• JOMC 50 students are required go on a "treasure hunt." Students search sources from the internet to electronic databases for information on a subject of interest, and an internet issue.

• My internet mini-essay is about the then-controversal kidnapping of the popular search engine Google.

• I also dove into the treasures of databases to find the informational gems that explain cigarette addiction among teenagers.

The Kidnapping of Google: A Chinese Hostage

Why cigarette addiction...and who cares?

How do you search for addiction?

Is there any print or video information available?

Is there addiction information on the Web?

The Kidnapping of Google: A Chinese Hostage

September 12, 2002--Since early September, millions of Chinese Internet users have been blocked from using the popular search engine Google in an apparent attempt to censor foreign media.(1)

When Chinese Internet users try to access Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., they are rerouted to Chinese based engines because Google, "does not filter content for local users to comply with Beijing's rules," said the New York Times.(3)

China's leaders blocked Google after "discovering that a search using the name of China's president, Jiang Zemin, yields a trove of articles from Chinese-language newspapers in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia and the United States that are not allowed to circulate" in China. (2)

Censorship is common in China before a major political event such as the November communist party congress. Although the Chinese government frequently blocks access to Western news, China has traditionally not interfered with Internet search engines. The Chinese government is concerned because Google allows users to find sites, such as those about Zemin, that the government deems "harmful."(2) Also,"Google's cache feature allows users to see what a site looked like when it was spidered, without leaving the google.com domain." (1)

According to the Washington Post, Kong Quan, an official with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, would not comment on the Google case, but "he acknowledged that the government is concerned about 'harmful things on the Internet' and said that 'this information should not be allowed to pass freely.'" (2)

China is able to block sites because China controls all of the Internet service providers in the country. Also, "some US-based search sites that have branches in China are believed to have agreed with the government to pull subversive links or content." (1)

According to the Washington Post a Google spokesman issued a statement saying, "We are currently working with Chinese authorities to resolve this issue." (2)

NOTES:
(1) Murphy, Kevin, "AltaVista and Google to fight Chinese censorship," ComputerWire, 11 September 2002 Also Available [Online]: Lexis-Nexis [Accessed: 11 September 2002].
(2) Goodman, Peter S. and Mike Musgrove, "China Blocks Web Search Engines; Country Fears Doors To Commerce Also Open Weak Spots," The Washington Post, 12 September 2002, p. E01 Also Available [Online]: Lexis-Nexis [Accessed:12 September 2002].
(3) Kahn, Joseph, "China Toughens Obstacles to Internet Searches," The New York Times, 12 September 2002, p.A3 Also Available [Online]: Lexis-Nexis [Accessed: 12 September 2002].

ADDITIONAL WEB SITE SOURCES:

Title of Web page: China hijacks Google's domain name
Web address: http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/020910chinagoogle/index.html
Brief Description: News item based on Google reroutes. No pictures.
Source of Web site: IT World

Title of Web page: China's Great Wall Against Google And AltaVista
Web address: http://searchenginewatch.com/sereport/02/10-china.html
Brief Description: News item on lifting of Chinese censorship. Includes multiple relevant links. No pictures.
Source of Web site: The Search Engine Report

Title of Web page: Google Corporate History
Web address: http://www.google.com/corporate/history.html
Brief Description: A brief history of Google with related pictures.
Source of Web site: Google, Inc.

Why cigarette addiction...and who cares?

• Cigarette addiction in young people is a growing problem. Teenagers are choosing to smoke at increasingly younger ages. Addiction to cigarettes and other tobacco products is starting early in life and following teens through adulthood. The earlier that a person starts to smoke, and becomes addicted, the harder it will be to stop smoking. When someone begins smoking at an early age, the person increases his or her chance of future diseases. Smoking exponentially raises the risk of several types of cancer and emphysema.

• In my research I hope to (1) discover how significant a problem smoking is among youth and teenagers. I want to (2) understand the mental and physical reasons behind why teenagers become addicted to cigarettes. In understanding the reasons behind addiction, I hope to (3) learn how smokers can stop the addictive habit of cigarette smoking.

• I hope that my research pertains to a broad audience. The specific audience I intend to target is young adults. A large number of college students begin to smoke in their teenage years, and many students smoke before they can even legally purchase tobacco. If the problem of cigarette smoking is widespread among young adults, young adults and teenagers are most likely interested in smoking addiction related issues. The breadth of addiction, the reasons behind addiction, and the cures for addiction are of utmost relevance to young adults.
  

How do you search for addiction?

I found hits with these keyword searches:

UNC Library catalog:
cigarettes AND addiction
cigarette habit AND youth
cigarettes AND teenagers
cigarette habit
tobacco AND addiction
tobacco

Lexis-Nexis:
cigarette addiction in teenagers
cigarette addiction
cigarette habit in youth
tobacco addiction
tobacco

Google:
youth cigarette addiction
cigarette addiction +teenagers
"cigarette addiction"
tobacco addiction
tobacco OR cigarette addiction
tobacco

Is there any print or video information available?

Yes!! I found the following sources:

Print Sources:

Parker-Pope, Tara. Cigarettes: anatomy of an industry from seed to smoke. New York: New Press, 2001. HD9149.C42P37 2001

Quester, Aline. Youth Smoking in the Country and in the Military: Findings and Ideas. Alexandria: Center for Naval Analyses, 1999. HV5740.Q7 1999

Non-print Source:

Terri Randall, prod., Showdown on Tobacco Road. (Camden: Varied Directions, 1987), video. 57 min. 65-V4085

Databases:

Cooney, Elizabeth. (2002, April 15). Test helps teens know when they're hooked on tobacco. Telegram & Gazette [Online], 14 paragraphs. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2002, September 10].

Kotulak, Ronald. (2002, March 29). Nicotine's secrets revealed: Scientists find out what makes cigarettes so pleasurable -- and addictive. Chicago Tribune [Online], 34 paragraphs. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2002, September 10].

Maugh II, Thomas H. (2002, August 29). Teens' Tobacco Addiction Faster Than Once Thought. Los Angeles Times [Online], 16 paragraphs. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2002, September 10].

McNeill, Ann., (1992, January). Why children start smoking: the need for a comprehensive tobacco control policy. British Journal of Addiction [Online], volume 87, 2 pages. Available: EBSCO HOST Academic Search Elite 6617754 [2002, September 10].

Moffat, Barbara M., and Joy L. Johnson (2001, September).
Through the Haze of Cigarettes: Teenage Girls' Stories About Cigarette Addiction. Qualitative Health Research [Online], volume 11, 14 pages. Available: EBSCO HOST Academic Search Elite 5812212 [2002, September 10].

Spears, Tom. (2002, August 29). Fast track to nicotine addiction: Teenagers get hooked more quickly than adults, often within a few weeks, says a U.S. researcher. The Ottawa Citizen [Online], 33 paragraphs. Available: LEXIS-NEXIS [2002, September 10].

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Is there addiction information on the Web?

Yes!! Check out the following:

Title of Web page: Youth and Nicotine Addiction Background
Web address: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/research_data/youth/ythaddt2.htm
Brief Description: This site contains valuable statistics on youth addiction to tobacco. It breaks down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's, CDC, youth addiction research into understandable statistics. It also contains a link to CDC's "Reasons for Tobacco Use and Symptoms of Nicotine Withdrawal Among Adolescent and Young Adult Tobacco Users."
Source of Web site: Centers for Disease Control

Title of Web page: Report-Investigation of the Sale of Tobacco Products to Teenagers in New York
Web address: http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/reports/tobacco_report.html
Brief Description: This is an investigative report by the New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the result of an undercover sting by New York officials. The site includes information about the causes, and cures of teenage smoking. It also includes recommendations to curb the use and sale of tobacco products to underage teens. The report also has footnotes with additional teen smoking related sources.
Source of Web site: New York State Attorney General

Title of Web page: Tobacco Addiction Found to be Nearly Immediate
Web address: http://www.umassmed.edu/pap/news/2002/08_29_02.cfm
Brief Description: This site is a summary of the University of Massachusetts Medical School's study of tobacco addiction. The study was released in the September 2002 issue of the journal Tobacco Control. Researches found that many teenagers are addicted almost immediately. The study says that most teenage girls are addicted to cigarettes within three weeks, and half of all boys are addicted within six months. The site also contains links to the official research paper and the Tobacco Control web page.
Source of Web site: University of Massachusetts Medical School

Title of Web page: What is Nicotine Addiction?
Web address: http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00307
Brief Description: This site by the Mayo Clinic describes what nicotine addiction is. It is a simple and understandable site that outlines the basics of addiction. It contains related links for symptoms, causes, risk factors, and prevention.
Source of Web site: Mayo Clinic

Title of Web page: Smoking: Don't Let it Steer you wrong
Web address: http://familydoctor.org/handouts/274.html
Brief Description: This website is directed at teenagers, but it is valuable to all ages. It is informative, and easy to comprehend. The site explains the downside of cigarette addiction. It also gives advice on preventing and stopping addiction. Site links include Nicotine Anonymous and American Lung Association.
Source of Web site: American Academy of Family Physicians

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