Business is business. Maybe it's about making a difference in the world of consumers but mostly, it's about making money. I get that -- and if I owned my own company and offered some sort of product, surely my goal would be to reap a financial reward. And if I wanted to increase my reward, I guess I would consider new markets, new advertising, and new techniques for hauling in loads of cash.

So I see what's going on with the new Camel No. 9 cigarettes, in their hot-pink fuscia and minty-teal green packages with the slogan Light and Luscious. I understand this brand is targeting female smokers with enticing wording that Camel maker R.J. Reynolds executives say is meant to suggest dressed to the nines, putting on your best. I even get that it's a pretty savvy strategy. But somehow, it all seems so wrong.

In a world where more women die of lung cancer than breast cancer -- by a large margin -- how can anyone, even business people whose sights are set on profits, feel OK with the decision to encourage women to smoke?

Think about these passages that just recently published in a New York Times article:

Wall Street analysts praise the introduction of Camel No. 9, in regular and menthol flavors, as a further step by the R. J. Reynolds, a unit of Reynolds American, toward a new marketing strategy. The goal is to refocus on the biggest, most popular -- and most profitable -- brands, which include Kool as well as Camel.

"What we're about is giving adult smokers a choice," says one executive, "with products we believe are more appealing than existing products." The introduction of Camel No. 9 is part of plans to "focus on products that are 'wow,' " she added, "that add fun and excitement to the category."

Fun and excitement? Believe me, there's nothing fun and exciting about cancer. Now if I could only package that truth and market it to the world. I suspect I'd be a rich woman -- and I don't mean financially.

By popular vote, Australia's beloved pop diva and breast cancer survivor has been chosen as the most inspirational celebrity of 2006. Sugar magazine teen readers indicated that Minogue represents their first choice as an inspirational role model for young women.

From the beginning of her breast cancer diagnosis, Minogue has shared her very personal battle with breast cancer in a very public way, raising awareness for the disease among a younger generation of women whose attention to breast health might not have been as focused otherwise.

Earlier this month, Minogue was named the Gold Choice Celebrity of the Year in the Sydney Confidential People's Choice Awards by Australia's Daily Telegraph readers.


For a retrospective of Kylie Minogue's breast cancer journey:

• Kylie Minogue: voted favorite traveling companion of men.
• Kylie Minogue: world exclusive interview with Sky One.
• Kylie Minogue loses close friend and personal chauffeur to cancer.
• Kylie Minogue: back on stage as a breast cancer survivor.
• Kylie Minogue: laughter is the best medicine for cancer cure.
• Dannii Minogue: sings under pressure about sister Kylie.
• Kylie Minogue breast cancer survivor glows in health.
• Kylie Minogue: cancer survivor writes children's book.
• Kylie Minogue joins women in fight for Herceptin.
• Kylie Minogue in breast cancer remission.

A new report published in the International Journal of Cancer refutes the long-standing argument from anti-choice advocates that abortion contributes to -- or even causes -- breast cancer. According to the study findings, neither induced nor spontaneous abortions (also known as miscarriages) contribute to the risk of developing breast cancer.

While researchers assert that full-term pregnancies resulting in birth do in fact contribute an element of protection against breast cancer -- no evidence of connection between breast cancer and induced abortion was found in the six-and-a-half year study of 267,361 European women. "Overall, the findings provide further unbiased evidence of the lack of an adverse effect of induced abortion on breast cancer risk," state researchers.

Cathy's EC Cafe' was started in 1995 to support those diagnosed with esophageal cancer. When Cathy's dad was diagnosed with the disease in 1995, Cathy could not find much information on the internet. Since then, The Cafe has celebrated more than ten years of providing information on esophageal cancer.

The website won the 26th OncoLink Editor's Choice Award in 2006. OncoLink site states "This award is given by the editors of OncoLink to the provider of the highest quality cancer information on the internet. Selection is based on the particular emphasis we at OncoLink place on patients and families who empower themselves with information about their disease. Your site is exemplary of this philosophy, and serves as a model for others."

You can find at Cathy's Cafe many survivor stories to read or you can join the EC-Group for a more personal touch. The information provided can help a newly diagnosed patient get all the information they need about esophageal cancer in one place.

One survivor story that I took particular interest in was Barry Bokhaut's. He also has on the website a story that he wrote called My Blue Hat. I loved his story and I really related to it being a cancer survivor myself.