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.

Research looks at smoking addition among teens

Adolescents as young as 12 do smoke, and researchers have found that the sooner they do so upon waking in the morning, the more addicted they may be.

Branstetter — whose research focuses on youth tobacco use; tobacco cessation; and the influence of family, peers and social context in adolescent behavior teamed up with Joshua Muscat, professor of public health sciences at Penn State, to examine data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The team narrowed the survey participants down to 220 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 who were regular smokers. The researchers’ goal was to examine the relationship between time to first cigarette, the number of cigarettes smoked per day, and blood levels of continine, a metabolite of nicotine.

The team found that the time to first cigarette was significantly correlated with several smoking behaviors, including the number of cigarettes smoked per day, the time since the last cigarette and having a family member who smokes at home, informs Centre Daily News.

“Most importantly, we found that a shorter time between waking and having the first cigarette of the day is a strong indicator of nicotine uptake, as defined by serum continine levels, in adolescents,” said Branstetter. “In other words, adolescents who smoke sooner after waking up in the morning tend to inhale more deeply and more thoroughly, which is why they have higher levels of continine in their blood. And these kids who take in more nicotine per cigarette may be more dependent on nicotine — regardless of the number of cigarettes they smoke per day.”

According to the researchers, compared with adults, adolescent smokers tend to be lighter smokers overall, are less likely to inhale when they smoke and are less likely to smoke when they are ill. Nevertheless, even adolescent smokers who smoke less than five cigarettes a day or who are nondaily smokers experience dependence and withdrawal symptoms at very high rates.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2012/11/25/3414224/research-looks-at-smoking-addition.html#storylink=cpy

Salt Lake City airport’s smoking areas don’t protect non-smokers

 As Shane Lenz, of Tooele, puffs a cigarette before flying to New Orleans for Thanksgiving, he explains why he likes the special smoking rooms at Salt Lake City International Airport — especially since almost all other airports nationally totally ban smoking indoors.

"The findings in today’s report further confirm that ventilated smoking lounges and designated smoking areas are not effective," said Tim McAfee, director of CDC’s Office of Smoking and Health. "Prohibiting smoking in all indoor areas is the only effective way to fully eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke."

The CDC study found that at the five large hub airports in America that still allow some smoking — in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Denver, Atlanta and Washington Dulles — air pollution levels caused by secondhand smoke are five times higher than in airports that ban smoking. Inside designated smoking areas, the pollution levels average 23 times higher.

The CDC noted that while Utah law bans smoking in indoor workplaces and public areas, the law specifically exempts Salt Lake City International Airport. It even bans smoking at smaller airport terminals in the state.

Annual ‘Great American Smokeout’ is Nov. 15

Every year, on the third Thursday of November, the Great American Smokeout draws attention to the deaths and chronic diseases caused by smoking. This year, on Nov. 15, smokers nationwide are challenged to stop using tobacco for 24 hours in the hope they might make the decision to quit smoking forever and increase their chance for better health and a longer life.

The Tobacco Action Coalition of the Finger Lakes (TACFL) partners with the American Lung Association and local Public Health Departments to educate the community about the dangers of tobacco use and prevent people from ever starting to smoke, reports MPNnow.com.

Tobacco farmers expect Philip Morris to announce station closure

For decades, Greene County boasted the biggest burley hauls in the state. But by 2010, the county had slipped to sixth as fewer and fewer farms cultivated the cash crop.

The Philip Morris receiving station in Midway (also called Tennessee Valley Tobacco Services) still takes in 6,000,000 pounds of burley tobacco a year -- most of it from Upper East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, TriCities reports.

"It will be roughly $10.5 million in sales lost if this receiving station closes," Jonathan Cavin said.

Cavin, of Cavin Farms, said 138 farmers use the station. They're worried Philip Morris -- and parent company Altria Group -- will close it and direct shipments 175 miles north to Danville, Kentucky.

"Tobacco is something that's been passed down from generation to generation through our family," he said. "My great grandfather bought the main farm that my father and grandfather live on with tobacco money from the Great Depression."

Altria called farmers last Friday and invited them to a company-hosted meeting at the General Morgan Inn in Greenville this Friday at noon.  Hotel staff said that meeting is closed to the press.

Danville Economic Development Partnership CEO Jody Lassiter said the Philip Morris receiving station there (also called Danville Tobacco Services) opened last year. He described it as one of the most efficient facilities of its kind.

"It's a 50,000 square foot warehouse, previously an industrial facility, and they've done a lot of interior work this year," Lassiter said. "Drivers drive through, unload, and drive out."

Lassiter said the Danville station could easily handle an additional 6,000,000 pounds of tobacco a year.