Have to leave the bunker because social function. So everyone tonight enjoys an AoSHQ Premium early ONT.

Your Congress at Work

Here some of the current bills that have been introduced:

Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act: Would establish the Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historical Park on the moon. - Chief sponsor Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.)

Read the Bills Act: Would require legislation to be posted online one week before it comes up for a vote. The House version, sponsored by two Republicans, would exempt declarations of war. The Senate version, sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), would require that lawmakers sign an affidavit, under penalty of perjury, attesting that they "attentively" read the measure or were present throughout the entire reading. They do not have to sign the affidavit if they vote against the bill. - House Bill's chief sponsor Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R-Mich.)

Department of Peacebuilding Act: Would establish a Cabinet-level federal department, headed by the secretary of Peacebuilding, dedicated to reducing violence domestically and internationally. - Chief Sponsor Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland)

(The idea of a Department of Peace had been championed for more than a decade by then-Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio).

District of Columbia-Maryland Reunion Act: Would address the District of Columbia's long-standing grievance over lack of representation in Congress by turning over the district to Maryland except for a "National Capital Service Area" that includes the Capitol, the White House and monuments on the National Mall.

SPA Act: Would prohibit the operation of the House gym during a government shutdown. The Shutdown Prioritization Act was introduced during the 16-day federal government shutdown in October.

The Beautiful, Cheerfully Optimistic Cynicism of Uncle Milton

Posted by: Maetenloch at 05:01 PM | Comments (441)
Post contains 1112 words, total size 13 kb.

Not everything Seth McFarland touches smells like cow farts. This is actually quite clever:

Then there's this, which has nothing to do with McFarland, but definitely does not stink:

more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 02:36 PM | Comments (226)
Post contains 74 words, total size 1 kb.

Or why your mom's grilled cheese tastes better than anyone else's. more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 11:59 AM | Comments (39)
Post contains 21 words, total size 1 kb.

Open thread for all of your non-astronomy needs.

Posted by: CAC at 03:55 PM | Comments (135)
Post contains 12 words, total size 1 kb.

[We Politely Request That All Off-Topic or Political Comments Be Directed to the Open Thread down page, Which Will Serve Officially as the Current "Active Conversation" Thread for All Discussions Not Related To This Topic. Enjoy!]

Welcome again to the Spaced-Out Challenge! Whether you have a question about equipment, a new astronomical discovery you want to expand on, or just want to kick back and enjoy the cosmos above, come one come all on our weekly astronomical journey.

With Saturn at opposition yesterday, now is a great time to observe the crown jewel of the solar system with even a small telescope. This week, we'll point it out, along with elusive Mercury, and expand on smartphone astrophotography tips. more...

Posted by: CAC at 04:07 PM | Comments (35)
Post contains 1058 words, total size 9 kb.

This Week's Post Is Dedicated To Moms With Guns

Tips

If there are topics you're interested in seeing in the gun thread, please send them to AoSHQGunThread at gmail. You can also send them to me on Twitter at @AndyM1911.

The owner's manual for your concealed carry permit: The Law of Self Defense

Defend the Second Amendment. Join: The National Rifle Association * Gun Owners of America * The National Shooting Sports Foundation * Your state's second amendment org.

Celebrate America's firearms heritage: participate in Project Appleseed.

Posted by: andy at 10:47 AM | Comments (133)
Post contains 93 words, total size 1 kb.

We Politely Request That All Off-Topic or Political Comments Be Directed to the Thread Directly Below This One, Which Will Serve Officially as the Current "Active Conversation" Thread for All Discussions Not Related To This Topic.

Well, "Free-Form" means that the file on my computer labeled "AOSHQ Food Thread Ideas" is empty.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:00 PM | Comments (122)
Post contains 333 words, total size 2 kb.

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:

more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:18 AM | Comments (120)
Post contains 144 words, total size 1 kb.

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.

more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 06:08 AM | Comments (271)
Post contains 1313 words, total size 10 kb.

Happy Mother's Day, moms. more...

Posted by: andy at 04:38 AM | Comments (155)
Post contains 13 words, total size 1 kb.