Flexibility

Believe it or not, Congress actually needs more people like Sen. Trent Lott, who announced his retirement Monday. The glib Mississippi Republican is a seersucker-loving Southerner whose conservative political views couldn't get him elected in Philadelphia to a seat on Traffic Court. But he brought a quality to Congress that more lawmakers need: He got things done. Few elected officials in the last 35 years have shown more flexibility than Mr. Lott to work with the opposing party. - The Philadelphia Inquirer

THE TEAMSTERS' new president, James P. Hoffa, showed admirable flexibility rather than militancy by working to hammer out a major agreement with 17 auto-hauling companies this week -- without a punishing strike.Mr. Hoffa decided to extend negotiations as deadlines approached at midnight Tuesday and again yesterday, and then he bargained fairly to win a contract yesterday that ultimately will benefit auto haulers and the 12,000 Teamsters involved in moving 15 million new cars from factories to dealers.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Federal Communications Commission yesterday relaxed its cable television ownership rules, lowering the regulatory obstacles that AT&T Corp. must clear in its $55 billion purchase of MediaOne Group Inc.The agency will keep rules that bar a company from owning systems serving more than 30 percent of U.S. households with cable. Yet it expanded the defined market by adding satellite TV subscribers, raising the cap to 36.7 percent of cable homes.The FCC also voted to let cable systems own more than 5 percent of another company without subjecting it to the ownership cap when Internet and nonvideo services are offered.

An ordinance approved last night by the Taneytown City Council will allow developers and planning boards more flexibility in designing developments with a mix of architectural styles and housing types.The Community Village ordinance can be applied to existing housing developments, said Mayor Henry C. Heine. The ordinance keeps the existing zoning structure, but allows a developer to seek exceptions in a give-and-take process with the Planning and Zoning Commission.Until now, a developer was limited in designing homes to exact specifications in the zoning laws, such as how deep the front yard can be and whether the units would be single-family, duplex or townhouses, Heine said.

The Maryland House of Delegates gave its approval yesterday to legislation that would allow Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. to form a holding company, a measure the company says it needs to retain its competitive flexibility.The bill passed on a vote of 102 to 23. An identical measure is pending in a Senate committee.Several delegates spoke against the bill, saying it could potentially allow the company to merge with other holding companies without scrutiny by state regulators.But the bill's proponents said the state Public Service Commission would be able to review such mergers.

The Orioles' bullpen did something unusual the other night.It failed.Left-hander Arthur Rhodes gave up three runs in the eighth inning of a loss to the Anaheim Angels on Saturday night, and was as shocked as everybody else. Orioles relievers have grown so accustomed to success that anything less seems, well, a lot less than likely.Rhodes, for example, had not lost a game since May 25, even though he is one of the workhorses in middle relief. The bullpen has 22 victories, a combined 2.67 ERA and 46 saves in 52 opportunities.

WASHINGTON -- It's nice to have Labor Day. But now, at the dawn of the New Economy, we also need a Business Day. With such a perspective, the summer of 1997 could have served as the first session of New Economics 101, a course we all need.The AFL-CIO did its part. When the Teamsters struck UPS, the national labor confederation pledged money and moved to the front lines of the public-relations war. The unionistas made a stark ideological case: The greed of the business class, coupled with the New Economy, was creating a ''part-time America'' where working men and women who played by the rules couldn't get a full-time job or earn a living wage.

ASK BUSY moms whether they would prefer more money in their paychecks or the opportunity to trade overtime compensation for time off for family duties, and the answer from many is a no-brainer. In an era when harried workers are trying to juggle jobs and child-rearing responsibilities while schools complain about declining parent involvement, the notion of giving hourly workers in private business the same flexibility enjoyed by managers and by all federal workers seems a no-brainer as well.

WASHINGTON -- The 40-hour workweek has been a basic standard of the U.S. workplace for nearly 60 years, but now many in Congress want to change those rules in an age of two-worker and single-parent families.Republican leaders say one of their top priorities this year is to pass laws that give workers and employers more flexibility to schedule the workweek. President Clinton has signaled that he's also interested. But unions are opposed."What's developing is a debate over what we see as a standard workweek and a standard day," said Suzanne Smith, co-director of New Ways to Work, a San Francisco research and resource center.

Amtrak will get $2.3 billion in critically needed funds under the tax bill approved by Congress yesterday. But, for the first time, money for the nation's ailing rail system will be tied to passage of controversial reforms that have long eluded lawmakers."

Running puts an enormous amount of pressure and strain on the body and can often lead to injury, says Dr. Brian Polsky, a sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon at St. Agnes Hospital. Sixty percent of runners experience an injury severe enough to sideline them, he says. With marathon season here - the Baltimore Marathon takes place Oct. 10 - Polsky outlines a few steps runners of all abilities can take in order to prevent running injuries. Maintain flexibility and strength: Both strength training and flexibility exercises should be components of a runner's weekly workout.

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail laid it out to owner Peter Angelos in a phone conversation about outfielder Jay Gibbons within the past couple of days. "I gave him the ramifications and what my thinking was," MacPhail said. "I hadn't really reached any conclusions myself. I was wrestling with this one. I was really, to be honest with you, looking for some advice. His advice was, `You gotta do what you gotta do.' Those were the last words that he left me with, and I took the position of, `Well, this is what we have to do.' " Needing to set their Opening Day roster by yesterday afternoon, the Orioles released Gibbons, the second-longest-tenured member of the club, and will absorb the $11.9 million left on his contract over the next two years.

Protecting roads, rest stops Legislative wrangling over next year's state budget has produced yet another incredibly bad idea - borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars from the state transportation trust fund. This borrowing from Peter to pay Paul was a bad idea when the last governor did it, and it's a bad idea today. Proponents would use the money to plug the revenue loss if the tax on computer services is repealed. In other words, they'd replace one anti-business budget policy with another.

Believe it or not, Congress actually needs more people like Sen. Trent Lott, who announced his retirement Monday. The glib Mississippi Republican is a seersucker-loving Southerner whose conservative political views couldn't get him elected in Philadelphia to a seat on Traffic Court. But he brought a quality to Congress that more lawmakers need: He got things done. Few elected officials in the last 35 years have shown more flexibility than Mr. Lott to work with the opposing party. - The Philadelphia Inquirer

As if President Bush was not beleaguered enough, many Republicans are attacking his signature domestic legislation, the No Child Left Behind law. They would restore some flexibility to the states while lifting the hammer of federal accountability. The law certainly needs fixing, but that approach goes in the wrong direction. What the states need most are more money, more expert help in meeting the law's requirements and perhaps some different ways to measure progress. Such shortcomings help account for the fact that while NCLB enjoyed broad bipartisan support, complaints about the law have gotten louder since it took effect in 2002 and states have had to engage in the hard job of implementing it. And although many of its goals of accountability are laudable, the means are often flawed.

A year ago when employees at Citigroup Inc.'s South Dakota credit-card center were offered a chance to pick schedules that better fit their lives, Deb Qualseth jumped at the opportunity to work 10-hour days and take Fridays off. "It helps you juggle what happens outside this place," said the billing-dispute specialist. "It's made a huge difference." Historically, only a handful of professionals enjoyed control over when or where they worked. But some companies, including Citigroup, are offering greater flexibility to hourly workers with traditionally rigid schedules as a way to reduce turnover, increase efficiency or compete in tighter labor markets.

As much as we want flexibility in our jobs, we seem to be burdened by our doubts. Would I appear less committed? How would it affect my career? What would my colleagues think? Such ambiguity continues to exist even though many companies allow employees to work flexible hours, telecommute and take an extended break to raise children or take care of other personal business. This perk is considered one way to attract and retain the best people. A new survey shows the dilemma many workers face.

Did you know?-- Golfer's shoulder is caused by overuse, lack of flexibility or muscle strength and poor swing mechanics. - American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Do you agree with the Orioles' decision to carry only two catchers when one of them is a frequent designated hitter?? Carrying two catchers is OK. We have more flexibility with carrying other fielders. Besides, a catcher in the minors is only an injury away. Michael Wilson Perry Hall

I need a good machine for someone with lower back problems. I want to keep a good cardio workout. Would a NordicTrack walk-fit be any good? Ouch! I'm recovering from a lower lumbar sprain, myself, so I feel your pain. Still, your phrase "lower back problems" is raising red flags. To answer your question, I turned to one area expert, Chris Wood, a physical therapist and leader of the Good Samaritan Hospital Back School. We both had the same thought: Is your back pain chronic or acute? Consider that about 80 percent of Americans older than 20 will have at least one episode of debilitating back pain in their lifetimes.