Michael Joseph Jackson - Born from 29th Aug 1958 to 25th Jun 2009 - Love him or hate him, Michael Jackson or MJ as he was affectionately known was the indisputable King of Pop and was one of the greatest, if not the greatest singer, dancer and entertainer the world has ever known.
Born as Michael Joseph Jackson in Gary, Indiana, The world first got a glimpse of this superstar when MJ appeared on TV with his siblings, then known as The Jackson Five in 1968.
Although still a member of The Jackson five, he launched his solo career in 1971. His popularity as a great singer and dancer kept on spreading until in his 1982 album, Thriller became the world’s best selling album of all time.
Actually, the Thriller was only a precursor to 4 more of his chart busting albums - Off the Wall in 1979, Bad in 1987, Dangerous in 1991 and of course, HIStory in1995.
In the early 1980s, Michael went on to become the first African American entertainer to amass a legion of strong crossover fans following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos, such as Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller transformed the music video from a promotional tool into a a truly professional art form.
In his heydays, Michael Jackson donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial and charitable causes through his foundations.
A sad chapter of his life was when he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. However, the criminal charges against the singer were dropped due to lack of evidence. Then in 2005, MJ was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges. His life was a miserable shamble then.
Michael Jackson was said to have a very unhappy childhood. Jackson recounted several times that he was physically and emotionally abused by his father from a very young age and was forced to do incessant rehearsals, had whippings and name calling. But he also credited his father’s strict discipline as playing a large part in his success as a top notched singer, performer and entertainer.
Michael Jackson first spoke openly about his childhood abuse in a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey. He said that during his childhood he often cried from loneliness and would sometimes start to throw up upon seeing his father.
In another high interview, the singer covered his face with his hand and began crying when talking about his childhood abuse. Jackson recalled that his father, Joseph Jackson sat on a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed and that “if you didn’t do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get at you”.
The entertainer’s biggest moment was during the period of Thriller when his lawyer John Branca negotiated what he proudly announced then as the highest royalty rate ever in the music industry, approximately $2 per album. Meanwhile, MJ raked in more profits from The Making of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, a documentary by himself and John Landis which sold over more than 300,000 copies at that time.
March 25, 1983, gave birth to the Moonwalk dance routine. He debuted this new dance form in live on the Motown 25’s Yesterday, Today, Forever television special, both with The Jackson 5 and on his own singing “Billie Jean”. His Moon Walk during the event were seen by more than 47 million viewers during its initial airing and drew comparisons to Elvis Presley’s and the The Beatles’ appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
MJ’s compassionate golden heart was seen when he co-wrote the charity single “We Are the World” with Lionel Richie, which was released worldwide to help the poor in Africa and the US. Jackson was also one of 39 music celebrities and singers who performed on the record. The single became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief.
Another celebrity Jackson worked closely with was Paul McCartney and together, the duo had two hit singles “The Girl Is Mine” and “Say Say Say”. But unfortunately, this partnership fell through after some business disagreements.
In 1986, the media ran a story claiming that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow down the aging process. However, the report was not true as it was later known that Michael had disseminated the fabricated story himself. He was promoting his upcoming film Captain EO and wanted to promote a science fiction image of himself.
In 1988, some two years after he was diagnosed with vitiligo, Jackson bought and befriended a pet chimpanzee called Bubbles, an act which extended his eccentric persona. In 2003, the singer claimed that Bubbles shared his toilet and cleaned his bedroom. Then it was reported that Jackson bought the bones of The Elephant Man.
Again these were stories that Jackson disseminated to the media. These incredible stories inspired the nickname “Wacko Jacko” although Michael would eventually despise the nickname. Realizing his mistake, he stopped leaking untruths to the press. However due to the profits raking in from these sensational stories, the media and the began making up their own stories.
Michael was born with medium-brown skin, but from early 1980s, his skin gradually grew paler. This change gained widespread media coverage, including rumors that Jackson was bleaching his skin.
Then in the mid 1980s, Jackson was diagnosed with vitiligo and lupus, the latter was in remission in Jackson’s case, and both illnesses made him sensitive to sunlight. The treatments he used for his condition further lightened his skin color and with the application of pancake makeup to even out blotches, he could appear very pale.
The structure of his face changed as well with many surgeons speculating that Jackson had undergone multiple nose surgeries, a forehead lift, thinned lips and a cheekbone surgeries. Some of his colleagues also reported that Jackson was often dizzy and speculated that he was suffering from anorexia nervosa.
In 1992, MJ founded the “Heal the World Foundation”. The charity organization brought underprivileged children to Jackson’s ranch, to go on theme park rides that Jackson had built on the property after he purchased it. The foundation also sent millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war and disease. The Dangerous World Tour began on June 27, 1992, and finished on November 11, 1993.
The entertainer with the compassionate heart performed to 3.5 million people in 67 concerts. All profits from the concerts went to the “Heal the World Foundation”, raising millions of dollars in relief.
In a high-profile visit to several African countries, his first stop to Gabon was greeted with a reception of more than 100,000 people in “spiritual bedlam”, some of them carrying signs that read, “Welcome Home Michael”.
In the Ivory Coast, Michael was crowned “King Sani” by a tribal chief. He then thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed official documents formalizing his kingship and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances.
One of MJ’s most acclaimed performances came during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII. As the performances began, Jackson was catapulted onto the stage as fireworks went off behind him. As he landed on the canvass, he maintained a motionless “clenched fist, standing statue stance”, dressed in a gold and black military outfit and sunglasses, he remained completely motionless for several minutes while the crowd cheered.
The entertainer then slowly removed his sunglasses, threw them away and began to sing and dance. His routine included four songs - Jam, Billie Jean, Black or White and Heal the World. It was the first Super Bowl where the audience figures increased during the half-time show, and was viewed by 135 million Americans alone.
In May 1994, Jackson married singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of the other “King”, Elvis Presley. They had first met in 1975 during one of Jackson’s family engagements at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and were reconnected through a mutual friend in early 1993.
As child molestation accusations became public, Jackson became dependent on Lisa Marie for emotional support. She was concerned about his faltering health and addiction to drugs. Lisa Marie explained, “I believed he didn’t do anything wrong and that he was wrongly accused and yes I started falling for him. I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it.”
Jackson finally proposed to Lisa over the phone towards the late part of 1993, “If I asked you to marry me, would you do it?” Lisa Marie Presley and Jackson were subsequently married in the Dominican Republic in secrecy. At the time, the tabloid media speculated that the wedding was a ploy to prop up Jackson’s public image in light of prior sexual abuse allegations.
Their marriage felled through when Jackson and Lisa divorced less than two years later. However, they remained as good friends.
Michael then kept a low profile in most of 1990s and pleasantly surprised the world with the released of Invincible in October 2001. To promote the new album, a special 30th Anniversary celebration at Madison Square Garden occurred in September 2001 to mark the Jackson’s 30th year as a solo artist.
Michael appeared onstage alongside his siblings for the first time since 1984. The mega celebration also featured performances by Mya, Usher, Whitney Houston, ‘N Sync, and Slash, alongside other celebrities.
In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Michael helped organize the United We Stand: What More Can I Give benefit concert at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The concert was aired on October 21st October 2001, and included performances from dozens of celebrity entertainers, including Michael himself who performed his song “What More Can I Give” as the finale.
Jackson’s third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (also known as Blanket) was born in 2002. The mother’s identity was never known because he said the child was the result of artificial insemination from a surrogate mother and his own sperm cells.
In November 2002, Jackson brought his newborn son onto the balcony of his hotel room in Berlin, as fans stood below. Holding him in his right arm, Jackson briefly extended the baby over the railing of the balcony, four stories above ground level, causing widespread panic and criticism in the media. Michael later regretted and apologized for the incident, calling it “a terrible mistake”.
Then in a 2003 Granada Television documentary “Living with Michael Jackson”, he was seen holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with a boy named Gavin Arvizo, who would later accuse him of child sexual abuse.
MJ denied the sexual abuse allegations vigorously, saying that the sleep overs were in no way sexual in nature. His good friend, celebrity Elizabeth Taylor defended him on Larry King Live, saying that she had been there when they were in the bed, watching television and reiterated that there was nothing wrong about watching TV together.
During the investigation, Jackson’s profile was examined by mental health professional Dr. Stan Katz. Dr. Katz spent several hours with the accuser too. The assessment made by Katz was that Jackson had become a regressed 10-year-old and did not fit the profile of a pedophile.
The trial came two years after Jackson was first charged. During this period, Michael became dependent on morphine and Demerol, a dependency which he subsequently overcame. He also suffered from stress-related illnesses and severe weight loss that would alter his appearance. The intensely watched trial lasted five months and MJ was finally acquitted in May 2005.
Michael was supposed to make a spectacular comeback and had been scheduled to perform 50 sold-out concerts to over a million people at 02 Arena in London from July 13 to March 6, 2010. During a publicity press conference, he had made suggestions of possible retirement after the concert series.
However, on June 25th 2009, Michael Jackson collapsed at his rented mansion at North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles. Pending confirmation from toxicology reports, he was allegedly administered Demerol shortly before he stopped breathing. Attempts at resuscitating him by his personal doctors were unsuccessful.
The King Of Pop, Michael Jackson was pronounced dead at approximately 2:25 p.m. local time. Rumors and news of Jackson’s death broke internet web records triggering a cyberspace traffic jam giving Google, Twitter, Facebook and Yahoo their highest traffic on record.
Chris Chew
Portmeirion Christmas Story 3-Piece Child Set - Scenes Of Twas The Night Before Xmas
Manufacturer Suggested Age: 2 Years, Frame Material: Wood Composite, Safety and Security Features: Slow-Close Safety Hinges, Care and Cleaning: Wipe Clean With a Damp Cloth, Dimensions: Length: 24.5 “; Height: 13.5 “; Width: 15.25
Homeopathic Remedies for Children’s Common Ailments: Safe, effective, drugless treatmentsfor everyday health problemsby Carolyn Dean, Phyllis Herman (Editor)
Mia’s Science Adventure Kids Software is an interactive animated story and a learning adventure, that teaches science by exploring plants, animals, climate, electricity, the human body, etc. This kids computer software will enhace any child’s computer. The story: This story begins when Mia borrows her mothers fancy new hat without her permission and goes to play on the roof. A sudden torrential downpour washes Mia down the drain pipe. She escapes but the hat is swept into the sewer, where it is snatched by the evil rat Romaine and his cousins. Mia must pick herself up, retrieve the lost hat, and then find her way home. Key Features: Feature-film animation Marvelously rich 3D universe 2 CDs for hours of entertainment Hybrid PC and MAC Includes activities on animals, fossils, human body, plants, solar system, electricity, magnetism, and much more! Ages 6 to 10 Award highlights include: Educational Game of the Year - Game Industry Network; Bessie Awards - Upper Elementary Science Category; Seal of Approval - The National Parenting Center; Dr. Toy - Selected as one of the 100 best Childrens Products; Dr. Toy - Selected as one of 10 best Software Products; Kids First Endorsement - Coalition for Quality Childrens Media; All Star Software Award - Children’s Software Revue; Gold Award - Best 3D - New Media Invision; Gold Award - Parents Choice Awards; Childrens Media Honor - Parents Guide Awards; Grand Prize, Educational Software category - Boomerangs Awards. Requirements: Windows: Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP,Vista CPU: Pentium II - 400 MHz RAM: 128 MB Video: Direct X 8.1 Sound: DirectX 5 DVD-ROM: 40 MB of hard drive disk space Macintosh: OS 9, OS X CPU: G3 - 400 MHz RAM: 128 MB Video: 640 x 480 (24-bit color) Sound: Standard Macintosh DVD-ROM: 40 MB of hard drive disk space
Early Childhood Education: Building a Foundation (Books)” />
Elementary Education & Teaching - This text, written by one of the foremost authorities in the field, provides the building blocks for understanding effective practices in early childhood education. Building … - Effective Practices in Early Childhood Education: Building a Foundation (Books)
Feducam’s Centro Myra is a childcare center situated in the south of Quito, in a neighbourhood called the Mena Dos. This neighbourhood has a lot of families who are struggling to feed their families with the very low wages offered to labourers in Ecuador, sometimes less than $100 a month. Adults who have small children therefore have no other choice but to work. In a neighbourhood desperate for childcare options, Centro Myra provides a safe and hopeful alternative. This center provides free and subsidized childcare for more than 80 children. The center is crowded, but the atmosphere is nurturing, and provides parents with supervision options for their children. Volunteers must be of age 18 or above with minimum education of high school.
 Volunteers with the following special skills are preferred for the placement:- Standard First-Aid Child & Youth Worker Early Childhood Education Recreational Programming Social Worker (BSW) Social Work Student Psychologist Psychology Student Day Care Work Teacher - English Teacher - Physical Education Organic Farming Practices Educational Games Guitar Social Worker (MSW)
Volunteers can assist by doing following tasks:- Volunteers will help with the daily routine at the daycare center, create activities and projects for the children, give simple dancing or music lessons, and will help to further structure the centers programsVolunteers can also help in the kitchen, and with the maintenance and cleaning of the center.
Basecamp International welcomes all the interested volunteers from around the world to volunteer and make a difference. If you are interested in this placement then please contact us for the details: Email: info@basecampcenters.com Website: www.basecampcenters.com Mailing Address 298 Bagot Street, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7K 3B4 Phone: 613.541.7862 Toll Free : 866.646.4693 Fax: 613.541.1604
Basecamp International Centers
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/volunteer-at-feducams-centro-myra-in-ecuador-733345.html
Encouraging learning helps boost children’s development and understanding of the world around them. To do so, parents should provide toys that allow for hours of discovery and exploration, as well as areas where children can practice their newfound skills. There are also ways that parents can set up these areas to be more conductive for children’s needs. Having a pile of stuffed animals or a bucket of an assortment of toys available for play is good, but there are better ways to encourage active playtime and learning at home. Try these ideas to get started:
Providing an assortment of toys that allow children to manipulate materials, such as sand, clay or water, teach youngsters many things. Children can create structures or learn about measuring when they have something to mold, fill, and pour. Put a sandbox or a small wading pool in your backyard and toss in a few cups and spoons. Don’t bother with expensive toys on store shelves, as children tend to explore more with simple tools.
Set up areas where a child can read books. A corner of a bedroom or an area in your living room is the perfect place to place a small rocking chair and a bookshelf with reading material. By choosing furniture scaled down for children, parents will provide a more comfortable arrangement that encourages youngsters to use the area.
Offer toys and items that encourage creativity and freedom of personal expression by providing arts and crafts materials for your child. Most children love painting and drawing, so an art activity desk is a smart purchase for parents looking to provide long-term value and is a good investment. Art activity desks allow your child to paint, draw, or color with all the tools he or she needs at his fingertips.
Storage centers for toys can be both helpful for cleanup time and a great way to teach children about sorting. Structures that have multiple bins or drawers at easy reach are good choices. Storage centers encourage children to learn things such as grouping like items together or counting as they dump out the toys and put them away one by one.
Have different areas set up for different activities. A table and chair set with some crayons and paper can go in one place and a rocking chair with books in another. Arts and crafts might be set up in a different room, and storage bins placed where they’ll be most used and appreciated. Having different “sectors” for learning and play helps your child to stay focused on one thing at a time, which means youngsters will play longer and take the time to process information instead of leaping from toy to toy.
Other things you can do is spend a few minutes with your child for some one-on-one time. You can start your child off in a sorting game or ask your youngster to talk to you about his artwork. Pick up a dinosaur from the bin and talk about the creatures, or choose two puppets and have an impromptu show. Remember that even though parents often wish children would amuse themselves, people of all ages are social creatures. While it’s good to set up areas that encourage learning and play, it’s also important to spend time with your child while he or she explores and discovers.
Lily Morgan
http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/does-your-home-encourage-your-childs-learning-135446.html
Honesty and dishonesty are qualities that a child learns at home. Often parents are perturbed when their child lies.
It is common for young children to tell tall tales and make up stories. This is a normal tendency as kids enjoy telling and hearing stories that are fun. Children often tend to confuse the difference between fantasy and reality. This is perhaps more as a result of an extremely active imagination than of an attempt to hide the truth. As children get older, they may tell lies to suite their needs, like shirking responsibility and avoiding work. Parents should treat each instance of lying as an isolated one and respond by teaching the child about the necessity of trust and honesty.
Sometimes adolescents feel that it is alright to lie in certain situations like not telling ones girlfriend or boyfriend the real reason for a breakup as they are afraid of hurting someone else’s feelings. Adolescents might also lie to retain a sense of privacy and feel psychologically independent of their parents. The main role models in a child’s life are his or her parents. When parents catch their child lying, they should approach the matter gently but firmly, emphasizing the difference between a lie and the truth and the necessity for honesty. They should try to communicate to their child and find out the reason for dishonesty and help the child find an alternative. It is best to lead by example and a parent should never lie, and if they do, emphasize the inappropriateness of it. Consequences of lying must be discussed clearly and in a comprehensive manner with the child early in his or her life.
There are, however, some forms of dishonesty that should cause concern and might be a symptom of some underlying emotional problem. Sometimes children know the difference between a lie and the truth but choose to make up elaborate stories to gain attention.
Other adolescents or children, who seem to be sensible, can also fall prey to repetitive lying. It is common for them to feel that a lie is the most convenient method of dealing with the expectations of teachers, parents and friends. Here the child is not trying to be malicious or bad but just falls into a habit of repetitive lying. If the repetitive lying goes beyond a point, it is best to take it seriously and consult a professional child or adolescent psychologist who can provide help in time.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/teaching-your-child-honesty-how-to-deal-with-a-lying-child-740356.html
I have a project in English class that we have to create our own Childrens books. We have to come up with our own plot, theme, title, etc. for the book.
Does anyone have or know any unique ideas that I could get inspiration from? Maybe some title suggestions as well?
TITLE: Chompers
Plot: A young child learns about the importance of eating well to prevent major problems in the future with teeth… Through the book, the child meets a tooth, an apple that is healthy for his teeth, a piece of candy that is bad for his teeth, a dentist who is gentle, a dentist who is mean, a tooth brush, and a tube of toothpaste… The characters include the tooth, tooth brush and toothpaste in "human-like" fashion… They talk, move, walk, and are an intricate part of the message being delivered to children…
TITLE: Gazuntite!
Plot: A bunny named Gaz learns the importance of not spreading around germs, especially since the bunny is sick and causing all of his other friends and family to get sick too… Gaz realizes that it’s not only best to cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, but to also try and cough into your sleeve instead of into the air or into your hand, or paw because if you sneeze on your hand you will spread germs around when touching faucets, door handles, pencils, crayons, etc… The bunny learns that the best thing for a cold are hot soup, veggies, and plenty of rest… Gaz’s friends all visit him and lecture him on why he got sick in the first place - because he went outside in the cold without a coat… The story ends with Gaz feeling much better and playing outside and having learned the importance of saying "bless you" after someone sneezes…
TITLE: Riches to Rags
Plot: A wealthy lion cub has it all… All the toys a kitty could want, all the food in the grasslands, friends, and money… However, the lion cub keeps losing all of his possessions b/c he gambles them away, making bets on things like "what branch will that butterfly land on next?".. .He loses everything and becomes an angry and scary lion when he hits rock bottom… Hiss friends help him realize the error of his ways and help him to regain his pride, pun intended…