..ce qui était grand dans le passé a été ridiculisé,condamné,combattu, réprimé pour n’en émerger que plus puissamment Nikola Tesla. J’aime🇫🇷🇨🇭Grizzly Family
A little Michael Jackson story from my home country:
In August 2002 Eastern Germany experienced the worst flood of the century (Jahrhundertflut). Many people lost everything to the water. 23 people died.
In September 2002 Michael Jackson organised a charity auction with signed CDs and DVDs to raise money for the victims. Every last penny was donated to those in need.
He sent a video message to all of Germany, giving the people hope and encouragement.
And Michael did even more. He chose a severely suffering family from Meißen to visit him in Neverland and bring them a little bit of joy in their darkest of times.
He didn't have to do that. Nobody asked him to. He saw pain and suffering and stepped up to help. I wish we all were a little more like him.
As a German I wanna say: Thank you Michael for being the kindest and most loving person. You gave us light in the darkness.
Pictures:
Michael signing the CDs and DVDs for the auction.
The Zwinger in Dresden, which is home to an important art gallery, on August 14, 2002.
A Final, Bittersweet Connection
Her bond with Jackson was so close that she was among the last people to see him alive. On the night before his tragic death in June 2009, Talitha visited him at a rehearsal studio in Los Angeles, witnessing the final hours of his preparations for what was meant to be a major comeback.
It is so heartbreaking to think about how much physical pain Michael had to endure. A lot of people love to judge his appearance without knowing the actual medical reality he was dealing with.
Michael was diagnosed with lupus and vitiligo back in the 1980s. Lupus is a terrible autoimmune disease where the body attacks its own healthy tissue. The severe inflammation from the lupus literally destroyed his nasal cartilage.
While he openly admitted to two elective cosmetic rhinoplasties early on, the rest of those surgeries weren't for vanity at all. They were painful, necessary reconstructive procedures to try and rebuild his nose so he could simply breathe properly. He showed so much strength going on stage and sharing his magic with the world while fighting such a cruel chronic illness.
Michael actually never admitted to having cheek implants or multiple chins, and he strongly denied those specific rumors throughout his life. During his 1993 Oprah Winfrey Interview, he explicitly stated he could count his cosmetic surgeries on two fingers and added, "I have never had my cheekbones done".
When Martin Bashir asked him about his cheeks in the early 2000s documentary Living with Michael Jackson, Michael credited his sharp jaw and high cheekbones to his father's heritage and genetics. However, the drastic changes people noticed in his facial structure later in life were heavily driven by severe medical and physical struggles rather than cosmetic choices:
Extreme Weight Loss: Michael suffered from severe loss of appetite and stress. His extreme weight loss during his 2005 trial made his face look incredibly gaunt, causing his natural cheekbones to protrude drastically.
The Chin Cleft: Michael only ever admitted to getting one single cleft put in his chin back in the 1980s, which he documented in his 1988 Autobiography Moonwalk. The appearance of "extra" chins or severe asymmetry later on was the result of scar tissue tightening, fluctuating weight, and aging around the original implant.
Lupus Flared Effects: The chronic inflammation from his lupus did not just impact his nose; it altered the soft tissue throughout his mid-face, completely changing how skin sat over his bone structure.
While some outside surgeons have speculated about cheekbone augmentation, the media completely weaponized his changing face without acknowledging how illness, aging, and trauma naturally altered his features.
🚨 NOTES DE FRAIS DES PARLEMENTAIRES : RÉPONSE À YAËL BRAUN-PIVET 🚨
Dans sa vidéo d'hier, @YaelBRAUNPIVET évoque le rôle du déontologue de l'Assemblée nationale, chargé de recueillir les notes de frais et de s'assurer de leur régularité.
👉Nous avons décidé de la prendre au mot :
nous avons saisi officiellement ce jour, directement, le déontologue de l'Assemblée nationale mais aussi celui du Sénat pour obtenir ces notes de frais afin que les citoyens puissent vérifier par eux-mêmes.
En cas de nouveau refus, nous ne nous arrêterons pas là. 🚫
Que ce soit dit : nous ferons tout, absolument tout ce qui est en notre pouvoir pour obtenir ces documents, comme c'est le cas dans n'importe quelle démocratie moderne digne de ce nom.
Merci encore à tous pour le soutien que vous apportez à l'association. Nous ne lâcherons rien. 😊🙏
In 1996, Michael Jackson chose to film the "They Don't Care About Us" short video in Santa Marta, one of Rio's most dangerous favelas.
The authorities tried everything to stop him.
They feared images of poverty would hurt tourism and Rio's bid for the 2004 Olympics.
But Michael refused to look away.
The production team had to negotiate directly with Marcinho VP, the drug lord who controlled the favela.
No police went up there but MJ would.
The trafficker's response? "With Michael Jackson here, this will be the safest place in the world."
And it was. Not a single shot was fired during the entire shoot.
And then something remarkable happened.
In December 2008, Santa Marta became the first favela in Rio to receive a Pacifying Police Unit.
It was the pilot project for a new approach to policing – instead of violent raids, police would maintain a constant presence.
The results were significant.
From 2008 to 2012, violent deaths in Rio state dropped.
Santa Marta itself was transformed. A funicular railway was installed in 2008 to help residents – especially children, pregnant women, and the elderly – navigate the steep hill.
Today, the favela has become a model for community tourism.
Over 3,000 visitors come every month, 98% of them foreign tourists.
A life-sized bronze statue of Michael Jackson stands exactly where he filmed, arms open wide.
The view from the Mirante do Michael Jackson stretches across to Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer.
Local residents now work as official tour guides, telling the story of their community's transformation.
The walls are covered with murals and mosaics celebrating the King of Pop.
Social projects are funded in part by tourism income.
Local guide Mario Martins puts it simply: "The process to improve Santa Marta started with Michael Jackson."
He didn't just sing about change. He went to the places that needed it most.
And sometimes, showing up is enough to start something bigger...
Did Michael have a point? Can music really change the world?
@Jantar127 Je disais en fait que MJ aimait la Suisse et il a failli s’acheter un hôtel de luxe dans la banlieue de Zurich, finalement le projet n’a pas abouti