China is sending out two virtual police officers to patrol the Internet to combat online pornography and other "illicit activity," state media said on Wednesday. The virtual officers, a man and a woman, "will appear either on motorcycles, in a car or on foot, at the bottom of users' computer screens every 30 minutes to remind them of Internet security," the China Daily said. The two will monitor major news portals and all Web sites and online forums based in Beijing beginning this Saturday.
"They will be on the watch for Web sites that incite secession, promote superstition, gambling and fraud," an official with the Beijing municipal public security bureau was quoted as saying. The newspaper did not explain how the two officers would monitor sites or enforce laws, but said users could click on the pop-up icons to link to an Internet surveillance center where infractions could be reported.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6205046.html?tag=nl.e550
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
SMOKING AT ALL CHICAGO BEARS HOME GAMES TO BE PROHIBITED
http://www.smokinglobby.com/forum/post-24614.html
LAKE FOREST, IL — In order to be compliant with the Smoke-Free Illinois Act, smoking will be prohibited at Soldier Field during all Chicago Bears home games beginning with the preseason contest on August 25 versus the San Francisco 49ers.
There will be no designated smoking areas inside or outside of Soldier Field and re-entry is prohibited for those who choose to exit the stadium premises to smoke. Violators of the strictly enforced policy are subject to ejection from the stadium; repeated violations can result in the loss of a patron’s personal seat license and forfeiture of season ticket privileges.
S3 ushers and Monterrey Security officers will be enforcing the new smoke-free policy. First-time violators of the smoking policy will be asked to exchange their ticket for a “Smoking Card.” Any patron refusing to exchange his or her ticket will be ejected from the stadium. If a patron with a smoking card is then smoking in the stadium for a second time, he or she will be ejected.
To help communicate the policy change to fans the Chicago Bears will be sending out a letter to all season ticket holders. Also the policy change will be noted in the Fan Guide, stadium signage and announcements, videoboard and LED board messages, the team’s official website, sponsorship promotional stadium giveaways and comments by on-air talent.
The Illinois Smoke Free Act passed the State Legislature during the beginning of the month of July and it was signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Monday, July 23. The act bans smoking in indoor public venues, workplaces inside and outside such as bars, restaurants, casinos and bowling alleys, sports arenas that are "enclosed or partially enclosed", and smoking within 15 feet of entrances or open windows of buildings where smoking has been banned. The ban will become effective on Jan. 1, 2008, but the policy will be implemented for all Bears games at Soldier Field this season, rather than change the policy for any potential home playoff contests in January of 2008.
LAKE FOREST, IL — In order to be compliant with the Smoke-Free Illinois Act, smoking will be prohibited at Soldier Field during all Chicago Bears home games beginning with the preseason contest on August 25 versus the San Francisco 49ers.
There will be no designated smoking areas inside or outside of Soldier Field and re-entry is prohibited for those who choose to exit the stadium premises to smoke. Violators of the strictly enforced policy are subject to ejection from the stadium; repeated violations can result in the loss of a patron’s personal seat license and forfeiture of season ticket privileges.
S3 ushers and Monterrey Security officers will be enforcing the new smoke-free policy. First-time violators of the smoking policy will be asked to exchange their ticket for a “Smoking Card.” Any patron refusing to exchange his or her ticket will be ejected from the stadium. If a patron with a smoking card is then smoking in the stadium for a second time, he or she will be ejected.
To help communicate the policy change to fans the Chicago Bears will be sending out a letter to all season ticket holders. Also the policy change will be noted in the Fan Guide, stadium signage and announcements, videoboard and LED board messages, the team’s official website, sponsorship promotional stadium giveaways and comments by on-air talent.
The Illinois Smoke Free Act passed the State Legislature during the beginning of the month of July and it was signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Monday, July 23. The act bans smoking in indoor public venues, workplaces inside and outside such as bars, restaurants, casinos and bowling alleys, sports arenas that are "enclosed or partially enclosed", and smoking within 15 feet of entrances or open windows of buildings where smoking has been banned. The ban will become effective on Jan. 1, 2008, but the policy will be implemented for all Bears games at Soldier Field this season, rather than change the policy for any potential home playoff contests in January of 2008.
Council Seeks New Ban on Smoking by Parents in Cars
http://www.nysun.com/article/60516
Smokers have already been banned from New York bars and restaurants, and soon they could be prohibited from lighting up in cars carrying minors, an idea giving added fuel to critics who say the city has become a nanny state.
A City Council member of Queens who is chairman of the council's Environmental Protection Committee, James Gennaro, said he is planning to introduce the smoking bill next week.
"I am just seeking every opportunity I can to denormalize smoking and to try to put it out of the reach of kids," Mr. Gennaro said. "I've lost family members to lung cancer and I've seen what happens."
If enacted, smoking in cars with riders under the age of 18 would join a growing list of activities barred by the city, including making too much noise at night, serving trans fats in restaurants, and allowing students to carry cell phones in school.
Mayor Bloomberg, who has spearheaded worldwide anti-tobacco initiatives, used the health risks associated with second-hand smoke to argue for a ban on smoking in bars.
A spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg, Stuart Loeser, declined to comment, saying the mayor had not yet seen the bill.
Smokers have already been banned from New York bars and restaurants, and soon they could be prohibited from lighting up in cars carrying minors, an idea giving added fuel to critics who say the city has become a nanny state.
A City Council member of Queens who is chairman of the council's Environmental Protection Committee, James Gennaro, said he is planning to introduce the smoking bill next week.
"I am just seeking every opportunity I can to denormalize smoking and to try to put it out of the reach of kids," Mr. Gennaro said. "I've lost family members to lung cancer and I've seen what happens."
If enacted, smoking in cars with riders under the age of 18 would join a growing list of activities barred by the city, including making too much noise at night, serving trans fats in restaurants, and allowing students to carry cell phones in school.
Mayor Bloomberg, who has spearheaded worldwide anti-tobacco initiatives, used the health risks associated with second-hand smoke to argue for a ban on smoking in bars.
A spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg, Stuart Loeser, declined to comment, saying the mayor had not yet seen the bill.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Car-free zones around schools 'can beat obesity'
Car exclusion zones should be set up around schools to force children to walk to lessons, an environmental think-tank said yesterday. It said parents should be banned from driving within a half-mile radius of a school to help tackle the dramatic decline in childhood activity levels.
Car-free areas should also be established next to shopping centres to prevent motorists making unnecessary short journeys, it added. A report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy claimed increased car use is encouraging the 'twin crises' of obesity and global warming.
A report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy claimed increased car use is encouraging the 'twin crises' of obesity and global warming.
In 2005, the average parent notched up 82 miles a year doing the school run - up from 55 miles in 1989. At the same time, the number of fat children doubled, with one in four aged 11 to 15 classified as obese - so overweight it threatens their health. Walking for an extra hour a week could stave off a weight gain of two stones over ten years, the experts claimed.
This would also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 11million tons - 15.4 per cent of the current total released by passenger cars, according to the institute's report, Unfit for Purpose: How Car Use Fuels Climate Change and Obesity, added. Co-author Carolina Valsecchis said: "Something as simple as walking short trips now made by car would make an important contribution to tackling both obesity and climate change."
Car-free areas should also be established next to shopping centres to prevent motorists making unnecessary short journeys, it added. A report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy claimed increased car use is encouraging the 'twin crises' of obesity and global warming.
A report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy claimed increased car use is encouraging the 'twin crises' of obesity and global warming.
In 2005, the average parent notched up 82 miles a year doing the school run - up from 55 miles in 1989. At the same time, the number of fat children doubled, with one in four aged 11 to 15 classified as obese - so overweight it threatens their health. Walking for an extra hour a week could stave off a weight gain of two stones over ten years, the experts claimed.
This would also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 11million tons - 15.4 per cent of the current total released by passenger cars, according to the institute's report, Unfit for Purpose: How Car Use Fuels Climate Change and Obesity, added. Co-author Carolina Valsecchis said: "Something as simple as walking short trips now made by car would make an important contribution to tackling both obesity and climate change."
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)