Speaking

Washington -- Sister Souljah has been misunderstood. When the rap singer made her now notorious observation to the Washington Post -- ''If black people kill black people every day, why not take a week and kill white people?''-- she was not endorsing the proposition that black people should kill white people. As she explains it, she was expressing not her own views but the views of a black person who ordinarily kills black people.''I was just telling the writer that . . . if a person would kill their own brother, or a baby in a drive-by, or a grandmother, what would make white people think that [he]

Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger has a lot on his mind. As the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, he's had to defend the secret domestic surveillance program revealed to British Newspaper The Guardian by a former Maryland resident . And he's considering a run for governor . But on Thursday, he'll take time out for an event that, according to his news release, combines two "life-long passions: serving our troops and...

Italk to people for a living, but ask me to speak in front of a group and, well, you know. Sweaty palms. Nervous laugh. Many people dread public speaking and assume either you have the skills or not. That's a misconception, says Annapolis resident Timothy J. Koegel, who heads a presentation and media consulting firm in Washington. Based on his work with clients, Koegel recently wrote The Exceptional Presenter, which provides techniques to improve communication skills at all levels, either one-on-one or in large groups.

In the aftermath of a Camden Yards fight that left a Maryland man with severe head injuries, Orioles fans have turned to radio talk shows, Twitter, Facebook and office watercoolers to express their outrage. The alleged assault of lifelong Yankees fan Matt Fortese, 25, of Hagerstown was a rare occurrence at the stadium, according to police records and regular attendees. But with Fortese in critical condition, the incident has disturbed many fans - and attracted national attention.

A Baltimore police officer facing internal discipline for speaking to a Baltimore Sun reporter said in court filings Tuesday that she was exercising free speech and that her comments served a public concern. Sgt. Carrie Everett, who was then assigned to the Southwestern District, spoke to a reporter after she was administratively charged in connection with an incident in which a murder suspect committed suicide by jumping from a top-floor window while under police supervision at Mercy Medical Center.

BRUSSELS -- To the uninitiated, the existential crisis splitting Belgium down the middle these days might seem like a (very) civilized war as told by Dr. Seuss, with the French-speaking Walloons on one side and the Dutch-speaking Flemings on the other. To continue the literary analogy, consider the library at Belgium's Leuven University. Make that two libraries. German armies had burned down Leuven's library in the two world wars, and it was rebuilt after each. But then in 1970, the last time the Flemings and the Walloons got seriously restive, the million-volume collection was carved into two: Odd-numbered books remained on the original campus in the Dutch-speaking part of the country, while even-numbered books went to a new Francophone school built in a field 17 miles to the south.

McLean, Va.--There's usually a twinkle in his eye when Bob Tyrrell speaks, which is good since he says so many nasty things. In that way, he's not unlike one of his models, H. L. Mencken, a writer who could be as outrageous as he could be charming.That's why Mr. Tyrrell is an appropriate choice to speak at the Enoch Pratt Free Library's annual Mencken Day festivities, which will take place Saturday at the Central Branch.When Mr. Tyrrell speaks, liberals get the most flak, as one might suspect about this fiercely conservative writer and editor of the American Spectator, but here's an observation about the current president, who happens to be a Republican (like Mr. Tyrrell)

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- Not long ago, Smith College English professor Patricia Skarda was walking behind two students deep in conversation. A strict grammatical constructionist, Skarda took note of their syntax."

A Roman Catholic priest, ordered by the Vatican to end his ministry to gay and lesbian Catholics, has resumed public speaking, saying he could do so, within limits, and still respect the church's directive.The priest, the Rev. Robert Nugent of Baltimore, had worked for nearly three decades with Sister Jeannine Gramick, also of Baltimore, in reaching out to gay Catholics. But the church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith told them on July 13 that they were permanently prohibited from further pastoral work with gays and lesbians.

WHEN A TREE falls in a deserted forest, does it make a sound? It's an old riddle for which there is no answer. The transmission of sound depends equally on the originator and the receiver. In human language, it requires a speaker and a listener. Listening - to falling trees, to snoring grandparents, to story-telling parents, to bawling baby sisters - comes to children long before writing and reading. Listening and its oral counterpart, speaking, are the primary means by which children learn until they read well.

The state Board of Public Works is expected to vote today on a contract that would clear the way for the Department of Housing and Community Development to move from its park-like campus in Crownsville to a transit hub in Prince George's County. The board's members - Gov. Martin O'Malley, Comptroller Peter Franchot and Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp - are expected to hear from both supporters and opponents of the hotly debated move to New Carrollton. A spokesman for Franchot, Andrew Friedson, said the comptroller was reviewing the deal overnight and anticipates asking questions.

Wounded veterans are getting free gym memberships and home exercise equipment, thanks to a nonprofit group founded by a Homeland woman, whose brother was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. Lynn Coffland's shoestring organization, the Catch A Lift Fund, has helped about 125 veterans so far, but lacks the funding to accommodate hundreds more applications that it has on file, she said. “It's been a struggle,” said Coffland, an interior decorator, who is organizing a fundraiser Sept.

For Theresa Mills, the "most emotional day" came last June when the Marine Corps notification team visited her Laurel home to tell her that her older son had been killed in Afghanistan. The second most emotional day, she said, came Monday. In the morning, Mills traveled to Timonium, where Lance Cpl. Eugene C. Mills III was one of seven Marylanders honored at the annual Memorial Day observance at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. In the afternoon, she planned to see off her younger son, Jake, who was scheduled to leave Monday evening for Marine Corps boot camp at Parris Island, S.C. In between, she said she was "emotional, very emotional.

A truly ironic position by our County Executive Kevin Kamenetz who proclaims the environmental positives of trees (Towson Times, May 1, "Kamenetz plans to increase county forest county canopy") yet makes the decision to destroy 10 acres of hardwood trees in Mays Chapel Park in order to build an elementary school there. This man is a true snake oil salesman, who is willing to destroy the infrastructure of one community to benefit his political agenda in another. Obviously common decency is lacking.

He pulled on a Terps visor, to the crowd's delight. He rubbed noses with Gov. Martin O'Malley. And the Dalai Lama was met Tuesday with rounds of applause from a crowd of 15,000 at the University of Maryland, College Park's Comcast Center. "Sit down," the 78-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader said in a firm but friendly voice when he approached the podium and the crowd rose to its feet. "No formality! We are [the] same. … The way we are born, the way we die: no formality. " Clad in red robes and his trademark spectacles, the Dalai Lama appeared at the university to give an address on peace, compassion and fellowship as part of the Anwar Sadat Lecture Series.

The Harford County Public Library Foundation hosted a crowd of nearly 200 guests on Friday, April 19 for its annual A Night Out @ the Library fundraiser. Attendees enjoyed lite fare, cocktails and the opportunity to hear and meet renowned military history author Jeff Shaara. "It was a phenomenal evening!" Kay Deitz, local Realtor with Garceau Realty and a sponsor of the event, said. "Mr. Shaara is able to present history in a way that the general public can enjoy and relate to. I found him fascinating.

AS I WATCHED my friend Jorge Luis Sierra from Mexico City address a small group of college students in Washington, a worry formed in the back of my mind. But before we deal with my paranoia, a little background about my friend. Sierra is the managing editor of the newspaper, Mexico Hoy! He was on a trip to the United States sponsored by the Mexico Solidarity Network to lobby politicians on Capitol Hill. He was also promoting a book he edited about Mexico's military. All of these activities are something people living in the United States take for granted: writing, speaking your mind, exercising your right to contact politicians.

Last week, a state trooper was killed in Prince George's County. Gov. Martin O'Malley, speaking of the killer, said: " There are a small number of brutal, cold people that would take another's life without thinking about it." That's why many of us support the death penalty that the governor opposes. Mark Plogman, Pikesville

When Albina Digaeva, a Chechen who was granted political asylum in the United States, first learned that the Boston bombing suspects were from Chechnya, she called the California family who initially put her up when she arrived 15 years ago and apologized. A member of the host family that originally hailed from Boston "tried to calm me down and said I can't claim responsibility for the actions of two individuals," said Digaeva, who now lives in Los Angeles and doesn't know the two brothers suspected in the bombing.

After years of conflict and killing in the Middle East, Europe and now here, I would like to know who speaks for the nonviolent Muslims? Have they a leadership or a voice that reaches the media? Do they fear reprisals by those whom they should castigate? I keep a close watch on the news, both on television and in print, but I am unaware of anyone of that faith decrying the killings perpetrated by the region's radicals. I wish they would speak up. Otherwise they run the risk of people dropping the word "radical" from the phrase "Muslim radicals" and painting the entire religion with the same brush.