I don't watch any of this garbage. My only "must see TV" is "The Daily Show", "How I Met Your Mother" and "Burn Notice". Maybe I'm not cool enough to find even a sliver of appeal in shows where the guys (or gals for that matter - there are just as many of them) are complete jerks, but at least I turn off the TV with a smile on my face.

I'm not one to idolize any famous person, but a few years back I was at a small bookstore and could not resist spending $3 on a damaged coffe table book about Paul Newman. I admit that I was hooked by the publicity pictures of *that face*, but by far the best pictures - and the ones that the author smartly used the most of - are the candids of Paul at work, home and play.

This is a man who loved life, and seemed to find meaning in everything he did. Whether studying his lines, playing with his daughters, preparing for a civil rights march or dancing with Joanne, he lived every moment to its fullest. It seems silly to say that at 83 he died too young, but I truly believe he had a lot of living left in him. I would never wish him pain, though, so I have to stop being selfish and admit that it is a good thing that his dreadful fight with cancer is over.

Thanks, Mr. Newman, for your joie de vivre, for reminding me to live life with gusto and purpose as often as I can. You will be missed.

I did not go to my 10 year reunion, and will not go to my 20th next year.

I did not enjoy high school. I was completely into my grades and activities that would help me get into a great college. I also had no patience for posers, so was friends with only a small group of about 10 kids (in a class of over 400) who were cool with just being themselves. Of those, I am still close with my 2 best friends, and am content with that.

I don't care what anyone else has done with their lives, and feel no need to share with them what I have done. It's the past, and I am so much more happy and well-adjusted now that high school seems like an annoying dream. I wish all the best for my classmates as fellow human beings, but beyond that I'm not interested.

"If all the loyal Bushies stayed home in November in protest, McCain might lose as many as a dozen Texas votes in the greater Crawford metroplex."

Thanks for the belly laugh, you made my morning ;)

...without the facial hair. Maybe.

I knew Virginia could go blue!! We put Douglas Wilder in office as the first elected black governor in the US, and that was nearly 20 years ago. The population is more diverse now, so I had faith in the Old Dominion all along. My Republican father and brother voted Obama, and I knew they weren't alone. And it happened with rain in half the state! Virginia is for lovers - of hope and courage and progress!!

I decided years ago that no child of mine would watch tv shows that feature adults playing teens. They send kids the wrong message about what their bodies should look like at a certain age, not to mention that the themes of the shows are often way too mature for the 'tweens they are aimed at.

If you don't want to worry about the latest Disney girl scandal, turn off the damn tv and hand your kid a book, or gather around the table for a board game. If the tv must go on, try the Discovery Channel or Animal Planet. No parent HAS to participate in the hypersexualization of their children.

Avoid all this moralizing crap by skipping all the crap tv that creates it.

Go slink away with the other PUMAs, Paglia. They are licking their wounds in a dark, quiet place right now and would surely welcome one more.

You honestly think Sarah Palin is not a hypocrite? She rails against "big government" earmarks but has requested and accepted hundreds of millions of dollars in just that for Wallisa and all of Alaska. She trumpets her daughter making the "right" choice about her pregnancy, but doesn't want other women to have that same choice. She fancies herself a crusader against corruption but has been found to have broken Alaska state ethics law by a bipartisan panel. She complains about having evolution forced on public school children, but wants to force abstinance-only education on them instead. I could go on, but really, tell me you are not actually this deep in denial?

I loudly second the suggestion of a magazine subscription from the National Wildlife Federation. My son, now 8, has grown up through this series and has enjoyed them all - and I've learned a lot of neat stuff from them, too! It is terrific to see his eyes light up when HIS magazine comes in the mail, and watch him run straight to the couch to begin reading. I give them as gifts, too, to rave reviews.

...for the link to the WSJ article. I enjoy "Ask the pilot" and Smith is obviously knowledgable, but it is helpful to read the opinions of others. The majority seem to think Gladwell is onto something, and I agree, especially since Korean Air *has* turned its safety record around by specifically dealing with the issues that Gladwell highlights.

The fundie Christian primary vote will be split multiple ways by Palin, Jindal and maybe Huckabee. If other Republicans who care more about fiscal issues and less about moral ones all go with Romney, he wins the nomination.