News
Smokes Stolen From Atwood Variety Store Sept 15/04

The small variety store in Atwood was hit by thieves early this morning. North Perth OPP were tipped off around 3:30 a.m. about a break-in in progress. Police found the front door had been smashed in with a rock, and about 100 cartons of cigarettes had been taken. A dark coloured pick-up truck was seen leaving the scene. The cigarettes were valued at between five thousand and seven thousand dollars.

http://www.fm102.ca/news.php?artID=2988

 

Nicotine levels disclosed at St. Louis Park restaurants *are any at dangerous EPA levels?  NO
By Teri Kelsh  Sun Newspapers (Created 9/16/2004 9:07:41 AM)

Nicotine testing at St. Louis Park restaurants allowing smoking is complete and the results are posted.

Until Hennepin County makes a decision on whether to ban smoking, the future of St. Louis Park’s program remains up in the air.

http://www.mnsun.com/story.asp?city=St_Louis_Park&story=143580

 

Group plans defense of smoke ban
by algis j. laukaitis

The goal of the "Yes For Smoke-free Air" campaign is to inform Lincoln voters about the health risks posed by exposure to secondhand smoke and urge them to support a stricter smoking ban passed by the City Council in June.
Voters will get a chance to vote on the smoking ban Nov. 2.
A "yes" vote for the ballot measure would outlaw smoking in indoor public places and places of employment. A "no" vote would allow smoking in bars and other businesses where food makes up less than 60 percent of total sales.
http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2004/09/16/local/10055084.txt

 

* They don’t tell you that not driving your car would be better benefit to the community, and environment more

Will Johnson County be next nonsmoking area? - Indiana
By RYAN MOORE
Daily Journal staff writer
First came Fort Wayne.
Then came Bloomington and Morgan County.
Jane Blessing wants Johnson County to be next.
“To save the lives of others, we need to consider a smoking ban in public places,” said Blessing, the director of Partnership for a Healthier Johnson County.
 Will Johnson county be next?

Bars, eateries worry about effects of the ban
By RYAN MOORE Daily Journal staff writer Sept. 16, 2004
 Morris and Sue Davis sometimes sit in the smoking section when they come to their favorite lunch spot, Don and Dona’s restaurant in Franklin.
Neither one smokes cigarettes, pipes or cigars.
But if Johnson County officials were to ban smoking inside restaurants, bars and other public places, the Davises wouldn’t be on board with the idea, they said.
Bars, Eateries worry

 

Local Resaurant up for Sale (Buffalo, NY, September 15, 2004) –

A Buffalo bar and restaurant owner is putting his business up for sale because he says the smoking ban is killing it.

Jimmy Mac's Owner Rick Naylon is asking $125,000.00 for his establishment. If it's sold, he'd keep the building on Elmwood Avenue. Naylon says drink sales have fallen off dramatically since the ban took effect last year.

Despite the ban, he's allowed people to smoke in his bar and has been fined thousands of dollars by Erie County for doing so.

http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=2303743&nav=0RapQvrq

 

Smoking ban loophole has hotel owners fuming
WINNIPEG - Manitoba hotel owners want the province to close a loophole in the new smoking ban.

Beginning October 1st, smoking will be outlawed in almost all public places in Manitoba. But the government has exempted First Nations.

Jim Baker, head of the Manitoba Hotel Association, says many rural hotels dread losing business to bars or gaming centres on reserves.

He says First Nations people make up the customer base of many rural hotels. He worries that people who are adamant about smoking may not leave the reserve. And smokers living off the reserve may choose to patronize businesses on the reserve.

Baker has asked the province for a buffer zone, where off-reserve smoking would be permitted. But the province turned down his request. Officials say they won't get into jurisdictional wrangling.

http://winnipeg.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=mb_smoking20040915

 

Study shows majority would support Smoking Ban

(Indianapolis) -- A new study conducted in Marion County shows a majority of adults feel they should be protected from second hand smoke in work places and restaurants.

A coalition called Smoke Free Indy revealed the study at the city market in downtown Indianapolis Tuesday.

Of the 600 adults surveyed, 88-percent say smoking should be ban in public places.

The group of state and local health organizations is working for passage of an ordinance that would make workplaces and restaurants smoke free in Marion County

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2303559&nav=0Ra7Qvmm

                          
Smoking Ban 'Would Save More Lives Than Cancer Drug' UK
 http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3499782

 

Talk Radio: a Roaring Success

Baby D play centers around sarcastic shock jockby Steve Eskew
Prepare to plunge into a piquant world of voices as they invade the nocturnal airwaves.

These voices, spinning like windmills, have acutely infested shock jock Barry Champlain’s already cluttered mind.
Realizing the mutual addiction between himself and the diverse callers to his radio show, “Night Talk,” Champlain regards these disingenuous, desperate voices with consuming contempt, but he defiantly drags them in with the night by nimbly jabbing the switchboard keys as a prelude for battle.
Talk Radio plays at the Baby D Theatre, 6124 Military Ave., through Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (6 p.m., Sundays). Tickets are $15, general admission, and $12 for students and seniors. For more information, call 991.9155. (Warning: Considerable cigarette smoking occurs in this show.)

http://www.thereader.com/createpage.asp?contentID=2672

 

LANDMARK TRIBAL JURISDICTION CASE GETS DAY IN COURT FRIDAY

By James Schlett - The Sun Staff

CHARLESTOWN - The extent of state jurisdiction in Narragansett Indian Tribe territory and the fate of a town parcel that could be become tribal property prone to casino development will be debated Friday before three federal appellate judges in Boston.

http://www.thewesterlysun.com/articles/2004/09/16/news/news3.txt

 

Marine Advisory panel makes nonbinding recommendations to council

By Joe Segura Staff writer

LONG BEACH — Canine visits to the popular beach Dog Zone in Belmont Shore could get a new leash on life, and cigarette smokers might continue lighting up on city sands without having to look over their shoulders.

In two separate votes Thursday, the citizens Marine Advisory Commission extended indefinitely the life of the Dog Zone, while voting down a proposed recommendation to ban smoking on beaches. Both recommendations will be sent to the City Council, but neither is binding.

Health officials noted that 86percent of the people in the state do not smoke, prompting commission vice chairman Bradley Whyte to quip if that means 14 percent go to the beach. "It sounds like we're using a hammer on a gnat,' he added.

http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories/0,1413,204~21474~2391655,00.html

 

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Too many children are still targeted by big tobacco. Now is not the time abandon the truth campaign

14 Sep 2004

Statement of John L Kirkwood, President and CEO American Lung Association
Now is not the time to abandon the truth campaign, because, the truth is that tobacco companies still market to kids. Too many children and teens are still targeted by big tobacco. Each year, the tobacco industry spends in excess of $11 billion to market its deadly product. Every day 6,000 children under 18 start to smoke for the first time, close to 2,000 of them become established daily smokers. This is intolerable. The earlier a smoker starts, the more likely he or she is to die from tobacco use. Now is not the time to abandon the truth® campaign.
The truth® campaign is key to the work being done across the nation to reduce tobacco addiction. Coupled with meaningful policy change that has increased cigarette taxes and eliminated smoking in public places in many communities and states, the truth® campaign’s message has hit the mark with teens, using unique language and imagery that teens understand. The truth® campaign is edgy, pointed, sometimes funny and often deadly serious but always tells the truth® about the tobacco industry.
The American Legacy Foundation took the truth® to the teens of America. The 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between 46 states and the tobacco industry compelled payments that endowed the Legacy Foundation to fund an education campaign -- the truth® campaign. The clear intent was for this to be a sustained approach. Despite public pronouncements, the tobacco industry has not truly changed. It is still marketing to kids. The unvarnished truth® provided an effective, creative counter punch to the Marlboro Man. Still, more than 1 in 4 high school students smoke. We need the truth® to maintain the fight. We need the truth® to confront the next class of kids susceptible to tobacco.
At the time of the Master Settlement, the attorneys general repeatedly stated publicly that reducing teen smoking was the goal. We understood that in order to sustain this effort, the education campaign would have to continue. We call on the state attorneys general to amend the Master Settlement Agreement to continue to fund the truth® campaign. The courts should compel the industry to fulfill the intent of the Master Settlement Agreement and fund the effective truth® campaign.
For 100 years, the American Lung Association has been the lead organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is “Improving life, one breath at a time.” For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1 800 LUNG USA (1 800 586 4872) or log on to http://www.lungusa.org.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=13391

 

New guide to asthma safety at work

14 Sep 2004

.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=13392

 

Reservation Gas Station Sparks Price War Cloquet, Minn
Sep 14, 2004 6:41 am US/Central
(AP) The new tribally owned gas station on the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation is offering cheap gasoline -- so cheap that it's started a local price war.
The price war that started after the station opened in August has delighted consumers, stymied competitors and may represent a new test of independence as the tribe exercises its growing economic muscle. It also has captured the attention of state regulators who enforce laws against predatory pricing.

http://wcco.com/localnews/local_story_258074543.html

 

MILD DRINKING DURING PREGNANCY DEFENDED -England

BY O.VERGNAULT
11:00 - 14 September 2004 A Bristol health expert has urged mums-to-be not to panic over reports that even small amounts of alcohol could harm an unborn child

watch as tide turns towards alcohol ban

 

Survey shows majority backs public smoking ban MARSHFIELD, WI

and the survey says

 

Judge's turn to be judged

ALBANY - An attorney for suspended City Court Judge Henry Bauer was contrite Monday in front of the state Court of Appeals as he fought for his client's judicial career.

 judge being judged

AMA threatens WA Govt with legal action over smoking- Australia

On National Quit Day, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) has threatened to take legal action against the Western Australian State Government on behalf of people who contracted illnesses as a result of passive smoking.

The AMA says the Government has a responsibility to protect staff at pubs and clubs by banning smoking.

President Paul Skerritt says the Gallop Government should follow the lead of the Queensland Government to outlaw smoking in all enclosed spaces and on many public beaches.
"It's very much an industrial safety problem," he said.

"It could be solved by the Western Australian Government with the sweep of the pen today if they wanted to go the way that the Queensland government have.

"It is something that should be fixed immediately."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200409/s1198883.htm

 

Mankato Rejects Smoking Ban Sep 14, 2004 6:51 am Mankato, Minn. (AP) http://wcco.com/localnews/local_story_258075340.html

 

Manitoba asks students to pick anti-smoking ad

The Manitoba government is asking almost 120,000 students to decide whether they want their next anti-smoking campaign to be delivered with wry humour, graphic realism or a heartwrenching personal touch.

ads won't stop current smokers

 

King of New York
He doesn’t dismiss this suggestion out of hand. "Maybe [the attacks were politically motivated]. Who knows? But I think the wheels are falling off this administration."
His clash with Mayor Bloomberg, a former friend, about the right to smoke in New York is scarcely less bitter. Since the city outlawed smoking in the workplace (one of the models for Jack McConnell’s proposed ban in Scotland) Carter has been repeatedly caught flouting the law. He was reportedly dobbed in by a Vanity Fair staffer. "In a city of eight million people, they have 12 inspectors - and they’ve been to my office three times. I think the fine is 200 for three times, then it’s 2,000 dollars." He laughs and gives a little shrug that suggests that this isn’t much of a deterrent. "I find it a vague form of harassment.
"There was never one mention of this smoking ban before the [mayoral] election," he adds - something the First Minister might also like to ponder. "The fact is, it does change the tenor of the city. I’m convinced that a big muscular city like New York is very dependent on being a magnet for young people to come here and stay up late at night, to smoke cigarettes, to drink, to talk, to succeed at whatever they came to New York for.
"If you start taking away those things, they’ll find another city to go to. And when they do, New York will become middle-aged very quickly. Once it becomes middle-aged, you lose so much of the energy. Then even the middle-aged people find it boring."
Carter was once one of those young people who came to smoke and drink and make their fortune. Born in 1949, he spent his earliest years in Europe, where his father was stationed with the Royal Canadian Air Force, before growing up in Ottawa’s suburbs. At 25 he became editor of the Canadian Review, but there were already signs that he saw his future in the States.
http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=1062372004

 

No call for pub smoke ban - UK

Health Secretary John Reid has said he believes there is no "overwhelming" public demand for a smoking ban in pubs, as claimed by some lobby groups.

Junior health minister Melanie Johnson said on Thursday the government would be "taking action" on smoking in public places in forthcoming White Paper.

But Dr Reid suggested an outright ban in pubs was not on the cards.

lobby groups not public behind ban

Cancer Campaign Targets Pubgoers - UK
Pubgoers are being targeted by a campaign to raise awareness of bowel cancer.
Charity Colon Cancer Concern (CCC) hopes its risqué slogan “Sh*t Scared” will get the attention of the public in efforts to cut deaths from the disease.
Celebrities including former Bond girl Honor Blackman and Emmerdale actress Elizabeth Estensen are helping to launch the 18-month campaign tomorrow.
 http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3486051

 

Bracken contamination could cause cancer Sep 12 2004- Wales

 DRINKING tap water could be to blame for a high number of gastric cancer incidents in Wales during the 1980s and 90s, according to scientists in Denmark.

Bracken-contamination-could-cause-cancer

 

U.S. To Open Tuesday 280 Billion Dollar Big Tobacco Suit AFP: 9/13/2004

WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (AFP) - No settlement talks were underway Monday, one day before a federal lawsuit seeking 280 billion dollars from tobacco companies was set to open, US Department of Justice officials said Monday.

The case, which took five years to reach trial on Tuesday, alleges that the country's largest tobacco companies manipulated nicotine levels, lied about the dangers of smoking, and targeted young teens with multibillion-dollar advertising campaigns.

http://www.turkishpress.com/turkishpress/news.asp?ID=27077

 

The EPA'S Flawed Study of Environmental Tobacco Smoke & Lung Cancer

 

Economics of NHL lockout

The hockey league's labor deal expires at midnight tonight, and a work stoppage threatens the entire season.

By Susan Bourette | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

TORONTO – Brian Smyth is already bracing for a winter of misery.

"It's going to be a long, cold, lonely season," he says, sitting in a downtown Toronto sports bar festooned with hockey posters, banners, and jerseys. "Hockey is our lifeblood. Without it, there will be no joy. Nothing to celebrate or talk about."

high check to business

 

Tweed - Council votes to support examination of no-smoking bylaw

 by Shannon Binder Bray  Tweed , Ontario   09.13.04

* around Belleville, Ontario

Although Councillors Jim Flieler and Jo-Anne Albert voted against it, a motion was passed at the Municipality of Tweed's September 7 meeting to support a request made by the Municipality of Hastings Highlands (Maynooth area) with regard to the county wide no-smoking bylaw. The request, aimed at the County of Hastings, is for the County to "revisit [the bylaw]—with a view to permitting designated smoking rooms" within area municipalities. The designated rooms would be an alternative to the already established "total ban" and would allow establishments the opportunity to regain lost revenues as a result of the bylaw.
 island county to pass bylaw

 

30-Something Smokers Prone To Heart Attacks PITTSBURGH, PA

Study: Heart Attack Risk 5 Times Greater In Men

http://www.wpxi.com/health/3727222/detail.html

 

Experimental Smoking Vaccine Shows Promise 9/13/2004
 

Clinical trials indicate that an experimental vaccine is showing early signs of effectiveness in helping people stop smoking, Peer View Press reported Sept. 7.
 http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0,1854,574597,00.html

 

'Cigar papers' sold as taste treats, but officials say they're all about pot

By DAVID PERRY, Sun Staff

Ah, the Royal Blunt. A 3- by 5-inch sheet of tobacco and premium paper that comes in 13 flavors including sour apple, chocolate, watermelon, black cherry and cognac is selling for about a buck apiece at area convenience and liquor stores.

http://www.lowellsun.com/Stories/0,1413,105~4746~2387921,00.html

 

Kelly Snuffs Out Smoking Ban
Sep 13, 2004 12:28 pm US/Central
St. Paul (WCCO) St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly snuffed out a smoking ban for his city Monday.
http://wcco.com/localnews/local_story_257132845.html

 

Rip-roaring battle for Edwards’s seat in N.C.
By Peter Savodnik

The Hill spent the first 10 days of the post-convention season on the campaign trail in four Senate battleground states — North Carolina, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Colorado. All have open seats; two being vacated by Republicans, two by Democrats.
http://www.thehill.com/news/09142004/northcarolina.aspx

 

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The Effect of Air Pollution on Lung Development from 10 to 18 Years of Age

W. James Gauderman, Ph.D., Edward Avol, M.S., Frank Gilliland, M.D., Ph.D., Hita Vora, M.S., Duncan Thomas, Ph.D., Kiros Berhane, Ph.D., Rob McConnell, M.D., Nino Kuenzli, M.D., Fred Lurmann, M.S., Edward Rappaport, M.S., Helene Margolis, Ph.D., David Bates, M.D., and John Peters, M.D.

 Abstract http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/351/11/1057

The Great Obesity Scam By Alan Caruba September 13, 2004
CNSNews.com Commentary from the National Anxiety Center
 Is the day far off when the federal government will decide what you eat and how much? The assault on the personal freedoms of Americans continues unabated. First it was the decision whether to smoke or not and now it involves the food you ingest.
 Obesity scare continues to fuel gov't size

 

Pub's smoke-free week result is a draw Liverpool Echo Sep 13 2004

Fiona has now designated half the pub smoke free on a permanent basis.

Ban went so well only half of pub non-smoking

Huckabee at Southern Governors Meeting in Virginia  RICHMOND, VA

SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 - Posted at 7:55 a.m. CDT

http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=2292160&nav=0jshQpqx

 

ERI talking alarms target fly smokers  England
RUTH ARMSTRONG HEALTH REPORTER

TALKING smoke detectors have been brought in by health chiefs in a bid to crack down on smoking outside the Capital’s main hospital.
When someone lights up near one of the sensors a recorded message is blared out, telling the smoker to stub out their cigarette.
Last week world experts gave their views on the matter at a national conference in the Capital.

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1074312004

 
Smoked out - uk
But the rather Draconian measures now being taken to discourage smoking at the main entrances of the hospital seem rooted in a desire to improve the hospital’s image rather than a concern about people smoking.
Whether health chiefs like it or not, smokers do have the right to smoke. The majority of patients and visitors will accept that they cannot do so inside the hospital building and they will respect that.
But the fact that some computerised messages will bark at smokers who dare to light up at the ERI’s main entrances seems unlikely to persuade them to stop.
Indeed, trying to send smokers to separate shelters to light up could even lead to some people becoming more entrenched in their habits.
If it is true that most smokers do actually want to quit, then why doesn’t the health service try offering these people more support to do so?

http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=1074772004

 

BERRYVILLE.- Missori
* The JPs extended the smoking ban in county buildings to add the new jail.

JP's extend ban in county buildings to a new jail

Smoking Bylaw is immoral, not health based says Judge

 

bylaw about control, not health     smoking bylaw immoral

Where's the corporate responsibility?
should Altra be allowed to speak at University?

Corporate responsibility

 

Killer corporate responsibility
*second article on page
OK Mr. Brown ("Who defines corporate responsibility" Sept. 10), I feel very, very, very sorry for you. Really though, I don't. I watched my grandmother die of emphysema and lived with her one-legged, bedridden body for the first 13 years of my life. Moral of the story - life ain't fair. She smoked because she wanted to, needed to, whatever. She still made the decision herself well after the surgeon general of the United States of America warned against smoking. It was 1969. Your attempt to gain sympathy doesn't make me feel sorry for you - it makes me sick.
 http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2004/09/13/Opinion/The-Firing.Line-716631.shtml

 

Report: Texas 2nd in spending money to lobby Legislature

They say everything's bigger in Texas, and political lobbying is no exception. A report issued Wednesday by Texans for Public Justice, a non-partisan research organization, says Texas is second only to California in dollars spent to lobby the Legislature.
"Those doing the lobbying are not the average Joe, that's for sure," McDonald said.

news notes lobbyists get large funding

 

NZers urged to join Aust class action against tobacco companies 13 September 2004

* Yes, make the economy run better through litigation (not)
New Zealanders are being urged to join an Australian class action court case against tobacco companies.

Australian case plaintiff Ms Cauvin, 40, suffered from emphysema and was a lung transplant recipient. She had been smoking regularly since she her early teens, ASH said.

ash solution- sue till they go bankrupt

 

Pill, Anyone?

Americans are no strangers to using chemicals for altering their mental state. No, we don't mean marijuana or ecstasy for recreational purposes, but rather good old No-Doz caffeine tablets -- or just a pot of coffee -- to stay awake cramming for a final exam, or an over-the-counter sleeping pill to get some rest.
 http://www.techcentralstation.com/091304A.html

 

Teen anti-tobacco group pushes for FDA regulation

Members of a teen anti-tobacco group held a press conference Thursday in Fairfield to lobby Iowa's congressional delegation for legislation that could make tobacco subject to regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Students used as pinion

 

Casinos in Nebraska will affect other games

 Charity dollars

 

Firefighter Killed As Wildfire Turns Deadly GROVELAND, Calif.

The Mariposa County Sheriff's Department arrested a 34-year-old man Sunday on charges of purposely setting the fire with a match inserted inside a cigarette. The man, Brian Chambers, 34, is also considered a suspect in a string of other purposely set fires in Mariposa over the last two weeks, Grizzell said.

"The problem with this one is it's in difficult terrain. we have low humidity tonight and the fire behavior is very dangerous," he said.

Chambers was being held on $75,000 bail early Monday.

Arsonist uses cigarette to start fires

 

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John Stossel is co-anchor, "ABC News 20/20" and author of"Give Me A Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Scam Artists, and Cheats and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media," due out early next year.

http://www.acsh.org/healthissues/newsid.97/healthissue_detail.asp

 

Political correctness is stubbing out our liberty- Scotland
GERALD WARNER

WE fight not for glory, nor riches, nor honours, but for freedom alone - that which no honest man surrenders, except with his life... Put that fag out! Don’t you know there’s a war on - a war against individual liberty?" http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=1071802004

 

Adcock works behind scenes Sunday, September 12, 2004

Health commissioner's background lends itself to combating bioterror

 http://www.laramieboomerang.com/news/more.asp?StoryID=101884

Institute for Cancer may close unless injected with funding.

They owe the government $5.7MILLION, after audit discovers that grant money misspent.  The money is supposed to be spent on cancer related research.  This is the second time the organization has been found to be improperly spending funding.   Last time it was $4 MILLION that got spent improperly, in 2000.  How many times will the public allow for shoddy budgeting? 

"They have taken $5.7 million and spent that on things other than grants-related research," said Michael Miller, a spokesman for the National Cancer Institute, the government's main agency for funding cancer research. "Yes indeed, they do owe those funds."

http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/091104/a01p11cancercenter.html

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Each day, billion people choose to die rather than quit smoking
Re: Cigarette smoke is not dangerous, July 20, 2004

The letter writer makes two absurd claims. She mentions more than once that non-smokers are a minority and that cigarette smoke is not dangerous.---------

Alfonso Tinebra,

Hamilton

Minority facts

 

You were talking about an open area (a park).  I didn’t mention restaurants.  If you want to talk about restaurants, go to one and ask how they have been affected.  You can just go to davehitt.com /facts/banlinks.html for some owners’ results on the ban.    

Where did I say that it dissolves into nothing?  I did say that it was a nuisance rather then a danger.  This is based on a science called Toxicology.  It’s a science, where the dose is in the poison.  I am aware that there is smog, and you get more exposure to cancer causing agents in pollution then you would from smokers. 

Is it reasonable to inflate the size of the local government just because California does it?  California also, this month, is banning Silly String.  Now you try to be a reasonably sized government that would watch all kids & adults, and fine, or jail them in order to stop them from using Silly String.  I would not recommend that you hire someone at a cost of over $100,000 a year for a nuisance.   (This is how much Thunder Bay council got for a Smoking bylaw officer from the provincial government.)  I mention this because once you have a law you also have to enforce it, so this means there’s a cost to the public.  I am not even talking about the freedoms you are losing by enforcing this bylaw.  When is a person allowed to do as they wish?  In your assumption, nonsmokers have more rights then smokers. 

The stats he gives are based on a computer program.  It is based on an EPA study that a Judge said used junk science, and vacated.  Sure later the EPA withdrew it, but it still came to conclusions before it was completed.   There are studies that say that cancer is caused by genetics rather then by smoking.  If you need more information just go to forces.org, or smokersclubinc.com.  Get a scientific view of the fear mongering going on by some of society.  When you can give me 3 names of conclusively affected people from the danger of smoke in the park, I will no longer oppose losing a freedom and wasting of my tax dollars on a nuisance.

I also wonder I can not find my article in the search engine.  I type in cigarette, smoking, and parks.  With no result, yet I can find both of his articles.

Smoking ordinance pros, cons heard; economic concerns raised
Jim Romsaas
Mesabi Daily News
Last Updated: Wednesday, September 08th, 2004 11:52:36 PM
VIRGINIA — Numerous individuals for and against a no smoking ordinance in Virginia got equal time at a special City Council meeting Wednesday.
The impact on businesses was debated, as was the right of customers to make their own choice on entering a smoking establishment. The council took no action on the ordinance, which some would like to see on the November 2005 ballot.
But it was the concern of a negative economic impact that took center stage.
That is a real fear by business owners, according to Pat McKone, senior director for Tobacco Control Programs of the American Lung Association of Minnesota in Duluth. However, after Duluth passed its smoking ban “the economic scare was not at all realized,’’ she said.
“It’s not finance?’’ according to J. R. Roczniak of Oaky’s Arrowhead Bar, who said a ban would put his bar out of business. “This is my living. Let me please serve the public what they want.’’
Dave Christenson, owner of the Virginia Bowling Gardens said he has already made Sunday afternoons for non-smokers, but it hasn’t exactly worked out. “My business on Sundays is basically nil.’’
McKone said the data from Duluth shows that the food and beverage industry has not been hurt by a smoking ban. Duluth’s smoking ban toof effect in January 2001.
Retail sales for food service without alcohol jumped 13.5 percent from 2000 to 2004 and food service with alcohol increased nearly 20 percent in that same time period, according data from the Duluth sales tax department, which McKone provided to the council.
Not every business is harmed, but many have a lot of trouble, said Kenn Rockler, executive director of the Wine, Beer & Spirits Federation of Minnesota. He said restaurants with smoking bans have lost anywhere from 12 percent to 43 percent.
After the one-hour smoking ban debate, McKone questioned Rockler’s figures. She said it has to be backed up with data, not with anecdotal information.
No matter the figures, Christenson said, “I believe it should be left up to the individuals. It should be a choice,’’ not the city speaking for the businesses.
Regarding choice, McKone said the workers need to be accounted for. “This is about their additional exposure at work.’’
McKone and Cheryl Bisping, Smoke-Free Air Coalition of Northern St. Louis County spokesperson, were backed up by Dr. Gene Kishel of Virginia and former Duluth City Councilor Gary Eckenberg on the need to protect people from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
None of those against the ban doubted the dangers of secondhand smoke, but Rockler said, “There is an air handling solution.’’ Ninety-eight percent of smoke migration can be stopped, he added.
The council took no action, but Bisping was pleased those favoring a smoking ban got to finish the presentation that was interrupted last month.
From here, she plans to continue educating the public and work on putting it to the voters.
“I would like to see it on the ballot,’’ Bisping said.
 
Jim Romsaas covers Virginia government and schools and oversees the Teen Connection.

Town listens to both sides

 

Iowa's oldest known man dies at 109 INDEPENDENCE, Iowa

Iowa's oldest known man has died. September 11, 2004

Joe Steier of Independence, who turned 109 last month, died on Wednesday.

Steier's family says he was a huge Chicago Cubs fan. He was one of the few fans around who could remember his favorite team's last world championship -- in 1908.

His family says the night he died, his great nieces were at his side, whispering play-by-play of a Cubs victory to him.

Steier's longevity flew in the face of several credos of healthy living. He chewed and smoked tobacco most of his life, giving up his pipe at age 103. And, he always ate bacon and eggs for breakfast.

http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2227795

 

If I Ruled the World - Melissa Porter August 25, 2004
By Roger Crow, PA Features

Melissa Porter, 31, was born in Manchester. She has an honours degree in marketing and has worked as a marketing manager and a professional relocator. On the advice of some friends, she put together a show reel and was snapped up as a presenter by Granada’s Men and Motors. Melissa has worked on Put Your Money Where Your House Is on UK Style and currently presents Get a New Life on BBC Two. She has also presented the BBC series To Buy Or Not to Buy, and Escape to the Country. She is single and lives in London.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR FIRST ACT AS RULER?
“I’d introduce a law where everyone has to be polite and respectful to each other and if anyone’s rude or vents any unnecessary aggression, they’d be punished.”
WHO WOULD BE YOUR MOST TRUSTED ADVISER?
“Based on that polite law, I think someone like Carol Smillie.”
WHOM WOULD YOU BANISH?
“Anne Robinson and Simon Cowell, although maybe I’d make an exception for Simon because he is fairly sexy. I find both of them quite rude but I know it’s all in the name of fun.”
WOULD YOU BE A DICTATOR OR A BENEVOLENT LEADER?
“Definitely a dictator. There’s two ways of doing things – my way and the wrong way.”
WHO WOULD YOU SINGLE OUT FOR A KNIGHTHOOD AND WHY?
“I would give a knighthood to anyone involved in charities, care-workers, foster parents, nurses, doctors, and people who work in the emergency services.”
WHO WOULD YOU SEND TO THE TOWER OR PUT IN THE STOCKS?
“TV production managers. They can go right down to the stocks. I work in such a creative industry, and there’s always a conflict between those who are creative and the bean-counters.”
WHICH LAW WOULD YOU ABOLISH?
“I’d abolish the five-day working week. I reckon if you work smart as opposed to hard, as long as you’ve done all your work then you should be allowed to go home.”
WHAT LAW WOULD YOU INTRODUCE?
“No smoking. You wouldn’t be allowed to smoke anywhere.”
WHICH BUILDING WOULD YOU DEMOLISH AND WHY?
“The Millennium Dome because it’s a complete waste of money. I’d demolish that but then actually, it’s not even a building is it? It’s more of a tent. Aren’t they deciding who they’re going to sell it off to at the moment to change its usage? I know it’s costing us a fortune, just to add insult to injury. ”
WHICH RULER OR MONARCH DO YOU MOST ADMIRE OR HAVE MOST IN COMMON WITH?
“I’d say I have most in common with Margaret Thatcher because we both seem to have bad hair days on a regular basis.”
IF YOU COULD CHANGE THE NATIONAL ANTHEM FOR ANOTHER PIECE OF MUSIC, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
“Probably the Black Eyed Peas’ Shut Up song. That would be a dedication to all my favourite production managers.”

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3404490

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