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The addictive attraction of the International Music Score Library Project [Clef Notes]

2012-02-09T06:59:10-08:00

As some of you know well -- because I frequently go on and on about it -- I love piano transcriptions.

Over the years, I managed to find quite a few, but not nearly as many as I could uncover in a single hour plugged into the International Music Score Library Project, one of the coolest, most addictive sites I know.

It was a hunt for transcriptions that led me to IMSLP quite a while ago, but I discovered so much more there -- 159,000 scores by more than 7,000 composers.

It's a place I never tire of visiting whenever I want to put eyes on a score quickly and -- my favorite part -- print out something that I want to add to my collection. All for free, mind you.

This is a fabulous public domain space. I suppose it may be threatened, to some extent, by the recent Supreme Court decision regarding copyright protections, but I hope that IMSLP, founded six years ago this month, survives and thrives. I have been using it for a long while now and cannot imagine not being able to access it.

Soloists and ensembles can find enough vocal and instrumental repertoire here to last a lifetime of performing -- OK, non-contemporary repertoire.

It is one of the most best examples I know of how the Web can benefit musicians.

Back to transcriptions. Just this week, on a whim, I wondered if anyone had ever done a piano arrangement of ...

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. I was still thinking about the exquisite performance of that piece I heard performed by Jorg Widmann with Christoph Eschebach and the National Symphony recently.

The slow movement has one of Mozart's most incredibly beautiful melodies and I had this yen to play it on the piano. Well, IMSLP let me down. No transcription. Sigh. But wait. How about Mozart's Clarinet Quintet? That's got some great stuff in it, too, and might be interesting to play. And there it was. Neat.

Then, I figured, did anyone transcribe the exquisite Clarinet Quintet by Brahms? Yep, they sure did. I printed out the first movement today and hope to try it out soon.

I know some of you are thinking it makes no real sense to play pieces like this at the keyboard, but what do I care about making sense? Thanks to IMSLP, I have such goodies as the complete score to Gluck's "Iphigenie en Tauride" -- for solo piano. How sensible is that? It sure is fun, though.

I've printed out assorted lieder, symphonies and tone poems arranged for keyboard, too. "Death and Transfiguration," anyone? My articulation of the "Death" part is deadly, but I can get through the "Transfiguration" very movingly, if I do say so myself. How about Tchaikovsky's "Manfred"? Loads of fun pounding out the heavy fate theme (that really makes the cats scatter).

Anyway, my specialized interest does not begin to explain the full extent of the treasury to be savored at this site -- full orchestral scores (and individual parts), chamber works, oratorios. (I use it for plenty of music originally written for piano, too.)

If you haven't already discovered International Music Score Library Project , give it a whirl. And don't be surprised if you keep coming back for more.

Midweek Madness: Perry Como and the art of laid-back singing [Clef Notes]

2012-02-08T07:30:32-08:00

It's Midweek Madness time again, and, for no reason whatsoever, I thought of Perry Como. And that made me think of this promo for his last great tour:

Birthday greetings to Stuart Burrows, a tenor of rare gifts [Clef Notes]

2012-02-07T07:35:46-08:00

Vocal music fans invariably have a list of singers they feel are not sufficiently appreciated. Topping my list is Welsh tenor Stuart Burrows, who celebrates his 79th birthday Feb. 7.

When I first started getting interested in classical singers, I picked up one of his albums on a whim -- the name meant nothing to me, back in my terribly uninformed days -- and I was hooked at first sound. The velvety tone, with its hint of sweetness; the seemingly effortless legato; the unerring tastefulness -- these are the qualities that most define Burrows (and elude so many vocalists today).

Here, as a birthday salute, a sample of the tenor's artistry -- a performance of "Il mio tesoro" that can, I believe, be mentioned in the same breath as the long-cherished one by John McCormack (the breath control during the coloratura run is marvelous); and two popular 19th century ballads that, again, Burrows delivers with great elegance:

Backseat safety [Charm City Moms]

2012-02-07T03:14:36-08:00

Here's Liz Atwood with this week's Tween Tuesday: I noticed a few days ago that the Maryland General Assembly is considering legislation that would require kids under age 13 to sit in the back seat of the car. Currently, the state recommends kids under 13 sit in the back, but doesn’t require it. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s a great idea. The Maryland State Medical Society, also known as MedChi, supports the measure as a way to reduce the chance of kids being seriously hurt in car crashes. That’s good, of course, but I have more selfish reasons for supporting the plan. If the law passes, I won’t have to play referee with my kids about who gets to sit up front. One boy is 10, the other 15. The matter will be settled. The younger one will complain of course, but I’ll be able to say, “Sorry, honey, that’s the law.” I already use that answer when he moans about going to school. “Sorry, you can’t stay home from school. That’s the law.” So I’m asking the legislature on behalf of parents throughout the state—pass this law so I’ll have one less argument to settle. And maybe while you’re at it, pass a law that settles which kid has control over the car radio.

Nicholas McGegan returns to BSO podium for spirited workout [Clef Notes]

2012-02-06T12:23:17-08:00

The Baltimore Symphony welcomed Nicholas McGegan back to the podium last week.

His expertise in historically informed performances to music from the baroque and classical eras makes him a valued guest conductor with modern instrument orchestras. They can always use a little jolt from the authenticity crowd.

With McGegan, you also get an abundance of personality, which makes his appearances doubly welcome. On Saturday night at the Meyerhoff, he danced his way through an attractive assortment of familiar scores by Bach, Haydn and Mozart, and something new to the BSO's repertoire -- a suite from Rameau's opera "Nais."

(As a concert-goer remarked on Saturday, McGegan seemed to be at least a third of the way toward ...

the fabulously expressive podium choreography of Joseph Olefirowicz.)

The Rameau suite proved to be a highlight of the evening. For one thing, the music is exceedingly tuneful and colorful, a rich document of the sonic glory that defined the French baroque. McGegan brought plenty of rhythmic drive to to score, but abundant nuance as well, and he drew lively, attentive playing from the ensemble.

Without attempting imitation, the BSO strings nonetheless caught something of the light and lithe character of period instruments, while a good deal of flair also emanated from the brass, winds and percussion.

Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 opened the evening. In tutti passages, the sound struck me as rather mushy at times, but the performance nonetheless proved pleasant.

Qing Li, the violin soloist, offered some vivid phrasing, but the most shining work came from the oboists (Jane Marvine, Sandra Gerster, Fatma Daglar) and the horn players (Philip Munds, Gabrielle Finck).

After intermission, Andrew Balio, the orchestra's principal trumpet, stepped to the front of the stage to play the heck out of Haydn's E-flat major Concerto. It was a great opportunity to be reminded of Balio's technical polish and musicality. His phrasing had elegance, charm and wit in equal measure.

McGegan ensured smoothly flowing support for Balio from the orchestra, which also did polished, character-rich work in the program's concluding dose of E-flat major -- Mozart's Symphony No. 39. The conductor shaped that work with an engaging combination of propulsion and lyrical contour to cap this feel-good concert.

PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN COLBERG

The Susan Graham recital that wasn't [Clef Notes]

2012-02-06T07:02:21-08:00

Nothing like an invigorating 70-minute drive to DC, only to discover that the trip is for naught.

Happened to me Saturday afternoon -- arriving all a-flutter at the Kennedy Center to hear Susan Graham's recital for the Washington Performing Arts Society, only to be told by the garage attendant that the mezzo-soprano had canceled. Oy, vey.

I knew my karma was off that day. Earlier, I couldn't access my email (for reasons still unknown), where I would have found a notice of the cancellation. And, just for extra fun, as I arrived at the Kennedy Center, a warning light on the car went off, so I felt my life was complete.

I'm sorry Miss Graham got ill. Honest I am. But, hey, a year ago I went to the Met to hear her sing "Iphigenie" and darned if she didn't cancel. So I am beginning to take this personally -- it's all about me, as you know.

At least there are delightful recordings of this fabulous singer to savor. I put together a few here, to create a mini-recital for the benefit of anyone else who felt forlorn over the weekend. I've chosen a couple of exquisite French songs, and two funny items, including the one about ... mezzos and pants roles that Miss Graham she surely would have sung on Saturday:

'A Skull in Connemara' gets smashing production at Center Stage [Clef Notes]

2012-02-03T15:44:13-08:00

If you are perfectly at peace with the dust-to-dust concept — you know, the reality that all of us, except maybe Lenin and Kim Jong Il, are going to disintegrate anyway after we die, so who cares how? — then the sight of a few old bones being pulverized by mallets won’t bother you.

Otherwise, you may feel just a wee bit twitchy during the second half of Martin McDonagh’s “A Skull in Connemara,” a dark-as-night comedy enjoying a decidedly vivid production at Center Stage. You may want to avoid a front row seat, too.

Bone particles (or a realistic semblance thereof) fly as forcefully as insults and insinuations in this play. It’s set in an Irish town where space in the church yard cemetery is at such a premium that those who have rested in peace for seven years are disinterred to make way for fresh customers.

OK, so. That sure sounds extreme, but not in Connemara.

No one even gives this practice much thought until Mick Dowd, the man in charge of the skeletal business, faces the prospect of uncovering his own wife. You see, her death never was satisfactorily explained for some people in town, so reopening her grave takes on a whole new level of interest.

Things get pretty messy, in physical and emotional terms, before the digging (also in physical and emotional terms) is done. Oddly enough, things get awfully funny, too.

“A Skull in Connemara” springs from ...

a surreal well of humor that started generating an extraordinary group of works by McDonagh in the mid-1990s. This piece, the second entry in what became known as the Leenane Trilogy, might be thought of as a fusion of a Monty Python skit and the 1990s sitcom “Father Ted,” which was set on a bleak and loopy Irish island.

But the wit, some of it hammered home, is balanced by a spooky, serious streak that forces you to look twice at the oddball characters McDonagh conjures up in a corner of County Galway.

In this forlorn spot, jerks and quirks appear plentiful — Maryjohnny Rafferty, the grandmother who cheats at church bingo; Thomas Hanlon, the policeman who obsesses about “a pot of jam and a lettuce in the fridge of the fattest man you’ve ever seen in your life”; his younger brother, Mairtin, whose thickheadedness will come in handy as the plot unfolds.

Mick, the grave-digger, might seem almost normal in such company, were it not for all the baggage weighing him down, the memories and worries that keep sprouting from the hallowed ground around him.

This is quite a quartet of quaint, curious and cruel folk. They hide or invent things, obsess and quibble, push buttons guaranteed to raise hackles or doubts. And they seem destined to keep repeating their lives, their mistakes.

There’s a pathetic sadness here, which, in the end, moves the play to a different level.

The director of this production, BJ Jones, who heads Chicago’s Northlight Theatre, quotes a fabulous Oscar Wilde line in his note for the Center Stage program book: “The Irish have an abiding sense of tragedy which sustains them throughout temporary periods of joy.” You couldn’t find a better key to the gray matter inside “A Skull in Connemara.”

Jones is reunited here with several colleagues from a 2002 Northlight Theatre staging of the play, including Todd Rosenthal, whose scenic design deftly captures this weird world, right down to real dirt for digging.

The set is dominated by a hutch packed with religious statues, bric-a-brac and what-not. The towering piece of furniture leans at such an awkward angle that it's in danger, like so many things in Connemara, of collapsing.

Although their Irish accents are not entirely persuasive, the cast members create a thoroughly convincing ensemble.

Si Osborne, a veteran of the Northlight production, has a weathered, subtly sad look that makes Mick sympathetic, even when the character turns scary. Just the way he sinks into a chair says a lot; it’s as if Mick is being swallowed up by all the things that haunt him. And the actor achieves something truly touching at the end of the play, when more questions than answers linger.

Jordan J. Brown vibrantly captures the mix of nerdy, needy and nasty in Mairtin. (Brown seems to have drawn some inspiration from a great source — Irish actor Ardal O'Hanlon, who starred so memorably as the daft Dougal in “Father Ted.”)

Barbara Kingsley is terrifically colorful as Maryjohnny, a squinty-eyed biddy who sees plenty, but won’t let that keep her from enjoying one more drink of Mick’s poteen. And Richard Thieriot rounds things off strongly as the almost-on-the-ball Thomas.

With its decidedly original characters and situations, not to mention bone-crushing wit, “A Skull in Connemara” leaves a lasting mark.

Incidentally, by an odd coincidence, "Star Wars" figures in two Baltimore theaters right now. In "Skull," Mairtin recalls when kids stole his "Star Wars" figures -- "It was Han and Luke and some other one they had off me -- Princess Leia! Aye, and them are the three best ones in 'Star Wars.' You can’t play 'Star Wars' without them."

Meanwhile, the real Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher, is across town at the Hippodrome reminiscing about the movie in her one-woman show "Wishful Drinking." What are the odds of that?

"A Skull in Connemara" runs through March 4.

PHOTOS BY RICHARD ANDERSON

Midweek Madness: The ultimate in carefree conducting [Clef Notes]

2012-02-03T06:29:03-08:00

If Oliver Hardy had been a conductor, I imagine he would have been just like Joseph R. Olefirowicz, who is as cool and funny and expressive as can be in this clip from the Volksoper in Vienna.

One look, and I knew I had to share it on your favorite Wednesday online featurette in the entire cyber-cosmos, Midweek Madness. You will thank me. Profusely. (As I thank my Florida buddies for alerting me to it.)

This was filmed just last week during a concert version of ... Bernstein's "Candide" -- specifically the number "What's the Use?" It's not super audio, but you'll hear enough to see that this Massachusetts-born conductor could not be more comfortable with the music or himself.

I sure hope more clips of the "Candide" performance emerge. I keep imagining how terrifically this guy could give cues during "Glitter and be Gay." ( I did find a clip filmed at a rehearsal for a different "Candide" a year or two earlier, and I figured it would be fun to have here, too.)

Enjoy:

'Wishful Drinking' makes rough landing at the Hippodrome, but still flies [Clef Notes]

2012-02-03T06:23:21-08:00

As she is the first to tell you, Carrie Fisher has had an eventful life. Since a lot of those events involved drugs, alcohol, rehab, and battles with bipolar issues, you might not think that it could be such a funny life, too. But funny it is. Pretty endearing, too.

Fisher happily shares her experiences in “Wishful Drinking,” a solo theatrical vehicle the actress/writer introduced in 2006 with considerable success. The show, which arrived at the Hippodrome this week, still has legs. The level of sturdiness, though, can vary from performance to performance. (Video from an earlier production -- pre-weight loss -- is posted below.)

There’s no use pretending that opening night on Tuesday went smoothly. Fisher, who could not have been more unflatteringly attired (surely her weight loss since becoming a spokesperson for Jenny Craig deserves a better outfit), often sounded halting, even with a teleprompter.

The uneven pacing made the show’s length more problematic, underlining the fact that ...

there really isn’t quite enough solid-gold, well-structured stuff here to justify two acts.

Fisher, who also seemed to be fighting a cold, told the audience that she had not performed the material in a few months. I imagine she will quickly get back up to speed during the run here. But, hey, any evening with Fisher, in any condition and at any speed, would be hard to resist. She is just such terrific company.

Even if you have seen “Wishful Drinking” before or feel like you already know her stories, the live experience is well worth the effort. Besides, she is likely to toss in fresh observations at any moment (on Tuesday, Newt Gingrich earned a very funny description).

Part of the attraction here is the age-old sport of celebrity-watching. In Fisher’s case, she’s got plenty of celeb cred on her own, having risen to the ranks of the cinematic immortals thanks to a certain sci-fi epic and an iconic hairdo that made her look like an ad for a doughnut company.

The “Star Wars” anecdotes, including the Princess Leia Pez dispenser and other merchandising horrors, still have considerable interest and zing. The saga of that far-away galaxy clearly left a mark — more like a scar, really — on Fisher. There may be no effective therapy for that.

Fisher’s literary efforts, too, have made her a star. “Wishful Drinking,” which unfolds on a fairly intimate, adult-playhouse set designed by David Korins, abounds in clever, witty writing. Fisher is as adept at fashioning a self-deprecating line as she is at aiming a great slice-and-dice assessment at others.

But Fisher offers much, much more in the fame department, which she thoughtfully explains through one of the early visual shticks in “Wishful Drinking” — a crash course in “Hollywood Inbreeding 101.”

There is something endlessly fascinating about the Fisher saga. Who could ever tire of hearing about her mother, the divine Debbie Reynolds, or her roving-eye father, Eddie Fisher? They’re the parental gifts who keep on giving. Even the peripheral characters, especially Marie “The Body” McDonald, are great fodder.

If memories of her long, on-off relationship with Paul Simon still smart, Fisher doesn’t let that stop her from revisiting the chapter in typically incisive and wry fashion. The man who died in Fisher’s bed gets his share of attention, too, as does the father of Fisher’s daughter.

For all of the fun side-trips in the show, every road leads back to Fisher and the crucial issue of her survival. “Wishful Drinking” is an extended lesson in everything counselors say about overcoming addiction or mental woes, especially the part about how acknowledging the problem is the first step, a step that has to be repeated daily.

When you hear the line at the top of the show, “I’m Carrie Fisher and I’m an alcoholic,” it provokes a laugh — she wants it to — but also a cringe. And for two hours, you’re part of group therapy, not just entertainment. The experience can feel a little strange, perhaps, a little voyeuristic, but the level of honesty and candor can work quite a spell.

Folks sitting in the front rows may find themselves drawn into the session more deeply than they had anticipated. Fisher amusingly employs audience participation, much the way Dame Edna does in her one-woman shows, including rewarding a lucky attendee with a stage appearance and memento of the occasion. And, also like Dame Edna, the interaction gives Fisher a chance to show off ad-lib skills.

In a deft touch, the star opens and closes “Wishful Drinking” singing a take on the ironic Barbra Streisand version of “Happy Days Are Here Again.” Fisher’s cares and troubles may not be entirely gone, but you want to believe she will be just fine from now on.

The production runs through Feb. 12 at the Hippodrome.

PHOTO BY CYLLA VON TIEDEMANN

Here's a video taste of the show:

Push for home births in Maryland [Charm City Moms]

2012-02-02T08:16:42-08:00

As mothers, we talk about having and wanting choices on how we raise our children. Some moms in Maryland want to have the option of delivering their babies at home and want the state to ease standards to do so. Supporters say the state places too many restrictions on obtaining a midwife. In Maryland, more than 500 moms delivered their babies at home last year. My colleague Andrea K. Walker reports on this grass roots effort:

They are working with a Montgomery County delegate to introduce legislation that would open the door to more midwives delivering babies at home. ... Heather Brown, 35, of Pikesville, delivered two of her babies at home, including a daughter born seven weeks ago. She said state officials need to be more open-minded about home births. "It should be a valid choice for women who want to do it," she said. "It should be a woman's choice and not the doctor's and the medical establishment. It's not fair for the government to make it so difficult."

State health officials oppose loosening the restrictions, citing safety concerns. Currently, certified nurses or doctors must be present during home births. But as the story points out, the majority of home births around the country are performed by other types of midwives, including certified professional midwives, who Maryland does not allow to deliver babies at home. It's a fascinating debate, and I'm interested in hearing from moms who have delivered at home. Why did you choose a home birth vs. a hospital birth?

D. W. Griffith classic will be screened with live soundtrack [Clef Notes]

2012-02-01T15:34:18-08:00

Sorry for the late notice on this -- my fault, I fear.

There's a great opportunity to experience an important silent film, D.W. Griffith’s "Intolerance" from 1916, with live musical accompaniment from the Baltimore band Boister at 7 p.m. Thursday at Stevenson University. It's a free event -- with advance reservations (call 443-334-2163).

Here's more from the press release:

The concert will be held in the ...

Inscape Theatre on Stevenson’s Greenspring campus.

"Intolerance," considered a masterpiece of the Silent Film Era, covers an historical timeline of 2,500 years focusing on stories from the Babylonian, Judean, Renaissance, and Modern eras. Griffith constructed the film to form moral and psychological connections among each of its four stories and demonstrate the persistence of intolerance throughout time and different cultures.

Boister will complement the silent film with the sounds of the accordion, piano, trombone, guitar, banjo, drum, bass, keyboard, and saxophones ... Boister is fronted by singer/pianist/accordionist Anne Watts leading an eccentric troupe of musicians who regularly hybridize, improve, and bend musical genres.

Seeing 'Red' at Arena Stage: A compelling experience [Clef Notes]

2012-01-31T12:34:55-08:00

The "Aria" that launches Bach's Goldberg Variations is one of the most perfectly constructed and expressively sublime works of music. For many listeners, it represents something profoundly spiritual as well.

After Bach spins 30 ingenious variations on that material, he reprises the Aria, which cannot help but sound all the more fulfilling, having generated so many powerful intellectual and emotional responses.

It is no accident that this Aria provides the opening and closing sounds in the Arena Stage presentation of John Logan's "Red," a portrait of the brilliant, path-breaking painter Mark Rothko -- for many people, his work represents something profoundly spiritual, too. (The production originated at Chicago's Goodman Theatre.)

The intermission-less play is, essentially, a series of variations on complex, challenging themes of art and philosophy. It ends where it started, pondering an answer to the most difficult question of all: What do you see?

Talking about art can turn pretentious and tedious in no time. A play about talking about art could be even worse. Logan's remarkably feat here is to address a whole bunch of difficult issues in such a way that they become not just interesting and illuminating, but also downright entertaining.

The drama in the play is largely ignited by the commission Rothko received to paint murals for the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York, an unlikely -- and, as it turned out, impossible -- place for his art. "Red" lets the artist to rant marvelously at the rich and oblivious who would be dining in front of his work.

Other great material involves Rothko discussing ...

fellow artists, from Jackson Pollack to the Pop Art crowd, and lamenting the lack of discernment and judgment on the part of viewers ("We live in the tyranny of 'fine'").

This can all get a little heady -- we're not used to people in contemporary plays discussing the finer points of Nietzsche's theory of tragedy, for example -- but it is never applied too thickly.

The play takes place in Rothko's Bowery studio over a two-year period in the late-1950s. There are only two characters -- the artist (Edward Gero), whose ego is as large as the canvases he works on; and a new, young assistant named Ken (Patrick Andrews), who has much to learn and much to endure.

Some of their verbal flights and fights sound a little too lecture-y or poetic, but begin to feel natural before long as the play works its carefully plotted way toward insights into what made Rothko choose the paths he took.

Reproductions of several of the famous abstract paintings, with their complementing and contrasting masses of color, are part of Todd Rosenthal's note-perfect set. But you end up seeing even more of them in your imagination, thanks to the vividness of the language. When Rothko says, "The more you look at the works, the more they move," it is remarkably easy to sense that movement.

With his booming voice and stocky presence, Gero dominates the stage, easily conveying the artist's larger-than-life personality, his arrogance and strength of conviction, his striving for spiritual truths.

When, in an early scene, Rothko starts talking his way into the proper mood to paint, Gero makes the words thrilling. You can feel the adrenaline pumping, and you want the man to grab a brush more than anything.

The actor is even more impressive in the last section of the play, when Rothko's faith has been unexpectedly shattered by something Ken -- a mere assistant, after all -- points out.

Here, Gero deftly reveals the ground shifting beneath Rothko's feet, an unsettling that seems to point to the artist's eventual suicide (the play includes a startling visual foretaste of that unfortunate end).

Andrews makes an engaging foil as Ken. He vibrantly animates the interplay with Gero's imperious Rothko, the efforts to penetrate the artist's "titanic self-absorption" and challenge his "chromatic anthropomorphism." Andrews also persuasively handles revelations of the character's bleak back story (this aspect of the play feels contrived, but has its effective purposes).

The production, directed with considerable nuance by Robert Falls, offers many a startling image, from the sudden burst of light early on to the moving coda bathed, of course, in red (Keith Parham designed the superb lighting). The scene where Rothko and Ken vigorously prepare a canvas with quick brush strokes is a deliciously wry, complete with a cigarette afterward, and is executed here quite brilliantly.

Music, both Richard Woodbury's original work and classical and jazz selections, makes compelling appearances throughout.

"Red" does exactly what Rothko made each painting do -- it pulsates. And the play's impact reverberates long after the curtain calls.

The production runs through March 4.

PHOTOS BY LIZ LAUREN

Camilla Williams, who broke down racial barriers in opera, dies at 92 [Clef Notes]

2012-01-31T08:19:53-08:00

Camilla Williams, who broke a racial barrier several years before Marian Anderson famously did so at the Metropolitan Opera, died from cancer at the age of 92 in Bloomington, Ind., where she was a professor emeritus at Indiana University.

Ms. Williams is credited as the first African American to be featured in a starring role with a major American opera company. That debut on May 15, 1946 was in the title role of "Madama Butterfly" with the New York City Opera. The soprano went on to become the first singer in a major role at the Vienna State Opera in 1954, a year before contralto Marian Anderson made her Met debut.

Ms. Williams also was involved in another bit of history -- she sang the national anthem at the Lincoln Memorial before Martin Luther King's delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech there.

Here is a disarming video clip of Ms. Williams describing her early career, which got a boost from the legendary ... Geraldine Farrar. I have also attached an extended excerpt from a 1953 recital disc that provides a fine example of Ms. Williams' artistry:

Tween Tuesday: Getting face time with kids despite technology [Charm City Moms]

2012-01-31T04:42:44-08:00

Here's Liz Atwood with this week's Tween Tuesday: Do your kids look at you when you talk with them? With all the cell phones, iPods, computers and other digital devices, it seems to get harder to get kids’ attention. My older son nearly always has the cell phone in one hand and the iPod in the other. The younger is glued to the laptop playing games. But researchers at Stanford University found that tween girls who spend a lot of time watching videos and using online communication may feel less social success, sleep less and have less desirable friends. On the other hand, kids who spent more time in face-to-face communication seemed to have greater social success, greater feelings of normalcy and more sleep. Kids need to spend time in face-to-face conversations in order to learn the visual cues of facial expressions, the researchers point out. As we know, it’s hard to read expressions when your eyes are glued to a screen.

Les Violons du Roy, recorder soloist Maurice Steger light up Shriver Hall [Clef Notes]

2012-01-30T13:05:09-08:00

I don't think of the typical Shriver Hall Concert Series crowd as very likely to do a lot of enthusiastic hooting and hollering over baroque music, but that was the reaction given Sunday evening to Les Violons du Roy. No wonder.

This ensemble of 15 from Quebec City delivered a sterling demonstration of period instrument panache, and had the extra advantage of a Pied Piper-like soloist who worked his magic on three concertos.

The whole program had an infectious energy. And, for all of the obvious discipline and fine-honing in the execution, there was an air of spontaneity, too.

If you never thought a "historically informed" performance could be fun, this concert would have turned your ears.

Les Violons du Roy, conducted by founding artistic director Bernard Labadie, got things started with Handel's Concerto Grosso in B-flat (Op. 6, No. 7).

There were pianissimi of the finest grade. Every crescendo, accelerando, ritardando and other expressive device was achieved with great finesse.

The overall sound of the orchestra was quite warm, far from the dry tone of early music groups in the first days of the authenticity movement; tempos, too, felt more flexible.

When speed was desired, as in the most spirited variations in the "La Follia" Concerto Gross by Geminiani (after Corelli), it hit unabashedly supersonic levels, yet never left a single player in the dust. Solo playing within the ensemble was uniformly impressive, at whatever speed.

The rest of the program was devoted to ...

works for recorder and orchestra.

The recorder is one of those instruments that isn't always taken seriously, and isn't always heard to its best advantage.

(That's one reason there was so much comic mileage in the vintage Saturday Night Live skit about a dicey French restaurant where "for your entertainment pleasure, our daughter Francine will play the recorder.")

Swiss-born Maurice Steger could disarm the most recorder-adverse listener with a single phrase. He combines a startling level of technical bravura with an ability to breathe sincerity and purpose into even the most floridly decorative phrase.

The personality in his playing proved quite persuasive, especially in Telemann's A minor Concerto. Steger's disarming charm made each movement of that work more animated and involving than the last.

The soloist also made much of the Haydn-worthy wit in the music, aided at every step of the way by Labadie and the ensemble.

The Telemann piece was so rewarding on so many levels that it would have been better placed at the end of the evening. The concertos that came after -- by Sammartini and Geminiani -- had their fine points, but paled by comparison, in one way or another.

Still, Steger's delivery remained full of character, and the beautifully dovetailed contributions of Les Violons du Roy remained equally delectable.

FILE PHOTOS

Austro-German feast from Eschenbach, NSO; Jorg Widmann dazzles in debut [Clef Notes]

2012-01-30T09:40:47-08:00

After a long period schedule conflicts (and the occasional fatigue) this season, I finally got a chance to catch up the the National Symphony Orchestra and its brilliant music director Christoph Eschenbach over the weekend. It gave me quite a high.

Eschenbach cooked up an Austro-German feast that mixed standards -- Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, Schubert's Symphony No. 9 -- with a fascinating dose of new music by Munich-born composer and clarinetist Jorg Widmann, who was also the soloist in the concerto.

Widmann's "Armonica," from 2006, has a prominent part for the glass armonica, that ethereal instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin.

The device provides not only sonic interest here, but also a way for the composer to treat the rest of the orchestra. Waves of sound emerge, gradually, pulsate and dissipate.

In addition to the exotic flavor of the armonica, the orchestra is enhanced by such unexpected instruments as ...

water gongs and accordion (it makes its presence felt initially from just the soft breath of the bellows alone). The harp, too, is effectively used, adding unexpected coloring at one point from its highest reaches.

The net effect is a fascinating harmonic haze that takes its time unfolding and makes its points with subtle inference.

On Saturday night at the Kennedy Center, Eschenbach drew a sensitive performance from the NSO. Christa Schonfeldinger was the compelling armonica soloist.

(One of the most famous and effective applications of armonica is in the original mad scene from Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor." In March, Baltimore Concert Opera will have an armonica for its "Lucia" performances, a nice touch of luxury for a company that otherwise uses only piano accompaniment.)

Widmann's performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto was a marvel of silken tone, eloquent legato phrasing and seemingly impossible breath support. The solo playing fully matched the sublime character of the score, each phrase sculpted with a painter's sensibilities.

Eschenbach's second-nature partnering ensured a beautiful response from the orchestra, which produced its own impressive glow to complement that emanating from the extraordinary clarinetist.

Schubert's Ninth Symphony received a performance that had a truly majestic feeling, but never seemed pompous or blatant in its effect. Eschenbach applied his distinctive stamp to every phrase, every tempo, and had the musicians responding as if they had all lived for years with those ideas and ideals.

There were so many extraordinary touches along the way, moments when the conductor's slightest nuance made the familiar freshly invigorating or deeply moving -- extra weight to the most dramatic chords and a little extra space between them to let them register; exquisite gradations of dynamics; a tender lingering over the curve in a melodic line.

When he reached the prolonged silence in the second movement, Eschenbach made it feel incredibly profound with suspense and import. You could have heard a pin drop in the concert hall -- no finer sign of audience involvement.

Throughout, the NSO sounded technically firm and expressively alive, from the violas singing out poetically in the first movement introduction to the brass vibrantly underlining the dramatic release of the finale.

PHOTO OF JORG WIDMANN (by Marco Borggreve) COURTESY OF SCHOTT MUSIC

BSO takes nature walk with Beethoven, Frans Lanting, Philip Glass [Clef Notes]

2012-01-29T07:41:34-08:00

Music can tell stories as riveting as the best literary texts, can paint images as vivid as the finest works on canvas. That message is reinforced on the first half of the latest Baltimore Symphony program, and then, to an extent, reversed on the second.

The sonic-only pictorial lesson comes from Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony, the composer’s extraordinary evocation of a visit to the countryside, complete with babbling brook, tipsy farmers and a cool thunderstorm.

This classic is matched with a multimedia production, “LIFE: A Journey Through Time,” with an evolutionary tour of nature through the work of National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting, matched to music by Philip Glass.

Here, the sounds serve as complement or counterpoint to the imagery. The accompaniment was not created with the visual in mind, but matched to it subsequently. The pictures clearly could stand on their own without a note, but the match-up provides an extra kick.

Marin Alsop, who was instrumental in generating the Lanting/Glass epic, introduced it to the BSO in 2007. Given all the other music available by Glass, one of Baltimore’s most famous sons, and given that his 75th birthday will be observed on Tuesday, it’s disappointing that we didn’t get something new to the BSO repertoire. “LIFE” is a compilation of previously existing pieces (arranged for orchestra by Michael Riesman). A symphony by Glass would have been very welcome.

Leaving that aside, it was impossible not to be impressed by ...

the performance Alsop drew from the ensemble Friday night at Meyerhoff (where the program will be repeated Sunday afternoon). The tight rhythmic pulse and vibrantly nuanced melodic patterns produced a suitably absorbing sound-world to take in Lanting’s brilliant images on a giant screen.

The Beethoven symphony at the start found the BSO in likewise disciplined, sensitive form. Alsop shaped the score with evident affection. She stayed on familiar paths, in terms of tempo and phrasing, but breathed a good deal of freshness into the performance with beautifully shaded dynamics and lyrically shaped phrases. The orchestra played admirably. Woodwinds added to the aural landscape with particular charm.

Here's an excerpt from "LIFE," filmed at the Cabrillo Festival premiere in 2006:

Baltimore Playwrights Festival seeks directors for stage readings [Clef Notes]

2012-01-27T09:07:37-08:00

This just in from the Baltimore Playwrights Festival, which is "urgently seeking volunteers to direct staged readings of new scripts by local playwrights."

Here's more from the release:

Readings will take place on Saturdays in February and March, at various theaters in the Baltimore area. Directors will be assigned a script, and are responsible for casting actors to fill the required roles, holding at least one read-through rehearsal, and being present to direct the staged reading on the date scheduled. Prior theater experience is preferred, but not necessary.

For more information, contact Miriam Bazensky: vchair@baltplayfest.org, 410-756-2762.

Helping children cope with deployment [Charm City Moms]

2012-01-24T03:02:17-08:00

Here's Liz Atwood with this week's Tween Tuesday: An estimated 2 million kids have had to say good-bye to a military parent who was deployed overseas since 2001, including many in Maryland. Last week, the Department of Defense launched a website to help kids cope with the stress of parents who are stationed abroad. Militarykidsconnect.org, created by psychologist at the defense department, includes message boards, games, videos and educational resources for kids 6 to 17. The site also has features to help parents and educators understand the challenges military families face as they go through the deployment cycle. The site includes information on how parents and teachers should address the sadness, worry and outbursts kids may experience when a parent is deployed overseas. For military families out there: How have you helped the kids adjust to a deployment?

24-hour daycare [Charm City Moms]

2012-01-18T07:56:08-08:00

There are 24-hour gyms, 24-hour diners and everything in between. Now some daycare centers are joining the mix. The New York Times reports on the trend:

Day care is slowly becoming night care in today’s economy, as parents work ever longer days, take on second jobs and accept odd shifts to make ends meet. ... About 40 percent of the American labor force now works some form of nonstandard hours, including evenings, nights, weekends and early mornings, according to Harriet B. Presser, a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland. That share is expected to grow with the projected expansion of jobs in industries like nursing, retail and food service, which tend to require after-hours work.

When I was looking for daycare for Jake, one of the first things I wanted to know was the center's hours. Most centers in this region close between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. My job can be pretty crazy sometimes with long hours, so it was an important factor for me. Imagine the stress of finding childcare when you have to work odd or overnight hours. The article features one daycare center in Ohio where the providers help children with homework, feed them dinner and get them ready for bed. Of course, there are downsides. For one thing, the parents interviewed for the story said they rather have their children be watched in their own homes, but child care center "offered the best compromise." Do you think there is a need for 24-hour centers, or at least those that have evening hours?

Sinai to give away money to Ravens baby [Charm City Moms]

2012-01-18T03:18:42-08:00

Everyone is getting into the business of celebrating the Baltimore Ravens. My colleague Andrea Walker at Picture of Health reports that Sinai Hospital will give away a $3,000 savings bond to the first baby born after the kick off at the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots. Good luck to all expected mothers who are due this weekend at the Northwest Baltimore hospital.

To or not to give an allowance [Charm City Moms]

2012-01-17T14:07:59-08:00

Here's Liz Atwood with this week's Tween Tuesday: I’ve always been a bit perplexed over the issue of giving a kid an allowance. Baltimore Sun financial columnist Eileen Ambrose gives me even more to think about. In her column Sunday, she quotes Lewis Mandell, professor emeritus of finance and former dean of business at the State University of New York in Buffalo, who has found that that giving kids allowances without requiring them to do chores makes kids less motivated to get a job or go to college. While we’ve been told for years that giving kids allowances helps them better understand finances, the professor found that high school students who didn’t get an allowance performed better on financial literacy tests than those who did. Allowances have come and gone in my house. At one time, I gave the kids $5 a week, but when finances became tight, the allowances went away. I also had second thoughts about paying kids to do chores around the house. I want them to learn that they must help just because they should, not because they will be paid for it. For my older son, that means mowing the lawn and taking out the trash. Both kids must walk the dog and clean their rooms. Mandell says it’s important to talk with kids about finances and I do a lot of that. I pull out that oldie but goodie “Money doesn’t go on trees” and “I’m not a bank” and simply “We can’t afford it.” I tell them how much the mortgage and utility bills cost and what I earn. I’ve quizzed them on gas prices and phone bills. I hope these lessons will sink in now so the bill collector doesn’t come knocking at their door later. What do you think is the best approach on allowances?

Free weight-loss programs for Baltimore mothers [Charm City Moms]

2012-01-11T03:21:11-08:00

Weight loss is one of top New Year resolutions for many people. If you're a mother in Baltimore, you could take advantage of a free program called B'more Fit for Healthy Babies. The program is part of a larger citywide initiative to reduce the rate of infant mortality. What does weight have to do with infant mortality? According to the program, overweight women face increased risks during pregnancy and delivery, and their babies are more likely to have poor birth outcomes and are also at risk for childhood obesity. B'more Fit begins registering eligible women Saturday at an event featuring Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Mothers enrolled in the program will attend group sessions, have access to healthy food and learn proper exercise. Women of childbearing age who live in Patterson Park (for Spanish speaking mothers), Park Heights and Upton/Druid Heights neighborhoods are eligible for the program. B'more Fit is a joint project between the Baltimore City Health Department and the Family League of Baltimore. Here are contact numbers for the program: DRUM for Healthy Families (Upton Druid Heights) 410-225-3555 Park Heights Community Health Alliance 410-542-8190 Patterson Park BMS, Highlandtown Healthy Living Center 443-703-3676

Teaching teens to cook [Charm City Moms]

2012-01-10T03:16:14-08:00

Here's Liz Atwood with this week's Tween Tuesday: Is it too late for New Year’s resolutions? My diet is floundering, but I have another idea. I should teach the boys to cook. I enjoy cooking, especially holiday meals and desserts. I like to shoo everyone from the kitchen and get to work. But cooking day in and day out gets tiring and monotonous. I need to enlist the troops. Truthfully, the weeknight fare I make after I come home from work isn’t hard—burgers, pasta, grilled chicken, etc. I throw in a starch and at least one vegetable or salad and I’m done. I’m sure the kids could do it, with minimal supervision. The problem is getting them to do it. It isn’t unusual for my 15-year-old to pull a frozen dinner out of the freezer and ask me to cook it. Really! So my new New Year’s resolution is to teach the boys to make a few simple dishes without cutting off their fingers or burning down the house. If I can succeed in that, I’ll have taught the boys a valuable life skill. If I can’t, well, I guess my diet will be safe at least.

Best apps for kids [Charm City Moms]

2012-01-03T09:08:39-08:00

Here's Liz Atwood with this week's Tween Tuesday:

My kids have never met a screen they didn't like. TV, computer, smart phone, iPad, iPod. They love them. But if you're like me, you wonder if all that screen time might be put to better use. So I started looking around for educational game apps.

There are thousands, but the good news is there are websites out there to help sort through them.

One is Bestkidsapps, which reviews apps for iPhone, iPad and Droid and organizes the apps by age and objective. You can get reviews on the most popular as well as discover new games.

Now not everything here is educational, unless you believe Angry Birds and Paper Toss develop geometry skills. But I did find some new ones that I plan to try let my 10-year-old try.

Another site I found, appolicious, lists apps that teachers use in the classroom. These are more expensive, but seem a bit more educational, to my mind.

A third, funeducationalapps, reviews and lists apps by age and subject. It includes clips from the games so you can get a better idea if you’ll like them before you download them.

What are your favorite apps for kids? As long as it doesn't have a gun or sword, I'm interested.

Come join Picture of Health at our new location [Picture of Health]

2011-12-28T04:11:12-08:00

Picture of Health has a new home on another part of baltimoresun.com.

We want you to keep turning to us for the latest in health news so please change you bookmarks so you don't miss anything.

The new url is http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/blog/.

If you use a blog reader to follow us don't forget to change your rss feed as well to http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/blog/rss2.0.xml.

We hope you enjoy our new look!

Hopkins to help improve health care in Kuwait [Picture of Health]

2011-12-27T08:50:02-08:00

The international arm of Johns Hopkins Medicine has signed an agreement to help four public hospitals in Kuwait improve their standards and provide better treatment to patients.

The five-year agreement signed on Christmas Day with the Ministry of Health of Kuwait calls for Hopkins to provide the hospitals training and advice on patient safety, preventive medicine, nursing and health care policy. Focus areas will be trauma, orthopedics, rehabilitation, diabetes and obstetrics, pediatrics and telemedicine.

The hospitals they will work with are Amiri, Farwaniya, Jahra and Adan. The hospitals account for more than 40 percent of the public-sector beds in the country.

Kuwait officials said they hope to raise the standard of health care delivery and to increase the number and expertise of local doctors, hospital managers, administrators and nurses.

No Facebook for Sasha and Malia Obama [Charm City Moms]

2011-12-27T05:27:26-08:00

Here's Liz Atwood with this week's Tween Tuesday:

Sasha and Malia Obama may get to meet Justin Bieber at a Christmas concert, but they won't be gushing about it on Facebook. That's because Dad won't let them on the social network site. "Why would we want to have a whole bunch of people who we don't know knowing our business?" the president said in an interview with People magazine. "That doesn't make much sense."

Although only 13-year-old Sasha is old enough to join Facebook, parents and older siblings often help children as young as 10-year-old Malia sign up for accounts. It's not surprising that there are secrets Dad would prefer his daughters not blab to the world. Most families don't have the paparazzi and political enemies trying to gather up any tidbit of gossip. Still, how many of us would like our tweens to publish to the world everything that goes on in their lives?

My tween was interested in Facebook for a while, but that seems to have been a passing fad. Now that he has discovered he can talk to friends on his iPod and play with them on his Xbox Live, Facebook seems a little old fashioned, I guess.

Blood and prick tests not foolproof allergy tests [Picture of Health]

2011-12-27T04:07:34-08:00

Skin-prick and blood tests should not be used as the sole means of diagnosing allergies in children because that can lead to unnecessary avoidance of environmental exposures or food, according to allergists from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore and Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. A real culprit also could be missed.

The allergists say in an article published in January’s issue of Pediatrics that the tests should only be used to confirm suspicions based on symptoms and medical history. They should not be used to look for allergies.

In the case of a suspected food allergy, the children should undergo a food challenge, where they consume a small dose of the allergen under medical supervision.

The problem is that skin and blood tests detect antibodies from the immune system released in response to allergens, but not actual allergic reactions. That means they only detect sensitivity and can’t tell if there will be a reaction or how bad a reaction would be.

“Allergy tests can help a clinician in making a diagnosis but tests by themselves are not diagnostic magic bullets or foolproof predictors of clinical disease,” said Dr. Robert A. Wood, a Hopkins professor of pediatrics, in a statement. “Many children with positive tests results do not have allergic symptoms and some children with negative test results have allergies.”

Mosquitoes altered to prevent transmission of malaria [Picture of Health]

2011-12-23T11:42:38-08:00

Malaria remains a worldwide scourge, but scientists at Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute believe they have found a way to get the mosquitoes to help stop passing the disease to humans.
They have shown that they can genetically engineer Anopheles mosquitoes’ immune systems to block transmission of the malaria-causing parasite. Specifically, the scientists engineer the mosquitoes to produce a higher than normal level of an immune system protein called Re12 when they feed on human blood to boost the parasite fighting capabilities.

They found their modified mosquitoes live as long and can compete for survival with the disease-transmitting mosquitoes.

“Malaria is one of world's most serious public health problems,” said George Dimopoulos, senior author of the study and associate professor in the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He notes that malaria afflicts more than 225 million people worldwide every year, and kills 800,000 of them. Many are children in Africa.

“Mosquitoes and the malaria parasite are becoming more resistant to insecticides and drugs, and new control methods are urgently needed,” he said. “We've taken a giant step toward the development of new mosquito strains that could be released to limit malaria transmission.”

He said more studies are needed to make sure the method is safe and fail-proof.

Fish oil supplements: good for some, bad for others [Picture of Health]

2011-12-22T13:08:51-08:00

Lot’s of people have added fish oil supplements, or vitamins with DHA and EPA, to their diets. But the people at Consumer Reports took a look and now say they may not do everything that people think they do – and may cause harm in some cases.

They say the supplements are good for people with high levels of triglycerides, fat that can clog arteries. They also may be good for those with heart disease.

They do note that the DHA and EPA do not have to come from pills. Consumers can eat fatty fish such as salmon or lake trout twice a week – something that’s recommended for the general population.

Plenty of other people take the supplements for high blood pressure, menstrual cramps and rheumatoid arthritis, ADHD, asthma, osteoporosis, kidney disease and Raynaud’s syndrome, though there isn’t a ton of science to lean on for these.

Consumer Reports also warns away those with diabetes, at risk of bleeding or on aspirin, chemotherapy drugs or blood pressure medicine. Also, don’t take the supplements if you have fish allergies or have an implanted defibrillator.

The University of Maryland Medical Center explains that the supplements may counteract or enhance the strength of medications because DHA can lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels and EPA can increase bleeding time. So, talk to your doctor if you have a condition or are taking medications.

Baltimore Sun file photo

Cigar industry ready to fight tobacco tax [Picture of Health]

2011-12-20T09:27:25-08:00

The cigar industry is preparing to fight a tobacco tax that health advocates hope to push through the General Assembly next year.

The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, which represents thousands of mostly mom-and-pop cigar stres, said it is organizing in hopes of preventing the proposed tax on cigars and others tobacco products other than cigarettes from passing.

“Maryland voters are sick of increased taxes disguised to obscure government over-spending and they are tired of being told what to do and how to behave," Bill Spann, CEO of the IPCPR said in a statement.

Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative is pushing for the the new tax. They successfully pushed dime-a-drink tax on alcohol through the last General Assembly session.

The group published a recent telephone poll of more than 800 people that found that two-thirds of Maryland voters supported a cigar tax. The group said the poll by Opinion Works also found that about 72 percent of Maryland voters like the idea of taxing cigars and smokeless tobacco at the same rate as cigarettes.

The group believes increasing the tax will cut consumption and fund health care programs, especially among youth who have adopted the use of cigars, especially flavored ones.

As of 2010, 15.2 percent of adults and 14.1 percent of high school students in Maryland were smokers.

The cigar stores say the argument by health advocates is a misguided effort to prevent underage smoking. Youth can't afford cigars which cost $6 to $30 and they industry has strict policies against underage sales, Spann said.

He said a tax would hurt small businesses and kill jobs.

Help the kids stay active over the holiday break [Picture of Health]

2011-12-20T04:09:14-08:00

Holiday breaks can be an invitation to do a whole lot of sitting around. But parents can incorporate activities into everyday and holiday activities, according to i9 Sports, a youth sports franchise.

“The trick is to make it fun,” said Brian Sanders, chief operating officer of i9 Sports. “You can sneak exercise into your busy holiday activities and it won’t feel like hard work. You’re going through your same holiday routine but in much more creative and energetic ways.”

The company has some “break the laziness” ideas, some of which may seem corny, but you get the idea:

+Bring a Football, basketball or Hoola Hoop on vacation and go play.
+Hand-deliver Christmas cards and cookies to neighbors.
+Have a contest to come up with fun exercises to do during TV commercials.
+Come up with holiday tradition such as taking a ski trip, going to cut a Christmas tree, going ice skating.
+Buy active gifts such as a jump rope, Twister or a Wii video game.
+Create your own winter Olympics competition with friends and neighbors.
+Walk around the neighborhood to look at holiday decorations.
+Walk the dogs around the neighborhood to see those decorations.
+Seek out indoor activity centers such as trampoline houses or playgrounds.
+Have a closet cleaning competition to see who can clean out the most stuff for donating.

London [Charm City Moms]

2011-12-20T03:06:19-08:00

Here's Liz Atwood with this week's Tween Tuesday: This week education will take a back seat to celebration in most schools. There will be holiday parties, concerts and sing-alongs. But most of us don’t have to worry about what the kids will wear. A Santa hat or reindeer antlers will do if the kids want to wear them. Braver tweens might even agree to a Christmas sweater. But across the pond, it apparently is different. I came across a press release from a London department store that said British parents are going crazy over dressing their kids in expensive costumes for the traditional nativity plays that are performed in elementary schools. Some parents will dress their kids in bed sheets and towels, but others are springing for ready-made star, shepherd and Mary costumes. While prices vary, a Mary costume can cost $40. I love Christmas and all its traditions, but personally I’m glad that I only have to worry about finding a costume for my kid once a year on Halloween.

Blood transfusions after hip surgery may be wasteful [Picture of Health]

2011-12-19T10:45:26-08:00

Blood transfusions routinely given to elderly anemic patients after surgery to repair a broken hip may be unnecessary, according to a new study lead by University of Maryland researchers.

Hip fractures are not uncommon among seniors and researchers wanted to find the fastest way to get patients back into their normal lives after surgery. Doctors had assumed transfusions strengthened patients weakened by anemia and improved their chances of recovery.

They tested outcomes for 2,000 patients in the United States and Canada who were slightly anemic but had no symptoms. Half were treated right away and half were not treated until their anemia worsened. The results for each group were about the same: About 35 percent died or couldn’t walk across the room.

The results, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, could immediately change the way patients are treated.

“Recovery from surgery can be difficult, in particular in patients with cardiovascular disease or risk factors,” said Dr. Michael Terrin, professor of epidemiology and public health at Maryland’s School of Medicine and a study co-author. “With this study, we set out to examine whether administering blood transfusions at a moderate level of anemia would improve the chances that these particular patients would walk again. We found that for some of these patients transfusion can be an unnecessary medical procedure.”

Statins may prevent death from the common flu [Picture of Health]

2011-12-16T04:02:04-08:00

Cholesterol-lowering statins seem to reduce death among patients hospitalized with the flu, and could become an important new tool in fighting the virus that proves fatal for thousands every season, according to a study lead by Oregon public health officials.

The main treatments now for influenza are antiviral drugs, or flu shots to prevent infection.

The statins may be an effective additional treatment, according to the observational study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The data on more than 3,000 patients with lab-confirmed flu are from the 2007-2008 flu season and come from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

A third were given statins before or during hospitalization, and those not given the medications were almost twice as likely to die from the flu.

“Our study found that statins were associated with a decrease in odds of dying among cases hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza, when adjusted for age, race, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, renal disease, influenza vaccine receipt, and initiation of antivirals within 48 hours of admission,” wrote the authors, lead by Meredith L. Vandermeer, then with the Oregon Public Health Division in Portland.

There could be other factors not discovered by the researchers. They said randomized controlled trials are needed to fully assess the benefits and determine the best class of statins and the dose.

Eyewear for female lacrosse players offers protection [Picture of Health]

2011-12-15T04:11:23-08:00

US Lacrosse, the lacrosse governing body, set out a few years ago to reduce eye injuries among female players one of the fastest growing sports in the country. And a new study appears to show the effort was successful.

Protective eyewear was mandated at the youth, scholastic and collegiate levels in 2005. The study, funded by US Lacrosse and published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, shows that the rate of eye injury of injury dropped from .1 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures in 2000-2003 to .016 in 2004-2009.

Head/face injuries also decreased and there was no change in overall body injuries, showing that players likely didn’t become more aggressive after the eyewear mandate. Concussions went up, but researchers believe that was because of increased awareness and diagnosis in more recent years.

“The findings suggest the mandated protective eyewear in girls’ lacrosse achieved the desired goals of reducing eye injury,” said Andrew E. Lincoln, from the MedStar Sports Medicine Research Center in Baltimore, a member of the US Lacrosse Sports Science and Safety Committee and coauthor of the study.

He said one of the “major concerns involved with introducing protective equipment,” increased aggressiveness, was also addressed.

The study looked at female scholastic lacrosse players in 25 public high schools in Fairfax County, Va., during the 2004-2009 spring seasons. The data was compared to earlier data from the same source.US Lacrosse said such studies help them establish and adjust safety policies.

Doctors group wants to ban tanning beds for minors [Picture of Health]

2011-12-14T09:39:41-08:00

Doctors group MedChi will push for state legislation during next year's General Assembly session to prohibit the use of tanning devices by minors under the age of 18.

“The legislation will protect youth from melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer," MedChi CEO Gene Ransom said in a statement.

The group said that millions of adolescents use indoor tanning facilities and nearly 25 percent of indoor tanning users ranged in age 13 to 19 years-old.

Researchers have linked the use of tanning devices early in life to an increased risk of the three most common skin cancers.

A large study from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston revealed that when compared with nonusers of tanning beds, the risk for basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma increased by 15 percent for every 4 visits made to a tanning salon per year, and the risk for melanoma increased by 11 percent.

A review of many studies estimates an overall 75 percent increased risk of developing melanoma associated with tanning bed use started before age 35, Medchi said.

Howard County passed local legislation prohibiting the use of tanning devices by minors under the age of 18 a number of years ago.

The United States also lags behind a number of other countries in Europe, by prohibiting use of tanning devices by minors, Medchi said.

Group pushing tobacco tax says it's a popular idea [Picture of Health]

2011-12-14T04:06:49-08:00

Two-thirds of Maryland voters support increasing the state’s tobacco tax, according to a new poll from the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative, the group that pushed the dime-a-drink tax on alcohol last General Assembly session.

The group says their poll by Opinion Works shows 65 percent endorse the idea of another $1 a pack tax on cigarettes while less than 30 percent oppose it. About 72 percent of Maryland voters like the idea of taxing cigars and smokeless tobacco at the same rate as cigarettes. (The phone poll of more than 800 people was conducted last week.)

The group believes increasing the tax will cut consumption and fund health care programs, especially among youth who have adopted the use of cigars, especially flavored one. As of 2010, 15.2 percent of adults and 14.1 percent of high school students in Maryland were smokers.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say smoking and secondhand smoke cause 443,000 deaths and $96 billion in related disease annually – or $10.47 per pack consumed if lost productivity is counted. The average price nationally for cigarettes is about $5.58.

“Increasing taxes on cigars and smokeless tobacco is a public health imperative,” said Vincent DeMarco, president of the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative, in a statement. “The people of Maryland strongly support this because they know doing so will reduce the use of these deadly products by young people.”

What DeMarco doesn’t have is the support of the leadership in Annapolis. The extra buck would bring the total in taxes to $3, among the highest in the nation. The tax has been raised three times in 1999, mostly recently in 2007.

Salon days for pre-teens [Charm City Moms]

2011-12-13T06:29:02-08:00

Here's Liz Atwood with this week's Tween Tuesday: As a mother of boys, I’ve missed out on some things. One of those apparently is the new trend toward young girls visiting day spas. I’d heard of girls having birthday parties that included manicures and facials, but a recent report on ABC shows that it goes farther than that. Girls as young as 11 are going to salons for the full treatment, including bikini waxes. One salon owner in the report says it’s simply a matter of hygiene and the younger girls start the better. But the report raises concerns as well about messages we are sending to vulnerable girls about their appearance. Are we putting too much emphasis on the way our tween and teen girls look? The report says parents can set the tone. That is true to a certain extent, but peer pressure on these girls is tremendous. Do you think tween girls are too young for these kind of spa treatments?

Maryland ranks 22nd in state health report card [Picture of Health]

2011-12-13T04:05:50-08:00

Maryland ranks 22nd among all states in overall health as it residents suffered with obesity, high infant mortality and other issues, according to new rankings.

Maryland's standing dropped one position from last year's America’s Health Rankings, released yesterday by the United Health Foundation in collaboration with the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention.

When compared to other states Maryland's strengths included a low prevalance of smoking, low percentage of childhood poverty and easy access to primary care physicians. Challenges included a high violent crime rate, high infant mortality rate and high levels of air pollution.

U.S. health as a whole did not improve between 2010 and 2011, a marked drop from the average annual 1.6-percent rate of improvement seen in the 1990s. 2011 is the first year that no state had an obesity prevalence under 20 percent

MRIs not needed before injections for back pain [Picture of Health]

2011-12-12T13:13:35-08:00

A new study from Johns Hopkins shows that there is little benefit to imaging patients’ backs before treating their pain with an epidural steroid injection.

MRIs are routine before the injections, the most common procedure performed at the nation’s pain clinics, but they do little more than add time and money to treatment, the study suggested.

“If we’re trying to cut back on unnecessary medical costs, we should stop routinely doing MRIs on almost everyone who comes to us needing [such injections],” said study leader Dr. Steven P. Cohen, an associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the Hopkins School of Medicine, said in a statement.

The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found MRIs do not generally avert procedures, lower risks or improve outcomes -- the injections are a short-term fix and don’t work on everyone. And an MRI costs roughly $1,500.

Cohen studied patients being treated for sciatica at pain clinics around the country. With the condition, a nerve at the bottom of the spinal column is pinched and the patient has severe pain and tingling in the lower back and down the leg. Injections reduce inflammation near the source of the pain.

One group had images to help inform the treatment, and the other group was treated based on a physical exam and a description of the pain. The treatment barely varied between the groups, probably because there isn’t always a connection between an abnormal MRI finding and symptoms. And after three months, the patients reported no difference in how they felt.

Some cereal no more healthy than Twinkies or cookies [Picture of Health]

2011-12-12T10:13:23-08:00

If you're feeding your kids Honey Smacks or Apple Jacks for breakfast you might as well just give them a chocolate chip cookie or twinkie, according to results from a nutritional analysis of kids cereals.

The Environmental Working Group analyzed 84 cereals and found many contain as much or more sugar than many desserts. The worst culprit was Kellogg's Honey Smacks. A one-cup serving packs 20 grams of sugar, more than a Hostess Twinkie, which has 18 grams of sugar. Post Golden Crisps and General Mills Wheaties Fuel also have more sugar than a Twinkie, according to the analysis.

The group said sugary breakfast choices can be troublesome. It cited studies that have found that children who eat high sugar breakfasts have more problems at school. They become more frustrated and have a harder time working independently than kids who eat lower-sugar breakfasts. By lunchtime they have less energy, are hungrier, show attention defi cits and make more mistakes on their work.

Some laboratory studies have also found that sugar is habit-forming, stimulating the same brain responses as opiates, the Environmenal Working Group found.

These are the worst cereals, according to the analysis:

1	Kellogg's Honey Smacks	55.6%
2	Post Golden Crisp	51.9%
3	Kellogg's Froot Loops Marshmallow	48.3%
4	Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch's OOPS! All Berries	46.9%
5	Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch Original	44.4%
6	Quaker Oats Oh!s	44.4%
7	Kellogg's Smorz	43.3%
8	Kellogg's Apple Jacks	42.9%
9	Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries	42.3%
10	Kellogg's Froot Loops Original	41.4%

The Environmental Working Group recommends nutritional breakfast alternatives, such as eggs, fruit smoothies or oatmeal. You can find recipes here.

Taking kids sports too seriously [Charm City Moms]

2011-12-06T03:16:55-08:00

Here's Liz Atwood with this week's Tween Tuesday: Call me naïve, but I had no idea that some parents take recreational sports so seriously. This week my 10-year-old had his first basketball practice and I was surprised when the coach took the parents aside and read us the rules. He reminded us to be good sports and not yell at the children or the coaches. And he said under no circumstances should we reward our sons with gifts for the number of shots they make. Do parents really do that? Let me be clear, we are talking about recreational basketball. There are no tryouts and every kid plays. I signed my son up so he would get some exercise during the winter. It never occurred to me to reward him for number of shots he makes. Every time my kids play sports, they can count on hearing me remind them about trying to do their best, supporting their teammates and sticking with the sport through the season. But it seems parents need their own reminders about how to be good sports. Have you seen parents who needed sportsmanship lessons in the rec leagues?

We've moved! [B'More Green]

2011-12-05T03:15:11-08:00

B'more Green has moved to a new home on the web.

We've switched to a more reliable blog platform, and that's meant having to get a new address, or url. Nothing else has changed, really. We'll still be sharing plenty of news and analysis there about the environment, the Chesapeake Bay and green living.

The new address is: http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/blog/ Be sure to update your "favorites" links.

And for RSS subscribers who like to stay on top of B'more Green, you need to sign up here to keep getting the latest posts sent to you: http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/green/blog/rss2.0.xml

So don't be a stranger - come on over and check out the new digs!

(Baltimore Sun file photo)

"String of pearls" honors land conservation [B'More Green]

2011-12-04T04:07:50-08:00

If you think of open, undisturbed land as a precious jewel, you might like this idea. Conservationists have put together what they call the "String of Pearls" project honoring landowners in the Cheapeake Bay watershed who've permanently preserved their property from development.

The idea behind the effort, which was begun in 2009, is to foster the creation of corridors of untouched land and water where wildlife can flourish. Lands protected in perpetuity are the "pearls," which supporters hope will eventually be strung together to provide wildlife with corridors in which they can safely roam, as they're wont to do.

Last year, six preserved tracts in Anne Arundel County were celebrated. This year, the project and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy are recognizing five Shore landowners for their acts of preservation. Three of them are in Talbot County and two in Caroline County, where my family first lived when we moved to Maryland more than 25 years ago. The photo above is of Robins Creek Preserve, more than 200 acres bordering the Choptank River and Robins Creek, set aside in 1999 for wildlife habitat.

To see photos and read about all the lands in the project thus far, go here. The "pearls" are fairly scattered now, but proponents aim to hold at least one ceremony a year honoring more conservation-minded stewards of the land. Perhaps in time enough tracts will be perserved that those pearls will be strung together in a solid necklace of protection.

This year's ceremony, free and open to the public, is at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, in the Bradley Room of the Talbot County courthouse in Easton.

(Photo of Robins Creek Preserve courtesy String of Pearls Project)

Saving menhaden, Chesapeake Bay fishermen [B'More Green]

2011-12-02T07:19:02-08:00

Can the Atlantic coast's menhaden population be restored without hurting Chesapeake Bay commercial fishermen?

That remains to be seen, as the video above makes clear. It was produced by students in the environmental law class at University of Maryland law school. Yup, that law school - the one in the crosshairs for the Clean Water Act lawsuit filed by its environmental law clinic against an Eastern Shore farm couple and the Perdue poultry company. The clinic's catching hell for not representing the farm couple as well as - or instead of - the Waterkeeper Alliance, the client for whom it filed the suit. On this issue, the students' video does a good job of presenting both sides - the argument for conserving, and the concern about how a catch reduction could hurt Bay fishermen and crabbers. Of course, the class video project is an academic exercise, so you would expect the students to examine all sides in a dispute. In the real world in which the clinic operates, lawyers represent one client at a time, and can't ethically work both sides of a case.

Thanks to Joey Kroart for sharing.

Arsenic, lead found in fruit juices [B'More Green]

2011-12-01T08:25:29-08:00

Fruits are healthy to eat, experts agree, but new research by a consumer group shows some fruit juices - a staple in children's diets - contain toxic arsenic or lead.

There are no federal limits now on either contaminant in fruit juices. But according to Consumer Reports, about 10 percent of the juices it sampled from five different brands had total arsenic levels exceeding federal drinking-water standards.

One in four samples checked also had lead levels higher than the Food and Drug Administration's limit for bottled water of 5 parts per billion.

While the FDA has dismissed previous reports of arsenic in apple juice by saying the contaminant was a harmless organic form of the chemical, Consumer Reports says most of the arsenic it found was inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen.

Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, is calling on the FDA to set arsenic and lead limits for apple and grape juices, which are frequently consumed by children.

It's not clear how the contaminants got into the fruit juices, but environmental activists point out that one source may be coal-burning power plants which emit arsenic and other toxic pollutants into the air. They contend this is another reason for the Obama administration to move forward with new power-plant pollution regulations drafted by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Some power companies and their supporters in Congress oppose the rules, contending the costs of compliance will be too high, forcing the shutdown of some power plants and jeopardizing electrical reliability. Others point to the health benefits and say the fears of brownouts are overstated, noting that some power companies such as Baltimore-based Constellation Energy support the rule because they have already upgraded their plants' pollution controls to reduce toxic emissions.

For a list of brands tested and results, go here.

(Above: Student sipping apple juice at Mt. Washington Elementary School. 2005 Baltimore Sun photo by Kenrick Brinson)

Going Gaga over recycling [B'More Green]

2011-12-01T07:12:44-08:00

Digging back through emails piled up in my inbox, I want to share some "good news" - this recent announcement of the winners of the 10th annual "Rethink Recycling" contest sponsored by the Maryland Department of the Environment.

The grand prize this year went to Amber Robinson from Digital Harbor High School in Baltimore for her portrait of Lady Gaga, made from soda bottle caps, utensils, and compact discs. Pictured above with her work, she won an iPad 2, one of several prizes donated by sponsoring businesses and institutions.

Twenty-nine different high schools across the state displayed 65 entries in the contest, which challenges Maryland students to use recycled materials in creating sculptures.

Environment Secretary Robert M. Summers praised the students and teachers for doing their part to promote recycling by "turning everyday trash into beautiful works of art."

"If not for the creativity and energy of these students, the materials used to make these sculptures would have ended up as trash that pollutes our air, land and water," he said. According to MDE, current recycling efforts have reduced waste going into landfills and to incinerators by 40 percent.

Other winners in various contest categories included:

Crystal Blackwood, South Carroll High School, Carroll County, for building a towering giraffe from records, compact discs, PVC pipe, and cardboard.

Margaret McGill, C. Milton Wright High School, Harford County, for creating an anglerfish out of compact discs, nails, and light bulbs.

Olivia Borum, South Carroll High School, Carroll County, for designing a miniature dress made of reused puzzle pieces and buttons.

Lauren Johnson, Smithsburg High School, Washington County, for crafting a great blue heron from chicken wire and zip ties.

To see more photos of the prize-winning recycled art, go here.

I'll be thinking of the sculptures crafted by these creative high schoolers every time I haul my recycling bin to the curb!

(Photo Amber Robinson and grand-prize winning Gaga sculpture, courtesy MD Dept of the Environment)

Another tiff brews over Constellation ash landfill [B'More Green]

2011-12-01T03:35:04-08:00

A new dust-up is brewing over the coal-ash landfill on Hawkins Point in South Baltimore.

Nearby residents, who waged a vain fight to keep power plant waste out of the landfill, now are girding to oppose a proposal to expand it.

Constellation Energy recently began dumping ash there from its three local coal-burning plants, Brandon Shores, H.A. Wagner and C.P. Crane. Meanwhile, the company has applied to the Maryland Department of the Environment for a permit to operate the disposal site and to expand it, bulldozing an acre of wetlands in the process.

The 65-acre site on Fort Armistead Road had been owned by Millenium Inorganic Chemicals, but Constellation bought it about the time MDE approved depositing coal ash there. Now the energy company wants to expand the landfill on the tract from 28 acres to 32 acres and raise the height by up to 50 feet (from 220 feet above mean sea level to 270 feet, or 156 feet above ground level.)

Some environmentalists and Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold have already weighed in against the expansion. Leopold, who's maintained a ban on ash disposal in Arundel since an earlier Constellation dump contaminated Gambrills residents' wells, wrote a letter urging the state to deny the permits for the expansion. The ash contains toxic residues, some of them carcinogenic.

"We weren't crazy about this - we fought it," Mary M. Rosso, a longtime activist from Glen Burnie, said of the landfill. Now the expansion proposal "just drives me crazy," she added.

She and other residents have dueled with Constellation before over ash disposal and have long complained about air and water pollution from other facilities in the nearby industrial areas of South Baltimore. This time, she said, she and others are particularly upset about the prospect of losing an acre of noontidal wetlands.

But Andrew Galli of Clean Water Action said he's still reviewing the company's application. He said he and others had worked to tighten safeguards against ground and surface water pollution at the landfill when the state first permitted ash to be disposed of there.

Constellation sought state approval to dispose of its coal ash at the Hawkins Point landfill, so it could stop trucking its waste to a landfill near Richmond, Va. and to a coal mine reclamation site in western Maryland. State rules require ash diposal sites to have liners preventing ground water contamination and other controls to capture potentially contaminated runoff.

Constellation spokesman Kevin Thornton said the company has said all along that it wants to expand the landfill, to increase its capacity and to improve the efficiency of the waste site's operations. The site's being designed to take 7 million tons of ash - enough to hold all the waste from those three plants for 25 years or more. For more details, go here.

Thornton said the three coal plants are generating about 120,000 tons of ash a year - less than normal, he noted, as the poor economy has reduced demand for their power.

"The less the plants run, the less ash generated," Thornton said.

The expansion also would help accommodate an added environmental safeguard, according to Thornton. A heavy-duty plastic liner is to be put in under each of the landfill's six waste "cells" as an added safeguard to keep contaminants from seeping into the ground water.

Jay Apperson, spokesman for the Department of the Environment, said it's his understanding no extra space is needed to install the liner. State regulators are still reviewing the project and will schedule a public hearing if they make a prelimilnary decision to approve it. If the wetland destruction is approved as part of it, Apperson said, the company would be required to restore two acres for the acre lost.

Rosso said Constellation officials at an informational meeting in early November talked about reforesting some land in Essex as mitigation for the wetlands destruction. She questioned how that would benefit her area, where there aren't many wetlands left now.

"The state should have more sense than to let them have that extra footprint," Rosso said. "We always get dumped on."

Bay foundation: Video shows fracking sites polluting air [B'More Green]

2011-11-30T03:39:34-08:00

Natural gas wells and related processing sites in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia are spewing "invisible" plumes of air pollution, according to an investigation by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

The Annapolis-based environmental group hired an infrared videographer to check 15 natural gas drilling and compressor sites in the Marcellus shale region of the three states. The special camera picked up the heat signature of gases billowing into the air from 11 of the sites, or nearly three out of four.

Robert Howarth, an ecologist at Cornell University in New York, said the gases being released in the video most likely contained methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and other other hydrocarbons, including possibly benzene and toluene.

“This would certainly contribute to smog, ozone… and it’s putting out carcinogenic substances," Howarth told the foundation, according to a post by Tom Pelton on CBF's blog Bay Daily. “I would not want to be breathing the air downstream of those rigs.”

Howarth co-authored a study last year that estimated hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in Marcellus shale formations allows 4 to 8 percent of the methane to escape into the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming.

The foundation contended in a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency that its video shows air pollution from hydraulic fracturing is not being adequately controlled and a new rule EPA is considering to limit methane emissions does not go far enough.

Harry Campbell, the foundation's senior scientist in Pennsylvania, said in Pelton's blog post that the video provides new evidence of the need for a comprehensive federal study of the human health and environmental impacts of drilling in the Marcellus shale. CBF has petitioned the White House Council on Environmental Quality and EPA for a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, as the study is known. To date, it has received no response..

Maryland has imposed a de facto moratorium on hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," for gas in western Maryland's Marcellus shale deposits until it completes a three-year study of the potential environmental impacts and needed controls. Drilling has taken off in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, though, and controversy has swirled over its impact on neighboring residents, on drinking water wells and streams.

One of the sites filmed is a natural gas processing center in the town of Accident in Garrett County, MD. Though not directly related to the debate over hydraulic fracturing, the compressor station is often mentioned by gas industry supporters as an example of the industry's benign environmental footprint. Pelton reports that the facility reported to the Maryland Department of the Environment that it released 1,038 tons of methane in 2010, more than double the 483 tons of methane it reported releasing in 2009.

Having babies and economic recovery [Charm City Moms]

2011-11-30T03:13:48-08:00

It seems like everyone I know is expecting or trying to get pregnant. But births are at a 11-year low. And these individual decisions are having far-reaching consequences, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

Similar decisions to postpone or forgo having babies may delay the recovery from the five-year U.S. housing slump and restrain future consumer spending on goods and services from child care to diapers, soaps and toothpaste. Expenditures associated with one child for a middle-income family are $226,920 over 17 years, with housing the biggest expense, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated in June. The number of births fell to an estimated 4 million last year, the fewest since 1999, according to National Center for Health Statistics data. American families -- whose finances have been hurt by high unemployment, falling home prices and low pay raises -- lack confidence to plan for “explosions in spending” required by a new child, says Peter Francese, a demographic- trends analyst in Exeter, New Hampshire, for the MetLife Mature Market Institute. U.S. births may not recover until 2013, he predicts.

Bloomberg Businessweek also cites concern from manufacturers of diapers and other baby/kid products on the impact of low births on sales. This is a classic chicken-or-the-egg dilemma. Families will have more kids when the economy improves, but the economy is not recovering as quickly because households are making belt-tightening decisions such as delaying parenthood. Are you holding off having kids until your financial situation or the economy gets better?

New farm nutrient rules pulled back [B'More Green]

2011-11-29T12:10:06-08:00

Feeling the heat from farmers and environmentalists alike, the O'Malley administration has put on hold new rules on how and when farmers can fertilizer their fields.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture had planned to publish new "nutrient management" regulations on Dec. 2, but has now postponed them in order to meet with critics, including municipal officials.

"We were contacted by stakeholders on all sides (ag, enviros, locals) and asked to discuss a little more the draft regulations," MDA spokeswoman Julianne Oberg said in an email. "We're affording that opportunity, and will be resubmitting soon."

The new rules, aimed at reducing nutrient pollution of Chesapeake Bay, have been stirring furor since they were first floated last summer. Farmers complained about proposed limitations on putting animal manure in their fields in fall and winter, and about another provision essentially requiring fencing livestock out of streams. Municipal and county officials, meanwhile, objected to another provision barring the spreading of sewage sludge on fields in winter, which they said would require costly storage facilities.

Environmentalists joined the critics a few weeks ago, charging that agriculture officials had watered the rules down unacceptably in an attempt to mollify other critics.

Jen Brock-Cancellieri, deputy director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, emailed that she was "encouraged" the administration had pulled the regulations for further consideration. Environmentalists had complained especially about a recent change that would let farmers keep spreading animal manure or sludge in the late fall, when it's likely to pollute streams and ground water.

The Dagger, a Harford County news site, had reported that MDA indicated it would try to hammer out some consensus among the various disputants over the next two months. But Oberg said officials have set no time frame for the consultations.

Sen. Barry Glassman, a Harford County Republican who's complained the rules could hasten the demise of farming in Maryland, has said he's mulling introducing legislation to head off some of the provisions farmers most object to.

He's focused in particular on the proposed ban on livestock in streams, which he contends would require that all water ways be fenced. That would amount to a regulatory "taking" of private property, Glassman argues, because farmers couldn't use the fenced-off stream buffer and couldn't get paid for it either under federal farm conservation programs.

(Photo: Barley blowing in wind near Hillsboro. 2008 Baltimore Sun photo by Glenn Fawcett)

A pause for PlanMaryland? [B'More Green]

2011-11-29T09:32:24-08:00

Under pressure from conservative lawmakers, state planners have agreed to delay their disputed blueprint for Maryland growth until after they get a little more feedback on it in Annapolis.

Planning Secretary Richard E. Hall confirmed a report in The Washington Times that he's agreed to hold off delivering PlanMaryland to Gov. Martin O'Malley until after he's met with the Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee on Dec. 12.

Hall said his staff has been working for months to generate a third "full draft" of the statewide growth plan that incorporates or responds to the outpouring of comments and criticism of it from rural and suburban officials. That's still on track, Hall indicated in an email, but added that a brief postponement to brief lawmakers one more time would be "fine."

Administration officials have said the document is merely the long-delayed fulfillment of a 1974 law calling for a state growth plan, so does not require legislative approval. They've said it won't usurp local planning authority, just better coordinate state spending on roads and other infrastructure under Maryland's longstanding Smart Growth policies, which call for preserving open space by encouraging development in and around existing communities.

Local officials contend, though, that PlanMaryland may effectively take away their traditional control over development decisions if the state does deny funding or permits for projects that don't mesh with the plan. State Sen. E.J. Pipkin, a Republican representing the upper Eastern Shore who's accused O'Malley of waging "war" on rural Maryland, has said he'll introduce a bill that would require legislative approval of the plan - though administration officials have insisted they're not waiting for the General Assembly to act before putting the finishing touches on the plan.

Tree planting in Carroll Park [B'More Green]

2011-11-29T03:31:33-08:00

Feeling like playing Johnny Appleseed? Blue Water Baltimore needs volunteers to help plant heirloom apple trees Friday (Dec. 2) in Carroll Park, at 1500 Washington Blvd.

The area watershed group will be working with elementary school students from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to put the trees in the ground.

Assistance welcomed. Gloves, tools and training will be provided.

For more info, contact Suzie at slmerryman1@yahoo.com

(Photo: Students from Baltimore Talent Development High School plant fruit trees in Carroll Park, 2006. Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Greens pushing offshore wind at forums [B'More Green]

2011-11-28T10:01:06-08:00

Gearing up for another push in Annapolis to get legislation subsidizing offshore wind development, environmental and labor groups are staging public forums over the next few weeks to tout the economic and health benefits of building the giant electricity-generating turbines off Ocean City.

There's an offshore wind "town hall" planned in Baltimore Wednesday (Nov. 30) from 7 - 8:30 p.m. in the fellowship room at St. Mark's Lutheran Church. 1900 St. Paul St. Details here. Other forums are planned in Salisbury Dec. 5 and in Rosedale in Baltimore County on Dec. 13.

Despite backing from greens, unions and some businesses, Gov. Martin O'Malley's bid earlier this year to help offshore wind developers failed to win General Assembly approval. Lawmakers balked at the potential cost to ratepayers of an administration bill that would have required utilities to sign long-term deals to buy power from the projects.

The administration has been working since spring with legislative committees studying the issue and appears leaning toward trying again in January with a different approach - this time geared towards requiring state electricity suppliers to get a certain share of their power from offshore wind projects. Supporters are touting the jobs the projects will support, the relatively pollution-free nature of wind-generated electricity and the potential for stable (if higher) power prices in a potentially volatile future.

For more info, go here or contact Keith Harrington at keith@chesapeakeclimate.org

(Wind turbines off the Dutch coast, 2007. Reuters photo)

Septic task force produces "roadmap" for MD growth [B'More Green]

2011-11-23T06:48:51-08:00

The task force Gov. Martin O'Malley formed to revive his failed attempt to curb septic systems in Maryland has come up with something far more sweeping - a "roadmap" to future growth in the state that attempts to rein in the metastasis of sprawl into the countryside.

Whether the panel's new "tiered" approach to development will win over the builders, farmers and local pols who blocked O'Malley's septic restrictions remains to be seen. Likewise for whether it will work, even if it becomes law.

The 28-member panel, meeting Tuesday in Annapolis, sidestepped O'Malley's contentious proposal to ban large new housing projects on septic and voted instead to recommend putting all state land into one of four growth "tiers," with varying degrees of incentives or hurdles for new septic-dependent development in each.

The impetus for change comes as the state struggles to meet its federally set targets for reducing the nutrient pollution fouling the Chesapeake Bay. Per household, officials say, septic systems release far more nitrogen into ground water and nearby streams than do properly functioning wastewater treatment plants.

Growth would continue to be encouraged in cities, towns and "priority funding areas" previously designated for intense development under Maryland's 14-year-old Smart Growth laws. The vast majority of those already are served by water and sewer systems, though the plan does not preclude septic systems in places not now hooked up.

A second tier of more limited development would be allowed around existing municipalities and unincorporated growth areas. Septic systems would only be allowed there if local officials could demonstrate to state officials that connecting to sewer was out of the question. Moreover, the impacts on ground water and nearby streams of the water-fouling nitrogen from those septic systems would have to be offset somehow, say by curbing polluted runoff from nearby farms or other existing development.

New construction would be even more limited in a third "tier" consisting of rural villages and crossroads already on septic systems, but it would be largely restricted to "filling out" the existing boundaries of those small communities.

Finally, almost no septic-based construction would be allowed on lands targeted for rural or environmental preservation, including much of the state's farmland.

"This approach works harder to deal with what's in place," said Richard E. Hall, state planning secretary. Rural officials had complained that the septic curbs O'Malley had pushed earlier this year were too rigid and didn't recognize the different circumstances of various parts of the state.

"Bottom line, it will change the way we hope counties and municipalities look at planning growth," said Del. Maggie McIntosh, the Baltimore Democrat who co-chaired the 28-member task force, along with Baltimore real estate lawyer Jon Laria.

Details remain to be worked out before submitting the plan to O'Malley, who will then decide whether to seek legislative approval for it. But McIntosh said she was glad the group had gotten beyond the bitter debate of last winter over septic curbs and tackled the broader issue of how to reform Maryland's spotty Smart Growth law.

McIntosh, who heads the House Environmental Matters Committee, acknowledged the new plan is likely to face similar opposition from at least some rural and suburban officials, as well as from builders.

"We've got a long way to go on this," she said. But she said she hoped the "roadmap," as she called it, would stop or at least curtail the spread of scattered housing across the state's remaining rural land, which critics say is both harmful to the environment and costly to taxpayers.

Conservationists praised the task force's work, which included a call for tripling the "flush fee" paid by every homeowner to raise funds for wastewater treatment plant upgrades and for projects to reduce urban and suburban storm-water pollution. The panel also agreed that wherever septic-based construction was permitted, less-polluting but more costly "best-available-technology" systems should always be required.

"We got real recognition by the task force that a different pattern of development has to occur," said Dru Schmidt-Perkins, executive director of 1000 Friends of Maryland. "Both for environmental and economic reasons, we just can't keep funding all the schools, roads, parking lots and everything else that goes with this dispersed, low-density, poorly planned development."

There were dissenters, however, notably Republican Sen. David R. Brinkley of Frederick. The Associated Press reported that he criticized the plan as an encroachment on local officials' traditional control over development.

"I think it's an attempt by the state to micromanage what's going on at the local level," he said, according to AP.

For more on the task force and its recommendations, go here.

(Septic system for new home being built in Baltimore County. Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

That Thanksgiving dinner? Mostly from out of state [B'More Green]

2011-11-22T07:53:42-08:00

As we Marylanders sit down Thursday to our Thanksgiving feasts, here's food for thought - less than half the traditional holiday meal we'll consume that day was grown locally. Not exactly what the Pilgrims had to be thankful for. And if the state's farmland keeps getting gobbled up by sprawl, even less of our sustenance will be coming from around here.

According to a survey by the land preservation group 1000 Friends of Maryland, 48 percent of our Thanksgiving staples overall are produced in-state. Just 44 percent of the turkeys eaten are raised here, 41 percent of the potatoes (that seems high to me, frankly), 32 percent of the apples, 17 percent of the sweet potatoes and only one-half of 1 percent of the carrots.

The only produce in which Maryland is self-sufficient, or nearly so, according to the group, are snap beans, squash and pumpkins. But if you think about all the pumpkin pies baked and eaten, I'll wager the vast majority of those rely on canned products raised elsewhere as well.

The geographical gap between production and consumption is not unusual. Nationally, most produce travels 1,500 miles on average before being sold, according to the group's report. And about 40% of our fruit and 9% of our red meat is imported from other countries.

Some might think relying on locally produced food is an anachronism. But there's some comfort in knowing where your food comes from, and I've found some of the tastiest fruits, vegetables and seafood I've ever eaten had the shortest trip from harvest to my mouth. This year, my family is dining on a locally raised turkey, but a lot of the farms in Maryland already had sold out by the time we started shopping for one.

To produce all of our Thanksgiving foods locally, nearly 13,800 more acres of land in Maryland would need to be planted in broccoli, potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes and apples, the group says. Another 2 million 12 lbs. turkeys would have to be raised somewhere, too.

It may be tough to achieve that. Although demand for locally produced food has increased some in recent years, the ability to grow more may be compromised by the shrinking supply of farmland in the state, 1000 Friends warns. Current development trends could see the loss of 225,000 acres - about the size of Cecil County - in the next 25 years, it says.

“A strong farming community is critical for smart growth and a strong economy,” said Dru Schmidt-Perkins, executive director of 1000 Friends. “We must do more to help our farmers and protect our farmland from sprawl development."

The group advocates buying locally produced food whenever possible, eliminating the estate tax on family farms kept in farming and providing government help for farmers to diversify their businesses.

(Heritage turkey at Carriage House Farms in Stevenson, Baltimore County. 2010 Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis)

Study: Cleaner gas clears MD air, helps Bay [B'More Green]

2011-11-21T07:58:05-08:00

Marylanders would breathe easier if the federal government ordered a reduction in the sulfur content of gasoline, according to a new study. And the Chesapeake Bay likely would be cleaner as well.

A report released today by a group of state air-quality regulators in New England plus New Jersey and New York finds that lowering the sulfur in gasoline would significantly reduce ozone pollution, or smog, from Virginia north to Maine.

Sulfur in gas contributes to emissions of nitrogen oxides, or NOX, in car and light truck exhaust. Those oxides are a major ingredient in the ozone pollution, or smog that fouls the summer air, and they also enable fine-particle pollution, which can affect breathing year-round.

Some of that NOX also falls out of the air, and the nitrogen in it worsens the nutrient pollution of rivers, lakes and marine ecosystems like the bay. Airborne deposition of nitrogen from cars, trucks and power plants is estimated to be nearly 20 percent of all the nitrogen affecting the Chesapeake from all sources, including sewage and farm and urban runoff.

Motor vehicles are the source of 29 percent of all the NOX affecting air quality in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, estimates the report by the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Management. Reducing the sulfur content of gasoline 25 percent to 10 parts per million could reduce nitrogen oxide emissions in the eastern US by nearly 180,000 tons per year, or almost 500 tons per day, the group says.

Maryland alone would see an annual reduction of 5,000 tons of NOX emissions, but that's just part of the benefit the study foresees. A nationwide change in gasoline would help because up to 70 percent of the smog-forming emissions affecting Maryland waft in from out of state, according to the state Department of the Environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency is considering proposing to lower the sulfur content of gas in conjunction with new "Tier 3" tailpipe pollution standards for new cars. But the agency is reportedly getting pushback from the oil industry, which argues that the requirement would drive up refining costs and even force some refineries to close, creating fuel shortages.

This report counters that previous reductions in sulfur content cost less than the industry forecast. It predicts that this reduction would increase fuel costs by 0.5 to 1.4 cents per gallon, or $143 million to $400 million overall. By comparison, the group projects the benefits in fewer hospitalizations, sick days and premature deaths range from $234 million to nearly $1.2 billion. And that's not counting what benefits it might have for cleaning up the bay or other waters.

(Downtown Baltimore, summer 2007. Baltimore Sun photo by Karl Merton Ferron)

MD lawmaker questions EPA air-quality science [B'More Green]

2011-11-17T08:18:33-08:00

Maryland's attorney general may be pushing for tighter federal air pollution regulations (see previous post), but freshman Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md, is pushing back.

Harris, chairman of the House Science committee's energy and environment subcommittee, and Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga, who heads the investigations and oversight subcommittee are challenging the scientific as well as the economic justification for new air-quality limits the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing. New rules are due by mid-December requiring tighter controls on mercury and toxic pollution emissions from power plants, which have drawn fire from the coal and utility industries, among others. The White House, at OMB's behest, postponed recently a move by EPA to tighten limits on ozone pollution, or smog, but others are still pending.

In a letter to the head of the Obama Administration's Office of Management and Budget, Harris and Broun - both physicians - accuse EPA's leadership of "press release science" in overstating the benefits and low-balling the costs of new air pollution regulations. They ask OMB head Cass Sunstein to take a critical look at the basis for EPA's air quality regulations and demand the underlying data behind studies linking soot pollution with premature deaths.

The pair contend EPA's leaders have been making "baseless and irresponsible statements" about how many lives could be saved by tightening limits on fine particle pollution, cross-state pollution and ozone pollution.

“In many cases, these required cost-benefit analyses appear designed to provide political cover for a more stringent regulatory agenda rather than objectively inform policy decisions,” Harris and Broun wrote.

Harris and Broun contend EPA is ignoring the negative health effects of regulations, which they say could increase joblessness because businesses would have to spend money on complying with them rather than hiring new workers. They also question why EPA calculates the same ecnomic benefit for every premature death prevented, noting that most of those who die from inhaling soot are elderly.

To read the letter, go here.

(Rep. Andy Harris speaking at town hall meeting in Elkton, April 2011 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Moving day at Read Street [Read Street]

2011-11-15T09:12:07-08:00

The Baltimore Sun is shifting the platform for its blogs, so Read Street is moving to a new address: http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/books/read-street. Don't forget to update your bookmarks and your RSS feeds (the new feed is http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/books/read-street/rss2.0.xml).

The new platform will give Read Street a different look. And it may be a bit disconcerting at first, because the archives won't be moved over, leaving the blog with an empty feel.

But it won't change my approach to presenting daily news and views about books.

See you at the new place! If you have a question or comment about the new look, email me at dave.rosenthal@baltsun.com.

Oobleck: green slime from the mind of Dr. Seuss [Read Street]

2011-11-14T16:32:49-08:00

Oobleck has to be one of the oddest outgrowths of literature I've ever seen, but the green slime looks like a blast to make in the kitchen.

The Instructables website says Oobleck is "a non-newtonian fluid. That is, it acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when a force is acting on it. You can grab it and then it will ooze out of your hands. Make enough Oobleck and you can even walk on it!" (Or run, as in this YouTube video.)

Oobleck is named for the goo featured in Dr. Seuss' book, "Bartholomew and the Oobleck" (1949). It's a sequel of sorts to "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins," (1938) and features King Derwin of Didd and his young subject. The King asks his magicians -- "men of groans and howls, mystic men who eat boiled owls" -- to summon something other than snow and rain from the sky, so they oblige with the green-ness that threatens to ruin his kingdom.

Not one of Dr. Seuss' most memorable books, but its impact lingers today, in kitchens around the world.

The Hunger Games movie trailer released [Read Street]

2011-11-14T10:22:50-08:00

For your viewing pleasure, the official trailer for "The Hunger Games," the movie drawn from the popular dystopian novel of Suzanne Collins. The related works in the trilogy are "Mockingjay" and "Catching Fire." The movie is scheduled for a March 23, 2012 release.

Veteran's Day reading and viewing [Read Street]

2011-11-14T05:27:05-08:00

I hope all are having a happy Veterans Day -- especially my favorite veteran: my dad, Emanuel Rosenthal. His Army unit -- the 83rd Infantry, also known as the Thunderbolt or Ohio division -- had a memorable and historic push through Europe beginning in the summer of 1944. They moved through Normandy in the days after D-Day, fought in the breakout from Normandy, and rushed across France, only to be caught up in the horrific Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. The division later pushed into Germany, and was involved in liberating a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp.

It's hard for me to imagine the thoughtful, soft-spoken man I grew up with as a warrior. But he was like most of the men and women who fought in World War II and other wars -- he never made a big deal about his service to the country. I've visited some of the places his division passed through in France and Belgium, but he never showed much interest in going there himself. In recent years -- he'll celebrate his 90th birthday this month -- he has talked about it a bit more, but only when pressed with questions.

So in that same spirit, on this Veteran's Day, I'll recommend the documentary "Restrepo," or the companion book "War" by Sebastian Junger, both very human looks at soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. To a one -- even a future Medal of Honor recipient -- they showed a selflessness and dedication that is remarkable under such grueling conditions.

Family Circus' Bil Keane dies [Read Street]

2011-11-11T04:41:35-08:00

Bil Keane, whose Family Circus cartoon about a family with four cute little kids is carried in nearly 1,500 newspapers, has died at age 89.

According to the Los Angeles Times' obit, Keane mined his own family for material. He admitted to modeling the bespectacled and often befuddled Daddy on himself. His wife, Thelma, was the inspiration for the always-loving and ever-patient mother, also named Thel.

"I don't just try to be funny," Keane told The Times in 1990. "Many of my cartoons are not a belly laugh. I go for nostalgia, the lump in the throat, the tear in the eye, the tug in the heart."

The Philadelphia-born Keane was a self-taught artist, and had his first cartoon published in the Philadelphia Daily News in 1936, earning a dollar, according to his website. During World War II,he was stationed in Australia -- where he met his future wife -- and his drawings touted war bonds and safety among the soldiers.

King Features, which distributes the cartoon, said William Aloysius Keane started out imitating the styles of some of The New Yorker magazine cartoonists of the late 1930s, such as George Price, Richard Decker and Peter Arno. At the time, he and some friends were putting out a satire magazine, The Saturday Evening Toast, when he decided to drop the second L in "Bill." "I really did it just to be different," he said. "I thought it was a little more distinguished and started signing my cartoons that way, and it stuck."

King said the first Family Circus cartoon, which ran on February 29, 1960, showed Mommy surrounded by a roomful of toy clutter, answering the door to a survey person who asked, "Any children?" Keane's son, Jeff, will keep Family Circus going, the syndicate said.

Amazon Kindle headed to a store near you [Read Street]

2011-11-09T15:20:16-08:00

The battle for e-reader supremacy keeps ratcheting up, as the holiday shopping season near -- with Amazon's announcement this week that it will start selling the full line of Kindles at Target, Best Buy and other stores.

By lining up more than 16,000 retail outlets, Amazon will give consumers a chance to handle the Kindle in all its flavors, as well as to get assistance if something goes wrong. That puts the Kindle on a more equal footing with the Nook, which is sold through Barnes & Noble stores. And it should be particularly helpful for test-driving the Fire, a tablet version of the Kindle -- just as the Apple stores are convenient places to try out the iPad.

Amazon said that the Kindle line would be sold, starting November 15, "in any Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Staples, Sam’s Club, RadioShack, Office Depot, as well as several other retailers." It noted that the $79 Kindle has been available in stores since shortly after it was introduced. Mike McKenna, vice president for Amazon Kindle, said in a statement, “We’re excited to be working with popular retailers across the country to offer their customers Kindle Fire as well as Kindle, Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G this holiday."

I'm excited to see what's next in the seasonal battle. It reminds me of the great scene in "Miracle on 34th Street," when the executives of Macy's and Gimbels are trying to outdo each other with Christmas promotions. Classic.

Joe Paterno resigning -- sad end to great legacy [Read Street]

2011-11-09T08:45:54-08:00

News that Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is resigning, in the aftermath of a sex abuse probe involving a former assistant, marks a sad end to a long-running legacy. Paterno, 84, had been head coach at the school for nearly a half-century, and had built a reputation as a guy with integrity, one who avoided the recruiting scandals that hit other big-time football programs.

So what's he doing in a book blog? Well, for one thing, Paterno was an English major at Brown University, before building a career in football. And for another, he may be the most-written-about college coach in America. (Though all those autobiographies will have to add a sad coda.) Lastly, I've always admired Paterno from afar, and for the past several years, have made a trek with friends to Happy Valley to watch a game. We were foiled in the last attempt by the freak October snowstorm -- I got as far as Harrisburg before having to turn back. Maybe that was a bad omen.

To read about the pre-scandal Paterno, here are some options:

"Pride of the Lions: The Biography of Joe Paterno" by Frank Fitzpatrick

"No Ordinary Joe: The Biography of Joe Paterno" by Michael O'Brien

"Playing for Paterno: One Coach, Two Eras: a Father and Son's Personal Recollections of Playing for JoePa" by Charles Pittman and Tony Pittman

As the Associated Press reported, Paterno has been besieged since former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged over the weekend with molesting eight young boys between 1994 and 2009. Athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz have been charged with failing to notify authorities after a witness reported a 2002 assault. At least one incident was also reported to Paterno.

"This is a tragedy," Paterno said in a statement Wednesday. "It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."

Nook tablet: reviews and commentary [Read Street]

2011-11-08T08:20:09-08:00

Yesterday, I noted the arrival of the Nook tablet, which will go head-to-head with the Amazon Fire, and also offer some competition for Apple's iPad. For those who are already looking forward to Black Friday, here are excerpts from the latest reviews and commentary about the Nook tablet, which will cost $249 -- about $50 more than the Fire -- and be available Nov. 18.

Christian Science Monitor: Perhaps the biggest difference between the Nook Tablet and the Kindle Fire? Because Barnes & Noble is more focused on selling e-books and other digital reading content, it’s less restrictive than the Kindle Fire, allowing users to access content from other suppliers. Amazon, by contrast, is reportedly selling the Kindle Fire at a loss so it can make profits selling Amazon services.

PCWorld: Double the amount of RAM and storage alone would justify the extra $50. ... The price might be as low as half...of one of Apple’s tablets, but you won’t get any cameras for video chatting...and the selection of third-party apps is minimal, as both Barnes & Noble and Amazon curate their own app portals.

Wired:[O]n a 7-inch tablet with proper hardware inside, gaming feels just right. In fact, an emphasis on gaming, video and digital comics (a new media category for Barnes & Noble, thanks to a big new partnership with Marvel) suggests to me that the Nook Tablet’s target audience (or one of them, at least) isn’t so much the middle-class career moms who snapped up the first-gen Nook Color, but rather their offspring, who love games, comics and Harry Potter.

Computerworld: [T]he Kindle Fire offers 8GB of storage with no SD card expansion -- however, it does offer streaming media via Amazon Prime, an advantage that makes the Fire as much a media source as an e-reader.

New Nook tablet to compete with Kindle Fire and iPad [Read Street]

2011-11-07T15:20:27-08:00

Just in time for holiday shopping, Barnes & Noble has intruduced its Nook tablet, jumping into the high-level tablet competition with Amazon's Kindle Fire and Apple's iPad (which was always touted as more than an e-reader).

The Fire, which will be released Nov. 15, sells for $199. That's lower than the Nook tablet's $249 price, and the iPad 2's entry-level $499.

CNET broke down some of the differences between the Nook tablet, which comes out Nov. 18, and Kindle Fire. It gave the nod to the Nook for more memory and storage, as well as bricks-and-mortar stores for customer support. The Kindle Fire, meanwhile, has a lower price and Amazon's broad content offerings to choose from.

We'll revisit the topic as holiday shopping starts in earnest, because both of the new tablets are sure to be big sellers -- and a big problem for consumers struggling to choose.

R.I.P. Andy Rooney, dies at 92 [Read Street]

2011-11-05T07:45:30-07:00

Andy Rooney, who died Friday at age 92, was a favorite TV curmudgeon, that wacky uncle who sometimes had trouble confronting change -- like the e-books he discusses here.

The Baltimore Sun's TV blogger, David Zurawik, notes that Rooney "wrote for television since its birth, spending nearly 60 years at CBS, 30 of them behind the camera as a writer and producer, first for entertainment and then news programming, before becoming a household name – a role he said he was never comfortable in. He preferred to be known as a writer and was the author of best-selling books and a national newspaper column, in addition to his 60 MINUTES essays. But it is his television role as the inquisitive and cranky commentator on 60 MINUTES that made him a cultural icon. For 33 years, Rooney had the last word on the most watched television program in history. "

Rooney leaves behind a long list of entertaining video clips, which we can relive via YouTube. And for those with a curmudgeonly streak, there are always his printed words, in "Andy Rooney: 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit ," "My War" and other books.

R.I.P. Andy. I bet God's getting an earful right now.

Amazon Lending Library. Watch out libraries [Read Street]

2011-11-03T11:35:26-07:00

Look out libraries, Amazon may have you in its sights with the new Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.

The new program allows Kindle owners to borrow up to one book a month, with no fixed return date. The perk is being bundled with Amazon Prime membership, which includes free shipping and streaming movies for the $79 annual fee. So for pure reading, it isn't a better deal than a library card at the Enoch Pratt or another area library.

Amazon is touting the service with titles such as "Water for Elephants," "Moneyball," and "The Finkler Question." But that masks one of the short-comings: a lack of hot, new best-sellers. The Wall Street Journal noted: “None of the six largest publishers in the U.S. is participating. Several senior publishing executives said recently they were concerned that a digital-lending program of the sort contemplated by Amazon would harm future sales of their older titles or damage ties to other book retailers.”

It would be foolhardy to predict the impact of Amazon's service on the program's first day. That would be like making an Opening Day prediction that the St. Louis Cardinals would win the World Series. Hah! But with Amazon's marketing might, and its broadening lineup of Kindles, I bet the new program will eventually gain a big consumer base -- even if it doesn't hurt libraries.

Alleged ricin plot puts spotlight on novel Absolved [Read Street]

2011-11-02T13:59:24-07:00

The arrests this week of four Georgia men on charges of conspiring to attack government buildings and employees while seeking out a ricin recipe -- has drawn attention to the online novel "Absolved" by Mike Vanderboegh. Authorities say it was a case of life imitating art, as the men drew inspiration from Vanderboegh's musing about folks battling government oppression -- sort of the anti-Occupy movement, with ammo.

According to the Associated Press, court documents accused the men of trying to obtain an explosive device for the attacks, and of seeking out a formula for the highly lethal toxin ricin.

Vanderboegh told AP his novel was a "useful dire warning" about what could happen if the federal government encroaches too far on the rights of armed citizens. On the Sipsey Street Irregulars blog, he offered a more detailed disavowal: "My as-yet-unpublished novel Absolved, for the uninitiated, begins with the premise that the ATF, for political agenda reasons of their own, has staged a deadly raid on the wrong Alabama good old boy from Winston County and what happens in the unintended consequences of that stupidity. There is nothing in there about ricin, or terrorist attacks on civilians (unless you count the forces of the federal government) or deliberate targeting of innocents. ... Absolved is fiction. I hope it is a "useful dire warning." However, I am as much to blame for the Georgia Geriatric Terrorist Gang as Tom Clancy is for Nine Eleven."

For a closer look at Absolved, you can check out the chapters gathered at the Gun Rights Examiner website.

Looking for a good read? Try The Night Circus [Read Street]

2011-11-02T13:19:07-07:00

If you need a good read, the folks at b, which is a part of the Baltimore Sun, have assembled a great photo gallery of recommendations from area libraries. leading off is "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern, which has been praised in reviews.

I jus finished Erik Larson's "In The Garden of Beasts," which was disappointing. I'll provide a more detailed review later this week, but in general, I found the characters uncharismatic, and the historical drama strangely undramatic. And that's saying something for Nazi-era Germany. I really wanted to like it, but found myself plodding through it.

To get you started on the gallery, here's an excerpt, courtesy of publisher Random House: " The circus arrives without warning.

"No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts and billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

"The towering tents are striped in white and black, no golds and crimsons to be seen. No color at all, save for the neighboring trees and the grass of the surrounding fields. Black-and-white stripes on grey sky; countless tents of varying shapes and sizes, with an elaborate wrought-iron fence encasing them in a colorless world. Even what little ground is visible from outside is black or white, painted or powdered, or treated with some other circus trick.

"But it is not open for business. Not just yet."

Halloween Google Doodle for the holiday [Read Street]

2011-10-31T05:36:37-07:00

For a holiday treat, here's a Halloween Google Doodle, 41 seconds of spooky entertainment. This evening, I'll be editing stories instead of trick-or-treating, unfortunately, so I'll miss Super Mario, Blueberry Muffin and the other costumed kids in the neighborhood.

For me, the most important aspect of the holiday is strategizing over candy: Do you buy cheap candy, so you won't be tempted to pig out on the leftovers? Or get the good stuff -- Mounds and Almond Joy, in my case? And how many candies can you eat before the trick-or-treaters arrive -- is there a proper etiquette?

Have a spooky night!

Saving the art of Randy Pausch, Last Lecture author [Read Street]

2011-10-27T10:00:55-07:00

The Columbia Flier has a fascinating story about the boyhood home of Randy Pausch, the college professor who gained fame for confronting questions of life and (his impending) death in "The Last Lecture."

The ranch house in Columbia, Md., is being sold, but before any remodeling took place, the artwork that Pausch and his sister created in his bedroom was saved. Some of it will be placed in a studio at Carnegie Mellon University, where he taught, according to David Greisman's article. It's quirky -- just what you'd expect from a future computer science teacher: A silver elevator door reaches nearly from floor to ceiling, the numbers above indicating that the bedroom is on the third of six floors. A green and red box informs the reader that "at the bottom of Pandora's box was hope," and on the ceiling are letters, written backward, that read: "Help! I'm trapped in the attic."

In the article, James David Whitewolf of the university's Entertainment Technology Center, explained the push to save Pausch's work: "Randy was an important person to a lot of people, and what he said and the way he lived his life affected a lot of people. We want to take the few remaining artifacts that we have from his actual living existence and preserve them so that other people can be affected as well."

Good-bye to Garden Variety [Garden Variety]

2011-09-05T15:00:04-07:00

Susan Reimer's Garden/Photo credit: Susan Reimer

It has been three gardening seasons, 1,733 blog posts and one trip to a convention of garden bloggers just like me. Now it is time for Garden Variety to throw in the trowel, as it were.

This is the last post for Garden Variety. The Baltimore Sun has asked me do to other things. I am sad to see this venture end. It has been a pleasure for me to write about my garden -- and yours -- and to post all the beautiful pictures captured for me by The Baltimore Sun's photo staff.

I did my best to give you some advice and some fresh ideas for your garden -- even if it was only to point you toward someone who knows more than I.

Now that I am leaving the garden blogging scene, let me tell you who they are. Who knows, you might need them next spring.

Margaret Roach, who writes A Way to Garden, is one of the most thorough and informative garden bloggers out there. She has an abundance of advice and information on every topic. And she has a writing and photography gift as well. Please follow her.

Margaret lives in upstate New York, and her advice might be a little "off" for those in the Mid-Atlantic. For regional advice and for Maryland garden events and information, please follow Susan Harris who blogs for both Behnke's in Beltsville and Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville.

Susan also writes for the blog, Garden Rant. If you like your garden writing with a hint of controversy, follow Susan and her pals there.

Also, for those of you here in Maryland, follow Kathy Jentz of Washington Gardener. Lots of advice, trips, tours and events. Kathy never sits still.

There are a hundred garden blogs out there. Maybe 1,000. Some rainy day, get out your computer and google around for them. You will find someone who speaks to you. I am sure of it.

In the meantime, you won't be seeing me on the Internet. But you can always find me in my garden.

The posts here on Garden Variety will remain indefinately. You can always search the entries if there is information you are just sure you saw here -- and need to find again.

University of Maryland Extension: Garden Q&A [Garden Variety]

2011-08-31T11:22:09-07:00

Q: My day lilies look so ratty this time of year! Can I cut them down and be done with them?

A: Around mid-August you can try “dead-leafing,” which entails wrapping your hands around clumps of dead leaves and yanking them out. Or, you can simply cut them down to a few inches from the ground with shears. They’ll put our some new growth which won’t get as tall as the early season leaves, but should look good and stay green until frost.

Q: I water my grass six days a week for 45 minutes with an irrigation system, and it still has brown spots. I’ve been told that when lawn is brown, I should water. What more can I do?

A: Stop watering!

Tall fescue lawns get very few problems, but brown patch fungus is one. What conditions encourage brown patch? High humidity and high temperatures. By watering so much, you are artificially creating a high humidity/moisture environment, perfect for spread of this fungus.

The good news is that brown patch kills blades but rarely grass roots. Leave your lawn alone and it may recover on its own. If some areas are dead, overseed in early fall.

University of Maryland Extension: Plant of the Week [Garden Variety]

2011-08-31T10:29:15-07:00

Japanese Anemone

Anemone hupehensis var. japonica

Text and photo by Virginia Williams

With broad petals so different from the typical fall mum, Japanese anemone really stands out it a fall garden.

From August through September, few plants grow more reliably and bloom in the shade better than Japanese anemone. This perennial produces clusters of white or pink flowers up to three inches in diameter.

Leaves are large, deeply lobed, and somewhat like maple leaves. Growing two to five feet tall, Japanese anemon prefer rich moist soil with good drainage and shade but will grow in the sun.

They can be slow to establish, but given the right location they will slowly spread to a nice thick planting and even require cutting back. Deer tend not to eat it.

What's blooming at Baltimore's Rawlings Conservatory? [Garden Variety]

2011-08-31T10:16:00-07:00

Photo credit Michael Lemmon
Stapelia Hirsuta

Stapelias are succulents that are mostly native to Southern Africa. These stars of the desert are notable for large, unusual flowers that are star-like in shape and can grow up to 16 inches wide.

Unlike other plants that lure pollinators with bright colors or sweet nectar, these “carrion” flowers give off an unpleasant smell to attract flies and bees. It’s best to keep them outdoors when in bloom.

This species, the Stapelia Hirsuta has reddish brown blooms covered with fine purple hairs and reaches a magnificent 10 inches in diameter.

Since they grow naturally in the desert, stapelias require bright light, warm temperatures and a very well-drained type of soil. Most species do best in a climate that doesn’t fall below 60 degrees F.

They are prone to root rot so don’t overwater. Only water to lightly moisten the soil and let dry between watering. A good growing medium consists of equal parts perlite and an African violet mix.

They can be grown successfully indoors as long as they receive bright indirect sunlight and are kept warm.

Stapelias take a little more care than most succulents but if given the right conditions will reward you with a spectacular and unique flower.

Weekend garden events [Garden Variety]

2011-08-25T05:04:21-07:00

Homestead Gardens 3rd Annual Annapolis Tomato Festival

Saturday August 27th, 12 pm to 6 pm Davidsonville location

Tickets: Individuals $10. Family of 4 is $25 (children under 10 free)

Homestead Gardens is hosting its Third Annual Annapolis Tomato Festival This family-friendly event will feature three different contests: the Chesapeake Chili Cook-off, the Salsa Competition and the Ledo Fastest Pizza Eating Contest. Registration for all contests is open to the public; restaurants and individuals are welcome to enter the cooking contests.

There also will be samplings of a wide variety of tomatoes as well as different tomato-based foods. There will have live music and cooking demonstrations throughout the day.

A portion of the profits from the Tomato Festival and Chili Cook-off will go to support Save the Coconuts, an Annapolis-based nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds to fight breast cancer and make life easier for those living with the disease.

Schedule of events (subject to change):

12 noon: Doors open to the Third Annual Tomato Festival.

Tomato Sampling: Try them all!

Preserving the Harvest: Tomato Cooking Demonstration with Homestead's own Food Blogger, Rita Calvert

12:30pm-2:30 pm: 2nd Annual Chesapeake Chili Cook-off: Cast your vote for the best chili in the People’s Choice category.

1-3 pm: Live music: The Andy Poxon Band.

2 pm-4 pm: Salsa Competition Begins: Share your spicy love for this all-time favorite tomato-based concoction.

3 pm: Second Annual Ledo’s Fastest Pizza Eating Contest: Can you eat a large pizza all by yourself? Think you can you eat it faster than everyone else? If so, prove it!

3:30 pm-6 pm: Live Music The Sly 45 Trio

University of Maryland Extension: Plant of the Week [Garden Variety]

2011-08-23T05:04:07-07:00

Liriope

Liriope muscari and Liriope spicata

Text and photo by Virginia Williams

Tough and adaptable, liriope is a stellar groundcover.

Liriope muscari, as shown in the photo, is a clumping form that stays in a clump and does not spread aggressively. Clumps continue to expand, but no runners are formed. It can grow in sun or shade or on the steepest slope.

Once established, it is drought tolerant. Its ribbon-like foliage can get as long as 18 inches and sports purple or white flowers in the summer. This clumping form is popular as edging.

Liriope spicata, on the other hand, is a spreading form that sends out runners. It is especially useful to control erosion, but should not be planted where it can get out of control.

Deer may nibble on it during the winter (saving you the trouble of cutting off old foliage), but liriope is not a big deer favorite.

Tool Time: Top five time-saving tools for the garden [Garden Variety]

2011-08-20T13:07:53-07:00

Stand-up weeder photo courtesy of Yard Butler

Five Tools That Will Save You Time in the Garden
A guest post by Lou Manfredini, Ace Hardware’s Home Expert

While a garden is often considered a labor of love, who wants to spend hours doing what could be accomplished in minutes? These days there are so many gardening tool options that can allow you to save time on everyday gardening tasks such as weeding and pruning. Here are my five top tool recommendations:

#1) Yard Butler Stand-Up Weeder. This tool allows you to stay standing while you pull weeds from your lawn or garden – it puts much less stress on your body and the task gets done faster.

#2) Fiskars Ergonomic Pruning Shears. Made by the folks that produce the famous orange-handled scissors, these shears are just as comfortable in your hand. They make quick work of pruning small branches on bushes, roses and ornamental flowers.

#3) Toro Electronic Cordless Mower. This lawn mower requires no gas and runs for up to 45 minutes on each electric charge. It’s good for the environment and saves you time since you won’t have to run out to the gas station every time you need to mow.

#4) Collapsible Vinyl Garden Bags. These bags help speed up the process of keeping your yard free of debris and clutter. They spring open and hold themselves up for easy loading and dumping; when you are done, just collapse and store. They’ll also save money by eliminating the need to buy plastic or paper lawn bags.

#5) A Quality Wheelbarrow. This is an investment that will last for generations. In fact, mine belonged to my wife’s great uncle and must be 80 years old. Whether you need to mix concrete, haul dirt around your yard, or give your kids a ride, a wheelbarrow can do it all!

For more product tips and advice to help you turn your garden to-do list into a to-done list, head to your local Ace Hardware store or visit www.acehardware.com.

A willow tunnel for Baltimore [Garden Variety]

2011-08-20T05:07:46-07:00

Three months ago, the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore and Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance began construction of Pierce’s Park, a sustainable space located in the city.

This week, volunteers and Willow Artist Bonnie Gale will build Baltimore’s first living willow tunnels, providing a unique feature and play space at the park.

Gale will guide the construction of the living willow tunnels with the help of volunteers from Constellation Energy and the Boy Scouts.

Willow rods will be planted in certain patterns and the branches will be woven together at the top to form a ridge line and, ultimately, a tunnel that will continue to grow.

The work begins Tuesday and will be completed on Friday.

Located on a one-acre parcel of land on Pier 5 between Columbus Center and Eastern Avenue, Pierce’s Park is dedicated to the memory of Baltimore contractor and business owner Pierce J. Flanigan III.

University of Maryland Extension: Garden Q&A [Garden Variety]

2011-08-18T08:39:07-07:00

Q: What chemical can I use to get rid of the broadleaf weeds in my lawn? I want to do this before I overseed my lawn this fall. These hot summers are killing my grass.

A: Don’t apply herbicides when the air temperature is above 85 degrees. Your grass can be damaged. Also at high temperatures some herbicides will volatilize, wasting the product and, even worse, the herbicide vapors can be absorbed by non-target plants where serious herbicide injury can occur.

Read the herbicide label very carefully, so you don’t accidentally damage turf or other plants. In droughts, most weeds slow or stop growing anyway, so you may as well wait a couple of weeks for better, cooler weather.

Fall is the best time to plant grass seed. By planting in early fall, you insure your grass has three seasons to establish good roots before another killer summer hits. See one of our many publications on growing turf: “Broadleaf Weed Control in Established Lawns” http://www.hgic.umd.edu/content/documents/TT49broadleaf-weed-control.pdf.

Q: I harvested my watermelons and they are tasteless, even though I kept them well-watered. What happened?

A: When developing, watermelons like about an inch of water a week. But during the last 1-2 weeks of growth (unless there is a prolonged dry period) they will produce better flavor if you stop watering.

See our Grow It Eat It website at www.growit.umd.edu for Profiles on each type of vegetable, plus you can trouble shoot with our new Plant and Pest Problems feature.

University of Maryland Extension: Plant of the Week [Garden Variety]

2011-08-18T08:30:59-07:00

Mustard Greens

Brassica juncea

Text by Bob Orazi

Photo by Cornell University

Have any space left in your garden? Mustard greens are quick to mature, easy to grow, and nutritional in your diet.

Mustards are in the Brassicae family of plants, which includes collards, kale, turnips, and pac choi. They come in many forms and colors averaging 45 to 65 days to maturity. You can use mustard greens to spice up a salad or cook them with other greens.

Mustards are tolerant of cool fall temperatures. In fact, a light frost will increase the sugar content and flavor. Broadcast the seed on a raised bed about a ¼” deep in mid-August. Thin plants to 8” centers. Row cover will help with insect pests like flea beetle. Plants are medium feeders, responding well to nitrogen applications.

What's blooming at the Baltimore's Rawlings Conservatory? [Garden Variety]

2011-08-15T05:00:34-07:00

Photo credit: Michael Lemmon

Sanseviera

Sanseviera

Sansevieria is a group of succulents that are primarily found in Africa. Commonly known as the Snake Plant, their hardiness and virtual indestructability make them a favorite among home gardeners. The long, upright leaves of green or yellow grow to over 3 feet tall, adding dramatic flair to any setting.

Sansevieria contains many different species, including the familiar Mother in-law’s Tongue or Sansevieria trifasciata. The pictured variety known as Sansevieria cylindrica has bluish green foliage, cylinder shaped, that fan out to very sharp tips. In the summer it blooms with small white flowers that produce a sweet fragrance. The orange berry-like fruit adds a striking element to its already unique display.

They are easy to care for, often thriving in low light and little watering. When watering most succulents, a good rule of thumb is that when in doubt, don’t water. In the warmer months once or twice is enough. Cut back even more in the winter. Taller specimens should be planted in deep pots to provide more stability as they will tend to droop. Use a well draining mixture of potting soil and coarse sand.

Most of the Sansevieria grow slowly but remain patient as they’ll reward you with many years of hardiness and will surely stand out in your garden landscape.

Tool Time: Giving tools a second life [Garden Variety]

2011-08-13T05:11:06-07:00

When it Comes to Tools, Sometimes It Is What It Isn’t

A guest post from Lou Manfredini, Ace Hardware’s Home Expert

The old adage says that when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. However, you don’t always have to fit the need to the tool – With a little creativity, you can fit the tool to the need. Consider these safe, alternative uses for two common household tools.

Garden Hose

When your old garden hose starts leaking, you don’t have to throw it out. This is the perfect time to give it a new purpose in life.

One of the best uses for an old hose is to add protection to a sapling’s new tree trunk. First, use three wooden stakes and position them around the sapling’s roots in soil that has not been dug into. Next, measure the distance between the stake and tree trunk, then cut three pieces of hose that are twice as long. Feed rope through the center of each piece of hose, leaving a few extra inches of rope at each end. Wrap the hose around the tree trunk in a U-shape formation and tie both ends of the rope to the stake. Repeat this step with the two remaining stakes.

The rubber hose around the trunk will prevent the rope from digging into the tree trunk as it grows. Once the tree grows strong enough, typically after six to eight months, you can remove the rope and stakes and your tree will stand tall.

Paint Extension Pole

Did you know that over 250,000 people end up in the emergency room each year due to accidents on ladders? Many of these accidents occur when decorating for the holidays. One way to avoid this is to stay on the ground, but you don’t have to give up decorating.

For years I have been using a twenty-foot paint extension pole and a six-inch roller frame to decorate the outside of my home. Whether it’s for birthday parties or the holiday season, the creative use of this tool is a handy and safe alternative to climbing tall ladders.

Bend a roller frame to look like a “J” and attach it to the extension pole. It’s that simple! Now you have two tools for the price of one!

August garden chores [Garden Variety]

2011-08-12T11:36:07-07:00

Anybody else out there tired of gardening yet?

This is the time of year -- before fall makes its entrance -- when it is hard to get up the energy to go out into the garden.

It is hot and dry and there is so much to do. And so many mosquitoes.

If I want to feel guilty about all the I am NOT doing in the garden, I can always count on my friends and fellow bloggers Susan Harris and Margaret Roach, who religiously post their monthly list of garden chores.

Susan, who blogs for Behnke's in Beltsville and Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, is invaluable to the Maryland gardener because she gardens more or less in our micro-climate.

Margaret's list is always thorough, but she gardens in upstate New York.

In any case, these are some of the things I haven't gotten done this month. My thanks to Susan and Margaret.

I haven't removed the spent blooms on my crepe myrtle to encourage more blooms. (I haven't dead-headed much of anything.)

Nor have I cut back the bloomed-out flower stems on my hosta.

I haven't killed off the weeds in my lawn, in preparation for seeding in late September.

I need to clear away the browned foliage on my daylilies and then transplant some of them.

I haven't placed my spring bulb order.

And I need to get some water into my compost pile. Without any rain -- and there has been little or none this summer -- it won't decompose.

There. At least I made a list....

Weekend Garden Events: You can can, too. [Garden Variety]

2011-08-12T09:38:58-07:00

Behnke's Nursery

Saturday, 10 a.m. in Beltsville

Canning and Preserving Your Garden’s Bounty, with host Sissy McKenzie: Extend your gardens goodness into the winte. Behnke's Sissy McKenzie explains how to can and preserve your fruits and vegetables to enjoy at a later date. Be prepared to take notes. Call (301) 937-1100 to reserve your seat. Admission is free.

Calling all chili and salsa cooks! [Garden Variety]

2011-08-12T08:40:37-07:00

Photo credit: Tribune

Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville is hosting its 3rd annual Tomato Festival Aug. 27 and, as part of the festivities, there will be a chili cook-off and a salsa-making contest (the dip, not the dance.)

Monday Aug. 22 is the deadlines for entries, so if you think your chili is cool or that your salsa is hot, register for the competition.

Goodbye, you wretched Movable Type [Midnight Sun]

2011-07-07T04:00:00-07:00

Today, the blog moves to a spiffy new publishing system and a new URL.

From now on, Midnight Sun can be found here, at www.baltimoresun.com/midnightsun.

In a month, the old url will automatically re-direct to the new one, but in the meantime, be sure to adjust your favorites, rss feeds, etc.

Click here to find out why.

Photo: a musician at the Ottobar, by @fwredelius, contributor to the Midnight Sun flickr pool.

Baltimore man sues Live Nation for "exorbitant" Jackson Browne tickets [Midnight Sun]

2011-07-06T12:19:50-07:00

A Baltimore man sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster last week saying the entertainment behemoth overcharged him for Jackson Browne tickets.

Now he's seeking to recover the service charges as well as punitive charges and attorneys' fees.

The man, Andre Bourgeois, filed the lawsuit last Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for Maryland as an individual and also as a class action. Or, in other words, on behalf of anyone who bought tickets from the Ticketmaster in the past four years and felt gouged.

Though the lawsuit does not ask for a specific amount from Live Nation, the combined damages from those in the class could exceed $5 million, according to the complaint filed by Towson firm Quinn, Gordon & Wolf.

The Daily Record, which first reported the news, points out that Live Nation already settled a similar case in January for $22.3 million.

At the heart of this lawsuit is Bourgeois' allegation that Live Nation and Ticketmaster are not registered as ticket agencies by the city of Baltimore, and therefore, their "exorbitant" service fees are are tantamount to scalping under city law.

Through a spokeswoman, Live Nation had no comment. "We do not comment on pending litigation," Liz Morentin said.

Bourgeois's decision to sue started with a Jackson Browne concert in Baltimore two years ago. He bought a $52 ticket for the show from Ticketmaster, but was charged $12 in service charges.

He charges in the lawsuit that Live Nation "used their dominating market position in the business of ticket sales to impose service charges on top of the face value of tickets in violation of Baltimore City law," which allows only a .50 cent service charge over a ticket's face value, according to the lawsuit.

Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged last year, becoming an enormous conglomerate that last year took in a billion dollars in revenue from ticket sales.

In the lawsuit, the entertainment company is charged with a total of ten counts, including being in violation of the Maryland Consumer Protection Act and the federal Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.

The case is in its early stages and it's not clear yet when the two sides will meet in court. Quinn, Gordon & Wolf also declined to comment.

Update: Dean Budnick, one of the authors of the just published "Ticket Masters," said lawsuits against Ticketmaster over service fees have been pursued across the country for several years.

But the company had typically not settled. The settlement from earlier this year started differently from the Baltimore lawsuit, Budnick said.

In that case, three individuals sued Ticketmaster for misleading them about processing fees, and eventually it turned into a class action, whereas here, Bourgeois is pursuing a class action from the start.

"The case wound on for quite some time and eventually Ticketmaster blinked as it picked up momentum," he said.

Budnick said the Baltimore lawsuit seems to to be less about service charges than the city's own laws on ticket sales. "I think it would turn on the definition of 'scalping' and 'face value' in the statute," he said.

Don't Know Tavern lawsuit settled for $115K; in shocker, lawyer grabs most of it [Midnight Sun]

2011-07-06T09:43:02-07:00

Jason Zink has settled the lawsuit five former employees brought against him two years ago.

Under the settlement, which was filed Tuesday in federal court, Zink agrees to pay his former employees and their attorney $115,000.18.

The payment is to be made in several installments of several thousand dollars over the next two years.

Under the settlement, Zink and the former employees also agree to a confidentiality agreement that bars them from discussing the details of the case. The Daily Record first reported the settlement news.

Three of Zink's employees sued him in 2009 for participating in what they charged was an employee-only tip pool, one that as an owner he should not have belonged to. Two other employees, bartender Brian Emar and sous chef Astrid Garrison, later joined the suit as well.

The three original plaintiffs charged at the time they were owed $10,000 together. In March, a federal judge, Richard Bennett, ruled Zink was in violation of federal labor law by participating in the tip pool, and the two sides have been negotiating a settlement since.

The lawsuit could have ramifications for other bars and restaurants since the labor rights of an owner who also works as an employee had not been previously addressed in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, Bennett said in his March opinion.

The settlement awards the bulk of the damages - about $98,000 - to the employees' Silver Spring attorney, Philip Zipin, who will receive it in installments of $2,000 over the next 49 months, the agreement said. The employees are themselves getting a collective $15,000.18.

Zink's first payment to his former employees is due three days after Bennett approves the settlement. It consists of a payment of $5,000.06 to be divided between the five employees, with Emar getting the largest share. Zink's last payment is scheduled to be made this August.

Zink told the Daily Record in March the lawsuit could hurt his business. And on June 26, he served his last shift at his Don't Know Tavern after selling it for an undisclosed amount.

He has not responded to repeated requests for comment on the lawsuit or the bar's sale.

Photo: Don't Know Tavern (600block)

African American Heritage Festival in images and video [Midnight Sun]

2011-07-05T12:43:12-07:00

Talib Kweli, Chuck Brown, Charlie Wilson, and Corey Mitchell (above), performed this weekend at the African American Heritage Festival. More festival pictures by staff photog Kim Haistron can be found here. Below, a video summary of this year's festival.

July 5 - 10 in Baltimore nightlife: Cut Copy, Animal Collective, Def Leppard [Midnight Sun]

2011-07-05T11:13:50-07:00

Still recovering from America Day, eating too many cheese dogs and drinking too much sangria? You wouldn't be a patriot if you weren't. The big event in local music this week is the Animal Collective show at Merriweather Post Pavilion, even though you shouldn't expect the band to play much of "Merriweather" at the venue. Elsewhere this week: a food truck rally, rock dinosaurs Def Leppard perform at Jiffy Lube Live, Jonny Blaze spins at the Ottobar, and, in what is hopefully not a new trend, a pirate party.

On Tuesday, Providence band Sasquatch and The Sick-a-Billys performs at the Sidebar, 218 E. Lexington St. Also on the bill: Baltimore's Sonic Creeps. No cover listed. 8 p.m.

On Wednesday, Jonny Blaze spins at the weekly Ottobar party Friendzday. 2549 N Howard Street. Free. 9 p.m. Also: Cut Copy performs at Rams Head Live. $30. 8 p.m.

On Thursday, the USS Constellation hosts what is billed as a $35 "pirate party." The ticket gets you a performance by Telesma, an eye patch, a swab bag and some finger food, according to the Facebook event listing.

On Friday, from 5 to 10 p.m. all of Baltimore's food trucks will gather on the lot at 421 Central Avenue. Thank nightlife poobah Damian Bohager for making it happen. Also: the Ottobar hosts its weekly Underground party. Apparently, tickets to Animal Collective, Wiz Khalifa, and Gang Gang Dance will be given away. Free before 10 p.m.

On Saturday, Animal Collective performs at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Expect a preview on Friday's paper. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $30. Also: Def Leppard performs at Jiffy Lube Live with another veteran band, Heart.

On Sunday, Baltimore's Paul Newman and the Ride Home perform at Charm City Art Space, 1731 Maryland Ave. No cover listed. 6 p.m.

Photo: Animal Collective performing at Coachella in April (Los Angeles Times)

Virgin Mobile FreeFest line-up, date to be announced next week [Midnight Sun]

2011-07-05T06:06:18-07:00

The Virgin Mobile Freefest will announce its 2011 line-up and show date on July 11, a spokeswoman said Monday.

In June, the festival had already been confirmed as free and returning to Merriweather Post Pavilion.

It will be the festival's third year in a row at the venue, and its sixth overall. Before Merriweather, the festival was held at Pimlico Race Track.

Earlier this year, readers picked the bands they'd like to see perform. We'll see on Monday who made the cut.

Photo Gallery: R. Kelly in concert at 1st Mariner Arena July 1 [Midnight Sun]

2011-07-04T07:00:58-07:00

R. Kelly, above, performed at 1st Mariner Arena Friday night in what was his first local performance in two years. More photos like this one are at our photo gallery of the show, courtesy of staffer Gene Sweeney Jr.

Baltimore's best places to watch the fireworks [Midnight Sun]

2011-07-04T06:00:49-07:00

At 9:30 p.m. today, fireworks will explode over the Inner Harbor in the annual Independence Day show.

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts, which produces the show, says the best place to see them is at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater or the West Shore Park.

Below, are some of the suggestions Midnight Sun has culled over the years.

Beyond the fireworks show, today the city has also scheduled several children’s shows, starting at noon at Inner Harbor West Shore Park with a magician and comic, and followed by the Grammy-nominated Baltimore children’s band Milkshake at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The Pennsylvania Air National Guard Band and the Electric Brigade, the U.S. Naval Academy band, will perform at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater starting at 4 p.m. All events are free and open to the public.

The music that accompanies the fireworks show can be heard best at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater and on the harbor’s west shore, according to BOPA.

Sam Sessa compiled this list of Baltimore's best places to watch the fireworks last year, updated here to note some bar closings.

Tiki Barge: It's one of the best spots to see the fireworks. It's right on the water, at the end of the main pier at Harbor View Marina.

LP Steamers: This award-winning Locust Point crab house at 1100 E. Fort Ave. has a third-story roof deck with a great view of the fireworks. How's this for an evening out: Crack open some piping-hot crabs, wash them down with cold, cheap beer (Miller Lite, etc.) and stroll upstairs to watch the fireworks. The only drawback? The roof deck comfortably accommodates 30 people, give or take. So make sure to claim your spot up there early.

Tide Point Waterfront Park: One of the harbor's better-kept secrets, this secluded little spot where Hull Street meets the water has a wide waterside promenade with a stellar view of the harbor. Better still, there is a decent amount of free parking in the neighboring office complex. Just be warned - Fourth of July traffic is going to make parking within a mile or two of the Inner Harbor a little tricky.

Little Havana: If you want to see the fireworks from the cement patio outside this post-college party zone, get there early to stake out a spot. Really early. Chances are, the closer it gets to fireworks time, the more this Cuban restaurant and bar at 1325 Key Highway is going to fill up with people in their 20s and 30s.

Shuckers of Fells Point: If the weather's nice, outdoor seating will be at a premium on the Fourth. And Shuckers, at 1629 Thames St., has one of the best outdoor patios in Fells Point. The restaurant is right on the harbor, and the outside seating - which holds about 100, wraps all the way around the building.

Canton Waterfront Park: It's easy to forget about this stretch of grassy waterside turf at 3001 Boston St., since it's so far removed from downtown. But the Canton Waterfront Park is some great real estate for the Fourth. The sizable park - home to the city's annual Irish Festival - has brick promenades, trees and open spaces.

Bo Brooks: When it comes to outdoor dining with a water view in Canton, it's hard to top Bo Brooks. The crab house at 2701 Boston St. has an outdoor bar in front, a patio out back and a floating dock for larger parties. On Saturday, this will be one of the better places to grab a meal and camp out for the fireworks in Canton.

Bay Cafe: The closest you'll get to Ocean City in Charm City, the Bay Cafe has a sandy beach, complete with palm trees. The wooden pavilion bar has the feel of a rum shack, and the drinks aren't too pricey, either. The Bay Cafe, 2809 Boston St. #409, can get loud and crazy on Friday and Saturday nights, and since the Fourth falls on a Saturday this year, expect it to be even wilder. The cafe is set back from Boston Street, next to a parking lot.

Got some suggestions of your own? Add them to the comments.

Photos: Fireworks over the harbor (Baltimore Sun archives)

June 27 - July 2 reviewed: Muggsys's, R. Kelly, African American Heritage Festival [Midnight Sun]

2011-07-02T05:00:46-07:00

Looking for places to watch the fireworks this weekend? We have a helpful guide from last year. Personally, I'm a fan of Tide Point Waterfront Park. This week was a definite change of pace from last. We released the schedule for the African American Festival, or as it's being called this year, the African American Heritage Festival. The festival is taking place through Sunday. Charlie Wilson talked about his legacy in our interview. If you wanted an interview with another veteran who's also performing this weekend, Chuck Brown talked to us last week. The IFC show that goes all Bruce Parry on Baltimore premiered on Friday. The Black Eyed Peas, Ani DiFranco and Stephen Malkmus all announced area shows. In bar news, Muggsys's served its last beer. Baltimore Taphouse was reviewed. Power Plant Live started offering $1 Miller Lites at its new Friday happy hour, a good deal or not depending on your tolerance for Miller Lite. Beer prices went up by 25 cents at some bars thanks to the new state alcohol tax. We looked for fourth of July drink specials. Nick's Fish House, for instance, has $2 domestics all weekend. If you're still looking for other stuff to do this weekend, you might find some suggestions here. Later today, we'll have pictures from Friday night's R. Kelly concert.

Charlie Wilson spans the R&B generation gap [Midnight Sun]

2011-06-30T12:30:33-07:00

On Sunday, Charlie Wilson will headline the African American Festival at M&T Bank Stadium. Al Shipley interviewed Wilson for tomorrow's Live Section.

Here's an excerpt:

Charlie Wilson has been alive for 58 years, and has been singing for nearly all of them — first in his church choir and then in The Gap Band, the pioneering funk group he formed at the age of 14 with his brothers Ronnie and Robert.

That long, remarkable career has reached an unlikely new peak with Wilson's success as a solo artist...[He] credits his continued good fortunate to his instrument.
"The sound of my voice never went out of style," he said.

The rest of the interview is here.

For a full schedule of performances at the festival, click here. Another veteran singer, Chuck Brown, who will also be performing at the festival this weekend, was interviewed in last week's paper.

Photo: Charlie Wilson (Handout)

Sam Sessa's Weekend Watch: African American Festival, 4th of July [Midnight Sun]

2011-06-30T10:14:36-07:00

FindLocal has more weekend events. If you know of good Independence Day specials, add them to the corkboard. Click here for a full schedule of performances at the African American Heritage Festival.

IFC show featuring Baltimoreans, including Dan Deacon, to premiere Friday [Midnight Sun]

2011-06-30T10:04:50-07:00

"Young, Broke and Beautiful," the IFC travel show that filmed an episode in Baltimore in March, will broadcast that episode Friday.

An IFC spokeswoman said that while host Stuart Schuffman - aka Broke-Ass Stuart - was in town, he went "to see singer Landis Expandis’ boom box collection, gets a taste of crabs, parties with the locals, listens in on a rhyme fest with Ms Streamz (sic), visits Mink Stole at the American Visionary Museum, attends a live hypnotherapy performance and moves his body at a live show with Dan Deacon."

In March, Schuffman taped a semi-secret performance at the Bell Foundry that featured Deacon, Jimmy Joe Roche, Ed Schrader, the Santa Dads, and keyboard-and-trumpet duo The Creepers. They also taped a Double Dagger show.

Billed as IFC's answer to Vice's travel series, the show "infiltrates the underground of American cities to find the hidden, cheap and carefully guarded secrets that aren't in any guidebooks," according to the network, which has ordered six episodes. Upcoming episodes are built around Detroit and Memphis, among others.

The show has already been criticized for promoting poverty tourism.

The Baltimore episode will air Friday on IFC at 11 p.m.

Photo: Schuffman peddling one of his $15 t-shirts (via)

Review: Baltimore Taphouse, Canton's low-key taps bar [Midnight Sun]

2011-06-30T09:37:42-07:00

This week's bar review is on Baltimore Taphouse, a low-key Canton bar with 14 rotating drafts and 25 bottled beers.

After spending some time there, I've become a big fan, and will come back soon.

Here's an excerpt from the review:

Baltimore Taphouse in Canton looks just fine when you walk in. It's a long, narrow hall, with plenty of beer on tap and a pool table at the back.

But the first sign that you might be in better hands than you thought is found above the cash register. There, owner John Bates has propped up a dog-eared copy of Michael Jackson's "Great Beer Guide."
Jackson is the elder statesman among beer and whiskey writers — the Julia Child of beer lovers. His place above the bar suggests that the Taphouse serves one master: beer.

The rest of the review is here. In Canton, there are lots of other beer bars - Mahaffeys's, Hudson Street Stackhouse - which one is your favorite?

Power Plant Live offering $1 Miller Lites at new Friday night happy hour [Midnight Sun]

2011-06-30T07:00:43-07:00

For the summer, Power Plant Live has started a happy hour for all its bars – which include Luckie’s Tavern, country-western bar PBR Baltimore (at right, as if you didn't know already) and Angels Rock Bar.

Called “Downtown is Happy,” Cordish Companies spokesman Chris Furst brags it’s intended to be “Baltimore’s biggest office happy hour.”

A venue-wide promotion is a first for Power Plant, which is just putting finishing touches on a multi-million dollar renovation that will also bring a Joe Squared Pizza and a Leinenkugel's Beer Hall to the Inner Harbor.

The happy hour, which had a successful try-out at Cordish Companies’ Kansas City Power & Light District last summer, started June 3 and is scheduled to run in Baltimore every Friday this summer.

“It did very well [in Kansas City],” Furst said. “With a lot of the renovations, we decided to add it here as well.”

During the happy hour, which lasts from 4 to 7 p.m., Miller Lites are $1, and at the crush bar by Luckie’s Tavern, refills on flavored-vodka drinks are $2.

The promotion has not scheduled an end date, Furst said.

Photo: Stephaine Rollis (riding backwards) and Krysten Klipa ride the mechanical bull at PBR in Power Plant Live. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)

Corkboard: Fourth of July specials [Midnight Sun]

2011-06-29T11:30:50-07:00

Alright, Independence Day is around the corner and I have not been bombarded with bar specials yet. Frowney face.

Where are they? At least Marc McFaul was smart to open his two new bars at Canton Arts and Entertainment, Finnegan's Wake and Dark Horse Saloon, the week before one of the biggest drinking holidays of the year.

Who else has specials running this weekend or on the fourth?

Photo: Fireworks over Baltimore (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)

Dining@Large is closed [Dining@Large]

2011-06-09T08:34:06-07:00

Here is a link to Baltimore Diner

Any minute now, meanwhile [Dining@Large]

2011-06-08T18:26:28-07:00

Baltimore Diner should materialize soon. Things have to be done to it.

Meanwhile. wraps are gaining in popularity (Nation's Restaurant News)

Choose the first photo for the new blog [Dining@Large]

2011-06-08T16:07:59-07:00

Cody Evans drinks lemonade on her front porch? (Baltimore Sun photo

Steamed crabs at Mr. Bill's Terrrace Inn? (Baltimore Sun/Colby Ware)

Diner?

The new blog name and logo [Dining@Large]

2011-06-08T11:24:25-07:00

Baltimore Diner opens tomorrow.

You will be able to jump on the blog from several places on the Baltimore Sun website., but your best bet is the main Dining page.

[I'll add a direct link as soon as it's up tomorrow.]

I think of Baltimore Diner as:

1) Diner, a place; the blog itself, a place where we all meet, informally, to chew the fat.

2) Diner, a person; you and you, men and women who live in and around Baltimore.

I like it. (Probably because I thought of it.) I hope you do, too.

Note, please: "Baltimore" here certainly doesn't mean that we're narrowing our outlook. I just thought it sounded nicer than "Maryland Diner."

It's going to be an adjustment for me. The act of posting is fairly baroque in the new system. And of course, it will mean changes for you. In order to post comments, you will have to register. But other aspects of the new format, are subject to change, so don't hesitate to email me at richard.gorelick@baltsun.com with your feedback.

Good news: For the time being, you will be able to access the Dining@Large archives here.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/blog/

Commenting is back; farewell Dining@Large [Dining@Large]

2011-06-08T08:53:29-07:00

So, let's use this space to say good-bye to Dining@Large as we know it.

Here's a link to Elizabeth's first month of D@L posting, from April 2007.

UPDATE:

Well, I thought they were back. We're proceeding gingerly after a spam attack that temporarily disabled them; the Tech staff is continuing to work through issues related to fully restoring commenting.

Moving day is Thursday [Dining@Large]

2011-06-07T17:50:31-07:00

Man, the last days of Dining@Large remind me of HAL singing Daisy, Daiiiiiiizzzeee.

Tomorrow, I'll show the new blog title and logo.

The Burke's auction.... [Dining@Large]

2011-06-07T16:48:55-07:00

The Burke's auction sounds so sad. Here's Jacques Kelly's report.

Reviews of Darbar and Garry's Grill [Dining@Large]

2011-06-07T08:12:14-07:00

Here's my Sunday review of Darbar in Fells Point and John Lindner's lunch review of Garry's Grill in Severna Park.

Are all Groupons created equal? [Dining@Large]

2011-06-07T07:58:12-07:00

All men are created equal, Paul Revere wrote on his Esquire blog, but are all daily deals?

That's what I was wondered after reading Jay Hancock's article in today's paper. I'm not sure dyed-in-the-wool cheapskates are going to plunk down $50 bucks for a Prime Rib deal (for $100 worth of food) and then whip out a calculator at the dinner table. That seemed more like a deal for twice-a-year Prime Rib customers who will now come in a third time.

I'd ask you what you thought, but the commenting is still down.

A random act of generosity at Woodberry Kitchen [Dining@Large]

2011-06-07T07:07:33-07:00

Last night at Woodberry Kitchen, the patrons dining on the patio, about 20 in all at separate tables, were informed by their server that a patron dining inside was picking up all of their checks. I heard this from one of the appreciative diners, a pay-it-forward type guy.

The patio diners were told that their benefactor just wanted to do it. The gentleman who paid the patio checks was quietly pointed out to the patio diners but his back was to them.

That sure was nice. Give or take, the checks would have come to $1,000.

Was it you?

Baltimore Sun photo/Kenneth K. Lam

Farmers' Market is ON for Labor Day [Dining@Large]

2011-06-06T11:45:28-07:00

The Farmers Market is ON for Labor Day weekend. That's great news.

I just got a call from Deputy Mayor Kaliope Parthemos confirming it. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Parthenos told me, made the decision a few weeks ago. The market will be held in its regular location.