Uncertainty

Government leaders are asking us to out-innovate, out-export and out-work our competitors in order for the United States to turn this economy around. But what if our own government was instituting policies that proved to be some of the biggest obstacles in achieving those goals? For more than four decades, I have dedicated my life to developing novel medical technologies, such as implantable insulin pumps, rechargeable implantable pacemakers, heart stents and more. These therapies have improved the health and saved the lives of millions of patients in America and throughout the world, and spurred the creation of tens of thousands of jobs.

The fight over the federal minimum wage is coming to Baltimore. The head of the U.S. Department of Labor plans to swing into town Tuesday to talk to low-wage workers about how they make — or don't make — ends meet. Seth D. Harris, the agency's acting secretary, has crisscrossed the country for such events since President Barack Obama proposed in February that the minimum be raised from $7.25 an hour to $9. "The president during the State of the Union said that it's an outrage that in the richest country on earth that people are working full time and still living in poverty," Harris said in a telephone interview Monday.

The Kentucky Derby winner and oddsmakers' favorite for the Preakness Stakes isn't exactly a Maryland horse, but he's close - Orb is partially owned by a Baltimore County businessman, and his sire spent some time in Harford County. Attendance at Saturday's races might or might not set an all-time record, but it's bound to be close - top-flight music acts, it seems, are a bigger draw than BYOB debauchery. The weather may not be perfect, but it will be close - the latest forecast is for a high of 72 but with a slight chance of showers.

Jackie Carter had it all mapped out. She would attend college year-round and graduate early, land a job in criminal justice, start paying off student loans, move into her own apartment and invest in her first smartphone. But the 22-year-old Towson University graduate has seen her life after college veer off course. Carter, who graduated in December with a degree in sociology/anthropology with a criminal justice concentration, is living with her parents in Fallston, working as an intern and wondering whether her original goals are forever out of reach.

Blaming the cost to implement health care reform, the state's largest health insurer has proposed eye-popping rate increases to state regulators for individuals and small businesses. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield wants to raise rates an average of 25 percent on those who buy coverage individually. Chet Burrell, the insurer's CEO, said the increase was needed to cover the cost of more sick people who will be joining the insurance rolls under health care reform. People with pre-existing conditions were denied coverage prior to health care reform, keeping insurance costs down.

- Hazel Cropper, for years the fastest crab picker in this city built on its seafood industry, worries about the storm drain a few feet from her living room. As volunteers assessed the damage Superstorm Sandy caused to her home, the 74-year-old noted that the drain backs up whenever it rains, flooding the street. She wondered if it would put her home back under water in the next big storm. "I try to not even think about it," said Cropper, who worked in crab houses most of her life and earned the nickname "Hurricane Hazel" for the speed at which she dismantled blue crabs at annual competitions she inevitably won. "I'm leaving it in God's hands.

Here are a few highlights of this week's on-line activities:Monday1 p.m. Dr. Neil Tyson, astrophysicist, on America Online. Explore Mars and other planets with Princeton U. scientist. Location: vTC Scholastic Network. Keyword: Coliseum7 p.m. Charles Handy, "Beyond Certainty" author, on America Online. Discuss changing worlds of corporations. Location: Business Week. Keyword: Odeon8 p.m. Beth Witrogen McLeod, eldercare expert, on CompuServe. Discuss caring for elderly parents with San Francisco Examiner reporter.

I keep recommending Stan Carey's Sentence First blog to you. He's a lovely man, curious, even-tempered, and fair-minded, with an enviably clear prose as he writes about language. He makes sensible judgments. He's also generous with other writers, recently applauding some discoveries in blogging about language .  One of his discoveries is Diane Nicholls, who has launched Lexico Loco  with a post, "You lost me at knickers!"  Ms. Nicholls is also a fair-minded and temperate writer, evidently not given to shouting and breaking things, even as she explores one of the cheapest cliches to which journalistic hacks are devoted, the false range.

The Ravens solemnly cleaned out their lockers Monday morning, carrying bags out the door and the weight of uncertainty on their faces. Two days after the Ravens' excruciating 31-24 playoff loss at Pittsburgh, the players are unsure when they'll play their next game and how many of them will return when they do suit up again. One who will return is coach John Harbaugh, who will soon receive a contract extension from the Ravens. Many players are bracing for NFL owners to lock them out March 4 if a new collective bargaining agreement isn't reached.