Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Monday, March 05, 2007

"Breaking News" is a matter of perspective

Posted by Mickey Z on 03/05 at 05:02 AM

what ye doing reading the top news stories anyhow? newspapers are for cleaning up catshit and little more.

Posted by owen on from sea turtle massage parlour 03/05 at 05:22 AM

That was really moving, Mickey. I think it is easy to forget as we struggle with broad issues like capitalism, war, and environmental degredation, that life is personal. Your article reminded me of that in a very direct way.

My headline is that my cat adores our new place. She played for 10 minutes last night in a box I’d just emptied in the kitchen, happier than I’ve seen her in a year.

Morning all!

Posted by Deb on from NoVa 03/05 at 07:45 AM

Good morning Mickey, Owen & Deb,

Sadly I think the larger headline reading populace troubles themselves much more than is healthy over Paris Hilton’s underwear or lack-thereof, and in no small part due to willful conditioning...those among us who do not need to make a concerted effort against the imposition of these lobotomizing effects.

I’ve thought about your mom quite often actually, the fact that quite a lot of time has passed since her treatment began....I sincerely wish her and you, and your family well within the whole scenario of this illness. It’s a struggle, and I wish you strength.

Thanks for the Walt Whitman, that’s a beautiful quote and something that everyone will take to heart, I hope.

Owen, how are the turtle massages coming along? You must be quite adept at this by now.

Deb I missed the news of your new apartment, I very glad to hear it though. (who needs cat toys when every empty box is a new adventure waiting to happen!)

Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 03/05 at 08:27 AM

the sea turtles are doing fine thanks for asking Amelopsis. There was no winter this year save two weeks in December and one week in January, right now everyone’s in teeshirts and the Mediterranean is crammed with sea life; usually this season it is a skeleton crew in the centre but now the turtles are many and animated by the high temperatures,all of them flapping about in their enclosures. Last Monday a turtle called Luna bit a Brazilian volunteer who had performed reiki on her and proceeded to clean the algae sideburns the turtle had developed, feeling she had been tranquilised by the reiki. We’re talking a 175-pound reptile with a serrated beak and a tongue for crushing crustaceans against the mouth-palatte - the girl did well to get away with all her fingers.
We do the turtle physio only with another person holding onto their head or covering their eyes, which calms them a little.

Posted by owen on from sea turtle massage parlour 03/05 at 10:05 AM

That’s a touching tribute to your mom, MZ. She’s in our thoughts.

JC’s been spotted in Astoria!

(From yesterday, in case you missed it, which I suspect is the case, since, on account of my being on the other side of the world [like Andy], I tend to post last)

Posted by Jeremy on from Taipei, Taiwan 03/05 at 10:09 AM

Hello Expendables...from a chilly Astoria. Thanks for the great comments. I love the idea of everyone offering their own headlines. And Jeremy, I like the image. I need something to keep my bald dome warm...even if it’s a crown of thorns.

As for my mom, she starts a new kind of treatment today and I’m going back to Texas on Thursday. By cruel coincidence, my mother-in-law is having surgery today. I’m heading out soon to meet Michele and go to the hospital and keep her dad company as he awaits the results.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 03/05 at 11:05 AM

Maybe I’ve told this story before.

I once (along with thousands) shook Bill Clinton’s hand. I had just heard him give a speech to a huge multitude outdoors in Orlando Florida. He was running for his second term. In his speech he promised that his administration would wage a war against breast cancer. My own mother had been very ill-- and I thanked him profusely for his professed commitment.

I suppose this memory is a milestone to my political education (and growing skepticism of politicians). Political issues take on a very personal significance when they touch the lives of people we love.

We know today where Clinton’s hotter commitments were in his final years as president. Certainly it would be unfair to hold Clinton personally responsible for my mother’s eventual passing away. Almost every woman in my mother’s neighborhood got breast cancer. A federal study was looking at it-- what became of it, I do not know. I look back and wonder what different things I could have done when my mother was so ill.

I certainly admire you Mickey for what you are doing and saying for your mother.

Don’t give up writing, fighting, and keeping politics personal.

Best wishes for you and your family.

Posted by Robert B. Livingston on from San Francisco, California 03/05 at 11:16 AM

Thank you very, very for that, Robert. You brought a tear to my eye and inspired me to add an image of my mom to today’s main post. As you can see, she and I have the same hairstyle now.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 03/05 at 11:21 AM

You also have the same smile I think.

Posted by Keir on from the hague 03/05 at 12:42 PM

Thanks very much for sharing a picture of your Mom with us Mickey.

Here’s some troubling news from Alberta. It seems the long oily arms of the oil-sands are controlling the puppet strings of our Federal Health System: http://tinyurl.com/2ezxlh

Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 03/05 at 12:53 PM

Hi Everyone,

Scoot over to my blog for the latest breaking news ...

Disclaimer: it’s juvenile and arose out of opportunity.

http://andy.twoboysandtheiregos.com/

Posted by Andy on from Shanghai 03/05 at 01:55 PM

Great post today Mickey. Your Moms gotta be awesome to have brought you into this world. Love the Whitman quote too.

In other news, Luna Baby was born last night at 10:55pm PST. Both Mother and Boy child are happy and healthy awaiting release from the hospital tomorrow morning . Sadly he already has a social security number and must be registered with the Province within 30 days. They gave us a packet and everything… On top of which we’ll receive an in home visit in the next month or so from a public health nurse. I am told this is perfectly normal and is required of everyone. How lovely. Hopefully she won’t count cats. We’re technically 2 over what’s zoned in our area, being anarchists we have 4 hoping it will topple the government. haha

Anyways, back to the hospital! Peace and love everyone! Lots of love and best wishes to your Mom Mick! She looks great in the picture!

Luna

Posted by Luna_C on from The Delta 03/05 at 02:25 PM

MZ, you clearly have the same spirit as your mom. I hope she gets to view these comments from the Expendables.

Andy, you are my hero. Madame Tussaud’s has seen much worse, I’m sure. Q: When they made a fake of a fake, was there a rip in the space-time taffeta? We’d have to check the dates a-la The X Files or Buckaroo Banzai.

Headlines rhymes with breadlines, for whatever that’s worth. And the Daily Show’s old promo said “When the news breaks, we fix it.” Just like the USG!

Captcha sez “bad.” I say comedy’s a rough bidness.

Posted by Zen Prole on from Urth 03/05 at 02:58 PM

CONGRATULATIONS LUNA BABY !!!

Mickey, thanks for the photo of your beautiful Mom. I hope that you get good news about her illness soon. Also Hoping for the best for Michele’s Mom. A relative of mine has beat one of the worse forms of cancer, peritoneal. She was lucky to have the very best of medical care and a great doctor. After many years, she is now on maintenance chemo and doing very well. Her cancer is being treated like a chronic disease.

Congratulations on your new home, Deb.

Robert B. Livingston...the cancer cluster studies are interesting. I followed the news about the one on Long Island for a while.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 03/05 at 03:11 PM

Hello everyone. Been pretty busy lately, but I had to stop by to send my regards to Mickey and his mother. I don’t know you as well as many here, but what little I do know is that you’re a hell of a guy, so it would only stand to reason your mom is a hell of a lady.

Never give up. Stay optimistic. I know it’s been discussed in here about how there’s a fanciful theory being promoted that says if you just believe, you can get whatever you want. Certainly that theory isn’t realistic, but I’ve found in matters of health, that a positive outlook can often make a greater difference than you might think. Stay strong and hopefully, your mother will feed off of that.

I send nothing but my best wishes.

Posted by Banta on from Florida 03/05 at 05:26 PM

A brilliant and moving article, Mickey. All I can offer now is this poem from a friend of mine, in reference to comments from yesterday:

Galacticus and Surfer, hear my cry
My family and I don’t want to die
We like our Earth, we like our lives just fine
So reconsider, please, where you should dine

There’s so much here for us to do and see
Just look around, we think you will agree
We love Bronx Science, hell’s Kitchen, Maspeth, Queens
We’d hate to see them die in tears and screams

O Galactus the Dread, o won’t you taste
A slice of Mars, instead of lay’n to waste
our happy home - or maybe you would try
a mushroom barley soup or ham on rye

Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 03/05 at 06:28 PM

Hello Expendables. We’re back from the hospital and Michele’s mom is fine. Surgery went well and so far, all biopsies are benign. As for my mom, her first day of treatment is over but it’s way too early to have any idea how it’s going. By tomorrow, I will be able to talk to her and by Thursday, I can see her in person. Thanks for all the support and good cheer. Trust me, I share all this with her and it truly helps. I won’t even try to thank you all by name, but you guys rock. Tonight, I consider myself the luckiest blogger on the face of the earth.

Luna: CONGRATULATIONS, my friend. A baby Expendable has joined this crazy planet. Another powerful, urgent reason why none of us can ever, ever give up fighting for a better society...no matter what.

Andy: Awesome photo. I laughed out loud and it felt great.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 03/05 at 07:45 PM

Great news on Michele’s mom and I am glad you are going to get to see yours soon.

Maybe we should start calling you the Iron Horse of Blogging.

Posted by JOS on from Oak Park 03/05 at 09:38 PM

Congratulations Luna!

Mickey, Your mom looks as if she still has plenty of fight left in her. I wish her and your family the best. I’m glad Your wife’s mom is ok.

Life sure is beating you around quite a bit. I hope things improve soon.

Peace!

Posted by David on from Louisville KY 03/05 at 09:55 PM

I like the picture of your mom, MZ. It’s a nice touch. It appears she’s managed to keep her sense of humor, which is important. And it’s great to hear Michele’s mom is fine. Please convey our love and support to both mom and daughter.

Congratulations, Luna!

Nice work, Andy. That’s good stuff.

Posted by Jeremy on from Taipei, Taiwan 03/06 at 02:27 AM

Thanks, JOS, David, and Jeremy.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 03/06 at 05:18 AM

Thanks, RMJ, Mickey, David and Jeremy!

It’s been quite a week here at the Luna house. It’s true what you said Mick this little man is a whole new reason for me to work to change this system.

Captcha says: “him” I think I know who it’s talking about. ;)

Posted by Luna_C on from The Delta 03/11 at 11:12 PM