Safe As Milk
Published on 2013-06-19 17:43:35.
Website: Frank Davis
Couple of things I’ve noticed in the past week. Firstly, H/T Dick Puddlecote for Cancer risk of two beers a year. And H/T Chris Snowdon, two prototype alcohol warnings. The images are fairly mild, but once in place on the wine … Continue reading →
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| " Les Verts rejettent l'alliance avec les Pirates pour leurs «liens» avec la prostitution "
Published on 2013-06-19 15:58:43.
Website: Accueil
La Tribune de Genève: " La polémique autour de la candidature du Pirate Daniel Ceszkowski, mari de la patronne du salon érotique Vénusia, a eu raison du projet de liste de traverse.
«La direction du parti des Verts a renoncé à l'idée d'une alliance pour l'élection au Conseil d'Etat avec les Pirates en raison de la polémique autour de la candidature de Daniel Ceszkowski», a déclaré à la Tribune de Genève Emilie Flamand, présidente des Verts genevois.
"En effet, le candidat pirate au Conseil d'Etat Daniel Ceszkowski (photo) est marié à Lisa, patronne du salon érotique Vénusia. Il est fondé de procuration sur cette société, mais rappelle qu'il n'est que «signataire, pas propriétaire». Est-ce si grave? «A titre personnel je trouve que non, précise Emilie Flamand. Mais il y avait différentes sensibilités par rapport à ce sujet au sein du bureau. On avait quand même beaucoup de points communs sur le programme."
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Tobacco Control Tactics - E-Cig Version
Published on 2013-06-19 13:15:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
Via the WSJ ($), here is a passage that should chill the hearts of some of the more smug vaping advocates out there.
On the marketing front, e-cigarette makers have also started emulating tactics once used by tobacco companies. They sponsor medical studies and testimonials from doctors, and run television spots advertising the use of e-cigarettes indoors or in the presence of children, since they do not result in second-hand smoke.
"This is really undermining all the progress we have made in de-normalizing smoking," says Dr. Pisinger."
The denormalisation tactics toward e-cigs are very much underway including - as we see above - smearing valid arguments from suppliers in order to stifle debate. This is how they are able to completely ignore studies which prove beyond doubt that there is no harm to third parties from e-cig use.
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| How Can We Govern If People Are Thinking For Themselves?
Published on 2013-06-19 10:12:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
Yes, I know Downfall parodies are somewhat passé these days but just in case you haven't seen this video which has been bouncing lethargically around Twitter ...
Well, it made me laugh anyway.
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The nicotine takeover
Published on 2013-06-19 04:26:00.
Website: Velvet Glove, Iron Fist
I've written an article for Spiked about the medicalisation of e-cigarettes. The recent MHRA decision was bad news for vapers, but there is a bigger picture. It is not just e-cigarettes that will be controlled by the medical establishment. All 'nicotine-containing products'—except tobacco—will henceforth be regulated as medicines, including products which have not been invented yet.
This is the continuation of a process that began with the 1868 Pharmacy Act (UK) and the 1915 Harrison Narcotics Tax Act (US) which restricted the sale of opium to chemists and doctors, after lobbying from the Pharmaceutical Society and the American Medical Association respectively. By 1920, the medical establishment had brought all narcotics under its authority on both sides of the Atlantic and paved the way for the war on drugs. In America this extended to alcohol, with doctors able to prescribe medicinal liquor during Prohibition (a privilege they greatly abused). British medics have never seized control of the drinks industry, but the MHRA ruling will give them authority over the other remaining outpost of chemically induced pleasure – nicotine.
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| CASA Columbia Makes False Public Accusation; Needs to Get Its Facts Straight
Published on 2013-06-19 04:17:00.
Website: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary
In a letter to the editor published this week in the New York Times, CASA Columbia (formerly the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University) publicly accused Reynolds American and other tobacco companies of marketing flavored electronic cigarettes to children.
In the letter, the Center writes: "E-cigarettes are a very effective delivery system for the addictive drug nicotine. Nicotine is particularly dangerous for our children, since early use increases the risk of addiction involving both nicotine and other drugs. With its enthusiastic endorsement of e-cigarettes, the tobacco industry is once again marketing the disease of addiction to this most vulnerable customer base. ... Flavorings like chocolate, cherry and peach are clearly not aimed at the typical middle-aged consumer seeking to quit an addiction involving tobacco, and these products have not been proved to be effective in accomplishing that goal. More than one in seven Americans already have the disease of addiction. Are we prepared to knowingly stand by and allow Big Tobacco to increase that number in the name of profit yet again?"
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Immortal Beauties
Published on 2013-06-18 16:46:03.
Website: Frank Davis
I came across a Facebook page of classic photos. Here’s a selection of ones with an appropriate theme. Click to enlarge. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Monica Vitti, Greta Garbo, Alain Delon, Tony Martin and Rita Hayworth, Marlene Dietrich, Brigitte … Continue reading →
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| Anti-Tobacco Advocate Argues that Cigarettes Should Remain More Freely Available to the Public than Fake Electronic Ones Without Any Tobacco
Published on 2013-06-18 06:42:00.
Website: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary
I remember years ago when a colleague was pressuring a chain of stores to stop selling candy cigarettes. While I certainly agreed that stores shouldn't sell candy cigarettes, I asked my colleague a question: "Why are you asking the store to stop selling the fake cigarettes but to continue selling the real ones?" That made no sense to me.
Now, in a story that is quite similar, an anti-tobacco advocate is arguing that steps should be taken to make sure that real, deadly, tobacco cigarettes remain much more readily available to the public than fake ones which have not been shown to cause any substantial harm and which are actually helping thousands of people to quit smoking.
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Graphic warnings for alcohol
Published on 2013-06-18 06:28:00.
Website: Velvet Glove, Iron Fist
More news from the slippery slope. The EU-funded public health lobby group Eurocare has been presenting their 'next logical steps' in Ireland. Following the anti-smoking blueprint to the letter, they've mocked up some graphic warnings for wine bottles. Fetching design, don't you think?
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| The Pied Piper
Published on 2013-06-17 17:56:58.
Website: Frank Davis
H/T Harley for Peter Hitchens’ Revenge of the Fruitcakes in American Spectator. It’s a perceptive article about Nigel Farage and the rise of UKIP. As Hitchens sees it, British conservatives have finally woken up to the fact that David Cameron … Continue reading →
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NICE Don't Care Much About Health Either
Published on 2013-06-17 13:50:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
You may remember a blaze of publicity earlier this month as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produced their new guidelines on tobacco harm reduction.
Very proud they were of it too.
Landmark guidance to reduce tobacco-related harm for people who don't feel able to stop smoking in one step is published today by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Wednesday 5 June).
The NICE public health guidance is the first in the world to recommend that licensed nicotine-containing products can be used to help people to reduce the amount they smoke, especially those who are highly dependent on nicotine. This includes people who may not be able to stop smoking in one go, those who want to stop smoking without necessarily giving up nicotine, and those who might not be ready to stop but want to reduce the amount they smoke.
Wahey! The part emphasised is exactly what e-cigs provide, is it not?
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| Londres aurait «espionné» les délégués du G20
Published on 2013-06-17 13:28:23.
Website: Accueil
20 Minutes: " SOMMET - "Les autorités britanniques, en plein préparatifs du sommet du G8, sont embarrassées par des révélations de l'ex-espion américain Edward Snowden...
"Les autorités britanniques, en plein préparatifs du sommet du G8, sont embarrassées par des révélations de l'ex-espion américain Edward Snowden qui montrent que Londres aurait espionné les délégués du G20 lors des réunions d'avril et septembre 2009. L'agence des services secrets britannique Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) aurait utilisé «des capacités révolutionnaires de renseignement» pour contrôler les communications des personnalités qui ont participé à ces deux réunions, selon des documents dont a eu connaissance le quotidien the Guardian.
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Manifestation à Berne: la photo des casseurs présumés sur Internet
Published on 2013-06-17 12:45:58.
Website: Accueil
(ATS) " "La police cantonale bernoise a publié lundi sur son site internet une centaine de photos de casseurs présumés qui ont sévi lors de la manifestation "Tanz dich frei" à Berne. Le Ministère public a autorisé la publication de ces images dans le cadre de l'enquête.
"La police rappelle dans un communiqué que la population peut encore lui remettre des photos et des enregistrements vidéos pris lors des débordements survenus dans la nuit du 25 au 26 mai dans la ville fédérale.
"Les autorités d'enquête ont la possibilité de demander l'aide de la population pour résoudre des délits. La police avait déjà diffusé sur Internet des photos de hooligans présumés il y a quelques années. "
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| Big Brother Discards the Poor and the Old
Published on 2013-06-17 11:21:00.
Website: Jredheadgirl
Thanks to Audrey Silk for posting this on Facebook via NYC CLASH-
AHFC said it had support from the residents; I found none, and I live here.
Smoked out: New smoking rules for public housing are a slap in face - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Community Perspectives
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A Berne, les addictions seront dénoncées sans violation du secret professionnel !
Published on 2013-06-17 04:50:29.
Website: Accueil
RTS- La Première - le 12:30: " Le troubles liés à l'addiction ne seront plus seulement dénoncés à Berne par les médecins, mais par tous les professionnels qui le constatent, notamment les enseignants ou les assistants sociaux.
"Le gouvernement bernois a modifié sa législation pour favoriser la détection précoce et éviter une marginalisation des personnes souffrant d'addiction. Dès le 1er août, les cas de troubles pourront être signalés, sans violation du secret professionnel, par tous les professionnels qui les constatent.
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| The Cleveland Clinic: Unethical By Its Own Standards
Published on 2013-06-17 03:21:00.
Website: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary
By its own standards, the Cleveland Clinic is acting unethically by supporting behavior that ultimately leads to death.
How is the Cleveland Clinic supporting behavior that leads to death?
Well, it's doing it in two ways:
1. By continuing to employ smokers, which increases health care costs, threatening our "sustainability as a nation."
2. By continuing to employ overweight individuals, which drives up health care costs, threatening our "sustainability as a nation."
The Rest of the Story
It is not me who opined that hiring employees who exhibit unhealthy behaviors is unethical. It is the Cleveland Clinic! In an op-ed piece, the physician who chairs the Wellness Institute at the Cleveland Clinic wrote:
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Anyone For A Bacon Sandwich?
Published on 2013-06-16 16:16:33.
Website: Frank Davis
What a demented world we live in. I came across this story today: An IT contractor claims an off-the-cuff remark about a bacon sandwich cost him a £1,000-a-week job. Clive Hunt, 58, says he was offered an eight-month NHS contract … Continue reading →
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| La Radio vaudoise s'étonne d'une candidature "Pirate"...
Published on 2013-06-16 15:59:22.
Website: Accueil
RTS - La Première- Forum: Pour faire monter (ou maintenir) son audimat, l'émission d'information-phare FORUM de La Première s'est emparé d'un sujet qui ne fait même plus sourire les Genevois: l'un des trois candidats du Parti pirate aux élections du Conseil d'Etat en octobre est l'époux d'une exploitante d'un salon érotique établi à Genève depuis dix ans. Avec succès. La station de radio vaudoise a invité le président du Parti pirate, Alexis Roussel, pour s'expliquer sur un choix qui ne peut plus étonner que des provinciaux agrestes:-)
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Questions Need To Be Asked, So Let's Ask Them
Published on 2013-06-16 13:26:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
Even those of us who have been aware for some time that the tobacco control movement has had little to do with health were still quite surprised at the incompetence of the MHRA last week.
In effectively killing off e-cigs - should their daft recommendations eventually be adopted - they seem to be either woefully ill-advised or criminally incompetent.
There is, of course, a third possibility as highlighted by the Free Society yesterday.
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| Nouveau lobby pour défendre l'identité suisse
Published on 2013-06-16 06:30:00.
Website: Accueil
Le Matin-Dimanche nous rèvèle la naissance d'un bienvenu trublion dans le paysage politique suisse: Le Lobby des Citoyens. Ce groupe milite "contre la Lex USA et, plus largement, contre les atteintes à la souveraineté suisse." D'autres associations telles que Le Carton Rouge du Citoyen (Genève) et SwissRespect en font de même, chacune à sa manière. Oserons-nous rappeler que nos Dissident(e)s de Genève (DDG), "indépendants"... mais pas inactifs sur le plan politique, font aussi partie du mouvement de résistance aux pratiques liberticides qui, par contamination d'un virus venu de l'étranger, menacent et amputent toujours plus les libertés de nos citoyens ? A ces groupes de pression et associations, il faut ajouter un nouveau-venu: le Parti Pirate suisse.
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Que faut-il penser de la cigarette électronique ?
Published on 2013-06-16 04:19:42.
Website: Accueil
unairneuf.org: "Dr Dominique Dupagne s'exprime dans l’émission La Tête au Carré, France Inter, 14 juin 2013
(Mathieu Vidard) - Dominique Dupagne, on ouvre avec vous le dossier « Cigarette électronique », ces cigarettes qui connaissent un succès grandissant, avec des boutiques qui fleurissent un petit peu partout, des questions qui se posent au sujet de leur toxicité, à tel point que la Ministre de la Santé a annoncé fin mai son intention de l’interdire dans les lieux publics et aux moins de 18 ans.
- Que faut-il penser de tout cela, Dominique Dupagne ?
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| Düsseldorf Smoking Ban Protest
Published on 2013-06-15 17:53:48.
Website: Frank Davis
H/T Reinhold and Brigitte. Google translation, slightly ‘improved’ by me: Dusseldorf (RPO). Intensifying antismoking measures in North Rhine-Westphalia have driven smokers and restaurateurs in protest onto the streets. In the smoking-demo on Saturday in Dusseldorf, rockers also marched with children and dogs. … Continue reading →
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Dix-sept pirates à l'assaut du Grand Conseil (Genève)
Published on 2013-06-15 17:07:09.
Website: Accueil
Blog Bonny D. Indépendance sur La Tribune de Genève online: " L’assemblée générale du Parti Pirate genevois a approuvé ses listes au Grand Conseil et au Conseil d’Etat en vue des élections cantonales du 6 octobre prochain. Ce sont ainsi 17 « pirates » qui partiront cet automne à l’abordage du quorum de 7% pour obtenir des sièges au sein du Parlement", écrit Didier Bonny (photo à g.), actuel député indépendant au Grand Conseil (ex PDC).
"Parmi ces 17 candidats, trois sont aussi candidats au Conseil d’Etat, puisque ma candidature a été validée à l’unanimité moins une abstention par l’assemblée générale. Je ferai ainsi liste commune avec Alexis Roussel (photo ci-dessus à dr.) et Daniel Ceszkowski (photo ci-dessous).
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| Pourquoi la CIA opère impunément en Suisse
Published on 2013-06-15 16:25:49.
Website: Accueil
lematin.ch: Depuis 2001, l’IRS, le FBI ou CIA ciblent régulièrement les banques Suisses. Mais au Service de renseignement de la Confédération, on préfère regarder ailleurs. La dépendance vis-à-vis des États-Unis est trop forte.
"Ce qu’il a vu dans le bureau genevois de la CIA l’aurait «marqué» de façon décisive et l’aurait poussé à dévoiler au grand jour le fonctionnement du système de surveillance électronique américain, explique le whistleblower Edward Snowden. Des agents américains, a-t-il notamment expliqué, auraient poussé un banquier suisse à se saouler avant de le laisser rentrer chez lui en voiture. Une fois pincé par la police, ils l’auraient «aidé» pour gagner sa confiance. Et les Américains auraient finalement pu obtenir les informations bancaires confidentielles qu’ils souhaitaient."
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Link Tank 15/06
Published on 2013-06-15 03:05:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
So begins another weary day-e-ay.
Is big tobacco back as a big advertiser?
Where's the outrage at an MP demanding censorship?
Beyond the great firewall: How and what China censors
Belgium’s centuries-old beer producers are exporting at astonishing rates
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| Bent cucumbers, olive oil and the exact diameter of cigarettes
Published on 2013-06-14 18:40:00.
Website: Velvet Glove, Iron Fist
Today sees the 25th anniversary of EEC Regulation No 1677/88, a piece of European legislation that has gone down in infamy for banning bent cucumbers and which was the precursor to the equally infamous ban on bent bananas. Such regulations have been used as a stick with which to beat Eurocrats ever since.
Regulation No 1677/88 specified that cucumbers must be "reasonably well shaped and practically straight" with a maximum height of the arc being "10 mm per 10 cm of the length of cucumber". If you can bear to read the entire list of rules, you will see that the EU's reputation for bureaucratic micromanagement is well deserved. As Dan Hannan and others have pointed out, it is not a myth.
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Burnley Thrash Manchester City
Published on 2013-06-14 11:24:00.
Website: Dick Puddlecote
I went to a football match at Manchester City's Etihad stadium once.
Nice ground and all that, but I remember the stewarding being pretty heavy-handed to say the least. I was with the boy and in seats at the edge of the pitch, meaning he didn't see the last five or ten minutes due to a ring of hi viz-bedecked, err, crowd control operatives blocking his view entirely as they stood arms folded looking menacingly at supporters who had stumped up a princely sum for their ticket.
I remember the supporters being in jubilant mood, so much so that one lit a cigar about ten rows back. He may as well have taken the pin out of a hand grenade as three stewards leapt seats and ignorantly sent innocent fans flying to get to him.
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| Les Etats-Unis nous espionnent...Que faire ? Le Parti Pirate vous répond !
Published on 2013-06-14 09:13:26.
Website: Accueil
La Suisse vient de découvrir brutalement que l'un de ses partenaires privilégiés, les Etats-Unis d'Amérique, l'espionnaient systématiquement au même titre que d'autres "cibles". Le citoyen a aussi appris dans la même foulée que nos services de renseignements (SRC) dépendaient en grande partie des "services" américains. Léman Bleu a mis "Dans les Cordes" le président du Parti Pirate suisse, Alexis Roussel (photo), dont le savoir en la matière dépasse, et de loin, la connaissance de tous les autres partis en matière de protection de la vie privée dans le nouvel univers qu'est celui du Net et des réseaux sociaux.
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Joyless puritans
Published on 2013-06-14 06:58:00.
Website: Velvet Glove, Iron Fist
I was on Radio Merseyside on Wednesday talking about Alcohol Concern's predictable desire to ban alcohol sponsorship. You can listen to it for the next few days here — my segment begins at around 1 hour 6 minutes.
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| All you need to know about Simon Chapman
Published on 2013-06-14 04:56:00.
Website: Velvet Glove, Iron Fist
Reptilian sociologist Simon Fenton Chapman is holding forth in this week's issue of the British Medical Journal in a two-headed debate about e-cigarettes. Naturally, the prohibitionist is touting the benefits of prohibition under the following heading:
Should electronic cigarettes be as freely available as tobacco cigarettes? No
Consider that for a moment. Simple Simon thinks it's better to make real cigarettes more available than a non-tobacco, non-combustible product that is around 99 per cent safer. He says...
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Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Wants to Tie Childhood Education to Future High Levels of Smoking; Undermines National Tobacco Control Funding
Published on 2013-06-14 04:02:00.
Website: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary
In a destructive move that will have negative repercussions for future funding of tobacco control programs, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has turned its back on the state-of-the-art in tobacco control and instead, is pushing for a cigarette tax increase that will further reduce incentives for the government to reduce cigarette use.
In a letter to the editor published in the New York Times, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids supports President Obama's proposal to increase the federal cigarette excise tax by 94 cents in order to fund early childhood education programs. The revenues would be used to help expand pre-school programs. None of this money would be allocated for tobacco control or even other health-related programs.
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| Close encounters of the third variable
Published on 2013-06-13 17:16:00.
Website: Velvet Glove, Iron Fist
From yesterday's Metro...
Chemical in plastics 'causes obesity in many young girls'
Young girls exposed to a chemical found in a variety of plastics could be up to five times greater risk of obesity, a study suggests.
Sceptical minds will have noticed that this epidemiological finding relates only to girls, not boys—always an indicator of a data dredge. Notwithstanding the unlikelihood of a single chemical 'causing' obesity, what kind of bizarre substance would cause obesity in females but not males?
Those aged nine to 12 with 'extremely high' levels of bisphenol-A in their urine were most likely to be grossly overweight, the Plos One journal reports.
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