Anti Smoking Ads

Continuing from my previous post on smoking, I can't help post these really interesting anti-smoking advertisements....

Here is the benefit of passive smoking

Yet another famous ad describe the effect of passive smokers so well...
A confused smoker (the Marlboro Man) weeping over his dead horse
(died of passive smoking)

Here's another 'benefit' of smoking... premature aging
(the process that frightened by both men AND women).

In the end.... before rushing in to your next destination here......

Or even here.....



That can end up here....

You really should give quitting a shot.....it kills not only you but US.

All images in this post are courtesy of http://adoholik.com

Thank You for Smoking!

Do you smoke cigarettes?

If not currently, have you ever smoked? I’m particularly interested to hear any news on how heavy smokers quit smoking. Both my parents were heavy smokers. My dad quit smoking after finding out he has heart problems and my mum soon follows. They quit smoking in 1996.

My brother is a very heavy smoker and never intended to quit. I sometimes worry so much about what he is doing to his body. I wish I could find a way to make him stop. To make him WANT to quit smoking.


Me? I tried smoking, 2 or 3 times during my university years. My "Kost mate" back then was a very heavy smoker. She smoked about a pack a day. I try to be a smoker for about a week but I actually hate it. My throat was burning and the taste in my mouth was horrible.

Let’s just say it wasn’t a positive experience.

Thankfully, that single bad experience turned me off smoking for good.

Now... a smoker is slowly becoming uncool, thank God. As this country ban people from smoking in public places, including restaurants, cafes, and office buildings. The vast majority of citizens are in favor of the ban, with almost 80% saying they supported a public smoking ban in a recent survey.

So how has the environment been affected? You’d think, or hope, that a smoking ban would be good for the environment. In theory, less people would be smoking because it’s more difficult. This would mean less smoke being emitted, at least.

A new study says that’s just not happening. It argues that the smoking ban has actually caused far more harm than good, at least in environmental terms.

The main reason the ban has been bad for the environment is because of cafes' and restaurants' efforts to make smokers more comfortable when they head outside to light up. There has been a significant increase in the number of exhausts in bars, pubs, restaurants and even office buildings! Can you believe that?

Smoking ban impacts are supposed to be positive and therefore shouldn't be causing more problems to environment AND other people. I say this wholeheartedly to all you smokers out there: "Please give up smoking, or simply buy yourself a jumpsuit and an astronaut-like mask."

:)

PS: The post title was taken from a black comedy-satire movie with the same title, starring Aaron Eckhart and Katie Holmes.

All Images in this post are courtesy of Irene Mueller (http://www.pbase.com/daria90/smoke)

How Did You Celebrate Independence Day (iii)

Here's an interesting self experience by my new blogger friend.

Erick Ahmad (http://erickahmad.wordpress.com)

Hmm...i feel like...i am reborn!

Indonesia is truly a diverse nation made up of dynamic and somehow difficult people. Each year on Aug 17, I celebrate that freedom and independence with raising flags, watching the UPACARA BENDERA on TV, and family gatherings. I feel like i want to bring the world closer to Indonesia with more good understanding and better-off knowledge.

I feel like i want to invite all nations to celebrate with Indonesians, here...in my homeland...

Happy Birthday, INDONESIA!

How Did You Celebrate Independence Day?

Indonesians experience different ways of celebrating their country's independence, here's the first reply I've got (surely won't be the last).

Akhyari Hananto (Good News from Indonesia: http://akhyari.blogspot.com)

1. I raise my old merah-putih flag at a tall flagpole, normally 1-2 meters taller than my neighbor's flagpole.
2. I turn on TVs, tune on my favourite program, UPACARA PENGIBARAN SANG MERAH PUTIH.
3. I drive around and see my country men "celebrating" the so-called Independence day. I love to see the flags along the way.
4. I write something about my country, and what has been done and what has to be done.
   

How Did You Celebrate Independence Day?

Everyone has his or her way to mark the Independence Day on August 17.



Independence Day reminds us the unforgettable contributions of our great leaders and workers who devoted their lives for acquiring an independent country Indonesia is (i think) now.

Several activities are planned by civil society and public departments on national level including competitions, exhibitions and discussion Programmes to highlight the achievements of our country and pay tributes to services of our predecessors.

Keeping in view all these things, I invite you to contribute a post on my blog here on how do/did you celebrate Hari Kemerdekaan.

Email your post here: virna.medina@yahoo.com

Ternate, My Fashionable Hometown (II)

Ternate Island, which lies within North Maluku propinsi (province), is situated 14 miles (23 km) west of Halmahera. The island is dominated by a volcano (5,646 feet [1,721 metres]) with three peaks. It has suffered from frequent volcanic activity since the 15th century, the worst eruption occurring in 1763. The southern and eastern coasts of Ternate Island have forests and luxuriant vegetation. Rice, corn (maize), sage, coffee, pepper, nutmeg, and fruit are grown. (taken from Encyclopedia Britannica)


Ternate town, which is the capital and main commercial centre of North Maluku propinsi, includes about half of the population of Ternate Island. The people are mixed but probably largely of Malay ancestry. Most are Muslims, though some are Christians; the island has a language of its own, written in Arabic script. Although once a leading centre of clove cultivation, the island now trades principally in nutmeg and copra.


Tourist Attractions in Ternate

Tolire Besar Lake

Tolire Besar Lake is a spectacular crater lake in the north of the island. It is located in a deep crater, so the water seems just about impossible to reach, but is said to be home to crocodiles. The lake is surrounded by forest on the side towards the peak of Gamalama, and is a good area for bird watching. We can see a cockatoo here.



Mount Gamalama

On the south of Ternate City, the Portuguese built the unfinished Kayu Merah Fortress on 1510. The peak of Gamalama is 1271 m high and can be reached by trail. It has three craters and its surrounding environment is very beautiful. Stones from Gamalama's eruption are scattered across the landscape.




The Sultan's Palace

Ternate's major sight is the Sultan's palace, overlooking the sea from the foot of Gamalama. The palace is a colonial style building supposedly planned to resemble a sitting lion. Part of the royal family still lives inside, but visitors are welcome to enter the main hall, where a selection of royal memorablia such as clothing, weapons and flags can be seen. The main object of interest, the Sultan's crown is firmly locked away from peering eyes.



Batu Angus

"Burned Rock" is a thick flow of lava from one of Gamalama's previous eruptions that reaches right down to the seaside north of the town on the way to Sulamadaha. If you don't climb up to Gamalama's crater, this is the best place to get an idea of how destructive its eruptions can be.




The Sultan's Mosque

Just a short walk to the south of the palace, the royal mosque with its several-tiered roof is a typical old-style Indonesian mosque. Inside is interesting, old woodwork. Visitors are welcome to enter except during prayer services.



Benteng Toloko

This heavy-handedly restored small Portuguese fort standa by the seaside in Dufa-dufa village in the south of the town. There is not a lot to see inside, but the views are good and the exhibit about the restauration works interesting enough.



Orange Fort

This large Dutch fort, originally built in 1607, stands unrestored in the centre of the town. Interestingly, it doesn't serve as a tourist attraction, but houses several families living inside, as well as an Army unit! Still, tourists can enter it through the main gates, climb to the walls and check out the huge cannons lying around.


Churches

Ternate may be a Muslim majority island, but it has a number of large churches in the centre. None are really of outstanding historical or architectural interest, but this Catholic church with its black lava foundations and walls is interesting enough.



Kayumerah Fort This larger fort in the south of the town has a spectacular seeting right by the sea, just opposite Tidore.



Sulamadaha beach

This black sand beach is for some strange reason the most popular one with locals on the whole island. Perhaps what they like here is the view of neighbouring Pulau Hiri - definitely very pretty. If you come here for a swim, try and swim over to the left past the bushy, rocky stretch of coast to reach an isolated small, white sand beach. Snorkellers should also check out the bay from where Hiri boats leave - a few minutes walk back towards the town.



Pulau Hiri

Hiri is Ternate's small satellite island to the north-west, just off the coast at Sulamadaha.
Like Ternate, it is a volcano, though no longer active. There are only 4 villages there, all inhabited by very friendly ethnic Ternateans. Snorkeling right in front of the main village facing Ternate is very good, with a turtle and a shark seen within 10 minutes of entering the water! In fact this may be the best snorkeling to be had around Ternate.



Danau Laguna

This beautiful crater lake is in the south of Ternate Island, near the village of Ngade. Depending on which side of the lake you are standing on, you have either Ternate's Gamalama volcano, or Tidore's Kiematubu as a majestic backdrop. The part of the lakeshore near the main ring-road around the island is easily accessible, though circumnavigating the whole lot involves some serious scrambling along narrow trails on steep hillsides. Kids use the lake for swimming, some locals tend gardens around it, while others raise fish in cages in its water. An excellent, tranquil getaway from the heat and bustle of the city.