Aggression

A world horrified at Khmer Rouge murders in Cambodia must not tolerate deportation, murder and torture in Bosnia. Institutions that broker peace in the Middle East should not shirk responsibility for what was Yugoslavia. Nations that rolled Iraqi aggression back from Kuwait cannot acquiesce to the unilateral creation of Greater Serbia out of other people's hides and land.There are three concerns for the international community in the wars of former Yugoslavia: humanitarian decency, resolution of disputes and the nullification of aggression.

We're still in Paris, where Yolanda and Brandi are running through the streets backed by what sounds like Parisian dubstep. Brandi's on a mission to look as good as Yolanda does when she's her age, to which I say, "Yesssss, ma'mm!" Both of them spent their modeling years in Paris, and it's cute to hear them reminisce. Especially Yolanda, who was "milking cows and riding horses" a week before she first walked on the catwalk. Gag, Mauricio and Kyle are having a romantic walk down what Mauricio claims is "lover's bridge," and as you all well know, I'm not a fan of either of them, so this is making me ill. There's some superstition about writing your names on a lock and key and chaining the lock to the bridge, and throwing the key in the river so you can be together forever.

Washington. -- It's been a long time coming, but at last an organized counterattack is being mounted against one of the most insidious offenses in our society: aromatic aggression, or the unrestrained wafting of supposedly pleasing scents.Law has historically enshrined the principle that freedom to swing one's fist ends where another person's nose begins. But when it comes to assault by smell, there are no bounds. Many magazines now reek like a harem, while rush-hour office elevators are filled with a miasma of intrusive scents.

On a recent cold, gray morning, state bridge inspector Van Swift jumped into his office: a 4-by-3-foot white bucket at the end of a 60-foot hydraulic arm anchored to a flatbed "snooper" truck. Working a cluster of joysticks, he swung the bucket away from the truck and over the side of the 800-foot Interstate 70 bridge spanning the Patapsco River between Baltimore and Howard counties. As the bucket descended, the whoosh of highway traffic gave way to the rumble of tires overhead. Swift maneuvered the bucket toward a web of girders, beams and turnbuckles about 120 feet above the rushing water.

PEOPLE WHO ARE fond of me think of me as assertive, while people who are not, do not. They think I am a . . . well . . . a word that rhymes with witch.I am neither the "a" word or the "b" word, according to Dr. Toni Bernay, a psychologist and executive director of the Leadership Equation Institute, an executive development firm in California.I am a euphemism."Assertiveness is in the dictionary, but there is no assertiveness in the psyche," says Dr. Bernay, who is working on a new book about women in the workplace.

WASHINGTON -- Scientists have identified a tiny genetic defect that appears to predispose some men toward aggression, impulsiveness and violence, a discovery that is likely to rekindle the harsh debate over the causes of criminal and abnormal behavior.Researchers emphasized, however, that the finding was thus far limited to a single large family, and that the inherited illness was likely to be quite rare in the general population.Nevertheless, scientists said the discovery counts as a persuasive advance for human behavioral genetics, a field that lately has been in disarray as previous announcements of genes for manic-depression, schiH1 and alcoholism either have been disproved or come under withering criticism.

Washington -- When the crisis escalated earlier this year, outside observers -- less than intimately familiar with the Yugoslav problem -- could plausibly argue that a contributing factor to war country was Slovenia's and Croatia's decision for independence. The State Department termed the action ''unilateral,'' hence unfit for American support.Even then that notion did not withstand a thorough test; the country edged toward a bloody abyss not because two nations decided to leave a squabbling family, but because the communist masters who were will in charge did not want to admit their historic defeat.

Spotted hyena cubs are exposed to such high levels of the male hormone androgen in the womb that they are born fighting, and in many cases one newborn cub will actually kill its twin, say researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.The discovery provides strong new evidence of the link between male hormones and aggression, the researchers report in today's issue of the journal Science.Females of the species, which is the most common large predator in sub-Saharan Africa, usually give birth to twins, and when both twins are the same sex, one immediately tries to kill the other, the researchers said.

See Jane Hit: Why Girls Are Growing More Violent and What Can Be Done About It James Garbarino Penguin / 304 pages / $25.95 In Girl World, the primeval land of catty, jealous adolescent females that was described in such colorful and alarming detail by Rosalind Wiseman in Queen Bees and Wannabes and Rachel Simmons in Odd Girl Out, baby boomer parents found their worst nightmares about their daughters confirmed. The sugar-and-spice darlings might still look pretty in pink, but they could be just as power-hungry and aggressive as their combative, in-your-face brothers.

PRAGUE, Czechoslovakia -- On the first anniversary of the revolution here that ended five decades of oppression without a shot being fired, President Bush appealed yesterday to Czechoslovakians to stand with him in threatening war to stop Iraqi aggression in the Persian Gulf.Warmly welcomed by a throng of more than 100,000 in Prague's St. Wenceslas Square, Mr. Bush argued that Czechoslovakia's history of abuse at the hands of Nazis and Communists was a lesson and that the country's future as a prosperous nation was at stake.

Baltimore-based apparel manufacturer Under Armour announced fourth-quarter profits of $506 million, representing a 25 percent increase from the same period in 2011. The company also announced its full-year revenues of $1.835 billion represented a 25 percent increase, year over year. "We closed 2012 strongly, delivering net revenue growth of at least 20% for the eleventh consecutive quarter in Q4 by building upon key apparel technology platforms like Storm Fleece and Charged Cotton," Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank said in a statement.

Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, bolstered by fourth-quarter and year-end revenue numbers that exceeded projections, made bold promises about the future of his Baltimore-based company during its fourth-quarter earnings call Thursday. Amid a reorganization of the footwear department and questions about how the sector was performing, Plank laid out a plan to continue building profit by focusing on shoe sales and through short, intense bursts of marketing meant to better spread word about new products.

Baltimore City Councilwoman Rochelle "Rikki" Spector introduced a bill Monday that would crack down on what she deems "aggressive" panhandling. Spector's bill would make it illegal for people to solicit handouts along street shoulders, medians and in traffic. It's a problem that's been getting worse with time, the 5th District Democrat said, and her constituents frequently ask her to fix it. "It's the aggressive kind of panhandling that I've been trying to get my arms around for a long time," Spector said Monday.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco quickly came to a realization Sunday night while trailing the New England Patriots at halftime of the AFC championship game. It was a realization shared by coach John Harbaugh . Flacco was adamant in his belief that the AFC North champions needed to become much more aggressive in the passing game. During the second half of a 28-13 victory that propelled them to the Super Bowl, the Ravens attacked the Patriots' secondary as Flacco delivered three second-half touchdown passes.

Imagine that a federal agency wanted to hurt America's working-class families on purpose. How would it inflict maximum damage? It might start by aggressively marketing homeownership to marginal borrowers. It would tell them that bad credit scores aren't a problem. It would push them into homes they can't afford, saddle them with loans that barely build equity and provide no incentives for fiscal discipline. And when many of these homes go underwater and into foreclosure, it would leave families in financial ruin.

Chris Johnson wasn't happy about surrendering the 11-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins to wide receiver Pierre Garcon that helped the Washington Redskins tie the Ravens and then win, 31-28, in overtime last Sunday. At the same time, however, the cornerback said he had no regrets about trying to jump what he thought was an in route by Garcon. “As a vet, I gave up a play that I didn't want to give up. It stuck with me for a couple days,” Johnson said Wednesday.

NEW YORK - For parents struggling to juggle work and child raising, the news compounded their daily dilemmas: A comprehensive study found that children who spend many hours in day care are more likely be aggressive and defiant. But a researcher involved in the study, and other child-care experts, urged parents yesterday not to overreact. They suggested the best response would be a nationwide push for improved child-care options. Some parents said they don't have the luxury of changing their lives anyway, regardless of what the experts say. Child care is their only option if they want to make ends meet.

WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats rejoiced at the close Florida Supreme Court decision that breathed new life into Vice President Al Gore's hope for the White House, saying it would allow for an accurate vote count in the bitterly contested state. Republican lawmakers sharply criticized the 4-3 decision, one of them terming it "judicial aggression" that was designed to "manipulate a free and fair election." Others expressed concern about whether a "subjective" hand count of ballots - with "dimpled" and "pregnant" chads - could accurately determine the next president of the United States.

The Orioles will return from the winter meetings still needing a power bat, but it's hard to tell whether Dan Duquette continues to believe that. He's talking up free-agent acquisition Conor Jackson as if he can come in and fill that role, but Jackson doesn't figure to be an impact player in the American League East. Though Duquette had success with some unorthodox acquisitions last season, his love for low-cost reclamation projects and his confidence in unproven talent could set Orioles fans up for a disappointing 2013 season.

COLLEGE PARK - One year ago, Mark Turgeon brought his Maryland basketball team to play in a tournament in Puerto Rico, where not even the swaying palm trees and balmy trade winds could make up for the coach's dissatisfaction with his players' efforts. Turgeon, then in his first year with the Terps, was a portrait of distress, stamping his feet on the sideline and calling out his players for a lack of commitment. While tourists at his beachfront hotel sipped mojitos, Turgeon endured a kidney stone - a suitable metaphor for a trying season in which he often seemed mismatched with players he had inherited from Gary Williams.