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Shout Aloha To Clean Air: Hawaii May Ban Cigarettes


Next time you visit the beautiful island state, you may notice the air is brighter and more fragrant. The suggested state law sounds like a bad joke or misprint. It recommends a gradual increase in the minimum age to buy cigarettes from the current 21 to age 100, to go into effect in 2024.

How many addicted smokers live to 100? They typically cough out their final moments by age 60 in a cancer ward. Further, in your wanderings, can you just see a group of eager centenarians lined up at the Honolulu drugstore counter to buy cigarettes for their 75-year-old kiddies?

Actually, with many other states making lots of tax income from legit marijuana, it isn’t likely a Hawaii cigarette ban would cross the ocean into other US areas any time soon. So, on your next trip to Hawaii, smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. Or just cough and find some clean air to breathe.

Virgin Atlantic: Where Overnight Silence Is Golden PDF Print E-mail


We recently flew Virgin Atlantic from JFK to London, and had an unusual and somewhat humorous problem. Because of advanced age and gradual loss of hearing, we often carry small, portable amplifier buds for our ears.

However on this overnight flight, the devices weren’t on when a flight attendant approached our seat. The lights were low and most other passengers were asleep. She leaned over and whispered something we couldn’t hear. In a loud voice, we responded with, “What did you say?”

Of course, it awakened everyone nearby, who shot dirty looks our way. She gave us a frown and said in a normal voice, “Virgin is training us in proper whispering. Would you like a cup of tea?”

Later we found out Virgin has hired voice coaches who instruct crew members on how to whisper when cabins are dark and passengers asleep.

 
 
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