By: Paul Murano – March, 2020 There may be no greater difference in the two competing world views today, secular progressivism and Catholicism, than how each views suffering. As a significant part of the human condition, today’s world tends to see no value in suffering. Catholicism sees it differently. This season of Lent is a […]
By: Bill Cusing – March, 2020 I’m a huge fan of the 2000 film ‘High Fidelity’ starring John Cusack about a music lover and record store owner recounting his five worst breakups. So when I heard they were remaking the story for a Hulu series, I was very skeptical. In this version, Zoe Kravitz takes […]
By: Paul Murano – Feb. 2020 It is bewildering how much comfort there is with inconsistency and contradiction today. We live in an era when logical consistency no longer matters. Truth and justice have taken a back seat to the attempt to fit everything into a man-made ideological narrative. This is particularly evident in the […]
By: Bill Cushing – Feb. 2020 Apple TV’s fascinating new series ‘Servant’ is an unsettling psychological thriller from Executive Producer M. Night Shyamalan, the director of ‘The Sixth Sense,’ ‘Signs,’ and ‘Unbreakable.’ The series stars Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) and Toby Kebbell (Black Mirror) as Dorothy and Sean Turner. They are still in mourning […]
By: Joel Faretra – Feb. 2020 I had planned on checking out some Chinese food take out places in Methuen this month, but it seemed you had other plans for me. The Miller’s Tavern opened up on January 9th, finally taking the place of the old Brickhouse Tavern at 105 Pleasant Valley St. themillerstavern.com […]
By: Paul Murano – Jan. 2020 New Year’s resolutions are common but often not all that successful. It makes you wonder why: If people are resolved to change a bad habit and replace it with something good, why is there such a poor success rate? The answer to this question lies at the heart of […]
By: Bill Cushing – Jan. 2020 It’s that time of year again. That time when all TV people start thinking about the best shows that they watched over the past year. As usual, it was tough to leave some shows off the list, but here are my picks for the best TV had to […]
Happy New Year! 2020 is shaping up to be a busy year and I am sure to build up an appetite. Thank you for all the feedback from my roast beef column. This month, I tried steak bombs from three different sub shops in Methuen. I hit up Chris’ Famous Pizza, Bada Bing and Anthony’s […]
By: Bill Cushing – Dec. 2019 Apple TV+ fired the first shot in the new streaming war, when it launched its streaming service on November 1st, with the premiere of the highly anticipated ‘The Morning Show.’ ‘The Morning Show’ has a very impressive cast led by Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell and […]
This is the premier column from our new foodie columnist, Methuen City Councilor Joel Faretra. Each month Joel will visit restaurants in Methuen and rate their best dishes. By: Joel Faretra – December, 2019 Since I was born and raised in Everett, I grew up on roast beef sandwiches. The two places we would go […]
By: Bill Cushing – November, 2019 The best new network comedy of this fall TV season is the charming and delightful CBS series ‘The Unicorn.’ A unicorn, in this context, is defined as “that elusive creature that all single women are looking for.” Which is a widower and a father who, because he’s only had […]
By: Paul Murano – Oct. 2019 A Moral Relativist (a), and Natural Law theorist (b), Discuss Homosexuality a) Homosexuality is something you’re born with. There is no moral issue with homosexuality. b) Some people may experience same-sex attraction from an early age, but this isn’t relevant to the ethical question, which is whether one ought […]
By: Bill Cushing – Oct. 2019 Netflix’s ‘Unbelievable’ is the streaming network’s latest bingeworthy drama. It stars Emmy winners Toni Collette and Merritt Wever as two detectives investigating a series of sexual assaults. But even though they are the series top billed stars, they don’t even appear in the first episode. The first hour (and […]
By: Bill Cushing – Sept, 2019 The new TV season is upon us and just like every year there are lots of new shows. Which shows are worth devoting your time to? Well, hopefully this column will help you decide the answer to that question. Here are some of the shows I think will […]
By: Pal Murano – September, 2019 In our era that emphasizes love as mercy, let us not forget that love is also justice. Compassion and mercy encompass only one side of love. Truth and justice make up the other. It is like the two sides of a coin: it fails to be a coin without […]