Zippo lighter

Imagine all the storage you could ever use in a device the size of a small Zippo lighter or a box of Tic Tacs. The good news is that it's not your imagination; it's the WD Passport Pocket Drive.

Made by Western Digital Corp, the Pocket Drive accommodates up to 6GB and costs a mere $129.99. We covered the drive's arrival on the scene last month, and we simply couldn't wait to see what it can do. Here's what we found.

This marvel can hold as many as 5.5 hours of movies, 2,400 digital photos, 2,400 songs or tens of thousands of Word documents. As a result, you can go on the road with your entire digital library. No need to phone the office to ask someone to e-mail it to you in the middle of an interview.

The Passport Pocket Drive weighs 1.6 ounces and measures a scant: 0.37 x 2.41 x 1.80 inches. It houses a one-inch, 3,600 RPM WD hard drive inside with the rest of the space taken up by a flip-out, rotating connector that goes into one of the USB ports in a desktop or laptop computer. It's even Mac and PC-compatible.

Historical Note

It seems like only yesterday that a floppy disk held a LOT of data. At 1.44 MB, though, it soon became a casualty of the Internet-driven data explosion of the nineties. By the turn of the millennium, stories began to appear that said the end is in sight for the floppy. Manufacturers began issuing computers without floppy drives and today you rarely see a floppy drive in any new gear.

Try going to an office supply or computer store to buy floppies — it might well prove to be a fruitless task.

Today thumb drives have become the format of choice for storing and moving data. The first one we owned contained 64 MB and, at the time, carrying the equivalent of 40 floppies in a device about as long as a toothpick seemed incredible. Now you can buy 128 MB thumb drives for $16.99. The-top-of-the-line versions offer 4GB and cost anywhere from $150 to $250.

The WD Passport Pocket Drive, though, might signal the end of the line for thumb drive expansion. It's already cheaper in terms of total capacity and — since it's an actual hard drive — it's inherently more reliable. It also draws power from the computer; so it doesn't require a separate power supply, thus keeping its compact design.

Presto, It Works

How easy is it to install?

This ease of use is reflected in the instructions: there are none. Three simple diagrams show you how it works, mainly explaining that the connector slides out from the case and rotated ninety degrees to plug into any USB port no matter which direction the port faces.

At first, we thought we'd have to place our laptop on a book to give enough space underneath for the Pocket Drive. Instead, we just rotated the connector, and it worked perfectly.

The three basic installation steps include:

• Plug it in to the port at the side, back or front of your computer or laptop
• Reboot the computer
• You are ready to go

It took a few seconds for the laptop to recognize and prepare the device. Once we rebooted the PC, we could download or drag and drop files to it — or even play music from it. An activity light on the drive glows solid when the drive is connected, and it flashes while the drive stores data.

The "instructions" also contained a listing of compatible operating systems:

• Windows 98SE
• ME
• 2000
• XP
• Mac OS versions 9 and 10

Too Kool

In the fall of 2002, British American Tobacco's Canadian subsidiary, Imperial Tobacco, re-launched the KOOL brand in Canada.

The promotional campaign used to re-launch the brand showed how permeable regulatory controls on tobacco promotion can be in the face of a marketing onslaught.

The launch of KOOL cigarettes showed at least FIVE ways in which BAT's Canadian subsidiary slipped through restrictions on promotion to launch this brand.

Retail displays put the new brand before the nose of virtually every Canadian (eye-level for children).

Although the Tobacco Act allows the government to restrict the number or size of tobacco displays, no regulations have been developed in this area. Some provinces (like New Brunswick) have banned counter-top displays, and Saskatchewan and Manitoba have legislated bans on retail displays. Ironically, this last measure was struck down in a Saskatchewan court because it was considered to infringe on federal authority.

Light cigarettes

Cigarette Marketing Increased 85 Percent In Four Years After 1998

The major cigarette companies increased their marketing expenditures to a record $12.5 billion – $34.2 million a day – in 2002, according to the annual Federal Trade Commission report on cigarette marketing and sales released today.

This represents a one-year increase of 11 percent from the $11.2 billion spent in 2001 and an 85 percent increase in the four years after the tobacco companies agreed to curtail some aspects of their marketing as part of the November 1998 legal settlement with the states.

This report contradicts the tobacco companies’ claims, repeated during their recent opening arguments in the federal government’s tobacco lawsuit, that they have made “profound and permanent” changes in their marketing since the 1998 settlement.

While the settlement restricted some forms of cigarette marketing effective at reaching kids, such as billboards and event sponsorships, the tobacco companies have simply shifted their resources and increased spending in other ways that appeal to kids, especially price discounts that make cigarettes more affordable to kids and high-visibility store displays.

The new FTC report shows that 63.2 percent of cigarette marketing in 2002, or $7.9 billion, was spent on price discounts paid to cigarette retailers or wholesalers in order to reduce the price of cigarettes to consumers. The tobacco companies spent another $1.06 billion, or 8.5 percent of their total marketing, on promotions involving free cigarettes.

These price discounts and free cigarettes represent an aggressive effort by the tobacco companies to undermine state cigarette tax increases and make cigarettes more affordable to kids, who are their most price-sensitive customers. In 2002, 21 states – the most ever in a single year – increased cigarette taxes. The tobacco companies are well aware that studies show every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes reduces youth smoking rates by about seven percent and overall cigarette consumption by about four percent.

The fact that the tobacco companies acted so aggressively to undermine the public health benefits of cigarette tax increases shows that they cannot be taken seriously when they say they do not want kids to smoke.

States should respond by further increasing taxes on cigarettes in order to counter price discounts and reduce their appeal to children. Voters in Colorado, Montana and Oklahoma can take immediate action by approving the initiatives on the November 2 ballot to increase tobacco taxes in those states.

In addition to increasing their tobacco taxes, states must also allocate more of their tobacco settlement and tobacco tax revenues to tobacco prevention programs that can counter the industry’s aggressive marketing. In Fiscal Year 2004, the states cumulatively have allocated $541.1 million for tobacco prevention programs, which amounts to just four percent of cigarette marketing expenditures as reported today by the FTC.

In fact, the tobacco companies spend more to market cigarettes in a single day ($34.2 million) than all but four states (California, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York) currently spend in an entire year on tobacco prevention.

It is unconscionable that the states have been cutting back on programs proven to protect our kids from tobacco addiction at the same time that the tobacco industry is spending record amounts to market its deadly products.

The states collect nearly $20 billion a year in revenue from tobacco taxes and the tobacco settlement. It would take only about eight percent of this revenue for every state to fund tobacco prevention programs at the minimum levels recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Tobacco Packaging

Cigarettes promotion

To promote its products, the tobacco industry spent $8.2 billion on marketing in 1999, an increase of $1.5 billion over the previous year (1). Tobacco advertising in various media increases tobacco consumption (2) and adolescents are more susceptible than adults to being influenced by some forms of tobacco advertising (3).

To describe the retail tobacco advertising and marketing environment, researchers from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-sponsored ImpacTeen Project (*) collected and analyzed store observation data in 163 communities throughout the United States. This report summarizes the extent of point-of-purchase (POP) tobacco advertising and marketing found in various types of stores.

The findings in this report indicate that certain retail environments frequented by teenagers heavily promote tobacco use. To reduce demand for tobacco products among adolescents, public health efforts should address POP environment exposure to tobacco advertising and marketing.

During a 4-month period in 1999, ImpacTeen researchers observed POP environments in 3,031 retail outlets in 163 communities with public schools participating in the nationally representative Monitoring the Future (MTF) study of eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students (4). Private and magnet schools (comprising approximately 20% of the original sample) were not included in this study.

Community boundaries were defined by the area from which each school drew at least 80% of its student population. Random samples of up to 30 retailers per community were drawn from lists of stores selling tobacco and/or liquor products as identified by their Standard Industrial Classifications (SIC) Index codes (+). Two additional samples of 10 stores each were drawn as replacements for any stores on the original list that did not meet study criteria (i.e., those that had ceased business, had relocated, were not open during the days observers were on site, or did not sell tobacco products).

If field observers could not reach the desired sample size of 30 using the original and replacement lists of retailers, they added tobacco retailers identified on site.

Of the 3,031 observed stores, 2,309 (76.2%) were from the original sample, 355 (11.7%) were from randomly generated replacement lists, and 367 (12.1%) were added in the field based on study protocol. Overall, 2,999 (98.9%) of all observed stores were tobacco retailers and were eligible for inclusion in the study.

Cigarette ads from the 1920-1950

Cigarette Advertising in 1998

This four-page advertisement for Camel cigarettes was taken from the November 2, 1998 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine.

Much like the cigarette tag, this ad uses cartoon imagery to sell the product. Goldberg's cartoon carried a political message, which is somewhat different from what is found in this cartoon. The ad sends a cultural message valuing wealth, beauty, and, quite blatantly, gluttony.

Something else inseparable from cigarette advertising, the Surgeon General's health warning, is also found in this ad, showing a greater concern for health than was found during the cigarette tag's day. The overall campaign that this ad markets has a similarly collectable aim.

There are more ads in this same campaign, indirectly encouraging the reader to search for others in the series.

Marlboro Billboard

Cigarettes marketing

Tobacco companies complain about some cigarettes bans on the TV, radio or on the billboards.

Governments of many countries restrict tobacco advertising because they think that some youths start to smoke with the help of cigarettes advertising.

Before to start a cigarette campaign, cigarettes companies make some studies when they ask smokers what do they like, what cigarettes brands they prefer and many other questions that help tobacco companies to direct their attention towards correct line of cigarettes.
Smokers’ preferences play an important role in cigarettes marketing, because smokers are the people who will buy these kinds of products.

In general, cigarettes companies try to direct cigarettes marketing to adult audience. More than that, they implement in their cigarettes marketing the following rules:
- They don’t market to children and they don’t use images or other content that could hurt particular appeal of minors;
- They put health warnings on the all cigarettes packs and marketing materials;
- They respect customs of all countries;
- They don’t use cartoons, youth celebrities or models for cigarettes advertising;

All these rules are used in Philip Morris Company. During of many years, they conclude that only communication with smokers will help them to have a boom in tobacco business.

Imperial Tobacco Buys Davidoff Brand

Cigarettes of Gitanes and Gauloises brands are to be sold for 22 billion dollars

British company “Imperial Tobacco” that possesses such cigarette brands like Davidoff and west negotiates about acquisition of it European competitor “Altadis”. Company “Altadis” holds Gitanes and Gauloises cigarette brands.

Evaluated sum of the deal is said to be about 22,4 billion dollars. British company has started negotiations in March 2007. But European company wasn’t satisfied with price – 15 billion dollars and “Altadis” refused this offer. After that, sum was increased up to 16, 1 billion dollars.

But, even this sum didn’t satisfy the company.
But despite that the third sum variant has satisfied committee of directors they announced that they will support fusion with Imperial Tobacco until other profitable offer appears.

British Imperial Tobacco is the fourth world biggest manufacturer of cigarettes. The company dominates on the British market and occupies second place on the German market.

Altadis Company, in its turn, is number one world cigar manufacturer and major cigarettes manufacturer in Morocco and second largest manufacturer in Spain and France.

The companies’ alliance will permit them to catch up to their principle competitors – Philip Morris, Japan Tobacco and British American Tobacco which has formed huge coalition previously.

Imperial Tobacco’s shares has jumped from 1,6 percents up to 22,45 percents of pounds at London Stock Exchange this morning

Pall Mall Filter

"BAT Russia" launches Pall Mall Super Slims Aromatic cigarettes

"BAT Russia" launches Pall Mall Super Slims Aromatic brand that will be 4th version of Pall Mall in slims format.

The launch of Pall Mall Super Slims Aromatic cigarettes will take place at the global level. Russia will be first country where these cigarettes will appear. The next market place where this brand will appear will be Ukraine and Byelorussia.

Pall Mall Slims Aromatic with activated coal filter contains 7 mg mugs and 0,7 mg nicotine. The launch of aromatic slims Pall Mall has several causes.

"Interest of customers to super slims Pall Mall cigarettes and assured growth of aromatic segment inspired us to produce new line of Pall Mall brand. Pall Mall Super Slims Aromatic are aromatic cigarettes with charcoal filter and exactly this combination makes its taste soft and keeps aroma brightly" –say Mark Herman, manager of consumer goods marketing department "BAT Russia".

This new aromatic cigarettes are produced in factory "BAT - YVA" in Moscow.
Advertising support for these cigarettes began at the end of June and it was realized on the market of 500 big cities of Russia, in media and also with help of other promotions methods.

Try to combat stress by smoking

Cigarettes and chewing tobacco help to discard stress

Workers of Harvard University carried out tests in India and as result they concluded: smoking has positive proprieties.

In particularly, this harmful habit represents a powerful means of control with intense stress.
Authors of this analysis announced that smoking and illness that it offers kills 800000 Hindu yearly.

In India, 29% of men and 3% of women smoke, and 20% of men and 12% of women use chewing tobacco.

Scientists supposed that the cause of abundance of smoking constituted the stress, which is caused by home violence.

Cigarette ads from the 1920-1950

Not a simple advertising

For people who want to quit smoking usual it is recommended to avoid watch films and broadcasts. Exactly trough film and TV a lot of people make rituals and symbol of smoking.

In 1927, sound film for the first time appeared on the TV screen. Now, we know exactly how much money needed this industry.

Tradition for smoke in films appeared, when producers had a problem as what to engage actress with while talking and producers put in their hands – cigarettes. We remember whole scenes when men began to smoke together with their girl friends.
They presented lighters for their girls fiends very beautifully and how effective and courageous smoked these protagonists.

For one hour and half we could see how actors smoked more than 20 cigarettes, about 4-5 minutes for smoking one cigarette.
For this change of nicotine at one haul the best smoker can poison. Films scenes with actors showed drinking and smoking for 10-20 times more frequently than people usually do.

Demonstration of cigarettes brands even for several second in Hollywood films bring manufacturer about 100-300 hundred dollars. During the first years, under constrain of community, Hollywood began showing smokers less.

Often, in modern films, smoke only criminals and unlucky people.

Nevertheless, sometimes, Hollywood producers does films in 2 versions: for internal show in USA – without scenes with cigarettes and smokers and for external show for Third World countries – with many elegant scenes with smoking people.

In 1971, companies of tobacco began sponsoring sports events, when in USA was banned the translation of cigarettes advertising on the Television. This idea was very successful.

Sports events and world cups were watched by many people in the world: whole families. Children placed placards with images of racing cars and athletes in their rooms, on the school notebooks. Instinctively, tobacco brands were associated with beauty, power, and exclusive, positive, with involvement and victory. Company of tobacco published articles in mass media and trough this method they obtained influence for subjects of articles.

In 1992, according to American mass media, magazines for women that didn’t place cigarettes advertising in their pages wrote about smoking effects for 2-3 times frequently more than magazine that placed advertising about cigarettes and smoke in their pages.

In newspapers, who are supported by tobacco company smoke give such as agreeable practice, not such as difficulty dependence. Tobacco advertising and sponsored are the most advanced and well paid business segment.

Magazine ads

Advertising Camel No. 9.

American Parliament was not the first time protests attractive advertising Camel No. 9. Recently, five members of the Upper House had sent a message to the federal commission on trade with the same claim, a sales and marketing campaign R. J. Reynolds is aimed at young women.

Magazines have not yet responded to the letter.
According to the Conde Nast publishing house, which prints four of the 11 magazines, mentioned in the message (Vogue, Glamour, Lucky and W), the decision to publish or not to publish advertisements for tobacco-selected publications. (The rest of the addressee, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Marie Claire, US Weekly, In Style, Interview Magazine and Soap Opera Digest.)

Printed tobacco advertising banned in some countries, including all European, but permitted in the United States. In television and radio have long expelled her recently she disappeared from billboards.

A recent report by the American Institute of Medicine recommended that prohibit the use of graphic images on cigarettes advertising and limit itself to black and white text.

Some magazines, according to the edition of The Tobacco Periodicals Project, have ceased to publish the advertisement of tobacco, including Self, Men's Health and Money.