Michael Jackson (1958-2009): A Luminary of Music and Dance

Michael Jackson, revered as the "King of Pop," mesmerized global audiences with his groundbreaking music, innovative choreography, and revolutionary music videos. Throughout his illustrious career, Jackson sold over 750 million albums, reshaping popular culture and establishing unparalleled standards in the entertainment industry. Despite his monumental __60.__ 

       The 1982 album "Thriller," featuring seminal tracks such as "Billie Jean," "Beat It," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," epitomizes Jackson's artistic virtuosity. According to Guinness World Records, "Thriller" remains the best-selling album of all time. Jackson's __61.__ —including a single sequined glove and abbreviated trousers—accentuated his electrifying dance moves, culminating in the iconic "moonwalk," a maneuver that seemed to defy the laws of physics.

       Born in Gary, Indiana, in 1958, Jackson __62.__ on his musical journey at age five with his brothers in the Jackson 5. The group achieved meteoric success, with their first four singles topping the pop charts in 1970. As the group's standout performer, Michael's stage presence and vocal prowess captivated audiences, resonating with a diverse demographic and transcending racial divides. In the 1970s, the Jackson 5 rebranded as the Jacksons, and Michael launched a solo career, releasing "Off the Wall" in 1979. His subsequent album, "Thriller," not only became the best-selling album of all time but also garnered eight Grammy Awards. Jackson's strategic use of music videos as a promotional tool led to visually and narratively complex productions, solidifying his status as a cultural icon. 

       In 1985, Jackson co-authored "We Are the World," a charity single aimed at alleviating famine in Africa, which raised millions of dollars. His 1987 album "Bad" produced five number-one hits, further entrenching his iconic status. However, Jackson's life was marred by personal challenges, including __63.__ behavior, numerous cosmetic surgeries, and financial difficulties. Allegations of sexual abuse in 1993 and a highly publicized trial in 2005, where he was acquitted, compounded his troubles. Despite these challenges, Jackson continued to produce influential music with albums such as "Dangerous," "HIStory," and "Invincible." 

       Jackson's personal life was tumultuous, marked by brief marriages to Lisa Marie Presley and Deborah Rowe, and ongoing controversies. He spent considerable time abroad before planning a comeback tour in London. Tragically, he succumbed to cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009, days before the tour's commencement. His death elicited a global outpouring of grief, with fans and fellow artists commemorating his profound influence on music and culture. Michael Jackson's legacy is indelibly etched in the annals of popular culture. His enduring impact on music and dance continues to inspire generations, solidifying his place as an extraordinary talent with unparalleled contributions.

       ¹ Japan faces a profound challenge with its aging population, driven by declining birth rates and longer life expectancies. This shift has far-reaching implications across the economy, society, and culture, demanding urgent attention and innovative solutions. 

       ² A striking aspect of Japan's aging crisis is its rapidly shrinking workforce. With fewer young workers due to declining births and a significant segment of the population nearing retirement age, the country faces a shortage that strains pensions, healthcare, and industries reliant on robust labor. Additionally, this demographic change also brings social and cultural challenges. Traditional family structures, where multiple generations lived together and cared for elders, are evolving as younger generations pursue careers and urban lifestyles. Consequently, this shift impacts caregiving dynamics, housing, and support networks. Economically, Japan's aging population leads to reduced productivity and innovation, thereby slowing economic growth. Moreover, the strain on healthcare and social welfare escalates with surging demands for elder care services and facilities. Therefore, comprehensive policies promoting workforce participation, innovation, and support for aging individuals and families are imperative.

       ³ Embracing technological advancements like robotics and AI offers a solution to offset labor shortages, enhance productivity, improve healthcare, and support independent living among older adults. Investment in research and development in these fields promises long-term benefits for Japan. Furthermore, reimagining social structures is critical in addressing the aging crisis, encouraging flexible work arrangements, active aging initiatives, and community-based care models that empower older adults while alleviating pressure on healthcare and social services. Leveraging Japan's cultural heritage and strong community ties can foster intergenerational solidarity through initiatives promoting intergenerational exchange, volunteerism, and mentorship, thereby bridging generational gaps and creating a more inclusive society where all ages contribute meaningfully.

       ⁴ Japan's aging population necessitates a holistic approach. Through technological innovation, revamped social structures, and fostering intergenerational solidarity, Japan can navigate this demographic shift towards a sustainable and inclusive future. The challenge is significant, but with proactive policies and concerted efforts, Japan can turn aging into an opportunity for growth and renewal.

        ¹Huge stretches of coral reef around the world are turning a ghostly white this year amid record warm ocean temperatures. On April 15, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the world's fourth mass global bleaching event is underway—with serious consequences for marine life and for the people and economies that rely on reefs.

       ² Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor, but have out-sized benefits for marine ecosystems and economies. A quarter of marine life will depend on reefs for shelter, finding food or spawning at some point in their lives and coastal fisheries would struggle without corals. Every year, reefs provide about US$2.7 trillion in goods and services, from tourism to coastal protection, a 2020 estimate by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network showed. About US$36 billion is generated by snorkeling and scuba diving tourists alone. Coral reefs also help coastal communities by forming a protective barrier against storm surges and large waves. This helps to avoid property damage for more than 5 million people worldwide, a 2022 study in the journal Marine Policy found. 

       ³ When water temperatures rise, jewel-toned corals get stressed. They cope by expelling their algae—causing them to turn bone white. Most corals live in shallow waters, where climate-driven warming is most pronounced. Whether a coral becomes heat-stressed depends on how long the high temperatures last, and how much warmer they are than usual. Scientists have found that corals generally begin to bleach when surrounding waters are at least 1 degree Celsius warmer than the maximum average temperature—or the peak of what corals are used to—and persist for four or more weeks. Corals can survive a bleaching event if the surrounding waters cool and algae return. Dead reefs can still offer shelter to fish or provide a storm barrier over several years for coastal communities. But eventually, these underwater graveyards of calcium carbonate skeletons will erode and break apart.

       ⁴ The best chance for coral survival is for the world to cut greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate change. Many scientists think that at just 1.2° Celsius of warming above preindustrial level, the world has already passed a key threshold for coral reef survival. They expect between 70% and 90% of the world's coral reefs will be lost. Scientists and conservationists are scrambling to intervene. Local communities have cleanup program to remove litter from the reefs to reduce further stresses. Scientists are breeding corals in labs with the hopes of restoring degraded reefs. However, none of this is likely to work to protect today's corals from warming waters. Scientists are therefore trying to plan for the future by bringing coral larvae into cryopreservation banks, and breeding corals with more resilient traits.

       ¹ The practice of freezing embryos as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF) was thrown into chaos in Alabama this year, when the state supreme court ruled that such embryos should be considered children, exposing clinics to wrongful death claims in the event they are destroyed in the thawing process. In 2021, more than 80 percent of US IVF procedures involved the transfer of frozen embryos, according to a recent report by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

       ² IVF uses high doses of hormones to stimulate ovaries to produce as many eggs as possible. Once the eggs are extracted, the most mature are selected for attempts at fertilization with sperm. Over the next 5 to 6 days, healthy fertilized eggs grow into blastocysts—the earliest stage of embryo—containing roughly 100-200 cells. Blastocysts can be transferred into the uterus or frozen to be thawed for later use. After transfer into the uterus, if all goes well, the blastocyst implants itself in the wall of the womb and continues to grow. 

       ³ For some patients, freezing embryos and then waiting several weeks before a transfer into the uterus is more likely to lead to successful implantation, depending on their age, underlying health or hormone levels. The pause allows the body's hormone levels to normalize following ovarian stimulation. It also reduces the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), a potentially life-threatening effect of intense hormone use. More broadly, freezing embryos often means that only one course of painful, expensive ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval is needed. If an embryo transfer fails, additional embryos can be thawed and used. Freezing of embryos also allows patients to preserve fertility in advance of chemotherapy or other treatments that can damage the reproductive organs. Genetic screening of embryos before a transfer is only possible with freezing because it can take several weeks to get results. It is often employed when there is a history of recurrent miscarriages, previous IVF failures and maternal age over 35 or a family history of genetic diseases. 

       ⁴ The loss of the option to freeze embryos for later usage "would represent a significant setback for the field," said Dr. Steven Spandorfer of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, president of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. A single pregnancy is the best way to promote the birth of a healthy child after IVF, so clinics are unlikely to return to the practice of transferring multiple embryos into the womb, Spandorfer said. Clinics could freeze eggs instead of embryos, but that approach has many limitations that would lower the overall success of IVF. The viability of those eggs would not be clear until they are individually thawed and IVF is attempted, creating the potential for delayed embryo transfers and the need for additional hormone use and retrievals.