Peter Jennings

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PJ was smooth. I always pictured him as like the "James Bond of newscasters".

[Deleted]

I loved his voice it was so calming. I heard on the radio one of his last farewells and it was so alarming to hear how bad it had gotten. I feel for his family.

[garnet927]

lovesparky said:

He was hot. I'd have gone there.

Likewise (I would have said "word" but that would have been a little too much like TWOP). I'm going to miss him, although I usually wasn't at home to watch him on the news very often.

[Malle Babbe]

Me Three. He was sharp as a tack. Although he looked barely old enough to shave when they were showing his first attempt as anchor in the 1960s.

My mom and I were watching the his obit on World News Tonight. My aunt, (Mom's sister) died of cancer 25 years ago, and she went even faster than Jennings when the diagnosis was reached.

Anyway, I always liked his rock-steadiness. He could do the news with his hair on fire and act like there was no problem. I also liked the footage of him goofing around last night (it was urbane goofing around, of course). Signing off from Cairo, sans pants, and his "We have no idea what will be on tonight, we're just throwing things together..." bumper. And who forget him being Jon Stewart's straight man?

[blue]Salon[/blue] has a nice tribute to him, with emphasis on his mastery of the lost art of Panache.

[Deleted]

I wish I could see that tribute, I missed it and ABC.com charges you to view it.

[Deleted]

Tonight:
8:00 p.m./10:00 p.m. ABC will have a tribute.

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Signing off from Cairo, sans pants

That was a great clip!

Between him and Dana Reeves, it really makes me rethink being a smoker. Going on 4 days now, not as hard as I thought it would be, but then again, I must have "quit" a hundred times now.

[Deleted]

Tonight as in Wends. night?

**nevermind, I looked the schedule up and ABC is running it tonight at 8 pm**

[Brookie]

diane63 said:

Signing off from Cairo, sans pants

That was a great clip!

Between him and Dana Reeves, it really makes me rethink being a smoker. Going on 4 days now, not as hard as I thought it would be, but then again, I must have "quit" a hundred times now.

[soapbox, rant] I have lost two friends this year to throat cancer, both heavy smokers. Now Peter Jennings. Now Dana Reeve and she doesn't even freakin' smoke. What will it take for people to get that cigarettes are BAD NEWS? Hell, they put a warning on the box/pack that says they cause cancer (or whatever they say); that's like your mom invites you over for dinner, tells you she poisoned your meal, but go ahead and eat - you might make it. I've never smoked, I don't get the attraction. My mom quit after 50 years of it after she got disgusted with it. We're all going to go some day, but this is a painful way to do it and can potentially cheat a family out of many wonderful years with someone.[/soapbox, rant]

[kostgard]

[soapbox, rant] I have lost two friends this year to throat cancer, both heavy smokers. Now Peter Jennings. Now Dana Reeve and she doesn't even freakin' smoke. What will it take for people to get that cigarettes are BAD NEWS? Hell, they put a warning on the box/pack that says they cause cancer (or whatever they say); that's like your mom invites you over for dinner, tells you she poisoned your meal, but go ahead and eat - you might make it. I've never smoked, I don't get the attraction. My mom quit after 50 years of it after she got disgusted with it. We're all going to go some day, but this is a painful way to do it and can potentially cheat a family out of many wonderful years with someone.[/soapbox, rant]

I'm hoping this is part of Jennings's legacy - I think a lot of people are shocked that someone who looked so handsome and healthy not that long ago was killed in a matter of months by this disease. I've seen people on several boards who have stated that they've begun thinking twice about their smoking habit.

It also goes to show what a bear nicotine addiction is. If you were eating a sandwich and the people around you eating the same sandwich started dropping dead, you'd drop that sandwich like it was on fire. Or if you looked at the packaging of the sandwich and it had a sticker that said "this sandwich will most likely kill you, cutting your life short if you keep eating it" on the wrapper, you wouldn't pick it up in the first place. Yet people who smoke either personally know people who died from smoking-related illnesses or know of people like Jennings who did, and they can read the warning label, but they continue to smoke.

Smoking is extremely hard to quit. There is the physical addiction, plus the behavioral habit to break. I personally think it is high time to crack down on the tobacco industry. Sure, they aren't forcing anyone to smoke, but how many other industries out there are putting out a product for human consumption that is basically poison (and basically designed for addiction)? Yes, other things like food and alcohol can be abused, but those are good for you (or at least not harmful) in the right amounts. Cigarettes are never good for you.

Again, I hope this is part of Jennings's legacy (along with his journalistic integrity). Already there have been more articles and news stories on lung cancer - which isn't as quite common as say breast or prostrate cancer, but has a much higher death rate (Breast and prostrate cancer have a 90-something percent survival rate, while lung cancer has something like a 92% death rate). I hope it creates awareness and if even just a few people put down their cigarettes because of what happened to Jennings, then that is a very good thing.