How will new e-cig and vaping laws hit your habit in 2016?

How will new e-cig and vaping laws hit your habit in 2016?

By Plymouth Herald  |  Posted: January 04, 2016
How will new e-cig and vaping laws hit your habit in 2016?

How will new e-cig and vaping laws hit your habit in 2016?
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New rules surrounding the sale of e-cigarettes and vaping accessories will come into force in the UK on May 20 this year, and could dramatically reduce their use.

Changes have been made to the EU's 2001 Tobacco Products Directive, which from May will include vaping - now classed as tobacco related products.

The rules will change how e-cigs and vaping products can be sold and manufactured, as well as how they can be displayed in shops.

Smaller refill containers. Nicotine will only be available in 10ml containers, whereas currently there is no restriction. You will no longer be able to buy in bulk.

Smaller cartridges and tanks. The cartridges on e-cigs will be restricted to 2ml, doing away with the large tanks and boxes people sometimes now use.

High-strength nicotine scrapped. Currently the maximum nicotine strength of vaping liquid is 24mg. This will be reduced to 20mg.

New rules on how e-cigs work. They must be leak free, and must provide a consistent dose.

E-cig manufacturers and retailers will now have to submit information about every product they sell to the Government.

The new rules will also allow for e-cigs and any vaping products to be banned across the EU, if three member states agree.

Other legislation could see e-cigs provided free on the NHS.

The Medicines and Health Care products Regulation Agency can now grant a licence to provide e-cigs as a method of quitting smoking.

Resource :  http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/new-e-cig-vaping-laws-hit-habit-2016/story-28460680-detail/story.html

Could Raising Minimum Vape Age Increase Teen Smoking Rates?

If you’re entirely confused as to whether electronic cigarettes are a blessing or a curse for public health, you’re far from in the minority. For every study that claims such devices are contributing to a reduction in national smoking rates, there’s another study out there that suggests e-cigarettes do more harm than good.

Nevertheless, there’s growing evidence to suggest that contrary to the good intentions several reforms suggest, increasing the legal vaping age may actually cause more teenagers to take up smoking in lieu of the electronic alternative. Researchers from Cornell University have warned that restricting electronic cigarette use for younger teenagers may in fact have a counterproductive effect.

Published this week in Preventative Medicine, the study produced evidence to suggest that following the introduction of new e-cigarette age restrictions between 2007 and 2013, the states that increase the legal vaping age saw an average teenage smoking rate increase of 11.7%. A growing number of US states are pushing for stricter age restrictions on both tobacco use and vaping – many of which are targeting a minimum age of 21.

It is widely argued that open access to e-cigarettes and related accessories is making it far too easy for kids and younger teenagers to develop dangerous nicotine addiction, ultimately increasing their likelihood of making the switch to tobacco.

“We should regulate tobacco products proportionate to their risks, and e-cigarette evidence suggests they’re less risky products,” said the Cornell study’s lead author Dr. Michael F. Pesko.

“While there’s some risk, it would be a mistake to regulate them the same way we regulate cigarettes.”

The results of the study back those of prior research, which brought to light evidence to suggest that the banning of e-cigarette hardware to minors actually increased youth smoking rates.

“One practical implication is that recently both New York City and Hawaii changed their legal purchasing age for both cigarettes and e-cigarettes to 21,” said Pesko.

“Without commenting on the merits of raising the cigarette minimum purchasing age to 21, results from this study suggest it would have been better from a public health standpoint to increase the purchasing age to 21 only for cigarettes, and not e-cigarettes.”

According to the UK’s Action on Smoking Health organization, there are far too many people who still believe that e-cigarettes are just as dangerous, if not more harmful than regular cigarettes. While they agree that vaping couldn’t realistically be labeled as harmless, they nonetheless insist that false presumptions about the safety of e-cigarettes is providing counterproductive for public health.

“The number of ex-smokers who are staying off tobacco by using electronic cigarettes is growing, showing just what value they can have,” wrote chief executive of ASH, Deborah Arnott.

She went on to suggest that too many smokers who could potentially benefit from e-cigarette use are avoiding the devices having made inaccurate presumptions about their safety.

“The growth of this false perception risks discouraging many smokers from using electronic cigarettes to quit and keep them smoking instead which would be bad for their health and the health of those around them.”

However, while certain public health groups continue to throw their full weight and backing behind vaping, others cite evidence which suggests e-cigarettes are doing nothing but make matters worse.

The rapid increase in false perception poses a big threat to smokers.  It has discouraged a considerable number of smokers who were planning to begin e-cigarette. Therefore, they keep on smoking conventional cigarette which is more hazardous.

Flying in the face of the single most important argument from those advocating the devices, prior research suggests that electronic cigarettes may in fact may it more difficult for smokers to kick the habit. Designed and market primarily as smoking cessation tools designed to help gradually steer smokers away from dangerous nicotine addictions, critics have long argued that e-cigarettes represent more of a curse than a benefit for public health in general.

Delivering a dose of nicotine that can be taken pretty much anywhere at any times appears to be having a counterproductive effect on the efforts of those trying to quit smoking for good.

Published in The American Journal of Public Health, a recent study into the highly-debated topic suggests that when and where a smoker has ‘ever’ used and electronic cigarette they are considerably less likely to kick the habit for a full month than those that have never tried ‘vaping’. In addition, the data produced also suggested that a smoker’s long-term changes of cutting down on tobacco use may decrease in accordance with whether or not they have used e-cigarettes at any time.

The researchers accounted for various other factors including how long the individual had been smoking, their daily smoking habits and the strength of their intention to quit – the same result perpetuated throughout.

“Based on the idea that smokers use e-cigarettes to quit smoking, we hypothesized that smokers who used these products would be more successful in quitting,” wrote Dr. Wael Al-Delaimy, chief of the division of global public health at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

“But the research revealed the contrary.”

“One hypothesis is that smokers are receiving an increase in nicotine dose by using e-cigarettes.”

The news comes shortly after separate reports slammed e-cigarette manufacturers for using toxic flavoring chemicals in their products which escape FDA regulation by way of a loophole with regard to method of ingestion.’

Critics have argued for some time that with no long-term research to go on, it’s impossible and thus irresponsible to call electronic cigarettes anything close to safe. And as time moves forward, evidence suggests that these often helpful smoking cessation tools may indeed pose a series of unique health risks that deserve to be better-communicated to the public.

In the latest instance, new research suggests that the flavorings used to make e-cigarette refills more palatable may in fact be loaded with chemicals, which when ingested through inhalation could prove highly harmful.  Published in the journal Tobacco Control, the study incorporated six popular flavoring brands on general sale in the United States and found that each presented the same potential health risks associated with long-term exposure to flavoring chemicals.

“Obviously people haven’t been using these cigarettes for 25 years, so there’s no data to know what the consequences are from long-term exposures,” wrote James Pankow, a chemist at Portland State University in Oregon and the study’s lead author.

“If you can’t look at longitudinal data, you just have to look at what’s in there and whether there things to be worried about.”

E-cigarette brands have already been slammed with accusations of deliberately making their products as appealing as possible to younger smokers and minors, with common flavors including bubblegum, cherry coke, chocolate, cupcake and even bacon. After studying a total of 30 different fluids from leading brands, the research team found that up to 4% of the liquid comprised potentially harmful flavoring chemicals.

“The concentrations of some flavor chemicals in e-cigarette fluids are sufficiently high for inhalation exposure by vaping to be of toxicological concern,” the researchers stated.

“For someone vaping, they could be getting a chronic exposure at twice the workplace limits.”

One of the key problems as highlighted by comments from the Flavor Extracts Manufacturers Association is the way in which FDA guidelines for the safe use of flavoring chemicals apply to their general ingested, not their effects when inhaled in vapor form as is the case with smoking cessation devices.

“Route of exposure is really important,” the report continued.

“Your stomach is pretty good at tolerating a lot of terrible stuff.”

In an interview with Forbes, co-author David Peyton stated outright that to assume electronic cigarettes are in any way safe is for the time being ill-advised.

I think it’s a mistake to presume safety,” he said.

“Yes, it’s less dangerous than some other things, but to assume safe is also probably not the correct thing.”

“To put it simply, If I were vaping, I’d want to know the ingredients,”

“And make no mistake, these ingredients have not been certified as safe for inhalation, so arguments related to cooking and eating are not relevant.”

Resource :  http://www.modernreaders.com/study-raising-the-smoking-age-is-actually-counterproductive/41870/ed-jones

Concerns raised about e-cigarettes

The Maryland Department of Legislative Services reports of usage of electronic cigarettes (sometimes referred to as e-cigarettes) “According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2010 and 2013, e-cigarette use more than doubled among U.S. adults, with about 20 million individuals trying the product in 2013.  Additionally, the ‘Wall Street Journal’ (citing a Wells Fargo analyst) reports that the e-cigarette market grew to almost $2.5 billion in 2014.”

What are e-cigarettes? According to St. Mary’s County Health Officer Dr. Meenakshi Brewster, e-cigarettes are “battery-operated devices containing liquid nicotine that is vaporized and inhaled by the user. Many popular brands such as Blu and NJOY are disposable and resemble cigarettes or little cigars, but personal vaporizers or PVs make up the fastest growing part of the market.”

Every six months the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County convene as the Board of Health and meet with the county health officer, who heads the St. Mary’s County Health Department. At the March 8 meeting Dr. Brewster gave the commissioners a report on e-cigarettes. Several of the commissioners asked questions and said they didn’t know much about the subject.

E-cigarettes are often touted as a way to kick the regular cigarette usage habit. She told the commissioners: “Some report that e-cigarettes have helped them quit conventional cigarettes; but we do not know yet if this is true in larger studies and if e-cigarettes are more or less effective than other cessation strategies. Some report that e-cigarettes only prolong the nicotine addiction and keep people smoking conventional cigarettes.”

During a Power Point presentation, Dr. Brewster pointed out some potential problems with e-cigarette usage:
• Potential risks to human health when used as intended;
• Amounts of the nicotine and other potentially harmful chemicals that are being inhaled during use; and
• Likelihood that e-cigarette use by youth leads to use of conventional cigarettes and tobacco products (which are already known to cause death and disease).

E-cigarettes can be sold at any retailer without a license, and in fact are available at most convenience stores. Additionally, Dr. Brewster told the commissioners there are no restrictions on Internet sales. Vape shops and retailer stores specifically catering to electronic cigarettes and their accessories are on the rise locally and nationally.

The Maryland General Assembly enacted legislation which became effective Oct. 1, 2012 that prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. And there are a number of bills on the table for the legislative session now convened that deal; with e-cigarettes, including HB 861 that adds the definition of e-cigarettes to regulations on sales, use, possession, distribution and taxation.

In a fiscal note on the bill, the Department of Legislative Services wrote: “General fund revenues increase, potentially significantly, beginning in FY 2017 due to the bill’s application of existing cigarette laws to ESDs (Electronic Smoking Devices)…”
E-cigarettes have been on the radar of Charles County Senator Thomas V. “Mac: Middleton, Last year he introduced a bill to prohibit the sale of the components of e-cigarettes, including the so-called ‘juice,” This year he introduced a bill to require child-resistant packaging. The bill received an unfavorable report by the Senate Finance Committee and was withdrawn.

E-cigarettes could have some future implication for the commissioners, including zoning restrictions for vape shops and other retailers. During the March 8 meeting the commissioners gave no indication about what they might do with the information provided by Dr. Brewster.

Even though it is a relatively new product, several trade groups have sprung up to protect the turf of those involved in it. They include Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association (TVECA), Electronic Cigarette Industry Group (ECIG) and Smoke Free Alternatives Trade Association SFATA). Representatives of those groups can be sure to be working that halls of Washington and Annapolis to oppose any efforts to limit e-cigarette use.\

The Tobacco-Free Living Team of St. Mary’s Healthy Partners has scheduled a public meeting on e-cigarettes for April 21. The gathering will be at 6 p.m. in the meeting room of Lexington Park Library. For more information on the meeting call 301-475-4391.

Leonardtown, MD -- E-cigarettes are hot!

Resource :  http://www.thebaynet.com/articles/0316/concerns-raised-about-e_cigarettes.html

Is a Vaping Ban Coming to Mississauga?

Ontario has banned vaping in areas where tobacco smoking is already prohibited.

According to a recent Canadian Press article, e-cigarette and medical marijuana users will soon be prohibited from smoking or "vaping" in any area where traditional tobacco cigarettes are also disallowed.
This does notmean that residents cannot vape or smoke inside their homes or outdoor areas where cigarette smoking is permitted.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynn recently told reporters, "we have made a determination that smoking, whatever it is -- whether it's vaping, whether it's medical marijuana, whether it's cigarettes -- that that should be restrictions on that. And so the rules will apply to marijuana, to medical marijuana, to vaping as they do to cigarettes."

The ban has been a long time coming, as the government had to reconcile differences in their approach to regulating electronic cigarettes versus medical marijuana. Initially, the government had to backtrack on proposed e-cigarette regulations after people learned that exemptions were going to be made for medical marijuana users. E-cigarettes were supposed to be restricted in enclosed public spaces, workplaces and some outdoor spaces on Jan. 1, but the laws weren't enforced after concerns about unequal regulation of medicinal MJ arose.

The new rules have been posted for consultation for the next 44 days. Associate Health Minister Dipika Damerla told reporters that the regulations have "struck a balance" between the rights of medical marijuana users and the public, as reported by The Canadian Press.

While some might feel the current ban is a more even-handed approach that doesn't prioritize some smokers over others, the question about whether or not medical pot users deserve special consideration remains. Most users are, after all, likely using the substance to control pain or discomfort stemming from an illness -- perhaps a chronic or fatal one.

The new laws could come into effect July 1 and will specify the list of places where e-cigarettes cannot be sold. New rules will also govern how they're displayed and promoted.

So while Mississauga residents will still be free to vape, they might be limited in where they can do it.

As for designated public indoor smoking areas such as vape and shisha/hookah lounges, the fate of those remains to be seen. The last time we reached out to the city regarding a potential ban, the mayor's office told us that health and safety issues regarding hookah/shisha/vaping bars and restos are currently being examined and debated.

Resource :  http://www.insauga.com/is-a-vaping-ban-coming-to-mississauga

Vaping Age Bans Makes It Harder For Teens To Quit Tobacco, Study Says

New findings suggest that setting the same legal purchasing age for electronic nicotine devices, which include vape pens, hookah pens and electronic cigarettes, will make it harder for teens to quit smoking.

Raising the minimum vaping age may inadvertently increase the risk of teen smoking by making it harder for adolescents to quit traditional tobacco products, a new study suggests.

The latest findings, revealed days before California makes its decision on whether it should jump on the bandwagon of raising the minimum age for purchasing electronic nicotine devices, suggest that lawmakers should think again before establishing policies that lump electronic cigarettes and regular cigarettes together. Forty-seven states have already established age restrictions on purchasing electronic cigarettes.


Researchers believe that setting the same legal purchasing age for electronic nicotine devices, which include vape pens, hookah pens and electronic cigarettes, will result in higher teen smoking rates.


"We should regulate tobacco products proportionate to their risks, and e-cigarette evidence suggests they're less risky products," researcher Michael Pesko, a health economist and assistant professor of healthcare policy at Weill Cornell Medicine, said in a university release. "While there's some risk, it would be a mistake to regulate them the same way we regulate cigarettes."


Previous studies suggested that electronic nicotine devices have become more popular among teens than traditional cigarettes, with 13.4 percent using electronic cigarettes compared to 9.2 percent using traditional cigarettes.


After analyzing tobacco data from 2007 to 2013, researchers linked state-imposed electronic cigarette age purchasing constraints to an overwhelming 11.7 percent increase in teen tobacco use. Researchers said that the latest findings suggest teens are substituting traditional tobacco products with electronic nicotine devices.


"For cigarette use, we separate our results into cigarette use frequency. We found causal evidence that electronic nicotine delivery systems age purchasing restrictions increased adolescent regular cigarette use by 0.8 percentage points. electronic nicotine delivery systems age purchasing restrictions were not associated with cigar use, smokeless tobacco use, or marijuana use," researchers wrote in the study. "We document a concerning trend of cigarette smoking among adolescents increasing when electronic nicotine delivery systems become more difficult to purchase."


"One practical implication is that recently both New York City and Hawaii changed their legal purchasing age for both cigarettes and e-cigarettes to 21," Pesko concluded. "Without commenting on the merits of raising the cigarette minimum purchasing age to 21, results from this study suggest it would have been better from a public health standpoint to increase the purchasing age to 21 only for cigarettes, and not e-cigarettes."


The findings were recently published in the journal Preventive Medicine.



Resource :  http://www.hngn.com/articles/188145/20160312/vaping-age-bans-makes-harder-teens-quit-tobacco-study.htm

Editorial California tramples on smokers' rights

In its zeal to stand up to the tobacco industry, the California Legislature has gone too far with a new package of proposed laws that would trample on the rights of adults — yes, even smokers have rights! — and prematurely treat electronic cigarettes the same as their dangerous smoke-based brethren.

On Thursday, the Legislature gave final approval to six bills that clamp down on adult smoking by raising the legal age to 21, allow counties to tax tobacco products, hike fees on retailers and distributors and wipe out some of the workplace smoking exemptions in the current law. One of the bills applies all of the same restrictions on tobacco to the nascent but growing e-cigarette industry. That alone makes this legislative package unacceptable.

[These] bills could undermine an important initiative that has been proposed for the November ballot that would slap a $2-per-pack tax on tobacco.





When it comes to cigarettes, the science is clear: It's deadly for both smokers and for people who passively inhale their smoke. That's why it was correct for California and other states to restrict smoking in public places — so that adults whose choose to endanger their own health don't inflict harm on others in the process. California was at the forefront of regulating tobacco, and its laws have not only helped bystanders, but smokers as well. Today the state has the second-lowest smoking rate in the nation at 12% — yay for us.

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FOR THE RECORD

A previous version of this editorial said that a package of proposed anti-tobacco laws would do away with the existing exemptions in the state’s workplace smoking ban. In fact, only some would be eliminated. Vaping rooms, hookah bars and cigar lounges, among others, could still operate.

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It could be lower, though. It should be lower. And the good news is that smoking among teens has been declining for the past decade, which is significant because most smokers start before they are 18. It is true that teens are increasingly picking up electronic cigarettes. But vaping, as the cool kids call it, is not the same as smoking. Instead of burning tobacco and inhaling the carcinogenic tar and smoke to the lungs, e-cigarette users heat liquid nicotine into an aerosol mist inhaled through reusable device.


This doesn't make it harmless, as the e-cigarette industry might have you believe. For one thing, nicotine is an addictive drug linked to heart disease. Studies have also found other negative health effects from vaping, including increased rates of asthma due to exposure to harmful chemicals. And then there's the worrisome fact that e-cigarette devices have been known to blow up in the faces of users.

Vaping is a public health concern, but a distinct one requiring its own set of restrictions. There's no evidence, for example, that the emissions associated with second-hand vaping are even a fraction as dangerous as those of traditional cigarettes. Simply extending all the rules that California adopted to protect the public from the effects of second-hand smoke doesn't make sense before the facts are all in.

As for raising the legal age to buy cigarettes and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21, the argument is that the brains of young people are still developing, and that studies have found changes in brain activity of teens who smoke. These changes have been linked to poor decision-making and impaired cognition, among other things. But while that may be true, 18-year-olds are adults in the eyes of society, like it or not. They are allowed to serve on juries, watch violent movies, vote in presidential elections, drive cars and go to war. Yes, the legal age to buy a drink or a gun may be 21, but that's not to protect the young buyers, but because of the damage wrought on society by drunk driving and gun violence.The fact that the age hike includes an exemption for men and women serving in the armed services only spotlights its lack of integrity. What? The health of young Americans is a concern unless they are in the military service?


We're also concerned that this draconian package of bills could undermine an important initiative that has been proposed for the November ballot that would slap a $2-per-pack tax on tobacco and use the proceeds to pay for tobacco prevention and to do tobacco research. Tobacco levies have had big effects on lowering smoking rates.

Another bill in the package would delete some exemptions in the current law regarding smoking in the workplace. That, in combination with the vaping bill, would mean that smoking e-cigarettes in most public places would be outlawed. Is that necessary? Until the science is clear, we don't know.

The fate of the six tobacco bills are now in the hands of Gov. Jerry Brown. California has long been a leader in smart tobacco regulation and the proof is in the low smoking rates. Emphasis on the word “smart.” Let's not change that.


Resource :  http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-0311-tobacco-bills-20160310-story.html
 

Fitch Affirms New Zealand's Major Banks; Outlooks Remain Stable

(The following statement was released by the rating agency) SYDNEY, February 15 (Fitch) Fitch Ratings has affirmed the ratings of New Zealand's four major banks: ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited (ANZNZ), ASB Bank Limited (ASB), Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), and Westpac New Zealand Limited (WNZL). The Outlook on their respective Long-Term Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) remains Stable. A full list of rating actions can be found at the end of this commentary. The ratings of the covered bonds issued by these banks have not been taken into consideration in this peer review. KEY RATING DRIVERS IDR, Support Rating, Senior Unsecured Debt The affirmation of the majors' IDRs and Support Ratings reflect Fitch's view of an extremely high likelihood of support from their parent banks, should it be required. Fitch views the banks as core subsidiaries of their respective Australian parents, given their focus on core customers and products which align with their parents' strategies. As a result, the majors have consistently contributed to the groups' objectives. The strong likelihood of support is reinforced by the regulatory linkages between Australia's and New Zealand's authorities. We expect both authorities to work closely to ensure the stability of each other's financial systems. The Outlooks on the four banks' IDRs reflect those of their parents. All four are supervised by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ); and, as subsidiaries of Australian banks, are also subject to oversight by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). Viability Rating All four majors share similar rating drivers, reflecting their comparable characteristics. The affirmation of their Viability Ratings (VR) reflects their conservative risk appetite and robust risk-management practices, as well as their strong domestic franchises and consistently healthy operating profitability. The VRs also take into consideration Fitch's expectation of some asset-quality deterioration in 2016 within the rural exposures as a result of prolonged low dairy prices. This is likely to lead to slowing growth in operating profit, although most profitability metrics should remain stronger than international peers. The banks' risk-management frameworks and tight risk controls are tempered slightly by a level of industry concentration particularly to residential mortgages, commercial real estate and agriculture. However, underwriting standards appear sound and are regularly adjusted to fit the operating and regulatory environment. Fitch expects some deterioration in asset quality, mainly as a result of the persistent low global dairy prices which have resulted in a weak payout to farmers from Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited (Fonterra, A/Stable). The 2014/2015 payout of NZD4.80 per kg milk solid was significantly lower than the historical average payout of NZD6.00 per kg milk solid - which was a reference for the banks' borrowing capacity and servicing assessment. Fonterra's 2015/2016 payout forecast of NZD4.60-4.65 kg per milk solid means the payout will remain below the historical average for a second season, placing pressure on the cash flow of many farmers. All the majors monitor their agriculture exposures carefully, and would consider supporting their rural customers whose businesses are considered viable. As a result, we expect an increase in agriculture exposure as farmers call on their working-capital facilities. However, we also expect a rise in impaired facilities. Losses are historically low despite the cyclicality of the business, but could increase sharply if asset prices were to fall. Risks in mortgage books appear adequately managed, particularly as interest rates remain below historical averages and price inflation accelerated in 2015. The majors add buffers to market rates when assessing a borrower's capacity to service a loan. The introduction of the macro-prudential tools in October 2013 have resulted in a considerable reduction in mortgages with loan/value ratios (LVR) exceeding 80%. The adjustments to these measures conducted by the RBNZ in November 2015, which include an additional LVR limit on investment mortgages in Auckland, may lead to a further decline in higher-LVR mortgages, although the speed of decline may decelerate. The recent reduction in higher-LVR mortgages should mitigate the potential risk to banks' asset quality in the event of a substantial downturn in property values following a sharp increase in house prices during 2015 - particularly in Auckland. The majors have considerable exposures to Auckland, although their higher-LVR mortgage exposures in this market are smaller relative to other regions, and their portfolios reflect the distribution of New Zealand's population. We believe the risks to deteriorating mortgage asset quality are moderate; and a sharp increase in interest rates and unemployment which would trigger a correction of house prices, would be required for meaningful losses to emerge. Early indications of Christchurch's earthquake on 14 February 2016 show there is limited structural impact, which means the asset quality impact for the banks should be minor. However, we will continue to assess the impact on the banks' loan books as more information becomes available. Fitch expects the majors to maintain their improved funding and liquidity positions. A continued focus on longer-term wholesale funding and improving the quality of deposits is likely in 2016. The banks should remain reliant on offshore wholesale funding markets in the medium term, reflecting a general lack of deposits in the New Zealand market. Nevertheless, Fitch does not expect a material reduction in the proportion of customer deposits within the majors' funding mix. Short-term wholesale funding instruments remain fully covered by liquid assets. The majors continue to reduce their inter-group funding, partly as a result of new inter-group exposure restriction introduced by APRA in 2015. The majors have strong operating profitability; with some of the widest net interest margins and most efficient cost-management relative to international peers. However, we expect the growth of operating profit to slow in 2016 as a result of an increase in loan-impairment charges related to the banks' agriculture exposures, strong ongoing competition in the mortgage market, and the rising funding costs reflective of the global market volatility. The majors' capitalisation remains sound relative to most international peers, as measured on both a risk-weighted and un-risk-weighted basis. Regulatory capital ratios appear lower than those of international peers, reflecting the regulator's higher risk-weighting requirements on residential mortgages and strict capital rules - which have been tightened progressively over the past four years. On un-risk-weighted capital ratios, the majors compare well with most international peers. Internal capital generation should continue to benefit from healthy operating profitability. Almost all of the majors' operations are in New Zealand, where we expect GDP growth to stabilise at 2.5% in 2016. Weaknesses in the agriculture sector and the peaking of the Christchurch rebuild will have a negative impact. However, strong net immigration should support the construction industry while tourism could offset some of the agriculture challenges. Nevertheless, housing affordability - especially in Auckland - has weakened further in 2015. This, together with an increase in household debt, could place pressure on households. New Zealand's household debt/disposable income ratio has risen to 159%, making households susceptible to higher unemployment and/or interest rates. SUBSIDIARY AND AFFILIATED COMPANY The majors issue a portion of their wholesale funding through their funding subsidiaries, ANZ New Zealand (Int'l) Limited (ANZNZIL), ASB Finance Limited (ASBFL), BNZ International Funding Limited (BNZIFL), and Westpac Securities New Zealand Limited (WSNZL). These entities are wholly owned subsidiaries of their respective parents, and are used for their parents' funding purposes only. Fitch does not rate the subsidiaries, only their senior unsecured debt. These ratings are aligned with those of their parents as the debt instruments are guaranteed by their parents. RATING SENSITIVITIES IDRS, Support Rating and Senior Unsecured Debt The majors' IDRs and Outlooks are equalised with those of their respective parents. Any change in the parent ratings are likely to be reflected in the ratings of the majors. The Support Ratings and IDRs may be downgraded should Fitch change its view of the majors' core subsidiary roles and/or amendments are made to the cross-border regulatory approach by the authorities of both countries. VR The majors' VRs have similar rating sensitivities, reflecting their similar rating drivers. The VRs are sensitive to increased risk appetite, as reflected in weaker risk controls and underwriting standards. These factors, combined with a major deterioration in the operating environment - potentially triggered by a sharp slowdown in New Zealand's major trading partners, Australia or China - could contribute to sharper asset-quality deterioration than Fitch would expect during a normal economic cycle. This could also lead to a substantial weakening in capitalisation. Downward rating pressure could also occur if the banks' improved funding and liquidity positions were to deteriorate, most likely driven by a prolonged closure of international wholesale markets. Upgrades are unlikely due to the banks' geographic concentration and funding profiles, which are weaker than those of international peers. BNZ and WNZL are constrained by industry and single-name concentrations which are larger than those of their peers. SUBSIDIARY AND AFFILIATED COMPANIES The ratings of the senior unsecured securities issued by the majors' funding subsidiaries are sensitive to the same factors as their respective parents' IDRs. The rating actions are as follows: ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited (ANZNZ): Long-Term Foreign-Currency IDR affirmed at 'AA-'; Outlook Stable; Short-Term Foreign-Currency IDR affirmed at 'F1+'; Long-Term Local-Currency IDR affirmed at 'AA-'; Outlook Stable; Short-Term Local-Currency IDR affirmed at 'F1+'; Viability Rating affirmed at 'a'; Support Rating affirmed at '1'; Senior unsecured rating for short-term notes affirmed at 'F1+'; Senior unsecured rating for long-term notes affirmed at 'AA-'; Senior unsecured rating for long-term notes issued through ANZNZIL affirmed at 'AA-'; and Senior unsecured rating for short-term notes issued through ANZNZIL affirmed at 'F1+'. ASB Bank Limited (ASB): Long-Term Foreign-Currency IDR affirmed at 'AA-'; Outlook Stable; Short-Term Foreign-Currency IDR affirmed at 'F1+'; Long-Term Local-Currency IDR affirmed at 'AA-'; Outlook Stable; Short-Term Local-Currency IDR affirmed at 'F1+'; Viability Rating affirmed at 'a'; Support Rating affirmed at '1'; Senior unsecured rating for long-term notes issued through ASBFL affirmed at 'AA-'; and Senior unsecured rating for short-term notes issued through ASBFL affirmed at 'F1+'. Bank of New Zealand (BNZ): Long-Term Foreign-Currency IDR affirmed at 'AA-'; Outlook Stable; Short-Term Foreign-Currency IDR affirmed at 'F1+'; Long-Term Local-Currency IDR affirmed at 'AA-'; Outlook Stable; Short-Term Local-Currency IDR affirmed at 'F1+'; Viability Rating affirmed at 'a'; Support Rating affirmed at '1'; Senior unsecured rating affirmed at 'AA-'; and Senior unsecured rating for long-term notes issued through BNZIFL affirmed at 'AA-'. Westpac New Zealand Limited (WNZL): Long-Term Foreign-Currency IDR affirmed at 'AA-'; Outlook Stable; Short-Term Foreign-Currency IDR affirmed at 'F1+'; Long-Term Local-Currency IDR affirmed at 'AA-'; Outlook Stable; Short-Term Local-Currency IDR affirmed at 'F1+'; Viability Rating affirmed at 'a'; Support Rating affirmed at '1'; and Senior unsecured rating for long-term notes issued through WSNZL affirmed at 'AA-'. Contacts: Primary Analyst Andrea Jaehne Director +61 2 8256 0343 Fitch Australia Pty. Ltd., Level 15, 77 King Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Secondary Analyst Tim Roche Senior Director +61 2 8256 0310 Committee Chairperson Parson Singha Senior Director +66 2108 0151 Applicable criteria, 'Global Bank Rating Criteria', dated 20 March 2015, is available at www.fitchratings.com. Media Relations: Leni Vu, Sydney, Tel: +61 2 8256 0326, Email: leni.vu@fitchratings.com. Media Relations: Leslie Tan, Singapore, Tel: +65 67 96 7234, Email: leslie.tan@fitchratings.com; Leni Vu, Sydney, Tel: +61 2 8256 0304, Email: leni.vu@fitchratings.com; Wai-Lun Wan, Hong Kong, Tel: +852 2263 9935, Email: wailun.wan@fitchratings.com. Additional information is available on www.fitchratings.com Applicable Criteria Global Bank Rating Criteria (pub. 20 Mar 2015) here Additional Disclosures Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form here _id=999523 Solicitation Status here Endorsement Policy here ail=31 ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: here. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S FREE WEB SITE AT WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA, AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE, AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE CODE OF CONDUCT SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. Fitch Australia Pty Ltd holds an Australian financial services licence (AFS licence no. 337123) which authorises it to provide credit ratings to wholesale clients only. Credit ratings information published by Fitch is not intended to be used by persons who are retail clients within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001.

Resource :  http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSFit948701

Bemax Inc. Now DWAC/FAST Eligible

DALLAS, GA--(Marketwired - February 29, 2016) - Bemax Inc. (OTCBB: BMXC) is pleased to announce today that Depository Trust Corporation (the "DTC") has approved its common stock for DWAC/FAST transfer through the Company's Transfer Agent, Securities Transfer Corporation. This newly approved stock transfer capability will enable Bemax Inc. shareholders to transfer their shares of BMXC stock electronically after buying or selling on the open market, without the extra expense and delay associated with the processing and transfer of physical share certificates.
Companies approved for DWAC/FAST electronic transfers often experience higher trading volumes in their stock given the additional accessibility and availability of shares for trading.
"We are pleased to announce another shareholder-friendly step in our evolution as a public company. DWAC transfer eligibility enables our shareholders to maintain the highest levels of efficiency, accountability and compliance standards for their trading activities in our shares through the best and most up-to-date electronic securities trading platforms being used today," stated Taiwo Aimasiko, CEO of Bemax Inc.
About DWAC/FAST
DWAC allows participants to instruct DTC regarding deposit and withdrawal transactions being made directly via a FAST transfer agent. The FAST system eliminates the movement of physical share certificates for transfers of securities registered in the name of DTC's nominee, Cede & Co., on the transfer agent's books. DTC and its FAST transfer agents reconcile the results of participants' deposit and withdrawal activities electronically on a daily basis.
About Bemax Inc.
Bemax Inc. exports private-label Disposable Baby Diapers from U.S. Canada, and distributes in London, South Africa and other emerging markets. We also export from manufacturers from Asia and distribute to other growing markets. Bemax focuses on an extensive and far-reaching global network among wholesalers, large discounting retailers and supermarkets as well as online sales and marketing to reach households directly through subscription orders. We focus to supply our clients with disposable baby diapers from manufacturers in North America where quality is superior. Please visit the company website at www.bemaxinc.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "believes," "expects," "potential," "plans," "suggests," "may," "should," "could," "intends," or similar expressions. Many forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results or implied by such statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, our ability to continue to enhance our products and systems to address industry changes, our ability to expand our customer base and retain existing customers, our ability to effectively compete in our market segment, the lack of public information on our company, our ability to raise sufficient capital to fund our business, operations, our ability to continue as a going concern, and a limited public market for our common stock, among other risks. Many factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the company's control. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made and we do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.

Contact Information

For information, please contact:
Taiwo Aimasiko
President
Bemax Inc.
625 Silver Oak Drive
Dallas, GA 30132
admin@bemaxinc.com



Resource :  http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/bemax-inc-now-dwac-fast-eligible-otcbb-bmxc-2101069.htm 

Disposable biochip for simpler, affordable HIV diagnosis

New York, March 14 (IANS) Researchers have developed a highly sensitive disposable biosensor that can detect sub-populations' white blood cells that are key to diagnosis of HIV/AIDS.

The new biosensor could not only make HIV diagnosis possible in places that lack testing facilities but also bring down the cost of the diagnosis, according to the researchers.

"There are 34 million people infected with HIV/AIDS worldwide, many in places that lack testing facilities," explained one of the researchers Rashid Bashir, professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US.

"An important diagnostic biomarker for HIV/AIDS is the absolute count of the CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes (white blood cells) in the whole blood. The current diagnostic tool - a flow cytometre--is expensive, requires large blood volume, and a trained technician to operate," Bashir said.

"We have developed a microfluidic biosensor based on a differential immuno-capture electrical cell counting technology to enumerate specific cells in 20 minutes using 10 microliters of blood," Bashir noted.

There are about 50 microliters in a drop of blood.

In clinical trials, the differential immuno-capture biochip achieved more than 90 per cent correlation with a flow cytometer for both CD4 T cells for CD8 T cell counts using HIV infected blood samples, according to the study published in the journal Nature Protocols.

The biochip can also be adapted to enumerate other specific cell types such as somatic cells or cells from tissue or liquid biopsies.

The novel biosensor has the potential to be an automated portable blood cell counter for point-of-care applications in developed and resource-limited regions worldwide, the study said.

The researchers are now working on miniaturising the setup to make the technology handheld, as well as designing a cartridge that can be mass-produced.

Resource :  http://www.ianslive.in/index.php?param=news/Disposable_biochip_for_simpler_affordable_HIV_diagnosis-503713/HEALTH%20AND%20TRAVEL/35

First in the World; CRH Canada's Dufferin Aggregates Acton Quarry certified as socially and environmentally responsible

TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2016 /CNW/ - In a landmark announcement, the Cornerstone Standard's Council (CSC) officially recognized CRH Canada's Dufferin Aggregates Acton Quarry as the first quarry in the world to receive certification as a supplier of responsibly sourced stone, sand and gravel.

"CRH Canada and Dufferin Aggregates are extremely proud that our Acton Quarry has been officially recognized as the world's first certified aggregate site, and hope that this achievement will be a catalyst for the industry. This certification is a testament to our commitment to address the demand for aggregates that consider community and environmental needs. Now any purchaser of aggregates, be it the public or the private sector, will have the confidence in knowing that they are buying responsibly sourced building materials," said Baudouin Nizet, President & CEO, CRH Canada Group Inc.

In January 2015, CSC released its Responsible Aggregates Standard, providing the parameters by which an aggregate quarry could achieve certification in Ontario.  CRH Canada and Dufferin Aggregates have a long-standing and well established commitment to the communities in which they operate and to being stewards of the natural environment.  To be officially certified and recognized for these efforts and to have product labeled as CSC certified is an important opportunity for the company.

"This certificate speaks to the relationship between CRH Canada and the Town of Halton Hills," said Rick Bonnette, Mayor of Halton Hills. "By following CSC's Standards and working proactively to address environmental and social impacts the Acton Quarry has been able to incorporate sustainability principles into its ongoing operations and after use. This has been a key component of the recent approval for expansion of the quarry."

"Aggregates, such as cement, are the building blocks of our roads and buildings. But there is a tension between our need for these products, the views of communities adjacent to these operations, and the need to protect farmland and the environment.  For the first time, a pathway exists for those building blocks to be sustainably sourced," says Tim Gray, Executive Director of Environmental Defence. "CSC certification can improve industry practices, reduce conflict and generate a market for sustainable products. CRH Canada should be congratulated for being the first operation to certify and for forging a new path that other aggregate operations can follow."

About CRH Canada Group Inc.
CRH Canada Group Inc. is a leading manufacturer of cement, aggregates and ready-mix concrete and provides construction services to many of Canada's largest infrastructure projects. With over 3,000 employees, CRH Canada has a portfolio of brands including Dufferin in Ontario and Demix in Quebec.  The company, which operates across Canada and the Northwest U.S., is a Canadian subsidiary of CRH plc, one of the top three international building products companies in the world, with headquarters in Ireland.

SOURCE CRH Canada Group Inc.

Resource :  http://news.sys-con.com/node/3692347

11 Best Electronic Cigarette Brands

What are the best electronic cigarette brands?


It has not been long since electronic cigarettes came into existence in the United Stated market. Within this short span of eight years, the annual global sales are showing drastic increments! The numbers showing that the graph is going higher indeed, actually points towards startling trends. According to a study, the usage of E-cigarettes have more than doubled, among the adults in The United States, during 2010 to 2013. There are different factors like smoking status, household income and education level, which altogether are the reasons for the abrupt rise in E-cigarettes usage.

There has always been an ongoing debate about whether electronic cigarettes are one of the biggest health hazards or the best chance for smokers to quit their long habit of tobacco cigarettes. Although there are no long term studies that suggest that E-cigarettes are safer than regular tobacco cigarettes, many believe that they are exposed to less harm as compared to more harmful results when using regular tobacco cigarettes. Though E-cigs are increasing in popularity and many smokers believe that it helps in reducing their tobacco consumption or even help them to quit smoking eventually, it has also been noticed by the smokers that getting off these E-cigarettes affects their health a lot.

If you are more of “real cigarette lover” then check our other list of Most Expensive Cigarette Brands.

There are many surveys that had been made about the best electronic cigarettes that are available. The data had been collected from hundreds of vapers and test products to get the top brands of electronic cigarettes preferred by the smokers. There are various factors considered for this survey  to get the best electronic cigarettes brands. The first is E-cigarette’s design. For the smokers to get the real experience, the design should resemble the real tobacco one. Also it is identified whether it can be color customized or not. Next area to be considered is the battery performance, the time it takes to charge and how long the charge holds. Of course, the longer the better. The performance and convenience of electronic cigarettes also plays a major role in deciding the best among them. Vapor production is the next thing to consider. If an electronic cigarette produces thick and satisfying clouds of vapor, it surely qualifies as a good e-cigarette as most of the vapors prefers the same kind of e-cigarette. The next and most important factor is it should be easy to use and enjoyable. Other considerations are the flavors available and nicotine strengths in each brand. The final factor is the overall price of the e-cigarette and how much it is worth. These factors overall give the list of best electronic cigarettes.

According to another survey, there are different kinds of electronic cigarettes as well. The first kind is  disposable one which is much closer to regular tobacco cigarettes in resemblance. The next one is refillable cigarettes which is a more economical option as well as produces stronger vapors. The third kind is variable voltage electronic cigarettes. These are much more expensive and offer many advanced features.

The quality of any electronic cigarette can also be estimated by the sales it makes. There is high correlation between consumers’ preferences and the sales. According to recent estimates by Nielsen, ‘Vuse’ is described as the most selling e-cigarettes brand with a U.S. market share of 33.6 percent and is available in more than 100,000 retail outlets. It is followed by blu at second place (23.6% market share) while Logic being in third place (14.5% market share). MarkTen with 5.9% market share and NJOY with 5.1% market share are distant followers.

The similar sales figures are indicated by another sales study with Vuse being the most selling electronic cigarette brand.

Summing up the above details, we have sampled seven websites and calculated the average ranking for each cigarette brand according to the market shares of each e-cigarette brand and the surveys done regarding the best e-cigarettes brands as well. According to these calculations, Insider Monkey came up with the following rankings of the best electronic cigarette brands available:

Resource :  http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/11-best-electronic-cigarette-brands-372060/

E-Cigs Face Partial Ban in Public Places

 

Health Minister Mark Drakeford thinks it's a great idea that will soon see the rest of the country following the Welsh lead on the matter, saying: "The Bill will help us to respond to a range of public health threats in Wales, including the risk of re-normalising smoking for a generation of children and young people who have grown up in largely smoke-free environments."

"It is the government's responsibility to create the conditions, which enable people to live healthy lives. This Bill strikes a balance between those actions which will make a big difference to people's health without intruding unduly on the rights of individuals to run their own lives," he added.

The Welsh Assembly is having a little chat and a voting party today, with the Public Health (Wales) Bill up for debate. The wording includes provisions that would ban the use of e-cigs in public places in the vicinity of children, with schools, restaurants, buses and all other places where kids wait for stuff to happen to be declared nicotine-inhalation-free zones.

Resource :  http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2016/03/e-cigs-face-partial-ban-in-public-places/

E-Cigarette Formaldehyde Exposure Well Below WHO Quality Guidelines

Formaldehyde is back in the news because a company called Lumber Liquidators has been found to have exposure levels higher than previously believed. While three times effectively zero is still zero, fundraising groups like Natural Resources Defense Council have pounced on the opportunity to promote fear and doubt and talk about EPA regulations they have conspired with lobbyists to create.

While your flooring is harmless, nature has more formaldehyde than you'll get in your house, e-cigarettes are a higher level of concern because the vapor is inhaled directly into lungs. A new study shows that the daily exposure to formaldehyde from three different types of e-cigarettes is well below the levels considered safe by the World Health Organisation (WHO) - at less than a sixth of the indoor air quality standard.

"In cigarette smoke, most formaldehyde is produced as the result of burning sugars naturally present in tobacco as well as added sugars and glycerol," explains Dr Sandra Costigan, Principal Toxicologist for electronic cigarettes at British American Tobacco, 'whereas in vaping products, it is generally produced as a thermal breakdown product of glycerol and propylene glycol (PG). "Glycerol and PG are used to make the e-liquid and dilute the nicotine and flavoring."

There has been a lot of material published recently on the amount of formaldehyde released from electronic cigarettes.

Formaldehyde is classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research of Cancer and is thought to contribute to the development of tobacco-related disease. For this reason, there has been some concern over the possible health effects of inhaling formaldehyde released into the aerosol of e-cigarettes.

 This image shows the average daily concentration of formaldehyde equating to heavy e-cigarette use compared to safety benchmarks. Credit: British American Tobacco

"In this study, we measured the formaldehyde produced in the aerosol of three different e-cigarettes formats," Costigan said. Three types of vaping products were studied: a rechargeable 'cig-a-like' device; a refillable open tank system, also called a clearomiser, and a closed modular system with variable voltage. Where there was a choice, the products were tested under worst case, high voltage conditions, under which the most formaldehyde would be produced.

Consumer use of the products was surveyed to establish real world use patterns. A total of 350 puffs per day represents a realistic estimate of the intense use for these products.

Lab-based vaping robots were programmed so that they produced vapor in a realistic way and the formaldehyde levels in this vapor were measured.

The results showed that even the worst case amount of formaldehyde per 10 puffs of the e-cigarettes tested, was over 10 times less than the formaldehyde from a 3R4F reference cigarette smoked under standard ISO conditions.

Using 350 puffs per day, and assuming a standard breathing volume of 20m3 over 24 hours, average daily formaldehyde concentrations were calculated for the different products. For all products, these were well below a variety of formaldehyde safety benchmarks such as the threshold for throat and respiratory tract irritation, the European REACh Derived No Effect Level, occupational exposure guidelines, and the WHO guidelines for indoor air quality for selected pollutants which includes a guideline on formaldehyde levels.

"We believe e-cigarettes hold great potential for reducing tobacco-related disease. For this reason, we continue to strive to better define and further reduce any residual risks that there may be, to as low a level as possible,' said Costigan. 'The results from this study show that even heavy use of these products still only results in daily formaldehyde exposure that is less than one sixth of the exposure from breathing indoor air that complies with WHO air quality standards," she said.

Resource :   http://www.science20.com/news_articles
/ecigarette_formaldehyde_exposure_well_below_who_quality_guidelines-167157

First Look: Ānuenue Exquisite Tea in Kailua

New tea shop offers more than just oolong and Earl Grey.
Choosy tea drinkers, rejoice!



IChoosy tea drinkers, rejoice!



If you prefer your brew sans boba, Ānuenue Exquisite Tea is the spot for you.



Tucked into the same lot as Cinnamon’s in Kailua, Ānuenue Tea serves tea tea—the tapioca-free kind that’s steeped with leaves and hot water.



The day we visited was overcast and cool—perfect tea-sipping weather. The interior looks like a modern beach home, with light wood paneling, mini air plant terrariums and a vibrant living wall. Tea sachets secured to the air vents infuse the space with a sweet, floral fragrance.



The menu options are hung high against a side wall by clothespins. If you’re stumped on what to order—the menu boasts some curiously named teas (“Matchajito?”)—ask for help. Workers behind the counter are happy to discuss the characteristics of different teas. They’ll even try to match a tea to a customer’s taste.



“You look like a London Fog,” one worker advised. The London Fog is a gloomy day drink: It’s an Earl Grey tea with citrusy bergamot notes blended with warm vanilla and the milk of your choosing. The drink is topped with a fluffy cloud of foam.



We also ordered a matcha latte. We spotted a wooden whisk behind the counter and looked forward to the process of rich matcha powder being whipped into froth and then poured into white milk, but this process happened behind the scenes, and, instead, our order arrived already looking a lovely vivid green. The cup tasted delicious, smooth and slightly sweet due to the substitution of coconut milk (one of the many milk options).



In addition to lattes, Ānuenue brews flavored teas such as Green Berry Breeze ($3.45 for hot, $5.45 for cold—more expensive because cold-brew teas come in glass jars) and a variety of black teas, herbal teas, and specialty and premium teas.



Gluten-free baked goods at the counter pair well with the teas, but more substantial items are available, too. The Signature Tea Salad ($9.45), a bed of lettuce topped with tidy piles of walnuts, fried garlic, avocados, tomatoes, pumpkin seeds and fermented tea leaves, is a unique combination of flavors; together, the crunchy seeds, savory garlic and tangy pickled leaves make for a refreshing mix and a light lunch.



If tea salad isn’t your thing, you could go with the apple, kabocha, quinoa crunch salad ($8.45) or the spicy avocado pasta salad ($8.45). Other lunch options include the quinoa summer roll and the chicken salad wrap, available in spicy Thai or pesto ($8.45)

For dessert, we sampled Ānuenue’s organic lavender oolong pudding, served in a reusable 3-ounce glass jar. Puddings are regularly available in original, matcha and Earl Grey ($3.85).



On our way out, we picked up bottles of cold-brew tea in Neighbor’s Mango and Summer Krush ($5.45 each). The tea is served in ice-filled glass bottles. Return with the bottle and receive 50 cents off your next tea purchase. Even as the ice melts, the tea tastes rich and refreshing. All teas are served unsweetened, but the team will add raw honey or milk to your taste.



Ānuenue Tea bills itself as “healthy, authentic and fresh tea with a splash of rainbow.” The shop is a charming spot for a thoughtful, unhurried cup of tea over a book or laptop. It’s continuing to evolve, with new menu items and, according to Ānuenue’s social media accounts, updates to the décor. We’ll stay tuned for more.


Resource :  http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/Biting-Commentary/March-2016/First-Look-Anuenue-Exquisite-Tea-in-Kailua/#.Vuf2xUCRLIV

You Are What You Eat: Salad in a jar!

By Katy Wilkens

Recently I was talking with a patient who has been trying unsuccessfully to lose weight so he can qualify for a kidney transplant. He stops by McDonald’s every morning for breakfast, picks up lunch at Taco Bell, and then has a “healthy dinner” at home—when he has time to cook. When I asked him why he was eating two-thirds of his meals out, he replied, “It’s fast!”

Fast it may be, but fast food is also high in sodium, fat, calories and cost. So this patient now has a new goal, to make his own fast food at home, cutting out all the dangerous salt and fat, and saving money and calories. Not to mention becoming healthy enough for transplant surgery.

To make it easy, he plans to prepare a week’s worth of lunches at a time. He’ll pack healthy salads in clear glass wide-mouth Mason jars from the thrift store. It’s an idea for anyone who wants a healthy, tasty meal without a wait.

Salad in a Jar:

Use a pint jar for one person’s side salad or quart jars for a salad entree or a picnic.
Put the ingredients with the most moisture at the bottom, and gradually layer up, with greens and finally nuts on the very top. To eat, turn out into a bowl and the salad tosses itself. Or eat out of the jar with a fork.

You will feel more full if you add some protein. Put it on top of the salad dressing to marinate and soak up the flavors. Protein can be leftover meat, fish, chicken, hard-cooked egg, grilled tofu, sautéed paneer, cubed or crumbled cheese, cooked kidney, garbanzo or black beans, even grains like quinoa or faro.

If you make more than one salad, you can send someone you care about to school or work with a healthy meal. Or you can set yourself up with lunch for a couple of days. It won’t take any more time than you spend in a drive-through line.

Ingredients are listed the way you should put them in the jar, so top item on the list goes in first. For better taste and health, make your own homemade salad dressing. Find a great recipe for Hundred Combinations low-sodium salad dressing at www.nwkidney.org.

Rich’s Kale Salad in a Jar
1 quart Mason jar with lid
Vinaigrette salad dressing
½ cup sautéed paneer or tofu
½ cup cooked faro or wheat berries
½ cup diced red bell pepper
½ cup sliced cucumber
Handful of dried cranberries
Pre-cut kale
Handful of pumpkin seeds or cashews

Black Rice and Sweet Potato Salad in a Jar
1 quart Mason jar with lid
Vinaigrette salad dressing
½ cup cooked black rice, or wild rice, or multi-rice mix
½ cup diced cooked chicken
½ cup roasted or sautéed sweet potato, cubed
2 cups of red leaf lettuce, in bite-size pieces
Handful of chopped dried apricots
Handful of toasted hazelnuts

Rich’s Kale salad: calories: 323, carbohydrates: 23 g, protein: 17 g, sodium: 22 mg
Black rice: calories: 287, carbohydrates: 27 g, protein: 22 g, sodium: 36 mg
The information in this column is meant for people who want to keep their kidneys healthy and blood pressure down by following a low-sodium diet. In most cases, except for dialysis patients, a diet high in potassium is thought to help lower high blood pressure. These recipes are not intended for people on dialysis without the supervision of a registered dietitian.

[Katy G. Wilkens is a registered dietitian and department head at Northwest Kidney Centers. The 2014 recipient of National Kidney Foundation Council on Renal Nutrition’s Susan Knapp Excellence in Education Award, she has a Master of Science degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Washington. See more of her recipes at www.nwkidney.org.]

Resource :  http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/2016/03/08/features/you-are-what-you-eat-salad-jar

Cheap-as-dirt glass jars shatter recycling expectations

Recycled glass has so little value that it's being ground up and used as paving material in road and drainage projects.

Two large hills at ecomaine’s ash landfill appear to be made of colored gravel. Closer inspection shows that it’s finely ground glass, 1,429 tons worth last year of assorted food containers that residents recycle, perhaps with an expectation that the glass will be sold and turned back into pickle and jam jars.

Glass is very cheap to make, and used glass has never been worth much. But with the declining prices now paid in commodity markets, the cost of trucking the material out of state to melt it down in a furnace to make new containers is more than ecomaine is paid for it. So glass is being crushed and stockpiled, waiting to be used as aggregate to replace sand and gravel for drainage and road projects at the landfill where ash from ecomaine’s trash-to-energy plant is buried.

In fact, some of the gravel roads that wind through the 240-acre landfill complex, which straddles Westbrook, Scarborough and South Portland, are built upon ground glass.

And there are other uses. In Falmouth, the local rod and gun club used 182 tons of it last year to underlay a 600-foot pathway to make the facility wheelchair-accessible.

For ecomaine, it still makes sense to get glass out of the waste stream to save disposal costs, even if the material has no economic value by itself.

But that’s not true everywhere. In Savannah, Georgia, city officials were surprised last month when they learned that the private company that handles recycling had landfilled 1.1 million pounds of glass since August. The company said it continues to seek markets, but that it’s cheaper now to landfill glass, according to news reports.

Glass recycling does have one bright spot in places with returnable container laws, such as Maine.

Maine’s bottle bill directs beverage containers to redemption centers, where they are sorted by color. Because the glass is generally free from metal or other contaminants, it has a higher value for manufacturers.

TOMRA of North America crushes up to 15,000 tons a year of beverage bottles from redemption centers and takes them to a major recycling processor in Massachusetts. Clear glass – the most valuable grade – now is worth $30 a ton, according to Beth Milligan, the general manager at TOMRA’s facility in Portland.

But it costs $15 a ton to truck the clear glass. And the income has to help cover the cost of green glass, used mostly by Canadian beer brewers. Green glass, Milligan said, is worth only $10 a ton.

Resource :  http://www.pressherald.com/2016/03/13/glass-jars-shatter-recycling-expectations/

Recycle & Reuse Glass Jars or Candle Holders

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- Spring is almost here, meaning a lot of people are ready for some Spring Cleaning.

In this Pinspiration, we show you how to recycle and reuse old glass jars or candle holders.

Option 1 - Use as a candy jar. I cleaned out an old candle holder & turned it into a candy holder. I glued a little bunny figure on the top of the lid to create a cute Easter look.

Option 2 - Storing your makeup brushes. Fill an glass jar with marbles, which you can find a small bag at a discount store. This will stabilize your brushes and give you a pretty way to store them in your bathroom.

Option 3 - Glue an old candle jar to a candle stick holder. That will dress up the jar and provide another storage option for your bedroom or bathroom.

Resource : http://www.local8now.com/content/news/Recycle--Reuse-Glass-Jars-or-Candle-Holders-371250271.html

Pair of 17th century portraits of English nobility by John Hayls (Br., 1600-1679) brings $14,160 at auction

ATLANTA, Ga. – Two 17th century portraits of British nobility painted by English artist John Hayls realized $14,160, a pair of palatial European 20th century Bohemian-style dore bronze mounted crystal floor urns fetched $12,980, and a large hand-blown Murano glass sculptural charger (or disc) by Lino Tagliapietra (It., b. 1934), done circa 1987, brought $7,670 at auction.

They were just a few of the nearly 900 lots that came up for bid on March 5th and 6th at a Spring Estates Auction held by Ahlers & Ogletree, in the firm’s gallery located at 715 Miami Circle in Atlanta. Quality merchandise from prominent local estates and collections came under the gavel in a sale that grossed about $580,000. The portraits John Hayls were the sale’s top-achieving lot.

One depicted “Michael Warton Esq., Son in Law of John first Lord Poulett,” the other “Susanna daughter of John first Lord Poulett and Wife of Michael Warton Esq. of Beverly in Yorkshire.” Both were formal paintings, of British nobility from the period. Each was housed in a fine carved and gilt wood frame and measured 53 inches by 42 ½ inches. John Hayls lived from 1600-1679.

The Bohemian-style dore bronze mounted cobalt cut to clear crystal floor urns were truly palatial – each one standing a majestic 63 inches tall – with a dome-shaped panel cut finial over a berried laurel dore bronze neck mounted to each side with foliate scrolling and Greek key handles. Both featured lovely “Deer in the Woods” engraved scenes that were signed by the artist, but illegibly.

The hand-blown Murano glass sculptural charger by Lino Tagliapietra, entitled Saturno, was #23 out of a limited-edition of 100 made. It measured 25 inches tall by 23 ½ inches wide and was internally decorated, having a concentric form with white and black conforming spirals on colorless glass. It was raised on an enameled iron stand and was signed, dated and numbered.

The two-day auction was packed with original artwork, antiques, furniture, lighting, mirrors, fine estate jewelry pieces, hand-woven rugs and carpets, collectibles, art glass and crystal, sculpture, Russian silver and enamel, Georg Jensen sterling silver, porcelain, Japanese woodblock prints, Chinese porcelain, pottery and other decorative arts, modern and contemporary art and design.

About 300 people attended the sale in person over the course of the two days. Online bidding featured 7,436 bidders on LiveAuctioneers.com, 1,830 bidders on Invaluable.com, 138 bidders on BidSquare.com and 180 bidders on the Ahlers & Ogletree website and mobile app. Also, just over 450 absentee and phone bids were made on behalf of 60 bidders over the two-day period.

Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.

A patinated and partially polished bronze artwork by the Spanish surrealist master Salvador Dali (1904-1989), titled Nobility of Time, #81 of 350, 23 ¼ inches tall, showing a melting clock atop a tree trunk with an angel and a female nude, fetched $6,785. The Asian category was led by a pair of 20th century Chinese rose medallion decorated porcelain vases with hidden calligraphic marks, each one standing about 17 inches tall and boasting hand-painted figural enamels that hit $2,950.

A circa-1775 George III satinwood marquetry inlaid demilune (half-round) console, made in England after a design by Robert Adam, beautiful and heavily carved, changed hands for $5,015. It was previously sold at Sotheby’s in London in 1989 and Sotheby’s in New York City in 1998. Also, a Georgian mahogany and satinwood inlaid eight-drawer mule chest, probably made in Lancashire, England in the late 18th or early 19th century, 41 ¼ inches tall, commanded $1,534.

Staying with furniture, a 19th century Swedish serpentine chest of drawers (or a three-drawer commode), with a dark brown painted and shaped top above three long, undulating pull-out drawers, with weathered patination and a French-style grey painted exterior, finished at $3,540; while a matched pair of 19th century Italian-made, hand-painted bombe form bedside commodes, each having a simulated marble serpentine molded top over a conforming case, garnered $3,245.

Jesus Rafael Soto (1923-2005) was active and lived in Venezuela and France. He was one of the most prominent representatives of the Op Art-Kinetic Art movements, and his work exuded high energy, often using metal. Sold was a painted metal on wood relief sculpture, signed by Soto and numbered (64/175), titled Homenaje al Humano ($8,260); and a silkscreen on Plexiglas with metal rods titled Tes azules y negras (1979), signed and numbered and 19 ¾ inches tall ($7,080).

An oil on canvas by the Hungarian-American artist Marcel Vertes (1895-1961), titled Swan Family, an impressionist work depicting two adult white swans and a baby swan floating on blue water, signed, breezed to $1,652; and an oil on canvas by Andre Gisson (Am., 1921-2003), titled Figures By a Lake, showing a woman and a child in an outdoor setting, signed, garnered $1,180.

Fans of silver were treated to an Art Nouveau-style sterling silver nappy (or bowl) with double scrolling handle by Harald Nielsen (1892-1977), for Georg Jensen (Danish, founded 1904), made circa 1945-1977 and weighing 13.85 troy ounces ($1,652); and a 43-piece set of silverplate flatware made circa 1963-1983 by the French silversmith Christofle (founded in 1830), in the Louis XIII style “Cluny” pattern, and each with a slightly beveled fiddle-head handle ($1,416).

The auction held some happy surprises, as many lots sailed past their high estimates. A classical-style carved marble sculpture of Hercules, artist unknown, likely made in Italy, 19th century, sold for $7,670 on an estimate of $3,000-$5,000. And a circa 1920s or ‘30s Italian collection of 36 dried flower specimens in one large frame that was supposed to bring $1,000 to $2,000 ended up realizing $3,245. Each specimen was set behind its own pane of glass, within a wooden border.

An oil on canvas by the French-born American artist Christian Schussele (1824-1879), titled Children with Dog and Pigeons on Stoop (1865), signed and dated lower left, 46 inches by 39 inches and framed, finished at $6,490 against an estimate of $2,000-$4,000. Also, an acrylic on canvas by the Brazilian artist Fernando de Jesus Oliveira (aka Ferjo, b. 1946), titled Museum Staircase with Fish and Strawberry, surpassed its $1,000-$1,500 estimate to hammer for $2,950.

A fine, hand-woven Persian room-size rug (6 feet 9 inches by 10 feet 5 inches), expected to sell for $1,000-$2,000, instead fetched $3,835, as bidders were wowed by its animal and floral motif, with deer, rabbits and birds. Also, a Chinese 20th century porcelain jar (or urn), with a cobalt blue underglaze decoration on white ground depicting a seascape with ducks swimming amid willow trees and lotus plants, 13 ¼ inches tall, defied its estimate of $600-$800 by finishing at $2,655.

Ahlers & Ogletree’s next big auction is planned for the weekend of April 30-May 1. Featured will be 1,200 lots of 17th-19th century furniture and antiquities, medieval ecclesiastical icons and carvings, a collection of Continental stained glass, significant estate coin and sterling silver items, 1860 Bien edition James J. Audubon ornithological prints, St. Ives bronze sculptures, important Chinese bronze Buddhas, a Taikan Yokoyama Mt. Fuji scroll painting, and a J. J. Elliott for Tiffany tall case clock. Watch the website for details, at www.AandOauctions.com.

Ahlers & Ogletree is a multi-faceted, family-owned business that spans the antiques, estate sale, wholesale, liquidation, auction and related industries. Ahlers & Ogletree is always seeking quality consignments for future auctions. To consign an item, an estate or a collection, you may call them at 404-869-2478; or, you can send them an e-mail, at consign@AandOauctions.com.

To learn more about Ahlers & Ogletree and the upcoming two-day sale planned for April 30th and May 1st in Atlanta, please visit www.AandOauctions.com. For social media, folks can also go to twitter @ ahlersogletree, and IG (Instagram) @ ahlersogletree. Updates are posted frequently.

# # # #
Ahlers & Ogletree
715 Miami Circle / Ste. 210
Atlanta, Georgia
robert@aandoauctions.com
(404) 869-2478
http://www.aandoauctions.com
Press Contact:
Robert Ahlers
Ahlers & Ogletree, Inc.
P: (404) 869-2478
robert@aandoauctions.com

Resource :  http://www.artfixdaily.com/artwire/release/8779-pair-of-17th-century-portraits-of-english-nobility-by-john-hayls-

Moltonborough man sues maker, vendor of faulty e-cigarette

MOLTONBOROUGH, N.H. —A man is suing the maker of a vapor cigarette he was using and the store that sold it to him, after the cigarette’s battery exploded in his pocket.


Matthew Gilson was working when the battery exploded in his pants pocket. Surveillance video from Gilson’s employer shows smoke, then Gilson running.

Gilson was transported to the hospital, where he was treated for second- and third-degree burns.

On Thursday, McGrath Law Firm of Concord filed a lawsuit against Shenzen Kanger Technology Co., the Chinese company that made the cigarette, and Smokers Haven in Laconia, where Gilson bought the device.

“The public needs to be aware about the possible dangers involved with e-cigarettes and vaporizers,” attorney Peter McGrath said in a press release. “The victim would hate to see this happen to someone else. More and more people are vaping, thinking it’s a safe alternative to smoking. But there are serious risks involved.”

A manager was not available for comment when WMUR contacted Smokers Haven.

Resource : http://www.wmur.com/news/moltonborough-man-sues-maker-vendor-of-faulty-ecigarette/37954374

11 Best Electronic Cigarette Brands

What are the best electronic cigarette brands?

It has not been long since electronic cigarettes came into existence in the United Stated market. Within this short span of eight years, the annual global sales are showing drastic increments! The numbers showing that the graph is going higher indeed, actually points towards startling trends. According to a study, the usage of E-cigarettes have more than doubled, among the adults in The United States, during 2010 to 2013. There are different factors like smoking status, household income and education level, which altogether are the reasons for the abrupt rise in E-cigarettes usage.

There has always been an ongoing debate about whether electronic cigarettes are one of the biggest health hazards or the best chance for smokers to quit their long habit of tobacco cigarettes. Although there are no long term studies that suggest that E-cigarettes are safer than regular tobacco cigarettes, many believe that they are exposed to less harm as compared to more harmful results when using regular tobacco cigarettes. Though E-cigs are increasing in popularity and many smokers believe that it helps in reducing their tobacco consumption or even help them to quit smoking eventually, it has also been noticed by the smokers that getting off these E-cigarettes affects their health a lot.

If you are more of “real cigarette lover” then check our other list of Most Expensive Cigarette Brands.

There are many surveys that had been made about the best electronic cigarettes that are available. The data had been collected from hundreds of vapers and test products to get the top brands of electronic cigarettes preferred by the smokers. There are various factors considered for this survey  to get the best electronic cigarettes brands. The first is E-cigarette’s design. For the smokers to get the real experience, the design should resemble the real tobacco one. Also it is identified whether it can be color customized or not. Next area to be considered is the battery performance, the time it takes to charge and how long the charge holds. Of course, the longer the better. The performance and convenience of electronic cigarettes also plays a major role in deciding the best among them. Vapor production is the next thing to consider. If an electronic cigarette produces thick and satisfying clouds of vapor, it surely qualifies as a good e-cigarette as most of the vapors prefers the same kind of e-cigarette. The next and most important factor is it should be easy to use and enjoyable. Other considerations are the flavors available and nicotine strengths in each brand. The final factor is the overall price of the e-cigarette and how much it is worth. These factors overall give the list of best electronic cigarettes.

According to another survey, there are different kinds of electronic cigarettes as well. The first kind is  disposable one which is much closer to regular tobacco cigarettes in resemblance. The next one is refillable cigarettes which is a more economical option as well as produces stronger vapors. The third kind is variable voltage electronic cigarettes. These are much more expensive and offer many advanced features.

The quality of any electronic cigarette can also be estimated by the sales it makes. There is high correlation between consumers’ preferences and the sales. According to recent estimates by Nielsen, ‘Vuse’ is described as the most selling e-cigarettes brand with a U.S. market share of 33.6 percent and is available in more than 100,000 retail outlets. It is followed by blu at second place (23.6% market share) while Logic being in third place (14.5% market share). MarkTen with 5.9% market share and NJOY with 5.1% market share are distant followers.

The similar sales figures are indicated by another sales study with Vuse being the most selling electronic cigarette brand.

Summing up the above details, we have sampled seven websites and calculated the average ranking for each cigarette brand according to the market shares of each e-cigarette brand and the surveys done regarding the best e-cigarettes brands as well. According to these calculations, Insider Monkey came up with the following rankings of the best electronic cigarette brands available:

Resource :  http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/11-best-electronic-cigarette-brands-372060/