Articles written by Mary Claire Kendall

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About me - Mary Claire Kendall

An independent writer, I have penned numerous features and dozens of commentary pieces since serving as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, during the four years of President George H.W. Bush's

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Politics, News & Issues > Family Law There should be restrictions on the availability of abortion, except when the mother's life is at stake: 1 of 46
"The Silent Scream" www.silentscream.org, directed and produced by Dr. Bernard Nathanson, vividly shows, via ultrasound, an abortion in progress. It's shocking. The unborn baby cries in response to the pain the fatal procedure inflicts. Even the website warns, the film "graphically shows an abortion 11 weeks after conception ... More..
Style & Beauty > Anti-Aging Guide to looking 10 years younger: 2 of 28
If you want to look younger, remember this: Essential beauty is more than skin-deep - its true source residing deep in one's soul where compassion, understanding and empathy shine from within for a radiant you.But, make no mistake - physical beauty is skin-deep and dependent on healthy practices.STRESSStress is probably the n... More..
Style & Beauty > Tattoos & Piercings Are tattoos and body piercings against Catholic teachings?: 1 of 12
If you really want to know what the Church thinks about a subject, Scripture and tradition (i.e., from "traditio," meaning the faith "handed down" through the ages) is the place to look! Both shed light on the twin issues of tattoos and body piercings. The Church weighs the "intrinsic" good or evil of an act. Since... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Economic News Why and how the US bailout plans will benefit the economy: Ten detailed reasons: 1 of 10
On September 15th, 2008, markets experienced seismic convulsions from the continuing fallout over worthless residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) riddling the financial system, as Lehman Brothers, overwhelmed by these "toxic" assets, dramatically imploded. Shortly thereafter, markets gyrated wildly - one day, swingi... More..
Personal Finance > Health Insurance Why is health insurance so expensive?: 2 of 19
Health insurance is expensive because it shields the consumer from healthcare's actual cost, while failing to emphasize "health." Health insurance, were it truly aimed at keeping consumers healthy, would cover mainly catastrophic illness while containing more incentives for maintaining wellness. Such a system would serve the ... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Advantages of a recession: 23 of 105
President Theodore Roosevelt http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/, a larger-than-life character-and-a-half, famed for his Bully Pulpit and compassionate heart, worried that America's prosperity contained the very seeds of her destruction. How right he was. The phenomenon of easy money and easy living has wrought havoc ... More..
Home & Garden > Home Interior How to find your own individual style: 4 of 16
Legendary film star Judy Garland, who projected the very essence of America in timeless classics such as The Wizard of Oz, always counseled, 'be a first-rate version of yourself, not a second rate imitation of somebody else.' In trying to find one's own individual style, the most important requirement is that it be your own p... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Economic News Does volatility in the stock market signal economic growth or decline?: 1 of 3
Ultimately, volatility in the stock market signals growth. It reflects investors sorting out which entities are economically weak or unviable and which are strong and poised for growth.If the stock market only declined, the case could be made that growth, too, was only declining. (Options betting against growth, of course, di... More..
Entertainment > Celebrity Gossip & News What are your top celebrity comeback predictions for 2009?: 7 of 20
He was the most trampled upon celebrity in 2008 for what the media considered a poor performance. At the same time, Robert Downey, Jr. was on the upswing, turning in a star performance as LA Times reporter Steve Lopez, helping a homeless man rediscover the music within in the critically acclaimed film, The Soloist. As th... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Government & Policies Why the traditional town meeting in Vermont is no longer appropriate in the current era: 4 of 9
The traditional town meeting such as Vermont has practiced, starting in 1762 in colonial Bennington, provided a rock solid foundation for our American democracy.Such participatory government, closest to the people, conjures up images of my own ancestor, Andrew Webster, an enterprising lumberman, who "moderated" Orono, Maine's... More..