MICHAEL JACKSON IS DEAD

MJ is dead! This, thanks to Twitter, was literally my first bit of 'new information' today. I had no idea yet what the weather was doing, what the time was or whether or not the coffee my wife had made was Nescafe Gold, or Cafe do Brazil filter... but, I knew that Michael Jackson was dead!

In all honesty, and this statement has already shocked far too many people so I'm not going to be surpised if it brings up some emotion in you, I don't care. Rumour has it he was a musical genius and all those wonderful things - I was, and will never be a fan, so in the greater scheme of things, his death is as relevant to me as the mating habits of an egyptian dung beatle.

What does amaze me that this seems to have become the most important event in the world today! Every news channel, every radio station (except the one I work for), youtube, every second facebook status is referring to the death of the King. (I even read an article that said twitter crashed for a short while because of the flood of #MJ messages)

My comments seemed to upset some people on facebook, but heres what I'm getting at: If you're a Michael Jackson fan, honour the man. respect him. speak of his music, talk about him, mourn, take a day off work if that's what you feel you need to do.

But, if you're not a fan - why get involved in the 'disaster' that is MJ's death? Why not spend that energy doing something productive, like (as a fellow facebookers status encouraged me this morning) taking a blanket or jersey to someone on the street who must be freezing to near death in this weather.

Our response as the 'people of earth' to MJ's death says a whole lot about us - it reminds me that we're a celebrity obsessed generation, reminds me that we are at times more concerned about the happenings 'out there' than what's happening right in front of us.

I mean no disrespect to MJ fans - if my favourite artists died, I'd mourn - but this is a bitter reminder of the events of 1996 when Mother Teresa's death in the same week as Princess Di's made page 3. Something doesn't seem right.

From the mouths of babes

So anyone who has been following me even slightly on facebook or
Twitter will know I've been crazy sick for a week. My beautiful wife
whose a pre primary teacher happened to mention that to her 5 year
olds, and they decided they would all make me get well cards!!! Wow!
The world wld be so much happier if we learned more from 5 year olds!!!

THE CHRIS BROWN VERDICT

Chris Brown & Rihanna making the big news again after his plea bargain - check it out:

(REBLOGGED FROM MOMLOGIC.COM)

Reactions to today's Chris Brown plea deal have been decidedly mixed. Many believe that the singer got off too easy for the February 10 beating of former girlfriend Rihanna. What's most shocking to those following the case is that the 20-year-old Brown will serve no jail time -- only five years of probation.

We asked Robin Sax, a former Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, if Brown was treated differently because of his celebrity status. "Of course he was," said Sax. "Anyone who says that they're going to treat a celeb like any other client is kidding themselves." What really makes Brown's punishment seem inconsistent with the seriousness of his crime, explains Sax, are the shocking pictures of Rihanna, her face bruised and beaten, which gave even the casual observer "a sense of what the actual crime was." Ultimately, Sax believes Brown has been forthright in taking responsibility for his crime. "He pleaded to a felony; he's had public humiliation. Yes, he got little better than what he would've gotten if the case had gone to trial -- but that's the nature of a plea deal."

That deal, some believe, is sending the wrong message about domestic violence -- that it's something to take lightly. Sax disagrees. She says, "The most important message will come from Rihanna herself if she takes Brown back."

REBLOG: Hayibo on 'Vuvuzela's'

Spanish star wants vuvuzelas banned, Spanish fans want Africans banned SOWETO. Just a day after Spanish football star Xabi Alonso called on FIFA to ban vuvuzela horns, Spanish fans have called on the football body to ban Africans. "They are just so black," said fan Enrique de Torquemada. "And there are so many of them here in Africa. It is very upsetting." Meanwhile South Africans have asked the Spanish to stop lisping.Alonso was widely quoted this week referring to vuvuzelas as an "annoyance" that should be banned.However, FIFA godfather Sepp Blatter has defended the horns. "South African football is all about noise, excitement, shouting and enjoyment," he said. "And sometimes goals. But mostly just noise."Alonso's South African hosts say they are taking the star's complaints seriously, despite "Xabi" meaning "doos" in the ancient San language. "Obviously as a footballer Mr Alonso is a very unique person," said Confederations Cup local organizer Sonnyboy Laduma. "I mean, it's not everyone who has a Grade 9 education, is unemployable after 35, and who spends hours every day training to kick an inflated sack in to a net, who then tries to dictate the culture of another continent."However, Laduma confirmed that Alonso was not alone in feeling that Africa needed to change to suit Spanish tastes. He said that thousands of Spanish supporters had signed a petition asking FIFA to ban not only vuvuzelas but Africans as well. "Apparently when they bought their airline tickets nobody told them that Africa is full of Africans," explained Laduma. According to fan Ignacio Tortilla, the Confederations Cup has been an "ordeal"."Wherever you look it's just Africans," he said. "Please don't get me wrong, I'm not a racist, but do they really have to be so aggressive with all the singing and smiling and hand-shaking?"Florida de Porpoise, a retired Jew-bater from Barcelona, said he would have no problem with Africans "if they only tried to be more European"."We're not asking for a lot," said de Porpoise. "Just perhaps a little hair relaxant, some cigarettes, and an overwhelming sense of the futility of hope."Meanwhile, a delegation of South Africans has asked visiting Spaniards to stop lisping. "For God's sake, English is our sixth language and we can still say 's'," said Jumpstart Moloi, who led the delegation to the Spanish embassy this morning. "It's not Nelthon Mandela, okay? It's Nelson. Nelssssson."He also appealed to Spaniards to "think long and hard" before asking locals for directions to Thanton Thquare and the thocker thtadium at Thocker Thity."Spanish is just such a freaking ugly language," said Moloi. "It's all just 'eth eth eth eth'. FIFA should do something."

CS LEWIS SONG

The only time I take a bath is when I'm sick or really exhausted. In the last 4 days I've bathed exactly four times... more than I have in the last 6 months. (Dont freak out: I shower!) As I had my forth thort provoking bath tonight, Brooke Frasers 'CS Lewis' song' drifted into my ears through my iPhone.





So there I was, in the dark, just me and the music, listening, really listening, to the words - and being touched by an incredible message: "Am I lost, or just less found..."





I'm not lost. I'm not 'less found'. I know my identity. I know my place. I know Hope - I know He's found me, I've found Him. But what about the guy I speak to so often who I know is lost... who doesn't have hope? Am I calling out enough for him to come out of hiding to be found? Am I praying hard enough? Sharing Him loud enough? Am I being Him enough? '





Brooke has challenged me tonight - and I pass on the challenge. The challenge either to call out to the ones you know are lost, or the challenge to you who is lost, to be found. Hope is coming for you... He's coming.








Check out the song on youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHpuTGGRCbY





Here are the lyrics - be blessed.



If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,

I can only conclude that I was not made for here

If the felsh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,

then ofcourse I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared



[CHORUS]

Speak to me in the light of the dawn

Mercy comes with the morning

I will sigh and with all creation groan as

I wait for hope to come for me



Am I lost or just less found?

On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?

is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free,

wanting to come alive?

Cos my comfort would prefer for me to be numb

An avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become



For we, we are not long here

Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it

And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you

Hope is coming for meHope, He's coming

LIFE LESSONS FROM A SCORPION

There was this man who saw a scorpion floundering around in the water.

He decided to save it by stretching out his finger, but the scorpion stung him. The man still tried to get the scorpion out of the water, But the scorpion stung him again. Another man nearby told him to Stop saving the scorpion that kept stinging him. But the man said:

"It is the nature of the scorpion to sting. It is my nature to love. Why Should I give up my nature to love just because it is the nature of the Scorpion to sting?"

LESSON:

Don't give up loving even if the people around you sting.

the iTunes system

So I'd describe myself as a fairly systematic person - obviously it doesn't apply to everything, but it definitely applies to things on my technology-based devices (laptop, phone, ipod etc). Having only recently bought an ipod - I've been really impressed with the itunes system - just sucks that the itunes shop doesn't work in SA - but, on that note... I've een pretty impressed with the new nokia music shop (just putting it out there - use it, don't use it.)

So if you've been looking for a good system for managing all your music - iTunes gets the nod.

Talking about music though... where do you get YOURS from. Give your opinion on my poll. (http://marksthorts.blogspot.com for those reading this on FB)

SUSAN BOYLE? STILL NEWSWORTHY?

One of the things I have the (pleasurable?) job of doing on my daily radio show is reading the one o'clock news, supplied by (read this in radio voice) Newsflash News Agency. Today's 1 o'clock news cast carried the story of Susan Boyle, who has been named a 'singing sensation' by... well... everyone. In this story, I told the greater public of the Eastern Cape, and those listening via audio streaming and satellite radio, that "Susan Boyle has been released from the London clinic she was admitted to, and is feeling better."

So here's my question: Do YOU care?

In case you've forgotten... Susan Boyle stepped into our lives about 8 weeks ago... a fat, (am I allowed to use that term?) unattractive, single, rather simple woman who amazed the world when she opened her mouth and sang on Britain's got talent. Can she sing? YES! Does she sing well enough to earn 2nd place in one of the biggest tallent contests in the world? NO! Can we even begin to compare her to to previous winner, Paul Potts? And may I remind you that shows like this one have produced people like the incredible Leona Lewis, not to mention all the American Idol types.

Don't get me wrong, I, like 220 million other people on this planet, loved her audition. I loved seeing Simon Cowell's reaction. I loved that the under-dog got a chance. I loved that she got her few minutes (8 weeks) of fame and someone who didn't have much going for her got to enjoy the limelight for a while, and that she's been made to feel like she has value. But I feel like a hypocrite... Because, deep down I know that the only reason I've been following her story, is because she's the under-dog, because she doesn't fit the typical 'star' profile, and because a fat, ugly, single women sang pretty well and wow'd the crowd. It had nothing to do with her "incredible voice" (it's good, it's not incredible). And, I won't be buying her album when some producer takes her ''under his wing" (rumour has it, Simon Cowell's the lucky guy) and helps her release a 'pretty good' covers album.

But I digress... Susan Boyle has continued to make the news, and I ask myself, (and you -), do we really care that 'Susan Boyle has left the London Clinic to which she was admitted after coming 2nd on Britain's got talent?'

CUTTING CORNERS AT WORK?

Considering my 'funeral' related story, this may be in poor taste - but check this out:

James Hines was a giant - a 6-foot-7, 300-pound preacher and funk musician so big that after he died in 2004, a macabre rumor began circulating in this small town that the undertaker had to cut off his legs to fit him in the coffin. This week, after years of whispers, Hines' body was exhumed, and the gruesome story appeared to be all too true. The coroner's office said only that it had found "undesirable evidence," and a criminal investigation has been opened. But Hines' widow said investigators told her that his legs had been cut off between the ankle and calf, and his feet had been placed inside the casket. "It's just like pulling the scab off an old sore. I was kind of like smoothing things out. But now it's like starting all over again," Ann Hines said Thursday, two days after investigators pulled the casket from the ground, lifted the lid, photographed the contents and returned it to the earth, all without leaving the graveyard.

GUESS WHO

In light of Virgin's focus on celebrity (see post below) - this person has recently made it into international news - who do you think this is?

THE WORTH OF A LIFE

In my calling, I attend (and fairly often conduct) more funerals in a month than the average person does in their lifetime. This week I've had 2. I didn't know either of the people very well, but based purely on the attendance at the funeral's, I'm inclined to say that Tom* had a greater influence on the people around him than Koos*. See, Koos had exactly 15 people at his funeral, while Tom, had in the region of 450 - 500 people.

Having been to so many people - I've realized something. (Apart from the obvious, that we'll all die one day). The size of my funeral one day is not going to depend on how much money I have in my account, how big my business or ministry is, or how long my CV is - it's going to depend on how many people I choose to love. It's no secret that to make friends, we be a friend... to be loved, we love.

Maybe it's worth taking some time to think about your level of 'love influence' at the moment. How many people had a better day today, because YOU exist?

** Clearly not their real names.

REASONS TO GO VIRGIN

Virgin (Mobile) sends out a monthly newsletter that always ammuses me... enjoy
Mark


SHOULD WE CELEBRATE OUR LACK OF CELEBRITY CULTURE? (Matthew Freemantle)

Opinions are divided on Heat Magazine. There are those who think of it as a waste of trees and there are others who are wrong. Of course, like many of you, I am the worst kind of hypocrite. I will never buy the magazine but am thrilled when I find it on a friend’s coffee table. How cheap, I think sanctimoniously, before gawking at the ‘dodgy old photo’ of Gareth Cliff.

'We have done our best in South Africa to manufacture something resembling ‘celebrity culture’, but if we’re honest there is really not a lot going on.'
But even if it is occasionally interesting in a sordid way, how good can something be if it is best enjoyed while sitting on the toilet? There aren’t a lot of great things that are best enjoyed while sitting on the toilet. You are trying to think of one now aren’t you? Good luck with that.

Of course, this is not to say that the likes of Heat Magazine fail to address the defining questions of our time. Just last month, with the world in panic at the outbreak of the swine flu epidemic, that very magazine ran a feature on its website titled: “Piggy Flu: The Oinkers are attacking”. Now if that is not genuine, heartfelt concern I don’t know what is.
Their concern would, however, be slightly more obvious if they didn’t have a habit of running the heavy, bleeding heart features alongside the vapid, frivolous ones. It is an unnerving thing to see a “heart-wrenching” story on Oscar Pistorius next to another gasping at ‘Britney’s Tampon Malfunction’.
It’s…well, it’s inconsistent is what it is. And it’s confusing.

You’d have the same feeling if The Dalai Lama suddenly proposed to Fergie out of the Black Eyed Peas. (Which won’t happen of course, because Fergie is said to be “so happy” with Josh, said a friend close to the star)
We have done our best in South Africa to manufacture something resembling ‘celebrity culture’, but if we’re honest there is really not a lot going on. As hard as Heat has tried to tell us that our scandals are as scandalous as those in Hollywood, “Joostgate” just doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, does it?
As for paparazzi, well, we don’t have any. The photos we do see in Heat are more often than not sent in by the famous person themselves. A former Idols presenter whose name I won’t mention but whose surname rhymes with Toss is said to have emailed his holiday snaps to Heat in the hope that they would be published.
We should celebrate our dismal attempt at a celebrity culture. It is one of those things that is good to be bad at, like video games. Our uselessness goes under successes not failures. Do we really want to be like them, they who find it astonishing that “the Jolie-Pitts get their own groceries”? Of course not. Now, if you’re finished with that Heat, can you pass it over?