[C-U Smokefree] Local news media articles

[Theotskl at aol.com]

Hi there--

I thought it'd be nice to flood the Gazette with letters thanking Provena and 
Carle for the smoke free policies (and why the health organizations know a 
thing or two about the deadly addiction of smoking and secondhand smoke's morbid 
and mortal impacts);

Also, let's  flood the DI with letters responing to Valentine's opinion on 
pipe smoking--it's like there we go again, no?  Is this why Illinois taxpayers 
are spending hundreds of millions of their dollars?  To fund universities whose 
students proclaim to the world that they are ignorant and unwilling to learn 
anything of substance?  I'd like to know what these kids are inhaling every 
morning, no, and why Illinois taxpayers are asleep at the wheel, no?

THT





    
MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2004
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS


Carle plans to eliminate smoking on campuses 

         
    By DEBRA PRESSEY
© 2004 THE NEWS-GAZETTE
Published Online March 8, 2004

   URBANA – In the spirit of setting a good example and creating the 
healthiest possible environment for staff, patients and visitors, Carle Foundation 
Hospital and Carle Clinic say they'll be kicking smoking all the way off their 
campuses starting Sept. 1.
   That means smokers who wants to light up on a Carle property won't only 
have to leave the buildings to do so. They'll have to leave the grounds.
   Carle's existing policies ban smoking inside facilities, but still allow 
patients, visitors and staff members to smoke outside the buildings in 
designated areas, such as the pavilion outside the main clinic in Urbana, said Carle 
Clinic spokeswoman Ann Nogle.
   The new policy will apply to all Carle owned or leased properties, among 
them the hospital and its grounds in Urbana, the main clinic in Urbana, all 
Carle branch clinics, Carle Medical Supply, the Carle outpatient surgery center 
in Champaign, Carle Rx Express, Windsor of Savoy, Health Alliance Medical Plans 
(which is owned by Carle Clinic) and The Carle Arbours in Savoy, Nogle said.
   Carle officials said the change will eliminate second-hand smoke exposure 
for nonsmoking visitors and provide a healthier environment for everyone.
   Carle employees will be asked to help develop a new policy to be phased 
in, with full enforcement starting in September. The group will also be asked to 
address addiction issues and develop support programs.
   A smoking ban similar to Carle's current policy remains at Provena 
Covenant Medical Center in Urbana.
   Provena also bans smoking from its buildings, but does allow smoking in 
designated areas on the grounds outdoors, said Provena spokeswoman Ellen Cole.
   
You can reach Debra Pressey at (217) 351-5229 or via e-mail at 
dpressey at news-gazette.com.


 


     
    

    



Monday, March 8, 2004     
 
 

Latest Opinions
Nathan Valentine
Smokin'! 

Letter
Valentine's columns have sexual undertones 
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smokin'!


Nathan Valentine | Daily Illini Columnist
Published Monday, March 8, 2004 

Part of being an opinion columnist is taking a stand on controversial issues. 
I have a duty to speak out even when I know my views will be unpopular. So if 
you dislike controversy, read no further! In the very next sentence, I will 
adopt a position likely to anger the masses and break my mother's heart.
I dislike illnesses. All of 'em. I know I should be more tolerant and 
open-minded and all that garbage, but I have yet to meet a sickness I like. Shingles, 
mumps, dysentery, scurvy, malaria, tapeworm, trench mouth, melanoma, 
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease...you name it, I don't want it.
Luckily, I have spent most of my life disease-free (discounting illnesses of 
the mental variety, obviously). But I was recently afflicted with a most 
unwholesome virus of the upper respiratory tract. I will omit the details and only 
mention that I produced sufficient sputum over two weeks to lubricate 
industrial machinery.
The transformation from human being to mucus manufactory was unpleasant 
enough, but I was also deprived of one of my most cherished hobbies: pipe-smoking. 
I can hear you saying, "Ha! I knew he was smokin' the rock all along." Wrong! 
My pipes are not glass, and I smoke only tobacco out of them.
Smoking a pipe is not like smoking cigarettes, mind you. Pipe tobacco is not 
the desiccated mixture of inferior tobacco and miscellaneous plant materials 
that you will find in your pack of Marlboros.
The smoke is more flavorful and resides in your mouth, where you can taste 
it, not in your lungs, where the charming side effects of cigarette smoking are 
produced. Pipe smoking is a relaxing, time-consuming ritual performed with 
respect and decorum. Cigarette smoking is a hurried and noisome practice usually 
carried out with the sole purpose of satisfying a yen.
Smoking a pipe is like reading a short story. Beginning, middle and end each 
offer their own distinct pleasures and challenges. Smoking a cigarette is more 
like defecating. When it's time to do it, you do it as quickly as possible, 
and you feel less uncomfortable afterwards.
If I have convinced any of you to explore the myriad rewards of bowl and 
leaf, I have but a few suggestions. First, skip the frou-frou flavored tobaccos 
often offered to beginners and go straight to the good stuff.
I smoke mostly mixtures that contain a fair amount of latakia. Latakia is 
tobacco that has been cured by smoking over fragrant herbs and woods. It is dark, 
rich and smooth. In other words, it's just like me, except that it's dark, 
rich and smooth.
Its piquant smoky flavor transports me to a far-off mythical land of 
belly-dancing maidens, smoldering incense and uncountable wealth. Others say it smells 
like burning gym socks, but I prefer the exotic mythical land description.
The best advice I can give to a would-be pipe smoker is to patronize Jon's 
(world famous) Pipe Shop, right over in Campustown. Go on down and tell them 
Nathan sent you, not that I'm on commission or anything.
Jon's collection is extensive, and they sell only the finest tobaccos (well, 
there might be a couple of dogs thrown in there, but tastes do vary). The nice 
folks at Jon's will always offer you a drink, a cup of coffee or a good whack 
on the head.
If I will have any fond memories of this little cornfield after I leave it 
for a balmier climate and great riches, those memories will be of the warm 
companionship and good smoking at Jon's Pipe Shop.
And remember, pipe smoking has something to offer anyone. Or, as the sign in 
the shop reads, "A pipe gives a wise man time to think ... and a fool 
something to stick in his mouth."
Nathan Valentine's columns appear Mondays. He can be reached at 
opinions at dailyillini.com.