Smoking Ban passed in Austin,TX

[David Ayers]

I regularly visit California, and I completely appreciate the ban on smoking in bars and restaurants. It is not just a question of health but of aesthetics. Smoke smells and tastes and irritates your eyes and lungs. California really went the right way on this. There are a lot of places I won't visit here in England because they just have an unpleasant environment. In California the law is so taken for granted that hardly anyone even thinks about it asny more - that's the way it will be everywhere, eventually...

[Christiern]

Listen weizen, we live in a country where a guy can't even have a little innocent fun in his own office without someone forming a committee on the Hill!

Legalize sex in the Oval Office!

Think how much money and time we would have saved.

Edited June 7, 2003 by Christiern

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Yeah, screw those old "chicken in every pot" campaign slogans......where's the good sense candidate with the

"a Reeperbahn in every city!!" slogan ?

[Christiern]

Weizen, would you believe that I spent my honeymoon in Hamburg?

[Son-of-a-Weizen]

Yes, I thought I spotted you in that crowd of troublemakers back in March!

Seriously though, I presume that you would have been back there in the mid-late '50's or so? Some nice spot on the Innen Alster perhaps?

Back to the Reeperbahn -- that area was quite the place back then from what I understand...that in addition to all the Grosse Freiheit 'activities' there was alot of nice music, dance clubs...attracting alot of well-groomed types. It really started to get seedy in the late late 70's.

[Christiern]

We were there in '55, stayed at the Hotel Atlantic. We had fun--you're right, it was bawdy but not sleazy back then.

[connoisseur series500]

What, you mean prostitution isn't legal?

Agree with you on that one, Weizy.

[Jazzmoose]

Heck, it's time to move forward on this and legalize prostitution. Let the state run it like a business....cut loose the low-life element (pimps), keep it contained in certain areas like it is in many european cities...run the mandatory health checks, etc. The Nevada model is even goofy imo because state law specifically excludes areas with high population densities (Tahoe, Reno & Vegas) .....but at least it's better than the present nonsense of having cops running oodles of sting operations, busting toothless hags on street corners, etc

Typical rightwing callousness! As a liberal, I think toothless hag prostitutes should receive goverment funding to allow them to compete on an even keel. Plus an additional allowance to enable them to buy heavy make up, push up bras, and support hose to hide the varicose veins.

[Rooster_Ties]

So, nearly one year later, what's the latest on the smoking ban in Austin??

Good thing??

Bad thing??

Hard to tell, too many other factors??

[Brandon Burke]

It never actually happened (or it passed but is stuck in red tape). One of the two, and probably the latter.

Personally, I like to have a smoke when I'm out having a drink. And that's about the only time I ever do it. That said, however, I really enjoy the fact that my clothes don't stink when I come home from going out in NY. For this reason, I find that, nine times out of ten, when I go out somewhere in Austin, I find a place where I can sit outside: somewhere with a patio, beer garden, etc.

[7/4]

Smoking bans are totally fucking jive & I've never smoked a cigarrette in my life. In NYC, w/insane amounts of truck & bus pollution, the "health" issue angle is completely fatuous. One idling 80% empty double long bus = how many goddamn cigarettes?

And how long have the buses been running on propane? It burns clean?

[7/4]

A staple in Los Angeles for years, New York City became the world’s biggest social experiment in smoke-free living in the Spring of 2003 when smoking was banned in all bars, restaurants and other commercial establishments.

Now, on the one-year anniversary of the 2002 Smoke-Free Air Act, the city is releasing a major study that purports to show that not only has the nightlife industry not suffered because of the ban, it’s actually thriving. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has released their report, titled, “State of Smoke Free New York,” outlines the economic impact of the smoking ban.

City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden, said, "New York City is a healthier place to work, eat, and drink. The law has not hurt the bar and restaurant industry, and 150,000 more workers in New York City breathe smoke-free air every day, reducing their risk of heart disease, stroke and lung cancer."

MORE HERE

[Jim Alfredson]

Smoking bans are totally fucking jive & I've never smoked a cigarrette in my life.

As someone who plays live music for a living, I appreciate non-smoking venues very much. I don't think a law needs to be passed, but I wouldn't be against it. I do believe, however, that club owners should re-think the attitude that says "If I don't allow smoking, people won't come" because that's just not true.

Case in point: Organissimo played three gigs last week. On Thursday we had a gig at the New Holland Brew Company in Holland, MI. No smoking. Place was packed. They also have great food and great beer.

On Friday we played Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo. Again, no smoking inside. They have an outdoors patio where people can smoke. We had a great crowd.

On Saturday we played the Allegan Jazz Festival which was in a 1920's theatre with no smoking. It was fine.

Smoking sucks and it's especially annoying when someone with a gigantic cigar sits right in front of you when you're playing and trying to sing.

[connoisseur series500]

Smoking sucks and it's especially annoying when someone with a gigantic cigar sits right in front of you when you're playing and trying to sing.

The answer is elementary:

Just tell Joe to go back to the other side of the stage with his cigar.

Edited May 25, 2004 by connoisseur series500