Control

BASRA, Iraq -- During a low-key ceremony yesterday, Britain formally handed over control of security responsibility for Basra province to Iraqi authorities, marking a significant step toward Iraqi sovereignty. "This day is a big day in the history of Basra and the history of Iraq," Iraq's national security adviser, Mouwafak al-Rubai,e told a group of at least 100 dignitaries and other guests gathered in the arrival lounge at the Basra airport. "It is a huge test for the Basraris to be in charge ... to determine their own fate and to rebuild the city."

Control will put you in a bluesy swoon. It locates the raw lyric impulse in post-punk rock as it tells the story of Ian Curtis (Sam Riley), lead singer and songwriter for the Manchester, England, group Joy Division, who committed suicide in 1980, on the eve of the band's first U.S. tour. Control (Weinstein Co.) Starring Samantha Morton, Sam Riley, Alexandra Maria Lara. Directed by Anton Corbijn. Rated R. Time 121 minutes.

The Call came for Orioles left fielder B. J. Surhoff and pitcher Mike Mussina yesterday afternoon. Named by New York Yankees manager Joe Torre to Tuesday's All-Star Game in Boston, the two join third baseman Cal Ripken at Fenway Park. It is unlikely any organization will send players more appreciative of the moment.Selection isn't without financial reward, but to three players making a combined $16 million this season, satisfaction rests in the acknowledgment by fans and peers. Ripken will make a record 17th appearance, Surhoff a celebrated first and Mussina his fifth.

1 The Ravens' offense must run inside effectively and control the clock.2 The Ravens' defense has to blitz early and get Rams quarterback Kurt Warner out of rhythm.3 The Ravens cannot let RB Marshall Faulk take control of the game.

WASHINGTON -- George Shultz, Ronald Reagan's secretary of state, believes Mr. Reagan bolstered foreign policy by an act of domestic policy -- the 1981 confrontation with the air traffic controllers. Mr. Reagan warned that if the controllers struck, they would be fired. They struck. They were fired. And, says Mr. Shultz, leaders around the world noted Mr. Reagan's forcefulness.Now leaders may have drawn some conclusions from President Clinton's domestic difficulties, may have noted his self-absorption, his willingness to sacrifice anyone and anything to his short-term calculations of personal convenience, his inattention to anything (including everything in foreign policy)

It's a reassuring thought. On a day like this it seems almost a humble prayer: Powerful anti-perspirant for the active man.On a day like this you see the streets are full of shiny foreheads and upper lips that make you think of old black-and-white TV clips of Richard Nixon. There's a guy walking into a drugstore with a wash cloth on his head and a blue mesh baseball cap on top of that. Another guy's walking down the street rotating his left arm away from his body as if he just pitched a two-hitter but you know he's only airing it out a bit and probably wondering: How am I doing under there?

YOU CANNOT blame anyone for questioning whether Edwin L. Edwards Sr. is really in charge of seven broadcast stations, including Baltimore's WNUV-TV, as he claims. He owns just 3 percent of Glencairn Ltd. but insists that he has 100 percent control.An African-American heading a television company normally would be celebrated in the civil rights community. But Mr. Edwards' cozy arrangement with white-owned Sinclair Broadcasting is troubling because it minimizes the effect of minority ownership and skirts a rule that prohibits anyone from owning more than one television station in a metropolitan area.

Four fewer walks. Nine fewer wild pitches. Two fewer hit batters.River Hill sophomore pitcher Shannon Jackson was a different pitcher yesterday against Howard than when she faced the Lions earlier this month."

THIS YEAR, Panamanians erected a symbol of national pride. In downtown Panama City near the sea, there stands a giant clock that ticks off the time until the United States officially leaves the Canal Zone.Because the United States will hand over control of the canal at the end of this year, the clock also stands as a countdown to the millennium, a new age for Panama. But, as Panama moves toward this major transition, questions are pursed on the lips of experts from the Canal Zone to Washington about the fate of this country that straddles the isthmus of our hemisphere.

Today's parents are creating "parasite" children. So says parenting authority James Jones.Parents are giving their children money instead of love and things instead of time."

The Sun's Olympic correspondents, Rick Maese and Kevin Van Valkenburg, are blogging back and forth to each other at baltimoresun.com/olympicsblog. An excerpt from From Baltimore to Beijing: To Kevin, et al., There's a man who stands outside the restroom here at the Media Center. I know you've seen him. It's the same guy every day, and he stands there without fail. He says hello when you go in and wishes you a good day when you go out. (I keep thinking that this poor guy applied to be a volunteer because he wanted to be a part of the Olympics.

If there's a secret to winning the draw, Maryland's Dana Dobbie knows it better than anyone else. By season's end, the senior midfielder likely will hold every NCAA career and single-season record for winning draws. She already owns the career mark of 305, a record she set March 1. Georgetown's Gloria Lozano needed 74 games to set the previous mark of 223, but Dobbie surpassed that in just 48 games. Dobbie's ability to control so many draws -- 97 this season alone -- gives the No. 2 Terrapins a huge advantage in possession time and momentum.

BASRA, Iraq -- During a low-key ceremony yesterday, Britain formally handed over control of security responsibility for Basra province to Iraqi authorities, marking a significant step toward Iraqi sovereignty. "This day is a big day in the history of Basra and the history of Iraq," Iraq's national security adviser, Mouwafak al-Rubai,e told a group of at least 100 dignitaries and other guests gathered in the arrival lounge at the Basra airport. "It is a huge test for the Basraris to be in charge ... to determine their own fate and to rebuild the city."

Control will put you in a bluesy swoon. It locates the raw lyric impulse in post-punk rock as it tells the story of Ian Curtis (Sam Riley), lead singer and songwriter for the Manchester, England, group Joy Division, who committed suicide in 1980, on the eve of the band's first U.S. tour. Control (Weinstein Co.) Starring Samantha Morton, Sam Riley, Alexandra Maria Lara. Directed by Anton Corbijn. Rated R. Time 121 minutes.

O's woes, Chapter 786: Looking for a sign as to what to expect out of the Orioles the next few years? Pay close to attention to what happens to Mike Flanagan. If Andy MacPhail truly has control, Flanagan will be moved far away from the controls. It's stunning he has lasted this long in a management position, and if he lasts even longer it will be really tough to believe MacPhail has the autonomous power he was promised. A-Rod a dud: It has never been more obvious to me that Alex Rodriguez belongs in a place like Baltimore.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture is boosting its mosquito control efforts in the wake of what health officials fear could be the first human case of West Nile virus in the state this year. Agriculture officials have more than doubled mosquito trapping on the Lower Eastern Shore, said Cy Lesser, the department's chief of mosquito control. The move came after the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported last week what they suspect is a human case of the virus. Officials decline to say much about the case except that it involves a resident of Worcester County.

WASHINGTON -- Democrats won control of the House in yesterday's midterm elections, toppling several House GOP incumbents as voters demonstrated their disenchantment with a war, a president and scandals on Capitol Hill. The Democrats' victory for control of the House tips the balance of power in Washington for the last two years of President Bush's term and brings the most dramatic political change in Washington since 1994, when Republicans won control of the Congress for the first time in 40 years.

Hear that? It's the deafening silence of politicians not talking about how the way to deal with gun violence is to deal with guns. A Baltimore 8-year-old brought a loaded gun to school last week that his classmate accidentally fired about the same time an Amish school in Pennsylvania was being razed in memory of five girls shot to death there by an intruder the week before. Those events closely followed fatal school shootings in Colorado and Wisconsin and the arrest of a Missouri middle-schooler armed with an assault rifle.

New York -- She feels pretty, and why not. Maria Sharapova, as much beast as beauty, won the U.S. Open women's title last night with an imposing and impressive 6-4, 6-4 victory over five-time Grand Slam champion Justine Henin-Hardenne at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Wearing her black evening dress, inspired by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, Sharapova dined on a menu of savory serves, sumptuous returns and a delicious forehand that kept Henin-Hardenne at bay. Nike, one of her chief sponsors, was trying to make hay during this tournament with a commercial that featured Sharapova going from hotel to tennis court accompanied by the song "I Feel Pretty."

It's like fighting fire with fire: introducing one non-native species to devour another. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources plans to begin releasing about 60,000 European leaf beetles today on the Eastern Shore, hoping that they will eat an invasive species of plant that is smothering wetlands. Some of the Galerucella beetles - brown bugs the size of a match head - will be freed in the area of Route 331 and the Choptank River in Caroline County, said Kerrie Kyde, an invasive plant specialist with the state agency.