Saturday

Starting the weekend here at SB's. Warmer here with snow melting.

A modified FFF today in Illinois. Mom, 2,3, and 4 are gathering at the C-town malls. I took a pass. It's a trip to pick up the car that 3 took back to C-town on Christmas.

Mom and 4 did attend the caucus on Thursday night. 4 couldn't cast a ballot as she is registered in IC. Interesting to note that the post-mortems suggest that Huckabee won because of the turn-out of the Evangelicals. Personally, I hope the results in the future primaries are less connected to the religious beliefs of the candidates.

The state of Illinois enacted a law last year that became effective January 1 that outlaws smoking in all bars and restaurants. We receive a lot of the media's coverage of the debate on the topic because of this being a border area. The bar owners are largely against the law as they see it as driving customers away, in this case, to Iowa establishments. Time will tell. A similar law in France effective 1/1 has received broad international coverage.

Smoking is one of those things that can engender emotions on each side of the issue. The anti's see second-hand smoke as an infringement of their rights to clean air. The smokers regard the ban as an unjust impairment of freedoms on which our country is based. Things like health care costs, general economics of the tobacco industry, and the long history of smoking as an accepted activity cloud the controversy.

The bar at Biaggi's is the designated smoking area for the restaurant. Since I normally sit in this bar area (as my usual activity is wining, not dining), I do notice the second hand smoke. In addition to the few designated dining tables near the bar where smokers can request to be seated, guests from the back dining rooms will venture out to the bar for a smoke between courses, or when the need otherwise arises. For a non-smoker trying to enjoy a dry Tuscan red, the drifting odor of cigarette smoke is a definite negative in the ambiance of the moment.

Newer places like Biaggi's have ventilation systems that mitigate some of the second-hand smoke issues. Rarely do my clothes retain the smell of the smoke, even when I've spent a longer evening at the bar. This is in contrast to an older line place like a neighborhood bar where the smoke is more dense and the ventilation is less sophisticated. The problem with any ventilation solution is that it sucks out the heated air in the Winter, and the cooler air in the Summer. Both sucking results obviously add to the heating and cooling costs of the establishments.

(As I write this, I'm trying to decide if the health problems of second hand smoke are next in line for an Al Gore solution. The Internet. Global warming. Smoking health issues. It's a natural tri-fecta.)

Most municipalities have "noise" ordinances. There's a significant on-going debate on odors from hog/cattle confinement operations in Iowa and elsewhere. Many places have banned the burning of old tires or treated railroad ties. There are significant Federal laws on toxic emissions from cars, power plants, and other industrial operations. Smokers should read the tea leaves and recognize that the limitations on public smoking will continue against their favor.

From my perspective, I'm not a full-scale smoking hater. I would be devastated if one of the girls elected to start the habit. But for people in whom I do not have a personal connection, I am not overly revolted. However, that said, I am bothered by the societal impact of smoking on our health care system. (These are exactly the same feelings that I have about motor cycle riding. I don't want my girls on one, but I don't have a quarrel with other riders. IF they wear a helmet. There's still that societal cost of the bad results of motorcycle accidents.)

So here's my short list of bad effects of being around a smoker:

1. Bad hair smell.
2. Don't even think about a kiss.
3. Yellow teeth.
4. Bad breath.
5. That ugly slot between the first two fingers.

This list is too easy.

I'm headed out for lunch with my pal Roy.

Have a great day.

BCOT