Sad News

A high school junior in 1967 I went on a movie date. The film, Hombre. That's the night I fell in love with the most talented actor and beautiful man I had ever seen. Yes he was the same age as my mother but that didn't matter to me. I set out to purchase every poster with his image I could find. He and Robert Kennedy graced my walls until I carefully took them down and rolled them up to take with me to art school.

Other movie dates... Cool Hand Luke, The Secret War of Harry Frigg, Winning, then Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The Sting, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, Towering Inferno, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Drowning Pool, Harper, Torn Curtain, The Hustler, The Long Hot Summer, Hud, Sweet Bird of Youth. Absence Malice, The Verdict, Harry and Son, Slap Shot, The Color of Money, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, Blaze, The Hudsucker Proxy. Classics all made fabulous by his talent, that face, that smile and those eyes.

I could go on and on about my favorite parts of each movie and why. His acting talent was only one facet of this mans greatness. His charities are legendary. He and Joanne have donated literally tens of millions of dollars to tremendously worthy causes. I read somewhere $120 million so far. Hole in the Wall is my favorite.


Newman's Own will live on to remind us of his generosity and desire to give. His movies will remain to remind us of his talent and beauty. Like those who swooned over Elvis and mourned his passing, I will likewise miss him.

Strangely, last night I had a dream. The only thing I remembered about it this morning was that Paul Newman was in it.... before I knew if his passing. My love and condolence to his family.

In my email today. Genius!!! I vote YES!

Forwarded from some genius on the internet:

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..
So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free.
So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.
Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.
That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.
But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.
A husband and wife has $595,000.00.
What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?
Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.
Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads Put away money for college - it'll be there Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.
Buy a new car - create jobs.
Invest in the market - capital drives growth. Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves. Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else. Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.
If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.
If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!
As for AIG - liquidate it.
Sell off its parts.
Let American General go back to being American General.
Sell off the real estate.
Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.
Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.
Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work."
But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!
How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion

We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC .
And remember, This plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

I am sooooooooooo pissed! I have lived in Clearwater, Florida for over 26 years and have been a REGULAR at O'Keefes restaurant for all that time. One of my best friends has worked there since '82 as well. O'Keefes is MAYBE a mile from where I work.

Today Obama had lunch at O'Keefes! Mingling with the other customers, talking, shaking hands, taking pictures. Where was I? One mile away! Where did I eat lunch? IN MY FRICKIN CAR watching a crane on a barge move concrete crap. Why didn't I know? Why didn't go?

I am sooooooooo pissed!

From the St. Petersburg Times -
Obama at O'Keefe's, Belleview Biltmore

Sen. Barack Obama, with some of the O'Keefe's staff, had a burger with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and spicy mustard. [JOSEPH GARNETT JR. | Times]

From the airport at midday, Barack Obama headed to O'Keefe's, one of Clearwater's oldest, most popular restaurants, to press the flesh and drum up some easy coverage. Buzz is he's staying at the Belleview Biltmore, the historic resort built in Belleair. He's just about to start a news conference there.

His traveling press corps will be ensconced at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater Beach.

Obama is here to prepare for Friday's presidential debate in Oxford, Miss. Why do debate prep in the Tampa Bay area? "Look at the weather, man. It's great," Obama said.

-- Adam C. Smith

Headlines

Fears emerge over $700bn rescue…

Candidates likely to skip bailout vote…

Europeans on left and right ridicule U.S. money meltdown…

Oil price jumps $25 in a day…

By 2-1 Americans Blame GOP For Financial Crisis... Dow Down 370 Points... Oil Shoots Up... Dollar Takes Biggest Hit In Seven Years From Treasury Plan... Dem Leaders Negotiate Over Conditions For Bailout Plan...

Outrage Over $2.5 Billion Bonus For Lehman Brothers NY Staff…

"Decisions By The Secretary...Are Non-Reviewable...And May Not Be Reviewed By Any Court Of Law Or Any Administrative Agency"

What's your credit score?

Credit Crisis_Crushes Family…

FBI Investigates Spears' Scandal_
Intimate Pics Stolen From Wal-Mart
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My head hurts and I think I may throw up.

Butler! You OK???

Some of my favorites of the week

Safe weekend all... especially friends in Ike's path!

I have an idea...

... thought of it today. I took the day off to have lunch with friends. One of the gal's husband left last week. He's a Marine. First stop, NC for his shots etc. then somewhere for protocol training, then off to Afghanistan. FOR A YEAR.

After I got home, it occurred to me. What if "they" just reversed his orders and those of everyone else who's been scheduled to go? Don't publicize it, just don't send them. Then, start sending home the kids who have been there the longest one plane full at a time. Pretty soon they would all be home. No muss, no fuss, no fanfare. Those who CHOOSE to volunteer can stay if the want (with full combat pay) to protect that stupid "green" zone or whatever it is.... but only on a voluntary basis.

I hear on the news W will announce tomorrow his own "pull out plan".... (I'll wait while you giggle at your own joke here.) Why now? Because of the election and the fact he knows if McCain is elected we'll be there another 100 years anyway?

Whatever his idea is, I like mine better.

peace

A few weeks ago I was transferred from a beach store to a downtown store. The differences are astonishing.

The beach store is quite close to an area plush with high dollar water front homes and condos. The parking lot is daily littered with Lexus, Hummers and Mercedes. The Hummer belongs to the store manager! The customers are mostly wealthy retirees. Many wear nice clothes, carry designer handbags and belong to fashionable golf and yacht clubs. It's a store where the big crisis is being out of the advertised baked beans.

Downtown the customers are more ethnic. Elderly widows barely getting by on social security living in nearby subsidised housing. Hispanic families, the homeless, young folks starting out, all struggling to get by. Some have medicare or medicaid but often the medication prescribed for them is not covered. Others simply don't have insurance, I can relate. I took this job for the benefits and it fell into my lap thanks to rqm. Before that, we could no longer afford the insurance payments which had climbed to $1800 a month!

Daily I see people who truly need medication unable to pay for it. They work with the pharmacist to calculate the cost of each pill... figure out how many pills they can afford on that day.... purchase only a few and vow to obtain the required funds to come back for the rest. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

Today an elderly lady came to pick up her medication. The total was $2.50... she didn't have it. Later she returned with the money and also needed something from over the counter. But that she couldn't afford. Another lady takes a medication that costs $3000 a month! So far, insurance covers it. If the day comes that it is not covered, she will die. I overheard another gentleman say he would be better off dead. He could no longer afford to be alive.

The scenarios are endless. This is real. This is happening every day, everywhere, right now.

Politicians should sit in my seat for a day or better yet in that of the pharmacy customers.