Connect with us

Maryland

From tadpoles to rainbows, advice to Kermit on taking the stage | Opinion

Published

on

From tadpoles to rainbows, advice to Kermit on taking the stage | Opinion


As a proud graduate of the University of Maryland, I often wear a baseball cap with a big M emblazoned on a smiling image of their mascot, a terrapin — their “fighting turtle.”

Little did I know when I attended the school decades ago that Jim Henson created the Muppets while an undergraduate at the university in the mid-1950s. As we know, one of the Muppet characters is Kermit the Frog. The university has invited Kermit to give an address at this year’s commencement on May 21.

This column offers Kermit five suggestions for his speech.

Advertisement

First, be yourself, and encourage your graduating audience, if they are humans, to always show their humanity and especially respect.

I liked your address at Southhampton College’s 1996 graduation. Your opening lines in that speech are memorable and bear reimagining for this graduation. However, when thinking of “bears,” remember to keep Jim Henson’s ideology in mind when you recall the famous now-outdated childhood road-direction advice: “Bear right, frog left.”  Perhaps in the near future, more up-dated advice would be to say, “Damn it, AI, I told you to go to the Board and Brew, 8150 Baltimore Ave, College Park, Maryland.” To which the AI would reply, “I thought the Milk and Honey at 10280 Baltimore Ave. would be better for you today.”   

Remember Kermit, you opened in 1996 with: “When I was a tadpole growing up back in the swamps, I never imagined that I would one day address such an outstanding group of scholars. And I am sure that when you were children growing up back in your own particular swamps or suburbs, you never imagined you would sit here on one of the most important days of your life listening to a short, green talking frog deliver your commencement address.”

Second, take along your banjo. Bring along the one you strummed while singing your famous song, “Rainbow Connection” to open The Muppet Movie. I suggest you sing a few lines from that song, and then stop and reflect on them, before continuing through the verses you want to emphasize.

Advertisement

“Why are there so many / Songs about rainbows / And what’s on the other side?”

You might then rhetorically ask: What do you think is on the other side?

“Rainbows are visions / But only illusions / And rainbows have nothing to hide.”

Here you might ask: What would you like for a rainbow to hide?

Third, remember that while you were created about 1955, and you were most famous around 1975, most of your student audience were born around 2005, and their parents around — perhaps — around 1985.

Advertisement

So, you have the wonderful opportunity to introduce many in your audience to your Muppet team for the first time (or at least for the first time not on You Tube). To others you have the opportunity to reintroduce them to your team.

My favorites are Miss Piggy, Oscar the Grouch, and of course yourself, Kermit the Frog. You have a great chance to talk about how you worked as a team of friends, supportive of one another. You should mention that Oscar lives in a trash can and Miss Piggy practices karate. I know that you and Miss Piggy broke up in 1990, but you can talk about how to break up the right way — as you two did. At one point in 2005 you said that you might be open to a marriage to a pig — an interspecies marriage.    

Fourth, you are certainly a liberated frog, no longer stuck in the mud. You can hop from one position on a subject to another and still stay camouflaged. Use brief silence in your speech, as you do in the swamp. Remember that you don’t need to stick with human language. Use “Ribbit-ribbit” for more than emphasis.

Jokes are always a good idea — if they work. Here are a couple of political ones — use carefully. These are courtesy of Reader’s Digest on September 20, 2024:

“Have you heard about McDonald’s new presidential value meal? You order whatever you want, and the person after you has to pay for it.” Or, “Stop repeat criminals — don’t re-elect them!”

Advertisement

Fifth, don’t hesitate to inject a bit of tough love by addressing the difficult issues facing this year’s graduates. This is again where you may need to weave in some politics. As you remember, Jim Henson was an advocate for environmental conservation. As his frog-child, don’t hesitate to croak a lot about whatever you believe your fellow frogs are facing — say plastic pollution.

Continuing with jokes that are timely, say about artificial intelligence:

“Why did the AI go to the psychiatrist?” “It had neural issues.”

“Scientists predict human-level artificial intelligence by 2030. Perhaps sooner if the bar keeps dropping.”  

I suggest you conclude with a variation of a couple of your concluding lines from your 1996 speech: “…you are no longer tadpoles. The time has come for you to drop your tails and leave this swamp.”

Advertisement

Contact Larry Little at larrylittle46@gmail.com.



Source link

Maryland

Maryland Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for Nov. 27, 2025

Published

on

Maryland Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 results for Nov. 27, 2025


play

The Maryland Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 27, 2025, results for each game:

Advertisement

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Nov. 27 drawing

Midday: 8-8-1

Evening: 7-2-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Nov. 27 drawing

Midday: 9-3-7-9

Evening: 9-5-8-9

Advertisement

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Nov. 27 drawing

Midday: 4-0-6-0-4

Evening: 4-6-2-1-6

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from Nov. 27 drawing

04-12-47-52-58, Cash Ball: 01

Advertisement

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Nov. 27 drawing

9 a.m.: 07

1 p.m.: 07

6 p.m.: 05

11 p.m.: 06

Advertisement

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Bonus Match 5 numbers from Nov. 27 drawing

04-11-26-30-31, Bonus: 29

Check Bonus Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning MultiMatch numbers from Nov. 27 drawing

05-13-16-28-29-35

Check MultiMatch payouts and previous drawings here.

Advertisement

Keno

Drawings are held every four minutes. Check winning numbers here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Maryland Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes above $600, winners can claim by mail or in person from the Maryland Lottery office, an Expanded Cashing Authority Program location or cashiers’ windows at Maryland casinos. Prizes over $5,000 must be claimed in person.

Claiming by Mail

Sign your winning ticket and complete a claim form. Include a photocopy of a valid government-issued ID and a copy of a document that shows proof of your Social Security number or Federal Tax ID number. Mail these to:

Maryland Lottery Customer Resource Center

Advertisement

1800 Washington Boulevard

Suite 330

Baltimore, MD 21230

For prizes over $600, bring your signed ticket, a government-issued photo ID, and proof of your Social Security or Federal Tax ID number to Maryland Lottery headquarters, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD. Claims are by appointment only, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This location handles all prize amounts, including prizes over $5,000.

Winning Tickets Worth $25,000 or Less

Maryland Lottery headquarters and select Maryland casinos can redeem winning tickets valued up to $25,000. Note that casinos cannot cash prizes over $600 for non-resident and resident aliens (tax ID beginning with “9”). You must be at least 21 years of age to enter a Maryland casino. Locations include:

Advertisement
  • Horseshoe Casino: 1525 Russell Street, Baltimore, MD
  • MGM National Harbor: 101 MGM National Avenue, Oxon Hill, MD
  • Live! Casino: 7002 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover, MD
  • Ocean Downs Casino: 10218 Racetrack Road, Berlin, MD
  • Hollywood Casino: 1201 Chesapeake Overlook Parkway, Perryville, MD
  • Rocky Gap Casino: 16701 Lakeview Road NE, Flintstone, MD

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Maryland Lottery.

When are the Maryland Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 11 p.m. ET Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5 Midday: 12:27 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, 12:28 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday.
  • Pick 3, 4 and 5 Evening: 7:56 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
  • Cash4Life: 9 p.m. ET daily.
  • Cash Pop: 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. daily.
  • Bonus Match 5: 7:56 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday, 8:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
  • MultiMatch: 7:56 p.m. Monday and Thursday.
  • Powerball Double Play: 11 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Maryland editor. You can send feedback using this form.



Source link

Continue Reading

Maryland

Strong winds Wednesday evening, cold weather for Thanksgiving in Maryland

Published

on

Strong winds Wednesday evening, cold weather for Thanksgiving in Maryland


Central and Eastern Maryland will experience unseasonably mild weather Wednesday afternoon, with highs in the mid-60s to near 70°. 

A strong cold front will bring a broken line of sprinkles and gusty showers to the area between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Measurable rainfall isn’t likely with the front, but a drastic temperature drop and gusty winds will be quite dramatic mid to late this evening.

Arctic blast Wednesday in Maryland

Early morning low clouds and fog are lifting across central and eastern Maryland. Skies will continue to be partially clear now through mid-afternoon. This will allow temperatures to climb into the upper 60s to near 70°. Expect a breeze out of the west-southwest at 10 to 20 mph.

Advertisement

A broken line of sprinkles and showers will cross the area between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. These sprinkles and showers will last anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes. Strong gusty winds will follow this batch of showers, which will help bring much colder air down into the area late tonight. 

Overnight lows will fall into the upper 30s, but gusty winds will continue to impact the region overnight with wind-chills down to around 30°.

Cold weather during Thanksgiving and Black Friday

Gusty, cold winds will be the big story across Maryland on Thanksgiving Day. Temperatures will drop into the upper 30s on Thanksgiving Day morning, with wind-chills even colder – a stark contrast from Wednesday afternoon. 

Thanksgiving Day looks cold for the entire day with partly sunny weather. Highs will only top out in the mid-40s with gusty winds out of the west-northwest at 15 to 20 mph. Wind-chills will not reach any higher than the mid to upper 30s.

The Ravens game Thanksgiving evening will feature January-like cold with temperatures in the lower 30s with numbing wind gusts and wind-chills in the 20s.

Advertisement

The cold and breeziness continues on Black Friday: Friday morning wind chills for some will dip into the teens and 20s. Even with sunshine in the forecast Friday, temperatures in some neighborhoods may not reach 40°.

Rain returns to Maryland Sunday

The final weekend of November starts quiet but may end on a wet note. Temperatures both days will max out in the 40s.  

Saturday looks brisk, bright and chilly with highs in the lower 40s. Clouds increase late Saturday into Sunday morning. Sunday also brings the chance of some rain back to Maryland, especially later in the day. We’ve tagged Sunday as a possible First Alert Weather Day for Sunday given that it’s another high-impact travel day across Maryland as people return from the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Winter weather possible early next week

While Monday looks nice and quiet with a partly to mostly cloudy sky, the weather could get interesting Monday night into next Tuesday as a wave of low pressure moves in our direction from the southwest.

The track and strength of this area of low pressure will be critical in determining how much rain, ice, and/or snow will be possible across central and eastern Maryland. Right now, computer models disagree with the exact track; therefore, a wide variety of outcomes are possible.

Advertisement

At this time, the chance of winter weather is great enough that the WJZ First Alert Weather Team has tagged Tuesday as a possible First Alert Weather Day. Please check back with our team through the holiday weekend as details about the storm and its possible impacts become clearer. 



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Maryland

Olympic Gold medalist Quincy Wilson commits to University of Maryland Track & Field Program

Published

on

Olympic Gold medalist Quincy Wilson commits to University of Maryland Track & Field Program


Olympic Gold medalist and Maryland native Quincy Wilson has committed to the University of Maryland’s Track and Field Program, Head Coach Andrew Valmon announced Monday. 

Wilson chose Maryland over South Carolina, Southern California, Texas A&M and UCLA, according to Coach Valmon.

“Quincy is a generational athlete who has the upside to continue to thrive at the top of our sport,” Valmon said in a statement. “His support system here at Maryland, in his home state, is unmatched. I am excited to get to work on this next phase of his journey.”

During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Wilson became the youngest American male to be part of the Olympic track team at 16 years old. 

Advertisement

He was a rising junior at Bullis School in Potomac when he competed in last year’s Olympics. He was also named the USATF Athlete of the Year in 2024 after becoming one of the most well-known track and field athletes in the U.S. 

Wilson worked alongside Terps Assistant Throws Coach Rudy Winkler and Maryland Associate Head Coach Danielle Siebert during the Paris Olympics. Former Olympian and record-holder Coach Valmon hopes to provide strong experience and mentorship to Wilson. 

“Though Maryland has produced several Olympians throughout the program’s track and field history and has several current and former Olympians and U.S. Track & Field Olympic staff, Wilson is the first-ever Olympic competitor to sign with the Terps,” UMD said in a statement.

Quincy Wilson’s Track and Field career 

Wilson had his breakout year in 2023, according to Coach Valmon. He claimed the New Balance Nationals indoor 400-meter title with 46.67 seconds and won second place at the New Balance Nationals outdoor 400 meters.

In 2023, Wilson also made history as one of the youngest U.S. athletes to sign a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) contract with a major sports brand. 

Advertisement

He completed the 2025 outdoor season tied for seventh fastest in the world. 

Wilson began competing nationally in 2022, winning his fifth AAU Junior Olympic Games title and coming in second place in the 200-meter final. 



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending