THE GUARDIAN: Government plan to reduce smoking rates in danger of falling a decade behind schedule
England will not be “smoke-free” until 2039, missing a key public health target by almost a decade, an analysis has found.
While smoking rates are in decline they are not falling fast enough to realise the government’s ambition of England being smoke-free” by 2030, according to Cancer Research UK (CRUK).
And stark socioeconomic inequalities in smoking – with poorer people much more likely to light up than the well-off – will continue for decades to come, its research shows. » | Denis Campbell, Health policy editor | Monday, November 4, 2024
England will never be, and should never be, smoke-free! Why? Because if it could ever be done, it would be replaced by something far, far worse. These politicians and do-gooders don’t understand ONE BASIC THING about human psychology. It is this: People WILL get their kicks from somehere! If these ill-informed people think that all people are just going to go to work each day, go home, and then go to bed without having any of the pleasures of life, then they are greatly mistaken.
As for cancer, it is a terrible disease. I have known several people who have died from it. They were NOT smokers! Whilst it is true that smoking can cause cancer, especially lung cancer, according to trustworthy sources on the Internet, it is only between 5 and 10% of HEAVY SMOKERS who contract it. Eliminating smoking will not eliminate cancer!
Further, taxing cigarettes to the hilt, thus making them too expensive for people to be able to afford to smoke government-controlled cigarettes only pushes people to buy them on the black market. I am told that the black market for cigarettes in the United Kingdom is thriving! It certainly is in Australia.
Just in case anyone thinks that my opinions are biased because I am myself a smoker, please think again! I quit smoking on April 10th 2022. That is almost two years and seven months ago. I haven’t smoked a cigarette since that day. But I am on the side of smokers because over the years, I have derived untold pleasure from smoking cigarettes. I always smoked out of choice, NOT out of addiction! I have bever been addicted to anything. Not even cigarettes.
I wish these joyless people would just give up their social engineering. They try and say that smoking is now predominantly a working-class habit. TOSH! How many people in the working class can afford to smoke these days? With current prices in the UK, it is only the super-privileged who can afford to smoke. For the less well-off, they must be rolling their own, or something.
By the way, when governments make cigarettes extremely expensive, they are doing something deleterious to the health of smokers. And for one simple reason: Governments have no control over the quality of the cigarettes being illegally imported from Asia and the Far East. In years to come, governments will be finding that the health of smokers will be worse than if they had been smoking legal, quality-controlled cigarettes. This, if anything, will place a burden on the health service in years to come.
Moreover, it is stupid to encourage vaping as a replacement of smoking. In the not-too-distant future, they will find that vaping is more injurious to health than smoking cigarettes. Governments need to meddle less in people’s lifestyle choices, they need to stop sweating the little things. Instead, they need to concentrate on the important things. That is what proper governments should do. – © Mark Alexander
Disposable vapes ban could push some users back to smoking, ministers told: Defra report warns there could be ‘health disbenefits’ with 29% of vapers reverting or relapsing to cigarettes »
'Pack of Cigs and a Bic Lighter': Why Are Celebs Glamorising Smoking Again? »
Showing posts with label smoking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smoking. Show all posts
Monday, November 04, 2024
Sunday, November 03, 2024
'Pack of Cigs and a Bic Lighter': Why Are Celebs Glamorising Smoking Again?
BBC: rat summer might be over as we grapple with how dark it is at 4pm, but the concept of being a brat – “pack of cigs and a Bic lighter”, according to the singer Charli XCX – lives on.
There's Rosalia gifting Charli XCX a bouquet of cigarettes on her birthday, Addison Rae smoking not one but two at the same time in her music video Aquamarine, and the actor Paul Mescal saying he refused to give up smoking when getting into shape for Gladiator II.
…
Despite this, singers, actors and influencers seem to be bringing smoking back into vogue - quite literally, with cigarettes making a return as on the New York Fashion Week runways earlier this year as accessories.
So, why are cigarettes being glamorised again?
Lucy, a 20-year-old university student, says she took up smoking recently because "it's just what everyone does".
Almost all her friends also smoke and she says it's more than just a habit, it's an aesthetic.
"I definitely think everyone trying to be brat has influenced people to start smoking because Charli herself says you have to have a pack of cigs if you really want to embody the vibe." » | Yasmin Rufo, BBC News | Sunday, November 3, 2024
EAT your HEARTS OUT Keir Starmer and Chris Whitty! Smoking is making a comeback! None too soon, either! As unhealthy as smoking might be, it is infinitely healthier than the alternatives of drugs. And far healthier than those unhealthy and uncool vapes, too. And then there's all the rest of the poisons that people injest today — just for kicks. People will always look for kicks, especially the young.
Starmer, you haven't got a snowball's chance in hell of outlawing smoking. Especially for the young. Smoking is pleasurable, cool, sexy, and alluring. After all, who wants to watch a love story from Hollywood with the main characters sharing a vape? It doesn't quite cut it, does it?
In spite of any laws that might be passed in Parliement, smoking will not be killed off. Smoking cigarettes will live on long after our do-gooding politicians will be kicking up daisies! Long live pleasure! Long live freedom! Long live the right to choose! — © Mark Alexander
Related stuff here.
Friday, October 18, 2024
Chesterfield Cigarettes in World War II | Tobaccoland at War | Industrial Film
Jan 21, 2017 | Chesterfield Cigarettes presents “Tobaccoland USA at War,” a black-and-white circa 1943 “new kind of pictorial adventure” examining tobacco production in such states as Tennessee, Virginia, and the Carolinas — areas that have made “Chesterfield synonymous with American smoking pleasure.” We visit the offices of Liggett & Myers Tobacco, Inc. (Chesterfield’s parent company) in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina starting at mark 01:04 and view production lines and tobacco fields, meeting some of the “fine families” who grow the product. We watch as families work together in the fields (mark 02:25) and later processed. There’s a look inside a farm’s curing barn starting at mark 03:21where the product is later sold at auction — a process shown starting at mark 04:40. The film continues as the plant undergoes a “new” and “scientific” process, shown starting at mark 06:37, which restores to the tobacco leaves the precise amount of moisture needed for a perfect flavor. Eventually, the final product — Chesterfield cigarettes — roll off an assembly line at mark 08:44.
Released during World War II, the promotional film makes note that Chesterfield cigarettes are enjoyed by “fighting men” around the world and is “one of the few comforts” of home as we see a filmed scene of soldiers in a bunker pausing for a smoke (mark 09:25). Starting at mark 09:55 the film visits “the fighting fronts” and a group of US Marines in combat at land and at sea, followed by scenes aboard a US Coast Guard vessel (mark 11:23) and US Navy ship (mark 12:27), as well as the Merchant Marines. Through various battle scenes, the narrator reminds the viewer that American servicemen gain its strength not only from its weaponry but also from support from the home front. As scenes from the Army Air Force fill the screen starting at mark 14:56, the narrator says that “with each pounding the enemy is weakened” And while fathers and sons are away from home, families at home continue to tend to the farms — and the tobacco crops — to continue to meet the demand for Chesterfied’s. …
Not so much an ad, more a propaganda film really! 😊 Don’t be a wussy! Smoke a Chesterfield! Light up! Inhale deeply! Wait a few seconds! Exhale! Oh, the pleasure! 😊 – © Mark Alexander
Released during World War II, the promotional film makes note that Chesterfield cigarettes are enjoyed by “fighting men” around the world and is “one of the few comforts” of home as we see a filmed scene of soldiers in a bunker pausing for a smoke (mark 09:25). Starting at mark 09:55 the film visits “the fighting fronts” and a group of US Marines in combat at land and at sea, followed by scenes aboard a US Coast Guard vessel (mark 11:23) and US Navy ship (mark 12:27), as well as the Merchant Marines. Through various battle scenes, the narrator reminds the viewer that American servicemen gain its strength not only from its weaponry but also from support from the home front. As scenes from the Army Air Force fill the screen starting at mark 14:56, the narrator says that “with each pounding the enemy is weakened” And while fathers and sons are away from home, families at home continue to tend to the farms — and the tobacco crops — to continue to meet the demand for Chesterfied’s. …
Not so much an ad, more a propaganda film really! 😊 Don’t be a wussy! Smoke a Chesterfield! Light up! Inhale deeply! Wait a few seconds! Exhale! Oh, the pleasure! 😊 – © Mark Alexander
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Biden Bans Menthol Cigarettes
You can support smokers’ rights in the UK here.
WIKIPEDIA: List of smoking bans in the United States »
BEWARE! The do-gooding control freaks are trying to take over everywhere. Remember: Smokers have rights, too! – © Mark Alexander
How Tobacco Helped Soldiers in World War 2
This is a very interesting and informative video on soldiers smoking in war zones. Führer Starmer should watch it to educate himself before he tries to pass that ridiculous, stupid generational smoking ban through Parliament. It is totally unreasonable to expect our young men to go to war to fight for us without allowing them a few pleasures on the battlefield. A smoke is the least we can offer a soldier in such a dangerous situation. And please don’t be so stupid as to talk of the health dangers of smoking! Possibly dying in fifty years’ time from the health dangers of smoking is totally and utterly irrelevant when a man is in a battlefield and can be killed at any moment. – © Mark Alexander
Monday, October 14, 2024
How Marlboro Became the #1 Cigarette Brand
Smoking Original WW2 Japanese Cigarettes!
This is the first video in the three-part series:
I've given up smoking, but I must say those cigarettes look very tempting. They were surely of good quality. Even when I started smoking back in the day, cigarettes were of a much higher quality than they are today. Today, the only thing that is high is the price of them! I should add that I am rather surprised that those cigarettes are still smokeable after all this time! When I smoked, I found that the best place to store cigarettes in order to keep them fresh for as long as possible was in the freezer. That's a trick I learnt many years ago whilst working in the Middle East, where, due to the hot dry weather, tobacco dries out very quickly if left in the open air.
Thanks a lot for a great videos. I really enjoyed them. – © Mark Alexander
Thursday, October 03, 2024
Sharp Rise in Vaping among Young Adult Non-smokers
BBC: The number of adults in England to have started vaping despite never having been regular smokers has reached one million, scientists estimate.
This is a sharp increase on 2020, with disposable vapes having been available since 2021. The rise is driven mostly by young adults - with about one out of every seven 18-24-year-olds who never regularly smoked now using e-cigarettes. While some may have benefited by taking up vapes instead of traditional cigarettes - the trend could be worrying, experts say. » | Smitha Mundasad, Health reporter, BBC News | Thursday, October 3, 2024
Is vaping bad for you and how are the rules changing?: he number of adults and young people using e-cigarettes and vapes has increased as smoking rates have fallen. »
It serves the silly fools right! They have waged an unrelenting war on smoking cigarettes for years, and now we have this vaping problem instead!
Nobody in his right mind would advocate smoking, but the FACT remains that we do not live in Utopia. People will seek out their pleasures regardless of what stupid, controlling governments might wish. IDIOTIC WESTERN GOVERNMENTS have created this vaping problem because they have PUSHED vaping as a healthier alternative to cigarette smoking. IT ISN’T! If they had left things alone, smoking rates were declining significantly anyway. But now, because of their stupid policies, vaping rates have increased significantly. VAPING IS EXTREMEMELY UNHEALTHY. Probably unhealthier than smoking cigarettes. Further, behaviour patterns in the States show us that many people who now vape move on to cigarette smoking as they mature. Vaping is, after all, more appealing to the young. Mature people prefer cigarette smoking.
Best not to vape and best not to smoke, but if you have to choose, I would say smoking is a far better option. Make smoking cool again! It makes sense. – © Mark Alexander
This is a sharp increase on 2020, with disposable vapes having been available since 2021. The rise is driven mostly by young adults - with about one out of every seven 18-24-year-olds who never regularly smoked now using e-cigarettes. While some may have benefited by taking up vapes instead of traditional cigarettes - the trend could be worrying, experts say. » | Smitha Mundasad, Health reporter, BBC News | Thursday, October 3, 2024
Is vaping bad for you and how are the rules changing?: he number of adults and young people using e-cigarettes and vapes has increased as smoking rates have fallen. »
It serves the silly fools right! They have waged an unrelenting war on smoking cigarettes for years, and now we have this vaping problem instead!
Nobody in his right mind would advocate smoking, but the FACT remains that we do not live in Utopia. People will seek out their pleasures regardless of what stupid, controlling governments might wish. IDIOTIC WESTERN GOVERNMENTS have created this vaping problem because they have PUSHED vaping as a healthier alternative to cigarette smoking. IT ISN’T! If they had left things alone, smoking rates were declining significantly anyway. But now, because of their stupid policies, vaping rates have increased significantly. VAPING IS EXTREMEMELY UNHEALTHY. Probably unhealthier than smoking cigarettes. Further, behaviour patterns in the States show us that many people who now vape move on to cigarette smoking as they mature. Vaping is, after all, more appealing to the young. Mature people prefer cigarette smoking.
Best not to vape and best not to smoke, but if you have to choose, I would say smoking is a far better option. Make smoking cool again! It makes sense. – © Mark Alexander
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Top Japanese Gymnast Withdraws From Paris 2024 for Smoking and Drinking Alcohol
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Shoko Miyata, the team’s captain, withdrew from the Games after an investigation by the country’s gymnastics board found she had violated its code of conduct.
Japan’s Olympic gymnastics team will head into the Paris Games this week without its captain, Shoko Miyata, after she withdrew from the team following an investigation that found she had violated the squad’s code of conduct by smoking and drinking alcohol.
In a news conference last week, officials with the Japan Gymnastics Association, which conducted the investigation, announced Miyata’s withdrawal from the Olympics, saying that “both parties discussed the matter” and that Miyata had decided not to compete.
The Japan Gymnastics Association’s code of conduct forbids drinking or smoking while in official team programs, regardless of age. The legal age for drinking and smoking in Japan is 20; Miyata is 19. » | Ali Watkins | Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Related article here.
Japan’s Olympic gymnastics team will head into the Paris Games this week without its captain, Shoko Miyata, after she withdrew from the team following an investigation that found she had violated the squad’s code of conduct by smoking and drinking alcohol.
In a news conference last week, officials with the Japan Gymnastics Association, which conducted the investigation, announced Miyata’s withdrawal from the Olympics, saying that “both parties discussed the matter” and that Miyata had decided not to compete.
The Japan Gymnastics Association’s code of conduct forbids drinking or smoking while in official team programs, regardless of age. The legal age for drinking and smoking in Japan is 20; Miyata is 19. » | Ali Watkins | Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Related article here.
Friday, July 19, 2024
Japanese Gymnast Set to Miss Olympics for Smoking
BBC: Japanese gymnast Shoko Miyata has been sent home and will not compete at the Olympic Games after breaking a team smoking ban.
The 19-year-old left Japan's training camp in Monaco on Thursday as officials investigated the alleged incident.
The teenager - captain of her country's women's artistic gymnastics team - returned to Japan that night after the investigation concluded she had violated the Japan Gymnastics Association's rules.
Smoking is in violation of the association's code of conduct.
"With her confirmation and after discussions on all sides, it has been decided that she will withdraw from the Olympics," Japan Gymnastics Association secretary general Kenji Nishimura told reporters in Tokyo. » | BBC | Thursday, July 18, 2024
Thursday, June 20, 2024
Make Smoking Cool Again! It Really Is Anyway
Wednesday, June 05, 2024
Smoking Pleasure / Rauchvergnügen / Plaisir de fumer
Saturday, June 01, 2024
ForestOnline : Mark Littlewood In Conversation With Simon Clark
Passive smoking is a load of nonsense! — © Mark Alexander
"Give Adults Freedom of Choice" - The Taxpayers Alliance Talks with Simon Clark
Nov 3, 2023 | Simon Clark, director of smokers' rights group Forest, joins us for this episode of TPA Talks. Reflecting on the upcoming smoking ban after decades of creeping regulation, Simon explains how the war on smokers and the rise of the nanny state have worrying implications for us all - smokers or not
I have been a lifelong Conservative voter, too. But I, like Simon Clark, will never vote for the party again if this ridiculous smoking ban really would be pushed through Parliament. Now, with an election imminent and the Conservatives unlikely to win, the Labour Party is likely to take up this ridiculous and illiberal policy proposal. I speak as an ex-smoker. I gave up smoking in April 2022. I used to smoke twenty cigarettes a day which, back in the day, used to be considered normal, not heavy. Heavy smoking used to be 40 - 60 cigarettes a day! However, with the price of a packet of Marlboro Reds, my cigarettes of choice, brushing £16, it became far too expensive to continue with the habit. So, I gave up. Bang went one of the main pleasures in my life! And I resent that. I object to this Conservative government taking older people's pleasures away from them. I really do. This sort of thing is expected from a more left-wing, socialist government, but not the Tories. — © Mark Alexander
This is one VERY IMPORTANT REASON why I am so against governments interfering with people’s smoking rights. These bans will not stop at smoking. I have said it all along. Now here comes the evidence! Left-wing do-gooders are on the warpath:
Extend success of UK sugar tax to cakes, biscuits and chocolate, experts urge: Exclusive: Co-author of analysis for WHO calls on government to control the food industry rather than being subservient to it »
I have been a lifelong Conservative voter, too. But I, like Simon Clark, will never vote for the party again if this ridiculous smoking ban really would be pushed through Parliament. Now, with an election imminent and the Conservatives unlikely to win, the Labour Party is likely to take up this ridiculous and illiberal policy proposal. I speak as an ex-smoker. I gave up smoking in April 2022. I used to smoke twenty cigarettes a day which, back in the day, used to be considered normal, not heavy. Heavy smoking used to be 40 - 60 cigarettes a day! However, with the price of a packet of Marlboro Reds, my cigarettes of choice, brushing £16, it became far too expensive to continue with the habit. So, I gave up. Bang went one of the main pleasures in my life! And I resent that. I object to this Conservative government taking older people's pleasures away from them. I really do. This sort of thing is expected from a more left-wing, socialist government, but not the Tories. — © Mark Alexander
This is one VERY IMPORTANT REASON why I am so against governments interfering with people’s smoking rights. These bans will not stop at smoking. I have said it all along. Now here comes the evidence! Left-wing do-gooders are on the warpath:
Extend success of UK sugar tax to cakes, biscuits and chocolate, experts urge: Exclusive: Co-author of analysis for WHO calls on government to control the food industry rather than being subservient to it »
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Something for the Killjoys of This World!
I have nearly lost my life on three separate occasions. I am being serious. I have survived each misadventure and have fully recovered from everything. I can assure you that after such experiences, one has a very, very different take on the dangers of smoking. People who go on about the dangers of smoking come over to me as snowflakes. And as for people caring about secondhand smoke – what a joke! Don't make me laugh! I was once run over by an oncoming car, smashing the man's windscreen! Worrying about the dangers of smoking is rather pathetic by comparison with such an experience. People who worry about such trivialities need to get out a bit more; they need to start living! Even though I no longer smoke (though I could always decide to go back to smoking), smokers are very welcome on this website. They are not welcome in so many places these days, I know. But rest assured, you ARE welcome here. Very welcome, in fact. This website is a website for grown-ups. – © Mark Alexander
Sunday, February 18, 2024
Make Smoking Cool Again! Especially with a Large Glass of Wine. | #shorts
WARNING! Very strong language is used by Katie in this short!
Friday, February 16, 2024
Is Smoking Stylish Again? Experts Sound Alarm as Cigarettes Become a Trend on NYFW Runways
NEW YORK POST: This is a real drag.
Despite years of campaigning against big tobacco, it seems that cigarettes are reclaiming their chic status à la Kate Moss, appearing as accessories on New York Fashion Week runways in the wake of the “mob wife” aesthetic and an early aughts “indie sleaze” revival.
This week, multiple models meandered down the Christian Cowan catwalk with a cigarette teetering between their fingers in a collection depicting the elevated glamour of the rich housewife. Then, just days later, a model wearing a deep-cut power suit dangled a dart from her hand on LaQuan Smith’s runway, oozing corporate sex appeal with garments that doubled as both boardroom and club wear, an ode to “office sirens,”he said.
The Post reached out to reps for Cowan and Smith for comment as to why they included cigs on the runway but Retrofête’s creative director Ohad Seroya said cigarettes played a “big part” in his designs crafted for the “alpha woman.”
He debuted a collection at The Plaza Hotel last weekend, showcasing red hot power suits, slinky evening gowns and luxurious fur coats reminiscent of a chain-smoking, “Mad Men” persona — with one model in particular in a navy power suit adorned with wisps of smoke.
Seroya told The Post that the powerful woman theme was, in part, inspired by his “strong” mother, who was a smoker. And while the designer said he’s a former smoker, he made it clear that he did not support the habit, but rather, appreciated the human “connection” of a smoke break.
“When you come to somebody and [are] asking for a lighter and creating a conversation with you outside,” said Seroya. “And this is why I miss smoking.” » | Brooke Kato and Brooke Steinberg | Friday, February 16, 2024
Eat your heart out, Rishi! The habit you love to hate is making a comeback in stylish circles. Well, well! Who would have thought?
Neither you nor any other politician will ever manage to stop people smoking. The pleasure is far too great and the allure of a handsome gentleman/beautiful lady smoking a cigarette far too sexy to stamp out.
The prohibition of alcohol was tried in the States in years gone by; between 1920 and 1933, to be precise. But the Prohibition didn’t work out too well, did it? So the silly law had to be repealed. A prohibition on smoking will not work out very well either. Silly laws like that are tried by greenhorns in politics who understand little about human behaviour.
If you are wise, Mr Sunak, you’ll abandon the idea of an incremental smoking ban. It’s a dumb idea which is bound to fail. If you really want to help children in the UK in 2024, make sure their parents get enough money to put quality food on the table to be able to provide their children with the nutrition they need for healthy development (without having to go to food banks). Make sure they have access to well-qualified NHS dentists when their teeth need attention — most parents cannot afford private dentistry. Make sure they have quick access to good, well-qualified doctors when they are sick. And, very importantly, make sure that children have access to good schools. Education is key to social mobility. Most parents do not earn enough to send their children to top, private, élite schools, affordable only to the über-privileged few; instead, they have to rely on state provision for their children. Until relatively recently, they could.
These are the things which will help children grow up to be fine, upright and healthy citizens, not some authoritarian, idealistic, un-Conservative, undemocratic, unpoliceable smoking ban which will deny future generations the pleasure of smoking (if they so wish to take up the habit), and take their democratic rights away from them. Nevertheless, it will still enable them to indulge in all manner of dreadful substances which are far, far worse for their long-term health. – © Mark Alexander
Despite years of campaigning against big tobacco, it seems that cigarettes are reclaiming their chic status à la Kate Moss, appearing as accessories on New York Fashion Week runways in the wake of the “mob wife” aesthetic and an early aughts “indie sleaze” revival.
This week, multiple models meandered down the Christian Cowan catwalk with a cigarette teetering between their fingers in a collection depicting the elevated glamour of the rich housewife. Then, just days later, a model wearing a deep-cut power suit dangled a dart from her hand on LaQuan Smith’s runway, oozing corporate sex appeal with garments that doubled as both boardroom and club wear, an ode to “office sirens,”he said.
The Post reached out to reps for Cowan and Smith for comment as to why they included cigs on the runway but Retrofête’s creative director Ohad Seroya said cigarettes played a “big part” in his designs crafted for the “alpha woman.”
He debuted a collection at The Plaza Hotel last weekend, showcasing red hot power suits, slinky evening gowns and luxurious fur coats reminiscent of a chain-smoking, “Mad Men” persona — with one model in particular in a navy power suit adorned with wisps of smoke.
Seroya told The Post that the powerful woman theme was, in part, inspired by his “strong” mother, who was a smoker. And while the designer said he’s a former smoker, he made it clear that he did not support the habit, but rather, appreciated the human “connection” of a smoke break.
“When you come to somebody and [are] asking for a lighter and creating a conversation with you outside,” said Seroya. “And this is why I miss smoking.” » | Brooke Kato and Brooke Steinberg | Friday, February 16, 2024
Eat your heart out, Rishi! The habit you love to hate is making a comeback in stylish circles. Well, well! Who would have thought?
Neither you nor any other politician will ever manage to stop people smoking. The pleasure is far too great and the allure of a handsome gentleman/beautiful lady smoking a cigarette far too sexy to stamp out.
The prohibition of alcohol was tried in the States in years gone by; between 1920 and 1933, to be precise. But the Prohibition didn’t work out too well, did it? So the silly law had to be repealed. A prohibition on smoking will not work out very well either. Silly laws like that are tried by greenhorns in politics who understand little about human behaviour.
If you are wise, Mr Sunak, you’ll abandon the idea of an incremental smoking ban. It’s a dumb idea which is bound to fail. If you really want to help children in the UK in 2024, make sure their parents get enough money to put quality food on the table to be able to provide their children with the nutrition they need for healthy development (without having to go to food banks). Make sure they have access to well-qualified NHS dentists when their teeth need attention — most parents cannot afford private dentistry. Make sure they have quick access to good, well-qualified doctors when they are sick. And, very importantly, make sure that children have access to good schools. Education is key to social mobility. Most parents do not earn enough to send their children to top, private, élite schools, affordable only to the über-privileged few; instead, they have to rely on state provision for their children. Until relatively recently, they could.
These are the things which will help children grow up to be fine, upright and healthy citizens, not some authoritarian, idealistic, un-Conservative, undemocratic, unpoliceable smoking ban which will deny future generations the pleasure of smoking (if they so wish to take up the habit), and take their democratic rights away from them. Nevertheless, it will still enable them to indulge in all manner of dreadful substances which are far, far worse for their long-term health. – © Mark Alexander
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
Tuesday, February 06, 2024
Sunak’s Incremental Smoking Ban
It appals me that our king has joined our unelected prime minister in calling for an incremental smoking ban. However, it doesn’t surprise me, since as Prince of Wales, he had a history of involving himself in political affairs, even though we all know that our monarch is supposed to stay well out of politics.
Both our king and our prime minister are unelected. Therefore, they have no right whatsoever in a so-called democracy to make decisions on the people’s behalf.
The mere idea of banning smoking for adults — a habit which brings great pleasure to many adults even to this day — is undemocratic, autocratic, in fact, and, quite frankly, stupid. There are far more unhealthy habits than smoking cigarettes. Excessive sugar consumption springs quickly to mind, alcohol consumption, the smoking of marijuana and cannabis, and the use of ketamine, and increasingly, of cocaine. How many young people have a cocaine habit, I wonder? London is, in fact, said to be the cocaine capital of the world.
So, cigarette-smoking is the least of our concerns.
I would be the last person on earth to advocate smoking. However, I must admit, until nearly two years ago, I had a twenty-a-day habit, which brought me enormous pleasure. It also kept me slim and free of type-2 diabetes. Since quitting, I have gained weight quickly; and this worries me. Why? Because I know that my metabolism has slowed right down since I gave up. I am not gaining weight because I am eating more; rather, I am gaining weight because of my now slow metabolism.
You can talk of lung cancer, and lung cancer is a terrible thing. But the fact remains that only about 5 – 10% of HEAVY smokers contract it. Indeed, I recently read of an Israeli rabbi many years over a hundred who died of old age despite being an extremely heavy smoker. Like 60 cigarettes a day!
Please do not misconstrue my message: I neither advocate smoking nor condone it. However, I do defend the right of an adult to make his own choice without people in the Establishment interfering in their decisions. (By the way, I am not a republican. Far from it. However, interference like this could push me in that direction.)
The NHS argument holds no water. Smokers contribute approximately £10.5b in taxes, whereas they cost the NHS only £3.5b.
It should also be remembered that a person’s health is more than being about remaining cancer-free. One also wants to be free of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease and type-2 diabetes. One also wishes to remain as slim as possible. Nobody wants to be obese. Smoking has a protective effect on all these maladies.
It is imperative that we look at the big picture; it is also imperative that we keep meddlesome people out of our decision-making process.
If you wish to ban anything, ban meddlesome people from interfering in the democratic process. Keep people’s right to choose. Ban interference from the Nanny State.
© Mark Alexander
All Rights Reserved
Oh God! Here we go again! When is the risk of type-2 diabetes reduced after quitting sugar? Or the risk of a car accident when you quit driving your car? Or the risk of liver disease after you quit drinking alcohol? Or the risk of an STD once you quit sexual contact with your partner, straight or gay? Unfortunately, life is for living; and we cannot get out of this life alive. All this preaching is oh so tiresome. For heaven's sake, live and let live! It behoves us all to live moderately; and to enjoy life, to get our kicks where and when we can. One of these fine days we will not wake up! We'll all be dead! – © Mark Alexander
Both our king and our prime minister are unelected. Therefore, they have no right whatsoever in a so-called democracy to make decisions on the people’s behalf.
The mere idea of banning smoking for adults — a habit which brings great pleasure to many adults even to this day — is undemocratic, autocratic, in fact, and, quite frankly, stupid. There are far more unhealthy habits than smoking cigarettes. Excessive sugar consumption springs quickly to mind, alcohol consumption, the smoking of marijuana and cannabis, and the use of ketamine, and increasingly, of cocaine. How many young people have a cocaine habit, I wonder? London is, in fact, said to be the cocaine capital of the world.
So, cigarette-smoking is the least of our concerns.
I would be the last person on earth to advocate smoking. However, I must admit, until nearly two years ago, I had a twenty-a-day habit, which brought me enormous pleasure. It also kept me slim and free of type-2 diabetes. Since quitting, I have gained weight quickly; and this worries me. Why? Because I know that my metabolism has slowed right down since I gave up. I am not gaining weight because I am eating more; rather, I am gaining weight because of my now slow metabolism.
You can talk of lung cancer, and lung cancer is a terrible thing. But the fact remains that only about 5 – 10% of HEAVY smokers contract it. Indeed, I recently read of an Israeli rabbi many years over a hundred who died of old age despite being an extremely heavy smoker. Like 60 cigarettes a day!
Please do not misconstrue my message: I neither advocate smoking nor condone it. However, I do defend the right of an adult to make his own choice without people in the Establishment interfering in their decisions. (By the way, I am not a republican. Far from it. However, interference like this could push me in that direction.)
The NHS argument holds no water. Smokers contribute approximately £10.5b in taxes, whereas they cost the NHS only £3.5b.
It should also be remembered that a person’s health is more than being about remaining cancer-free. One also wants to be free of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease and type-2 diabetes. One also wishes to remain as slim as possible. Nobody wants to be obese. Smoking has a protective effect on all these maladies.
It is imperative that we look at the big picture; it is also imperative that we keep meddlesome people out of our decision-making process.
If you wish to ban anything, ban meddlesome people from interfering in the democratic process. Keep people’s right to choose. Ban interference from the Nanny State.
© Mark Alexander
All Rights Reserved
Oh God! Here we go again! When is the risk of type-2 diabetes reduced after quitting sugar? Or the risk of a car accident when you quit driving your car? Or the risk of liver disease after you quit drinking alcohol? Or the risk of an STD once you quit sexual contact with your partner, straight or gay? Unfortunately, life is for living; and we cannot get out of this life alive. All this preaching is oh so tiresome. For heaven's sake, live and let live! It behoves us all to live moderately; and to enjoy life, to get our kicks where and when we can. One of these fine days we will not wake up! We'll all be dead! – © Mark Alexander
Thursday, February 01, 2024
”Smoking Is Good for You” | My! How Times and Narratives Change, and Not Always for the Better!
THE GUARDIAN – EXTRACT: Every week we read that something we believe is bad for us actually has beneficial health effects. This week it's coffee, before that it was pizza - and every other day it's red wine. But can these stories really be true? That depends how you interpret the facts. To demonstrate, Ian Sample 'scientifically proves' the benefits of a few risky pastimes
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Talk to physicians and they'll tell you there are few things you can put in your mouth that are worse for you than a cigarette. But it's not all doom and gloom. Smokers are at least doing their bit to slow down the runaway obesity epidemic that is sweeping through the western world. "In many studies, you often find smokers are slimmer. We've certainly seen it in our studies," says Jodi Flaws at the University of Maryland school of medicine. "Some people think it's due to certain chemicals in cigarettes somehow making them burn more calories, but others believe it suppresses appetite. It may well be both."
Drastically upping your chances of cancer and heart disease might not be the best way to avoid obesity, but it's certainly easier than running round the block.
Scientists have also found evidence that smoking might, in some circumstances, help prevent the onset of various dementias. Many dementias go hand-in-hand with a loss of chemical receptors in the brain that just happen to be stimulated by nicotine. Smoking seems to bolster these receptors, and smokers have more of them. The theory is that smokers may then have more to lose before they start losing their minds. "It does seem that nicotine has a preventative effect, but the problem is that the other stuff in the cigarette tends to rot everything else," says Roger Bullock, a specialist in dementia and director of the Kingshill Research Centre in Swindon. So if your time is nearly up anyway, and you have somehow managed to steer a course past the Scylla and Charybdis of heart attacks and tumours, smoking might just help you retain your marbles.
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Read the whole article here » | Ian Sample | Thursday, August 7, 2003
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Talk to physicians and they'll tell you there are few things you can put in your mouth that are worse for you than a cigarette. But it's not all doom and gloom. Smokers are at least doing their bit to slow down the runaway obesity epidemic that is sweeping through the western world. "In many studies, you often find smokers are slimmer. We've certainly seen it in our studies," says Jodi Flaws at the University of Maryland school of medicine. "Some people think it's due to certain chemicals in cigarettes somehow making them burn more calories, but others believe it suppresses appetite. It may well be both."
Drastically upping your chances of cancer and heart disease might not be the best way to avoid obesity, but it's certainly easier than running round the block.
Scientists have also found evidence that smoking might, in some circumstances, help prevent the onset of various dementias. Many dementias go hand-in-hand with a loss of chemical receptors in the brain that just happen to be stimulated by nicotine. Smoking seems to bolster these receptors, and smokers have more of them. The theory is that smokers may then have more to lose before they start losing their minds. "It does seem that nicotine has a preventative effect, but the problem is that the other stuff in the cigarette tends to rot everything else," says Roger Bullock, a specialist in dementia and director of the Kingshill Research Centre in Swindon. So if your time is nearly up anyway, and you have somehow managed to steer a course past the Scylla and Charybdis of heart attacks and tumours, smoking might just help you retain your marbles.
…
Read the whole article here » | Ian Sample | Thursday, August 7, 2003
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