Downside

ATLANTA -- Despite the harsh partisanship that had begun to infect politics by the 1990s, there was at least one tenet about which mainstream Democrats and Republicans agreed: Globalization is good. The wonders of free markets have been touted by Democrats Robert E. Rubin and Lawrence Summers as well as Republicans Carlos Gutierrez and Henry M. Paulson Jr. Belief in the glories of global markets is widely shared - a civic religion, especially among the chattering classes. As with most religions, however, its miracles are exaggerated.

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler is right to sign on to the multi-state settlement with the nation's five largest banks over some aspects of the faulty procedures they used to foreclose on homes during the mortgage crisis. The state stands to gain nearly $1 billion to help struggling homeowners and those who have already been foreclosed on, and it gives up relatively little in return. Most important of all, settling means the state can get help now - before it's too late for thousands of homeowners.

I ONCE lived in a rundown Chicago neighborhood where crumbling buildings and liquor stores lined the streets. Check-cashing stores sat on every other block. More than 10 percent of U.S. families don't have checking accounts, according to the Federal Reserve's most recent survey of consumer finances. They rely on currency exchanges and similar storefront businesses, which typically take a cut of 2.5 percent, and as much as 5 percent to 6 percent, of the checks they cash. The fees are much higher than the cost of maintaining a checking account at a bank.

In his commentary in the Baltimore Sun ("End the MTA Monopoly," April 14), Professor James Dorn of Towson University, and the Cato Foundation whose journal he edits, would have us privatize our public transportation. Dorn characterizes the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) as a monopoly, without mentioning the scores of private transportation providers (vans, shuttles, taxis, etc.), including the massive French multinational corporation Veolia, which already co-exist with the MTA right here in the Baltimore region.

Maryland faces staggering social costs in the form of increased crime, bankruptcies, divorces and other ills if it opens the door to slot machines, an array of speakers told anti-gambling activists at a national conference in Linthicum yesterday. The message was delivered by state Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. and two university professors who study gambling and its impact nationally. In his remarks to the National Coalition Against Gambling Expansion, Curran pointed to a research study that shows the economic costs of gambling far outweigh the benefits.

Dan has left the studio. The Great Anchor Hunt is in full swing at CBS Evening News following Dan Rather's departure from the anchor chair Wednesday. The becalming Bob Schieffer will hold the fort down for probably three months -- but then who? CBS president Leslie Moonves has said he wants to reinvent the nightly broadcast with perhaps a team of newscasters rather than with, say, another aging white guy. The names Katie Couric, John Roberts, Jon Stewart, Scott Pelly and Anderson Cooper have surfaced in the last several months.

There is a downside to winning American Idol. The victor can be profiled in a movie as dreadful as The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. The film premieres at 9 tonight on Lifetime, and Barrino's story would seem perfect fare for a cable channel dedicated to empowering women. The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale airs at 9 tonight on Lifetime; it repeats at 8 p.m. tomorrow and 9 p.m. Monday.

When it comes to the six Republicans competing for lead dog of the GOP leadership, all are on point: They love Ronald Reagan, are pro-life, advocate small government and promise more diversity and fewer taxes. They are also, with one exception, locked and loaded - armed in Second Amendment solidarity. During a 90-minute debate this week at the National Press Club, only Michael S. Steele, the former Maryland lieutenant governor, confessed to owning no guns. Say what? In a race where Mr. Steele's conservative bona fides are already held in suspicion, did his admission unseal any deal?

I want to start a health journal. What should I include in my daily notes? The contents of a health or fitness journal will vary depending on your goals. Recording exercise and diet habits is most common, but other topics include sleep schedules, game or match scores, practice or race times, and suggestions from doctors and trainers. The great thing about a journal is that it allows you to chart your progress and helps boost motivation. The downside is that it can be tedious to keep. To avoid dropping the pen after a few weeks, chart habits that are most important to you. Don't feel like you have to write down every weight lifted or every cracker eaten.

It was supposed to be just a one-time trial tonight, but now NBC has made it official and moved "Working It Out" to Wednesdays at 9:30.It will make its debut in that time slot on Channel 2 (WMAR) tonight with another top-notch outing of this well-crafted comedy starring Jane Curtin and Stephen Collins as two divorced people groping their way into a serious relationship.Henny Youngman is the unlikely guest star, playing himself in this episode as Curtin's character, Sarah, has trouble with the L-word -- the middle one of those famed "three little words" -- when Collins' David lets it slip out one night.

Low inflation is a welcome economic sign for spenders, but for savers, it can be too much of a good thing. The effect of super low inflation could be seen in recent days when the government announced changes to savings bond rates and retirement account limits that are pegged to inflation. Savers can now expect meager returns on the inflation-protected Series I Savings Bonds, if they even still want to buy them. And employees won't be able to sock away more next year in a 401(k)

With the emergence of the Internet marketplace, the early years of the 21st century will likely be recognized as the beginning of a radical transformation of the mode of many retail transactions. Not since the advent of mass-produced mail-order catalogs has there been such an altering influence on the fundamental nature of how people shop. Internet retail sales represent less than 10 percent of total annual retail sales figures, but this number is somewhat misleading. This decade, annual online retail sales have skyrocketed from $27 billion in 2000 to $134 billion in 2009.

Sunday's season opener will be more meaningful for cornerback Domonique Foxworth than for any other Raven. Foxworth, a graduate of Catonsville's Western Tech and the University of Maryland, will play his first game for the hometown team. "It's tough to put into words because this team is in my blood. It's genuine," said Foxworth, who regularly checked for the Ravens' score when he played for the Denver Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons. "I'm playing for this city. It's my city. It's the city I grew up in."

When it comes to the six Republicans competing for lead dog of the GOP leadership, all are on point: They love Ronald Reagan, are pro-life, advocate small government and promise more diversity and fewer taxes. They are also, with one exception, locked and loaded - armed in Second Amendment solidarity. During a 90-minute debate this week at the National Press Club, only Michael S. Steele, the former Maryland lieutenant governor, confessed to owning no guns. Say what? In a race where Mr. Steele's conservative bona fides are already held in suspicion, did his admission unseal any deal?

News item: A music blogger was arrested for posting several not-yet-released songs by the rock band Guns N' Roses. Prosecutors argued the leak could cause a financial loss for the band. News item: A federal judge in Manhattan ruled that the creator of a Harry Potter fan Web site cannot publish a guidebook to the fictional series because it would infringe on J.K. Rowling's novels and a similar "lexicon" she plans herself. News item: United Airlines shares plummet after a six-year-old story about a 2002 bankruptcy filing wrongly got posted to a news site, triggering a stock sell-off.

WASHINGTON -- Linda Clancy stuffed a shopping bag with rosary beads, crosses and T-shirts at the bustling national basilica gift shop yesterday, sheepishly admitting that she shattered her souvenir budget for the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. "I bought about $200 more than I thought I would," said Clancy, 49, who traveled from Tulsa, Okla., for the papal celebration. Tourism and transportation officials are bracing for thousands of visitors like Clancy who will descend on the capital this week, hoping that money spent for meals, lodging and trinkets will compensate for the jammed roads, no-vacancy parking lots and packed Metro trains heralding their presence.

Backing and filling on light volume of 141 million shares, stocks inched ahead 4.70 points yesterday on the Dow Jones average, closing at 3,017.89, now up 385 points this year.TAKE YOUR CHOICE: "Because the Federal Reserve is on Wall Street's side, stocks aren't headed for a fall. Never fight the Fed." (Martin Zweig) . . . "We're in an economic recovery, so earnings will rise, as will stocks. What's more, interest rates will // fall farther. Get out of cash and into stocks." (Mary Farrell)

Kent MerckerAge: 27 (turns 28 Feb. 1).History: 31-25 career record, with a 3.49 ERA and 19 saves. No-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 8, 1994. Last season, he went 7-8 with a 4.15 ERA.His job with Orioles: Mercker, acquired from the Braves on Sunday, will be the third or fourth starter, and right now is the only left-hander in the rotation. GM Pat Gillick thought acquiring a left-hander essential, particularly in a division that includes the New York Yankees.What he throws: A good fastball, good breaking pitch.

Up and down York Road last night, poll workers were asking the same question: Where are the Republicans? Even in some of the reddest corners of northern Baltimore County, more Democrats seemed to be slogging through the ice to the polls. "Maybe the Democrats have better snow tires," suggested a woman behind the registration table at Hereford High School. Tom Hessenauer has worked the polls there for more than 15 years, and he said he had never seen anything quite like it. At 5 p.m., about 25 percent of the precinct's 2,406 voters had showed up, and Democrats outnumbered Republicans.

ATLANTA -- Despite the harsh partisanship that had begun to infect politics by the 1990s, there was at least one tenet about which mainstream Democrats and Republicans agreed: Globalization is good. The wonders of free markets have been touted by Democrats Robert E. Rubin and Lawrence Summers as well as Republicans Carlos Gutierrez and Henry M. Paulson Jr. Belief in the glories of global markets is widely shared - a civic religion, especially among the chattering classes. As with most religions, however, its miracles are exaggerated.