Big drop in heart attacks follow smoking bans

By Teresa Tompkins/CNN.com

The ban on smoking in public places, such as bars and restaurants, has been one of the greatest public health debates of the early 21st century. Now, two large studies suggest that communities that pass laws to curb secondhand smoke get a big payoff -- a drop in heart attacks.

Overall, American, Canadian, and European cities that have implemented smoking bans had an average of 17 percent fewer heart attacks in the first year, compared with communities who had not taken such measures.

Big drop in heart attacks follow smoking bans

Then, each year after implementing smoking bans (at least for the first three years, the longest period studied), smoke-free communities have an average 26 percent decline in heart attacks, compared with those areas that still allow smokers to light up in public places.

The findings, published independently by two research teams using similar data, are in the medical journals Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association and Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Big drop in heart attacks follow smoking bans

The new studies should grab the attention of cities as well as states that still permit smoking in (at least certain sections of) bars, casinos, restaurants, and other public places.

Overall, 32 states and many cities in the United States have passed some type of law prohibiting smoking in public spots. (You can check out the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation to find out if your local community has a ban.)

In addition, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Norway, and Scotland have passed such bans.

Big drop in heart attacks follow smoking bans

In 2005, there were 1.26 million heart attacks in the U.S., and about 445,687 of those people died, according to the American Heart Association.

The new research suggests that a nationwide ban on smoking in public and workplaces could prevent 100,000 to 225,000 heart attacks each year in the U.S., says one study author, Dr. David Meyers,of the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

Big drop in heart attacks follow smoking bans

How harmful is secondhand smoke? Nonsmokers have a 25 percent to 30 percent higher risk of heart attack if they inhale smoke at home or at work, and smoke has been shown to affect heart health within minutes, says Meyers.

"We can measure chemical changes within 20 minutes," he says. "The changes that occur primarily involve the clotting system. Basically, exposure to smoke makes your blood sticky and real clot-y and that's what causes heart attacks." Health.com adds that social smokers aren't just hooked on nicotine, either.

Stranger’s generosity makes big impression

By Mary Karr/CNN.com

One night shortly after Thanksgiving last year, a deeply crummy mind-set I'd taken on went though an instantaneous reversal. As if a magician had said, "Presto," the New York City landscape likewise flipped from seedy to radiant.

The shift proved that the city I move through every day (often with narrowed eyes and clenched jaw) is partly a projection of my self-centered fears. With an attitude adjustment, I came to see that a dark world can become floodlit in a heartbeat.

I had been in upstate New York. Bad flying weather had nudged me to take the bus back to the city from Syracuse University, where I teach during the week. I hadn't boarded a Greyhound since my surf-bum youth, back when the seats still sported ashtrays.

Lugging my computer bag and suitcase down the aisle that snowy day, I felt stared at, like an outsider, which, honestly, stung more than it should have.

A few stops out, a gray-haired lady and a girl about 5 years old slid into the row in front of me. Though the woman's bun was springing scraggles at the hairline, the girl's tight braids must have taken a full day to do. She had a round pudding face with curious eyes.

As I marked papers with a pen, her chin rested on the seat top before me. "Schoolteachers are supposed to use a red pencil," she said.

Told to stop bothering the lady, the girl announced she was starving to death. At which point, the woman fished out a single sleeve of soda crackers, claiming that was all they had until they reached the Bronx -- a good five hours away.

The kid crunched loudly through the crackers in a spray of crumbs. When she complained of thirst, the woman said, "There will be water fountains at the Albany layover. Just drink your own spit."

Before long, the girl had swung around to my seat to demonstrate her double-jointed elbows and thumbs as well as a disturbingly loud clack in her jaw when she opened her mouth full bore. I gave her a pad and a pen, and soon she sat beside me outlining slope-sided apartment buildings and wavy sidewalks peopled with trolls.

In Albany, seats started to fill up fast, and I was advised to move my suitcase to the luggage compartment in the undercarriage.

Google Moves Forward With Chrome OS Operation3

By Dylan Tweney

Google today unveiled more details of Chrome OS, a lightweight, browser-based operating system for netbooks.

With a strong focus on speed, the Chrome OS promises nearly instant boot times of about 7 seconds for users to login to their computers.