Let us see what an important Iranian sitting in one of Chicago's smartest hotels has to say about 'extremism'. Sounds interesting. What is more interesting is the timing of allowing him to enter the USA when the American administration seems poised to take on Iran on the nuclear issue. "The Iranian might appear an improbable figure in the breakfast room of the hotel, dressed … [Read more...] about Who Is Fuelling Extremism in the World? An Iranian speaks from a Chicago hotel

The tragic news is going to spread among all ages — the death-by-stingray of Steve Irwin, the highly popular "Crocodile Hunter" who was not just a TV star all over the world but a particularly big star among young people — including elementary school kids who'd watch him on "Animal Planet":CROCODILE Hunter Steve Irwin has died after a stringray barb caught him in … [Read more...] about Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin Killed By Stingray (SECOND UPDATE)

Scene: An airport where some passengers are about to embark on a trip when they're confronted by a salesman. A salesman from the The Decider Company holds up a big, plain bag. "Trust us. This'll be great for your trip! It an amazing product that will help you complete your difficult trip in a wise, learned, and secure manner! It guarantees your safety — you your … [Read more...] about Baggage, Fighting Fascism And Donald Rumsfeld

Our linkfest giving pointing you to interesting reading reflecting DIFFERENT views. Linked posts do not necessarily represent the opinion of The Moderate Voice. The Connection Between The War On Drugs And The War On Terror: Gary Farber writes:" It's rarely made, and when it's made, it's not what they say it is." A must read post...that must be read in full (so we won't take … [Read more...] about Around The ‘Sphere Sept. 4, 2006

… [Read more...] about Cartoon: Happy Labor Day!

Yes, there are Republicans who are not happy with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's administration of the war and "Rummy" suggesting that those who question his or the administration's management of the war are like people who appeased Nazis during World War II. In fact, Thomas H. Kean, Jr. uses the key phrase: Rumsfeld "stepped over the line," the New York Times … [Read more...] about New Jersey’s GOP Senate Candidate Kean Calls For Rumsfeld’s Resignation

(Click on photo to enlarge) Self-sufficiency became the mantra after the British rule ended in 1947. When the use of American hybrid seeds in the 1960s spawned a "green revolution" of more fecund farms, food security became the hallmark of sovereign India, says a report in The International Herald Tribune. "Now all that appears to be over. "This year, the country imported … [Read more...] about India : Goodbye Food Self-Sufficiency, Welcome Imports

So even if we forget Iraq for a while, it is the same old story of bad management/intention that can be seen repeated in Afghanistan. Terrorism and Opium/drugs feed on each other and have a corrosive impact on the ground action/policies of high and mighty in the world, who get sucked into the vortex of corruption and easy money. So the nexus between terrorism and drugs … [Read more...] about Resurgence of Taliban: Record Opium in Afghanistan

The subtitle of an editorial at Washingtonpost.com summarizes one part of the issue, but neglects the fundamental problem: End of an Affair It turns out that the person who exposed CIA agent Valerie Plame was not out to punish her husband. What is the fundamental problem? That the integrity of those in the White House was at issue sufficiently to make plausible in the first … [Read more...] about The fundamental problem

India's leading environmental NGO - Centre for Science and Environment had alleged that the amount of pesticides in colas was dangerously above the acceptable mark (see link below), as compared with colas sold in Europe and the USA. In turn, the Pepsi and the Coke launched a high-powered campaign in the Indian media to counter this charge. But the woes of the Cola giants do … [Read more...] about Dark Clouds Over Pepsi and Coke In India

There have been hints about this in recent weeks, and now Times Online reports of growing speculation that New York Senator Hillary Clinton may decide to pass on the 2008 Presidential race and solidify her role in the U.S. Senate:Friends of Hillary Clinton have been whispering the unthinkable. Despite her status as the runaway frontrunner for the 2008 Democratic nomination for … [Read more...] about Will Hillary Clinton Pass On 2008 Presidential Race?

The New York Times reports that some GOPers are no longer too sure that they want to let Karl Rove call their shots:Karl Rove, the president’s chief political adviser, is struggling to steer the Republican Party to victory this fall at a time when he appears to have the least political authority since he came to Washington, party officials said. Mr. Rove remains a dominant … [Read more...] about Is GOP’s Trust In Karl Rove Roving?

Would we ever do that? FOOTNOTE: This show in comedy terms holds up extremely well. The real executive producer of the show was the legendary vaudeville/radio/TV comedian George Burns, who'd sit in his studio sans toupee and call the shots. You can get books about Mr. Ed here. I have both DVD sets and these shows remain laugh-out-loud due to the superb comedy performance … [Read more...] about A Reader Says We Horse Around Too Much Here

President George Bush has made a quiet shift in the arguments he uses to try to shore up support for the increasingly unpopular Iraq War, as the New York Times's David Sanger points out:President Bush’s newest effort to rebuild eroding support for the war in Iraq features a distinct shift in approach: Rather than stressing the benefits of eventual victory, he and his top … [Read more...] about Bush Quietly Shifts His Iraq War Pitch’s Tone

Parliamentary inquiry to say anti-Semitism is "endemic", urges immediate action to counter the growing tide of hateful and violent acts towards Jews (often mixed with anti-Israel messages). … [Read more...] about Great Britain Sees Rise in Anti-Semitism

My earlier post talks about the serious reservations expressed by the Pentagon and members of the Congress about the Iraq war. Even the recent public opinion polls are showing that a majority of people oppose this war, says The Christian Science Monitor. "A series of polls taken over the last few weeks of August show that support for the war in Iraq among Americans is at an … [Read more...] about Opinion Polls Too Oppose Iraq War

If this is not another moment of crisis in American history then what would be. Here is the fighting/intelligence arm of the American nation virtually informing the lawmakers of the USA the futility of continuing the war in Iraq. Yet another report from the Associated Press highlights the failure of the U.S.-backed strategy to fight Afghanistan's massive drug trade. The … [Read more...] about Iraq & Afghanistan: Warning of A Serious Crisis Ahead

If this is not another moment of crisis in American history then what would be. Here is the fighting/intelligence arm of the American nation virtually informing the lawmakers of the USA the futility of continuing the war in Iraq. Yet another report from the Associated Press highlights the failure of the U.S.-backed strategy to fight Afghanistan's massive drug trade. The … [Read more...] about Iraq & Afghanistan: Warning of A Serious Crisis Ahead

Apparently, some folks are pissed at the kidnapped Fox News journalists for not taking a bullet in lieu of "converting" to Islam. … [Read more...] about Good God, Why Won’t You Die?

The New Republic has announced the end of Lee Siegel's "Culture" blog and has suspended him from writing for the magazine: After an investigation, The New Republic has determined that the comments in our Talkback section defending Lee Siegel's articles and blog under the username "sprezzatura" were produced with Siegel's participation. We deeply regret misleading our readers. … [Read more...] about Lee Siegel Suspended