Here is an early commercial of Ronald McDonald, played by Willard Scott. There is not one single thing about this commercial that isn't creepy. … [Read more...] about The Most Creepy Ronald McDonald Commercial Ever!
Blizzard brings chaos to northern US
Blizzard brings chaos to northern US (via AFP) A fierce winter storm dragged temperatures down to glacial levels and caused chaos across the northern United States on Friday, forcing the cancelation of thousands of flights. With more than 24 inches (61 centimeters) of snow falling in one Massachusetts… … [Read more...] about Blizzard brings chaos to northern US
Why ObamaCare will make us rethink ERs
So what about Obamacare and emergency rooms? Will the uninsured stop using them if they're signed up under the Affordable Care Act? The answer as The Week's Peter Weber notes is more complex than you might think: One of the cost-saving theories behind the Affordable Care Act (or ObamaCare) is that when uninsured people get health insurance, they will stop using the … [Read more...] about Why ObamaCare will make us rethink ERs
Afghanistan: Just One More Image from 2013
A U.S. Air Force maintenance team works on an F-16 aircraft during a snow storm on Bagram Airfield in Parwan province, Afghanistan, Dec. 29, 2013. (Photo USAF) One of my New Year’s resolutions is not to bore our readers with too many articles exalting the men and women serving our country in the military, especially those slugging it out in combat zones. I don’t think … [Read more...] about Afghanistan: Just One More Image from 2013
Five Much-Needed Reforms That Could Make Our Politics Matter Again (Guest Voice)
Five Much-Needed Reforms That Could Make Our Politics Matter Again (via Moyers & Company) This post originally appeared at The Nation. “We have frequently printed the word Democracy. Yet I cannot too often repeat, that it is a word the real gist of which still sleeps, quite unawakened,” wrote Walt Whitman in Democratic Vistas. “It… … [Read more...] about Five Much-Needed Reforms That Could Make Our Politics Matter Again (Guest Voice)
Kim Jong Un’s powerful executed uncle was eaten alive by hungry dogs
As the world community continues to scratch its collective head over what kind of regime North Korea has, a Hong Kong newspaper with strong ties to China reports that North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un's powerful uncle was meted out a brutal form of execution: he was stripped naked and thrown into a pack of 120 dogs that had been starved for days. Kim's second-in-command uncle … [Read more...] about Kim Jong Un’s powerful executed uncle was eaten alive by hungry dogs
The Pope’s Un-Christian Rejection of the Wealthy (Die Welt, Germany)
Has Pope Francis gone too far criticizing capitalism and hence alienating the world's wealthiest people? For Germany's Die Welt, columnist Torsten Kraue has come to the defense of the "bedeviled" affluent, arguing that they, too, are capable of redemption, and should be equal to the poor in the eyes of the church. For Die Welt, Torsten Kraue starts off this way: The … [Read more...] about The Pope’s Un-Christian Rejection of the Wealthy (Die Welt, Germany)
St. Snowden? NY Times Defines Deviancy Down
"When someone reveals that government officials have routinely and deliberately broken the law,” says a New York Times editorial, recommending amnesty for Edward Snowden, “that person should not face life in prison at the hands of the same government.” The Times’ Public Editor agrees, that Snowden “has done the United States, and in fact, the world, a great service.” With … [Read more...] about St. Snowden? NY Times Defines Deviancy Down
Bill del Blasio Inauguration Highlights | Bil de Blasio Video
Bill del Blasio Inauguration Highlights | Bil de Blasio Video (via Wall Street Journal Digital Network) New York City welcomed its new mayor, Bill de Blasio, in a star-studded public inauguration ceremony outside City Hall on New Year's Day. Scott Stringer was also sworn in as city comptroller and Letitia James as the new public advocate. Photo by Craig… … [Read more...] about Bill del Blasio Inauguration Highlights | Bil de Blasio Video
Pioneering conservative talker Bob Grant dies at 84 (With Audio clips)
Who is often credited -- or blamed -- for the talk radio we have today? Legendary pioneering talk radio host Bob Grand who has died at 84. But those who lump Grant in with the angry, red-faced, name calling talkers of today miss a subtle point about Grant: he wasn't the same as the talkers of today and it wasn't just generational. To those in the business, above all, Grant was … [Read more...] about Pioneering conservative talker Bob Grant dies at 84 (With Audio clips)
Putin’s Punished Orphans in the Global Spotlight (Gazeta, Russia)
Since last year when U.S. Congress passed the Magnitsky Act aimed at official Russian corruption, the Kremlin has sought to gain political leverage by inflicting harm on its most vulnerable citizens. Russian lawmakers, at the instigation of the Kremlin, passed a law that prohibits Americans from adopting Russian orphans. For Russia's Gazeta, President of Volunteers and Aid for … [Read more...] about Putin’s Punished Orphans in the Global Spotlight (Gazeta, Russia)
Dignity and Recognition (Part 1)
This is the third part of the serialization of All Rise: Somebodies, Nobodies, and the Politics of Dignity (Berrett-Koehler, 2006). The ideas in this book are further developed in my recent novel The Rowan Tree. CHAPTER 2: DIGNITY AND RECOGNITION All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. --United Nations Universal Declaration of Human … [Read more...] about Dignity and Recognition (Part 1)
Trees Too Big to Hug, Small Enough to Cherish and Protect
It is interesting how “one thing leads to another.” In a tongue-in-cheek post here at TMV on New Year’s Day, I kidded a little bit about “tree huggers.” A reader then, “speaking of hugging trees,” commented on those magnificent sequoia trees, reaching ages of upwards of 3,000 years. The same morning I received from a friend -- and posted in a comment -- a photo from … [Read more...] about Trees Too Big to Hug, Small Enough to Cherish and Protect
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to run for re-election
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has decided to take another crack at running for mayor. Ford, the godsend to comedians and bloggers everywhere, was pitchforked into the headlines last year after admitting he smoked crack in a "drunken stupor." It was life imitating the old joke about a guy who runs a stop sign and as the cop pulls him over his friend advises him: "Just tell him you … [Read more...] about Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to run for re-election
One Way of ‘Turning the Page on Anonymity’
Thanks to the diligent efforts of Dr. Estés, comments here at The Moderate Voice are generally civil and responsible. This is not always the case at other web sites. One of those sites has been the Huffington Post where I also post and where one could come across some vile, vicious, crude and offensive comments, despite their comments moderating. One contributing … [Read more...] about One Way of ‘Turning the Page on Anonymity’
U.S. Government Releases Three Chinese Prisoners from Guantanamo Bay
There's good news for those of you who are pacifists out there — the U.S. government has taken another step towards permanently closing the controversial Guantanamo Bay detention center. Although President Obama officially signed the order to close Guantanamo Bay on his first day of office in 2009, it wasn't as if the prison could be evacuated overnight. The fact still remained … [Read more...] about U.S. Government Releases Three Chinese Prisoners from Guantanamo Bay
The Forgotten Republican Rebrand
The Forgotten Republican Rebrand By Jason Stanford Heckuva job with that rebranding, Republicans. They started 2013 hoping to rejoin modern America but ended it once again on the wrong side of history. By embracing Phil Robertson's prejudice against gays and blacks and rebuffing Pope Francis' call for economic justice, Republicans have made it clear that they would rather … [Read more...] about The Forgotten Republican Rebrand
Reporter passes out on live TV (Video)
A truly likable TV reporter passes out on live TV. She tries to cover it, but watch it again and it is not a simple matter of slipping (the altitude?): … [Read more...] about Reporter passes out on live TV (Video)
Indian teenager gang-raped and set ablaze sets off protests
Indian teenager gang-raped and set ablaze (via AFP) An Indian teenager was gang-raped in two separate attacks and then died after being set on fire, sparking protests in the eastern city of Kolkata and the capital, police said Thursday. The 16-year-old was first assaulted on October 26 and then again… … [Read more...] about Indian teenager gang-raped and set ablaze sets off protests
The resurgent progressives
WASHINGTON -- The re-emergence of a Democratic left will be one of the major stories of 2014. Moderates, don't be alarmed. The return of a viable, vocal left will actually be good news for the political center. For a long time, the American conversation has been terribly distorted by the existence of an active, uncompromising political right unbalanced by a comparably … [Read more...] about The resurgent progressives