The book
Velvet Glove, Iron Fist has now been published and is on sale.
Order a signed copy direct from the author including free postage.
Published by Little Dice on June 22nd 2009
415 pages
ISBN: 9780956226501
Read the review from The Economist.
Read the review from Sp!ked.
News
19.05.09: The author will be speaking (and signing copies of Velvet Glove) at FOREST's 30th birthday celebrations on 22nd June. Details at Taking Liberties.
29.04.09: The author will be giving a talk at Leeds University on Saturday 2nd May (6.00pm) on the subject of smoking bans and heart attack miracles.
08.04.09: "Is this what they are aiming for - a global prison?"
Respected tobacco researcher Dr Kamal Chaouachi talks to the author about the anti-smoking movement. Exclusive interview.
02.04.09: New Scientist reports the English heart attack data. Does this make them deniers?
26.03.09: English hospital allegedly bans smokers (not just smoking) from entering maternity ward. ASH (US) calls for further action to protect people from 'thirdhand smoke'. See here and here
25.02.09: Exclusive! NHS releases English heart attack admission data. No discernible change since the smoking ban came in. Read more.
Articles
A selection of articles about recent events or subjects too obscure to fit into the book:
'Hateful, arrogant vindictiveness'
After 21 years in the anti-smoking movement, David Goerlitz speaks out against the extremism and corruption he sees all around him.
Listen to this remarkable interview here.
Read the author's article about Goerlitz at Spiked.
But he seemed so reasonable!
John Banzhaf formed ASH in 1968 to monitor anti-smoking ads on television. His descent into extremism over the last 41 years provides a classic illustration of the 'slippery slope.'
A global prison?
An exclusive with the tobacco expert Kamal Chaouachi on the subject of hookah smoking.
"I was slow to understand another poster advertised by the World Health Organisation. At first, I did not react because I believed it represented a bubble (of oxygen, of course). Then, one day, I realised that it clearly shows the Earth with not a single spot left on it for smoking. I wondered: Is this what they are eventually aiming for, a global prison?"
'The Anti-Smoking Movement'
The author spoke at the TICAP conference in Brussels on the 27th January.
Read the transcript of the speech here.
A report on the whole event can be read here.
As two journals publish articles which compare sceptics of the Scottish heart miracle to Holocaust deniers, the author looks at the anti-scientific concept of denialism.
A version of this article appeared in Sp!ked.
Second-hand science
Velvet Glove is pleased to present Robert Wagner's interesting take on the Scottish heart miracle.
Nuns, prostitutes, witches and toads
The strange case of cervical cancer. For over 200 years researchers were led up blind alleys in search of the cause of this disease. Time and again, association was mistaken for causation. We now know the truth and yet tall tales continue to be told about smoking causing cervical cancer.
Scottish heart attack study - the final verdict
Official statistics from NHS Scotland show that heart-related admissions did not fall by 17% - or anything close to 17% - after the smoking ban.
Cartman takes on the anti-smokers
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone talk about why they wrote an episode attacking the anti-smoking movement.
What would the great libertarian John Stuart Mill have made of the modern anti-smoking crusade?
In October 2007, the anti-smoking pressure group Action on Smoking and Health released a press release which dismissed claims that pubs and bingo halls would see a drop in trade as a result of the smoking ban as 'myths'. This article examines how credible ASH's position is six months on. This topic is revisited here.
Publish and Be Damned looks at the claim that heart attacks fell dramatically in Scotland following the smoking ban. Updated here: Scottish Heart Miracle Unspun.
For those who might be interested, I have compiled a full, annotated list of every passive smoking study ever conducted involving women married to smokers. 64 studies are assessed in total, most of which can be downloaded in full here or here
What they're saying about Velvet Glove
"Prepare to learn a lot, and much in the nature of revelations, from a dedicated researcher and lucid prose stylist."
"Highly provocative and consistently entertaining"
"I think this is a remarkable book. It deserves to reach a wide audience.""An absorbing read, I have just finished the history of tobacco section and was educated in an enjoyable way, I will certainly be buying this book when it is published."
"Mr. Snowdon's prose is lucid and dispassionate, his reporting is meticulous, and his research is awesome.""Thanks for the preview, Chris...absorbing reading and easily understood by the layman."
"Absolutely epic piece of work, well done!"
"I can't believe the amount of stuff you have found! It's like you have a dozen researchers working round the clock!"
"I just read everything and I think your book will be excellent. We just had a total smoking ban pass here in Louisville and I have been very curious about why this has happened so fast and to such an extreme. Your book answered many questions. I can't wait to read the rest."
Although parts of this book have been made available free of charge, all material on this website is subject to copyright. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any party without prior written permission of Christopher Snowdon.
You can contact the author by e-mail at author@velvetgloveironfist.com
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