Fresh Air

Morihiro Hosokawa probably will not remain prime minister of Japan long, but he is making the most of his brief experience at the head of a fragile eight-party coalition dedicated to radical reform. So far, his changes are of style and rhetoric. But they break taboos, and the taboos are likely to remain superseded after Mr. Hosokawa has left the scene.In a press conference and in his first policy speech to the parliament, Mr. Hosokawa apologized for Japanese imperialism in the 1930s and 1940s.

The dogwood trees are beginning to bloom, the air is warm and free of humidity, and residents everywhere are breaking out their long-dormant shorts and sandals. It's spring and the start of picnic season. From state and county parks to amphitheaters and nature centers, the county is filled with scenic places to enjoy an open-air meal that combines food and friends with nature. To help narrow your search, we've listed nine of the county's best picnic areas. Some are well-known spots while others might surprise you. So what are you waiting for?

Star investor Warren Buffett, chosen interim chairman of Salomon Brothers Inc. in the wake of its scandal over improper government securities trading, quickly issued a warning to employees when he took the helm. If they do anything to further tarnish the reputation of that Wall Street firm by violating rules, Buffett said, he promised to be ruthless in dealing with them.This warning from a wise Nebraskan who has made a personal fortune from shrewd and honest investment is, of course, a breath of fresh air. It understandably has been applauded in investment circles.

Laura Neuman comes to the job of Anne Arundel County executive as an almost complete outsider to county (and Maryland) politics. She spent a career in the private sector, then less than two years working for a Democratic administration in another county before being named last week to a post that makes her the second-highest-ranking Republican in public office in Maryland. She has not worked on campaigns, much less run one of her own, and she is being greeted with no small amount of skepticism by the GOP. She could be in for a steep learning curve in both the policies and the politics of her new job. But Ms. Neuman, who met today with The Sun's editorial board, may also be the kind of leader Anne Arundel County needs right now. She comes to office in the wake of the trial, conviction and resignation of John Leopold, whose political and personal misdeeds brought dishonor to the county and sapped the morale of the government he led. Ms. Neuman has no association with him or with his opponents, and that may help her be seen as an honest broker in the process of rooting out those who were complicit in the Leopold scandal - an effort she has already begun.

To save money, U.S. airlines are circulating less fresh air into the cabins of many airplanes. As a result, flight attendants and some passengers have begun to complain of headaches, nausea and other health problems, especially after long flights.The reduction of fresh air is done only on newer planes. Older aircraft built before the mid-1980s provided cabins with 100 percent fresh air that was circulated every three minutes.But the newer models provide half fresh air and half recirculated air that is freshened every six or seven minutes or longer.

Let's see, what kind of bar should we try tonight? Brew pub? Sports bar? Martini bar? Scotch bar? Tequila bar? Maybe it's time for a breath of fresh air - well, as fresh as one can get in even the fanciest saloon. How about an oxygen bar? Yes, in the depths of Baltimore's ozone-saturated summer, an oxygen bar has opened for business, and its patrons are lining up for hits of filtered, flavored, $10-a-pop O2. Talk about rarefied air. "After a while," says a deep-breathing Michael Totin, from Essex, "it's euphoric."

Q: I recently bought my first house. The former owner smoked and had pets, which left a lot of odors. What can I do?Q: The bathroom in a home we recently bought has strong odors that we haven't been able to eliminate. Any suggestions?A: In general, the best bets for removing odors from buildings are fresh air, sunshine and water.I'd start by ventilating the areas thoroughly, using fans if possible to pull fresh air in and expel stale air. It may be necessary to allow the room to ventilate for several days to make a significant difference.

First it was elevators. Then smoking was banned on the job and in restaurants. Now the next frontier in smoking prohibition is in sight: the great outdoors.Around the country, nonsmokers are staking out new territory in their quest to restrict smoking and claim fresh air.Take Santa Cruz, Calif., where smokers can no longer take a puff while standing in line to buy movie tickets or wait for a bus.Or Mesa, Ariz., where smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of any public building.Or Sharon, Mass.

Marlin Evans wakes up about 5 a.m. weekdays and goes to the city Towing Division on Pulaski Highway to clean, pick up garbage, paint or cut the grass.He earns $1 a day. But for someone who's doing time, it's better than nothing, he said."I've always been an active person," said Mr. Evans, 35. "I can't sit still not doing nothing. It eases my mind; it gives me something to do."He is in a Baltimore City Detention Center program that allows some inmates to spend the day doing maintenance work in the Towing Division, Inner Harbor, Central Garage or Druid Hill Park.

MOST PARENTS would say the only mold in a school should be the green-black furry stuff growing in petri dishes. But the combination of aging school buildings and exceptionally wet weather has created a bumper crop of fungi in a number of Harford and Baltimore county schools. Concerns about this mold should not be dismissed as hysterical overreaction. In large quantities, common molds like clasporidium and penicillium can trigger allergic reactions, sinus infections, headaches, coughing and irritation of the eyes and throat.

I have spent three half-days at a hospital this week. Two were at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins  and one was at Mercy Medical Center . In a medical world that can be overwhelmingly bureaucratic, efforts to humanize hospitals make a big difference.    The first and last visits were at Wilmer, where art is everywhere: on the walls in the waiting rooms, halls, examination rooms and offices, even on...

The change in weather since Monday has helped restore energy and good cheer during this breathless month of activity.   As I said in my print column for The Baltimore Messenger , June rivals December as the busiest month of the year. As we hit mid-month, I’ve decided it’s worse.   December is mostly holiday related activities: parties, school progams, concerts, shopping, gift-giving. June is full of major life events: graduations, graduations and more graduations in this school-dense area of the city, plus weddings and home moves.

Is it too early to print playoff tickets? What, am I rushing things? A 3-0 record and first place in the American League East doesn't automatically get you into the postseason? OK, fine. Maybe the Orioles should wait a few more days. Maybe they should wait to see what happens in this three-game series against the Detroit Tigers that begins with Monday's home opener at Camden Yards. But remember how the Orioles started last season? Remember 2-16? And 9-24? Remember closer Michael Gonzalez blowing the save in the season opener to get the horror show started, then doing it again in the home opener and getting booed off the mound?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning consumers about a suffocation and drowning hazard posed by water walking balls, which have turned up at amusement parks, carnivals and other high-traffic areas. I remember seeing a long line at the food court of Arundel Mills earlier this year, waiting to be zipped into one of these clear plastic human-sized hamster balls, floating in a small pool of water. The balls are inflated with air and people use them to walk, run and bump into each other --- if you can remain upright.

As a passenger on Monday's MARC train that broke down, I can say that I am appalled at MARC's desperate attempt to save face now that local media outlets such as this newspaper have properly exposed their complete incompetence and irresponsibility ("Stalled train stirs passenger outrage," June 23). MARC's media apologies, while plentiful, have been filled with excuses and lies. First, contrary to statements made by top MARC personnel, at no point during the waiting period were any passengers on the train offered water.

Sunday's battle for first place between the Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals comes as the AFC North is undergoing a personality change. The punishing running games that long defined the division have gone with the likes of Jamal Lewis, Jerome Bettis and Corey Dillon. This new era in the AFC North has seen teams flex their muscles in a different way - with the strong arms of their quarterbacks. The emergence of Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer and Ben Roethlisberger has transformed the offensive philosophies of their teams.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning consumers about a suffocation and drowning hazard posed by water walking balls, which have turned up at amusement parks, carnivals and other high-traffic areas. I remember seeing a long line at the food court of Arundel Mills earlier this year, waiting to be zipped into one of these clear plastic human-sized hamster balls, floating in a small pool of water. The balls are inflated with air and people use them to walk, run and bump into each other --- if you can remain upright.

My husband and I often get colds and respiratory infections on vacations. Some say the reason for this is that airlines save fuel by minimizing the amount of fresh air circulated through cabins. Is there any standard for fresh air circulated during a flight? Almost everyone who falls sick after flying wonders whether a coughing, sneezing fellow passenger is to blame. The answer, experts say, may be yes - but the conducting culprit is not recirculated air; it's proximity, bad luck and poor hand-washing, the same elements to blame for virus transmission on the ground.

Author and spoken-word artist Henry Rollins is not for everyone. But for those who get the former lead singer of Black Flag, he's a breath of fresh air - particularly for television. Tonight, the Independent Film Channel, doing exactly what a cable outlet dedicated to alternate points of view ought to be doing, presents Henry Rollins Uncut: From New Orleans. Part documentary and part spoken-word performance at the famed Tipitina's music club, the special takes a look at the city three years after Hurricane Katrina.

Sports media notes to pick over, like that box of Valentine's chocolates you'll dive into after giving your sweetheart at least a one-day head start: WHFS (105.7 FM) announced a 12-game Orioles spring training broadcast schedule, starting with Feb. 28's opener against the Florida Marlins at 1:05 p.m. Joe Angel and the King of the Hawaiian Shirt, Fred Manfra, return to the microphones. Rumors were floating around that ESPN was dropping sideline reporters Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya from Monday Night Football.