Saturday, April 24, 2010

Katherine May Not Have Been Michael's Only Parent Who Bonded the Jackson Family

Katherine was not the only Jackson parent who had an unconditional love for Michael, not the only one who nurtured and bonded the family, nor the only one who was always there, always supportive. Joseph Jackson, as widely reported, was a hard taskmaster, his relationship with his famous son evoked mixed emotions from the singer. And Joe Jackson wasn't always easy to understand.

Michael expressed in his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, "I just wish I could understand my father". The singer acknowledged his father had a great difficulty showing affection, which was more a cause for concern for him than any spanking he received growing up.

In his Oxford speech Michael said that if he did a great show, his father would tell him it was a good show. And if he did an OK show, he would say nothing. The music legend further stated, "My father was a managerial genius and my brothers and I owe our professional success, in no small measure, to the forceful way that he pushed us." While Katherine appeared to be the only parent who sought legal custody of Michael Jackson's children, his father was quoted by ABC News as saying he believed the two of them were ideally suited to take care of and raise their grand children "to be strong Jacksons."

In Michael's last months of life, Joe says his ability to gain access to his son was limited -- hampered by the star's inner circle and security personnel. For months Katherine too had been unable to get in contact with MJ due to the same inner circle. She had to contact Debbie Rowe who got in touch with Arnold Klein, Michael's dermatologist, who informed Michael that his mother was trying to reach him.

Joseph said that his son, who seemingly surrounded himself with those who didn't have his best interests at heart, "didn't know any better."

The extended-family patriarch, commenting on missed opportunities to teach his son street smarts to better judge those seeking to take advantage of his success, said: "Maybe that I might have -- should have learned 'em a little more how the streets are instead of -- instead'a keepin' them -- close together."

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Wednesday, April 07, 2010

A Penny For Your Thoughts - Should They Be Eliminated?

In the last several years, there's been a lot of debates about the possibility of no longer minting pennies in the United States. Some people think it's utterly ridiculous to even consider. Others think that it's ridiculous that we even had them in the first place.

The reason that some people like the penny is that it's practically in their blood to save their pennies for a rainy day. There are even rhymes about how picking up a penny is good luck. People have jars and piggy banks full of them. However, those people don't understand the fact that pennies are rapidly becoming impractical.

First of all, there's the cost to consider. You might not be aware, but it actually costs more to mint a penny these days than the completed penny is actually work. After all, it does take a couple days to mint a coin and a lot of materials, workers and machinery to make it happen.

There's also the inconvenience to consider. After all, it's difficult to calculate with pennies involved. If we got rid of the penny, things would always be in multiples of five. There'd be no more instances of calculating in terms of numbers like 37 cents or 89 cents. It would be much easier for kids and foreigners to figure out the math while shopping.

So, is it worth it to keep pennies for nostalgia, even though they aren't practical? Well, that depends on who you ask. One thing's for sure, though. As long as people are taking the time and resources to make pennies, we should respect that and save them for a rainy day.

Alan Kelly has been writing articles about coins for the past two years. He also enjoys writing about hobbies, like why you should use plastic playing cards and how to find quality giant playing cards.