"No wonder he tried for the childhood (as an adult) that he lost." - Mary, so true.

I always felt sorrow for Michael because he seems so very confused, unhappy, and miserable.  He seemed to me to be emotionally fragile, and a very sensitive and vulnerable man who could not quite figure out how to handle being an adult.  It’s sad.  Because his talent was unequaled in the world of pop. 

Michael Jackson is not unlike America’s most ‘tragic celebrity’… similar to Britain’s late Princess Diana.  He was truly an icon in the world of pop music.  And he will be missed by his loving loyal fans.

I feel deeply grieved.

May you rest in peace, Michael.

I’ve never understood why she wasn’t imprisoned WITH him. 

If they are nonthreatening???  Sure!  I’d go.  But, I’d ask if I could leave a message for my family letting them know that I’m off to lala land for good.

Lin,

Opps!  I left out my first sentence.  My apology! 

I meant to preface my first post [statement] by saying, "I agree with you."

Lin,

Letterman hardly comes off as a sadist … in my opinion.  I think he’s brillant.  Although, I confess that I more often switch to CHARLIE ROSE most evenings, unless there is a guest on Letterman whose full interview I want to see in its entirety.

There definitely needs to be more aggressive [and appealing] advertising specifically aimed for those of us who are among the early baby boomer generation - women born prior 1955.  And, advertisers need to use women in their ads who look like us, and have lifestyles which are similar to the lifestyles we live - lifestyles which include grand-parenting, care-taking, and parenting adult children.  This includes the large demographic of women who are long-time married, those who are divorced, single, and widowed. 

Advertiser are slowly recognizing this demographic.  Yet, there is not enough marketing being done, which actually appeals to the early boomer generation.  In fact, a lot of women I know no longer watch television [for example], because of offensive programming, or programming which simply has no appeal to our needs.

We’re out there, and advertisers need to do a better job to ‘reach’ us.

I agree with much of what Joan Juliet Buck wrote.  In particular:

"I’m afraid I can identify with most heritages, cultures and religions I come across, which makes me either a cultural and religious whore, or a new-age patsy. I like most religions and traditions, apart from cannibalism, Meso-American human sacrifice, Dragon lore, witchcraft, female circumcision, Sundance rituals and Morris Dancing."

The only ‘caveat’ is that while I respect and appreciate most religions and cultures, I long ago abandoned participating in any ‘structured’ or ‘sacred’ [religious] rituals - such as communion, for example.  Yet, I enjoy many of the Catholic and Presbyterian ‘holy’ celebrations, with all the pomp, glorious decor, and choral music.  Also, I enjoy the tranquillity of meditation and chants, which are common in many of the [Eastern] Buddhist Temple ceremonies.

When I have the television on, I watch the nightly BBC World News on PBS at 10 pm.  And, I will ocassionaly watch LETTERMAN afterward.  Then I switch to PBS for CHARLIE ROSE, which airs at 11 pm CST.

When we [my siblings and I] returned home from school in the mid 50’s, the smell of a freshly made dinner was the highlight of our day.  It meant that ‘family time’ was about to begin.  I still enjoy walking into someone’s home and smelling the aroma of a freshly prepared meal.

On the unpleasant side, I too loathe the smell of cigarette smoke.  Yet,  I’m a bit ‘biased’, I suppose.  The reason is because cigarette smoke reminds me of my ex.  Ugh!

GREAT ANSWER!!  Just when I was tempted to ‘spill’ my real opinion - especially naming that lady from Alaska in the role as Rose Nylund.  Opps!  Did I say that?  Gosh darn, you betcha!!

This is easy.  I have seven sisters, and two could be Dorothy, one IS Blanche, and one IS Rose.  As for Sophia, now that my mother is older, she speaks her mind rather… blatantly, similar to Sophia’s character.

It would be difficult for me to identify living celebrities who I’d actually enjoy being a roommate with.  And, I certainly would not want to inadvertently insult anyone in this forum.  Instead, I’d choose Bette Davis for Dorothy, Bette Davis for Rose, Bette Davis for Blanche, and Bette Davis for Sophia.  After all, is there any other actress who could play all roles EXCEPT, Bette Davis.  Oh wait!!!  I’d choose Marylin Monroe for Rose rather than Bette Davis.

I’m going to attempt not to ‘ramble’ on about the ‘best’ or ‘worse’ decisions President Obama has made in his first 100 days in the White House.  The reason is because with each decision he made which I thought might have been a mistake, there are so many variable, it’s difficult for me to be absolutely ‘specific’.  Similarily, there were a few ‘good’ moves he made, which I would have to ‘qualify’ with a bit of ‘pause’.  For example, I liked that he extended the olive branch to the Iranian government, but ….

Therefore, I’m going to pass on making pro or con comments from a political perspective.  Instead, I think what I can say ‘confidently’ about what I like best during President Obama’s first 100 days is that I like that he seems to be able to maintain the image and ability of being great ‘family man’ - a good father and husband… even though he has the most demanding and challengeing job in the county … and perhaps the world, as the leader of this great nation. 

I’ve a member of several Ralph Nader organizations and/or umbrella groups.  And I was longstanding member and supporter of GREENPEACE.  I continue to have very strong stances on topics related to environmental issues.  And, I considered switching to the Green Party in the late nineties because of my strong convictions.  Yet, I’ve always been a registered Independent, then I realized that as an Independent I could continue to vote on ‘green’ issues without making a switch.

Nancy,

Thank you for your supportive comments.  As I reflect, my sons gained many positive attributes from their father - strong work ethic, steadfast assertiveness, business acumen, and confident demeanors; traits they might not have aspired to if it were not for the role model their father provided.  What helped me ‘grin and bear it’ [my feeling miserable in the marriage] was the determination by my ex to expose our sons to all aspect of business/professional environments, and his emphasis that they become successful.  For example, when my sons were mere toddlers [ ages 2 and 3] he took them to the observation floor of the NYSE were they looked down on the trading floor as he explained the world of business and finance.  Also, he often took them with him to his office and on business trips.  But more, he exposed them to many cultural activities [sailing, deep sea fishing, hiking, skiing, traveling, etc.], which I might not have been able to do on my own.  He was also around whenever possible to support them in various sports and academic activities.  And, he was a ‘solid’ and firm disciplinarian.  The truth is that my ex and I managed to co-parent rather well, despite my unhappiness in our personal/private relationship. And, now we have five well-educated successful sons we are proud of.  I have no doubt that the outcome for my sons would have been different, had it not been for the presence of their father in our home.  But, it came at a price, respective to my personhood, sanity, and [overall] emotional well-being. Therein lies the ‘trade offs’ we all make in our lives.

For in fact, I was very much in love with my ex, but I grew to dislike him because he diminished me - my self esteem -in subtle and not so subtle ways, which nearly destroyed me.

To be honest, I felt ‘trapped’ in my marriage for many years because I felt compelled to endure [personal] emotional trauma, rather than subject my sons/family to become part of the swelling statistics of yet another non-white family torn apart by divorce.  Therefore, I ‘chose’ to put my son’s needs above my own.  After all, my ex was a ‘model’ father, I reasoned.  Just a ‘bad’ husband.  Subsequently, my strong moral allegiance emerged to provide a stable ‘home’ for my sons, rather than satisfy my own [selfish] needs.  Curiously, while at the time I thought it was the ‘right’ choice … in spite of my emotional [long] suffering, I’m not yet ready to admit that I might have been wrong.