If "Smoking Kills" why are you still collecting its tax revenue?

Those of you who know me will probably know how much I hate tobacco.

You might also know (if you've been unlucky enough to get stuck with me across a coffee table where there are cigarette packets) that I can't stand the "health warnings" that come with the bundles of cigarettes.

My argument has always been that, if they kill, why are you selling them? Or, governments, if you impose these warnings on tobacco companies, why don't you just ban the things?

I won't go into the possible answers to my last questions (I leave this up to you should you want to comment). My point is a much more serious one.

These labels not only remind us of the hypocrisy that rules the world but can also in fact, be doing much more harm than good. In a study carried out by a syndicate of anti-smoking organisations, involving neuro-imaging, phrases such as "smoking kills" were seen to do nothing to reduce nicotine craving. Not just that. Those smokers who felt some sort of guilt when reading the warnings, saw activity in their nicotine-craving regions increase.

So what's the point of these warnings?

To remind those of us who hate the smoke coming out of other people's nostrils that we are in the presence of poisonous substances? Or to spoil the joy of those who are addicted to their source?

I don't get it. Do you?

If you would like to read more on neuro-imaging and its use in marketing, visit the RSA website and look for the article "Brain Sells". Or just click here. 

Book: Children of the Revolution

I picked up this paperback in the discount bookstore, the Bookcase in Chiswick, which I absolutely love. (I have to admit, I don't go there as much now that I have the Kindle, but if you live in West London, it's well worth a visit.)

I picked this book up for my mother as I thought she would enjoy it. She did. As it was a short read, I decided to read it this Christmas while I was in Madrid. I loved it too.

The writing, the story and the characters are all quite unassuming.  The insight into the characters' lives is such that you get a real feel for their past. Children of the Revolution (apparently also released under the title Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears, according to an Amazon review) is the story of an Ethiopian living in the USA. Of course, like all good books, it manages to build a whole community of characters, creating plenty of stories and images that linger in your mind after you have finished the book.

It's an easy read because it is well written (it won the Guardian First Book Award); sometimes it can't help being sad because of the reality it is rooted in but it also has plenty of hope, much like its central character.

Errant in Iberia.

The Kindle is allowing me to read more books than ever. Finding books has never been easier, although it is easy to get a bit lost amongst all the titles.

So I'm really pleased that I managed to find "Errant in Iberia", written by Ben Curtis, an Englishman who left London and settled down in Madrid (like me, but the other way round).

I was looking for some inspiration for my A to Z project and I certainly found it in Ben's book.

To read more of my thoughts, please travel on the web ether to the A to Z of Spanish Culture official website.

Have a good trip!

Why Your Voice is Like your Fingerprint

Remember your voice is part of your body and therefore, part of yourself.

I grew up in Spain, watching dubbed films and television series. This caused me quite a lot of confusion sometimes and often took the joy out of watching t.v. Still does. In the 80s, the dubbing industry was a closed shop. So there were a handful of voices dubbing a whole range of in-the-flesh screen presences. To this day, sometimes I watch a dubbed series and think: "That voice, that voice...Furilo!" (By which I mean that she is dubbed by the same actress who dubbed Captain Furillo's wife in 'Hill Street Blues'.)

Voices change very little as you get older - unless you change drastically yourself. Unless you change your behaviour; or your physicality either out of choice (to fit in) or not through choice (for example, as a result of an illness). Next time you speak to someone on the phone who you know quite well, notice how quickly you can pick up their mood, their energy, their propensity to have a conversation with you. Wholly focused on their voice, it is easier to sense how they are feeling.

The voice rarely lies, which is why sometimes theatre directors and acting teachers will stop watching a scene and just listen, to hear whether what they're listening rings true.

Changing your voice is as difficult or as easy as changing your personality. We all adapt our voice and behaviour to the situation we are in and who we are with. The more relaxed we are, the more we let our true selves emerge. And, as with every part of our true selves, we are more accepting of some aspects of our voice than others.