The Motley Moose - Recommended Diaries

Wednesday Watering Hole: Check In & Hangout for the Herd

iriti — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:45:27 GMT

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

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.

The morning check-in is an open thread and general social hour. Come back when time allows through the day - the conversation continues.

It's traditional but not obligatory to give us a weather check where you are and let us know what's new, interesting, challenging or even routine in your life lately. Nothing is particularly obligatory here except:

Always remember the Moose Golden (Purple?) Rule:

Be kind to each other... or else.

What could be simpler than that, right?

Friday Coffee Hour: Check In and Hangout for all Moosekind

iriti — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:44:03 GMT

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

**Disclaimer: I am not awake when I post these and there's simply no telling what I might type or do. I try to draft them in advance but that doesn't help me with my opening comment. Denise points out that I have wished all a "Happy Monday". While of course I hope all your Mondays are happy, perhaps "Happy Friday" might have been a better fit this fine morning.

::slinks off to dunk head in cold water to wake up::

Friday Coffee Hour and check-in is an open thread and general social hour. Come back when time allows through the day - the conversation continues.

Always remember the Moose Golden (Purple?) Rule:

Be kind to each other... or else.

What could be simpler than that, right?

Thursday Morning Herd Check-in: Greetings of the Moosekin

JanF — Thu, 23 May 2013 09:53:10 GMT

Make sure you let your peeps know where to find you!
The morning check-in is an open thread posted to give you a place to visit with the meeses. Feel free to chat about your weather, share a bit of your life, grump (if you must), rave (if you can). The diarist du jour sometimes posts and runs, other times sticks around for a bit, often returns throughout the day and always cares that meeses are happy ... or at least content.

For those new to the Moose, Kysen left a Moose Welcome Mat (Part Deux) so, please, wipe your feet before you ~~walk in the front door~~ start posting.

The important stuff to get you started:
- Comments do not Auto-refresh. Click the refresh/reload on your tab to see new ones. Only click Post once for comments. When a diary's comment threads grow, the page takes longer to refresh and the comment may not display right away.
- To check for replies to your comments, click the "My Comments" link in the right-hand column (or go to "My Moose"). Comments will be listed and a link to Recent Replies will be shown. (Note: Tending comments builds community)
- Ratings: Fierce means Thumbs Up, Fail means Thumbs Down, Meh means one of three things: I am unFailing you but I can't Fierce you, I am unFiercing after a mistaken Fierce, or Meh. Just Meh. (p.s. Ratings don't bestow mojo, online behaviour does).
- Finally, the posting rules for a new diary: "Be excellent to each other... or else"

(Some other commenting/posting/tending notes for newbies can be found in this past check-in and, of course, consult Meese Mehta for all your questions on meesely decorum.)

You can follow the daily moosetrails here: Motley Moose Recent Comments.

p.s. There is no need to Recommend this diary ... a Fierce on my Fierce Weather Check-in is attention enough. Meeses actually do know where to find us! :)

Let the greetings begin!

The Daily F Bomb, Friday 5/23/13

Floja Roja — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:55:19 GMT

Interrogatories

If you were allowed, on your tax forms, to direct where you wanted your tax money to go, where would you spend it? In what amounts?
Do you feel comfortable eating alone at a restaurant or going to movies or other shows alone?
Is there any chore/job/action that always makes you kick into high procrastination mode? What is it?
Do you like escargot? (It's National Escargot Day.)

The Twitter Emitter

For the record, I would totally seize the phone records of journalists. If North Korea had journalists. And phones.
— KimJongNumberUn (@KimJongNumberUn) May 17, 2013

"There's a stereotype that blk pple R lazy.I don't know if that's true,but I know white pple went all the way to Afr to get out of doing wk"
— DéliceMugabo (@UwokwaMugabo) May 22, 2013

At this point, anything they play on the radio is a song I associate with looking for parking.
— Louis Peitzman (@LouisPeitzman) May 23, 2013

The fast food workers are told: "Get more education". The adjuncts are told: "What, you thought all that education would get you a job?"
— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) May 23, 2013

NOTE: The people who are most against broad executive power seem most likely to think the president can unilaterally close Guantanamo Bay.
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) May 23, 2013

I've still gotten no explanation from republicans of how pleading 5th is Unconstitutional as they've been whining. I assume they can't read
— Scott Karasick™ (@GuileOfTheGods) May 23, 2013

We can't elect Anthony Weiner mayor. My brain isn't prepared for the dick pun marathon that will ensue. No one is. PEOPLE WILL DIE.
— Erin Gloria Ryan (@morninggloria) May 23, 2013

Instead of flying drones, we should just deputize Medea Benjamin for an Al Qaeda-spotting mission. She can apparently get in anywhere!
— David Dayen (@ddayen) May 23, 2013

Not much is scarier than an employer who believes he can decide what sort of birth control you're entitled to. Maybe a mime with rabies.
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) May 23, 2013

Since most welfare people are white from Red States doesn't that mean the Welfare Queens = Southern Whites? #tcot #p2
— jimmy streich (@streicher187) May 23, 2013

Boy Scouts announce that straight women can continue to take adolescent males camping.
— The Rude Pundit (@rudepundit) May 23, 2013

If you think people giving you grief about your bigotry is oppressive, imagine being able to be fired for who you are in 29 states.
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) May 24, 2013

If you oppose closing Gitmo b/c terrorists will escape Supermax prison, I suggest maybe you ease up on action movies in your Netflix queue.
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) May 24, 2013

On This Day

In 1629, the English Parliament passed the so-called Act of Toleration to protect those of the Protestant faith, but deliberately excluding Catholics.

In 1883, the long-under-construction Brooklyn Bridge opened to traffic.

In 1895, Oscar Wilde was convicted of "gross indecency" (a crime that had no written definition because to define such a thing offended Victorian morals) and was sentenced to 2 years of hard labor.

In 1930, aviator Amy Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia.

In 1935, the first Major League baseball night game was played in Cincinnati (the Reds v. the Phillies, the Reds won).

In 1956, the first, and unfortunately not last, Eurovision Song Contest was held in Switzerland, giving aid and succor to purveyors of cheesy pop music worldwide.

In 1976, in a blind tasting even later called the Judgement of Paris, California wines beat out the French wines, finally giving them the respect they had been lacking.

In 1977, the original Star Wars (none of that New Hope bullcrap, please) premiered.

In 2006, Enron scofflaws Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling were convicted of conspiracy and fraud.

Born on This Day

1494 - Jacopo Pontormo, Italian painter (d. 1557)

1544 - William Gilbert, English astronomer and philosopher (d. 1603)

1619 - Philips Wouwerman, Dutch Baroque era painter (d. 1668)

1728 - Jean-Baptiste Pillement, French Rococo painter (d. 1808)

1816 - Emanuel Leutze, German painter (d. 1868)

1819 - Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (d. 1901)

1830 - Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter (d. 1897)

1834 - Peter Baumgartner, German painter (d. 1911)

1841 - Charles Napier Hemy, British artist (d. 1917)

1845 - Madeleine Lemaire, French painter (d. 1928)

1849 - Baldomero Giménez, Spanish painter (d. 1902)

1850 - Sir Ernest Waterlow, English painter (d. 1919)

1869 - Albert André, French painter (d. 1954)

1882 - Creighton Hale, Irish silent film actor (d. 1965)

1895 - Marcel Janco, Israeli artist (d. 1984)

1899 - Henri Michaux, French poet (d. 1984)

1932 - Graham Arnold, British painter

1934 - Jane Byrne, Americian politician, 50th Mayor of Chicago

1938 - Tommy Chong, Canadian actor and comedian

1941 - Bob Dylan, American singer-songwriter

1941 - George Lakoff, American linguist and activist

1944 - Patti LaBelle, American singer-songwriter, actress, and author (Labelle)

1945 - Terry Callier, American singer-songwriter guitarist (d. 2012)

1945 - Priscilla Presley, American actress and businesswoman

1947 - Waddy Wachtel, American composer, musician, bandleader, and producer

1950 - Terry Scott Taylor, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer (Daniel Amos, Swirling Eddies, and Lost Dogs)

1955 - Rosanne Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and author

1960 - Guy Fletcher, English musician and producer (Dire Straits and The Notting Hillbillies)

1967 - Dana Ashbrook, American actor

1967 - Steven Shane McDonald, American bassist and actor (Redd Kross)

1969 - Rich Robinson, American guitarist and songwriter (The Black Crowes)

2007 - Maru (cat), Japanese cat and internet celebrity

Died on This Day

1543 - Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer (b. 1473)

1725 - Jonathan Wild, English criminal (b. 1682)

1752 - Charles Parrocel, French painter (b. 1688)

1825 - Horace Hone, English miniature painter (b. 1754)

1831 - James Peale, US still life painter (brother of Charles Willson Peale who is the artist who had all those artist kids named after famous artists) (b. 1749)

1872 - Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter (b. 1794)

1879 - William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist and publisher (b. 1805)

1881 - Samuel Palmer, English painter (b. 1805)

1889 - Hermann Kauffmann, German painter (b. 1808)

1959 - John Foster Dulles, American politician, 52nd United States Secretary of State (b. 1888)

1963 - Elmore James, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader (b. 1918)

1972 - Asta Nielsen, Danish silent film star (b. 1881)

1974 - Duke Ellington, American composer, pianist, and bandleader (b. 1899)

1991 - Gene Clark, American singer-songwriter and musician (The Byrds and Dillard & Clark) (b. 1944)

1995 - Harold Wilson, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1916)

1998 - Lucio Muñoz, Spanish abstract painter (b. 1929)

2008 - Dick Martin, American comedian (b. 1922)

2008 - Jimmy McGriff, American jazz musician and bandleader (b. 1936)

2009 - Jay Bennett, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer (Wilco) (b. 1963)

Today is

Brother's Day
National Escargot Day
Asparagus Day
National Scavenger Hunt Day
International Tiara Day
National Wig Out Day
Heat Awareness Day

The Daily F Bomb, Thursday 5/23/13

Floja Roja — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:52:24 GMT

Interrogatories

How do you think Mitch McConnell will celebrate World Turtle Day?
How patient are you? What makes you lose patience?
How long can you go without going on the internet?
Who was your major role model?

The Twitter Emitter

Muslims view "Islamic" terrorists the same way most Christians view the Westboro Baptist Church...
— Yasira Jaan (@YasiraJaan) April 23, 2013

Nobody who says "gay sex causes tornadoes" realizes how awesome that makes gay sex seem.
— Wonderella (@wonderella) May 21, 2013

Isn't the 5th amendment "RTs are not endorsements"?
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) May 22, 2013

Oedipus hooked up with his mom & had to claw his eyes out but Marty McFly gets 2 sequels & a theme park ride.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) May 22, 2013

Every time Wayne LaPierre talks about 'personal responsibility' an angel coughs up blood.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) May 22, 2013

Basic stupidity behind the "smug liberal" stereotype: It's pretty hard to be as smug as someone who thinks God is on his side.
— Jamison Foser (@jamisonfoser) May 22, 2013

Yes, you understand the racism African Americans deal with on a daily basis. After all, you can't be a bigoted jerk whenever you want.
— William K. Wolfrum (@Wolfrum) May 22, 2013

This girl once told me I was 'ineffable' but I would have preferred she found me effable.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) May 22, 2013

Issa withdrew his subpena for Pickering to testify after he realized Pickering was going to make him look like the jerk he is.
— Uncle Jimmy (@jimmywhiz) May 22, 2013

Wasilla housewife Sarah Palin who quit her job 4 years ago and recently got fired by Fox News calls Obama "incompetent"
— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) May 22, 2013

If you don't think you can go gay to heaven, go straight to hell.
— God (@TheTweetOfGod) May 23, 2013

Here's the deal. You worry about who's going to heaven and leave marriage to the rest of us -- since we know that actually exists.
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) May 23, 2013

On This Day

In 1498, Girolamo Savonarola (who had popularized the bonfires of the vanities) was burned at the stake on the orders of Pope Alexander VI (aka Rodrigo Borgia, for you fans of the Showtime series).

In 1533, England's King Henry VIII had his marriage to Catherine of Aragon declared null and void.

In 1788, South Carolina became the 8th state to ratify the Constitution.

In 1829, Austrian piano maker Cyrill Demian patented the accordion.

In 1911, the New York Public Library officially opened, with then-President Taft presiding.

In 1934, the crime spree of famed bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde's ended in a hail of bullets fired by police in Black Lake, Louisiana.

In 1960, German war criminal Adolf Eichmann was found in Argentina by Mossad agents, and was taken to Israel to stand trial.

In 1995, the first version of Java (the programming language, not the highly popular caffeinated beverage) was released.

Born on This Day

1598 - Claude Mellan, French engraver and painter (d. 1688)

1614 - Bertholet Flémal (or Flémalle), Flemish painter (d. 1675)

1683 - Antoine Pesne, French painter active in Prussia (d. 1757) (DOB is disputed, I went with Britannica over Wikipedia)

1734 - Franz Anton Mesmer, Austrian physician and hypnotist (d. 1815)

1810 - Margaret Fuller, American journalist and women's rights advocate (d. 1850)

1810 - Alfred de Dreux (or Dedreux), French artist (d. 1860)

1813 - Charle-Émile Jacque, French painter (d. 1894)

1834 - Carl Heinrich Bloch, Danish painter (d. 1890)

1846 - Harrington Bird, British painter of animals (d. 1936)

1861 - József Rippl-Rónai, Hungarian painter, (d. 1927)

1883 - Douglas Fairbanks Sr., American actor (d. 1939)

1883 - Ferenc Talányi, Slovene writer, journalist, and painter (d. 1959)

1890 - Herbert Marshall, English actor (d. 1966)

1910 - Scatman Crothers, American actor singer, dancer, and musician (d. 1986)

1910 - Artie Shaw, American clarinetist, composer, and bandleader (d. 2004)

1912 - John Payne, American actor (d. 1989)

1919 - Betty Garrett, American actress and dancer (d. 2011)

1928 - Rosemary Clooney, American singer and actress (d. 2002)

1933 - Joan Collins, English actress

1950 - René Daniëls, Dutch painter.

1955 - Luka Bloom, Irish singer-songwriter and musician

1967 - Phil Selway, English musician and songwriter (Radiohead)

1970 - Matt Flynn, American drummer and producer (Maroon 5)

1973 - Maxwell, American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer

1974 - Jewel, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actress, and poet

1978 - Scott Raynor, American drummer (blink-182)

Died on This Day

1648 - Louis Le Nain, French Baroque painter (b. ca 1600)

1669 - Joris van der Haagen, Dutch Baroque painter (b. ca 1615)

1670 - Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1610)

1684 - Adriaen Backer, Dutch painter (b. 1635)

1701 - William Kidd, Scottish pirate (b. 1645)

1726 - Jean-Baptiste Nattier, French painter (b. 1678)

1868 - Kit Carson, American frontiersman and Indian fighter (b. 1809)

1886 - Pierre-Édouard Frère, French painter (b. 1819)

1906 - Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian writer (b. 1828)

1918 - Maxime Maufra, French painter (b. 1861)

1949 - Jan Frans De Boever, Belgian painter (b. 1872)

1955 - Auguste Chabaud, French artist, (b. 1882)

1975 - Moms Mabley, American comedian (b. 1894)

1986 - Sterling Hayden, American actor (b. 1916)

1994 - Joe Pass, American guitarist and composer (b. 1929)

2006 - Lloyd Bentsen, American politician (b. 1921)

2008 - Utah Phillips, American singer-songwriter, poet, and activist (b. 1935)

Today is

National Taffy Day
World Crohn's and Colitis Day
World Turtle Day
Lucky Penny Day

President Obama Speaks on Counterterrorism Policy

JanF — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:29:50 GMT

Obama To Announce Limits On Drones In Major Counterterrorism Speech

President Barack Obama on Thursday will outline his administration's counterterrorism policy in a major speech to be given at National Defense University in Washington, D.C. at 2pm Eastern.
Obama will use the speech to announce new restrictions on unmanned drones, an announcement that comes on the heels of the U.S. government's admission that it has killed four American citizens with drone strikes.

White House livestream:

Concluded: May 23, 2013 2:00 PM EDT
President Obama Speaks on Counterterrorism Policies, National Defense University, Washington, DC

UPDATED: Video, transcript and White House links below the fold.
From ThinkProgress: Obama Administration Completes Counterterrorism 'Playbook'

According to Attorney General Eric] Holder's [letter to Congressional leaders, the playbook has been completed, though it won't be available to the public anytime soon:
This week the President approved and relevant congressional committees will be notified and briefed on a document that institutionalizes the Administration's exacting standards and processes for reviewing and approving operations to capture or use lethal force against terrorist targets outside the United States and areas of active hostilities; these standards and processes are already in place or are to be transitioned into place. While that document remains classified, it makes clear that a cornerstone of the Administration's policy is one of the principles I noted in my speech at Northwester: that lethal force should not be used when it is feasible to capture a terrorist suspect.

Among the changes rumored to be put into place in the playbook is the shifting of authority for agencies to use drones in carrying out lethal strikes. Reports indicate that while the CIA will retain control of the drone program in Pakistan, other theaters will see drones placed under the sole purview of the Department of Defense.

UPDATED:

White House Transcript of President Obama's Speech On Counterterrorism Policy

White House links:
Pre-speech Background Briefing by Senior Administration Officials 12:03 pm

The purpose of this speech is to take a step back and to take a broad look at our counterterrorism efforts, and I think you will see the President cover a significant amount of ground in this speech. He'll review what has taken place since 9/11 in the war against al Qaeda and its associated forces, and he will discuss how the threat has changed substantially over the course of the last decade.

Fact Sheet: The President's May 23 Speech on Counterterrorism

In a broad and comprehensive address at National Defense University, President Obama laid out the framework for U.S. counter-terrorism strategy as we wind down the war in Afghanistan. The President provided the American people with an update on how the threat of terrorism has changed substantially since September 11, 2001, as Al Qaeda's core in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been decimated, and new threats have emerged from al Qaeda affiliates, localized extremist groups, and homegrown terrorists. The President also discussed our comprehensive strategy to meet these threats, including waging the war against al Qaeda and our counter-terrorism efforts more broadly.

Bullet points from fact sheet:

- Responding to the Threat: Targeting Terrorists and Leveraging Effective Partnerships
- Standards for Taking Lethal Action
- Oversight and Authorities
- Beyond the Use of Force: Diplomatic Engagement and Assistance
- Domestic Radicalization
- A Balance Between Security and Civil Liberties
- Closing Guantanamo

PDF U.S. Policy Standards and Procedures for the Use of Force in Counterterrorism Operations Outside the United States and Areas of Active Hostilities

A reminder from the Moose Diary Preview: "Be excellent to each other... or else."