Idealism

Marlene Wheeler of Baltimore was looking for a recipe for a fresh peach cake. She remembers with great fondness one that was made by Gerstung's bakery in East Baltimore. Connie Devine of Bel Air sent in a recipe for a Baltimore Peach Cake that she clipped from the News American newspaper in the summer of 1967. Now is the ideal time to make this simple yeast cake while the local peaches are at their most flavorful. Recipe requests * Linda Everett of Knoxville, Tenn., is looking for a recipe she has misplaced for a cottage-cheese poundcake that appeared in a women's magazine in the early '80s.

Growing up in Ellicott City, I found that many of my friends and their families believed nearby schools were just "ordinary." In their view, the affordability of our state universities came at the expense of quality. I call it "the backyard syndrome." The Baltimore Sun's recent editorial, "Priced out of college?" asserted that more families are "settling" on Maryland's public universities because of cost savings. Nothing could be further from the truth. For me and many other students I meet as the student regent on the University System of Maryland's Board of Regents, our state universities are a first choice that combines affordability and excellence.

DENVER - Barack Obama took off the gloves last night. Sometimes accused of being too high-minded and elitist, the Democratic presidential nominee used a rock-star stage in Mile High stadium to get down and dirty, striking back hard - and repeatedly at John McCain. As might be expected, the Illinois senator used his acceptance speech to portray McCain as the face of President Bush's unpopular administration. But he did it with a touch of humor, after pointing out that McCain had voted with Bush more than 90 percent of the time.

Maybe it's just a different slant on the same old problem, but governing responsibly - and staying in office - seems ever more challenging. Take tax increases and "alcopops," for example. These not-so-obviously connected matters illustrate the challenge of addressing important public issues without damaging one's re-election prospects. In these matters, one thing leads to another - and no good deed goes unpunished. Gov. Martin O'Malley moved last fall to increase various state taxes.

One of the great ironies of sport is the ideals of the modern Olympics clashing with the realities of a world in which the Olympic Games exist. Guiding principles in the Olympic charter are laid out with these words: "promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity."

I was in middle school when Aaliyah's "Age Ain't Nothin But a Number" was released. At 12, my mind was more preoccupied with who was wearing a bra before me or who kissed whom, rather than the issue of dating someone older. Who wanted to date a 16-year-old anyway? To me, they were practically in the grave. But as I've grown, age has become alternately more of a big deal and less of one. Most people I know have an age range for their ideal mate -- mine is typically three years younger to five years older -- but rules are made to be broken.

Ideal Fitness recently opened at routes 22 and 543. Owner Colin Wilcoxen converted an office suite to a personal training studio. Clients are trained in one-on-one, group, or in-home sessions. Ideal Fitness is committed to changing people's lives by helping them to become healthier through healthy lifestyle decisions and exercise. Wilcoxen, a diabetic for 15 years, has experience in personal training and nutrition. He offers customized programs with free nutritional counseling. Information: 410-420-0050.

Ready to go organic? Now is the perfect time to take the plunge. Late September to early October is the time to fertilize for fall and winter. Most of us have more pressing concerns than which fertilizer or weed killer we strew across our lawns, right? It's worth putting in a few minutes of thought. If you've been thinking of going organic in the garden, fall is a great time to get started. Organic gardening is all about the soil. Think about it: You aren't really fertilizing the grass.

WASHINGTON -- This week, Jonathan Kozol, the award-winning author and activist, entered his 75th day on a "partial hunger strike." He's protesting the 6-year-old No Child Left Behind law for education reform that Congress is gearing up to reauthorize. At 71, even a "partial hunger strike" is impressive and alarming for those of us who care about his health. He's only drinking liquids, he said, but on doctor's orders he eats solid foods when the impact of hunger appears to be serious enough to cause permanent damage.

Well, we're not getting Bloomberg. Fuhgedaboutit. He's mayor of New York and, while he's donated a ton of money to the Johns Hopkins University, his alma mater, he's not about to pull up stakes, establish residency in Baltimore and run for mayor here. He's far more likely to run for the White House. So we're not getting Bloomberg. (And the Orioles probably won't be getting A-Rod if he opts out of his Yankees contract, either.) Day after tomorrow, there's an election in the City of Baltimore, where Democrats rule and the winner of the party's ho-hum 2007 primary will be the next mayor.