“I’D WALK A MILE FOR A CAMEL”!

JOE CAMEL RECRUITS TO FILL THE PLACES OF THOSE WHO DIED OR QUIT

And so it was that in 1987, the desert camel was put out to pasture, and a hip jazzy cartoon character that went by the name of ‘Joe Camel,’ was introduced to a naive audience. - This ‘youtherned’ the brand, and sales to adolescents rocketed sky high as the new recruits filled the places of those who died or quit.

This cool, hump-less creature sent out a powerful message, and was often depicted donning a black leather jacket and sunglasses, often holding a pool cue or sax. Naturally, he was always seen with a fag dangling out of his mouth. - And he even had his own line of ‘Camel Cash,’, which could be collected and saved for an assortment of catalogue goods.

JOE CHEMO

Psychology professor, Scott Plous Ph.D. gave Joe Camel the treatment he deserved, and parodied his cool image - demonstrating how Joe had moved on as he slowly shuffled down a hospital corridor decked out in a blue dressing gown, wheeling a metal stand with its hooked-up intravenous drip. His sunglasses and hair were now gone, and his surname was appropriately changed. Thanks to the US Federal Trade Commission Joe Camel is now banned - but Old Joe has returned to play his part in the upkeep of globalized disease.

For ‘More about Joe’, and other useful resources, visit: www.joechemo.org/about.htm

‘THE INSIDER’ AL PACINO AND RUSSELL CROWE

Touchstone Pictures, 1999

This riveting film exposes the callous, inhuman tactics of ‘Big Tobacco.’ It was nominated for seven Oscars. Russell Crowe plays the part of a courageous scientist working for a major tobacco giant, and Al Pacino acts the role of a ‘60 Minutes’ TV show producer. The degree of power of Big Tobacco with its unethical business practices in a global market swimming with addicts is brought to the fore. Watching this film on DVD is highly recommended, and may well help you on a subconscious level. - Both the film’s producer, Michael Mann, and the screenwriter, Eric Roth, quit smoking as they made the film.

“NOW IT SEEMS IT’S LEGAL!”

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, 2010

This is the famous line in the ‘Greed is Good’ speech by the high rolling stock broker, Gordon Gekko, played by the great Michael Douglas. Just before the film was released, Michael - who has in the past, been a long-term heavy smoker, tragically announced he had advanced throat cancer. Like so many others, Michael started smoking at a time when no one was given the true facts.

Buried knowledge and hundreds of billions in profits have made smokers guaranteed blue chip livestock (the Phillip Morris International website has a ‘Stock Watch’ section - but where is the ‘Death Watch’ section?)

Ref: Phillip Morris International: www.pmi.com/investor-relations/stock-and-bond-information