Electronic Cigarettes Sponsors Rosie Fortescue Fashion Launch

The stars of the hit E4 reality show Made In Chelsea turned up in force for a night of champers, cupcakes and canapés, as Rosie chatted about the inspiration behind her exciting new blog launch AtFashionForte.com. Everyone enjoyed smoking SKYCIG Lite, handed out on silver trays, with Francis Boulle (who Tatler recently announced as London’s most eligible chap) exclaiming the Menthol cartomizers were his favourite!
Voted ‘Best Electronic Cigarette in the UK’ in 2011, SKYCIG offers smokers the chance to light up whenever they feel like it, at a far reduced risk to their health. E-cigs are a healthier alternative to smoking as they don’t produce second-hand smoke, nor do they contain the harmful carcinogens or high levels of nicotine found in ordinary cigarettes!
How do they work? New to the UK market, SKYCIG Lite are battery powered and provide smokers with inhaled doses of nicotine by delivering a vapourised liquid nicotine solution. When the body absorbs the nicotine, users exhale a water vapour, which looks like a puff of smoke to the common eye. This vapour provides a sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke - but no tobacco, smoke or combustion is actually involved! The similarity to a genuine cigarette is uncanny, with better vapour production for a smaller cigarette than competitor brands.

Man attempts to hide marijuana in patrol car, Alameda police say

A man who was detained as part of a theft investigation was arrested after he attempted to conceal marijuana in a patrol car, police said.
The arrest occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Nov. 20 at Mel's Bowl on Park Street.
The 40-year-old man, who was suspected of using fraudulent credit cards at the business on several occasions, attempted to discard the marijuana under the rear seat of the car, police said.
MARIJUANA POSSESSION -- Police are investigating a report from a teacher that a student was selling marijuana-laced baked goods to another juvenile in the 1900 block of Third Street. It was reported about 9:20 a.m. In another narcotics case, police arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of possessing narcotics paraphernalia about 10:30 a.m. at Alameda South Shore Center.
GRAND THEFT -- The theft of a laptop was reported in the 1200 block of Park Street about 2:25 p.m.
BURGLARY -- A burglary was reported about 6:10 p.m. in the 1800 block of Santa Clara Avenue.
PETTY THEFT -- Someone stole a catalytic converter from a vehicle parked in the 2200 block of Encinal Avenue, police said. The theft was reported just before 9 p.m.

Tobacco firm gave thousands of pounds worth of hospitality to nine MPs who opposed smoking bill

MPs who received thousands of pounds worth of hospitality from one of the world’s largest tobacco companies opposed a new law banning smoking in cars.
The parliamentary register of members’ interests shows Japan Tobacco International, which produces Benson & Hedges, Silk Cut and Camel cigarettes, spent £23,000 entertaining 20 MPs in the past six months.
Almost half of them voted against a Private Member’s Bill banning smoking in cars carrying children.
The MP behind the Bill, Labour’s Alex Cunningham, has asked Parliamentary Standards Commissioner John Lyon to investigate.
In May, seven Tory MPs accepted tickets from JTI to the Chelsea Flower Show, costing at least £1,100 each for themselves plus a guest.
Less than a month later they voted against the Bill, which passed the first stage of the parliamentary process by 78 votes to 66 on June 22.
The seven were Therese Coffey, Richard Ottaway, Christopher Pincher, Alun Cairns, Stephen Metcalfe, Laurence Robertson and Michael Ellis.
In August Labour MP Simon Danczuk and Tory Andrew Rosindell watched the England versus India Test match at the Oval courtesy of JTI. They had also voted against the anti-smoking Bill.
Mr Danczuk received hospitality to the value of £1,389 and Mr Rosindell was given £1,447 worth. Both attended the game with a guest.
The MP behind the bill – Labour’s Alex Cunningham – is now demanding an investigation by John Lyon the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.

Tobacco-free zones

This Thursday is the 36th anniversary of the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout, an event encouraging smokers to quit, if just for a day. In commemoration of the day, the communities of Brocton and Portland have announced newly established smoke-free zones.

On Monday, the Tri-County Tobacco-Free Program supplied the signs to post to the areas. The signs were presented at the Portland Town Hall.

Roxane Sobecki, town clerk in Portland, said, "The places that are now smoke free are Portland Town Hall property, the Community Park in Portland, Arch Park for Brocton, Brocton's Little League fields, and Brocton Village Office property. We (the town) did the resolution at the October's meeting.

"It was so nice to work with them (Tri-County Tobacco Free). The library applied first, and that's how I found out about it. I wasn't sure, but found out that we qualified (for the signs) as well."

Ahira Memorial Library in Brocton, Darwin Barker Library in Fredonia and Minerva Library in Sherman also recently established their tobacco-free outdoor areas.

Laurie Adams, Tri-County Tobacco Free Program Director said, "Establishing tobacco free property and grounds is a proven way to reduce the social acceptability of tobacco use, encourage smokers to quit and make sure our youth don't start. Across the state hundreds of communities and businesses have established tobacco free outdoor policies because we know that secondhand smoke is a class A carcinogen - a substance known to cause cancer. There's no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure. If you can smell it, secondhand smoke is harming you. Cigarette butts are a danger to our children and to the environment. We applaud the actions taken by Brocton, Portland, and many other communities in our country. We ask adults to please observe the policy and help protect our children and the environment."

Brocton Village Trustee Art Donovan commented, "I am all in favor of this. I smoked for about 48 years. I used the patch and quit 13 years ago. I have had bladder cancer and one of my lungs has a problem. I know that it is my fault for smoking. I would be willing to talk to groups through a hospital and tell them my story."

Tobacco program a waste of money

The Food and Drug Administration will spend $600 million in the next five years to “educate the public about the dangers of tobacco use.”

You would have to be living under a rock not to know the dangers of tobacco use. And yet our government, about to go bankrupt and floating in debt, is going to waste over half a billion dollars telling us what we already know?

If people want to use tobacco despite all the evidence of its ill effects, then they probably will anyway.

When is this government going to figure out that the good times are over and we can’t be wasting limited revenues on idiotic programs like this? If this president and Congress are serious about trimming the deficit and waste, cancel this program and use the $600 million to pay down the debt or bail out another solar company.

Stores Caught Selling Tobacco To Minors

Federal officials warned 37 Colorado stores in October that undercover inspectors caught clerks selling cigarettes or smokeless tobacco to minors.
The violations were cited in enforcement warning letters sent to store operators by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The letters warned merchants to immediately correct the violations or face a "no-tobacco-sale order," product seizure and/or civil fines.
Store operators were given 15 working days to send a written response describing their intent to comply with the order and explain their plan to end violations.
Here's a sampling of violations cited in warning letters issued last month.
Florence Mini Mart in Aurora was warned that on July 16 a store employee sold someone under 18 years old a pack of Marlboro cigarettes and failed check a photo identification to confirm the buyer was over 18.
Maxx Liquors in Lakewood was warned that on July 8 a clerk sold a pack of Blue Camel cigarettes to a minor without checking an ID.
The King Soopers at 4271 S. Buckley Road in Aurora was warned that on July 20 a clerk sold a pack of Camel 99’s Filters cigarettes to a minor without checking ID.
The Greeley Fast Break store was warned that on July 26 a clerk sold a pack of Basic Gold cigarettes to a minor without checking ID.
A 1st Stop at 2900 S. Wadsworth Blvd. in Denver was warned that on July 1 a clerk sold a pack of Newport 100s cigarettes to a minor without checking ID.

Location of Stroke a Factor in Smoking Cessation

Most smokers who have a stroke have not dropped the habit by one year after the event, which might be related to their intentions to quit before the stroke and the location of the stroke, researchers found.

At a single Spanish hospital, nearly 70% of smokers hospitalized for a stroke had stopped smoking by discharge, although only 40% remained abstinent at one year, according to Rosa Suñer Soler, PhD, of Girona University in Spain, and colleagues.

Those who had plans to quit smoking in the near future before the stroke were significantly more likely to have quit by one year after discharge (OR 7.29, 95% CI 1.89 to 28.07), the researchers reported online in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.