From: diem@diemnothiszone.net   
      
   On Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:50:30 +1300, zeborah@gmail.com (Zeborah) wrote:   
      
   >Brian M. Scott  wrote:   
   >   
   >> On Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:14:47 -0400, "J. Clarke"   
   >>  wrote in   
   >>  in rec.arts.sf.misc:   
   >>   
   >> [...]   
   >>   
   >> > Personally I don't smoke, but I think that the way the US   
   >> > handles  smoking is just another example of Puritanism   
   >> > running amok.   
   >>   
   >> Prohibition was arguably Puritanism running amok; this is a   
   >> different motivation altogether.   
   >   
   >John would probably disapprove of the situation in New Zealand.  Smoking   
   >is banned in all restaurants, bars, etc.  It means I can actually go to   
   >the pub now.(1)  I don't know that the net effect is strictly in favour   
   >of Puritanism. :-)   
   >   
   >Zeborah   
   >(1) I don't go often, but I don't go out *anywhere* often.  I've   
   >certainly gone more often since the ban was enacted than I had before   
   >it.   
      
      
   Me too. In fact, I was able to go to the meal which started my   
   daughter's Hen Night on Saturday precisely because the smoking ban is   
   in place (Newcastle upon Tyne, England) and then on to a bar for   
   another drink before my sister-in-law and myself (both of us have   
   asthma, though hers is not set off by cig. smoke) left the young ones   
   to go off and do their thing. It was a revelation - a night out with   
   no physical penalty! (And my clothes didn't stink of smoke when I went   
   home either.)   
      
   In fact the only smoke we encountered was a fast-disappearing whisp   
   when they set fire to my cocktail. :)   
      
   Diem   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)