Day 12

It’s been a whole year since the ‘smoking in public places ban' came into effect and by all accounts has been effective and, generally speaking, well implemented. The bottom line on this issue is that previous to the ban everybody was exposed to the dangers of second hand smoke in offices, restaurants, cafes, shops and everywhere in-between. The non smoker would have no choice but to inhale the toxic fumes, and this included children. The smokers argument that their rights have been taken away hold no water; for to allow them their ‘rights’ would mean  the right of others to breathe unpolluted air, is taken away. Smoking outside is fair and correct and does not adversely affect those who choose health.

For those of you in doubt as to the detrimental effects of smoking cigarettes a simple search on Google will throw up more articles than you can handle; the facts and figures are indeed scary:

Of the fifty carcinogens which are known to be present in the burning of tobacco, eleven were found to be cancer causing to humans; these are named below:

1.       Acetone

2.       Ammonia

3.       Arsenic

4.       Benzene

5.       Benzoapyrene

6.       Butane

7.       Cadmium

8.       Formaldehyde

9.       Lead

10.   Propylene glycol

11.   Turpentine

... Let’s not forget the addictive effects of Nicotine.

The illnesses or deaths related to smoking, apart from cancers are many and include: heart disease, stroke, emphysema and asthma.

The illnesses or death related to second-hand smoke are as above but for children there is the risk of: sudden infant death syndrome, respiratory illnesses, middle ear infections, and can cause behavioural and cognitive problems.

According to the World Health Organisation, every 6.5 seconds a smoker or former smoker dies as a result of the habit; this equates to about 5 million per year. In the USA the numbers are about 443,000 per year( this figure includes 50,000 who die from the effects of second hand smoke), whilst in China the figure is a staggering 1.2 million deaths  per year. All of this equates to a tragic waste of lives and an unnecessary burden on health services worldwide.

On top of all this, smokers battle with staining of their teeth, more cavities, wrinkles and leathery skin. Surely all this would convince anybody to quit... but alas no, the risk is apparently worth it!!

Day 11

Arriving back from Christmas Holidays the first thing I had to do ,as always, was to call back home and report the safe arrival. But to my dismay my phone line was dead. Shock- horror! But never fear, I thought, use the Skype account to call the UK landline. Shock- horror again! No internet connection to be had. A quick  call to my services provider at fifteen minutes before ten at night using my mobile phone eases my mood; ‘all you need to do is turn off your modem and turn it on again- wait fifteen minutes and then try the services again Sir’ said the friendly and helpful voice. I did exactly as instructed. Fifteen minutes later I tried to connect... but wouldn’t you know it, dead as a Dodo! I called back and was greeted with a recorded message ‘Welcome- our offices are now closed, please call between the hours of 8a.m. and 10p.m. Monday to Friday for assistance.’ At this point I simply sat back and accepted that the clever little shit at the technical assistance desk was just putting me off for the fifteen minutes he had left until clocking out.

The next day was a bank holiday and, once again, no help from the closed offices. The saga of the mysterious disconnection went on for eight days and was only resolved due to a friend putting pressure on a manager within the company. To be honest it was absolute hell living without email, internet or telephone.  Did I have withdrawal symptoms? Does such a thing actually exist? The hardest thing to deal with was the unavailability of internet and email which made me think about the way we lived before all the tech stuff. We are all so dependent on the marvels of technology which adorn our homes all around the world. Search:  “internet withdrawal symptoms”...

The following is a snippet of some of the 8.9million suggested sites.

It is officially recognised that users being cut off from the internet for an extended period of time felt frustrated, anxious, disconnected and also experienced a feeling of loss. These symptoms were felt after a period of five days without internet. The inability to connect with friends, make purchases, check sports results and pay bills online were cited as the main reasons for the feelings experienced.

The past ten years has irreversibly changed the lives of millions of people all around the world and the interesting fact to note about all of this is that we don’t realise how much we are all dependent on the internet...until of course this integral tool of our lives is taken away.

What would happen if the servers, which provide us with this lifeline, suddenly packed up? Would we all shrivel up and die? I think not but life would be severely disrupted to say the least...let’s hope that never, ever, ever happens!