Broom

The throw-the-rascals-out sentiment which produced several minor tremors in Maryland primary contests Tuesday resulted in a seismic upheaval in Washington, D.C., where Sharon Pratt Dixon, a lawyer and former utility company official with no previous experience in government, pulled off a stunning upset among a crowded field vying to replace embattled Mayor Marion Barry.Dixon, who campaigned almost entirely on a pledge to clean house in a D.C. government that had grown inefficient and corrupt after 12 years of Barry's stewardship, began as a long-shot who barely registered in polls.

The Orioles are going for their first three-game sweep of the Rays today in Baltimore since since July 24-26, 2007. Thanks to wins in the first two games of this series, Baltimore (22-12) sits two games in front of the Rays (20-14) atop the AL East standings. The Orioles have purchased the contract of outfielder Xavier Avery from Triple-A Norfolk, and Avery will be making his major league debut today, leading off and playing center field. Avery was a non-roster invitee who played often this spring, even after he was sent back to minor league camp.

Robert L. Rosenberger, a retired president and chief executive officer of the Atlantic-Southwestern Broom Co., died of cancer Thursday at his home in Hobe Sound, Fla. He was 75 and formerly lived in Hampstead. Mr. Rosenberger was born in Baltimore and raised in Govans. He was a City College graduate and served in the Navy during World War II. After the war, Mr. Rosenberger owned and operated a chain of dry cleaning establishments in the Baltimore area. In 1966, he went to work for the Atlantic-Southwestern Broom Co. It had been established in 1907 by his grandfather, August Rosenberger, in the 1300 block of Baylis St. in Canton.

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine.   Running it back: Mark Reynolds hit a two-run home run Wednesday night to help the Orioles break out the brooms , their first three-game sweep of the Athletics in Baltimore since 1998. ... The Orioles don't know why Nick Markakis has scuffled this season, but they don't believe an injury is hampering him . ... Dan Klein, one of the Orioles' top pitching prospects, is scheduled to have a precautionary MRI of his right shoulder . ... Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Animal Kingdom was made a 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Belmont . Hitting the links: 1. It's tempting to move good-hitting catchers to safer positions, but their greatest value is behind the plate [ SI ]

A very important issue that we all need to be concerned about is global warming, and we will get to that shortly, but first we need to discuss the issue of what happened the other night in my kitchen. It began when I was in the bedroom, flossing my teeth (I keep my teeth in the bedroom). Suddenly my wife, who is not normally a burster, burst in and said: "There's a bat in the kitchen!" A good snappy comeback line would have been: "No thanks! I already ate!" But snappy comebacks are not what is called for in this type of situation.

Howard Overman's new brooms always sweep clean.The owner of Maryland's last broom factory turns out 900 dirt expellers a week from a tiny, back-street East Baltimore workroom. It's hard to believe that every broom sold by the sprawling Rite Aid drug store chain has its origin in this three-man work bench of industry."The competition from Mexico has killed off just about all the Baltimore broom makers. I don't want to retire. I don't take much out of this business. It's the only job I've ever had," Overman said the other day as he stood at his stitching machine.

Tibetan incense fills Maria Broom's tidy apartment in Randallstown. A gentle, a rhythmic bossa nova tune plays on her stereo. She wears an earth-tone tunic and brown leggings. Large chunks of amber - set in silver - dangle from her ears and she wears several silver and copper bracelets. Her voice is soft but strong as she welcomes a guest on a recent afternoon. "I'm a joy-bringer," says the native Baltimorean. "I'm a hostess. I create environments, I can go into any place and make the space more than welcoming.

Against a deep blue African sky, a majestic woman steals across the stage carrying a spear and the conscience of a nation. Lithe and sensuous, eloquent in every gesture, Maria Broom presents the mute, haunting presence of Mother Africa calling out to her children.The Baltimore actor and dancer is making her Center Stage debut in "Les Blancs," Lorraine Hansberry's play about an imaginary African country on the brink of revolution. She plays a silent spirit visible only to the main character.

Maria Broom remembers the magical moment when she knew, with absolute certainty, what she wanted to be when she grew up: a dancer.She was 6, and her mother had taken her to the Lyric Theatre to see what Broom describes as a "grand, traditional ballet" with a full company of dancers. Even now, more than 40 years later, her voice reflects the awe and excitement she felt watching the performance.She remembers "a whole village of people created on stage," the beautiful costumes, and scenery that included forests and houses, a day scene, a night scene.

Carpenter Mike Cutsail and a colleague stood outside their work van on North Charles Street yesterday and gawked at the procession passing before them. Roughly 40 to 50 people, some in costume - like the man wearing a plastic top hat with daffodils sprouting from it - were sweeping past them, maneuvering push brooms and mini piles of trash. Musicians followed along, keeping the pace. "We're just wondering what the hell they're doing," Cutsail said. "It's not every day you see a bunch of people sweeping in the streets."

There are some teachers whose genius is clear nearly from the moment they step into a classroom. McKinley Broome, it seems, is one of those teachers. In his first year of teaching, he won the Rookie Teacher of the Year Award in Baltimore County and Wednesday, just six years into his career, the fourth-grade math and reading teacher was presented the Milken Educator Award, an award compared to the Oscars for teaching. The $25,000 cash award was a closely guarded secret at Woodholme Elementary School known only to the principal.

Carpenter Mike Cutsail and a colleague stood outside their work van on North Charles Street yesterday and gawked at the procession passing before them. Roughly 40 to 50 people, some in costume - like the man wearing a plastic top hat with daffodils sprouting from it - were sweeping past them, maneuvering push brooms and mini piles of trash. Musicians followed along, keeping the pace. "We're just wondering what the hell they're doing," Cutsail said. "It's not every day you see a bunch of people sweeping in the streets."

Kate Dallam, co-owner of the Broom's Bloom dairy farm and ice cream shop, was getting lunch with her daughter yesterday in Bel Air when a fellow patron asked her if she'd heard the news. "She told me, `Broom's Bloom is on fire, and the cows are still inside,'" Dallam recalled yesterday.

Democrats elected on a promise of cleaning up the "culture of corruption" in Congress are not exactly leaping to the task, mop in hand. They plan an early show of votes on proposals aimed at removing the appearance of cozy relations between lawmakers and lobbyists. But so far there seems little enthusiasm for taking on the hard tasks of reforming campaign finance laws or even assuring that ethics rules are strictly enforced. And only a handful of lawmakers in either party have any desire to shut down the "favor factory," convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff's term for the practice of attaching pet projects to legislation without review.

The members of Girl Scout Troop 7140 lined up at the prison's metal detector, eager to start their meeting. After a security officer patted their jackets, a few of the girls ran toward the locked front door. They knew the way, past the razor wire and dining halls to the gym. For some Scouts, a prison visit would be part of a field trip or community service project. But for Troop 7140, Maryland Correctional Institution for Women is their regular meeting place. Every other Saturday, they come to the Jessup facility, where their mothers are serving sentences ranging from several years to life in prison.

"Only the street-sweeper swishing his broom to collect fallen leaves from the gutter." `GET A LIFE' by Nadine Gordimer

"Only the street-sweeper swishing his broom to collect fallen leaves from the gutter." `GET A LIFE' by Nadine Gordimer

Percy Bond, retired director of financial aid and admissions at what was then Morgan State College, died Sunday of pneumonia at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was 80.Mr. Bond, who lived on Park Avenue, was born in Alabama and grew up in Washington. He was a graduate of Howard University and held a master's degree from Cornell University.Mr. Bond was an instructor at North Carolina A&T College and Lincoln University in Pennsylvania before being assigned as educational adviser to the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Curling not a sport? Tell it to my hamstring. Sure, it looks simple on TV. Grab the polished granite stone by its convenient handle and slide it along the ice in one, smooth motion. Two teammates with little brooms tidy up along the way with frantic sweeping motions until your rock knocks away the other team's rock or your rock blocks your opponent's next shot or you put your rock in the middle of the bull's-eye. As simple as playing football on a cafeteria table with a wooden ice cream spoon.

Have I set the bar too high? Are my standards unrealistic? Am I just an incurable curmudgeon? As the calendar flips to a new year, it is a natural inclination to take stock of the months gone by. But while others may feel compelled to ask tough questions about their relationships or career choices, I'm content to limit my introspection to my walk-in pantry - stocked with another year's worth of as-seen-on-TV products. And from my perspective, what a crummy year it was. I began testing infomercial products two years ago, and I'm continuing a tradition of taking a year-end look back at the highlights and lowlights.