Day At Mount Rushmore

by Katy Slagel
Scholastic News
July 11, 2009

 

Editor’s Note: Katy Slagel, is a Kid Reporter for Scholastic News. She is on vacation with her family. She is her blog: My Vacation to Mount Rushmore.

We would like to know what you think? We would like to hear from you what you are doing with your family this summer dan@youngchronicle.com .

 

You can see eye to eye with these four presidents-if you are 465 feet tall!

As soon as I got home from school on that very last day, I was so excited I thought I was going to explode! My dad, step-mom, sister and I were driving all the way to South Dakota from Michigan to see Mount Rushmore.

I have always wanted to see it, and my dream came true that day. Lots and lots of packing was on the schedule, but it was totally worth it when we got there.

I was blown away when I gazed up at the carefully sculpted masterpiece. It was difficult to think that this sculpture was once a towering mountain, and that more than 400 men and women worked on the monument for 14 years. Building began in 1927 and ended in 1941. I couldn’t believe that so many people dedicated their lives to build Mount Rushmore for just $8.00 a day, which was a lot of money back then. They had to work really hard. To get to the top of the monument they had to climb 506 steps! Some did this every day.

The sculptor was Gutzon Borglum, who died the year before the carvings were finished. His son was in charge of Project Lincoln the final two years of the work.

A great deal of the sculpting was done with dynamite! More than 800 pounds of stone was blasted off the face of the mountain. Did you know that each President’s head is as tall as a six-story building? Or that each president’s nose is 20 feet long, each mouth is 18 feet wide, and their eyes are 11 feet across? As soon as I saw the four humungous presidents cut from rock, I knew exactly who they were: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

When it was time to leave Mount Rushmore, I didn’t want to go. Everything there was so fascinating! If I ever go to Mount Rushmore again, I hope we can stay there longer!

Source: Scholastic News Online

Keep Kids Safer Around Medicine

By SafeKids
July 9, 2009
 
Editor’s Note: Please check out the video in our video section.

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

 

Each year, more than 1.2 million children ages 5 and under are unintentionally poisoned and 44 percent of these poisonings are from prescription drugs and other medications. 

What young kids see and reach, they usually put in their mouths and as their mobility and capabilities increase, they can reach medicines and household products wherever they’re stored.

It’s important for adults who are around children to keep medications away from little hands-even if you’re not a parent. Twenty percent of the prescription drugs accidentally taken by children 4 and under belong to someone who doesn’t live with the child.

Is it medicine or is it candy?
 
 
Safety Tips
 
To help prevent medication-related poisoning, follow these safety tips: 

• Store medications locked out of children’s sight and reach.

• Buy child-resistant packages when available, but remember that although child-resistant packaging is not 100 percent childproof, it has prevented hundreds of deaths. 

• Keep products in their original packages to avoid confusion.

• Don’t take medicine or vitamins in front of kids and don’t call them “candy.”

• Don’t leave medicine in your purse or an unlocked kitchen or bathroom cabinet. Don’t put it on the kitchen counter, bedside table or leave it unattended while you are using it.

• Read labels to find out what can be poisonous. Keep those things separate from toothpaste, soap and other things you use every day.

• Always read labels, follow directions and give medicines to children based on their weights and ages. Only use the dispensers packaged with children’s medications. 

• Don’t involve children as “helpers” with your medication. They should not remind you to take medicine or bring you water.

• Tell grandparents and friends about avoiding medication poisoning when your family visits their homes.

 

Q&As of the Week
 

Q: What are some of the most common poisonous items for children?

A: While medicines are one of the causes of poisoning in children, children are also poisoned by products such as cosmet­ics, cleaning substances, plants, toys, vitamins, pesticides, lead, and carbon monoxide.

For more info, visit www.usa.safekids.org/poison

Scientists Find Oldest Flute in the World

By Laura Leigh Davidson
July 8, 2009

Editor’s Note: Professor Nicholas Conard shows a 35,000-years-old flute during a press conference in Tuebingen, Germany, on Wednesday, June 24, 2009. Scientists say it is the oldest handmade musical instrument yet discovered. (Photo: Daniel Maurer/AP Images)

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

Imagine yourself living 35,000 years ago. What would a typical evening in your family’s cave be like? After eating the food your parents hunted and gathered, would you have a rock-throwing contest with your sister? Would you draw pictures in the dirt? A new discovery suggests you might pass the time making music on a flute.

A group of scientists have unearthed a 35,000-year-old flute in Germany. They believe it is the oldest handcrafted musical instrument ever discovered.

Professor Nicholas Conard led the team of archaeologists, or scientists who study the remains of ancient cultures, that found the flute. The team reconstructed the instrument from 12 separate pieces they dug up from the floor of a cave in southern Germany.

The instrument is about eight-and-a-half inches long. It is made from the wing bone of a vulture. (A vulture is a large bird that feeds on the meat of dead animals.) One end of the flute has two V-shaped notches. Conard says that’s where a musician would blow to produce sound. Five finger holes are carved into the instrument. As with modern flutes, the player would cover one or more of the holes while blowing on the flute to make different tones.

“It’s [clearly] the oldest instrument in the world,” Conard told news organization Associated Press (AP). Conard described the historic discovery for the journal Nature in June.

The ancient flute was too fragile to play, so Conard and another researcher made a copy of the instrument from the same type of vulture bone as the original. They were able to play a number of songs, including “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Creative Culture

This flute is just the latest evidence suggesting that early humans in Europe were artistically creative. While researching the same cave where the bone flute was found, Conard’s team discovered a statue of a female made of ivory. They believe that, at 40,000 years old, it is the oldest known sculpture of a human.

The team also found other works of art. Among them were ivory carvings that, pieced together, resemble a horse’s head, and a statue of a half-human, half-lion creature.

Conard and many other experts believe that music and art strengthened the bonds of community for early humans in Europe. In addition, their creativity helped them develop better communication skills. Strong communities and advanced communication skills enabled early humans to survive difficult living conditions to establish the modern societies we have today.

Source: Scholastic News Online

 

 

Hot Weather and Vehicles Are Deadly for Kids

By Dawn Deeks 
Safe Kids/PIO
July 3, 2009 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A few minutes might not seem like a long time, but there are circumstances when it can mean the difference between life and death.  As temperatures begin to heat up, children are at a serious risk for heat stroke when left alone even for a few minutes in a closed vehicle.Last year, at least 42 children across the United States died from heat stroke caused by being left or trapped in a vehicle.

“Drivers need to understand that a vehicle is not a babysitter-but it can quickly become an oven,” said Lorrie Walker, the technical expert for Safe Kids Buckle Up, Safe Kids USA’s child passenger safety program. “A child under 10 should never be left alone in or around a vehicle-even for a minute. When it comes to the safety of a child, there’s just too much to lose.”

Heat is much more dangerous to children than it is to adults. When left in a hot vehicle, a young child’s core body temperature may increase three to five times faster than that of an adult. This could cause permanent injury or even death. Heat stroke occurs when the core body temperature reaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit.  A core body temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit is considered lethal.

“The temperature inside of a vehicle can rise 19 degrees above the outside temperature in just 10 minutes,” said Walker. “After an hour, the temperature inside and outside of a vehicle can differ by 45 degrees or more – even if the window is left open a crack.”

Safe Kids USA and program partner General Motors created the Never Leave Your Child Alone program in 2001 to educate families on the dangers kids face in hot vehicles.
According to research conducted by San Francisco State University, even with relatively cool temperatures outside-70 degrees-the inside of a car can reach a dangerous temperature in just minutes.

The research also revealed that more than half of these children were accidentally left behind in a closed, parked car by parents or caregivers while nearly a third of these children were trapped while playing in a vehicle unattended. Sadly, one in five children who died were intentionally left in the vehicle by an adult.
Safe Kids suggests these tips for parents and caregivers:

• Teach children not to play in, on or around vehicles.

• Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle, even with the window slightly open.

• Always lock a vehicle’s doors and trunk – especially at home. Keep keys and remote entry devices out of children’s reach.

• Place something that you’ll need at your next stop – such as a purse, a lunch, gym bag or briefcase – on the floor of the backseat where the child is sitting. This simple act could help prevent you from accidentally forgetting a child.

Never Leave Your Child Alone is a component of Safe Kids Buckle Up, the multidimensional program created by Safe Kids USA and General Motors to teach families how to keep children safer in and around vehicles. Nationwide, more than 19 million people have been exposed to the program through educational activities, car seat checkup events and community outreach programs. In June 2008 the program celebrated the milestone of one million child safety seats checked for proper installation.

Source: Safekids

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

Liberty’s Crown Reopen for Visitors

By Laura Leigh Davidson
July 4, 2009

There will be more than fireworks and festivals to celebrate Independence Day this year. On July 4, the crown of the Statue of Liberty will once again be open to visitors.

The entire statue was closed to the public after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. On that day, terrorists flew planes into major buildings in New York City, Washington, D.C., and into a field near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After the attacks, U.S. officials tightened security at many major landmarks, buildings, and transportation systems.

In 2004, officials decided it was safe to reopen the Statue of Liberty’s base and lower observation deck to visitors.

But the Department of the Interior, which oversees U.S. national parks and landmarks, decided to keep statue’s crown closed. Officials said they were mainly concerned about the safety of the narrow 168-step spiral staircase that leads to the top of the statue.

Thanks to a number of recent security improvements, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar says the crown can be reopened. Ten people will be allowed in the crown at a time. Park rangers will bring visitors up the spiral staircase to the top of the statue.

“On July 4th, we are giving America a special gift,” Salazar said in May. “We are once again inviting the public to celebrate our great nation and the hope and opportunity it symbolizes by climbing to [the statue’s] crown for a unique view of New York Harbor, where millions of American families first saw the new world.”

People are accepting the gift with enthusiasm. The first batch of tickets to visit the crown sold out within a day.

Story of the Statue

The Statue of Liberty’s real name is Liberty Enlightening the World. The people of France gave the statue to the people of the U.S. as a symbol of American independence. She is also a symbol of friendship between the two countries. The 150-foot tall statue was unveiled in New York Harbor on October 26, 1886.

Often called “Lady Liberty,” the statue stands for freedom and independence. The tablet in her left hand has the date July 4, 1776, engraved on it. That’s the date the U.S. Declaration of Independence was signed. The right hand holds the Torch (or Light) of Freedom. The broken chain near the statue’s feet symbolizes the victory of liberty over a cruel and oppressive government.

The Statue has represented freedom and hope to millions of immigrants who came and are still coming to the U.S. to find a better life. Particularly in the late 1800s and early 1900s, most immigrants first arrived in America by way of New York Harbor. As newcomers approached their new home aboard boats, the Statue of Liberty was there to greet them.

Source: Scholastic News Online

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

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

America Lost a Legend Michael Jackson

by Fox News
June 25, 2009

Music icon Michael Jackson, whose fame spanned from his childhood with the legendary Jackson 5 to a superstar solo career that earned him the nickname ‘King of Pop,’ died Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital, a source close to the family told FOX News. He was 50.

Debra Opri, a former Jackson family attorney, confirmed the singers death after other media reported that he had fallen into a coma. He reportedly was taken by ambulance at 12:30 p.m. local time to UCLA Medical Center, where he died at 3:15 p.m.

Multiple reports said he had gone into cardiac arrest, though the official cause of death wasn’t immediately known. A news conference is expected later Thursday at the hospital, where fans have gathered to pay tribute to the singer.

Jackson’s death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music’s premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.

PHOTOS: Click here for photos of Michael Jackson.

Jackson was born in Indiana in 1958. He rose to fame as part of the successful pop group The Jackson 5, formed with his brothers in 1967. The group went on to earn four number one hits in 1970 alone, and the 12-year-old Jackson became the undeniable breakout star of the group

In 1972, Jackson enjoyed his first solo hit with the song “Ben.” Six years later, he made his film debut in “The Wiz,” in which he renewed his friendship with producer Quincy Jones.

Collaborating with Jones, Jackson went on to become remarkably successful with his solo efforts “Off The Wall” in 1979 and “Thriller” in 1982.

From there, Jackson went on to become the undeniable “King of Pop,” winning eight Grammy awards for “Thriller” alone.

TOPIC: Click here for the latest on Michael Jackson.

During the 1980s, he became an icon with a distinct style of fashion and performing, as well, wearing one sparkling glove, bejeweled military clothing and short pants with socks.

It was around this time that Jackson began experimenting with excessive cosmetic surgery, including lightening of his skin.

In 1992, Jackson founded the “Heal the World Foundation,” a charity that brought underprivileged children to his Neverland Ranch, where Jackson would spend time with them and allow them to stay the night.

This practice raised many eyebrows, especially when Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy who had become a regular Neverland guest. Jackson maintained his innocence. In 1994, he settled the case out of court for an undisclosed amount.

Jackson briefly was married to Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis. The union drew intense public scrutiny, there was speculation as to whether the marriage was simply an attempt to improve Jackson’s image, though he maintained that they lived genuinely as husband and wife; however, the marriage broke up after less than two years.

From there, his career never quite recovered, but he remained in the news, making headline after headline for strange and unusual behavior, including dangling his child over a balcony in Germany in 2002.

In 2004, police raided the Neverland Ranch, issuing an arrest warrant for charges of child molestation based on allegations of a boy who had appeared in Martin Bashir’s infamous documentary about Jackson. Later that year, a man filed a lawsuit against him, alleging he had been molested 20 years earlier, explaining that he had repressed the memory until 2003. However, a judge eventually dismissed the lawsuit.

In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested the 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of playing the boy with alcohol and groping him. The case took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.

Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13. He was in rehearsals in Los Angeles for the concert, an extravaganza that was to capture the classic Jackson magic: showstopping dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital as word of his death spread. The emergency entrance at the UCLA Medical Center, which is near Jackson’s rented home, was roped off with police tape.

In New York’s Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone.

“No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow,” Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend sent to his telephone. “It’s like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died.”

FOXNews.com’s Allison McGevna and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News

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

« Previous Page — Next Page »