Friday, January 25, 2013
A Maryland company started making bulletproof school supplies in response to the shootings at Newtown, Conn. Company owner tells Capital News Service the supplies are a last line of defense.
Since the shootings in Newtown, Conn., much of the discussion has swirled around gun control and school security, whether there should be armed police officers or guards in America’s schools. But what about bulletproof school supplies? Several Montgomery County Patch sites picked up a Capital News Service story about Hardwire LLC. The Eastern Shore military armor company started making bulletproof whiteboards and clipboards in response to the tragic school shootings. The company’s CEO George Tunis told CNS that the bulletproof school supplies could be effective if incorporated into a broader security strategy. He donated 90 of the white boards to a school in Worcester County, according to the report. "Inside every classroom, with every …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Heroines with bows, vampires, super heroes and James Bond dominated the 2012 box office.
In 2012, box office tallies increased for the first time in three years, hitting an all-time high of $10.8 billion, according to a recent Huffington Post article. Superheroes, secret agents, strong females wielding weapons, and animated fare took seven of the top 10 slots in terms of domestic gross, with Marvels' The Avengers raking in more than $623 million, The Dark Knight Rises over $448 million and the Hunger Games over $408 billion. Rounding out the top 10 were: While they may not (yet) be in the $200 million+ range, a number of other films are both critically and popularly acclaimed. The recently opened Les Miserables and Django Unchained seem likely to cross that barrier, while Lincoln, Argo and Life of Pi will probably enjoy a …
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
At what age should children be allowed on Facebook?
Is your 10-year-old child ready for Facebook? In an attempt to bolster the bottom line for investors, Facebook is considering lowering its minimum age of 13 to register, The Washington Post reports. "The move highlights what analysts say will be a recurring problem for the newly public firm: Facebook needs to find ways to increase revenue and please its shareholders, but those actions can stir privacy concerns," The Post reported. Since its beginning, Facebook has slowly broadened its scope from being restricted to college campuses to opening access to the general public. Now, Facebook's minimum age requirement is 13, and users who falsify their age to participate violate the site's terms and conditions. "Facebook said it hasn’t made …
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
What do you think of the controversy?
The Archdiocese of Washington has joined dozens of Catholic organizations across the country in fighting a mandate that religious employers provide workers with birth control coverage. A coalition that includes Catholic University of America, the Archdiocese of Washington, the Consortium of Catholic Academies, Archbishop Carroll High School and Catholic Charities of D.C. filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Monday. The suit challenges the recent Department of Health and Human Services mandate that forces the institutions to provide health insurance covering contraception and other medical practices that run counter to church teachings. "The archdiocese’s complaint maintains that the HHS mandate violates the …
Friday, May 18, 2012
Do you agree where your tax dollars are going?
Takoma Park's taxpayers have paid out almost $85 million for the Iraq and Afghan wars according to the website Cost of War. We at Patch want to know what you think of that as Takoma Park residents. Patch reader Jay Levy already voiced his opinion in a recent letter to the editor in The Gazette. Levy lamented that Takoma Park residents have had to fork over that amount of money. So tell us, what do you think about the amount Takoma Park taxpayers have spent on the Iraq and Afghan wars?
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot says Maryland's families and economy would benefit from a later school year start. Do you agree?
Should public schools open after Labor Day? Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot says they should. Citing the benefits to Maryland families, small businesses and tourism, Franchot called for a policy change to have all school systems in the state begin classes after Labor Day weekend, according to a press release. Most state school systems now begin classes a week to 10 days before the end-of-summer holiday, which takes place this year on Monday, Sept. 3. For the 2012-2013 school year, Montgomery County Public Schools will begin classes on Monday, Aug. 27. Nearby, in Prince George's County, students will begin classes on Monday, Aug. 20. Teachers generally report back to school a week before the students. 'The chance for families to spend …
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Does the Discovery trip end one chapter, or start another?
The Space Shuttle Discovery made its retirement voyage from Florida to Virginia, dazzling spectators who stopped to watch the final flight. Here's a great gallery of photos and videos submitted by Patch readers. For those of us who remember the moon walks and the Challenger and Columbia disasters, this was a bittersweet moment. The United States has accomplished so much in space—it seems sad we have to hitch a ride from the Russians to send our scientists to the International Space Station. In his coverage yesterday from Reagan National Airport, Falls Church Patch Editor Andre Taylor met up with Terry Springer, NASA’s lead for communications and education. Springer said NASA is looking into different spacecraft to replace the shuttles but …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
School districts in Maryland and Virginia are closing early for the year after using none of their built-in snow days.
While a mild winter and lack of snow left young students in Maryland without days off from school to sled and relax, they may be getting the last laugh. Students in Baltimore, Prince George’s, Anne Arundel, Howard and Carroll counties are likely to start their summer breaks a week early due to a mild winter that produced no snow days, according to a report by Savage-Guilford Patch. Frederick County Public Schools are also likely to close early, without having used any of their built-in snow days, an FCPS spokesperson told Patch. But Montgomery County Public Schools — with the last day scheduled for Tuesday, June 12 — has no current plans to wrap up early, MCPS spokesman Dana Tofig told Patch in an email. “I am not aware that this is being…
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Participation in Tuesday's election was particularly low—even for a primary.
Did you vote on Tuesday? If not, why not? It was slow going at polls in the early hours at many polling locations. Patch reported low turnout at precincts in Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Kensington, North Potomac, Potomac and Rockville. Voter turnout picked up at some polling places in the evening hours, but remained less than usual. Primary election turnout is traditionally much lower than that of general elections. But elections officials and campaigns alike pinned the especially low turnout in Montgomery County in Tuesday’s primary—14.79 percent of all registered voters vs. 20 percent for typical primary elections—on timing. Maryland’s 2008 presidential primary was held in February. Previous primaries were held in March. The …
Jay Levy
8:47 am on Sunday, January 27, 2013
What a great idea. Of course, kids only wear their backpacks to and from school so why not also put as little derringer in the backpack. Oh, wait a minute, maybe dleivering the kids to school in tanks would be better, then they would be hustled into a totally fortified school building for their complete protection. more ›