Heath Ledger dead

By this time plenty of sites have had lots to say about the passing of Heath Ledger, a talented young actor nominated for an Academy Award for 2005 Brokeback Mountain, and due in this summer's highly anticipated the Dark Knight, as the Joker nonetheless. Those pics have been leaked all year and he looks creepy - and that's good for the Joker (I'm a diehard Batman fan and have all the original Frank Miller Dark Knight comics, autographed, natch)

Gossip sites are revealing their "blind items" of him as having a troubled drug problem. Everyone is saying "suicide is not the answer" although we don't know if it was accidental OD, perhaps intentional or self-medicating gone wrong.

The bottom line is addiction is something that can only be understood by the addict or those close enough. Only when you have had those thoughts in your mind, that your life will never get better, that you will never step out of this cesspool of hell, that no one can understand the turmoil you are living in and only drugs/alcohol can make you tolerate the day until it is time to have more, only when you have had those thoughts do you realize what people who end their lives may be going through. I'm not saying it is okay, it' s just easy to say "suicide is not the answer" or "it can never be that bad". Addiction is truely a horrible thing and maybe this will wake others up to seek help, quit and get clean. And when I say clean, it means the mind and the body because that is what it takes.

Anyway, it is sad and tragic and he was in some wonderful roles, both handsome and a great actor. NYTIMES recent profile.

Since River Phoenix, is this the highest profile Hollywood actor to be taken young?

And I was planning on talking about what was going to be the crash of 2008 today, until the Fed stepped in and cut 3/4 points. The Fed has lost all credibility by being reactive instead of proactive. Thank goodness yesterday was a federal holiday so today's 5% drop at the opening was expected, anticipated and not a shock. I was watching CNBC today, it was funny because everyone was starting with, "First, don't panic" hah, I wonder if they read the book?

We are officially in a correction, it is buying time baby!

Didn't read anything else today had to work. I have a 1100pm soccer game so will be dead tomorrow.