Depressing smoking news

The Jyllands-Posten has an article about Danes' smoking habits. According to the article:

Costly anti-smoking campaigns have had little effect on Danes. Sale of tobacco products have risen by 12 percent over the last few years sales, according to the Scandinavian Tobacco Company (ST).

I had started to get optimistic about Europe's anti-smoking laws. Ireland, England & Sweden are some of the front runners, banning smoking in public places including restaurants.

Smokers 'only' use DKK 11.5 billion a year on tobacco, but it costs the public health system DKK 27 billion to treat patients with smoking-related illnesses.

It's good to know that a good chunk of these outrageous taxes I pay here go to covering the costs for people too stupid to stop a vile habit that kills them and the people around them. I guess I'll have to put up with smokers blowing smoke at my baby (I'm not lying) in restaurants for a little longer. Grr.

Danish Summer

There's an article in the The Copenhagen Post about all the warm weather we are having this year (it's been glorious, despite the lack of air conditioning).

Everyone seems to be speculating whether or not this here to stay:

"'It's too early to say if we will continue to have these types of summers that go along with global warming,' said Stig Rosenørn, meteorologist with Denmark's Meteorological Institute (DMI) 'The warm weather here at home has lasted just over four weeks' time, and it has done that several times over the course of the last 100 years.'"

This has been the sunniest, warmest summer in the four years that I've been living in Denmark. I have my fingers crossed that this is the way summers will be from now on. The winters could warm up a bit as well...

With all this great weather, I've been riding my bike to work almost everyday. It makes the move to tiny Billund worth it, just for that. We've also been taking Emma to LEGOLAND (pictured above) a lot. She loves just loves Duploland!