Hallmark

In spite of rumors to the contrary, e-mail, political correctness, working mothers and the 33-cent stamp aren't killing off the holiday card. But the times are changing the reasons we send cards and the kinds of cards we're sending."

The downtown of the 21st century distinguishes itself by its in-town residents - by the very fact that they exist. Unlike 50 years ago, when people mainly worked and shopped downtown, today's city centers are becoming the place to live, and by that measure, Baltimore rates. It's happening here and elsewhere to such an extent that a recent Brookings Institution study cites the increase in downtown residents as a hallmark of downtown America's evolution. And Baltimore is on the right track.

Recent news stories have convinced me it's time for another Janet's World Current Events Poetry Column, where I attempt to make sense of what's being reported on the local and national scene through meticulously crafted verse with snappy end-rhymes. But first, let me say that I understand your discomfort when you hear the word "poetry." Like me, you probably think, "But I spent a week reading T.S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock in high school, and I still don't know what in the blazes it means."

CHINA'S rulers are not making it easier for Congress to authorize permanent normal trading relations or to welcome the country into the World Trade Organization. Their latest paranoid fantasy is a set of tough regulations over what people may post on the Internet. "State secrets," which might include anything not authorized to be said, are banned. As an experiment into whether censorship of e-mail and chat rooms is feasible, Beijing is performing a service for the police forces of the world.

ARMONK, N.Y. -- International Business Machines Corp.'s stock dropped 5.9 percent yesterday as investors worried that lagging sales of IBM's mainframes and related products will hurt profits in coming quarters.The decline, by $10 to $158, came in the wake of fourth-quarter earnings and sales that trailed expectations. Without IBM's drop, the Dow Jones industrial average would have set another record.IBM shares had surged to nine-year highs on optimism for strong growth in all its businesses.

Compassion fatigue seems to have hit some Maryland charities hard this year, with the shortfall in charitable giving especially severe in Carroll, Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford counties.Some of this decline is understandable. While a gradual economic upturn has started in many other regions of the country, Maryland is still mired in recession. The wholesale trimming of the work force by defense contractors, for example, is continuing to have its impact on the entire Baltimore metropolitan area, including Carroll County.

The NPSL trumpeted its arrival for weeks. So did the Spirit.But the man who would deliver it, Franklin McIntosh, was nonchalant.McIntosh became the first man in the NPSL's 12-year history to score 1,000 points yesterday as the Spirit stretched its winning streak to six with a 17-12 victory over the Cincinnati Silverbacks before 5,194 at the Baltimore Arena.With the win, the second-place Spirit clinched one of the four American Division playoff spots.McIntosh entered with 995 points and scored the first goal of the day, a three-pointer.

This evening could force you to choose from between Frasier Crane, John Wayne, James Garner and Judy Garland. No one ever said life was easy.* "The Jenny Jones Show" (9 a.m.-10 a.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- I'm not sure why anyone would want to watch Jenny Jones, but today's segment, featuring people with totally useless talent willing to do anything to get on TV, sounds marginally entertaining. At least no former boyfriends will be surprising former girlfriends with news they've had a sex-change operation.

AN 83-year-old woman I know is losing her memory.After a brain scan, after blood tests for vitamin deficiencies and metabolic abnormalities, the doctor offers his best guess for her dementia: Alzheimer's disease.Everyone who knows this woman reacts with the same disbelief and dismay -- "but she was always so sharp, so assured, so independent!" Now, repeating the same questions over and over, she no longer is certain where she is or the events of her life for the last 25 years. And it is very hard for us to accept.

ALTHOUGH the Dow Jones industrial average edged off yesterday from Monday's record close, the blue-chip indicator stands this morning 12 percent above its Jan. 1 level -- on top of last year's 33 percent surge.HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Speaking of the Dow, the 30-stock blue-chip indicator marks its 100th birthday Sunday.It was preceded in 1884 by an 11-stock average in a two-sheet typewritten, hand-distributed flier -- forerunner of the Wall Street Journal -- called "The Customer's Afternoon Letter."