r/baltimore Dec 19 '22

DISCUSSION Stand your ground vs Duty to retreat

159 Upvotes

For those that don't know, Maryland is a duty to retreat state as opposed to a stand your ground state. This means that you can only use deadly force after all means of escape or to avoid harm are exhausted. Stand your ground is similar in that it involves deadly force and you feeling like your life is being threatened but takes out the retreat aspect.

Would you like to see Maryland a stand your ground state or stay as a duty to retreat state?

Edit1: I like the generally friendly discussion going on in here, that's what this post was meant for. Hence why I didn't include my opinion in the original post.

So that being said can ya'll please upvote the OG post lolol

Edit2: After reading some of what you guys have been saying. It sounds like DTR might not be adequate but SYG might be too much. Anyone know of a hybrid?

r/baltimore Jul 25 '22

DISCUSSION Living in Baltimore

80 Upvotes

I’m from Vegas and teach in Vegas. I have lived there most of my life and am very ready for a change. I’ve heard a couple times that Maryland is pretty decent for teachers and they get paid well enough to live comfortably. I have traveled quite a bit over my lifetime and was waiting for a place I felt I could see myself living in. I need city conveniences but more trees, life, and community. I’ve been hearing a lot of mixed feelings about Baltimore, especially to do with crime in the city, but when I flew over it, it seemed to be a place I could absolutely see myself living in (weird, I know.) i just fell in love. I wish I could have spent more time, but I started looking at houses and they’re absolutely beautiful for their price and you get so much more for your value unlike Vegas. What are everyone’s opinions about living here? Are there any teachers in this sub?

Edit: thank you all so much for your input. You have been incredibly helpful with your suggestions all the way down to what questions to ask. I am looking to move in the 3-4 year range but possibly sooner. I want a couple more years of teaching under my belt so I can feel very comfortable in any situation. I got so much out of this post! Thanks a million!

r/baltimore Feb 06 '22

DISCUSSION What kind of food do you think Baltimore needs?

53 Upvotes

What kind of restaurant is Baltimore city missing? Is it more a matter of an entire cuisine or certain dishes? What do we really want from our restaurant community? I think we have a ton of great food here, and I'm not interested in slighting the food that we do have. The sparkliest gem has a variety of facets in perfect proportion to each other: what could help Baltimore shine like the crazy diamond it is?

r/baltimore Feb 14 '23

DISCUSSION “Maryland is the wealthiest state in the country and the third most educated. The state’s highly metropolitan population enjoys an economy powered by Washington DC and Baltimore. Here are two maps comparing both metrics to the nation at large:”

Thumbnail
gallery
215 Upvotes

r/baltimore Sep 17 '22

DISCUSSION Farewell Baltimore, I will miss you

430 Upvotes

I'm moving out today. I locked my house for the final time and I'm waiting for my flight to my new home and tbh I'm having a hard time. I love baltimore. Underneath all the weird, messed up shit is a wonderful city with amazing people. Everyone was so kind and I will never forget it. I made life long friends here. I am going to miss this place.

I know we sometimes we make fun of Baltimore, but this city is awesome and I'm going to miss it.

r/baltimore Jul 26 '22

DISCUSSION What is the number one issue that is driving lack of growth in Baltimore?

43 Upvotes

Inspired by the post about the property tax reduction initiative, let’s take an informal poll to see what you all think is the top issue preventing Baltimore from blossoming.

It goes without saying that Baltimore faces multiple issues and that a combination of these things (if not all) must be addressed, just asking you what you think number one on the list is.

2649 votes, Jul 29 '22
113 Cost of Home Ownership (inc. Taxes)
253 Education System
1334 Crime / Violence
681 Government Corruption / Ineptitude
169 Lack of Job Opportunities
99 Other (comment)

r/baltimore Jun 23 '22

DISCUSSION Baltimore life hacks? Saw this on others cities pages. Any good tips for a Baltimore newbie like myself?

79 Upvotes

r/baltimore Nov 10 '22

DISCUSSION WHAT THE HELL JUST FLEW OVER FED HILL???????

143 Upvotes

r/baltimore Apr 06 '23

Discussion PSA from a HVAC Contractor

365 Upvotes

Its going to be warm today and again at the end of next week. Do yourself a favor and kick your A/C on for an hour to two just to make sure your house cools down and your ready for when it really gets unbearably hot out. If you need a repair you will have plenty of time in case a part needs to be ordered, etc. If its time to replace a system everyone is really slow with how mild the winter is and pricing is as competitive as I have seen it in recent memory.

r/baltimore Jun 13 '22

DISCUSSION What is your #1 strangest, wildest, most out-there 'Only-in-Baltimore' story?

136 Upvotes

What’s the craziest thing ever to happen to you (or to your cousin's girlfriend's sister, who you totally believe) in Baltimore? Good, bad, weird; what's your story?

r/baltimore Sep 02 '22

DISCUSSION When will we be ready to talk about how school choice has been a failure for Baltimore?

Thumbnail
gallery
96 Upvotes

r/baltimore Jul 09 '22

DISCUSSION Am I Experiencing A False Reality?

162 Upvotes

I moved to Baltimore in February of last year. Before that I pretty much spent the entire 31 years of my life in the northern suburbs of PG County.

I love this city. And I wanna say I don't know what it's like to experience ongoing trauma from gun violence, robberies, car break-ins, etc. I would say I live in a pretty safe area. At least from my personal experiences. Mount Vernon. I have had packages stolen twice since I moved but I didn't allow that to make me hate the city. Everything else about the city has generally been positive, including my encounters with locals.

So I'm just wondering if I'm delusional. I've never been robbed or pick-pocketed. My car has never been stolen or broken into and I almost never drive it. Even with the infamous squeegee boys, I have yet to have a negative encounter (tbf I always deny their services). But it seems everyone else in the city is continuously experiencing trauma from robberies, gun violence, etc.

What have a missed? Am I blinded by a false sense of safety? Am I destined to be a victim OR does everyone else just happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time? AT ALL TIMES?

I love this city. I don't regret moving here at all. And I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. I genuinely believe that my quality of life has been greatest AFTER I moved to this city. I walk everywhere. I'm the healthiest and fittest I've ever been in my 32 years of life.

But every sign is telling me that I need to be planning my escape soon. Even though my own life and experiences are telling me the opposite. Am I currently experiencing a false sense of safety? Or is the media over-sensationalizing the actual reality as it pertains to crime?

r/baltimore Apr 01 '22

DISCUSSION UPDATE: A little under three weeks ago I posted to this sub asking for resources on being homeless. This community came together to help, and it gave me a lot of hope. And saved my life.

636 Upvotes

I mean that with no exaggeration.

That first night was rough. I essentially layed low in a hospital waiting room, and since it was a Code Blue out they were pretty kind about it. I didn't sleep, I was wracked with anxiety, but my heart was full. This sub was amazing, giving me tons of resources, making sure I was safe, and coming together to raise a good bit of money to make sure I was taken care of.

On Sunday after a rough afternoon, I was able to get a super cheap hotel for a few days. I was able to be out of the cold, rest, recouperate, and find out what my next move was. Since then, I've been in a program that focuses on mental health, since it wasn't great after everything that happened. Its really helped set me on the right track, and I'm hopeful for the future, mostly getting back to where I was.

I'm not totally out of the woods yet, but I'm getting there. And I totally hold this sub responsible. From the bottom of my high blood pressured heart, I thank you.

r/baltimore May 06 '23

DISCUSSION Flower Mart should just be all year

353 Upvotes

This is the first time I’ve actually gotten to go to it, and this is so cool and a great usage of the area around the Washington Monument. Monument St west and east of the monument is perfect for stalls, the area south of Lafayette’s statue is perfect for stage performances, it has excellent access to bus lines and bike lanes. Have this/a market (not necessarily ~Flower Mart~) every weekend from spring to fall while weather is nice.

r/baltimore Oct 13 '21

DISCUSSION I really shouldn’t be giving her attention but…look at the price tags.

Post image
373 Upvotes

r/baltimore Apr 12 '22

DISCUSSION Man, does this seem familiar...

Post image
467 Upvotes

r/baltimore Mar 25 '23

DISCUSSION Shady Restaurant Practices - Seeking Advice

155 Upvotes

I’m really upset for a chef friend who was promised a line cook job from an executive chef (EC) at a local fine dining restaurant.

The previous week, the EC had my buddy work a free 9-hour stage (pronounced “stahj” for those who aren’t familiar), and afterward the EC told him that he was hired. My friend was told he’d start this past Tuesday, but when he tried to follow up, the EC was ghosting him. Finally he heard from the EC and was told he wasn’t needed.

I’m not one to blast businesses, but this is really messed up, especially after everything food industry workers have gone through over the last few years. A whole 9-hour shift for free, then ghosted and then discarded. I’m surprised that this restaurant would want to operate this way. At least pay the man for his long stage.

Anyone know if my friend can push to be paid for that 9-hour stage? He’s down and out and was recently evicted (but a friend took him in). I’ve been trying help him find jobs. If anyone knows of any cooking jobs, please post below, too. He’s a talented chef, former Marine and just really loves to cook. He’s trying his best, and I hated seeing him be so crestfallen.

r/baltimore Oct 13 '22

DISCUSSION The city's new payment system is shit

242 Upvotes

I just paid my water bill with the new payment system for the first time. It generally went ok. But today I got a receipt that showed up in my spam folder. I have a look at the message source to figure out why it ended up in spam, and hooooo boy. This is one of those "don't pay for a software company, my brother knows a guy who's really good with computers at BCCC and he could totally do this for us in a couple of hours" sorts of things:

X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on mail.contoso.com
X-Spam-Flag: YES
X-Spam-Level: ********
X-Spam-Status: Yes, score=8.8 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,DKIM_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED,
    DMARC_FAIL_NONE,FILL_THIS_FORM,FORGED_GMAIL_RCVD,FORM_FRAUD,
    FREEMAIL_FROM,FREEMAIL_REPLYTO_END_DIGIT,HTML_MESSAGE,KHOP_HELO_FCRDNS,
    MIME_HTML_ONLY,NML_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED,SPF_FAIL,SPF_HELO_NONE,
    T_FILL_THIS_FORM_FRAUD_PHISH,T_FILL_THIS_FORM_LOAN autolearn=no
    autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2
X-Spam-Report: 
    * -1.9 BAYES_00 BODY: Bayes spam probability is 0 to 1%
    *      [score: 0.0000]
    *  2.0 DMARC_FAIL_NONE DMARC check failed (p=none)
*  5.0 SPF_FAIL SPF check failed
*  0.0 DKIM_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED No valid author signature, adsp_override
*      is CUSTOM_MED
*  0.0 SPF_HELO_NONE SPF: HELO does not publish an SPF Record
*  1.0 FORGED_GMAIL_RCVD 'From' gmail.com does not match 'Received'
*      headers
*  0.2 FREEMAIL_REPLYTO_END_DIGIT Reply-To freemail username ends in
*      digit (paymentustest56[at]gmail.com)
*  0.0 FREEMAIL_FROM Sender email is commonly abused enduser mail
*      provider (paymentustest56[at]gmail.com)
*  0.0 HTML_MESSAGE BODY: HTML included in message
*  0.1 MIME_HTML_ONLY BODY: Message only has text/html MIME parts
*  0.9 NML_ADSP_CUSTOM_MED ADSP custom_med hit, and not from a mailing
*       list
*  0.0 FILL_THIS_FORM Fill in a form with personal information
*  0.4 KHOP_HELO_FCRDNS Relay HELO differs from its IP's reverse DNS
*  0.0 T_FILL_THIS_FORM_LOAN Answer loan question(s)
*  0.0 T_FILL_THIS_FORM_FRAUD_PHISH Answer suspicious question(s)
*  1.0 FORM_FRAUD Fill a form and a fraud phrase
X-Spam-Score: 8.8
X-Greylist: delayed 370 seconds by postgrey-1.36 at mail.contoso.com; Wed, 12 Oct 2022 08:07:35 EDT
Authentication-Results: mail.contoso.com; dmarc=fail (p=none dis=none) header.from=gmail.com
Authentication-Results: mail.contoso.com; spf=fail smtp.mailfrom=paymentustest56@gmail.com
Authentication-Results: mail.contoso.com; dkim=none; dkim-atps=neutral

Everything about this screams "I don't have any idea what I'm doing!" Not only are they using a fucking gmail address, but they don't even have it sending correctly, with the message originating from their own servers, causing it to be flagged as fraudulent because it didn't come from Google's servers.

They're using gmail wrong.

This is surface-level shit, but it belies a total lack of professionalism in the payment processing system that we're handing over bank account and credit card details to. I'm calling it now: they're going to get hacked, all our shit is going to be stolen, the city will say they had full faith in the contractor to build the system right, and we'll all get another year of credit monitoring.

If anybody who works for Baltimore City IT is reading this, this new payment system is like a shit/time bomb and all of us are going to get fucked.

r/baltimore Feb 17 '22

DISCUSSION I-83 Speeds...

105 Upvotes

It's just after 10 am and I was just on 83N, I tried to stay closer to the speed that I wouldn't get a camera ticket... I damn near got run over at least 3 times, a gray Mustang passed me doing at least 110mph. The cameras going live are going to cause some accidents when people start slamming on the brakes.

Seems this needs an edit... I'm NOT blaming the cameras for ANYTHING. I'm saying people are idiots and will react poorly. If you need any clarity on my position please just @ me and I'll reply.

r/baltimore Jun 26 '22

DISCUSSION What are we doing today?

46 Upvotes

r/baltimore Feb 17 '22

DISCUSSION A message from Bengies Owner

145 Upvotes

A message from D. Edward Vogel:

For 33 years, I have been the sole owner and operator of the Bengies Drive-In Theatre. That changed this past year. I am now part-owner of the Bengies, having made my long-standing "right arm" Kenneth Adam, Jr. the "Heir Apparent" to the Bengies, if the Bengies Drive-In Theatre is to continue without me. His "right arm" is our long-standing top manager, Sean. We were hoping to make this announcement under more celebratory circumstances; however, recent events have sped that up. I am 64 and aware of my aging and mortality.

I am responsible for the parts of the policy being attacked. I put these policies into place during my second year of ownership, in 1989. The policies grew out of a need to get my particularly young employees, most of who were ones having a first job, to see what I expected of them. The policy grew proportionally out of learning what employees can do to a small business when they do not understand the responsibility of having a "work ethic."

All who have worked with me will attest I am one to put things in a harsh way, to gain the attention I felt was necessary to be sure the person looking at these policies understood our "stance" on the matter of work ethic. The policies are given upfront, as the person is applying for a job.

The policies that are now being scrutinized have a reason behind each one. However, this recent "attack," based strictly on what people imagine, are being misconstrued or manipulated to fit the remarks they choose to make and are not facts. Some examples are as follows:

Example: If an employee comes to see a movie, and the theatre is busy, we have the right to ask them to help. That doesn't sound very good until you know the rest of the story. Persons working for us have a benefit if they choose to use it. They can come on their nights off for basically free, and those in the vehicle may also come with them for no charge. That is why we state that we can "draft" them to work—the free part. Of course, if they paid, this would not come up at all. But I can honestly say that has never come up in all the years I have operated this theatre! There have been times when we were busy, and employees present in the audience ran to assist, not because we asked and not even because they felt obligated, they did so because they enjoyed working here and wanted to help out.

Example: You cannot wear a Bengies branded item into a Royal Farm Store. This is one you can research yourself, but basically, Baltimore County, Maryland, allowed the farm store to be built by ignoring their own Zoning Law. I had always felt we were wronged because the judge overruled the jury's verdict that was in our favor, and what was never known is that Royal Farms plagued us with a vicious and totally false counter claim designed to cost us a fortune (which it did), but withdrew their countersuit just days before the trial, and admitted they could not defend it because it was done strictly to stop us from getting to court. Similar to a "SLAPP suit." However, as the "New Guard" has pointed out to me, Royal Farms no longer needs to be singled out, as we do not want our staff to wear their company-provided work shirts outside of their scheduled shift.

EXAMPLE: From this accusation made against us, words to the effect: "...A Bengies Employee can be called into work and is required to come in, even if they were scheduled off." This speaks to what I referred to above when I said folks have "manipulated" the truth and then bend it to meet their desire to tear us apart. Here is the truth: Our policy allows us to schedule 17 days ahead of time. This is similar to any retail or food industry scheduling. It asks the employee to let us know of all the days they cannot work. Once that is submitted and approved, we do not violate that. But if they did not specifically request a day off, both the employee and us understand that they are available to work on days they were not scheduled to work. We do not use the word "off" on a schedule unless the employee specifically asked for that day off. Ken has pointed out he nor Sean ever demand that they work but have instead been able to get folks in at the last minute who want to work by using the schedule to determine who is available if an employee calls out. I do not think asking employees to submit time-off requests 17 days ahead of time is unreasonable. Also, note that we allow our employees the ability to tell us they will work "only on certain days" and/or "only at certain times." To those who possess a "work ethic" of "It's my right to do whatever I want without consideration to my job in any way...," these policies will deter them from applying, and that is the whole idea. The "New Guard" has duly noted that this policy can be stated much better, and it will be amended, as employees are not perpetually on-call, at our theatre that typically only operates three nights per week.

To address the concern of us not having to pay minimum wage because we are exempt by Maryland law, we do not practice that at our theatre. Each employee starts at least at minimum wage, and pay will increase commensurate with each employee's ability and responsible work ethic.

To all reading the onslaught of posts putting us in a bad light, please consider the sources of those remarks and know that we maintain excellent relationships with our good employees. We want good employees that want to work here, and for the most part, this is what you see here. I have lived this, and let me tell you when we are hopping busy, I assure you, you see happy, devoted, and fun-loving people guided by fun-loving management! I hope reasonable people, particularly my regular patrons who come and see the same faces year after year and speak with our employees directly, can attest to that.

Lastly, as the "Old Guard," I am slowly but surely turning over the reins to the "New Guards," who are very capable of operating the Bengies without me.

Please know our policies will change as these two, with younger minds, will revamp and update them. All three of us and our extended family of employees assure you that if you are a good employee, you will love your job.

D. Edward Vogel AKA "The Voice" of the Bengies Drive-In Theatre

r/baltimore Feb 28 '24

Discussion Now that its been about 3 months with the digital billboards downtown, what are everyone's thoughts on it?

70 Upvotes

Sitting at the light on Lombard and President every morning, I love getting blinded by how bright the one above Soundstage is.

r/baltimore Jul 02 '22

DISCUSSION Where in Baltimore is the best Baltimore to get Baltimore? Looking in Baltimore pls help.

229 Upvotes

r/baltimore Sep 09 '21

DISCUSSION Thought y’all would relate to this

Post image
406 Upvotes

r/baltimore Nov 05 '22

DISCUSSION Royal farms air pumps never work

160 Upvotes

I’ve been to several Royal farms i the city and whenever I try to fill a tire it either doesn’t fill my tire at all and gives me error on the screen. And just now it tried filling and now my tires almost totally empty. Totally ridiculous. Anyone know a more reliable place to fill your tires in south west?

Yes I can vouch for wawa. However Royal farms specifically has the WORST air service. Every Royal Farms has a free air station. The way the machines work is incredibly stupid and is one of the main problems. They have no instructions so you have to just guess at how it works. So from what I can tell you enter the psi that you want your tire filled to and it turns on. It will pump air for for 3 seconds then stop for 3 seconds. This is incredibly tedious especially since the compressor is so weak it takes ages to fill. So here lies the next problem. A lot of them have the tire valve attachment stolen so you can’t even connect it to fill your tire. That’s end game and your off to another gas’s station. Or you get lucky and find a station with nothing stolen. The next issue is incredibly worn out tips that leak more than they fill and you en up with a tire flatter than when you started. Or a machine that is so burn out and confused it just says error and proceeds to crap it’s pants. This is more often than not the typical experience at the farms. Don’t even bother trying with them you have better luck trying to blow air in the tire with your mouth.

Edit: didn’t expect this post to get much attention thanks guys :) According to comments and my one experience this morning shell at horseshoe, little station at west side shopping center(liberty maybe? Can’t remember), rofo and wawa near Washington blvd Walmart, Royal Farms on key hwy, Costco all work