Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

General

The Daily F Bomb, Monday 9/9/13

Interrogatories

Are there wonderful weirdos in your life? Who are they?

If you could change places with your boss, what changes would you make in the workplace?

Did you have plush toys that you loved as a child? Were you as close to yours as Calvin was to Hobbes? (Was there ever a better comic strip?)

It’s “I Love Food Day.” Is there any food that you never, ever tire of?

What bad habit do you have that you wish you didn’t?

The Twitter Emitter

The Daily F Bomb, Friday 9/6/13

Interrogatories

Looking at today’s weird holidays…

Have you ever met a lazy mom?

When do you plan to fight procrastination? How do you intend to go about it?

What book are you reading now? Have any books defeated you lately?

When was the last time you stayed up past your bedtime? Was it worth it?

The Twitter Emitter

The Daily F Bomb, Thursday 9/5/13

Interrogatories

Do you have a good sense of direction? What if you are in a strange city?

Do you chew gum? What is your favorite kind? Can you chew it and walk at the same time? Have you ever left it on the bed post overnight? Did you ever swallow your gum?

Have you made a will? If not, why?

How many tools do you have? Do you know how to use them?

The Twitter Emitter

The Daily F Bomb, Wednesday 9/4/13

Interrogatories

Who is your all-time favorite athlete? Why?

What foods are considered staples in your house?

Have you ever had to have stitches? How many?

What was the best vacation you ever went on as a kid? What made it so good?

The Twitter Emitter

The union that built the black middle class




photo Porters_zps5d9abba3.jpg

I spent yesterday, Labor Day, thinking about the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and my family ties to that union who played such an important role in black history.

One of the books I suggest you read if you are interested in both black history and sociology and the development of the labor movement is Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and the Making of the Black Middle Class, by Larry Tye

Although Tye focuses on Pullman porters and the formation of the black middle class, his analysis of class perceptions and race relations reverberates to the current day. Following Reconstruction, industrialist George Pullman took advantage of the limited opportunities available for freedmen, hiring and exploiting blacks–the darker the better–to serve as porters on his railroad. The porters suffered low wages, long hours, and weeks if not months away from home. In addition, they were expected to adopt a servile demeanor to provide comfort to the mostly white patrons of the Pullman sleeping cars. But the upside was employment, travel, and middle-class values and opportunities. Moreover, the fight for union recognition through A. Phillip Randolph’s leadership was the basis for progress for blacks during the pre-civil rights era. The porters’ labor dispute and efforts to include blacks in more favorable positions in the war industry led to the first march on Washington. Tye also explores the tension between the perception of Pullman porters as docile servants and their challenge to the status quo. Vernon Ford

The Daily F Bomb, Tuesday 9/3/13

Interrogatories

What is the tallest building you’ve ever been in? Did you go all the way to the top?

Are you any good at winter sports, like skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, ice skating?

Did you ever think Welsh Rarebit was Welsh Rabbit?

What languages can you speak or read?

What is your least favorite vegetable?

The Twitter Emitter

The Daily F Bomb, Monday 9/2/13

Interrogatories

It’s National Potato Month. Potatoes have probably killed as many diets as cheese has, if not more. Since it’s summer, tell the rest of the class what ingredients make up your favorite potato salad?

It’s also National Beheading Day (nobody knows where this one came from). I know none of you have ever actually beheaded any living creature (well, I HOPE), but how about plush toys and Barbies and the like?

Preference: Carpet, hardwood, tile, or something else?

What kind of laundry person are you? Do you separate colors, use different temperatures, etc.? How strict are you about it? Do you do the detergent/bleach/fabric softener/etc. or are you a detergent only kind of person? Do you use green detergents?

The Twitter Emitter

The Daily F Bomb, Friday 8/30/13

Interrogatories

What were you into before it was cool? Is it still cool?

Is your local weather doing what it should be doing this time of year?

Have you ever read any classic horror, such as Frankenstein or Dracula?

Do you find it easier to remember things that just happened, or things that happened long ago? Quick, what day is it?

I haven’t asked this lately – what song is going through your head right now (or if none, the most recent)?

The Twitter Emitter

The Daily F Bomb, Thursday 8/29/13

Interrogatories

Of all the music styles associated with a particular city (Detroit, Memphis, Philly, Seattle, San Francisco, etc.) which is your favorite?

Are you pro or anti nuclear power? Why?

Do you try to avoid cooking or eating with salt? Is it easy?

When did you first actually feel like an adult? Do you recall what triggered that feeling?

The Twitter Emitter

The Daily F Bomb, Wednesday 8/28/13

Interrogatories

Do any of the keys on your keyboard have that telltale crunch from food crumbs you’ve gotten in it? What food is the culprit?

Do you use the words ‘Sir’ and ‘Ma’am’? Do you like the words being used on you?

Did you ever make yourself dizzy on purpose?

What expressions, exclamations, and cliches do you find annoying?

Were you or anyone you know present at the March on Washington?

The Twitter Emitter

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