Commentary

The Shakespeare canon would not exist had the deeds of its many characters — mad kings, rivalrous offspring, treacherous lords, treasonous courtiers — never been exposed or imagined. We would be deprived of understanding much of human nature had Shakespeare’s storytelling been restricted, by some supernatural force, to the fanciful and Arcadian, that is, no hatred, no tragedy, no “fall of man.” But, as the bard said, “All the world’s a stage,” and the thing that animated any of Shakespeare’s tragic plays — jealousy, prejudice, love, revenge, egomania, lust for power — remains alive right here in 21st century Baltimore. For evidence look no further than to spectacles playing out in our courts: Angelos Agonistes and the Marilyn Mosby matter.

On Jan. 25, the James Beard Foundation announced its annual award semifinalists. Often described as the Oscars of the culinary scene, a Beard Award can make or break a chef. Baltimore fared exceptionally well with three contenders. Two were for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region: Chris Amendola of Foraged and Steve Chu of Ekiben. And Charleston, a frequent contender in fine dining awards, was listed for “Outstanding Hospitality,” a category sponsored, oddly enough, by American Airlines.

We are waking up to the dangers of toxic “forever chemicals” called PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and the sources of these dangerous compounds. A recent alarming discovery: common pesticides, which are sprayed across our communities, farms, health care facilities, playgrounds, and schools, contain high levels of PFAS. “If the intent was to spread PFAS contamination across the globe, there would be few more effective methods than lacing pesticides with PFAS,” said Kayla Bennett, research director for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

At 7:01 p.m. Friday night I heard the breaking news alert on my phone that signaled the public release of the video showing five Memphis Police officers beating, restraining and ultimately killing 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. At 7:02, I put on my headphones, turned up the music and blocked it all out. I would not watch the video and again participate in the continued traumatization of the Black American psyche.

Back in 2015, after the death of a 25-year-old Black man named Freddie Gray, injured while in the custody of police, there were extensive discussions among law enforcement, politicians, activists and religious leaders about the implementation of police-worn body cameras. I remember it vividly because it was a very tense time, and I was involved in some of these conversations. Many good-hearted people believed that technology and readily available video of interactions between officers and citizens would be a game changer and bring an end to police violence in the community, but here we are again.

Here we go again. Another unnecessary and unprovoked death of a young Black man at the hands of police. This time in Memphis, Tennessee, with the brutal killing of Tyre Nichols by five members of the police department’s since disbanded Scorpion Unit. When will it stop? It won’t, not until the underlying cause is addressed. That will take a concerted effort over a long period of time, though it is an effort that has only been attempted piecemeal and sporadically over many years and has never addressed the root cause of the problem — a subculture predicated on violence.

We are waking up to the dangers of toxic “forever chemicals” called PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and the sources of these dangerous compounds. A recent alarming discovery: common pesticides, which are sprayed across our communities, farms, health care facilities, playgrounds, and schools, contain high levels of PFAS. “If the intent was to spread PFAS contamination across the globe, there would be few more effective methods than lacing pesticides with PFAS,” said Kayla Bennett, research director for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. The good news is we can take a simple step to turn off this tap. State Del. Dana Stein and Sen. Shelly Hettleman are sponsoring legislation, the Pesticide Registration — PFAS Testing — Requirements Bill (SB 158), to ban the use of pesticide products containing PFAS in Maryland. Manufacturers would have to test their products for PFAS as part of the current annual registration with the state.