Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Archive for March 2013

Inside the Nomination Process

By: inoljt, http://mypolitikal.com/

I recently had the opportunity to have lunch with a lawyer who had worked at the former Bush administration. This individual’s job was guiding and selecting presidential nominees for various posts in government. He was quite young; perhaps in his 30s or 40s. It was quite interesting listening to what he had to say.

More below.

Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) Comes into View

Comet PanSTARRS (C/2011 L4) has been putting on a good show for observers in the southern hemisphere. Our turn has arrive in the northern hemisphere. But, the show will not be as impressive. Here is a sky chart looking west just after sunset during the twilight time. If you have clear skies and an unobstructed view to the horizon, you might get to see it. Use binoculars.

The evening of the 12th would be the easiest to spot the comet. It will appear just left of the new moon. Each successive evening the comet will appear more to the northwest and a little higher in the sky. The moon will quickly move up and not be near the comet. The chart shows the comet about 10Ëšabove the horizon. That is a fist width at arm’s length. So, it won’t be very high. If you wait too long for it to get darker, the comet will have moved lower and possibly out of view. Your viewing time is quite limited.

This is a good article from Sky & Telescope magazine for more information.

Come below for a couple of images of the comet in recent weeks from Australia.

The Daily F Bomb, Monday 3/11/13

Oh well, it had to happen. Another Monday rolls around. The worst of all Mondays, coming on the heels of that missing hour (did you know hours had heels?). Speaking of missing hours, I really need to get a new alarm clock that doesn’t automatically reset the time according to the 1986-2006 DST. But, if I do that, you know Congress will change it again.

Interrogatories

What once perfectly good words can you think of that have been ruined by media overuse and/or misuse?  What do you like to do to unwind and relax? When did you first start using the internet? How many real-life friends have you made online? If you haven’t met anyone in person that you met online, how do we all know that you aren’t really a dog?

The Twitter Emitter

Motley Monday Check in and Mooselaneous Musings

Good morning Motley Meese! Hope your weekend was lovely. Remember to let your peeps know where you are!

Here’s today’s Motley Monday Shot of the Week. Right now I’ll be throwing in some favorites from my archives, but once the weather warms I’ll post my week’s best shot.

Back story: I’m a bit of a dragonfly fiend; any bugs cool, dragonflies especially so. I was watching a female dragonfly lay her eggs in a pond near our home when I heard a plop and she was gone. A few minutes later, I caught sight of this guy out of the corner of my eye. He was a good 5 or 6 inches long, just huge.

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All The News Fit To Share: Ending With Lace Stockings

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Milky Way Panorama from Mauna Kea

Image Credit & Copyright: Wally Pacholka (TWAN)

There’s more including a view of the Southern Cross.  The Big Picture is amazing.  

JanF and I are endeavoring to bring you the news.  She will update in comments, probably, once or twice a day.  I will not post a new diary until Thursday, as we are crazy-town here in Casa jlms during Lent, which is 3 more weeks.

cross-posted in orange.  

Just Sayin’

Didja know that when Honest Abe ran for U.S. Congress in 1846 the whole shebang only ran him 75 cents? Trufax are fun.

Lincoln Roolz!

I did not need the money. I made the canvass on my own horse; my entertainment, being at the houses of friends, cost me nothing; and my only outlay was 75 cents for a barrel of cider, which some farm-hands insisted I should treat to.

Yeah, yeah.  But inflation.  In today’s dollars 75 cents is about $18.90. Whoa.

So, here are some more words:

Money! It is money! Money! Money! Not ideas, nor principles, but money that reigns supreme in American politics.  –Sen. Robert C. Byrd

I’ve been a part of the system for more than two decades, and personally raised millions in hard and soft dollars. I know that the endless pressures of raising money threaten the integrity of the legislative process and drain more and more time from my colleagues.  –Rep. Henry Waxman

People who contribute get the ear of the member and the ear of the staff. They have the access and access is it. Access is power. Access is clout. That’s how this thing works.  –Rep. Romano Mazzoli

I don’t think mistakes are just made at the edges. The entire process, even when conducted strictly within the law, invites corruption and erodes the confidence that the decisions made in our democracy are based on our representative honest judgment and deliberation about the best policies and the interests and opinions of all their constituents.  –Sen. Bill Bradley

Democracy as we know it will be lost if we continue to allow government to become one bought by the highest bidder, for the highest bidder. Candidates will simply become bit players and pawns in a campaign managed and manipulated by paid consultants and hired guns.  –Sen. Wendell Ford.

That’s all I got. If ya’ll see Joltin’ Joe running around anywhere, ping me, mmmkay? Danke.

They sang, they motivated and they mobilized


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Movements for social change have always had people who with impassioned speeches have inspired their listeners to organize and fight for justice. But we should not forget that songs are another form of political speech and music has been a key factor in igniting and sustaining those who do battle daily to effectuate that change.

I would be remiss during Women’s History Month to fail to acknowledge those sisters of song who inspired me and countless others to march on to the next confrontation with injustice.


If I’d Kept a Journal: Bullies, Betrayal and the Bottom of the Ninth (pt. 1)

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The inauguration speech the president delivered was as eloquent as usual, it still lingers. I’ve reread it several times now and continue to be absorbed by this passage;

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We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths — that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.

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Drifting back into my own early history there were some significant markers, profound and perception altering events that would rearrange everything I knew, memories that remain vivid to this day. I’d like to tell these stories from the perspective of the kid I was then, try and recreate the time and the place and the mood.

I was born in 1955.

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Sunday All Day Brunch: The Guardian Series Part Three

Welcome to Sunday All Day Brunch. This is an open topic thread so help yourself to the goodies and sit a spell and let us know what is new in your life. I have a couple of leads on where to promote my art so I’ve been updating all my old art on my website with new models and textures. I want everything to look as good as possible. I did a series in 2006 called the Guardian series where I tied everything together with the same dragon and rainbows. I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could do a series that was artistic and symbolic and united together. It wasn’t easy to do but the more I got into it the more I enjoyed creating it. The dragon was really a pretty clunky model and could not be posed. So I just finished updating the whole series. These are the Guardians of the Elements. See previous diaries for the Guardians of Time and Seasons. A future diary will have the Guardians of Concepts. I’ve included my comments on the pictures from my website.  

The Daily F Bomb, Sunday 3/10/13

Greetings, Bombaneros! I hope your Sunday is serene and relaxing. You know it’s a day of rest, so by all means, rest! (Note: eating and drinking ARE a form of rest, in case you were wondering.)

Interrogatories

What was your first favorite book as a child?  What was your first favorite non-children’s book? Do you still own any of these? Daylight Saving Time – for or against? Why? Pet owners – how many pets do you have, and what are they?

The Twitter Emitter

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