Long Live the King of Pop

I remember exactly where I was when I heard that Michael Jackson had died.

I was working as a waitress at Chili's Bar & Grill back at home in Massachusetts when the news broke in our restaurant. Customers and staff watched in shock and disbelief as the devastating breaking story flashed across the TV screens in the bar and the lounge area.

At first, I thought it was a joke. I have never really been a diehard Michael Jackson fan, but I know and enjoy his music. Even I couldn't believe it. It has always been a funny concept to me, how people get so depressed after hearing a celebrity has died, even if they have never met the person.

But it was sad. I never really looked much into the whole molestation controversy but I had heard other people talk about it and I guess I made a judgement about MJ without knowing the facts. After his death, I read more into it and his life and was deeply saddened. I truly felt bad for him and now believe that the whole thing was made up by someone who wanted a little bit of MJ's money.

Two years later and now people think that Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's physician, is guilty of involuntary manslaughter and is now facing up to four years in prison. Murray was hired by Jackson to issue him his sleeping medication during the time he prepared for his comeback concerts.

I understand that people may want to put the blame for MJ's death on someone, and who better than the man who gave Michael the drug that killed him? But involuntary manslaughter? I feel that may be a bit harsh.

Michael Jackson was paying Murray for his medical services. $150,000 a month, to be exact. Murray knew he was working for a pop icon who was about to make a huge comeback. He could not have believed he would have gotten away with manslaughter, involuntary or not, when essentially the entire world had their eyes on MJ.

Obviously, it was extremely unfortunate that Michael passed at such an early age and at the point of his life where he could have gone out with a bang. But to convict someone of manslaughter when they were being paid to give MJ the drugs that killed him seems a little odd. The fact that MJ needed such a strong prescription to help him sleep makes me think that his body just couldn't handle the stress it was under.

I'm glad the Jackson family has been to find closure in all of this but I do not believe that "justice was served." Now there is a man who worked his whole life to become a doctor facing years in prison for something that may just be an accident. I guess we will never know the actual truth so let's hope everything works out in the end. And to MJ, may he rest in piece.

By Kayla Ward

The Barefoot Shoe

People with active lifestyles have been searching for the perfect running shoe for years. Vibram, an Italian company that has developed quality rubber soles for more than 70 years, decided to make a sole, without the shoe. Recently, the company has released an unusual but creative product called, Vibram FiveFingers.

Vibram’s FiveFingers are designed to simply use what nature gave us, our feet. Most regular running shoes force to you walk on your heal which can lead to problems in your feet, legs, hips and back.The FiveFinger is designed to use the foot’s natural shape encouraging you to come down on the front of your feet, instead of your heal. Each toe fits into a separate pocket, so it looks like a ‘foot glove’.

There has been a high demand for FiveFingers throughout the country. According to Liz Claman of Fox Business Network, Vibram went from having 24 FiveFinger distributors to more than 700 within the past three years. Vibram U.S.A CEO Tony Post told Fox news, “The Vibram FiveFingers allow you to have a barefoot sensation and strengthen the muscles in the feet and lower legs, improve range of motion, and neural activity.” Running in FiveFingers has the potential to improve your agility and balance while strenthening muscles in the feet and lower legs.

U.S Marine and FiveFinger owner Bo Pryor says, “A lot of my exercise in minimal or with no shoes at all. My favorite thing about the FiveFingers is that they are practical. I would prefer to be bare foot all the time; it’s just not very realistic when the ground is nasty.”

One of the best FiveFinger models for running is the Bikila. The name Bikila was named after a 1960 Olympic gold medalist, Abebe Bikila. He won in a record time and was the first black African to win an Olympic gold medal. The best part- he raced barefoot, just like he trained.

In 2007, Times Magazine voted the FiveFingers one of the best inventions of the year along with Apple’s IPhone. Now, years later, FiveFingers are becoming extremely popular. Forbes wrote about the product as, “Names you need to know in 2011.” FiveFingers are an innovative product with substantial physical benefits and in 2011 are projected to sell 400 percent more shoes than last year.

Written by Keith Whetzel