love this song…

stranger in moscow…

“say say say”

heartbreak’s world is taking a slight turn…things are looking upward…the horizon…another option, opportunity to wash away the monotony of my days. don’t get me wrong…an easy, warm comfy monotony. but that in and of itself was necessary and good for all it was…time to move on into new surroundings, a nice springy step into a better way. yes! thank God.

(purposely being vague…but this just may rejuvenate your girl.)

thanks to those who supported me thru the confusion…the valley experiences. you helped me get it thru. ‘ppreciate u. love u.

thanks for my blogfriends afar…we shall call her hismuse and to my friend near…thank you for your lafter…we shall call her enn…and everybody else in between.

ledisi’s ‘upside down’

Upside Down
Turn it around around around
Upside down
Got to change

World, are listening
World, pay attention
Oh World, where is your heart?
World, love gave us this start again

I see(everybody looking for)everybody’s looking for (the answer that we open the door)the answer that will open the door
(The key to everlasting life) to obtain everlasting life
Too much pain inside

Chorus

Leaders with your hands out
There are children with empty mouths
Preachers tell us about the lies
So we can learn live right

I see(everybody looking for)everybody’s looking for (the answer that we open the door)the answer that will open the door
(The key to everlasting life) to obtain everlasting life
Too much pain inside

Chorus

Do something
We got to make it better
What about the babies
Save the World, Save the World

Turn it around around
Turn it upside down
We got to turn it around

note to self: don’t die (ryan adams)

I’m as blue
I’m as blue as the ocean is true, it’s just reflections of the sky
I’m as cold
I’m as cold as the stories you told but never sick enough to die
Note to self: don’t change for anyone
Note to self: don’t die
Note to self: don’t change for anyone
Don’t change, just lie
I’m as sick
I’m as crass as the things in your past, you wished that you could let them go
Caged birds
Caged animals starving for class
In your house when you’re alone
Note to self: don’t change for anyone
Note to self: don’t die
Note to self: don’t change for anyone
Don’t change, just lie
Who do you call when you’re alone
Nobody, baby
Who do you want to be, figure out and just let me know
Don’t change, don’t change, don’t change
Just let me go
Just let me go
Just let me go

(album rock n roll)

Bill Clinton on Haiti trip praises Michael Jackson

Tue Jul 7, 2:56 pm ET
by the Associated Press
link: http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-world-latinamerica/20090707/CB.Haiti.Bill.Clinton.Jackson

GONAIVES, Haiti – Bill Clinton paused during an aid mission to Haiti on Tuesday to honor Michael Jackson for helping the Democratic Party raise cash at a crucial time.

The former U.S. president, now a special U.N. envoy to Haiti, recalled Jackson’s performance at a 2002 fundraiser at New York’s Apollo theater.

“He basically helped save my party from terrible financial distress, so he was very kind to me personally,” Clinton said during a stop on his tour of a still-struggling northern Haiti, where floods killed several hundred people last year.

Clinton, his face bright red under a scorching summertime Caribbean sun, spoke fondly of Jackson, recalling that the singer performed at his first inauguration in 1993. He also said Jackson had struggled with the burden of early fame.

“He was an immensely gifted man and I think he basically meant well,” Clinton told The Associated Press. “I know about all the trouble he had in his life and I hope he will be remembered for his contribution as an artist. I hope his children turn out well. That would be the greatest tribute you could have.”

michael jackson: what’s the problem?

if 31 million people watched the michael jackson memorial on television i’m sure the numbers of individuals who streamed the content is astronomical.

in writing this i imagine some may cringe, tired of all the michael news coverage, commentary, talking heads, talking points, blogs, tweets, twitterers, columns on the pop star…the legendary michael jackson. apparently being a global legend does get you major, endless, fanatical, constant airtime. it’s who legends are. they’ve captured us…intrigued us enough with their lives, their arts and their gifts…what they gave is that hard to classify obsession that lives in our psyche, beneath our breath, tumbling in the back of our minds…we simply can’t get enough. and by the globe’s response to michael jackson…we who are still talking are indeed not alone.

i guess i’m a bit disappointed at speaker nancy pelosi’s refusal to allow the debate to go forth on resolution 600 brought forward by representative sheila jackson lee. the resolution would be a testament to michael jackson as a global humanitarian. i cringe when i hear pelosi, obama, colin powell, even though i respect them deeply, associate michael jackson’s life with ’sadness’ and as ‘tragic.’ these claims have nothing to do with michael jackson’s giving to the world.

what are their (and other naysayer’s) valid concerns? the child molestation accusations? well, he was acquitted. are they saying our judicial system is faulty? these are elected officials. his face? he was diagnosed with lupus and a skin condition called vitiligo. he speaks about using make-up to even out his skin tone. the oxygen chamber? the elephant man’s bones? false, michael said to oprah he wouldn’t want the elephant man’s bones and that the chamber was technology for burn victims. i believe it was something he purchased as a therapeutic device for burn victims and donated the hyperbaric equipment to a medical center in california. plastic surgery? in hollywood? are you kidding? i personally believe michael never needed it, but who am i. wearing colorful surgical masks, walking around in the sun underneath umbrellas? again, people who have vitiligo and lupus have great sensitivity to sunlight. his love for children as odd, strange, weird? he gave to the sickest of them. loved them dearly. check his list of charities. because he was so famous at such a young age, michael has said his affinity to help children is from his lack of being able to have a true childhood. i believe he felt that the purity and unconditional love of a child’s affection wasn’t tainted by greed and manipulation. why ever would he want to hurt them or victimize them? he has said that kind of behavior is not in his heart. veiled his children from society? perhaps because he didn’t want the press to overuse their images. an addiction to pain medications? lupus is very painful. he doesn’t like women? even if he didn’t…why would that be an issue? just listened from the mouth of stephanie mills that he was “a good kisser, looked cute in his underwear and was very much a manly man.” besides he’s linked to brooke shields, lisa marie presley, apparently the woman from ‘the way you make me feel’ video, tatiana thumbtzen, stephanie mills…not a bad line-up.

if you are a passionate michael jackson fan and feel he is being viewed unfair…it’s a free country, write about your feelings. write your government if you support the resolution.

all the allegations, criticisms, bad jokes, crazy names and rumors about the life of such an amazing person are unfounded. let it go. michael jackson was not the freak that people perceived him to be or wanted him to be. he was kind, caring, crazy talented, genius and will forever be ‘the greatest entertainer that ever lived.’ if you can’t enjoy him for what he is…i suppose i feel sorry for you…more than i do anyone else.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Rejects Michael Jackson Resolution

‘I don’t think it’s necessary,’ Pelosi says.
By Gil Kaufman
link: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1615618/20090709/jackson_michael.jhtml

During the Michael Jackson memorial on Tuesday, Democratic Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas proudly proclaimed her support for House Resolution 600 in praise of the King of Pop, even holding up a copy of her proposal honoring the singer for his humanitarian efforts during a lengthy, loving speech about the singer.

A number of Republicans in the House — most notoriously New York Representative Peter King — were quick to shoot down the effort and on Wednesday, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the chorus. While she said she would allow fellow House members to express their sorrow over the pop icon’s passing, Pelosi stated emphatically that she didn’t think a resolution was necessary.

According to a transcript of her weekly press conference provided by her office, when asked at a news conference if she would support the resolution, Pelosi said, “Michael Jackson was a great, great performer … [there's] lots of sadness there for many reasons.”

She went on to say there is plenty of “opportunity on the floor of the House to express their sympathy or their praise any time that they wish. I don’t think it’s necessary for us to have a resolution.” She added that a resolution would open up Jackson’s life to “contrary views that are not necessary at this time to be expressed in association with a resolution whose purpose is quite different,” seemingly referring to the more sordid elements of Jackson’s life, including two allegations of child molestation and allegations that he abused prescription medication.

The non-binding resolution proposed by Jackson Lee — who noted during her speech on Tuesday that Jackson was acquitted on criminal charges of sexual molestation of a child in 2005 — would have been a symbolic gesture from lawmakers with no legal or political implications. Pelosi’s spokesperson said the House Speaker was not available at press time for further comment and a spokesperson for Jackson Lee could not be reached for comment.

Was Lupus the Reason for Michael Jackson’s Glove?

Michael Jackson’s Glove and Umbrellas Indicate Lupus
By DAN CHILDS
July 9, 2009
link: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MichaelJackson/story?id=8041395&page=1

As speculation about Michael Jackson’s health problems swirls after his June 25 death, it appears that many of his signature habits seem to confirm that he struggled with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disorder. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects 1.5 million people.

On Wednesday, Dr. Arnie Klein, Jackson’s physician, told “Good Morning America” that he had diagnosed Jackson, 50, with lupus, a disease in which the body comes under attack from its own immune system. The result is inflammation, pain and damage to certain tissues of the body.

Hints of how Jackson dealt with such a condition can be found in his personal style choices, from the surgical mask he occasionally donned to his signature white glove.

According to the Lupus Foundation of America, at least at least 1.5 million Americans have lupus, and about 5 million people throughout the world have some form of the disease.

Dr. Robert Lahita, a professor of medicine at Mount Sinai Medical School who has has written numerous books on lupus and other autoimmune conditions, told “Good Morning America” that what we know about Jackson’s other medical conditions may also point to lupus.

“He had a form of skin lupus, called discoid lupus, which affects about 40 percent of the patients with lupus,” Lahita said, adding that this condition can lead to depigmentation of the skin, among other things.

“Michael Jackson acknowledged having vitiligo, having splotches of the skin,” Lahita said.

This condition may explain why Jackson was often seen carrying an umbrella, as these patients are normally advised to avoid sun exposure.

But for many of Jackson’s fans, the implication that the singer’s famous single white glove may have been camouflage for his condition may be most intriguing. It was a possibility that Lahita called “very interesting.”

michael jackson lyrics

i think people forget the depth a lot of michael jackson lyrics held. not only could you dance to the music and [try to] imitate the moves…you could also appreciate the empathy or politics behind them.

If you can’t feed your baby
Then don’t have a baby
And don’t think maybe
If you can’t feed your baby
You’ll be always tryin’ to stop that child from cryin’
Hustlin’, stealin’, lyin’, now baby’s slowly dyin’

(from “wanna be startin’ something” thriller 1982)

Tell me what has become of my rights
Am I invisible because you ignore me?
Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now
I’m tired of bein’ the victim of shame
They’re throwing me in a class with a bad name
I can’t believe this is the land from which I came
You know I do really hate to say it
The government don’t wanna see
But if Roosevelt was livin’
He wouldn’t let this be, no, no

Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, speculation
Everybody litigation
Beat me, bash me
You can never trash me
Hit me, kick me
You can never get me

All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us

Some things in life they just don’t wanna see
But if Martin Luther was livin’
He wouldn’t let this be

(from “they don’t care about us” HIStory 1995)

As I, turn up the collar on
my favorite winter coat
This wind is blowing my mind
I see the kids in the streets,
with not enough to eat
Who am I, to be blind
Pretending not to see their needs

(from “man in the mirror” bad 1987)

Tired of injustice
Tired of the schemes
Life is disgustin’
So what does it mean
Kicking me down
I got to get up
As jacked as it sounds
The whole system sucks

Peek in the shadow
Come into the light
You tell me I’m wrong
Then you better prove you’re right
You’re sellin’ out souls but
I care about mine
I’ve got to get stronger
And I won’t give up the fight

With such confusions
Don’t it make you wanna scream

(from “scream” HIStory 1995)

regularly scheduled programming

wow…i’ve been away.

[listening to 'you' by radiohead]

i’ve spent the last hour or so watching oprah winfrey’s 1993 interview with michael jackson. i find that my sympathy deepens more as the days pass. my heart breaks for his family, his children. for the way he has been vilified by media. what is true and not arguable is that the day michael jackson’s soul left this earth we truly lost a dynamic spirit. nothing else would explain the reach of this man. his rare ability to connect is unexplainable and more than astounding. we will never see a person quite like this.

so many people are so quick to call him names, attack his character. he’s been called a lot of things…but do these people really know? did they ever meet him? did they ever have access to him? how can you call someone something and be so sure that’s what they are when you don’t know and there’s no law that said otherwise? why are we so limited in our thinking and understanding of each other? and why is it that the greater/smarter/more talented person you are…you often get criticized and picked apart even more? why are we so threatened by ambition as if it would take something away from us?

who else can claim having a spot in the guinness book of world records for being the most charitable star? who else can equal the depth of michael jackson’s giving?

why would he even care?

michael jackson is many things to me. i’m blessed to have seen his brilliance in my lifetime. he inspires me more.

i’m in awe of the way he feels music so much that his body responds perfectly to it. he teaches me about sounds when i listen to him talk about his creative process. someone who feels so deeply has to have such an open mind, such an open heart an inward responsive spirit that i guess at times they do stand out as ‘different’ but why is different something negative or wrong?

anyway…here’s a shortened list of michael jackson’s contributions:
http://www.jacksonaction.com/?page=charity.htm

the message i’ll try and hold to me from michael jackson’s life and example is to simply be my best.