piece.”
Duncan said the “man-made
mess” of the sequester could
quickly be fixed with congressional cooperation.
Sebelius agreed, saying,
“Sequestration can be fixed
quickly with Congress coming
to the table with a balanced
approach and continuing to
make smart cuts -- smart reductions in programs that don’t
work very well and smart investments in programs that have a
huge payoff in the future.”
Meanwhile, President Barack
Obama met with legislators
today for discussions, but the
parties emerged without an
agreement.
Maryland education officials
are concerned about the cuts,
but the sequester didn’t come as
a
surprise,
said
Debra
Greenberg Lichter, a federal
liaison with the Maryland State
Department of Education.
Lichter said letters were sent
to superintendents across the
state three times since February
2012 advising local systems on
the looming cuts.
“They were told, 'Prepare for
the worst but hope for the best.'
So they are prepared, this didn’t
come as a shock to anybody this
week....they have been thinking
about it along the way,” she
said.
Some school districts are
able to prepare for the cuts better than others, depending on
the size of their budgets and
budgetary demands, she said,
but the issue is still a serious
concern in the upcoming
months.
CREDIT: ISTOCKPHOTO/PHOTODISC/THINKSTOCK
Livestock are the largest consumers of fresh water in the U.S.
and in many other countries. Researchers for the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2006 report,
“Livestock’s Long Shadow,” concluded that 2,400 liters of
water go into the production of one hamburger, while only 25
liters are needed to produce a potato.
CouNTy
ChurCh direCTory
UNITED METHODIST
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9363 D'Arcy Road
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We exist to strengthen your relationship with God.
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Office (301) 839-1166
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5018 Lakeland Road
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www.fbc-cp.org
Sunday School 9:30a.m.
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Holy Communion 1st Sunday
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14418 Old Marlboro Pike,
Upper Marlboro, MD
COMMUNITY CHURCH
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4109 Edmonston Road Bladensburg, MD
CALL
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FAX
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Elder Willie W. Duvall, Pastor
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Watch from A4
moment to act. Alabama State
College professor and Women’s
Political Council President Jo
Ann Robinson was one of the
key unsung heroines who were
the backbones of most civil
rights struggles who waited and
watched for the right incident
and opportunity and were prepared to help seize the moment
and propel it into a larger movement.
Although many people think
of Dr. King as the leader of the
Montgomery Bus Boycott, it’s
important to remember that Dr.
King did not found or spark that
movement or most campaigns
that developed into major
movements across the South.
He responded to the demands of
the communities whose cups
boiled over and was able to
embody and communicate their
hopes and dreams. In fact, when
the Montgomery movement
began, the community needed
someone to be out in front. As
the youngest and newest
preacher in town, Dr. King was
the top candidate because he
had the least baggage. So he
rose to the occasion and
responded to and eloquently
articulated the movement
already in place. As it happened, the Montgomery Bus
Boycott quickly showcased Dr.
King’s enormous God-given
ability as a leader and
spokesperson with enormous
courage. But what took place in
Montgomery was repeated in
Selma, Birmingham, and elsewhere and in the sit-in and
Freedom Rider movements: Dr.
King did not start those local
movements himself either, but
used his powerful eloquence
and moral voice and willingness to go to jail with local people to amplify those movements
already in process led by extraordinary local people like Fred
Shuttlesworth in Birmingham
and the incredible Black children of Birmingham who stood
up to fire hoses and police dogs
and filled Birmingham’s jails
with child energy, courage, and
determination to be free. Photos
of these children under attack
circulated around the globe led
President Kennedy to submit
what became the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 to Congress and
Birmingham’s White power
structure to agree to end Jim
Crow in Birmingham’s public
facilities.
Today, too many would-be
movement leaders simply want
to be Dr. King or Mrs. Rosa
Parks: they want the glory and
privilege of leadership without
the burdens or sacrifice and
sustained
hard
work.
Movements are not built from
the top down by powerful leaders but percolate from the bottom up from people who share
common grievances. Nor are
they the result of individuals
acting alone, although the
courageous actions of one individual can provide a powerful
defining symbolic spark—just
as with the image of the dignified and proud Mrs. Parks sitting on that bus and refusing to
move. But if Jo Ann Robinson
had not been watchful and
ready with a mimeograph
machine to run off 30,000 flyers
to
circulate
to
Montgomery’s Black community about Mrs. Parks and calling for a bus boycott, and had
not pushed her Dexter Avenue
Church’s young pastor into the
forefront, who knows what
might have happened? So we
can and should be enormously
inspired by Mrs. Parks at that
moment. But we should be
equally inspired and informed
by all the work she and others
did behind the scenes before
and after that day, and by all of
the other women and men
whose names we’ll never know
who worked to end racial injustice before and after December
1, 1955. Their individual and
collective decisions to stand up
for themselves and one another
created the Montgomery movement—and the Montgomery
movement changed America’s
conception of what was just
and possible.
It is past time for another
transforming movement in
America today to challenge
rampant and morally obscene
wealth and income inequality
in our nation and the materialism, militarism, poverty, and
racism Dr. King warned could
destroy us. We have come a
very long way towards honoring the Declaration of
Independence’s affirmation
that “all men are created equal
with certain inalienable rights”
and overcoming some of the
effects of the huge birth defects
of slavery, Native American
genocide, and the exclusion of
women and non-propertied
White men from equal footing
in our new nation. But we must
continue to move forward until
a level playing field is a reality
and resist those who seek to
move us backwards into a second Post Reconstruction era
through voter suppression,
mass incarceration, failing
schools, absent jobs, and rampant poverty. This will require
committed
and
prepared
marathoners like Mrs. Parks,
not sprinters or self marketers
seeking momentary glory in
our ten-second attention span
media-driven
culture.
Movement building is a complex and long term struggle that
must be pursued with both
urgency and persistence and a
critical mass of citizens must
step up to the plate and stay
there until real change happens.

3.14.13 - Prince George`s Post

Transcription

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