Kempner

Distress in the mortgage market is stirring up a wave of new relief bills on Capitol Hill, including one that would allow homeowners to tap into their retirement accounts - penalty-free - to bring their loans current or to refinance. One major reform bill appears stuck in neutral, however: the Federal Housing Administration Modernization Act, which would raise loan limits in high-cost areas of California and the East Coast, and cut down payments. It is considered a crucial relief-measure for consumers who need to refinance out of adjustable-rate loans into lower-cost, fixed-rate mortgages.

One of the biggest hits of last year's MicroCineFest was "Existo," a wackily subversive musical comedy made by the same Nashville artists who brought us the "Ernest" movies. The film, which stars Nashville performance artist Bruce Arnston, won the festival's grand prize and audience awards for best feature and returns tomorrow to the Charles Theatre by popular demand. Baltimore filmgoers were not alone in their enthusiasm for the film, according to Arnston, who plays the movie's title character -- an inspired, slightly addled poet-provocateur fomenting an anti-fundamentalist revolution.

CBS is putting it this way -- it already had former players and a general manager, now it has a coach. The network announced yesterday it added former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher to The NFL Today cast. Cowher joins host James Brown as a new analyst with Boomer Esiason, Dan Marino and Shannon Sharpe. (The former general manager is Charley Casserly, who has his own segment rather than talking with the crew at the big desk.) Cowher left the Steelers after the 2006 season, his 15th as their coach, and has moved to North Carolina to spend more time with his family.

Shareholders yesterday came looking for answers at Merry-Go-Round Enterprises Inc.'s annual meeting. Less than 30 minutes later, they left with more questions.More than 150 stockholders, company employees and others turned out at the retailer's Joppa headquarters to witness the first major public forum for Chief Executive Officer Richard P. Crystal, the fashion chain's fourth CEO in two years.Mr. Crystal, named in July to turn around a company in a prolonged financial tailspin, read for about six minutes from prepared remarks before a standing-room-only crowd, stressing the need to focus on better merchandising in an apparel chain of 955 stores geared toward young adults.

PARIS -- The demise of the haute-couture branch of the French fashion industry has been as widely heralded over the years as the death of the novel or the theater. The subject came up repeatedly during the proliferation of inventive clothes at the fall and winter showings. There was an unusual mixture of wearable styles and rather outrageous ones that could percolate down to the level of ready-to-wear.The line between the two fashion areas seems to be blurring anyway. On July 25, the day before the showings officially began, Pierre Berge of Yves Saint Laurent introduced a new ready-to-wear collection by Robert Merloz.

So, that was some thrilling quilting bee on Fox yesterday, eh?Just kidding. In perhaps the most significant single day in sports broadcasting since the premiere of "Monday Night Football," Fox kicked off coverage of the NFL yesterday, and let's just say it's a work in progress.After spending $1.58 billion for four years of NFC telecasts, Fox delivered a lot of sizzle, but not so much steak on opening day.To start, the one-hour, Los Angeles-based pre-game show, "Fox NFL Sunday," was 30 minutes too long, as analysts Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson had lots to say, but little of value.

In an attempt to generate much-needed cash, Merry-Go-Round Enterprises Inc. is putting its mammoth Joppa headquarters up for sale, sources said yesterday.The decision to relinquish its $34 million headquarters and distribution center marks the latest cutback by the national retailer, which is struggling to survive the quagmire of free-falling sales and a 2-year-old bankruptcy reorganization.Officials involved in the bankruptcy case told The Sun Monday that the fashion retailer is considering various options to raise capital and that a corporate liquidation of Merry-Go-Round is possible.

LANDOVER -- Sometimes it's an icy glare at an opponent. Other times it will be the occasional scream on the court. One thing's for sure when you have Juwan Howard on your team -- you have a player with an attitude."

HANOI, Vietnam -- The re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Vietnam stands as a watershed in American history. Yet the decision will have little immediate effect on the two countries or on people with business or personal links."

All that could be discerned through the enthusiastic eyes of an 11-year-old child is Hank Greenberg fit the dimensions of a hero -- and, in ongoing respectful memory, still does. He played for the Detroit Tigers, was a giant of a man who hit home runs high into the sky and over faraway fences.That he was the only Jewish player in the major leagues was something the newspapers mentioned infrequently. Such a description carried absolutely no significance to a young boy impressed with Greenberg's stature, 6 feet 3 1/2, 218 pounds, and what he could do with a bat in his hands.