Hummer

On July 11, 2003 REV. JOHN A. LOVEJOY, of Abingdon, MD, beloved husband of Margaret Lovejoy (nee Hummer) devoted father of John Steven Lovejoy, Susan Elizabeth Lovejoy and Patricia Lovejoy Hegberg. Loving grandfather of six grandchildren. A private interment will be held at Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery, in Owings Mills. Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service at Grace United Methodist Church, Sunday July 20, 2003 at 3:00 P.M. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Grace United Methodist Church, 110 W. Bel Air Ave., Aberdeen, MD 21001 or China Outreach Ministries, P.O. Box 310, Fairfax, VA 22030.

The chorus of economists predicting a quick end to the recession has been ducking the question of what's going on with the index of leading indicators. This measure, which is supposed to be able to peer six months or more into the future, continues to sag. In fact the index, which weighs 11 economic measures, has been flat or in decline since last June, when it peaked above 146 percent of its 1982 level. For January it fell 0.4 percent, to 139.1 percent. Despite the gloom implicit in this lengthy swoon, many economists think the time is ripe for an upturn when figures are released Friday.

THE FIRST CLUE I had that today's America is different from the America I grew up in came shortly after my son and I flew in from England to attend a funeral. I was trying to drive my normal-sized rental car carefully because I hadn't taken out collision insurance, and I was surrounded by enormous vehicles larger than run-of-the-mill SUVs. My little car was overwhelmed by these monsters. I had trouble pulling out of places as they blocked my vision the way skyscrapers steal sunshine from city dwellers.

AS BUSY as they are with their own holiday shopping and gift wrapping, a group of volunteers from Linthicum Baptist Church will take two days in December to help patients at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup. Volunteer Esther Hummer said one day would be devoted to helping with Christmas presents. She said patients go to a large room filled with assorted merchandise such as jewelry, toys, scarves, socks, and fancy wrapped candy, to buy what they want for their families. Hummer said she and other church volunteers wrap and tag the presents for the patients before they are mailed in large boxes.

NEW YORK - Two weeks ago, when the New York Yankees were struggling to get to .500, the amazing early-season performance of former teammate Roger Clemens must have been a painful two-edged topic in the clubhouse that Ruth built. Who would have blamed the Yankees for being a little put off by Clemens' decision to postpone retirement and join his hometown Houston Astros? They did, after all, give him an emotional sendoff - and a new Hummer - after he spent a year convincing everyone that 2003 would be the last season of his impressive career.

You may remember Lucy's line to Ethel after Ricky and Fred refused to go along with one of their schemes - "Don't you wish there was something else to marry besides men?" During the last two Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concerts I attended, I found myself asking a similar sort of question - "Don't you wish there was something else to perform for besides people?" Maybe it was just bad karma, but at both concerts, I was surrounded by folks who managed, with what seemed like maniacal determination, to make the experience difficult.

IT'S NOT YOUR imagination: People leaving parking spaces really do move more slowly when you're waiting for their spot. And if you honk, it only makes things worse.On this subject, Intrepid One has seen some real lulus -- including hand gestures and less than flattering language barked out of the front seat even as little children sit nearby absorbing the drama.Now, fighting over a parking spot has attracted the attention of psychologists.A recent study of more than 400 drivers in a mall parking lot concluded that motorists defend spots instinctively, according to the Journal of Applied Social Psychology.

Washington. -- Get along with you, little flame-like bird, you're late. Summer slipped by weeks ago, and now your food sources of gerardia and honeysuckle are drying. Only a lingering blossom of phlox or cardinal flower can offer you that drop of nectar you need to energize your whirring wings. You're the last hummingbird to circle the sugar-water feeder, that strange attracter where many of your species zoomed in parabolic splendor this summer. They have gone, and only you, heading down from the north, poke at its viscous liquid.

Nine current and former guards at a state prison in Hagerstown were charged Wednesday in a federal indictment that alleges they conspired to assault an inmate and covered up the incident. The U.S. Department of Justice indictment refers to two separate beatings of an inmate, identified only as "K.D.," in the same weekend in March 2008. K.D. was beaten so badly that he had to be taken to a hospital, the indictment says. None of the current and former prison officers was actually charged with assault.

Neighbors of the Pier 6 Concert Pavilion will be able to sleep easily this summer. Because if the initial offerings in this year's Harborlights Music Festival are any indication, it's going to be quite a quiet summer on the Inner Harbor.It's not that the Pavilion won't be busy. There are 21 shows scheduled thus far, stretching from a season-opening show with Kenny Loggins on May 26 to a blues package featuring B. B. King, Buddy Guy, Dr. John and the Fabulous Thunderbirds on Sept. 9. Moreover, further bookings are expected as the season progresses.