The Weekend Week’s End Wrap Up: EXTENDED EDITION for August 9 thru August 29 is brought to you by anticipation. I hope it was worth it.

9th : Tokyo, Japan, was rocked by a series of earthquakes, the first of which registered a 6.9 on the Richter scale. Over 100 people were injured, though only one confirmed dead in the quake. No sign of Gojira… yet.

11th: Fidel Castro started running his mouth about Colombia, calling the entire country “disloyal” in the wake of a declared military deal (or something) with the US. Raul then told his senile brother that it was 1983 again, and Castro lit a cigar and chuckled to himself, thus confirming everyone’s opinion that Fidel Castro is an old man who needs to be quiet.

13th: Gardasil, a groundbreaking, world-changing vaccine that can prevent women from ever getting the human papillomavirus, cannot be linked to the deaths of 20 young women. Conclusively. These 20, out of 7 million studied, are being used to bolster the claim that the vaccine should not be made mandatory, or even encouraged, for girls entering high school. Not to put too fine a point on it, but I got the vaccine, and I got a Snoopy Band-Aid and zero side effects. Oh, and a 97% guarantee that I will never get cervical cancer or genital warts. Ever. If I ever have a daughter, I already know what she’s getting for her 13^th birthday.

17th: Did you know there are different “breeds” of mosquitoes? And did you know that the Asian rock pool mosquito, a breed capable of spreading the West Nile virus to humans has colonized over 1,400 square miles of central Switzerland? Well, now you do, and so do the parasite researchers at Zurich University. Well, at least there’s something to distract them from the swine flu hype.

19th: I have finally found a reason to report on an article about math, and that reason is: zombies. It’s published in a book, Infectious Diseases Modelling Research Progress, so this is an actual “mathematical exercise” rather than a conversation like the ones you had with your friends last week. Turns out, according to science, that we’re screwed if zombies happen. (read it here)

22nd: “Monkeys born from eggs that got DNA swap” is the most misleading headline I’ve read in a while. Turns out they just did a pseudo cloning, in-vitro technique on some regular monkeys. No monkeys were hatched in the nest of a doting but confused brood hen. Damn.

25th: Why did the rocket work perfectly for fifteen minutes then fall completely apart? Because it was Made in Korea! Cheap shot, I know, Sorry, Seoul, better luck next time.

28th: Happy Birthday, Mom!

29th: Okay, I know I promised not to bring this up again, but I lied. Michael Jackson’s death has been officially ruled a homicide by the LA County Coroner’s office. The cause of death is listed as “acute propofol intoxication,” in addition to harmful doses of Lorazepam and ephedrine. All of Jackson’s medications were prescribed and provided by one man, Dr. Conrad Murray. Maybe next time, if you could be held in any way responsible, you don’t give the most famous performer on the planet too many sedatives, ok?

This may be a cold, callous thing to say when the body has barely started to cool, but when the person is someone who got all molesty and junk on a child cancer patient and avoided jail simply because he could afford to buy the family off?

Good riddance. Your family and others may grieve, and they have the right to. From myself (and I know of at least one other person on the site who would agree with this), I say this…

Rot in hell, you sick fuck.

Out.

5:50 pm Eastern:

Michael Jackson has been taken to a hospital in Los Angeles after paramedics responded to a 911 call at his home. He was reported in cardiac arrest. Jackson was not breathing when they arrived. Paramedics attempted to revive him.

TMZ says he’s dead (here): don’t trust ‘em. They jump the gun on everything and fake apologize later.

MSNBC says not yet (here).

I’m watching Wolf Blitzer report on CNN, and he’s choosing his words very carefully. No one inside the hospital is reporting anything, and family members are en route.

I’m holding out hope, because I have to. He was strange, very strange, but he was (is) the King of Pop.

Long may he reign.

I’ll keep you posted.

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6:24 pm Eastern: from MSNBC.com

Official reports claim Jackson is in a coma.

“Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda told the newspaper that Jackson was not breathing when paramedics arrived at his home and CPR was performed.

The pop star’s immediate condition is not known, but TMZ.com is reporting that he may have suffered cardiac arrest.”

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6:26 pm Eastern: from MSNBC.com

“The Los Angeles Times reports that Michael Jackson has died at age 50 after being rushed to UCLA Medical Center.”

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6:29 pm Eastern:from MSNBC.com

“[Michael Jackson's] lifetime record sales tally is believed to be around 750 million, which, added to the 13 Grammy Awards he received, makes him one of the most successful entertainers of all time.”

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7:00 pm Eastern:

CNN reports: The LA Coroner’s Office confirms that Michael Jackson has died.

August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009

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he came into your apartment
he left the bloodstains on the carpet
then you ran into the bedroom
you were struck down
it was your doom

annie are you ok
so, annie are you ok
are you ok annie