I also wanted to point out that, contrary to all the media hoopla, there’s been no evidence provided that Jackson was an addict. It should be noted that a dependency (which he was treated for in the 90s) is not the same as an addiction, these terms are often erroneously interchanged but mean different things. In the corner’s report, Michael Jackson’s vital organs were deemed healthy, negating long term substance abuse, likewise Propofol isn’t physically addictive, and had his doctor literally not abandoned his patient Jackson would still be here today.

I could go on and on, but it turns out Jackson wasn’t that bad of a guy (I know in your post you stated you didn’t believe he was a pedophile, but for anyone that does need facts regarding the allegations this is a good place to start: http://vindicatemj.wordpress.com/real-story-of-the-1993-and-2003-cases-untold-by-larry-feldman/ ). After all the good he did for others (both in California and worldwide), and all hell that was returned, the very least he deserved was a good public memorial for people to learn or be introduced to the truth about him. It’s a shame he couldn’t even receive that with out undue criticism though.

I know the UN has a lot of flags in front. That’s all I remember of it.

I’m a writer first. Most cartoonists are not – they are just artists. They buy gags from gag writers, at least the New Yorker guys & many other general cartoonists. I don’t know if this is true of editorial cartoonists. I only know a couple of them personally, and they do write their own stuff. But again, they think picture first, and I think funny. I admire some of them.

“The UN” is a landmark building, like the Sydney Opera House, or The White House, or the Eiffel Tower. The very mention of the word conjures an image (at least in my mind). Beyond that one can ponder the quality of opera in Australia, the actions of those in the White House or spring time in Paris. It would strike me as interesting, to say the least, that a person who considers herself an Artist does not automatically translate words to images in her mind. Not right or wrong, but interesting.

The overarching point here is that the Michael Jackson funeral tab (for traffic, police and cleanup) is indicated at $1.4 million (Time July 27). It’s a small cost for a city that makes its living off the living and dying of “The Beautiful People.”