Proof

Regarding your recent editorial on the impending across-the-board cuts in federal spending, since the "sequester" plan originally was introduced by the White House, to call it a "GOP sequester" is a misnomer ("The GOP sequester," Feb. 22). If we had any leaders, managers or even decent administrators in the Obama administration, a spending reduction of $85 billion would a walk in the park. But no, we get a bunch of whining, doom and gloom. It can't be that bad if President Obama had time to play golf for a few days (not too mention his continuing campaigning)

Regarding your recent editorial on the murder trial of Philadelphia abortion provider Kermit Gosnell, we are not all stupid ("Kermit Gosnell and the 'liberal media,'" April 16). Sean Hannity is a conservative and he admits it. But The Sun editorial board is liberal, and doesn't admit it. That is the main difference between the two sides: Most conservatives admit they are, and most liberals deny they are. I heard about the Gosnell case months ago, and I am sure it was not in The Sun. Fox at least tries to let both sides have a say, but MSNBC doesn't.

I must say I am puzzled by the objections by some to the use of speed cameras. Tom Laufer raised his concerns in his letter to the editor, citing the supposed lack of "proof" that you were actually speeding when caught by a camera. My question is this: When you are pulled over by a police officer for speeding, do you have any proof? Do you ask the officer to show you the data from his/her radar gun before s/he issues you a ticket? The answer, of course, is no. The real answer is that most people speed knowingly, and just hope they don't get caught.

A bill introduced in Annapolis this legislative session would make it easier for parents to challenge school systems when they believe their special education students are not receiving a proper education. Senate Bill 691, introduced by Sen. Karen Montgomery, a Montgomery County democrat, seeks to shift the burden of proof to local school systems in due process hearings, which advocates say are usually burdensome for parents who are often outnumbered, overwhelmed and outspent when they go before an administrative judge to settle disputes.  Due process hearings--which mirror civil court trials--are one of the pivotal rights afforded to parents under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

I couldn't agree more with the title of Dan Rodricks ' column ("A judge long overdue for retirement," July 3). Judge Thomas J. Bollinger has made ugly waves for years with various decisions, several quoted by Mr. Rodricks, that show his disrespect, unconcern and disdain for women. Why is this man still on the bench when he is past the mandatory retirement age of 70? Doesn't this counteract the law he purportedly supports? Can't someone get him away from us so we won't hear any more disgusting judgments like giving a bishop (a bishop!

The citizens of Baltimore are being told to believe it just because he and his advisors said it is so. Luke Scott wants all of us to accept as fact that he has a shoulder problem ("Scott has torn labrum in shoulder," May 10), yet he has failed to produce the live results of his MRI medical tests for Orioles' fans to see for themselves. Might this medical condition be a plan of action earlier conceived to have us believe his struggles are acceptable? He plans to "play through the pain, pray and believe in my miracle healing.

Tidewater Players, the community theater of Havre de Grace, is tackling the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning drama, "Proof," by David Auburn. The plot revolves around a brilliant theorem, or proof, discovered after the death of a famous mathematician. But the former professor was mentally ill during the last years of his life, when he was cared for by his younger daughter, Catherine. Is it possible that he wrote the proof? If not, who did? Robert Oppel directs. For Tammy Crisp Oppel, who plays Catherine, it's not the first time she's been in a play directed by her husband.

While reading Joe Burris ' article on New Year's Day, I was dumbfounded by the conclusions that were being drawn by the professors at JHU who are proposing a new calendar ("JHU professors propose new calendar," Jan. 1). They claimed that mistakes are made in scheduling with the current calendar but would be eliminated with their calendar, that there should be no objection from the religious community with their proposed changes, and that "everyone" would quickly memorize the calendar.

I have a question regarding ground rent. I purchased an investment property last January, and the ground-rent owner remained unknown after a title search was completed. By law, the title company escrowed three years worth of ground rent. I refinanced the property in June but the ground-rent situation held up the process. The mortgage company needed to know who owned the ground rent or proof that no one owned it. A second title company completed a search and did not find the owner of the ground rent.

In the theater, an out-of-town tryout allows collaborators to work out the kinks before going into New York, or London. John Madden and Gwyneth Paltrow had a different experience with Proof. Their tryout wasn't out-of-town; it was out-of-medium. In 2002, director Madden approached Paltrow about "having a go" at David Auburn's popular play about a Chicago mathematician's daughter and her secrets, in a stage production in London. Madden and Paltrow already had a fine rapport: Paltrow won an Academy Award for her performance in Shakespeare in Love, the multiple Oscar winner directed by Madden.

Regarding your recent editorial on the impending across-the-board cuts in federal spending, since the "sequester" plan originally was introduced by the White House, to call it a "GOP sequester" is a misnomer ("The GOP sequester," Feb. 22). If we had any leaders, managers or even decent administrators in the Obama administration, a spending reduction of $85 billion would a walk in the park. But no, we get a bunch of whining, doom and gloom. It can't be that bad if President Obama had time to play golf for a few days (not too mention his continuing campaigning)

We're about 10 minutes from the start pf the 85th Academy Awards -- hope you've made the final adjustments on your Oscar betting pool. Here are a few observations from Oscar's red carpet, surely one of Earth's most fascinating (not to mention fashionable) places. The award for for first celebrity to arrive goes to Kristen Chenoweth, one of the hosts of the Oscar pre-show (it was fun to watch her be so flabbergasted that Anne Hathaway actually guessed that the mystery object she was so zealously guarding was Dorothy's ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz")

Tidewater Players, the community theater of Havre de Grace, is tackling the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning drama, "Proof," by David Auburn. The plot revolves around a brilliant theorem, or proof, discovered after the death of a famous mathematician. But the former professor was mentally ill during the last years of his life, when he was cared for by his younger daughter, Catherine. Is it possible that he wrote the proof? If not, who did? Robert Oppel directs. For Tammy Crisp Oppel, who plays Catherine, it's not the first time she's been in a play directed by her husband.

The revelation that Wendy Rosen, the Democratic congressional candidate in Maryland's 1st District, had voted in both Maryland and Florida in 2006 and 2008 is a serious embarrassment to her party. It is also an anomaly, and Republican efforts to pounce on the story as justification for their attempts to enact voter ID laws here and elsewhere are cynical and wrong-headed. Ms. Rosen lives in Maryland and owns property in Florida. She says she registered there so she could vote for a friend who was running for local office, but the fact that she was able to - and did - vote in state and federal elections in Florida and Maryland suggests that she broke the law in one if not both states.

Dezmine Wells, a highly touted former Xavier basketball player hoping to transfer to Maryland, was in College Park on Wednesday as the school studied a sexual assault allegation against him that a prosecutor said resulted from a game of "truth or dare. " Wells was undergoing the sort of Maryland review required of any prospective student who has been disciplined by another institution or has a criminal record. Wells' expulsion from Xavier, announced by the Cincinnati school last month, triggered the review by a Maryland student conduct office working with the university's office of undergraduate admissions, school officials said.

For weeks city and state officials have been on a scavenger hunt. Their goal: To track down documents, if they exist, showing that 76 property owners in Baltimore have been legitimately receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in discounts on local property tax bills. The search began after the city office responsible for approving the historic property tax credit was unable to locate key records. Those records would prove that the properties' owners had received “final certification” needed to qualify for a 10-year tax break on historic rehabs.

The press reports a possible link between medical treatment for one condition and another illness. How does our society decide whether the treatment causes the illness? Usually we are content to allow the scientific community to gather evidence and reach a conclusion. But according to a recent editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine, a new practice has emerged: Sue those you blame. If the suits are successful, then causation has been successfully established.The belief that women with silicone-gel breast implants are more likely to suffer from arthritis and other connective-tissue disorders such as lupus is the latest example of this ''proof by suit.

WASHINGTON -- Lawyers for someone claiming to be too mentally ill to be tried on criminal charges need offer only minimal proof of incompetence, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously yesterday.The decision is intended to reduce the risk of an error that results in the trial of someone likely to be mentally ill. The court said it is unconstitutional for states to put a significant burden of proof on those claiming to be incompetent.The court noted that it has long been clear that an incompetent person may not be put on trial, because an accused person must have the mental capacity to understand what is going on at the trial and to help the defense lawyer mount a defense.

While the vaunted rivalry between Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte will continue to play out as the Olympic qualifying trials continue in Omaha, on Monday night, it was Lochte's turn in the spotlight. He won the 400-meter individual medley, although Phelps as the second place finisher also goes to London in the event. And, in fact, Phelps got a first, which he said is one of his motivations as he tries for one more Olympics: He became the first American male swimmer to qualify for four Olympics.

Three people were arrested and more than a dozen guns were seized Thursday in the culmination of a two-month investigation into a gun distribution ring. "They got a major gun dealer off the streets," said Det. Donny Moses, a spokesman for the Baltimore Police Department. Ronald Van Price Jr., 37, Keith James, 34, and Jessica Correa, 24, were arrested and are expected to be charged by federal authorities, who assisted with the inquiry, Moses said. Maryland's U.S. Attorney's Office had not released the exact charges by 10:30 p.m. Thursday.