Paradise

New Orleans.--The biblical Garden of Eden always seemed to me an unbelievably boring place, begging for vandalism. Every day the same weather, no sex, no fruit, no thought, no language. Adam sees Eve. Eve sees Adam. Nothing to say. Nothing to do. No hello. No goodbye. Keep circling. God always spying. No wonder they went nuts. Went for the nuts. Blame the nuts.Now comes ''The Lost Book of Paradise,'' restored by David Rosenberg from old manuscripts and ancient longings, a poetic rendering of a paradise stormy with emotional deprivation and strife.

The following is compiled from local police reports. Our policy is to include descriptions when there is enough information to make identification possible. If you have any information about these crimes, call the Wilkens Police Station at 410-887-0872. Baltimore National Pike, 5900 block, between 6 p.m. March 15, and 11:03 a.m. March 29. Fence and spool of fiber optic cable cut at Maryland State Highway Administration building. Bellegrove Road, unit block, between noon.

News reports of the horrific flooding on the Portuguese island of Madeira refer to it as a popular tourist destination, and it is -- if you happen to be British or German. It is not so well known here, even among Americans affluent enough to take vacations abroad. In fact, before the scary videos of the mudslides hit television over the weekend, I would bet most Americans had never heard of Madeira, one of the most beautiful places on earth. And I don't make such an assertion because my father was born there, or because my visit to Madeira rekindled some strange, almost haunting bond with the place, as if I'd been there before.

If you're a liberal living in Maryland, there's been plenty of reason to smile lately. The Old Line State continues to beat a steady path toward leading a new vanguard of progressive policy and politics in the United States. Let's start with last November's elections. Actually, no: To understand why those elections mattered, let's back up two more years to the 2010 statewide elections. Nationally, the 2010 cycle was nothing short of a nightmare for liberals and Democrats. The Democrats lost the U.S. House and, if not for a few self-destructing Republican Senate candidates, would have lost both chambers of Congress.

WHENEVER I GO to a beautiful place I imagine myself living there. I went to Boone, North Carolina, a mountain-sheltered paradise where rustic craftsmen sell quilts from shops that smell like pine. On the way there, Moravian cookie makers in 16th-century clothes sell you paper-thin ginger wafers. They bake them in the huge ovens that scared the daylights out of Hansel and Gretel.What is it with paradise that inspires instant terror? I asked Lynn Doyle, local poet and observer, after we bought these great cookies.

On December 9, 2005, MILDRED M. PARADISE (nee Kasda); beloved wife of the late Michael W. Paradise, Sr., devoted mother of Michael W. Paradise and his wife Jane, and Michele M. Paradise; dear sister of the late Charles and William Kasda; loving grandmother of Michael R. Paradise-Kruger and Caitlin A. Paradise-Kruger; loving step-grandmother of Jessica Telesca, Bonnie Combs and Robyn Layfield. Friends may call at the CVACH/ROSEDALE FUNERAL HOME, 1211 Chesaco Avenue, on Sunday and Monday, 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday, 10 A.M. Church of the Annunciation.

The following is compiled from local police reports. Our policy is to include descriptions when there is enough information to make identification possible. If you have any information about these crimes, call the Wilkens Police Station at 410-887-0872 Frederick Road, 6300 block, Dec. 18, 12:52 a.m. Two men robbed the 7-11 at gunpoint. Cash stolen North Bend Road, 600 block, Dec. 17, between 7:20 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. Rear door of house forced open and two televisions stolen.

I t is possible in this day and age to fly south in December and three hours later land in a city where you can sit comfortably in your T-shirt and linen jacket and eat your dinner at a cafe under palm trees and still enjoy the protections of the U.S. Constitution, which is a wonderful, wonderful thing. Paradise, in fact. The problem with paradise is that it's temporary: You don't belong here, and the neighbors are nobody you care to know, so it's only blissful for a week or so. You're in a city built on sandy marsh in a boom period, and when you look around at the freeway, the office parks, the malls, the curvy streets of houses, your hotel, you see nothing that predates 1980, nothing that distinguishes this city from Scottsdale or Fort Lauderdale or any other suburb in America, which is exhilarating to some people but not to you. And the people around you are all in the throes of relaxation.

MONTSERRAT is a Leeward Island in the Caribbean, a self-governing dependency of Britain. Its 39 square miles supported nearly 12,000 people in a lush, green, tropical paradise with hills above, a playground for the rich.Until two years ago, that is, when the Soufriere Hills volcano, four centuries dormant, roared to life. Now villages are gone. Much of the south is covered in ash. Clouds rise 10,000 feet. It may yet blow. Of some 4,000 residents huddling in the north of the island, half were being ferried by the British navy to the neighboring island of Antigua.

"The Puttermesser Papers," by Cynthia Ozick. 233 pages. Knopf. $23.Reappearing as a novelist for the first time in the 1990s with "The Puttermesser Papers," the celebrated writer Cynthia Ozick puts on a bravura performance. The worldly existence of her anti-heroine Ruth Puttermesser, a civil servant and compulsive bookworm, pales next to the teeming inner life that she tracks in this novel. As self-appointed scribe of Puttermesser's fantasies, Ozick draws on all her considerable talents and reserves: her deep historical consciousness, sharpshooting irony, and intricate literary craftsmanship, to name a few.In her most recent fiction Ozick memorably captured, in two distinct keys, the emotional legacy of the Jewish experience of World War II. "The Puttermesser Papers" moves forward in time to a contemporary setting, but holds in beautiful equipoise the satiric edge of "The Messiah of Stockholm" (1987)

Two decades ago, when lawyer Robert Waldman and his family moved to the Annapolis neighborhood of Homewood, there was talk of converting the old railroad right-of-way across from his house into some kind of thruway. An extra lane to take the traffic pressure off West Street, which ran parallel several blocks away; a route for a shuttle bus from downtown Annapolis to Westfield Annapolis Mall - city officials were regularly talking about ways to pave the four-block long stretch of grass that bisected the old neighborhood of mixed-generation families.

The following is compiled from local police reports. Our policy is to include descriptions when there is enough information to make identification possible. If you have any information about these crimes, call the Wilkens Police Station at 410-887-0872 Frederick Road, 6300 block, Dec. 18, 12:52 a.m. Two men robbed the 7-11 at gunpoint. Cash stolen North Bend Road, 600 block, Dec. 17, between 7:20 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. Rear door of house forced open and two televisions stolen.

Baltimore Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones just isn't going to stop running anytime soon. Certainly not while adding to his single-season career highs in tackles and sacks. And definitely not while keeping up with his younger brothers: Jon "Bones" Jones, who holds the light-heavyweight Ultimate Fighting Championship crown; and Chandler Jones, a rookie defensive end for the New England Patriots. To broaden his athletic prowess, Jones, who also wrestled in high school, spends part of his off-season alongside brother Jon, training in martial arts.

When trying to decide between one movie and another, consider asking yourself WWJW do? John Waters -- ever the connoisseur -- filled in ArtForum on his favorites from the year. The magazine asked Waters and a few other artists to share their favorite movies of 2012. Don't be surprised if you don't recognize all (or any) of the titles from the local multiplex. Here are the Baltimore filmmaker's top three: 3. "Paradise: Love. " A film by Ulrich Seidl. Here's how Waters describes it to Artforum: "Middle-aged women sex tourists can be just as piggish as their male counterparts.

GrandView, a condominium highrise in the heart of Annapolis Towne Centre, certainly lives up to its name, especially in the 12th-floor penthouse of Barry and Olga Scher. In this three-bedroom, 3½-bath unit with a den, living room, dining room, open kitchen and two balconies, the couple marvels at the views of the Bay Bridge and the sailboats, cruise and cargo ships that pass beneath it daily. Former residents of Washington's Georgetown/Palisades neighborhood, the Schers, tired of climbing the stairs in their four-story home, set about searching the area for the perfect condo, even checking out the Capital's infamous Watergate complex.

Rap radio's reigning king Drake will bring his "Club Paradise" tour to Verizon Center on May 25, it was announced today. J. Cole, Waka Flocka Flame, Meek Mill, French Montana and 2 Chainz will join the Young Money rapper. For many fans, a headlining Drake show is enough incentive to grab a ticket, especially coming off the critical and commercial success of his last album, "Take Care. " But this line-up includes some of hip-hop's most promising rappers, giving this edition of "Club Paradise" the potential to be one of the best concerts of the year.

Many bottles of pinot noir have been sold in the seven years since director Alexander Payne's "Sideways" took moviegoers through California's wine country. His long-overdue new movie, "The Descendants," was worth the wait. Maintaining a delicate balance between its comic and dramatic elements, "The Descendants" is one of the year's most emotionally satisfying movies. Although some of its later scenes seem forced and its overall tone flirts with being facile, these are relatively minor reservations.

Baltimore-native Stacy Keibler kicked off her birthday in "paradise" with superstar boyfriend George Clooney this week. The former wrestler and "Dancing With The Stars" alum, Keibler, was spotted in Mexico with "The Ides of March" star and friends just days before her 32 n d birthday this Friday, according to people.com. On Sunday, Keibler Tweeted a picture of the lush Cabo San Lucas location with the caption: "Chasing the last days of 'summer.'" With the hash tag "paradise.