Paul Newman, 1925-2008

For me, there is sometimes a slight twinge of pain or a double-take at a headline when someone "famous" passes away but this morning, it was more than that when I read the headline "Screen-actor Paul Newman Dead at 83." I was online checking out news on the debates and saw this news instead.
Paul Newman probably wouldn't refer to himself as a hero but he is. He worked to generously give to children with cancer and families that fell under unfortunate hard times, and in doing so, gave to the world. Everytime a shopper picks up a bottle of dressing or spaghetti sauce at the grocery store, a little more hope is spared for a kid that would get to attend summer camp like any other kid, cancer aside. "Newman's Own" is one of the best charities when it comes to actually getting the money to the cause. All profits go to the cause. There was no selfishness or vanity in it for Newman other than the use of his mug to sell everyting. The products speak for themselves. They are delicious and go to a cause no one could question.
As an actor and personality, Newman displayed a wonderful dramatic depth with a lovely sense of humor. My favorite film is "Cool Hand Luke" as it was the gateway film for me and I was hooked on Newman. "The Sting" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" offer great fun because Newman is teamed up with Robert Redford who bacame his close friend. They were famous for playing pranks on each other. When "Indecent Proposal" was released, Newman said something like, "Hell, I'd sleep with Redford for a million dollars," or so the joke goes.
The irony in the illness that took Newman is clear. He fought to help kids who suffered cancer and in the end it took him. It seems he went privately and quietly and unless his privacy is compromised, me will never know how he suffered but it can be imagined from pictures that cancer did ravage him before it let him go.
I worte a paper on Newman's charitable works during college. Before writing the paper, he was a great film actor that I had a crush on who also sold salad dressing. After researching and completing the paper, he was one of my heroes for the man he was beyone the beautiful face or the films, and he will be missed.

Palin's Place (in History)

I hope that Sarah Palin's place is as the 2nd woman to be on a major ticket but nowhere near the first woman President of the United States. Someone said that my loyalty to Obama was "sudden" as though it was unexpected and maybe it was given my support of Hillary but basically, my ideals are my ideals and Obama and Hillary were never that far apart. I am not one of those women who will vote for a woman just because she is a woman. McCain chose Palin because he is relying on women to be so vain and shallow that they will do so. There are some Hillary "supporters" who will do just that. I am an issues person especially when it comes to social issues however and will not.

I feel very deeply sorry for the pregnancy of Palin's daughter. I think she is probably getting married because her parents and maybe even his parents said to. He seems like kind of a tool. She is also having the kid, by the way. She has to. Her mom believes in only getting an abortion in cases where the mother's life is in danger. It has to be in danger at that time. Rape isn't a good reason. Your life can't have been in danger before. It must be in danger at present. I think that if someone feels they are not capable of being a parent, they learn their child will not be healthy or they otherwise do not want to have a child because of their circumstances they should have the right to an abortion. I do have a problem with late-term abortions but otherwise am very stringent in the right to a woman's choice.

I also feel that there should be sex education in schools and free condoms so that young people are protected and making the best informed decisions they can. Parents can't be relied on to talk to their teens. We need educators to do so. Clearly Palin's abstinence only policies are great considering her teenage daughter is pregnant. That was sarcastic by the way. Clearly her ignorant ideals are not valid and her own flesh and blood proved that.

Regarding gay marriage, which California allows, Palin is anti and with the number of gay friends I have who would eventually want to marry the person they feel they are ready to commit their livea to, I think that is an atrocity.

I know that McCain is saying America First and trying to straddle party-lines but Palin is more "Alaska First" and was entwined in a political movement to have Alaska secede from the union. This was a while back and I know people change but it is still interesting.

All in all, I am for the Obama-Biden ticket and am proud of it. I think that Sarah Palin's stances on issues that are major to me are much different than mine and for that reason, I am still against McCain. McCain is not a conservative Republican but he's afraid to talk about anything other than war and being a POW and won't even confront head on the issues of sex ed in schools. He's also pretty much a pro-lifer. There are other things like gun-control, death penalty, drugs, science education, global warming, environmental law, foreign policy, health care, stem-cell research and some economic issues where I agree sometimes with McCain but disagree too often and certainly disagree with Palin. I'll keep the choices I have as long as I can but have already madd my choice for President.