Our San Marzano tomatoes, the Champagne of plum tomatoes, are starting to come in, though apparently it’s a violation of European Union rules to call them San Marzano tomatoes when they are grown in a Baltimore backyard or anywhere other than in the Sarno Valley of Italy. The Italians will dispatch consiglieres and Carbiniere if … Continue reading In praise of San Marzano
Nothing funny about climate change denial
I noticed several laughing emojis in a Facebook post last week about climate change, stormwater runoff and flash floods. Some people — almost all white males, many of them clearly Trumpies — apparently still mock the fact that a warming planet is causing more extreme weather, and that 100-year storms are happening more frequently. I’ve … Continue reading Nothing funny about climate change denial
A little nostalgia with your coffee
I decided to extract this blue coffee pot from a closet and give it a try again. It’s been a long time. I brew coffee by multiple methods but have avoided percolation primarily because it takes too long and, with a gas stovetop, too much energy. But the other day, Bastille Day, I thought the … Continue reading A little nostalgia with your coffee
The McGraw Mausoleum
McGraw John McGraw, Baseball Hall of Fame player and manager, resting here. . . . New Cathedral Cemetery, a sprawling, hilly burial ground on the southwestern side of Baltimore, has the distinction of being the final resting place of four Hall of Fame baseball players. This photo, taken in early spring, is of the mausoleum … Continue reading The McGraw Mausoleum
The Harbaughs visited Trump because they’re Trumpies
Until proven otherwise, there’s likely only one reason John and Jim Harbaugh visited Trump in the White House: They’re fans; they like the felon president. Otherwise, they’d have said no to the invitation. Trump is the most divisive president in history; he lies constantly, has policies that are either cruel or confusing; he’s clearly a … Continue reading The Harbaughs visited Trump because they’re Trumpies
A preference for beaver videos
On Monday, I listened to Nicole Wallace and guests on MSNBC try to make sense of Trump’s latest blurt about tariffs. It was the same mind-numbing discussion we’ve heard since “Liberation Day” in April. Nothing about Trump's tariff business makes sense in the modern global economy, but the talking heads keep talking as if the … Continue reading A preference for beaver videos
Tortellini: The aroma of things past
Ever had a Proustian memory? Clinically speaking, it’s the “involuntary memory” triggered by the senses: something you taste or smell or see for the briefest moment. Marcel Proust famously described it in a passage from his book, À la recherche du temps perdu (Remembrance of Things Past, or In Search of Lost Time), when he … Continue reading Tortellini: The aroma of things past
Van Hollen: The cruel end of USAID under Trump
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on State Department & USAID Management, International Operations, & Bilateral International Development, released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s shuttering of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID): “Today marks a dark day in U.S. foreign policy as the Trump … Continue reading Van Hollen: The cruel end of USAID under Trump
The lasting gratitude of a small French village for the sacrifice of an American soldier
Pvt. Kreiner Those who were in the audiences for my play, “Baltimore, You Have No Idea,” might recall the story of Private John Kreiner. I spoke of him from the stage: A young soldier from Baltimore who died in the U.S. Army’s liberation of a small French village that had been occupied by Nazi Germany … Continue reading The lasting gratitude of a small French village for the sacrifice of an American soldier
On days like this, the reality of Trump seems especially stark
“It goes without saying.” . . . People use that phrase when they’re about to state something everyone within earshot knows. Or they might start a sentence with, “Needless to say,” which bears the same meaning. Usually, one word will do: “Clearly,” for instance, is a common starter. “Obviously” is the most direct way of … Continue reading On days like this, the reality of Trump seems especially stark
Dan Rodricks 