Slogan

Baltimore -- The Greatest City in America, The City That Reads and Believes and Gets In On It -- might want to try on another civic slogan. This one was crafted by city bail bondsman Mark J. Adams, who writes: "A couple of years ago, the idiots who run conventions and tourism in Baltimore hired an outside firm to come up with a slogan to promote Baltimore. They spent a fortune with some out-of-town company that came up with the slogan, 'Baltimore: Get in on it.' "I had my own slogan that they didn't quite accept.

When I read the article on the front page of The Sun about our governor as a possible future presidential candidate, I was thrilled ("O'Malley takes a tryout in SC," Mar. 24). Just think: our governor as president. As a matter of fact, I'm so moved by that thought that I'd like to offer this slogan for him to use for his campaign. "I never met a tax I didn't like. " Jim Poppiti, Woodbine Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

When I read the article on the front page of The Sun about our governor as a possible future presidential candidate, I was thrilled ("O'Malley takes a tryout in SC," Mar. 24). Just think: our governor as president. As a matter of fact, I'm so moved by that thought that I'd like to offer this slogan for him to use for his campaign. "I never met a tax I didn't like. " Jim Poppiti, Woodbine Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Under Armour is suing Nike, alleging that its chief competitor is illegally using a version of the Baltimore sports apparel company's new primary slogan, "I Will. " The suit, which the company said it filed Thursday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, seeks to force Nike to stop using any form of that phrase and asks for unspecified punitive damages for trademark infringement and unfair competition. According to a copy of the suit provided by Under Armour, the complaint shows several instances of ads Nike placed on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter beginning late last year using slogans that all begin with "I will.

Maryland drivers may soon advertise the state as the "Home of Our National Anthem." The state Senate unanimously approved a bill Friday that would have most plates carry the slogan starting Oct. 1. The measure would exclude special registration plates. Maryland last displayed a slogan on its standard-issue license plate in the mid-1980s, celebrating the 350th anniversary of the state's founding as a colony. Maryland native Francis Scott Key penned "The Star-Spangled Banner" almost 200 years ago after the British attacked Baltimore's Fort McHenry.

Hearing that Mayor Sheila Dixon hopes to spit-shine Baltimore's streets with a snappy new campaign to reform even the worst litterers, Sun readers jumped to help. Eager to share their wisdom, to save the city money and, most of all, to see how the city would look clean, Baltimoreans submitted to us dozens of anti-litter slogan suggestions -- many of which are even printable. Some people revealed their inner poet: "Stash it, Don't Trash it." "Litter -- It makes the City and Planet Bitter."

IN the current mayoralty campaign, Mayor Schmoke's slogan is "Get on Board." Clarence "Du" Burns' is "Du Knows Baltimore." William Swisher's slogan is "The Best for Baltimore."These are slogans that just blow you away, aren't they? But then few campaign slogans from Baltimore or Maryland election campaigns have entered into community memory.One of the few memorable slogans came out of the 1966 gubernatorial campaign of George P. Mahoney. Exploiting the tense racial climate of those years, Mahoney sought to pander to some white voters' fears about integrated housing.

"Catch the Spirit" is Baltimore's new slogan, not to be confused with its motto, "The City that Reads," which is printed on city-owned vehicles, said mayoral spokesman Clinton R. Coleman.Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke used the phrase in his inaugural address in December to help boost the morale of city residents, the spokesman said.A large banner recently was attached to the south side of a vacant Lexington Terrace housing complex building that is to be imploded next month, reading: "Catch the Spirit Baltimore With Mayor Schmoke and Commissioner Henson."

Got a problem? Get a slogan.There's no difficulty that can't be put to rights with a few catchy words. There's no failing so intractable that it can't be treated with a finely tuned phrase. The world might be falling apart, but if you can put out a punchy slogan then clearly all will be well. Something like, "The world: We're in this one together."The best thing about slogans is they do the work for you. Is the world beset by mistrust and misunderstanding? The solution is easy. "The world: We're in this one together."

Pamela Snowhite Davis was acquitted in Carroll Circuit Court but that didn't satisfy a vandal with a can of blue spray paint."FREE PAM DAVIS" was sprayed across the chiseled lettering, "Carroll County Courthouse Annex 1979," on the face of the building in the first block of N. Court St. late Thursday or early Friday.Davis was tried there Thursday.The 48-year-old Westminster woman was acquitted of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of marijuana, conspiracy to distribute marijuana and maintaining a common nuisance.

I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things we have written about in the paper recently. Here are some: Two life terms: It's about time a Harford County judge got it right when it comes to a sex offender. Too often, I'm reading or writing about someone who's abused a young girl or boy, or man or woman for that matter, and he gets off with what amounts to a slap on the wrist. I realize that often it's because the state accepts a plea to a lesser charge to keep the victim from having to testify and relive what I can only imagine is the worst experience of his or her life.

Baltimore -- The Greatest City in America, The City That Reads and Believes and Gets In On It -- might want to try on another civic slogan. This one was crafted by city bail bondsman Mark J. Adams, who writes: "A couple of years ago, the idiots who run conventions and tourism in Baltimore hired an outside firm to come up with a slogan to promote Baltimore. They spent a fortune with some out-of-town company that came up with the slogan, 'Baltimore: Get in on it.' "I had my own slogan that they didn't quite accept.

The Towson Chamber of Commerce is conducting a contest to find a slogan of eight or fewer words to promote the community. The winning entry in this haiku of civic advertising receives a $250 cash prize. As often happens with writers, that last bit really caught our eye. Alas, accepting a stipend, even from our friends at the chamber, might be perceived as a conflict of interest. But you, dear reader, are welcome to be inspired by our suggestions. Keep in mind, of course, that we avoided the predictable cliché (Best place in Central Baltimore County)

The Humane Society of the United States filed a class action lawsuit Monday in New Jersey against Maryland-based Perdue Farms, accusing the nation's third-largest poultry producer of falsely advertising its chickens as "humanely raised. " The suit was brought on behalf of a New Jersey woman who bought chicken at a BJ's Wholesale Club bearing the Harvestland label, a trade name used by Perdue for birds raised in Kentucky and marketed as "purely all-natural" and "humanely raised. " The suit alleges that the poultry producer's marketing violates New Jersey's consumer fraud law. The complaint seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages against Perdue, as well as an injunction barring it from making claims that it treats its birds humanely.

The City That Reads became the City That Bleeds. Get In on It became Get In on Crime. Now we have a new feel-good slogan for the city. A half-million dollars bought "Find Your Happy Place in Baltimore." It took just a few hours for a city cynic to post a comment to the Baltimore Sun's Crime Beat blog to turn that into "Find Your Trigger-Happy Place." Yes, Baltimore is enjoying a 33-year low in homicides. Shootings have fallen by more than half in the last year, from 225 during the first four months of 2009 to 102 from January through April this year.

Are you kidding me? The city's tourism agency, Visit Baltimore, is running a $500,000 campaign to lure visitors (and their wallets) to Baltimore. And the best slogan they could create is "Find Your Happy Place"? Really, are you kidding me? I wish Visit Baltimore would have approached me with an offer of endless cups of coffee and a comfortable workspace for one hour. I guarantee I could have come up with a more lucrative and creative slogan in that time frame. In the meantime, let's all put on our smiley faces and tweak our dimples with our index fingers while we all shout in unison, "Find Your Happy Place"!

BOOSTERISM IS the opposite of cool. And there's the challenge. Any city that tries too hard to be its own cheering section may radiate desperation, not desirability. Like every aging, industrial city, Baltimore has its demographic work cut out for it, but attracting committed and creative people has to succeed on their terms, and more importantly, in their language. I don't like bumper stickers, and think slogans are hokey if not hopeless. But here's how I was won over. During an epic red light on Cold Spring Lane, I spotted a small oval on the bumper of the car ahead.

DALLAS -- A smoldering cigarette hanging from his lips, chain-smoking Southwest Airlines Chairman Herb Kelleher won big yesterday by losing an arm wrestling match dubbed the "Malice In Dallas."The 61-year-old Mr. Kelleher, who said he trained for the event by bench pressing a quart of Wild Turkey and smoking five packs of cigarettes each day, lost the best-of-three arm wrestling match to 37-year-old Kurt Herwald, chairman of Stevens Aviation Inc., a general and corporate aviation sales and maintenance company in Greenville, S.C.The two were competing for rights to a similiar slogan -- "Just Plane Smart" for Southwest, and "Plane Smart" for Stevens.

I remember when the Republican Party was a credible political force providing worthy opposition to the Democrats. The American people could expect spirited bipartisanship and a GOP that actually offered substantive programs and constructive input to the political process. Contrast that with the Republican Party of today that has morphed into a group of abject obstructionists with the slogan of: THE ANSWER IS NO. WHAT'S THE QUESTION? I get the feeling that the GOP is so far removed from remembering the last time it did anything positive for the country that is has given up trying altogether.

Maryland drivers may soon advertise the state as the "Home of Our National Anthem." The state Senate unanimously approved a bill Friday that would have most plates carry the slogan starting Oct. 1. The measure would exclude special registration plates. Maryland last displayed a slogan on its standard-issue license plate in the mid-1980s, celebrating the 350th anniversary of the state's founding as a colony. Maryland native Francis Scott Key penned "The Star-Spangled Banner" almost 200 years ago after the British attacked Baltimore's Fort McHenry.