About this column:
"At thy return my blushing was not small, My rambling brat (in print) should mother call," wrote American poet Anne Bradstreet. The title of my editor's column, Bailey's Brat, is based on Bradstreet's "The Author to Her Book."Mayor Michael Bloomberg's latest charge at sugar has targeted 16-ounce sodas. He is on a mission to ban large sugary sodas in restaurants, movie theaters, street carts and sports venues. At the heart of the mayor's mission is a crusade to legislate mortality. If he is successful, will rebels hide out in Central Park, and in the dark of the night, serve up coke on tap in large paper cups?Plastered with an enormous photo of President Barack Obama drinking a large soda, New York Magazine says Bloomberg's heavy-handed attempts to promote healthy living are nothing new. He's already taken on …
My sister Dianne and I had an interesting exchange once pink slime hit the media headlines — its front page status in an odd way proving "If it bleeds it leads." Eew! I know. But just how can one be pretty when talking about eating connective tissue laced with parasites, blood vessels and cartilage — topped off with a bit of ammonia hydroxide, as reported by Dr. Michael Greger on the Huffington Post. Well Dianne, a nurse in Mississippi, accustomed to all sorts of things others might find disgusting, had an unexpected response when I brought up the pink concoction, which we will get to. But …
The vernal equinox will occur at 1:14 a.m. EST on Tuesday, making March 20 the first day of spring for 2012. Some are convinced that extra balancing powers will be unleashed — at the moment of the equinox when the sun is positioned directly over the equator. Others believe the magic of equilibrium is at work for a full 24 hours. And they hail it as the one day of the year that you can balance an egg on its end. Thus as Tuesday wears on, videos will likely pop up on YouTube showing people trying to balance eggs or broomsticks and other laughable feats. Maybe worth a watch, but easily eclipsed …
Friday is the newest mighty iPad's first day out of the stall, with Apple's latest offering for the gadget-gorged masses who still want more. The question is has iPad peaked or can it still outdo its predecessors? With gadgetry, as with the box office, the opening weekend is often the one to watch—from "The Terminator" to the Twilight Series to "The Apple Dumpling Gang." Some early reports on the iPad's opening day are indicating shorter lines. By comparison, we suspected right away that Apple's gizmo 2 was going to be a runaway hit, judging from the hordes waiting their turn to buy one. In …
Okay first the obvious. It's the third month and the 14th day — a.k.a. 3.14, thus Pi Day.If that makes no sense, I refuse to explain it any further and expose myself to mocking for no other reason than that I remember what was repeated to me more than one thousand times in school.The bottom line, some people resent those who know the numbers of pi, so don't be the fool who tells them that 3.14 is only the beginning of it. You think I'm making this up. Not so. I will soon provide a real life example full of clenched teeth and revenge.But first—my conjecture about the similarities between pi …
It's that time again, when you lose an hour of sleep for one night to gain an hour of sunlight at the end of many days. Seems like a fair exchange to me. But then I'm not often up with the chickens unless I'm compelled to be. Early risers, alas, will lose gold from the top o the morning. But they will continue to gain more daylight hours morning and night, as we head toward summer. Regardless of any of our feelings about daylight-saving time, we'd best set our clocks ahead one hour before going to bed Saturday night. But if you'd rather follow the rules, you can stay up until 2 a.m. on Sunday…
Two furry marsupials visited the Greenbelt Nursery School this week with Rebecca Roper while she worked to ready the classrooms for the school's open house on Saturday. Roper's two 9 1/2-week old furry companions may one day be able to soar through the air for distances of more than 150 feet. Although this species looks a bit like flying squirrels when they take off, they're actually sugar gliders.And just what is a sugar glider? Sugar gliders are native to Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and Indonesia — and they're members of the same order as kangaroos and Tasmanian devils.Their name comes…
Valentine's Day can be a day of love and danger. I have sympathy for the hapless guy who doesn't get the danger of the practical gift. She said she really needed an iron, he thinks scratching his head standing on the outside of her locked door. You'll just have to trust me on this one - practical gifts like a coffee maker or blender can be the kiss of death. A new tire for the car isn't such a hot ticket item either. Your Greenbelt editor speaks from personal experience here, ahem.Now there are women who don't take offense at a practical gift. But beware many women are not of this persuasion…
Today is "Wear Something Gaudy Day." If you haven't complied already, it's not too late to go a little crazy. C'mon, those shiny disco shirts your mate has been begging you to donate are perfect. Give her the excuse for their continued existence that she's been demanding to know. It's the perfect double whammy — you've not only gained a reason to hang on to the fleeting memories of girls mistaking you for Travolta, you've also complied with her wishes to become more festive on holidays. Plus, if I get gaudy photos from five readers — of themselves, I'll match them by posting a gaudy shot of …
Mayor Judith "J" Davis was recently outed as a Trekkie when Greenbelt City Council celebrated her birthday. Plus-size Greenbelt nude model, Tracey Carter, went on the "Maury" show in September for a makeover. Her son, Anthony, wanted a photo of his vinyl-clad, thigh-high lovin' mom that he wouldn't be embarrassed to put up on Facebook. Thus two women from two very different backgrounds are united by logic, a man-of logic that is, Spock of Star Trek fame. Greenbelters, however, are not as decided about which Star Trek-famer is preeminent. In recent comments, some favor Picard, some Seven of …
Founded on the idea that we could create a new kind of city, let's take a look at how well Greenbelt is living up to its original vision. I want to preface the examination by saying that I believe our fair city has a magic all it's own — unique and beautiful. Still, going in for a regular physical is a smart move. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but some of our founding principles included: Volunteerism: Of the 12,000 families applying for residence when the town opened up, the Roosevelt administration selected 885 based in no small part on their willingness to be active members in …
