Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Writing Columns And The Smoking Ban
I seemed to get more tired as the day wore on. Fresh as a daisy AM – sluggish PM. By the time I was supposed to go out (snooker night) I really couldn’t be bothered – but I went anyway and had a couple of beers and frames of snooker. Ian is relying on his OAP excuse more and more now due to the hammerings I am delivering but it won’t wash.
I wrote the first draft for the Theatre Review column I am doing in KIC's new literary magazine. I reviewed We Will Rock You – The Queen Musical that is playing in London - I went to see a few months back. I actually took notes at the time and so used them to get me going in this genre. I will use this column as a spur to go to the theatre more with Gail and then write up about it. I’m more used to writing gig reviews but my friend Devon pointed me in the direction of some famous theatre critics for inspiration. I share this column with another person who *I think*, works in theatre himself. Nevertheless, I plan on sending in reviews as and when they are done. Should be good. Just thinking about it actually; Gail is more a fan of musicals (Grease, Beauty and the Beast etc.) whereas I do quite like plays. I took Gail to see Stones In His Pockets not that long ago and I loved it. Maybe I will write up that one too.
I still have to do the first write for my Website Development column which is proving surprisingly difficult. When I am working with computers my mind switches into techy mode. When I write, I am in artist mode and the world changes. This column is going to be a challenge in that I have to mix both mindsets and I don’t think this will be easy.
Our internal mail department has given me the go-ahead to provide advertising leaflets for Hunting Jack. I plan to put one in each book which they are selling for charity – though I am told there are around 200 books so I will have to use the colour printer in work rather discretely. Hopefully this will pay off – it did for one of the ladies in my writing forum when she did a similar thing at her work.
And now a short shpleel about this...
BBC: Scotland to ban smoking
Labour: traditionally left wing and concerned with socialism. Now becoming ever more right wing as the months and years pass.
In roughly 18 months time, a law will be passed in Scotland that will ban smoking in pubs, clubs restaurants and indeed all enclosed spaces is banned. Heavy fines for both the smoker and the publican will ensue should this ban be broken.
Now, I have some things to say about this.
1- With the loss of tax the government will no doubt feel when people give up smoking , or stop buying their ciggies in the pubs themselves, who is going to make up the deficit? Car drivers? People who drink? Income Tax payers? Maybe the non-smokers who were so loud in their disapproval of smokers won’t be so smart when they see it has hit THEIR pockets when taxes go up to pay for it.
2- This is a great way to lose the pub culture in this country. If Ireland is anything to go by, the pubs will empty of smokers – but so will heir non-smoking partners who will drink at home with them instead. So the bars will be dead, jobs lost and the premises close down. Then the government will start to wonder why the influx of foreign tourists and students has fallen ecause of there being no part-time bar or waiting work to be had.
3- Despite what the government thinks, this will NOT take the heat off the already over-burdoned National Health Service (NHS). Contrary to popular belief, smoking does NOT mean you go to the doctors more often then a non-smoker. It just means you knock 20 years off the end of your life. so if the Scottish Parliament were to think about this logically they would find the following.
Smokers, by the very act of doing it, increase their body's immunity to more illnesses in that their body builds up it's defences to cope with the poisons being inhaled. This means they go to the doctors less in their lifetime than a person who doesnt smoke and yet always seems to be off work with the flu.
So taking this argument, we can see that smokers will probably die 10 or 20 years earlier than a non-smoker, thereby solving the £60 billion pensions deficit in one swoop! Throw voluntary euthansia into the equation and all of a sudden Blair won't have anyone to pay out to and he can start to concentrate on important things like foreign policy.
4- Where is this going to end? Will drinking be banned? Will alcohol be banished totally? Will Blair become President of Europe? Will we have to accept that all our phone calls and email messages are recorded and monitored? Will we only be allowed to marry heterosexually within the same race and creed? Will we have to stop having sex? Will we have to stop needing each other and start using ‘Orgasmatrons’ to attain sexual satisfaction? Suddenly, those futuristic Woody Allen films I used to watch are becoming not so far from the truth!
5- We got rid of Hitler. Now we have Blair and McConnell. ‘Nuff said.
I wrote the first draft for the Theatre Review column I am doing in KIC's new literary magazine. I reviewed We Will Rock You – The Queen Musical that is playing in London - I went to see a few months back. I actually took notes at the time and so used them to get me going in this genre. I will use this column as a spur to go to the theatre more with Gail and then write up about it. I’m more used to writing gig reviews but my friend Devon pointed me in the direction of some famous theatre critics for inspiration. I share this column with another person who *I think*, works in theatre himself. Nevertheless, I plan on sending in reviews as and when they are done. Should be good. Just thinking about it actually; Gail is more a fan of musicals (Grease, Beauty and the Beast etc.) whereas I do quite like plays. I took Gail to see Stones In His Pockets not that long ago and I loved it. Maybe I will write up that one too.
I still have to do the first write for my Website Development column which is proving surprisingly difficult. When I am working with computers my mind switches into techy mode. When I write, I am in artist mode and the world changes. This column is going to be a challenge in that I have to mix both mindsets and I don’t think this will be easy.
Our internal mail department has given me the go-ahead to provide advertising leaflets for Hunting Jack. I plan to put one in each book which they are selling for charity – though I am told there are around 200 books so I will have to use the colour printer in work rather discretely. Hopefully this will pay off – it did for one of the ladies in my writing forum when she did a similar thing at her work.
And now a short shpleel about this...
BBC: Scotland to ban smoking
Labour: traditionally left wing and concerned with socialism. Now becoming ever more right wing as the months and years pass.
In roughly 18 months time, a law will be passed in Scotland that will ban smoking in pubs, clubs restaurants and indeed all enclosed spaces is banned. Heavy fines for both the smoker and the publican will ensue should this ban be broken.
Now, I have some things to say about this.
1- With the loss of tax the government will no doubt feel when people give up smoking , or stop buying their ciggies in the pubs themselves, who is going to make up the deficit? Car drivers? People who drink? Income Tax payers? Maybe the non-smokers who were so loud in their disapproval of smokers won’t be so smart when they see it has hit THEIR pockets when taxes go up to pay for it.
2- This is a great way to lose the pub culture in this country. If Ireland is anything to go by, the pubs will empty of smokers – but so will heir non-smoking partners who will drink at home with them instead. So the bars will be dead, jobs lost and the premises close down. Then the government will start to wonder why the influx of foreign tourists and students has fallen ecause of there being no part-time bar or waiting work to be had.
3- Despite what the government thinks, this will NOT take the heat off the already over-burdoned National Health Service (NHS). Contrary to popular belief, smoking does NOT mean you go to the doctors more often then a non-smoker. It just means you knock 20 years off the end of your life. so if the Scottish Parliament were to think about this logically they would find the following.
Smokers, by the very act of doing it, increase their body's immunity to more illnesses in that their body builds up it's defences to cope with the poisons being inhaled. This means they go to the doctors less in their lifetime than a person who doesnt smoke and yet always seems to be off work with the flu.
So taking this argument, we can see that smokers will probably die 10 or 20 years earlier than a non-smoker, thereby solving the £60 billion pensions deficit in one swoop! Throw voluntary euthansia into the equation and all of a sudden Blair won't have anyone to pay out to and he can start to concentrate on important things like foreign policy.
4- Where is this going to end? Will drinking be banned? Will alcohol be banished totally? Will Blair become President of Europe? Will we have to accept that all our phone calls and email messages are recorded and monitored? Will we only be allowed to marry heterosexually within the same race and creed? Will we have to stop having sex? Will we have to stop needing each other and start using ‘Orgasmatrons’ to attain sexual satisfaction? Suddenly, those futuristic Woody Allen films I used to watch are becoming not so far from the truth!
5- We got rid of Hitler. Now we have Blair and McConnell. ‘Nuff said.
Colin 11:09 pm
1 Comments:
As a non-smoker, I am delighted that smoking will be banned in public places. I am the first one to say that people have a right to smoke, however if you are a non-smoker you have no choice but to inhale other people's smoke and this is of course, wrong.
I made the decision not to smoke and I want to stay as fit and healthy for as long as possible. Passive smoking does not allow for this. I look forward to going for a night out in a couple of years and when I wake up the next morning not having my clothes and skin stinking of the previous night's smoke.
I think that it is a brave decision by the Scottish Parliament to bring in legislation that will without doubt be hugely unpopular amongst smokers and may in the short term have ramifications for the Scottish economy.
However, as I train to be a nurse I see how much people's health and lives are screwed up by ciggies and something has to be done.
My intention is not to offend any smokers. Just to give one point of view.
Anyway, I'm off to have a beer, as since everyone knows alcohol does your body no harm at all and adds at least thirty years to your life.
Cheers!!!
I made the decision not to smoke and I want to stay as fit and healthy for as long as possible. Passive smoking does not allow for this. I look forward to going for a night out in a couple of years and when I wake up the next morning not having my clothes and skin stinking of the previous night's smoke.
I think that it is a brave decision by the Scottish Parliament to bring in legislation that will without doubt be hugely unpopular amongst smokers and may in the short term have ramifications for the Scottish economy.
However, as I train to be a nurse I see how much people's health and lives are screwed up by ciggies and something has to be done.
My intention is not to offend any smokers. Just to give one point of view.
Anyway, I'm off to have a beer, as since everyone knows alcohol does your body no harm at all and adds at least thirty years to your life.
Cheers!!!
