Wednesday, August 27, 2014
August 29, 2014 - Issue #769"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business." - Henry Ford |
AZ Pima County proposes hiring ban, extra charges for smokers. Chuck Huckelberry said the proposed smoking ban for new employees, and medical insurance surcharges of up to 50 percent for current employees who use tobacco, is a matter of dollars and common sense. Don't like smoking bans at state parks? Do something about it. Decisions are made by those who show up. The majority opinion, from what I've seen, has been mostly negative. Many believe the rule is unenforceable, a gross overreaction and represents a slippery slope in terms of rule-making. OPRD has been called everything from a nanny-state enforcer to a rogue branch of tyrannical government on par with Nazis. Jail For Smoking Outdoors? By Dick Puddlecote. There has never been - nor will there ever be - a scientific study which says passive smoking outdoors is dangerous to passers-by. It doesn't stop one town from proposing a criminal record for smoking outdoors though, complete with a possible jail sentence. E-cigarettes are not a 'gateway,' they help smokers quit. If there was a device that helped smokers quit the habit - saving lives, reducing the leading cause of preventable disease in the United States and making life better for everyone - you would think public health officials would enthusiastically endorse it. 
Cup of Joe, or Cup of Death? Estimates suggest 85% of Americans old enough to eat solid food consume at least one caffeinated beverage any given day. That hasn't stopped activists from opening a scare campaign designed to "de-normalize" - fancy-pants Ph.D.- speak for "make regular people feel guilty about" - your morning cup of Joe, soft drink, or tea.
NZ: Gluten-free beer labels to be banned. Gluten-free claims will be banned from beer bottles under new regulations - frustrating brewers and people with gluten allergies. |
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Wednesday, August 20, 2014
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August 22, 2014 - Issue #768 "We must continue research into new forms of energy and into more efficient use of existing energy sources." - Mac Thornberry |
Butt batteries: Scientists store energy in used cigarette filters. Scientists in South Korea say they have found a way of converting used cigarette butts into a material capable of storing energy that could help power everything from mobile phones to electric cars. The end result is a so-called supercapacitor, which the scientists said stores more power, charges quicker and lasts longer than available storage alternatives. "Carbon is one of the promising materials considered for use in supercapacitors due to its low cost, high porosity, electronic conductivity and stability," the study added.
Did CVS Burn Itself by Banning Tobacco Sales? During the pharmacy chain's second-quarter earnings conference call, it confirmed that it remains on track to see sales fall by $2 billion this year, but what may have caught some unawares was the impact on sales beyond cigarettes. CVS said a broad basket of goods was also going wanting as a result of the ban. Will Atlantic City's Revel casino get a second life? If Revel goes dark, more than 3,000 workers will lose their jobs, and it wouldn't be the only Atlantic City casino to go out of business this year. Showboat, which is owned by Caesar Entertainment (CZ), is due to close Aug. 31, followed by Trump Plaza on Sept. 16. Australia Ban Damage: Smokers are being refused surgery by doctors unless they quit. The Heart Foundation said it does not support the refusal of treatment for patients who are suffering from smoking-caused diseases. UK Ban Damage: The Smoking Ban, Not Cheap Supermarket Alcohol, Has Decimated British Pubs. By David Atherton. Free market exponents may view that property, especially freehold, should be left to the sole discretion of the owner, within reason. However, CAMRA's blind spot on horrific pub closures, which they have sheepishly never commented on for seven years, is the smoking ban. UK E-cigarette advert saying 'Love your lungs' is banned because it implies they're a health product. Manufacturers E&L Distribution argued there was no health claim being made as the advert did not state that the products would improve users' health or benefit the health of their lungs. They added that they had wanted the slogan to be catchy, alliterative and relevant to both the product and the action of inhaling vapour into the lungs. Wonder Why Cops Act the Way They Do? ATF high ranking official goes after illegal cigarettes and gets owned by Josh Tolley. Listen to the conversation about illegal cigarettes, black and gray markets. The World Black Market. The Irish Retailers Against Smuggling hold the Provisional IRA, the Real IRA, the Continuity IRA and the INLA responsible, stating that "criminal gangs are making 3 million per week from illegal tobacco trade. Worldwide, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Scotland accuse the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)... the Columbian FARC... and the Chinese Triads. I am sure it will not be long before ISIS is involved. 
What is Marijuana? Marijuana contains a potent chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, more commonly known as THC. It's very similar to chemicals that the brain naturally produces, and disrupts the function of these chemicals in the brain. Marijuana today is more potent than marijuana of past decades. For a long time THC levels averaged 2.3 percent. Today, average THC levels are higher than 8 percent and can go up to 35 percent in medical marijuana. --- Also Read The war on smoking (except maybe pot) by Alan Caruba. And the government is not done yet interfering with the right of people to smoke. Steve Stanek, a research fellow at The Heartland Institute and managing editor of its monthly Budget & Tax News, recently reported that "E-cigarettes have no tobacco smoke but that hasn't stopped the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from proposing rules to treat e-cigarettes much like tobacco-based cigarettes. The draft regulations also cover cigars, pipe tobacco and other tobacco products that have not been regulated like cigarettes."
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 Watch the music video by Relic Let's All Light Up So, strike up a match for freedom, take a long drag for liberty. We'll gather outside in solidarity and pride, for smokers make the best company. |
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
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August 15, 2014 - Issue #767 "The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." -Isaac Asimov |
Tobacco Plants used in Ebola Cure. The drug cocktail the two Americans received, known as ZMapp, was developed by the San Diego company Mapp Biopharmaceutical. It is manufactured in Kentucky using fast-growing tobacco plants, which act as "photocopiers" to produce proteins that are extracted from the plants and processed into the drug, said a spokeswoman for Kentucky BioProcessing, the company that works with Mapp. --- The plants contain designer antibodies developed are grown in Kentucky by a unit of Reynolds American Inc. Two stricken U.S. health workers received an experimental treatment containing the antibodies in Liberia last week. Since receiving doses of the drug, both patients' conditions have improved.
--- Tobacco plant-derived medicines, which are also being developed by a company whose investors include Philip Morris International Inc., are part of a handful of cutting edge plant-based treatments that are in the works for everything from pandemic flu to rabies using plants. --- Chen has worked on research producing antibodies in lettuce and tobacco-related plants. His current research focuses on antibodies to combat the West Nile virus.
Scotland Ban Damage: A 69 year old angry smoker has actually got to the stage where he is sick to death of his social life being completely ruined - and has, accordingly, set about suing the Scottish government for doing just that: killing off his social life! UK Ban Damage: British smokers being denied treatment by state-run healthcare service. Smokers probably have every right to be aggrieved. Given how much they contribute to UK PLC, being denied services seems outrageous. Maybe they should have the option of opting out of the NHS and going private and being able to buy a packet of cigarettes free of taxation. UK Ban Damage: Paul Nuttall has eloquently stated the obvious in the wake of the Publican's announcement that we are back up to 31 pubs a week CLOSING. It's not difficult to see why now is it! Ever since this ridiculous ban has been made into a law the industry has gone downhill, a bit further down hill and is now in full descent as people finally get fed up of eating out. UK: ASA rules against JTI's anti-plain tobacco packs ad. The move has been backed by anti-smoking organsiation ASH, which complained, along with Cancer Research UK, against the 2013 advert. However, JTI has rejected the ruling and is taking its case to the ASA's independent reviewer. |
CASAA writes to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: We are writing to comment on the proposed regulation of e-cigarettes, and all of our comments should be interpreted as referring to that product category unless explicitly noted otherwise. CASAA represents users of all smoke-free alternatives to combustible cigarettes, and thus is a stakeholder representative for users and potential users of the other smoke-free products covered under the proposed regulation.
Quit Vaping With Big Pharmaceutical. Quit Vaping. By Chris Snowdon. I read that to be a Quit Vaping ad. First they wanted people to quit smoking. Now they want them to quit vaping. I wondered how Nicorette Quickmist worked. For laboratories that market nicotine replacement therapy (GSK, Pierre Fabre, Johnson & Johnson), the economic outlook is bleak for the coming year. They predict a double-digit decline in the market for nicotine replacement in 2014, before stagnating in 2015. "The hardest thing is that we still do not know really how to act in relation to this phenomenon. We do not know much about the principles of e-cigarettes," said Sophie Ragot.
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Tuesday, August 05, 2014
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August 8, 2014 - Issue #766 "When you stretch the truth, watch out for the snapback." - Bill Copeland |
Anti-tobacco lobby protests smoking in movies. In Transformers: Age of Extinction, and Snowpiercer. The campaigners asked the administration to "examine and limit" the number of smoking shots, and require all cinemas to run anti-smoking advertisements before the movie. In 2011, the administration released a circular on smoking in movies and TV plays. Since then, the CATC has released daily reports, granting a "Dirty Ashtray Award" to the movies and TV plays featuring the most smoking, such as blockbuster movie Let the Bullets Fly. Reynolds, Lorillard Dump Blu E-Cigarettes In $27 Billion Merger. Reynolds American RAI -0.59% agreed to buy rival Lorillard LO +1.13% in a $27.4 billion deal ($68.88 per share in cash and stock) that will create a credible second-place challenger to cigarette giant Altria. The deal ends Lorillard's independent reign as the oldest continuously operating US tobacco company and brings together some iconic cigarette brands, like Camel, Newport, Pall Mall, and American Spirit. Some brands will also be spun off in the deal. Imperial Tobacco Group , another competitor, will pay just over $7 billion for cigarette brands Kool, Salem, and Winston - tripling its size in the large American market. Imperial is also acquiring Blu, the leading e-cigarette brand. Meanwhile, British American Tobacco , Reynolds' largest shareholder, has backed the deal with a $4.7 billion investment that will maintain its 42% ownership stake in the combined company. Many U.S. Smokers Say Higher Cigarette Taxes Are Unjust. overnments have increased taxes on cigarettes in recent years at least partly to discourage smoking, but more than half of U.S. smokers (58%) see these tax hikes as an act of unjust discrimination. A study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research says, "It will take sizable tax increases, on the order of 100%, to decrease adult smoking by as much as 5%." Seeking National Soda Tax. Revenue to go to Obamacare fund cut by Congress. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D., Conn.) is seeking a national soda tax, an effort backed by leaders of the movement to ban smoking indoors and others who call carbonated beverages "toxic." DeLauro introduced the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax Act, also known as the "SWEET Act," on Wednesday, which would impose a 1 cent excise tax per teaspoon of caloric sweetener in soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, and sweet teas. Asthma: Just believing an odor is harmful could trigger airway inflammation. For many individuals with asthma, exposure to some odors - such as perfume - can increase inflammation of the airways. But according to a new study by researchers from the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, PA, just believing an odor will cause harm, even if it contains no irritants, can have the same effect. The team wanted to determine whether anxiety surrounding exposure to odors may contribute to the development of asthma symptoms. Participants who believed the odor could cause harm experienced immediate airway inflammation, and to the team's surprise, this inflammation remained 24 hours later. LA: Will All New Orleans Bars Soon Be Smoke-Free? Elizabeth Stella attended a recent town hall meeting at Carrollton Station. The topic: smoking in New Orleans' bars, something Stella is very vocal about. "I'll tell you what," Stella said during the meeting. "I'm sick and tired of being treated like a dog by this society because I happen to be a smoker. I have rights too, I pay taxes. Sometimes I think I'm living in the Soviet U nion. When I was a kid this wasn't even a damn issue." NJ: Considers Restrictions on Shore Smoking. Kristen Debell of Wayne says there's plenty of room for smokers on the sand. "I'm mindful of who I'm around, but it gets burdensome to have to walk to a special section, especially when you have kids," she said. "It's nuts to ban smoking outside. Where do you draw the line?" Scotland: A dress code for taxi drivers is to be introduced in Moray. A restriction on smoking was backed by 67% of respondents, while 96% supported the introduction of a language test. |
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