http://www.explorehoward.com/ Recent blog posts from News Views on ExploreHoward.com en-us 2010 The Baltimore Sun Media Group, All Rights Reserved. technical@baltimoresun.com (Technical Help) http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/52/god-and-the-homeless/ http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/52/god-and-the-homeless/ Rev. Jeremy Tuinstra, 35, is not afraid to go to the dark places. His mission is to the homeless and he regularly drives to the tent communities around Laurel, picking up the homeless and taking them back to his small Presbyterian church near Laurel for ministry, food and, most importantly,... Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:26:44 EST http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/51/the-essence-of-leadership/ http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/51/the-essence-of-leadership/ What makes a great leader? It’s a question thousands of management consultants, politicians, historians and authors ask themselves daily, leaving reams of books and no doubt boring Powerpoint presentations on the subject. Being a low man on the totem pole here at Patuxent Publishing, it is a question I seldom... Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:58:36 EST http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/50/the-needle-and-the-damage-done/ http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/50/the-needle-and-the-damage-done/ People get themselves in situations beyond their control and end up degrading themselves. That is a major theme in the work of writer Hubert Selby Jr., according to colleague of mine, Dave Sturm, a copy editor and font of knowledge about noir literature and other tales of urban squalor. I... Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:16:59 EST http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/49/truth-and-consequences/ http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/49/truth-and-consequences/ Pontius Pilate did not wait for the answer. In perhaps the most famous encounter between a political leader and a religious one, the gospel of John records that the Roman governor asked Jesus of Nazareth, “What is truth?” But he did not stay for the answer. That encounter between the... Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:36:58 EST http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/48/policing-the-mentally-ill/ http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/48/policing-the-mentally-ill/ A few years ago, I was sitting at my desk when I got a call from Sean Piccoli, an old friend who covers pop music for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. Without introducing himself, Sean said two words: “Pat’s dead.” For years, Sean and I had watched Pat, my first editor,... Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:01:16 EST http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/47/village-center-civility/ http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/47/village-center-civility/ Not long after I arrived at the Howard County Times, about a year ago, I came across a batch of zoning regulation amendments that would be heard by the county Planning Board. Little did I know that tucked among them was one particular item that would end up dominating much... Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:06:04 EST http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/46/beware-of-the-flying-ken-ulman-heads/ http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/46/beware-of-the-flying-ken-ulman-heads/ The campaign signs aren’t up yet. In fact, no candidates in Howard County have officially filed to run. But the 2010 campaign is starting to gear up all the same. In this case, that means flying, disembodied Ken Ulman heads are going after your money. This free game is from... Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:40:38 EST http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/45/tracking-your-stimulus/ http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/45/tracking-your-stimulus/ There has been a lot of talk lately about regular citizens taking more of a role in producing the journalism of the future. Now you’ve got a chance — right here in Howard County. ProPublica, the non-profit investigative journalism organization, has launched a new enterprise called “Adopt a Stimulus Project.”... Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:34:39 EST http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/44/theyre-not-owned-by-mcdonalds/ http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/44/theyre-not-owned-by-mcdonalds/ The opening of a new food court Chipotle at the Mall in Columbia this week reminded me of the importance of one of the cardinal virtues of journalism: fact checking. When I called to talk with someone from the company to confirm details about the opening, the spokeswoman mentioned as... Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:17:53 EST http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/43/the-bigger-the-better/ http://www.explorehoward.com/blog/news-views/43/the-bigger-the-better/ Are we addicted to big box stores? That question came to mind this week as my colleague Mike Santa Rita wrote about a Safeway store closing in the Normandy Shopping Center. The company says it’s concentrating its efforts on larger stores. Likewise, developer Brian Gibbons, who is planning to bring... Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:35:14 EST