Keg

Before it was a design element, it was beer. In December 2001, Molson introduced to Canada the 5-liter, 22-inch-tall mini-kegs, known affectionately as "Bubbas." Since then, sales have soared and the quirky product has won the hearts of brew- and kitsch-loving Canadians. Some limited-edition hockey-themed cans, for goodness' sake, are going for $350 on eBay. The appeal isn't so much the beer as it is the aluminum shell and its design potential. Empty Bubbas are being turned into patio lanterns, lamps, birdhouses and, if you stack them just right, TV stands.

JERUSALEM -- On color-coded tourist maps, the Old City is neatly divided into self-contained quarters. Each of its four communities -- Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Armenian -- looks to be secure in its own exclusive enclave. The maps are wrong. The Old City, surrounded by 16th-century walls up to 9 feet thick, is a labyrinth of winding, narrow streets where mutually distrustful sects compete for influence and turf while safeguarding their rituals, some dating back thousands of years.

POOR KASHMIR. It lies in the Himalayan ramparts where the borders of India, Pakistan and China rub together. Reality mocks its beauty. There is no escaping the permeating melancholy of a land that lies under the gun. It is as if malevolent gods, jealous of its loveliness, placed a curse on it. The poison entered the garden in 1947 when the war-weary British quit their Indian empire and partitioned it. They had no wish to cut it up: One of their imperial...

Endorsing Rehrmann for governor means getting Sauerbrey. The question is why.Bill intervened to bring an Irish settlement. Tony Blair retaliates by meddling in the Middle East.A Chicago jury found that extortion and threats are wrong even when the perpetrators' hearts are pure. Oh, those Chicago juries.Be patriotic. Drink a keg for the Whitbread sailors.Pub Date: 4/22/98

SAN DIEGO -- Eugene Daniel tried to downplay his contribution, although the Ravens' newest addition -- and their most experienced cornerback -- made too many plays to hide.Daniel, acquired less than two weeks ago after spending 13 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, made an immediate impact after replacing the struggling Donny Brady at right cornerback.Besides lending some stability to a position that has been a powder keg -- witness Brady biting on a play-action fake, then allowing Tony Martin to run by him and catch a 72-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter -- all Daniel did was pick off one Stan Humphries pass and deflect three others, two of which he also could have intercepted.

CHICAGO -- The Cubs might be 0-12, but it was only so long the White Sox could stay colder than Jerry Reinsdorf's heart.The team America loves to hate finally erupted last night, albeit against the Orioles' 'B' squad.Not to worry.The White Sox are still only 4-9. Ozzie Guillen still has more homers than Frank Thomas. And cold weather or not, the attendance is still lower than Reinsdorf's standing among his fellow owners.Anything else?Oh, yeah.Manager Terry Bevington still is a candidate to be fired.

All across the state, from the mighty University of Maryland at College Park to modest Villa Julie College, commencement exercises are being held this week, featuring keynote speeches by the likes of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Colin Powell and the ever-quotable Captain Kangaroo. Each speaker will take the podium and attempt to deliver an inspirational addressto a sea ++ of fidgety young graduates, whose main concern at the moment is: "I hope there's enough ice around the keg."Since no one ever actually listens to a commencement address, columnist Kevin Cowherd delivers one of his own to the Class of 1996, filled with the kind of insight every new graduate needs after the keg is kicked.

A recent law requiring anyone who buys a keg to register his name and address with the retailer has curbed the number of large, underage beer bashes throughout the state, enforcement officials say.Dennis Theoharis, a license commissioner in Montgomery County, said he believed the 10-month-old law has foiled many young entrepreneurs -- usually 21- or 22-year-olds, just old enough to purchase a keg legally -- who, in recent years, have charged teen-agers admission...

When it came time to return the keg of beer, I couldn't do it. There was still beer left in it. Lots of beer.It was tough to tell exactly how much was left over, but using the old-knock-on-the-side-of-the-barrel routine, my guess was that the keg was half full. This was embarrassing to me, for several reasons.First of all it meant that I had bought too much beer for the gathering of about 60 co-workers held at a colleague's lovely -- at least before we descended upon it -- Mount Washington home.

THERE are two decals from fancy schools on the rear window of the aging family Volvo. Together they cost some $250,000. Now the teen-ager who went off to a leafy college four years ago is all grown up with a bachelor's degree, which makes her eligible to join the scramble for a minimum wage job.Daniella and thousands like her are victims of a terrible hangover from the giddy junk bond days of Ronald Reagan, which left the country $4 trillion in debt and...