Sunday, July 20, 2014
July 25, 2014 - Issue #765"Puritanism - The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." - H L Mencken |
PA Attempt To Tax Lap Dances at Strip Clubs.The Nutter administration has lost in its legal battle to tax lap dances performed in the back rooms of strip clubs. Lawyers for the city had gone before Common Pleas judge Ellen Ceisler, arguing that the city's Tax Review Board last year was wrong when it said the city's amusement tax was too vague to be applied to lap dances. But Judge Ceisler, ruling from the bench, today upheld the board and quickly threw out the appeal. Ohio University Considers MANDATORY Re-Education Classes For Smokers. They have plans for students who refuse to abide by the ban. Serial smokers who insist of lighting up repeatedly will be sent to the taxpayer-funded school's Office of Community Standards to "talk to somebody," said Ryan Lombardi, Ohio University's vice president for student affairs, according to the News. Students who have no desire to kick the habit may also be affected. School officials are also pondering a policy that will force incorrigible users of demon nicotine to enroll in the anti-smoking programs. Watch the trailer for the film Freedom From Choice. In an era where regulations and red tape rule every industry, where lobby groups and big business wield more influence than ever before, our daily choices have become increasingly limited. And with all our options so deliberately handpicked, are we really making a choice at all? 
On the dangers of third hand stupid. By Carl V. Phillips. The hazards of anti-tobacco stupid to the stupid themselves are well known. The loss of judgment that allows someone to participate in the tobacco control industry, and thus lose their ethics and humanity, are tragic. The images of their suffering - the compulsion to blatantly lie about the facts, the desperation resulting from trying to rationalize how they are helping the people they are actively inflicting harm upon, the doublethink — are horrible to look upon. But in some sense, these are victims of their own free choice, and they have made this lifestyle decision for themselves. The Circle of Hell that is reserved for them is chosen and accepted by those who choose to stupid.
No Water = No NSA Data Center. In Utah, the Bluffdale Data Center will require 1.7 million gallons of water every single day to operate - to keep the computers cool. That water is being provided by the State of Utah. Asthma inhalers may stunt children's growth, study finds. All corticosteroids except triamcinolone were shown to suppress growth when compared with placebos or non-steroidal drugs. ID Garden City. No longer unanimous, Garden City moves forward on smoking ban; hookah bar owner fears impact. No more public hearings are planned, but the public may comment in writing. The third reading of the ordinance is scheduled for Monday, July 28. If the council approves it after that reading, it becomes law. IN South Bend: Smoke-free group won't give up on smoking ban. Even though the South Bend Common Council voted against a smoking ban in some restaurants and bars Monday night, Smoke Free St. Joe members say they will resubmit a request for the smoking ban as soon as they can regroup. NM Santa Fe city councilor seeks smoking ban. Councilor Ron Trujillo has taken some criticism for the idea, which would also include a ban on electronic cigarettes and chewing tobacco. 
Australia Black Market. Attempt to smuggle tobacco goes up in smoke. Two Korean nationals were the first to be prosecuted by the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions yesterday with the new increased penalties under the Customs Act 1901 for illegally importing tobacco.
Ireland Black Market: Consumption of 'illicit whites', illegal cigarettes manufactured for the sole purpose of being smuggled, rose by 57% between 2012 and 2013 in Ireland, a KPMG study has found. UK BBC Bans E-cigs: BBC bans use of electronic cigarettes from all of its offices and studios across the country. It means e-cigarette users now have to go outside to designated smoking areas to use their product - which are seen by some as a healthy alternative to tobacco cigarettes. UK Video: BMA vs Forest on cracking down on smoking. BBC1 HD, Sunday Politics. Prof. Vivienne Nathanson from the British Medical Association versus Simon Clark from Forest. About the proposed after year 2000 smoking ban. Wales Smoking In Car Ban: The Welsh Government will soon open a consultation on the proposal, and the Health Minister urges the public to have their say. Mark Drakeford AM said: "We now believe the introduction of regulations to prohibit smoking in private vehicles carrying under-18s is needed as the final piece in the jigsaw to eliminate the harm and end persistent inequalities in exposure." |
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Tuesday, July 15, 2014
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July 18, 2014 - Issue #764 "The victor will never be asked if he told the truth." - Adolph Hitler |
 The Nazis' Forgotten Anti-Smoking Campaign: The Third Reich viewed tobacco as a threat to the health of the "chosen folk." Nazi Germany's well-known obsession with creating a master Aryan race led to many atrocities. But from these same sinister motives came research that may have had health benefits for the German people during World War II-studies on the dangers of smoking that led to the most advanced anti-tobacco campaign of its time. Unfortunately, the campaign was only concerned with protecting the health of Aryan Germans. A paper prepared by German scientists convincingly established for the first time that cigarette smoking is a direct cause of lung cancer. In 1939, German scientist Franz Muller presented the first epidemiological study linking tobacco use and cancer. In 1943, a paper prepared by German scientists Eberhard Schairer and Erich Schoniger at Jena University confirmed this study, and convincingly established for the first time that cigarette smoking is a direct cause of lung cancer. Research by German doctors also brought to light the harmful effects of secondhand smoke for the first time, and coined the term "passive smoking." But Proctor says the findings cannot be separated from the context in which they were realized. According to Proctor, Schairer and Schoniger's paper needs to be seen as "a political document, a product of the Nazi ideological focus on tobacco as a corrupting force whose elimination would serve the cause of 'racial hygiene.'" Your Doctor Knows You're Killing Yourself. The Data Brokers Told Her. You may soon get a call from your doctor if you've let your gym membership lapse, made a habit of picking up candy bars at the check-out counter or begin shopping at plus-sized stores. That's because some hospitals are starting to use detailed consumer data to create profiles on current and potential patients to identify those most likely to get sick, so the hospitals can intervene before they do. Canada: My kids are grown, so I don't want yours at the restaurant. A new report shows that Canadian parents are leaving the children at home more often when they dine out, but this may not be so good for the hospitality industry. France: Mayor of Paris announces plans to ban smoking in public parks, just days after government announces banning wine from workplace. "We are not into banning, we are experimenting," said Ms Hidalgo, who said parks in the unfashionable 14th arrondissement would act as 'guinea pigs in this experiment'. But the move follows a new Socialist directive which allows bosses to ban wine in the work place - leading to accusations that the very heart of Gallic culture is under attack. Congress Destroys A Hobby, FAA Gets The Blame. This week, the FAA released its interpretation of what model aircraft operators can and can't do, and the news isn't good: FPV flights with quadcopters and model airplanes are now effectively banned, an entire industry centered around manufacturing and selling FPV equipment and autopilots will be highly regulated. Voices of Liberty with Dr. Ron Paul: FDA Funds Research of Electronic Cigarettes. On the surface, it seems the FDA is on the hunt for ways to regulate and most likely tax e-cigarettes like tobacco. Is it at all a surprise that the federal government would go after this lucrative business? Sign a petition to Carnival Cruise Lines to allow smoking on port side of the ship in private balconies and suites. FL: Proposed regulations could threaten Tampa's last cigar factory. Don't take the cigars out of Cigar City. That's the message workers at the J.C. Newman Cigar Company in Ybor City are hoping to convey. They hoisted a banner outside of Tampa's last remaining cigar factory that says, "Save this Factory, Take Action Today." The Fedral Drug Administration published proposed regulations on the cigar industry. IN: South Bend smoking ban sponsor has change of heart. Common Council member Valerie Schey released a statement Wednesday saying she's concerned about how the bill will affect South Bend businesses. MO: St. Joseph Smoking ban confusion persists. In response, at least two North End bars have decided to still allow smoking Monday at the advice of an attorney who claims the city cannot ticket someone under the guise of two conflicting ordinances. WV: Hancock County smoking ban out for public comment. The draft of the document is now under a public comment period through Aug. 11. Afterwards, the board will go through and consider what residents want done during the board's meeting on Aug. 26. |
Free - Read The BookIn Defense of Smokers |
Thursday, July 10, 2014
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July 11, 2014 - Issue #763 "Mankind is at its best when it is most free. This will be clear if we grasp the principle of liberty. We must recall that the basic principle is freedom of choice, which saying many have on their lips but few in their minds." - Dante Alighieri |
Hospitals Are Using Credit Card Data To Predict People's Health. Some hospitals are identifying high-risk patients by buying loads of consumer data (i.e. credit card purchases, store loyalty programs, etc.) and plugging it into algorithms so they can step in before the customer gets sick. How does it work? Take, for example, an asthma patient. A hospital would decide how likely a person would arrive in the emergency room by tracking how often they have refilled their medication, if they're caught buying cigarettes, and if they live in an area with a high pollen county. "The idea is to use Big Data and predictive models to think about population health and drill down to the individual levels," said Michael Dulin, a chief clinical officer for analytics and outcomes research for the medical network, in the Bloomberg Businessweek report.
Who's afraid of the nanny state? Fear of an emergent nanny state is a familiar theme in ongoing debates about what governments ought to do to protect the health of the community. In a unique, interdisciplinary conference, co-hosted by Sydney Law School and the Charles Perkins Centre, this issue was explored in detail. The conference, which paired University of Sydney researchers with leading scholars from Scotland, the United States, and New Zealand, also showcased the contribution that the humanities and social sciences can make towards finding real world solutions to ease the burdens of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and related conditions... Laws That Were Great On Paper... (And Insane Everywhere Else. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. And Bourbon. The point being, history is full of well-meant laws and reforms meant to protect us from ourselves that either don't do a damned thing, or in these cases, actually make things worse. That's why they will not survive. As with all Puritan movements of the past, present and future, there is one reason they fail, one reason they will not or cannot understand. (WHO) does what all Socialists do and declares all opposition mad and/or illegal. Hospital Bans Employees From Smoking Anywhere On Earth. This so-called "job screening" will bar any applicants who smoke cigarettes, cigars, pipes, snuff, hookah, and even e-cigarettes from being eligible for employment. While the hospital already has a smoking ban on the premises and surrounding sidewalks, this policy forbids new employees from consuming tobacco anywhere, at any time. 
When Salt IS Good for You: The Thyroid Health Connection. In recent years, medical journals and consumer publications alike have been hashing out the controversy about salt consumption and its effects on an array of medical conditions, primarily high blood pressure and heart disease, but also osteoporosis, kidney stones and kidney disease, and obesity. There is one fundamental fact that has gotten lost in the great salt debate: the substance is one of the primary vehicles for delivering iodine to the body's thyroid gland, which is essential to production of thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone is used in every cell of our bodies to regulate metabolism and weight by controlling the burning of fat for energy and heat and managing the regulation of other vital body functions. Without iodine, thyroid hormone production simply does not happen, thus throwing the body into a tailspin.
Call to halve target for added sugar. People need to more than halve their intake of added sugar to tackle the obesity crisis, according to scientific advice for the government in England. The sugar industry said "demonising one ingredient" would not "solve the obesity epidemic". The body reviewed 600 scientific studies on the evidence of carbohydrates - including sugar - on health to develop the new recommendations.
E-cigarettes: What part of 'no danger' don't you understand? By Dave Pickrell. It is classic that e-cigarettes has given public health everything they said they wanted, smoke with no odor or effects to bystanders and safer for smokers because they don't inhale anything burning to get nicotine. Are anti-smokers happy now? No. An e-cigarette legitimizes smoking again, and that scares anti-smokers to death. This means they will lose absolute control of the debate. It also means that things will become much better for smokers.
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