...creepy.

I just read a poem by Michael Jackson, which will be auctioned off with a whole slew of memorabilia from Neverland Ranch. The poem is about children; specifically, "singing and dancing in innocent bliss" with children.

I don't think much needs to be explained; here is the poem:

Children of the world, we'll do it
We'll meet on endless shores
Making sandcastles and floating our boats
While people fight and defend their point of view
Forever putting on masks that are new
We'll swing the tide of time and do it.

Children of the world, we'll do it
With song and dance and innocent bliss
And the soft caress of a loving kiss
We'll do it.

While traders trade and haggle their price
And politicians try so hard to be nice
We'll meet on endless shores and floating our boats
We'll do it.

While lawyers argue and doctors treat
Stockbrokers quote the price on meat
While preachers preach and ring the bell
Carpetbaggers with something to sell
We'll sing and dance in innocent bliss
With the soft caress of a loving kiss
We'll do it.
Meeting on endless shores
Making sandcastles and floating our boats
We'll do it.

We'll ride the rainbow, a cloud, a storm
Flying in the wind, we'll change our form
We'll reach the stars, embrace the moon
We'll break the barrier and be there soon

While architects plan their buildings high
And trade unions raise their hue and cry
While boardroom squabbles generate heat
And in secret places dealers meet

We'll sing and dance in innocent bliss
And the soft caress of a loving kiss
We'll do it.

While philosophers grapple and continue to tackle
Endless dilemmas of body and mind
Physicists wander, continue to ponder
Perennial questions of space and time
Archeologists survey, continue to dig
Bygone treasures small and big

Psychologists probe, analyze the tears
Of hysterical notions, phobias, fears

While priests take confessions
In a serious session
And people struggle
In the hustle and bustle
In the noise and din
On the meaning of sin
We'll touch the stars, embrace the moon
Break the barrier, arrive there soon
Ride the rainbow, the cloud, the storm
Flying in the wind, changing our form

Children of the world, we'll do it
With song and dance and innocent bliss
The soft caress of a loving kiss
We'll do it.

10 year old suicide

The Chicago Tribune is reporting a story of a 10 year old Evanston boy who was found hanging from a hook in the school bathroom. The coroner has ruled it a suicide.

Assuming it was a suicide (many are skeptical, thinking it was a bully who hung him up there for laughs), this is one of the most bizarrely depressing stories I have read, and it has left me wondering...

Psychologically, what compels a 10 year old to take his own life? I suppose the question is what compels anyone to. Depression, chronic pain, hallucinations? Was the boy even aware of what he was doing, or was he imitating something he saw on TV? Given that the boy was reportedly happy, what changed?

There are approximately 3 dozen child suicides per year in this country. What were all of these kids thinking? What differentiates child suicide from accidental death?

Dance Marathon

My brother, Charlie, is pulling all of the philanthropic weight of the family lately. In October, my brother ran the Chicago Marathon for an organization called Dance Marathon, which benefits the oncology department of the University of Iowa Children's Hospital.

Now he is *dancing* the Dance Marathon in Iowa; he will be dancing (or at least standing) for 24 (continuous) hours this weekend.

Charlie is trying to raise $1000 in 4 days for this cause; he has made a good start but still has a ways to go. If you feel the need to donate, you can go here.

Thanks, everyone!!! :)