In 1928, the Ohio-born inventor
Robert Condit wanted to make a pioneering flight like Charles Lindberg the year before. But instead of traveling around a portion of the earth, he wanted to leave it entirely. Destination: Venus. Condit had built a rocket of sorts, and
planned to launch from Florida in March, but postponed due to imperfect atmospheric conditions. Between then and August, he made his way to Baltmore, where he worked with the brothers Sterling and Harry B. Uhler to make or modify his space craft.
Harry remembered their efforts well, recounting the events leading up to an actual attempt to launch the craft (
PDF with photos), made of varnished sailcloth, wrapped around a structure of angle iron ribs, bolted into shape.
[more inside]
posted by filthy light thief
on May 3, 2013 -
26 comments
"Baltimore had always been seen as an explosive city, hypersensitive to the shifting currents of politics. The present crisis was no exception. While most Baltimoreans felt that Lincoln should keep his hands off the South, there was also a smaller contingent of Confederate zealots there who were more than willing to go to war over it. Sending Northern troops through their hometown was like putting a lit match to a powder keg."
The Baltimore Riot of 1861, also known as the Pratt Street Riots, underline Maryland's
complex and often tragic part in the US Civil War.
[more inside]
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing
on Mar 8, 2013 -
11 comments
I explained that, for a variety of reasons — including feeding my boys the most nutritious food available, supporting local farmers, and reducing the carbon miles our food inflicted on the environment — I tried to buy our food locally and organically. She looked at me as if I’d just told her I believed in Santa Claus and, with a poorly disguised smirk, said, "Honey, those days are over."
In 2009, Michelle Gienow came close to having to feed her family sustainable, organic, local, and ethically produced (
SOLE) food on a food stamp budget. She documented
her budget calculations in the pages of the City Paper, Baltimore's alternative weekly. This year Ms. Gienow's financial situation really did call for financial assistance — and she found that her calculations were
too optimistic.
posted by Nomyte
on Oct 20, 2012 -
107 comments
When the works of David Simon were translated to television, the job of portraying 15-year-old DeAndre McCullough from "The Corner" was given to
Sean Nelson. DeAndre himself, then 23, appeared on screen in a cameo as an officer and in a non-fiction
discussion at the end of the miniseries. Later, in the world of "The Wire," DeAndre returned as the
bodyguard of Brother Mouzone.
David Simon: "He enjoyed acting, and showed some poise, but the jobs that offered the chance at a real career — the behind-the-camera production work, the path to union wages and benefits —
those couldn’t hold him."
DeAndre McCullough was found dead on Wednesday in Baltimore. He was 35.
posted by rewil
on Aug 4, 2012 -
38 comments
GPX riding is a general term for using a GPS device to track and record location while riding a bicycle [
previously on MetaFilter]. Combining this technology with a planned effort to create art is the premise behind
Wallygpx. Think of
the images as being akin to a giant etch-a-sketch.
posted by netbros
on Nov 9, 2011 -
8 comments
The Wire's
Felicia ("Snoop") Pearson has been arrested as part of large scale drug raids
according to the Baltimore Sun.
Life imitates art, but in this case art had closely imitated life, as Pearson was not a trained actress, but grew up in tough Baltimore neighbourhoods and has a conviction for second degree murder for an act at the age of 14. However in recent years she had been involved in anti-violence campaigns and other work with young people.
posted by philipy
on Mar 10, 2011 -
101 comments
“You know what Miami gets in their crime show? They get detectives that look like models, and they drive around in sports cars. And you know what New York gets, they get these incredibly tough prosecutors, competent cops that solve the most crazy, complicated cases. —What Baltimore gets is this reinforced notion that it's a city full of hopelessness, despair and dysfunction. There was very little effort—beyond self-serving—to highlight the great and wonderful things happening here, and to indict the whole population, the criminal justice system, the school system.” —
Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, on the effect of
The Wire on Baltimore’s reputation.
[more inside]
posted by kipmanley
on Jan 18, 2011 -
119 comments
Legend has it that Phidippedes ran 26 miles to Athens from Marathon to announce the success of the Athenian army's surprise suicide attack against the far larger Persian army, starting a grand tradition:
Dying during marathons. [more inside]
posted by minimii
on Dec 26, 2009 -
21 comments
Crime: A Tale of Two Cities. When "The Wire" gained popularity in Great Britain, we were contacted by a London-based journalist who proposed a job swap. Mark Hughes, a crime reporter with The Independent, a national newspaper in the United Kingdom, wanted to come to Baltimore to see if the city’s police officers, drug dealers, prosecutors and politicians bore any resemblance to those on show. We agreed to complete the exchange by sending our police reporter, Justin Fenton, to London to compare crime trends. [more inside]
posted by HumanComplex
on Nov 12, 2009 -
30 comments
Hacking is a Baltimore phenomenon that allows citizens to get cheap "illegal" rides across town. A hack indicates they want a ride by motioning their pointer finger towards the ground as they walk along the street. Inevitably a driver will stop, the two parties will negotiate a price and a ride will be given. It is both a
dangerous and
necessary part of the blighted Baltimore economy.
posted by cloeburner
on Nov 9, 2009 -
84 comments
John Pontolillo, a student at Johns Hopkins University, had just had laptops and a game console stolen from his house. Hours later, he heard a noise from the garage. Before he went to investigate, he
grabbed his
katana...
[more inside]
posted by ChurchHatesTucker
on Sep 18, 2009 -
317 comments
"'I am not a defendant,' Mitchell declared. 'I do not have attorneys.' The court 'lacks territorial jurisdiction over me,' he argued, to the amazement of his lawyers. To support these contentions, he cited decades-old acts of Congress involving the abandonment of the gold standard and the creation of the Federal Reserve ... Judge Davis ordered the three defendants to be removed from the court, and turned to Gardner, who had, until then, remained quiet. But Gardner, too, intoned the same strange speech. 'I am Shawn Earl Gardner, live man, flesh and blood,' he proclaimed."
Too Weird for the Wire: How black Baltimore drug dealers are using white supremacist legal theories to confound the Feds. [via]
posted by nasreddin
on Jul 15, 2008 -
75 comments
