sense of proportion ................
..... On "Perception"




Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made..... How many other things are we missing?





.....Take a moment....to smell the flowers !

Secret Files Reveal Michael Jackson was Catholic Priest
February 27th, 2010
by Pedro File
Michael Jackson was well known in the Catholic church
SANTA BARBARA - USA - New files released to the public on Friday reveal that the pop star, Michael Jackson led a double life as an ordained Catholic priest and even met the pope once.

"Michael was a secret Catholic priest when he was not touring or making music videos. He would dress up in all of the vestments and attend choir singing competitions where he could show the young boys his expertise in singing. He just did what all Catholic priests love to do and that's preach the gospel to young boys," Reverend Dave Handell told the LA Times.

According to the files released yesterday, Jackson toured America and Europe for secret meetings with church members so that he could preach the gospel. He was also said to have attended special rituals in the Vatican just before he died of a fatal overdose last summer.

"He wanted it all to be hushed up. The pope met the king of pop in some of the secret catacombs underneath the Holy See. It is rumoured that special rituals are performed in these catacombs but none of the victims on whom the rituals are conducted have survived to tell the tale of what goes on down there," Alan Holdsworth, one of the organists in the Vatican said.

Michael Jackson fans all over the world were jubilant to hear the holy news and are now calling for the late pop singer to be sainted by the Catholic church for his stellar work with children.

Pope Benedict was petitioned by thousands of Jackson fans yesterday in St. Peter's Square. The pope nodded graciously and acknowledged the pleas for Jackson's canonization.

Congress declares Michael Jackson Day
Written by Earnest A. Peal

Thursday, 4 February 2010
image for Congress declares Michael Jackson Day
Jackson's vitiligo eventually caused him to lose his sense of rythm.

WASHINGTON DC--Congress, seeking a bilateral issue with which to overcome vitriolic partisanship, declared February 29th to be Micheal Jackson Day, honoring the "King of Pop".

The honor follows on the heels of a Lifetime Achievement Grammy for the deceased singer.

President Obama, who is well known to prefer classical music, did not express any personal opinion on Jackson's accomplishments, but immediately issued several presidential orders to honor MJ:

1) Billy Jean is to be played continuously from loudspeakers in all public areas surrounding the Capitol building.

2) Jackson's biological children Paris and Prince Micheal are to be invited to give an address on the Mall about their experiences as black children growing up in America.

3) Children who visited Neverland Ranch over the years will be invited to participate in writing a book of games for adults and children to play together, to include such Jackson favorites as "Find Mr. Applehead" and "Tickle Party".

4) A nationwide "Spot the Jacko" contest is to be held with the public and news media invited to report on sightings of Jackson impersonators, as they give short unannounced performances across the nation before attempting to evade reporters.

Obama praised Jackson's breaking down of racial stereotypes, paving the way for his own acceptance by the public.

"Micheal Jackson proved that the worth of a man is not determined by the color of his skin, but rather that a man of worth can determine his own skin color," said Obama. " He was born a poor black boy and died a rich white woman " RIP