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25 November 2008
by Margaret Chen
Editor-in-Chief, iCUBED.us
 Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Why? Because it's not quite the end of the year, and it's a time when we count our blessings, spend time with family, and are not saddled with the burden of finding gifts just because it's THAT gift-giving time of year. And, as Thanksgiving is a tradition that began with the hospitality of the Native American Indians in the New World, a tradition that is connected to the introduction of tobacco to widespread usage, I'm going to dedicate this November 2008 to stopping the "spread" of tobacco-use.
And this year, I'm very thankful to finally be over my first-ever case of bronchitis which I'm sure is because I took up a brief four year stint of smoking to prove a point to smoker-friends that it IS possible to quit smoking even once you have developed the habit. And, based on this month's absolutely fascinating, not to be missed interview with Dr. Judith Mackay, world famous campaigner against Big Tobacco - even before it was fashionable to denounce tobacco, Dr. Mackay reveals many important facts about the highly addictive habit of smoking. The most important fact? That almost all people become smokers before age 20! The older and more mature you get, the least likely it is that you would be lured into this unhealthy habit where OVER 50% of smokers die from causes related directly to their smoking habit.
The good news is, that no matter how old you are, and no matter how long you've smoked, it's worth the effort to STOP SMOKING TODAY, because as long as you haven't already gotten cancer, the human body will be able to regenerate and get healthy the very day you kick the habit!
Far from being about Freedom, Independence, Glamor or Emancipation - the reality of smoking in the 21st Century is the familiar sight of a sad band of adults standing huddled around a filthy ashtray - puffing nervously on lit cigarettes, outside smoke-free buildings, rain or shine, in freezing cold, or, in sweltering heat. I see them every day, and try my best to hold my breath when walking past them to enter the buildings...
iCUBED.us is very proud to have been poised - once again, on the cutting edge of yet another life-affirming news story, we are proud to bring to your attention, these guardians of public health and safety, people like Dr. Mackay who dedicate their lives to educating and bettering the quality of life for others, even often at the cost of personal peril. And we hope you'll join us in paying a special tribute to Dr. Mackay and her very successful legacy-of-accomplishments tomorrow on the eve of her MBE being "upgraded" to an OBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Please click here for Dr. Mackay's three-part story. And be sure to download our Podcast interview with Dr. Mackay tomorrow - Wednesday, 26th November 2008.
So, tell the friends you care about ... to KICK THE HABIT TODAY! because frankly speaking, as a smoker you show yourself to be a fool, being so easily manipulated by Big Tobacco's seductive images of POWER, FREEDOM,& MYSTERY, and paying handsomely for a habit you have only a 50% chance of surviving...
Stay healthy, Stay in control - HAPPY THANKSGIVING, one and all!
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