TORONTO – John Sheardown, a former Canadian diplomat who sheltered fugitive American Embassy staffers at his Tehran home at great personal risk during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, has died. He was 88. His wife, Zena, said Saturday that Sheardown passed away in an Ottawa hospital on Dec. 30. She said he had been treated […]
2013
Posted inNation & World
McChrystal takes blame for career-ending article
He says he was responsible for his staff’s criticism of Obama’s Afghan policy.
advertisement
Posted inNation & World
Christmas trees keep on giving … to fish
Trees sunk by wildlife biologists have found a second life as fish habitat in California lakes.
Posted inNews
Bill Nemitz: Is that Gov. LePage picking a soda fight? Sweet!
We’re all creatures of habit. That would explain why, on a recent visit to the lunchroom, I fed my $1.25 into the Coke machine and automatically hit the top button — the one that has always said “Diet Coke.” Only this time it didn’t. The machine guy had switched the top button and, much to […]
Posted inNation & World
Eurozone has hit bottom, leaders say
It may be on its way back up, but only marginally, say economists who predict another tough year.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Take Heart: A Conversation in Poetry
The poet Jorie Graham once wrote that a memory for a poet is an experience that has not yet been fully lived and waits for its second life in poetry. In today’s poem Pam Burr, of Brunswick, relives the memory of sandwiches that her mother once prepared for her school lunch. Sandwiches By Pam Burr […]
Posted inPortland Sea Dogs, Sports
On Baseball: Nearly time for baseball visions to start dancing in our heads
The Christmas tree comes down today. But why the long faces, kids? The decorations being put away can mean only one thing: Baseball is almost here. Need proof? One of the first signs will be Friday, when the Portland Sea Dogs host their annual Hot Stove Banquet (which sold out quickly). Later this month, the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Food
Dine out Maine: Tao takes you on a heavenly journey, one small plate at a time
Imagine steamed pork buns that rival those at an excellent dim sum spot in a large city but right here in Maine. Maybe those soft, sweet, meat-filled, edible pillows already dance in your head, like sugarplums. That’s no illusion. That’s Grandma Tang’s roast pork buns ($6.80 for three), arriving hot and steamy in a bamboo […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Author Q &A: Peace of the Past
A largely untold chapter of Nazi-occupied Belgium – and of one family’s history – combine in Maine writer Walter W. Bannon’s new book.