Advice

- Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has directed state agencies not to discriminate against gay people, essentially overriding the state attorney general's advice to colleges. McDonnell's directive Wednesday came amid a public uproar over Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli's letter last week telling public colleges they lack the authority to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Cuccinelli told colleges to rescind or change any anti-discrimination policies that include protection for gay people.

Last week the Wilde Lake Village Board announced its decision, online, concerning the Kimco Realty plans for redevelopment of the Village Center. It approved aspects of the plans that should have been disapproved. Two years ago the Village Board recognized that they needed the advice of professionals to adequately evaluate such comprehensive redevelopment plans and requested local architects and planners volunteer to be on an Architectural Advisory Panel. The four panel members recently submitted their recommendations after attending Kimco's community presentations and extensive review of their plans.

Michael? Michael, honey? It's mom. No. Not your mom. Not Debbie Phelps. But I am the mother of a couple of kids just your age, and I thought I'd offer you the advice I'd give them if they were about to step into an unfamiliar world. You have spent most of every day in a pool since you were 11 years old, and you are retiring from that life at the ripe old age of 27 as the most decorated Olympic athlete and the greatest swimmer of all time. Your future is a blank screen. You are rich and you are famous, and so you must be careful if you do not want to follow other famous athletes into scandal or financial ruin.

SANTA CLARA -- Jim Harbaugh's preparations for Super Bowl XLVII took an unexpected turn Friday morning when he called into a sports-talk radio show. Not just any show, however. Harbaugh took notes while listening to sage advice from Pro Football Hall of Fame coach John Madden, who hosts a daily segment on KCBS 740-AM. Madden coached the Raiders to their first Super Bowl championship, a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI in January 1977. Harbaugh will try matching that feat Feb. 3 when his 49ers face the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans.

In reviewing "Savage U,"  MTV's  sex advice show featuring Dan Savage, I predicted that it was going to be a culture-wars lightning rod at some point. The show debuted with an episode set at the University of Maryland April 3. Well, it didn't take long. On April 7, Brent Bozell, publisher of the right-wing media watchdog website NewsBusters went absolutely off the rails with a column attacking MTV and Savage as merchants of "smut. " Here's how Bozell started his column, and he was only warming up: MTV is now trying to lure young viewers with a saucy sex show in the “advice” category.

Two time zones and a few thousand miles didn't prevent Eli Manning from seeking some advice about the Ravens defense from a trusted source: his older brother. The New York Giants quarterback admitted that he has already talked to Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning about the Ravens, who absorbed a 34-17 defeat at the hands of the Broncos last Sunday. “I talked to him a little bit and watched the game,” Eli Manning said during a conference call with Baltimore media Wednesday.

Loyola sophomore goalie Jack Runkel has been a pleasant surprise this season, starting 14 of 16 games. He is 14-1 and has a goals-against average of 7.75 and a .536 save percentage. But on a team which has the best starting talent of the four semifinalists, how Runkel will hold up this weekend is the major question for the No. 1 seed Greyhounds, who will play No. 4 seed Notre Dame in a semifinal game on Saturday. Fortunately, Runkel has Charley Toomey as a head coach, a former All-American goalie at Loyola.

IN THE NEWSPAPER the other day was a disturbing letter that underscores the deteriorating relationship between men and women in this country.The letter appeared in Dear Abby. This is the syndicated advice column written by Abigail Van Buren, who, while not quite as famous as Ann Landers, enjoys the same impressive helmet of kiln-hardened hair as her twin sister, judging by their pictures.Anyway, the letter read as follows:"Dear Abby: What does a wife do when she gets a really ugly (my emphasis)

Home base isn't just for baseball anymore. Author Judy Blume has created her own Web site, called Homebase, at www.judyblume.com. It is full of information about the author and her books, and she also offers advice to readers. The site includes a list of Blume's books by category and a helpful section called "Writing Tips," where Blume shares with aspiring writers her ideas and advice on issues like rewriting, dealing with teachers, getting published, finding your own style and dealing with rejection.

Rory McIlroy is back this week at the scene of his greatest career triumph — still unable to escape questions about his biggest disappointment. "I've taken my own views from what happened a few weeks ago and moved on," said McIlroy, defending champion at this week's Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, N.C. "I displayed a few weaknesses in my game that I need to work on. " A year ago, McIlroy was the toast of the golf realm. One day shy of his 21st birthday, he had just blitzed the Quail Hollow field with a final-day 62 that was capped by six consecutive 3s. But memories are short, and the prominent one now is of his detour near the Augusta National cabins as he squandered what began Masters Sunday as a four-shot lead.