Michael Jackson — the child star who rose to become the ‘King of Pop’ — has passed away, leaving thousands of fans in disbelief.
As the world comes to terms with the death of a pop culture icon, many of us cannot help but look back at his life and say he may have died before his time was over.
But to be able to understand just what kind of an impact Michael Jackson had on the world, we would have to go all back to the 1980s.
Michael Jackson was the first African-American star of the MTV generation, with record sales for ‘Thriller’ and number one hits like ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Beat It’. He was on of the world’s most beloved figure at the height of his fame, and the mere mention of his name could make people do the ‘moonwalk’.
Almost everyone adored Michael Jackson, and his celebrity was staggering.
Michael’s music and influence cut across music genres and extends to this new generation of artists like Justin Timberlake.
Sadly, Michael’s passing came just as he celebrated the 25th anniversary of ‘Thriller’– one of the best-selling albums (and music videos) of all time, and a show in London scheduled in a few weeks.
Michael Jackson will surely be missed, but fans will always have the legacy of his music to come back to.
Yahoo! Answers will be undergoing a scheduled maintenance today from 4:30 - 7:30pm (approximately) and one more next week on 20 April. Answers will be totally inaccessible during this time, except for the blog of course.
Sorry for any inconveniences caused! We’ll keep you posted if there are any changes to the schedule.
If you are looking for something else to do during this time, why not check out some of our sites such as:
There has been a lot of interest and activity around our move to Yahoo! profiles. A benefit of using one profile for your Yahoo! experience means you can now share your Answers activity with those you are connected to via your Yahoo! profile, even if they aren’t Answers users. Sharing your updates will help you get better responses to your questions and will show off your knowledge to your entire social network!
We have added two new ‘Updates’ features to Answers:
One notifies your contacts each time you ask a question
One notifies your contacts of each question you answer
Now, when you are at the “Preview your question” stage of asking a question, you will be prompted to “Manage your updates”. Here you choose if you want to share your updates to your social connections.
By default, updates will be set to “Don’t share my updates” to keep your content private unless you choose otherwise. To give you control over what and when you share, this option can be changed anytime you ask or answer a question. You have full control over this setting from the “Edit my profile” page too. By not sharing your updates, whatever you do on Answers will not appear on your Yahoo! profile.
When you ask or answer we offer a link to your profile to show you exactly who you are currently sharing updates with. Click the “Manage who sees your updates” link to be taken to profiles which is the place where you can control who see all of your Yahoo! Updates.
Had enough of seeing this message? Tick the box and we promise it won’t appear again.
We’ve tried tp make controlling your updates as simple as possible, but if you want more information about managing your Answers updates, you can find it through these Help pages: http://help.yahoo.com/l/sg/yahoo/answers/updates/
We’re always working on improving Answers and creating new features to make sure that you get the most out of Yahoo! Answers. And we have something new to announce! If you have not noticed it already, there is a “Suggested Questions” module on the Yahoo! Answers homepage. Some of you have mentioned that it can be time consuming to find questions that match your interests. You’ve also said that one of the things you love about Yahoo! Answers is when an expert in the field finds your question and gives you an amazing answers. So we looked for a smart way to present questions to the most relevant answerers.
With this new feature, Yahoo! Answers users will be able to see questions that are better suited to their interests and areas of expertise, rather than just those most recently posted. And, while it will only appear for some of our most active members, we think it can positively impact our whole community by helping to improve both the quality and speed of answers on the site.
The suggestions are based on your most recent activity on Yahoo! Answers. For example, if you recently answered many questions related to a specific make or model of mobile phone, it is most likely that you will get more suggested questions related to this subject matter. It’s that easy. You’ll find Suggested Questions displayed on the homepage of Yahoo! Answers as well as on the confirmation page after you have asked or answered a question. If you are not seeing the module, don’t worry. For now, only Yahoo! Answers users with a significant amount of activity around a topic will receive suggested questions. But the more active you are on Yahoo! Answers, the easier it will be for us to know what you are passionate and knowledgeable about. Once this is known, it will enable us to present you with questions that best match your interests too.
As always, we want to give you as much control as possible, so you can modify your profile settings if you want to receive a different number of Suggested Questions. Alternatively, if you prefer to only see the most recent questions, you can opt-out of Suggested Questions completely (if you change your mind, you can re-activate this feature). Just edit your profile and untick the “Suggest me questions based upon my activity” option. Don’t forget that we need you to be active on a topic for a certain time to start offering you suggested questions. Of course these questions are private, only you will see the questions related to your activity. Do check out the Yahoo! Answers homepage and enjoy the new shortcut to share your knowledge.
Back in October, Yahoo! redesigned the core profile pages, giving them a fresh new look and feel, and additional functionality. These new profiles allow you to manage your image and establish connections with your friends and family, as well share information on what you’re up to on third-party sites like YouTube and Twitter. All of this can be done right from your new profile on Yahoo! athttp://profiles.yahoo.com
So how does this relate to Yahoo! Answers? Currently, the image that displays for each user in Answers is brought in from each user’s 360 profile. In the coming weeks, Answers will start using profiles to display your image rather than 360.
Many of you use other Yahoo! services on a regular basis and we want to make it easier for you to manage your display image across all of our services. By doing this, you’ll be able to update your profile image in one place and it will represent you wherever you go on the Yahoo! network.
We understand some of you opt to use a different image on Answers than what you use on other Yahoo! services. To confirm the image that we will soon be displaying on Answers we recommend that you go to http://profiles.yahoo.com now and activate your new profile. Once you’re there, you’ll be asked to confirm some information that you’ve previously shared with Yahoo! and select the image you’d like to share with the Answers community.
If you have never used other Yahoo! services and do not activate your profile, your image will show up as the “Grey Face”.
For those of you who display an avatar on Answers – don’t worry. This won’t change. Both avatars and nicknames will continue to remain the same on Answers.
We want to make the transition to your new profiles on Yahoo! as straight forward as possible for you. So go to http://profiles.yahoo.com now and let us know what you think of it!
Have more questions? Leave us a comment and let us know!
I’ve always been fascinated by animals. When I was a child, I’d insist on visiting the zoos in the different countries we’ve traveled to (I know, spoiled brat). And now that I’m older, I still enjoy a trip to the zoo, but I mostly watch the animals from the comfort of my home, in front of the television (I know, couch potato. Ha!).
Animals are a fascinating lot. In Darwin’s theory of natural selection (and eventually of evolution), he believes that each species will continue to morph slightly in the fight for survival. This strong instinct for survival can be found in all of us, be it humans or animals. But while humans fight for survival with our intelligence and tools, animals fight with their “natural” skills. Besides their sharp teeth, tough hides and even the speed of flight, they are also very good at camouflaging themselves! And this perfect camouflage will determine whether they are the hunter or the prey.
Did you know for example why zebras have stripes? Firstly it is to blend with the tall grass around it (don’t worry, the lions are colour blind, so it doesn’t matter that the stripes are black and white). Secondly, when you have a whole herd of striped zebras hanging around the same spot, it’s hard to differentiate one from another.
Many of us also know that Steve Irwin (famous host of an animal television show) died from a stingray attack. But how many of you know that stingrays are actually not aggressive, but would rather bury themselves in the sand to hide from predators?
If you are interested to know more about the different animals in the world, feel free to pay a visit to the zoology categoryon Answers. See you there!
Someone once said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. What this person didn’t realise is that while that may be true, humans are also very easily influenced by all the images of “beauty” constantly thrown at us by television commercials, magazine and newspaper advertisements etc. You are only beautiful if you use XXX cosmetics! You are only beautiful if you go for plastic surgery or a slimming center to create that perfect body, nose and eyes, just like XXX actress! You are only beautiful if you wear clothes from XXX fashion house, just like XXX top model!
Right. As if. But like the basic rules of economics say, there is supply only if there is demand. Judging from the number of advertisements facing us everyday, the demand must be very high indeed.
In Animax’s newest original animation, LaMB, lamination suits were originally created as beauty products. This is how they worked: buy the lamination suit, put it on, presto! Your beauty and youth are preserved forever. However, along with time, these suits were used by the government to “preserve” hard-core criminals, or rather, to lock them up in these suits forever, so that they can be controlled and work as slaves for as long as they have the suits on. The suits helped to preserve their lives, but it also served as a personal jail.
So the question then is, if you lived in such a world, how far will you go to attain eternal beauty? Will you kill to attain the opportunity to wear the suit and preserve your youth and beauty forever? After all, people have killed for many various reasons: for revenge, money, jealousy etc. Will YOU commit a crime for beauty and youth?
The most famous (and commercial!) date in February has to be the 14th February - Valentine’s Day. It is a day that’s either highly anticipated by lovers, or dreaded by those who are single. Couples will try to show their love to each other by going to the most romantic place they can find for a meal and buying the “perfect” gift (if one can afford it). Seeing as how Valentine’s Day is falling on a Saturday this year, we can probably expect some romantic trips too.
But you know, hey, being single on this day is not the end of the world. Love does not only exist between a couple as love is really “all around”. If you think about it, love is everywhere! There’s the most immediate kind of love - the love we have for our parents and the one they have for us. There’s love between your siblings, relatives and yourself. There’s love between the group of friends and buddies you hang out with. There’s love between yourself and that funny pet of yours (if you have one). And if you believe in God, there’s also love between you and Him!
Regardless of whether one is single or attached, what are the different things that can be done on this day (besides going out to a restaurant and flowers)? Well, one universal way of making loved ones happy (and this includes friends!) is to cook a yummy meal for them! I was just watching Channel News Asia the other day, and a chef was demonstrating how we can make a nice and affordable 3-course meal for two, under $40! Great deal, right? It’s basically a simple chicken + vegetable consomme with a prawn dumpling; seared ribeye steak with rocket-leaf salad; ending with a lime sorbet + sweet pineapple. Doesn’t that make you drool already? If you’re attached, you can cook a simple meal, maybe even pack it up and have a picnic somewhere. If you’re single, just call out your friends and have a potluck! What’s more enjoyable than a group of friends sharing good food, conversation and games?
I’m sure everyone is aware that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. This means if you want to have a meaningful and memorable V-Day, then you should be thinking about it and planning for it now. Preparation is certainly a key to a great Valentine’s Day with your significant other and given the not-so-favorable economic situation we’re all experiencing, it also helps that by preparing for it early, you can have an inexpensive and yet extraordinary happy hearts day.
I’m sure top of mind to most of you right now is what Valentine gift to give your loved one. Well, I recently read an article featuring a guide to a terrible Valentine’s Day gifts. By learning what not to give on V-Day, we can identify the best things we can give. :) To give you a quick account, here’s the list of gift no-no’s on Valentine’s Day:
Joke Items – Even if you’re the fun-loving type of person, don’t ever make it appear as if you’re making fun of your loved one with your gift.
Pillow novelty items – You’ve probably seen this in an email or website. The boyfriend or girlfriend pillow or a pillow with your picture in it is just not romantic.
Baby talk anything – Any item with “I Wuv You” should not even be considered as a Valentine’s day gift
Cheesy suggestive gifts – These includes t-shirts and other “items” that cannot be mentioned here because this is a kid-friendly blog.
Plastic roses – The article actually just mentioned roses, but I beg to differ. Roses are still a romantic, classic gift that will never be out of style. But plastic ones are not.
So what are the best gifts to give on Valentine’s Day? Well, I was thinking you could help me. I know many consider the classic bouquet of red roses, box of sweet chocolates and romantic dinner (probably in a restaurant with an excellent view of the sea or the city skyline) as the best gifts on Valentine’s Day, but the truth is, the best gift you can give your Valentine on V-Day is time. Spend quality time with that person and be reminded what a blessing it is to love and be loved. I’m not saying don’t give a gift, I’m saying the cost of the gift doesn’t really matter, it’s the thought that counts. And with the current financial crisis, now is certainly the best time to be creative and cost-friendly with your Valentine’s Day gift.
That’s why I am asking the community right now, what Valentine’s gifts can you suggest for someone who is on a budget and why? Let’s help each other out, click the link to answer the question, and feel free to share the link to anyone you know who may have an excellent gift suggestion. Remember, we can give without loving but we cannot love without giving. Advance happy hearts day to everyone!
A: They have all taken part in Answers over the last couple of years.
And, they have not been the only ones: there’s a long list of celebrities that have chosen to pose their question to the Answers community and eagerly review your responses.
However, many of you have expressed feelings of concern towards the authenticity of these public figures on Answers. Well, we think you deserve an answer to your questions on this regard: of course they are who they say they are (you’ll recognise them because you’ll see a green badge with the label “Official” under their avatar)!
It’s that simple. You know us, and we are always talking about our community guidelines, our terms of service, and respecting the law. Well, that applies to us too, and we would never allow someone impersonating a public figure (or a non-public figure, of course).
Now, let us explain the workflow to you: the celebrity asks the question (you can see many recorded on video), the community answers the question and the celebrity chooses the best Answer. For example, that’s the case of our latest celebrity: Seann William Scott (see the video here).
And that’s it: there’s no trick or behind-the-scenes movements, and of course they are who they say they are! And… they are amazed at the passion the Answers Community puts in their Answers. Way to go!
Now it’s your turn to Answer: which celebs would you like to see on Answers? We don’t promise anything, but we’d love to hear your suggestions and do our best to make your dreams come true!
See you there!
But like the basic rules of economics say, there is supply only if there is demand. Judging from the number of advertisements facing us everyday, the demand must be very high indeed.
