Music

Neverland Michael Jackson’s former home has been sold

Published

9 months ago

December 27, 2020

You will certainly remember Neverland the ranch that Michael Jackson made famous when it became his main home. He was bought by Ronald W. Buckle for $22 million.

Michael Jackson bought the property in 1988 at the apex of his success and called it Neverland Ranch. It is 2700 acres and is situated a little more than 125 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The name Neverland came from Peter Pan, the boy who refused to grow up.

To show that he couldn’t grow up himself, Jackson turned Neverland into a kind of theme park. There was a zoo, a theatre, a panoramic wheel and even a train.

Jackson died in 2009 but never returned to live in his Neverland Ranch after the trials for sexual molestations on young boys in 2005.

$22 million doesn’t sound like a lot and it isn’t, they have been trying to sell the property since 2015, initially they wanted to build a memorial to Michael Jackson like Elvis Presley has at Graceland, but Jackson’s reputation is definitely tainted.

When it was first put in the market the asking price was $100 million but it has been going down since. Accidentally the property doesn’t include the theme park and it’s no longer called Neverland Ranch but Sycamore Valley Ranch.

Post Views: 373

Music

London, Jack White record store opening announced

Published

1 month ago

August 10, 2021

Laura S Hamlin

For those who don’t remember Jack White had become famous with the White Stripes, but meanwhile he has been busy with many projects. One of them is his record stores which are called Third Man and so far are located in Detroit and Tennessee, both cities with an important musical history.

The third shop opens in London and will have a small live music space called ‘The Blue Basement’ and the European offices of Third Man Records, most notably Paul Weller and The Jesus and Mary Chain and a rarity from Manchester legendary group ‘The Magic Roundabout’. You don’t have to go to London to buy them, you can go to their website and buy them online.

The shop and music space will open on 25 September in Soho, at 1 Marshall Street in Soho, London W1F 9BA. It should be an interesting project, and at least this time not founded by some multinational.

Post Views: 211

Life

What is meant by The Sound of Silence ?

Published

1 month ago

August 9, 2021

Carole Ford

If Silence is merely an absence of sound, the title of the song by Paul Simon is contradictory. The lyrics of the song tell us that through empty streets, he walked alone, to the sound of silence. He poignantly expresses his loneliness and his frustration that this palpable silence is caused by the failure of people to listen to one another. Paul Simon movingly sang the song at the tenth anniversary of 9/11, commemorating the fall of the twin towers in New York and consequent death and suffering.

Silence is spoken of in many different ways:-

A “deafening silence” denotes a state of shock or surprise on hearing a piece or news.

There is an “eerie silence”, when our sixth sense is alerted by a disturbing atmosphere.

It is said that “silence speaks volumes”, when a clearly held opinion is withheld.

A “guilty silence” occurs when the perpetrator of wrongdoing, refuses to own it.

In the case of someone accused of a crime, the repetition of the words “no comment”, in effect silence, may be regarded as the withholding of information and increase suspicions of guilt.

The two-minute silence observed on solemn occasions, allows a time for reflection and remembrance of the fallen.

Silence therefore is associated with a description of mood. When someone says that “Silence is golden”, it is an indication that the person values some time to themselves, possibly after too many verbal demands have been made on them!

The mood conveyed by the performance of the song by the band Disturbed, is one of increasing anger that non communicative silences occur, so that the rendition becomes an explosion of rage, rather than the mournful tone of the original recording by Paul Simon.

Post Views: 354

Health

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Published

2 months ago

August 1, 2021

Carole Ford

I once had a friend called Harry, and I can only wish that if you are going through a time of extra stress, that you find such a friend as Harry. Harry was a good listener and responded with empathy to whatever misery was being offloaded onto him. He had learnt to cope with his own difficulties, by cultivating a calm contemplation of solutions and practising tenacity. If it is not possible to make time for yourself, as Harry recommended, people will inevitably find it increasingly difficult to cope. A job that is over demanding, or caring responsibilities at home, when there is no respite, will take their toll. It is not always possible to set reasonable goals, without considerable social support.It is over thirty years since I last saw Harry, but I remember everything we discussed.

There is a fictional character I like called “Drop Dead Fred”. The 1991 film starred Rik Mayall. Besides over the top comedy, Fred encouraged assertiveness in a young woman, lacking in self-confidence. Faced with her unsupportive mother and faithless husband, she summoned the imaginary friend of her childhood, “Drop Dead Fred” for assistance. Finally, Fred told her that he had to go, when, job done, he had inspired her to be able to cope herself.
Paul Simon was inspired to write the beautiful song “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, which has given comfort to many people in hard times. There are times when we all need a friend.