CANCER CURES SMOKING...
...and if you're Patrick Swayze, you may find that out the hard way...

I was flipping around the TV channels last night, and accidentally stumbled upon Barbara Walters, that overpaid hussy, and she was in the process of interviewing actor Patrick Swayze, who's battling pancreatic cancer, the same ailment that killed Michael Landon. It's an especially tough form of cancer to deal with; difficult to diagnose, difficult to treat. During the interview, Swayze said that he was tackling the cancer head-on, aggressively fighting it, doing all he can to beat his cancer. He said that he doesn't want to consume 'too many' nutritious cancer-fighting nutrient-type things, because, the more you feed your body, the more you feed your cancer...I hadn't ever heard that twisted logic before, but it makes sense, if just barely...

Patwick Swayze, actor, and Baba Wawa, intwaviewer...

Then, the interview went in a different (diffwa-went?) direction...Babs began talking to Swayze about his smoking habit. That's right. His Smoking Habit. He Is Still Smoking. He Is Still Smoking While Battling Aggressive Pancreatic Cancer. What Is Wrong With This Picture? PATRICK, QUIT SMOKING! NOW!!! He has smoked tons of cigarettes for years and Years, and he admitted that. While I admire his candor, I was feeling really bad for him until that point. After all, A Typical Plan To Fight Cancer Doesn't Include Smoking. He would've sounded better if he'd LIED to Babs..."yes, Barbara, I am totally smoke-free". Then, he would have seemed at least credible in his battle against cancer. HOW CAN YOU FIGHT CANCER AND STILL SMOKE CIGARETTES? ANSWER: YOU CAN'T. And after I listened to Swayze say he's not ready to quit just yet, (in spite of the fact that Smoking causes an increased susceptability to Cancers Of All Kinds) (including his cancer), well, that's when I changed the channel. Bah. Good Luck, Pat, and I really mean that. But..QUIT SMOKING...NOW!!!

I remember back when I used to drive a Taxi, occasionally taking people to and from the Cancer Center at the local hospital. Invariably, I would see people with walkers or seated in wheelchairs, outside the Cancer Center, wheezing, hacking and coughing as they were SMOKING. Right outside the Cancer Center. Tobacco Companies of the U.S.A., I hope you're proud of yourselves. You've ingrained the American Smoking Public with a nasty and DEADLY habit that KILLS people. Sadly, it takes the Death of Someone Famous to focus attention--for a while--on the cigarette industry. The big "C" is out there trying to get All Of Us. So why tempt fate by smoking? My Mom died of esophageal cancer inn 2001. She had lung cancer surgery in 1989. Her surgery scar began at the right shoulder, diagonally down her back to her left side near the waist. The Surgeon went in from the back to remove Half of one of her Lungs. She and my Dad had tried to quit for Years. After The Surgery, Mom finally did. Dad couldn't shake the smoking habit completely. It's a powerful addiction. No Good Whatsoever Can Come From Cigarettes. Never Ever.

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Remember the old Saturday Night Live Newscasts, where Chevy Chase would announce every single week that France's President, Charles DeGaulle "Is Still Dead"? The same could be said for Elvis Presley, who was born 74 years ago today, if my math is right (which it seldom is). My two favorite "Elvis Eras" are, the '50s to the early '60s, and from the late '60s to the early '70s. He recorded an album "Elvis Country' in the early '70s which is an almost perfect co-mingling of rock and country-rock; Elvis' impulsiveness in the studio worked to a fantastic degree on that album. He also recorded great versions of "Big Boss Man", "Hi-Heel Sneakers", and Chuck Berry's "Promised Land". He had some really great musical moments. In my collection is a Jimi Hendrix album, "Loose Ends", which was never released in the USA. It features some great jams and rehearsal moments in the studio...and before launching into "Blue Suede Shoes", Jimi ad-libs the words to "Hound Dog" and "Trouble". "You lookin' for trouble? You Came To The Right Place..." Elvis inspired a whole lotta music people. He should be acknowledged for that.


He's still dead, yes, but when he was good, he was really great...

I don't go around admitting this to everyone I meet, so keep it under your hat: One of my favorite Elvis songs is "Do The Clam" from the movie, 'Girls Girls Girls.' And, yes, I know I should have my head examined.