LONDON — With fanfare and flags under cool, gray skies, Prince William and his longtime girlfriend, Kate Middleton, were married on Friday in one of the largest and most-watched events here in decades — an interlude of romance in a time of austerity and a moment that will shape the future of the British monarchy.
Just 90 minutes after they completed their wedding service, the couple stepped onto a balcony at Buckingham Palace, flanked by the royal family, to greet an enormous crowd stretching along the Mall toward Trafalgar Square — a traditional moment at royal weddings. When they kissed for the first time in public as a married couple, a cheer went up from the crowd and the prince blushed.
Then — also a recent tradition — the newlyweds peered skyward to observe a 66-year-old Lancaster bomber from World War II flanked by Spitfire and Hurricane fighter planes from the same era flying over the palace in salute. While they waited, they kissed again and the crowd roared.
In one brief morning, the ceremony brought a sense of pomp and pageant to Britain’s straitened circumstances, lifting the mood of many and seeming to strengthen the royal family’s enduring struggle against skeptics critical of its unelected and privileged status in a constitutional monarchy that offers monarchs little real power.
A little over one hour after they arrived at Westminster Abbey to be married, the newlyweds emerged on a red carpet and onto the streets to a peal of bells, stepping into a 99-year-old, open horse-drawn carriage. They had started the ceremony as a prince and what the British call a commoner. They emerged as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, their new titles granted earlier on Friday by Queen Elizabeth II.
As much as the ceremony itself, Britons and many others had been fascinated by the closely held secret of what Miss Middleton’s wedding dress would look like. The curiosity was satisfied when she rode to the abbey wearing a creation by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen in white and ivory, with a train about two yards long. Traveling in a Rolls-Royce limousine escorted by her father, Michael Middleton, she wore a delicate veil with intricate lace on the neckline and a diamond tiara lent for the occasion by Queen Elizabeth.
The ceremony — a British specialty in the choreography of royalty — was designed as much to celebrate the marriage as to inject national pride after years of discord and divorce within the queen’s family. Reveling in the pageantry after the ceremony in the abbey, the couple waved to jubilant crowds as their procession, escorted by equestrian guardsmen in scarlet tunics and silver breastplates, traversed the streets of London toward Buckingham Palace.
Their open landau was closely followed by a closed carriage for the queen and her husband, Prince Philip. For a time, the streets more used to black cabs and trundling red buses echoed to the clip-clop of hooves from trotting chargers and antique carriages. Flanked by liveried footmen in gold and red tunics, the newly married couple smiled and waved, offering what some commentators have depicted as a more open and modern visage of the monarchy once dismissed as aloof. On the final stretch of their brief, first journey as man and wife, the couple passed along the broad ceremonial avenue called the Mall leading to the palace, with the national anthem playing, the crowds cheering and, after fears of rain, a sliver of sunlight nudging past the clouds.
The wedding service had begun with a psalm and a hymn, “Guide me, O Thou Great Redeemer.” The couple stood side by side before the altar. As she arrived to join him, William whispered to her, and onlookers said he seemed to be saying, “You look beautiful.”
The service followed Anglican tradition, with the prince and Miss Middleton both declaring “I will” to the wedding vows pronounced by the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual head of the Anglican denomination. Miss Middleton did not pledge to “obey” Prince William, as was once usual, but instead to “love, comfort, honor and keep” him.
“I pronounce that they be man and wife together,” the archbishop said. The service continued with the hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Exceling.” Some onlookers noted that while the prince placed a wedding ring on his bride’s finger, she did not reciprocate the gesture.
“With this ring I thee wed; with my body I thee honor; and all my worldly goods with thee I share,” William said, repeating the words of the archbishop.
After the ceremony the couple were to host a reception at Buckingham Palace. Before the service, in ascending order of royal rank, Miss Middleton’s in-laws-to-be and members her own family had driven to the abbey in a variety of Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Jaguar cars, cheered on by crowds standing 10 or 15 deep along the way. Just before the bride reached the abbey, the queen arrived wearing a primrose dress and hat and accompanied by Prince Philip at the same place they were married in 1947 and where she was crowned in 1953.
A marching band of guardsmen parade along The Mall before the wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton in central London on Friday. More Photos »
For the last time as a bachelor, William, the second in line to the throne, left his father’s residence, Clarence House, to travel with his younger brother, Prince Harry, his best man, to marry Miss Middleton, a daughter of a millionaire couple who made their money with an Internet business — a fusion, in British parlance, of a commoner and, potentially, a future king.
Wearing a bright red military uniform as Colonel of the Irish Guards, the prince traveled in a plum-colored Bentley limousine. Bells pealed and cheering crowds lined the Mall as the his procession — the limousine, a lone motorcycle outrider and a single sport utility vehicle carrying security personnel — drove past.
The couple’s relationship, which began when they were both students of art history at St. Andrews University in Scotland more than nine years ago, has been broadly welcomed among Britons who have followed the royal family through tortured years of dashed hopes and scandal, much of it centering on the doomed marriage of William’s mother, Princess Diana, to his father, Prince Charles.
Charles himself attended the ceremony with his second wife, the former Camilla Parker-Bowles, now the duchess of Cornwall, whom he married in 2005 and who was once criticized by Diana as the “third person” in her marriage.
Earlier on Friday, the queen announced that William would assume three new titles — the Duke of Cambridge, the Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus. A dukedom is the highest rank in British peerage. Miss Middleton will now be known as the Duchess of Cambridge, but she will also have the titles of the Countess of Strathearn and Baroness Carrickfergus. According to British protocol, she will not be able to formally call herself Princess Catherine because she was not born a princess.
Newspaper headlines celebrated the wedding on Friday with words like “storybook” and “fairytale” — terms that were applied in earlier times to the marriage of Charles and Diana in 1981 at St. Paul’s Cathedral, an event that also seized the nation with enthusiasm.
“The transition of Miss Middleton from a young woman from the Home Counties to being our future queen is the stuff of fairy tales,” The Daily Telegraph said.
But some struck a note of caution. “These are tough times for millions of British people,” The Guardian said in an editorial. “This is not a day for demented princess worship or for in-your-face state extravagance. Even if it was, the recent past inevitably casts a shadow over the occasion. As far as dream royal weddings are concerned, Britain is a once-bitten-twice-shy country.”
Hundreds of thousands of people converged Friday on London’s streets, craning for a glimpse of the royal family and the 1,900 other invited guests holding the hottest ticket in town inviting them to the ceremony at the centuries-old abbey.
The early arrivals — queens, kings, dukes and emirs arrived later — filed into the abbey under the soaring columns supporting its 102-foot-high Gothic vault, treading carefully along a red carpet, many of the women wearing bright, broad-brimmed hats. As the morning progressed, the bride’s family and junior members of the royal family traveled to Westminster Abbey.
Inside, the abbey was transformed by four tons of foliage, including eight 20-foot-high English field maple trees. The abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and 17 monarchs are buried there, according to its Web site. Construction of the present-day building began in 1245 during the reign of Henry III.
Despite falling overnight temperatures, thousands of spectators had been camping out for two days in tents festooned with the Union Jack to secure a good view of the pageantry. Tens of thousands more people gathered to watch the ceremonies on huge television screens in venues like Hyde Park.
The closely scripted event began with the arrival of some members of the congregation at 8:15 a.m., watched by 5,000 police officers and chronicled by an estimated 8,500 journalists and support staff members from around the world.
Hundreds of millions tuned in on television around the world, and dozens of temporary studios, filled with presenters speaking dozens of languages, have been built against the backdrop of a floodlit Buckingham Palace, one of the queen’s homes and, for many, the focus of the British monarchy.
With many Britons facing hard times because of government austerity plans, the wedding has been pitched by politicians as an occasion for national celebration and rejuvenation amid the economic gloom. The wedding day has been declared a public holiday and more than 5,000 people have been given official permission to close off roads for street parties. Some have taken the opportunity for unlikely rebels.
Hugo Millington-Drake, 21, a student, walked down Parliament Street in a full tuxedo, with bow tie, and a bowler hat. “If I wasn’t invited I thought I would at least dress up,” he said, adding that he had been separated from other formally dressed friends. Mr. Millington-Drake said that he did not usually attend royal events, but that “everyone is here and it’s an excuse to drink Pimm’s at 8 a.m. And it’s the fairytale — the commoner becoming princess. Actually, I hate that word, ‘commoner,’ but you know what I mean. These two are really in love, unlike Charles and Diana.”
The new royal couple have also set a different tone, living together before their marriage at a remote Royal Air Force base on the island of Anglesey, where William, 28, is based as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot.
Britain’s often-intrusive press has granted them a degree of privacy, both in the early days of their relationship at St. Andrews and since then. While their relationship was widely known, it was only in December 2006 that Miss Middleton, now 29, attended William’s final parade at Sandhurst, Britain’s premier military academy.
In 2007, the couple seemed to drift briefly apart for several months before reuniting.
For some, their relationship has been haunted by comparisons with the travails of Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, a year after her glaringly public divorce from Charles.
Diana had been popular among many Britons. The queen’s stiff and formal initial response to her death seemed to divide the nation and even threaten the monarchy.
Indeed, even now, the memory of Diana rarely seems far away. Her brother, Earl Spencer, was among the guests on Friday at Westminster Abbey, where he addressed her funeral service with an emotional eulogy in 1997.
When the royal family announced the wedding plans last November, William gave Miss Middleton the sapphire and diamond ring that his father had given his mother for their engagement, saying it was “my way of making sure my mother didn’t miss out on today and the excitement.”
Friday, April 29, 2011
Prince William, Kate Middleton Wed In Royal Fashion
LONDON – With a smile that lit up TV screens around the world, Kate Middleton swept down the aisle to marry Prince William in a union expected to revitalize the British monarchy. Hundreds of thousands then cheered as the royal couple rode an open carriage to Buckingham Palace.
Even with millions of people tuning in to watch, the couple managed to appear at times in their own private world Friday, both at Westminster Abbey and on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. William whispered to Kate, who radiated contentment and joy, as they pledged their lives to one another at the church with the simple words "I will."
They then delivered two — not one — sweet, self-conscious kisses on the balcony, with William blushing deeply at the highly anticipated event. Within moments, a flyby of vintage and modern Royal Air Force planes roared overhead.
The biggest secret of the day — Middleton's wedding gown — prompted swoons of admiration as she stepped out of a Rolls-Royce with her father at the abbey. Against all odds, the sun broke through steely gray skies at that exact moment.
Her ivory-and-white satin dress — with its plunging neckline, long lacy shoulders and sleeves and a train over 2-meters (yards) long — was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. Middleton's hair was half-up, half-down, decorated with dramatic veil and a tiara on loan from Queen Elizabeth II.
"It's a dream," said Jennie Bond, a leading British monarchy expert and royal wedding consultant for The Associated Press. "It is a beautiful laced soft look, which is extremely elegant. She looked stunning."
William, second-in-line to the throne after his father, Prince Charles, wore the scarlet tunic of an Irish Guards officer, reinforcing his new image as a dedicated military man. The couple's first royal wedding present came from the queen: the titles of duke and duchess of Cambridge.
Floods of well-wishers — as well as some protesters — packed central London, around Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and other landmarks beginning at dawn, despite cool temperatures and the threat of rain. Cheers erupted as huge television screens began broadcasting at Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park.
"Will, it's not too late!" read one sign held aloft by an admirer dressed as a bride.
Maid of honor Pippa Middleton wore a simple column dress and naturally styled hair, while best man Prince Harry was dressed in formal military attire. The flower girls, in cream dresses with full skirts and flowers in their hair, walked down hand-in-hand with Pippa.
The iconic abbey was airy and calm, the long aisle leading to the altar lined with maple and hornbeam trees as light streamed in through the high arched windows. The soft green trees framed the couple against the red carpet as they walked down the aisle, having recited their vows without stumbling before Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
The royal couple smiled broadly as they were driven to Buckingham Palace in the open-topped State Landau, a carriage built in 1902, escorted by four white horses and followed by scarlet-clad troops on horseback.
The palace was holding two parties, one hosted by the queen for 650 guests, and an evening dinner dance for 300 close friends. The queen and her husband have promised to go away for the evening, leaving the younger royals free to party the night away_ and Harry to make his best man's speech away from his octogenarian grandparents' ears.
British singer Ellie Goulding, 24, is reportedly going to perform, and rumors have it that Harry has even planned a breakfast for those with the stamina to dance all night.
Plumage of Amazonian variety filled the cavernous abbey as some 1,900 guests filed in, the vast majority of women in hats, some a full two feet (half a meter) across or high. Some looked like dinner plates, and one woman wore a bright red fascinator that resembled a flame licking her cheek. A BBC commentator noted there were some "very odd (fashion) choices" walking through the abbey door.
Most men, however, looked elegant and suave in long tails, some highlighted by formal plaid pants and vests. Others wore military uniforms.
The queen, of course, wore a soft yellow hat and coat dress, just like the bookies had predicted.
All the details — the wedding dress, her hair, their titles, the romantic kiss on the balcony, the honeymoon — were finally being answered. But the biggest question won't be resolved for years: Will this royal couple live happily ever after?
Will their union endure like that of William's grandparents — Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, now in its 64th year — or crumble in a spectacular and mortifying fashion like that of his own parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana?
Recent history augurs badly: The first marriages of three of the queen's four children ended in divorce. But William and Kate seem to glow with happiness in each other's company, and unlike Charles and Diana they've had eight years to figure out that they want to be together.
Still, the fate of their marriage depends on private matters impossible for the public to gauge, since any wedding is fundamentally about two people. Will their lives together, starting with such high hopes, be blessed by good fortune, children, good health, productive work?
Much will depend on whether 28-year-old William and 29-year-old Kate can summon the things every couple needs: patience, love, wit and wisdom. But they face the twin burdens of fame and scrutiny. Money, power, beauty — it can all go wrong if not carefully nurtured.
These are the thorny issues upon which the fate of the monarchy rests, as the remarkable queen, now 85, inevitably ages and declines.
Hundreds of street parties were under way as Britons celebrated the heritage that makes them unique — and overseas visitors come to witness traditions they've admired from afar.
Brenda Hunt-Stevenson, a 56-year-old retired teacher from Newfoundland, Canada, said there was only one thing on her mind. "I want to see that kiss on that balcony. That's going to clinch it for me. I don't care what Kate wears. She is beautiful anyway."
The celebration was British to the core, from the freshly polished horse-drawn carriages to the sausages and lager served at street parties. Some pubs opened early, offering beer and English breakfasts — sausages, beans, toast, fried eggs and bacon.
The festivities reflected Britons' continuing fascination with the royal family, which despite its foibles remains a powerful symbol of unity and pride.
"It's very exciting," Prime Minister David Cameron said. "I went on to the mall last night and met some people sleeping on the streets. There's a sense of excitement that you can't really put a word to ... It's a chance to celebrate."
A number of famous people were left off the guest list, including President Barack Obama and Britain's last two prime ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown of the Labour Party, which is not as strong a backer of the monarchy as the governing Conservatives. Some critics call that a snub which could resonate for years among Labour voters.
The royals fervently hope that a joyous union for William and Kate will erase the squalid memories of his parents' embarrassing each other and the nation with confessions of adultery as their marriage tumbled toward divorce.
And there is no small irony in the sight of Americans waking up before dawn (on the East Coast) or staying up all night (West Coast) after their fellow countrymen fought so fiercely centuries ago to throw off the yoke of the British monarchy and proclaim a country in which all men are created equal.
Brenda Mordic, 61, from Columbus, Georgia, clutched a Union Jack with her friend Annette Adams, 66.
"We came for the excitement of everything," Mordic said. "We watched William grow up. I came for Prince Charles' wedding to Diana and I came for Princess Diana's funeral. We love royalty England and London."
Even with millions of people tuning in to watch, the couple managed to appear at times in their own private world Friday, both at Westminster Abbey and on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. William whispered to Kate, who radiated contentment and joy, as they pledged their lives to one another at the church with the simple words "I will."
They then delivered two — not one — sweet, self-conscious kisses on the balcony, with William blushing deeply at the highly anticipated event. Within moments, a flyby of vintage and modern Royal Air Force planes roared overhead.
The biggest secret of the day — Middleton's wedding gown — prompted swoons of admiration as she stepped out of a Rolls-Royce with her father at the abbey. Against all odds, the sun broke through steely gray skies at that exact moment.
Her ivory-and-white satin dress — with its plunging neckline, long lacy shoulders and sleeves and a train over 2-meters (yards) long — was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. Middleton's hair was half-up, half-down, decorated with dramatic veil and a tiara on loan from Queen Elizabeth II.
"It's a dream," said Jennie Bond, a leading British monarchy expert and royal wedding consultant for The Associated Press. "It is a beautiful laced soft look, which is extremely elegant. She looked stunning."
William, second-in-line to the throne after his father, Prince Charles, wore the scarlet tunic of an Irish Guards officer, reinforcing his new image as a dedicated military man. The couple's first royal wedding present came from the queen: the titles of duke and duchess of Cambridge.
Floods of well-wishers — as well as some protesters — packed central London, around Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and other landmarks beginning at dawn, despite cool temperatures and the threat of rain. Cheers erupted as huge television screens began broadcasting at Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park.
"Will, it's not too late!" read one sign held aloft by an admirer dressed as a bride.
Maid of honor Pippa Middleton wore a simple column dress and naturally styled hair, while best man Prince Harry was dressed in formal military attire. The flower girls, in cream dresses with full skirts and flowers in their hair, walked down hand-in-hand with Pippa.
The iconic abbey was airy and calm, the long aisle leading to the altar lined with maple and hornbeam trees as light streamed in through the high arched windows. The soft green trees framed the couple against the red carpet as they walked down the aisle, having recited their vows without stumbling before Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
The royal couple smiled broadly as they were driven to Buckingham Palace in the open-topped State Landau, a carriage built in 1902, escorted by four white horses and followed by scarlet-clad troops on horseback.
The palace was holding two parties, one hosted by the queen for 650 guests, and an evening dinner dance for 300 close friends. The queen and her husband have promised to go away for the evening, leaving the younger royals free to party the night away_ and Harry to make his best man's speech away from his octogenarian grandparents' ears.
British singer Ellie Goulding, 24, is reportedly going to perform, and rumors have it that Harry has even planned a breakfast for those with the stamina to dance all night.
Plumage of Amazonian variety filled the cavernous abbey as some 1,900 guests filed in, the vast majority of women in hats, some a full two feet (half a meter) across or high. Some looked like dinner plates, and one woman wore a bright red fascinator that resembled a flame licking her cheek. A BBC commentator noted there were some "very odd (fashion) choices" walking through the abbey door.
Most men, however, looked elegant and suave in long tails, some highlighted by formal plaid pants and vests. Others wore military uniforms.
The queen, of course, wore a soft yellow hat and coat dress, just like the bookies had predicted.
All the details — the wedding dress, her hair, their titles, the romantic kiss on the balcony, the honeymoon — were finally being answered. But the biggest question won't be resolved for years: Will this royal couple live happily ever after?
Will their union endure like that of William's grandparents — Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, now in its 64th year — or crumble in a spectacular and mortifying fashion like that of his own parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana?
Recent history augurs badly: The first marriages of three of the queen's four children ended in divorce. But William and Kate seem to glow with happiness in each other's company, and unlike Charles and Diana they've had eight years to figure out that they want to be together.
Still, the fate of their marriage depends on private matters impossible for the public to gauge, since any wedding is fundamentally about two people. Will their lives together, starting with such high hopes, be blessed by good fortune, children, good health, productive work?
Much will depend on whether 28-year-old William and 29-year-old Kate can summon the things every couple needs: patience, love, wit and wisdom. But they face the twin burdens of fame and scrutiny. Money, power, beauty — it can all go wrong if not carefully nurtured.
These are the thorny issues upon which the fate of the monarchy rests, as the remarkable queen, now 85, inevitably ages and declines.
Hundreds of street parties were under way as Britons celebrated the heritage that makes them unique — and overseas visitors come to witness traditions they've admired from afar.
Brenda Hunt-Stevenson, a 56-year-old retired teacher from Newfoundland, Canada, said there was only one thing on her mind. "I want to see that kiss on that balcony. That's going to clinch it for me. I don't care what Kate wears. She is beautiful anyway."
The celebration was British to the core, from the freshly polished horse-drawn carriages to the sausages and lager served at street parties. Some pubs opened early, offering beer and English breakfasts — sausages, beans, toast, fried eggs and bacon.
The festivities reflected Britons' continuing fascination with the royal family, which despite its foibles remains a powerful symbol of unity and pride.
"It's very exciting," Prime Minister David Cameron said. "I went on to the mall last night and met some people sleeping on the streets. There's a sense of excitement that you can't really put a word to ... It's a chance to celebrate."
A number of famous people were left off the guest list, including President Barack Obama and Britain's last two prime ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown of the Labour Party, which is not as strong a backer of the monarchy as the governing Conservatives. Some critics call that a snub which could resonate for years among Labour voters.
The royals fervently hope that a joyous union for William and Kate will erase the squalid memories of his parents' embarrassing each other and the nation with confessions of adultery as their marriage tumbled toward divorce.
And there is no small irony in the sight of Americans waking up before dawn (on the East Coast) or staying up all night (West Coast) after their fellow countrymen fought so fiercely centuries ago to throw off the yoke of the British monarchy and proclaim a country in which all men are created equal.
Brenda Mordic, 61, from Columbus, Georgia, clutched a Union Jack with her friend Annette Adams, 66.
"We came for the excitement of everything," Mordic said. "We watched William grow up. I came for Prince Charles' wedding to Diana and I came for Princess Diana's funeral. We love royalty England and London."
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Katherine Jackson Opens Up About Upcoming Trial Against Dr. Conrad Murray & Mother's Day
CALABASAS, Calif. – Katherine Jackson isn't looking forward to the upcoming trial of the doctor charged in connection with her son's death. She says the pain of his loss nearly two years ago remains and the potential punishment for the physician doesn't seem like it's nearly enough.
The matriarch of one of music's most famous families isn't planning any special preparations for the daily trek to a downtown Los Angeles courtroom where the trial begins May 9, but she says she'll rely on her faith to carry her through.
"I have mixed emotions," she told The Associated Press in an interview this week. "Sometimes I think why have a trial if ... the maximum sentence is only four years."
She has not spoken to Dr. Conrad Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, although she has seen him often from her seat at pretrial hearings in the case.
"I'll be there, but it just hurts me because my son is gone and for forever and this man is trying to get away and get off," she said. "He needs to be punished."
Katherine Jackson spoke at her new hilltop house in Calabasas, a community 10 miles west of the Jackson's longtime San Fernando Valley home, which is being renovated. White roses have been planted to be seen when looking out the back windows into the valley below, and flower beds line the walkways and the outside of the house — one of the requests Jackson said she made for the property when she arrived.
Flowers have always been a source of joy for the soft-spoken woman in her 80s, prompting smiles and excited descriptions of her favorite plants and blooms.
She recently extended her floral passion beyond her own garden, consulting on and endorsing a line of floral arrangements being sold online. Jackson said she hopes the venture will help others show their love for one another.
"I think flowers speak a thousand words," she said with a smile.
The retailer, sendherflowers.com, is hoping the $49-and-up arrangements with names such as "Precious," "Field of Love" and "Dynasty" will be a hit for Mother's Day. And Jackson hopes people will use them for any occasion, with plans to change the arrangements through the seasons.
As a devout Jehovah's Witness, Katherine Jackson does not celebrate Mother's Day or many of the holidays that prompt people to buy flowers. But her famous children still send Mom bouquets with some of her favorite blooms, including tulips and azaleas.
"They know I don't celebrate all the holidays, but they send them anyway," she said.
Her son Michael would send her flowers at least once a month, she said, including a large arrangement after his acquittal on child molestation charges in 2005.
In the days after his death, flowers poured into the family's home and Katherine Jackson says they carried with them a message she immediately understood and appreciated — she was not alone.
"They felt my pain," she said of the outpouring from fans and supporters. "It meant a lot to me. And at that time, I needed all of that to know the world was with me, the world felt my pain."
Her son's death at age 50 has thrust Katherine Jackson back into the role of mother. She is the guardian and caretaker of the singer's three children, who range in ages from 9 to 14.
Raising children in the Internet age poses a whole new set of challenges, she said, but her strategy hasn't changed. She said she still believes you have to show children respect, keep promises, and give them spiritual grounding. "Raise them with a conscience," she said.
Discipline is key, but she adheres to a simple philosophy — "Discipline with love." It was a lesson she said her son Michael apparently heeded.
After the singer's death, Katherine Jackson went to his home to clean up. There, she found several reminders he had scribbled to himself.
"He had notes around," she recalled. "'Discipline with love.'"
The matriarch of one of music's most famous families isn't planning any special preparations for the daily trek to a downtown Los Angeles courtroom where the trial begins May 9, but she says she'll rely on her faith to carry her through.
"I have mixed emotions," she told The Associated Press in an interview this week. "Sometimes I think why have a trial if ... the maximum sentence is only four years."
She has not spoken to Dr. Conrad Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, although she has seen him often from her seat at pretrial hearings in the case.
"I'll be there, but it just hurts me because my son is gone and for forever and this man is trying to get away and get off," she said. "He needs to be punished."
Katherine Jackson spoke at her new hilltop house in Calabasas, a community 10 miles west of the Jackson's longtime San Fernando Valley home, which is being renovated. White roses have been planted to be seen when looking out the back windows into the valley below, and flower beds line the walkways and the outside of the house — one of the requests Jackson said she made for the property when she arrived.
Flowers have always been a source of joy for the soft-spoken woman in her 80s, prompting smiles and excited descriptions of her favorite plants and blooms.
She recently extended her floral passion beyond her own garden, consulting on and endorsing a line of floral arrangements being sold online. Jackson said she hopes the venture will help others show their love for one another.
"I think flowers speak a thousand words," she said with a smile.
The retailer, sendherflowers.com, is hoping the $49-and-up arrangements with names such as "Precious," "Field of Love" and "Dynasty" will be a hit for Mother's Day. And Jackson hopes people will use them for any occasion, with plans to change the arrangements through the seasons.
As a devout Jehovah's Witness, Katherine Jackson does not celebrate Mother's Day or many of the holidays that prompt people to buy flowers. But her famous children still send Mom bouquets with some of her favorite blooms, including tulips and azaleas.
"They know I don't celebrate all the holidays, but they send them anyway," she said.
Her son Michael would send her flowers at least once a month, she said, including a large arrangement after his acquittal on child molestation charges in 2005.
In the days after his death, flowers poured into the family's home and Katherine Jackson says they carried with them a message she immediately understood and appreciated — she was not alone.
"They felt my pain," she said of the outpouring from fans and supporters. "It meant a lot to me. And at that time, I needed all of that to know the world was with me, the world felt my pain."
Her son's death at age 50 has thrust Katherine Jackson back into the role of mother. She is the guardian and caretaker of the singer's three children, who range in ages from 9 to 14.
Raising children in the Internet age poses a whole new set of challenges, she said, but her strategy hasn't changed. She said she still believes you have to show children respect, keep promises, and give them spiritual grounding. "Raise them with a conscience," she said.
Discipline is key, but she adheres to a simple philosophy — "Discipline with love." It was a lesson she said her son Michael apparently heeded.
After the singer's death, Katherine Jackson went to his home to clean up. There, she found several reminders he had scribbled to himself.
"He had notes around," she recalled. "'Discipline with love.'"
Ludacris Restaurant Fails Health Department Inspection
Straits, the Atlanta-based restaurant owned rapper Ludacris, failed a surprise inspection by the Division of Public Health in late January, according to news reports. The Fulton County Department of Community Health's Division of Public health posted its report online.
The Asian/Singaporean fusion eatery scored a 67 out of 100, being cited with violations ranging from unclean nonfood contact surfaces to inadequate hand washing facilities. The inspector who signed the report also noted there were no soap and towels at hand sinks, and the “ice machine has mold and bulk storage containers need to be cleaned.”
The score of 67 is considered unsatisfactory.
The Asian/Singaporean fusion eatery scored a 67 out of 100, being cited with violations ranging from unclean nonfood contact surfaces to inadequate hand washing facilities. The inspector who signed the report also noted there were no soap and towels at hand sinks, and the “ice machine has mold and bulk storage containers need to be cleaned.”
The score of 67 is considered unsatisfactory.
Ex Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Back In Court; Questioned In Tamara Greene Murder Case
DETROIT — Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick told a federal court that he is not tech-savvy and would not know how to purge e-mails from the city's server, countering suggestions that he deliberately deleted evidence that could prove he hindered an investigation into a stripper's murder.
Kilpatrick and the city are being sued by the family of Tamara Greene who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2003. The family claims he obstructed the murder probe because she danced for him at a party months earlier. He denies that accusation, says there was no party and calls the case "frivolous."
Wearing a business shirt and tie, Kilpatrick was transported from prison to answer questions about what may have happened to e-mail written and received in 2002 and 2003. Greene family lawyers believe his e-mail may provide clues, but the hard drive is missing and city staff have said e-mail that old wasn't backed up.
Kilpatrick said he couldn't recall how many e-mails he would send or receive each day, but he denied ever writing or receiving any that involved Greene's death. He said he had three computers when he was mayor, from 2002 to fall 2008, but typically used only his City Hall computer.
"Unfortunately I'm not a computer guy. I rarely did computer work at all at home," Kilpatrick said.
He said the mail in his inbox ranged from "'Happy birthday' to 'We need to cut grass at X park,' and everything in between."
As he questioned Kilpatrick, lawyer Norman Yatooma was repeatedly reined in by U.S. Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen, who stopped him from asking about a confidential FBI report and limited the inquiry to e-mail from 2002 and 2003.
"What you're doing with your questioning, you're testifying. ... I don't want speeches," Whalen told Yatooma at one point.
Kilpatrick, 40, is in prison for violating probation in a state criminal case that forced him out of office. He's also awaiting trial on federal tax and fraud charges.
The city and Kilpatrick are asking that the Greene family's lawsuit be dismissed. No one has been charged in Greene's death, but the city has said her killer is in prison in an unrelated case.
Kilpatrick and the city are being sued by the family of Tamara Greene who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2003. The family claims he obstructed the murder probe because she danced for him at a party months earlier. He denies that accusation, says there was no party and calls the case "frivolous."
Wearing a business shirt and tie, Kilpatrick was transported from prison to answer questions about what may have happened to e-mail written and received in 2002 and 2003. Greene family lawyers believe his e-mail may provide clues, but the hard drive is missing and city staff have said e-mail that old wasn't backed up.
Kilpatrick said he couldn't recall how many e-mails he would send or receive each day, but he denied ever writing or receiving any that involved Greene's death. He said he had three computers when he was mayor, from 2002 to fall 2008, but typically used only his City Hall computer.
"Unfortunately I'm not a computer guy. I rarely did computer work at all at home," Kilpatrick said.
He said the mail in his inbox ranged from "'Happy birthday' to 'We need to cut grass at X park,' and everything in between."
As he questioned Kilpatrick, lawyer Norman Yatooma was repeatedly reined in by U.S. Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen, who stopped him from asking about a confidential FBI report and limited the inquiry to e-mail from 2002 and 2003.
"What you're doing with your questioning, you're testifying. ... I don't want speeches," Whalen told Yatooma at one point.
Kilpatrick, 40, is in prison for violating probation in a state criminal case that forced him out of office. He's also awaiting trial on federal tax and fraud charges.
The city and Kilpatrick are asking that the Greene family's lawsuit be dismissed. No one has been charged in Greene's death, but the city has said her killer is in prison in an unrelated case.
New NAACP Seeking More Gay, Diverse Chapter Leaders
WORCESTER, Mass. — The NAACP's newly revived Worcester chapter elected a 28-year-old openly gay Black man as its president this month. In New Jersey, a branch of the organization outside Atlantic City chose a Honduran immigrant to lead it last year. And in Mississippi, the Jackson State University chapter recently turned to a 30-something White man.
Founded more than a century ago to promote Black equality, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is seeing remarkable diversity in its leadership ranks — the result of an aggressive effort over the past four or five years to boost NAACP membership and broaden the civil rights organization's agenda to confront prejudice in its many forms.
"This is the new NAACP," said Clark University political science professor Ravi Perry, the new chapter president in Worcester. "This is a human rights organization, and we have an obligation to fight discrimination at all levels."
NAACP branches have been recruiting gays, immigrants and young people who grew up in a world far removed from the landmark 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that outlawed school segregation. Now, leadership positions that were once held only by Blacks are being filled by members of other racial or ethnic groups.
The group does not keep track of numbers, but in recent years NAACP chapters in New Jersey, Connecticut and Georgia have elected Hispanics as president. A White man was picked to lead the chapter in Aiken, S.C. And two years ago, NAACP members in Hamtramck, Mich., a Detroit suburb, selected a Bangladeshi American to revive their long-dormant chapter.
"Some people mentioned that it wouldn't be possible for me to be president," said Victor Diaz, 32, a Dominican American who ran against an incumbent and was elected president of the Waterbury, Conn., branch in November. "But when I ran, I won 3 to 1."
The push for diversity troubles some members of the NAACP's old guard, who worry that problems in the Black community may get short shrift. But some social scientists say the new diversity is merely a return to the group's roots as a biracial organization.
In 1964, the NAACP's membership peaked at 625,000 paid members. By the middle of the past decade, that had dropped to just under 300,000. Now it has reversed course and climbed to more than 525,000, in large part because of an increase in young members, group officials say. The NAACP said it does not keep track of the organization's racial and ethnic breakdown.
Stefanie Brown, the NAACP's 30-year-old national field director, said the under-25 crowd is the organization's fastest-growing age group. In fact, the NAACP has slots on its 60-plus member board of directors reserved for people under 25. In addition, Brown said, young professionals under 40 are taking leadership roles — something that hadn't happened until recently.
Some in the group say the diversity push weakens the NAACP's identity. Jamarhl Crawford, editor of the Blackstonian, a Boston website that covers the city's Black population, said he fears it could "water down" the focus on problems in the Black community.
"I think there's going to be some loss there in terms of actual activism, actual protest" on behalf of Blacks, said Crawford, a 40-year-old member of the NAACP's Boston branch.
The diversity push was started a few years ago under then-NAACP chairman Julian Bond. Later, Benjamin Todd Jealous, who in 2008 became the group's youngest leader at age 35, ramped up the effort and also urged the organization to take up gay rights.
"At our core, we want to end discrimination and have equality for all people," Brown said.
In a reflection of how it has broadened its agenda, the NAACP came out against California's Proposition 8, the ballot measure banning gay marriage. Last year, it spoke out against Arizona's anti-immigration law. It also strongly supported the federal DREAM Act, a proposal to give illegal immigrant students a pathway to citizenship through college or military service.
Perry, the openly gay chapter president, said: "I'm just one example of younger individuals who find a home in the NAACP for issues that they might represent."
Patricia Sullivan, a history professor at the University of South Carolina and author of "Lift Every Voice: The NAACP and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement," called the new push for diversity thrilling and said: "It's really reflecting what the NAACP has represented historically and what its vision has been."
Founded in 1909 partly in response to race riots in Springfield, Ill., NAACP begin as a coalition of Black and Jewish activists with Whites serving in leadership position in many chapters, and it was only later that it became a predominantly Black organization. Sullivan also noted that the NAACP spoke out against the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Tatcho Mindiola, director of the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston, said that while some Hispanics were NAACP members during the civil right years, their election to leadership roles is a new phenomenon. Mindiola said the NAACP has won over some Hispanics because of recent positions it has taken on issues important to Latinos.
"The group has shown it is fighting for civil rights for all minorities," said David Alcantara, 52, president of the Pleasantville-Mainland chapter in New Jersey. "And it's time that all minorities support the NAACP."
Founded more than a century ago to promote Black equality, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is seeing remarkable diversity in its leadership ranks — the result of an aggressive effort over the past four or five years to boost NAACP membership and broaden the civil rights organization's agenda to confront prejudice in its many forms.
"This is the new NAACP," said Clark University political science professor Ravi Perry, the new chapter president in Worcester. "This is a human rights organization, and we have an obligation to fight discrimination at all levels."
NAACP branches have been recruiting gays, immigrants and young people who grew up in a world far removed from the landmark 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that outlawed school segregation. Now, leadership positions that were once held only by Blacks are being filled by members of other racial or ethnic groups.
The group does not keep track of numbers, but in recent years NAACP chapters in New Jersey, Connecticut and Georgia have elected Hispanics as president. A White man was picked to lead the chapter in Aiken, S.C. And two years ago, NAACP members in Hamtramck, Mich., a Detroit suburb, selected a Bangladeshi American to revive their long-dormant chapter.
"Some people mentioned that it wouldn't be possible for me to be president," said Victor Diaz, 32, a Dominican American who ran against an incumbent and was elected president of the Waterbury, Conn., branch in November. "But when I ran, I won 3 to 1."
The push for diversity troubles some members of the NAACP's old guard, who worry that problems in the Black community may get short shrift. But some social scientists say the new diversity is merely a return to the group's roots as a biracial organization.
In 1964, the NAACP's membership peaked at 625,000 paid members. By the middle of the past decade, that had dropped to just under 300,000. Now it has reversed course and climbed to more than 525,000, in large part because of an increase in young members, group officials say. The NAACP said it does not keep track of the organization's racial and ethnic breakdown.
Stefanie Brown, the NAACP's 30-year-old national field director, said the under-25 crowd is the organization's fastest-growing age group. In fact, the NAACP has slots on its 60-plus member board of directors reserved for people under 25. In addition, Brown said, young professionals under 40 are taking leadership roles — something that hadn't happened until recently.
Some in the group say the diversity push weakens the NAACP's identity. Jamarhl Crawford, editor of the Blackstonian, a Boston website that covers the city's Black population, said he fears it could "water down" the focus on problems in the Black community.
"I think there's going to be some loss there in terms of actual activism, actual protest" on behalf of Blacks, said Crawford, a 40-year-old member of the NAACP's Boston branch.
The diversity push was started a few years ago under then-NAACP chairman Julian Bond. Later, Benjamin Todd Jealous, who in 2008 became the group's youngest leader at age 35, ramped up the effort and also urged the organization to take up gay rights.
"At our core, we want to end discrimination and have equality for all people," Brown said.
In a reflection of how it has broadened its agenda, the NAACP came out against California's Proposition 8, the ballot measure banning gay marriage. Last year, it spoke out against Arizona's anti-immigration law. It also strongly supported the federal DREAM Act, a proposal to give illegal immigrant students a pathway to citizenship through college or military service.
Perry, the openly gay chapter president, said: "I'm just one example of younger individuals who find a home in the NAACP for issues that they might represent."
Patricia Sullivan, a history professor at the University of South Carolina and author of "Lift Every Voice: The NAACP and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement," called the new push for diversity thrilling and said: "It's really reflecting what the NAACP has represented historically and what its vision has been."
Founded in 1909 partly in response to race riots in Springfield, Ill., NAACP begin as a coalition of Black and Jewish activists with Whites serving in leadership position in many chapters, and it was only later that it became a predominantly Black organization. Sullivan also noted that the NAACP spoke out against the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Tatcho Mindiola, director of the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston, said that while some Hispanics were NAACP members during the civil right years, their election to leadership roles is a new phenomenon. Mindiola said the NAACP has won over some Hispanics because of recent positions it has taken on issues important to Latinos.
"The group has shown it is fighting for civil rights for all minorities," said David Alcantara, 52, president of the Pleasantville-Mainland chapter in New Jersey. "And it's time that all minorities support the NAACP."
Detroit Named A Hub For Black-Owned Businesses
Carla Walker-Miller has changed her business model and reduced her work force. What has remained constant through that movement and the economic storms: Her commitment to be in Detroit. “Detroit is hard, but it’s rewarding,” she said.
It also is the city with the highest percentage of Black-owned businesses in the country, according to new Census Bureau statistics. Nearly two-thirds (64.2 percent) of all the businesses in Detroit were owned by Blacks.
The Motor City was home to 32,490 Black-owned businesses in 2007. New York had the largest number of Black-owned businesses, but in concentration and total numbers, Detroit was ahead of other predominantly Black cities like Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
Highest concentration of
Black-owned businesses
2007 totals — percent of
total businesses in cities
Detroit.................64.2
Baltimore.............34.6
Memphis..............38.1
Atlanta................30.9
Washington, D.C...28.4
Cleveland.............26.5
Chicago................22.9
Milwaukee............22.3
Philadelphia..........22.5
Charlotte..............17.8
One reason is that Detroit’s economy has been harsher, with fewer new jobs and opportunities than most metropolitan areas. Its jobless rate has consistently been among the highest in the nation. So in tough times, the entrepreneurial spirit comes out.
Another reason: “There is a loyalty in the African-American population of Detroit,” said William Volz, a Wayne State University professor of business law who has helped many launch small businesses for more than 20 years. He thinks that’s partly a legacy of five-term Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, who encouraged African-Americans’ identification with the city.
“People are looking around where they live, at school, at home, and they see the opportunities,” Volz said, who oversees the Blackstone LaunchPad, an entrepreneur assistance program at Wayne State.
Black companies in Detroit have some advantages: The major automakers have been ambitious in minority-contractor programs and the city also has a minority-vendor program.
Johnny Cannon partners with other African-Americans — including his wife, Chamika — on his three businesses in Detroit. The couple own the New Center Eatery, a chicken and waffles breakfast and lunch place that’s near the state office building and some hospitals. With other partners, he co-owns a linen and table covers rentals business and a catering company that supplies lunches to around 5,000 students at charter schools.
“Detroit is a very creative town, always has been,” Cannon said.
The number of Black businesses in Detroit grew by 66 percent from 2002 to 2007, but their revenue growth lagged far behind the national numbers. This could indicate people creating part-time jobs for themselves; after all, 90 percent of Black businesses nationwide have no employees outside of the owners.
Walker-Miller started her business, Walker-Miller Energy, in 2000, eager to show the world that an ethical approach and a Black woman could succeed.
Initially she sold electrical equipment used by utilities, but switched into commercial and residential energy audits and conservation in 2008 as the utilities cut back and the economy faltered. She and her small team spent two years retooling and trying to develop the business’ reputation. She had to lay off some people, but kept three staffers.
“I discovered I am ridiculously loyal, loyal to a fault,” she said, whether to those key employees or to her adopted hometown of Detroit. “I’ve never considered moving outside Detroit,” she said.
It also is the city with the highest percentage of Black-owned businesses in the country, according to new Census Bureau statistics. Nearly two-thirds (64.2 percent) of all the businesses in Detroit were owned by Blacks.
The Motor City was home to 32,490 Black-owned businesses in 2007. New York had the largest number of Black-owned businesses, but in concentration and total numbers, Detroit was ahead of other predominantly Black cities like Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
Highest concentration of
Black-owned businesses
2007 totals — percent of
total businesses in cities
Detroit.................64.2
Baltimore.............34.6
Memphis..............38.1
Atlanta................30.9
Washington, D.C...28.4
Cleveland.............26.5
Chicago................22.9
Milwaukee............22.3
Philadelphia..........22.5
Charlotte..............17.8
One reason is that Detroit’s economy has been harsher, with fewer new jobs and opportunities than most metropolitan areas. Its jobless rate has consistently been among the highest in the nation. So in tough times, the entrepreneurial spirit comes out.
Another reason: “There is a loyalty in the African-American population of Detroit,” said William Volz, a Wayne State University professor of business law who has helped many launch small businesses for more than 20 years. He thinks that’s partly a legacy of five-term Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, who encouraged African-Americans’ identification with the city.
“People are looking around where they live, at school, at home, and they see the opportunities,” Volz said, who oversees the Blackstone LaunchPad, an entrepreneur assistance program at Wayne State.
Black companies in Detroit have some advantages: The major automakers have been ambitious in minority-contractor programs and the city also has a minority-vendor program.
Johnny Cannon partners with other African-Americans — including his wife, Chamika — on his three businesses in Detroit. The couple own the New Center Eatery, a chicken and waffles breakfast and lunch place that’s near the state office building and some hospitals. With other partners, he co-owns a linen and table covers rentals business and a catering company that supplies lunches to around 5,000 students at charter schools.
“Detroit is a very creative town, always has been,” Cannon said.
The number of Black businesses in Detroit grew by 66 percent from 2002 to 2007, but their revenue growth lagged far behind the national numbers. This could indicate people creating part-time jobs for themselves; after all, 90 percent of Black businesses nationwide have no employees outside of the owners.
Walker-Miller started her business, Walker-Miller Energy, in 2000, eager to show the world that an ethical approach and a Black woman could succeed.
Initially she sold electrical equipment used by utilities, but switched into commercial and residential energy audits and conservation in 2008 as the utilities cut back and the economy faltered. She and her small team spent two years retooling and trying to develop the business’ reputation. She had to lay off some people, but kept three staffers.
“I discovered I am ridiculously loyal, loyal to a fault,” she said, whether to those key employees or to her adopted hometown of Detroit. “I’ve never considered moving outside Detroit,” she said.
African Americans Seeking New Clout In Once White Suburbs
WASHINGTON — With more Blacks moving from city to suburb, the National Urban League says it is worried states may improperly seek to stem the political clout of African-Americans as they spread into historically white districts.
The leader of the 101-year-old organization also says he is troubled by complaints from big-city mayors such as those in New York and Detroit who contend large pockets of their residents were missed in the 2010 census. Blacks historically have been more likely to be missed in the decennial count and preliminary numbers for 2010 suggest that could have happened again.
"We have to give consideration as to whether there is an undercount," Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, told The Associated Press.
In its annual "State of Black America" report being released Thursday, the civil-rights group paints a picture of African-Americans at a crossroads following decades of progress from the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
It notes growing equality between Blacks and Whites in employment, even as Blacks remain more likely to be poor and jobless in the current economic slump. And it cites a wider black influence in politics — particularly in the South and the suburbs — that buoyed Democrat Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008, before waning enthusiasm in 2010 led to tepid black turnout and widespread wins for Republicans and tea party conservatives.
With new census figures showing Blacks less concentrated in inner cities and spreading to suburban communities, Morial says African-Americans must be vigilant against subtle discrimination when states redraw their political maps.
In Michigan, for instance, mostly black Detroit could see its clout diminish in Congress after losing a quarter of its population. Black lawmakers say they want to make sure that redrawn political maps — which are being guided by the Republican-controlled Michigan legislature — reflect the growing minority population in other cities and suburbs elsewhere in the state.
In Virginia, where almost a fifth of residents are black, African-American members of the state legislature are calling for a second U.S. House district that would favor black candidates. But some redistricting experts say that redrawing lines to do that could be difficult, partly because Blacks are somewhat spread out in the state.
The outcome ultimately may depend on the Justice Department or a federal court, which must preapprove redistricting plans in Virginia and several other Southern states to ensure that minorities' voting strength is upheld under the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
"We will be closely watching to see if there is an effort by states to dilute the impact of the black suburban vote," Morial said.
The "State of Black America" report also urges Obama and Congress to increase federal aid for jobs in the nation's hardest-hit communities, many of which are disproportionately minority.
Among the recommendations:
—Spend $5 billion to $7 billion to hire up to 5 million teens as part of a Youth Summer Jobs Program that would improve opportunities for urban young people, who have higher rates of unemployment.
—Create "green empowerment zones," which would offer tax incentives to manufacturers of solar panels and wind turbines if they open plants in high-unemployment areas.
—Expand small-business lending.
According to census figures released last week, the population of African-Americans increased over the last decade to 37.7 million and ranks as the third largest racial and ethnic group, after Whites and Hispanics. Since the 2000 census, many Blacks have left big cities such as Detroit, Chicago and New York for the suburbs, especially in the South. Both Michigan and Illinois saw their first declines in the black population since statehood.
The Census Bureau's preliminary comparison of the 2010 count to a set of independent government estimates based on birth and death records suggests that the census figure for Blacks could have been undercounted by 1.5 to 3.8 percent.
Victoria Velkoff, an assistant division chief of the Census Bureau's Population Estimates and Projections, said in an interview that it was too early to tell whether there was a black undercount in the 2010 census without additional analysis, now under way.
In 2000, the Census Bureau determined it had undercounted Blacks by roughly 2.8 percent, many of them in dense urban areas. That assessment was based on the agency's comparison of the 2000 count to independent birth and death records.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing already have said they will contest the 2010 counts for their cities. Those challenges are mostly aimed at getting a higher population count that would bring a larger share of federal dollars to their cities for schools, roads and health care.
The leader of the 101-year-old organization also says he is troubled by complaints from big-city mayors such as those in New York and Detroit who contend large pockets of their residents were missed in the 2010 census. Blacks historically have been more likely to be missed in the decennial count and preliminary numbers for 2010 suggest that could have happened again.
"We have to give consideration as to whether there is an undercount," Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, told The Associated Press.
In its annual "State of Black America" report being released Thursday, the civil-rights group paints a picture of African-Americans at a crossroads following decades of progress from the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
It notes growing equality between Blacks and Whites in employment, even as Blacks remain more likely to be poor and jobless in the current economic slump. And it cites a wider black influence in politics — particularly in the South and the suburbs — that buoyed Democrat Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008, before waning enthusiasm in 2010 led to tepid black turnout and widespread wins for Republicans and tea party conservatives.
With new census figures showing Blacks less concentrated in inner cities and spreading to suburban communities, Morial says African-Americans must be vigilant against subtle discrimination when states redraw their political maps.
In Michigan, for instance, mostly black Detroit could see its clout diminish in Congress after losing a quarter of its population. Black lawmakers say they want to make sure that redrawn political maps — which are being guided by the Republican-controlled Michigan legislature — reflect the growing minority population in other cities and suburbs elsewhere in the state.
In Virginia, where almost a fifth of residents are black, African-American members of the state legislature are calling for a second U.S. House district that would favor black candidates. But some redistricting experts say that redrawing lines to do that could be difficult, partly because Blacks are somewhat spread out in the state.
The outcome ultimately may depend on the Justice Department or a federal court, which must preapprove redistricting plans in Virginia and several other Southern states to ensure that minorities' voting strength is upheld under the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
"We will be closely watching to see if there is an effort by states to dilute the impact of the black suburban vote," Morial said.
The "State of Black America" report also urges Obama and Congress to increase federal aid for jobs in the nation's hardest-hit communities, many of which are disproportionately minority.
Among the recommendations:
—Spend $5 billion to $7 billion to hire up to 5 million teens as part of a Youth Summer Jobs Program that would improve opportunities for urban young people, who have higher rates of unemployment.
—Create "green empowerment zones," which would offer tax incentives to manufacturers of solar panels and wind turbines if they open plants in high-unemployment areas.
—Expand small-business lending.
According to census figures released last week, the population of African-Americans increased over the last decade to 37.7 million and ranks as the third largest racial and ethnic group, after Whites and Hispanics. Since the 2000 census, many Blacks have left big cities such as Detroit, Chicago and New York for the suburbs, especially in the South. Both Michigan and Illinois saw their first declines in the black population since statehood.
The Census Bureau's preliminary comparison of the 2010 count to a set of independent government estimates based on birth and death records suggests that the census figure for Blacks could have been undercounted by 1.5 to 3.8 percent.
Victoria Velkoff, an assistant division chief of the Census Bureau's Population Estimates and Projections, said in an interview that it was too early to tell whether there was a black undercount in the 2010 census without additional analysis, now under way.
In 2000, the Census Bureau determined it had undercounted Blacks by roughly 2.8 percent, many of them in dense urban areas. That assessment was based on the agency's comparison of the 2000 count to independent birth and death records.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing already have said they will contest the 2010 counts for their cities. Those challenges are mostly aimed at getting a higher population count that would bring a larger share of federal dollars to their cities for schools, roads and health care.
FAA Controller Suspended For Movie Watching While On Duty
WASHINGTON — An air traffic controller has been suspended for watching a movie when he was supposed to be monitoring aircraft, deepening the Federal Aviation Administration's embarrassment following at least five cases of controllers sleeping on the job.
In the latest incident, the controller was watching a movie on a DVD player early Sunday morning while on duty at a regional radar center in Oberlin, Ohio, near Cleveland that handles high-altitude air traffic, the FAA said in a statement Monday.
The controller's microphone was inadvertently activated, transmitting the audio of the movie — the 2007 crime thriller Cleaner, starring Samuel L. Jackson — for more than three minutes to all the planes in the airspace that the controller was supposed to be monitoring, the agency said.
The controller's microphone became stuck in the transmit position, preventing him from hearing incoming radio calls or issuing instructions to planes during the incident, the agency said.
The controller was alerted to the mishap when he was contacted by a military pilot.
Besides the controller, the FAA also has suspended a manager at the Oberlin center.
In all, the FAA has suspended nine controllers and supervisors since late March.
In five of the cases the controllers allegedly fell asleep. In another case, the FAA is investigating why two controllers in Lubbock, Texas, were unresponsive to radio calls.
Nearly all the incidents occurred during overnight shifts when traffic is light and people naturally have trouble staying awake.
The incidents have shaken FAA officials, made air traffic controllers the butt of late-night comedians and raised public jitters about the safety of air travel.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said early Monday, before the agency had disclosed the incident near Cleveland, that he was "infuriated" that air traffic controllers have been caught snoozing on the job.
"None of us in this business can ... tolerate any of this," Babbitt said. "It absolutely has to stop."
Babbitt was at a regional radar center near Atlanta with Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union that represents controllers. The pair met with about 50 controllers and other FAA employees as they kicked off a nationwide tour of air traffic facilities aimed at sending a message as much to the public as to controllers that unprofessional behavior won't be tolerated.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood underscored the same message in a series of television interviews over the past several days. Even President Barack Obama joined the chorus, telling ABC News last week, "We've got it under control."
But every time administration officials say they've moved decisively to contain the problem, another controller steps over the line.
The day before the Cleveland incident a controller fell asleep while working an overnight shift at busy regional radar facility in Miami that handles high-altitude traffic for Florida, parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean.
The incidents have raised concerns about work schedules that don't allow controllers realistic opportunities for sleep.
The FAA forbids controllers from sleeping on the job, even during the 20-minute to 30-minute breaks they receive every few hours. Babbitt stood by that position Monday.
Instead, the agency said it will require controllers to have an extra hour off between shifts — a minimum of nine hours instead of eight — to get more sleep.
Babbitt said at the meeting that the scandal caused by sleeping controllers has harmed the agency's credibility. He said passengers should never have to worry about whether a flight crew is rested, a plane is properly maintained or air traffic controllers are on the job.
"That should never be a thought for anybody getting in an airplane in this country," he said. "And it hasn't been a thought. But unfortunately, we have raised that concern."
In the latest incident, the controller was watching a movie on a DVD player early Sunday morning while on duty at a regional radar center in Oberlin, Ohio, near Cleveland that handles high-altitude air traffic, the FAA said in a statement Monday.
The controller's microphone was inadvertently activated, transmitting the audio of the movie — the 2007 crime thriller Cleaner, starring Samuel L. Jackson — for more than three minutes to all the planes in the airspace that the controller was supposed to be monitoring, the agency said.
The controller's microphone became stuck in the transmit position, preventing him from hearing incoming radio calls or issuing instructions to planes during the incident, the agency said.
The controller was alerted to the mishap when he was contacted by a military pilot.
Besides the controller, the FAA also has suspended a manager at the Oberlin center.
In all, the FAA has suspended nine controllers and supervisors since late March.
In five of the cases the controllers allegedly fell asleep. In another case, the FAA is investigating why two controllers in Lubbock, Texas, were unresponsive to radio calls.
Nearly all the incidents occurred during overnight shifts when traffic is light and people naturally have trouble staying awake.
The incidents have shaken FAA officials, made air traffic controllers the butt of late-night comedians and raised public jitters about the safety of air travel.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said early Monday, before the agency had disclosed the incident near Cleveland, that he was "infuriated" that air traffic controllers have been caught snoozing on the job.
"None of us in this business can ... tolerate any of this," Babbitt said. "It absolutely has to stop."
Babbitt was at a regional radar center near Atlanta with Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union that represents controllers. The pair met with about 50 controllers and other FAA employees as they kicked off a nationwide tour of air traffic facilities aimed at sending a message as much to the public as to controllers that unprofessional behavior won't be tolerated.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood underscored the same message in a series of television interviews over the past several days. Even President Barack Obama joined the chorus, telling ABC News last week, "We've got it under control."
But every time administration officials say they've moved decisively to contain the problem, another controller steps over the line.
The day before the Cleveland incident a controller fell asleep while working an overnight shift at busy regional radar facility in Miami that handles high-altitude traffic for Florida, parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean.
The incidents have raised concerns about work schedules that don't allow controllers realistic opportunities for sleep.
The FAA forbids controllers from sleeping on the job, even during the 20-minute to 30-minute breaks they receive every few hours. Babbitt stood by that position Monday.
Instead, the agency said it will require controllers to have an extra hour off between shifts — a minimum of nine hours instead of eight — to get more sleep.
Babbitt said at the meeting that the scandal caused by sleeping controllers has harmed the agency's credibility. He said passengers should never have to worry about whether a flight crew is rested, a plane is properly maintained or air traffic controllers are on the job.
"That should never be a thought for anybody getting in an airplane in this country," he said. "And it hasn't been a thought. But unfortunately, we have raised that concern."
Unsettling Weather Pattern:Massive Tornado Outbreak Kills At Least 200 In Southern States
PLEASANT GROVE, Ala. – Dozens of tornadoes spawned by a powerful storm system wiped out entire towns across a wide swath of the South, killing at least 200 people in the deadliest outbreak in nearly 40 years, and officials said Thursday they expected the death toll to rise.
Alabama's state emergency management agency said it had confirmed 131 deaths, while there were 32 in Mississippi, 15 in Tennessee, 13 in Georgia, eight in Virginia and one in Kentucky.
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said it received 137 tornado reports around the regions into Wednesday night.
"We were in the bathroom holding on to each other and holding on to dear life," said Samantha Nail, who lives in a blue-collar subdivision in the Birmingham suburb of Pleasant Grove where the storm slammed heavy pickup trucks into ditches and obliterated tidy brick houses, leaving behind a mess of mattresses, electronics and children's toys scattered across a grassy plain where dozens used to live. "If it wasn't for our concrete walls, our home would be gone like the rest of them."
Dave Imy, a meteorologist with the prediction service, said the number of deaths was the most in a tornado outbreak since 1974, when 315 people died.
In Alabama, where as many as a million people were without power, Gov. Robert Bentley said 2,000 national guard troops had been activated and were helping to search devastated areas for people still missing. He said the National Weather Service and forecasters did a good job of alerting people, but there is only so much that can be done to deal with tornadoes a mile wide.
"You cannot prepare against an F5," the most powerful category on a scale for measuring wind intensity, he said.
One of the hardest-hit areas was Tuscaloosa, a city of more than 83,000 and home to the University of Alabama. The city's police and other emergency services were devastated, the mayor said, and at least 15 people were killed.
A massive tornado, caught on video by a news camera on a tower, barreled through the city late Wednesday afternoon, leveling it.
By nightfall, the city was dark. Roads were impassable. Signs were blown down in front of restaurants, businesses were unrecognizable and sirens wailed off and on. Debris littered the streets and sidewalks
College students in a commercial district near campus used flashlights to check out the damage.
At Stephanie's Flowers, owner Bronson Englebert used the headlights from two delivery vans to see what valuables he could remove. The storm blew out the front of his store, pulled down the ceiling and shattered the windows, leaving only the curtains flapping in the breeze.
"It even blew out the back wall, and I've got bricks on top of two delivery vans now," Englebert said.
A group of students stopped to help Englebert, carrying out items like computers and printers and putting them in his van.
The storm system spread destruction from Texas to New York, where dozens of roads were flooded or washed out.
The governors in Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia each issued emergency declarations for parts of their states.
President Barack Obama said he had spoken with Bentley and approved his request for emergency federal assistance.
"Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by this devastation, and we commend the heroic efforts of those who have been working tirelessly to respond to this disaster," Obama said in a statement.
Around Tuscaloosa, traffic was snarled by downed trees and power lines, and some drivers abandoned their cars in medians.
"What we faced today was massive damage on a scale we have not seen in Tuscaloosa in quite some time," Mayor Walter Maddox said.
University officials said there didn't appear to be significant damage on campus, and dozens of students and locals were staying at a 125-bed shelter in the campus recreation center.
The Browns Ferry nuclear power plant about 30 miles west of Huntsville lost offsite power. The Tennessee Valley Authority-owned plant had to use seven diesel generators to power the plant's three units. The safety systems operated as needed and the emergency event was classified as the lowest of four levels, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.
In Huntsville, meteorologists found themselves in the path of severe storms and had to take shelter in a reinforced steel room, turning over monitoring duties to a sister office in Jackson, Miss. Meteorologists saw multiple wall clouds, which sometimes spawn tornadoes, and decided to take cover, but the building wasn't damaged.
"We have to take shelter just like the rest of the people," said meteorologist Chelly Amin, who wasn't at the office at the time but spoke with colleagues about the situation.
In Kemper County, Miss., in the east-central part of the state, sisters Florrie Green and Maxine McDonald, and their sister-in-law Johnnie Green, all died in a mobile home that was destroyed by a storm.
"They were thrown into those pines over there," Mary Green, Johnnie Green's daughter-in-law, said, pointing to a wooded area. "They had to go look for their bodies."
In Choctaw County, Miss., a Louisiana police officer was killed Wednesday morning when a towering sweetgum tree fell onto his tent as he shielded his young daughter with his body, said Kim Korthuis, a supervisory ranger with the National Park Service. The girl wasn't hurt.
The 9-year-old girl was brought to a motor home about 100 feet away where campsite volunteer Greg Maier was staying with his wife. He went back to check on the father and found him dead.
In a neighborhood south of Birmingham, Austin Ransdell and a friend had to hike out after the house where he was living was crushed by four trees. No one was hurt.
As he walked away from the wreckage, trees and power lines crisscrossed residential streets, and police cars and utility trucks blocked a main highway.
"The house was destroyed. We couldn't stay in it. Water pipes broke; it was flooding the basement," he said. "We had people coming in telling us another storm was coming in about four or five hours, so we just packed up."
Not far away, Craig Branch was stunned by the damage.
"Every street to get into our general subdivision was blocked off," he said. "Power lines are down; trees are all over the road. I've never seen anything like that before."
The storms came on the heels of another system that killed 10 people in Arkansas and one in Mississippi earlier this week.
Alabama's state emergency management agency said it had confirmed 131 deaths, while there were 32 in Mississippi, 15 in Tennessee, 13 in Georgia, eight in Virginia and one in Kentucky.
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said it received 137 tornado reports around the regions into Wednesday night.
"We were in the bathroom holding on to each other and holding on to dear life," said Samantha Nail, who lives in a blue-collar subdivision in the Birmingham suburb of Pleasant Grove where the storm slammed heavy pickup trucks into ditches and obliterated tidy brick houses, leaving behind a mess of mattresses, electronics and children's toys scattered across a grassy plain where dozens used to live. "If it wasn't for our concrete walls, our home would be gone like the rest of them."
Dave Imy, a meteorologist with the prediction service, said the number of deaths was the most in a tornado outbreak since 1974, when 315 people died.
In Alabama, where as many as a million people were without power, Gov. Robert Bentley said 2,000 national guard troops had been activated and were helping to search devastated areas for people still missing. He said the National Weather Service and forecasters did a good job of alerting people, but there is only so much that can be done to deal with tornadoes a mile wide.
"You cannot prepare against an F5," the most powerful category on a scale for measuring wind intensity, he said.
One of the hardest-hit areas was Tuscaloosa, a city of more than 83,000 and home to the University of Alabama. The city's police and other emergency services were devastated, the mayor said, and at least 15 people were killed.
A massive tornado, caught on video by a news camera on a tower, barreled through the city late Wednesday afternoon, leveling it.
By nightfall, the city was dark. Roads were impassable. Signs were blown down in front of restaurants, businesses were unrecognizable and sirens wailed off and on. Debris littered the streets and sidewalks
College students in a commercial district near campus used flashlights to check out the damage.
At Stephanie's Flowers, owner Bronson Englebert used the headlights from two delivery vans to see what valuables he could remove. The storm blew out the front of his store, pulled down the ceiling and shattered the windows, leaving only the curtains flapping in the breeze.
"It even blew out the back wall, and I've got bricks on top of two delivery vans now," Englebert said.
A group of students stopped to help Englebert, carrying out items like computers and printers and putting them in his van.
The storm system spread destruction from Texas to New York, where dozens of roads were flooded or washed out.
The governors in Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia each issued emergency declarations for parts of their states.
President Barack Obama said he had spoken with Bentley and approved his request for emergency federal assistance.
"Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by this devastation, and we commend the heroic efforts of those who have been working tirelessly to respond to this disaster," Obama said in a statement.
Around Tuscaloosa, traffic was snarled by downed trees and power lines, and some drivers abandoned their cars in medians.
"What we faced today was massive damage on a scale we have not seen in Tuscaloosa in quite some time," Mayor Walter Maddox said.
University officials said there didn't appear to be significant damage on campus, and dozens of students and locals were staying at a 125-bed shelter in the campus recreation center.
The Browns Ferry nuclear power plant about 30 miles west of Huntsville lost offsite power. The Tennessee Valley Authority-owned plant had to use seven diesel generators to power the plant's three units. The safety systems operated as needed and the emergency event was classified as the lowest of four levels, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said.
In Huntsville, meteorologists found themselves in the path of severe storms and had to take shelter in a reinforced steel room, turning over monitoring duties to a sister office in Jackson, Miss. Meteorologists saw multiple wall clouds, which sometimes spawn tornadoes, and decided to take cover, but the building wasn't damaged.
"We have to take shelter just like the rest of the people," said meteorologist Chelly Amin, who wasn't at the office at the time but spoke with colleagues about the situation.
In Kemper County, Miss., in the east-central part of the state, sisters Florrie Green and Maxine McDonald, and their sister-in-law Johnnie Green, all died in a mobile home that was destroyed by a storm.
"They were thrown into those pines over there," Mary Green, Johnnie Green's daughter-in-law, said, pointing to a wooded area. "They had to go look for their bodies."
In Choctaw County, Miss., a Louisiana police officer was killed Wednesday morning when a towering sweetgum tree fell onto his tent as he shielded his young daughter with his body, said Kim Korthuis, a supervisory ranger with the National Park Service. The girl wasn't hurt.
The 9-year-old girl was brought to a motor home about 100 feet away where campsite volunteer Greg Maier was staying with his wife. He went back to check on the father and found him dead.
In a neighborhood south of Birmingham, Austin Ransdell and a friend had to hike out after the house where he was living was crushed by four trees. No one was hurt.
As he walked away from the wreckage, trees and power lines crisscrossed residential streets, and police cars and utility trucks blocked a main highway.
"The house was destroyed. We couldn't stay in it. Water pipes broke; it was flooding the basement," he said. "We had people coming in telling us another storm was coming in about four or five hours, so we just packed up."
Not far away, Craig Branch was stunned by the damage.
"Every street to get into our general subdivision was blocked off," he said. "Power lines are down; trees are all over the road. I've never seen anything like that before."
The storms came on the heels of another system that killed 10 people in Arkansas and one in Mississippi earlier this week.
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