Breaking News. Man charged with white collar crimes elects not to board plane to Maryland for his arraignment. Police search his Florida home. Wife claims no knowledge of his whereabouts. Where is he? The news story captures my imagination. Where is Roy McGrath, former Chief of Staff to former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, hiding? IContinue reading “Missing: A Fugitive on the Run. Storytelling from Multiple Perspectives.”
Category Archives: Politics
Too Many Parking Lots in Paradise
Floods. Fires. Famine. Heatstroke. A man attacks the husband of the Speaker of the House with a hammer. And the response from some of the nation’s Republican leaders is to hint at a possible justification. Conspiracy theories. The polarization continues, because instead of looking for common ground, places to find mutual agreement, the emphasis isContinue reading “Too Many Parking Lots in Paradise”
Coping Mechanisms for a Divided World
A gentle breeze caresses my arm as I reach for a cherry tomato. Gathering our summer harvest puts me into an altered state. It’s just me and the smell of the tomato plants and lavender. The chirps of birds and crickets are all I hear until a driver at the corner street intersection honks hisContinue reading “Coping Mechanisms for a Divided World“
The Chautauqua Experience
A summer camp for adults is how I described where I was going to anyone who asked, because I wasn’t sure if I said to Chautauqua, there’d be instant recognition. How do you explain to someone who has never been to Chautauqua what it exactly is? The word itself originated with the Iroquois Indians whoContinue reading “The Chautauqua Experience”
What Does Our Democracy Have in Common with a Cup of Coffee?
I’m not real excited about celebrating Independence Day this year. The two words that keep flashing into my mind are Why Bother? If you’re ordering fancy coffee, Why Bother? is a phase to describe a decaf skim milk cappuccino or latte. Take away the caffeine and the milk fat and you’re sipping a faded imitationContinue reading “What Does Our Democracy Have in Common with a Cup of Coffee?”
Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire
Remember when you were a kid and you’d lie about something small. I’d be called in from playing outside and my mother would ask, Have you washed your hands? I’d look down at my pink palms just before dinner was about to be served. They didn’t look dirty. I wanted to sit down at theContinue reading “Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire”
A Scary Reality for Women in a Politicized America
One thing I’ve learned with age is the importance of speaking out to record what you’ve witnessed.
Our Worries Shift. It’s the Small Things That Count.
So while the spread of the coronavirus has subsided and is beginning to become considered by some scientists more of an endemic than a pandemic; we have other things to worry about.
Take Nothing For Granted, Not Even Winter
The contrast of the white snow on the dark tree branches is a beautiful sight as is the dusting of white on the evergreens.
Masks Required and No Smoking– What’s the Difference?
No smoking laws protect 62.3 % of the U.S. population from the dangers of second hand cigarette smoke. But many are resistive to measures such as temporary mask mandates to protect public health.
Why Are Americans Scared of Critical Race Theory?
History. The study of everything that happened in the world before I was born was one of my favorite subjects in school. It’s a big topic. In elementary school we focused on American history: the American revolution, the birth of democracy, the rise of the United States as a super power, and civics. I rememberContinue reading “Why Are Americans Scared of Critical Race Theory?”
Delta Blues Summer
How was your summer? A friend asks a seemingly innocuous question and then it hits me, summer is over. Fall—as soon as the air in Maryland begins to turn crisp—is about to commence. And how was my summer? I ask myself. Sort of okay, nothing bad, but disappointing, I think. The build up towards theContinue reading “Delta Blues Summer”
In Search of an America Willing to Stand Together
We were under attack, and we needed each other. We remembered that together we stand. But today America is divided.
Women’s Rights Under Siege in America
The United States was founded on the idea that there be a separation of church and state. In practice, with the new law passed in Texas, this is no longer true.
Avoiding Death By Practicing Kindness
It is how we handle the onset of a pandemic as a society that determines how many of us will survive.
Nadja Maril, Writer & Author 