We Are the World

25 years before last week's 'Hope for Haiti' telethon raised record amounts of money for earthquake victims, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, and Quincy Jones wrote 'We are the World' to benefit 'Live Aid' for starving children in Africa. A worldwide commercial success, it topped music charts and became the fastest-selling American pop single in history. It was honored numerous times—including three Grammy Awards, one American Music Award and a People's Choice Award.

However, the song garnered mixed reviews from journalists, music critics and the public. Fans enjoyed hearing racially and musically diverse recording artists singing together on one track, and felt satisfied in buying "We Are the World", knowing that the money was going to charity. Other individuals, such as those in the rock community, were disappointed that the song did not challenge why famines occur in the first place, and felt that the lyrics were self-aggrandizing.

Heavy metal rockers of the eighties who were not included in the recording even produced their own spoof called "Hear 'N Aid: We're the Stars."

Text Haiti Relief

The Haiti earthquake has already triggered hundreds of thousands of donations to musician Wyclef Jean's charitable foundation, which expects to raise upwards of $1 million a day in the disaster's wake.

FBI reminds Internet users who receive appeals to donate money in the aftermath of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to those requests. Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization and/or a good cause.

Therefore, before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines, to include the following:

* Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages.
* Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.
* Verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its nonprofit status rather than following a purported link to the site.
* Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
* Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf to ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes.
* Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions: Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.

Wyclef Jean appears on Oprah.
Wylef Jean defends his charity.
Wyclef John organizes telethon.

Out of Misery...Into Poverty

The horrible earthquakes that have devastated the country of Haiti the last week have left tens of thousands dead and many more injured and homeless. Even before the quakes Haiti was one of the world's poorest nations and the lack of basic infrastructure like roads and airports have hindered relief efforts. Americans are eager to help, raising money, sending supplies, and troops to keep the peace. But the American people also have lots of questions about our neighbor.

Exactly where is Haiti? How did Haiti become so desperate? What is Haiti's history? What language do Haitians speak? How can Haiti rebuild?

Watch the informational video and then check out the answers to these questions here.

Word of the Year: 'Unfriend'

Unfriend was defined as a verb that means to remove someone as a "friend" on a social networking site such as Facebook.

"It has both currency and potential longevity," said Christine Lindberg, senior lexicographer for Oxford's U.S. dictionary program, in a statement.

"In the online social networking context, its meaning is understood, so its adoption as a modern verb form makes this an interesting choice for Word of the Year."
Other words deemed finalists for 2009 by the dictionary's publisher, Britain's Oxford University Press, came from other technological trends, the economy, and political and current affairs.

In technology, there was "hashtag," which is the hash sign added to a word or phrase that lets Twitter users search for tweets similarly tagged; "intexticated" for when people are distracted by texting while driving, and "sexting," which is the sending of sexually explicit SMSes and pictures by cellphone.

Finalists from the economy included "freemium," meaning a business model in which some basic services are provided for free, and "funemployed," referring to people taking advantage of newly unemployed status to have fun or pursue other interests.

In the political and current affairs section, finalists included "birther," meaning conspiracy theorists challenging President Barack Obama's U.S. birth certificate, and "choice mom," a person who chooses to be a single mother.

Novelty words making the shortlist were "deleb," meaning a dead celebrity, and "tramp stamp," referring to a tattoo on the lower back, usually on a woman.

What words do you think should be added to the list?
X-TRA: Write a story using as many words as you can.

Decade In 7 minutes

How much of the last decade did you remember? Take the quiz.

What news stories most interested or disturbed you this year? What events in your own life were most significant in 2009?