baltimoresun.com news blog

Hurricane Ida steams into Gulf; watches up for La. [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-08T08:28:55-08:00

Just when you thought we'd slipped by without a late-season hurricane this fall, Hurricane Ida puffs up and appears to be headed for the northern Gulf Coast.

The National Hurricane Center has posted Hurricane Watches from Grand Isle, La. to the Alabama, Mississippi state line. There are flood warnings up for New Orleans, which is expected to get heavy rain. The Hurricane Watches mean hurricane conditions could develop within 36 hours, although forecasters do expect the storm will begin to lose its tropical characteristics Tuesday as it nears the Gulf Coast and experiences wind shear and cooler waters. Some chance remains, however, that it could still be a tropical storm at that point.

The storm at last check was about 75 miles northeast of Cozumel, Mexico, and about the same distance southwest of the western tip of Cuba. The storm is moving through the Yucatan Channel, and into the Gulf of Mexico.

Top sustained winds are estimated at near 90 mph, making Ida a Cat. 1 storm.

UPDATE: Ida has strengthened today to a Cat. 2 storm, with top sustained winds of almost 100 mph. The watches have been extended farther east along the Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Center's advisory includes the following:

"RAINS WILL BE INCREASING WELL IN ADVANCE OF IDA ACROSS THE CENTRAL
AND EASTERN GULF COAST...BUT WILL BECOME STEADIER AND HEAVIER BY
MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. TOTAL STORM ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES
WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM STORM TOTALS OF 8 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE
THROUGH TUESDAY FROM THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN GULF COAST NORTHWARD
INTO THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AND THE SOUTHERN
APPALACHIANS."

Here is the latest advisory. Here is the forecast storm track. And here is the view from space.

Mr. Foot sees "smackdown" storm coming [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-08T04:23:28-08:00

I missed this when it appeared last week. Some kind of problem with my "Favorites" list. Anyway, Mr. Foot, a Baltimore County science teacher and Maryland weather watcher much-consulted by county teachers and students eager for a snow break in winter time, is forecasting a "smackdown" storm here by mid-month.

Says he:

"I've maintained a position that the atmosphere is primed and ready to deliver, all we wait for now is "Only Time." I realize we haven't dug out the Thanksgiving decorations yet, but I can't resist the urge to tell you that before long, we will be reveling in the sight of "White in the Winter Night."

Here's the sequence for his early-season prognostications:

* 11/01-09: A mild to cool period then brief warmup

* 11/10-15: Possible outbreak of Arctic air on or before 11/15

* In same week, a "smackdown" storm with snow at the onset

* 11/15-25: "yo-yo" period of below then above-normal temps

* 11/25-12/5: Seasonal temps leading to kickoff event by 12/5.

To read the rest of his forecast, visit his blog, here.

(SUN PHOTO/David Hobby/McHenry, Md., October 2006)

Baltimore-area new condos: Lots to go around [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-11-08T04:04:32-08:00

In the market for a new condo? You've got a lot choose from in the Baltimore metro area.

Delta Associates, a real estate information and consulting firm, counts 2,586 unsold units -- enough to last six-and-a-half years at the current pace of sales. And that's not all:

In addition, there are 1,111 units planned with probable sales within the next 36 months. There are an additional 3,200 units in the long-term pipeline in the Baltimore metro area, as well as 6,100 multifamily units planned as either condominiums or rental units.

But it could be worse, or rather it has been: "The inventory-to-sales ratio of condos in the Baltimore metro area has dropped significantly over the past six months," Delta notes.

All told, builders recorded 32 net sales in the Baltimore metro area during the summer, Delta said. The "net" is important -- it accounts for the negative effect of buyers canceling contracts.

Prices in September fell about 7 percent vs. a year earlier across the metro area. The decline is less in the city -- about 5 percent -- and more than 10 percent in the northern suburbs, Delta said.

Who's eligible for the repeat-buyer tax credit? [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-11-07T04:09:26-08:00

Many people are homeowners, so it's not surprising that many people have been asking if they'd be eligible for the new, $6,500 tax credit intended for repeat buyers. One sticking point has been the legislative language used to explain eligibility:

In the case of an individual (and, if married, such individual's spouse) who has owned and used the same residence as such individual's principal residence for any 5-consecutive-year period during the 8-year period ending on the date of the purchase of a subsequent principal residence, such individual shall be [eligible for the credit] with respect to the purchase of such subsequent residence.

Does that mean people who lived in their homes for the past five years and want to move on? People who lived in their homes for at least five years after late 2001, have since been renting it out and now want a new primary residence? People who lived in their homes for at least five years after late 2001, sold the place and now want to buy again?

I posed this to a Senate Finance Committee aide, and he said yes. Yes to all three.

I wondered that to begin with, but the "ending on the date of the purchase of a subsequent principal residence" part made me second-guess myself.

I urge you all not to spend that $6,500 before it's a sure thing that you can get it -- let's see what the IRS has to say, eh? But Wonk reader SSK, it does look like you can take advantage of the credit. (SSK posed this question: "I lived in my Baltimore house for 12 years. Just sold it in July. I re-located to Ohio and am renting. I'm about to bid on a new home. So, I lived in my home for more than 5 years, but I'm temporarily renting now. Do I qualify?")

And you, too, Mark. (He notes, "My wife and I sold our previous home on 9/10/09. We had owned that home for 9 years. We have been living in an extended stay hotel ever since, while we are looking for our next home. We expect to purchase our next home before the end of this year. We meet the income requirements of this bill. So will we be eligible for this $6500 tax credit even though we have already sold our previous home about 2 months ago?")

But you can't qualify if you already bought the new home, the situation that reader Carrie Nelson is in. "We closed on our new home on September 18, 2009. We have just rented our old home because we were unable to sell it. Will we be eligible for the repeat home buyer credit? Why can't they just approve it for any home purchased in 2009. Isn't that something that was done for the first-time homebuyer tax credit?"

The $8,000 version of the first-time buyer credit, passed in February, was made retroactive to the beginning of the year. But the IRS said Friday -- as the legislation was signed into law by President Barack Obama -- that the new provisions would go into effect today, Nov. 7.

Exactly who qualifies should be clearer as soon as the IRS offers more details, as it did with the first and second versions of the first-time home buyer credit. On its home buyer tax credit page, it promised "more to be added soon."

Heads up! Space Station flyby Sunday evening [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-07T04:00:46-08:00

The International Space Station is back in our evening skies, and on Sunday evening the big contraption will be flying up the East Coast and almost directly over Baltimore. (And even more directly over Ocean City.)

The weather forecast is quite promising for this pass, and the station will appear especially bright, even in badly light-polluted urban settings. It's also a convenient early-evening pass, so sky watchers will have no excuse not to step outside with the kids and get a look at your (and their) tax dollars at play.

The only hitch is that on this pass the ISS will fly into the Earth's shadow and disappear well before reaching the northeast horizon, cutting short our view, which of course depends entirely on sunlight reflecting off the hardware.

Watch for the station as it rises above the southwest horizon at 6:14 p.m. It will appear like a bright star, hustling across the sky. If you see blinking strobes, multiple or colored lights, that's a airplane. Keep looking.

The ISS will pass well above the planet Jupiter, which is now the brightest object in the southern sky. It will reach a maximum elevation of 70 degrees above the southeastern horizon at 6:17 p.m., and soon after that fade quickly away as it enters the Earth's shadow - another brief nighttime for crew aboard the station.

There are currently six crew members aboard the ISS. They include two Americans (one male, one female); two Russians; one Belgian (the first European expedition commander) and one Canadian, all male.

They are currently preparing for the scheduled arrival of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on Nov. 16. The flight, to deliver spare parts to the station, is one of the last six shuttle flights on the NASA manifest before the fleet is retired in 2010. After that, under current plans, the U.S. will have to rely on Russian vehicles to support the station and its crew.

Note to Bucket Listers: If you have never seen a shuttle launch in person, start planning now to get down to Florida to watch one of these spectacular events before it's too late. TV images of a shuttle launch do not do the experience justice. You can't see that blinding flame, hear the crackling engines, or feel the sound in your chest.

And, with the cameras focused on the shuttle, you lose all sense of the space ship's acceleration and speed as it leaps into the air and disappears from view. You simply can't believe that people willingly ride that monster. Be there.

Most states offer alternatives to high school tests [InsideEd]

2009-11-06T14:50:20-08:00

The Center on Education Policy, a non-partison group that has tracked the No Child Left Behind Act since its passage, has come out with a new report on how states are doing with high school exit exams. Maryland is now in its second year of requiring that students pass the Maryland High School Assessments.

The report doesn't have any shocking news, but it does say that 22 of the 26 states now offer some alternatives for students with disabilities. And there's a growing trend among states to offer struggling students alternative assessments, different diplomas, flexible cut off scores and waivers. In Maryland, we have the bridge plan, which allows students to work on projects instead of passing the exams.

CEP also says across the nation students are more often passing their high school tests on the first try, an encouraging sign.

CEP recommends that states begin looking at increasing money for remediation of students, do a better job of collecting data on pass rates and spend some time researching the effects of the exit exams on students.

Target reducing prices for the holiday season [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-06T12:38:39-08:00

Target is reducing the price of some toys in time for the holiday season. It follows a number of other retailers getting their bargains out early this year. Competitor Walmart has 100 toys for $20, for instance. Check out Target's latest circular. The sale starts Sunday and runs for a week.
target -

Buy one, get one free for 'Wizard of Oz' at Lyric [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-06T09:26:05-08:00

Follow the yellow brick road and save some gold on next week's performances of the 'Wizard of Oz" at the Lyric Opera House. The 2-for-1 offer means you can get orchestra seats for $27.50 each (half off the usual $55), front balcony/tier - $22.50, balcony - $17.50. (There are also about $11 in fees.) The only catch is that you have to buy the tickets in pairs to get the special pricing. A total of four performances - Nov. 13-15 - are listed at Ticketmaster for this deal from Travelzoo. Enter the code DOROTHY in the "2 for 1" box.

Ida headed for Gulf this weekend [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-06T09:20:36-08:00

Weakened to tropical depression status and somewhat disrupted by its passage over parts of eastern Nicaragua and Honduras, Ida is continuing to drop life-threatening rain over the Central American countries. But the storm is expected to move back over water late today, into the northwest Caribbean, and on toward the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are getting conflicting predictions from their computer models and other guides. But the guesswork seems to be settling on a storm track into the central Gulf by early next week, with a likely curve toward Florida.

Although there is at least one model forecasting the storm will regain hurricane force, the NHC seems to be holding Ida's redevelopment to tropical storm force for the moment, citing continuing wind shear in the region and cooler waters in the Gulf.

Here is the latest advisory. Here is the forecast discussion. Here is the forecast storm track, and here is the view from orbit.

Freeze warning tonight; tender plants doomed [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-06T07:18:02-08:00

Temperatures along the I-95 corridor are set to drop into the upper 20s and low 30s Friday night into Saturday morning. The National Weather Service has posted freeze warnings from 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. Saturday for Baltimore, Washington and all counties along the Chesapeake from Harford in the north to St. Mary's in the south.

The hard freeze will finally bring the 2009 growing season to a halt in the area, and kill off any tender plants that are still outdoors tonight.

The forecast low for BWI-Marshall Airport - and for much of the surrounding region tonight, is 29 degrees, which would be the lowest reading there since April 13, when the low was also 29. Downtown, the low is likely to be slightly higher, around 33 degrees.

The cold night is brought to us courtesy of high pressure that's been building in from the Ohio Valley. That's bringing clear skies and, as it moves closer tonight, calming winds. And that is the recipe for radiational cooling tonight, which will bleed away much of the solar heating we're able to store up today, and drop temperatures.

The weekend and the early part of next week look like they'll remain mostly sunny during the day, and clear at night. Daytime highs should poke back into the 60s by Sunday.

Then there's this from the NWS:

"HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BACK IN OVER THE REGION FOR THE END OF
NEXT WEEK. THIS HIGH CENTER SHOULD KEEP ANY MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH
ANY REMNANTS OF [tropical storm] IDA WELL SOUTH OF THE CWFA [forecast area] NEXT WEEK."

(SUN PHOTO/Algerina Perna/Calvert Street ginkgo tree 11/9/2008)

Borders closing stores in 2010 [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-06T06:51:44-08:00

News flash! Borders Group Inc. will be closing 200 mall stores across the country in January 2010. About 130 of the mall locations, branded as Waldenbooks and Borders Express stores, would still remain open, according to an announcement on the Borders Web site.

The company provided a Borders store closing list, and although it hasn't been finalized, there are four Maryland locations mentioned so far, including three Borders Express stores in Glen Burnie, Owings Mills and Wheaton as well as a Waldenbooks in Gaithersburg.

None of the freestanding superstore locations will be affected, according to the announcement.

Some of the approximately 1,500 employees who will lose their jobs are expected to get other positions within the chain.

This decision to "right-size" the chain (as the company described it) follows the company's pattern since fiscal 2001. They've closed a number of stores each year.

Retail reporter Andrea K. Walker thinks this decision to close so many stores might have been prompted when discounters like Walmart.com decided to sell recently released books for as low as $8.99. Even Sears.com has gotten into the book price wars.

All this makes me wonder: where do you buy your books?

Need help with your energy bills, Baltimore? [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-06T06:32:21-08:00

Low-income Marylanders having trouble paying utility bills, or who anticipate having trouble in the near future, should check out an Energy Assistance Expo this weekend in Baltimore to apply for aid.

Come to the Mini Conference Center on Baltimore City Community College's campus at 2901 Liberty Heights Avenue from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 for more information about eligibility and to enroll in the program. You'll also get tips on conserving energy to keep your bills lower in the first place.

The income guidelines have changed, so here they are:

Maximum Monthly Gross Income per number of people in household

1: $1,579.37
2: $2,124.79
3: $2,670.20
4: $3,215.62
5: $3,761.04
6: $4,306.45

For every additional person, add $545.42.

Here's the documentation you need to apply:

Guess the hidden-gem neighborhoods [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-11-06T05:00:19-08:00

Next Friday, I'll unveil the long-awaited list of hidden-gem neighborhoods -- nice, off-the-radar and relatively affordable spots in the Baltimore region. In the meantime, can you guess the 10? Photos of each are above.

The person with the most correct guesses wins a copy of Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us by Alyssa Katz. Anyone with at least one correct guess is entitled to a Real Estate Wonk magnet.

Remember, each of the 10 is in the Baltimore metro area and had an average sale price under $250,000 in the first half of the year. More than half were suggested by you lovely Wonk readers.

Two hints: Each Baltimore-area jurisdiction has at least one. And a few of the spots are really communities, not neighborhoods.

You don't have to squint at the photos. Click on any and a larger version will pop up.

Expanded home buyer tax credits to become law [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-11-06T04:07:07-08:00

It took a while for the Senate to hammer out an agreement on the home buyer tax credit, but only a day for the House to pass an identical measure. President Barack Obama is expected to sign it into law today.

The National Association of Realtors says the new provisions -- a longer time frame for the $8,000 first-time buyer credit, higher income limits and a $6,500 credit for certain repeat buyers -- will go into effect as soon as pen hits paper. The trade group has a handy "compare the tax credits" chart that you can find here.

You can also read more about the details on yesterday's tax-credit blog post.

The first-time buyer tax credit, hailed by the real estate industry as a stabilizing force for the battered housing market, has its critics. They say it's a lot of money, much of it going to people who probably would have bought anyway and some of it going to tax cheats (including 19,000 who didn't actually purchase a home). Some of you have said you think it's a stimulus that won't help in the long run.

In this running Wonk poll, I asked you a simple question about the bill: Thumbs up, down or sideways? The voting was overwhelmingly thumbs up at first. But as of last night, the results were split: 49 percent down, 47 percent up and 4 percent sideways.

I chatted yesterday with Heather Fernandez, vice president of marketing with real estate search engine Trulia. She's enthusiastic about the soon-to-be-law, though not without reservations. One reason to cheer, she said, is that consumers pump money into the economy after buying a home ($30,000 within the first six months on items ranging from furniture to hot water heaters, Trulia found in a study last year). She also thinks the credits will help move more foreclosures and cushion prices in the short term.

There's a significant "but," though: "What happens to real estate demand on May 1?" Fernandez asks. April 30 is the last day you can sign a contract and still qualify for the first-time or repeat-buyer tax credits.

"While this may spur tremendous activity in the short term, what's going to stop demand from dropping off a cliff?" she said.

We'll know when we get there. U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, the Georgia Republican who championed an expanded tax credit (his proposal: $15,000 for every buyer), said in a statement Wednesday that this third version of the tax-credit program is really and truly the last one. "Tax credits like this only work by creating the sense of urgency to take advantage of them," he said.

Fernandez said one thing's for certain: The credit extension and expansion has a lot of people thinking about real estate. When we talked yesterday afternoon, Trulia's traffic was on track to be the best ever for a Thursday. For that to happen in November -- during housing's slow season -- is really something, she noted. Trulia launched in 2005.

I asked you in another recent Wonk poll how the credit would affect you. Here's what you said, as of last night:

26 percent: I'd qualify as a repeat buyer, and I plan to sell my current home and buy another one

20 percent: I'm a taxpayer, that's how it affects me. ARRRGGGGH.

16 percent: I don't qualify as a first-time or repeat buyer, to my frustration

10 percent: I already got a first-time home buyer tax credit

7 percent: I'd qualify as a first-time buyer, and I plan to buy my first home by April 30

5 percent: I'd qualify as a repeat buyer, and I plan to buy but not sell

4 percent: I'd qualify as a first-time or repeat buyer, but I'm not planning to buy soon

4 percent: I work in the real estate industry and hope it'll help business

2 percent: I don't qualify as a first-time or repeat buyer, but I don't mind

And a few of you wrote in your own answers. For instance, "It would make it easier for me to sell my house to a first-time buyer." And: "I'm a repeat; my spouse a first-time. Unsure if we qualify for any credit together."

Married couples can't qualify for the first-time credit unless both of them are first-timers under the rules (which actually define a first-time buyer as someone who hasn't owned a principal residence for the previous three years). But I don't see why a couple that's half repeat-buyer, half first-timer couldn't get the repeat buyer credit as long as they qualify on income. (Let me know if you hear otherwise.)

The IRS answered lots of scenario questions about the first and second versions of the first-time buyer credit. Presumably the agency will do the same for this expanded credit program.

IRS looking for Marylanders owed $1.7 million in unclaimed refunds [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-05T14:20:08-08:00

Who couldn’t use a few extra dollars these days? How about $1,086?

That’s the average refund owed 1,619 Marylanders whose tax refunds were returned to the IRS as undeliverable because of mailing errors. And some taxpayers are owed more than one check, the IRS says.

Nationally, 107,831 refunds totaling $123.5 million have been returned to the IRS as undeliverable.

Taxpayers owed a refund can update their address online with the “Where’s My Refund?” tool at www.irs.gov. They must submit a Social Security number, filing status and the amount of refund owed.

Or, taxpayers can call the IRS to update their addresses at 800-829-1954.

How much for AAA four-diamond hotel stay? [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-05T13:54:00-08:00

OK. I was curious so thought I would share. Here's what it costs to stay overnight midweek at Maryland's AAA Four-Diamond resorts, according to hotels.com. May be more affordable at Priceline.com or even AAA.com. Not sure. But both Loews and Rocky Gap sure look like real bargains - diamonds in the rough, perhaps?

Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel: $159.20

Intercontinental Harbor Court: $261

Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace: $339

Hyatt Regency Baltimore: $223.23

Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay (Cambridge): $155.22

Loews Annapolis: $119

Gaylord National Resort: $229

Hilton Suites Ocean City: $84 (off-season)

Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort: $99

Hilton Baltimore gets AAA four diamond-rating [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-05T13:38:16-08:00

Are diamonds a hotel guest's best friend? I don't know. I care far more about how much the hotel costs than how much bling it can hang around its neck. But nonetheless, we will pause to recognize the new AAA four-diamond ratings won by Maryland hotels and announced today at the Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit in Ocean City.

New on the list: the Hilton Baltimore - the city's convention center hotel gets high marks just a little more than a year after its grand opening. Still on the list: Hyatt Regency Baltimore - 29 years and counting. Intercontinental Harbor Court - 23 years and counting. Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace - 22 years and counting.

But what I'm really counting is the overnight rate or discount on the rack rate. Stars and diamonds are nice, but not if you can't pay the price.

Free museum admission, free coffee and ice cream: Cheap Trick Thursday [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-05T12:09:58-08:00

Are you a Bank of America cardholder? Then you qualify for free admission this weekend to the American Visionary Art Museum or the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture.

You can take advantage of Bank of America's Museums on Us program with any Bank of America ATM, debit or credit card at participating institutions across the country --- not just these two in Maryland.

Just bring it to the museum along with a photo ID to gain free admission during the first weekend of any month, which includes Nov. 7 and 8.

Check the free museum admission site for more freebie weekends.

Then, if you need a pick-me-up after absorbing all that culture ...

See the universe ... from Dundalk [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-05T09:48:12-08:00

The forecast is promising for Friday evening, a good opportunity to see the stars from the Comunity College of Baltimore County's Dundalk campus.

The Department of Astronomy in the School of Mathematics and Science will have its big Celestron 14-inch CGE 1400 XLT (sounds impressive, doesn't it?) telescope set up to provide the public with a close-up view of the heavens. One prominent target, I expect, will be the planet Jupiter, which is shining brightly high in the southern sky this month. Here it is in this NASA photo, with four of its moons.

This will be the first in a series of Friday evening observing sessions for the public in Dundalk this fall. Here's when and where and how:

Nov. 6, 7-9 p.m.

Nov. 20, 7-9 p.m.

Dec. 11, 7-9 p.m.

If the skies look iffy, give them a call, 45 minutes before the start of the session, at 410 282-3092 to see if it's still on.

Address: 7200 Sollers Point Road, Dundalk. Turn into CCBC Dundalk from Sollers Point Road and take the first right into the parking lot. Walk to the observatory.

KFC chicken fresh, not frozen [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-05T09:09:33-08:00

(photo: Associated Press)

Well, KFC took umbrage at one part of Boston Market CEO Lane Cardwell's take on the $1 chicken meal coupon, saying he got his facts wrong when talking about his competitor.

According to KFC spokesman Rick Maynard, all KFC restaurants serve fresh, not frozen chicken, including the chicken served during KFC's free grilled chicken giveaway last week. In fact,

KFC restaurants receive shipments of fresh chicken on the bone throughout each week, just like we did when Colonel Sanders was at the helm of the company. The free Kentucky Grilled Chicken we gave away to America on both our “UNFry Day” events was delivered fresh, not frozen, to our more than 5,000 restaurants.

according to Maynard.

Thanks for clearing that up, Rick. Now, who's ready for lunch?

Ida is now a hurricane [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-05T07:34:49-08:00

Tropical Storm Ida became the season's third hurricane overnight, with top sustained winds of 75 mph. The storm moved onshore on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, some 60 miles north of the town of Bluefields, and was expected to weaken over land. But forecasters are still predicting Ida will move back over water into the northwest Caribbean and restrengthen.

UPDATE: 1 p.m. EST. Ida was downgraded today to a tropical storm.

The storm is producing heavy rains, with 5 to 7 inches likely in most locations, and as much as 20 to 25 inches possible in some spots. Those conditions would produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides.

While there remained some possibility the storm will dissipate while over land, the forecast storm track still has Ida moving into the Gulf of Mexico by Tuesday, at tropical storm strength, posing some risk for the Gulf Coast of the U.S.

Here is the latest advisory for Ida. Here is the forecast storm track. And here is the view from space.

Free financial advice on the Your Money Bus: Cheap Trick Thursday [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-05T06:24:48-08:00

Just a reminder: don't forget to take advantage of the chance to get some free financial advice from the Your Money Bus tour this week!

Eileen Ambrose already told us about the Your Money Bus events scheduled in Baltimore on Thursday, but in case you missed it, here's a recap:

From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today, bring your financial questions to Baltimore's City Hall to get answers from financial advisers.

But if you're already booked or can't get downtown, there's still a chance to meet with these folks Friday ...

Free cell phone service for low-income Marylanders [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-05T04:59:37-08:00

If you're struggling financially and have been able to take advantage of government assistance such as food stamps, you may also qualify for a free cell phone and minutes through SafeLink Wireless.

We've told you about the Lifeline assistance for landline phone bills, but starting this week, low-income Marylanders can sign up for free cell service through SafeLink, an affiliate of TracFone Wireless. The company offers the free service to low-income residents in 19 states and Washington D.C. thanks to a federal subsidy, according to this story by Sun tech blogger Gus Sentementes.

You might be able to get low-cost mobile phone service through other companies, but SafeLink provides a free phone and 64 free minutes a month with no activation fees or contracts to those who qualify.

The phones will have Caller ID, call waiting and voicemail, and they charge you 0.3 minutes to send or receive a text message. Customers who run out of minutes can get more by purchasing pre-paid TracFone calling cards.

To check your eligibility or to enroll, go to the Safelink Web site.

Senate passes home buyer credits [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-11-05T04:10:08-08:00

Here's something Republican and Democratic Senators agree on: tax credits for home buyers.

With a 98 to 0 vote Wednesday, the Senate passed legislation to extend the credit for first-time buyers and add a credit for certain repeat buyers. It's expected to move to the House floor today.

It seems to be the same proposal we've been talking about for the last few days. Highlights:

--$8,000 for first-timers signing contracts through April 30 and closing by June 30. That credit was due to expire at the end of the month.

--$6,500 for repeat buyers who have "lived in their current residence for five consecutive years out of the last eight," the Los Angeles Times reports. But Sen. Harry Reid's press release phrases it as "those who have owned a home for five consecutive years within the previous eight years." More on this in a moment.

--Individual tax filers making no more than $125,000 and joint filers making no more than $225,000 could take the full credit, a significant increase of the income cap. The credit would decrease in value for people making more than those amounts, phasing out completely after $145,000 for singles and $245,000 for couples, the Times says.

--If the home you're buying is priced over $800,000, you can't partake.

You might be wondering what this "five consecutive years out of the last eight" really means for potential repeat buyers. I did, because it makes a difference whether it's "lived in their current residence for five consecutive years out of the last eight," as the Times writes, or "those who have owned a home for five consecutive years within the previous eight years," as Reid puts it -- or something else entirely.

For instance, could the credit go to homeowners-turned-landlords who are renting out their properties after living there five years and who now want to sell? Or what if you bought your home in, say, January 2003 and sold it last December? That would be five consecutive years out of the last eight, after all.

I went on an hour-and-a-half-long search last night for the actual text of the legislation. (Can I get an "ARRGGH"?) I finally did find it, or what appears to be it. Here's what it says about repeat buyers:

In the case of an individual (and, if married, such individual's spouse) who has owned and used the same residence as such individual's principal residence for any 5-consecutive-year period during the 8-year period ending on the date of the purchase of a subsequent principal residence, such individual shall be [eligible for the credit] with respect to the purchase of such subsequent residence.

So ... er ... clear?

Sigh.

Fortunately, the text notes later that the repeat-buyer credit "shall apply to residences purchased after the date of the enactment of this Act." So that clears it up a bit.

If you're a first-timer hoping to take advantage of the higher income limits, keep in mind that the same timeline applies.

Not that this is a done deal quite yet, of course.

Cheapism: Consumer Web Site of the Week [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-04T12:25:14-08:00

Sometimes you just can't get too much information, particularly when you're shopping online.

I've been researching some kitchen purchases lately, and I've spent a lot of time cross-referencing equipment recommendations from Alton Brown with tests by Consumer Reports and reviews by Cook's Illustrated.

There were some roadblocks, however, when AB recommended some product that CR had not tested or if the Cook's Illustrated best bet was no longer in stores.

If you are confronted by just such a conundrum, here's another site to add to the list: Cheapism.com, our Consumer Web Site of the Week.

More Black Friday announcements [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-04T09:08:40-08:00

More retailers and malls are starting to unleash their Black Friday plans and other holiday bargains.

Prime Outlets Queenstown, the outlet center just over the Bay Bridge, announced it will open at midnight on Black Friday like it did last year. It will give the first 500 people who show up to guest services wearing pajamas a goodie bag with coupons and other giveaways.

Kmart will begin "Better than Black Friday" doorbusters this Friday (Nov. 6) and each Friday until the day after Thanksgiving. On Black Friday, Kmart will have what it calls "Blue Friday" specials named after its famous blue light bargains. Kmart will also be open on Thanksgiving Day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Walmart, which has already announced it will sell 100 toys for $10, will also sell a turkey dinner that feeds eight for $20. This Saturday (Nov. 7) it will begin a series of bargains on electronic items. The specials will run through Nov. 13 and include $298 HP notebook computers, a Panasonic 46" HDTV for $788 and Xbox 360 gaming systems for $199 with a $100 Walmart gift card.

We told you earlier about Sears Black Friday specials and will let you know about more as we hear about them.

Happy Shopping.

(Baltimore Sun file photo)

New tropical depression forms as season fades [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-04T07:48:04-08:00

The National Hurricane Center is tracking the 11th tropical depression to form this season in the Atlantic basin. The 2009 hurricane season officially ends at the end of this month.

The new storm, designated Tropical Depression 11, got its act together Tuesday in the southwestern Caribbean, and now threatens the Nicaraguan coast and offshore islands with torrential rains and 35-mph winds. It may well become the season's ninth tropical storm - Ida - later today.

UPDATE: 4 p.m. TD 11 became Tropical Storm Ida this afternoon. Top sustained winds are at 60-mph, with higher gusts. Some further intensification is likely before landfall in Nicaragua. Rainfall as high as 20 or 25 inches are possible in some locations, raising the danger of flooding and mudslides.

Forecasters think the storm will weaken as it goes ashore, and crosses over portions of Nicaragua and Honduras. But it is expected to head north, move back over the northwest Caribbean and regain tropical storm strength as it heads into the Gulf of Mexico next week. One computer model even has it reaching hurricane strength.

TD 11 was located this morning about 125 miles east southeast of Bluefields, a former buccaneer hideout on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. It was moving toward the northwest at about 8 mph.

Here is the latest advisory on TD 11. Here is the forecast storm track. And here is the view from orbit.

Boston Market CEO responds about coupon promotion [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-04T05:52:54-08:00

Boston Market CEO Lane Cardwell wrote in Tuesday after reading our post, Boston Market coupon promotion a success or failure?, to share details about the deal from the company's point of view:

As the CEO of Boston Market I must admit right off that I am biased. Let me tell you about the $1 promotion from our perspective, since everyone is entitled to an opinion.

When KFC released their press release on Thursday, Oct. 22 that they were going to repeat their 1 piece of chicken giveaway on Monday, Oct. 26 we decided this time to not let it go unchallenged. By late Thursday we had decided on our offer: $1 for 1/4 of a white meat chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn bread. A real meal, not a piece of chicken.

Our biggest challenge was in deciding whether our stores would have enough food, since they would not have time to place an order for more food before the promotion would begin. We decided that we were safe with up to a tripling of our normal business and would not be advertising or publicizing the promotion.

We e-mailed our 400,000 VIP Club members, included a "Forward to a friend" button, and sent out the e-mails on Sunday night. We expected the promotion to be picked up on the many "deal" websites and were okay with that.

Our mistake was in thinking that we were making things better by having the promotion run for a week, instead of 2-3 days. We never would have done a 1 day promo like KFC since it makes your guests jump through too many hoops to take advantage of it.

However, by the third day it was clear that instead of making the situation better from a guest standpoint, it make it worse. It allowed the coupon to take on viral properties and spread throughout the country. It gave time for people to come back a second, third, and fourth time, which we were okay with, but it made the lines longer, not shorter.

Our biggest difficulty is that ...

Housing markets: Baltimore vs. Washington (and BWI) [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-11-04T04:05:27-08:00

Home-sale trends are generally stronger in and around Washington, but the Baltimore area is showing some signs of life. That's the conclusion of a new report by Delta Associates, a real estate information and consulting firm, and Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, which runs the region's multiple-listing service.

Sales in the summer were up about 7 percent from a year earlier in the D.C. region, and there were 5.4 months of inventory -- "below the normal, healthy standard of 6 months, signaling that demand is beginning to outpace supply," the report notes. ("Months of inventory" refers to the time it would take homes listed for sale to find buyers at the current pace of transactions.)

In the Baltimore metro area, sales in the summer rose a bit faster -- about 8 percent from a year earlier. But there's more catch-up to do: 8.8 months of inventory.

Homes are sitting longer on the market here as well: 117 days in the Baltimore area compared with 81 in the Washington area.

The market decline hit our southern neighbor first, and it started to recover first, too. D.C.'s job market is one of the strongest in the nation, which doesn't hurt.

The Delta and MRIS report also shone a spotlight on neighborhoods around BWI, a market between Baltimore and Washington. It offered some illuminating statistics about what exactly is selling.

Some 37 percent of homes listed for sale in the area -- nine ZIP codes, including Glen Burnie, Linthicum and Hanover -- are foreclosures and short sales. But they account for 61 percent of the homes under contract there, the report says. Buyers clearly prefer the distress prices of these distress sales.

Speaking of prices, they're down 8 percent from a year ago in the BWI area. But the inventory is quite low -- 2.1 months. Remember, six months is considered normal and healthy. All else being equal, you'd think a 2.1-month inventory would mean a strong seller's market -- this is the sort of number we saw in the go-go housing bubble days. But all else isn't equal.

The Delta/MRIS report says that although the BWI area "seems well-positioned for future housing market growth and recovery, ... until foreclosures and short sales abate further, near-term price declines are not improbable."

How are foreclosures and short sales affecting housing trends near you?

Should the age for mandatory attendance be raised? [InsideEd]

2009-11-03T17:06:26-08:00

The Associated Press reported recently that Montgomery County's school board has made a symbolic push to get the Maryland General Assembly to raise the age a student must stay in school to 18.

Currently, students can drop out at 16 and, the AP reports, only the legislature can change that. But Montgomery County, whose graduation rate has fallen to its lowest level -- 87 percent -- this spring, is hoping to change the tide by voting on a measure last week to make the change to age 18. Most of the students who drop out in the county are 16 and 17 year olds.

Should other school boards take the same stand to encourage the state legislature to pass a bill requiring all students to be in school until 18?

Free screening of 'What Would Jesus Buy?' tonight [Consuming Interests]

2009-11-03T11:08:53-08:00

Just in time for the holiday consumption season! Exorcise our nation's shopping demons at a free screening tonight of What Would Jesus Buy?.

The 2007 documentary follows Bill Talen, also known as the Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping.

The screening, held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at The Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave., is brought to you by the Action! Film Series.

Afterward representatives from Ten Thousand Villages, Three Stone Steps, Zeke's Coffee, Heifer International and Green America, a nonprofit consumer organization, will be available to discuss responsible consumption as you embark on holiday shopping this year.

"Killing frost" possible tonight west of I-95 [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-03T08:42:06-08:00

Clear skies and calming winds could combine to produce a hard freeze tonight in portions of the state west of the urban corridor. The National Weather Service forecast office in Sterling, Va. hasn't posted any frost or freeze warnings yet (except in Cecil County and on the upper Eastern Shore), but there is a "Hazardous Weather Outlook" noting that:

"TEMPERATURES WILL DROP TO THE MID 30S LATE TONIGHT WEST OF
INTERSTATE 95...WHICH MAY PRODUCE A KILLING FROST."

UPDATE: The NWS this afternoon issued a frost advisory for all counties north and west of Baltimore, including northern Baltimore, Carroll, Howard, Frederick, Montgomery and Washington counties:

"CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO DROP INTO THE
LOWER AND MIDDLE 30S ACROSS THE WESTERN SUBURBS OF WASHINGTON DC AND
BALTIMORE...THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA FOOTHILLS AND PORTIONS OF THE
EASTERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA. AS A RESULT...AREAS OF FROST
ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

"PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

"A FROST ADVISORY MEANS THAT FROST IS POSSIBLE. SENSITIVE OUTDOOR
PLANTS MAY BE KILLED IF LEFT UNCOVERED."

The forecast low for BWI tonight is 37 degrees, but that drops off quickly to 33 degrees in Westminster, 32 in Shrewsbury, Pa., and in Poolesville, Md.

Thursday night may be even colder, with a low of 35 at BWI, and below freezing well west of the city. There are snow showers in the forecast for Garrett County late Wednesday and Thursday.

NOTE TO READERS: The barrel's empty. Be famous for a day. Send in your weather or backyard astronomy questions and see them answered on the Page 2 print weather page. Or is it Page 3 now? Thanks! - FDR

Leonid meteors are up next [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-03T07:18:27-08:00

Astronomers are predicting an exceptional year for the annual Leonid meteor shower, which will peak two weeks from today. The Leonids are among the best meteor displays on the astronomical calendar. November nights (with luck) can be clear and crisp, and this shower has occasionally ramped up to very high - even storm - rates.

This year's viewing, assuming the weather cooperates, will be enhanced by the total absence of moonlight; the moon will be "new" that night.

But the best hope for sky watchers is that the people who have learned to forecast these things seem to be in broad agreement that the Earth this year will be passing through the core of some heavy streams of dust left behind by the comet Tempel-Tuttle in past centuries.

If they're right, observers in central and eastern Asia will have the best view, with meteor rates forecast to exceed several hundred per hour as we slip through the dust left by the comet during its passes through the inner solar system in the years 1466 and 1533.

That will occur 12 to 14 hours after the best viewing time for those of us stuck here in eastern North America, according to an article on Space.com.

Here, in the hours between 3:30 and 5:30 a.m. Nov. 17, the Earth will pass through a separate stream of comet dust, spread by Tempel-Tuttle during its pass through the region in the year 1567. Forecasters anticipate "modest" meteor rates of 25 to 30 per hour. Not spectacular, but a very nice display if they're right.

And if we're clouded out, we'll get another chance early on the 18th. The Leonids are typically active a few days before and after the peak on the 17th and 18th.

The best thing about these meteors, forecasters say, is that many will leave persistent trails as they streak into the atmosphere. A couple dozen of those during a morning's watch would be something to remember.

And in the meantime, if you just can't resist getting out of bed to stand around in the cold at midnight or later, the annual Taurid shower is about to begin. It peaks between the 5th and 12th of November and, while not nearly as numerous as the Leonids, the Taurids can and do produce some spectacular fireballs.

As with all meteor showers, you'll need clear skies and a dark location far from urban lighting. And if you're successful, be sure to come back here, drop us a comment, and let everyone know where you were, and what you saw. Clear skies!

(AP Photo/Leonid meteors, Nov. 17, 1998)

Amaze your friends with Baltimore winter trivia [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-02T14:43:53-08:00

I know it's too early in the season to be amusing readers with winter weather data. But the National Weather Service forecast office in Sterling has posted a compendium of winter weather facts for Baltimore, Washington and Dulles Airport, and it's a fun read if you're into Baltimore's annual love/hate relationship with snow, cold and ice.

For example:

1. What was the iciest winter in recent Baltimore weather history?

2. How many of the deepest snowstorms in Baltimore have occurred since your Weather Blogger moved here from Massachusetts in 1980? Is that my fault?

3. What was the snowiest month in Baltimore history?

4. How long has it been since Baltimore (BWI) experienced sub-zero temperatures? How many times have we dipped below zero since 1960?

5. How many times per winter, on average, does Baltimore get a snowfall of 4 inches or more?

For answers to these questions and more, click here. There's more here. And you can contemplate the role of El Nino in Baltimore winters, here.

(SUN PHOTO/Mark Bugnaski/Ice storm, Baltimore, January 1994)

Loyola professor sounds off on teaching math [InsideEd]

2009-11-02T10:57:18-08:00

On the paper's editorial pages today is a column by Loyola University's Joseph Ganem about the teaching of math.

He argues that some students are being taught overly complex math at too young an age. It is an interesting piece to read, although some commentors have suggested that perhaps his premise is wrong. Are we really teaching difficult concepts too early because of tests?

I wonder if that is correct because last week we wrote that the Maryland School Assessments for fourth-graders are some of the easiest in the nation.

What do math teachers think of Ganem's argument?

Houses and house parties [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-11-02T10:19:26-08:00

For those of you wondering what people with lavish houses do with all the space: Howard County police say a Columbia mansion -- a 4,600-square-foot spread -- was being rented out for a Halloween party this weekend that drew more than 100 people, possibly much more.

They're clear on the "more than 100" part, because that's how many people were still there when officers arrived in response to 911 calls about gunfire. A 19-year-old was killed and a 22-year-old was badly injured.

Police think the house was also rented out for a party that took place in June.

The Sun's Annie Linskey reminded me that several years ago, a big Anne Arundel County house was the site of a non-fatal shooting while rented out to two NFL players. Neighbors complained that the place was being used as an unauthorized nightclub even before that point.

Do you live near homes that are frequently used for parties, with or without cover charges?

(Photograph of the Columbia house by Algerina Perna / Baltimore Sun)

October ends wet; November brings snow risk [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-02T08:13:57-08:00

The data are in, and no matter how wet and cool you remember October 2009, while it did end very wet, the temperatures averaged out to an almost precisely normal 55.3 degrees for Baltimore.

Rainfall for the month totaled 6.24 inches. That's a surplus of more than 3 inches, and the wettest October since 2005, when Tropical Storm Tammy's remnants drove the total to 9.23 inches.

And if you still feel like it was a cold October in Baltimore, it's probably the first half of the month that's stuck in your weather memory. Fourteen of the first 20 days of the month averaged cooler than the norm.

The month's low was 34 degrees, on the 20th. The high was 83, on the 9th.

The coldest spell was from Oct. 14 through the 20th, a seemingly endless string of chilly, rainy days with temperatures averaging close to 10 degrees below the seasonal norms. Daytime highs stalled in the 40s to 50 degrees for four days straight. More than 3 inches of rain fell at BWI-Marshall in those same four days.

But we also enjoyed 12 October days of 70-plus temperatures, including one day in the 80s. Seventeen days were rated clear or partly cloudy.

And now November...

Average high temperatures for Baltimore in November slide from 61 degrees on the 1st to 51 degrees on the 30th. The average lows dip from 38 degrees to 31 degrees. The records run from 86 degrees (on the 1st in 1950), to 12 degrees (on the 30th in 1929).

Snow becomes a serious possibility in November for the first time. Many Baltimoreans will remember the Veteran's Day storm on Nov. 11, 1987, which left an official 6 inches at BWI, but caused much more disruption than the number would suggest.

The deepest November snowfall on record for the city is 8.4 inches, which fell on Nov. 30, 1967. Measurable snow has fallen here on all but eight dates in November.

The oldest weather record still standing for Baltimore in November seems to be the 1.79 inches of rain that fell on Nov. 23, 1879, still the record for that date. Also notable is the cold stretch from Nov. 19-24, 1880, when the maximum daily temperatures stalled near 30 degrees. Four of those high readings are still record low maximums for the dates.

Sun struggles through cloud deck [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-02T07:49:11-08:00

Sunshine and clear skies continue to grace Maryland counties to the west of the I-95 corridor. But somehow the clouds have lingered stubbornly over the urban corridor, despite all that hope we lavished on the situation Sunday.

Forecasters out at Sterling say the problem has been the slow-moving low off the Carolinas, which has kept the clouds clinging to the coastline. The problem now becomes whether that coastal storm will drift azway, and clear our skies, before the next weather disturbance moves in with a weak cold fron on Tuesday.

"Did an update to try to better depict the cloudy versus clear area. At the rate the cloud cover seems to be waning, another may be needed shortly to paint a more optimistic picture," the weather folks said in their Monday morning discussion.

The good news is that none of the forecasts include more rain for our area, although some places in the mountains could see some showers Tuesday morning, and maybe some snow showers by Thursday morning as temperatures there sink into the 20s. Our week looks generally sunny after today, with highs at BWI in the 50s to near 60 degrees.

The weather news headline for us - aside from those promises of sunshine - may be the Tuesday-into-Wednesday-morning forecast for lows near the freezing mark. That would be the coldest reading of the season so far, and could put an end to the growing season for the northern and western Baltimore suburbs. The city low forecast for Wednesday morning is around 40 degrees.

Finally, the full Hunter's Moon (or, if you prefer, the Frosty Moon or the Beaver Moon) rises over Baltimore tonight beginning at 4:41 p.m. EST. With any luck, the clouds will be gone.

Here comes the sun [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-11-01T09:56:28-08:00

Don't despair, Baltimore. The weather gods have been taking their time, but the cold front is moving off, and the cloud deck over our heads is about to pass off to the south and east of the city.

So the sun should be coming out shortly. Here (left) is the satellite view of the region, taken around noon Sunday.

You can see the clear skies out to our west. And here's the Northeast radar loop.

Forecasters say the week ahead looks cool, but sunny.

Hagerstown is already under fair skies.

Hang in there.

Sprinkler-system requirement survives challenge [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-11-01T04:15:28-08:00

Should sprinkler systems be installed in every new single-family house? Fire safety advocates think so. Home builders aren't nearly as enthusiastic, noting the cost.

It's a national argument that last week came to Baltimore, during hearings held by the International Code Council. The ICC -- the organization that writes the building-safety rules adopted by states, counties and cities across the country -- entertained a proposal by the National Association of Home Builders that sprinklers be a "mandatory option" rather than a mandatory non-option. (A mandatory option might sound like an impossibility, but it would mean a feature that builders have to offer as an add-on, leaving the choice to buyers.)

Under the ICC's current code, sprinkler systems will be required in newly constructed single-family homes by 2011. The home builders are trying to get that changed, but sprinkler proponents outvoted sprinkler opponents. (Though it's not a done deal until the ICC's conference in May, it was a key vote.)

Sprinklers are already mandatory in all new townhouses in Maryland. Would you want sprinkler systems installed in all new single-family houses? What do you think of them, if you've had up-close and personal experience with them?

Given a choice, would you pay extra to have them in your home?

Home buyer tax credits: Are you in? [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-10-31T04:11:07-07:00

I asked you to give the Senate's proposed tax credits for first-time and repeat home buyers a thumbs up, down or sideways, and oh boy, you responded. As of 10 p.m. last night, nearly 500 people had weighed in on the Wonk poll.

Almost 80 percent of voters offered a thumbs up. Five percent don't love it or hate it and gave it a sideways thumb. The rest say no thanks.

Some commenters wondered what personal situations were influencing these choices. Sounds like a poll:

Need a refresher? The tentative Senate deal would extend the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit -- you could sign a contract through April 30 as long as you closed by June 30. It would also create a new tax credit of up to $6,500 -- starting Dec. 1 -- for repeat buyers who have been in their current homes for at least five years and are getting a new primary residence.

For more details (income limits, price limits, etc.), read this home buyer tax credit post.

Home buyer tax credit: More details and a lot of angst [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-10-30T18:46:48-07:00

More details about the tentative Senate agreement to extend and expand the first-time home buyer tax credit:

--As you probably already heard, the credit would be available to buyers signing contracts through April 30 and closing by June 30. First-timers would continue to be eligible for up to $8,000. Other buyers could get up to $6,500, starting Dec. 1, if they've lived in their current home for at least five years.

--Income limits would be increased to $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for couples, with the credits phasing out above those amounts.

--Repeat buyers must be getting a primary residence, not a vacation or investment property. But you're allowed to keep your current home.

--Eyeing a home priced above $800,000? You can't get this credit, the senators say.

--Read their lips: No more credits for 4-year-olds. First-time buyer tax credit fraud, including money funneled to preschoolers and to people who didn't actually buy anything, prompted senators to require that buyers be at least 18 and submit copies of their HUD-1 settlement statements when applying for the credit.

News of this extension and expansion touched off a firestorm of discussion here, and emotions of all sorts. Hope among some homeowners who could use $6,500. Frustration among those who would miss out under the proposed restrictions. Aggravation among renters who think credits are artificially propping up the market at taxpayers' expense.

A nameless reader who's rooting for passage wrote: "I bought a house 5 years ago and now it's worth way less then what i owe."

Lee opined, "I think the 5 year requirement is a bit excessive and a little discriminatory ... Why not 3 or 4 years? What about those who have had to move most recently to keep their jobs?"

Chase, who is trying to buy his second home because he's more than 60 miles away from his job, bemoans the fact that he and his wife have only been in their first home 3 1/2 years. "I really wished this program, if approved, would allow for any second time home buyers that has not already participated in the 'first time home buyer tax credit', even if it was phased out based on how long you had owned your home. For example 5 years = 6500, 4 = 5500, 3 years = 4500, etc..."

Krista writes, "We are neither first time homebuyers nor do we currently own a home. We took a big hit when we relocated two years ago on our house that we sold. We are renters right now. So if you want to stimulate the economy we should get tax breaks before those who already own. Where do we fit in??"

Kevin R said these comments -- plus more along the same lines -- were making him feel nauseated. "Too many people looking for a handout," he wrote.

Jelena, who has been looking for a house for a while now, says she's against the proposal even though she could qualify as a first-time buyer. In her opinion, "this is just prolonging the agony. Now the prices won't fall (read - adjust to the realistic level) for another year or so, but they will fall after all the tricks end eventually. Sadly, we really have to move soon and, as a result of this credit, now we'll have to face higher prices and, possibly, bidding wars."

But Darwin Rules, who frequently predicts here that home prices in the Baltimore area will fall to 1999 levels, is unfazed: "The higher you fly, the harder you fall. I'll just sit back and wait a bit longer for the inevitable carnage - will be a bit more tenderized after the harder landing."

Many of the comments were negative -- either of the "where's mine?" or "stop wasting money" variety. But as of last night, 80 percent of the people taking the Wonk poll gave the proposal a thumbs up. Five percent more opted for a thumbs sideways.

Wherever you stand on the issue, you'll probably get a laugh out of semiconscious's tongue-in-cheek reaction: "The government should just give us all money to buy homes. ... In fact, we should get money for cars, clothes, vegas vacations and a couple of Gulfstream jets."

No surprise here: Reservoirs are full [Maryland Weather blog]

2009-10-30T13:05:19-07:00

This just in: Baltimore's reservoir system is full to the brim!

Actually, all three reservoirs - Prettyboy, Liberty and Loch Raven - runneth over in the wake of surplus rainfall in the region for five of the last seven months. Here's the straight dope, right from the Department of Public Works:

Liberty: Crest elevation: 420 feet above mean sea level. Current elevation: 420.31 feet. Capacity - 36.8 billion gallons. Available: 36.8 billion gallons

Prettyboy: Crest elevation: 520 feet. Current elevation: 520.34 feet. Capacity - 17.85 billion gallons. Available: 17.85 billion gallons.

Loch Raven: Crest elevation: 240 feet. Current elevation: 240.94 feet. Capacity: 21.2 billion gallons. Available: 21.2 billion gallons.

Total system: Capacity: 75.85 billion gallons. Available: 75.85 billion gallons.

The airport has recorded 6.21 inches of rain so far in October, almost double the long-term average of 3.16 inches. It's tied for the 13th-wettest October since record-keeping began in 1871. And it's the fifth-wettest October for Baltimore since the station of record moved to Friendship Airport (now BWI-Marshall) in 1950.

And there's a good chance, with more rain Saturday, that October 2009 could leap even higher on the chart. Another inch would make it the fifth-wettest October here since 1871. Here are the rankings for Octobers since 1950:

2005: 9.23 inches

1976: 8.09 inches

1971: 6.88 inches

1995: 6.24 inches

2009: 6.21 inches

(SUN PHOTO/Linda Coan/Loch Raven Reservoir, full, August 1999).

Panelists to talk about race, segregation and achievement in schools [InsideEd]

2009-10-30T04:00:00-07:00

The Open Society Institute-Baltimore is hosting a panel discussion Monday evening called "Can We Talk About How Race Affects Our Classrooms?". It's the next installment in OSI's "Talking About Race" series, and will focus on the impact of continued segregation in public schools on achievement, among other issues.

Monday's panel discussion, which is free and open to the public, is to be led by Beverly Daniel Tatum, president of Spelman College, and David Hornbeck, the former superintendent of Philadelphia schools.

The event will be in the Wheeler Auditorium at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral Street, and starts at 7 p.m.

First-time AND second-time home buyer credit? [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-10-29T19:52:19-07:00

Senators have cut a deal to extend and expand the popular first-time home buyer tax credit, though -- as The Wall Street Journal notes -- don't count on it just yet.

The tentative agreement worked out by Senate negotiators would allow buyers to sign contracts through April 30 as long as they close by June 30. First-timers would continue to be eligible for up to $8,000, while some repeat buyers could get up to $6,500.

Which repeat buyers? "The reduced credit would be available to all home buyers who have been in their current residence for a consecutive five-year period in the past eight years," the WSJ reports.

This hasn't yet passed the Senate, which is trying to decide which other economic measures to tack on to a bill, and it faces skepticism in the House. (As you'll recall, a number of people have allegedly claimed the credit despite not qualifying as first-time buyers, not being old enough to buy a house, not actually buying a house, etc.)

What do you think? Weigh in:

Win a technology makeover for your classroom [InsideEd]

2009-10-29T07:50:43-07:00

I received an email about a national "Classroom Makeover Contest" put on by the company eInstruction, involving a prize of $30,000 in educational technology - i.e., interactive white boards, Dell netbooks and a range of software for teaching and testing students - for each of three grand-prize winners. This is the third year of the contest, which is open to primary and secondary students and teachers.

Entrants have to create "short, creative music videos demonstrating how they would use advanced technology to enhance their learning experience in the classroom," according to the company. For your information and entertainment, you can check out some of the entries.

Considering the difficult economic times we're always talking about, I thought I'd share the information in case any of you enterprising and creative teachers might be interested. Deadline is Nov. 10.

Of course, if you do enter, we'd like to see your video.

Foreclosures and financial protection [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-10-29T04:08:13-07:00

The Center for Responsible Lending, a watchdog group that predicted the national implosion of subprime loans before it happened, has a few numbers it wants you to think about:

--134,923: Maryland homeowners behind on their mortgages at the end of June.

--163,479: Maryland foreclosures it predicts between this year and 2012. (If that comes to pass, it would be one in every seven homes with a mortgage, according to my quick check of Census Bureau data.)

The center has numbers for every state -- under the headline "The Impact of Bad Lending" -- and it's reminding us of this now because it's trying to rally support for the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

As real estate columnist Kenneth Harney notes, the agency would oversee real estate and mortgage matters, plus "credit cards, debit cards, consumer loans, payday loans, credit reporting agencies, debt collection, stored-value cards and even investment advisory and financial advisory services, to name only part of the list."

No thanks, says the American Bankers Association. It issued a statement last week to say it has major concerns about "the very broad, ill-defined authority that is granted to this new agency that could be used to justify essentially any regulatory action."

(The bankers do think more regulatory muscle is needed -- just not flexing in their direction. In Congressional testimony, Edward L. Yingling with the bankers group said regulators ought to better enforce rules among "non-bank providers of financial services.")

Another proposal is for a "council of regulators" to keep an eye out for big economic risks like, let's see, an easy-money-fueled housing bubble. But Douglas Elliott of the Brookings Institution is skeptical this would work. He's quoted in a Forbes piece as saying he fears the regulators would be ineffective because we like our tulip manias, thank you very much:

"[Financial bubbles] are invariably quite popular. They arise because a large portion of the population accepts some tenet, such as the inevitability of rising house prices," says Elliott. Imagine if the council had tried to stop the housing bubble in 2005. Instead of averting the Great Recession, they'd be remembered as the regulators who murdered the great wealth-generating housing boom for no reason.

How would you suggest the country try to avoid bubbles in the future? More regulation? Less regulation? Different regulation?

Anti-bubble czar?

City school board continues debate on expulsion [InsideEd]

2009-10-28T13:00:00-07:00

The Baltimore school board delayed a vote on the hottest topic of the season, permanent expulsions, but there continued to be some spirited dialogue during the public comment session last night on the issue.

As the story in the paper today says, the board received a lot of last-minute suggestions on the policy that hadn't been aired sufficiently to warrant a vote last night, according to school board members.

Dennis Moulden, who represents the Parent and Community Advisory Board, spoke in favor of a permanent expulsions policy. "We all have the belt in our closet; we hope that we'll never use it," he said. He suggested the permanent expulsions should be used only as a last resort, but that the threat of an expulsion provides a boundary for students.

After his comments, two other members of the board, Neil Duke and George VanHook, commented that belts had been a common threat used in their families. But David Stone asked Moulden why he would compare an expulsion to an outdated and possibly illegal form of punishment.

Absenteeism affecting schools? [InsideEd]

2009-10-28T07:55:14-07:00

I'm working on a story about how high rates of absenteeism and illness among students are affecting schools. Several school systems throughout the country have already begun to make adjustments: A Florida county is looking to suspend its exam exemption policy to prevent sick students from dragging themselves in to make sure they can get out of finals. Some student athletes in New York are no longer allowed to shake hands after games.

Please send me a note with your stories about how things have changed in your school or district. Are you having to adjust things in the classroom, such as assignments and project deadlines - or facing challenges in terms of just getting through curriculum with so many students out?

Is "not as bad" the new good? [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-10-28T04:01:31-07:00

What qualifies as a housing-market turnaround? I'm curious what you all think as analysts digest Standard & Poor's newest Case-Shiller numbers, which show home prices falling more slowly than before.

Prices in August -- the numbers released Tuesday -- were down about 11 percent from a year ago among the 20 large metro areas Case-Shiller tracks (Washington among them, but not Baltimore). Compare that with a 19 percent year-over-year drop in January. And August prices were up slightly compared with the previous month.

Sean Hannon at the Seeking Alpha blog is not impressed. "If artificially low interest rates, home buyer tax credits, and foreclosure moratoriums could not drive prices higher and lead to a boom in home sales, what hope is there for a stimulus-free recovery?" he asks.

David M. Blitzer, chairman of the index committee at S&P, also had words of caution in a statement released with the numbers. He noted the planned expiration of the first-time buyer tax credit after Nov. 30 and "anticipated higher unemployment rates through year-end."

"Both may have a dampening effect on home prices," Blitzer said.

Forget the analyst-speak and macroeconomics for a moment. What do you want to see to convince you -- as a homeowner or renter -- that the housing market has recovered? Prices no longer dropping? Prices increasing a certain amount? Prices back to their 2006-or-so peaks? Or something else altogether?

And are you holding off on doing something -- buying, selling, renovating, job-hunting -- until you see it?

Jury awards retired Baltimore teacher $210,000 [InsideEd]

2009-10-27T15:23:39-07:00

A Baltimore jury has awarded $210,000 to a retired city teacher who says she wasn't protected from students who assaulted her and was told to give students the answers to questions on the Maryland School Assessments.

The story in the paper today details the allegations the teacher made. What do readers of the blog believe? Was an award correct if she proved to the jury that she had lost income because she had been forced into an early retirement after the principal accused her of being a whistleblower and had her escorted from the building? And what about being forced to use sick leave for seven months after the attack rather than being able to use assault leave, which is unlimited?

Home buying and selling in the Baltimore area [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-10-27T04:08:52-07:00

More buyers signed contracts for homes in the Baltimore metro area last month than a year earlier -- 32 percent more. You knew this already if you've been crunching numbers or hanging on my every word, but here's something I haven't mentioned already: Homes newly listed for sale last month were down slightly.

Fewer homes coming into the pipeline, more going out -- that's all to the good for would-be sellers.

We're not back to a pre-bubble balance between new contracts and new for-sale listings, though. Here's a graph that tells the tale, showing stats for the month of September throughout the decade:

Source: Baltimore Sun analysis of Metropolitan Regional Information Systems data

The number of new listings was 62 percent larger than newly signed contracts last month. By comparison, new listings were about 40 percent more numerous than new contracts in September of 2000 and 2001.

On the upside: 62 percent more new listings than new contracts is a lot closer to normal than 119 percent (September '08) or 165 percent (September '07).

The approximately 4,300 new listings that hit the market last month are also the lowest since 2003, when they dropped below 4,000.

Remodeling in a down market [The Real Estate Wonk]

2009-10-26T04:07:13-07:00

To remodel or not to remodel? It's a question that bedevils homeowners who don't have the answer staring them in the face, i.e. "might as well redo the master bathroom as long as we're fixing the flooding caused by the hole in the roof." Falling home values make the situation that much harder because many folks who might want to update their kitchen or build an addition don't have the equity to do it.

Thus renovations and maintenance work have taken a hit just like home sales. As Lorraine Mirabella reported in a Sunday story about the remodeling business:

Residential permits for alterations, additions and repairs have plummeted 27 percent in metro Baltimore this year through August, compared with the corresponding period in 2008, according to statistics from the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. The number of permits issued through August - 4,552 - has fallen by nearly half since 2006, when activity for the January-to-August period peaked at 8,250 permits, council statistics show.

Some remodeling companies are seeing an increase in business -- one firm recently did work for a customer who'd bought a foreclosure and needed to fix it up, for instance.

All this makes me wonder how many people would be knee-deep in home-improvement projects if this wasn't a down housing market and rough economy. Hmm ... sounds like a poll:

If you're eying a home-improvement project purely because you want to sell soon, keep in mind that your return on investment will probably be negative. At least that's what real estate agents have found since the bubble popped. The 2007 "cost vs. value" report by Remodeling magazine, which collected construction-cost estimates and surveyed appraisers, agents and brokers about resales, concluded that projects producing the most value for money were mostly exterior:

Of projects that saw national cost recovery rates of more than 80 percent in 2007, only one — a minor kitchen remodel, with 83 percent of cost recovered — was a strictly interior job. The others were an upscale siding replacement using fiber cement materials (88.1 percent), a wood deck addition (85.4 percent), midrange vinyl siding replacement (83.2 percent), and upscale vinyl and midrange wood window replacements (81 percent and 81.2 percent, respectively).

On the other hand, if your home is really outdated -- or in screaming need of maintenance -- then you're eliminating a lot of potential buyers if you put it on the market without working on it first. Decisions, decisions.

Buyers: If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing about most of the homes you've seen, what would it be?

Bob Hallett, Baltimore County librarian extraordinaire, dies [InsideEd]

2009-10-21T09:08:53-07:00

In an obituary in today's paper, we mark the passing of one of those teachers who made a difference in the lives of thousands of students over a career that spanned 30 years.

Most of us are lucky if we come in contact with a handful of these gifted teachers in our lifetime. We all know who they are: the teachers whose voices and quirks we can still remember 5 or 40 years after we left their classrooms, who taught lessons that challenged us to think differently about the way the world works. I don't know about you, but I can even remember certain moments in their classrooms.

Perhaps Bob Hallett's final gift was that he will have allowed everyone in the Riderwood Elementary School community to remember to celebrate the achievements of all great teachers while they are with us.

Students pledge to address anti-gay bullying [InsideEd]

2009-10-21T04:00:00-07:00

There's nothing like peer pressure. That is the idea behind Ally Week, a week when lesbian and gay students are asking their straight peers to make a pledge to come to their assistance when they see or hear bullying in their schools.

Nearly nine out of 10 LGBT (lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender) students experience harassment at school because of their sexual orientation, according to a 2007 survey by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

So this week in schools, the LGBT students will ask others to sign a pledge that says they will not use anti-LGBT language or slurs, that they will intervene when it is safe in situations where students are being harassed and they will support efforts to end bullying and harassment.

For more information go to www.allyweek.org. Is there any high school in Maryland where students are taking the pledge?

"Wiki fever" in Baltimore County and beyond [InsideEd]

2009-10-19T15:27:15-07:00

My story in today's paper takes a look at the increasing use of the Web 2.0 tool known as a wiki (not to be confused with Wikipedia, which is certainly in the same family). These online spaces, which allow people to modify, contribute to and comment on content, are starting to take off in schools throughout Baltimore County, as well as the Carroll and Anne Arundel school systems.

You can check out Carroll's pilot wiki, done by social studies students at Northwest Middle last school year, to get an idea of what one looks like.

Teachers at Catonsville Middle, where I had the chance to observe a wiki lesson, say they have already noticed more engagement and interest among students - and several of the kids I spoke with were very much in favor of ditching traditional, hand-written class assignments for good. (I wonder how teachers and parents feel about that.)

One thing I found particularly interesting in all of this is how schools are working to teach students about Web etiquette, training them to flex their digital muscles with care. Could these kids help usher in a new era of online civility? Or is it too much to hope such lessons in polite discourse will stay with them?

Gifted-and-talented conference for Maryland teachers [InsideEd]

2009-10-16T15:26:47-07:00

Today I sat in on an annual conference for gifted-and-talented educators at Randallstown High School, which drew teachers from throughout the state. There were a variety of sessions on ways to inspire creativity and critical thinking among students in math, science, reading and other areas - led by teachers from various area school systems.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Bertie Kingore, a longtime gifted-and-talented educator who also held a session on books and teaching tools.

I thought I'd share some very interesting tips/tidbits from her session and another I attended - some of which could certainly apply to all types of students (or so this non-educator thinks).

A sample of Dr. Kingore's recommended children's books that promote higher-level thinking:

First the Egg, Courage and If the World Were a Village for abstract and critical thinking
My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks, If... and The Dot for art, visual and spatial concepts
Marianthe's Story: Painted Words and Spoken Memories and Winston the Book Wolf for inference
If You Hopped Like a Frog, A Place for Zero and Sir Cumference Series for math concepts and terminology
The Boy Who Loved Words, Once Upon 1001 Stories, Around the House the Fox Chased the Mouse and Mom and Dad Are Palindromes for oral and written language
I Wanna Iguana and Joyful Noise for the concept of point of view
Dear Deer (an exercise in homophones) and Pig in the Spigot for skills and written conventions

Kingore emphasized the importance of teachers documenting what they are doing - showing how they are covering the requirements (testing standards) even as they implement more creative strategies.

She also repeatedly reminded teachers to take Saturdays off.

After the reading workshop, I headed over to one whose title grabbed my attention - and evidently, that of the many teachers who crowded into the classroom: "The Singing Math Teacher."

Baltimore County officials gather to celebrate education [InsideEd]

2009-10-15T13:59:39-07:00

The virtual classroom at Chesapeake High School was packed earlier today with a slew of county and state officials, including two past superintendents.

County Executive James T. Smith has spent this year celebrating the county's 350th anniversary, and this month has been designated for recognizing education. Gathered at Chesapeake this morning were the major players from all segments of the academic pipeline:

Towson University's President Robert Caret
UMBC's President Freeman Hrabowski
CCBC's President Sandra Kurtinitis
President Kevin Manning of Stevenson University
President Sanford Ungar of Goucher College
Former BCPS superintendents Robert Y. Dubel and Anthony G. Marchione
Current Superintendent Dr. Hairston

Stuart Berger, who led the school system in the early 1990s, also was supposed to attend, but he was delayed at the airport.

Although the new hi-tech classroom has been filled with visitors a lot recently, today's group was a unique combination of past and present, particularly in a setting that district officials have touted as the future of education.

Smith gave everyone citations for their service to the county - and the educators spoke of the importance and value of working together, even when it means working with the competition (as in the case of higher education)...while also taking time to highlight what their institutions have to offer, of course.

Teaching science teachers [InsideEd]

2009-10-15T11:21:16-07:00

A study available tomorrow in Science reports that giving teachers better training in their field can have a profound impact on the how well students learn science. A study of teachers' research experiences over time by Samuel Silverstein of Columbia University found that students of teachers who participated in Columbia's Summer Research Program outperformed their peers by 10 percentage points on New York Satte science assessments. The middle and high school teachers each spent a summer working on research under the supervision of science faculty at Columbia. Once a week the teachers got together for programs that were designed to help them better communicate the science to students.

The study says the schools saved money over time because those teachers stayed in their jobs.

City principals say permanent expulsion warranted [InsideEd]

2009-10-14T07:39:49-07:00

The emotional debate over whether the Baltimore City schools should be able to permanently expel students continued at last night's school board meeting with principals coming to testify about their experiences with incidents that involve fires and explosive devices.

Laura D'Anna, the principal of Patterson High School, recounted an incident that happened a year ago when two boys put cleaning fluid in a bottle, shook it up and caused an explosion. The incident, she said, occurred in a hall outside the cafeteria and near the door of a day care center that is operated in the school.

Because no one was sure what was in the fumes, several public agencies came to the school to investigate, including the fire, police and a Hazmat team, she said. The result was that students spent two hours outside the building after a diffiuclt evacuation. "This was really, really traumatic for my school community. It tore at the fabric of the community."

Moving to a new blog - come on over! [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-26T08:48:35-07:00

The one constant in life is change, it seems. Here at The Sun, that means I'm moving to a new blog. Today marks the debut of "B'more Green," devoted to showcasing some of the efforts of Marylanders to live more gently on the land.

This marks farewell for Bay & Environment, a blog I shared for years with now-former colleagues Rona Kobell and Tom Pelton. For nearly a year now, I've held down the B&E fort solo, and I appreciate your patience and dedication. Now I'll be joining Meredith Cohn and Christy Zuccarini at the new blog, where we'll be highlighting green issues around Baltimore while still sharing news and views about the Chesapeake Bay and our environment. So come on over, please!

You can find it by going directly to this link: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/green/ Or go to www.baltimoresun.com and look it up in the blogs. Those of you who've been getting RSS feeds of blog posts will need to subscribe to the new blog.

From Rona: Goodbye (again) and thanks! [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-21T16:18:27-07:00

About nine months ago in this space, I said goodbye. I was embarking on a journalism fellowship at the University of Michigan, where I would spend the year studying economic approaches to environmental sustainability. I promised I would come back, though, and continue to report on the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

I'd called the movers, packed the house, talked to my new bosses about how they want me to cover my beat in the brave new world of Facebook and Twitter. I was working on story ideas, calling sources and looking forward to deadlines again.

Then last week, I heard that two colleagues - both older than I am, both with families to support - were about to get laid off. So I volunteered to be laid off instead, so one of them would be spared. The company will provide me with a severance package that gives me some breathing room to figure out what to do next. I hope the next thing includes environmental reporting, but my next gig isn't lined up yet.

It was a quick decision, and yet one that had been marinating in my mind for months. In a year when we were challenged to figure out what our heart's desires were and to follow them, I realized, for the first time in 16 years, that some of mine lay outside the newsroom walls.

This year, I wrote a screenplay. I read good books. I put more miles on my bike than I did on my car. I picked up my daughter early from school and took her out for ice cream and to the library. I went out with my husband. I cooked dinner occasionally. I traveled - to Russia and Argentina and Northern Michigan and New York. I had time - a luxury foreign to journalists and working mothers - to think about what I want. And what I want is to keep doing all of those things. The two journalists in danger of losing their jobs want to keep them; to the extent that I can make that happen, I want to do that, too.

When I got the Bay beat in 2004, I felt like the luckiest person in the newsroom. I had a job where I got to be out on boats all the time, where I interviewed fascinating people, and where I learned something new every day. To tell you the truth, I never stopped feeling that way - even when I had the worst seasickness you can imagine, it still beat a day sitting at my desk. My mother worked at the same job for two decades and was miserable nearly the whole time, so I knew how rare it was to get to do something I loved and get a bit of a suntan in the process.

My heart may not be in the newspaper anymore, but it will always be with my current and former colleagues - terrific journalists, and great people.

I'll be back in Baltimore at the end of May. Feel free to send any correspondence, love letters, hate mail, life coaching, lunch invitations, freelance work or job offers to rkobell2002@yahoo.com I'll answer. Seems I'll have some time on my hands.

Sincerely,

Rona Kobell

Chesapeake Bay reporter

The Baltimore Sun

"Ghost pots" haunt Maryland waters, too [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-15T07:50:00-07:00

There apparently is an answer - or at least an estimate - of how many derelict crab pots there are bumping around the bottom of Maryland's portion of the Chesapeake Bay.

A few days ago, I posted here about the results of an effort last winter by Virginia watermen to retrieve lost aka "ghost" pots in their waters. They pulled up more than 8,600. At the time, I wondered how many more there might be north of the Old Dominion, still catching and killing crabs and other fish and animals in Maryland waters.

Kim Couranz of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Chesapeake Bay office reports that her people have been hard at work studying the impact of ghost pots in Maryland's portion of the bay. A couple years back, in collaboration with the state Department of Natural Resources, they did a survey and determined there are about 42,000 "ghost" pots loose in Maryland waters.

Next question is, what if anything is to be done about them?

Clearing Maryland's air with cleaner diesel engines [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-15T04:29:30-07:00

You may not fix every problem by throwing money at it, but it sure can help. Maryland is getting $1.73 million in economic stimulus funds to spend on reducing harmful diesel emissions from buses, trucks, ships and construction equipment like the crane pictured above at the Port of Baltimore.

Diesel exhaust contains soot, or fine particulates, and other toxic air pollutants, which research has shown can aggravate asthma, contribute to cardiovascular disease and even cause premature death. Millions of Americans live downwind of places where lots of diesel engines are at work, such as rail yards and ports.

Here in Maryland, the state is working on reducing those unhealthy exposures, with federal help. The Department of the Environment will distribute the funds it's receiving from the Environmental Protection Agency to retrofit existing diesel engines.

The funds were authorized under the Obama administration's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide grants and loans for retrofitting diesel engines. It hasn't been decided yet precisely how the new funds will be spent, but an EPA spokeswoman said they'll generally go to reduce emissions from ships, construction equipment, school buses and trucks.

The diesel-powered dredging equipment shown above at the Port of Baltimore was retrofitted with particulate filters (seen at right) that are supposed to reduce soot emissions by more than 90 percent. The crane was among the retrofits paid for with a $295,000 "clean diesel" grant EPA awarded the state last year. The federal grant - and matching state funds - also paid to retroft buses in Rockville and in Prince George's and Washington counties.

Government funds can be spent on cleaning up government-owned diesel emissions, but the privately owned oceangoing vessels that call at ports also are a significant source of harmful air pollutants. A recent report by the EPA Inspector General's office estimated that commercial marine vessels accounted for 69 percent of the sulfur dioxide emitted at the port, and more than a quarter of the soot, or fine particulates that can get in lungs and cause health problems.

EPA announced earlier this year that it plans to reduce ship pollution within 200 miles of U.S. shores under a new international agreement. U.S. and foreign-flagged ships are to be required to use dramatically cleaner fuel and more effective pollution controls for their engines, the agency said. For more on that, go here.

(Photos supplied by Bill McAllen, Charm City Publishing)

A jaundiced view of the Bay cleanup [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-14T04:50:35-07:00

While the press coverage of the annual Chesapeake Bay summit this week focused on President Obama promising a stronger federal role in the cleanup effort, and state officials pledging to accelerate their pollution reductions, Howard Ernst isn't buying any of it.

The associate professor of political science at the Naval Academy has written one critical book on the shortcomings of the restoration effort, Chesapeake Bay Blues. He's got a new, updated account heading to the printer now.

"It certainly doesn't seem like a new direction for the bay restoration effort," Ernst said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "There's nothing new about more deadlines, more promises. What's missing .... is the funding and statutory powers that would make those deadlines accomplishable, make those goals attainable. "

Ernst was similarly dismissive of the new 2025 long-term cleanup "end date." He noted that officials were careful to say that would not be the year when the bay is actually restored but when all the policies and reductions are in place that they believe should restore it.

"It's back to business as usual," he says, "creating a deadline (when) none of these elected officials will hold their positions. So much for accountability."

As for the executive order issued by Obama, Ernst says it does nothing except delay action by another four months. It gives the Environmental Protection Agency 120 days to determine what regulatory powers it has or needs to require the bay cleanup, he contends, even though the Clean Water Act outlining those powers was enacted in 1972. The order also sets up a "federal leadership committee" to coordinate the bay cleanup efforts of the various federal agencies and departments - "another layer of bureaucracy," the critic says.

"There's never been a better opportunity for doing something tangible and big right now," Ernst concluded, "and the EPA and the bay states missed that opportunity."

Anyone share Ernst's criticism, or maybe have a different view? Is this about the best that can be done, perhaps, given our lousy economy and traditional resistance by many to being regulated or taxed to pay for cleanup? Will new deadlines every two years prod the politicians to do more now, instead of putting off the tough decisions to their successors?

Uh, about those milestones .... [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-13T12:36:14-07:00

There was a lot of talk at Mount Vernon on Tuesday about "a new day" dawning in the long struggle to restore Chesapeake Bay, with President Obama declaring the bay a national treasure and states agreeing to short-term pollution reduction plans, aka "milestones." Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, head of the bay Executive Council (pictured at right), called it a "turning point," though he acknowledged there was still a lot of work to do. The cleanup effort now is being ramped up and is going to be much more accountable, we were told.

But take a look at those milestones, at least the two-page summaries handed out to the press and now posted online. They skimp on key details, especially on what the backup plans are in case those measures fall short, and on what the consequences will be if the states blow these new milestones. We'll have to wait for those information gaps to be filled, we were told.

Next, look at the graphs showing how much nitrogen and phosphorus pollution each state promises to eliminate. The graphs start at several million or tens of millions of pounds. not at zero. Had the graphs had a scale that showed how far pollution ultimately has to be reduced by the "end date" of 2025, the divergence between past reductions and future promises would have looked a lot smaller.

Then there's the case of the mysterious missing information on a few of the states' milestone statements. The two-page outlines of cleanup efforts for the entire six-state bay region and for Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia showed graphs with two diverging lines, depicting pollution reductions already in progress and even greater efforts those states were committing to make by 2011. The graphs projected accelerations of cleanup ranging from 52 to 502 percent.

But the summaries handed out Tuesday for Delaware, the District of Columbia, New York and West Virginia showed only one line on their graphs. Each graph depicted the pollution reductions that were being pledged through 2011. Missing was any line projecting the rate at which pollution would go down based on efforts already under way.

Drafts of the milestone documents circulated only a few days before Tuesday's summit did show current and future rates of cleanup. The District, New York and West Virginia all were shown making less progress in the next few years than they had been making up to now. That's right - negative progress. For New York, the drafts showed a 15 percent backslide on the rate of nitrogen reductions, and for West Virginia a 61 percent slippage in nitrogen and a 45 percent decline in phosphorus removal rates.

The graph lines and calculations showing negative progress were missing from the final milestone documents handed out Tuesday at Mount Vernon. What would George Washington think?

"Ghost pots" kill crabs - and more [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-12T06:57:42-07:00

The roundup last winter by Virginia watermen of derelict crab pots found there are plenty of them lurking in the Chesapeake Bay - and they keep catching and killing crabs, and other aquatic life.

Virginia paid out-of-work crabbers $300 a day plus fuel to scour the bay bottom for the "ghost pots,"as they're known - wire-mesh crab traps that get lost when cut loose from their markers by storms or passing boats. Using side-imaging sonar, they found and retrieved more than 8,600, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, which set up and supervised the effort. They also collected 61 abandoned fishing nets, plus assorted other debris, including a baby stroller.

The pots evidently keep catching years after they've been lost. As seen in this photo from VIMS, the recovered pots held almost 5,000 crabs and other animals, including fish, eels, turtles, a duck and a muskrat. Scientists figure each derelict pot, if still functional, can catch and kill up to 50 crabs a year.

If that many abandoned pots were found in Virginia waters of the bay, how many might there be in Maryland?

A plugged-in bay cleanup summit - sort of [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-12T05:28:57-07:00

State, federal and local officials gather at Mount Vernon in Virginia today to chart a new, reputedly more accountable course for jump-starting the long-running effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay. Gov. Martin O'Malley says he'll lay out a plan for accelerating pollution reductions by 2.5 times the current pace. He joined scientists Monday for a look at the Bush River near Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County, one of a handful of places in the bay where noticeable progress has been made in recent years. You can read more about it in The Baltimore Sun.

For those who can't make it to George Washington's Potomac River home, much of it will be Webcast live. Go here, starting around 11 a.m. You should also be able to get live updates via Twitter @chesbayprogram Starting around 12:30 p.m., there'll also be a panel discussion with scientists, an ex-politician (former Maryland Rep. Wayne Gilchrest), activists and a waterman about the economic, cultural and ecological importance of restoring the bay. Billed as a first, this "Chesapeake Chat" will be moderated by Sheilah Kast, host of public-radio WYPR's "Maryland Morning" show.

Of course, you'll only be able to follow the public proceedings - not the lengthy closed-door huddle of the governors, EPA administrator and others as they chew over what they're going to publicly announce at the end of the shindig, around 2 p.m. How accountable is that?

Shore rural land preservation bid fails [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-06T05:14:02-07:00

An effort to slow the loss of forest and farmland in Wicomico County fell short yesterday as the Eastern Shore county's council narrowly defeated a measure that would have tightened rural development rules.

By a 4-3 vote, the council rejected a hotly debated proposal to delete the county's so-called "clustering" rule, which allowed builders to put homes on three-acre lots as long as half the farm is spared from development. If approved, the measure would have scaled back the number of homes that could be built in rural areas.

The move, which was unanimously recommended by the county's planning commission, was supported by environmental and conservation groups, by residents upset with sprawl and even by some farmers. But other farmers and real estate interests vehemently opposed the change, saying it would deprive rural landowners of income they could make by selling to developers.

Development of rural land fragments wildlife habitat and increases pollution of streams and the bay. Wicomico, in the heart of the Shore, has been losing farmland at a rapid clip. According to an analysis by environmental groups, more home lots were approved outside of the county's designated growth area in 2007 than at any time since the mid-1990s. USA Today reported that six out of 10 homes in the county are beyond the reach of fire hydrants.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, which had backed the downzoning, issued a statement calling the vote disappointing. The environmental group noted that the downzoning had been proposed by a group the county council had appointed to study how to preserve more rural land.

"Our current policies put the future of the county's rural lands at risk," said Alan Girard, head of CBF's "Heart of the Chesapeake" office in Salisbury.

The Salisbury Daily Times reported that after the vote, Wicomico County Executive Richard M. Pollitt Jr. said he would form a commission to try again at drafting the "nuts and bolts" of a land preservation scheme.

New downtown local farmers' market [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-05T16:35:45-07:00

For all the locavores out there, there's a new farmers' market in town. Every Tuesday from now until October, local farmers will be selling fresh fruits, vegetables, artisan cheese, eggs and more in the park in front of the University of Maryland Medical Center, along the Paca Street sidewalk.

The medical center, University of Maryland Baltimore and the local community have teamed up to bring fresh, locally grown food to the workers, patients, visitors and residents of that busy corner of downtown. Local food reduces the energy and air pollution caused by long-distance transportation, according to advocates, and the types of food offered are generally pretty healthy.

Ed Fishel, the university spokesman who took the accompanying photo of the market's opening day today, reports that vendors were selling French bread, range-grown chickens, cheese from western Maryland goats' milk, apples and flowers. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

A contest to cheer: Local students team up to save streams [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-05T09:23:45-07:00

If you're a little tired of overhyped TV game and talent shows, here's a contest with some real green behind it. A pair of Hanover middle school students has made it to the finals of a national contest aimed at encouraging American youth to make environmental change in their communities.

Luke and Jack Andraka, students at Chesapeake Science Point public charter school in Anne Arundel County, are representing Maryland in the "Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge." Team AMD, as they are known, are vying with 21 other states' teams for either the grand prize or one of two national prizes. Besides bragging rights, they stand to win an appearance on the "Planet Green" TV network or even an "adventure trip."

The Andraka team is trying to develop a grassroots campaign to clean up the acid mine drainage that plagues many streams and rivers in the coalfields of western Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The boys' dad and team mentor, Steven Andraka, explained that his family spends its summers and many weekends at a place near Morgantown, W.Va. and they noticed that the local stream there, a tributary of the Cheat River, was impaired by acidic seepage from mining activity.

Various state and federal government agencies are working to curtail acid mine drainage, which can impair and even kill off fish and other aquatic life in streams contaminated with metals and acid from old coal mines. But with the encouragement and guidance of their dad, the boys - Luke, 14, and Jack, 12 - set out to devise a way for school or community groups to do something about the problem on their own.

Scientists urge cutback in DDT use in Africa, Asia [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-04T10:49:12-07:00

An international group of environmentalth health experts is warning against the growing practice of spraying the pesticide DDT in homes in malaria-plagued African and Asian countries.

Marla Cone, writing for Environmental Health News, reports that the group of 15 scientists, led by a University of California epidemiologist, urges that DDT be used only as a last resort, even to fight a deadly disease like malaria. People are at risk of serious health effects from the pesticide when it is sprayed in their homes to kill malaria-bearing mosquitoes, the group said.

The scientists' stance is likely to reignite a debate about the safety of DDT, which has been banned for decades in the United States and much of the rest of the world. The US banned it in 1972 after scientists found it building up in the food chain and that it was behind steep declines in populations of bald eagles, pelicans and other wildlife.

Public health experts, however, have argued that the pesticide is the only one effective at fighting malaria in Africa and Asia. Spraying it in homes was officially endorsed by the World Health Organization and by a U.S. aid program to fight world malaria that was launched by former President George W. Bush. Here's a link to WHO's guidelines for indoor residential spraying.

Malaria remains one of the world's deadliest diseases, claiming about 880,000 lives a year. But Cone reports that the scientists, who reviewed some 500 studies, concluded that because of the health problems that could be caused by DDT, it “should be used with caution, only when needed, and when no other effective, safe and affordable alternatives are locally available.”

Among the health risks the scientists cited: reduced fertility, genital birth defects, breast cancer, diabetes and damage to developing brains.

Are Marylanders actually paying too little for electricity? [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-04T08:11:21-07:00

Are electricity rates in Maryland too low to promote conservation among consumers? That's what a local economist suggests. In an interview published in Maryland Commons, an online journal of news and commentary, Professor Tim Brennan at University of Maryland, Baltimore County argues that letting electricity rates rise is the best way to get consumers to conserve.

Brennan also says he favors putting a price on climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions, either through some kind of tax or cap-and-trade scheme.

"One of those may be better than the other for environmental or political reasons, but either goes a long way toward preventing all of us from regarding the atmosphere as a free dump for the exhaust from our burning," he said.

Brennan also questions the recent efforts by legislators and Gov. Martin O'Malley to re-regulate power generation, suggesting that the current political pressures to hold down prices while also trying to reduce consumption may be discouraging power plant construction.

What do you think? How many are cutting back because it's the right thing to do, and how many to save money? Have you done anything to conserve energy in your life? Increase insulation in your home, turn down the thermostat or drive less? Were you conserving more when prices were higher recently?

To read more of Carrie Madren's Q&A with Brennan, go here.

See where Baltimore's water comes from [Bay & Environment]

2009-05-02T17:14:40-07:00

Ever wonder where your tapwater comes from On Sunday, you can see it, up close and raw. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., people can visit the three drinking-water reservoirs Baltimore city maintains to supply the region and learn how its safety is maintained.

Walk out on Loch Raven Dam, like you used to be able to do, and get a presentation from the engineers who oversaw reconstruction of the impoundment. You can hear, too, about the Gunpowder Valley and its role in the region's water supply. Up in the Pines area, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., check out a presentation by "Scales and Tales" of what animals occupy the reservoir watersheds.

Guided hikes, fly fishing lessons and more, including live music. All part of the kickoff of National Water Week. Call 396-3500 for more information. (Warning: Event may be canceled if it's raining cats and dogs.)

New blog [You Don't Say]

2009-05-01T09:19:21-07:00

Find John and "observations on language and the craft of editing, with additional reflections on subjects of no necessary connection with the former topics," at his new blog, johnemcintyre.blogspot.com.

A good run [You Don't Say]

2009-04-29T03:38:46-07:00

When in 2006 I celebrated my 20th anniversary at The Baltimore Sun, my wife, Kathleen Capcara, made a magnificent cake for the copy desk and wrote on it, "20 to life."

I did not anticipate then an early parole.

Yesterday, the grim economics of the newspaper business made April 28 my last day at the paper. It was, as they say in theatrical circles, a good run. I had more than two decades of the company of some of the smartest and funniest people I have ever known, working for supportive editors of the paper, and in all that time we struggled day after day to make The Sun a formidable newspaper. We succeeded more often than we failed, and no man has been more fortunate in his colleagues than I have.

But when the curtain falls, you are supposed to get off the stage, and this is my final post at baltimoresun.com. I expect to continue blogging elsewhere, but you will no longer find me at my post here. In addition to colleagues who have been great fun, I have had the good fortune to collect a remarkable corps of loyal readers, and I salute you all with gratitude and affection. You have enriched my life.

Maryland's air still a health threat, despite some gains [Bay & Environment]

2009-04-29T03:25:03-07:00

Despites some improvements over the past decade, the air most Marylanders breathe still can make them sick and even cause premature death.

That's the upshot of a new report by the American Lung Association, which after analyzing air quality readings from 2005 through 2007 finds that Baltimore city ranks 15th among U.S. counties with the worst short-term particle pollution.

The greater Washington-Baltimore region was judged to have the 14th worst ozone pollution, with 28.8 days a year, on average, when smog reached unhealthful levels. That's better than it used to be. A decade ago, the region averaged 42 days a year of bad ozone. But the short-term trend is headed in the wrong direction - the region only had 26.3 days of unhealthful ozone levels from 2004 through 2006, according to the group.

Though fine-particle pollution is worse in the city, it's a problem elsewhere in the state as well. Baltimore County joined the city in earning a "failing" grade from the lung association for short-term particle levels, while Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties got "D"s for having at least a handfull of days with harmful particle pollution every year.

Baltimore once ranked second only to Los Angeles for having the worst summertime ozone, or smog. Ozone levels have improved, with fewer days of really high readings. But that good news has been offset by research finding that air pollution is still harmful at lower levels. In response, the Environmental Protection Agency last year tightened its standards on ozone pollution.

Of 15 counties in Maryland where air quality is monitored, all but two scored failing grades for ozone pollution from the lung association. The only two that didn't flunk - Baltimore city and Worcester County - didn't have enough air data to analyze, the group said.

Ozone is produced when chemicals from vehicle exhaust and power plants mix in hot sunlight. It can cause a sunburn-like inflammation of lungs and bronchial passages, leading to shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing and coughing. It can worsen asthma and even cause premature death.

Particle pollution is also a silent killer. It's a toxic mix of microscopic soot containing chemicals and metals from diesel exhaust and other forms of combustion. Even short-term exposure to elevated levels can cause health problems, including heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks and premature death.

Maryland's air picture is mirrored nationally. Despite progress in many cities over the past decade in curbing ozone pollution, the lung association found that 60 percent of Americans still breathe harmful levels of either ozone or particle pollution. The group wants EPA to tighten air pollution cleanup requirements even more - meanwhile, it urges people to drive less and use less electricity, avoid burning wood or trash and urge local school systems to replace old diesel buses with cleaner vehicles.

To read the ALA's latest "State of the Air" report, go here. You can also find out how the air is in your area by typing in your Zip code.

Regrettable errors [You Don't Say]

2009-04-28T05:39:00-07:00

I’ve always thought that one of the charming things about newspapers is the way they fess up to errors. The practice probably has its roots in law — making that correction to avoid getting sued — but it is consonant with publications’ efforts to maintain credibility with accurate reporting.

If you enjoy that sort of thing, at the Web site Regret the Error, Craig Silverman republishes the daily corrections of the news media, along with an annual summary of plagiarisms and other misdeeds.

We don’t typically run corrections of typographical errors or slips in grammar and usage (Complaints about the latter categories tend to be funneled to me); instead we correct errors of fact or omissions. I recall a correction from many years ago about a recipe for hearty cheese soup that had omitted the instruction to add half a gallon of warm water. Anyone who attempted the recipe as originally published is probably receiving high colonics to this day.

Superstitions accrue to newspapers like barnacles to the hull of a ship.* The superstition about corrections is that one must not repeat the original error. This, too, probably has a legal root, out of apprehension that republishing the error could widen exposure to a lawsuit. But observing this superstition leads to opaque corrections like this one from The Sun, one of my favorites:

In early editions of The Sun yesterday, the wrong sea turtle was pictured being released in Virginia.

It was corrections like this that led a former editor to issue a firm instruction that the error may be repeated in a correction whenever it is necessary for clarity.

I wish newspapers had more editors firmly insisting on clarity.

*Probably the most widespread superstition is the prohibition on whistling in the newsroom. I was told when just a tyro that it originated because someone was whistling in the newsroom of a San Francisco newspaper at the moment of the great earthquake of 1906.

So it has come to this [You Don't Say]

2009-04-27T13:06:56-07:00

A colleague who is taking a graduate-level course has asked a number of us to respond to questions about the nature and future — if any — of copy editing.

The means of production

Copy editors have always been the hinge between writing/editing and the physical production of newspapers and books. The great change that occurred on copy desks during the last quarter of the 20th century was the elimination of printers in composing rooms and the transfer of formatting and typesetting production to copy desks. Mention CCI., SSI,. DTI, Harris or Unisys to a group of copy editors, and you can watch the blood drain from their faces.

The process has accelerated in this century, with production of electronic copy added to the production of print copy. The new inspiration is the editing of "platform-neutral" copy: text that can then be manipulated for print and electronic publication.

The effect has been that as staffing on copy desks has declined, more and more time has been taken up by formatting and coding for production purposes, with less and less time allowed for the editing. The struggle to maintain the standards of factual accuracy, grammatical precision, and clarity remains.

One side effect: Because writers, most editors and many managers remain determinedly ignorant of the details of production, lest they lose caste, the copy desk’s immersion in these details has not generated an improved reputation for copy editors.

The schooling of editors

It’s impressive that some journalism programs are investing in state-of-the-art equipment for the training of their majors, but they will probably find that keeping the equipment state-of-the-art is an expensive and losing battle. But it’s likely that the young will embrace new technology — Facebook, Twitter and whatever will succeed them — faster than their elders.

What continues to be lacking in journalism education is a thorough grounding in the use of the language. Many Journalism majors have the sketchiest grasp of English grammar and usage, and much of what they do think they know consists of superstitions and bad advice. (Imagine a medical student who had either no training in anatomy or, worse, Galen’s.)

They have also had very little training in the structural analysis of texts. I don’t mean what used to be called structuralism, but the ability to identify the focus in a text, to anatomize its structure, to examine how effectively the elements are organized in that structure, to comment with authority on metaphor and the use of other rhetorical devices.

The future of editing

So long as people have difficulty writing with precision and clarity, copy editing will be useful. Whether that usefulness will be recognized, however, is questionable. The “dead-tree media” — newspapers, magazines, books — are dismissing their copy editors at an alarming rate to cut costs. Electronic media have never invested all that heavily in editors to begin with. These developments have been accompanied by a great deal of asinine rationalization to the effect that writers don’t really require all that much editing.

So, you smart young people who want to get into the paragraph game, who show some ability and enthusiasm for the act of editing, there is an enormous need for your services. The potential inner satisfactions of taking low-grade prose and turning it into something clearer, more forceful, and more precise have never been greater. Unfortunately, you may not be able to land a job, and any job you land is unlikely to lead to prosperity. For you, going into editing will be like following a monastic vocation. God bless you, and don’t forget to write.

Strict, stricken, Strunk [You Don't Say]

2009-04-25T12:24:48-07:00

In this, the last post I intend to write about The Elements of Style, I draw your attention to Geoffrey Pullum’s Language Log post with links to New York Times commentary on “the little book” by Language Hat, Grammar Girl and other eminences. Particularly telling is Language Hat’s evaluation of the beloved book as “the mangiest of stuffed owls.”

Of my own comments on the matter, I have only this to add. I have a sentimental recollection of encountering The Elements of Style at 18. But like many of the other delights one may recollect from youth — first loves, kir royales, amateur guitar playing — it does not hold up well on repeated encounter.

Second-best is good enough [You Don't Say]

2009-04-25T09:11:34-07:00

A little digression into presidential politics.

Robert V. Remini’s biography of Henry Clay includes this little nugget from the presidential election of 1844:

[W]hat many of Clay’s critics held against him, it seemed, was his outstanding ability. They did not want a statesman in the White House. They preferred men of lesser talents. Clay “may be a more brilliant orator” than Polk, conceded the Richmond Enquirer on October 28, “but we do not want splendid eloquence to conduct the executive department." He may be a “more dashing politician” than his opponent, “but we do not want any high flying and daring politician, who soars beyond the constitution” in pursuit of some “extravagant object. ... We want no aspiring ‘moon-reaching’ president.

The Republic will sometimes, luckily, place a Lincoln or a Franklin Roosevelt or some other exceptional person in the White House, but a look at that dim group between Jackson and Lincoln, or most of the chief magistrates between Lincoln and the first Roosevelt, among others, points to a strong recurring preference for unthreatening, genial mediocrity.

Evil surrounds us [You Don't Say]

2009-04-24T12:33:06-07:00

The latest threat to the English language, public discourse and the intellectual development of children is — wait for it — Twitter. Language Log rounds up some of the most egregious examples of threat-or-menace writing, but that post is two days old and almost certainly out of date.

Nancy Friedman has gotten some attention with a delightful send-up of Maureen Dowd on Twitter, “Ms. Dowd Interviews the Inventor of the Telephone.” In doing so, she reminds us of the multiplicity of these threats to Civilization as We Know It.

There was also radio (“Red Rubber Ball” as a specimen of the richness of metaphor in pop music). There was broadcast television insidiously weakening the minds of the American public (Gilligan’s Island). Now we have cable television accelerating the rot (reality shows, Donald Trump). And Facebook. (Of the “five most” quiz selections, the one that appeals the most is the Five People I Want to Punch in the Face, but, unfortunately, I do not know the identity of the inventor of Facebook’s “five most” quizzes.)

Twitter, like the telephone, radio, television and Internet, affords multiple opportunities for wasting valuable time with inane stuff, and, like the telephone, radio, television and the Internet, it is useful within limits. It’s up to people to arrive at sensible limits. People who waste their time and yours on Twitter would, lacking Twitter, waste their time and yours in some other manner.

I thought that the silly season fell in the summer, but perhaps global climate change has sent it out of whack. In addition to the nonsense about Twitter, we have the governor of Texas apparently advocating secession — an issue we thought was settled one April morning 144 years ago at a little town in Virginia. We have Rod Blagojevich talking about starring in a reality TV show, which would out-Trump Trump. We have George Will carrying on about the evil cultural influence of denim — and providing fodder for Stephen Colbert and half the bloggers in the known world.

Take a break, people. Close this page. Get out of the basement. Turn off the TV. Make yourself a cup of tea. Pick up a book. The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell’s breezy account of our half-loony Puritan forebears, can give you a little perspective. You need it.

Watch out [You Don't Say]

2009-04-24T07:49:51-07:00

A point that I was laboring to make in the post “Crisis of authority” is expressed more compactly in Sarah Vowell’s latest book, The Wordy Shipmates:

... Protestantism’s shedding away of authority ... inspires self-reliance—along with a dangerous disregard for expertise. So the impulse that leads to democracy can also be the downside of democracy—namely, a suspicion of people who know what they are talking about.

Not that I am saying that Protestantism, self-reliance and democracy are Bad Things — I endorse all of them, and the Internet too. But we should keep our wits about us and be conscious of the limitations and dangers inherent in them.

Surely you jest: The parks department [You Don't Say]

2009-04-24T05:21:33-07:00

Stirring up the animals [You Don't Say]

2009-04-23T16:13:27-07:00

The title of this post is H.L. Mencken’s description of his favorite occupation, provoking the dim and bigoted of his day. I will confess to a taste for it myself — and how could I deny it after tweaking those earnest Wikipediasts and the horde at The Web Site That Must Not Be Named? — which leads me today to direct your attention to a venerable group of cranks.

The Abbeville Manual of Style blog reports in "Supreme Court Shakespeare Screw-Up!" on the decision by a group of venerable jurists, inveigled into one of those inane mock trials of historical issues, that William Shakespeare was not the author of the plays of William Shakespeare.

Anti-Stratfordism has been a magnet for cranks since the 19th century, and their numbers appear to be annually replenished. It appears to draw people who are screwy about credentials, since Shakespeare lacked the two, noble blood and university education, that appear to matter to them.

That Shakespeare was widely acknowledged as the author in his own time, that the cranks have to resort to ingenious manipulations of known chronology (Christopher Marlowe and the Earl of Oxford having inconveniently died before all the Shakespeare plays were produced), or that they can only establish alternative authorship through bizarre and unproved (and unprovable) conspiracy theories does not give them pause.

And why should it? The Internet is a real big tent, and it can accommodate many freak shows. And that publishers continue to bring out the occasional anti-Stratfordian book indicates that the easily gulled remain, as ever, a lucrative market.

This way to the egress.

A burr under the saddle [You Don't Say]

2009-04-23T15:25:01-07:00

This comment by Mr. Ross at the “All the noise” post has been a source of minor agitation for the past two days:

...a refusal to arrive at agreed-upon facts. Like the existence of weapons of mass destruction? A refusal to agree on that kind of fiction would certainly seem to be something to be thankful for. In any case, I am less than convinced about the "discourse" you say people used to seek in newspapers, as almost all news consumers seem to select the sources which most closely reflect their prejudices. Internet is not really different in that way, but it is at least less susceptible to the kind of deliberate distorsion we have come to expect from the Murdochs, Berlusconis and Hearsts of this world. A little grafitti-level discourse is a small price to pay, at worst a nuisance, like spam in your email (and sometimes even spam can be entertaining).

The initial rhetorical question is an allusion to The New York Times, which the comment subsequently equates with the Murdoch and Berlusconi publications. The first thing that irritates me is this leveling, this shrugging that all newspapers are equally biased and unreliable as well as obsolete.

Surely there are distinctions. When the Jayson Blair scandal blew up, the editor of The Times lost his job. The newspaper published its findings in an investigation that I cite each semester in my copy-editing class; the printout runs to 17 pages. When the Jack Kelley scandal hit USA Today, the paper published a front-page account that ran to two full pages inside the section. It would have been a good thing had editors raised more questions about those gentlemen, and if the questions that were raised had been heeded, but it was responsible for the two papers to confront the lapses squarely.

And there are distinctions to be made. There are good reasons that so many people read The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, even if they happen to disagree with the editorial positions of the papers. One of those reasons is that the two papers are rigorous in their editing, in their determination to verify the information they publish and to present it in clear and comprehensible English. That the results can fall short of the goal is a given in human experience, but it does not mean that the effort is pointless.

That effort, the struggle by editors, including copy editors, to make it right and make it clear is the second ground of my irritation. There are hundreds and thousands of copy editors still at newspapers and magazines and even some Web sites who are struggling every day to accomplish that feat of making the publication right and making it clear. I have worked alongside such people for nearly 30 years; I know how hard they work, and I know how much they accomplish. That our masters in these three decades have made boneheaded business decisions — for which we have had front-row seats — and that a changing business climate is decimating our ranks does not in any way detract from the effort and the accomplishment.

If you think otherwise, have a look at what you get without editors. I look at some of the offal available on the Web and marvel at the suggestion that the Internet is less given to distortion than the daily press. The writing is not necessarily any better, either.

Against the grain [You Don't Say]

2009-04-22T13:39:39-07:00

I wouldn’t call it a challenge, precisely, but Kevin Cross has filed a thoughtful suggestion: “Much of your blog is about writing gone wrong. I thought it might be interesting to highlight those occasions when writers get it right.”

Those of us in the dwindling ranks of copy editors are not engaged to sit at the desk for eight hours admiring the work. Our specialty is pathology; we are looking for things that have gone wrong. So the suggestion that this blog should feature writing worth praise and admiration poses a difficulty. Panegyric doesn’t come easily to us.

Oh, there have been some occasional mentions, such as Robertson Davies on language in The Rebel Angels: “Funny how languages break down and turn into something else. Latin was rubbed away until it degenerated into dreadful lingos like French and Italian and Spanish, and lo! people found out that quite new things could be said in those degenerate languages — things nobody had ever thought of in Latin. English is breaking down now in the same way — becoming a world language that every Tom Dick and Harry must learn, and speak in a way that would give Doctor Johnson the jim-jams.”

I once cited my favorite passage from Nabokov’s Pnin and on another occasion admired Bill Glauber’s elegant opening to an article on the funeral of one of the Kray brothers.

I’ve been quoting Mencken since high school, and in light of the past week’s brouhaha over The Web Site That shall Not Be Named, this seemed apposite: “Here [in the United States] the general average of intelligence, of knowledge, of competence, of integrity, of self-respect, of honor is so low that any man who knows his trade, does not fear ghosts, has read fifty good books, and practices the common decencies stands out as brilliantly as a wart on a bald head, and is thrown willy-nilly into a meager and exclusive aristocracy.”

When I was in graduate school, Lytton Strachey on the scholar’s lot struck a chord: “In the early years of the eighteenth century the life of learning was agitated, violent, and full of extremes. ... One sat, bent nearly double, surrounded by four circles of folios, living to edit Hesychius and confound Dr. Hody, and dying at the last with a stomach half full of sand.”

Mr. Cross was kind enough to suggest a couple of examples by Louis Menand from The New Yorker:

An example from one of my favorites, Louis Menand:

"Jean-Paul Sartre preferred the company of women."

This guy knows how to write an intro.

Another Menand favorite, albeit a mite clunky:

"The first punctuation mistake in "Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation" (Gotham; $17.50), by Lynne Truss, a British writer, appears in the dedication, where a nonrestrictive clause is not preceded by a comma. It is a wild ride downhill from there."

Perhaps you would like to suggest some favorite passages.

Sometimes people are just wrong [You Don't Say]

2009-04-21T14:04:54-07:00

I commend to your attention Arnold Zwicky’s post on Language Log, “Prejudices, egocentrism, impositions and intransigence.” It is as neat and compact a summary of the different categories of peevishness and misguided certainty about language as I have seen.

Many of the complaints that come in from readers of The Sun point out embarrassing lapses in our print and electronic editions, but many also fall into the categories that Professor Zwicky describes. And it is typically the people who are wrong who are most stubborn and intemperate, most resistant to explanation.

Particularly tedious are the people who imagine that English is in decline and that “correct” English needs some kind of official “protection” from the barbarians who are destroying it. This belief, which has cropped up regularly for at least the past five centuries, displays a profound misunderstanding of the nature of the language and its operation.

The only way we are going to get to an intelligent discussion of grammar and usage — particularly in the area of concern for this blog, the ways that standard American English can be written most effectively — is to become willing to examine our own preconceptions and prejudices, with an eye to adjusting them to the realities of the language.

If, in the process, we could avoid tirades and denunciations, that, too, would be progress.

Professor Zwicky has closed the comments on his post, but you can feel free to respond here.

All the noise [You Don't Say]

2009-04-21T06:54:38-07:00

One of the many things the Internet has accomplished is to make generally available the kind of commentary previously restricted to the walls of men’s rooms.

It’s all there: the relaxation of inhibitions afforded by anonymity; the indulgence in prejudice, hostility, anger and contempt; the hyper-masculinity*; and even an occasional lone flash of imagination and wit.

My estimable colleague, David Sullivan of The Philadelphia Inquirer, recently contrasted that kind of discourse with the kind people used to seek in newspapers: “Newspapers — which exist in a world of ‘Let us tell you something we have determined to be right and you do not know and realistically you could never find out on your own’ — simply can't compete with ‘Let me show you what a dude I am.’ "**

This coarsening of public discussion appears to go hand in hand with a refusal to arrive at agreed-upon facts. It is not just that there are differences of opinion being aired; one expects vigorous disagreement over aesthetic judgments and political views. What is disturbing is that if you differ from my perception of reality, I will simply heap personal abuse on you.

The phenomenon itself is not novel — one recalls the vicious pamphleteering between Protestants and Roman Catholics during the 16th and 17th centuries or the scurrilous accusations that have marked American politics from the earliest days of the Republic.

But the sheer volume of it — volume in both senses, quantity and decibel level — is disturbing. It crowds out much of what attempts to be reasonable.

*Observation suggests that men who are assured in their masculinity see no particular need to comment on the masculinity of others.

**These comments should in no way be construed as a reflection on a certain popular Web site whose members — many of whom, I am assured, hold the Ph.D. — engage in freewheeling discussion, genial banter and amusing personal remarks.

Avast, Matey, heave to [You Don't Say]

2009-04-18T17:57:27-07:00

Given the rate at which print and electronic publications and publishing houses have been discarding their copy editors, it seemed only a matter of time until the last of us, stuffed and mounted, or perhaps mummified, would be put on display at the Smithsonian, along with Martha, the last passenger pigeon.

But walking around Fells Point’s Privateer Day with my daughter this afternoon, I caught a glimpse of a possible future for us.

In the 18th century (good times), nations that came up short on naval resources resorted to privateers, essentially pirates who were licensed to plunder and, at least officially, limited in their targets. For our beached copy editors, the role of privateer could open up fresh possibilities for employment.

Some official organization — a logical one being the American Copy Editors Society, perhaps at its forthcoming national conference in Minneapolis — would issue letters of marque authorizing copy-editing privateers to board offending publications, seize texts and deal with them appropriately.

Some technical details — the precise wording of the letter of marque, the design of the flag under which copy-editing privateers would operate — remain to be worked out. But a fleet could be operational in comparatively short order.

For those of you who imagine that your writing is pristine and that readers will long for unmediated contact with you: Heave to and prepare to be boarded.