Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Bits And Pieces

Things I found interesting today.

Shopkeeper hits out at cigarette plain packaging plan:

"The whole thing is ridiculous. It applies to tobacco as well and almost all my pipe smokers are over 50.
"The government is trying to denormalise something which is perfectly legal and age restricted.
"If you are over 18 and decide to smoke you should be entitled to go into a shop and buy cigarettes just like anything else.
"Where will all this end? Why can’t people be allowed to make up their minds? It is just a step too far."
Scientists have tried to make safer cigarettes in the past. Haemoglobin (which transports oxygen in ) and activated carbon have been shown to reduce free-radicals in cancer smoke by up to 90 percent, but because of the cost, the combination has not been successfully introduced to the market.
JoVE Content Director, Dr. Aaron Kolski-Andreaco, is very excited to be publishing this article as the journal's landmark 1500th article.
"Practically, this research could lead to an alternative type of cigarette filter with a free radical scavenging additive," said Kolski-Andreaco. "It could lead to a less harmful cigarette."
Timeshift reveals the story of the creature that is 'the smoker'. How did this species arrive on our shores? Why did it become so sexy - and so dominant in our lives? Was there really a time when everywhere people could be found shrouded in a thick blue cloud?
Enlisting the help of Barry Cryer, Stuart Maconie and others, The Smoking Years tells the unnatural history of a quite remarkable - and now threatened - creature. 
Regardless of which strategy Massachusetts legislators choose to employ, one thing seems clear: the matter is less about the health risks involved in smoking (remember, Massachusetts has long bee been a fierce champion of personal “choice”) than it is about holding on to million of dollars in tax revenue.
His building has been split in half.  On one side you’ll find Mike’s Steakhouse and on the other you’ll find Mike’s Smoke Shop.

“This is a separate address, it has a separate corporation, separate shareholders and ventilation system,” says owner Craig Gabel.

The law says it has to be separate and 65 percent of the gross profits have to come from tobacco sales.
Finally a book to give a voice to the people who are passionate about breathing smoke!
Sandy Lynn Riefberg, 27, has written a book which explores cigarettes and smoking from the point of view of a smoker. She delves into all the benefits smokers gain from smoking as well as their feelings about smoking and the segregation of smokers in today's world.