Jack is Back! Jack Diamond Morning Show Returns to Mix 107.3

(c) 2015 Cumulus Media

For those of us who felt our breath was taken away when we finally figured out after two weeks of no formal announcement that Cumulus Radio cancelled the Jack Diamond in the Morning show in May 2013, we can now breathe again. As it says on their web page "Jack is Back."

I thought it was in poor taste for Cumulus to not to tell listeners that the whole format changed besides the departure of Jack. I was willing to give Bert Weiss  another try but I knew from the last time he was on Mix 107.3 that the only person who could keep him in line was Jack and Jack was no longer there to do so. The first Bert show had some vulgar comment and I complained on Mix 107.3's Facebook page. Apparently, and contrary to usual practice, I was not alone.  The new line-up was awful. It was just noise. I wouldn't even credit it with being "music."

I looked around for other stations and ended up with Wash-FM 97.1. Chilli Amar was there formerly from Mix 107.3 but as time rolled on, she became ditzy and whiny. I was searching for a new station.

It was by accident that I turned Mix 107.3 back on when I was driving around town. And, low and behold, there was a statement about Jack Diamond. It's a good thing I was driving slow because I about fell out of my seat.

As soon as I got home, I went online and Yes, life is good again. Jack is Back!

"Love Your Show Babe"




 

Gaithersburg City - Winter Lights Festival



(c) City of Gaithersburg

The 20th Annual Winter Lights Festival

Nightly: November 27 through December 31
(Closed December 25th)

Fees: 

• Cars, SUV’s, Mini-Vans Monday - Thursday: $12
• Cars, SUV’s, Mini-Vans Friday - Sunday: $15
• Limos and 20-Passenger Vans: $20
• Mini-buses: $30
• Buses (30 seats or more): $70

Winter Lights features more than 365 illuminated vignettes and 65 animated displays in a 3.5 mile drive through beautiful Seneca Creek State Park.  

Visit Winter Woods, Teddy Bear Land, Victorian Village, North Pole, Toyland, and much more. 

Proceeds Benefit Local Charities.

Please note that the festival is closed to cars on:December 25.

For details and group admission rates, call 301-258-6350 or

visit: http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/leisure/winter-lights-festival

 

Safety Alert: Intersection of Mid-County Highway and Saybrooke Oaks Blvd.

(C) Turczyn-Toles

Over the summer, the state of Maryland began a public works project at the intersection of Mid-County Highway and Saybrooke Oaks Blvd. They completed three corners successfully but the northwest corner was left partially completed and creates a sharp, ninety degree angle making it unnecessarily and excessively difficult to make the right turn and impeding the flow of traffic.

 

There have already been at least two accidents involving those who are not familiar with our area. Because Mid-County Highway is a heavily traveled route, I wanted to alert everyone that a fix won't come until January 2016.

 

As you can see from the picture, the little trough in the middle is where cars naturally want to turn. And, it's hard to see from ground-level while driving. There is an optical illusion.

 

 

 

 

Best Dry Cleaner's in area

Just wanted to give a wave to Tom. His service is great!

Tom's Cleaners Click

(c) Tom's Cleaners

 

State Farm is NOT like a Good Neighbor

HOW AM I AT FAULT WHEN MY CAR WAS PARKED and NO ONE WAS INSIDE?

March of 2014, I came out of the Flower Hill Giant to find a cart against my right front fender. After living in Maryland for 21 years, the crappy driving and social habits still offend me. I also want to state "entitlement" does not mean you get away with doing something wrong.

Having said all that, I only immediately saw a scratch so drove home to put the perishables away. I later discover that whatever happened, the fender was cracked and needed to be replaced.

The short story is I went to the State Farm's claim assessment place in Germantown. My collision deductible is $500 so I told the lady if the covered amount is not enough do NOT file the claim. It was $640 meaning I get only $140 from them. The crazy chick filed the claim anyway handing me a check for a whole $140.

My renewal is February so in January 2014 I get a Notice of Premium Increase. Get this, because they decided I was At Fault in a collision. Hello, not only was I not in the car, no one was. It was parked and empty. Duh factor to 100 times.

The bottom line to all this is my agent told me State Farm changed its policies in Maryland and they want to recoup anything they have to pay for - even if the policy holder is NOT at fault. Thus, my rate will go up unless I can find someone else to pay for it.

The other change in policy came in 2014 when State Farm began playing games with Maryland Homeowners deductibles. If you don't opt out, your deductible will be a percentage of what they insure the home for. For me, this meant my $2,000 deductible would have gone up to $2,600 and increased each year from there.

So Buyer Beware. State Farm policy holders in Maryland may want to find a better company. Check out the auto insurance comparison  information on Maryland Insurance Administration's web site.

Protest Against Montgomery County Council Proposed Bill 52-14

Proposed Montgomery Council Bill 52-14

Local Government overreach!

Mr. George Leventhal of the Montgomery County Council has proposed a bill, Bill 52-14, that if passed will ban the use of pesticides on home lawns and landscapes and restrict your personal freedom to care for your property.  Pesticides are already well regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Maryland Department of Agriculture. 

The information Mr. Leventhal uses to make his case against pesticides is an American Academy of Pediatrics study on chronic and acute exposure to pesticides.  The study, in fact, does not call for a ban on the use of pesticides but recommends the practice of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which many lawn care companies are already doing, emphasizing  the safe use of pesticides by simply following  the directions, and more consumer awareness. 

Mr. Leventhal thinks using only Organics will completely eliminate the need for chemical pesticides and IPM but organics alone will not maintain healthy turf, shrubs, and trees etc. in Montgomery County, MD.  As a reminder Montgomery County Council members are insensitive to the fact not everyone in Maryland is a millionaire, organics can cost anywhere from four to ten times more than traditional lawn care. But the kicker is organics are much less effective. 

Be aware other areas have tried Mr. Leventhal’s plan and many ended with disastrous results, not immediately evident since lawns have annual cycles. In one such town, Wallingford, CT, a pesticide ban was enacted in 2010 on school athletic fields. Invasive weeds plague their fields, bees are being attracted to clover raising concerns of children having severe allergic reactions from being stung.

Particularly in the Montgomery County area, there are mosquitos and ticks. “Pesticides are the primary way to take care of those things that could pose a threat to kid’s health,” says Karen Reardon, a spokeswoman for the pesticide industry group Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment.  “Pesticides are very well-understood products.  They are rigorously reviewed and registered by the EPA.”  

If you agree this bill should not pass, please contact your representatives as soon as possible:

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/index.aspx

Councilmember.Katz@montgomerycountymd.gov

Councilmember.Berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov

Councilmember.Elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov

Councilmember.Hucker@montgomerycountymd.gov

Councilmember.Floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov

Councilmember.Leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov

Councilmember.Navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov

Councilmember.Rice@montgomerycountymd.gov

Councilmember.Riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov

County Executive Ike Leggett= ocemail@montgomerycountymd.gov

 

Source:
[Adapted and edited from a 1/12/15 letter by Rowland Dennie of Rowland Landscapes. All copyrights maintained.]