Sports fans collect a lot of things — baseball cards, autographs, memorabilia, bugs.

Bugs?

That’s not a Joba Chamberlain reference there — it’s the latest concoction in the baseball card world from Carlsbad, Calif.-based Upper Deck.

It has put actual insects into baseball cards.

Last summer, Upper Deck issued Goodwin Champions, a baseball card set featuring the design and look of the 1880s tobacco cards of the same name — but with a modern twist that included autographs of sports stars (not just baseball players) and pieces of game-used memorabilia on their cards.

Autographs and memorabilia are the modern norm — but Upper Deck added a few extras.

“I want to create some watercooler talk,” said Upper Deck baseball product development manager Grant Sandground. “I want to have people talking about these products. Here are tobacco-era cards redefined.”

You see, tobacco cards — pieces of cardboard placed into packs of cigarettes to firm up the packaging — originally featured bugs, flags and athletes from all types of sports before baseball became the norm and the smokes were dropped in favor of bubble gum.

For the modern version of the old-time tobacco card, Upper Deck put the actual bugs into the cards for its Goodwin Champions Entomology cards. And because exotic insects come in all shapes and sizes, the company put redemption cards (think Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket) into packs instead of the cards containing the creepy crawlers.

Bug baseball card
Courtesy of Upper DeckHere’s a look at the back of the card.

“I wanted to show to the modern consumer that tobacco cards weren’t all about baseball players. … They had Civil War generals, racing horses, bicycles, animals and all sorts of stuff,” Sandground said. “What I wanted to do was take those subjects and completely turn them on their ear in a style befitting of Upper Deck — to take those concepts from 100 years ago and deliver them in the most modern manner possible.”

The company is preparing to ship the “bug cards” out to customers who have patiently waited for their collectibles, unveiling a peek at the Great Walking Leaf card seen here. That card is four times the size of a standard baseball card — but it’s infinitely creepier.

“People thought I was crazy when I came here and pitched this product,” Sandground said. “But we’re all pretty excited about it.”

The novelty of these cards hasn’t been lost on collectors — they’ve routinely been paying $100 a pop for the exchange cards, despite not knowing exactly which insect they might get in return.

Upper Deck has announced that there will be more than 30 different bugs to be collected, including specimens of the giant centipede (which can be a foot long), the walking stick, baby-back scorpions, the man-faced beetle, and several types of butterfly.

Something tells me that the Great Walking Leaf might not be the creepiest of the bunch.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine.

Los Angeles-Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that his office has secured an agreement with Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc., the manufacturer of American Spirit tobacco products, that requires the company to clearly disclose that its organic tobacco is “no safer or healthier” than other tobacco products.

Attorneys general from 32 other states and the District of Columbia signed onto today’s agreement.

“Stamping an organic label on tobacco products is ultimately a distinction without a difference-organic or not, cigarettes are bad for your health,” Brown said. “Today’s settlement with Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company ensures that all future advertisements make it clear that organic tobacco is no safer or healthier.”

Today’s agreement follows Brown’s contention that Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company may have misled consumers in advertising its “organic” or “100% organic” Natural American Spirit cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco and pouches, leading consumers to believe these products were less harmful than other tobacco products. There is currently no competent or reliable scientific evidence to support this conclusion.

Under the terms of the agreement, all advertisements will clearly and prominently feature the following warnings:

- For Natural American Spirit organic cigarettes: “Organic tobacco does NOT mean safer cigarettes.”
- For Natural American Spirit organic roll-your-own or pouch tobacco: “Organic tobacco does NOT mean safer tobacco.”

Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company has 30 days to meet these requirements, and all tobacco retailers selling these products must be contacted and instructed to dispose of old advertisements that do not feature these disclosures.

Organic tobacco is certified under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program. To receive organic certification, tobacco farmers have to follow a strict, labor-intensive growing regimen. Certified organic tobacco is grown without the use of pesticides and fertilizers prohibited under the program.

Thirty-two other attorneys general signed onto Brown’s agreement today from the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Additionally, the attorney general of the District of Columbia signed onto the agreement.

Brown’s agreement with Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc. is attached.

Virginia State University’s Agricultural Research Station has been awarded two grants totaling approximately half a million dollars by the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission to research potentially profitable alternative crops for former tobacco and other small farmers in Southside.

“First and foremost, our goal is to rally to the aid of former Virginia tobacco farmers who are seeking to replace substantial income lost since termination of the federal tobacco price support program,” said Dr. Wondi Mersie, associate dean for research in VSU’s School of Agriculture.

“By increasing their incomes, we will simultaneously enhance Virginia’s agricultural economy,” he added.

The Agricultural Research Station received $238,750 to study the capability of oilseed crops-mustard, and canola-to produce biodiesel for use in diesel engines, and ethanol for use in gasoline engines.

As the project’s principal investigator, Dr. Harbans Bhardwaj, a VSU professor and research scientist, will also lead research on legume crops-mungbean and chickpea -for use as food and feed in domestic and import markets, and as feedstocks for ethanol production.

Field experiments will be conducted on VSU’s 416-acre Randolph Farm and at demonstration sites in Carroll, Franklin, Grayson and Patrick counties.

Dr. Tadesse Mebrahtu, a VSU research professor and agronomist, eceived $226,281 to research and promote Edamame, an edible soybean, as a feasible, practical alternative to tobacco.

“This vegetable is considered to have healthful benefits and has become a popular food item in grocery stores and in some fast-food restaurant salads,” Mebrahtu said.

Objectives of the project are to increase awareness of Edamame’s potential as a cash crop, and to foster development of related small business enterprises (processing, seed sales and a marketing cooperative) in Southside Virginia.

The ubiquitous habit of spitting in China has defeated virtually every effort the authorities have made to stamp it out — from public information campaigns to fines.

Now, in a renewed push to curb the practice, one local administration is threatening serial offenders with eviction.

Under a new scheme introduced at a government-subsidised housing complex in the southern city of Guangzhou, residents have been told that they could forfeit their homes if they are repeatedly caught spitting or dropping cigarette ends.

A proposed penalty system has been designed to “build a civilised, hygienic, safe and harmonious community environment”, the Guangzhou Land Resources and Management Bureau said on its website.

Residents would be penalised on a points system and rack up three points if caught seven times committing any of a series of minor offences which include spitting.

More serious transgressions, such as unsafe storage of “flammable, explosive, poisonous, radioactive and other hazardous materials”, carry heavier point penalties. Residents who accumulate more than 20 points in a two-year period would be evicted.

A spokeswoman for the local housing authority said that the points system followed constant reports of unsanitary conditions and robberies in public housing neighbourhoods.

Spitting has proved almost impossible to halt in China. In the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, Beijing imposed hefty fines of 50 yuan (£5) for anyone caught expectorating on the street, a sum equivalent to a day’s wages for a university graduate.

Officials even promised to provide paper bags and tissues for anyone needing to spit and some civic-minded students took to the streets to police the programme voluntarily.

The state media hailed the campaign as a success, saying that the number of people spitting had fallen sharply.

Spitting still remains a widespread habit in much of China, however. The streets of Beijing are spattered with blobs of spittle and the sound of hawking is to be heard on every street corner.

The plan has already run into opposition, amid allegations that it discriminates against the poor.

The local New Express Daily said that if it was the duty of the government to provide housing to lower income people, then it should not abandon that responsibility simply because of the moral level of tenants.

The idea has similarly upset some in China’s increasingly vocal online community. One web user on popular portal sina.com.cn said: “What if a rich person did all these things?”

The cigarette and booze industries have been hit by a “hidden” excise charge this year, after the Government failed to cut the duty to make up for higher VAT.

There were no changes to alcohol and tobacco duty rates in yesterday’s pre-Budget report, after they had been increased a year ago to offset the temporary reduction in VAT. Industry expects predict that the impact of VAT going back up to 17.5 per cent on 1 January and no respite in the burden on excise duties would add up to 18p on a packet of cigarettes and at least 6p on a pint of beer.

Daniel Lyons, indirect tax partner at Deloitte, said: “Alcohol and tobacco companies didn’t beneift from the VAT cut, and will lose out when it returns to 17.5 per cent. It is a hidden charge and clearly bad news for those sectors, which have traditionally been seen as easy targets for taxation in the past,” he said.

Christopher Ogden, chief executive of the Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association, said the move would inevitably lead to a “significant increase in smuggling and associated criminality”. The lack of relief on excise duty and VAT hike would add between 13p and 18p on a packet of cigarettes, he said.

Yet the Government said tobacco duty would bring in £500m more than expected in the 12 months to the end of the tax year in April lifting the takings to £8.8bn. The pre-Budget report said sales may have been boosted by the weakness of sterling against the euro, “which would make cross-border shopping or illicit behaviour less attractive”.

Alcohol is expected to bring in £300m more to the Exchequer than expected, at £9bn, up from £6.2bn in the previous tax year. The Government separately said that the tax regime covering cider will be reviewed and proposals will be brought forward for the 2010 budget.

British consumers will have to pay 2.5 per cent more for retail products and services after the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed that VAT will rise from 15 per cent to 17.5 per cent from January.

Brigid Simmonds, the chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said the rise in VAT will hit struggling pubs at a time when a record 50 pubs a week are closing and the sector has had to endure an 8 per cent increase in beer duty since last December. She said: “Since the Budget of 2008, our tax bill has gone up by £600m during one of the deepest and longest recessions in living memory,” she said, adding: “Beer tax already accounts for around a third of the price of a pint and these increases will put yet more pressures on hard-pressed pubs and consumers.”

However, retailers said they were “relieved” that Alistair Darling had not proposed further hikes in VAT and welcomed the Government giving them four weeks, instead of two, to update price labels in stores after 1 January.

Stephen Robertson, the director general of the British Retail Consortium, said: “It’s a relief that VAT won’t increase beyond 17.5 per cent. Consumer confidence is weakening. Big price increases would fuel inflation, make people less likely to spend and hold back recovery.”

He added: “It’s come late but this change will give retailers more time to achieve this costly exercise without undermining their key mission – serving customers.” Retailers are concerned that the next government may introduce a 20 per cent rate of VAT to help plug the gaping hole in the public finances. The grocers also fear the next administration may put a new 5 per cent VAT rate on food, which is currently exempt.

By Nick Clark and James Thompson
10 December 2009

A South Windsor tobacco company that has been in business since 1955 is asking the town to approve its plan to add a 12,300-square-foot addition to its existing facility on Sullivan Avenue.

A representative of The Nuway Tobacco Co. will present the proposal today to members of the town’s architectural design and review committee. The advisory committee is scheduled to meet at 5:45 p.m. in town hall, 1540 Sullivan Ave.

The application, submitted to the town Nov. 9, is pending before the planning and zoning commission, Michele Lipe, the town’s assistant director of planning, said Wednesday. Lipe, who also is a member of the design review committee, said the committee’s role is advisory to the planning and zoning commission, which is scheduled to take up the application at its meeting on Tuesday.

The application is on file in the town planning department and is available for public inspection.

Lipe said the design review committee will hear a brief presentation and review the plan. The committee will then submit its recommendations to the planning and zoning commission.

Nuway Tobacco is a tobacco products wholesaler that specializes in cigars and related products.

Copyright © 2009, Courant

Since October 1996 – shortly after Davis took the job on the company’s split from Hanson – shareholders have seen the FTSE All Share double, turning a £100 investment into £204, assuming dividends were reinvested. A £100 investment in Imperial shares would have grown to £1,094 on a comparable basis, or nearly nine times better than the market generally. Is this a cause for celebration or should Davis skip the leaving party and slip out the back door next May?

The number of people aged 35 and over admitted to hospital for smoking-related diseases has risen by a fifth since 1997, from 1.2m to 1.4m and the cost to the National Health Service of treating these people is now £2.7bn.

Yet this is an industry that raises £9.9bn in tax for the Government, so it’s a profitable vice not just for Imperial shareholders, but also for the taxpayer. Smoking is bad for you, but so is booze, yet we demonise tobacco companies more than alcohol producers – why?

A ban on smoking in public places, for instance, has accompanied a ban on advertising and the next step is a ban on retailers displaying the product, far tougher than restrictions imposed on drinks companies. However, a fifth of Britons still smoke regularly and investing in tobacco companies is as mainstream as ever, despite the faddish popularity for “ethical” investing. The UK market for cigarettes is shrinking just 2pc annually so despite the hand ringing we still seem happy to not just tolerate smoking, but to carry on regardless.

Regulatory clampdowns in markets such as the UK and the US are being repeated in emerging markets. But at a time when freedoms in general appear to be being curtailed and behavioural controls by states increased, the market for smoking, its success and popularity, sends a counter message to the health warning. It reveals a rebelliousness by consumers. We won’t give up our simple pleasures easily, it seems. Alcohol consumption, and gambling likewise, show no signs of dramatically abating. Arguably such habits are eventually encouraged by overly nannying states that set out to curb them, either through tax or regulation.

The worst expression of this unintended consequence is the rise of smugglers. High taxes make smuggling worthwhile. Illicit trade in cigarettes robs governments of expected income and creates an illegal market that trades outside regulations supposed to protect sections of society, such as children.

Having quit the weed several years ago, I’m not going to celebrate Imperial or its peers. But their continuing success shows just how ineffectual the current invasive style of government, that we tolerate, really is.

By Damian Reece
10 November 2009

LONDON–The CR Reporting and Communications Summit (http://www.ethicalcorp.com/reporting) is the largest gathering in Europe on this topic. For two days in late November, many of the world’s biggest companies will gather in London to debate and discuss the future of corporate responsibility reporting.

The Marriott hotel in Swiss Cottage will play host to 18 individual workshops, where over 30 of Europe’s leading companies will present their own CR/sustainability reporting and communications strategies.

Julia King, Vice-President of CR at GlaxosmithKline will demonstrate how the pharmaceutical giant embeds sustainability reporting throughout the company’s many offices in the second plenary session of the first day.

Tying up the conference on the second day will be Josh Hardie, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Tesco. Mr Hardie will present how Tesco communicates their CR strategy to their stakeholders – a tough issue and one fraught with danger.

Other companies presenting their own CR reporting strategy over the two days include Arcelor Mittal, PepsiCo, Vodafone, Alliance-Boots, Danske Bank and Henkel.

Over 100 CR and sustainability professionals will be in attendance – both to take in best practice from speakers, and to network and discuss the topic in detail with each other. Other organisations confirmed to take part include BG Group, LaFarge, L’Oreal, Sanofi Aventis and the UK’s Royal Mail.

About Ethical Corporation

Ethical Corporation is an independent publisher and conference organiser, launched in 2001 to encourage debate and discussion on responsible business. Ethical Corporation also publishes the new online magazine www.ClimateChangeCorp.com, launched in February 2007.

Contacts
Ethical Corporation
Nick Johnson, Chief Operating Officer
T: +44 (0)20 7375 7209
E: nick.johnson@ethicalcorp.com

INDIANAPOLIS — The City-County Council will vote in two weeks on whether to expand the city’s current smoking ban.

The comprehensive ban could restrict smokers from lighting up in bars, bowling alleys and private clubs.
More than 50 citizens and advocates on both sides of the issue lined up at Wednesday’s council committee meeting to express their opinions.

Those who oppose the expanded ban said it will force bars out of business and will further restrict individual freedom.
“I like the idea of being able to leave my home, go to a bar, light up a cigar and watch the local game without that affecting my family at home,” said Bob Welch, who opposes the broader ban.

“This proposal is against property rights, and it takes choices away from employers,” said Timothy McGuire.
Those in favor of an expanded smoking ban primarily point out health risks.

“I represent tonight the people who have died and who are suffering from secondhand smoke and lung cancer,” said Dr. Nassar Hanna, an Indiana University oncologist.

One woman said her sister died from secondhand smoke because she couldn’t escape the smoke because of where she worked.
“I’m here to ask on behalf of my sister, Hazel,” she said. “I hope you’ll pass into law for all citizens to have a safe, healthy smoke-free workplace.”

Wednesday’s committee vote passed 4-2, with Republicans and Democrats on both sides of the issue. The full council will vote on the expanded ban on Oct. 26.

Copyright © 2009 Theindychannel

HAVANA – Cuba has reduced the area of its 2009 tobacco crop by almost 30 percent and the harvest forecast by 16 percent, to 22,500 tons, as a consequence of the global recession, officials said Tuesday.

The cutbacks are due to “the economic troubles that have generated a crisis” on the island, as well as the “financial restrictions that made it impossible to obtain the necessary resources,” according to a statement on the Web page of the National Statistics Office, or ONE.

The amount of land planted with tobacco was reduced from 28,200 hectares (69,629 acres) to 19,800 hectares (48,888 acres), while average yield is expected to rise from 0.95 tons to 1.10 tons per hectare (0.38 tons to 0.45 tons per acre), the ONE said.

Cuba is going through one of its worst economic crises in decades due to the drop in exports, the rising cost of imports, three devastating hurricanes in 2008, the trade and financial embargo of the United States, and the deficiencies of its own system.

Cuba produces some of the best tobacco in the world and is famous for brands of cigars like Montecristo, Cohiba, Partagas and Hoyo de Monterrey, whose sales have fallen in 2008 and 2009 because of the international crisis.

Despite a $13 million budget shortfall this year, Tulare County officials are in the midst of a building boom.

In the next year the county wants to spend $2.9 million on fire stations and a new motor pool. Nearly all of the money will come from tobacco-company funds designed to offset the cost of caring for smoking-related diseases.

Also in the pipeline: a $3.8 million museum dedicated to farmworkers. Money for that project, which is slated to open next year, is coming from a state grant and local fundraising.

In 2001, then-Gov. Gray Davis signed legislation that allowed local governments to spend the tobacco money on anything deemed appropriate. Locally, officials will steer about $203 million over the next decade into various facilities, including new jails, eight fire stations and a $73 million revamp of the county’s civic center in Visalia.

Other long-term projects include an $80 million county court complex and jail in Porterville and $20 million in improvements to local parks.

But in a presentation to the board this week, county Capital Projects Manager Brian Summers said money from the settlement might not be enough.

“In short, our needs far outweigh our available resources,” Summers said.
Millennium Fund

The capital-projects budget known as the Millennium Fund ‘ also serves as a reserve for the county. Earlier this year Jean Rousseau, the county’s administrative officer, borrowed $4.8 million from the fund to help bridge a $13 million shortfall.

Plans call for spending $2.6 million on two fire stations, one each in Visalia and Poplar, and improvements to the county’s motor pool. Fire Station 1, now at Lovers Lane and Walnut Avenue in Visalia, will move three miles south, to Avenue 256 and Lovers Lane.

Summers said the new location will cut response times because it’s more central to the station’s response area.

A new fire station for the department has been in the works for two years. Construction may start this fall and could take about four to six months to complete.

Eventually, the county wants to move the county fire department’s headquarters from leased space in the Farmersville Government Building to the new facility.

The project is estimated to cost about $1.8 million.

The new construction begins just as the county is shuttering its station in Waukena.

The western Tulare County station, which is staffed by “extra-help” firefighters paid on a per-call basis, responded to 255 calls in the area last year. The county’s station west of Tulare will respond to calls in the area.

Another key project has been in the planning stage for years.

The county’s agricultural museum in Mooney Grove Park will cost a total of ‘$3.8 million. The museum will spotlight those from around the world who’ve farmed the Valley for the last millennium.

A state grant will pick up $1.4 million of the construction. The balance will be made up through a fundraising drive by the Tulare County Historical Society.

County officials hope to begin construction in January. The building is slated to be completed in September.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Under a proposed health measure in Australia, a pack of cigarettes would increase to $20 ($16.75US) per pack, putting pricing in-line with Britain and Ireland, the Herald Sun reports.

Anti-smoking advocacy groups, whose concerns focus on consumer health, have applauded such a scenario.

“Increasing prices is one of the most effective measures that government can take to reduce tobacco consumption,” the Preventative Health Taskforce said.

Australia’s government has yet to support the proposal and is taking a cautious approach as it assesses the nation’s tax system.

“I don’t intend to tip my hand one way or the other,” said Australia’s Treasurer Wayne Swan. “These are all important matters that are being considered through the Henry Review.”

Opponents to the proposal include tobacco manufacturers, who urge the government to consider smokers who manage a budget and have made an informed choice to smoke.”

Other tobacco-related news in Australia:

* Health advocates are urging legal action against tobacco companies to recover smoking-related health-care costs.
* A ban on smoking in prisons has been proposed.
* Making smoking in films a classifiable element that restricts viewership has been proposed.

Gruesome pictorial cigarette-package warnings will be coming to the U.S. relatively soon, according to a recent article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The startlingly graphic labels — which are already required in many countries around the world – typically feature photos of people ravaged by diseases caused from smoking, in an effort to discourage tobacco use.

How gruesome are the warnings? Rotting teeth. Huge tumors. Festering sores.

Dramatic indeed, but are they enough to make people quit smoking? Apparently the Obama Administration is willing to try, as part of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act signed into law on June 22.

The debate is likely to be fierce as the FDA and tobacco companies grapple with exactly how to implement the directive. But there is evidence that graphic warnings do make a difference in smoking rates. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that smoking rates have dropped five percent since graphic cigarette-pack warnings became mandatory in 2000.

The new U.S. law directs the FDA to come up with specifics on the required graphic warnings within two years. From that point, tobacco companies will then have 18 months to comply.

For examples of what the new warnings may look like, the Tobacco Labeling Resource Center has a photo gallery of graphic cigarette warnings from around the world

With the percentage of cigarette smokers in the U.S. declining every year, alternative tobacco companies have been working hard to get Americans to try products like electronic cigarettes–cigarette-shaped tubes that deliver vaporized nicotine instead of smoke. Technically, you could enjoy a smoke-free e-cigarette in your office, though we imagine the stares from coworkers would be distracting. But there’s at least one major obstacle to getting smokers to switch to “vaping”: The Food and Drug Administration thinks that e-cigarettes are unapproved drugs and began blocking their shipment into the country early this year.

On Monday, lawyers for two distributors pushed back, asking Washington, D.C., federal district court judge Richard Leon for a preliminary injunction to lift the embargo. The distributors, Smoking Everywhere and NJOY, sued the FDA in April, accusing the agency of overstepping its authority by labeling their products unapproved drug devices rather than tobacco products.

The Justice Department contends that e-cigarette companies market their products as quit-smoking aids, complete with customer testimonials from former smokers. According to the Blog of Legal Times, the companies’ lawyers at Thompson Hine and Latham & Watkins told Judge Leon on Monday that the FDA was “chasing its own tail” in trying to explain why a smoke is just a smoke while an e-cigarrette is a drug. Thompson Hine’s Kip Schwartz, representing Smoking Everywhere, said that his client neither intended nor marketed e-cigarrettes as smoking cessation devices. “We don’t want people weaned off the e-cigarrette, Schwartz told the judge. “We want them smoking it as long as they smoked regular cigarettes.”

NJOY is represented by Latham’s David Becker. Drake Cutini of the Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Litigation is handling the litigation for the FDA.


Copyright © August 18, 2009 Law

China will ban tobacco advertisements and promotion activities starting from January, 2011.

Beijing News and the China Daily quoted Xu Guihua, vice chairmen of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control, as saying that the cost of advertisements and promotions will also no longer be able to be deducted from business income taxes of tobacco companies, the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation announced Monday.

Previously, advertising expenditure could be deducted from business income taxes, giving companies an incentive to spend more on advertising.

Zhang Xueyan, vice director of the Price and Tax Research Office of the Ministry of Finance, said this was a necessary measure to help curb China’s tobacco consumption.

Source-ANI
SRM

Banning smoking in the military has become a topic of interest lately among members of the military and civilians alike.
The Department of Veteran Affairs and the Pentagon recently released a study done by the Institute of Medicine calling for a phased-in ban over a period of years. Since then, the Pentagon has reportedly decided not to implement the ban. Although the ban could be considered an ultimate goal, Defense Secretary Robert Gates already stated that he wouldn’t want to risk stress levels of the fighting troops rising even higher due to the loss of tobacco.
Nevertheless, the study, which suggests a ban on the use of tobacco by troops and to end its sale on military property, has raised a number of discussions.
The VA report found that one in three service members use tobacco and the heaviest smokers are soldiers and Marines, who have done most of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Combat veterans are 50% more likely to use tobacco than troops who haven’t seen combat. Troops worn out by repeated deployments often rely on cigarettes as a stress reliever, and it was found that tobacco use in the military increased after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began.
Commanders, as currently stated among army regulations are already encouraged to “demonstrate positive efforts to deglamorize the use of all forms of tobacco products.“
Stephanie Palm, a local resident who served in the U.S. Air Force, said, “As a non-smoker I think it would be good to ban tobacco but would find it hard to regulate.“
He husband Adam Palm, who served in both the U.S. Navy and Air Force, agrees, but says, “Tobacco is just used to relieve the boredom around camp.“
The study concluded that soldiers who smoke have worse vision, don’t perform well on fitness tests, bleed harder after surgery, heal slower, and are at a higher risk for infection. Besides the numerous health issues, the study also found that they are more likely to not meet all physical commitments for the military.
Ruckersville resident, Jesse Rieth, who served in the U.S. Army, finds it to be “a ludicrous thing for the Department of Defense to be focusing on during the ongoing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. While it’s a noble goal to get the US forces as healthy as possible, imposing such a restriction would require a drastic shift in military culture – particularly in the enlisted ranks.“
Nevertheless, local resident Nick Smith, who recently left the active duty Marine Corps, said he “would encourage them to ban smoking while on a military base and in uniform, due to the fact that our image says a lot about us.“
Smith continues: “Clearly smoking is bad for a person’s health, and a healthier, athletic soldier, sailor or Marine is the desired end state. However, I have found that smoking after coming back from a high tempo operation or any fast pace day has calmed soldiers/marines. It allows peers to talk and let go of what they may be doing or have done. Now, you don’t need to smoke to do these things; it is just easier because of the settings.“
Ties between the military and tobacco date back to the early 1900s. During the time of World War I, soldiers were even issued rations that included .4 oz of tobacco and ten cigarette-rolling papers.
Whether the ban ever takes effect in the future, the facts are laid out for everyone to see not only the health issues it brings but also first hand why it seems to be so common in the culture that it is so closely tied to.
Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Les Melnyk confirms that a military smoking ban is unlikely now.
“We are not going to ban smoking at this instant,“ says Melnyk. “There was so much misleading media on this, but (Defense) Secretary Gates has made it clear that we are not currently considering a ban on smoking, but we do acknowledge the dangers of smoking.“
Melnyk continued: “There is an emphasis here (among the military, as with the general public) on quitting tobacco, but, that said, nobody is going to force people by banning smoking in the military anytime soon. We support the long term goal of a tobacco free military, but in the short term we’re not going to take people cigarettes away; it’s stressful enough.“
Copyright © 2009 Greene-news

Russia will no longer include free cigarettes in its food rations for servicemen but will compensate by providing them with candy, a top general said Thursday.

“We are no longer buying cigarettes for the armed forces and are replacing them with caramel and sugar,” Lieutenant-General Dmitry Bulgakov was quoted by news agencies as saying.

He specified however that Russia was not banning smoking in the military.

“Naturally, if a soldier wants to smoke we can’t forbid this. But now he’ll have to buy cigarettes in stores,” Bulgakov said. “If you want to smoke, then smoke. If you don’t want to smoke, eat candy.”

Bulgakov also announced defence ministry plans to provide military officers who work mainly indoors or in hot climates with new uniforms, including socks that let feet “breathe” and shoes “of high-quality leather.”

However, after being issued a complete uniform kit at the start of service officers will afterwards have to purchase new uniform components themselves, albeit from special military stores open only to officers and their families.

The decision to introduce updated, higher-quality uniforms to Russian military personnel was made in 2007, which were scheduled to be issued this year.

However, while a few units have received new uniforms — notably those that marched on the May 9 Victory Day parade on Red Square — the project has been delayed due to defence ministry budget cuts.

Defence chiefs now planned to phase in the new uniforms over the next two to three years, Bulgakov said.


Copyright © 2009 France24

The Health Ministry would like to see tobacco consumers support the complete indoor ban on tobacco products that goes into force on July 19, Seracettin Çom, the general manager of the Health Ministry’s fundamental health services department, stated yesterday.

“We also want to see the support of tobacco addicts,” Çom said in a statement to the Cihan news agency. He said the ministry was still working on preparations to make sure that the ban is enforced, with 4,167 inspectors on 1,571 teams ensuring enforcement of the legislation. Çom further noted that the number of inspection teams will be increased if they are unable to meet demand.

Stressing that they will not make concessions in implementing the law, Çom said: “If there are those expecting a soft or lax enforcement of the law, they should correct such expectations. It is very important that the ban is backed by citizens.”

Çom added: “We cannot police every place. Those smoking in a closed place harm the people around them and contaminate their air as well. Second-hand smoke is worse than actively smoking. Chemicals and carcinogenic substances permeate floors, door handles and everywhere else. They linger in the air.” He also highlighted that smokers cannot claim that their smoking does not harm other people and reiterated that he expects support of the ban from tobacco addicts, too.

Çom further noted that many people, including tobacco addicts, back the ban and said: “We think of addicts more than they think of themselves. We also need to inform people besides tobacco addicts. The children of those who smoke at home breathe in the equivalent of five cigarettes. Women whose husbands smoke are three times more likely to have lung cancer than those whose husbands don’t smoke.”

Çom also recalled that seven out of 100 people gave up smoking after the smoking ban was partially launched last year.


Copyright © 2009 Todayszaman

Swine Flu In Philadelphia:

The Philadelphia Department of Health says a possible fourth swine flu death is being investigated. This comes as cases of swine flu, the H1N1 virus, have started to decline in the city and all over the state of Pennsylvania. 216 people have been hospitalized in Philadelphia with the H1N1 flu, according to a new update from the Philadelphia Health Department. Nine percent have required treatment in intensive care. School age children have been the largest group affected. Health officials say the cases have started to decline in the city and state, but they’re still recommending that people take precautions, like regularly washing their hands.

Team Sports And Cigarettes:

Team sports can help keep kids away from cigarettes, according to a new study published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. It says participating in team activities, like soccer, reduces the likelihood of teenagers becoming established smokers. But teens who see movie smoking have an increased risk of lighting up, even if they also play team sports.

The Truth About Beer Bellies:

Beer bellies aren’t caused by consuming alcohol. It’s more about genetics, according to new British research of 20,000 people over eight years. It says people who drink regularly are more likely to put on weight everywhere, but they don’t necessarily accumulate fat just around the abdomen. The researchers say they found beer guts tended to run in families, and were not associated with how much alcohol someone drank. In terms of that all over weight gain that is linked to beer, the researchers say it’s a bigger problem for women. Alcohol tends to be more fattening for women than men.
Copyright © 2009 Cbs3

The Isle of Wight is turning into a smoke-free zone for the day, becoming the first island in the UK to try to stamp out the scorned cigarette.

The Needles on the Isle of Wight

An arm stubs out a cigarette on the Isle of Wight’s Needles

The move is to mark the second anniversary of the nationwide smoking ban in public buildings.

The Isle of Wight hopes it might lead to other UK cities doing the same and maybe even help create a smoke-free British Isles.

“We are delighted to lend our support to this campaign,” said the IoW’s assistant tourism director John Metcalfe.

“We pride ourselves on our green and beautiful island and we are also extremely keen to promote healthy lifestyles so visitors and residents can fully enjoy all we have to offer.

“The island is known for its stunning scenery, award winning beaches and a great selection of outdoor pursuits such as walking, cycling and sailing.

“We believe the island is the best place in the UK to fill your lungs with healthy fresh air. We are affordable and with 350 ferries per day, we are easy to reach wherever you are in the UK.”

The initiative is being supported by NHS Smoking Cessation Services, QUIT and the Isle of Wight council.

Another sponsor, Nicorette, is offering support to anyone who needs it, with activity centred around the island’s capital, Newport.

“Obviously, we’re not going to be locking up people who are smoking,” a spokeswoman told Sky News Online. “But we’ll be trying to offer encouragement to those who want to give up.”

Research shows 20% of adults on the Isle of Wight smoke, with more than two thirds wanting to give up.

Greece, meanwhile, is the latest EU country to impose a ban on smoking – it will be its third attempt in a decade to stamp out the country’s love affair with cigarettes.

But critics fear loopholes in the legislation and its unpopularity mean it could suffer the same fate as previous anti-smoking bids.

Around 20,000 Greeks die a year from tobacco-related ailments and 42% of the population smokes.

Greece lags behind many of its European peers who have outlawed smoking in public places in recent years.


Copyright © 2009 News.sky

Some 400 employees of Winston-Salem-based R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Inc. marched in front of the General Assembly Tuesday to protest a proposed $1 per-pack increase in the state’s excise tax on cigarettes.

“We are sending a clear message,” said Reynolds CEO Daniel Delen, at a rally following the march. “The governor’s proposed $1 per-pack tax increase will cause job loss and economic hardship for thousands of North Carolinians.”

Also joining the protest were the mayors of Winston-Salem and the nearby communities of Tobaccoville and King. Many of the marching workers wore T-shirts reading, “North Carolina needs more jobs, not more taxes,”

The per-pack hike is one of several tax measures state budget writers are considering to help make up for a revenue shortfall in the state’s new, two-year spending plan, which must be adopted by June 30.

Tommy Hickman, Reynolds’ senior vice president of operations, told rally participants that tobacco jobs, once gone, would be difficult to replace.

“If you tax these jobs out of existence, where are these families going to find comparable jobs?” Hickman asked. “We know what’s happened to textile and furniture jobs in our state. Do we want the same to happen to tobacco jobs?”

Copyright © 2009 Bizjournals

Japan’s Nikkei stock average is
likely to edge up on Monday, buoyed by exporters such as Canon
Inc (7751.T) on growing hopes for a global economic recovery, but
a lack of strong trading factors will limit gains.
The Dow .DJI and S&P 500 .SPX gained on Friday due to
buying of defensive sectors such as pharmaceuticals, with such
sectors likely to be strong in Tokyo as well, market players
said.

“Last week, the market gained on positive news such as
Chinese industrial production figures, which make it hard to deny
that the global economy is improving,” said Kazuhiro Takahashi,
general manager of equities at Daiwa Securities SMBC.

“There are a number of U.S. indicators due out later in the
week, which the market will use to confirm trends. But today,
there won’t be a lot of direction.”

The benchmark Nikkei .N225 closed at 10,135.82 on Friday,
its first close above 10,000 in eight months. Market analysts
said it is expected to move between 10,050 and 10,250.

In a sign the market may start higher, Nikkei futures traded
in Chicago 2NKc1 gained 0.4 percent from their Osaka close of
10,140 JNIc1.

----------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT @ 2245 GMT ------------

                 INSTRUMENT   LAST       PCT CHG   NET CHG
S&P 500             .SPX       946.21       0.14%     1.320
USD/JPY             <JPY=>       98.39       -0.01%    -0.010
10-YR US TSY YLD    <US10YT=RR>  3.7916          --     0.000
SPOT GOLD           <XAU=>       934.9       -0.32%    -3.000
US CRUDE            CLc1       72.02       -0.03%    -0.020
DOW JONES           .DJI       8799.26      0.32%     28.34
-------------------------------------------------------------

> Defensives lift dow, S&P; tech weighs on Nasdaq [.N]
> Dollar rebounds after sell off, euro hurt by data [USD/]
> Bonds bask in afterglow of 30-year auction [US/]
> Gold hits 3-week low under $940 as dollar rises [GOL/]
> Oil falls on stronger dollar, profit-taking [O/R]
STOCKS TO WATCH

– Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T)

SMFG is seen raising more than 900 billion yen from a public
offering of common stock this month, with the final figure — to
be set early this week — possibly swelling to nearly 1 trillion
yen, the Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday.
[ID:nWNAB9376]

– Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T)

Toyota is taking steps to boost its production capacity for
the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries used in its popular
Prius cars, the Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday.
[ID:nBNG435445]

– Japan Tobacco Inc (2914.T)

Japan Tobacco, the world’s third-largest cigarette maker,
said on Friday it has agreed with Tribac Leaf Ltd to buy the
British tobacco leaf company’s business operations.
[ID:nTFA006381]

– Inpex (1605.T)

Oil and gas field developer Inpex, and other oil-linked
shares, may retreat after oil fell from eight-month highs on
Friday as the dollar firmed and players took profits after a
three-day rally. [O/R]

– Mitsubishi Corp (8058.T)

Mitsubishi Corp and other trading firms may lose ground after
metals and oil prices retreated on Friday, with investors looking
to take profits after a recent rally.
Copyright © 2009 Reuters

The motion picture and cigarette industries in the United States grew rapidly after the First World War. By the end of the 1920s, studios brokered cigarette endorsement deals for movie stars under contract to them in return for national advertising campaigns paid for by the tobacco companies.
The tobacco industry shifted spending to television in the 1950s, but after the US Government banned broadcast advertising of tobacco products in 1970, systematic film placement of tobacco imagery intensified. In 1989, reports of product placement in Hollywood films spurred the US Congress to demand more detail on advertising expenditures from the tobacco companies. These data were to be used to improve US Federal Trade Commission surveillance of cigarette marketing expenditures. However, the tobacco companies denied they bought product placement in films, and some companies failed to report ongoing payments to Hollywood agents as recently as the mid-1990s. In response, health advocates implemented campaigns designed to educate film industry “creatives” (writers, directors, actors) about tobacco imagery’s harmful effect, but these actions were essentially ineffective.
In 1998, the states’ Attorneys General and the five large US tobacco companies entered into the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA); among other things, this legal agreement prohibited the participating US domestic cigarette companies from tobacco product placement in entertainment media. Because the MSA was an agreement between US domestic tobacco companies and the states’ Attorneys General, it did not cover overseas tobacco subsidiaries .
In 2002, the Smoke Free Movies project, based at the University of California, San Francisco’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education (a WHO Collaborating Centre), began a web site (www.smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu) and a series of paid advertisements in entertainment trade publications. These ads suggested that smoking persisted in youth-rated films for one of two reasons (quoted verbatim from the paid ads): “Either people in Hollywood are still on the take, in which case they’re corrupt … or they’re doing Big Tobacco’s dirty work for free – in which case they’re stupid”. Smoke Free Movies and its national NGO allies also developed and promoted a set of four evidence-based policy solutions intended to substantially and permanently reduce teen exposure to onscreen tobacco imagery, without intruding on film content. These have provided the basis for the policy options described in Section 2.2, above.
The major motion picture studios, through the MPAA, at first took none of the steps advocated by US health experts and organizations. However, NGO tracking of individual studios’ records and the steady accumulation of research evidence on exposure of adolescents to smoking in the movies stimulated congressional hearings. In addition, Attorneys General from more than thirty states wrote letters to the companies that owned the major studios, stating that they were knowingly harming children by releasing films with tobacco imagery.
In Los Angeles, where the Hollywood studios themselves are located, the County Department of Health Services was the first public health agency in the United States to endorse the four policy goals, beginning in 2002. Since then, its publicity events and media briefings have been regularly attracting international attention. The Commissioner of Health of the State of New York, where most of these companies are based, published full-page advertisements in The New York Times and other news media calling for action by the studio heads. Other state and local public health officials continue to join this campaign.
On the national level, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science, the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have all noted the need for the film industry to change its practices. Subsequently, the MPAA announced in 2007 that it would “consider” smoking in its ratings. In practice, however, the MPAA has not elevated film ratings for smoking but merely noted smoking in the rating labels attached to “independent” films given limited release, sparing most youth-rated films with smoking released by the MPAA’s own member studios. In 2008, MPAA-member film studios agreed to deploy anti-tobacco spots, but only on youthrated DVDs distributed in the United States.

• There are 1.3 billion smokers estimated worldwide, almost 1 million are men among them – equivalent to about one third of the global population aged 15 years and above.

• About one in five smokes worldwide among teenagers.

• Between 80,000 and 100,000 children start smoking every day worldwide. Evidence shows that approximately 50 percent of those who start smoking in adolescent years go on to smoke for 15 to 20 years.

• About 15 billion cigarettes are sold every day, almost equivalent to 10 million every minute.

• By 2030, tobacco is expected to be the biggest cause of death worldwide, with an estimated 10 million people dying of tobacco related causes across the world. Around 3 million deaths will be in developed world and 7 million in developing countries.

• Since 1950, more than 70,000 scientific reports have showed that prolonged smoking causes premature death and disability worldwide. Overall, one in two smokers dies prematurely, with one quarter dying in middle age, losing 20-25 years of life.

• Smoking alone is estimated to have caused 21% of deaths out of cancer worldwide. Smoking was linked with 856,000 deaths worldwide from lung, bronchial and tracheal cancers, 184,000 oesophageal cancers and 131,000 oral cancers.

• In developed countries, cardiovascular disease is the most common smoking-related cause of death. Every eight seconds, someone dies out of tobacco use.

• Smoking is on the rise in the developing world but falling in developed nations. Among Americans, smoking rates shrunk by nearly half in three decades (from the mid-1960s to mid-1990s), falling to 23% of adults by 1997. In the developing world, tobacco consumption is rising by 3.4% per year.

• Cigarettes cause more than one in five American deaths.

• Among WHO Regions, the Western Pacific Region – which covers East Asia and the Pacific has the highest smoking rate, with nearly two-thirds of men smoking.

• About one in three cigarettes are consumed in the Western Pacific Region.

• The tobacco market is controlled by just a few corporations like American, British and Japanese multinational conglomerates.

• Peer-reviewed studies show teenagers are highly influenced by tobacco advertising.

• About a quarter of youth alive in the Western Pacific Region will die out of smoking.

A lot of Universities have adopted a strict campus smoking ban that covers both indoor and outdoor areas. But Washington University just announced that it will go smoke free by July 2010. In 2007, the School of Medicine from Washington banned tobacco use on its property too.
In this way smoking and tobacco use will be prohibited everywhere on campus, including on all university-owned and -managed properties.
Chancellor Mark Wrighton said that the new legislation will be difficult for some students, but he believe that this is the right and best policy for the health of all who live, work and study at Washington University.
The school will begin offering free smoking-cessation programs to students, faculty and staff members, for to help aid in the transition. Smoking-cessation medicine will also be given for free to students who want it and who are covered by the university’s student health insurance.

Smoking cessation help offered through the university’s health services may lead those who hate walking across the street to a smoke-free lifestyle, and that, is one of the best outcomes possible. Maybe this new legislation will be a good time for people to quit their bad habit, reported researchers.
President Judith Ramaley said: “In accordance with our mission, we are devoted to improving the health and well-being of our campus community by setting an example of healthy practice.

Washington University is not the first university where smoking will be banned. For example, St. Charles Community College became a tobacco-free campus in 2007. And the University of Missouri-Columbia banned smoking inside all of its buildings in January. The school also has prohibited smoking within 20 feet of building entrances, exits, windows and fresh-air intake systems. By 2011, even Mizzou plans to have smoking in designated areas only. Chancellor Brady Deaton has said that the ultimate goal is to have the campus smoke-free by 2014.

Whatever the strategy used to devise and implement a policy, whether by administrative fiat, campus-wide debate and consensus, or religious doctrine, smoke-free campuses can be a powerful tool in the ongoing effort to encourage healthy lifestyles. Despite the obstacles and occasional resistance, universities and colleges can develop smoke-free policies and set an example for the broader community.

· High school students who smoke: 17.7% [Girls: 17.9% Boys: 17.6%]
· High school males who use smokeless tobacco: 11.2%
· Kids (under 18) who try cigarettes for the first time each year: 24,000
· Additional Kids (under 18) who become new regular, daily smokers each year: 7,200
· Packs of cigarettes bought or smoked by kids in Massachusetts each year: 14.7 million
· Kids exposed to second hand smoke at home: 297,000
· Adults in Massachusetts who smoke: 16.4% [Men: 17.3% Women: 15.5% Pregnant Females: 8.1%]
Nationwide, youth smoking has declined significantly since the mid-1990s, but that decline appears to have slowed. The
2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that the percentage of high school students reporting that they have smoked
cigarettes in the past month decreased to 20 percent in 2007 from 23 percent in 2005. 19.8 percent of U.S. adults
(about 43.4 million) currently smoke, which is a significant decline from the 2006 rate of 20.8 percent.
Deaths in Massachusetts From Smoking
· Adults who die each year in Massachusetts from their own smoking: 9,000
· Adult nonsmokers who die each year from exposure to secondhand smoke: 880
· Massachusetts kids who have lost at least one parent to a smoking-caused death: 5,100
· Kids alive in state today who will ultimately die from smoking: 117,000 (given current smoking levels)
Smoking, alone, kills more people each year than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides
combined. For every person in Massachusetts who dies from smoking approximately 20 more state residents are
suffering from serious smoking-caused disease and disability, or other tobacco-caused health problems.
Tobacco-Related Monetary Costs in Massachusetts
· Annual health care expenditures in the State directly caused by tobacco use: $3.54 billion
· Annual health care expenditures in Massachusetts from secondhand smoke exposure: $89.7 million

State Medicaid program’s total health expenditures caused by tobacco use: $1.0 billion
· Citizens’ state/federal taxes to cover smoking-caused gov’t costs: $1.8 billion ($737/household)
· Smoking-caused productivity losses in Massachusetts: $1.98 billion
· Smoking-caused health costs and productivity losses per pack sold in Massachusetts: $19.49
The productivity loss amount, above, is from smoking-death-shortened work lives, alone. Additional work productivity
losses totaling in the tens of billions nationwide come from smoking-caused work absences, on-the-job performance
declines, and disability during otherwise productive work lives Other non-health costs caused by tobacco use include
direct residential and commercial property losses from smoking-caused fires (about $400 million nationwide); and the
costs of extra cleaning and maintenance made necessary by tobacco smoke and tobacco-related litter (about $4+ billion
per year for commercial establishments alone).
Tobacco Industry Advertising and Other Product Promotion
· Annual tobacco industry marketing expenditures nationwide: $13.4 billion ($36+ million per day)
· Estimated portion spent in Massachusetts each year: $194.7 million
Published research studies have found that kids are three times more sensitive to tobacco advertising than adults and
are more likely to be influenced to smoke by cigarette marketing than by peer pressure, and that one-third of underage
experimentation with smoking is attributable to tobacco company marketing.
Massachusetts Government Policies Affecting The Toll of Tobacco in Massachusetts
· Annual State tobacco prevention spending from tobacco settlement and tax revenues: $13.5 million
[National rank: 35 (with 1 the best), based on percent of CDC recommendation]
· State cigarette tax per pack: $2.51 [National rank: 4th (average state tax is $1.23 per pack)]

A major Vancouver concert venue was left defending its safety record Thursday after pop star Britney Spears temporarily halted a live performance blaming a “ventilation issue” allegedly brought on by cigarette- and marijuana-smoking fans.

“At no time was there or has there been any concern for the quality of the air or the safety of the guests in the building,” said Harvey Jones, vice-president and general manager of arena operations at GM Place.

The air-quality debate inside the Garage was stirred up a day earlier when a spangled-bra-clad Spears disappeared off the stage just 15 minutes into her glitzy come-back concert tour, Circus.

The sold-out crowd of about 18,000 fans was left to chant into the darkness for more than half an hour, repeatedly calling out for the return of the pop star, whose much-publicized and often scandalous antics have landed her in drug rehabilitation, as well as a hospital psychiatric ward.

An announcement made shortly before 9 p.m. informed stunned concert-goers of the nature of the delay: “It’s become uncomfortable and unsafe for the performers, including Ms. Spears.

“The show will resume as soon as the air around the stage is clear,” the confused crowd was told.

Spears resumed the show at 9:05 p.m., performing for another hour before bidding goodnight to fans with a string of expletives and a cautionary warning: “Don’t smoke weed.”

The Circus performance set celebrity websites ablaze Thursday with Britney gossip, with headlines across North America boldly linking Spears’ vanishing act to Vancouver cigarette and pot smokers.

Spears’ blog extended an apology to “all the fans who attended our Vancouver show tonight for the brief pause in Britney’s set. Crew members above the stage became ill due to a ventilation issue.”

Jones said it was never really clear exactly what the problem was, adding concern about smoke onstage was just one of several explanations given to arena staff by Spears’ tour managers.

“We heard a number of different versions, all of them centred around air quality,” he said.

Jones said air-quality monitors measuring carbon-dioxide emissions and temperature gauges were all functioning normally Wednesday night, with no unusual readings noted.

Concern from staff over excessive smoke in the arena was also not reported, he said.

Smoking is banned inside the arena, as it is in all public spaces in Vancouver. However, Jones said it was impossible to fully enforce the policy, particularly during a crowded concert.

“People do come in and they do light up smokes … It’s part of the [concert] culture,” he said.

Smokers who are caught in the act are immediately told to butt out, while those reluctant to obey the rules face possible eviction, he said.

Jones said that following discussion with Spears’ tour managers, stage fans were turned up and the doors opened in order to clear the air.

Jones said it’s unlikely the venue — which hosts about 50 concerts annually — will suffer any real harm to its reputation, adding discussions are already underway to host Spears a second time at “a later leg of the tour.”

Meanwhile, media outlets around the continent were buzzing about the pop diva’s actions Wednesday night.

People, Rolling Stone, Perez Hilton, TMZ, and the Huffington Post were some of the outlets writing about Spears’s Vancouver appearance.

Britney Spears Delays Vancouver Concert Over Cigarette, Pot Smoke and Britney Spears: “Don’t Smoke Weed!” are a few of the headlines showing up Thursday.

Clips from the concert can be seen in footage posted on YouTube.

Here’s a look at how the evening unfolded:

6:30 p.m.: Lineups of bare-legged girls gather outside the stadium, braving the cold for the occasion.

There are also moms and their tween daughters in neatly tucked trousers, even a grandmother or two. And there are guys, some wearing fedora hats, others with obvious highlights and even a few K-Fed types in low-hanging jeans.

6:45 p.m.: Close to the ticket line-up, I notice one fan is particularly glammed up — in a good way.

Cassandra Collen of Vancouver, a 24-year-old actress, says she decided to dress like Britney as a sexy stewardess, from her Toxic video.

“I love her. She’s fabulous,” says Collen, wearing a blond wig she bought for the concert and a vamped version of the uniform. “She’s one of the best performers out there.”

Inside GM Place, I pass a 20-something in a tutu and more than a few teenager girls who seem like they forgot their skirts at home.

Everyone’s having a good time though, and the excitement is tangible.

7 p.m. to 7:40 p.m: The Pussycat Dolls pop ensemble gets the crowd hot and bothered with their sultry dance moves — yes, they pack their own pole and props — and their polished tunes.

They kick the show off with their breakout hit, Don’t Cha, dancing around the circular stage in thigh-high boots and sparkling leotards. The set ends on a high note with their hit, When I Grow Up.

8 p.m.: Circus performers take to the stage. One woman can walk on her hands. Another seems to fly as she flips on a balance beam held on the shoulders of two brawny men. Overhead a sign in lights reads, “Big Apple Circus.”

8:17 p.m: The lights dim. It’s dark except for the glow of cellphones. Everyone screams. A video of blogger Perez Hilton introduces Britney on-screen.

When the pop diva appears on-stage minutes later, dressed as a ringleader, holding a whip, her fans can scarcely contain their screams.

They manage to get even louder when she removes her jacket, revealing a sparkling bra and bare midriff. Britney’s midriff!

8:36: Stage has been dark again for a few minutes. The impatient-for-Brit crowd chants: “Britney. Britney. Britney.” There’s even a few boos and some howls. Are they in pain?

People want more Britney. But the gal’s got to change doesn’t she? Tsk.

8:44: Still nothing on-stage. Just darkness. “Britney. Britney. Britney.” This doesn’t usually happen until an encore.

8:45: Still nothing. And then a voice comes over the loudspeaker with an announcement about smoking in GM Place.

“It’s become uncomfortable and unsafe for the performers, including Ms. Spears,” the voice says, eliciting big boos from the crowd. “The show will resume as soon as the air around the stage is clear.”

Is this for real?

It is.

“The performance will not proceed until the air clears.”

8:51: I receive a text from a friend at the concert, seated closer to the stage than I am.

“Seriously? Is this a stall?”

Well, we’re still looking at a blackened stage. Still waiting for the air to clear?

People are chanting her name. Others are just yelling and howling. The mood is sour. I’d hate to be a smoker right about now.

8:59: The entire stadium is doing the wave in the darkness, their movements lit by their mobile phones. It’s deafening.

9:03: “We want Britney.” Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. “We want Britney.” The organ is playing. This is like a hockey game without any players.

9:05: She’s back. The blond hair reappears on-stage, she’s dressed in a sparkling silver dress singing the song, Ooh Ooh Baby.

9:06: The dress is gone, the midriff is bare again — it’s back — and Spears’ energy seems to have increased. She busts out some choreographed moves along with eight male dancers. She counts as they do pushups, hands on her hips. Yeah, the crowd loves it.

9:13: A pink shrug on, it’s time for the cheeky, If U Seek Amy. The crowd is reviving, but still seems a little deflated from the extended period of darkness.

9:18: A quick change. And Britney’s in teal sari pants. Surrounded by her dancers, Spears shakes and shimmies to the Bollywood mix, Me Against the Music.

9:21: She speaks to the crowd for the first time: “What’s up Vancouver,” she says.

Her Vancouver fans, adoring as ever despite the strange turn in the night, holler their greetings to Brit.

And with that, she floats into the first ballad of the night, the soft tune, Everytime.

The audience sings along with her to the chorus: “And everytime I try to fly, I fall.”

It’s a good bonding moment.

9:27: Another costume change leaves a Brit-free stage once again. This time, there’s a winged-woman on-stage, music and lights.

9:30: Back again. And now Britney’s got black hair in a bob, wearing yet another little, sparkling bodysuit and high boots. She holds a fan as she performs the song, Freakshow, moving about the stage, along with her dancers.

9:32: Couches and large picture frames appear on four corners of the stage for the next batch of music-video-worthy choreography as the song, Get Naked, begins. There’s a lot to take in at any given moment.

“Get naked. Get naked,” the crowd sings along with Britney.

9:40: She emerges out of the stage, looking naked but for strategic bits of sparkling fabric for the sultry song, Breathe on Me.

9:43: Britney is in the air seated on two bare-chested men — their bodies her swing. This Circus is full of some seriously steamy stuff.

9:50: Britney is still on stage, romping around in a black bodysuit and shaking her familiar assets to her hit song, Do Something.

9:54: Things really heat up when the centre of the stage ignites into a ring of fire, with Britney overhead, performing Slave.

The flames extinguishes before she lowers down. Safe and sound.

The song ends with the star unleashing a quit hit of some of her best grooves of the night.

10:04: The song, Toxic, one of her early hits, gets some of the night’s biggest cheers. She’s changed into some glittering leggings with a matching fedora and a sailor-striped bra.

10:07: A nicely remixed version of the song, Baby One More Time, has possibilities but Spears’s moves seem a little stiff.

10:10: A Brit-free stage once again. But no one seems worried. The music is still playing.

10:13: The star’s catchiest new tune, Womanizer sees officer Spears waving a baton at a naughty dancer. A shower of sparks falls all around the star and her dancers, ending the show.

She thanks the crowd, taking a bow with her baton behind her back and her handcuffs dangling at her hips before darting off the stage.

10:18: The air is full of confetti. The lights go on.

In the end, her fans seemed happy enough to forget about that pesky dark period.

Source: Timescolonist

This paper’s central message is that, despite methodological and data issues, policy
makers should focus more on the affordability of cigarettes and less on the real price
in isolation of income. A price-based policy prescription may not be sufficient to
reduce the affordability of cigarettes in fast-growing countries. An affordability-based
policy prescription is more general, and possibly more useful, as a tobacco control
target, especially in rapidly growing countries.
What this paper adds:
In recent years a number of papers have explicitly investigated cigarette affordability,
more than simply cigarette prices. This paper updates the literature by considering the
period up to 2006. It finds that the choice of income variable has a large impact on the
affordability measures for low- and middle-income, but not for high-income
countries. Broad measures of income like GDP are appropriate in all countries while
earnings surveys are not appropriate in low- and middle-income countries since they
only survey relatively high-paying occupations. Although cigarettes in high-income
countries are more affordable than in low- and middle-income countries, they have
become somewhat less affordable between 1990 and 2006. Cigarettes in low- and
middle-income countries have become much more affordable over this period, but in
particular after 2003, mainly because the growth in prices has not kept up with the
rapid growth in incomes.
Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Kelly Henning and Jan Schmidt-
Whitley for their assistance, Emmanuel Guindon, Steven Birch, Susan Cleary,
Stephan Rabimov, Emil Sunley and three anonymous referees for their comments and
suggestions, Thembi Dladla for research assistance, and Angela McClean of the

Economist Intelligence Unit for providing some of the data. All other errors and
omissions remain ours entirely. Economist Intelligence Unit for providing some of the data. All other errors and
omissions remain ours entirely.

Are you Tweeting while Rome burns? The news last week was full of stories about how the Web phenom Twitter might make a buck as the rest of the economy goes up in smoke, from charging for Tweet aggregations to acquisition by Google.

This is fine if you own Twitter, but for the rest of us communicating via ultra-short-form social media (like Facebook status updates), it seems there is another opportunity to make money. Recently I have been following links suggested by friends for patently absurd products like the E-Cigarette and even Ranchos, an Italian high-heel wedge that perches the wearer, almost tippy-toe, on a metal horseshoe sole. Surely the future, for underemployed fashion types, is paid product placement?

It would certainly be a welcome source of income to many struggling writers. As the economy contracts, more print journalists are becoming bloggers, and bloggers themselves are migrating to even shorter-form media.

“What once was a rare Champagne is now just an amiable hock,” Madame Armfeldt laments about diminishing prospects in “A Little Night Music.” Speaking as an amiable hack, you’re singing my life with your song, lady. “What once was a sumptuous feast is blogs,” she might have sung, if the character had been a journalist instead of a retired courtesan. “No, not even blogs. Tweets.”

The E-Cigarette and Rancho plugs both came from Bryan Boy, the noted Filipino fashion blogger with a developed sense of the absurd. But what about other frock stars with some capital in their name?

Perhaps you’d like know the label of the latest horse blanket that Andre Leon Talley draped over his shoulders at the Paris shows. If he Tweets “Hermès, darling” into your electronic ear, it seems only fair that Hermès should tip (let’s call it a “twip”) for the service.

Actresses could be “twipped” for dropping the names of their plastic surgeons, like Sonia Braga modeling the new season’s face lift by Dr. Luiz Victor Carneiro Jr. And wouldn’t you like to know exactly what new model BlackBerry Naomi Campbell threw at her latest maid?

Another fashion solution to the problem may have already been found by the New York night-life character known as “Uncle Jimmy.” Jimmy’s signature is a scrolling LED belt buckle — which can be programmed to repeat short messages, like a ticker — that he wears on his hat. About five years ago he realized that turning up to clubs and P.R. parties with the name of the venue or sponsor flashing off his head was a good way to get in, and score free drinks.

The future, then, could be for fashion celebrities to Tweet directly onto their own clothing, the way the late-’80s craze for wearing luxury logos turned everyone into walking billboards. Only these days, of course, we would expect to be twipped for the trouble.

Source: Themoment

Without prompting, overall 40.3% of Chinese smokers reported noticing things that
were designed to encourage smoking at least once in a while in the last 6 months.

This was significantly higher than that in Thailand (20.2%), Australia
(18.9%) and the US (35.5%) (p<0.001, see table 4 for adjusted odds ratios, AOR).
Unprompted recall was higher than for non-smokers.
For prompted recall, total noticing advertising, sponsorship and promotion in any
channel among Chinese smokers was 75.6% with an average of 3.4 channels noticed, the most common being TV (34.5%), billboards
(33.4%), and at points of sale (29.2% in stores and 20.3% around street vendors).
Overall, the younger Chinese smokers were more likely to have noticed various
marketing activities with the exception of radio where the aged 60 and older were just
as likely to notice such activities as the 18-29 years group.