Valerie—I hadn’t seen the Farrah Fawcett thread until you mentioned it here in your post. [there are so many threads here now…am sure most who come to the site don’t a fraction of what exists] I didn’t know and am very sorry to hear it. There are many advances in cancer treatments today, and I hope with her determined spirit and the support of her family, friends and fans that she will recover soon. Her documentary can help. Katie Couric has also been outspoken about rectal and colon cancer since her husband died from it. Awareness helps.

Andrea Mitchell on her friend, Tim Russert “only my Dad and Tim called me Mitch.” This is off Huffingtonpost which has a link today to wOw’s Father’s Day pieces. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/13/andrea-mitchell-cries-rem_n_107…

Feel so very sorry for their son, Luke. He had Tim’s initials (the same as his grandfather) in a small tattoo inside his arm…Tim said his son, father, his book on fatherhood were the greatest things in his life. My son’s father also died suddenly and when they were both young. So sad.

NP—Thought this was funny since it was mentioned here that Michelle might not be fond of white people (seriously doubt that) a list of 100+ “Stuff White People Like” ….Obama is #8 http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-people-like/

Media comments, and Andrew Sullivan saying, ‘say a prayer for Tim’s Dad if prayer is your thing.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/13/tim-russert-dies-the-medi_n_107…

Tom Brokaw two minute announcement of his friend’s passing, and excitement and hard work on this election, and Tim’s Dad, in his late 80s: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/13/tim-russert-dead-at-58-nb_n_107…

He and his lovely wife, Maureen Orth, writer for Vanity Fair: http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/50797397.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4A… Tim Russert on his terrific book “Wisdom of Our Fathers” http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19174679/ With his son, Luke. http://www.bigrussandme.com/LukeFirstBD.JPG (Our family was also three with one son, who also went to a Catholic college and to Italy the day after graduation. And Tim Russert loved his father so much. I always just thought they were super.) Excellent 1.23 minute wrap-up of Obama as the nominee. Clear, direct, precise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lklfIPBK4Zg

BIo on Tim Russert: (From Daily Kos) “His two books-Big Russ and Me in 2004 and Wisdom of Our Fathers in 2006-were both New York Times #1 bestsellers. He has received forty-eight honorary doctorate degrees from American colleges and universities and has lectured at the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Reagan Presidential Libraries. Russert took over the helm of “Meet the Press” in December 1991. Since then, MTP has become the most watched Sunday morning interview program in America and the most quoted news program in the world. Now in its 60th year, “Meet the Press” is the longest-running program in the history of television. Russert has interviewed every major figure on the American political scene. Russert joined NBC News in 1984. In April 1985, he supervised the live broadcasts of the Today program from Rome, negotiating and arranging an appearance by Pope John Paul II, a first for American television. In 1986 and 1987 Russert led NBC News weeklong broadcasts from South America, Australia and China. Washingtonian Magazine dubbed Tim Russert the best and most influential journalist in Washington, D. C. describing “Meet the Press” as “the most interesting and important hour on television.” In 2008, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. TV Guide selected his use of the white dry eraser board (Florida, Florida, Florida) on Election Night 2000 as one of the “100 Most Memorable TV Moments” in history. The Washington Post credits him with coining the phrase “red state” and “blue state” to explain the nation’s political divide. In 2005, he was awarded an Emmy for his role in the coverage of the funeral of President Reagan. He is the recipient of the Golden Plate Award of the Academy of Achievement. His Election 2000 Meet the Press interviews with George W. Bush and Al Gore won the Radio and Television Correspondents’ highest honor, the Joan S. Barone Award and the Annenberg Center’s Walter Cronkite Award. Russert’s March 2000 interview of Senator John McCain shared the 2001 Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Television Journalism. He is also the recipient of the John Peter Zenger Award, the American Legion Journalism Award, the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Journalism Award, the Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism, the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Communication, the Catholic Academy for Communication’s Gabriel Award, and inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. He is a trustee of the Freedom Forum’s Newseum and a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Washington Boys and Girls Club and America’s Promise –Alliance for Youth. In 1995, the National Father’s Day Committee named him “Father of the Year”, Parents magazine honored him as “Dream Dad” in 1998 and in 2001 the National Fatherhood Initiative also recognized him as Father of the Year. Irish America magazine has named him one of the top 100 Irish Americans in the country and he was selected as a Fellow of the Commission of European Communities. Russert was born in Buffalo, New York on May 7, 1950. He is a graduate of Canisius High School, John Carroll University and with honors from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Before joining NBC News, Russert observed firsthand the inner workings of the executive and legislative branches of government as counselor in the New York Governor’s office in Albany in 1983 and 1984 and a special counsel in the United States Senate from 1977 to 1982. He is admitted to the bar in New York and the District of Columbia. Russert is married to Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair magazine. They live in Washington, D.C. They have a son, Luke.”

This is heartbreaking news. Very sad to read this. I’ve read his books on fatherhood, his son just graduated from Boston College and they’d been in Italy. He was one of the greats, truly fair and thrilled about this election. One of the all time great guys, a super, super man. This is just awful to hear. “The enormity of this loss cannot be overstated.” So very true and devastating for his wife and son. RIP Mr. Russert, you will be sorely missed.

The Holy Roman Empire was created during the reign of the first Christian Emperor Constantine, (who put to death his wife and son) in order to consolidate church and state and power. Great treasury’s like Goddess Diana’s at Nemi were seized and ‘pagan’ mythology was emptied of it’s meaning by making its good symbols, bad. Thus the snake that had protected the great graineries at the Minoan palace at Knossos, for example, was turned into an evil symbol in Christian mythology—having the effect of also disempowering the popular Minoan snake priestess, etc: http://www.womanwisdom.com/store/images/st_minoanpriestess.jpg The number 13 had been lucky and therefore that was also reversed, and many polytheistic saints and holidays were also absorbed into Christian lore. This is what I believe because it is what conquering empires do, destroy the iconography of the previous culture. To me the ancient pre-Christian cultures Minoans, Greeks, Egyptians arts and civilizations and their pantheons of gods were far more compelling than the Catholicism I grew up with and and then abandoned for those earlier, closer to nature, truths. A must read for all females is “The Chalice and The Blade” Raine Eisler….it is empowering and explains a lot.

Loved your post Salome! My son is an EU citizen. Everyone is so excited there about the Obamas. He’s had co-workers, his real estate agent and strangers ask, “Where can I send a donation?’ A US author at Oxford and touring Europe said “Obama could win in a landslide here.” Here’s his piece stating that an Obama presidency is the best thing America could do to repair its poor image in the world as a result of the past 8 years: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-nye/barack-obama-and-soft-pow_b_106…

Though Dad was a leader of a Fortune 50 firm, he only gave his five children advice if asked: -He imparted his love of music by singing often, playing Sinatra and the American songbook, ensuring our piano lessons. He taught us to love books, enterprise and the out of doors and exercise, to push ourselves and be brave. He inspired by brothers to fly and me to dance and play chess. He bought me a B-B gun and bow and arrow set, taught me to shoot, ride horses, to hike in Yosemite, play touch football with the neighborhood guys, to swim, build and fix things. He said my art was excellent, that I was pretty and smart and could do anything. He taught me to fish just once. I cried seeing it on the hook and made him kiss it and put it back in the lake. -He surprised us with new dogs, trips, movies, he’d take us individually to work for the day, and out en masse to dinner often. He’d bring things home like marionettes and a stage for us to put on shows, and made everything exciting and fun. -The first time I saw Dad teary was when we kids made our parents a book for Christmas, and when I wrecked his new car he didn’t say a word, or make me feel bad. He gave me a great sense of protection, although cleaning his gun when a date picked me up was a bit much. -I love that at 80 he’s a whiz on the computer and that I’m always excited to open his daily emails. I’m so grateful he’s still here, that he says his greatest thing is his family and dog, Chance, and to still hear him say, “Thanks for calling, Kiddo.”

Darling photo! “…There is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express.” -Joseph Addison We loved “Make Room for Daddy” and Danny Thomas swinging through that front door with his trademark lit-up smile. Something riveting was about to occur. He was my first awareness of giving back. Since we were Catholic that it was St. Jude’s made a lasting imprint. On my first business trip to Memphis…the others went to Graceland…I went to see the motel where MLK was shot, to Beale Street, and to St. Jude’s…beyond inspirational. Thank you for this perfect piece for Father’s Day weekend, the terrific thoroughbred anecdote, and for sharing your wise, kind Dad with millions of other kids. Cheers to the Dads!

On Huffingtonpost was a piece linked to MSNBC I think with the VP Short List…..HRC’s name was on it and there is a VP committee working on recommendations.

That’s nice that Mrs. Bush spoke out re Burma….however the reason the military dictatorship is in power, and the democratically elected Prime Minister is under house arrest and being threaten with a beating right now, is because when Cheney was CEO of Halliburton he vote vigorously against legislation to impose sanctions on US corporations working with dictatorships, against shareholder actions and world Human Rights groups Halliburton participated in the building of at least three major pipelines in Burma where forced labor, rapes, torture and murder occurred at the hands of the junta, also widely known for their global drug trade. The pipelines providedhundreds of millions of dollars to keep the military dictatorship in power for decades. If the democratically elected Prime Minister were in office the people would be helped. So although it would not be fair to hold this against Laura Bush, still one wonders why a woman is in association with these men who’ve done so much to wreck lives around the world.