Dr. Arnie Klein: Doctor Of Dermatology Or Delusion?
Michael Jackson’s dermatologist Dr. Arnie Klein has been all over the media discussing his famous client’s medical history. The reason behind this media blitz is really nothing more than a way for the good doctor to cash in his fifteen minutes of fame.
On CNN’s “Larry King,” Dr. Klein disclosed that Michael Jackson did indeed suffer from vitiligo. To treat the skin disorder, Dr. Klein said that he prescribed a topical cream that over time bleached Michael’s natural brown hue. Klein acknowledged that the topical cream made Michael’s skin pigmentation light; caucasian in tone, but noted emphatically that “Michael was Black. He was very proud of his heritage.”
Also in that interview, Dr. Klein made known that Michael Jackson suffered from lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body such as skin, joints, blood, and kidneys. As the physician treating Jackson for lupus, or perhaps one of them, Dr. Klein would have probably prescribed a corticosteroid named prednisone. Prednisone is commonly used by patients suffering from lupus.
Prednisone can be administered in several forms: a pill, skin creams, gels, and liquid. The liquid form of prednisone is intravenously injected into the vein in pulses. Having the prednisone fed through the body intravenously provides longer periods of relief for the patient suffering from lupus. Perhaps this could be why several unsubstantiated reports have made the claims that Michael Jackson had injection sites or needle marks on his arms and body. Other reports say that Michael’s vein had virtually collapsed.
There are four different types of lupus: cutaneous lupus erythematosus (skin), systemic lupus erythematosus, drug-induced lupus and neonatal lupus. Dr. Klein did not say which type Michael Jackson acquired.
In other Dr. Klein news, when cornered as to whether or not he is the biological father of Michael Jackson, Klein slyly confessed that he donated sperm, but had no idea where that donation went or if it was used. Dr. Klein told other media outlets that he “didn’t think” that he was the natural father of Prince Michael or Paris Katherine Jackson.
Opportunist Alert: New Tell-All Book Reveals Michael Jackson Was Gay! The Mud-Slinging Has Begun!
Celebrity biographer Ian Helperin is set to release an explosive book that will definitely cause substantial fall-out. “Un-Masked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson” is the working title of Ian Helperin’s biography on the inner workings of Michael Jackson’s personal and intimate life.
The book details Michael Jackson’s supposed fixation of cross-dressing and cruisin’ the streets of Las Vegas for men to pick-up for sexual encounters. In fact, one such pick-up, a construction worker, claims that Michael Jackson made him sign a confidentiality agreement before intimacy occured. Ian Helperin also attempts to deconstruct Michael Jackson’s public persona from his very private one.
“Un-Masked” is only the beginning, folks, of the massive smear campaign that is in the works to rid or tarnish the image of Michael Jackson from the hearts and minds of millions of people all over the world. Get ready for more accusations and “tell-all” books about Michael Jackson in weeks to come.
Why? Because everyone is realizing what a marketable commodity Michael Jackson is more so in death than in life. Every greedy wannabe grabber of fifteen minutes of fame and notoriety is going to conceive of something to make a buck off of Michael Jackson. Hey! Even Michael’s own father is guilty of that!
By the way, the Michael is Gay bandwagon is an old one. When this rumor first started in the mid seventies, continuing into the early eighties, fans still loved Michael Jackson and bought his records regardless. Real Michael Jackson fans could care less as to what Michael’s sexual orientation was! That is still the case right now.
All of those trying to make money off of Michael Jackson by writing smut at this point in time are vicious and cruel with a freezer for a heart! We sincerely hope that the Jackson family lawyers are taking notes and preparing to sue.This is the only way that Michael Jackson’s legacy will be preserved for his children and generations to come.
Shocking Details Concerning Chicago Cemetary Scandal! Four Arrested On Felony X Charges! Excerpts From Chicago Tribune!
New estimate on cemetery bodies: 200 to 300
Authorities today sharply increased the estimate of the number of bodies disinterred at Burr Oak Cemetery in southwest suburban Alsip in a scheme to illegally resell grave sites.
Two hundred to 300 bodies were dug up and dumped into an isolated, weedy area of the cemetery, where many prominent African-Americans are buried, including Emmett Till.
Former cemetery manager Carolyn Towns, 49, foreman Keith Nicks, 45, and dump-truck operator Terrence Nicks, 39, all of Chicago, and back-hoe operator Maurice Dailey, 59, of Robbins, were each charged with one count of dismembering a human body, a Class X felony. They all face up to 30 years in prison.
Authorities are also investigating an Emmett Till Memorial Fund that Towns set up for a museum in the slain teen’s memory. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and State’s Atty. Anita Alvarez asked for the public’s help in tracking donations to the fund, set up in 2005.
“If there are any people out there who in fact contributed to that fund, in order to have that building, that museum, built, which was never done … can you please call the sheriff’s hotline number, and please pass that information on,” Alvarez said.
Bail for Towns, described as the scheme’s mastermind, was set at $250,000, and for the other defendants at $200,000 by Cook County Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil.
“Carolyn Towns was the brains behind the operation, the one calling the shots,” Blair said.
The charges against Towns allege that “numerous graves were excavated and the human remains were then buried in a rear vacant lot in Burr Oak cemetery, Alsip … She then sold the vacant gravesites for her own personal financial gain.” Authorities said she earlier had been fired by the cemetery’s owners because of theft allegations.
The four were able to successfully carry out the scheme, prosecutors said, because bereaved relatives often came into the cemetery office to buy grave sites with cash. Towns would take the cash and destroy the deeds and other paperwork for the existing graves, they said. Towns would keep the cash and pay off the other defendants by increasing their overtime pay, which she controlled as cemetery general manager.
Mahoney described the defendants’ actions as “cold, calculating and showed a total disregard for human souls.”
The scheme was discovered when a cemetery worker was practicing on a backhoe and dug up some of the remain and went to police.
Detectives found a pile of bones decomposed, above ground and uncovered in an overgrown, fenced-off portion of the cemetery, according to Dart.
In addition, bodies apparently were double-buried in existing plots, Dart said. Dozens of FBI agents are expected in Chicago early next week to help sift through the evidence at the cemetery, Dart said.
“We’re going to be here months,” Dart said. “There are not going to be quick answers here.”
Tom Troutman, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago field office, said investigators have “got to map the whole graveyard.”
Agents will use electronic equipment to search for anomalies that might indicate where there are more bodies than there should be, Troutman said.
At the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s behest, a woman who said she has had 23 relatives buried at Burr Oak took the microphone briefly during the press conference at the cemetery. Myrtis Palm Dean said there will be legal help available at a Far South Side church on Sunday. There also will be a meeting on Saturday at Rainbow-PUSH headquarters.
Dean said families are thinking of class action suit.
“I have gravesites that haven’t even been used, headstones that are missing,” said Dean. “There is no need for this. This is sacred ground.”
Dart said that “there’s virtually no regulation” of cemetery information, and one of the things that has complicated the investigation is that there is no agency that collects the information from cemeteries about who is buried at them–and many relevant records at Burr Oak have been altered or destroyed.
One of the first predominantly African-American cemeteries in the area, Burr Oak is the resting place of many historic figures, including civil rights symbol Emmett Till, blues legend Dinah Washington and heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles.
Dart said he was certain Till’s remains were not disturbed, but he could not be sure about the others.
This morning, a large crowd converged on the cemetery, most of them African-American, saying they wanted to find out if their loved ones’ remains had been moved. The families expressed outrage, disgust and discouragement.
Dart said this morning that none of the cemetery’s workers came to work today, so the sheriff’s office was aiding residents walk through the plots.
“This is just heartbreaking. The people I have talked to have made me want to cry,” Dart said. “The sense of violation is horrible.”
“Some people come back from the grave site and it’s not what it’s supposed to be and I don’t know what to tell them,” he said.
Sheriff’s employees are having concerned families first take a number. When their number comes up, they are taken to the site. But the wait is long so Dart’s office has brought out chairs for the elderly as well as water, drinks and chips for relatives.
Some people who know where the location of their loved ones’ graves are just heading to them on their own.
Dart said he believes the alleged scheme has been going on for about four years.
“We have evidence…There were also people being double-buried, that they would just sort of pound down the one casket or remains and put another set of remains on top,” he told WGN-AM.
The disinterred graves appeared to be older, neglected ones, Dart said. “They specifically looked to older graves, where there might not be someone coming out there every week,” he said.
Dart said it would take weeks, if not months, before it will be known who the bodies are. Between 30 and 40 FBI agents “from all over the world” who specialize in identifying remains will arrive on Monday to work on the case, he told WGN-AM. It will take four or five weeks to sift through the area in the cemetery in which the bodies were dumped and which has been fenced off as the main crime scene, Dart said.
No remains have been removed yet, Dart said. The bones were scattered above ground, along with casket and other related debris, over an area of about four blocks in a hilly portion of the cemetery. There’s a lot of overgrown vegetation there, he said, and the area stretches from Kostner to Cicero Avenues.
The FBI is conducting tests to determine the identities, but Dart said he was not familiar with their methods. He said it was possible not all bodies would be identified. Compounding the problem, many cemetery records appear to have been destroyed.
Dart said people have complained about the cemetery for months and have not received any answers. The families have complained specifically of flooding and even markers being moved. The Tribune in May wrote about the cemetery and residents’ complaints.
Simeon Wright of the La Grange area, a cousin of Till, said: “This is reprehensible if it’s true. I’ve got several generations of my family buried there, and I’ve never had any problems. … But this is a pretty ghoulish story.”
On Wednesday night, as news of the grim discovery spread, devastated families started trickling onto the cemetery grounds to check on their loved ones’ graves.
Donetta Newman, 35, whose father and both of her grandparents are buried at Burr Oak, stood in the rain trying to get inside to see if their grave sites had been disturbed. “You always think this is the final resting place,” she said. “This is just shocking. I’m very distraught.”
None of the remains had been removed from the site, said Steve Patterson, a sheriff’s spokesman. The state’s attorney’s office and FBI are also investigating, Dart said.
In recent years the cemetery at 4400 W. 127th St. has drawn complaints for overgrown grass, sunken grave sites and flooding.
Police told industry experts, consulted as they investigated the case, that the conspirators probably took in around $300,000.
Sheriff’s police learned of the grave-reselling scheme six weeks ago when they were contacted by the Arizona-based cemetery owners, Perpetua Inc., who told police they were concerned about possible financial wrongdoing, Dart said. The scheme came to light after another cemetery employee told the owners of the re-sold deeds and the owners contacted the sheriff’s police department, Blair said.
Perpetua Holdings of Illinois, Inc. has owned the cemetery since 2001. Trudi McCollum Foushee, a Missouri-based attorney for company president Melvin Bryant of Richardson, Texas, would only confirm the company went to police, triggering the investigation.
Authorities alleged that Towns and the other suspects targeted graves they knew had not been visited in a long time and then Towns fraudulently altered the deeds to the plots, sheriff’s spokeswoman Blair said. The plots were then resold to unsuspecting families seeking a grave site for a loved one.
All targeted grave sites were very old, though some still had headstones, Blair said. The caskets, vaults and bodies were dumped in a large back portion of the cemetery, where investigators found human remains lying in plain sight amid piles of dirt, she said.
Once a plot was resold, Blair said, “They would dig up the body, toss it and by the time the (newly) deceased person got there, they were put in the grave and their family was none the wiser.”
When investigators went out to the cemetery, Dart said, “We originally thought it was just a pure financial crime that we were walking into and then … within minutes of being out here, we had a pretty good handle on what we were dealing with, and it went well beyond anyone’s idea of a financial crime”
Blair said that financial crimes charges could be added later, but it was unclear how much money was netted from the scam. Authorities are still trying to piece together the scheme with what few records exist.
“Unfortunately, they destroyed so much paperwork,” Blair said. “I think that [the secretary] was tasked with destroying documents relating to the sale and resale of the deeds.”
The Tribune is not naming the secretary because she has not been charged with a crime.
The Cook County sheriff’s office set up an e-mail address for families who are concerned about loved who are buried at the cemetery: burroakcemeteryinvestigation@gmail.com.
***Thank You Chicago Tribune!***
White House Fact Sheet On Clean Energy!
Meeting the International Clean Energy and Climate Change Challenges
Every nation on this planet is at risk. And just as no one nation is responsible for climate change, no one nation can address it alone. That is why, back in April, I convened this forum of the world’s major economies – responsible for more than three-quarters of the world’s carbon pollution. And it is why we have gathered again here today.
–President Barack Obama
July 9, 2009, L’Aquila, Italy
From his first days in office, President Obama has made it a top priority of the United States to accelerate our transformation to a clean energy economy and combat climate change. President Obama is committed to leading the way through strong domestic actions and working with partners around the world to achieve an international agreement that will promote the clean energy technologies necessary to lower global greenhouse gas emissions in the developed and developing worlds alike.
As a key part of this effort, President Obama launched the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate. The forum convened at the Leaders level in L’Aquila, Italy on July 9, 2009, in a meeting co-chaired by President Obama and Prime Minister Berlusconi.
The Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate
The Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) brings together 17 developed and developing economies to engage in a meaningful dialogue on clean energy technology and the need to secure a broad international agreement to combat climate change.
The Leaders held candid and constructive discussions culminating in a declaration that reflects real progress on the road to the Copenhagen climate conference in December and real progress in paving the way for the development and deployment of transformational technologies.
The Leaders found common ground among the critical pillars of mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology, which are necessary for any successful agreement in Copenhagen. This complements the significant progress made by the G8 Leaders on these issues in their meeting in L’Aquila. In particular, the G8 Leaders agreed to reduce their emissions 80% or more by 2050 as its share of a global goal to lower emissions 50% by 2050, acknowledging the broad scientific view that warming should be limited to no more than two degrees Celsius.
On the heels of this progress, the MEF Leaders underscored their commitment to continue to work together to strengthen the world’s ability to combat climate change and to facilitate agreement in Copenhagen. The Leaders recognized that climate change poses a clear and present danger requiring an extraordinary global response, and outlined a series of steps to meet this challenge head on.
Regarding emission mitigation, Leaders:
- Agreed that global and national emissions should peak as soon as possible;
- Agreed that MEF developed countries will promptly undertake actions to produce robust reductions in their emissions in the midterm, consistent with their ambitious, long-term objectives.
- Agreed that MEF developing countries will promptly undertake actions projected to result in a meaningful reduction of emissions below their business-as-usual path in the midterm;
- Agreed to prepare low-carbon growth plans to guide their long-term development.
- Agreed to work between now and Copenhagen to identify a global goal for substantially reducing global emissions by 2050, recognizing the science indicating that global warming should not exceed two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels;
- Committed to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
Regarding the advancement of clean energy technology, Leaders:
- Agreed to establish a Global Partnership to drive transformational low-carbon technologies;
- Aimed to double investments in public sector research, development and demonstration of transformational technology;
- Agreed to spearhead efforts on technologies through the leadership of the following countries:
o The United States on energy efficiency;
o Germany on solar energy;
o The Republic of Korea and Italy on smart grids;
o Australia and the UK on carbon capture, use, and storage;
o Japan and India on high-efficiency and lower-emissions coal technologies;
o Canada on advanced vehicles;
o Germany, Denmark and Spain on wind; and
o Brazil and Italy on bio-energy.
These countries will report by November 15, 2009, on action plans and roadmaps, and make recommendations for further progress.
Regarding financing, Leaders:
- Elaborated a broad set of principles to guide the design of a financial system that will support the deployment of new technologies to promote energy security, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and facilitate adaptation to climate change;
- Agreed, among other thing, that financing needs to be scaled up substantially; should come from a variety of sources, both public and private; should be more predictable; should draw upon the expertise of existing institutions; and should be subject to balanced governance and clear accountability;
- Asked their finance ministers to work through the G20 to recommend in advance of the Cophenhagen conference the best ways to mobilize necessary financing.
Regarding adaptation, Leaders:
- Agreed that there is a particular and immediate need to assist the poorest and most vulnerable to adapt to the impacts of climate change;
- Committed to work to develop, deploy and disseminate technologies that advance adaptation efforts, especially for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations.
The 17 economies that participate in the MEF are: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition, Denmark, in its capacity as the President of the December 2009 Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the United Nations are also participating in this dialogue.
President Barack Obama’s Remarks At G-8 Summit
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ON MAJOR ECONOMIES FORUM DECLARATION
G-8 Press Conference Room
L’Aquila, Italy
6:41 P.M. CEST
THE PRESIDENT: Buona sera, good afternoon. We have just finished a productive meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate Change, and I’d like to begin by recognizing Prime Minister Berlusconi for co-chairing this forum, as well as the extraordinary hospitality that he, his team, and the people of L’Aquila and the people of Italy have shown us during this stay. We are very grateful to all of you. I also want to thank the 17 other leaders who participated.
We had a candid and open discussion about the growing threat of climate change and what our nations must do — both individually and collectively — to address it. And while we don’t expect to solve this problem in one meeting or one summit, I believe we’ve made some important strides forward as we move towards Copenhagen.
I don’t think I have to emphasize that climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time. The science is clear and conclusive, and the impacts can no longer be ignored. Ice sheets are melting. Sea levels are rising. Our oceans are becoming more acidic. And we’ve already seen its effects on weather patterns, our food and water sources, our health and our habitats.
Every nation on this planet is at risk, and just as no one nation is responsible for climate change, no one nation can address it alone. And that’s why, back in April, I convened this forum of the world’s major economies who are responsible for more than three-quarters of the world’s carbon pollution. And it’s why we’ve gathered again here today.
Each of our nations comes to the table with different needs, different priorities, different levels of development. And developing nations have real and understandable concerns about the role they will play in these efforts. They want to make sure that they do not have to sacrifice their aspirations for development and higher living standards. Yet, with most of the growth in projected emissions coming from these countries, their active participation is a prerequisite for a solution.
We also agree that developed countries — like my own — have a historic responsibility to take the lead. We have the much larger carbon footprint per capita, and I know that in the past, the United States has sometimes fallen short of meeting our responsibilities. So, let me be clear: Those days are over. One of my highest priorities as President is to drive a clean energy transformation of our economy, and over the past six months, the United States has taken steps towards this goal.
We’ve made historic investments in the billions of dollars in developing clean energy technologies. We’re on track to create thousands of new jobs across America — on solar initiatives and wind projects and biofuel projects, trying to show that there is no contradiction between environmentally sustainable growth and robust economic growth.
We’ve also for the first time created a national policy raising our fuel-efficiency standards that will result in savings of 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of vehicles sold in the next five years alone. And we just passed in our House of Representatives the first climate change legislation that would cut carbon pollution by more than 80 percent by 2050.
These are very significant steps in the United States. They’re not as far as some countries have gone, but they are further than others, and I think that as I wrestle with these issues politically in my own country, I’ve come to see that it is going to be absolutely critical that all of us go beyond what’s expected if we’re going to achieve our goals.
During the course of our three days in L’Aquila, we’ve taken also a number of significant steps forward. I want to briefly highlight them.
This week the G8 nations came to a historic consensus on concrete goals for reducing carbon emissions. We all agreed that by 2050 developed nations will reduce their emissions by 80 percent and that we will work with all nations to cut global emissions in half. This ambitious effort is consistent with limiting global warming to no more than two degrees Celsius, which, as our declaration explicitly acknowledged for the first time, is what the mainstream of the scientific community has called for.
Today, at the Major Economies Forum, developed and developing nations made further and unprecedented commitments to take strong and prompt action. Developed nations committed to reducing their emissions in absolute terms. And for the first time, developing nations also acknowledged the significance of the two degrees Celsius metric and agreed to take action to meaningfully lower their emissions relative to business as usual in the midterm — in the next decade or so. And they agreed that between now and Copenhagen, they will negotiate concrete goals to reduce their emissions by 2050.
We also agreed that the actions we take to achieve our reductions must be measurable, reportable, and verifiable. And we agreed to establish, at the earliest possible date, a peak year after which overall global emissions will start falling. And these are all very significant steps forward in addressing this challenge.
In addition, we agreed to substantially increase financial resources to help developing nations create low-carbon growth plans and deploy clean energy technologies. We also recognize that climate change is already happening, and so we’re going to have to help those affected countries adapt, particularly those who are least able to deal with its consequences because of a lack of resources. So we are looking at providing significant financial assistance to help these countries, and I want to particularly commend President Calderón of Mexico and Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom for coming up with some creative proposals that all of us are going to be exploring as to how we might finance this. We’ve asked the G20 finance ministers to take up the climate financing issues and report back to us at the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh in the fall.
Finally, we’ve agreed to create a new Global Partnership to drive the development of transformational clean energy technologies around the world. Our goal is to double the research and development investments we need to bring these technologies to market and to achieve our long-term energy and emissions goals. A number of countries have already agreed to take lead on developing particular technologies, including solar and smart grids, advanced vehicles, bio-energy, and more. Australia, for example, is creating a new center, which Kevin will be introducing shortly, and I think points to the ability for us to pool our resources in order to see the technological breakthroughs that are going to be necessary in order for us to solve this problem.
So let me just summarize: We’ve made a good start. But I am the first one to acknowledge that progress on this issue will not be easy. And I think that one of the things we’re going to have to do is fight the temptation towards cynicism, to feel that the problem is so immense that somehow we cannot make significant strides.
It is no small task for 17 leaders to bridge their differences on an issue like climate change. We each have our national priorities and politics to contend with, and any steps we agree to here are intended to support and not replace the main U.N. negotiations with more than 190 countries.
It’s even more difficult in the context of a global recession, which I think adds to the fears that somehow addressing this issue will contradict the possibilities of robust global economic growth.
But ultimately, we have a choice. We can either shape our future, or we can let events shape it for us. We can fall back on the stale debates and old divisions, or we can decide to move forward and meet this challenge together. I think it’s clear from our progress today which path is preferable and which path we have chosen. We know that the problems we face are made by human beings. That means it’s within our capacity to solve them. The question is whether we will have the will to do so, whether we’ll summon the courage and exercise the leadership to chart a new course. That’s the responsibility of our generation, that must be our legacy for generations to come, and I am looking forward to being a strong partner in this effort.
With that, let me turn it over to Kevin Rudd, who I think has a significant announcement that fits in with the issues I raised earlier about technology challenges and our capacity to move forward and leapfrog over some of the old technologies that make this problem so difficult to deal with.
Kevin.
BREAKING NEWS: Sources Close To Jackson Family Claim Private Services Held For King Of Pop Late Monday! Michael Jackson Buried Amongst Stars At Forest Lawn!
Several anonymous sources have reported that family and friends of Michael Jackson attended a private memorial service held at the famed Forest Lawn Cemetary late Monday. No official confirmation has been made regarding the reports. The Jackson family have not issued a statement or comment regarding the tip provided through anonymous familial sources regarding the services.
A public memorial service is scheduled to be held for the King Of Pop, Michael Jackson, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles at 10am Tuesday. The Jackson family is slated to attend.
Okay Class! Can You Say ‘Shameless Opportunists’? GOOD! Now Repeat After Me: Al Sharpton Is An Ambulance Chaser And Papa Joe Is A Demented Excuse For A Father!
I don’t know about you, but we here at The Kaleidoscope Factor have completely ran out of patience where it concerns Michael Jackson’s father, Joseph Jackson. Now, it has never been a secret as to the type of parent that Joe Jackson is. He is the dictionary classic example of a warped show business Dad. Joe Jackson has always been depicted, by his own flesh and blood children, as a selfish, cold and dispicable tyrant. The Jackson children have all agreed that their father rarely, if ever, showed them love and affection growing up. Some have even publicly wondered if their father just out and out disliked them.
We the public already know how Michael Jackson felt about his father. Basically, in a nut shell, Mike hated the guy. Plain and simple. But isn’t it interesting how now that Michael has tragically left the scene, poor, grieving Pops Jackson has stepped into the spotlight and the cameras and awaiting microphones, declaring himself the spokesman of the entire Jackson clan, criticizing those in the public who have thrown mud on his son’s life in the past, acknowledging Michael’s greatness and legacy, and then, in the same breath, announces the launch of a music label?
What kind of crap is that? And why is it that every other day, Papa Joe calls a news conference that provides zero news? It can only be that the tiny shred of benefit of the doubt that the public had about Joe Jackson has been dashed to pieces! Who in their right mind would take the tragic moment of a child’s death to use to grab the spotlight to promote a business that won’t amount to anything in the first place? Honestly, who would want Joe Jackson managing their career? Miss some choreography and Papa Joe ordering you outside to get a switch so he can beat the rhythm back in you! Yeah, right!
Shameless Opportunist!
The Rev. Al Sharpton has stepped up his game, too! Calling himself a Jackson family spokesman and confidant, it has become sad to watch how Sharpton has milked the spotlight, too! At Mondays press conference, Sharpton stood side by side with Papa Joe as the Jackson patriarch talked about random bits and pieces concerning Michael Jackson that really wasn’t press conference worthy. Then, the world is awarded with the fantastical news that the fine Rev. Sharpton is also a business partner with Papa Joe in this sham of a record label! Just in the legal department, that is.
Sharpton also defended his client/partner’s opportunistic moves by saying:
“He wanted to thank the fans for all the love, and he felt there had been some distortion that he was trying to promote a record when he did the BET red carpet. But my position is, whether one thinks what he said on the red carpet was appropriate or not, Joe Jackson is the head of that family and he stood by [Michael] during his trial. Look at the footage, Joe and Katherine walked him in and out of that courtroom. To say he doesn’t care about his son is absurd. When it looked like all was lost, that family stood by him.”
Yeah. We remember the trial. Papa Joe was there. The entire Jackson family was there to show their loyalty and support for Michael. No one was blabbing about business ventures, and record deals or other out of the way selfish things. But as of today, this moment within this hour, Michael Jackson is dead. The seventh of the ten children that came forth from Joseph Jackson’s loins is gone. Why can’t he show the same freaking respect that he displayed at his son’s molestation trial by keeping his mouth shut and letting Jermaine or Janet do the talking as they have done so well in the past?
Rev. Al. Sharpton? Opportunist! And it is a shame because he professes to be a God-fearing man. I guess that the love of God doesn’t really mean a thing to Sharpton if there are cameras and a microphone shoved in his face.
Michael Jackson fans are outraged over the disrespect that these two men have displayed for the Jackson family and those around the world who loved Michael. Sharpton and Papa Joe have turned the death of someone well-loved and beautiful into a mockery and a circus.
Michael Jackson’s Secrets Exposed By Ex Wife Debbie Rowe! Jackson Not The Biological Father Of His Children! AND…Rowe IS NOT THE BIOLOGICAL MOTHER!
All of Michael Jackson’s deepest darkest secrets are oozing out at an alarming, steady rate. It is absolutely nauseating to witness, yet shockingly fascinating to learn about the inner workings of Michael Jackson, the man, and not the musical iconic figure that the world knew him to be.
The latest in this voyeuristic journey into the world of Michael Jackson comes courtesy of ex-wife number two, Debbie Rowe. In an allegedly exclusive interview with a news media outlet, Rowe claims that she was artificially inseminated by an anonymous sperm donor. This arrangement was made after Jackson’s failed marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, whom Rowe allegedly says refused to have children with Michael Jackson.
According to Debbie Rowe, Michael Jackson was “unhappy” and “lonely.”
“I offered my womb, it was a gift. It was something I did to keep him happy,” Rowe elaborated, even though she signed a multimillion dollar confidentiality agreement to keep quiet about the surrogacy and her relationship with Jackson. Then to really add to the shock factor, allegedly Rowe confides to the journalist that she was “just a vessel. The sperm wasn’t Michael’s.”
And on that note, TMZ and US Weekly are reporting that Debbie Rowe is not the biological mother of the Jackson children. An anoymous donor supplied the eggs and the fertilization took place outside of Rowe’s body and was implanted soon after. Perhaps that explains Debbie Rowe’s last comments:
“I got paid for it, and I have moved on. I know I will never see my children again…I never felt any attachment to them. It was a better feeling giving them to him (Jackson) than it was keeping them aas my own.”
Who knows what is really going on with this situation. The one true fact that can be substantiated is that Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine, received temporary custody of the children and on August 3, 2009, a second hearing will be held to determine a permanent solution.
Public Viewing Scheduled For Music Icon Michael Jackson! Private Memorial Services Will Be Held On Sunday!
The family of Michael Joe Jackson, music and entertainment icon, has announced that a public viewing has been scheduled for Friday, July 3, 2009, at Neverland Ranch.
A private memorial service will be held on Sunday, July 5, 2009 at an undisclosed location. No further info was released concerning burial arrangements for Michael Joseph Jackson.
Jackson Family Demands Private Autopsy Says Rev. Jesse Jackson!
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson’s family wants a private autopsy of the pop icon because of unanswered questions about how he died and the doctor who was with him, the civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson said Saturday.
“It’s abnormal,” he told The Associated Press from Chicago a day after visiting the Jackson family. “We don’t know what happened. Was he injected and with what? All reasonable doubt should be addressed.”
People close to Jackson have said since his death that they were concerned about the superstar’s use of painkillers. Los Angeles County medical examiners completed an autopsy Friday and said Jackson had taken prescription medication.
Medical officials also said there was no indication of trauma or foul play. An official cause of death could take weeks.
The coroner’s office released the body to Jackson’s family Friday night. There was no immediate word on whether the second autopsy was being performed right away. Jesse Jackson described the family as grief-stricken.
“They’re hurt because they lost a son. But the wound is now being kept open by the mystery and unanswered questions of the cause of death,” he said.
Two days after Jackson died at a Los Angeles hospital, his most famous sister, Janet, arrived at the mansion Jackson had been renting. She drove up in a Bentley and left without addressing reporters.
Moving vans also showed up at the Jackson home, leaving about an hour later. There was no indication what they might have taken away.
There was also no word from the Jackson family on funeral plans. Many of Jackson’s relatives have gathered at the family’s Encino compound, caring there for Jackson’s three children.
A person close to the family told The Associated Press they feel upset and angry about a lack of information about those who were around the pop superstar in his final days. The person requested anonymity because of the delicate nature of the situation.
Jackson had been rehearsing for 50 London concerts aimed at restoring his crown as the King of Pop. He died Thursday at age 50 after what his family said appeared to be cardiac arrest.
A 911 call from Jackson’s rented home reported that his personal doctor was trying to revive him without success. Police have talked to Dr. Conrad Murray and have said they intend to speak with him again but have stressed he is not a criminal suspect.
Murray has yet to speak publicly since Jackson’s death. Police towed his car from Jackson’s home hours after Jackson died and said later it could contain medication or other evidence. Coroner’s officials also said Jackson was taking prescription medication but declined to elaborate.
A lawyer at a Houston firm, William M. Stradley, confirmed Murray had hired his firm and said one of its partners was meeting with Los Angeles police on Saturday. Stradley said Murray accompanied Michael Jackson to the hospital.
“He was there from the beginning and he’s been cooperating with police from the very beginning,” Stradley said. “Dr. Murray has never left L.A. since Mr. Jackson’s death, and he remains there.”
Murray lives in Las Vegas but apparently left his practice and moved in with Jackson about two weeks ago. No one answered the door Saturday at his Las Vegas home, which property records show Murray bought five years ago for $1.1 million.
The promoter of the series of London concerts that Jackson was to begin next month has said Jackson personally insisted Murray be on the payroll.
Also Saturday, spiritual teacher Dr. Deepak Chopra said he had been concerned since 2005 that Jackson was abusing prescription painkillers and most recently spoke to the pop star about suspected drug use six months ago.
Chopra said Jackson, a longtime friend, asked him for painkillers in 2005 when the singer was staying with him following his trial on sex abuse allegations. Chopra said he refused. He also said the nanny of Jackson’s children repeatedly contacted him with concerns about Jackson’s drug use over the next four years.
He said she told him a number of doctors would visit Jackson’s homes in Santa Barbara County, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. Whenever the subject came up, Jackson would avoid his calls, Chopra said.
******THANK YOU ASSOCIATED PRESS******
Farrah Fawcett’s Final Arrangements
Funeral arrangements for television icon Farrah Fawcett are set for Tuesday, June 30, 2009, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of The Angels, in Los Angeles at 4pm (PST).
Farrah Fawcett lost her courageous battle with anal cancer, Thursday, June 25, 2009. Fawcett was diagnosed with the disease in 2006. She was 62.
Redmond O’Neal, Farrah Fawcett’s son with actor Ryan O’Neal, is reportedly scheduled to attend his mother’s services. Redmond O’Neal is currently jailed on drug charges.
Michael Jackson, Music Icon, Dies Of Sudden Cardiac Arrest At 50!
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted “King of Pop” who emerged from childhood superstardom to become the entertainment world’s most influential singer and dancer before his life and career deteriorated in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. He was 50.
The person said Jackson died in a Los Angeles hospital. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.
The circumstances of his death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m., Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told the newspaper.
Jackson’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.
His 1982 album “Thriller” – which included the blockbuster hits “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” – remains the biggest-selling album of all time, with more than 26 million copies.
He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves, his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters. His single sequined glove and tight, military-style jacket were trademarks second only to his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.
As years went by, he became an increasingly freakish figure. His skin became lighter and his nose narrower. He surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, often wore a germ mask while traveling and kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions.
In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him. The case took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital as word of his death spread. The emergency entrance at the UCLA Medical Center, which is near Jackson’s rented home, was roped off with police tape.
In New York’s Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.
“No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow,” Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend sent to his telephone. “It’s like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died.”
Chris Brown Takes Plea Deal! California Judge Issues Light Sentence And A Slap On The Wrists! Whaaat?
Well, the California courts have had their say in the final chapter of the Chris Brown / Rihanna abuse case. A judge today accepted a plea deal entered into by pop star Chris Brown and sentenced the singer to five years probation and five months of community “labor.” Whatever that means. Also, the judge has imposed a retraining order that demands Brown to keep fifty yards away from Rihanna and only ten when they are attending “industry functions.”
What I wanna know is how did Chris Brown get off with only a slap on his wrists for beating the absolute crap out of Rihanna? There are a lot of bloggers and entertainment insiders who say that the judge in this case made the ruling based on Brown’s clean record up until this point. Others say that Chris Brown was handed a sentence that regular Joe Blow abusers receive from the California justice system.
I say that if that is the case, then the California court sysytem needs to be overhauled. How in the world does a man get away with nearly choking his ex girlfriend to the point of unconsciousness and receive probation and not some jail time? Chris Brown should be serving a minimum five month jail sentence instead of picking up trash along the interstate for five months!
The pictures leaked from the Los Angeles police department featuring the beat up and bruised Rihanna should have sent some type of wave of compassion and sense of justice to the judge presiding over the case. But of course, a trial might have been necessary in order to have those pics weigh in on the sentence. Who really knows?
But the most shocking thing about this case is that women and girls all across this country are lining up to support Chris Brown and diss Rihanna. A lot of ignorant people are saying that this whole situation is Rihanna’s fault. Like it is okay to say nothing while your boyfriend disrespects you by accepting phone calls and sexy text messages from his past jump-offs! Come on! Ladies, be honest, if you were in Rihanna’s shoes, would YOU have really let that slide?
How about the fact that according to Chris Brown’s own words, he was planning to beat the you know what out of Rihanna when they arrived home? Sounds like this type of behavior had been playing out for awhile in their relationship. The beating that Rihanna took wasn’t an amateur one. Chris Brown beat her like a man he had fought before. And I don’t care what any of you crazy women out here say in Chris Brown’s defense either because if it was YOU getting your $%#@ whupped like a man, you would have been screaming like Rihanna was that night, too! Remember the neighbors heard the beat-down and called the police, not knowing who was in the car, but concerned for the woman being battered.
Perhaps all the women who are defending Chris Brown should wear a t-shirt that says “I like getting my @#$% beat on the regular. Wanna be my boyfriend?” Or, “I suffer from low self-esteem. You can beat me at will. Wanna party?” because if you are a woman that sides with a violent man, you deserve to get your behind kicked 24/7.
But I have a sneaking suspicion that all of those sistas who are so sympathetic to Chris Brown’s domestic violence issues, are not too hip to the idea of taking a beat down from a boyfriend or husband and that baffles me. If YOU ladies aren’t willing to accept a royal @#$% kicking from your man, why is Rihanna expected to take it no questions asked?
Finally, if you are a Chris Brown fan, support your boy in getting the help that he needs. Statistics have shown that a batterer usaully moves on to the next victime and becomes progressively worse. Just check out your local news for reports of missing women who eventually turn up dead courtesy of their abusive boyfriends or husbands. So, we can debate the Chris Brown / Rihanna situation for entertainment purposes, or we can chose to look at the broader picture of domestic violence and began to put faces of those closer to home to us in place of Chris Brown and Rihanna.
Maybe then, we will all come to realize that the face of domestic violence is a universal one.
Tracey Ricks Foster