Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Hit men need clean clothes, too
Am I the first one here? Cool! (stretches and yawns) . Will think of a story soon, I hope. Best to all the Expendable Nation.
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, odd wet lovely Manchester 05/13 at 06:55 AMOh, I have a story all right...I was knocked over on Tuesday, while crossing 8th Street at Lavaca, a block from the downtown library, by an old guy turning right on red onto 8th Street. I was halfway across 8th and he made the widest right-on-red ever. He was going very slowly and the Cadillac just knocked me off my feet, I caught my left arm under the bumper, and all I got was a few scratches and bruises. My right knee’s scraped up, and one of the many gout crystals (technically “tophii") came out so it’s proof nothing bad happens without a good thing SOMEwhere.
I’m a idiot, however...he was so upset and frightened that I let him go without getting his insurance or even his license plate number. I was trying to be kind to the old guy. I should really have gone to the hospital and gotten at least a pain prescription. Tylenol’s having trouble keeping up.How’s that for a story? I think Skuld the Norn’s mad at me for not writing her story fast enough. She keeps convincing Verdandi to weave nasty nasty crap into my pattern.
Slow news day...? Ponder this: How hot does a hollow-point bullet have to get before it fragments? Is this a laundry issue in some NYC neighborhoods? Which ones, and why? Discuss.
Posted by Mudge on from Austin 05/13 at 08:05 AMYou never know when you might have left a few bullets in your pocket, Mudge. Nice seeing you here again.
Hope you recover quickly from your run in with that cadillac.
Morning Chris.
Mick, how about Matsui? He apolgized to the team and the fans for breaking his wrist while diving for a fly ball in left. What a guy…
No stories popping up in my head yet...maybe later.
Not that we all haven’t read this already but it fits well with today’s post. Colbert quote from the White House Press dinner (talking to the WH Press):
“Over the last five years you people were so good—over tax cuts, WMD intelligence, the effect of global warming. We Americans didn’t want to know, and you had the courtesy not to try to find out. Those were good times, as far as we knew.
But, listen, let’s review the rules. Here’s how it works: the president makes decisions. He’s the Decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put ‘em through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know - fiction!”
Posted by JOS on from Oak Park 05/13 at 10:17 AMAhoy Expendable Planet,
Cracked knees, codeine and exploding bullets…
It’s good to see that this board is consistent.
For all of the Western belly-fat rolls and the bliss-driven consumptive vacuum that drives the brown wind,
the degree of mortal degradation and godless suffering happening right now on Earth always seems able the strike a bleak imbalance and overwhelm the scales of the intangible moral justice concept and gross planetary joy surplus.So how’s things wit youse guys?
It doesn’t matter…
We could disappear tomorrow and the roaches could keep the oil pumping.
Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot
http://tinyurl.com/d84bjThe Colbert Speech was almost oddly riveting to watch.
As the camera panned around the room, aside from occasional scowl, the guests all looked uneasy to the point of frightened, as though security was going to rush the stage and taser him or release tear gas into the room.
It made me think, just for a moment, about ancient Greek tragedians and satirists and how sometimes only the artists can paint the ugly face of Empire for public consumption as otherwise good people do nothing but trim their nests and pray to invisible monsters for deliverance.Perhaps a story later,
feeling like this (http://tinyurl.com/z5r53) guy right now.The love
Posted by Youngfox on from nearby 05/13 at 12:43 PMHello all from sunny, sunny Astoria.
Chris: We’re still waiting for the story…
Mudge: Hope your bumps and bruises don’t hamper your current writing project.
Commando JOS: The Yanks are in for a challenge without Matsui and Sheffield but one thing I learned from last season is to be patient.
Youngfox: Welcome back. Those links are awesome and I will be stealing them for my next links day.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/13 at 01:59 PMBtw, Mudge: Be glad it was a Caddy you encountered and not, say, an alligator: http://tinyurl.com/jyw33
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/13 at 02:01 PMMudge, if I was there I could put cold compresses on that hurtin’ knee.
Youngfox, I have been missing you and wondering how you are.
Chris and JOS, what’s up?Mickey about impeachment...the Congress is complicit in what has been happening so that makes it very unlikely that they will act.
I just returned from a “forum” type thing about Chavez. It never ceases to amaze me at how the liberals are so willing to overlook the facts and excuse citizens from any responsibility and place 100% of the blame on the government. We now have approx 66% of the citizens who say that the government spying on us with the phone number issue is OK, ALSO, there have been a calls from our fellow citizens calling for the government to install land mines on the Mexican/USA border.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 05/13 at 04:09 PMi have a launderette (thats the UK word - accusations of it being a sexist term r ok) story.
it is short and has no particualr point other than that it is true.
i am slightly surprised that mickey uses a laundr....(insert appropiate national ending thing here). i would have thought everyone in the US has home facilities.
anyway, when i lived in a place that didn’t have home facilities we used to go to this laundr… that had the most beautiful cat i have ever seen as a permanent resident. it was a stunning little thing to look at, it had the cat thang, which is that walk they do which has “my big cousin is a lion” written all over it.
it was also a vicious little bastard and no matter how blown away by it u were it would slice you.
as i said, some stories have no point (unless u look)
Posted by michael on from exile 05/13 at 04:13 PMHello MZ, Chris, Youngfox, JOS, Mudge et al.
Here’s a laundry related story for ya: I once had my clothes stolen from a dryer while in college. Gone were a couple pairs of jeans and some dark t-shirts. It was late at night, and I left the clothes unattended. Stupid me…
On reporters/repeaters: reminds me of Robert Fisk’s recent comments regarding the Times and other corporate media giants: that they might just as well be called “U.S. Officials Say”, as if U.S. officials are the only credible source of information… Also made me think of George Monbiot’s valuable “career advice”: http://tinyurl.com/9fuy8
Posted by RT on from The Buyou City 05/13 at 04:23 PMsuperb.
well posted on that link. i have that as a permanent link on my site. he got it absolutley right on that one
Posted by michael on from exile 05/13 at 04:36 PMMore on Fisk’s comments below:
AMY GOODMAN: Robert Fisk is our guest, war correspondent for more than 30 years. Your response, once again, to the issue of the planting of stories?
ROBERT FISK: Well, I’m surprised the military have to plant stories, because I find that an awful lot of my colleagues are quite happy to go along with stories planted or otherwise. You’ve only got to see the number of times on the front page of the New York Times or the L.A. Times or the Washington Post when the phrase “American officials say” appears, particularly the L.A. Times. I can give an example of that, in which a whole story is repeatedly sourced, after 2003, when we know there weren’t any weapons of mass destruction, when we know the press was misled totally in the United States and went along with the war pa3 > Still we see everything being sourced and re-sourced back to American officials, as if the U.S. administration is the center of world truth. I’ll give you an example. I was actually doing the book tour in Los Angeles, picked up my morning L.A. Times. Here’s a story about Zarqawi, who may or may not exist, of course. “U.S. authorities say,” “U.S. officials said,” “Said one Justice Department counterterrorism official,” “U.S. authorities say,” “officials said,” “U.S. officials said.” It turns to page B-10. It gets worse and worse. Look. “Several U.S. officials said,” “those officials said,” “U.S. officials confirmed”—stop me when you want—“American officials complained,” “U.S. officials stressed,” “U.S. authorities believe,” “Said one U.S. senior intelligence official,” “U.S. officials said,” “Jordanian officials said”—Amy, see, there’s a slight difference here—“Several U.S. officials said,” “U.S. officials said,” “U.S. officials say,” “say U.S. officials,” “U.S. officials said,” “The American officials said,” “One U.S. counterterrorism official said.” Welcome to American journalism today in Iraq. This is what’s wrong.
Posted by RT on from The Buyou City 05/13 at 05:00 PMHi there all...my bumps and scrapes have made me so miserable I went to the ER...I have two hairline fractures in my elbow.
I’m glad we’re still speaking, as it wasn’t a gator that snapped me. Michael, most homes in Murrica have washer/dryer connections. Remember that New Yawk isn’t Murrica, even though it uses Murrican dollars and passports. The Great Unwashed see it as the People’s Republic of Jew York (this is a direct quote from a co-worker of mine). Horrifying, no?
RMJ my dear, you say this: “I just returned from a “forum” type thing about Chavez. It never ceases to amaze me at how the liberals are so willing to overlook the facts and excuse citizens from any responsibility and place 100% of the blame on the government.” >sigh< As though The Government wasn’t just the people. I can’t even deal with that level of disingenuous dimwittedness. I can’t stand another ice cube on me...I’m actually BURNED from ‘em. And am I in a bad mood? Oh yes, I am!
Mickey, I haven’t seen the screen long enough to do much, though I am reading The Voluspa right now, the Edda that has the first mention in literature of the Norns. I still think Skuld’s got a hate on for me just now.
Big Country!! How’s my man?! Well, not my man in THAT way, more’s the pity. But how’s by you?
Youngfox! Hail! Loved the links. Please tell the beauteous Amelopsis that I send messages.
Hey RT, also kudos on the links. Y’all keep me thinkin’ and I am grateful.
Chris, I’ve decided that since I need to ignoer someone, I’ll ignore you.
xoxo
Posted by Mudge on from Austin 05/13 at 06:19 PMHello Expendables. Thanks for the stories. RT: You’ve reminded me of Fight Club...in which the Marla character regularly steals expensive jeans from public dryers and sells them to thrift shops.
Mudge: Really sorry to hear about the hairline fracture. Will it impact your new gig? Sending you a healing whammy, my friend.
Michael: Was that story an intentional metaphor or what?
Hi RMJ: I’m sending out an article on the topic of impeachment tomorrow. It contains a quote from you.
Did anyone make up a fake news story from the main post? As RT’s Fisk post sez: I’m surprised the military have to plant stories, because I find that an awful lot of my colleagues are quite happy to go along with stories planted or otherwise.
I’ll be back later…
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/13 at 06:59 PMI worked a summer in a launderette about ten years ago during college, after an hour or so work there wasn´t much to do except hang around talk to the customers and some of them brought me in books. When I was hungover I used to sleep on the bags of folded clothes, though once I´d put myself in such a condition I turned grey so the only thing for it was I closed the shop and went to the neighbouring town to buy a Kurt Vonnegut book, whom I´d been meaning to read for some time. I used to finish at three o´clock and go find my friends who were busy running a cafe into the ground down the road among piles of books, lootable ashtrays, crossword puzzles and chess games (I later joined them). Once I woke up everyone in the cafe opening the door. I developed a severe allergy to ironing and haven´t picked up one once. Once I had nowhere to sleep so I broke into the place and scared the shit of the owner who was in the office working late. I used to take over the shift from a salty old north Dublin woman who used to smoke unfiltered Sweet Aftons and leave pink lipsticked butts everywhere, she reminded me a little of Miss Trixie in Confederacy of Dunces. There was one customer with biliousgreen teeth we called Papa Don´t Floss and also a towering black guy used to charm everyone with an easy warm manner, mostly Miss Trixie by letting her feel his back. He was a soul singer a friend of mine was later in a band with, advertised himself as a New Yorker but turned out he came from Crumlin, which though is a brown area on the Monoppoly board is only a mildly shitty area of Dublin.
Posted by owen on from barcelona 05/13 at 08:22 PMBravo...excellent story, Owen. But what’s a lootable ashtray?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/13 at 09:39 PMMZ: Broke college kids do all sorts of things for a quick buck. Understand though that my jeans (and all my other clothes for that matter) were mostly old, worn, and certainly not “designer” or brand names, so who knows. Old-fashioned drunken mischief is my guess…
I should also add that about 2 months after that, my bike was stolen. As it happened, I was running late for class, and had to drop off a couple of library books. It took less than a minute, but someone snatched the bike in that short of time. There was a bust not too long after, where a commercial-sized truck was pulled over which contained close to 50 or so bikes, headed into H-town, probably en route to pawn shops or something. So this was likely part of some large, organized effort. Never did get mine back though…
Re: Newspaper snippet generator—I created one. Here’s how it reads:
Name of paper: U.S. Officials Say Today
Date: Everyday!
Headline: U.S. Officials Say Vegans are a Terrorist Threat!
News Story: Good gawd...........Posted by RT on from The Buyou City 05/13 at 10:44 PMJust calling in for a brief visit - this Sunday is not a computer-free day, but tomorrow might be.
No story from me but thanks for your laundrymat story, Mickey, and for a great Greg Palast quote. ‘Repeaters’ - as good as ‘stenographers’!And ‘hi’ to Chris Wood, Mudge, JOS, Youngfox, Rosemary, Michael, RT and Owen. It is raining again outside. Btw: thanks for not ignoring ME, Mudge.
Be well, all of you,
Helga aka Belga from BaustraliaPosted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 05/14 at 12:01 AMOh, and I hope I wish you a speedy recovery as well, Mudge!
Thanks for the Robert Fisk quotes, RT. He made very similar comments in an interview on ‘Counterspin’ in late 2002, I think.
I’m reading books by Edmund White at the moment, so here is a story about him from today’s Melbourne ‘Age’:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/books/the-truth-the-whole-truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth/2006/05/13/1146940774222.htmlAnd here’s how our public broadcaster framed a newsitem about the Australian PM’s visit to DC:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200605/s1637859.htmCaptcha: ‘merely’ - here I was planning to spend merely a few minutes at the ‘cool observer’s’ site and look what’s happening ..
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 05/14 at 12:08 AM
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