The sound of music
I grew up in a house where the soundtrack of daily life was Mozart, Chopin and Beethoven played on the kitchen radio tuned to the classical music station. While my tastes as a teen ran more to the Rolling Stones and Cat Stevens, today my car radio is often tuned to the classical music on WETA, and my iPod contains Bach, along with Bruce Springstein.I’ve found that a number of boomers... READ MORE
Railing against reform
Social Security is no longer the ‘third rail” of American politics. Legislators no longer touch it and die. At least not instantaneously.But this isn’t the first time Congress has seriously undertaken to change the terms of our social contract with Social Security. Over its history, changes have been considered and made on several occasions to keep the program financially... READ MORE
Get out and play
More grandparents than ever are either raising their grandkids or significantly contributing to their upbringing, according to the latest U.S. Census figures. In all, there are 62.8 million grandparents in the U.S., the most ever. They are projected to make up roughly 1 in 3 adults by 2020. Look for more details about this trend in an upcoming issue of the Beacon.Fall brings myriad... READ MORE
Moving the folks (Part II)
A number of readers have commented to me on my column last month, in which I shared some observations on the occasion of my parents (ages 82 and 91) moving from their condo into an assisted living facility in Austin, Texas. No one has actually asked me why my parents would decide to stay in Texas when my brother and I, their only children, live in the greater Washington area. But I think ... READ MORE
Never too late to learn
My daughter started high school a couple weeks ago. And I have to admit that when I see the alphabet soup of her algebra homework or the physics word problems involving acceleration rates, I’m just as happy I’m not going to be having a test on the material next week.That’s why I so admire the students featured on the cover of the September issue of the Washington Beacon.... READ MORE
Moving the folks (Part I)
My parents, whom long-time readers have “met” before in this column, have once again graciously provided me with an occasion for some musings. You see, they’ve recently moved into an assisted living facility.While I have edited articles about such moves many times over the years, this is my first opportunity to experience one myself, and therein lie a few tales.First, what ... READ MORE
A moving experience
Washington and Baltimore-area residents felt the Earth move on August 23, an unsettling sensation and, hopefully, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.Just in case there’s a next time, take a look at this fact sheet from the Red Cross about how to prepare for and what to do in case of an earthquake. I was surprised to see that taking refuge in a doorway is not recommended.But as Hurricane... READ MORE
Coming to our census
I’ve long been on record as objecting to the use of terms like Age Wave, Senior Tsunami and the like to describe the demographic changes occurring across America (and, indeed, the world). I take issue with such terminology because it suggests the aging of our population will be a sudden and destructive event, and it is neither. No wave will come crashing down on us unexpectedly one day;... READ MORE
Cool summer reading
One is a business executive who helped save a historic town from being wiped off the map, while the other has had a varied career in dance, television news reporting and acting.Charles Wagandt, who preserved the town of Oella on the Baltimore/Howard County line, and Maria Broom, who guest starred in the TV series “The Wire” and is currently teaching dance to Baltimore kids,... READ MORE
On being misunderstood
I truly look forward to receiving letters and emails from readers. I value your comments and suggestions, and am eager to hear what you think.That’s really how the Beacon has grown and changed over the years: by trying to address the needs and interests of readers and incorporate their recommendations.I always like to tell how, within hours of our very first issue hitting the streets... READ MORE
