“A great day to quit: The Great American Smokeout”

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognizes more than 200 separate health-focused “awareness days” every year. Health officials across America will ask smokers to put down the cigarettes on Thursday. It’s for the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, which is held every year on the third Thursday of November. Organizers say when a smoker quits, even for one day, they are taking a step towards a healthier life and reducing their risk for cancer. The Great American Smokeout has its origins in the early 1970s, when smokers in Massachusetts were encouraged to quit cigarettes for a day and use the savings to fund school scholarships. As the event went national in 1977, the focus remained on picking one day to start the process of quitting smoking. “It is a process, so setting a date and actually targeting that date is a very good first step — and that’s what the Great American Smokeout is,” she said. “Even if you have tried to quit before, it’s never too late to try again.” And it’s never too late to stop, either, the health benefits, such as reduced blood pressure, can be seen within 20 minutes of your last cigarette.

In Other News Battle to save beached sperm whales http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2017/11/14/beached-whale-rescue-indonesia-lon-orig.cnn Lyft is making its first stop outside of the U.S. On Monday, the ride-hailing company announced it will begin operating in Toronto, starting in December. "We have had our sights set on international expansion for months, and the Canadian market is an obvious fit for Lyft's culture, values and the service that we provide," Lyft CEO Logan Green said in a statement to CNN Tech. "We've had incredible interest from both drivers and passengers in Toronto.“ Previously, Lyft operated internationally through partnerships with local ride-sharing companies, like Grab in Southeast Asia and Didi in China. "Lyft is a little late to the [international] game, but enjoys a better public image [than Uber], which I expect will ease their expansion efforts," said Carl Doty, vice president and group director at research firm Forrester.