Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

10 hours, 28 minutes

Posted by Mickey Z on 11/02 at 05:48 AM

organise the next g8 summit for an island somewhere and then remove any way for them to leave. 8 dangerous people would therefore be unable to hurt anyone again. although, there is a woman among them. i dread to think what offspring would be produced.

Posted by michael on from scotland 11/02 at 06:38 AM

Find a way to short out every teevee on the planet, something involving electromagnetic pulses I´d imagine.

Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 11/02 at 07:23 AM

owen, you probably know this already but in case you don’t…

http://www.whitedot.org/issue/iss_story_wide.asp?slug=tvbgone

Posted by michael on from scotland 11/02 at 07:25 AM

No I did not, thanks Michael, that looks like tremendous fun. Think I´ll start with my flatmate´s teevee.

Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 11/02 at 07:31 AM

i don’t have one but it is tempting…

Posted by michael on from scotland 11/02 at 07:35 AM

Did anybody see this? Harper´s Magazine printed an article called Living In A Fascist State.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/october2005/241005fasciststate.htm

Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 11/02 at 08:03 AM

just read it. pretty scary.

here is another one on the same topic.

The Rise of the Democratic Police State - John Pilger....

http://pilger.carlton.com/print/133475

Posted by michael on from scotland 11/02 at 08:45 AM

TV-B-Gone just may be the greatest invention of all modern times...I love it. Thanks for the info, Michael.

Good morning, Owen and Michael, my Irish and Scottish brothers...and good morning to everyone else as well.

I have been without Internet for a good 24 hours or so and came very close to complete serenity. But here I am back again.

I was able to complete almost 2,000 words worth of my “novel,” which I was quite proud of until I realized that I basically have to complete the same feat for the next 29 days in a row to finish this project.

I was looking at the comments I missed out on from yesterday’s post and was surprised at all fo the talk of ligers without one mention of Napoleon Dynamite.

Is that really true, Mick, only 10 and half hours of music? Wow.

Posted by JOS on from La Isla Del Encanta 11/02 at 09:42 AM

Hello all,

I think I have a cork in the dike of my never-boring life’s latest leak. My NaNo novelt, My True Adventures in the orn Trade, is barely underway so I need 3400 words by the end of the day today. I also need relief from stress, so I am focusing on getting the flow going.

MZ, rats are the only rodentia that don’t make me feel atavistic revulsion and fury. Gerbils, horrible horrible little things, are not safe around me...mice better watch it...but rats are okay becuase they’re basically decent critters. Make sure they know they’re unwelcome to share YOUR home and they will move on to greener fields. Mice won’t, guess they’re too busy singing to each other. Revolting things.

Welcome to NaNo nuttiness, all who participate whether signed up or not.

Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 11/02 at 09:46 AM

hi all,

JOS - haven’t watched napoleon dynamite - whats the scenario with the ligers?

Posted by michael on from scotland 11/02 at 09:59 AM

Fascinating articles by Pilger and Lapham. More of that. On fascism, have I already recommended here Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America? Finished it recently, incredible read.

But who’s got time to read this month? I only managed 502 little words last night (having spent part of it in a radio studio reading many, many more). Very interesting: I was falling asleep as I wrote, waking up and typing another sentence from the mini-dreams I was having, and falling back asleep. I think the mini-dreams were about the Expendables.

Mickey, 10 hours 28 minutes is loads of time. That’s over 125 different 5 minute speeches. Imagine if each were as stirring as Arundhati Roy’s.

Posted by KBN on from The Hague 11/02 at 10:19 AM

if you want to be really scared about what could happen.....

http://www.spinwatch.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1822

Posted by michael on from scotland 11/02 at 10:28 AM

Michael, ligers were Napoleon’s favorite animal to draw because:

Deb: What are you drawing?
Napoleon Dynamite: A liger.
Deb: What’s a liger?
Napoleon Dynamite: It’s pretty much my favorite animal. It’s like a lion and a tiger mixed… bred for its skills in magic.

It’s a pretty funny movie. Definitely different...unique. I was surprised at how popular it got.

Posted by JOS on from La Isla Del Encanta 11/02 at 10:41 AM

Haven’t had a chance to check out all the links you folks have provided...but I love the TV-B-Gone. See:
http://tinyurl.com/7ntmx

125 5-minute speeches, huh? Reminds me of the WWI four-minute men. Here’s something I wrote: Many of the wartime propaganda tactics utilized today were honed and refined during World War I. In what has been called “perhaps the most effective job of large-scale war propaganda which the world has ever witnessed,” the Committee on Public Information, run by veteran newspaperman George Creel, used all available forms of media to promote the noble purpose behind WWI, i.e. to make the world safe for democracy. The Creel Committee (as it came to be known) was the first government agency for outright propaganda in US history; it published 75 million books and pamphlets, had 250 paid employees, and mobilized 75,000 volunteer speakers known as “four minute men,” who delivered their pro-war messages in churches, theaters, and other places of civic gatherings. The idea, of course, was to give war a positive spin.
(full article here: http://tinyurl.com/bg4e4)

As for my novel, I shot of out of the gate and set a pace I won’t even attempt to keep up: over 7000 words yesterday (although I must confess to a little bit of cutting and pasting from an old novel idea for which I wrote an outline years ago). If I only had the time, I could keep up that pace…

I’ll be back later…

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/02 at 10:50 AM

Nice, Mickey. I admit, I will be using some old stuff after editing it a bit, but it is the novel that I’ve always wanted to write so I’m happy about it.

Question, in the author profile some people’s say # of posts: 9, or whatever. Am I blind or am I missing something...I did upload my file for a wordcount to test it out, but what or where are the posts? Or should I saw, where do I post?

Posted by JOS on from La Isla Del Encanta 11/02 at 10:57 AM

JOS, Yeah that was what intimidated me, 5-6 pages a night, every night, for 30 days. I don’t even think I internally dialog 5-6 pages a day. lol On the other hand what got me almost doing it was the feeling I would get when I accomplished such an awesome task. ;)

So Mickey, is this a trick question? What about all the time spent building up to creating that 10 hours 28 minutes? That should also include all the man hours spent by there crew and hangers on that supported them in there career. If that was all included it would probably span years of time used to create that brilliant 10 hours and 28 minutes.

What gets me, is thinking about people that have rock and or rolled the world in a span of years less then my own. heh.

Napoleon Dynamite is great movie. Just be sure you watch the whole movie! It’s like a very long joke with an awesome punchline. You may not get it for awhile but by the end it’s all very clear.

Posted by Luna_C on from the Rat Haus 11/02 at 11:33 AM

Greetings all.

Luna, it is a bit of a trick question...designed more to provoke thought than answers of “value.” For example, I’d imagine someone might be able to read all five of my books in 10 hours, 28 minutes. That wouldn’t reflect the time I spent on those projects....only the time one would need to absorb the message. So that’s the question, if the world had to absorb your vision in 10 hours, 28 minutes...what would you do?

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/02 at 01:07 PM

Hiya, Humans - Mickey, JOS, Michael, Mudge, Owen, Keir & Luna - ( Jeeze - popular place, Mickey! )

A mighty impressive 10 1/2 hours, though, eh?
Mighty impessive.

I just happen to have available, this day, 10 1/2 hours to change the world. I’ll try - as I try, albeit spasmodically, each day - to do basically this -
from Walt Whitman:

“This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals,
despise riches,
give alms to everyone that asks,
stand up for the stupid and crazy,
devote your income and labor to others,
hate tyrants,
argue not concerning God...”

After that, a short break for a meal and coffee and smoke, then right back at it…

“anything”

Posted by joe on from land of the free, where else? 11/02 at 01:27 PM

Goddamn, Joe, Whitman said it. Spend 10 1/2 hours doing that. Spend all our time doing that. In fact, don’t use that nasty capitalist word “spend.” Pass your time doing what Walt suggests. As they say in South Florida: Bingo.

(Keir, sorry I didn’t comment about your gig yesterday. I completely dazed out and forgot to listen. My apologies...but please continue to post such announcements here.)

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/02 at 01:46 PM

With news today that the CIA has a secret prison in Eastern Europe for terrorist “interrogations,” we also here that there have been 36 REPORTED suicide attempts at Guantanamo:

http://tinyurl.com/7zfre

There are also approximately 10,000 Iraqis in US military run prisons in Iraq at this moment, over 25% of whom, according to their own military analysts, are innocent of any crime.

“heavy”

Posted by JOS on from La Isla Del Encanta 11/02 at 02:08 PM

A quote from Donny Rumsfeld on the food strikes:

“There are a number of people who go on a diet where they don’t eat for a period and then go off of it at some point. And then they rotate and other people do that.”

Posted by JOS on from La Isla Del Encanta 11/02 at 02:24 PM

JOS, do you have a link for that last Rummy quote?

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/02 at 02:30 PM

I got it from here:

http://tinyurl.com/cmn9f

Posted by JOS on from La Isla Del Encanta 11/02 at 02:42 PM

You see, this is why I can’t write a novel in 30 days. Every time I’m about to settle down to work, something like this comes up and now I just have to write an article called “The Gitmo Diet.”

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/02 at 02:49 PM

Mickey - think before you write, here. With a copyright and appropriate advertising, we’re all in the money here. “Created by the US Military, thoroughly tested in the field, the Gitmo Diet offers ‘Real World results’ for real people - just like you! ( From The Expendables! - a MickeyZ. company.)”

We’re rollin’ in it now, Mickey. Fire up the calculators!

“values”

Posted by joe on from Capitalist Central 11/02 at 03:04 PM

This guy is the master of Newspeak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newspeak), as Michael would be the first to point out.

Your “Gitmo Diet” article needs to be written, Mick.

Posted by JOS on from La Isla Del Encanta 11/02 at 03:08 PM

Hi everyone...Congratulations to Joe. He’s got a great essay up on DV.
I heard Rummy make that comment at a press briefing. NBC and the rest of the corporate media just figured out about the secret prisons. They are a little late. A couple of years ago I wrote the poem below. Secret torture cells, black budgets, Congress completely out of the loop, and the Press is so imbedded/embedded/in bed that they are surprised. BTW, it is “thought” that one of the secret torture prisons is on Diego Garcia.

From the Halls of Montezuma
To the Bridge at No Gun Ri
We fight the corporations’ battles
In the air on land and sea.

From the shores of Guantanamo Bay
TO THE SECRET TORTURE CELL
We’ll transform each quiet village
Into an everlasting Hell.

We are the Planetary Death Squad
With bombs and guns for hire
We have sworn our allegiance
To this Fascist Empire.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/02 at 03:09 PM

PS
I’ve read that “Convincing the Skeptics” piece, before, Mickey. It’s fine work.

Owen - thanks for that link to the Lewis Lapham article from Harper’s. It’s among the most damning portraits of American life I’ve ever read - anywhere. That it will actually be running in a mainstream press outlet seems impossible!

Posted by joe on from Oregon 11/02 at 03:17 PM

Rosemarie...Joe’s got a what...where? By the way, rhyming is probably the most difficult form of poetry and you are very good at it.

Posted by JOS on from La Isla Del Encanta 11/02 at 03:33 PM

I was gonna spring it on you all in my post tomorrow, but here’s the article by Joe from Oregon: http://tinyurl.com/b4oax

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/02 at 03:37 PM

Don’t have the foggiest at this moment in time, Mickey, but will now read what all my fellow MZ’ers have to say. I might get some inspiration from them ..
Hi michael, JOS, Owen, Mudge and the rest of the gang!

Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 11/02 at 05:18 PM

And thanks for all the great links, my dear MZ’ers! Was aware of the Lewis Lapham piece but hadn’t read the John Pilger article ..

Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 11/02 at 05:29 PM

Hi all, I expect you´re doing well. only wrote 500 words today but I whiled the evening away at a jazz club for uh research purposes.

Joe, wonderful article. This Tim Leary book I´m reading has a series of questions to check out whenever anyone is sounding off on internal freedoms, here´s one:
‘Is the point of view one which opens up or closes down? Are you being urged to explore, experience, gamble out of spiritual faith, join someone who shares your cosmic ignorance on a collaborative voyage of discovery? Or are you being pressured to close off, protect your gains, play it safe, accept the authoritative voice of someone who knows best?’

Thanks for writing something in the former category Joe, they´re rarer than you´d think.

Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 11/02 at 07:22 PM

These are things that must be amplified. Joe, please keep writing.

“We’re all ordinary people, and we are our only hope.”

“We do not need to ask permission to live like sane, reasonable, thoughtful, compassionate human beings.”

“Whatever must be done, we can do it ourselves. We do not need them; we need each other.”

Posted by KBN on from The Hague 11/02 at 08:11 PM

Yes, and may Donny Pentagon know prolonged involuntary hunger. Seriously.

Mickey, thanks for the encouragement. Last night was one of the more politically-charged performances I’ve done, and it felt fantastic. We mixed Ossie Davis reading the NION statement with samples from Network with my own texts, all tricked out with distortion and feedback and plenty of noise loops. Independent experimental radio rules!

Posted by KBN on from The Hague 11/02 at 08:21 PM

Joe- thanks for writing down what we all feel. Great article...you spelled out in words what we need to do… to connect with the people in our community...to talk to the guy or girl next to us. I am glad that more people are now going to be able to hear what you have to say and realize what we here at Mick’s already have...Joe Knows.

Posted by JOS on from an island in the sea 11/02 at 08:42 PM

Thanks alot, you guyz.
I don’t know how things work at all, however. I struggle and struggle and can’t even produce a single coherent paragraph. Then, one day, the fingers fly and out comes the makings of an essay. Somehow, my fingers seem to have acquired all the wisdom, while I remain a noodnik.

I guess it makes sense. When I take notice of my “visual field,” so to speak, all sorts of people and critters and places and objects appear and disappear. What appears most often in this visual field is my hands. They’re almost always there - typing, holding and conveying a cup of coffee, openning and closing drawers, doors and boxes and envelopes and books and cigarette packages… They’re there when I wash my face, and still there when I’m pouring water. They’re there driving the car, and there again holding the pen which writes a note to my wife… Perhaps my hands are really “me,” while my thoughts take all the “credit”...

JOS - I hope your novel will contain lots and lots of poems! You could even integrate them right into the prose, a la Joyce: “And from here and from there through the quiet air, came the sound of the cricket bats… pick, pack, pock, puck… like drops of water falling softly into the brimming bowl...”

Keir - my wife and I listened to the later portions of the broadcast. It was enjoyable and interesting. I recognized some of the readings from your blog posts. It was a cool experience - thank you.

Owen - thanks for placing the piece among those that affirm… Leary and Richard Allport / Ram Das, have had quite an effect on me, over the years…

G`night, my friends.

Posted by joe on from out yonder 11/03 at 03:22 AM