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Friday, January 25, 2013

Speak Out: Do Armored School Supplies Go Too Far?

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 …

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 ›

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

SPEAK OUT: What's Your Favorite Film of 2012?

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 …

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10:11 am on Friday, January 4, 2013

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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Speak Out: When Will We Return to Space?

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 …

K J

11:35 am on Wednesday, May 9, 2012

The US needs to get back into space and space transport for people. The economics benefits will end the "Great Recession" faster than other methods. There is all the universe and its assets outside this very finite planet. kj   more ›

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Speak Out: Should MCPS End the School Year Early?

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…

nancy edwards

5:39 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012

If they closed the Friday before the kids would lose 1.5 days of signing yearbooks, helping teachers pack up classrooms, and busy work not instructional time. I think in many families it would just be finding child care for that Monday. Most families would have already made plans for the 1/2 day Tuesday. Teachers would still be in the buildings those days and in-school day care options would …   more ›

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