XIAM007 - Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World: 04/23/12

Monday, 23 April 2012

New Zealand is considering raising the price of a pack of cigarettes to as much as $100 -

In an attempt to discourage smokers from lighting up, New Zealand is considering raising the price of a pack of cigarettes to as much as $100 by 2020, Sky News reported.
The suggested measure is one of many ideas from New Zealand’s Ministry of Health to make the country smoke-free by 2025, according to a document released to 3 News in New Zealand.
Another option being considered would be to increase the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes 10 percent each year from 2013 to 2025 – eventually costing $40 a pack. The more extreme $100 a pack version would be achieved by an immediate price increase of 30 to 60 percent, with an annual increase of 30 percent.
The briefing paper said: "Tobacco taxation is the single most effective intervention available to drive down smoking prevalence figures."
The Ministry is also considering regulating tobacco as a highly toxic substance, banning smoking in cars with children and increasing the number of anti-smoking campaigns.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/04/23/100-for-pack-cigarettes/?test=latestnews

Company Names Sunglasses Line for Helen Keller -

A Chinese company is creating some buzz online for naming its sunglasses line for Helen Keller, the deaf and blind American woman who became an advocate for people with disabilities.
In a commercial for the eyewear, a stylish woman steps off a plane and walks past a long line of waiting photographers. They initially do nothing, but when she puts on the Helen Keller glasses they feverishly begin to take her picture.
The line's slogan? "You see the world, the world sees you."
The Wall Street Journal reports that Keller's story is widely taught in Chinese schools.
A spokesman for Xiamen Jinzhi, the company that developed the line, told the Journal that it was well aware of Keller's blindness, but said it valued the woman's philanthropic spirit, which spread optimism throughout the world.

Read more -
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/company-names-sunglasses-line-helen-keller-011855083--abc-news-topstories.html