Smoking continued...

From the front page of yesterday's Globe:

Smoking: An excellent way to prevent ulcers, reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease, relieve schizophrenia, boost your brain cells, speed up your thinking, improve your reactions and increase your working efficiency.

In China, where the government owns the tobacco companies, smoking is actually good for you. "Holding a cigarette is like having a walking stick in your hand, giving you support," a Chinese magazine editor says. "Quitting smoking would bring you misery." How right she is. Sigh. Two-thirds of Chinese men smoke and 90 per cent of them have no idea that what they're doing is killing them. It's like Canada circa 1950. Like my mom always says, "It wasn't bad for us back then!" The Chinese government is lying through its teeth, but for 30 cents a pack, I'm not sure I would mind.