Friday Snippets and Soundbites

• David Cook, 25, of Blue Springs, Mo., was declared the winner of this year's "American Idol" competition on Wednesday night. (He was the ec editor's personal fave!) Some 97.5 million votes were cast on Tuesday night, and Cook beat his fellow finalist, David Archuleta, by 12 million votes. The massive vote shattered AI's previous voting record by 23 million! Did you vote? Let us know in the comments!

• In other Idol news, former “American Idol” contestant Clay Aiken recently released a new album, On My Way Here, and included a song penned by Christian singer/songwriter Natalie Grant. The song, "The Real Me," was featured on Grant's 2005 release Awaken. She says the song is about her own journey of self-discovery and "what God has shown me about who He is and who I am. God has a divine purpose for our lives, and there's such comfort and peace in knowing that even when our lives are a mess, He sees the incredible beauty underneath."

• The United Nations wants you! Or at least your artwork. Youth from around the world are invited to submit their original artwork to the 11th Annual Peace Pals International Arts Exhibition and Awards. The event is part of the festivities planned on September 21 to celebrate the International Day of Peace established by the United Nations. This year's theme is friendship, and the deadline for submissions is June 30, 2008. A panel of international judges will select first, second, and third place winners in four age groups, and the winning artwork will become part of the worldwide tour. For more info, go here.

• In truly random news, a missing parrot in Japan finally found his way home this week . . . by reciting his name and address. The police had rescued the bird two weeks ago from a rooftop in Nagareyama, a city near Tokyo. The parrot spent the night at the station and was then transferred to a veterinary hospital. As hard as the police tried, the bird wouldn't talk. But he opened up with the staff at the vet, reciting his full home address, down to the street number. He also took some time to entertain the staff by singing songs.