Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Archive for July 2013

BREAKING: Love’s Just Blade: Doreen Lawrence to be made a Labour Peer

I’m republishing this diary from 18 months ago on the wonderful news that the mother of Stephen Lawrence, victim of a racist killing that continues to have repercussions among the police and press even now, has been elevated to the House of Lords.

I’m no fan of the honours system or our unelected second chamber, but before it’s abolished, the thought that Doreen Lawrence, who has campaigned tirelessly for twenty years to bring her son’s murderers to justice (and expose the collusion and institutional racism of the police) is to become a Labour peer is the best news I’ve heard in ages.

HT to Denise for the following video which shows Doreen meeting with the Trayvon Martin family in London last year at the Stephen Lawrence foundation

Below is a tribute to her, written by our poet laureate.

Elections Matter: National Labor Relations Board

One intended consequence of winning presidential elections is the right to appoint members to the various regulatory bodies and governmental boards which oversee and enforce our laws. One such board is the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).



The Board has five Members and primarily acts as a quasi-judicial body in deciding cases on the basis of formal records in administrative proceedings. Board Members are appointed by the President to 5-year terms, with Senate consent, the term of one Member expiring each year.

The Daily F Bomb, Wednesday 7/31/13

Interrogatories

In the good old (ancient) days, leaders received nicknames like “the Fearless,” “the Bold,” “the Fat,” “the Unready,” etc. What nicknames would you give present day “leaders” such as Boehner and McConnell?

Where you disappointed when you learned the moon wasn’t made of cheese?

Are you good at building fires? Do you enjoy it?

Are you now, or have you ever been any good on stilts, pogo sticks, skateboards, or ice and roller skates?

Do you like cotton candy?

The Twitter Emitter

Wednesday Watering Hole: Check In & Hangout for the Herd

Good morning, Moosekind. Don’t forget to let your peeps know where to find you.


  PLEASE Do Not Recommend the check-in diary! 

        Recs on the weather jar comment are still welcome.

The common Moose, Alces alces, unlike other members of the deer family, is a solitary animal that doesn’t form herds. Not so its rarer but nearest relative, Alces purplius, the Motley Moose. Though sometimes solitary, the Motley Moose herds in ever shifting groups at the local watering hole to exchange news and just pass the time.

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CARICOM: a call for reparations for native genocide and slavery


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As August 1st approaches, the day the British passed the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833, which would be put in effect, August 1, 1834, freeing over 700,000 people held in bondage, which is celebrated in parts of the English speaking Caribbean as “Emancipation Day”, this last month has seen debate and discussion throughout the Caribbean, and in Great Britain, France and the Netherlands about a somewhat surprising unanimous statement issued by CARICOM in July on their final meeting day.  

Caribbean nations launch joint effort for slavery compensation former colonial powers

Leaders of more than a dozen Caribbean countries are launching a united effort to seek compensation from three European nations for what they say is the lingering legacy of the Atlantic slave trade.

The Caribbean Community, a regional organization that typically focuses on rather dry issues such as economic integration, has taken up the cause of compensation for slavery and the genocide of native peoples and is preparing for what would likely be a drawn-out battle with the governments of Britain, France and the Netherlands.

Caricom, as the organization is known, has enlisted the help of a prominent British human rights law firm and is creating a Reparations Commission to press the issue, said Ralph Gonsalves, the prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, who has been leading the effort.

Help with Moving

We are going to be moving one of my little brothers from Concord, California out here to Winston Salem, North Carolina. He is disabled and driving out would be much too rough on him. We are planning on coming out by train. I wonder if anyone can help answer some questions for me?

1. He has a 1990 Nissan Pathfinder that we want to ship out. Have you ever shipped a car? Can you recommend someone reliable and one that won’t charge an arm and a leg? Can he ship some boxes with the car or do boxes have to go separate?

2. He isn’t bringing furniture. He will just have personal things like clothes, books, models, etc. Would it be cheaper to ship those separately or find someone that would let him pack what he can in the car and the rest packed next to the car?

3. He has diabetes and MS and uses a walker. Would the train be the easiest way for him to go? I’m planning on going out there and making the trip with him.

Any experience and advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

The Daily F Bomb, Tuesday 7/30/13

Interrogatories

It’s National Cheesecake Day. What’s the best cheesecake you ever had?

Did you ever have a treehouse? If you had to do without, did you at least like to climb trees?

Are you good at riding horses? What is your saddle preference?

Did you ever get into an actual physical altercation? Can you tell us about it?

The Twitter Emitter

The Daily F Bomb, Monday 7/29/13

Interrogatories

In the wake of various sex scandals, it has been brought up that the merest whiff of SEX!!!! will tar a female politician for life, but men can usually apologize and bounce back. Why do you think that there have been no real sex scandals involving female American politicians? Is it because they are smart enough not to do it? Smart enough to be discreet? Or do you think none of them have been caught yet?

Do you think if a female politician were so compromised, that the press would have the usual double standard about Republicans (OK) and Democrats (Bad!)?

What is your favorite Ben and Jerry’s flavor?

Have you ever marched in a parade?

What is the best dinner you ever made?

The Twitter Emitter

CNN’s Don Lemon said something stupid and then doubled down:

Archaeology In Hawai’i and the Middle East: A Photo Diary

Good morning to the herd.

As many of you know, blue jersey dad and I have been on the road doing archaeological field and lab work since the middle of May. We were in Hawai’i for a bit over three weeks working with the Native Hawaiian community and doing some archaeological survey of the Na Wai ‘Eha (the four waters) area. The regions has been the subject of long-term litigation over water rights, and recently a portion of the area has been preserved from development. In early historic times this would have been a rich agricultural region with irrigated taro patches, many of which were reserved for royalty. Here is a view of the coastline nearly:

While we were in Hawai’i. we learned that we had received a grant to do some archaeological work in the Middle East. We had three days at home after the Hawaiian project before we had to leave home again–just long enough to do our laundry, cut the grass, buy cat food, and pick up our Turkish research visas. We were able to combine the Turkish field work with a couple of conferences in Ukraine and Israel and an ongoing project in Armenia. We were gone for just over 6 weeks, and here was our itinerary:

JFK to Dnepropetrovsk (via Frankfort and Vienna); Dnepropetrovsk to Istanbul; Istanbul to Tel Aviv and back; Istanbul to Kayseri (Turkey) and back; Istanbul to Yerevan, Armenia (via Kiev); Yerevan to Dnepropetrovsk (via Moscow); and Dnepropetrovsk to JFK (via Vienna). We made it back in one piece.

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