Durability

Inside Westminster Abbey, eight 20-foot-tall live trees lined the center aisle during the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William. The trees transformed the space, doing what even the most elaborate floral arrangement could not — providing a natural, living sense of permanence and an air of drama. The move was unexpected, unpretentious and bold. A potted tree on your patio or deck can have the same effect. While not every tree is well-suited for a container, there are a surprising number of options, ranging from crape myrtles to hollies.

The Ravens' scouting system, envied around the league, has remained remarkably consistent under General Manager Ozzie Newsome . There have been a few tweaks along the way to adapt to technology and the times, but the organization still doesn't belong to the two main national scouting services, and still does put the onus on their own area scouts to do the bulk of the heavy lifting. "We still have our area scouts responsible for every player that's being drafted in their area.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Game by game, the innings pile up for Terry Steinbach.Steinbach, one of the more durable catchers in baseball, is on pace to give his body the test of its life, whether he likes it or not.He has caught 177 of the 208 innings (85 percent) the Oakland Athletics have played in 1995. That's a high percentage for the most demanding position on the field. There is concern, but Steinbach has maintained a high level of play, refusing to show signs of wearing down."Sure, I feel aches and pains," he said.

Joe Flacco was one of 14 quarterbacks to start in all 16 games in the regular season. But Flacco's durability extends even further back. Flacco has never missed a regular-season start in his four years with the Ravens. Only the New York Giants' Eli Manning (2005-2011) and the San Diego Chargers' Philip Rivers (2006-11) have longer streaks than Flacco. Flacco, who played a portion of the 2009 campaign with a deep bruise covering his entire right hip, was reminded Thursday about his ability to stay relatively injury-free.

Matt Stover is an anomaly in the NFL. In a position that often lends itself to playing for multiple teams, Stover has shattered the stereotype of the vagabond kicker. In a job that can be one misstep away from a shortened career, Stover's durability draws comparison to another, more legendary, Ironman. Maintaining a much lower profile while playing in the same town, Stover has become the Cal Ripken Jr. of NFL kickers. "He's the most reliable and depend- able football player I've had in 45 years," said Art Modell, the majority owner of the Ravens and Cleveland Browns for 43 of them.

In the biggest commercial deal of his career, Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken has agreed to become a national spokesman for Chevrolet trucks -- lending his image of durability to vehicles General Motors Corp. promotes as tough "Like a Rock."The two-year deal, scheduled to be announced today, calls for a series of television and print ads featuring Ripken. Ripken's fees will be about $500,000 over the two years, according to a source familiar with the arrangement.Ira S. Rainess, general counsel for the Tufton Group, a Baltimore County firm that coordinates Ripken's commercial contracts, declined to discuss the fees other than to say the deal is worth six figures but under $700,000.

Q: In refurnishing a room, my biggest problem concerns the choice of fabrics. I'm aiming for an Empire look, elegant and richly colored. I have been advised that silk would be the most appropriate material for this styling, but I wonder about its durability.A: Silk is indeed the best choice -- not only in appearance but also in terms of durability.There are of course other possibilities, such as some of the synthetic yarns made to resemble the texture of silk. At first, these may appear less expensive than the real thing, but the more one knows about silk, the more reasonable its price will seem.

Is there a cloud behind our silver linings?In a recent study, Canadian scientists put "silver" fillings, which are half mercury and half silver-tin alloy, in young sheep, which showed signs of kidney failure within months. The scientists thought the mercury might be to blame.Mercury makes fillings pliable and hardens to a high state of durability. But it's toxic in high doses.Scientists have known for some time that small amounts of mercury leach out of fillings. But whether that adds up to human fTC risk is still unknown.

What do you do with one of the world's fastest computers? You can forecast complex hurricane patterns. Or simulate how stars form, how nuclear bombs explode, or how a spacecraft handles solar winds. Or you can learn how to mix concrete. Don't laugh. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg are using a million hours of processor time awarded to them on NASA's fastest supercomputer to analyze the billions of possibilities created by the collisions of tiny particles of sand, gravel and cement whenever a cement truck pours a sidewalk.

The breakdown of Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby has reignited the debate over whether breeders are sacrificing durability for speed. Young horses breaking down on the track has become all too common. Eight Belles is the fourth high-profile thoroughbred to suffer catastrophic injury on the track in the past two years. Since the 2006 Preakness, that includes Barbaro, George Washington and Chelokee, who survived his mishap last weekend at Churchill Downs in Louisville. "We are not in crisis, but we are approaching a crisis situation at a relatively rapid rate," said Dr. Larry Bramlege, the attending veterinarian at the last weekend's Kentucky Derby when Eight Belles went down and at the 2006 Preakness when Barbaro pulled up. "For a while, we ran clean - for six or seven years.

I respect Andre Dawson as a power-speed combination, an excellent outfielder and an all-around fine gentleman. I suspect he'll be the next guy to make the Hall of Fame from the current group of eligible players. He just didn't get on base at a high enough rate for my taste. On the other hand, it's a travesty that Bert Blyleven remains on the outside looking in. Blyleven ranks fifth all time in strikeouts and finished among the top 10 in ERA 10 times. He was 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA in six postseason starts and was a key rotation cog for two world champions.

The breakdown of Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby has reignited the debate over whether breeders are sacrificing durability for speed. Young horses breaking down on the track has become all too common. Eight Belles is the fourth high-profile thoroughbred to suffer catastrophic injury on the track in the past two years. Since the 2006 Preakness, that includes Barbaro, George Washington and Chelokee, who survived his mishap last weekend at Churchill Downs in Louisville. "We are not in crisis, but we are approaching a crisis situation at a relatively rapid rate," said Dr. Larry Bramlege, the attending veterinarian at the last weekend's Kentucky Derby when Eight Belles went down and at the 2006 Preakness when Barbaro pulled up. "For a while, we ran clean - for six or seven years.

Investors are a lot smarter about mutual funds today than they were 20 years ago. One big reason for that is that they lived through Black Monday, Oct. 19, 1987, the day when the stock market suffered its biggest one-day percentage decline in history. It was part of a three-day skid in which the market lost one-third of its value, and investors lost a lot of their naivete. Twenty years later, it's clear that those were positive outcomes. Mutual funds had been around for over 60 years, but had been the investment for the common man for no more than a decade when Black Monday shook investor confidence.

Matt Stover is an anomaly in the NFL. In a position that often lends itself to playing for multiple teams, Stover has shattered the stereotype of the vagabond kicker. In a job that can be one misstep away from a shortened career, Stover's durability draws comparison to another, more legendary, Ironman. Maintaining a much lower profile while playing in the same town, Stover has become the Cal Ripken Jr. of NFL kickers. "He's the most reliable and depend- able football player I've had in 45 years," said Art Modell, the majority owner of the Ravens and Cleveland Browns for 43 of them.

Tiffany Webb of Alexandria, Va., needed a special kind of hunting jacket called a shadbelly, but she was having trouble finding one that fit well. "I'm bigger in the shoulders," she said. So she turned to Barbara Deckert for a custom-made garment. Deckert, owner of Barbara Deckert Couture in Elkridge, made the shadbelly by hand, which took about 24 hours and required three visits from Webb, Deckert said. Yet the price was comparable to a high-end, off-the-rack coat, Webb said. Deckert, who learned to sew as a child, started her business about 18 years ago. Most of her customers are brides and mothers of brides, but she takes on other assignments, such as the hunting jacket.

WASHINGTON -- Orders for durable goods fell 0.3 percent last month, the second decline in a row, led by a big drop in the aircraft sector, the Commerce Department reported yesterday. Orders have been up and down for the past few months, but Bart Melek, an economist for BMO Nesbitt Burns, said, "The outlook for capital spending remains positive." Economists expected orders to fall about 0.2 percent. The report had little market impact. Orders for new aircraft plunged 17.9 percent in May, after a 30 percent decline in April, bringing that volatile category closer to normal levels after several months of extraordinary orders to Boeing Co., the large U.S. aircraft manufacturer.

It was a meeting called in March simply to discuss how to right what would turn out to be the worst season in Baltimore Blast history, but in the end it may have cost midfielder Tim Wittman his job.A decision was made Thursday not to re-sign Wittman, voted last season to the Blast's All-Decade team and who played more seasons (10) than any player in team history."I did everything the way they wanted me to, but I spoke my piece, and that's why I'm not here anymore," Wittman said last night from his home.

Ben McDonald made his first visit to Camden Yards yesterday since he parted company with the Orioles, and expressed no regret over his decision to sign a multi-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.That, he says, is because there was no decision to make."I really didn't have a choice," McDonald said. "There was some confusion on that. People think I turned down a contract here, but I was never offered one, so the choice I had was to quit playing baseball or move on. Mr. [Pat] Gillick was saying they offered a contract, but the truth of it is, that offer was never made."

What do you do with one of the world's fastest computers? You can forecast complex hurricane patterns. Or simulate how stars form, how nuclear bombs explode, or how a spacecraft handles solar winds. Or you can learn how to mix concrete. Don't laugh. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg are using a million hours of processor time awarded to them on NASA's fastest supercomputer to analyze the billions of possibilities created by the collisions of tiny particles of sand, gravel and cement whenever a cement truck pours a sidewalk.

U.S. durable goods orders unexpectedly fell 2.8 percent last month, the most in more than two years, leading some economists to pare growth estimates as a pullback in spending spreads from consumers to companies. The decline in bookings for items made to last at least three years was the largest since September 2002 and followed a 0.2 percent drop in February, the Commerce Department said yesterday. The falloff reflected fewer orders for aircraft, cars and machinery. "You are starting to see some evidence that the economy is losing momentum," said Steven Ricchiuto, chief U.S. economist at ABN Amro Inc. in New York, who predicted a drop.