Eraser

Thirty years and six months ago, Marvin Webster was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, in hook-shot pose, wearing the uniform of the NBA team that had signed him to a then-shocking $3 million contract, next to a question asking whether he could "turn the Knicks around." At the time, it was Morgan State basketball's one shining moment and a gleaming one for Baltimore. The product of Edmondson High, the leader of the 1974 national college division champion Bears, the man immortalized with one of the greatest nicknames ever, "The Human Eraser," was, on Oct. 16, 1978, as big as it got in sports.

Loser won't be the worst name Broncos safety Rahim Moore will be called after committing the biggest orange-and-blue blunder in team history. "I'm taking the blame for it. Hey, I lost the game for us. It is what it is," Moore said Saturday evening, his voice cracking after Denver was eliminated from the NFL playoffs with a shocking 38-35 double-overtime loss to Baltimore. In a Denver locker room where grown men fought back tears and quarterback Peyton Manning's storybook finish was shattered before the final chapter could begin, Broncos coach John Fox had to find some way to say goodbye.

"I shouldn't be here today. I should be in my studio like a good little artist," Floyd Cooper told the third- and fourth-graders gathered on the floor in front of him, as he showed them unfinished illustrations for a book.But Cooper's light-hearted demonstration of how he illustrates children's books, and the youngsters' enthusiastic and many-questioned responses, belied the need for anyone to be elsewhere Thursday."I learned how to draw with an eraser," said Cooper, this year's visiting author-illustrator at St. Paul's Lower School in Brooklandville, where he spent the day with pupils in pre-first through fourth grades.

South River's Kacie Longo knows what it means to play under pressure. She proved that to top-seeded Arundel in the Class 4A East girls' soccer championship Tuesday night. After No. 4 Arundel took a 2-0 lead, Longo scored twice in the second half - the second coming with less than 40 seconds left - leading the No. 3 Seahawks to overtime, where they won, 3-2. Madison Koenig scored the game-winner on a penalty kick with 8:30 left in the second overtime. South River (17-2) will face Bowie in the state semifinals Saturday at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville.

As a drawing or painting tool, the computer mouse is only slightly less effective than a potato. This is particularly a problem for artists who want to use the power of the personal computer to create new forms of electronic art, but it also makes life difficult for people who want to draw maps, make sketches or simply doodle with a computer painting program.The Wacom Technology Corp. recently introduced a new graphics tablet for Apple Macintosh computers that uses a cordless "ultra" pen, instead of a mouse, to enable artists to draw, paint and trace images more naturally.

Bambambambambambam. Ratatatatatatatatatatat. Blamblamblamblamblamblam. Ker-pow. Grrrrrr. Arghhhh. The End.There. Now that the plot's out of the way, let's get to the matter at hand: What about that new Schwarzenegger film?Suffice to say, "Eraser" is one heck of a ride. Ludicrous at times, obvious at times, very funny at times, the one thing it never is is boring.It should make Arnold's fans very happy.Schwarzenegger plays a U.S. marshal whose job is simple: Keep people alive. His person today is one Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams)

Around the house* Buff windows to a shine. A clean blackboard eraser rubbed over a dry, clean window will remove any lingering smudges.* Cover a picnic table with a brightly colored fitted sheet. Top tables with a single rosebud or daisy in a bud vase.* Remove ball-point ink stains with hairspray and a dab of liquid dish detergent. Rinse with cold water and launder.In the garden* Spray poison ivy plants with a mix of 2 gallons of soapy water and 3 pounds salt. Repeat a few times until plants die.

Around the house* This year, be sure to label all boxes that are used for Christmas decorations before returning to storage.* Keep holiday gift wrap in good condition from year to year. Store rolls of wrapping paper upright in a garment bag or purchase a long box from a florist.* Prevent pine-needle fall-out from covering your floors when removing your Christmas tree. Wrap a sheet around the tree, grab the trunk and slide evergreen through the door.* Remove soil from grout. Try rubbing a typewriter eraser in between tiles.

Ah, the Computer Age. What a great time to be alive -- until the power goes out. Then what do you do? Twiddle your thumbs until the statewide power grid reboots itself? Well, you and your treasured manifesto-Great American Novel-haiku wouldn't have to wait if you had this 1960s model Olivetti manual typewriter. Made of steel and built like a tank, it works on the best CD-ROM you'll ever find: your brain. But, it'll take some getting used to. There's no delete key, no automatic return and -- gasp!

Maybe the kids used the walls as a canvas in a Picasso-inspired spurt of crayon creativity. Or the smudges around the light switches just won't budge. A wand won't help, but Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser might. The disposable cleaning pads feel like a dense foam brick, but when soaked and wrung out like a sponge, they're ready to rub out stains like a pencil eraser. We tried it on some stubborn soap scum that had refused to give way to harsh cleansers and, with a little elbow grease, had much success.

As he watched the 2011 campaign unfold while sitting on injured reserve for the second time in as many years, Ramon Harewood said he was driven by one thought: proving the Ravens that they made the right decision when they used a sixth-round pick on him in the 2010 draft. “In my head, I'm thinking that they saw something in me,” he recalled after Tuesday's practice at the team's headquarters in Owings Mills. “So my thought process was, 'Get back on the field and do what you're supposed to do.' Right now, that's what I'm trying to do.” The 6-foot-6, 334-pound Harewood is currently a backup tackle.

Chief Justice John Roberts, in partnering with the Supreme Court's four liberal judges to preserve the bulk of President Obama's health care act, not only handed Mr. Obama a victory. He also rescued himself and the court from a shroud of partisanship built up from earlier decisions. Mr. Roberts' surprise role in salvaging the controversial individual mandate financing scheme, and particularly his legal justification for so voting, demonstrated a thoughtful and ideology-free leadership the court needed.

Just two days after claiming their fourth straight Atlantic Coast Conference women's lacrosse title, Maryland returned home Wednesday to close out the regular season with yet another resounding statement: They're not finished just yet. Playing for the fourth time in six days, No. 5 Maryland overcame an early deficit with seven straight goals over a span of 15 minutes, quickly pulling away from No. 16 Georgetown before surviving the Hoyas'...

Litigants in the case against the State Center development in Baltimore are decrying a bill that passed the House of Delegates setting out new rules for public-private partnerships in Maryland. At issue is a provision that allows a party in such a suit to appeal a circuit court judge's denial of a motion to dismiss before the two sides are forced to exchange documents through the discovery process, and before they are allowed to present evidence at trial. The coalition of downtown property owners who are suing to stop State Center - attorneyPeter G. Angeloschief among them - is calling the bill, which applies to current as well as future cases, an extraordinary intervention by the legislature in an ongoing court proceeding.

Washington is riding a four-game winning streak and opened its Centennial Conference schedule with a thrilling, come-from-behind 10-9 win against McDaniel Saturday. But the Shoremen (4-2) will find out how far they've come when Haverford visits Roy Kirby Jr. Stadium in Chestertown, Md., Wednesday night. The Fords have qualified for the last six league tournaments and captured the tournament championship in 2010. This season has been much rougher for Haverford, which is off to a 1-5 start, but Washington coach Jeff Shirk said the Fords should not be underestimated or overlooked.

What's on the mind of a police officer when he or she pulls someone over on suspicion of drunk driving? If it's a desire to meet some kind of enforcement quota, that can be a problem - but one that can be remedied without endangering the public. A sergeant who tells the New Year's Eve shift to be extra vigilant against intoxicated motorists should be commended. But a supervisor who announces that every officer should ticket x number of drivers each week or face demotion has likely violated a 2006 state law that bans quotas on arrests or citations.

So you don't see what the big deal is? You don't go to bed at night worrying about Baltimore's harbor, and whether it is safe and secure from terrorists and other evildoers? Then you're clearly not Mayor Martin O'Malley, and you clearly missed the classic 1996 film Eraser. This may be a good time to revisit it - what with the controversy that erupted after a Bush administration panel approved a contract that would turn over some port operations in Baltimore and other cities to an Arab-owned (and we all know what that means)

Around the house* When painting a room, keep a baby-food jar of paint on hand for touch-ups. This will prevent spills that are likely when you carry an unwieldy can of paint.* Clean outside grill easily. When grill is warm, wipe clean with a crumpled wad of aluminum foil.* Buff windows to a shine. A clean blackboard eraser rubbed over a dry, clean window will remove any lingering smudges.* Remove perspiration stains from clothing. Make a paste of baking soda and water and apply to spot and rub. Launder as usual.

After losing close games to two ranked opponents already this season, the Ben Franklin-Masonville boys basketball team followed a difficult path to get over the hump in its third chance Tuesday. The Bayhawks rallied from an 18-point deficit and got a free throw from Parrish Wragg with no time left on the clock to come away with an improbable 57-56 win over No. 10 Centennial at the IAABO Board 290 Memorial Mixer at Northwestern. Leon Fleming scored 21 points and Antoine Montgomery added 16 to help set up Wragg's game-ending heroics.

When the punt bounced toward Gilman's Cyrus Jones with a little over three minutes left in a tie game against Calvert Hall Friday, his teammates yelled for him to let it roll into the end zone. They had plenty of time to go 80 yards for a touchdown. Jones figured he could get there a little quicker. The senior took the ball off the bounce at the 3-yard line, zig-zagged to the outside, got a huge block from Wyatt Dickerson to clear his final 25 yards, and raced to the end zone to give the No. 1 Greyhounds a 28-21 lead that would hold up for a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference victory over the No. 2 Cardinals.