Kim Jong-il Died, But Jon Bon Jovi is Alive

The news can have a curious life in a day. One doesn't always know what to believe. That's why having a trusted source matters most.

Take Monday, for instance. When I got up, I read that North Korea dictator Kim Jong-il had died. I wanted to make sure it was true. So I did a news double-take, if you will, reading the story again. And it appeared that yes, it was true, Kim Jong-il, North Korea's tyrant, had indeed died.

And not a minute too soon.

It's not like North Korea will become our friend overnight in the wake. Of course not. But, it's like dancing. One step in the right direction means you've got a better chance of getting rhythm.

Koreans are relieved. And so are many non-Koreans. For he was a menace to us all.

We never want to wish death, or illness, on another. But when fate plays its hand in some instances, we're glad to be on the right side of it. Like when we step in a hole filled with water and our shoe needed cleansing.

But when I glanced at the news later in the day after gloating over Kim Jong-il's demise to see a report that Jon Bon Jovi had died, I had a very different feeling. For starters, there was also doubt. Heavy doubt. So I looked deeper into the story beyond Twitter, a source that can lead to truth but also is ripe for spreading mass rumor and lies if just one tweeter with followers gets out of hand. I read a good account in IBTimes that explained it all -- the hoax.

On this one, I was relieved to know that New Jersey's cowboy, who croons about riding a steel horse, is still alive. And apparently well.

it was just a fake story spread on Twitter, saying the rock star was found in a coma at a hotel in New Jersey, his home state. The rumor said he was taken to a hospital, where he is said to have suffered cardiac arrest.

But his rep said, thankfully, that Jon Bon Jovi would be appearing Monday night at a charity concert in New Jersey, with a loaded six-string on his back. It won't be a big deal. He's seen a million faces. And he's rocked them all. Even in a rumor of death, he can do it again.

Bon Jovi is alive. And Kim Jong-il is dead. You can't believe everything you read, of course, but on this day one can get excited about the truth.