Thursday, November 19, 2015
The Property Rights Newsletter Issue #818
November 20, 2015 - Issue #818"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." - Hippocrates |
Red Meat Is Just As Likely To Give You Cancer As A Cigarette, The World Health Organization Says. International health experts are set to list processed meat among the most cancer-causing substances in the world, including arsenic and asbestos. The World Health Organization (WHO) will also be listing fresh red meat in the "encyclopedia of carcinogens," ranked as only slightly less dangerous than preserved products such as bacon, sausages, and burgers.
AND How valid are the studies that the WHO used to categorize processed meat as carcinogenic and red meat as probably carcinogenic? 
CVS burned again by tobacco ban. Sales at CVS were once again burned by its decision not to sell cigarettes. CVS Caremark reported that its general merchandise sales fell in the most recent quarter mainly as a result of its decision to pull cigarettes and other tobacco products from its shelves. due to their negative impact on health. This was the fifth straight quarter that CVS took a hit to merchandise sales.
Billionaires Who Want To Tax Poor People. Thomas Steyer is one of them. As a billionaire, he is, well, really rich. In the past, he has funded efforts to impose regressive taxes on energy. Now he is funding an attempt to significantly increase California's cigarette tax (from 87 cents per pack to $2 per pack). An initiative filed by Save Lives California will likely be on the 2016 ballot with Steyer's help. Besides the big tax increase, the initiative will impose an equivalent tax on electronic cigarettes. Cybersecurity: Everyone you know will be able to rate you on the terrifying ‘Yelp for people' - whether you want them to or not. So the most surprising thing about Peeple - basically Yelp, but for humans - may be the fact that no one has yet had the gall to launch something like it. When the app does launch, probably in late November, you will be able to assign reviews and one- to five-star ratings to everyone you know: your exes, your co-workers, the old guy who lives next door. You can't opt out - once someone puts your name in the Peeple system, it's there unless you violate the site's terms of service. And you can't delete bad or biased reviews - that would defeat the whole purpose. 
Outdoor Smoking Bans Debated At The Battle Of Ideas. I don't think anyone should be forced to give up smoking against their will. I know we are in the middle of 'Stoptober', but come on - giving up when you're in the middle of a mental breakdown is inhuman. I can't think of a worse time or place to quit. That's the way I see it, but public health quangos instead say it's a prime time to intervene because they have a powerless captive audience.
Sunnyvale, California City Council Considers In-Home Smoking Ban. Sunnyvale, California lawmakers are proposing new rules that would ban smoking and e-cigarette use in public and private spaces, such as restaurants' outdoor dining areas and even inside individual's' apartments. Currently, city law bans smoking and e-cigarette use in city government buildings and public parks, and it requires restaurants to reserve seating areas for nonsmokers. Lithuanian Seimas makes first move to ban smoking in balconies. The Seimas of Lithuania has made the first step towards banning smoking in balconies of apartment houses. On September 24th, MPs approved the relevant draft amendments to the Law on Tobacco Control Employers are wary of hiring smokers and obese people. According to various national reports, about one in three U.S. adults are overweight enough to be classified as obese. Other reports say one in six U.S. adults are smokers. Many forces, including genetics, economics, addictions, emotions and peer influence, affect those numbers. |
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