by J.S. Holland
Last month, after continuing to rail against the inhuman advent of the "electronic cigarette", I put my money where my mouth is and went out and bought one in order to prove to myself how stupid they are, then tossed the goofy plastic toy in the trash. But I don't think I'll be shelling out the cash for these examples of humanity's deeper downward spiral - an E-Pipe and a truly stupid-looking E-Cigar - if for no other reason than they're ridiculously expensive and they look rather crudely manufactured.
These foul items were photographed from a vendor whose identity I'll not reveal. But I will say that I told the young man behind the counter that I was a writer and would love to take pictures for an article about these items. He said "heck yeah" and proceeded to give me the grand tour of all the wares.
But suddenly, a foreign gentleman ran up to us shouting "no pictures! no pictures! you should ask permission!"
"I did ask permission," I said.
"Who?"
"Your man here." I pointed to the kid at the cash register.
"He cannot say. I am the owner. Only I can say."
I tried to explain to him that I was going to feature his business in an article for a major local website, and that it would be huge publicity and a free advertisement for him. His response was: "I don't want that."
Allllllllllllrighty then. I politely excused myself and moseyed on my way, but have been wondering all day just what sort of business fears publicity.
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