The Writer's Poke

I don't smoke, and I don't actually like to be in smoky places. But the idea that a government can ban smoking in public places bothers me. This happened in Minnesota. All bars are now smoke free, with one loophole. If you're in a play, you can smoke indoors. So, now bars in Minnesota are having "theater nights." And, all customers are designated as "improv actors." I think that's just awesome. Will the government crack down on this? Sure. Heaven forbid they spend time on something more important, like making sure major bridges don't collapse... (Yes, I know cancer sucks, and workers should be protected from second-hand smoke... but I still tend to side with smoker's rights. As long as cigs are legal, you should be able to smoke them in bars. Period.) http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080307/ap_on_fe_st/smoking_ban_loophole_7

Hillary won Super Tuesday II last night, in part I would argue, because she has been able to convince people that she is "the devil you already know." As one CNN pundit said last night, "She's 60 and claims 35 years' experience. That means, she's claiming all of her adult life after college." In the 1970s, she was a lawyer. In the 1980s, she was the first lady of Arkansas. In the 1990s, she was first lady of the United States. If you review her biography, you see that she was concerned about losing her identity to her husband, and rightly or wrongly, that's exactly what happened. The problem with being a first lady: it's not an elected position. It carries no accountability to the voters, and the position holds no specific responsibilities. And like Barack said in the last debate, it becomes far too easy for her to lay claim to her husband's administration's successes while also not accepting responsibility for any of the administration...

This is the Spyder (click on the pic for a larger image). Would you ride something like this? It's not a motorcycle (notice the two front wheels), but it's not your traditional three-wheeler, either. Apparently the extra wheel makes the Spyder more stable than a motorcycle, and also, a motorcycle license is not required to ride one. What does it cost? About the same as a Harley -- $17,000. Will my wife let me have one? Time will tell.