Change

I don't think I was paying attention in 1988. I was a single mom with a small child, distracted by other things.

I'm experiencing a bit of a morbid curiosity now I suppose. Although I was never a big fan of Michael Jackson, I certainly admired his work and his talent. I do admit that the accusations and trial, and more importantly the incident with 'Blanket' did affect my point-of-view with respect to the man.

Now I am finding myself looking at the music, the videos much more closely. I'm fairly certain that I am not the only one.

I am also looking at the man with skepticism but openness. Having been a bit of a 'freak' myself throughout my life, although nothing on par with the perception of Michael Jackson in the hearts and minds of many, he is not really so odd as I had once believed.

I have not heard this performance commented upon in the main stream media. I think it's wonderful. What a talent. He was an artist, a magnificent artist.

I also think that Sony is missing out by not allowing blogs and other sites, even for a limited and temporary span of time, to embed Michael's videos. That's business I suppose.

At any rate, watching this performance, and really listening to the words of this song, I recognize something new and wonderful about Michael Jackson and I'm glad to have discovered it.

In Transition

Hi folks...

My life is in transition these days, so the posts will be few and far between. I hope you will stay with me as I make some changes for I will return one day!

Megan

SNL Opening: And now a word from 'The Mayor of Bummer City'

All I used to talk about was Hope and Change.

Now I'm the Mayor of Bummer City.

Barack Obama teaches Japanese English through best-selling book

Yes we can. That's an easy one. Change. Hope. Easy words to start. Positive words.

Pretty cool aye?

Maybe we should start our own wee little ones out that way. Yes we can.

An English-language textbook, "The Speeches of Barack Obama," has sold more than 400,000 copies in two months, a big hit in a country where few hit novels sell more than a million copies a year.

Japanese have a fervor for learning English and many bookstores have a corner dedicated to dozens of journals in the language, many of them now featuring the new U.S. leader's face.

"Speeches by presidents and presidential candidates are excellent as listening tools to learn English, because their contents are good and their words are easy to catch," said Yuzo Yamamoto of Asahi Press, which produced the best-selling text book.

"Obama's is especially so. His speeches are so moving, and he also uses words such as 'yes, we can,' 'change' and 'hope' that even Japanese people can memorize," he said.

source: McClatchy

Video: Israelis For Obama