portable ashtrays

[grandmastaal 0]

that will help you through those cold winters of hibernation though mamabear - assuming you are actually a bear

[HelperElfMissy 42]

At certain times hubby thinks I am a bear (with a sore head), but no I do not get to sleep all winter. In fact this Southern Hemi winter I plan to get serious on knocking off the pounds that piled on when I knocked off the nicotine. Serious training for this old girl for winter 2008!

[Thunderpants 0]

passive smoking is bad. no doubt.

But the whole anti smoke crusade is out of proportion.

measure a bit of tobacco smoke from the lift in front of you against the hordes of cars going thru Tokyo (or Hongkong) every day.

Think about the left over antibiotics in your meat.

Please don't misunderstand me, i think you have a right to a smoke free environment, but nobody is going to die from a ciggy, lit up 10 meters in front of you on a windy day.

[grandmastaal 0]

people speak about smoking being dangerous, well more people die from being run over by busses. (perhaps)

 

My grandad got run over by 20 busses a day until he was 80 and it never did him any harm, mind you, he worked in a bus repair shop and spend all day in a pit repairing damaged bus undercaridges.

 

i think everyone is entitled to smoke free-ness too, but i think smokers should have the facility to go to a 'smoke club' where they can gather together with fellow smokers to smoke inside. Do you know the only 2 bars you can still legally smoke in the uk are at hollyrood (scottish parliment) and westminister. Its a joke. I love the smoking ban, but i think its a very naziesq rule from a bunch of hypocritic politicians.

[HelperElfMissy 42]

 Originally Posted By: Thunderpants

Please don't misunderstand me, i think you have a right to a smoke free environment, but nobody is going to die from a ciggy, lit up 10 meters in front of you on a windy day.

Not true Thunderpants. I was sitting on the lift one evening with my 16 yr old, who had to use his ventolin inhaler 6 times BECAUSE of the cigarette smoke. His maximum usage in Tokyo was 2 times to get relief in any one day. And while you may say it was exertion related from riding the mountain ... ummm ...no.... 2 puffs took care of that at a maximum of once per snowboarding session (about 3 -4 hrs worth). It was clearly a reaction to the smoke, and a situation that he was unable to escape without jumping from a moving chair.

 Originally Posted By: Al from Scotland

but i think smokers should have the facility to go to a 'smoke club' where they can gather together with fellow smokers to smoke inside.

Completely agree. What we do to ourselves and enjoy in our own private times is totally our business (ouch I can feel Thursdays medical costs rant coming on! Yeah But besides that!!). What we should not do as smokers is force others to suffer our addiction, or the fall out from our addiction (eg Butts all over the mountain).

Edited to add: I just realized I have swapped one BUTT for another!!

[grandmastaal 0]

i think if they are going to ban smoking, they need to ban the sale of cigarettes and stop being big hypocrites. They are either too bad for us, or not, add it to the controlled drugs list.

 

We fund the NHS, and we drain the NHS, but with or without smokers the NHS is screwed. The state of hospitals in the UK is unbelievably bad. try and find a person who hasnt been either directly or indirectly effected by Superbugs i.e. MRSA, its difficult, cos they are rife. Poor hygiene caused their birth, and is helping them spread.

 

If the government legalised all (well maybe not all) but a bunch of currently 'controlled' drugs, then they could rake in taxes to help try and sort out our flailing system and also keep a track on exactly who is taking drugs and greatly decrease the number of criminals involved in drug trafficking in our country.

[grungy-gonads 54]

I find the smoking vs non-smoking argument to be one of those that is just futile.

[Thunderpants 0]

I think this thread is symptomatic to the whole smoking debate.

Poor Al just asked a question about ashtrays, and first reply was predictably a pointed finger at his habit.

screw that. i'm tired of the non smoking holier than thou.

 

And Mamabear, i am sorry for your boys trouble but if he is that sensitive to smoke i doubt very much that Tokyo would be less harmful to his respiratory system than that lift example. just using my common logic.

 

I am suffering from a nerve disorder which makes my left ear extremely sensitive to noise. yet i have to live with all the unnecessary noise around me.

 

FYI this august a smoking ban in bars starts in Netherlands. guess where smoking is being banned?

[grandmastaal 0]

but, but, how will one smoke the lovely lovely weed in the dam if its a smoking ban??? NOOOOOOOOO! (not that i smoke due to stupid drug tests, but i did 'once' and i wouldnt like others to be forced into doing it in places where it is illegal.

 

Thanks for the props thunderpants! all i wanted was to not litter in japan!

[soubriquet 0]

Nicely put Thunderpants. The world is full of holier than thou's perfectly willing to see other's liberty infringed as long as it doesn't affect them.

 

Al, you will find Japan a welcoming place. Booze is cheap, and many places have designated smoking areas. Those who don't like cigarette smoke in bars are perfectly free to stay away.

 

I noted earlier this year that a number of Back Country heroes associated with this site deliberately provoked the Hakuba ski patrol and had passes confiscated. I noted that this behaviour caused a certain amount of angst among some locals because the fallout could jeapordise their legitimate activities. I wonder if these are the same people who call the 47 patrol nazis, because their rights to slide where and when they want are infringed. I wonder if they wear helmutts, and sneer at those who choose not to. I wonder if any of them have ever shared a spliff.

 

It's only a matter of time before (for example) an avalanche takes out a significant number of Back Country heroes. There will be co$$t to taxpayers for finding and repatriating the bodies as well as the unnecessary risks posed to the authorities for carrying out the job. Then there will be calls to ban BC on elf and safety grounds. It wouldn't affect me if BC was banned, because I don't do it. However, I take the view that life involves risk, and if that's what people want to do then it's up to them. I oppose allowing the safety elves to white-ant our personal liberties, even if they aren't mine.

 

Mamabear. If your son's asthma is so bad that a whiff of fag on a chairlift requires 6 pulls of ventolin, how are you going to manage in Perth this winter? When there is an inversion, the wood fires are all banked, and CALM are burning off, there will be a blanket of smog from the coast to the hills. The air quality will be shite. Or is it a particular kind of asthma?

[HelperElfMissy 42]

My son was born Asthmatic, we have been dealing with this for 16 years. It runs in both families - so we were awake up to it early on, and he (contrary to current medical policy) had his diagnosis well prior to 2yrs of age.

 

He was very effected by environmental fluctuation such as summer bushfire and winter heater fires, as well as getting a whiff of exhaust fumes, a snuff of the bleach as I washed the loo etc etc.

 

As he has got older he is much more stable, and things like snowboarding really help his resiliancy - so I have no issue sending him off on copious trips as I see a significant health benefit.

 

I am not making this up - he was fine in Tokyo, and not fine on the lift in the backwash of the smoker. Maybe he wouldn't be fine in Tokyo at another time - but when we were there, no problem! I was concerned and packed ventolin (loads), q-var (preventer) and prednisolone (steriod tablets) just in case. We know what we are doing with his asthma.

 

But you missed my point. I was CONGRATULATING Al on his consideration of others - not dropping your fags in the snow is a good thing! I also have no problem with anywhere that Al wants to smoke where people can leave his vicinity if they chose. I am not talking about the smoker removing themselves - I am talking about the person affected by the smoke removing themselves. Despite being a reformed smoker I AM NOT the kind of person to try and take away the civil liberties of smokers... I just wanted to point out that in this particular instance the smokers did not think, and removed our civil liberties, we were unable to move away from thier smoke.

 

Al - smoking is your own choice. In my head I know I am way better off not smoking - but my wardrobe wishes that I was still toking away along with ya. Enjoy your time in Japan, and maybe carry a couple of extra ashtrays for the less considerate.

[BillTheBinMan 0]

Out of interest, is it the not smoking that makes the weight go on (for some reason) or something about the smoking that keeps it off?

[grandmastaal 0]

eating and nicoteen cravings are similar, ex smokers usually replace their cravings with food - hence weight increase. Nicoteen + Tar etc doesnt actually make you lose weight, it just decreases your appetite. Also regaining your taste receptors after quitting smoking can make food taste better and therefore make you want more.

I know lots of fat people who smoke:)

[beanbag 0]

 Quote:

Also regaining your taste receptors after quitting smoking can make food taste better

If anyone needed an advert as to why not take up smoking this must be near the top of the list! "Smoke, and take away your food receptors! Food tastes rubbish!"

[grandmastaal 0]

if only it was that simple, i dont think i would know so many 'portly' smokers. I think it should read - "food doesnt taste quite AS good"