Articles by All

Article - Sky Watch by J. Alex Knoll; by J. Alex Knoll - 11/11/10

Illuminating the Long Night

Jupiter and Venus bookend the edges of darkness

Darkness comes early, as we settle into Standard Time, with the sun setting around 4:55 at week’s end. We passed the mid-point of autumn early this month, and now we shed daylight fast in the march toward winter solstice. Every day until then, we shed almost a minute of sunlight each afternoon, and in the morning, when the sun rises around 6:45 at week’s end, we lose more than a minute each day. But there are plenty of lights to dispel this gloom. Jupiter, king of the planets, leads...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Mark Burns - 11/11/10

Megamind

Evil makes good in this amusing superhero farce.

Megamind (Will Ferrell: The Other Guys) is the brainiac supervillain of Metro City. He terrorizes the town in his repetitive quest to defeat superpowered arch nemesis and golden boy Metro Man (Brad Pitt: Inglourious Basterds). That is, until the villain finally knocks the hero out of the picture. Finally, Megamind owns the town, but without a rival to challenge him the fun is gone. So Megamind creates Tighten (Jonah Hill: Get Him to the Greek) as a new super-powered foil to recharge villainy...

Article - Letter from the Editor; by Sandra Olivetti Martin - 11/11/10

Grace Under Pressure

How I plan to rise to the occasion of another Thanksgiving

In the harried countdown to one Thanksgiving feast, my younger son dubbed me The Frenzied Cook. Sad to say, I deserve the name. Planning ahead is not my strength. I’m captive of the moment, slave to impulse. That brisk Thanksgiving morning, after a walk in the woods, I’d indulged in a nap by the fireplace. Once I moved into the kitchen, the frantic rattling of pots and pans that ensued could have made me songwriter Charles Calhoun’s inspiration for Shake, Rattle and Roll....

Article - Correspondence; by Allen Delaney - 11/11/10

The Bay Loves My Lawn

Dear Bay Weekly: At last, my laziness has been given the stamp of approval, at least by the scientists trying to save our precious Chesapeake Bay. An article in the November 8 issue of The Washington Post stated that the largest “crop” around the Chesapeake Bay watershed is lawns, and that the runoff from that crop accounts for eight percent of the nitrogen and 15 percent of the phosphorus entering the Bay. This, of course, comes from the fertilizer that makes lawns look so green...

Article - Correspondence; by Nicole Reed - 11/11/10

From CSA to Table, with Help

Dear Bay Weekly: A while back I read an article written by Amy Russell regarding Community Supported Agriculture. She had mentioned something about a specific website that offered a searchable ingredient list for common CSA foods. I would like to know the address. –Nicole Reed: jpreed30@hotmail.com Russell’s reply: The website is www.supercook.com. It lets you enter the ingredients you have at home and generates a list of recipes you can use. You can enter as many or as few...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 11/11/10

Marine Most Wanted: Middle Branch Manatee

The National Aquarium is looking for a manatee with a bad sense of direction

If there is a manatee swimming in the Middle Branch of the Upper Patapsco, it must be cold. The sub-tropical marine mammal was reported in mid-October. Since then, nothing — despite a plea to boaters for updates. “With this one we haven’t been able to confirm an actual sighting ourselves with photographic evidence,” says Baltimore National Aquarium’s media/public relations director Jen Bloomer. This could be good news: The wayward swimmer could have fled the cold...

Article - Green Living; by Amy Russell - 11/11/10

My Six-Month Vegetable Journey

While touch and go at first, I now know my veggies — and how to cook them

Remember me? And my journey? For the past six months I’ve navigated Solomon’s Island Road every Thursday to restock my kitchen with the week’s produce that came in my share of the Community-Supported Agriculture farm I joined in April. I have embarked on a great food experiment: I am teaching myself to cook, I wrote back then. I know nothing about vegetables beyond the traditional broccoli and carrots. Knowing that I will have to branch out of those comforts if I really want...

Article - Food and Drink; by Bay Weekly staff - 11/11/10

The Sides Make the Feast

Chesapeake Country Chefs share their recipes for signature Thanksgiving side dishes — and more

There’s going to be turkey, you can bet on it, writes Richard Whelan, general manager at Pirates Cove. Whether you’re going to a friend’s or relative’s house, or, maybe they are all coming to your house, chances are there is going to be a big fat roasted turkey in your future come Thanksgiving. That’s why we call it Turkey Day. Maybe even a ham. A good, salty, country ham if you’re lucky. But what makes the difference between grandmom’s house, your best...

Article - Food and Drink; by Margaret Tearman - 11/11/10

Save the Turkey: Stuff the Ham

South of the Mason-Dixon line, ham rules the Thanksgiving feast

Full disclosure: I’m not a fan of green eggs — or ham. In spite of Sam’s urgings, I say ham is a good chunk of pork wasted, no matter if it’s smoked, spiced, spiraled or, heaven forbid, stuffed. Stuffing belongs in turkeys. Maybe a pork chop. But never a ham. Try it? No way, I sniffed. Even after more than two decades living in Calvert County, I still turned my nose at the locally celebrated gastronomical confusion known as Southern Maryland stuffed ham. I never...

Article - Theatre Reviews; by reviewed by Jane Elkin - 11/11/10

Twin Beach Players’ Keeping Faith

This dysfunctional family comedy makes for a terrific season opener.

The dysfunctional family comedy Keeping Faith is a terrific choice for Twin Beach Players’ season opener. When well-meaning parents kidnap their own daughter to frustrate her May-September romance, it’s high-stakes drama in a low-rent motel. The plot, inspired by a 2007 news sensation, requires only four solid actors and a simple space that lends itself well to cheapening. The Holland Civic Center fills the bill beautifully, and the cast is nearly there. Prolific Baltimore...