Parting Est Telle Doux Chagrin

I rarely look at the obits of any paper, I'm young and I don't expect to die before I turn 60. Perhaps one day, when I'm chillin in my easy chair eating orange cracker sandwiches with peanut butter, I'll take time out of my day to check and see if any of my friends have passed.

The name Tennenbaum caught my eye this morning as I scanned through the main page of the Columbia Flier. Marcelle S. Tennenbaum, the wife of Columbia architect Robert Tennenbaum has passed.

Robert, if you're reading this, my heart goes out to you man. I'm not married, I don't know what it feels like to lose a wife to illness, but I understand the feelings of loss, grievance and understanding that comes with the passing of a loved one. Peace.

Columbia's Community Split On ZRA-113

Derek Simmonsen over at the Columbia Flier brought this to my attention Monday. According to the report, of the 103 people who testified to the county planning board on ZRA-113, half were for it and half were against it.

Titled 51-51 Split, this report provides a snapshot of the community or at least those who are concerned and active within the community. To a certain extent I think every one of us feels a certain amount of apprehension at the thought of a developer coming in and restructuring our downtown area.

Perhaps its because we are sick of the way things are and we are worried things might get worse as a result? Maybe we think General Growth Properties has the right idea but the wrong vision? Whatever the case I don't think there are many of us who are opposed to any development. I think we can all agree that something needs to be done and that's a start.

The planning board begins closed session deliberation on the plan Monday at 6:30 p.m.

Speed Cameras in Columbia

According to an article in the Columbia Flier, proponents for a plan to install speed cameras in Howard county like Ken Ulman and James Robey might just make it happen.

Speed cameras seem like a good idea right? Not in my opinion they don't. Why? Because speed cameras don't address the cause, they address the effect. If you're driving down Broken Land parkway and see a speed camera what are you going to do?

Slow down if your smart and when you pass, speed back up, right? So the speed cameras may in fact act as a deterrent when vehicles are within its field of view but as soon as they aren't they accelerate again.

Opponents in Annapolis disagree with the statement made by Ulman, linking the installation of speed cameras to public safety. They argue that its all about revenue. What do you think?

Columbia Flier & Crime

An article in the Columbia Flier, written by Luke Broadwater, really caught my attention. A while back, Long Reach village applied for a grant to deal with gang related problems. Two weeks ago, a friend of mine, lets call him Frank, told me he's seen an increase of gang related activity around town. Frank keeps a gun on him at all times and knows the streets.

Frank told me about an MS-13 gang member who threatened him and some friends outside of the Dunkin Donuts in the Harper's Choice village center. Frank says a blue four door sedan with tinted windows pulled up where he and some friends were sitting, smoking cigarettes, and hanging out. A hispanic man pointed a gun at the group and asked them if they had a problem.

Frank lives behind the Sunoco gas station in Owen Brown. He says there have been drug busts on his street (Kerry Hill court) before. Frank stays out of Knighthood Lane, Quiet Hours and Talisman Lane in Owen Brown. Like me, Frank uses the buses for public transportation. Every bus driver I've spoken to has told me in so many words that the brown route is no joke.

Another article by the Columbia Flier prompted me to scroll through the comments. Whether or not the murders and various crimes in Columbia are gang related isn't the issue. The fact that the police presence isn't great enough is. When I took the picture for this post, I asked the officers why they were walking around the village center at 2 p.m. on a Wednesday. They told me they make rounds to make their presence known when they have the time and that their work keeps them busy elsewhere.

I think the police presence needs to be stepped up in all of the neighborhoods. Redirect police resources away from trying to catch Johns in Jessup.

2010 Census Circling Angelina Addresses

I hope the headlines hits on Google. Guest speaker David Alexander from the Baltimore Sun lectured our class today on SEO optimization, coding keywords for headlines like search engine slugs for spiders. I saw a 40ish-year-old blond woman in a shiny black sedan circling Angelina circle at 7:45 p.m., on my way to the mailbox.

At first I thought she was lost, looking for a house number, maybe a family member making a reunion? "2010 Census, I work for the government, we do this every 10 years . . . didn't you learn about this in school?" she said. I stared back at her blankly, its spring 2009 I thought. I remember feeling burned, searching census bureau data for sociology class assignments on the dot-gov site. 2000 never felt recent or accurate enough, but if they did it my way, the bill would give Geithner gastrointestinal distress, rivaling our field trip into Iraq.

Approachable, polite and eager to lengthen the life of her Marlboro light while time and light faded into the gray. I was walking to the mailbox with my copy of the Columbia Flier. I decided to place the ads at the communal mailbox as a sort of common courtesy & that's when I saw her. After learning she had ties to 75 and worked for Rouse, Mort & Robert, she rolled away. I photographed the car on a sort of afterthought impulse.


I will give one hundred grand to anyone who can locate Baltimore Sun deputy editor David Alexander. Good hunting--think of it like Highlights for hypertext

"Insulated but not immune"

I rode past General Growth Properties today on my way to Columbia Archives. I looked at the barren trees and vines clinging to life and thought of the company. Today the company's stock closed at a measly 38 cents. Two years ago, the stock hovered close to 60 dollars a share. Assuming the company doesn't go bankrupt, now would be a good time to purchase controlling interest in the company and a seat on the board . . . if anyone living in Columbia actually had that much to piss away.

An article in the Columbia Flier, written by Derek Simmonsen caught my attention. Norman Rule, 47 year old business analyst and Columbia resident has found himself out of a job, even in a county as prosperous as Howard. In his article, Simmonsen wrote a detailed list of sinking ships with red flags.

Filene's Basement, EXPO Design Center and U.S. Foodservice are all digging graves beside Orinocco Coffee and Champion Billiards. Techlab has faded from view, along with Rocky Run and Atlanta Bread Company. Even the Dobbin Blockbuster is feeling the squeeze, with its floor space cut in half.

[Howard County's unemployment remains the lowest in the states, but the number of jobless people is the highest it's been in sex years, with 1,800 jobs were lost in 2008. And some economists predict thousands morejobs could disappear in the next two years. "Were insulated but not immune," said Dick Story, executive director of the Howard County Economic Development Authority. "We often tend to me the last in, the first out. ... But you can be sure that we're fully participating in the recession.] - Signs of the Economy, Columbia Flier

People will always go to the movies or buy a Subway sandwich, just without the $7.50 large popcorn or the additional potato chips or cookies. In spite of dismal times, a window sign caught my eye as I pedaled towards the Supreme Sports Club. The sign read Manpower. A small glimmer of hope for employment in these troubled times.

Schools & Churches

St. John Baptist Church has started construction on a sanctuary and fellowship hall on a 10 acre plot near Locust Park. Construction of religious buildings in Columbia has been a rare sight in our town's 42 year history. Now this site has become an eyesore entrenched between Owen Brown and Long Reach.

On September 20, 2007, Howard County school board officials finalized a deal to exchange 10 acres of land off Tamar Drive and Route 175 in Columbia for a 41 acre plot near the intersection of Marriotsville road and Route 40 in Ellicott City.

The Howard County school board has become more aggressive over the last few years in acquiring acres for future school sites. In the transaction with St. John Baptist Church, the school board acquired the 41 acre plot owned by the church for $2.7 million. Roughly $1.7 million was spent acquiring the land, the other million went directly to the church.

Church leaders have said that the new site is more convenient for their congregants than renting space at their old location, off Route 108. Convenience does not justify building this church in my opinion. I grew up attending services at interfaith centers until high school.

Religion no longer has a place in my life, but I'm still an ardent supporter of communal congregation sites in Columbia. Of course there are worship sites outside of interfaith centers in Columbia, parcels of land that never sold to the Rouse Company but this site is an outrage to everything Columbia stands for.

Are our children's educations really worth a Baptist Church in Columbia? This is how it starts. I've heard from other residents that the Methodists plan to build an extension to the Wilde Lake interfaith center. If the Baptists get theirs, every denomination will want theirs too, starting a sort of turf war. This building is unacceptable and needs to be torn down!