Thursday, March 27, 2014
March 28, 2014 - Issue #752"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." - Hamlet |
Lung Cancer: Germline Mutation Predisposes Women Who Never Smoked. What are the main findings of the study? Lung cancers mainly develop in women who are lifetime never smokers. Lung cancer development is much less common among smokers and men, although accurate figures are not yet available. So the risk among carriers is somewhat similar to the BRCA genes predisposing to breast cancer, where a female carrier has about a 50% lifetime chance of developing breast cancer.
Philosophy Professor Wants To Criminalize Scientific Dissent. In a proceeding straight out of the Inquisition, an Italian court convicted six scientists for providing "inexact, incomplete and contradictory information." Are Health Laws making Danes sick? Five years of smoking law & the paternalistic health policy has not led to more health in Denmark. On the contrary, the Danes have become much more ill. Since the smoking law and the other "preventative health & lifestyle measures" diseases, hospitalizations have exploded at a pace not seen before in Danish statistics. 
An environmental health expert wants the Scottish Government to ban smoking in the home. "The only way to protect people is to make homes smoke-free." Ladies and gentlemen, the genie is well and truly out of the bottle.
Broad smoking ban infringes on choices: The No. 1 complaint of opponents of St. Joseph's (MO) proposed smoking ban goes to personal responsibility and the freedom of choice for informed adults to decide what is best. This is where the thinking adult stops at the sign at the door advising he or she is about to enter a smoking establishment and chooses to not enter. University System of Georgia: The Board of Regents voted to create a policy that will prohibit the use of all forms of tobacco products on property owned, leased, rented or in the possession of the USG. The policy applies to all employees, students, contractors, subcontractors and visitors and is applicable 24 hours a day, seven days a week. White House Pastry Chef Quits: "I don't want to demonize cream, butter, sugar and eggs." First Lady Michelle Obama fundamentally changed his job duties to focus on healthier food. The pastry chef will not leave the White House until June, when he hopes to put together "a group and foundation of like-minded creative people" for promoting delicious food as healthy food. 
UK Council to ban people from eating fish and chips with their fingers: Council killjoys want to ban chip shop punters from eating with their fingers. Chiefs at Liverpool City Council came up with the bonkers idea, which has been slammed as "health and safety gone mad" by locals.
Man found guilty of electronic cigarette law that does not exist. His story paints a picture of the injustices that are occurring in Upstate New York and makes one wonder if "vapers" are being targeted due to the amount of controversy surrounding the e-cigarette industry. Jason feels that he has a very good chance of the case being appealed since the law that he was found guilty of breaking does not even exist. The judge told Mr. Dewing that he was using a portable electronic device which is a violation of New York traffic law 1225-d. "The way the law is written, an e-cigarette cannot make a call nor can it send text or data; therefore, it cannot be a portable electronic device," said Jason. Jogger Ticketed for Crack-of-Dawn Run Through Central Park. I just got a SUMMONS for running in Central Park at 430am "before it opened." ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME NEW YORK CITY? "And therein lies the irony - I was trying to get in better shape - exactly the point of all the other laws the last 12 years have seen, from no smoking in bars to no big gulps full of sugary sodas." |
 World Smokers Blogs: Watch instant postings to your favorite blogs. |
Thursday, March 20, 2014
|
March 21, 2014 - Issue #751 "Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears." - Rudyard Kipling |
David Wright: Top U.S. Scientific Misconduct Official Quits in Frustration With Bureaucracy. The director of the U.S. government office that monitors scientific misconduct in biomedical research has resigned after 2 years out of frustration with the "remarkably dysfunctional" federal bureaucracy. David Wright, director of the Office of Research Integrity (ORI), writes in a scathing resignation letter. I'm offended as an American taxpayer that the federal bureaucracy - at least the part I've labored in - is so profoundly dysfunctional. I'm hardly the first person to have made that discovery, but I'm saddened by the fact that there is so little discussion, much less outrage, regarding the problem.
Tobacco Control: The Long War: When the Evidence Has to Be Created. Produced in Collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Improving Population Health: The Uses of Systematic Reviews. (Read several of the Anti Smoking Playbooks.) 
Federal Support for Anti-Tobacco Advocacy Raises Legal Questions: Grant money supports efforts to enact anti-smoking laws in possible violation of federal law. Funding provided by federal grants appear to have supported efforts to lobby state and local governments for greater restrictions on tobacco sales and usage in violation of restrictions on the use of federal funds for political or policy advocacy. The revelations are fueling criticism of the Obama administration's efforts to tamp down on obesity and tobacco use. Critics say those efforts have routinely included illicit uses of federal funds.
All Smokers United We Stand: By Carl V Phillips. The interests of smokers and smoke-free alternative users are about 95% aligned. It is about respect. It is about not using the power of the state to impose moral codes on people. It is about truly believing in the philosophy of harm reduction, and not merely trying to support one's personal interests, and others be damned. Banning E-Cigarette Marketing to Kids: Senator Barbara Boxer introduced the Protecting Children From Electronic Cigarette Advertising Act of 2014, the first of what is likely to be many bills meant to control the sale of the product. JAC Vapour: British E-cigarette Brand Launches Vapourless E-liquid to Address Vaping Bans. 'Clear Steam', is the first British-made branded e-liquid that emits no vapour when exhaled and is the only product of its kind on the market that has been developed by a mainstream brand. This new addition to JAC Vapour's range, will have the same strength, flavour and throat hit that the brand's high quality e-liquids are renowned for, whilst offering an effective solution to address concerns raised around the issue of vaping in public. CA San Francisco: Will E-Cigarette Ban Extend To Marijuana Vaporizers? Marijuana advocates say that Supervisor Eric Mar's proposed rules on popular e-cigarettes would be applied to also-popular cannabis vaporizers. Add to that questions about why San Francisco would want to regulate and restrict harm reduction? CA Santa Maria: SM votes to extend smoking regulations to e-cigarettes. THEIR USE NO LONGER ALLOWED INSIDE PUBLIC BUILDINGS OR BUSINESSES. Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, said research can't yet answer many questions about how harmful e-cigarettes are but that they're generally less damaging than regular smoking. FL Collier County: How far is too far when it comes to Homeowners Association rules? One is considering a ban on smoking - even by homeowners on their own property. The homes are far from cheap and the association fees can be top dollar - one reason as to why some residents say the choice should be theirs. NJ Beaches: At least 18 beaches in the state banned smoking as of 2011, the latest year for which figures are available, but one group sees the prohibition as social engineering and unnecessary government intrusion on civil rights. "They're attempting to de-normalize smoking," said Michael J. McFadden, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for Citizens Freedom Alliance, a smoker's rights group. "Now, if you want to smoke, they're going to make it so difficult for you that you have to go hide behind a Dumpster." NY HOORAA: Helping Others Oppose Radical Activists and Associates is the name chosen to begin a movement to educate and inform the public on issues where big money backers have influenced public opinion and helped shape public policy. The "Associates" in HOORAA are the politicians who take advantage of the stances of radical activists for their own political purposes and in this case, it is a land grab! PA Smoking at home: State wants landlords to ban smoking. Twenty-one percent of Pennsylvania's adults smoke cigarettes. And if Michael Wolf has his way, none should be able to light up if they live in apartment or condominium complexes. USA House of Cards: "House of Cards" smoking habits: Do they work in the real world? The touchstone moment in each episode of the Netflix series "House of Cards" is the single cigarette that Washington power couple Claire and Francis Underwood share every night. It's what passes for intimacy between the two, but to some, it also glamorizes and legitimizes intermittent smoking, which makes up an increasing share of the habits of the nation's 45 million smokers. |
 |
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
|
March 14, 2014 - Issue #750 "Struggle is proof that you haven't been conquered, that you refuse to surrender, that victory is still possible, and that you're growing." - Jon Walden |
Cyberchondria. By Michael J. McFadden. The Surgeon General is Dangerous to your Health. One of the aspects of that danger comes from smokers avoiding doctors because they're tired of being "judged" for what the choice they make and they're tired of being preached at with information that they've obviously heard hundreds of times unless they've been living in a cave at the bottom of the Marianas Trench for the last 50 years. But there's a flip side to this as well: Nonsmokers who become so obsessed with their health choices and conditions that they spend their lives worrying about dying instead of simply enjoying life while they have it.
South Africa: First tobacco, then sugar, then sex. The government should not be allowed to decide what its citizens consume, says Temba Nolutshungu. Measures that, when implemented indiscriminately, increasingly infringe upon our personal individual rights. In 2005, South Africa ratified the WHO's FCTC and committed itself to implementing the draconian measures to control tobacco use. We now have legislation that treats smokers as lepers. It must be remembered that the WHO consists of unelected bureaucrats who are in no position to tell sovereign nations what they can and cannot do. Countries such as the US and Switzerland have chosen not to ratify the FCTC agreement, and others such as the Netherlands choose to ignore eight of the 14 FCTC "obligations". In 2010, the Dutch government took the decision to relax restrictions on tobacco control because it holds the position that smoking is a personal choice and that it is not the job of the government to protect the health of citizens or to force people to make healthy choices. 
WHO: Daily sugar intake 'should be halved': People will be advised to halve the amount of sugar in their diet, under new World Health Organization guidance. Dame Sally Davies, England's Chief Medical Officer, told MPs: "We may need to move toward some kind of sugar tax, but I hope we don't have to." And read: If sugar is the new tobacco, then put me down for a steak.
India: Anurag Kashyap refuses to crop smoking scenes, city doctor Pankaj Chaturvedi from Tata memorial hospital writes an open letter to the director. The Bombay high court had issued notices to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Information and Technology and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). A petition was filed by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, challenging the rules under the Cigarettes and Tobacco Products Act. The rules make it compulsory for filmmakers to crop or mask scenes depicting tobacco or its products. Ireland: Smoking ban for three 90-year-old nursing home residents. But the families of all three residents have appealed to the HSE to take account of their special circumstances. Discussions involving HSE executives have now started with a view to coming up with a solution to facilitate the patients. UK: Army commander bans sandwiches in attack on 'barbaric habits.' An army commander has banned the "barbaric" practice of officers and soldiers eating with their hands in a three page attack on appalling standards he has noticed. Major General James Cowan issued the note after he noticed officers were eating sandwiches with their hands. FL Rockledge VFW: The opportunity for veterans inside a VFW canteen to light up a cigarette as they nurse a beer is being blown away by a push for smoke-free posts. "I did five tours in 'Nam, now I got to come to this crap," said Navy veteran Bob Cinelli of Melbourne as he smoked under the tent outside the post. 
Marijuana: Smoking has changed from the old days of corn stalks, grapevines. I sort of went along with all these concerns, except I never felt comfortable with increasing government intrusion into personal choices and freedom. The same entities that were fighting tobacco are promoting marijuana. The medicinal value is highly promoted, and I guess the secondhand smoke is almost as good as firsthand smoke. It seems I remember when cocaine was cited for its medicinal value.
|
 THE ANTI-TOBACCO RECIPE FOR SUCCESS1. 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. By S. Phillipe |
Thursday, March 06, 2014
|
March 7, 2014 - Issue #749 "How fortunate for leaders that men do not think." - Adolf Hitler |
EU Votes Through Draconian New Anti-Smoking Rules. By David Atherton. After three years of tortuous debate, the European Parliament voted and passed the Tobacco Product Directive. For those who believe in reducing the harm of smoking tobacco, these regulations are very much an oxymoron. Many will comment that this is a piece of legislation that will alienate further many EU citizens, and confirms the chasm between voters and Brussels.
Glasgow 2014: E-cigarettes banned from all venues at Commonwealth Games. The decision was backed by campaign group Action on Smoking and Health Scotland. But Simon Clark, director of the smokers' group Forest, said: "If the organisers don't want people to smoke in and around venues, I can't understand why they would ban e-cigarettes." "E-cigs help remove the temptation to smoke, so they should be welcomed, not prohibited." Drop in smoking threatens embattled tobacco bonds. Tobacco taxes, e-cigarettes and a decline in smoking threaten the viability of tobacco bonds, already one of the weakest areas of municipal debt. As security for the sale of the bonds, many states pledged future revenue from a 1998 lawsuit settlement, known as the "Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement." Payouts have increasingly dwindled as smoking rates decrease. In January Moody's placed 31 tobacco settlement bonds under review. The ratings agency said in a statement those states could receive just 54 percent of the $4 billion in question, "significantly less than the 100 percent [they] expected." 
Sugar is the new tobacco. There is a new global campaign called Action on Sugar to reduce "hidden sugars" in food by pulling together international experts in obesity and labelling sugar as "the new tobacco." This voluntary group of scientific, academic and medical obesity experts believe that reducing the sneaky sugar hidden within foods can help battle lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
Chocolate contains nicotine. Caffeine is a well-known component of coffee and tea but many people are unaware that chocolate also contains substantial amounts of caffeine, possible because the regulatory authorities do not require it to be listed on nutrition labels. The presence of other natural alkaloids in chocolate like nicotine and myosmine, a minor tobacco alkaloid, is more uncertain, with conflicting reports. Myosmine has been found in foodstuffs like peanuts, milk and cocoa while nicotine has been discovered in many foods such as peppers, potatoes and tomatoes, which are all members of the family Solanaceae, as is the tobacco plant. Nicotine has also been detected recently in spices, fresh herbs and herbal infusions, prompting the EU Food Safety Authority to raise its maximum residue level in these foods to values between 0.03 and 4.0 mg/kg food.
Vehicle Exhaust Hurts Fetus. Air pollution is more harmful than SMOKING for pregnant women: Exhaust fumes could cause dangerously high blood pressure. On the basis of these findings, the researchers say more air pollution control is necessary to prevent dangerous complications in pregnant women and babies. The researchers now plan to expand their study throughout the state and also examine other conditions that could be affected by pollution. The Older Mind May Just Be a Fuller Mind. The finding that the brain slows with age is one of the strongest in all of psychology. Now comes a new kind of challenge to the evidence of a cognitive decline, from a decidedly digital quarter: data mining, based on theories of information processing. That is to say, the larger the library you have in your head, the longer it usually takes to find a particular word (or pair). |
 Monsanto: 18 Venn diagrams. Even when the products they are hawking are linked to birth defects and necrosis, these individuals seem to have no problem with actively circumventing everything democracy is supposed to be in order to pursue their corporate interests. |
