Finger My Blog

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Patrick Swayze died from pancreatic cancer on Monday in Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 57.

"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," Annett Wolf said in a statement Monday evening. She declined to give details.

Fans of the actor were saddened to learn in March 2008 that Swayze was suffering from an especially deadly form of cancer. He continued working despite the diagnosis, putting together a memoir with his wife and shooting "The Beast," an A&E network drama series for which he had already made the pilot.

Poke Her Face

Monday, September 14, 2009

A Man With A Plan

Tackling The Future

Three NFL players announced Monday they will donate their brains and spinal cord tissue to a Boston University medical school program that studies sports brain injuries.

Even though dozens of former NFL players have agreed to donate their brains after death, center Matt Birk of the Baltimore Ravens, linebacker Lofa Tatupu of the Seattle Seahawks and receiver Sean Morey of the Arizona Cardinals are the first active players to do so.

The goal of the university's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy is to better understand the long-term effects of repeated concussions.

"When you are active, your contract — what you get paid — is based on the perception of your health, and no player wants to be perceived as being prone to concussions," said Chris Nowinski, the center's co-director. "That's why I am so impressed with these guys. I hope they are the first of many."

More than 150 former athletes, including 40 retired NFL players, already are in the program's brain donation registry.

"One of the most profound actions I can take personally is to donate my brain to help ensure the safety and welfare of active, retired, and future athletes for decades to come," said Morey, who along with Tatupu has been listed on NFL injury reports in past seasons with injuries described as concussions.

Sufferers may experience memory loss, emotional instability, erratic behavior, depression and impulse control problems, progressing eventually to full-blown dementia.

As part of the program, the players will be interviewed annually for the rest of their lives so researchers can examine the relationship between clinical symptoms and pathology. The center was created in 2008 as a collaborative venture between BU Medical School and Sports Legacy Institute.

Cigar Lovers

President Obama has extended the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba for one year, the White House said in a statement released on Monday.

The extension was expected and has been the practice of all U.S. presidents dating to the 1970s under a section of the so-called "Trading With the Enemy Act."

Obama extended the embargo even though he has made reaching out to old U.S. foes a key plank in his foreign policy.

There have been signs of a possible thaw in U.S.-Cuban ties since Raul Castro early last year took over as president from his brother, Fidel, who was in failing health and surrendered the leadership post he had held since heading the revolution that ousted the U.S.-backed Batista regime on Jan. 1, 1959.

Swiftly Tilting

"I was standing on the stage and I was really excited because I had just won the award," Swift said after Sunday's show at Radio City Music Hall. "And then I was really excited because Kanye West was on the stage. And then I wasn't so excited anymore after that."