They really, really want to keep people’s attention on lifestyle medicine: eating, drinking, smoking, and sex. I guess they had a bad experience with Ebola, which grabbed the world’s attention away from lifestyle medicine for a few months. So this time round, they’re going to use the latest epidemic – Zika – to quickly focus attention right back on the “tobacco epidemic”.
But this time there’s a new twist: the “disease vector” of smoking is commercial motion pictures – Hollywood – which is the “last unrestricted promotional channel” through which kids can possibly learn about smoking. Because otherwise they’d never ever find out.
So as Hollywood exports movies all round the world, it’s acting as the channel through which the “tobacco epidemic” is spread. Hollywood is as effective – far more effective, in fact – than mosquitoes at spreading disease. If your son or daughter watches Casablanca, it’s equivalent to being bitten by a rabid dog.
Zika virus causes microcephaly in newborn children. But H/T Joe L, microencephaly is caused by smoking anyway. And alcohol. And meat. And sex.
Slower brain growth can be caused by a number of factors. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most common causes include:
– infections in the womb: toxoplasmosis (caused by a parasite found in undercooked meat), rubella, herpes, syphilis, cytomegalovirus and HIV
– exposure to toxic chemicals: maternal exposure to heavy metals like arsenic and mercury, alcohol, radiation, and smoking
– genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome
– severe malnutrition during fetal life
That touches all the lifestyle bases very nicely: food, sex, alcohol, and tobacco. They all get a mention.
And they’re all being exported all round the world by Hollywood. It’s not just that there should be an R rating on movies with smoking, but also ones with sex, alcohol, and meat. And guns. I almost forgot the gun epidemic.
I wonder how many movies will be left when they take out all the smoking, drinking, meat, sex, and guns?
Frank Davis 
The lifestyle controllers are really reaching. Each day their propaganda becomes more desperate and overreaching. It’s about time the tobacco control lies be exposed for the insanity it is…
Just when you think they’ve reached the outer limits they find a new extreme angle to attack smokers. The Truth campaign’s new assault blame skiers for cancer among cats. Check out “Can Smoking Kill Cat Videos? A Bold Public Health Ad Says Yes” http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/02/16/466956513/can-smoking-kill-cat-videos-a-bold-public-health-ad-says-yes
How they can make the causal link from second hand smoking to illness among cats when they can’t do the same for second hand smoking and humans or indeed primary smoking and humans is a mystery.
Based on one epidemiological study done about ten (?) yrs ago. And because of it, even back then, some shelters would’t let smokers adopt pets. Better to euthanize the kitties (and pups, in fact) on the spot. “For their own good.”
SL cancer among cats has ALWAYS been very high. I mean always.
They won’t take those things out of too many movies; if you took them all out, no one would watch.
We could always watch endless re-runs of ‘My Little Pony’.
Nisakiman, How about constant re-runs of 90s films in which smoking and drinking was non-existent?
Yep, too much crappy sex scenes. I guess they had to compensate somehow.
This “smoking in movies” frenzy really highlights the “appeal to authority” fraud that the antismoking nut cases have been inflicting on societies for the last three decades. To save re-posting a considerable amount of information, for anyone interested, see the series of comments by “magnetic01” entitled “A Short Study on Argumentum Ad Verecundiam”
https://cfrankdavis.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/i-dont-believe-them/
There is considerable doubt – raised by credible scientists – that Zika is to blame:-
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/133955/20160216/clearing-the-air-monsanto-speaks-out-about-zika-virus-microcephaly-and-sumitomo-larvicide.htm
Very interesting that a larvicide (created by a partner of Monsanto, no less) may actually be to blame for the microcephaly. I need to find more information about this.
I also found this paragraph unsettling:
How can the WHO be so confident that a “definitive” link will be “confirmed” in such a short amount of time?? Sure smells of junk science to me, especially paired with the admission that clinical trials on pharmaceuticals ($$$$) are already slated to begin in such a short timeframe.
Joe, thanks for this question:
How can the WHO be so confident that a “definitive” link will be “confirmed” in such a short amount of time??
It was my first one…
Poor TC they dig their own graves.
It is absolutely disgusting that the WHO would take advantage of and make light of a new, serious, communicable epidemic like the Zika virus by creating advertisements like this to further their bullshit antismoking agenda, especially when they have yet to fully understand it, let alone control it.
Aw, c’mon Joe, have a heart. The WHO are probably desperate to keep everyone’s attention securely focused on “lifestyle” blame factors to detract from the fact that they haven’t got the foggiest idea what to do when a real health threat raises its head!
The WHO like CDCs job has always been vector disease and control. At least it was until lifestyle warfare became their new agenda while still claiming to be a disease control group. Anyone seen any proof of a tobacco disease yet. Me neither or how about a lifestyle proven disease anywhere. I know you can get aides if reamed up the arse by an infected gay…………perhaps WHO could vector some assholes for a lifestyle war.
Imagine making a WWII combat movie without cigarettes. It would be very unrealistic. Or a 1970’s mob movie. If producers spend millions on set decoration,costumes,CGI, etc., why would they omit smoking or occasional profanity ? Sanitized bullshit.
I might be wrong but I think there was no smoking in “Saving Orivate Ryan” ?
Giovanni Ribisi portrayed T-5 Medic Irwin Wade in Saving Private Ryan
A medic. no less…
The only medic I believe these days…. Common sense.
What a joke.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/moscow-anti-smoking-campaign-uses-obamas-image-as-deterrent/559752.html
Frank said; I guess they had a bad experience with Ebola. No, , I think they had a bad experience with eating, drinking,smoking and sex.
So, smoking in movies is now considered a vector that spreads cancer. Is that a reasonable assessment?
Talking of mozzies, I’d have thought that tobacco smoke would repel the little f**kers.
It definitely repels big f**kers.
I can’t find the wonderful article from the Publican on the invasion of midges that swarmed into Scotland’s pubs when their smoking ban came in, so this will have to do.
A Nip In The Air
2006
“Cigarette smoke deters midges, and it has been noted that since the smoking ban came into effect in Scotland this year, pubs and restaurants have struggled to control swarms buzzing in from outside.
http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/a-nip-in-the-air-1-1414221
Midges….. I grew up with mosquitoes and thought to be quick enough to exhaust their life once they latched onto me.
Midges I got to know when 7 month pregnant with my eldest visiting Scotland in September – I battled back with cigarette smoke. The little pests hated it!!! Since I craved smoking in this pregnancy I had no problem chain smoking and keep myself from being bitten excessively. (Btw, my eldest offspring was the heaviest of all – and with that I was told to better agree to be induced before time or risk not being able to deliver due to baby’s size).
Smoking “causes” small babies…. REALLY??????? If not spotted full time would have killed me and my baby!
This is too stupid for words. WHO are beneath contempt.
The one thing I really did enjoy about watching ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens’ the other night – most of the characters smoked. They all ended up dead but it wasn’t down to their tobacco consumption.
It was down to the Alien’s voracious appetite.
The Big Uh-Oh: Global economy shaky and cavalry may not come
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GLOBAL_ECONOMY_THE_BIG_UH_OH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-02-16-05-37-21
The big fuck everyone is here. Nazis included.
The damn FED printed up another 3.5 trillion dollars in actual cash…………..yet stagflation results and negative rates abound meaning investors are willing to pay governemnts for holding their bonds/debts……….where in the hell did that stupidity come from. I guess they think gov bonds even paying nothing on return is better than the nothing left for investment returns in the regular markets. They pulled nearly a trillion out of 3rd world shit hole countries to shore up their own investment portfolios.
What denomination notes was that cash?
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-02-16/larry-summers-launches-war-us-paper-money-its-time-kill-100-bill
Likely it was all 100 dollar bills.
They want cash gone because its become worthless and instead of just recalling some of it like they did in 1933 they are going to just get rid of it altogether. I guess the new cash will be in BITCOIN. You have to have something of value to exchange for spot transactions. The governments know you cant have a cashless society it just wont work.
Monopoly is going completely cashless:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-02-17/ultimate-banking-monopoly-edition-goes-completely-cashless
‘Take note of the line “or other sudden financial changes that are really only easy to implement thanks to the game’s much-improved electronic ultimate banking unit.”’
Emphasis, mine. It’s a bit like the thanks we give Tobacco Control for linking smoking to so many diseases ;)
Im guessing if cash were gone about 50% of the nations economy would collapse.
Or they are fixing to dump a one world UN backed currency on us all.
Guess I can get my brother to throw in another 5 acres of tobacco this year. Will need it for trade and barter again just like in 1780. We had no cash then oh and whiskey was cash also.
I haven’t seen the word stagflation mentionned for over 30 years. Alive and well.
I had a most peculiar reaction when I read a news story this morning, I felt a sense of something much like relief and a vague feeling almost like hope.
Drum and Monkey manager fined for allowing smoking in Ipswich pub
17 February 2016
“The manager of one of Ipswich’s best-known pubs has been ordered to pay a total of £800 after being found smoking in the bar – and allowing his customers to smoke on the premises.”
“On 14 July 2015 he smoked a cigarette in a designated smoke free place. He was fined £60.
On 14 July 2015 he failed to stop a person smoking in the pub. He was fined £400.
And on 17 September 2015 he failed to display “No Smoking” signs. He was fined £150.
He was also ordered to pay £150 costs and a £40 victim surcharge.
The court was told that, as part of an unrelated investigation, police saw CCTV evidence of Williams and others smoking at the pub outside normal opening hours – and passed on the evidence to Ipswich Council whose environmental health department is responsible for enforcing the smoking ban.
When Williams was interviewed he admitted to both smoking and permitting others to smoke inside the premises, despite being aware that it is illegal to do so.”
http://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/drum_and_monkey_manager_fined_for_allowing_smoking_in_ipswich_pub_1_4421670
Though still bad, it’s quite a contrast to what Bolton did to Nick Hogan after the ban.
Landlord who defied smoking ban freed from jail after punters pay his fine
2010
“A pub landlord who defied the smoking ban was released early from jail after his fine was paid by money raised in an online campaign.”
” Nick Hogan, 43, from Chorley, Lancashire, walked free 11 days into a six-month sentence imposed by Bolton magistrates after donations from the public paid fine and costs he incurred for breaching the smoking ban.
He defied the ban on the day it came into force when he organised a ”mass light-up” in his two pubs, The Swan and Barristers, both in Bolton.
Hogan, a smoker, was originally fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £7,136 in costs but following his conviction he lost his job and was unable to keep up with the £125-a-week fine payments.
The campaign to pay Hogan’s fines was launched by blogger Anna Raccoon with the help of fellow libertarian blogger Old Holborn who set up an account so people could donate online.
Within 36 hours more than £5,000 had been raised and the campaign received a further boost when it was promoted by political blogger Guido Fawkes.
By the end of last week donations totalled more than £9,000.
Mr Hogan was released today from HMP Forest Bank in Salford after the sum owed was handed over in cash to the authorities.
Speaking outside the prison, Hogan said: ”I’m devastated to be sent to jail. The smoking ban has cost me my pub, my job and my liberty.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/7416601/Landlord-who-defied-smoking-ban-freed-from-jail-after-punters-pay-his-fine.html
Sounds to me like certain environmental officers need to be ambushed and taken hostage.
I wonder if the £60 and the £400 were both levied on him, i.e he smoked a cig after not telling himself not to. Still, just shows that the greatest fines are on the owners. Then again, he’s only a manager, so perhaps his bosses would be ultimately responsible.
First off the entire issue is communistic in itself and having gestapo health facists as enforcers Id say machine gun em like the French underground would have in ww2.
The court was told that, as part of an unrelated investigation, police saw CCTV evidence of Williams and others smoking at the pub outside normal opening hours – and passed on the evidence to Ipswich Council whose environmental health department is responsible for enforcing the smoking ban.
What about REAL crime?
I wonder how many movies will be left when they take out all the smoking, drinking, meat, sex, and guns?
The Vetting – Holder 1995: We Must ‘Brainwash’ People on Guns like we did on cigarettes
Breitbart.com has uncovered video from 1995 of then-U.S. Attorney Eric Holder announcing a public campaign to “really brainwash people into thinking about guns in a vastly different way.”
Holder was addressing the Woman’s National Democratic Club. In his remarks, broadcast by CSPAN 2, he explained that he intended to use anti-smoking campaigns as his model to “change the hearts and minds of people in Washington, DC” about guns.
http://www.breitbart.com/Breit…
“What we need to do is change the way in which people think about guns, especially young people, and make it something that’s not cool, that it’s not acceptable, it’s not hip to carry a gun anymore, in the way in which we changed our attitudes about cigarettes.”
Holder added that he had asked advertising agencies in the nation’s capital to assist by making anti-gun ads rather than commercials “that make me buy things that I don’t really need.” He had also approached local newspapers and television stations, he said, asking them to devote prime space and time, respectively, to his anti-gun campaign.
Local political leaders and celebrities, Holder said, including Mayor Marion Barry and Jesse Jackson, had been asked to help. In addition, he reported, he had asked the local school board to make the anti-gun message a part of “every day, every school, and every level.”
Despite strict gun control efforts, Washington, DC was and remains one of the nation’s most dangerous cities for gun violence, though crime has abated somewhat since the 1990s.
Holder went on to become Deputy Attorney General in the Clinton administration, and currently serves as Attorney General in the Obama Administration.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-G…
The video of Holder’s remarks was uncovered by Breitbart.com contributor Charles C. Johnson.
Breitbart. Thanks to RT I do now know a little more about this online news paper which is publishing a lot of things various governments try to brush under the carpet. (Great interview!)
In my WHOLE LIFE I NEVER thought that one day I would see a RUSSIAN TV news channel showing me what our media is hiding or tries to ridicule.
I imagine the worst film, in the WHO’s eyes, must be ‘Grease’
I wonder how many movies will be left when they take out all the smoking, drinking, meat, sex, and guns?
I wonder who is going to watch these movies?
Baseball players can’t chew tobacco.
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2016/01/los_angeles_chewing_tobacco_ban_dodger_stadium_sports_venues.php
Another joke. I went to several baseball games and saw The Beatles perform at Dodgers Stadium. It’s an open air stadium, not too far off the freeway, in smoggy Los Angeles. There will probably be a ban at the Hollywood Bowl one day. Or, perhaps there already is.