Give yourself a break on Labor Day...

Take a break on Labor 
Day. If you can't get 
away to find a place to
enjoy, then it must be 
time to go smokefree...


may the only thing you 
smoke this weekend be ribs...

Google: WSJ: Big Tobacco's e cigarette push gets a reality check...

Mike Esterl writes for the 
Wall Street Journal that
Big Tobacco is pushing
e cigarettes at a time when 
sales are leveling off- it's 
becoming a battle between 
e cigarettes and vaping 
equipment and custom flavors...
great article...will vape shops 
start getting shakedowns by 
cigar smoking guys in suits...?

Unfortunately, the WSJournal 
will only let you study this 
article if you subscribe...
but you should be able to 
view it ONCE through 
Google by typing in:
WSJ: Big Tobacco's e cigarette 
push is getting a reality check...
Note the above is not a link.

She's a walking CumuloNimbus machine...

Independent.uk: Australia shows that plain packaging significantly cuts smoking...

Charlie Cooper reports 
for the Independent that 
the Tobacco Industry's 
claims that plain packaging
would lead to black market
sales of illicit smokes and 
hurt small retailers has not 
shown to be the case. 
Removing brand recognition
seems to be a factor in reducing
the number of smokers and 
the amount they smoke...

Independent.uk: Australia shows that plain packaging significantly cuts smoking...

Illustrations by the Author: Romancing The Smoke

As a picture is worth a 
thousand words, here's a 
few thousand more words 
that can be found in 
Romancing The Smoke... 

© John Aaron, Artist

The Tap Room, Penn Albert Hotel, where I learned about cigarettes, age 4

Me as Smoked Turkey

Nicotine Canyon

Plymouth Herald: Plymouth's anti-smoking group won't back WHO ban on e-cigarettes indoors

Patrick Daly reports for 
the Plymouth Herald that
the local anti-smoking group,
Livewell Stop Smoking Service,
has stopped short of endorsing 
a ban on the use of e cigarettes 
indoors. This article discusses 
pros and cons of e cigarettes....
Plymouth Herald: Plymouth Anti-Smoking Group Won't Back WHO's E Cigarette Indoor Ban

LA Times: WHO says e cigs should be restricted and regulated...

Don't take my word for it...
(some folks didn't like 
yesterday's post...)

Maybe this is exactly how
things should be. After all, 
we listened to them tell us 
how safe cigarettes were 
for decades...and look 
where that led us... 
article by Lauren Raab
LA Times: WHO says e cigarettes should be regulated and sales restricted

Bette, you were such a crusty broad...

Little know fact: 
Bette Davis Picnic area, 
across the LA River from 
Griffith Park, is part of 
three municipalities: L.A.,
Glendale and Burbank...
locals nicknamed it 
Bette Davis Smoker's 
Dog Park...

Happy Birthday Chambier...you are missed...

My sister Chambier, who 
died of lung cancer in '07,
would have been 69 today.

In her final days, she said
to me, "You better quit 
smoking, brother...look 
what it did to me!!!"

Sorry you're not around
to celebrate, sis...you're
totally missed...

E Cigarettes will turn out to be as addictive as thought...

The problems surfacing 
about E cigarettes- luring 
teenagers into a tech-based 
habit are ensuring that
young people who weren't 
going to take up smoking 
have taken up vaping 
(because it's cool).
If ever there was a gateway 
notion for cigarettes, clearly
e cigs are the candy smokes 
that prepped earlier generations 
to get hooked on nicotine.
Teens are openly targeted. 
Ask Big Tobacco why it 
bought up the major e-
manufacturers. Something 
is seriously wrong here. 
I questioned e cigs in the 
book, Romancing The Smoke, 
with the observation that they 
kept the gestural habit of 
smoking firmly in place.

E cigarettes will be the major 
reason Millennials become 
tobacco users and nicotine 
addicts. This statement has 
nothing to do with prophecy;
Anyone who doesn't have 
smoke (or vapor) in their eyes 
can see this is the inevitable 
future.

Those with financial interests in
e cigs will tell us ANYTHING
to keep this trend skyrocketing 
upward. There is NO TRUTH 
to their advertising...

The only hope to curb this
trend are vigorous regulations, 
restrictions and taxation that 
treat this new nicotine habit 
like all other nicotine habits.

Really...this is okay to sell 
product? Really?

Thank you to all who are keeping up with Romancing The Smoke...

Thank you for visiting 
RTS NicNews. Because 
of the thousands of 
curious onlookers who 
took the trouble to find us- 
smokers, non-smokers,
health care professionals,
anti-tobacco advocates, 
vapers and Big Tobacco 
itself... we're rapidly 
approaching 40,000 visits 
to this site. RTS NicNews 
brings you the unfiltered 
stories about the various 
and nefarious ways the 
world Romances The Smoke,
and what the planet is doing 
to break that chokehold... 

USA TODAY: Anti-Tobacco Ads Take Aim at Celebrities Who Smoke

Would have reported on 
this earlier, but was on 
the road yesterday,
runnin' down 101...

USA TODAY reports on
the new anti-tobacco tact
being taken by Legacy 
with ads that show images 
of the stars who still smoke.
This article by Tony Leys, 
Des Moines Register 
tells the story...
USA Today: Anti-tobacco ads aim to shame celebrities who smoke

I Quit Four Years Ago Mon. Aug 25th! My Gift To You Is a FREE Kindle Copy Of My Book...

Monday, AUGUST 25- 
FOUR YEARS 
SMOKEFREE!!!!
For my anniversary,
I want to give YOU 
a gift…after all, being 
SMOKEFREE is always 
cause for celebration!
Click here for your FREE Kindle Copy of Romancing The Smoke! 8/25/14 Only!

Offer is good  if you haven't received a copy through this KDP promotion in the past.

Forbes: Is Smoking Irrational?

This article for Forbes by 
author Chris Conover 
discusses the argument as 
to whether smokers are 
rational and therefore fully 
informed as to the dangers 
of tobacco; or if they're 
addicted, then the habit 
encourages irrational 
behavior. This article goes 
into quite some depth.  
Two sides of the coin...

Forbes: Is Smoking Irrational?

The Green Tara Lights the Way...

Walking towards the light...
a commission for a friend
who quit smoking this year.
Green Tara - mural
Acrylic & mixed media 
56" x 39"

Raising the age of smoking legality to 25…Radical India

Rumors are rumbling in 
India about the govt. 
raising the legal age to 
use tobacco to 25 as part 
of the really get tough 
policy on smoking…

details soon…
am watching this...

West Virginia's Smoking Ills…rest of the country is around 18%

This article by Lydia Nuzum 
shows how entrenched nicotine 
is as a habit in West Virginia…
The chart is particularly disturbing...
wvgazette.com: WV antismoking policies have to be stricter...

photo by Billi-Doll (?)

A long time ago…you could smoke while you got your haircut...

Am wondering when they
built this barber's chair.
Earlier last century, one 
could smoke while one 
got a shave and a haircut…
Used to be a lot of seating
had built-in ashtrays...

Chair courtesy of Peter and Alice

I have taken 33 million breaths since last I...

Smoked…
Smokefree…
1457 days….
20,400 hours…
Saved just shy of $9,000…
Have taken 33,569,280 
smoke free breaths…
looking forward to 
hundreds of millions more…. 

This person smokes the hard way...

DailyMail.uk: Cigarettes with lower levels of nicotine 'do NOT lead to increased smoking intensity'

I don't doubt these findings 
from the University of 
Waterloo, Canada; but my 
experience was I smoked 
Marlboro Reds as a 
nicoteenager- a pack a 
day. Because James Dean 
did (had). When I switched  
to "Marble Row" Lights  
(the White Pack) to 
reduce the harshness,
I increased my dosage to 
30-40 cigarettes a day. 
By twenty-one, I almost
constantly had a cigarette
in my mouth all my waking 
hours.. the lighter cig made 
it easier to smoke more…
btw, come Monday, it will 
have been four years…
Article by Lizzie Parry...

Copyright Corbis

DailyMail.uk: Cigarettes with lower levels of nicotine 'do NOT lead to increased smoking intensity'

YouTube: Tobacco Lies, Nicotine Addiction Truths from Serenity Vista

Our friends John & Jane Derry 
of Serenity Vista Treatment 
Center, Boguete, Panama 
created and posted this 
YouTube video that shows 
the truth about the lies...                                                       

Serenity Vista encourages 
reading my book as part of 
one's personal research into 
breaking free from nicotine 
addiction. 

YouTube- Serenity Vista: Tobacco Lies, Nicotine Addiction Truths

www.serenityvista.com

Heck of a place for a cigarette break….

These folks have figured out 
a way to take a smoke break 
without bothering other people…

Pitcher Curt Schilling Swears That Chewing Tobacco caused his oral cancer...

Pat O'Rourke reports on 
MLB pitcher Curt Schilling's 
battle with oral cancer, 
a health issue he swears 
is because of his use of 
chewing tobacco…
RTS reported on slugger
Tony Gwynn's untimely 
death from his "chaw" 
habit on 6/17/14. 

Baseball has stepped up to 
the plate and is definitely 
throwing tobacco out at home...
RantSports.com: Curt Schilling's Cancer Battle Will Push MLB Anti-Tobacco Movement

WebMD: 13 best quit smoking tips….

From WebMD, a slide 
presentation of tips to 
help a smoker get smoke free…
because smoke free is the 
way to be….
WebMD: Slideshow- 13 best quit smoking tips ever

Getty Images

Bloombergview.com: Why Can't the Pentagon Stop Smoking?

While we thought we'd come 
a long way from WWII when 
GI's were issued packs of 
cigarettes with their gear, the 
Editors at Bloombergview.com
found that some in Congress 
are still fighting for a soldier's 
right to smoke, as well as cheap 
and easy access.  About one in 
four service people smoke, 
about 7% over the national 
average. RTS  understands why 
a soldier would want to smoke; 
but does not encourage the 
habit, regardless of the situation.
There are other ways to chill the 
stress.

Thank you to our friends at 
the Campaign for Tobacco 
Free Kids for bringing this 
article to our attention.
Bloombergview.com: Why Can't The Pentagon Stop Smoking?

Being Smoke Free is About Inviting Peace into One's Body and Soul......

Chicago Smoking Cessation Awareness Week. Way 2 Go, Chicago!

The Chicago Dept. of Public 
Health and other advocacy 
groups have put together this 
anti-smoking campaign. This 
is quite the undertaking for a 
big city...never before done... 
their motto: Nobody Quits 
Like Chicago. Illinois also 
deserves kudos as Gov. 
Quinn signed into law a 
smoking ban across all state 
university campuses...
ABC7Chicago.com: Chicago Begins Smoking Cessation Awareness Week

Smoking News: Your Smokefree Affirmation For Monday...

Repeat as necessary...

From the Archives of Smoking Insanity: Talk about playing on people's fears...

Does this cigarette make me 
look fat? How Lucky are we?

Smoking News: Philip Morris to Sue UK over Plain Packaging Law

This suit is all about the 
Plain Packaging controversy 
that Phillip Morris claims 
is going to hurt its Brand 
by "disfiguring" its iconic 
packaging. They are already 
suing the Australian govt 
over this. This article was 
posted to 360nobs.com by 
King Femii.
News 360 is out of Nigeria.
Tobacco Firm to Sue UK Over Anti-Cigarette Law Review

Mum and Son Both Quit After Smoking 1.5 Million Cigarettes

Anne, 88, & Tony Donnelly, 66, 
both quit smoking after smoking 
almost a million and a half 
cigarettes. These chain smoking 
fiends put down their habit two 
years ago and haven't touched 
them since. Dan Warburton tells 
their story...
Mirror UK: Mum and Son both quit after smoking 1.5 million cigarettes

Advertising History 101: The Rise of Tobacco

Advertising History 101;
The Rise of Tobacco...
Go to Google: type in 
Cigarette Ads; 
click on Images... 
endless hours of stun...
uh...fun...

seriously...?

A little levity is called for...MAD's Ads....

From Mad Magazine's 
infamous anti-smoking 
campaign (link to New 
Yorker article in this 
morning's post...)

New Yorker: Mad Magazine's Glorious Anti-Smoking Campaign

In the Sixties, Mad Magazine 
took on the Tobacco companies  
with truth in their anti-smoking
parodies of ads and brands 
that were so clever that readers 
still remember them today.
David Margolick's article in 
New Yorker shows the gutsiness
of MAD, who was publishing 
these funny ads even before the 
Surgeon General's Findings on 
Tobacco...

New Yorker: Mad Magazine's Glorious Anti-Smoking Campaign of the 60's

When Smoking Effects Your Family, It's Personal...

From CDC Tobacco Free comes 
this moving video that addresses
the personal aspects of losing a 
family member or close friend...
and that it's happened to almost everyone...
YouTube: When Smoking Effects Your Family, It's Personal

MSN: NH declares State of Emergency over "Smacked"

Ted Siefer, Reuters reports 
New Hampshire's growing 
concern over the synthetic 
"pot" like drug, SMACKED. 
Compounding the problem is 
the difficulty authorities are 
having trying to enforce the 
product ban. 

To our Millennial readers- you 
can't be that hard up for a buzz.
Bluntly, real "Maui Wowie" 
cannot be found in a 
convenience store. The junk 
they're selling is something 
you never want to light up 
and smoke. It's not even close 
to weed. It's bad, bad medicine, 
sometimes even deadly.  Do 
yourself and your friends a 
favor and steer clear from 
anything claiming to be 
SMACKED or its "friends".
You'll never be sorry. There are 
so many other ways to have fun. 

Photo: Reuters

MSN: New Hampshire declares State of Emergency over synthetic "pot" drug

Update on Recent Smoking Bans Worldwide...Aug 2014

This is a partial list of the 
Smoking Bans reported in 
the news over the past month. 
It's clear the habit is getting 
the wind knocked out of it.
This list is changing daily; 
and it's hard to keep up.

Lubbock, TX 
Navajo Nation
Allegheny Health Network
Wisconsin Dells, WI
Lawrence, KS
Houston, TX -city parks
Greater Victoria, B.C.
Yarra, Australia
Much of New Jersey
Frisco, TX
Georgia, VT
Manhattan Beach, CA
University of Arizona
Clemson University, SC
Georgia St. Univ, Statesboro
Macau-casinos
McDonald's, Japan
Rack & Helen's Bar & Grill,
New Haven, IN

ADWEEK: SkyDoesMindcraft to Create Ant-Smokng PSA for FDA

Michelle Castillo reports 
for ADWEEK on tech 
wizard Adam Dahlberg, 
aka SkyDoesMindcraft, 
the brain behind the You-
Tube Channel phenomenon
Machinima. Adam is 
creating an antismoking 
PSA for the FDA which 
should garner tens of 
millions of views from
the precise demographic 
that the FDA has been 
trying to reach...gamers...
ADWEEK: FDA Turns To SkyDoesMinecraft To Create Anti-Smoking PSA

A stunning antismoking ad from India....

Re: Breastfeeding while smoking
Advertising Agency: 
Bhadra Communications
Bangalore, India

If You Can't Take The Heat....

I made this piece in 2000
after I had an argument 
with someone about my 
right to smoke while they 
were nearby. I'm not sure 
if the raven taking flight 
is me or her...

If You Can't Take The Heat

Porcelain, mixed media

Addison Collection, Boulder, CO

TBT: Thai Anti-Smoking Protest, 2009

Big Cig...

Thai Anti-Smoking Protesters, 2009

(that's almost as much 
tobacco as I smoked by 
the time I was 30...)

TBT: Milken Review 4th Qtr. 2006-The Tobacco Settlement

On Throwback Thursday,
from the Milken Review 
comes this in-depth article 
that explained what the 
monstrous tobacco settlement 
of 2006 was supposed to 
mean to the states in the US. 
One wonders to what extent 
Big Tobacco has actually 
honored this judgment. 
Thank you to the Milken 
Institute for this important 
piece of history.
Milken Review: Fourth Qtr. 2006- The Tobacco Settlement by Jeremy Bulow