Tuesday, April 30, 2013

May Day! May Day! FREE Kindle Romancing The Smoke!

May Day! May Day! What a great day 
to become Smoke Free! Our gift to you
on Tuesday, May 1 to share with a loved one 
you want to encourage to give up the habit. 
Almost a thousand people have downloaded their 
FREE Kindle copy of Romancing the Smoke!
Share this enthusiasm and support with a friend; 
and soon we'll all be breathing easier! This offer
is good for May 1st only...

Click 4 your FREE May Day Kindle Romancing The Smoke!

Monday, April 29, 2013

New York State may decide to follow New York City's lead in raising the smoking age to 21.....

CBS News Correspondent Michelle Castillo reports 
that New York State may follow the Big Apple's lead 
in raising the smoking age to 21. This, with increased
taxes on a pack of cigarettes, is a one-two punch that 
will have a noticeable impact on youthful smoking. 
Way 2 go New York!
new-york-state-proposes-raising-smoking-age-to-21/

In honor of the White House Correspondents' Dinner...

...we include this dignified magazine cover of 
President Obama from when he used to smoke. 
Obviously, he used cigarettes to calm down...

Saturday, April 27, 2013

If you want a loved one to quit smoking...

...consider getting them this book. It helps.
Romancing The Smoke is a memoir by someone
who was there during the heydays of Big Tobacco 
marketing. It tells the story of when smoking was 
a good thing...perhaps a smoker you know has tried 
all the ways to quit...maybe a sympathetic ear as 
to what they're going through can energize them 
towards becoming smoke free. They can ask me 
any question they wish by writing to me at this blog.
Order Romancing The Smoke in full color paperback
Pick up the Kindle version; free Kindle app included

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

He opened Woodstock and brought the fire to a generation...
















Richie Havens left us on Earth Day 2013. In 1969,
he opened Woodstock, stretching a 45 minute set 
into three hours when the other musicians got stuck 
in traffic. The song he invented that day, Freedom
is part of the Django soundtrack. I think his two 
best albums were Mixed Bag and Stonehenge
George Harrison supposedly told Richie that he did 
a better job of Here Comes The Sun than the songwriter 
himself had done when the Beatles recorded it.
Richie was one of the greatest folksingers and 
emcompassed the spirit of the 60's as well as anyone. 
Richie, thank you firing us up and touching our hearts!
I will never forget shaking your hand, because it was 
the biggest hand I ever shook! Peace, brotherman...

Richie Havens and Peter Yarrow perform "The Great Mandala"

NYC Proposal would raise the age to purchase cigarettes to 21...

Michael Howard Saul of the Wall Street Journal 
reports that New York City is considering 
proposal that would raise the age to purchase 
cigarettes from 18 to 21... Mayor Bloomberg 
appears to be one mighty warrior in the pitched
Battle against Tobacco...he's putting his money 
and muscle where his mouth is for a great cause. 
That's really rare for a politician. Thanks, Mayor.  
You are making a difference. 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324874204578439090504400984.html?mod=WSJ_NY_LEFTTopStories

Sunday, April 21, 2013

For everyone's To Do List tomorrow- QUIT SMOKING on Earth Day!

Encourage everyone to go without cigarettes 
tomorrow for Earth Day...let's make it a 
Smoke Free Earth Day! BREATHE!
Give them a carrot!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

FREE Kindle versions of Romancing The Smoke to Planet Earth this weekend...

In honor of  Earth Day, Romancing The Smoke 
is FREE with this special Kindle giveaway to 
celebrate Smoke Free Earth Day. It's our way
of encouraging a life totally committed to fresh 
air. This offer is good for April 20, 21 & 22.
Visit Romancing The Smoke on Amazon 
by clicking here:
Earth Day Weekend Kindle Romancing The Smoke Giveaway!
World of Worlds by Jerry Downs

News about Addiction from the NCADD- a new study

Perhaps a way to Reset the Addicted Brain....
Will it ever become as easy as throwing a switch...?

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Romancing The Smoke Wants to Help You Celebrate a Smoke Free Earth Day....

As a global gift to honor the Earth Day Celebrations 
happening around the world, for April 20, 21 and 22,
the Kindle version of Romancing The Smoke is being 
offered FOR FREE as part of RTS's contribution
to our Smoke Free Earth Day campaign. Please feel 
free to download the Kindle book during our three 
day giveaway. It's our way of helping the planet to
become cleaner and for people to know that someone understands their story about their battle with nicotine.
Click on this link below-

Get your Free Kindle version of Romancing The Smoke

This offer is good during the three days specified above.

Happy Earth Day- because Smoke Free is the way to be!


The Black Lung Market of Cigarette Smuggling in the US...

This article was published by CNN yesterday...
The Lucrative Business of Cigarette Smuggling

Monday, April 15, 2013

Introducing my savior, Our Lady of the Respiratory Despair...
























Three days after I quit, I was about to break down 
to buy a pack of cigarettes when I heard and smelled her in the check out line. She was so frightening, 
I bought a candy bar instead...

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Portrait of the Author as a Painter...


















Gallery 525 Group exhibition
Seen/Unseen Surrealism 
4/13/13
photo: Sooz Glazebrook
Let Sleeping Gypsies Lie # 2 (after Rousseau)
Vince, Got a Biscuit? (after van Gogh)

Thursday, April 11, 2013

An Affirmation to become an "Un-Smoker..."

Read this out loud instead of having a cigarette. Try it.
























It works. Repeating this will help you to re-program 
yourself about cigarette smoking. It strengthens resolve.
This is one of the affirmations in Romancing The Smoke.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

I felt like this when I was trying to quit...


From the Campaign For Tobacco Free Kids-President's Plan to increase Tobacco Tax

With this 94 cent of tax increase placed 
on a pack of cigarettes, it is estimated 
that some 1.7 million young people will 
be discouraged from taking up smoking, 
while tobacco tax revenues will climb 
measurably in the next couple years, even 
with the decreased number of smokers.
This article is brought to you by the
Campaign For Tobacco Free Kids...

President's Plan to increase Tobacco Tax

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Concerning the Negative Anti-smoking campaign..a revision...



Recent ads created for the anti-smoking campaign 
feature people with terminal health issues caused 
by their addiction to nicotine and cigarettes. This 
strategy embraces fear as the only tactic to affect 
change. This was tried in the 80s when the actor 
Yul Brunner made the PSA about his lung cancer. 
Scare tactics don’t have long-term impact. 
Intimidating people with visions of carcinogenic 
horror only works short term. People block images 
they don't want to remember. 
Who decided that fear works?

Why is there no focus on the positive aspects
of being smoke free? Why has this approach
not been tried?

I stopped three years ago after a three decade 
habit, and regained most of my lung capacity, 
my sense of smell, and have saved $8,000. 
My friends say I look healthier, smell better and
stopped the constant coughing. Their unwavering
encouragement is what worked for me. Anti-
smoking advertising should focus at least some 
of their campaign on the personal success of those 
who get smoke free. This alternative approach 
would certainly be a breath of fresh air.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Ojai WordFest is in full swing...Link to the Events Schedule

The Ojai WordFest is in full swing with more 
than 100 events happening throughout the week. 
The last two nights I read at the venerable 
Bart's Books in Ojai; Saturday at the WordFest 
Poetry Slam with Georgia Menides and 
Six Sundays: Evidence Suggests
hosted by Tree Bernstein.

Going to go hear Doc and Zoe Murdock's 
Ojai Writers speak of their novels at the Ojai 
Art Center tonight. The WordFest is rockin'!
Schedule of events, Ojai WordFest 2013

Are we brainwashed? Toasted? An Earth Day organizer pointed out to me that cigarette smoking had little environmental impact...

Part of the fun of writing about such 
a dark subject as smoking is the 
Black Lung humor I work with 
to lighten the morbidity.

as the tv commercial from the 90s
showing the smoke filled board room 
with the tobacco execs saying, 
"after all, we're not in this for their health 
are we, gentlemen...? Hahahhaha....."


Friday, April 5, 2013

Smoking was like having a painting of Dorian Gray in my closet, only the picture was of me


Using Terminal Smokers to Scare Others into Quitting...



The recent ads that promote the anti-
smoking campaign focus upon people 
who have terminal health issues as a 
result of their addiction to nicotine and 
cigarettes. While these ads may be
having some impact; this strategy fully 
embraces fear as the tactic to affect 
change. This is an old approach, dating 
back at least to when the actor Yul 
Brunner made the PSA about his lung 
cancer in the 80s. Does advertising only
know how to use positive spin when 
promoting cigarettes? I can't understand 
why the only considered approach to get 
people to stop smoking is the use of 
negative advertising. More fear mongering.  
Who has decided that fear works?

My question is this- why is there no interest 
in showing the good side of quitting smoking, 
the positive aspects that are all the right 
reasons to quit?  Clean smell, fresh air,
health, money saved-those sort of things. 
Why isn't smoke free success any part of 
the ad campaign? Are the Mad Men afraid 
this approach wouldn't work? 
It's certainly never been tried.

I'm guessing that a few hundred million 
people have died from cigarettes since 
I was born. I have buried seven family 
members from smoking related illnesses. 
I was addicted for almost forty years-but 
I quit, and am healthier than I have been 
in thirty years. In the almost three years 
since I stopped, I have regained almost 
all of my lung capacity, my sense of smell, 
my singing voice and saved more than 
$8,000. My friends say I look much healthier, 
smell and sound infinitely better and have 
completely stopped the daily coughing 
routine that creeped them out.

Intimidating people by foisting visions of 
carcinogenic horror upon them seems a 
short term fix at most. People block images 
they don't want to remember. Do I need to 
have a tracheotomy or a portion of my lung 
removed to make my point?  It's too late 
then. I believe that for the world to become 
smoke free, policies and strategies that 
encourage all the great aspects of a no 
smoking lifestyle, complete with various 
incentive programs, is the long term 
solution to decrease global tobacco use.
Leaders like Mayor Michael Bloomberg and 
President Vladimir Putin are on the right track.

The whole point is to quit before it's too late, 
right? There's nothing wrong with listening 
to someone who figured this out in time. 
Maybe it's time for smoke free ads about 
winning the battle? Like "DON'T take a puff,
it's Springtime!" A survivor seems like 
a far better spokesperson. Going smoke 
free is supposed to be a new lease on life, 
not the End of Days. Take the long view.

I remain an optimist.







Wednesday, April 3, 2013

And why is this baseball card so expensive...?

Honus Wagner baseball card auction price up to $1.6 million...Emily Jane Fox of CNN Money reports



















The Honus Wagner T206 card is very rare, 
with only about 50 in existence. Wagner made 
the American Tobacco Company recall it once 
he learned ATC printed the card without 
his permission. He didn't like tobacco and 
he didn't want young people to smoke.
His commitment to smoke free is why 
this card is worth so much...
The card finally sold for 2.1 million.

Another Reason To Celebrate....

The NYC Coalition For A Smoke-Free City
reports on New York becoming the first city
in the country to make retailers keep tobacco 
products out of sight. Read their article-

http://nycsmokefreeblog.org/

This greatly lessens the access and, potentially, 
the impact that cigarette marketing has on youth.
Mayor Bloomberg signed this into law March 18.

NEW YORK! NICE WORK!


Everyone Celebrates Differently...


Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Buy Romancing The Smoke on Amazon & Createspace in Kindle or Paperback


Romancing The Smoke on Amazon:
Kindle Fire or Paperback 
Please quit for the sake of your pets.
Look what second hand smoke did to 
this kitty cat. Fortunately, he got better.

They're still cheap in Virginia.....


Graphic Story- In Kuwait a last cigarette caught on film on the way to a hanging...








In Kuwait a final cigarette before justice is done...

Someone thought this train wreck of an article,
complete with photos, had something to do with
having one last cigarette. Not something we publish
in America too often. The last moments of condemned
men. Courtesy the Daily Mail Reporter, AFP/Getty Images
I posted this because of the focus on cigarettes.
This is a creepy post, definitely not for kids.
This photo essay is hard core. Cigarettes in the news.


Monday, April 1, 2013

Not sure what to make of this...guidelines get the boot...

FDA gives nod to longer use of nicotine patch & gum...

Last week the FDA lost the battle with Big Tobacco
to get graphic warnings on American cigarette packs.
Now higher levels of consumption of nicotine based 
products used for quitting, like gum and the Patch, 
have been okayed by the FDA. The guidelines for use
are being relaxed. 
This link courtesy MSN.com article by Robert Preidt

Something tells me that Nicotine is still in control... 

This Is NO Joke...a victory by Orlando Health!


 Orlando Health begins its tobacco free hiring policy...

Today, April 1, 2013 Orlando Health will begin its tobacco
free hiring rule that will test all applicants to ascertain
nicotine use. If you smoke, you won't get hired.
That's walking the walk.....this is no prank!