Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

The Daily F Bomb, Thursday 6/13/13

Interrogatories

Are you good at making eye contact with strangers (like cashiers, etc.)? (I’m told by these people that it is rare.)

Do you believe in evil? If not, how to explain Hitler? Cheney?

Would you want to read the story of your life?

Do you think that blood ties have anything to do with “family?”

If you could live and be healthy without needing either sleep or food and drink, which of the two would you rather do without?

The Twitter Emitter

On This Day

In 313, Constantine the Great and co-emperor Valerius Licinius signed the Edict of Milan, which granted freedom of religion to all citizens of the Roman Empire.

in 1525, Martin Luther broke the church’s celibacy law for priests by marrying Katharina von Bora.

In 1774, Rhode Island banned the importation of slaves.

In 1917, a German air raid on London killed 162 and wounded 432.

In 1966, in Miranda v. Arizona, the Supremes ruled that all suspects must be informed of their constitutional rights prior to questioning.

In 1967, LBJ nominated Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court. He was confirmed on August 30th in a 69-11 Senate vote.

In 1971, the New York Times began publishing the Pentagon Papers.

In 1997, Timothy McVeigh was sentenced to death for masterminding and carrying out the Oklahoma City bombing.

In 2005, Michael Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges.

Born on This Day

823 – Charles the Bald, Roman Emperor (d. 877)

839 – Charles the Fat, Roman Emperor (d. 888)

1752 – Fanny Burney, English novelist (d. 1840)

photo fannyburney.jpg

1805 – Magnus von Wright, Finnish painter of birds (d. 1868)

photo MagnusvonWright.jpg

1806 – Anton Hartinger, Austrian still life painter and botanical illustrator (d. 1890)

photo AntonHartinger.jpg

1809 – Heinrich Hoffmann, German painter and author (d. 1894)

photo HeinrichHoffmann.jpg

1844 – Edouard Frédéric Wilhelm Richter, French orientalist painter (d. 1913)

photo EdouardFreacutedeacutericWilhelmRichter.jpg

1863 – Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon, English socialite and one of the foremost fashion designers of the Edwardian era (d. 1935)

photo LadyDuff-Gordon.jpg

1865 – William Butler Yeats, Irish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1937)

1870 – Jules Bordet, Belgian immunologist and microbiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1961)

1877 – Joseph Stella, Italian-born US painter (d. 1946)

photo JosephStella.jpg

1892 – Basil Rathbone, English actor (d. 1967)

photo BasilRathbone.jpg

1893 – Dorothy L. Sayers, English author (d. 1957)

1903 – Red Grange, American football player (d. 1991)

1905 – Doc Cheatham, American trumpeter, singer, and bandleader (McKinney’s Cotton Pickers) (d. 1997)

1910 – Mary Whitehouse, English conservative activist, founded the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association (d. 2001) She was immortalized in Pink Floyd’s Pigs (Three Different Ones).

1912 – Nina Mae McKinney, African American film star (d. 1967)

1913 – Ralph Edwards, American radio and television host (d. 2005)

1918 – Ben Johnson, American actor (d. 1996)

1926 – Paul Lynde, American actor (d. 1982)

1935 – Christo, Bulgarian artist

1935 – Jeanne-Claude, French artist (d. 2009)

1940 – Bobby Freeman, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer

1943 – Malcolm McDowell, English actor

1949 – Dennis Locorriere, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show)

1953 – Tim Allen, American comedian and actor

1962 – Ally Sheedy, American actress

1963 – Paul De Lisle, American singer-songwriter and bassist (Smash Mouth)

1970 – Rivers Cuomo, American singer-songwriter and musician (Weezer, Avant Garde, and Homie)

1986 – Ashley Olsen, American actress

1986 – Mary-Kate Olsen, American actress

1995 – Emily Fanning, New Zealand tennis player

Died on This Day

1784 – Henry Middleton, American politician, 2nd President of the Continental Congress (b. 1717)

1749 – Jan Frans van Bloemen, Flemish painter (b. 1662)

photo JanFransvanBloemen.jpg

1876 – Anton Schiffer, Austrian painter (b. 1811)

photo AntonSchiffer.jpg

1886 – Ludwig II of Bavaria (b. 1845)

1894 – Nikolai Ge, Russian painter (b. 1831)

photo NikolaiGe.jpg

1904 – Nikiphoros Lytras, Greek painter (b. 1832)

photo NikiphorosLytras.jpg

1931 – Santiago Rusiñol, Spanish painter (b. 1861)

photo SantiagoRusintildeol.jpg

1954 – Henry Blogg, English fisherman and lifeboatman (b. 1876)

1972 – Clyde McPhatter, American musician (b. 1932)

1979 – Darla Hood, American actress (b. 1931)

1986 – Benny Goodman, American clarinetist, songwriter, and bandleader (b. 1909)

1987 – Geraldine Page, American actress (b. 1924)

photo GeraldinePage.jpg

1989 – Fran Allison, American actress and singer (b. 1907)

1993 – Deke Slayton, American pilot and astronaut (b. 1924)

2008 – Tim Russert, American journalist (b. 1950)

Today is

National Juggling Day

Sewing Machine Day

Kitchen Klutzes of America Day


Categories: General.

/ 14 Comments

14 comments

  1. blue jersey mom

    Are you good at making eye contact with strangers (like cashiers, etc.)? (I’m told by these people that it is rare.) No. I grew up in NYC. We don’t make eye contact with anyone.

    Do you believe in evil? If not, how to explain Hitler? Cheney? Yes, I do.

    Would you want to read the story of your life? Probably not. I have already lived it.

    Do you think that blood ties have anything to do with “family?” No, family are the folks who care for you. Biology has nothing to do with that.

    If you could live and be healthy without needing either sleep or food and drink, which of the two would you rather do without? I would pass on the sleep. I still have lots to do in my life, and I can hear the sands passing through the hour glass.

  2. plf515

    Are you good at making eye contact with strangers (like cashiers, etc.)? (I’m told by these people that it is rare.)

    No.

    Do you believe in evil? If not, how to explain Hitler? Cheney?

    I believer there is such a thing as evil. Bot sin, evil. Sin implies a God (at least, it seems so to me) and I don’t believe in God.

    Would you want to read the story of your life?

    What, you mean, again?  



    Do you think that blood ties have anything to do with “family?”

    Considering that my two sons are not genetically mine, I will give you a screamingly loud NO!.

    To have “blood ties” you need sperm and egg. To have a family you need love, trust, support, rules, exceptions, hugs, back scratches (well MY two sons need back scratches), interest, love, oh and more love.

    If you could live and be healthy without needing either sleep or food and drink, which of the two would you rather do without?

    I’d give up sleep with no problem at all!  Feh!

    Give up food and drink? NO WAY!

    The only thing that sleep has over food is that it’s free.  

  3. JG in MD

    Are you good at making eye contact with strangers? Yes, I do it all the time.

    Do you believe in evil? Yes. I’ve reached the point where I believe that many of the people in power are evil. Those who are deliberately taking food from children, for example. Those who can look a Newtown parent in the eye and then vote against gun control.



    Would you want to read the story of your life?     No, but I’ve dug out my old diaries and read them. Mixed reactions to say the least.

    Do you think that blood ties have anything to do with “family?” I think we would like to choose who we want to be closest to. I always wonder: If you think you’ll be united with loved ones after death, will stalkers be united with stalkees? How will that work?

    If you could live and be healthy without needing either sleep or food and drink, which of the two would you rather do without? Food and drink.

  4. anotherdemocrat

    Are you good at making eye contact with strangers (like cashiers, etc.)? (I’m told by these people that it is rare.)

    I think I am. I do walk up to total strangers & talk to them, all the time. I have actual conversations with cashiers & wait staff.

    Do you believe in evil? If not, how to explain Hitler? Cheney?

    I believe that people can choose to be selfish, self-serving (Cheney)…… look for something outside themselves to blame for their unhappiness or failure (both). Can be raised by people who warp them severely (Mel Gibson’s dad makes him look sane & balanced — for starters, he’s a Holocaust denier). So while I don’t believe in a discrete or personified force called “Evil”, people do just go down the wrong path & do mean things, lash out because of their own pain, or are just taught to be that way.

    Would you want to read the story of your life?

    Not really.

    Do you think that blood ties have anything to do with “family?”

    They can, don’t have to, but they can.

    If you could live and be healthy without needing either sleep or food and drink, which of the two would you rather do without?

    Well, I’m involuntarily doing without sleep, so it’d be nice if I didn’t need it. 3 nights in a row, I’ve woken up in the 3 am hour, and not felt like I really got back to sleep. I never have caffeine past 10am. I take melatonin, a homeopathic thing called “Solid Eight”, and ambien. Still don’t sleep the whole night through. Maybe I’ll add valerian to the mix tonight.

  5. Kysen

    Are you good at making eye contact with strangers (like cashiers, etc.)? (I’m told by these people that it is rare.)

    No, I am horrible about it…and not just with strangers. In fact, I am bad about it to the degree that others find it disconcerting (until/unless they are around me enough to adjust to it). For me it is a matter of ADHD, not ‘fear or discomfort’. I don’t mind looking in someone’s eyes…I just cannot do it for more than a few seconds before there is something else that catches my eye. Unfortunately it is often taken as a sign of disinterest or dismissal. I actually am a very good listener…despite what my ‘eyes’ may indicate.

    Do you believe in evil? If not, how to explain Hitler? Cheney?

    I don’t think ‘evil’ is something to be ‘believed in’. I think it is just another facet of human nature. Just like kindness or empathy…we each have the ability for cruelty or evil. Some just choose to embrace the latter…and there are a few who are REALLY good at it.

    Would you want to read the story of your life?

    Absolutely, a refresher course would be brilliant…I don’t remember the 80’s! /grin

    Do you think that blood ties have anything to do with “family?”

    Yes and no. No, in that I have friends who are as close as any blood relative I have ever had…who are my FAMILY by any real emotional meaning of the word. Yes, in that if I found out that a cousin twice removed that I had never met before needed substantial financial assistance…I would be more inclined to provide it than if it were a complete stranger of no blood relation. So, I guess ‘yes’ when it comes to some sort of ‘blind’ obligation. Ya dig?

    If you could live and be healthy without needing either sleep or food and drink, which of the two would you rather do without?

    Sleep. I love to eat and drink waaaaaay too much…and I already have severe issues with sleep.

    Hope everyone has a good day…the weekend is ever nearer.

    /smile

  6. Floja Roja

    Are you good at making eye contact with strangers (like cashiers, etc.)? (I’m told by these people that it is rare.)

    I am. I think it kind of dehumanizes people when we don’t make eye contact. I will avoid it with the crazy person on the train, but anyone else I like to make that connection.

    Do you believe in evil? If not, how to explain Hitler? Cheney?

    I believe in it sort of… for instance, some of the people I might classify as evil aren’t like The Brain, plotting to be evil, knowing that they are. They think they are justified. They are selfish, solipsistic, greedy, sociopathic, and thoroughly lacking in empathy and its less involved cousin, sympathy.

    Would you want to read the story of your life?

    No, it would be either boring or embarrassing.

    Do you think that blood ties have anything to do with “family?”

    Yes, but it is not necessary. It’s silly to think you have to love or care for people just because you are related, and one should never be loyal to family connections over real friendships. I think the family we choose can be far superior to the family we are born to.

    If you could live and be healthy without needing either sleep or food and drink, which of the two would you rather do without?

    While I enjoy sleep, I enjoy eating and drinking far more, and I would love not needing sleep at all. That would give me 6 hours more every day to read all the books I want to read, for instance.

  7. Jk2003

    Are you good at making eye contact with strangers (like cashiers, etc.)? (I’m told by these people that it is rare.)

    Do you believe in evil? If not, how to explain Hitler? Cheney?

    Would you want to read the story of your life?

    Do you think that blood ties have anything to do with “family?”

    If you could live and be healthy without needing either sleep or food and drink, which of the two would you rather do without?

    Eye contact:  I try.  I realized a few years ago how bad I was a about that and make a conscious effort to do it.  It is not natural.

    Evil:  I think there are bad people.  I don’t believe there is an evil force with which one can be infected.  

    Story if my life:  of course!  I find myself fascinating!

    Blood ties:  no

    Sleep, food, drink:  I’d give up sleep, as long as I could feel good without it.  I like sleep but i hate waking up.

  8. bubbanomics

    make someone u love thor today!

    Are you good at making eye contact with strangers (like cashiers, etc.)? (I’m told by these people that it is rare.)

    *** I thought so, but your parenthetical makes me doubt myself.

    Do you believe in evil? If not, how to explain Hitler? Cheney?

    *** no. explain is probably a diary in itself…evolution tries lotsa things, and it’s not a moral process.  it just is. people try many ways to get what they want: wealth, power…. ever now and then people will try things that look pretty shitty to the rest of us.

    Would you want to read the story of your life?

    *** only if Kurt Vonnegut wrote it.

    Do you think that blood ties have anything to do with “family?”

    *** yes.

    If you could live and be healthy without needing either sleep or food and drink, which of the two would you rather do without?

    *** i’d do without sleep.  fun and drink are too much fun.

    phone is making this take too long… bubbapod will have to come later.  cheers, all!

  9. JanF

  11. Avilyn

    Time seems to be crawling along today.

    Q&A:

    Are you good at making eye contact with strangers (like cashiers, etc.)? (I’m told by these people that it is rare.)  It depends on the stranger.  People in service jobs like you describe, Cashiers, Waiters/Waitresses, Toll Booth Operators, I will make eye contact with.  Random strangers on the street?  Nope.

    Do you believe in evil? If not, how to explain Hitler? Cheney?  I don’t believe in an evil ‘force’ that tries to corrupt people (i.e. the ‘evil’ counterpart of a benevolent god).  I do think there are people who are born without the capacity for empathy who do evil things, however.

    Would you want to read the story of your life? Eh, probably not.  I’m not really into biographies/autobiographies generally.

    Do you think that blood ties have anything to do with “family?”  Yes, to a certain extent, but I also believe in the family you create for yourself of people you love & trust that are not blood relations.

    If you could live and be healthy without needing either sleep or food and drink, which of the two would you rather do without?  Sleep.  I like cooking & baking too much to do without food.  😉

  12. bfitzinAR

    Are you good at making eye contact with strangers (like cashiers, etc.)? (I’m told by these people that it is rare.)

    I think I am.  I certainly try to be.

    Do you believe in evil? If not, how to explain Hitler? Cheney?  Yes.  I didn’t when I was younger – I thought facts/education could overcome that sort of behavior, that knowing the results of certain actions hurt other people would work (as it did with raising my sons).  I was wrong.  The ones that don’t care are bad enough, but true evil are the ones who “get off” on other people’s pain – like W mocking the woman on death row.

    Would you want to read the story of your life?  Probably not.  I enjoy my own writing but my life is probably not that interesting.

    Do you think that blood ties have anything to do with “family?”  Of course not.  I have blood kin who wouldn’t piss on me if I was on fire and very dear friend kin who would give me their last shirt if I needed it.  I have kin here on teh Moose and over at GOS who are dearer to me than some of my blood kin and who most certainly keep in touch better even though I’ve never met them face to face.

    If you could live and be healthy without needing either sleep or food and drink, which of the two would you rather do without?  You got me on that one.  Maybe because I have so much trouble sleeping I value it more when I get it, but I do dearly love me some chocolate, corn on the cob, steamed green beans, strawberries, blueberries, cantalope, peaches, crisp apples, grilled sirloin… 🙂

Comments are closed.