Planet

Astronomers report they have discovered a solar system far closer to our sun than any of the previous half-dozen planet discoveries. And the new planetary system has features strikingly similar to our own.Evidence presented yesterday at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Madison, Wis., suggests that the fourth-nearest star from our sun has a Jupiter-sized companion orbiting at about the distance of Saturn -- and possibly a second, smaller, planet...

Earth Day weekend is upon us.  I can tell because my email inbox is jammed with pitches for "green" products and corporate campaigns: Clothing made from recycled plastic bottles; natural skin care products; hybrid auto accessories, even pet waste collection bags. Marketing has its place, I suppose. But in keeping with the origins of Earth Day, there are plenty of opportunities to demonstrate concern about the state of our planet and community, without having to buy stuff. Here are some: Baltimore Green Works is holding a week's worth of activities from April 21 to April 28 in celebration of Earth Day. On Saturday, there'll be tree plantings and other activities in the morning, followed by EcoFest at Druid Hill Park from noon to 5 p.m. Gardening workshops, hikes and walks, bike rides, entertainment and a tree giveaway.

Chris Bolgiano is to be commended for emphasizing that choosing to not have children is not only a meaningful life option but also contributes to curbing the world's population problem ("To be — or not to be — a mother," May 9). But her remark that "the birthrate in America is historically low" leaves the impression the U.S. does not have a population problem. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not only are we the third most populous nation in the world (behind China and India)

Taken right out of the Bill Clinton handbook, Gov. Martin O'Malley floats a trial balloon and suggests a hike in the state's gas tax only to alter the plan and now suggest an increase in the sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent. Is this man on the same planet as we the taxpayers? Doesn't he know how much the people who pay taxes are hurting? Raising these taxes goes to the gut of people who are still fortunate to be employed. Perhaps the "New Americans" the governor is so fond of can afford the tax hike and pay for the new roads and bridges only they will be using.

More than the apes are smart in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes. " This smartly packaged prequel in the long-running simian series rejuvenates what had seemed like a tired franchise. Don't be surprised if these digitally created apes continue to rise in future installments. What makes this latest ape movie work is that it adheres to traits that seem old-fashioned in the current summer movie marketplace. Working with a solidly crafted script by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, director Rupert Wyatt oversees a deliberately paced, detail-oriented story.

Baltimore is so poor that it considers closing fire houses and firing firefighters and the ACLU is pushing for school construction in the billions ("ACLU criticizes lack of school construction funding in city," June 2). Classic case of stupidity par excellence. F.P. Cordell, Lutherville

Happy Earth Day, everyone! I hope you'll get an opportunity to take advantage of some of the Earth Day freebies, deals and discounts we mentioned yesterday. Many reward behavior that benefits the planet, such as carrying a reusable beverage container or offering a reusable bag to tote your purchases. Some greener choices make good economic as well as environmental sense: shops sometimes offer smaller discounts yearround when you bring your own mug or bag; making your home more energy efficient can lower your utility bills; and keeping your car's tires filled can improve your gas mileage.

First of five articles AASEN, Netherlands -- Leopold Hendrick admits a visitor through the locked doors of the world's first bureaucracy dedicated to tracking and taxing animal waste, a kind of manure IRS. The government administrator apologizes for the tight security: "We are not so popular. Some farmers broke in and tried to steal their dossiers." Other nations should track plutonium so closely. Dutch farmers must report to the nation's 340-employee Levy Bureau how much their 4.2 million cattle, 14 million pigs and 108 million chickens eat. They must inform the bureau of their farms' precise output, the meat and dairy products they ship away.

It was Mother's Day, and the staff of the independent-living community where my mother resides had arranged a nice luncheon, with roses for all the mothers. When a cherubic child with golden ringlets pressed a flower into my hand, and I politely refused it, she became confused. No wonder, since it was assumed by everyone that, of course, all adult women in attendance were mothers At fifty-something I am an adult but not a mother. And though some will gasp in horror, I consider that to be my greatest achievement as a conservationist (although finding the first saw-whet owl ever reported in my part of Virginia ranks pretty high, too)

Taken right out of the Bill Clinton handbook, Gov. Martin O'Malley floats a trial balloon and suggests a hike in the state's gas tax only to alter the plan and now suggest an increase in the sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent. Is this man on the same planet as we the taxpayers? Doesn't he know how much the people who pay taxes are hurting? Raising these taxes goes to the gut of people who are still fortunate to be employed. Perhaps the "New Americans" the governor is so fond of can afford the tax hike and pay for the new roads and bridges only they will be using.

The climate-transformed planet of 2100 offers, as Mike Tidwell states, little reason for optimism ("The hottest issue," Dec. 15). Further gloom is warranted by the fact that a plurality of Americans have been egregiously misled by the industry-fueled message of triumphant consumerism and climate-change denial prevalent in our media. In the fantasy land inhabited by conservative denialists, the notion of climate change as a liberal conspiracy to enact a one-world government (forced re-education camps for SUV owners!

Ever since Adam and Eve took a bite of the apple, we have been haunted by Desire, that shape-shifting seducer who promises us beauty, understanding and fulfillment if only we chase after More. On the one hand, that is a blessing. We would still be clumsy, clueless creatures huddling in caves - or naked in the Garden - without it. Desire and appetite drive our ambition, fire our curiosity and lead us to discover in ways that complacency and fullness never can. It is Desire that propels culture forward, urging us to explore, to dare, to persevere so we may uncover all the wisdom, comforts and delights that make life grand.

Starting at sunset Saturday, artist Kelley Bell will place Baltimore's venerable landmark Bromo Seltzer Tower at the exact center of the solar system. For at least the next five weeks, pedestrians and motorists will view the four faces of the clock tower alight with Bell's animations every day between sunset and sunrise. The design she's chosen humorously plays off Baltimoreans' affection for the 1911 tower by making the focal point for the sun, moon, planets and stars. "The Bromo Seltzer Tower fills a unique role in this city," says Joe Wall, the tower's facilities manager, who dreamed up the idea of animating the 24-foot-in-diameter clock faces.

In 1906, as the world's farmers began streaming into the cities, Jules Meline - former prime minister and twice minister of agriculture of France - wrote "The Return to the Land," to "convince the world that the return to the land, and to the work which the land still offers" was the surest way to mitigate the troubles that increased technology, and increased consumer desire, were bringing. Coincidentally, in 1909, Bolton Hall, a New York lawyer, social activist and the father of the "back-to-the-land" movement in the United States, published "The Garden Yard," a beginner's guide for the urban gardener.

Six months after NASA's Messenger spacecraft began orbiting the planet nearest the sun, scientists have spotted a vast lava field at Mercury's north pole, weird sinkholes around some craters, and reason enough to throw out most theories for how the planet formed. "In-orbit is definitely the place to be," said James Head III, a Brown University geologist on the team. Messenger cameras looking down from a polar orbi have revealed surface details that could not be seen during three previous flybys, or by the Mariner 10 mission in 1974-1975.

OK, before you read this, you should know two things about me:  1) Before tonight, I liked meatballs. They were meaty and tasty and they made spaghetti better.  2) I'm generally opposed to bans. I'm usually for individual freedom and letting people make their own choices.  That said, after watching tonight's episode of "Jersey Shore," I must unequivocally call for a ban of meatballs. Not just from dinner tables. Or America. From Planet Earth.  Meatballs are not longer a tasty treat that improves tomato sauce.

It's Monday morning, so you know what that means: It's time for Donald Trump to say outrageous things on "Fox & Friends"!  Once again, he did not disappoint. In between calling President Barack Obama "this guy," Trump managed to take on OPEC ("There's never a word of criticism"), drilling for oil ("I think we should just drill"), his voting record in which he missed voting in primaries for 21 years ("Generally speaking, I like to vote"), and his environmental record ("I've received many, many environmental awards.

IT'S WONDERFUL, the burst of publications with lists of things we can do to save the planet. It's great to see so much energy behind recycling, energy-efficient light bulbs and fund-raisers for the rain forest. If we all did 50 simple things to save the planet, that would help, there's no doubt about it.Some of these efforts are not only easy, they also pay off directly and quickly. It takes no more trouble to throw an aluminum can into a recycling container than into a mixed-trash one, and it makes money, instead of costing for disposal.

I have a great suggestion about what to do with Syria: Let's mind our own business ("A despot lashes out," Aug. 11). It's about time America stopped spending trillions of dollars policing the planet. As far as Syria's Bashar Assad is concerned, let those in the region deal with him. This unpleasantness is half a planet away from us. The United States is engaged in three wars already (Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya), so why add Syria? I pay taxes and want the money here, not tossed down those rat holes.

More than the apes are smart in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes. " This smartly packaged prequel in the long-running simian series rejuvenates what had seemed like a tired franchise. Don't be surprised if these digitally created apes continue to rise in future installments. What makes this latest ape movie work is that it adheres to traits that seem old-fashioned in the current summer movie marketplace. Working with a solidly crafted script by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, director Rupert Wyatt oversees a deliberately paced, detail-oriented story.