Random News Items

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

3 minutes ago, JCon said:

I have no problems if someone wants to do drugs. As long as they're not harming anyone around them and they contribute to offset the health costs, like smokers do with tobacco tax. 

Yeah me too. I just wanted an excuse to post Tyrone.

[HardCoreBlue]

11 minutes ago, JCon said:

I have no problems if someone wants to do drugs. As long as they're not harming anyone around them and they contribute to offset the health costs, like smokers do with tobacco tax. 

I agree however there are varying levels of 'harm to others' that create debate about interpretation and severity.

[Tracker]

35 minutes ago, JCon said:

I have no problems if someone wants to do drugs. As long as they're not harming anyone around them and they contribute to offset the health costs, like smokers do with tobacco tax. 

The taxes on tobacco do not come close to covering the costs of treating the preventable cancers associated with smoking. I suspect that the forthcoming bans on tobacco and tobacco products has as much to do with the governments taking an overt stand against a known health hazard.

[GCn20]

21 hours ago, Tracker said:

The taxes on tobacco do not come close to covering the costs of treating the preventable cancers associated with smoking. I suspect that the forthcoming bans on tobacco and tobacco products has as much to do with the governments taking an overt stand against a known health hazard.

If governments were in any way serious about meaningful reductions in smoking they could and would have done it already. The answer has been there and medical associations have been lobbying for years to no avail for governments to set limits on nicotine in products with a gradual reduction year to year until nicotine is eliminated from all products. There would still be segment of social smokers but the vast majority of people would simply just stop smoking or very significantly reduce their smoking without the cravings telling them to reach for their pack every 20 minutes. It's easy and very low cost to the cigarette manufacturers.

I am an ex smoker that has quit and started and quit a few time already. Without the nicotine I would have zero issues with quitting even if I relapsed and had a few smokes one day. It seems insane in this day and age that we allow big tobacco to keep and even enhance the amount of the nicotine in their products

[Tracker]

5 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

If governments were in any way serious about meaningful reductions in smoking they could and would have done it already. The answer has been there and medical associations have been lobbying for years to no avail for governments to set limits on nicotine in products with a gradual reduction year to year until nicotine is eliminated from all products. There would still be segment of social smokers but the vast majority of people would simply just stop smoking or very significantly reduce their smoking without the cravings telling them to reach for their pack every 20 minutes. It's easy and very low cost to the cigarette manufacturers.

I am an ex smoker that has quit and started and quit a few time already. Without the nicotine I would have zero issues with quitting even if I relapsed and had a few smokes one day. It seems insane in this day and age that we allow big tobacco to keep and even enhance the amount of the nicotine in their products

In the 1960's the tobacco companies hybridized the tobacco to produce a strain which is 3-5 times more saturated with nicotine than before. They also introduced ammonia compounds into cigarettes to allow much quicker passage through the alvioli walls in lungs so as to accelerate the effect and by simple behavioural modification, become more physically addictive. It may work in New Zealand because of their relative isolation and culture, but if the governments tried to ban tobacco here, it would simply go underground much as pot did. If the price of licit tobacco rises to high, the same happens. 

Education appears to be the only viable course. One study showed that the most effective ways to combat smoking was to a) require all cigarette companies to use identical packaging in drab colours and b) institute a "registered addict" program whereby only individuals who had registered themselves as nicotine addicts would be allowed to purchase tobacco products. You can imagine the reactions among the same individuals who are having melt-downs over COVID inoculations. 

[Tracker]

The Carmat artificial heart is now fully approved to use for the general public in the EU, and even paid for by France's public healthcare

 

 

7,596 points · 537 comments

[GCn20]

22 hours ago, Tracker said:

In the 1960's the tobacco companies hybridized the tobacco to produce a strain which is 3-5 times more saturated with nicotine than before. They also introduced ammonia compounds into cigarettes to allow much quicker passage through the alvioli walls in lungs so as to accelerate the effect and by simple behavioural modification, become more physically addictive. It may work in New Zealand because of their relative isolation and culture, but if the governments tried to ban tobacco here, it would simply go underground much as pot did. If the price of licit tobacco rises to high, the same happens. 

Education appears to be the only viable course. One study showed that the most effective ways to combat smoking was to a) require all cigarette companies to use identical packaging in drab colours and b) institute a "registered addict" program whereby only individuals who had registered themselves as nicotine addicts would be allowed to purchase tobacco products. You can imagine the reactions among the same individuals who are having melt-downs over COVID inoculations. 

I like both of those ideas, but realistically as a struggling ex-smoker, I still feel very strongly about government stepping in on the nicotine issue. Most smokers are completely aware of the effects of their choice to smoke. Quitting would become exponentially easier if the tobacco/vaping companies were forced to gradually decrease nicotine levels in their products. Couple that with what was described above and some meaningful change might occur. I think big tobacco must be paying for some of these studies on how to reduce smoking because by far the largest impediment to decreasing smoking is nicotine addiction....anyone who smokes and has quit or has failed to quit will tell you that. Only a very small % of smokers do so because they actually enjoy it. They may enjoy the cigarette because of the nicotine relief they get but nearly no one will tell you that the flavor and sensation of smoking tobacco is addictive.

[Bigblue204]

23 hours ago, Tracker said:

In the 1960's the tobacco companies hybridized the tobacco to produce a strain which is 3-5 times more saturated with nicotine than before. They also introduced ammonia compounds into cigarettes to allow much quicker passage through the alvioli walls in lungs so as to accelerate the effect and by simple behavioural modification, become more physically addictive. It may work in New Zealand because of their relative isolation and culture, but if the governments tried to ban tobacco here, it would simply go underground much as pot did. If the price of licit tobacco rises to high, the same happens. 

Education appears to be the only viable course. One study showed that the most effective ways to combat smoking was to a) require all cigarette companies to use identical packaging in drab colours and b) institute a "registered addict" program whereby only individuals who had registered themselves as nicotine addicts would be allowed to purchase tobacco products. You can imagine the reactions among the same individuals who are having melt-downs over COVID inoculations. 

*Would increase the underground market* There has been an underground tobacco market for a very long time in this country.

[Tracker]

 

 

 

                                                      

[Tracker]

Israeli Extremist Group Chants ‘Death To Arabs’ During Jerusalem Protests

JERUSALEM (AP) — The holy city of Jerusalem, a tinderbox of competing religious and political claims, has repeatedly triggered bouts of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

This time around, there have been some additional sparks, including Jewish extremists who, emboldened by their political patrons’ recent election to parliament, staged a provocative march to Jerusalem’s walled Old City chanting “death to the Arabs.”

The group, Lehava, heightened recent unrest in the holy city, sparked by Israel’s now-reversed decision to block Palestinians from praying there during Ramadan.

[iHeart]

sigh...we're losing the Disney Store.... AGAIN

 

Edited April 27, 2021 by iHeart

[JCon]

22 minutes ago, iHeart said:

sigh...we're losing the Disney Store.... AGAIN

We didn't even get a reasonable online store. 

[Tracker]

2 hours ago, JCon said:

We didn't even get a reasonable online store. 

Life will go on.

[JCon]

1 minute ago, Tracker said:

Life will go on.

Lots of stuff will go on but where will I get my Disney merch, Tracker? Where? 

[Tracker]

3 minutes ago, JCon said:

Lots of stuff will go on but where will I get my Disney merch, Tracker? Where? 

Garage sales. Kijiji. Facebook marketplace.  Failing that, perhaps a hunger strike on your part will sway Disney.

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

11 minutes ago, JCon said:

Lots of stuff will go on but where will I get my Disney merch, Tracker? Where? 

[iHeart]

well this is what I saw in the article

Quote

Though the official online Shop Disney store will ship to Canada, products will ship from a United States warehouse which results in high shipping fees as well as tax/duties. Disney has yet to establish an actual e-commerce presence in Canada.

the store isn't expected to close until the end of summer (but then again they said the Downtown Bay store would close in February but it ended up closing before Christmas)

[Tracker]

 

 

                                        

[FrostyWinnipeg]

And you thought Covid was bad...

https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/number-of-mysterious-brain-disease-cases-in-new-brunswick-now-at-47-1.5403931

[FrostyWinnipeg]

‘Disaster Girl’ has sold her popular meme as an NFT for $500,000

[Tracker]

Sex Toy Company Receives Award From Queen For ‘Outstanding Continuous Growth’

British sex toy company Lovehoney has received a royal seal of approval.

The adult retailer this week was honored with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise “for outstanding continuous growth in overseas sales over the last six years,” according to a press release on its website.

The accolade, announced by the official journal of record, The London Gazette, allows the company in Bath, southwest England, to fly The Queen’s Awards flag at their office and use its emblem on marketing and packaging materials for five years. Lovehoney also won the award in 2016.

“We are thrilled to have received official recognition from the Queen,” Debbie Bond, Lovehoney’s chief commercial officer, said in a statement. “Her Majesty has been a wonderful supporter of Lovehoney as we have grown into being the world’s leading sexual wellness brand.”

Sex Toy Company Receives Award From Queen For ‘Outstanding Continuous Growth’ | HuffPost

[Mark F]

https://apnews.com/article/europe-germany-eab7bbf2f2a5e840866676ce7ff019da

 

darknet pedophilia site busted 

"The authorities said the platform was “one of the world’s biggest child pornography darknet platforms” and had been active at least since 2019. Pedophiles used it to exchange and watch pornography of children and toddlers, most of them boys, from all over the world.

Prosecutors wrote that they found “images of most severe sexual abuse of toddlers” among the photos and video material."

lock them all up.

[Bigblue204]

23 minutes ago, Mark F said:

https://apnews.com/article/europe-germany-eab7bbf2f2a5e840866676ce7ff019da

 

darknet pedophilia site busted 

"The authorities said the platform was “one of the world’s biggest child pornography darknet platforms” and had been active at least since 2019. Pedophiles used it to exchange and watch pornography of children and toddlers, most of them boys, from all over the world.

Prosecutors wrote that they found “images of most severe sexual abuse of toddlers” among the photos and video material."

lock them all up....in chest and toss it into an ocean.

Ftfy....I don't want to pay for these fucks to live in a jail cell.

[iHeart]

yikes! I hope they got a prenup

https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/bill-melissa-gates-divorce-1234965490/

 

uh oh this could get ugly they never signed a prenup

https://www.tmz.com/2021/05/03/bill-melinda-gates-divorce-27-years-marriage-foundation/

Edited May 3, 2021 by iHeart

[Mark F]

1 hour ago, iHeart said:

uh oh this could get ugly they never signed a prenup

lol poor people instead of being worth one hundred billion 

theyre fifty billion each.

probably be ok.