What’s New in Maryland
For you Merliners out thereArchive for May, 2008
Miami Beach in Baltimore Open After 7 Years
So now that the weather’s starting to get warmer, there’s lots of public places in Maryland to go swimming. A couple parks in the Baltimore area include Oregon Ridge Park and Rocky Point Park. Another is Miami Beach Park, which just reopened after 7 years of being closed.
This is funny considering I used to go to these parks a couple times a week one particular summer only to hear on the news at the end of the season, the water was polluted.
It took Miami Beach, shut down due to a high level of bacteria, 7 years to reopen since it was shut down. Now the water has been deemed safe for swimming and it opened this past Saturday. To visit, it’s open Saturdays as well as Friday through Monday after June 13.
Walk for Good
With walking being named Maryland’s state exercise, it’s only fitting to provide this link to Walk for Good http://www.google.com/webmasters/igoogle/goforgood.html, an application launched by Cleveland Clinic and Google.
By adding this application to their iGoogle page, users have just another way of having important information available to them on one page. With Walk for Good, users can track how long and how often they walk. They can also read articles from Cleveland Clinic doctors and watch short videos where the doctors give wellness tips.
The program ends after 15 weeks when after completion, users can cast one vote for a health charity of their choice to receive a share of $100,000. After the program ends, walkers are encouraged to keep walking and can even reset the application not only at various points of their walking if they would like to start over but also after completion, if they would like to continue using the application.
So if you need a little motivation to get walking each day, give this application a try. Set up a free Google account, login, and download.
How to Tell If You Have Lyme Disease
The reported cases of Lyme disease were up in Maryland between 2006 and 2007.
For those who don’t know, Lyme disease is contracted through ticks, tiny black bugs typically found in wooded areas. This helps to explain why Maryland residents, particularly residents of areas in Maryland that are undergoing lots of development, are seeing more lyme disease cases. Of course, the number of increased cases can also be attributed to the fact that more people are aware of lyme disease and are reporting their conditions.
Because you may not realize if you have lyme disease at first, here are some symptoms to look out for: (though they in no way definitively indicate that you have lyme disease, you may have something else altogether or nothing at all)
- Rash, usually around the tick bite, appearing a few days after you were bitten
- Droopy face oka Bell’s palsy
- Muscle aches
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Chills
- Headaches
- Joint pain
- Stiff neck
Prime tick season in Maryland is late spring and throughout the summer. Ticks can attach to both people and pets and are usually close to the ground, in the shade. If you find a tick on yourself or your dog or other pet, use a pair of tweezers to pull the tick off. If you think you may have been bitten by a tick, seek medical attention to get antibiotics.
Walking is First State Exercise
Maryland has the distinction of being the first state to have a state exercise. The exercise chosen is walking, an easy, inexpensive way to stay healthy that can be done just about any time of day.
Though state designations don’t necessarily mean popularity with state residents, (Jousting is the state sport, has been for a long time, and how many jousters do you know?) increased awareness of the benefits of walking is a positive for health.
Maryland’s Newest Holiday, American Indian Heritage Day
There’s a new state holiday in Maryland — American Indian Heritage Day. But don’t count on any extra days off.
It’s the Friday after Thanksgiving, a day when state employees and many others already have off. The holiday is a nice way of recognizing American Indians in the state and a way of telling Marylanders that there are still Indian tribes in Maryland. Over 120,000 American Indians in fact, though there are no federally designated tribes.
Mother’s Day Ideas
Don’t forget about Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11th. Whether it’s tea, flowers, or food, there are tons of gift ideas for Maryland moms.
Visit http://baltimore.about.com/od/events/a/MothersDay.htm to get some ideas, take a look at the ads in your local newspaper, or come up with something on your own.
New Electricity for Carroll County Residents
Carroll County is the first place in Maryland to allow residents to have wind turbines in their yards. The towers can’t be any taller than 150 ft and must be away from the roads as far as they are tall. These are the things that lower utility bills and help the environment by generating their own electricity from the wind.
The two benefits are saving money on utility bills and benefiting the environment. But are they cost-effective? Though wind turbines can greatly lower your utility bill from 50% to 90%, initial cost is high. The cost can range from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on the size and where it is purchased at.
Baltimore for LESS Weekend
This weekend, May 3rd and May 4th, is Baltimore for LESS Weekend, where various attractions offer discounts. The weekend includes Flowermart in Mount Vernon on Saturday and a scavenger hunt where people can win prizes like restaurant gift certificates on Sunday.
The best part though is probably the cheap parking. Not all gararges are participating, but many are offering rates that range from $3 – $7.
New Security at BWI
If you think taking your shoes off at BWI is too revealing, wait til you face the airport’s whole-body imaging machines. This new checkpoint shows weapons, explosives, and other dangerous objects people can hide under their clothing; however, the scan also reveals body shape, body parts, even birthmarks and scars.
Not everyone has to go through the new body imager, just those who don’t make it through the metal detector or who are otherwise selected. Selected passengers have to raise their arms in an oval shape as they walk through. Those who refuse to be scanned have to be patted-down.
Images are black-and-white and three-dimensional. The image hides the persons face and faces are deleted after Transportation Security Administration inspection. Hey, it’s all for good security and faster, friendlier service.
