Prolific African American artist celebrated

By Carol Sorgen
Posted on January 22, 2019

The Reginald F. Lewis Museum celebrates the work of the pre-eminent African American artist Romare Bearden in its current exhibition, on view through March 3. “Romare Bearden: Visionary Artist,” organized by the museum and the Romare Bearden Foundation in New York, features more than 70 works in a variety of media that showcase Bearden as one of the most important visual artists of... READ MORE

What are those unusual growths on trees?

By Lela Martin
Posted on January 18, 2019

During gray, wet periods, Virginia Cooperative Extension offices often receive phone calls from residents concerned about previously unseen growths on tree trunks and branches. Although the growths could be something else, many of them are harmless (but profoundly interesting) lichen (pronounced liken). Covering 8 percent of the earth’s land, lichen are often seen encrusted on rocks... READ MORE

Crafty knitters supply art from the heart

By Catherine Brown
Posted on January 18, 2019

Some years ago, after having foot surgery and teaching herself to knit, Lois Moore spent time knitting, recuperating and volunteering in the library at what was then MCV hospital. She soon found herself teaching knitting to a group of patients who were bused in for chemotherapy and other treatments and needed something to do while they waited for their return ride home. Eventually,... READ MORE

Sad when a long-time marriage dissolves

By Bob Levey
Posted on January 17, 2019

It had been years since I’d seen my former co-worker Jim, so I didn’t want to start with “How’s your wife?” Maybe she was ill. Maybe she had died. So I trotted out the old standard: “What’s new?” “Oh, not much,” said Jim. His smile was wide. But his eyes gave him away. They flitted — was it with guilt? With discomfort? And then he said: “What’s new is that ... READ MORE

Books to help usher in a healthy new year

By Dinah Rokach
Posted on January 11, 2019

The Bibliophile The start of the year is a great time to lose weight, improve our health, expand our minds, and take on a new hobby. Informative books by expert authors can help us keep our New Year’s resolutions. Gordon Ramsay’s Healthy, Lean & Fit: Mouthwatering Recipes to Fuel You for Life, by Gordon Ramsay, 288 pages, Grand Central Life & Style hardcover, 2018 A... READ MORE

“Miss Saigon” seen through first-timer’s eyes

By Robert Friedman
Posted on January 02, 2019

There’s lots of sturm und drang being played out at the Kennedy Center in the new production of the musical Miss Saigon, which melodically blasts, electronically blazes, and dramatically tugs at audience emotions for almost three hours on the Opera House stage. It’s an ode to the odiousness of the Vietnam War, to the broad and brash Broadway musical, and to Madame Butterfly (on which ... READ MORE

With age comes Wizdom, hip-hop

By Barbara Ruben
Posted on December 31, 2018

In her early 20s, back in 1977, she took to the basketball court at half-time as part of the first cheerleading-dance team for the Washington Bullets. For the next four years, she was a Bullette, wearing high-cut red hot pants and red wedge shoes to shimmy across the court. Some years later, the Bullets rebranded as the Wizards, and the Bullettes became the Wizard Girls. When that dance... READ MORE

Street-corner astronomer says goodnight

By Judy Colbert
Posted on December 25, 2018

Star light, star bright...just a little dimmer now. Herman Heyn — teacher, soldier, matchmaker, writer, featured character in Jon Jefferson’s novel Wave of Terror, and astronomer — is hanging up his telescope for the last time. At 88, Heyn has been Baltimore’s “Street-Corner Astronomer” for the past 31 years. The avuncular Waverly resident is a self-taught astronomer who... READ MORE

Having a Wilde time at Everyman Theatre

By Dan Collins
Posted on December 24, 2018

At first glance, The Importance of Being Earnest online pharmacy purchase rogaine online generic , a play by the acclaimed Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde, would appear to simply be a comical farce, an amusing romp where Victorian sensibilities and social conventions are satirized. It’s a clever work, which initially seems a mix of a Shakespearean comedy (replete with... READ MORE

Life’s a dance for ex-Rockette

By Robert Friedman
Posted on December 24, 2018

Howard County resident Anne Berk, who happens to be the world’s oldest Rockette, figuratively kicked up her heels the other day in Columbia while moving and grooving with the help of a walker for a special celebration: her 100th birthday. “Don’t complain, and keep a good sense of humor,” was the advice Berk offered to those in attendance. The party was held at Winter Growth... READ MORE