'Cease and desist?' The persistence of Marlboro brand imagery in racing video games

Since 1972, Philip Morris (PM) has sponsored motorsports. Racing video games are a popular genre among youth and often emulate the branding of their real-life counterparts, potentially exposing youth to tobacco imagery. We examined racing video games for the presence of Marlboro imagery and explored the history of efforts to remove or regulate such imagery.We searched the Truth Tobacco Industry documents for relevant documents and used information from video game-related websites and game play videos to identify racing video games that contained Marlboro trademarks and imagery. We also collected information on the Entertainment Software Ratings Board's (ESRB) tobacco-specific and overall game ratings.In 1989, negative publicity surrounding the presence of Marlboro logos in racing games led PM to threaten legal action against two game makers for copyright infringement. PM also launched a media campaign promoting this intervention as evidence of its commitment to youth smoking prevention. Nonetheless, we identified 219 video games from 1979 to 2018 that contained Marlboro trademarks and/or Marlboro-sponsored drivers and livery. Among the games in our sample with an ESRB game rating, all but one received an 'E,' indicating appropriateness for everyone, and all but three lacked tobacco content descriptors.Racing video games have been and continue to be a vehicle for exposing adolescents to the Marlboro brand. Because voluntary efforts by PM and the video game industry to prevent youth exposure to tobacco brands in video games have been ineffective, USA and international policy-makers should prohibit tobacco content in video games

Should we reconsider competition in residential electricity supply? Survey results in North Carolina

Retail competition has been introduced in many states as part of electricity industry deregulation. Following problems in the electricity market in California in 2000/01 many states, including NC, put deregulation plans on hold. Where retail competition is allowed consumers can choose their electricity supplier, and companies can compete for customers on the basis of rates and/or other options such as green energy choices. The welfare benefits of retail competition depend on consumers’ willingness to switch suppliers, and in many cases people choose to stay with their current supplier even though rivals offer savings. In that sense consumers are ‘sticky’ in the same way they are with other services such as banking and credit. The question then becomes: should states reconsider retail competition or stay with the status quo? To help answer this question we survey residents in two North Carolina counties. Our survey focuses on: (i) households’ knowledge of and interest in retail competition (ii) factors that would encourage them to switch suppliers, with an emphasis on smart meters and (iii) how large the potential savings would have to be to encourage switching. Key Words: electricity supply, retail competition, switching

A Discussion on Armington Trade Substitution Elasticities

Applied partial and general equilibrium models used to examine trade policy are almost universally sensitive to trade elasticities. Indeed, the Armington elasticity, the degree of substitution between domestic and imported goods, is a key behavioral parameter that drives the quantitative, and sometimes the qualitative, results that policymakers use. While standard transparent approaches to econometric estimation of these elasticities have been offered for the last 30 years, the estimates are viewed as too small by many trade economists. A few robust findings emerge from the econometric literature: (1) more disaggregate analyses find higher elasticities, (2) long-run estimates are higher than short-run estimates, and (3) time series analyses generally find lower elasticities relative to cross-sectional studies. We offer simulation results to illustrate the sensitivity of general equilibrium models to Armington elasticites. We conclude with remarks on the current challenges that remain in determining these important parameters.International Relations/Trade,

A Discussion on Armington Trade Substitution Elasticities

Applied partial and general equilibrium models used to examine trade policy are almost universally sensitive to trade elasticities. Indeed, the Armington elasticity, the degree of substitution between domestic and imported goods, is a key behavioral parameter that drives the quantitative, and sometimes the qualitative, results that policymakers use. While standard transparent approaches to econometric estimation of these elasticities have been offered for the last 30 years, the estimates are viewed as too small by many trade economists. A few robust findings emerge from the econometric literature: (1) more disaggregate analyses find higher elasticities, (2) long-run estimates are higher than short-run estimates, and (3) time series analyses generally find lower elasticities relative to cross-sectional studies. We offer simulation results to illustrate the sensitivity of general equilibrium models to Armington elasticites. We conclude with remarks on the current challenges that remain in determining these important parameters.Computable general equilibrium; International Trade; Armington; elasticity

Essential characteristics of preventive educational programs targeting the industrial and service worker populations

The purpose of this literature review is to identify essential characteristics of successful worker education programs. This organized data will minimize trial and error attempts when developing an effective injury prevention program to comply with OSHA standards. [This is an excerpt from the abstract. For the complete abstract, please see the document.

Older Women: Their Quest for Justice and Peace

Journal ArticleMyths, misconceptions and stereotypes about women and about older people combine in ways that prevent us from noticing some promising new developments in the quest for justice and peace. A popular stereotype sees the person working toward peace and justice as youthful, and significantly, often male. Older women tend to be stigmatized and without much status in our society. These two factors mean that older women's potential as peace and justice seekers may be underestimated. As older women become a statistically more important group in Canada's aging society, the movements for justice and peace might receive an unexpected boos

Effects of Enhanced Evaluative Feedback on Student Grades

The following hypothesis was developed to guide this study: 1. Students in the OTS 110T, Technology in Your World, class at Old Dominion University that receive enhanced evaluative feedback will earn higher grades than those students receiving normal feedback