Winners And Losers

Going into the final day of Maryland's 428th legislative session, a marathon that is expected to last until midnight, hundreds of issues remain unresolved. Still, the session already has produced some sure winners and losers — and some conflicting messages. Lawmakers largely avoided new taxes, though they had no problem imposing millions of dollars in new fees. They tightened up a prohibition on texting while driving, but shied away from letting officers pull over drivers who are chatting away on their handheld cell phones.

Here we go again. We are declaring a winner in a political debate when, in fact, there are no winners - just candidates expressing their point of view ("Battle is joined over jobs, taxes," Oct. 3). Do we have to proclaim winners and losers in everything we do? Jim Charvat, Abingdon

Those who try harder, study more and use all their talents to achieve usually are rewarded for their efforts; those who stand back and wait for things to be given to them can only expect the crumbs of life In response to letter writer Patrick Weadon's statement that "no one wins unless everyone wins," that's just a flowery misstatement if you ask me ("Mossburg: A mouthpiece for those who don't want to pay their fair share," Jan. 23). Of course there are winners and losers in life.

Man, those judges on “The Voice” did some major work tonight, scooping up more talented hopefuls as we endured (enjoyed?) another week of blind auditions. I seem to have forgotten that this show is a marathon, not a sprint - but we're so close to finishing the first stretch of the race.   Next week's the last week of the blind auditions. Then we get to the battle rounds. And just in case you're thinking this show takes itself too seriously (which it does), I offer the continued appearance of Cee Lo Green's cat, Purrfect, as whimsical balance.

During each 90-day General Assembly session, some enhance their stature and some do not. These are some of this session's winners and losers. A caveat: A winner in Annapolis can be a loser come election time, and vice versa. WINNERS Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.: He didn't need slots. Big wins on transportation and the Bay - plus a baby boy - cap productive session. Speaker Michael E. Busch: Speaker beats slots and shows he can lead his caucus in taking a tough tax vote. Warning: Cas Taylor was a winner once too. Del. Norman H. Conway: Appropriations chief wins 141-0 approval of his first budget.

EVERY political campaign brings joy or heartache to marginal players -- people who are committed in varying degrees to a candidate's ideas, hopes and dreams.Some give up summers or even years of summers in search of some public good. Others want a taste of inside political power, "access" to decision-makers, a job -- or an edge in some future campaign.On election night, the real workers, those who have labored for years, sense the outcome at least hours ahead of time. Even the casual visitor can feel the quickening pulse of victory or the languid one of defeat.

WASHINGTON -- With thousands of individual contests in 50 states, there were too many winners and losers to count in the midterm vote. Here, in no particular order, are a few notable ones, including some whose names did not appear on any ballot: Winners: Democratic Women - She'll never gain the fame that Newt Gingrich got for leading the Republican revolution of 1994, but Rep. Nancy Pelosi has something better: a place in the history books as the first...

Robert O. Hirsch PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The carbohydrate-laden breakfast spread of croissants, cinnamon rolls, muffins, pineapple coffee cake, bagels - and not a slice of bacon in sight - was a fitting start to the day for a hundred or so bakers who gathered at a college campus here to vindicate their products in the face of a recent and potent threat: low-carb diets. As millions of dieters turn to bunless hamburgers, pasta-free lasagna and other low-carb fare to trim their bellies, the economic ripples are widespread.

The fashion choices were mostly safe rather than sorry. Still, there were winners and losers. Page 3C

Here we go again. We are declaring a winner in a political debate when, in fact, there are no winners - just candidates expressing their point of view ("Battle is joined over jobs, taxes," Oct. 3). Do we have to proclaim winners and losers in everything we do? Jim Charvat, Abingdon

Those who try harder, study more and use all their talents to achieve usually are rewarded for their efforts; those who stand back and wait for things to be given to them can only expect the crumbs of life In response to letter writer Patrick Weadon's statement that "no one wins unless everyone wins," that's just a flowery misstatement if you ask me ("Mossburg: A mouthpiece for those who don't want to pay their fair share," Jan. 23). Of course there are winners and losers in life.

No shock that “Hugo” and “The Artist” dominated this year's Oscar nominations (for a full list, go here . I even wouldn't have been surprised if the dog from “The Artist” had scored a nom. But there were quite a few pleasant surprises and head-scratchers Tuesday morning. A rundown: Surprises “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” for Best Picture: The subject matter (Sept. 11) has an unproven movie track record and the reviews ranged from OK to downright awful, but the late-entry drama somehow managed to be among the nine films vying for top honors.

"The Office" began a new era in its season 8 premiere Thursday night, more specifically an era without the beloved Michael Scott (Steve Carell). Life without Michael seemed grim to a devoted "Office" fan like me. What would Dundler Mifflin (or is it Sabre?) be like without the "that's what she said" jokes and the "World's Best Boss" mug? Who would be there to squash Dwight's dreams and hate on Toby? No one could be as oblivious yet completely devoted to his job like Michael.   Rather than trying to replace him with a wannabe jokester, NBC decided to add James Spader as creepy Robert California to Dundler Miffilin's payroll.

I'd like to clarify that my statement to the school board study commission on Sept. 12 included opposition to any appointed member of the county Board of Education. I haven't heard of anyone supporting an all-appointed board, but, if so, I'd be even more vehemently against that. I much prefer democracy rather than appointment from above in the selection of our policy-making county officials. As indicated in my testimony, I believe the people of Howard County are capable of choosing our own representatives on such bodies and don't need any elected official or officials, using their own standards, doing the choosing for us. Since there will be winners and losers in every election, not everyone will be pleased with the results.

The 2011 NFL draft has come and gone, leaving us in limbo until the lockout ends and free agency begins sometime (hopefully) this summer. The Ravens pieced together another solid draft class over the weekend, but they weren’t the only ones in the AFC North who got better during the draft. Their three division rivals came away as winners as well. The Ravens and the Steelers bolstered their rosters for title runs in 2011. Meanwhile, the rebuilding Bengals and Browns probably won’t be ready to compete with the AFC North’s two powerhouses whenever football operations resume, but they helped lay strong foundations for future seasons in this draft.

Going into the final day of Maryland's 428th legislative session, a marathon that is expected to last until midnight, hundreds of issues remain unresolved. Still, the session already has produced some sure winners and losers — and some conflicting messages. Lawmakers largely avoided new taxes, though they had no problem imposing millions of dollars in new fees. They tightened up a prohibition on texting while driving, but shied away from letting officers pull over drivers who are chatting away on their handheld cell phones.

Now that Leonard Coleman and Gene Budig have assumed the helms of the National and American leagues, respectively, there is still a giant vacuum in baseball's leadership circle. The commissioner's office has been vacant for over a year, and "Winners and Losers" has assembled a list of serious and not so serious candidates to fill the post.CANDIDATES .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... COMMENTMadonna .. .. .. Winner .. .. Really knows the players... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Really knows the game.DTC Michele McCloud ... Winner .. Never seen, never heard from.

T he news that "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is going to end after 25 years so that its host can devote herself to a new cable channel set off reverberations in TV and financial circles late last week. But nowhere was the effect felt more keenly than in Silver Spring, where the Maryland-based Discovery Communications was vaulted into a new realm of prominence and prestige as the future home of The Oprah Winfrey Network. Discovery, a cable channel once known for showing inexpensive documentaries, has found itself the talk of both Wall Street and Madison Avenue, as everyone from financial analysts to managers of network affiliates and -owned stations that depend on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to provide an essential lead-in to their early evening newscasts wondered how the move would affect them.