Boycott

I was 18. I had been at college only a week and there was this poster asking us not to buy South African oranges. It seemed so obvious and so compelling that I wrote immediately to my parish priest at home demanding that he preach on the topic that Sunday. I truly believed that if enough of us students did as I did, the walls of Jericho would soon come tumbling down.That was 34 years ago. I have since learned not only that it takes more than the marching feet of students to change South Africa, but that South Africa is only one of many terrible examples of man's bestiality to man. Yet to me, as to many of my generation, South Africa remains the special case that affected us more intimately and emotionally than Guatemala, Afghanistan, Iraq or Rwanda.

Matt Birk's decision to use the national celebration of the Raven's astounding season as a vehicle for a political statement was uncalled for ("Birk explains D.C. absence," June 7). His "boycott" of the event was demeaning to his teammates and the organization. The idea that his appearing there would show support for President Barack Obama's stand on Planned Parenthood was ludicrous. It's sad that he chose to end his fine career with the Ravens in this manner. Kathy B. Kellogg

IN 1881, an Irish rental agent, Captain Charles Boycott, worked for the earl of Erne, an absentee landlord with holdings in County Mayo. The Irish Land League, led by the nationalist leader Charles Stewart Parnell, urged lower rents for farmers.When Boycott refused to reduce rents for his neighbors, they ostracized him, cutting off all economic contact: no servants, no farmhands, no commerce, no mail. His name stuck, and not just because of Mayo men's fabled aptitude for grudges.In this century, the boycott was an effective weapon against apartheid in South Africa.

If you're returning to Ocean City after a long, dreary winter, you'll be pleasantly surprised to see the resort is home to many new businesses. When you arrive in town, Rosenfeld's Jewish Delicatessen on 63 rd Street bayside should be your first stop. The menu is packed with staples from falafel and hummus to stuffed cabbage and potato latkes. This is truly a one-of-a-kind eatery in the Ocean City area, so you'll want to check it out. Walk a few blocks to 67 th Street - not too far to be tired, but just far enough to burn off some of those calories - and you'll find the TownCenter Midtown Boardwalk.

James F. Hunter never goes more than 5 miles per hour over the speed limit. The Connecticut businessman says he hasn't gotten anything but a parking ticket in three decades. So he was surprised when Maryland nailed him for speeding on his way back from watching a friend run the Marine Corps Marathon a few weeks ago in Washington. A $40 fine. Booked by a camera and a computer. For going 67 mph on the interstate outside Baltimore in a 55-mph zone that wasn't clearly marked, he says, in a work area that didn't exist.

Maryland football Preseason All-ACC team includes Smith, Wujciak Terps wide receiver Torrey Smith and linebacker Alex Wujciak were voted to the Preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team, the conference office announced Wednesday. Voting was conducted by the media at the ACC Football Kickoff on Sunday and Monday in Greensboro, N.C. Smith was voted to the team at wide receiver and specialist. As a sophomore he had 61 catches for 824 yards and five touchdowns.

This morning's article, "Ill Will at BP Stations" (June 15) highlighted the recent experiences of several BP station owners throughout Maryland. While some BP retailers have in fact dealt with isolated incidents of consumer concern and a few of the BP locations we supply fuel to have noticed a slight drop in sales, a majority of stations have not noticed much, if any, decline in sales. Overall, we are very grateful that motorists and consumers in Baltimore and throughout Maryland realize that boycotting BP stations only hurts the independent, local owners and operators of the stations and local distributors, like Carroll Independent Fuel.

The state NAACP unanimously endorsed during its annual conference in Solomons yesterday a resolution asking all businesses, labor groups and college students in Maryland to avoid Ocean City next Memorial Day and July 4, the resort's two major holidays.The group also is asking the General Assembly to withhold funds for beach restoration in Worcester County as part of what Gregory Wims, president of the state National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, called "a plan of economic sanctions against Worcester County."