Dear Candace Bushnell:

We're not, unlike your friend, Self magazine editor Lucy Danziger, going to judge you for smoking. Daily Intel is a safe place. For the most part. We mean, it's not like anyone here ever gave you any shit about the ballet dancer. Anyway, we say if you want to smoke, you go ahead and smoke because, who knows, you could get hit by a bus or a car driven by Darren Starr tomorrow. There's just one thing: Merits? Really? Our Grampy smoked Merits, and yes, he died of lung cancer, but that is not our point. Our point is that Merits are the cigarettes of grampies. Like, you might as well be smoking a pipe or Old Golds or, like, dipping. Like, you might as well start wearing Kangol caps and polyester. Please, switch brands. Smoking isn't exactly cool, Candace, but it doesn't have to be that uncool, either.

Respects,

Daily Intel

Smoke Buster [NYP]