Just in time to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti, leaving 316,000 people dead and millions displaced, an alumni-directed documentary chronicling two brothers’ return to the country has been released for online viewing.

“Lift Up,” which was co-directed by Huguens Jean ’03, ’11, Ph.D., electrical engineering, and Philip Knowlton ’03, visual arts, recently completed a year-long international film festival tour during which is was awarded the Amsterdam Film Fest Van Gogh Award, Documentary Directing and the Williamsburg Film Fest Outstanding Achievement, Feature Documentary award.

The film follows Jean as he and his brother, Clifford Muse, ’11, information systems, returned to Haiti in March 2010 to honor the memory of their grandfather, whose funeral they missed because of the earthquake. Read more about the documentary here.

Grilled Cheese and Co was recently named on the Top 10 Best Grilled Cheese in the U.S. list on Delish.com, overcoming competitors from New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington state, and a plethora of California based restaurants. Located right here in Catonsville, the choices range from crab infused, Maryland-style delights to hand-crafted NASCAR favorites. Kenny Wallace designed his own entree with provolone cheese, turkey breast, pickles, and honey-mustard sauce.

Isabelle Garcia, a graduating senior at UMBC, has this to say about her experiences at Grilled Cheese and Co:

“When I first went inside the restaurant, I was impressed by the creativity in the menu. Before I got inside, I only expected a couple of variations of simple ham and cheese sort of sandwiches, but Grilled Cheese had everything from the Crabby Melt (my personal favorite) to the Veggie Delight Sandwich.

I got the crabby melt and it was heavenly – it was messy (I had to eat it with a fork and knife) but it was so good that I had to embrace the messiness. They definitely don’t skimp on the crabby filling (hence the messiness) and they make it fresh, right in front of you. When you get your sandwich, it’s wrapped in white paper, but it’s so fresh that you can see the steam fogging up the paper a bit. When you take a bite out of the sandwich, you’ll burn your mouth, just a little, but it’s not so hot that you can’t taste the soft, creamy combination of crab and cheese with the crispy, buttery toast.

You also have the option of grabbing a cup of fries with it. Some people like their fries really thick; others like them thin. If you belong to the latter, then you’ll hit a jackpot with these fries. They’re very long and thin, crispy fries – almost like a hybrid between a potato chip and a fry. Since they’re so thin, they’re also really light…but don’t worry because Grilled Cheese and Company gives you a lot of them. The only downside to these fries? They’re pretty addictive.

Really, there’s nothing bad to say of this place. It’s clean. The service is good and they make the sandwiches pretty fast. The sandwiches are also a pretty good size, so you definitely get your money’s worth. And if you’re worried about the cost – don’t be. It’s not exactly the dollar store of sandwiches, but the food is pretty affordable for what you get.”

Head over to 500 Edmondson Avenue in Catonsville to try your own grilled cheese sandwich!

Psalm 119:97-104

⁹⁷ Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
⁹⁸ Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
⁹⁹ I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
¹⁰⁰ I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
¹⁰¹ I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
¹⁰² I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
¹⁰⁴ I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

Reflection:

A good GPS system can navigate you into or out of some remote spots.  If the GPS says, “Right turn ahead in 200 feet…ding, ding…turn right,” and we follow the directions, we make it to our destination.  For the writer, King David, God’s word was all he needed to navigate life.  He thought about the Word, read it, heard it, and obeyed it.  He was immersed in the goodness of the Word. He even declares his love for God’s Word and how sweet the Word is, sweeter than honey.  God has given us His Word to guide His people to live each day, to help us remain close and near to Him and in His presence, so that we might taste the sweetness of the Word each day and in each situation.

Response:

Like King David let’s listen, read, and obey God’s Word and experience the sweetness of it and in light of who the Lord is in our lives, let our desire and response be to love Him and His Word more and more.

WYPR’s Sheilah Kast interviewed UMBC political science professor Roy Meyers today on “Maryland Morning,” discussing the Maryland state budget. The Maryland General Assembly convenes for their 2012 session this week. As they review the first version of the 2013 state budget, they’ll need to begin reckoning with a deficit over $1 billion.

Meyers discusses the options for filling this budget gap, including one-time savings, tax increases and spending cuts. He also notes the difficulties associated with state budgeting at a time of uncertainty regarding Congressional tax policy decisions and global economic trends. Meyers explores the issue of balancing the general fund by transferring money out of the Transportation Trust Fund and other dedicated sources in a web extra.

Update: The political fact-checking site PolitiFact also consulted Meyers this week on the Obama campaign’s assertion: “Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, and Newt Gingrich all say they would cut foreign aid to Israel — and every other country — to zero.” Meyers suggested that the campaign misused the term “zeroing-out” and that the statement is “misleading, to say the least.”

A new Associated Press report on Maryland state lawmakers planning to run for Congress in 2012 includes insight from UMBC professor Donald Norris, public policy chair and director of the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research. Some of the candidates are Republicans seeking to unseat Democratic incumbents, with the logic that GOP voters may be motivated to come to the polls in 2012, particularly if the DREAM Act and same-sex marriage are on the ballot.

“I think a bunch of it is wishful thinking,” said Norris. “My sense is that people like O’Donnell and Jacobs are mistaking a national mood that is anti-Washington for a mood that is anti-Ruppersberger and anti-Hoyer, and I don’t think that that mood exists in Maryland.”