https://chestertownspy.org Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown Mon, 05 May 2025 20:04:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/06/words-of-wisdom-from-fran-lebowitz-some-things-to-think-about-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/06/words-of-wisdom-from-fran-lebowitz-some-things-to-think-about-by-maria-grant/#comments Tue, 06 May 2025 12:30:47 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=184037 The author, public speaker, and humorist Fran Lebowitz displayed an incredible amount of energy, wit, and wisdom at Saturday night’s Avalon performance in Easton. The evening was pure delight filled with frank and refreshingly honest comments about modern life and politics. Here are just a few of Fran’s viewpoints that I’ve been thinking about the […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/05/06/words-of-wisdom-from-fran-lebowitz-some-things-to-think-about-by-maria-grant/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/29/one-step-forward-two-steps-back-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/29/one-step-forward-two-steps-back-by-maria-grant/#respond Tue, 29 Apr 2025 12:30:39 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183907 It’s interesting to analyze the effects that various administrations have had on the current state of America. Of course, in a democracy, campaigns are built on the promise of change. Yet, how much sense does it make to take a wrecking ball to almost everything your predecessor has built? How about adopting the concept of […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/29/one-step-forward-two-steps-back-by-maria-grant/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/spy-review-chesapeake-musics-series-ends-with-a-flourish/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/spy-review-chesapeake-musics-series-ends-with-a-flourish/#respond Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:52:01 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/spy-review-chesapeake-musics-series-ends-with-a-flourish/ On Sunday afternoon, at The Ebenezer Theater in Easton, the Hesper Quartet, a Korean-American string quartet based in New York City, charmed the audience with the music of Benjamin Britten and Bedřich Smetana. The quartet was then joined by Chinese pianist Ying Li for a piano quintet by Dmitri Shostakovich. The result: technical mastery, inspirational […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/28/spy-review-chesapeake-musics-series-ends-with-a-flourish/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/22/promises-promises-why-does-anyone-believe-what-a-politician-promises-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/22/promises-promises-why-does-anyone-believe-what-a-politician-promises-by-maria-grant/#respond Tue, 22 Apr 2025 11:41:33 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/22/promises-promises-why-does-anyone-believe-what-a-politician-promises-by-maria-grant/ In his first term, Trump promised to build a wall that Mexico would pay for. He promised to repeal Obamacare. The Washington Post tracked sixty other pledges that Trump made in his first term. Let’s just say his track record is less than stellar. During the 2024 campaign, here are just a few of Trump’s […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/22/promises-promises-why-does-anyone-believe-what-a-politician-promises-by-maria-grant/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/15/lessons-to-be-learned-from-brandi-carlile/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/15/lessons-to-be-learned-from-brandi-carlile/#comments Tue, 15 Apr 2025 11:50:34 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/15/lessons-to-be-learned-from-brandi-carlile/ I’ve been a huge fan of Brandi Carlile for years. I love her voice. I love the songs she writes. But lately, I’ve been thinking about what a difference she has made in two performers’ lives—Joni Mitchell and Elton John. Perhaps we can all learn a few lessons from her efforts.  Joni Mitchell has been […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/15/lessons-to-be-learned-from-brandi-carlile/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/01/the-joy-of-owning-an-older-dog-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/01/the-joy-of-owning-an-older-dog-by-maria-grant/#respond Tue, 01 Apr 2025 12:30:01 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183305 I have loved dogs all my life. When I reminisce about the past, a dog is usually in the picture. I remember my dog Taffy and the fun we had at a lake in Michigan when I was in grade school.  I remember telling my mom that another new puppy was a miniature German shepherd […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/04/01/the-joy-of-owning-an-older-dog-by-maria-grant/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/25/the-white-house-is-a-dump-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/25/the-white-house-is-a-dump-by-maria-grant/#comments Tue, 25 Mar 2025 12:30:52 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183170 While playing golf at his Bedminster Golf Club during his first administration, Trump declared, “That White House is a real dump.” He also told a journalist that “Camp David would be likable for about 30 minutes.” Last week, Trump said the Kennedy Center was “in tremendous disrepair.”  And he has made several derogatory comments about […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/25/the-white-house-is-a-dump-by-maria-grant/feed/ 10 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/18/practicing-what-you-preach-might-be-a-good-idea-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/18/practicing-what-you-preach-might-be-a-good-idea-by-maria-grant/#comments Tue, 18 Mar 2025 12:30:49 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=183041 As President Trump rants about government waste, he continues to spend taxpayer money, as my mom used to say, “like a drunken sailor.” Want some examples? Here are just a few.  Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has flown to his properties every week to play golf. How much do these little excursions […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/18/practicing-what-you-preach-might-be-a-good-idea-by-maria-grant/feed/ 4 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/11/what-happens-when-income-inequality-goes-haywire-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/11/what-happens-when-income-inequality-goes-haywire-by-maria-grant/#comments Tue, 11 Mar 2025 12:30:11 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182903 In last Friday’s Wall Street Journal Mansion section, there’s a story about Trump’s appointee for Undersecretary of State for Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jacob Halberg, who is listing his Miami Beach mansion for $65 million. It’s 15,000 square feet, has an aquarium so big it requires a scuba diver to maintain it, and looks […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/11/what-happens-when-income-inequality-goes-haywire-by-maria-grant/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/04/how-do-you-mend-a-broken-heart-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/04/how-do-you-mend-a-broken-heart-by-maria-grant/#comments Tue, 04 Mar 2025 13:27:47 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182770 This administration’s sledgehammer approach to dismantling the federal government has left massive devastation in its wake. Fun facts as we contemplate this eve of destruction: Federal employee salaries make up only 4.3 percent of the federal budget. Social Security makes up 22 percent, and Medicare and Defense each make up about 14 percent. Also, the […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/03/04/how-do-you-mend-a-broken-heart-by-maria-grant/feed/ 6 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/25/seeking-to-escape-todays-reality-here-are-some-book-suggestions-to-do-just-that-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/25/seeking-to-escape-todays-reality-here-are-some-book-suggestions-to-do-just-that-by-maria-grant/#respond Tue, 25 Feb 2025 13:30:54 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182659 During these troubling and turbulent times, it’s often necessary to seek escape. For me, that means burying my head in a book. Since the November election, I’ve been reading even more than usual. Here are three of my most rewarding escapes.  The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. This book was a selection for one of […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/25/seeking-to-escape-todays-reality-here-are-some-book-suggestions-to-do-just-that-by-maria-grant/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/18/the-double-standard-in-america-rears-its-ugly-head-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/18/the-double-standard-in-america-rears-its-ugly-head-by-maria-grant/#comments Tue, 18 Feb 2025 14:02:45 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/18/the-double-standard-in-america-rears-its-ugly-head-by-maria-grant/ As I watch this second Trump administration unfold, I can’t help but notice how different the optics are between men and women. Elon Musk stands in the Oval Office with his four-year-old son on his shoulders. Then the son stands next to the Resolute Desk and tells President Trump to “hush” while his dad is […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/18/the-double-standard-in-america-rears-its-ugly-head-by-maria-grant/feed/ 11 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/11/its-not-always-about-you-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/11/its-not-always-about-you-by-maria-grant/#comments Tue, 11 Feb 2025 13:30:51 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182425 I realize it’s dangerous for me to write about football when those of you who are reading this article surely know more about the sport than I do. In my defense, I became a football fan when I lived in Green Bay during Brett Favre’s glory days. I then followed Aaron Rodgers rise to fame […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/11/its-not-always-about-you-by-maria-grant/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/04/the-blame-game-not-a-recommended-policy-strategy-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/04/the-blame-game-not-a-recommended-policy-strategy-by-maria-grant/#comments Tue, 04 Feb 2025 13:30:18 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182241 In today’s complex world, assigning blame before the facts are in can result in dangerously inaccurate conclusions. Many accidents that occur have numerous levels of complexity which include human error, technology, timing, weather, communications, and endless permutations of each of these dimensions.  Before having a handle on the facts regarding last week’s catastrophic airplane crash, […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/02/04/the-blame-game-not-a-recommended-policy-strategy-by-maria-grant/feed/ 1 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/28/make-america-safe-again-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/28/make-america-safe-again-by-maria-grant/#respond Tue, 28 Jan 2025 13:30:41 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=182096 Two song lines have been reverberating in my head all week: Bruce Springsteen’s, “Bring on your wrecking ball,” and Miley Cyrus’ “I came in like a wrecking ball.”  A week into Trump’s second term and the U.S. is a much more dangerous place. On Day One of his second term, the self-described “Law and Order […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/28/make-america-safe-again-by-maria-grant/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/21/the-rising-tide-of-anti-intellectualism-in-america-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/21/the-rising-tide-of-anti-intellectualism-in-america-by-maria-grant/#respond Tue, 21 Jan 2025 14:25:00 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/21/the-rising-tide-of-anti-intellectualism-in-america-by-maria-grant/ When did expertise and knowledge become dirty words in the USA? I was disheartened listening to the hearings for Trump’s cabinet picks. Clearly, Republicans put little value in candidates’ abilities, experiences, or expertise for the very complex cabinet posts at hand. Instead, I heard questions and statements such as: “How many pushups can you do?”  […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/21/the-rising-tide-of-anti-intellectualism-in-america-by-maria-grant/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/14/elon-in-charge-of-government-cost-cutting-isnt-it-ironic-dont-you-think-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/14/elon-in-charge-of-government-cost-cutting-isnt-it-ironic-dont-you-think-by-maria-grant/#respond Tue, 14 Jan 2025 13:30:30 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=181841 On the campaign trail for Trump, Elon Musk waxed eloquently about the need to cut government spending and regulations. To do so, Trump announced that he planned to appoint Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead an outside task force called the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE.  Before the election, Musk claimed he planned to […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/14/elon-in-charge-of-government-cost-cutting-isnt-it-ironic-dont-you-think-by-maria-grant/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/07/trumps-chosen-ones-why-i-cant-sleep-at-night-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/07/trumps-chosen-ones-why-i-cant-sleep-at-night-by-maria-grant/#comments Tue, 07 Jan 2025 13:30:31 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=181716   I worked in federal government consulting in DC for several years. During that time, I worked with nine different government agencies, three of which were intelligence agencies that required a top-secret full-scope poly clearance. As a partner in charge of a practice, I received notifications when practitioners in our firm and several other smaller […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2025/01/07/trumps-chosen-ones-why-i-cant-sleep-at-night-by-maria-grant/feed/ 2 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/24/end-of-year-musings-by-maria-grant/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/24/end-of-year-musings-by-maria-grant/#respond Tue, 24 Dec 2024 13:30:20 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/?p=181564 I wish all Spy readers a wondrous holiday and a new year filled with peace and joy. As the year winds down, I find myself reflecting on these past months. Here is a poem I wrote about such reflections. Still life   So many rooftops, tabletops, stovetops have I claimed Rooms measured, chairs arranged for conversations […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/24/end-of-year-musings-by-maria-grant/feed/ 0 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/24/two-former-child-prodigies-a-pianist-and-a-violinist/ https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/24/two-former-child-prodigies-a-pianist-and-a-violinist/#respond Tue, 24 Dec 2024 11:00:24 +0000 https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/24/two-former-child-prodigies-a-pianist-and-a-violinist/ It is crystal clear that Chesapeake Music’s February 16th Interlude Concert will not disappoint. Two truly amazing multi-award-winning musicians will be featured: pianist Janice Carissa, and violinist Stella Chen. Carissa began studying piano in Indonesia at the age of five with her self-taught pianist mother. She entered the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15, debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra […]]]> https://chestertownspy.org/2024/12/24/two-former-child-prodigies-a-pianist-and-a-violinist/feed/ 0