Gain

Last week's column chronicled a dire set of circumstances regarding our economy and culture at the onset of Obama II. This status quo is complicated by an aggressive liberal establishment attempting to take advantage of the president's post-election momentum and an always compliant mainstream media. And then there's the necessity of offering an inviting conservative message, attractive to the all-important swing voter - a vital constituency that supported the president by a significant margin in 2012.

The Republicans are doomed. Conservatism is over. President Obama is conducting a mop-up operation at this point. That's the basic consensus in places like New York City, Washington, D.C., and other citadels of blue America. And let's be fair, liberals have every reason to gloat -- a little. The GOP has its troubles. Long-term demographic trends; often-irrational animosity from Hollywood, the media and academia; a thumbless grasp of the culture on the part of many Republicans: All of these things create a headwind for the party and the broader conservative movement.

Navy's offense returns its top two scorers from last year in junior attackmen Tucker Hull (23 goals and 24 assists) and Sam Jones (18, 13). After them, only one other player (attackman Taylor Reynolds who has since graduated) finished with more than 20 points. That includes the midfield, a group that returns a pair of starters in junior Pat Durkin (13, 1) and senior Bryce Dabbs (9, 3). The midfielders will be counted on by coach Rick Sowell to be more effective in the upcoming campaign.

When Gwen Taylor turned 50 this month, she wanted to celebrate the milestone with something other than the typical dinner and drinks. So one recent Saturday afternoon she and about a dozen girlfriends and relatives headed to a Catonsville fitness studio to sweat and burn off some calories in honor of Taylor's half-century. Dressed in black fitness tights and brightly colored sport tank tops, they shimmied and shook at Taylor's Zumba birthday party. The women are part of a growing legion celebrating life's important moments with fitness.

The Maryland Senate moved a little closer to a majority willing to vote for full repeal of the death penalty Friday as 21 senators -- four more than last year -- agreed to co-sponsor the legislation in that chamber. This year the bill also has the full-fledged support of Gov. Martin O'Malley, improving its chances of prevailing and moving over to the House of Delegates. Twenty-four votes are needed to pass a bill in the Senate. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller has said he believes there is a majority in favor of repeal in his chamber and that he can round up the 29 votes to stop a filibuster.

The Chesapeake Bay's health appears to be slowly rebounding, but still has a long way to go to be considered fully recovered, according to the region's largest environmental group. The Annapolis-based Chesapeake Bay Foundation rated the estuary's overall condition last year slightly better than it was two years ago, when the group took its last comprehensive look.  CBF gave the bay a score of 32 out of 70 for 2012, a one-point gain from two years ago and up four points since 2008.

The Ravens run defense stiffened against the New York Giants' duo of Ahmad Bradshaw and David Wilson, limiting that pair of running backs to a combined 56 yards and just one touchdown on 12 carries Sunday. But considering that the Washington Redskins' Alfred Morris and the Denver Broncos' Knowshon Moreno had gained 129 and 118 yards, respectively, in back-to-back weeks, the Ravens know their No. 24 ranking in the NFL against the run still leaves a lot to be desired. Next up is the Cincinnati Bengals' BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who posted 91 yards and one score on 18 attempts in the Ravens' 44-13 rout in Week 1. With 1,094 yards this season, Green-Ellis has already surpassed his previous career-high total of 1,008 in 2010 when he played for the New England Patriots.

Usually by early December, investment professionals have mapped out their outlook for the next year. But such forecasting has been made difficult by the "fiscal cliff" — the confluence of spending cuts and higher taxes that kick in automatically next year if politicians in Washington can't reach a deal. Some experts are waiting for the dust to settle on a compromise before outlining a 2013 investment strategy. But others say if it isn't the fiscal cliff, it would be the debt ceiling or some other Washington-manufactured crisis to worry investors.

Despite their many differences, the Ravens and Bengals can say they share one thing: their approach to Sunday's game at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Reiterating their previous stances, the head coaches for both teams said their approach to the regular-season finale won't change despite neither team having much at stake. "You have to" maintain the same preparations, John Harbaugh said after the Ravens practiced late Wednesday. "And that's the 46 guys who are active. They have to be a part of that.

Frank James MacArthur always said what was on his mind. But sometimes, his sister told him, that wasn't the best idea. "Frank is the kind of person who once in a while you wish he would lie because it wouldn't get him in trouble," Jean Arthur said. "Unfortunately for good or bad, he likes to give you his opinion. " "And when it comes to police officers," she added, "they don't like to hear your opinion. " MacArthur's confrontational, brash persona drew thousands to his Baltimore Spectator blog and Twitter page, where he railed against the city of Baltimore, police and the mainstream media.