Smoke, smoke, smoke…

It was more than half a century ago that I heard singer-comedian Phil Harris first sing, “Smoke, smoke, smoke…” on the Jack Benny show.  Part of the lyrics went like this:  “…smoke, smoke, smoke that ciigarette.   Smoke, smoke, smoke until you smoke yourself to death.   Smoke until you smoke yourself to death.   Tell St. Peter at the golden gate that you hate to make him wait, but you’ve just got have another have a cigarette.”    It would be 1964 before United States Surgeon General Luther Terry first warned about the health hazards from smoking.   In the early 80s, President Reagan’s Surgeon General Everett “Chic” Koop amplifed the alarm.  That’s when a significant number of Americans began to heed the warning.  They began to give up cigarettes.  Some have succeeded.   Others still are trying over and over again, but unfornately they’re too weak to succeed.

How can anyone?

How can anyone see what we saw in court today and continue to drink alocholic beverages in any amount?    There were the family and friends of an Atlanta Police Officer killed by an alleged drunken driver and the 22-year-old accused driver crying.    Her devasted mother was sitting behind her.  I’m guessing the young woman thought she could drink without anything bad ever happening to her.    How many others out there are thinking the same think as they continue to drink alcohol?

Alcohol claims more victims

An Atlanta police officer dies when hit by a young woman police say was drunk.

Atlanta Officer Gail Thomas

Police say Atlanta Police Officer Gail Thomas was just gettig out of her cruiser to help another officer work an accident.   A passing motorist struck and killed her.  Officer Thomas’ colleagues, friends and family are mourning the passing of the 15-year veteran officer.  Ironically, the accused is about the same age as Officer Thomas’s college-enrolled daughter.   Now in the Fulton county jail is 22-year-old Chasity Jones of Stone Mountain.  Jones is a waitress-model.

Police say Jones blew an alcohol level of .16, twice the legal limit for DUI  in Georgia. I’ve covered so many alochol related stories of lost, ruined and damaged lives.  Why, oh why, do we continue to glamourize and drink the stuff?

Chasity Jones

From the grave?

A reader writes that he thought Bestoink Dooley, a.k.a George Ellis died some time ago.  My limited research shows that the TV horror movie guy is dead.  He passed in 2006.   Someone claiming Ellis’ identity posted an entry on this blog just two days ago.   Could it be Bestoink writing to us from the grave?

Lasered toes

For most of my athletic life, I’ve tried many treatments to make my toes look better.   Some have reduced the fungus infection, but never eliminated it.   So today (Monday), I went for the latest, greatest and highest priced.  I’m about to be lasered.

Dr. William Stoll-Natalia Martinez

Meet Podiatrist Dr. William Stoll and his assistant, Natalia Martinez.  They are prepping me for laser treatment of the toenails.   Dr. Stoll tells me that one treatment usually is enough, but two treatments are not unusual.   One-thousand dollars is the cost for as many times as you may need to be lasered.  It’s out of pocket…insurance companies and medicare will not pay.  Bill Carter is the laser tech.   Bill recently returned to work after the second of two hip replacements.   He says he’s recovered much faster than expected.   After the lasering, I’ll be following a routine of regularly sterilizing my toes, socks and shoes.  The doctor and the tech say it’ll be about 3 months before we know whether the lasering works.

   I failed to ask about a refund if it doesn’t.

Tech Bill Carter

Bestoink Dooley

Please read Bestoink Dooley’s comment about the Officer Don shows.  Actor George Ellis created Bestoink to introduce scary movies on WAGA-TV.  That was during the 60s.   It’s encouraging to hear from Bestoink..to know that both he and George still are among the living.    You can see elsewhere on this blog stories about Officer Don, a.ka. Don Kennedy.   Bestoink, you can also watch several clips from Kennedy’s show.   Don told me would never have had an opportunity to save those had it not been for his trying to help another Kids’ TV personality in a city outside of Atlanta.  The other city guy asked Don for a tape so he might learn from Don’s success. After watching it, he sent the tape back to Don and Don has kept it all these years.   That’s why  you’re still able to see snippets of Don’s performances.   Wonder if Bestoink saved similar tapes?

Just running in the hail

Photographer Judy Kinsell with me

At this point before the 5K “Piglet Run”, we’ve only been rained on.  The 3.1 mile P:iglet run is the shorter version of  18K (10.8 mile) Hogpen.  There was a time when I would run both the Piglet and Hogpen one after the other, but no more.  These are Saturday morning and noon runs near Helen,Georgia..about 90 miles north of  Atlanta.  Less than half way thru the Piglet run, the rain turned to hail.   The publisher of the “Georgia Runner”, Gary Jenkins, has coordinated thousands of races.  Gary says he’ s seen them run in snow, sleet and rain accompanied by thunder and lightning, but this is the first time he’s seen hail during a run.   It was miserable, wet and cold.

Hogpen Gap

Early Saturday morning, I’ll be heading toward a place called “Hogpen Gap”.  It’s near the town of Helen in the north Georgia mountains.  There’ll be two foot races.  One is a 5K (3.1) miles that running Guru Gary Jenkins named the “Piglet”.  The longer 17K goes up the steep Richard Russell Highway ending near the top at “Hogpen Gap”.   The gap is no longer used for its original purpose.   Before they built the Richard Russell Highway, farmers constructed a fence in that area.  They would herd wild hogs down the mountain and trap them against the fence.  Slaughtering the porkers provided meat throughout the winter.   Thus “Hogpen Gap” earned its name.   It’ll be the destination and  self imposed torture for runners climbing upward 25-hundred feet above sea level.  Come join the fun.  There is race day registration.   5K at 9 a.m.    Hogpen Gap 17K begins at noon..

Jumping out of an airplane

A few years ago, I enjoyed my first and only skydive in tandem with an instructor.  I’m thinking about doing it again, but my pilot-engineer son asks rhetorically, “why jump out of a perfectly good airplane?”    I’m only thinking about it……

Is there anything new?

Do you ever think your life is like the movie, “Groundhog Day”?   As you watch, listen to or read the news, does it seem like you’re seeing the same thing over and over?  You may be but the people involved often change.  It was in an unknown time long ago that journalists (story tellers) learned that listeners want to hear from what we today call “real people”.     Authority figures can tell the facts, but it’s “real people” with whom real people identify.  For example, we go into a neighbordhood where a crime has been committed.  We ask neighbors who often know absolutely nothing about the crime or the people involved what they think about what’s happened.   One of the answers that’s been heard so often that it’s become a cliche’, “…I never thought anything like this could happen in our neighborhood…..”.  But it did and it will again and again in other communities.   Similar events will occur.   The mortality of individuals means that new people will experience them.   It’s news to them.