Advantages and Disadvantages of Smoking

The great tobacco debate has been going on for years. Ever since it was determined that smoking cigarettes causes lung cancer, along with a host of other diseases, non-smokers have been railing against the evils of cigarettes, while many smokers have clung to their tobacco like a miser with his last penny. But the question is, are the smokers right? Are there indeed advantages to tobacco use?

Die-hard cigarette users claim many benefits to smoking, some are the following:

    Peer group acceptance if peers smoke

    Effective weight loss aid

    Performance enhancement in tasks requiring

    concentration

    Stress relief

    Some smokers truly enjoy the taste

There are issues with most of these perceived advantages. If a smoker attempts to change peer groups, they could find smoking to be a barrier to acceptance. The performance enhancement is minimal after the first few cigarettes a smoker has in their lifetime; from that point on, it is just a perception of enhancement based on the memory of those initial cigarettes. Weight loss and stress relief could be as effectively obtained by other, healthier means. Therefore the only valid advantage is if a smoker really enjoys the taste, but one has to wonder if they don’t enjoy the taste of the cigarette merely because they cannot taste anything else.

The disadvantages to smoking are far more numerous, and much harder to argue against, a sampling of them include:

    Death from disease caused by smoking

    Diseases (even if they don’t cause death)

    Lung Cancer

    Throat Cancer

    Mouth Cancer

    Many other types of cancer have also been linked to tobacco use

    Emphysema

    COPD

    Asthma

    Decreased lung function

    Advanced signs of aging

    Cost of cigarettes, applicable taxes and paraphernalia such as lighters

    Decreased acceptance by non-smoking peers

    The lingering odor of smoke on body and clothing

    Lowered ability to exercise due to inability to breathe

    Cost of stop-smoking aids when the decision to quit is made

It is clear that the disadvantages of smoking far outweigh any perceived advantages. While there is a cost associated with quitting, over time the damage smoking had done to the body can reverse itself if a person ceases tobacco use. This puts that cost into perspective, especially when compared to the thousands of dollars spent every year on smoking. With all the disadvantages to continued smoking and no real advantages to it, isn’t it time you saved your health and your money by putting in the effort to become tobacco-free?

http://www.gumauctions.com/article/1089/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-Smoking/

Cold Lava Flood Gendol One House Destroyed

Sleman (Reuters) - Heavy rains that fell on the slopes of Mount Merapi on Saturday afternoon resulted in cold lava flood flow Gendol River and River Opak in Cangkringan Subdistrict, Sleman to cause a collapsed house and several houses conceded volcanic material.
 

"Heavy rains that fell on the slopes of Merapi since the afternoon resulted in cold lava flood and the flood of volcanic material in the River Gendol and Opak, besides a number of dykes in the two rivers flow into the broken-down, the floods also resulted in one house and several houses collapsed volcanic material concede," said Cangkringan Subdistrict Head, Samsul Bakri, Saturday night.

According to him, a house that collapsed are the property of residents in Guling Hamlet, Village Argomulyo, Cangkringan who drifts through the floods of cold lava flow Opak River.

"Meanwhile, the house is possessed by volcanic material were also in the village of Argomulyo, including the Hamlet Banaran four houses, three houses jaranan Hamlet," he said.

He said the flow of cold lava flood on the River Gendol also resulted in Hamlet Besalen breached levees.

"While the flow of cold lava flood on the River Opak besides resulting in a breakdown along the river levee, also resulted in an emergency bridge in the hamlet was duibangun Kliwang floods washed away," he said.

Samsul said the cold lava flood through Opak River is also home conceding a result of volcanic material.

"In fact, homeowners suffered injuries as a result of volcanic material that hit his house was still hot, but was taken to hospital after his condition began to improve," he said.

He said, due to the cold lava flood in two streams disgorge hundreds of Merapi is located near the river were evacuated to a safer place.

"Like the previous cold lava flood events, hundreds of residents also had to be evacuated to a safer place. They fled at his brother and after a safe place they will return again to his house," he added

The story of Toba Lake

The Story of Toba Lake

Once upon a time, there was a man who was living in north Sumatra. He lived in a simple hut in a farming field. The did some gardening and fishing for his daily life.
  One day, while the man was do fishing, he caught a big golden fish in his trap. It was the biggest catch which he ever had in his life. Surprisingly, this fish turned into a beautiful princess. He felt in love with her and proposed her to be his wife. She said; "Yes, but you have to promise not to tell anyone about the secret that I was once a fish, otherwise there will be a huge disaster". The man made the deal and they got married, lived happily and had a daughter. 

Few years later, this daughter would help bringing lunch to her father out in the fields. One day, his daughter was so hungry and she ate his father’s lunch. Unfortunately, he found out and got furious, and shouted; “You damned daughter of a fish”. The daughter ran home and asked her mother. The mother started crying, felt sad that her husband had broke his promise.

 Then she told her daughter to run up the hills because a huge disaster was about to come. When her daughter left, she prayed. Soon there was a big earthquake followed by non-stop pouring rain. The whole area got flooded and became Toba Lake. She turned into a fish again and the man became the island of Samosir.

  Moral value : don't break your promise