JTI Supporting La Scala in Italy

La Scala Opera House in Milan has both a global cultural reputation for ballet as well as opera, and a rich,
colourful history.

It first opened its doors in 1778 with a work by Salieri. It has survived, among other things, the hazards of candle and oil lighting, artistic differences (most famously with another composer, Verdi) and even bombing during the Second World War.

In 2010 the museum began a program of expansion for which JTI is providing long-term support. This is part of the company’s commitment to forming and sustaining cultural partnerships, with particular emphasis on exceptional museum and musical programs.

"JTI’s relationship with La Scala began in September 2009, when we helped organize a tour of the Orchestra of La Scala in Japan, and continues today with support of both the Museum and the main events of the Theatre’s opera season".

JTI has already been involved in various exhibitions at the museum. Looking forward, 2013 marks the museum’s centenary, as well as the bicentenary of Verdi’s birth. The opera house resolved its artistic dispute with Verdi during the composer’s lifetime and is looking forward to creating a special celebration around his work, according to Japan Tobacco International.

Are electronic cigarettes actually bad for you?

A new study from Germany suggest that eCigarettes often thought to be a healthier alternative to tobacco ones may not be safe after all.  Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research WKI, in Braunschweig, conducted a study to find out whether e-cigarettes polluted the surrounding air. The results of the study pointed to discharged solid particles remaining in the surrounding air for a considerable time.

Compared to conventional cigarettes, which constantly emit smoke as the tobacco burns, the electronic equivalent only releases volatile substances when it is turned on. But that is not the only difference between the two stimulants, as the WKI researchers observed. ‘In the e-cigarette, vaporised substances create an aerosol of ultrafine particles which become even finer when inhaled into the lungs. These tiny nanodroplets disperse over time,’ said Dr Tobias Schripp, scientist at Fraunhofer WKI and study co-author.

‘Conversely, the combustion process discharges solid particles that can remain in the surrounding air for a considerable time,’ said Schripp. An e-cigarette comprises battery, atomizer, heating coil and a reservoir for the liquids used for producing vapour. The mechanism is activated either by pressing a button or by suction. Liquids come with or without nicotine, and also contain aromas and flavours like amaretto, almond, vanilla or apple. These liquids are heated up in the atomizer and vaporized at between 65 and 120 degrees Celsius. Propylene glycol is the most usual solvent; it produces the atomized mist that resembles smoke, according to a Fraunhofer statement, Health.India.com stated. An estimated two million people in Germany have already turned to the vapour cigarette.

Framingham State University aims to be tobacco-free by 2013

Following the lead of hundreds of other campuses across the country, Framingham State University plans to be tobacco-free by next year, according to school officials.

But the details of that campus-wide ban on cigarettes, chewing tobacco and similar products are still up in the air, as an ad hoc committee responsible for developing the policy introduces its preliminary draft to students and staff.

"There's still lots of things to work out," said Vice President of Academic Affairs Linda Vaden-Goad, who presented the latest plan, based on policies at other colleges and universities, to students at a campus meeting on Monday.

Some of the concerns raised by the dozen or so students who attended that forum include the safety of smokers who would be forced to indulge their habit off-campus; how the policy would be enforced; and whether a campus-wide ban encroaches upon the civil rights of those who study and work at the university.
"I don't want a tobacco-free campus. We shouldn't be enforcing our moral values on other people," said freshman Michael Reda, who was critical of the tentative plan to prohibit use of smokeless tobacco products in particular.

Reda added it seemed "hypocritical" of the school to ban those in the name of health when it also sells caffeine-loaded energy drinks.

In response to other criticisms that the draft policy goes too far in eradicating tobacco from campus - even cigarette company apparel would be off-limits - Vaden-Goad said the committee purposely made the document broad so students and staff "could see what everybody across the country is doing," according to MetroWest Daily News.