To Beijing’s annoyance, Taiwan claims full ownership over the main island groups in the South China Sea, including Spratly, Paracel and Macclesfield Bank. The claim derives from the original Republic of China that predated Mao’s Democratic Republic of China. Its leaders moved to Taiwan for safety in 1949 and turned to genuine multiparty democracy about 20 years ago. This … [Read more...] about Taiwan (part 2)— Tensions in the South China Sea
War Between Saudi Arabia And Iran Could Send Oil Prices To $250 (Guest Voice)
War Between Saudi Arabia And Iran Could Send Oil Prices To $250 by James Stafford The rift between Saudi Arabia and Iran has quickly ballooned into the worst conflict in decades between the two countries. The back-and-forth escalation quickly turned the simmering tension into an overt struggle for power in the Middle East. First, the execution of a prominent Shiite … [Read more...] about War Between Saudi Arabia And Iran Could Send Oil Prices To $250 (Guest Voice)
Are Robots Apropos for Everything?
In a recent article, Robert A. Levine described a world -- and the consequences -- where computers and robots will assist or take over “every type of work in every field of human endeavor,” where “computers and robots will be able to do virtually everything humans now do.” Levine’s serious and informative piece focused on the impact such advances in robotics and automation … [Read more...] about Are Robots Apropos for Everything?
Around the Sphere (Roundup)
Back by popular request: TMV's link fest to some interesting stories and posts from a VARIETY of viewpoints. Viewpoints on posts do not necessary reflect the opinion of The Moderate Voice or its writers. Martin Longman looks at "The Mixed Legacy of Ronald Reagan," using a new book as a springpoint. His post which must be read in full also contains what many books have … [Read more...] about Around the Sphere (Roundup)
ROUNDUP: Reaction to the Fox Business News Republican Debate
So who won? Billionaire Donald Trump (again?)? Texas Sen. Ted Cruz? Florida Sen. Marco Rubio? Can New Jersey Gov. Chris Christy rise in the polls? Should the others get out of the race and Jeb Bush seriously plan an exit strategy because today's GOP isn't his dad's GOP or his brothers? Did any of the candidates show they can fulfill the Republican Party establishment's dream to … [Read more...] about ROUNDUP: Reaction to the Fox Business News Republican Debate
Sanders’ run is no fairy tale
WASHINGTON -- If you thought the political landscape couldn't be more unsettled, think again. In the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders is surging. Hillary Clinton now faces not a coronation, not a cakewalk, but a contest -- one she could lose. Has there ever been a worse election to be an establishment candidate? Certainly not in my … [Read more...] about Sanders’ run is no fairy tale
Cartoon: Kerry Thanks Iran
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Kerry Thanks Iran
Alan Rickman’s Most Memorable Film Moments
British acting great Alan Rickman died on Thursday at the age of 69 after a short battle with cancer. The actor’s movie career began with Die Hard in 1988 after years of treading the stage. The performance immediately demonstrated exceptional range and depth, and Rickman’s incredible ability to steal attention away from his famous co-stars, no… … [Read more...] about Alan Rickman’s Most Memorable Film Moments
Clinton Shows She’s Nervous With Dishonest Attacks Against Sanders On Health Care & Guns
A common characteristic of a Hillary Clinton campaign is to distort the views of her opponent and lie about the facts as opposed to engaging in an honest exchange of ideas. We saw this when she ran against Barack Obama eight years ago, and have repeatedly seen this in the past several months. She appears to have stepped up her smear campaign now that she is losing her lead in … [Read more...] about Clinton Shows She’s Nervous With Dishonest Attacks Against Sanders On Health Care & Guns
Republican Debate: Trump and Cruz exchange barbs over Cruz’s Canadian birth
By Steve Holland NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump and his top challenger Ted Cruz clashed sharply on Thursday over the Texas senator having been born in Canada, with the real estate mogul saying Cruz had a question mark over his head that Democrats would exploit. Cruz, who was born in Canada to a U.S. citizen mother and … [Read more...] about Republican Debate: Trump and Cruz exchange barbs over Cruz’s Canadian birth
Holy Guacamole! The Primates Have Spoke
When I first saw this item, I was certain that it was some joke site, a parody from Borowitz, you know. Humor: Statement from Primates 2016? Seriously. But this is profound stuff. Historic stuff. The Anglican Communion, still headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, as it has been since the schism with Rome over Henry VIII's marital situation, has excommunicated the … [Read more...] about Holy Guacamole! The Primates Have Spoke
Why a Respected Republican Will Never Vote for Donald Trump
One of our guest contributors, Chris Jennewein, editor and publisher of Times of San Diego, recently gave us “10 Reasons Why [We] Shouldn’t Vote for Donald Trump.” They were all pretty good reasons, which I took the liberty to summarize as follows: [Trump] is an overconfident, bigoted, draft-dodging, poor example of a man – especially for children – who has voiced … [Read more...] about Why a Respected Republican Will Never Vote for Donald Trump
Here Are The Nominees For The 2016 Oscars
The nominations for the 2016 Oscars were announced this morning by John Krasinski, Guillermo del Toro, Ang Lee, and the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Cheryl Boone Isaacs. This will be the 88th Academy Awards, which are set to be held on Sunday, Feb. 28. Here are the full list of… … [Read more...] about Here Are The Nominees For The 2016 Oscars
The president’s chief of snooze (Guest Voice)
The president's chief of snooze by Dana Milbank Washington Post Columnist WASHINGTON -- For years, I've lamented the debilitating caution that has hobbled President Obama. Then, Wednesday morning, I spent an hour with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough. He makes his boss look like a riverboat gambler. The morning after Obama's State of the Union … [Read more...] about The president’s chief of snooze (Guest Voice)
Daryle Cagle Cartoon: Donald Trump Birther-Bashes Ted Cruz
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Daryle Cagle Cartoon: Donald Trump Birther-Bashes Ted Cruz
Obama fights the furies
WASHINGTON -- The most venomous part of the Republican Party has seized control of the national dialogue. This forced President Obama to use his final State of the Union message on Tuesday to battle against intolerance, anger, pessimism and despair. Even more tellingly, the Republican designated to reply to him, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, effectively joined hands … [Read more...] about Obama fights the furies
Al Jazeera America will shut down its cable TV network in April
Cable news channel Al Jazeera America is shutting down operations on April 30. In a statement issued on the Al Jazeera America website, the entity's CEO, Al Anstey, said the decision "is driven by the fact that our business model is simply not sustainable in light of the economic challenges in the U.S. media marketplace." The… … [Read more...] about Al Jazeera America will shut down its cable TV network in April
Obama finds his moral voice
Obama finds his moral voice by Dana Milbank Washington Post Columnist WASHINGTON -- President Obama's final State of the Union address Tuesday night wasn't a speech to Congress. It was a sermon to the nation. It wasn't about policy prescriptions, really, or even about Obama's record in office. It was a speech about one man whose name the president never uttered in … [Read more...] about Obama finds his moral voice
Poll: Cruz and Christie Rise As Trump, Carson and Bush Stumble amid signs of Sanders surge
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are gaining in strength, while front-runner Donald Trump is undergoing some poll erosion. On the Democratic side, it still shows former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a sizeable lead nationally, but as another poll has indicate and the trend indicates her race with Vermont … [Read more...] about Poll: Cruz and Christie Rise As Trump, Carson and Bush Stumble amid signs of Sanders surge
Bernie Sanders Surges In Polls, Receives Endorsement From MoveOn & Favorable Comments from Joe Biden
As she tried, and failed, eight years ago, Hillary Clinton has been running a campaign based upon inevitability. There’s no need to pay any attention to the young/old guy running against her as there was no chance she would lose. Just look at her big lead in the polls. Except now that lead has dwindled away. This week Bernie Sanders has continued to improve in the … [Read more...] about Bernie Sanders Surges In Polls, Receives Endorsement From MoveOn & Favorable Comments from Joe Biden