90 day writing challenge, day 78:Michael Jackson’s lucky he’s not buried in Burr Oaks

How exactly does one decide to dig up hundreds of bodies and illegally resell their burial plots? I guess we’ll have to wait to hear how Carolyn Townes of Burr Oaks cemetery in Alsip, Illinois thought this was a good idea.

If you think her plan was stupid and insensitive, you’re right- but there’s more. It appears Emmit Till, the civil rights martyr, who was killed for whistling at a white woman was also buried there. When he was body was exhumed in 2005 as a part of investigation into his killing, his casket was in disrepair.

So a new one was provided, and Till’s family requested the old casket be preserved for historical purposes. Townes promised to fulfill their requests. Instead, she tossed the casket in the back of a cemetary shed and pocketed money raised for a memorial for Till.

After her own experience with burials and cemeteries, I’m guessing Carolyn Townes is going to request a cremation for herself…..and I’m guessing there will be a long line of people waiting to push the incinerator button to make sure she’s gone for good.

90 day challenge, day 77: Isn’t ironic that Illinois is the home of Honest Abe?

It’s finally happened. I’m tired of cynically accepting Illinois politics as usual. It’s an embarrassment!  The political incest in this state is over the top. It’s time to simply clean house.

How many more Daley’s, Strogers, or Madigan’s do we need in public office? And where else do you hear people suggest that one ethnic group is entitled to a Senate seat or County office? As for Governor, given our corrupt history with both parties, let’s go for a three peat and get another corrupt governor.

I hope some obscure candidates run for the Senate seat and for Governor. In fact, I hope an openly recovering alcoholic or drug addict who ran a prostitution ring, did time in jail, got his or her GED, and finished college and law school in jail, runs for office. I’d rather have a candidate run with all their scars and wounds showing at the start of the race. At least, I’d know what I’m getting from the start.

90 day writing challenge, day 76: Is Roland Burris following Sarah Palins lead?

I just read in the NY Times that “Roland Burris is expected to announce Friday that he will not seek election to a full Senate term. ” After all he went through to faithfully represent the people of Illinois, how can he leave us?

And then I thought about Sarah Palin. She will resign for the good of Alaska. As she said, she can do more for Alaskans as a private citizen. This must be what Roland is thinking. He will not run for a full term and then he will vigorously fight for what the people of Illinois want. So move over Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, here comes Rolland.

And then perhaps, like Sarah Palin and other political greats, he may announce his run for the Presidency. Imagine back to back African American presidents from Illinois. On the other hand, he could find himself in jail as a result of his contact with former Governor Rod Blagojevich. Either way, he’s going to have a few more lines to add to the grave stone.

90 day writing challenge, day 75: As Michael Jackson life ends, Paris Michael Jackson’s just begins

Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris, may not know it, but her life as a celebrity began yesterday. It appears Michael did his best to protect his kids from the media, but he can not do so anymore. And because of it, she is likely to be devoured by the paparazzi for the next 8 or more years.  From now on she will be watched like a hawk. In the eyes of People and Us magazine, she is their ticket to millions of sold magazines.

And when Michael decided to have children that were more white than black, I wonder if he considered how ostracized these kids might feel within the Jackson family. His kids will get offers to be paid extravagant amounts of money to advertise products, be photographed, perform, speak, and more, because they are his kids and they have a familiar caucasian look.  A look that  make lots of money for corporations. But its hard to believe this won’t create tension and jealousy with their blacker cousins. I’d like to believe race won’t be a factor, but I think it will. While Michael may have hoped to give them a less challenging childhood than his own, it appears they will also endure the isolation and disconnection that he described.

While I personally wish the media would give the children a year or two to regroup, I know they won’t. So sit back and be prepared to be oversaturated with photos, rumors, and commentary about Paris Michael Jackson.

90 day writing challenge, day 74: Casey Kasem makes final Long distance dedication

Casey Kasem, has ended his long tenure as the host of  “America’s Top 40 Countdown.” His soft gentle voice made listeners feel safe with him.

They knew they could count on Casem to sensitively read their “long distance dedications.” When you needed an air personality who could empathize with your loss over a relationship, family member or even a pet, Casey was the man.

Remarkably the same voice that made us laugh as Shaggy in Scooby Doo could also make us cry. Enjoy one of the last clips of the master engaging one on one in a  moving dialog that will surely remind you why he will always be the true “King of top 40 Pop.”

90 day writing challange, day 73: What is your reaction to your Wedding Song today?

As I’m about to enter the L train tunnel at Fullerton, I put on my Ipod and hit shuffle. Within seconds, I hear James Taylor singing, “The Water is Wide.” I immediately flash back to our wedding program and a poorly drawn picture of a rowboat and a couple of oars for two. I tried to focus on the words to the song, but the feelings seemed to tangle me in random memories of our wedding day. It was our wedding song.

At the time, it seemed like all the details were important. You had to make sure you had the right song. But how well do those songs hold up today? I wondered what it would be like to have “Disco Duck,” Stairway to Heaven” or a Wierd Al Yankovich song as the song that connects the two of you.

 I guess the words or meaning of the actual song is less significant than the memories or feelings it brings up for the couple involved. And then I wondered how does that song, “Brickhouse” sound now that your divorced. Do those wedding songs bring up as much remorse for some as it does joy for others?

I’d love to hear what you’re wedding song was and your thoughts about its meaning today.

90 day writing challenge, day 72:Do these guys look like Obama to you?

As I was checking out the NY Times, my eyes immediately stopped when I saw this picture and story about children with parents in prison. I did a double take to make sure I wasn’t seeing a picture of Obama as a youth. Did anyone else have that reaction?

I’m not really one for using photo comparisons for blogs, but for the second time in a row, the images have jumped out at me.  And then I found him dancing.

90 day writing challenge, day 71: Is that Bernie Madoff in drag?

Just when you thought we heard it all about Bernie Madoff, we find out he paid out 40 million to Sonja Kohn. So what?, you say. If you carefully study the photo of her, it is clear she is Bernie Madoff in drag. He reminds me of Robin Williams in Mrs. Doutbfire.

This guy is amazing. It’s not enough he has to screw people who believed in him. Now he has to create a fictitious figure so he can stash even more money. Hopefully he hasn’t left any of the prison personnel penny less, cause I’d hate to see them have Bernie parade around the prison showers as Sonja.

90 day challenge, day 70: Can You Wear Dry Cleaned Shirts More than Once?

On more than one occasion, my wife has commented that I’ve worn the same shirt more than once. She seems to believe once a shirt has been dry cleaned, it can only be used once. Are you kidding me? What’s the point of paying .99 cents to a couple of bucks to do if for just one day?

To me, the whole point of dry cleaning is to avoid ironing, and to stretch the usage of the shirt. The less wrinkles the better. Part of the reason, I love fall and winter is because with sweaters, I can extend the wear longer than in the summer.

When I checked in on this topic with a buddy of mine, he gave me that reassuring head nod. The one that says, “come on, of course guys wear their shirts more than once.”

90 day writing challenge, day 69:Vatican wants Nuns back in Black?

The Vatican appears to have had enough with American nuns. According to the NY Times, the sisters were told eight years ago that they were  failing to  “promote” the church’s teachings on three issues: the male-only priesthood, homosexuality and the primacy of the Roman Catholic Church as the means to salvation. I guess the Pope needed someone to blame for all the bad press his naughty priests were getting.  And the now the boys in Rome want to evaluate what exactly these 60,000 American nuns are up to.

Some of the nuns, according to the NY Times,  fear this will mean going back to” living in convents, wearing habits or at least identifiable religious garb.” Personally, when I see a woman with a bad short hairstyle and unflattering glasses, I assume she’s either a nun or a Women’s studies professor.  So I’m not sure fighting over the religious garb is a fight worth having.

However it  sounds like the Vatican is taking a page of the Iranian playbook on how to get women to cover up and assume their rightful place in the fold. I guess if the priests have to wear dresses, the nuns should too?

90 day writing challenge, day 68; Should Gov. Sanford Give it all up to be with Soul Mate?

Finally, it’s official, Al Franken is the junior senator from Minnesota. I really admire the transformations he has been through. How many of us can go from writing on SNL, to writing books, to making films based on charactors we created, to following your passion for politics. Unlike so many repressed politicians, I’m guessing he had time to indulge in sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll in his young adulthood. So he can approach his new role with a focus and determination career politicians only talk about.

He is such a refreshing contrast to Governor Sanford of South Carolina. Governor Sandford is now acknowledging flirtations with other women. However he distinguishes this from his soul mate in Argentina. But he is going to try and fall in love with his wife again? I’m beginning to think this guy is smoking some  South American wacky tabacky.

Governor Sanford, it’s time to leave your marraige, resign from being governor, and do all the things you wish you had done in your youth. 

90 day writing challenge, day 67:Remembering John “Magic Fingers” Houhtaling

Since Michael Jackson’s death has dominated media coverage,  it has not allowed much time or space to remember others who have died. Therefore I would like to take a moment to remember John Joseph Houghtaling,92, the inventor of the “Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed.” He literally touched many lives with his coin operated fixture in American motel rooms in the 1960’s and 70’s.

He invented the “Magic Fingers” machine in 1958. It caused beds to vibrate when a quarter was dropped in the device. According to the Associated Press, “the kitschy devices found their way into pop culture, celebrated in movies and music. Jimmy Buffet’s honored it in the song “This Hotel Room”: “Put in a quarter, turn out the light, Magic Fingers makes ya feel all right.”

90 day writing challenge, day 66:”Myths, Half Truths and Outright Lies about your Body and Health”

If you have kids, you’ve probably found yourself at a birthday party, blaming your kids behavior on sugar. In winter, you’ve probably yelled at your kid to get a hat on, because most of the heat is lost from their head. And no doubt, you’ve told your kids to poop every day. I’m here to tell you to STOP!!!! A new book   “Don’t Swallow Your Gum! Myths, Half-Truths and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health,” by Dr. Aaron E. Carroll and Dr. Rachel C. Vreeman state these messages aren’t true, and at best are half -proven.

If everything the authors say are true, then it will dramatically change conversations at kids birthday parties. What will we do if we can’t blame our kids endless bouncing off the walls on cake? What will parents say when they learn” that bowel movements prevent discomfort and constipation, but a perfectly healthy person may not move their bowels every day. Constipation is defined as having fewer than three stools per week.” “Oh shit.” 

On the bright side, married men can take comfort in knowing that facts suggest that married men are having more sex than our single brethren. And most importantly it is OK to double dip and food quickly picked up off the floor is safe to eat. So boys, the floor is open!

90 day writing challenge, day 65: Death, Shame, and the Price of Fame

Take a second, or 30 seconds and check out the commercial below. To the average viewer, Michael and his brothers looked pretty happy. Of course, that is their job, to look happy and sell cereal.  But we’ve since been told that if they made mistakes, their father would beat them with a belt. Huh?

It seems like an odd mix of contradictions. We want to believe our politicians, performers, and athletes are exceptional in all phases of life. So they hire image makers to give us what we want. And when that isn’t enough, they lie, use illicit drugs, or mortgage themselves to still appear relevant. It seems to work well, until they are caught in a lie. We then judge and criticize them for not being who we wanted them to be or whom they promised to be.  

This point was made clear to me when my son and I saw a  ”Tommy Boy” Cd soundtrack. We laughed at Chris Farley, and then my son commented, “he is so funny,…is he alive, Dad?” And then before I could answer, he said ,”oh yeah he died of drugs.”

90 day writing challenge, day 64;Do You Respect or Ridicule Michael Jackson in death?

I am turned off by our cultures inability to take time to grieve. In the short time since Michael Jackson died, I’ve read scathing bitter commentary about the man’s life. I’ve watched as the media has raced to unravel his drug history, financial holdings, and raised questions about custody of his kids. What is the hurry?

Michael Jackson is dead. He was imperfect. He made bad choices. He hurt people. He was human. It will take time to come to a conclusion about his death. All the other questions will get answered in the court or within his family. And the media will have all the time in the world to milk those stories for all the advertising bucks they can.

What is so wrong with simply remembering him as a singer and dancer who reached millions of people. His music brought people together at basement parties, social halls, backyard picnics, high-school gyms,clubs,  parties, and at weddings. To me, that’s not a bad legacy.

This video beautifully captures the dilemma.

90 day writing challenge, day 63: The beat goes on from1-100?

When life gets overwhelming, it helps me to slow down, and keep things simple. So I think I’m going to apply that rule to my struggle with coming up with something to write about.

My son wanted to find some youtube videos to send to a friend. He selected Rob Zombie, Dragula, OkGo, Here we go again, a young Beat boxer doing beat boxing and a drum battle between Gene Krup and Buddy Rich. My favorite was OK Go. But my favorite one that we did not use is about people from ages 1-100 hitting a drum.

Why? It’s sweet. It’s simple. And I like drums.

90 day Writing Challenge,day 62: Never Can say Goodbye..

We were a Jackon 5 family. I struggled to understand how anyone could really enjoy Donny Osmond more than Michael. Michael’s singing came so effortlessly, while Donnny seemed to be working so hard.

When I was a kid, I think buying records was a great escape from life. I remember how exciting it was when my sister came home with a brand new Jackson 5 45. I can still see the purplish blue, MOTOWN,through the record sleeve. To enjoy it, we had to use a portable red record player. By today’s standards, the sound was awful, but at the time, it was perfect. It was a chance to sing and dance. I can remember trying to sing and dance like Michael to  ”Never Can Say Goodbye.”

Thanks for the memories, Mike.

90 day writing challenge, day 61:Michael’s Dead?

When I started writing this blog earlier today, it was in response to seeing a link that said Michael Jackson had a heart attack. So I was ready to joke about how this was going to be his opportunity to revive his career. And then in the middle of a public radio pledge drive, they said Michael Jackson was dead. I was shocked. He’s not supposed to be dead,at 50, from a heart attack? My first morbid thought was his face looked almost corpse like, so it won’t require much work from the embalmer.

90 day writing challenge, day 60:Gov. Sanford,What’s up “YaBigDummy!”

So another Republican politician fails to be the good Christian family man he wants everyone else to be. He travelled to  South America to cut loose and have some fun. Now, he must resign from his position as Governor as he called for other politicians to do under similar circumstances. So I hope it was worth it because the party is over. Now the painful work begins with Sanford and Sons.

90 day writing challenge, day 59:Obama’s up in smoke?

OK, the secret is out. President Obama admits he does sneak an occasional cigarette. While some will rush to judge him, I am here to propose a public health/realty show about addictions. There is no need to hide this. In fact, it would make the President appear more human if he openly talked about his addiction to nicotine. I’m sure Oprah is salivating at the possibility of helping him.

If you or someone you know has suffered from any type of addiction, you will recognize the dynamics at play. The NY Times reports, “it was one of the worst kept secrets around the White House. For weeks the presidents staffers have declined to say whether he had whipped his smoking habit.” Secrets and Collusion come with addictions. How many families cover up the fact that mom or dad is alcoholic, pill popper, smoker etc. Why, usually there is shame about it . But the family works together to make sure no one else knows the dirty little secret.

Next, we have the Presidents list of rationalizations. “Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes. Am I daily smoker? No.”  When the President was asked in a briefing if he stills smokes, he responded, “I don’t smoke in front of my kids. I don’t do it in front of my family. I would say I am 95% cured, but there are mess ups.”  Ask any type of addict a similar question and you’ll hear similar justifications and explanations for their behavior. And what does that mean, I’m 95% cured?

The NYT article goes on to say that Mrs. Obama told him to quit when he started his campaign saying, “he couldn’t be a smoking president.” Michelle sounds like many partners who go to alanon or families anonymous. They say “I told him to stop drinking, but he wouldn’t.” What isn’t addressed is perhaps Michelle preferred him when he smoked to when he didn’t. Its probably not out there to wonder if the President is less cool and unflappable without a few puffs of the nicotine.

The President did acknowledge that “like folks in AA, you know, once you’ve gone down this path, then you know its something you continually struggle with.” Yes, Mr. President admitting it is the first step.