Does Michael Jackson’s Kids Stay with Grandparents?

by Jackie Albanese
June 30, 2009

 

As the world reacts to the King of Pop’s death, Michael Jackson’s kids stay with their grandma, Katherine. After Michael Jackson’s death at age 50 on June 25, many fans around the world asked: What will happen to his children now? Brian Oxman, a Jackson family attorney, told AccessHollywood.com that the late superstar’s three kids were staying with Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson, 79, in her Encino, Calif., home, under the care of their nanny.

In a later interview with Meredith Vieira on NBC’s Today, Jackson’s longtime manager, Frank Dileo, said, “Right now, I would think that’s where they would stay.” It may not be that simple. As Oxman acknowledged, “I’m sure there will be all kinds of discussions that will take place about the kids.”

The Jackson children – Prince Michael, 12; Paris, 11; and Prince Michael II (known as Blanket), 7 – will likely stay with his mother, a grandmother of 27, for now. On June 29, Mrs. Jackson formally filed papers to be named the legal guardian of all three children. Some had wondered if Debbie Rowe, Jackson’s ex-wife who gave birth to Prince Michael and Paris, might seek custody as well. (Blanket’s mother is a surrogate whose identity is unknown.)

But then Rowe, in an interview with a British newspaper, claimed that Jackson is not the biological father of either child; she was artificially inseminated, but not by the singer, although she gave the children to him. In the same interview, she claimed to have no plans to seek custody.

According to family sources quoted by People magazine after Jackson’s death, Rowe has had little contact with the children in recent years. Jackson was raising the children on his own; they often traveled with him and they were being home-schooled by tutors.

“The sweetest, happiest kids you could imagine” That’s how the children’s godfather, longtime Jackson friend and former child actor Mark Lester, describes them. Lester told Matt Lauer of Today that he believed the extended Jackson family would play a part in raising the kids:

“I would imagine his mother, sisters [and] brothers would rally around and care for the children … The Jackson family is a very large family, and in times of need, families get together and put aside differences.” With a potentially explosive battle looming not only over their custody but over Jackson’s estate, assets, and debts, the children will need some stability and security, and hopefully their grandmother can provide that.

The death of a parent – especially, as in this case, the only parent a child knows well – can be devastating to a child. Grandparents.com’s Ask the Therapist columnist, Susan Stiffelman, says grandparents can be an enormous help in times of tragedy:

“Grandchildren’s reactions are largely influenced by observing how their grandparents and others near and dear to them cope during and after the events, and by having the opportunity to freely express [themselves].” In such situations, grandparents should resist the temptation to try to keep kids from dealing with uncomfortable emotions during this time. “No one wants children to have to face the loss of death,” says Kathleen McCue, M.A., director of children’s programs at The Gathering Place, a Cleveland-based cancer support center.

“But when it enters into a child’s life, there is an opportunity to teach him or her about grief, how to cope, and how to go on with life in times of mourning.” Karen Deerwester, a family therapist and parent educator for FamilyTime Inc., a coaching and consulting firm specializing in parent/child development, agrees, and advises grandparents, “Talk about [other] loved ones who have died – your grandchild’s great-great-grandparents, a sibling, or a friend. ” Share photos and stories that celebrate the lives of the deceased.

“By sharing your experience of getting through the sadness of death,” she says, “your grandchildren will see the love they have and the memories they share with a person can continue after death.”

Source: Grandparents

Editor’s Note: We want to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Teen Collects Shoes for Poor Children

by Bal Harbour /PIO
June 30, 2009

Bal Harbour Village, FL – A Bal Harbour teenager who led a shoe drive for needy children in the Dominican Republic over-achieved his goal: With the help of family members and local leaders, Bennett Blachar collected thousands of pairs of shoes.

”We collected much more than I ever hoped for,” said Bennett, 17. ”This could not have happened without everyone’s help.”

Bennett, the son of Bal Harbour’s assistant mayor, Joni Blachar, collected 3,000 pairs of shoes — about three-times what he had expected.

The soon-to-be senior at Ransom Everglades sealed the final cases of shoes at the Tremont Towing facility in Miami Beach two weeks ago. The containers are being shipped to the Caribbean island and should arrive next week.

Bennett thought of the idea after vacationing with his family in the Dominican Republic. He was inspired after he took a bike ride through a village and noticed several children walking barefoot.

Bal Harbour Police Officer Madeleine Orr said she was moved by his efforts.

”We are always wondering what the youth is doing,” Orr said. ”To get somebody like this who is reaching out and trying to get help is just amazing to have that kind of a character.”

The shoe drive started last October. People donated all types off shoes, including dress shoes — but mostly more sensible footwear, such as athletic sneakers, running shoes and basketball high-tops.

Bennett contacted the Rev. Albert Moses James of the Iglesia Evangelica Dominicana in the Dominican Republic. Bennett, whose family sailed to the island aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, heard of the church after contacting an employee from the cruise line.

The church will distribute the donations to needy people in the province of Samaná on the northeastern coast of the island.

Bennett got a helping hand from local police departments. The Bal Harbour, Surfside and Bay Harbor Islands departments let the teen use their police stations as collection sites. The Church by the Sea in Bal Harbour, Tremont Towing and Miami Beach City Hall also accepted donations. Luis Salom of Miami Beach donated the cost of shipping.

Bennett dedicated months to get the community involved. He passed out fliers and asked his high school cross-country teammates to donate pairs of shoes. Bennett himself donated a couple of pairs of shoes.

Ed Gonzalez, owner of Tremont Towing, says it’s important to lend a hand to those in need.

”It’s not a matter of donations. It’s really about the kids over there that have no shoes,” Gonzalez said. ”We are all friends just trying to do the right thing.”

Bennett says he knows the children will be jubilant once they see the shoes, and he plans to have another shoe drive next year, but perhaps to help needy children in another country or here in his own.

”I can’t imagine when all this stuff gets off the boat what on earth they are going to be thinking,” he said.

 

Editor’a Note: This story ran in the Miami Herald on June 10. Bennett is still accepting athletic, dress and practical shoes. To donate, contact Tremont Towing at 305-962-6243.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Miami Herald and Bal Harbor Police

New Kind Cloud Discovered

By Laura Leigh Davidson
June 29, 2009

As anyone knows who has looked up at the sky, clouds come in many shapes and sizes. Most clouds fall into three main categories. Cumulus (kyoo-myuh-luhs) are big, fat clouds that look like huge cotton balls. Cirrus (sir-us) clouds appear wispy and look like feathers. And stratus clouds look like fog hanging high above the ground.

Now, a group of sky-watchers wants to add a new type of cloud to the crowd-but first they’ll have to convince the experts that this cloud exists.

Picture This

In 2006, Jane Wiggins was watching a storm blow in from her office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Suddenly, she saw the sky fill with rolling green- and yellow-tinted clouds. The clouds seemed to change from light to dark by the minute.

“It looked like someone was going to come out of the sky,” she told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It was so unreal.”

Wiggins captured a photo of the threatening midwestern sky and posted it on the Internet. She wanted to see what others thought of the unusual cloud formation.

Gavin Pretor-Pinney and members of his Cloud Appreciation Society studied Wiggins’s photo. The cloud admirers compared it with similar images from all over the world.

The group came to believe these clouds didn’t fit into any of the existing categories. So Pretor-Pinney started a campaign to get weather authorities to create a new cloud name.

Experts Weigh In

There are a few obstacles standing in Pretor-Pinney’s way.
 
Many meteorologists, or scientists who study weather, are skeptical that these are new types of clouds. (Pretor-Pinney has not studied meteorology formally.)

Some experts who have seen Pretor-Pinney’s collection of photos think they are simply a combination of existing types of clouds.

What’s more, it could take years of scientific investigation before the debate reaches the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The WMO is the only group with the authority to officially name clouds. And the WMO doesn’t take its naming duties lightly. The group hasn’t recognized a new type of cloud since the 1950s.

But experts at the Royal Meteorological Society in the United Kingdom think Pretor-Pinney may have a case. In addition to studying images of the clouds, they are talking with people who took the photos. The meteorologists are trying to find out exactly what combination of weather could spark such an unusual cloud formation.

Royal Society executive director Paul Hardaker is among the scientists studying the collection of cloud evidence.

“By this stage, we think it’s sufficiently interesting to explore it further and we’re optimistic about the information we’ve got,” Hardaker told a major American news service.

Whatever the result of the cloud-naming campaign, Pretor-Pinney’s enthusiasm for clouds isn’t likely to be dampened. He loves clouds so much he gave his 3-year-old daughter the middle name “Cirrus.”

Source: Scholastic News Online

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Oceans of Trash – Kids Help with Cleanup

By Dante A. Ciampaglia
June 29, 2009

Litter isn’t just a problem in local parks and on sidewalks. It’s also threatening the health of the Earth’s oceans.

According a report released earlier this month by the United Nations (UN), our oceans are filling up with trash. The garbage gets into the oceans when people litter. Some boaters and beachgoers throw their trash directly into the water.

Trash also gets thrown into rivers that flow into oceans. In fact, most ocean trash comes from rivers. In Australia, for example, 80 percent of ocean trash comes from waterways far from the sea.

The biggest concern about ocean trash is that most of it is plastic. In some places, nearly 80 percent of the ocean trash that has been collected is made of plastic, according to the UN report.

Plastic can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade, or break down into smaller parts, once it’s thrown away. So all of the plastic that ends up in the ocean sticks around for a really long time. These plastic products get caught in ocean currents and end up in large “garbage patches” in the water. One of these garbage patches is about the size of Texas, according to scientists.

Danger to All

People rarely see these garbage patches because they are created in areas of the ocean far away from land. But they pose a big problem for both humans and wildlife.

Plastic and other junk that ends up in the ocean can wash up on beaches. This can be harmful to birds and other animals that live on the shore. Seagulls are one example. If plastic gets mixed in with the food that these birds eat, it can hurt their stomachs.

Humans can be affected by beach trash as well. Some plastic objects can have sharp or jagged edges. People who walk barefoot on the beach could cut themselves on trash hidden in the sand. Also, trash can carry germs that make people sick.

Plastic can be deadly for animals that live in the ocean. For example, turtles and seals think plastic bags floating in the ocean are jellyfish. The turtles and seals swallow the bags. That can cause the animals to choke, drown, or starve.

How to Help

Without urgent action, the UN says in its report, the ocean trash problem will only get worse. The report suggests several ways to address the problem. These solutions include better enforcement of littering laws and creation of programs to raise awareness of the problem.

What can individuals do to solve this problem? They can drink from reusable water bottles. They can use cloth grocery bags instead of plastic ones. People can also volunteer with groups that clean up beaches and rivers.

One of the largest volunteer groups is Ocean Conservancy. In 2008, 400,000 Ocean Conservancy volunteers collected 6.8 million pounds of trash from beaches. By doing that, the volunteers kept the trash from getting into the oceans.

The problem of ocean trash “is entirely preventable,” Ocean Conservancy spokesman Tom McCann told the news organization CNN. “It’s something we can solve ourselves.”

Source: Scholastic News Online

Editor’s Note: We Would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Scruff’s Steps for Getting Along

By McGruff and Scruff
June 24, 2009

In 1974, a neighborhood crime watch group was organized in South Dade County. Citizens met with their local law enforcement departments to ask what they could do to help the police apprehend a rapist terrorizing their community. From this first informal meeting, communities and law enforcement began to work together to keep neighborhoods safe and free from crime. An organization was formed, and Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County, Inc. (CCW) was registered as a 501(c) (3) non profit organization. Today, over 1,600 neighborhoods participate in the crime watch concept. In 1979, the crime watch concept was introduced into the public school system at one school. Because it succeeded in curbing school crime, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) requested we, CCW, expand its student crime watch program from one school to include all public schools in the county. Since that time, Youth Crime Watch of Miami-Dade (YCW) has functioned as an allied program of the public schools.

Methodology The public school system contracts with YCW to educate and train students in violence and crime prevention strategies. Children also learn that good citizenship and personal responsibility include watching out for family, friends, schools and community. YCW maintains a presence in all M-DCPS.

The foundation of the YCW program is built upon a “school safety survey” which is administered at the school during the first few months of the school year. It asks respondents to rank their particular safety concerns – those issues which they believe have the potential to cause harm to themselves or their schoolmates. YCW students, student advisors, and our staff are then enlisted in the effort to resolve those issues impeding the safety, health, and education of young people. The results of the survey are prioritized and comprise the core content of the YCW program.

The YCW program is structured to teach leadership skills to students who volunteer to learn about school safety. While they learn how to keep themselves safe, they also learn public speaking, critical thinking, leadership, and other skills that will serve them into their adult lives. This, in turn, reinforces their self-esteem and promotes positive involvement, again curbing misbehavior, crime and violence in the school.

I’m McGruff the Crime Dog – world famous for my advice on how to stop crime before it happens, and for my great sense of humor. But seriously, my job is to help people, especially kids, learn how to be safe and make their neighborhood safer. Something else you should know about me is that I go all over the country to talk to people about how they can take a bite out of crime. So if you see me in your town, come on up and say hi. You can recognize me by my tan trench coat – I never go anywhere without it.

This here is my nephew Scruff. He helps me show kids how they can stay safe. Scruff’s a good pup but sometimes gets himself into a bit of trouble. Lucky for him he’s got a good memory – eventually he remembers the right thing to do to get out of trouble. Want to know more about me and Scruff?

You can read more about yours truly in the story How McGruff Became the Crime Dog, and you can read some of Scruff’s adventures in these comic books.

Stop, look, and listen: Check yourselves out. Are either of you too upset to deal with the conflict right now? First, calm down by counting to 10, taking some deep breaths, or doing whatever works best for you.

What’s the problem?: Investigate the facts. What exactly is the problem? Take turns describing the problem to each other. Each of you may be talking about a different problem.

Rack your brains: Think of as many ways as you can to solve your problem. Remember, there is always more than one solution to any conflict. Write them down. Don’t worry about whether all your ideas are good.

Use your judgment: Now is the time to judge which solution is best. Look at each one and think about the consequences. What might happen if you were to chose a certain idea? Is that particular choice one that will get you what you need? Will you both be happy with this way of handling things?

Make a plan: Figure out how to carry out your solution to the problem. What do each of you need to do?

Forward ho!: Move forward and set your plan into motion. Congratulate yourselves. Decide that you will talk sometime soon about how well your plan worked.

Source: McGruff

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Childproofing New House

By Keep Kids Healthy
June 28, 2009
Most people start thinking about childproofing their house once their child is crawling, walking and becoming a lot more mobile.

However, if you are moving into or building a new house, now could be a good time to start childproofing. Building a ‘safe’ home can help to save you time and money later once you move in and have to start childproofing.

Of course, new homes are generally safer than older homes. You don’t have to worry about lead paint, new appliances likely have more safety features than older ones, including gararge door openers, and ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) help prevent electrocution.

Still, there are some ‘features’ of newer homes that make them harder to childproof. Among these trends in home building include:

• the use of lever type door handles
• installation of a lot of electric outlets (often 3-4 per room)
• more open designs that make the home seem bigger, but make it more difficult to limit your child’s movement around the house with gates, etc.

If you keep in mind that one of the basics of childproofing is restricting access to parts of your house that aren’t childproof, you can see why these above trends might make it harder to make your home safe.

Door Knobs

If you have a typical round door knob, simple plastic door knob covers can keep your toddler and preschool age children out of rooms that aren’t childproof, restrict unsupervised access to the bathroom, etc., and keep your kids from leaving the house, but it is still easy for older kids and adults to open the doors.

Unfortunately, these types of door knob covers can’t be used with lever type door handles. Instead, you have to install an overhead door latch, which are more expensive and difficult to install than door knob covers and would also keep your older kids or shorter family members from opening the door if they can’t reach the top of the door to move the latch.

If you are building a new home, unless you don’t have younger kids, aren’t planning to have children, and won’t be having younger children visit, you might ask to have standard round door knobs installed. If the house is already built, ask to have the knobs replaced or ask to be compensated for changing them yourself.

 

Electric Outlets

With the regular use of ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), your child is safer and less likely to get electrocuted in a new home.

And the trend to have more electric outlets in each room makes it less likely that you will have electric and appliance cords going all over the room or that outlets will be overloaded.

So maybe it is a good idea to have a lot of outlets in a room. Just remember to place outlet covers on all of the electric outlets that aren’t in use.

 

Safety Gates

Fortunately, even in a home with a very open design, you can usually limit your child’s access to stairs and rooms that aren’t childproof with the use of safety gates and safety gate extensions.
Hot Water Heater

Make sure that you understand how to set your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) to prevent scalding burns. This will help to reduce the approximately 3,800 injuries and 34 deaths that occur in the home each year due to scalding from excessively hot tap water.

 

Window Blind Loops

Children can become strangled in window blind cord loops, so make sure that if you are installing window binds, that they don’t have loops.

 

Smoke Alarms and CO Detectors

New homes all come with smoke alarms, but builders often leave out carbon monoxide detectors. To be safe, you should install a carbon monoxide detector/alarm in the hallway near every separate sleeping area of the home, especially if your home has any non-electric appliances, including a gas furnace, range, fireplace, water heater, or room heaters, or if you have an attached garage, in which you might, but shouldn’t, leave a running car.

 
Your New ‘Safe’ Home Moving into a new home is exciting.

Just be sure to plan for the safety needs of children when buying and moving into your new home. See our childproofing guide for more safety tips.
Source: Keep Kids Healthy
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Truly Unbelievable Animal Rescue

Make My Freedom

Cool Canopy Build with Kids

By Family Fun
June 26, 2009

When it comes to portable private spaces, tents may be fun and practical, but canopies are magical. Hooked on a branch in the yard or suspended in a corner of a child’s room, these airy shelters provide a sweet spot for relaxing with a good book or sharing secrets with a pal.

You can order a pricey version from a catalog — or make your own for less than $25, customized with your little dreamer’s favorite colors and creative touches. All it takes is a hula hoop, fabric, ribbon … and a bit of imagination. Here’s how!

CRAFT MATERIALS

	Scissors
	2 (10-yard) spools of 1/8-inch-wide ribbon
	Hula hoop (33 inches wide; not water-filled)
	2 lengths of muslin (45 inches wide) or tulle (54 inches wide), each 4 1/4 yards long
	Duct tape
	Pinking shears (optional)
	1 1/2 yards of felt (70 inches wide)
	Chalk
Time needed: Afternoon or Evening

The Frame: Cut six 66-inch lengths of ribbon

1. Fold each length of ribbon in half, wrap the central fold around the hoop, and loop the ribbon’s ends through it as shown.3. Arrange the ribbons so that they are evenly spread around the hoop. Gather the ends in the middle of the hoop, fold them over, then knot them, leaving a loop for hanging the canopy. Trim the excess ribbon.4. The Covering: Mark a dot at the center point of one length of muslin or tulle. Affix a 2-inch square of duct tape over the dot, turn the fabric over, and affix a second 2-inch square aligned with the first.5. Cut a 3/4-inch hole through the taped spot. Repeat on the second length of fabric

6. Lay the two lengths of fabric so they form an X, with the holes aligned as shown. Place the hoop under the fabric and thread the ribbon loop through the holes. Once the canopy is hung, trim the fabric’s bottom edge with pinking shears if desired.

7. The Leafy Topper: Lay the frame atop the felt. With chalk, draw a circle 6 inches outside the hoop. Cut along the line, then trim the edge into a leafy fringe. Cut a center hole, place the topper over the frame, and thread the loop through the hole.

8. Clip On Some Critters! To adorn our tulle canopy and hold back the fabric for an entranceway, we made floaty butterflies. For each, fold two 9-inch squares of tulle accordion-style, stack them, and twist a pipe cleaner around the center point. Use strong adhesive (such as Crafter’s Pick The Ultimate glue) to affix each butterfly — or each plastic bug for your safari canopy — to a wooden clothespin.

Source: Family Fun

Editor’s Note: We would like what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Chicken Kebabs With Oregano Garlic Marinade

By Ramin Ganeshram
June 26. 2009

 

Marinades bring out a wonderful flavor in chicken, and they’re easy to prepare.

 Although most recipes for chicken kebabs specify boneless and skinless cubed chicken breasts, breasts are easily overcooked and can toughen on the grill. Joyce Goldstein prefers to use boned chicken thighs with the skin on, which remain moist and juicy throughout the broiling or grilling process. The skin retains the wonderful flavor of the marinade, which can be mixed up by the grandchildren. This recipe is adapted from Mediterranean Fresh: A Compendium of One-Plate Salad Meals and Mix-and-Match Dressings by Joyce Goldstein (W.W. Norton, 2008).

 

18 small chicken thighs, boned
1 large onion, cut in chunks, about 1 1/2 cups
2 cups oregano garlic vinaigrette
1 tablespoon sweet paprika or Pimentón dulce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Put the onion in a blender along with the dressing and paprika. Puree. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate overnight.

2. Bring the chicken to room temperature. Preheat the broiler or make a charcoal fire. Remove the chicken from the marinade. Thread on skewers, three thighs per person. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Broil or grill for about four minutes on each side, or until the juices run clear and the chicken tests is done.

Yield: Serves 6.

Source: Grand Parents

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? And we would like to know your receipts, to share with others. dan@youngchronicle.com

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