WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday confirmed that it has found E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in a sample of Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough.
The contaminated sample was collected at Nestle's facility in Danville, Va. on Thursday, the FDA said in a statement.
Nestle SA earlier on Monday announced a recall of Toll House refrigerated cookie dough, saying the FDA had found evidence of E. Coli in a production sample of a refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough bar.
Nestle's USA's baking division said the recall did not include other Nestle toll house products or any Nestle professional cookie dough products destined for foodservice use.
On June 19, the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned consumers not to eat pre-packaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough, citing the risk of E. Coli contamination.
The warning was based on an epidemiological study conducted by the CDC and local health departments, the FDA said.
As of last Thursday, the CDC reported that 69 people in 29 states had been infected with a strain of E. Coli. Thirty-four people have been hospitalized.
The FDA said more tests were needed to conclusively link the E. Coli strain found in the cookie dough to the strain that is causing the outbreak.
E. coli O157:H7 can cause diarrhea and dehydration. Children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are the most susceptible.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Supreme Court overrules Obama nominee in race bias case
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court overruled President Barack Obama's high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor on Monday in an important race discrimination case, but the White House remained confident she would be approved.
The court's 5-4 ruling held that the city of New Haven, Connecticut, violated federal civil rights law when it threw out the results of a promotion exam which had yielded too many qualified white applicants and no acceptable black candidates.
Civil rights groups and legal experts said the ruling in the closely watched racial discrimination case could affect promotion policies for employers nationwide, many of which operate under "affirmative action" programs designed decades ago to foster diversity and redress past bias.
"This decision will change the landscape of civil rights law," Fordham University law professor Sheila Foster said. Other legal experts said the ruling rolled back 25 years of precedent.
Dividing along conservative and liberal lines, the justices overturned an earlier ruling by a three-judge U.S. appeals court panel that included Sotomayor, who is Obama's choice to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
"I don't foresee that...this will represent anything that would prevent her from a seat on the Supreme Court," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.
Conservative critics seized on the decision, authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, to demonstrate that Sotomayor was "out of sync" with mainstream legal thinking.
Senate confirmation hearings begin on July 13 and if approved she will be the top court's first Hispanic justice.
'UNTOLD' DAMAGE
The liberal judges on the Supreme Court issued an impassioned dissent to Monday's ruling.
"Congress endeavored to promote equal opportunity in fact and not simply in form. The damage today's decision does to that objective is untold," Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, taking the rare step of reading her dissent from the bench.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a group of 19 white firefighters and one Hispanic firefighter who filed a lawsuit in 2004 against New Haven.
The firefighters said they would have been promoted if the city had not thrown out the tests for lieutenant and captain because no blacks had scored high enough to move up in rank.
It marked the first ruling by the court addressing racial discrimination in employment under Chief Justice John Roberts, who joined the court in 2005. In 2007, the court's conservative majority barred public schools from taking race into account to achieve or maintain integration.
Senator John Cornyn, one of seven Republicans on the 19-member Senate Judiciary Committee that will hear Sotomayor's nomination, said, "All nine justices were critical of the trial court opinion that Judge Sotomayor endorsed.
The court's 5-4 ruling held that the city of New Haven, Connecticut, violated federal civil rights law when it threw out the results of a promotion exam which had yielded too many qualified white applicants and no acceptable black candidates.
Civil rights groups and legal experts said the ruling in the closely watched racial discrimination case could affect promotion policies for employers nationwide, many of which operate under "affirmative action" programs designed decades ago to foster diversity and redress past bias.
"This decision will change the landscape of civil rights law," Fordham University law professor Sheila Foster said. Other legal experts said the ruling rolled back 25 years of precedent.
Dividing along conservative and liberal lines, the justices overturned an earlier ruling by a three-judge U.S. appeals court panel that included Sotomayor, who is Obama's choice to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
"I don't foresee that...this will represent anything that would prevent her from a seat on the Supreme Court," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.
Conservative critics seized on the decision, authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, to demonstrate that Sotomayor was "out of sync" with mainstream legal thinking.
Senate confirmation hearings begin on July 13 and if approved she will be the top court's first Hispanic justice.
'UNTOLD' DAMAGE
The liberal judges on the Supreme Court issued an impassioned dissent to Monday's ruling.
"Congress endeavored to promote equal opportunity in fact and not simply in form. The damage today's decision does to that objective is untold," Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, taking the rare step of reading her dissent from the bench.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a group of 19 white firefighters and one Hispanic firefighter who filed a lawsuit in 2004 against New Haven.
The firefighters said they would have been promoted if the city had not thrown out the tests for lieutenant and captain because no blacks had scored high enough to move up in rank.
It marked the first ruling by the court addressing racial discrimination in employment under Chief Justice John Roberts, who joined the court in 2005. In 2007, the court's conservative majority barred public schools from taking race into account to achieve or maintain integration.
Senator John Cornyn, one of seven Republicans on the 19-member Senate Judiciary Committee that will hear Sotomayor's nomination, said, "All nine justices were critical of the trial court opinion that Judge Sotomayor endorsed.
Obama says coup in Honduras is illegal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday the coup that ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was illegal and would set a "terrible precedent" of transition by military force unless it was reversed.
"We believe that the coup was not legal and that President Zelaya remains the president of Honduras, the democratically elected president there," Obama told reporters after an Oval Office meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.
Zelaya, in office since 2006, was overthrown in a dawn coup on Sunday after he angered the judiciary, Congress and the army by seeking constitutional changes that would allow presidents to seek re-election beyond a four-year term.
The Honduran Congress named an interim president, Roberto Micheletti, and the country's Supreme Court said it had ordered the army to remove Zelaya.
The European Union and a string of foreign governments have voiced support for Zelaya, who was snatched by troops from his residence and whisked away by plane to Costa Rica in his pajamas.
Obama said he would work with the Organization of American States and other international institutions to restore Zelaya to power and "see if we can resolve this in a peaceful way."
"TERRIBLE PRECEDENT"
"It would be a terrible precedent if we start moving backwards into the era in which we are seeing military coups as a means of political transition, rather than democratic elections," Obama said, noting the region's progress in establishing democratic traditions in the past 20 years.
Despite Obama's comments, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the administration was not formally designating the ouster as a military coup for now, a step that would force a cut-off of most U.S. aid to Honduras.
Under U.S. law, no aid -- other than for the promotion of democracy -- may be provided to a country whose elected head of government has been toppled in a military coup.
"We do think that this has evolved into a coup," Clinton told reporters, adding the administration was withholding that determination for now.
Asked if the United States was currently considering cutting off aid, Clinton shook her head no.
The State Department said it was unable to immediately say how much assistance the United States gives Honduras.
The State Department has requested $68.2 million in aid for fiscal year 2010, which begins on October 1, up from $43.2 million. This covers funds for development, Honduran purchases of U.S. arms, military training, counter-narcotics and health care but does not include Defense Department aid, a U.S. official said.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said he did not believe Obama had spoken to Zelaya since the ouster
"We believe that the coup was not legal and that President Zelaya remains the president of Honduras, the democratically elected president there," Obama told reporters after an Oval Office meeting with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.
Zelaya, in office since 2006, was overthrown in a dawn coup on Sunday after he angered the judiciary, Congress and the army by seeking constitutional changes that would allow presidents to seek re-election beyond a four-year term.
The Honduran Congress named an interim president, Roberto Micheletti, and the country's Supreme Court said it had ordered the army to remove Zelaya.
The European Union and a string of foreign governments have voiced support for Zelaya, who was snatched by troops from his residence and whisked away by plane to Costa Rica in his pajamas.
Obama said he would work with the Organization of American States and other international institutions to restore Zelaya to power and "see if we can resolve this in a peaceful way."
"TERRIBLE PRECEDENT"
"It would be a terrible precedent if we start moving backwards into the era in which we are seeing military coups as a means of political transition, rather than democratic elections," Obama said, noting the region's progress in establishing democratic traditions in the past 20 years.
Despite Obama's comments, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the administration was not formally designating the ouster as a military coup for now, a step that would force a cut-off of most U.S. aid to Honduras.
Under U.S. law, no aid -- other than for the promotion of democracy -- may be provided to a country whose elected head of government has been toppled in a military coup.
"We do think that this has evolved into a coup," Clinton told reporters, adding the administration was withholding that determination for now.
Asked if the United States was currently considering cutting off aid, Clinton shook her head no.
The State Department said it was unable to immediately say how much assistance the United States gives Honduras.
The State Department has requested $68.2 million in aid for fiscal year 2010, which begins on October 1, up from $43.2 million. This covers funds for development, Honduran purchases of U.S. arms, military training, counter-narcotics and health care but does not include Defense Department aid, a U.S. official said.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said he did not believe Obama had spoken to Zelaya since the ouster
Facebook keeps getting more like Twitter
Facebook has a new question for its users: Who do you want to tell?
The social network is revamping its publishing and privacy capabilities, giving individuals greater control about who sees the status updates, photos and messages they post on the service.
Facebook announced the new features, which are currently in beta testing, in a blog post on Wednesday. The changes provide greater control to limit who sees particular content - pictures of the kids can be viewable by a customized list of family members as opposed to someone’s broader group of Facebook friends.
But the real significance of the move may be in encouraging Facebook users to share their messages with the world at large instead of only with their group of approved group of friends.
Facebook is increasingly emphasizing the “real time” elements of its social network amid competition from microblogging service Twitter. The Twitter stream of real-time messages, viewable to everyone, have gained currency as a way to quickly find out the latest discussion about a particular topic, from the protests in Iran to the new iPhone.
Facebook’s 200 million active users and the content they constantly churn out represent a valuable source of real time news and the changes could help make that content more widely available.
With the new features, a Facebook user can elect to have each individual piece of content they upload into the news stream viewable to “Everyone,” which means that anybody on Facebook, whether or not they are logged-on, can see it.
In a separate announcement on Wednesday, Facebook unveiled a feature that will allow Web sites hosting live events, like music concerts, to incorporate real-time comments by Facebook users.
Facebook has previously experimented with such features through special partnerships, but the new which is part of the Facebook Connect program, means any Web site can now add Facebook conversations by inserting a few lines of code to their sites.
The social network is revamping its publishing and privacy capabilities, giving individuals greater control about who sees the status updates, photos and messages they post on the service.
Facebook announced the new features, which are currently in beta testing, in a blog post on Wednesday. The changes provide greater control to limit who sees particular content - pictures of the kids can be viewable by a customized list of family members as opposed to someone’s broader group of Facebook friends.
But the real significance of the move may be in encouraging Facebook users to share their messages with the world at large instead of only with their group of approved group of friends.
Facebook is increasingly emphasizing the “real time” elements of its social network amid competition from microblogging service Twitter. The Twitter stream of real-time messages, viewable to everyone, have gained currency as a way to quickly find out the latest discussion about a particular topic, from the protests in Iran to the new iPhone.
Facebook’s 200 million active users and the content they constantly churn out represent a valuable source of real time news and the changes could help make that content more widely available.
With the new features, a Facebook user can elect to have each individual piece of content they upload into the news stream viewable to “Everyone,” which means that anybody on Facebook, whether or not they are logged-on, can see it.
In a separate announcement on Wednesday, Facebook unveiled a feature that will allow Web sites hosting live events, like music concerts, to incorporate real-time comments by Facebook users.
Facebook has previously experimented with such features through special partnerships, but the new which is part of the Facebook Connect program, means any Web site can now add Facebook conversations by inserting a few lines of code to their sites.
People implicitly trust social networking
"People implicitly trust social networking sites because they don't understand the real threats and dangers. It's like walking down the street and trusting everybody you meet," said Randy Abrams, a researcher with security software maker ESET.
Amy Benoit, a human resources manager in Oceanside, California, said she may stop using Facebook altogether after she became entangled in a popular scam: A fraudster sent instant messages to a friend saying that Benoit had been attacked in London and needed $600 to get home.
Yale University last week warned its business school students to be careful when using Facebook after several of them turned in infected laptops.
One of the most insidious threats is Koobface, a virus that takes over PCs when users click on links in spam messages. The virus turned up on MySpace about a year ago, but its unknown authors now focus on spreading it through Facebook, which is struggling to wipe it out.
"Machines that are compromised are at the whim of the attacker," said McAfee Inc (MFE.N) researcher Craig Schmugar.
McAfee, the world's No. 2 security software maker, says Koobface variants almost quadrupled last month to 4,000. "Because Facebook is a closed system, we have a tremendous advantage over e-mail. Once we detect a spam message, we can delete that message in all inboxes across the site," said Schmugar.
Facebook's Axten said the site does not know how many users have been infected by Koobface.
A new website that follows Facebook news, www.fbhive.com, recently identified a vulnerability that made it possible to access any user's private information using a simple hack. The loophole has since been closed.
"We don't have any evidence to suggest that it was ever exploited for malicious purposes," Axten said.
Hackers even find ways to get into accounts of savvy users like Sandeep Junnarkar, a journalism professor at City University of New York and former tech reporter. Last month he learned his account was hacked as he waited for a flight for Paris. He quickly changed his password before boarding.
"Am I surprised that it happened? Not really," he said.
Amy Benoit, a human resources manager in Oceanside, California, said she may stop using Facebook altogether after she became entangled in a popular scam: A fraudster sent instant messages to a friend saying that Benoit had been attacked in London and needed $600 to get home.
Yale University last week warned its business school students to be careful when using Facebook after several of them turned in infected laptops.
One of the most insidious threats is Koobface, a virus that takes over PCs when users click on links in spam messages. The virus turned up on MySpace about a year ago, but its unknown authors now focus on spreading it through Facebook, which is struggling to wipe it out.
"Machines that are compromised are at the whim of the attacker," said McAfee Inc (MFE.N) researcher Craig Schmugar.
McAfee, the world's No. 2 security software maker, says Koobface variants almost quadrupled last month to 4,000. "Because Facebook is a closed system, we have a tremendous advantage over e-mail. Once we detect a spam message, we can delete that message in all inboxes across the site," said Schmugar.
Facebook's Axten said the site does not know how many users have been infected by Koobface.
A new website that follows Facebook news, www.fbhive.com, recently identified a vulnerability that made it possible to access any user's private information using a simple hack. The loophole has since been closed.
"We don't have any evidence to suggest that it was ever exploited for malicious purposes," Axten said.
Hackers even find ways to get into accounts of savvy users like Sandeep Junnarkar, a journalism professor at City University of New York and former tech reporter. Last month he learned his account was hacked as he waited for a flight for Paris. He quickly changed his password before boarding.
"Am I surprised that it happened? Not really," he said.
Cybercrime spreads on Facebook
BOSTON (Reuters) - Cybercrime is rapidly spreading on Facebook as fraudsters prey on users who think the world's top social networking site is a safe haven on the Internet.
Lisa Severens, a clinical trials manager from Worcester, Massachusetts, learned the hard way. A virus took control of her laptop and started sending pornographic photos to colleagues.
"I was mortified about having to deal with it at work," said Severens, whose employer had to replace her computer because the malicious software could not be removed.
Cybercrime, which costs U.S. companies and individuals billions of dollars a year, is spreading fast on Facebook because such scams target and exploit those naive to the dark side of social networking, security experts say.
While News Corp's (NWSA.O) MySpace was the most-popular hangout for cyber criminals two years ago, experts say hackers are now entrenched on Facebook, whose membership has soared from 120 million in December to more than 200 million today.
"Facebook is the social network du jour. Attackers go where the people go. Always," said Mary Landesman, a senior researcher at Web security company ScanSafe.
Scammers break into accounts posing as friends of users, sending spam that directs them to websites that steal personal information and spread viruses. Hackers tend to take control of infected PCs for identity theft, spamming and other mischief.
Facebook manages security from its central headquarters in Palo Alto, California, screening out much of the spam and malicious software targeting its users. That should make it a safer place to surf than the broader Internet, but criminals are relentless and some break through Facebook's considerable filter.
The rise in attacks reflect Facebook's massive growth. Company spokesman Simon Axten said that as the number of users has increased, the percentage of successful attacks has stayed about the same, remaining at less than 1 percent of members over the past five years.
By comparison, he said, FBI data shows that about 3 percent of U.S. households were burglarized in 2005.
"Security is an arms race, and we're always updating these systems and building new ones to respond to new and evolving threats," Axten said.
When criminal activity is detected on one account, the site quickly looks for similar patterns in others and either deletes bad emails or resets passwords to compromised accounts, he said. Facebook is hiring a fraud investigator and a fraud analyst, according to the careers section of its website.
CANNOT GUARANTEE WEB SAFETY
But ultimately Facebook says its members are responsible for their own security.
"We do our best to keep Facebook safe, but we cannot guarantee it," Facebook says in a warning in a section of the site on the terms and conditions of use
Lisa Severens, a clinical trials manager from Worcester, Massachusetts, learned the hard way. A virus took control of her laptop and started sending pornographic photos to colleagues.
"I was mortified about having to deal with it at work," said Severens, whose employer had to replace her computer because the malicious software could not be removed.
Cybercrime, which costs U.S. companies and individuals billions of dollars a year, is spreading fast on Facebook because such scams target and exploit those naive to the dark side of social networking, security experts say.
While News Corp's (NWSA.O) MySpace was the most-popular hangout for cyber criminals two years ago, experts say hackers are now entrenched on Facebook, whose membership has soared from 120 million in December to more than 200 million today.
"Facebook is the social network du jour. Attackers go where the people go. Always," said Mary Landesman, a senior researcher at Web security company ScanSafe.
Scammers break into accounts posing as friends of users, sending spam that directs them to websites that steal personal information and spread viruses. Hackers tend to take control of infected PCs for identity theft, spamming and other mischief.
Facebook manages security from its central headquarters in Palo Alto, California, screening out much of the spam and malicious software targeting its users. That should make it a safer place to surf than the broader Internet, but criminals are relentless and some break through Facebook's considerable filter.
The rise in attacks reflect Facebook's massive growth. Company spokesman Simon Axten said that as the number of users has increased, the percentage of successful attacks has stayed about the same, remaining at less than 1 percent of members over the past five years.
By comparison, he said, FBI data shows that about 3 percent of U.S. households were burglarized in 2005.
"Security is an arms race, and we're always updating these systems and building new ones to respond to new and evolving threats," Axten said.
When criminal activity is detected on one account, the site quickly looks for similar patterns in others and either deletes bad emails or resets passwords to compromised accounts, he said. Facebook is hiring a fraud investigator and a fraud analyst, according to the careers section of its website.
CANNOT GUARANTEE WEB SAFETY
But ultimately Facebook says its members are responsible for their own security.
"We do our best to keep Facebook safe, but we cannot guarantee it," Facebook says in a warning in a section of the site on the terms and conditions of use
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Jackson's final hours puzzle doctor, family
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Both Michael Jackson's family and his personal physician were at pains to explain on Sunday what caused the troubled pop star's sudden death weeks before his long-awaited comeback.
Dr. Conrad Murray, who was at Jackson's side when he died, told police he did not inject the singer with painkillers before his fatal cardiac arrest on Thursday, his lawyer said on Sunday after reports he received a shot of narcotic Demerol.
When asked at Sunday's BET Awards about the care his son received from doctors in his last moments, Jackson's father, Joe, said, "I have a lot of concerns. ... I can't get into that, but I don't like what happened."
He said funeral arrangements for the King of Pop were still being discussed. A family friend said services could take place on Wednesday and the body could be buried at Jackson's famous Neverland Ranch.
Tension over the mysterious death came to the surface at the BET Awards, modified at the last minute as a tribute to Jackson's musical genius. Some stars bristled over coverage of Jackson's downward spiral during the last decade, filled with accusations of child molestation and bizarre behavior.
"He is one of our heroes," said rap artist and music impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs. "As African Americans, we are not going to let everybody beat him up."
Jackson, 50, was weeks away from an anticipated comeback with a series of 50 concerts in London. He rehearsed regularly up to the night before his death.
Concerns about his health had been rampant during his 2005 trial in California on charges of child sex abuse, of which he was acquitted. Last year, he was photographed in Las Vegas in a wheelchair.
'BARELY ATE, DRANK'
Promoter AEG Live said Jackson had passed a four-hour medical exam earlier this year.
Murray -- a cardiologist hired ahead of the concerts and paid by AEG, according to his lawyer -- was surprised to find Jackson unconscious and not breathing in his rented chateau in an upscale Los Angeles neighborhood.
"He barely ate, he barely drank. But (there was) nothing which would lead the doctor to believe that he had any possible problems that would cause sudden death," said Edward Chernoff, the attorney who accompanied Murray during three hours of police questioning on Saturday.
Los Angeles police said after questioning Murray that they do not consider him a suspect. Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times the meeting revealed "no red flag" of criminal activity.
The Jackson family holed up in their L.A. compound making plans for a funeral that could take place on Wednesday, possibly at the Neverland estate in central California, family friend Stacy Brown said.
Brown told Reuters that a family source said Jackson had received an injection of the narcotic painkiller Demerol shortly before paramedics were called to the mansion."They have been concerned about his addiction to medicines for years," said Brown, who co-wrote the book "Michael Jackson: The Man Behind the Mask."
"It's been no family secret that they've been trying to get him help for his addiction," Brown said.
The family arranged for a second, private autopsy on Saturday after the Los Angeles coroner said it would need four to six more weeks to determine the exact cause of death.
Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader who was with the Jackson family last week, echoed Joe Jackson's doubts about what transpired in his son's final hours.
"There is a concern about what happened the last 12 hours of Michael's life," Jackson told People magazine. "The doctor has shown some bizarre behavior."
Jackson is survived by three children aged 12, 11 and 7, the first two from his ex-wife Debbie Rowe and the last from an unidentified surrogate mother.
Addressing speculation of a custody battle over the children, Joe Jackson said in a statement from the BET red carpet that only he and wife Katherine "have authority for our son and his children."
Howard hoping U.S. have proved worth on big stage
U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard said he hoped the American performance at the Confederations Cup has proved his team could play on football's biggest stage.
"We hope we've opened some eyes and proven to some people we can play on a big stage," the Everton goalkeeper told reporters after the Americans lost 3-2 to Brazil in Sunday's final in Johannesburg.
"But without question it was exceedingly disappointing to lose," he added.
"Today was a tough challenge, one of the biggest and we almost had them," said defender Jay DeMerit after the U.S. let slip a 2-0 halftime lead to lose 3-2.
Landon Donovan, who scored his 40th international goal in the match, said his side had been overrun in the second half.
"It's Brazil! They are never going to lie down and they came wave after wave. We did make mistakes though and could have used the ball better. We gave it away too easily."
Donovan said the Americans were "disappointed but proud."
The U.S. lost their opening two games at the tournament but recovered in their final group game, a 3-0 win over Egypt which earned a semi-final berth.
They then scored one of their biggest ever upsets by ending Spain's long-standing winning streak and came close to another shock score in the final.
"We've really grown as a team at this tournament and proven to ourselves, the coaches and the fans that we are a really good team and we are really looking forwards to the 2010 World Cup," said striker Charlie Davies.
Winning coach Dunga also paid tribute to the runners-up.
"Since the last World Cup they have become a very competitive team. All the players are very combatitive and difficult. Their side is tactically and physically strong," said Dunga after his side retained the Confederations Cup.
Kaka says Brazil will keep feet on ground after victory
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Brazilian playmaker Kaka says the squad have learnt from the mistakes they made four years ago when they won the Confederations Cup, then headed off to the World Cup in Germany expecting to win that too.
Instead, they failed to retain the trophy they won in 2002, going out to France in the quarter-finals.
Kaka played a key role as Brazil retained the Confederations Cup on Sunday with a 3-2 comeback win over the United States and although he did not score he was named Man of the Match and also won the Golden Ball as Player of the Tournament.
Asked if the success made Brazil favorites to win the World Cup next year, he replied: "Well, we have to qualify first. We have four games left and hopefully we will qualify.
"But we must avoid any unnecessary euphoria now because after we won the Confederations Cup in 2005 our celebrations were too euphoric.
"Now we must keep very calm, but when we get together as a squad and train together for an extended period, we know what we are capable of. If we do go to the World Cup as favorites, let's hope it will be justified."
No team that has won the Confederations Cup, used as a test event for the World Cup, has gone on to lift the World Cup the following year, but Kaka said Brazil obviously had a chance of coming back and doing just that.
"We have played very well here and if we do the same next year we must have a chance, but we have to keep working hard and not be carried away by this success."
According to preliminary FIFA figures, Brazil will move to the top of the their world rankings list when it is published on Wednesday, displacing Spain who have held the No.1 spot for the last year.
On Tuesday Kaka will be officially presented as a Real Madrid player for the first time following his 68.0 million euros ($98 million) transfer from AC Milan. He said he was delighted to be moving to his new club with a new trophy.
Although delighted with Brazil's win, he thought he should have been credited with a goal after an hour when his header appeared to cross the line before being caught by U.S. keeper Tim Howard.
"It would have been fantastic to have scored a 'legal' goal he said. "But FIFA should see what can be done to improve these situations. It would have been very important to score this goal, but we won in the end, so that is okay."
Brazil fight back to sink U.S. in Confederations Cup final
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Holders Brazil fought back from 2-0 down with three second-half goals to beat the United States 3-2 and win the Confederations Cup for the third time in an entertaining final Sunday.
The U.S., who shocked Spain in the semis, looked set to complete an even greater upset when goals by Clint Dempsey and skipper Landon Donovan put them 2-0 ahead at halftime.
U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard produced several good saves before striker Luis Fabiano took his tournament tally to five just after the restart and he equalized with a header.
Brazil captain Lucio completed his side's stunning recovery when he rose superbly to power home an Elano corner six minutes from time.
The match was a fitting climax to an outstanding tournament which provided shocks, excellent football and noisy crowds, auguring well for next year's World Cup finals in South Africa.
The U.S. stunned Brazil by taking the lead with a fortuitous goal by Dempsey.
He connected with Jonathan Spector's cross and although he did not get a perfect touch the ball sped past Julio Cesar.
Astonishingly, the Americans doubled their lead after 27 minutes.
Donovan started the move deep in his own half when he found Ricardo Clark who broke down the left before sending a perfect cross back to Donovan.
His first touch wrong-footed Ramires, creating an opening for the striker who switched the ball to his left foot and cracked it past Julio Cesar for his 40th international goal in his 114th match.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
Brazil had beaten the U.S. 14 times in 15 previous meetings but keeper Howard kept the outsiders firmly in control with a number of fine saves.
Brazil had the majority of the possession but rarely threatened until a minute after the restart when Luis Fabiano turned and shot through the legs of a defender in one movement.
Brazil twice went close to an equalizer, Howard pulling off an excellent diving save from a Lucio header and getting lucky when Kaka's downward header looked to have crossed the line before the keeper held on to it.
But he was not quite as fortunate the next time Brazil hit the bar.Saturday, June 27, 2009
Iraq ready to handle security without U.S.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Saturday that the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraqi cities at the end of June showed Iraq can handle its own security, despite a wave of bombings this week.
The U.S. pullback from Iraq's urban centers scheduled to be finished at the end of the month has been seen as a milestone on Iraq's road to sovereignty after years of military occupation.
But a spate of bombings in the capital and in northern Iraq this week, including two of the bloodiest attacks in more than a year, have shaken the confidence of Iraqis in their own forces.
"We are on the threshold of a new phase that will bolster Iraq's sovereignty," Maliki said. "It is a message to the world that we are now able to safeguard our security and administer our internal affairs."
Two big bombings in Baghdad and the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk this week killed more than 150 people between them. On Friday, a bomb killed at least 13 people at a market in Baghdad. A spattering of other bombs has also fueled apprehension.
U.S. and Iraqi officials have warned they expect the number of attacks to rise as the U.S. troops pull back, and also in the run-up to parliamentary elections next January.
"We have high trust in our security forces to administer security and pursue al-Qaeda remnants and criminal gangs," Maliki said.
He added that Iraq had achieved comparatively good levels of security, not just through better policing but efforts at political reconciliation between Iraq's divided factions -- something his critics often accuse him of dragging his feet on.
"If they (militants) want to bring down the political process, we say, it won't collapse, unless national unity is shaken," Maliki said.
(Reporting by Khalid al-Ansary; Writing by Tim Cocks)
U.S. reverses Afghan drug policy
TRIESTE, Italy (Reuters) - Washington is to dramatically overhaul its Afghan anti-drug strategy, phasing out opium poppy eradication, the U.S. envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan told allies on Saturday.
Richard Holbrooke, attending a G8 conference on stabilizing Afghanistan, also discussed efforts to support its August 20 election. Washington has nearly doubled its troops to combat a growing Taliban insurgency and provide security for the vote.
"The Western policies against the opium crop, the poppy crop, have been a failure. They did not result in any damage to the Taliban, but they put farmers out of work," Holbrooke told Reuters after a series of bilateral meetings in Italy.
"We are not going to support crop eradication. We're going to phase it out," he said. The emphasis would instead be on intercepting drugs and chemicals used to make them, and going after drug lords.
He said some crop eradication may still be allowed, but only in limited areas.
Afghanistan supplies more than 90 percent of the world's heroin.
Despite the millions of dollars spent on counter-narcotics efforts, drug production kept rising dramatically until last year -- U.N. figures indicate Afghanistan's opiate output has risen more than 40-fold since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Holbrooke told delegates the United States planned to cut back funding for eradication while allocating several hundred million dollars to support legal crop cultivation.
The head of the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime, told Reuters the old U.S. eradication strategy had been "a sad joke."
"Sad because many, many Afghan policemen and soldiers ... have been killed and only about 5,000 hectares were eradicated, about 3 percent of the volume," Antonio Maria Costa said.
Iran declined to attend the event but Antonio Maria Costa, head of the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime, told Reuters it was strongly committed to a regional effort to tackle trafficking from Afghanistan and had begun joint counter-narcotics operations with Afghan and Pakistani authorities.
"This is very new, it has not happened in the past."
U.S. President Barack Obama has put Afghanistan and Pakistan at the center of his foreign agenda and launched a new strategy aimed at defeating al Qaeda and stabilizing Afghanistan.
The 45 nations and multilateral organizations at the conference issued a statement pledging to look at ways to boost humanitarian aid to Pakistan, where nearly 2 million people have been displaced by fighting.
Holbrooke said allies were not doing enough.
He reportedly sent moving vans to empty his son's mansion in the upscale Holmby Hills neighborhood, concerned that items would be stolen. The singer's younger sister, Janet, spent several hours at the estate, which city records show is worth $20 million and owned by a trust linked to apparel mogul Herbert Guez.
Jackson's parents, siblings and three young children were in seclusion at the family compound in the Los Angeles suburb of Encino, as distraught fans from around the world gathered outside its brick walls.
Jackson's body is being held at an undisclosed mortuary after the coroner returned it to the family on Friday evening. Funeral plans have not been announced.
"We need something where we can mourn and celebrate his life, say our goodbyes," said Donna Green, a 44-year-old resident of Las Vegas who once ran a Jackson fan club.
(Additional reporting by Laura Isensee and Dean Goodman; Editing by Will Dunham)
Doctor queried in Michael Jackson death, 2nd autopsy held
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Los Angeles police on Saturday again questioned Michael Jackson's doctor, while the family of the pop music icon ordered its own private autopsy two days after his death shocked fans around the world.
Jackson's father issued a statement urging fans not to despair because the singer "will continue to live on in each and every one of you."
The family sought a second autopsy -- the official one was conducted on Friday -- amid reports about the 50-year-old singer's reliance on prescription medications.
Jackson's personal physician, Texas cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray, who was with the singer when he collapsed at his rented mansion on Thursday, hired an attorney to accompany him to what was expected to be a lengthy meeting with the Los Angeles Police Department late on Saturday.
"Dr. Murray is considered to be a witness to the events surrounding Michael Jackson's death and he is not a suspect," Houston law firm Stradley, Chernoff & Alford said in a statement.
"Dr. Murray hired legal counsel to help guide him through the police investigation process. The law firm was hired to make sure the police investigation is conducted properly."
An LAPD spokeswoman said she had no updates on the meeting, three hours after it was scheduled to begin.
According to media reports, Jackson was injected with the narcotic painkiller Demerol shortly before he went into cardiac arrest. Murray was desperately trying to revive Jackson when paramedics arrived, and he rode with the singer in an ambulance to the hospital where the pop star was pronounced dead.
The official autopsy, conducted on Friday, failed to determine what killed Jackson, pending toxicology tests that were expected to take up to six weeks. Such tests could reveal the presence of drugs in his system.
The celebrity website TMZ.com, which first broke the news of Jackson's death, reported that the second autopsy took place at an undisclosed location in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon, on the orders of the Jackson family.
'DID HE INJECT HIM?'
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who has been serving as a spokesman for the singer's family, told ABC News the family also had questions for Murray. Jackson is not related to the singer's family.
"When did the doctor come? What did he do? Did he inject him? If so, with what?" he said in an interview with ABC.
Michael Jackson's father, Joseph, issued a statement through People magazine, calling his son's death "one of the darkest moments of our lives."
He added: "We miss Michael endlessly, our pain cannot be described in words. ... But please do not despair, because Michael will continue to live on in each and every one of youThe oBama: Some aspects of the life of Michael Jackson was a sad and tragic
Obama: Some aspects of the life of Michael Jackson was a sad and tragic U.S. President Barack Obama in the White House news conference on Friday. Photographer: White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Friday that U.S. President Barack Obama called the Michael Jackson "King of Pop", who died suddenly on Thursday, 50-year-old as "a wonderful artist." Gibbs said Obama also believes that some aspects of the life of Jackson was "a sad and tragic" and offered condolences to the family of the late singer. On the other hand, the newspaper "The Guardian" in the British position on the "Web" on Friday evening that the police and the Office of Los Angeles to investigate the causes of death are looking for a doctor of pop star Michael Jackson, who disappeared before his sudden and tragic. The newspaper quoted police as saying they had detained a doctor, who left at the scene before the palace was rented by Jackson at the "Bel Air" luxury apartment, and she is willing to talk with the doctor who did not sign the death certificate, which is normal procedure in such cases. Michael Jackson and the death of a massive heart attack At a time when the autopsy process, increasing expectations on the possible cause of the pain killers, which was used by Jackson for a long time in his death. The close friends of the family of Michael Jackson that he used drugs to help cope with the physical fatigue of the preface and prepared for a trip back to the emergence of the theater after a long absence from the music scene. The death of the King of Pop Michael Jackson Expect some media reports that the doctor had injected a drug, "Kalmorvin" hours before his condition deteriorated and he suffered a heart attack. Is worth mentioning that Jackson married twice and has three children but has lived in isolation in recent years. The Western mass media extensively reported the death of Michael Jackson, and observed the reactions of artists and officials around the world, as well as reactions to the music and art lovers. And Jackson had been "morphine" to name one of his songs | ||
The death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009,
The death of Michael Jackson on June 25, 2009, occurred when Jackson reportedly collapsed, one hour after receiving an injection of pethidine, known as Demerol, a painkiller he had allegedly been addicted to for 20 years, according to ABC News.[1] The death of Michael Jackson triggered an outpouring of grief from fans around the world, slowing down internet traffic and causing his album sales to soar.
Jackson had been scheduled to perform 50 sold-out concerts to over one million people at London's O2 arena, from July 13, 2009, to March 6, 2010, which he implied during a press conference would be the last concerts of his careerMichael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 РJune 25, 2009) was an American recording artist and entertainer. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he made his d̩but onto the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1969, and later began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop"[2] in subsequent years, his 1982 album Thriller remains the world's best-selling record of all time[3] and four of his other solo studio albums are among the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).
In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African American entertainer to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videos airing on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and "Thriller"—widely credited with transforming the music video from a promotional tool into an art form—helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream" made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style influenced many hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists. While Jackson was a member of Generation Jones,[4][5] his influence extended across multiple generations.
Jackson donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his foundations, charity singles, and support of 39 charities. Other aspects of his personal life, including his often changing appearances and eccentric behavior, generated significant controversy which damaged his public image. Though he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, the criminal investigation was closed due to lack of evidence and Jackson was not charged. The singer had experienced health concerns since the early 1990s and conflicting reports regarding the state of his finances since the late 1990s. Jackson married twice and fathered three children, all of which caused further controversy. In 2005, Jackson was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges.
One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records—including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"—13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career, and the sale of 750 million records worldwide.[6] Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades. Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, aged 50.[7] The specific cause of death has yet to be determined.[2] Before his death, Jackson had announced a 50-date sell-out This Is It comeback tour, in London, England.1958–1975: Early life and The Jackson 5
Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana (an industrial suburb of Chicago, Illinois) to a working-class family on August 29, 1958.[9] The son of Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson and Katherine Esther (née Scruse),[9] he was the seventh of nine children. His siblings are Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, La Toya, Marlon, Randy and Janet.[9] Joseph Jackson was a steel mill employee who often performed in an R&B band called The Falcons with his brother Luther. Jackson was raised as a Jehovah's Witness by his devout mother.[9]
From a young age Jackson was physically and emotionally abused by his father, enduring incessant rehearsals, whippings and name-calling. Jackson's abuse as a child affected him throughout his life.[10] In one altercation—later recalled by Marlon Jackson—Joseph held Michael upside down by one leg and "pummeled him over and over again with his hand, hitting him on his back and buttocks".[11] Joseph would also trip up, or push his male children into walls. One night while Jackson was asleep, Joseph climbed into his room through the bedroom window. Wearing a fright mask, he entered the room screaming and shouting. Joseph said he wanted to teach his children not to leave the window open when they went to sleep. For years afterwards, Jackson suffered nightmares about being kidnapped from his bedroom.[11]
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 get sick or start to vomit upon seeing his father.[12][13][14][15] In Jackson's other high profile interview, Living with Michael Jackson (2003), the singer covered his face with his hand and began crying when talking about his childhood abuse.[11] Jackson recalled that Joseph sat in 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 you".[16]
Jackson showed musical talent early in his life, performing in front of classmates and others during a Christmas recital at the age of five.[9] In 1964, Jackson and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by brothers Jackie, Tito and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine, respectively. Jackson later began performing backup vocals and dancing; at the age of eight, he and Jermaine assumed lead vocals, and the group's name was changed to The Jackson 5.[9] The band toured the Midwest extensively from 1966 to 1968. The band frequently performed at a string of black clubs and venues collectively known as the "chitlin' circuit", where they often opened for stripteases and other adult acts. In 1966, they won a major local talent show with renditions of Motown hits and James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)", led by Michael.[17]
The Jackson 5 recorded several songs, including "Big Boy", for the local record label Steeltown in 1967 and signed with Motown Records in 1968.[9] Rolling Stone magazine later described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts", noting that Michael "quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer" after he began to dance and sing with his brothers.[18] Though Michael sang with a "child's piping voice, he danced like a grown-up hoofer and sang with the R&B/gospel inflections of Sam Cooke, James Brown, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder".[18] The group set a chart record when its first four singles ("I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There") peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[9] During The Jackson 5's early years, Motown's public relations team claimed that Jackson was nine years old—two years younger than he actually was—to make him appear cuter and more accessible to the mainstream audience.[19] Starting in 1972, Jackson released a total of four solo studio albums with Motown, among them Got to Be There and Ben. These were released as part of the Jackson 5 franchise, and produced successful singles such as "Got to Be There", "Ben" and a remake of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin". The group's sales began declining in 1973, and the band members chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow them creative control or input.[20] Although the group scored several top 40 hits, including the top 5 disco single "Dancing Machine" and the top 20 hit "I Am Love", the Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975.[20]
1975–1981: Move to Epic and Off the Wall
The Jackson 5 signed a new contract with CBS Records in June 1975, joining the Philadelphia International Records division, later Epic Records.[20] As a result of legal proceedings, the group was renamed The Jacksons.[21] After the name change, the band continued to tour internationally, releasing six more albums between 1976 and 1984. From 1976 to 1984, Michael Jackson was the lead songwriter of the group, writing hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", "This Place Hotel" and "Can You Feel It".[17]
In 1978, Jackson starred as Scarecrow in the musical The Wiz.[22] The musical scores were arranged by Quincy Jones, who formed a partnership with Jackson during the film's production and agreed to produce the singer's next solo album, Off the Wall.[23] In 1979, Jackson broke his nose during a complex dance routine. His subsequent rhinoplasty surgery was not a complete success; he complained of breathing difficulties that would affect his career. He was referred to Dr. Steven Hoefflin, who performed Jackson's second rhinoplasty and other subsequent operations.[24]
Jones and Jackson jointly produced Off the Wall. Songwriters included Jackson, Heatwave's Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. Released in 1979, it was the first album to generate four US top 10 hits, including the chart-topping singles "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You".[25] Off the Wall reached number three on the Billboard 200 and has since been certified for 7 million shipments in the US and eventually sold over 20 million copies worldwide.[26][27] In 1980, Jackson won three awards at the American Music Awards for his solo efforts: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Male Soul/R&B Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".[25] That year, he also won Billboard Music Awards for Top Black Artist and Top Black Album and a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough").[25] Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a much bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release.[28] In 1980, Jackson secured the highest royalty rate in the music industry: 37% of wholesale album profit.[29]
1982–1985: Thriller, Motown 25, We Are the World and business career
After Jackson's early 1982 contribution, "Someone In the Dark", to the blockbuster film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which nabbed him a Grammy for Best Album for Children,[30] Epic issued his second album, Thriller. In what would turn out to be the apex of Jackson's career, the album remained in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for 80 consecutive weeks, 37 at the peak. Seven singles from Thriller concurrently hit the Billboard Hot 100 top 10, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".[31] Thriller went on to sell upwards of 109 million copies, making it the best-selling album of all time,[32][33][3][34] causing Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli to muse that "at some point, Thriller stopped selling like a leisure item—like a magazine, a toy, tickets to a hit movie—and started selling like a household staple."[35]
The period of Thriller was an extraordinarily lucrative one for Jackson, whose lawyer John Branca had negotiated what he boasted then as the highest royalty rate ever in the music industry, approximately $2 per album. Meanwhile, Jackson raked in profits from The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller, a documentary by Jackson and John Landis which quickly sold over 350,000 copies. In addition, Jackson began profiting from his image in earnest, as Michael Jackson dolls and other novelties hit the market.[36]
Beyond its record-breaking success among fans, Thriller instituted multiple changes within the music industry. One, it raised the importance of albums, while challenging notions about how many prospective hits an album should contain.[37] Two, it restored to the industry a sense of confidence in its ability to release high-level artistry during a time when profits had been sinking due to what one industry analyst called "the ruins of punk and the chic regions of synthesizer pop".[36] Three, it helped bring MTV into its heyday, even as MTV helped fuel Thriller's success. Four, Thriller paved the way for other well-profitable acts such as Prince.[38] In the end, in many ways, Jackson had become a one-man rescue team for the music business.[39] At its 25th anniversary, Thriller retained important influence over the music industry, artists, and American culture.[35]
On March 25, 1983, Jackson performed live on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special, both with The Jackson 5 and on his own singing "Billie Jean". Debuting his signature dance move—the moonwalk—his performances during the event were seen by 47 million viewers during its initial airing, and drew comparisons to Elvis Presley's and the The Beatles' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.[40] The New York Times said, "The moonwalk that he made famous is an apt metaphor for his dance style. How does he do it? As a technician, he is a great illusionist, a genuine mime. His ability to keep one leg straight as he glides while the other bends and seems to walk requires perfect timing".[41]
Jackson suffered a setback on January 27, 1984. While filming a Pepsi Cola commercial at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Jackson suffered second degree burns to his scalp after pyrotechnics accidentally set his hair on fire. Happening in front of a full house of fans during a simulated concert, the incident was the subject of heavy media scrutiny and elicited an outpouring of sympathy.[42] PepsiCo settled a lawsuit out of court, and Jackson gave his $1.5 million settlement to the "Michael Jackson Burn Center" which was a piece of new technology to help people with severe burns.[42] Jackson had his third rhinoplasty shortly afterwards and grew self conscious about his appearance.[24]
On May 14, 1984, Jackson was invited to the White House to receive an award presented by U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The award was given for Jackson's support of charities that helped people overcome alcohol and drug abuse.[43] Jackson won eight awards during the 1984 Grammys. Unlike later albums, Thriller did not have an official tour to promote it, but the 1984 Victory Tour, headlined by The Jacksons, showcased much of Jackson's new solo material to more than two million Americans.[44] He donated his $5 million share from the Victory Tour to charity.[45]
Jackson co-wrote the charity single "We Are the World" with Lionel Richie, which was released worldwide to aid the poor in Africa and the US. He was one of 39 music celebrities who performed on the record. The single became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with nearly 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief.[46]
While working with Paul McCartney on the two hit singles "The Girl Is Mine" and "Say Say Say", the pair became friendly, occasionally visiting one another. In one discussion, McCartney told Jackson about the millions of dollars he had made from music catalogs; he was earning approximately $40 million a year from other people's songs. Jackson then began a business career buying, selling and distributing publishing rights to music from numerous artists. Shortly afterwards, ATV Songs—a music catalogue holding thousands of songs, including most of the songs written by Lennon-McCartney between 1963-1973—was put up for sale.[47][48]
Jackson took immediate interest in the catalog but was warned that he would face strong competition. Excited, he skipped around saying, "I don't care. I want those songs. Get me those songs Branca [his attorney]". Branca then contacted the attorney of McCartney, who clarified that his client was not interested in bidding; "It's too pricey". After Jackson had started negotiations, McCartney changed his mind and tried to persuade Yoko Ono to join him in a joint bid, she declined, so he pulled out. Jackson eventually beat the rest of the competition in negotiations that lasted 10 months, purchasing the catalog for $47.5 million. When McCartney found out he said, "I think it's dodgy to do things like that. To be someone's friend and then buy the rug they're standing on". [47][49]
1986–1990: Tabloids, appearance, Bad, autobiography and films
See also: Michael Jackson's health and appearance
In 1986, the tabloid press ran a story claiming that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow the aging process; he was pictured lying down in a glass box. Although the claim was untrue, Jackson disseminated the fabricated story himself. The singer was promoting his upcoming movie Captain EO and wanted to promote a science fiction image of himself.[50][51] Jackson had a fourth rhinoplasty and, wanting masculine features, had a cleft put in his chin.[24] Then he starred in the Francis Ford Coppola-directed 3-D film Captain EO. It was the most expensive film produced on a per-minute basis at the time, and was later hosted in Disney theme parks. Disneyland featured the film in its Tomorrowland area for nearly 11 years, while Walt Disney World screened the film in its Epcot theme park from 1986 to 1994.[52]
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.[51] Later it was reported that Jackson bought the bones of The Elephant Man. Although untrue, it was a story that Jackson again disseminated to the tabloid press.[50][51] These stories inspired the pejorative nickname "Wacko Jacko", which Jackson acquired the following year. He would eventually come to despise the nickname. Realizing his mistake, he stopped leaking untruths to the press. However due to the profit being made, the media began making up their own stories.[51][53]
Jackson's skin was a medium-brown color for the entire duration of his youth, but starting in the early 1980s, his skin gradually grew paler. This change gained widespread media coverage, including rumors that Jackson was bleaching his skin.[12] 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 tone, and, with the application of pancake makeup to even out blotches, he could appear very pale.[54] The structure of his face changed as well; several surgeons have speculated that Jackson had undergone multiple nasal surgeries, a forehead lift, thinned lips and a cheekbone surgery.[55] Changes to his face were, in part, due to periods of significant weight loss.[21] Jackson lost weight in the early 1980s because of a change in diet and a desire for "a dancer's body".[56] Witnesses reported that Jackson was often dizzy and speculated that he was suffering from anorexia nervosa; periods of weight loss would become a recurring problem for the singer later in life.[57] Some medical professionals have publicly stated their belief that the singer had body dysmorphic disorder, a psychological condition whereby the sufferer has no concept of how they are perceived by others.[54]
"Why not just tell people I'm an alien from Mars. Tell them I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight. They'll believe anything you say, because you're a reporter. But if I, Michael Jackson, were to say, 'I'm an alien from Mars and I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight,' people would say, 'Oh, man, that Michael Jackson is nuts. He's cracked up. You can't believe a damn word that comes out of his mouth.'"[58]
—Michael Jackson
With the industry expecting another major hit, Jackson's first album in five years, Bad (1987), was highly anticipated.[59] Bad had lower sales than Thriller, but was still a substantial commercial success. In the US, it spawned seven hit singles, five of which ("I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana") reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, more than any other album.[60] As of 2008, the album sold 30 million copies worldwide, including eight million shipments in the US.[27][61]
The Bad World Tour began on September 12, 1987, and finished on January 14, 1989.[62] In Japan alone, the tour had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record of 200,000 in a single tour.[63] Jackson broke a Guinness World Record when 504,000 people attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium. He performed a total of 123 concerts to a total audience of 4.4 million people, and gained a further Guinness World Record when the tour grossed him $125 million. During the trip he invited underprivileged children to watch for free and gave donations to hospitals, orphanages and other charities.[62]
In 1988, Jackson released his first autobiography, Moon Walk, which took four years to complete. Jackson told of his childhood, his experience in The Jackson 5 and the abuse he suffered as a child.[64] He also spoke of his plastic surgery, saying he had two rhinoplastic surgeries and the surgical creation of a cleft in his chin.[56] In the book, he attributed the change in the structure of his face to puberty, weight loss, a strict vegetarian diet, a change in hair style and stage lighting.[56] Moonwalk reached the top position on The New York Times best sellers' list.[65] The musician then released a film called Moonwalker, which featured live footage, music videos, and a feature film that starred Jackson and Joe Pesci. Moonwalker debuted atop the Billboard Top Music Video Cassette chart, staying there for 22 weeks. It was eventually knocked off the top spot by Michael Jackson: The Legend Continues.[66]
In March 1988, Jackson purchased land near Santa Ynez, California to build Neverland Ranch at a cost of $17 million. The 2,700-acre (11 km2) property had Ferris wheels, a menagerie, and a movie theater. A security staff of 40 patrolled the grounds. In 2003, the property was valued at approximately $100 million.[18][67] In 1989, his annual earnings from album sales, endorsements, and concerts was estimated at $125 million for that year alone.[68] Shortly afterwards, Jackson became the first Westerner to appear in a television ad for Russia.[66]
Jackson's success resulted in his being dubbed the "King of Pop", a nickname conceived by actress and friend Elizabeth Taylor when she presented Jackson with an "Artist of the Decade" award in 1989, proclaiming him "the true king of pop, rock and soul".[69][70] President George H. W. Bush presented the singer with The White House's special "Artist of the Decade" award in recognition of Jackson's musical influence in the 1980s; Bush commended Jackson for acquiring a "tremendous following" among other achievements.[71] From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $500,000 to the United Negro College Fund, and all of the profits from his single "Man in the Mirror" went to charity.[72][73]
Jackson's live rendition of "You Were There" at Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th birthday celebration received an Emmy nomination.[66]
1991–1993: Dangerous and Super Bowl XXVII
In March 1991, Jackson renewed his contract with Sony for $65 million; a record breaking deal at the time, displacing Neil Diamond's renewal contract with Columbia Records.[67] Jackson released his eighth album Dangerous in 1991. As of 2008, Dangerous has shipped 7 million copies in the US and has sold 32 million copies worldwide; it is the most successful New Jack Swing album of all time.[27][74][75] In the US, the album's first single "Black or White" was the album's biggest hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining there for seven weeks, with similar chart performances worldwide.[76] The album's second single "Remember the Time" spent eight weeks in the top five in the US, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.[77] In 1993, Jackson performed the song at the Soul Train Awards in a wheelchair, saying he had suffered an injury in rehearsals.[78] In the UK and other parts of Europe, "Heal the World" was the biggest hit from the album; it sold 450,000 copies in the UK and spent five weeks at number two in 1992.[77]
Jackson founded the "Heal the World Foundation" in 1992. 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. Jackson 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.[77][79] He sold the broadcast rights to his Dangerous world tour to HBO for $20 million, a record-breaking deal that still stands.[80] Following the illness and death of Ryan White, Jackson helped draw public attention to HIV/AIDS, something that was still controversial at the time. He publicly pleaded with the Clinton Administration at Bill Clinton's Inaugural Gala to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research.[81][82]
In a high-profile visit to Africa, Jackson visited several countries, among them Gabon and Egypt.[83] His first stop to Gabon was greeted with a sizable reception of more than 100,000 people in "spiritual bedlam", some of them carrying signs that read, "Welcome Home Michael".[83] In his trip to the Ivory Coast, Jackson was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief.[83] 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.[83]
One of Jackson'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. He 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; Jackson's Dangerous album rose 90 places up the album chart.[12]
Jackson was given the "Living Legend Award" at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. "Black or White" was Grammy nominated for best vocal performance. "Jam" gained two nominations: Best R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song.[77]
1993–1994: Sexual abuse accusations and marriage
Jackson gave a 90-minute interview with Oprah Winfrey in February 1993, his first television interview since 1979. He grimaced when speaking of his childhood abuse at the hands of his father; he believed he had missed out on much of his childhood years, admitting that he often cried from loneliness. He denied previous tabloid rumors that he bought the bones of the Elephant Man or slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The entertainer went on to dispel suggestions that he bleached his skin, admitting for the first time that he had vitiligo. The interview was watched by 90 million Americans, becoming the fourth most-viewed non-sport program in US history. It also started a public debate on the topic of vitiligo, a relatively unknown condition before then. Dangerous re-entered the album chart top 10, more than a year after its original release.[12][13][77]
Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old child named Jordan Chandler and his father Evan Chandler.[84] The friendship between Jackson and Evan Chandler broke down. Sometime afterwards, Evan Chandler was tape-recorded saying amongst other things, "If I go through with this, I win big-time. There's no way I lose. I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever...Michael's career will be over".[85] A year after they had met, under the influence of sodium amytal, a controversial sedative, Jordan Chandler told his father that Jackson had touched his penis.[86] Evan Chandler and Jackson, represented by their legal teams, then engaged in unsuccessful negotiations to resolve the issue in a financial settlement; the negotiations were initiated by Chandler but Jackson did make several counter offers. Jordan Chandler then told a psychiatrist and later police that he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex, as well as giving a detailed description of what he alleged were the singer's genitals.[87]
An official investigation began, with Jordan Chandler's mother adamant that there was no wrongdoing on Jackson's part. Neverland Ranch was searched; multiple children and family members denied that he was a pedophile.[87] Jackson's image took a further turn for the worse when his older sister La Toya Jackson accused him of being a pedophile, a statement she later retracted.[88] Jackson agreed to a 25-minute strip search, conducted at his ranch. The search was required to see if a description provided by Jordan Chandler was accurate. Doctors concluded that there were some strong similarities, but it was not a definitive match.[88] Jackson made an emotional public statement on the events; he proclaimed his innocence, criticized what he perceived as biased media coverage and told of his strip search.[84]
Jackson began taking painkillers, Valium, Xanax and Ativan to deal with the stress of the allegations made against him. By the fall of 1993, Jackson was addicted to the drugs.[89] His health deteriorated to the extent that he canceled the remainder of the Dangerous World Tour and went into drug rehabilitation for a few months.[90] The stress of the allegations also caused Jackson to stop eating, losing a significant amount of weight.[91] With his health in decline, Jackson's friends and legal advisers took over his defense and finances; they called on him to settle the allegations out of court, believing that he could not endure a lengthy trial.[90][91]
Tabloid reaction to the allegations put Jackson in an unfavorable light.[92] Complaints about the coverage and media included everything from bias against Jackson, accepting stories of alleged criminal activity for money to accepting confidential leaked material from the police investigation in return for money paid.[93] On January 1, 1994, Jackson settled with the Chandler family and their legal team out of court, in a civil lawsuit for $22 million. After the settlement Jordan Chandler refused to continue with Police criminal proceedings. Jackson was never charged, and the state closed its criminal investigation, citing lack of evidence.[94]
In May of 1994, Jackson married singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of 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.[92] They stayed in contact every day over the telephone. 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.[89] 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."[95] In a phone call he made to her, she described him as high, incoherent and delusional.[89] Shortly afterwards, she tried to persuade Jackson to settle the allegations out of court and go into rehabilitation to recover—he subsequently did both.[89] Jackson proposed to Lisa Marie over the telephone towards the fall of 1993, saying, "If I asked you to marry me, would you do it?".[89] Presley and Jackson married in the Dominican Republic in secrecy; the parties denied they had been married for nearly two months.[96] The marriage was, in her words, "a married couple's life ... that was sexually active".[97] 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.[96] Jackson and Presley divorced less than two years later, remaining friendly.[98]
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