Every day Ed picks a topic, does a web search and picks the bones out of various international blogs. The varied viewpoints and opinions coupled with Ed's humor should make you think, grimace and grin.

Tabacco is a pretty safe bet as a topic of interest world-wide. Yet again, my blog search took me down a different route to what I expected.

They don't even grow the dreaded weed in the city of Tabaco. However the Phillipine government needs to be hung out to dry because, apparently, they are standing by as a series of politically motivated killings unfolds, including the murder of a guy from Tabaco City. It looks such a neat place on the TV travel shows, but obviously it isn't all fun for the locals in the land of food, glorious food.


The tobacco companies have no shame when they need to expand their customer base. They target teenagers so they can cultivate a smoker of the future, and now it looks like they are also targetting another great untapped and healthy demographic. Watch out if you are a woman in Africa. Tobacco will play a big role in your life in the future.

Incredible that the multinationals are going to turn the whole of a male-dominated continent upside down and undo taboos, just to make a few billion. Whatever next. And according to Mrs Tuwine, repressed women are going to be bombarded with adverts to persuade them to partake of the evil weed. There is such a dilemma coming up for young mothers when the nicotine addictions kick in - Do, or do I not spend my Nestlé powdered milk money on cigarettes instead?


And finally, you don't need to smoke the evil weed if you listen to salsa! Seriously, the 12-piece OrquestaTabaco y Ron will lighten the mood and cast you into a cigar and rum fantasy music land without affecting your lungs or liver in any way.