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Cue up the patriotism, the pathos and the TiVo. Strike up the bandwidth and pray for no snow. The Winter Olympics are about to begin bursting out of all of NBC's various outlets. More than 370 hours of the sporting events are to be carried in the United States on NBC and its sister channels, a record. In Baltimore, WBAL-TV (Channel 11) will broadcast the network's primary fare, which will be heavily tilted toward alpine skiing and figure skating, along with wrap-ups of other events. For purists, the place to turn will often be cable television.

LIKE MOST investors, I find it hard to describe a break-even year as a good one. And when it comes to my annual predictions for the fund industry, 2001 was a 50-50 proposition. Each year at this time, I predict fund developments that will make headlines. Started in 1995, it's an exercise in which I was always solidly in the black until last year, when I broke even. For example, I was wrong about a liquidity crisis and about a resurgence among international funds. I correctly called the rebound in value funds and the heavy pace at which fund firms killed off their weakest offspring.

THE LIGHTS and excitement of New York come to Glen Burnie this weekend when Arthur Slade Regional Catholic School again presents "Manhattan After Dark" Friday and Saturday at the school on Dorsey Road.The clubs open at 6 p.m. and the shows at 7 p.m.There will be entertainment for everyone as the school building is transformed into New York clubs that showcase dancing, music, karaoke and a chance to test your luck at the Big Apple Casino. Stand-up comic Koli Tengella will perform.This is one of Slade's largest and most elaborate annual fund-raisers, with more than 250 volunteers working to re-create a slice of the Big Apple, says Jackie Olson, co-chairwoman of the event.

Seminar to explore incentives for buying a home in BaltimoreThe Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors and the Baltimore Department of Housing and Community Development will present a briefing on the home-buying incentive programs available in the city from 9 a.m. to noon Friday on the 13th floor of 417 E. Fayette St.Called "Tour of Baltimore City: In Action," the event will include information on the Settlement Expense Loan Program, Live Near Your Work, Buy...

GUESS WHAT'S in the trash can," my husband said gleefully as I pulled my car into the driveway.Twenty-two years into the marriage, I knew better than to guess at the answer. Exiting the car, I peered into the container."It's a black snake. I moved the trash can and it jumped right out," he continued. Shoving his hand in my face, he announced, "It bit me. Twice."Seconds later, back in the car, I questioned his decision not to seek medical care instead of waiting for me to return home and share his adventure."

Q. There are little bits of white fluff growing all over two of my yew shrubs. I don't see anything moving around on the foliage. What should I do?A.You're describing the white, waxy egg sacs of cottony camellia scale. The immature versions (known as crawlers) of this insect pest are feeding on the leaf undersides. They are not a serious pest, but their feeding may lead to an accumulation of excreted plant sap below the feeding sites. A black fungus, known as sooty mold, may then grow on the honeydew, detracting from the shrub's appearance.

Q.I got my potatoes planted on St. Patrick's Day, and last week I dug up loads of spuds. Some are rather small, and I wonder if I could plant them and get a second crop.A. Yes, you can. Cut the potatoes into seed pieces (two to three "eyes" per piece). Keep them indoors for a few days while the cut ends heal over, or dust the pieces with sulfur.Either method will lessen the chance that the potatoes will be infected by disease after plant-ing. Space the seed pieces 12 inches apart in a 3- to 4-inch-deep trench.

Q.I moved into a house with some large, healthy-looking shade trees. The leaves on the sycamores and maples are developing brown spots and some of the leaves seem to be curling and dying.Does this sound like a disease? Is it serious?A. You're observing the symptoms of a very common shade-tree disease - anthracnose. Spotting and curling occurs on the leaves of ash, oak, maple, sycamore, hickory and beech. This fungal disease is most severe during cool, wet springs.Mature trees can recover from the infection and leaf loss without fungicide treatments.

North American Vaccine said yesterday that it has turned over to the Food and Drug Administration all of the additional information the agency had requested about its new whooping cough vaccine for children and is confident the drug will win U.S. marketing approval soon.Shares in the Beltsville-based vaccine developer closed higher yesterday at $18.125, up $2.375, on the news."We feel very confident we'll have approval very soon," said Stephen M. Keith, vice president for sales and marketing for North American Vaccine.

Shares in North American Vaccine Inc. tumbled more than 16 percent yesterday as word hit Wall Street that the Food and Drug Administration has requested more information about its whooping cough vaccine, Certiva.The stock closed at $18.56, down $3.62 a share.Neither the FDA nor the Beltsville-based company would disclose what information has been requested. But Dr. Sharon Mates, the company's chief executive officer, said the company wasn't asked to conduct additional costly and time-consuming human clinical trials to show that the drug is safe or effective.