Duct Tape

WASHINGTON - Pssst! Anybody want some duct tape? How about 200 yards of plastic sheeting? Yes, my fellow Americans. Someone at the Page household has, as in many other American households, panicked. Our panic began when federal officials upgraded the nation's terrorist alert status to "Code Orange." "What are we supposed to do?" asked the lovely and talented Mrs. Page. Wake me when we reach "Code Indigo," I said. Since this administration is too obsessed with secrecy to tell us why they're ratcheting the "alert" status up or down, the government's "alerts" basically remind us of what we Americans already know: Watch out, somebody might be trying to kill you. Not surprisingly, a lot of people complain that the administration hasn't been more specific about how we should respond to alerts.

2 men rob bakery in LaurelTwo men, one with a butcher knife, robbed a Laurel bakery Monday night after tying up an employee and the owner with duct tape and leaving them in a back room.County police said the men walked into Cakes Plus, in the 3400 block of Fort Meade Road, about 7:45 p.m., forced part-time worker Arthur Hilley, 60, into the back room and tied him to the legs of a table with duct tape, police said.The store's owner, Mahmood Kureshi, 45, of Silver Spring walked into the store during the robbery and also was forced into the back room and tied up, police said.

A Florida man convicted last week in a 1995 Westminster burglary and robbery in which a teen's wrists, ankles and eyes were bound with duct tape was sentenced to 14 years in prison yesterday.Casey Grant Jones, 21, received a 20-year sentence, with six years suspended. Carroll County Circuit Judge Luke K. Burns Jr. also placed Jones on five years' supervised probation after his release and ordered him to pay $2,750 in restitution.Prosecutor Clarence W. Beall III told the judge that Jones' conspirator, Robert Shore, is serving 18 years of a 20-year sentence for the same crime.

BOSTON - The way things are going, they ought to update the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook. The authors just weren't imaginative enough. They got the concept right. "The principle behind this book is a simple one: You just never know." But what you just never knew in 1999 was the easy stuff: how to fend off a shark, escape from killer bees or deliver a baby in a taxicab. The only time they come close to antiterrorism advice is when the authors said what to do when you're in the line of gunfire.

I am a podiatrist, and I would like to comment on toenail fungus and treatment. When you write "Home remedies don't always work," you imply that sometimes they do work. This is untrue. Home remedies rarely work. There are real, doctor-prescribed, FDA-approved, clinically tested medications to treat toenail fungus. These include topical Penlac or oral Lamisil or Sporanox. I have successfully treated hundreds of patients with these drugs. The unproven treatments you mentioned are little more than urban legends.

A gunman robbed an Uncle Marvin's Oasis in the 6600 block of Ritchie Highway early yesterday of an undisclosed amount of money, county police said.The gunman entered the store shortly before 1 a.m. and demanded money, police said. The clerk gave him some cash and her purse and the robber fled, police said. No one was injured.The robber is described as a white male in his 20s, about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds. He was wearing a white shirt, a yellow hat, a red bandanna over his face and jeans, police said.

It wasn't so long ago that Banana Republic was the Temple of Khaki. We're talking Jeep rammed through the front window of the store and a catalog filled with references to Africa and the jungle and brimming with khaki pants, vests and ghurka shorts. The store is now better known for its tres fashionable work and casual clothes, but Banana Republic hasn't forgotten its khaki roots -- that much is evident from its spring collection. Now, however, the store is calling the stuff "chino" and making it look more contemporary and less weekendy.

Ocean City police charged two men yesterday with robbing the North Beach Studio in Ocean Plaza Mall.Police arrested Jason W. Mackey, 22, and Steven A. Hanlon, 21, on charges of armed robbery, first-degree burglary, felony theft and battery.Police say a man picked up another man at a nearby security guard job and drove to the mall, where the men threatened the store manager with a knife and took money.The two bound the store manager with duct tape and left, according to police. The manager wiggled out of the tape, chased the men from the store and watched them drive away.

A 17-year-old city youth was convicted last night in Baltimore County Circuit Court of first-degree murder in the killing of a Hunt Valley Burger King manager during a robbery in December. Andre Lawson of the 1000 block of N. Central Ave. was also convicted of armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery by a jury that deliberated for five hours after a four-day trial. Lawson could get life in prison without parole when Judge Alexander Wright Jr. sentences him. James Stambaugh Jr., 21, of Towson, was stabbed and beaten to death after closing the restaurant Dec. 23. Assistant State's Attorney Mickey Norman told jurors in his closing argument yesterday that Stambaugh recognized one of his assailants and was stabbed when he fought off attempts to bind his face and hands with duct tape.

Two men wearing uniforms resembling those worn by Baltimore police officers forced their way into a Southeast Baltimore apartment yesterday, handcuffed the owner and repeatedly beat him, police said.George Vasiliades, 53, who owns the Sip & Bite diner in the 2200 block of Boston St., was treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital for injuries to his head and face and released late yesterday.Agent Robert W. Weinhold Jr., a police spokesman, said investigators believe that robbery was the motive.But they were unsure if anything had been taken from the apartment -- above the diner -- because interviews with Mr. Vasiliades were incomplete.