Happy Pi Day

(a.k.a. Cue the cleanup hitter)

Time to tie up some loose ends -- or rather, comment on some previous topics.  First things first, though.  Happy Pi Day (the day formerly known as 3/14).  We're celebrating by visiting Eric and Jill for homemade pizza pi.

Anyway, to follow up on the January post "On Public Smoking Bans," Monday was significant because Gov. Kaine actually got the deal done.  Yes, Virginia, starting December 1, 2009, the home state of Philip Morris USA, and the worlds largest cigarrette factory, smoking in bars and restaurants (with a few exceptions - private parties, patios, separate ventilation systems) will be PROHIBITED.  This one's for you, Gov. Kaine.

And, while NASA's Kepler spacecraft had a successful start to its mission, the Shuttle Discovery is having issues getting off the ground.  There's a leak in one of the hydrogen fuel lines that they just can't get fixed.  Next launch window is tomorrow...after that we're looking at April.  Here's hoping that we don't have to wait. Every delay makes our space program look older.  Where's that shuttle replacement when we need it?   Oh, here it is...just, you know, it isn't built yet, it's British, and it won't be designed for manned missions (at least to start...).  Anyway, this one's for you, Kepler Spacecraft -- I'm following you on twitter:  @NASAKepler

-Kal

On Public Smoking Bans

Along the politics theme that I've been going on, another post. I've determined recently that I'm not as conservative as I thought I was during 2008. A couple things have helped me to realize this, but chief among them are certain laws that are enacted for public health reasons.

The first sign of this was when we went home to Michigan after Christmas. With one exception, most of the restaurants we went to had smoking sections. I don't smoke, and I cannot stand the smell of it. Living in Northern Virginia (coined "Communist Country" during the 2008 Campaign by Joe McCain), and working in suburban Maryland, I am very spoiled. The District of Columbia and the neighboring Maryland counties (MoCo and PG) have specific ordinances prohibiting smoking inside bars and restaurants. In Northern Virginia, the practice isn't specifically prohibited, but most restaurants do it on their own, or will have very small and very isolated smoking sections.

For health reasons, and my own enjoyment, I think this is a very good thing. Gov. Kaine of Virginia tried in 2007 and is rumored to be trying again in 2009, to pass a statewide smoking ban like those in DC and Suburban Maryland. It is not likely that this will pass the Republican-dominated General Assembly. That's ok, I guess. But what irks me, and why I'm inspired to post about this, is that there is a bill in the works that specifically prohibits localities from enacting their own laws for against public smoking. I'm not saying that we should actively support banning smoking laws everywhere, but the idea that Alexandria or Arlington or Fairfax should be prohibited from enacting public health laws on their own is preposterous!

Kal