Commentary

The Orioles don’t seem to care what you think. On Wednesday, the team — meaning CEO and Chairman John Angelos and whoever he might have asked for input — decided to decline the option in its lease with the Maryland Stadium Authority that would have extended the agreement by five years. That choice, which leaves 11 months on the current deal that has existed since Camden Yards opened in 1992, does nothing to back Angelos’ claims about his intent to keep the team in Baltimore nor calm fans concerned about another professional sports team leaving the city.

In investing terms, a “glide path ” describes how a mix of investments changes over time. Typically, the mix gets more conservative — with fewer stocks and more bonds, for example — as the investor approaches a goal such as retirement. You also can create a glide path into retirement by making gradual changes in your working and personal life in the months or years before you plan to quit work. Retirement can be a jarring transition, especially if you haven’t set up ways to replace the structure, sense of purpose and socializing opportunities that work can bring, says financial coach Saundra Davis, executive director of Sage Financial Solutions, a nonprofit financial education and planning organization in San Francisco.

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.