Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived Wednesday in Lithuania ahead of visits to Estonia and Latvia‚ as Ukraine seeks more help to bolster its air defenses amid Russia's intensified missile and drone onslaughts in the latest development of the 22-month war.

As 2024 unfolds‚ nations representing 60% of the global GDP and half of the world's population are set to vote in elections that could significantly alter the political landscape amid increasing polarization‚ institutional erosion‚ and authoritarian tendencies.At the heart...

Iraq wants a quick and orderly negotiated exit of U.S-led military forces from its soil but has not set a deadline‚ Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said‚ describing their presence as destabilizing amid regional spillover from the Gaza war.

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny cracked jokes Wednesday in his first court appearance since being transferred to an Arctic penal colony‚ but a judge rejected his latest challenge against his treatment in prison.

While Russia has intensified its air assault‚ pummeling Ukrainian cities with a barrage of drone and cruise missile attacks‚ military analysts say reports that Ukraine's Western-supplied air defense systems have had success countering the aerial onslaught could indicate the...

You can grab this powerful Lenovo laptop for just $799.99 while stocks last.

Genetically modifying a specific species of bacterium boosted its ability to extract rare-earth metals by 210% — paving the way for more environmentally friendly ways to extract these valuable elements.

Bright spots that appear and vanish on Saturn's moon Titan have a seemingly simple explanation — they're floating chunks of frozen organic material.

Scientists assessed a variety of "space dishes" and determined that the optimal (and tastiest) dish for male astronauts would be a hearty vegetarian salad.

Real life can be nasty. It can be messy‚ jaded‚ and just downright unpleasant. But bastions of wholesome goodness and ideals endure‚ and that’s exactly what Richard Thomas wanted viewers to take away from watching The Waltons. Thomas starred as John-Boy Walton in the CBS historical drama‚ playing the eldest of the seven Walton children. Upon its initial release in the early ‘70s‚ The Waltons generated massive support thanks to its nostalgic presentation of the American family during the Great Depression and World War II. But as the decade wore on‚ critics would use those points against The Waltons with some talking points Thomas very passionately shut down. When critics turned on ‘The Waltons‚’ Richard Thomas was at the frontline defending it Richard Thomas responded to critics who slammed The Waltons for its wholesome tone / Everett Collection The Waltons painted an inspiring picture of hard work‚ community‚ and family togetherness that drew Americans in. However‚ when critics started to target The Waltons‚ they focused on these very themes and slammed the show for its “nauseatingly saccharin approach to life.” RELATED: Richard Thomas Explains Why ‘The Waltons’ Was Not Included In Classic TV Lists Thomas would hear none of it. “I think that The Waltons has helped‚ as much as anything like that can‚” he countered. “It has brought many families together for an hour each week. I’ve got so many letters from people telling me that ‘I can sit down with my kids once a week and talk about something we have in common. We see these values put forth and we discuss them and feel a part of them!’” Richard Thomas saw and brought elements of ‘The Waltons’ everywhere THE WALTONS‚ (from left): Richard Thomas‚ Will Geer‚ 1972-81 / Everett Collection While critics accused The Waltons of an unrealistically sweet presentation‚ Thomas also countered that such goodness did exist; he likened the household he grew up in to the one on Walton’s Mountain. “It’s good for me to keep in contact with them because they keep me in contact with myself‚” said Thomas. “I don’t exactly get advice from them — they simply share the wealth of their experience. Very important people in my life.” Thomas would brush off criticisms of The Waltons as resentment coming from those who were not immersed in similarly good values who decided to channel those emotions into condemnation. He argued that such critics “found a great deal of hostility in the American mainstream.” THE WALTONS‚ front row‚ from left: David W. Harper‚ Judy Norton‚ Mary Beth McDonough; seated‚ second row‚ from left: Kami Cotler‚ Ralph Waite‚ Michael Learned; back row‚ standing‚ from left: Eric Scott‚ Jon Wamsley‚ Richard Thomas‚ Will Geer‚ Ellen Corby‚ (1972)‚ 1971-1981. ph: Douglas Jones / TV Guide / ©ABC / courtesy Everett Collection In contrast‚ he argued‚ “I feel that alienation has been stressed long enough in our society. And now The Waltons is a show which is concerned with what we need right now — a sense of unity and interdependence. It’s a show about a family that lives off the land without ruining it.” While Thomas also called it “a great mistake to assume that the Waltons represent the entire community‚” critics did assert that “the Waltons don’t act like poor sharecroppers‚” which might have shown America an overlooked demographic plagued by hardship. What did you think of The Waltons? Click for next Article The post Richard Thomas Defended ‘The Waltons’ Against Critics Who Called It Too Sugary Sweet appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author‚ Dana Daly