“The situation in Gaza is unsustainable,” Obama said after today’s Oval Office meeting. Israel’s security needs must be met as well as the humanitarian needs of the people in Gaza, Obama said as he called for a new “conceptual framework” for Israel’s blockade to focus on stopping the flow of arms.

Obama said attention has been refocused on Gaza because of Israel’s naval blockade of the territory. Israel says the effort is aimed at preventing Hamas, whose charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state, from getting weapons.

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YES YES YES! THIS MAKES SENSE. STOP HURTING THE INNOCENT PALESTINIANS BECAUSE OF THE MISTAKES OF THE BUCK ASS CRAZY PALESTINIANS.

MCDONALD’S WENT GAY IN FRANCE. THE AD IS ACTUALLY QUITE POWERFUL. IT SPEAKS VOLUMES OF COMMERCIALISM AND THE WAY IN WHICH “GAY-AS-COOL” HAS PENENTRATED THE MAINFRAME, WELL THE EUROPEAN MAINFRAME AT LEAST. IT IS OBVIOUSLY MEANT TO CAUSE CONVERSATION, HOWEVER, I HIGHLY DOUBT THIS KIND OF AD WILL GET MUCH ATTENTION IN FRANCE. WITH THAT SAID, IF THIS AD WERE TO RUN IN THE UNITED STATES, ALTHOUGH IT IS HEAVILY UDNERSTATED AND STYLISTICALLY SIMPLE IT WOULD GARNER MUCH DEBATE…

WHY?

BECAUSE MCDONALD’S IS AN AMERICAN COMPANY WITH A LARGELY MIDDLE CLASS CUSTOMER BASE. HOMOSEXUALS ARE CULTURALLY ELITE, BOURGEOISIE, THIS MEANS THAT THE CORPORATIONS ARE REALIZING GAY HAS BEEN INTEGRATED AND ACCEPTED BY THE MIDDLE AND MAYBE EVEN LOWER CLASSES. IT ALSO MEANS MCDONALD’S IS TRYING TO TAP INTO THE GAY MARKET, WHICH IS QUITE FAMOUSLY, VERY WEALTHY. THIS IS A TIP TOWARDS THE RIGHT DIRECTION. BAD THING IS, IF THINGS KEEP GOING LIKE THIS, IT WON’T BE COOL TO BE GAY ANYMORE AND THAT COULD BE THE WORSE THING TO HAPPEN TO CULTURE, SINCE… WELL NOT REALLY SURE WHAT…

THIS IS ICONIC.

Due to production and staging issues at the smaller venues initially scheduled for her upcoming Chicago and Detroit shows, Lady GaGahas moved the shows into larger arenas but is making fans re-buy tickets instead of honoring the originals. (FROM TICKETNEWS.COM)

KIND OF SHADY I MUST SAY. I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS WHO GO ABSOLUTELY MENTAL WHEN BUYING TICKET. THEY BECOME QUITE STRATEGIC ABOUT IT, SOMETHING LIKE THIS COULD RUIN EVERYTHING.

NOT COOL.

THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PICTURE THAT MAKES ME FEEL JUST A LITTLE BIT AWKWARD. IT REMINDS ME OF KING KONG. I FIND IT RACIST. IN THE MOVIE INGLORIOUS BASTARDS THEY PLAY THE “GUESS WHO I AM GAME.” YOU PUT THE NAME OF SOMEONE FAMOUS ON YOUR FOREHEAD AND THEN YOU ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT WHO IT MIGHT BE UNTIL YOU GUESS. WELL, ONE CHARACTER HAD KING KONG ON HIS FOREHEAD AND AFTER FINDING OUT HE HAD BEEN BROUGHT FROM AN EXOTIC LAND, ON A BOAT, CHAINED, AND THEN PURSUED A WHITE WOMAN IN THE NEW WORLD HE THOUGHT HE WAS THE AFRICAN SLAVE, WHILE IN FACT, HE WAS KING KONG.

THIS MOTIF, THIS PORTRAYAL OF AFRICAN MEN CAN BE SEEN ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE ACTUAL DAYS OF COLONIZATION. THE BLACK MAN WAS SEEN AS  A RAPIST, A THREAT TO THE WHITE MAN AND A HAZARD TO THE WHITE WOMAN. THIS HAS BECOME SOMEWHAT NORMALIZED IN OUR SOCIETY BUT STILL ERUPTS EVERY NOW AND THEN LIKE IN THIS DAVID LACHAPPELE PHOTO. NOW, TO HIS DEFENSE I AM FAIRLY CERTAIN HE IS DOING THIS ON PURPOSE.

HOWEVER, THE IMAGE IS POWERFUL. THE DAMSEL IS AN OVERLY PHOTOSHOPPED SOMEWHAT DISFIGURED LADY GAGA. HER BODY SEEMS ELONGATED AND HER BOOB SEEMS FAKE. THE WHOLE THING IS AN EXAGERRATION. KANYE’S EYES LOOK ABSOLUTELY INSANE. THEY ARE IN SOME KIND OF EXOTIC SETTING. AT FIRST GLANCE, I THOUGHT KANYE WAS SOME KIND OF RANGER OUTDOORSY MAN AND THEN REALIZED HE WAS DRESSED SOMEWHAT SAVAGELY.

I DONT THINK THIS PICTURE IS DONE IN GOOD TASTE. I THINK IN AN ATTEMPT TO BE CONTROVERSIAL THEY HAVE REINFORCED YEARS OF RACISM AND STEREOTYPICAL WHITE WOMAN/BLACK MAN BEHAVIOR. THE AVERAGE EYE WON’T CATCH THE SUBTLETIES OF THE COMMENTARIES GOING ON IN THIS PICTURE.

RESIDENTS OF HOLLYWOOD HILLS ARE PROTESTING THE DIGITAL BILLBOARDS LOOMING OVER THEM. THERE ARE 92 OF THEM. THAT’S A LOT. THROUGH A SERIES OF RECENT LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IT SEEMS THE CITY COUNCIL HAS GIVEN ITSELF SOME AUTHORITY IN CONTROLLING WHAT SIGNS CAN GO UP AND WHERE WHICH MEANS THEY MAY BE ABLE TO PULL THE PLUG ON THESE DIGITAL MONSTERS.

I CAN’T REALLY BELIEVE THAT THESE SIGNS WENT UP IN THE FIRST PLACE. OVER TWO YEARS AGO. THE RESIDENTS SHOULD HAVE PROTESTED SOONER.

IVANA TRUMP WAS ESCORTED OFF A FLIGHT THIS WEEKEND BECAUSE SHE YELLED PROFANITIES AT UNRULY CHILDREN. SHE WAS SEATED IN FIRST CLASS. BEFORE THE PLANE HAD TAKEN OFF, THE CHILDREN BEGAN TO RUN UP AND DOWN THE AISLES AND SHE YELLED AT THEM USING THE INFAMOUS “F” WORD.

THIS PROMPTED THE CREW TO TELL THE PILOT WHAT HAS HAPPENEING. AT WHICH POINT, HE DRIVE THE PLANE BACK TO THE GATE. THE CREW THEN REQUESTED SHE GET OFF THE PLANE. SHE REFUSED AND WAS FORCIBLY REMOVED.

FOR YELLING AT CHILDREN. WHO WERE ACTING LIKE MONSTERS.

YET, SOMEHOW, SECURITY ON CHRISTMAS DAY FAILED TO CATCH A MAN ARMED WITH EXPLOSIVES FROM BOARDING A PLANE.

I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT IVANA TRUMP BUT I THINK THAT SITUATIONS LIKE THESE REALLY ILLUSTRATE HOW INCREDIBLY SHITZO AIRLINE SECURITY IS AND HOW THE INCESSANT RESTRAINTS AND ALL-AROUND CREEPY ATTITUDE OF THE AIRLINES INDUSTRY (ATTENDANTS, ETC…) DOES VERY LITTLE TO ACTUALLY ENSURE OUR PROTECTION AND ONLY SERVES TO AGGRAVATE THE SITUATION.

AN OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR MJ’S SONG “THIS IS IT.” I DON’T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHY THIS SONG HAS GARNERED SO MUCH ATTENTION FROM THE MJ CAMP. WHY WAS IT CHOSEN TO BE RELEASED? IS IT MERELY BECAUSE OF THE COINCIDENCES OF THE NAME OF THE TOUR, THE SONG, AND THAT MJ HAS NOW PASSED. THE SONG ITSELF ISN’T THAT GREAT. HOWEVER, WHEN I SEE THIS VIDEO, THERE IS AN ELEMENT THAT COMES TO LIFE IN THE SONG, AND ITS MICHAEL… HE IS SINGING WITH A VOICE THAT WE HAVEN’T HEARD IN A LONG TIME. THERE IS A CONFUSION IN HIS VOICE, THERE IS FEAR IN HIS VOICE. I SENSE THAT AT SOME POINTS IN THE SONG HE KNOWS WHEN THIS SONG WILL BE USED, HE KNOWS THIS IS THE SONG THEY WILL PLAY WHEN HE HAS LEFT THE WORLD. DID HE DO THIS ON PURPOSE? DID MICHAEL DO THIS SONG, KNOWING FULL WELL, IT WOULD BE THE SONG THAT WOULD BE ATTACHED TO THE TOUR THAT NEVER HAPPENED AND THE STAR THAT FADED TOO SOON?

Michael Jackson – This Is It – Directed by Spike Lee from 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks on Vimeo.

MICHAEL JACKSON’S VOICE MAY HAVE HELD THE ANSWERS IN REGARDS TO MICHAEL’S SEXUALITY, GENDER IDENTIFICATION ISSUES, AND PERCEIVED ECCENTRICITY.

FRANCESCA ROYSTER EXAMINES JUST HOW NON-SUBTLE MICHAEL JACKSON REALLY WAS ABOUT HIS TRUE SELF.

WAS HE TRYING TO TELL US SOMETHING?

WAS HE INDEED, TRANSGENDERED?

WAS HIS VOICE CHILD-LIKE OR WOMAN-LIKE?

READ THIS ARTICLE AND TRY TO BEGIN ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS FOR YOURSELF…

IT IS FASCINATING TO VIEW NOT JUST MICHAEL JACKSON’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO MUSIC AS REVOLUTIONARY, BUT TO ALSO CONSIDER HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE REALMS OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY AS REVOLUTIONARY AS WELL.