You better do something interesting, as your kids will be asking you what you did when Jacko died. The legend starts here.

The beginning: the Jackson Five. The middle: the Superstar. The end: the Freak.

We are the Michael Jackson Generations. He healed our world and made it a better place.  Forget walking on water – this guy could moonwalk! And God were carpets being moonwalked, from Manchester to Mali, by spotty teenagers in fedoras. By me. He was more famous than Jesus.

He was everything to everyone. He was white; he was black, male yet female. Michael Jackson the freak seemed to have soaked up every obsession of our twisted world and amplified it. In his 20s his face became the most recognizable in the world. He changed it. Never allowed to age, he was Peter Pan exiled in his Neverland. He seemed more and more immortal with every operation and oxygen tent. (That’s part of the shock – he looked so artificial that it feels odd that he could actually die.) Even his bankruptcy coincided with the global credit crisis. He was a true product of the world.

 The freak will be forgotten. Blame it on the Boogie. 

*Neverland is a fictional world featured in the works of J.M. Barrie. It is the dwelling place of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys. The Lost Boys are a tribe of orphans who do not want to grow up and so remain in Neverland, where time has no meaning.

Subject: SHOCKING NEWS. SANTA BARBARA, During a search for evidence at the Neverland Valley Ranch, investigators discovered a corpse that has been identified as that of Michael Jackson, “Coroners have officially pronounced Michael Jackson dead. From what we can tell, he died between 18 and 20 years ago,” forensic investigator Tim Holbrooke said. “We are not certain, at this time, who-or what-has been referred to as Michael Jackson.

Summer fruit covered in white chocolate   

• really ripe Gooseberries
• really ripe Strawberries
• really ripe Blackberries
• Green& Blacks White Chocolate        

Set spotify to Michael Jackson, melt the chocolate and dip… But, If You’re Thinkin’ About My Baby It Don’t Matter If You’re Black Or White…

I can’t help developing a mini crush on the outgoing permatanned second most powerful man in Italy. Newspapers after newspaper seem to have started a smear campaign. His well-meaning jokes and innocent play dates are described as gaffes and scandals. Suddenly the media has taken a dislike to this molto-simpatico tycoon and part time politician. But Sylvio remains al dente and resumes to be incredibly popular in his Eeetaly. And with his stake in all media outlets it really is his. Nothing can get to him. He is invincible. He is Berlusconi. And he seems to be coated in Teflon.

He sports the charm, tan and charisma of a nightclub owner at the tender age of 72.

If he wouldn’t already exist, one would have to invent him. Imagine the media stunt if it would be revealed during the G8 leaders summit that the character Sylvio Berlusconi has been in fact a fabrication of Sasha Baron Cohen. Arrivederci Brüno, here comes Sylvio.

The best of Berlusconi:

• Tried to ban kebabs and other non-Italian foods from Milan.
• Told the 17,000 people left homeless by the Abruzzo earthquake to consider themselves to be on a “camping weekend”.
• Played a practical joke otherwise known as the ‘cuckoo’ on Angela Merkel by jumping out at her from behind a lamppost.
• Outed Obama as a tanning salon fan.
• Able to admit defeat: “I’m paler because it’s been so long since I went sunbathing. He’s more handsome, younger and taller.”
• Made the Queen jump.
• Got out of boring NATO summit group photo by pretending to be on the phone + managed to avoid saying Hello to Angela.
•  Managed to have sex with a lot of people under 20 without having to pay for it.
• Got elected prime minister of Italy three times.

The Berlusconi show, aka the G8 in L’Aquila starts on July the 8th.  

Pasta ala Berlusconi

• 1 ripe fleshy tomato
• Something fishy- a tin of anchovies
• Spaghetti
• Olive oil (extra virgin)
• Roasted red pepper
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Boil the pasta just a bit below al dente and drain. Fry the anchovies, the diced tomato and roasted peppers in olive oil. Add the spaghetti and toss. 

Obama is chickening out! He has ruled out any intervention in the electoral mess in Iran. But the whole saga gained a refreshing twist when the State department asked the social networking site Twitter today to delay planned maintenance work so that Iranian protesters can continue to use it to post images and reports of unrest. Never before has any conflict been carried out on a networking site like this. How refreshing to use these sites for something more meaningful than catching up on what Demi and Ashton are having with their chicken tonight.

I wonder if it makes the Iranian protests more banal or whether it elevates banal microblogging to something meaningful. I’M A POLITICIAN GET ME OUT OF HERE! The facebook-poke vote and twitter updates from the House of Lords.

Today the Iranian Revolutionary Guard warned Iranian websites and bloggers to remove any seditious materials or face legal action.

Iran is the third largest country of bloggers in the world. Blogging is the strongest if not only expression in Iranian society.

Long blog Iran!

The Persian Empire will come back! The new age has come! Iranian Facebook user 21.15

Roasted Persian chicken with sumac and Zat’ar

(Adapted from Ottolenghi The Cookbook)

http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/

Sumac is the finely ground flakes of the sun-dried Persian sumac berry. Lemony and peppery at the same time.

Zartar is a herbal blend belonging to the Arab world, made from freshly dried thyme leaves, sesame seeds, natural salt and sumac.

You can find these in any arab shop or here:

http://www.arabicafoodandspice.com

• 1 free-range chicken, cut into four
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced or shallots as they are sweeter
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• olive oil
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 3 lemon, thinly sliced
• 200ml water
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp za’atar
• 20 g butter
• 50g pine nuts
• flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Mix the chicken with all the goodies. Leave in the fridge to marinate overnight or a few hours. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Transfer the chicken to an oven tray, skin side up. Sprinkle with za’atar and roast for 30-40 mins.

Meanwhile melt the butter in a frying pan and brown the pine nuts. Serve chicken with the nuts, parsley, a drizzle of oil and more sumac and za’atar.

Eat with a yoghurty sauce and let your followers know how tasty it is – Inshallah!

As North Korea plans to start WW3 and destroy us all along the way let’s celebrate the best in North Korean cuisine.

North Korea lost all its gourmet foodie friends with the fall of the Eastern Block and is pretty much alone out there now. That might explain their insatiable appetite for dogs. North Korea is the last country where dog meat is still legal. Over 6000 restaurants offer this dubious delicacy on their menu.

Apparently dog meat tastes like pork. According to superstitions dog meat gives males strength and sexual stamina.

Kim Jong-Il after eating dog

Recommendations of North Korean fare: http://www.korea-dpr.com

The closest one can get in the western world to North Korean savoir vivre:

Hot dogs

Originally German, hot dogs are named after the Frankfurter sausage. Because of their similarity to the sausage dog they where called dogs. It’s a chicken and egg thing. German immigrants brought frankfurters to the US in the 1860s, where they were sold with milk rolls and sauerkraut.

The key to a nice hot dog is to have good buns. Try making your own with a ready-made bread mix and substitute the water with milk.

Upgrade the humble Frankfurter to a nice deli pork sausage.

Add caramelized onions, when you think they are done do them that little bit longer until they are really sweet.

Top with proper mustard. I used the squeezy French’s. A nice change from all the wholegrain and Dijon around.

• 500g Allinson Seed & Grain Bread Flour
• 6 pork sausages
• 2 onions
• A drizzle of olive oil
• A squeeze of French’s mustard
• A dollop of Ketchup – I love Daylesford Organic Ketchup. It’s incredible flavour makes you fall in love with Ketchup as if you were a little child again. http://www.daylesfordorganic.com