Each year, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial page editor Tom Waseleski prepares for the New Year an aspirational list of headlines. Each year, I shamelessly borrow the idea and herewith present my own suggestions, with precious little expectation that we will see them atop newspapers, magazines or teasing newscasts in 2016. Please send your own in the comments section below. …
Year-end movies stir annual debate
It's that time of year: movie time. The industry wants its best products out before the New Year to compete in the Oscars. The only question for my husband, my sister and me is whether to go to the theatre or wait for the video to come out. I'm not Ty Burr or Joyce Kulhawik, but …
Dems debate: a well-kept secret
All three Democratic Presidential contenders were at the top of their games on Saturday night, but, given the time slot the Democratic National Committee had agreed to, relatively few people saw them. Early ratings indicate that only around eight million viewers watched the debate in real time, far fewer than the 18 million who tuned in …
Stephanopoulos gets Trumped
Donald Trump was more than ABC's George Stephanopoulos could handle yesterday morning. He tried hard to counter Trump's bluster, but in the end he failed miserably on one important question: Vladimir Putin and the killing of journalists in Russia. When Trump called Hillary a liar and called out Bernie Sanders for lying, Stephanopoulos asked whether he really wanted …
Take-aways from GOP Presidential debate
Sometimes the answer to who wins a debate lies in what sticks with you two days after the event. In the case of Tuesday's CNN GOP Presidential debate out of Las Vegas, there were several sparks that still glow. After a bumbling start, in which Jeb Bush flubbed his opening remark (hasn't he found a …
The Donald is crafty but dumb
Members of the media may finally be falling out of love with Donald Trump. For months, they have been conduits for every outrageous hateful thing he has said, providing him millions of dollars worth of airtime for free because he has been good for their ratings. With his call to ban Muslims from entering the United …
Cellphones and cars: a lethal mix?
Not long ago, I was exiting Route 128 for Route 30 on the Newton/Weston line. Cars merging into Route 128 are supposed to yield (note to Massachusetts drivers: that means give the other driver the right of way). My path was about to cross that of a paneled truck belonging to a Portugese bakery. Not surprisingly, …
Training our sights on gun excess
It has been nearly a century since the New York Times published an editorial on its front page. It didn't do so during the Great Depression, the Holocaust or the Vietnam War. Today, in the wake of the lethal San Bernardino terrorist attack, the Times called for an end to the sale of certain kinds of weapons …
Turkey shoots down plane – and other Thanksgiving thoughts
Finally, the bird gets even. This is clearly a step beyond the President's annual commuting of the Thanksgiving turkey's death sentence. "Turkey shoots down Russian warplane near Syrian border." But no, it's not the revenge of the traditional holiday meal. For a few moments, I allow myself to be amused as a diversion from what's …
Continue reading Turkey shoots down plane – and other Thanksgiving thoughts
Seeking sanity on Syrian refugees
ISIS boasts that it's embedding its fighters in the flood of refugees escaping war-torn Syria. Frontline Greece says it doesn't have the resources to properly screen the tsunami of humanity. Brussels, after years of looking the other way, is on lockdown looking for terrorists involved in planning the Paris attacks and more, who travel freely in a borderless …
Marjorie Arons-Barron 