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December 1, 2004
Good news and great news

I have good news – and I have great news.

The good news is that Bernhard has kindly given me a set of keys to the Moon, which I hope to use to keep this site going with all of you. I will try to keep the site as lively as Bernhard has managed to do, and keep the spirit of the place as it has been. Of course, your contributions will be essential to this endeavor and je compte sur vous to keep it humming as it has in recent times.

So, a big hurrah for Bernhard and a glass on the house to encourage you to stay around!

The great news, and I hope you will allow me to delve in this small personal item, is that I am coming back from the hospital, where I have just been told that my son’s tumor has been cut in half by the first round of chimio (expectations were – maybe, barely, some reduction will be noticeable). So the doctor is pleasantly surprised and we are ecstatic and I hope that the good news above will enable you to share our good spirits!

We often discuss depressing news and serious topic on this site; this will certainly continue, but can I enjoin you to take some time today to think about your friends and family, remember and celebrate whatever good news or happy events you have had recently, and share them (if only through a smile).

Remember, “in the long run, we’ll all be dead” – but in the meantime we can have some fun!

Posted by on December 1, 2004 at 18:54 UTC | Permalink
Comments

Jerome – The first news is terrific but the second put tears in my eyes. I am so happy for you and your family!

Posted by: beq | Dec 1 2004 19:02 utc | 1

I’d buy champagne for everyone if I could.

Posted by: beq | Dec 1 2004 19:04 utc | 2

Thankful for the great news concerning you son, Jerome.

Posted by: Blackie | Dec 1 2004 19:06 utc | 3

i am extremely happy that moon can stay but am very very happy for you jérôme & your son
some good news for a change
still steel

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Dec 1 2004 19:20 utc | 4

yup

Posted by: slothrop | Dec 1 2004 19:23 utc | 5

Jerome,
A soulful thanks for keeping this place open, but an even bigger sigh of relief about your son. What a great way to head into the holiday season — thankful about family, thankful about being able to keep in touch with such dear political friends here.
Hugs all around!

Posted by: SusanG | Dec 1 2004 20:08 utc | 6

Jerome………. the great news is about your son. Nothing else matters when it comes to loved ones.
The good news, well I have to say that Bernhard gets my humblest respect for what he has done.
The King is dead, long live the King.

Posted by: Cloned Poster | Dec 1 2004 20:50 utc | 7

I just fucking Love You all.
Thanks just won’t do it now.

Posted by: juannie | Dec 1 2004 20:55 utc | 8

all hail the new Barkeep! long may his towel wipe and his unerring eye check the levels in the bottles!
but seriously, Jerome, wonderful news about the progress w/your son’s chemo regime. what a hopeful note to end a tough year on! thanks for letting us barflies know.

Posted by: DeAnander | Dec 1 2004 20:57 utc | 9

I’m glad we’re keeping it in Euros. Our local communities/cultures have to reach beyond. We’re too amerika saturated. I’ll send $, euros, whatever to keep this going Jérôme. Let us know.

Posted by: juannie | Dec 1 2004 21:10 utc | 10

jerome so very glad the site will remain open, but your other news has made my christmas.

Posted by: onzaga | Dec 1 2004 21:22 utc | 11

Vive Jerome! Vive Bernhard! Vive le fil d’Jerome! Wodka Zubrowka for everyone — my treat. Jerome, I cannot tell you how happy the first piece of news made me — until I read the second. I have two sons, so your situation struck right at my heart. Obviously, the karmic wheel is trying to balance itself in some small way, and you are a most appropriate beneficiary. Bernhard, vielen Dank fur all Ihre schweres Arbeit fur MofA (sorry, I can’t do umlauts or accents). I hope you will continue to contribute your unparalleled insights. Vivat!

Posted by: Anonymous | Dec 1 2004 21:33 utc | 12

Yes, I agree – good news and great news.
May the Creative Forces of the Universe be with us all.

Posted by: mistah charley | Dec 1 2004 22:22 utc | 13

tonight i read mr adorno – -a biographie to be exact (in part to make sure my conseil to slothrop is exact as i want it to be) & listening to the mournfull weeping of van morrison telling me where poetic champions compose
& i’m doubly glad that we’re stll here
jérôme, since we share the same terre – if you need any assistance contact me
& b – do not leave i like my anti imperialists to be tank drivers since i am a lowly infantryman in the stuggle – but my aim is true
there are so many good voices here – don’t want to lose contact especially as the battle is only beginning
but i do want to say something else – my melancholy & my fury are my own – they have their own historical precedents & i am sometimes worried that i might infect the better angels -deanander amongs them – with that melancholy – that is not my intention – nor has it ever been
all things considered. i’m alive. & given my history that was never guaranteed & so i give blessing that that survival is stronger still. steel stronger. still stronger.
reading the latest from riverbend, empire notes,, read in the middle & the other iraqui blogs fill me with despair as does the conference of birds (generals) in ‘rolling stone’ who all say that this war is a fuck up of unprecedented proportions
where is our friend sic transit gloria & his bank of links & i am reminded too how that treasure ‘outraged’ is not here to offer links & counsel – though there are others here who are rigorous in that task – b – chief amongst them
all to say – thanks
still steel

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Dec 1 2004 22:47 utc | 14

Congratulations, Jerome, on the very good news about your son.
It’s nice to hear some good news in the world once in a while.

Posted by: FlashHarry | Dec 1 2004 22:54 utc | 15

wonderful, truly beautiful news, Jerome. A Merry Christmas indeed.
And thank you, especially considering all your other responsibilities, for taking on the Moon as well.
Although we all do not know one another in the real world, I am very grateful to know you all here. You have enriched my life.

Posted by: fauxreal | Dec 1 2004 23:12 utc | 16

Hello Jerome,
It is fantastic news about your son. I have thought about your situation many times since your announcement. May good tidings be with you and your family in the holiday season.
On the MOA, great news that Jerome is going to keep it open. But I must say, Bernhard, we will miss your hosting and you have breached topics that needed talked about on a regular basis. Congrats for your efforts.

Posted by: jdp | Dec 1 2004 23:31 utc | 17

Yay! Now since the Whiskey is closed were can you get a drink around here?

Posted by: Scape | Dec 1 2004 23:40 utc | 18

That’s excellent news, Jérôme. I hope the rest will be dealt with as quickly and your son will be safe and secure as soon as possible.
Concerning taking the keys to the Moon, beware of burnout. We post so much that I wonder how a working person can read all the posts – I can’t read them all even though I spend a lot of time here around, to the expense of my sleeping time. And I hope Bernhard will still post here when he wants to; he has good insights and has touched some topics that would’ve been barely mentioned otherwise.

Posted by: Clueless Joe | Dec 2 2004 0:09 utc | 19

Jerome,
That is so terrific I can’t even summon the proper adjectives! :^)

Posted by: OkieByAccident | Dec 2 2004 0:26 utc | 20

Ah, the Moon is indeed shining brightly tonight.
Here’s a toast to your wonderful news, Jerome!
And thanks to all for making this place so hospitable and enriching.

Posted by: Bea | Dec 2 2004 0:45 utc | 21

Reading Jerome, and then this thread. It´s just… don´t know what to say.
I think I´ll share what I´m smiling about. For the first time in weeks I had some time to go out with some friends, get some drinks and then dance and talk until the place closed and we had to go home. It was fun and I so needed it.
Still snow in Sweden (though it is slippery, it is beautiful)

Posted by: A swedish kind of death | Dec 2 2004 0:59 utc | 22

@skd: You’re killing me. :->

Posted by: beq | Dec 2 2004 1:30 utc | 23

I have mostly lurked here, but feel like I “know” everyone. I come here daily to read the true economic news, among other things, and I’m glad it’s not going anywhere.
Jerome, I’m thrilled for your family; it’s so heartening to know your son is responding to treatment so well and that this modern world (and old fashioned good vibes) is/are good for something.

Posted by: Lisa B-K | Dec 2 2004 3:00 utc | 24

Beatiful.

Posted by: Allen/Vancouver | Dec 2 2004 3:43 utc | 25

As someone else said, good news and great news!

Posted by: Ferdzy | Dec 2 2004 3:50 utc | 26

Jerome, a few times in the past you have given news of your son and the cancer. how could you not? how could you post this or that sort of news,and not tell also of the closest thing to your life?
I, hearing these true things that were scalding your heart kept silent,because what would my words mean as a stranger? I did not want to intrude,or cheapen your grief and anxiety by my easy words of solace.
But this I can say now!
HOSSANNA!

Posted by: possum | Dec 2 2004 4:03 utc | 27

Party at my house! uh, wait…. party at Moon of Alabama!!!!
Man, Jérôme, can thank you enough for taking on the burden of running the joint. And if you feel burn out coming on, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Fantasitic news about your son. Ok, everyone, don’t relax just yet, we have to keep sending out those good vibes and help zap the other 50% of that tumor.

Posted by: Stoy | Dec 2 2004 4:22 utc | 28

the smiles here tonite are brighter than any moon i’ve ever seen. to your family, Jérôme..cheers!

Posted by: b real | Dec 2 2004 4:24 utc | 29

Brave parents! Brave boy! We’ve been pulling for you, Jerome, but we never dared to ask, because we’re scared, because we worry about bad luck, and because we don’t want to hear bad news….But when the good news comes…ah, what fine fresh air that is! ….And keeping MoA alive? That’s a festival all by itself, a special kind of gladness (because we’ve been taking some losses lately, one by one)….More and more fresh air, therefore–as in that cold and brilliant (if sunless) “tunnel” up in Trumso (there’s a Norwegian word for “tunnel”–which is the name, I’m told, for the six weeks preceding and following the winter solstice)…..

Posted by: alabama | Dec 2 2004 5:13 utc | 30

…..We need help from abroad, we Americans do: for the moment, Europe itself feels rather foreign hereabouts (even in Alabama), because there’s a stupefying ethos of isolation all over the place–riddled, to be sure, with every undeniable sign that the “foreign” is everywhere within (we’re running a deficit in our current account for agricultural products, if you can imagine such a thing). ….Jerome, dear man and dear hero (or anyone else, for that matter)–where do I find the circumflex and the acute accent on this computer, which happens to be a Mac (this is the place where we learn things…)?

Posted by: alabama | Dec 2 2004 5:13 utc | 31

[glug] [glug] [glug] [glug]
Ahhh!
Thanksh, Beq! That’sh good shtuff!
And thank you, Jérôme!

Posted by: Harrow | Dec 2 2004 5:13 utc | 32

Alabama, try Alt+0233 or Alt+130 for the “é”, and Alt+0244 or Alt+147 for an “ô”. If that doesn’t work, then there’s no accounting for Macs.

Posted by: Harrow | Dec 2 2004 5:20 utc | 33

Merci Jérôme, this is really good news and your great news about your son brings up, for the first time this season, a mood of Christmas for me.

Posted by: Fran | Dec 2 2004 5:31 utc | 34

No accounting as yet for Macs, Harrow, but thanks for the pointer: Alt + something is surely the way to go….

Posted by: alabama | Dec 2 2004 5:33 utc | 35

alabama –
é – type option+e then e. the option+e makes the accent and will work with other vowels.
unfortunately, i do not remember how to get the circonflex.
but if you want the ñ in spanish, it is option+n then n.
if i can find the chart which gives all of the key strokes for accents, etc., i will gladly send you the info for the circonflex, but it may take awhile to locate.

Posted by: conchita | Dec 2 2004 5:41 utc | 36

wonderful, Jerome. May the good news continue. Now, you’re main problem is to try to avoid the trap of over-indulging & over-protecting him in yr. relief, gratitude & fear! I hope you have other children to make that a little easier.
Also, fantastic that you’re keeping the doors open, etc. here. As someone who’d like them open for some time to come, would you consider sharing the burden so that you don’t burn-out. Seems too much for one. Above all, please pay attention to yourself & your family. If you’re feeling the least tired, PLEASE, reach out to share the load before you’re burned to a crisp.
And, may I request again, that you read & discuss, lead discussion of Amory Lovins recent report on Energy Planning in the US. He’s our number one guy on that subject, so it could & should have a major impact on policy & grass-roots activism.

Posted by: jj | Dec 2 2004 5:41 utc | 37

éééé…..Jé(rome)…..conchita, we’re halfway there…muchas gracias, señora!
(ñ, ñ, ñ….)

Posted by: alabama | Dec 2 2004 5:56 utc | 38

jerome, i could not be happier for you! my younger brother had surgery while very young for a blod clot on his brain and i remember well how frightened we all were and how difficult it was to see him come home with his head swathed in bandages. i have to admit that he shamelessly milked the sympathy as long as he could, and while healing and growing back his hair thought nothing of wandering off on the beach on the lookout for more appetizing snacks which every mother was happy to give to the “mentally challenged” boy he pretended to be. i hope your son has as speedy and witty a recovery as my brother (now a father himself). he is fortunate to have such strong and loving parents. i am so happy that he has that amazing healing potential that children possess. what a wonderful holiday gift for all of you!
thank you so much for taking on moonofalabama and giving the magnificent minds here a place to meander. i don’t post much, preferring instead to absorb. i have always particularly enjoyed hearing your rational and informed perspective and look forward to your front page posts.

Posted by: conchita | Dec 2 2004 6:01 utc | 39

FANTASTIC JEROME. my love goes out to you and your whole family.
today i also heard from susang and her daughter is doing wonderfully also. must be some lucky stars. we deserve some good news around here.
thank you bernard, for everything, come back and visit us. it’s great to see everyone out tonight.

Posted by: annie | Dec 2 2004 6:21 utc | 40

alabama – ¡señorita!

Posted by: conchita | Dec 2 2004 7:05 utc | 41

Just as alabama said, Jerome, with joyful exclamation.
And speaking of going to Europe – as alabama did a few threads back -we may be headed there again ourselves. It was hard to leave it the last time, as we had fallen in love with our own quiet little corner of Belgium, where the sun shone less, but more beautifully, than any other place of my close acquaintance.

Posted by: Pat | Dec 2 2004 8:00 utc | 42

It’s great to hear that the chemeotherapy is working.
I presently have two close friends undergoing chemeotherapy, so news of successful treatment is
a real lift, although nothing, I’m sure, compared to the
elation you must feel now, Jérôme. I know it’s an old
cliché, but I still wonder how much farther along medical progress would be if all the money spent on
armaments were re-allocated to peaceful goals.

Posted by: Hannah K. O’Luthon | Dec 2 2004 8:05 utc | 43

Jérome
Bon Ton Roule

Posted by: anna missed | Dec 2 2004 9:02 utc | 44

It’s great to hear that the little French boy who kept coming back to my mind over the past weeks is better. And I am just as glad for his parents, esp. for his father, whose intelligence, enthusiasm and humanity I do appreciate so much.
It takes so little to realise that there is so much to work for.
Bernhard, I hope we will keep meeting here from time to time.

Posted by: teuton | Dec 2 2004 10:00 utc | 45

Having followed the story of your son’s medical trials with concern, I’m delighted that you have good news to report – and hope for even better news for you and your family in the near future. Best of luck, and healing, to you all.
Like all the others here, I have appreciated Bernhard’s efforts and insights the past few months and hope he continues to post here. However, he leaves management of the establishment in excellent hands. Many thanks to both of you.
Good news and great news, indeed. My radio show will be especially upbeat today.

Posted by: lonesomeG | Dec 2 2004 15:16 utc | 46

Thank you for taking this on Jerome.
Lonesome,
send me an email <>stoniest@hotmail.com<>
I need solace in Falwell country. Promise to be discreet as I’m sure you need that.

Posted by: rapt | Dec 2 2004 16:36 utc | 47

Wonderful, wonderful news. Heart’s laughter all around – thank you from me too for letting us know.

Posted by: Citizen | Dec 2 2004 18:50 utc | 48

Finally some good news from the ever-vanishing blogosphere. And very uplifting news about your son. It’s been almost a year since my grandfather passed from complications brought on by cancer, and in the past year a few others I know have lost the battle. I get so angry sometimes at how helpless we are to help loved ones who are sick… it’s nice to hear that someone is coming out ahead, especially a child that has his whole life in front of him. Meilleurs voeux.

Posted by: kat | Dec 2 2004 20:05 utc | 49

Oh Jerome…this is truly wonderful news about your son. I, too, was wondering how it was going but did not want to ask. Really uplifting news!
Also, I’m thrilled you will be moderating and leading this site. Thrilled that this community of interesting, stimulating, thoughtful people will continue on for some time.
I would be happy to make a financial contribution if that is useful.

Posted by: maxcrat | Dec 3 2004 1:33 utc | 50

Jerome,
Sentiments les meilleurs a votre famille. Et merci beaucoup.
[I don’t have a Mac.]

Posted by: gylangirl | Dec 3 2004 3:58 utc | 51

Great news about your son, Jerome. Here’s hoping for a 100% recovery asap.

Posted by: fourmorewars | Dec 3 2004 20:14 utc | 52

Jerome, Like Lisa upthread, I’m mostly a reader. However, because I visit this site everyday, I feel that I would like to post this message. I am glad to hear your good and great news. Thanks, and my thoughts are with you.

Posted by: mer | Dec 3 2004 23:33 utc | 53

Hi. I’m a long-time lurker living in Hanoi. I was terribly sad to see moonofalabama headed for oblivion, and feel quite a lot happier now. Merci, Jerome, pour avoir pris cette responsabilite. Et mes meilleurs voeux pour vous, votre fils and votre famille.

Posted by: hanoi-john | Dec 5 2004 5:06 utc | 54

Fabulous news!!! May the rest of his tumor shrink to nothing in the new year.
Alabama, if you’re still reading, option i works on the Mac for a circumflex.
Glad to hear the blog will keep going as well.

Posted by: fourlegsgood | Dec 5 2004 5:10 utc | 55

Late to the party here (I’ve been away several days and am just catching up), but if there are any stragglers left, may I add my own Hurrah!!
Thanks and congratulations Jerome, and thanks Bernhard too.

Posted by: semper ubi | Dec 6 2004 12:56 utc | 56

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