The property manager at The Blairs, an apartment complex near Washington, recently sent tenants a letter that has many up in arms: Stop smoking at home come January or move out, the note essentially said.
The letter came as a rude awakening to residents, some of whom have been living there for more than 10 years and who would not be allowed to renew their lease if they do not comply with the new rule.
But smoking is increasingly becoming taboo in restaurants, in the workplace, outdoors and even in one's own car and home.
PHOTO: AP
So far, 19 US states and 2,300 cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, have adopted legislation against cigarette smoking, citing health concerns.
In Louisville, located in the central-eastern state of Kentucky, where many of the world's cigarettes were once produced, smoking will be banned in public places come July.
"Research shows that more than 126 million Americans are exposed to second-hand smoke and there are more than 3,000 deaths a year due to lung cancer of non-smokers," said Colleen Wilber, spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society, which has lobbied to pass anti-smoking laws in the country.
"So the debate on that is pretty much over, and there is overwhelming support for these laws in the United States," Wilber said.
According to statistics, some 21 percent of Americans are smokers, compared with 26 percent 20 years ago.
Jeffrey Schaler, a law professor at American University in Washington and author of Addiction is a Choice, said the anti-smoking laws being adopted nationwide are "characteristics of the therapeutic state."
"The government shouldn't protect me from myself," Schaler argued. (AFP)
華盛頓近郊The Blairs公寓大廈的物業經理最近寄了封讓許多人氣炸的信給住戶,內文主要是說︰明年一月起嚴禁在家抽菸,不然就得搬走。
這封信對住戶來說有如無禮的當頭棒喝,有些人在這裡已居住十多年了,假如他們不願遵守新規定,就無法續租。
不過,在餐廳、工作場所、室外,甚至在自己車裡和家中抽菸已逐漸成為禁忌。
到目前為止,美國共有十九州與包括紐約、洛杉磯與芝加哥在內的兩千三百個城市已立法規範吸菸。
美國中東部肯德基州的路易斯維爾一度為世界知名香菸品牌的大本營,七月起將禁止在公共場所吸菸。
遊說通過反菸法案的美國癌症學會發言人柯琳.懷柏女士說︰「研究顯示逾一億兩千六百萬美國人暴露在二手菸下,每年有三千名非吸菸者因肺炎逝世。」
懷柏說︰「所以辯論已結束,美國有壓倒性人數支持這些法案。」
根據統計,約有21%的美國人吸菸,二十年前則是26.5%。
《上癮是一種選擇》一書作者華盛頓的美國大學法律系教授傑佛瑞.夏勒指出,全國採行反菸法案是「治療中國家的特徵」。
夏勒反駁說︰「政府不該保護我悖離自己。」 (法新社╱翻譯︰賴美君)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more convenient. However, where do these devices end up after you replace them? In fact, the issue of electronic waste is a growing global concern. According to the United Nations, in 2019 alone, we generated an astonishing 53.6 million tons of e-waste—an average of 7.3kg per person. Projections hint at the figure soaring to 110