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| A STRIKE FOR SMOKERS IN ISRAEL! |
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Page 1 of 2  Plus: A smokeshop forecasts the New Hampshire primaries!Los Angeles, January 2 – Smokers have been on a long legislative losing streak not just in the United States, but all around the world. But now Zvi Hendel is fighting back. Hendel is a member of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, and in addition to being a long-time smoker, is doing something about it. In opposition to an anti-smoking bill passed in 2007 through the efforts of virulently anti-smoking Knesset member Gilad Erdan, Hendel introduced a bill to require local authorities to approve smoking permits for 20 percent of bars, cafes and restaurants in each jurisidiction! About 24 percent of Israeli adults smoke at present and Hendel told the Jerusalem Post: “Why should the entire population of smokers in Israel be discriminated against? Non-smokers should have their places, and smokers can have theirs.” The bill is being expedited through committee to get it to the floor for a vote this week. An additional committee passage and two additional votes are needed before it can become law, but it would be a unique accommodation for smokers in a country in which individual freedom is prized. Winds of change in Illinois: The smoking ban in the state of Illinois took effect yesterday, but smokers aren’t necessarily happy or passive about it. The new law defines retail tobacco shops in which smoking is permitted as those in which 80 percent or more of the shop’s gross revenues come from the sale of tobacco or related products. Such shops cannot, however, offer food service or alcoholic beverages. According to a feature in the Chicago Tribune, Caganchos sells cigars, specialty cigarettes, pipe tobaccos and hookahs. What used to be the kitchen is now a walk-in humidor. One of the lounges had a kitchen, so owner Nasir Salim has converted the kitchen and the adjacent space into a restaurant! He told the Tribune, “It’s fully compliant. People can go eat at the restaurant, and after they’re done, come next door and smoke.” The group of 20 or so smokers got together monthly for a smoke and their favorite beverage. Now the group’s future is uncertain. “The smoking ban should be up to the establishment,” Society member Lucas Woith told the Peoria Journal Star. “If we want to go out and have a glass of scotch and a cigar, we should be able to do that. We've always gone where cigars are welcome. We don't blow smoke in people's faces. We just want to enjoy our hobby.” |
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Did you know?
“Although the preferred humidity setting for cigars is 70%, temperature control of 70-75 F is equally important.
