Nafari Vanaski is the news editor for the Bridgeville Area News, Signal Item and the South Hills Record. Her columns appear each Thursday in the Tribune-Review.
Nafari Vanaski can be reached via e-mail or at 412-856-7400 x8669
Vanaski: Perceptions of movies are strictly in the eye of the beholder
By Nafari VanaskiEven the host of the Oscars joked about the lack of nominations for the movie “Selma.” “Tonight, we honor Hollywood’s best and whitest — sorry, brightest,” Neil Patrick Harris said with a smile Sunday. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts ...
Vanaski: Vaccine scare theories debunked, but many don’t know about the evidence
By Nafari VanaskiThe first time I talked to Nancy Minshew, she had a police escort. That seemed highly unusual, considering it was a Monday night at Penn Brewery, and she was talking to a bunch of science geeks at a monthly gathering ...
Vanaski: Disney’s musical formula speaks to kids — to some parents’ dismay
By Nafari VanaskiI had always thought that my sister-in-law was on good terms with us. But over the Christmas holiday, she arranged for our children to watch the movie “Frozen.” Three times in one night, apparently, with their cousins. She also gave ...
Vanaski: Black History Month is a lesson for us all: the good and the bad
By Nafari VanaskiEvery year, the question arises about why there’s a Black History Month. My own white husband poses this question. “How come there isn’t a Hispanic history month?” he says. Every. Single. Year. (There actually is a Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated ...
Vanaski: Staying safe on dicey winter roads requires dose of common sense
By Nafari VanaskiIt’s late January, so it’s time for area residents to act like we’ve been completely blindsided by winter weather conditions. Pittsburgh won an award just for being resilient, but this weather tends to bring out behavior that suggests too many ...
Vanaski: For all the things you want to do more easily, this app’s for you
By Nafari VanaskiJust in time for the Super Bowl, and to coincide with its million-dollar commercials during the big game, Budweiser announced this week that it is unveiling an app that lets people order home delivery of 12- or 24-packs of beer. ...
Vanaski: Website fosters ‘niche’ arrangements for students to afford college
By Nafari VanaskiPresident Obama has proposed a plan that would allow qualified students to attend community college for free for two years. Students would have to attend at least part time and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA. The state and federal ...
Vanaski: Outcry prompted by promoting race dialogue points to real problems
By Nafari VanaskiOne thing is for sure: Cameron McLay isn’t from around here. Look at this guy. Pittsburgh’s new police chief is going to community gatherings and interacting with people who live in the city? What type of nonsense is this? We ...
Vanaski: New Year’s resolution about sarcasm never had a chance
By Nafari VanaskiIt’s a very sad day. My new year’s resolution to stop being sarcastic died after a brief but meaningful life. It was born after I received several comments from readers in the past year about my sarcasm. “Why do you ...
Vanaski: Egg nog is a Christmas mystery
By Nafari VanaskiThe great thing about Christmas is its magic and wonder. There are questions that defy explanation, such as one brain teaser my son posed: “How can Santa watch all the kids at the same time?” Or, for adults: “Why does ...
Vanaski: Protests changed the world
By Nafari VanaskiEvery now and again, I get column requests, which rarely go the way the requestors likely expect. So why mess with tradition? A regular reader left me a voicemail reporting that he was watching news coverage of the “die-in” protests ...
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