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December 6, 2023

Chestertown Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown

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Point of View Angela Archives Top Story

The New Rope by Angela Rieck

November 16, 2023 by Angela Rieck Leave a Comment

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This week I have been in computer hell… a new application whacked out my computer. During this week of chaos, I discovered that my virus protector is owned by a Romanian company. While the virus protector was one (of many) sources of the problem, I was more concerned about the company’s nationality. Despite its small size, Romania is a home for cyber hackers. I did the research on the company, and there appear to be no  issues besides the usual misses that are common with any cyber security application. Still, I remain uneasy.

But my imagined threat with my virus protector is nothing compared to the actual threats from applications sourced by Chinese and Russian companies. After a thorough investigation, the FBI concluded that the Russians manipulated the 2016 election to assist Trump. Russia did not alter actual votes, but they targeted voter registration systems and state websites in at least 21 states and stole hundreds of thousands of voters’ personal information. Russia also implemented a misinformation campaign on social media to assist Trump. The FBI has indicted 12 Russian nationals for their role in hacking into U.S. election systems.

So, we know it can and has happened. Officials recognize that China is an even larger threat, especially through its popular phone apps, such as TikTok.

TikTok is owned by the Chinese company, ByteDance. There have been efforts in a number of countries and the United States to ban TikTok. The China National Intelligence Law of 2017 requires that all organizations and citizens “support, assist and cooperate” with all national intelligence efforts. And that is just one of the problems.

Just having the TikTok app on our phone allows TikTok to collect personal data even when it isn’t on. TikTok is also suspected of having a number of back doors (which are ways to secretly access a program and its data). Due to the law, Chinese government can gain access to any of our data at any time. It is currently used to build better facial recognition capabilities for “Western” faces. But there is some evidence that it has already been used to track and access Chinese reporters. In the future it could be used for blackmail and to track US citizens. Another concern with TikTok is that the platform can be used for manipulating opinion as Russia also did in the 2016 election.

Another frequently accessed Chinese app is WeChat. WeChat offers text, broadcast, and voice messaging as well as video conferencing, mobile payment, video games, and location and photograph sharing. It also collects data on us.

The Chinese government can be ruthless. It has already “disappeared” a number of owners of large Chinese technology companies. Even Jack Ma, a well-known Chinese billionaire, was “disappeared” for three months and no longer lives in China.

To ease security concerns, TikTok claims that its data is stored on American servers.

There are a number of Russian applications that also present a threat. Russia recognizes that we do not trust it to use Russian cellphone applications, so it provides apps to be used by other platforms. Their most widely used app is Pushwoosh. You know those annoying advertisements that appear? Pushwhoosh is an application that is used to “push” those ads onto our computer and phone. To hide its Russian ownership, the Pushwhoosh company used a US address. Our military, the CDC, Unilever, and thousands of apps sold by Apple and Google Play used Pushwhoosh without knowing that it was a Russian company. Pushwhoosh is believed to present a potential security threat, since it probably also has a backdoor that the Russians can use to gain access to our data.

However, talk to an American teenager and 20 something about the security concerns of these apps and they will tell you that they don’t care and will continue to use these apps, especially TikTok. Given how ubiquitous TikTok already is among the younger generation, it may already be too late.

It reminds me of the quote by Lenin, “The capitalists will sell us the rope with which to hang them.” But today, the rope could be the “free” app.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Angela, Archives, Top Story

Country of Origin by Laura Oliver

November 12, 2023 by Laura J. Oliver 8 Comments

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“I want an old house with lots of windows,” I said when I agreed to move to New Zealand for three years. I was in the bargaining stage of grief—excited at the prospect but sad to leave the life I loved for such a long time.

“It’s going to be great,” my youngest of three, then eight-year-old daughter Emily, exclaimed. “Mommy, did you know there are no snakes in New Zealand?”

Right, I thought. No extended family, no job that I love, no friends, but here’s a plus: no snakes. No wonder. Any further south, and they would have slithered to Antarctica. I was being a supportive partner. Coming off a successful Stars and Stripes campaign, the children’s father had been offered the job of a lifetime designing New Zealand’s America’s Cup entry. There was only one answer to the question: how would you feel about living 12,000 miles away from home for the next 3 years?

And it wasn’t “not great.”

The next day, I stood in the shed contemplating what gardening tools I might need to ship to Auckland. What grows in New Zealand, I wondered. Not the white lilacs I planted by the kitchen window 15 years ago. Not the pink hollyhocks that grace the white picket fence in the backyard. “What’s the time difference?” friends asked. “Count eight hours backwards and make it tomorrow,” I said, but no one wrote that down. “You cross the international dateline,” I added for interest. “Coming back, you can travel for 24 hours, but you arrive the day you left.” I looked around brightly. You’re as good as dead, I thought.

“As long as you have each other,” my mother kept saying. “That’s all that really matters.” I thought about missing autumn mornings in Maryland and eyed my family with a new sense of detachment.

The house we found was what New Zealanders call an “old villa.” A turn-of-the-century, two-story Victorian built into a hillside that overlooked Rangitoto, a dormant volcano rising from endless miles of the Hauraki Gulf and Pacific beyond. There was a patio where we could have barbeques (barbies) without being too bothered by the mosquitoes (mozzies.) Everything in that tiny country was somehow referred to in the diminutive. It made me feel American in a kind of grand and aggressive way—like I should have been wearing a cowgirl hat coming through immigration—emblematic of wide open plains, massive selections at the grocery store, supersized dinner portions, and a tendency to share intimacies at the local coffee shop with a total lack of discretion. But also emblematic of big, warm, gregarious hearts—quick to befriend strangers with a smile, to instinctively extend a hand to shake.

Agapanthus flourished in the garden, purple and white flowers seemed to glow at dusk, and Emily’s treehouse overlooked the Gulf. She could play outside almost year-round due to the temperate climate, but at night, when we gathered on the porch and listened to the cicadas, it was not the North Star overhead but the Southern Cross, and it did not point our way home.

One day, as I was writing at my desk and Emily was constructing a lily pond in the lettuce crisper for a salamander, I noticed a cloud of bees swarming in huge gusts up and down behind the agapanthus. I called Mr. Oliver to come and see.

“Those look like German wasps,” he said. “They can be dangerous. You better call someone.”

The next afternoon, the bee man arrived. He donned a white suit complete with a hood that reached down to his shoulders, pants, and a top with Velcro closures at the wrists. I went up onto the high verandah to watch as he disappeared behind the bushes with his apparatus. Only an occasional flailing branch told me he was still there, but the bees began breaking formation, and a few began flying about the yard in crazy orbits, dive-bombing me on the porch where I’d yelp and duck involuntarily.

I felt sad for them for a moment. Their sense of community and continuity disrupted. Their sense of safety displaced. After a few more minutes, the bee man emerged and joined me on the porch.

“Will they die?’ I asked, “Or will they simply move to a new home?”

“Well, now, nothing stays the same forever,” the bee man said apropos of nothing. His words were softened by the beautiful lilting accent with which all New Zealanders speak. Every sentence is a musical phrase that goes up a few notes at the end. It makes even a simple declaration of fact sound like a question. Nothing stays the same forever?

Take off that hood. Are you the bee man or a messenger? That’s the thing about feelings, I’d been reminded. Like circumstances, they don’t stay the same forever.

Would I spontaneously hug him with unseemly gratitude when he left? Yep. American to the core.

I turned this story in to my instructor, Alice Mattison, at Bennington’s MFA program. I was flying up from New Zealand every six months for several weeks on the Vermont campus with the other MFA candidates. Manuscript in hand, she frowned at me from beneath her ball cap and through huge, picture-window glasses. I gazed at my copy, jet-lagged and stressed out.
“Oh, wait,” she looked back down and studied the manuscript an excruciating moment longer. This was a woman who not only had several critically acclaimed novels, she also wrote regularly for The New Yorker. “I get it,” she exclaimed. “You’re the bee!”

I squirmed a bit. Now that she had put it that way, it sounded stupid. I was most certainly not the bee. (I’d rather die than be the bee now!) I’d been going for subtle symbolism. Turning fact into fiction was proving difficult in this program, but yes, my hive had been disrupted.

And yes, I was homesick, but I think I’ve always been. I think we’re all a little homesick. I sometimes think our lives are all about assuaging the feeling that we are on temporary visas here. We fall in love, make children and homes, find our callings, love the best we can, and it is enough until sometimes it isn’t, and it all feels like sightseeing.

The world is a fascinating place to visit, but aren’t there times when you sense your spiritual passport doesn’t state your country of origin? That when you eventually arrive back home, you’ll discover it’s the day you left? The bee man was right, of course. Nothing stays the same.

That’s why joy must come from the inside out. An energy powered by love that is impervious to circumstances because circumstances are just the setting for your life. For a time, mine was New Zealand.

But the story of your life is what you make of it. And the brilliance of life’s design is that you never go backward. You never leave a time, a place, or a person with less. With every change, you take something good with you into the next unknown. Even when the distance between then and now is so great, you must count eight hours backward and make it tomorrow.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives, Laura, Top Story

Last Call: Join Author and Spy Contributor Neil King Jr. at the Stoltz Listening Room Wednesday Evening

October 30, 2023 by Spy Desk Leave a Comment

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Take a roadtrip with author and Spy contributor Neil King, author of American Ramble, a Walk of Memory and Renewal, on Wednesday, November 1 at the Stoltz Listening Room as part of the Avalon-Spy writer series, Spy Nights. 

CBS Sunday Morning profiled this remarkable writer and former Wall Street Journal reporter a few months ago for some background.

King will be introduced by his friend, and sometimes walking companion, Jeff McGuinness, a photographer and author of Bear Me Unto Freedom. 

Tickets are available here

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives, Arts Lead, Arts Portal Lead

No Matter What . . .You Matter 2023 Campaign Features National Speaker

October 30, 2023 by For All Seasons, Inc. 1 Comment

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For All Seasons hosted a free community event, “We All Have a Role to Play in Suicide Prevention,” on September 7 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Avalon Theatre in Easton. The event featured Dr. Andrew Moon, a leader within the Veterans Affairs’ National Suicide Prevention Program. Dr. Moon shared his invaluable experience in averting crisis points before suicidality. He is a clinical psychologist with a career focus on trauma, suicide prevention, and education, and is currently the Senior Advisor for Partnerships, Engagement, and Education for the Department of Defense Suicide Prevention Office.

His talk shared insights into national, state, and local mental health data – specifically how suicide impacts specific groups, including veterans, first responders, LGBTQ+ populations, nurses, and doctors on the front lines, and youth. In addition, he outlined the pivotal role each one of us plays in suicide prevention, offering practical strategies for recognizing signs of struggle and responding effectively. Moon also shared how to foster an environment of safety for those in your circle to prevent suicide and support those you care about.

“There’s an official rule of three that we’re taught when we learn about suicide where if you take the number of people who die by suicide and multiply that by three, that’s likely the number of people who have attempted suicide. And if you multiply that number by three, that’s likely the number of individuals who are working through some sort of suicidal ideation,” Dr. Moon explained.

“So, when we think about the numbers from 2021, with 1,700,000 attempts, and because there are attempts that don’t get reported, we multiply that number, and we’re looking at well over 5 million people who might have thoughts of dying by suicide.”

Dr. Moon shared that a lot of people equate suicide with mental illness – that if someone dies by suicide, they automatically have depression or bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. He added, “Actually, from the knowledge we have gained over these years, only 46 percent of people who die by suicide carry a mental health diagnosis, which means there is 54 percent of that number, did not have a mental health concern that registered enough to have a diagnosis. It was all the other factors that play out in someone’s life that led them to the point of considering death by suicide.”

Among these factors are relationship issues, substance use, and alcohol intoxication. Connection is another issue that factors into suicide. “Community factors, being connected to a spiritual community, being connected to your neighborhood community, being connected to the people that you engage with outside of your house, is particularly important to have a sense of, I’m not alone,” Dr. Moon stated.

The presentation also focused on those impacted by suicide. He explained, “For every one person that dies by suicide, about 135 people are directly and intensely impacted . . . There are a lot of people walking around with that impact, and they’re carrying around the potential grief and potential trauma that comes with that experience, and that makes conversations like we’re having this evening, even more important. We want to be able to be sure that those who have experienced this sort of thing can be connected and talk through that experience.”

Beth Anne Dorman, President and CEO of For All Seasons, concluded, “Please know that you’re not alone. Our Ask, Listen and Share campaign is something that we can all be a part of. It doesn’t take a lot of time to ask the question – ‘How are you doing?’ To send a text checking in on someone, and then making sure that we’re not only asking that question, but we’re sticking around to listen with a whole heart with no judgment and then sharing resources that might help them.”

For further information about the For All Seasons Suicide Prevention Campaign, visit NoMatterWhatYouMatter.org.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives

Autumn Sounds by Angela Rieck

October 20, 2023 by Angela Rieck Leave a Comment

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Autumn has its own soundtrack. There is the rustle from leaves being swept across the pavement, and the crunch from dead leaves as I swish through them. There are the squirrels climbing around the trees gathering nuts. They sass my dogs as we walk along the trail.

Canada geese honk loudly as they fly in their V formations to warmer climes. There is the piercing blast and reverberations from shotguns and rifles. Occasionally I hear some crow caws notifying their kin of a newly harvested field. Or starlings summoning their clan to begin their spectacular, trance-inducing murmurations.

The air is dryer and crisper, so the sounds from machines are louder and more differentiated. The thumping motorcycle engines reverberate through my home. The sounds from clattering farm equipment slowly wind through the streets. The high pitched chatter and laughter of children at the end of the school day echoes throughout the town.

But my favorite sounds are the sounds of football games. The ratatat percussion section of the marching band creates a rhythm and pace. The marching band horns blare inspirational songs. Spectators shout, cheer, or groan after each play. The announcer’s scratchy voice over the loudspeaker explains each play and its key participants. At halftime, the marching band prances throughout the field with coordinated instruments that belt out loud, familiar tunes. There is always a low hum from the crowd. The symphony of sounds from a football game is unmistakable.

I am an avid football fan. Not just because I love the game, but because football games were our family time. Every Sunday, I would go to church and volunteer at the animal adoption day, while my daughter went to the barn to ride, and my husband would relax and prepare our favorite appetizers. Then we would gather together and watch football.

Yet, I am very conflicted over football.

Especially college football. The monopolistic grip of the NCAA keeps young kids in an almost slavish status. Large football schools make a lot of money off football, both in donations and ticket sales. But players, who give their body and their youth to this sport, are given merely a scholarship. Some college coaches have multi-million dollar salaries, yet their players cannot afford their meals. If students are injured (as many are), they lose their scholarship and leave with nothing but a broken body. If they fail to graduate during their eligibility period (which is challenging because playing football is a full-time job), they leave without a degree.

Athletes are starting to fight back. After an athlete discovered that his picture was used to promote a game, he sued the NCAA for compensation under anti-trust laws. The NCAA disagreed, arguing the canard that student athletes should be unpaid amateurs. The NCAA lost and the Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that athletes can be compensated. A few states are passing laws that allow athletes to make money on sponsorships and advertising from local businesses. Most of these players grew up in poverty and will not get to play in the NFL; this will be the only money they may earn from years of effort and sacrifice.

At a minimum, the NCAA should ensure that these student-athletes are given a free education despite injury or the inability to complete their degree during the eligibility period. And at an absolute minimum, they should ensure these children are fed.

I have concerns with the violence of football. I love watching the game because of its complexity. There are 22 different players (11 players on each team) for each play and a myriad of coaches, and each player is a crucial link in the team choreography. I love the complexity of the different defenses, stunts, receiver routes, just to name a few. I enjoy watching the creative offenses and spectacular athletes. But I shudder at the violence. If it were up to me, I would prefer flag football.

I know that many people like the violent nature of this sport. ESPN used to have a show that featured brutal tackles and hard hits, called getting “jacked up.” I remember announcers referring to a player who received a concussive hit as “getting his bell rung.” The player returned to the field a few plays later.

And violence was encouraged. The New Orleans Saints defensive coach was suspended for two years for offering a “bounty reward” to any player that injured a player on the opposing team. This coach was videotaped exhorting his players to hit them on the head. Head hits are believed to contribute to CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). Sadly, the coach was reinstated after his suspension and coaches today.

Football is not the only violent sport by any means. Hockey, boxing, rugby, and wrestling are more violent. But football is easily the most popular sport in the United States. In 2022, 87% of the top 100 watched shows (including sports and entertainment) were football games, yes that’s 87%. Football is not only the most popular sport, it is the most popular form of entertainment in the United States.

Today both players and coaches are concerned about the impact of the violence on player health, especially brain health. Former players like Troy Aikman, Harry Carson, and even Brett Farve would not have played the sport had they known about the potential health consequences. There are many injuries, but the most concerning are head injuries and paralysis. The NFL has finally acknowledged that concussion injuries are the main cause of CTE, which is a fatal brain disease that results in the development of a fatal, early form of dementia.

Recognizing the seriousness of these injuries, the NFL has taken some steps to improve player safety. Each year they ban certain formations (e.g., wedge in kickoff returns), tackles (e.g., leading with the helmet) and blocks (e.g., crackback blocks) that are associated with the most injuries. They are developing special helmets to reduce injuries. There are 30 medical personnel on the sidelines of each game to evaluate an injury, render aid to the player, and determine if the player is fit to continue playing.

At the beginning of each season, each NFL team implements and rehearses an emergency medical action plan to follow in the event of severe trauma. Before each kickoff, all medical personnel from each team and the NFL meet on the field to introduce themselves and review health and safety procedures. They review the location of emergency equipment such as the defibrillator and designate which physician will serve as the leader in case of a cardiac arrest. There are also medical tents on each sideline where players are treated immediately after any injury. If an independent doctor rules that there was a concussion, the player is sidelined and does not return until weeks later after concussion protocols are met.

Football fans witnessed this progress at the January 2nd Monday night football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals. A Buffalo player, Jamar Hamlin, had a freak injury that resulted in complete cardiac arrest. The medical personnel immediately followed their procedures and saved his life.

This was a very rare accident, called commotio cordis, where the heartbeat gets interrupted and stops. Surprisingly, this is much more common for youth playing lacrosse, hockey and sometimes softball and baseball than football. It is estimated that at least 15 to 20 die from this condition each year in the US. But Hamlin didn’t die because the medical personnel at the game were prepared.

Nevertheless, as long as football is a tackling game, there will be injuries. And many of them will be serious. Players joke that NFL stands for Not For Long.

It is also believed that NFL injuries are not the greatest source of brain trauma. Concussions occur in Pop Warner, travel leagues, and school games, where the medical treatment is not as sophisticated and where ambitious coaches may not follow proper protocols. And repeated concussions are believed to cause CTE. Iif we are going to make football safe for the elite few who make it to the NFL, we need to make it safe for vulnerable children. Parents and schools need to be watching closely.

I hope that we can clean up this game. Because football is a uniquely American sport. And fall brings us all of the images and sounds and smells and energy associated with football. This game is part of our culture and I would miss it terribly if it were gone.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Angela, Archives, Top Story

Profiles in Recovery: Grace Street Opens a Door

September 25, 2023 by James Dissette Leave a Comment

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It’s impossible to look at substance abuse statistics without recognizing it as a health crisis of the first magnitude.

According to Maryland Health Department, overdose rates nationally tripled between 2011-2017 and during the first year of the pandemic with more than 99,000 overdose related deaths reported, an increase of nearly 30%. Alcohol abuse also spiked.

Although Maryland ranks well with its number of treatment centers available, every county still has significant opioid problems, and the rural Eastern Shore is no exception. Talbot County reports that between 2017 and 2021 overdose deaths have increased by 50%.

Grace Street is the newest introduction to addiction recovery efforts in Talbot and surrounding counties and offers support based on the national success of the Recovery Community Organization (RCO) model.

The Recovery Community Organization fundamental mission is to bridge the gap between professional treatment and learning how to maintain long-term recovery with the help of a community-centered peer recovery support services.

Fundamentally, Recovery Communities are about establishing an environment to promote long-term recovery. As RCOs are independent non-profits, they are led and governed by representatives of the local communities of recovery who organize recovery-focused policy advocacy activities, carry out recovery-focused community education and outreach programs, and/or provide peer-based recovery support services.

Grace Street is a significant addition to the recovery movement on the Eastern Shore. Indeed, it’s strength is offering a sense of community to those fighting to maintain their recovery as they reenter society.

The Spy recently spoke to Grace Street Program Director Kate Dulin about the new facility in Easton, their vision for the future and a call for community volunteers.

Grace Street serves people in Easton and Talbot County, and in neighboring counties across the Mid-Shore. Referrals are not necessary, and services are free. The center is open weekdays, 4 – 9 pm. and weekends 2 p.m –7 p.m. Daytime hours vary. Anyone interested in volunteering, partnering, or supporting this project can contact Kate Dulin, program director, at 410-690-7353 or visit GraceStreetRecovery.org and their Facebook page.

This video is approximately five minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives

Poet to Poet: Meredith Davies Hadaway Chats with Sue Ellen Thompson

September 23, 2023 by The Spy 2 Comments

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Editor”s Note. Next week, the Spy will launch an experiment with our partner the Avalon Foundation to use their brilliant Stoltz Listening Room for poetry readings called Spy Nights. On Wednesday, the 27th at 6 pm sharp, the Eastern Shore’s most distinguished poet, Sue Ellen Thompson, will take the stage for a reading from her new book, Sea Nettles.

There are a few notable things to be said about this event. The first time, to my knowledge, the Avalon has ever made a poet a “headliner” in the most complimentary sense of the word. It will also be the Spy’s first effort to move beyond its internet comfort zone to co-sponsor public readings by some of our most remarkable contributors. And finally, this kind of celebration is way overdue to pay tribute to the extraordinary work of Sue Ellen Thompson.

While it’s understandable that the Mid-Shore community, like the United States itself, doesn’t track the poetry world as closely as it does music, Thompson is considered a rock star of sorts. It is almost the equivalent of having someone like jazz pianist Brad Mehldau living in the hood. In this case, that hood happens to be Oxford, Maryland.

Given the breadth of Sue Ellen’s work over a lifetime and her observations of the dramatic change in poetry since she began her journey at Middlebury College in the 1960s, the Spy thought it best to ask Chestertown’s Meredith Davies Hadaway, her friend, and fellow poet, to spend a few minutes talking to Sue Ellen, poet-to-poet, for the community to get a better sense of her work and times.

This video is approximately nine minutes in length. For Tickets please go here. 

Meredith Davies Hadaway will also be taking to the Avalon stage with fellow poets Erin Murphy and Amanda Newell as Word Girls on November 15. For tickets and more information please go here. 

SPY NIGHTS: A WRITERS SERIES
SUE ELLEN THOMPSON
Stoltz Listening Room
Doors: 5:30pm / Talk: 6:00pm
WED 9/27 6:00PM

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives

Mid-Shore Education: Facing the Challenge of Maryland’s Blueprint with QAC Superintendent Patricia Saelens

September 20, 2023 by Dave Wheelan Leave a Comment

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As part of our ongoing conversations about public education on the Mid-Shore, we sat down with Queen Anne’s County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Patricia Saelens, last month for an update of that county’s challenges and opportunities as one of the most robust public school systems in the state of Maryland.

One example of this distinction was the news this week that U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recognized Church Hill Elementary School and Matapeake Elementary School as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2023. Those two schools beat out more than 9,000 schools nationwide to make that list. 

That kind of recognition is common for QAC schools. Year after year, the school district continues outperforming other schools on both the Eastern and Western Shore. 

And yet, as Dr. Saelens notes in our Spy interview, it’s not always peachy even in QAC. After taking the job in the middle of the COVID crisis, which Saelens considers the most challenging years of her professional life, she and her peers are still having to find their way in negotiating the unanticipated challenges that have come with the implication of the state’s Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. In our chat, the superintendent highlights the positives and negatives of the multi-billion dollar effort to improve public education, including the funding formula and its impact on county budgeting.

 

This video is approximately ten minutes in length.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives, Ed Homepage, Ed Portal Lead, Spy Top Story

Bushy Tailed Troublemakers by Angela Rieck

September 7, 2023 by Angela Rieck Leave a Comment

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The carefree life of summer is fading and it is time to get to work. Children return to school; animal babies leave their nest, those “to do’s” that we put off in summer are coming to roost, our landscape is giving up and preparing for the winter, and it is time for squirrels to make their presence known.

Squirrels are more active now; the lazy days of summer have given way to a working autumn. The trees are dropping their nuts and squirrels are feasting on them, caching them, and messing with us. Of our local wildlife, squirrels seem to be the most playful and most amused by us humans.

They appear to enjoy our attempts to keep them from bird feeders. Over the years, my husband and I tried all methods of squirrel proof feeders, even employing a battery operated one that acts as a “tilt-o-whirl” when squirrels land on top of them.

We finally realized that we were really just creating a squirrel gymnastics center; and chose to enjoy the show. The squirrels dazzled us with their feats of athletic and mental brilliance. Watching them climb up a greased pole was hysterical. They would take turns until one of them was able to absorb all of the oil and the others found a way to stick their claws into the metal. Squirrel baffles were overcome by jumping from tree branches above, sticking their nails into them and leaning over to get the treats. “Squirrel-proof” feeders that would close when too much weight was on them, would be attacked from above. While squirrels rested, birds got as much food as possible before squirrels returned to the feeders.

Squirrels are also amusing to watch in nature. My neighbor swore that they deliberately pelted him with nuts while he was mowing the lawn. I see them dropping nuts onto the pavement, running down and gathering the exposed meat. Humans help them by stepping on the nuts, so our walkways are now covered with broken shells.

Do squirrels play? Naturalists believe that they do and that their play behavior falls into two categories: solitary play, where an animal will run, climb, jump, twist, tumble and play fight with objects; and social play such as tag or mock fights. Watching them play tag around a tree trunk and race up and down a tree looks like fun, but naturalists believe that these games are a form of play fighting over territory. A squirrel territory can be between 1-25 acres; but except for mating season, they typically overlap peacefully.

My older dog, Annie, who has cataracts and diminished hearing, likes to sit sphinxlike in the grass and watch them play. She silently watches their staccato fluid movements as they search for nuts or sunflower seeds. We call it “Annie TV.” My other dog, Gus, still likes to try to chase squirrels, but he is no match for their speed, their zig-zag pattern, or the plethora of trees in my yard.

In addition to be exceptionally active, squirrels are very busy chattering away these days. They seem to be arguing with each other about which nut belongs to whom. But they are especially talkative to Gus. After dashing up a tree to avoid being caught, they will come down the trunk at a level where he can’t reach them and taunt him “you missed me, you missed me.” To him, it is all in good fun, he and walks away knowing that he is outmaneuvered.

Squirrels have a strong sense of smell. Their sense of smell is so evolved that they can find a cached nut under a foot of snow. Despite this, it is estimated they lose up to 25% of their stored nuts to forgetfulness and animal thievery. Which explains why they dig up all of my planters every week (mistaking my flowers for a newly planted cache) and each year I have an abundance of tree seedlings.

Squirrels also possess sharp hearing, exceptional eyesight, and a good spatial memory (to remember where they stored their nuts). Squirrels are also very intelligent. In Chongqing, China, squirrels have been trained to sniff out illicit drugs. It is not surprising that they are one of the most resilient species in all habitable regions.

They are very busy these days preparing for winter, stuffing their faces with our abundant nuts and caching others. Scientists believe that squirrels organize their nuts more carefully than many of us organize our own food. They appear to organize their nut stash by quality, variety, and possibly even preference. Squirrels “chunk” their nuts and bury different types of nuts in different places depending on the size and quality. They also pretend to bury nuts to throw off potential thieves.

Squirrels in North America used to migrate, the last great squirrel migration of hundreds of thousands of squirrels was recorded in 1968 in Wisconsin. It is believed that since then, this mass migration behavior has gone extinct. After all, with the addition of humans, there is plenty of year round food. Unlike many forest creatures, gray squirrels have successfully adapted to suburban life. They take advantage of our large growth nut trees, our planters (for storage), our birdfeeders, and our fall decorations (pumpkins, corn).

As I was researching squirrels for this article, I discovered that the Eastern Shore has its our own squirrel species, the Delmarva fox squirrel. It resides deep in the forest and, except for its larger size (up to 3 pounds), it looks a lot like a common gray squirrel with a slightly fluffier tail. Unlike its cousin, the Delmarva fox squirrel spends most of its time on the ground, instead of trees. Delmarva fox squirrels live in grown forests near freshwater, and in small woodlands next to crops. Its largest concentrations can be found in Talbot, Kent, Queen Annes, and Dorchester counties, with the most in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. These squirrels has recovered so well from habitat loss that they were taken off the endangered species list in 2015.

So, when you hear the ratcheting, screeching, clicking, or even squealing sounds along with the sound of nuts falling onto the ground, look for our resilient little acrobatic, fluffy-tailed rodents long-jumping along the tree limbs. We even have one of his cousins named after our area. Pretty impressive for a fun loving, little rodent.

Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Angela, Archives, Top Story

Spy Nights at the Stoltz Opens with Writer Sue Ellen Thompson

August 30, 2023 by The Spy Leave a Comment

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In an exciting arts partnership this fall, the Avalon Foundation will be collaborating with the Talbot Spy to present three evocative evenings spotlighting some of the very best regional poets and writers at the Stoltz Listening Room in downtown Easton.

Sue Ellen Thompson

Set to debut on September 27 with the nationally recognized and locally admired poet, Sue Ellen Thompson, whose work has been featured on National Public Radio and has won the praise of such luminaries as Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, will be reading from her sixth collection of work, SEA NETTLES: NEW & SELECTED POEMS, which will be released next month.

The series continues on November 1 with Neil King Jr., formerly of Wall Street Journal. In his latest book, “American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal”, King, who lives part-time in Claiborne, chronicles his introspective 330-mile journey from Washington, D.C. to New York City, serving as a reflective lens into America’s tapestry.

Neil King Jr.

Rounding out the program on November 15 is the collective brilliance of the “Word Girls”. Three gifted poets Meredith Davies Hadaway, Erin Murphy, and Amanda Newell,with strong local ties to Chestertown, Gunston School, and Washington College, are set to captivate audiences with verses that span environmental, societal, and deeply personal themes.

Al Bond, president of the Avalon Foundation, remarked, “This collaboration with Spy is great for our mission. We’re delighted to help put the spotlight on poetry and writing in the same way we’ve done with  music, theater, and film.”

Word Girls Meredith Davies Hadaway, Erin Murphy, and Amanda Newell

Echoing this sentiment, Dave Wheelan, executive editor of the Spy, said, “Our partnership with Avalon gives us a wonderful opportunity to share with our community some of the very best writers the Spy has come to know and admire over the years. And we’re so pleased to have this take place in the Stoltz Room. What a perfect place to hear beautiful voices in such a comfortable venue.”

Tickets are priced at $25 per person, with readings commencing at 6 pm. Every dollar raised supports the Avalon Foundation and the Talbot Spy’s mission to promote art programming and coverage.
Date & Time: September 27, November 1, and November 15; All readings begin at 6 pm.
Venue: Stoltz Listening Room
Organized by: The Avalon Foundation & Talbot Spy
Ticket Price: $25/person
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The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives, Arts Lead, Arts Portal Lead

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