Only In Australia

[stephenrowley]

Thought you might get a kick out of this, 1st they ban the electronic cigarette then you find an article like this:


Australia to Speed Introduction of Safe Cigarettes After Fires


By Michael Heath

Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- The Australian government is seeking to accelerate the introduction of self-extinguishing cigarettes in the wake of the nation’s deadliest bushfires.

Consumer Affairs Minister Chris Bowen has asked for advice from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission “looking at the possibility of bringing forward the start date” from March 2010, his spokesman said by telephone today.

Police aren’t ruling out that a discarded cigarette may have ignited one of the blazes that swept through the southeastern state of Victoria this month, killing at least 208 people.

The commission is in talks with cigarette companies and importers about an earlier introduction, Peter Kell, deputy chair of the ACCC, said.

“The aim is for a date before the next bushfire season,” he said by telephone today.

Victorian statistics suggest about 7 percent of bushfires on public land are started by cigarettes and 8 percent of fire- related deaths in Australia between 2000 and 2006 were linked to cigarettes, according to ACCC research published last year.

The fire safe cigarettes, made with special paper and lower burning additives so they go out if left unattended, are compulsory in some U.S. states.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Heath in Sydney at mheath1@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: February 20, 2009 00:59 EST

We should contact them and tell them about e cigs not causing fires

[TribbleTrouble]

Maybe the fires that they suffered from is the kick in the ass the Australian government needed to re-open the book on E-Cigs. Which means more to them, keeping Nicotine liquid out of their citizens hands, or supporting a non-combustable cigarette? Only time will tell.

[TropicalBob]

Amazing logic, isn't it? I read an article this morning (not sure it was interpreted correctly) that said New Zealand will soon follow Australia with a ban on e-cigs, despite the fact that the world's preeminent researcher lives and works there.

[Cage]

Bureaucratic logic.
90% of all heroin users started out smoking ........., BUT...
100% of all heroin users started out drinking milk.
Conclusion - Shoot all the cows.

[TropicalBob]

That might also solve global warming and climate change, since cow flatulence contributes more greenhouse gases than all transportation combined (18% vs. 15%). *TRUE.

Shoot the cows! Or get rid of your car and ride a cow to work. Bonus: You can eat your transportation when it finally breaks down.

[Cuando]

Originally Posted by TropicalBob

That might also solve global warming and climate change, since cow flatulence contributes more greenhouse gases than all transportation combined (18% vs. 15%). *TRUE.

Shoot the cows! Or get rid of your car and ride a cow to work. Bonus: You can eat your transportation when it finally breaks down.

Does your wisdom know any bounds?

[OutWest]

FWIW, from my experience these "fire safe" cigarettes are a joke and a huge misnomer. I've been smoking so-called "fire safe" cigarettes for a couple of months now (1-2 packs a day) and I've had a total of 5 or 6 of them actually go out on their own. Most of the ones I've set in the ashtray have continued to burn down to the filter.

IMHO, theyre not "safe", they dont always go out, and people will end up burning down their house because they threw it in the rubbish bin because it's "fire safe"

edit to add - i've seen a person throw lit "fire safe" cigarettes on dry grass and when I said something he replied "it'll go out, it's fire safe"

edit again to add - I agree with Stephen, should contact the reporter and Consumer Affairs Minister Chris Bowen about e-cigs and how in their infinite wisdom theyve banned the safest cigarette there is.

[skex]

Originally Posted by TropicalBob

That might also solve global warming and climate change, since cow flatulence contributes more greenhouse gases than all transportation combined (18% vs. 15%). *TRUE.

Shoot the cows! Or get rid of your car and ride a cow to work. Bonus: You can eat your transportation when it finally breaks down.

The difference is that the carbon that driving your car produces has been sequestered deep under the earth for a few million years while any gasses coming out the back end of a cow has been a part of the ecology throught that entire time.

The problem with polution from burning fossile fuels it that it's putting chemicals that were not previously in the cycle there for while 18% of green house gasses might come cows it does not equate to an 18% increase in those chemicals the 15% coming from burning fossile fuels does constitute an actual increase in the amount of those chemicals in circulation.

That's why smoking a cigarette or driving a biofuel power vehicle is carbon neutral and doesn't cause climate change but burning gasoline or coal does.

[TropicalBob]

Good Lord. Get a sense of humor, man. Make the funny connections ....

[LaceyUnderall]

Well... it will be interesting to see if the FSC's start fires like they do here in the states. Just recently, a janitor caught fire to a basement in a school by smoking. Of course, they did not report that the state of Illinois has been FSC since 2007.

Originally Posted by TropicalBob

That might also solve global warming and climate change, since cow flatulence contributes more greenhouse gases than all transportation combined (18% vs. 15%). *TRUE.

Shoot the cows! Or get rid of your car and ride a cow to work. Bonus: You can eat your transportation when it finally breaks down.

**imagine picture of Homer*** "mmm... steak!"