Teacher writes about city kids’ resilience
Adam Schwartz, 55, grew up in Washington, D.C.’s Friendship Heights, but he has taught in Baltimore’s city schools for the past 22 years. The “resilient kids” he taught became the basis for his new book, The Rest of the World — his debut collection of short stories, several of which have already won prizes after their publication in literary journals. All eight stories are... READ MORE
What retirees (should) want
Since he was 24 years old, author and aging expert Dr. Ken Dychtwald has studied the psychology of retirement. Now 70, he has given presentations on his research into the subject of aging to more than one million people over the years. Yet the renowned gerontologist is in no hurry to retire himself from the company he started 40 years ago. “The irony of the fact that I’m not... READ MORE
Daughter’s murder set father on mission
On a rainy evening in June 2005, Bill Mitchell received a phone call from the Howard County Police Department insisting to meet him in person. At a local Giant, an officer told him that his daughter, Kristin, 21, had been murdered by her ex-boyfriend. She had been stabbed 55 times. Since that horrific night, Mitchell, now 70, has dedicated his life to telling Kristin’s story to educate ... READ MORE
Former librarian makes dream come true
As the first-time author of a children’s picture book, Susan Belschner Tager, 73, has found a new happiness. Seeing her book in print, the former children’s librarian said, “has been an absolute thrill. It’s what I envisioned so many years ago.” Before Tager’s two children were born, she worked as a children’s librarian at Enoch Pratt Library. “Like many librarians, I... READ MORE
To attract hummingbirds, plant wisely
Across the downs a hummingbird Came dipping through the bowers. He pivoted on emptiness To scrutinize the flowers. — Nathalia Crane, “The First Reformer,” 1925 The sight of a hummingbird hovering in midair while wicking up nectar with its tube-like tongue is quite thrilling. Hummers can fly forward, backward, even upside down at speeds averaging 35 miles per hour. Their... READ MORE
Radio show saves Richmonders money
Every morning except Sunday, “Big” Mike Mazursky hosts the Radio Shopping Show on Boomtown Richmond Radio. The live daily show, which airs from 10 a.m. to noon, offers listeners discounted gift cards to local businesses — sometimes very discounted. Its “daily doorbuster deals” offer a limited number of $10 gift cards to local pizzerias or other restaurants for just... READ MORE
Books about World War II in the Pacific
The Bibliophile buy phenergan online buy phenergan online no prescription September 2 marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. These books cover with clarity and intensity the conflict in the Pacific theater. Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb and the 116 Days That Changed the World, by Chris Wallace and Mitch Weiss, 320... READ MORE
Doctor composes symphony on the side
The stern portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven glares down from the wall over the computer screens set up in Dr. Arnold Kirshenbaum’s guest bedroom. Kirshenbaum was a promising musician in his school days, but he did “the responsible thing” and went to medical school after college. But that was then. Now, at the age of 66, he is making up for lost time even as he maintains his busy... READ MORE
A career reading five presidents’ letters
There aren’t many retirees who can boast of having the president of the United States stop by her desk to offer a helping hand. But Mary Lou Maddox can. Maddox, 90, of Clarksville, the former director of the office of mail analysis at the White House, recalled the day President George H. W. Bush visited her office for a tour. “He stopped at my desk, pulled up a chair and said,... READ MORE
Autobiographical poems lead to first book
“My poems are my autobiography in rhyme,” said Baltimore County resident Neil Noble, 73, whose first book of poetry was published recently. Each of his poems “conveys its own story, as well as a slice of my life,” Noble said in a recent interview. As he puts it in the book’s introduction, “My relief valve has been my writing. I win a battle when I can imprison ‘the... READ MORE
