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It can't hurt to be shopping at a surf shop and hear the crash of the waves right behind you. Malibu's Surf Shop at 8th Street and the boardwalk has been an Ocean City staple for years and with its location, it is exactly what a surf shop should be like. Malibu's has a great selection of board shorts, clothes, hats, sunglasses, but what really sets it apart is the feeling the location and decor brings to the shop. The sun, sand, breeze and sounds of the ocean accent the shop and lead you into a store that fits perfectly with its location.

For the past seven years, Darnella Parks and her entire family - from toddler nieces to her 84-year-old grandmother - have attended Artscape. They come for the crafts, the food and, most of all, the live entertainment. But this year, the 33-year-old Towson resident and her family are skipping Friday's opening night - not because of the heat or the crowds, but because of the music. Brian McKnight, the 16-time Grammy nominee who for years built a reputation as a clean-cut, R&B ladies' man, is scheduled to take Artscape's main stage Friday night.

All Frederick E. Bouchat says he wanted years ago was recognition for his idea for the Ravens team logo. Since the South Baltimore resident first sketched a flying raven clutching a shield with a "B" and faxed it to the Maryland Stadium Authority 16 years ago, he has won a court case crediting him with creating the Baltimore Ravens' first logo. But he has never been compensated. Bouchat's long-running dispute with the Ravens took a new turn last week when he accused the franchise of another copyright infringement, this time because it appears in photos displayed at M&T Bank Stadium.

Who needs sleep? The Ravens clearly believe they do. Hoping to determine that they can gain a competitive advantage by gaining a little extra sleep in the morning, the Ravens are examining the sleep patterns of their players this offseason and cross-checking the results with sleep studies conducted by the United States military to see if they can benefit from tweaking their schedules. According to the team's official website, the Ravens are considering adjusting their weekly practice schedule (for example, they could start their work days during the season at 9:00 a.m. instead of 8:15 a.m.)

In May, I reported on Baltimore-area homes receiving mysterious robocalls voiced by WBFF anchorman Jeff Barnd asking residents a series of questions about Lyme disease, same-sex marriage and the alleged agenda of Gov. Martin O'Malley. Read that here . At the time, WBFF acknowledged commissioning the calls, but WBFF General Manager Bill Fanshawe declined to name the company that executed the robocall campaign. I have since been able to confirm that the name of the company is ccAdvertising, of Centreville, Va. And from its website, the firm appears to be heavily engaged in right-wing politics, including push polling in at least one state against same-sex ballot initiatives like the one Maryland is expected to have in the fall.

The Columbia location of BGR The Burger Joint celebrates its one-year anniversary on Tuesday, and the store is offering customers their choice of one hamburger or cheeseburger and french fries from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. In exchange for this largesse, patrons will be asked to make a $1 per person donation to benefit the ALS Association - DC/MD/VA Chapter . So if you show up with a family of five people, you...

If you're considering a move to Baltimore, figuring out where, exactly, can be daunting. The city has more than 225 neighborhoods. One place you can start: the nonprofit Live Baltimore . The group, founded in 1997 to market the city, offers online tools and welcome kits stuffed with glossy brochures and colorful fact sheets. You can order one of the $15 relocation kits here . As a newcomer myself , I would recommend checking out Live Baltimore's site to discover what neighborhoods fit your needs.

Baltimore has a gem online that's worth exploring for a few minutes the next time you're info-snacking on the web. CityView is Baltimore's online database that lets you plug in your address, or any other address you're interested in, and search for crab houses that are nearby, local food trucks or libraries within walking distance. The site is a map-based portal that plots addresses by neighborhood. The city bills the site as being useful for residents, visitors, researchers and businessmen and women.

Southwest Airlines is offering a flash-in-the-pan sale today only for some very specific travel dates, including July 4, and the deal has set off a frenzy that appears to have taken down booking on the airline's website. Travelers can save 35 percent off Wanna Get Away fares when they book a trip today for one of these dates: May 22, May 30-31, June 5-6 , July 4-5. Use promo code: SUMMER12 to get the discount. That's pretty good deal since you're saving off the lowest fares the airline offers online.

Younger members of Gail L. Dener's neighborhood association suggested a neighborhood website in the '90s, but older members didn't see the point. Who needed to go online when you could just go right outside? There was no easy way to set a site up, either. "We tried to get some help in establishing a website for county neighborhoods, but could not connect with anyone who had the expertise," Dener wrote me in an email. Well -- the once-robust association for the Parkville neighborhood since died "with a whimper.