Hope

We're at the finale already (didn't this season seem short?). I'll say it right here at the top of the episode - unless William falls repeatedly on his keister, requiring the judges to give him 5's across the board, there's no way he's not winning this thing. That being said, I'd be OK with any of the three finalists winning, even though I'm personally Team Driver. Tonight's show will have each couple dancing two dances:  1. Judge's pick, which are new routines danced to new music, but in a style the couple has previously danced and in which the judges would like to see them improve.  2. Freestyle Tomorrow night, the couples will be doing some sort of third scored dance, details about which we'll learn later.

For the Contemporary Museum , which last week abruptly announced it was suspending operations, the challenge going forward may be implicit in its name: How does it stay contemporary? The museum began exhibiting cutting-edge art in Baltimore 23 years ago, helping to create an appetite for non-traditional works. Now it hopes to re-invent itself in an increasingly crowded cultural landscape. "Things have changed from those days," said Rebecca Hoffberger, whose opening in 1995 of the American Visionary Arts Museum on Key Highway is one such change.

I hope everyone has taken a few moments to collect themselves after that spectacular finale. Midway through, I was a bit worried as the episode was beginning to seem more like a series finale than a season finale. However, the last 15 minutes provided everything a good finale should: suspense, murder, a love triangle (quadrangle!), a drug overdose, break-ups (bonus points for calling off an engagement), a conniving friend, heart break, a parent finding their child unconscious, unplanned pregnancy, a declaration of “never speak to me again” followed by a quick hang up, an engagement, a serious accident (plane instead of car, way to go big!

Dan Duquette spoke with the local media just before Friday's game and said a contract extension with center fielder Adam Jones has not been finalized, but he is “hopeful we can get something done.” “There's not a lot I can say about it except that I am encouraged by the fact that Adam wants to stay in Baltimore,” Duquette said. “We certainly would like him to stay in Baltimore. Hopefully, we can work something out here in the short term.” The Orioles and Jones, who could become a free agent after the 2013 season, are discussing a six-year extension that likely will be worth roughly $85 million.

Douglas Bayne joined the Merritt Athletic Club in downtown Baltimore about five years ago, but he hasn't exactly been a gym rat. "I work out for two weeks and I'll take off for eight months," the 38-year-old social worker said. So like many other Americans, Bayne resolved to get healthy in 2012. He spent New Year's Day at the gym, hopping onto the treadmill for a 60-minute walk. He hopes to gain energy and improve his health as approaches "the big 4-0," he said. "I don't feel as healthy as I used to feel," Bayne said.

The greatest legacy of William Donald Schaefer is that he prevented Baltimore from becoming another Detroit or Newark or Camden. Because of his visionary policies, Baltimore was transformed from a dying, industrial-based city to one driven by tourism, health and IT. He restored hope to a city devastated by the riots in 1968 and by sheer force of will created the conditions that have led to the revitalization of neighborhoods like Federal Hill, Canton...

Never have I read a more poignant and thought provoking opinion piece than Ron Smith's last column for The Sun ("My work here is done," Nov. 18). It seems cut and dried that realism is the proper philosophy when someone elects not to continue cancer treatment. But what about this idea called hope, the desire accompanied by expectation? Some oncologist or someone else might eventually come to say: "Hey, your tests have shown you are getting better. We've got a new promising drug that works wonders.

The story of Stephen Pitcairn's murder ("A promising life is cut short," July 27) elicits feelings of outrage and profound sadness, but much worse still, it elicits despair. As I consider the contrast between the many accomplishments in his young life and the details of his death, hope sinks like a stone. Where is the hope for Baltimore? What is the incentive for criminals not to commit crimes? Can we hope that prison will lead to a reformed life? Surely not, for prison is little more than a safer environment for gangs and gang mentality, for street culture, to thrive, a holding tank at best; and release from prison, statistically speaking, is merely an opportunity to commit more heinous acts leading to longer sentences.

The low turnout in Baltimore's primary election Tuesday is the signal that the citizens of Baltimore have no hope for anything in Baltimore to improve ("Election draws lowest turnout in history," Sept. 14). Let me be clear, the citizens of Baltimore haven't lost hope, they have abandoned hope. They believe nothing can change, and they have resigned themselves to another four years of spiraling misery. The reason is clear - 45-plus years of uninterrupted Democratic mayors and administrations have brought Baltimore to it's knees.

The success of football programs -- which are commodities in the business of selling themselves -- relies partly on perception. That -- among other reasons -- is why it would be hard to overstate the importance of Maryland's successful recruitment of standout wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who signed a national letter of intent Friday Maryland eagerly wants to turn the page. It hopes to turn fans' gaze away from the players departing to the ones arriving.  It wants its followers to look forward to 2012 instead of backward to 2011.

Ravens rookie safety Christian Thompson knows that most of the playing time he earns this season will be on special teams. That's how most rookies first make their mark in the NFL, but it will be especially true for Thompson here in Baltimore. The Ravens, who are deep in the secondary, struggled on special teams last season. “That's going to be my main way of getting on the field,” Thompson said Sunday. “I'm only a rookie. I've still got a lot to learn in this defensive scheme, so that's probably going to take me the whole season.” A few of the team's draft picks talked about how last weekend's rookie minicamp was a bit of a rough transition . Ravens coach John Harbaugh had his practice moving at a high pace Sunday, the one day that the rookie minicamp was open to media.

Kevin Plank can't help himself. The Under Armour CEO might know, in his heart of hearts, that his horse is a long shot against the world's finest 3-year-old thoroughbreds. His farm manager, Tom Mullikin, describes the dark bay colt as more "grinder" than star. But Plank's own rise, from blindly ambitious college kid to billionaire apparel mogul, is an underdog tale. So he can't help but play Joe Namath and talk big about his colt's chances in the 137th Preakness Stakes. "Tommy, did you guarantee on Tiger Walk?"

When Mark Chewning was a kid, he dreamed of being an artist. But at some point, the Baltimore resident's dream became all but dormant, giving way to about 27 years in the photograph-retouching business and a stint as supermarket deli clerk, as well as marriage, parenting, unemployment, divorce and self-doubt. Last week, Chewning, 54, was honored as the Student of the Year at Howard Community College. The single parent says his dream of becoming an artist will probably never come to fruition.

The season didn't start the way Bel Air baseball coach John Swanson hoped. But maybe it will end more to his liking. By the time the Bobcats could catch their collective breath this season they were a 3-8 team. But what Swanson has discovered is that he has capable leaders in senior captains Zack Stout and Tyler Riedal and junior Tyler Norcross. They showed their character by leading their teammates through the building process. Now, Bel Air is 9-11 heading into the Class 3A postseason, which begins this weekend (MPSSAA brackets are expected to be unveiled Wednesday)

A proposal to speed the approval of new prescription drugs has patient advocates and biotech firms — including many based in Maryland — hoping that Congress will deliver a rare dose of bipartisanship this year. Lawmakers are proposing a 6 percent increase in the fees that pharmaceutical firms pay the Food and Drug Administration to offset the cost of approving new drugs. If the measure is not signed into law by the end of September, the FDA would lose the ability to charge any fees and be forced to lay off 2,000 workers, significantly slowing review times.

Many in the area know that Anne Arundel Community College has an exceptional women's lacrosse team, but not everyone keeps up with its success. And if ever there's been a season to follow the team, this is it. "Sometimes teachers or my friends' parents will ask, 'Hey, what's your record?'" said AACC goaltender Brittany Kincer of Glen Burnie, who adds that she prefers not to boast about the team's prowess. "I'll say, 'We're doing pretty well.' And they'll say, 'Well, what's your record?

Two national surveys -- one on hope, one on headaches -- raise some intriguing possibilities. One survey, carried out by researchers at the University of Kansas, found that hope plays a surprisingly large role in helping people succeed in school, on their jobs and in coping with tragic illness. The second, by doctors at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, found that, contrary to popular belief, migraine headaches plague the poor more than the rich.Both studies were the largest of their kind ever undertaken.

On July 17, 2005, GEORGE KEITH HOPE, beloved husband Anne S. Hope, devoted father of James Arthur Hope, II, Anne Victoria Grubb and Keith Hope. Also survived by six grandchildren Service and Interment private. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be sent to V.N.A. Hospice Services, 218 E. Market St., York, PA 17403. Arrangements family owned Henry W. Jenkins & Sons, 410-343-3000

Baltimore Reads hopes to collect 75,000 titles at its 17th annual Books for Kids Day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday on the parking lot of Poly-Western High School, Falls Road and Cold Spring Lane. The nonprofit organization, dedicated to fostering literacy, will accept new or gently used books and redistribute them through its Book Bank. It collects books for Baltimore-area schools, teachers, Head Start centers, social services agencies, community organizations and needy families.

John Elder Robison taught himself electronics while growing up and was so skilled that despite dropping out of high school in ninth grade, he designed pyrotechnic guitars for the rock group Kiss and sound effects for electronic games. Yet to hear him tell it, some of Robison's greatest work comes while he's standing on stage speaking to crowds about how he's lived with Asperger syndrome and conveying to young people with the disorder a message that no one told him when he was a child.