Who should run banks

Who should run banks


My latest at Pieria considers who should run banks, in the light of the recent Co-Op Bank disaster:"The hapless Paul Flowers, former chairman of the Co-Op Bank, has beenarrested and charged with possessionof Class A drugs. The Flowers problem comes at the end of a simply horrible year for the Co-Op, in which it was forced to withdraw its bid to take on the TSB part of Lloyds TSB, its credit rating was downgraded to junk by Moody's and the PRA imposed capital requirements on it that it was unable to meet. It admitted in its half-year accounts that it was bust and proposed a recapitalisation plan that would have stiffed 15,000 grannies, only to see it trumped by two hedge funds who made the grannies a better offer - thereby presenting the world with the extraordinary spectacle of a group of vulturesappearing considerably friendlierthan the supposedly cuddly teddy bear that is the Co-Operative Group. "I don't intend to comment on Mr. Flowers's behaviour. Thenews reportsspeak forthemselves. Though forme, the best bit was discovering that he had beenchairman of a drugs charity. You couldn't make it up."However, it is not Mr. Flowers's alleged criminal activities that are the main problem, nor his exorbitant expense claims, nor even his religious hypocrisy (he is a senior Methodist minister). No, the main problem ishis incompetence. Among other things, in his presentation to the Treasury Select Committee he appeared to have no grasp whatsoever of the figures pertaining to the business he had been running.Jeremy Hunt asked on BBC Question Time:"How did someone with no knowledge of banking become chairman of a bank?" "
Read on here.

The Most Natural Steroid

The Most Natural Steroid

It doesn't take injections to build a healthy and strong
body. A lot of people feel that if youre in shape you look beautiful and have
big muscles and can do anything. Unfortunately thats not always the case. Sure
there are some kick ass looking people out there but that doesn't always mean
theyre in great shape from within. What most dont realize is that how you
train the body from within puts a whole new emphasis on what comes out as you
see. Some athletes take steroids to amp up their game and most end up looking
like a cartoon character than a healthy human being. There are more natural
ways to gain lean healthy body mass and still have great strength both inside
and outside. When it
comes to growth hormone, its that component that gives us natural mass and
great beautiful skin that also keeps our metabolism high which means more fat
burning and more natural muscle. When our growth hormones are compromised
especially as we age it becomes even more important because if we just let
things go and be a past thing and believe we cant have a beautiful and lithe
natural muscular body then our bodies will become frail and well lose bone
density and become old and withering. To prevent this, its been said that
intense training at a short amount of time helps keep the metabolism high and
the fat loss more stable. Sprint
training is one of the fastest fat burning methods that have ever been done.
When you do sprints right and you can do them on a track, a hill or maybe you
can sprint in place you dont last very long, maybe no more than 30 seconds at
a your best clip. You can do this up to no more than 2-3x a week. The reason
why you dont need to do them everyday is because they jack up your system so
high that you have no choice but to rest and recover. Believe it or not when
you sprint, the majority of your workout is resting. Build up and if youre
ballsy enough for 1 day a week, do one sprint at a very long distance say a
maximum of 200 yards. This type of training alone can increase your growth
hormone by more than 500%, thats 10-15x more than the latest injections or
artificial steroids. A very
important factor to remember is that to get the best out of building lean body
mass and healthy muscle is to do plenty of leg training. Our legs are the very
foundation to how our bodies generate the sexual energy in our system. Think
about it, our lower body has more than half the strongest
parts in the human body. Im not saying you should neglect your upper body but
yet I've seen more than my fair share of men and women who have a great upper
body but have flamingo legs. Paint them pink and people will mistake them for a
freaking bird lol. Train the legs often and have fun with them. Some of the
strongest legs on a human come from Ballet, try it sometime, its not as easy
as it looks. Animal training has plenty of leg work like Frog Jumps, Duck
Walks, Bear Crawls, Kangaroo, Rabbit and others. Squats are very powerful in
building muscular strength and vitality as well as virility. Great leg training
increases sex drive, incredible energy and mighty endurance to keep going in
what you love to do.
Build
strong and powerful legs and youll see how far you get in your endeavors. For
men you can build natural testosterone and have muscular and mighty thorough
bread legs, for women, you can have those firm, tight and enduring legs that
will make mens heads turn. Strength Vitality at its best.

Review Come See About Me by C. K. Kelly Martin

Review Come See About Me by C. K. Kelly Martin




Title: Come See About Me

Author: C. K. Kelly Martin

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I've taken to fleeing inside a closet whenever I hear the term "New Adult." It's a shame as I believe the genre has a great deal of potential, particularly because of the age group it's confined to. Thanks to hordes of mis-marketing when the term was first coined, however, New Adult will forever be associated with vapid heroines, hunky heroes, and dramatic situations. Not only does the genre manage to completely gloss over the complexity of the first adult years, but it also becomes increasingly predictable, the final pages of a book more cloying than satisfying.Come See About Me, on the other hand, is a far cry from the dozens of novels hitting shelves these days. From beginning to end, this book drowns you in a sea of complex emotions, its prose evocative and strangely compelling, despite its subject matter. Moreover, while Martin's stark realism can be difficult to swallow at times, it is a much appreciated slap into reality.Come See About Mewon't be a book for everyone, but as a reader who actively seeks gritty novels that are deserving of their "realistic" tag line, this novel was a godsend.Martin's first foray into adult literature is not a simple piece to get into. Within the first few chapters of this novel, we are introduced to our narrator, Leah, and the heart-wrenching realities she must face every day. Bastian, Leah's long-time boyfriend, has only recently been killed and, unable to cope with his sudden death, Leah has moved to a small town on the outskirts of Toronto known as Oakville. I wouldn't be surprised if many readers were turned off by a sample of this novel, merely because these first pages are hard to read. Martin's writing pulls you into Leah's head, which is a dark and depressing place. And while Leah is drowning in emotion, caught up in her grief and pushing the rest of the world aside, her feelings seep into your skin.For me, this is a testament of Martin's writing skills. Although I can't say I enjoyed the beginning of this novel, it was powerful, ensuring I was wholly invested in Leah's tale. And, don't you doubt it,Come See About Meis Leah's story, through-and-through. While the synopsis for this novel relies heavily on the romantic components, in reality, the romance is an after-thought. Martin's novel instead explores Leah's gradual healing process as she learns to cope with her grief and move on into the future - on her own.I feel as if I cannot emphasize this point enough. I'm so used to seeing couples in books heal one another that it was such a pleasant surprise to see good-old time and thought heal Leah. Following Bastian's death, Leah is unable to move forward and the worry of her close family and friends - their expectations, really, that she get on with life and not allow this event to derail her future - is suffocating. Instead of complying with their wishes, Leah moves away to be alone and though her apathy to the world still exists, it slowly begins to wear away. Martin paces Leah's growth impeccably and, moreover, I particularly love the small decisions Leah begins to consciously make, whether it be reviving a friendship she has neglected or just forcing herself to eat dinner with her neighbors. Though Leah doesn't want to let go of Bastian or his memory, she does - however subconsciously - want to live again and the slow manner in which she re-discovers pieces of herself is beautiful.
Come See About Mealso offers a surprisingly diverse cast: old lesbian neighbors, a Korean best friend whose younger sister breaks under the expectations of an immigrant household, an African American family who is wealthy and educated unlike the typical stereotype. Best of all, though, these inclusions never feel forced. Whether it be a traumatic plot thread or these atypical characters, their presence throughout the novel never jolts the arc of the story and only enriches it. Moreover, they contribute greatly to Leah's own growth and acceptance of her life after Bastian's death and the friendships that Leah sustains are real; messy, often difficult to maintain, but true in their affection.

Nevertheless, what I love most about this novel is that there are no heroes in it; just normal people doing their best to live with what's been given to them. Leah never romanticizes Bastian and though the two had a healthy and sustainable relationship, she acknowledges his flaws and the fact that her grief is, in large part, for the future they would never have the opportunity to share. Moreover, the relationship she strikes up with Liam, an Irish TV actor hiding away in tiny Oakville to escape problems of his own back in Dublin, is shockingly unromantic. Both Leah and Liam are at difficult stages of their life, but the purely physical companionship they find in one another quickly spirals out of control. Although neither of them want another relationship - and reiterate that their interactions are strictly temporary - they nevertheless feel very real, especially as what was meant to be un-complicated becomes increasingly complex over time.

Martin, however, never compromises Leah or Liam's troubles for the sake of the other. Neither is able to provide the comfort or support the other needs, emotionally or mentally, which makes what they share so much rawer and difficult to place a label upon. It isn't a classic tale of a broken hero and heroine who find it in themselves to reach out and heal one another. Instead, the relationship between Liam and Leah remains one of friendship and intimacy, but of a distant kind as neither is ready for something more "real". While the novel is narrated from Leah's perspective, though, it is impossible not to feel strangely close to Liam. Granted, these two lack the familiarity of sharing a bathroom cabinet or knowing how the other feels from their tone of voice, but the glimpses of hurt and pain they release to one another are all the more revealing. And despite the fact that Liam is upfront about his personality, honest that he isn't the nicest of guys, his charm and troubles never fail to work in his favor (which really just means that yes, his accent is alluring, and yes, his looks are even more killer).

Come See About Me has, surprisingly, filled the long-time hole inside of me that has been craving for something more. I've been feeling unfulfilled as a reader off-late, but this novel depicts life, friendships, relationships, and growth in a light that isn't always neat or clean or easy, but rather one that is far less pretentious and rewarding. Moreover, I adore its ending; open, but with just enough temporary closure to satisfy readers who shy away from non-endings. Although this is only my first Martin novel, her richly depicted characterizations and beautiful prose will keep me coming back for more. For anyone who doesn't love a book placed in a tidy box and tied up with a fancy ribbon, this one is for you.

Nails Inc November - Paddington Street

Nails Inc November - Paddington Street


Deep red creme/crelly








Paddington Street is a dark red creme with, like a lot of these kinds of red, slight jelly tendencies.

Swatch shown is 2 coats with no top coat. Amazing application, the kind of cremes that nails inc excel at.

It's not as dark as that Nails Inc stalwart, Victoria.

Blimey, Looks like I haven't shared Victoria with you all yet which is a mistake as it's definitely a classic.

Whilst not as dark or as brown toned as Victoria it does looks to be pretty similar to Winchester from theMad Mencollection.

So here's a comparison between Winchester and Paddington Street. Paddington Street is on my index and ring fingers, Winchester on middle and pinky.






Winchester is a tiny smidge lighter but there's very little in it. I'm calling it a near enough dupe. Winchester is also more opaque, nearly a one-coat-wonder.

Just Believing-Living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Just Believing-Living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy




Its been a fast fall with winter approaching quickly. So, many changes happening. Lizzy is growing up so fast I feel like life is spinning ahead at full throttle. The past 10 years has been one of the most life challenging as any years before. Paul and I went from being totally financially secure and working hard until my injury. Then,loving a grandchild so much we stopped life to help give her the best life we could. Then, Paul being with out a job. He could not get work because of his age. Then, his accident making him disabled for life.We lived on so little. We had a few friends that helped us when it got so bad we did not know how we how going to make it through. I can not believe we have made it the past three years (which was the hardest ever in our almost 39 years of marraiage). Patience and believing. Its amazing what giving it all to God can do for your life. Now, after all this time we are going to be okay. Paul won his SSI disability hearing and of today he starting making a monthly income. I do not have to do it all alone now and lay awake nights trying to figure things out. He has not got his back pay as of yet. We are using a lot of the back pay to purchase a handicapped accessible van since we were unable to raise enough funds to get her one. We did raise some and thank you so much for all that helped us do that. So, we are looking at used ones with low millage. Its a decision Paul and I made together. Its so hard for her getting any where with out one. I am getting older and she is getting bigger so lifting her to the back seat of the van with out help confines us to home all the time. Paul is not strong enough to help with the roll away ramp. We would like to do things with Lizzy by ourselves. I would like to take her by myself to visit her great grandmothers or the grocery store. We are unable to do that. We will all gain independence from getting Lizzy a handicapped accessible van and she will be able to stay in her power chair and look out the window. When this will happen I have no clue that is the just the plan! Would be great if its soon!! It will all work out. You just have to believe!! My stepmother said on her death bed when she heard Paul won his SSI disability " You and Paul are going to be okay, now" She had compassion and a look of relief when she told me that. She is watching over us. I miss her so much it hurts. I accepted the fact she was going to die. I just have not accepted the fact she will not be in the physical world in my life. Lizzy has been doing great!! She is very excited about Christmas this year. She has not made a list yet so we have no idea what she wants. She says " She has everything she wants!" I am like huh? That statement coming out of the mouth of a 10 year old!! I am sure she will figure out something or she is taking after me and my frugal ways I have developed in the past 10 years! I doubt she is taking after me.Have a great Thanksgiving!!We believe in miracles because ,we live with one!"www.our-sma-angels.com/elizabeth

FORM THE MARA SCHOLARS ASSOCIATION AND MELAYU IVY LEAGUE AND OXBRIDGE ASSOCIATION.

FORM THE MARA SCHOLARS ASSOCIATION AND MELAYU IVY LEAGUE AND OXBRIDGE ASSOCIATION.


AND CREATE NEW THINK TANKS WHOSE EXPERTS CAN OFFER
BETTER VIEWS ON HOW TO FURTHER UPLIFT THE ECONOMIC STANDING OF THE MELAYU
WITHOUT THEM HAVING TO BECOME VOCAL FOR THE SAKE OF BEING VOCAL JUST TO GET
MEDIA ATTENTION FOR THEMSELVES. By Mansor PutehThe main reason why the Bumiputera or Melayu are
lacking in many areas, is because Mara and the government have failed to
acknowledge the existence of this special group of Melayu who have benefited
from Mara and the government, who have been allowed to exist on their own,
serving only themselves.If the Mara Scholars Association and Melayu Ivy
League and Oxbridge Associations had been formed twenty or thirty years ago,
one can see wonders happening to the Bumiputeras and Melayu in the country.One thing that could have happened is the creation
of a new generation of Melayu and Bumiputera entrepreneurs and leaders of the
industries they are supposed to be in but which they are not allowed to enter
in full force, because they are not given the incentives to develop their
talents.These Bumiputeras and Melayu are where they are
solely on merit having gained valuable education for their second degrees with
some having studied at the prestigious universities abroad. The many others who are successful and are able to
contribute because they are in industries that had been established, whereas
those who are still in the periphery, are those who are in industries which are
still in their infancy, which Mara and the government have not bothered to
highlight or encourage them to enter and to seize leadership roles in them so
they do not become parasite industries that need pumping of funds from the
government. It was good for the government to create the
special Bumiputera Economic Empowerment program (BEE) by allocating a large
amount of money to serve the cause, and mostly to create a new generation of
Melayu entrepreneurs and industry leaders in all fields.It will be ironic if the BEE benefits the same
group of Melayu entrepreneurs who have benefited from the New Economic Policies
(NEP) of the past, but whose contribution to the society and race is minimal or
nil.Worse, they have become less Melayu and who
consider themselves to be ingrates by looking at the other side, and not
showing any interests in fields that the Melayu are lacking for which some
pumping of money could help develop, instead of them parading their expensive
vehicles and residences, and showing their expensive lifestyle, etc. by
organizing expensive weddings for their children. Unfortunately, till now there has not been any
specialized research undertaken by any body or persons to investigate where the
Bumiputeras and especially the Melayu have lagged behind and in which areas
they are the weakest which form the bulk of this group's base.
There are some sectors that have seen Bumiputera participation, but not in the
other areas.At the same time, what the BEE can do it to
encourage Mara to form the Mara Scholars Association which must be able to get
scores of thousands of the Melayu who have studied at least at the graduate
level and at universities abroad and in all fields.

They can become a new Melayu think tank which can offer interesting ideas and proposals
to further uplift the economic standing of their race.
After all, individually, their quest to want to pursue their education abroad
is a personal attempt to see the uplifting of the economy of their race, but
this can be further enhanced if they can be grouped together so that they can
better related with each other, while being able to look at the whole picture
in a more wide perspective instead of from only their own vision.Unfortunately, too, some of them have become
ingrates in that they thought they could not become independent and even
critical of the efforts taken by the government thinking that they have become
too smart to agree with everything that it and also Mara try to do.I found it strange how Mara and even the ministry
of education had not bothered to encourage or ask Mara to establish such an
association.This association cannot be formed by individuals
who had benefited from Mara by getting scholarships or study loans, as it can
become nothing but a social group where their members meet annual for a grand
dinner, where they share their address cards and parade their expensive
vehicles, with those who are less successful, spawning it.It should be the task of Mara to instigate the
former Mara scholars to group together so that the association can become a new
think tank whose members and also elected officials can sit down to investigate
on how best to contribute to the society and their race, without ever having to
scream and shout slogans all the time.Educated people can perform better away from
publicity and self-promotion which unfortunately has become the trend for
elected officials of well-meaning groups to get their views across.Mara Chairman, Tan Sri Annuar Musa was reported to
have said on a program on Astro Awani how he had proposed the creation of the
BEE to the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak who agreed and launched the scheme
when he visited the Mara University of Technology late last year, before a
cheering crowd of UiTM students, faculty and alumni.But what Anuuar, as chairman of Mara should now do
is to help form the Mara Scholars Association so that it can help the
government and also BEE to formulate new plans to further uplift the economic
standing of the Melayu.It wont be too difficult for Mara to do this. In
fact, not having this association means that Mara had not done their part to
further encourage their scholars to contribute beyond their call of duty.And at the same time I also propose the creation of
the Melayu Ivy League and Oxbridge Association, which can also be under Mara or
the ministry of education.

This association should be organized by individuals, but if this happens, it
will become no more than a social club.
The idea to have such an association is to register all the Melayu and Bumiputera
who have studied in any of the ten universities – Harvard, Princeton, Yale,
Cornell, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth and UPenn in America and Oxford and
Cambridge in the United Kingdom, so that they are identified.And their expertise can be called for if there are
issues concerning the industries they are supposed to be in.And students who are currently studying in such
universities must also be registered so that they can do specialized researches
that benefit their society instead of them working on any research that does
not benefit anyone other than themselves to allow them to graduate.
This explains why despite having the many doctorates in the country, there is
no publication of the researches that they had done over many years, and worse,
none of what they had found have been implemented by the government.In the end we have armchair experts who do not go
to the field to conduct their research but who go to the libraries to get
information on the earlier researches that had been done by the others before
them.
And no wonder the comments given by the so-called experts and professors that
we have in the country are so general and superficial; they are good
entertainment figures for the television pseudo-political talk shows.

Cornell BDS group justifies hypocritically using Israeli web technology

Cornell BDS group justifies hypocritically using Israeli web technology


Last week, the ZF and I discovered that a number of groups that push boycotts for Israel are using WiX, an Israeli web technology, on their websites.

One of those was Cornell University's "Students for Justice in Palestine." People on Twitter made fun of them for their obvious hypocrisy.

Finally, Cornell SJP came out with a long, nonsensical, convoluted justification for their BDS inconsistency; 1500 words of hilarious attempts to make themselves look a little less idiotic:
BDS is a tactic, not a principle, let alone a call for abstention. The charge that any contact with Israeli products negates the logic of BDS can only be made by people who do not understand what BDS actually is, how its worked in the past, or why Palestinian civil society is calling for it now.

The idea that supporters of BDS must avoid contact with anything Israeli not only misconstrues the nature of BDS, but also contorts the idea of politics in general. Politics is about making change in the world, not shying from contamination to keep oneself pure. GWF Hegel explored—and put to rest—the idea of the political subject whose only options were abstention and total withdrawal from action. He called it the “beautiful soul” syndrome. We do not strive to be beautiful souls, and we resist a view of politics that demands total abstention. In the words of Built to Spill, “I dont like this air / But that doesnt mean that Ill stop breathing it.”

Those who call us hypocritical for not adhering to a rigid logic of separation simplistically insinuate that if one believes in boycotting Israel one must do it absolutely and deprive oneself of all the innovative benefits of the “Start-up Nation”; since one is opposed to Israel, one must not be in contact with anything Israeli. This separation in turn supports the misguided idea of two clear “sides” to the conflict. It is a troubling binary: on the one side, Israel, a plucky, can-do Zionist spirit, innovation, technology, modernity; on the other, Palestine, poverty, backwardness, violence.
The entire piece is filled with similar straw men.

So, who's right? Is BDS a call to boycott all Israeli products or not?

Well, let's look at the original 2005 source of the BDS call, from BDSMovement.net:Boycotts target products and companies (Israeli and international) that profit from the violation of Palestinian rights, as well as Israeli sporting, cultural and academic institutions. Anyone can boycott Israeli goods, simply by making sure that they dont buy produce made in Israel or by Israeli companies. Campaigners and groups call on consumers not to buy Israeli goods and on businesses not to buy or sell them.
Pretty explicit, isn't it? No nuance, no exceptions for nice web technologies. Nope - a blanket call to boycott Israeli produce and goods and businesses. It is the BDS movement that advocates the "beautiful soul" syndrome, in Hegelian terms (!!!)

Cornell SJP doesn't support BDS as it is officially defined, because - well, because it would be an inconvenience. They like WiX. They want to boycott Israel, but they only want to ban products that they would never use anyway! They are so moral!

Actually, they admit:Let us be clear: BDS is not abstention, nor an absolute moral principle.

There's an understatement for you!

Sorry, Cornell SJP. All that hand waving and attempts to change the subject in your very funny screed didn't prove that you aren't hypocrites.

Quite the opposite.

Anti-Smoking Researcher Misrepresenting Multiple Studies to Argue that Electronic Cigarettes Don't Aid Smoking Cessation

Anti-Smoking Researcher Misrepresenting Multiple Studies to Argue that Electronic Cigarettes Don't Aid Smoking Cessation


On his blog yesterday, Dr. Stan Glantz announced that there is "more evidence that e-cigarettes inhibit quitting conventional cigarettes."

I was intrigued by this claim because if true, it would discount much of what I have been doing for the past few years (i.e., supporting electronic cigarettes as a bona fide strategy for quitting smoking). Not only is Dr. Glantz arguing that electronic cigarettes are ineffective; he is arguing that they actually inhibit quitting.

So naturally, I was very curious to read the actual study that Dr. Glantz was citing to provide this evidence that electronic cigarettes inhibit quitting.

The study he cited is entitled "Alternative Tobacco Product Use and Smoking Cessation: A National Study."

Here is what Dr. Glantz tells us about the study, which he says provides evidence that electronic cigarettes inhibit smoking cessation: "Ever use of e-cigarettes was not associated with being a successful
quitter (OR 1.09; 95% CI 0.72-1.65) but was associated with being an
unsuccessful quitter (OR=1.78, 95% CI 1.25-2.53) compared to people who
had never tried to quit."

Dr. Glantz concludes that the evidence from this study "adds to the case that the loudly made claims that e-cigs help smokers quit are wrong."

The Rest of the Story

The truth is that this study adds absolutely no evidence about the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes. The study was not designed to examine the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes. In fact, it was simply a cross-sectional study that investigated the prevalence of ever use of e-cigarettes among a sample of current and former smokers.

To determine whether electronic cigarettes are effective for smoking cessation, one would have to study smokers in a longitudinal fashion. You would want to compare a sample of smokers who used electronic cigarettes to try to quit with smokers who did not use electronic cigarettes to try to quit. Ideally, one would randomize smokers into these two groups, and compare the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes with a different approach such as the nicotine patch or gum.

But that's not what this study did at all. It simply measured ever use of electronic cigarettes among smokers and former smokers at a single point in time. The survey provided no information about whether the smokers used electronic cigarettes in an attempt to quit smoking. It provided no information about the timing of their electronic cigarette use. It provided no information about whether they actually used electronic cigarettes regularly or whether they merely tried the product on a single occasion to see what it was like.

Most importantly, because the study is cross-sectional, it cannot tell us which came first. Did electronic cigarettes cause people to be unsuccessful quitters, or is it the case that people use electronic cigarettes because they are having trouble quitting?

In fact, we know from other research that the latter is true. The majority of smokers who try electronic cigarettes are trying these products specifically because they have failed to quit using other means, such as nicotine replacement therapy. So it is in fact no surprising to find that the use of electronic cigarettes is high among people who have not succeeded in quitting smoking.

To be blunt, if one of my students argued in a paper that this study provides evidence that electronic cigarettes inhibit smoking cessation, I couldn't give the paper a passing grade.

In fact, the very authors of the article make it clear that the results of this study cannot be used to infer that electronic cigarettes inhibit smoking cessation. They write:

"Because this was a cross-sectional study, we could not determine whether use of alternative tobacco products resulted in cessation attempts or whether those who were trying to quit--for whatever reason--were using alternative tobacco products. We also could not determine whether use of these products is intended to facilitate quitting and whether use leads to successful quitting. Prospective longitudinal studies should examine whether smokers who use smokeless tobacco are actually more successful at quitting."

More to the Rest of the Story

The story doesn't end here.

In the same blog post, Dr. Glantz cites another study which he argues provides evidence that electronic cigarettes inhibit quitting. According to Dr. Glantz, this study showed "lower quit rates for e-cig users."

The rest of the story is that this study didn't actually measure quit rates among smokers using electronic cigarettes in an attempt to quit smoking. What Dr. Glantz does not reveal is that instead of estimating
cessation rates among a cohort of smokers who made quit attempts using
these products, the study analyzed cessation rates of a large number of
smokers who had previously tried to quit using e-cigarettes but failed,
and then called a quitline because they had failed and wanted to try
again.
Then, they compared the quit rate among these smokers to that among
smokers without such a history of a failed quit attempt using electronic
cigarettes.

In other words, this study did not estimate quit rates among smokers
trying to quit using e-cigarettes. Instead, it estimated quit rates
among many smokers who were not using e-cigarettes in their quit attempt
at all!

The truth is that many of the electronic cigarette users in the study did not use electronic cigarettes in their quit attempts!
According to data provided in the paper, a full 28% of the sample of
electronic cigarettes did not use these products in their quit attempts.

It should be clear to readers that this study was poorly designed to
investigate the efficacy of electronic cigarettes. The study systematically
sampled a group of quitline callers who were unsuccessful using electronic
cigarettes. These people tried and failed using electronic cigarettes. How do
we know they failed? Because they wouldnt have had to call the quitline if
they werent still smoking. This is clearly a harder core group of smokers and
it is no surprise that their cessation rates were lower after 6-months than the
comparison group. The study tells us nothing about the effectiveness of
electronic cigarettes, other than that they do not work for everyone. Any researcher sincerely interested
in testing the efficacy of electronic cigarettes would not test the research
question in this way. If the tobacco industry conducted precisely this same study in order to
conclude that electronic cigarettes are ineffective as a smoking
cessation tool, we would call it scientific fraud.

Moreover, the authors of this study, like those of the one discussed above, explicitly stated that the results cannot be used to evaluate the effectiveness of electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation and that the study was not designed for that purpose. Concerned that Dr. Glantz was misrepresenting the results of their study, the authors of the study - who are at Alere Wellbeing
- publicly admitted that the study was never intended to assess the
effectiveness of electronic cigarettes and that the data should not be
used for this purpose.

The Alere Wellbeing blog states very clearly: "The recently published article by Dr. Katrina Vickerman and colleagues has been misinterpreted by many who have written about it. It was never intended to assess the effectiveness of the e-cig as a mechanism to quit."

Dr. Vickerman herself explained
that her results do not in any way indicate that electronic cigarettes
are less effective than NRT, stating: "It may be that callers who had
struggled to quit in the past were more
likely to try e-cigarettes as a new method to help them quit. These
callers may have had a more difficult time quitting, regardless
of their e-cigarette use."

This is a study that Dr. Glantz called a "good study" on "the use of e-cigs for cessation."

If this is a "good study" on the use of e-cigs for cessation, I'd like to see a bad one.

Conclusion

As my readers know, Dr. Glantz was and is a hero to me. He was a mentor for my career in tobacco control. He set an example to me for the use of science for advocacy purposes. He still is way ahead of the rest of the tobacco control movement in seeing the field and the direction it needs to go. He has always been the person who I considered to be the leader of the movement. However, it appears to me that Dr. Glantz - for some reason - is determined to oppose electronic cigarettes, regardless of the actual scientific evidence. He is grasping at straws, trying to find any shred of evidence - whether valid or not - to support his contention, apparently a pre-determined one, that electronic cigarettes are making it more difficult for smokers to quit.

There are literally tens of thousands of former smokers out there who will find this a joke, as they successfully quit thanks to electronic cigarettes. Moreover, an actual clinical trial which did measure quitting among smokers in a longitudinal fashion and did randomize smokers to NRT vs. e-cigarettes, found that electronic cigarettes are every bit as effective as the nicotine patch for smoking cessation. In the light of that evidence, how can Dr. Glantz continue to argue that electronic cigarettes inhibit smoking cessation?

My opinion is that much like the rest of the anti-smoking movement, Dr. Glantz is so blinded by ideology that he cannot bring himself to condone a behavior that looks like smoking, regardless of what the evidence shows or the experience of vapers tells us.

Ideology is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the strong ideology in the anti-smoking movement is probably what helped it to become such a strong and successful movement. But at some point, you need to be able to critically evaluate scientific evidence without the cloud of ideology. One can still be a passionate advocate without losing scientific integrity. Sadly, we have reached the point where the anti-smoking movement has lost its ability to do that. The ideology has become so dominant that it is drowning out the rigorous scientific analysis that I believe used to guide the movement.