Illustrated by Zach Schoettler Story by Dan Rodricks Once upon a time, long ago, the North Branch of the Potomac River was full of life. It was a beautiful river. It flowed through mountain forests, over and past big boulders, and under cliffs. Trout and bass lived in it. And turtles and frogs. Deer drank … Continue reading A story for kids: How Dr. Bob saved a river
We still need you to read the newspaper
Originally published April, 2021. Updated today as we approach the 185th anniversary of The Baltimore Sun. Photo above is poster from 1987 anniversary celebration. The ultimate problem for American newspapers -- besides the level of profits demanded by corporate ownership -- is that not enough people feel a need to read a newspaper. Even digital … Continue reading We still need you to read the newspaper
Dan Can Cook tip #33: Learning to love broccoli rabe
It's a little bitter (some say, "spicy") and it costs more than all other greens, but broccoli rabe is full of vitamins and minerals. I consider it a super food and serve it with dinner almost every week. It's more interesting to the palate than broccoli, too. Blanching broccoli rabe before sauteing is an unnecessary … Continue reading Dan Can Cook tip #33: Learning to love broccoli rabe
A long Russian war on Ukraine will lead to more world hunger
This is an expanded version of my Baltimore Sun column of May 11, 2022. Russia’s unconscionable war on Ukraine could likely ignite a food catastrophe in parts of the world already dealing with shortages due to drought and the long-term effects of the pandemic. Staff from Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services (CRS) are seeing first-hand the … Continue reading A long Russian war on Ukraine will lead to more world hunger
Lilacs bloom, and here we are
The lilacs have bloomed.Lovers dance and poets swoon.Odes to spring and all that.But we muffle our groans,We defer to the sun.We surrender to the day,The lilacs have bloomed,And who are we to say?Would we have it any other way?"God love us and save us,"My mother, Rose, used to say.The lilacs have bloomed,And here we are, … Continue reading Lilacs bloom, and here we are
The banality of Putin’s evil
“It is difficult to say what forced him to change from the profession of rescuer to the profession of war criminal.” — Dmytro Repliaanchuk, Ukrainian journalist, on a Russian firefighter suspected of committing atrocities in Bucha Evil is hard to understand, and for most of us impossible to understand. The average man or woman lives … Continue reading The banality of Putin’s evil
Eagles fighting over fish
We saw two eagles fighting in flight,Fighting in flight over a fish.There were thousands of fish in the river below,Thousands of shad and herring up from the sea.But these two eagles fought over one — a shad, we think.A fight over a shad when there was plenty of shad.So we stood and watched eagles in … Continue reading Eagles fighting over fish
Deer Creek inspires a new choral work
Wednesday’s Sun column was based on my Easter Sunday trip to Deer Creek in Harford County, a long river that starts in Pennsylvania and meanders through north-central Maryland before meeting the Susquehanna and the Chesapeake Bay. It so happens that that the creek inspired a choral work that will be performed in a concert this … Continue reading Deer Creek inspires a new choral work
Peter Jay’s elegant writing and insights now in a book
Longtime Baltimore Sun readers will recall Peter A. Jay's op-ed columns that ran for some 24 years, from the 1970s into the 1990s, because they were a delight -- even if you didn't agree with his conservative take on things. Jay's was certainly some of the most elegant and clever prose to run in the … Continue reading Peter Jay’s elegant writing and insights now in a book
‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and an April of discovery
If you don’t mind the personal indulgence, I’d like to reflect on something wonderful that happened to me, many of my high school classmates and the people of my Massachusetts hometown 50 years ago this month. It was a high school production of the great musical, “Fiddler On The Roof,” something that by now has … Continue reading ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and an April of discovery
Dan Rodricks 