Smoking? Not on my beach.

New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is proposing to ban smoking at New York beaches, parks, outdoor malls, and plazas.  Back in 2002, he has successfully banned smoking in restaurants and bars.

Indoor smoking bans are obvious, everyone is trapped with the smoke.  Outdoor smoking bans are a bit trickier.  The smoke isn't trapped and disappates more quickly.  But according to some studies, the smoke outdoors is still unhealthy for people nearby.

Study: Outdoor smoke gets in your lungs (USA Today)

Yes, while you can move upwind from the smoker or farther away, non-smokers shouldn't have to do so.  If you are enjoying your book at a park bench, having a smoker sit next to you, or even just waking past, is distracting, obnoxious, and unhealthy.  The smoke still travels and is easily enhaled by non-smokers.

I have heard arguments about music can be played too loud and should also be banned.  While I haven't checked all municipalities in the U.S., I know there are 'noise pollution' laws around the country that prevent people from playing their music so loud it disturbs others within certain distances.  And a big difference is that music isn't harmful to your health while smoke is.

Another argument is that barbeques and campfires do the same thing that smoke from a cigarette does.  But I don't recall the last time I was even mildly annoyed with barbeque smoke or campfire smoke from someone else.  If this was prevalent, I could see the same type of ban being put into place.

Lastly, walking around the beach, with cigarettes littering the area is unsightly, annoying, and a health hazard (think babies putting cigarette butts into their mouths) and I am all for a ban at the beach.

Original article:
City Wants a Smoking Ban on Beaches (New York Times)

Update:
When Citizens (Gasp) Are the Smoking Police (New York Times)

When is the word 'boy' derogatory?

My family is from Arkansas.  I don't recall ever hearing them refer to a black man as 'boy'.  But while visiting Arkansas for many family reunions, I know that the word 'boy' is not used in a good way, though usage has waned over the years.  It's not always meant in a bad way, but is part of the language spoken in the South and, when spoken to an adult, is exclusively used when talking to black men.  Some people say it because that is what their family and friends do.  Not an excuse, but rather what happens.  I'd like to believe that once most people hear that 'boy' is demeaning to a black man, they would stop using it.

Which is why I found this article about the use of 'boy' at a Tyson Foods plant in Alabama interesting.  The Supreme Court said there were 'no racial overtones' in using the term.  Read the entire article and see what you think.

Appeals Court in Atlanta Again Rejects Racial Discrimination Claim (NY Times)

My question would be, did the managers call any white men 'boy'?  If they did, then there is probably not much of a case.  If they did not, as seems the case, then the case is stronger.

Puerto Rico as the 51st state?

Current opinion: none

Over the years, Puerto Rico has been talked about as our next State.

Puerto Rico has been 'part of the U.S.' since it was ceded by Spain in the Spanish-American War in 1898.  Since that time, Puerto Ricans have fought in every American war since that time.  Puerto Rico pays Federal Payroll Taxes (but not Income Taxes), Social Security Taxes and other taxes, are under U.S. military protection, and, as of 1941, are natural born citizens of the United States.  They also have non-voting representation in Congress.

Puerto Rico has almost 4 million people with a literacy rate of over 94% (the United States is 99%).  President George H.W. Bush, in his first State of the Union address, said he believed that Puerto Rico should become a state, as long as it's citizens voted to do so.

What would becoming a state mean to Puerto Rico and the United States?

First, Puerto Rico would have allocated funds given to them as other states do now.  The standard of living in Puerto Rico is lower, and with additional funds, this could increase.  But they would also begin to pay Federal Income Taxes which could offset this.  They would also have voting Representation in Congress (six seats in the House of Representatives).

New Opinion: Puerto Rico should remain a protectorate of the United States since there is no big advantage to either Puerto Rico or the United States to change the status quo