Crofton Online
May, 1999 - Volume Two - Issue Four

This site was last updated at 3:15 PM on May 21, 1999. We have eight yard sale listings for this Saturday, May 22, 1999.
We also have a Yard Sale Proposal made recently to Community United Methodist Church.

June 98
June 98a
July 98
Aug. 98
Sept. 98
Oct. 98
Nov. 98
Dec. 98
Jan./Feb. 99
Mar. 99
Apr. 99

What's New
Crofton City Limits
Local Movie Listings
Yard Sales
The Pennysaver
About Crofton Online
The Crofton Ring
Local Food Delivery
Community Calendar
Area Churches
Arundel High School
Other Area Schools
Speak Out
Money Off Coupons
Crofton Town Hall
Crofton Online: Media Watch
Tabloids Encourage School Bomb Hysteria For May 'Sweeps' Ratings; Grasmick Delays MSPAP Tests
Three word note in Arundel High bathroom stall causes adult panic.
Students everywhere laughing at official idiocy.


The nation's tabloid media, including ABC News, MSNBC, and the entire Fox Network, have been actively encouraging mass adult hysteria in the wake of the Colorado murders, in a desperate grab for ratings during the crucial May "Sweeps" rating period.

The month of May is extremely important to broadcasters. Ratings during this period determine what advertising rates the tabloid broadcasters will receive for the next six months.

Always willing to sell out America for their next multi-million dollar executive bonuses, the broadcasters have latched onto the isolated murders in Colorado in a desperate search for a "story" to replace Monica Lewinsky. Kids aren't buying it; unfortunately many adults are.

At Arundel High School prior to the Colorado mass murders, someone scrawled the words "Fear May 10" inside a bathroom stall, apparently referring to the scheduled start of the hated MSPAP exams. After the mass murders, a parent began circulating the message via email to other parents. The ensuing adult panic eventually resulted in yesterday's [May 6] announcement by Maryland State School Superintendent Nancy Grasmick that the week-long MSPAP exams would be delayed.

One Arundel High student told Crofton Online,"This shows the real danger of the Internet. Adults should be prohibited from getting online until they can pass a basic intelligence test."

Meanwhile, the tabloid ABC News continues its 'May Sweeps' search for the right combination of sex and violence to generate needed revenue. ABC's sister tabloid Fox News is also broadcasting special sex and violence shows. Desperate to replace the Monica Lewinsky "story," most broadcasters and print media have continued to hype the weeks old story of the isolated mass murders in Colorado.

Some area principals have tried to use the murders to generate school spirit, asking students to wear yellow ribbons and offering cash rewards to kids who turn in their friends. School guidance counselors have issued lists of "signs" for parents to watch out for. This use of "profiles," similar to ones used by Maryland State Police as an excuse to randomly stop and search black males, has resulted in widespread harassment of students who do not conform to adult standards of dress and behavior.

Related stories:

An absolute, must-read article by Jon Katz on Geek-Profiling as it relates to the Colorado murders, click here.
Baltimore Sun (BS) columnist Gregory Kane argues that we need MORE guns in schools. Click here.

As always, we welcome your comments.



BS columnist Gregory Kane advocates exactly this: arming everyone in our schools.


What Else Is New?

The Crofton Kiwanis Bike Rodeo and Skill Fair is this Saturday [May 8]. The event, sponsored by State Farm Insurance (Beth Swan Agency) will provide bike safety information and allow the kids to try their skills at several different bike skill stations. It is geared toward kids 12 and under. Participants will need a bike and a helmet. It's free and it will be fun. The event will take place from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at Crofton Meadows Elementary School. Take Riedel Road to Tilghman to the school. [Check back after Saturday May 8 for our exclusive coverage, including pictures, of this community event.]

The Crofton City Limits Coffee House May concert will be held on Friday, May 14 at 7:00 PM at Community United Methodist Church. For a $3 admission, you get three hours of top musical entertainment, PLUS all the coffee, soft drinks, and snacks that you can eat. Please check it out. For further details, and pictures from the April concert, click here.

A reader has suggested setting up an area on Crofton Online for Arundel High School alumni to exchange information, pictures, and messages. We think this an excellent idea! We will let people know as soon as we have this set up. Our Unofficial Arundel High School page, accessible by clicking the Arundel High School button on our main page, is maintained by several current students, and has not been updated in quite some time. This new area will be exclusively for alumni and will be maintained by our editor. We will make space available for pictures as well. This may take a week or two, as we will be quite busy with other activities on Mothers Day weekend, but we will give this effort priority, so check back in ten days to two weeks. Thanks for the great suggestion!

The Crofton Farmers Market is gearing up for its 1999 season. Beginning on Saturday, May 15 you can buy locally grown produce at the Village Green in Crofton every Saturday from 8:00 until noon. For pictures and information from last year's highly successful market, click here. [Check back after Saturday [May 15] for new pictures and updated information.]

Crofton Meadows is having a huge community-wide yard sale on Saturday, May 15, so mark your calendars now. For our current listing of other yard sales, plus pictures, click here.

The Republican Party: Making the world safe for hypocrisy. Certainly Henry Hyde is at the top of everyone's list of outrageous hypocrites. For details, including a picture of Hyde's girlfriend, sitting in his lap, click here. For a picture and photocopy of a police report about another Republican's tryst with a prostitute, click here. Check back often as we provide more details.

Republican Kenneth Starr recently attempted to shift blame for his illegal behavior onto Attorney General Janet Reno, because, he said, she did not stop him from engaging in his witch hunt. Click here .for details.


Please check back soon. We are almost ready with the following:

Laura Love is NOT an inflatible adult doll! We cover the band that recently played to a packed house at the Rams Head Inn in Annapolis. Pictures and an exclusive interview, plus the band's upcoming concert schedule, included.

Republicans in Congress are pushing what could become the first amendment ever to the Bill of Rights. The proposal would weaken current guarantees of freedom of religion and freedom of press. Check back this weekend for complete details.


As always, you may access back issues of Crofton Online by clicking on the desired issue at the top of this page.

Thanks for stopping by. Please let us know what you think.

The entire contents of Crofton Online are copyrighted 1998 and 1999 by Chafin Web Industries, and may not be copied or reproduced in any way, including electronically, without specific written permission. You may, however, link to our site without restriction.