Texting isn't just for communication. Texting apps that send helpful
information, tips, and encouragement have been found to significantly
improve success and confidence of smokers trying to kick the habit.
The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine,
details how researchers assessed the effectiveness of a texting app
designed to serve as a therapeutic aid for smokers trying to quit.
The app, called Text2Quit, periodically sends text messages to a
smoker's phone to remind them about the benefits of quitting. It even
offers tips and advice to any texter who breaks their abstinence from
smoking, as long as they text the program with key words like "smoked,"
"help," or "crave."
However, researchers from the Milken Institute School of Public
Health (MIPH) were curious to learn if such a program actually worked to
improve the likelihood of a successful quitting experience.
In an experiment involving 503 participants, potential quitters were
asked to either use the Text2Quit app or receive standard self-help
material. The latter half were included in the study and their progress
followed for at least half a year between 2011 and 2013.
According to the study, over 11 percent of participants in the
texting group successfully quit smoking for at least six months - as
verified by saliva testing. Among the self-help group, only 5 percent
could make the same claim.
The developer of the program and author of the study Lorien Abroms
said that she believes these results verify the idea that mobile devices
can be used as a new platform for therapy and aid.
Mobile phones, she told ABC News, are tools "that people are regularly using, in touch with, living their lives attached to."
"Given how widespread mobile phone use is, it's great we can take advantage of it to help people," she added.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Teens’ Brain Structure May Be Altered by Smoking
There is no surprise that
smoking cigarette for many years can modify the method the mind develops
nicotine, making a well-worn prototype of longing and pleasure that’s hard to
break.
But when does this phase get started? And does nicotine in fact alter structures in the brain to make dependence more likely?
In the latest research, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, Edythe London, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at University of California Los Angeles, and her team found that young smokers did have differences in a specific brain region compared with non smokers. Even more concerning, these differences emerged with a relatively light smoking habit of one pack or less of cigarettes a day.
London and her colleagues focused on a brain region called the insula, since previous studies in animal and adults showed that its size and volume were affected by smoking. Of the regions in the cortical, or memory, awareness and language parts of the brain, the insula contains the most receptors for nicotine. The region is responsible for decision-making and helping to establish a person’s conscious awareness of his internal state. In studies of stroke patients, smokers who lost function of the right insula in the stroke quit smoking, and reported feeling no cravings for nicotine. And in earlier studies London’s team conducted, they found a strong relationship between how much smokers who watched videos of people smoking experienced cravings for cigarettes and the activity of the insula, which lit up on PET scans.
When London’s team looked at the brains of the 18 smoking teens and 24 non-smoking adolescents, aged 16 to 21 years, using structural MRI, they found no differences overall in the insula region. But a closer examination revealed that the right insula of the smokers was thinner than those of the nonsmokers.
“The brain is still undergoing development when someone is in their late teens,” she says. “It’s possible that smoking during this period could have effects that could alter tobacco dependence later in life, and that the insult could alter the trajectory of brain development.”
While the study doesn’t establish whether the differences in the insula can lead to smoking, or is the result of smoking, London says it highlights the role that the brain region may play in how people respond to nicotine and cigarettes. “I think this is very exciting because it points to a vulnerability, a potential vulnerability factor either to become nicotine dependent or for the effects of smoking to ultimately alter the trajectory of brain development,” she says. That trajectory could affect not only smoking behavior but decision-making in general, since the insula is important in such assessments.
But when does this phase get started? And does nicotine in fact alter structures in the brain to make dependence more likely?
In the latest research, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, Edythe London, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at University of California Los Angeles, and her team found that young smokers did have differences in a specific brain region compared with non smokers. Even more concerning, these differences emerged with a relatively light smoking habit of one pack or less of cigarettes a day.
London and her colleagues focused on a brain region called the insula, since previous studies in animal and adults showed that its size and volume were affected by smoking. Of the regions in the cortical, or memory, awareness and language parts of the brain, the insula contains the most receptors for nicotine. The region is responsible for decision-making and helping to establish a person’s conscious awareness of his internal state. In studies of stroke patients, smokers who lost function of the right insula in the stroke quit smoking, and reported feeling no cravings for nicotine. And in earlier studies London’s team conducted, they found a strong relationship between how much smokers who watched videos of people smoking experienced cravings for cigarettes and the activity of the insula, which lit up on PET scans.
When London’s team looked at the brains of the 18 smoking teens and 24 non-smoking adolescents, aged 16 to 21 years, using structural MRI, they found no differences overall in the insula region. But a closer examination revealed that the right insula of the smokers was thinner than those of the nonsmokers.
“The brain is still undergoing development when someone is in their late teens,” she says. “It’s possible that smoking during this period could have effects that could alter tobacco dependence later in life, and that the insult could alter the trajectory of brain development.”
While the study doesn’t establish whether the differences in the insula can lead to smoking, or is the result of smoking, London says it highlights the role that the brain region may play in how people respond to nicotine and cigarettes. “I think this is very exciting because it points to a vulnerability, a potential vulnerability factor either to become nicotine dependent or for the effects of smoking to ultimately alter the trajectory of brain development,” she says. That trajectory could affect not only smoking behavior but decision-making in general, since the insula is important in such assessments.
Friday, April 18, 2014
A new innovative device, called e-cigarettes
A new innovative device, called
e-cigarettes have become an alternate drug to regular cigarettes. Advertised as
cigarettes that are not harmful like tobacco ones, these e-cigarettes do not
have the addictive chemicals regular cigarettes do. This has caused the
e-cigarette companies to advertise them as a way to stop smoking.6 However,
the FDA is cracking down on this illegal advertising of e-cigarettes and is
looking to officially classify them as a drug as well.
New York is pushing to become the first state to ban
the devices, which so far remain unregulated and mostly unstudied. With cutesy
colors, fruity flavors, clever designs and other options, e-cigarettes may hold
too much appeal for young people, critics warn, offering an easy gateway to
nicotine addiction. But those criticisms clash with equally strong arguments for the value of e-cigarettes. The devices, which are tobacco-free, may be a safer alternative to cigarettes, say advocates, who point to testimonials from thousands of smokers who say they have used e-cigarettes to help them quit.
As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration struggles to gain regulatory control, and as safety studies remain works in progress, the debate continues.
"There really are a lot of unknowns with respect to health," said Prue Talbot, a toxicologist at the University California, Riverside. "I don't know of any studies in the literature which are peer-reviewed. Almost all of the studies have been paid for by the e-cigarette companies.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Passive smoking causes irreversible damage to kids’ arteries Read more: Passive smoking causes irreversible damage to kids’ arteries -
Exposure to second-hand smoke in childhood causes irreversible damage to children’s arteries - increasing their risk of heart attacks or strokes when they grow up, according to a large international study published on Wednesday.
The research, which lends weight to campaigns for smoking to be banned in private cars and homes, found passive smoking leads to a thickening of children’s artery walls, adding some 3.3 years to the age of blood vessels by adulthood.
“Exposure to passive smoke in childhood causes direct and irreversible damage to the structure of the arteries,” said Seana Gall, a researcher in cardiovascular epidemiology who led the study at the University of Tasmania.
She said parents, or even those thinking about becoming parents, should quit smoking - both to aid their own health and protect the future health of their children.
Smoking causes lung cancer, which is often fatal, and is the world’s biggest cause of premature death from chronic conditions like heart disease, stroke and High Blood Pressure.
On top of the 6 million people a year killed by their own smoking, the World Health Organization (WHO) says another 600,000 die a year as a result of exposure to other peoples’ smoke - so-called second-hand or passive smoking.
Of the more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 250 are
known to be harmful and more than 50 are known to cause cancer, the WHO
says - and creating 100 percent smoke-free environments is the only way
to protect people fully.
About 40 percent of all children are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke at home, and almost a third of the deaths attributable to second-hand smoke are in children. Kiss Superslims Dream
ARTERY WALLS
This latest study, published in the European Heart Journal, was the first to follow children through to adulthood to look at links between exposure to parents’ smoking and thickness of the innermost two layers of the arterial wall, known as carotid intima-media thickness (IMT).
Researchers from Finland and Australia looked at data from 2,401 people in Finland 1,375 people in Australia who were asked about their parents’ smoking habits. The scientists used ultrasound to measure the thickness of the children’s artery walls once they had reached adulthood.
The results showed that carotid IMT in adulthood was 0.015 millimeters thicker in those exposed to both parents smoking than in those whose parents did not smoke.
Gall said that while this was a “modest” increase, it was nonetheless an important extra and irreversible risk for suffering heart attacks or strokes later in life.
Since children of parents who smoke are also more likely to grow up to be smokers themselves, and more likely to be overweight, their heart health risks are often already raised, she said, and the second-hand smoke adds yet more risk.
The research, which lends weight to campaigns for smoking to be banned in private cars and homes, found passive smoking leads to a thickening of children’s artery walls, adding some 3.3 years to the age of blood vessels by adulthood.
“Exposure to passive smoke in childhood causes direct and irreversible damage to the structure of the arteries,” said Seana Gall, a researcher in cardiovascular epidemiology who led the study at the University of Tasmania.
She said parents, or even those thinking about becoming parents, should quit smoking - both to aid their own health and protect the future health of their children.
On top of the 6 million people a year killed by their own smoking, the World Health Organization (WHO) says another 600,000 die a year as a result of exposure to other peoples’ smoke - so-called second-hand or passive smoking.
Of the more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, at least 250 are
known to be harmful and more than 50 are known to cause cancer, the WHO
says - and creating 100 percent smoke-free environments is the only way
to protect people fully.
About 40 percent of all children are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke at home, and almost a third of the deaths attributable to second-hand smoke are in children. Kiss Superslims Dream
ARTERY WALLS
This latest study, published in the European Heart Journal, was the first to follow children through to adulthood to look at links between exposure to parents’ smoking and thickness of the innermost two layers of the arterial wall, known as carotid intima-media thickness (IMT).
Researchers from Finland and Australia looked at data from 2,401 people in Finland 1,375 people in Australia who were asked about their parents’ smoking habits. The scientists used ultrasound to measure the thickness of the children’s artery walls once they had reached adulthood.
The results showed that carotid IMT in adulthood was 0.015 millimeters thicker in those exposed to both parents smoking than in those whose parents did not smoke.
Gall said that while this was a “modest” increase, it was nonetheless an important extra and irreversible risk for suffering heart attacks or strokes later in life.
Since children of parents who smoke are also more likely to grow up to be smokers themselves, and more likely to be overweight, their heart health risks are often already raised, she said, and the second-hand smoke adds yet more risk.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Farmington adopts public smoking ban
The town of Farmington in north Mississippi is going smoke free.
The Daily Corinthian reports that local aldermen approved the new ordinance this week.
Mayor Dale Fortenberry says all businesses within the city will be smoke free. He says the ban also applies to electronic cigarettes." L&M Red Label
City officials say smokers will have to be at least 15 feet from a business entrance in order to smoke.
Farmington is one of more than 65 cities in the state to go smoke free.
Corinth voted to go smoke free in November 2007, while Rienzi city officials voted to ban smoking in January 2011.
The Daily Corinthian reports that local aldermen approved the new ordinance this week.
Mayor Dale Fortenberry says all businesses within the city will be smoke free. He says the ban also applies to electronic cigarettes." L&M Red Label
City officials say smokers will have to be at least 15 feet from a business entrance in order to smoke.
Farmington is one of more than 65 cities in the state to go smoke free.
Corinth voted to go smoke free in November 2007, while Rienzi city officials voted to ban smoking in January 2011.
Careless smoking eyed as cause of apartment blaze
Careless smoking is believed to be the cause of a fire that injured two
people at a high-rise apartment building just east of Toronto’s
downtown core Thursday morning.
The small fire occurred inside a seventh-floor suite in a Toronto Community Housing Corp. building at Dundas and Sherbourne streets at about 5:20 a.m.
Toronto Fire Services District Chief James Green said the tenant was removed from the smoke-filled suite by the building's security officers. Pall Mall Nanokings Blue Slims
Paramedics transported the tenant to hospital to be treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation, while one of the TCHC security officer was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, Green told CP24 reporter Cam Woolley at the scene.
Firefighters rushed into the building and quickly extinguished the blaze, which Green said was confined to contents within the suite. They brought out a chair that caught fire and they used fans to clear smoke inside the building.
The small fire occurred inside a seventh-floor suite in a Toronto Community Housing Corp. building at Dundas and Sherbourne streets at about 5:20 a.m.
Toronto Fire Services District Chief James Green said the tenant was removed from the smoke-filled suite by the building's security officers. Pall Mall Nanokings Blue Slims
Paramedics transported the tenant to hospital to be treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation, while one of the TCHC security officer was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, Green told CP24 reporter Cam Woolley at the scene.
Firefighters rushed into the building and quickly extinguished the blaze, which Green said was confined to contents within the suite. They brought out a chair that caught fire and they used fans to clear smoke inside the building.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Smoking During Pregnancy Can Hike Daughter’s Risk of Nicotine Addiction
Experts have warned that tobacco smoking by pregnant women may adversely affect the developing fetus.
Smoking during pregnancy is linked to numerous negative outcomes, including low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, and increased risk for attention deficit disorder, conduct disorder, and nicotine use in offspring.
Nevertheless, it is estimated that 13 percent -30 percent of women in the United States continue to smoke while pregnant.
A new 40-year study, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, provides additional evidence that prenatal exposure to maternal stress hormones predicts nicotine dependence later in life.
The new findings, however, suggests the nicotine dependence occurs only for daughters.
It also confirms previous research that babies born to moms who smoked when pregnant have an increased risk of nicotine addiction in adulthood.
“While maternal smoking during pregnancy has been shown to be an independent risk factor for nicotine dependence, we didn’t really know which pathways or mechanisms were responsible. Most prior research involving biological mechanisms had been conducted in animals not humans,” said Dr. Laura Stroud, the first author on this study.
“Our study suggests that maternal smoking and high stress hormones represent a ‘double-hit’ in terms of increasing an offspring’s risk for nicotine addiction as an adult.
“Because mothers who smoke are often more stressed and living in adverse conditions — these findings represent a major public health concern.”
To conduct the study, Stroud and her colleagues used data from a large, national, long-term project that began in 1959 and enrolled over 50,000 pregnant women.
The offspring of those women were ultimately followed by researchers for 40 years.
For this particular project, 1,086 mothers participated, where their hormone levels (cortisol and testosterone) were measured during pregnancy and their smoking status was recorded.
Their children, 649 of whom were daughters and 437 of whom were sons, were interviewed as adults and their smoking status was also recorded. Classic Silver
The findings revealed that in female but not male offspring, elevated prenatal cortisol exposure and exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy were associated with increased rates of nicotine dependence as adults.
No links were found between elevated prenatal testosterone exposure and adult nicotine dependence. There were also no findings among male offspring.
“Our findings highlight the particular vulnerability of daughters to long-term adverse outcomes following maternal stress and smoking during pregnancy .
“We don’t yet know why this is, but possible mechanisms include sex differences in stress hormone regulation in the placenta and adaptation to prenatal environmental exposures,” added Stroud.
“Also, cortisol and nicotine may affect developing male and female brains differently. Furthermore, if daughters of smoking mothers are more likely to grow up nicotine dependent, the result is dangerous cycle of intergenerational transmission of nicotine addiction.”
“These new data may help us to focus our attention on individuals at greatest risk for later smoking,” said Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry.
“It is interesting that female, but not male, offspring seemed to be at greatest risk. Sex differences in the vulnerability to smoking are important and merit further study.”
Smoking during pregnancy is linked to numerous negative outcomes, including low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, and increased risk for attention deficit disorder, conduct disorder, and nicotine use in offspring.
Nevertheless, it is estimated that 13 percent -30 percent of women in the United States continue to smoke while pregnant.
A new 40-year study, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, provides additional evidence that prenatal exposure to maternal stress hormones predicts nicotine dependence later in life.
The new findings, however, suggests the nicotine dependence occurs only for daughters.
It also confirms previous research that babies born to moms who smoked when pregnant have an increased risk of nicotine addiction in adulthood.
“While maternal smoking during pregnancy has been shown to be an independent risk factor for nicotine dependence, we didn’t really know which pathways or mechanisms were responsible. Most prior research involving biological mechanisms had been conducted in animals not humans,” said Dr. Laura Stroud, the first author on this study.
“Our study suggests that maternal smoking and high stress hormones represent a ‘double-hit’ in terms of increasing an offspring’s risk for nicotine addiction as an adult.
“Because mothers who smoke are often more stressed and living in adverse conditions — these findings represent a major public health concern.”
To conduct the study, Stroud and her colleagues used data from a large, national, long-term project that began in 1959 and enrolled over 50,000 pregnant women.
The offspring of those women were ultimately followed by researchers for 40 years.
For this particular project, 1,086 mothers participated, where their hormone levels (cortisol and testosterone) were measured during pregnancy and their smoking status was recorded.
Their children, 649 of whom were daughters and 437 of whom were sons, were interviewed as adults and their smoking status was also recorded. Classic Silver
The findings revealed that in female but not male offspring, elevated prenatal cortisol exposure and exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy were associated with increased rates of nicotine dependence as adults.
No links were found between elevated prenatal testosterone exposure and adult nicotine dependence. There were also no findings among male offspring.
“Our findings highlight the particular vulnerability of daughters to long-term adverse outcomes following maternal stress and smoking during pregnancy .
“We don’t yet know why this is, but possible mechanisms include sex differences in stress hormone regulation in the placenta and adaptation to prenatal environmental exposures,” added Stroud.
“Also, cortisol and nicotine may affect developing male and female brains differently. Furthermore, if daughters of smoking mothers are more likely to grow up nicotine dependent, the result is dangerous cycle of intergenerational transmission of nicotine addiction.”
“These new data may help us to focus our attention on individuals at greatest risk for later smoking,” said Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry.
“It is interesting that female, but not male, offspring seemed to be at greatest risk. Sex differences in the vulnerability to smoking are important and merit further study.”
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Why Delta is the least respected brand in America
Delta is the least-respected brand in the world of business, beating out the likes of cigarette maker Philip Morris, says a survey by the research firm CoreBrand.
After looking at corporate brands that have been publicly
traded for at least five years, CoreBrand determined the 100 brands with
the greatest familiarity, then named those with the highest and lowest
ratings from the survey. Cigarette smoke shop.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi tied for first; Delta was at the bottom of the pile, just edging out Philip Morris, Denny's, and Best Buy.
People's hate for Delta is well-documented online, on websites (NeverFlyDelta, DeltaReallySucks, and HateDelta are the first three that come up in Google), Facebook pages,
and numerous comment threads on Yelp. Most complaints seem to focus on
flight delays, poor service, and high luggage fees, but those are the
same complaints that have been directed at the airline industry at large
for years.
So how did Delta climb the ranks of suckiness to become the least respected of all?
Here are a few unique complaints against the airline:
It allegedly killed a catIn early 2011, Delta allegedly killed a woman's cat, then offered her the standard $50 lost luggage fee to make amends. Reports said the cat froze to death when a door latch malfunctioned in the cargo hold, exposed the poor guy to the cold.
It broke a vintage Gibson...
In January, the guitarist and singer for the Hanukkah-themed rock band The LeeVees was forced to check in his $10,000 vintage Gibson guitar on a flight from Buffalo, N.Y., to Detroit, Mich. When workers retrieved the luggage, the guitar got caught between the service elevator and a rail on the loading dock, causing damages to the bridge, neck, and tail that totaled almost $2,000.
In January, the guitarist and singer for the Hanukkah-themed rock band The LeeVees was forced to check in his $10,000 vintage Gibson guitar on a flight from Buffalo, N.Y., to Detroit, Mich. When workers retrieved the luggage, the guitar got caught between the service elevator and a rail on the loading dock, causing damages to the bridge, neck, and tail that totaled almost $2,000.
...and Kenny Perry's lucky driver
Just this week, pro-golfer Kenny Perry said Delta broke his lucky driver, "the one I won all my tournaments with this year."
Just this week, pro-golfer Kenny Perry said Delta broke his lucky driver, "the one I won all my tournaments with this year."
The golfer told The Seattle Times, "It broke the head right off the shaft. I’m very upset at this point."
“I represent Southwest Airlines and it’s in a Southwest
(bag), and I flew Delta out here from New York and they snapped my
driver. I’m pretty bummed out,” he said.
Sewing needles were found in their turkey sandwiches
The FBI opened an investigation into the airline last year when two passengers flying from Amsterdam to the U.S. found sewing needles in their turkey sandwiches. The airline stopped selling the sandwiches, which were assembled at Gate Gourmet's kitchens in Amsterdam. A search later uncovered two more needles. Delta now serves sealed prepackaged food on these flights as a precaution.
The FBI opened an investigation into the airline last year when two passengers flying from Amsterdam to the U.S. found sewing needles in their turkey sandwiches. The airline stopped selling the sandwiches, which were assembled at Gate Gourmet's kitchens in Amsterdam. A search later uncovered two more needles. Delta now serves sealed prepackaged food on these flights as a precaution.
A quick Twitter search also reveals some strong anti-Delta sentiment, for varying reasons:
Monday, December 16, 2013
'No serious heart risks' linked to smoking cessation therapies
The American Heart Association claims that three different types
of smoking cessation therapies do not pose serious heart risks,
quashing concerns that certain products may increase the risks of heart
attack, stroke or heart-related death.
Researchers looked at the results of 63 clinical trials involving 30, 508 people who were quitting smoking using either nicotine replacement gums and patches, the nicotine addiction treatment varenicline (Chantix), or taking the antidepressant bupropion (Wellbutrin), which can reduce cravings and other unwanted withdrawal effects.Doina cigarettes and Dunhill cigarettes.
The results, published in the journal Circulation, did not find evidence of any increased risk of serious heart events among participants.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 45.3 million Americans smoke and that it accounts for approximately 443,000 deaths a year - that is one in every five deaths.
However, the CDC also notes that there are more former smokers in the US today than there are current ones.
But, the CDC acknowledges, nicotine dependency is a chronic condition that may require repeated interventions to achieve the goal. Withdrawal symptoms for nicotine include irritability, anxiety, difficulty in concentrating and increased appetite.
Scientists know that nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches and chewing gum, increase minor heart symptoms, such as irregular or rapid heartbeat.
The combination of both therapies, wearing a patch and chewing gum whenever there is the urge to smoke has been shown to be more effective but does lead to more side effects.
Edward J. Mills, study co-author and associate professor of medicine at Stanford University and Canada Research Chair at the University of Ottawa, explains:
Researchers looked at the results of 63 clinical trials involving 30, 508 people who were quitting smoking using either nicotine replacement gums and patches, the nicotine addiction treatment varenicline (Chantix), or taking the antidepressant bupropion (Wellbutrin), which can reduce cravings and other unwanted withdrawal effects.Doina cigarettes and Dunhill cigarettes.
The results, published in the journal Circulation, did not find evidence of any increased risk of serious heart events among participants.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 45.3 million Americans smoke and that it accounts for approximately 443,000 deaths a year - that is one in every five deaths.
However, the CDC also notes that there are more former smokers in the US today than there are current ones.
Irregular or rapid heart rates
Stopping smoking is associated with increased life expectancy, improved cardiovascular health, better quality of life and reduced health care costs.But, the CDC acknowledges, nicotine dependency is a chronic condition that may require repeated interventions to achieve the goal. Withdrawal symptoms for nicotine include irritability, anxiety, difficulty in concentrating and increased appetite.
Scientists know that nicotine replacement therapies, such as patches and chewing gum, increase minor heart symptoms, such as irregular or rapid heartbeat.
The combination of both therapies, wearing a patch and chewing gum whenever there is the urge to smoke has been shown to be more effective but does lead to more side effects.
Edward J. Mills, study co-author and associate professor of medicine at Stanford University and Canada Research Chair at the University of Ottawa, explains:
Friday, November 29, 2013
Not for any smoking ban
Although the proponents of banning smoking in bars and bingo halls
would have us believe otherwise, what they are proposing is absolutely
nothing other than expanded government dominance over individuals'
lives.
Eliminating individual choice is certainly nothing new, but the claim that that's not what is being proposed now is simply not true. Arguments put forth by the proponents are contradictory.
They argue on the one hand that "studies have shown" that banning smoking in bars will increase the number of patrons, but on the other hand argue that all three local government entities have to ban smoking or none of the ordinances will take effect so as to not "give a competitive advantage" to some bars.
If the "studies" were right, that would be the last thing that would happen.
Also, if the "studies" were correct, why does it fall to government to ban smoking? Wouldn't an entrepreneurial bar owner realize that there was an unsatisfied demand for a smoke-free bar and open one voluntarily? Can anyone actually cite one of those "studies"?
Several articles and letters to the editor have talked about the "studies" but I have yet to see a citation. I'm beginning to wonder if the "studies" actually exist or if proponents simply think if they repeat those statements often enough people will just believe them.
Finally, much is being made about "protecting" the employees. The last time I checked, no one is forced to work anywhere. If someone didn't want to work in an environment where there is smoking, they could quit. But wait! Why would someone who was bothered by smoking apply for a job in a bar in the first place?
I urge all three local governments to reject the proposal and allow individuals to live their lives the way they see fit.
Eliminating individual choice is certainly nothing new, but the claim that that's not what is being proposed now is simply not true. Arguments put forth by the proponents are contradictory.
They argue on the one hand that "studies have shown" that banning smoking in bars will increase the number of patrons, but on the other hand argue that all three local government entities have to ban smoking or none of the ordinances will take effect so as to not "give a competitive advantage" to some bars.
If the "studies" were right, that would be the last thing that would happen.
Also, if the "studies" were correct, why does it fall to government to ban smoking? Wouldn't an entrepreneurial bar owner realize that there was an unsatisfied demand for a smoke-free bar and open one voluntarily? Can anyone actually cite one of those "studies"?
Several articles and letters to the editor have talked about the "studies" but I have yet to see a citation. I'm beginning to wonder if the "studies" actually exist or if proponents simply think if they repeat those statements often enough people will just believe them.
Finally, much is being made about "protecting" the employees. The last time I checked, no one is forced to work anywhere. If someone didn't want to work in an environment where there is smoking, they could quit. But wait! Why would someone who was bothered by smoking apply for a job in a bar in the first place?
I urge all three local governments to reject the proposal and allow individuals to live their lives the way they see fit.
Smoking fans flames of memories
The subject of smoking keeps coming up in conversations lately, and it’s funny how times have changed.
My mother and I were taking a tour of Clarksville, where our family lived for one year when I was a teenager.
When we drove by the high school where Mom taught, she pointed out where she had smoking-pit duty.
I asked Mom if she smoked with the students. She told me no; she smoked in the teachers’ lounge.
When another teacher complained, the principal (also a smoker), told the teacher he could work in his classroom, but Mom couldn’t smoke in hers, so tough, basically.
Wow. The outcry that would happen today if someone lit up in the lounge.
Once when my brother was a little boy, he asked Mom if one of his beloved elementary teachers, Mrs. Howard, smoked.
Mom said, “I don’t think so.”Glamour cigarettes.
Shane said: “I didn’t think she was that kind of woman.”
I’m not sure what that meant in his little mind, but his mother apparently was.
Last weekend, my brother recalled that he had bought cigarettes for Mom, and I remember running in the store to get them, too.
I also volunteered to buy them when having a bunking party with some friends, and we smoked the cigarettes under a bridge. We sprayed perfume and everything aerosol we could find when we got back to the girl’s house — it was a daring thing for me, a future goody-two-shoes.
Of course, there were cigarette vending machines, where anybody with some change could buy a pack. My kids were pretty incredulous that those ever existed.
I also remember Mom giving me a lighted cigarette to light fireworks, and I’d steal a puff.
(Mom quit cold turkey about 30 years ago, by the way. She has apologized for the trips with cracked windows and the ensuing allergy headaches my brother and I got from the smoke.)
My husband said that when he was in high school, his band director smoked like a chimney. When the high school band was selected as the Bicentennial Band of Arkansas and got to play at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. (one of my husband’s proudest lifetime achievements), the students rode in three buses, with one designated for the students and chaperones who smoked.
When they made a pit stop, the doors to the one bus would open, and smoke would roll out like a five-alarm fire.
In college, I didn’t have many friends who smoked, but people could smoke in their dorm rooms, and just about anywhere except the classroom.
When I got my first newspaper job, smoking went with the stressful job. I didn’t smoke, except second hand.
The clouds of smoke hung above the short walls dividing the departments. My husband and I would go home reeking of smoke. I hated having my hair smell like smoke, and I developed an attractive habit of obsessively pulling my hair to my nose to smell it.
I also bought a battery-operated ash tray for the worst offender in the office, which helped, until the batteries died and she didn’t replace them.
One editor had a cigarette going nonstop, sometimes two, if he forgot, which was often.
My husband and I were thrilled with the prospect of working in a nonsmoking newsroom when we came to Conway. (My hair-sniffing habit died down, too.)
Nobody in my immediate family smokes now, but my mother does not deny how much she loved it back in the day.
When we toured the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville a few weekends ago, we saw a piece called Smoker #9, a woman’s hand holding a cigarette to giant red lips, exhaling smoke.
My mom posed and mimicked holding a cigarette to her lips.
I’ll bet Mrs. Howard never would have done that, but Shane, I hate to tell you. Mom was trying to protect your young innocence.
Mrs. Howard was a smoker.
My mother and I were taking a tour of Clarksville, where our family lived for one year when I was a teenager.
When we drove by the high school where Mom taught, she pointed out where she had smoking-pit duty.
I asked Mom if she smoked with the students. She told me no; she smoked in the teachers’ lounge.
When another teacher complained, the principal (also a smoker), told the teacher he could work in his classroom, but Mom couldn’t smoke in hers, so tough, basically.
Wow. The outcry that would happen today if someone lit up in the lounge.
Once when my brother was a little boy, he asked Mom if one of his beloved elementary teachers, Mrs. Howard, smoked.
Mom said, “I don’t think so.”Glamour cigarettes.
Shane said: “I didn’t think she was that kind of woman.”
I’m not sure what that meant in his little mind, but his mother apparently was.
Last weekend, my brother recalled that he had bought cigarettes for Mom, and I remember running in the store to get them, too.
I also volunteered to buy them when having a bunking party with some friends, and we smoked the cigarettes under a bridge. We sprayed perfume and everything aerosol we could find when we got back to the girl’s house — it was a daring thing for me, a future goody-two-shoes.
Of course, there were cigarette vending machines, where anybody with some change could buy a pack. My kids were pretty incredulous that those ever existed.
I also remember Mom giving me a lighted cigarette to light fireworks, and I’d steal a puff.
(Mom quit cold turkey about 30 years ago, by the way. She has apologized for the trips with cracked windows and the ensuing allergy headaches my brother and I got from the smoke.)
My husband said that when he was in high school, his band director smoked like a chimney. When the high school band was selected as the Bicentennial Band of Arkansas and got to play at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. (one of my husband’s proudest lifetime achievements), the students rode in three buses, with one designated for the students and chaperones who smoked.
When they made a pit stop, the doors to the one bus would open, and smoke would roll out like a five-alarm fire.
In college, I didn’t have many friends who smoked, but people could smoke in their dorm rooms, and just about anywhere except the classroom.
When I got my first newspaper job, smoking went with the stressful job. I didn’t smoke, except second hand.
The clouds of smoke hung above the short walls dividing the departments. My husband and I would go home reeking of smoke. I hated having my hair smell like smoke, and I developed an attractive habit of obsessively pulling my hair to my nose to smell it.
I also bought a battery-operated ash tray for the worst offender in the office, which helped, until the batteries died and she didn’t replace them.
One editor had a cigarette going nonstop, sometimes two, if he forgot, which was often.
My husband and I were thrilled with the prospect of working in a nonsmoking newsroom when we came to Conway. (My hair-sniffing habit died down, too.)
Nobody in my immediate family smokes now, but my mother does not deny how much she loved it back in the day.
When we toured the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville a few weekends ago, we saw a piece called Smoker #9, a woman’s hand holding a cigarette to giant red lips, exhaling smoke.
My mom posed and mimicked holding a cigarette to her lips.
I’ll bet Mrs. Howard never would have done that, but Shane, I hate to tell you. Mom was trying to protect your young innocence.
Mrs. Howard was a smoker.
Domestic cigarette sales drop
BAT Zimbabwe’s cigarette sales volumes declined by 16% in the first
half of the year ended June 30 2013, compared to the same period last
year.
This was experienced across most of the company’s brands such as Dunhill, Newbury, Everest, Kingsgate and Berkeley.
Company chairman, Kennedy Mandevhani said BAT Zimbabwe’s prime brand, Madison, proved more resilient on the market.
“Successive increases in excise duty which impacted cigarette retail prices in 2011 and 2012 have been compounded by coinage constraints, resulting in consumers often paying higher prices than recommended by manufacturers simply due to the unavailability of coins,” he said. Classic cigarettes.
Mandevhani said industry cigarette volumes had reduced as a result of the slowdown in GDP growth, and the ongoing general affordability challenges that consumers in the country continue to face.
“Total revenues were US$23,1 million for the first six months of the year…mainly due to manufacturer increases net of excise on key brands in December 2012, which offset on part the impact of lower sales volumes,” he said.
Mandevhani said the economy showed signs of stagnation in the first half of this year. He said despite limited growth being achieved in the agricultural and mining sectors, investment in the economy has been constrained by domestic liquidity challenges and restricted availability of external credit lines.
One of the company’s highest expenses was the provision for a share-based payment expense of US$10 606 000 as part of compliance with indigenisation laws.
“On a non adjusted basis, operating profit reduced to US$2,4 million, as a result of an IFRS 2 share based payment expense of US$10,6 million.
“This expense represents the fair value of share awards made to employees by our Employee Share Ownership Trust as part of the company’s compliance with Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment legislation plus the associated payment of dividends to employees participating in the trust of US$0,4 million,” he said.
This was experienced across most of the company’s brands such as Dunhill, Newbury, Everest, Kingsgate and Berkeley.
Company chairman, Kennedy Mandevhani said BAT Zimbabwe’s prime brand, Madison, proved more resilient on the market.
“Successive increases in excise duty which impacted cigarette retail prices in 2011 and 2012 have been compounded by coinage constraints, resulting in consumers often paying higher prices than recommended by manufacturers simply due to the unavailability of coins,” he said. Classic cigarettes.
Mandevhani said industry cigarette volumes had reduced as a result of the slowdown in GDP growth, and the ongoing general affordability challenges that consumers in the country continue to face.
“Total revenues were US$23,1 million for the first six months of the year…mainly due to manufacturer increases net of excise on key brands in December 2012, which offset on part the impact of lower sales volumes,” he said.
Mandevhani said the economy showed signs of stagnation in the first half of this year. He said despite limited growth being achieved in the agricultural and mining sectors, investment in the economy has been constrained by domestic liquidity challenges and restricted availability of external credit lines.
One of the company’s highest expenses was the provision for a share-based payment expense of US$10 606 000 as part of compliance with indigenisation laws.
“On a non adjusted basis, operating profit reduced to US$2,4 million, as a result of an IFRS 2 share based payment expense of US$10,6 million.
“This expense represents the fair value of share awards made to employees by our Employee Share Ownership Trust as part of the company’s compliance with Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment legislation plus the associated payment of dividends to employees participating in the trust of US$0,4 million,” he said.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Another Risk for Babies of Smoking Moms
Women have been told it's important not to smoke while they're
pregnant. Some women may not realize how much smoking in pregnancy might
affect their children later on.
A recent study found that children may be more likely to catch an infectious disease requiring hospitalization in their first year if their mothers smoked during pregnancy.
In fact, children born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy were at higher risk for dying from an infectious disease than children born to non-smokers.
The most common types of infectious diseases among children born to smokers were respiratory illnesses, but the babies were affected by other diseases as well.
This study, led by Michael J. Metzger, PhD, of the University of Washington in Seattle, looked at whether mothers' smoking during pregnancy increased children's risk for infectious diseases later.
The researchers compared two sets of children, each including a group of babies born to smokers and a group of babies born to non-smokers. The children were all born in Washington between 1987 and 2004.
First, the researchers compared 47,404 babies who had been hospitalized with an infectious disease within their first year of life to 48,233 babies who were not hospitalized with an infectious disease before age 1.
In their second analysis, the researchers compared 627 babies who died from an infectious disease in their first year to 2,730 babies who survived their first year.
In both groups, the researchers found that babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy had 1.5 times greater odds of being hospitalized for or of dying from an infectious disease than children not born to smoking moms. Kent Convertibles cigarettes.
In particular, babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy had 1.7 times greater odds of being hospitalized for a respiratory infectious disease than babies born to non-smokers.
When the researchers took into account differences in the babies' birthweight and the pregnancy week when they were born, it did not affect the results of hospitalization risk.
Interestingly, however, when the researchers looked only at children with low birthweight, children born to smokers were no more or less likely to die from an infectious disease than children born to non-smokers.
Overall, however, the researchers concluded that smoking during pregnancy was linked to a higher risk of a wide range of infectious diseases among the babies after they were born.
"These findings suggest that full-term infants of normal weight whose mothers smoked may suffer an increased risk of serious infectious disease morbidity and mortality," the researchers concluded.
“We’ve known for a long time that babies born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy are at high risk for serious medical problems relating to low birth weight, premature delivery and poor lung development,” said study co-author Abigail Halperin, MD, MPH, in a prepared statement.
“While respiratory infections have been recognized as a common cause of these sometimes life-threatening illnesses, this study shows that babies exposed to smoke in utero also have increased risk for hospitalization and death from a much broader range of infections—both respiratory and non-respiratory—than we knew before," she said.
Andre Hall, MD, an OBGYN at Birth and Women's Care, PA in Fayetteville, NC, said it's not news that smoking is an unhealthy habit.
"It is also generally understood that it is especially unhealthy for pregnant women and their unborn children," he said.
"In addition to problems such as intrauterine growth restriction, this study now suggests a link between a mother's smoking and the future development of infectious diseases in an unborn child," Dr. Hall said. "This attack on a developing child's immune system which may increase a child's diseases over their lifetime, should be avoided at all costs."
This study will be presented October 27 at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando.
This study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, and its findings should be interpreted with caution.
Information was unavailable regarding funding and possible conflicts of interest among the authors.
A recent study found that children may be more likely to catch an infectious disease requiring hospitalization in their first year if their mothers smoked during pregnancy.
In fact, children born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy were at higher risk for dying from an infectious disease than children born to non-smokers.
The most common types of infectious diseases among children born to smokers were respiratory illnesses, but the babies were affected by other diseases as well.
This study, led by Michael J. Metzger, PhD, of the University of Washington in Seattle, looked at whether mothers' smoking during pregnancy increased children's risk for infectious diseases later.
The researchers compared two sets of children, each including a group of babies born to smokers and a group of babies born to non-smokers. The children were all born in Washington between 1987 and 2004.
First, the researchers compared 47,404 babies who had been hospitalized with an infectious disease within their first year of life to 48,233 babies who were not hospitalized with an infectious disease before age 1.
In their second analysis, the researchers compared 627 babies who died from an infectious disease in their first year to 2,730 babies who survived their first year.
In both groups, the researchers found that babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy had 1.5 times greater odds of being hospitalized for or of dying from an infectious disease than children not born to smoking moms. Kent Convertibles cigarettes.
In particular, babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy had 1.7 times greater odds of being hospitalized for a respiratory infectious disease than babies born to non-smokers.
When the researchers took into account differences in the babies' birthweight and the pregnancy week when they were born, it did not affect the results of hospitalization risk.
Interestingly, however, when the researchers looked only at children with low birthweight, children born to smokers were no more or less likely to die from an infectious disease than children born to non-smokers.
Overall, however, the researchers concluded that smoking during pregnancy was linked to a higher risk of a wide range of infectious diseases among the babies after they were born.
"These findings suggest that full-term infants of normal weight whose mothers smoked may suffer an increased risk of serious infectious disease morbidity and mortality," the researchers concluded.
“We’ve known for a long time that babies born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy are at high risk for serious medical problems relating to low birth weight, premature delivery and poor lung development,” said study co-author Abigail Halperin, MD, MPH, in a prepared statement.
“While respiratory infections have been recognized as a common cause of these sometimes life-threatening illnesses, this study shows that babies exposed to smoke in utero also have increased risk for hospitalization and death from a much broader range of infections—both respiratory and non-respiratory—than we knew before," she said.
Andre Hall, MD, an OBGYN at Birth and Women's Care, PA in Fayetteville, NC, said it's not news that smoking is an unhealthy habit.
"It is also generally understood that it is especially unhealthy for pregnant women and their unborn children," he said.
"In addition to problems such as intrauterine growth restriction, this study now suggests a link between a mother's smoking and the future development of infectious diseases in an unborn child," Dr. Hall said. "This attack on a developing child's immune system which may increase a child's diseases over their lifetime, should be avoided at all costs."
This study will be presented October 27 at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando.
This study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, and its findings should be interpreted with caution.
Information was unavailable regarding funding and possible conflicts of interest among the authors.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Study: Flavored small cigars are popular with kids
Small cigars flavored to taste like candy or fruit are popular among
teens, according to the first government study to gauge their use.
About 1 in 30 middle and high school kids said they smoke the compact, sweet-flavored cigars. The percentages rise as kids get older, to nearly 1 in 12 high school seniors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
The results - based on a 2011 survey of nearly 19,000 students, grades 6 through 12 - were published online Tuesday by the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Since 2009, the government has banned cigarettes with candy, fruit and clove flavoring, though it continued to allow menthol flavoring. There is no restriction on sales of cigars with such flavorings except in Maine, New York City and Providence, R.I.
The sale of cigarettes and cigars to those under 18 is illegal, but according to an earlier CDC report, about 16 percent of high school students were smokers in 2011.
Health officials say sweet flavoring can mask the harsh taste of tobacco and make smoking more palatable.
"The so-called small cigars look like cigarettes, addict as much as cigarettes and they kill like cigarettes," said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden.
Tobacco companies have said they oppose smoking by those under age 18. But the marketing of flavored cigars suggests companies are trying to interest kids in smoking, Frieden and others said.
"The tobacco industry has a long history of using flavored products to attract kids," said Danny McGoldrick, of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy and research organization.
Sales of regular and flavored cigars have boomed in the last 12 years, from 6 billion to more than 13 billion annually, according to calculations by his group.
The CDC survey also asked about menthol-flavored cigarettes. When those were included, more than 40 percent of kids who were current smokers in the survey said they were using flavored cigars or cigarettes.
About 1 in 30 middle and high school kids said they smoke the compact, sweet-flavored cigars. The percentages rise as kids get older, to nearly 1 in 12 high school seniors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
The results - based on a 2011 survey of nearly 19,000 students, grades 6 through 12 - were published online Tuesday by the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Since 2009, the government has banned cigarettes with candy, fruit and clove flavoring, though it continued to allow menthol flavoring. There is no restriction on sales of cigars with such flavorings except in Maine, New York City and Providence, R.I.
The sale of cigarettes and cigars to those under 18 is illegal, but according to an earlier CDC report, about 16 percent of high school students were smokers in 2011.
Health officials say sweet flavoring can mask the harsh taste of tobacco and make smoking more palatable.
"The so-called small cigars look like cigarettes, addict as much as cigarettes and they kill like cigarettes," said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden.
Tobacco companies have said they oppose smoking by those under age 18. But the marketing of flavored cigars suggests companies are trying to interest kids in smoking, Frieden and others said.
"The tobacco industry has a long history of using flavored products to attract kids," said Danny McGoldrick, of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy and research organization.
Sales of regular and flavored cigars have boomed in the last 12 years, from 6 billion to more than 13 billion annually, according to calculations by his group.
The CDC survey also asked about menthol-flavored cigarettes. When those were included, more than 40 percent of kids who were current smokers in the survey said they were using flavored cigars or cigarettes.
American Airlines plane makes emergency landing
An American Airlines plane made a safe
emergency landing Tuesday after the pilot reported a fire in the
cockpit, a smoking engine and a loss of fuel, Turks & Caicos Islands
officials said.
A spokeswoman for American
Airlines disputed the report of a fire, saying the jet made the
emergency landing due to a ‘‘mechanical issue related to one of the
engines’’ and an indication of ‘‘low oil.’’
‘‘There was no fire anywhere,’’ spokeswoman Laura Masvidal said. She said a maintenance team was still evaluating the aircraft. Lucky Strike cigarettes.
The British Caribbean territory’s
disaster management and emergencies department said there were no
injuries among the 175 people aboard the Boeing 757. It said the flight
was traveling from Trinidad & Tobago’s capital of Port-of-Spain to
Miami when the pilot requested clearance for an emergency landing.
‘‘The pilot reported a fire in the
cockpit and that the left engine was smoking and dripping fuel. The
aircraft had one hour and thirty minutes of fuel on board,’’ the
department said in a statement.
It said the plane landed safely at
10:23 a.m. at the international airport on Providenciales, the tiny
Caribbean territory’s most populous island.
American Airlines provided a replacement aircraft and the flight arrived in Miami late Tuesday afternoon, Masvidal said.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Additional 27 Cent Cigarette Tax Begins October, Estimated $150,000 Gains for Fiscal Year in Farmville
Starting Oct. 1, cigarette cartons will be taxed an
additional 27 cents with stamps applied to cigarette cartons to reflect
the change.
All businesses must replace the brands of cigarettes
that sell out during the month of September with the applied tax stamps
before being sold, according to the Town of Farmville website.
The current federal cigarette tax per
carton is $1.01, while the current state tax per carton is $0.30,
according to the Tobacco- Free Kids website.
The cigarette tax rate of 27 cents per
20 pack of cigarettes adds to the Town Budget. The Town Budget includes
the real estate tax of 12 cents per $100 of assessed value and the
personal property taxes for businesses of $1.50 per $100 of assessed
value.
Carol Anne Seal, treasurer of the
Farmville Town Council, estimated a $150,000 gain for the first fiscal
year with the cigarette
tax.
According to the Farmville Town
Council minutes for Aug. 14, Dr. Edward Gordon, Ward A council member,
suggested that the Finance Committee should begin discussion on possible
other revenue sources as well.
The stamps that will be applied on the cigarette cartons are capable of being bought as either self- adhesive or heat applied.
For cigarette vendors, there is a mailing fee of $14 per roll or $6 per sheet.
Self-adhesive stamps are only sold in
sheets of 100, and heat applied stamps are only sold in rolls of 15,000,
according to the Cigarette Stamps Order Form.
To receive the cigarette tax stamps,
cigarette vendors must sign a Monthly Cigarette Distribution Form by the
20th of each month to be sent to the Treasurer’s Office along with a
Cigarette Tax Stamps Order form, a Cigarette Distributors Form and a
Retail Additions and Deletions Form.
Mickey is a small business owner who
owns a tobacco shop in the Town of Farmville, called Mickey’s Shop.
Mickey’s Shop has been in business since 2004 and is located
at 300 N. South Street in Farmville, Va.
Mickey commented on the tax, saying, “This is really too much.”
He added, “It’s going to be hard for a
smoker to pay 25 cents extra for the town tax for each carton ... If
it’s 10 cents or 15 or maybe more, easy, but now people are going to go
out of the county or out of the Town to get some cigarettes, so it
really hurt businesses, especially a small business like us.”
Mickey predicted that people won’t notice the cigarette tax stamps within the first two or three weeks of October.
Mickey expects that the residents of
Farmville may travel outside of the town to buycigarettes or make their
own cigarettes, whichmay causeMickey to have to raise the prices of his
cigarettes to keep up
revenue. “It’s very hard
right now for everybody, and the Town
is trying to get some money, and some people here don’t have work and
are always smoking,” Mickey said.
Mickey commented on the efficacy of a
cigarette tax possibly convincing smokers to quit their addiction,
saying, “People are going to smoke anyway ... It might make them go
somewhere else for a cigarette.”
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
2013 Smoke-Free Doesn’t Kill Appetites
Smoke free laws did not affect restaurant revenues
Even if you don’t smoke, breathing in the tobacco fumes from others can harm your health in many ways. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that secondhand smoke can cause heart disease, stroke and lung cancer.
In one of the largest studies to date, the CDC has found that statewide smoke-free laws would not have an economic impact on restaurants and bars.
Anti-smoking charity: 'cigarette packets are appealing'
It's stopping the bright colours saying "oh, that looks pretty that looks nice".
We actually had a child say to us it looked like lego, we had a child say it looks like sweets and we had a child say one girl say to us "that's lush".
It goes to show how appealing these packets are even though they know the contents are obviously very bad for them.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Cigarettes Volume Actives: Altria Group Inc, Philip Morris International Inc , Lorillard Inc
HoleInOneStocks covers all major markets, including OTC, OTCBB, NYSE,
NASDAQ and AMEX. Have a look on today’s Active Stocks: Altria Group Inc
(NYSE:MO), Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE:PM), Lorillard Inc
(NYSE:LO), Reynolds American, Inc (NYSE:RAI)
Altria Group Inc (NYSE:MO) opened its shares at the price of $37.03 for the day. Its closing price was $37.15 after gaining 0.41% for the day. The company traded with the total volume of 8.95 million shares, while its average trading volume remained 10.27 million shares. The beta of MO stands at 0.45. Altria Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, smokeless products, and wine in the United States and internationally. It offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand.
Altria Group Inc (NYSE:MO) opened its shares at the price of $37.03 for the day. Its closing price was $37.15 after gaining 0.41% for the day. The company traded with the total volume of 8.95 million shares, while its average trading volume remained 10.27 million shares. The beta of MO stands at 0.45. Altria Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, smokeless products, and wine in the United States and internationally. It offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand.
Amanda Bynes gets kicked out of Ritz-Carlton hotel
Smoking weed and making the staff cry
Bynes has, according to Perez Hilton, been kicked out of the Ritz-Carlton hotel for smoking weed in her hotel room and making the young woman at the check-in desk cry. Apparently, she told the woman at the front desk she was “too ugly” to check Bynes in, causing the woman to burst into tears. Bynes even went so far as to recommend the woman a plastic surgeon.
Bynes has been taking digs at celebrities on her official Twitter, calling them “ugly” and making fun of their appearance. She has also been very vocal about her love for plastic surgery. On July 17 she posted “surgery is my favorite topic.” Perhaps this was in reference to the “conversation” she had with the check-in girl from the Ritz-Carlton.
Despite her bad attitude and obvious rudeness, Bynes has been offered advice from fellow celebrities. Recently, at the 2013 Comic Con, someone dressed as Dr. Mrs. The Monarch told Bynes, “We are all very concerned and very worried about you. So be a lamb and knock it off! It’s tacky.”
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