Advertising executive and author Lois Wyse died Friday at her Manhattan home of stomach cancer. She was 80.

Perhaps best known for her famous slogan, With a name like Smucker's, it has to be good, Wyse -- who founded Wyse Advertising with her first husband Marc and went on to win the J.M. Smucker Company account -- was also the brains behind this name: Bed, Bath & Beyond. The small retail chain began as Bed and Bath. Wyse thought it would fare better with a more complete name.

Wyse was a powerful woman in business. Her company was chosen to create the first television advertising campaign for New Woman magazine. She was was the first woman on the board of the Consolidated Natural Gas Company and the Higbee Company, and she was a founding member of both the Committee of 200, a group of women with executive jobs, and of Catalyst, a women's research organization.

Every year 4.5 million people die from smoking related to deaths. Of that staggering number nearly half of the deaths are in developing countries where medical care and health education are limited or non-existent. One of the fastest growing smoking populations is among teens in both rich and poor countries across the world. With the above statistics and the growing trend of younger smokers, the overall death toll for smokers could likely reach one billion before the end of the century.

Many governments are flummoxed by how exactly to handle this problem. Singapore, Australia and Thailand have implemented tougher anti-smoking campaigns and have found success in cutting the number of smokers within their borders. Other countries are hoping that drastic measures such as much higher taxes on cigarettes, a ban on public advertising and banning public smoking will help.

The concern for smoking related deaths has prompted representatives from nearly 150 countries to meet and discuss possible solutions to the problem. With so many minds mulling over the issues perhaps some solutions can be found.

Here's an easy way to make a charitable difference -- send an instant message.

Students at 35 colleges and universities are doing it, and it's turned into a great way to create awareness and raise funds for nine nonprofit organizations.

The organizations -- American Red Cross, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, National AIDS Fund, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, ninemillion.org, Sierra Club, Stopglobalwarming.org, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and U.S. Fund for UNICEF -- receive a portion of advertising revenue every time a student has a conversation using instant messaging (or i'm).

It's all part of a Microsoft-sponsored campus program, and students get to choose their recipient organization each time they send an instant message.

There is no cap on the amount each group can receive, and Microsoft will make a guaranteed donation of at least $100,000 to each organization during the first year of the program.

Visit www.imforacause.com for more information.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation recently revamped it's entire campaign landscape. There's been a name change -- Susan G. Komen for the Cure -- and an infusion of more than $1 million into advertising, and a logo redesign, and a whole slew of new slogans intended for magazines and websites and billboards and t-shirts.

These changes mark the 25-year anniversary of one woman's gift to her sister, Susan G. Komen, who lost her battle with breast cancer at the age of 36. This gift -- the now powerful Susan G. Komen for the Cure -- is most known for its Komen Race for the Cure, a nationwide fundraising and awareness campaign featuring races attended by more than one million participants.

Soon, this group may be known for even more.

Sister Nancy G. Brinker, a breast cancer survivor herself, says, "It's high time we took ownership of the strides we've made and declare our uncompromising commitment."

Brinker's declarations are flying. Some people think they are offensive. Others disagree. I won't share my opinion on this Thought for the Day just yet -- because I don't want to sway any opinions. But I'd love to hear your take on this Komen approach to stamping out breast cancer.

Think about this:

Some print and poster ads will feature a woman wearing a tank-style undershirt that says, "When we get our hands on breast cancer, we're going to punch it, strangle it, kick it, spit on it, choke it and pummel it until it's good and dead. Not just horror movie dead but really, truly dead. And then we're going to tie a pink ribbon on it."

Another ad states, "We only focus on one thing. Or, depending on how you look at it, two."

Another states, "If you're going to stare at my breasts, ... you could at least donate a dollar to save them."

Writer Richard Morris of www.breadandmoney.com coins the word nutritainment in a recent article about foods that are hyped to magically make us healthy -- foods that can cancel out cancer and wipe out heart disease. Nutritainment is nutritional news delivered in entertainment-like fashion, designed to urge consumers to buy into the latest, greatest super foods. Yet making small changes in diet -- what most consumers will do -- to incorporate these so-called powerful products is unlikely to do much good, Morris says. And he offers some thoughts on why the media continues to force this news down our throats and why we continue falling for their tactics.

Morris says human nature and marketplace economics motivate those engaged in nutritional sciences to strive for media attention and exposure. As a result, bits and pieces of nutritional studies make their way to medical journals and then land in media's lap through press releases. Some will even ghostwrite nutrition articles to promote products. These articles end up in the hands of the media and spread like wildfire to the public, in as-is format. Consumers may be left with the notion that these bits and pieces are important, relevant, non-biased research -- when this is not the case.

Morris says knowledgeable health experts who have the time to accurately report on important nutrition news are scarce. And when they do have time to share words of wisdom that really do matter, the packaging of the news is often technical and not so sensational. A headline that reads, Pomegranate juice packs power to prevent cancer will bury a scientific -- yet more accurate -- headline. Catchy headlines grab readers, and readers buy products. But headlines can be misleading -- and pomegranate juice alone is not likely to have many health benefits.

There are also issues with advertising and editorial content, according to Morris, who compares overall good nutrition to car maintenance. "Just like changing the air freshener in your car won't prevent a breakdown if the car desperately needs a tune-up, adding one item of magical food to your diet won't protect you from a breakdown either," he says and shares that a complete dietary makeover is what's necessary for good health -- that and stress reduction, physical activity, emotional balance, and life fulfillment. A quick dose of pomegranate juice may not do the trick. But a steady, consistent dose of these items will.

Molly MacDonald knows it will create attention and that is what she wants in order to raise funds for a non-profit to help women struggling with financial issues while they undergo breast cancer treatment.

Last year, MacDonald was diagnosed with breast cancer and what she remembers is the financial struggles of meeting monthly living expenses and medical expenses. She was between jobs, and found herself barely making if financially and needing to borrow money.

MacDonald would like to help other women who find themselves in the same bind of not only worrying about surviving the chemotherapy and radiation treatments for breast cancer but also how to keep the pantry stocked and sometimes, how to keep from becoming homeless. On Monday, MacDonald is launching an eBay auction of a bust of her pre-surgery breasts.

According to the feature story of events planner and graphics consultant MacDonald, "The great thing about eBay is if it's weird, it gets attention." The bust up for auction was cast by artist Nance Aitchison in dental stone and painted gold and yellow the night before MacDonald's breast cancer surgery last year.

On behalf of women facing financial struggles during breast cancer treatments she hopes to help with her fundraising efforts, she said she is ready for her 15 minutes of eBay fame. MacDonald is calling her non-profit the Pink Fund.

No, Venus de Milo is not up for auction.

SpeedFreaks, the country's largest motorsports radio show, has joined the America's Baby Cancer Foundation (ABCF) to raise awareness for childhood cancers. Kenny Sargent and Lugg Nuttz, hosts from the SpeedFreaks radio and television programs, have been elected to ABCF's board of directors.

The ABCF will benefit from the media exposure SpeedFreaks can provide, and according to the SpeedFreaks hosts, they have finally found a cause they feel they can "really grab a hold of and make a difference." ABCF is not new to Nuttz, who began supporting ABCF three years ago and as part of his involvement, helped establish a program at Irwindale Speedway that provides ABCF families with tickets for Saturday night races.

Backstretch Motorsports quotes Nuttz as saying, "You talk about a wake up call, baby cancer will affect over 11,000 children under the age of 15 this year. If that wasn't enough, childhood cancer rates are increasing at a rate of approximately 1 percent each year."

In 2000, the ABCF was founded as Sebastian's Baby Cancer Foundation. Started by Bernard and Antonia Hicks, following the loss of their child, Sebastian Hicks, at the age of nineteen months to cancer -- they provide a resource library, information and help for other parents with infants and children diagnosed with cancer. SpeedFreaks, with Kenny Sargent, Lugg Nuttz, Statt Mann Caruthers and Crash Gladys, began in 2000, as a result of Sargent's frustration with motorsports coverage. SpeedFreaks bills itself as a lethal combination of motorsports commentary and entertainment.

David Mise, 20, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in May, placed an item for auction on eBay and was told by eBay to take it down. Because of chemotherapy hair loss, David has decided to sell advertising space on his bald head to the highest bidder. David, the father of a beautiful little boy, is a sheet metal worker who cannot work right now. He is trying to raise money to pay some of his bills.

On David's new eBay auction page it reads:

"DUE TO HAVING TO COMPLY WITH EBAY'S VERY STRICT REGULATIONS AND RULES AND CHARITY REGULATIONS I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED THAT I CANNOT LIST A REASON FOR MY AUCTION AND APOLOGIZE DEEPLY FOR MY LAST BEING PULLED OFF, IT SIMPLY WASN'T MY FAULT BUT I'M STILL HOPING FOR THE BEST AND STILL HAVE MY HEAD UP FOR AUCTION."

I believe the caps, as the statement appears on the eBay auction page, reflects his level of frustration. So there you go. Maybe David cannot tell you why his bald head is available as advertising space -- but we can. The eBay item number is: 330013072811 and the auction runs through Saturday at 5:52 p.m. David ends his eBay auction with Happy Bidding and God Bless. We wish you the best of luck and May God Bless you too.

I was in my oncologist office yesterday and noticed a new poster hanging on the wall advertising an on-line system for managing health care -- for scheduling appointments, confirming appointments, locating test results, paying bills, and more. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Emeryville, California, RelayHealth is the premier provider of secure on-line healthcare communication services that link patients, healthcare professionals, payors, and pharmacies in matters that are medically non-urgent. The website also features news and customer stories and aims to improve the delivery and accessibility of healthcare to patients -- in a seamless manner.

I haven't done much with this service yet -- but I did take a short tour and made a simple search for my physician whose information promptly popped up on my screen. That part was easy. And once I register with a username and password, I will have more access to more information pertaining to me and my healthcare team. And you can too.

Health ministers will be taking a look at current food industry advertising rules, and if they are strict enough to protect the health of its country's children. The Cancer Council NSW does not think so, based on a study they conducted regarding snack and fast food companies advertising aimed at children.

Based on the study, Cancer Council NSW's nutrition manager, Kathy Chapman, accuses the junk food and fast food segment of the food industry of ignoring regulations and a voluntary industry code on how targeted the advertising is for children, when giveaway toys and movie tie-ins with fast food meals and similar products were central to many ads to which children are exposed. According to the research, nearly a third of all television advertising aimed at children is for unhealthy or nutrient-deficient foods.

The television advertising aimed at children is called pester power, and with the continuing rise in childhood obesity, the Cancer Council NSW wants food industry regulations enforced and the offenders penalized.

Pierce Brosnan has been named 2006 Lee National Denim Day ambassador. The event, the world's largest single-day fundraising campaign for breast cancer, which is held on October 6, encourages millions of women and men nationwide to wear their favorite jeans and make a $5 donation to support breast cancer research, education and outreach.

For the 11th annual National Denim Day, Lee Jeans is joining together with the Entertainment Industry Foundation's Women's Cancer Research Fund. The Women's Cancer Research Fund was established to support research, education, and outreach programs for more effective approaches to the early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of all women's cancers. Honorary chairs include Kate Capshaw and Rita Wilson.

Last year, more than 29,000 companies participated in the fundraiser, raising more than $8.6 million dollars. In the last twenty years, the event has raised more than $61 million dollars in support of breast cancer programs. To register for the event, make a donation, find event ideas or shop for Pink Ribbon Jeans, visit the Lee National Denim Day website.

In television ban on junk food ads, I posted about UK's Food Standards Agency, FSA, recommendation for a ban on television advertising of junk foods in an effort to curb the continuing weight gain of children. The Telegraph UK is reporting that the FSA will be taking the ban one step further by suggesting that the ban extend to all forms of media, including websites, computer games, cinemas, packaging and school sponsorship.

This is a brainstorming effort of potential actions that might be taken in the campaign against childhood obesity. Other suggestions being batted about is a store loyalty card that rewards consumers for choosing healthy foods over junk food containing high levels of salt, fat and sugar.

According to the Telegraph UK, there was a White Paper published two years ago in which the government promised to take action against food advertisers who target children by early next year. In what has been called a draconian regime, the FSA has devised a system of nutrient profiling to identify offending food products. The obesity issue is real. Is this the answer?

UK's Food Standards Agency, FSA, is suggesting a ban on television advertising of junk foods in a continuing effort to curb the rising number of overweight children. The FSA's three possible actions that could be taken in relation to television food ads, as reported by Reuter are:

1. Ban all food and drink ads during television programs that are made specifically for children, or that appeal to children of nine and under, which covers a broad range of programs like The Simpsons.
2. The first ban option except the restricted food advertising would simply be for junk food high in fat, salt or sugar.
3. Limits on the number of food and drink ads shown per hour at any time when children are likely to be watching.

No celebrities or animated figures will be allowed in food commercials aimed at children. What happened to the parental NO? Unless you have your child doing the grocery shopping alone, how is junk food making it into the home? I can understand a need to make certain lunch programs at school are regulated to ensure healthy foods are being served to our kids while they are away from home, but are we really all that incapable as parents of saying no when asked for the latest sugary-treat? Or, while the regulatory agencies wrestle over the fine print of the new proposed bans, why don't we just turn off the television, get up and go take a walk with our kids?

Cigarettes remain the only legal product that kills half of its regular users when consumed as intended by the manufacturer. -- World Health Organization

Tobacco: deadly in any form or disguise is the theme of the World Health Organization, WHO, World No Tobacco Day. According to WHO, the variety of tobacco products manufactured and marketed worldwide continues to expand. For example, new types of flavored, natural or organic and roll-your-own cigarettes are often advertised and marketed with names and packaging that might mislead consumers into believing that they are less dangerous than conventional cigarettes.

The youth continue to be targeted by advertising and products that are deceptive and meant to conceal the fact that tobacco is being used. Some tobacco products are being made to look like candy. One of the products contains compressed tobacco powder along with sweeteners, mint and other flavorings, and resembles a brand of popular breath mints. While the tobacco industry continues to deny their intent is to target the young, anti-tobacco activists point to tobacco products that are flavored with sweeteners to taste like candy and come in chewing gum-style packaging. You know, it is a common tactic of the guilty to proclaim innocence. But just saying it isn't so doesn't work because the eyes don't lie. If it looks like a duck -- and walks like a duck -- it's a duck. Deception is the tobacco industry's duck. For more information, visit WHO's World No Tobacco Day.

Few would disagree that the health care system in this country is breaking down. If you are one of the 45 million without health insurance you already know how difficult it is to get health care, and if you have medical insurance you continue to watch as your insurance premiums and deductibles go up year after year. Medicine has become more about money and less about patient care. We are told we spend more because we have the best health care system in the world.

But as Maggie Mahar points out in her new book, Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much, "We spend twice as much as Japan on health care -- yet few would argue that our health care system is twice as good." Mahar, a seasoned financial journalist, takes an in depth look at what she calls America's complicated and increasingly dysfunctional health care system, and what she finds is disturbing. Frankly, from a patient's perspective, it's reprehensible.

Doctors aren't allowed to function as doctors in putting a patient's needs first -- no -- medicine is business and corporations decide on a patient's treatment. To put it bluntly, medicine is a market-driven $2 trillion industry rife with competition. To cite just one example of what is taking place, and to illustrate how medicine truly sees itself  -- Milwaukee hospitals spent more in one year on advertising than fast food business did. Reviewers are calling Mahar's book a thoroughly researched and carefully reasoned study. I call it gutsy because she takes no prisoners and she isn't keeping any secrets. Until the day comes when doctors are allowed to practice medicine once again, with the priority on the patient and not corporate profit, the wheels on this buggy are going to keep falling off one by one until the axle completely splits in two. A must read for anyone who wants to understand how the system works and what motivates the players. The patients aren't even in the game. And that is what is truly appalling.