I’ve been thinking about trying rock climbing for a while now, and this article about Dean Potter particularly piqued my interest. This guy is an amazing athlete who, with his partner Tim O’Neill, climbed the Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite in 3 hours and 24 minutes (the first ascent up the Nose took 45 DAYS!). Continue reading
On Thursday, February 1, France became the latest country to ban smoking in public places. Fearing a change that may alter the image of a country defined in part by its smoky cafes and cigarette-puffing intellectuals, some are not impressed!
France’s 15 million smokers will be banned from lighting up in workplaces, schools, airports, hospitals and other “closed and covered” public places. More than 175,000 agents are to enforce the ban, handing out fines of $88 for smokers and $174 for employers who look the other way.
In a year, the ban will extend to cafes and restaurants - sure to be the moment of truth for a certain image of France, where writers like Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre are remembered with cigarettes dangling from their mouths.
Statistics, like 66,000 smoker deaths per year in France, and changing norms are snuffing out the romance along with the cigarette. Italy, Spain, Belgium, Britain and Ireland are all ahead of France in enacting broad smoking bans.
Nearly a quarter of French people are smokers. Yet, a day before the “no smoking” signs go up, there was no sign of panic in the streets. So far, smokers are calm, with no pre-ban rush for smokers’ aids like nicotine patches. However, two companies that make ventilated smoking rooms for offices say they are gearing up for a rush in orders.
For those lacking sufficient inner strength to break the habit, the government will help by reimbursing up to $65 per person per year for stop smoking aids. It will also allow companies to invest in strictly regulated special smoking rooms inside the workplace. I don’t think we have those here, do we?
I was curious about the ventilated smoking rooms and here is what Ameraicans for Non-Smokers Rights has to say on the subject:
“Providing for separately ventilated smoking rooms - There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and there is no known ventilation system that will prevent secondhand smoke from permeating nonsmoking areas and adversely affecting people in those areas. Moreover, separately ventilated smoking rooms offer no protection for employees who work in those rooms and may even exacerbate their situation by concentrating all the smoking into one place. Even if no employee is required to work in a separately ventilated smoking room, the people who clean it will be exposed to the secondhand smoke.”
We now know that 53,800 people die every year from secondhand smoke exposure. This number is based on the midpoint numbers for heart disease deaths (48,500), lung cancer (3,000) and SIDS deaths (2,300) as calculated in the 1997 California EPA Report on Secondhand Smoke.
The 2006 Surgeon General’s report on The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke confirmed the known health effects of secondhand smoke exposure, including immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system, and coronary heart disease and lung cancer. The report concluded there is no safe level of exposure.
Secondhand smoke kills. Knowing the science behind it, as well as how smokefree policies protect the public from secondhand smoke, will help cement this in the minds of the pubic.
Wow, reading this article about the cost of making bottled water makes me glad I’m a Camelbak user! The calculations done by the article’s author show that it takes 25 liters of water to make a plastic bottle that holds one liter of water — what a discrepancy! I suppose it takes quite a bit of water to make a Camelbak, too, but at least I only have one of those!
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Some celebrities having a reputation for caring for the environment could make a little more effort not to seem hypocritical! Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Julia Roberts
On the ground: Roberts drives a Prius, which gets (at best) 60 miles to the gallon, shaving 30 miles off a normal car’s mpg.
In the air: Chicago/LA, 1,749 miles in a private jet, the route she took with Rupert Everett while shooting “My Best Friend’s Wedding.”
Gas guzzled: 2,100 gallons of jet fuel.
Prius Penance: Julia would have to drive 30,000 miles, or roughly once around the earth and then some to even out her consumption in the air.
So Julia says: No word yet from Julia’s rep.
Jennifer Lopez
On the ground: J-Lo tools around in her 60 miles-per-gallon Prius.
In the air: LA /New York, 2,475 miles in a private jet. Lopez was actually sued by a private jet company for allegedly skipping out on the bill, though she says it’s all a misunderstanding and she was not supposed to be billed.
Gas guzzled: 2,750 gallons of jet fuel.
Prius penance: She’d have to drive 45,000 miles, and that’s a lot longer for Jenny than just going down the block. It’s actually more like twice around the earth.
So Jennifer says: There was no comment from Lopez’s rep.
George Clooney
On the ground: George favors a Tango, an electric car that gets a whopping 135 miles to the charge.
In the air: Los Angeles/Tokyo, 5500 miles in a private jet.
Gas guzzled: 7,000 gallons of jet fuel.
Electric shocker: Even with his super-saver Tango, he’ll have to drive over 57 oceans — Pacific Oceans to break even.
So George says: Clooney’s rep, publicist Stan Rosenfield, says, “You clearly have no understanding of certain people’s need for private transport,” and points out that Clooney often has “no control” over his travel schedule.
Brad Pitt
On the ground: Eco-champ Brad is yet another Prius-lover, and he reportedly has several hybrids in his stable.
In the air: Los Angeles/Namibia, 9,400 miles in a private jet.
Gas guzzled: 11,000 gallons of jet fuel.
Prius penance: Brad burned enough fuel to take a Prius to the moon.
So Brad says: Pitt didn’t have any comment. His rep says that Pitt is out of the country.
And the true-blue Green Award goes to … Leo DiCaprio.
On the ground: Leo drives a Toyota Prius
In the air: Leo flies just like us folk — commercial, unless he positively must fly private because of scheduling.
Prius penance: None.
Watch out, celebrities, we’re watching you!
I was watching Fox News the other day and heard about a group called Global Cool. It’s a group that is out to make an environmental difference for our planet. Continue reading
I’m a big fan of my iPod, but I don’t actually use the iTunes Store that much. This article, though, points out that the iTunes Store has a benefit I’d never thought about before: an environmental one!
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