Articles

Elaine Soloway writes: Today is my mother Min Shapiro’s birthday. If she were celebrating at an earthly venue, she'd be 102. "Any age?" I asked as we Face Time-ed on our iPads. (I have the 2. She has 3. They get them first up there.) "Why not some time in your 20's when you were a hot chick?" more »

Julia Sneden writes: We love to watch falling snow, or, on a clear night, the moonlight and shadows in our whitened yard. Bright winter sun in the morning reveals that the birdfeeder wears a toboggan cap of snow, which doesn’t bother the voracious finches and cardinals and chickadees perched on nearby branches, taking turns driving one another away from the feeding ports. But winter comes with a fine balance of plusses and minuses. I have a friend who has recently begun treatment for a condition called "Seasonal Affective Disorder," sometimes referred to as SAD. more »

"These men — and women — worked to protect Europe's cultural heritage at the height of World War II, ensuring its safety in the aftermath and returning works, when possible, to their rightful owners once peace and security were restored." Edith Standen dug up an antique bronze cannon with her own bare hands. ""It had been taken from the Musée de l'Armée. It went back to the Musée de l'Armée." David Finley in his office at the National Gallery of Art. Finley was director of the Gallery from 1938-1956, and vice chairman of the Roberts Commission. National Gallery of Art,… more »

The accumulation of age-associated changes in a biochemical process that helps control genes may be responsible for some of the increased risk of cancer seen in older people, according to a National Institutes of Health study. "On your 50th birthday, you would have 50 of these sites that have acquired methyl groups in each cell," Xu said. "The longer you live, the more methylation you will have." more »