Carnival of Maryland -- 40th edition

The number 40 is a nice, large, round number. In fact it's a number that's literally of biblical proportions. Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai. (He wasn't able to check out earlier, because the computer at the front desk was out.) The Children of Israel spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness. (Guys refuse to ask for directions, you know.)

So I figured it was nice for me to be hosting the 40th edition of the Carnival of Maryland.

For those of you who are new to this, the Carnival appears every other week. It's hosted by members of the Maryland Blogger Alliance, but it's open to anyone who's written about something having to do with Maryland. You can submit Maryland-related writings at this Blog Carnival submission form.

Humor

I'm going to start this edition with a couple of posts from members of the Alliance who have proven to me that I'm not the only one who laughs at juvenile humor.

At That's What I Think, Jen posts a video of something unusual washing up on the shore.

And mad anthony gives us another conversation with co-workers that made me laugh.

Nature

The Ridger, at The Greenbelt, graces the Carnival, as she so often does, with her excellent nature photography, herein Sunrises in August, Contrast and complements, and my personal favorite of the three, Burnished by the Sun (trumpet flowers in sunlight). PLUS: A last-minute addition, A morning moon.

The River Mud Blog has some photos, too, in a post called "Paddling in the Land of Pleasant Living."

Julie, at Pines Above Snow, has photos from a tree house at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, which technically isn't in Maryland, but it's only about 20 miles or so from the state boundary. I liked the photos, so I'm adding her post here on my own. The photos remind me a little of Myst, that old computer game that had me enthralled for hours.

Soccer Dad grows tomatoes in his back yard. (He also asks you to send him a photo if you have a crape myrtle tree.)

And don't miss "The Curiosity of Cows" in photo form, by Donna, at Chestertown, Quaintest Town in America.

Local Events

Julie, at On The Red Line, tells us that Garrison Keillor will be at the National Cathedral on September 29.

Michelle Voorhies, of Young & Married in DC, was unhappy with the Bethesda Art Walk, as you can tell from the title of her post: Bethesda Art Walk = Disaster.

Food

Kumama tells us all how to save money on vegetables, which is actually a good thing to know.

Sports

Cheryl, at The Spewker, wonders whether the M tattoo on a certain famous Olympic swimmer might stand for Maryland. And see here for an update, or something.

And speaking of that certain famous Olympic swimmer, I laughed at this item in Insane Baltimore.

Oriole Post notes that the Orioles are about to welcome their 50 millionth fan at Camden Yards, who will receive "$50,000, season tickets for five years and a VIP package that includes seat upgrades, a commemorative jersey and participation in an on-field check presentation."

Also, Michael, at monoblogue, names pitcher Brian Parker the "Shorebird of the Week."

Transportation

Mike Netherland complains about the service on MARC and seeks co-bloggers for a new blog about the rail service. I think Mike would put the word "service" in quotation marks.

Jeff, at Inside Charm City, covers a story about an Amtrak train that struck and killed an Amtrak employee who was on the track.

Meanwhile, I had a post, myself, about a couple who were caught by a speed camera in Silver Spring, allegedly going 100 MPH -- in a Toyota Echo. Spoiler alert: They weren't actually going 100 MPH.

Economics

This doesn't have to do specifically with Maryland, but I'm including it, anyway, because I thought it was interesting -- the huge taxes already paid by Exxon, as discussed in The Political Octagon.

Red Maryland analyzes Governor O'Malley's energy plan.

Education

Matt, at Going to the Mat, writes in support of the EACH! charter school in Frederick County.

Law

Bruce Godfrey writes at Fort Totten Weekly (né Maryland Weekly), a part of the Crablaw empire, that two defense attorneys have been accused of attempting to influence witnesses.

Kevin Dayhoff writes about the history and current controversies over policing in Carroll County.

Local politics

At Annapolis Politics, Brian Gill points out a local alderman who failed to file his campaign finance report because of flooding -- at his house. Brian uses this as a jumping off point for a further discussion of local politics.

Joyce Dowling writes about the drug raid on the mayor of Berwyn Heights and advocates ending the drug war.

State politics

On a subject of interest to me personally, Maryland Chesapeake Blog has an item about the Maryland death-penalty commission hearings: "Killing the Death Penalty."

I'm glad someone blogged about this story -- the woman whom the state won't allow to massage horses, at Faster, Better...

P. Kenneth Burns, at Maryland Politics Today, tells us that Comptroller Peter Franchot is going out to Denver and will blog from the Democratic convention.

National politics

Zinzidor, at Leviathan Montgomery, notes that Senator Cardin is up in arms over a proposed reduction in payments to farmers to "to reduce the runoff of phosphorus and nitrogen from agricultural fertilizers into the bay" and asks why, when we don't pay other polluters to clean up, we should have to pay farmers not to pollute.

David Wissing, master of political polling data, gives us the current presidential polling for Maryland at The Hedgehog Report.

History

Mark Newgent, writing at the Baltimore History Examiner, gives the Historical Context to the Maryland State Police Surveillance Operation. See here and here for parts 2 and 3.

A photo of Ocean City, Maryland, circa 1907, at The Shores of Delmarva.

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The 41st edition of the Carnival of Maryland is scheduled for Sunday, September 7, at a blog to be named later ROTUS, a blog run by Clark of Clark's Picks. You can submit your posts for that edition at this link.