The tobacco companies and Hollywood used to be in cahoots in order to promote smoking according to the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California. Tobacco companies paid stars like Al Jolson, Bob Hope and Clark Gable to promote smoking as part of secret advertising deals with movie studios, according to a new analysis of cigarette endorsement contracts between 1927 and 1951. The ... Read full entry

The price of a packet of cigarettes has recently increased in New York, as the result of a city imposed tax. This has prompted New York blogger Jason Kottke to compare the cost of smoking, on an hourly basis, with other enjoyments in New York. Some smokers are understandably upset about the price but how does it compare to other enjoyments? If smoking a single cigarette takes five minutes and ... Read full entry