The SoapBoxers

GOP infighting

A battle continues within the  Republican party, with Rush Limbaugh lining up on one side and guys like Colin Powell lining up on the other side.  Some feel that this is a necessary battle being fought in order to separate the chaff from those who hold the true Conservative Repblican ideals at heart.  This might be true if you’re simply trying to build the most united party possible.  However, there is a large contingent of unaffilated voters in the middle of the political sprectrum.  It is difficult to win a national election without snagging a large chunk of these voters.  Will the GOP infighting make many of these voters stay away, for fear of jumping onto a rudderless ship?  I’ll admit that I’m biased, as I am a unaffiliated centrist and probably overvalue our importance as a voting block a bit.

Dancing with the Stars

I’m not a big fan of the show, but it was nice to see fellow Iowan Shawn Johnson on the show.  It was even better to see her win.  On the first night of the show, I declared to my wife that Johnson would win, because the balance and footwork she uses in gymnastics would serve her well on the dance floor.  Obviously she still had a lot to learn, but it seemed like she had a leg up on the other competitors.

I was disappointed to see Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak sent packing early, though (and pretty much stopped watching after that show).  Woz is just a cool guy.  Not only is he a technical genius, but he does a lot of good works in the community.  It would have been cool to see him stage an unlikely upset.

Racing

Helio Castroneves picked up his second biggest win of the year  by winning Sunday’s Indy 500.  His biggest win of the year, however, was his recent acquittal on tax evasion charges.  Danica Patrick finished third, the best ever finish for a woman.  I think it is just a matter of time before she wins an Indy 500 – unless, of course, she bolts to NASCAR first.

NASCAR’s Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte was scheduled for Sunday but was bumped back to Monday because of rain.  The race got started on Monday, but was interrupted several times by rain.  Finally, the NASCAR gods decided to call the race on account of rain.  The win was awarded to David Reutimann, who was in first place at the time the rain began.  Reutimann’s crew chief gambled and decided to forgo a late pit stop when other cars were getting tires and fuel.  The gamble paid off, as Reutimann was  able to hold off the pack until the rains came.  It was Reutimann’s first win in the Nextel series.  I understand the reasons for the decision to call the race, but I still hate to see a race end this way.  Perhaps domed race tracks are in the future.  (Kidding, just kidding.  Maybe.)

Baseball

Fans were treated to a great pitcher’s duel in Milwaukee on Monday.  Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter took a pefect game into the 7th inning.  He was nearly matched by Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo, who still had a no hitter alive into the 6th.  The winning – and only – run finally scored as Brewers rookie Casey McGeHee scampered home on a Bill Hall pinch hit in the 10th inning.  The batters combined for 5 hits and 5 walks in 10 innings (along with 18 strikeouts – 10 by Carpenter).  And for those who like quick game, it was completed in a zippy 2 hours and 26 minutes.

Per some good advice from Darren at Problogger, I am forming a focus group.  The focus group would essentially serve as a sounding board for ideas related to direction and content, as well as providing input on what they would like to see.  Here are a couple samples of the types of questions the focus group might see:

• Do children’s story such as “Bob The Turtle” provide entertainment value for the audience, or should they be excluded in the future?
• Would you like to see more or less political news?
• Are we providing enough content on international issues?  If not, what issues deserve more attention?

If you are one of the daily readers, consider joining the focus group.  You can respond or ignore question as you wish, so it should not take a large amount of your time.  I would like to get at least one person from outside the US to ensure that we are serving the international audience.  Perhaps my loyal reader in Belgium would be a good fit for this?  I’m looking for about a half dozen members at this point.

If you are interested in becoming a focus group member, send me an email at kosmo@ObservingCasually.com

In your email, tell me some basics about you – where you live and some basic demographic information (age, gender, occupation, interests).  You can be vague on the age, if you wish – I’m just want to make sure we have a reasonably diverse group (instead of having six 25 year old computer programmers from Salem, Oregon).

Even if you don’t want to be in the focus group, feel free to make comments on specific articles, either via the “comments” function, or by sending me an email.

thanks,

Kosmo

The Soap Boxers is taking a day off from article writing to observe Memorial Day.  Stop for a moment to think of – and thank – the brave soliders and sailors who have given up their lives for their country.

If you really NEED to read a TCO article today, delve into the “categories” (on the right side) or take a look at the Best of The Soap Boxers.

Kosmo turned 34 years young last Friday.  If you want to give him a birthday gift, give him the gift of a new visitor – simply send an email to a friend who might enjoy The Soap Boxers and urge them to pop in for a visit.

We will go back the the normal schedule tomorrow.

I’ve played video games my whole life. Everything from an Atari 7800 to Sega, to Playstation (1, 2, and 3). Ever since I started playing, I’ve loved sports games. I just couldn’t seem to get into the role-playing games. My two favorite sports series of all time are Madden football and MLB: The Show.

Right now, it’s all about The Show, all the time. The previews for the game were spot on. “The best baseball game ever made”, they said. It is, by far, the most realistic baseball game I have ever played.

Infielders getting eaten alive by bad hops, bad throws, hitting streaks, pitching streaks, hitting slumps, and pitching slumps, it’s all there.

Being an avid Cubs fan, I obviously have to pick them in the Franchise mode. The ballpark is almost like you’re really there during a game. The ivy isn’t green in April (because it’s really not) like in all the other games. The rooftops are actually realistic on the game because they have people in them!!

Players argue and get ejected. Umpires have personalities. With certain umps you can hit corners all day long and not get a call. With others, you can hit spots 6 inches out of the strike zone and get the call.

It’s easy to get mad at the game because you go back to the days when “the computer cheated”, but when you take a step back and think about it, it’s real. And that’s much better to appreciate in a game than simply “winning”.

Have I mentioned how deep the game is? You actually have a 40 man roster that you have to keep control of (which can be extremely frustrating at times, but again, it’s real). The game actually includes compensation picks in the game from free agent signings. Speaking of free agency – the days of throwing a ton of money at a high profile free agent and him automatically signing with your team are over. Frustrating? Absolutely. Real? YES! It’s like a player on this game is smart enough to know what a good situation is for him and takes that instead of the highest offer.

I enjoy the game so much that I actually play all of my teams’ games. Typically I just get bored and simulate through a season until the playoffs and/or the off-season and just manage the team. Now, with MLB 09: The Show, I can’t stop playing!

Speaking of, I think I have a game to play…..

MLB ’09 for PS3

Recently, there have been some scientific studies suggesting that lack of sleep may shave some years off your life.  I have no concerns with the methods they used to reach their conclusions.  It is very likely that the data do indeed prove their hypothesis.

However, this brings me to a key question.  Are we simply trying to maximize the number of years that we remain on earth, or are we trying to maximize the amount of “living” we do?  I am going to take a look at our post college years.  Let’s assume this would span from age 22 to 82.  40 of the years will be in the workforce and 20 years will be in retirement.

In phase 1, we are going to be busy with work, family, and household chores.  If we sleep 9 hours, this might leave 2 hours for pure leisure during the  week and perhaps 7 hours on Saturday and Sunday, if we’re lucky.  That’s 24 leisure hours in a week, along with 63 sleep hours and 40 work hours.  The remaining 41 hours are spent eating, commuting, shopping, mowing lawn, paying bills, etc.  24 leisure hours X 52 weeks X 40 years = 49,920 leisure hours during our working years.

After retirement, we gain a bit more control over our lives, although advancing age eventually sneaks up and grabs your leisure time.  Let’s says that, on average, you can spend 8 hours per day on leisure activities during your retirement years.  That’s 56 hours per week.  56 X 52 weeks X 20 years = 58,240 leisure hours during our retirement years.

If we add  these two numbers, we get a total of 108,160 leisure hours during our post-collegiate years.  This is an average of 1803 leisure hours per years.  Let’s call this chunk of fun time a “leisure year”.

Now let’s assuming that we reduce our sleeping hours from 9 hours per night to 6.  We further assume that we do this with no short term impacts, just the long term impact of dying sooner.  This is likely to be a somewhat flawed assumption, but there are a lot of people who function at very high levels on 6 hours of sleep.

If we reduce sleep by 3 hours per day, we should increase leisure by the same amount.  3 hours X 7 days X 52 weeks X 60 years =   65,520 extra leisure hours, or 36 extra “leisure years”.  In essence, we gain the “fun part” of 36 extra years.

Would you trade a few years at the end of your life for 65,000 extra leisure hours spread out over your adult years?

This article is completely fictional.  I have a great deal of respect for the real-life Strasburg.  Strasburg transformed himself, through hard work, from an undrafted high school player to the consensus top prospect in this year’s baseball draft.

San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg is certain to be a top selection in June’s baseball draft.  We at The Soap Boxers are big baseball fans, so we had reporter Scoop Chevelle hop on the first plane headed west to catch up with Strasburg in San Diego.  The interview got off to a bit of a rough start, as Scoop was unable to find Strasburg at the Aztec training facility or his apartment.  Finally, Scoop’s bloodhound instincts sniffed out Strasburg at the beach.  Strasburg was hesitant to interupt a leisurely day in the sun, but Scoop prevailed and Strasburg eventually agreed to an interview.

Scoop: Stephen, there have been reports that your agent, Scott Boras, is asking for a contract upwards of $50 million.  Many observers consider this to be an obscene amount of money for a kid who has never toed the mound in a professional game.  What do you have to say to those critics?

Strasburg:  Well, Scoopy,  it’s definitely a boatload of cash.  On the flip side, though, take a look at some of my newspaper clippings.  Oh, darn, I left my scrapbook in my room.  Well, anyway, there are a bunch of writers who are saying that I’m a once-in-a-decade prospect.  Last year’s #1 pick, Tim Beckham, signed for $6.15 million.  A once-in-a-decade talent is obviously worth ten times that amount.  The math is pretty simple – my fair market value is $61.5 million.  Who can blame Mr. Boras for asking for $50 million?  In my opinion, he’s being rather generous with the discount.

Scoop: Well, that’s definitely an interesting way to look at it.  The Washington Senators, er Nationals, have the top pick in the draft.  Do you expect them to select you with that pick?

Strasburg: No, certainly not.  Mr. Boras had some preliminary discussions with the team, but negotiations broke down over the non-financial terms.

Scoop: Wow, that’s incredible news.  Tell us, Stephen, what was the sticking point?

Strasburg: Well, as you know, I have always had an interest in politics.  I’m a public administration major, and always wanted to leverage my education into a spot in the US Senate.  Washington, as it turns out, is the home of the federal government.  Since the Capitol has spots for 100 senators, I thought that the Nationals could find a way to get me appointed to one of the seats.  Perhaps the vacant Minnesota seat.  They kept yammering about things like “abuse of power” and “age requirements”.  After a while, Mr. Boras and I realized that the Nationals simply weren’t going to negotiate in good faith, so we broke off the talks.

Scoop: Well, then, where might we  expect to  see you land?

Strasburg: The Pirates, Scoop.

Scoop: The Pittsburgh Pirates, Stephen?  Is that some sort of a joke?

Strasburg: Well, they wouldn’t be the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Team officials are working with the mayor to change the name of the city to Strasburg, Pennsylvania.  Clearly, this is a team that has been fighting a lot of bad luck over the last few years, and they are destined for a breakout.  Hopefully I can pitch well enough down the stretch to get them to the World Series this year.

Scoop: Yes, that would definitely be quite the achievement.  Well, Stephen, it has been great talking to you.  I’m absolutely famished.  Where’s a good place to eat around here?

Straburg: Well, there’s Tony Gwynn’s bar and grill.  They have a half pound burger – all lean meat with no bull.  They call it the Strasburger …

Like this article?  You might enjoy Scoop’s interview with Manny Ramirez from last winter.

Club Deli is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  As the name may suggest, the main fare consists of deli sanwiches, although they always have two soups cooking (one of which is chili), as well as pasta.  Cookies are available for guests with a sweet tooth.

Customer service

I eat at Club Deli perhaps once every two weeks, and sometimes the gaps are even longer.  Nonetheless, the guy behind the counter always knows what I want – 1/2 a #17 (ham and swiss) on croissant.  The half sandwiches are a good size, expecially if you’re having soup with your sandwich.  When the sandwhich gets passed along to the gal who does the toppings, she usually knows the correct toppings as well – mayo, onions, salt, pepper, and a pickle spear on the side.  I’m not an exception, either – they remember these details for everyone in my group – quite impressive.  The guy who serves as order taker and meat and cheese provider often tries (jokingly) to convince me to change my predictable order to something different.  Nope – there’s no point messing up a good thing.

Quality ingredients

Many delis use meats and cheese that are pre-sliced.  At least one large national chain even has the meats in pre-measured quantities.  There is none of this at Club Deli.  When you order your sandwich, they slice the meat and cheese right there.  I’m particularly fond of the swiss cheese.  I’m a big fan of swiss cheese, and it can be hard to find in a lot of places, with many delis using provolone as their token “white cheese”.  The sandwiches cost a bit more than you would pay at one of the fast food sub places, but the fresh, high quality ingredients more than offset the cost difference.

The chili is flat out awesome.  There are hundreds of different ways to make chili, and the chili at Club is made precisely the way I like it.  If you’re ever at Club Deli, definitely give the chili a try – you won’t regret it.

Other cool stuff

You just might bump into a celebrity.  A few months ago, we were eating our lunch and college wrestling legend Dan Gable walked in.  Gable lost only one bout in college at Iowa State (in the national title match as a senior).  He then ran roughshod over the competition in the 1972 Munich Olympics en route to a gold medal.  He followed this up by building a college wrestling juggernaut at the University of Iowa (to the dismay of Iowa State alums).  Wrestling is not my favorite sport, but since Iowa has two great wrestling programs, I do pay attention to it.  Seeing a living legend was very cool.  Nope, I didn’t bug him for an autograph.

If you didn’t have a cookie earlier – or even if you did – you can buy some candy as you leave.  Toss a couple of quarters into the jar and snag some chocolate or even a Tootsie Pop.  Does anything chase down ham, swiss cheese, and chili better than chocolate?

I have a collection of a couple hundred CDs.  Sometimes a track buried deep on an album will strike my fancy, while other times I’ll enjoy the music of an unknown (or lesser known) artist.  Today, I’m going to share musical diamonds in the rough.  I place a lot of emphasis on lyrics – a good story line can hook me on a song.

Rough diamonds from popular artists

The Cheap Seats – Alabama.  “This town ain’t big, this town ain’t small, it’s a little of both they say.  Our ball club may be minor league, but at least it’s triple A …”  Thus begins my favorite baseball song, performed by my favorite group.  This song should be the anthem for true fans of baseball everywhere.  They have to be talking about Des Moines, right – a middle sized town in the midwest that has a AAA team? 🙂

Hurricane – Bob Dylan .  This song – not Blowin’ In The Wind or The Times They Are A-Changin’ – is my favorite Dylan song.  It is the story of boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter.  Carter was convicted of murder in 1967, but question were raised about his guilt and his conviction was set aside in 1985 based on a judge’s decision that racism played  a major role in the prosecution.  Carter’s story was later featured in the movie Hurricane, featuring Denzel Washington.  The original version of the song is more than eight a half minutes long and packs quite a story into the lyrics (although Dylan took considerable poetic license when writing the song).

I Will Play for Gumbo – Jimmy Buffett.  I love Buffett’s classics (Margaritaville, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Fins, etc) but this fun song pays homage to a popular cajun dish on Buffet’s 1999 album Beach House on the Moon.  The album also contains one of my favorite lyric snippets (from the song I Don’t Know and I Don’t Care) – “Therapy is extremely expensive.  Poppin’ bubblie wrap is radically cheap.”

See Jane Dance – Brooks & Dunn.  Another fun song, but this one probably doesn’t have the best moral.  The song tells the story of Jane beginning her career by winning an amateur night “dancing” contest and escalating to the point where Jane’s dancing career has put her in a position to retire comfortably at a very early age (a couple million in the bank by the time she’s 31).  A bit of a risque topic for the country duo.

Which One of Them – Garth Brooks.  This song was a bonus song that was added to Ropin’ The Wind when Garth’s albums were released as a box set (each disc had an extra song that was not originally on the album).  Garth tells us the tale of a man who is being pursued by two woman at a dance – but neither of them can replace the woman that the man desires.

Paperback Writer – The Beatles.  Is it really fair to include a song that hit #1 on this list?  Sure, why not – I’m making the rules!  As an aspiring novelist myself, the story of a man struggling to sell his novel has always been one of my favorite songs.  By the way, if you don’t own the “1” compilation by The Beatles, buy it!  27 top hits are shoehorned onto one disc.

Songs from lesser known artists

1969 – Keith Stegall.  Songwriter/producer Keith Stegall has released two albums of his own – a self titled album in 1985 and Passages in 1996.  I stumbled across Passages in a used CD store, and it quickly became a favorite album of mine – it’s packed with great songs.  (Hey, Keith, it’s been another decade – how about another album?)  1969 tells the story of a kid who was rejected by the army because he was married and then swung the other way and attempted to become a hippie.

Just Enough Rope – Rick Trevino.  Trevino had some popularity in the 90s before separating from his label in order to pursue a different musical direction.  Just Enough Rope is a metaphorical song, with the man being a yo-yo on a string who is given “just enough rope” by a woman.  English and bilingual (English and Spanish) versions can be found on Rick’s self-titled album.

Under the Kudzu – Shenandoah.  This  song was the title track on the group’s 1993 album.  It romanticizes the kudzu vine that is universally despised in the south by tying it in to a long family history on a plot of land – and the susequent loss of the farm.

One Eyed Dan (the Fiddlin’  Man) – Tim Briggs.  Briggs’ career was unfortunately derailed by personal issues.  His self titled 1998 release featured a few cool songs.  One Eyed Dan is a song with a lot of fiddling, which is always a plus in my book.  Cold Budweiser and Sweet ‘Tater and She’s a Country Girl are also very good songs.

Riding with Private Malone – David Ball.  I first heard this song while driving back to Illinois after attending my brother’s funeral.  My brother was a retired marine who died of heart disease at an early age.  Riding With Private Malone doesn’t really tell a story that fits the relationship of myself and my brother, but there is the superficial military connection, and that made it strike a cord on that particular day.  The song is about how the spirit of a soldier killed in Vietnam saves the life of a man who purchased his 1966 Corvette 30 years later.

Leaving October Behind – Sons of the Desert.  Sons of the Desert was my second favorite group (behind only Alabama) when they were active.  Unfortunately they dissolved, but member Drew Womack later launched a solo career.  Leaving October Behind is the sad tale of a widower who can usually handle the absence of his wife – but is overcome with emotions when autumn begins – because his wife died in October.

Wine into Water – T. Graham Brown.  This song is the story of a recovering alcholic who is battling his demons and asking Jesus to perform the opposite of the miracle at Cana and turn the wine into water (not literally – but to give him the strength to overcome the addiction).  There are some other good songs on this album (also titled Wine into Water) including the quirky Memphis Women and Chicken (which, interestingly, can also be found on the Tim Briggs album).

Rodeo Man – Ronna Reeves.  I’m one of a select group of people who own all 5 of Ronna’s CDs – 4 country albums and a 5th album that crossed over into pop.  She never had a top 40 song, but I like her songs.  Rodeo Man is a warning to women to not have their hearts stolen by a cowboy.

Five O’Clock Shadow, Brandon Howard.  Brandon puts a new definition on the term “five o’clock shadow”. In this song, the term refers to a man’s daughter who sticks close to him after they are finished with their day of work and school. The song is the sentimental tale of a daughter’s hero worship of her daddy and the father’s love for his daughter. 

Brandon has a lower profile than the other artists mentioned in this article, but his debut album Static (2002) is definitely an enjoyable record to listen to, if you can manage to get your hands on a copy. Static and She Don’t Need a Diamond are two other tracks that I really enjoy from this album. Brandon is working on an article about his experiences in the music industry that will be featured in a future edition of The Soap Boxers.

What are some songs that you consider to be underappreciated diamonds in the rough?  Please share!

Retractable roofs have been all the rage in “American Sports”. We have seen a number of baseball stadiums incorporate this type of feature to prevent the rain outs that so many fans as well as vendors hate. Heck even the Arizona Cardinals in the National Football League one upped the retractable roof with the retractable field …. one that slides in and out of the stadium to allow for better growing of turf conditions in the hot and dry desert climate.

Now retractable roofs have hit the big time. That is right; tennis has recently seen this rage as well. It caused quite a stir earlier this year when a match in the Australian Open was put on hold. Earlier this January a mid match decision to close the roof in a match between Svetlana Kuznetsova and Serena Williams may have cost Kuznetsova a spot in the Semi’s.

The decision was made to close the roof as temperatures had the mercury popping in the mid day sun. In the past temperatures have been reported as high as 140 degrees Fahrenheit during matches in Melbourne.

Now Wimbledon has recently installed a similar roof contraption over the Centre Court, allowing for the normal gray and gloomy British conditions to be held at bay, and allow uninterrupted play at least on the feature court, during the tournament.

Fifteen Thousand Spectators turned out to watch exhibition matches involving Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters and Tim Henman. This allowed Wimbledon to try out the new digs at the All England Tennis Club. Reportedly, when the structure came together, a round of applause broke out. Closing the new roof was timed in a smooth 7 minute and 4 seconds. Not exactly fast as the traffic on the M40, but at the same time a very acceptable time frame that does not amount to a whole lot more than an extended break between service sets.

One of the biggest worries was the new air control system. Not that the folks here in Jolly ol England will have to worry about the heat like they do down under in January, but lets face it, 15,000 rabid tennis fans in an enclosed building is about as steamy of an atmosphere as you can get. No sense having all those folks uncomfortable in the “closed roof” temperature would hit say 75 degrees or so.

So that gets us halfway home for the Grand Slam venues … but wait! The French Tennis Federation has started making plans for a new retractable roof to cover the Phillippe Chatrier Court at the Roland Garros tennis complex. It is slated for completion in time for the 2011 French Open championships.

And, here at home, USTA officials have also drawn up plans for a roof to cover the US Open’s Arthur Ashe stadium at Flushing Meadows, N.Y., after last year’s Men’s Final had to be moved to the third Monday of the tournament after weekend rain delays.

Thank goodness they can’t build domed golf courses for the PGA Tour!

Auto dealers

Nearly 2000 auto dealers were informed by GM or Chrylser of the manufacturer’s plans to terminate franchise agreements.  The impact to GM and Chrysler is not likely to be very large.  For example, 90% of Chrysler’s sales volume come from about 50% of their dealers.  Stand this stat on its head, and it tells you that Chrysler could terminate agreements with half their dealers and lose only 10% of their revenue.  For the dealers affected – many of them longtime family businesses – the impact will be much larger.  Some dealerships were diversified with agreements with multiple manufacturers and should be able to make up some of the shortfall by focusing on selling the other brands.  Others, however, had all their eggs in one manufacturer’s basket and will simply be unable to sell new cars unless they are able to procure a franchise agreement with another manufacturer.

Gay marriage

Gay marriage continues to be a hot topic.  California’s supreme court is set to rule on whether or not to overturn the state’s ban on gay marriage that was enacted by proposition 8.  The court overturned the previous ban on gay marriage last May.  New Hampshire’s governor has said that he would approve a gay marriage bill if the legislature changes the bill to allow certain protections for churches.  The legislature will vote on the altered bill this week.  Gay marriage is being debated in several other states.  Currently, gay marriage is legal is 6 states – California, Connececticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachussetts,and Vermont.  Once this numbers gets to about 15, I think there will be a tidal wave of states that pass bill allowing it.  With Democrats (who are bigger proponents of gay rights) in control in many states, this would be the ideal time for them to move forward with gay marriage bills, expecially with a currently high level of public support.

Governors and Senators

Republican senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson has decided resign in order to run for governor in 2010.  On the flip side, Florida governor Charlie Crist has decided to run for senate in 2010.  As critical as Florida has been in recent elections, a Democratic pickup in the Florida governorship could be just what the Dems need to tilt the balance a bit more to the left.

On the Bunning front, Kentucky Republican senator Jim Bunning has decided that he will indeed run for re-election, in spite of previous reports to the contrary.  Ron Paul’s son, Rand, may join in the fray in the Republican primary.  Circle this one as a race to watch.  Hall of Fame pitcher Bunning has become an embarrasment for his party, and his won party make seek to undermine his efforts at re-election.  Bunning narrowly won in 2004 and would likely lose to a strong Democratic challenger.

Farrah Fawcett

There’s another reason to like Farrah Fawcett.  She became convinced that someone at UCLA medical center was leaking her medical records to the press.  In order to confirm her suspicions, she intentionally withheld news from her family and friends when her cancer returned in 2007.  When the information found its way to the National Enquirer, Fawcett knew that someone at UCLA was the source.  An investigation found that employee Lawanda Jackson was responsible for the leaks.  Jackson was convicted, but died of cancer before she could be sentenced.

Fawcett’s actions have raised awareness of the seriousness of patient privacy and the need for harsh penalties for those who breach that privacy.

Note: inaccurate information regarding the California Supreme Court has been corrected.