Michael Jackson/Judy Garland: The Mind Reels

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So yesterday, I had some thoughts, a series of thoughts, and they started like this: Michael Jackson was an object of fascination, speculation, derision, adoration, right? His luster had long since worn off here in the states, but he was HUGE in other parts of the world, like the Middle East. Somehow, and for some reason, people there “got” him. Or at least they liked him. They laughed at him less than we did.

Then another thought crossed my mind: what kind of news will be sacrificed so that CNN and MSNBC and FOX and everyone else can cover the final moments of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett? It’s great news for Mark Sanford. Not so great for Ed McMahon. And really not so great for the protesters in Iran. I mean, how are they supposed to stay above the fold when the King of Pop has been deposed?

Then, the third thought: what if Jackson’s death is the last straw? What if, six days from now, the Iranian police or the Basij militia approach the wrong group of people in just the wrong way, and that’s it: firestorm. Like Judy Garland’s death allegedly spawning the Stonewall Riots. Would that be enough? And if so, should we institute some kind of lottery for aging stars so that every so often, one is plucked out and killed, just to keep democracy and civil rights on track?

There’s a lot wrong with that train of thought–a lot. But there’s some meat on those bones, too. Maybe.

Anyway, given all that, I thought this clip–posted to YouTube via a Hungarian user who may or may not have Iranian roots–was particularly apt for today:


via TheAwl

Intact America Launches Campaign to Change How America Thinks About Male Circumcision

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NEW YORK, June 25 — Parents, pediatricians and health and human rights activists today announced the launch of INTACT AMERICA and its website — www.intactamerica.org — to change how America thinks about male circumcision. The national campaign argues that painful and medically unnecessary surgery to remove healthy genital tissue from non-consenting baby boys violates medical ethics and human rights.

They were joined by Soraya Mire, the Somali filmmaker who is a global leader in the fight against forced female circumcision.

“The same universal human right to an intact body that I have fought for on behalf of women and girls must apply to boys as well, especially those too young to make an informed decision about the integrity of their bodies,” said Mire. “How can it be wrong to surgically alter the genitals of a baby girl without her consent but okay to surgically alter the genitals of a baby boy?”

—PRNewswire

Amen, sister.

Quick Question

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What kind of hot is it when your air-conditioner keeps going out because it can’t keep both you and itself cool?

Also: what kind of hot is is when you can’t leave bananas on the kitchen counter because they rot in their peels?

Those aren’t riddles or knock-knock jokes or weak Match Game references: they are serious questions. Is there a word for that kind of heat–perhaps a scientific term? Because otherwise, I’m just left saying that it’s just damn hot, y’all.*

* Yes, I am reduced to talking about the weather. BECAUSE IT IS THAT HOT.