15 NOV 07: THE MEDI-GAP

Have you been following the news stories about the death of Kanye West's mother? Some reports have rushed so quickly to attack her plastic surgeon, you'd think he was racing around Southern California with leaking bottles of botox.

Reporters have been digging for dirt on the plastic surgeon of Kanye West's mother, and found several malpractice suits. But keep one thing in mind: anyone can file a lawsuit. It's another thing to win over a jury in court. O.J. Simpson soon may teach the country that lesson all over again.

Did you know Columbus's most famous doctor has a blot on her record as well? Only Dr. Jan McBarron's mark was a year-long probation, ordered by the Georgia Board of Medical Examiners. So for awhile, "Duke and the Doctor" was more like "Duke and I-Play-One-On-Radio."

I found the state records on Dr. Jan McBarron years ago during the LaughLine era, but I reviewed them Wednesday in the wake of Kanye West's family heartbreak. McBarron's Georgia medical license was placed on probation in December 1999, for several violations of state standards. But she didn't stoop to plastic surgery - or even prescribing Rogaine for her husband Duke.

The Georgia Board of Medical Examiners accused Dr. Jan McBarron of "diagnosing and recommending unproven remedies to unknown callers" during weekly appearances on WLTZ. McBarron contended her advice about herbal medicines and nutritional supplements was truthful. She simply left out the part about a lack of clinical research....

The 1999 document putting Dr. Jan McBarron on probation admits it was "a compromise and settlement.... to avoid further expense and litigation." Well, we certainly didn't want any Peachtree Natural Foods store to be forced inside Peachtree Mall.

The 1999 settlement also required Dr. Jan McBarron to add a disclaimer message to all broadcasts, noting her advice is "not a substitute" for an examination by a licensed physician. So her words are not a substitute - but the herbal products she recommends are.

Dr. Jan McBarron's probation ended in January 2001, but not before she had to pay a $5,000 fine as part of the Georgia settlement. So if you see signs outside Georgia Bariatrics talking about becoming "lighter in the wallet" - believe me, she's been there.

The only items on Dr. Jan McBarron's record since the 1999 probation are two cases where she missed deadlines to renew her medical license in other states. You can understand how this can happen - when you're busy searching across the South for the finest St. John's Wort.

So has Jan McBarron changed her ways, since having her Georgia medical license put on probation for a year? Is she now promoting real prescription medicines on radio and television? Or have patient complaints stopped, because they're tuning their AM radios down the dial to Neal Boortz?

BLOG SPECIAL EVENT: Remember the 30-day experiment we started, collecting credit card offers in the mail [1 Nov]? A strange thing has happened since we received two on the first day - we've received NO offers since. The marketing firms must be reading our blog, when they're not busy licking envelopes.

We head back to health issues, as we review news headlines from Wednesday:

+ Executives with The Growing Room admitted a child was hospitalized, with a possible case of drug-resistant staph infection. They told WRBL any rumors about quarantining children are false. And if you hear about someone at the child care center being in hot water - no, that actually means the toys are being cleansed in a dishwasher.

+ The city of Columbus marked the first "World Diabetes Day," with Councilor and nurse Jerry Barnes giving medical tests to Mayor Jim Wetherington and other Councilors. At one point, Barnes joked he was having trouble getting the mayor to bleed. Once aides are sure he's smiling, they'll get to work on that.

+ The Commandant of Fort Benning's Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation denied his program teaches "commando tactics." Col. Gilberto Perez told WRBL abusive military leaders in Latin America could be affected by factors besides WHINSEC.. He makes a good point -- why doesn't SOA Watch march outside Carmike Cinemas as well?

(The WHINSEC Commandant denied recent claims by SOA Watch that Bolivia is ending its involvement in the program. Right now, of course, the sight of a Bolivia sticker on Fort Benning could mean something besides WHINSEC - like an illegal immigrant going through basic training, to become a U.S. citizen.)

+ Russell County High School infielder Cyle Rasmus signed a college baseball letter of intent with Southern Illinois. So when brother Colby is called up to the St. Louis Cardinals, they can rent out rooms at an East St. Louis mansion on the side.

+ University of Georgia basketball player Billy Humphrey was arrested and suspended. Athens police say he had a knife longer than two inches, which constitutes a felony. Restaurant chefs across Athens immediately locked their carving knives in basement safes.

(The butter knives in my kitchen drawer have blades more than four inches long. If I took them to Athens, would I risk being arrested? Which spoon maker lobbied to get this law on the books?)

+ Instant Message to WLTZ News: I'm sure Bulldog football fans are reassured by those words you showed on the screen -- "Georgia Set for Tech." But why was Jeremy Moss talking about this weekend's game against Kentucky, which comes first?

THE BLOG OF AMERICA: A new list of the "50 Greatest TV Icons" by Entertainment Weekly magazine ranks Johnny Carson at the top. So which striking members of the Writers' Guild will accept this award, for writing all his jokes?

Ellen DeGeneres reportedly crossed the Writers' Guild picket lines, to keep working on her daily talk show. But maybe reporters misunderstood this -- and maybe she was trying to get the writers to dance a conga.

+ National Public Radio reported a carpenters' union in Washington hired homeless people to walk on an informational picket line, and paid them eight dollars an hour. These union leaders must be too busy taking M.B.A. courses, to spend time marching....

+ Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced he plans to step down as top General in the army by the end of November. Hopefully you won't mind if he sells his uniform on eBay, to pay for a personal cache of weapons.

+ Michael Mukasey officially was sworn in as U.S. Attorney General. Mukasey thought about making a series of phone calls, to get to know his staff - but then he realized Democrats might consider that political meddling, and launch yet another investigation.

+ The administrative law judge in Washington who sued a dry cleaner for $54 million has lost his job. A local commission on judicial tenure decided NOT to reappoint Roy Pearson - which should prove once and for all it's NOT about how you wear the robe, but what you're wearing underneath it.

+ O.J. Simpson was ordered to stand trial in Las Vegas on felony charges. If Simpson is convicted, he could go to prison for life - which at least would give him plenty of time to write another book.

+ Delta and United Airlines denied rumors that they're in merger talks. I'm leaning against this idea - because wouldn't the check-in lines at airports be twice as long?

+ New York Governor Eliot Spitzer announced he's abandoning an idea to give driving licenses to undocumented workers. There are other ways to handle this situation, of course. If you're behind a pickup truck with a flag bumper sticker that you don't recognize, slow down as a precaution.

+ The author of a new book on "outlaw racing" claims he drove from New York to Los Angeles in a record time of 31 hours, four minutes. Alexander Roy told National Public Radio he stopped only six times for gasoline. OK - but did he take two or four tires when he stopped?

(Alexander Roy averaged about 88 miles an hour to drive cross-country - and he did it in an old BMW with cruise control. Using cruise control to set this kind of record seems like cheating to me. A heavier right foot could affect the weight of the car, and slow things down.)

+ ABC News visited the "Autobahn Country Club" in Joliet, Illinois - where members can drive as fast as they wish on a three-mile road course. Why didn't someone think of this before -- the perfect answer to road rage?

(Of course, some Southerners would argue they don't need a country club to do this sort of driving. They have rural county roads already.)

+ A Hollywood photographer complained he was seriously injured, while following Britney Spears on a motorcycle. If there's any "celebrity justice," other members of the paparazzi snapped pictures of his injuries non-stop for ten minutes.

+ People magazine declared actor Matt Damon the "Sexiest Man Alive" for 2007. Barack Obama's chances of winning the Democratic Presidential nomination are in real trouble now....

+ Reality TV fell to another new low, when former "Different Strokes" star Todd Bridges and his wife appeared on the MyNetwork program "Decision House." But at least this couple is different from Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. In Bridges's case, all the cameras are inside the house.

+ The rural-based satellite channel RFD-TV announced it will show Don Imus's daily program when it returns in December. And here I thought the only cowboy in New York City was that naked one in Times Square....

SCHEDULED FRIDAY: A preview of The Showdown in Uptown....

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