My latest column is in today's London Free Press and on Canoe. Click here to go straight to it, or here to see a recent archive of publishings.
Needless to say, the smokers in our midst won't be happy with me. I was in quite the mood when I wrote it: having cigarettes whipped at you by ignorant drivers will do that to you, I guess.
In the meantime, I came across an interesting site called The Truth. It seems to be technically well-built, but its cartoonish facade reveals a scary-as-hell message about the history of tobacco and its modern-day implications on all of us.
Like most worthwhile Web resources these days, it'll work best with Flash and a fast connection.
Great article, Carmi. I enjoyed it very much! Every time I see someone whip a cigarette butt out a car window I want to pull them over a give them a strongly-worded scolding. I think next time I will.
ReplyDeleteTrillian: I'd be inclined to simply take down the license plate and call it into Crime Stoppers the next time they're looking for a sexual predator. You never know when someone will go postal on ya.
ReplyDelete(Kidding about the Crime Stoppers thing, though, because that would waste precious resources...better to simply call the cops if you feel threatened by any activity on the road.)
Nick: Yes, access to - and payment for - universal health care is not impacted by your smoking status. That's a big point of contention for me, since smokers use a disproportionate percentage of critical health care resources. My thoughts on this are simple: If you want to kill yourself, go for it. Just make sure the rest of us don't have to pay for it.
Lou: I'm a bit of a crusader when it comes to issues like this. I know the world can be full of illogical behaviors - behaviors for which there is no explanation. But I'll keep writing. If one person changes his/her ways because of it, then my mission will have been fulfilled.