Teen makes miraculous progress nine months after synthetic marijuana nearly kills her

Emily Bauer's family was told in December the teenager would never recognize them again. She had suffered multiple strokes after smoking synthetic marijuana, and a large portion of her brain was damaged. She would be unaware of her surroundings and never regain control of her arms and legs, doctors said.
Nine months later, 17-year-old Emily returned to Cy-Fair High School in Cypress, Texas.

Now she rolls through the hallways with the help of aides who also read materials to her and take her notes. Emily is still partly blind and can no longer read or write, but she spends her mornings in class and afternoons taking steps and working toward recovery in therapy.
Emily's family believes her near-death experience was caused by synthetic marijuana, a dangerous substance also known as Spice, K2 or fake weed. It contains dried, shredded plant material and a variety of chemical compounds that are supposed to give users a high similar to smoking pot. Fake weed is marketed as a "safe" and "legal" alternative to drugs — although the National Institute on Drug Abuse says it is neither — and is sometimes sold as potpourri or incense at gas stations, head shops and convenience stores.

Smoking vet allowed to stay in home

A 90-year-old, WWII veteran was on the verge of being evicted from his apartment in Newington over a smoking rule and on Tuesday, he went to Housing Court in Hartford to avoid eviction.
Andy Nowicki, who is on oxygen and has trouble walking, and his 90-year-old wife, who suffers from dementia, live at his apartment at the Cedar Village Elderly Housing Complex.
Cedar Village is run by the Newington Housing Authority.
Nowicki received eviction papers this summer after he said he isn't able to follow the new rule requiring residents to smoke at least 10 feet outside their homes.
War wounds and other ailments can make it tough for Nowicki to get outside. He said he has done the best he can on his scooter, but sometimes he could only make it to a breezeway outside his apartment.
"I think there's nobody here to stand up for our elderly," said his daughter Janet Nowicki. "And if I wasn't here, my brother wasn't here, my family wasn't here, where would they be?"
On Tuesday, Nowicki was surrounded by fellow veterans at Housing Court. He said he would rather be in battle with them, than deal with the Newington Housing Authority.
"I'd rather go back to the infantry and be in the outfit I was with," Nowicki said.
Janet Nowicki spoke up for her parents, contacting state Sen. Paul Doyle, who volunteered to represent Andy Nowicki for free.
"I think today common sense prevailed," Doyle said. "This should have happened months ago."
Tuesday after hours of mediation, both sides reached an agreement.
The Housing Authority director left court without talking to Eyewitness News, but the station did learn they won't evict Andy Nowicki and his wife.
Andy Nowicki will still have to abide by the 10 foot rule when he smokes, but in order to make that possible the housing authority will make his apartment handicapped accessible in the next 30 days. Nowicki and his wife will also be moved to the top of the list for a fully handicapped accessible apartment when one becomes available.
Doyle said he is also working with the veterans affairs commissioner to put in a ramp and canopy. Veterans told Eyewitness News they were happy to help, but are disappointed it got to this point.
"I just learned one thing today," said veteran Russ Meek. "I saw how the state of Connecticut can really waste money on something so inappropriate as trying to pick on a 90-year-old veteran."

Illegal Tobacco Cost Australia A$1 Billion: KPMG Report

Illegal tobacco sales deprived the Australian government of about A$1 billion ($946 million) of taxes in the 12 months ended in June, according to a report commissioned by cigarette makers. Winston cigarettes online.
Accounting firm KPMG LLP released the study today as the first since a federal law prohibiting the sale of cigarettes in branded packages took effect Dec. 1 to discourage smoking and reduce related spending on health care. Illicit sales increased 1.5 percentage points to 13.3 percent of total shipments, while consumption didn’t drop in the year, according to the report.
Planned increases in tobacco taxes will cause illegal sales to increase, the report said, citing Scott McIntyre, a spokesman for British American Tobacco Plc’s Australian unit. Australia announced plans in August to boost tobacco excise to raise more than A$5 billion and help narrow the country’s fiscal deficit over the next four years.
“Instead of steep excise hikes, more resources for agencies and greater enforcement of plain pack laws by the health department will see a reduction in illegal tobacco sales,” McIntyre said.
Officials from Australia’s health department didn’t immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment on the report, sent to the department’s media section.

Price Differentials

Taxes made up about 63 percent of the price of a packet of cigarettes last year in Australia, where a pack of 25 costs about A$20 for the best-selling brands. A pack of 20 Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) Marlboro brand cigarettes sells for A$15.96, compared with A$1.08 in Vietnam, A$2.66 in China and A$10.29 in Singapore, according to the KPMG report.
British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International Inc. and Imperial Tobacco Australia Ltd. commissioned the KPMG report.
About 17.4 million kilograms (38 million pounds) of tobacco were consumed in Australia in the year, matching the level in the previous 12 months and compared with 18 million kilograms in 2011, according to the report.
Australia last year banned the sale of cigarettes in packaging depicting tobacco companies’ trademarks and logos. Cigarettes are now sold in olive green packs, with graphic and written health warnings covering 70 percent of the front of a package. Brands are shown in uniform font at the bottom of the package.
Australia’s top court upheld the validity of the law on Aug. 16, 2012, dismissing a challenge from the tobacco companies arguing that the government illegally seized their intellectual property.
KPMG said tobacco companies set specific terms of reference and the report was issued to the parties “for information only.” The accounting firm didn’t specify the terms of reference in the report, which covered the 12 months ended June 2013.

Why Consumers Change Brands

Decades ago, a major cigarette brand won a lot of attention with the tagline “I’d rather fight than switch.” Today, U.S. consumers are switching brands to the tune of $1.3 trillion, and marketers appear to be swinging back with empty gloves. According to the recently released Accenture Global Consumer Pulse Survey, 51 percent of U.S. consumers switched their retailers, banks, cable companies and other service providers in 2013. That is up 5 percent from 2012, and it represents $1.3 trillion in lost sales to the dropped brands. Worse, to a loyalty marketer like me, is that only 18 percent of those surveyed said they feel like their service providers offer them tailored experiences. As the report states: “The gap between the use of digital technologies and the ability of companies to use them to improve customer experiences is highlighted by the survey’s findings that, among the 10 industries covered by the report, none made noticeable progress in providing customers with a tailored experience in 2013.

 Esse cigarettes online.

” Not surprisingly, then, that the rate of loyalty among those surveyed consumers rose just 1 percent in the year, while their likelihood to recommend a brand rose 2 percent. These are troubling numbers, but it does not mean we loyalty marketers are down for the count. Rather, we should take these stats for what they are: an alarm bell. The loyalty marketing industry invests billions of dollars in personalization technologies, yet 82 percent of people do not think they are provided relevant experiences. Something is breaking down, and I suspect it is in that pipeline that runs between acquiring the technology and deploying the experience. The data insights are not being used to woo and wow the customer, but to craft eye-catching promotions that are relevant only to the expiration date. Companies tend to default to price as competition heats up, but you can only cut so far before hitting bone. To prevent the switch, brands should sprinkle their price tactics with some true personalization, which can be achieved through analysis of customer data. Why not try to create a brand experience that stands apart, based on what you know about customers? I’m not sure how dire the situation is and how far we are going to have to go to really push the metrics upwards, but it’s a complete miss if we are not taking advantage of the investments we make in this area. I’ll underscore the point with another finding from the research: 51 percent of those surveyed said they expect specialized treatment for being a good customer. Read more at http://www.business2community.com/loyalty-marketing/consumers-change-brands-0669505#E06Y8yWi1cmbtVwW.99