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Beijing, – In 1638, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], issued an imperial edict declaring the possession, use or selling of tobacco was a capital offence punishable by decapitation. Three years later, a powerful general, who was in charge of the army guarding the border with the northeastern Manchu area, asked the emperor to end the ban, saying tobacco was crucial to boosting the morale of the soldiers and curing their diseases.
The emperor weighed the arguments and decided to end the ban – although it failed to stop his throne being toppled in 1644 by the Manchu. Today, tobacco is deeply entwined into the national culture from the compulsory cigarettes given to male guests at almost every wedding to the glossy images of national icons that adorn cigarette packets. Cigarettes are often handed out as gifts to parents, bosses, teachers and even doctors.
Traditional wedding dinner ritual requires the bride to light a cigarette for each of her male guests. Putting clear and gruesome pictures on packaging would be very effective in reducing demand in China, says Jiang Yuan, deputy head of the China National Tobacco Control Office. “First, this would help eradicate the tobacco culture and help scare away many potential smokers; secondly, as a large quantity of cigarettes are bought in China as gifts for family or bosses,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], a big picture of a horrible lung would gradually stop many from seeing it as gift,” she says.
However,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], health warnings on Chinese cigarette packs never include pictures and are in tiny characters, half of which are in English that most Chinese cannot understand,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but the cigarette makers put large warning signs on the packs sold abroad to accord with local laws.
But many fear gruesome pictures, such as diseased lungs, on cigarette packs could provoke an outcry,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], as Chinese brands often have names related to its cultural and historical heritage, such as “Zhonghua” (China), “Zhongnanhai” (the residence of China’s leadership),[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], “Huangshan” (Huangshan Mountain), “Panda” and even “The Great Hall of the People.”
We therefore appeal to President Aquino to protect all Filipinos from the many health,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], social, economic, and environmental harms of tobacco use and the interference of the tobacco industry. As American taxpayers wait to see whether Congress will extend the Bush tax cuts — and for which taxpayers, if it does — some critics of President Obama say he’s already reneged on his 2008 campaign pledge not to raise taxes on anyone but the rich.
Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) point to the cost of Obama’s health care legislation as proof that the president has violated his pledge not to raise taxes on families earning less than $250,000 and on individuals earning less than $200,000.