Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Saturday, February 03, 2007
What I heard on the W Train
Well said Sir! I enjoyed that read no end, the observations is sharp as a rapier.
Take care.
Posted by Peter Slevin on from Ireland 02/03 at 09:51 AMHello Peter...morning, Mick.
I can say I had the exact same experience the first time I heard that announcement on a NYC train. Here in Chicago, the mayor’s initiative to harass, ticket and arrest the homeless on the trains has ‘succeeded’ almost 100%...one hardly ever is asked for money. I think the people themselves have turned many a guy or gal down on their luck.
Listening to the Vegcast now…
Posted by JOS on from Oak Park 02/03 at 11:14 AMI meant to say turned in...reported...backstabbed.
Posted by JOS on from Oak Park 02/03 at 11:16 AMHello Expendables and guests...from a sunny but cold Astoria.
JOS: Let me know what you think of the Vegcast. I think I tried to jam in too many thoughts at once but...oh well.
Peter: Welcome to the blog and thanks for the kind words. You wouldn’t happen to be a Washington Post reporter, would you?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 02/03 at 11:22 AMI think you did an excellent job, Mick. All of the ideas related perfectly...pointing out the bias of the authors and the insult to the readers intelligence was right on. I have to say I am about to make a change to my diet and will be cutting out all dairy, and am going to seriously cut my meat intake...perhaps all together.
Great job...check in later.
Posted by JOS on from Oak Park 02/03 at 11:52 AMThanks, JOS...and good luck with the dietary changes. It can be challenging but you won’t regret it.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 02/03 at 01:14 PMListened to it, well done MZ.
I have noticed when I return to NYC that the homeless are gone. Have they all decided to be happy capitalists and by some of that great high-end real estate going up? A friend of mine in L.A. has a theory that New York’s homeless were all sent over there at some point in the late 90’s.
In many places it’s not only illegal to beg, it’s illegal to busk. (Owen, know anything about this?) I think the absolute most Kafka shit-brained law a city government can make is to outlaw people playing music.
Posted by Keir on from the hague 02/03 at 01:14 PMJOS, my 2 cents on dietary changes: the best way to cut out meat or dairy is to stop wanting it. Best way to do that is to get really into some other foods. Substitutes in my experience only work for so long. So for example when we cut out dairy for a while we got very into vegetable dishes that had nothing to do with anything remotely dairy-like. Good luck with it.
Posted by Keir on from the hague 02/03 at 01:19 PMoh man do I know something about asskicking musical legislation here. To busk you need a permit, and you must go to the council building every fortnight to find out what streetcorners at what times you got in the lottery held there. I would expect the police band they form with all those instruments they’ve confiscated is well-practiced by now. This lottery business basically saps the spontanaeity out of street music, or at least what it needs to be fun. I don’t have a permit, and I bring a guitar I don’t mind losing if I do. I only play on the streets these days just to write something but there’s more - music halls are being closed down en masse here, something like 120 in the last couple years. The regular excuse used is neighbour complaints but the neighbours rarely complain, and then only when relations between them and the owner break down, if they’ve had an understanding and the owner has loud music on too late or such. So what happens are these guys with little machines walk the streets checking decibel levels and close down the bar if they find it anything above quiet. Bars and clubs where they play CDs of heavily-compressed commercial garbage are entirely left alone, of course. Hundreds of musicians have left Barcelona, this place is like a theme park for policemen. None of the largeer property owners even live here, it’s always been tradition for Catalans to have another house somewhere else where they spend free time - even if they are a poorer family you’ll find they’ve built their own second house bit by bit over the years. So being that few of the dueños live in the city, it is one of the most abandoned on the continent, and functions mainly as a factory to funnel tourist livestock in and out as quickly as possible. Still it’s fun and inspiring, or I wouldn’t be here.
Posted by owen on from sea turtle massage parlour 02/03 at 01:51 PMHey everyone,
My favourite overheard train comment is (in response to one of the all-too-frequent cancellations) “Never would have happened if Hitler had won.” I shit thee not. A later announcement revealed the cause was “passenger action” (someone threw themselves in front of a train), to which our friend’s reaction was “Sap.” One of those well-dressed retired types; something about him screamed ‘Rhodesian’.
No way I can dl a file as big as that podcast - any chance of a rough transcript?Posted by Mew on from near my bed, hooray! 02/03 at 03:30 PMHi everyone. Here’s a link to a good one.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 02/03 at 03:41 PMLine of the day: This place is like a theme park for policemen
Owen, have you ever been in the NYC subways? Some of the buskers are quite unique.
Mew: I don’t know about a transcript. Lemme see what I can do.
Just overheard as I walked down my block: Two boys (about 15 years old) are talking. Furst kid sez: “She’s gonna cheat on me.”
Second kid replies: “You’re Mexican, everyone is gonna cheat on you. The IRS is gonna cheat on you. The FBI, the CIA, everyone.”
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 02/03 at 03:44 PMSorry, RMJ, we were simultyping. Once again, I’ve been scooped on my own site. I was planning to run that list soon.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 02/03 at 03:45 PMSomewhat related:
http://tinyurl.com/yr5fn9Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 02/03 at 03:54 PMI’m sorry, Mickey but there was just too much of a coincidence. See the last paragraph here. We are on the same wave length.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 02/03 at 03:54 PMThe charges were dropped? CONGRATS, RMJ
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 02/03 at 03:55 PMYep, it is all over, until I get arrested again.
All charges have been dropped. Two of the finest lawyers in the country had offered to help. William Quigley (You should google him) and Lynne Williams. I am a little disappointed to not see them take on the government but there’s always next time. Special thanks to you, Mickey and all of the others here who have stood with me on this. I couldn’t have done it without all of you.
I still am in a struggle-to-the-death in the civil case.Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 02/03 at 04:06 PMWow Great News RMJ!! Congratulations!! Hopefully this will positively affect the civil case.
Nice Vegcast Mickey. It’s always great to hear you on the radio. Now we just gotta get you on YouTube.
P&L Everyone
LunaPosted by Luna_C on from the Delta 02/03 at 04:16 PMThat’s excellent news, RMJ. Best news in a long, long time...but, I agree: it would have been something else for you to have the chance to speak your mind in court.
Thanks for listening to the podcast, Luna. I don’t think it was my best interview...but I definitely had fun.
Tonight, I think Michele and I are headed here to see this.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 02/03 at 05:35 PMMy own nomination for line of the day:
Yep, it’s all over, until I get arrested again.
Would that everyone were as principled and fearless as Rosemarie Jackowski.
Posted by Keir on from the hague 02/03 at 05:54 PMYeah, Owen, I spoke too soon. I agree with Keir...who just wrote the co-line of the day:
Would that everyone were as principled and fearless as Rosemarie Jackowski.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 02/03 at 05:59 PMAh, Mickey, Keir, Luna, and all others here, you all have been teaching me a lot. I could not have done it without you.
“...Nuremberg Principle IV. The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him....”
That is one of the things that I would have said at the next trial. There is a moral responsibility under international law to do everything possible to mess up the war machine. The economy is part of the war machine. I guess that I’ll just have to keep agitating.Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 02/03 at 06:23 PMAbsolutely, congratulations, RMJ. I know what futile jail time and legal expenses are like, and what I went through wasn’t a fraction of the headache of the hardship you’ve put up with.
As for veganism, busking/streetlife related stuff, I was at this earlier today:
http://www.humanenyc.org/2006/12/lohvnyc_local_pols_try_to_save.htmlA doomed effort and a soon to be tragic loss, but a good time at the park today. Then on to the ever increasingly gentrified St. Mark’s Place to be horrified again. This place opened up there:
Disgusting. Again, ladies and gentlemen, the 80s really are over. But still, at least the cool record, and I do mean record, shops are still there. Hmmmm....
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 02/03 at 06:45 PMHey James that bamn food thing is disgusting --- but that type of shit is kind of ubiquitous in the Netherlands. I like their description of “real food”: “bite-sized burgers, mac & cheese, pizza, chicken strips, grilled cheese, hot dogs, pork buns, and lots of other great stuff”. Kurt Vonnegut says the human race should go the way of the dodo . . . this automat shit might help!
Rosemarie, is there any article or link in particular that you recommend for posting your trial news to our blogs?
Posted by Keir on from the hague 02/03 at 08:25 PM
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