Poems and Poetry

At one time there was an anti smoking billboard in town that displayed in large, bold red letters the following message: 400,000 SMOKING RELATED DEATHS THIS YEAR in the obvious attempt to persuade people to stop smoking.

As I recall, it also showed the face of a child or a young woman. Most of you have probably seen or heard this figure tossed around before, and perhaps you have wondered where it came from.

A study by the Cato Institute titled “Lies, Damned Lies, and 400,000 Smoking Related Deaths” http://www.cato.org/dailys/04-29-99.html examines this number and the deception behind it:

“I keep hoping that this feeling will pass, the constant gnawing that ebbs only for an hour or so after dinner. Other than that brief respite, I feel it constantly — upon rising, after breakfast, mid-morning, after lunch, throughout the afternoon, into the evening, and upon settling down to sleep. I find myself awaking in the early morning hours, ostensibly to visit the restroom, but really because my body and subconscious mind have partnered to save me from myself. To prevent me from starving…”

A very good friend of mine has decided that he wants to lose weight the old fashioned way: he’s starving himself. The Starvation Journal is Brendan’s idea of radical accountability, as well as providing some relief for his urge to write. So read his journal, scold him severely when he falls, and consider yourself to have done a good deed.