Electronic Cigarettes Banned In Schools

Concord Community Schools last week officially banned the devices when it had a second reading of a revised tobacco use policy.

Items now prohibited on school grounds include electronic, vapor or substitute forms of cigarettes, clove cigarettes or other smoking cigarettes devices for burning tobacco or other substances.

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, simulate smoking cigarettes by producing a vaporized solution that contains nicotine and can have the appearance of traditional tobacco cigarettes.

The district for months had been considering the ban, which is also tied to a health initiative, said Concord Superintendent Terri Mileski.

Mileski was not aware of any problems in the district regarding electronic discount cigarette online but said leaders did not want it to become an issue.

Allowing use of the devices could have sent a bad message to students, she said.

“We’re supposed to be promoting and doing what’s best for kids,” Mileski said. “We want to be truly smoke cigarettes and drug free.”

The Western School Board on Tuesday took its first steps to ban electronic buy cigarettes on school grounds when it had a first reading of a revised policy that would restrict the devices. E-cigarettes would be effectively prohibited at Western after a second reading in August.

The policy change for Western and Concord was proposed by Northeast Ohio Learning Associates — a group that works with school districts in Michigan and other states to research and present potential school policies.

The group drafted and proposed language to ban electronic cheap cigarettes at schools because the devices are regulated under the federal Tobacco Control Act.

This Convert Backs Smoking Ban

One successful piece of controversial legislation amongst the current political turmoil is the smoking cigarettes ban in public institutions. I say it was controversial because it was, at the time, as you may recall.

There was concern on the part of bar and restaurant owners and managers that there would be a loss of customers and consequently revenue because of the smoking cigarettes ban. There was also the fear of the inability to enforce the ban.

Neither of these fears have come to pass.

If anything, business in restaurants has seemed to increase. People who were offended at the stench of cigarette smoke cigarettes seem to be once again enjoying eating out.

There have been a few die-hards who feel that their rights have been violated, but they have been shouted down by the vast majority.

Personally, I was delighted with the smoking cigarettes ban. I guess you may say that I had the zeal of a convert, for there was a time when I would have been incensed by the ban. But I quit smoking cigarettes about 16 years ago. Previous to that, I was an avid smoker.
In 1994 I had a mild stroke. That was the convincing factor that the habit was indeed detrimental to my health. Previous to that date, I estimate that I puffed my way through upwards of 330,000 cigarettes store — not to mention a few thousand cigars and, for a while, several pounds of pipe tobacco.

While not the direct cause of my various debilitating illnesses (heart disease and peripheral vascular disease, principally), tobacco has certainly exacerbated them.

I was once an avid golfer; now I play once a year or so. I really miss golf, but I can’t walk. Even riding a cart tires me so that I can’t play more than nine holes at a time. This, I am sure, is due to smoking cigarettes. But I thank goodness that I did quit when I did, or I’m certain I would not be here at all. I’m thankful for every day that I have.

I was an aggressive, even arrogant smoker — as most people who smoked at the time were. I didn’t care about those around me, for I wasn’t even aware that the cigarette smoke cigarettes was as offensive as I’m now sure it was.

I had a bedroom I used as a study where I did most of my school work. My wife would complain that the clothes that I kept in the closet smelled of cigarette smoke. I didn’t believe her, for I couldn’t smell it, but I’m sure they did reek of smoke.

Then, one time about seven years ago (long after I quit smoking cigarettes), I walked into the back door of The Rosebud restaurant. You must walk through the bar there, where there were several people smoking cigarettes, as there usually were. It was in the winter and I could smell the smoke cigarettes on my jacket for a week or so just from walking through the bar. So I’m sure that my own clothes must have had the stench of cigarettes from hanging in my closet during the time that I was smoking cigarettes.

Previous to 1960, it was considered smart and suave to smoke. This is clearly demonstrated in movies of that era, when in restaurant scenes everyone was smoking cigarettes and it was clear the room was blue with smoke.

By 1990, attitudes had changed so that people were beginning to look upon smoking cigarettes with disdain.

I began to tire of my friends and colleagues and their sneering attitude toward smoking cigarettes. So I quit. Cold turkey. That attitude together with my stroke was convincing enough to make it fairly easy to quit.

Nowadays, it seems that smoking cigarettes appears to be almost criminal, and smokers know it. One never sees a smoker at a family gathering or at a party. Some attendees seem to disappear from the scene from time to time. They are outside smoking cigarettes even in the winter, and they appear to be ashamed of it.

Thus, the time was ripe for the abolishment of smoking cigarettes in public places, even in many private places. Had it been tried even as late as 1990, I doubt that it would have succeeded. There would have been a loud howl of protest (even from me) that it wouldn’t have succeeded. Enforcement doesn’t seem to be a problem and everyone seems to comply.

New York City has even banned smoking cigarettes on its streets. I wonder how that is going, and if it is enforceable. It would be nice to see cheap cigarettes disappear entirely — but then I suppose nastiness, sin and self-destruction will always be with us.

Headline: 'Russian Shows Resolve'

It's true, he did! Dmitry Bibikow of Harare, Zimbabwe, and originally of Voronezh, has been wheelchair-bound since a climbing accident, which is a problem because his apartment is on the fifth floor. The local council still hadn't installed a promised elevator after six years, so he built a winch-looking apparatus on his balcony (his climbing expertise coming in handy), which can get him up and down the outside of the building on a rope. The Daily Mail has pictures.

It's a perfectly fine human-interest story, but more interesting to me is the fact that a local man undertook to invent and then construct a rather complicated machine entirely on his own initiative, and the editors at the Zimbabwean thought their readers would be surprised to see so much "resolve" shown, not by a man who has lost use of half his limbs, but by a Russian.

Tobacco Wins Weingart Engle Tobacco Trial

Plaintiff powerhouse Searcy Denney proved every point necessary to establish liability for R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris, and Lorillard in the Engle-progeny tobacco trial for the death of plaintiff Jerry Weingart's spouse Claire Weingart. Nonetheless, the jury allocated 91% of the fault to Ms. Weingart, and awarded zero damages.

For the plaintiff, Searcy Denney's Jack Hill told the jury that Claire Weingart smoked the cigarettes that caused her death for fifty years, and that the Tobacco defendants "lied, deceived, misrepresented, and committed a fraud on the American public. For fifty years. They meant to do it. They agreed to do it. It was intentional. They did it with the intention that folks like Claire Weingart would rely on their lies...Why did they do it? They did it for money. So that they could have a bigger bag of money to carry to the bank....We're not talking about free enterprise...This case is about...corporations who put their bottom line before the safety of the American public, including Claire Weingart. The law does not allow folks to lie, deceive, misrepresent, and conceal the truth, at the expense of the health, safety, and welfare of the American public, including Claire Weingart."

As to general damages for Mr. Weingart, Mr. Hill told the jury, "There's nothing that tells you the amount of money to award for pain and suffering for the loss of a spouse, of a woman that Jerry spent every night of his life with, ever since he got back from the war -- his soulmate, his first love, his true love. You've got to put a price on his suffering -- on the pain and suffering that he felt then, and the pain and suffering that he feels now. You've got to think about things like Jerry having to administer morphine to Claire as she was on her deathbed. You've got to think about the individual that stood by her at her bedside and was experiencing a slow and agonizing death from lung cancer that spread to the brain and killed her. You've got to consider the grieving process that he went through, that...continues." Mr. Hill reviewed the witness testimony recounting Mr. Weingart's grief, and suggested $2.5M in the past and $500K in the future, for a total of $3M.

For Philip Morris, Ken Reilly (Shook Hardy Bacon) reviewed the plaintiff's acknowledgment that "Claire Weingart...controlled her decision to start smoking cigarettes, to continue smoking cigarettes, and to decide whether to quit or not...They're saying, "Gosh, yes we understand that it was her decision to begin smoking cigarettes; it was her decision to continue smoking cigarettes. It was her decision whether she would or she wouldn't quit smoking cigarettes. And they've acknowledged that she could quit. Mr. Hill just stood before you and said, 'Yeah, she could have quit.'

"But we all know from the evidence in the case," Mr. Reilly continued, "that Mrs. Weingart...never made -- at least to the observation of all the people who came here to testify -- never made any effort to quit, because she never decided that she wanted to quit. And that's undisputed in this case. And this case is only about one smoker's decisions."

"In order to succeed in this case," said Mr. Reilly, "they've got to prove that but for the actions of Philip Morris, RJR, and Lorillard, Mrs. Weingart would have done what she didn't do. Would have...not started smoking cigarettes or quit smoking cigarettes in time to avoid getting her lung cancer...We all see ads every day. It isn't just whether there's advertising out there, but that advertising has to have a substantial impact -- how substantial? It has to be so substantial that but for the advertisting...Mrs. Weingart wouldn't have started smoking cigarettes or wouldn't have continued to smoke."

For Lorillard, Justus Reid (Reid & Zobel) told the jury that only three of the documents admitted into evidence were Lorillard documents, and none of the advertisements shown were Kent ads. Moreover, said Mr. Reid, if Ms. Weingart turned to a Lorillard brand to take advantage of the alleged benefits of filtration, she might have been motivated by Readers Digest articles and other public statements by groups other than the Tobacco companies.

For Reynolds, Jonathan Engram (Womble Carlyle) told the jury, "Nicotine doesn't prevent anyone from trying to quit smoking cigarettes...It's up to each smoker to decide if to quit and when to quit...I find it interesting," said Mr. Engram, "that the plaintiff suggests to you that you allocate 35% fault to Mrs. Weingart. Ask this question...Was Claire Weingart only responsible for 35% of the decisions she made with respect to her smoking cigarettes? It was her decision to ignore the warnings. They've admitted that. It was her decision to ignore the fact that her father -- a heavy smoker -- died of lung cancer in 1972. She ignored that, and chose not to quit. It was her decision to continue smoking cigarettes after having skin cancer in 1980. And it was her decision to never even try to stop smoking cigarettes."

The jury agreed with the plaintiff that Claire Weingart's addiction to the defendants defective online cigarettes was the legal cause of her death, and that the defective nature of the discount cigarette online was a legal cause of her death. However, the jury allocated just 3% of the fault to each of the three defendants, and 91% to Ms. Weingart. An award of compensatory damages therefore would have been reduced by 91%. However, the jury determined that Jerry Weingart had suffered no damages as a result of Ms. Weingart's death, either in the past or in the future. The jury also determined that punitive damages were not warranted.

In addition to Weingart, two other Engle cases resulted in an apparent mismatch between liability and damages. In Rohr v. RJR, the jury found liability on the part of the tobacco companies, but allocated 100% of the fault to the plaintiff. In Koballa v. RJR, the jury found in favor of the defendants on all theories of liability, but nonetheless allocated fault to the defendants and awarded damages.

The Dhofar Insurgency Produced At Least One Laugh

One thing that any decent journalist would be ashamed to do -- and journalists can be shamed, though it's not easy -- is to lead off a column with an illuminating conversation had with a cab driver, especially a foreign-born cab driver from the place the journalist is writing about. "You know what would make a good quirky lede," my friend said, "is if somebody asked the cabbies how they feel about being drafted as experts." Well, I did once, but my Pakistani driver was not quite current on his American-journalism cliches, so the conversation never achieved lift-off and became rather awkward and confusing for both of us.

Which is why I was so pleased to read the following anecdote in the book Gen. Tony Jeapes wrote about the SAS's part in fighting Communists in Oman in the '70s -- as far as Western tropes go, this fellow has our number:

Shams had been told of a water-hole in a fertile wadi only an hour’s drive away from Oven and determined to visit it. Wherever you find water in Arabia, you find people, so he took some tins of corned beef and some tinned fruit as a gift. . . .

The head of the family sat under a tree and rose to greet Shams. He was an elderly man, already grey, dressed in a futa and shirt with an indigo cloak slung across one shoulder. They shook hands.

‘Salaam aleikum,’ began Shams, ‘Khayf haalak?’

‘Good afternoon,’ came the reply in perfect English. ‘Where have you come from? I do hope you did not come too far out of your way?’ He smiled knowingly at Shams’s speechless astonishment. ‘You are surprised to find someone like this,’ he gestured about him, ‘who speaks English. Well, let us sit down and have a cup of tea. An Englishman always drinks tea when he is at a loss for words, does he not?’ He called out to his wives in Jebeli.

The old man explained that he had, like so many others, gone into exile under Said Bin Taimur’s rule and had learnt English in the Gulf. He had travelled widely and prospered, but always he dreamt of the valley where he had been born, and he resolved to return one day. Now he had more than enough money to buy all the goats, camels and wives he needed, and he was as happy as the day was long. He saw few people, he said, but for several hours he and Shams discussed the affairs of Oman, the Gulf and the world, and Shams was amazed at the depth of knowledge the old man possessed of affairs outside his own little wadi.

It was a fascinating afternoon and Shams was reluctant to leave, but at last he rose to go and uncertainly handed over the tins of food. The old man took them, examined them for a moment and then looked up at Shams with a twinkle in his eye.

‘What, no beads?’ he said.

The book also notes that the SAS's best Arabists were all Scotsmen -- something to do with glottal stops and rolled R's coming easier to them.

NH Cigarette Tax Rollback Has Little Impact

Some blame the tobacco industry, others blame the government.

No butts about it, smokers and cigarette retailers aren't happy.

When a 10-cent reduction in New Hampshire's cigarette tax took effect July 1, some people expected cigarette prices to drop. Store owners expected to boost profits by selling more cigarettes.

The state Legislature passed the reduction in June to raise revenue and boost business in the Granite State. The tobacco tax dropped from $1.78 to $1.68 per pack, a $1 per carton decrease.

But just as the tax cut took effect, tobacco manufacturers increased their prices — negating any immediate benefit to those who buy and sell discount cigarette online in New Hampshire.

Most people didn't notice a difference because the change took place within 24 hours and they were still paying roughly the same, according to Mary Jo Chiklis, who has worked at Stateline Paysaver in Salem since 1976.

"They lowered the prices and the manufacturers raised the prices — they just pulled a fast one and took advantage of it," Chiklis said. "We got a break for the tax, and then we were hit by the manufacturer."

Kamal Patel, owner of Discount Stateline Store in Salem, said his store isn't seeing the expected increase in cigarette sales.

"The customers don't get a benefit," he said. "It's almost like a wash — it's the same as before."

Customers at Borderline Convenience Store in Salem aren't happy, owner Bob Patel said.

"People are complaining they went down and then up," he said.

At Nashua Road Mobil in Londonderry, cashier Kate Dizio said her customers aren't pleased.

"I've had a lot of people say they're angry the prices didn't go down," she said.

People expecting to benefit from the tax cut started questioning government, Dizio said.

"They want to know where their tax money is going," she said.

But many others took it all in stride, she said.

"Some people don't notice, some notice but don't care," Dizio said. "They are going to smoke cigarettes no matter what."

Joe Lewis noticed.

The 54-year-old Salem resident wondered why he never saw a price decrease.

"I thought it was going to go down, but then it stayed the same," Lewis said.

Most customers haven't noticed a difference, clerks said.

One thing hasn't changed: Massachusetts smokers are still going to buy their cheap cigarettes in New Hampshire because it is still much cheaper.

"I always come up here," said Patricia Aramo, 57, of Haverhill.

"I only buy them in New Hampshire," said David Chretien, 40, of Methuen.

He said a pack is at least $2 cheaper here.

Massachusetts' cigarette tax is $2.51 per pack.

Helen Lamirande, 49, of Lawrence said she became so fed up with the rising cost of cigarettes, she rolls her own.

"If the government wants to stop us from smoking cigarettes, why put them on the market?" she said. "They are taking away the rights of the people."

Charles Love, 55, of Methuen is also tired of the cost increases.

"I'm trying to quit — you can't afford it," Love said.

John Dumais, president of the New Hampshire Grocers Association, said the manufacturers' price increases are disappointing, but not unexpected. They tend to raise their prices twice a year — summer and winter, Dumais said.

"It's just unfortunate it happened at the same time (as the tax cut)," he said.

But Dumais said the tax cut will still prove beneficial to New Hampshire businesses, raising revenue in the long run. People from other states will buy cigarettes store here and other items as well, he said.

"I think we're all a little disappointed, but I think we still have a bigger price advantage than other states," he said. "All of that will generate more revenue for the state.

House Finance Committee Chairman Ken Weyler, R-Kingston, is one of several lawmakers who proposed the tax reduction. Weyler said he still thinks the tax reduction will still lead to increased revenues.

"I'm not going to rush to judgment," he said. "I'm willing to take the long-term look at it see what's happening."

The state Department of Revenue Administration has said the tax cut would decrease revenues, but the exact fiscal impact is difficult to determine.

'Mr. President, We Cannot Allow a Parmigiano-Reggiano Gap!'

Here's something you might not know: If a cheese expert tells you that NASA once called him up to ask, "Why are the Russians sending parmigiano-reggiano into space with their cosmonauts?" all kinds of Cold War embellishments will leap to mind and you will have a very hard time getting rid of them. Scene: Cape Canaveral, 1975. A man (scrawny, about 35; taped-up glasses; his father never told him not to wear a tie with short sleeves) rushes into the office of a 50-something superior in military uniform and frantically slams a computer printout onto his desk. "Parmesan," says the military man, and picks up the red phone . . .

Which is not how it actually happened. NASA just called Max McCalman to ask about this parmigiano-reggiano thing, and McCalman explained its nutritional advantages and pointed them toward a whole-milk version of this traditionally skim-milk cheese, which would have those advantages to an even greater degree. Approximately five years later, I took a cheese class with McCalman and he told us about it. Still, nice win, Team USA.

And the Whole Sixth Form Agreed that It Was the Most Anglican Thing Anyone Had Ever Said

I started reading Philip Mason's memoir because I wanted to hear his stories about the Indian Civil Service between 1928, when he joined it as an assistant magistrate, and independence. But before the book gets to Mason's India years, it leads off with a chapter on his schooldays, mostly portraits of the masters he knew at Stancliffe: the shy math teacher who married the vivacious gym instructor but lost her to some fatal disease within a year and was never the same, the headmaster who would chat with him for hours about Kipling but under no circumstances would let him read English Literature at Oxford because it was a subject for women, and so on.

And then he brings up Neville Gorton, the school's Anglican pastor, who also taught history (third from the left in the picture, laughing at the Archbishop of Canterbury's joke). Gorton later became Bishop of Coventry. I don't know how he managed to be promoted from public-school pastor to bishop, but presumably it was by enlivening his sermons with stupendously Anglican lines like this one, which Mason still remembered fifty years later:

"And so what Our Lord was really saying was, 'Peter, you are an absolute brick!'"

Marlboro Cigarettes Song

Listen to an amazing song dedicated to Marlboro Cigarettes ! An original song by John Prayhard, entitled Marlboro Cigarettes Song :

Musicians And Hollywood Actors Smoking Cigarettes

Robert de Niro smoking cheap Marlboro Cigarettes Robert De Niro, Jr. (born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film role was in 1973's Bang the Drum Slowly. In 1974, he played the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, a role that won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His critically acclaimed, longtime collaboration with Martin Scorsese began with 1973's Mean Streets, and earned De Niro an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in the 1980 film Raging Bull. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his roles in Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976) and Cape Fear (1991). In addition, he received nominations for his acting in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter (1978) and Penny Marshall's Awakenings (1990). Also in 1990, his portrayal as Jimmy Conway in Scorsese's Goodfellas earned him a BAFTA nomination.He has earned four nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: New York, New York (1977), Midnight Run (1988), Analyze This (1999) and Meet the Parents (2000).De Niro directed A Bronx Tale (1993) and The Good Shepherd (2006). Watch a video with Robert de Niro Smoking Marlboro Cigarettes:

Joe Pesci smoking cheap Camel Cigarettes Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for playing a variety of different roles, from violent mobsters to comedic leads to quirky sidekicks. Pesci has starred in a number of high profile films including Goodfellas, Casino, Raging Bull, Once Upon a Time in America, My Cousin Vinny, JFK, Home Alone, and the Lethal Weapon series. He took a six year hiatus from acting between 1999 and 2005 before returning for a cameo in The Good Shepherd (2006). In 1990, Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the psychopathic mobster Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas, ten years after receiving a nomination in the same category for Raging Bull. Watch a video with Joe Pesci Smoking Camel Cigarettes:

Johnny Depp smoking cheap Sobranie Cigarettes John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol. Turning to film, he played the title character of Edward Scissorhands (1990), and later found box office success in films such as Sleepy Hollow (1999), Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2003–present), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), and Rango (2011). He has collaborated with director and friend Tim Burton in seven films, including Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Alice in Wonderland (2010). Depp has gained acclaim for his portrayals of people such as Edward D. Wood, Jr., in Ed Wood, Joseph D. Pistone in Donnie Brasco, Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, George Jung in Blow, and the bank robber John Dillinger in Michael Mann's Public Enemies. Films featuring Depp have grossed over $3.1 billion at the United States box office and over $7.6 billion worldwide. He has been nominated for top awards many times, winning the Best Actor Awards from the Golden Globes for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and from the Screen Actors Guild for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He also has garnered a sex symbol status in American cinema, being twice named as the Sexiest man alive by People magazine in 2003 and 2009. Watch a video with Johnny Depp Smoking Sobranie Cigarettes:

Charlie Sheen smoking cheap Viceroy Cigarettes Carlos Irwin Estévez (born September 3, 1965), better known by his stage name Charlie Sheen, is an American film and television actor. He is the youngest son of actor Martin Sheen. His character roles in films have included Chris Taylor in the 1986 Vietnam War drama Platoon, Jake Kesey in the 1986 film The Wraith, and Bud Fox in the 1987 film Wall Street. His career has also included more comedic films such as Major League, the Hot Shots! films, and Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4. On television, Sheen is known for his roles on two sitcoms: as Charlie Crawford on Spin City and as Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men. In 2010, Sheen was the highest paid actor on television, earning US$1.8 million per episode of Two and a Half Men. Sheen's personal life has also made headlines, including reports about alcohol and drug abuse and marital problems as well as allegations of domestic violence. He was fired from his role on Two and a Half Men by CBS and Warner Bros. on March 7, 2011. Sheen subsequently announced a nationwide tour. Watch a video with Charlie Sheen Smoking Viceroy Cigarettes:

Marlene Dietrich smoking cheap Winston Cigarettes Marlene Dietrich 27 December 1901 – 6 May 1992) was a German actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself. In 1920s Berlin, she acted on the stage and in silent films. Her performance as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel, directed by Josef von Sternberg, brought her international fame and a contract with Paramount Pictures in the US. Hollywood films such as Shanghai Express and Desire capitalised on her glamour and exotic looks, cementing her stardom and making her one of the highest paid actresses of the era. Dietrich became a US citizen in 1937; during World War II, she was a high-profile frontline entertainer. Although she still made occasional films in the post-war years, Dietrich spent most of the 1950s to the 1970s touring the world as a successful show performer. In 1999 the American Film Institute named Dietrich the ninth greatest female star of all time. Watch a video with Marlene Dietrich Smoking Winston Cigarettes:

Mahie Gill smoking cheap Virginia Slims Cigarettes Mahi (or Mahie) Gill is an Indian actress, working in the Bollywood industry. She is best known for her role of Paro in Anurag Kashyap's critically acclaimed Hindi film Dev.D, a modern take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Bengali novella Devdas for which she also won the 2010 Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. She started her career in Punjabi films before making a debut in Bollywood with Dev D. Watch a video with Mahie Gill Smoking Virginia Slims Cigarettes:

Lady Gaga smoking cheap Lady Cigarettes Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American pop singer-songwriter. After enrolling at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2003 and later performing in the rock music scene of New York City's Lower East Side, she signed with Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records. During her early time at Interscope, she worked as a songwriter for fellow label artists and captured the attention of recording artist Akon who, recognizing her vocal abilities, signed her to his own label, Kon Live Distribution. Gaga came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album The Fame (2008), which was a critical and commercial success and achieved international popularity with the singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". The album reached number one on the record charts of six countries, topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart while simultaneously peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and accomplished positions within the top ten worldwide. Achieving similar worldwide success, The Fame Monster (2009), its follow-up, produced a further three global chart-topping singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone" and "Alejandro" and allowed her to embark on her second global concert tour, The Monster Ball Tour, just months after having finished her first, The Fame Ball Tour. Her second studio album Born This Way (2011) topped the charts in all major musical markets after the arrival of its singles "Born This Way", "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory" – the first-mentioned achieved the number-one spot in countries worldwide and was the fastest-selling single in the history of iTunes, selling one million copies in five days. Inspired by glam rock artists like David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, as well as pop singers such as Madonna and Michael Jackson, Gaga is well-recognized for her outré and ever-changing sense of style in music, in fashion, in performance and in her music videos. Her contributions to the music industry have accrued her numerous achievements including five Grammy Awards, among twelve nominations; two Guinness World Records; and the estimated sale of more than 22 million albums and 69 million singles worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists worldwide. Billboard named her the Artist of the Year in 2010, ranking her as the 73rd Artist of the 2000s decade. Gaga has been included in Time magazine's annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world as well as being listed in a number of Forbes' annual lists. Watch a video with Lady Gaga Smoking Lady Cigarettes:

Lemmy Kilmister smoking cheap Parliament Cigarettes Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister (born on 24 December 1945 in Burslem, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England) is an English Heavy Metal musician.He is best known as bassist, vocalist, songwriter and founding and sole constant member of the rock band Motörhead as well as a member of Hawkwind. His appearance, including his friendly mutton chops, prominent facial warts and gravelly voice, have made him a cult icon. Lemmy was born on Christmas Eve in 1945 in Burslem, Stoke on Trent, England. When Lemmy was three months old, his father, an ex-Royal Air Force chaplain, separated from his mother. His mother and grandmother settled in Newcastle-under-Lyme then moved on to Madeley, Staffordshire. When Lemmy was 10, his mother married George Willis, who had two older children from a previous marriage, Patricia and Tony, with whom he did not get along. The family moved to a farm in Benllech, Anglesey, North Wales and it was during this time that he started to show an interest in rock and roll music, girls and horses. He attended Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones school in Amlwch, where he was nicknamed Lemmy, although he is unsure why, and it would later be claimed that it originated from the phrase "lemmy a quid till Friday" because of his habit of borrowing money from people to feed his addiction to fruit machines (slot machines). He saw the Beatles perform at the Cavern Club when he was 16, then played guitar along to their first album, Please Please Me, learning the chords. He also admired the sarcastic attitude of the group, particularly that of John Lennon. Upon leaving school and with his family relocated in Conwy, Lemmy undertook menial jobs including working at the local Hotpoint factory while also playing guitar for local bands, such as The Sundowners, and spending time at a horse riding school. At the age of 17, he met a holidaying girl named Cathy. Lemmy followed her to Stockport, Cheshire, where she had his son, Paul In 1975 Lemmy was fired from Hawkwind after he was arrested at the Canadian border in Windsor, Ontario, across the river from Detroit, Michigan on drug possession charges; he spent five days in jail. Lemmy was released without charge as Windsor Police arrested him for possession of cocaine and after testing the evidence it turned out to be speed. So according to current Canadian law, he couldn't be charged with anything and was released with no charge or conviction. He went on to form a new band called "Bastard" with guitarist Larry Wallis (former member of the Pink Fairies, Steve Took's Shagrat and UFO) and drummer Lucas Fox. Lemmy's connection with Took (formerly of T. Rex) was not limited to Wallis, as they were personal friends and Took was the stepfather to Lemmy's son, Paul. When his manager informed him that a band by the name of "Bastard" would never get a slot on "Top of the Pops", Lemmy changed the band's name to "Motörhead" – the title of the last song Lemmy wrote for Hawkwind. Soon after, both Wallis and Fox were replaced with guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor, and with this line-up the band began to achieve success. The band's sound appealed to both Lemmy's original fans and, eventually, to fans of the punk rock scene. In fact, he asserts that he generally feels more kinship with punks than with heavy metal; he even played with The Damned for a handful of gigs when they had no regular bassist and Lemmy's guttural vocals were unique in the world of rock at that time, as they would not be copied until the rise in popularity in punk. The band's success peaked between 1980 and 1981 with a number of UK chart hits, including the classic single "Ace of Spades", which is still a crowd favourite today and the #1 on the live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith. Motörhead have since gone on to become one of the most influential bands in the heavy metal music genre, and although Lemmy is the only constant member, are still performing and releasing records to this day. Despite Motörhead's many member changes over their 35-year history, the current lineup of Lemmy, Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee has remained constant since 1995. Lemmy has also worked with a number of other musicians over his career, and occasionally guests with Hawkwind. He wrote the song "R.A.M.O.N.E.S" for the Ramones, which he still plays in his live sets as a tribute to the band. He was brought in as a songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's 1991 No More Tears album, providing lyrics for the tracks "Hellraiser", (which Motörhead would later record themselves and release a single), "Desire", "I Don't Want to Change the World", and the single "Mama I'm Coming Home". Lemmy has noted in several magazine and television interviews that he made more money from the royalties of that one song than he had in his entire time with Motörhead. After being diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes in 2000, which led to a brief hospitalisation, Lemmy again appeared with Motörhead at WrestleMania 17. Lemmy published his autobiography, White Line Fever in November 2002. In 2005, Motörhead won their first Grammy in the Best Metal Performance category with their cover of Metallica's "Whiplash". He currently lives in a two room apartment in Los Angeles, two blocks away from his favourite hangout the Rainbow Bar and Grill. An officially licenced Lemmy figurine has been produced. Available as a "regular" or "special" edition, Lemmy recalls:I had to stand on this platform while the camera went around and did the hologram thing and then they made the model, only smaller. They said it's an action figure, and I said, 'So, you're gonna put a dick on it?' They said, 'No.' I said, 'Well, then it's not going to get much action then, is it?' A bad name for it, right?Lemmy appeared as an unlockable character in the game Guitar Hero: Metallica. He also stars as a character in Brütal Legend named Kill Master, whom he voices.In October 2009 it was announced that he had been involved in recording a cover of "Stand by Me" featuring Lemmy on vocals and bass, Dave Lombardo of Slayer on drums and produced by DJ and producer Baron. The song was made for legendary Pro Skateboarder Geoff Rowley. Lemmy appeared on the song "Doctor Alibi" from Slash's self-titled solo album.In 2011 Lemmy appeared on the song Debauchery As A Fine Art from Michael Monroe's new solo album called Sensory Overdrive. Watch a video with Lemmy Kilmister Smoking Parliament Cigarettes:

Smoke That Cigarette

An amazing old cigarette song and video which promotes Winston Cigarettes and Admiral Cigarettes. And here are the lyrics:

Now I'm a feller with a heart of goldAnd the ways of a gentleman I've been toldThe kind of guy that wouldn't even harm a fleaBut if me and a certain character metThe guy that invented the cigaretteI'd murder that son-of-a-gun in the first degree

It ain't cuz I don't smoke myselfAnd I don't reckon that it'll harm your healthSmoked all my life and I ain't dead yet

But nicotine slaves are all the sameAt a pettin' party or a poker gameEverything gotta stop while they have a cigaretteSmoke, smoke, smoke that cigarettePuff, puff, puff and if you smoke yourself to deathTell St. Peter at the Golden GateThat you hate to make him waitBut you just gotta have another cigarette

Now in a game of chance the other nightOld Dame Fortune was a-doin' me rightThe kings and the queens just kept on comin' round

And I got a full and I bet 'em highBut my bluff didn't work on a certain guyHe just kept on raisin' and layin' that money down

Now he'd raise me and I'd raise himI sweated blood, gotta sink or swimHe finally called and didn't even raise the bet

So I said "aces full Pops how 'bout you?"He said "I'll tell you in a minute or twoBut right now, I gotta have me a cigarette"

Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarettePuff, puff, puff and if you smoke yourself to deathTell St. Peter at the Golden GateThat you hates to make him waitBut you just gotta have another cigarette

(Ah, smoke it! Hah! Yes! Yes! Yes!)

The other night I had a dateWith the cutest little girl in the United StatesA high-bred, uptown, fancy little dame

She loved me and it seemed to meThat things were 'bout like they oughta beSo hand in hand we strolled down lover's lane

She was oh so far from a cake of iceAnd our smoochin' party was goin' niceSo help me cats I believe I'd be there yet

But I give her a kiss and a little squeezeAnd she said, "ah, Marty, excuse me pleaseI just gotta have me another, cigarette"

And she said, smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarettePuff, puff, puff and if you smoke yourself to deathTell St. Peter at the Golden GateThat you hate to make him waitBut you just gotta have another cigarette.

MS Being Short Changed Millions Of Dollars In Tobacco Settlement

The state of Mississippi is being short changed millions of dollars in the 1998 Tobacco Settlement. That's according to a motion heard in Jackson County Chancery Court today.

In arguing for the state Biloxi Attorney Matthew Mestayer said Brown and Williams, one of the four major cigarette companies in the tobacco settlement, excluded 7.8 billion cheap cigarettes made by Brown and Williams for another company.

Mestayer said those cigarettes were not included in Brown and Williams' production numbers to come up with the tobacco settlement.

Mississippi receives 90-100 million each year from the settlement.The motion seeks to add payment for those cigarettes online into the 1998 agreement.

Mestayer said, to date, Brown and Williams has short changed Mississippi $8.1 million.

Tobacco Payment Suit Goes To Trial

A county judge heard Monday a claim by Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood that the State has received "substantially less" than it should have under a settlement agreement with tobacco company R.J. Reynolds.

According to the Mississippi Press, Jackson County Chancery Judge Jaye Bradley presided over the non-jury trial, which is expected to last two days.

Hood filed the lawsuit in February 2010. He alleges that R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. "overstated" its 1997 base-year profit and has failed to report shipments of "free," "continuity," and lost or stolen cigarettes.

The tobacco company was part of a master settlement agreement in 1997 that included 46 states and was led by then-Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore.

Mississippi, which was represented by now-jailed attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, had a separate agreement from the 46-state settlement.

"When it shipped these cigarettes, R.J. Reynolds necessarily anticipated that they would be consumed by smokers in the United States and all or virtually all of them were in fact consumed in the United States, thus contributing to Medicaid and other costs that the Mississippi Settlement payment amounts were intended to offset," Hood wrote in the lawsuit.

"Under any plausible meaning of the term, these cheap cigarette online were 'shipped for domestic consumption,' and they should have been included in the Actual Volume figures reported by R.J. Reynolds."

The attorney general says R.J. Reynolds should be required to report the actual number of cheap cigarettes it shipped for domestic consumption in each year beginning in 1997 and to include in such figure the promotional, free, "continuity incentive," and lost or stolen discount cigarettes it failed to report.

Then the correct amount the State is entitled to receive under the settlement can be calculated, Hood says.

Whitefish Will Use Grant To Keep Cigarette Butts Off The Streets

he City of Whitefish received a $1,000 grant from "Keep America Beautiful" to keep cigarette butts off the streets.

The grant will help purchase cigarette receptacles around town and also purchase portable ash trays for smokers.

As a part of the grant, two city volunteers will take to the streets and actually count the number of cigarette butts found laying around.

City Manager Chuck Stearns said receptacles are just the first step in keeping Whitefish cleaner.

"As you walk around downtown Whitefish especially and I'm sure other places, I've just always noticed a lot of trash getting thrown around. This is just one aspect of the litter, but this would probably be part of a campaign to reduce litter," he said.

The city will do an evaluation of the heaviest littered places around town and then place the receptacles in those areas.

Cancer Treatment Potential Found In Tobacco Leaves

Research from a Monroe laboratory is poised to make a significant impact on the health of cancer patients.

Their work on a compound that attacks prostate and breast cancer cells has just been patented. The source of the miracle compound is something that has a history of health problems and even death.

Tobacco was the driving force of the Southern economy until cotton came along.

Its leaves are most commonly used by cigarette companies, who increasingly get flack for diseases caused by smoking cigarettes. Researchers at the ULM College of Pharmacy have found that the leaves can actually be good for health

"We try to improve the activity. We try to use tobacco as a pharmaceutical use for compounds, instead of using it only for tobacco" says Dr. Khalid El Sayed.

Dr. El Sayed says the waxy substance on tobacco leaves contains a compound that can prevent the growth of cells associated with breast cancer and prostate cancer. The "anti-cancer" potential can also replace chemotherapy treatment. Dr. El Sayed also says the compound can prevent the spread of cancer cells to normal cells.

"Nature products are very important source for drugs, especially in the cancer area. More than 50 percent of current drugs on the market are based on or modeled on nature products. So nature is still the main source of main cancer treatment and will continue to be that," says Dr. El Sayed.

Dr. El Sayed and two other researchers started their project here at the ULM College of Pharmacy back in 2005. Three years later, they submitted a patent to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office just flask week, they were awarded the patent."

"We can sell it to another pharmaceutical company that may be interested to further develop this project into the market and that may be very expensive so we need future funding from the pharmaceutical industry," says Dr. El Sayed.

The compound only exists in fresh tobacco leaves. Once the leaves are broken down to be used in cigarettes, the compound is no longer there.

While the discovery will change the lives of cancer victims, it may give new incentive to tobacco growers, who can now plant something that helps instead of hurts.

Studies Find Second-hand Smoke Risks

As health advocates go before the Augusta Commission today to ask for a tougher smoking cigarettes ordinance, studies are emerging on the potential dangers of secondhand smoke. In two unrelated studies in separate medical journals, researchers found that male mice exposed to secondhand smoke cigarettes had a higher level of mutations in their sperm, while others studying adolescents exposed to secondhand smoke cigarettes found they had a higher level of hearing loss.

In the first study, published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Health Canada exposed male mice to passive cigarette smoke. In levels as low as 20 minutes a day for two weeks, they later found more than twice as many mutations in their sperm as unexposed mice and similar to mice exposed to more direct cigarette smoke. The authors note that previous studies found male smokers at high risk for sperm mutations and other reproductive-related problems.

Smoking's impact on fertility is one reason the in vitro fertilization program at Medical College of Georgia Hospital and Clinics tells people to quit first, said Dr. Lawrence C. Layman, the chief of the section of reproductive endocrinology, infertility and genetics in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "We don't do in vitro fertilization on people unless they stop," he said.

In the second study, published in Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery , researchers at NYU School of Medicine, studied 1,533 adolescents, more than half of whom were exposed to secondhand smoke. Those exposed had nearly twice the rate of hearing loss as others and 82 percent were unaware they had any hearing loss.

The authors noted that smoking cigarettes is associated with accelerated hearing loss in adults due to injury to the inner ear and their findings suggest it "may begin at a very early age and may also include those who do not actively smoke cigarettes but who are passively exposed."

More than half of adolescents in the U.S. are exposed to secondhand smoke, similar to the study group, so the finding of hearing loss in that population " has significant implications for public health in the United States," the study concludes.

The hearing loss study was a surprise to Lora Scarlet Hawk, Breathe Easy Coalition Manager for the American Cancer Society, who is helping local groups push for the Augusta ordinance. But advocates already had ample evidence that secondhand smoke cigarettes is dangerous, she said.

"The aspects that we're presenting to the commissioners and we presented to the public is what is already widely known for years, that the Surgeon General has said there is no safe exposure to secondhand smoke," she said.

Navajos Considering Measure To Allow Smoking In Casinos

Navajo lawmakers are revisiting a smoking cigarettes ban on the reservation with a bill that would exempt tribal casinos at least until their financing debts are paid off.

The ban would apply to smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco in all other public places across the 27,000-square-mile reservation but does not limit the use of tobacco in traditional ceremonies.

A committee made up of the 24 tribal lawmakers has endorsed the measure, but the formal vote will come during the Navajo Nation Council's summer session, which starts today in Window Rock. Another version of the bill not currently on the council's agenda does not allow tobacco use at any casino.

That's the one Navajo President Ben Shelly would support, not the one tailored to casino interests, his spokeswoman said.

"We are aiming to protect our people's health," said Charmaine Jackson. "And all Navajo Nation workers should be able to breathe clean air and work in an environment free of tobacco smoke."

The tribe's gaming czar, Robert Winter, sees the measure lawmakers have on their agenda as a good compromise to limit second-hand smoke cigarettes and address poverty on the reservation.

Winter said gaming officials have agreed to filter the air at casinos and designate most of the casino as smoke-free. Smoking would be allowed only at some slot machines, table games, and in outdoor areas and golf courses. No one would have to walk through a smoking cigarettes area to get in or out of the buildings.

The tribe's gambling enterprise expects to pay off its estimated $200 million debt for a handful of operating and planned casinos in about seven years, Winter said. At that point, the Tribal Council could decide whether to extend the smoking cigarettes ban to the gaming facilities, according to the bill.

"We're relying on council to look at this in a very balanced way," Winter said. "It's council who voted for and passed the statute to create the gaming enterprise. That requires us to maximize the gaming economy and do everything possible to hire Navajos. Poverty is a public health issue as well."

Delegates on the previous Tribal Council failed to override a presidential veto of a bill that would have banned smoking cigarettes and chewing tobacco on the reservation. Former Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. said at the time that he feared it would inhibit gambling revenue. The tribe operates two casinos in New Mexico and has broken ground on its largest casino east of Flagstaff that Winter said won't be built if a smoking cigarettes ban includes casinos.

The bill wouldn't prohibit commercial tobacco sales on the reservation that are taxed by the tribe.

MCC Takes Campuses Tobacco Free

Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City announced today that the five-campus college district will be tobacco-free, come Aug. 1.

A new policy, approved by MCC’s board of trustees on Thursday, effectively prohibits the use of all tobacco products on any MCC property.

The policy has been under development for about eight months, said MCC Chancellor Mark James.

“MCC is joining a national trend of colleges and universities committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all students, employees and visitors,” said James. “This is not about dictating human behavior. This policy simply eliminates the danger of second-hand smoke cigarettes on our campuses and facilities and introduces our students to a practice that is becoming the norm in the workplace.”

In part, the policy states: “tobacco and tobacco substitute products…on all campus premises, leased property, and college-owned vehicles is prohibited, with no exceptions. This policy applies to all students, employees, tenants, subtenants, contractors, and visitors.”

Communication to students, employees and others affiliated with the college has been ongoing while the policy was being composed and finalized. As part of the policy implementation, MCC will offer smoking cigarettes cessation assistance to those interested in quitting smoking cigarettes.

Metropolitan Community College comprises MCC-Blue River in Independence, MCC-Business & Technology in Kansas City, MCC-Longview in Lee’s Summit, MCC-Maple Woods in Kansas City north, and MCC-Penn Valley in Kansas City. The college also owns and operates other facilities in addition to the five campuses, including the district’s administrative offices in Midtown; the Pioneer campus, a satellite campus of Penn Valley, on the city’s east side; and the Educational Opportunity Center in Midtown. All facilities are subject to the new policy.

Town Says Cigar Store Isnt Complying With Rules

In an age when people are buying everything from groceries to cars online, Watch City Cigar says it competes with tobacco e-tailers by letting customers of its Rte. 9 smoke cigarettes shop freely touch and sniff a selection of cigars.

But while unlocked cabinets are good for business, the Board of Health says they violate local and state self-service regulations.

The health board has called Watch City in for a hearing Monday to answer to that and seven other violations.

Inspectors who visited the 497 Worcester Road shop in May also found Watch City was selling non-tobacco products, in violation of its 2000 variance. The store was also failing to contain smoking cigarettes to a back room, inspectors said.

The store's operators are fuming, and they plan to take a lawyer with them to the hearing.

"It's a bunch of BS," manager Danny Patel said yesterday. "Locking case(s) - it's just going to put me out of business, basically. I can understand no smoking cigarettes in a retail area."

The Board of Health voted 2-1 in 2000 to grant the tobacconist a variance from town regulations that prohibit smoking cigarettes in public places, issuing four specific conditions.

The vote stipulated that smoking cigarettes be confined to a separate, enclosed area off the sales floor, that the store have proper ventilation for the smoking cigarettes, that an approved sign on the front door let visitors know that smoking cigarettes is allowed inside the facility, and that only tobacco products be sold there.

An inspector stumbled across a problem when the board ran a tobacco sting, Board of Health Director Ethan Mascoop said. Watch City failed that check by selling cheap cigarettes to a 17-year-old.

Mascoop and inspector Felix Zemel returned May 20 for a full inspection.

They found Watch City was selling products such as kitchen knives, clothing, walking canes and chess sets, according to a hearing notice.

Also, among other problems, the ventilation system wasn't certified by the Board of Health, and there was no sign on the door announcing that smoking cigarettes is allowed inside.

"My information is, they have exceeded the bounds of their permit at this point," said the board's chairman, Mike Hugo. "We need to address that and find out whether or not there's some punitive measure that's due."

The board could also decide to work something out with Watch City or amend the variance, Hugo said.

Watch City plans to propose getting around the locked cabinet requirement by becoming an over-18-only shop.

"It's a cigar store," said tobacconist Ernest Quintiliani, who has worked there for 11 years. "Our feelings are that we need to educate the board about the fact that we are in a different situation. We're not a convenience store."

Because of costs and staffing, he projected the store would be forced out of business within a year if it had to lock up its tobacco.

"People come into our store because they can feel the product, they can touch the product, they can smell the product," Quintiliani said. "It's the only thing that separates us from an e-tail store."

The Board of Health meets at 7 p.m. at Keefe Tech.

Secondhand Smoke Is First-rate Problem

Secondhand smoke cigarettes can be very dangerous and unpleasant, and people shouldn't be forced to be exposed to it.

A recent poll conducted by Gallup finds that 59 percent of Americans now support a ban on smoking cigarettes in all public places. This is the first time the majority has voted this way since Gallup first posed the question in 2001.

This position is becoming more and more popular in the United States. According to the American Lung Association, 27 states plus the District of Columbia have passed comprehensive smoke-free laws.

Implementing a smoking cigarettes ban in public places will help to keep areas such as public parks clean, reduce litter caused by cigarette butts and help individuals avoid exposure to secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoke cigarettes is much more dangerous than people might think it is. According to the American Lung Association, it is responsible for an estimated 50,000 deaths each year, mostly resulting from lung cancer and coronary heart disease. The association finds that even short-term exposure can increase the risk of heart attacks.

Secondhand smoke cigarettes is also a serious problem in the workplace. According to the American Lung Association, levels of secondhand smoke cigarettes in restaurants and bars are two to five times higher than in residences with smokers and two to six times higher than in office workplaces. This is a big risk for a worker to have to take, considering that secondhand smoke cigarettes causes approximately 3,400 deaths from lung cancer and 22,700 to 69,600 deaths from heart disease each year, according to the American Lung Association.

Some people have proposed the idea of designated smoking cigarettes areas as a possible solution. This would require public locations to set up shelters that will need to be cleaned on a regular basis. This could potentially mean increased staffing needs in order to clean these new shelters, as well as to enforce this policy. In places like public parks, this could mean increased costs to the American taxpayer. Some smokers may no doubt choose to ignore designated smoking cigarettes areas and smoke cigarettes where they please, which would increase the workload of staff that work in public areas.

Americans really only seem to get behind the idea of designated smoking cigarettes areas when presented with this option versus banning smoking cigarettes altogether or having no restrictions on smoking cigarettes, according to Gallup. Gallup's data from last July indicates that when presented with these options, Americans were more likely to choose setting aside areas for smokers. This data shows that public support for the idea of designated smoking cigarettes areas is there, but only under these conditions.

Florida's enclosed workplaces, including restaurants and public places, are smoke-free because of a state constitutional amendment passed in 2003, according to Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights.

Smoking has a wide range of harmful effects, and has been associated with multiple types of cancers, such as lung, oral and throat cancers. A ban on smoking cigarettes in public areas will decrease the likelihood that people are exposed to secondhand smoke, which has significant harmful effects of its own. It will help keep public places clean and prevent workers from having to choose between being subjected to this smoke cigarettes or having a safe work environment.

Smoking is a personal choice, and people should be allowed to decide on their own if the decision to smoke cigarettes is right for them. We must find a balance, however, between the rights of those that smoke cigarettes and those that choose not to. A ban on smoking cigarettes in all public places a fair method of regulating the use of a product with harmful effects to people exposed to secondhand smoke. To do otherwise infringes upon the rights of nonsmokers. This ban is something other cities and states across the U.S. should consider.

Cigarettes And Tobacco

The wife of a career merchant mariner has filed a wrongful death lawsuit that claims her husband was exposed to asbestos, cigarettes and tobacco resulting in pulmonary disease that caused his death.

Katrine Davalie individually and on behalf of the estate of Tookie A. Davalie filed the lawsuit on July 9 in federal court in New Orleans.

The named defendants are A-C Product Liability Trust, ACandS Inc., Acorn Iron & Supply Co., Alcoa Steamship Company Inc., Anchor Packing Co., Argo International Corp., Auburn Pump Division of General Signal Corp., Bethlehem Steel Corp., Black & Decker Corp., Boyd Co AB, Bryan Steam Corp., Champion International Corp., Chesterton Co AW, Coffin Pump Inc., Coltec Industries, Inc., Combustion Engineering Inc., Conhagen Inc., Alfred, Crane Co., Crosby Steam and Valve Co., Crown Cork & Seal Co., Inc., Delta Steamship Lines, Inc., Dover Resources Inc., Durabla Manufacturing Co., Durametallic Corp., EG&G Sealol Inc., Ellicott Machine Corp. International, Elliott Turbomachinery Co. Inc., Ernst Gage Co., Everlasting Valve Co., Excelsior Inc., FKI Industries Inc., Federal-Mogul Corp., Fel-Pro Inc., Felt Products Inc., Flintkote Co., Foster Wheeler Co., Garlock Inc., Gatke Corp., General Cable Co., General Electric Co., General Refractories, Goodall Rubber Co., Goodrich B.F. a/k/a Goodrich Corp., Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Gould Pumps Inc., Greene Tweed & Co, Gulf Engineering Co. Inc., Hajoca Corp., Harbison-Walker Refractories Group, Home Rubber Co., IMO Industries Inc., Indian Head Industries Inc., Ingersoll-Dresser Pump, Ingersoll-Rand Corp., James Walker Manufacturing Co., Janos Industrial Insulation Corp., John Crane Inc., Robert A. Keasbey Co., La Favorite Industries Inc., Melrath Gasket Inc. Mortell Co., Mount Washington Tanker Co., Noland Co., North American Refractories Co., Norton Co., Ocean Transportation Co., Okonite Co., Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., Owens-Illinois Inc., PPG Industries Inc., Pecora Corp., Phoenix Specialty Manufacturing Co. Inc., Pittsburgh Corning Corp., Plibrico Co., Preferred Utilities Manufacturing Corp., Quaker Rubber Co., Rhopac Inc., Rockbestos Co., Sea-Ro Packing Co. Inc., Selby Battersby and Co., Sherwin-Williams Co., Sika Corp., Skinner Engine Co. Inc., USX Corp., Uniroyal Chemical Co. Inc., Vellumoid Inc., Viking Pump Inc., Vogt Machine Co., Henry Walworth Co., Warren Pumps Inc., Waterman Steamship Corp., Westinghouse Electric Corp. and Zimmerman Packing & Mfg. Inc.

According to the complaint, Davalie was constantly exposed to asbestos friable fibers, causing him to breathe into his system carcinogenic asbestos dust. The various defendants are accused of maintaining each respective vessel in an unsafe, unseaworthy condition causing the crewmen exposure to toxic chemicals and carcinogens including to friable asbestos and second hand exposure to cigarette and tobacco smoke.

The plaintiff is seeking damages for loss of earnings and earning capacity, life with fear of cancer and other disease, while living, pain and suffering, costs of being forever medically monitored for disease onset and worsening, loss of pleasurable, social and recreational amenities, exemplary and punitive damages, death, loss of love, affection and support, punitive damages, interest, attorney's fees and court costs.

Davalie is represented by New Orleans attorney John Michael Lawrence.

U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance is assigned to the case.

Make-your-own-cigarettes Shops Rolling Into Region

A carton of discount cigarette online used to cost David Ogilbie about $65. Now, a similar carton costs him slightly less than $27.

Ogilbie, 49, of New Kensington, now rolls his own online cigarettes at Superior Smoke Shoppes LLC at the Heights Plaza Shopping Center in Harrison.

"I used to smoke cigarettes Marlboro," he said taking a puff of a freshly rolled cigarette, as the giant rolling machine spat out more. "These taste better, plus I don't have to light them 50,000 times."

Tim Carr, manager of Superior Smoke Shoppes, says customers tell the shop's staff what brand of cigarettes for sale they smoke cigarettes and the employees will try to blend loose tobacco to make the taste a close match.

All buy cigarette online rolled at the shop cost $26.70. This includes: smoking cigarettes tubes (the rolling paper for the tobacco and cigarette filter), the tobacco itself, and use of the rolling machine.

That's a far cry from the price tag of nearly $70 for a carton of Marlboros.

The rolling machine is a large contraption — about the size of a dual washer-dryer — that rounds the tobacco, inserts it in the rolled cigarette papers and drops them out at the bottom, much like a vending machine.

Because smokers who roll their own cigarettes, either at home as Handel does or in roll-your-own stores, aren't technically buying their smokes — they're buying the rolling papers and tobacco that make up the cigarettes store — they are able to avoid most state and federal excise taxes imposed on cigarettes.

The roll-your-own industry is heating up as states attempt to increase cigarette taxes, while loose cigar and multi-use tobacco remains relatively tax-free. There are several roll-your-own stores in the Pittsburgh area.

Government officials say they're losing tax money. In September, the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau declared that shops with roll-your-own machines were manufacturers of tobacco products, a designation that would require them to get permits and pay taxes on the discount cigarettes produced.

While cheap cigarette online that a person rolls for personal use are exempt — and bulk tobacco already is taxed — the bureau said the personal-use exemption does not apply if the machine that rolls the cigarettes is under the control of a business.

However, that ruling has been challenged in a federal lawsuit filed by RYO, the machine vendor, and a roll-your-own shop in Fayette County.

The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking cigarettes account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

According to Carr, the cigarettes rolled at the shop are safer because they don't have additives, like off-the-shelf cigarettes.

"I don't think there's such a thing as a healthy cigarette," said Ogilbie, who has been smoking cigarettes for more than 20 years. "I think they're better because they're cheaper."

One customer said he has noticed a difference since he started smoking cigarettes cigarettes rolled at the shop.

"I cough a lot less," said Jerry McNally, 18, of Harrison.

McNally said he used to smoke cigarettes Marlboro and the cigarettes he rolls taste the same.

Off-the-shelf cigarettes contain nearly 600 additives such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen cyanide and ammonia.

At Smoker Friendly in Pine Township, manager Dyanna Coholich said roll-your-own has become more popular since the federal government increased a per-pack levy on cigarettes by 62 cents to $1 in 2009 and the state increased the tax on cigarettes from $1.35 to $1.60 per pack last year.

While Smoker Friendly doesn't have the automatic rolling machines, the store with a smoking cigarettes lounge, cigar humidor and pipe room does sell manual cigarette-making machines.

Coholich, who recently earned the designation of certified retail tobacconist from the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, said smokers can roll a carton of 200 cigarettes in about an hour. Despite the time spent making cigarettes, the cheapest manual machine costs $8, which saves customers money in the long run.

"It's definitely an area of the business that's thriving right now," she said. "Rolling your own makes smoking cigarettes more economical."

Sunrise Hospital Snuffs Smoking

If you want to smoke cigarettes or chew tobacco at Sunrise Hospital, you'll have to go somewhere else.

No, not outside the entrance.

And not in the parking lot, either. Not even if you're sitting in your car.

In fact, if you merely smell like cigarette smoke, forget about getting inside the hospital. Tobacco is taboo as of July 1 at Sunrise and Sunrise Children's Hospital, under a policy that nearly 80 percent of the hospitals' employees asked for in a recent survey.

"This effort aligns directly with our mission to improve the health of the community," said Sylvia Young, president and chief executive officer of Sunrise and Sunrise Children's Hospital, in a statement. "This change is the result of an overwhelming request from our employees to make our campus tobacco-free."

Sunrise's tobacco ban came just two weeks after Gov. Brian Sandoval signed a bill relaxing the state's voter-approved prohibition on smoking cigarettes in public. The law followed a push by the Nevada Tavern Owners Association, which said the 2006 smoking cigarettes ban hurt business.

The new law doesn't jibe with broader trends in smoking cigarettes policies across Nevada and the nation, as businesses and government agencies crack down on tobacco use among employees and customers alike. Public-health experts say the state's weakened smoking cigarettes ban is unusual, and unlikely to stop the anti-smoking cigarettes crusade's advance.

SIMILAR POLICIES

For starters, Sunrise isn't the only local hospital operator with strict no-smoking cigarettes regulations.

Valley Health System's Centennial Hills Hospital was the state's first smoke-free hospital when it opened in January 2008, said company spokeswoman Gretchen Papez. Since then, the company's four other area hospitals -- Desert Springs, Spring Valley, Summerlin and Valley -- have all banned smoking cigarettes everywhere on-site, including parking lots. The prohibition applies to employees, patients, doctors, vendors, contractors and visitors.

And St. Rose Dominican Hospitals went smoke-free at its three Southern Nevada campuses in July 2009. To ease the transition for smokers, St. Rose Dominican's insurance plans cover smoking cigarettes-cessation benefits. The operator also offers free cessation programs online, along with telephone coaching and a six-week supply of quitting aides such as nicotine gum. Visitors receive "Kraving Kits" with nicotine candy, gum and straws to fight the smoking cigarettes urge.

HEALTH COSTS A FACTOR

Smoking's financial toll is driving the growing number of smoke-free workplaces, said Maria Azzarelli, tobacco control coordinator for the Southern Nevada Health District.

Figures from the agency, which itself went completely smoke-free in March, show that the 22 percent of Nevadans who light up create $565 million a year in health costs directly related to smoking cigarettes. The state's Medicaid program covers $123 million of that expense, but employers and their insurance programs pick up much of the rest. What's more, smoking cigarettes costs the state's employers more than $900 million a year in lost productivity.

"Employees who smoke cigarettes miss more days of work due to illness, and that costs a company money," Azzarelli said.

And then there's the image factor.

Health-care businesses have embraced smokeless offices because going tobacco-free fits the prevention and wellness message they want to advertise.

"St. Rose is committed to the promotion of quality health care, which includes the prevention of disease," said Laurel Helfen-Larden, the hospitals' manager of injury prevention and wellness. "All medical evidence indicates smoking cigarettes or tobacco use is contrary to this objective. It is recognized that not smoking cigarettes or using tobacco on campus is a challenge for staff and physicians. The scope of this policy is intended to support and encourage ownership of a commitment to promote health."

Even non-health companies care more these days about what potential customers see before they walk through the door.

The health district's minimum-distance campaign, which encourages business owners to prohibit smoking cigarettes within 30 feet of their building's entrance, is increasingly popular, Azzarelli said. The agency hasn't closely tracked interest in the program, but anecdotally, the number of companies requesting minimum-distance signs is rising, she said.

There's also a group working to ban all tobacco use on campuses of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada State College and the College of Southern Nevada.

Susan VanBeuge, a UNLV assistant professor and coordinator of the school's doctor of nursing program, heads the effort, which is being funded in part by a federal grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. VanBeuge said a policy should be in place by Jan. 1, with implementation phased in through 2012.

Like Sunrise, UNLV conducted a survey on tobacco use on campus. The September poll found that 65 percent of students wanted tobacco products banned from the school.

"This (tobacco-free environments) is definitely a trend in the U.S.," VanBeuge said. "I'm a nurse practitioner. I feel very committed to creating a positive, healthy environment for those who work on our campus, as well as those who are students or who are visiting our campus. We want to model and promote healthy lifestyles."

STATUTORY 'ANOMALY'

But that goal seems at odds with the Nevada Legislature's relaxing of the state's smoking cigarettes ban.

Azzarelli called the Legislature's move an "anomaly" in an era when most Americans -- and Nevadans -- want less smoking cigarettes in public places. Fifty-four percent of the state's voters approved of the ban when it was on the 2006 ballot.

"The people very clearly stated that they were progressive on this issue, and wanting to move forward like the rest of the nation and the world," Azzarelli said. "I do think it (the weaker ban) was odd. That really hasn't happened in any other community. But it's very clear that special-interest groups made it happen. It wasn't the public. People overwhelmingly understand the dangers of secondhand smoke, and they want to be protected from secondhand smoke cigarettes in public places."

In some states surrounding Nevada, anti-smoking cigarettes policies are even tougher: As of July 1, insurer Humana no longer hires tobacco users in Arizona. Humana rolled out a similar rule in Ohio in 2009.

But Humana spokesman Ross Mc­Lerran said such a policy is unlikely in Nevada, because it's one of 29 states that make it illegal to discriminate against smokers in hiring.

Alice Curry Puts Face On Smoke-free Campaign

THE anti-smoking cigarettes campaign in Bartholomew County — and perhaps throughout the state — now has a face.

It is that of a dynamic woman who is most commonly known for her advocacy of other causes in this community — notably the arts and most especially Columbus Indiana Philharmonic.

Over the past three decades, Alice Curry and the philharmonic have been synonymous. As director of the organization for most of that time, she was known as a fierce champion for its mission.

Together with Music Director David Bowden and others, she put the orchestra into a position of nationwide acclaim.

For the past two years she has had to deal with a very personal issue — her mortality. In August 2009 she was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. In essence, she got a death sentence.

She retired last year as director of the philharmonic — not to acknowledge the disease that had taken over her body, but to move on to other causes. One of the most demanding was supervision of the celebratory events surrounding the opening of The Commons.

At the same time, she became deeply involved with the anti-smoking cigarettes movement, most notably the effort to reduce the incidence of diseases, such as the one which will likely kill her, through legislation that would address the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Earlier this year she testified before a committee of the Indiana Senate on behalf of a measure that would ban smoking cigarettes in public gathering places, including bars and private clubs. The legislation was intended to address the issue of secondhand smoke cigarettes and the role it plays in cancers detected among those who are exposed to it.

Although she did not directly tie her disease to secondhand smoke, she noted that she had never smoked but was throughout her life exposed to others who did. Her physician bluntly observed that “there’s no question secondhand smoke cigarettes very likely played a role in her cancer.”

In addition to her testimony before the Senate panel, Curry has also written Letters to the Editor on the subject and recently participated in a video documentary on the subject in conjunction with the local Tobacco Awareness Action Team.

Unfortunately, those efforts were to little avail in the General Assembly. The legislation was amended to the point that its sponsors were so embarrassed that they withdrew the bill from consideration.

That has not stopped Curry. Nor should it stop elected officials on the local and state level.

Columbus took a major step forward in 2005 by adopting a smoking cigarettes ordinance, but it was only a half-measure. The City Council eventually bowed to complaints from bars and private clubs and exempted them from the coverage.

It was a situation that was repeated earlier this year on the state level.

Indiana will have to wait until next year to again consider the issue, but city officials have an opportunity to finish what they started in 2005 — a comprehensive smoking cigarettes ban with no exemptions.

It will accomplish many things, including saving lives and paying tribute to a brave woman.

Bill Approved Granting Landlords Authority Over Your Smoking Habits

The California State Assembly approved Senate Bill 332 by Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) today. The bill empowers landlords to prohibit smoking cigarettes in rental units, thus expanding the availability of smoke-free housing in California. Receiving bipartisan support with a vote of 63 - 5, the bill faces a procedural concurrence vote in the Senate (as early as this Thursday) and will then be presented to Governor Brown. Smoke-free housing policies have already been adopted in 35 California communities.

“While more than 86% of Californians do not smoke, there is very little smoke-free housing in California. With this bill we have an opportunity to expand the availability of smoke-free housing for families throughout our state," said Senator Padilla. “Living in an apartment should not compromise the health of renters or their children. This bill will help landlords provide healthier living environments for their tenants."

Over 30% of California housing consists of multi-family residences. While the dangers of second-hand smoke cigarettes are no secret, citizens may be unaware that it can travel through walls, ceilings, baseboards, plumbing and gaps around electrical wiring, among other crevices and openings. A December 2010 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics confirmed that children living in apartments sans smokers have a 45% increase in cotinine levels (used to measure tobacco levels) compared with detached homes. Secondhand smoke cigarettes kills an estimated 49,400 nonsmokers annually, including 3,400 lung cancer and 46,000 heart disease fatalities.

Landlords who wish to exercise the law, should it develop, must include such restriction in a rental or lease agreement.

Perhaps this potential restriction will convince a portion of the 14% to quit smoking cigarettes once unable to enjoy butts within the comfort of their homes. Yet perhaps this potential restriction will generate an increase in cigarette litter along the perimeters of multi-family residences and our roadways.