Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms and moms-to-be out there.

The rest of you... CALL YOUR MOTHER!

In honor of the day, here's a sweet story about two sons' gift to their mom:

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Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:18 AM | Comments (120)
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Libary Annex at Casa de Muse*

*no, not really. This is the library of the Harvard Club of New York City, in midtown Manhattan. You have to be a member if you want read one of the 30,000 available books. (From the article Secret Libraries of New York City.)

Good morning morons and moronettes and welcome to AoSHQ's stately and prestigious Sunday Morning Book Thread.

America's Favorite Books

The Harris polling company asked 2,300 people to name their all-time favorite book. Here is the top ten:

1. The Bible
2. "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell
3. "Harry Potter" (series) by J.K. Rowling
4. "The Lord of the Rings" (series) by J.R.R. Tolkien
5. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
6. "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville
7. "The Catcher" in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
8. "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
9. "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck
10. "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Also:

Dropped off the list in 2014:

The Stand by Stephen King (was No. 5), The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (was No. 6) Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (was No. and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (was No. 9)

What Our Kids Are Reading These Days

I thought this study was interesting. You can download the pdf document that breaks it down by grade. There's a mixture of contemporary (The Hunger Games, Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and classic (The Diary of Anne Frank, To Kill a Mockingbird). Depending on the grade-level of course.

In Honor of Mothers' Day

Mrs. Muse is out of town visiting relatives for the next week, so we didn't plan anything and it kind of crept up on me. So all I'll do is point you at a list of 10 of LiteratureÂ’s Most Horrifying Mothers. Grendel's mom, Emma Bovary, and Scarlett O'Hara are here, among others.

I think that Mrs. Bates from Robert Bloch's novel Psycho would be a worthy addition to the list.

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Posted by: Open Blogger at 06:08 AM | Comments (267)
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Happy Mother's Day, moms. more...

Posted by: andy at 04:38 AM | Comments (155)
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If the Yellowstone Caldera erupts, supposedly the U.S. has sooper sekrit contingency plans for Brazil, Australia, or Argentina. Hmmm. Not sure about Brazil or Argentina but dang, the ecosystem in Australia is killer. But the beaches are nice. I think I'd opt for Australia. more...

Posted by: CDR M at 06:00 PM | Comments (896)
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And their families, whether it be K-G or Middle School, High School and Collegiates. Many congratulations. I have been there with you all right up to college 2x. I know you are proud of them, because I know you helped em get there.

May God bless them on their journey.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 02:49 PM | Comments (70)
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Continuing with Dave and Y-Not's bipolar theme, I present the Saturday Evening Potluck thread.

First up: NASCAR

NASCAR takes the show to the 1.5 mile track at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, KS for the 5-Hour Energy 400 Benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Whew! That was a mouthful!

The flag waves at 7:30 ET and will be aired on Fox. Click here to read more about the Special Operations Warrior Foundation
.

Leading the pack today are Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano, clocking speeds of 194.253 mph and 193.910 mph respectively. The full lineup can be found HERE.

New paint schemes this week and, of these, I like this the best:

although I bet this will look sweet on the track:

Last week's race at Talladega was a drama-free event for most of the race, save for Keselowski short-cutting across Danica's front end, then this happened. Brad Keselowski, winning friends one accident at a time.

Now, to switch gears...

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Posted by: Open Blogger at 03:35 PM | Comments (382)
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Here's a thread for those of you who really want to talk politics. Content courtesy of "Hot Gas:"

Longtime Hot Air readers may recall that the first “winner” we ever had in these surveys was Chris Christie. Four years ago he earned 29% of the vote, but my, how things change. Christie now has 1% of the vote and sits well behind everyone except Mike Huckabee, who he ties, Rick Santorum, and Joe Scarborough, who out of over 3000 votes received a grand total of 6.

Your current leader? Ted Cruz, who earned 29% of the vote. The top five is rounded out by Scott Walker, Rand Paul, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney.

Follow the link to see how the issues tested.

You all know I'm a Perry-loving RINO. I denounce myself.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:02 AM | Comments (227)
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I didn't have time this week to research for a car thread, so you get this instead.

Frost wrote "Good fences make good neighbors" and, frankly, I couldn't have said it better myself. I want just enough familiarity with my neighbors that they'll make note of a strange truck hauling away my stuff.

I don't want to know about their kids or grand-kids.

I don't want to know about their problems.

I don't want to know about their dreams in life.

I want to recognize the car in their driveway and for them to do the same for me.

In any neighborhood, good or bad, there are bound to be good neighbors and bad: The ones who play loud music at inappropriate hours, who leave their trashcans by the curb for days, who peer through their window and lie in wait to gossip at the first crack of your door on a Saturday morning.

Still, it could be worse.

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Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:17 PM | Comments (391)
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Please welcome Moron Top.Man back from his generation-long quest for the perfect tropical drink. He has spent years in an open boat, lashed by the wind and the waves, fighting off sharks with just a drink umbrella, traveling from beach-side bar to beach-side bar, seeking the best in the world. [CBD]

Mai Tai. The name translates to "the best" and, for those of a certain age, conjures images of tropical shores, scantily-clad wahines, and the music of Martin Denny. more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:42 AM | Comments (175)
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In 1964 Reagan made an impassioned plea for Goldwater. The whole thing is worth listening to, I do a couple of times a year. It's his “A time for choosing” speech.

Listen to it:

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Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:08 AM | Comments (189)
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