Most gray hair is unavoidable, the result of aging and genetics. But doctors and hairdressers say there are steps you can try to fight premature loss of pigment.
Stop smoking. Studies show cigarettes speed up the aging process throughout the body, including your hair.
Work to lower stress. While evidence isn't conclusive, many believe anxiety can help trigger graying. Get enough sleep, exercise regularly, make time for enjoyable hobbies and try meditation or deep breathing exercises.
Eat the right foods. Deficiencies of certain nutrients, including copper and B-vitamins, may contribute to early graying. Load up on dark green leafy vegetables, fruit, lean meats, nuts and seeds; take a multivitamin; avoid fatty, greasy and salty foods; and don't skip meals.
Don't drink too much. Excess alcohol and caffeine may be bad news for your hair.
Massage your scalp. Extra rubbing during a shampoo should help stimulate blood circulation in your scalp, which nourishes hair follicles.
Be wary of products. The only item proven to "reverse" graying is hair dye. Numerous supplements and other products, often sold on the Internet, almost certainly are a waste of money and may pose health risks.
Avoid too much heat. Shampooing with hot water and using a hair dryer on high heat may damage hair roots; the same goes for significant sun exposure (wear a hat).
Don't pluck. Pulling out gray hairs won't solve your problem, but it will damage your hair root and possibly cause an infection.
See a doctor. If you have significant graying before age 30 and no family history of that trait, you may have a health problem such as thyroid disease, anemia or a vitamin B-12 deficiency. However, the majority of people don't.
Показаны сообщения с ярлыком smoking news articles. Показать все сообщения
Показаны сообщения с ярлыком smoking news articles. Показать все сообщения
понедельник, 1 февраля 2010 г.
понедельник, 25 января 2010 г.
Record numbers of region's smokers quit
SMOKERS in North Lincolnshire at the fastest rate since records began.
Latest figures from the Department of Health show 378 people in the region successfully gave up smoking between April and September 2009, up 23 per cent on the previous year, and the highest since records began in 2001.
Twice as many pregnant women are also kicking the habit, with 12 having successfully completed the NHS Stop Smoking programme, compared to just six over the same period last year.
Tony Scrase-Walters, 67, recently quit his 50-year addiction, which saw him smoke up to 80 cigarettes a day.
He said: "It's the toughest thing I've ever had to do.
"I haven't smoked since November but until I've done a year smoke-free I'd say I'm still in danger of slipping back to square one, all it takes is one cigarette and all the hard work goes out of the window.
"I'll get really strong cravings around four or five times a day, the worst ones are on a morning, I've been having a fag and a cup of coffee for breakfast for 50 years, it's a hard habit to break."
The NHS Stop Smoking service sets a quit date with patients and GPs, before a check-up after 31 days to determine whether the patient has successfully quit smoking.
Latest figures from the Department of Health show 378 people in the region successfully gave up smoking between April and September 2009, up 23 per cent on the previous year, and the highest since records began in 2001.
Twice as many pregnant women are also kicking the habit, with 12 having successfully completed the NHS Stop Smoking programme, compared to just six over the same period last year.
Tony Scrase-Walters, 67, recently quit his 50-year addiction, which saw him smoke up to 80 cigarettes a day.
He said: "It's the toughest thing I've ever had to do.
"I haven't smoked since November but until I've done a year smoke-free I'd say I'm still in danger of slipping back to square one, all it takes is one cigarette and all the hard work goes out of the window.
"I'll get really strong cravings around four or five times a day, the worst ones are on a morning, I've been having a fag and a cup of coffee for breakfast for 50 years, it's a hard habit to break."
The NHS Stop Smoking service sets a quit date with patients and GPs, before a check-up after 31 days to determine whether the patient has successfully quit smoking.
среда, 23 декабря 2009 г.
Teen charged in store burglary
A Limestone County investigator said an Elkmont teen took his parents’ vehicle, drove to a convenience store and broke into the business.
Sheriff’s Department Lt. Brad Curnutt said the 15-year-old male took cigarettes, bracelets and baseball caps worth $2,000 from Jeff’s Mini Mart on Alabama 99 on Friday or Saturday.
Investigator Jay Looney recovered cigarettes and caps in a pillowcase at the teen’s home, Curnutt said. Authorities charged the teen with third-degree burglary and unauthorized use of a vehicle and released him into his parents’ custody. Further arrests are pending, Curnutt said.
Sheriff’s Department Lt. Brad Curnutt said the 15-year-old male took cigarettes, bracelets and baseball caps worth $2,000 from Jeff’s Mini Mart on Alabama 99 on Friday or Saturday.
Investigator Jay Looney recovered cigarettes and caps in a pillowcase at the teen’s home, Curnutt said. Authorities charged the teen with third-degree burglary and unauthorized use of a vehicle and released him into his parents’ custody. Further arrests are pending, Curnutt said.
вторник, 15 декабря 2009 г.
45 packs of cigarettes stolen from car wash
A large brick was thrown through the glass door of the Delta Sonic car wash at 2590 Delaware Ave. on Saturday and 45 packs of Newport menthol cigarettes were taken, Buffalo police reported.
The burglary was reported around 7 a. m. The value of the cigarettes was placed at about $317. It’s unknown whether anything else was taken, but video from a surveillance camera is being examined, police said.
The burglary was reported around 7 a. m. The value of the cigarettes was placed at about $317. It’s unknown whether anything else was taken, but video from a surveillance camera is being examined, police said.
среда, 18 ноября 2009 г.
Organizations Call on U.S. Senate to Pass Legislation Preventing Tax-Evading Online Cigarette Trafficking
Representatives of law enforcement groups, public health organizations and trade associations today gathered on Capitol Hill to urge the Senate to pass S. 1147, the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of 2009 (PACT Act). This legislation will help combat online cigarette sales that have robbed hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues from the states and that undermine state laws that prevent youth access to tobacco products. This bill closes gaps in current federal laws regulating "remote" or "delivery" sales of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.
These organizations were joined by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), advocates of combating illegal cigarette sales. Numerous stakeholders have worked with Sen. Kohl through the years to pass the PACT Act, which was passed in the House of Representatives this May.
"The PACT Act will strengthen our tobacco laws to ensure that law enforcement has the tools they need to investigate and prosecute cigarette traffickers, said Sen. Kohl. "Each day we delay its passage, terrorists and criminals raise more money, states lose significant amounts of tax revenue, and kids have easy access to tobacco products sold over the internet."
"We must crack down on the illegal sale of tobacco, which gives terrorists and criminals the ability to raise more money," said Rep. Weiner. "Every day we delay is another day that states lose significant amounts of tax revenue and kids have easy access to tobacco products sold over the Internet. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass the bipartisan PACT Act."
Organizations represented at the press conference included the National Association of Convenience Stores, American Wholesale Marketers Association, National Black Police Association Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and American Legislative Exchange Council.
"At the very time when states have undertaken extraordinary efforts to restrict minors' access to cigarettes and continue to increase cigarette excise taxes, the Internet still offers minors a virtually risk-free and attractively priced means to easily obtain them," said Henry Armour, president and CEO, National Association of Convenience Stores. "The PACT Act addresses long-standing concerns that law-abiding neighborhood convenience stores have with respect to tax evasion and underage sales."
The American Wholesale Marketers Association also released its latest findings from a study it conducted examining the prevalence of illegal Internet cigarette sales and the cost to the country. In the study AWMA found the cost to states in illegal cigarette sales could be upwards of $5 billion per year, and that with online sales there is almost no age verification at the time of purchase.
"The results of this updated study stunned us and the problem of illegal sales of cigarettes has gotten worse," said Scott Ramminger, AWMA president and CEO. "This study is a clear indication that the PACT Act must be passed immediately so we can effectively combat illegal Internet sales of cigarettes and other tobacco products."
These organizations were joined by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), advocates of combating illegal cigarette sales. Numerous stakeholders have worked with Sen. Kohl through the years to pass the PACT Act, which was passed in the House of Representatives this May.
"The PACT Act will strengthen our tobacco laws to ensure that law enforcement has the tools they need to investigate and prosecute cigarette traffickers, said Sen. Kohl. "Each day we delay its passage, terrorists and criminals raise more money, states lose significant amounts of tax revenue, and kids have easy access to tobacco products sold over the internet."
"We must crack down on the illegal sale of tobacco, which gives terrorists and criminals the ability to raise more money," said Rep. Weiner. "Every day we delay is another day that states lose significant amounts of tax revenue and kids have easy access to tobacco products sold over the Internet. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to pass the bipartisan PACT Act."
Organizations represented at the press conference included the National Association of Convenience Stores, American Wholesale Marketers Association, National Black Police Association Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and American Legislative Exchange Council.
"At the very time when states have undertaken extraordinary efforts to restrict minors' access to cigarettes and continue to increase cigarette excise taxes, the Internet still offers minors a virtually risk-free and attractively priced means to easily obtain them," said Henry Armour, president and CEO, National Association of Convenience Stores. "The PACT Act addresses long-standing concerns that law-abiding neighborhood convenience stores have with respect to tax evasion and underage sales."
The American Wholesale Marketers Association also released its latest findings from a study it conducted examining the prevalence of illegal Internet cigarette sales and the cost to the country. In the study AWMA found the cost to states in illegal cigarette sales could be upwards of $5 billion per year, and that with online sales there is almost no age verification at the time of purchase.
"The results of this updated study stunned us and the problem of illegal sales of cigarettes has gotten worse," said Scott Ramminger, AWMA president and CEO. "This study is a clear indication that the PACT Act must be passed immediately so we can effectively combat illegal Internet sales of cigarettes and other tobacco products."
вторник, 10 ноября 2009 г.
10 retailers cited in latest tobacco sale sting
Ten Ottawa County retailers were cited for underage tobacco sales during the most recent round of quarterly compliance checks.
This latest round of compliance checks completes a year-long operation of ensuring that tobacco retailers comply with the tobacco law, county officials said. In the past year, 177 Ottawa County retailers were checked, with 27 making sales to an underage decoy from October 2008 through this past September.
The compliance checks are part of an effort called "No Cigs for Our Kids." The group partnered with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department, Holland Police Department and Spring Lake/Ferrysburg Police Department. They focused on Jenison, Hudsonville and Spring Lake Village. Local law enforcement, along with teenage decoys, visited tobacco retailers selected on a random basis to assess compliance with the Youth Tobacco Act, which requires stores not to sell tobacco to anyone under age 18.
"We need to get better results on a more consistent basis if an impact is to be made," said Sgt. Valerie Weiss of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department. "Decreasing opportunities for minors to purchase tobacco at retail stores is a way to reduce access and the initiation of smoking."
This latest round of compliance checks completes a year-long operation of ensuring that tobacco retailers comply with the tobacco law, county officials said. In the past year, 177 Ottawa County retailers were checked, with 27 making sales to an underage decoy from October 2008 through this past September.
The compliance checks are part of an effort called "No Cigs for Our Kids." The group partnered with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department, Holland Police Department and Spring Lake/Ferrysburg Police Department. They focused on Jenison, Hudsonville and Spring Lake Village. Local law enforcement, along with teenage decoys, visited tobacco retailers selected on a random basis to assess compliance with the Youth Tobacco Act, which requires stores not to sell tobacco to anyone under age 18.
"We need to get better results on a more consistent basis if an impact is to be made," said Sgt. Valerie Weiss of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department. "Decreasing opportunities for minors to purchase tobacco at retail stores is a way to reduce access and the initiation of smoking."
пятница, 23 октября 2009 г.
UM looks at other tobacco-free campuses
The University of Montana is gearing up to become a tobacco-free campus by fall 2011 and it is not alone in its effort to ban tobacco products on school grounds — 172 other college campuses across the nation have done the same thing.
And not just colleges are taking such initiatives.
Designating tobacco-free grounds is becoming a “mega-trend,” said Clare Lemke, coordinator of the Montana Tobacco Free Medical Campus Project that helped four local hospitals go tobacco-free on Oct. 1.
“When I started this position in fall of 2007, there were three hospitals with tobacco-free campuses and by the end of November (there will be) 30,” Lemke said. “That’s just about half of the hospitals in the state.”
Along with the 172 tobacco-free university campuses nationwide, there are at least another 322 smoke-free campuses, said Julee Stearns, UM health promotion specialist and chair of the UM Tobacco Task Force that drafted the University’s tobacco-free plan. These tobacco-free university and hospital campuses serve as models for UM’s plan.
The plan is framed similarly to one used by Oklahoma State University, a school with more than 21,000 students that went tobacco-free last year, Stearns said. In her research, Stearns focused particularly on Oklahoma State as an example of how UM can successfully implement a tobacco-free campus using a “phase-in” plan. That phase-in will include gathering more feedback this semester and going to the faculty and staff senates in the spring.
President George Dennison sent an e-mail to the campus community Monday to inform students and faculty of the plan, and the ASUM Senate voted in support of it on Oct. 7. Education and development will continue until full implementation in 2011.
Yvon Fils-Aimé, a tobacco health educator with Oklahoma State’s University Health Services, said enforcing the tobacco ban at his university hasn’t been difficult and officials haven’t seen many students smoking on campus since it took effect last year.
Oklahoma State is an agricultural and mechanical university with a rodeo culture that is tolerant of chewing tobacco, Fils-Aimé said. In a 2006 survey, about 33 percent of students there said they used a tobacco product within the past 30 days.
Fils-Aimé said that if Oklahoma State can implement a smoking ban, any school can.
A few months after the policy was implemented in July 2008, tobacco use at Oklahoma State dropped from 33 percent to about 23 percent, he said.
“We cannot be a healthy campus with tobacco,” Fils-Aimé said, adding that every day 1,200 people die from tobacco use. While some argue it’s their personal right to smoke or chew tobacco, he said, this personal choice doesn’t trump the university’s responsibility to provide a healthy campus for all.
Aside from the harms of secondhand smoke, chewing tobacco use has the potential to be unhealthy for others as well, Fils-Aimé said. Spit bottles are sometimes left around campus full of saliva that can transmit disease to other students and university employees that have to clean up the mess, he said.
Fils-Aimé disagreed with Oklahoma students who argued that banning tobacco on campus oppressed the minority – smokers – saying that the university has a right to protect the health of non-smokers from secondhand smoke regardless of the number of smokers.
Though the university encountered some resistance, enrollment wasn’t negatively affected and only increased following the ban, Fils-Aimé said. The school didn’t experience a drop in the number of applicants for student housing, he said.
His only regret is not fining students for smoking on campus. Some students have complained to him that it’s unfair that people breaking the rules don’t get penalized.
Maintenance and insurance costs also played a role in turning Oklahoma State tobacco-free.
While designated “smoking zones” were considered as an alternative to the tobacco-free plan, research showed that those areas are rarely used, Fils-Aimé said. It’s difficult to get insurance for structures in smoking areas and cleaning these areas costs money and poses a health threat to maintenance workers, he said. A structure-less “smoking zone” was designated on the Oklahoma State campus for the year following the plan’s implementation at the request of a faculty committee, but it has since been taken out.
Mary Windecker, director of strategic planning and spokesperson for Community Medical Center, said the hospital campus went tobacco-free on Oct. 1, partly because people weren’t going to designated “smoking zones” to light up, sometimes still smoking in front of doorways. Making their entire campus tobacco-free made enforcement easier because it erased the ambiguity surrounding smoking zone boundaries. She said the center hasn’t encountered problems with people not complying with the ban.
Community Medical Center went tobacco-free at the beginning of the month, along with St. Patrick Hospital, St. Joseph’s western Montana clinic, and Tamarack Medical Clinics throughout western Montana.
Montana Tech will be completely tobacco free in July 2010.
Tobacco policy changes are backed by anti-tobacco legislation across the state. The Montana Indoor Clean Air Act, passed in 2005, prohibits smoking in all work places. Another 13 states across the country have similar smoke-free laws. The Montana Collegiate Tobacco Prevention Initiative, led by the BACCHUS Network, is also working with UM and six other universities across Montana to reduce tobacco use.
Lemke said that while she doesn’t have a magic wand to change opponents of tobacco legislation into supporters, working to help hospitals transition into tobacco-free campuses has shown her that educating people about the harms of tobacco and getting the word out early regarding upcoming policy changes has made transitions to “tobacco-free” much easier. Oklahoma State spent two years preparing their campus for the transition and Community Medical Center spent six months.
“Don’t rush through this and think you can do this in two months, it really takes time,” she said.
The university needs to make it clear that they aren’t “anti-smokers,” Lemke said. Anti-tobacco policies are put in place to promote safer and healthier environments, they aren’t about segregating people from each other, she said.
And not just colleges are taking such initiatives.
Designating tobacco-free grounds is becoming a “mega-trend,” said Clare Lemke, coordinator of the Montana Tobacco Free Medical Campus Project that helped four local hospitals go tobacco-free on Oct. 1.
“When I started this position in fall of 2007, there were three hospitals with tobacco-free campuses and by the end of November (there will be) 30,” Lemke said. “That’s just about half of the hospitals in the state.”
Along with the 172 tobacco-free university campuses nationwide, there are at least another 322 smoke-free campuses, said Julee Stearns, UM health promotion specialist and chair of the UM Tobacco Task Force that drafted the University’s tobacco-free plan. These tobacco-free university and hospital campuses serve as models for UM’s plan.
The plan is framed similarly to one used by Oklahoma State University, a school with more than 21,000 students that went tobacco-free last year, Stearns said. In her research, Stearns focused particularly on Oklahoma State as an example of how UM can successfully implement a tobacco-free campus using a “phase-in” plan. That phase-in will include gathering more feedback this semester and going to the faculty and staff senates in the spring.
President George Dennison sent an e-mail to the campus community Monday to inform students and faculty of the plan, and the ASUM Senate voted in support of it on Oct. 7. Education and development will continue until full implementation in 2011.
Yvon Fils-Aimé, a tobacco health educator with Oklahoma State’s University Health Services, said enforcing the tobacco ban at his university hasn’t been difficult and officials haven’t seen many students smoking on campus since it took effect last year.
Oklahoma State is an agricultural and mechanical university with a rodeo culture that is tolerant of chewing tobacco, Fils-Aimé said. In a 2006 survey, about 33 percent of students there said they used a tobacco product within the past 30 days.
Fils-Aimé said that if Oklahoma State can implement a smoking ban, any school can.
A few months after the policy was implemented in July 2008, tobacco use at Oklahoma State dropped from 33 percent to about 23 percent, he said.
“We cannot be a healthy campus with tobacco,” Fils-Aimé said, adding that every day 1,200 people die from tobacco use. While some argue it’s their personal right to smoke or chew tobacco, he said, this personal choice doesn’t trump the university’s responsibility to provide a healthy campus for all.
Aside from the harms of secondhand smoke, chewing tobacco use has the potential to be unhealthy for others as well, Fils-Aimé said. Spit bottles are sometimes left around campus full of saliva that can transmit disease to other students and university employees that have to clean up the mess, he said.
Fils-Aimé disagreed with Oklahoma students who argued that banning tobacco on campus oppressed the minority – smokers – saying that the university has a right to protect the health of non-smokers from secondhand smoke regardless of the number of smokers.
Though the university encountered some resistance, enrollment wasn’t negatively affected and only increased following the ban, Fils-Aimé said. The school didn’t experience a drop in the number of applicants for student housing, he said.
His only regret is not fining students for smoking on campus. Some students have complained to him that it’s unfair that people breaking the rules don’t get penalized.
Maintenance and insurance costs also played a role in turning Oklahoma State tobacco-free.
While designated “smoking zones” were considered as an alternative to the tobacco-free plan, research showed that those areas are rarely used, Fils-Aimé said. It’s difficult to get insurance for structures in smoking areas and cleaning these areas costs money and poses a health threat to maintenance workers, he said. A structure-less “smoking zone” was designated on the Oklahoma State campus for the year following the plan’s implementation at the request of a faculty committee, but it has since been taken out.
Mary Windecker, director of strategic planning and spokesperson for Community Medical Center, said the hospital campus went tobacco-free on Oct. 1, partly because people weren’t going to designated “smoking zones” to light up, sometimes still smoking in front of doorways. Making their entire campus tobacco-free made enforcement easier because it erased the ambiguity surrounding smoking zone boundaries. She said the center hasn’t encountered problems with people not complying with the ban.
Community Medical Center went tobacco-free at the beginning of the month, along with St. Patrick Hospital, St. Joseph’s western Montana clinic, and Tamarack Medical Clinics throughout western Montana.
Montana Tech will be completely tobacco free in July 2010.
Tobacco policy changes are backed by anti-tobacco legislation across the state. The Montana Indoor Clean Air Act, passed in 2005, prohibits smoking in all work places. Another 13 states across the country have similar smoke-free laws. The Montana Collegiate Tobacco Prevention Initiative, led by the BACCHUS Network, is also working with UM and six other universities across Montana to reduce tobacco use.
Lemke said that while she doesn’t have a magic wand to change opponents of tobacco legislation into supporters, working to help hospitals transition into tobacco-free campuses has shown her that educating people about the harms of tobacco and getting the word out early regarding upcoming policy changes has made transitions to “tobacco-free” much easier. Oklahoma State spent two years preparing their campus for the transition and Community Medical Center spent six months.
“Don’t rush through this and think you can do this in two months, it really takes time,” she said.
The university needs to make it clear that they aren’t “anti-smokers,” Lemke said. Anti-tobacco policies are put in place to promote safer and healthier environments, they aren’t about segregating people from each other, she said.
четверг, 22 октября 2009 г.
Scottsdale PD: Robber grabs cigarettes, lighters and cash
SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- Police say a suspect robbed a Circle K at gunpoint, getting away with cash, cigarettes and lighters.
According to Scottsdale police, a Hispanic male went into the store near Shea Boulevard and the Loop 101 around 9:15 Tuesday and demanded cigarettes, butane lighters and cash from the 43-year-old clerk.
The suspect reportedly pointed a dark-colored semi-automatic pistol at the clerk during the robbery.
The robber left in an older white commercial-style van driven by an older male, according to police.
The suspect was described as 5 feet 6 inches tall and 120 pounds. He was reportedly wearing a dark shirt and jeans.
Officers searched the area but were not able to find the suspects.
No injuries were reported, according to police. There was no word on how much money was taken.
According to Scottsdale police, a Hispanic male went into the store near Shea Boulevard and the Loop 101 around 9:15 Tuesday and demanded cigarettes, butane lighters and cash from the 43-year-old clerk.
The suspect reportedly pointed a dark-colored semi-automatic pistol at the clerk during the robbery.
The robber left in an older white commercial-style van driven by an older male, according to police.
The suspect was described as 5 feet 6 inches tall and 120 pounds. He was reportedly wearing a dark shirt and jeans.
Officers searched the area but were not able to find the suspects.
No injuries were reported, according to police. There was no word on how much money was taken.
пятница, 16 октября 2009 г.
Free Press finds Rich Rodriguez does not really eat Corn Flakes (kidding)
In its continuing fight to give the whole truth and nothing but the truth to the people of Michigan, the Detroit Free Press through information given to them through the Freedom of Information Act, found out that contrary to his statements to the contrary, Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez actually eats Count Chocula and not Corn Flakes as he stated.
Rodriguez issued a statement saying, "I am a frequent eater of Count Chocula, but thought Corn Flakes would put the program in a more positive light"
Obviously the above is not true, but I think it points out the ridiculousness of what the Detroit Free Press is after in their investigation of Rodriguez and Michigan. I understand about the investigation on the practice time, but going all out to find that Rodriguez may have exaggerated the grade point average of his football team is a bit much.
Investigating alleged NCAA rules violations are one thing, monitoring everything Rodriguez says is something else. What's next, exposing that Jim Schwartz actually sings Barry Manilow tunes in the shower instead of Metallica? Or are they going to use the Freedom of Information Act to seek the truth that Jim Leyland really does not inhale his cigarettes?
Let's just wait for the NCAA findings. Personally I don't care if Rodriguez actually fudged the facts on their grades in a talk to alumni or to the media as long as he did not fudge the actual grades. Who knows soon the Freep will let us know if Rodriguez actually likes fudge.
Rodriguez issued a statement saying, "I am a frequent eater of Count Chocula, but thought Corn Flakes would put the program in a more positive light"
Obviously the above is not true, but I think it points out the ridiculousness of what the Detroit Free Press is after in their investigation of Rodriguez and Michigan. I understand about the investigation on the practice time, but going all out to find that Rodriguez may have exaggerated the grade point average of his football team is a bit much.
Investigating alleged NCAA rules violations are one thing, monitoring everything Rodriguez says is something else. What's next, exposing that Jim Schwartz actually sings Barry Manilow tunes in the shower instead of Metallica? Or are they going to use the Freedom of Information Act to seek the truth that Jim Leyland really does not inhale his cigarettes?
Let's just wait for the NCAA findings. Personally I don't care if Rodriguez actually fudged the facts on their grades in a talk to alumni or to the media as long as he did not fudge the actual grades. Who knows soon the Freep will let us know if Rodriguez actually likes fudge.
пятница, 25 сентября 2009 г.
Tax deadline looms for reservation smoke shops
Cigarettes sold tax-free on Indian reservations now account for nearly a third of all packs sold in New York state, but the future of the multibillion-dollar business is in doubt.Smoke shops on Long Island's Poospatuck reservation face a Friday deadline to comply with a court order barring them from selling tax-free cigarettes to the public.
New York tribes have long refused to collect tobacco taxes, and since the mid-1990s a string of state governors have agreed not to enforce the law out of respect for Indian sovereignty.
That discount has made them among the state's largest suppliers of cigarettes.
The Cayuga Indian Nation of New York sells untaxed cigarettes from its stores in Union Springs and Seneca Falls.
A mid-level state appeals court has ruled that practice is legal, but Cayuga and Seneca counties are appealing that decision.
After New York City sued over hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue, a federal judge ruled in August that cigarette dealers on the Poospatuck reservation were acting illegally by selling huge quantities of untaxed product.
She gave the shops 30 days either to start collecting taxes or to limit sales to tribe members.
The merchants sought an emergency stay this week, which was denied Thursday by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
It wasn't immediately clear what the shops would do next.
An attorney for one group of owners, James Simermeyer, said they were still weighing their options and hoping the appeals court would reverse itself and issue a last-minute stay.
Harry Wallace, the chief of the Unkechaug tribe, which controls the reservation, did not return phone and e-mail messages, but has said he believes the state has no power to enforce its tax policies on tribal land.
An attorney for the city, Eric Proshansky, said in a court filing that the shops didn't deserve a reprieve.
“The defendants' greedy desire to continue raking in the millions of dollars that they divert from the public treasury by their tax-evading sales deserves no weight in any event, but certainly not balanced against the injury to the public health already proven in this case,” he wrote.
The judge's order only applies to eight Poospatuck shops sued by the city, but its findings could be influential in legal disputes involving tribes throughout the state. Separately, a federal jury convicted one of the Poospatuck smoke shop owners last year of racketeering for dealing in untaxed cigarettes. His sentencing is set for December.
Several of the shops sued by New York City have appealed, but it could be months or longer before a 2nd Circuit panel hears their case.
Cigarette sales on the reservations have topped more than 300 million packs a year, according to state tax officials.
New York tribes have long refused to collect tobacco taxes, and since the mid-1990s a string of state governors have agreed not to enforce the law out of respect for Indian sovereignty.
That discount has made them among the state's largest suppliers of cigarettes.
The Cayuga Indian Nation of New York sells untaxed cigarettes from its stores in Union Springs and Seneca Falls.
A mid-level state appeals court has ruled that practice is legal, but Cayuga and Seneca counties are appealing that decision.
After New York City sued over hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue, a federal judge ruled in August that cigarette dealers on the Poospatuck reservation were acting illegally by selling huge quantities of untaxed product.
She gave the shops 30 days either to start collecting taxes or to limit sales to tribe members.
The merchants sought an emergency stay this week, which was denied Thursday by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
It wasn't immediately clear what the shops would do next.
An attorney for one group of owners, James Simermeyer, said they were still weighing their options and hoping the appeals court would reverse itself and issue a last-minute stay.
Harry Wallace, the chief of the Unkechaug tribe, which controls the reservation, did not return phone and e-mail messages, but has said he believes the state has no power to enforce its tax policies on tribal land.
An attorney for the city, Eric Proshansky, said in a court filing that the shops didn't deserve a reprieve.
“The defendants' greedy desire to continue raking in the millions of dollars that they divert from the public treasury by their tax-evading sales deserves no weight in any event, but certainly not balanced against the injury to the public health already proven in this case,” he wrote.
The judge's order only applies to eight Poospatuck shops sued by the city, but its findings could be influential in legal disputes involving tribes throughout the state. Separately, a federal jury convicted one of the Poospatuck smoke shop owners last year of racketeering for dealing in untaxed cigarettes. His sentencing is set for December.
Several of the shops sued by New York City have appealed, but it could be months or longer before a 2nd Circuit panel hears their case.
Cigarette sales on the reservations have topped more than 300 million packs a year, according to state tax officials.
среда, 23 сентября 2009 г.
Oneidas buy cigarette factory
The Oneida Indian Nation has bought a cigarette manufacturing plant in western New York and plans to make its own cigarettes.
The tribe has agreed to purchase Sovereign Tobacco in Angola for $6.6 million, according to sales documents filed with the federal government. The transaction is expected to be completed by October 2010, Bob Hilburger, a business development director for the nation, said Thursday.
The nation already runs the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, a dozen SavOn gas station-convenience stores, a gaming software company and five golf courses. It sells about $34 million of untaxed cigarettes a year at its stores.
Sovereign Tobacco produces Niagara and Bishop discount cigarette brands that sell for $30 a carton, about half the cost of taxed, name-brand cigarettes sold in non-Indian outlets.
The Erie County cigarette plant employs about 28 people and sold 1.4 million cartons of cigarettes last year, distributing mostly to about 60 Native American outlets in upstate New York. Hilburger said the plant expects to add another 20 workers as it expands during the next year.
The Oneidas are following a trend of Indian tribes making their own cigarettes to prevent the state from collecting taxes on the middlemen, said Jim Calvin, executive director of the New York Association of Convenience Stores.
The nation agreed to buy the cigarette plant last year, two months after the state Legislature passed a law requiring cigarette manufacturers to make sure that wholesalers that buy from them pay the $27.50-per-carton state excise tax before selling the cigarettes to retailers, including Indian tribes.
Tribes in New York have long claimed sovereignty from state and local laws, and they have refused to collect sales and excise taxes for the state on cigarettes they sell, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1994 that states have the right to collect those taxes. Successive governors in New York have all declined to enforce the tax laws.
The tribe has agreed to purchase Sovereign Tobacco in Angola for $6.6 million, according to sales documents filed with the federal government. The transaction is expected to be completed by October 2010, Bob Hilburger, a business development director for the nation, said Thursday.
The nation already runs the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, a dozen SavOn gas station-convenience stores, a gaming software company and five golf courses. It sells about $34 million of untaxed cigarettes a year at its stores.
Sovereign Tobacco produces Niagara and Bishop discount cigarette brands that sell for $30 a carton, about half the cost of taxed, name-brand cigarettes sold in non-Indian outlets.
The Erie County cigarette plant employs about 28 people and sold 1.4 million cartons of cigarettes last year, distributing mostly to about 60 Native American outlets in upstate New York. Hilburger said the plant expects to add another 20 workers as it expands during the next year.
The Oneidas are following a trend of Indian tribes making their own cigarettes to prevent the state from collecting taxes on the middlemen, said Jim Calvin, executive director of the New York Association of Convenience Stores.
The nation agreed to buy the cigarette plant last year, two months after the state Legislature passed a law requiring cigarette manufacturers to make sure that wholesalers that buy from them pay the $27.50-per-carton state excise tax before selling the cigarettes to retailers, including Indian tribes.
Tribes in New York have long claimed sovereignty from state and local laws, and they have refused to collect sales and excise taxes for the state on cigarettes they sell, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1994 that states have the right to collect those taxes. Successive governors in New York have all declined to enforce the tax laws.
понедельник, 21 сентября 2009 г.
Fake cigarettes seized
UK Border Agency officials at a Suffolk port seized one million counterfeit cigarettes after an attempt was made to smuggle them into the country.
They were found when they arrived at Felixstowe concealed in a consignment of industrial electric fans.
The cigarettes had been shipped from China and were hidden inside hollowed out sections of the fans.
They were found when they arrived at Felixstowe concealed in a consignment of industrial electric fans.
The cigarettes had been shipped from China and were hidden inside hollowed out sections of the fans.
пятница, 11 сентября 2009 г.
Beer, Cigarettes and Flat Screen TVs: Targeting the Poor in Times of Economic Crisis digg stumble reddit
If I received one bailout dollar for every time a poor person was accused of spending hard earned tax payer money on beer, cigarettes, and flat screen televisions, I'd be rich -- or at least as rich as AIG, who coincidentally received over $70 billion from the government to stave off bankruptcy.
In the stimulus bill, the government allocated $5 billion dollars to states to help needy women and families whose financial situations have been made worse by the current recession. Conservatives and others have responded to the relief by calling it a misuse of tax payer funds and accusing mothers of purchasing beer and cigarettes with the money. The question is where were these concerned citizens when the government was doling out money to banks and businesses with little to no accountability?
When it comes to lending a helping hand to poor people, there seems to be a double standard. Since the start of the recession, the Administration has implemented several programs to help families and businesses in need -- tax cuts, the $8,000 home buyer's credit, cash for clunkers, the homeowner affordability plan, among others. For the most part, all of these programs have been targeted toward the middle-class with an aim toward stimulating the economy and helping families recover. Very few poor people have been able to take advantage of the above-mentioned programs.
Of the few programs in the stimulus package designed to help those living in poverty or families in need, the government requires states to put up a 20 percent match in order to tap into the funds. To date, only 26 states have been able to meet the requirements to receive the funds.
Matching funds are nothing new, but during this economic crisis requiring states that are already strapped or in fiscal despair to come up with 20 percent to receive so-called emergency funds does not make much sense. Why didn't banks have to put up a 20 percent match in order to receive federal dollars?
On a separate but related note, the idea that if cash is given directly to poor people they will squander or misuse it is without merit. When women struggling to make ends meet receive extra money, they use it to provide for their families, buy food and clothing, and to pay utility bills and rent. Yes, there may be a few in the bunch who may choose to misappropriate the money, but those individuals are in the minority. They are the exception and not the rule.
In the U.S., the poor have always been considered a burden to shoulder or a problem to be solved. Programs to help individuals and families living in poverty should be viewed as social investments and economic stimuli. They should go hand-in-hand with the Administration's current efforts to revive the economy and move families into the middle class.
The Administration should revisit the match requirements for states to receive emergency funds to help and provide support to families in need. And conservatives should be more concerned about how the $750 billion given to banks is being spent as opposed to the paltry $200-per-child given to women to help make ends meet in this downturn. At the end of the day, what difference does it really make if a woman chooses to buy pizza over bread to feed her hungry family?
In the stimulus bill, the government allocated $5 billion dollars to states to help needy women and families whose financial situations have been made worse by the current recession. Conservatives and others have responded to the relief by calling it a misuse of tax payer funds and accusing mothers of purchasing beer and cigarettes with the money. The question is where were these concerned citizens when the government was doling out money to banks and businesses with little to no accountability?
When it comes to lending a helping hand to poor people, there seems to be a double standard. Since the start of the recession, the Administration has implemented several programs to help families and businesses in need -- tax cuts, the $8,000 home buyer's credit, cash for clunkers, the homeowner affordability plan, among others. For the most part, all of these programs have been targeted toward the middle-class with an aim toward stimulating the economy and helping families recover. Very few poor people have been able to take advantage of the above-mentioned programs.
Of the few programs in the stimulus package designed to help those living in poverty or families in need, the government requires states to put up a 20 percent match in order to tap into the funds. To date, only 26 states have been able to meet the requirements to receive the funds.
Matching funds are nothing new, but during this economic crisis requiring states that are already strapped or in fiscal despair to come up with 20 percent to receive so-called emergency funds does not make much sense. Why didn't banks have to put up a 20 percent match in order to receive federal dollars?
On a separate but related note, the idea that if cash is given directly to poor people they will squander or misuse it is without merit. When women struggling to make ends meet receive extra money, they use it to provide for their families, buy food and clothing, and to pay utility bills and rent. Yes, there may be a few in the bunch who may choose to misappropriate the money, but those individuals are in the minority. They are the exception and not the rule.
In the U.S., the poor have always been considered a burden to shoulder or a problem to be solved. Programs to help individuals and families living in poverty should be viewed as social investments and economic stimuli. They should go hand-in-hand with the Administration's current efforts to revive the economy and move families into the middle class.
The Administration should revisit the match requirements for states to receive emergency funds to help and provide support to families in need. And conservatives should be more concerned about how the $750 billion given to banks is being spent as opposed to the paltry $200-per-child given to women to help make ends meet in this downturn. At the end of the day, what difference does it really make if a woman chooses to buy pizza over bread to feed her hungry family?
среда, 9 сентября 2009 г.
DOF sees only small rise in take from excise tax on 'sin products'
MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Finance (DOF) expects excise tax collections from tobacco and alcohol products to rise by a measly 3.7 percent next year as it earlier agreed to defer to 2012 any further increases in “sin tax” rates.
Estimates made by the government showed that the imposition of higher excise tax on cigarettes and liquor would yield P60.16 billion in 2010 or P2.12 billion higher than the projected collection of P58.04 billion this year.
The projections, contained in the government’s proposed 2010 Budget of Expenditure and Sources of Financing, also put collections from cigarette manufacturers at P26.51 billion next year or 4.8 percent higher than this year’s P25.3 billion, while collections from liquor makers are expected to increase 6.2 percent to P21.29 billion from P20.05 billion.
Tax collections on sin products rose to 12 percent to P47.1 billion in 2008 from P42.2 billion in 2007 as manufacturers withdrew more from their warehouse to avoid the eight percent increase in excise tax at the start of 2009, data from the DOF showed.
Of the amount, excise taxes paid by cigarette manufacturers increased 17.9 percent to P27.35 billion. Finance officials said this is due to the increase in the volume of withdrawals — up 14.37 percent to 4.727 million packs from 4.133 million packs.
The amount paid by liquor makers, meanwhile, increased 3.9 percent to P15.63 billion as volume of withdrawals of fermented liquor rose 2.85 percent while that of distilled spirits increased 10.4 percent.
Republic Act 9334 or the indexation of sin tax on alcohol and tobacco products mandates that excise tax slapped on sin products would increase every two years until the increase reaches 20 percent by 2011.
At present, the tax system on sin products is four-tiered. It had a mixed specific and ad valorem system in place since 1997 wherein cigarette brands are classified into four categories — low, medium, high, and premium — based on their net retail price.
The Finance Department earlier agreed to defer any possible increase in the excise tax on sin products to 2012 due to the global economic slowdown. It hopes to raise P19 billion in additional taxes in 2012, another P42 billion in 2013, and P57 billion in 2014 and onwards.
Under the proposed adjustment, the DOF seeks to implement a two-tier excise tax structure in 2012 and 2013 until it is harmonized to a single rate in 2014.
Major industry players such as Fortune Tobacco of taipan Lucio Tan, Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc., La Suerte Cigar & Cigarette Factory and alcohol producers Ginebra San Miguel, Tanduay Distillers, Consolidated Distillers of the Far East, Diageo Philippines and Distileria Bago want the government to defer moves to raise taxes on cigarettes.
Estimates made by the government showed that the imposition of higher excise tax on cigarettes and liquor would yield P60.16 billion in 2010 or P2.12 billion higher than the projected collection of P58.04 billion this year.
The projections, contained in the government’s proposed 2010 Budget of Expenditure and Sources of Financing, also put collections from cigarette manufacturers at P26.51 billion next year or 4.8 percent higher than this year’s P25.3 billion, while collections from liquor makers are expected to increase 6.2 percent to P21.29 billion from P20.05 billion.
Tax collections on sin products rose to 12 percent to P47.1 billion in 2008 from P42.2 billion in 2007 as manufacturers withdrew more from their warehouse to avoid the eight percent increase in excise tax at the start of 2009, data from the DOF showed.
Of the amount, excise taxes paid by cigarette manufacturers increased 17.9 percent to P27.35 billion. Finance officials said this is due to the increase in the volume of withdrawals — up 14.37 percent to 4.727 million packs from 4.133 million packs.
The amount paid by liquor makers, meanwhile, increased 3.9 percent to P15.63 billion as volume of withdrawals of fermented liquor rose 2.85 percent while that of distilled spirits increased 10.4 percent.
Republic Act 9334 or the indexation of sin tax on alcohol and tobacco products mandates that excise tax slapped on sin products would increase every two years until the increase reaches 20 percent by 2011.
At present, the tax system on sin products is four-tiered. It had a mixed specific and ad valorem system in place since 1997 wherein cigarette brands are classified into four categories — low, medium, high, and premium — based on their net retail price.
The Finance Department earlier agreed to defer any possible increase in the excise tax on sin products to 2012 due to the global economic slowdown. It hopes to raise P19 billion in additional taxes in 2012, another P42 billion in 2013, and P57 billion in 2014 and onwards.
Under the proposed adjustment, the DOF seeks to implement a two-tier excise tax structure in 2012 and 2013 until it is harmonized to a single rate in 2014.
Major industry players such as Fortune Tobacco of taipan Lucio Tan, Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc., La Suerte Cigar & Cigarette Factory and alcohol producers Ginebra San Miguel, Tanduay Distillers, Consolidated Distillers of the Far East, Diageo Philippines and Distileria Bago want the government to defer moves to raise taxes on cigarettes.
понедельник, 7 сентября 2009 г.
Jury awards punitive damages to smoker's daughter
A jury has recommended that cigarette maker Philip Morris USA should pay $13.8 million in punitive damages to the daughter of a longtime smoker who died of lung cancer.
The panel voted 9-3 on Monday in favor of Bullock's daughter Jodie Bullock, who is now the plaintiff in the case. Betty Bullock died of lung cancer in February 2003.
She had sued Philip Morris in April 2001, accusing the company of fraud and product liability. A jury in 2002 recommended Philip Morris pay a record $28 billion in punitive damages to Bullock, but a judge later reduced the award to $28 million.
In 2008, the 2nd District Court of Appeal reversed the jury's decision and remanded the case for a new trial over the punitive damages. Philip Morris said the $28 billion remained excessive.
However, the original jury recommended the tobacco company pay Bullock $750,000 in damages and $100,000 for pain and suffering, a verdict that still stands.
In a statement, Richmond, Va.-based Altria Group Inc., which owns Philip Morris, said any amount given to Bullock's daughter is unwarranted.
"After hearing weeks of improper arguments and evidence that violated state and federal law on punitive damages, the jury still managed to reject plaintiff's patently unreasonable request," said Murray Garnick, Altria Client Services senior vice president, speaking on behalf of Philip Morris. "Even so, we believe that any punitive damages award is unwarranted based on the facts in this case and that this award is unconstitutionally excessive."
Defense attorney Frank P. Kelly said outside of court that Philip Morris hasn't decided yet whether to appeal the decision.
Plaintiff's attorney Michael Piuze said the jury's verdict amounted to a "slap on the wrist for Philip Morris."
"I liked it better when it was $28 billion," said Piuze, who represented Betty Bullock after she filed the lawsuit. "She wanted me to beat the crap out of Philip Morris, and we did it once."
Betty Bullock, 64, of Newport Beach, started smoking Marlboros when she was 17 and later turned to Benson & Hedges, both Philip Morris products.
Attorneys for Philip Morris argued Betty Bullock could have stopped smoking at anytime, and the harmful effects of cigarettes were known to smokers.
Jurors said the figure they reached was a compromise, with some arguing that Philip Morris shouldn't pay anything, while others believed the cigarette maker should pay billions of dollars in damages.
Matt Reed, 37, of Burbank was one of the three dissenting jurors, who believed Philip Morris should pay a higher amount than the verdict.
"Some of us looked at it as an opportunity to deter this behavior," Reed said. "I don't find $13.8 million to be much of a deterrent."
Other jurors felt Betty Bullock should have been more responsible, but using a formula decided on an amount for the years she suffered from lung cancer.
"I saw it as a personal choice," said Poulet Minasian, 25, of Los Angeles. "There was a big gap in the amount (during deliberations), but the $13.8 million made ense."
The panel voted 9-3 on Monday in favor of Bullock's daughter Jodie Bullock, who is now the plaintiff in the case. Betty Bullock died of lung cancer in February 2003.
She had sued Philip Morris in April 2001, accusing the company of fraud and product liability. A jury in 2002 recommended Philip Morris pay a record $28 billion in punitive damages to Bullock, but a judge later reduced the award to $28 million.
In 2008, the 2nd District Court of Appeal reversed the jury's decision and remanded the case for a new trial over the punitive damages. Philip Morris said the $28 billion remained excessive.
However, the original jury recommended the tobacco company pay Bullock $750,000 in damages and $100,000 for pain and suffering, a verdict that still stands.
In a statement, Richmond, Va.-based Altria Group Inc., which owns Philip Morris, said any amount given to Bullock's daughter is unwarranted.
"After hearing weeks of improper arguments and evidence that violated state and federal law on punitive damages, the jury still managed to reject plaintiff's patently unreasonable request," said Murray Garnick, Altria Client Services senior vice president, speaking on behalf of Philip Morris. "Even so, we believe that any punitive damages award is unwarranted based on the facts in this case and that this award is unconstitutionally excessive."
Defense attorney Frank P. Kelly said outside of court that Philip Morris hasn't decided yet whether to appeal the decision.
Plaintiff's attorney Michael Piuze said the jury's verdict amounted to a "slap on the wrist for Philip Morris."
"I liked it better when it was $28 billion," said Piuze, who represented Betty Bullock after she filed the lawsuit. "She wanted me to beat the crap out of Philip Morris, and we did it once."
Betty Bullock, 64, of Newport Beach, started smoking Marlboros when she was 17 and later turned to Benson & Hedges, both Philip Morris products.
Attorneys for Philip Morris argued Betty Bullock could have stopped smoking at anytime, and the harmful effects of cigarettes were known to smokers.
Jurors said the figure they reached was a compromise, with some arguing that Philip Morris shouldn't pay anything, while others believed the cigarette maker should pay billions of dollars in damages.
Matt Reed, 37, of Burbank was one of the three dissenting jurors, who believed Philip Morris should pay a higher amount than the verdict.
"Some of us looked at it as an opportunity to deter this behavior," Reed said. "I don't find $13.8 million to be much of a deterrent."
Other jurors felt Betty Bullock should have been more responsible, but using a formula decided on an amount for the years she suffered from lung cancer.
"I saw it as a personal choice," said Poulet Minasian, 25, of Los Angeles. "There was a big gap in the amount (during deliberations), but the $13.8 million made ense."
четверг, 3 сентября 2009 г.
Keeping Track Of How Many Cigarettes You Smoke Each Day
Have you noticed that you are smoking much more lately than you normally do? Smoking is a dangerous and deadly enough habit without turning yourself into a chain smoker. It can be very easy to let yourself get into the habit of lighting one cigarette after another if you do not watch very carefully what you are doing. This happens easier for those who are in a situation where there is no restrictions placed on their smoking amount by something like where they work or other activities they engage in.
When you work in a place where you have a designated break time, you might only be allowed to smoke during those times. Whether you like it or not, at least this will help to keep your smoking habit under control during the time you are there. Other places where you are not allowed to smoke is in church, public buildings like restaurants or government offices, schools, and lots of other places. You must control your urge to smoke at these places just because it is not allowed.
When you are given free reign over your smoking you can light up whenever you wish too. You might work from home or your work could be traveling around in a vehicle of some kind all day. This can allow you to smoke non-stop and this can be easy to get into the habit of doing. How do you think chain smokers become chain smokers? It is because they do it whenever they want to. So, what can you do if you have complete control over your smoking habit and you are losing that control?
The first thing to do is realize that you are doing it. After you have admitted to yourself that you are smoking far too much, you have to learn to set your own limits. Pick certain times of the day or when you are doing certain things and make the commitment to not smoke during those times and do your best to stick to it. If you drive around for your work, try taking only a certain number of smokes with you and make them last. If you work inside your home, like using your computer, make a rule to not smoke inside. Smoke only outside and set the times when you allow yourself to go out.
Maybe you do not think you have the willpower to do this, but if you do not take the problem into hand yourself, who will? Who knows? This might the first steps to get yourself to stop smoking all together. Willpower might come easier if you use it a little at a time instead of trying to be completely strict with yourself all at once.
When you work in a place where you have a designated break time, you might only be allowed to smoke during those times. Whether you like it or not, at least this will help to keep your smoking habit under control during the time you are there. Other places where you are not allowed to smoke is in church, public buildings like restaurants or government offices, schools, and lots of other places. You must control your urge to smoke at these places just because it is not allowed.
When you are given free reign over your smoking you can light up whenever you wish too. You might work from home or your work could be traveling around in a vehicle of some kind all day. This can allow you to smoke non-stop and this can be easy to get into the habit of doing. How do you think chain smokers become chain smokers? It is because they do it whenever they want to. So, what can you do if you have complete control over your smoking habit and you are losing that control?
The first thing to do is realize that you are doing it. After you have admitted to yourself that you are smoking far too much, you have to learn to set your own limits. Pick certain times of the day or when you are doing certain things and make the commitment to not smoke during those times and do your best to stick to it. If you drive around for your work, try taking only a certain number of smokes with you and make them last. If you work inside your home, like using your computer, make a rule to not smoke inside. Smoke only outside and set the times when you allow yourself to go out.
Maybe you do not think you have the willpower to do this, but if you do not take the problem into hand yourself, who will? Who knows? This might the first steps to get yourself to stop smoking all together. Willpower might come easier if you use it a little at a time instead of trying to be completely strict with yourself all at once.
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