Testament

Due to a nasty cold that kept me in bed later than normal, I read The Sun's Sports section, a section of the paper that typically doesn't receive my attention too often. I am so very grateful that I did. Mike Klingaman's article on University of Maryland's freshman kicker, Nick Ferrara, showed this remarkable young man to be someone who has figured out early in life what the lessons of grief and loss often take years to teach us ("Ferrara spurred by death of childhood friend," April 21)

By the time you read this, millions of Americans will have risen this morning at an hour best suited for dairy farming to watch wall-to-wall coverage of the televised wedding of Britain's Kate Middleton and Prince William. The TV networks are certainly milking the royal nuptials for all they are worth, having dispatched hundreds of reporters and producers to the scene to capture every pomp and circumstance. It's hard to see the harm in this shared moment of Anglophilia, aside from what envy it may generate from those impressionable youngsters watching it all on the family big screen TV with visions of wedding ceremonies half as lavish.

Ethiopia has a long and illustrious history. Its people, thought to be a mixture of African and South Arabian peoples, were spoken of by Homer as the "farthermost of men," who welcomed the gods to their banquets. Its traditions claim that the Queen of Sheba was Ethiopian, and its monarchs claimed descent from Menelek, the son of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon.Moreover, Menelek is supposed to have carried the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments, from Jerusalem to the Ethiopian capital of Aksum.

With the passing of William Donald Schaefer, we should be reminded of what can be achieved when our elected officials place the concerns of the voters above party affiliation. His life served as a testament to those who work tirelessly every day in Annapolis to achieve the best for their constituents and reminds us all that in the end, whether Democrat, Republican or moderate, we are all Marylanders. Jessica Fugate, Nottingham

In medieval illuminated manuscripts, the letter B lends itself especially well to illustration, because its loops provide places for two distinct scenes, above and below.In the current manuscript show at the Walters, "The Psalms of David in the Middle Ages," an early 14th-century Italian book of psalms opens with an illustrated B introducing the first Psalm. A picture of King David adorns the lower segment, and that's entirely appropriate, since David was thought to have written many of the Psalms.

Educators know that children need positive role models with whom to identify and imitate. But with the exception of some of Christ's maxims, including "Let the children come to me ... for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these," the New Testament contains few references to children. St. Paul's Episcopal Church members, however, have tipped their collective hats to "Courageous Children, Stepping Out for Christ," the church's vacation Bible school program. The weeklong program concludes this evening.

Delbert Roy Hillers, an eminent Old Testament and ancient Near Eastern language scholar, died Saturday of cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The longtime Johns Hopkins professor, admired for soft-spoken humility, keen intellect and zest for life, was 66.Dr. Hillers' scholarship of the Old Testament and the ancient languages of that period, particularly Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus, is considered among the most important in the field of biblical studies.Dr. Hillers had a reputation on the Hopkins campus, where he taught from 1963 to 1994, as one of the finest teachers at the university.

The biggest news of the millennium -- maybe of all human history even -- hit the nation's bookstores yesterday.The Bible code, a preoccupation for centuries of both serious philosophers and determined crackpots, the ultimate "anagram from the Almighty," had been cracked. It was a mystery that had eluded the intellectual efforts of Isaac Newton and teased the mind of Albert Einstein.It is all in a new book, "The "Bible Code," by journalist Michael Drosnin.Published by Simon & Schuster, it asserts that events that have occurred since the earliest books of the Scriptures were written -- and events that will occur in times ahead -- are all secretly inscribed in the Old Testament.

Educators know that children need positive role models with whom to identify and imitate. But with the exception of some of Christ's maxims, including "Let the children come to me ... for the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these," the New Testament contains few references to children. St. Paul's Episcopal Church members, however, have tipped their collective hats to "Courageous Children, Stepping Out for Christ," the church's vacation Bible school program. The weeklong program concludes this evening.

On January 3,2010 JOSEPH HARRISON. Friends may visit the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME, WEST,INC 4300 Wabash Avenue on Friday after 9AM. The family will receive friends on Saturday at 9AM at Baltimore Central New Testament Church of God 4002 West Belvedere Avenue funeral services will follow at 10Am.

There is a factual error in Thomas Schaller's column ("The problem is not Islam but orthodoxy," Aug. 24). He quotes Jesus as saying, "But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me. " In fact, these words are spoken by a king in a parable that Jesus tells. It is truly unfortunate that the only voices on religion that seem to get air time these days are the Pharisaical right or the anti-religious. OK, maybe we're stuck with that.

Due to a nasty cold that kept me in bed later than normal, I read The Sun's Sports section, a section of the paper that typically doesn't receive my attention too often. I am so very grateful that I did. Mike Klingaman's article on University of Maryland's freshman kicker, Nick Ferrara, showed this remarkable young man to be someone who has figured out early in life what the lessons of grief and loss often take years to teach us ("Ferrara spurred by death of childhood friend," April 21)

Baltimore's historic Lloyd Street Synagogue was almost torn down in the late 1950s to make way for a parking lot. An architect was hired to prepare scale drawings of the structure, so there would be a record of it after it was gone. Now the 1845 building is bustling with activity, after a $1 million restoration and the opening of a lower-level gallery designed to extend its reach as a center of education and tourism. The Jewish Museum of Maryland, which now owns the synagogue, opened the gallery Sunday as the latest addition to its Herbert Bearman campus.

On January 3,2010 JOSEPH HARRISON. Friends may visit the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME, WEST,INC 4300 Wabash Avenue on Friday after 9AM. The family will receive friends on Saturday at 9AM at Baltimore Central New Testament Church of God 4002 West Belvedere Avenue funeral services will follow at 10Am.

Before Parkville's football team kicks off its first home game, the Knights will rename their field in honor of Joseph Anthony Yates Sr., Baltimore County's first African-American football coach. The dedication of Yates Field will take place Sept. 12 at 12:30 p.m. before Parkville's game against Lansdowne. Yates, who died in 2006 at the age of 83, coached the Knights from 1971 to 1981. Yates' legacy is not about coaching but character, said Ron Belinko, coordinator of athletics for Baltimore County, who coached football at Overlea at the time.

If Harold Ramis' Year One were a bowling match, it would lurch between gutter balls and spares, with some scattered lucky strikes. Despite the key image of rotund Jack Black and willowy Michael Cera in animal skins, it's not a caveman comedy like Caveman. It's a romp through the early chapters of the Bible with Zed (Black) and Oh (Cera), who are forced to leave their primitive village when Zed eats fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. At its best, it's a bit like Mel Brooks' The History of the World Part I (except Ramis stops somewhere in Genesis)

On November 3, 2007 JUSTIN L. Friends may visit the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME EAST, 1101 E. North Avenue on Friday after 8 am. The family will receive friends at Baltimore Central New Testament Church of God, 4820 Reisterstown Rd. on Saturday at 9:30am. Funeral Services will follow at 10am.

The initials LXX, a reference to the Septuagint version of the Bible, were incorrectly printed in the article "Trying to get a read on the Good Book," which appeared in the Perspective section Sunday.The Sun regrets the error.TODAY MARKS the beginning of a New Year for more than a billion Christians worldwide. It's the first Sunday of Advent, the start of the liturgical year and of a new cycle of Bible readings."Bible," the word, comes from the ancient port city of By-blos, in Lebanon, famous for exporting papyrus to the Mediterranean world.

On April 14, 2009 PAULINE CHAN beloved daughter of Monica Haye and Harris Samuels; devoted mother of Kheron, Chrystal, Marion, Glendon and cherished grandmother of five. Also survived by many brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, aunts and other family members and friends. Viewing will be held at The Vaughn C. Greene Funeral Home, 8728 Liberty Road, Randallstown, MD 21133 on May 1 4-8 p.m. Family will receive friends at Baltimore Central New Testament Church of God, 4820 Reisterstown Road, Baltimore, MD 21215 on May 2 9-10 a.m. The funeral service will follow at 10 a.m. Interment at Druid Ridge Cemetery, 7900 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21208 immediately after service.

In what facet of the game does Maryland fare best in national statistics? It's net punting. OK, maybe punting isn't as sexy as, say, total offense, but it's important. Sophomore Travis Baltz averages 38.07 yards on net punting, ranking first in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 15th nationally. It's testament not only to a strong leg, but also to his touch when necessary and to Maryland's coverage. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/terpsblog)