I tried to post in an old "quit-smoking-thread", but it was locked. So I'll continue in this one.Well, the attempt to quit cigarettes which made me start this thread a few months ago didn't result in quitting, of course (lasted 3-4 days, if I recall correctly).So, today it's been two weeks that I didn't smoke, and it's actually my first "serious" attempt to quit smoking. I'm not ill (which used to be the only time I didn't smoke during the past 7 years), so that's why I call it " "serious" ". The best thing of all is that I don't miss buy cigarettes so much as I thought I would. At least not for now, though. :smile:Anyway, any of you going through something similar?

I was doing temp work in a hardware store today and, though it is illegal, endless amounts of people walk around with lit buy cigarettes. So yeah. says to me these laws arnt working.Yeah, that sucks. cigarettes really should be banned at any public places, specially at stores and malls. That works pretty well in my country, except, of course, for bars and restaurants. Every one of them should have (around 40 % really do practice that) a separated part for smokers. But, that's problematic, since in some of them this requires major disarangement, which costs the owners money. Further on, there are some places where the non smoker's and smoker's areas are separated, well, with air. That solution was best accepted, since the only cost for the owners was to put up 'smoking allowed' and 'smoking not allowed' signs.

DELAND -- Kenisha Evans served her debt to society more than a decade ago and wants to move on with her life.Convicted of aggravated assault when she was 18, Evans, now 29, dreams of getting a job working with elderly or mentally challenged people. But her criminal record holds her back."This is a punishment that lasts a lifetime," the DeLand resident said. "I feel like I should have the right to vote."On Saturday, Evans and dozens of other people who have been convicted of less-serious felonies, joined in a workshop to start the process to restore their civil rights. The workshop, at the Greater Union First Baptist Church in DeLand, was aimed at helping ex-felons restore their right to vote, serve on juries, run for public office, start a business and qualify for better jobs.In April, state officials adopted new rules that allow less-serious ex-offenders to regain their civil rights with less effort. In the past, the ex-felons had to go before the state's clemency board.To qualify for the restoration, ex-felons need to have completed their sentence and probation, paid victim restitution and have no pending criminal cases.During the workshop, participants, with the help of several state officials, were guided through the paperwork to fast-track their civil-rights restoration."We have an obligation as members of society to help folks get back into the mainstream of life," said state Rep. Joyce Cusack, D-DeLand. "This is a step in the right direction."For Nigel Brown, a Deltona resident, the paperwork involved in getting his rights back was a small step. He wants to vote and have the chance to get a better job.Brown, 37, was convicted on a drug-possession charge and spent 30 days in jail. As soon as potential employers hear about the conviction, they shut down, he said."They don't accept you," he said. "This is important to me. I'm now drug-free, alcohol-free and cigarette-free."Evans said this small step would help her move forward as well. But even if her civil rights were restored, the criminal charge will not be removed from her record. That lessens her chances of getting her dream job. Still, it's the right thing to do, she said."It's so hard for me to get a job. You have no hope if you have a felony in your background," she said. "Maybe one day I'll be in office and I can help others like myself."555 Belomorkanal Bond Camel Chesterfield Dallas Davidoff Dunhill Epique EsseGauloises Karelia Kent L&M Lucky Strike Magna Marlboro Marlboro Mild Seven Monte Carlo More Pall Mall Parliament Peter I R1 Rothmans Russian Style Salem Sobranie Sovereign Viceroy Virginia Slims Vogue WestWinston

On Tuesday, May 1, I sent a letter urging a Senate Committee to reject the nomination of Michael Baroody for Chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In my letter to Chairman Daniel K. Inouye and Ranking Member Ted Stevens of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, I stated my concern that Mr. Baroody lacks the requisite willingness to stand up for consumer safety. My specific concern comes from Mr. Baroody's efforts to convince then-Governor Pataki to veto legislation in New York requiring fire-safe cheap cigarettes. The enactment of that New York fire-safe buy cheap cigarettes statute was one of the signal events in the advancement of fire safety in America in the last century, and it is extremely troubling that one who would chair an agency so central to the safety of consumers in the United States would have attempted to thwart its becoming law.

In the past few weeks, we've celebrated the passage of fire-safe cigarettes online laws in five states: New Jersey, Minnesota, Montana, Maryland, and Iowa. And it seems like our momentum might be continuing. In Texas, fire-safe buy cigarettes legislation now sits on the governor's desk after passing unanimously in both the Texas House and Senate. Just one day before the filing deadline in Texas, the bill did not have a sponsor. Enter the fire service, who stepped up to the plate, found an ally in Representative Phil King, and got the bill filed in time. Like in several other states, members of the fire service have played a key role in getting this legislation into the right hands, into the public eye, and eventually, into the state lawbooks. We'll be keeping our eye on Texas. If the bill is signed, it will push the percent of the U.S. population that is now or soon will be covered by fire-safe cigarette laws to nearly 45 percent.