"No thanks, we're sweet enough," say lying puritans
Published on 2012-02-02 05:44:00.
Website: Velvet Glove, Iron Fist
As you may have noticed from headlines such as "Sugar 'is toxic and must be regulated just like cigarettes', claim scientists", "Tax and regulate sugar like alcohol and tobacco, urge scientists" and "Experts say sugar is as dangerous as alcohol and cigarettes", the slippery slope got a little bit more slippery today. We did try to warn you, you know.
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| Cheap At Half The Price
Published on 2012-02-02 04:25:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
Via Gawain, we find that the EU have been 'nudging' the European media with the EU Health Prize for Journalists.
The aim being ...
... about getting journalists around the EU to write articles for their respective outlets that promote the EU line.
The EU Health Prize for Journalists is awarded to stimulate high-quality journalism that raises awareness of issues related to healthcare and patients' rights. The Prize is part of the "Europe for patients" campaign, highlighting 12 health policy initiatives. All these are bound by a common goal: better healthcare for all in Europe.Or as John Dalli puts it "to stimulate high-quality journalism, with particular focus on the European Dimension" So successful is it that 358 hacks from the 27 submitted almost 500 articles. Given the prizes amount to 13,000 EUR that is bloody good value for money at 26 EUR per published article.Indeed it is.
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Naissance d'un nouveau média de droite: LesObservateurs.ch
Published on 2012-02-01 17:31:08.
Website: Accueil
ATS: " Un nouveau journal en ligne voit le jour en Suisse romande, a révélé mercredi le "19:30" de la TSR. Appelé LesObservateurs.ch, le média adopte un point de vue de droite. Le site est actif depuis mercredi, a déclaré à la télévision Uli Windisch. (photo DDR)
"Le sociologue genevois est à la tête du journal avec Philippe Barraud, notamment chef de rubrique à "L'Hebdo" et au "Temps", et Olivier Grivat, ancien rédacteur en chef de "24Heures", selon le site.
"LesObservateurs.ch dispose de 450'000 francs pour deux ans, a déclaré M. Windisch. Une dizaine d'actionnaires se tiennent derrière le journal, dont le financier tessinois Tito Tettamanti.
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| Branson Blog
Published on 2012-02-01 16:07:31.
Website: Frank Davis
I quite often compare bad AGW science with bad tobacco science. The odd thing is that AGW alarmists do the same. Except they compare what they regard as good (and true) AGW science with good (and true) tobacco science. Here’s … Continue reading →
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Tobacco Cembranoids Exhibit Anti-Cancer Activity
Published on 2012-02-01 13:38:00.
Website: Jredheadgirl
Well, what do you know...natural, unfermented tobacco has anti-cancer properties! Hmmm..Maybe we can vape it? ...Maybe we can add cembranoids to cigarettes? Maybe we can eliminate most or all of the harmful elements that are associated with smoking and tobacco use? Why not? The science is there.
"These marine cembranoids are known for their anticancer activity," he said. "Since the leaf and flower cuticular wax of tobacco are rich in cembranoids, and also act as a chemical defense to protect the plant against insects and harmful microbial infections, we believed that natural, fresh tobacco ingredients would offer the greatest potential as an anticancer agent."
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| Citizens for Tobacco Rights
Published on 2012-02-01 11:25:00.
Website: Jredheadgirl
Please check out this new blog-
Citizens for Tobacco Rights
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Protecting Anti-Social Behaviour
Published on 2012-02-01 10:12:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
Teresa May's 'community trigger' has been bothering me for the past couple of days.
The government is promising to set up five pilot schemes this summer, which will force the authorities to act if people in five separate households complain about a neighbour causing problems, such as noise or threatening behaviour.Simply put, it seems that the Police are being absolved of the responsibility to investigate after receiving just the one complaint.
Rather different, then, to areas where activities which are wholesome, enjoyable, or life-enhancing seem to require only one complaint to have non anti-social activity stopped, such as expressions of affection.
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| Un nain fumeur piétiné par un intolérant hygiéniste
Published on 2012-02-01 05:41:01.
Website: Accueil
This is Somerset: "Nain fumeur piétiné devant un pub!
"Un nain de Milborne Port a été jeté à terre et piétiné alors qu'il fumait une cigarette devant un pub de Wincanton (Somerset)
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En progression - La Libertad
Published on 2012-01-31 23:45:10.
Website: Accueil
Le fabricant de tabac suisse Villiger annonce un chiffre d'affaires record pour 2011. Ses ventes de cigars et de tabac à fumer ont progressé de 22%. Les ventes de la filiale allemande Villiger Söhne GmbH ont enregistré une progression de 26%. Ce résultat est dû à la progression de 17% du chiffre d’affaires réalisé en Suisse et à la hausse de 92% des exportations vers l’UE dont le volume a ainsi presque doublé.
Les conséquences inattendues de la prohibition rampante ?
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| News From France
Published on 2012-01-31 17:00:26.
Website: Frank Davis
Even though it’s the UK’s next door neighbour, I never seem to hear much in the way of news on how the French smoking ban is playing out. So H/T Jredheadedgirl in Lousiana for this snippet of news: More smokers … Continue reading →
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"Permis de fumer" envisagé au Royaume-Uni
Published on 2012-01-31 11:11:51.
Website: Accueil
(BBC-News-UK) )Les fumeurs britanniques
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| It's Personal, Plain And Simple
Published on 2012-01-31 08:35:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
You'll have smelt the nasty whiff of yet another 'urgent' and 'vital' anti-tobacco campaign, I take it? Even more so than the last one which, err, hasn't concluded yet.
Yes, the tobacco displays won't be fully hidden till April - with all the unintentionally accompanying hilarity that nonsense entails - but tobacco control is already spending money like water to, as Snowdon astutely comments, "justify its existence" with the latest expensive hare-brained exercise in abject failure. Plain packaging.
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L'Espagne aux prises avec les cigarettes de contrebande
Published on 2012-01-31 08:17:52.
Website: Accueil
soltimes.com: " Un tsunami de cigarettes de contrebande déferle sur l'Espagne"
"En 2011, les ventes de cigarettes légales a chuté brusquement de 16, 5 %,
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| Fifth Amendment compels government (and lobbyists who profit from rent seeking legislation, smoking bans) to compensate losses to individuals affected
Published on 2012-01-31 07:51:00.
Website: Clearing The Air
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
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Transparence: accès aux documents de l'administration facilité
Published on 2012-01-30 18:13:06.
Website: Accueil
ATS: "L'accès aux documents des administrations cantonales et de la Confédération est désormais plus facile pour les citoyens et journalistes de Suisse romande. Le site loitransparence.ch, version francophone de öffentlichkeitsgesetz.ch, a été mis en ligne lundi, selon l'association homonyme.
"L'idée est de rendre cette démarche la plus simple et facile possible" afin de promouvoir l'application des lois sur la transparence fédérales et cantonales, indique l'association loitransparence.ch dans un communiqué. La plateforme öffentlichkeitsgezt.ch, mise sur pied en juin 2011, a ainsi son pendant francophone.
"La loi fédérale sur la transparence est entrée en vigueur en 2006. Elle permet aux citoyens d'avoir accès à tous les documents de l'administration fédérale. Depuis janvier 2011, tous les cantons romands possèdent également une telle législation. Elle est cependant encore peu connue, souligne l'association loitransparence.ch. (ats)
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| Not About Health
Published on 2012-01-30 16:20:49.
Website: Frank Davis
“It’s not about health.” I think I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read those words in describing the reasons for the smoking ban. After all, if you push people out into the cold and wet, you’re not … Continue reading →
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Competitive Tendering: A Personal Anecdotal Update
Published on 2012-01-30 11:24:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
Last Spring, some may remember a piece here on public sector competitive tendering; the way that it now arguably costs the taxpayer rather than saves; how it is a right royal boon to Puddlecote Inc; and how, despite that, I still fundamentally despise its EU-led, self-serving administrative pomposity on principle. Go read it if you have time, as it is a pre-cursor to this latest chapter.
You see, in that article I explained how our competitors had been whittled away in the past seven or eight years. Where there used to be around 120 of us battling for the opportunities from public sector contracts, at time of writing last April it was down to just under 40. We were successful in being accepted for that particular framework, but things have moved on somewhat since.
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| Les mendiants professionnels passent mieux nos frontières que les livres...
Published on 2012-01-30 09:12:24.
Website: Accueil
Le Temps: "Faut-il réglementer le prix du livre? Le débat a animé le parlement pendant sept ans. Maintenant, à la suite d’un référendum contre la loi adoptée en mars 2011, la polémique s’élargit. La loi acceptée par les Chambres prévoit que les éditeurs ou les diffuseurs fixent le prix des ouvrages. Un rabais de 5% est toléré. En cas de soupçon de prix surfaits par rapport aux tarifs pratiqués à l’étranger, la Surveillance des prix peut intervenir. Les partisans plébiscitent un texte montré comme une planche de salut pour les librairies indépendantes. Les opposants condamnent une soumission au «cartel des distributeurs». Le débat enfle alors que le prix du livre s’est trouvé encore plus exposé en période d’affaiblissement de l’euro. En Suisse romande, le prix peut excéder 40% le tarif français. Le débat helvétique a lieu alors que, à l’instar de l’industrie de la musique à l’orée des années 2000, le marché du livre est secoué par la montée en puissance du numérique. (mise à jour: 26
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French Ignore Ban
Published on 2012-01-30 09:11:00.
Website: Jredheadgirl
Thanks to Smokers Against Discrimination for posting this on Facebook-
Anti-smoking group Droits des Non-Fumeurs (Non-Smokers Rights) has taken it upon themselves to conduct a survey to assess the level of compliance with France's five year old smoking ban.
They did not like the results. Apparently, many French smokers have decided that they're just not going to adhere to the Neo-Bishops of Do-Gooderism. Oh, but of course, the anti-smokers always have an answer to everything:
The organisation is calling for an increase in the number of inspections to stamp out the rise.
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| " Danger, la morale fait son grand retour ! "
Published on 2012-01-30 07:52:44.
Website: Accueil
La Tribune de Genève/politblog: "Tous les lundis, nous donnons carte blanche à un politicien ou à une politicienne suisse. Aujourd'hui le conseiller national libéral-radical vaudois Fathi Derder.
"Attention, danger! «La Morale» est de retour. Une vague moralisante déferle sur l’actualité, jusqu’à l’écœurement: Hildebrand et sa faute «morale», la crise économique et nos «péchés» (dixit Klaus Schwab dans L’Hebdo), le nucléaire, l’écologie (l’homme, forcément «mauvais», qui tue sa planète), les bonus «indécents» des patrons
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Plain talking
Published on 2012-01-30 06:53:00.
Website: Velvet Glove, Iron Fist
The British anti-tobacco industry is preparing to launch it's latest attempt to justify its existence. A public consultation on plain packaging is expected in March and the Department of Health's various sockpuppets (ASH, Fresh, Smokefree SouthWest etc.) will spend an enormous amount of taxpayers' money getting its employees and supporters to click on websites and send postcards.
The pseudo-journal Tobacco Control has helpfully published a "study" to help campaigners overcome objections from the public. Being Tobacco Control, the methodology is the tried-and-tested 'messing about on the internet' approach, in this instance the inappropriately named Becky Freeman has been reading comments on news stories.
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| Political crimes
Published on 2012-01-30 02:42:00.
Website: Freedom-2-Choose (Scotland)
It is good to learn that the appeal for Chris Carter has reached its target.
He has the support of the British Constitution Group among others.
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Up in smoke?
Published on 2012-01-29 11:16:00.
Website: Jredheadgirl
Thanks to Andrew Phillips for posting this on Facebook via NYC Clash-
Organizers of Capital Pride are worried the City of Ottawa’s proposed expanded smoking ban will hurt attendance at this summer's Pride festival.
Gee, ya think? The madness continues... I thank God every day that I live in Louisiana now.
Up in smoke?
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| E-Cigs Are "The Future, They're Cool"
Published on 2012-01-29 09:15:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
Just yesterday, I mentioned an article detailing the overwhelming momentum of e-cig popularity thus.
[Michael Ryan, co-founder and director of E-Lites said] "We're rapidly approaching a tipping point. In the next year to 18 months, we expect electronic cigarettes to become fairly widespread among smokers."The day before, I'd reported on how ITV had rammed a stake through the hearts of every pharma-funded anti-smoker worldwide by advertising e-cigs as a smoking cessation product. The very thing tobacco control is very keen to prevent as a concept.
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They Just Don’t Know
Published on 2012-01-29 08:42:03.
Website: Frank Davis
H/T James Delingpole for an article in the Mail predicting the Thames will freeze over: Forget global warming – it’s Cycle 25 we need to worry about (and if NASA scientists are right the Thames will be freezing over again) …leading … Continue reading →
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| Science toxique létale...
Published on 2012-01-29 07:14:35.
Website: Accueil
Les "arguments d'autorité" font mouche dans une société éprise de santé et de bonheur parfait sur Terre. "La Vie, mode d'emploi" se décline désormais sous un corpus de bons conseils hygiénistes:
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Monty Python Policy-Making Hits The Market Place
Published on 2012-01-28 10:22:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
No! Don't Look! Gah, too late
The peerless Kate of UK Vapers highlighted a very interesting piece about not only the current rising fortunes of e-cigs (scroll to the bottom), but also the tobacco market in general.
Squirrelled away amongst the comprehensive trade info, though, were these startling - and uncomfortably amusing - couple of paras describing the lengths cash and carry outlets are forced to go to in satisfying the daft tobacco display regulations by April 6th (emphases mine).
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| Vive attaque contre un adepte de l'Eglise de Tabacologie: J.-F. Etter (Genève)
Published on 2012-01-28 09:20:28.
Website: Accueil
unairneuf.org: "Stop-tabac.ch et la cigarette électronique : un peu trop farci de parti-pris"
"Il était une fois un petit Etat neutre au centre de l’Europe choisi par l’Organisation Mondiale de la Santé pour y établir son siège : le canton suisse de Genève. Avec des financements publics et l'assistance de la Faculté de Médecine locale, Jean-François Etter a construit un site internet sur le sevrage tabagique nommé Stop-tabac.ch. C’est le site francophone le plus fréquenté sur le sujet : UnAirneuf.org y a longtemps fait référence dans sa colonne de droite.
"Ceci jusqu’à un jour de 2009 où M. Etter a fait disparaître votre blog préféré de sa liste de liens utiles, car « nous avons des avis divergents sur les traitements de la dépendance au tabac » (courriel du 02/06/09). Comme cela est malheureusement souvent le cas dans le monde de la tabacologie, les voix dissidentes du dogme de l’Église de Tabacologie sont excommuniées.
"UnAirNeuf.org ne participe en effet pas à la communion des fidèles de la nicotine pharmaceutique ou des autres traitements médicamenteux aussi inutiles pour les fumeurs que la poudre de perlimpinpin. La confrontation de points de vue - documentés - désorienterait-elle et déstabiliserait-elle les fumeurs et les fumeuses à la recherche d'une hypothétique solution pour en finir avec leur tabagisme ? Apparemment, le débat d'idées fait de l'ombre à certains intérêts !"
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A work of art
Published on 2012-01-28 06:29:00.
Website: Velvet Glove, Iron Fist
The Guardian recently kicked off the campaign for plain packaging this week with an interview with that sad old sociologist Simon Chapman who seems to think that the tobacco industry finds him fascinating:
"They dislike me intensely because of my prominence and persistence. But I also confuse them because I'm very against the censorship and rating of films because of their tobacco content."
"Hey, look at me—I'm only half-mad!"
Expect much more about plain packaging in the next few months. The Department of Health has lined up its usual NGOs and fake charities to persuade the public that a policy that is so preposterous that even the most deranged anti-smoking headbangers have only recently endorsed it, should be a priority as we slide back into recession and the EU goes bust.
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| Link Tank 28/01
Published on 2012-01-28 03:00:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
The rinky-dink Link Tank, and it's as plain as your nose ...
How about butting out of family life?
Why McDonald's has adapted so well in France ...
... And how they are upsetting Seventh-day Adventists in California
In a strange twist, private business bans e-cigs, local state authority supports them
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The Smoking Years
Published on 2012-01-27 18:11:00.
Website: Velvet Glove, Iron Fist
For those who didn't, or couldn't, watch it when it was on the telly earlier this month...
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| Britons Flee Olympics
Published on 2012-01-27 17:24:50.
Website: Frank Davis
Surprising article in the Mail: One in ten Britons going OVERSEAS just to avoid the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ hordes of British people will be going to exceptional lengths to stay away from the high profile event. The older generation … Continue reading →
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