Since it was officially announced that smokers kill people I can now report on any terrorists (aka smokers, killers, etc.) I see here in the village. Of course, I would rapidly run out of energy trying to do this, since 1/3 of all people seem to smoke (based on statistics of walking in the downtown mall region).
It would be a true f*-ing miracle if a single place would ban smoking at outdoor eateries, but not one place seems to have any gumption. Tonight at one popular martini bar a group of hideous Virginian women sat down at the table next to me (the accent made me want to puke) and lit up. They were celebrating a 40th b-day. They looked at least 65. I’ll post several actual photos of them later this weekend…but this photo give a good representation.
The stupidity of the south continues to boggle me. I should really be used to it by now. Maybe I should start smoking one cig every 20 minutes. That would make me a lot smarter…so smart I might be able to call myself a Virginian…or whatever they call themselves down here (promoter of cancer, spreader of carcinogens, killer of children, IQ eradicator,…hard to say which is best).
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You imply that smoking is more common in Virginia than the rest of the nation when, as you know, the same percentage of people smoke in Virginia as in the rest of the nation. You’re right to complain about it as a disgusting and dangerous habit, but I don’t think there’s any need to pretend that there’s anything different about it in Virginia.
You did contact Sen. Creigh Deeds and Del. David Toscano to support Sen. Brandon Bell’s Indoor Clean Air Act, didn’t you? I went to Richmond to learn about the bill and advocate for its passage, and I don’t believe I saw you there the day it was up for a vote. I assume you at least e-mailed your representatives to try to change things, rather than just complaining about smoking on your blog.
Right?
I am in Charlottesville. The poverty rate is 25.9%. The connection between poverty and smoking is drastic, as is the negative correlation between education and smoking. In Virginia as a whole we have a 20.8% smoking rate, and the country averages 20.6%. Close to the same, but not the same.
NOVA is considered part of Virginia. I know that all those here don’t believe that, but it is. The poverty rate is not 25.9% up there. As a matter of fact, it is only higher than that in one other city in this commonwealth. Using some math, I quickly realize that the percentage of smokers here in the village is much higher than you would try to state.
Another great way to see the number that smoke is to go outside in this city. Not in the hallowed halls of the U, but in the city.
I vote (although in this dump it doesn’t really mater…does it?). The village getting rid of Rob S. more or less showed how things work around here. I’ve chatted with Mark Warner (and have a nice photo with him), and Al Weed. As for a clean air act, why haven’t we banned smoking in all public locations (indoor and out), since smoking in public is the same as being a terrorist in public? Shortening a lifespan is the goal of each.
If I could buy things like the Crapshaw can I could open a smoke free place (including outdoor seating). Unfortunately I am not one of those people. I’m one of those that can’t go listen to music, can’t go to bars, and can’t eat at an outdoor restaurant.
One difference between Charlottesville and other cities I’ve been to this year (including Seattle, DC, Vancouver, Portland, SF, and NYC) is that I can eat at an outdoor restaurant without having smokers sitting all around me puffing their way to a coughing death.
Feel free to keep trying to defend this unbelievably overrated village…it’ll keep me laughing for another day until I leave, or drop dead due to effects of second hand smoke.
Now, when is this f#ing village going to get some HDTV from cable, or permissions from the local TV stations?
And for some fun reading:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5320a2.htm
http://www.statehealthfacts.org/cgi-bin/healthfacts.cgi?action=profile&category=Health+Status&subcategory=Smoking&topic=Smoking+Rate&link_category=&link_subcategory=&link_topic=&welcome=0&area=Virginia
http://www1.worldbank.org/tobacco/tcdc/041TO062.PDF
http://readthehook.com/stories/2004/04/01/letterCitysPoorNeedHelp.html
Well, you know ol’ tag line:
“Virginia is for losers.”
C’mon y’all let’s sing:
“Oh I wish I was in the land o’ tobaccy
All times there sure are tacky
Get away, get away, get away, smoke fumed land … ”
What’s a matter y’all, throat cancer got your tongue?
Trusting a politician around here to get a job done is futile.