Smoking in this country drives me up the wall. I hate it!!! And I've stopped being polite. I cough when I walk by people smoking. I wave my hand in front of my face when I walk through smoke. I give smokers dirty looks. I've put a big no smoking sticker on my desk and in my car. I joke with my teachers, who smoke, about it being "bad." And speaking of teachers smoking....yes, my teachers smoke at school. They walk across the hall with a cigarette in their mouth in front of students on the way to the "guest room" or the smoking room. Or they stand on the field while the students are playing during recess and smoke. They also leave cigarettes on their desk, out in the open!! It really bothers me. Adults can smoke, but they have posters up around the school telling students not to smoke. What?
In addition to smoking at school, people smoke in the same vicinity as athletes. I've had to walk through a cloud of smoke as I enter the pool! They lifeguards smoke outside in front of the main entrance. What? And runners smoke before and after marathons. Spectators also don't have a problem smoking in the same area as runners! What? People smoke on the ski slopes too! I've seen people stop in the middle of the run to have a cigarette. I've seen people smoking on the lifts. And everyone is smoking in the restaurants or right outside the doors! Walking through a cloud of smoke, really does make me feel sick!
The majority of smokers in Japan are men. There are plenty of women that smoke, don't get me wrong, but it's mostly men! I've never seen any of my female teachers smoke. Yet at teacher parties they have to sit in a room full of smoke because all the men are smoking! I make comments to my female teachers and they comment about how much they hate it too! It's time to make some changes people!
I think it is so rude and so selfish to smoke in front of other people! I don't care if you've asked those around you, I don't care if smoking is allowed in public places--it's RUDE!! I don't want to smoke, so don't make me! If you want to smoke, go right ahead, that's your choice. But don't do it in front of me. Go outside! Go far far far away! I don't want your filthy second hand smoke!
Smoking should be a choice, just like eating a hamburger & fries or drinking a beer. But in this country it isn't a choice for the majority of the population. Everyone is exposed to it!!
Just for fun, I'm posting some facts about smoking. Enjoy!
Smoking Facts*:
- Cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancer deaths and is responsible for most cancers of the larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, and bladder.
- Secondhand smoke is responsible for an estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths among U.S. nonsmokers each year.
- Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemical agents, including over 60 substances that are known to cause cancer. Including: carbon monoxide, tar, arsenic, and lead.
- The risk of developing smoking-related cancers, as well as noncancerous diseases, increases with total lifetime exposure to cigarette smoke.
- Smoking cessation has major and immediate health benefits, including decreasing the risk of lung and other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.
*National Cancer Institute
Second-hand Smoke Facts*:
- Secondhand smoke, also called environmental tobacco smoke, is the combination of smoke emitted from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, and smoke exhaled by the smoker.
- Secondhand smoke contains at least 60 carcinogens (substances that cause cancer).
- The known health effects of exposure to secondhand smoke include lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer, respiratory tract infections, and heart disease.
- Separating smokers and nonsmokers within the same air space may reduce, but does not eliminate, nonsmokers’ exposure to secondhand smoke.
*National Cancer Institute
What happens when you smoke? What is the science behind taking a puff on a cigarette? Click on the link and listen/watch the lecture! It's interesting and so so disgusting when you think about what you are doing to your body!
What happens to the Puff?
Photos from NoTobacco.org
Most of our snowboarding crew was stuck at school on Saturday grading tests! So Amber, Luis, Linea and I were the only foreigners on the seaside slopes this weekend. We enjoyed another sunny lunch outside and our faces are all paying for it. We are sporting the racoon eyes--burned noses and cheeks and a white white forehead. 
SOS before the "PINK" party! The wig/hats came off immediately!
