Hank Bauer, wounded World War II Marine and New York Yankees legacy, died on February 9 at the age of 84. The cause of death -- cancer.

Bauer, who managed the 1966 Baltimore Orioles to their first World Series title, was a three-time All-Star Yankees outfielder during his time with the team that won nine American League pennants and seven World Series titles in just 10 years. Bauer, a Yankees fixture from 1948-59, set the Series record with a 17-game hitting streak. His record still stands.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner says, "Hank Bauer is an emblem of a generation that helped shape the landscape of our country. He was a natural leader and a teammate in every sense of the word, and his contributions went well beyond the baseball field. His service to the Yankees, his country, and his family shows why I have been so privileged to call him a friend."

Bauer's baseball accomplishments, which also include playing two seasons with and later managing the Kansas City Athletics and scouting for the Yankees and Royals, are not his only claims to fame. He also earned two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts for his courageous dedication to the United States.

Enlisting in the Marines shortly after Pearl Harbor, Bauer was wounded in Okinawa when he was hit in the leg by shrapnel just 53 days after he arrived on the island with 64 other men. "Only six of us came out," said Bauer who signed with the Yankees minor league after his discharge and sported his Marine Corps crewcut throughout the baseball career that landed him with the likes of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and a young Roger Maris.

During the same week Bauer lost his life, two other players of his time also passed away -- Steve Barber, who pitched for Bauer in Baltimore and Lew Burdette, who played against the Yankees in the 1957 and 1958 World Series.

Bauer is remembered by many.

"I am truly heartbroken," says Berra. "Hank was a wonderful teammate and friend for so long. Nobody was more dedicated and proud to be a Yankee, he gave you everything he had."

Ronnie Lippin, long-time publicist and manager who helped shape the careers of rock stars Eric Clapton, Brian Wilson, and Prince, died Monday from a rare form of breast cancer. She was 59 years old.

Lippin began her career in the New York film and stage industry and migrated to music when she moved to Los Angeles with her husband, Dick Lippin. She worked for MCA Records, with Elton John's Rocket Records, and with RSO Records -- home of the Bee Gees and the Grease and Saturday Night Fever soundtracks -- where she became a top publicist. In 1989, she joined the marketing and public relations Lippin Group, founded by her husband. At the time of her death, she was president of the Lippin Group.

Lippin is survived by her husband and a daughter, who also works for the Lippin Group.

Worldwide, and through the month of October, Hard Rock Cafes are hosting the Rocktoberfest to raise money for breast cancer research in finding a cancer cure. During Rocktoberfest, patrons can attend live music events featuring popular and up-and-coming female artists. This year The Go-Go's have joined in promoting breast cancer awareness and in raising research funds to find a cure.

In addition, Hard Rock International is offering Hard Rock's new and exclusive Limited Edition 2006 Breast Cancer Awareness Pin. 100 percent of the net proceeds will go to the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. The pin features an acoustic guitar bearing the pink ribbon symbol for breast cancer, along with the message Stop Breast Cancer for Life. You can purchase a pin at any of the Hard Rock Cafes or online at the Hard Rock Cafe estore.

Rocktoberfest artists performing in U.S. cafes include Alexa Ray Joel, Toby Lightman, The Randies, The Duhks, Liz Berlin, the Thrusters and Slacktone. Overseas, performers include Melanie C, Bonnie Tyler and Keisha White.

Munchkin, a company offering infant and toddler products that excite, delight and make life easier for mothers and fathers, has launched the Project Pink campaign to support mothers in their fight against breast cancer.

"One out of every eight women faces the risk of breast cancer in her lifetime, and I know from personal experience that the disease can strike even young mothers with no family history of breast cancer, as it did my wife last year," said Doug Gillespie, Vice President of Marketing at Munchkin, Inc. "Munchkin is determined to do what we can to offer a helpful resource to the amazing moms who continue to nurture their families while they battle this disease."

On the special Project Pink area of the company website, you can read tips and stories from mothers facing breast cancer; order a limited edition pink duck; send a pink ducky eCard; enter the Project Pink sweepstakes to win a family vacation and view the celebrity decorated ducks for auction.

Beginning October 2nd, charity auction bidding begins on the fabulous pink ducks glamourously decorated by eBay President and CEO Meg Whitman, Former First Lady Barbara Bush; ABC's Dancing with the Stars Stacy Keibler; West Wing Emmy Award winner Allison Janney; Martin Sheen; Access Hollywood Nancy O'Dell; singer Patti LaBelle; actress Reese Witherspoon; Curb Your Enthusiasm Cheryl Hines and everyone's favorite actor who has gone where no man has gone before William Shatner.

Munchkin has invited women to share tips and stories to help mothers in facing the struggles of breast cancer. The advice is practical and real. A sampling of suggestions include:

• Kathy of Pittsburgh, PA advises, "Get meals brought in by anyone who offers even if you don't think they can cook!"
• Christina N. of Boston, MA advises, "Don't be afraid to have the kids see you bald or sick. You're better off talking it through than having the kids be horrified and not telling you."
• Jen G of Des Moines, IA shares, "We had a pajama party for my mother to lift her and our spirits. We even danced to the Time Warp, wore funny hats, ordered pizza, and drank wine."
  

While visiting Munchkin's Project Pink, enter to win a free family vacation to Los Angeles. No purchase necessary to enter to win.

Makeup artist Lori Ovitz has taken her twenty years of cosmetics experience in making celebrities and top models look beautiful, and written Facing the Mirror with Cancer, a book of tips and techniques to help cancer patients look less tired and create a natural glow at a time when cancer treatments can take a physical toll.

Ovitz began volunteering at University of Chicago hospitals working with cancer patients to teach them how to enhance their personal appearance using makeup. According to Ovitz, "Makeup is a very accessible, inexpensive way to make significant changes to your appearance. The tremendous gratitude that I've received from each patient I've worked with inspired me to write Facing the Mirror with Cancer -- A Guide to Using Makeup to make a Difference."

To publish her book, Ovitz and her husband Bruce, a 35 year cancer survivor, created Belle Press -- named to honor the memory of her grandmother Belle Michel -- so that 50 percent of the profits from the book could go to cancer research.

"Cancer does not have to rob you of self-esteem or beauty. By teaching cancer patients how to apply makeup, I've seen firsthand what an incredible transformation occurs in their appearance and how much better they feel about themselves. I've written this book because I want to reach cancer patients everywhere so they can learn the tricks of my trade," Lori Ovitz states with assurance.

You can order Facing the Mirror with Cancer, a 200-page book featuring step-by-step tips and techniques for dealing with appearance issues during cancer treatment and beyond, here.

Willie Hendry, international hairstylist to celebrities -- like actresses Liv Tyler and Keira Knightley, supermodel Kate Moss and pop singer Victoria Beckham -- will donate his collection of professionally-styled wigs to cancer patients at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland.

In addition to donating the wigs, he will be on hand to individually style the wigs for cancer patients. According to the news report, Hendry decided to donate all his wigs after meeting two cancer patients. Hendry's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, so he is sensitive to how devastating chemotherapy-induced hair loss can be during the struggles to survive cancer.

"It isn't the fault of the health service, because a lot of their wigs are absolutely beautiful, but I know that there is a special wig bank that has been set up to help patients and I was very keen to donate all of the wigs I have to them. To get a real human hair wig, you have to pay around £200 and for some people that is an awful lot of money. This will allow them to have a top quality wig for practically nothing," explained Hendry.

This sounds like such a nice gift and gesture -- that he is not only donating wigs but that he will be there to professionally style the wigs for each woman.

On June 20, Academy Award-winning Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones will return to her homeland of Wales to celebrate the opening of the first children's hospital in Wales.

Long-time patron of Noah's Ark Appeal, Catherine Zeta Jones, along with celebrities such as Charlotte Church and cricket hero Ian Botham, helped raise over £7m for the first phase of the new children's hospital.

At the ceremony, Catherine Zeta Jones, with her husband actor Michael Douglas, will unveil a plaque to mark the official opening. Noah's Ark Appeal continues its fundraising activity for additional projects at the new children's hospital. For more information, visit Noah's Ark Appeal.

There are all sorts of gifts for dad on Father's Day -- shirts and ties and books and coffee mugs and golf balls -- and many of us have already spent money on the stuff we can wrap up and deliver or mail off to dad on this special day. But some gifts -- the ones we can't wrap up -- have an appeal that is priceless because they focus on the moment, they build relationships, and they promote mental and physical health. And here are just seven simple but everlasting gifts to consider sharing with dad on this Father's Day.

In a feature published in the Sydney Morning Herald, Julietta Jameson asks the same question many of us have asked -- Is the compassionate celebrity the new public pest? If you are talking about Paris Hilton's insatiable self-promotion in grabbing one more photo-op by making a shallow meaningless promise to a charity for kids with cancer, the answer is a resounding yes. If you are talking about U2's Bono, who regularly meets with world leaders and often knows far more about the subject under discussion than the politicians do, then the answer is an emphatic no.

Then there are all the celebrities who fall between the extremes of Hilton and Bono, who lend their name and some of their time, for noble reasons and then too for the less-admirable ambition of keeping themselves in the news, to causes that need attention for the fundraising needed to keep the charity or cause going.

Olivia Newton-John, breast cancer survivor, and strong advocate for raising breast cancer awareness, recently released a CD dedicated to anyone who has been touched by cancer.

The CD features performances by some of her closest friends including Delta Goodrem, Patti Labelle, Diahann Carroll and Amy Sky. One of the ten songs on the CD includes Can I Trust Your Arms, written by Olivia's daughter Chloe, as a special Christmas gift for her mother.

Olivia Newton-John shares her feelings about the CD by saying, "I believe the songs I have chosen reflect the many emotions of such a journey. By way of this CD I am grateful to be able to pass on that torch with these songs of inspiration, encouragement and understanding to all of those facing breast cancer or any other challenging journey." Part of the proceeds from Stronger than Before are going to help build a comprehensive cancer center to treat all cancers at the Austin Hospital in Melborne, Australia.

On May 16, Sheryl Crow, one of our favorite celebrity breast cancer survivors, gave her first public performance since announcing her breast cancer diagnosis, surgery and radiation treatment. She was hired by a new broadcast network to sing A Change Would Do You Good -- a theme song for one of their new television series. When Crow stumbled through the lyrics of Soak Up the Sun, she joked about it saying, "I knew the words last night. I think the radiation went to my brain." But she is back, and that is all that matters.

On May 19, she performed with Billy Joel, Lenny Kravtiz, Russell Crowe and Will Ferrell at Sting's Rainforest Foundation Fund Benefit Concert in New York. Revlon sponsored what the Guinness Book of World Records has deemed to be the biggest environmental fundraising event in the world. The Empire State Building glowed environmental green as a tribute to the fundraising efforts to save rainforests from destruction. We have posted about rainforest plants with the potential to help treat or cure cancer -- here and here. But, we may never benefit from the healing plants found and plants yet to be discovered, if the rainforest continues to be destroyed by the greed of illegal logging. Not only is Crow back -- she is making a difference -- and having a great time doing it because -- to quote her, all I wanna to do is have some fun. We are glad she has returned to performing her music and celebrating her cancer survivorship.

Billy Bush, co-anchor of Access Hollywood, the daily entertainment newsmagazine that provides coverage of entertainment personalities on television, also keeps a blog. Yesterday, he blogged his recent visit to Padres Contra de Cancer, a children's hospital in Los Angeles. Eva Longoria had invited him to come with her as she is a long-time supporter and visits quite often.

Bush blogs, "I arrived early to walk through the hospital floor, meet the organizers and get acquainted with some of the families whose children were in the fight of their lives. I was a bit nervous and anxious, because above all else, I will never understand why some children have this disease.  It hurts to the core just trying to fathom this injustice."

During his visit, Bush met a little boy named Kevin, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments and who has decided to set up a lemonade stand to raise money for video games he wants. Bush asked Kevin how much he was charging for a glass of lemonade and he said he was charging $100 dollars a glass. The next day, Bush received an email from Kevin's mother saying that Kevin had decided to slash the price of his lemonade by 90 percent to the incredible sale price of ten dollars a glass. So, if you are looking for a really good deal on a glass of lemonade, contact Padres Contra de Cancer -- they can hook you up.