statism

Tobacco Speakeasy: Prohibition Lite Is Making RYO Cigarettes All the Rage

"A month ago, I was sitting with some college students for lunch. After we ate, two of them took out loose-leaf tobacco and rolling papers, with filters and all. They started rolling cigarettes at the table. In some way, it looked more like poverty than a charming anachronism. Puzzled, I asked why they were doing this. The answer was what I feared: Thanks to taxes, no student can really afford pre-rolled cigarettes anymore. You can avoid those taxes by rolling your own for a fraction of the price. And so it has come to be. Students are equipping dorm rooms with rolling machines. Kids carry pouches and filters. It strikes me as very strange, like a reversal of time." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTobacco Speakeasy: Prohibition Lite Is Making RYO Cigarettes All the Rage

The War on Asparagus

"American asparagus farms were worth just over $233 million in 1999. A decade later, those farms (or, those which still existed, as the farm sizes fell by two-thirds over that same decade) were worth just under $90 million. The drop off is stark, but it’s not because of a lack of demand from American consumers. In the 1990s, the United States started paying Peruvian farmers to grow asparagus, hoping they’d forgo growing coca (the plant used to make cocaine) and instead grow the totally legal vegetable. In 2004, the New York Times estimated that the cost of this program ran the United States around $60 million per year. The effect: a lot of cheaper-than-typical asparagus." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe War on Asparagus

Italy bans sale of electronic cigarettes to minors

"Italy banned the sale of electronic cigarettes containing nicotine to minors on Thursday and forbid their use in schools, amid criticism from a consumer watchdog that the move did not go far enough. Italian consumer association Codacons criticised the new law as 'utterly insufficient'. 'E-cigarettes should be banned in all public places, just like normal cigarettes. It’s not clear why the ministry believes they are dangerous, and therefore should be banned in schools, but not in other places open to the public,' Codacons president Carlo Rienzi said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingItaly bans sale of electronic cigarettes to minors

European Union ministers back ban on menthol cigarettes

"European Union health ministers on Friday approved plans to ban menthol and other flavoured cigarettes as part of a crackdown on youth smoking. The proposed legislation must now be voted on by the European parliament. Irish Health Minister James Reilly, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said it was a 'a huge step forward in the fight against tobacco use'. EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg, himself a former smoker, said he believed the ban could be in place within three years. They also agreed to force tobacco companies to cover 65 percent of cigarette packets with health warnings and gruesome pictures." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEuropean Union ministers back ban on menthol cigarettes

“Miracle” Cannabis Oil May Treat Cancer, But Money and the Law Stand in the Way of Finding Out

"All 26 of Finley's referrals had stage 4 cancers — brain tumors, colon cancers, lung cancers — which means the malignant growths had metastasized to other organs. Most had prognoses of a few months to live, some had less than six weeks. All complemented modern Western medicine treatments such as chemotherapy with the concentrated oil — and all but one have survived, she says. A patient's prognosis can very widely depending on the type of cancer, but the disease is a reliable killer at stage 4, meaning Finley's patients' 96 percent survival rate is unheard-of. Most maddening to some is the fact that none of this is new." Continue reading →

Continue Reading“Miracle” Cannabis Oil May Treat Cancer, But Money and the Law Stand in the Way of Finding Out

Gold at a huge premium as Indian imports dry up; survival of small jewellers at stake

"India's gold imports in June are estimated to have fallen drastically to 35-40 tonne, less than a quarter of what the purchases in May were because of state restrictions, triggering a sharp rise in premiums in the local market and raising a question mark on the survival of small jewellers. The acquisition cost of the yellow metal has shot up as bullion dealers are now charging a premium of up to Rs 350 per 10 grams over and above the metal's international price, up from only Rs 40 two weeks ago. The premium, along with the increase in landed price of gold because of the rupee's depreciation, has denied Indian buyers the benefit of the fall in international prices last month." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGold at a huge premium as Indian imports dry up; survival of small jewellers at stake

Gambia to punish those who spread ‘false news’ with 15 years in prison and $100,000 fine

"Gambia’s information minister Nana Grey-Johnson, said the law had been put forward to prevent people, at home and abroad, from engaging in 'treacherous' campaigns against Gambians. 'They do this by inciting the people to engage in unpatriotic behavior, spreading false news and engaging in criminal defamation against Government officials.' Grey-Johnson added that, if unchecked, such statements were a recipe for chaos and instability in any country. Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh has ruled the tiny slither of a country surrounded by Senegal since he seized power in a 1994 military coup." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGambia to punish those who spread ‘false news’ with 15 years in prison and $100,000 fine

Diversion of Bolivian president’s plane enrages Latin American leaders

"Latin American leaders slammed European governments on Wednesday for diverting Bolivian President Evo Morales’ plane on rumors it was carrying a wanted former U.S. spy agency contractor, and announced an emergency summit in a new diplomatic twist to the Edward Snowden saga. Heads of state in the 12-nation South American bloc Unasur denounced the 'unfriendly and unjustifiable acts.' 'Latin America demands an explanation,' tweeted Ecuadorean leader Rafael Correa. 'If what happened to Evo does not merit a Unasur summit, I don’t know what does.' The Bolivian government said it had filed a formal complaint with the United Nations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDiversion of Bolivian president’s plane enrages Latin American leaders

Egyptian army detains ousted president Mohamed Morsi, rounds up Brotherhood leaders

"Morsi’s defence minister, armed forces chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, announced Morsi’s overthrow on state television on Wednesday, even as police began rounding up key Morsi aides and leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Warrants have been issued for the arrest of a total of 300 Brotherhood officials, state media reported. US President Barack Obama said he was 'deeply concerned' over Morsi’s ouster and urged the army to refrain to 'arbitrary arrests' of Morsi and his supporters. In May, Washington approved $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt. That was now under review, said Obama, as he called for a swift return to democratic rule." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgyptian army detains ousted president Mohamed Morsi, rounds up Brotherhood leaders

Mentally Ill Prisoner Left To Die On Prison Floor In Oklahoma

"Prison workers refused to treat Williams, saying he was faking paralysis. He remained immobile as workers picked up his body and placed him in a shower cell. He was left there by workers for two hours. Throughout the next three days, Williams remained immobile on his cell floor. He could not reach food or water placed in his cell by prison officials, who still believed he was faking his paralysis. Vomit, saliva, and feces surrounded Williams after days on his cell floor. Prison medical staff checked on Williams and found him almost entirely unresponsive. They returned three hours later to give him CPR. Williams' was pronounced dead shortly after." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMentally Ill Prisoner Left To Die On Prison Floor In Oklahoma