Suicide Rates

Suicide is known as neither an illness nor a condition. Rather, it’s a complex set of behaviors that exists on a continuum, from ideas to actions.

According to the American Association of Suicidology, currently there are slightly more than 30,000 suicides annually (83 suicides per day; or 1 suicide every 17 minutes), with 12 of 100,000 Americans killing themselves. It is the eighth leading cause of death.

The number for the average middle-aged American suicide annual has increase nearly 20 percent between 1999 and 2004. What causes people to take their own lives? Unfortunately the answer is not an easy one. It starts with depression.

The rate of people taking their lives have traditionally decreased in times of war and increased in times of economic crises.

Journalist’s Toolbox

The American Press Institute’s website has many things to look at through the Journalist’s Toolbox. There it illustrates tons of information on stories going on around the world. I found the flu stories very informative. It expresses that it is important to get vaccinated for the flu this year. The website allows you to locate a flu clinic near you through The American Lung Association. All you do is enter your zip code to get started. Once you do that you will get the date, times, address, and phone number of Clinics offering flu shots near you. Furthermore, it displays a map showing where the Clinics are located. The American Lung Association maintains helpful and educational information to patients about the importance of influenza immunization.

Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Charity Work

Actress, Jennifer Love Hewitt has helped design and signed a pair of shoes for the Stuart Weitzman charity shoe auction. This charity was benefiting ovarian cancer awareness and research.

She has been seen wearing a “Save the Future” t-shirt in support of the Cotton Campaign, which is run by the Environmental Justice Foundation. All the proceeds of the t-shirts are going to the continue to fight the use of child labour in the production of cotton.

Leona Lewis

Singer Leona Lewis is another star who has interest in helping out in South Africa. She is the 22-year-old X Factor winner and currently rising to fame, with her album spirit. She holds the record for the fastest selling debut album ever released in the UK. During her recent trip to South Africa she witnessed the extent of the AIDS pandemic. Lewis raised awareness of the plight of AIDS orphans and sufferers with Sport Relief, an initiative of Comic Relief when she had returned from a three day trip to Johannesburg.

“Some of the horrors I have seen will never leave me,” she said. “It’s amazing to see the great work that Sport Relief does firsthand and the difference they make, their projects and centers keep communities going and give them something to be proud and positive about.”

Lewis announced that one of the dresses she wore for her performance at last month’s Brit Awards will be auctioned on eBay, with all the proceeds going to sports Relief.

In response to her trip, Lewis has just announced that the stunning purple gown she wore for her performance at last month’s Brit Awards will be auctioned on eBay, with all proceeds going to Sport Relief. The singer is also donating the proceeds from her new double A-side single, Footprints In The Sand/Better In Time, to the charity.

No Word Yet… :(

I have yet to receive any further information from Alison Rou, someone from Oprah’s media relations. I was hoping to find out some answers from her dealing with Oprah’s new prime time show on ABC. I’m still hoping they will get back to me with answers to my interview questions. No luck so far..

Hilary Duff Helps Out

Known for her acting and singing Hilary Duff is also the Youth Ambassador for Return To Freedom. She is also a charter member for Kids With A Cause, where she visits children in hospitals, takes disadvantaged youth to theme parks and helps with fund-raising efforts. During her Australian tour in October of 2007, she visited sick children bring them gifts to the hospital.

“I think its really important to give back to your community and it makes you feel so good to get involved with a charity. I look up to people who are involved with organizations that help people and animals.”  -Hillary Duff

A percentage of some of her concert ticket sales has gone to hunger charities. She always tries to encourages her fans to bring canned foods to her concerts for donation to USA Harvest. Her fans and including her have raised over 4 million pounds of food for the charity.

Shakira Shreds Clothes For A Good Cause

Shakira put together and organized an auction of her clothes on February 2008. It was a resounding success. It raised $76,000, which went to the Pies Descalzos Foundation also known as the Bare Feet campaign. All the money raised will go and be distributed through the pop singer’s Bare Feet campaign. There were more than 40 items from the performer’s wardrobe that were donated and going for sale. Some of the items that attracted high bids were a lavender skirt, which went for 1,000 and a custom-made bra reaching $1,126. The highest bid was VIP tickets, including a meet-and-greet, to Shakira’s upcoming concert in Toronto. The tickets were sold for $14,000. Shakira is planning to construct a school for needy children in Northern Colombia with the money she made from her auction.

Shakira

International pop singer Shakira founded Pies Descalzos, also known as the Bare Feet Foundation. She donated 10,000 pairs of tennis shoes to impoverished children in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia. Furthermore, she is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Shakira traveled to Bangladesh in December 2007 to visit UNICEF- supported education projects. There she also met with women and children affected by Cyclone Sidr.

She states, “I am sorry for what happened to you,” she told cyclone survivors. “But things are going to get better again. I admire your resilience and your patience and how much you can still give when you have so little for yourselves.” I’ll be writing about more of Shakira’s charity work in my next blog, stay tuned!

TSUNAMI RELIEF

The devastating tsunami in December 2004 happened in South Asia was. The disaster claimed more than 150,000 lives. The entertainment industry has begun to organize and put together charity efforts to help the relief. The UNICEF and the Red Cross were some of the organizations that delivered emergency aid to the region. Large showbiz corporations such as, Disney, News Corp., New parent company Time Warner are donating millions through employee matching programs. Plenty of stars are lending money and talent to the tragic cause. Celebrities like Sandra Bullock, Leonardo DiCaprio, and rap-rockers Linkin Park have sent their own big checks.

More to come

I’m trying to conduct an interview with someone from ABC’s Media Relations concerning Oprah’s new show called, “Oprah’s Give Big.” So far, they haven’t gotten back to me with answers to my interview questions. Hopefully they get back to me and email me soon. Oprah’s new dramatic and emotional prime time series shows people who compete to out give each other. It’s suppose to premiere on March 2^nd on ABC. I’ll keep you updated when I find out more information.