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Friday, March 25, 2011

The Property Rights Newsletter
March 25, 2011 - Issue #607
“Get up and dance, get up and smile, get up and drink to the days that are gone in the shortest while.” - Simon Fowler
Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights!
Scotland Drinkers Update... Now Drinkers Can Hate ASH Too. To all those CAMRA binge-drinkers (oh yes you are!) who so loved the smoking ban, see what you spawned? The smokefree coalition is now so flushed with success that they're branching out in other areas. And why not? They have comprehensively conned politicians into passing hideous laws before, and are now able to offer their expertise to those who want to denormalise the lives of people who freely enjoy other vices. That'll be yer average beardy, cardie-wearing beer festival goer, then. You were warned, you know. Gotta laugh, eh? Well, not you fatties, of course ... I'm sure you'll also be targeted by this snowballing 'coalition of the hideous' sometime soon.
UK Drinkers Update... Alcohol is costing us dearly – we need action now. A 'responsibility deal' is not enough. The BMA believes we need tough legislation to tackle the damage caused by alcohol. The sad truth is that many drinkers have no idea how much they are drinking, or the harm it is doing. Still fewer have any idea that alcohol is a poison that kills, as well as causing chronic liver and other organ damage. Drinking at levels that will harm health or lead to premature death occurs in all social classes and all age groups, but the health harms are disproportionately felt by the poorest in our communities. The government must commission more research into attitudes towards alcohol in the UK, make sure school-based and general public education are clear, and consistent and are part of a wider strategy.
Antis: What to expect: The Cold Sharp Slap Of Reality. THE ANTI-TOBACCO RECIPE FOR SUCCESS 1. Choose an industry. 2. Regulate the industry. 3. Tax the industry. 4. Sue the industry. When one source of money dries up, return to Step 1 and repeat.
From The Mailbag
Ireland: Antis want more money and are making demands. Minister urged to clamp down on smoking. He accused Ms Harney of restricting the work of the Office of Tobacco Control by merging it with the HSE and reducing its resources.
Scotland: Blog describing the work of Freedom to Choose (Scotland). Educating the general public, and particularly the general public in Scotland, on matters where freedom of choice is under threat.
UK: Vintage Havanas unload at Boisdale Canary Wharf. Spring Cigars party on Sunday 10 April 2011.
USA IL: Got a "Smoking License"? A bill sponsored by State Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-Chicago Heights) would allow local authorities to issue “smoking licenses” to such businesses as bars and strip clubs. It passed a House committee, as did separate bills to allow smoking in casinos.
USA NY: Special Report - Smoking Bans Hitting Home. New York has been taking an increasingly tough stance toward smoking, but virtually all residential buildings have drawn the line at telling people they can't smoke in their own apartments. That may be changing. At least half a dozen Manhattan co-ops are expected to ask shareholders during annual meetings this spring to vote on an all-out smoking ban that would prohibit residents from lighting up in their own homes, real estate attorneys say.
USA WA: Bills would exempt cigar lounges from smoking ban. "No one that doesn't want to be in a cigar bar, is gonna be in a cigar bar," said Taylor, testifying before the Senate Ways and Means Committee Wednesday. Cigar smokers say they want in from the cold to sit like civilized people in a refined environment.
USA: Happy Meal toy ban prompts ban on bans in other states. San Francisco banned toys in Happy Meals, and the nation scoffed. Now that the nation is done laughing, it's legislating. Politicians in Arizona and Florida are pushing legislation prohibiting cities and counties in their states from casting cheap plastic figurines out of their cardboard, grease-stained fast food boxes. Yes, that's right. They're banning toy bans.
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# posted by Samantha : 11:40 AM

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Property Rights Newsletter March 18, 2011 - Issue #606 "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." - Carl Jung
Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! The Three States Cutting Cigarette Taxes. Bucking a national trend of raising cigarette taxes, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Rhode Island have considered reducing theirs, hoping to draw smokers from other states and increase revenue. Association President John Dumais said Thursday that cutting the rate a dime would cost the state tobacco tax revenues but would result in an offsetting increase in state taxes collected from people renting hotel rooms, eating in restaurants, buying alcoholic beverages, buying lottery tickets and buying gasoline. The net result would be no loss of revenue to the state but an incentive for tourists to visit the state to shop, he said. "People coming from out of state are going to have an empty gas tank. They're going to be hungry. They're going to be tired," he said. "It's going to help every business."
NY Eliminating Tobacco Control Funding... (Michael J. McFadden: In case anyone has any doubts after picking up the tone of the following press release, it's pretty clear it was written by the groups whose funding is about to go down the tubes.) The groups are urging New Yorkers to contact their representatives in both the Assembly and the Senate to urge them to support a final budget bill that includes the original allocation of $58.4 million for the Tobacco Control Program proposed by Governor Cuomo.
USA Ban Menthol Cigarettes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is debating a ban on menthol cigarettes as their slightly minty taste can cover up tobacco's harshness. That touched off a firestorm of debate within the African-American community. About 80 percent of black smokers prefer menthol cigarettes compared with 22 percent of white smokers. The civil rights group Congress of Racial Equality says a ban would be unfair, but the NAACP disagrees. (NPR Interview.) MORE articles about making menthol cigarettes illegal.
Scent Bans
Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! NV Fragrance Ban: Critics say a Nevada bill banning air fresheners and candles in public places would lead to stinky rooms and prohibit priests from using candles in Mass. Las Vegas Democratic Assemblyman Paul Aizley on Monday presented the proposed legislation, which would set restrictions on pesticides, fragrances and candles to accommodate people with chemical sensitivities. Proponents said air fresheners give them migraines or asthma attacks and prevent them from going to the movies or to restaurants. A cocktail waitress at a casino said inhaling the fragrances piped through the ventilation system felt like a concrete slab on her chest. Critics counter the bill would affect everything from candlelit restaurants and weddings - not to mention unmasked odors in public bathrooms that would drive away tourists. Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! Scotland Bars Body Odours. In 2006, nightspots are being forced to pump out perfume because the new smoking ban is failing to disguise body odours. Air fresheners and scented oils are being deployed in a bid to banish smells caused by sweaty revellers. Licensed trade chiefs say venues are turning some people away because of poor hygiene, which was covered up before by the smell of cigarette smoke. ... In response: Connie Pitts, Health Hazards of synthetic fragranced products. Let's seriously make a difference. Your life may depend on it. If you are concerned about the rising rates of asthma, breast cancers, leukemia, neurological diseases, and much more, then please email to everyone you know. Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! MORE articles about Scents from this Newsletter. Fragrance allergies, body odor bans, dangers of car scents, workplace scent bans, scent-free schools, and more!
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# posted by Samantha : 1:08 PM

Saturday, March 12, 2011

The Property Rights Newsletter March 11, 2011 - Issue #605 "We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing." - Mother Teresa
Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! Moss Lights Up Catwalk On No-Smoking Day. The 37-year-old supermodel smoked a cigarette as she paraded in black hot pants and lace-up boots at the Luis Vuitton show in Paris. Moss, who is a regular smoker, ignored No Smoking Day at her Paris Fashion Week appearance. It was also the day the government announced it was pushing ahead with plans to remove cigarettes from view in shops. Moss has been absent from fashion runways for several seasons. She closed the Luis Vuitton show, which was said to be about a woman's right to live life as she chooses.
A Few of the Earlier Pioneers for Freedom
Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! Catherine Zeta Jones Travelled by Private Plane So That She Could Smoke on Board. According to a source quoted by Britain's Mail, "she and Michael both smoke, and Catherine enjoys a cigarette when she flies, so a private jet is the only way she can smoke on board as it's banned on major airlines. She's quite a nervous flier and it's the one luxury she indulges in." Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! DEPP THREATENS TO BREAK SMOKE BAN. JOHNNY DEPP has vowed to defy any smoking ban imposed in Britain and attacks similar enforcements in his native America. "Obviously it ain't good for you, and I don't condone it or recommend it, but everyone has to find their own way out of it. The idea of bludgeoning people and telling them that if they smoke they are awful is ludicrous." Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! Will Schwarzenegger Lose His Cigar Tent? Arnie made pit stop for Cuban stogie. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was on his way out of town, after a quick trip to Ottawa to meet Prime Minister Stephen Harper, when he decided to stop his five-car motorcade for a moment. He got out and walked into the Westin Hotel to get a cigar. It was a Cuban, the kind that can't be found on the shelves of American cigar stores because of a long-standing embargo -- and the kind that Americans aren't legally allowed to smoke, even while away from home. Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! Read Joe Jackson's Smoke, Lies And The Nanny State. Ten reasons why the smoking ban stinks. "What’s needed is not just the repeal of the smoking ban and other petty, oppressive laws, but a return to healthy scepticism, fairness, and common sense." "I believe the antismoking movement, especially lobby groups like ASH, has far too much money and influence. Their dishonesty and bullying tactics should be troubling even to tobacco-haters, yet the mainstream media seem mostly paralysed by political correctness and a troubling lack of scepticism towards anything done in the name of health." Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! Slash defies smoking ban. The former Guns N' Roses star was recently involved in an investigation following a Velvet Revolver show in Wales recently after lighting a cigarette onstage. Speaking to NME.com, Slash said, said: "It's what I do--unless I giving up smoking altogether, which I don't see happening. I'll probably just take my chances, pay the 50 pounds, and smoke to my heart's content. I can't imagine being up there and playing for 90 minutes and not having a fag." Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! Keith Richards Finds Smoking Ban A Drag. Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards has lambasted the British government for introducing a smoking ban - branding it "political bulls****." But despite being bombarded with criticism for his lawbreaking, the musician believes the ban is just a phase - comparing it to the prohibition of alcohol in the U.S. from 1920 until 1933. He says, "It's a bit of a drag because you've got to freeze your balls off to light a cigarette. You've got to go outside. It's draconian, social, politically correct bulls**t. MORE Smoking on Screen articles.
Music Video - Dream Rangers Worth watching, and sharing. Keep the dream alive!
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# posted by Samantha : 10:38 AM

Saturday, March 05, 2011

The Property Rights Newsletter March 4, 2011 - Issue #604 "The most elementary tool of propaganda is simply the careful choice of the terms one uses to describe oneself, one's opponent, or the activity being propagandized about." - Michael J. McFadden
Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! Top Ten Legal Drugs Linked to Violence. When people consider the connections between drugs and violence, what typically comes to mind are illegal drugs like crack cocaine. However, certain medications — most notably, some antidepressants like Prozac — have also been linked to increase risk for violent, even homicidal behavior. #1) Varenicline (Chantix) The anti-smoking medication Chantix affects the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, which helps reduce craving for smoking. Unfortunately, it’s 18 times more likely to be linked with violence. More Articles About Chantix. More Articles About Pfizer.
Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights! Is tobacco the unlikely Alzheimer's cure? Star Scientific is developing CigRx, a nicotene-based compound that could help reduce brain inflamation and fight the disease. The study at Roskamp will focus on “inflammation,” and the theory appears to be that if chronic inflammation can be controlled or prevented then there is potential to fight the ravages of Alzheimer’s. Many medical experts suspect chronic inflammation is behind not just Alzheimer's but also cancer, heart disease and other serious ailments. Then even if the study is conclusive, there is a long process of refinement and further studies before any FDA approval that brings a cure or treatment to the general public.
State Insurance
USA FL: Lose weight, quit smoking or lose Medicaid benefits? The bill would require smokers and alcoholics and drug addicts to get treatment, Gaetz said. He said the Medicaid program currently includes a seldom-used provision that would allow the state to boot patients out. The system can no longer tolerate someone “who is an alcoholic and wants to offload the medical consequences of alcoholism to the taxpayers of Florida,” Gaetz said. Property Rights for all include Smokers Rights!
USA ME: Bill To Deny Smokers MaineCare Benefits Deemed Unconstitutional. It was a controversial bill that would have denied access to health insurance for more than 100,000 Mainers who smoke. That bill quickly evolved into a resolve during a public hearing Tuesday. That's because the senator who sponsored it found out it's unconstitutional to deny access to health care.
From The Mailbag
Canada: Two motorists charged for smoking in vehicle with kids. Smoking in a vehicle with children under 16 was outlawed in the province on Oct. 1. The consequences for drivers, as well as passengers, who are charged under the Tobacco Control Act is a $220 ticket.
Scotland: ASH Scotland opens page on research into third-hand smoke. Third-hand smoke was discovered in a telephone poll and has already become a tool for further denormalising smokers. Just one of the titles featured on this page of 'research', 'when smokers move out and non-smokers move in' (Matt, Quintana et al., Tobacco Control, 2010), is enough to make the skin crawl, especially to any smoker seeking to rent living space, and especially on the other side of the Atlantic.
Uganda: Jail sentences sought for public-places smokers. People in Uganda who smoke in public places will risk being imprisoned for up to two months if a draft bill on tobacco control is enacted. The two organisations are now asking the ministry of health to table the bill before parliament. But Gilbert Muyambi, the secretary general of the Uganda National Tobacco Control Association, said his association might sponsor it as a private member’s bill if the ministry were hesitant to do so.
USA CA: Questioning the California State Senate’s consideration of proposed legislation that would ban smoking in all retail tobacco shops and other locations that have been exempted for more than a decade from the state’s current smoking bans.
USA IL: Lawmakers Mull Smoking in Casinos, Bars. Two current bills under consideration by the Illinois General Assembly are expected to generate increased revenues for the state. They would allow smoking in gaming facilities and eligible businesses that have liquor licenses.
USA MD: IPCPR Says Proposed Maryland Tobacco Tax Increase is Anti-Business. A proposed 500 percent excise tax increase on "other tobacco products" could decimate Maryland’s cigar and pipe tobacco businesses.
USA SC: Does the new smoking ordinance really have public support or have members of the Florence City Council just been "blowing smoke?" The councilman said another public hearing could be held before final vote on the ordinance April 14.
Music Video - Mumford & Sons - The Cave So make your siren's call, And sing all you want, I will not hear what you have to say. Cause I need freedom now, And I need to know how, To live my life as it's meant to be.
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# posted by Samantha : 10:55 AM

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