Was this the Atlanta, GA based journalist asking about e-cigs?

[RedForeman]

The magazine published by my alma mater, Georgia State University, just arrived this week. Expecting the usual donation whoring and save the planet crap, I find this article. Was Sonya Collins the hack, er I mean journalist, that was looking for some sick filthy vaping ex-smokers to talk to?

The article makes me angry on a few levels.

Typical government and higher education approach of solutions in search of a problem. GSU got a $19M grant to "establish one of 14 tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science." The whole program is funded with $273M. Whisky Tango Foxtrot.

$273 million more dollars to further study and analyze a substance that's already been studied and analyzed to death for 50 years. Maybe that money could be better used on something else. Like, I don't know, maybe hiring competent web application designers. Or feeding hungry children. Or rebuilding a crumbling highway infrastructure. Just sayin.

“We’re looking at what kind of information people need for improved decision-making. But we’ve got to be sure what improved means,” Eriksen says. Here's an idea. Maybe I don't need your help making decisions. Maybe I don't need my tax dollars being spent on silly government think like this. Maybe you need a cup of mind your own business.

Of course, no e-cig story is worth anything without a play on children. They're practically handing out samples in schools. Lots of flavors. The horrors. Here's a tip: your kids are getting into a lot worse things than a Blu starter kit at the local stop-n-rob. Best part is, they do it right under your nose on their internet connected smartphone, tablet, or laptop.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at an institution of higher education taking up grant money for something like this. I'm disappointed because I graduated from one of their more popular programs, the school of business. If anything is counter-intuitive to business, it's this.

OK I'm done ranting. Am I reading that right? off base? Seriously, after reading that article, I'm a little less proud of being a GSU alumni ('99 BBA-BIS).

 

[klynnn]

I don't have much respect for any journalist these days. I can remember when they did their job.

 

[SissySpike]

I thought this was a very well written article. It dose not pick sides it sticks to the facts. It was interesting enough to read the entire article. I wish more journalism did this kind of reporting.

I wonder if its to late to apply to the grant. For 250 mill Ill give them a long term study on the effects of vaping;-)

 

[RedForeman]

I disagree on the quality. But maybe I'm reading too much agenda there. It seemed like the author made the point articulated in the headline in the first few paragraphs. Then regurgitated a lot of crap facts to support why spending a lot of other peoples' money is a good idea.

In other words, it's the University patting themselves on the back for scoring a huge stack of government cheese.

Too late to get your slice. All the people that think they know better than regular people like you have already tapped it out.

 

[SissySpike]

To me just because someone says some things I don't necessarily agree with dose not mean its not valid. I thought the reporter did a good job of putting in all of the sides of both pro and against. If I looked at it from a non smoker non vapor point of view It would be a interesting article that did not send me away with bogus facts and misinformation ether way.

As for a our goberment and education system that has gone south a long time ago just another example of unaccountability we wast a astronomical amount of money daily. The good thing is they make more every day the bad thing is its worh less and less daily also.

 

[EvilZoe]

I thought the article was pretty even-handed, too. Frankly, it was one of the BETTER articles I've seen from someone outside the vaping sphere.

 

[Zealous]

yes that was her. I was going to answer some questions for her but I kept having family issues so I had to reschedule like 3 times. In the mean time she got the info she wanted from other people. I guess I was not meant to be a part of her article. I haven't read it yet but I remember the name.

edit: I thought she did a decent job on her article. It wasn't biased, spouting the usual antivaping nonsense. She seemed to cover all the viewpoints & not just those of the antivaping community.

 

[Iffy]

My 'evaluation' in an earlier ECF THREAD.

 

[jersey_emt]

I thought the article was fairly neutral. And sometimes all of us vapers need to remember that we simply don't know if there are negative long-term effects to vaping. While it probably is a very safe assumption to say that vaping is nowhere near as dangerous as smoking, we cannot make the claim that vaping is harmless.

 

[RedForeman]

My 'evaluation' in an earlier ECF THREAD.

Thanks for the link. The magazine probably came in the mail a week before I picked it up LOL. I did a quick search before posting and must not have found the right key words.

 

[RedForeman]

I thought the article was fairly neutral. And sometimes all of us vapers need to remember that we simply don't know if there are negative long-term effects to vaping. While it probably is a very safe assumption to say that vaping is nowhere near as dangerous as smoking, we cannot make the claim that vaping is harmless.

Oddly, I think your comment points to one of the major things that bugged me about the article. That being the presumption that we need this scrutiny to save us from ourselves. On the other hand, it's a self-serving article published by the university, so not surprising.

Iffy's comment along with a few others re the ANTZ talking points is another thing.

The big money interests are slobbering all over themselves at the chance to regulate and control this new "bad habit" that's taking away tax revenue and market share.

 

[Izan]

The big money interests are slobbering all over themselves at the chance to regulate and control this new "bad habit" that's taking away tax revenue and market share.

Government is a business...this is nothing new.

However, I think, WE may have an ally in Michael Eriksen.

I