re: www.thetruth.com I popped over to the website for those orange anti-smoking ads (you know, exploding basketball players, snotty kids being hostile on webcams ....) because, well .... Anyway, I wrote them to ask what was up with one of their ad spots, since it asked people to make an utterly futile demonstration and to destroy their own property. But in the meantime, I had an opportunity to use their forwarding service so I could write the CEO's of two tobacco companies and thank them for being great product providers (that sounds sarcastic, but from a smoker's perspective ....) But what really caught my eye was a "name generator". This thing cracks me up, since it's a big data collection tool. But you put your first and last name into separate fields and it searches a long list of words to make you a new name, one "to be proud of" and to "use wisely". Anyway, it seems to me it's harmless, but a few years ago, parents wouldn't have been so keen about this sort of thing. I mean, I knew enough guys who put "OG" or "Dog" into their name in my days to know that parents generally hate that crap. However, this is interesting: is it OK to do something parents have generally thought not good for their children if your "cause" is good? (Never mind that thetruth.com is operated by tobacco companies.) So I ask this: What if it was a rap website, giving your kids a street name? What if it was a Satanic heavy metal site giving your kids a dark name? What if it was the local youth group, renaming your children and asking them to call each other by their class names? But I have no real opinion. On the one hand, I think it's generally harmless. On the other, it's patently stupid. Who am I to say so? Apparently I'm the Street-Level Rump-Shakin' Duck of Truth, that's who! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Maybe a real issue would suffice here, y'think? Okay, okay ... how about this? I've noticed that several of thetruth.com's ads have utterly missed the mark. Furthermore, it's plagued by an endless parade of hostile attitudes that, when I was in high school, belonged to the people with which I did not associate. I would imagine this sort of thing is common, since I'm hardly the first, last, or only King of the Fools. But between an utterly hollow presentation method apparently meant to impress kids somehow, and messages that aren't quite on target, is it possible that the tobacco interests running thetruth.com are intentionally subverting their own campaign in order to lessen its impact? thanx, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ps--I have no idea why I care at all about this; maybe I'm just fed up because one of my drinking buddies is in lust with Brittany Spears, so I had to watch the whole damn Teen Choice Awards last night. ------------------ We are unutterably alone, essentially, especially in the things most intimate and important to us. (Ranier Maria Rilke)
Hey, where was that name generator? I looked around but couldn't find it. Got a link? It sounds goofy as hell.
Now Now guys, Say what you will about Britney, but you must admit she's not hard to look at...listen well thats a whole different story.
The name generator's at http://www.thetruth.com/comm/flash/index.cfm It's the rightmost link. And check out that goofy nav tool in the upper left, too. I like that. thanx, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ------------------ We are unutterably alone, essentially, especially in the things most intimate and important to us. (Ranier Maria Rilke)
Tame Tiassa...you are on downers for this post? But you said: So I ask this: What if it was a rap website, giving your kids a street name? What if it was a Satanic heavy metal site giving your kids a dark name? What if it was the local youth group, renaming your children and asking them to call each other by their class names? Names are importaint. We should take them seriously. The Bible, in more original languages, identifies God by 211 specific names with specific meanings, and another 489 "nick names" with specific meanings...none of them goofy or meaningless. My wife and I looked up each of our 5 childrens' names in name books before we allowed them to stick to make sure there was a wholesome messages behind them (we went through a lot of names). My oldest son was given the same initials that I have (I am the oldest son), which are the same initials that my father has, which are the same initials that his father had...this done as one of many ways to provide history-heritage. The kids pick up nick names here and there and we talk about them...have fun with them...we laugh about them...however the name shows them in a good light or it gets the cold unapproving eye and it never gets mentioned again. Yeah...it's important and we as parents monitor who calls who what and who comes home with what name.
From: info@thetruth.com Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 10:24:55 -0500 To: tiassa@altavista.com Subject: Response to your feedback to thetruth.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey B.D. There is reasoning behind the "rip it out" campaign. Take this scenario for instance. YOu have a friend or family member over your house, and they decide they want to read a magazine. Because you ripped the tobacco ads out of the magazine, they will no longer be subject to it. This also works if you lend a magazine out. Thanks for the email. -truth This message was sent in response to the following, submitted to thetruth.com: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: 08/23/2000 Name: (deleted) Email: tiassa@altavista.com Comments: re: Ripping out magazine adverts Isn't the campaign to encourage kids to destroy printed magazines a little futile? The apparent logic I see is that people are making their own selves feel better about hating tobacco companies, and that's fine, except that it's ineffective--that is, the people tearing out the ads of their own magazines (per advert fine-printed advice) has the appearance of preaching to the converted, as such. Thus I submit to you: What is the point of removing the advertisements? The publications these people choose to read have the choice to not sell advert space. It seems to me that the more effective and less cowardly thing to do would be to boycott the magazines themselves; refusing to buy them until they publicly declare that they will no longer accommodate the tobacco industry through any of their commercial enterprises. And you have to target the whole company: one might possibly convince Guccione to remove cigarette ads from SPIN, should it be demonstrated that enough youth read this magazine; however, I can guarantee you that so long as print ads are legal, Guccione's HUSTLER will sell advert space, so that you're still patronizing the tobacco company if you purchase SPIN. Really, though, give better thought to such ideas; destroying printed matter seemed like a fine ambition, but it's not particularly effective, is it? thank you, bdh Please do not reply directly to this email. If all of your questions were not answered check out our FAQ page at http://www.thetruth.com/faq/html/index.html. If you still have further questions or concerns email us at http://www.thetruth.com/comm/html/feedback.cfm. Thanks! ------------------ Whether God exists or does not exist, He has come to rank among the most sublime and useless truths.--Denis Diderot
A NOTE ON THE PRIOR POST: I kept looking for this email in the wrong box (I have one set aside for collecting newsletters &c.). But the email exchange above includes the original question I asked thetruth.com, as well as their answer. One edit exists in this email: I have removed my own name from the original email. Other than that, I have not altered a letter. thanx, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ------------------ Whether God exists or does not exist, He has come to rank among the most sublime and useless truths.--Denis Diderot
Would you believe me if I said, "No"? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I don't know ... it just seems kind of pointless. I mean, Mr. Publisher is taking profit from Mr. Cigarette, and the consumer endorses both the content and the advertising, it seems, of the magazine by their purchase. If nobody reads it, Mr. Cigarette won't want to buy ad space there. But if nobody reads wherever Mr. Cigarette goes to advertise, Mr. Publisher, Mr. Magazine, and Mr. Subscription won't want to sell ad space to Mr. Cigarette. It would be more effective, I think, to simply not buy the magazines in the first place, and save yourself the effort of ripping out the pages. It seems more of a morale-builder, a feel-good demonstration aimed at an objectified substitute for the focus of our anger. (There's a reason I'm grinning huge. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ) Anyway, that's about the crux of my beef with the campaign. thanx, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ------------------ Whether God exists or does not exist, He has come to rank among the most sublime and useless truths.--Denis Diderot
Oh I believe you Tiassa. I read the reply and then the letter you wrote...I found myself reading the answer and thinking what the hell was that????? Its seems like a blow off to me, and I hate that. I'd even go as far as calling the reply condesending (sp?)....did you send them a "NO SHIT--GENIUS, and get a real job" reply Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Yeah ... I reminded them that you're still supporting tobacco companies by buying the magazine, but I'm pretty sure the idea is a little beyond them. Not intellectually, I hope, but as a matter of will. The campaign is neither well organized nor well-taken, as far as I'm concerned. Sometimes I think the outright anemia of the thing is the point; make the gesture, but I'm sure half the people who make those ads smoke. I don't know ... maybe I'm looking for one last swipe on behalf of my good friends in Tobaccoland. They've been good to me. But now my doctor has given me purple happy-pills and begged me to stop. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! thanx, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ------------------ Whether God exists or does not exist, He has come to rank among the most sublime and useless truths.--Denis Diderot
purple pills??? what do they do?? I've tried to give up smoking but its a health hazard for people around me so I quite quiting Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! maybe one day???
It's called "Wellbutrin", of all the dumb names. Apparently, it was an ADD drug for children in the mid 1980's. As prescription drugs became a rage by the end of the '80's, doctors were prescribing adults with behavioral disorders as ADD. Among the drugs prescribed was Wellbutrin (I'm not sure it was under the same name). As more adults took it, the doctors started noticing something odd: the patients were quitting smoking. At any rate, this just happens to be a particularly effective antidepressant for this purpose. It has to do with maintaining serotonin and epinephrine levels so that ... well, the need for a cigarette occurs less and less, until you don't think about it. Wild, eh? But even afterward, I will maintain my general (thoroughly bigoted) stance against antidepressants. It works for this, but as one who has been theorized many times to be depressed, I can say that I would hate to have anything stronger tinkering with my head like this. It's an entirely new sensation of anger you get. It's not the issue ... the pills make the issue not matter. But they don't do anything to alleviate how angry you get at not getting angry. Did you ever see The Simpsons when they put Bart on "Focusin"? Yeah ... that's about it. But the drug has no discretion about what you focus on, and therein lies the problem. But it's working fine & dandy for the cigarettes. thanx, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ------------------ Whether God exists or does not exist, He has come to rank among the most sublime and useless truths.--Denis Diderot
WOW!!!!! seems kinda extreme to kick a habit. First time I've heard of it. The best we get in Aus, is patches or gum and support lines on the phone....They try and scare you into quiting too, like an TV ad' campaign where they squeeze a butt load of puss and shit out of a human Aorta, or disect a smokers lung etc...pretty gross I just change the channel. They claim that paying 10 bucks for a packet of cigerettes is also to help people quit....Don't know anyone who was motivated to quite for any of those reasons. Let me know how it goes for you...and good luck with it. On a side note I checked out a REALLY nice PRS the other day, sunburst, went home to bring my Les in and do a swap (I'd have to pay abit of cash too) but I woosed out, hard to let that les go even though I hardly pick it up anymore.
The verdict on the little purple pills to stop smoking is in .... Bearing in mind the following factors (and personal whining): * My doctor prescribed 60 pills (2 months worth) * My insurance company, who assigns my doctor, rejected the prescription. * After calling and literally screaming at my insurance company for ten or so minutes, I got them to understand that the doctor they assigned me was trying to make me a less expensive patient to keep on their roster. (Hit 'em where it hurts the most: the bankroll. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ) * The pharmacy asked me to violate federal law if I needed to refill the prescription, and issued half of what my doctor prescribed. * I stopped the cycle after fifteen days. Observations/comments: Inasmuch as our desire was my own cessation of my nicotine habit, mission accomplished. However, once again I find myself grinning at an ironic paradox. Does a certain portion of the Universe really play out that close to expectation, or is it all what one chooses to put into it? I have a longstanding bigotry (there's no other word for it) against prescription antidepressants. Much like certain ventures I find pointless, and which I have repeatedly complained about in concept in various threads, I now find myself vindicated in my own mind. If I never have another prescribed antidepressant in me again, I will be extremely happy. If anyone recalls The Simpsons "Focusin" episode, I mentioned earlier in the thread, let me say that this particular antidepressant (which was neither tricyclic nor MAO-I, go figure) is exactly what Focusin implied. It helps one's focus immensely. Unfortunately, it has no particular concern regarding what one focuses on. Thus, it is very possible to sit and boil in your own negativity, which I seem to have done quite a bit. Can't talk, Dad. Coming down. If I might quote Lisa "the Lizard Queen" Simpson (what isn't that show good for?), I would say that coming off this drug is a nightmare. For me, on a shortened cycle, it hit 26 hours after I took the last pill. I felt the familiar anger-response in my brain, and suddenly there was two weeks worth of frustration spilling into everything I did. I was informed this morning that the very drug I used to quit smoking absolutely buried a friend of mine--who was also given the drug for nicotine-busting--in a wallow of his own morass. Presently he's on six weeks leave from work while his doctors spike his brain with stronger antidepressants to bring him back around to emotional funcitonalism. So I guess Wellbutrin has its drawbacks. Another note: One of the things I like about hallucinogens is the raw feeling in my brain afterward. It literally feels like I've been up in my own skull, scraping the crap out of my synapses. The plus side of this is that thinking actually feels lighter, and it incites perma-grin for at least a couple of days. My sense of irony is honed, and my sense of subtlety severely exaggerated during these periods. Wellbutrin has left me with a similar set of sensations, though of considerably reduced magnitude. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to try to quit smoking, but it's not good for anyone who, like me, probably needs a little medication, anyway. Yet another note: Wellbutrin seems to work selectively. I did not change certain, other vice patterns of mine. While I could not drink, I can say that at least one of my elective habits (cough-cough Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ) was utterly unaffected by the antidepressant. thanx, Tiassa Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ------------------ Whether God exists or does not exist, He has come to rank among the most sublime and useless truths.--Denis Diderot [This message has been edited by tiassa (edited October 05, 2000).]
So you kicked the nicotine, well done. My path to kicking the habit is gonna be a rough one. The company I work for has been bought out by an international public company, as a result I'm being transfered to head office which is great (the IT scope is huge so I'm looking forward to it), however there is a NO SMOKE BREAK policy there so I won't have a choice. Glad to hear the pills didn't effect the more interesting habit....we've got some realy nice hydro around at the moment so Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! for me this weekend. The effects you described when coming down off the pills kinda remind of the last time I went on a speed bindge (new years...that was the first time in years). Both my wife and I decided to get silly over new years and had ALOT of it (my wife never had it before, doubt she'll ever try again)...anyway about midday the following day we both just went ballistic...it was like the euphoria switched off and anger kicked in....and it was pretty much that imediate. Decided to (cough cough Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ) through it and try to sleep it off....anyway I think I know how you felt. Tell me though do you get any nicotine cravings now or is it all cool???
HTR44, windge, windge complain, bitch, complain, nag, bitch, windge windge windge.... If you don't like it BITE ME!!!! or don't read it. [This message has been edited by Rambler (edited October 08, 2000).]
