"Not all carcinogens are known to cause cancer in humans."
- Todd Benson, Alliance for the Control of Tobacco (ACT) , Oct. 24, 2004

Tobacco funding amount and duration list for Robert Wood Johnson

http://www.rwjf.org/portfolios/resources/grantlist.jsp?iaid=143

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare and CORA Services Unveil Unique Venue to Help Spread Dangers of Smoking Message

Aug 2, 2005 10:15 ET

Local Graffiti Artist joins Nicorette(R) Nicotine Gum to Raise Awareness with His Artwork

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare, marketers of Nicorette(R) nicotine gum, has joined together with CORA Services to celebrate and encourage smoke-free lives with MyCityMyArt, an educational program designed to reach-out to the African-American population about the dangers of smoking. The program -- which includes an art competition, art lessons for children and a virtual art gallery to display their work -- will kickoff in five major U.S. cities this week.

Pose2, a professional commercial artist in Philadelphia, will create a quit-smoking themed mural at 12th & Carpenter St. that will become part of a nationwide competition against four other artists in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. The murals from the five cities will be posted online at www.mycitymyart.com for the public to view and vote for the best mural. The winning artist will be announced in October 2005 and will unveil his design at a prominent location in his home city.

As part of the program, Pose2 will help lead an art class with children from CORA Services to enlist them to create their own creative quit-smoking themed art. Mural designs created by the children will be posted on the Web site, and GSK Consumer Healthcare will donate $7,500 to support CORA Services' art program. Additionally, each child will also receive two color prints of his or her artwork to keep as an important reminder.

"MyCityMyArt is great for the community on two levels, said CORA Services CEO, Dr. Anthony Chunn. "Our kids are exposed to the insights and skills of a professional artist while they also get a smoking prevention message, in addition, adult smokers who want to quit can learn about effective help that is available through various MyCityMyArt educational resources."

"Urban murals have previously been used by the tobacco industry to market their products, so we think it's about time we used this vehicle to help the community," said GSK Consumer Healthcare's Vice-President, Smoking Control, Bill Slivka. "MyCityMyArt is part of our commitment to helping people tap into their inner strength. For many quitters, quitting is a process measured by the little things that help end their relationship with cigarettes. One of these murals or an email with a child's design may inspire a smoker to think about quitting."

Research has shown that African-Americans suffer disproportionately from chronic and preventable disease from smoking, with smoking being the leading cause of death among African-Americans.(1) According to the 1998 U.S. Surgeon General Report, African Americans are 50 percent more likely to develop lung cancer than Caucasian men.(2)

"The MyCityMyArt program delivers the kind of positive, pro-health activity and message we want to be spreading to African-American youth," said Rev. Jesse W. Brown, Jr., executive director of the National Association of African Americans for Positive Imagery. "Unfortunately, the inner city is still an important marketplace for cigarette manufacturers, as they must constantly find new users for their products."

MyCityMyArt aims to help educate the community and smokers about being prepared for the challenges of quitting smoking. Many quitters are not aware that success is much more likely when the person quitting seeks support and uses clinically proven products such as Nicorette(R) nicotine gum. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare's quit-smoking products and their related Web sites have a wealth of information about quitting smoking for adults. The art lessons will also include information for the children about the risks of smoking and what they can do to keep from starting the deadly habit.

"CORA Services is excited to be part of any project that raises awareness of the support available to help people to quit smoking, and that enriches our children's awareness of art and better health. The fewer smokers there are in the community, the more opportunities there are to provide good role models for our children," he added.

The five professional murals can be viewed online and judged by the public at www.mycitymyart.com, starting, August 22nd. The same web site features galleries of the children's art and includes options to send your favorite mural designs to friends and family.

About CORA Services

CORA is a community based, nonprofit, multi-funded agency offering professional human services to children, youth, and their families in the Greater Philadelphia area. Its mission is to enrich the quality of life for children, families and the community by offering programs that promote respect and dignity. Rooted in a tradition of care and compassion, CORA was established in 1971 to respond to the ever-increasing challenges of the community. Consistent with this heritage, CORA pursues the highest possible standards in service to our community. CORA's commitment is to evoke creativity, new perspectives, empowerment and hope in the lives of the children and families it serves.

About GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world's largest over- the-counter consumer healthcare products companies. Its more than 30 well- known brands include the leading smoking cessation products, Nicorette(R), NicoDerm(R) and Commit(R), as well as many medicine cabinet staples, Abreva(R), Aquafresh(R), Sensodyne(R) and Tums(R). GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare continues to develop innovative products to help all smokers find their best support system and achieve their goal of being cigarette free.
 

About GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare companies. GlaxoSmithKline is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

  (1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At-A-Glance. Tobacco Use Among U.S. Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups - African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics, Atlanta: CDC, 1998.

  (2) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Tobacco Use Among U.S. Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups - African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and  Prevention, 1998:138. Accessed on July 12, 2005 and available at:
      http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_1998/index.htm.  

Source: GlaxoSmithKline

CONTACT: Rhys Ryan, Porter Novelli, +1-917-709-9326,
rhys.ryan@porternovelli.com; Jennifer May, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer
Healthcare, +1-412-200-3729, Jennifer.l.may@gsk.com
 

Web site: http://www.mycitymyart.com/
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_1998/index.htm

http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/myPRNJ.jsp?profileid=1120118&resourceid=3005078

Transportation Bill Passed in Congress to Prevent Discrimination Against Employees With Diabetes

Aug 1, 2005 11:40 ET

American Diabetes Association Led Effort to Repeal Blanket Ban on People with Insulin-Treated Diabetes Driving Commercial Vehicles

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The transportation legislation, passed last week in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, contains an important provision that will help end discrimination against people with diabetes who seek employment as commercial drivers. The American Diabetes Association led a coalition to enable qualified individuals who must use insulin to properly manage their diabetes to operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce. Language in the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA- LU)" eliminates a provision in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) 2003 Diabetes Exemption Program that made it almost impossible for anyone with insulin-treated diabetes to even apply to drive commercially and replaces it with a medically sound system for individual assessment. As a result, the intent of the Diabetes Exemption Program will be realized, and qualified people with insulin-treated diabetes will be able to drive commercial motor vehicles.

"These regulations are important not only to people with insulin-treated diabetes who are seeking to drive a truck in interstate commerce, but also people in many other industries that look to the government's standards in their workplace. Anytime a discrimination barrier is torn down -- as this bill will do for commercial driving -- it will have a profound effect," said Lawrence T. Smith, Chair of the Board at the American Diabetes Association.

In September of 2003, FMCSA announced a Diabetes Exemption Program to end the 33-year-old blanket ban on operating a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce for people who use insulin and replace it with a case-by- case assessment that includes over 50 important safety provisions. Unfortunately, despite strenuous opposition of the American Diabetes Association, Congress, industry, labor organizations, and even FMCSA's own Expert Medical Panel, the Diabetes Exemption Program also included a "three year rule" that prevented the vast majority of people with diabetes from even applying under the program.

This Catch 22 provision requires applicants to have driven a commercial vehicle while using insulin for the three years before applying for an exemption under the program. Because of the prior federal blanket ban no one could fulfill this requirement through past interstate driving and it was virtually impossible to fulfill it through intrastate driving. In the nearly two years since FMCSA announced this program, not a single diabetes exemption has been issued -- primarily because of the three-year rule which has prevented most qualified drivers from applying.

The American Diabetes Association hailed the efforts of Congressmen Howard Coble (R-NC) and Peter DeFazio (D-OR) for their tireless work on this issue and for standing up for people with diabetes.

"Our nation's trucking laws should reflect our current knowledge of diabetes and the current practice of diabetes management," said L. Hunter Limbaugh, Chair of the American Diabetes Association's National Advocacy Committee. "This Congressional action is a win-win that will prevent discrimination against people with insulin-treated diabetes while also providing additional commercial truck drivers for industry. Congress deserves credit for putting sound medical science above politics."

Diabetes is one of this nation's most prevalent, debilitating, deadly and costly diseases. While 18.2 million Americans live with diabetes today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in three Americans born in 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. In 2002, one in 10 healthcare dollars went towards diabetes care. The cost of diabetes in America in 2002 was at least $132 billion.

The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. The Association's advocacy efforts include helping to combat discrimination against people with diabetes; advocating for the increase of federal diabetes research and programs; and improved access to, and quality of, healthcare for people with diabetes. The Association's mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Founded in 1940, the Association provides service to hundreds of communities across the country. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit http://www.diabetes.org/. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.

Source: American Diabetes Association

CONTACT: Zach Goldberg of the American Diabetes Association,
+1-703-549-1500, ext. 2622, zgoldberg@diabetes.org
 

Web site: http://www.diabetes.org/

http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/includes/contents/printable.jsp?resourceid=3004066

Teen smoking linked to metabolic syndrome

Disorder related to excess belly fat, heart disease and diabetes

AP associated PressUpdated: 12:09 p.m. ET Aug. 2, 2005

Exposure to cigarette smoke raises the risk among teens of metabolic syndrome, a disorder associated with excess belly fat that increases the chances of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, according to a study.

Researchers said it is the first study to establish such a link in teenagers.

“The bottom line to me is: As we gear up to take on this epidemic of obesity, we cannot abandon protecting our children from secondhand smoke and smoking,” said lead author Dr. Michael Weitzman, executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics Center for Child Health Research in Rochester, N.Y.

For the study, metabolic syndrome was defined as having at least three of five characteristics: a big waist, high blood pressure, high levels of blood fats called triglycerides, low levels of good cholesterol, and evidence of insulin resistance, in which the body cannot efficiently use insulin.

In the study, published Monday in the American Heart Association online journal Circulation, researchers found that 6 percent of 12-to 19-year-olds had metabolic syndrome and that the prevalence increased with exposure to tobacco smoke.

The study found that 1 percent of those unexposed to smoke developed the syndrome, 5 percent of those exposed to secondhand smoke had the disorder and 9 percent of active smokers had it.

Looking at teens who were overweight or at risk for being overweight, the effect of smoke was even more marked, with 6 percent of those not exposed to smoke developing syndrome, 20 percent of those exposed to secondhand smoke getting it and 24 percent of smokers suffering from the disorder.

“What this shows is that the percentages of kids who are at risk is vastly higher if they’re overweight and they’re exposed to secondhand smoke, down to very low levels,” Weitzman said.

Weitzman said it is not clear what it is about smoking that appears to make teenagers more susceptible to metabolic syndrome.

However, in adults smoking has been linked to insulin resistance, a risk factor for metabolic syndrome. Doctors also point out that smoking can lower levels of good cholesterol and raise blood pressure, two more markers for the disorder.

The researchers looked at 2,273 adolescents, using information from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey. The youngsters reported their own use of tobacco. Also, the study looked at measurements of cotinine, a product of nicotine after it enters the body. Two-thirds of teens who did not smoke had cotinine levels that indicated secondhand smoke exposure.

“It’s sobering,” said Dr. Michael Lim, assistant professor of internal medicine in the division of cardiology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. “What it points out is a very high-risk group of people — young adults 12 to 19 — who are exposed to tobacco products and sedentary.”

The number of overweight teens in the United States has tripled in the past two decades.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8789691/

Second-hand smoke risky in pregnancy

PITTSBURGH, July 26 (UPI) -- Researchers say a re-examination of data from earlier studies suggests exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy can be risky.

The researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health say such exposure is as detrimental to a developing fetus as is primary exposure through maternal smoking.

In a study published in the online journal BMC Pediatrics, Stephen Grant, associate professor of environmental and occupational health, said both active maternal smoking and secondary maternal exposure result in similarly increased rates of genetic mutation that are basically indistinguishable.

Grant, whose primary area of study is genotoxicity and the mechanisms of DNA repair, added. "These kinds of mutations are likely to have lifelong repercussions for the exposed fetus, affecting survival, birth weight and susceptibility to disease, including cancer."

The finding conflicts with conclusions reached in three previous studies that Grant authored. Those studies largely discounted the effects of second-hand smoke.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20050726-12463300-bc-us-smokestudy.xml

Exploring Links Between Smoking and Weight

7/26/2005

Conventional wisdom holds that smokers gain weight when they quit, which can discourage some smokers from kicking the habit. But new research disputes that belief, the New York Times reported July 24.

Some observers worry that as advocates make progress in curbing smoking, they may unintentionally be contributing to another public-health problem: obesity. As the percentage of Americans who smoke has declined fro 37 percent in 1970 to 22.5 percent in 2002, the prevalence of obesity has risen from 14 percent in the early 1970s to about 30 percent today.

Junk food and lack of exercise play a role in the obesity epidemic, but some think that so many people quitting smoking also contributes to the trend. Many smokers believe that short-term weight gain is the price to pay for quitting. And some economists wonder if smokers are trading one bad habit for another -- quitting expensive, high-tax cigarettes in favor of cheap fast food.

A 2004 study concluded that up to 20 percent of obesity cases could be traced to the decline in smoking, saying that "each 10 percent increase in the real price of cigarettes produces a 2 percent increase in the number of obese people, other things being equal."

But MIT researcher Jonathan Gruber looked at the same data and came to the opposite conclusion: "Raising cigarette taxes causes smoking to fall, but it doesn't lead to obesity," Gruber said. "If anything, it was lower."

Gruber speculated that, in fact, people who quit smoking may also become more health-conscious about things like weight gain and exercise

http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0%2C1854%2C577774%2C00.html

NZ

Smoking bill defeat blow to freedom

Thursday, 28 July 2005, 12:05 pm
Press Release: ACT New Zealand

Smoking bill defeat blow to freedom

Dr Muriel Newman Thursday,

28 July 2005 Press Releases - Other

ACT Deputy Leader Dr Muriel Newman said today the defeat of her Smoke- Free Environments (Exemptions) Amendment Bill was a blow to people's freedom of choice and the rights of New Zealand's small businesses.

The Bill provided for licensed premises to set up smoking rooms for their smoking patrons instead of forcing them outside, such smoking rooms were to be equipped with ventilation devices and to comply with appropriate air quality standards whether or not an establishment decided to set up such rooms was to be their choice.

"I do not smoke, but I believe the Labour Government's smoke-free legislation, passed by Parliament 18 months ago, has created unintended consequences that need to be addressed.

"The primary effect of the smoke-free law is that many people are no longer bothering to go to their local pub or club because of the hassle of being forced to smoke outside in the cold. As a result some small businesses have seen their patronage drop by a half while others have been forced to close. And it's not just the pub and club owners but also the other business that provide goods and services, such as food beverage, maintenance, cleaning and so on," Dr Newman said.

"There is also a growing trend for illegal drinking houses to be set up in private garages and sheds, where there are no liquor licences or smoking police, but also no safeguards - is this what Labour intended?

"But the issue I am most concerned about is the heavy handed approach to elderly New Zealanders. There are many RSA members who have served this country risking their lives fighting for the freedoms that the Labour Government is now stripping away.

"Labour is forcing returned servicemen to smoke outside. They should simply be allowed to smoke in a smoking room set up by their RSA instead of sitting outside in the cold. That's what this Bill was asking for and it's a huge disappointment to people up and down the country that the anti-business Labour Government is so arrogant that they are refusing to allow their problematic law to be reviewed," Dr Newman said.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0507/S00622.htm

Germany fails to ban tobacco ads

BERLIN, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Germany has failed to implement a European Union directive prohibiting tobacco advertising, Deutsche Welle reported Wednesday

A bill banning all tobacco advertising introduced by the governing Social Democrats in May is not likely to make it past the Bundesrat, Germany's upper house, which is dominated by opposition parties. The Christian Democrats in the Bundesrat last month spoke out against the ban.

Brussels this year required EU member states to pass national legislation by the end of July that prohibits advertising for tobacco products in print, broadcast, and online media. In Germany, however, the ban is far from becoming law.

The CDU argues that health legislation lies in the hands of the national government and should not be decided in Brussels.

Nearly all other EU states have turned the directive into a national law.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20050803-13213000-bc-germany-smoking.xml

HOW TO BE AN ACTIVIST
by Elizabeth May

The author, who has no academic credentials for activism, has based the following on over 30 years of campaigning. She is currently Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada.

How to be an Activist

There is no formal school for activists. No university degree qualifies the graduate to practice grassroots organizing. Environmental activists, like many other practitioners of social change, come in all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life, and even from all political parties. And all of us learn from experience. On the other hand, we should be able to benefit from the experience of others. Unfortunately, more often than not, people suddenly find themselves in a situation that requires a certain moral heroism. They had not planned to become activists.

Environmental problems themselves create activists. When a toxic landfill threatens the neighbourhood, local lawyers may volunteer to do some legal work, scientists may offer volunteer help and the community of concerned parents suddenly find themselves wondering how to write a press release, circulate petitions, and, even conduct a sit-in in a politician’s office. By the time they are in the thick of a campaign, it is hard to know where to turn for help and advice.

The reality of ordinary people picking up the gauntlet and becoming politically active is largely unknown to the as-yet uninitiated public. By the time the small neighbourhood citizens group gets its issue before the public, its members are already being labeled as “environmentalists”. From that point on, their true identity is lost as surely as Clark Kent’s when he emerges as Superman.

The media labeling process does society a disservice. It cuts off “activists” and “environmentalists” from “normal” people. The general public, as demonstrated by numerous polls, supports the principles of environmental protection and restoration, but usually they believe it is for some other category of people, called “environmentalists”, to do the work they support.

When an environmental group is described as a “special interest” group, there is a blurring between those who protect “special” interests, usually of a financial nature, and those who work on a volunteer basis, usually at personal sacrifice and expense, to pursue a cause in the public good.

The reality of activism, for the environment or any other cause, is that democracy is at work. Citizens are exercising democratic rights. Rather than being the exception to the rule, for democracy to thrive, all citizens should be activists.
 
 

A Few Good Starting Points

Recognizing that environmental activism is a democratic right, it is important to have a few good starting points to encourage the neophyte.
 

1. Refuse to be intimidated. If you are told that a subject is too technical or scientific for you to understand, don’t believe it. Elected politicians make these decisions all the time based on general knowledge and their sense of public opinion. The claim of “expert” versus average concerned citizen is inherently anti- democratic and elitist. You may not be an expert. But you can read and understand what experts have to say. Make a note of good quotes (including the source) of expert views concerned with the environment. Start your own card file of references to unleash if someone tries to suggest you don’t know enough to be involved.
    
2. Be creative! Every campaign and issue has its own dynamic. Let your creative juices flow. Maybe satire will work for you. Maybe song. Even conventional campaigns can attract more people if you have an optimistic, innovative approach.
    
3. Don’t take no for an answer. If you want to meet an elected official, call every day. Drop by the office and get to know the staff. Be persistent.The squeaky wheel.
    
4. Ask lots of questions. Get to the bottom of issues. Do your homework.
    
5. Use the telephone. It is a great research tool. Ten times better than writing and asking for information is phoning until you find the person who knows the answer and will immediately send you information. In addition to getting what you want, you may have uncovered a good source for future information - and maybe even an ally in the bureaucracy.
    
6. Be unfailingly polite. Being persistent is not the same thing as being rude. You may be in this for the long haul, so don’t burn any bridges.
    
7. Leave no stone unturned. Think about who knows who. How can you expand your network? Your allies may come from unexpected places, so do not make assumptions. Ask people for help.
    
8. When someone in government does something good for the environment, be sure to give public credit and thanks.
    
9. You can accomplish anything, if you don’t care who gets the credit.
    
10. Remember that politics is also personal. Watch out for burn- out. You’ll need the support of friends and family. Build love into your campaigns.

Some Starting Points

In local organizing, one of the first things you’ll probably want to do is form a group. Don’t re-invent the wheel. Look around. Is there an existing group, with goals similar to your own, that would accept your group as a working committee, or affiliated chapter? If you can avoid going through the incorporation process and the charitable number ordeal by joining an existing group (and co-opting them to your issue in the process), why not try?

If you are organizing your own group, try not to get bogged down in by-laws. Stick to the essentials. If you want to change a decision at City Council in three months, you won’t have time for Robert’s Rules of Order. In order not to lose momentum, and volunteers, make the meetings fun by including some social activity. Plan a pot luck supper first and then work through the agenda efficiently. Folk singer and environmental activist Pete Seeger organized a very successful campaign to clean up the Hudson River. He advised, “Don’t have meetings that only attract the kind of people who like going to meetings.”

Be sure to assign tasks as you make decisions. If someone suggests something new, don’t reject it just because everyone who is heavily involved is already too busy. Say “What a great idea! Will you take that on?” Delegate!

Pick achievable goals. Positive reinforcement is important. So deciding to make your goal “achieving world peace” or “ending hunger” will likely result in burn-out and disillusionment. On the other hand, making your goal to get 10,000 names on a petition to do either of the above is do-able and will have a positive reinforcing impact - you’ll gain strength and enthusiasm for the next goal.
 

How to get your message in the news media

It is a fact of life that environmental groups don’t have money. Some projects may qualify for government grants, but they are usually the “safe” kind. Planting trees. Picking up litter. While such projects are undoubtedly worthwhile, they are not going to change the world.

Trying to reduce dependency on environmentally damaging and non-sustainable energy sources (like fossil fuels, large scale hydro and nuclear power) fundamentally challenges the status quo. So does trying to end the use of toxic pesticides for cosmetic purposes. If you are working on issues like these, it is hard to obtain the kind of money it takes to gain public (and political) attention through advertising.

The mainstay of your information and awareness campaign is going to be the news media. Hence, the environmental movement and the news media have an awkward and symbiotic relationship: they need us for stories, and the environmental movement certainly needs them. But environmentalists get frustrated with the superficiality of news coverage of issues that threaten planetary survival, and the news media get sick of hearing what they often regard as predictable whining from the greens. So how can you, with little or no media experience, be expected to break through to reasonably accurate coverage of your concerns? First, you should understand a few things about the news media.. Noam Chomsky’s analysis (“Manufacturing Consent”) notwithstanding, you can get your issue in the public eye.

It helps if you are able to see the story from the reporter’s point of view. There are very few newspapers or electronic networks with a full time environmental reporter. You are trying to get a reporter, who has to cover everything from tax hikes to crime on the street, interested in your story.

There are no Woodwards and Bernsteins. Calling and telling them there’s a big story out there if they do some really good investigative reporting will get your message consigned to the waste basket, (or, in an environmentally aware newsroom, the recycling bin.) If you want a reporter to cover your story, you have to do all their work for them. Think it through. Where’s the angle? “A local group of environmentalists are organizing to save the environment” is hardly an earth shattering story. Remember the old adage, “Dog bites man” is not a story. “Man bites dog” is.

Tie your issue to other political events, like elections or previous campaign promises. What are the financial issues? Is taxpayers’ money being wasted? Are jobs being lost? Are the environmental alternatives better for the economy? (They usually are.) Make it interesting to someone who doesn’t give a hydro-electric dam.

Fill in the “5 W’s” : Who, What, When, Where and Why. Make sure all your facts are absolutely accurate.

Write your own press release. It should read like a news story, not like your group’s manifesto. Put in quotes from group representatives. Be sure to include phone numbers so that reporters can call you to get more details and re-work your press release into their own story.

 *********************

SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE

(Your logo appears here)
Group’s mailing address

Headline in Boldface Appears at Top

DATE: Put the date on which you want the story to be released, or put the words “For immediate release: at the beginning of your release.

TEXT: The first sentence should be clear, factual and grab the attention of the reader. It should tell the press what the story is about.

TEXT EXAMPLE: (City): Citizens Organized to Save Wetlands today announced the results of their audit of the costs of the proposed Department of Boondoggles development.

“By our calculations, reviewed by the firm of Somebody Credible Ltd., the Department of Boondoggles will be increasing the provincial deficit by $300 million by choosing this environmentally sensitive site, instead of merely recycling their existing building,” said group chair, J. Q. Public.

Citizens Organized to Save Wetlands are considering legal action if their current petition campaign is unsuccessful in persuading the Department to re-consider its plans. They are also planning a demonstration in front of Department headquarters to take place next Wednesday, the xth of xx, at 12 noon.

“We are confident that good sense will prevail,” said group researcher I. M. Green, “With the provincial election in the offing, and so many environmentally concerned statements coming from the Premier’s Office, we simply cannot believe that this deliberately wrong-headed policy will prevail.
 

(It is a convention of news releases that they end with “- 30 -”. It tells reporters that the text has ended.)

Contact information: (Don’t forget to include the name and phone number where people quoted in the release can be reached for comment.)

 
Send your release to ensure it reaches the media before or on your release date. If you are far from a media centre, you can fax your release, or phone it in to the closest office of the Canadian Press (CP). CP is a wire service. If it puts your story on their service, it will automatically reach television, radio and newspaper newsrooms. It is then the decision of the news director in each outlet whether to use your story. I used to send releases from a town of 45 people in Cape Breton Island down to CP in Halifax, phoning it in right before I went to sleep to get low phone rates. I can remember how astonishing it was to wake up in the morning and hear my release on the radio.

Beyond press releases, you may want to hold a press conference. Don’t do it unless you have a really good story, or can bring in an acknowledged expert who won’t be available as a matter of course. Hold press conferences somewhere familiar to the media. Make it convenient. Try to avoid having to spend money to rent space. Is there a good community centre close to the downtown? Can you get the help of someone in City Council to use City Hall or the Regional Government Centre?

A SHOPPING LIST OF CAMPAIGN TACTICS

The following are tried and true. It is a good idea to try something fairly straightforward initially, with minimum risk of failure.

1) Letter writing campaigns

Politicians really do pay attention to their mail! Especially the volume of mail. As letters mount up on an issue, it will achieve greater importance. At the national level, one letter is considered to represent thousands of people’s opinions. The ratio declines as you move down the government hierarchy, but at the municipal level, fewer people write, so the letters still have clout.

Your letter does not have to be typed. Handwriting is fine. So is word processing. The key is that your letter is original and not recognizable as a pre-printed message. ALWAYS SIGN YOUR LETTERS. Include your address for their response.

Your letter does not have to be technical. You do not have to know everything about an issue to write and express your opinion. It does have to be clear. State explicitly what you want the politician to do. Include a specific question requesting his or her response. If the response misses the point or is inadequate, write again. Remember, at the level of federal and provincial ministers, a staff person in the bureaucracy writes the response. The minister may not even see your letter. Why persist? Because as the number of letters add up, the issue is given greater importance. Sometimes you are even able to educate the bureaucracy, or alert the minister to the fact that the staff has him or her signing inaccurate letters. (My brother in Nova Scotia actually called a Minister at home once to say that he didn’t want to attack the Minister in the press over a particularly lame response to a letter. He gave the Minister a chance by asking him if he knew that the letter prepared by his bureaucrats included misleading information. The Minister didn’t know and was grateful for the call.)

2) Letters to the Editor

Did you know that the letters section is the most read section of any newspaper? Not only do people in your community read the letters, government officials have clipping services that reprint the ones dealing with their area. The federal minister of the environment sees clippings from coast to coast, including letters to the editor, every day.

Letters should be short, direct and well written. Of course, they should be accurate and educate readers about your issue. Watch for opportunities to respond to articles that have been in the paper.

3) Call-in radio & tv shows

There are opportunities for free access to the airwaves. Listen to a show a few times before you call in. Get a sense of the host so you won’t be surprised if they disagree with you. It is easy, anonymous and can get your message to lots of people.

4) Petition campaigns

The U.S. Declaration of Independence was sort-of a petition. Less than fifty people signed it and the rest is history.

Petitions are an excellent first step for new groups. They are tools for public education. The preamble should set out clearly what the issue is and all the reasons for your concern. (Remember the “WHEREAS’s!) They also force you to know clearly what you want from the government. If you want the municipal council to ban pesticide spraying on all public and private lands, say so. If you want them to maintain a handful of pesticide-free parks, say so. But don’t leave a petition hanging with just a general, “we are against pesticides” statement.

Petitions can be circulated door to door, left with sympathetic local merchants, or you can set up a table in the local mall (although this usually has to be arranged fairly far ahead.) If you are trying to solicit support in a public venue like a mall, don’t be shy! Smile and ask people as they come by if they are interested in the environment. If they avert their eyes and walk away, so be it. Leave them alone and KEEP SMILING! Set a goal. Know when you are done and make a big deal out of presenting the petition. Get a sympathetic politician to accept it from you and alert the media.

5) Fundraising

Wait a minute. Isn’t this a shopping list of campaign tools? Well, yes. But good grassroots fundraising is not only a way of raising money, it is a way of raising awareness. (And it also deals with that unspoken question of the uninitiated public, “where do those people get their donations?”)

Grassroots fundraising should involve lots of people as volunteers. Try to get local donations of supplies, advertising, prizes or whatever from local merchants (and of course give them public credit and thanks).

What kinds of things are grassroots fundraisers? Here’s a sample list. But it’s not exhaustive. You can build on these ideas, but better still, come up with your own.
 

• Potluck suppers with an entrance fee. Fun. Great food. Cheap and you’ll have something for the campaign pot when the dishes are done.
  
   
• Bake sales. You can get lots of people involved. Hold it at the local mall, or after church.
  
   
• Raffles. Go for donated prizes or make your own. In Cape Breton we raised thousands of dollars with quilt raffles to stop the spraying of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T.
  
   
• Hold a community fair! Have clowns. Kids’ events. Sell baked goods, homegrown organic veggies, preserves, handcrafts. Include an auction.
  
   
• Ask a local bar if you can have an evening of entertainment for a cause. This will appeal to lots of young people. Musicians are notoriously generous in their support of environmental causes. God bless them.
  
   
• Hold an auction. It could be an art auction. Or hold a flea market of odd junk items. Donate services — a deluxe brunch in someone’s home, or catered to your place, a sailboat outing, babysitting, carpentry, barter for cash for the cause!
  
   
• Hold a massive yard sale. Recycle all your stuff and raise funds. Sometimes in our community environmental struggles in Cape Breton, I was convinced we just kept selling our old plates and hand-me-downs to each other. But it worked.
  
   
• Hold a church supper. Church halls can be rented for not too much, and they are perfect. Big kitchens, well equipped for a crowd and they feel great for community events.
  
   
• Order t-shirts or mugs with your message. Sell them at all your events.

You can order great posters from a lot of environmental groups, as well as calendars, t-shirts, postcards and other merchandise. Contact Sierra Club or Western Canada Wilderness for great items.

How to lobby

Whether you’re working to change a policy at City Hall or the federal cabinet, you’ll probably want to sit down and meet with a few of the people who’ll be making that decision. The approach is the same, regardless of how elevated the politician or bureaucrat is. (and, yes, you do have to lobby bureaucrats). As recommended in the “Starting Points” at the beginning of this document: Be unfailingly polite, persistent, network, leave no stone unturned.

Experienced fundraisers say you can reach anyone in the world with only two phone calls. Considering that a radio station in Montreal got through to the Queen of England, who can doubt this is true?! So remember, you may not know the Minister or Mayor now, but there is no reason you can’t get to know them. Don’t be intimidated. Once you have a thorough knowledge of your issue and have done your homework, there’s no reason you can’t go to meet key people and put forward your case in person.

Preparing for the meeting

It is an excellent idea to reduce your key points to a one-page document you can leave with the decision-maker. It’s always easier to write a long document than a short concise one, but the effort to boil down your case is well worth it. Busy people (and the more powerful they are, the busier they are) will never read more than a page.

Think through ahead of time what it is you want the decision-maker to do. I know of environmentalists who’ve gone to see very powerful politicians, laid out their case, and prepared for questions on the merits of their argument, only to be completely unprepared for the person agreeing with them and asking the obvious question: “What do you want me to do about this?”

If the person you’re seeing is in Cabinet, for example, but not the Minister who actually makes the decision, think through exactly what you want. What is the most strategic thing this person can do to advance your case? Is it to speak quietly to someone, to issue a public statement or to introduce you to someone else so you can explain the issue to them? Your one page note should end with a very specific request.

You should also prepare for the personal side of the visit. If nothing else, you will have advanced your cause if the politician is left with a favourable impression - if you’ve started the process of building a relationship. So, do a little research about the person you’ll be meeting. When was she elected to government? Where did he go to university? If hunting and fishing are known to be favourite past-times, build on that to create environmental awareness. Ideally, you’ll find you know someone in common, or that you’ve gone to the same school, or that she was in school with your dad.

Be especially sure to research any previous good deeds for the environment. The best way to start any meeting is to thank the politician for something they accomplished in the past. Even if it was twenty years ago, they’ll feel great to know someone still remembers. And you’ll have them remembering that these issues are (or were) important to them. Don’t ignore the small talk. It may be the best part of your meeting.

If you are going as part of a group, think through how many of you should go. As a general rule, it is a poor idea to have more than three or four people go in to meet with politicians. It is increasingly intimidating for them, and unwieldy as the meeting size grows. Be strategic. If possible do not go to a meeting in a group larger than two or three. Be sure to tell the scheduling person you are dealing with the size of your delegation and the names of the people coming with you. Plan ahead who will cover which points.

The Meeting

Dressing for the meeting is unfortunately something that should be mentioned. Although there is no question that your value as an individual has nothing to do with how you look, you’ll be more likely to reach a decision-maker if you are dressed in a way to which they are accustomed.

Business suits go over better than jeans and sandals. I only wear make-up for media and lobbying. I call it war paint. (As my sister-in-law says, “A girl’s gotta do, what a girl’s gotta do.”)

If you haven’t had time to research this person’s background, you can still look for clues around their office. Diplomas, photos, plaques. Find some way to have a more personal chat at some point in the meeting. Most people love talking about themselves. It puts them at ease. A nervous and impatient person is not easy to influence. And, of course, you may find something that creates some common denominators in your lives.

Many people have a one dimensional image of environmentalists. Somehow they don’t think we have real lives, children, jobs, other interests. Breaking down the stereotypes is a significant part of your task.

Once you’ve had a bit of small talk, move quickly into the main agenda. Be courteous. Show an awareness that this person is probably very busy. Ask at the outset how much time the person has until their next appointment, bearing in mind that meetings often start late and keep backing up. Do not take up more time than has been allotted.

Present your case clearly and calmly. Give the decision maker your one-page note so they can follow along. Provide any more detailed papers you would like to leave as well. If your issue has a visual element, bring photos. Be sure to ask if the person has any questions. If you don’t know the answer to something, don’t bluff! Make a note and promise to get the information. And, then, remember to get it and send it to the decision- maker quickly, the next day if possible. Remember to ask clearly for what you want. And thank them, first, verbally, and then after with a thank you letter which reminds them graciously of any follow-up they offered to do.

http://www.sierraclub.ca/activist-publication/

Fatherhood and Cancer: Film Critic Joel Siegel Offers Thanks, and a Warning

Aug 4, 2005 11:47 ET

DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- For film and theater critic Joel Siegel, the past seven years have been a living drama of joy and anguish.

It began with two firsts: the news in the summer of 1997 that his wife, Ena, was pregnant; followed one week later by Siegel's colonoscopy and the words "I don't have good news" spoken by his doctor.

There ensued a battle for Siegel's life, including three surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, bracketing the birth of his son, Dylan.

Siegel, film critic for ABC-TV's Good Morning America since 1981 and for WABC-TV's Eyewitness News since 1976, describes his journey with colon cancer and fatherhood in the upcoming issue of The Oncologist (as presented to C- Change, May 2005), where he thanks cancer practitioners on behalf of Dylan, now seven.

"I had a seventy percent chance of being alive to witness the birth," he writes of his earliest prognosis. The first surgery, in 1997, followed by treatment that brought about extreme fatigue and other debilitating effects, was just the beginning.

As Dylan approached the age of two, a lesion was found on Siegel's left lung. His colon cancer had metastasized. A few months after that surgery, cancer appeared on his right lung. Less than a year ago, cancer was found in multiple sites of what remains of both lungs.

Siegel warns readers not to delay colorectal cancer screening past age 50. "If I had done one simple thing," he writes, "all of this could have been avoided." A screening colonoscopy at 50 would most likely have revealed pre- cancerous polyps that could have been removed, literally nipping his cancer in the bud.

Siegel has chronicled his experiences in his book, Lessons for Dylan: On Life, Love, the Movies, and Me (Public Affairs, New York, 2004).

He is co-founder, with actor Gene Wilder, of Gilda's Club, a nonprofit support facility for cancer patients named in memory of Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer.

The Oncologist, in its tenth year, is an international peer-reviewed journal from AlphaMed Press serving more than 21,000 physicians. The Oncologist is devoted to medical and practice issues for surgical, radiation, and medical oncologists entrusted with the care of adult or pediatric cancer patients.

   Text of featured article:    http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/cgi/content/full/10/7/558

Web site: http://www.theoncologist.com

Source: AlphaMed Press

http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/myPRNJ.jsp?profileid=1120118&resourceid=3007329

Man accused in Lackawanna Six travels sentenced for smuggling -NY

BUFFALO, N.Y. A Yemeni-American accused of helping send men to a militant training camp has been sentenced in New York.

The man (Aref Ahmed) gets more than three years in prison for a cigarette-smuggling operation.

He was convicted last year of money laundering and trafficking in contraband cigarettes.

Federal prosecutors also accuse him of giving 140-thousand dollars to members of the so-called Lackawanna Six. He hasn't been charged with that, however.

The Lackawanna Six are serving sentences ranging from seven to ten years after pleading guilty in 2003 to providing support to a terrorist organization. Some in the group have said they got money from Ahmed and used it to travel to a camp in Afghanistan.

http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=3645953

Blackfeet Tribe bans smoking and spit tobacco in all public buildings. -MT

The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council passed the Blackfeet Tobacco Free Act on July 21. Beginning Sept. 1, all public places will be smoke free and spit tobacco free on the Blackfeet Reservation. The act states it is "dedicated to all the Blackfeet members who have died and suffer from commercial tobacco-related cancers and illnesses" and "to protect the public health of the Blackfeet Nation, now and in the future."

The act's passage is one of several tribal health initiatives aimed at commercial tobacco and the disease it causes. The tribe resolved in 1989 to maintain smoke and spit tobacco free tribal buildings and programs, and it began and maintained the Blackfeet Tobacco Program since 2000, with funds from the Montana Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In 2004, the Tribal Health Department initiated a tobacco prevention program, with prevention and cessation strategies.

A unique component of the act is the acknowledgement that, "Blackfeet cultural, spiritual and ceremonial use of tobacco is an inherent immutable component of the Blackfeet cultural landscape...[and] does not ban, prohibit or restrict in any manner the traditional, cultural, spiritual and ceremonial tobacco use by the Blackfeet people."

http://www.goldentrianglenews.com/articles/2005/07/27/glacier_reporter/news/news1.txt

Local man agrees to pay for tobacco sales -CA

By Quintin Cushner/Senior Staff Writer July 28, 2005

Piles of a Santa Maria wholesaler's cash are going up in smoke as he pays back taxes, interest and penalties, which could total more than $200,000, for allegedly hiding from the state his sale of tobacco products.

An attorney for defendant James Adam Wynn said Wednesday in Superior Court in Santa Maria that the man has already paid $107,000 in restitution to the California Board of Equalization.

Though court records show Wynn is accused of dodging at least $123,529 in tobacco taxes, fines on that amount could place him on the hook for more than double that amount.

Wynn, who lives in Nipomo and operates a warehouse in the 700 block of West Betteravia Road in Santa Maria, is charged with two felonies for buying and importing tobacco products - such as cigars and chewing tobacco - from a supplier in Miami, then evading taxes on the products before he sold them to various southern California retailers, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Jerry Lulejian.

Wynn is heading toward a plea bargain that would allow him to serve 60 days in Santa Barbara County Jail and five years' felony probation, provided he pays back the tax debt, Lulejian said.

Wynn, a businessman for more than 14 years who has operated companies named Pacific Wholesale and Lightning Distributing in Santa Maria, maintains he thought taxes on the products had already been paid.

Lulejian counters that Wynn knew or should have known that he was responsible for paying the state.

"The person who first distributes tobacco products in the state pays the tax and has to file a tax return," said Lulejian.

Those costs are then passed on to the retailer, and inevitably the consumer. As pipe smokers and tobacco chewers can attest, paying for their habit is an expensive proposition.

Much of those costs derive from the hefty tobacco product tax rate, Lulejian said. The 2005 tax rate amounts to a 46.76 percent increase over the manufacturer's price.

Lulejian said tax money goes toward state programs, including grants for prosecuting businesses that sell cigarettes and other tobacco products to minors.

Wynn declined to comment at court and later when contacted at his warehouse. His attorney, William Gamble, did not return calls for comment.

The Wynn case returns to Judge James Rigali's courtroom on Aug. 24 for a pre-trial hearing.

Quintin Cushner can be reached at 739-2217 or qcushner@santamariatimes.com.

http://www.santamariatimes.com/articles/2005/07/28/news/local/news04.txt

Second anniversary of smoking ban -NY

7/24/2005 7:42 PM

By: News 10 Now Staff

It’s the second anniversary of the New York State smoking ban. A controversial law from the beginning, the ban has caused much debate among local business owners and the state.

At Little Gem in Syracuse, owner Doc Good says he has seen a significant drop in profit since the ban went into effect.

Instead of buying beer at local restaurants, bars and taverns, he says customers are choosing to buy retail and stay home. A change which he believes is hurting local business.

“I see a lot more of the mom and pop businesses going out, may be your larger franchises will take over the business, but I do not see a growth in the restaurant and tavern association like we had experienced in the past," Good said.

Good says before the ban went into effect about 85 percent of his customers smoked.

Many of them were veterans who do not support the smoking ban, and see it as a violation of the freedom of choice. Good says the number of those who like the no smoking law does not compensate for those who don't.

http://news10now.com/content/all_news/Default.asp?ArID=46051&SecID=83

Watertown Kicks Ash -WA

Aug 4, 2005 12:15 ET

Hot Spot Becomes Seattle's First and Only 21-and-Over Dance Club to Go Smoke-Free Tomorrow

SEATTLE, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The dance floor always fills, but tomorrow the room is being cleared ... of smoke, that is. Popular dance club Watertown is saying enough to the puff by turning into a smoke-free establishment. A celebration is planned that tomorrow evening beginning at 5 p.m. (DJ announcement at 10 p.m.) to kick off the club's new, permanent smoke-free status. This is the first dance club in Seattle believed to make the move to non-smoking.

General Manager Patrick Haight felt the time was right to make Watertown a smoke-free dance club.

"It's not just about the smell of smoke on clothing and hair, it's a health concern for many," Haight said. "The need for a smoke free dance venue was clear; we want everyone who comes in to have a good time and not be turned off by second-hand smoke."

Roger Valdez, tobacco prevention manager for Public Health Seattle King County, concurs.

"Making the choice to be a smoke free night club is a gutsy move, but more and more bars and clubs we work with are doing it; They are finding out it's not such a bold move after all, because being smoke free fits the healthy lifestyle choices people are making in this community, such as exercising more, driving less and quitting smoking."
 

Watertown, with its full bar service and cushy booth seating, has been a Seattle dance club staple for more than five years. A new 80s and 90s "old school" DJ dance format (Fridays) will start on the Aug. 5 "ash kicking." Saturdays will now bring a top 40 and hip hop dance format.
 

Find Watertown at 106 1st Ave North near Seattle Center; 206-284-5003 Opens at 5 p.m. on Friday and 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday. DJs start at 10 p.m. each Friday and Saturday. Cover charge/admission: Friday $5; Saturday $10, ladies get in free until 11 p.m. both nights. Special privileges apply to groups of eight or more. More at www.watertownbar.com

To obtain information on smoke free initiatives/venues in Seattle and King County, contact Valdez at 206-369-7478 or visit www.smokefreeseattle.org and tobaccoprevention.org. For media inquiries on Watertown, contact Heidi Witherspoon at 206-838-8977.

Get Down at Watertown!

Source: Watertown

http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/myPRNJ.jsp?profileid=1120118&resourceid=3007355

Acess to transcript denied in jail contraband case -PA

By John Finnerty The Daily Item

SUNBURY — A North-umberland County judge declined to order state prosecutors to provide Holly Yucha’s defense attorney a portion of the transcript of the grand jury testimony that led to the indictment of Ms. Yucha and six other Northumberland County Prison guards.

Ms. Yucha, 34, of Sunbury, is facing charges of delivering contraband and criminal conspiracy. She had been employed at