Path

The small but heavy package arrived in Baton Rouge on Tuesday and was delivered around lunchtime. Cam Cameron ripped open the package and gazed at his championship ring from Super Bowl XLVII, the one the Ravens went on to win after relieving him of his duties in December. The dazzling ring weighed 380 grams, was encrusted with 243 round-cut diamonds and crafted in 10-karat white gold with yellow highlights. Without a hint of resentment, the team's former offensive coordinator who was at times the most-scrutinized man in the Baltimore area, said he appreciated the gesture from the Ravens and their owner, Steve Bisciotti.

Who doesn't admire former Republican Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole? Wounded World War II veteran, part-time comedian (Mr. Dole once described a meeting of former presidents Carter, Ford and Nixon as "see no evil, hear no evil -- and evil"), former presidential candidate and all-around decent man, Mr. Dole was a part of government for much of his life. Therein lies the problem for some who stay in politics and government so long that it is easy to lose perspective and think cutting deals is more important than winning the argument.

They don't make many power couples like this: He's a self-proclaimed whistle blower, the focus of international headlines and Obama administration ire. She describes herself as a "world-traveling, pole-dancing super hero. " Edward Snowden and Lindsay Mills lived in a modest blue clapboard house with white trim here in a Honolulu suburb until about six weeks ago. Their former neighbors described them as quiet and private. On Sunday, Snowden announced that he was responsible for leaking secrets about America's telephone and Internet surveillance pograms to the media, reviving a global debate about Big Brother-style government surveillance of private citizens.

I lived in a close suburb of Detroit from mid-1970 through April of 2001. During that period of time, I watched Detroit go from a city ranked fifth nationally in population to one that is now only a shell of city and is essentially bankrupt. During the 1970s and 1980s, Mayor Coleman Young tried to institute policies that failed miserably and added to the downward spiral. They included hiring policies that dictated to companies how to do business in the city that only resulted in higher costs to all involved ("Good intentions don't create jobs," May 22)

There are millions of immigrants in our country who aspire to become citizens, but under our broken immigration laws, they have no way to earn citizenship. I personally know some of these hard-working immigrants, and I think it's hurting our country to keep them living in the shadows. That's why I'm calling on Congress to protect the path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States and vote in favor of reform this year. We need real solutions, and rounding up 11 million people or asking them to self-deport is not only inhumane but completely unrealistic.

Weather watchers described Hurricane Sandy's path as unusual as it plowed into the New Jersey coast, and satellite images may show just how strange it looked. The view from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's GOES-14 satellite shows the storm churning through the Bahamas and off the Carolinas before it makes a beeline for the Jersey shore. The animation was compiled by the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. GOES-14 acts as a backup to two other main weather satellites that cover the western and eastern sides of the U.S. but because of problems with GOES-13 in the east, GOES-14 was activated for October.

I lived in a close suburb of Detroit from mid-1970 through April of 2001. During that period of time, I watched Detroit go from a city ranked fifth nationally in population to one that is now only a shell of city and is essentially bankrupt. During the 1970s and 1980s, Mayor Coleman Young tried to institute policies that failed miserably and added to the downward spiral. They included hiring policies that dictated to companies how to do business in the city that only resulted in higher costs to all involved ("Good intentions don't create jobs," May 22)

A 29-year-old man was shot multiple times as he was walking on a wooded path in Glen Burnie Thursday afternoon Anne Arundel County police said. Officers from the Northern District were called at 4:43 p.m. for a shooting in the 100 block of Warwickshire Lane, where responding officers found a man who had been shot three times, police said. The victim, who has not been identified, told police he was walking along a wooded area, near several apartment buildings, when he heard shots fired.

I've followed the illegal immigration dilemma for decades and would like to see a rational solution to the problem ("An opportune moment for deal on immigration," Nov. 17). Today there are more than 12 million undocumented immigrants in America, and the number continues to grow. But whenever a rational person speaks out with a proposal other than "path to citizenship," they are branded a racist, bigot, xenophobe or worse. Illegal immigration involves human trafficking, misery, poverty, abuse and sometimes death.

LAST WEEK, just over the Howard Street bridge, heading away from downtown, I crossed a camel's path.Stopped at a traffic light on my way to a business meeting, I glanced up and saw the camel rising above the brick building tops in vibrant, unnatural hues, stretching, it semed, far into the sky.I thought he saw me too; he winked at me and grinned as if there were an understanding between us -- camel and man, man and camel.But his wink and grin were not meant for me alone.I am a local advertising professional, and the camel is the symbol for Camel cigarettes.

Just when Washington looked like it was completely preoccupied with the scandals, real and imaginary, swirling around the White House, a group of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate managed the unexpected (and, these days, extraordinary): They agreed on something. The vote Tuesday night in the Senate Judiciary Committee to forward to the floor a massive overhaul of the nation's immigration system was, to be sure, a small step and doesn't guarantee success in the full Senate, much less the House of Representatives.

Late Ravens owner Art Modell might face an easier path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame if the museum follows through on tentative discussions of putting "contributors" in a different voting pool than players. Modell, who brought pro football back to Baltimore, made a list of 15 finalists for the 2013 class, the first time he had gotten that far in the voting since 2001. Modell's death last September at age 87 seemed to spur a reconsideration of his candidacy, which has always been divisive because he moved his franchise from Cleveland.

The pitch bores in low and skitters under Ian Anderson's mitt. As he chugs to retrieve the baseball, another enemy runner dashes across home plate, putting the Carver Bears more hopelessly behind. Shoulders slump around this West Baltimore diamond, lumpy and pocked with dandelions after weeks of no mowing. Harvey White, pitching his first game ever for Carver, can't find his control. And Anderson, filling in for a suspended teammate, looks like the novice he is behind the plate. But from the bench comes an animated voice, cutting through the dejection: "Good job, Ian!

Kentucky Derby winner Orb continues training toward Preakness from the track at Belmont Park. He galloped a mile and a quarter Friday morning for trainer Shug McGaughey, who was happy with what he saw. Orb should arrive in Baltimore by Monday afternoon. The Malibu Moon colt can become the 13thhorse to win both the Derby and Preakness since Affirmed completed the Triple Crown in 1978. Co-owned by Baltimore County resident Stuart Janney III, Orb won the Derby by two-and-a-half lengths, and appears likely to be a heavy favorite in the 138th Preakness.

Towson became the second team in Division I (after Lehigh) to seal its path to the NCAA tournament when it knocked off No. 9 Penn State, 11-10, for the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship last Friday. So unlike area neighbors like No. 5 Loyola, No. 11 Maryland and Johns Hopkins, the Tigers enjoyed last weekend. “It was actually pretty nice after being away for four days,” coach Shawn Nadelen said with a chuckle Sunday night. “It allowed our guys to catch up with some of their school work, and it gave us two days of a little extra rest.

I support a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million because it's the right thing to do. Our immigration laws are broken, and 11 million Americans need our help to find a solution. I personally know some of these hard-working immigrants, and I think it's hurting our country to keep them living in the shadows. I am a first-generation American myself, and I remember the struggles of my parents. We need Congress to protect the path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States and to vote in favor of reform this year.

- Arguing that he needs more time to fix the nation's sluggish economy, President Barack Obama formally accepted his party's nomination for a second term Thursday while stressing that voters will face a stark choice in November that could affect their lives for decades to come. The Democratic incumbent laid out a series of goals for the economy - most of them familiar - and repeatedly said his policies would take middle-class families down a vastly different path than those of his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney.

The long-simmering neighborhood battle over "Emily's Path took on a new life yesterday as a Riderwood-area man rejected a District Court judge's offer of record-clearing probation in favor of a suspended jail term, $150 fine and a chance to appeal.Jay R. Angle, 62, of the Village Green section of Riderwood said he will appeal his conviction and sentence to the Circuit Court, which means the case will be retried before a judge or a jury. The choice is Mr. Angle's.Judge A. Gordon Boone Jr. convicted Mr. Angle of harassment in October.

There are millions of immigrants in our country who aspire to become citizens, but under our broken immigration laws, they have no way to earn citizenship. I personally know some of these hard-working immigrants, and I think it's hurting our country to keep them living in the shadows. That's why I'm calling on Congress to protect the path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States and vote in favor of reform this year. We need real solutions, and rounding up 11 million people or asking them to self-deport is not only inhumane but completely unrealistic.

With a 6-7 record, UMBC's only path to the NCAA tournament entails winning the America East tournament at Stony Brook and capturing the automatic qualifier that accompanies that honor. A loss to Hartford in Thursday's semifinal or to the Albany-Stony Brook winner from the other semifinal would mean the Retrievers would begin their offseason next week while the NCAA tournament rages on. The importance of the conference tournament is not lost on coach Don Zimmerman. “Beginning Thursday, it's sudden death,” he said Tuesday afternoon.