Weekly Wilson - Blog of Author Connie C. Wilson

Welcome to WeeklyWilson.com, where author/film critic Connie (Corcoran) Wilson avoids totally losing her marbles in semi-retirement by writing about film (see the Chicago Film Festival reviews and SXSW), politics and books----her own books and those of other people. You'll also find her diverging frequently to share humorous (or not-so-humorous) anecdotes and concerns. Try it! You'll like it!

Month: May 2008 Page 1 of 2

Eight Victims Die in Deadly Tornadoes in Iowa and Minnesota

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On May 26, 2008

In Uncategorized

My home county (Buchanan County, junction of Highways 218 and 150) in northeast Iowa was declared a disaster area, as were Black Hawk and Butler Counties in the same part of the state, as severe thunderstorms struck in the evening of May 25th, killing at least 8 people in Iowa and Minnesota.

Although I do not remember the tornado that ripped the roof off St. John’s Church 2 blocks from my home in Buchanan County (Independence, Iowa) and dropped it in my back yard when I was 2 years old, I’ve seen pictures of myself as a child after that particular event, which occurred in the same approximate area of the state.

Still, as the Iowa Homeland Security Administrator said, “Occasionally we have a death, but we have a warning system. Seven deaths! It’s been a long time since we’ve had those kinds of injuries and deaths reported.”

Five of the victims lived in Parkersburg, which is located 80 miles northeast of Des Moines; two of those killed lived in nearby New Hartford.  Said one female resident of New Hartford, being interviewed on MSNBC, “We’ve lived here for 21 years and we’ve never had anything like this happen.”  There were approximately 50 injuries reported, with Parkersburg—in particular the south side of town—reduced to rubble. Most of the high school and nearly all of the town’s homes were destroyed. Communications with the town were completely cut off and all residents were ordered to evacuate. Early film footage of the destruction looked like footage of cities destroyed in a war zone.

A tornado also struck just to the east in  Dunkerton, Iowa, (population under 800) and in other areas of Black Hawk County.  New Hartford has fewer than 700 residents.

Governor Chet Culver issued a disaster proclamation for the three Iowa counties and Dave Miller, the Iowa Homeland Security Administrator, said that officials would be monitoring reports of storm activity, which  included large hail and wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour in the Des Moines capital city area.

In Minnesota, Hugo, a suburb of St. Paul, was struck, damaging about 48 homes, according to City Administrator Mike Ericson. A two-year-old child was killed and the child’s sibling critically injured. The children’s parents were also hospitalized.

Hugo Public Works Director Chris Petree described shielding his wife and 2 and 1/2-year-old daughter with his body in the basement of their home as the storm tore the second floor from his residence. “All you hear is glass breaking and wood tearing and breaking in half. I put my daughter down first, my wife on top of her, and then I bear-hugged on top of them,” said Petree.

In Illinois, there were tornado warnings for Rock Island County, where I currently live, and for all  surrounding counties (Henry County in Illinois, Scott County in Iowa, etc.).

There have been three days of violent weather in the Midwest, with rural Oklahoma getting hit hard on Saturday and Kansas being struck one day earlier, with two killed there.

So far this year, nearly 100 people have died in tornadoes in the United States—the worst death toll in ten years—and the tornado season typically peaks in the spring, summer,  and late fall. If you are an Illinois resident, you can view the tornado strikes in central Illinois at www.weeklywilson.com, where they are mapped.

Tornadoes in Illinois

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On May 26, 2008

In Uncategorized

Weather History of Tornadoes in Illinois:

(Tornadoes Kill 8 in Iowa and Minnesota)

Central Illinois
Tazewell County tornadoes since 1950

47 TORNADO(s) were reported in Tazewell County, Illinois between 01/01/1950 and 12/31/2007.Click on Location or County to display Details.

Mag:
Dth:
Inj:
PrD:
CrD:		Magnitude
Deaths
Injuries
Property Damage
Crop Damage
Illinois
Location or CountyDateTime (CST)TypeMagDthInjPrDCrD
1 Pekin 05/26/195502:49 PMTornadoF201250K0
2 Sunnyland 08/13/195601:15 AMTornadoF30025K0
3 Delavan 04/16/196012:05 PMTornadoF1003K0
4 North Pekin05/16/196004:45 PMTornadoF20025K0
5 East Peoria05/25/196003:10 PMTornadoF20025K0
6 Washington 01/24/196706:30 PMTornadoF2003K0
7 Deer Creek10/10/196908:00 PMTornadoF200250K0
8 Morton 09/04/197301:05 PMTornadoF0000K0
9 Morton 06/19/197406:30 PMTornadoF0000K0
10 Hopedale 04/18/197503:20 PMTornadoF10025K0
11 Hopedale 04/30/197512:13 PMTornadoF0000K0
12 TAZEWELL 03/26/19762105TornadoF100250K0
13 Deer Creek09/07/197704:00 PMTornadoF100250K0
14 East Peoria09/16/198005:25 PMTornadoF0000K0
15 Pekin 06/08/198107:18 PMTornadoF10025K0
16 Hopedale 09/29/198602:58 PMTornadoF2002.5M0
17 Minier 06/02/198701:30 PMTornadoF0000K0
18 Green Valley06/19/199011:20 PMTornadoF1002.5M0
19 TAZEWELL 11/27/199002:13 PMTornadoF2022.5M0
20 TAZEWELL 05/14/19911015TornadoF0000K0
21 TAZEWELL 05/14/19911030TornadoF0000K0
22 Minier 05/31/199106:42 PMTornadoF0000K0
23 Hopedale 10/04/199105:09 PMTornadoF100250K0
24 Hopedale 05/04/199201:50 PMTornadoF0003K0
25 Minier 08/23/19931745TornadoF10000
26 East Peoria 06/26/19941733TornadoF00000
27 Powerton 07/20/19941722TornadoF00000
28 Morton 07/20/19941745TornadoF00000
29 South Pekin 05/09/19951704TornadoF1021.0M0
30 Tremont 05/13/19951715TornadoF30254.0M0
31 Armington 04/19/199606:00 PMTornadoF2001.0M0
32 Pekin 04/30/199702:15 PMTornadoF001115K0
33 Marquette Hgts 06/29/199803:45 PMTornadoF1001.0M0
34 Delavan 06/04/199903:25 PMTornadoF10000
35 Parkland 05/08/200009:12 PMTornadoF100275K0
36 South Pekin 05/10/200308:45 PMTornadoF303210.0M0
37 Morton 05/10/200309:16 PMTornadoF10000
38 Washington 05/10/200309:18 PMTornadoF00000
39 Washington 05/28/200301:45 PMTornadoF00000
40 Mackinaw 05/28/200302:10 PMTornadoF00000
41 Armington 05/28/200302:41 PMTornadoF00000
42 Green Valley 05/30/200307:10 PMTornadoF00000
43 Pekin 07/08/200302:34 PMTornadoF00025K0
44 East Peoria 05/18/200404:06 PMTornadoF10000
45 Washington 05/18/200404:12 PMTornadoF00000
46 Green Valley 05/30/200408:37 AMTornadoF00000
47 Morton 06/22/200607:13 AMTornadoF00000
TOTALS:06326.298M0

Details:

  1. 5/26/1955: Struck the southeast part of Pekin.
  2. 8/13/1956: Moved through the Sunnyland area, destroying a building and causing two stores to lose their roofs.
  3. 4/16/1960: Touchdown near Delavan, causing damage to a few farmsteads.
  4. 5/16/1960: Part of a severe weather outbreak which produced tornado touchdowns from near Keokuk, IA, to Peoria. This tornado caused damage to homes at North Pekin.
  5. 5/25/1960: Touched down 2 miles southeast of East Peoria, unroofing several homes.
  6. 1/24/1967: Touched down 2.5 miles southeast of Washington, and moved east-northeast for 3.5 miles. Caused some tree and roof damage, especially to farm buildings.
  7. 10/10/1969: This tornado affected a 2-block area of Deer Creek, before moving into Woodford County.
  8. 9/4/1973: This tornado first touched down in Mapleton, in Peoria County. It was aloft before moving through the Morton area.
  9. 6/19/1974: Reported by a pilot near Morton.
  10. 4/18/1975: Destroyed 2 machine sheds just south of Hopedale.
  11. 4/30/1975: Brief touchdown 6 miles south of Hopedale.
  12. 3/26/1976: Information not available.
  13. 9/7/1977: Touched down on the west edge of Deer Creek, damaging 30 homes. It also produced 4.5 inches of rain in half an hour.
  14. 9/16/1980: Touched down near East Peoria, and traveled to Sunnyland, uprooting 20 trees.
  15. 6/8/1981: Touched down between Tremont and Pekin. Intermittant funnel sightings and tornado touchdowns occurred along an 80 mile path, before finally ending in Champaign County.
  16. 9/29/1986: This tornado was on the ground for 2 miles, destroying the Hopedale fire station and damaging 30 houses.
  17. 6/2/1987: Brief touchdown 5 miles northeast of Minier.
  18. 6/19/1990: On the ground for 1 mile at Green Valley, causing a fire which damaged several stores.
  19. 11/27/1990: Touched down at the Waddel Airport in extreme southwest Tazewell County, destroying four hangars and 32 planes.
  20. 5/14/1991: Information not available.
  21. 5/14/1991: Information not available.
  22. 5/31/1991: Brief touchdown 2 miles east of Minier.
  23. 10/4/1991: Touched down twice approximately 5 miles south of Hopedale. Roofs were torn off several homes. A few buildings were damaged at the Indian Creek Industrial Park.
  24. 5/4/1992: Touched down 4 miles southwest of Hopedale, causing damage to trees and outbuildings.
  25. 8/23/1993: Brief touchdown near Minier.
  26. 6/26/1994: Brief touchdown near East Peoria.
  27. 7/20/1994: Brief touchdown near the Powerton plant.
  28. 7/20/1994: Brief touchdown near I-74 just west of Morton.
  29. 5/9/1995: This tornado touched down 3 miles southwest of South Pekin, and moved northeast across town. It destroyed several garages and and a railroad barracks.
  30. 5/13/1995: This strong, long-track tornado touched own along the Illinois River northeast of Goofy Ridge in Mason County, and traveled 25 miles before lifting in Tremont. Two dozen homes were damage or destroyed in Tazewell County, and numerous silos and farm buildings were destroyed. Two people were injured near South Pekin.
  31. 4/19/1996: This tornado first touched down just south of the Logan County line, then moved northeast into Armington, destroying a home. It traveled for 4 miles across extreme southern Tazewell County before moving into McLean County.
  32. 4/30/1997: Touched down 7 miles southwest of Pekin, and was on the ground for 1 mile.
  33. 6/29/1998: Touched down in Marquette Heights, and moved through Groveland before lifting on the southwest side of Morton. It did significant damage to a shopping center and two dozen homes. This was part of a major severe weather outbreak called a derecho, which caused extensive wind damage from Iowa all the way to southern Ohio, with winds frequently gusting as high as 100 mph.
  34. 6/4/1999: Touched down on the northwest side of Delavan, uprooting several trees. Some building damage was also noted in Delavan, especially due to falling tree limbs. It was on the ground for 3 miles before dissipating southeast of Delavan.
  35. 5/8/2000: This tornado touched down on a farm 1.5 miles west of Parkland. It destroyed 4 grain bins and blew away a machine shed.
  36. 5/10/2003: This tornado was on the ground for 18 miles and devastated South Pekin. Click here for details.
  37. 5/10/2003: Touched down 3 miles north of Morton, after the long-track tornado dissipated in Morton. It was on the ground for 2 miles, causing major damage to 3 homes and a business.
  38. 5/10/2003: This tornado touched down 3 miles southeast of Washington, then moved northeast into Woodford County. Click here for details.
  39. 5/28/2003: This tornado moved in from Woodford County north of Washington. It blew down trees and power lines, and destroyed a shed.
  40. 5/28/2003: Brief touchdown 3 miles west-northwest of Mackinaw.
  41. 5/28/2003: Brief touchdown 1 mile southeast of Armington.
  42. 5/30/2003: This tornado touched down in northeast Mason County near Forest City, then moved into Tazewell County southwest of Green Valley. It destroyed several sheds in Tazewell County.
  43. 7/8/2003: Touched down near the Powerton power plant, destroying the roofs on a couple sheds.
  44. 5/8/2004: Touched down just west of the Fondulac Dam, and was on the ground for a quarter mile. Several buildings sustained roof damage from falling trees.
  45. 5/8/2004: Brief touchdown 3 miles west-northwest of Washington.
  46. 5/30/2004: Brief touchdown 1 mile south of Green Valley.
  47. 6/22/2006: Brief touchdown 3 miles south of Morton.

The Fog of War: Robert McNamara Interviewed in Oscar-Winning Documentary

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On May 26, 2008

In Local, Movies, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest

Arsenal Cemetery

In”The Fog of War,” the 2003 Oscar-winning documentary produced and directed by Errol Morris, interview subject Robert McNamara, former Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson during the Viet Nam war, offers eleven lessons:

1) Empathize with your enemy.

2) Rationality will not save us.

3) There’s something beyond one’s self.

4) Maximize efficiency.

5) Proportionality should be a lesson in war.

6) Get the data.

7) Belief and seeing are both often wrong.

8) Be prepared to re-examine your reasoning.

9) In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil.

10) Never say never.

11) You can’t change human nature.

McNamara: “Learn from your mistakes. Try to learn. Try to understand what happened. If people do not display wisdom, they will clash like blind moles, and then mutual annihilation will commence.”

McNamara asked Castro, post Bay of Pigs, “Would you have recommended that Khruschev use the missiles?”

Castro responded forcefully, that he HAD told Khruschev to use them, admitting that Cuba would have been destroyed.

McNamara shook his head in incredulity, stunned to learn that this was Castro’s position.

“Pull the temple down on our heads? My God!”

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (United Nations, September 25, 1961) “Unconditional war can no longer lead to unconditional victory. It can no longer serve to settle our disputes…Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.”

McNamara: “The human race needs to think more about killing…about conflict. Is that what we want in the 21st century… I was part of a mechanism that, in a sense, recommended it.” Ninety-nine per cent of the city of Toyama was destroyed on McNamara’s watch. Omuta, a city the size of Miami, was 31% destroyed.

McNamara asks whether killing 50 to 90% of the population of 67 Japanese cities and then dropping two nuclear bombs on two Japanese cities was “proportionate.” (Lesson 5). He noted there is “no chance to learn from nuclear war…there is no learning power from such an experience. If we’d lost the war (WWII), we all would have been prosecuted as war criminals. What makes it immoral if you lose and NOT immoral if you win?”

Senator Scott called Vietnam, “The war which we can neither win, nor lose, nor drop…Like “W’s” “Bring ‘em on!”, LBJ is heard, in tapes made in the Oval Office, saying that he wants to “whoop the hell out of ‘em…kill some of ‘em.”

LBJ, after John Kennedy’s assassination, said, “You can have more war or more appeasement. I always thought it was bad to make any statements about withdrawing.”

McNamara: “We were wrong, but we had in our mind a mindset that led to that action. And it led to such heavy costs…we see what we want to believe.”

(Rule #1). McNamara related a heated conversation with the man who had once been President of North Vietnam, which occurred many years after the conflict. “We (the North Vietnamese) were fighting for our independence. You were fighting to enslave us. We weren’t the pawns of the Chinese or the Russians. We would have fought to the last man,”said the North Vietnamese leader. (Point #1).

LBJ: “We’re not getting out, but we’re trying to hold on to what we have. This is a nasty little war that has turned in to a nasty middle-sized war. But America wins the wars she declares. Make no mistake about that!”

McNamara (Lesson #8, “Be prepared to re-examine your reasoning,”): “What makes us omniscient? Do we have a record of omniscience? None of our allies supported us. If we can’t persuade nations with comparable values of the rightness of our cause, we had better re-examine our reasons.”

When asked why he continued to support LBJ as he escalated the war, McNamara answered: “It was my responsibility to try to help LBJ carry out the office he thought was in the interests of our people.” McNamara won’t answer the question of whether he feels guilt at his involvement in sending 58,000 American soldiers to their deaths. When he left office, the nation had experienced 25,000 deaths in Vietnam, half the ultimate toll.

Robert Strange McNamara says, “What I’m doing is thinking it through in hindsight. We all make mistakes. We all know we make mistakes.”

Lesson #9 “(“In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil.”) McNamara: “Human beings must stop killing other human beings. How much evil must we do to do good?”

McNamara (November 1, 1967):”The course we’re on is totally wrong. We’ve got to change it. I love this man. I respect him, but he’s totally wrong. At the end, Johnson and I found ourselves poles apart. Something had to give.”

McNamara was dismissed as Secretary of Defense and LBJ, on March 31, 1968, announced that his political career was over.

Copyright 2004 by Connie Corcoran Wilson, M.S. You may reproduce any or part of this article, as long as you give proper attribution, and you may read more of Connie Corcoran Wilson’s writing by ordering her book “Both Sides Now” from the web-site www.ConnieCorcoranWilson.com.

David Cook Bests David Archuleta in Surprise American Idol Final

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On May 22, 2008

In Music, Television

david-cook2    The vote is in for “American Idol” and the outcome is as surprising as the 2000 Presidential election (and, if you believe Archuleta’s voice coach, who is on the Internet saying “the fix is in,” possibly was just as legitimate.)

     My good friend Pamela, an astute observer of the “American Idol” season, has very cogently argued that David Cook would win for some very good reasons. David Cook has the maturity that goes with his age advantage and, therefore, often seems more poised during interview opportunities. There is also the matter of David Archuleta’s meddling father, which finally culminated in the senior Archuleta being banned from the backstage area(s) of the show completely. (He cost the show money when he insisted that his son insert lyrics from a second song into the song David was to sing, even though he had been specifically warned not to do so.)

     David Archuleta seemed to have the Big Mo, i.e., Momentum, working in his favor. However, having said that, David Cook took a big chance on the final night of competition with his Collective Soul choice, and, although Simon proclaimed the night a “Knockout” for David Archuleta, Cowell reneged on that comment on Results Night on Wednesday, apologizing to David Cook and admitting that, in rewatching the show, he might have been disrespectful to David Cook and have misspoken. (Earlier in the day, Cowell had predicted a win for Cook over Archuleta.)

    Cowell (unlike my firm conviction that David Archuleta’s young fans would bring him home the win) had vacillated. I never vacillated in my belief that the younger of the two contestants had the best pipes, and I still feel that way. Having said that, I can understand why the show might prefer the older, more seasoned contestant with the gritty distinctive sound of a Daughtry. He’s not in high school and they don’t have to worry about meddling parents or tutors for the lad.

     Having given my reasons for understanding the choice the show claims was made nationally, I’d like to recap the action of the night.

    Opening: The final 12, all clad in white outfits, came out and sang “Get Ready ‘Cause Here I Come” with contestants from the show “So You Think You Can Dance” providing some dance moves. Up tempo. Interesting. Great to see the Final Twelve again.

    Then, the Davids dueted on “Hero” by Chad Krueger. Truly enjoyable. David Archuleta sang harmony; David Cook sang melody.

    Next up was a humorous bit advertising Mike Myers’ new film “The Love Guru.” The film also has a cameo by Stephen Colbert and Jessica Biel co-stars, but Myers was tonight’s big draw, constantly using MariskaHargitay as a greeting and mocking the Maharishi of the Beatles years. As Guru Piti, he suggested a shave for David Cook and gave out loopy advice to David Archuleta like “Make a boom boom in your pull-ups,” which seemed to have the younger David on the verge of outright laughter throughout the bit.

     Syesha and Seal sang “I Have Been Waiting for You” while Ryan Seacrest said, “Your results are coming up in a …..well, nevermind,” as the show dragged on for a full two hours before winding down.

     Jason Castro sang “Alleluia.” Two Escape Hybrid cars were gifted to the two finalists (keys handed to the happy contestants onstage.) All six of the final female contestants sang Donna Summer songs and Donna Summer herself descended the steps and sang with Syesha Mercado, the last girl standing. (“She Works Hard for Her Money,” “Hot Stuff”).

     Carly Smithson and Michael Johns sang “The Letter”, while Jimmy Kimmel asked, “How much should I tip Sanjaya,” implying that Sanjaya was parking cars outside the Nokia Theater. (Shot of Sanjaya in the audience, laughing at the joke at his expense.)

     Michael Johns and the other male contestants sang a medley of Bryan Adams songs, followed by Bryan Adams, himself, singing songs such as “Summer of ’69.”
    David Cook sang “Sharp Dressed Man” with Z. Z. Topp,  a great combination.

     Brooke White sang “Teach the Children Well” with Graham Nash.

     Ads using the Tom Cruise version of “Old Time Rock and Roll” from “Risky Business” utilized both of the Davids, recapping the famous scene where Cruise sang in his boxers in his living room. (Here, David Cook seemed to do a better job of recapping Cruise’s dance moves.)

     The Jonas Brothers came out and sang a song. One Republic performed “Apologize” and David Archuleta joined the pianist/lead vocalist to good effect.

     Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr., did a humorous skit with Gladys Knight that purported to show her early days of selecting the Pips. At one point, Jack Black ended up being depantsed. (Some may not know it, but Robert Downey, Jr., has an album of his own and was once asked to open for “Duran, Duran” on tour.)

    Carrie Underwood sang “Last Name” and looked lovely in white.

    George Michael emerged after a medley of his songs was sung (Michael Johns was particularly good here) and sang.

    The judges commented, Paula burbling, “You two are truly amazing. It’s the start of the destinies of your careers.”

     The vote was announced as having been 12 million votes more for David Cook than for David Archuleta, with something like 56 million for the winner and 44 million for the second place finisher. 

    I hesitate to use the term “loser.” If this season is anything like the other seasons, the “winner” will do less well than the “loser” overall (Taylor Hicks, anyone?). Daughtry only finished fourth, but is a bigger star than that year’s winner. Clay Aiken has a career on Broadway, while this is the first time most of us have seen Reuben Stoddard since his win over Aiken.

    For my money, Archuleta “won” the final night’s competition, but the competition was not just decided on the basis of one night’s performing. Archuleta has an amazing voice and  a great future, if Dad doesn’t get in the way. David Cook will now be promoted by the label that signs and promotes all “American Idol” winners and he is an interesting, innovative, poised performer. Neither is a dud, and both should do well.

    Either way, it is going to be fun to watch both their careers unfold (And, for the record, I still don’t believe that George W. Bush won over Al Gore in Florida either, if anyone out there cares.)

Quartet Leaves Baby in Airport; Pilot Found Wandering, Drunk and Naked, in the Woods

By

On May 21, 2008

In Humor and Weird Wilson-isms, travel

pinnacle     Two incredible airline stories were reported, one by Abha Malpani on May 14th, when she reported on four adults, rushing to board an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Winnipeg, who accidentally left their 2-year-old behind in the airport. The quartet (quintet, if the baby is counted) had only 10 minutes to make the plane and each adult thought one of the other adults had the child. Air Canada saved the day by figuring out who the child was, where the parents had gone, and putting the baby on the next flight to Winnipeg.

 

     Then there’s the story reported by Grant Martin on May 20th regarding a Pinnacle Airlines pilot, Jeffrey Paul Bradford, who was out for the evening partying hearty with one of the flight attendants, Adrianna Grace Conner, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, when the pair, both 24, decided to “go do it in the woods,” according to Lower Swatara Township Police Sergeant Richard Brandt. Somehow, the pair became separated.

     The flight attendant found a fireman’s vehicle parked in his home driveway and made enough noise getting in it to rouse the owner, who inquired about why a nude woman was in his firetruck. Adrianna was later charged with theft from a motor vehicle (she took a flashlight) and public drunkenness.

     The pilot, clad only in flip-flops and a wristwatch, who was found hiding behind a shed, was not quite as lucky. Although he did make contact with another woman and asked her to bring him a pair of shorts, she called 911, instead, which brought a helicopter and authorities (rather than the pair of shorts the drunk  naked pilot had requested) and charged him with all the things you would think he would be charged with: public drunkenness, indecent exposure, public lewdness, etc., etc. etc.

     Pinnacle Airlines is owned by Northwest Airlines, which also owns Compass Airlines. Just last month, a Compass Airlines pilot set fire to his plane rather than fly a route he didn’t want to fly.

 

     So, in other words, it’s just another day in the friendly skies.

David Archuleta Knocks Out David Cook on Final “American Idol”

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On May 20, 2008

In Movies, Television

    David Archuleta nailed it tonight on “American Idol.” I’ve had an article up on my blog (www.weeklywilson.com) for days, now, saying that David Archuleta would become the next American Idol, but his superior, stellar performance tonight practically guarantees that outcome.

     “Idol” used the boxing analogy to intrigue viewers, almost to the point of cheesiness, but that gimmick couldn’t detract from the wonderful performances of the two Davids, especially Archuleta.

    The two finalists sang three rounds. Clive Davis picked the first round of songs. Davis selected “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” for David Cook to sing at the beginning of the competition, and it was arguably Cook’s best performance of the night. The U2 song fit his style and distinctively gritty vocal quality, and he made the most of it, although the sliding up to the final note that Judge Randy Jackson praised seemed unnecessary, to me, and detracted from the overall quality of Cook’s presentation.

     David Archuleta’s first song was “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me,” an Elton John song, selected by Andrew Lloyd Webber. He sang it so well that, even though the judges had pronounced David Cook’s performance just prior as “phenomenal,” they said that David Archuleta’s singing was “beautiful, beautiful, stunning performance” (Paula Abdul) and “One of the best performances of this season.molten hot.” (Randy Jackson). Simon said that Round One had gone to Archuleta, and that pattern continued throughout Rounds Two and Three.

     Round Two was a round given over to new songs composed especially for the night. David Archuleta’s song was just better than David Cook’s, as all the judges agreed. Archuleta’s lyrics, speaking of “staring through windows at my own reflection” was just a better song than “Reach Out for Something More”, which Cook tried.

     The final round allowed the singers to either pick a brand-new song or one they had sung earlier in the season. Cook tried a new song from Collective Soul, but it paled by comparison to David Archuleta’s revisiting of “Imagine,” which he was, quite simply, brilliant on.

     So, as I said on this blog and others days ago, this year’s American Idol will be David Archuleta.

Henry County, Illinois, Leads the State in Drug Arrests on I-80

By

On May 18, 2008

In Local, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest

Bobby, Police DogHenry County, Illinois holds a distinction that it probably wishes it didn’t hold. To wit, in 2006, Illinois State Patrol officers confiscated 3,300 pounds of illegal drugs in Henry County, 1, 497,297 grams, which makes it the county in Illinois with the most drug busts. There were 46 drug-related arrests in Henry County in 2007, leaving LaSalle County (Illinois) in the dust with only 35 arrests for second place. There is a new K9 officer (pictured), Bobby, a German Shepherd that works with Geneseo Police Officer Jamison Weisser and joins three other K9 dogs that help sniff out drugs stashed in cars traveling Interstate 80.

In 2006, the second closest county to Henry County was Will County, nearer to Chicago, in which 70,856 grams or 156 pounds of illegal substances were seized.

Right now, said Henry County Sheriff Gib Cady—who has been Sheriff for 30 years and with the department since 1970—there are prisoners from about six different countries in the Henry County Jail awaiting further legal action on drug charges.

The reason that Henry County is such a hot spot for drug busts of all description is that the I-80 corridor is the main thoroughfare that reaches from coast-to-coast. Drugs are either coming out of Chicago and heading west, or heading to Chicago from the west.

For instance, last fall, when Illinois State Police pulled over a vehicle in Henry County and searched it, they found over 900 grams of cocaine. Rodolfo G. Jimenez, 1, of Los Angeles, and his son Rodolfo G. Jimenez, age 21, are both still in the Henry County Jail awaiting trial.

Teddy Bear of Talent Will Take the Top Prize

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On May 18, 2008

In Music, Television

David ArchuletaNobody was surprised when Syesha Mercado went home, and nobody should be surprised when David Archuleta bests David Cook on Wednesday on “American Idol.”

“Red Is for Rage” Virtual Tour Schedule Through April

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On May 14, 2008

In Uncategorized

The Davids Continue to Rule on “American Idol”

The DavidsDavid Archuleta started off the evening on “American Idol” on May 13th with “And So It Goes,” a Billy Joel song that Paula Abdul had selected for him to sing. It was the perfect choice and my favorite song of the evening.

Syesha Mercado went next, with an Alicia Keys song that Randy Jackson picked for her. She looked gorgeous (Simon’s exact adjective) in a gold and silver beaded dress and sang like an angel. Paul agreed that Syesha looked “absolutely stunning,” but Simon was the wet blanket who said that Syesha’s singing was “not enough, in my opinion” to put her through to the Final Two.

David Cook was handed “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Simon Cowell. Odd. (It was just ok for me, dog.)

David Archuleta tried to change it up by singing a more contemporary piece, “With You” by Chris Brown. It drew faint praise from Simon, but he did comment that he thought the younger David had done enough to go through to the Finals.

Syesha tried an old Peggy Lee favorite, “Fever,” and used a chair as a prop during her performance. Randy commented, “Again, a great performance.” Paula didn’t really seem to like it and Simon said, “I think you will probably regret that performance tomorrow,” dubbing it “a lame cabaret performance.” In this, her second song, Syesha was clad in a short silver-y dress and looked beautiful.

David Cook sang something entitled “Switchfoot.” Enough said.

Back came David Archuleta with the Dan Fogelberg song “Longer Than With You,” which is right up his balladeer alley. Simon said, “The song and the lyrics are absolutely gooey.”

That left the night’s closer to David Cook with the Aerosmith theme from “Armageddon,” penned by Dianne Warren, as he crooned, “I don’t want to miss a thing.”

For me, David Archuleta and Syesha were the best of the evening. I did not enjoy “Switchfoot” and the end of the final (best) piece was screechy, as Cook went up for a high note.

That said, I expect Syesha to be voted off. She was in the bottom three too many times to escape now.

I’ve said from the beginning that the Davids were the ones to beat. It’s just a matter of whether “A” comes before “C” only alphabetically or across the board.

Some Statistics to Ponder

By

On May 13, 2008

In Humor and Weird Wilson-isms, Mexico

Change Is On the Way…..Food for Thought

1) Light sweet crude oil for June delivery has reached a record of $126.20 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Trouble with Hugo Chavez in Venezuela could drive the prices even higher. One expert predicts $6 a gallon gas within two years.

2) In the year 1950, whites made up 28% of the world population and Africans 9%. The ratio was 3-to-1. In 2060, the ratio will remain the same, but the colors will be reversed.

3) People of African ancestry will make up 25% of the world’s population by 2060, according to the National Policy Institute in Augusta, Georgia.

4) By 2060, 200 million white (Caucasian) people—1 in every 6 on Earth—will disappear. [That is a number equal to the population(s) of France, Britain, Holland and Germany combined.]

5) People of Arabic heritage numbered 94 million in 1948, when the state of Israel was formed. At that time, Arabs were outnumbered 7 to 1 by Europeans. Arabic peoples will rise to 743 million by 2060, which is 10x more than now. They will make up 75% of the white population.

6) By 2050, one-fourth of all the people of Eastern Europe will have vanished.

7) The Ukraine will lose 1/3 of its population.

8) Russia had 150 million people when the Soviet Union broke up in the Reagan years; today, there are 142 million people in the Ukraine and they will decrease to 108 million. This represents a population loss that is greater than the genocide that Hitler and Stalin, combined, perpetrated on those countries.

9) By 2050, Iran’s population will have risen from the 71 million of today to 100 million.

10) Pakistan will add 84 million to reach 300 million people (about the same as today’s United States).

11) Afghanistan’s population will increase threefold, from 27 million to 79 million.

12) Iran will go from 29 million to 62 million by 2060. (Most of the population in Iran is young).

13) The Hispanic population of the United States will triple to 127 million by 2050, with Mexico’s population increasing to 130 million. Some sort of merger with Mexico would seem to be in the cards, and one cannot rule out a merger with our neighbors to the north, either.

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