NAMES & FACES

Guaranteed Not to Leak?

If you passed by D.C. Superior Court yesterday and thought you saw three seven-foot-tall condoms, you didn't imagine it.

The three figures, plus a woman in a sheer condom bodysuit, were protesting. The spectacle -- er, demonstration -- took place as senior presidential adviser Karl Rove testified before the grand jury investigating the identity leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame . The oversize prophylactics sported photos of Rove and featured text that read, "Some things should never leak" and "Stop the leak."

Gael Murphy , co-founder of the grass-roots social justice organization CodePink, which put together the protest, said the group had thrown around the concept of dressing up as plumbers, but the condom idea came out on top. Naturally.

"This was a humorous take on the issue, but it's a very serious matter," she said. Alas, Rove entered the courthouse through a side entrance and never saw his likeness.

Question Cal

Achieve baseball icon status? Check. Build an impeccable attendance record? Check. Write an advice column?

Former Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken Jr. will pen a weekly column for the Baltimore Sun called "Ask Cal," according to an article in the daily yesterday.

The column will target parents who have questions about their kids' sports activities.

"I am excited to have a great forum like this that will enable me to interact with other sports parents and give them my perspective on some issues," said Ripken, 45.

"Let me make it clear that I don't consider myself an 'expert' and I don't think that I have all the answers."

Well, that advice column is off to a great start.

Mary-Kate Closes the Books

It's tough being the president of a multimillion-dollar company and a college student. So Mary-Kate Olsen has decided to drop the latter.

The 19-year-old actress plans to take a "leave of absence" from her sophomore year at New York University, her publicist, Michael Pagnotta , told People magazine yesterday. The reason? Pagnotta said Olsen wants to "focus on her increasing responsibilities as president of Dualstar Entertainment Group and to pursue personal interests." Personal interests, huh?