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Michael Jackson Obituary: Read it Today on Wikipedia

You want to read the Michael Jackson’s Obituary that’ll run in tomorrow’s newspaper? Check Wikipedia.

Wikipedia: How Newspaper Obituaries are Written

Since learning of the news of Michael Jackson’s dead (from Laine’s Facebook status), I have been monitoring the Michael Jackson Wikipedia edit log. Based on the edit log, it looks as though Wikipedia had the cardiac arrest before it was reported by the Los Angeles Times. Not bad.

Here’s what I find fascinating… half of what you read in newspaper obituaries was written and fact-checked by Wikipedia contributors. Based on previous obituaries, we’ll see how close to correct I am tomorrow. In the meantime, watch the edit log and see if Jackson’s image is being softened or fixed in stone by his death.

“It Must be True: Twitter is Down.”

While trying to confirm Jackson’s death, these words were uttered, “it must be true… Twitter is down.”.

Welcome to the new world of news. Got your own ‘Jackson is dead’ electronic media stories? Tell them below.

(Bonus: Michael Jackson’s Obit as a Limerick.)

Newspaper Advertising Sales Down $4.5 Billion

Comments TechCrunch: From Terrible To Terrifying: Newspaper Ad Sales Plummet $2.6 Billion In Q1 2009. Here it is in a nutshell…

Newspaper Advertising is Dead

Thanks to Grant from the The Guild of Scientific Troubadours for bringing this depressing news to our attention.

Volunteers Needed

A wide variety of organizations in our area are looking for volunteer workers. Many are needed, especially in summer when our snowbirds go home.

It’s a way to learn skills such as computers, phone or organizational programs that you can use on a resume, while actually helping others as you train.

It’s also a way to network, plus it gets you out of the house and into a work environment interacting with those who have paying jobs available.

JUST SOME WHO NEED YOU

Suggestions for programs in our area include something for everyone – kids, libraries, gardens, courts, health and seniors, to name a few. Other counties have similar needs within their county organizations — check around where you live for these volunteer posts.

Click on the titles below to be taken to the group’s web site and read around to find the info for volunteers.
One near and dear to my heart. I know firsthand it’s extremely rewarding:
Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition.

Meals on Wheels. The Morse Life Jewish Center in West Palm Beach handles a great deal of this service to feed the homebound in our area, and they have other senior services that offer volunteer opportunities as well.

United Way of Palm Beach County – various agencies in need of volunteers.

Note: They are training disaster relief volunteers June 3.

Florence Fuller Thrift Shop, Boca Raton.

Palm Beach County library system
Palm Beach County Health Dept.

Palm Beach County Court system

Animal Care and Control

Victim Services

State Attorney’s Office

Voices for Children.

Deaf Center Services

Head Start

Mounts Botanical Gardens

Environmental services

Hospice of PBC

American Red Cross. They have numerous volunteer opportunities, including emergency disaster relief that can take you across the country working for the Red Cross in major disaster areas. There also is an international volunteer program with this agency.

One all-around site is volunteermatch.com — it has numerous positions posted. It’s quirky and doesn’t always deliver correct keywords within the area you’re searching.

There are dozens of other organizations that need workers. This year, schools are going to be in dire need of volunteer workers as they have cut back exponentially on paid staff. Hospitals, fire departments, city parks and recreation, church food banks and many, many more use volunteers.

You can help make a difference in the community, and get something in return.

26% of Palm Beach Daily News Staff Laid Off

Not even The Shiny Sheet on the ultra wealthy island of Palm Beach is immune to Cox layoffs.

Alex Taylor, The Palm Beach Post Publisher, announced today that 11 full-time employees were losing their jobs. That means there are 32 employees left at the paper. Says Mr. Taylor:

To put this into a little perspective it’s important to point out that last year’s layoffs did not touch the Shiny Sheet because business on the island appeared relatively unaffected during the 2008 downturn. However, things changed on the island after the turn of the year. Business dropped sharply in what many think is the sharpest retail downturn the island has ever seen in modern times. Real Estate, Madoff, plummeting tourism, a Worth Ave. jewelry heist, a general reluctance to spend on luxury goods and numerous other factors have created a storm on the island that has shut down much of its economic activity.

With All That Going On, You’d Think They’d Need Journalists

It has been a great news year for Palm Beach. A $50-billion pyramid scheme in our own back yard, and an old-school jewelry heist are a couple of my favorites.

Thanks to the economic downturn and Bernie Madoff, there have been some amazing turns of fortune on the island to the tune of tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. After years of boring society balls and minor social standing drama, something interesting is happening on the island and it is a shame there aren’t going to be as many people left to records the stories.

1. Buyout. 2. Blogger. 3. Profit?

Have you done it? Are you a blogger? Is it working out for you?

How have you taken your personal print brand and turned it into an online brand?

Has anything specific worked well for you or been a complete failure?

If nothing else, pimp your blog below.

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