Germany

Marie Isabelle Ewing, who witnessed the coming of World War II in Germany and later settled in Baltimore, died of a blood clot Jan. 3 at the Broadmead retirement community in Cockeysville. The former Homeland resident was 92. Born Marie Isabelle vom Rath in Berne, Switzerland, she was the daughter of an American mother and a German father, who was a lieutenant in the German army during World War I. As an infant, she lived through the war with her mother and grandparents in Frankfurt, Germany.

Ruth Kutscher, who fled Nazi Germany and after settling in Baltimore later established a business selling modern furniture, accessories and gifts, died Friday of cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care. She was 91. Ruth Lowenthal, the daughter of well known horse traders, was born and raised in Linnich, Germany, a suburb of Aachen, where she was also educated. Mrs. Kutscher was able to leave Germany and Nazi persecution with the help of Myer Strauss, the Baltimore philanthropist and president of Strauss Brothers Dry Goods Inc. and the Standard Textile Co. Inc., who had acted as her sponsor.

Walter Jennings Ives, a decorated Army Air Forces pilot who flew 34 missions over Germany aboard Martin B-26 Marauder bombers during World War II, died Dec. 3 of complications from a stroke at Lorien Mays Chapel nursing home. The longtime Riderwood resident was 93. Mr. Ives was born in Baltimore and raised in a rowhouse in the 2800 block of N. Calvert St. He was a graduate of Polytechnic Institute, where he played lacrosse and football. After studying mechanical engineering at Cornell University, Mr. Ives enlisted as a private in the Maryland National Guard 29th Infantry Division, 175th Regiment in 1935.

Walter Jennings Ives, a decorated Army Air Forces pilot who flew 34 missions over Germany aboard Martin B-26 Marauder bombers during World War II, died Dec. 3 of complications from a stroke at Lorien Mays Chapel nursing home. The longtime Riderwood resident was 93. Mr. Ives was born in Baltimore and raised in a rowhouse in the 2800 block of N. Calvert St. He was a graduate of Polytechnic Institute, where he played lacrosse and football. After studying mechanical engineering at Cornell University, Mr. Ives enlisted as a private in the Maryland National Guard 29th Infantry Division, 175th Regiment in 1935.

BERLIN - -Germany's capital warmed up for the 20th anniversary of the Wall's fall with events throughout the city, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for a new trans-Atlantic push to free those still oppressed. "Our history did not end the night the Wall came down," Clinton told current and former European and U.S. political heavyweights on the eve of the celebrations marking the end of the Cold War and the continent's division. "To expand freedom to more people, we cannot accept that freedom does not belong to all people.

MUNICH, Germany - The last thing I expected as I slid my fingers through the handle of my first tankard of beer in Munich was 10,000 voices erupting in a ragged rendition of "Hang On Sloopy." There was no mistaking it, even when sung with a German accent. I was in a cavernous beer tent at Oktoberfest, Munich's salute to its favorite liquid, and like everyone around me, I was determined to squeeze the last drop of fun from the world's biggest kegfest. But "Hang On Sloopy"? Why not "Danke Schoen"?

Harford offices closed Friday for furlough 1 Harford County employees will be off Friday, government offices will be closed and only essential services will be provided in the first of five furlough days. The unpaid leave will help offset local government funding cuts imposed by the state of Maryland, officials said. County offices will also be closed on Sept. 4, Oct. 12, Dec. 24, 2009 and April 5, 2010. Employees who work around the clock at water and waste water operations and Emergency Operations Center personnel will not follow the same furlough schedule.

Dorothea "Doty" Brown, who fled Nazi Germany and ran a chain of children's shops in Baltimore, died of an infection May 23 at Union Memorial Hospital. The Village of Cross Keys resident was 94. Born Dorothea Dreifuss in Berlin, she became a professional portrait photographer and often took pictures of children. "She was raised in a very reformed Jewish home. Her mother had converted to Judaism," said her son, Gary Schoenemann of Owings Mills. "She had a private Jewish education, and the emphasis of the household was on culture, education and sports."

Cities with highest quality of life 1 Zurich, Switzerland 2 Geneva, Switzerland 3 Vancouver, British Columbia 4 Vienna, Austria 5 Auckland, New Zealand 6 Dusseldorf, Germany 7 Frankfurt, Germany 8 Munich, Germany 9 (tie) Bern, Switzerland, and Sydney, Australia From a survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting Co. based on interviews with residents.