Faster

Hernias are a common ailment among Americans; more than 4 million people develop the painful condition. And although both men and women develop hernias, female patients may be harder to diagnose. Doctors and patients may not realize the abdominal pain a woman is feeling is because of a hernia. Dr. Hien Nguyen, assistant professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said the pain can be mistaken for other conditions with similar symptoms, such as adhesions from prior surgery, endometriosis, fibroids and ovarian cysts.

In theory, the defending Super Bowl champion isn't supposed to get stronger through the NFL draft because the team has the last pick in each round. That's not the case with the Ravens. After two days, they have picked up one of the top three players at two different positions. On Thursday, it was University of Florida safety Matt Elam with the No. 32 overall pick. On Friday night, they got another gem in Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown. The Ravens also picked Missouri Southern defensive tackle Brandon Williams in the third round, but he doesn't have the acclaim of Brown.

May. 18, Post Time: 10:45AM Entries and comments provided by the Maryland Jockey Club First - Purse $55,000, AOC $25,000-$20,000, 3 yo's & up, One And One Sixteenth Miles Post, Horse, Jockey, Trainer, Odds 1 Aussi Austin, Rosario, R.Rodriguez, 3-1 2 Bob's Gone Wild, Vargas, J.Lopez, 20-1 3 Jarrod's Commando, Karamanos, C.Garcia, 10-1 4 Warrensburg, Boyce, D.Barr, 20-1 5 Benny Or Local, Cruise, D.Kobiskie,...

AT&T has upgraded a mobile Internet cell site in Catonsville that will expand 4G LTE mobile coverage for Catonsville and Ellicott City residents and businesses. The upgrades to a cell site along River Road are part of AT&T's rollout of 4G LTE, the carrier's latest generation of wireless network technology. The network is designed to make mobile Internet speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G, the company said. AT&T launched its 4G network in Baltimore in October 2011. During the past two years, AT&T has invested nearly $650 million in wireless and wired network upgrades in Maryland, including nearly $425 million in the greater Baltimore area.

More corners of the country would have high-speed Internet access and existing connections would become much faster under a sweeping proposal to overhaul U.S. broadband policy that is being unveiled today. The plan from the Federal Communications Commission is meant to guide the government's strategy on broadband for the next decade and beyond. It reflects the Obama administration's concern that the nation that invented the Internet is in danger of falling behind in the development of online applications to other countries that have faster broadband at lower prices.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Intel Corp., the world's largest computer-chip maker, has released a new processor for servers that runs faster and consumes less power as the company seeks to win back sales lost to chief rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Intel Vice President Tom Kilroy showed a system based on Intel's new chip working in competition against an Advance Micro chip-based machine at a presentation yesterday. "We're back in the position we're used to being in, that's undeniable leadership," he told an audience of analysts.

I'm told that audiences at the Charles break into hysterical laughter when treated to the two minutes of previews for Russ Meyer's 1965 "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"Well, the movie's now here and the laughter's about to die. Why? Eighty-one more minutes of "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" -- that's why!Generically, the film belongs in that subchamber of the dank and scummy dungeon of the male pornographic imagination know as the Strong Woman Fantasy Room. Abandon hope all ye who enter. It's about three strong gals -- go-go dancers, that font of guy imagination circa 1965 -- who, helling around with their sports cars in the desert, come across a crippled male family, and set about destroying it to get at secret money.

World records in running are getting faster, and studies conducted at the University of Missouri at Columbia show why.Thirty years ago, a top marathon runner would train with a workout of 40 quarter-mile runs, averaging 67 seconds each. Today, no knowledgeable marathoner would run that many quarter-mile repeats that slowly. They know that to run fast in competition, you need to run fast in practice. A more respectable workout would include only 12 quarters, run much faster and averaging fewer than 60 seconds each.

Owners of business computers will get a break beginning Jan. 1, when Maryland adopts faster depreciation schedules for computers that will cut their owners' personal property taxes.All but four Maryland counties tax business personal property, as does Baltimore City, said Ronald W. Weinholt, director of the state Department of Assessments and Taxation.But state officials believed the former policy of assuming that computers lose 20 percent of their value each year, until their owners pay taxes on only 25 percent of their cost, was not keeping up with how fast new technology is making old computers obsolete.

LOS ANGELES -- An experimental AIDS drug, part of a new class of medicines known as integrase inhibitors, worked faster in controlling HIV than one of the most widely used drugs on the market, according to a preliminary study released yesterday. The integrase inhibitor, used in a drug cocktail with two others, cut the amount of HIV in 90 percent of patients to undetectable levels in 24 weeks. Much of the reduction occurred in the first four to eight weeks, said Dr. Robin Isaacs, who led the research.

Plans to get mass transit to the communities north of Pennsylvania Station are proceeding on parallel tracks. A one-year-old, grass-roots campaign to establish streetcar service along the Charles Street corridor and south to the Inner Harbor is still at the door-knocking, leaflet-passing stage. Meanwhile, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is driving the bus - figuratively - to extend the Charm City Circulator's Purple Line from the train station to 33rd Street. She made the proposal part of her State of the City address in February and reiterated her support last week at a Charles Village community meeting.

The continued development of second-year wide receiver Torrey Smith has been evident at the team's two organized team activities that were open to media. Tandon Doss, who has buffed up a bit, has also caught my eye. And then there's LaQuan Williams, now in his second NFL season, who continues to exceed expectations. As my colleague Jeff Zrebiec wrote this morning, Williams has really stood out at these offseason workouts . His game appears to be a little more polished, and he still has plenty of athleticism to make impressive catches.

Hannah Oneda made a little history in her final 3,200-meter run in high school Thursday. The Winters Mill senior ran away from the field early and broke a 30-year old record when she won the Class 2A race in 10:52.01 during the first day of the state track and field championships at Morgan State. The Johns Hopkins-bound runner broke the mark of 10:56.3, set by Atholton's Carolyn Forde in 1982. But while she said she's happy to do so, she seemed more concerned with the fact she won't get to run the race again at this level.

Tiger Woods, welcome to my world. You say the PGA Tour needs to speed up the pace of play? Try playing a round of golf on the weekend on the kind of courses where hackers like me play. By the third hole, when the course is backed up like the JFX during the morning rush hour, your head will be ready to explode. Under six hours? Not a chance. You might as well pitch a tent -- you'll be there all day. Everyone's talking about all the waggles Kevin Na broke out during The Players Championship last weekend.

Social Security will exhaust its trust fund in 2033, three years faster than last year's projection, according to a new report from the agency's board of trustees. The Disability Insurance Fund will exhaust its fund in 2016, two years quicker than earlier predicted. When Social Security's fund dries up, there will still be enough money collecting from workers' paychecks to pay 75 percent of promised benefits to retirees. Over the next 75 years, Social Security would need $8.6 trillion - yes, that's a “t” - in present value dollars to pay all that's promised.

Lou Galambos, professor of economic history and one of the senior owls at Johns Hopkins University, raises the ghost of his grandfather Lazlo in his new book, "The Creative Society," an admiring survey of the American professional class - the lawyers, scientists, doctors, business managers, teachers and others who made considerable contributions to the nation's power, prosperity and health between 1890 and 2010. It was the professional class that evolved throughout the 20th century to drive the U.S. economy and shape our society, Mr. Galambos writes, "and it's time we look at their contributions from the ground-up.

With hospital charges across the country rising faster than expected, Maryland's average hospital bill has fallen further behind the national average than had been projected - creating a multimillion-dollar dilemma for the Health Services Cost Review Commission, the state rate-setting panel. Hospitals say Maryland rates can rise slightly faster than national rates for the next two fiscal years and still meet the commission's target of keeping hospital costs below the national average. The commission's staff, backed by insurers, argue that hospitals will still be more profitable than today, even if rates should rise at a slower pace.

Buying a PC is easy. Prices are lower than I've ever seen; machines are more powerful and (with rare exceptions) even the no-name machines work fairly reliably.Yet most folks strain and fret too much when getting ready to buy a PC. They study magazines, ask friends, consult psychics and hang out in computer stores. Truth is - until recently - you could do pretty well by deciding how much you can afford to spend on a PC, then shopping for the most powerful machine you can find in that price range.

On his first snap in Saturday's 20-14 win over the Cleveland Browns, Torrey Smith did it again. As quarterback Joe Flacco rolled to his right and heaved a high-arcing ball 65 yards down the field, the Ravens' rookie wide receiver got behind Browns cornerback Joe Haden and safety Mike Adams, who was forced to haul down Smith as he leapt to make another long reception. The 60-yard pass interference penalty set up Flacco's first touchdown pass of the game. And while it won't show up in Smith's stat totals, the play's impact was not lost on Cam Cameron.

Baltimore's proposed Red Line was among 14 infrastructure projects the federal government selected Monday for expedited permitting and environmental review, a move that could reduce the time it takes to build the east-west light rail line by up to two years. The announcement was the latest indication that the $2.2 billion rail project — which would run from Woodlawn to Bayview — has become a priority for the Obama administration as it looks for ways to spur job creation through construction.