Reactions

Stories involving race require particular clarity of exposition and even-handedness because the issues inevitably trigger strong reactions from readers. Recent Sun articles - about the disparity between black and white students' performance in statewide achievement tests and about rallies to protest the treatment of six black teens who were charged with attempted murder over a schoolyard brawl in Jena, La. - generated a number of strong reactions. In my view, The Sun's reporting on these stories was well researched, well edited and timely.

David Modell was named Ravens team president only two weeks ago, but he already is acknowledging problems that his father, owner Art Modell, never would.David all but admitted last night that the team made a mistake by failing to re-sign defensive tackle James Jones before he became a free agent.And he said that the stunning escalation in free-agent salaries means that the Ravens need to consider signing more top players to contract extensions, as they did with Ray and Jermaine Lewis last season.

Residents of Taneytown expressed mixed reactions yesterday to news that the home of an African-American woman had been marred by pornographic and racial graffiti, in an incident the FBI is investigating as a hate crime.In dozens of interviews yesterday, ministers and merchants, police officers and longtime residents insisted this town of about 4,700 has no racial problems, though many said they are aware of recent Ku Klux Klan activity in the area."In our congregation, we have people who are African-American and Hispanic, and nothing's happened to them," said the Rev. Martin P. Feild, pastor of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church.

I GET SOME of the strangest reactions when I mention that I like Charlie Feaga personally. These reactions come mostly from people who despise the West Friendship Republican's politics and his frank expression of antiquated ideas.Mr. Feaga has plenty of political baggage from his decade on the Howard County Council, and there are serious concerns about whether voters could trust him with the reins of county government. But I have always considered him a decent, down-to-earth man. As one local political observer described, he's Howard County's Bob Dole.

Q: I've read reports that LSD use among teen-agers in parts of Maryland is on the rise. I thought the drug went out of style in the '60s.A: Although government statistics show an overall downward trend for drug use among high school seniors, such a trend is not so evident for lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Since 1984, the percent of teens using this drug has gone up: 1.9 percent of high school seniors answered they had used it in the last 30 days. Reports of increased use have been noted throughout the country.

DEET (diethyltoluamide) is a highly effective repellent used against insects and ticks in products such as Cutter's and Off! It is also a highly controversial repellent reported to have caused adverse reactions after repeated use. Most complaints involve skin or eye irritation, but DEET, which is absorbed into the bloodstream, has also been implicated in causing seizures and comas in children."

ATLANTA -- When Bob Blazak rises before a group of geniuses today, he'll take on a topic that taxes the most awe-inspiring minds among us.You're thinking cold fusion? The riddance of world hunger? Eliminating the federal budget deficit?Think again.Rather, Mr. Blazak will give lessons in "Car Buying 101" to an estimated 120 Mensans expected at the "regional gathering" being held here this weekend."It's a primer on how to buy a car," says Mr. Blazak, an automobile-buying consultant who teaches classes on the subject at Kennesaw State College.

DEET (diethyltoluamide) is a highly effective repellent used against insects and ticks in products such as Cutter's and Off! It is also a highly controversial repellent reported to have caused adverse reactions after repeated use. Most complaints involve skin or eye irritation, but DEET, which is absorbed into the bloodstream, has also been implicated in causing seizures and comas in children."

Houston. - The Thomas hearings featured that notorious device, the polygraph, which emerged, alas, with its image more battered than ever. Anita Hill volunteered for an examination, which indicated she was truthful; Judge Thomas refused one. Senate (and popular) opinion in effect discredited the results.Three groups are implacably opposed to polygraphs: those who resent having their word questioned, those who regard it as an invasion of privacy -- and those with something to hide. Opponents have been numerous enough to bar its use in court cases or for job applications.

ChicagoA newborn baby with its umbilical cord still attached, a priest and a nun kissing, an angelic-looking white child hugging a black child with a semblance of horns, leaves floating in a sea of oil, a zebra and a parrot, and a roll of white toilet paper are the six images that form Benetton's fall advertising campaign.Forget about the leaves, the zebra with the parrot and even the toilet paper for the time being. It's the baby and those cute kids that are bringing the bags of mail to Benetton's headquarters and causing its 800 number to go bonkers.

Science night Anne Arundel Community College's free "Science Night" will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Nov. 12 in the Dragun Science Building at 101 College Parkway in Arnold. Visitors can participate in hands-on demonstrations or just watch. See a bed of nails; learn how to pull a tablecloth out from under a table full of dishes, watch chemical reactions and more. Call 410-777-1217 for more information.

From his post at Padonia Station, bartender Mike "Tee" Trageser can hear the town's telltale heart thumping Ravens Ravens Ravens. The beat's been building for months, he said, the steady chatter about Joe Flacco and company revealing a wave of anticipation for the 2009 season, which opens Sunday in Baltimore. "After the performance they had last year," he said, "the expectations are really high this year." Where Baltimore fans gather - at bars, on talk radio, through blogs - there's the sound of confidence, a setup for winter's glory or discontent.

Having watched political corruption cases in Maryland and elsewhere over 30 years, I can say this: Indictments are not predictable, but the reactions to them are. The reactions to the 12-count indictment against Mayor Sheila Dixon of Baltimore sound quite familiar. We've heard in the past few days what we always seem to hear: * Angry outrage-for-hire by a defense attorney, though, in this case, the live telecast of The Arnold Weiner Show (pre-empting Oprah on WBAL-TV) was something new. * Supporters of the accused, including other elected officials, ridiculing the charges with "That's all they've got?"

Credited as the first hospital to introduce latex gloves, Johns Hopkins Hospital is now among the first to banish them. A famed Hopkins surgeon ushered in the latex era more than a century ago to protect his surgical nurse's hands from harsh detergents used to disinfect them. Now, in an announcement yesterday, the hospital said it has gone latex-free to prevent rare but severe allergic reactions - called anaphylaxis - that can include wheezing, rapid heartbeat and a sudden drop in blood pressure.

INSIDE TODAY WHAT THEY'RE SAYING TODAY'S SUN COLUMNISTS One scary burrito Hardee's newest heart-stopper is a doozy -the Country Breakfast Burrito, which tops out at a whopping 920 calories and 60 grams of fat. Scary. Today baltimoresun.com/cowherd How good are the Ravens? Are the Ravens a good team playing badly or a team that's actually not that good? The latter is closer to the truth. Ravens Gameday baltimoresun.com/steele OTHER VOICES Michael Dresser on deer reactions -- Maryland Edward Guntz on the Utz building -- Today Mike Preston on playoff chances -- Sports 5 THINGS TO DO TODAY Chris Botti -- Trumpet player brings his contemporary jazz to Rams Head Tavern for three nights of shows starting tonight.

Stories involving race require particular clarity of exposition and even-handedness because the issues inevitably trigger strong reactions from readers. Recent Sun articles - about the disparity between black and white students' performance in statewide achievement tests and about rallies to protest the treatment of six black teens who were charged with attempted murder over a schoolyard brawl in Jena, La. - generated a number of strong reactions. In my view, The Sun's reporting on these stories was well researched, well edited and timely.

MOSCOW -- More than a half-dozen types of cheese disappeared from behind deli counters. Small bottles of chili powder, garlic seasoning and lemon pepper - indeed, every spice with the blue Santa Maria label - vanished from supermarket shelves. Old Tallinn liqueur, a sweet staple in a punchy cocktail called the hammer and sickle, suddenly was harder to come by. The word had come down from on high: Estonian products are no longer welcome in Russia. The row over the removal of a Soviet-era war monument and the remains of soldiers from a central square in the Estonian capital first prompted a diplomatic war of words, even looting and civil unrest.

Bad reactions to prescription drugs send 700,000 Americans to emergency rooms each year, according to a federal study providing the most detailed look yet at the problem. The report, appearing today in The Journal of the American Medical Association, said drug allergies were the most common bad reaction sending patients to emergency rooms, followed by unintended overdoses. The study excluded suicide attempts. People over 65 were more than twice as likely to have severe drug reactions as younger people.

I am in very good health except for recurrent sinus infections. Recently, my internist put me on a 12-day tapered course of prednisone. Within days, I thought I was going crazy. I became extremely agitated and irritable, and the least little thing set me off. I didn't sleep for three days, even with sleeping pills. I couldn't concentrate. My blood pressure soared, and I became very fearful. My doctor never warned me about any of this. Are these normal side effects of prednisone, and what will I do if I have to take this drug again?

WASHINGTON - Reactions to the two men who want to be president come January could not have been more dissimilar. On one day, Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry won standing ovations and warm cheers at a conference of minority journalists. On the next, President Bush received polite applause, some snickers and a heckler's rant from the same group. The disparate responses to Bush and Kerry by a hall filled mostly with newspaper reporters, broadcasters, photographers and editors have raised the specter of press bias and partiality, with academicians, critics and journalists themselves condemning both reactions, raucous and rude, for putting the media in an unflattering light three months from Election Day. A crowd, which filled roughly three-quarters of a 5,000-seat hall, applauded 18 times for Bush during his speech and a question-and-answer period yesterday morning, while a similar-size audience interrupted Kerry with applause on more than three dozen occasions on Thursday and rose to its feet in appreciation more than once.