Columbia

2022 Columbia-Liyang Sister City Photography Contest,Light of Spring

Copied from Laura Smit’s Facebook Post. I want to let my friends who live in Columbia/Howard County know about a free photography contest that is happening in Columbia’s Sister City, Liyang, in China, that Columbia/Howard County residents are invited to participate in!

The theme is “Light of Spring”. Adult and youth photographers in Columbia/Howard County, both professional and amateur, may participate. They simply submit up to 3 photos to our Liyang sister city committee via email by May 20, and our photo contest coordinator will make sure they get to the Liyang Cultural Center in China that is hosting the Photo Contest.

Please see the description and rules for the “Light of Spring” photo contest below.

This is our first time with a virtual photography exchange/contest with our Sister City in China. It will be fun to share photos from our spring here in Columbia/Howard County with the residents and photographers of our Chinese Sister City. I know that a lot of you are great nature photographers who could easily participate in this. I have seen SO many of your lovely photos of spring scenes here on FB! Photos can be of anything related to spring. Awardees’ work will be printed and hung in the museum in Liyang in China.

Light of Spring Liyang, China Photo Contest Info and Rules

Purpose
➢ To encourage a photographic exchange between residents of the sister cities of
Columbia, Maryland, U.S.A. and Liyang, Jiangsu Province, China that illustrates the
the beauty of spring in our communities.

Organizers
➢ Liyang Cultural Center, China
➢ Columbia-Liyang Sister City Committee, U.S.

Eligible Participants
➢ Adult and youth photographers living in Columbia/Howard County. Both amateur and
professional photographers may participate.

How to participate
➢ The photos should be saved as Jpeg file and are to be submitted to
columbia_liyang@yahoo.com with the following information:
✓ Your name, contact number, email address and home street address.
✓ Title of photo
✓ Brief photo description (including location of photo taken, no more than 50
words)

Deadline
➢ All photos must be submitted to columbia_liyang@yahoo.com on or before May 20, 2022

Rules & Regulations
➢ Up to three (3) photos will be accepted from each photographer;
➢ The size of each photo (Jpeg file) should be between 2MB and 20MB.
➢ No limitation on photography category. It could be landscape, wildlife or portrait, as
long as it expresses the “Light of Spring” theme.
➢ The photo shall be not artificially framed and should not contain any text except the
signature and date;
➢ All photos must be original work, taken by the entrants. No third party may own or
control any materials the photo contains, and the photo must not infringe upon the
trademark, copyright, moral rights, intellectual rights, or rights of privacy of any entity
or person;
➢ Entries will be judged by the Liyang Cultural Center (LCC), China. All decisions are final.
The LCC reserves the right to disqualify any entry that is deemed inappropriate or does
not conform to stated contest rules.
➢ By submitting the photo(s), entrants agree that photo(s) submitted can be used by LCC
and Columbia-Liyang Sister City Committee for non-commercial advertising purposes.
➢ The winner will be contacted via the email address provided during entry.

Awards by Liyang Cultural Center
✓ 1st Place or Gold: 1 Award Winner
✓ 2nd Place or Silver: 2 Award Winners
✓ 3rd Place or Bronze: 3 Award Winners
✓ Excellence Award: 20 Award Winners
✓ All awarded photos will be displayed in the Liyang Museum for a month.

Disclaimer
By submitting your photo, you affirm and certify that you have read the contest
information and understand the rules to the best of your knowledge. You understand that
any misrepresentation, falsification, or omission of any facts called for in the submission
may render this submission void.

For more information, please contact:
Ms. Jun Han, Coordinator of Columbia-Liyang Sister City Committee Photo Contest
Cell: 202-288-8228; Email: columbia_liyang@yahoo.com

Control the city（Columbia）

“Control the city”, “Ownership and monopoly-like control over small cities” are those phrases really catching my eyes when I read the Howard Hughes Corporation’s Q4 2020 presentation.

The opportunity to control cities and monopoly-like control

Columbia

By the way, in the slides where it talks about Ward Village, Honolulu, they are building really expensive houses, for example, 36 million dollars houses.

The presentation is attached here:

4th-Quarter-2020-Investor-PresentationDownload

What is happening with CA board of director election?

I received an email as following which calls CA to halt hiring their new CEO and campaigns for Columbia Association Board of Director Election. I have never seen such action before. When an organization in Baltimore put the money into CA election, it seems strange. What is the purpose of such campaign?

I saw a few developers’ names in the list and CA owns many lands in Columbia. That is one connection I can think of for the moment.

Here is the letter:

Chao,
 
Your name was among those recommended by a Rouse Project Steering Committee Member to receive this early announcement of the organization’s launch. We hope you’ll take a moment to learn more.
 
The Rouse Project is a budding coalition of leaders, residents and businesses that have come together to pursue a more vibrant and inclusive future for Columbia. Inspired by James Rouse’s vision and the ideals upon which Columbia was founded, we share a common belief that more can and should be done today to:Ensure our community is fully welcoming and inclusive.Protect and enhance amenities to meet the evolving needs of our residents.Promote equally connected and prosperous villages.Cultivate vibrant entertainment, art, culinary and cultural experiences.
PROGRESS IS ON THE BALLOT THIS APRIL
 
Our work begins with the Columbia Association (CA) Board elections on April 24th. As the “keeper of Columbia’s vision,” CA is responsible for leveraging the significant investments we make in annual CPRA assessments to protect and strengthen all of the unique attributes and values that have traditionally made Columbia a highly desirable place to live and work. 
 
The many years of service by current Board Members is commendable, however, the glaring lack of diversity on the Board – in age, race and income – sits in stark contrast with the diverse communities they were elected to represent.  We believe it is time for new leadership that:Reflects the diversity and experience of the people it serves.Reimagines the priorities and vision of the CA Board to better align with the needs of Columbia residents, businesses and nonprofit organizations.Addresses antiquated systems of governance that fall short of modern best practices.Promotes ongoing community engagement and participation.Addresses social issues like equity and inclusion in a more relevant and public manner.
HELP RENEW COLUMBIA’S PROMISE
 
This is your call to action. The most important thing we can do now is spread the word to our neighbors, friends and colleagues. We’ll keep you updated as each village finalizes its voting and candidate processes. For now, we ask that you:Visit our website and pledge to vote in the CA Board election on April 24th.*Forward this email to 10 friends and encourage them to do the same.Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to receive timely information and help spread the word.If you are a dynamic and passionate CA lien holder interested in serving on the CA Board or know of someone who might be, contact community@therouseproject.com for more information. 
 
 
*Some villages will offer early mail-in and electronic voting. Copyright © 2021 The Rouse Project, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.

Our mailing address is:
The Rouse Project100 S Charles St Ste 1600Baltimore, MD 21201-2725

The list of steering committee members:

  • Victor Broccolino
  • Brad Canfield
  • George Carroll
  • Regina Clay
  • Larry Cohen
  • Vince Cullotta
  • Rev. Paige Getty
  • Dr. C. Vernon Gray
  • Jamison Hibbard
  • Sherman Howell
  • Jessica Mahajan
  • David Nitkin
  • Jean Parker
  • Wendy Slaughter
  • Sabina Taj
  • Frank Turner
  • Ken Ulman

My article on Baltimore Sun: Proposal for central library in downtown Columbia

I wrote a short article on the Baltimore Sun ( which will be shared on Howard County Times, Columbia Flier).

I am worried about the lack of coherent plan and long term vision for the county. There is a plan to relocate the central library in the 2016 Downtown Columbia TIF plan. Now the County Executive and County Council changed hand, there has not been any discussion (or serious discussion) any more. Recent discussion on the Toby theater, Downtown Culture Center, Affordable housing prompted me to write this article. Columbia will be totally built out soon and we need to process with caution on every land use.

I also shared similar concerns during yesterday’s BOE and County Council meeting. Where do we find school site land for the students from planned 30,000 population for Downtown Columbia?

Any decisions we make today will have a long-term impact for our future. One example is the Turf Vally development where APFO requirement was waived and no school site was reserved. Now we need pay over 6.5 million dollars for an elementary school site (around 10 acres). If they planned/reserved for a school site 20 years, it was probably free.

The reality is that people made those decision some time ago either moved up or retired. We are bearing the consequence now. I believe we can do better.

Columbia 50th birthday

Today, we kicked off the 50th birthday celebration of Columbia. My whole family joined the event in the mall. I probably will not see its centennial birthday, but my daughter and son will. This is where they grow up and this is their hometown.

I purchased a brick from Columbia Association as well, which will be put in the Lakefront area. Even I die some day , the brick will stay and the Lake Kittamaqundi will be there.

I will continue to run for the CA Council representative for another term. It is fun to be there and serve the community.

Columbia Dialogue at 50th birthday

1 Comment

Please register at ColumbiaAssociation.org/columbiadialogues .

Meetings will be held at evening time.

Columbia Association, Columbia MD

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 8, 2017
Contact: David Greisman
Phone: 410-423-4103

 

Discussions on race, class and culture seek to help make Columbia a more inclusive community

Columbia residents are being asked to take part in a series of facilitated small-group discussions on the intersections of race, class and culture — sessions that will help people find common ground and learn from fellow community members who are different from them.

“Columbia was founded on the inclusion of all people. As we celebrate Columbia’s 50th year, it is vital that we provide a space for community members to intentionally engage with and listen to others different from ourselves,” said Jane Dembner, director of planning and community affairs for Columbia Association, which has helped organize the discussions as part of Columbia’s 50th Birthday celebration. “This exploration will help keep biases in check and also make us question assumptions we make about other community members.”

The goal of ColumbiaDialogues is to create a personal and collective commitment among participants to help make the community more inclusive.

“We want participants to nurture trust, explore our differences and recommit to inclusion as the way of life here in Columbia,” Dembner said. “This is important as Columbia is ever more diverse and needs now — more than ever — to work to make sure we remain an inclusive community.”

ColumbiaDialogues is the result of a collaborative partnership of representatives of faith-based, educational and civic organizations as part of Columbia’s 50th Birthday celebration. The Howard County Public School System’s Office of Cultural Proficiency is providing the trained facilitators for these dialogues.

Each small group will reflect the diversity of the Columbia community so that they can learn from each other. Sessions will begin this spring. Visit ColumbiaAssociation.org/columbiadialogues to learn how to participate. Space is limited. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, March 28. If interest exceeds capacity, CA may hold additional sessions in the future and/or encourage other organizations to sponsor similar sessions.

For more information, please email Jane.Dembner@ColumbiaAssociation.org.

About Columbia Association

 

Columbia Association (CA) is a nonprofit community services corporation that manages Columbia, Maryland, a planned community that is home to approximately 100,000 people and several thousand businesses. Additional information about CA is available at ColumbiaAssociation.org.

  

 

Visit CA’s Press Room

 

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Columbia Association 

6310 Hillside Court • Columbia, MD 21044

(410) 715-3000 

 

David.Greisman@ColumbiaAssociation.org