just laura

Here is a sampling of national service news stories from around the nation from May 26-June 1. How fun to see GOOD stuff getting press and not just the standard bad just highlighted on nightly news shows.

New York Times, June 1, 2009, EDITORIAL

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/opinion/02tue4.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Communities, Innovation and Washington

Across the country, nonprofit groups are pioneering approaches to fixing problems in education, health care and alleviating poverty. A promising White House initiative seeks to expand upon these efforts by helping worthy projects grow and by encouraging other communities to try successful strategies.

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Terre Haute Tribune Star (IN), May 31, 2009

http://www.tribstar.com/opinion/local_story_149191013.html

National Service Bill passes torch to new generation

President Barrack Obama’s recent signing of the $5.7 billion Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act speaks to the spirit of an emerging generation. This spirit is reflected in that generation’s embrace of its role as a participant in the reinvigoration of America through community service.

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Boston Globe (MA), June 1, 2009

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2009/06/01/a_boom_in_encore_careers/

A boom in ‘encore careers’

When my parents retired, my father taught courses on linguistics and Kosovo and the philosophy of time at a volunteer-run institute for learning in retirement, and my mother picked up pocket money tutoring high school science and math. Me? My 401(k) is in shambles, and the economy and the Internet are wreaking havoc on my career. I’m still paying college tuitions, not even beginning to recover from them.

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CNN.com, May 29, 2009

http://tips.blogs.cnn.com/2009/05/29/the-corps-and-other-service-jobs/

The ‘corps’ and other service jobs

It’s been called the “Obama Effect.” Our service-promoting president and his wife may may be the cause behind the 234 percent jump in AmeriCorps applications in the past five months (compared to last year’s same time frame), Jobs.Change.org says. Of course, it could also be the effect of a high unemployment rate and sense of fear in college graduates.

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Lawrence Journal World (KS) May 27, 2009

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/may/27/new-graduates-flocking-americorps-job-market-deter/

New graduates flocking to AmeriCorps as job market deteriorates

With fresh diplomas in hand, recent graduates have walked into a job market so barren that many of them are seeking an alternative path into the workplace. AmeriCorps, a national service organization that provides relief to struggling communities, has received nearly triple the number of online applications as it received last year.

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NPR Morning Edition, May 28, 2009

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104648050

White House Creates Office Of Innovation

The Obama administration has created the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. The idea is for the government to work with nonprofit organizations to identify programs that have had proven success in tackling social problems, such as homelessness and joblessness, and then to expand those programs across the country. The office will in effect provide seed money for the most innovative ideas.

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Chronicle of Philanthropy, May 28, 2009

http://philanthropy.com/news/updates/index.php?id=8381

White House Officials Discuss Plans for Social-Innovation Office

The new White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation was created without much fanfare. In fact, even though it has been operating for several months, it has never been formally unveiled. But the office, set up to promote creative and effective ways to tackle social problems, is slowly starting to emerge as a public entity.

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Columbus Dispatch (OH), May 22, 2009

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/faith_values/stories/2009/05/22/FVethics.ART_ART_05-22-09_B4_3KDTT43.html?sid=101

Hard times, soft hearts

The economic crisis has made many Americans anxious and fearful. But here’s the silver lining: Some religious leaders and academics say we might be better people by the time it’s over.

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Indianapolis Star, May 24, 2009

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009905240339

More unemployed workers are turning to volunteer jobs

When Vionta Jones was laid off from her job at a utilities company seven months ago, she landed a new job immediately.

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The Oregonian (OR), May 25, 2009, EDITORIAL

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/05/making_volunteerism_count.html

Making volunteerism count

Feeling good is good; doing good, and doing it well, is better. It’s a refrain you hear often from volunteers, and we have thousands of those in Portland (the region is nationally ranked for its volunteerism). What people say, again and again, not just with modesty but with a sense of discovery, as if they had just worked out the math in their minds, is:

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Associated Press – May 14, 2009

http://www.live5news.com/Global/story.asp?S=10359855&nav=menu1431_3_2

National service listening tour stops in SC

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – South Carolina is 1 of 6 stops on a listening tour for a new national service program.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Serve America Act is invited to attend a public forum in Columbia on Thursday. Representatives from the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees AmeriCorps, are expected to attend the forum.

AmeriCorps

The Saginaw News (MI), May 24, 2009

http://www.mlive.com/living/saginaw/index.ssf/2009/05/thousands_answer_the_americorp.html

Thousands answer the AmeriCorps call

AmeriCorps seeks dedicated workers with a commitment to service.

As Brian L. Ledtke’s first year at Delta College came to a close in early May, the 19-year-old Thomas Township man still hadn’t decided on what direction his studies would take.

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Tulsa World (OK), 5/31/2009

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090531_11_A5_TetMoe683521&archive=yes

Program helps ex-convicts adapt

After spending 18 years in prison for burglary and auto theft, Trent Moore was not only free, he was prepared to rejoin society. “If you start preparing while you’re locked up, you’re better able to handle the obstacles when you get out,” he said. To help in that preparation he turned to Fitting Back In, a rehabilitation program headed by World Won for Christ Family Life Ministries.

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Denver Post (CO), 05/24/2009

http://www.denverpost.com/guestcommentary/ci_12430987

Mobilizing young people to tackle energy problems

Everything old is new again. With the Recovery Act, infrastructure investment, and job creation, it is no surprise that many are looking to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1930s New Deal and its signature program, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) for ideas and inspiration.

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Barnstable Patriot (MA), May 29, 2009

http://www.barnstablepatriot.com/home2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18079&Itemid=40

More boots on the ground

Six more AmeriCorps volunteers will be coming to Cape Cod through a federal Recovery Act Grant of $163,390. The new volunteers are part of a “boots on the ground” response to the economic times.

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Senator Harkin May 29, 2009

http://www.harkin.senate.gov/pr/p.cfm?i=313792

Senator Harkin announces more than $1.3 million to support AmeriCorps programs across Iowa

HARKIN Washington, D.C. –warded to eight AmeriCorps programs across Iowa. This competitive funding comes from the Corporation for National and Community Service. Harkin has been a long time supporter of AmeriCorps and is the Chairman of the panel that funds these initiatives.

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Herald Dispatch (WV), May 29, 2009

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/putnam/x90206050/Comp-to-be-first-federal-employee-named-River-Hero

Comp to be first federal employee named River Hero

Dr. T Allan Comp, founder and coordinator of the Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team and the Western Hardrock Watershed Team, will be honored as a National River Hero on Sunday, May 31, at River Network’s National River Rally in Baltimore, Md.

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Tribune Star (IN), May 27, 2009

http://www.tribstar.com/schools/local_story_147001404.html

Sycamore Service Corps works with at-risk girls

One person can have an impact on the lives of others. Just ask a group of girls at Ryves Youth Center at Etling Hall. Samantha Arrasmith, a senior philosophy major and creative writing minor at Indiana State University, volunteers at the center through AmeriCorps Sycamore Service Corps, working with a special group of at-risk girls called the Sweeties. The Cayuga student fills a variety of roles — big sister, role model and camp counselor.

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America.gov, May 22, 2009

http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2009/May/200905141216272SAdemahoM0.880653.html

Arab-American Service Day Now in Fifth Year

“People who love their country can change it,” President Obama said in a recent speech. Community service is an American value, especially evident in the Arab-American community. A National Arab American Service Day will be held May 16 in cities throughout the United States.

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St. Cloud Times (MN) May 29, 2009

http://www.sctimes.com/article/20090529/NEWS01/105290022/1009/Americorps+helps+students+

AmeriCorps helps students

In a room not far from the Pleasantview Elementary School office, Maria Theisen works with third-grader Jaden Wagner to improve his reading skills.

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Governor Gregoire, May 29, 2009

http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=1247&newsType=1

Gov. Gregoire announces more than $3.4 million in federal recovery grants

Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced $3.4 million that is now available for Washington state under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to support national service positions. The funding will support nearly 300 AmeriCorps service positions in local communities to help meet social needs resulting from the economic crisis.

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Saipan Tribune, May 31, 2009

http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=90743

$300K AmeriCorps grant added to stream of federal dollars for CNMI

CNMI Rep. Gregorio “Kilili” C. Sablan announced yesterday that the Public School System has received a grant of over $300,000 from the Corporation for National and Community Service. The grant will go to a PSS AmeriCorps program that provides peer-to-peer mentoring, tutoring, and counseling sessions for at-risk students.

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News-Democrat (IL), May 30, 2009

http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/788876.html

Belleville AmeriCorps gets $379,570 grant

The Belleville AmeriCorps based at Southwestern Illinois College has received a $379,570 AmeriCorps grant.

The award will fund up to 77 positions for various public service projects, U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, said in a news release. “This program has resulted in many successes around the nation, including programs that allow volunteers to earn college credit, complete community service projects and develop projects for children,” Costello stated. “It is a win-win situation. Local communities will benefit from the hard work of these volunteers, while they get great work experience and money for college.”

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NECN, May 30, 2009

http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/2009/05/30/City-Year-pitches-in-makes/1243719631.html

City Year pitches in, makes Boston shine

(NECN: Jennifer Eagan, Boston, Mass.) – Hundreds of volunteers spent Saturday morning painting, landscaping, and cleaning up at locations throughout Boston — all a part of a day of service that is 20-years strong in tradition.

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The Times (NJ), May 30, 2009

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2009/05/mercer_feels_early_effects_of.html

Mercer feels early effects of stimulus funding

Yolanda Gonzalez’s name doesn’t appear in the $787 billion federal stimulus bill approved in February, but her new job at the Henry J. Austin Health Center in Trenton is one of the first tangible signs of the measure’s local impact.

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Milwaukee Journal (WI), May 31, 2009

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/46584662.html

MPS working to add City Year mentors

A $1 million challenge grant from the David and Julia Uihlein Charitable Foundation is spurring a push to bring the City Year program to Milwaukee, with 55 young mentors to work in Milwaukee Public Schools located in poor neighborhoods.

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Keene Sentinel (NH), May 30, 2009

http://sentinelsource.com/articles/2009/05/30/features/education/free/id_357416.txt

Hinsdale school garden grows with a little help

It’s not just their vegetables that are growing. AmeriCorps sprouted new volunteers for a day earlier this month. On May 9, AmeriCorps volunteers-for-the-day joined Hinsdale students to build a new garden. They filled raised beds with soil, cleared underbrush, spread mulch, and scraped and painted the concession stand on the athletic field.

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Lawrence Journal (KS), May 27, 2009

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/may/27/new-graduates-flocking-americorps-job-market-deter/

New graduates flocking to AmeriCorps as job market deteriorates

With fresh diplomas in hand, recent graduates have walked into a job market so barren that many of them are seeking an alternative path into the workplace.

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The Missoulian (MT), May 29, 2009

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2009/05/29/news/top/news01.txt

Seeley Lake project beneficiary of funding boost

Montana Conservation Corps members clean the roof of the main lodge at Camp Paxson on the shores of Seeley Lake on Thursday morning. The MCC will receive about $1.8 million in AmeriCorps funding this year for service work projects in Montana. Photo by MICHAEL GALLACHER/Missoulian

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WTAP (OH), May 28, 2009

http://www.wtap.com/home/headlines/46400562.html

An Incentive to Volunteer

Volunteering in the community is always a rewarding experience, but now there’s another incentive for people to help out.

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WKYC-TV (OH), 5/27/2009

http://origin.wkyc.com/news/local/news_article.aspx?storyid=114541&catid=3

National tutoring program recognized in Cleveland

Tutors from Experience Corps, an Americorps program that uses adults over 55 to tutor in urban public schools, are being recognized for helping the Cleveland Schools. These tutors have helped more than 10,000 students in Cleveland since 1997. The national CEO of Experience Corps was in town to recognize the volunteers and met with Cleveland School officials.

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St. Cloud Times (MN), May 29, 2009

http://www.sctimes.com/article/20090529/NEWS01/105290022/1009/Americorps+helps+students+

AmeriCorps helps students

In a room not far from the Pleasantview Elementary School office, Maria Theisen works with third-grader Jaden Wagner to improve his reading skills. He reads a passage about a boy playing shuffleboard with his grandfather. She times him and points out areas where he can improve. After each timed reading, he charts how many words he read.

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Bradenton Herald (FL), May 29, 2009

http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/story/1471720.html

VISTA builds ramps, freedom for disabled

Yolanda Rios no longer has to worry about how she is going to get her wheelchair-bound son out of the house.

A brand new, state-of-the art ramp provides easy access from front door to the street.

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The Times-Picayune (LA), May 28, 2009

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/camp_hope.html

Camp Hope to close after providing a temporary home to thousands who helped rebuild

It might be said that the genesis of Camp Hope, the giant volunteer hotel opened in deepest St. Bernard Parish, was a simple question asked of a Habitat for Humanity official.

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Brazosport Facts (TX), May 29, 2009

http://thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=202263964ee33c5c

AmeriCorps crews out in force

AmeriCorps members scaled scaffolding and reached into tight corners Thursday to give an old Brazosport ISD gym a splash of color — and the children of the Boys & Girls Club of Brazoria County a new place to play.

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Troy Messenger (AL), May 27, 2009

http://www.troymessenger.com/news/2009/may/27/blitz-build-offers-uplifting-experience-volunteers/

‘Blitz Build’ offers uplifting experience for volunteers

The popular phrase, “If you build it ….” takes on a special meaning for Habitat for Humanity. For, each house that Habitat builds is a home for a family that would probably not be able to own one without the caring, “uplifting” spirit of Habitat volunteers.

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Williamson Daily News (WV), May 28, 2009

http://www.williamsondailynews.com/

AmeriCorps sending 33 volunteers to Gilbert, Hanover

Thirty-three members from the Atlantic Region of the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) located in Perry Point, Maryland, deployed Monday to West Virginia to assist those recovering from floods that hit the area over the last several weeks. At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), these Corps Members will muck out houses and remove debris deposited by the floodwaters in the towns of Gilbert and Hanover.

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Vicksburg Post (MI) Tuesday, May 26, 2009

http://www.vicksburgpost.com/articles/2009/05/26/news/doc4a1c17a124e94389933814.txt

AmeriCorps team due at All Saints’ in July

Since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, AmeriCorps NCCC teams have given more than 700,000 hours in Mississippi on more than 270 humanitarian and community-service projects, and soon it will be Vicksburg’s turn, both to host teams and be helped.

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Radio Iowa, May 26, 2009

http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=7D2D8115-5056-B82A-37EA301C22CF09DD

AmeriCorps workers help in state parks

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources are busy placing 160 new workers around the state. The workers are part of 378 AmeriCorps members assigned to Iowa through a federally-funded expansion of the AmeriCorps program. Most of the workers placed with the D.N.R. will help maintain the state parks. Kevin Szcodronski is the state parks bureau chief.

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Monroe News Star (LA), May 26, 2009

http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20090526/OPINION03/905260309

Landrieu salutes AmeriCorps’ work

We recently celebrated AmeriCorps Week, an opportunity to shine light on work of AmeriCorps members and motivate more people to get involved in their communities.

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Saipan Tribune, May 25, 2009

http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?newsID=90579&cat=1

27,000 hours volunteered to serve public school kids

The Public School System and the Board of Education lauded the achievement of members and volunteers of the CNMI Americorps Program, which had so far served and mentored nearly 5,000 children on Saipan, Rota and Tinian.

Senior Corps

Marrieta Times May 29, 2009

http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/513227.html

Lending a helping hand

Congressman touts tuition award program on recent visit

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Contra Costa Times (CA) May 31, 2009

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_12492170

No reservations about group of Gardena volunteers

RSVP lunch honors seniors who daily help the police.

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Press Republican, NY, May 27, 2009

http://www.pressrepublican.com/0100_news/local_story_145213707.html

Soup Kitchen volunteers honored

Once a week for 51 weeks a year, volunteers prepare and serve a hot, nutritious meal to anyone who walks through the door at the Emmaus Soup Kitchen.

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The Review (OH), May 28, 2009

http://www.reviewonline.com/page/content.detail/id/514846.html

Wilson visits RSVP station

U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson helped RSVP member Sid Perkins pack a few groceries for a needy family Wednesday morning. Wilson visited the volunteer organization to thank the group and to discuss a new Service Act law. (Photo by Michael D. McElwain)

Learn and Serve

Houston Chronicle, May 28, 2009

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/fortbend/news/6445133.html

Terry senior recognized for his work

“Do as I say and not as I do” is a common saying when it comes to moms and dads parenting their children.

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South Coast Today (MA), May 27, 2009

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090527/OPINION/905270312/-1/NEWS

Hands on

Earlier this month, The Standard-Times published a feature on students at Bristol County Agricultural High School, including New Bedford twins Stephanie and Joshua Silva, who endure a long bus ride to attend a school where Stephanie, who plans to be veterinarian, can work with animals, and Joshua can major in landscape design.

I’ve been bad about updating, so I’ll try to do a few quick posts before bed for the next few nights to catch up a little. My big news this week is getting approved to rent a new house! I put in an application on Sunday with two friends and we got the keys less than 24 hours later on Monday. So exciting! It’s a 1920s craftsman home in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. It’s less than a mile from my current place, is walking distance from three grocery stores and the park, and it’s a great little house. We have three bedrooms, two baths, newly remodeled kitchen, new wiring, big back yard, huge basement, washer/dryer, hardwood floors, garage, etc. I’m very excited!

Tonight I did two trips over and unpacked my plates and bowls, shower curtain, night stand and book shelves, shoes, and other misc stuff.

Tomorrow I’ll hopefully move my couch, chair, clothes, and maybe even my bed!

Next up we need to acquire some chairs for the front porch, some chairs for the back yard, and a BBQ grill. Then we’ll be ready to take advantage of having a yard and a house in the beautiful Seattle summer!

I’ll be ready for visitors by next week… so start booking your flights now! :)

Ate my first sugar snap peas last night… Great! Need to do more weeding, seems to have become a jungle overnight. Bokchoy destroyed by slugs, but lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, rhubarb, beets, etc still healthy.

Moved last week and just planted three tomatoes at my new house. Yay!

It’s been hectic with the new job, the breakup, training for the STP bike ride, and moving, but will hopefully calm down soon. :)

Still no Internet at the new house, so all email, FB, and blogging to be done by iPhone. Sigh. Good news is the house still rocks and I’m quite content with the move. Last Friday M bought me. grill for a very generous house warming gift. It was a fun trip to Lowes. I bought chairs, a closet bar, hardware, etc and did some small work increasing my closet capacity. Awesome. Electric drills are rad.

Caroline gave me Dieter’s old gimpy table for the breakfast nook… Fun to see it after eating so many meals on it back in 2001. :) Nance gave me her old dining table for the dining room, and passed on Savitha’s old dining chairs. Things are coming along nicely.

I started a biking list serve for some friends and it continues to grow. I’ve been organizing weekly rides every Saturday and it’s been great to explore the region on bike, with friends, on so many gorgeous weekends. Many of us decided to ride the STP – the 200 mile, two day Seattle to Portland bike ride. I still don’t identify as athletic, but I like picking longer rides and hillier routes. I can tell I’m getting stronger in just a few short months.

6/13: 50 mile clockwise around Lake Washington with M, Brian, Noah
6/6: 50 mile counterclockwise around Lake Washington with Leo, Mae, Jess, M, Noah, Zoe, Tom
38 miles to Edmonds with Noah, M, Brian (while I was very sick)
26 miles around Mercer Island with Jess
4/18: Discovery Park, Golden Gardens with MJ, Leo, Heater, M
26 miles around Mercer Island with M, Leo, Mae, Duska
To Golden Gardens with Clare, Jess, Caroline
55 miles around Whidbey Island
40 miles to Redhook Brewery

It’s one of the longest days of the year and in Seattle it’s one of the most celebrated days! Let the parties begin!

Friday night we had a groovik.com fundraiser and made about $2,000. :). It was a good party, fun people, and lots of dancing.

After 4 hours of sleep I got up and rode 18 miles to participate in the Fremont Fair Solstice Parade. It’s one of the silliest events of the year and is always super fun. Solstice parade followed by Solstice BBQ at ATC, followed by Soltice party at Joes.

Sunday did a 38 mile hilly ride to Edmonds… Julie, Brian, Jess, and Caroline joined the fun.

Tonight I hope to unpack a little. :)

My tomatoes are producing their first fruits… Yay!

First ride of the spring. 42 degrees and raining in March, yet we all had a great time. :)

aka I have internet the day MJ died. After 2+ weeks without the net at home, I’m now online. Who ever knew I would utter the words “Thank you, Comcast!”

Tonight was a lovely girls dinner at I Love Wasabi with Caroline and Samantha.
420 Broadway E (between Harrison St & Republican St)
Seattle, WA 98102

We ate sushi to the sounds of Michael Jackson on the stereo.

Then we went to Molly Moons for yummy ice cream. (I need to stop this addiction, but not tonight).
www.mollymoonicecream.com

We ate ice cream to the sounds of Michael Jackson on the stereo.

Then we went to Lindas for drinks.

We drank to the sounds of Michael Jackson on the stereo. There was a dance off, lots of “whoooo!”ing, lots of clapping along, and many Thriller moves. Makes me want to go dancing, or at the very least play History on my iPod while unpacking tonight.

Sure, I’m in the camp that was progressively creeped out by him over the years, with the drugs, physical alterations, and child molestation allegations, not to mention the chimp and elephant man’s skeleton and other odd stuff. But really, that stuff aside, he was indeed the King of Pop. You can’t not start dancing when you hear him on the stereo. He bridged the divide. He was on Jackson Five on Sunday mornings before the Transformers. His Bad was among my very first tapes. Who doesn’t remember riding the bus to school, everyone atwitter, the morning after his hair caught fire during the Pepsi commercial? Michael Jackson buttons for all occasions, still in a safe place at home.

Michael Jackson dead at 50 after cardiac arrest

(CNN) — Entertainer Michael Jackson died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday having suffered cardiac arrest, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office. A Los Angeles fire official told CNN that paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson’s home after a 911 call.

Paramedics took Jackson, 50, from his west Los Angeles home Thursday afternoon to UCLA Medical Center, where a team of physicians attempted to resuscitate him for more than an hour, said brother Jermaine Jackson. He said the famed singer was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. PT.

An autopsy is scheduled Friday, he said. Results are expected Friday afternoon, according to Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles coroner’s office, who also said Jackson was unresponsive when he arrived at the hospital.

Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN paramedics were sent to a west Los Angeles, California, residence after a 911 call came in at 12:21 p.m.

Law enforcement officials said the Los Angeles Police Department Robbery-Homicide Division opened an investigation into Jackson’s death. They stressed there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing but that they would conduct interviews with family members and friends.

CNN Analyst Roland S. Martin spoke on Thursday with Marlon Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson.

“I talked to Frank Dileo, Michael’s manager. Frank told me that Michael last night was complaining about not feeling well. He called to tell him he wasn’t feeling well.

“Michael’s doctor went over to see him, and Frank said, ‘Marlon, from last night to this morning, I don’t know what happened.’ When they got to him this morning, he wasn’t breathing. They rushed him to the hospital and couldn’t bring him around.”

Michael Jackson, the music icon from Gary, Indiana, was known as the “King of Pop.” Jackson had many No. 1 hits, and his “Thriller” is the best-selling album of all time. Video Watch why Jackson is “as big as it gets” »

Jackson was the seventh of nine children from a well-known musical family. He is survived by three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II. Video Watch Jesse Jackson share memories »

Jackson’s former wife, Lisa Marie Presley, said she was “shocked and saddened” by Jackson’s death. “My heart goes out to his children and his family,” she said.

At the medical center, every entrance to the emergency room was blocked by security guards. Even hospital staffers were not permitted to enter. A few people stood inside the waiting area, some of them crying. iReport.com: Your Michael Jackson tributes

Video footage shows a large crowd gathering outside the hospital.

Some of Jackson’s music was being played outside. The sounds of “Thriller” and “Beat It” bounced off the walls. Video Kingston: Jackson “a legend” »

Outside Jackson’s Bel Air home, police arrived on motorcycles. The road in front of the home was closed in an attempt to hold traffic back, but several people were gathered outside the home. Video Sharpton: Jackson “was a trailblazer” »

Along with his success Jackson had some legal troubles later in his career.

He was acquitted of child molestation charges after a well-publicized trial in Santa Maria, California, in March 2006.

Prosecutors charged the singer with four counts of lewd conduct with a child younger than 14; one count of attempted lewd conduct; four counts of administering alcohol to facilitate child molestation; and one count of conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment or extortion.

Five of Jackson’s solo albums – “Off the Wall,” “Thriller,” “Bad,” “Dangerous” and “HIStory,” all with Epic Records, a Sony Music label – are among the top-sellers of all time. During his extraordinary career, he sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide, released 13 No.1 singles and became one of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized Jackson as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and “Thriller” as the Biggest Selling Album of All Time. Jackson won 13 Grammy Awards and received the American Music Award’s Artist of the Century Award.

Michael Jackson started in the music business at the age of 11 with his brothers as a member of the Jackson 5. In the early 1980s, he defined the art form of music video with such ground-breaking videos as “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and the epic “Thriller.” Jackson’s sound, style and dance moves inspired subsequent generations of pop, soul, R&B and hip-hop artists.

He is survived by his three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II.

Kisii tribes in Western Kenya are on a killing rampage right now, according to the BBC, seeking out witches and burning them alive. This story makes me super sad, but doesn’t surprise me somehow. We saw, heard about, and read so much sense violence that people were afflicting on each other, with no sense of due process or justice. It was, and continues to be, quite tragic violence in Kenya. Stoning of women who wore pants in nearby Kakamega. Killing those suspected of being gay. Praying for your disabled child die rather than helping them survive. Burning suspected witches alive. Burning or hanging suspected thieves. The appalling part is that no justice ever seems to come. The local law tolerates the behaviors, best I can tell, rather than investigate the theft or “witchcraft.” And national courts often rule that tribal culture wins over written law books.

Horror of Kenya’s ‘witch’ lynchings
By Odhiambo Joseph
BBC News, Kenya

Villagers, many straight from their farms, and armed with machetes, sticks and axes, are shouting and crowding round in a big group in Kenya’s fertile Kisii district.

I can’t see clearly what is going on, but heavy smoke is rising from the ground and a horrible stench fills the air.

More people are streaming up the hill, some of them with firewood and maize stalks.

Suddenly an old woman breaks from the crowd, screaming for mercy. Three or four people go after her, beat her and drag her back, pushing her onto – what I can now see – is a raging fire.

Burned alive

I was witnessing a horrific practice which appears to be on the increase in Kenya – the lynching of people accused of being witches.

I personally saw the burning alive of five elderly men and women in Itii village.
“ They point at me saying – that is a son of the witch ”
Joseph Ondieki

I had been visiting relatives in a nearby town, when I heard what was happening. I dashed to the scene, accompanied by a village elder.

He reacted as if what we were watching was quite normal, which was shocking for me.

As a stranger I felt I had no choice but to stand by and watch. My fear was that if I showed any sign of disapproval, or made any false move, the angry mob could turn on me.

Not one person was protesting or trying to stop the killing.

Hours later, the police came and removed the charred bodies.

Village youths who took part in the killings told me that the five victims had to die because they had bewitched a young boy.

“Of course some people have been burned. But there is proof of witchcraft,” said one youth.

He said that a child had spent the night walking around and then was unable to talk the following morning – except to one of the so-called witches.

I asked the youths whether or not people involved in this supposed witchcraft should be punished.

“Yes, they must be punished, every one,” said the first youth.

“We are very angry and that’s why we end up punishing these people and even killing them.”

His friend agreed: “In other communities, there are witches all round but in Kisii we have come up with a new method, we want to kill these people using our own hands.”

I later discovered that the young boy who had supposedly been bewitched, was suffering from epilepsy.

His mother had panicked when he had had an attack.

All too common

The village elder was dismissive of my horror, saying that this kind of thing happens all the time in the western district of Kisii.

He told me about Joseph Ondieki, whose mother had been burned to death less than two months earlier.

I found Joseph and his wife Mary Nyaboke tending vegetables in their small shamba, or homestead.
“ If I visit my neighbours I fear they might poison my food ”
Joseph Ondieki

Mary told me that on the day her mother-in-law had been killed she had been visiting her own parents.

She had heard a noise and discovered the truth when she came home.

She said that in the 20 years she had been married, she had never had any reason to believe her husband’s mother was a witch.

Joseph told me he has suffered a lot since his mother died.

“I was born here, but at this stage I feel as if this is not my home any more,” he said.

“I cannot visit neighbours or relatives.

“Even when they see me standing by the road side, they point at me, saying: ‘That is a son of the witch’.

“And when I go to town they also start wondering what has taken me there. Is it that I am going to give evidence against them?

“When I come back, they say I’ve been seen at the police station, but I’ve never been there. I’ve never reported the matter.

“If I visit the neighbours, I always fear that they might put poison in the food.

“So when I’m forced to visit, I make sure I don’t eat anything.

“If I can’t get my own food I just have a glass of water and sleep.”

I set off with Joseph up the hill towards his house, which was far from the centre of the village.

On the way we passed his mother’s house.

A neighbour was reluctant to talk to me and denied even knowing Joseph’s mother.

“Here in Kisii, people are being burned on mere allegation and most of them are old,” Joseph said.

“We now don’t have any old people in the village to consult.

“Even me I’m now approaching 50 years old – I’m afraid that they’ll come for me also.”

Warning signs

I spent three days in Kisii trying to speak to the authorities, but nobody, neither the police nor the local government officials would talk to me.

As night drew in, and it was time for me to leave, Joseph walked with me from his village to where my car was parked.

When we arrived, he begged me to take him with me to Mombasa, where I am based.

It was very difficult for me to leave him behind.

As I drove away I passed signs pinned to trees, warning witches that they would be tracked down.

“We know you by your names”, someone had typed in bold.

To listen to the full broadcast of Kenya’s Witch Lynchings , tune in to African Perspective on the BBC World Service. The program is first broadcast on Saturday 27 June at 1106 GMT. It will be available online from 2106 GMT, for one week.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/8119201.stm

Published: 2009/06/26 07:17:36 GMT

New this weekend… took hours!

Red sails lettuce from my garden… yum!