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Rep. Todd Akin, the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate from Missouri, has shown once again how the Republican Party has been taken over by its most extreme elements ("Akin's rape comments elicit anger," Aug. 21). Mr. Akin claims there is difference between "legitimate rape" and other rapes and suggests that a woman who has been raped can prevent her body from becoming pregnant. He also sponsored a bill that adds the word "forcible" to the legal definition of rape, as if there was such a thing as "unforced" rape.

Think root canal - with no anesthetic. Think paper cuts, hammer to thumbs, stubbed toes and smacking your head on the corner of the kitchen cabinet door. The Broncos are 0-for-Baltimore since the Browns became the Ravens, but this time they bring Peyton Manning along for the ride. And a team that has built what was one of the league's most stout defenses season after season is in a fairly big club when it comes to Manning. "Peyton Manning is a great quarterback," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.

Set in a crowded subdivision, this tiny waterfront lot and everything on it have been transformed to capture the view.Landscape architect John T. Gutting of Church Hill redesigned an existing rectangular pool surrounded by a 5-foot-wide concrete walk. The landscape design was part of a larger redesigning effort that included removing an existing ranch house and building a new house on site. The property owners wanted a design that would provide screening from close neighbors, yet take advantage of spectacular views north, up the Chesapeake Bay and South River.

Let the countdown to Opening Day begin - for the annual holiday's weather forecast, at least. The Orioles' April 6 meeting with the Minnesota Twins is coming into the view of (relatively) reliable forecasting. About 10 days out, AccuWeather is calling for a high of 63 and periods of light rain . The National Weather Service's forecasters don't predict that far out, but its climatologists meanwhile expect cooler than normal temperatures eight to 14 days from now. Normal highs are about 61 degrees.

I was shocked by the brazen disregard shown toward the public byRobert L. Ehrlich Jr.in his recent column on the war against terror ("Do we have what it takes to beatal-Qaida?" April 27). Mr. Ehrlich characterizes peace groups as placating and ignoring "those whose primary goal it is to terrorize and destroy the world. " This claim is baseless. These groups simply want a more just and fair world where America is respected instead of hated. Yet Mr. Ehrlich goes on to declare that Americans are "lazy" and "withdrawn" in "the absence of organized, direct threats.

For the past three weeks, defensive coordinator Dean Pees has been calling plays from the press box instead of the sideline, and the Ravens have won three straight. He apparently isn't going to return to the field soon. "When you're upstairs, it expedites the call," said Pees. "You might think that might go the other way around, but being upstairs is actually faster. I used to have to wait to hear what the down and distance were. Sometimes, the ball was across the field and I couldn't tell if it was a hash call or a middle-of-the-field call.

With his surprising selection of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate, Republican Mitt Romney is asking Americans to choose between competing narratives of our past, interpretations of present realities and visions of our future. According to the historical narrative embraced by Messrs. Romney and Ryan and their tea party supporters, the U.S. is a unique nation, anointed by God not merely to dominate a continent but to shape the destiny of the world. In their view, America's wealth and might are primarily due to the accomplishments of enterprising individuals whose initiative, imagination and risk-taking created great fortunes.

Q: Please help me find a design solution for a window alcove that's 8 feet long and only 24 inches wide. The problem isn't the window itself, which affords a terrific view. It's the oddly shaped space beneath the window that's got me stumped. What should I do to make the most of this space?A: The area you describe may not technically qualify as an alcove since it's so shallow. But while its shape is indeed a bit awkward, a feature like this is not all that unusual.The design strategy will, as always, depend on a specific set of needs as well as on personal tastes.

To come upon this house perched on a magnificent peninsula overlooking the Magothy River is to recognize one architect's homage to the context of place.The architect, Leo D'Aleo of D'Aleo Inc., formerly Meyers & D'Aleo Inc., was so taken with the site when he first saw it that he declared, "If we'd had our druthers we wouldn't have wanted any house there at all," although he had something else in mind.He says, "The concept was to create what I refer to as minimal architecture. Everything fades away but the view.

Who writes history? How much of our view of the past is shaped by the conventions and expectations of a day at the museum? These questions are posed by "Mining the Museum," a provocative installation currently on display at the Maryland Historical Society. It is worth seeing.At the entrance to the show stands an imposing display case flanked by pedestals and marble busts. On one side, pillars support a trio of white European males enshrined in stone -- none of whom, it turns out, ever lived in Maryland.