All Stories
The toothless British lion
MIKE LANE'S cartoon depicting the British imperial lion losing its last tooth with the transfer of Hong Kong back to China reflects the historical antagonism to empire shared by many...
Govans before the tribulation
THE BALTIMORE bicentennial is upon us, and as part of our community's contribution, we sponsored a poster and essay competition for local schoolchildren. Essays were invited on the themes, "Why...
Don’t ask the flowers, they don’t know
ON THIS BEAUTIFUL spring day, with all the daffodils in bloom and the cherry trees and magnolias redplendent, it is chastening to reflect what all this exuberance means to the...
Instead of election, an auction
A PLETHORA OF political-contribution scandals has again pushed both parties to pledge reform. But no political system that runs on money is capable of reforming itself. One might as well...
When money talks
MONEY TALKS, the saying goes, and most people think that in politics it talks out of turn. Influencing elections with campaign contributions is denounced as corrupting democracy, as PACs, corporations...
The Absence of Gardeners
One of the firsit things I noticed on revisiting my erstwhile homeland, the town of Working in the County of Surrey, England, was the gardens -- not only the gardens...
Lambs eager for slaughter
THE SEMESTER'S student projects, in which groups of three or four students dream up a product or service to promote, are again loaded with alcohol. Out of a dozen projects,...
Without Sin
The Episcopal bishop of Easton, on Maryland's Eastern Shore, has stripped an 85-year-old priest of his authority to preach or perform the sacraments because he blessed the union of two...
Human Buggy Whips
:TC London Fog -- the nationally famous raincoat company with deep roots in Maryland -- is closing down two plants at Williamsport and Hancock, putting 375 employees out of work....
Privatizing Prisoners
"Lock 'em up and throw away the key." The correctional establishment promotes long sentences bringing jobs for guards and sales for prison-services peddlers. Prison building proceeds apace. New crack-down-on-crime legislation...