thought i should also introduce myself

Discussion in 'Introduction' started by 2love2live, Feb 23, 2005.

  1. 2love2live

    2love2live Regular Member

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    are you sure? I bet it will soon be if not is already.
     
  2. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    how coincidence

    China's smoking problems will take years to rectify

    Wed Mar 2,10:53 PM ET

    BEIJING, (AFP) - China faces a huge challenge in its battle against smoking, and the problem will take years to rectify even if Beijing ratifies an international treaty aimed at cutting tobacco-related deaths, analysts say.

    China is home to one in three of the world's smokers and is the world's largest producer of tobacco. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates there are 350 million smokers in China, or some 36 percent of its population.


    Awareness about the health impact of inhaling the deadly weed among is extremely low, with an estimated 60 to 70 percent of all adult men smokers.


    Although the habit is banned in public places in some cities, it is rarely enforced and with cigarettes costing as little as 25 US cents a pack, there is little incentive for people to give up.


    Walk into any local restaurant in Beijing, and one is likely to be shrouded in a thick fog of cigarette smoke. In some clinics, even the doctors themselves light up while seeing their patients.


    Smoking is socially accepted and most people do not see it as an issue that should receive high priority attention, analysts said.


    "People are aware about AIDS (news - web sites) and others diseases but few think of smoking as a problem," said Yang Gonghuan, professor at Peking Union Medical College and director of the China Branch of the Global Institute of Tobacco Control.


    "Some think that a few posters will do and many officials involved in pushing the anti-tobacco drive are not adequately qualified," she said.


    The first ever Framework Convention on Tobacco Control came into force last Sunday, ratified by 57 countries who agreed to international restrictions on tobacco producers and smokers,


    While China signed the treaty in 2003, it has yet to ratify it.


    The WHO regards tobacco as the only legal product that eventually kills half its regular users, fuelling the second leading cause of death in the world.


    Yang said although China is expected to ratify the treaty this year, it continues to face an uphill battle.


    A cross-disciplinary government body was expected to be set up to push the anti-tobacco drive and government ministries such as finance and education will also dedicate resources to strengthen the efforts, she added.


    But citing studies from other countries, she said a noticable slowdown in the number of smokers was likely to take five to 10 years.


    "Between the ratification and the decrease in the number of smokers, there is a lot of work to be done," she said.


    More than one million people a year die in China from tobacco-related diseases, including lung cancer and heart disease.


    By 2020 that figure could rise to more than two million, half of whom will die prematurely, aged between 35 to 69, said Yang.

    The WHO estimates the number of deaths will reach three million by 2050, putting an even greater burden on China's crumbling health service.

    But economic interests are a barrier as China's 350 million smokers represent a huge market and tobacco revenues are substantial.

    "Here (in China) the problem is perhaps made worse by the fact that the tobacco industry is a national monopoly, and therefore the government has a vested interest in the tobacco industry," Burke Fishburn, regional coordinator for the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative, told AFP recently.

    Some provinces, such as Yunnan, rely on the majority of their government revenue from tobacco profit and local officials are ignorant about the long-term health impact and the cost of treating smoke-related illnesses.

    This means that persuading people to kick the habit or preventing them from starting will be a drawn-out process, one that could take decades before the real risks of smoking are widely understood, experts say.

    Already tobacco-related illnesses cost the government 6.5 billion dollars annually, according to the WHO.

    "They are already seeing tremendous health care costs but they won't feel the full impact for another 10 to 20 years," said Fishburn.

    Yang said up to one-quarter of government tax revenue from tobacco sales is used to treat these illnesses.

    The new treaty advocates bans on advertising and sponsorship, as well as sales to minors. It also includes public smoking restrictions and larger health warnings on cigarette packs and promotes taxation as a way to cut consumption and fight smuggling.

    Treaty parties must pass the measures into national law within three to five years.
     
  3. 2love2live

    2love2live Regular Member

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    well if we are talking about problems we have in China, I guess there are a lot more other problems to consider, I mean a lot lot lot more. the problem is not that we are not able to realize the problems, but that nobody seems to have a clue how to solve them, or even how to prioritize on them.

    poverty - among all others - can you say it's not one of the biggest problems and not sitting high in the priority list? but in the process of rectification, past 10 to 15 years saw a lot of other problems much severer generated as by-products of this process.

    You see where I am getting at, I am an auditor - hehe - I know for sure that picking bones is always much much essier than giving solutions.

    I am not a genius so what I can do now ? I can only quit smoking:D
     
  4. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    yes, u did the right thing.
    everybody has their growing pain, so is a country.
    as any 3rd world country progresses, education level should improve, so would the problem of smoking. It's a natural process, the weak (in this case, mentally) ones statistically would have shorter life span.
     
  5. By You

    By You Regular Member

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    That's why I love this forum

    This kind of discussion is verry impressive. It is an educational and a friendship reminder. As a 34-years old agricultural marketer and a 8-months novice badminton player, this forum builds up my cultural knowledge as I involved passively or actively in several discussions/topics; and of course building my knowledge on badminton as well ....:cool:. That's why I love this forum as well as I love badminton courts.

    Nice to meet you all. This is also my introduction page ...... :)
     
  6. Anatolii

    Anatolii Regular Member

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    hello By You:) i agree with you. and the best part i like about everthing here, is the willingness to share info, findings, advices, etc.. and with people we're not exactly familiar with too! :)
     
  7. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    A warm welcome to you, By You, a fellow ASEAN citizen! Hope to hear more from you.

    Anatolii, I thought you've given up on us since we've not heard from you for quite a while. I think it must be exams that have kept you away for so long! :p
     
  8. By You

    By You Regular Member

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    It doesn't take too long to proof

    Yeah.... it really doesn't take time too long to proof that this community is warm. Your posts have proof it ...:)

    The first time I played badminton is about in June 2004. My staff persuade me to join with this sport about two years ago (poor me why not to joint baddy early ..... :eek: ). I play baddy about 2-5X per weeks depend on my schedule. Fortunately, my kids and wife are also interested in baddy as well. Another good point here in my city, I can play with ex national baddy player. They also be my coach.

    However, .... I am sure that there is never too late to learn.
     
  9. 2love2live

    2love2live Regular Member

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    heehee, disappeared for a while :D :D :D


    changed job and my new job requires me to travel in Asia Pac a lot - do I have chances to explore all the badminton shops all around ???;) ;) ;)

    welcome by you!
     
  10. DaN_fAn

    DaN_fAn Regular Member

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    Looks like you are back in action:D :D
     
  11. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    anything interesting to report back :confused: :)
     
  12. cooler

    cooler Regular Member

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    The debate is over. The science is clear.

    Surgeon general warns of secondhand smoke By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer
    Tue Jun 27, 11:06 PM ET



    WASHINGTON - Breathing any amount of someone else's tobacco smoke harms nonsmokers, the surgeon general declared Tuesday — a strong condemnation of secondhand smoke that is sure to fuel nationwide efforts to ban smoking in public.

    "The debate is over. The science is clear: Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance, but a serious health hazard," said U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona.

    More than 126 million nonsmoking Americans are regularly exposed to smokers' fumes — what Carmona termed "involuntary smoking" — and tens of thousands die each year as a result, concludes the 670-page study. It cites "overwhelming scientific evidence" that secondhand smoke causes heart disease, lung cancer and a list of other illnesses.

    The report calls for completely smoke-free buildings and public places, saying that separate smoking sections and ventilation systems don't fully protect nonsmokers. Seventeen states and more than 400 towns, cities and counties have passed strong no-smoking laws.

    But public smoking bans don't reach inside private homes, where just over one in five children breathes their parents' smoke — and youngsters' still developing bodies are especially vulnerable. Secondhand smoke puts children at risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, as well as bronchitis, pneumonia, worsening asthma attacks, poor lung growth and ear infections, the report found.

    Carmona implored parents who can't kick the habit to smoke outdoors, never in a house or car with a child. Opening a window to let the smoke out won't protect them.

    "Stay away from smokers," he urged everyone else.

    Even a few minutes around drifting smoke is enough to spark an asthma attack, make blood more prone to clot, damage heart arteries and begin the kind of cell damage that over time can lead to cancer, he said.

    Repeatedly questioned about how the Bush administration would implement his findings, Carmona would only pledge to publicize the report in hopes of encouraging anti-smoking advocacy. Passing anti-smoking laws is up to Congress and state and local governments, he said.

    "My job is to make sure we keep a light on this thing," he said.

    Still, public health advocates said the report should accelerate an already growing movement toward more smoke-free workplaces.

    "This could be the most influential surgeon general's report in 15 years," said Matthew Myers of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "The message to governments is: The only way to protect your citizens is comprehensive smoke-free laws."

    The report won't surprise doctors. It isn't a new study but a compilation of the best research on secondhand smoke done since the last surgeon general's report on the topic in 1986, which declared secondhand smoke a cause of lung cancer that kills 3,000 nonsmokers a year.

    Since then, scientists have proved that even more illnesses are triggered or worsened by secondhand smoke. Topping that list: More than 35,000 nonsmokers a year die from heart disease caused by secondhand smoke.

    Regular exposure to someone else's smoke increases the risk of a nonsmoker getting heart disease or lung cancer by up to 30 percent, Carmona found.

    Some tobacco companies acknowledge the risks. But R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., which has fought some of the smoking bans, challenges the new report's call for complete smoke-free zones and insists the danger is overblown.

    "Bottom line, we believe adults should be able to patronize establishments that permit smoking if they choose to do so," said RJR spokesman David Howard.

    And a key argument of some business owners' legal challenges to smoking bans is that smoking customers will go elsewhere, cutting their profits.

    But the surgeon general's report concludes that's not true. It cites a list of studies that found no negative economic impact from city and state smoking bans — including evidence that New York City restaurants and bars increased business by almost 9 percent after going smoke-free.

    To help make the point, Carmona's office videotaped mayors of smoke-free cities and executives of smoke-free companies, including the founder of the Applebee's restaurant chain, saying business got better when the haze cleared.

    In addition to the scientific report, Carmona issued advice for consumers and employers Tuesday:

    _Choose smoke-free restaurants and other businesses, and thank them for going smoke-free.

    _Don't let anyone smoke near your child. Don't take your child to restaurants or other indoor places that allow smoking.

    _Smokers should never smoke around a sick relative.

    _Employers should make all indoor workspace smoke-free and not allow smoking near entrances, to protect the health of both customers and workers, and offer programs to help employees kick the habit.
     

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