RIP Michael Jackson

I’m not quite sure what I can even say…I’m just shocked. Shocked but not necessarily surprised. I never expected Michael to live to be an old man or anything. In fact, the last few years have seemed like somewhat if a death watch. He had always seemed so frail and sickly, he looked like he was dying. I guess what I’m most surprised about is the way Michael Jackson died. He could have died of cancer or lung disease or a drug overdose and I would have been like “Oh well, I guess the rumours were true”. Cardiac arrest was something that I never expected. To be honest, he had been looking better these last few months than I had seen him look in years and years. I really did think that he would be able to pull off the concert series and I was excited to see him come back. It’s just absolutely tragic that he died less than three weeks before the first show was scheduled. I wish he could have done one last show, say one last goodbye.

I can’t think of a death that rocked the world the way that this has. Diana comes to mind. Elvis comes to mind. John Lennon comes to mind. But this is huge. Michael Jackson was one of, if not THE greatest entertainers of the 20th century. But in the end, I think he’ll always be seen as a tragic figure. I wasn’t one of those mega Jackson fans, but I truly did admire him, and I’ve got most of his albums (I think all but Invincible). It just seems so surreal to know that he’s gone.

The next few weeks should be interesting as we see the Michael Jackson story unfold. I think a lot of people will start talking now that he’s gone.  There was an interesting interview with Brian Oxman, the Jackson family’s lawyer, where Oxman claims that Jackson was heavily addicted to painkillers and likened his death to Anna Nicole Smith. I just hope that he had a will and that his kids will be well taken care of.

I’m just stunned.

Is this a revolution?

A question that everybody seems to be asking: is the conflict in Iran the early stages of a larger revolution?

The answer: yes and no. I wouldn’t be so quick to jump and call it a revolution just yet. It has only been 11 days and these protests really started out very small — the ayatollah could have easily put an end to this by simply declaring the election invalid and calling a new one. When on Friday, he didn’t do this, and in fact dared the Iranian people to defy him — this is where the problems began. Never before have the Iranian people defied the ayatollah, but his refusal to support their right to a fair election brought human rights issues that have been simmering for decades have finally been brought to the surface.

Iranians seem to be realizing that this is the best, and perhaps only, chance they will have to create a true democracy. Their protests are no longer just about the election. The problem is that they do not have a leader. Mousavi is not their leader, if anything the people are leading Mousavi. They have no formal support system and must battle not only the Iranian government, but also the basij and the revolutionary army. Because of this, I am beginning to think that if the Iranian people want a revolution they can not succeed without a leader and some form of militaristic support.

In the end, this will only be a revolution if the Iranian people want it to be.

More on Iran…

I’ve been following the uprising in Iran quite closely over the last few days. I think one of the most interesting things I’ve noticed during this conflict is how interested and involved Americans seem to be. I think that’s great and it is inspiring to see people half a world apart show such solidarity with the people of Iran. But I also think it’s important for people to know and understand the issues and history of the Iranian republic and what led to these peotests — not just jump blindly into a cause simply because CNN is showing images of people dying. Hundreds of people are dying in Pakistan and in Palestine. What is it that is drawing Americans so passionately to this cause?

Barack Obama issued another statement today declaring that “[t]he Iranian government must understand that the world is watching” and “[w]e call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people.” This, to me, is a much stronger statement than what he’s said previously, and this is enough. It is not the American government’s place to interfere in what, at this time, is strictly a domestic affair. It is absolutely ludicrous for John McCain to critisize Obama for his weak stance on Iran. Mousavi and the Iranian people have made it clear that they do not need or want any external support. If the US was to take a firmer stance, they would become the issue and it would give the Iranian government an ‘out’, so to speak — a way for them to deflect blame for the protests and place blame on the US.

It’s a difficult event to watch on TV and Youtube and to read the updates on Twitter. I honestly wish that I were in Iran to experience this moment in history, a protest that may soon become something much bigger. I do stand in solidarity with the Mousavi supporters, though I do not necessarily support Mousavi as a strong leader of Iran. He is an accidental figurehead and had he been elected, I don’t believe that he would have reformed Iran’s policies in any significant way. After all, it is not the president who holds the power in Iran — it is the ayatollah.

comment on CNN.com

I was just reading an article on CNN.com about the Taliban insurgency in Pakistan and found the following comment, regarding the Taliban:

These pigs kill everything in sight without any remorse for their victims who include innocent women and children. These animals should be hunted down by the WORLD and exterminated to include their wives, children, dogs, rats, and cats to ensure they are totally gone.

Granted, the Taliban needs to be dealt with. But it is comments like these that made me such a staunch anti-American for many years. Genocide is never the solution to a problem. Taliban or not.

protests in iran

I really don’t have too much to say on these events that hasn’t already been said. But I thought I should just make a brief comment nonetheless.

Yes, I do believe that the election was rigged — Moussavi supporters are right to protest. However, I am not a Moussavi supporter. I really don’t feel that his givernment would be any better or worse than Ahmadinejad’s. The more important issue, one that Iran has been struggling with for decades, is the corruption, censorship and human rights issues that the government has supported regardless of which government was in power.

The problems lie deep within the core of the Iranian government, not with any one political leader (though having an egomaniacal lunatic as president definitely doesn’t help the situation). I’m still carefully watching everything unfold, and to be honest, I actually hope that this is the start of a larger uprising. The people of Iran deserve to have a governement that works for them, protects their rights, and gives them free speech and access to unbiased media.

Speaking of the media, it’s important to remember that none of us can really comment on anything that’s happening in Iran without gaining first-hand knowledge and experience. Otherwise, the only information you’re given is diluted soundbytes filtered according to each publication’s respective bias and market.

unemployment

I went to my friend’s birthday party the other day and had an interesting conversation with a few folks. The guys were talking, with pride, about how they haven’t worked in months and how excited they are to be getting EI. It’s a trend that I’ve been noticing more and more over the last year or so — I’d say the vast majority of my friends (that aren’t in school) don’t work, or only work very part time hours or on a contract basis. I only know two guys who work regular 9-5 jobs, and one of them just quit to take the summer off.

I’m not saying this is a bad thing. I’m pretty much in the same boat — I haven’t worked a regular day job in about six months and have no plans to get one anytime soon. I make most of my income doing freelance work, which is great. And come to think of it, most of my friends are involved in creative industries — they freelance, they’re club promoters, dj’s, artists, musicians, that sort of thing. So maybe it’s just the group of people I hang out with. But still, there are an awful lot of people that don’t work at all – freelance or otherwise. I can’t help but wonder how much of this has to do with the economy. But the EI comment really did surprise me. I don’t know many people who are actually collecting EI, so that’s new. I never really thought of kids in their 20′s as being an EI market. But maybe that’s been changing?

Jeff Buckley

I’ve been listening to Jeff Buckley a lot lately. I don’t think I’ve ever really appreaciated his work and his voice as much as I do now. He has one of the most elastic, expressive voices I have ever heard — kind of like his father (Tim Buckley). I think Adam Lambert has the same sort of voice (though that didn’t even dawn on me until a couple of days ago). I don’t think I’ve ever heard a rock vocalist with as wide of a range as Jeff had. Maybe Steven Tyler and Robert Plant came close. I get more out of listening to his album Grace each time I hear it — it’s like slowly unfolding new layers of each song. Even his earlier recordings from ’92/’93 are pretty incredible, and especially notable for his cover choices. I can’t think of many rock acts that have covered Judy Garland, Nina Simone and Johnny Cash, all the while being able to put their own signature on the songs.

I also heard yesterday that they are making a biopic on his life. Would be interesting to see, though apart from his death, I’m not sure that his life was all that interesting. The two main contenders for the role are James Franco and Robert Pattison. Franco seems to be the obvious choice — he looks pretty similar to Buckley and I think he could probably nail the performance. Pattison really isn’t that great of an actor and I’d hate to see Buckley’s story drowned out in all that Twilight hype.

Adventures with the German consulate — Part II

I’ve just been sent the formal requirements needed for me to obtain my German citizenship through my grandparents. I’ve passed the first test, so to speak, so the light at the end of the tunnel is definitely getting brighter. They’ve given me a list of six documents that I need to provide:

• my birth certificate
• the birth certificates of my mother and maternal grandparents
• either my Canadian passport or my valid BC driver’s license
• certified copies of all documents regarding the immigration to Canada of my maternal grandparents (provided by Citizenship and Immigration Canada) OR the last German passport or German citizenship certificate issued to my maternal grandparents
• certificate (“Record Letter”) issed by CIC for verification of when my maternal grandparents applied for Canadian citizenship

Once I’ve obtained these documents, I have to apply for a Certificate of German Citizenship from the Bundesverwaltungsamt in Cologne. Unfortunately, the application form is only available in German so I will have to get it translated. There is also a 25 euro application fee. If my application is denied there is an additional 18.75 euro processing fee.

Overall, the consulate has been incredibly helpful in assisting me and answering my questions. The process isn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. Though I’m not looking forward to the 2 to 4 year waiting time for my application to be processed in Germany!

Susan Boyle: Part II

I wrote a couple of days ago of my thoughts on Susan Boyle. I thought I’d come back to that subject after hearing the news that she’s been hospitalized in London after having a breakdown. I’d say what we have her is a victim of celebrity, somebody who’s been prodded and manipulated in order to sell papers. I’m sure that Boyle never expected the attention that the media lavished on her, or the criticisms that were brought upon her. But at the same time, she had to have been looking for attention and praise — after all, it was her choice to tryout for the show. But when you take somebody who is somewhat unstable to begin with and throw them into the media spotlight, it’s only a matter of time before something bad happens.

At this point, she’s taking part in a minimum of a 21-day program at the Priory. This means that she won’t be participating in the Britain’s Got Talent tour and has had to delay her recording sessions. Will this hurt her career? No. That is, if she recovers and is able to withstand a career in the spotlight. Yes, she’s talented. But maybe she’s just not cut out to be famous. In any case, I do wish her well and wish her a speedy recovery. I’m sure there are plenty of people that are dying to see her in concert and are waiting to buy her first cd.