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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/09/13 in all areas
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1 pointJust to review the current arguments: E-cigarettes help smokers quit and are better at doing so than other nicotine replacement therapies. E-cigarettes are safer for the person inhaling them than conventional cigarettes. E-cigarette vapour contains far less toxic products than conventional cigarettes. E-cigarette vapour does contain trace amounts of toxic product. However, this is claimed to be negligible to health. Some E-cigarettes are made poorly and may contain more nicotine than advertised. In my opinion, I can see how even minute amounts of toxicity released from E-cigarettes can make people uncomfortable. Therefore, whether E-cigarettes are allowed to be smoked in public places will probably remain a matter of debate for quite some time. However, I believe that E-cigarettes will have a significant benefit to public health and potentially reduce the financial burden on public-funded healthcare systems (e.g. NHS). Whether or not E-cigarettes will be recommended by healthcare professionals remains an area of uncertainty. Guidelines (e.g. NICE) will not provide any significant guidance for their use until further evidence can be attained. Despite this, I am in favour of using E-cigarettes as a replacement for conventional cigarettes, especially if one has the intention of quitting. This is further supported by the fact that it has been proven to be more efficacious than other nicotine replacement therapies. My main concern is that all available research on this area is relatively weak. However, the research that has been done does warrant for further, more rigorous research into this particularly interesting area of public health.
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1 pointOh River, I'm purely a spectator, I'm afraid; I took piano lessons as a kid and played oboe in my high school band (the teacher switched me from flute once he figured out I have a good ear), but it's been years since I played anything. Back when I worked in theatre and opera (as a stage manager, not a performer), I worked with many talented people like yourself who play music. Being surrounded by live music all day and all night is one of the things I miss about working in the biz. Every Thursday was a jam night at the carpentry shop of one of the theatres where I worked, you never knew if 10 people or 50 would show up for a cold beer and some hot tunes. The air in there some nights was blue and thick with smoke from all the cigs and weed; it was one of the spots I couldn't stay in after I quit smoking, it was overwhelming, don't know how non-smokers could stand it in there. Shame I don't play, since River is clearly my kind of peep, in fact only yesterday I mentioned him to my man, who plays guitar, the two of you would get along great.
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1 pointHammerfell, with later access to Summerset Isle, would be a great location for the next game. I would be happy with seeing the war held off until then.
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1 pointi think it would be wicked if they incorporated some kind of sewer system. it doesnt have to be massively intricate, just something to add to subway runoffs. i think it would make for some great gameplay. NOT gta. thats cryengine 3
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1 pointTullius has no motives with Skyrim. He's following the Thalmor's orders and trying to kill Ulfric. Skyrim is already part of the Empire, it always has been. The Empire has been corrupt and all around weak since the last Dragonborn emperor died during the events of Oblivion, and the Great War only made it weaker. In siding with Ulfric and freeing Skyrim from the Empire, you free them from the Thalmor. A Stormcloak Skyrim is a neutral Skyrim, to an extent. They have no obligation to even acknowledge the Thalmor or their self-proclaimed authority. With the Empire defeated, the Thalmor don't have enough men in Skyrim to stop the Stormcloaks from driving them out, and they have nothing to gain from returning to Skyrim in force. Another war with the Aldmeri Dominion is inevitable, but the Empire is stuck licking the Dominion's boots until it grows a pair of Septim bloodline-sized balls. Until that time, a Stormcloak Skyrim is free from all that shit. Amazing how I ignore real world politics, but will rant about video game politics at great length... I'm interested to see how the rebellion will be written in future Elder Scrolls games. Regardless, I'd like to see the Stormcloaks (Skyrim) and Redguards (Hammerfell) form an alliance, and take the fight to Summerset Isle. However, if history dictates that the Imperials beat the rebellion, I'd like to see the Empire fighting the Thalmor, ultimately ending with Hammerfell coming to the aid of the Empire. Think WW2 The Second Great War would make a great setting for the next Elder Scrolls game.
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1 pointSince 2008, the FDA has been trying to prevent e-cigarettes from entering the country. To date, 50 shipments have been refused, but this has not stopped distribution and sale of e-cigarettes. Canada fully banned the devices in March 2009. E-cigarette makers and distributors have argued that their devices are safer than real cigarettes, thereby mitigating the harm of smoking. Some have implied that their products help people quit smoking tobacco products. The FDA rejects both claims. Because the devices can deliver a dose of synthetic nicotine, the agency sees them as unapproved drug-delivery devices with unknown safety. And whether they can safely help people quit smoking is also unknown, while they have a clear potential to entice new smokers with their fruit and candy flavors. The FDA research is preliminary, and there may also be conflict of interests. Furthermore, I'm very skeptical of research that doesn't come from peer-reviewed journals. This is the only research paper that I've actually been able to find from this paragraph. Not surprisingly, it indicates that e-cigarettes actually help smokers quit: The primary finding was that the 6-month point prevalence of smoking abstinence among the e-cigarette users in the sample was 31.0% Read here: http://download.jour...79710007920.pdf Furthermore, all these preliminary studies are just the same study you've highlighted above. I need stronger evidence. Regardless, even if what they say is true, e-cigarettes are still a significantly healthier option than real cigarettes, which contain (literally) hundreds of carcinogens and tobacco. The only thing this indicates is that e-cigarettes need to be regulated more tightly. E-cigarettes that claim to have no nicotine should have NO nicotine. Why do COPD sufferers have a lesser effect from an apparent vasoconstrictor than non-smokers? Because the sample size is far too small to draw any significant conclusions. Everybody knows that Nicotine is linked to the development of lung cancer via reduced apoptosis. But nicotine alone is insignificant without carcinogens. Thus, this argument is only really valid in the face of real cigarettes. I'm not really sure what to make of any of this evidence, we need longer-term studies with larger sample sizes into the effects of e-cigarettes before any sound conclusions can be drawn. Furthermore, research into the chemical composition of e-cigarettes will provide an excellent insight into the potential pitfalls of yet another nicotine based therapy.
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1 pointFrom a recent interview with attorney Michael Levy, director of the FDA office of compliance. Since 2008, the FDA has been trying to prevent e-cigarettes from entering the country. To date, 50 shipments have been refused, but this has not stopped distribution and sale of e-cigarettes. Canada fully banned the devices in March 2009. E-cigarette makers and distributors have argued that their devices are safer than real cigarettes, thereby mitigating the harm of smoking. Some have implied that their products help people quit smoking tobacco products. The FDA rejects both claims. Because the devices can deliver a dose of synthetic nicotine, the agency sees them as unapproved drug-delivery devices with unknown safety. And whether they can safely help people quit smoking is also unknown, while they have a clear potential to entice new smokers with their fruit and candy flavors. From an article on Harvard's health section: http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/electronic-cigarettes-help-or-hazard-201109223395 At the European Respiratory Society's meeting in Vienna in February 2012 concluded:
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1 pointI got herpes the last time I jerked off to internet porn. God I miss cable. I'm writing a paper on the difference between cigarette smoking and e cigarette vaping. When I'm done I'll pass on all the info of what is inside that little vapor cloud. If you would care to do some research into this as well, I'd love to compare notes, especially since we come from two different places in this debate. Best case scenario, we both learn something. Worst case, pistols at dawn. None the less, I consider this a worthwhile debate. Thanks for stating your case Brian. I encourage you to continue, even when we get snarky.
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1 pointMaybe Jimmy will take up the car-smoking role. I liked that too lol. I'm almost sure we'll see a mission where we switch to Trevor just after he's waking up from a bender or something and we get to really see things from his perspective.