Spot the difference
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 
Last week a large brown envelope landed on my desk. Inside, attached to a thick A3 sheet of paper, was a bright yellow card that read, "With compliments from David Hockney". (David, I should mention, is a member of Forest's Supporters Council.)
I looked at the paper. There were two facsimiles, side by side. On one side was a full-page advertisement for pipe tobacco - Wills's Cut Golden Bar. The ad (from the Fifties, I would guess) featured a comic strip-style story entitled 'Pipe Puts Him In Print'. Mike, a young reporter, is sent to cover a big fire on Pond Street. When he returns, Dodds, his editor, reads his copy and says:
"No, Mike, you've fallen down on this ... facts all over the place. You must concentrate. Why not try a pipe?"
Mike: "Sorry, sir. Maybe a pipe is what I need."Later ...
Chairman: "I like that Valley scheme feature, Dodds. Who's covering it?"
Dodds: "Young Mike Agar. What a change in that boy!"Later ...
Chairman: "You're top o' the column these days, Mike. You write like an old hand. What's the inspiration?"
Mike: "Not inspiration, old boy - concentration! I just put on a pipe of Cut Golden Bar - and think."
The ad concludes:
"The leading feature of Cut Golden Bar is the extra satisfaction I get from this fine cool blend. I reckon on half an hour's good smoking from every fill ... and think of the thinking you can do in that time!"
The second facsimile features a cover of the Guardian's G2 supplement (08.11.07). Below a picture of two white pills it read:
This is modafinil. It makes you feel sharp, and it boosts your memory and the side effects are minimal. The drug is licensed for use by people suffering from narcolepsy. But these days you're just as likely to find perfectly healthy students popping it. Katherine Hibbert on the rise of brain-boosting drugs.
Can you spot the difference? (Clue: one product is manufactured by a tobacco company, the other by a pharmaceutical company.)
Reader Comments (1)
Do you mean "Spot the trick question?" since the only difference is a change in culture.which now demonises a once acceptable product. Enjoy your modafinil while you can before it's banned. But I forgot, it's made by big Pharma so it must be therapeutic and safe.