Craven and Bi-Polar Bear have inspired OCCOM BILL to finally

Oh, and Jer: Rather than using Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V I uses Ctrl + Insert for Copy and Shift + Insert for Paste. Old habits…

Thursday, the American Cancer Society will mark the 28th annual Great American Smokeout, an effort to focus on the dangers associated with tobacco use and to encourage smokers to quit for a lifetime by starting with just one day.

If you smoke, for your own health and the health of those around you, we encourage you to enthusiastically participate in this observance.

Put out that cigarette

According to the American Cancer Society, the idea for the Great American Smokeout grew out of a 1974 event when Lynn R. Smith, editor of the Monticello Times in Minnesota, spearheaded the state's first D-Day, or Don't Smoke Day. On Nov. 18, 1976, the California Division of the American Cancer Society succeeded in getting nearly one million smokers to quit for the day. That California event marked the first Great American Smokeout, which went nationwide in 1977.

The Smokeout has been celebrated with rallies, parades, the distribution of quitting information, and even "cold turkey" menu items in schools, workplaces, military installations and legislative halls throughout the country.

It's also been celebrated with better health for those who have stopped smoking.

Because of efforts such as this and other educational programs, cigarette smoking among adults aged 18 and older declined more than 40 percent between 1965 and 2000. An estimated 46 million adults are now former smokers (accounting for 50 percent of persons who ever smoked).

However, lung cancer remains the number one cancer killer among men and women. This year alone, approximately 173,770 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the United States, and an estimated 160,440 people will die from the disease. Smoking is also associated with increased risk for cancers of the oral cavity, nasal cavities, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, cervix, kidney, bladder and myeloid leukemia.

And, if you are a smoker who is not concerned about yourself, think of those around you.

Second-hand smoke is deadly.

Nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke have been shown to have many of the same tobacco-related diseases as active smokers. Secondhand smoke has been shown to increase nonsmokers' risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.

The American Cancer Society says that second-hand smoke causes between 35,000 and 40,000 deaths from heart disease and about 3,000 deaths in otherwise healthy nonsmokers every year.

Additionally, second-hand smoke can cause many short-term problems such as coughing and nasal and eye irritation.

If you smoke, make Thursday a day to show concern for loved ones and others around us.

If you smoke, make Thursday a day to make a real effort at improving your own well-being by quitting.

If you don't smoke, provide support for a friend or family member who needs help in overcoming this difficult addiction.