Do you know how many countries have monarchies in 2011?

There are 45 countries besides Britain that still have a monarchy. Sixteen of them, all members of the Commonwealth, have Britain’s queen Windsor as head of state. They are Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Christopher & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

Other countries which still have monarchies include the Netherlands, Morocco, Norway, Sweden, Japan, Denmark and Belgium. Liechtenstein has an absolute monarch by the name of Hans-Adam. In 1999 he was found by the European Court of Human Rights to have suppressed freedom of expression in his principality.

Why do Brazilians speak Portuguese instead of Spanish?

Do you know why Brazil, unlike the rest of South America (that speaks Spanish), has Portuguese has its mother language?

If you are watching the series The Borgias on Showtime, you are watching this history in the making.

When I recently visited Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, I toured the Columbus house museum where we were reminded of how Brazil became Portuguese instead of Spanish speaking.

At the time of Columbus’ (accidental) discovery of the “New World”, Rodrigo Borgia was Pope Alexander the VI (originally from Spain). In 1493, in order to enhance his influence with Spain and increase his net worth, the Pope took a pen, drew a line on a map, and divided the world. Spain was given everything west of line-370- leagues-west of Azores; and Portugal was awarded everything to the east. Hence, Spain got the “New World” (Americas) with the exception of Brazil (too far east) and Portugal got India, Africa, and the (east) Indies. Didn’t someone tell them there were already people living there?

And, that is why Brazilians speak Portuguese-- Brazil was given to Portugal by the (notoriously corrupt) Pope.

China smoking ban

I am shocked to see an era when the Chinese will soon ban smoking indoors. I am surprised because 1) cigarette taxes produce significant (1/10th) revenue for the Chinese government, 2) cigarette plants are major employers in many Chinese towns, and 3) smoking is widespread as 53 % of Chinese (men) smoke.

Other facts:

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of tobacco. The Chinese tobacco market is dominated by the government monopoly China National Tobacco Corporation (CNTC). CNTC holds 98 percent of the Chinese market. CNTC sold more than 2.1 trillion cigarettes in 2008.

Over 400 brands of cigarettes are sold at China’s ubiquitous tobacco shops.

Although nearly 1.2 million Chinese people die from smoking-related diseases each year, the habit is deeply entrenched in public life. If current trends continue, China’s death toll from tobacco will reach 2 million per year by 2020.

Today, about one out of every three cigarettes smoked worldwide is smoked in China, close to 5 billion a day.

Among the Chinese population, most smokers are men. Few women have taken up the habit at least not yet.

Around three million Chinese begin smoking each year, most when they are in their teens. Among 14 year olds, 11 percent of boys and 3 percent of girls smoke.
More than half of all male Chinese doctors smoke.

Chinese cigarettes, among the cheapest in the world, are considered an important part of socializing. Cheap brands such as Bandling sell for about 10 to 20 cents a pack. Big Harvest, Little Panda and Yellow Pagoda cost less than 50 cents a pack. More expensive brands such as Red Pagoda cost around one dollar. Gold-filtered Chunghua cigarettes sell for $10 a pack.

Here’s is an AP article with highlights:

BEIJING | Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:09pm EDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will ban smoking at all indoor public venues from May in an effort to shield the world's most populous nation, and its largest cigarette producer, from the harmful effects of the habit, the health ministry said.

China, which has more than 300 million smokers, will require businesses to display prominent no-smoking signs, forbid vending machines from selling cigarettes and ensure that designated outdoor smoking zones not affect pedestrian traffic, according to a ministry statement reported in Chinese media on Thursday.

Businesses should educate customers about the health hazards of smoking and workers should attempt to stop smokers from lighting up, the ministry said.

The ministry did not state specific penalties -- a sign that the new ban might not be rigorously enforced.

China, the world's largest cigarette producer, has embarked on years of half-hearted campaigns to stub out the habit in some cities. The government previously it would ban smoking in all hospitals and medical facilities from 2011.

In 2008, Beijing formally pledged to restrict smoking in most public venues in the city, including government offices and public transport, but most of these venues remain choked with smoke and non-smoking signs are routinely ignored.

In the southern city of Guangzhou, smokers who light up in certain public places only have to pay a 50 Yuan ($7.625) fine, a limited deterrent in one of China's richest cities, even as state news agency Xinhua dubbed it "the nation's toughest smoking ban."

Less smoking could reduce smoking-related health costs, but would also hurt government revenue, as the tobacco industry provides nearly one-tenth of tax revenues. ($1 = 6.558 Chinese Yuan)

(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee; Editing by Chris Lewis)