How we learn to be afraid
When I’ve had the privilege of watching my toddler grandson as he learned to walk, run and play, I noticed something striking: As he gained experience in the world, he grew more confident in some ways and more cautious in others. And in both things, he often took his cues — about how to feel and how to respond — from his parents and other caregivers. Taking his first steps, he was... READ MORE
Do we really want to know?
It’s a story right out of a disaster movie: A pilot in the cockpit of a civilian airliner suddenly cuts fuel to the engines of a plane in flight, risking the lives of all aboard as well as innocents on the ground. Unfortunately, it’s not a movie. At least, not yet. It really happened — not once, but twice in the last two years. In July, an Air India flight headed to London with... READ MORE
It’s Expo season again
I am thrilled to invite you to join us at the Beacon’s 26th annual 50+Expos. We present these events in both Maryland and Virginia to provide useful information and a great time to our readers and their family members. In case you haven’t been before, I can share that our Expos attract thousands of area residents who come for health screenings, flu shots and other vaccines,... READ MORE
Invisible realms surround us
So much of the world around us is undetectable by human senses. We see only a narrow slice of the light spectrum. Our hearing? Just a small band of sound. Many animals perceive far more than we do. But through technology, we’ve learned to harness parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that we can’t see or hear. With the right tools, we translate those invisible waves into everyday... READ MORE
…As others see us
When I sit down to write one of my columns, I often find that I have more to say than the space allows and I need to make cuts. This month, I want to weave together some of those previously omitted thoughts to deliver a message of their own. In my April column (“Say cheese!”), I noted that we tend to behave differently when we’re being watched or recorded. The mere act of being... READ MORE
Practice makes (im)perfect
I recently enjoyed a virtual presentation about what musicians can learn from the latest in brain science. The speaker, a musician and cognitive neuroscientist, was enlisted by the Adult Music Students’ Forum, a local organization I belong to that gives (mostly) older adult musicians the opportunity to perform in front of their peers and, occasionally, the public. The goal of Dr.... READ MORE
Time to rotate the tires
At the moment, retirement — whether voluntary or imposed — is a topic on people’s minds, particularly in the Beacon’s readership area. This region is being hit especially hard by the government cutbacks we read about daily. So, it hasn’t been surprising that the question, “So, are you thinking of retiring?” comes up in almost every casual conversation I’ve recently... READ MORE
Say cheese!
As the grandfather of the cutest 2-year-old on Earth…oh wait, let me show you. Nope, can’t get him to do his cutest things on camera. Have you noticed that? Everyone seems to whip out their cellphone camera to record every little thing of interest. But the moment you do that in front of anyone age two or older, they stop doing what they were doing naturally and assume a pose ... READ MORE
Music from the ether
As you may know, I took off the month of January for another of my “musical sabbaticals.” I love to play the piano and compose music, but I can never find enough time to do either when I’m working. Fortunately, I’ve managed to carve out a few weeks in each of the past three years to focus on my hobby (and, I hope, my future retirement gig). I never know where my... READ MORE
Learning how to think
Publisher Stuart Rosenthal is taking a sabbatical this month. His column will return in March. All through school we are required to write. Writing makes us think. Getting us to write clearly is a significant goal of education. There are now artificial intelligence (AI) programs that can create stories, novels, non-fictional books, answers to exams, blogs and whatever else you want to ... READ MORE
