Gail Zappa passes away at 70

[Baribrotzer]

Geeze, are you kidding... I though America was the last place where people still actually shoved tobacco in their mouths...

Not sure if this information is up-to-date, but the Russians and Chinese used to smoke non-stop.

[rapidfirerob]

I've never smoked a cigarette. My mom and dad did. He quit. She finally quit when a carotid artery in her neck was 80% blocked and she had to have surgery.
When she awoke, the physical urge to smoke had disappeared, otherwise she would have kept right on. I had a student who had a tracheotomy and kept smoking through the hole in his windpipe. All this was after having a diagnosis of throat cancer, which killed him. I don't doubt for a second how hard it is to quit. The cost of cigarettes should be $10 per pack, at least.

[flowerking]

It's probably worth mentioning that Frank didn't believe that cigarettes caused cancer. Not his cancer, at any rate, but I got the impression from interviews that he didn't believe there was anything wrong with them at all. Of course, addicts do tend to rationalize their addiction away.

From the interviews I saw of him, he believed, or at least said he believed that all the cancer research was government propaganda trying to control people. I wonder how he would have felt with smoking bans everywhere these days. He probably would have never left his house.

[trurl]

Not sure if this information is up-to-date, but the Russians and Chinese used to smoke non-stop.

Sorry, should have made it clearer- I'm talking about chewing tobacco. It's in response to SS saying his ex used some kind of oral tobacco.

[Scrotum Scissor]

SS saying his ex used some kind of oral tobacco.

Luckily, she didn't actually chew'n'spit the damn thing like an ol' saloony mama, or I would have broken up a bit earlier.

Snus is contained powdered tobacco grain which blends amidst the saliva underneath the upper lip. She used to keep it there sometimes even when we kissed, though... Kinda gross, I know.

[trurl]

Wow, so you just swallow the juice? If you tried that with "chew" you'd throw up your entire GI tract lol

[Scrotum Scissor]

Wow, so you just swallow the juice?

Hm, starting to get a bit porny here - but yes, the juice essentially accumulates like ordinary spit and thus enters circulation. Interestingly, some types of snus initially (until mid-80s, in fact) contained microscopic glass dust as well, in order for the effect of the nicotine to hit the blood faster.

I have to admit that it nauseated me somewhat to see the remains of her doses scattered around her apartment in sinks and in the shower. Filthy habit for sure. She conjured up bad breath as well. Christ, can I stop writing about her already?

[ThomasKDye]

Christ, can I stop writing about her already?

Hey, you tied your own snus, now hang from it.

[Zeuhlmate]

One of the few things that is allowed selling in Norway and Sweden but NOT in Denmark is 'Snus' (Health reasons).

[Conti]

Wewn I left Brazil to do post doctoral studies in Uppsala, Sweden, I shared a house with students from everywhere including Sweden. There were two gorgeous swedish ladies living there, both doing cigarrettes AND snus. One of them was doing this snus thing for so long that she was kind of proud of having created a kind of void in her mouth where she could confortably put it. Disgusting.

[Adm.Kirk]

This is a great country tune about smoking from Jerry Reed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqyU4Ml-waQ

[Scrotum Scissor]

One of them was doing this snus thing for so long that she was kind of proud of having created a kind of void in her mouth where she could confortably put it. Disgusting.

Priceless!

[Dave (in MA)]

This is a great country tune about smoking from Jerry Reed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqyU4Ml-waQ

Died of emphysema.

[WytchCrypt]

Never did it myself...had asthma and lived through enough of it with both parents filling my childhood with smoke (and alcohol). When I saw a cousin after about 25 years of no contact, he was still smoking and before lighting up said, "time for another coffin nail". Something about that just really disturbed me. It was the yuckiest thing that someone would know full well what a self destructive habit he had and would make light of it and continue anyway. He lived a pretty messed up life and eventually died of heart related conditions at around age 55. I believe for him, it was basically a slow form of suicide. He couldn't end his life with a bang, so just smoked and drank himself to a slow death. Such a waste.

[Rand Kelly]

" I don't take drugs and I rarely eat when I am working. To me, these(cigarettes and coffee) are food."- Frank Zappa

[No Pride]

The cost of cigarettes should be $10 per pack, at least.

Ha! Here in Chicago, you can't find a pack that cheap unless you drive out to the suburbs. I love our city, but the taxes are outrageous, especially for cigs! Another reason I'm glad I quit!

[mkeneally]

Last time I saw Gail it was very pleasant. We hugged and now I'm so grateful for that memory. I have so much respect for her and I miss her a lot.

[yamishogun]

So why are young people picking up cigarettes and smoking?

I hope the smoking rate keeps falling, although one could also ask why so many people overeat to the point of obesity -- 33% of the U.S. population and closer to 3% in Japan.

A young person under age 30 today won't have to worry about dying from lung cancer or emphysema. Those cases almost never happen before turning 45 or so. A 30 year old smoker would be 45 in the year 2030 when those diseases will easily be treatable to the point of a cure by then. If over 30, I'd quit...

[yamishogun]

Not sure if this information is up-to-date, but the Russians and Chinese used to smoke non-stop.

Fun facts: 70+% of Chinese men smoke but only 5% of Chinese women do. In Japan, in the 1980s 50% of men but only 10% of women smoked. Today 30% of men and 10% of women smoke so the same percentage of Japanese and Americans smoke -- 20%.

[Jay.Dee]

Cigarette smoking in the US is still prevalent because the industry is very powerful and young people, for some reason, think it's cool. Just like the booze industry, it's part of the national fabric. The fact that it's addictive, kills people and ruins families doesn't seem to matter to many. It's nothing short of tragic.

[ronmac]

[Mister Triscuits]

Start 'em out young. Get 'em indoctrinated. As a kid I also enjoyed the fake ciggies that contained cotton impregnated with talcum, or some similar white powder, so you could puff out "smoke."

[ThomasKDye]

Start 'em out young. Get 'em indoctrinated. As a kid I also enjoyed the fake ciggies that contained cotton impregnated with talcum, or some similar white powder, so you could puff out "smoke."

If it was cold enough outside, you didn't even need that.

[yamishogun]

Well this is a blast from the past. I was 10 years old in 1980, and I ate a few candy sticks -- and 3 years earlier I lost my right arm to bone cancer, which could have spread to my lungs ! Wild to think about I ate some candy cigs. Ah, youth. I never smoke... well...except in Japan I smoked about a pack. But that was as a joke spread over ten years. 2 cigs a year.

[No Pride]

There's a little frozen custard shop about 4 blocks from my home that has and sells an amazing collection of vintage candy. Charleston Chews, Jaw Breakers, Mallow Cups, you name it, they've got it! What surprised me most was that they have those candy cig packs too; as politically incorrect as it is today. Who knew they were still manufacturing that stuff?!