The poster above reminds all that the French prefer you not smoke in their charming country, the fresh French air being reserved for scofflaw French smokers.

Here's another French proposition for a more perfect, therefore more French, world:

The municipality [of Paris], in tandem with France's main hospitality union [SYNHORCAT, syndicat national des hôteliers, restaurateurs, cafetiers et traiteurs], announced cafes, restaurants and hotels may from mid-November be issued with a label declaring "This is a 100 percent smoke-free place" ("Ici, c'est 100% sans tabac").

"This operation is entirely on a voluntary basis," a health official at Paris City Hall, Alain Lhostis, told a media conference.

"Smokers represent 90 percent of my clientele. It's unthinkable that I adopt such a thing," Philippe Sallebery, the owner of a brasserie in the centre of the city told Le Parisien newspaper.

In light of M. Sallebery's resistance, SYNHORCAT considered a "Ici, c'est 10% sans tabac" label, but settled on a less off-putting "Ici, parfois sans tabac".

Nationally, France has hiked prices of cigarette packets to among Europe's highest in a bid to cut down the health risks associated with the addiction.

The EU looks to steal a march on French nannies with this campaign:

The European Union unveiled a new anti-smoking campaign that calls on governments to put both horrific and humorous pictures on cigarette packs to deter people from smoking.

Among the 42 pictures is one grisly photo of a man with a cancerous growth on his neck. But most make only indirect allusions to the dangers of smoking, like a picture of a drooping cigarette meant to illustrate how smoking can cause impotence.

[Warning, picture links not pleasant.]

Here's an example of EU nanny state sophistication. Nice. And another. Sublime.

Yes, well, these lovelies are sure to connect where billboard-size alarms of "Fumer Tue" have failed to impress. Remember, Paris decorated herself with 1,200 of these beauties to little effect.