Well Debbie... for me i do understand this post and it's relevance. Why are you being so hard on someone who ha sthe courage to stand up and speak thier mind and voice their opinion? A little  harsh to me. Alanna... I thank you for this post.

I agree... we do need more than just money. The change must come from within. Just as with Michael Jackson... the issues that caused the so-called tourtured soul and life were created from his personal perspective - from what he thought and felt about himself - it has to do with with self worth and self llove. And as the world could plainly see... no amount of money could make a lasting difference for him. This is a great example for all of us.

We do need new solutions!!! We need to teach awareness and to raise it - it is time to move forward through conscious evolution - this is where our solutions will come from - this is the new way forward!

Gil

I will wait until Alanna answers my question of what relevancy does an event that happened twenty years ago have to what is happening today in Global Health funding.

Gil, I don't know your background in ngo's or global health advocacy but I have been a grassroots advocate for global health initiatives for nearly 30 years and so I DO know what I am talking about.

It seems that Alanna or you may not be familiar with organizations like ONE or GCAP - some of the main social movements in the world today who are responsible for a lot of the financial funding of global health programs in the world's poorest places.

These organizations are VERY EFFECTIVE in saving MILLIONS of people's lives from diseases & hunger every year - and they don't rely on charity albums for any of their funding!

THE ANSWERS THAT ALANNA IS LOOKING FOR ARE ALREADY HERE - yet I seldom see her mention them.

Thus, it's not an issue of "finding new solutions": it's a matter of appreciating & supporting the organizations that are already saving millions of people's lives around the world from totally preventable causes.

Can these organizations count on your support?

I hope so.

Living Positively, debbie :)

PS: Let the dead rest in peace - please.

www.one.org

www.whiteband.org

www.inmyname.com

It aint money that we need so much as a majority of folks to care.

Having said that, the u.s. cant do it alone nor should it be expected to. All countries, including the u.s. needs to deal with their own shit before they can even begin to help others.

AIDS prevention is more than dealing with changes in behaviors, it is also about realistic educational and harm reduction programs. Throwing money at a problem takes care of an immediate symptom. As long as tyrannical power and runaway greed are tolerated, there will be and endless parade of atrocities. Rev. Bookburn - Radio Volta

I remember many of the highlights of Michael Jackson's career. He was incredibly talented and as a result, received fortune and fame. HOWEVER, the very title of this article states "...the Problem Money Won't Solve" affirms that for everything that Michael had materially, he was desperate for genuine stability and peace of mind. "We Are the World" was Michael Jackson's plea to look at things from a more humanitarian and global focus, but the world was not ready for that message. Our country was mired in rampant spending, unchecked capitalism and escalating greed. It certainly was not listening to humanitarian logic, at least not on the large scale necessary to make a real difference. Those controlling the purse strings controlled the masses. Those with the money did whatever it took to continue increasing their coffers, while disengaging those who might stand in their way. Apathy was not born, but it surely escalated.

Michael Jackson's message, as well as many other messages at the time, fell on too many deaf ears. So here we are, feeling rather ambivalent about the death of a very complex man, one whom we may never fully understand. The real point we must take to heart, however, is that what makes us what we are is a combination of everything that we are faced with from the time we are born. How we navigate through our own personal decision making depends, in part by our own resolve, but to a greater extent by those in our paths, and how they can steer us to more productive and positive choices. Michael Jackson is an enigma, but we have to underrstand that the society we live in fully engages the choices he has made, which inevitably led to his own demise.

Back to the comments. Money does not fix our ills, but compassion, understanding and tolerance will enable us to look beyond ourselves to a vision of hope and peaceful coexistence. We can no longer live in an isolated bubble, because what happens half-way around the world clearly affects us here. No one could deny what impact the world's poverty, illnesses and oppressive governments has on our own society. Michael Jackson's message and desire for international empathy was bigger than he was able to handle, and it is certainly bigger than any one of us can handle alone. Individual organizations that exist for profit first and humanitarian concerns second will not have much of an impact either. True humanitarian relief begins with the heart and spirals out. It is time to get to the root of what truly makes us human. It is time past for a much bigger movement.

I was 28 in 1985, & focussing on college and anti-apartheid work (popular that spring). I percieved that as the "real" & "serious" way to help folks overseas, not corporate development washing. I viewed Live Aid a few months ago the same way.

Still proud of what I did, but have a less Politically Correct view. I was so much older then; I'm younger than that now.

I think Earth Hour & the global Iran response were some of the best things that happened this year.

This post is absolutely the message MJ had, each person care yourself, do what you can.  All his music videos had a message also. The US has homeless, poor, kids go to bed without food, all due to the "standard business practice" of greed by corporate America.  ER's turn away the sick, dump patients, doctor's too many times are not in the business because "it's a calling," but for the money?  What is the first question Americans are asked if making a doctor's appointment?  What Insurance do you have?  I am sick of seeing Doctor's from America doing work in other countries for "FREE," but don't give a shit about the American poor at home!  Yes, I am glad that they are there, but they should also do the same campaigns here at home!  Americans, due to money must choose to die?  And we call ourselves a civilized country?  The media crucified the poor man, he was a visionist for a better World.  "He without sin throw the first stone."  How can we condone stocking of stars by NEWS people?  Cheap stories to steal their good names. I cannot see how anyone would ever want to be a star ever again!  Africa had an Exodus out of their country!  I've lived the 50's, 60's 70's, 80's 90's and now the 21 century.  No one has learned crap!  We judged Russia for their propaganda?  We need to do a lot of self evaluation and as a people start to set right our own back yard, then maybe we'd be a good example again.  Money does not solve all the World's needs!  Money is the root to all evil.

I just wish the issue of child abuse, and how it can ruin any chance of a full and happy life, was brought more into our awareness with Michael's death. Just think of what he could have accomplished if he had not been humiliated and beaten by his father and had been protected by his mother. It's a sad waste that we only saw the tip of the iceberg as far as Michael's talent and the good he could have done, even more people he could have helped with his music and giving. It's not right that he suffered in such torment all those years, and eventually turned to drugs to numb the pain.

I'll continue to remember all the good that he accomplished and I just know he's happy that we are all so affected and that he left the world a better place than he found it.

I think we're respecting the moment, not bringing up the unpleasant aspects of his life at this time, and I think that's appropriate.  Perhaps more relevant than child abuse is unchecked polypharmacy -- one lesson for global health is that getting all the treatment you could possibly obtain is not necessarily the best path to maintaining your health.  But that, too, is best saved for another time, I'd say.  R.I.P.

The dead are going to rest as they see fit whether there is a blog post in Global Health about Michael Jackson's attempt to heal the world through that song in the 80s. Michael, along with Bob Geldof and other musicians were part of a team that drew attention to global disease and starvation. These actions got Bono into working on reducing debt in developing countries. Whatever the naysayers may imply about speculations pertaining to Michael's lifestyle, he did care about global health. He contributed heavily to charities that fed needy people. I personally think Michael's concern was sincere.

If I follow the post, I believe the author is noting that money can help but not change. That comes from within and it also comes from conscious living. Global health will remain in dissaray as long as we think money is all we need to solve every crisis and all unhappiness. The author may be using the example of Michael Jackson to show that money doesn't solve big problems. Michael was a gentle soul in an awful world. That sounds a lot like the children who suffer in places where medicine is not available and governments don't care if they live or die.

i think that Michael Jackson's Father beat on him so much when he was little that it changed the way he thought.he and his brothers got beat if they missed a step or didn't do what thier Father wanted.Micheal himself said that he had a bad childhood,he said while he was getting beat his Mother would yell "Joe don't kill them" Micheal was a gentle spirit and he had childish ways about him which i loved about him.i feel that God welcomed him with open arms and he is more happy now than he ever was in life.you noticed he didn't leave his Father anything in his will because he beat him.God love and Bless Michael Jackson......Janet Schultz  (Ohio)

Money a lot of times brings more problems.. I can see that. May he rest in peace now

“We Are The World’’ was downloaded 37,933 times on iTunes during the week of Jackson’s death, up from 1,243 the week before.

On Tuesday alone, the day of Jackson’s memorial service, the song was downloaded 16,015 times - generating between $8,000 and $12,000 for USA for Africa, by Kragen’s estimates. That’s more than the charity usually gets in a month.

It’s possibly the most interest in the song that the group has seen since the charity’s early days, when no one expected USA for Africa to last more than a few months, never mind more than two decades.

The legacy of the song is bigger than the money.  That song was ahead of its time in marrying philanthropy with marketing, and marrying commercialism with charity, which has not only led to wonderful projects like (Product) Red or the ONE Campaign, but has led to big consumer brand sponsorship of big events. It opened the door for the whole mega charitable event concept and opened the door to say, ‘It is OK to use the same marketing tools that sell beer to sell the end of hunger and the end of homelessness.’

data source:

One more time now... by Erin Ailworth

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/07/11/one_more_time_now/

As for me I will remember the good he brought to the people expecilly when it came to feeding and clothing the poor and this he took upon his heart to do deeply. I will not say nothing against Michael for he was a good man and fater to his childern Rest in Peace Micheal for you helped so many and you still will in so many ways. 

Dr. "God-Complex" just thru another pain patient out of the plane without a parachute. There will always be a need for drug/alcohol treatment and sensible drug laws. If a Medical Clinic/Doctor prescribes addictive meds they need to prescribes Suboxene for Patients instead of "throwing them out of the plane without a parachute". There is no Good reason to do that to anyone. There needs to be laws to protect Pain Patients from Dangerous Doctors like my old Dr. "GOD-Complex" in Coulee Dam. Someday, when he does this, someone is going to die and he will be stopped, hopefully he and his nurse will loose their licenses and/or sent to prison. There should be laws to protect BOTH pain patient and doctor.  There are so many things a doctor can do to help a pain patient who he/she believes may be in trouble. To start with, keep addictive doses low. Second, make Pain Contracts that bind doctor to pain patient. Third, before presribing an addictive drug, have the patient go through a drug/alcohol evaluation by a D/A counselor & Mental Health Counselor. It's not that hard to figure out how to prevent addiction and overdoses. I don't believe that pain patients need to suffer because Michael Jackson overdoses. With his money, he could buy any doctor. Why should I or other pain patients who are responsible with our meds be punished for what he did. He took too much and stopped breathing. They needed to call or drive him to the ER the minute his breathing became shallow. HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Dur! It's not that hard to figure out. I love him too and it's sad. Like Anna Nicole, her heart ached, she wanted to escape the death of her som and took too much. That's not my fault or anyone elses fault so why are the pain patients being punished.

I just finished reading "Did Michael Do It? The Untold Story" by Mary A. Fisher of GQ from 1994. I'm ashamed that I had a little suspicion in the back of my mind. Evan Chandler obviously seized upon Michael's love for children to extort money from him. I should have given Michael 100% benefit of the doubt, not 98%. Sorry Michael! We love you and miss you!

Some people will not let him rest but talk pure crap about him, Well ' there problem. I guess if I have a father that beat the crap out of me with a belt just because I missed a step I too would be messed up for life. Him and Janet we beat every day but Joe. He was a cruel man to them. Michael know not what your saying, but the Heavenly Father does so watch what your saying for he does hear.