Plaque

It's been 40 years since Israel attacked the U.S. Navy spy ship USS Liberty, killing 34 American sailors and injuring 172 more in what both governments say was an accident. Today, Naval Academy alumni are scheduled to dedicate a plaque in memory of two classmates who were killed in the attack, which occurred June 8, 1967, in the Mediterranean Sea. The Liberty incident, which remains controversial, occurred on the fourth day of what has come to be known as the Six-Day War. Today's ceremony will be at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, where the plaque will be on display honoring Stephen Spencer Toth, academy class of 1963, and Philip McCutcheon Armstrong, Jr., class of 1953.

When a man suffers a heart attack at a young age, klaxons sound and red flags flutter for his son. Pointing to a son's inherited risk of going down the same road, physicians probably will urge him to stay away from cigarettes, watch his weight and exercise regularly. And there's evidence that that advice prompts many men to take heed. But do alarm bells sound for the female child of a premature heart attack victim? Does she hear them? A study in the September issue of the American Heart Journal suggests the answers are no and no. The study establishes that although the daughters of families with premature heart disease are indeed at higher risk of developing heart disease themselves, they either are failing to get that message or not bothering to heed it. "Women seem to feel they have a get-out-of-jail-free card when it comes to heart disease," says Dr. Alexis Anvekar, California internist and American Heart Association spokeswoman.

As if Edgar Allan Poe's much-debated demise was not cause enough for speculation, now comes another uncertainty: What will happen to the place where he died?The author and poet, Baltimore's favorite grim son, died before daylight 150 years ago in what was Washington College Hospital and is now Church Hospital. The problem today is that Church Hospital is closing shortly, and the prognosis for saving the venerable brick building is not good.Nearby Johns Hopkins has made an offer to buy Church and its two city blocks on North Broadway, but Hopkins Health System President Ronald R. Peterson said interest in the property is "longer-term land use."

More than 230 years after Kunta Kinte landed at the Annapolis City Dock from Africa, state, county and city officials announced plans in the state capital yesterday for a statue of his descendant Alex Haley, who achieved international fame by charting the life of his enslaved ancestor and establishing a foothold for black history in American culture.The memorial -- expected to cost $1.05 million -- will feature a life-size bronze rendering of the "Roots" author sitting and reading to three children of different ethnicities.

More than 230 years after Kunta Kinte landed at the Annapolis City Dock from Africa, state, county and city officials announced plans in the state capital yesterday for a statue of his descendant Alex Haley, who achieved international fame by charting the life of his enslaved ancestor and establishing a foothold for black history in American culture.The memorial -- expected to cost $1.05 million -- will feature a life-size bronze rendering of the "Roots" author sitting and reading to three children of different ethnicities.

Think about this the next time someone in a white coat instructs you to "open wide." Your mouth is a window to your health.Diagnosis through the mouth goes way beyond scanning for redness or white patches on the tonsils -- the telltale traces of strep throat.An oral exam can reveal many more signposts to illness:* A dentist peering at tooth enamel can see evidence of bulimia, the eating and vomiting disorder that exposes teeth to erosive stomach acids.* A periodontist probing inflamed gums thinks about eradicating bone-gobbling plaque bacteria that are suspected contributors to heart attacks, stroke and possibly arthritis.

Howard County Executive James N. Robey will unveil a bronze plaque honoring Howard County residents with mental illness and proclaim Mental Illness Awareness Week in the county at 10 a.m. Friday at the George Howard Building, 3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City.The plaque displays the names of 24 artists, scientists and political figures who suffered from mental illness -- among them, Abraham Lincoln, John Keats, Isaac Newton, Winston Churchill, Patty Duke and Charles Dickens.It has been placed in the Iris Garden in the plaza in front of the building, where the ceremony will take place.

THE JOURNEY started when the ship carrying Kunta Kinte reached the Annapolis docks 232 years ago."The voyage was over. He had lived through it all. But his tears soon flooded the shoreline into a gray, swimming mist. For Kunta knew that whatever came next was going to be yet worse," Alex Haley wrote as he reconstructed the moment in his classic "Roots." Haley's book inspired a television miniseries that drew 130 million viewers, giving insight into a painful but important part of American history.

At the Annapolis City Dock, where African slave Kunta Kinte was dragged ashore in chains 232 years ago, a crowd of about 3,000 gathered yesterday morning to honor his descendant Alex Haley and watch the unveiling of a bronze statue of the late author.The $335,000 life-size rendering of Haley reading to three children of different ethnicities is the second phase of a $750,000 Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial -- believed to be the only monument in the country that marks the place of arrival of an enslaved African.

Charles I. Ecker performed his last official act as Howard County executive yesterday by unveiling a bronze plaque commemorating county residents who suffer from mental illness.Ecker was asked to dedicate a small iris garden and place the plaque at the Omar J. Jones Plaza at the Howard government office complex in Ellicott City.NAMI-Howard County (formerly the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Howard County) provided 181 irises that were planted more than a year ago around the plaza. The group also sponsored the cast bronze plaque bearing the names of 23 famous people who have contributed to the arts, science and government while suffering from mental illness -- including Abraham Lincoln, Vincent van Gogh and Winston Churchill.

Consumers, local businesses and organizations should not be fooled by deceptive e-mail messages telling then that they've been selected to win an award, warns the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection recently. Such "vanity award scams" are one of several common schemes targeting businesses and organizations nationwide. A local organization recently reported that it had received a suspicious e-mail message requesting payment to receive a plaque commemorating a prestigious award from the "U.S.

Some had flags on their lapels and "veteran" stitched on their caps. Others leaned on canes or sat in wheelchairs. As the crowd watched and cameras flashed, they gazed out proudly, shoulders back. For the dozens of men who gathered on the stairway of the Naval Academy's Bancroft Hall rotunda, it had been a long time getting to that moment. Once, they were all in the Navy's messmen branch, which for decades was restricted to African-American and Filipino men. On land and sea, at war and at peace, the sailors dutifully prepared and served food and tended to officers' living quarters.

Alzheimer's Specific type of brain plaque linked to disease Researchers have uncovered a new clue to the cause of Alzheimer's disease. The brains of people with the memory-robbing form of dementia are cluttered with a plaque made up of beta-amyloid, a sticky protein. But there long has been a question whether this is a cause of the disease or a side effect. Also involved are tangles of a protein called tau; some scientists suspect this is the cause. Now, researchers have caused Alzheimer's symptoms in rats by injecting them with one particular form of beta-amyloid.

NCAA lacrosse Johns Hopkins vs. Syracuse 1 p.m. [ESPN] This one is for all the marbles. But Mr. Flip hopes they give the winner a nice plaque, too. NBA playoffs Celtics@Pistons 8:30 p.m. [ESPN] Doc Rivers blindfolded his Celtics and didn't let them take the blindfolds off until they got into the locker room. Then he told them the game was in Boston. Think that will work for Game 4, too?

Here is the news I receive on a cold and gray January morning, with credit card bills from Christmas coming in and a new hot-water heater just purchased after the old one burst: The dog needs dental work. This comes courtesy of my wife, who has just returned with the dog from the vet. "The dog needs the plaque removed from his teeth," she says. "It helps prevent infection. It'll make his breath smell better, too." I don't care what his breath smells like, I say. I don't plan to get that close to him. "The vet said he really needs it," she says.

When a man suffers a heart attack at a young age, klaxons sound and red flags flutter for his son. Pointing to a son's inherited risk of going down the same road, physicians probably will urge him to stay away from cigarettes, watch his weight and exercise regularly. And there's evidence that that advice prompts many men to take heed. But do alarm bells sound for the female child of a premature heart attack victim? Does she hear them? A study in the September issue of the American Heart Journal suggests the answers are no and no. The study establishes that although the daughters of families with premature heart disease are indeed at higher risk of developing heart disease themselves, they either are failing to get that message or not bothering to heed it. "Women seem to feel they have a get-out-of-jail-free card when it comes to heart disease," says Dr. Alexis Anvekar, California internist and American Heart Association spokeswoman.

In the days and weeks leading up to the induction ceremony, both Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn spent plenty of time talking about the state of their nerves. While Ripken mentioned the speech and maintaining his composure, there was an unexpected obstacle that almost got him yesterday: holding his Hall of Fame plaque. "I did think it was really heavy. ... That was my first feeling," he said. "You don't expect that. I thought I could drop it on my toe, it could be pretty embarrassing. There was a brief moment of that."

Good morning -- Cal Ripken Jr. -- Now you're starting a new streak - your plaque will be in the Hall of Fame every day.

It's been 40 years since Israel attacked the U.S. Navy spy ship USS Liberty, killing 34 American sailors and injuring 172 more in what both governments say was an accident. Today, Naval Academy alumni are scheduled to dedicate a plaque in memory of two classmates who were killed in the attack, which occurred June 8, 1967, in the Mediterranean Sea. The Liberty incident, which remains controversial, occurred on the fourth day of what has come to be known as the Six-Day War. Today's ceremony will be at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, where the plaque will be on display honoring Stephen Spencer Toth, academy class of 1963, and Philip McCutcheon Armstrong, Jr., class of 1953.

A former African-American beach resort that drew thousands of people and national R&B acts has been named the first of 17 sites that the city will mark with a plaque as part of the Annapolis Charter 300 celebration. The effort is an attempt to diversify the city's historical accounts beyond the signers of the Declaration of Independence, said Chuck Weikel, executive director of the celebration. A waist-high marker will be placed at the former entrance to Carr's Beach, now private property owned by the upscale Chesapeake Harbour condominium community.