At this “Latinos en Movimiento” (Latinos on the MOVE) event, residents will showcase their personal narratives through a new online map of King County to drive home the impact of second-hand smoke. Sea Mar Community Health Centers will host the event.

Here are the event details:

WHAT: Latinos on the MOVE using maps & stories to support smoke-free areas in Burien.

WHEN: Wednesday, December 7th, 2011; Reception and dinner at 6:30. The planned presentation will begin at 7:00.

WHERE: Burien City Hall/Library, 400 SW 152nd Street, Burien.

INFO: Burien residents will present their digital stories and ask for support to increase and enforce areas free of tobacco. The presentation will be followed by responses and Q & A. Panelists include City Councilmember Rose Clark and Bill Cook, Director of Public Housing at King County Housing Authority.  The event will be held in English with simultaneous Spanish interpretation provided.

“This event presents a unique opportunity for Burien’s elected officials, property managers of private and public multi-unit housing, and King County Metro to listen and respond to the priorities voiced by Latino community leaders and members of Burien,” said Antoinette Angulo, Director of Preventive Health Services for Sea Mar Community Health Centers.

The event will highlight community support for Burien’s recent decision to make all parks smoke-free and to illustrate the need for additional tobacco regulation and enforcement in housing and public transportation.

Latinos on the MOVE is sponsored by Sea Mar and is part of Mapping Our Voices for Equality (MOVE), an online map and digital storytelling website that launched October 20th, 2011 with funding from Public Health – Seattle & King County. MOVE features on-going changes that improve healthy eating and physical activity and create tobacco-free environments in King County.

These signs are being posted throughout Burien Parks, proclaiming them as 'Tobacco Free' zones.

On the 36th national Great American Smoke-Out (Thursday, Nov. 17), the City of Burien joined five local communities as having tobacco- or smoke-free parks.

“The city of Burien today declared its parks, beaches, playgrounds and playfields to be tobacco- and smoke-free, joining Auburn, Covington, Seattle, Snoqualmie and the Vashon Parks District, which have similar policies,” reads a press release.

“We’re proud to be joining other cities in King County in declaring our parks smoke-free,” said Burien Mayor Joan McGilton. “This benefits the entire community and is in line with the City’s vision of promoting a healthy environment for people of all ages.”

“When folks come to a public park, they expect to breathe fresh air – not someone else’s cigarettes,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine, who said he will work with the County Council to develop a no-smoking policy for King County parks.

Here’s a Video courtesy our friends at Burien Parks:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s the rest of the press release:

Tobacco-free parks reduce exposure to second-hand smoke for children and families, and reduce pollution from cigarette butts, the main source of litter in public places.

Tobacco-free parks are part of a broad movement to create healthy and smoke-free areas, especially for kids and the most vulnerable. In recent months many hospitals, housing providers, and mental health and chemical dependency centers have also gone smoke-free.

“People want and deserve healthy, smoke-free places. Today we continue to deliver this for our region,” said King County Councilmember and King County Board of Health chair Joe McDermott, whose council district includes Burien and who today helped unveil Burien’s first tobacco-free signage in a ceremony at Lake Burien School Memorial Park.

In a recent survey of King County residents, 70 percent said they support smoke-free public places, including parks.

In King County alone, tobacco causes almost 2,000 premature deaths and costs over $340 million in medical expenses each year. In addition to the health effects, cigarette butts can account for up to 70 percent of litter items in public places. Cigarette butts can take up to 15 years to decompose, leaching chemicals into the soil and posing harm to small children and pets if ingested.

“The U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to second hand smoke, and tobacco use is still the leading cause of death and illness in King County,” said Carrie Nyssen, Regional Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association of the Mountain Pacific. “Even brief exposure to second-hand smoke can cause an asthma attack in a child, or increase risk of blot clots in healthy adults.”

Nationally, almost 600 jurisdictions have enacted laws that prohibit tobacco use in parks and on beaches, including New York and Los Angeles. In Washington state, about 30 cities in 15 counties have smoke-free parks policies, including Tacoma Metro Parks in Pierce County and Marysville and Lake Stevens in Snohomish County.

Tobacco policies are enforced mostly by residents themselves, much like with dog leash and alcohol policies. This is how similar laws have worked in other places, including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. People can also contact the parks departments.

A universal tobacco-free parks sign has been created for jurisdictions to post in their parks. Each jurisdiction that has adopted or plans to adopt a tobacco- or smoke-free policy will have the opportunity to post this sign as part of the regional partnership for tobacco-free parks.

Other cities within King County are also considering tobacco-free policies. These activities by local cities and King County are supported by Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW), a federally-funded grant to address obesity and tobacco use, two of the leading causes of death in King County.

More officials and directors comment on the benefits of tobacco and smoke-free parks:

• City of Auburn Mayor Pete Lewis: “The City of Auburn is committed to creating a healthy community. The Tobacco-Free Park Policy is intended to assist recreational organizations and parents in their efforts to recreate in a tobacco-free environment. It is important that we recognize the effects of first and second-hand smoke and discourage tobacco usage at places where youth are gathered and healthy lifestyle activities are available.”
• City of Covington Mayor Margaret Harto: “Covington established its tobacco free park ordinance in 2002 because we knew that choosing to be tobacco free in our parks meant choosing to provide a better quality of life for our citizens. We are proud to join King County’s initiative to bring light to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke in our public places.”?
• City of Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson: “We believe parks should remain spaces that are focused on health. Having places where kids can go and exercise and enjoy the fresh air is what parks are all about.”
• City of SeaTac Mayor Terry Anderson: “The City of SeaTac is concerned about tobacco use and the health of our citizens. SeaTac City Council is currently working with our citizens both young and old to see if they would like to have tobacco-free parks.”
• Vashon Park District Director Jan Milligan: “The community of Vashon Island is very committed to health and wellness, so tobacco-free parks and other public areas are just part of the big picture of a healthy community.”

For more information on CPPW, please visit www.kingcounty.gov/health/cppw and the new campaign, Let’s Do This, that encourages residents to get involved in improving the health of their communities.

Today, November 17, is also the 36th Great American Smoke-Out nationwide, and people are encouraged to use the date to make a plan to quit smoking.

Burien’s first-ever “Hookah Bar” has opened – Pyramids Club, at 153 SW 153rd, just west of the E.B. Foote Winery – a membership-only “club” where members can smoke from communal “Hookah” water pipes.

The fact that it’s a private club is why smoking is allowed there, despite the state’s ban on smoking in restaurants and bars. But it’s only Hookah smoking, according to owner Shadi’ – no drugs or alcohol are allowed, members must be at least 18, and strict rules are posted.

Members pay $5 for an annual membership, then order from a menu and share a large, communal water pipe filled with flavored tobacco in a very social, group setting. Current flavors include: Double Apple, Strawberry, Grape, Cherry, Pipe, Guava, Plum, Peach, Coconut, Mint, Lemon, Berry, Banana, Grenadine and Cardamom.

Some snacks, non-alcoholic drinks and games are available, and they also offer free Wi-Fi.

Hookahs are very popular in the Middle East, as well as India, Pakistan, Southeast Asia, South Africa, and more recently in the U.S. and Canada. There are around five other Hookah Clubs in the Seattle area, with Pyramids Club being the first one in the Burien area.

Now if you’ve never heard of Hookah, here’s a brief primer, courtesy Wikipedia:

The Hookah was invented in India in the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar (1542 – 1605 AD). Following popularity among noblemen, this new device for smoking soon became a status symbol for the Indian aristocracy and gentry.

The jar at the bottom of the hookah is filled with water sufficient to submerge a few centimeters of the body tube, which is sealed tightly to it. Flavored tobacco is placed inside the bowl at the top of the hookah and a burning charcoal is placed on top of the tobacco. Some cultures cover the bowl with perforated tin foil or a metal screen to separate the coal and the tobacco, which minimizes inhalation of coal ash with the smoke. This may also reduce the temperature the tobacco is exposed to, in order to prevent burning the tobacco directly.

When one inhales via the hose, air is pulled through the charcoal and into the bowl holding the tobacco. The hot air, heated by the charcoal evaporates (not burns) the tobacco, thus producing smoke, which is passed down through the body tube that extends into the water in the jar. It bubbles up through the water, losing heat, and fills the top part of the jar, to which the hose is attached. When a smoker inhales from the hose, smoke passes into the lungs, and the change in pressure in the jar pulls more air through the charcoal, continuing the process.

There are no drugs involved, and the flavored tobacco mixes have lower amounts of nicotine than regular cigarettes.

The Washington State smoking ban mandates that any smoking establishment be a private club, ergo a membership is required at Pyramids Club.

A yearlong membership to Pyramids is $5, and the minimum age is 18 years old.

Pyramids Club is open Sunday – Thursday from 6:30pm – 12am, and Friday – Saturday from 3pm – 2am.  Their address is 153 SW 153rd, located just west of E.B. Foote Winery. Phone: 206-588-1019; Email: al.shadi@yahoo.com and their website is www.pyramidsclub.net.

Here are some pics taken by Scott Schaefer:

B-Town Blog Advertiser and local Hypno-Coach Patricia Eslava Vessey is inviting all smoking Readers who want to be a ‘quitter’ to check out her newest class offered at Burien Parks and Recreation beginning Monday evening, Feb. 1st.

Patricia has successfully helped many Burienites stop smoking, and continues her good work starting next Monday evening. If your new year’s resolution including kicking the habit, this class will launch you on your goal. Patricia’s goal for her participants is “the first day of class you’ll quit smoking for good.”

Description:

Discover how hypno-coaching can help you with your life’s goals. The focus of this class is to help you stop smoking. You can become the kind of person you’ve always wanted to be. Feeling powerless over your smoking habit? Tired of all the failed attempts at quitting? Ready to try something that really works? This class will help you change your attitude, beliefs and habits. Learn to reprogram that successful smoking habit to freedom as a non-smoker today! Using innovative and proven methods from hypnosis, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), life coaching and personal fitness training, you will discover that giving up your smoking can be far easier than you ever imagined.

SCHEDULE:

• Monday Feb. 1st 6:00PM – 8:00PM Classroom 3-Burien Community Center
• Monday Feb. 8th 6:00PM – 8:00PM Classroom 3-Burien Community Center

INSTRUCTOR:

Patricia Eslava Vessey is the founder of Integrity Coaching & Training Systems, a multifaceted company with expertise in coaching, training, leadership, Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) and hypnotherapy. With over 30 years in social work, 29 years as a fitness trainer and over 6 years as a sought after speaker, trainer and certified international coach, Patricia inspires, motivates and supports people in transforming limiting beliefs and behaviors into heartfelt, meaningful and lasting changes.

Visit her website at: www.integritylifecoach.com

Call (206) 988-3700 to register today. Class starts Monday Feb. 1st! Dress comfortably and bring a mat.

[Would you like to have a “Blogvertorial” story, Ad and/or Event Listing like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by nearly 50,000 interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

Today is the 34th Anniversary of the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout.

If this gives you pause to quit smoking you should check in with B-Town Blog Advertiser and hypno-coach Patricia Eslava Vessey. Among Patricia’s health and wellness related disciplines is hypno-therapy, specializing smoking cessation. As a former smoker Patricia understands the challenges of becoming a non-smoker.

One of our smoking associates recently attended Patricia’s Freedom from Smoking Stop Smoking Course with Hypno-Coaching at the Burien Parks and Recs. We thought we’d share her apparent success with the program.

BTB: You’ve been smoking for quite some time haven’t you?

SmokeFree in Burien (SFIB): I think I have been smoking off and on since 1968, that’s seven years before the first Great American Smokeout. Back in the days when smoking was oh so cool! You could smoke anywhere and smokes were cheap.

BTB: I understand that you’ve, er,”successfully” quit smoking throughout your adult life for measurable periods of time and then go back to this disgusting and unhealthy habit. Why is that?

SFIB: You never smoked, did you?

BTB: You’ve been tobacco-free since November 4th. That’s over two weeks! Why is Patricia’s technique apparently working when others have failed?

SFIB: First you have to understand the class. You’re sitting among long-time smokers who all want to quit for a variety of reasons. Surprisingly enough, health-related issues ranked far down the list of reasons to become smoke-free. We examined those issues in a robust discussion on our first night; in order of importance, reasons given were:

• Cost. Let’s face it, the day of 25-cent packs went out with free love! One classmate figured she could pay her property tax with the savings.
• Winkles and complexion. Most of the women noted smoking-related wrinkles around the mouth and lips.
• Smell. Let’s face it, this was the only place in Burien that we could all feel comfortable smelling like the bottom of an ashtray!
• Inconvenience. One classmate cited getting in her car and driving away from her plant to smoke on her break, others mentioned standing in the rain; another not having guests into their home for fear they’d know they smoked.
• Respect. Gone are the days when it’s cool to smoke!
• Health.

BTB: Ok, so you agreed on some reasons. What’s next?

SFIB: We actually had to sign a contract “committing to full participation in the class as well as giving ourselves permission to become 100% healthy, and take responsibility for our health and body.” That was pretty compelling. We also got a log to fill out on smoking and a CD to listen to when we needed reinforcement.

BTB: What about the hypnotism? Did it work? How often did you do it?

SFIB: In each class, after discussions on all sorts of things related to smoking and not smoking, we were hypnotized. Yes of course it worked. Through Patricia’s soothing voice we were put into deep relaxation and she talked to our subconscious mind. We did it twice in every class and with the CD and a handout on self-hypnosis we can hypnotize ourselves at home.

BTB: Ok. So you had three sessions – how’d you decide when to quit?

SFIB: We made goals in the first class on cutting back and quitting. I picked November 4th, the last class, as in my conscious mind it gave me three more weeks of smoking, and a date to strive for.

BTB: What was your favorite thing about the class?

SFIB: That’s easy, the visualization or role-playing exercise. With a partner we had to project ourselves into a life at least one year after we quit.  I was swimming a mile a day three times a week at HAC, looking younger and preparing for a long trip to Italy with the $6.00+/day I saved on cigarettes socked away into an Italy-fund.  That was over $2,100 “saved” for our trip. That was powerful. So was the final hypnotism. It lasted for a long time, and she conjured up some powerful images of why we should become and remain smoke-free.

BTB: I don’t smoke, but the concept of hypno-coaching empowering my life through change interests me…can Patricia help me?

SFIB: Well, you’re not overweight, you don’t golf, you don’t have fibromyalgia, you never smoked. But perhaps you could benefit from some life-coaching to help empower you on managing life’s challenges and decisions. As a hypno-coach, Patricia specializes in weight-loss and smoking cessation and she has successfully helped golfers improve their game and fibro patients live pain-free through hypnosis.

BTB: Where can I get in touch with Patricia?

SFIB: You can click on her Ad, or call her at 206-459-2898. She’s also conducting a smoking cessation class and some weight loss classes starting in January at Burien Parks and Rec. Call 206-988-3700 for information or to register.

[Would you like to have a “Blogvertorial” story, event listing and/or Ad like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by nearly 40,000 interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

BTB Advertiser Patricia Eslava Vessey, a Hypno-Coach, is holding a special “Freedom From Smoking” workshop on Wednesdays beginning Oct. 21st and continuing through Nov. 4th, from 6pm to 8pm.

Here are the details:

WHAT: 6- hour FREEDOM from SMOKING Stop Smoking Course With Hypno ~ Coaching

• Do you feel powerless over your smoking habit?
• Are you tired of all the failed attempts at quitting?
• If there was an easy way to be SMOKE FREE would you go for it?
• Are you ready to try something that really works?

WHEN: Wednesdays beginning Oct. 21st, then Oct. 28th & Nov. 4th, from 6:00pm–8:00pm

WHERE: Burien Parks & Recreation Center

COST: Only $79.00! This course will change your life forever!

REGISTER: Call (206) 988-3700 to Register!

Hypno Coach Patricia Eslava Vessey

INFO: From her press release:

Now, not only will you remove barriers that hold you back, you will reprogram your mind and create the FREEDOM and SUCCESS from smoking you have longed for!

Using innovative and proven methods from Hypnosis, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Life Coaching and Personal Fitness Training, you will discover that giving up your smoking can be far easier than you ever imagined…

Wear comfortable clothing; bring a mat or blanket & pillow and pen & paper.

TESTIMONIALS:

“Thanks Patricia, I appreciate the time with you as my coach for the past two months.  The area that I was able to move forward in, with your support, has been around my health and fitness.  I’ve lost 15 pounds so far, and my recovery from knee surgery is ahead of schedule.  You helped me stay focused, clarify my intentions, create accountability and stretch my view of the possibility.  Thanks for all of this!” – Bruce, Transportation Manager

“Good class, made me realize I have work to do on myself – gave me good insight on relationships” – DM

“Excellent presentation! I can’t wait to implement ideas.” - H. Hopelink

“It was very informative and motivating and pointed me in the right direction.” - A.Barchman

“Wonderful, gave me tools to reflect.” – BJ

“Thank you. You are a great presenter!” – LJR, CPA

INSTRUCTOR: Patricia Eslava Vessey is the owner of Integrity Coaching & Training Systems, a multifaceted company with expertise in coaching, training, leadership, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and hypnotherapy. With over 30 years in social work, 29 years as a fitness trainer and over 6 years as a sought after speaker, trainer and international certified international coach, Patricia inspires, motivates and supports people in making heartfelt, meaningful and lasting changes.

MORE INFO: www.integritylifecoach.com

[Would you like to have a “Blogvertorial” story and Ad like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by over 35,000 interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

Two bills in the Legislature would make it a traffic infraction to smoke in a car carrying children. House Bill 2519 would outlaw smoking around passengers younger than 18, while Senate Bill 6287 sets the age limit at 13 or younger.

The proposals are aimed at protecting kids from secondhand smoke, which has been linked to asthma, cancer and other ailments.

“I’m not looking for ways to punish people,” said Rep. Shay Schual-Berke, D-Normandy Park, sponsor of the House bill. “I want to address behaviors that address public-health issues.”

Voters approved an initiative in 2006 banning smoking in public places statewide, including bars and restaurants.

If either of the current bills pass, Washington would join California, Arkansas and Louisiana as states that bar smoking in private vehicles carrying children.

Both bills would make the infraction a secondary offense, meaning a law-enforcement officer would have to stop a driver for another infraction, such as speeding, before issuing a smoking citation.

The smoking infractions wouldn’t become part of the driver’s record or be made available to insurance companies or employers.

State law already prohibits foster parents from smoking while a child is in the car.

“It seemed only logical to protect all kids, not just foster kids,” said Sen. Chris Marr, who’s sponsoring the Senate bill.

Both Marr, D-Spokane, and Schual-Berke said they don’t care which of the two bills is successful.

“A kid who is reeking of tobacco and coughing of asthma doesn’t really care if it’s a House bill or a Senate bill,” Schual-Berke said.

The legislation has widespread support, including from the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and American Lung Association. Law-enforcement agencies, state troopers and firefighters also back the bills.

There is little or no opposition from the tobacco industry.

Philip Morris, one of the largest tobacco companies in the country, chose not to oppose the bills.

“Our general position is that we believe that particular care should be exercised when it comes to children, and adults should avoid smoking around them,” said David Sutton, a spokesman for Philip Morris. “It’s really that simple.”

The little opposition that Marr and Schual-Berke said they’ve heard is from within the Legislature. Some lawmakers fear the proposed ban is another extension of the so-called “nanny state,” where government increasingly takes away choice in order to protect its citizens.

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation, a conservative think tank, doesn’t plan to formally oppose the bills but did mention them in its online blog under a post titled “Stupid Bills: Vol. I.”

“A few people are squeamish towards it, asking, ‘Are we over-legislating?’ ” Marr said. “I understand that, but I raise the standard when it comes to health risks to kids.”

SOURCE:

• The Seattle Times