Second in a series This sampling from my stash of old Baltimore newspapers comes from the Sun of Labor Day weekend, 1940, bringing news of a fatal plane crash in Virginia, with a U.S. senator (and suspected Nazi sympathizer) among the victims; Nazi Germany bombing England; a tropical storm hitting Maryland and flooding Baltimore streets; … Continue reading Out of print: The Baltimore Sun of September 1940
Beginner’s luck at hand-feeding a chickadee
On a whim of the moment, I put some black-oil sunflower seeds in my right hand and held them out with the hope that a black-capped chickadee might take them. I stood between a bird feeder and a hemlock tree. Two chickadees darted through the air and landed in the hemlock. This is how they … Continue reading Beginner’s luck at hand-feeding a chickadee
Leaving Saigon: A Baltimore Sun correspondent looks back 50 years to the final days of the Vietnam War
Arnold "Skip" Isaacs was among correspondents who covered the Vietnam War for The Baltimore Sun. He was there 50 years ago this week when Saigon fell, bringing an end to the long U.S. military involvement in Southeast Asia. The massive and chaotic U.S. helicopter evacuation began on April 29, 1975, and North Vietnamese forces took … Continue reading Leaving Saigon: A Baltimore Sun correspondent looks back 50 years to the final days of the Vietnam War
Noted passing: A Baltimore native who wrote the book, now banned by Trump, on white nationalists
More than 30 years ago, when the Skinheads were a thing and one of them established headquarters at a house in Baltimore, Leonard Zeskind was the expert we turned to for the full story. Who were these guys handing out leaflets in Hampden? What was their movement all about? Where did such openly racist young … Continue reading Noted passing: A Baltimore native who wrote the book, now banned by Trump, on white nationalists
Out of Print: Newspapers from the 1940s
With this post, I begin an expedition through three bins of Baltimore newspapers from the 1940s — the Sun and Evening Sun and Hearst’s News-Post -- that were left with me a few years ago. From time to time, I will pull out an edition, make some observations and share photographs of the more interesting … Continue reading Out of Print: Newspapers from the 1940s
Nothin’ wild about fishing for stocked trout
You can see from the photograph with this post that the young man in waders, my son Nick, is fly-fishing for trout in the traditional, usually productive way -- nymphing or stripping a streamer through a fairly deep run along a bank in a freestone river. He's fishing a spot that looks fishy. Such a … Continue reading Nothin’ wild about fishing for stocked trout
One April evening 160 years ago, John Wilkes Booth denied the country a better rebirth
Had Lincoln lived -- had John Wilkes Booth not avenged the Southern defeat in the Civil War by fatally shooting the 16th president on April 14, 1865 -- there's a good chance that the nation today would be in better shape, with fewer social and racial divisions and more congeniality along political lines. We will … Continue reading One April evening 160 years ago, John Wilkes Booth denied the country a better rebirth
Alsobrooks, Van Hollen condemn Trump on refusal to get Abrego Garcia back to Maryland
Both Maryland senators are pushing for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident, from prison in El Salvador, where he landed one month ago in a deportation mistake acknowledged by the Justice Department. The Supreme Court last week told the Trump Regime to make Abrego Garcia’s release happen. But it hasn’t happened, and … Continue reading Alsobrooks, Van Hollen condemn Trump on refusal to get Abrego Garcia back to Maryland
Baltimore Bumper Sticker, $5 and most of it goes to charity. . . No, really.
A waitress at a diner saw my bumper sticker and asked what it meant: “Baltimore, You Have No Idea.” I told her it was the title of my play, but that it could mean a lot of things. I’ve heard the expression in so many forms and used in so many contexts that it’s impossible … Continue reading Baltimore Bumper Sticker, $5 and most of it goes to charity. . . No, really.
Tinned dinner: Yes, you can
Tinned fish has become a thing in American cuisine -- mainly because of the nutritional values of the types of fish that end up in cans. Sardines, for instance, are a good source of selenium, a mineral that acts as an antioxidant and produces glutathione, another antioxidant, according to the pre-DOGE National Institutes of Health. … Continue reading Tinned dinner: Yes, you can
Dan Rodricks 