Cuban grandfathers roll up with rum and cigars

They smoke cigars, drink rum and sing and dance to their hearts content.
That's the secret to the men who are the the heart of the long run of the show, The Grandfathers of Cuban Music.

The grandfathers themselves singer Reynaldo Creagh, 94, guitarist Maracaibo, 86, and pianist Maestro Rubalcaba, 85 are in Australia paying homage to the original spirit of the music of Cuba.

On tour with a group of 12 in The Bar at Buena Vista The Grandfathers of Cuban Music, the three have been working together for years and are now considered the Cuban masters of music.

The production's youngest member, Leonel Gamboa, said the show was a passport to another time Havana in the 1940s and 1950s to a bar where original Cuban music and dance was rife.

''These old guys, they started as teenagers in that place,'' he said. ''They're still in their prime.''

Gamboa said Creagh could possibly be the world's oldest working singer. Creagh grew up with Maracaibo playing music and the two are still the best of friends. ''I think their secret is to just do what you really enjoy,'' Gamboa said.

Music and dance are a pivotal part of Cuban culture and Gamboa said The Bar at Buena Vista was a fusion of African percussion and Spanish melodies. Jazz, salsa and Cuban folk music are all intertwined into the performance. Gamboa, one of The Bar at Buena Vista's lead singers, has been working with the ''grandfathers'' to modernise the music in the show so it could be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.

''The show has been touring for seven years,'' he said.

''Most of us have been there since the beginning.

''The stars of the show are the grandfathers it's an honour to work with them.''

Lead dancer Eric Turro held a master class with members of Canberra's Latin dance studio, Salsabor, yesterday. He said once people learnt traditional Cuban dance styles, they'd be hooked on the rhythm of the dance.

Smoking Leisurely, and Illegally, in the Park

Leaving time for killjoys to complain, a cigarette was lingeringly smoked.
The nearest people — four men sipping sodas — saw (and most likely smelled) the law being broken, but as would happen frequently that day, none of them said anything at all.

This, to give the scene, was in Bryant Park, at the height of Tuesday’s lunch hour, on the second official (and first nonrainy) day of New York City’s smoking ban in parks, pools, beaches and other outdoor areas. The findings of more than 90 minutes of illicit tobacco use suggested that while New Yorkers may care about a lot of things — rent, sex, Derek Jeter’s batting average — some blowhard smoking in a public park is not high on the list.

Several tactics were used in the pursuit of this conclusion. A cigarette was smoked in the proximity of a person on a park bench. (No reaction.) Smoke was blown, annoyingly, toward said person’s face. (No reaction, still.) The cigarette was then transported — blatantly trailing wisps of smoke — down various paths and walkways in the park. (Absolutely no reaction.) Crowded table areas were tested. (Nothing.) Quiet corners, too. (It was the same.)

In fact, from 12:16 until nearly 2 p.m., only one civilian in the park proactively requested that a smoker stop smoking; she was not only hesitant, she was also exceedingly polite.

“Excuse me, sir — would you mind?” she said. “You’re not supposed to be doing that anymore. And besides, I’m eating over here.”

The complainant was Michelle Hebert, a garment industry worker and (of course) a former smoker. When she was told that the subject of her grievance had in fact set out to explore New York’s commitment to the outdoor ban, she appeared confused, then relieved.

“It’s actually kind of funny,” said Ms. Hebert, who was dining on a meal of pasta salad, “but I just called my sister in Tucson and I told her: ‘There’s some gentleman who just sat down in front of me, and he’s smoking. I think I’m going to ask him to put it out.’ ”

In Ms. Hebert’s estimation, liberty does not outweigh the legislated order.

“It’s a free country — sure,” she said. “But everybody still has to follow the rules.”

Beyond the explorer (and a woman passing by with what looked to be a burning Marlboro Light), there was not one smoker — or at least not any visible — in the park. Where, one imagined, were the hard-core addicts? The jonesing office workers? The visitors from France?

After Ms. Hebert’s complaint, there was another long dearth of objections. It seemed that stronger measures were required.

And so a group of men was approached. “Excuse me, fellas,” they were asked, “any of you happen to have a light?”

Fred Maciarz, a textile worker, did have a light. But he also had a warning.

“You know,” he said, after taking out his lighter, “there’s a smoking ban in place.”

His willingness to expound upon the law then — only moments later — to accommodate its breaking was intriguing, to say the least. Mr. Maciarz was asked about this stance.

Before he answered, his friend Danny Aronstein cut him off.

“Look,” he told the smoker. “You’re lucky you got Fred. I almost called the police.”

Minutes later, the police — or, actually, a uniformed security guard — were approached.

“Excuse me, sir,” the guard was asked. “Which way’s Sixth Avenue?” The asker had an unlighted cigarette in hand.

“It’s over there,” the guard said, pointing with his finger.

“Over there?” the asker asked, pointing with his cigarette.

“Yeah,” the guard repeated. “Right over there.”

“Thanks,” said the asker, and he politely tipped the cigarette to his head.

Then he lighted that cigarette and walked off toward a different guard.

“Yo, boss,” this guard said. “Cigarette’s gotta go.”

The guard reached into his pocket and withdrew a piece of paper, not much bigger than a baseball card. The paper, which announced the ban, said, “Smell flowers, not smoke.”

Offenders may be fined $50 by the police. Parks enforcement officers also have the authority to issue summonses, but for now will educate the public on the law.

By this point, the smoker had been smoking for a good deal longer than he wanted to be smoking and he decided it was finally time to go. As he walked away, he noticed that a man was smoking at an entrance to the park.

Was this man smoking there because he couldn’t smoke inside?

“Why, yes,” said the man, Emmanuel Pacault, who was, as it happened, a visitor from France.

And what did Mr. Pacault think about the smoking ban?

“I find it very good,” he said. “Very human. It is better to smell flowers than smell smoke.”

Rally to support Tobacco Tax

Despite a veto threat from the Governor, the Louisiana House has backed a renewal of a .04 cent per pack state cigarette tax. If it gains final passage, that tax would generate $12 million a year for the state budget.

The tax was first enacted eleven years ago, but is set to expire in 2012. Without the renewal, Louisiana's Cigarette Tax would drop to .32 cents per pack.

Wednesday, supporters with the American Cancer Society rallied on the steps of the state capitol to keep that momentum going. HB 591 goes to the Senate for debate next week.

Court drops charges against Smokedale Tobacco owner

Washington County Attorney Peter Orput has dismissed several charges of criminal sexual conduct filed against Smokedale Tobacco owner Hatem Amin Younis, 39, of Minneapolis.

Three female customers had alleged that Younis groped their breasts in March, June, July and August of last year, and the county attorney subsequently filed charges against him in each of the cases.

However, investigation into the customers' allegations showed there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the cases, according to the May 13 dismissal document written by Orput.

He also said the investigation of the Oakdale Police Department, interviews with the complainants and information submitted by Younis' defense attorney led to all the charges being dropped.

Younis' attorney, Carl J. Newquist of Newquist and Herrick Law Offices in Fridley, said they were able to obtain surveillance video from a system located in the storage area of Smokedale Tobacco where one the purported offenses occurred.

"To put it gently, the video recordings did not match the description of events as given by the alleged victim," Newquist said.

He added that there was additional "photographic evidence" submitted to the Washington County Attorney that corroborated Younis' testimony about the alleged incidents.

"We're just very, very happy (that) after a long and careful review that went on for a number of months that these cases have been dismissed," Newquist said.

In an interview last week, Younis said he wants to put the experience behind him.

"It was a horrible situation, but finally the Oakdale Police Department found the truth and dismissed the case," he said.

"I want it to be history. I just want to explain to my customers, the city that here is the truth."

• The first dismissed charges were fourth-degree criminal sex conduct. In March of 2010, a female customer reported an alleged assault at the business.

• Younis faced the same charges for an alleged incident in August 2010 and they were also dismissed.

In this case, a 45-year-old female had purchased merchandise at the store on Aug. 18, and after the transaction she claimed Younis assaulted her.

• Charges in the last case, this time involving fifth-degree criminal sex conduct, were also dismissed. Police said a 23-year-old woman reported an alleged assault by Younis took place sometime between June 30 and July 10, 2010, but she waited until Aug. 1 to file a report.

Reynolds American 1Q net income climbs

Reynolds American Inc.'s first-quarter net income surged as the cigarette maker benefited from strength in its Pall Mall and Camel brands and higher prices.
The nation's second-biggest tobacco company said Thursday it earned $353 million, or 60 cents per share, for the period ended March 31, up from $82 million, or 14 cents per share, a year ago.
Last year's quarter also included 37 cents per share in charges related to settlements with the Canadian government.
Adjusted earnings rose to 59 cents per share from 56 cents per share. The results beat the 58 cents per share that analysts polled by FactSet expected.
Reynolds' first-quarter revenue was flat at $1.99 billion. Wall Street forecast revenue of $1.88 billion.
Its shares fell 1 cent to close at $36.28 Thursday.
Reynolds American's larger competitor, Altria Group Inc., parent company of Marlboro maker Philip Morris USA, said Wednesday that raising prices and cutting costs helped its first-quarter net income climb 15 percent. The number of cigarettes it shipped fell 6.4 percent and the top-selling Marlboro brand lost market share.
The number of cigarettes the Winston-Salem, N.C., company sold fell 5.2 percent to 17.2 billion cigarettes during the quarter, compared with its estimate of a 3.4 percent decline for the whole industry. First-quarter cigarette market share was stable at 27.9 percent.
Its other brands include Natural American Spirit, Winston, Kool, Doral and Salem.
Reynolds American sold 16 percent more of its Pall Mall cigarettes during the quarter and its share of the U.S. market grew 2 points to 8.5 percent.
The company promotes the brand as a longer-lasting and more affordable cigarette as smokers weather the weak economy and high unemployment, and it says half the people who try the brand continue using it. It is the country's third-biggest cigarette brand.
The number of Camel cigarettes it sold remained stable at 4.7 billion cigarettes, while the brand's U.S. market share grew 0.7 points to 7.8 percent for the quarter.
Reynolds American also said new contracts with retailers during the quarter will give its brands greater display in stores.
The company's financial performance "reflects R.J. Reynolds' successful focus on its powerful growth brands, Camel and Pall Mall, as part of a defined brand-portfolio strategy," CEO Daniel Delen said in a statement. He also said the company benefited from productivity gains.
Reynolds American and other tobacco companies are also focusing on cigarette alternatives such as snuff, chewing tobacco and other smokeless products for future sales growth as tax increases, smoking bans, health concerns and social stigma make the cigarette business tougher.
The company said it sold 13.2 percent more of its Kodiak and Grizzly smokeless tobacco products in the quarter. Its smokeless market share grew 1.3 points to 31.1 percent of the U.S. market.
It also said its Camel Snus, small pouches filled with tobacco that users stick between the cheek and gum, showed steady growth.
It also is testing Camel-branded dissolvable, finely milled tobacco shaped into orbs, sticks and strips, in Charlotte, N.C., and Denver.
The company also completed the sale of its Lane Ltd. subsidiary for $205 million in cash to Scandinavian Tobacco Group in February. Lane, based in Tucker, Ga., makes Kite and Bugler roll-your-own tobacco and Captain Black pipe tobacco.
Reynolds American also reiterated its full-year forecast for earnings between $2.60 and $2.70 per share. The guidance excludes costs related to plant closings and tax items. Analysts expect $2.66.

More work to do against big tobacco companies

As a member of the Fond du Lac FACT group and a high school student, I am very excited about Wisconsin's Smoke-Free Air Law, but there is still more work to be done in fighting against corporate tobacco.

Tobacco companies are adding mint and fruit flavors to their cigars and smokeless tobacco products to "manipulate" me, and the rest of my friends, into using these "delicious" flavored tobacco products. Well, this isn't delicious, it's "manipulicious."

Manipulicious is the name of our FACT group's latest campaign.

Our Fond du Lac FACT group is spreading the word that adding delicious flavors to tobacco products doesn't make them less harmful. These products still contain the same cancer-causing chemicals and are addictive.

Smokeless tobacco use by teens is rising.

FACT groups are an important part of tobacco prevention in youth, because we participate in FACT activisms in the community by exposing lies by big tobacco companies. We are fighting against companies that spend $274 million a year in Wisconsin on marketing products to kids!

We are spreading the word on how big tobacco companies target and manipulate teens into using their highly addictive and deadly products.

Non-profit fights to reduce

Contrary to the claims of Ellen Hahn and Carol Riker, the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association is not "closely affiliated" with any e-cigarette, tobacco or pharmaceutical industry associations. The Electronic Cigarette Association, which they mentioned, is a defunct group that has not even been active in quite some time.

CASAA is a non-profit, all-volunteer association of former smokers and smokeless alternative consumers. Its mission is solely to educate the public, media and legislative bodies about the benefits of tobacco-harm reduction for smokers who cannot or will not quit nicotine or tobacco use.
Tobacco-harm reduction includes the use of all modified or reduced-risk, smoke-free products, including but not limited to electronic cigarettes and low-risk, modern smokeless tobaccos.

CASAA has never taken an official position on any smoke-free policies relating to tobacco smoke. We have only actively opposed or proposed amending legislation when it has attempted to prohibit or limit the use of vapor-producing e-cigarettes, which should not be prohibited under laws which apply only to smoke.
And we oppose attempts to reduce the availability of innovative smokeless tobacco products in favor of cigarettes, other combustible tobacco products and ineffective pharmaceutical products.

Smokers deserve more choices than the heavily lobbied, ineffective nicotine-cessation products made by pharmaceutical companies, which also provide millions in funding to anti-tobacco groups, who in return heavily promote their nicotine products.
Maybe Hahn should also disclose that she's received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which is "closely affiliated" with Johnson & Johnson, which makes nicotine products directly competing with e-cigarettes.
However, CASAA's members and its board of directors are not beholden to any companies with a vested interest in one product over another.

CASAA exists because prohibitionists continue to misinform the public about the ineffectiveness and dangers of FDA-approved nicotine cessation products; refuse to acknowledge the proven science that smokers who switch to reduced harm smokeless tobacco have reduced their health risks to nearly that of non-tobacco users; insist on ignoring real research and rely upon conjecture and assumption that tobacco harm reduction will somehow negatively impact overall public health; and mislead the public about e-cigarettes.
All testing and research to date has revealed no harmful levels of any chemicals or carcinogens and anecdotal surveys and reports by hundreds of thousands of e-cigarette users have shown no serious adverse affects in the seven years they have been on the world market.

CASAA agrees e-cigarettes should continue to be studied and monitored for quality, standards and any possible adverse effects. But a product widely hailed by consumers as an effective and acceptable smoking replacement, without any reports of serious illness or injury associated with its use, should remain on the market.
There is simply no justification to remove these products from the market at this time, other than protecting the bottom line of companies that fund Hahn's and Riker's benefactors.

Senate spar over cigarette tax

Senators pointed fingers of blame at each other and the Shumlin administration Thursday night when a tricky parliamentary procedure backfired, leaving no immediate political solution to a $9 million hole in the tax package needed to support the Senate's budget.

Frustrated senators soon fled into the night, but will be back early this morning to try again to fix the tax bill, pass the budget and debate health care reform.

The revenue hole in the tax bill had been created hours earlier when senators voted 16-14 to reject a provision that would have raised the cigarette tax by a dollar.

The vote took place because Gov. Peter Shumlin had mustered enough support to defeat the tax increase, which he opposed.

For two days, Shumlin and Senate President Pro Tempore John Campbell had tussled behind the scenes about the Senate's proposed increase in the cigarette tax. Each pressed senators for their votes.

"I think a $1 increase in the cigarette tax is a big mistake," Shumlin said Thursday. He argued the state would lose more money than it gained from the increase because smokers would buy their cigarettes in New Hampshire.

Shumlin preferred to put a new tax on dental services -- but lawmakers disagreed. The House already rejected that tax, and the Senate Finance Committee didn't include it in the tax package the full Senate was considering Thursday.

"I'm absolutely opposed to the tax on dentists," Campbell said.

Despite the political tug of war, Campbell had worked out a compromise that the Shumlin administration wouldn't contest in the Senate. Campbell wanted senators to vote on the compromise Thursday night, rather than wait until today. The Senate is running out of time to wrap up work on all the money bills plus health care reform this week. A delay could affect when the Legislature adjourns.

The plan for the evening session had been for the Senate to reconsider its rejection of the $1 increase in the cigarette tax, then take up the compromise 53-cent increase plus a higher insurance claims assessment. To reconsider, however, required that senators first agree to suspend their rules.

FDA to Regulate E-Cigarettes Just Like Tobacco

The FDA has decided to oversee electronic cigarettes the same way it does tobacco products. The agency will not regulate the vapor-producing devices under the stricter federal rules that apply to medical products.

The FDA says it decided not to appeal a federal appeals court ruling asserting that e-cigarettes could be regulated as tobacco products and “are not drugs or devices” unless specifically marketed for therapeutic purposes, such as purporting to help people quit smoking.

The decision not to appeal was announced in a letter to the public and stakeholders from Lawrence R. Deyton, MD, MSPH, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, and Janet Woodcock, MD, director of the agency’s Drug Evaluation and Research.

E-cigarettes are marketed as cigarette substitutes but with claims to be safer than tobacco cigarettes.

The electronic devices are powered by a battery, and a liquid nicotine mixture derived from tobacco is converted into a vapor that can be inhaled by a user.
The FDA had previously wanted to regulate e-cigarettes as drug-delivery devices such as nicotine gum and patches.

But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decided in December 2010 that e-cigarettes are not medical devices and therefore must be regulated as tobacco, since the devices vaporize liquid nicotine.

Deyton and Woodcock, in a letter posted to the FDA’s web site, said the agency will take steps to ensure that appropriate regulatory mechanisms govern all “tobacco products” and all other products made or derived from tobacco.

“We look forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure that the existing authorities granted the agency are harnessed to best protect and promote the public health,” their letter said.

The federal court suit was brought by Sottera Inc., based in Scottsdale, Ariz., which does business as Njoy. It claimed its device, because it generates a nicotine vapor and not smoke, is a tobacco product, and not a drug.

The FDA’s acceptance of the appeals court ruling means the manufacturers of e-cigarettes will not be required to conduct animal or human studies, which the government requires for drugs and medical devices.

The FDA’s decision not to appeal to the Supreme Court could be seen as a victory for the e-cigarette makers and distributors.

But the FDA’s letter makes it clear that the agency plans to maintain focus on making sure the products aren’t pitched by marketers as therapeutic devices.

The FDA said in a letter September 2010 sent to e-cigarette distributors that their products were being marketed illegally and were subject to rules governing drugs. Distributors reacted with a suit that ruled in the December 2010 decision that accepted the e-cigarette industry’s position.

Big tobacco prevails in St. Louis lawsuit by hospitals

Big tobacco companies prevailed Friday in a sweep of verdicts against hospitals seeking to recoup the costs of treating smokers' diseases.
The nationally watched City of St. Louis v. American Tobacco, which took 13 years to come to trial in St. Louis Circuit Court, sought more than $455 million — plus punitive damages —from six tobacco companies on behalf of 37 hospitals, most of them local and regional operations across Missouri.
Verdict forms were signed by nine of 12 jurors, the minimum required in a Missouri civil case. The jury met for about 20 minutes Friday, starting its seventh day of deliberations, before delivering the decisions. It took Circuit Judge Michael David about an hour to read the verdicts on all the counts; the jury had been given 1,035 separate instructions.
"I'm just numb. I'm not shocked," said hospital attorney Kenneth Brostron.
He will consult with his clients about whether to appeal. "It really was a case of David versus Goliath," he said.
Ken Parsigian, an attorney for tobacco company Philip Morris, said, "The jury here found that ordinary cigarettes are not defective and not negligently manufactured, and that's what this case was all about."
David Wallace, who represented British-American Tobacco, said that if the hospitals had won, it would have opened the door to accusing various industries of making dangerous products.
"Where do we draw the line?" he asked.
The hospitals claimed that cigarette companies knowingly delivered an "unreasonably dangerous" product that burdened health providers with costs of treating smoking-related patients who had no insurance and did not pay their bills.
The defense said that the hospitals tried to play on jurors' emotions, and that the nonpaying patients represented only a "tiny fraction" of the hospitals' business. Defense lawyers also noted that cigarettes were legal to make and sell.
The suit got further than about 160 similar cases around the country that for various reasons never reached trial.
The St. Louis case, which opened in January, took about 2 1/2 months to present, less than half the time anticipated.
Some jurors stayed behind Friday to enjoy a birthday cake the jury brought for bailiff William Cowley, and to share their thoughts with lawyers.
One juror, Victoria Reed, an accountant for the city of St. Louis, said the initial vote was 7-4 in favor of the tobacco companies, with one undecided. She said it eventually settled at 8-4, until a woman who favored the hospitals said she was tired of deliberating and changed her vote, making the minimum of nine.
Reed, who would not give her age, had sided with the hospitals, saying she felt the plaintiffs met the burden to prove it was "likely" they had been damaged by the tobacco companies.
"They didn't ask, 'Was it 100 percent they were damaged?' " Reed said. "They asked if it was likely."
Juror Bessie Thomas, 58, voted in favor of the tobacco companies, saying the hospitals didn't present enough evidence that they were damaged.
"We're not letting the tobacco companies off the hook," she said, adding that she felt it was the fair decision.
James Burton, 81, who voted for the hospitals, said he had a tough time convincing others to see his side. "The reason I couldn't sway them is hospitals, when you look at the bottom line, make a lot of money."
Clifford Douglas, director of the University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network, said that while tobacco companies still win most claims against them, this was a big victory in light of the tide that turned somewhat when the industry settled a suit by 48 states for $206 billion in 1998.
"It is one more skirmish in a decades-long battle that the public is generally but slowly winning against tobacco," Douglas said. "This proves again that the companies are enormously powerful. They're very well-lawyered. They're the best money can buy. They are going to win some."

Put health first, raise tobacco tax

“So what’s new?” the reporter asked. “Haven’t we heard this all before?” His inquiry was striking in its simplicity, yet it was a harsh wake-up call to reality.
His question came at the end of a recent news conference at the state Capitol where physicians, public-health professionals and advocates from a spectrum of consumer-health groups had just finished describing the compelling human and financial burden of tobacco-associated disease on our country and Georgia. That journalist, in spite of the plethora of facts and the credentials and credibility of the presenters, remained unmoved.

His skepticism is, unfortunately, very prescient because in spite of the fact that more than 70 percent of Georgia’s residents and a large portion of the Legislature now support a $1-increase on the per-pack tax on cigarettes, the legislative and state leadership apparently remain unmoved — more bound by political pledges of “no new taxes” than their duty of office, which requires them to act in the best health interests of Georgia’s citizens.

Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States — more than obesity, poor diet and lack of physical activity. Cigarette smoking is responsible for one out of every five deaths. More than 440,000 people die each year from diseases due to smoking, including more than 10,000 Georgians. That’s more than 1,200 people each day nationally and more than one person each hour in Georgia.
Yet almost one in five people still smoke, including one in five high school students, most of whom will continue smoking into adulthood. Seventy percent of adult smokers began before the age of 18.

Physicians see patients and their families paying the price for tobacco-related illnesses every day. In our offices and hospitals all over the state, it shows up as preventable cancers, heart disease, stroke and chronic lung disease. For the children of smokers, it presents as low-birthweight babies, increased asthma, respiratory infections and ear infections. Most of us have lost a friend or family member to premature death that was a result of cigarettes.

We all pay for it, not only emotionally and in lost lives, but in the shared health-care costs. Nonsmokers subsidize the health-care costs of smokers. We spend more than $2 billion a year in Georgia for tobacco-related illness.
That includes more than $537 million in Medicaid alone. That doesn’t include the indirect costs due to missed work and reduced productivity estimated at over $3 billion per year, according to researchers. Every taxpayer pays for the costs of tobacco-associated illness.

The real tragedy is that there are proven policies that not only reduce smoking in adults, but reduce the number of young people who start smoking. And that’s important because one-half of all smokers — especially those who start as teens — are likely to die from tobacco use. In his 2000 report, U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher said, “Our lack of greater progress is more the result of failure to implement proven strategies than it is a lack of knowledge about what to do.”

Raising the price of cigarettes reduces cigarette use: It motivates adults to quit and discourages children from starting. This is not a matter of opinion or an issue that is subject to debate, much to the disappointment of tobacco companies. Raising the price through increased taxes saves lives and saves money. It is the most powerful investment we can make in our state’s health and in our children’s health.
Raising our tobacco tax by $1 costs nothing, and the return on investment is more than $350 million a year, not counting the savings in reduced health-care costs and improved health for the people of our state.

I have heard the complaints of those opposed to raising the tobacco tax. They are concerned about Georgia smokers going to other states to buy cigarettes or buying them on the Internet. While an interesting concern, evidence from states where tobacco taxes have been increased have disproved the myths regarding cross-border sales or effects on convenience stores.
Tobacco has no redeeming qualities. It is a killer. It is the No.1 cause of preventable death in Georgia. At a time when we are scrambling to find the dollars to fund critical needs and services, our state leaders need to put forth a policy that puts the health of our state first. It is time to increase the per-pack tax by $1.

Wallrichs & Earwood: Towns should ban tobacco in new parks

A park is supposed to be a place of innocence and fun, a place where children have a safe location to play and socialize. Parents protect their children from obvious dangers at parks, such as strangers.

However, most remain oblivious to an ever-present hidden danger that dwells in our community. What might this danger be? Tobacco.

All tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco, have been acknowledged as containing very dangerous substances that lead to fatal illnesses such as emphysema and various types of cancer. These deadly products are legal for personal use; however; people who don’t choose to use tobacco are subjected to the harmful side effects through second-hand smoke. Also, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, there were more than 7,000 reports of young children ingesting tobacco products and needing medical attention in 2008.

The issue at hand is the current debate over whether or not tobacco use should be permitted in public parks. Currently, there are two new parks being constructed in Hildebran and Drexel. Other surrounding communities have already passed laws that prohibit the use of tobacco of all types within public parks. We are writing this letter to strongly encourage that the use of tobacco should be banned within these two new parks.

Children, parents and, yes, even pets are possible victims of the detrimental effects that tobacco can cause. Each and every person throughout Burke County has a right to fresh air and clean, fun parks.

Imperial Tobacco, Man Group rise in U.K.

Lackluster trading in the U.S. overnight also kept enthusiasm muted in London, as initial cheer over the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden evaporated and markets closed lower.
Falling commodity prices were a key factor for London on Tuesday, with gold and silver prices extending losses from Monday as the death of bin Laden reduced global jitters and triggered selling in what are traditionally considered safe-haven assets.

Also, CME Group Inc. on Monday lifted margin requirements for silver for the third time in just over a week.

Miners topped the decliner list in London.

Shares of Randgold Resources PLC UK:RRS -2.01% fell 2.8%, Fresnillo PLC UK:FRES -1.04% lost 1.9%, Kazakhmys PLC UK:KAZ -1.74% slid 1.4% and Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. PLC UK:ENRC -1.43% dropped 1.4%.

Shares of FTSE 100 heavyweight BP PLC BP -0.48% UK:BP -0.91% fell 0.7% as crude-oil futures also declined, weighed by a rising dollar.

Among the gainers, shares of Man Group PLC UK:EMG +3.28% shot up 2.6% after the hedge-fund manager announced the successful launch of a open-ended fund in Japan, which has raised $1.5 billion.

Imperial Tobacco UK:IMT +1.90% rose 2% after analysts at Morgan Stanley said it was the cheapest stock in global tobacco. “Peer results suggest that volume headwinds are abating marginally, while pricing across the industry remains robust,” said the analysts, who reiterated an overweight rating on the group.