By Associated Press
PICO RIVERA, Calif. (AP) — Authorities in the Los Angeles area say three people have been killed and seven others injured in a drive-by shooting outside a pizza restaurant where a motorcycle group was hosting an event.
Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Keith Ho says 10 people gathered in the parking lot of the restaurant in Pico Rivera were shot at from a moving vehicle Saturday evening.
Ho says three people died at the scene. Seven others were hospitalized in stable condition.
Nobody inside the restaurant was injured.
A biker group known as the Old School Riders was hosting an event at the time.
Ho says investigators are trying to determine if the shooting was gang related. No arrests have been made.
Pico Rivera is about 15 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
Minggu, 28 Juni 2009
Armstrong, old-school racing on tap at 2009 Tour
PARIS (AP) — France's anti-doping crusaders are stockpiling needles for testing blood and cups for sampling urine, and two new books on Lance Armstrong have just been released in France.
Must be about time for the Tour de France.
The seven-time champion is back from retirement, four years after his last victory. Teammate Alberto Contador, the 2007 winner and a top pre-race favorite, returns after Astana wasn't allowed to compete last year.
They are allies, but could become rivals too.
The race starts on July 4 with a challenging 15.5-kilometer (10-mile) prologue in Monaco, the tiny principality in southeast France. The pack will then head out along the Mediterranean, through the Pyrenees, across central France, into the Alps and then up the fabled Mont Ventoux a day before the July 26 finish in Paris.
Riders will dip into Spain, Switzerland and Italy during the 3,500-kilometer (2,140-mile) trek and face 20 major mountain climbs during the three weeks.
Tour designers have spiced up the route and revived some rules from the good old days in hopes that fans will have something — anything — to get their minds off the drug use that has marred cycling's premier event in recent years.
Judges from UCI, the sport's governing body, will be back, a year after they were kept out because of a bitter spat with Tour organizers over doping that has now been patched up.
The UCI has rolled out its "biological passport" anti-doping program, in which samples were taken from 840 professional riders to determine their body chemistry profiles. Any suspicious fluctuation from those levels could lead to penalties, even if no specific substance turns up in tests.
France's anti-doping agency, the AFLD, says it's going to target suspicious riders, rather than focus on random tests used in previous years, and will test for an unspecified new drug. The agency has also been authorized to freeze samples taken during the Tour. This allows them to be tested in the future for drugs that haven't yet been identified as performance enhancers.
"We know there are some particular substances and methods, and we are going to try to detect them, sooner or later," said Pierre Bordry, head of the AFLD, which helped nab six cheats at last year's Tour.
"There are things that aren't found in blood, but I'm not going to give an example, because I've learned over the years the people who advise athletes on doping adopt their programs based on drug-testers' mindsets," Bordry told The Associated Press in an interview on Thursday.
For Armstrong, who famously insisted he was the world's most-tested athlete during his glory years and has never tested positive, the welcome back to a still largely suspicious France may not be warm.
Just weeks before the Tour's start, two books — "La Grande Imposture" (the Great Impostor) by anti-doping doctor Jean-Pierre Mondenard and "Le Sale Tour" (The Dirty Tour) by Pierre Ballester and David Walsh — have come out in France to capitalize on the media frenzy over the American's comeback.
Both books lay out repeated suspicions about Armstrong over the years, though neither breaks significant new ground.
Doping allegations have already depleted the field this year: Spain's Alejandro Valverde, the winner of the Dauphine Libere stage race and the top cyclist this year in the UCI rankings, has been forced to sit out because he is banned in Italy — which the Tour visits on July 21 — over doping allegations.
This Tour also offers some blasts from the past, including a team time trial in Stage 4 — the first since 2005. Injecting a taste of yesteryear from when riders didn't enjoy high-tech communication, Tour organizers have banned the use of earpiece radios in the 10th and 13th stages — a controversial move that will alter strategies by stripping riders of their coaches' advice during the stage.
Armstrong's longtime mentor and coach, Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel, hates the idea.
"On the radio ban in 2 stages of the TdF?" Bruyneel wrote on Thursday on his Twitter page. "I absolutely disagree. What's the benefit of returning to the prehistory?"
But Bruyneel should be comforted by the team time trial, because his Astana squad has four of the world's best riders: Armstrong, Contador, American Levi Leipheimer, and Germany's Andreas Kloeden.
Other innovations include an uphill finish at the moonscape-like Mont Ventoux in the next-to-last stage — an effort to dangle sporting suspense all the way up to the traditional cruise on Paris' Champs-Elysees for the finish.
Mont Ventoux's inclusion almost seems tailor-made for Armstrong, who has called it the toughest Tour climb "bar none" — and one he has never won at cycling's showpiece event.
With Valverde out, the smart money will be on Contador. He sat out last year because Astana was barred from racing because of a doping scandal in 2007. Other pre-race favorites include fellow Spaniard and 2008 Tour winner Carlos Sastre; Cadel Evans of Australia, runner-up last year and in 2007; and Denis Menchov, a Russian who won the Giro d'Italia in May.
Other riders with outside shots include Leipheimer; Kloeden; Sastre, the leader of new team Cervelo; brothers Frank and Andy Schleck of Luxembourg, with Saxo Bank; and American Christian Vande Velde, leader of Garmin-Slipstream.
And even though he's 37, and consigned by Bruyneel to be a support rider for Contador at least from the start, Armstrong can never be counted out. He finished a strong 12th in the Giro, and his rivals know that the man once known simply as "The Boss" has an unparalleled ability to dominate minds in the pack.
___
Associated Press Writer Samuel Petrequin contributed to this report.
(This version CORRECTS SUBS graf 24 to include teams and corrects that Sastre with Cervelo 'sted Saxo Bank.)
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Is network marketing a good business opportunity?
by With Cherryl Hanson-Simpson
Earning additional money has become a necessity for most people in these tough financial times. Gone are the days when persons could feel comfortable with a single source of income - for some people, a nine-to-five job has almost become an endangered species.
As people look for ways to supplement or replace their salaries, one business opportunity has risen to the forefront as a viable option. Network marketing, also called multi-level marketing (MLM), is now being seriously considered by many people as a route to starting their own business.
According to Wikipedia.com, network marketing is a selling strategy that compensates promoters of direct selling companies for product sales they personally generate, and for the sales of others they introduced to the company. By using referrals and word-of-mouth promotion, independent business owners receive compensation for the volume of sales they and their down-line team can generate.
Marketing concept or money scam?
This alternative method of marketing products has been underutilised by many people due to their ignorance of how it operates. Direct selling simply allows consumers to benefit from buying or selling products straight from the manufacturers or large distributors. The money that would normally be paid to wholesalers, retail outlets and advertisers can now be passed on as commissions to the end users.
Over the years, the network marketing model has received a bad reputation due to the actions of pyramid scheme operators claiming to offer legitimate MLM opportunities. Pyramid schemes entice people to join them by offering a monetary reward for enrolling others into the programme, without any product or service being consumed.
To distinguish a viable network business opportunity from a pyramid scam, you have to ensure that the main source of the commissions is coming from the sales of the company's offerings. If the plan offers impossibly high compensation payouts that are tied to pricey entry fees from new recruits, it may be a sign that the business is likely to be a non-sustainable operation.
The reality is that the multi-level rewards concept already exists in many organisations. Sales people earn commissions on their individual efforts, while their sales managers and their bosses also earn bonuses from the combined efforts of their teams.
For people who like helping people
Network marketing operations are, however, fundamentally unlike other businesses. Regular business owners may be accustomed to competing with others to ensure that they come out on top. On the contrary, being successful in network marketing requires that you work with others in your team to help them to build their own businesses.
Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad's Business School for People Who Like Helping People, confirms that "If you are a person who truly wants to help as many people as possible achieve their financial goals and dreams, then the network marketing business is worthy of your time". Kiyosaki reveals that network marketing offers several positive values that can make it fulfilling for the right people.
Good MLM opportunities will help you to develop your sales abilities, which Kiyosaki insists is the number one skill that all business people must have. He notes that most people aren't afraid of selling, they are afraid of rejection; and points out that the leaders in the business should help to guide you in facing and overcoming your fears about being rejected.
A creditable networking business should also offer education in areas such as leadership skills, communication skills, people skills, time management, money management and investing skills, goal setting and accountability.
Is this the business for you?
When evaluating a network marketing opportunity, here are a few questions to consider:
- What is the product or service being offered? You need to decide if the company's offering is something that you will personally use and feel comfortable recommending to others.
- Who are the principals in the organisation? Investigate who is in charge and their track record of success in business, just as if you are checking out any other business option.
- Are you comfortable being trained by the person who introduced you to the opportunity? If your potential sponsor is new to the business, can you get access to others in the line of sponsorship who can guide you?
- How is the money made? Make sure you have a clear understanding of how the compensation plan is designed. Is it possible to make a living doing this business full-time, or will it only bring in part-time income?
- Are you willing to do what it takes to become successful? Many people fail at network marketing, not because the business model or product line was not viable, but because they did realise that it required education and proper work ethics to succeed.
As you look for ways to increase your income, remember that network marketing is not a get-rich-quick scheme that will effortlessly make you money overnight. However, if you're willing to be trained, and to then teach others to become successful in business, it just might be the opportunity you've been waiting for!
Cherryl is a financial consultant and money coach, and founder of Financially S.M.A.R.T. Services. Get free financial tools and more practical advice at www.financiallysmartonline.com. Email comments to advice@financiallysmartonline.com. Please add this address to your email address book in order to ensure you receive a response.
Miss Hawaii : Scholarship
Please note that the following scholarship figures reflect the cash scholarship awards and tuition grant waivers made available to contestants in the year 2008. Please visit us soon as we will update this page with information that reflects the 2009 scholarship awards very soon!
check misshawaii dot org
Miss Hawaii : Preliminary Competitions
| Miss Downtown Honolulu Shaina V. Caporoz Executive Director P.O. Box 37006 Honolulu, Hawaii 96837 p: 808-358-6792 Email: mdhsp@hotmail.com | Miss East Oahu Ann Mata Executive Director 852 Maniniholo Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96825 c: 808-342-1516 e: pageantprod1@aol.com |
| Miss Garden Isle Rose Dahle Executive Director P.O. Box 40 Anahola, Kauai 96703 c: 808-482-0142 e: lokedahle@aol.com Date: February 13, 2010 | Miss Honolulu Jon Eala Executive Director 1639 Liliha Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 p: 808-536-5522 e: jonaea8@aol.com |
| Miss Leeward Thomas Kaeka Executive Director 1639 Liliha Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 c: 808-375-5628 e: tomtktom@aol.com | Miss Maui /Miss Valley Isle/Miss Lokelani Iolani Chun Executive Director P.O. Box 1315 Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii 96793 c: 808-463-2560 e: missmauihawaii@yahoo.com Date: November 2009 |
| Miss Island Oahu Bonnie Parsons Executive Director 240 McKee Road #10-C Honolulu, Hawaii 96815 c: 808-271-7437 e: bcloset@hawaiiantel.net | Miss Waikiki Bonnie Parsons Executive Director 240 McKee Road #10-C Honolulu, Hawaii 96815 c: 808-271-7437 |
| Miss Ko Olina Todd Oshiro Executive Director 1639 Liliha Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 p: 808-536-5522 e: toddyoshio@aol.com | Miss Kauai Rose Dahle Executive Director P.O. Box 40 Anahola, Kauai 96703 c: 808-482-0142 e: lokedahle@aol.com Date: February 13, 2010 |
| Miss Kona Grace Basque Executive Director P.O. Box 135 Kealakekua-Kona, Hawaii 96750 c: 808-218-2984 e: dbasque@hawai.rr.com | Miss Leahi Shaina V. Corporuz Executive Director P.O. Box 37006 Honolulu, Hawaii 96837 p: 808-358-6792 e: mdhsp@hotmail.com |
| Miss Molokai Le'a Kaulana Tupola Executive Director P.O. Box 1486 Kaunakakai, Hawaii 96748 c: 808-336-0245 | Miss North Shore Jon Eala Executive Director 1639 Liliha Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 p: 808-536-5522 |
| Miss Kahala Ann Mata Executive Director 852 Maniniholo Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96825 c: 808-342-1516 | Miss Windward Allison Ikeno Executive Director 1639 Liliha Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 p: 808-536-5522 e: pbdisny75@yahoo.com |
| Miss Lanai Jennifer Pimentel Executive Director c: 808-368-1406 e: misslanai2009@hotmail.com | Miss Koolau Kalani Poomaihealani Executive Director c: 808-259-0381 |
| Miss Ulalena, Miss Haleakala & Miss Silversword Iolani Chun Executive Director P.O. Box 1315 Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii 96793 c: 808-463-2560 e: missulalenamaui@yahoo.com Date: January 2010 | Miss Hokua Susanna Hunt & Rhonee Rojas Co-Execuive Directors p: 808-235-8988 e: misshokua@gmail.com |
| Miss Chinatown Hawaii c/o Stephanie Ching 440 Kilani Avenue Wahiawa, HI 96786. c: 808-754-8717 | Miss Waikiki Bonnie Parsons Executive Director 1026 Nuuanu Ave. Honolulu, Hawaii 96817 p: 808-585-8116 e: bcloset@hawaiiantel.net |
| Miss Aloha Tower Alicia Jones Executve Director 1339 Miloiki Street Honlulu, Hawaii 96825 c: 808-384-7659 e: hapagirlalicia@yahoo.com |
Jumat, 26 Juni 2009
How did Michael Jackson die, and the medicine behind sudden cardiac death
Read more here
Michael Jackson is dead at age 50.
I’ve received several e-mails to comment on this story, but there’s really too few details to go on. I’m sure more will emerge in the near future.
According to news reports, emergency medical services were called to his home in Los Angeles, where he was found in presumed cardiac arrest. CPR was performed, and he was rushed to UCLA Medical Center, which was about six minutes away.
Other reports stated that he was training for a new show, opening in London next month, and had recently undergone a thorough and complete physical exam. He apparently was given a clean bill of health.
It’s being reported that he died from sudden cardiac death, which according to the American College of Cardiology, is defined as, “the sudden cessation of cardiac activity so that the victim becomes unresponsive, with no normal breathing and no signs of circulation.” In these cases, there are often no warning signs, and loss of consciousness can occur between seconds to minutes due to lack of blood flow to the brain.
It’s estimated that up to 15 percent of total mortality in the United States is due to sudden cardiac death, and its incidence rises both with age and underlying cardiac disease, with the latter factor increasing the risk up to ten-fold.
Coronary artery disease is the most commonly associated heart condition associated with sudden cardiac death, but other factors include structural heart disease, as well as smoking, obesity, an elevated blood pressure or cholesterol level, or a family history of heart disease.
In general, the outcome for sudden cardiac death is quite poor. We’re talking less than 20 percent. Getting to a defibrillator as soon as possible is critical. According to cardiologist Steven Nissen, “You have to get to the patient with a defibrillator within about four minutes to get a good outcome. Between four and eight minutes things are a little bit questionable, and after eight minutes very, very few people will survive.” It’s unclear whether there was a defibrillator at the home, but judging from the reports, it didn’t appear that one was readily available.
It’s also inevitable that, with sudden cardiac death in a man in his 50s, speculation may turn to drug use, specifically cocaine. There is no evidence of anything like that emerging, but as Dr. Nissen states, it’s “another thing that often comes up when a celebrity dies suddenly.”
There’s no doubt that more information will be uncovered in the coming days to weeks, especially if prescription medications or illicit drugs were involved. But also keep in mind that sudden cardiac death can happen at any age, in seemingly healthy individuals.
Whatever the circumstances, there’s no doubt that Michael Jackson will be missed around the world.
Long live the King of Pop.
Michael Jackson Died !!
from http://news.puggal.com/michael-jackson-died/
Michael Jackson who was a very famous icon in the world of music died on Thursday, 25 June, 2009. The great dancer, great singer and a songwriter lost his breadth at the age of 50. This news is confirmed. His brother Jermaine Jackson confirmed his death in a short time news conference at Thursday evening.
Jermaine Jackson told the press that Michael Jackson was in coma when he was taken to the medical hospital near by. The U.C.L.A. medical hospital was only six minutes away from the rented place where he was living. He further told the press that he was taken there soon after noon and he was marked dead at 2:26 p.m. according to Pacific Time.
His brother further shared with the press that the autopsy of Michael Jackson might be done at Friday, June 26, 2009.
Michael Jackson’s death is no doubt a great loss to the world. The whole world would be gloomy right now as he had a lot of his die heart fans.
He was a biggest and a very famous star in the world. He has sold over 750 million albums.
His moonwalk dance became very famous in the world.
His friends, fans and fellow musicians are mourning on his death news.
Quincy Jones said:
“I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news. For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words. Divinity brought our souls together on The Wiz and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the 80’s. To this day, the music we created together on Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all…talent, grace, professionalism and dedication. He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”
President & CEO, Broadcast Music, Del Bryant said:
“Michael Jackson was clearly one of the greatest entertainers of our era. His influence dominated and defined our culture not only in music, but in fashion, dance, film and so much more. Often overlooked are his spectacular skills as a songwriter, composing both music and lyrics for his immense body of work. In an era in which most songs are composed by teams, Michael was the sole composer of dozens of songs that endeared him to audiences around the world. A BMI songwriter since 1976, his BMI catalog contains more than 150 songs, more than 20 reaching multi-million performance status on American radio and television.”
Brittney Spears:
“I was so excited to see his show in London. We were going to be on tour in Europe at the same time and I was going to fly in to see him. He has been an inspiration throughout my entire life and I’m devastated he’s gone!”
Former wife of Michael Jackson, Lisa Marie Presley said:
“I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children who I know were everything to him and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me.”
And many more shared there feelings about this tragic death of Michael Jackson. Every one is confused and totally shocked.
His death is no doubt a great loss to his beloved ones and to the world. May he be blessed!
The Thriller years
The Thriller years, 1982- 1984, would see Michael Jackson reach worldwide super stardom. Michael dominated the world of music, setting new standards and producing the biggest selling album of all time."
| In June 1982, Michael Jackson started recording the ET Storybook. Quincy Jones would produce it; based on Steven Spielberg’s movie ET: The Extra Terrestrial. In addition to narrating, Michael would also record a single called “Someone in the Dark” to accompany the story. The book would be an instant hit when released in November 1982, and would also win Michael a Grammy Award in 1984 for “Best Album for Children”. | Someone In The Dark |
Around the same time, Michael wrote and produced a song for Diana Ross called “Muscles”. It became a top ten hit for Diana and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Prior to beginning work on the Thriller album, Michael Jackson teamed up with Paul McCartney to collaborate on 3 songs- “The Man”, “Say, Say, Say” and “The Girl Is Mine”. “Say, Say, Say” was included on Paul’s 1983 album Pipes of Peace and became a number one single in the U.S. “The Girl is Mine” was released as a single in August 1982 and was included on Michael’s Thriller album.
Michael started recording the Thriller album in April 1982. Originally to be called Starlight, the album included 4 original songs by Michael, (“Billie Jean”, “Beat It” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”, “The Girl Is Mine”), 3 songs by Rod Temperton (“Thriller”, “Baby Be Mine” and “The Lady In My Life”), a ballad by Toto (‘Human Nature”), and an infectious pop tune by James Ingram and Quincy Jones (“P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)”). Amongst the brilliant songwriters Michael collaborated with, he also teamed up with Eddie Van Halen for a guitar solo on “Beat it”, Vincent Price for a rap on “Thriller” and his sisters, LaToya and Janet Jackson for additional vocals on “P.Y.T”. Pressure mounted as the deadline for the finish of the Thriller album approached and initially the mixes of the songs were rushed and not good enough to be released. The deadline was extended and the mixes perfected. The highly anticipated Thriller was finally released on November 30th 1982. |
Michael’s original plan for the album was to include 3 music videos or “short films” for “Billie Jean”, “Beat It” and “Thriller”. “Billie Jean” was released as the album’s second single on January 22 1893. The music video was given a budget of $250,000 and was directed by Steve Baron. The concept came from both director and artist and proved to be very successful. After 3 weeks, “Billie Jean” hit the number one spot in the U.S.
At this time, MTV (or Music Television) rarely played black artists on their daily rotation. Michael Jackson was one of the first to get played on the station and the first to get played in “heavy rotation” (i.e. several times a day) with the video for ‘Billie Jean”. MTV started “heavy rotation” for the “Billie Jean” music video in March 1983. The video for ‘Beat It” would follow this trend. Many in the music industry have commented that it was Michael’s breakthrough with the channel that started other black artists’ music videos being played on MTV and also bolstered the station’s popularity.
Thriller’s sales soared and it was the first time an album would be at number one in the USA and the UK at the same time.
While “Billie Jean” was still at the top of the charts, the album’s third single was released; “Beat It”, on March 5, 1983. The short film for “Beat It” was paid for and conceptualised by Michael Jackson himself. It was directed by Bob Giraldi and co-choreographed by Michael Jackson and Michael Peters. The cast included 100 members of real street gangs and cost an estimated $150,000. “Beat It” became number one the week after its release and Michael Jackson became the first black artist to have the number one album and single simultaneously in the US and the UK.
| On March 25th 1983, Michael performed on the television show: Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever. The show would not air until May 16th 1983. Approximately 47 million viewers tuned into the show to watch the many Motown acts perform as well as a special performance by Michael Jackson and his brothers; the original cast of the Jackson Five plus Randy. After an emotional performance of a medley of Motown hits with his brothers, Michael stole the spotlight with his incredible solo performance of ‘Billie Jean”. During the electrifying performance, Michael debuted his now signature dance move: the moonwalk. The performance received an overwhelming response from the live audience and viewers all over the world. Some say that this was the performance of Michael Jackson’s career and it would launch him into super-stardom over night. Through the medium of television, Michael had confirmed his position as an incredible entertainer among his fans and also reached millions of people who had never experienced Michael Jackson’s talent as a singer and dancer. The performance sparked a new interest in the album Thriller and millions rushed to the store to purchase it. Michael’s Motown 25 performance was nominated for an Emmy award for “Best Individual Performance on a Variety or Music Program”. |
As a result of the surge in sales of the album Thriller, millions also purchased albums by other artists. Cash box magazine dubbed Michael Jackson ‘the saviour of the record business” and Michael was credited for increasing interest in music, particularly black music. Revenues for record sales were at their highest since 1978 and Michael was also mentioned for increasing CBS record sales profits by a whopping 101% in 1983 alone.
In May 1983, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” was released and became Thriller’s forth number one single.
| In June 1983 Michael fired his management. “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” still remained at the top of the charts and Michael took more care and more control in his business affairs. “Human Nature” and “P.Y.T” were released while Michael was planning the short film for “Thriller” and both became top 10 hits. The short film and single “Thriller” was released on 2nd December 1983. For the 14 minute short film, John Landis was hired to direct and Rick Baker for special effects make up. The film cost an estimated $1 million of Michael’s own money. To re-coup some of the budget costs, John Landis negotiated a deal with Showtime, MTV and Vestron to fund a 60 minute documentary on the making of the short film. Making Michael Jackson’s Thriller was aired in 1984 and sold on video tape. It became the biggest selling music video of all time, with estimated sales of 9 million as of 2006. Prior to the “Thriller” single release, the Thriller album sales had “slowed” to approx 200,000 copies a week The week after the single and short film was released, sales of the album soared and once again, Thriller was number one on the album charts. Estimated sales showed that the “Thriller” single and video resulted in an additional 14 million copies of the Thriller album being sold within a six month period. At this time, Michael hired a new manager; Frank Dileo, who would remain with Michael for five years. |
On January 16th, 1984, Michael Jackson attended the 11th Annual American Music Awards. He won 8 awards, including “Favourite Male Pop/Rock Artist”, “Favourite Pop/Rock Album” for Thriller, “Favourite Soul/R&B Album” for Thriller as well as the Award of Merit.
| On January 27, 1984, Michael was burned on the back of his head while filming a commercial with his brothers for the Pepsi Corporation. The magnesium smoke bombs used for the commercial were to blame; being only two feet away from either side of Michael’s head. A spark from one of the bombs set Michael’s hair alight and resulted in second and third degree burns his scalp. As a result of the incident and news coverage, both Pepsi and Michael’s sales soared. Pepsi paid Michael Jackson $1.5 million, which he immediately donated to a burn centre created in his name and honour. Two subsequent Pepsi commercials were debuted at the Grammy awards ceremony in 1984. |
| On February 7th, 1984, Michael attended and collected a massive eight Grammy Awards from a staggering twelve nominations. Michael Jackson still holds the record for receiving the most Grammy Awards in a single year by an individual. He received seven awards for Thriller alone and one for The E.T. Storybook. Among the eight awards he received, he picked up “Record of the Year” for “Beat It”, “Album of the Year” for Thriller, “Best Pop Performance” for Thriller, and “Producer of the Year” for Thriller. |
In May 1984, Michael was asked to donate the song “Beat It” for anti drink driving advertisements. For donating the song and for his many achievements in recoding and charity, Michael was given a special award at a presentation at the White House by President Ronald Reagan.
| In July 1984, Michael embarked on the Victory Tour with The Jacksons. The Tour started on July 16th in Kansas City and the Victory album was released on the same day. The tour consisted of 55 shows over 5 months in the United States and Canada. The tour was the biggest and most successful of its time and Michael announced at the start of the tour that he would be donating all of his profits to charity. It would be Michael’s last tour with the brothers. |
The Thriller campaign was officially shut down in 1984 and continued to sell a staggering amount of copies. By the end of 1984, Thriller had sold 33 million copies. Michael Jackson was inducted into the Guinness Book of World records as having the biggest-selling album of all time.
Today, Thriller is by far the biggest selling album of all time. It was re-certified in 2007 as having sold in excess of 104 million albums. It is estimated that Thriller sells approx 60,000 copies a year worldwide! Album sales aside, it still remains one of the most important and greatest albums of all time. It set many industry standards in recording and for the visual presentation of music.
In January 1985, Michael was asked to participate in an all-star recording to raise funds for charity United Support of Artists for Africa. U.S.A for Africa would raise funds to administer essential supplies and famine relief in Africa. Michael, who has always been sensitive to the plight of Africa, was so excited about the song that he offered to write it with Lionel Ritchie./p>
Michael and Lionel worked for a week at Michael’s Encino home and finally finished the music and lyrics for “We Are The World” the day prior to the scheduled recording of the song. The all-star cast to record the song included forty five chart topping artists. Quincy Jones was enlisted as producer and co-arranger with Tom Bahler.
The recording took place on 28th of January 1985. Michael told his fellow recording artists that night that “We Are The World” was a “love song to inspire concern about a faraway place close to home”. After the recording was finished, none of the artists were prepared for the impact the song would have. It was released on March 7th 1985 and sold approximately 800,000 copies in its first three days of release. The song stayed at number one in America for a month and enjoyed similar success in many other countries.
By 1986, the song had sold in excess of 7.5 million copies and raised $8 million dollars for famine relief. The song went on to win three Grammy Awards: “Song of the Year”, “Record of the Year” and “Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group”. It also won two American Music Awards: “Award of Appreciation” for Michael Jackson and “Song of the Year”.
In March 1985, Michael Jackson topped off an incredible era when he purchased ATV Music Publishing Company for $47.5 million. ATV’s music catalogue included the rights to more than 4000 songs, including 251 of The Beatles’ compositions. This purchase made Michael Jackson one of the top music publishers in the world and proved Michael to be a successful and savvy businessman at the age of 26.
The Jacksons years
The Jacksons years, 1975-1978, would see Michael and his brothers leave Motown and start writing and producing their own music. Before the decade was over, they recorded 3 albums for Epic records and embarked on a worldwide tour.
In July 1975, the Jackson family held a press conference in New York to announce they had signed with CBS/Epic Records and would be leaving Motown records at the expiration of their contract in 1976. The Jackson Five had begun to ask to produce, write and record their own material as far back as 1974, but all their requests for creative control had been denied. They also felt that the promotion of their records was poor. Michael Jackson had a private meeting with Berry Gordy in May 1975 to discuss the Jackson Five’s future and after being denied creative freedom once again, the brothers started shopping for a new record deal.
CBS/Epic Records were interested in the brothers and offered them a major deal. The Jacksons received a signing bonus, and a massive royalty rate that was ten times more than what they received at Motown. They would also have some creative freedom including a choice of songs and being able to write two songs per album. Jermaine did not sign with CBS; instead he stayed with Motown. Randy was signed on to replace Jermaine. They were also not permitted to take the name “The Jackson Five” with them, as Motown had trademarked the name when they signed back in 1968.
As the Jackson Five, the brothers were still signed to Motown for eight more months. They would not record for Motown again, so to fill in the time the Jacksons signed on to host a summer variety program with CBS-TV, which would star many other members of the Jackson family. “The Jacksons TV Show” first aired on 16th of June 1976. Each show was 30 minutes long and featured different celebrity guests, singing, dancing and comedy sketches. It was the first time an African American family had starred in a television series. The first season ran for four weeks and the ratings were so good that they were signed on for a second and third season. The last show was broadcast on March 9, 1977.
The Jacksons released their first record for CBS/Epic Records in late 1976, simply called The Jacksons. It was produced by the Philadelphia International team Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, who, along with their other writers, Gene McFadden and Dexter Wansel, wrote eight of the album’s 10 tracks. The Jacksons wrote one song together for the album; “Style Of Life”. Michael’s first published song; “Blues Away” was featured on the album. Michael’s vocals on the album showed a new style and maturity, far different from the brothers’ Motown albums. The album went to number 6 on the US R&B chart.
Three singles were released from The Jacksons. “Enjoy Yourself” went to number 2 on the US R&B chart, and it was the brothers’ first top 10 single after leaving Motown. “Show You the Way to Go” was the Jacksons first ever number 1 in the UK. “Dreamer” was the last single released and it reached number 22 in the UK.
The Jacksons also had great success on the road with a two and a half week tour of Europe in May and June 1977. In the UK, they played to Queen Elizabeth for her Silver Jubilee along with other stars.
In October 1977, The Jacksons released their second album for CBS, called “Goin’ Places”. The Jackson brothers again contributed two songs to the nine track album; “Different Kind of Lady” and “Do What You Wanna”. Although the album was not a major success, it spawned two top 40 hits in the UK; “Goin’ Places” and “Even Though You’re Gone”. “Different Kind of Lady” was also a major club hit, despite not being released as a single.
Michael then went to New York at the end of 1977 to begin filming “The Wiz”, after gaining the role of Scarecrow. Before the movie was released, he went back into the studio with his brothers to record their third album for CBS.
Prior to recording the new album, Michael and the brothers fought for even more creative control. They ended their partnership with Gamble and Huff and took full control of writing, choosing, producing and performing their own material. They formed their own production company, called “Peacock Productions” and each brother formed his own publishing company. It was the birth of Michael’s own publishing company: MiJac Music.
The album Destiny was released in December 1978 to an overwhelming public response. The album contained eight tracks; seven of which the brothers wrote themselves. The only track not written by the Jacksons was “Blame it on the Boogie”, which was coincidentally written by a man called Michael Jackson from the UK. It was the first single from the album and was released with The Jacksons first music video. “Blame it on the Boogie” peaked at number 3 on the US R&B chart and number 8 on the UK chart.
“Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” was the second single released from Destiny. It was written by Michael and Randy Jackson and was an 8 minute long dance track. It peaked at number 7 on the US chart, number 3 on the US R&B chart and number 4 on the UK chart. The single was a major success and sold over 2 million copies. Destiny’s sales soared and the album went platinum, hitting number 11 on the US chart. The album’s title track, “Destiny”, was released only in the UK, and became a top 40 hit there.
The Jacksons then embarked on the Destiny World Tour in January 1979, starting in Europe and travelling to the UK, Africa and the US. The tour included 80 shows and wrapped in September of 1979. Along the way, The Jacksons made many TV appearances, including in Switzerland and also on the 10th Anniversary Special for American Bandstand.
The Jacksons finally had the creative control and success they had dreamed of. By the end of the era, The Jacksons had recorded three albums, toured the world and starred in their own TV series. Young Michael Jackson was preparing himself for his first solo record for Epic Records, one that would break the first of many records for him.
The Jackson 5 Era
The Jackson 5 Era, 1963-1975, would see young Michael burst onto the music scene with his brothers, The Jackson 5. Michael would also cut his first solo record at the tender age of 13 and establish himself as an accomplished and polished performer. These years were a whirlwind of performances, recording, television appearances, interviews and constant touring.
Michael Jackson’s biggest dream as a child was to become a singer. His brothers, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon had already formed a small musical group and had been practising around the house. Young Michael wanted to join the group, but was thought to be too young. In 1963, Michael, at the age of only five, performed an amazing rendition of “Climb Every Mountain” for his class at Garnett Elementary School in Gary, Indiana. His performance moved many teachers to tears and he received a standing ovation. Immediately after his stunning performance, little Michael was invited into the Jackson brother’s group as their lead singer. A lady from their neighbourhood would suggest calling the group “The Jackson 5”.
Joseph Jackson, the boys’ father, took on the role of manager for The Jackson 5 and began to rehearse them before and after they went to school. He helped polish and mould the group by adding the latest songs to their repertoire and checking out what the top musicians were doing. Michael would also study the greats on television- such as James Brown and Jackie Wilson to learn the newest dance steps in order to add them to The Jackson 5’s routines.
The Jackson 5 won their first talent contest at Gary’s Roosevelt High School with a rendition of “My Girl”. Michael says that after that, they won every talent contest they entered in Gary. Joseph started to invest more money in the group by buying new musical equipment for the boys- microphones, amplifiers and guitars.
The Jackson Five started gaining a reputation for being great performers in their hometown and they got their first paid gig at a nightclub called Mr Lucky’s. They also performed at other nightclubs in Gary, earning their payment when coins and notes were thrown onto the stage after each performance. The boys were joined by two neighbourhood friends- Johnny Jackson on drums and Ronny Rancifer on keyboards.
Soon, The Jackson 5 were on the Chitlin’ circuit, which took them to Chicago, where they won amateur night at the Regal Theatre three weeks in a row. Here, they opened for acts such as The Temptations, The Emotions, Jackie Wilson and the O’Jays.
In August 1967, The Jackson 5 performed at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem for their amateur night. The Apollo’s amateur night audience was known to performers as the toughest audience around. Many performers had been discovered here and it was an important night for the young group. After their set, The Jackson 5 won first prize and brought the house down.
After winning a talent contest at Beckman Junior High in Gary, Gordon Keith of Steeltown Records asked The Jackson 5 to sign a contract with his label. It was their first official recording contract and The Jackson 5 immediately began recording. Their first single was released in late 1967, called “Big Boy”. Although it never charted, it became a big regional hit.
In May 1968, The Jackson 5 were invited back to the Apollo, this time for a paid performance. They were also invited back to the Regal in July. While in Chicago, they opened for bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers at the High Chaparral Club. Taylor was so impressed by the group that he phoned Motown’s creative department to suggest that The Jackson 5 be allowed to audition for Motown. Artists and executives at Motown had heard through word of mouth that The Jackson 5 were an up and coming group, and while concerns were raised about their ages, the excitement the group generated could not be denied. Ralph Seltzer of Motown’s creative department asked Bobby Taylor to bring them in for an audition in Detroit.
On the 23rd of July, 1968, The Jackson 5 auditioned for Motown. Although the record company’s president, Berry Gordy, was not present, several members of Motown’s creative department were there to witness and video tape the audition for Gordy. After performing an impressive set with “I Got the Feeling” and “Who’s Lovin’ You”, the audition tape was sent to Gordy, who decided to sign the group immediately.
On the 26h of July, 1968, The Jackson 5 were officially signed to Motown Records. Michael Jackson was just 9 years old.
Their first engagement for Motown was a benefit concert for the mayor of Gary, Indiana. The Jackson 5 would be performing with a host of other Motown artists including Gladys Knight and the Pips and Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers. The legend would be born that Diana Ross had discovered The Jackson 5 at this performance. Berry Gordy then held a formal party at his home at Christmas of 1968 to officially introduce The Jackson 5 to Motown. Diana Ross would be presenting them on their first album and at future performances.
The Jackson 5 started recording immediately for Motown under producer Bobby Taylor. During this period, the boys would go to school during the week in Gary and then go to Detroit for the weekend to record. It would not be until August 1969 that the Jackson family would be invited to move to Los Angeles to be closer to Motown’s new studios.
In early August, Diana Ross formally introduced The Jackson 5 at a private club, the Daisy in Hollywood. Five days later, they performed with Diana at a concert at the Los Angeles Forum.
The Jackson 5’s first ever national TV appearance was on the Miss Black America Pagent in August where they played “It’s Your Thing”. They then appeared on a show presented by Diana Ross, called The Hollywood Palace in October 1969. They performed their single, “I Want You Back” to an incredible reception. The group’s natural musical and vocal ability amazed the world. Michael Jackson, the front man, had all the vocal and soul qualities of a veteran performer over three times his age. No one had ever seen a child of only 11 years old with such stage presence, vocal and dancing ability and soul. This pint-sized performer knew how to create onstage drama and capture an audience. Michael Jackson had technique and style that was all his own, even at such a young age.
On October 7, 1969, The Jackson 5’s first single for Motown was officially released. “I Want You Back” was produced and written by Berry Gordy’s new writing team, The Corporation™ (made up of Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell and Deke Richards). It was The Jackson 5’s first song recorded at Motown’s L.A. studios and originally intended for Gladys Knight. The song was an amazing hit, going to number 1 on the US chart (knocking the Beatles’ hit “Let It Be” out of the top spot), number 2 in the UK and selling over 4 million copies globally.
The Jackson 5’s first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show was on 4th of December, 1969. Ed Sullivan was known for having an eye for talent and was very particular about the acts he presented. The Ed Sullivan show was a major breakthrough for The Jackson 5, who performed “Stand!”, “Who’s Lovin’ You” and “I Want You Back”, with Michael in front wearing a striking magenta hat. They would be invited back to perform another set in May 1970.
Motown released The Jackson 5’s first album on the 18th of December 1969. Titled “Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5”, it was produced by Bobby Taylor and the Corporation™ and featured 12 songs. The album’s only single was “I Want You Back”. The album was a successful debut worldwide, charting at number 5 in the US, number 16 in the UK and staying in the charts for four weeks. The Corporation™ would work on The Jackson 5’s next seven albums for Motown.
The Jackson 5 started 1970 with more TV appearances, including their first performance on American Bandstand. The group’s second single, “ABC”, was released in February 1970. Again produced and written by The Corporation™, it went to number 1 in the US, number 8 in the UK and sold a massive 4.1 million copies world wide.
The Jackson 5’s second album, “ABC” was released in May 1970. It was another major success for the group, charting at number 5 again in the US. The album generated another hit, “The Love You Save”, which was released on May 16. It replaced the Beatles’ “The Long and Winding Road” at number 1 in the US and hit number 7 in the UK.
The Jackson 5’s first concert appearance was at the Los Angeles Forum on the 20th of May. The concert broke attendance records, selling over 18,500 tickets and grossing over $100,000. Fans rushed the stage during “The Love You Save” and the boys first experienced the “Jacksonmania” that had swept the globe, Similar mob scenes would follow them wherever they played.
The group’s forth single, “I’ll Be There”, was released in July. It was a mature themed ballad; a change of pace for the young group. It went to number 1 in the US, number 4 in the UK and sold a massive 6.1 million copies world wide, becoming one of Motown’s most successful singles. The Jackson 5 became the first music act in history whose first four singles went to number 1 on the US chart.
September 1970 marked the release of The Jackson 5’s third album, called simply, “Third Album”. It went to number 4 on the US chart and number 1 on the US R&B chart. It became the Jackson 5’s most successful album at Motown. It generated a second hit, “Mama’s Pearl”, which was issued in late 1970. It reached number 2 on the US chart, selling over 2 million copies globally. The following month, Motown issued The Jackson 5’s first and only Christmas album.
The Jackson 5 started their first national tour on the 9th of October, 1970, starting in Boston. They would play at 16 cities, finishing with a special “homecoming” performance in Gary, Indiana. They performed 2 sell out concerts at Westside High School and each member of The Jackson 5 was presented with a key to the City of Gary.
In January 1971, The Jackson 5 received the NAACP Image Award for Best Singing Group of the Year. They also attended the Grammy Awards in April where they were nominated for Best Contemporary Vocal Group. March and April were full of television and concert appearances for the boys, who would move into their new home at 4641 Hayvenhurst Avenue, Encino California in May, with the rest of their family.
The Jackson 5’s fifth album, “Maybe Tomorrow”, was released on the 12th of April, 1970. It reached number 11 on the US chart and generated 2 hits. “Never Can Say Goodbye” reached number 2 in the US and “Maybe Tomorrow”, the album’s title track went to number 2 on the US R&B chart.
The brothers then embarked on a second six month national tour, starting in July in New York and supported by the Commodores (whose front man was Lionel Ritchie). At their first concert, the Jackson 5 had to be rushed offstage less than two minutes into their first song when fans attempted to storm the stage. The concert resumed but the last song was cut short when fans again rushed the stage hoping for a closer glimpse of their idols.
In September, ABC TV aired The Jackson 5’s “Goin’ Back to Indiana” TV special. It featured guest appearances by Bill Cosby, Diana Ross and Bobby Darin. The show was supported by a live soundtrack album of the same name, recorded at The Jackson 5’s homecoming concert in Gary in 1970. The album went to number 5 on the US R&B chart.
Also in September, The Jackson 5 cartoon premiered on television. The cartoon used original Jackson 5 music, but due to their heavy schedule, the voices of the brothers would be provided by young actors.
At the end of 1971, “Sugar Daddy” was released from The Jackson 5’s first Greatest Hits LP. The song went to number 10 in the US.
On October 7th, 1971, Michael Jackson’s first ever solo single, “Got To Be There”, was released. It was a soulful love song that showed off thirteen year old Michael’s amazing vocal ability. The song went to number 4 in the US and number 5 in the UK and sold almost 2 million copies. By this time, Michael had eight chart topping singles and six albums with his brothers.
In January 1971, Michael’s first ever solo album “Got To Be There” was released. It had a beautiful mix of ballads and up tempo numbers perfectly suited to Michael’s range and style. Young Michael had shown that he could carry a full album all on his own. The album charted at number 14 in the US and number 37 in the UK. “Got To Be There” generated 3 more singles. “Rockin’ Robin” hit number 2 in the US and number 3 in the UK. “I Wanna Be Where You Are” hit number 16 in the US and “Ain’t No Sunshine” was a European only release that reached number 8 in the UK.
The Jackson 5’s sixth album, “Lookin’ Through The Windows” was released in May of 1972. It charted at number 7 in the US and spawned 2 singles; “Little Bitty Pretty One” and the album’s title track which both charted in the top 20 and sold over a million copies each.
Michael Jackson’s fourth single, “Ben”, was released in August 1972. The song was written for a film of the same name and was about a young man and his pet rat. The response to the single was massive; going to number 1 in the US and Australia and number 7 in the UK and selling over 2 million copies. It became Michael Jackson’s first ever solo number 1 single. Michael became the third youngest artist to have a number 1 hit at just fourteen years old. The song was nominated for an Academy Award in 1973, where Michael performed the song. “Ben” won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song in 1973.
Michael’s second solo album, “Ben”, was also released in August. An album rich in ballads, it showed Michael’s vocal growth and ability. It reached number 5 in the US and number 17 in the UK.
In November of 1972, the brothers appeared on Soul Train to perform a medley of hits. They also hosted their own “Jackson 5 Show” where they performed several hits and sketches. They then embarked on their first ever European tour. In England, they gave a Royal Command Performance for the Queen and performed on Top Of The Pops.
In March 1973, the “Skywriter” album was released. It was a turning point for the Jackson 5, and it would be their last album with The Corporation™. The album would not sell as well as their previous efforts, mainly due to lack of promotion because The Jackson 5 had began a world tour. The album generated three singles: “Corner of the Sky”, which was a top 20 US hit; “Doctor My Eyes”, which reached number 9 in the UK; and “Hallelujah Day” which hit number 20 in the UK.
Motown issued Michael Jackson’s third solo effort, “Music and Me” on April 13th 1973. Again due to low promotion, the album did not sell as well as Michael’s previous albums. One single was released from it: “With A Child’s Heart”, which reached number 14 on the US R&B chart.
The Jackson 5’s first major world tour started in Japan in late March 1973. The tour would last until September, travelling to Australia and New Zealand and back to the United States.
In September 1973, The Jackson 5 released another album, “G.I.T: Get It Together”. Michael’s voice was now noticeably more mature and the Jackson 5’s overall sound changed as they experimented with a new disco / funk sound. The album’s title track was released as a single and became a major hit, selling over a million copies and going to number 28 in the US.
In February 1974, the single “Dancing Machine” was released from the “G.I.T” album. The disco infused number was hugely popular, reaching number 2 in the US and selling approximately 3 million copies. The Jackson 5 performed the number on Soul Train with an amazing robot dance routine by Michael. Michael Jackson was considered to be the pioneer of the robot dance and his performance during “Dancing Machine” certainly popularized this disco dance style.
In April 1974, The Jackson family starred in their own show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The show boasted a variety of song and dance numbers from the Jackson 5 and other family members Janet, La Toya and Randy. The show had a different format and presentation to The Jackson 5’s usual performances for Motown and the family had total control of the show’s content. The show was extremely well received with stunning reviews and after their first series of shows in April, the family went back to Las Vegas to perform in August and then again in November.
Motown issued the Jackson 5 album “Dancing Machine” in September 1974. The album also featured the track “Dancing Machine”, due to the song’s popularity. The album went onto sell over 2 million copies. It generated three singles. “I Am Love” was the major hit from the album; reaching number 15 in the US and selling over a million copies.
In January 1975, Michael Jackson’s fourth album was released, called “Forever Michael”. Two singles were released from it: “We’re Almost There” and “Just a Little Bit of You”, which were both top 40 hits. “Forever Michael” reached number 10 on the US R&B chart. It would be Michael Jackson’s last studio album for Motown.
The Jackson 5’s last studio album for Motown, “Moving Violation”, was released in May 1975. “Forever Came Today” was the only single released from the album. The album and single were not major successes, and the Jackson 5 had become unhappy with Motown’s promotion. The Jackson 5’s time at Motown had come to a close. The brothers had already begun writing their own songs and they were looking for creative freedom; something that Motown was not willing to give them. Motown had taken Michael Jackson and his brothers as far as they could and The Jackson 5 would leave Motown, minus brother Jermaine, in 1975 to sign with Epic records.
During their six years at Motown, The Jackson 5 had worked hard; recording over 450 songs of which only 174 were released. They made a total of ten studio albums and generated ten top 10 US and UK hits. They had made numerous television appearances and toured America several times. Young Michael Jackson had released four albums of his own and generated a major number 1 hit. Under Motown’s direction The Jackson 5 had made a massive impact in the music world and Michael Jackson had become the youngest vocalist ever to top the US charts.
Michael Jackson
From allmichaeljackson dot com
The Bio History of Michael Joseph Jackson began when he was born on the 29th of August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the 7th of nine children. (brothers: Sigmund "Jackie", Toriano "Tito", Jermaine, Marlon, Steven "Randy", and sisters Rebbie, Janet and La-Toya Jackson
Michael began his musical career at the age of 5 as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 who formed in 1964. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine,Tito,Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana and moving further afield as there talents grew and they could compete in bigger competitions. From these early days Michael would be at the same clubs as big talented stars of there days, such as Jackie Wilson and would be learning from them even back then. In 1968 the Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers discovered the Jackson five and from there they got an audition for Berry Gordy of Motown Records. The Jackson 5 signed for Motown and moved to California. Their first 4 singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all made US No1 hits. The Jackson 5 recorded 14 albums and Michael recorded 4 solo albums with Motown.
The Jackson 5 stayed with Motown until 1976, wanting more artistic freedom they felt they had to move on and signed up with Epic. The group name Jackson 5 had to be changed as it was owned by Motown, so they reverted to The Jacksons as they had be known in the early days. Brother Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter and stayed with Motown. Youngest brother Randy joined in his place. The Jacksons had a number of hit recordsand in total made 6 albums between the years of 1976 and 1984.
In 1977 Michael made his first film debut when he starred in the musical 'The Wiz' playing Scarecrow with Diana Ross in the lead role of Dorothy. It was at this time Michael met Quincy Jones who was doing the score for the film.
Michael teamed up with Quincey Jones as his producer for his first solo album with Epic Records. The album titled "Off The Wall" was a big success around the world and the first ever album to release a record breaking 4 No1 singles in the US.
In 1982 Michael Jackson released the world's largest selling album of all time, 'Thriller'. This album produced 7 hit singles, breaking yet again more records, and went on to sell over 50 million copies worldwide. Michael was keen to use music video or short films as he called them to promote his singles from the album. He worked with the best directors and producers, using the latest technology and special effects.for the hit song 'Billie Jean' The short film 'Thriller' used the latest make-up artists technolgy combined with fantastic dancing and cherography, to produce a 14 minute video, with a start, a middle and an ending. So successful was this video that 'The Making Of Michael Jackson's Thriller' became the world's largest selling home video combined with soaring album sales. In 1983 Michael performed the now legendary moonwalk for the first time on the 'Motown 25 years' anniversary show. This performance alone set Michael undoubtable into the realm of a superstar.
The Bio History of Michael Joseph Jackson began when he was born on the 29th of August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the 7th of nine children. (brothers: Sigmund "Jackie", Toriano "Tito", Jermaine, Marlon, Steven "Randy", and sisters Rebbie, Janet and La-Toya Jackson
Michael began his musical career at the age of 5 as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 who formed in 1964. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine,Tito,Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana and moving further afield as there talents grew and they could compete in bigger competitions. From these early days Michael would be at the same clubs as big talented stars of there days, such as Jackie Wilson and would be learning from them even back then. In 1968 the Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers discovered the Jackson five and from there they got an audition for Berry Gordy of Motown Records. The Jackson 5 signed for Motown and moved to California. Their first 4 singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all made US No1 hits. The Jackson 5 recorded 14 albums and Michael recorded 4 solo albums with Motown.
The Jackson 5 stayed with Motown until 1976, wanting more artistic freedom they felt they had to move on and signed up with Epic. The group name Jackson 5 had to be changed as it was owned by Motown, so they reverted to The Jacksons as they had be known in the early days. Brother Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter and stayed with Motown. Youngest brother Randy joined in his place. The Jacksons had a number of hit recordsand in total made 6 albums between the years of 1976 and 1984.
In 1977 Michael made his first film debut when he starred in the musical 'The Wiz' playing Scarecrow with Diana Ross in the lead role of Dorothy. It was at this time Michael met Quincy Jones who was doing the score for the film.
Michael teamed up with Quincey Jones as his producer for his first solo album with Epic Records. The album titled "Off The Wall" was a big success around the world and the first ever album to release a record breaking 4 No1 singles in the US.
In 1982 Michael Jackson released the world's largest selling album of all time, 'Thriller'. This album produced 7 hit singles, breaking yet again more records, and went on to sell over 50 million copies worldwide. Michael was keen to use music video or short films as he called them to promote his singles from the album. He worked with the best directors and producers, using the latest technology and special effects.for the hit song 'Billie Jean' The short film 'Thriller' used the latest make-up artists technolgy combined with fantastic dancing and cherography, to produce a 14 minute video, with a start, a middle and an ending. So successful was this video that 'The Making Of Michael Jackson's Thriller' became the world's largest selling home video combined with soaring album sales. In 1983 Michael performed the now legendary moonwalk for the first time on the 'Motown 25 years' anniversary show. This performance alone set Michael undoubtable into the realm of a superstar.
In 1984 Michael won a record breaking 8 Grammy awards in one night. The awards were for his work on the 'Thriller' album and his work on the narrative for the 'ET Storybook'.
On December 9th 1984 at the last concert of the Jackson's Victory Tour, Michael announced he was splitting from the group and going solo.
In 1987 Michael released his much awaited third solo album, titled 'Bad', and lauched his record breaking first solo world tour. 1988, Michael wrote his first autobiography talking for the first time on his childhood and his career. At the end of the 1980s Michael was named 'Artist Of The Decade' for his success off of his 'Thriller' and 'Bad' albums.
In 1991 Michael signed with Sony Music the largest ever recording contract and released his fourth solo album, 'Dangerous'. He toured world again in 1992, taking his concerts to countries that had never before been visited by a pop/rock artist. Also Michael founded the 'Heal the World Foundation' to help improve the lives of children across the world.
In 1994 Michael married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley. The marriage only lasted for 19 months, as they divorced in 1996.
1995 saw Michael release a fifth solo album, 'HIStory', which was a double album, first half new material and second half half greatest hits. Michael toured again over a legs covering a 2 year period. In between legs of the tour on November 14th 1996, Michael married for his second time to Debbie Rowe who was a nurse that Michael had met in the treatment of his skin pigment disorder. Together they had their first child Prince Michael Joseph Jackson jr born on February 13 1997 and a daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson born on April 3rd 1998. In 1997 Michael released the remix album 'Blood On The Dance Floor' which also contained 5 new song linked with a 38min film "Ghosts". This film Michael played 5 roles using the latest special effects and make-up artistry, combined with his dance and music.
In September, 2001 Michael celebrated his 30th anniversary as a solo artist with two concerts to be held in New York, USA. Many artists such as Whitney Houston, Usher, Destinys Child, Shaggy and many more performed there own and Michael Jacksons past songs. Michael then reunited with all of his brothers performed there biggest hits. Michael then went onto perform solo some of his biggest hits. In October 2001 Michael released the album 'Invincible' so far releasing only 2 singles including the big hit "You Rock My World". Since the release of this first single the album has been surrounded by rumours of a rift with Sony Music and a clear lack of promotion of the album.
Rabu, 24 Juni 2009
Spain 0 - 2 United States
From soccernet.espn.go.com,
BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AP) -- The United States stunned top-ranked Spain 2-0 Wednesday night on goals by Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, advancing to the Confederations Cup final with one of the Americans' biggest soccer victories.
Altidore scored in the 27th minute and Dempsey added a goal in the 74th as the Americans became the first team to defeat Spain since Romania in November 2006.
The chances of such a U.S. victory seemed slim just a few days ago. The 14th-ranked Americans lost their first two games in the Confederations Cup, an eight-nation World Cup warmup, and were on the verge of elimination.
"I can't explain it any more than you can," U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "Sports is funny sometimes, but when you put your mind to something, you can achieve it."
Now they will play defending champion Brazil or host South Africa on Sunday in their first-ever men's final at a FIFA competition.
"It's exciting, a great team effort. To beat an amazing team like Spain and make the final, it's big," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "We played as hard as we could and that's what it took. Every guy contributed, so it's a very good feeling."
The U.S. has three full days to prepare for the final. It was thoroughly outplayed by Brazil in a 3-0 first-round meeting.
"We take a few hours to regroup, but we'll be ready," Bradley said. "We're so excited about this."
Spain, the European champion, had set an international record with 15 straight victories and had tied Brazil's record unbeaten streak of 35 games from December 1993 to January 1996.
"We're not used to losing," Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque said. "We lacked a little of our usual touch. We played a very difficult rival who took us head on."
Spain outshot the U.S. 29-9 but Howard came up with several big saves.
"We knew we had to pick and choose our moments to go forward," Dempsey said. "We're happy with the result and we know we're going to have our work cut out to get anything out of the final."
Altidore got the first goal when he outmuscled Joan Capdevila, his teammate on Spain's Villarreal, to beat goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Dempsey scored when he pounced on Landon Donovan's cross, which had bounced off Gerard Pique and the foot of Sergio Ramos.
Midfielder Michael Bradley, son of the coach, will miss the final. He received a red card for a late sliding tackle in the 87th minute, the third U.S. ejection of the tournament.
The United States had been 1-7-1 against top-ranked teams, beating Brazil in the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup and tying Argentina last summer in an exhibition at Giants Stadium. When the U.S. upset Brazil, goalkeeper Kasey Keller had an outstanding game, just as Howard did.
For the Americans, a longtime soccer outsider, this ranked alongside the upset of Brazil as one of their top wins, below victories over England in the 1950 World Cup, Portugal and Mexico in the 2002 World Cup and Colombia in the 1994 World Cup.
The Americans were boosted by the return of captain Carlos Bocanegra, who had been sidelined since injuring a hamstring during a World Cup qualifier on June 6. He played left back instead of central defense.
The United States had lost its three previous matches against Spain, including a 1-0 in an exhibition on June 4 last year at Santander.
Altidore scored after Dempsey lifted the ball over Pique as Xabi Alonso tried to come in. The ball deflected to the 19-year-old forward, who shot from 18 yards as Carles Puyol attempted to close in vain. The shot went off Casillas' right arm and into the net.
Altidore was so excited he took off his jersey as he ran toward the stands in celebration, drawing a yellow card.
It was the first goal against Spain in 451 minutes, since Turkey's Semih Senturk scored on April 1, and just the third goal the Spaniards allowed in 17 games dating to last summer's European Championship.
Scoring against Spain had special meaning for Altidore, acquired by Villarreal of Spain's La Liga from Major League Soccer and the New York Red Bulls for $10 million last summer. He made only two starts and four substitute appearances during the first half of the season for Villarreal, scoring one goal. Loaned to second division leader Xerez on Jan. 30, he didn't get into a single match.
On Sunday, Altidore had sent a warning to Capdevila.
"He sent me a message and told me that we had to be careful," Capdevila said. "But his Spanish is not so great, so I think he made a mistake."
BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AP) -- The United States stunned top-ranked Spain 2-0 Wednesday night on goals by Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, advancing to the Confederations Cup final with one of the Americans' biggest soccer victories.
Altidore scored in the 27th minute and Dempsey added a goal in the 74th as the Americans became the first team to defeat Spain since Romania in November 2006.
The chances of such a U.S. victory seemed slim just a few days ago. The 14th-ranked Americans lost their first two games in the Confederations Cup, an eight-nation World Cup warmup, and were on the verge of elimination.
"I can't explain it any more than you can," U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "Sports is funny sometimes, but when you put your mind to something, you can achieve it."
Now they will play defending champion Brazil or host South Africa on Sunday in their first-ever men's final at a FIFA competition.
"It's exciting, a great team effort. To beat an amazing team like Spain and make the final, it's big," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "We played as hard as we could and that's what it took. Every guy contributed, so it's a very good feeling."
The U.S. has three full days to prepare for the final. It was thoroughly outplayed by Brazil in a 3-0 first-round meeting.
"We take a few hours to regroup, but we'll be ready," Bradley said. "We're so excited about this."
Spain, the European champion, had set an international record with 15 straight victories and had tied Brazil's record unbeaten streak of 35 games from December 1993 to January 1996.
"We're not used to losing," Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque said. "We lacked a little of our usual touch. We played a very difficult rival who took us head on."
Spain outshot the U.S. 29-9 but Howard came up with several big saves.
"We knew we had to pick and choose our moments to go forward," Dempsey said. "We're happy with the result and we know we're going to have our work cut out to get anything out of the final."
Altidore got the first goal when he outmuscled Joan Capdevila, his teammate on Spain's Villarreal, to beat goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Dempsey scored when he pounced on Landon Donovan's cross, which had bounced off Gerard Pique and the foot of Sergio Ramos.
Midfielder Michael Bradley, son of the coach, will miss the final. He received a red card for a late sliding tackle in the 87th minute, the third U.S. ejection of the tournament.
The United States had been 1-7-1 against top-ranked teams, beating Brazil in the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup and tying Argentina last summer in an exhibition at Giants Stadium. When the U.S. upset Brazil, goalkeeper Kasey Keller had an outstanding game, just as Howard did.
For the Americans, a longtime soccer outsider, this ranked alongside the upset of Brazil as one of their top wins, below victories over England in the 1950 World Cup, Portugal and Mexico in the 2002 World Cup and Colombia in the 1994 World Cup.
The Americans were boosted by the return of captain Carlos Bocanegra, who had been sidelined since injuring a hamstring during a World Cup qualifier on June 6. He played left back instead of central defense.
The United States had lost its three previous matches against Spain, including a 1-0 in an exhibition on June 4 last year at Santander.
Altidore scored after Dempsey lifted the ball over Pique as Xabi Alonso tried to come in. The ball deflected to the 19-year-old forward, who shot from 18 yards as Carles Puyol attempted to close in vain. The shot went off Casillas' right arm and into the net.
Altidore was so excited he took off his jersey as he ran toward the stands in celebration, drawing a yellow card.
It was the first goal against Spain in 451 minutes, since Turkey's Semih Senturk scored on April 1, and just the third goal the Spaniards allowed in 17 games dating to last summer's European Championship.
Scoring against Spain had special meaning for Altidore, acquired by Villarreal of Spain's La Liga from Major League Soccer and the New York Red Bulls for $10 million last summer. He made only two starts and four substitute appearances during the first half of the season for Villarreal, scoring one goal. Loaned to second division leader Xerez on Jan. 30, he didn't get into a single match.
On Sunday, Altidore had sent a warning to Capdevila.
"He sent me a message and told me that we had to be careful," Capdevila said. "But his Spanish is not so great, so I think he made a mistake."
Can the USA beat Spain?
From socceramerica.com,
[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] As a reward for stunning Egypt, 3-0, in its final group game and squeaking into the semifinals, the USA gets a date with European champion Spain, whose run of 15 straight wins includes a 1-0 victory over the Americans just over a year ago. And, apparently, Spain coach Vincente del Bosque has a higher opinion of the U.S. team than do many American fans.
"They had Italy against the ropes and heavily beat Egypt, who were until yesterday the revelation of the tournament," said Del Bosque to fifa.com in advance of Wednesday's Confederations Cup semifinal in Mangaung/Bloemfontein (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Univision). "They are fast, well-organized, and they will come into the match with plenty of desire."
Del Bosque is taking a politically correct slant in his comments, as would just about any coach in such circumstances, and particularly one in charge of a smoothly running unit that has won 15 straight games and not experienced defeat in 35 matches. Yet for Spain, which enthralled the world a year ago through its swift, skillful soccer while capturing its first European Championship in 44 years, there's the danger of overlooking the USA with a probable date with Brazil looming in the final on Sunday.
By beating South Africa, 2-0, in its final group game, Spain broke Brazil's record for consecutive wins. Yet del Bosque gives great credit to his predecessor, Luis Aragones, who melded a team long divided by factions - political, sporting and cultural -- to win the European title. Aragones, in his second stint in charge of Spain, stepped down and in his stead the team has won 13 in a row under del Bosque.
"When I arrived in the role about a year ago I said that my plan was to give continuity to this group of players and to their style of play," said del Bosque. "We've built on that, we are making the necessary changes and we will stay on this line."
Prior to the Euros, Spain tuned up for the competition by beating the USA, 1-0, in Santander. Not until the 81st minute did Xavi Hernandez, cited by U.S. coach Bob Bradley as among the best on Spain's talent-rich roster, score the goal that divided the teams. Xavi is one of many Spanish returnees from that game as well as the Euros. Among the most dangerous American attackers that day was Eddie Johnson, who ran down two long passes from Freddy Adu to score a goal disallowed for offside and fire a hard shot saved by keeper Iker Casillas.
Johnson is not on the U.S roster and Adu has yet to play a minute in this competition, yet an attack that scored three goals against Egypt and created numerous other opportunities has Bradley and players hopeful of causing Spain at least a few problems in its defensive third of the field.
"We have to have the ability to put their defenders under pressure," says Bradley. "We have to have the ability at the right moments to be aggressive and create chances. It takes a good game plan but more than that, it takes complete efforts from our players, and commitment. We know these games take all the qualities and that's what happens when you play against the best."
Working against the USA is fatigue. It beat Egypt on Sunday, Spain took care of South Africa Saturday. In a compressed format, an extra day of rest can be significant.
"Clearly having a day more in this tournament would have helped, and we were also playing for our lives in the third game, whereas Spain probably had it a little bit easier, but regardless at this point, you don't worry about that part," says Donovan, who didn't play last year in Santander. "If we're prepared we have a chance to win."
A mesmerizing array of constantly shifting, and shrinking and enlarging, triangles of players by which Spain moves the ball can be as aggravating as it is bewildering to those in pursuit. Spain can play out of tight pockets, spray balls over myriad distances, connect with combinations of nearly limitless variation, and strike suddenly at the proper moment.
"A big part of fighting against them is not being frustrated that they have the ball," says Landon Donovan. "A lot of times they wear teams down that way and you start feeling you're never going to get the ball or have a chance, but also like Bob said, the other side to that is try to put them under pressure a little bit and see how they react to that."
U.S. defender Carlos Bocanegra - who captained the team last year in Santander - has resumed full training after missing the first three games with a strained hamstring. A fitness test the morning of the game will determine his availability. As to the lineup, Bradley said only that Tim Howard - who conceded six goals against Brazil and Italy - will replace Brad Guzan, the starter in the shutout against Egypt.
So adept on and off the ball are its players that Spain can maintain possession for interminable periods. Its defense has yet to concede a goal at this tournament, having defeated New Zealand, Iraq and the host by combined scores of 8-0. Forwards David Villa and Fernando Torres, midfielder Xavi, defender Carlos Puyol, and Casillas are all among the world's elite at their positions.
The Americans will be overmatched, but after advancing in the most improbable circumstances, they shouldn't be overwhelmed, as they were by Brazil. Their terrible start that day set in motion a debacle.
"That Spain hasn't lost a game in a very long time and has played a lot of quality opponents, the challenge is very difficult," says Donovan. "However, we believe in ourselves, and we believe that if we play well we have a chance to win this game. That's our intention and we'll go out with a good game plan and try to get it done."
[CONFEDERATIONS CUP] As a reward for stunning Egypt, 3-0, in its final group game and squeaking into the semifinals, the USA gets a date with European champion Spain, whose run of 15 straight wins includes a 1-0 victory over the Americans just over a year ago. And, apparently, Spain coach Vincente del Bosque has a higher opinion of the U.S. team than do many American fans.
"They had Italy against the ropes and heavily beat Egypt, who were until yesterday the revelation of the tournament," said Del Bosque to fifa.com in advance of Wednesday's Confederations Cup semifinal in Mangaung/Bloemfontein (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Univision). "They are fast, well-organized, and they will come into the match with plenty of desire."
Del Bosque is taking a politically correct slant in his comments, as would just about any coach in such circumstances, and particularly one in charge of a smoothly running unit that has won 15 straight games and not experienced defeat in 35 matches. Yet for Spain, which enthralled the world a year ago through its swift, skillful soccer while capturing its first European Championship in 44 years, there's the danger of overlooking the USA with a probable date with Brazil looming in the final on Sunday.
By beating South Africa, 2-0, in its final group game, Spain broke Brazil's record for consecutive wins. Yet del Bosque gives great credit to his predecessor, Luis Aragones, who melded a team long divided by factions - political, sporting and cultural -- to win the European title. Aragones, in his second stint in charge of Spain, stepped down and in his stead the team has won 13 in a row under del Bosque.
"When I arrived in the role about a year ago I said that my plan was to give continuity to this group of players and to their style of play," said del Bosque. "We've built on that, we are making the necessary changes and we will stay on this line."
Prior to the Euros, Spain tuned up for the competition by beating the USA, 1-0, in Santander. Not until the 81st minute did Xavi Hernandez, cited by U.S. coach Bob Bradley as among the best on Spain's talent-rich roster, score the goal that divided the teams. Xavi is one of many Spanish returnees from that game as well as the Euros. Among the most dangerous American attackers that day was Eddie Johnson, who ran down two long passes from Freddy Adu to score a goal disallowed for offside and fire a hard shot saved by keeper Iker Casillas.
Johnson is not on the U.S roster and Adu has yet to play a minute in this competition, yet an attack that scored three goals against Egypt and created numerous other opportunities has Bradley and players hopeful of causing Spain at least a few problems in its defensive third of the field.
"We have to have the ability to put their defenders under pressure," says Bradley. "We have to have the ability at the right moments to be aggressive and create chances. It takes a good game plan but more than that, it takes complete efforts from our players, and commitment. We know these games take all the qualities and that's what happens when you play against the best."
Working against the USA is fatigue. It beat Egypt on Sunday, Spain took care of South Africa Saturday. In a compressed format, an extra day of rest can be significant.
"Clearly having a day more in this tournament would have helped, and we were also playing for our lives in the third game, whereas Spain probably had it a little bit easier, but regardless at this point, you don't worry about that part," says Donovan, who didn't play last year in Santander. "If we're prepared we have a chance to win."
A mesmerizing array of constantly shifting, and shrinking and enlarging, triangles of players by which Spain moves the ball can be as aggravating as it is bewildering to those in pursuit. Spain can play out of tight pockets, spray balls over myriad distances, connect with combinations of nearly limitless variation, and strike suddenly at the proper moment.
"A big part of fighting against them is not being frustrated that they have the ball," says Landon Donovan. "A lot of times they wear teams down that way and you start feeling you're never going to get the ball or have a chance, but also like Bob said, the other side to that is try to put them under pressure a little bit and see how they react to that."
U.S. defender Carlos Bocanegra - who captained the team last year in Santander - has resumed full training after missing the first three games with a strained hamstring. A fitness test the morning of the game will determine his availability. As to the lineup, Bradley said only that Tim Howard - who conceded six goals against Brazil and Italy - will replace Brad Guzan, the starter in the shutout against Egypt.
So adept on and off the ball are its players that Spain can maintain possession for interminable periods. Its defense has yet to concede a goal at this tournament, having defeated New Zealand, Iraq and the host by combined scores of 8-0. Forwards David Villa and Fernando Torres, midfielder Xavi, defender Carlos Puyol, and Casillas are all among the world's elite at their positions.
The Americans will be overmatched, but after advancing in the most improbable circumstances, they shouldn't be overwhelmed, as they were by Brazil. Their terrible start that day set in motion a debacle.
"That Spain hasn't lost a game in a very long time and has played a lot of quality opponents, the challenge is very difficult," says Donovan. "However, we believe in ourselves, and we believe that if we play well we have a chance to win this game. That's our intention and we'll go out with a good game plan and try to get it done."
Reincarnation
Mind Stream
The human mind is not homogeneous almost all the doctors believe this fact. Different parts of the brain has different task to complete. However I am not here going to describe the brain. I am here to describe the religious belief of the mind. I a will describe various religious leaders have to say about the mind.
This is really believed by everybody that the mind is more powerful than anybody. The world has seen many leaders. But you will hardly find any one out of them all who have ruled without putting the mind into use. Either it was the great Alexander or napoleon the great or Abraham Lincoln; they all won because they were blessed with powerful brain.
I would definitely like to ask that what you really think about this. I really feel that you will definitely agree with this concept. However you will also have to agree that in order to develop the strong mind you will have to do a lot of hard work. In Hinduism it is being said that if you want to make your mind stronger then you will have to do a lot of Sadhana. I do feel that you will definitely love to know more about it. And I would also like to give you detailed meaning of Sadhana. However I would like to put forward two things and that are empowerment and the sadhana. Both of them are really the key to success.
Empowerment
This is really the dream of most of the people. He wants to become stronger than anybody and I must say that they can do about in order to win the race and gain the empowerment. But what is the way in order to achieve the empowerment. I must say that there is only one way of attaining it and that is by sadhana.
Sadhana
This is really the method to achieve the enlightenment. In this meditative practice, we learn to recognize and observe the individual components that make up the full range of human experience. The exercise is to attend to the different processes and phenomena that occur in the here-and-now as we are sitting in meditative posture or engaged in the various activities of our lives. This involves systematically observing our experience to find out what is there.
Most of the giants who have ruled over various parts of the world really feel in the same way. I must say that this is the best way to satisfy you. You will definitely be able to attain the enlightenment if you will follow this path. This path really leads us towards god. In this way you will find that not you, in fact the world will follow you.
Patience Worth - Proof of Reincarnation
Patience worth is the pen name of the St. Louis’s wife pearl Curran who lived in the early 20th century. She wrote many novels, poems, stories under the name Patience worth. She really thought that she was the spirit of the patience worth who lived in the early 17th century in England.
This is really a very long story. I must say that the Mrs. Curran really wrote some great novels. Let ne tell you what actually happened with her which really changed her life. Mrs. Curran was born in mound city Illinois in the year 1883. Everything was passing well before she was married. One of her neighbor showed her the showed her an Ouija board. This is regarded as the turning point in her life. The board really gave her many messages. It also told her that she was patience worth in the previous life. And in fact she was the spirit of the Patience worth.
This really changed her life. She started thinking herself as patience worth and wrote many novels on her. However I must tell you that this really proved out to be really a great in her life. I must tell you that whatever novels which she wrote were really inspired by the patience worth. It really proved out to be some great presentation of all times. I must tell you that this was really a very big achievement and I must tell you that she really proved to be the great novelist.
However I must tell you that she was really a patient. What she thought really looked like reincarnation. What the board told her she used to write that only. However I must tell you that the board was really a puppet and we cannot say that this was the correct thing. I must really say that this was really one of the points which really were a question mark on her. Not all believed that she was right. But they all do used to admire what she wrote.
Therefore up till the time which she lived she really found herself to be over the moon. But she once she died all stood on front row criticizing the spirit sense. This was really because no body found the patience worth to be lived in the 17th century. I must really say that they were really in dilemma. But all of them really believed that what she did was really spectacular. But they also believed that you cannot really take it as the reincarnation. I must say that the concept of reincarnation cannot be accepted on this behalf because no such patience worth was really found in any part of the England.
Immortality
Immortality is the condition where a person never dies or he goes on living endlessly. According to almost all the religions immortality is really impossible to achieve. In the past many had tried to win over the death but no one has really succeeded. I must say that the immortality has never been achieved by any body. However there are some evidences in Hinduism that the son of Dronacharya was blessed with immortality he has still not died. Even the great Hanuman is supposed to be immortal and must be living somewhere on earth.
If you really want to become immortal then you will definitely have to win over death and I must say that there are the three things which you will have to win over if you want to become immortal they are as follows:
1. Aging
Aubrey de Grey, a leading researcher in the field, defines ageing as follows: “a collection of collective changes to the molecular and cellular structure of an adult organism, which result in necessary metabolic processes, but which also, once they progress far enough, increasingly interrupt metabolism, resulting in pathology and death. Eliminating ageing would require finding a solution to each of these causes.
2. Disease
Disease is hypothetically surmountable via technology. Human understanding of genetics is leading to cures and treatments of myriad previously incurable diseases. The mechanisms by which other diseases do their damage are becoming better understood. Sophisticated methods of detecting diseases early are being developed. Preventative medicine is becoming better understood. Genes associated with type 1 diabetes and certain types of cancer have been discovered allowing for new therapies to be developed. Artificial devices attached directly to the nervous system may restore sight to the blind. Drugs are being developed to treat myriad other diseases and ailments. Hence we are really on the verge to win over the disease.
3.Trauma
Physical trauma would remain as a threat to continuous physical life, even if the problems of aging and disease were overcome, as an otherwise immortal person would still be subject to surprising accidents or catastrophes. Ideally, any methods to achieve physical immortality would alleviate the risk of encountering trauma. Taking defensive measures by engineering inherent resistance to injury is thus relevant in addition to entirely reactive measures more closely associated with the paradigm of medical treatment.
These are the three things which you will have to win over if you really want to become immortal. But I would really recommend you to look at the clearly and then give the answer to the question that is it really possible. I really do not think so. There is some way or the other we will be affected and I must add that the concept of immortality is really impossible to achieve.
Life After Death
Life after death is the Grammy nominated second album by the Biggie small and was released posthumously. I really feel that this was really one of the finest music collection made by the notorious B.I.G. but sadly it released after his death. I must say that the book was really a master peace. This was really the sequel for the ready to die which was released in 1994. I must really say that with the number of copies being sold this really turn out to be a master piece.
The actual name of the Notorious big was Christopher Wallace. However I am not here to talk about the novel. I really want to talk about the actual meaning which this music album put forward in from of us. I must really say that the life after death was really a masterpiece since it really tried to reveal the reincarnation to some extent. We all know that the reincarnation is neither believed in the Christianity and neither in Islam. If you will listen to this music then you will definitely come up with one point and Christopher was really a master rapper.
If you will listen to the album then you will definitely be blown over by the music. The music is really one of the best you will ever hear. The MTV ranked him the third in the all time great list. It was really an honor which Christopher Wallace got after the he died.
His music really reveals the concept of reincarnation. It is really a big question mark that how the life after death must be. I would definitely say that you will have to study the concept of reincarnation if you want to know about the life after the death. It is really a big question mark and still debatable. You really need to believe in reincarnation if you want to know about the life after death.
Starting with the life after death introduction which is 1 minutes and 40 seconds long you will then pass with a series of the songs. I really love the track mo money mo problem. This was really one of the finest songs I have ever heard. Among the others the last beef is another song which I like the most. And yes you should not forget the tracks like the last day; I love the dough and so on. These are really some of the finest creation which you will ever find in your entire life.
I really feel sad that the great Christopher Wallace is not with us any more. And I do feel that he has left such a big hole in the music industry that cannot be filled.
Religious Belief in Soul
It is not only my belief, in fact it is the belief of most of the people around the world that there is soul. Various religions really clarifies that they too believe in the soul. However you should not be surprised to note that most of them have the same ideology behind the concept. I must say that you are talking about the Christianity or you are talking about the Hinduism, all of them have similar theories about the soul.
Christianity says that the soul is present in all the living things. Even the plants have the soul. Either you are watching a lion or a crocodile; they all have soul inside them. The Hinduism but has one more thing to say and that is the life of the human being is the best among all the living things and you take rebirth in different form of the species because you have done some sin.
In almost all the religions and parts of philosophy, the soul is the immaterial part of a person. It is usually thought to consist of one’s thoughts and character, and can be identical with the spirit, mind or self. In religious studies, the soul is often believed to live on after the person’s death, and some religions hypothesize that God creates souls. In some cultures, non-human living things, and sometimes lifeless objects are said to have souls, a belief known as animism.
This really proves that the concept of soul is really believed by everybody. However when we talk about the reincarnation then we find out that the Christianity does not follows it. However there are proofs that the Jesus believed in the reincarnation. He even preached about reincarnation. I must really say that there are evidences the church council because of jealousy and the fear of loosing the supremacy deleted this content from the bible.
How ever as far as the soul is concerned even Christianity believes that there is soul. They really believe that whatever we do is being registered by the god and the reward as well as the punishment is given to the soul.
In his book Consilience, E. O. Wilson took note that sociology has acknowledged confidence in a soul as one of the widespread human enlightening elements. Wilson suggested that biologists need to examine how human genes prejudice people to believe in a soul.
Daniel Dennett has championed the idea that the human survival strategy depends heavily on adoption of the intentional stance, a behavioral strategy that predicts the actions of others based on the expectation that they have a mind like one’s own (see theory of mind). Mirror neurons in brain regions such as Broca’s area may facilitate this behavioral strategy. The intentional stance, Dennett suggests, has proven so successful that people tend to apply it to all aspects of human experience, thus leading to animism and to other conceptualizations of soul.
Rebirth
What is rebirth? This is one of the questions which have always crept in mind among most of our people. I really feel that this question needs a serious discussion. And you must know that nobody has been yet been able to give the details of any such incident. It is not a new thing that you would be hearing about a person promising to remember what happened in his previous birth. I still remember that there have been many such cases.
However there can be one possibility. The autobiography of almost all the famous personality is present. And you can always get an idea about what he was and how he lived? And if the person is too found of reading then he can even start acting like that personality. We call it mimicry. But what I am talking about is different from mimicry. I really feel that there is incidence when some fellow pretends to remember every thing what was related to the personality. This really confuses us. Is it due to excess reading or he is really remembering his past. This is really a question mark.
However rebirth has been accepted in various religions especially in Buddhism and Hinduism. It is really believed that the rebirth was also accepted by Jesus. He preached about it in all corners wherever he went. This was also included in the bible. But one of the church council spoilt the whole thing. They were really worried about their supremacy and thought these ideas will be a danger for their supremacy. I really feel that the belief of reincarnation by Jesus was lost due to this editing.
Within Buddhism, the term rebirth or re-becoming (Sanskrit: punarbhava; Pali: punabbhava) is preferred to “reincarnation”, as the latter is taken to imply there is a fixed entity that is reborn. However, this still leaves the question as to what exactly the process of rebirth entails.
The lack of a fixed self does not mean lack of continuity. One of the metaphors used to illustrate this is that of fire. For example, a flame is transferred from one candle to another, or a fire spreads from one field to another. In the same way that it depends on the original fire, there is a conditioned relationship between one life and the next; they are not identical but neither are they completely distinct. The early Buddhist texts make it clear that there is no permanent consciousness that moves from life to life.
The nikayas refer to a level of mind called “luminous mind” which may be seen as a basic mode of mind in terms of which the “evolution” of beings through the round of rebirths may be understood.
I too do feel that rebirth can be a truth but what is the reality is still to be known.
Proof of Hell
This has always been a topic of major concern. We all know that there is one heaven and one hell. We all also know that we will have to go to either of them after the death. But do you know that where it really is. I must say that it is really not known to any one. Many novels and news channel shows lot about the hell. They all promise to put forward the concept of hell in a very surprising manner.
However you must know that the hell is a place where the people suffer for the sin they have done. There have been so many proofs about the hell. Even Jesus explained the concept of hell. You must know that he visited the heaven and was seen on earth once again. How, this all happened is really not known to any one.
I must say that the proof of hell has been given by many religions. The message of Romans is plain and simple. Open your eyes and see. What you see will reveal the visible and the invisible hand of God. As someone once said, “There are none as blind as those who will not see.
The concept of god is really still a mystery but I can say one more thing and that is no body is still saying no to it as well. I must really say that the hell is really the concept which really makes all of us think that what we are doing is right or wrong. I must say that if we do something wrong then we will have to suffer when we our life end. We are therefore very cautious about we are doing and are it right or we are doing something wrong.
In words of a famous personality, “The size and power of volcano is like nothing on the earth”. Some geologists say, without envy, that we know less about the Earth’s interior than we know about outer space. . . However, we have a great deal of indirect knowledge about the Earth’s interior, and volcanoes provide some of the best free samples.
I must say that the volcano has really been found to be one of the most deadly scenes on earth. I must really say that many of us really think that we really do not know about the inside of the earth as much as we know about the space. I must say that many religious leaders have been of the view that the hell is inside the volcano. But what is the truth is not really known to any one. I must say that whatever might be the truth you should not really indulge yourself in any kind of sin.
Buddha Proof of Reincarnation
There is a lot of confusion surrounding the concepts of Reincarnation and Rebirth. At first glance it seems like they are synonyms, but there is a big difference between these two concepts.
The doctrine of reincarnation, also referred to as transmigration, is taught by Hinduism, Jainism and Gnostic Christianity. Its main postulate is that there is an indestructible, eternal, personal element that travels from one life to the next. This element is called atman in the Hindu religion, jiva in the Jain faith and soul by Gnostic Christianity. Reincarnation assumes identity between the occupant of this body and, when this body dies, the occupant of the following body.
In contrast the Buddhism really teaches us about the rebirth. If I would say that the Buddha did not teach us about the reincarnation then you should really not be surprised. I must really say that it is really a truth and I must say that he was not wrong at all. I would like to explain what he taught by the example of dominos. Suppose there are seven dominos and you hit the first one. Can you see what really happens? Yes all the dominos starts falling one by one. But have you ever realized that the first dominos becomes the cause of the fall of the next dominos and so on. This is what the lord Buddha taught to us.
Buddha too taught the concept of the karma. He really question and answered as well that it is the karma which manages the rebirth. What you do in this birth will be written down in the record of the god and this will affect your next birth. You can take the rebirth in any form but the birth as a human being is considered to be the most powerful and you do not attain it if you are found thin on behalf of karma in god’s diary.
I must really say that the lord Buddha teachings can never be forgotten and I must say that he will always remain in the heart of every Buddhist.
However as far as the teachings of the Buddha is concerned it does not contain the reincarnation and you will have to remember that the lord Buddha taught the rebirth and not the reincarnation.
However there is no doubt that in the east or west many Buddhist do tend to believe in reincarnation. However the lord Buddha never taught about the reincarnation. I must really say that the reincarnation is really one of the things which have been included in the Buddhism recently and not all the Buddhist believe in it. I must really say that now there should not be any confusion between the reincarnation and the rebirth.
Buddha and the Theory of Rebirth
Reincarnation was really proved by the Jesus as well as the Hindu saints. Islam however does not teach the reincarnation. I must say that reincarnation is one topic which has always remained to be a question mark. I must say that the reincarnation is really one thing which the entire great saints have really taught. But I must tell you that as far as the Buddhism is concerned I must tell you that it is really not believed. It is really out of the teachings of the lord Buddha. You must know that lord Buddha is also supposed to be one of the forms of lord Vishnu in Hinduism.
You will be surprised to know that despite of this fact lord Buddha never taught about the reincarnation. Hence if you will ask that what was the teaching of Lord Buddha on behalf of the reincarnation then you will get only one answer and that is the reincarnation is no being taught by Lord Buddha. He taught rebirth.
The question really arises now that what the rebirth really is. I must say that the rebirth is really the cycle which is really followed by the soul. I would like to explain how it works with the example of the dominos. Suppose you keep seven dominos in a queue then I must say that you will soon find that if you hit one then all of the start falling simultaneously. However I must tell you that not all the dominos will fall if you hit very hard. But I must say that they all will not fall if you will not hit very hard. I must say that the affect will go on decreasing as you will proceed further.
May I ask what does this reveals? However let me tell you before that this is really one thing which reveals many principles. Can you guess what does it revels? I must tell you that suppose you do lots of sins in this birth. Then it is said that you will have to take many rebirth on earth to wash those sin off.
This is really one thing which I must say that is very sound in explaining the rebirth reasons. Whatever might be the case I must say that the rebirth can be blessings for some one but in words of Lord Buddha it was a punishment. All those who really do some kind of sin have to suffer. The suffering period continues unless and until your all sins have been washed out. If you still continue to do some sin then I must tell you that you will again be lost in the continuous cycle of rebirth.
Biological and Religious Death
Can you answer the question and that is what death is? I must tell you that this is not such an easy question and there is really a lot of thinking required to answer this question. In one sense you can say that the death is marked by the termination of all the biological function taking place in our body. There is one more twist in the tale. You can also define the death as the time when the soul leaves the flesh. The first one is the biological definition whereas the second one is the religious definition. I must tell you that as far as the death is concerned its religious definition is really a question mark. Different religious leaders have different words to explain the death.
As far as the biological death is concerned three points are important and they are competition, natural selection and extinction. As far as the competition is concerned the species which leaves behind more offspring are really more powerful than those who lives long and leaves fewer offspring.
There is one another term which I have stated and that is extinction. I must really say that the extinction is really one thing which is a part of the ecosystem. As the climatic condition changes some of the creatures find it really tough to survive and in a very short span of time they are extinct. Some of the names of the creatures which have become extinct are dodo, dinosaur etc. I must tell you that they had different reasons to get extinct.
I would like to put forward the reasons why one of such creatures and that is dodo became extinct. You must know that the bird dodo could not fly. This really made it unsafe from its enemy who became the dominant in the battle. I must say that this was the real reasons why they became extinct.
However if you will talk about the dinosaur then I must say that you will definitely find the reasons to be different. I must say that they had different reasons to get extinct. I must say that they became extinct due to the fact that they could not survive in the changing climatic conditions.
Leaving all these things behind let us examine how a human dies. I really feel that since we are talking about the biological death. Therefore I must say that you should really talk about the biological death.
This really happens due to age, accident or disease. I must say that you will always find any one reason out of these three to ensure that what were the reasons behind the death and you will find all these three to be the main reasons.
from proofofreincarnation dot net
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