Sorry for the quiet here at the Western MoCo Observer. Seems the Observer's been out of town for a few days, having traveled out west to the Great White North to do a bit of skiing at Whistler / Blackcomb, the biggest ski area in North America.

While it was fun, and the skiing alright, I have to report that the conditions were sometimes very challenging, even to an advanced intermediate skier like myself.

Don't get me wrong; it snowed every day I was there, so each morning found a fresh layer of snow covering the slopes (in fact, they report that the epic snow conditions this season have verged on record-breaking). It was supplemented by almost non-stop snow throughout the day, which is sort of why I'm hesitant to say it was an extraordinary skiing experience. The weather at Whistler (cold and often very foggy), combined with the driving, non-stop snow, made navigation down the slopes a real challenge at times. I found it somewhat difficult to judge the terrain, and often had to slow to a crawl simply to see where I was going. At one point, while standing near the peak of Whistler, it was so foggy I couldn't see people who were standing just 10 yards away from me, although I could clearly hear their conversation. It was really weird.

Anyway, The Observer's glad to report no broken bones or injuries of any kind (unless you consider injuries to pride because of a couple of spills). A good time was had by all.

Next year I doubt I'll venture so far west in search of perfect snow. Utah and Colorado (my usual ski destination) will probably get the nod in 2008.

Tree City USA

So, MoCo's been named a "Tree City USA" by the National Arbor Day Foundation. It gives me all kinds of warm fuzzy feelings, until I sober up and realize that pretty much everything the previous MoCo Council and "Developer" Doug Duncan did was facilitate the hasty uprooting of said trees, in deference to developers and their almighty dollars.

I'm reminded of that old chestnut "Silent Running," where the earth's remaining trees are put aboard space ships and sailed around the galaxy, presumably because the earth itself was either too crowded or too polluted to sustain them. Yes, it was sort of a hokey plot - very reminiscent of the whole 70's Earth Day mentality - but it did make you pause to consider the course we're on (and no, I'm NOT referring to glo-bull warming). How long til we start visiting trees in the MoCo Tree Museum (Hat tip: Joni Mitchell)?

On the local level, exactly how many trees are we willing to do without in the interest of progress and development? How many trees (hundreds? thousands? tens of thousands?) will be turned into toothpicks to make way for the ICC? As I stated in a previous post; once that piece of open space is developed, it's gone for good.

Yes, some development is good, just like preservation of open space is good. Balance is the key. Developers and folks like Rich Parsons want us to believe that progress as a county can only be measured by the amount of development and "business friendly" paving and construction. I disagree.

Progress is how much quality of life we preserve, and in turn pass on to future generations.

2 Billion Is A LOT of Sweet Moolah

Do we live in strange times or what? Today I read that Jerry Weast has had his contract renewed for four more years, MoCo teachers got their raises, and most astonishing, the MoCo school board approved a staggering $1.98 BILLION budget. My friends, that is a LOT of money.

I cannot overstate the importance of education in today's world, but in a county our size, am I wrong to think that TWO BILLION dollars is one hell of a lot of our tax dollars? It seems to me that, for that kind of money, we could be hiring private tutors for each and every school aged child within the confines of our great county.

Call me old fashioned, but it simply beggars belief that we are spending that much money. Where's it all going? How much of that money is spent on lawyers and lawsuits? How much is spent on feel good programs which do little more than punch the politically correct ticket?

As the parent, I know what the MCPS is doing. I've seen it in action, up close and personal. I know that "portable classrooms" aren't really that. I know that some sex ed programs aren't really life lessons, but instead are are the County's way of indoctrinating our youth. And most of all, I know that $2 billion is a ton of money that, if it were spent properly and with a reasonable amount of oversight, we'd have thousands of Rhodes Scholars pouring out of each and every graduating class.

Forgive my cynicism, but Jerry Weast and his band of merry pranksters seem to have gotten one over on you and I - again.

$2 Billion! Wow!

Babaro Dead At Age Four, A Nation Mourns

In keeping in the spirit of the two previous posts, which have little to do with actual issues impacting life in Montgomery County, I humbly submit for your review the following article from one of the web's funniest humor sites, The Onion. What I really love is the accompanying photo, which I think is a real hoot:

"Barbaro was a great horse, but an even better person," said Cheryl McElroy, still visibly shaken after filing past Barbaro's coffin and placing a single red rose upon it. "He taught us how to triumph over adversity and how to persevere in the face of overwhelming odds. He showed us that anyone could win the Kentucky Derby if they just believed in themselves—even you or I. And he proved that people can lead perfectly normal, productive lives after breaking their long pastern bone and being diagnosed with laminitis of the left hoof."

I have a few horse-loving, horse-owning friends in the area, and I'm sure they'd not see the humor in this article, but who cares? I think it's hilarious. By the way, if you're in a bookstore, be sure to check out one of The Onion's "best of" collections. They're well worth the price of admission.

Global Warming - Another Name for What We Used to Call Weather

Well my friends, the monolithic media warned us, and now the "Prognosticator of Prognosticators" has pronounced it: we're due to have six more weeks of global warming, followed by an early global warming period (formerly called "spring"), and after that, expect endless global warming, and an accompanying amount of media blathering about how your light bulbs and family station wagons are melting the polar ice caps - and don't you feel bad about that? Our imminent demise is now a fait accompli.

I, for one, have taken to 1) physically removing my furnace to avoid being tempted, and to wearing three sweaters to bed at night, 2) riding my daughter's Razor scooter the 16-miles to work in Bethesda each day, and 3) using only non-tallow candles in place of electric lights in every room of the house. From here on out, the only electricity I'm using will power my computer to keep you, dear reader, informed of the earth's rapid temperature increase (note: the electrical power will be supplied by my furious pedaling on a small personal generator while I sit at the keyboard - no oil, coal or nuclear isotopes will be harmed in the production and delivery of my blog updates / random, chaotic web surfing)

That is all.

SOMA FM

I just love these guys:








The music they've been webcasting for the past couple of years is, well, fantastic. My personal favorites are Groove Salad, Beat Blender and Secret Agent (in that order). There's plenty at SOMA to check out, so give 'em a listen. You can thank me later.

Snow's On the Way - You Are Now Free to Completely Freak Out on the Roads

Well friends, you heard it here first: with a staggering 1" snow predicted for the region, you are now free to 1) completely throw common sense out the (car) window, 2) race to your car to go out and buy milk, bread and toilet paper, and 3) over-react to a routine climatic occurrence as if the region's been blanketed with a fresh layer of radioactive fallout.

Freak out may commence in five, four, three, two..........

Seriously, it seems to me that there's an entire bureaucracy that's evolved from these pseudo-emergencies. At it's center is the indisputable fact that there's money to be made (overtime for the truck drivers, cops, etc.), snow days need to be used (all those snow days the MoCo Board of Ed allots will go for naught if they're not used, so better use them at the first possible opportunity, never mind the minuscule amount of snow on the ground) and children need to be taught that snow in any amount is a deadly serious freak of nature - that is, until classes are canceled, at which point it's WHOOPEE! time for all those suddenly safe students (unless you live in Canada).

Honestly, just a wee bit of common sense and proportionality is called for. Unfortunately, it seems to be a commodity in very short supply when we're tlaking about MoCo government.