Jredheadgirl

Free Speech For Us, But Not For You

2012-02-08T13:42:00.000-08:00

Just when we thought that it couldn't get any worse in Australia:

The anti-tobacco industry in Australia is lobbying the government to stop the tobacco industry lobbying the government.

Free society? What free society? What's next? I have come to the conclusion that it won't be long before we bear witness to the true intentions of the Arch Bishops of (Counter) Do-Gooderism. They will attempt to silence freedom of speech altogether, and tobacco will be the catalyst for controlling every aspect of open dialog and dissent in every corner and demographic of the "free" world.

This has always been about a lot more than smoking.

Don’t do as we do – do as we tell you

The forbidden way to boost your brainpower

2012-02-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

A word from my favorite doctor:

But again, this is no surprise. Nicotine — SMOKING — has been proven to boost the parts of the brain linked to memory and concentration even in people not at risk for dementia.

The forbidden way to boost your brainpower

Lifestyle Discrimination in Ohio

2012-02-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

I found this story linked on the Smoker's Club Newsletter

Penn National gaming has adopted a new hiring policy for all new applicants at its Toledo and Columbus locations:

3,200 applicants will be tested for nicotine usage, refused if found positive.

..A bit extreme, eh? This isn't even about health anymore, not that it ever was. This has turned into an all out war on smokers and on nicotine itself. How has it come to this? Remember when "non-smoker" front groups maintained steadfastly that their only true objective was to allow for non-smoking sections in restaurants? We have since fallen off of the slippery slope as it has become strikingly clear that we are now witnessing the cumulative effects of a 40+ year war on smoking and smokers themselves.

It has also become apparent that the state of Ohio has chosen to maintain the status quo by not recognizing smokers as a protected class. There are 29 states, including the District of Columbia that protect against smoker discrimination in the work place; Ohio is not one of them. If I were a smoker in Ohio, I would boycott these casinos. I would also write to my state representatives and encourage them to move Ohio into the 21st century by becoming the 30th state to recognize smokers as a protected class.

Smokers not eligible for jobs in some Ohio casinos

Britain Imprisons Smoker

2012-02-02T10:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Smokers Against Discrimination for posting this on Facebook-

As he prepared for the police to take him off to jail to serve what could be a sentence of up to 47 days, he fumed, “I am the first smoker to be imprisoned in the UK.

..and all over the use of a legal product. If this isn't the very definition of fascism, then I don't know what is. It's really quite unbelievable that something like this could happen in what is otherwise deemed to be a "free" society. Forced captivity is what inevitably results from such draconian "laws" and "ordinances". The wrongful and unjust incarceration of admirable citizens such as Chris Carter only serves to prove unequivocally how oppressive these NS (Nanny State) "laws" really are. It's unfortunate, as all of this is quite avoidable really; there is no need to fall into the shackles of despotism, for liberty has always proven its efficiency when it comes to solving societal grievances and problems.

The solution is simple: restore private property rights, the right to assemble, and freedom of choice. The alternative to this tried and true solution showcases its inevitable outcome in the link below.

Smoking ´martyr´ locked up

Tobacco Cembranoids Exhibit Anti-Cancer Activity

2012-02-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

Well, what do you know...natural, unfermented tobacco has anti-cancer properties! Hmmm..Maybe we can vape it? ...Maybe we can add cembranoids to cigarettes? Maybe we can eliminate most or all of the harmful elements that are associated with smoking and tobacco use? Why not? The science is there.

"These marine cembranoids are known for their anticancer activity," he said. "Since the leaf and flower cuticular wax of tobacco are rich in cembranoids, and also act as a chemical defense to protect the plant against insects and harmful microbial infections, we believed that natural, fresh tobacco ingredients would offer the greatest potential as an anticancer agent."

ULM professors see anticancer potential in the most unlikely sources – tobacco leaves

Citizens for Tobacco Rights

2012-02-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

Please check out this new blog-

Citizens for Tobacco Rights

French Ignore Ban

2012-01-30T09:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Smokers Against Discrimination for posting this on Facebook-

Anti-smoking group Droits des Non-Fumeurs (Non-Smokers Rights) has taken it upon themselves to conduct a survey to assess the level of compliance with France's five year old smoking ban.

They did not like the results. Apparently, many French smokers have decided that they're just not going to adhere to the Neo-Bishops of Do-Gooderism. Oh, but of course, the anti-smokers always have an answer to everything:

The organisation is calling for an increase in the number of inspections to stamp out the rise.

Yep, that's the solution! Prohibition works see? Oh, and I'm sure that France has plenty of money to spend on the enforcement of such minor "offenses", right?

They just don't get it. We need to restore freedom of choice so that we may all live together in relative peace. Their way of doing things is obviously not working, and it never will.

The Local - More smokers lighting up at work

Up in smoke?

2012-01-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Andrew Phillips for posting this on Facebook via NYC Clash-

Organizers of Capital Pride are worried the City of Ottawa’s proposed expanded smoking ban will hurt attendance at this summer's Pride festival.

Gee, ya think? The madness continues... I thank God every day that I live in Louisiana now.

Up in smoke?

Good News For Both Tobacco and Pot Smokers

2012-01-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Bill Gibson for posting this on Facebook via the Forces International page-

Here we have yet another great commentary from Dr. Basham, director of the Democracy Institute and Cato Institute adjunct scholar. Please read:

Public Health’s Inconvenient Truths

At the very least, the growing volume of data confirming that the public health sky is not really falling should bolster both the arguments and the spirits of those who seek, over the long term, to rebalance the regulatory environment away from myth and towards reality.

Hallelujah!! Now can we please bring in the dawn of a new era, where we collectively seek to work together to demand the end of the NS (Nanny State)? I would really like to see a reduced risk cigarette within my lifetime, possibly supplemented with a non-psychoactive cannabinoid ( &/or coupled with other anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidant agents). It would also be a grand day to be able to witness the end of the war on marijuana. It is within the realm of possibilities. Let's make it happen!

L.A. Pot Smokers Thrown Under The Bus?

2012-01-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

LAPD Capt. Bill Murphy of the Northeast Division, said he has received a number of complaints over the years from residents and others.

"We get complaints about the smells, about teens hanging around to buy the marijuana like they used to do outside liquor stores," Murphy said. "Residents see a problems with people drinking and smoking. We have congestion type issues."

As tobacco smokers, does any of this sound even remotely familiar? Complaints about smells and "congestion" really just amount to code words for: "WE DON'T LIKE YOU AND YOUR KIND AROUND THESE HERE PARTS!"

You see, in the new NSA (Nanny State of America), anyone can shut down your business, take away your livelihood, along with your right to assemble with other like minds if some busy body with connections decides that they just don't like you or your way of life. We tobacco smokers have being attempting to point this out to anyone that would listen for awhile now. We warned that if allowed to fester, it only would get worse. As the forecast emerged, we spoke of the bleak skies up ahead. The death knell for freedom and autonomy was now approaching us all hard and fast with the colossal expansion of the NSA. It would not end at tobacco; it would expand to other areas of people's lives as well.

We tobacco smokers, along with our predictions, have been largely ignored; well, because we're smokers and (as we're lead to believe) many folks today just don't like smoking or smokers. Apparently, minorities don't have the right to speak anymore. Even many pot smokers throw us under the bus, which baffles me to no end. I know, their weed is better than our weed, etc.. Meanwhile there exists a whole lot of people who don't appear to be so fond of them or their lifestyles (medicinal or not) either. So what do we do? We fight amongst each other with comments like: "Tobacco should be banned and marijuana should be legalized." "We should ban alcohol (err,..tried that already)." "Marijuana has medicinal benefits but tobacco/nicotine do not." "There is no medicinal value in Marijuana." "All you potheads are just lazy stoners." Etc...There is plenty of hate and vitriol to go around on all sides.

I kind of feel like we have all been missing the point. Even if medical, or even recreational, marijuana goes from being defacto legal at the state level in some states to becoming "officially" legal at the federal level, under the current NSA climate, you can still lose your right to open up shop. That is what's happening here. The road was paved when the private property rights were taken away from the bar and restaurant owners who wanted to serve a tobacco smoking clientele. Tobacco is legal, you see? Yet tobacco users have been systematically denormalized by discriminatory laws that have been forced upon them/us. You may think that tobacco is bad and that pot is good, but that is NOT the point. The point is that if something is legal, then the users of such substance should have the right to assemble and the right to do business with said product. Those who dislike said environment should simply opt out of patronizing that particular establishment.

Instead of trying to force prohibitions onto others (presumably to elevate our own cause), we should instead work towards (collectively...pun intended) the abolishment of the NSA in its entirety. Of course, in order to take down the beast, we are going to have to work together.

It's a lovely time for tolerance, is it not?

L.A. moves toward ban of medical marijuana dispensaries - LA Daily News

A Bit of Tasty Pork, Courtesy of Obama's Health Care Law

2012-01-12T14:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Andrew Phillips for posting this on Facebook-

It's seems that Archbishop Bloomberg is not content simply going after smokers anymore. He has now turned his eye on the drinkers. Err, can't say that we in the blogosphere didn't say so. Oh, and it seems that he as managed to get some financial backing from the Chief Bishop of Do Gooderism himself.

Community “transformation” grants provided under President Obama’s health-care law would help bankroll the effort.

Mayor's plan to limit booze sales

THE GREATEST TOBACCO TALK-SHOW ON EARTH GOES TO SEA IN 2012!

2012-01-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

It started with the success of Rio de Janero in 2008. In 2010 it moved to Bangalore, where it exceeded all expectations. Now the GTNF comes to Europe, to the splendid port city of Antwerp. City of Rubens, Van Dyck, diamonds, chocolate, beer, moules and frites. And soon the embarkation point for the greatest Tobacco Talk-Show on earth 2012.

Oh, how I would love to be there:-)

GTNF 2012

There Is Hope

2012-01-09T13:38:00.000-08:00

In an earlier post today in which I blogged about the search for a reduced risk cigarette, I also pondered what the world today would be like without the plethora of information that has become accessible to us common folk via Google. I also talked about the need for ideas and boatloads of cash, though I failed to mention the need for regulatory change...Well, speaking of ideas and boats, take a gander at this link from the Reason Magazine Blog:

Blueseed: The Googleplex of the Sea

Maybe this is where our future lies?

Australian Goverment Loves Tobacco Money, But Hates Smokers

2012-01-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Australian government has the tobacco habit

The Future Fund, which was set up by the former government to help meet the long-term cost of public sector superannuation liabilities, revealed last year that it held $147 million worth of shares in cigarette producers.

Oh, the irony of it all.

Resveratrol protects against oxidative stress

2012-01-07T12:15:00.000-08:00

...Here are a few interesting studies that shine light on the potential role that resveratrol may prove to play with regards to the subject of tobacco harm reduction that I managed to stumble upon yesterday afternoon while letting my mind wander via Google. Oh, how did we ever survive before the advent of Google anyway? Enjoy.

Maybe someday, in addition to turmeric/pine bark/lycopene/grapeseed extract cigarette(s), we will also see a resveratrol cigarette? The possibilities are endless. All that we need now are several boatloads of cash and a few good scientists.

Wait a minute!! I have an idea: Why don't we fire all of the anti-tobacco bureaucrats?!?! We can then demand that our tobacco taxes go instead towards the research of reduced risk products! Maybe some of what's left over could even be re-routed towards grants that go towards the research of cancer! What a novel idea. I can't imagine why no one has thought of this before.

Resveratrol attenuates cigarette smoke-induced oxidative stress and proinflammatory alterations. | GreenMedInfo | Article | Natural Medicine | Alternative Medicine | Integrative Medicine | Consumer Advocacy

Thus resveratrol and SIRT1 exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiapoptotic effects, which protect the endothelial cells against the adverse effects of cigarette smoking-induced oxidative stress.

Resveratrol And Curcumin Reduce Cell Cytotoxicity And Pro-Inflammatory Responses To Cigarette Smoke

In this study we have shown that resveratrol and curcumin can reduce cytotoxicityand pro-inflammatory responses of H292 cells to cigarette smoke.

The effect of resveratrol in tracheal tissue of rats exposed to cigarette smoke.

We found that resveratrol had a preventive role in the histopathological changes caused by cigarette smoking in the rat trachea.

At last, a harm reduction cigarette?

2012-01-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

Filter additives reduce free radicals

Researchers from Cornell University in New York say they have demonstrated that adding the natural antioxidant lycopene and grape seed extracts to a cigarette filter can significantly reduce the amount of cancer-causing free radicals passing through the filter.

What do we suppose that our friends at the FDA will do with this pertinent information that could indisputably save 10s of millions of lives, both here and abroad? ...and what of the numerous other studies that have exhibited promising results in the quest to counter-act the carcinogenic free radicals in tobacco smoke? There is more than one path to harm reduction. The quit or die approach is quite literally killing people. I don't know about you, but it's time for a change.

Let us gather collectively for once by telling the prohibitionists, the pharmaceutical lobbyists, the do-gooder politicians and their crony (lord, I am soooooo cynical) bureaucrat friends over at tobacco control to take a long walk off of a short pier (or over to the un-employment line). Let's cut the funding for the Neo Bishops of (counter) Do-gooderism and instead invest in a few good and honorable scientists for a change. Now that would breathe (pun intended) fresh life into the very definition of progress itself; or perhaps more accurately, return it to the vernacular representation of free and independent thought, without which the word itself cannot exist.

It is refreshing to see that there are researchers out there conducting such studies. In my humble opinion, these people are heroes. I sincerely hope that they get all of the funding that they deserve. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't object to my tobacco taxes going towards harm reduction research. Tobacco taxes, after all, should go towards benefiting smokers, not greedy bureaucrats. Science would reap tremendous benefits as well, and who would want to slow down the progress of science? Stupid question, I know.

BTW, here's the abstract to the actual study, published by Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE)-

Petition: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Needs to compensate people & businesses harmed by special interest lobbying | Change.org

2012-01-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

Please sign this petition and pass it along to everyone that you know! Thanks.

The special interest laws enacted around the globe are funded by RWJF on behalf of their partner Johnson & Johnson Co. (maker of Nicoderm, Nicorette, etc), for profit and market share amounts to rent seeking legislation. Though the average person may appreciate the end result laws, the fact is that hundreds of thousands of people in the hospitality industry lose jobs and homes as a result, the following links reveal the facts please read:

Petition: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Needs to compensate people & businesses harmed by special interest lobbying | Change.org

Gestapo Tactics in California Take Root

2011-12-31T11:55:00.000-08:00

More cheery news about the state of California...thanks to Linkup at Smoker's Club for posting this-

“One of our members was choked unconscious and beaten for smoking a cigarette,” Perkins said. “He complied with their orders and they still choked him out.”

God bless America! I am truly scared for our future.

UPDATED: Occupy Smoking Arrest Gets Physical - Gazettes.com: Crime

An Overlord Reveals His True Agenda

2011-12-31T11:16:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Smoker's Club for posting this in their newsletter-

Mayor Todd Strange of Montgomery, Al gushingly reveals his autocratic agenda in a recent statement to Montgomery Advertiser journalist Matt Okarmus in which he states that it is fully acceptable for a government elected official to take part in the forced behavioral modification of his own citizens. In doing so, he has thus revealed to us all the true Machiavellian nature of the modern anti-smoking (er..eugenics) movement. Of course, many of us in the blogosphere have known all along where the trajectory of anti-smoker vitriol was headed. No one believed us. Maybe they will now. What a dangerous precedent this sets for freedom and individual autonomy. Is anyone out there paying attention?

"Our goal is to modify behavior,"

Montgomery ban on tobacco use on city property takes effect Jan. 1

The Return of the Speakeasy

2011-12-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

The parties move around, from warehouses to photography studios or industrial buildings, the locations kept secret until just hours before they begin.

OMG!! I had noooooo idea that this type of thing was going on!! I mean, who would want to go to a speakeasy or private party when you can go to any number of legal venues in the City of Angels? Just think about how much fun you can have: you can be harassed and flogged by some boorish bouncer on an ego trip, due largely to his newly acquired license to harass anyone and everyone for taking part in such simple pleasures such as having a smoke with one's drink; and you can do all of this while parting ways with a mountain of cash to boot!!

"I just can't understand why adults of all ages and backgrounds would want to patronize such alternative venues!", says the autocratic health bureaucrat on the hill!! Isn't a Saturday night out on the town in an over-regulated environment enough for these people? I mean, geez, the Neo-Bishops of Do-Gooderism have only managed to turn going to many a traditional club into an event that's about as much fun as going to church on a Sunday morning (no offense to religious folk intended)!

Oh, and I've never been to one of these speakeasies either. I would never take part in such a seditious act of festive defiance:-)

After-Hour Parties Spread in Los Angeles - NYTimes.com

Nanny in the afterlife?

2011-12-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

"I mean, what if someone wanted to paint their tomb LSU colors? I don't think purple and gold would be appropriate there."

Who is to say what is or isn't appropriate at one's final resting place? This is what bothers me most about NS (Nanny State) politicians and do-gooder types: They always think that it is they no what's best for you. They do not.

If the laissez-faire spirit of Louisiana is any indication of where the tide will likely turn with regards to this issue, I'd prepare myself for the mirage of colored tombstones that are sure to follow in response to this proposed ban.

Louisiana official finds colorful graves gauche, asks for ban - latimes.com

Laissez les bons temps rouler!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:22:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all! Eat, drink, smoke, and be merry!!!

Volusia paramedics fired for smoking - News

2011-12-21T08:22:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Harleyrider for posting this on Smoker's Club-

The jobs of three EVAC employees with more than 30 years of combined experience are up in smoke after they were found in violation of the county's nicotine policy, a county spokesman confirmed Saturday.

The Neo-Bishops of Do-gooderism are such nice folks, aren't they? Wowza! What a way to say Happy Holidays! What a way to demonstrate the virtues of loyalty and compassion!!

Volusia paramedics fired for smoking - News

The REAL cause of lung cancer

2011-12-12T08:39:00.000-08:00

Dr. Douglass is at it again, doing what he does best: exposing the truth.

A new look at data on more than 180,000 people who were tracked for 26 years found that people who lived in the most polluted zip codes had the highest risk — with every 10 units of exposure increasing the odds of lung cancer by as much as 27 percent.

Ah, how refreshing is it to know that in the City of Angels, you are free to breath in all of the smog that your heart desires without ever having to see a smoker enjoying him/herself on an outdoor patio? Ahhhhhh.....Thank you City Council of Los Angeles!! Thanks to you, now we can dine free from the worries of being accompanied by the hovering ghosts of future illness:

This new smoke-free outdoor dining law will protect patrons and workers from the dangerous health effects of breathing in secondhand smoke, and provide nonsmokers and those who are trying to quit with a smoke-free dining experience.

There's nothing like a little fresh air, eh? Hmmm...I wonder what our friends at the American Lung Association have to say about the air quality in Los Angeles:

High Ozone Days Learn More
Ozone Grade: F How is my grade calculated?
Weighted Average: 91.5 Change Since 1996: 14 fewer days this year

View Orange, Red, and Purple Ozone Days
Particle Pollution - 24 Hour Learn More
Grade: F How is my grade calculated?
Weighted Average: 20.0 Change Since 2000: 32.8 fewer days this year

View Orange, Red, and Purple Particle Pollution Days
Particle Pollution - Annual Learn More
Grade: Fail How is my grade calculated?
Design Value 15.8 Change Since 2000: -.6 µg/m3

Groups At Risk Learn More
Total Population: 9,848,011 Risks to the population
Pediatric Asthma: 165,892 Risks to people with Asthma
Adult Asthma: 576,310 Risks to people with Asthma
Chronic Bronchitis: 306,992 Risks to people with Chronic Bronchitis
Emphysema: 141,524 Risks to people with Emphysema
Cardiovascular Disease: 2,496,934 Risks to people with Cardiovascular Disease
Diabetes: 651,091 Risks to people with Diabetes
Children Under 18: 2,500,804 Risks to children and teens
Adults 65 & Over: 1,042,989 Risks to older adults
Poverty Estimate: 1,552,196 Risks to people with low incomes

Jesus bejeezus..It's a good thing that I don't live in Los Angeles anymore. All of that hiking could have given me lung cancer! I wonder if the city council will ban hiking in Griffith Park next. I mean, to remain consistent, they'd have to. Oh, but we all know that consistency and politics mix together about as well as oil and water.

..And Los Angeles is not the only California city to position itself towards (er, at the top) the top of the list of America's most polluted cities:

By Ozone
#1: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA
#2: Bakersfield-Delano, CA
#3: Visalia-Porterville, CA
#4: Fresno-Madera, CA
#5: Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Yuba City, CA
#6: Hanford-Corcoran, CA
#7: San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
#8: Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX
#9: Merced, CA
#10: Charlotte-Gastonia-Salisbury, NC-SC
#11: San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
#12: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
#13: El Centro, CA
#14: Modesto, CA
#14: Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV
#16: Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN
#17: New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA
#18: Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN
#19: Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ
#20: Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD
#21: Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL
#22: Chico, CA
#23: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL
#24: Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA
#25: Las Vegas-Paradise-Pahrump, NV

By Year Round Particle Pollution

#1: Bakersfield-Delano, CA
#2: Visalia-Porterville, CA
#2: Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ
#2: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA
#5: Hanford-Corcoran, CA
#6: Fresno-Madera, CA
#7: Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA
#8: Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL
#9: Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN
#10: Modesto, CA
#10: Louisville-Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN
#12: Charleston, WV
#12: Steubenville-Weirton, OH-WV
#12: Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH
#15: Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH
#15: Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN
#17: St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL
#17: Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI
#17: Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX
#20: Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV
#21: New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA
#22: Lancaster, PA
#22: Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH
#24: Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN
#24: Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD
#24: York-Hanover-Gettysburg, PA
#24: Parkersburg-Marietta, WV-OH

By Short-Term Particle

#1: Bakersfield-Delano, CA
#2: Fresno-Madera, CA
#3: Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA
#4: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA
#5: Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, UT
#6: Provo-Orem, UT
#7: Visalia-Porterville, CA
#8: Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL
#9: Logan, UT-ID
#9: Hanford-Corcoran, CA
#9: Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Yuba City, CA
#12: Modesto, CA
#13: Merced, CA
#14: Eugene-Springfield, OR
#15: San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA
#16: Stockton, CA
#17: Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI
#18: Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA
#19: Fairbanks, AK
#20: Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD
#21: Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley, GA
#22: Louisville-Jefferson County-Elizabethtown-Scottsburg, KY-IN
#23: Green Bay, WI
#24: Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ
#24: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
#24: San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA
#24: Madison-Baraboo, WI
#24: Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
#24: Wheeling, WV-OH

It's a good thing that I've moved to Louisiana!

Mental fitness down to “lots and lots of cigarettes”

2011-12-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

The former German chancellor, Helmut Schmidt, who is 92, has attributed his mental fitness to “lots and lots of cigarettes”, according to a Hollywood Reporter story.

How is it that some smokers live to such a ripe, old age, whilst being wholly cognizant? Perhaps the chancellor is onto something. Maybe some scientist somewhere should go study this phenomena/paradox; this would increase the likelihood of finding out why so many smokers DO in fact perish from "smoking-related" diseases.

Maybe Mr. Schmidt eats right, or maybe he just doesn't carry the cancer gene. Wouldn't it be nice to know the difference, so that people would be able to make choices, based on individual risk(s)? Oh, but that would require a plethora of investment(s) into a little something called SCIENCE that's free of any and all political intrusions.

One thing is for certain: If a smoker can live to be 92 years old, it most likely would take CENTURIES to truthfully attribute a single death to 2nd-hand smoke.

Here is the link the the Hollywood Reporter article:

On-Air Smoking by Ex-German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Leads to Complaints

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

The prevention of lung cancer induced ... [Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1999] - PubMed - NCBI

2011-12-07T15:41:00.000-08:00

This is interesting...

We have previously shown that green tea, administered as drinking water, inhibits lung tumor development in A/J mice treated with 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-l-butanone (NNK), a potent nicotine-derived lung carcinogen found in tobacco.

These studies underscore the importance of the antioxidant activity of green tea and EGCG for their inhibitory activity against lung tumorigenesis.

The oxidation products found in black tea, thearubigins and theaflavins, also possess antioxidant activity, suggesting that black tea may also inhibit NNK-induced lung tumorigenesis.

Our studies in both mice and rats have generated important new data that support green and black tea and caffeine as potential preventive agents against lung cancer, suggesting that a closer examination of the roles of tea and caffeine on lung cancer in smokers may be warranted.

..Another reason to take a few minutes out of your day to enjoy some tea!!

The prevention of lung cancer induced ... [Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1999] - PubMed - NCBI

Not enough evidence to link smoking and lung cancer

2011-12-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

Lord have mercy...This ruling is sure to bring about the dawn of WWIII.

‘There isn’t enough evidence proving that serious defects exist in the design and manufacturing of cigarette products,’ the court said.

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

E-cigarettes: Threat or therapy? - Health & wellness - The Boston Globe

2011-12-05T09:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Audrey Silk for posting this on Facebook-

Dr. Nancy Rigotti, director of the Tobacco Research and Treatment Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, supports the regulations passed last Thursday by the Boston Public Health Commission. She is concerned in part about the fact that e-cigarettes mimic smoking.

Well, there we have it then...Goodbye common sense...Adios to our good friend science...Cheerio to the freedoms that we once had...for it is clear that the asylum has been taken over by the patients.

E-cigarettes: Threat or therapy? - Health & wellness - The Boston Globe

Boston Bans E-Cigarettes in Workplaces, Just Because - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

2011-12-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Pluseek Lin for posting this on Facebook-

Even by the collectivist, paternalistic standards of "public health" as it is currently understood, the e-cigarette ban is utterly irrational, driven by aesthetic and/or moralistic impulses that have nothing to do with science or with health.

Yep, that quite accurately sums up the the modern day anti-smoking movement.

Boston Bans E-Cigarettes in Workplaces, Just Because - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

TSA Attempts to Cover Up Cancer Threat From X-ray Machines | Welcome to the Alliance for Natural Health - USA

2011-11-30T07:53:00.000-08:00

...but the US has so far swept the safety issues under the carpet.

Is anyone beginning to notice a lack of consistency when it comes to public health and our elected (and un-elected) officials? The Neo-bishops of Do-gooderism care so much about our health and safety that they have willfully trampled all over private property rights and our right to assemble in a bar or restaurant, all in the name of public health of course, and yet our very same government is ok with thrusting upon us the perils of cancer, just so long as it serves their ends?

TSA Attempts to Cover Up Cancer Threat From X-ray Machines | Welcome to the Alliance for Natural Health - USA

How government advice KILLS smokers

2011-11-23T10:23:00.000-08:00

Look, I’ve said before that you don’t need to quit if you don’t want to. Despite what you’ve heard, a moderate tobacco habit can actually be HEALTHY-

Imagine that! I wish that there were more doctors like Dr. Douglass.

How government advice KILLS smokers

New Zealand aspires to Australian legislation

2011-11-22T11:44:00.000-08:00

"Every effort must be made towards achieving the goal of making our nation smoke-free by 2025," Turia said.

Now I just have to wonder, just how are they planning to achieve their objective of a smoke(er) free society? Anyone in their right mind knows that vice has been around since, well, the BEGINNING OF HUMANITY ITSELF! Something tells me that the Neo-Bishops of Do-gooderism are aware of this as well. They can't be that dense now can they? I am sure that they read history books just like the rest of us; this makes me wonder if there isn't something else much more sinister going on behind the scenes.

They have to just KNOW that a lofty goal such as this is ultimately unachievable in a what is supposed to be a democratic society, which is why they will (if allowed) do everything within their power (and they have a lot of power and money) to turn the "Western" world into one giant amalgamation that consists only of autocratic despots that in turn will be made to answer to one supreme leader in the end. To be sure, this sounds a bit crazy and conspiracy theory-like, but think about the nuttiness of the statement above. Consider this: Even if their is no intent on their part to turn free and democratic states into absolutist hellholes were tyranny reigns supreme, what will inevitably result from such extremist thinking is just that: one giant DICTATORSHIP..most likely strung together by the dictats of big pharma and the WHO, who could give a rats arse, btw, about public health. There is an old quote that comes to mind:

The road to HELL is paved with the best of intentions.

Er, but I still have this cynical feeling that there indeed may be some intent involved, but I've become a pessimist, due largely to my general lack of trust in politicians and the company that they keep.

If I were a non-smoker, I'd start paying attention to the rights and liberties that are being taken away under the guise of "public health". As many of us in the blogosphere have always said, this is about a lot more than smoking. If you're not mad, you're not paying attention.

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

New push to limit booze

2011-11-19T11:04:00.000-08:00

..A word about moderate alcohol consumption from my favorite doctor:

Moderate drinkers have a lower risk of heart disease, dementia, stroke and diabetes. They’re smarter, richer and live longer too.

Well, I don't know about the richer (depending upon what your definition of "rich" is) part, but the rest of it sounds good to me:-)

New push to limit booze

FDA Kills Smokers - John Stossel - Townhall Conservative

2011-11-17T12:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Audrey Silk for posting this on Facebook-

Here John Stossel tells it like it is:

Striving to abolish risk kills people.

...as does Brad Rodu, a professor of medicine at the University of Louisville:

It's time to be honest with the 50 million Americans, and hundreds of millions around the world, who use tobacco," Rodu writes. "It's time to abandon the myth that tobacco is devoid of benefits and to focus on how we can help smokers continue to derive those benefits with a safer delivery system.

If we can provide clean needles for heroin addicts, surely we smokers deserve access to pertinent information with regards to the relative risks of varying tobacco products and its alternatives. This is a fundamental human right.

..and here John Stossel makes a bold statement that is devoid of any political correctness or that of any tip-toeing around the issue at hand, which just so happens to be the lives of millions of American smokers:

The FDA claims that all its regulations save lives. But its e-cigarette policy would kill smokers.

What I want to know is, gives them the right? ...Anyone have an inclination?

FDA Kills Smokers - John Stossel - Townhall Conservative

LA County Reveals Secondhand Smoke Dangers for Non-Smokers in Multi-Unit Housing - MarketWatch

2011-11-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

‎''Tobacco smoke particles in units of non-smokers can reach significant
levels equal to and exceeding those of a smoky bar or casino.''

Hmmmm...Now that's a very interesting statement indeed. Next, they'll be saying (via a "scienfific" study with "credentials") that one can contract a respiratory disease from seeing someone smoke. It was hard to do, but I've/we've finally left Los Angeles behind by moving across the country to Louisiana. I feel less stressed out already...Ahh....

LA County Reveals Secondhand Smoke Dangers for Non-Smokers in Multi-Unit Housing - MarketWatch

Judge Blocks Graphic Images on Cigarette Packages - ABC News

2011-11-07T10:55:00.000-08:00

Leon found the nine graphic images approved by the Food and Drug Administration in June go beyond conveying the facts about the health risks of smoking or go beyond that into advocacy — a critical distinction in a case over free speech.

Imagine that.....Anti-smoker activists going beyond the facts.....That never happens.

Judge Blocks Graphic Images on Cigarette Packages - ABC News

Secondhand Smoke Ruling May Set Precedent - Greenbelt, MD Patch

2011-11-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Harleyrider for posting this on Frank Davis' blog-

Fisher said the “smoking gun” in the case was when James Repace, the biophysicist hired by the plaintiff found the same level of cancer-causing particles with his monitor in the smoke-free courtroom as he had in Schuman’s living room while Darko Popovic was smoking outside.

Oy. Well, this about says it all, doesn't it?

Secondhand Smoke Ruling May Set Precedent - Greenbelt, MD Patch

Calif. beach town tightens smoking restrictions | SignOnSanDiego.com

2011-10-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Audrey Silk for posting this on Facebook-

Restaurants are also prohibited from distributing match books because they promote cigarette smoking.

...Proof that smoking bans were never about protecting non-smokers from second hand smoke. California is starting to feel like a giant prison cell.

Calif. beach town tightens smoking restrictions | SignOnSanDiego.com

Youth smoking stable despite €87 million campaign

2011-10-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

The EU spent €86,997,980 on its campaign, ‘Help – For a life without tobacco’, which ran from 2005 to 2010, according to health commissioner, John Dalli.

According to a Library Briefing from the Library of the European Parliament of September 30, these campaigns seem not to be effective in stopping young people from smoking.

...and they spent €86,997,980 of tax payer money, in a time of great economic distress, on this NS (Nanny State) initiative why again? I mean, the "experts" seem to be doing such a stupendous job of achieving their objective of a smoke(er) free world right? All failures and ineptitudes aside, one concept that the Neo-Bishops of Do-gooderism seem to have mastered quite well is the art of preserving their own livlihood (and paychecks) while everyone else is losing theirs.

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

Cain’s unorthodox web ad | The Ticket - Yahoo! News

2011-10-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

Oh, tsk..tsk...Smoking (..and err, smokers) is soooooo "unorthodox" you know. There are only 50-some million of us in America alone. It's not like it's a common or legal activity or anything....

My posting this here is not an endorsement of any candidate or political party, but check out the smirk on presidential candidate Cain's face at the end of this video. It's priceless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhm-22Q0PuM&feature=colike

This Cancer... - YouTube

2011-10-24T14:53:00.000-07:00

Nearly 80% of New Lung Cancer Cases are Former and Never Smokers-Lung Cancer Alliance

This Cancer... - YouTube

Help Exempt Premium Cigars From FDA Regulation

2011-10-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

Help Exempt Premium Cigars From FDA Regulation

Willie Nelson - Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die - Gallivan Center - YouTube

2011-10-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Audrey Silk for posting this on Facebook-

Happy Friday!

Willie Nelson - Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die - Gallivan Center - YouTube

Don’t believe the hype: Smoking won’t make you smaller

2011-10-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Translation: “Who cares if it’s true — let’s run with it anyway!”

Yep, that's how they roll.

Don’t believe the hype: Smoking won’t make you smaller

Smoke-free by 2025?

2011-10-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

"New Zealanders can be proud of our aspiration to be smoke free by 2025,” he said.

...and just how, prey tell, do they plan on achieving their objective without resorting to the tactics of an all out dictatorship?

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

Call for ban on manufacture and sales in Korea

2011-10-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

“We set up the Clean Air & Good Health Society in 2009 to create a world without ‘cigarettes’,” he was quoted as saying.

“It is more like a friendly society, not a well-organized civic organization.

Friendly? Oy. ...and we thought that they'd be happy with non-smoking sections.

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

Ban has no effect on smokers - The Irish Times - Wed, Oct 19, 2011

2011-10-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Audrey Silk for posting this on Facebook-

THE SMOKING ban has not had any appreciable effect on the number of smokers in Ireland, the chief medical officer at the Department of Health has said.

Of course not, we smokers could have told them that. What it has had an effect on however, is the hospitality industry in Ireland. The number of pubs that have closed their doors since the implementation of the smoking ban is staggering! This has unnecessarily left many people destitute and out of work, and all for what?

It's time for a bit of truth: Bureaucrats are not very good problem solvers, which is why I have come to hold the firm belief that smaller government is better government.

Ban has no effect on smokers - The Irish Times - Wed, Oct 19, 2011

Here Cometh the Ghost of Carrie Nation

2011-10-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

Beware! The Neo-bishops of Do-gooderism are after your pint and your glass of wine....AGAIN.

The High Costs of Drinking Too Much - Health Blog - WSJ

Excessive alcohol consumption is defined as averaging more than a drink per day, binge drinking — four or more drinks for women and five or more for men on a single occasion — or any alcohol consumption at all by pregnant women or underage youth.

Hmmmm...really? Just one drink per day is excessive drinking? Has Carry Nation arisen from the grave to secretly fund this "study"? This report has temperance written all over it.

One thing has become increasingly clear to me with regards to all temperance movements: They resemble that of the resentful curmudgeon that cannot stand to see other people having fun, and living longer to boot!

Oh, but "sinners" can have fun and live longer you say? That certainly seems to be the case:

Want to live longer? Toss back a few cocktails

According to the data, drinking a moderate amount of alcohol — up to four drinks per day in men and two drinks per day in women — reduces the risk of death from any cause by roughly 18 percent, the team reports in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Now take that you Carrie Nations of the world and stuff it!

To learn more about the history of temperance movements, buy this book from Christopher Snowdon: The Art Of Suppression

Another day, another tobacco lie

2011-10-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Depending on which city's numbers you pick, you could just as easily claim that smoking bans CAUSE heart attacks!

The truth will eventually come out. In fact, thanks to folks like Dr. Douglass, it already is. We (see list of smoker links at on the right side of this page to see whom I'm referring to) know that the Neo-bishops of Do-gooderism are lying. Everyday, more people are waking up by reading in-between the lines. The sound bytes of an all too complicit media cannot fool us forever, for we in the blogosphere have acquired a relatively new and novel weapon to help us in our fight against tyranny: the internet.

Another day, another tobacco lie

ACLU Steps Up

2011-10-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

...Just came across this on the Forces International page:

About time! Twenty states discriminate against smokers, thirty states do not and neither does the District of Columbia. Slowly the ACLU has been going state by state to end discrimination against any smoker, obese individual, those that drink alcohol, have high cholesterol levels, or ride motorcycles.

Corporations do not own you or have rights to your body. We hope they are successful in all 50 states.

Wowza! It is about time!

ACLU Steps Up

Legislative Briefing Kit: Lifestyle Discrimination in the Workplace

The early Americans adopted the Bill of Rights to limit the government's involvement in their lives and modern Americans demonstrate the same unwillingness to tolerate intrusion whether by government or by employer.

Here! Here!!

Employees who have lifestyles the employer considers unhealthy are required to pay more for their company health insurance. Some employers say they are charging unhealthy employees a premium over their "normal" rate, some say they are giving healthy employees a discount. Either way, one employee is paying more for their health care than another.

Where, prey tell are all of those tobacco taxes (that we smokers pay in higher proportions, as compared to any other group) going? We smokers are already paying for our health insurance, but yet we have to pay more? I sure hope that the ACLU takes this fact into account. We are simultaneously getting ripped off by both the insurance industry and by that of our own government. This extortion needs to stop.

People will take jobs, not reveal their lifestyle, and hope the employer doesn't find out. When this occurs, employers will have to hire spies to follow people away from work and/or require frequent universal medical testing (such as urinalysis) in order to enforce the policy.

...Kind of reminds me of this group of friendly folks:

It was widely regarded as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies in the world.

Between 1950 and 1989, the Stasi employed a total of 274,000 people in an effort to root out the class enemy.

Full-time officers were posted to all major industrial plants (the extensiveness of any surveillance largely depended on how valuable a product was to the economy)[9] and one tenant in every apartment building was designated as a watchdog reporting to an area representative of the Volkspolizei (Vopo).[13] Spies reported every relative or friend who stayed the night at another's apartment.[13] Tiny holes were drilled in apartment and hotel room walls through which Stasi agents filmed citizens with special video cameras.[13] Schools, universities, and hospitals were extensively infiltrated.[13]

Yes, this really happened, and it's happening again. This time it's taking places right here in the United States.

Inconvenienced smokers violate policy | The Northerner

2011-10-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Audrey Silk for posting this on Facebook-

UK is officially a tobacco-free campus; but since the policy went into place, the university has similar problems with compliance.

Hmmm....Is it really a smoke-free campus if there is little or no compliance? What did they expect anyway? Going to university is a place where one goes to get smartenized and confident, not ignorant and sheep-like. It is apparent that this is a stupid law, so it any wonder that the students recognize it as such?

Ickes said the policy wasn’t meant to be “heavy-handed,” but focused on compliance and making sure the campus recognized the policy.

No, the Neo-bishops of Do-gooderism never intend to behave like totalitarians, but in fact, that is what they are, and one does not need to have a college education to recognize this simple fact.

Smoke 'em if ya got 'em, and do it with a smile on your face.

Inconvenienced smokers violate policy | The Northerner

ForestEireann_Tour-of-Ireland_October2011.pdf (application/pdf Object)

2011-10-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

During his two‐week tour of Ireland John Mallon will distribute copies of Forest Eireann’s
‘Smokers’ Manifesto’. He will also promote ‘Civil Liberties: Up In Smoke?’, a new report
published by civil rights watchdog Privacy International in association with Forest.

Calling for greater tolerance and common sense on the issue of smoking, Mallon says:
“The anti‐smoking movement has gone too far. Unwittingly, perhaps, some well‐meaning
campaigners are making many smokers’ lives a misery.

Good luck John!

ForestEireann_Tour-of-Ireland_October2011.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Velvet Glove, Iron Fist: The Art of Suppression

2011-10-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Please buy this book authored by the very talented Christopher Snowdon! You will not be disappointed.

Velvet Glove, Iron Fist: The Art of Suppression

New Song Inpired by the Anti-smoker Bishops of Do-gooderism!

2011-10-06T11:51:00.001-07:00

I don't generally (well, EVER) promote my band http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhere on this blog...Oh, but what the hell, this latest single from my band FireBug (produced by Chris Goss)was largely (ok, completely) inspired by the very people that so many of us here in the blogosphere rant about on a regular basis, so I figured that I'd share it all with all of you. Ihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gift's just one of many songs that have been inspired by the Neo-Bishops of Do-Gooderism. Play it LOUD.

..Hope that you enjoy.

Used To Be

Alcohol has bigger health impact than does smoking

2011-10-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

Alcohol has a bigger impact than smoking on health because alcohol kills at a younger age, according to a story by health reporter, Philippa Roxby for BBC News quoting Dr Nick Sheron, who runs the liver unit at Southampton General Hospital, UK.

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

...and here's a link to the original article:

What damage does alcohol do to our bodies?

So why is drinking alcoholic beverages dangerous to our health?

Why alcohol has this negative effect on all elements of our health could be down to acetaldehyde - the product alcohol is broken down into in the body.

Acetaldehyde is toxic and has been shown to damage DNA.

"One of most common genetic defects in man is our inability to counteract the toxicity of alcohol."

Hmmmm....I question the validity of this statement. It seems to echo the same sentiment of the anti-smoker establishment when it says that there is (or can never be) a safe(er) cigarette. So what gives me the right, being a singer in a rock band, to question such "authorities" on the matter? I have a penchant for reading and for questioning things as a result. After much research on the matter, I have recently become a fan of drinking ionized alkaline water, which has been purported to have many health benefits in clearing the body of toxins, even from that of alcohol consumption:

Doctors in the emergency room treat alcohol poisoning by providing an intravenous bicarbonate solution, which neutralizes toxic acetaldehyde quickly, and allows it to be flushed out by the kidneys. Drinking alkaline mineral water stimulates the natural production of bicarbonates in the digestive tract and provides natural detoxification.

Alkaline Water for the Rock Star Lifestyle

..Wanting more proof of this claim, I decided to hop on over to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) to see if I could find anything on the subject. A quick search revealed this study:

Ionized alkaline water: new strategy for management of metabolic acidosis in experimental animals.

Metabolic acidosis can occur as a result of either the accumulation of endogenous acids or loss of bicarbonate from the gastrointestinal tract or the kidney, which represent common causes of metabolic acidosis.

Similar results were observed in urinary diversion models as there was significant improvement of both the partial pressure of carbon dioxide and serum bicarbonate (P = 0.007 and 0.001 respectively) after utilizing alkaline water orally.

Here is yet another study that I've come across:

Electrolyzed-reduced water inhibits acute ethanol-induced hangovers in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Alcohol concentration in serum of ERW-treated rats showed significant difference at 1 h, 3 h and 5 h respectively as compared with the rats treated with distilled water. Both alcohol dehydrogenase type 1 and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase related with oxidation of alcohol were significantly increased in liver tissue while the level of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in serum was markedly decreased 24 h after pre-oral administration of ERW.

So it does appear in fact, that there currently exists the knowledge and the science to prove that the negative effects of acetaldehyde can be (at least somewhat) averted &/or reversed by the supplementation of bicarbonate. Is Dr Nick Sheron not aware of this research?

"The toxicity of alcohol is complex, but we do know there is a clear dose relationship."

Doesn't this sound familiar? This is exactly what Dr. Gori of the National Cancer Institute said with regards to cigarette smoking and its relationship to cancer and heart disease.

Nevertheless, I get it: drinking in excess has the potential to wreak havoc on one's body. The same goes for excessive smoking, does it not? Currently, it appears that there IS a safe level of drinking. Scientists who are interested in the issue of harm-reduction are also developing knowledge on how to counter-act some of the risks that are associated with regular (heavy), long term drinking. Of course, this news does not mean that one should go out and drink him/herself into oblivion; what it does mean, however, is that there is hope for those who simply cannot control their over-indulgence. This is a medical issue after all and no one deserves to die simply because some think that they "morally" deserve what they have coming to them. That line of thinking is so "un"-progressive, so Calvinist, and oh so yesterday.

Will harm reduction efforts geared towards those imbibe on a regular basis also be silenced, as what we have witnessed with the case of tobacco? All that we need to do is take a look into the recent history of the anti-tobacco crusade that crucified (and continues to today) anyone who dared challenge the notion that there exists a dose response relationship with smoking and disease. There were studies after all, that proved this to be so; but that is not the message that we have been getting, now is it?

Taylor to speak at TABEXPO on harm reduction-

2011-10-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

‘Methods for the reduction of tar and other constituents of smoke in cigarettes will be explored in depth, including an analysis of the three main methods for yield reduction.

‘Dr. Taylor will also highlight the importance of filters in reducing harmful compounds in cigarettes. This will include an assessment of the role of multi-segment filters in improving filtration. In addition a comparison of granular absorbents, such as carbon, ion exchange resins and silica gel will be provided.’

Oh, how I'd love to be a fly on the wall at this event.

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

Smoking Permitted Once Again in Specified Areas | Greece.GreekReporter.com Latest News from Greece

2011-10-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Audrey Silk for posting this on Facebook-

Smoking will be once again permitted in Greece given the country’s poor financial situation. The new measure will allow smokers to smoke inside casinos and big nightclubs exceeding 300m2.

Ah Ha! Smoking bans do hurt the economy! Of course, that is exactly what many of us in the blogosphere have been saying ever since the dawn of health fascism arrived at our doors, our restaurants, our local pub/bar/club, and (most recently) many of our parks.

There has never been a need to waste money on "studies" to prove whether or not smoking bans harm businesses and thus the economies of the world in aggregate. All that government officials the world over needed to do was ask the owners of privately owned establishments about whether or not smoking bans harm business. They are, after all, the real experts on all matters pertaining to everything and anything hospitality. If smoking bans were good for the economy (any economy), then there would be no need for smoking bans in the first place.

Call it an oxymoron that is destined to reveal the truth. No matter how hard the proponents of smoking bans on privately owned property attempt to deny these facts with tired and useless refutations that cost tax payers their time, money, and freedom, the pendulum will swing back in the other direction. It has to and this latest development in Greece just proves it.

I will be looking forward to this headline coming from Greece within the next year:

Greece restores freedom of choice to ALL bar, restaurant, casino, and club owners.

Now that sounds like good economic policy, don't you think?

Smoking Permitted Once Again in Specified Areas | Greece.GreekReporter.com Latest News from Greece

Dave Herman an Alleged Victim of Secondhand Marijuana Smoke | 5thRound.com

2011-09-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Secondhand cigarette smoke kills. In UFC heavyweight Dave Herman’s (Pictured) case, secondhand marijuana smoke apparently killed his chances at competing in the most star-studded MMA card of 2011.

...and pot smokers thought that they could escape the madness of the anti-smoker church of do-gooderism...

Dave Herman an Alleged Victim of Secondhand Marijuana Smoke | 5thRound.com

Update: Downton Smoking Ban Approved by Concord City Council - Concord, CA Patch

2011-09-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Audrey Silk for posting this on Facebook-

"There's bigger things to worry about, Mayor ..." said Landon Hathaway, a bar tender at Vinnie's Bar & Grill. "We've been chasing off the same bums for the last seven years, drinking beers ... in front of the bar and behind the bar ... and now you guys are chasing off paying customers who are trying to smoke a cigarette? ..."

Yep, that's what they (code word for special interests and uptight busy bodies) do in California. The state is BROKE, the unemployment rate is the 2ND HIGHEST IN THE NATION, and more Americans are FLEEING CALIFORNIA instead of migrating to California, and politicians have time to worry about SMOKING ?

I suppose that the smoking issue explains a LOT about why this state is in shambles. There's time and money for anti-tobacco campaigns and the overly intrusive regulations that accompany them, but there's NO MONEY FOR THE CRUMBLING SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE OR FOR THE DISABLED. Things are getting so bad here that even Governor Brown is not immune to the scourge of criticism that is now emanating from that of even his own political allies.

From Sacramento down to City Hall, California is broken. The austere nature of such over-regulation, such as the new ordinance that bans smoking within a 17 block radius of downtown Concord, serves to issue California residents yet another somber prediction of where the state of the state seems to be headed. The picture looks bleak from here.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

Update: Downton Smoking Ban Approved by Concord City Council - Concord, CA Patch

Skyrocketing medical fraud

2011-09-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

One study on blood pressure meds led to some 100,000 people taking extra drugs they didn’t need and risking side effects for a benefit that turned out to be 100 percent fictional.

Yet it took The Lancet SIX YEARS to retract that study!

Nice huh?

Skyrocketing medical fraud

British pubs should be allowed to lift smoking ban says Wirral Euro MP (From Wirral Globe)

2011-09-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

"Pubs are local parliaments and are a very important part of our society. Once the traditional pubs have gone they will never return," said Mr Nuttall, UKIP deputy leader.

"There is no simple answer but it is certainly time to re-think the smoking ban.

Of course there is a simple answer: Restore freedom of choice and encourage proper air filtration (which is likely to put even more folks back to work as well). Freedom is a win-win situation.

British pubs should be allowed to lift smoking ban says Wirral Euro MP (From Wirral Globe)

The War on E-Cigarettes - Jeff Stier & Gregory Conley - National Review Online

2011-09-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to CAGE Canada for posting this on Facebook-

Jeff Stier tells is like it IS.

In fact, groups like Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids have remained steadfast in their adamant opposition to many commonsense strategies for making tobacco less deadly.

How about that, huh? What gives these people the right to restrict our access to reduced risk products that may very well save our lives? The fact is that they have no right to violate the human rights (yes, this is a human rights issue) of over 50 million American smokers.

This is a great article in its entirety. Please do read.

The War on E-Cigarettes - Jeff Stier & Gregory Conley - National Review Online

Jamaican farmers trample over FCTC in rush to tobacco

2011-09-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

A 2011 Rural Agriculture Development Authority study has found that Jamaica is in breach of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which the country has been a signatory since 2005.

...Looks like it's time for Jamaica to do an about face by disassociating itself with the FCTC.

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

A local WEHO resident tells it like it is

2011-09-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

If there ever was to exist a brilliant op-ed on the issue of smoking bans, it is this one by West Hollywood resident by Sheila Lightfoot.

Democratic hypocrisy and the nanny state

So where will Assembly Speaker Perez go to smoke that cigar in West Hollywood where a tough new outdoor smoking ban is set to take effect on January 1? Bet it will be the exclusive membership-only Soho House where the rich-enough are exempt from WeHo’s smoking ban.

Nailed it.

Anyone surprised that a "progressive" Democratic leader wants us to do what he says, not what he does? The Democrats are increasingly getting it wrong.

Nailed it again.

Do the Nannies hate smokers enough to sacrifice its Russian and LGBT population?

Yep...along with its musicians...

We’re a diverse community that has co-existed successfully for a very long time.

Amen sister!

How long do you think the Sunset Strip would survive if the Nannies were running our longest enduring establishments?

Ms. Land and Mr. Heilman would turn down the music and install jungle gyms at the Whiskey A Go Go to make it more family friendly.

Lord have mercy...she's nailed it again! ....and what a sad day that would be indeed.

WFPL News | Bullitt County Smoking Ban Rejected

2011-09-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks to CAGE Canada for posting this on Facebook-

A Bullitt County judge says the county health department’s proposed smoking ban is unlawful, implying the department’s decision to enact the ban was Orwellian.

Judge Rodney Burress writes in his ruling if the health department can decide who smokes where, it could also decide what time individuals could go to bed.

I wish that we had judges like this in California.

WFPL News | Bullitt County Smoking Ban Rejected

Save Our Pubs and Clubs-Amend the smoking ban (uncut)

2011-09-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

Watching this video is inspiring. Please take a few minutes of your time to check it out.

I especially love the interview with artist David Hockney, who proposes a new advert, much like the ones that are put on cigarette packs:

Death awaits you even if you don't smoke-David Hockney

Truth.

The CA Marijuana Movement after Prop 19: Q&A with Dale Gieringer - YouTube

2011-09-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

The CA Marijuana Movement after Prop 19: Q&A with Dale Gieringer - YouTube

I wonder what would happen if marijuana users were to band together with tobacco users to fight off the Nanny State.......??

Smoking Bans Are No Match for New Yorkers - YouTube

2011-09-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

Smoking Bans Are No Match for New Yorkers - YouTube

Smoking Bans Have No Connection To Heart Attack Rates: Studies

2011-09-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to CAGE Canada for posting this on Facebook-

Studies with data from seven states with smoking bans show no correlation between the bans and heart attack rates.

Smoking Bans Have No Connection To Heart Attack Rates: Studies

Ban on vaping in planes

2011-09-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

The Obama administration yesterday proposed banning the use of electronic cigarettes on airline flights, saying there was concern the products might be harmful, according to a story by Joan Lowy for Associated Press

I get it. The Obama administration doesn't approve of anything that looks like smoking, even thought it's not smoking because it hurts the bottom line of his crony buddies in the pharmaceutical industry. For the love of common sense, why can't there at least be "vaping sections"? I don't care for e-cigarettes myself, but wouldn't it make sense to try to get more folks to relax when flying the friendly skies? Isn't life and traveling already stressful enough?

With that said, I do believe that the electronic cigarette industry had this coming to it. Why? Because to sell their product, they push all of the 2nd hand smoke propaganda about traditional cigarettes to their prospective customers that they can. Nevermind if it's all bullsh*t; they just echo every sentiment of the most ardent anti-smoker and use it to their own advantage. Now the anti-smoking establishment is setting its eyes on YOU! Get ready for all sorts of outlandish claims put forth by overzealous bureaucrats and the media that follows their every word. We tobacco smokers could have warned you, but you threw us under the bus.

Vegas Vapefest set for Friday

2011-09-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

Sep 13, 2011—Hundreds of vapers (electronic cigarette users) and dozens of electronic cigarette vendors from around the world are expected to attend the Vegas Vapefest at the Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas, on September 16 and 17, according to a PRNewswire story.

New patented cactus-based cigarettes launched by China Kangtai Cactus Biotech

2011-09-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

This cactus-derived cigarette lowers tar and nicotine content by 70%.

Hmmmm...interesting...So this is potentially a reduced risk product?

...and even more interesting...

It also greatly reduces harm related to secondhand smoke.

Ok, first of all let me just say that I don't believe all of the hype about second smoke, as there are more studies that show no effect than there are studies that show a harmful effect, and even some that show a protective effect. Now that that's out of the way, I wonder what they really mean (ie., how have they come to this conclusion) by this statement? I'm interested in finding out more.

New patented cactus-based cigarettes launched by China Kangtai Cactus Biotech

Non-smokers flock to Best Smoking Area

2011-09-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

Non-smokers flock to Best Smoking Area

Ye Olde Whyte Lyon, a pub in the English county of Kent, last night was awarded the prize for having the Best Smoking Area of any pub in Britain.

Ye Olde Whyte Lyon has a large patio area with a canvas canopy, heaters, and an outside television; as well as a beer garden with a wide range of flowers, trees and plants. The pub provides blankets to customers who wish to stay outside when the weather is chilly.

Jesus...these folks really care about their customers! But, then again it makes total sense because it's the HOSPITALITY industry, and in the hospitality industry one needs lots of happy customers that will return (gleefully) on a regular basis. It is clear that Ye Olde Whyte Lyon pub knows a thing or two about the business of serving people.

Wendy Mannion, joint licensee of Ye Olde Whyte Lyon and a smoker, said: "We didn't want a smoking area that was dark, dingy and smelly, but one that was engineered to be the best with a nice, cosy ambience.

"The smoking area is popular with smokers and non-smokers alike. In fact we reckon that 60 per cent of customers who use the smoking area are non-smokers who want to enjoy the atmosphere."

Ah Ha! There's the proof in the pudding folks! Many non-smokers enjoy the company of smokers (as we enjoy theirs) and could give a rats arse about a smoke-free environment. They are out on the patio (which was built for smokers) as a result of their own free will, right? I don't need some government funded bureaucrat (that has no knowledge of the hospitality industry 1st hand) to spew out garbage about how they know what's better for someone else's restaurant or bar, when clearly that is a LIE. This is all of the proof that I need to ascertain to the fact that anti-smokers are in the minority, a very small minority in fact.

In congratulating the Olde Whyte Lyon, Simon Kirby, who is MP for Brighton Kemptown and who presented the Best Smoking Area award, said he liked the kind of pub that anyone could go to.

I like a pub that makes an effort to appeal to everyone, and that includes adults who choose to smoke.

Ooh!! Holy cannoli....A politician with some sense!! I wish that he'd run for mayor of Los Angeles.

TV chef, Antony Worrall Thompson, who owns The Greyhound pub near Henley-on-Thames and recently created an e-petition calling for a review of the smoking ban, said he knew how important it was to offer customers an attractive facility where they could eat, drink and smoke.

“I congratulate Ye Olde Whyte Lyon, but not every pub has an outdoor area suitable for development,” he pointed out. “The government should review the ban and give licensees the option of having a separate, well-ventilated smoking room indoors.”

Exactly. It's not too much to ask for in what is supposed to be a free country.

"We are delighted to support both the Best Smoking Area award at the Great British Pub Awards and the Save Our Pubs & Clubs campaign. Congratulations to Ye Olde Whyte Lyon."

Indeed. Congratulations!

Video: Paul Simon's 9/11 performance - Yahoo! News

2011-09-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

God bless all of the victims of 9/11.

Video: Paul Simon's 9/11 performance - Yahoo! News

Buckeye Liquor Permit Holders Association Asking for Ohio Department of Health Director Wymyslo's Resignation

2011-09-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Cage Canada for posting this on Facebook-

Source: email to Ohio Legislature and Governor Kasich

When the Director of a State Agency intentionally omits data in a report to the legislature, MANIPULATES DATA to get the outcome he wants and presents that to the legislature, Governor and media, he should RESIGN or BE REMOVED IMMEDIATELY and a CORRECTED report issued both to the legislature and the media. Reasons for dismissal: dishonesty, failure of good behavior, intentionally misrepresenting data to lawmakers, Governor and media.

I sure hope that folks from the Liquor Permit Holders Association and Opponents of Ohio Bans are successful. They deserve it, as they have the truth on their side.

News-IMPORTANT

California Town to Ban Pot Shops and Outdoor Tobacco Smoking

2011-09-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

Danville moves to ban marijuana dispensaries, and cigarette smoking in parks

The Danville Town Council has voted to ban marijuana dispensaries and to prohibit tobacco smoking at all recreation areas.

Well, there you have it, just like I predicted....and don't even get me started on how un-American and utterly ridiculous outdoor smoking bans are. But suddenly, I am beginning to realize that we tobacco smokers are now no longer the only subjects being affected by the immoderate ire of the newly anointed Nanny State (NS). The neo-bishops of do-gooderism are now expanding upon their their religious empire of prudishness by turning their sites towards the (legal in California, I might add) eventual annihilation of medical marijuana dispensaries. This is just the beginning folks. Our very "Liberal" governor Jerry Brown has just signed AB1300, a bill that:

....essentially allows local governments across California to decide how, when and where dispensaries can operate.

But the power goes far beyond mere “regulation,” cities will be able to use targeted laws to ban dispensaries outright.

But, but...How can they do that my pot smoking brothers and sisters might ask? How can they ban something that's legal? I'll tell you how: The precedent was set with their illegal smoking bans, that's why they are able to now come after you. Bars and restaurants have lost their private property rights and the right to serve a clientele that chooses to use a legal product. No one is safe from the strong arm of the bully state now.

Can we please stop throwing each other under the bus now so that we can collectively vote these people out of office? I don't care if you don't care for my cigarette smoke, but can we please acknowledge that we all have a right to exist in peace? That means that we all have to have a place to patronize. It's called freedom of choice.

I'll vote with you if you vote with me......

PR Firm Leads $13.3M Campaign Against Citizens’ Rights, Says Premium Cigar Group

2011-09-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

newsroom09062011.pdf (application

Birmingham, Alabama September 6, 2011 – A $13.3 million federally funded anti-smoking campaign led by a Birmingham public relations firm aimed at making Alabama a smoke-free state will result in a loss of businesses, jobs, tax revenues and citizen rights, according to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

Gee, what timing the Obama administration has with our president set to give a speech on creating, not eliminating, jobs this evening. What fools we have all been. This is not the only federal stimulus grant that has gone towards anti-smoking. This has been taking place virtually all over the country. Call it what it is, a job killer, a freedom of association killer, a private property rights killer, and an assault on individual liberties; and what makes it even worse is that it's all being done through a back door while our president gets set to convince us all that he really is for the little guy. This cloak and dagger approach in behavior modification amounts to nothing more than the outright bribery and extortion of local officials, a de facto subversion of local law where the local citizenry loses its representation to the deep-pocketed lobbyists in Washington.

“The PR firm – The Modern Brand – should be ashamed of itself for taking the people’s money to manipulate them out of their constitutional rights while jeopardizing their businesses, jobs, and state and federal tax revenues,” McCalla said.

What an understatement. Traitors is what they are.

Filtrona develops new charcoal filter

2011-09-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

Personally, I'm a fan of charcoal filters. I won't use anything else when I roll my own smokes. I have found them to make the whole smoking experience much smoother, and being that I have always been an ultra-light smoker, the smoother the better for me. I am also concerned about the issue of harm reduction. I have read quite a few studies in the past on the possible role of charcoal filters in reducing some of the harm that is associated with smoking, so naturally I became intrigued when I came across this latest news on the development of a new filter:

Colored carbon on view in ‘x-ray’ filter

Filtrona Filter Products has launched a new filter that combines a colorful visual impact with the performance benefits of carbon.

Here are but a few of the studies on charcoal filters that I have come across:

Effect of charcoal-containing cigarette filters on gas phase volatile organic compounds in mainstream cigarette smoke

Overall, the brands with the most charcoal are effective at reducing VOC deliveries under even intense smoking conditions.

Charcoal cigarette filters and lung cancer risk in Aichi
Prefecture, Japan

The lung cancer mortality rate has been lower in Japan than in
the United States for several decades. We hypothesized that this
difference is due to the Japanese preference for cigarettes with
charcoal-containing filters, which efficiently absorb selected gas
phase components of mainstream smoke including the carcinogen
4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone.

Semi-volatiles in mainstream smoke delivery from select charcoal-filtered cigarette brand variants

While charcoal-containing filters selectively removed lower molecular weight PAHs from mainstream smoke, they did not significantly remove the heavier and more toxic PAHs studied, such as benzo[a]pyrene, a known carcinogen. Likewise, charcoal-containing filters removed phenols and TSNAs from mainstream smoke to differing amounts depending on the compound, filter design and the smoking regimen.

...Which is why I always use these in addition to a charcoal filter when rolling my own. Maybe someone, somewhere will eventually getting around to doing a study on filtered cigarette holders. I have not been able to find one study anywhere, which is very strange I have to say. If tobacco control were really so concerned about the harm(s) that are inflicted upon so many by worldwide tobacco use, why are there no studies on these filters? Could they not also be part of the overall solution, which is to reduce the harms associate with smoking? Ok, we already know the answer to this question and I'm getting off topic.

I can honestly say from personal experience that my lungs are much cleaner when I wake up in the morning since I have been using them along with the charcoal filters. That has to account for something, because I can feel it. Anyway, I hope to come across one of these new filters from Filtrona because I would really like to try one.

Cheerio! ..Off to rehearsal now..

AFP: Be happy, no butts, Bhutan's smokers told

2011-09-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ann Welch for posting this on Facebook-

We are doing this for the good health and well-being of our people..

Be very afraid if anyone (be it a politician, a bureaucrat, or a neighbor) who utters these words to you. The term "for your own good", or in this case "for your own health", ultimately translates into this: "If you don't do what we say, we are going to take everything (your business, your dignity, your home, your right to assemble, your right to free speech, etc...) and make your life as miserable as possible until you conform to our view of what is needed to construct the ultimate utopian society. ..and if that doesn't work, we'll take what's left of your humanity like a thief in the night that harbors no remorse (or conscience) for playing the role of a thieving perpetrator, for this thief is protected by the "law".

AFP: Be happy, no butts, Bhutan's smokers told

Michigan Bar Owners Ban Lawmakers for Banning Smoking! (Nanny of the Month, Aug 2011) - YouTube

2011-09-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

Michigan Bar Owners Ban Lawmakers for Banning Smoking! (Nanny of the Month, Aug 2011) - YouTube

Cigar Explorer & CRA Charity Event a.k.a. Cigar Extravaganza – October 7, 2011

2011-09-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

October 7th, Friday, at Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel in Downtown, Columbus, Ohio.

Why not check out this event if you live in Ohio? ..Looks like fun.

Cigar Explorer & CRA Charity Event a.k.a. Cigar Extravaganza – October 7, 2011

Cigarette bans on college campuses catching on: Unfair? - HealthPop - CBS News

2011-09-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Audrey Silk for posting this on Facebook-

And Audrey Silk, a smokers' rights advocate in New York City, told CBS News that she opposes college smoking bans, adding "The goal is to have a smoker-free society. It is part of a strategy to ban smoking completely everywhere."

Yep, that about sums it up. In order to achieve the ultimate objective of a smoker-free society, they (the neo-bishops of do-goodery and doublespeak) are going to have to resort to draconian measures not unlike those taken by extremists and tyrants. There is no way to rid society of 1.5 billion people worldwide (this is a world-wide movement, courtesy of the WHO) without resorting to Stalinist-like tactics. Anyone who supports the anti-smoker movement at this point is an accomplice and should be ashamed of themselves.

When we begin to turn 20% of the population away from higher education, it'll become apparent that we've taken a wrong turn onto a road that leads inevitably to a very grim and humorless place where intellectual brain drain has taken the place of critical thinking and fairness.

The hatred and bigotry train rolls on.

Cigarette bans on college campuses catching on: Unfair? - HealthPop - CBS News

Edgar Cullman Sr., Purveyor of Cigars, Dies at 93 - Bloomberg

2011-08-31T15:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Lawson Narse for posting this on Facebook-

93 years old!! ..A life well lived I'd say. God bless.

Edgar Cullman Sr., Purveyor of Cigars, Dies at 93 - Bloomberg

ekathimerini.com | A year on, smoking ban still flouted

2011-08-31T12:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Audrey Silk for posting this on Facebook-

A year since the introduction of a blanket ban on smoking in public places, businesses and smokers alike continue to flagrantly flout the law, according to statistics released on Tuesday by the Center for Infectious Diseases Control (KEEL), which has been running a telephone hotline informing citizens about the restrictions.

Good for the Greeks.

ekathimerini.com | A year on, smoking ban still flouted

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

2011-08-31T11:57:00.000-07:00

..More insanity from the tobacco control nut jobs...

Landskrona municipality in southern Sweden is considering imposing a ban on staff smoking tobacco during working hours, even if they are working from home, according to a story in The Local.se quoting the Helsingborgs Dagblad daily.

Oh, and get a load of this:

The initiative, which would not apply to politicians...

..and why is that, hmmmmm? Maybe because they (the politicians and the uptight and ever so pompous bureaucrats) have to work together without resorting to fist fights?! For everyone else (ie., the working stiff), the neo-Stasi will be in full force I'm sure.

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

Lawmakers banned from Michigan bars - WNEM TV 5 - Saginaw, Flint, Michigan News and Weather

2011-08-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

In Michigan, bar owners have said that despite there being a large number of lawmakers supporting them, that they, the owners, must provide a 'level playing field', and are forced to prohibit all lawmakers from their establishments.

Brilliant!! I don't know how I managed to miss this great news last week, but it's better late than never. God bless America! That's the spirit.

Lawmakers banned from Michigan bars - WNEM TV 5 - Saginaw, Flint, Michigan News and Weather

Guitar Frets: Environmental Enforcement Leaves Musicians in Fear | Postmodern Times - WSJ.com

2011-08-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

It isn't just Gibson that is sweating. Musicians who play vintage guitars and other instruments made of environmentally protected materials are worried the authorities may be coming for them next.

If you are the lucky owner of a 1920s Martin guitar, it may well be made, in part, of Brazilian rosewood. Cross an international border with an instrument made of that now-restricted wood, and you better have correct and complete documentation proving the age of the instrument. Otherwise, you could lose it to a zealous customs agent—not to mention face fines and prosecution.

...Wanting to curse...and then curse some more...Too angry to write or comment further. We need a new government. What happened to the Liberals? Where have they all gone? You, know the ones that actually care about LIBERTY, JUSTICE, COMMON SENSE,and FREEDOM..Where are they? Have they all been abducted by space aliens?

Guitar Frets: Environmental Enforcement Leaves Musicians in Fear | Postmodern Times - WSJ.com

Battle for the California Desert: Why is the Government Driving Folks of...

2011-08-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

Private property rights? What private property rights?

Smokers avoid warnings, not cigarettes, study finds

2011-08-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

“Effective communication is more complicated than simply showing a disgusting picture. That kind of communication will usually result in a defensive avoidance response where the smoker will try to avoid the disgusting images, not the cigarettes.”

We will simply purchase cigarette cases; in fact, many of us who roll our own already have. Some of them are actually quite nice too!

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

msnbc video: ‘Superfoods’ may ward off diseases

2011-08-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

msnbc video: ‘Superfoods’ may ward off diseases

News & Events (Tobacco) > FDA to Host a Public Workshop on Modified Risk Tobacco Product Applications

2011-08-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

FDA is inviting scientific and medical experts, as well as interested participants from academia, public health organizations, federal, state and local government agencies, consumer groups, and the tobacco industry, to attend the workshop in person or by live webcast. FDA also invites public comments on MRTPs, which can be submitted via the web2 or via mail3 until September 23, 2011.

News & Events (Tobacco) > FDA to Host a Public Workshop on Modified Risk Tobacco Product Applications

I would like to believe that this is set to be an event that will prove to be a productive, honest, and progressive workshop that will emphatically embrace the objective of studying the actual science of harm reduction (free of bias and special interest motives) for the more than 50 million smokers here in the U.S., but I somehow doubt that will take place at all. Why am I so cynical?

Could FDA Panel Conflict of Interest Endanger Menthol Cigarettes?

The issue hit this week when the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, filed a complaint against the FDA's tobacco advisory panel for conflicts of interest since they have voting members who consult for pharmaceutical companies that work on nicotine delivery products to quit smoking.

Would you trust these guys with studying the tobacco that you smoke, chew, or vape? Do you believe that they will be truthful in disseminating to smokers the vital information that they/we need so that we may be able to differentiate between the varying relative risks of the tobacco products that we choose to use? Knowledge of these differences will have an immediate and direct impact on the choices that we make, and undoubtedly save millions of lives among those of us who choose to smoke. Do you really believe that they have your best interest at heart? I don't, and here's yet another reason why:

Propylene glycol used as smokescreen

Dr. Gilbert Ross was commenting on a statement by the US Food and Drug Administration that it had found two brands of e-cigarettes containing a chemical used in antifreeze.

Dr. Josh Bloom, also of ACSH, described the FDA claim as a scare tactic aimed at convincing people that the chemical in question, propylene glycol, was antifreeze, and therefore toxic.

But propylene glycol was essentially non-toxic: it was a chemical that was converted into normal products of carbohydrate metabolism.

If the folks at the FDA are unable to tell the difference (er..or don't want to tell us the difference) between propylene glycol and ETHYLENE glycol, is it even remotely possible to believe that they will be willing to publicly admit that indeed a non-filter cigarette is different (ie., more risky) from say that of a charcoal filter cigarette with bright Virginia tobacco that is virtually nitrosamine free?

Somehow I don't think that we're going to get the truth anytime in the near future, not unless we begin to demand it. Millions of tobacco users will be left in the dark as a result. The only option that we will be given is the option to remain in ignorance about the relative risks of varying tobacco products coupled with a sales pitch to buy pharmaceutical drugs that don't work. Millions will die needlessly as a result. There will always be smokers. This is a reality that the current appointees to the FDA tobacco panel simply refuse to grasp. The quit or die approach has proven to be an abysmal failure. True harm reduction is going to require truth and honesty, not prohibition.

Speaking of realism and harm reduction, it sure would be nice to see someone like Dr. Gori sitting on the FDA panel. Now there's someone who would be truly looking out for America's 50 million smokers.

Sin Taxers and Big Tobacco Go After DIY Smokers - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

2011-08-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

Because it's not just about saving people, it's also about making money.

Get out of town, really? What are they going to do when everyone buys their own rolling machine, ban the machines? Good luck with that one.

Sin Taxers and Big Tobacco Go After DIY Smokers - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

Does nicotine help protect the brain from developing Parkinson's disease?

2011-08-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mary Patton for posting this on Facebook-

Upon analysis, the team noted that the group of normal mice responded positively to the addition of nicotine, which essentially saved their dopamine neurons from dying and leading to disease.

Well, there we have if folks. Nicotine is NOT an "evil" substance that should be banished from the face of the earth.

Does nicotine help protect the brain from developing Parkinson's disease?

Ron Paul & the Top Tier – The Daily Show

2011-08-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

This about sums up the media's bias against Ron Paul.

Ron Paul & the Top Tier – The Daily Show

Politicians to hear smoking ban concerns | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

2011-08-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Glynn Loope for posting this on Facebook-

"It's sad," he said. "It (even) impacts the musicians. A lot of people, they don't think about that."

I think about it.

Politicians to hear smoking ban concerns | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Prevention to become a collective responsibility

2011-08-16T12:18:00.000-07:00

Tobacco Reporter Magazine - News

The court partially agreed with drug maker, Pfizer, which wanted its Champix (or Chantrix) medication included in the list of medicines reimbursed by basic insurance.

Lord have mercy. Isn't this the drug that makes people go MAD?

This would be putting all types of behaviour under state control.

This screams totalitarian rule and collusion with the drug industry more than it screams out "we care about you health". What the hell is going on in Switzerland? Ah, but it's no better here in the U.S.. The question should be: What the hell is happening to the "free" world? There appears to be an insidious danger lurking about in the courthouses, legislatures, and cabinets of far too many U.N. signatory nations, that for so long have prided themselves on their records of being "free".

Freedom is to be damned now under this new collectivist notion of "health". Never mind that this current trend will eventually fail, largely due to its own oppressive and relativistic measures of resolving to force in achieving its objective(s), but not before wreaking havoc on the health and freedom of free and sovereign citizens around the globe.

It all started with tobacco "control". The word control should have been enough to scare the begeebees out of your non-smoking aunt or uncle who wouldn't let you smoke inside at that holiday dinner. They, after all, believed all of the hype about the evil and perilous effects of 2nd hand smoke. They really believed that they were receiving the truth and that the government and pharmaceutical backed anti-tobacco movement was truly about health. But now that same aunt or uncle may be scratching his or her head when the FDA comes to snuff out that alternative cancer treatment that's proven to be effective for so many, young and old alike.

What happens when they come for your garden or your farmer's market? What about supplements and vitamins, they're not going to go after those, right?? Will you then believe those of us who have been trying to expose the lies about 2nd hand smoke that have been perpetrated against us via the pharmaceutical backed media? Will you finally believe us when we say that the anti-smoker campaigns have never been about health, but about the control of people and a market? How long will it take for you to see that you have opened (via complacency) the floodgates to have your own freedoms taken away?

Do you like organic foods or alternative health therapies? They'll be coming for you next; in fact, they already are. Don't worry, they have pills for that anger that you'll be feeling when they raid your raw milk co-op. The FDA here in America says that raw milk is "bad" for your health you see. You may have a different view on the matter, but guess what? Your "health" is a "collective" issue now, and collectivism by force does not allow for individuality and personal choice. You have to be like everybody else now. Isn't that just lovely?

Minister: Smokers' treatment costs one tenth of taxes | Prague Monitor

2011-08-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

Thanks to CAGE Canada for posting this on Facebook-

Prague, Aug 14 (CTK) - An analysis the Czech Health Ministry has made shows that Czech smokers pay in consumer taxes and VAT dozens of billions of crowns more than what their treatment costs, the Czech Television (CT) public broadcaster Sunday quoted Health Minister Leos Heger (TOP 09) as saying.

Heger said public finances would lose minimally 50 billion crowns without smokers.

...Gee, I wonder how much we smokers overpay for our "sins" here in America, the land of the free....

Minister: Smokers' treatment costs one tenth of taxes | Prague Monitor

Light up in Glens Falls parks and face jail time

2011-08-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

Lighting up a cigarette at city park or playground could soon land a smoker in jail for up to 15 days.

..And we so arrogantly thought that fascism could never reach the shores of America...

Light up in Glens Falls parks and face jail time

Wheatgrass and Wheatgrass Juicer - Dietary and Medicinal Benefits

2011-08-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

Dr. Chiu-nan Lai, Ph.D., at the University of Texas Cancer Center, Dept. of Biology, Houston, Texas has determined through using the Ames Bacterial Mutagenicity Test that chlorophyll is the active factor in wheat sprout extract which inhibits the metabolic activity of carcinogens. A 20-year study of 20,000 telephone company workers has found that a natural ingredient in carrots and leafy green vegetables significantly reduced the risk of lung cancer in cigarette smokers. They determined that a diet high in beta-carotene negated the bad effects of 30 years of smoking.

For those of us who choose to continue on smoking, it would be nice if we could be the recipients of more useful information such as this via the mainstream media. All stereotypes aside, with the proper information that is free of bias and bigotry, some of us smokers have the ability to live healthy and productive lives well into old age. ..Any sarcasm on my part is intended.

Wheatgrass and Wheatgrass Juicer - Dietary and Medicinal Benefits

Smoking Bans Do Not Reduce Heart Attacks - Tim Worstall - It's All Trivial Or Obvious Except - Forbes

2011-08-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Audrey Silk for posting this on Facebook-

Cherry picking your data this way is, as I’ve said, given the technical term “lying through your teeth”.

Yep, that's how the neo-bishops of "do-gooderism" operate. Kudos to Christopher Snowdon for catching the eyes and ears of Forbes magazine. Well done!

Smoking Bans Do Not Reduce Heart Attacks - Tim Worstall - It's All Trivial Or Obvious Except - Forbes