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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.

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.

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.

WIMBLEDON, England -- Almost every time the lunging Lleyton Hewitt sent up a lob that required a harmless tap to tuck it away, Taylor Dent attacked it with the vigor of a puppy pouncing on a chew toy. Almost every time the powerful Dent tenderized a ball with a serve that topped out at 144 mph, Hewitt had the coiled reflexes to snap it back yesterday during his 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 victory. If the California-born Dent was going to emerge from the backdrop of America's Andy Roddick frenzy, he wanted to drop into the scene with the force of a falling piano.

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.

Greg Cantori plans to downsize when he retires. Really, really downsize. His retirement home is 238 square feet - one-tenth the size of the average new American house - and sits in his Anne Arundel County yard. He and wife Renee can hitch it to a truck and take it with them wherever they go. "It's so cheap - that's what's so cool about this," said Cantori, 52, who envisions a surf-and-turf future, alternating between the house and a sailboat. "We bought the house for $19,000.

JOHN CENA VS. RYBACK: 3 STAGES OF HELL FOR WWE TITLE John Cena will win in two straight falls and we won't see an ambulance match. Just kidding. One "guarantee" in this match is that it will go to the third fall. To me, this is more important for Ryback than it is for John Cena, even though I think Cena will retain and move on after this match . Where will that leave Ryback? Unfortunately, lower in status and interest than he has ever been. Perhaps a feud with Sheamus or another high-level good guy without a title awaits.

Facebook may have a lot of uses for social networking and time-wasting, but lately it's been offering a creative outlet, too. A new comic-making application called Bitstrips is popping up more and more on Facebook updates. And after just a few months, Bitstrips has turned into something that everyone seems to be talking about. "Basically, it's an app that turns you and your friends into a cast of cartoon characters," explains Jacob Blackstock, Bitstrips' chief executive and creative director.

The most popular prescription sleeping pill in the world was banned in Britain yesterday because of safety concerns, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it had no immediate intention to follow suit.Although the drug, Halcion, has been the focus of a growing debate regarding its side effects over the last two years, health officials in this country were surprised by the British prohibition. They said they knew of no new studies that would shed light on the medication, which has been linked at times with memory loss and violent behavior.

We are lice-free at last with Listerine, alcohol, vinegar and Denorex! We sprayed four heads every night with Listerine before bed, then combed and combed every inch with a nit comb. The lice were gone in three days, but we continued this ritual for seven more days to kill off any newly hatched eggs each day. I soaked the four separate nit combs in rubbing alcohol between uses and dipped them periodically in the alcohol as I combed. We also used vinegar on one severely affected head to loosen the nits.