SHOCKING BREAKING NEWS!!!

College kid smokes pot in his girlfriend's dorm room.

Don't we have something more important to worry about?

She "does not disagree"

Under the mayor of Baltimore's guidance, the city's top attorney is looking into making the taxpayers of the city pay for her legal defense.

Seriously, these folks have no shame. The goal is to put the policy on the books as soon as possible. Gee, I wonder why.

How about we compromise: want the city to pick up the tab, use the Public Defender's office. Seems those of us footing the bill ought to be able to pick the lawyers.

Lookee there

The esteemed mayor of Baltimore got indicted today.

Shocking.

Reason #346 my property taxes are so high

If this were a good idea, ZipCar would be doing it.

This is the same city that can't afford to lower property taxes, and is cutting back on spending for police and fire.

Fin and Theater

Went to Fin last night. Dissapointing.

Service was eager, but not on point. Little things, like the menu being misprinted (the last thing on the menu had the last line of the description cut off (how does that happen and no one notice for this long?), and the waiter didn't know what the full description was.

I had a ceasar salad that wasn't as good as the one I make at home with store bought croutons and bottled dressing. (The description is "with toasted garlic croutons and shaved parmesean", it had croutons out of a box and grated parmasean that might have also been mass produced). J had crabcakes that she described as 'adequate'; I had rack of lamb that was pretty good, but not spectacular. Waiter forgot about my glass of wine (twice), but they didn't charge me for it. Finished it off with a stawberry shortcake that was very good.

Ambiance is fanstastic. The space is really cool, especially the bar area.

Service: 4/10
Food: 7/10
Ambiance: 9/10

Overall: 6.5/10. Return trip doubtful. There are too many places in town that are just better.

Then went to see "Legally Blonde".

I'm a 235 pound powerlifter who's favorite band is Slayer. It bordered on torture. However, for light mindless entertainment, it was better than television. The UPS guy steals the show.

Pizza

I hear over and over that Pasta Mista is the greatest pizza, ever.

I tried out a couple of slices last night. I don't see what all the fuss is about. They did have a couple of specialty pies I want to try.

Don't worry about the potholes. People eat too much salt!

My tax dollars at work.

Baltimore has launched a citywide effort to educate the public on the dangers of high salt intake, which is associated with high blood pressure, particularly among African-Americans.

In a city that is nearly 65 percent black, the risks of hypertension, which can lead to heart attack, kidney failure and stroke, are especially high. The city Health Department is bringing together researchers and public health advocates starting in September to try to untangle the reasons for high salt consumption and offer recommendations for how city officials and food suppliers can decrease it.

The six-month-long effort was born out of a recent Health Department initiative to reduce health disparities caused by cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in Baltimore.

"The rates are much higher in Baltimore than other areas of the state," said Joshua M. Sharfstein, the city's health commissioner. "There are a lot of lives to be saved by reducing cardiovascular disease. You can connect the dots from high salt intake to excessive death rates in cardiovascular disease."

Of course, it's for your own good:

"We got criticized years ago for encouraging people not to smoke, and many people argued it was a choice," he said. "But we feel that sodium consumption and hypertension are very similar to smoking in that people need to be protected from things that can harm them."

Saunders said members of the task force will consider pushing restaurants and food industries to reduce salt in their products. And if necessary, they will work with the legislature to create sodium guidelines.

The issue is more complex than simply encouraging people to eat healthier, Sharfstein said.

"If every option you have has too much salt in it, you don't have much of a choice," he said. "I'm not saying every restaurant has this problem. But if there are not enough low-salt options, then what kind of choice is it?"

Education and awareness will be essential to the initiative, Sharfstein added.

"A lot of people don't know what's in the food they are eating," he said. "It's hard to hold them responsible if they are not getting the information to make a wise decision."

Apparently, the city thinks Black people are not smart enough to decide what they eat.

Our Mayor, she has teh smart

Sheila Dixon, the incredibly not well spoken mayor of Baltimore, is under investigation for corruption. This is not a suprise, she was under investigation when the good folks in Baltimore elected her (get what you deserve, I suppose).

She recently responded, showing anger that the press is getting information, but she's not allowed to talk about the case.

Dixon told the media gathered at City Hall "this is a process" and "she is cooperating with authorities." She says it's aggravating that members of the media can talk about this, but she can't.

"I can't talk about it in the media because it is under investigation, but certain media people are getting information from the prosecutor's office and that really bothers me because there is a process," Dixon said.

She says she knows how to maintain a budget and is focusing on the future of the city. Dixon encouraged members of the media to look at documents relating to her actions at Board of Estimates meetings. She says she abstains when there is a conflict of interest.

Dixon had no comment about allegations that she used gift cards designed for needy people. Dixon says she is not going to discuss the allegations in depth and referred questions to her attorneys. She also thanked her supporters.

Dixon told the media she would survive this.

"I take this business of what I do one day at a time. I will continue to stay focused in this position I am in, as I long as I am in this position," said Dixon.

In a statement to the Eyewitness News Tuesday, Mayor Dixon admitted, "In late 2003 and early 2004, I had a personal relationship with Ron Lipscomb. We were both separated from our respective spouses at the time, we traveled together and exchanged gifts on special occasions. Our brief relationship was personal, and it did not influence my decisions related to matters of city government."

On Wednesday, Dixon said more about the relationship.

"Despite my relationship, Ron Lipscomb is a great person. It was a personal relationship. I wasn't the mayor then...there's a process that the Baltimore Development Corporation and Housing goes through. That was under the O'Malley Administration who handled those," said Dixon.

Documents reveal investigators were after computer records of the relationship when they raided Doracon Contracting last year. Lipscomb is Doracon's president.

In one case, the document states Dixon voted on a $13 million tax break for Doracon--for the Spinnaker Bay building in Harbor East-- the same day she and Lipscomb went on a lavish trip to New York.

The document also reveals trips the two took to Colorado, Boston and Chicago, and that Lipscomb was at Dixon's birthday celebration in the Bahamas. It raises questions about whether Doracon and Lipscomb paid for travel and lodging expenses.

The document also revealed Dixon's expenditures during the trip she and Lipscomb took to Chicago, including $570 for Jimmy Choo sandals, more than $600 spent at Coach, $4,400 for clothes at Armani and more than $2,200 at a Michigan Avenue boutique.

Ms. Mayor, there is a big difference between not being allowed to talk about something, and having your lawyer tell you to not talk about something. You are free, at any time, to say whatever you want about this case. You can't, because your lawyer (rightly so) has advised you to keep quiet.

Don't get angry about that.