Meet the Press Legend, Tim Russert Dead at age 58

Shock is probably the best word to describe how most of us felt when we heard the news yesterday that Tim Russert had died of a heart attack. I had just turned on Hannity's radio show when I heard him carefully saying that he had some very sad news. It caught my attention by the graveness of his voice. When he announced the news it seemed hard to believe because Russert was only 58. Once again, we are reminded of how fragile life is and how we need to treasure our loved ones.

Russert reminded me of O'Reilly in that he equally gave those on both sides of the aisle a hard time. He didn't give people soft ball interviews, he made them answer the tough questions. The only time he really upset me was when I felt like he was being a little too tough on the President. I felt like he wasn't being respectful enough of the office of the Presidency. Yet, for someone who was a member of the Main Stream Media thats pretty good.

My prayers are with his family and loved ones. May God comfort them during this difficult time of loss.

North and South!

A friend lent me the movie, North and South. It is excellent. It is based on the book by Elizabeth Gaskell. It is very similar to a Jane Austen type novel and movie. I am looking forward to reading the book as well. I highly recommend it to any of you that are Jane Austen fans. You will love it!!

The fascinating thing about the movie is that besides the love story woven throughout you learn a lot about what life was like in rural and urban England in the 1850's. You also learn what it was like to be poor and in a union and what it was like to be rich and to run a company. It is a compelling way to learn about literature and history and be entertained at the same time.

Ronald Reagan's D-Day Speech at Normandy!

On the anniversary of D-Day, nothing is more fitting than posting Reagan's speech that he made on the 40th anniversary! Here is just an excerpt from that great speech:

"Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.

The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge--and pray God we have not lost it--that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One's country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you."
"Today, as 40 years ago, our armies are here for only one purpose--to protect and defend democracy. The only territories we hold are memorials like this one and graveyards where our heroes rest."

A Review of Stori Telling

This is a book that I probably wouldn't have read if a blogger hadn't pointed it out and offered to lend it to me. That said, I'm glad she did. Biographies are always fun to read since it is always fascinating to see life from someone else's perspective.

Spelling was born right around the same time as me so she was growing up in the 70's and 80's too but in a very different world than me. She was growing up in Beverly Hills while I was growing up in the Midwest. She had a Nanny and cooks and maids while my family only had one car.

I didn't necessarily have a high opinion of Spelling before reading the book because of the media and the book helped correct some of the stereotypes. For so many reasons it is never a good idea to let the media shape your opinion of anyone. My opinions of many people have changed once getting to hear and see them speak on their own behalf.

Spelling obviously had some advantages being Aaron Spelling's daughter but it also hindered her in some ways in her career. It opened some doors but closed others.

I wouldn't call her a role model and I wouldn't say that she inspired me but I came away liking her. She comes across as very real and honest and true to herself, and a lot can be said for that. I thought that while she was critical of her Mom she was more than fair after some of the stuff her Mom put her through. She is also honest about her weaknesses and is very loyal to her friends that have been like a family to her.

I would put this in the category of a fun book to read and once you pick it up it is hard to put it down.

Book rating--8 out of 10 stars!!

Previous Book Reviews:
1776
My Grandfather's Son
Stephen Mansfield's Books

David Cook Wins it by 12 Million Votes!!

DAVID COOK SINGING WITH ZZ TOP!


Last night was an incredible night!! Our boy, KC's own, walked away the winner of Season 7 of American Idol!! Despite the whining by many critics, this year was a spectacular season for American Idol and over 97 million votes were cast Tuesday night. Cook won by 12 million receiving 56% of the votes compared to Archuleta's 44%.

All the signs were pointing to David Cook winning but I was still incredibly nervous. When Seacrest announced Cook the winner I screamed so loud I'm sure the neighbors heard. Right before the announcement Simon gave Cook a well deserved apology for being too harsh the night before. I commented to many of my friends that it would've been too little too late had David Cook lost but alls well since David Cook's fans obviously could've cared less about what Simon had to say.

It was a great night and helps make up for an election year that sucks. And look, David Cook even brings Kansas City Democrats and Republicans together. I found a fellow David Cook fan in Kansas City who happens to be a Dem but we put politics aside to celebrate David Cook!!

Congratulations David Cook!! You have a bright future ahead of you with a lot of fans who love you!!

Related Links:
Missouri's Lt. Governor Congratulates Cook
Voters Select the Next 'American Idol'
TOLDJA! Cook takes "American Idol"
David Cook Wins American Idol

Previously:
David Cook Round-Up!!
Vote for David Cook Tonight!!
Kansas City Loves David Cook!!
David Cook Tickets!!
My Favorite American Idols--Top 10--Season 7

David Cook Round-up!!

Cook's 2nd song last night was a new one that he picked, "Dream Big". I ABSOLUTELY loved it and was stunned when the judges didn't. Not only did he do an awesome job of singing it but I LOVED the message!!

Of course, Cook is going to be a huge singer whether he wins tonight or not. He has already established that. The question is does it help or hurt his career to win? Many have speculated that Chris Daughtry was actually helped as a "rocker" by coming in 4th on American Idol and not winning because he had more creative control with his album and American Idol didn't own him. He obviously has been way more successful than that season's winner, who was Taylor Hicks.

That said, I think David Cook will be just as successful as Daughtry (and I'm a huge Daughtry fan) whether he wins or not. I would just like him to win, there is just something about having your favorite win.

Last night, I thought it was all over when the judges, specifically Simon all out declared Archuleta as the winner. Nevertheless, my kids and I spent the night voting. We monitored Dial Idol all night and we were shocked to see David Cook way in the lead the entire night. As of this writing, he still holds a 12 percentage point lead over Archuleta. Obviously, the Dial Idol is not always right but it seems hard to believe that they could be that far off. I also participated in this poll and was surprised again to see that the majority of the fans there thought that not only SHOULD David Cook win but that they thought he WILL win.

Either way, David Cook is a winner and I look forward to his first Cd. Below are some interesting articles I came across in reading up about him. What I found amusing in one article is that I fit into his largest group of fans, women in their 30's ;-))). Imagine that!!

Related Articles:
Who Should Win Idol?
Cook’s future looks as bright as it does uncertain
David Cook Wins...if he loses
The Year in Idol

Vote for David Cook Tonight!!

I know many of you are tired of me talking about American Idol and David Cook but tonight is the crucial night. It is the battle of the 2 Davids. I really can't stand the other David, David Archuleta. The thought of him winning the American Idol title is just too much to take.

So, everyone's homework tonight is to at least tune in to the end of American Idol and get the numbers and VOTE FOR DAVID COOK!! The numbers are toll-free!!

American Idol airs Tuesday night from 7:00 Central/8:00 Eastern to 8:00/9:00!! Voting usually last for 2 hours after that but sometimes on the final night they extend it for 4 hours. VOTE FOR DAVID COOK!!

My Book List So Far...Part 4

It is a good thing I started out so strong on my goal of 50 books this year because I have definitely slowed down. Right now, I am still halfway through my World War I book and my Lincoln book but I have also started the above Tori Spelling book. Again, my eclectic interests are revealed in that I love history and politics while at the same time loving pop culture things, like the life of Tori Spelling.

I didn't even know about the book until stumbling upon a blog via Don. His daughter started a blog and I visited and she was talking about 2 of my favorite topics, American Idol and Beverly Hills 90210. We got to talking and she offered to lend me the book. I was drawn in and I've already started reading it. Hopefully it will get me back on the wagon of reading again and I can get my other half books finished as well.

Below, I have updated my list. The titles in blue are the ones that I've read since the last post.

Here are the books that I have read and/or listened to on Cd so far:

1) The Faith of the American Soldier--Stephen Mansfield
2) My Grandfather's Son--Clarence Thomas
3) A Patriot's Handbook (CD)--Caroline Kennedy
4) 1776 (CD)--David McCullough
5) One for the Money--Janet Evanovich
6) Two for the Dough--Janet Evanovich
7) Three to get Deadly--Janet Evanovich
8) Four to Score--Janet Evanovich
9) High Five--Janet Evanovich
10) Hot Six--Janet Evanovich
11) Seven Up--Janet Evanovich
12) Hard Eight--Janet Evanovich
13) To the Nines--Janet Evanovich
14) Ten Big Ones--Janet Evanovich
15) Eleven On Top--Janet Evanovich
16) Visions of Sugar Plums--Janet Evanovich
17) Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom (CD)
18) Twelve Sharp--Janet Evanovich
19) Lean Mean Thirteen--Janet Evanovich
20) Plum Lovin'--Janet Evanovich
21) Facing Terror--Carrie McDonnall (CD)
22) The Spiritual Heritage of the U.S. Capitol--David Barton (CD)
23) The Faith of George W. Bush--Stephen Mansfield (CD)
24) Danger in the Shadows--Dee Henderson (CD)
25) T is for Trespass--Sue Grafton
26) Plum Lucky--Janet Evanovich
27) Then Sings My Soul--Robert J. Morgan
28) The Negotiator--Dee Henderson (CD)
29) Wings of Silver--Jo Petty
30) Moments From America's History--David Barton (CD)
31) The Spirit of the American Revolution--David Barton (CD)

Previously:
Book List 1
Book List 2
Book List 3

Links:
50 Book List

Kansas City Loves David Cook!!

My friends, kids and I had an awesome time at the David Cook concert last Friday, May 9th. The top video is an amateur that was right below him and the sound isn't good but you get an idea of what it was like and then he pans at the end to the huge crowd (more than 10,000 of us). The 2nd video is the local Fox station's coverage of the beginning of when he finally showed up and sang.


The gates were supposed to open up at 3:00 pm so we showed up at around 1:15. There was already a line but we ended up getting fairly good seats on the left side of the field. For quite awhile it was cold and cloudy. Yet, by the time the gates opened up and we got our seats the sun came out and the sky was gorgeous. There was a parade in his honor from 3-4 and of course it ended up running late so he didn't show up until around 4:20. It was a long wait, but worth it.

Kelly Urich from the radio station, Mix 93.3, MC'd the event and he did a great job. My oldest daughter and I are fans of 93.3 so we enjoyed seeing Urich. Here is the interview Cook did earlier in the day at the radio station. The Chief's Cheerleaders were also there.

The only irritation was when the Mayor of Blue Springs decided to start introducing City Council members. We all groaned. We had just waited 3 hours to hear and see David Cook. I didn't know or care who was on the Blue Springs City Council, and I'm a political junkie. Other than that, it was all good.

As we waited in line many of us talked and we all agreed that Syesha will probably go home this week and the finale will come down to the 2 David's. It will then come down to who has the bigger fan base. If this past Friday is any indication, David Cook's is big, strong and loyal.

It also has a lot more to do with him just being from Blue Springs. If David Archuleta was from Blue Springs you sure wouldn't have seen me giving up a day of my time and waiting for 3 hours. I am a HUGE David Cook fan and it just turns out to be AWESOME that he is from the Kansas City area. I think he is going to be a huge hit whether he wins or not, just like Daughtry has been and I'm a huge Daughtry fan.

So, Good luck to David Cook over these next 2 weeks and if you haven't been, VOTE FOR DAVID COOK!!!

David Cook Tickets!!

I really should be posting on more serious issues like Myanmar, or Obama's nauseating victory speech or perhaps the conservative backlash against McCain but I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to talk about something a lot more fun and pleasant.

Last Week I found out that David Cook was planning his hometown concert and since he is from the KC area that meant he would be coming here. Unless you've been living in a cave you know I am a huge David Cook fan. I then tried to figure out how to get a hold of the tickets. There was no word and I literally didn't find out until Monday night that they were only going to be available on Tuesday from 9:00 to 4:00 at 5 different locations in Blue Springs.

There were only 10,000 tickets and each person was only allowed to get 5 tickets. I was going with 2 friends and some of our kids so my one friend and I headed out to get there at 9:00 am. I had no idea what to expect. Would it be a short wait, hours?? We just didn't know. Two of the locations were on the same street so we figured that was our best bet because that way we could pick between the two. That ended up working out well because the one place had a much shorter line than the other. It ended up only taking 15 minutes and we had the tickets and we were out of there. Yet, apparently the tickets were gone in 6 hours so I'm glad I got there when I did.

Woo-hoo!! I was so excited, I felt like I had one of the Willy Wonka golden tickets ;-)). The tickets were free but they recommended that you give a $5 donation for each ticket to the American Cancer Society which we all freely did. It was very exciting.

Last night everyone was calling like crazy for him because obviously, if he got voted off there would be no concert. There were even "watch parties" where people got together just to call in for him. It doesn't look like he is in any danger though. According to Dial Idol he is #1 and unless something bizarro happens, it looks like Jason Castro is going home tonight.

All that to say my friends and kids and I are off to see David Cook this Friday. My oldest daughter said maybe we would be on Tv. I told her it was pretty unlikely seeing that we are going to be in a crowd of 10,000 but you never know ;-). Either way we will have bragging rights that we were there!!