Ensure

To ensure even cooking, cut apples for pie into slices of uniform thickness. Firm baking-apple slices should be about 1/4-inch thick. Softer, early harvest varieties hold their shape better when slices are 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick.- Cole's Cooking A to Z

To ensure even cooking, cut apples for pie into slices of uniform thickness. Firm baking-apple slices should be about 1/4-inch thick. Softer, early harvest varieties hold their shape better when slices are 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick.- Cole's Cooking A to Z

IMAGINE how annoyed you would be if a bank teller tried to sell you insurance while you deposited your paycheck.Or how angry you might get if your bank were using your financial information to help other lenders or investment counselors target you.That may not be just the stuff of bad dreams if Congress passes the Financial Services Act of 1999 and fails to follow up with oversights that ensure consumer protections don't suffer.The law will likely spur financial institutions to embark on an unprecedented wave of consolidation.

Improving salaries and training will help serve abused 0) childrenThe numerous articles, editorials and letters to the editor on the murder of Rita Fisher published in The Sun in recent weeks give ample testimony the reality and the tragedy of child abuse and the consequences of our failure to stop it.In his May 1, "We can't get off cheaply in protecting our children," Dan Rodricks emphasizes the folly of trying to protect children with an underpaid and...

SHOULD THE Enoch Pratt Free Library be improved? Of course. But just what do we mean by improved?It must improve the way it serves children and be linked more closely with schools. It must contribute to economic growth by supporting community-based organizations and small business. It must ensure that services match users' needs. It must fulfill its responsibility to future Baltimoreans and remain fiscally responsible and healthy. And it must provide equal access to information for all citizens.

PITTSBURGH -- Kweisi Mfume shed his suit jacket, pulled an NAACP T-shirt down over his white shirt and suspenders, and plunged into the crowd.This was the 48-year-old former Baltimore congressman's new constituency as president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: 500 Pittsburgh youngsters who had just been given free NAACP membership cards and learned to pronounce his African-inspired name (kwah-EE-see oom-FOO-may).Whether mugging for television cameras with these children, leading a youth march against police brutality, politicking with delegates to the NAACP's 88th annual convention or pushing through internal reforms on the convention floor, Mfume was at the center of whatever the NAACP was doing this week.

The Baltimore Police Department has implemented a series of reforms to address complaints of racism in the way officers are disciplined, and has agreed to be monitored by a city regulatory agency to ensure they are carried out.But after a year of work, the city's Community Relations Commission, established to review complaints of bias in city agencies, has not determined why a disproportionate number of black officers were fired or disciplined from 1994...

It's the haves vs. the haves.Both are used to having their way.In a time when development battles are long and fiercely fought in Baltimore County, the struggle pitting St. Timothy's School against its well-heeled and well-connected neighbors over the future of 90 acres of pristine land threatens to set records -- for resourcefulness and acrimony, as well as length of argument.Since the small, private girls' school in Green Spring Valley unveiled its plan for Bridle Ridge, a 63-home development on what is now fields and woodlands, neither the school nor its unhappy neighbors has blinked.

Cheer up. To ensure passenger safety, airline travel will be made more tedious, aggravating and expensive.Hizzoner bets that the slots industry would support either the schools or his re-election campaign or both.Administration policy on Haiti is crystal-clear. Part of it backs the good guys, part of it the bad guys. They subvert each other. What's confusing?U.S. gymnasts soared first and then tumbled.Pub Date: 7/29/96

Don't make doctors divulge patient filesI have been dismayed to learn (news story, Dec. 9) of plans by the Maryland Health Care Access and Cost Commission to require physicians to report to the state self-paying patients who choose to bypass their insurance plan or HMO and pay out-of-pocket to ensure confidentiality.Many genetic tests are becoming available which predict susceptibility to specific genetic conditions, as well as increased risk for more common conditions such as some cancers and heart disease.

The car industry's embrace of the automobile mileage standards announced yesterday by President Barack Obama is a sure sign of just how overdue they were. California was already moving in the direction of cleaner, more fuel-efficient cars - with states like Maryland committed to follow. There was also a distinct possibility that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency might clamp down further as part of an effort to address the growing threat posed by greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

PANIC OVER PAKISTAN: Columnist Steve Chapman writes, "We run the risk of getting carried away by scenarios that are terrifying but also highly unlikely. In the process, American policymakers are making the questionable assumption that they know better than a democratically elected Islamabad government how to ensure its survival. The threat from the Taliban has a tendency to shrink upon close examination. " For article, go to baltimoresun.com/opinion

For millions of devoted dog and cat lovers, the animals in their care are cherished as members of the family. But that's not how the law in Maryland treats pets when their owners die. Unlike human relatives, pets have no legal claim to a share of the estate, and owners can't even ensure they'll be treated humanely by their designated guardians. So leave it to two dog- and cat-loving lawmakers, Republican Del. A. Wade Kach and Democratic Del. John A. Olszewski Jr., both of Baltimore County, to come up with a bill that would allow pet owners to establish trust funds for the furry and feathered friends who survive them.

Funeral processions for law enforcement officers are an outpouring of respect, but can be a traffic nightmare for other drivers. And while the state police do their best to alert motorists with highway message boards and the like, there should be some other way to ensure both a respectful escort for an officer or firefighter killed in the line of duty and safe and speedy passage for highway travelers. Part of the problem, as evidenced by recent complaints to Baltimore Sun columnist Michael Dresser, is that police escorts aren't limited to funerals of law enforcement officers.

Baltimore's high school graduation rate has been found wanting yet again - an abysmal 35 percent and fourth lowest among the nation's 50 largest districts, according to a new study. Even worse, the gap between the city's rate and the 82 percent rate in neighboring suburban districts was the nation's largest. State and city education officials are challenging the calculations - and even have two different calculations of their own. But they rightfully concede that whatever the numbers, they are far too low. Beyond Baltimore, the lack of urgency to help more students finish high school is apparent in similarly disturbing statistics across the country.

To the citizens of Havre de Grace: I am announcing my candidacy for one of the open City Council seats in the upcoming May 6 election. I believe that I am one of the best candidates and I ask you for your support. My goals are consistent with those of the citizens of Havre de Grace. I, too, want to sustain the work started by previous administrations and introduce a few projects of my own. I want to provide a good family life in a small-town ambience. We must protect and enhance historical and cultural centers in our environmentally sensitive community at the top of the Chesapeake Bay. I will work to balance ideals with maintaining and enhancing the economic development of our town.

The state Board of Elections has been awarded a $78,000 grant to conduct an audit after the 2008 election to ensure that votes are counted accurately and that only qualified voters cast ballots. Maryland's touch-screen voting machines have been the subject of criticism in recent years from activists who believe they could be manipulated and their results altered. Gov. Martin O'Malley included funding in his budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1 for optical scan voting machines, which allow for a manual recount.

The good news for members of the General Assembly returning to Annapolis on Wednesday is that their most challenging work is largely behind them. November's deliberations, and particularly the tax increases they approved, went a long way toward addressing the state's projected $1.3 billion deficit. The bad news is that there's some unfinished business - and some difficult issues - still to be tackled in the coming 90-day session. Leading in the unfinished category are the budget cuts needed to ensure government spending does not outpace the state's economy.

The House approved legislation yesterday to strengthen consumer protections for mortgage borrowers as Congress seeks to curb the lending abuses that contributed to the subprime-mortgage crisis. The measure, approved 291-127, would require lenders to ensure potential borrowers have the ability to repay their mortgages and strengthen oversight of mortgage brokers. It now goes to the Senate. The bill "seeks to prevent a repetition of events that caused one of the most serious financial crises in recent times," said Rep. Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who chairs Financial Services Committee.

As thousands of families pour into Maryland in the next few years as a result of the military base realignment and closure (BRAC) plans, where they choose to live is likely to be heavily influenced by what local school systems have to offer. The latest wave of newcomers will include a higher proportion of civilians, who are more amenable to commuting, making their impact on specific communities much less predictable. That's why the state needs to give school districts additional flexibility in building or renovating schools, with perhaps more priority and funding given to BRAC-related school projects.