Self-portrait on stairs. Who's that special smile for? All for my Nikon Coolpix and Gorillapod. [Addendum--I just noticed the drooping cord of the chicken lamp looks kind of like I have antennae. Which I don't.]

There's an exhibit at my alternate library (Science and Industry) on cigarette advertising. Pretty funny. Doctors seem to have come down firmly in favor of Camels, toasted to eliminate any possibility of throat irritation, while still satisfying the T-zone. Dr. Batty, after what must have been extensive double-blind testing, ascertained that his cigarettes effectively treat asthma, hay fever, foul breath, all diseases of the throat, head colds, canker sours [sic] and bronchial irritations. Puzzling, then, why they were "not recommended for children under 6".

Worried about yellow teeth? "As your dentist, I would recommend Viceroy."

There were a couple of campaigns touting the special benefits of menthol ciggies. If you smoke a Kool "in between the others, you'll enjoy all your cigarettes more". Hilariously named Spud menthols ease cold symptoms, because both the smoke and the virus affects you "colds zone" [sic], the nose, mouth and throat. Newports were timesavers, "Refreshes while you smoke".

As we've learned, doctors prefer Camels, as do professionals in fields requiring steady nerves, such as rodeo cowboys, professional bridge players, guys who shoot torpedos from submarines, and big game hunter Frank Buck. "More scientists and educators smoke Kent", however, and a survey of America's colleges showed Chesterfields "voted tops". It's not exactly a profession, but apparently Dads love getting cartons of Old Golds from their kids.

Celebrities used to be proud of their smokes, as was pseudo-celebrity Santa Claus, who stuffed his sack with Pall Malls (except when portrayed by Alan "Skipper" Hale, when he puffed Chesterfields), all the stars represented by Phillip Morris seemed loyal to their tobacco products, and power-smoker Jack "Joe Friday" Webb endorsed three different brands, L&M, Chesterfields (perhaps only at Christmastime), and Fatima. He was left sucking the smoke of Joan Crawford, however, who arched her eyebrows over five different brands over the course of her endorsement career.

On a personal note, although TV ads for cigarettes were banned in 1971, everyone I know can still sing the "Winston tastes good" song.