Dim

The nation embraced Paul Wiedorfer and put his name on a medal. But Wiedorfer wants to talk about the guys who never came home. The Germans threw up their arms and surrendered to Wiedorfer. But he and five old friends wonder if the governor and the mayor will do the same.History moves in funny ways. Nearly half a century since its close, some who served in World War II wonder how much value their sacrifice still holds. Wiedorfer won the nation's highest military award, the Medal of Honor.

I would like to suggest that our county officials need to practice what they preach - Choose Civility. Recently after coming back from an event in Baltimore City we returned via Route 175 and were shocked to see the bright lights of Blandair on full blast at just after 10 p.m. It was the first time that we became aware of why some of our fellow residents in Oakland Mills were so adamant in their dislike of these lights which are basically now in...

Have you ever been in a room and had the lights dim when some major appliance or electric space heater is turned on? People frequently wonder why this happens and what to do about it. Usually, it means that the appliance and the lights are drawing from the same circuit. Appliances with large motors, such as compressors in air conditioners and refrigerators, draw a large amount of current while the motor is starting. This current surge causes a corresponding voltage drop on the circuit, which will cause lights connected to the circuit to dim. To avoid the effects of these voltage drops on other electrical devices in the house, major appliances should be connected to dedicated circuits, serving only the appliance.

"VEEP" is the kind of series that separates HBO from almost every other channel or network making television these days. It takes great risks, dares to break new ground, includes some of the most imaginative artists working in the arts and aims for nothing less than absolute cultural relevance. Oh, yeah: It is also very, very funny in its snarky, off-beat, highly profane, single-camera way. That sensibility might take a little getting used to for some viewers. But give it a chance, and you will come to love the way it's used here to illuminate the darkness at the heart of our partisan-crazed, gridlocked and bleak national political life.

AMERICAN POLICY in Bosnia is built upon a shaky framework of political fiction, unrealistic deadlines and military muscle. Only the latter category is succeeding. The NATO-led force of heavily-armed troops has separated the Serb, Croat and Muslim armies along 1,000 kilometers of ethnic hostility. But the danger remains that this huge effort may be in vain -- that once international peacekeepers depart, Bosnia's warring tribes will resume their struggle.The chief political fiction is a Croat-Muslim federation that Gen. George Joulwan, the supreme NATO commander, charitably describes as "very fragile."

The start of daylight-saving time today means darker mornings. Sunrise today jumps from 6:28 a.m. in Baltimore to 7:28, making the morning as dim as it was on Jan. 4. We won't recapture that lost morning light until April 15. Happily, sunset occurs after 7 p.m. now, and will advance daily, reaching its latest at 8:37 p.m. on June 27.

When I remember now the love we shared,The tenderness with which we used to reachone another when the moment flaredInto a passion that consumed us each;When I remember all the sweet concernThat sheltered us from angry wind and storm,The loyalty that steadfastly did burnTo keep our hearts and spirits ever-warm;When I remember all of this, it seemsLike some hallucination I have framedThat has the essence of dim, distant dreamsWhere all that was is nothing as...

I know what caused the Great Los Angeles earthquake.That Sunday night, the Touchstone Division of the Disney empire must have held a screening of "My Father, the Hero."And the body of Walt Disney turned over in its grave so violently that . . . OH MY GOD! 6.5 ON THE RICHTER SCALE!In fact, the only thing that keeps the movie at all watchable is a great shambling performance by Gerard Depardieu, who is so shaggy-lovable he deserves an Oscar for most distinguished performance in the least distinguished movie.

Women and the Cairo ConferenceIf we credit Mr. Berger with both saying what he means andmeaning what he says, we are left with two dominant concerns.On one level, he appears to be telling us that in order to preserve the appearance of tolerance people should disguise their true attitudes by using socially acceptable expressions that speak on multiple levels simultaneously.If you talk about "urban" violence or "inner-city" ills, your intended audience will know whom you are talking about. This has become such a common mode of expressing racial and ethnic attitudes that for many years social scientists have identified it as an integral component of what we call "the new prejudice."

TIME WILL NOT dim the glory of their deeds, nor - for the moment - will the wrecking ball. The destruction of Memorial Stadium, originally scheduled to commence tomorrow, has been stalled by last week's vote by the state Board of Public Works - William Donald Schaefer and Richard Dixon stepping up to the plate - temporarily putting off both the old ballpark's destruction and the dismantling of the 110-foot plaque honoring the nation's war dead that was...

The General Assembly gave final approval today to Gov.Martin O'Malley's two Chesapeake Bay priority bills - one doubling the so-called "flush fee" to help pay for bay restoration efforts, and the other limiting development using septic systems. By a vote of 89-48, the Senate concurred this morning on relatively minor House amendments to the Bay Restoration Fund bill, HB446 , which would increase from $2.50 to $5 monthly the charge levied on most Maryland households and businesses to pay for upgrading the state's largest wastewater treatement plants.

What I struggle to understand about state Sen. Ulysses S. Currie is how someone who is described by his confederates as being "not the brightest" and "disorganized" could have chaired the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. This fact seems to be overlooked in all the hubbub. How many other powerful government positions are filled with people who could be described the same way? Mr. Currie was at the very least lining his own pockets through the auspices of his elected position.

At lunch time, black paper mats and red napkins are set over the mahogany tables. At dinner, ecru linens lend a dressed-up air. At either meal, the Zen-like ambiance of the Red Pearl is relaxing and, as every good restaurant should be, conducive to a pleasant eating experience. The 200-seat restaurant on Lake Kittamaqundi, in Columbia's Town Center, is just over a year old and quietly earning a reputation for creative, well-prepared classic and more contemporary Chinese cuisine.

There has been a lot of hot air expelled over energy-efficient light bulbs. House Speaker John Boehner criticized President Barack Obama for "giving finger waggling lectures" about them, and commentators Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have attacked Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, the new head of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, as being a "socialist" and promoting "nannyism" because he co-sponsored legislation that promoted use of the greener bulbs....

The last time Maryland played Virginia Tech, the Hokies scored the game’s first dozen points. The 12-0 score and subsequent defeat seemed to stick with Maryland coach Gary Williams like a bad cold. So one can only imagine how the Maryland coach felt as the Hokies scored the game’s first five points in Tuesday night’s rematch and raced to a 10-point lead. This time, Maryland rallied to take the lead but couldn’t hold it in a 91-83 Virginia Tech victory.

The national wave for Republicans turned into a mere ripple by the time it reached the races for the Maryland General Assembly on Tuesday, as most Democrats perceived as vulnerable defeated their challengers. Democratic House Speaker Michael E. Busch, openly targeted for defeat by Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., won re-election in his three-member Annapolis district. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., whom Ehrlich had said Republicans would "medicate" in order to get along with him better, coasted to re-election in Prince George's and Calvert counties.

When Constellation Energy Group and EDF Group teamed up three years ago, the economy was riding high, and so were they. Rising energy prices and a growing economy prompted them to propose the once unthinkable: developing, building and operating the first new U.S. nuclear energy plant in three decades. EDF, owned by the French government and operator of one of the largest fleets of nuclear plants in the world, would gain prestige and profit by bringing its expertise to America through the companies' UniStar joint venture.

Two years ago, officials bubbled with piscatorial pride when Frederick County angler Ron Lewis set a state record with a 67.1-pound blue catfish caught on the Potomac River. "Mr. Lewis's historic catch illustrates Maryland's superb year-round fishing opportunities," said Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin in a news release. With great fanfare, the enormous fish was relocated to a new home in the big tank at Bass Pro Shops at Arundel Mills, where it is still the biggest thing swimming around.