I AM THE WALRUS

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.

See how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly.

I'm crying.

Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come.

Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday.

Man, you been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long.

I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.

I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob.



Mister City Policeman sitting

Pretty little policemen in a row.

See how they fly like Lucy in the Sky, see how they run.

I'm crying, I'm crying.

I'm crying, I'm crying.



Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye.

Crabalocker fishwife, pornographic priestess,

Boy, you been a naughty girl you let your knickers down.

I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.

I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob.



Sitting in an English garden waiting for the sun.

If the sun don't come, you get a tan

From standing in the English rain.

I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.

I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob g'goo goo g'joob.



Expert textpert choking smokers,

Don't you thing the joker laughs at you?

See how they smile like pigs in a sty,

See how they snied.

I'm crying.



Semolina pilchard, climbing up the Eiffel Tower.

Elementary penguin singing Hari Krishna.

Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe.

I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.

I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob g'goo goo g'joob.

Goo goo g'joob g'goo goo g'joob g'goo...

Video project

Here is my video in case anyone wants to watch it again

Essay 2

Stephen Chrzanowski

Dr. Kerr

Eng 101 H Sec 1

10/25/2010

The Harmful Effects of Smoking Cigarettes

Smoking cigarettes can potentially create or exacerbate medical problems for those who use these tobacco-based products as well as for those who don’t smoke but suffer the effects of second hand smoke.  To accurately assess the effects of second hand smoke, one must define what constitutes second-hand smoke, examine the existing information about its harmful effects, and determine how this byproduct of smoking can be a contributory factor to a variety of health problems or risks among non-smokers who are exposed to second hand smoke (through either professional or personal circumstances) including those that can potentially lead to death.  While the short term effects of smoking (feelings of pleasure, contentment or getting "buzzed") can provide brief moments of ecstasy (with or without the additional feelings associated with such an addictive substance), leading medical authorities tend to agree that that the long term effects generally outweigh any short term gains.  Given the sheer number of smokers in the United States (even though this number appears to be shrinking) and the rising number of those affected by second hand smoke, particularly in light of the massive healthcare reform recently passed by the Obama Administration, the effects and ramifications of second hand smoke need to be examined, including how this phenomena relates to young people. 

            It has been proven that the smoking of cigarettes is a direct cause of cancer as said by the National Cancer Institute “Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and diminishes a person’s overall health. Smoking is a leading cause of cancer and of death from cancer. It causes cancers of the lung, esophagus, larynx (voice box), mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, pancreas, stomach, and cervix.”  Smoking has been directly linked to the development of multiple types of cancer as stated above. When pregnant women smoke it is also extremely harmful to the baby, and is a leading cause of premature births. Smoking is easily preventable by simply not starting or quitting as there are immediate positive effects of quitting.

Another serious problem that arises from smoking is the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, as it literally affects everyone around the smoker. Especially people who are raising children and smoke in or around he house, the children are directly exposed to the same amount of toxins as the smoker is. Second hand smoking contains around The National Toxicology Program estimates that at least 250 chemicals in secondhand smoke are known to be toxic or carcinogenic” ("The Health"). And these toxins are directly connected to the development of asthma and other conditions as stated by the Environmental Protection Agency “Many of the health effects of secondhand smoke, including asthma, are most clearly seen in children because children are most vulnerable to its effects. Most likely, children's developing bodies make them more susceptible to secondhand smoke's effects and, due to their small size, they breathe more rapidly than adults thereby taking in more secondhand smoke. Children receiving high doses of secondhand smoke, such as those with smoking mothers, run the greatest relative risk of experiencing damaging health effects.” ("Asthma")

        The worst and most preventable effect of smoking is death; smoking kills numerous people every year. The easiest way to prevent this from happening is to not start smoking at all, and if you do smoke to quit as soon as possible. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention there are 443,000("Smoking") deaths annually as a result of the effects of smoking. And to fully understand the devastating effects of cigarette smoking on people’s lives it was best stated by the Center for Disease Control “On average, adults who smoke cigarettes die 14 years earlier than nonsmokers. Based on current cigarette smoking patterns, an estimated 25 million Americans who are alive today will die prematurely from smoking-related illnesses, including 5 million people younger than 18 years of age.^” That is a lot of time gone due to one cause.

              When someone examines the effects of smoking from the perspective of how it causes cancer, gives off dangerous second hand smoke and how it ultimately leads to death it is easy to see that smoking is not safe and should not be done by anyone. Also, when someone looks at the death toll every year for smokers it gives an entirely different view of what smoking really causes. On average one out of every two smokers will die from a smoking related illness. All of these points raise the fact that smoking is not worth the health risks associated with the act of smoking such as lung cancer and the harmful effects it has on children. The easiest cure for all of this is a simple no, that’s all it takes to prevent all of the death and disease from happening to the smoker and their loved ones.

Works Cited

"Asthma Triggers - Secondhand Smoke | Asthma | US EPA." US Environmental    Protection Agency. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <http://www.epa.gov/asthma/shs.html>.

"Quitting Smoking: Why To Quit and How To Get Help - National Cancer                        Institute." National Cancer Institute - Comprehensive Cancer Information. Web.                        28 Oct. 2010.             <http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/cessation>.

"Smoking and Tobacco Use :: Fact Sheet :: Tobacco-Related Mortality :: Office on            Smoking and Health (OSH) :: CDC." Centers for Disease Control and      Prevention. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.             <http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_r elated_mortality/>.

 "The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." Office of the                Surgeon General (OSG). Web. 28 Oct. 2010.             <http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/factsheets/factsheet9.  html>.

Essay 4 Finished

Stephen Chrzanowski

Dr. Kerr

Eng 101 H Sec 1

10/22/2010

Why the FDA Should Regulate Tobacco Products

            There is a growing debate within medical community and the U.S. Federal Government about whether or not the government should be involved in regulating the tobacco industry to the same standards that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates medications and food substances.  While tobacco has not been classified as a drug, despite the highly addictive nature of nicotine and the relatively short time required for someone to become addicted to its properties, there is a growing movement that there should be greater federal regulation and oversight in all phases of production, including the various manufacturing processes where a variety of chemicals are added to the tobacco ingredients to enhance its effects. Also it is globally acknowledged that cigarettes do in fact lead to cancer (Brandt). That said, there are multiple parties and interests that are opposed, such as the big tobacco companies, to these proposals on the grounds that, as tobacco and nicotine have not been classified as drugs, the FDA and hence the federal government do not have the legal authority to impose outside regulations beyond those that are already imposed by other authorities involved in the sale and manufacturing of tobacco products. 

            Tobacco and tobacco-based products to include cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and snuff are generally acknowledged to be some of the most medically damaging products in the market today.  While measures enacted recently by federal, state and local authorities have aimed at curbing the use of tobacco products in a variety of settings to include restaurants, hospitals, grade schools and other areas, these entities have not been empowered or authorized to approach the big tobacco companies or industry in general to enact calls for modification of these types of products to curb their nicotine content or to modify or regulate the other harmful and toxic chemicals involved in production, as well as the byproduct of cigarettes, that is, cigarette smoke. The smoke itself involves carcinogenic (cancer-causing) compounds that have been proven to lead to potential cancer in laboratory tests, tar, nicotine, as well as formaldehyde (used in the embalming process during autopsies of cadavers), hydrogen cyanide (a well known poison), and arsenic (another well known poison) ("Quitsmokingsupport.com").

            While all are of concern, the compound of greatest concern is nicotine.  Nicotine is a highly addictive compound that is contained in the smoke generated from a lit cigarette.  When inhaled into the lungs, the nicotine will reach the brain in approximately 6 seconds as it is a rapid-acting agent, producing an almost instant "satisfaction".  Nicotine in the bloodstream acts to make the smoker feel calm; hence those smokers that claim to need a cigarette to calm them down or just to relax.   The highly addictive nature of the nicotine itself, combined with the instant feelings of calm it produces, is a difficult cycle for many to break out of.  In small doses, nicotine is a stimulant.  In larger doses, it acts as a depressant and at much higher doses it can have potentially lethal effects on the heart, blood vessels, and other organs in the body.  Reasons like nicotine and the multiple carcinogens are why tobacco needs to be controlled by the FDA.

            Some of the other chemicals involved are toxic and or lethal in greater quantities and doses as well.   For example, one of the additives to cigarettes is similar to rocket fuel is utilized to help the tip of the cigarette burning at an extremely high temperature.  This action allows the nicotine in the tobacco to be turned into a vapor that is more easily absorbed in the lungs, producing the calming effects once the nicotine makes it to the brain and the blood stream.  Another ingredient, ammonia, is also part of the manufacturing process.  This is another additive to help turn the nicotine into a vapor for easier absorption into the blood stream. 

           

            For all of these points, while nicotine is looked upon as a drug, it is not a drug that is currently under regulation by the federal government, or any level of government for that matter.  Despite the fact that it is one of the most highly addictive drugs currently available over the counter, there are an estimated 45 million smokers in the United States, and the medical facts that have proven the links between smoking a various forms of cancer (including lung, throat and mouth cancer as well as emphysema), there is currently no legislation that has been enacted to give the FDA or any other federal agency the authority to have oversight, or regulatory authority, over the various facets of the tobacco industry.  In essence, while there are laws that require disclosure by the tobacco companies to the government on the types of chemicals used in the manufacturing process, the government does not have the authority to regulate any aspects of the process or the materials and chemicals used in that process. 

            That said, there have been previous efforts by the U.S. Federal Government to create the required legislation to give the federal government the same type of authority that the FDA currently has over the food sector as well as the drug industry.  Previously, efforts to create and pass this type of legislation have failed take become involved in the same manner that it (specifically the FDA) plays a role in the regulation of foods and drugs. One reason tobacco legislation has failed is the big tobacco companies donates thousands of dollars every year to the congressman making the congress members less likely to support tobacco legislation ("Tricities.com").

            There are a few logical reasons why the FDA should not regulate tobacco based products. One reason is seeing as tobacco is neither a food nor a drug this would mean the FDA would be going into an area with which they have no experience (Troy). Also with full knowledge of the harmful effects of tobacco use there is no way that tobacco could remain legal, so the FDA would have to ban the substance and instantly cut off 45 million Americans from what they are addicted to. Another reason FDA regulation is frowned upon is the FDA would most likely tamper with the nicotine levels thus causing smokers to take deeper drags or smoke more cigarettes to achieve the "buzz" they are striving for (Murphy).The last point I must bring up is the legislation that would be needed to give the FDA this power, the anti- smoking legislation we have seen recently is used to curb the use of tobacco based products, however the type of legislation required to give the FDA oversight and authority over the manufacturing and processing of tobacco is unlikely to be passed anytime soon.

            As many reasons as there are for the FDA to not regulate tobacco there are ten times as many reasons why they should. First off the FDA already regulates all other legal addictive drugs, so why not nicotine? As one of the most addictive legal substances nicotine needs to be regulated to keep less people form getting addicted ("Tobacco and Smoking" )seeing as 1000 children get addicted to cigarettes everyday. The FDA is the only regulatory agency with the funds, scientific knowledge and power to hold big tobacco accountable, and move towards a safer cigarette (Toomey). Another reason is tobacco related illness costs the government over 100 billion dollars every year in healthcare costs ("Americanheart.org"). If tobacco was regulated by the FDA then the advertising could be much more controlled seeing as tobacco advertising is aimed at the younger generation to entice them into smoking, and then they get hooked and become a permanent customer ("Quitsmokingsupport.com").Every year big tobacco companies spend 5 billion on advertising aimed at youths, if the FDA regulated this future generations could be prevented from smoking ("Smoking "). Lastly, if the FDA were regulate tobacco they could put much more money into smoking cessation research thus helping to find a cure for smoking addiction.

            If the FDA regulates big- tobacco we will see a decline in minors smoking as well as a decline in government spending, i say this because every year the government millions of dollars on Medicare for tobacco related illness that money could be put elsewhere. if the levels of nicotine were lowered than the rate of addiction would decline rapidly. We would see less advertising thus creating less of an appeal to minors, and lastly there would be more funding into smoking cessation research that would ultimately help people quit.

Works Cited

Brandt, Allan. "FDA Regulation of tobacco." nejm.org. N.p., july 31 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2010. <http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp0803729

"Have you ever wonderd whats in a cigarette?."Quitsmokingsupport.com. N.p.,  

../11/2010. Web. 22 Nov 2010. <http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/whatsinit.htm>.

Layton, By Lyndsey. "Senate Approves Bill to Allow FDA Regulation of Tobacco -Washingtonpost.com."Washington Post - Politics, National, World & D.C. Area Newsand Headlines - Washingtonpost.com. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/06/11/AR2009061100323.html>.

Murphy, Erin. "Should FDA regulate tobacco products?." Heartland.org. the Heartland Institute, june 2007. Web. 22 Nov 2010. <http://www.heartland.org/policybot/results/21489/Should_FDA_Regulate_Tobacco_Products.html>.

Tobacco and Smoking. Farmington Hills: Thompson and Gale, 2005. Print.

Tobacco Should be regulated by the FDA." Tricities.com. N.p., april 2009. Web. 22 Nov 2010. <http://www2.tricities.com/news/2009/apr/07/tobacco_should_be_regulated_by_fda-ar-248253/>.

Toomey, Burnadette. "Tobacco. Most lethal, should be regulated by the FDA." Breathehealthy.org. N.p., April 29 2008. Web. 22 Nov 2010. <http://breathehealthy.org/images/uploads/WSJBTeditor

Troy, Tevi. "FDA Can't." Nationalreview.com. N.p., 12 june 2009. Web. 22 Nov 2010. 

<http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/183179/fda-cant/tevi-troy>.

Should the FDA Regulate Tobacco? Health Freedom Advocate Says Criminalizing Cigarettes Is a Mistake." Independent News on Natural Health, Nutrition and More.Web. 22 Nov. 2010.<http://www.naturalnews.com/023743_tobacco_cigarettes_health.html>.

Smoking . Farmington Hills: Thompson and Gale, 2002. Print.

Essay 4 points

Hey everyone my essay is coming along nicely, here are the points i will be using as well as an early form of my thesis and conclusion, tell me what you think, open to any and all advice

Thesis- The Food and Drug Administration should regulate the use and control of tobacco based products. If this was allowed then the FDA could control the harmful chemicals put into cigarettes and the amount they contain, the advertising that it is directed to minors and the prevention of them starting, as well as adequate funding for less harmful cigarettes and smoking cessation research.  

Points-Nicotine is an addictive substance that if regulated could prevent people from being addicted to cigarettes- the FDA regulates all other legal addictive drugs, why not nicotine.     Tobacco targets minors and youth, over 4000 minors will start smoking today, studies show that most regular smokers start before the age of 19, and most people who will never smoke didn't try smoking until after they were 19, studies show that kids and teens are 3 times as sensitive to tobacco advertisements than adults are.     If the FDA regulates tobacco, then they can force big tobacco to find a safer cigarette, as well as cigarettes with a much less carcinogen level and such an addictive nature.  

Conclusion- if the FDA regulates big- tobacco we will see a decline in minors smoking as well as a decline in government spending, i say this because every year the government millions of dollars on Medicare for tobacco related illness that money could be put elsewhere. if the levels of nicotine were lowered than the rate of addiction would decline rapidly. We would see less advertising thus creating less of an appeal to minors, and lastly there would be more funding into smoking cessation research that would ultimately help people quit.  

                     

Counter points- If the nicotine levels were lowered than people would take deeper drags or smoke more to achieve their nicotine buzz, Cigarette smoking is a "state" problem, so tobacco does not fit under the guidelines of what is needed for FDA regulation, thus the FDA would be over-stepping its boundaries. Technically tobacco is not a drug, therefore it cannot be regulated by the FDA 

Essay 4 topic

What I've decided to write about for our argumentative essay is should the government regulate smoking, seeing as this idea sparks many thoughts i think it will be a great topic to write about. Leave me a comment of what you think, or if you have any better ideas. Thanks!

Essay 4

Hey everyone im having some problems thinking of what to write for my argumentative paper, does anybody have some ideas i can work with? Thanks