Once upon a time it was so chic...

There was a time
when it was suave...
(I owe the photographer credit for this...)

Baltimore Sun: Maryland Zoo bans smoking

This article by Danae King 
follows up the decision by the 
Baltimore City Council to 
ban smoking near playgrounds, 
ball fields and swimming pools.
The ban at the zoo takes effect 
July 1.
Baltimore Sun: Maryland Zoo bans smoking

You never know what sort of aromatic characters you'll meet...

"I was smoking on the porch while 
watching my friends' kitty cats one 
evening when suddenly these three 
caballeros came stumbling around 
the corner, heading straight for me.
I lept for the back door and bolted 
inside just in time. I left my cigarette 
burning in the ashtray. I recall being 
really annoyed. You never know 
what sort of aromatic characters 
you'll meet when you smoke..."
-from Romancing The Smoke...

The Guardian: The AMA claims Rupert Murdoch's newspaper, The Australian, promotes smoking

This article by Amanda Meade for 
the Guardian explains the battle 
going on between Rupert Murdoch's 
News Corp. and the Australian 
Medical Association about anti-
smoking efforts Down Under.
The Guardian: Australian Medical Association accuses The Australian newspaper of promoting smoking

NIHSeniorHealth.gov offers info on quitting smoking for older adults

There is now a program through 
the National Institute of Health
that focuses on smoking cessation 
support for elders.
NIHSeniorHealth.gov offers info on quitting smoking for older adults

CTV News: Regina man offers strangers $1000 to quit smoking; hasn't had to pay up much...

Emily Chan reports about a man 
who has an unorthodox method 
of encouraging strangers to quit 
smoking...
CTV News: Regina man offers strangers $1000 to quit smoking, hopes to film results

Those Japanese have a way of saying "quit smoking"

This is one way the Japanese 

suggest that you quit smoking...

NY Times: Tony Gwynn, 8 time NL Batting Champ dies

Tony Gwynn chewed tobacco 
while he played the game he 
loved. One of the best to ever 
play the game of baseball, 
cancer swept him away. Fate 
called him out way too soon. 
Thanks for the memories, Tony. 
Article by Richard Goldstein
NY Times: Tony Gwynn, 8 time batting champion is dead at 54 from cancer

 Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press Credit

Remembering Dad this weekend....

Dad loved to have a good time.
A little too good for his own good.
He smoked two packs a day, then 
finally quit when he was 53. Liver, 
Lung and Pancreatic cancer still 
took him away three years later.
If you smoke, bail on this habit
before it's too late. Wish your 
father a Happy Father's Day. 
I wish I could.

Daily Caller: Jihadi Militants ban smoking

Tristyn Bloom reports for the 
Daily Caller that the Islamic 
State of Iraq and Syria has 
banned cigarettes, alcohol and 
guns in the territories it now 
controls. This was first reported in 
the International Business Times.
Who would have guessed that the 
Jihad is health conscious in this manner?
Dailycaller.com: Jihadi militants ban smoking and guns in conquered territories

photo by Reuters

Get Dad Romancing The Smoke for Father's Day!

There's still time to get your 
Dad the Kindle version of 
Romancing The Smoke for 
Father's Day. The full color 
signed paperback is also available
at Granada Books on State St.
in Santa Barbara.
Make it a smokefree Father's Day!
Take a deep breath....!
John Aaron's Romancing The Smoke Amazon Page

Wired.com: Could a clever cigarette design help a smoker quit?

In this week's Wired article by 
Liz Stinson, she reports on the 
new cigarette design concept 
by Taiwanese designer Yi 
Wen-Tseng that creates a 
greater awareness about the 
habit and the process of quitting...
Wired.com: Could a clever cigarette design help a smoker to quit?

USA Today: Teen Smoking Hits Landmark Low

In this article by Kim Painter,
CDC Director Tom Frieden
points out that "young people 
are choosing health" as studies 
show a marked drop in teenage 
smoking in the U.S. in 2013.















USA Today: Teen Smoking in US Hits Landmark Low

Music to Help You Stop Smoking....

Science World Report: Smoking can contribute to hearing loss...

This article by Catherine Griffin
suggests that smoke, direct and 
second hand, can contribute to 
hearing loss over time. Dr. Piers 
Dawes from the Centre for Human 
Communication and Deafness at 
U of Manchester found a correlation 
between smoking and hearing loss.
Science World Report: Smoking can contribute to hearing loss...

Courier-Journal: Smoking Plagues Kentucky and India...

This article by Judah Taylor and 
Sohini DasGupta paints a bigger 
picture and connects the dots
about nicotine addiction as it compares 
two culturally very different places 
thousands of miles apart where 
smoking is not as intensely under 
attack as in more health oriented 
countries and states. The glaring 
similarity is how Big Tobacco 
preys on the poor. This 1964 photo
from the William Gedney 
Photographic Collection at Duke 
University captures the ingrained 
nature of tobacco in Kentucky.
Courier-Journal: Smoking Issues Plague Kentucky, India

Big Tobacco likes them hooked as early as possible...

This jaw dropping video just surfaced 
showing a 3 year old Chinese boy
smoking while passersby laugh...
News.com.au: Video shows Chinese toddler smoking on the street

ABC News: Text2Quit is doubling the success rate for people trying to quit smoking

Dr. Kaidi Wang reports that a study
published in the American Journal 
of Preventative Medicine shows a 
marked success with the Text2Quit 
app, a electronic support for those 
trying to quit smoking. 
The Text2Quit Program was 
developed by Dr. Lorien Abroms (pictured)
of the George Washington U. School
of Public Health and Health Services.
ABC News: Texting therapy doubles success in quitting smoking

Kotaku.com: Chinese city bans smoking in internet cafes

One city in China is not putting up
with second hand smoke in the 
internet cafes. Eric Jou says the city 
of Wuhan has booted smoking from 
the cafes in an effort to clear the 
historically horrible air. Who knew 
that places like China and Russia would 
assume such progressive antismoking stances...?
Kotaku.com: Chinese city to crack down on smoking in internet cafes...

NBC News: The New Joe Camel? E-Cigarette Ads Spook Anti-Smoking Activists

Joan Raymond reports for NBC News
that e-cigarette ads are all over television 
with nary a single bit of regulation or 
restriction happening four decades after 
smoking ads were banned from TV.
Maggie Fox contributed to this report.
(I had previously thought Jenny McCarthy 
was more conscious that this...)
The New Joe Camel? E-Cigarette Ads Spook Anti-Smoking Activists

Moscow Times: Smoking Ban Spreads to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport

Moscow Times: Smoking ban spreads to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport

Objects in mirror are closer than they appear

NBC News: Breast Cancer Gene Also Causes Lung Cancer...

Maggie Fox of NBC News 
reports on the Gene BCRA2
that causes Breast Cancer and 
the discovery of its connection
to Lung Cancer...
NBC News: Breast Cancer Gene Also Causes Lung Cancer

RT.com: Russian Smoking Ban in Cafes and Restaurants Begins Today...

You can't light up in cafes and 
restaurants in Russia anymore 
beginning TODAY...the second 
phase of Russia's Smoking Ban 
is now in effect...
Russian Smoking Ban Begins Today...

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vitaliy Bezrukih