Mentol Blog's

Via Reuters:

WASHINGTON -- Dead bodies, diseased lungs and a man on a ventilator were among the graphic images for revamped tobacco labels unveiled on Tuesday by U.S. health officials.

Proposed in November under a law that put the multibillion-dollar tobacco industry under the control of the Food and Drug Administration, the new labels must be on cigarette packages and in advertisements starting in October 2012.

Somehow, I don't think that this will dissuade anybody. In fact, I think that it may give cigarettes a more "dangerous" image and become sort of cool or badass. I think that if they really want people to stop smoking, the image they should put on the label is of Paris Hilton's vagina.  Oh wait. Nobody knows who Paris Hilton is anymore.

ALSO: Graphic Health Warnings for Cigarette Packages

Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has taken another dig at Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss for the latter's quit-smoking-on-screen appeal to him, saying he does not like anyone telling him what to do and what not to.
Shah Rukh Khan on smoking



"I do not endorse smoking and I do not like anyone telling me personally what to do and what not to do," Khan said in an interview to a news channel.

"You cannot tell me how to earn a packet, you cannot tell me what to eat and what to wear, what not to say to my wife, these are personal things. So, I guard that very jealously," he said.

Ramadoss had, earlier this week, said Khan should not have smoked in the stands while watching a cricket match in Mumbai and that he and Amitabh Bachchan can learn a thing or two from superstar Rajnikanth regarding smoking on screen.

But Khan had this piece of advice for everyone. "I tell children all the time, please do not smoke because it is the worst. If I do not smoke, I would be a big movie star for many, many years to come or maybe I won't be because I smoke that is such a bad thing to do. Do not do it," he pleaded.

Khan (42) has earned the ire of anti-smoking groups on different occasions for lighting up in public in violation of a 2004 ban.

In October, the National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication slapped a legal notice on him asking him to explain his actions after he was spotted smoking at a cricket match and at a media conference.

On rumours of his entry into politics, Khan said despite having a good relationship with the young scions of the Gandhi family, there is no question of joining politics.

"Half of the people think that I am very close to the Congress and am going to join politics. I am very close to Priyanka, Robert and Rahul. I tell everyone, I say this whenever I meet them. Why don't you ask them, are you going to join films," the actor said in the interview to be telecast on Saturday.

"I have another friend who is a software engineer. That does not mean I can design softwares like Azim Premji. So, these are my friends but what they do as a job is incidental to my relationship with them."



Khan, who set a new trend of sporting six-pack abs which he adorned in his last film "Om Shanti Om" said his son prompted him to go for the new look.

"My son told me Papa, you're fat... Though I wasn't, I didn't think I was fat. And I told him that, listen dude, I am not fat, I am okay.

"But he said no, you are fat papa... So I said okay give me some time and as this film required it..."

On his plans this year ahead, Khan said, "This year I would like to dedicate myself to make movies for kids, not childish movies but movie for kids, take technology of Indian cinema further. So I set parameters for myself and I try to work towards that."

Labels: actor, bollywood, gossip, gossips, khan, latest, news, rukh, shah, Shahrukh, smoking

Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has appealed to Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan to stop smoking in movies as millions of youngsters emulate them and imbibe the bad habit.

"I have already made appeals to Shah Rukh Khan," Ramadoss said in Karan Thapar's "Devil's Advocate" programme being aired on a news channel.

"But I would be happy to do it again and say, 'Please don't smoke in your movies, Mr. Shah Rukh Khan'. I would like to make an appeal to Mr. Shah Rukh Khan and Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and all the other personalities.

"Fourteen-year-olds are taking to tobacco. India should be very, very concerned about the alarming rise of incidence of tobacco (use) amongst young people," the minister emphasised.

Criticising movies with smoking scenes, the minister said: "The movies are most responsible (for encouraging smoking). When I said movies should not have smoking scenes, we have statistics which show that 52 percent of children have their first puff of a cigarette because of movie celebrities."



When asked about Shah Rukh smoking during a recent cricket match, Ramadoss said the actor should not have done it.
Bollywood Celebrities.
"Absolutely not. What was the necessity? See these are celebrities and millions of youngsters look up to these celebrities...I again say to celebrities, in whichever field they are, whether it's movies or sports, not to do these things in public."

Responding to a question if Shah Rukh and Amitabh could stop smoking like Tamil superstar Rajnikant, the minister said: "Easily, they could do it. Without a doubt."