Life

A Baltimore judge sentenced a man convicted of repeatedly raping a 13-year-old girl in an East Baltimore vacant home to life in prison four times over plus an additional 25 years. Alvin Ray Wright Sr., 50, was convicted at trial in February on three rape counts, three sexual assault counts and a first-degree assault charge. He dragged his victim from the street, into the vacant home. It had no floor so the girl tumbled into the basement, knocking her glasses off. Then Wright attacked her repeatedly.

No matter how tear-resistant you may think you are, it will take superhuman effort to avoid a swelling in the throat when reading the last chapter of this brave and beautiful book. It is a letter Arthur Ashe wrote to his 6-year-old daughter, Camera, on Inauguration Day this year, saying, at the outset, that "by the time you read this letter . . . I may not be around to discuss with you what I have written here."Little more than two weeks later, Ashe, the greatest African-American tennis player in history, died, at 49, of pneumonia brought about by the AIDS virus.

The eminent philosopher and jailbird Dontay Carter now find himself in an awkward position. He's had his 15 minutes of infamy and now must spend the remainder of his life wondering where everything went wrong.In Baltimore Circuit Court Tuesday, the 20-year-old convicted murderer, kidnapper, escapee and deep thinker on race relations did the one thing attorneys always caution their clients against: Too much talking.In a bitter, rambling, combative discourse on his life and philosophy, Carter inadvertently showed everyone his own pain, which he will carry for the rest of his years.

In the Netflix miniseries "House of Cards," Kate Mara plays a young reporter deeply involved in the world of Washington politics. But the 30-year-old performer says she has no particular interest in journalism or political life. She's just acting the part under the tutelage of screenwriter Beau Willimon and director David Fincher. "I'm not interested in politics or being a part of them," she said in a teleconference this week. "I definitely do my homework and make sure I know what's going on and am responsible enough to be able vote for people I respect and that kind of thing...

The mood Tuesday inside Pickles Pub, across from Camden Yards, matched the gray rainy weather. As noontime regulars ate their lunch and quietly caressed glasses of beer amid the low-key chatter and music playing in the background, something clearly was wrong. Mick Kipp, their favorite bartender, co-worker, cook, spice maker, friend and genuine all-around character, was missing. Michael D. "Mick" Kipp, the stuntman-turned-bartender known for his zest for life and his colorful chili-pepper-decorated kilts, bandannas and earring, died Sunday from cardiac arrest at his Annapolis home.

Really? Bobbie Smith, too? Geez. This is what I'm thinking when word comes that the lead singer of the Spinners has died. It comes a month after Richard Street and Damon Harris, who sang on "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" with the Temptations, passed away just days apart. Now Mr. Smith, whose ice cream dollop of a tenor on "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" serenaded me through junior year in high school, has joined them. It feels -- and this feeling has become uncomfortably familiar lately -- as if Somebody Up There is taking a sledgehammer to my childhood.

I would counter the headline on Maria Santo's criticism of pro-choice advocates ("Dishonesty underlies abortion law," March 5) with one of my own: "Extreme sanctimony underlies pro-life argument. " Anti-abortionists - please, can we call them what they really are? - can make a cogent argument for their cause, and I agree with them that "killing babies" is a crime. However, I find it ironic that the same folks who think it is reprehensible for a mother to abort a baby she can't afford, hasn't the skills to raise or simply can't abide how the child was conceived - rape, for instance - never offer any solutions to those problems.

Baltimore struggles to overcome homicides, and gun violence. The horrific death of Stephen Pitcairn, brilliant Hopkins student, with a knife to his chest ("A promising life is cut short," July 27), is an open wound in the heart of Baltimore. How many young lives cut short by brutal violence will it take before we, as citizens, parents, grandparents, city and state leaders, begin to teach the ethics that life is sacred, that violence to one is a reflection on us all? Theresa Reuter, Catonsville

As I marched up Constitution Avenue last Friday, I felt small among the crowd, the banners and the signs, yet united with my fellow man, we were massive. We came from parishes, communities, colleges and high schools from all over the United States. We were all ages, every race, many religions, or unaffiliated. When the road began to rise toward Capitol Hill, I looked ahead and saw people as far as the eye could see, and I looked back to find more people as far as the eye could see. We were marching for all life -- unborn, elderly, disenfranchised or infirm -- not just those who can voice a choice.

I am almost 80 years old. My husband and I have owned Macs from the very first one. It is my life line. I email back and forth with friends and family, search the Web for all kinds of information and keep up with what is happening locally, nationally and internationally through my Mac. Steve Jobs changed my life, and I appreciate all that he did. Pat Elliott, Baltimore