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Analysis, discussion and opinions by members of Newsday's editorial board.

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Rita Ciolli

Rita Ciolli began working for Newsday 40 years ago as a summer intern. During her senior year at Fordham University, the Bronx native worked full time covering Hempstead town. After graduating from Georgetown University Law Center in 1977, she spent a decade in the Washington bureau assigned to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Justice Department and the FBI. After a long stint as a media and technology reporter, Ciolli covered religion before joining the editorial board in 2005. She became editor of the opinion section in November 2007 and has expanded its commentary and letters sections both in print and online.

Dolman: Mayoral candidates need to talk about education more

File photo of children on a school bus

Photo credit: Getty Images

The No. 1 issue on the minds of likely voters in New York City’s upcoming elections is not the stop-and-frisk imbroglio. It’s not the tough, elusive struggle for better outcomes in programs for the homeless and mentally ill. It’s not the shockingly sorry status of more than a few city parks. It is education, said a speaker at a Manhattan Institute forum this morning, citing a recent Zogby poll the...

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Up on the Board: Egypt’s ‘coup,’ Supt. Hankin, privacy concerns

President Barack Obama meets with members of his

Photo credit: AP

The editorial board believes that the Obama administration is dancing around the definition of a “coup” in regard to Egypt’s military takeover from elected President Mohammed Morsi. Declaring it a coup would mean the U.S. would be required to withdraw financial aid and, as a result, would diminish our influence in this country’s affairs.

We’re discussing the resignation of Carole Hankin, the...

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Crowley: Time to legalize MMA in New York

Chris Weidman celebrates after defeating Anderson Silva. (July

Photo credit: Newsday/Mario Gonzalez

Chris Weidman shocked the Ultimate Fighting Championship world on Sunday by accomplishing what seemed impossible, knocking out undefeated middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Weidman trained for many arduous weeks in order to physically and mentally prepare to take on Silva. But the biggest fight of his career may be convincing the state Assembly to lift the ban on mixed martial arts in New York.

For...

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Uberti: Online security issues more critical as Internet grows

More and more of everyday life is moving

Photo credit: AP, 2008

The Internet is growing up fast.

More and more of everyday life is moving online, from 140-character reactions to last night’s Mets game to baby pictures posted on Facebook. U.S. retailers expect about a quarter-trillion dollars of Internet sales this year. Governments, meanwhile, are training cohorts of cyberwarriors to carry out attacks on foreign computers while protecting those at home.

In...

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Crowley: Is taking an AP class really worth all the effort?

A student takes a sample SAT test during

Photo credit: Getty Images

Students across the country found out what they received on their Advanced Placement tests on Friday. I’m one of them, and like so many of my contemporaries, I was eager to see all my hard work boiled down into one number grade. Everyone’s hoping to get that great feeling that comes from earning a 4 or 5 on an exam.

But is taking an AP class really worth all the time and effort?

Other...

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Up on the Board: Give Spitzer a chance, Nassau dispatchers, catching cybercriminals

Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer addresses an

Photo credit: AP

The editorial board thinks that former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s entry into the New York City comptroller’s race almost passes for humility for this man. And we believe that he deserves another chance at public office, in spite of his disgraced status. Spitzer is a determined financial watchdog and, if elected, would manage the $127.5 billion New York City Retirement Systems, audit mayoral programs and...

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Dolman: Give Eliot Spitzer a second chance

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer visits FOX

Photo credit: Getty Images, 2011

On Sunday evening, as most of New York was winding down from a quiet holiday weekend, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer barged into what had been a sleepy contest for city comptroller with a Shakespearean burst of sound and fury. He wants forgiveness. He wants redemption. He wants his old public life back. He wants to be loved. He wants to matter again. You give me another chance, Spitzer is saying, and...

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Up on the Board: Mandela watch, Taxi of Tomorrow, whistleblower in Hempstead

The editorial board, along with much of the world, is watching for news of Nelson Mandela. He is reportedly on life support and in stable condition at a hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, while the bodies of three of his children were returned to their original resting site in his hometown of Qunu on Thursday, following a court order.

The board is also interested in a new generation of taxicabs...

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Uberti: GOP obstruction on Obamacare only hurts Americans

Speaker of the House John Boehner speaks during

Photo credit: Getty Images

Capitol Hill’s “repeal and replace” crowd gloated over the White House’s decision Tuesday to put a one-year hold on Obamacare’s controversial employer mandate.

The Obama administration “seems to slowly be admitting what Americans already know,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement.

“Even the Obama administration knows the ‘train wreck’ will only get worse,” said...

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Bessent: Bad day for democracy in Egypt

Fireworks light the sky as opponents of Egypt's

Photo credit: AP

It was not a good day for for democracy in Egypt Wednesday. Not with the nation’s first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, being ousted in a military coup.

Morsi was a terrible leader. Backed by the Muslim Brotherhood he temporarily claimed almost dictatorial powers and locked everyone but his Islamist allies out of the government. And he did nothing to improve the economy,...

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