It’s been blasted all over the world and so it’s no surprise now the news that shocked the world about Michael Jackson’s death. Shock is to mild a comment to make for me when I heard about it for I was driving down the street talking with a friend on my phone when she told me the news. I damn near stopped the car and caused a crash when she told me the news and I quickly switched on my car radio to hear more about it; mostly to hear it wasn’t true. I was wrong.

A lot of people know how I felt about the current direction that Michael was taking in his life and it wasn’t positive. I had always been a big fan of Michael Jackson but when he started doing all of this weird stuff I didn’t so much turn my back on him as I did to try an shock him out of this malaise he seemed to be in. The things he was doing, the things he was saying, I wondered was he on drugs or something for no rational person I felt or one it control of his senses would do or say such things. I realized that part of it was part of his publicity campaign for that’s the business he’s in, show bizness, but lightening his skin-tone, all that plastic surgery, and those comments about sharing his bed with others (especially kids), I honestly thought he had lost his mind! Especially after making that huge payout to that kid’s father who claimed Michael molested him (ironically there’s rumors that the kid has said that Michael didn’t do it. How about that LAPD?) it was foolish of him to get on live television with a reporter that had unfettered access to him and say such a thing! I was so mad I could’ve spit nails, but what could you do? He paid for it in the long run with a spate of bad publicity that was second to none! Unfortunately, he never really did rebound from that public relations disaster and it prompted me to write ‘Michael Jackson, Returns!’ It had to be done for as a life-long fan of Michael’s and someone who was seeing from the outside the effects of his bad decisions, I had hoped the article would shock him out of that neverending daze he seemed to be in. Well it was to much, to little, to late. He was to far gone with no return in sight and yet again I had the dubious distinction of being right.

Michael Jackson’s death affected many people worldwide in ways they probably didn’t understand, because I didn’t understand it myself. I never met him (inspite of some crazy reports to the contrary) yet hearing of his death made me sadder than I’ve felt for even some of my relatives. I felt closer to him than I do to many members of my own family and it’s so very strange to have all this affection for someone who didn’t even know my name (well I think he knew my name for I’m certain someone showed him my article). But as I explained in my first article Michael Jackson was my childhood hero. All the way up to the finish of High School and before ‘Thriller’ his mega-selling opus, I was a fan! People talk about ‘Thriller’ as his best album ever but to me, nothing could beat ‘Off The Wall’. And that was as a solo artist. The best album Michael Jackson ever made to me was ‘Triumph’ with his brothers as a member of the Jacksons! It was released right after ‘Off The Wall’ and man when it first came out we were dancing in the streets for we had been WAITING ANXIOUSLY for a new Jacksons’ LP! My white friends talked about Cheap Trick or KISS but me and my friends talked about Earth, Wind, & Fire, and the Jacksons! At that time the Jacksons were tantamount to the Beatles for us and Michael Jackson was our Mick Jagger! No one else could compare to him and we TRIED to compare him with others! Leon Sylver of the other family group the Sylvers came close but when the 80’s hit the Sylvers had disappeared and yet again the Jacksons’ led by Michael Jackson stood atop the heap! And that was the way it was until Michael left the Jacksons’ and went on to even greater glory on his own! We were so mad when he left his brothers to pursue a solo career full-time, but we forgave him. We were always forgiving him for that’s what you do for your heroes; overlook their short-comings.

Well I’m certain everyone is glued to their sets as we follow all of the details about Michael’s death and the untangling of his financial affairs as well as looking to see what the disposition of his three children will finally be. That seems to be the primary focus (with side excursions to criticize his father here and there it seems) as it should be. Seeing them crying as they came out of the hospital and got into a waiting car, you can only imagine how bad they felt, for to us he was Michael Jackson megastar, but to them he was just dad. That’s the thing that had been forgotten in his life as every news outlet tried to beat up on him and assassinate his character, we forgot that he was a human being with the same sorts of problems every man has; keeping his job, paying his bills, raising his kids, keeping a roof over his head. I mean granted he lived a lot bigger than many of us, but whether it’s a hovel or a mansion a house is still a house. His legacy though cannot be taken away from him for he was the greatest recording artist that ever lived. Sometime in the future someone else may come forward to exceed his accomplishments (my money is on Chris Brown) but til then his place in music history is set indefinitely. My condolences to his family, and R.I.P. Mike.

You may or may not be aware of the rising Arabic American Comedy
trend. This trend starting around year 2000 may be perceived by a bystander as an orchestrated event of brining to the stage new age western comedians of Middle Eastern decent. Contrary, the trend is more organic in its origin than it may seem today. The start of Arabic American comedy (and to a greater extent Middle Eastern - Western comedy) is rooted in the personality conflict and conflict of values that second generation westerners face growing up in a new society.

Weather you are Pakistani Englishman or Palestinian Americans, it is difficult to grow up in a conservative Muslim household with a traditional outlook on everything in life (education, dating, & politics for example) while at the same time trying to meld into a western day to day lifestyle that may be more progressive, more liberal, and differently valued. A good example of this conservatism is how immigrant families in general (weather Middle Eastern or otherwise) place more emphasis and higher admiration for professional degrees such as engineering, medicine, IT, and Law in order to secure for their children a safe haven in the new western world that they may not have been able to secure in their country of origin. In some cases you find that a child from a multi cultural house hold is almost obligated to pursue one of these careers and constantly bombarded by stories of the hardships that his parents or grandparents overtook in order to immigrate to the western world.

It is this crisis of identity and this conflict of value that gives Arab American comics such a wealth of material to work with by reaching into their personal struggles with their identity and their struggles with being misunderstood or misrepresented by society to create new comedic material and deliver their personal message through their comedic content. Within the Arab American Comedy movement we find that many of the comedians were trained and educated in professional degrees: Dean Obeidallah, Omid Djalili for example were at one point practicing in Law, Consulting; while Maz Jobrani was working on a Doctorates in Political Sciences before he dropped out to pursue his passion in theater.

Being a minority within their countries, and sometimes the fastest growing minorities in some countries, they were able to take the stage and delivery minority comedy as other minorities have done before them in an attempt to better express themselves and bridge the cultural and perceptual gap that exists between them and the audience which is typically a representative sample of greater society.

So this entire process of training, creating, and growing the presence of Middle Eastern comedians was truly organic and in most cases unsupported by their families. After 9/11, the spotlight in many countries was shone on these fast growing minorities accusing them of being the root of all evil and the ‘axis of evil’. Once again, the comedians continued to take on stage their struggles albeit with a more clearly defined agenda of cultural gap bridging and a new wealth of material in the attack on religious fanaticism and terrorism.

Following the #1 rule in comedy “You are the only one who can make jokes at your own race”; it seemed as though these comedians were the best ambassadors that were both qualified and frankly ‘allowed to’ touch on the topics of growing up as a Muslim in a western country and dealing with the existing theme in the middle east of religious zealotry, fanaticism and terrorism.

As the heat, the spotlight, and the media attention continued to focus on the rise and the message of these individuals we find that they began to coordinate with each-other. Having much in common and having a united message to deliver, two events were created to better target their efforts and to grow their exposure:

1- The Axis of Evil comedy show: Starring the original three comedians, Ahmed Ahmed, Aron Kader and Maz Jobrani. The show started off with three comedians, an Egyptian, a Palestinian and an Iranian, who were all American citizens and caught up in the post 9/11 cultural revolution within the United States. The show then grew in acclaim and turned into a four year international tour and went on to involve even more ‘evil’ comedians including a Korean-Jordanian, and Saudi amateur comedians.

2- The Arab American Comedy Festival: Starring two New Yorker Comedians: Dean Obeidallah and Maysoon Zayed. Dean and Maysoon were most affected by the events and the media’s scrutiny of Arab Americans post 9/11 due to their proximity to ground zero. The Arab American Comedy Festival was originally started as a single event of cultural understanding but has become so successful that it’s on its eighth year running.

With time, this wave of comedy reached the Middle East through online media channels such as Youtube, through paid subscription satellite TV on shows like the Axis of Evil Show and the Omid Djalili show, and much later through the Axis of Evil comedy tour and other similar shows that went on after people realized that there was a venue and a possibility of comedy shows in the Middle East. We now find a second wave of Middle Eastern comedy starting to rise up again organically through the cracks. This wave is based on Middle Eastern comedians that were born, educated or raised abroad and are now dealing with similar cultural and personality discussions after coming back to live in the Middle East. Their content isn’t as political as the content of the Western based comedians because their struggles are different. Their content is more focused on the liberalization of Middle Eastern society, the opportunities for alternative education (for which there are living proof), and sometimes the honest criticism of the idiosyncrasies that exist within their society such as the unquestionable hatred for the west and its policies all the while being obsessed with western fashion, movies, food, and trendy consumerism.

In closing, weather it is an Arab American who is on stage, or an ‘Americanized’ Arab, the message is the same: Life would be much better everywhere around the world if people of all origins and races were able to get together, laugh together, and better understand each-other.

The staff needs to enjoy the party. Employees need to feel appreciated. That is the goal, after all, of having an awards night, or company holiday party.

This year, in the tight economy, clients are very concerned about their annual holiday party. “Should we even have a party?” They ask? “Should we even hire professional entertainment?” Management is concerned not just about budget but also on the message it sends to the staff. “Doesn’t this send a mixed message to the employees about the severity of the economic crisis?”

Well, clearly these are important questions but the answer is; Now, more than ever it is important to keep company morale high. Now more than ever it is important to nurture your human resource capital. Now more than ever it is important to remind your team they are appreciated and that the work they perform is valued, and meaningful. If a company party can accomplish this task then certainly this is a very cost effective way to do it!

Think of the cost of the party in terms of venue rental, food and beverage service and entertainment / decorations/ awards/ party favors. Now break down that cost per person coming to the event. It doesn’t take a “mathemagician” to see how a good company party is very affordable – especially factoring in the increased production and performance you can expect following such an event . Build a better team made up of excited, happy employees who know they are cared about.

The auto industry, big banks, global warming… these are just some of the things NOT discussed in my latest entry of funny questions About Life - Part 3. Truth is, I feel it’s my mission to ignore these dubious questions of life and follow my true destiny which means pondering life’s unanswerable, yet funny questions. Ready? Let’s hit it!

Funny Questions - Group 1

They make bullet proof vests, so why not bullet proof pants?

Why do dollar stores bother to advertise their prices?

If a cow is pampered do they produce spoiled milk?

Funny Questions - Group 2:

How do deer know to cross at the yellow deer crossing sign?

How can a product be advertised as both new and improved?

If all you have in your pocket is loose change does that mean your money is tight?

How can love be so blind but marriage such an eye opener?

Why are small candy bars called, ‘fun size”? Wouldn’t it be more fun to eat a large one?

If a man’s home is his castle, why is my closet filled with my wife’s 70 pair of black high heels?

Is possible for fat people to go skinny dipping?

When sheep rub up against each other, do they produce static cling?

Funny Questions - Group 3:

Pizzas are round, so what’s with the square box?

Do woodpeckers ever get migranes?

If feathers tickle people, why don’t birds laugh all the time?

If Superman is so darn super, why is he wearing his underwear outside his tights?

What is the purpose of the expiration date on sour cream?

When you call into customer service they say, “This call may be recorded for quality purposes,” how come the quality never improves?

Why are there drive up windows for liquor stores when you can’t drink and drive?

Are Lipton Tea employees allowed coffee breaks?

Funny Questions - Group 4:

How is it possible for there to be self help groups?

Why are croutons packed in air tight packages? Aren’t they just stale bread?

If you’re reading while on the toilet does this mean you’re multitasking?

Why do drugstores make sick people walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions?

Funny Questions Group 5:

When growing up I always heard that the truth will set you free, so why was I always sent to my room?

How do you know when sour cream has gone bad?

Whose the cruel person that decided nose job surgery should be called rhinoplasty?

How come you have to drive slow and obey traffic signals your whole life, but when you die, they let the cars run through red lights? What’s the hurry?

Oh yes, there’s a ton more. Most of them rehashed, recycled and ridiculous, but what do you want for free? What’s funnier are the people who attempt to seriously answer them. So stay tuned as I comb the recesses of my mind… which should take about a minute, and thanks for wasting a few moments of your life with Funny Questions About Life!