More Silver Docs

Ok, my wife and I made it to our first Silver Docs film for the year. We went to see "Crude" which was shown last night. It is an important film by a well know director (Joe Berlinger) and we expected a treat. However, the film did not really do it for us. It was a bit long and tedious and frankly, disorganized. The film does cover the human interest portion of the Texaco oil disaster in Ecuador, but really does not cover a whole lot more. There is very little background or historical information about the issue. Texaco is made to be the bad boy but the truth is that there must have been plenty of bad boys involved to make such a mess of things. Very little information is given on the successive Ecuadorian governments that were willing participants in the scheme to exploit the rain forest for oil or the state's relationship with the Indians who lived on the land before and after the disaster. Much time is wasted on redundancy and the filmed needed to be streamlined and better organized. There is a long piece about the singer Sting's wife and her visit and support. It is all nice but really did not deserve the time wasted and was not that material to the subject of the documentary.

All of this, plus the jerky, in your face, hand filming that sort of made me seasick made the film less than a stellar experience.

I appreciate Berlinger's effort as this is a critical story that needs to be out in the public eye.

There are many more juicy selections on the Silver Docs film festival. If you got some time this week you should check it out.

Duckpin Bowling in White Oak

Ok, so it may be lowbrow entertainment, but it is still fun as hell. I am talking about the duckpin lanes located in the White Oak Shopping Center on New Hampshire Ave. Duckpins have always been a regional sport and the little brother to tenpins which people seem to always prefer. However, duckpins is cool! And, much harder than tenpin bowling. There are not many duckpin lanes left in the area. One of the few left around is the White Oak Lanes, a real old school bowling ally where you still have to keep score with a pencil. Sited down in the lower bowels of the shopping center the place feels like you are back in the 1960s. Go check it out. The little bowling balls feel great and are small enough for any kid to hurl down the lane. If you score over 100 then you have had a decent game.

Ice cream in Silver Spring

Serious topic today. I don't mess around when the subject matter is ice cream. 24 years ago my wife and I lived in North Woodside. We loved the neighborhood because we could walk to the various stores in the area and to downtown SS (had a Hecht's and J. C. Penny back in those days) for shopping. It was for us a big treat when York Castle opened up in the little stip mall on Georgia Ave. right before 16th street peels off of it. This was not your mama's ice cream store. The owner came from Jamica and the store featured an outstanding assortment of tropical fruit ice cream-not to be found anywhere else. We loved to walk there with our dog Hero on summer evenings to try out new flavors. Well, York Castle is still there serving up tropical delights that you have never heard of, and after 24 year we still drop in for ice cream. There is an whole array of tropical flavors to try. My favorite flavor over the years has been the fresh coconut and when peaches are in season, the fresh peach ice cream is to die for. But you have to try them all at least once. If you have never been to York Castle then you just don't know where the best ice cream is in the DC area.

Jennifer Cutting and the Ocean Orchestra to play downtown

This great local Celtic and progressive band will perform free of charge on June 18th at 7:00 p.m. The concert will be outdoors on the Silver Plaza (Ellwort Dr. near Georgia Ave.-look for the fountain) The event is part of the Silver Spring Swings summer concert series, sponsored by the Silver Spring Regional Center. Last March, we went to Strathmore to see the wonderful Irish band "Danu" and the Ocean Orchestra was there as the opening act. It was the first time I have seen Jennifer and her band preform and we enjoyed the show. I especially loved the talented and electric looking (blue hair) fiddle player. I am not sure if she is a regular member of the group though. Go see it. It's free.

Energy Star appliances

Did you know that a refrigerator made today is about 40% more efficient than one manufactured just two years ago. That translates into serious savings for you.

When buying an appliance, remember that it has two price tags: what you pay to take it home and what you pay for the energy and water it uses. ENERGY STAR qualified appliances incorporate advanced technologies that use 10–50% less energy and water than standard models. The money you save on your utility bills can more than make up for the cost of a more expensive but more efficient ENERGY STAR model.

The cost of electricity is going up and if you live in Silver Spring about 57% of your electrical power comes from not too "clean coal." You can cut back on your electrical consumption, save money and save a few mountain tops from being leveled in the process of getting your "clean coal."

If you are replacing appliances, look for the energy star symbol.

Silver Docs starts on June 15th

Don't miss this excellent documentary film festival featuring over 100 documentary films shown over 8 days. We discovered this festival a few years back and have been going every year since. It features excellent documentaries to suit any taste and takes place in the heart of Silver Spring at the Silver Theater. Go to www.silverdocs.com for information and ticket sales.

Dare to do something different this summer.

Maryland Homestead Exemption

Just a reminder that even though you may already hold this exemption on your property, you must reapply for the exemption when you receive your most current tax assesment. Most of you already have for this year. Included with your assesment this year was the application. If you have not reapplied and do not have the application, you can call 1-866-650-8783 and request a duplicate. Better take care of this. Faliure to do so could mean a big increase in your property taxes.