Articles by DIana Beechener

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 9/30/10

Bug Off

Life stinks for Marylanders

The brown marmorated stink bug has made itself Maryland’s least welcome invader of 2010. Fat from feasting on orchard and soybean crops, flocks of the Asian alien have invaded homes and gardens, causing more than a foul odor. “The populations this year have been astronomical when compared with years past,” says Dr. Joe Fiola, specialist in viticulture and small fruit for the University of Maryland Extension. “Multiple bugs per fruit, whereas with green stink bugs [the...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 9/24/10

This Week’s Creature Feature - Two Years into a Life...

Calvert Marine Museum’s snakehead settles into life in solitary confinement

Two years ago, the Calvert Marine Museum put a new inmate in the tank, a snakehead fish, as the showpiece of the museum’s invasive species exhibit. “It was a good example because there was a lot of press on it a few years back,” says Ken Kaumeyer, the museum’s curator of estuarine biology. Though the fish hasn’t attempted a jailbreak, Kaumeyer isn’t ready to declare it a model prisoner. Originally, the snakehead was to be part of a larger exhibit,...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener - 9/23/10

The Town

A Bah-ston robbah tries to go straight in this engaging and pulpy crime tale

In the first five minutes of The Town, a group of precision criminals, donning skeleton masks, knock over a bank. Everything is going smoothly until someone triggers the silent alarm. The slick crew devolves quickly into violence and kidnapping as they make a sloppy getaway with the loot and terrified bank manager Claire (Rebecca Hall: Please Give). After releasing the woman and laundering their money, the crew meet in the neighborhood of Charlestown for a job evaluation. Crew leader...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 9/23/10

Sucked into Battle

In the war against the vacuum, Lothian’s Juanky is declared top dog

The war between pets and vacuum cleaners is long-standing and seemingly inexplicable. Maybe it’s the noise. Maybe it’s the aggressive suction coupled with a rolling machine. Maybe pets just don’t like clean carpets. Eureka Vacuums, however, sought an armistice between their cleaners and your furry friends, inviting pet owners around the country to enter Fido’s Fight or Flight contest with videos of their pets reactions to the vacuum. The contest promoted Eureka...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener - 9/16/10

Machete

An action film with a message fails to deliver either.

Danny Trejo (Predators) is a badass. His 20-year career is based on the fact that he is the most intimidating man in just about any room. Trejo’s visceral presence inspired filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids) to make his frequent collaborator an action movie star. At 66, however, Trejo is rapidly moving from grizzled action hero to curmudgeon. Machete is an extended version of the fake trailer that Robert Rodriguez added to his half of the Tarantino/Rodriguez Grindhouse double feature....

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 9/16/10

Elephants Join the Sexual Revolution

The Humane Society International successfully tests elephant contraception

In African game reserves, elephants were eating themselves out of house and home. So the Humane Society International found a way to control the growing elephant population in South African reserves without resorting to cruel practices: elephant contraception. “In a lot of places in Africa, elephants are confined by fences or barriers,” explains Humane Society International’s director of wildlife Theresa Telecky. “If the population isn’t controlled in some way, the...

Article - News; by Diana Beechener - 9/16/10

Vote Early, Vote Often

For Pride of Baltimore II, every vote counts

The Pride of Baltimore company’s Pride II historic tall ship is sailing into the world of grants. The clipper ship is attempting to beat out 1,000 other candidates for a $50,000 grant from Pepsi. Pride II wants the money for boating-safety courses to teach under-served students in American port cities. The grant will fund supplies and travel. To pay for all that good work, Pride II needs your vote. Vote once a day every day thru September 30 for the boat safety program to help the ship...

Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener - 9/9/10

Get Low

In the backwoods of Depression-ravaged Tennessee, grizzled hermit Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) emerges after 40 years of solitude. Though he’s lived with only mules and dogs for company, the town rumor mill has already invented stories of Felix that range from him killing men in fights to shooting trespassing children. But Felix doesn’t want to kill. He wants to party. He wants to throw himself a funeral, while he’s still alive, inviting everyone in four counties to come...

Article - Creature Feature; by Diana Beechener - 9/2/10

Are You in Good Paws?

These pet insurance claims will make you check your policy

Insurance covers many members of your family, including the furry ones. The nation’s oldest pet insurance company, Veterinary Pet Insurance, rewards the most daring clients with its annual VPI Hambone Award, celebrating the most unusual claim. This is not the Darwin Awards. All pets considered for the competition have made full recoveries if not learned their lesson. The 12 most bizarre insurance claims are posted on the VPI website, where readers and pet fanciers vote for their favorite...

Article - Features; by Diana Beechener - 8/26/10

Sit. Stay. Heal

For mobile vets, house calls are the norm

Ozzy isn’t sure about the ladies with the needle. The Jack Russell-Dalmatian mix warily eyes the women kneeling on owner Mary Quayle’s kitchen floor, even though the ladies in pink T-shirts pat the ground and offer treats. Ozzy would rather not be Mobile Pet Vets’ first patient of the day. Dr. Lisa Beagan and tech Robin Hennick brush off Ozzy’s rejection. They have plenty of time to win over the anxious pup. House calls don’t have a time limit. Eventually, Ozzy...