Jay Electronica made a tribute to honor the late. great King of Pop, Michael Jackson with a picture video to his banger of a track “Exhibit C” and is dubbed Audiograph Memorial. Jay shares his motivation for the tribute below:
Posted verbatim:
I made this because i have loved Michael Jackson all of my life. All of my memories from about 5 years old or so (which is about as far back as i remember with some ease) can be tied to or associated with or landmarked by some musical contribution of Michael Jackson at that time. From then, all the way to now. He is a dark fingerprint on a very large part of who I am and who most of the people I know personally are. And thats why i posted this picture along with this song. The response to this song is amazing, and overwhelming and i appreciate all of the love and support it is recieving from everywhere. And i dedicate all of this positive energy toward a Great Hero of mine (although not perfect) who has performed many miracles in his physical life and who has and will be for many moons continue to be a glowing light in the dark for those who see something better inside of themselves and have the will and desire to pursue it. Evolution. May our good works be recorded and duplicated, and may our sins be recorded and forgiven. Amen — Jay Electronica
2010 is swiftly approaching, a new decade a new year. I saw this questionnaire on reflections on Mrs. Bynum’s blog and thought that I’d fill it out too. It was an odd year….more travel than ever (yay!) but my world was rocked negatively as well, like by MJ’s death (womp fucking womp ). Anyway, here’s my answers to the questions:
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
I chopped my hair off and went natural October 2009 = my big chop (bc) and hello twa (not THAT tiny, i transitioned for 10 months) and hello to better hair products and doing my own hair.
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t make a resolution last year. Just said whatever happens happens….and indeed, it happened :p
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes! I am officially a godmommy this year My sweet chocolate drop, Denia, was born.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes….I’ve grown up loving Michael Jackson, that was a hard blow. He seemed so sweet and cute ‘85 and below, then was gotdamn SEXY 86-92, I was in love. Life happened and I didn’t pay him much attention in later years, but I’ll always have my love for him from way back when. And TII movie shows he still had it! RIP boo and I hope that you are in a WAY better place than this hellhole.
5. What countries did you visit?
Didn’t go out of the country this year. I have been to Europe and Caribbean tho. Went all over the states tho, San Diego, LA, NYC for first time, Miami, Vegas.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
An amazing romance and to be rid of my hs
7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
June 25th…..see number 4. Sigh
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I suck, I can’t think of any great achievement that I accomplished this year
9. What was your biggest failure?
Didn’t finish my book and didn’t lose weight
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the same stuff as always
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My new jewelry has brought me the most joy, my hello kitty necklace, ring, and new swarvoski ring. I like shiny baubles
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Michelle Obama has been a great, classy, down to earth first lady, I applaud her! She’s a wonderful mommy, great wife, lovely lady. Inauguration day was amazing to behold.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Ignorant people, both black and white. White’s with their racist antics when President Obama won, some just showing their ASSES. Black’s with their always self defeating attitudes, “I’m so hood” “You act white (as soon as someone is different or speaks well)” ass shaking all over the screens and coon-ish behavior. Seriously, grow the hell up and get useful
14. Where did most of your money go?
Food (going out to dinner to try new restaurants), student loans
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Good question…hmm….I don’t remember being super super excited this year about anything….I’ve been melancholy
16. What smell will always remind you of 2009?
Lol….um…..Oyin Frank Juice? It reminds me of going natural and loving my hair smell
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:- i. happier or sadder?
sadder because nothings changed, nothing epic is going on..just another drag
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Working out
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Procrastinating on writing my book
20. Did you fall in love in 2009?
:ninja:
21. How many one-night stands?
bwahaha….many….in my dreams
22. What was your favorite TV program?
Criminal Minds! I love that show
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Dr. Conrad Murray
24. What was the best book you read?
I’ve read so many and can you believe that I’m drawing a blank? I’ve enjoyed many of them and can’t think of the best….I’m reading the Diana Ross Biography right now, enjoy that a lot. Makes me feel like a talentless slacker tho, lol.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
MJ stuff I hadn’t listened to before. I’ve always loved Thriller and Bad album, but I’ve discovered some teenage years stuff that I really like (All I Do is my SONG right now..omg, where was that all of my life?? swoooon)
26. What did you want and got?
New Desktop computer
27. What did you want and not get?
to be rid of hs
28. What were your favorite films of this year?
This Is It, Precious
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Turned 23 in Vegas with my Mom and best friend! It was fun, won a lil money, had fun.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
To have my hs go into remission and never come back and get a great love.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009
Well when I’m not lounging in the house with my robe and jammies writing, then I guess cute girly
32. What kept you sane?
who said I’m sane???
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
gay marriage fight still going on. equality is needed; with damn shows like the bachelor where you “win” a marriage, a high divorce rate nationwide, and celebs like pam anderson’s hoe ass being able to marry, um yeah, it’s not all THAT sacred and does carry benefits that the homosexual community deserves.
35. Whom did you miss?
my aunt louise…rip beautiful lady
36. Who was the best new person(s) you met?
Candy, Lims, Laura, London, Callie
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
Don’t take propofol
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
this quote sums up my life quite well and has for a while: Stacie Orrico, There’s gotta be more to life
I’ve got it all, but I feel so deprived
I go up, I come down and I’m emptier inside
Tell me what is this thing that I feel like I’m missing
And why can’t I let it go
There’s gotta be more to life…
Than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me
Cause the more that I’m…
Tripping out thinking there must be more to life
Well it’s life, but I’m sure… there’s gotta be more
Than wanting more
I’ve got the time and I’m wasting it slowly
Here in this moment I’m half way out the door
Onto the next thing, I’m searching for something that’s missing
I’m always waiting on something other than this
Why am I feelin’ like there’s something I missed…..
Crazy as it seems I was sitting here at my kitchen table thinking about people who passed away this year.
Patrick Swayze 57
Walter Cronkite 92
Natasha Richardson 45
Farrah Fawcett 62
Andrew Wyeth 91
Ricardo Montalban 88
Betty Jameson 89
Ted Kennedy 77
Billy Mayes
and of course
Michael Jackson
What will you say goodbye to on 12-31-2009.
I know a few things I would love to say goodbye to in an untimely manner like eating bad food, drinking to much beer and feeling stressed over everything.
There is also few things I need to say good bye to that have been around for quite sometime and now are just past the usefulness. I would say caring about gray hair OH BOY who cares I’m going on 38 and ‘Ill just say I’m a cougar from now on, nagging at dear hubby to eat dinner with the family. Humm… yea after 17 years I think I say good bye to that wish n 2010 it’s been around long enough. Worrying that my daughter will grow up ad marry some rock band kid and leave. Yep gotta give that up to if it happens it happens.
So what is new for 2010 , well I think ORGANIZATION is always on the plan. I want more things with pretty labels and more “homes ” for my stuff. I want better task and check list and I want to learn to use my computer and iphone to completely take me out of the office more and in to peoples homes, work places, restaurants and coffee houses. I want to learn to do more videos and blog more. I really want to ensure my family home and future are secure so Ill be reading more on taxes and savings this year.
That’s about it a complete in sight to my toughs this 12-29-2009 as I sit at the kitchen table reading the last few papers of the year.
The doctor at the centre of the controversy surrounding the death of the King of Pop is set to become a reality tv star.
Dr Conrad Murray’s first day back at his practice in Houston, Texas was recently filmed by a British film crew, with the documentary to be aired once the investigation into Jackson’s death has ended.
Every year at this time I have the same thoughts. No, not those kind of thoughts, I mean specific end of year type thoughts. What was the point of the last 12 months, has anything truly interesting, worthwhile or momentous happened during it, and why did I not get any pies in my Xmas stocking? So here is my personal review of the year, in several parts…
Part I: the sad bits. Like every other year throughout history there have been one or two deaths, but it is safe to say that none have been so widely reported in the international media and as lamented as the mortal-coil-shuffling-offs of the king of pop and one-time baby-dangling weirdo Michael Jackson, professional reality show contestant and pseudo-celebrity Jade Goody and ITV’s Teletext service. My wife is struggling to cope with the loss and will have to find another way to keep tabs on all the soaps she doesn’t think are worth watching.
Michael Jackson’s recently vacated position as the biggest selling musical act of recent times will no doubt be taken by Irish newcomers and regular nemeses of music impresario Simon Cowell, the unlikely and preposterous Jedward. Bizarre looking with freaky hair, surprising levels of campness and no discernable talent, Simon Cowell is nevertheless the world’s richest man yet to buy a Premier League football club. Jedward are not by any measure the best singers in the world and indeed probably not even the best singers in their family, but they nonetheless managed to rise above their mediocrity to become the most annoying yet mysteriously popular people alive – no mean achievement when you consider that Richard Hammond has yet to actually kill himself in the name of testosterone-and-gasoline-fuelled entertainment.
And finally, no mention of the year’s music can be complete without noting Susan Boyle, the million-album-selling, YouTube-topping surprise package of Britain’s Got Talent. So, thus noted, here endeth Part I… Part II to follow imminently.
Este año que se va me deja muchas satisfacciones, paso como un soplo de viento, no me di cuenta en que momento realice tantas cosas en estos doce meses.
Ingrese a la Universidad a estudiar Ciencias de la Comunicación, asistí a las Noches de Gloria (Casa de Dios) en San Salvador, El Salvador; participe en los congresos Ensancha y Hechos 29, leí mas de treinta libros en todo el año, entre otras cosas y lo mas importante crecí mucho espiritualmente.
Alrededor del mundo también sucedieron muchas cosas positivas y otras lamentablemente negativas. Podes decir que este año fue de crisis pero a la vez de bendición.
Los acontecimientos se dieron desde el primer día del mes de enero que se celebro cincuenta años de la Revolución Cubana.
Conmemoración de doscientos años del nacimiento de Edgar Allan Poe y Charles Darwin. Barack Obama recibe la presidencia de Estados Unidos, marca la historia de este país y el mundo. Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir designada primera ministra de Islandia.
Sigifredo Lopez es liberado por las FARC, convirtiéndose en el único sobreviviente del secuestro de doce diputados. Morgan Tsvangirai se convierte en Primer Ministro de Zimbabwe y su esposa lamentablemente muere en un accidente de carretera cuando el vehículo en que viajaba la pareja fue arremetido por un camión de USAID.
En Europa Oriental, Asia, Australa y Norteamérica en febrero se pudo observar un eclipse lunar.
En marzo, el papa Benedicto XVI realiza su primer viaje a África visitando, durante siete días, Camerún y Angola.
La gripe porcina obliga a suspender clases en todo México y la OMS la califica como pandemia inminente.
Dalia Grybauskaitė se convierte en la primera presidenta de Lituania,.
El jamaicano Usain Bolt bate el récord del mundo de los 100 metros lisos con una marca de 9,58 segundos durante el Campeonato Mundial en Berlín, Alemania.
Se celebra en La Habana, Cuba, la segunda edición del concierto Paz sin fronteras con la actuación de Juanes, Miguel Bosé, Olga Tañón, Silvio Rodríguez y otros cantantes y grupos, ante más de un millón de personas.
Otras noticias que dieron tristeza a nivel mundial fueron las personas conocidas internacionalmente que fallecieron como el Rey del Pop, Michael Jackson; Sidney Wood, tenista estadounidense; Beatrice Arthur, actriz estadounidense; Amparito Arozamena, actriz de cine, teatro y televisión mexicana; Patrick Swayze, actor estadounidense; Mercedes Sosa, cantante argentina y Brittany Murphy, actriz estadounidense; entre otros.
En el ambito de la literatura se celebra en Galicia (España) el Día de las Letras Gallegas en honor de Ramón Piñeiro.
La pantalla grande presento grandes películas, siendo las mas taquilleras: X-Men Origins: Wolverine; Terminador Salvation; Transformers; La venganza de los caídos; Ice Age 3; Harry Potter y el misterio del príncipe; This is It; 2012; Luna Nueva; Julie & Julia Christmas Carol y Avatar.
Los premios Oscar se llevaron a cabo en febrero, la mejor película del 2008 fue Slumdog Millionarie.
Los ganadores del Premio Nobel fueron: Artes, Norman Foster; Medicina: Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider y Jack Szostak; Literatura: Herta Müller; y Paz: Barack Obama.
EL 2010….
Trae muchas cosas positivas a la vida, Dios se manifestara en gran manera tanto en mi vida como en la de miles de personas. Será un año de prosperidad.
Algunas Fechas Importantes: • 19 de abril: bicentenario de Revolución del 19 de abril de 1810 en Venezuela.
• 25 de mayo: bicentenario de la Revolución de Mayo en la República Argentina.
• 20 de julio: bicentenario del Grito de Independencia de Colombia.
• 16 de septiembre: bicentenario de la Independencia de México.
• 18 de septiembre: bicentenario de la Primera Junta Nacional de Gobierno de Chile.
• 28 de octubre: quinto centenario del nacimiento de Francisco de Borja.
• 20 de noviembre: centenario de la Revolución mexicana.
Pero también internacionalmente habrá acontecimientos que moverán a todas las personas como el Mundial Sudáfrica, Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno Vancouver y IX Juegos Deportivos Centroamericanos, uno de los países sede será Guatemala.
En el cine se estrenaran películas, como Eclipse (saga Twilight), Harry Potter y las reliquias de la muerte (Primera Parte), y Las Crónicas de Narnia: Las travesías del viajero de alba.
¿Cual será la mejor película 2009?, ¿el mejor actor y actriz?, estas respuestas las sabremos en la entrega de los premios Oscar.
En el fútbol Copa Mundial de Clubes, Copa Libertadores de América, Liga de Campeones, UEFA Europa League y Recopa Sudamericana.
more about “LaDeana Michelle’s “Rare” Michael Jac…“, posted with vodpod
www.ladeanamichelle.com. LaDeana Michelle, stricken like the rest of the world over the untimely passing of Michael Jacksons death, took a break from her own debut album production to offer Rare–the song behind the impressive video tribute early viewers have hailed as “nothing short of phenomenal–in a memorial tribute to the King of Pop.Written, produced, arranged, composed and performed by LaDeana Michelle, Rare is a love song with strong pop appeal—that describes exactly how Michael Jacksons fans felt about him. Laced with outstanding songbird vocals that emotionally grab the listener, excerpts from Michael Jacksons most memorable videos such as Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean (Motown live performance), Smooth Criminal, and heartfelt footage of Michael as a caring, humanitarian that saved the life of a young child in need of a liver, Rare emotionally hits home and delivers in a major way.
ABOUT LADEANA MICHELLE
Multi-octave vocalist, songwriter, producer, arranger, composer, actress, screenwriter, print model, concept designer, poet, musician, author, CEO, humanitarian and so much more….LaDeana Michelle will soon be a household name in the entertainment and business industries. Also a CEO and savvy businesswoman, she will be added as the next female self-made millionaire through her partnership real estate, development, film and project management ventures.A direct relative of the legendary Sam Cooke and Eddie Kendricks (Temptations) LaDeana Michelle, already boasting an extensive entertainment resume, will be released worldwide soon and is rapidly gaining fans all over the world–all who highly anticipate her arrival.With an upcoming worldwide album release slated as “One of the hottest in a long time”, several upcoming films (two are of her own creation–the next female Tyler Perry?) a slew of entertainment projects, multi-million dollar development launches and foundation-based social programs dedicated to cultivate low-income youth and starving children worldwide, she is definitely the next major player to watch in 2010.
The Senate vote to limit debate on the substitute bill, written by Majority leader Senator Reid with added amendments, needing 60votes, was offered and approved by the Senate 60yeas – 39nays, invoking cloture, and this advances the HCR, the next procedural vote will be on Wednesday
The word on the web is that previously classified FBI files about the Late Michael Jackson will be released in the next couple of days. We here at The Gossip Report will be sure to keep you posted. Will there be anything worth reading? Will there be information which vindicates his memory? Time will tell…
Here are the top Ten Most Fascinating Funeral People of 2009. -Tom Dart, Bruce Rushton ,Bobby Rush , Randal L Earl, Kenneth Camp, Michael Jacksons’s Mother, Roman Szabelski These people or their companies have been mentioned in 2009 in Your Funeral Guy blogs.
1. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart for creatively and judiciously handling the Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal Outside Chicago. The man handled total horror with Excellence.
2. Bruce Rushton Reporter For the State Journal Register newspaper in Springfield Illinois for Excellence in Reporting On The Illinois Funeral Directors Association Scandal. His series of articles have brought funeral reform to Illinois.
3.Congressman Bobby Rush For Proposing the Bereaved Consumers Bill of Rights Act. This Congressman took a stand for Funeral and Cemetery Consumers in The USA. Rush is applauded for intoducing Cemetery Reform legislation.
4. Randall L Earl for refusing to resign from the National Funeral Directors Association inspite of being exposed as a major player in the Illinois Funeral Directors Association IFDA Preneed Ponzi Scam where over 100 Million dollars was lost. Earl was the Director Of the Defunct Museum of Funeral Customs in Springfield Illinois.which appears to have been setup with people’s Preneed funds. Now putting one’s political l career ahead of the profession’s leading Associations integrity is both despicable and sad at the same time.
5. Batesville Casket Ceo(Hillenbrand,Inc) Kenneth Camp for spinning positively a total Casket Sale Disaster in 2009 Not many corporate executives can point to a 29 million net revenue decline as a success in a year where Cremation was king. The Mighty Batesville Casket Co. Struck out in 2009.
6. Michael Jackson’s Mother( Catherine) for keeping the location of Michael Jackson’s body and $25,000 Batesville Casket a Secret for 2months after the memorial service and before the burial.
7. Ted Kennedy was a fascinating Funeral person in 2009. Planning his own funeral so as to memorialize himself as a good Catholic (He opposed Catholic Doctrine on right to life, and gay rights most of his life ) and politically correct is a something few have pulled off. The way he planned his own funeral and his death showed leadership.
8. Roman Szabelski of Catholic Cemeteries of Chicago as a Court appointed receiver for Burr oak Cemetery and later as a consultant, put forth a concerted effort to resolve the Burr Oak Cemetery Disaster.
9. Illinois Senator Roland Burris of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association Scandal for his ability to to avoid scrutiny as a lobbyist and a creator of the IFDA Preneed Trust.
10. Illinois State Representative Dan Brady for breaking with the Illinois Funeral Directors Association and their scandalous activity. He has been a leader in Cemetery and Funeral Reform in 2009. He has been the author of legislation in Illinois and is a Funeral Director.
Funeral Industry| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.
This has been a nutty year, filled with lots of sorrow which I worried I might never get over. But I did. Or at least, I’m out of the tunnel, and I amazed by my own resilience or whatever it is.
Of course, music gives me a thrill always, and I’ve found a lot of music to dig this year. So I’d like to share this mix with my readers. Including but not limited to: Cher covering The Kinks. Young Michael Jackson tackling the complexities of love. Arthur Russell writing yet another love song to his boyfriend. Jonathan Richman lauding the arcane, which is what I do here a lot of the time. Hope you enjoy.
Track list:
All This Crazy Gift Of Time- Kevin Ayers 3:46
Shake Sugaree -Elizabeth Cotten 5:03
Nobody Wants A Lonely Heart- Arthur Russell 2:26
I Hear Your Heart Singing- The Gun Club 3:57
Norwegian Wood- Peter Walker 4:16
Brother, Father, Sister And Mother- Tim Maia 3:17
I Go To Sleep- Cher 2:48
Old World- The Modern Lovers 4:01
The Creator Has A Master Plan- Louis Armstrong 4:07
Tidak terasa tahun 2009 hampir berakhir. Berbagai macam peristiwa mewarnai tahun 2009. Sayangnya, justru tragedi, bencana, peristiwa buruklah yang justru tidak pernah lepas dari pikiran kita. Berdoa, bersabar dan berpasrah kepada Tuhan, serta berinstrospeksi, menjadi hal positif yang paling mungkin kita lakukan menyambut tahun 2010. Mari kita tengok peristiwa-peristiwa yang paling menghebohkan di sepanjang 2009.
Taylor Swift versus Kanye West
13 September 2009 dalam acara MTV Video Music Awards, penyanyi rap ternama Kanye West secara spontan naik ke panggung ketika penyanyi pop remaja Taylor Swift menyampaikan pidato kemenangannya untuk kategori Best Female Video. Diatas panggung Kanye West bukannya memberi ucapan selamat, malah merebut mikrofon dan berteriak bahwa video Beyonce merupakan yang terbaik dalam sejarah. Taylor Swift pun kaget melihat aksi norak rapper yang tengah mabuk itu. Seluruh dunia pun ikut syok dan mengutuk kelakuan Kanye West. Akhirnya rapper yang sering mengopi musik artis lain ini meminta maaf kepada Taylor dan seluruh masyarakat dunia melalui situsnya dan beberapa acara talk show.
Kasus Penculikan Jaycee Lee Dugard
Pada tanggal 10 Juni 1991, gadis kecil berusia 11 tahun bernama Jaycee Dugard diculik oleh dua orang tak dikenal ketika ia sedang berjalan kaki di jalanan dekar rumahnya. Insiden ini terjadi di daerah South Lake Tahoe, negara bagian California. Tragisnya, sang Ayah tirinya dengan tidak berdaya melihat dari jauh ketika Jaycee dimasukkan ke dalam mobil secara paksa. Setelah itu, selama bertahun-tahun kedua orang tua Jaycee tidak pernah putus asa berusaha mencari anak putrinya yang berambut pirang itu. Tepatnya pada tanggal 26 Agustus 2009, tepatnya 18 tahun kemudian, terjadi sebuah keajaiban yang menggemparkan seluruh Amerika Serikat. Jaycee Lee Dugard tiba-tiba muncul kembali ke permukaan umum. Kali ini Jaycee adalah seorang wanita berusia 29 tahun yang telah memiliki dua remaja putri berusia 15 tahun dan 11 tahun hasil dari perkosaan sang penculik Philip Garrido.Diduga selama didalam cengkraman Phillip Garrido dan istrinya Nancy, Jaycee dan dua anaknya bermukim di sebuah tenda kumuh di halaman belakang kediaman sang penculik di daerah Antioch, sekitar satu jam dari kota San Francisco. Kasus penculikan Jaycee merupakan satu dari hanya segelintir kasus penculikan yang berakhir positif.
Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman Gutierrez alias Octomom
Amerika Serikat mendadak heboh ketika wanita tanpa suami keturunan Iraq berusia 35 tahun bernama Nadya Suleman ini melahirkan bayi kembar delapan atau dalam istilah medisnya octuplets. Kehamilan Nadya tersebut dihasilkan melalui In vitro fertilisation (IVF). Yang menghebohkan, ternyata Nadya adalah seorang pengangguran dan ketika melahirkan kembar delapan, Nadya sudah punya enam anak yang juga hasil IVF. Tidak heran jika banyak orang yang langsung berpandangan negatif terhadap Nadya, karena wanita yang kelihatannya terobsesi dengan Angelina Jolie ini dianggap menyalahgunakan uang pajak.
Kasus Rihanna dan Chris Brown
Dunia Hiburan sempat dikejutkan oleh kasus kekerasan yang dilakukan penyanyi Chris Brown kepada pacarnya, Rihanna, yang juga artis terkenal. Pasalnya pada tanggal 8 Februari 2009 Rihanna seharusnya manggung di acara Grammy Awards namun wanita cantik ini tiba-tiba undur diri. Tidak lama kemudian muncul laporan bahwa Rihana mundur akibat masalah pribadi dengan Chris Brown. Benar saja, sekitar sebulan kemudian Chris Brown ditangkap polisi karena dituduh mengancam dan memukul Rihana sampai babak belur. Akhirnya tanggal 22 Juni 2009, Chris Brown mengaku bersalah dan dijatuhi hukuman lima tahun percobaan serta mengerjakan pelayanan sosial.
Pandemi Flu H1N1 Sedunia
Masyarakat di seluruh dunia panik ketika mengetahui ada jenis flu baru mematikan yang telah menjalar di berbagai Negara. Flu H1N1 (flu babi) pertama kali ditemukan di bulan Maret 2009 di kota Veracruz Negara Meksiko. Pemerintah Meksiko langsung menutup fasilitas-fasilitas umum di ibukota Mexico City untuk mencegah penularan. Namun, virus H1N1 terus menjalar ke negara-negara lain. Klinik-klinik dan rumah sakit pun sempat kewalahan menerima pasien tergejala flu H1N1. WHO dan US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) akhirnya menyatakan flu H1N1 menjadi pandemi dunia. Pada tanggal 1 Desember tercatat sebanyak 9,324 orang meninggal di seluruh dunia.
Gempa Padang
Pada tanggal 30 September, kota Padang, Sumatera Barat, diguncang gempa dahsyat berkekuatan sekitar 7.6 skala richter. Pusat gempa diperkirakan berjarak 45 km dari kota Padang. Tercatat 1,115 orang meninggal, 1,214 orang luka parah, dan sebanyak 1,688 mengalami luka ringan. Selain itu, jumlah rumah dan bangunan yang runtuh sabanyak 135,000, kerusakan sedang sekitar 65,000, dan kerusakan ringan kurang lebih 79,000. Jumlah keluarga yang harus dievakuasi sekitar 250,000 atau diperkirakan sebanyak lebih dari satu juta individu.
US Airways Flight 1549
Gara-gara seekor burung yang ‘nyasar’ di baling-baling, pesawat komersial US Airways Flight 1549 harus mendarat darurat di sungai Hudson, pada 15 Januari 2009. Untungnya seluruh penumpang pesawat selamat berkat ketangkasan sang pilot bernama Kapten Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger asal Bay Area, San Farncisco. Insiden ini dianggap keajaiban luar biasa yang pernah terjadi dalam sejarah penerbangan sipil Amerika Serikat.
2009 Perkosaan Masal di SMU Richmond
Insiden terkutuk ini terjadi pada tanggal 24 Oktober 2009 di sebuah acara pesta dansa sekolah di daerah Richmond, tak jauh dari San Francisco. Bagaimana tidak menghebohkan masyarakat nasional, seorang murid SMU diperkosa oleh 15 pria remaja secara bergantian selama dua setengah jam. Gilanya lagi, ada 20 orang menyaksikan tragedi tersebut tanpa ada yang melaporkan ke polisi. Untungnya ada satu murid perempuan yang berani melaporkan kasus ini ke pihak hukum. Sejak awal November, polisi telah menangkap tujuh pria yang diduga terlibat. Kejadian buruk ini mengingatkan Amerika Serikat kepada insiden pemerkosaan 45 tahun lalu terhadap Kitty Genovese, yang diperkosa lalu dibunuh di depan banyak saksi yang tidak mau terlibat.
Penembakan Masal Militer Fort Hood
Peristiwa pada 5 November 2009 ini sungguh menggemparkan rakyat Amerika Serikat. Seorang Mayor Angkatan Darat ‘mengamuk’ di basis militer Fort Hood. Mayor bernama Nidal Malik Hasan yang juga pskiater bagi para tentara itu, mengumbar tembakan secara masal. Sekitar 43 orang menjadi korban tembak, dengan jumlah 13 orang meninggal dan 30 orang lainnya luka-luka. Kejadian terkutuk ini dikaitkan dengan terorisme karena sang penembak seorang Muslim yang berketurunan Palestina. Insiden ini masih dalam investigasi.
Kematian Michael Jackson
Pada tanggal 25 Juni 2009, rakyat dunia benar-benar syok akan berita kematian sang raja pop Michael Jackson. Kematian “King of Pop” sungguh tak terduga apalagi di tengah persiapan konser Michael Jackson yang sudah ditunggu. Perasaan sedih, kecewa, dan terharu sepertinya dapat dirasakan dimana-mana. Bukan itu saja, tangisan dan jeritan para fans maupun selebritis lain terlihat di berbagai tempat dan media. Bahkan sampai sekarang, seperti halnya almarhum Elvis Presley, masih banyak orang menganggap Michael Jackson itu masih hidup, ini hanya sebuah publisitas saja. Acara pemakaman Michael Jackson diadakan pada tanggal 7 Juli 2009 di Staples Center, LA. Artis dan musisi dunia termasuk Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, John Mayer, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, Usher, dan Smokey Robinson hadir dalam pemkaman itu. Bahkan sahabat dekat Jacko, Elizabeth Taylor, langsung pingsan ketika pertama kali mendengar kabar kematian sang bintang. Sahabat lainnya Diana Ross tidak hadir di acara pemakaman karena tidak kuat emosi. Pemakaman Michael Jackson merupakan peristiwa paling disaksikan di televisi sejak kematian Putri Diana tahun 1997.
Abba’s getting inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
There are two musical groups that I just can’t stand, Abba and Blink 182. Now, one of them is getting memorialized in a hall of fame. Well, I’m going to try and discuss this topic as objectively as I can, without putting down Abba’s music. Therefore, I will first admit a few things: Abba is the second best-selling band in history, so their music is obviously well-written and catchy. Props to them, but man, I don’t like their sound.
Here goes.
I have a problem with Abba being inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, because in my mind, Abba’s sound, style, and background is too far removed from rock ‘n ‘roll.
1 – They play pop music, and not just any kind of pop music. They don’t play supercharged, ferocious pop like Michael Jackson. They don’t play wildly imaginative and innovative pop music like the Beatles. Abba’s pop sound fits into the pure pop genre.
2 – They are Swedish (not American nor British; I’m not trying to be racist, but I’m simply stating that rock ‘n’ roll started with southern blues and the British invasion), and their roots are NOT steeped in rock ‘n’ roll nor blues.
These two reasons are enough to remove Abba from any Rock ‘n’ Roll classification.
I’m my opinion, roots and background are very important to styles of music, and at some point, music will be so far removed from its “roots”, that it has no right being called that style at all. For example, take a look at today’s indie rock music. When placed side by side with classic rock ‘n’ roll, the sounds are completely different, especially the tonalities of the music. Whereas early rock ‘n’ was based strongly on the blues, indie music is about as far from the blues as possible. The similarity is in the instruments, but the way that the instruments are used is also different. I wouldn’t call an indie band a rock ‘n’ roll band; I’d just call them an indie band. The classification doesn’t fit anymore.
It’s the same in my opinion with Abba. In my earlier example, the Beatles and MJ, both groups have history in rock ‘n’ roll (don’t forget, rock ‘n’ roll isn’t just a style of music; it’s a sound, a time, and a lifestyle). The Beatles grew up listening to early pop and rock music, like Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry. They had the pop influence from white music, and they had the rock influence from black music (just look at how many covers they did: ”Roll Over Beethoven”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music”, “Dizzy Miss Lizzy”, “Kansas City Medley”, etc.). They were rock ‘n’ roll in every sense of the word, and they helped to expand the world of music. Michael Jackson is the same; he began with Motown and the Jackson 5. The influence of black soul artists on his singing is ever-present. During his solo career, his music reflects the power and energy of rock music.
As time moves and on, styles morph and change, and the sound of a music transforms slowly. Look at Van Halen (not one of my favorites, but they’ll serve as a good example): their music isn’t exactly blues-based, but their influences were important factors in rock ‘n’ roll’s beginnings. Their songs reflect the forms that the Beatles used over and over again, and their lyrics are also reminiscent of the Beatles. It’s not the same as the Beatles, but it’s obvious that they’ve been influenced by them. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing doesn’t sound blues-based, but it does sound like it was directly influenced by Jimmy Page, a rock blues guitarist and a huge proponent of early hard rock music.
But, just as I pointed out in my last post, there has to be a point where the classification changes. Led Zeppelin was rock ‘n’ roll music; Eminem is not rock ‘n’ roll music. Duke Ellington is jazz; BB King is not jazz. The Beatles were pop rock; Abba is not pop rock.
So my beef isn’t with Abba, it’s with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I love the place, and I could spend days wandering the museum, gazing at John Lennon’s Sgt. Pepper outfit and MJ’s glove, Duane Allman’s guitar and Sly Stone’s vest, but I think they need to quit while they’re ahead. I heard someone say that they didn’t like the Hall of Fame, because they’ll just let anyone in…I’m starting to agree. The judges need to remember that rock ‘n’ roll was a music, a place, a time, and a lifestyle, and only those groups or musicians who were a direct influence on the history of rock ‘n’ roll should be inducted.
Another remarkable confirmation. In every situation, God has something to say!
When the potentially lethal metal object was viciously, maliciously hurled at Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, little did he know that the prayers and prophecy of a popular pastor in faraway Nigeria could well have averted a pending calamity…
On Sunday 13th December 2009, Nigerian Prophet T.B. Joshua of The Synagogue, Church Of All
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Attacked
Nations unveiled a prophecy concerning an attempt on the life of a nation’s leader. “I see an attempt on one of the presidents of one of the great nations,” he said. “Pray for protection. I see a narrow escape – very narrow, too narrow. But the whole thing failed. We continue to pray…” The declaration was made during a live broadcast on Emmanuel TV, a Christian television station with a growing passionate following across Africa. The congregation and viewers worldwide subsequently offered supplication for God’s protection for the president concerned.
Merely hours later that evening, news of the nasty attack on Berlusconi filtered through to
Italian Prime Minister Prophecy, Silvio Berlusconi
media outlets worldwide. The assault at a campaign rally on Sunday in Milan left Berlusconi bleeding profusely from his left upper lip and cheek. The man accused of hitting the controversial prime minister in the face with a replica of Milan’s cathedral was charged with grievous bodily harm and is still in police custody. Berlusconi, who is still recuperating in hospital, testified it was a miracle that he was not blinded by the attack that left him with a broken nose, two missing teeth and a cut lip. Debate has since been rife throughout Italy with commentators wondering what would have been the outcome if the assailant held a gun as opposed to a statuette.
Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister
T.B. Joshua is a pastor with a remarkable record of accurate prophetic pronouncements, including the death of iconic pop legend Michael Jackson and the release of Ingrid Betancourt from the Colombian jungles last year. His weekly services are broadcast live via Emmanuel TV, and his ministry continues to attract international attention due to the copious healing testimonies, widespread charitable activities and accurate prophecies on both personal and national levels.
Let me start this out by letting everyone know that I enjoy Michael Jackson’s music. He is, without a doubt, the greatest entertainer of this, and many, many generations. Even though his music and performace style is contradictory to the style of music I generally prefer, I still am able to enjoy his music. I am not a Michael Jackson apologist though. I do not think that he was right to do most of the stuff he did and found him to be a generally weird individual that would have benefited from psychiatric evaluation. I also think that he was, in fact, a liberal, but only because of preconceived notions and he never really thought about it. I will show some examples of conservative themes in Michael’s songs.
In the song “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” from the iconic “Thriller” albumhad the line “if you can’t feed a baby, don’t have a baby”. This is an undeniable conservative principle of self-responsibility. It is a simple common-sense solution that escapes liberals. They would tell you that it is alright to have a baby when you can’t afford to feed it because the government would help you take care of it. Creating a sense of entitlement and have them completely dependent on the government. Whenever conservatives in Washington try to stop this eternal loop of dependency, liberals cry foul charging Conservatives with not caring about children. Nothing could be further from the truth, but liberals never let the facts get in the way of a good campaign slogan. Conservatives believe that you should wait until you are financially and emotionally ready to have a child. It is better for the child and the parents. Apparently, so does Michael Jackson.
I don’t think anyone can deny the overarching conservative ideals set forth in Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror“. “Change starts with the man in the mirror” is about as conservative as it gets. Not relying on other people, or waiting for the endless bureaucracy of the federal government. If you want something to happen, do it yourself. The ultimate in personal responsibility. We saw this come to fruition with the Tax Day Tea Parties and the 9/12 march on Washington. These were citizens disgruntled with the way things were going on in Washington so they took it upon themselves to do something about it because “change starts with the man in the mirror”, it does not start with the failed ideals of the liberal movement.
Lastly, Michael Jackson shows his utter contempt with government in his song “They Don’t Care About Us“. In the song he describes how the government has failed to stop racism and brutality of African-Americans. Equality does not exist. The only way to stop the terrible chain is to change the hearts and minds of those who still harbor feelings of fear and resentment towards African-Americans. This must be done through human nature. Liberals tried to force the issue with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but you cannot change people’s hearts through legislation no matter how good-natured the legislation is. 45 years later, there still exists attitudes of racism and fear for people which, Jackson correctly asserts, that the government has failed to stop, simply because Government, no matter how well-intentioned it is, cannot change people’s minds or opinions, only people can.
Jackson understood that the government was there to provide necessary services, but could not be relied on to solve all the ills of the world. If the ils of the world were to be solved, the human race, working without the government, would be the key to change. Michael Jackson believed, as conservatives do, the empowering individuals is more powerful than laws and regulation that have only proved to beat down individuals under the guise of “the greater good”. It’s been over 40 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson declared “War on Poverty”. We’re still fighting and we will fight that war in perpetuity because liberals love it when people are dependent on the Government. They should take a lesson from Michael Jackson and explore personal responsibility.
It was a pity that I did not have my “whisky book” with me (Michael Jackson’s ‘Malt Whisky Companion’ which my friend Rainer gave me) when I was shopping for “a drink” at Beijing International Airport. I just remembered the Islay island somehow but as a wine drinker I am not too familiar with the whiskies of Scotland. In fact this is only my second blog entry on whisky.
I picked up a bottle of 17 year old Bowmore (43 % vol), leaving a 15 year Bowmore behind. Later I learned from the above book that the younger whisky scores higher than the older one, but best is a Bowmore Darkest and a 40 year old, earning each 91 points.
Exposed to westerly winds, Bowmore Distillery is located in the village of Bowmore on the western coast of the Isle of Islay, a small island off the Scottish coast. The distillery was founded in 1779 not long after the village, the first planned village in Scotland, was set up in 1768 by Daniel Campbell.
The Bowmore label
The whiskies of Bowmore are distinct in their character. The water used shows some iron-tinged mineral and some peat aromas on the palate. The malt is of the intensity of the south shore and is malted at the distillery. About 30% of the whisky is aged in old sherry casks.
The Bowmore has a nutty taste, is smoky and shows some peat. It is firm and dry. I like its taste on my palate; it’s an awesome drink. Next time I will explore some more of the Islay distilleries (there are 7 on ths island). Stay tuned and look out for this superb whisky.
Once there was a child and he was free
Deep inside he felt the laughter
The mirth and play of nature’s glee
He was not troubled by thoughts of hereafter
Beauty, love was all he?d see
He knew his power was the power of God
He was so sure, they considered him odd
This power of innocence, of compassion, of light
Threatened the priests and created a fright
In endless ways they sought to dismantle
This mysterious force which they could not handle
In endless ways they tried to destroy
His simple trust, his boundless joy
His invincible armor was a shield of bliss
Nothing could touch it, no venom, no hiss
The child remained in a state of grace
He wasn’t confined in time or place
In Technicolor dreams, he frolicked and played
While acting his part, in Eternity he stayed
Soothsayers came and fortunes were told
Some were vehement, others were bold
In denouncing this child, this perplexing creature
With the rest of the world he shared no feature
Is he real? He is so strange
His unpredictable nature knows no range
He puzzles us so, is he straight?
What’s his destiny? What’s his fate?
And while they whispered and conspired
Through endless rumors to get him tired
To kill his wonder, trample him near
Burn his courage, fuel his fear
The child remained just simple, sincere
All he wanted was the mountain high
Color the clouds, paint the sky
Beyond these boundaries, he wanted to fly
In nature’s scheme, never to die
Don’t stop this child, he’s the father of man
Don’t cross his way, he’s part of the plan
I am that child, but so are you
You?ve just forgotten, just lost the clue
Inside your heart sits a Seer
Between his thoughts, he can hear
A melody simple but wondrously clear
The music of life, so precious, so dear
If you could for one moment know
This spark of creation, this exquisite glow
You would come and dance with me
Kindle this fire so we could see
All the children of the Earth
Weave their magic and give new birth
To a world of freedom with no pain
A world of joy, much more sane
Deep inside, you know it’s true
Just find that child, it’s hiding in you.
Magical Child – Part 2
Magical child once felt a twinge
A faint recollection, a memory unhinged
In the colors, the forms, the hue
There seemed a mystery with a subtle clue
Behind the wind, the storm, the gale
Within the shroud, beyond the veil
Hidden from view in a wondrous pattern
There seemed a force that he could not fathom
Its music and cadence were playful and sweet
He danced in bliss to its throbbing beat
He did not mind either cold or heat
On the mountain high was his royal seat
Strangers came and scorned his joy
With ridicule and banter they tried to destroy
What in their minds was a skillful play
With cruel darts they tried to plunder
To suffocate and strangle his innocent wonder
Fighting hard, despite their blunder
Again and again to steal his thunder
Despite their attacks, they could not break
With all their barbs they could not take
God’s gift of love, which they could not fake
Not knowing his strength or what he sought to seek
They complained aloud and called him a freak
But the mysterious force just kept its hold
Magical child grew brave and bold
Diving deep into his soul
In exquisite ecstasy he discovered his role
In his Self was infinite scope
This mysterious force was mankind’s hope
Piercing through that mask of Being
In that silence beyond all seeing
Was a field with a different story
A field of power, of awesome glory
With other children, if unfurled
Its tidal wave would change the world
Magical child was ready to bow
Sow the seed, pick up the plough
With effortless ease, without a sigh
Without a tear, without a cry
With silent perfection
Under God’s direction
To sing together as one race
Stem the tide, transform this place
Magical children, don’t worry how
Don’t delay, this moment’s now.
Once We Were There
Before the beginning, before the violence
Before the anguish of the broken silence
A thousand longings, never uttered
Pangs of sorrow, brutally smothered
But I have chosen to break and be free
Cut those ties, so I can see
Those bonds that imprisoned me in memories of pain
Those judgments, interpretations that cluttered my brain
Those festering wounds that lingered have gone
In their place a new life has dawned
That lonely child, still clutching his toy
Has made his peace, discovered his joy
Where time is not, immortality’s clear
Where love abounds, there is no fear
The child has grown to weave his magic
Left behind, his life of sorrow, once so tragic
He is now, ready to share
Ready to love, ready to care
Unfold his heart, with nothing to spare
Join him now, if you dare.
Planet Earth
Planet Earth, my home, my place
A capricious anomaly in the sea of space
Planet Earth, are you just
Floating by, a cloud of dust
A minor globe, about to bust
A piece of metal bound to rust
A speck of matter in a mindless void
A lonely spaceship, a large asteroid
Cold as a rock without a hue
Held together with a bit of glue
Something tells me this isn’t true
You are my sweetheart, soft and blue
Do you care, have you a part
In the deepest emotions of my own heart
Tender with breezes, caressing and whole
Alive with music, haunting my soul.
In my veins I?ve felt the mystery
Of corridors of time, books of history
Life songs of ages throbbing in my blood
Have danced the rhythm of the tide and flood
Your misty clouds, your electric storm
Were turbulent tempests in my own form
I?ve licked the salt, the bitter, the sweet
Of every encounter, of passion, of heat
Your riotous color, your fragrance, your taste
Have thrilled my senses beyond all haste
In your beauty I?ve known the how
Of timeless bliss, this moment of now.
Planet Earth, are you just
Floating by, a cloud of dust
A minor globe, about to bust
A piece of metal bound to rust
A speck of matter in a mindless void
A lonely spaceship, a large asteroid
Cold as a rock without a hue
Held together with a bit of glue
Something tells me this isn’t true
You are my sweetheart, soft and blue
Do you care, have you a part
In the deepest emotions of my own heart
Tender with breezes, caressing and whole
Alive with music, haunting my soul.
Planet Earth, gentle and blue
With all my heart, I love you.
When Babies Smile
When dreamers dream and kiss their lover
And rainbows weave and splash their color
Those are moments so gloriously alive
We take the plunge, take the dive
Into the abyss
We are suspended awhile
Those are moments when babies smile.
Those are moments when fate is unsealed
Nothing is impossible and we are healed
We can soar, we can fly
Walk on fire, navigate the sky
In the light of a glittering star
There’s no distance, nothing is far
Those are moments of innocent guile
In the glow
We are suspended awhile
Those are moments when babies smile.
Those are moments when the heart is tender
When seascapes gleam in magnificent splendor
When the laughter of Heaven reverberates the Earth
And we are renewed in a new birth
In a timeless Eternity
In the angels? fraternity
We romp and roll
The playground of our soul
In the twilight
We are suspended awhile
Those are moments when babies smile.
Those are moments we?re one with God
All is well, nothing is odd
In silent reflection
We feel our perfection
We are the source, we are the crucible
Nothing can hurt us, for we are invincible
There is no sin, there is no sinner
We can only win, we have felt the glimmer
In the bliss
We?re floating awhile
Those are moments when babies smile.
Kingdoms topple, lose their class
Civilizations crumble, ages pass
Turbulent tempests ravage the seas
Violent killings, despite our pleas
But dewdrops sparkle when children play
Tyrants cry, there’s nothing to slay
Fairies dance and goblins sing
All are crowned, all are king
In the Garden
We frolic awhile
Those are moments when babies smile.
Children Of The World
Children of the world, we?ll do it
We?ll meet on endless shores
Making sandcastles and floating our boats
While people fight and defend their point of view
Forever putting on masks that are new
We?ll swing the tide of time and do it.
Children of the world, we?ll do it
With song and dance and innocent bliss
And the soft caress of a loving kiss
We?ll do it.
While traders trade and haggle their price
And politicians try so hard to be nice
We?ll meet on endless shores and floating our boats
We?ll do it.
While lawyers argue and doctors treat
Stockbrokers quote the price on meat
While preachers preach and ring the bell
Carpetbaggers with something to sell
We?ll sing and dance in innocent bliss
With the soft caress of a loving kiss
We?ll do it
Meeting on endless shores
Making sandcastles and floating our boats
We?ll do it.
We?ll ride a rainbow, a cloud, a storm
Flying in the wind, we?ll change our form
We?ll touch the stars, embrace the moon
We?ll break the barrier and be there soon
While architects plan their buildings high
And trade unions raise their hue and cry
While boardroom squabbles generate heat
And in secret places dealers meet
We?ll sing and dance in innocent bliss
With the soft caress of a loving kiss
We?ll do it.
While philosophers grapple and continue to tackle
Endless dilemmas of body and mind
Physicists wander, continue to ponder
Perennial questions of space and time
Archaeologists survey, continue to dig
Bygone treasures small and big
Psychologists probe, analyze the tears
Of hysterical notions, phobias, fears
While priests take confession
In a serious session
And people struggle
In the hustle and bustle
In the noise and din
On the meaning of sin
We?ll touch the stars, embrace the moon
Break the barrier, arrive there soon
Ride the rainbow, the cloud, the storm
Flying in the wind, changing our form
Children of the world, we?ll do it
With song and dance and innocent bliss
The soft caress of a loving kiss
We?ll do it.
Are You Listening?
Who am I?
Who are you?
Where did we come from?
Where are we going?
What’s it all about?
Do you have the answers?
Immortality’s my game
From Bliss I came
In Bliss I am sustained
To Bliss I return
If you don’t know it now
It’s a shame
Are you listening?
This body of mine
Is a flux of energy
In the river of time
Eons pass, ages come and go
I appear and disappear
Playing hide-and-seek
In the twinkling of an eye
I am the particle
I am the wave
Whirling at lightning speed
I am the fluctuation
That takes the lead
I am the Prince
I am the Knave
I am the doing
That is the deed
I am the galaxy, the void of space
In the Milky Way
I am the craze
I am the thinker, the thinking, the thought
I am the seeker, the seeking, the sought
I am the dewdrop, the sunshine, the storm
I am the phenomenon, the field, the form
I am the desert, the ocean, the sky
I am the Primeval Self
In you and I
Pure unbounded consciousness
Truth, existence, Bliss am I
In infinite expressions I come and go
Playing hide-and-seek
In the twinkling of an eye
But immortality’s my game
Eons pass
Deep inside
I remain
Ever the same
From Bliss I came
In Bliss I am sustained
Join me in my dance
Please join me now
If you forget yourself
You’ll never know how
This game is played
In the ocean bed of Eternity
Stop this agony of wishing
Play it out
Don’t think, don’t hesitate
Curving back within yourself
Just create…just create
Immortality’s my game
From Bliss I came
In Bliss I’m sustained
To Bliss I return
If you don’t know it now
It’s a shame
Are you listening?
Ryan White
Ryan White, symbol of justice
Or child of innocence, messenger of love
Where are you now, where have you gone?
Ryan White, I miss your sunny days
We carelessly frolicked in extended plays
I miss you, Ryan White
I miss your smile, innocent and bright
I miss your glory, I miss your light
Ryan White, symbol of contradiction
Child of irony, or child of fiction?
I think of your shattered life
Of your struggle, of your strife
While ladies dance in the moonlit night
Champagne parties on chartered cruises
I see your wasted form, your ghostly sight
I feel your festering wounds, your battered bruises
Ryan White, symbol of agony and pain
Of ignorant fear gone insane
In a hysterical society
With free-floating anxiety
And feigned piety
I miss you, Ryan White
You showed us how to stand and fight
In the rain you were a cloudburst of joy
The sparkle of hope in every girl and boy
In the depths of your anguished sorrow
Was the dream of another tomorrow.
The Elusive Shadow
Even tho I traveled far
The door to my soul stayed ajar
In the agony of mortal fear
Your music I did not hear
Thru twisting roads in memory lane
I bore my cross in pain
It was a journey of madness
Of anguish born in sadness
I wandered high and low
Recoiled from every blow
Looking for that stolen nectar
In my heart that long-lost scepter
In all those haunted faces
I searched for my oasis
In a way it was in a drunken craze
A cruel hysteria, a blurry haze
Many a time I tried to break
This shadow following me I could not shake
Many a time in the noisy crowd
In the hustle and bustle of the din so loud
I peered behind to see its trace
I could not lose it in any place
It was only when I broke all ties
After the stillness of the shrieking cries
In the depths of those heaving sighs
The imagined sorrow of a thousand lies
I suddenly stared in your fiery eyes
All at once I found my goal
The elusive shadow was my soul
Mother
Eons of time I?ve been gestating
To take a form been hesitating
From the unmanifest this cosmic conception
On this earth a fantastic reception
And then one fateful August morn
From your being I was born
With tender love you nurtured a seed
To your own distress you paid no heed
Unmindful of any risk and danger
You decided upon this lonely stranger
Rainbows, clouds, the deep blue sky
Glittering birds that fly on high
Out of fragments you?ve made my whole
From the elements you fashioned my soul
Mother dear, you gave me life
Because of you, no struggle or strife
You gave me joy and position
Cared for me without condition
And if I ever change this world
It’s from the emotions you?ve unfurl?d
Your compassion is so sweet and dear
Your finest feelings I can hear
I can sense your faintest notion
The wondrous magic of your love potion
And now that I have come so far
Met with every king and czar
Encountered every color and creed
Of every passion, every greed
I go back to that starry night
With not a fear for muscle or might
You taught me how to stand and fight
For every single wrong and right
Every day without a hold
I will treasure what you?ve mold
I will remember every kiss
Your sweet words I?ll never miss
No matter where I go from here
You?re in my heart, my mother dear.
Ecstacy
I was born to never die
To live in bliss, to never cry
To speak the truth and never lie
To share my love without a sigh
To stretch my arms without a tie
This is my dance, this is my high
It’s not a secret, can’t you see
Why can’t we all live in ecstacy
Ecstacy Ecstacy
Why can’t we all
Live in Ecstacy.
Without a guilt, without regret
I am here to forget
Tainted memories of imagined sin
In every friend, kith and kin
We have come to celebrate here
The getting rid of every fear
Of every notion, every seed
Of any separation, caste, or creed.
This alienation, fragmentation, abomination
Of separation, exploitation, isolation
This cruelty, hysteria, absolute madness
This anger, anxiety, overflowing sadness
Disrupted ecology, wanton destruction
Diseased biology, nature’s obstruction
Endangered species, environmental pollution
Holes in the ozone, defying solution
Is not knowing the spark that lights my interior
Is the same fire, glowing in every man, child, and mother superior
We have come to celebrate here
The getting rid of every fear
Of every notion, every seed
Of any separation, caste, or creed.
Feeling free, let us fly
Into the boundless, beyond the sky
For we were born to never die
To live in bliss, to never cry
To speak the truth and never lie
To share our love without a sign
To stretch our arms without a tie
This is our dance, this is our high
It’s not a secret, can’t you see
Why can’t we all live in ecstacy
Ecstacy Ecstacy
Why can’t we all
Live in Ecstacy.
Quantum Leap
I looked for you in hill and dale
I sought for you beyond the pale
I searched for you in every nook and cranny
My probing was at times uncanny
But everywhere I looked I found
I was just going round and round
In every storm, in every gale
I could hear your silent tale
You appeared wherever I went
In every taste, in every scent
I thought I was in a trance
In every quiver I felt your dance
In every sight I saw your glance
You were there, as if by chance
Even so, I have faltered
Despite the fact, my life has altered
All my doubts were struggles in vain
Of judgments made in memories of pain
Only now, by letting go
I can bask in your glow
No matter where I stray or flow
I see the splendor of your show
In every drama I am the actor
In every experience the timeless factor
In every dealing, every deed
You are there, as the seed
I know now, for I have seen
What could have happened could have been
There is no need to try so hard
For in your sleeve you hold the card
For every fortune, every fame
The Kingdom’s here for us to claim
In every fire, every hearth
There’s a spark gives new birth
To all those songs never sung
All those longings in hearts still young
Beyond all hearing, beyond all seeing
In the core of your Being
Is a field that spans infinity
Unbounded pure is the embryo of divinity
If we could for one moment BE
In an instant we would see
A world where no one has suffered or toiled
Of pristine beauty never soiled
Of sparkling waters, singing skies
Of hills and valleys where no one dies
That enchanted garden, that wondrous place
Where we once frolicked in times of grace
In ourselves a little deep
In that junkyard in that heap
Beneath that mound of guilt and sorrow
Is the splendor of another tomorrow
If you still have promises to keep
Just take that plunge, take that leap.
Children Of Innocence
Child of innocence, I miss your sunny days
We joyously frolicked in extended plays
Ever since you’ve left the scene
The streets are lonely, dark, and mean
Child of innocence, return to me now
With your simple smile show them how
This world once again can respond to your glance
And heartbeats flutter to the rhythm of your dance
Child of innocence, your elegance, your beauty
Beckons me now beyond the call of duty
Come fly with me far and above
Over the mountains in the land of love
Child of innocence, messenger of joy
You’ve touched my heart without a ploy
My soul is ablaze with a flagrant fire
To change this world is my deepest desire.
Breaking Free
All this hysteria, all this commotion
Time, space, energy are just a notion
What we have conceptualized we have created
All those loved, all those hated
Where is the beginning, where’s the end
Time’s arrow, so difficult to bend
Those broken promises, what they meant
Those love letters, never sent
Heaven Is Here
You and I were never separate
It’s just an illusion
Wrought by the magical lens of
Perception
There is only one Wholeness
Only one Mind
We are like ripples
In the vast Ocean of Consciousness
Come, let us dance
The Dance of Creation
Let us celebrate
The Joy of Life
The birds, the bees
The infinite galaxies
Rivers, Mountains
Clouds and Valleys
Are all a pulsating pattern
Living, breathing
Alive with cosmic energy
Full of Life, of Joy
This Universe of Mine
Don’t be afraid
To know who you are
You are much more
Than you ever imagined
You are the Sun
You are the Moon
You are the wildflower in bloom
You are the Life-throb
That pulsates, dances
From a speck of dust
To the most distant star
And you and I
Were never separate
It’s just an illusion
Wrought by the magical lens of
Perception
Let us celebrate
The Joy of Life
Let us dance
The Dance of Creation
Curving back within ourselves
We create
Again and again
Endless cycles come and go
We rejoice
In the infinitude of Time
There never was a time
When I was not
Or you were not
There never will be a time
When we will cease to be
Infinite — Unbounded
In the Ocean of Consciousness
We are like ripples
In the Sea of Bliss
You and I were never separate
It’s just an illusion
Wrought by the magical lens of
Perception
Heaven is Here
Right now is the moment
of Eternity
Don’t fool yourself
Reclaim your Bliss
Once you were lost
But now you’re home
In a nonlocal Universe
There is nowhere to go From Here to Here
Is the Unbounded
Ocean of Consciousness
We are like ripples
In the Sea of Bliss
Come, let us dance
The Dance of Creation
Let us celebrate
The Joy of Life
And You and I were never separate
It’s just an illusion
Wrought by the magical lens of
Perception
Heaven is Here
Right now, this moment of Eternity
Don’t fool yourself
Reclaim your Bliss
). Anyway, here’s my answers to the questions:
October 2009 = my big chop (bc) and hello twa (not THAT tiny, i transitioned for 10 months) and hello to better hair products and doing my own hair.
My sweet chocolate drop, Denia, was born.
Este año que se va me deja muchas satisfacciones, paso como un soplo de viento, no me di cuenta en que momento realice tantas cosas en estos doce meses.
Trae muchas cosas positivas a la vida, Dios se manifestara en gran manera tanto en mi vida como en la de miles de personas. Será un año de prosperidad.
U.S. Senate: NOW on C-SPAN2
13 September 2009 dalam acara MTV Video Music Awards, penyanyi rap ternama Kanye West secara spontan naik ke panggung ketika penyanyi pop remaja Taylor Swift menyampaikan pidato kemenangannya untuk kategori Best Female Video. Diatas panggung Kanye West bukannya memberi ucapan selamat, malah merebut mikrofon dan berteriak bahwa video Beyonce merupakan yang terbaik dalam sejarah. Taylor Swift pun kaget melihat aksi norak rapper yang tengah mabuk itu. Seluruh dunia pun ikut syok dan mengutuk kelakuan Kanye West. Akhirnya rapper yang sering mengopi musik artis lain ini meminta maaf kepada Taylor dan seluruh masyarakat dunia melalui situsnya dan beberapa acara talk show.
Pada tanggal 10 Juni 1991, gadis kecil berusia 11 tahun bernama Jaycee Dugard diculik oleh dua orang tak dikenal ketika ia sedang berjalan kaki di jalanan dekar rumahnya. Insiden ini terjadi di daerah South Lake Tahoe, negara bagian California. Tragisnya, sang Ayah tirinya dengan tidak berdaya melihat dari jauh ketika Jaycee dimasukkan ke dalam mobil secara paksa. Setelah itu, selama bertahun-tahun kedua orang tua Jaycee tidak pernah putus asa berusaha mencari anak putrinya yang berambut pirang itu. Tepatnya pada tanggal 26 Agustus 2009, tepatnya 18 tahun kemudian, terjadi sebuah keajaiban yang menggemparkan seluruh Amerika Serikat. Jaycee Lee Dugard tiba-tiba muncul kembali ke permukaan umum. Kali ini Jaycee adalah seorang wanita berusia 29 tahun yang telah memiliki dua remaja putri berusia 15 tahun dan 11 tahun hasil dari perkosaan sang penculik Philip Garrido.Diduga selama didalam cengkraman Phillip Garrido dan istrinya Nancy, Jaycee dan dua anaknya bermukim di sebuah tenda kumuh di halaman belakang kediaman sang penculik di daerah Antioch, sekitar satu jam dari kota San Francisco. Kasus penculikan Jaycee merupakan satu dari hanya segelintir kasus penculikan yang berakhir positif.
Amerika Serikat mendadak heboh ketika wanita tanpa suami keturunan Iraq berusia 35 tahun bernama Nadya Suleman ini melahirkan bayi kembar delapan atau dalam istilah medisnya octuplets. Kehamilan Nadya tersebut dihasilkan melalui In vitro fertilisation (IVF). Yang menghebohkan, ternyata Nadya adalah seorang pengangguran dan ketika melahirkan kembar delapan, Nadya sudah punya enam anak yang juga hasil IVF. Tidak heran jika banyak orang yang langsung berpandangan negatif terhadap Nadya, karena wanita yang kelihatannya terobsesi dengan Angelina Jolie ini dianggap menyalahgunakan uang pajak.
Dunia Hiburan sempat dikejutkan oleh kasus kekerasan yang dilakukan penyanyi Chris Brown kepada pacarnya, Rihanna, yang juga artis terkenal. Pasalnya pada tanggal 8 Februari 2009 Rihanna seharusnya manggung di acara Grammy Awards namun wanita cantik ini tiba-tiba undur diri. Tidak lama kemudian muncul laporan bahwa Rihana mundur akibat masalah pribadi dengan Chris Brown. Benar saja, sekitar sebulan kemudian Chris Brown ditangkap polisi karena dituduh mengancam dan memukul Rihana sampai babak belur. Akhirnya tanggal 22 Juni 2009, Chris Brown mengaku bersalah dan dijatuhi hukuman lima tahun percobaan serta mengerjakan pelayanan sosial.
Masyarakat di seluruh dunia panik ketika mengetahui ada jenis flu baru mematikan yang telah menjalar di berbagai Negara. Flu H1N1 (flu babi) pertama kali ditemukan di bulan Maret 2009 di kota Veracruz Negara Meksiko. Pemerintah Meksiko langsung menutup fasilitas-fasilitas umum di ibukota Mexico City untuk mencegah penularan. Namun, virus H1N1 terus menjalar ke negara-negara lain. Klinik-klinik dan rumah sakit pun sempat kewalahan menerima pasien tergejala flu H1N1. WHO dan US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) akhirnya menyatakan flu H1N1 menjadi pandemi dunia. Pada tanggal 1 Desember tercatat sebanyak 9,324 orang meninggal di seluruh dunia.
Pada tanggal 30 September, kota Padang, Sumatera Barat, diguncang gempa dahsyat berkekuatan sekitar 7.6 skala richter. Pusat gempa diperkirakan berjarak 45 km dari kota Padang. Tercatat 1,115 orang meninggal, 1,214 orang luka parah, dan sebanyak 1,688 mengalami luka ringan. Selain itu, jumlah rumah dan bangunan yang runtuh sabanyak 135,000, kerusakan sedang sekitar 65,000, dan kerusakan ringan kurang lebih 79,000. Jumlah keluarga yang harus dievakuasi sekitar 250,000 atau diperkirakan sebanyak lebih dari satu juta individu.
Gara-gara seekor burung yang ‘nyasar’ di baling-baling, pesawat komersial US Airways Flight 1549 harus mendarat darurat di sungai Hudson, pada 15 Januari 2009. Untungnya seluruh penumpang pesawat selamat berkat ketangkasan sang pilot bernama Kapten Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger asal Bay Area, San Farncisco. Insiden ini dianggap keajaiban luar biasa yang pernah terjadi dalam sejarah penerbangan sipil Amerika Serikat.
Insiden terkutuk ini terjadi pada tanggal 24 Oktober 2009 di sebuah acara pesta dansa sekolah di daerah Richmond, tak jauh dari San Francisco. Bagaimana tidak menghebohkan masyarakat nasional, seorang murid SMU diperkosa oleh 15 pria remaja secara bergantian selama dua setengah jam. Gilanya lagi, ada 20 orang menyaksikan tragedi tersebut tanpa ada yang melaporkan ke polisi. Untungnya ada satu murid perempuan yang berani melaporkan kasus ini ke pihak hukum. Sejak awal November, polisi telah menangkap tujuh pria yang diduga terlibat. Kejadian buruk ini mengingatkan Amerika Serikat kepada insiden pemerkosaan 45 tahun lalu terhadap Kitty Genovese, yang diperkosa lalu dibunuh di depan banyak saksi yang tidak mau terlibat.
Peristiwa pada 5 November 2009 ini sungguh menggemparkan rakyat Amerika Serikat. Seorang Mayor Angkatan Darat ‘mengamuk’ di basis militer Fort Hood. Mayor bernama Nidal Malik Hasan yang juga pskiater bagi para tentara itu, mengumbar tembakan secara masal. Sekitar 43 orang menjadi korban tembak, dengan jumlah 13 orang meninggal dan 30 orang lainnya luka-luka. Kejadian terkutuk ini dikaitkan dengan terorisme karena sang penembak seorang Muslim yang berketurunan Palestina. Insiden ini masih dalam investigasi.
Pada tanggal 25 Juni 2009, rakyat dunia benar-benar syok akan berita kematian sang raja pop Michael Jackson. Kematian “King of Pop” sungguh tak terduga apalagi di tengah persiapan konser Michael Jackson yang sudah ditunggu. Perasaan sedih, kecewa, dan terharu sepertinya dapat dirasakan dimana-mana. Bukan itu saja, tangisan dan jeritan para fans maupun selebritis lain terlihat di berbagai tempat dan media. Bahkan sampai sekarang, seperti halnya almarhum Elvis Presley, masih banyak orang menganggap Michael Jackson itu masih hidup, ini hanya sebuah publisitas saja. Acara pemakaman Michael Jackson diadakan pada tanggal 7 Juli 2009 di Staples Center, LA. Artis dan musisi dunia termasuk Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, John Mayer, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, Usher, dan Smokey Robinson hadir dalam pemkaman itu. Bahkan sahabat dekat Jacko, Elizabeth Taylor, langsung pingsan ketika pertama kali mendengar kabar kematian sang bintang. Sahabat lainnya Diana Ross tidak hadir di acara pemakaman karena tidak kuat emosi. Pemakaman Michael Jackson merupakan peristiwa paling disaksikan di televisi sejak kematian Putri Diana tahun 1997.
