Andrew Warner

The Ohio Department of Health has proposed rules for the smoking ban. They seem pretty fair. Public comment is being accepted on the proposal until January 11th.

Now, if only they will start enforcing them quickly after the comment session is closed. Most bloggers seem to think that the ban will not be enforced until June, but the language seems to give the Department of Health the ability to enforce them any time between now and then.

To implement and enforce this new law, the Director of Health will adopt rules focusing on enforcement authority and procedures. While ORC Chapter 3794 is effective Dec. 7, 2006, the director of health then has six months, or until June 7, 2007, to adopt rules.

The sooner the better.

Labels: bars, Ohio politics, smoking ban

Posted by Andrew Warner at 1:51 PM | Permalink | Comments

More than once in the blogosphere, some bitter commenter has glanced at my Blogger profile and defeated any argument I have (no matter how awesome it is) by pointing out Blink 182 is one of my favorite bands.

People lose intellectual respect for me when they realize I like a band that rose to fame with dirty jokes about boobs and semi-reflective songs about heartbreak. As I was 13 at the time, it was right up my alley. When I started listening to them, the band was probably an average of 22 and just finding prominence by landing a track on Can't Hardly Wait soundtrack – "Damn it," a song about the difficulties of breaking up and growing up.

Now they are all in there 30s and broken up. They are squirting out babies and spending more time with their wives instead of chasing girls and having their hearts shattered. Though their latest album, self-titled, took several steps forward and showed the inevitable maturation that comes with ten years, they still called it quits suddenly after its release – a nasty goodbye that resulted in the canceling of half a tour and the severing of all ties.

Rumor has it, Tom Delonge, the somewhat pompous front-man, has not spoken to the other two members of the band since they went their separate ways.

However, the members have their own projects now and one of them is in town tonight. Call it nostalgia if you must, but I'll be there tonight at the Madison theater to see part of the band (Tom Delonge as a member of Angels and Airwaves) that grew up alongside me.

Maybe I'll see you there.

Labels: bars, Cincinnati, Music

Posted by Andrew Warner at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments

I was enjoying a delicious vegan burger for lunch today and was saddened when cigarette smoke started filling my nostrils and interfering with that delicious black bean flavor.

Sitting around the bar were four or five people, puffing cigarettes and dropping ashes into now illegal ashtrays, griping about how ridiculously stupid the smoking band is. I would have asked them if they had even voted, but they were too caught up in their talking points and congratulating each other on how smart they are for disobeying the new law.

I feel bad about calling the snitch line on my favorite establishments, but quite frankly, their disregard for the law is insulting. A lot of people put a lot of time and effort into making this just law a reality, and they are pissing on the will of the voters as if they somehow know better.

Often times the voters are wrong, but this doesn't seem to be one of those cases (of course there are some who disagree). Maybe I have to let go of a few of my favorite establishments and take my dollars elsewhere. Maybe I'll have to move to New York City where people seem to "get it." But as long as they are going to keep insulting the political process and making up their own rules as they go, I guess it's my duty to keep calling the snitch line and hope the health department puts them in their place.

Labels: bars, local business, smoking ban

Posted by Andrew Warner at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments