Stand

Greg Cantori plans to downsize when he retires. Really, really downsize. His retirement home is 238 square feet — one-tenth the size of the average new American house — and sits in his Anne Arundel County yard. He and wife Renee can hitch it to a truck and take it with them wherever they go. "It's so cheap — that's what's so cool about this," said Cantori, 52, who envisions a surf-and-turf future, alternating between the house and a sailboat. "We bought the house for $19,000.

It has been a rough week or so for the Obama administration. From Benghazi to the tapping of reporters' phones to the IRS admitting that it targeted conservative groups for extra scrutiny, the press is in a frenzy, and many are questioning President Barack Obama's future. If the president does not soon regain control of the narrative, he is likely to suffer the same fate as his predecessor - a collapse in public confidence and a vastly diminished second term. To understand President Obama's situation, we need to explore a little presidential theory and some recent presidential history.

During the campaign to get President Obama elected, we were all excited and moved by the hope he inspired us to feel when he talked about change. He told us then that he could not do it alone and that he would be calling on us to help him to fight the good fight. It is time to demand that our representatives on both sides of the aisle come together to solve a huge problem that has been troubling America for 100 years -- our health care system. It is time to stand up to the special interests who profit from the broken system, and it is time to deliver a brighter, smarter future for generations to come.

Each Wednesday, blogger Matt Vensel will highlight five statistics that really mean something for the Orioles. five -- consecutive quality starts for Chris Tillman. Right-hander Chris Tillman pitched seven strong innings Tuesday night, allowing four hits and one earned run to give the Orioles his fifth straight quality start (closer Jim Johnson could not secure the win for him, though). Over Tillman's past five starts, he has a 1.87 ERA and opponents are batting .195 against him. He recorded three wins and the Orioles won four of those five games.

In response to the article "Md. fights through haze over medical marijuana" (Jan. 31), I say good luck, Maryland. It took New Jersey five years to pass its medical marijuana bill into law. In the end, it was the patients and their testimony that finally swayed legislators in New Jersey to support medical marijuana. That's what it will take in Maryland, too. Patients stood up and spoke out about how marijuana helps them with their afflictions. These were individual acts of courage and selflessness.

Business has been booming at Springfield Farm, with rising demand for locally grown food helping to double the sales of meat, eggs, dairy and produce, and straining the confines of David Smith's basement retail stand in the northern Baltimore County community of Sparks. Smith, 68, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, has a solution: an expansion that would add a three-level, 6,000-square-foot barn for storage, an office, an egg-washing machine and service for drive-up customers. But after proposing the $250,000 project four years ago, he still doesn't have zoning approval.

Just one more turn . . . it's right there, on the corner. . . . You can already smell the basil and taste that sweet corn. . . . There's the stand. Quick, pull over, hop out, grab some corn, a head of lettuce, the strawberries look good -- hmm, maybe some bananas for breakfast? Are these tomatoes vine-ripened? Have you got any Romas?Where else could you be but the local roadside produce emporium, the place to stop on a busy day to grab some fresh veggies for dinner. No carts to maneuver, no checkout lines, just a quick --, then back to the car and you're on your way.Have you got a favorite stand where you often grab a few items for the family dinner table?

It seems like a very long time ago that the Orioles announced the deal to acquire Kevin Millwood from the Texas Rangers and conducted a conference call to introduce the veteran right-hander to the local media, but one thing about that evening still stands out. Millwood didn't sound too thrilled to be coming to Baltimore. It became obvious when he got to spring training that he's just a very low-key guy, so maybe we all just assumed too much about his lack of enthusiasm during that call and ensuing interviews, or maybe he saw all this coming.

I'll match my patriotism with anybody's. You say "America," I get a lump in the throat. You sing "God Bless America," I'm reaching for hankies. Every time I see the Statue of Liberty, I tell my family, "There's our girl." But, on the issue of kids in a classroom not standing up to salute the flag, I pledge allegiance to those refusing to pledge allegiance. To me, that's the American way. And America still includes the state of Maryland, a fact that apparently comes as news to some of our public school teachers, who wish to create marionettes instead of citizens.

When Carolyn and Mark Cherry began planning a family, they decided that one of them should be at home. So when son Nelson was born in 1988, Carolyn quit her job and opened Custom's Last Stand, a shop selling imported textiles and other handcrafted items from around the world.Then when daughter Claire was on the way, Mark decided he wanted to work at home, too, so he quit his job and became a full-time woodworker, making and selling twig furniture.This weekend (today is the last day) the Cherrys are having their third annual open house, "A Touch of the Hand."

Maravene Loeschke has the full support of the Towson University Foundation, Inc.'s board of directors. In her role as president of Towson University, she is required to ensure that the school is compliant with all federal laws and fiscally responsible academically as well as athletically. These decisions are difficult and sometimes very painful. As stewards of the philanthropic funds coming into the university, the board is responsible for the investment, management and use of those funds and has an obligation to ensure that funds are administered properly and compliant with all laws in the furtherance of the mission of Towson University.

After last Saturday's 8-4 victory over No. 13 Johns Hopkins, No. 5 Loyola was thought to be a lock for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament if the reigning national champion did not repeat as Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament champions this week. Few expected the Greyhounds to fall to No. 8 Ohio State in a conference tournament semifinal, but that is what happened as the Buckeyes pulled off an 18-11 upset at Hobart in Geneva, N.Y., Thursday night. Now Loyola's tournament profile is in question, and it is an unsettling situation for the players and coach Charley Toomey as they await to hear their fate Sunday night when the NCAA selection committee unveils the 16-team field.

Winning last year's Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament was a breakthrough for Loyola. This spring, the program was just an overtime loss to Denver on April 13 away from completing an undefeated season in the league and earning the top seed in this week's conference tournament. The No. 5 Greyhounds (11-3) will face No. 8 Ohio State (10-3) in one semifinal Thursday night at Hobart in Geneva, N.Y. No. 3 Denver (11-3) and No. 19 Fairfield (8-6) will tangle in the other semifinal.

Gov. Martin O'Malley on Tuesday called last week's indictments of 25 inmates and correctional officers at the Baltimore City Detention Center "a very positive development" in the state's fight to dismantle violent gangs in state prisons. A day after returning from a weeklong trade mission to Israel, the governor told a State House news conference that he is standing firmly behind Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services Gary D. Maynard in the wake of a federal probe that found widespread corruption and smuggling at the city jail.

Towson football Bradley's interception sets up TD in Tiger Bowl III An interception led to the only score of the game in Tiger Bowl III on Saturday at Towson. Early in the fourth quarter, safety Thomas Bradley of the Black team intercepted a pass at the Gold team's 30-yard line and returned it to the 2-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Price Litton scored on a 1-yard run for an eventual 7-0 victory. Offenses combined for 417 yards, but there were five turnovers and three missed field-goal attempts.

In the imaginary "Big Book of Cliches," Harford County Councilman Joe Woods has made a good case in recent days to have his face next to the entry for the phrase, "Talk is cheap. " Speaking last week at a regular meeting of the Fallston Community Council, the councilman expressed a strong willingness for Harford County to take on the State of Maryland over a requirement that the county levy a per-property fee to pay for stormwater management. The subject of the stormwater fee, because of its many flaws, has been critiqued at some length on this page.

Thomas X. Dinisio Sr., whose Highlandtown produce and flower stand was a neighborhood fixture for 40 years, died Wednesday of heart failure at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was 78.Mr. Dinisio opened Tom's Produce in 1953 with two boxes of fruit he bought and placed in a stand he had added to his house at Highland Avenue and Monument Street.He quickly earned a reputation for his fine produce, and soon quit his job as a carpenter to devote his full time to operating the stand with his wife, Rita.

DEEP CREEK LAKE -- The best laid plans of deer hunters, as well as mice and men, often go astray. But that doesn't necessarily mean the hunt is ruined.Ask Hagerstown deer stalker Mickey O'Brien, who in pre-dawn of Saturday's opener found another hunter occupying the family's usual stand in Garrett County's Big Run State Park. Disappointed, he moved to the other end of the long dense laurel patch, and by 9:30 scored on one of the best racks checked in Western Maryland.He dropped with one shot the 12-pointer of 137 pounds.