Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Friday, December 16, 2005

NEWS FLASH: Big Apple faces subway strike, giant ape

Posted by Mickey Z on 12/16 at 06:54 AM

Mickey-- great to read your thoughts about the strike about review of Kong… and oddly, the cat/dog video, as now.... there’s something wrong with Frank. Must miss some of work to rush him out to the vet. He threw up, kept me up all night growling like I never heard before… this is terriblem, never seen him like this. I know that all Expendable prayers are with him, even Mudges’ who think cats are satan’s emmissaries.... ! Later--

outta be a “law” against cats getting sick

Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/16 at 08:15 AM

Damn, that sucks...poor Frank. Hope he’s back to “normal” soon. Good luck, James. Please let us know how it goes.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/16 at 08:18 AM

James - All good thoughts for Frank. (many cats are presently meditating)

Mickey I’m saddened at this King Kong news. It looked so good & I couldn’t wait to see him have it out with the dinosaurs. Now I’m not so anxious, I’m trying not to let this Polar Bear drownings get me down for the day and there’s no escapist wonderland to look forward to in the King Kong viewing (which I was thinking about doing later).

Some rose coloured news is “needed” today.

Maybe I’ll go play kung fu mixer instead.

Posted by Amelopsis on from slushy Canada 12/16 at 09:05 AM

Amelopsis: The scenes on Skull Island do offer some escapism. Kong dukes it out with T.Rexs at the same time. A brontosaurus stampede. Stuff like that. But they made Kong so realisitic and his interactions with the girl so touching that you quickly end up hating the humans...especially since we all know how it ends. It’s hard for me to recommend “here” it because it’s verrrrry long and ultimately verrrrry despressing,

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/16 at 09:33 AM

uh-oh

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4535452.stm

Posted by michael on from scotland 12/16 at 09:53 AM

James, I know how I feel when one of my puppies is ill. Good fortune.

Michael, the idea of a dirty bomb scares authority so bad they actually try to prevent it. Given the cancer rates, I wonder if Chernobyl plus a few dirty bombs hasn’t already done the dark work.

Hi Amelopsis!

MZ, King Kong in each of its versions to date has made me unbearably sad. I’m only glad they didn’t “update” the thing to be in the 21st century.

Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 12/16 at 10:43 AM

Thanks Mickey, Amelopsis, Mudge and all-- just go back from vet on west 72nd st. Frank has a urinary tract blockage and must stay overnight, while I must pay at least $930 vet bill somehow!!! Ohhhhhhhhh....

Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/16 at 11:36 AM

Thanks for the update, James. I hate to think of poor Frank spending the night away from home but at least it wasn’t a life-threatening illness. So many male cats I’ve known have had urinary tract problems.

I wish I was in position to help you with the bill...maybe someone here has an idea for fundraising.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/16 at 11:49 AM

P.S. A Friday hello to Michael and Mudge, too.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/16 at 11:54 AM

Hi Mickey, Amelopsis, Mr. Mudge, James, and Michael -

James, very sorry to hear about Frank… and about the bill, which is, methinks, outright robbery. Unless they plan to tie him down and insert an IV and force fluids into his system to “irrigate” his urinary tract, they’ll probably just give him a cat version of Cipro, the drug given to postal workers, etc., for possible exposure to Anthrax. Cipro is a relatively inexpensive anti-biotic used for urinary tract infections…
Cats often don’t drink enough water. And, some diets exacerbate the problem…

Well, I guess you’ve no alternative, but…

Mickey -
I very much enjoyed your stroll through the bowels of NYC… I could almost smell the subway, hear the screeching of the wheels, feel the crowds pressing in upon me.
Once, in Mexico City - the largest city in the world, at the time - my first wife & I rode the subway at rush hour, and, at our stop, had to fight our way off. However, when I made it to the platform, I realized that Maria was still trapped in the car as waves of new riders washed in at her. I leaned into the car, was just able to reach her hand, and slowly pulled her out, through the masses of people still struggling to force their way in.

When I got her out to the platform, people began applauding, from inside the car, and from all over the platform…

Michael - thank you for that article, I think…
Wow - I guess we’ll be seeing many more of these -Most will be mishaps. Some, I suppose, will be engineered, for political purposes. And we - we will be the hapless pawns…

Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/16 at 12:09 PM

Actually I think that’s exactly what they’re doing, putting a catheter up into him, physically dealing w/ blockage… this place was recommending by a friend, maybe they’re an overcharging upper west side vet, but I think they’re at least doing the right thing by him.

Mickey, maybe free personal training sessions for him after this from you? He’s gonna get back into shape after the ordeal…

Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/16 at 01:14 PM

Undeterred by the deafening silence, I’ll plod on:

Mr. Mudge - there’s an article about New Orleans, at CounterPunch, from one of the Neville Brothers. He is in Austin, now, and he praises the music scene there. Thought you might enjoy the piece.

Mickey & Amelopsis - I’d like to mention another “animal” film, which you might enjoy.
“March of the Penguins.”
It’s a documentary about penguins living in Antartica… They are out, above ground, throughout the winter… An incredible tale.

Also, still focusing on films, several of our favorites have been nominated for best picture by the Golden Globe folks:

Brokeback Mountain
The Constant Gardener
Good Night & Good Luck
A History of Violence
Match Point - a Woody Allen Film with which I’m not familiar.

Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/16 at 01:22 PM

James: I’d be happy to work Frank back into shape.

Joe: Did you see A History of Violence? Very violent, of course, but still an interesting study of human behavior.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/16 at 01:24 PM

So he has some sort of obstruction going on, eh?
Well, I guess that would certainly increase the costs…
I wish you both well, James.

Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/16 at 01:25 PM

Didn’t see it yet, Mickey. I recall you gave it a very positive review. I really like the cast, and your review clinches it, for me.
Unfortunately, here in the outlands, there are no discounted theaters available, so most of our movie experiences take place in our living room, with tape or DVD…
We’ll see it as soon as it hits the shops.

Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/16 at 01:28 PM

the dirty bomb aspect of the story is a scary possible consequence but the rather large radioactive leak is a terrifying definite.

this has come right in the middle of the UK govt trynig to shove plans for a new generation of nukes and nuclear power stations thru. the premise is that oil and gas is running out and there isnt enough renewable to make up th shortfall and in truth there isn’t. the only solution if we don’t any more 3 mile island, chernobyls,etc is to drastically reduce enrgy usage but no politicians are going to say such things as it won’t get them elected. and although the story made it BBC website it didn’t make it to the tv news.

just remember…

Posted by michael on from scotland 12/16 at 01:43 PM

Michael, you know, I was mentioning to Amelopsis, on yesterday’s board -
What do those brilliant Elites think they’re going to do when they’ve completely destroyed the planet? Where do they think they’ll go?
Are they really so completely mesmerized by their own wealth and power that they think there will be some Shangri La waiting to accommodate them once the entire world is poisoned?
Is the prospect of spending eternity in some lavish, lead-lined, subterranean vault, appealing to anyone still actually alive inside?
Who the #### are these people?
How is such stupidity possible?
You’d think that, encountering such absolute imbecility, their very hearts would cease to beat, organs cease to function…

Speaking of Dumb:
James, I apologize for trying to make a case for your being over-charged, while you were worrying and trying to help poor Frank. Not the most thoughtful response…

Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/16 at 02:43 PM

My sympathy James, I know how difficult it can be to have a sick kitty on your hands.  Out of the 4 we have; one is semi regularly constipated and at times it can get so bad he’s just laying there growling, very hard to see. We’ve even had to take him to emergency once.  Another is diabetic and needs insulin shots twice a day, I can truly understand Kitty woes. I hope your’s pulls through quickly.

I don’t want to bore everyone with an in depth KK review. Trust me I could go on for numerous paragraphs. lol Needless to say I found the Anne/Kong relationship to be one of the most remarkable achievements ever put to screen. When you watch it for the first time, or second time for that matter, keep a close eye on Lumpy the cook. That man Andy Serkis is the actor responsible for bringing King Kong to life. He literally studied Apes for months at the London Zoo and then in Rwanda to observe them in the wild. He was there for every take with the actress Naomi Watts to interact with and then followed that up with months of work on a motion capture stage where his body and facial movements we’re captured into the computer and then put on the CG model of Kong. From there a team of animators and CG artists massaged the data, rendered it and brought the completed spectacle to screen. You may already be familiar with his work. He played Gollum in the LOTR trilogy.

Glad to hear you liked it Mickey.

Happy Holidays everyone.

Posted by Luna_C on from Vancouver 12/16 at 02:43 PM

Joe, forgot to say thanks for your kind words about my subway article. It’s a topic I enjoy chronicling.

As for your discussion with Michael, I’m reminded of a line from a Sting song: “We share the same biology regardless of ideology.”

Hi Luna...good to see you again.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/16 at 02:46 PM

Weird, the ? in my first paragraphs were emoticons for sad :( when I wrote it. Don’t want to confuse anyone while you’re reading it. ;)

Posted by Luna_C on from vancouver 12/16 at 02:47 PM

Your delight in the topic makes for a wonderful read, Mickey.

You’d think that they’d notice that the ship is sinking, wouldn’t you? No matter how nice your stateroom might be, it’s just gotta suck to drown in it…
I keep expecting a few of them to stand up and say: “Whoa - my feet are suddenly wet - the ship’s sinking! We need to stop right now and change the world!”
Nope - they just send one of their lackeys to buy them a new pair of shoes. Meanwhile, they get even busier, as if to make as much money as possible before they ( and “theirs” ) drown…

Luna - I think that that Gollum creature is among the most amazing film creations I’ve ever seen…
You and Mickey are making KK sound quite fascinating.

Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/16 at 03:11 PM

In the end, Joe, I’m not recommending KK unless you’re ready to be disturbed...for three hours. You might wanna wait “until” it goes DVD so you can scan past the set-up scenes.

I’m thinking about seeing Syrianna next.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/16 at 03:18 PM

No problem, Joe, I’m overwhelmed by the bill, too; maybe it’s pricier because of location, but still a lot of work to be done on him. Thanks Luna and everyone! He’ll be staying overnight away from Daddy a few days, but he’s glad to hear there’s Expendables around the globe rooting for him! Great posts and reviews, wish had more time to read. Might see Kong tonight, wait and see.

Posted by James Langergaard on from Hell's Kitchen 12/16 at 03:29 PM

James—sorry to hear about Frank. I woke up this morning dreaming about living in a hermit cabin in the mountains, with only a just-weened kitty to keep me company. It reminded me of when I actually had cats (and dogs), how I fussed over them like babies, and how difficult it was when something happened to them. They never did the “expected.”

How old is Frank?

Posted by Hawk on from Boulder, CO 12/16 at 04:07 PM

We’re pulling for yuz, James… and, thanks.

Mickey, Syrianna is atop my list, right now, as well. Everything I’ve seen looks very good, indeed.
Maybe I will postpone KK for living room viewing… 90 seconds of drowning polar bears, last night, almost crushed me. I’m not sure I could take 3 hours of such sadness.

Oh, speaking of sinking ships -
Karl Grossman, from his article “Nuclear Roulette in the Troposhere,” in Tuesday’s CounterPunch:

“NASA is again threatening the lives of people on Earth… On January 11, the window opens for a launch from Cape Canaveral of a rocket lofting a space probe with 24 pounds of plutonium fuel on board.”

I suppose the Elites can afford to spend the rest of their lives in LL Bean / Coco Chanel designed anti-radiation suits… but, if condoms are a hindrance to complete sexual pleasure, those suits are certain to be a BIG “stimulation stopper”...

Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/16 at 04:13 PM

Hi Hawk - was just wondering where you might be.
We’ve got 4 cats and a rottweiler-lab. ( They tell us it’s lab - or maybe hound… who knows? )
They drive me crazy but they’re also a source of extraordinary delight. Any one of them is, it seems, brighter than all of NASA…

They’re busy with the calculus,” right now, or I’d bring `em in for an introduction…

“nuclear”
honest…

Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/16 at 04:19 PM

Hi All...a lot going on here as usual...sick pets, movies, plutonium. Not to worry, the House just passed a bill authorizing a 698 mile fence to keep out the Mexican workers. We can all sleep tonight knowing that we will be protected from those workers from the south as the plutonium rains down on us. All of this reminds me of the George Carlin comment that the world is a freak show and those of us in the USA have a front row seat.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 12/16 at 05:18 PM

James, I’m glad your cat is treatable and is not suffering something more serious, so let’s just dwell on the good news for a moment. My dog Annabelle and my cat Sanchez send positive vibes, as do my wife and son.

Posted by Cart on from near Warshington DC 12/16 at 05:33 PM

Oh James, nine hundred thirty dollars in your hands in five days or fewer. I’ve put the whammy in with the Universe, which seems to work when I do it for others. Frank’s in good hands, he’s being treated and he will be better, that’s what matters now.

MZ and Joe, Syriana is excellent. I went to a matinee this afternoon with my sister. She hated it, I loved it, so it’s obviously a good movie...people can passionately disagree only about good stuff, right? F/ex, I mildly disliked The Brothers Grimm and the same sister mildly liked it. We spent maybe ten minutes discussing the pros and cons in rational tones. Syriana on the other hand, yelling and pounding of tables and even some epithetical abuse. So it’s good!

RMJ, I speep more soundly knowing the same government that’s building that fence also build bombers for billions of dollars that should cost millions. I’m more upset over the reauthorization of the Patriot Act, and its permanence. The Senate will pass it too, after some political posturing.

Michael, the Romans images were wonderful! They made me wince and laugh at the same time.

Luna, Mr. Serkis should be given a special Oscar for Best Physical Actor We Never Get To See or something. I like the guy, wish he’d get to star in something.

Hello Cart!

Hawk, the whole cabin idea has appeal, no? I get anxious when I realize that the showers won’t be hot, the stove won’t be instant on/off, and the toilets won’t be flush ones. Guess I’m a hothouse flower.

Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 12/16 at 06:03 PM

Joe, I know Austin’s the Live Music Capital of the World, according to itself, but I don’t care much about live music. I prefer CDs, whose volume I can control and whose boring songs I can skip.

But it’s a point of civic pride how friendly Austin is to musicians (unless they’re poor and/or unknown, that is, when they get squat from the place like the rest of us).

RMJ, I don’t know exactly what “speep” might be, but I promise you and the Thought Police who hang here that I DO NOT speep. I sleep.

Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 12/16 at 06:10 PM

Hi Joe and Mudge,

Yeah, Joe, it’s been a busy Friday, but for all the good reasons. Cooking, cleaning, meditating, then catching a bus downtown for some coffee shop prowling—one of my favorite things in the world. It allowed me to finish Smilla’s Sense of Snow, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I sort of like the dangling ending—fits with the curvature of the rest of the story. Thanks for prompting me to read it, my friend.

And yes, Mudge, I think about the mountain hermit’s cabin with more and more frequency. My wife and I have had a dream to build an earthship or strawbale house on some south-facing hill land in southern Colorado. That will take a serious influx of money, but isn’t that what dreams are for? Just the idea of getting off grid, with alternative energy, well-water, greenhouse veggies, and maybe some sort of Internet work that keeps us fed—they have satellite internet these days, and I this has opened possibilities for getting back to nature, ironically enough.

Cyndy at MouseMusings is always posting stuff about living in a yurt in northern New Mexico—we’ve engaged an informal contest to see who makes it off-grid first. Northern New Mexico would work for me—maybe we’ll be neighbors....

Posted by Hawk on from Boulder, CO 12/16 at 07:35 PM

Hello Expendables. Hawk, I found this by clicking around at the blog you just recommended. The Festival of Frugality: http://tinyurl.com/7v6o9

As for the hermit’s life, I will admit it’s enticing to imagine opting out...as they say. Not too long ago, a friend of mine told me of his frustration with what’s going on everywhere and how he’d like to get a tiny place in the backwoods and live simply. Here’s what said to him: “I agree your impact on the planet will lessen, but what about all the worst victims out there who can’t just choose to opt out? We privileged Americans can choose to disappear and stop looking at the problems, but the problems remain and the victims remain and our culpability remains.”

Do I think that’s the definitive answer on the topic? Of course not. Does that mean Michele and I wouldn’t do something similar one day? Who knows? However, I thought I’d drop that reply out here in the “light” and see what it stirs up.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/16 at 07:44 PM

I hear ya, Mickey. It’s always a tension between availing oneself of society, and heading for the woods. Here in Boulder, lots of people live in the mountains just west of town. Some make the commute to work in the flatlands, while others have found a way to tap into the meager mountain economy—working in restaurants and bars, cleaning houses, handyman work, etc. Some have found ways to work out of the home.

I’m also drawn to the ancient Indian practice that says, once a person’s worldly duties are fulfilled—raising a family, completing a work trajectory, etc.—one can opt to live out the last years as a wandering recluse. Of course, beggers are seen much differently in India than they are here, and if a person is seeking spiritual fulfillment fulltime, that is seen as very respectable.

If my wife and I ever get the chance to move off-grid, I imagine we’ll live within driving distance of someplace like Taos, Santa Fe or Questa—towns containing lots of kindred spirits to ours—where we can become part of a loose community. I imagine staying involved through writing, as you are, and through various activist pursuits, answering the need to stand up for what’s right.

Right now, of course, it’s all we can do to make rent every month.

Posted by Hawk on from Boulder, CO 12/16 at 08:14 PM

Hawk, it would be an interesting article (or even book) to find socially aware Americans who opted off the grid and ask them about their lives. I personally don’t know anyone who’s done. I know dozens who’ve threatened to do it, though.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/16 at 09:00 PM

If someone can find these off-grid sorts, they’re not that off-grid, are they.

I’d like to see that book...not a how-to book, but a why-to book. Before there was a grid, the failures at living died. That’s no longer an acceptable risk in 21st century American society...unless you count the tens of thousands who die in ERs and shelters and on city streets because there is no political will to spend the necessary money to save them. $95 billion in tax breaks for people who make over $1 million a year in the current budget. Many more billions borrowed to kill Iraqis.

Cui bono?

The question remains the most telling ever, uttered before Julius Caesar was born..."Who benefits?” Follow the money, see who’s doing the real evil in any society any time, anywhere.

Did I miss seeing Keir, or was he really not here today? Owen’s back home, so he’s got reasons to be gone...James has companion anxiety, not surprised not to see much of him...RMJ’s checked in, I can sleep tonight...why do I feel like it’s Mouseketeer Roll Call?!

8:51 CST, I’m off to read some Bill Bryson to recover my equilibrium.

Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 12/16 at 09:52 PM

If someone can find these off-grid sorts, they’re not that off-grid, are they.

Good point, Mudge.

Where’s Big Country? I “miss” him.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/16 at 10:26 PM

“the world is a freak show and those of us in the USA have a front row seat.”
Wonderful quote, Rosemarie - thanks… News of our new fence illustrates this perfectly. First we steal everything in Latin America that isn’t bolted to the ground, - hell, we steal the ground itself, then we get angry when the population is forced to come to North America to look for work.

Except that we’re not REALLY angry, we’re just pretending to be angry in order to please the red-neck right-wingers who mistakenly believe that the Latinos are taking jobs from “real” Americans.
The red-neck right-wingers believe this because, indeed, there are fewer and fewer jobs, which pay less and less. However, it’s the government & corporations which have actually screwed the red-necks, by exporting as many jobs as possible - to the poorest nations in the world, in order to lower corporate costs, and to help make the US workforce more submissive and servile.
The government and corporations don’t want the red-necks, or any other Americans to know about this, of course, so they have to find a scape goat. Latino immigrants are just the folks for the job.
However, thousands of employers would be crushed by a lack of Latino workers willing to perform very, very difficult, often dangerous tasks, for almost nothing. Some of these employers have clout, and complain to the government. The government decides to allow the Latinos to continue to sneak into the country, but conclude that the government must APPEAR to be trying to stop them.
What to do?
Well, they could take millions of dollars from the red-necks and other working people, and build a fence…
Though a fence looks good, even children dig beneath or climb over or even cut through fences, ever day…
And there you go:
A solution that’s not a solution - but that is…
to a problem which isn’t a problem but looks like a problem and sometimes might be, but truly isn’t.
- for George Carlin

Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/16 at 10:40 PM

Beautiful, Joe. The so-called immigration problem condensed into one comment...but we’re all too programmed to recognize the clarity of your analysis. It’s just so much easier to blame the illegals (sic).

On that note, I’ll sign off. It’s 11:01 in Astoria. Thanks, everyone.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/16 at 11:01 PM

Mr. Mudge - I’m delighted to read your review of Syrianna. I’ve been hoping for a real, first-hand report. I thank you.

Hawk -
As I think Mudge said - there’s nowhere to go, really. I have a friend who lives up in the Adirondacks, in NY. It’s a very “out of the way” place, in an area set aside as a VAST park… He’s about as self sufficient as one can be - but he must have a vehicle of some sort, and he has a mortgage to pay, and he’s always doing some sort of science experiments which cost him some cash, so he’s forced to sell foods and seeds and ( privately )
incredible home-made, non-grape wines, in order to make ends meet.
He’d have many of the same problems if he lived in Costa Rica or the Marshall Islands.
He and his wife were once the driving forces within an alternative community out in the boonies in Virginia, but such situations can get pretty bizarre - it’s like you have to submit to a “steering” committee before choosing what brand of toothpaste to use…
Now, he lives “on the edge of the grid,” and teaches other people how to do what he’s done. Yet, he’s not been able to entirely disappear.

You could drop this guy into the middle of Antarctica with just a bathing suit, a pair of flip-flops and a dull kitchen knife, and if you went to look for him a year later, you could dine with him in the main house of the new city he’d almost completed…

The best we can accomplish, I believe, is to simplify…

Jeez - I just reread this. Does it make any sense at all?
I must be tired, or old, or goofy - or all three.
I’m going to bed early.

Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/16 at 11:03 PM

G`Night Mickey Z.
You know, my friend, I’ve been anxious for the great Ape all day, and I’ve not even seen the movie.

Hawk - I’m very pleased to hear you enjoyed “Smilla.” Its a glimpse of a whole `nother world, eh?

Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/16 at 11:09 PM