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If you are a native speaker of English, you have English grammar in your head, and it has been there since you were a very small child. Unfortunately, the process of translating that grammar into terms for discussion of writing has not gone well. Traditional schoolroom grammar borrowed terms from Latin that were not always a good fit with English, and it codified English grammar into a rigid set of rules (some of them bogus) that oversimplified the language for pedagogical purposes.

Quarry Bagel and Cafe guarantees the best bagel within 50 miles or your money back (with receipt). After a recent lunch there, I bought a bagel to go and ate it long after I'd left the restaurant. When I go back, it won't be for my money. The restaurant is tucked in the west end of the shops at Quarry Lake at Greenspring, which is situated on the site of a former granite operation. The shops cover all the necessities — bank, nail salon, grocery store, Starbucks, Walgreens, wine shop — along with a smattering of boutique emporiums and about a half a dozen restaurants, mostly of the chain variety.

SAN DIEGO -- The Supreme Court gave city officials a reprieve yesterday from an order by a federal judge to remove the cross atop Mount Soledad by Aug. 2 or face $5,000 a day in fines. Associate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy ordered a delay until he or the entire court issues a further order. He did not indicate how long that might take or what kind of order might be issued. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said he hopes that Kennedy's order means that the court ultimately will decide to hear the case, although it has twice rejected the city's bid for a hearing.

CHICAGO - Nolan Reimold admitted his uneasyness in stepping into the leadoff spot in the Orioles batting order - unsure how he'd be able to adapt in an unfamiliar role -- but over the past few games, he certainly seems more than comfortable there. Over his past four games, the 28-year-old Reimold has sparked the Orioles offense -- hitting home runs in each of those games -- his latest a two-run shot that broke a scoreless tie in the sixth and helped the Orioles to a 3-2 win over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

Your country 'tis of three. Three hundred million, that is. America's population will hit that milestone figure tomorrow morning, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's "Population Clock" - quite an achievement considering it's only been a country for 230 years. Think about it: more than 300 million served - maybe not to their total satisfaction, maybe not without a wait - but, hey, that's life in a fast-food nation. Next, please ... Welcome to America. We're glad you're here. May I take your order, please?

Threadless is having a March Madness sale; all tees are just $10! I haven't looked at their site in a while and they have some great new designs (like Captain Obvious ). No promo code needed, just order by the 23rd.

When Kelly Gregg and I stroll into the Owings Mills Red Robin on a recent muggy summer afternoon, I contemplate telling our waitress that she might want to alert the cooks, just in case they need backup. I've been dreaming of this moment for months, maybe even years, since hearing tales of Baltimore Colts writers describing the eating habits and antics of Art Donovan, the beefy, everyman hero of his time. Donovan could eat 25 hot dogs in one sitting. He once ordered three pizzas, polished off two of them, then saved the third for breakfast the next morning.I want Kelly Gregg to be the modern-day Art Donovan - telling stories about fishing and wrestling in central Oklahoma as he orders a third plate of ribs and then dips them in gravy.

Shoppers who have been skeptical about catalog merchants' shipping and handling charges might be interested in a new survey.According to a study in the next issue of Catalog Age, a trade publication for the mail-order industry, 48 percent of catalog businesses this year said they made a profit from shipping and handling charges, up from 44 percent the year before. About 41 percent said they broke even, and 11 percent said they lost money.These findings come as no surprise to many shoppers who say they're drawn to the time-saving advantages of catalog shopping, especially during the hectic holiday season.

A woman who says she is the mother of Terrell Suggs' children has filed a $70 million lawsuit in Baltimore County Circuit Court, alleging that the Ravens linebacker abused her on two occasions last month. Candace Williams, 26, filed the suit Tuesday along with a separate complaint seeking custody of their two small children. The cases come on the heels of a restraining order she filed last week against Suggs, claiming that he knocked her to the ground and spilled bleach on her and their infant son. A hearing in that case is scheduled today.

A Laurel doctor already placed on probation by state regulators for his use of holistic methods now faces the loss of his license to practice medicine for the next 2 1/2 years.Maryland's Board of Physicians Quality Assurance voted last week to revoke the probation of Dr. Ahmad Shamim, whose offices are in the 200 block of Fort Meade Road. But the board gave Dr. Shamim three more weeks to prove he has changed his methods and save his license.In an order released Thursday, the board found that Dr. Shamimwas incompetent in his treatment of 33 patients from 1984 until 1988.