Hello, and welcome to Baltimore! We invite you to stop by for a visit and "Find your happy place."
Yep, that's the $500,000 ad campaign the powers that be in my fair city are hoping will put a positive twist on Baltimore, sometimes lovingly referred to as Charm City.
Poor Baltimore. It really does need a public relations lift, but many Baltimorons (yep, that's what we call ourselves) are having a good laugh over the theme. As one of my Facebook friends said:
"Baltimore. Good at crabcakes. Bad at slogans."
Here, why don't you take a look for yourself:
Baltimore Sets Record for World's Largest Human Smiley Face
Let me know what you think. I'm originally from Detroit, so I could be a little jaded!
Look, I'm all for happy. Life is too short to not be happy, but I don't think putting people in orange rain slickers and making a ginormous happy face is going to change anything.
Here's a couple of news items from Charm City the past couple of days:
An 18 month old baby tested positive for gonorrhea and police suspect she was sexually assaulted by a 21 year friend of the family.
In an effort to balance the budget, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is thinking about reducing the size of the police force. Criminals should be happy about that, anyway.
You know what would make me happy?
Having enough money to keep our police department fully staffed, and castrating repulsive child sex offenders.
But that could just be me.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find my happy place...
Friday, May 14, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Sometimes, I Want To Tell My Daughter To Stay Far, Far Away From The Opposite Sex
You've probably seen the news reports the past couple of days. Two young people, both set to graduate from the University of Virginia, had their lives end in the most tragic of ways. Yeardley Love was a beautiful young woman, a gifted athlete and good student. Apparently loved by all who knew her. Her brutalized body was found by her roommates the other night. She had her whole life ahead of her, as the saying goes.
George Huguely was the former boyfriend of Yeardley. He's charged with her murder.
Yeardley is dead, her future gone. George, allegedly the person responsible for her death, is now facing the consequences of his actions. His life, the plans he had for life after college, are over, too.
They were both 22 years old.
The story hits very close to home, because both were from the Maryland suburbs. Kids who went to private prep schools, and had it all, one would think. But it's never really the way it seems, is it?
As more details from this sad story emerge, it appears Huguely's golden boy persona could be anything but...
His lawyer, according to reports in this morning's Baltimore Sun, called it "an accident with a tragic outcome."
After reading and hearing the news updates, however, I'm having a hard time buying the "accident" claims. Apparently there was a fight, and Huguely's admitted to shaking her to the point where Yeardley's head repeatedly hit a wall.
As the investigation continues, we're bound to hear more of the gritty details. Why a young man couldn't deal with the end of a relationship.
It's enough to make any parent with a daughter of dating age lose sleep at night.
My daughter is sixteen and dating a very nice boy. At least, I pray he's a nice young man. From all outward appearances, he hits the mark. Good athlete, good student, nice parents.
Sometimes I even tease her about how he's too nice for her. And now I realize, what a stupid thing to say.
When she entered the teen years, I thought the only things to fear were unplanned pregnancies, std's, and car accidents. Now it's potential death by boyfriend.
Yes, I have talked to her about domestic abuse, and how no one, female or male, should put up with any type of abuse.
"When that little voice inside your head starts screaming to get out of a relationship, GET OUT!" I've said.
But is she listening?
George Huguely was the former boyfriend of Yeardley. He's charged with her murder.
Yeardley is dead, her future gone. George, allegedly the person responsible for her death, is now facing the consequences of his actions. His life, the plans he had for life after college, are over, too.
They were both 22 years old.
The story hits very close to home, because both were from the Maryland suburbs. Kids who went to private prep schools, and had it all, one would think. But it's never really the way it seems, is it?
As more details from this sad story emerge, it appears Huguely's golden boy persona could be anything but...
His lawyer, according to reports in this morning's Baltimore Sun, called it "an accident with a tragic outcome."
After reading and hearing the news updates, however, I'm having a hard time buying the "accident" claims. Apparently there was a fight, and Huguely's admitted to shaking her to the point where Yeardley's head repeatedly hit a wall.
As the investigation continues, we're bound to hear more of the gritty details. Why a young man couldn't deal with the end of a relationship.
It's enough to make any parent with a daughter of dating age lose sleep at night.
My daughter is sixteen and dating a very nice boy. At least, I pray he's a nice young man. From all outward appearances, he hits the mark. Good athlete, good student, nice parents.
Sometimes I even tease her about how he's too nice for her. And now I realize, what a stupid thing to say.
When she entered the teen years, I thought the only things to fear were unplanned pregnancies, std's, and car accidents. Now it's potential death by boyfriend.
Yes, I have talked to her about domestic abuse, and how no one, female or male, should put up with any type of abuse.
"When that little voice inside your head starts screaming to get out of a relationship, GET OUT!" I've said.
But is she listening?
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