Reality

A good friend of mine called the other day and suggested that I write another column about courage. Now please understand that my friend was not suggesting that I am personally courageous, rather he knew that I had researched the human characteristic called courage and written about it before. Courage, a noun, speaks to one's mind or spirit and the ability to "face difficulty. "  The action most often associated with courage is: "bravery. " One can be courageous in mind and spirit and be or not be brave in action.

Imagine a man arrives at your front door at noon one day, totally unexpected, and hands you a check for $1,000 from an anonymous donor for you to use any way you want. You are overjoyed and astonished, realizing how much it helps with some pressing financial needs. Despite your inquiries about the source of the gift, no further information is offered. Lo and behold, the same thing happens at noon the very next day. Once again, you are amazed and find it hard to believe your good fortune.

North Hagerstown coach Greg Slick is quick to temper the excitement about his wrestling team this season. “Everybody hyped up those Philadelphia Eagles in the beginning of the year, and they didn't quite pan out,” he said. The Hubs might not be the “dream team,” but they potentially could be very good. Eight starters are back from last season's team that went 13-8 in dual meets and finished second in the Washington County tournament. The returnees include all four of their Maryland Class 2A-1A state qualifiers from last season - seniors Kenneth Burrs and Duncan Yeisley, junior Mike Tobery and sophomore Brendon Colbert - and all three of their county champions - Yeisley, Colbert and senior Connor McHose.

The problem with being part of a calamity is that you can't hear the electronic media reports about what miserable sots you are. We had no power, so, of course, I was the last to know of the recent storm's malice, a disaster that the New York Times said “had far greater impact on daily life than Tropical Storm Irene.” It sure did on mine. I'll say right up front that I have all the respect in the world for the power company and its line crews. I fundamentally know that they'll get electricity to me as soon as they can. But I also understand the demographic realities.

When my daughter announced that she plans to be a pediatrician, the wheels started turning. What could I do to help my middle school student know if this really is the career path for her? We talked about the importance of getting good grades, especially in math and science. We talked about relating to children and their parents all day long, week after week, month after month. We talked about the years of schooling, the long hours, the responsibility. Then we went to work.

With little discussion, a proposed solar farm in Washington County advanced a step on Thursday, as a state utility official accepted uncontested evidence in the case. The next step will be a public hearing at Hagerstown Community College on Wednesday. If there are no complications, Hearing Examiner Dennis Sober can soon recommend that Maryland Solar LLC be awarded a certificate of public need and necessity for its project. Maryland Solar plans to install at least 100,000 photovoltaic cells on land at the state prison complex south of Hagerstown.

In forgiving evening sunlight at Oatesdale Park, the Martinsburg Little League Reds and Mariners squared off Monday on the major division’s new baseball ball diamond. Passionate parents cheered from shaded bleachers that offer a sweeping view of this field of dreams from the outfield as the players chanted from the dugouts. “Little Leagues just dream of something like this,” said William F. “Bill” Queen, president of the Little League Association’s board. In Martinsburg, tucked away on 25.5 acres off Tavern Road, the dream, years in the making, has come true at Oatesdale all over again.

Nobody asked whether I wanted to be born in Cleveland. Nor was I consulted about whether I wanted to grow up in West Virginia’s “other” panhandle. I would have asked for a place with a beach. It’s a rare child indeed who gets to choose where he or she grows up. And none of us gets to choose where we’re born. For what it’s worth, had I been a member of the General Assembly, I would have voted against the Maryland DREAM Act, which permits some undocumented immigrants who went to high school in Maryland to pay in-state tuition at state-supported colleges.

Economic uncertainty, access to capital and regulatory hurdles are among the issues holding back job growth in Maryland and Washington County, according to some local officials. "There are many times when some of the feedback we hear is, 'It's just easier to do business in West Virginia or other states,'" Del. Andrew Serafini, R-Washington, said last week. "There's an image, whether it's reality or not, that Maryland is more difficult to do business in. " The Maryland Economic Development Commission agrees.

There appears to be a resurgence of interest in what are an aggregate of ideas classed as "Libertarian" and now formalized by a party carrying that name. They have a platform and candidates running for office who profess to be in support of the values and principles openly stated in that document. Without questioning their right to join and promote these statements of belief or doubting their sincerity in proposing them as the basis of policies if elected, we need to examine these statements with a clear mind.