Fans? In Baltimore?

I have a friend I can stay with in Baltimore and enough money for a plane ticket from Heathrow.

I also have a wife and a job.

Hmmmm.

{sound of much pondering}

{sound of discussion with wife}

{sound of testicles being kicked}

I think I'll stay home and do some washing up.

Louis

P.S. All references to meanness of wife are entirely fictional and only made for comedy purposes. She in no way made me type this clarification. Honest.

I've been in Baltimore. It was no surprise to me that the Colts left. :P

@ 'Tis

What a horrible thing to say! GOATS ON FIRE!!! (other unintelligible mutterings).

It is funny how here in Baltimore they refuse to call them the "Colts" when they're in town, and instead refer to them as "Indy" on the scoreboards (normally it would say "Colts"), and when Indy takes the field, they are called "The Indianapolis Professional Football Team."

BTW - I have high hopes for this group. I just hope there are some meetings before I (potentially) leave for the USVI for the next year or two.

Where does the Danish chapter of Phriends of Pharyngula meet? I seem to be crap at keeping up with what happens in my own country.

(Of course, when I picked up the local paper at my sister's this Christmas, I found two woo stories in the local supplement and put it down in disgust. A clairvoyant and a house-healer/feng shui 'expert' in case anyone cares.)

I lived in Baltimore for four years and just left in August! Bah!

If there are meetings, I hope they are in the burbs, maybe Columbia or Ellicott City. I do not go out at night in the Baltimore metro area. I can also host if there is potluck. (I just had a holiday party for 65 people and they all fit in the living room and dining room).

What's so bad about Baltimore? It provided John Waters plenty of material to work with and hours of entertainment for his fans.

Or did I just answer my own question?

There may well be squid in Baltimore, though the local name for it is calamari. I live in Columbia and can be reached at drdonmartin@comcast.net.

Maryland is fairly devoid of skeptical groups, so this will be a welcome addition.

I just signed up for this group. I'll see what becomes of it. There's some sort of waiting period while you are "cleared" or "approved" by the group owner.

That said, it might be interesting...

Now don't you go dissing Balmer!

National Aquarium.

John's Hopkins.

Edgar Allen Poe's grave (the Poe room in the Enoch Pratt Free Libary used to be pretty cool - haven't been there in years and years and years though.)

Seafood! REAL Seafood, not fish. I'm talkin crustations! Old Bay! Well -okay - ROCKFISH is okay, as long as its topped with Crab Imperial.

And last but not least for me - one of the worlds most brilliant conductors, Marin Alsop, is doing amazing things with the BSO.

Oh yes! I signed up right away! The city of Baltimore is soaked to the gills in religion... Some ray of sunshine in form of skepticism wouldn't be amiss.

Need a Middle Tennessee chapter. It'd be an Oasis in a shale desert.

I might consider changing my hermit-like ways if there is a similar group in the Louisville, KY area...

Sili, I don't know if you've kept up with the media of late, but evidently your whole country is pretty much a giant Phriends of Pharyngula Phest.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jan/04/prejudiced-d…

Can I live with you until I find a job?

#15 - You forget, none of us atheists have the courage to insult Islam.

Oh yes! I signed up right away! The city of Baltimore is soaked to the gills in religion.

Is that why it's not safe to be out on the streets at night?

I don't know about that, we named one of our bulls Moooohammed.

Thanks for this post, PZ!

You've got at least 24 fans in the Baltimore area, since that's how many members now in the group.

The group is not limited to Baltimore area Pharyngula Fans, however. All Pharyngula fans--except 'Tis--can join.

leepicton wrote:

If there are meetings, I hope they are in the burbs, maybe Columbia or Ellicott City.

Our first get-together on 1/29 is planned for Brewer's Art in the city, but assuming there's continuing interest, we don't always have to meet there.

Still, even if you don't want to come to that get-together, members should feel free to get to know each other better by posting in the group.

Just Plain Cliff wrote:

There's some sort of waiting period while you are "cleared" or "approved" by the group owner.

The only waiting period is until I see the notice that another new membership is pending, and I click on "approve." Sorry I had to do this, but from experience with yahoo groups, it's the only way to keep the group from being spammed to uselessness, the same reason that PZ has turned on registration in order to comment here.

Surely this will not involve alcohol or blasphemy, will it?

I surely hope it will involve both.

Nor will there be rudeness and vociferous argument?

That will depend, I suspect, in how much alcohol is involved.

Perhaps there will be squid.

Because Brewer's Art is a fairly large pub with several rooms, those attending can find us by looking for the Sign of the Squid.

A few other reasons Balmer is great, Hon:

American Visionary Art Museum

Maryland Science Center

Crabcakes. Mmmmm, crabcakes.

All I know about Baltimore is what I see on 'The Wire'.

I'm sure it has some nice bits somewhere :-)

Apparently god has a facebook page. I've tried reason with these people but someone actually said that facts were meaningless. Maybe with a bit of VOLUME they can listen. To anyone who reads and has a facebook page backup is requested.

[OT]: Screw the Danish mohammed cartoons - apparently all you need to do to stir up some murderous mohammedans is to use the word allah when you're not a mohammedan. It's nice to see these later generations carrying on mohammed's legacy of violence:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8447450.stm

There really ought to be a UK Pharyngulite group. Does such a thing exist?

Let me know if you need a support group in Germany. Sooner or later you're bound to visit the cultural capital of the world (Essen). It's just down the road a bit from me.

Here's what it looks like around here right now.

http://timpix.wordpress.com

Enjoy.

There really ought to be a UK Pharyngulite group. Does such a thing exist?

Well, if people are so desperate to leave Baltimore they form a SIG (Squid Interest Group), I suppose there should be about a dozen of them on every street-corner in England.

</snark>

p.s.  I'm not sure if there'd be more or less per street-corner in the rest of the UK.

All Pharyngula fans--except 'Tis--can join.

I'm retrieving my spheroid and retiring to my domicile.

"There really ought to be a UK Pharyngulite group."

Yes please, the Pineapple pub on Leverton Street, London, NW5 would make a very nice headquarters.

Yes please, the Pineapple pub on Leverton Street, London, NW5 would make a very nice headquarters.

Typical bloody London-centric thinking. I'd suggest one of the local pubs, or perhaps better yet, restaurants, here in the South of France.

Wouldn't a group meeting in the south of France be a French group rather than a British group?

Surely this will not involve alcohol or blasphemy, will it?

No alcohol? Blasphemy!

Seriously though, thanks sass for starting up the group. I'm already signed up!

I'm not sure I understand the not willing to go to Baltimore after dark thing...Baltimore has a very active night life, it's perfectly safe after dark. In fact, I'd feel much safer walking a few blocks back to my car in Canton or Federal Hill than I would walking a bike path in Columbia after dark.

Holy cow. I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw "Baltimore" in the post heading. I'll see you all at Brewer's Art for damn sure.

Easy on Baltimore people. Its got high points and low points like any other city. There is a lot of charm hidden under the surface.

34 Baltimore Pharyngula Fans as of now. If you live in the area, don't be left out of this growing group of Baltimore Blaspheming Bastards.

leepicton wrote:

I do not go out at night in the Baltimore metro area.

Would you be interested in coming if you could carpool with someone else to the event? There are several members of the Baltimore Pharyngula Fans group who live in the Columbia and Ellicott City area.

In addition, I live between you and Baltimore City, and you could ride with me if you'd like. I've sent you an email.

Rickety Cricket wrote:

There is a lot of charm hidden under the surface.

And a lot of endearing and/or amusing weirdness on the surface.

If you're interested in related Baltimore activities, there's always the Baltimore Secular Humanists (http://bsh.wash.org/.

The Lower NoVA/Manassas Group has grown to 10 members and we are meeting next Tuesday! Check Facebook for details.

I just discovered that one of the other Baltimore Pharyngula Fans and I live within blocks of each other. That's so wonderful and exciting.

Be fearful, god-believers. We may be secretly living in your neighborhood.

bastion of sass@21

good good and double mmmmm on the crabcakes!

Lets keep going-

- Pit Beef!

- McCormick Tea and Spice Company!

for history buffs:

- Ft. McHenry

- B & O Railroad Museum

- Washington Monument #2 (D.C. is #3)

- (I've been displaced from the area for a long time: what sort of shape is the USS Constellation in? That was one of my favorites

- (correct me if I'm mistaken) the birthplace of ShockTrauma medical research & treatment

- oh yeah, I almost forgot the Peabody Conservatory!

Sean wrote:

Lets keep going-

These are some other Baltimore attractions, events, and things to eat of which I'm particularly fond (in no particular order):

Artscape, the largest free arts festival in the U.S.

Baltimore Museum of Art, especially the fabulous Cone impressionist collection

Walters Art Museum

Center Stage Theater

Honfest

The Inner Harbor

Lexington Market

George Peabody Library

The Preakness

Bromo Seltzer Tower

Cylburn Arboretum

Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)

Pier Six Pavilion concerts

Baltimore Streetcar Museum

Baltimore Public Works Museum (my kids loved this place when they were young, more than Port Discovery)

Baltimore Flower Mart

Baltimore Book Festival

Steamed hard crabs

Lemon sticks

- McCormick Tea and Spice Company!

Alas, McCormick and its ethereal smells moved to the suburbs (Hunt Valley) years ago.

what sort of shape is the USS Constellation in? That was one of my favorites

Had an overhaul some time ago. Haven't heard anything dire about the ship's condition lately. It's been joined by other historic ships like the USS Torsk WWII submarine.

- (correct me if I'm mistaken) the birthplace of ShockTrauma medical research & treatment

You are not wrong.

Oooh! Count me in! Always looking for an excuse to go to Brewer's Art. :D

There is a lot of charm hidden under the surface.

One might even say a whole city full of charm. A "Charm City," if you will.

Pareidolius ,

Well, I know about that; it made the international news after all.

Can I live with you until I find a job?

Well, I'm unemployed as well, but if you don't mind the cat, you can have the sofa.

How do you look in a French maid outfit?

Oh, and to anyone on the fence about Brewer's Art - it's been voted the #1 bar in the country by Esquire magazine. And their beers are world-class. (IMHO) Resurrection is probably one of the better beers on the planet - it certainly stands up to some of the finest Belgians, anyway.

Rorschach at #17: One of the first things that struck me when I moved to Baltimore city was how ramshackle and run-down many parts of the city looked. This was a sharp contrast to even parts of Bronx, NY, where I had lived for many years. For various reasons, the city of Baltimore is poverty-stricken, as are much of its citizenry. And you know that factors such as poverty, destitution, lack of education and so forth breed violence, crime, a flourishing drug trade, as well as religion.

But despite all that, Bawlmer is still a vibrant city, as many commenters mentioned upthread, with many attractions. One just gets used to living and working here, learning to avoid certain areas of city, and being careful. Perhaps not ideal, but then very few cities in the world are.

bastion of sass and maxyloron - you are making me homesick. I didn't know about Brewer's Art - zowee thats enough to push me over the edge and make the 5 hour drive!

bastion of sass and maxyloron - you are making me homesick

Maybe this will put you over the edge:

Berger's cookies
Old Bay seasoning
Rheb's candy

And although I'm not particularly keen on them:
Mary Sue Easter eggs

Here's an interesting little something I heard about Baltimore:
Travel & Leisure magazine once named Baltimore as having the ugliest people. I was in a Walmart this morning and it's true.

Mary Sue Easter Eggs! Throw in some Wackenfuss and hey Im there - actually I can't make the 29th but maybe a raincheck? (and sorry about the typo mazy! )

I was in a Walmart this morning and it's true.

Were you in the 'Mirrors' section?

I usually lurk, but this post has compelled me to come out of hiding. If there was a pharyngula group thing in London (UK not Ontario :) then I would most likely attend.

You know, some of the time.

If there was good beer.

The Baltimore Pharyngula Fans group now has 41 members.

To #51, you are lucky to have Skeptics in the Pub. Myself, I am dying in Kingston, Ontario, home of a large world-class university and no real skeptic group.......

agashem,

So I do. Hadn't spotted that. Might have to see about getting to one of those. If it's in a good pub.