Thirst

Even as protests intensified yesterday against the publication of cartoons satirizing the Prophet Muhammad, scholars who study the Muslim world caution that the cartoons themselves are almost unimportant. What matters more, they say, is a store of frustration and anger among Muslims that was ready to be ignited, if not by cartoons originally published in a Danish newspaper then by some other image or event that in the West would first seem unremarkable. Citizens of many Middle Eastern countries are aggrieved by corruption and lack of democracy, and eager to express their fury, said Sanam Vakil, assistant professor of Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.

SEATTLE -- For 27 straight days, rain has fallen on Seattle. The people here don't bat an eye when the drops splash off their head and drip run down their eyeglasses. When you've waited 22 seasons for a playoff victory, you can shrug off a little rain on your parade. The Seahawks' 20-10 win yesterday over the Redskins marked their first postseason victory since 1984, but no one is breaking out the confetti quite yet. That's because Seattle is poised for an even deeper run in the playoffs, and the reason for the pending celebration has nothing to do with what brought them this far. Seattle has the NFL's top-scoring offense and piled up more yards this season than any other team but Kansas City.

Is there life after growth in Maryland? Are the nearly 6 million people who live here now more important than the 1.1 million projected to come here by 2025? Is the goal of land-use planning to make our communities better, not just less bad? Does a "sustainable" environment include all species - not just ours? Instead of shooting all the lawyers, should we gun for economists? "Yes" to all of these should seem obvious to anyone who has worried about the quality of life around Chesapeake country.

There may have been other champions who entered their kingdoms through the back door, but not lately. Nevertheless, Hasim Rahman is not about to get picky about how he became heavyweight champion of the world for the second time. His hometown shouldn't be picky, either. Not with a baseball franchise that yesterday, on the same day Rahman inherited his crown from Vitali "Quit-schko," got to revisit the biggest nightmare of its wretched season. And not with an NFL franchise that's off to its worst start since 1998, the last time it fired its coach.

One of the most anticipated books this summer is by a woman writer who labored in obscurity for many years, holding a variety of jobs while she created a fanciful world with inquisitive heroes and ghoulish creatures. Yes, that describes J.K. Rowling, whose sixth Harry Potter is almost certain to be the summer's biggest hit. But it applies just as well to Elizabeth Kostova, first-time author and recent writing program grad, whose suspenseful saga The Historian should become a familiar sight at beaches and pools.

The Historian By Elizabeth Kostova. Little Brown, 656 pages, $25.95. A crucifix, a tiny silver pistol with matching bullets and dagger, a head of garlic. These accoutrements are viewed by the heroine of The Historian in a tiny rare books chamber at Oxford University in 1974. The vampire hunting kit dates to the 17th century. Our heroine -- unnamed in classic gothic fiction style -- is just shy of 18. Her American father, Paul -- one of the historians of the title -- may or may not be a vampire slayer.

I drink at least eight large glasses of water every day to maintain good health. When I play soccer or tennis, I force myself to drink a lot more. I recently heard that you can drink too much water. What are the consequences? People have been led to believe that they need to drink a lot of water to stay healthy, especially if they are exercising vigorously. But new research suggests that there are hazards to overdosing on fluids. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine (April 14, 2005)

At one point during her eighth-grade year at Glenwood Middle School, Afton Vechery was forced to drink bottled water at school because of contamination. That troubled her - and piqued her interest in the water quality in western Howard County, where residents don't have public sewer and water service. "I wondered about the water quality at home," said Afton, who turned her curiosity into a ninth-grade science project. The bacteria she found in the water surprised her and led her to conduct more in-depth research and to become keenly interested in well-water quality.

Sri Lanka's top beer producer built its reputation on its chilled lagers and full-bodied stouts. But soon after last week's catastrophe, when a tsunami struck the nation's coastline, executives at Lion Brewery in Colombo knew that the best way they could offer assistance was to stop brewing beer - and start bottling water. Clean water, they knew, is among the most pressing needs. The giant wave wiped out public water and sanitation systems, contaminated wells and springs, and left millions across South Asia at grave risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

THE MOOD IN the Ravens' locker room two weeks ago, after losing to the Patriots, reflected a disconnect with reality. The mood last week was dictated by a slap back into reality. Yesterday, though, the Ravens showed their connection with reality is just fine. The players were as fully aware of what they had just done as everyone else in M&T Bank Stadium was. They beat up on a bad team, one that resembles next week's opponent in exactly two ways: They wear helmets and cleats, and they start a guy named Manning at quarterback.