Eastern Shore Magazine - Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, East Coast Beaches

Ocean City Boardwalk

2012-01-27T20:58:00.000-05:00

Ocean City Boardwalk was named on of the top 10 boardwalks by National Geographic.

"Ocean City Boardwalk, Maryland
The three-mile (five-kilometer) promenade at the southern tip of Ocean City, Maryland, is typically thronged with beachgoers on summer evenings, munching Thrashers French fries (a dousing of vinegar is a must) and queuing up for a spin aboard antique rides, like the Herschel-Spellman carousel built in 1902. Don’t miss the Life-Saving Station Museum for a look at the history of shipwrecks and the rescue teams that came to their aid."

Top 10 Boardwalk Article

See Lego Man in Space - Amazing Video

2012-01-27T20:02:00.000-05:00

Lego Man in Space Video

Lego man video causes a lot of interest on the web! Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, 17-year-old classmates at Agincourt Collegiate Institute in Toronto launched a Lego man figure into near space. The Lego man was launched with just $400 to carry a Lego man figurine, GPS locator, and four cameras miles above the earth. At one point the Lego man reaches 78,000 feet of the ground before the weather balloon pops.

Chesapeake Bay History - War of 1812 Bicentennial

2012-01-26T21:18:00.003-05:00

Mount Calvert allows visitors to re-imagine War of 1812
Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network / By Lara Lutz - Bay Jouranl

When the first gunboats exploded on the Patuxent River, everyone at Mount Calvert heard the blast. It was an ominous sound.

The year was 1814, and the United States was once again at war with Britain. Thousands of British troops were marching through southern Maryland to attack Washington.

At the same time, British ships sailed up the Patuxent River, moving more troops inland while chasing a troublesome collection of U.S. gunboats. Led by the bold U.S. Commodore Joshua Barney, these gunboats had been the only naval force to challenge British invaders on the Chesapeake Bay.

"The British wanted to keep Barney bottled up," said Ralph Eshelman, author of "The War of 1812 in the Chesapeake." "He kept going upriver and the British kept following."

Eventually, Barney's Flotilla reached the upper Patuxent River in Prince George's County. They anchored above the Mount Calvert plantation, just north of the modern-day nature preserves at Jug Bay.

On Aug. 22, a stifling summer day, British ships rounded the bend near the foot of Mount Calvert. Barney's boats came into view. "One by one, they blew up," Eshelman said.

Barney's Flotilla was destroyed by its own men rather than falling to enemy hands.

The people of Mount Calvert witnessed the firestorm of 16 exploding boats before the British called at their doorstep. With Barney's Flotilla out of the way, the British shipboard troops could now join the attack on Washington, DC.

The Brown family who owned the plantation, along with enslaved people who labored there, saw hundreds of marines and seamen disembark at the wharf at Mount Calvert and begin on a dusty march north.

In two days, Washington, DC, would burn.

Nearly 200 years later, Mount Calvert and its spectacular view of the Patuxent River have remained much the same. "Mount Calvert has one of the most attractive views of the Patuxent River," Eshelman said. "In many ways, it evokes what the scene may have looked like in 1814."

Despite its proximity to the city, the plantation house stands in regal isolation on a commanding crest above the river. Below, the Patuxent is joined by its western branch and forms dramatic curves and patterns through dense and textured wetlands.

Thanks to conservation efforts, the shores on all sides are thick with trees. The most visible structure on the opposite shore is the Billingsley House. But even this house, built in about 1740, was part of the 1814 viewshed.

Mount Calvert itself is now the Mount Calvert Historical and Archaeological Park, operated by The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. It is also a member of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network.

As the War of 1812 approaches its bicentennial, Mount Calvert is drawing renewed attention for its part in the conflict and for the preservation of a setting that so strongly evokes the past. Adventurers will find Mount Calvert on the Star-Spangled Banner Geotrail, and the National Park Service is incorporating the park in its Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail.

But the archaeologists who study Mount Calvert say the heightened drama of that distant August day is just one small part of its appeal. Mount Calvert marks one of the most significant historical and archaeological places in Prince George's County for reasons that stretch far beyond the War of 1812.
"We have 10,000 years of human history here, on just one site," said Don Creveling of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

Creveling's team has recovered thousands of artifacts at Mount Calvert since excavations began in 1996. Each year, volunteers aid the effort on specially scheduled public archaeology days.

Most of the artifacts discovered at Mount Calvert originated with American Indians, a reminder that human history along the Patuxent belongs largely to them. The American Indian presence began with seasonal hunting camps and grew to include permanent settlements and farms along the river's edge. The artifacts - including spear points, pottery, smoking pipes and remains of stone hearths - date from as recently as the early 1600s to the oldest reach of the Archaic Period more than 9,000 years ago.

Certainly, the site was a good one for settlement. In colonial times, Maryland had hoped to make it a major town.

"The General Assembly created towns to encourage settlement," said archaeologist Michael Lucas, also with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. "It picked Mount Calvert for a town site in 1684."

The name was drawn from its original owner, Philip Calvert. When Prince George's County was established 12 years later, Mount Calvert was renamed "Charles Town" and became the county seat.
Charles Town evolved into a busy community of legal business and maritime trade, including a courthouse, jail, church, taverns and wharves.

"Most towns at the time were temporary spaces," Lucas said. "But in this case they had the court, so that was the glue holding the town together."

Ships as large as 350 tons called at Charles Town, and major London merchants used it as a base. But the town's future dimmed in 1721 when Upper Marlboro replaced it as the county seat. Like Charles Town, Upper Marlboro had access to the river, but it also had a better network of roads for distributing goods.

"The theory was that this place died out," Lucas said. "Was that really true? It seems to pan out."
None of the Charles Town buildings stand today, but Lucas has been exploring five building sites along the waterfront, quite close to the plantation house. So far, none of the artifacts dates past the 1720s.

Mount Calvert re-emerged as a plantation and ferry landing. Ironically, the War of 1812 played a direct role in its new enterprise.

"Capt. John Brooks, one of the people who were here for the war, liked it so much that he ended up buying the property," Lucas said.

Brooks' plantation depended on slave labor. Cowrie shells found at Mount Calvert - tied to the slave trade in Africa - date to the early 18th century. By the time Brooks died in the mid-1800s, 51 enslaved people lived and worked there.

The plantation's next owner, Samuel Berry, was an outspoken defender of slavery. "After emancipation, he basically rented out parts of his property and sold other parts," Lucas said. Berry's family wanted to sell the remaining property when he died, but the area was so depressed that they had difficulty finding buyers.

Today, an interpretive trail and exhibits in the plantation house tell the story of three cultures â€” American Indian, African American and English colonists - that have shaped Mount Calvert's past.
The War of 1812 is noted, too, and the exhibits describing those events will be expanded for the war's bicentennial.

Creveling said that approximately 3,000 people visit the park each year, and half of them arrive by water. Most paddle in from a downstream launch site at the Jug Bay Natural Area. But these guests are more likely to picnic than to march on Washington, DC.

They land at the Mount Calvert dock in the same spot once visited by trade ships, ferries and the invading British army, with the plantation house on a peaceful rise above them. The stillness is a marked contrast to the many footsteps that have traveled this same route, but it offers an unparalleled opportunity to imagine them.

Mount Calvert Historical & Archaeological Park
Mount Calvert Historical & Archaeological Park is open from April through October. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday and weekdays by appointment.
Admission is free. Relic or artifact collecting is strictly prohibited.
To arrive by land: Take Route 301 in Upper Marlboro, MD, turn onto Route 382/Croom Road. Go 3 miles, turn left onto Mount Calvert Road, then go 3 miles to entrance.
To arrive by water: Launch canoes or kayaks at the Jug Bay Natural Area, 16000 Croom Airport Road, Upper Marlboro, MD, and paddle to the landing at Mount Calvert. Rentals are available. Call 301-627-6074 or visit www.pgparks.com.
For information about Mount Calvert Historical & Archaeological Park, visit www.pgparks.com/Things_To_Do/Nature/Mount_Calvert_Historical_and_Archaeological_Park.htm or call 301-627-1286; 301-699-2544 (TTY).
Details about the Star-Spangled Banner Geotrail, including the Mount Calvert cache, can be found at http://friendsofchesapeakegateways.org, under "Projects."

Lara Lutz is a writer and editor who lives on the South River in Mayo, MD.

Chesapeake Bay History War of 1812

Article from Bay Journal April 2011

Chesapeake Bay - Forests are critical to improving the water quality of the Bay

2012-01-26T20:52:00.000-05:00

Streamside forests critical to wildlife, water quality
Bay Naturalist / By Kathy Reshetiloff - Bay Journal

When European colonists first arrived in the Chesapeake Bay region, an estimated 90-95 percent of the watershed was forested. Or put another way, forests lined both sides of almost every stream, creek and river draining into the Chesapeake Bay.

Because of their fertile soil, many riparian forests were cleared for agriculture. As more people moved into the region, more land was cleared to make room for suburban and urban developments. Today, only about 58 percent of the watershed is forested. A little more than half of all waterways in the watershed still have riparian forests of 100 feet or more bordering them on both sides.

These streamside wooded areas are critical to improving the water quality of local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. As a transition area between aquatic and terrestrial environments, riparian forests act as buffers, intercepting rainwater and runoff that can contain pollutants such as sediment, nutrients and chemicals. Rain infiltration rates are 10-15 percent higher in forests than turf grass fields and 40 percent higher than plowed fields.

Nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients that are essential for the growth of plants. But an overabundance of these nutrients in rivers and the Chesapeake Bay causes a rapid growth of algae that blocks sunlight needed by Chesapeake Bay underwater grasses. The decomposition of this overabundance of algae also uses up large amounts of oxygen needed by fish and other aquatic organisms.

Streamside forests remove nitrogen through plant growth. Bacteria in the forest floor convert nitrate to nitrogen gas that is then released harmlessly into the atmosphere.

Water runoff often contains large amounts of sediment that clouds the water and covers critical habitat. As runoff moves through a forest, the physical structure of the vegetation filters out soil particles so that the forests act as a sediment trap. Phosphorus, which is often attached to soil particles, is also filtered out with the sediment.

Trees growing alongside streams and rivers also hold soil in place with their roots, stabilizing stream banks. They reduce flooding by slowing the erosive force of rain and floodwaters. Many riparian forests also contain wetlands, which can temporarily hold floodwater and release it slowly over time.

Fish, crayfish, aquatic insects and other aquatic organisms derive benefits from riparian forests.

Streamside vegetation helps to control water temperature. Without shading, temperatures might be too high in spring and summer. This is especially important for healthy fish populations as temperature is one of the major factors controlling fish spawning. Warmer water also retains less oxygen and elevated water temperatures can accelerate algae growth.

Riparian forests contribute to the food cycle in a waterway. Plant material that falls into the water or is washed in by rains provides a source of food for aquatic insects, crayfish and other invertebrates which, in turn, are important food for small fish. Minnows, aquatic insects and insects that fall into waterways provide food for larger game fish.

Many other types of wildlife depend on a forest for food, cover, nests and nursery habitat. Bears, deer, foxes, raccoons, beavers, snakes and turtles are just a few of the animals that can be found in riparian forests.

Temporary pools that form in these areas in late winter and spring are important breeding areas for frogs, toads and salamanders. The unbroken riparian forests also create protective pathways through which wildlife can move. Forests and forest corridors are especially critical for migrating songbirds.

People regularly use riparian forests for hunting, fishing, nature study, bird watching camping and hiking. With the loss of these forests, we also lose the functions they provide such as reducing nonpoint source pollution and erosion, protecting adjacent land and water from flood damage, providing food and habitat for fish and other wildlife and providing recreational opportunities for people.

Kathryn Reshetiloff is with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Chesapeake Bay Field Office in Annapolis.

Chesapeake Bay Article from:
Bay Journal - March 2011

Chesapeake Bay - Interesting Places to Visit and Bay Facts

2012-01-26T01:05:00.002-05:00

"OXFORD, Md.— You see them everywhere on Maryland's Eastern Shore, the weekend sailors. They are unmistakable with their deep tans, their baggy shorts, their frayed polo shirts, their Top-Siders worn without socks. Some may not even own their own boats, much less win regattas, but they are inexorably drawn to the Chesapeake Bay.

It's all about the water here, beginning with the sprawling but shallow bay, 200 miles long and up to 20 miles wide. Forty or so rivers flow into it, yielding more places to mess around in boats and a world of soggy marshes beloved by fishermen, kayakers and birds. Then there's the convoluted shoreline, 8,000 miles of it meandering along Maryland and Virginia, where people who don't want to get wet can gaze hypnotically at the water."

SUSAN SPANO
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 23, 2002 - Peak Season on Chesapeake Bay

Crab Houses - Eastern Shore of Maryland

2012-01-26T01:05:00.000-05:00

"The Chesapeake Bay, or simply the Bay, as it’s known to Marylanders, is the nation’s largest estuary, a vast, rich incubator for sea life born from the brackish combination of fresh and saltwater. The saltwater comes in steadily from the Atlantic while the freshwater runs down from a watershed that stretches as far north as central New York."

The New York Times
By JORDAN HRUSKA
The Crab Houses of Maryland’s Eastern Shore
Published: July 9, 2009

Oxford, Maryland - Boating, Tourism, and Seafood

2012-01-26T01:04:00.003-05:00

"Beautiful Oxford was the first port-of-entry on the Eastern Shore, designated so in 1683 by the Maryland General Assembly. Despite its beginnings as a prominent international shipping center, moving among other things the tobacco grown in the nearby plantations, the town's economy has gone up and down like a yo-yo. Following the American Revolution, Oxford lost its luster. Businesses went under, people moved away, and cattle roamed free.

It took almost a century for the hamlet to dawn again, thanks to advances in technology. The railroad boosted commerce, and advances in the food-packing industry made Oxford's oysters a nationwide product. People moved in and built houses, the trains and steamships made their rounds, and the Port of Oxford boomed into the 20th century, when things quieted down once again.

These days, Oxford is a peaceful port whose main business is tourism. Visitors arrive by land and water to recharge in an easygoing atmosphere, grateful to have such a haven for escape."

MarinaLife
From Shipping Hub to Quiet Retreat

Eastern Shore Maryland - Travel Tips

2012-01-26T01:04:00.000-05:00

"For all its polish, St. Michaels hasn’t forgotten its seafaring, oyster-shucking history. The sprawling Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (housed in ten waterfront buildings) wows with its screw-pile lighthouse on stilts and its interactive exhibits. See boats being restored, meet working watermen, and haul up a surprisingly heavy net full of crabs. Consider taking a two-hour, hands-on sail (with advance reservation) on the H.M. Krentz, berthed at the museum. The single-masted skipjack, originating on the Eastern Shore as an oysterman’s boat, had its heyday in the 1890s. America’s last commercial fleet under sail remains in the Chesapeake Bay."

By Cynthia Hacinli

From the September 2011 issue of
National Geographic Traveler
Road Trip: Maryland's Eastern Shore

Aquaponics Could Signal Future of Food - fish farming and soil-less plant cultivation in a sustainable closed system

2012-01-24T23:55:00.000-05:00

Aquaponics Could Signal Future of Food
Technique combines fish farming, soil-less plants
VOA - Faiza Elmasry

Hydroponic gardener and author Sylvia Bernstein discovered she could use the waste water from fish to grow organic vegetables and fruits.

Imagine growing vegetables and fish in the same space. That’s the idea behind aquaponics, a marriage of fish farming and soil-less plant cultivation in a single, sustainable closed system.

Supporters believe aquaponics can play a key role in alleviating food insecurity, addressing the problems of climate change, ground water pollution and overfishing.

Recirculating wetlands system

Aquaponics is really as old as nature itself.

“Aquaponics is really a recirculating wetlands system, so it’s happening right on the banks of our lakes," says Sylvia Bernstein.

Bernstein was a hydroponic gardener for years - growing plants without soil using a water-soluble chemical fertilizer - before discovering she could use the waste water from fish to grow organic vegetables and fruits.

“Honestly, I was very skeptical and just couldn’t believe that something as simple as fish waste could become a complete fertilizer," she recalls. "So I had to actually see a system that was in a friend’s basement. But when I did, it changed my life.”

That was three years ago. Bernstein built her first aquaponics system with her 15-year-old son on a concrete pad outside her home in Boulder, Colorado. In her greenhouse today, she mainly raises tilapia and trout - feeding them once a day.

There are no weeds in her aquaponics garden, and she doesn’t have to worry about watering. The plants are growing in containers at a table height for easy access.

“I, just this morning, pulled four radishes and some lettuce for lunch," Bernstein says. "In my greenhouse right now, I grow all sorts of herbs, tomatoes, peppers.”

Bernstein started her own business, The Aquaponics Source, with an online store, her own YouTube channel and a blog. She teaches aquaponics at the Denver Botanic Gardens and recently published a book about how to set up an aquaponic garden at home.

According to Berstein, a growing number of people in the U.S. and around the world are doing it, and enjoying the results: a year-round supply of healthful, safe and delicious food.

Earth-friendly food production

The Internet is helping many aquaponic gardeners get connected and learn from one another.

“Aquaponics is a perfect thing to invest one’s mind and heart and elbow grease into," says James Godsil, co-founder of Sweet Water Organics, a commercial aquaponics farm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In 2010, Godsil helped set up a foundation to promote the approach.

“The Sweet Water Foundation was dedicated to democratizing and globalizing the information and the methodologies required to advance this very Earth-friendly food production system, which, by the way, only uses about 10 percent of the water normal farming does, and uses no pesticides. It’s all natural.”

According to Godsil, those advantages have been a powerful incentive for people from all walks of life who are considering a career in aquaponics.

“The Sweet Water Foundation probably has had 500 supporters, including school students, and a community of retired engineers, professionals, social enterprisers, teachers and artists," Godsil says. "There are so many young elders who are retiring and looking for another career for the next 20 years.”

Beyond borders

Through collaboration and joint projects, Godsil is carrying the inspiration beyond U.S. borders.

“I was asked to go to Venezuela this March," he says. "And I’m working with people who have a project in Ecuador, I'm working with people in the Congo, in Uganda and Tanzania.”

A private group called the Society for Appropriate Rural Technology for Sustainability, is partnering with Sweet Water Foundation on an initiative in India.

“We’ve formed this Indo-American Aquaponics Initiative, and we aim to make aquaponics one of the fastest growing economic activities in India within a decade," says Subra Mukherjee, secretary of the group, based in Kolkata, India.

Advocates say, with fuel and fertilizer prices climbing and irrigation water supplies dwindling, aquaponics offers a sustainable alternative that can help feed the world’s growing population.

Well Done Helps Combat Global Water Crisis

2012-01-23T19:20:00.002-05:00

January 23, 2012

Using Ingenuity to Combat Global Water Crisis

Monaliza Noormohammadi | San Francisco, CA

VOA

The United Nations says there is enough fresh water for everyone on earth. Yet nearly 1.6 billion people still face water shortages, due to inadequate infrastructure, uneven distribution and wasteful practices. There’s an organization in California, called Well Done, that is working to lessen this global water crisis, by implementing new approaches to an old problem.

Much of the work goes on in Well Done’s headquarters building south of San Francisco. Designers work to create compelling logos and user-friendly web layouts to spread the word on global water shortages. The goal: to help thousands of families gain access to clean water. Josh To is co-founder and head of development at Well Done, ”A lot of times people say you need education, you need sanitation infrastructure, roads schools, but without access to clean water like how can you do any of the other things?” To questioned.

Experts say having clean water can lead to greater economic and educational opportunities particularly for women who take on most of the burden of fetching water from distant sources.   Well Done promotes well-building in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The non-profit organization serves as a conduit -- raising awareness and money, then channeling the proceeds to water development organizations that do the actual work.

”We're addressing sort of two facets of the water crisis Gross overuse here at home and then non-availability in the developing world,” Jim Yoon said. Yoon is head of projects.

To spotlight high water consumption in the United States, the group created a program called Water for Water, in which intense water consumers agree to reduce their water usage and send their water bill savings to Well Done's clean-water projects.

Using interactive technology, Well Done also plans to implement a new web platform called Future Building. It will allow donors to purchase and donate specific hardware
for well-building. To reduce overall costs, Well Done and its partner organizations require villagers who benefit to do most of the manual labor.

”We don’t want to be that Western organization that shows up, saves the day takes the credit and then heads back and shares a wonderful story," To said. "We’re just sharing what we have with them.”

To and Yoon first met in college. After graduating, they served in a church mission to Ghana, where they saw children swallowing malaria pills with filthy water.

”Here we were trying to in some way alleviate their suffering," Yoon explained. "Yet the very water they’re using to take down this medicine is probably making them sick in the first place.”

Inspired by their experience in Africa, the pair drew on support from friends and family to create Well Done in 2010. So far, Well Done has completed more than 75 clean water projects that have benefited more than 10,000 people. And To and Yoon have set their goals even higher, hoping to complete 300 water projects in the year ahead.

Newt Gingrich - Victory in South Carolina Primary

2012-01-22T09:07:00.000-05:00

Gingrich Surges to Victory in South Carolina Primary
VOA - Jim Malone
January 22, 2012

Former U.S. congressman Newt Gingrich revived his presidential hopes Saturday with a convincing victory in South Carolina’s Republican primary.

Gingrich easily beat former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former senator Rick Santorum from Pennsylvania and Congressman Ron Paul from Texas by drawing strong support from conservative Republican voters.

The Gingrich victory in South Carolina signals a wide-open, lengthy and potentially divisive battle for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.

It was a jubilant Newt Gingrich who took the stage in front of cheering supporters after his victory in South Carolina. “We want to run not a Republican campaign. We want to run an American campaign!”

Gingrich offered some praise for his Republican rivals and turned his rhetorical fire instead on President Barack Obama, promising to run a strong general election campaign if he wins the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.

Gingrich said, “What we are going to argue is that American exceptionalism, the American Declaration of Independence, the American Constitution, the American Federalist Papers, the founding fathers of America are the source from which we draw our understanding of America. He draws his from Saul Alinsky, radical left-wingers and people who don’t like the classical America!”

Gingrich trounced Mitt Romney with the support of conservative Republican voters in South Carolina. It is a victory he now hopes to repeat in state primary and caucus votes around the country.

The South Carolina results were a major disappointment for Romney, who had hoped to capitalize on his recent victory in the New Hampshire primary and take a giant step toward securing the nomination.

Gingrich’s sizeable margin of victory in South Carolina suggests that Romney still has a lot of work to do to win over conservative voters wary of his past moderate views as a governor and senate candidate in Massachusetts.

Romney tried to rally supporters in South Carolina after his second-place finish. “I don’t shrink from competition. I embrace it. I believe competition makes us all better and I know it is making our campaign stronger, and in the coming weeks the ideals of free enterprise and economic freedom will need a very strong defense and I intend to make it!”

Former senator Rick Santorum and Congressman Ron Paul both finished well behind Gingrich and Romney.

Santorum vowed to continue in the race as the only true social conservative among the four remaining contenders. He said, “Someone who can contrast on all of the issues that are important for America today, the ones that are going to decide this election, the ones of experiences on national security, the consistency on conservative principles that made this country great. I ask you. It is a wide open race. Join the fight! Thank you!”

Ron Paul also vowed to remain in the race for the foreseeable future and repeated his pledge to end U.S. military involvements abroad and cut foreign aid spending if elected. Paul said, “So if we want to spend the money, we should work hard to return the money from overseas spending to the people here in this country and they should spend the money!”

The Gingrich victory in South Carolina is significant because it signals what could be a lengthy and potentially divisive battle for the presidential nomination and the right to face off against President Obama in the November general election.

Political analyst Matthew Dowd told ABC television that Gingrich has upended expectations that Mitt Romney was on track to quickly secure the Republican nomination. “Newt still understands that he has an uphill battle going to Florida and going to these other states. But this takes a race that everybody thought, 'let’s crown Mitt Romney, he’s the inevitable nominee,' to a race that has now become wide open.”

Surveys of voters leaving the polling places in South Carolina found that Republican voters were most concerned with economic issues and finding the strongest candidate to run against Mr. Obama.

Romney has long argued that he would the stronger candidate to run in November because he would have more appeal to moderate voters. But the exit polls in South Carolina showed that more Republicans there believe that Gingrich would be a stronger general election candidate against the president.

The campaign focus now shifts to Florida for its primary on January 31st, and two more candidate debates are scheduled over the next week.

Megaupload Site Shut Down for Copyright Infringement

2012-01-20T18:32:00.001-05:00

File-Sharing Site Shut Down for Copyright Infringement
VOA - Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Federal authorities in the United States have shut down one of the world’s largest file-sharing sites, and its founder and six others have been charged with violating piracy laws.

Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom was arrested in New Zealand Thursday along with three other top executives at the request of U.S. authorities. Three others facing charges remain at large.

A statement by the U.S. Justice Department and FBI says the action is “among the largest criminal copyright cases” ever brought by the United States. If found guilty, the suspects face up to 20 years in prison. Authorities say Megaupload cost copyright holders more than $500 million.

Megaupload allowed users to upload and transfer very large files. Federal officials say the website used this ability to make copyrighted material, like Hollywood movies, available for free, often before the film was even released in theaters.

But the company, and many celebrity supporters, say the site was mainly used for legitimate file transfers.

The arrests follow Wednesday’s widespread online protest of anti-piracy legislation under consideration in the U.S. Congress. News of the Megaupload bust prompted a protest, from the hacker group known as Anonymous, which took down several websites, including that of the Justice Department.

The online blackout Wednesday whittled away support for The Stop Online Piracy Act currently before the House of Representatives, and the Protect IP Act under consideration in the Senate.

Online encyclopedia Wikipedia blacked out its English language website for 24 hours, as did the popular blog, Boing Boing. Social news website Reddit also went dark for part of the day. Popular search engine Google joined other websites that, instead of going dark, posted editorial comments. Google replaced its normally colorful and interactive logo with a black censor bar and directed users to a petition against the legislation.

For now, the bills are pitting the entertainment industry, which sees online pirates increasingly eating away at profits, against technology companies that see the bills as a burden and threat to future growth.

The blackout caused some U.S. lawmakers to withdraw support for the bills and the speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican John Boehner admitted Wednesday that there was now a lack of consensus on the measures.

Last week, the White House acknowledged online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response. But a statement said, “We will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.”

Waterfowl of the Chesapeake Bay - How do they survive cold and severe weather?

2012-01-20T18:08:00.002-05:00

Winter birds have it 'down' pat when it comes to coping with winter's cold
Bay Naturalist / By Kathy Reshetiloff - Bay Journal

It's barely dawn on this typical frigid January morning. I sip my coffee, trying to decide just what I'll need today to fend off the cold today: sweater and windbreaker, fleece or down jacket. I watch the cardinals and chickadees at my feeder. The frosty morning air doesn't seem to bother them at all. I decide on the down jacket.

Birds have developed remarkable adaptations to survive cold and severe weather. Look outside on a blustery winter day and you'll still see songbirds flitting at feeders, and ducks swimming in icy creeks. Nearly a million waterfowl fly to the Chesapeake region from northern breeding grounds each year. The winters here suit them just fine.

Many birds, about 340 species, leave North America to winter in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. But plenty of birds remain here year-round. How do they survive?

Birds, like mammals, are warm-blooded animals, meaning they must maintain a constant body temperature as the temperature around them changes. To do this, they spend much of their time feeding so they can generate enough heat. It's a vicious cycle though; they must eat to keep warm so they can gather more food. Birds that can switch from an insect diet to a seed diet can stay put throughout the winter. Some meat-eating birds, like hawks and owls, may also remain if enough prey is available.

One feature that sets birds apart from other animals is their feathers. Birds' bodies are covered with an outer layer of fairly stiff but flexible contour feathers and an under layer of fluffy down feathers. The contour feathers provide protection against wind, rain and snow. The down feathers act as a layer of insulation.

Tightly knit together and overlapping, feathers protect the skin and hold a layer of air over the bird's body. Because birds control the position of their feathers through muscular movements, they are able to "puff" themselves up. By adjusting their feathers, birds create and trap larger pockets of warm air near their skin, enhancing insulation.

Most birds have an oil gland located at base of their tail. Secreted oil is rubbed over the feathers with the beak or bill. This is known as preening. Preening creates a shield that helps block wind and repel water. Birds like ducks, geese and swans can survive in water that is close to freezing because the amount of oil in their feathers makes them waterproof. Waterfowl and other waterbirds also have a layer of fat that keeps them warm.

Anyone who has ever gone outside on a cold, windy day without a hat knows that uncovered body parts lose heat quickly. The same is true for birds. But they can adjust to this in several ways. Often, birds will stand on one leg, tucking the other up among their feathers. Birds are also observed with their beaks tucked under their feathers. Smaller birds often drop on the ground to cover both legs with their fluffed-up bodies.

To minimize heat loss from legs, the arteries and veins in legs of many birds lie in contact with each other and function to retain heat. Arterial blood leaves a bird's core at body temperature while venous blood in the feet is cool. Heat is conducted from the warm arteries to the cool veins. Arterial blood reaching the feet is already cool and venous blood reaching the core is already warm.

Waterfowl have fleshy feet with little blood circulation so they are less sensitive to cold. Constricting blood vessels reduce the amount of blood flow to the feet at low temperatures. Thus, the core temperature of a duck or gull standing on ice may be 104 degrees Fahrenheit but the temperature of their feet may be just above freezing.

All of this may seem of little importance as you bundle up in multiple layers to face another wintry day. But just imagine how the dull the landscape would be without these hardy souls. Winter songbirds, waterbirds and waterfowl are often the only wildlife one sees at this time of year.

And Americans love their birds. In fact, the 2006

National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation, conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, found that 55.5 million people reported feeding wild birds, making it the most popular wildlife-watching activity.

As I scrape the frost off of my windshield. I'm envious of the many ways that these delicate animals are able to adjust. Then I run back inside to look for my gloves.

Kathryn Reshetiloff is with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Chesapeake Bay Field Office in Annapolis.

Bay Journal - January 2011

Maryland is World-Famous for Crabs

2012-01-20T17:44:00.000-05:00

"Maryland is world-famous for its crab cakes, but along the coast of the Chesapeake Bay, including Annapolis, home of the U.S. Naval Academy, steamed hard-shell crabs are an even more traditional local specialty. "

Great American Bites: Crab heaven at Cantler's in Annapolis

By Larry Olmsted, special for USA TODAY

Eastern Shore Homes For Sale - Maryland Waterfront - Chesapeake Bay

2012-01-19T22:33:00.002-05:00

Clifford E. Meredith, Associate Broker, Realtor, has been involved with Eastern Shore real estate for over 20 years specializing in waterfront farms and estates. One of his accomplishment includes being the leading developer of Eastern Shore waterfront properties in Maryland. Cliff's philosophy is to maintain integrity and honesty. He strives to be No. 1 in all aspects of his career in real estate.

Phone: (410) 822-6272 mre@goeaston.net

Cliffside

Listing price: $ 5,900,000

City: Easton

County: Talbot

Zip: 21601

MLS: TA6903881

Agent Name: Clifford E Meredith

Subdivison:

Type: Waterfront Farms and Estates

Acreage: 5+

Bedrooms: 5

Bathrooms: 6 full, 2 half

E-Mail: mre@goeaston.net

Contact: Clifford E Meredith At (410) 822-6272

Pristine Eastern Shore waterfront estate on Peachblossom Creek, minutes from Easton and Oxford. Completely remodeled Colonial boasts an abundance of intimate gathering spaces, three levels of finished living space, as well as a full basement. The 5+ acre waterfront property encompasses a sandy beach, 2 guest cottages, a 2-car attached and 4-car detached garage, and a black top driveway and parking area

Eastern Shore Maryland Homes For Sale & Waterfront Estates

www.CliffMeredith.com

Travel to the USA - Plan to Expand Foreign Tourism in U.S.

2012-01-19T22:01:00.000-05:00

Obama Unveils Plan to Expand Foreign Tourism in U.S.
VOA - Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Standing at one of the United States' most famous tourist destinations, Disney World, President Barack Obama promised to boost the nation's tourism industry.

He unveiled a new program to cut processing times for tourist visas, including for visitors coming from China and Brazil. Rising wealth in both countries is rapidly increasing the number of their citizens going abroad for vacation.

His aim is to expand the country's tourism industry, and create jobs that help cut unemployment and fuel economic growth.

“We've got the best product to sell. Look at where we are. We've got the most entertaining destinations in the world. This is the land of extraordinary natural wonders, from the Rocky Mountains to the Grand Canyon, from Yellowstone to Yosemite. This is the land where we do big things, and so have incredible landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Empire State Building, the Hoover Dam, the Gateway Arch.”

His program includes new efforts to attract foreign tourists and inform them about the country's attractions. And Mr. Obama promised to increase the number of countries whose citizens will not need tourist visas to enter the U.S.

He said, however, the efforts to bring more tourists will not hamper efforts to keep the country secure.

Mr. Obama is campaigning for re-election this year. Republican candidates for the presidency have attacked him repeatedly on the country's unemployment rate, which is over 8 percent, and the weak economy.

The U.S. Department of Commerce says nearly 60 million people visited the United States in 2010, spending $134 billion. The tourism – both domestic and foreign – generates 7.5 million U.S. jobs.

Unmanned Russian Space Probe Will Fall Back to Earth

2012-01-15T13:23:00.000-05:00

Russia’s Doomed Mars Spacecraft Falling Back to Earth
Posted Sunday, January 15th, 2012
VOA

A Russian space probe that was intended to travel to a moon of Mars is instead coming crashing to Earth.

The unmanned Phobos-Grunt voyager is predicted to make re-entry on Sunday between 1641 and 2105 UTC, but exactly when and where is unknown.

The satellite was launched November 9, but it got stuck in Earth orbit and has been losing altitude since then.

The Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, says only small fragments of the 14-ton spacecraft weighing about 200 kilograms are expected to survive the atmosphere and will pose no danger. Some 11 tons of the spacecraft's weight is made up of unused toxic rocket fuel that Roscosmos says will burn up during re-entry.

The failure of the $165 million mission, which was designed to collect soil samples from the Martian moon Phobos, is among a series of recent setbacks for Russia's space program five decades after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's pioneering space flight.

Last August, an unmanned supply ship bound for the International Space Station crashed in Siberia.

Why Passwords Could Soon Become Obsolete

2012-01-15T13:02:00.001-05:00

Passwords Could Soon Be Obsolete
IBM lists 5 innovations it expects in next 5 years
January 13, 2012 Faiza Elmasry - VOA

Your biological makeup could soon be the key to safeguarding your online identity, making the need for computer passwords obsolete.

Technology is constantly narrowing the gap between science fiction and reality, bringing fundamental changes into our lives.

According to IBM researchers, in five years we won’t need passwords, won’t be bothered by junk mail and will be able to control many of our machines with our minds.

The American technology company released its 6th annual Five-in-Five, a list of five innovations the firm expects to see within five years.

One of them will enable us to generate small amounts of energy to supplement the electric power we use in our homes.

“You can do micro-electronic generation,” says Bernie Meyerson, vice president of Innovation at IBM. “For instance, you can have somebody in the third world who has access to a phone or a smart phone, but doesn’t have access to a power grid, which is a very common thing and literally in a shoe has something that recovers energy from walking and can charge the battery to enable that person to actually become connected with the rest of the world.”

Another innovation will make those hard-to-remember passwords obsolete. Soon, in order to access our e-mail or bank account, we'll use a technology known as biometrics. A tiny sensor could confirm your identity by recognizing the unique patterns in the retina of your eye.

“Imagine that things recognize you," Meyerson says. "You walk up to an ATM. It takes one look at you and says, ‘Yep, you’re you.’”

Within five years, it's possible we'll no longer be inundated with junk mail, because a new electronic device will delete it before we ever see it.

“That device, as you act upon it, as you eliminate mail, you don’t read it, you just look at it and kill it," Meyerson says, "after a while it learns your habits and works as your assistant by eliminating stuff you never wanted anyway.”

IBM also sees us controlling many of our electronic devices telepathically.

“A simple ability to command a system to do something without actually doing or saying anything, literally thinking and having something happen, as a result, that’s accurate," Meyerson says. "Something with deep capability so that a person, for instance, who is paraplegic or quadriplegic, can actually utilize brain waves to make things happen and basically run their own lives independently.”

The fifth innovation on IBM’s list is the elimination of the so-called “digital divide,” between those who are and aren't connected.

"We anticipate that, in five years, better than 80 percent of coverage of the world populations by cellular phones and smart phones," Meyerson says. "At this point, imagine having, for instance, the ability to speak openly with anybody anywhere, anytime and in any language, real-time translation - literally the old Star Trek idea of a universal translator coming to be.”

IBM’s track record of predictions over the past five years has been mixed. Some predictions are still not reality. In 2006, for example, IBM researchers predicted there would be a 3D Internet by now.

However, in 2009, they predicted city buildings would “sense and respond” like living organisms. Three years later, that future is here. At a New York art museum, sensors are detecting subtle fluctuations in temperature, humidity, air flow and light levels, and adjusting the building’s environment to help preserve the works of art.

What’s important about the Five-in-Five list, says IBM’s Meyerson, is it encourages the researchers to turn as much of their innovative imagination as possible into practical realities.

King Day - A Celebration to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2012-01-11T08:36:00.000-05:00

King Day
A Celebration to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On the occasion of the holiday in his name
Presentedy by the Oxford Community Center

Join us for an evening of fellowship and remembrance. Free - all are welcome!

January 16, 2012

7:00 - 9:00 pm

St. Paul’s Church 225 S. Morris Street, Oxford, Maryland

King Day

A Celebration to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On the occasion of the holiday in his name

Oxford Community Center

Phone: 410-226-5904

E-mail: oxfordcc@verizon.net Guest speaker:

Rev. Alma B. Boulden

Pastor, Waters U.M. Church

Special performance by Waters U.M. Gospel Choir

Membership Nonprofit Virtual Village Helps Elderly Stay in Own Home

2012-01-10T19:52:00.001-05:00

'Virtual Village' Helps Elderly Stay in Own Home
Membership nonprofit provides services for older people
January 10, 2012 - VOA

Tom Banse | Seattle, Washington

VOA - T. Banse

Philip and Midori Kono Theil bid goodbye to NEST director Judy Kinney.

At 91, Philip Theil lives in a century-old house in Seattle's University District and that's the way he wants to keep it.

"As far as I'm concerned, I would not like to leave this place," says the naval architect. "Living in a group situation is something I couldn't tolerate. I'd kill myself before I had to do that."
Many elderly Americans, who can no longer manage on their own, spend their final years in a nursing home or assisted living facility. However, the vast majority of seniors would prefer to live in their own homes as long as possible.

Theil says he and his wife manage pretty well right now. Their two-story house is stuffed to the rafters with the books, artwork and projects of a life well lived. But the couple can feel their advancing age and realize they'll soon need more help with basic household chores, like changing that light bulb at the top of the stairs.

"To change that tube, I have to bring in a stepladder and put it partly on the landing and partly on the stairs and climb up," Theil says. "It's kind of trepiditious."

In the old days, the Theils could ask their children to climb up there or maybe the teenager from down the street when he came over to mow the lawn. But those young helpers have grown up and gone.

"We have kids and we call them occasionally, but one lives in Munich, Germany, another lives in London and a third lives in Los Angeles," Theil says. "They're not going to drop around for a weekend call type of thing."

Aging in place

So the Theils are looking into joining a "virtual village," a new breed of nonprofit which provides a local network of volunteers and service providers dedicated to helping the elderly age in place.

They assist seniors with anything from transportation and grocery delivery to home repairs and dog walking. The concept originated in Boston a decade ago and has since grown into what you might call a national movement. An informal network of villages includes more than 150 others in development or already serving clients.

"The 'silver tsunami' is the term that's tossed about," says Tom La Pointe, who was recently hired to start a village organization in the small town of Moscow, Idaho. "We are trying to get ready for what is anticipated to be a glut of baby boomers retiring within the next 20 or so years."

La Pointe's nonprofit, My Own Home, aims to serve a vast middle ground of seniors; those who are too well off to qualify for public services, but not rich enough to afford their own staff to do things like change light bulbs.

Helping hand for a fee

In most cases, the villages charge a membership fee, which can range from about $100 to more than $1000 per year. Once you're a member, some of the services are free, while others are provided by a vetted third party vendor that might offer a discounted rate.

Judy Kinney directs an aging in place startup called North East Seattle Together (NEST).

"When someone calls us, they may say, 'I need help with transportation.' We're going to work with them to see if it is a volunteer that helps, if it's a vetted vendor that helps or there is a community service in place," Kinney says. "That's the process we're going to do when someone picks up the phone. People have called it a concierge. People call and say I need this help. We help you figure out the best choice."

Kinney's group is one of about half a dozen in the Pacific Northwest expected to launch in the next several months. At a village already in operation in central Oregon, the most-requested services are rides to the doctor, simple home repairs, help with grocery shopping and picking up prescriptions or big items.

In Moscow, Idaho, Tom La Pointe imagines snow shoveling, yard work or computer-tech support will also rank high.

"On the other hand, if you need daily care, 24/7 care, that is not what we do," La Pointe says. "We don't do bathing services for example. We are here and we exist for the folks who might need a little extra assistance."

La Pointe says his nonprofit is not a charity. It, like the others, will charge elderly clients a membership fee. He hopes 40 seniors will sign up by the end of this year.

Those who do might find out if it's possible to recreate old-fashioned social connections to suit a modern world.

US Condemns Iran’s Announcement to begin uranium enrichment near the Shi'ite holy city of Qom

2012-01-10T19:43:00.000-05:00

US Condemns Iran’s Announcement on Qom
VOA - January 10th, 2012

The United States has condemned the Iranian government's decision to begin uranium enrichment near the Shi'ite holy city of Qom, a second facility where the material can be upgraded quickly for potential use in a nuclear bomb.

In a statement Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said “the move is contrary to Iran's obligations under multiple U.N. Security Council and International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors resolutions.”

The statement said “the circumstances surrounding the action are especially troubling, since Iran only declared the underground Fordo complex to the IAEA after it was discovered following three years of covert construction.”

The statement called upon Iran “to immediately cease uranium enrichment because it brings Tehran significantly closer to having the capability to produce weapons-grade uranium.”

In Moscow Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed “regret and concern,” after Tehran announced that it intends to consolidate and increase its production of uranium enriched to a near 20 percent level at Fordo.

On Monday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland questioned Iran's motives. She said that when uranium enrichment is raised to 20 percent, “it generally tends to indicate that you are enriching to a level that takes you to a different kind of nuclear program.”

France called the move “this new provocation.” A Foreign Ministry statement said the move “leaves us with no other choice but to reinforce international sanctions and to adopt, with our European partners and all willing countries, measures of an unprecedented scale and severity.”

Iran says its nuclear program is designed only to generate electricity and material for medical research.

The United States and its ally Israel have not ruled out military action to stop the program. Israel sees a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its existence.

North Korea Holds Mass Rally - to pledge loyalty to the country's new leader Kim Jong Un

2012-01-10T19:30:00.000-05:00

North Korea Holds Mass Rally
VOA - January 10th, 2012

North Korea's powerful military has held a mass rally in the capital, Pyongyang, to pledge loyalty to the country's new leader Kim Jong Un.

Armed forces chief Ri Yong-Ho read the pledge of loyalty to Kim Jong Un of the three branches of the military. In typically exaggerated language, the pledge promised to “wipe out the enemies to the last one if they intrude into the inviolable sky, land and seas of the country even 0.001 mm.”

“We will become ten thousand rifles and ten thousand bombs to serve as the supreme commander Kim Jong Un's first line of lifeguards and Kim Jong Un's first line of death-defying corps.”

During the rally, navy officers promised to “become rifles and bombs” to protect their leader.

“If the enemies intrude our sea even by one inch, we, the navy who protects our country's sea, pledge that we will bury them at sea forever by a firm and merciless strike, and we also pledge that we will advance the day when we bring our supreme leader to the naval port on the South Sea of unified land.”

The rally ended with a march.

Pyongyang also announced a rare amnesty for prisoners, starting February 1. The official news media said the amnesty would apply to “convicts,” but it did not give numbers or elaborate on who would benefit.

North Korea proclaimed Kim Jong Un the successor of his father Kim Jong Il, who died last month. Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s and does not have active military experience, has been appointed supreme commander of the 1.2 million-member military.

Rights groups say that thousands of people are held in North Korea's prisons and labor camps, mostly for political and not criminal reasons.

This year the country marks the 70th anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong Il and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mr. Kim's father, North Korea's founding President Kim Il Sung. The amnesty is in commemoration of the two events, but observers say it is part of the effort to get wider support for the new leader.

More Tibetans have set themselves on fire in China

2012-01-09T21:05:00.001-05:00

US Seriously Concerned Over Tibetan Self-Immolations
VOA - Monday, January 9th, 2012

The United States says it is “seriously concerned” that more Tibetans have set themselves on fire in China, and says the actions represent deep frustration with Chinese government restrictions.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Monday the self-immolations show there is enormous anger over severe Chinese restrictions on human rights and religious freedoms.

She added that Washington has consistently raised the issue with China.

Reports from Tibet say another Tibetan monk died Sunday after setting himself on fire in Dari county of Amdo region.

The reports say that before 42-year-old Lama Sopa Tulku set himself ablaze, he said he was doing so to commemorate all the Tibetans who have died since 2009 for Tibet's freedom and for the return of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule.

Two other Tibetans immolated themselves Friday near the flashpoint Kirti monastery in Sichuan province.

At least 14 Tibetan Buddhists are believed to have set themselves on fire in the past year since a young monk protesting Chinese rule died after self-immolating outside the Kirti monastery in March. That death sparked months of protests by monks and nuns and triggered a major Chinese crackdown that included the arrests and disappearances of hundreds of monks.

Beijing has denounced the self-immolations and accuses Tibetan exiles of encouraging them. The government says Tibetans enjoy religious freedom.

US Presses Iran to Release American Sentenced To Death for Spying

2012-01-09T20:55:00.001-05:00

US Presses Iran to Release American Sentenced for Spying
Dan Robinson | White House
VOA - January 09, 2012

The United States is pressing Iran to release an American man who has been sentenced to death by an Iranian court on charges of spying for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. This comes at a time of rising tensions between the United States and Iran.

The White House and State Department say allegations that Amir Mirza Hekmati - an Iranian American dual citizen - worked for or was sent to Iran by the CIA are false, adding that if reports of the death sentence are true, the United States strongly condemns it.

A U.S. statement says Iran's government "has a history of falsely accusing people of being spies, of eliciting forced confessions, and of holding innocent Americans for political reasons."

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency says Hekmati was sentenced for ties to the CIA and for cooperating with a “hostile country." Iran state TV has shown Hekmati making what was called a confession in Farsi and English.

At the White House, Press Secretary Jay Carney declined to say what options the Obama administration considering beyond working through Swiss intermediaries in Tehran.

"I don't want to speculate about that. I think that we take this matter very seriously and are addressing it in the appropriate manner," said Carney.

State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said this kind of behavior is typical for Iran.

"This is not a new tactic on the part of the Iranian government. I would simply say that these particular proceedings were conducted in secret, there was inadequate legal counsel. We obviously dismiss the accusations one way or the other; we believe that any confession he may have made was clearly coerced. So it is just par for the course in terms of the non-justice in the Iranian system," said Nuland.

All of this comes amid rising tensions between Iran, and the U.S. and international partners over Tehran's threats to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to new Western sanctions targeting Iran's oil exports.

Recently, Iran confirmed it has begun enriching uranium at a second underground facility. Tehran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and that the new enrichment is taking place under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision.

Amnesty International issued a statement on Monday saying Hekmati, a 28-year-old former U.S. Marine Arabic translator, did not receive a fair trial and questioning what it called "the timing and political circumstances" of Hekmati's sentence.

The human rights monitoring group appealed to Iran not to execute Hekmati, noting that an appeal against his conviction would have to be filed within 20 days of his sentencing.

Ocean Writers Conference at Chesapeake College

2012-01-09T20:45:00.000-05:00

15TH BAY TO OCEAN WRITER`S CONFERENCE

February 25, 2012

WYE MILLS....
The 15th Annual Bay to Ocean Writers Conference will be held February 25, 2012 at Chesapeake College, Kent Humanities Building, in Wye Mills, Maryland. The conference will feature over 20 experienced authors, poets, film writers, writing instructors, freelance writers, editors, and publishers who will cover topics ranging from the craft of writing to writing in the digital age, as well as will feature the success stories of some published authors. One-to-one manuscript reviews by published authors will be provided for $45.

This year’s conference fees will again be $89 for adults and $55 for students. As one of the region’s premier educational seminars, last year's conference drew a sellout crowd of over 200 writers from five states and the District of Columbia. Registration opens December 1 and participants are encouraged to register early as the last six conferences have sold out in advance.

The Writers Conference is sponsored by the Eastern Shore Writers’ Association (www.easternshorewriters.org), a nonprofit organization supporting writers and the literary arts on the Delmarva Peninsula. For further information on the Bay to Ocean Writers Conference, visit www.baytoocean.com

Web Site URL

www.baytoocean.com

Ocean Writers Conference info sourced from

http://www.tourtalbot.org/showevent.asp?eid=6815