TC - stay away from vaping! We're OK.

Probably the best summary on "Self fulfilling prophecies". is from Wikipedia. Wikipedia is very useful for us ordinary mortals for checking basic facts - even if it is sneered at by the knowledge elite.

Wikipedia says "A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behaviour."

Is it any different from the placebo/nocebo effect?

We already know that placebo is powerful and that nocebo is equally as powerful but in a negative way  - from Wikipedia - "Nocebo responses are not chemically generated and are due only to the subject's pessimistic belief and expectation that the inert drug will produce negative consequences."

The banner on my not so inert Natural American Spirit Tobacco used to assure me that "Smoking seriously harms you and others around you" and also (in LARGE BLACK LETTERS) that "Smoking Kills". The very old people I know who smoke, did most of their smoking in the years when such  blatant subliminals were not fired at at their subconscious minds every time they smoked. They even believed it did them some good - and pleasure-wise maybe it did. Pleasure is strong medicine.

It would be interesting to know if death by smoking and smoking related illnesses increased when the minds of smokers started to be manipulated by such notices. Might it become worse if we are given pictures of how are bodies are expected to look if we carry on with our disgusting habit? We might produce that which we see.

Do we have the right to legally challenge our governments for exacerbating the damage we do to ourselves by the self fulling prophecies they inflict us with?

If I died as instructed to on my tobacco product, can my heirs sue Tobacco Control for causing my death prematurely?

Thank god there are no such criminal notices on my vaping products - I prefer vaping to smoking just for that!

Lucky vaping me!

Yesterday was weird! MY day was all planned - lovely, retired now, so I can do what I like most of the time. I love doing what I like. It makes me happy.


So, to get back to my weird yesterday. I was doing what I like - and, believe me, I do it well!

My husband was in the roof repairing the plumbing.

Suddenly there was an almighty crash. I thought my husband had fallen down the loft ladder and killed himself. So I raced along to find the top of the stairs, the carpeting, the walls and skirtings covered with orange-ish vomit. I thought, my God, this is serious. But my panic lifted when I found the empty 2litre PVA paint tin labelled "Apricot" jammed against the bannister at the foot of the loft ladder where it landed and exploded on impact. Husband was unaware, and there was he peering down from the loft asking me what happened.

Later, in his plumbing repairing day, he left the bathroom tap on in the basin with the plug in. The floor flooded. There was lots of wetness, paint and more wetness around yesterday.


I did an extra lot of what I don't like yesterday - shows you - never plan ahead. They tell me Pluto is ruling us at the moment - must be Pluto.


The plumbing in the roof is now fixed and the shower works a treat!


We did not have a pleasant yesterday.

 But I feel more lucky than he - he is not dead - and I can comfort myself by vaping. Lucky me!

Thank you Vapers

This blog is about vaping -  happy clapping celebrating vaping and defending vaping from persecution too.

Here are some statistics on my blog.

This is my 101st post. My 100th post "Do vapers know this?" had a lot of reads. But the one of all time was "Incandescent - shame on you Facebook!"

The USA reads my blog more than anywhere else.

United States	1886
United Kingdom	991
Russia	220
Canada	123
Germany	82
Australia	43
Poland	30
China	27
Philippines	17
Brazil	13

Thank you all those who have read my posts!

I have 13 followers - thank you lovely followers!

I follow 27 other people's blogs. There are many more I'd like to follow but I already have information overload. These 27 are people who are working daily to spread the word on the Internet that NO! things as they are, are NOT all right. They are using their right to free speech. The ones who are regular, chiseling away at those things they see as injustices, have my great admiration. It takes focus and discipline to do that. Thank you for wielding, on my behalf, my right to free speech.

You say it so well!

Do vapers know this?

On Sunday a Swiss plebiscite voted AGAINST a smoking ban as we have it in the UK/USA. They OVERWHELMINGLY voted AGAINST it. This is the first country, that I know of where the people/citizens have been asked about their attitude to smoking.

It doesn't matter if you are a vaper who dispises smoking because you have overcome it - or a vaper that considers themselves a smoker that vapes, this is an astonishing event! Whatever happens to smokers, will happen to us, because in the minds of Anti smokers, vaping IS smoking.

Two things come to mind that vapers should know.

The first is - if we now despise smokers (we are better because we vape) - we are in bed with our own enemy who demonises smokers and smoking and has twisted our minds to feel that.

The second is - if you have seen nothing about the "against-the-ban" vote in Switzerland in the press, it's because our enemy is not reporting any good news for smokers. This is proof that nearly everything we know about smoking has to be suspect.

I am WAITING for an article in the press, or a report in the news. Please let me know if you find one!

One small step? Or a Giant leap?

The result of the Swiss vote today seems really sane to me - I am pleased for once. The UK Government should take note. When Cameron came to power, I remember a reassessing of the smoking ban was promised. What happened?  Well, like many other promises and my vote in the future, it all went to pot.

It would be nice to live in a democracy instead of a lobbyocracy. 

Surely our politicians realise who manipulates them?  And how corrupt a lobbyocracy is? And how, to be a politician in a lobbyocracy you have to be specially adept at NOT getting yourself hoodwinked by sockpuppets?

Review the smoking ban like you promised!

Knife sharpening for anti-Vapers

I sometimes network links I find to anti-tobacco research - but I can't see all the studies because you either have to pay - or join up!

Recently, I see there are tons of "papers" being published. I suppose Tobacco Control are gearing up for their big conference in November....

Here are some links I can't follow....

Menthol Cigarettes and Mortality: Keeping Focus on the Public Health Standard

AC Villanti, GA Giovino, DM Burns, DB Abrams - Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2012

... exposure among individual users are only one line of evidence in the context of the public health
mandate of considering the population level harms versus benefits of banning ... Published by Oxford
University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. ...

The Relative Risk to Health From Snus and Cigarettes: Response to Grimsrud et al.'s Commentary on “Perceptions of the Relative Harmfulness of Snus Among …

I Lund, J Scheffels - Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2012

... From a harm-reduction perspective, replacing cigarettes with less harmful nicotine products can
in some instances be encouraged. ... does not also arise from smoking and that a substitution of
smokeless tobacco (ST) for cigarettes would have the following public health benefits: ...

Impact of Smoking Exposure Change on Infant Birth Weight Among a Cohort of Women in a Prenatal Smoking Cessation Study

R Benjamin-Garner, A Stotts - Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2012

... However, there is limited information on the benefits of smoking reduction ... As a primary metabolite
of nicotine, cotinine serves as a direct measure of smoking consumption and has been used
in studies assessing the impact of smoking on fetal growth restriction (Lambers & Clark ...

Converging Research Needs Across Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Articles: Making Research Relevant to Global Tobacco Control Practice and Policy

SJ Leischow, O Ayo-Yusuf, CL Backinger - Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 2012

... Nicotine & Tobacco Research . (2012). Harris JK,; Provan KG,; Johnson KJ,; Leischow SJ. (2012).
Drawbacks and benefits associated with inter- organizational collaboration along the
discovery–development– delivery continuum: A cancer research network case study ...


Remember:-

If it's about Tobacco - its about US! 

Dog whistle, my foot!

I was walking home from the town yesterday, with my dog lead in my right hand and my PV in my semi paralysed left hand as I am wont to do. My left hand "clutches" well, no trouble holding anything in it - nothing will ever fall out! So I carry my PV there - it hides the annoying stroke position and people think I am carrying something instead of walking "funny". I met someone I hadn't seen for over a year.

He greeted me and then exclaimed "What a wonderful dog whistle!" indicating my PV . I was really taken back and it seemed soooo amusing!

He got an excellent lesson on vaping.

Dog whistle, my foot!

No Sheeple people vapers please!

 If you are a vaper, and you want to do something useful for future generations, (and yourself), you could sign this petition....

Petition to the Government

Or, you could keep yourself on the ball with how persecution of your habit might pan out. We have ample examples of how it was done by Anti-smokers - so KNOWING is essential to halting the attack on us. I like Frank Davis's Black Lung post... For me this was extra special, because a nursing friend - a theatre sister, told me she had never seen one in ordinary smokers.

Then, follow those who are promoting our cause! Spread their blogs on social media sites. The only way we can actually expose how society is manipulated to believe things that fanatics WANT us to believe, is by exposing their machinations. Here is an exposure from today - Tippex! 

And here's another.

Become knowledgeable about Anti Tobacco ruses. Don't think smoking has got nothing to do with us - it has everything to do with us!

We must not become sheeple people!

My costs per month of vaping

I have just spent hours working out what I have spent monthly in a year of vaping.

I spend, on average £46.77 per month. (about $76)

If I smoked as I used to, I would be spending £51.28 (about $83.29)

I used to roll my own cigarettes.

I vape using Egos, tanks and with interesting bits a bobs and I mix my own e-liquid as a rule. So my vaping is no more expensive than my smoking was.

HOWEVER! If I modded and bought all sorts of experimental stuff and wadges of e-liquid, it would be more expensive than rolling my own baccy analogs.

BUT! If I vaped plain little electronic cigarettes with cartomisers instead of becoming a hobby vapourist, it would be much cheaper than rolling my own I think.

And all the above, is cheaper than buying packets of commercial cigarettes like some people I know who spend £200 ($324.87) per month on smoking. Wow!

VE Day for Vapers.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems, - ENDS. I don't like the name. I hope it's not a self fulfilling prophecy? ENDS is the term used by Tobacco Control - cunning, don't you think? Keeps them focused on what they want to do with electronic cigarettes. Electronic nicotine delivery systems, covers all types of vaping devices. including mods - AND including those that contain NO nicotine.

I don't consider myself to use electronic "cigarettes" - but, it is true that my vaping has replaced my smoking. If I wasn't vaping. I'd be smoking cigarettes. My electronic nicotine delivery system, has ENDED my smoking.

But I'm trying to think of  Acronyms more suitable to Tobacco Control...

Cigarette Abstinence Device Systems = CADS 

Personal  Inhaler Systems Solutions = PISS

Tobacco Uptake Negation Tackle = C*NTS

But the one I use all the time is -  Vaping Equipment 

Vapers - WHO rules the world - smoke anyone?

This report from the WHO for their next conference shows the train of thought on e-cigs...they "look" like smoking and must be banned so that smoking continues to be de-normalised.  In fact there are loads of "trains of thought"in this report, interesting, short sighted and frightfully depressing to me.

 I am aware that Big Tobacco pressed their products upon an unsuspecting public early last century which caused a "smoking epidemic" like the one I lived through. They added chemicals to make smoking more addictive and in an effort imposed on them by Anti-tobacco to make smoking less harmful, they made it more so.

But before this, people also smoked. Humans have smoked for thousands of years without any help from the Tobacco Corporations. Smoking is not some aberration, but something humans do.

Now we have the Anti-Tobacco Corporation(s) and the World Health Corporation and the Drug Corporations pressing THEIR products upon an unsuspecting public whom they have remoulded with anti-smoking true truths, half truths and downright lies.

Vapers read the report (or below) - this is probably what is going to happen - their stakes are high. This is BIG money speaking!

In the UK, the EU rules  and WHO rules  - the world?

If electronic cigarettes were banned, would you smoke?

see below....


 These are the points to be considered at the conference -

33. It should be noted that ENDS are products resembling cigarettes and could therefore undermine
the denormalization of tobacco use upheld by the WHO FCTC. One of the guiding principles of the
guidelines for implementation of Article 12 (Education, communication, training and public
awareness) is Norm change. It stipulates that it is “essential to change social, environmental and
cultural norms and perceptions regarding the acceptability of the consumption of tobacco products,
exposure to tobacco smoke ...”.1 Parties are therefore invited to consider that a ban of ENDS as alreadyundertaken by some Parties would contribute to changing the social norms regarding the consumption of tobacco products.
34. Another aspect to consider is that if ENDS are regarded as imitation tobacco products and
banned, all ENDS would be covered, regardless of whether or not they contain nicotine, tobacco
extracts, or make health claims. Parties may wish to consider that strong measures to prevent further
spread of ENDS could be considered under a number of provisions of the WHO FCTC, including
Article 5.2(b) which requires Parties to “adopt and implement effective ... measures … for preventing
and reducing … nicotine addiction …”. Most ENDS contain nicotine, and would therefore contribute
to maintaining an addiction to nicotine.
35. Furthermore, under Article 13.2, Parties have an obligation to undertake a comprehensive ban of
all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. “Tobacco advertising and promotion” is defined
in Article 1(c) as “any form of commercial communication, recommendation or action with the aim,
effect or likely effect of promoting a tobacco product or tobacco use either directly or indirectly”.
Therefore, Parties may also wish to consider whether the sale, advertising, and even the use of
electronic cigarettes can be considered as promoting tobacco use, either directly or indirectly.
Regardless of whether or not ENDS contain nicotine or tobacco extracts, they are used to mimic
smoking, which could be considered as a (direct or indirect) promotion of tobacco use. Article 16.1(c)
could also be relevant since it requires Parties to prohibit “the manufacture and sale of … any other
objects in the form of tobacco products which appeal to minors”.
36. Additionally, the use of ENDS could hamper the implementation of Article 8 (Protection from
exposure to tobacco smoke) as ENDS users in public places may claim that their electronic cigarette
does not contain tobacco and/or does not produce second-hand tobacco smoke. Parties may also wish
to note that Article 14 (Demand reduction measures concerning tobacco dependence and cessation)
and its guidelines for implementation refer to evidence-based treatment for tobacco dependence and
tobacco cessation, and to making available medications that have been clearly shown by scientific
evidence to increase the chances of tobacco cessation.
37. If ENDS are not banned, a two-pronged strategy – regulating ENDS as both a tobacco and a
medical product – could close potential loopholes in their regulation. However, Parties may again wish to consider the desirability of allowing the sale of new products that may have the capacity to maintain a nicotine addiction.

etc etc

"Live" on air....promoting vaping the fun way.

Last night I was on "live", on radio - with ravengrim

Live.

Fortunately there was no video.

ETA 11:00pm for a skype call.

So, up to bed, into PJ's, and snuggle in under the blankies with netbook, hubby and dog - very cosy - ready for action.  Outside, the (usual) pouring rain thrumming against the window glass. All preparations are made - a glass of water, PV's at hand - in different flavours - coffee, absinth and personal mix.

Right on cue, as skype is calling, our large ginger tom makes a dramatic entry through the door, and up onto the bed, dripping water everywhere and carrying an LWO (a large wriggling object) - pandemonium ensues and skype is calling - earlier than I expect. So I detach the toffee I am chewing and lay it, unfinished next to me on the bedside table.

Remembering the strange sounds I made in the last live broadcast with Kevin, loud clomping that turned out to be me putting my PV's down deafeningly on the wooden table next to the computer's microphone, I am set up to be quiet this time.

Husband is dealing with the cat as countdown begins - ssshhh, ssshh - no clomping please. I manage to get my headphones on at 3-2-1 - GO! The intro music is so loud in my head I nearly pass out with fright. I fling my arms out onto the bedside table to steady myself and adjust the volume to bearable. Somehow the chewed toffee gets stuck on the inside of my arm above my elbow and has to be removed. But this is a velcro toffee. It attaches itself to various places. So now I try to wipe toffee off with no assistance except spit and fingers. Toffee spreads. Sticky, sticky, yeuch!

I remember the facewipes in the drawer. I remember the clomping in the previous show - no clomping. I try to do everything frightfully quietly. Open the drawer get out the  facewipes, remove one from the crackly plastic cover, talk, wipe, arms, legs, face and fingers where toffee sticky has now spread. Talking, talking, wiping wiping.

Thank God for Ravengrim's calm voice, carrying on, keeping the hysteria at bay. The hysteria is not panic or stress, but the impulse to laugh myself breathless and - speechless., which is what happens to me when I find something really really funny. But we are talking about serious things and I am trying to keep my mind on the topic and - more - not make a fool of myself.

Things settle, for a time, Kensington Kenny calls - I can't remember when exactly. Was it before I choke on a sip of water taken to steady me up - or was it before or after I drop my computer on the floor? Can't remember now - I'll have to listen to the broadcast. Finally, I just unravel - Ravengrim keeps her head - thank you for that. I just want you to know  RG that last night was one of the funniest episodes of my life and I hope to retel it many times. Of course I will be speechless and breathless and rolling on the floor laughing!

.

Heeeee! fancy that! Hope he's vaping.

Health Minister Norman Lamb, who said he quit smoking last week, told BBC Breakfast the campaign (Stoptober) was "a good investment in health promotion".

Well, well, surprise....

If he is vaping, he could recommend a better investment, yes?

Vapers as scientists - become one now.

The first report on how vaping constricts the airways (temporarily) and how this "scientific" study got twisted in the press in the usual irresponsible fashion, made my heart sink. I am waiting for "science" to blow vaping out of the water in the same way that it did with Second Hand Smoke twististics. I do not think smoking is good for people. I think the Second Hand Smoke issue was blown up as the very best weapon to control smoking and smokers and mainly to change the attitudes of our culture. . There is no reason to terrify the population so they think one whiff of cigarette smoke will do them in. It won't. But this is now what people believe! This is using science to induce fear where none should really exist. What do fearful people do? They obey.

Since I started vaping, I have been waiting for the same kind of manipulation of society to begin. If we see how society has been "groomed" to feel revulsion at the stupidity of smokers killing themselves - and how they kill OTHERS by the tireless onslaught of the Antis, we must be absolutely committed to fighting back if it starts happening to us. I feel we are at an advantage - we have an advantage that smokers never had because they were taken unawares by the very sophisticated brain washing techniques that have been used to induce change - or should I say ENFORCE change. But WE have observed that manipulation, and are aware of how it has been done.

We must not let it happen to us.

"Science" is the bludgeon that the anti smokers have used in their cause. Us vapers need to be on top of the science. Every time the "science" club is raised as a weapon against us, we need to assail it with our own weapon - science! There is good science and there is bad "science". If we are simply aware that our science needs to be the good kind, we will proceed well. Science begins with observation and anecdote. It is statistically without doubt that vaping helps smokers to not smoke. Every vaper who tells their story anywhere - to their next door neighbour, to their doctor, on YouTube, on face book, in a blog, is increasing the anecdotal evidence for our science. Every vaper who explains how their smoker's cough has vanished, how their breath has returned, how good they feel, is increasing anecdotal evidence for our science. Every vaper that observes to at least another person how vaping has improved their lives, is a scientist for vaping.

One day, we will have many thousands of studies on vaping through "science" and science. We need to fight the "science" that is simply gobbledeegook with proper science.


How "science" should be dismantled by science....A recent Ashtray Blog post

Please feel free to disseminate this.....

Vapers be ashamed.

I constantly support smokers in their persecution. I do this even though I do not smoke but only vape.

I have posted before to say I am a smoker who vapes, and as such, I feel for smokers AND vapers.

We must not get too smug - our time is coming!

Here is a comment in response to THIS that saddened me.

Quote :-  I have to say that I get a little thrill of “told you so” with every new anti-vaping story. Good on the vapers for taking on this vipers’ nest at such an early stage – anything which gives Tobacco Control a bit of a bloody nose has got to be a good thing – but I have to say that as far as I’m concerned they’re on their own on this one. The moment I read comments from newly-converted vapers extolling the holy virtues of vaping and using derogatory terms for “filthy, stinky” smokers and bragging about how they weren’t ever going to die from cancer (yeah, right) or heart disease (yeah, right again), they lost any support from me that they were ever likely to have had. And I know from countless comments on here and elsewhere that I’m not alone in this feeling.

As we smokers know only too well, support from people outside one’s own group is vital to stop persecution once it gets going – it was ultimately the lack of such support at even the most basic level which did for smokers five years ago. Vapers’ only hope for outside support might have come from their ex-colleagues the smokers. They certainly can’t bank on the support of non-smokers, non-vapers, drinkers or non-obese people, because anti-vaping campaigns “don’t affect them,” so basically they won’t give a sh*t. But by adopting the typical ex-smoker-turned-anti-smoker attitude, vapers lost what outside support they might have had, so ultimately they’re unlikely to make much headway against a well-funded and media-savvy bunch like Tobacco Control, because each and every argurment, counter-argument or disagreement can be easily brushed aside as partisan and biased because: "You would say that, wouldn't you - you're a Vaper!"
But if nothing else, it’s a welcome relief not to be the sole subject of Tobacco Control’s prejudice for at least a little while.

I asked that I could use this comment in this post  and received this reply...

Quote - Feel free to use my comment on your blog, VP, but I would appreciate if you’d point out that I do recognise – as SteveW points out above – that not all vapers are anti-smokers and that many (possibly by virtue of having been smokers themselves previously) are both understanding of the unfairnesses loaded upon smokers and probably more aware than most other – so far largely untouched - disapproved-of “lifestyle followers” of the dangers of joining in with the bullies simply because those bullies appear at the moment to be the “winning side,” which makes them feel good.

I guess the real nub is that the anti-smoking-type vapers are likely to end up alienating that much-needed “outside” support which, ultimately, can only end up working against all vapers – including themselves - in the end.

As I have said before  us vapers who have become co-persecutors should feel ashamed.....

The two monsters of vaping.

I have been watching a movie on Corporations - actually a lot of them are simply a commercial form of slavery. In a way, we are just slaves in the Corporation of the United Kingdom or the United States or Canada or Australia. We were certified as "persons" by our birth certificates to be thus. The Corporations that own us, simply try to find as many ways as possible to generate money from us for their own survival.

In the movie, I watched a case study of how Corporations are paying a pittance to workers in the poorest nations to produce goods to sell to US, at the biggest profit. That is one reason why I try to wear second hand clothes, or swap goods on Freegle and such recycling sites. I avoid buying things. I try not to feed the monster.

I wondered about the people who make my batteries, tanks and components for vaping. Are they paid properly? Do we know?

There are two monsters I see concerning vaping. One is slave labour as we all clamour for cheap. And the second is - where the hell are all our batteries going to end up?