Reader

Reader's Digest, still around after all these years, was out Sunday being part of Americana. As part of the Reader's Digest Best of America tour, representatives of the magazine were at the Hagerstown Suns game at Municipal Stadium for a little fun. Copies of the July issue were being handed out, enlightening people on subjects including “13 Things Farmers Won't Tell You,” and several Reader's Digest books were spread out on a table....

In the spirit of the holidays, one reader has expressed a desire to give $500 each to local nonprofit organizations to help people in Washington County. This reader has asked that leaders from local charities write a letter to the editor explaining how the $500 would be used to help people here. The money must be directed toward helping those in need and not redirected into operating budgets. Anyone else who would like to join this reader by donating may call Susan Snyder at The Herald-Mail at 301-791-7375.

Rick Curd reads a book and puffs on a cigar under a pavilion Tuesday at Renfrew Park in Waynesboro, Pa. The shelter provided a dry spot away from the afternoon drizzle. Curd, who has homes in Michigan and Florida, was visiting relatives in the area.

Brett Guessford receives a certificate from Miss Donna at the Williamsport Library. He was the top reader and read 83 books over the summer.

Age: 46 City in which you reside: Hagerstown Day job: Sales director for What's NXT Book title: "The Funniest Political Emails I Read While My Boss Thought I Was Working" Genre: Humor Synopsis of book: This book is a collection of laugh-out-loud stories, jokes and artwork that have been created by everyday folks and distributed through email. This collection - my second book - focuses strictly on the politicians who run our government. Publisher: www.kengarberbooks.com (self-published through Book Baby)

During the next two weeks, we will be introducing a new brainteasing number puzzle and also will add a new feature to our popular reader call-in lines known as Mail Call and You Said It. I know you're all probably anxious to learn more about the change to the phone line, but I'll get to that in a minute. I want to first talk about sudoku - a Japanese logic game that is sweeping the country and getting a lot of attention in the process. We plan to introduce the sudoku (pronounced sue-DOE-koo)

As part of The Herald-Mail Co.'s countdown to the year 2000, Lifestyle will be asking readers to help us spotlight the finer points of the last century and look forward to the next. Our first endeavor is to gather a list of 100 songs our readers consider their favorites of the 20th century. Tell us the title of your favorite song or songs. Please include your name and daytime phone number. We'll run the list Sunday, Feb. 21, in Lifestyle. Contact us in one of the following ways: Call 301-733-5131 or 1-800-626-6397, ext. 2343, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.

The Washington County Free Library will launch a free magazine subscription service Wednesday. Zinio is a free online magazine service to which the library is subscribing for Washington County residents. Anyone with a library card can access the service free of charge. “We are excited to be able to offer this new service to our customers,” said Bill Taylor, reference librarian at the library. “It gives the reader a selection of online magazines to chose from that can be read on a laptop, a desktop computer a tablet or even a smart-phone.” There are 55 different publications from which to choose, ranging from Bloomberg Business week, PC magazines, and food publications to celebrity gossip magazines such as US. “The Zinio interface is very well designed with a table of contents, allowing the reader to maximize their reading experience,” Taylor said.

A Herald-Mail reader in the North End sent in this photo of a clematis plant that covers the lamp post at her home. She said it is beautiful, along with the other variety of flowers.

No, gas has not risen to $8.88 per gallon - yet. Herald-Mail reader Larry Black took this photo of the new Weis Markets gas station's gas prices sign before it was set to the correct price per gallon. The new Weis is at Stonehouse Square along Leitersburg Pike in Hagerstown.

Reader's Digest, still around after all these years, was out Sunday being part of Americana. As part of the Reader's Digest Best of America tour, representatives of the magazine were at the Hagerstown Suns game at Municipal Stadium for a little fun. Copies of the July issue were being handed out, enlightening people on subjects including “13 Things Farmers Won't Tell You,” and several Reader's Digest books were spread out on a table....

The Washington County Free Library will launch a free magazine subscription service Wednesday. Zinio is a free online magazine service to which the library is subscribing for Washington County residents. Anyone with a library card can access the service free of charge. “We are excited to be able to offer this new service to our customers,” said Bill Taylor, reference librarian at the library. “It gives the reader a selection of online magazines to chose from that can be read on a laptop, a desktop computer a tablet or even a smart-phone.” There are 55 different publications from which to choose, ranging from Bloomberg Business week, PC magazines, and food publications to celebrity gossip magazines such as US. “The Zinio interface is very well designed with a table of contents, allowing the reader to maximize their reading experience,” Taylor said.

Age: 46 City in which you reside: Hagerstown Day job: Sales director for What's NXT Book title: "The Funniest Political Emails I Read While My Boss Thought I Was Working" Genre: Humor Synopsis of book: This book is a collection of laugh-out-loud stories, jokes and artwork that have been created by everyday folks and distributed through email. This collection - my second book - focuses strictly on the politicians who run our government. Publisher: www.kengarberbooks.com (self-published through Book Baby)

Ornaments are more than decorations on a Christmas tree. With each hook, they hold a memory. They could be a store-bought ornament that was given to mark a milestone in your life. Or maybe it was a handmade item made by your babies who are now grown-up and have babies of their own. Maybe it was a gift from your grandmother who loved you unconditionally, but sadly passed away years ago. We asked our readers to share with us their stories and a photo about their favorite ornaments and we had a wonderful response.

The Herald-Mail is expanding “What's Wrong With This Picture?” Since 2009, the feature has provided a weekly look at safety problems, major annoyances and pet peeves under the direct control of local, county or state government. The new feature, now known as “Monday Breakdown,” will have a broader scope. We will continue to welcome the same types of submissions from readers as before. But now, we also will seek answers to questions of many more types. Any question that starts with “Why...?

Potomac Edison, the electric provider for Western Maryland, has had difficulty retaining an adequate workforce of meter readers, a company official said Friday. The shortage has caused complaints from some customers that they are being overcharged because Potomac Edison has failed to read meters as often as required. A formal complaint filed over the issue on May 21 by the Sugarloaf Conservancy of Frederick County, Md., will be heard by the Maryland Public Service Commission on June 20, according to the PSC's tentative agenda.

What do the movie "Avatar" and John Bunyan's book "Pilgrim's Progress" have in common? If you say both focus on man's journey to understand life and the world around him, you would be correct. If you say that both are allegorical accounts - one focusing on current cultural and political concerns and the other focusing on a faith-based journey through life - you would also be correct. Allegory uses objects, persons, and actions in a story so a reader can understand a related concept.

The problem: At the intersection of Railway Lane and Underpass Way off Wesel Boulevard near Valley Mall, eastbound traffic from the dead end on Railway Lane does not have a stop sign. “This causes a lot of unnecessary delay in the overall pattern at the intersection,” Anne P. Wright of Boonsboro wrote. Wright said the amount of traffic from the dead end is minor compared to the predominating traffic, which flows west to south and north to east. She suggested that traffic from the dead end should have a stop sign, while vehicles making a left from Railway Lane onto Underpass Way should have the right-of-way.

If you want to get a feel for the literary talents of students and faculty at Hagerstown Community College, it is waiting for you in 100 pages known as the Hedge Apple. A mainstay of the college for about 10 years, the Hedge Apple is an outlet for students and faculty to publish poetry, short fiction and artwork. The magazine usually attracts a large number of writers and other artists hoping to have their creations published, said Amanda Miller, a member of the school's English faculty.

Andy Rooney for president To the editor: I am not in particular an avid reader of books. However, my wife handed me a copy of Andy Rooney's book, “Out of My Mind,” published in 2006. I would suggest for you avid readers to read this very down-to-earth and common-sense piece of literature. In his book, Rooney tackles just about everything that is wrong with our country and the world. For example, on page 102, he writes about the world's population.