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I'd appreciate prayers for my younger son, Peter, age 10. He's been experiencing minor double vision for about a month, and has been seeing a specialist regarding this, who so far doesn't really know what's happening. Overnight, his vision worsened dramatically, and we'll be taking him to the doctor on an emergency basis in a little while. Please pray for a recovery to full health for Peter.

It has not been an easy few months for Judith Giuliani. Her rollout to the public received rocky reviews from the political class, Republicans included. A series of negative articles about her shopping habits, marital past and supposedly testy relations with campaign staff followed. Her appearances alongside her husband, Rudolph W. Giuliani, grew suddenly scarce — and some analysts suggested that she keep it that way. So it was perhaps no surprise that at a recent lunch in downtown Manhattan, Mrs. Giuliani offered this self-assessment: “When it comes to politics, I’m new to this.” Over the course of a two-hour...

At Noon today in Rome (12 Jul / 06:00 ET), it was announced that the Most Reverend Edwin F. O'Brien has been appointed by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, as the 15th Bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

We have some friends whose son will be confirmed next month. He's a great kid. He'd like us to attend the confirmation, but it's invitation-only, and tickets are limited. His mom is trying to get extra tickets for us. We'd love to go. I've been asked a question by the mom about something the young man wishes to do. He'd like to ask the bishop, his parish priest, and his sponsor to autograph the Bible that he received as part of his confirmation preparation classes. His mother is concerned about the propriety of this, especially that the bishop might object....

Maybe there's still no free lunch in America, but free Bach was heaped upon New York audiences - high quality, no strings attached - when every last note of The Well-Tempered Clavier was performed at Town Hall on 43d Street on Sunday. Over an afternoon and evening concert, Russian pianist Konstantin Lifschitz played all 48 preludes and fugues (49 if you count his encored C major prelude of Book I), in an event tailored to those left behind by Memorial Day evacuation to various seashores. If you didn't hear about it in advance, that may be because you don't read...

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Wednesday warned Catholic politicians they risked excommunication from the Church and should not receive communion if they support abortion. It was the first time that the Pope, speaking to reporters aboard the plane taking him on a trip to Brazil, dealt in depth with a controversial topic that has come up in many countries, including the United States, Mexico, and Italy. The Pope was asked whether he supported Mexican Church leaders threatening to excommunicate leftist parliamentarians who last month voted to legalize abortion in Mexico City. "Yes, this excommunication was not...

WASHINGTON - Republicans looking at Rudolph Giuliani's campaign for president always ask two questions - is he really running, and is he a "real Republican?" They're probably not going to like the answers found by Newsday in Giuliani's government filings. The ex-mayor still is holding back from submitting the simple one-page form declaring himself a possible candidate, despite raising $1.4 million to run. And asked what party he belongs to on a different form, Giuliani didn't say - he left the answer blank.

America, we won’t go away. Many people wish we would, and heaven knows we would rather be doing almost anything else. But we can’t go away, and we won’t. BY the Editors January 21-27, 2007 Issue Posted 1/17/07 at 8:00 AM I’m sure you’ve seen us. We may have made you angry, or sad, or we may have made you turn quickly away and find something else to look at. You may have seen us two days before Christmas outside the Planned Parenthood building. The old man with the rosary, the college kids in sweats, the sad-looking woman clutching brochures...

1/22 - At 3 PM Monday, Bonneville flipped classical WGMS (104.1 and 103.9) to a "whatever we want" to play "Jack-like" 1970s and 1980s eclectic pop and rock oldies format as "George 104" with a website at george104.com. With "104 straight days" of no ads. With the WXGG calls. Bonneville has been negotiating to sell WGMS to Redskins owner Dan Snyder for his Triple X ESPN Sports talker. Apparently, that deal has been "sidelined." Also, we're hearing that NPR news talker WETA-FM, 90.9, will pick up WGMS's classical format at 8 PM Monday. Bonneville has donated its 15,000-disc library of...

From the site www.islamonline.net: ------------------------------------------------------- Who do you think was the most influential person in shaping events this year? Hugo Chavez 1.13% Hassan Nasrallah 24.9% Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 7.61% Ayatollah Sistani 0.71% Donald Rumsfeld 3.33% Abdullah Ahmed Badawi 1.19% Pope Benedict XVI 27.15% Fuad el Siniora 0.83% Muhammad Yunus 4.22% Ismael Haniya 27.51% Saddam Hussein 1.13% Kim Jong Il 0.3% Total - 1683

Bach might be back on Washington's airwaves, even if the region's only classical music station, WGMS, drops the format. Public broadcaster WETA (90.9 FM) is considering dumping its news-and-talk programming and returning to being a classical broadcaster if the music dies on WGMS, WETA's management said yesterday. In a special meeting Thursday, WETA's board voted to give station executives the green light to consider switching back to classical if WGMS drops the format. Dan DeVany, WETA's vice president and general manager, said the station "could move very quickly" back to classical if circumstances warrant.

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has reached a preliminary agreement to buy classical music station WGMS-FM in a deal that would expand his budding sports-talk radio empire and likely be the swan song for the area's only classical outlet. Snyder and the owner of WGMS, Bonneville International Corp., have established a price for the sale but had not formalized the deal as of yesterday, people close to the negotiations said. They said, however, that an agreement could be wrapped up within days. "They made an offer that [a seller] can't refuse," said one executive involved in the negotiations. He requested...

Last Edited: Saturday, 18 Nov 2006, 8:12 PM EST Created: Saturday, 18 Nov 2006, 8:12 PM EST Breaking News ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Three people were shot in the food court of a shopping mall Saturday evening, and one was critically wounded, fire officials said.

Our Endorsements On Tuesday, Nov. 7, the general election will be held for a wide range of very significant political posts throughout the metropolitan area. First and foremost, we strongly urge every registered voter to go to the polls and speak through your ballot for the candidate(s) who you believe can best serve your interests. We agree that this has been one of the most negative campaign seasons we have witnessed in recent years, however, it is clear that nearly every candidate demonstrated a remarkable determination to reach the voters and speak to the issues through forums, voter outreach and...

The race for Maryland's open U.S. Senate seat has narrowed, but Democrat Benjamin L. Cardin holds a 6-point edge, the result of firm support among black voters and strong leads in Baltimore and suburban Washington, according to a new poll for The Sun. Cardin is ahead of Republican Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, 49 percent to 43 percent, with 5 percent of voters undecided less than a week before the election. The Baltimore congressman's lead has been cut nearly in half, however, since a September Sun survey showed him with an 11-point advantage. Still, Cardin has solidified his backing among...

The same Baltimore Sun survey that showed Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich closing to within one point of Martin O'Malley shows Michael Steele pulling to within six points of Ben Cardin. There is good and bad news for each side in this poll. The good news for Steele is he has essentially halved Cardin's lead from eleven to six. The bad news is that in The Sun poll he is only drawing 12% support among African-American voters. This opens up an interesting thought: is it possible we are seeing the reverse of the "Wilder effect" in Maryland? The Wilder effect is...

WHEN HE RAN for governor of Maryland four years ago, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s claim to the job seemed to rest on little more than a sense of entitlement and a telegenic, genial personality. In fits and starts, though, he has grown in the role to become a generally proficient, pragmatic governor, if not always a disciplined or mature one. He has chalked up successes on transportation, the environment and education, among other things. For Mr. Ehrlich, the state's first Republican governor in a generation, those are real achievements -- particularly when weighed against the monolith of Democratic dominance in...

A biopic based on the early years of Antonio Vivaldi's life is set to do for the baroque composer what Milos Forman's Amadeus achieved for Mozart more than two decades ago. Joseph Fiennes plays the lead in Vivaldi, which starts filming next April, alongside Gerard Depardieu, Jacqueline Bisset and Malcolm McDowell. Its makers hope to reprise the success of Forman's 1984 epic, which won a multitude of Oscars, revitalising interest in Mozart and his works. The new project will chart the composer of The Four Seasons' ordination as a priest and his life at a school in Venice, where he...

For a century, the moment was nothing more than a scribbled entry on a long forgotten studio ledger. Four trombonists, billed as the Boston Symphony Orchestra Trombone Quartet, gathered in Camden, N.J., in the winter of 1906. Huddled over a large, metal horn, they recorded a short pop ditty, ``The Kerry Dance." Tomorrow, thanks to a Florida record collector and a serendipitous turn of events, that song -- believed to be the earliest known recording featuring members of the BSO -- will be played on the radio for the first time. After WGBH found out about it earlier this week,...

“Fit Right In” Ad Script: MICHAEL STEELE: I’m Michael Steele and I approved this message. BEN CARDIN: I’ve stood up to the drug companies. TEXT: …but CARDIN took $89,000 from Drug Companies. BEN CARDIN: I’ve stood up to the oil companies. TEXT: Cardin’s taken oil and gas money for 20 YEARS. BEN CARDIN: I’ve stood up to the insurance industry. TEXT: Cardin’s taken $563,267 from insurance companies. BEN CARDIN: I’m proud of my record. TEXT: Cardin’s taken more special interest money that any Maryland Senator. EVER. BEN CARDIN: Judge me on my record. TEXT: Ben Cardin won’t change Washington. He’ll...