Regardless of gender and ethnic background, there is a very widely held conception in the world that menthol cigarettes are “healthy” cigarettes, safe to smoke more. This chronic lapse in research is what sparked the study: there is simply no concise agreement on whether menthol cigarettes actually reduce the health hazards of smoking or not.

The old rumor about menthol cigarettes being better for you…may not be false. Based on the strong findings for some minor role of mint in blocking carcinogen absorption and soothing pain, mint appears to be actively reducing the impact of tobacco smoke.

This does not make it healthy, just less deadly

Mint has even been tapped as a treatment for tobacco addiction.

Mint has natural pain reduction and medicinal properties. Smokers have, for years, argued that the mint in menthol cigarettes reduces the damage from smoking, due to the “numbing” effect mint can have in the throat. It is not out of the realm of possibilities that mint in a cigarette could actually reduce the health risk from smoking by some amount – mint was prescribed throughout history as an important herb for healing and life. This “desensitization” and “anesthesia” is a consequence of mint’s natural ability to numb.

Nitrosamines are some of the nastiest things to come out of tobacco smoke. Cancer-causing carcinogens, they can be found in most forms of tobacco and are a cause of common smoking-related cancers. The core focus of the study was to determine if mint had any role as a blocker, reducing TSNA absorption.

Put simply, cigarette companies cannot be trusted to run their own studies of cigarette safety. It would not be the first time that tobacco companies have deceived their buyers, practicing anything from “purchased” science to rigged studies.

“The “Frank Statement to Cigarette Smokers” informed the public that the tobacco industry “will cooperate closely with those whose task it is to safeguard the public health” and to support independent research into all phases of tobacco use and health. According to a TIRC press release, the purpose of the organization was to “…encourage and support qualified research scientists in their efforts to learn more about smoking and health” (44). However, in the first year of operation, the TIRC did not fund any independent research, instead used the resources to mount an aggressive public relations campaign (45).”

Interest in gained in a number of ways, most commonly through bank accounts and investing. Each year, like a W-2, you should receive a Form 1099-INT or Form 1099-OID, which shows the exact amount of taxable interest earned. Add them all up, including sources that did not send you a 1099-D or 1099-OID – you are responsible! The sum is the “taxable interest.”

If you gained more than $1,500 in interest or hold more interesting types of accounts (bonds, foreign interest), you have to dive into Schedule B. Be prepared up from with all paperwork on hand.

Like above, but now the opposite! Find out what, on Schedule B, does not count as taxable interest. Cop this from the form (it will be the remainder) and write it down.

On August 15th, 2012, a group of hackers called “Cutting Sword of Justice” attacked Saudi oil firm Saudi Aramco, shutting down some 30,000 computers on its network. The Shamoon virus was used, which rapidly deleted system files and spread to other network computes. The system was not compromised and oil production continued, but the attack opened eyes to the prevalence of cyber attacks.

Like above, but now the opposite! Find out what, on Schedule B, does not count as taxable interest. Cop this from the form (it will be the remainder) and write it down.

Using a confusing set of rules, you can figure out how different types of IRA contributions can be deducted. This only counts if you are not self-employed. Head to the IRS for this info – it gets dicey.