Alberta enacts toughest distracted driving law in North America

Alberta enacts toughest distracted driving law in North America | Daily Brew - Yahoo! News:

The law also bans eating, teeth brushing, shaving, hair combing, writing, sketching or applying makeup - all activities one would consider a distraction. But reading email in parking lots or calling home while parked in a drive-through would still constitute distracted driving in Alberta, and would even apply to bike couriers.

National Post blogger Jesse Kline doesn't agree with Alberta's late ride to the distracted driver saloon, arguing science deflates the theory bans on cellphone use decrease crashes.

"It doesn't matter that the law won't actually make the roads safer. Governments don't need a problem to exist, in order to try and fix it."

I love it when someoene writes something so smart I don't feel like doing anything but linking the story.
This is one of those happy times.

Restaurants fear smoking ban

Restaurants fear smoking ban - Business - The Prague Post:

 In Hungary, which is poised to implement a smoking ban in 2012, the Tax and Excise Office released a report saying the ban would reduce state budget revenues 118.6 million euros the first year of implementation, as well as cause a loss in excise taxes revenues from cigarettes and alcohol of 2.2 million euros. The loss of VAT from cigarette sales was expected to be between 18 million and 31 million euros.

Cold,hard facts. Sometimes they're the best kind.
They sure do put things into perspective.

Godfrey Bloom: Hull no smoking scheme 'waste of money'

BBC News - Godfrey Bloom: Hull no smoking scheme 'waste of money':

An MEP has called for Hull's anti-smoking campaign to be dropped, claiming it is a "waste of money".

Godfrey Bloom, the UKIP member for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, said the initiative was not working and the money could be better spent.

A recent report showed levels of smoking in the city had risen over the last few years.

Once again a story too good not to share.

I have doubts that this will make much difference,but it is sort of heartwarming to know somewhere there is a politican exhibiting some common sense.

:) Reading it made me happy,that's rare enough.

New law aims to keep contraband out of state mental hospitals - latimes.com

New law aims to keep contraband out of state mental hospitals - latimes.com:

Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed into law a bill that makes it a misdemeanor to deliver contraband such as tobacco products or wireless devices to state mental hospital patients.

The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) and coauthored by Assemblyman Michael Allen (D-Santa Rosa), is among several introduced this year to address high levels of violence in the psychiatric facilities.

Oh sure take away the tobacco,that should lower the level of violence since so many patients self medicate with tobacco anyway.
Silly fucking me thinking that maybe the people with the problems that tobacco helps should be allowed to obtain and use it.

I never thought this would be a worldwide issue and yet it is.
As illustrated here and here .

The real bloggers tell a better story then I ever could so just click the links and read.

Assessing Cigarettes' Right to Free Speech - Miller-McCune

Assessing Cigarettes' Right to Free Speech - Miller-McCune:

The government will also undoubtedly argue that it has a substantial interest in protecting public health (and paying for the health care costs of people who wind up with lung cancer). But the last two questions are trickier. Will these images actually discourage smoking and enhance public health, as the government hopes they will? Research on this question is mixed. And even if the images were effective, couldn’t the government warn people about cigarettes with a less drastic tool — like, say, the messages already in use?

Intelligent article,interesting reading.
No snark or sarcasm,I just stuck it here because I thought it deserved a read.

Cigarette Wars

Cigarette Wars:

The replay from MSNBC's show about tobacco.

Interesting to watch.

Show has a major anti bias,no shock there.

Beer Burkas: Utah Legislators Require Restaurants To Install “Zion Curtains” To Prevent Customers From Seeing Beers Being Opened or Poured

Beer Burkas: Utah Legislators Require Restaurants To Install “Zion Curtains” To Prevent Customers From Seeing Beers Being Opened or Poured « JONATHAN TURLEY:

There is no rational basis for this limitation as a matter of public health. These reports indicate that some businesses are considering leaving the state or at least not expanding in the state, which appears the objective of some who support the arbitrary limitations. This law is ripe for a constitutional challenge.

Never having been to a bar in Utah I have nothing really to say about the issue.
But it seems odd to know there is a place where you can't even see your own bartender.