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JUNE 6, 2014
A TALE OF TWO FRIDAYS
oday marks the anniversary of a pivotal date in world history. D-Day, the assault on the beaches of France which ultimately spelled the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II, was seventy years ago today. D-Day was the beginning of the end for a terrible battle that had raged across the entire planet for parts of six years (1939 - 1945). Entire cities with millions of inhabitants were blown to smithereens, along with tiny, seemingly insignificant specks of land in the Pacific that were fought over at tremendous cost. Historians still don’t know the true death toll of World War II, but estimates range from more than 60 million killed up to nearly 85 million. Those numbers include all deaths directly or indirectly caused by World War II, military and civilian. They include those who died as the direct result of combat, as well as other war-induced causes like famine and disease epidemics. Those 60 million or more must be added to as many as 40 million who died during World War I, which ended barely 20 years before the outbreak of the second world war. World Wars I & II rank as the first- and sixth-most deadly wars in human history. The World War II death
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How many of these men were still alive five minutes after this picture was taken?
toll for Americans alone was 405,399, while 116,516 are said to have died during World War I. Both of those combined, however, don’t reach the death toll of America’s deadliest war. That dubious honor goes to the Civil War, during which an estimated 625,000 Americans were killed. Another anniversary There was another observance, however, that marked even more tragic and untimely deaths than any of these wars. Did you miss it? Last Friday, May 31, was designated by the World Health Organization as World
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No Tobacco Day. It’s observed annually on May 31. Why? According to WHO, “the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced.” How big? Worldwide, tobacco kills nearly 6 million people per year — worldwide, approximately one person every six seconds — including 600,000 non-smokers who die as the result of exposure to second-hand smoke. The non-smoker body count alone is greater than all US fatalities in World Wars I & II combined, but this death toll
occurs every single year. And it’s not getting any better: WHO says that if current rates continue, the annual global death toll could reach 8 million by 2030. As it is right now, tobacco eventually kills up to half its users. WHO statistics show that tobacco caused approximately 100 million deaths in the 20th century. Sound like a lot of deaths? Tobacco hasn’t even gotten started: at current rates, WHO estimates tobacco-related deaths in this century could reach 1 billion. And you thought World War II’s 60 million deaths was a lot.
Why do people smoke? Good question. In the face of all the evidence against smoking, one would expect smokers would be a rarity. There are many reasons why they aren’t. One of the most insidious is addiction. Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs known, holding users in its powerful grip more tightly than most illegal drugs. Most smokers want to quit, even those who truly enjoy their habit, but they often wage the battle against their addiction without outside assistance. Failures and relapses are common. Many smokers thought it might be a cool temporary habit during high school or a means to achieve calm nerves in college. They never dreamed that decades later they would still be smoking. Denial is another major factor. Tobacco is a gradual killer, so there is a lag of several years between the onset of smoking and the appearance of symptoms, if they appear at all. If a smoker knows one heavy lifetime smoker who’s as strong and healthy as an ox, that’s all the proof he needs to keep on puffing.
Can the battle be won? If Hitler could be defeated, nicotine addiction can be too. How? Please see FRIDAYS page 6
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