Commentary

If any among us held out hope for reconciliation after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, that the nation would experience some collective “morning after” regret and unite against what amounted to an act of domestic terror, they surely lost faith well before today. Whatever the outcome to the ongoing House inquiry into the insurrection, the criminal investigations and prosecutions by federal authorities or the various lawsuits that have arisen from that day, it’s clear that the United States of Jan. 6, 2022, remains a nation divided. The tinder that fed the conflagration is as dry and flammable as ever.

On his second day of virtual kindergarten in September 2020, my son grabbed his Chromebook, took aim at the basement wall and prepared to throw it with all his might; I got there in the nick of time to stop it. The pandemic has been tough on Aiden, a bright and outgoing boy who has always thrived in a classroom. It hit when he was in preschool. Six months of virtual kindergarten were miserable before we found a space for him in a private school.

State and local officials are scrambling desperately to cope with the latest surge of COVID-19 viral infections that have swept like wildfire, overwhelming our health care systems. But they missed chances to address the crisis sooner, which might have helped slow the spread of the virus. On Tuesday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a 30-day state of emergency and mobilized 1,000 members of the Maryland National Guard to help state and local health officials.

We have learned many lessons over the past two years — and one that stands out is the importance of ensuring that every Marylander has access to affordable health insurance. Even before the pandemic exposed weaknesses in our economy, workers sought out jobs that provided both good pay and good benefits. Today, as employers are finding it difficult to hire workers — and workers are wary of going back to jobs because of the ongoing pandemic — ensuring that businesses can offer health insurance is more important than ever.

In 1955, the nation was horrified by the film “Blackboard Jungle.” It showed an inner-city school out of control where students terrifying teachers was a daily rite of passage. I saw the film in the early 60s, and I shuddered when Vic Morrow turned to Glenn Ford to say, “You want to take me to the office, Daddy-O? Then take me to the office.” Was this film an accurate portrayal of public education at the time? Absolutely not. Did it represent what was happening in far too many classrooms across the nation — then and now? It did indeed.

Now that the House has voted to hold former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in contempt for refusing to appear before the Jan. 6 Select Committee, Washington insiders are gripped in a typical, inside-the-Beltway dilemma: whether or not the Justice Department should file criminal charges against him. After all, unlike Steve Bannon, Mr. Meadows was a member of the executive branch and can therefore claim “executive privilege.”

As the weather turns cold, the threat of house fires rises. People spend more time indoors; they turn on portable space heaters or light fires in fireplaces or leave on stoves or ovens, and the risks naturally go up with the season. Open flames are a threat, but so are smoldering embers that produce poisonous carbon monoxide if not properly vented. Falling asleep with a cigarette in hand is a common cause of fatal fires, as are unattended children, who might be inclined to play with flames when there is no adult supervision.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting kicking the year 2021 into the dustbin of history. However today, I started to think about Dante’s long narrative poem “Divine Comedy.” Dante framed his book using the Christian construct for the afterlife, dividing the book into sections: “Paradiso” or Heaven, “Purgatorio” or Purgatory and “Inferno” or Hell. I had thought that there was very little positive about 2021. I then started thinking about my personal interactions with people I hardly know. I realized that, according to Dante, many of these people will end up in paradise. I have been treated so well by so many people.

Spider-Man: No Way Home not only concludes a trilogy, but it is the culmination of every Spider-Man film. It is the most ambitious Marvel film since Avengers: Endgame.

Continuing Spider-Man: Far from Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is revealed as Spider-Man which causes him pain and chaos for friends Ned and MJ (Zendaya) and his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).  Desperate to have his anonymity back, he sees Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for a spell to fix things, but it goes horribly wrong unleashing a multiverse of past iterations, especially major villains (Willem Dafoe, Jamie Foxx, Alfred Molina et al). To complicate matters, Peter realizes that these villains are doomed in their world and wonders if they can be “saved” even as the multiverse becomes more complex and dangerous. And so begins a battle royal between good and evil.

This dark, heartfelt storyline with its themes of redemption, personal loss, love, and sacrifice, has poignant moments throughout, especially at the end which serves as an endpoint for the franchise. Featuring countless Easter Eggs (amazing, surprise appearances), and call backs to the past, tears will be shed amid cheers and laughter as familiar, beloved faces appear. Major characters get substantial screen time and even achieve a degree of closure.   Despite early, slow moments, director Jon Watts deftly orchestrates a multitude of characters and subplots without losing focus. There are a number of memorable moments and emotional payoffs for those who have watched these films from the beginning.

This is Holland’s best performance to date as his Peter Parker matures right before our eyes while forced to confront crises with real stakes. For Spider-Man enthusiasts, this is Nirvana; this is as good as it gets. It’s a supremely entertaining, mind-boggling film made for its fandom. (There are two end credit scenes.)