My layout was made by Tasha, at premade_ljs. Much love to her for it!
Baltimore~ Baltimore is an independent city located in the U.S. state of Maryland on the eastern coast of the United States of America. As of 2005, the population of Baltimore City was 641,943 and the Baltimore-Towson metropolitan area has approximately 2.6 million residents . Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland and serves as the state's major cultural and industrial center.
The city is named after the founding proprietor of the Maryland Colony, Lord Baltimore in the Irish House of Lords. Baltimore became the second leading port of entry for immigrants to the United States during the 1800s. The city is a major U.S. seaport, situated closer to major midwestern markets than any other major seaport on the East Coast.
People from Baltimore are traditionally known as Baltimoreans, but at times they are derogatorily referred to as Baltimorons.
The current mayor of Baltimore is Democrat Martin O'Malley, currently in his second term. He is also the Democratic Party nominee to challenge Robert Ehrlich, the Republican incumbent for Governor of Maryland.
City Crime Rankings ranks Baltimore second only to Detroit among the most dangerous American cities over 500,000 in population. According to crime statistics there were 269 murders in Baltimore in 2005. Though this is significantly lower than the record-high 353 murders in 1993, the murder rate in Baltimore is nearly seven times the national rate, six times the rate of New York City, and three times the rate of Los Angeles.
In addition, other categories of crime in Baltimore have also been declining, although overall crime rates are still high compared to the national average. The rate of forcible rapes has fallen below the national average in recent years; however, Baltimore still has much higher-than-average rates of aggravated assault, burglary, robbery, and theft and a local news survey, though unscientific, recorded that over 75% of respondents felt that Baltimore City is no safer.
Though the crime situation in Baltimore is considered one of the worst in the nation, city officials have pointed out that most violent crimes, particularly murders, are committed by people who know their victims and who are often associated with the illegal drug trade.
Baltimore Club or Baltimore House is a recent musical movement that started in the late eighties in the clubs of Baltimore City. The earliest masters of this style were DJ Technics, the Dew Doo Kids, and Rod Lee, it is a fast pace style combining hip hop, house, and techno music together. The songs will sample hooks and repeat them over beats going as fast as 140 beats per minute. It has gained enough popularity to spring artist like D.O.G., the Bossman, and Young Leek to major deals with Universal, So So Def, and Roc-a-fella. The recent stars of this music movement are DJ K Swift and DJ Blackstarr. Though club music is a DJ led movement, recently Rap stars have taken over the scene and created a new sub-genre of rap, the stars are the aforementioned D.O.G. and Young Leek, also A-MAZ-ON, Tae Eazy, Deuce Tre Deuce, Prince, and Penny X. This movement has become so huge that it has been recognized by MTV as the next big movement and has been hailed as Next Up by Vibe. There is no telling when Baltimore Club will blow up onto the national scene, but, regardless, it has become a huge part of what makes up Baltimore's image, both internally and externally.
The city's favored local beer has traditionally been National Bohemian, or, as residents refer to it, Natty Boh. In some areas of Baltimore, locals call it "National." The beer and its one time mascot, Mr. Boh, are considered indelible parts of Baltimore culture. Though it is said that few truly enjoy the drink, the historically low price and association with the city make it a local favorite. The National Brewing Company was also the "inventor" of Colt 45 malt liquor in 1963. Natty Boh was also the long-time beer of choice for Orioles and Colts fans at Memorial Stadium. After the Orioles moved from Memorial Stadium in 1991, Natty Boh was no longer available to fans at Baltimore sporting events. However, for the 2006 Orioles season, "Boh is Back" and is being served throughout Oriole Park.
Residents are often proud of Baltimore's old-fashioned and often seedy characteristics. One of the more famous seedy spots in the city is The Block, a stretch of district along Baltimore Street between South and Gay Streets. Since the late 19th century, the location has variously been home to burlesque shows, nightclubs, strip clubs, pornography shops, and prostitution.Though the presence of BPD Headquarters at one end of the district has cut down on many illegal activities, the adult entertainment has continued and the area is still popular for city night life. Even in 2006, many of the strip clubs on The Block are little more than fronts for prostitution.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of Baltimore's culture are the people themselves. Though nowadays the city is extremely culturally diverse, the lasting image of Baltimoreans seems to be the "Hon" culture exemplified most markedly by the longer established families and residents of the Highlandtown, Canton, Locust Point and Hampden neighborhoods. Between the 1950s and 70s, it wasn't uncommon to see working class local women dressing in bright, printed dresses with out-dated glasses and beehive hairdos. Men were often dressed casually, but with a general factory or dock worker look, as many in town did indeed have such jobs. The name of the culture comes from the often parodied Baltimore accent and slang. "Hon" was a common informal name for someone else, properly pronounced "hohn", with emphasis on the vowel. Baltimore’s accent exemplifies a dialectal continuum between Tidewater American English and Delaware Valley American English, loosely possessing the vowel shifts of the former and general pronunciation of the latter. For instance "Baltimore" is pronounced "Bawlamer" or even "Balmer," and "Maryland" becomes "Murland" or "Murlan." Other common pronunciations include "ool," "amblance," "wooder," "warsh,","sharr","dug" , tew(oil, ambulance, water, wash,shower and "dog",two respectively). *per Wiki
What I think~
Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words
We begin directly after the Marauders graduate from Hogwarts, July 1st of 1978. There are happy times and there are hard times. James and Lily marry. Sirius gets his own place (and flying motorbike) thanks to Uncle Alphard. And the Longbottoms are in the midst of their training as Aurors. But on the darker side of things, Peter begins his desperate spiral to the Dark Arts and the Service of Lord Voldemort. Meanwhile, the Lestranges are still happy, productive and free members of society. The Malfoys are working their family fortune and name into something to be feared. It seems to be life as usual. However the underbelly of this is that the First War is gaining more and more power in the lives of normal citizens. And soon it will consume all of their lives.
Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words Words
RemipunX13 (Add Buddy, Send Message)
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
premade_ljs. Much love to her for it!
