Archive for the ‘Opinion’ Category
Apathy grips Hub
When the New England Patriots are in the playoffs, people can’t wait to hang their Patriot flags and put out their Patriot signs, banners, pennants and even display their inflated Patriots lawn ornaments. Sometimes even before the regular season ends. You can’t drive half a mile in town without seeing Patriots everywhere. So, what are […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: 1960s, America's Pastime, American Football League, baseball, basketball, Boston, Dick Stuart, Dodgers, Eddie Bressoud, Fenway Park, hockey, Humor, Impossible Dream, Jim Gosger, John Henry, Ken Coleman, Lenny Green, Mark Sardella, Mel Parnell, Ned Martin, New England Patiots, NFL, Opinion, Pleasure Island, Red Sox, Robert Kraft, Sixties, soccer, sports, team, Tom Brady, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, World Series
Let’s get serious
A funny thing happened the other day. And that’s the problem. The state that our world, our country, our commonwealth and even our town are in is no laughing matter. We have serious problems, and yet some people continue to go on their merry way without a care in the world. That’s all well and […]
Filed under: Humor, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: Civitas, comedians, comedy, funny, Gravitas, hubris, Humor, laughter, Mark Sardella, Opinion, Politics, snark, virtue, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA
Foreseen Circumstances
QUESTION: During the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Massachusetts, how many times were we assured that legalization would never lead to increased use by teens? ANSWER: About the same number of times we were told that legalizing weed would not result in more highway deaths in Massachusetts. Go explain how that works to the […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: alcohol, Christopher Desir, crash, David Bell, driving, drugs, DUI, East Bridgewater, Eryck Sablah, herb, legalization, marijuana, Mark Sardella, Naiquan D. Hamilton, Nicholas Joyce, Opinion, OUI, Politics, pot, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield High School, Wakefield MA, weed, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, YRBS
Street view
Monday was like Christmas in August for me. Did the town rescind the plastic bag ban? Did the Town Council go back to being the Board of Selectmen? Sadly, the answer to both of those questions is “no.” But something almost as good happened. The 2018 edition of my favorite book was released. I’m not […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: 1936, 2018, Board of Assessors, Board of Registrars, Board of Selectmen, books, Christmas, directory, female, genders, Humor, inclusivity, male, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Opinion, Politics, residents, Street List, Town Council, voters, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, World War II Memorial
By MARK SARDELLA What does it take to create art? Is it education, discipline and skill? Or is it raw talent and real-life experience? It often takes some of both, as we witness in Sam Shepard’s True West, currently in production at Gloucester Stage. Set in their mother’s home 40 miles east of Los Angeles, […]
Filed under: Art, Family, Humor, Opinion, Reviews, theater | Leave a Comment
Tags: Alexander Platt, Art, drama, Gloucester Stage Company, Joe Short, Mark Cohen, Mark Sardella, Marya Lowry, Nael Nacer, Opinion, play, review, Sam Shepard, stage, theater, theatre, True West, Wakefield Daily Item, western
Meeting expectations
I’m starting a petition to ban petitions. Actually, I would never do that. First of all, I’m much too lazy and second, it would involve talking to people, which I try to avoid whenever possible. Saying that I want to start a petition against petitions is an attempt at irony. Not intended to be ironic […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: agendas, Board of Selectmen, branding, digital, downtown, Favermann Design, government meetings, Humor, kiosk, Mark Favermann, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Open Meeting Law, Opinion, Politics, Town Council, transparency, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Main Streets, wayfinding, WCAT
By MARK SARDELLA Easily, the strength of Gloucester Stage Company’s current production, Cyrano, is in the performances of the professional cast. The five-member cast plays a multitude of roles in this adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 classic Cyrano de Bergerac by Jason O’Connell and Brenda Withers.
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Opinion, Reviews, theater | Leave a Comment
Tags: Andrea Goldman, Brenda Withers, Cyrano, Edmond Rostand, Feremiah Kissel, Gary Ng, Gloucester Stage, James Ricaro Milord, Jason O'Connell, Mark Sardella, Nicole Washington, Paul Melendy, play drama, Robert Walsh., theater, theatre, Wakefield Daily Item
How to vote
There are few responsibilities easier for citizens to fulfill than voting. Last week, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court agreed, at least when it comes to requiring voters to be registered before election day. It’s a safeguard that allows city and town clerks to verify the eligibility of each would-be voter. Why anyone would be against […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: apathy, Attorney General, early voting, elections, Mark Sardella, notification, Open Meeting Law, public meetings, Public Safety Building, registration, SJC, Stephen P. Maio, Supreme Judicial Court, town hall, Town Meeting, Tpwn Clerk, voter fraud, voters, voting, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA
Mark Sardella 