Repositioning cruises offer real bargains
Antonio Gaudi’s unique and ornate cathedral La Sagrada Familia soars over Barcelona, one of the ports of call on the Koningsdam’s repositioning cruise. Construction began in 1892 and is still underway.Photo by MapicsEach fall and spring, a quiet migration takes place as cruise lines move their ships from one geographical area to another. But these ships do not sail empty. They... READ MORE
Fiduciary rule means better money advice
In a Harris Poll conducted in March on behalf of Personal Capital, a digital wealth management firm, 46 percent of respondents said they believed all financial professionals are legally required to always act in their clients’ best interest. Another 31 percent were unsure whether this was the case.Imagine those individuals’ surprise (and maybe yours), in the coming weeks and... READ MORE
Review your Medicare plans by December 7
Medicare’s open enrollment for drug and health plans is underway until Dec. 7, which means now is the time to review your choices for 2018. At a minimum, look at next year’s terms for your current plan, because what works for you now may not be the case as of Jan. 1.Each year, plans can change their premiums, copays/coinsurance and networks, as well as covered drugs and... READ MORE
Climbers reach for new heights
For Holly Summers, indoor rock climbing started as a mother-daughter activity.“My daughter was climbing indoors regularly, and I wanted to be able to do it with her,” said Summers of Ellicott City. Though her daughter is now in grad school, Summers, 58, can be found regularly scrambling up the climbing walls at the Roger Carter Community Center.She probably had a leg up when she ... READ MORE
Recalling the heyday of Baltimore theaters
When photographer Amy Davis began researching Baltimore’s forgotten movie theaters nine years ago, she had no idea how many of these structures were still standing.Her new book, Flickering Treasures: Rediscovering Baltimore’s Forgotten Movie Theaters, celebrates 72 of the more than 240 theaters that have existed in Baltimore since 1896. Only 11 of the movie houses... READ MORE
Medicare to pay for PAD treadmill therapy
Three times a week, Rita Driscoll steps onto a treadmill at a Minnesota hospital under the eye of a rehab therapist. She walks until it hurts — pushing her limits, walking faster and adding steeper inclines.“I’m not giving up my legs,” said Driscoll, who walks as part of a study. “Hopefully it will keep me away from surgery and keep me walking and... READ MORE
Community group welcomes new artists
When Jody Primoff moved to the Charlestown retirement community five years ago, she hoped to connect with others who shared her love of art and passion for painting.It turns out she didn’t have to look far. Before she even settled into her new home, Primoff was welcomed into the Fireside Artists — a group of Charlestown neighbors who gather every Friday to paint, draw and... READ MORE
Lots of new airlines, not much innovation
Between now and next summer, you’ll see a lot of unfamiliar airplanes at U.S. airports. At least for now, they’ll all be European or Asian, but a few possible home-grown efforts have sprouted.The upside is a combination of more competition on existing routes and more new nonstop routes. The downside is no real innovation in the seating — the main cabins will be familiar... READ MORE
Kudos to our writers
Each year, we enter a selection of our writers’ original stories in the journalism competitions of the National Mature Media Awards and the North American Mature Publishers Association (NAMPA). We do this for two reasons: One, as a way to be sure we are keeping up the quality of our writing compared with other publications throughout the country. Two, because we’re pretty... READ MORE
Find out if the Equifax hack stole your ID
By now you’ve probably heard that Equifax — which as one of the three major U.S. credit agencies collect loads of sensitive data on consumers — suffered a massive breach, potentially affecting 143 million Americans.In the ongoing saga of rampant data breaches, it’s a stomach-churning twist, and it’s especially galling given that, as one component of its... READ MORE
