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Tony Gwynn got salivary gland cancer but won't denounce chewing tobacco
There is no debate that snus is less harmful than cigarettes. The tobacco in snus is steam pasteurized, not fermented like other spit tobacco products, including chewing tobacco. This process, developed in Sweden, kills the microbes that create some of the cancer-causing toxins found in other smokeless tobacco products. Snus also doesn’t have the dangerous combustion products that cigarettes do, and there is little to no risk of lung cancer. But this is not to say that snus is completely safe. The most common health effects of snus are white patches in the mouth, called leukoplakia, and gum recession. There are cancer risks as well. A recent study in The Lancet showed that long-term snus users in Sweden had twice the risk of pancreatic cancer of people who never used any tobacco product (smokers had the highest risk of all). The researchers did not find an increase in oral cancer among snus users, but many experts contend that it is nevertheless a risk. “The evidence [from our study] was clearly reassuring with regard to oral cancer, which was perhaps contrary to our prior expectations,” said Hans-Olov Adami, M.D., Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. (source: http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/99/18/1358…) Interesting longish article about the politics behind anti-snus efforts. Seems there's a little self-interest on the health crusader's side as well, hmmm?— March 16, 2012 11:55 a.m.
Tony Gwynn got salivary gland cancer but won't denounce chewing tobacco
Don, this article does a disservice to the evidence. You take apparatchiks' word as gospel, and conflate snus and chawin'backy: "Unlike dipping tobacco and chew, most snus today does not undergo the fermentation process, but is instead steam-pasteurized. Although steam-pasteurization is remarkably complex, it has the advantages of inhibiting the formation of bacteria that facilitate the growth of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) while preserving the desired texture and mouthfeel of the snus." (source: wikipedia) Mr. Ross needs a bit of help here, and I think you're doing a disservice both to harm reduction and snus as a tool for smoking replacement. I've got the evidence, and will gladly answer your most pointed questions. Best, Fred— March 16, 2012 11:51 a.m.
Tony Gwynn got salivary gland cancer but won't denounce chewing tobacco
Don, you are my financial news hero, and have been for many years, but you are actually wrongly attacking Mr. Ross for his past. Considering the corruption of our judicial system, and the well-documented piling on of superfluous charges for daring to go to a full trial instead of copping a plea, I don't think relying on judicial records and reprimands would tell the whole story. BUT THAT'S NOT MY BEEF I worked in Sweden for two years. Sweden has the lowest developed country incidence of lung cancer and the highest per capita snus usage. That's causation, not correlation. On a personal level, a professional colleague of mine in Stockholm had a mother in the Swedish government, running the health ministry. She was in charge of studies looking hard at snus. SNUS is emphatically NOT to be confused with traditional baseball player chawin' backy! Different chemical process, different delivery method, different degree of exposure, and greater dosage control. Smoking cigarettes is addictive and harmful. The addiction is to nicotine. The harm is inhaling SMOKE. Snus, which comes in a pouch which prevents direct contact with your skin, delivers the nicotine without any smoke. YES. There must be some harm. But compared to lung cancer? I was working at my uncle's liquor store when I was thirteen. I didn't pick up the most savoury of habits from my co-workers and the store's patrons, and smoking has followed me since then. But now I use snus instead. I used to gasp walking up stairs. Now I don't, even when I'm carrying my son. I save a lot of money compared to smoking, yet still get that nicotine rush that (as you know) writers and pitchers can rely on to improve focus and flow when it counts. Yet, as Mr. Ross so correctly states, snus is dogmatically lumped in with old-style chawin'backy. That stuff, fermented, wadded up, so potent you have to spit (never have to spit with snus), resting directly on your mucus membrane skin...of course that's going to be more likely to mess up your salivary gland. But compared to smoking? In the argot of our internet age, Don, my old friend, I call "bowl sheet" on your confusion of snus with chawin'backy, and taking at face value both the dogmatic denials of health benefits resulting from the harm reduction approach. Instead, look to Sweden, you'll find plenty, Don. compare their reputation for honesty with the USA. Mr. Ross (who has endured worse I'm sure) can take care of himself. I'm telling you, as a friend, you're quite wrongly conflating, confusing, and over-simplifying. You're taking at face value the words of officialdom, and in my personal experience as well as having looked into the matter quite extensively (with my own biases, admittedly) I want to respectfully ask you to re-consider and even write a follow up to this article. Best, Fred— March 16, 2012 11:29 a.m.
Pasteurized History
This short clip is pertinent to the moon landing topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOo6aHSY8hU :-) Dear Matthew_Alice, Consider: "f***in A". (fuh kin aeh) I've never seen it written, but the long haired neighbor in Office Space says it often, as do so many. Matthew...what does that blasted "A" stand for? None of the obvious A candidates seem to fit. There are other weighty questions awaiting your erudition...but, f***in A, dude, what does that f***in A mean? Best, Fred_Williams— March 12, 2012 10:21 p.m.
The return of the Chargers scandals
Rip me off with a ball park Give me corporate pork Buy me a mayor and council seat After the vote our team always gets beat 'Cause it's fraud, fraud, fraud economics Taxpayers lose It's a shame! Then it's one, two, three billion lost At the old shell game— March 3, 2012 11:53 p.m.
The return of the Chargers scandals
John Moores should be in prison. * Bribery of public officials * Theft of public public property * Securities fraud These are just off the top of my head. Don could add to the list. What did he do in return for San Diego? After all, every San Diego resident is obliged to pay off his ballpark for the next twenty years or so. Henderson was valiant in his efforts to prevent this financial flim-flam artist from breaking even the very generous deal he already had...and was blocked at every turn by the public officials in Moores' pocket. Jack McGrory in particular, former city manager who went to work for Moores (and still works for Moores' JMI), pulled levers with his buddies in government and in the media to push Moores' ugly agenda and vilify anyone who dared oppose it. Refried, I was there. I was involved in the anti-Prop C campaign efforts, underfunded and fractious as it was. With the ringers, as you point out a bunch of free agents brought in for the sole purpose of giving Moores a huge electoral advantage and sold after the vote, and the collusion of all levels of government (except the gagged grand jury) and media, this was the biggest and most damaging fraud in San Diego history. Moores belongs in jail.— March 3, 2012 11:50 p.m.
OB Rag’s Frank Gormlie Has an Online Impersonator
Tony Krvaric?— February 22, 2012 9:06 p.m.
Fat Claims, Fat Chance
Whenever I see an unlikely claim, I search for the name plus "scam". Typically, I'll find someone who debunks the claim, saving me time and effort...just occasionally I'll find corroboration. These clever slimeballs, by registering the url of the name of their product and "scam", then putting in content reassuring the sceptical, have alerted me to this nasty trick. I'll have to redouble my scepticism. Thanks for the info, Don.— February 22, 2012 8:55 p.m.
The Push for Community-Benefit Districts in Barrio Logan
Some very familiar names...the same ones who are connected with previous notorious frauds in San Diego. Now they're preying on Barrio Logan. How much do you want to bet that the "stakeholders" soon will both out-number and out-influence the residents, who will lose their homes as yet another "redevelopment" scam is aided and abetted by the corrupt cabal downtown. My only hope is Councilman David Alvarez, who seems to have a firm grasp of how this will turn out for his constituents. Can he fight this swarm of parasites who want to chew up and defecate on yet another part of San Diego?— January 18, 2012 10:52 p.m.
Wanted: Public Hearings on SDGE's Planned Fleece Job
Say I'm a restaurant owner, and I serve my customers rotten food that makes them sick. I'm legally obligated to pay those customers' hospital bills and something for their pain and suffering. I don't have enough insurance to cover all these bills. I also don't want to change my awful rotten food for good food. So instead I go to the judge with a plan: "Every customer from now on must pay not only for their own nasty rotten food, but for these legal bills I've already incurred AND any future legal bills for serving more unfortunate customers rotten food." Does that have the flavor of this deal? I guess the biggest difference here is that the customers of the restaurant could go to find different, better food. Sempra customers are not allowed such freedom of choice -- plus, Sempra is one of the biggest donors to political campaigns in California, so their monopoly is secure. Pitchforks and Torches time? Is there any other practical way to get these crooks attention and prevent them from stealing yet more public money?— January 18, 2012 10:49 p.m.