As of Wednesday, September 1 there will be a blanket ban on smoking in all indoor public areas throughout Greece, with stiff fines for transgressors. The ban applies equally to work places and recreational venues, without the option of a special smoking area, except in the case of casinos and recreational venues larger than 300 square metres playing live music. For the last two categories, there will be an eight-month transitional period and the full ban will begin to apply from June 1, 2011. Under the new law, private individuals that flout the smoking ban face fines ranging from 50-500 e ... Jump to full article >>

The nearly two-month-old statewide smoking ban does not appear to be harming taverns or other hospitality businesses and might actually be helping some, though bar owners say they still are withholding judgment. Cries were heard statewide that the smoking ban, which went into effect July 5, would be the demise of bars that relied upon smokers for their business. The state Tavern League and others complained that their customers would stay at home to drink and smoke rather than visiting bars in which tobacco was prohibited. So far, bars aren’t shutting their doors, but the real test will ... Jump to full article >>

Despite the irritating presence of chain-smoking “environmental” scientist Grace Augustine in “Avatar,” the number of characters who smoke in a movies is on the decline, according to a new study. Companies routinely pay thousands of dollars to have their products placed in movies, but Avatar cause particular outrage. Sigourey Weaver’s Grace Augustine is a tough-talking, swear-like-a-sailor scientist who also chews up Marlboros. As an environmental scientist, no less, you would think Grace would know better. And, that’s what irked critics. The smoking scenes seem pretty gratuitous a ... Jump to full article >>

The notion of Grand Forks bars going smoke-free might have amused civic leaders throughout the Red River Valley a century ago. In 1910, cities throughout the valley celebrated tobacco. Before the television and magazine ads of the 1950s and 1960s, tobacco use a century ago was marketed as a sign of affluence, of decadence, of independence. The Metropolitan Opera House in Grand Forks even featured a third-story outdoor smoking loft. Cigars not only were sold in stores, they were “manufactured” in home-based and storefront businesses, operated by both men and women. One valley co-op marketed ... Jump to full article >>

A new ordinance kicks ashtrays off restaurant tables and cigarettes out of certain public places in what city leaders call a necessary choice to protect residents’ health. The smoking ban adopted Monday makes Pearl the second city in Rankin County to adopt tobacco restrictions. “We want to make sure folks can dine in our restaurants and have a pleasant experience,” Mayor Brad Rogers said. Cigarettes also are banned in retail stores, adult entertainment businesses, tattoo and body piercing shops and childcare facilities. Motels and hotels are not included in the ban. PearlR ... Jump to full article >>

In the run-up to the 2008 US presidential election, Swells emailed his thoughts on the insipid Rock the Vote tour. Hopefully, his suggestions will be taken up in time for the 2012 campaign Rock the Vote? I think they’d have a hard time rocking the bus, never mind the vote. Melinda Doolittle from American Idol? Were Necrocannibalistic Vomitorium unavailable? It’s certainly a contrast to the Rage Against the Machine-led mayhem at the Republican convention – rock recast as a civics lesson. But it’s the fake neutrality that’s most offensive – the pretence that it’ ... Jump to full article >>

- If, as Francis Bacon Sr. once said, “The job of the artist is to deepen the mystery,” then Beyoncé Knowles and her public-relations team are artists, indeed. The pop diva is again the subject of speculation that she is pregnant, and she and husband Jay-Z’s absence from the post-Tony party for the Jay-Z co-produced musical “Fela!” has fueled the chatter. The pure-platinum couple made it to the Tonys, but skipped the raucous soiree at Hudson Terrace, where press roamed free and furtive cigarette-smoking took place – conditions a pregnant superstar would wa ... Jump to full article >>

A council could become the first in Britain to give any film which features smoking an 18 certificate in a bid to tackle addiction, it emerged today. Officials in Plymouth, Devon, want to prevent children viewing movies which show actors using cigarettes. The local authority has the power to change certificates for films shown in its boundaries and say the move would help its anti-smoking plans. NHS Figures for Plymouth show 27 per cent of adults smoke compared to the national figure of 21 per cent – and 63 per cent of children are smoking by the age of 16 But in more deprived areas up ... Jump to full article >>

Steven Klein insists that the religious symbolism in the music video is meant to ‘represent the character’s battle between the dark forces of this world and the spiritual salvation of the Soul.’ Controversy surrounding the use of religious symbolism in Lady GaGa’s “Alejandro” music video is addressed by Steven Klein, the man who directs the “homoerotic military” clip. The photographer says the symbol is “not meant to denote anything negative.” Parts of the music video which sparked controversy are a bed scene which features a crucifix ... Jump to full article >>

In most restaurants today, the food and wine have never represented better value, nor been more skilfully prepared, nor been served so enthusiastically. If this statement sounds sweeping, it is based on hard facts. The recession has stopped restaurateurs raising their prices. The internet has fuelled creativity among chefs and raised customer awareness to a new level. Another factor that is still growing in importance, particularly in Britain and the US, is that so many young people feel the lure of a career in the fascinating world of food and wine, despite the long hours and unattractive pay ... Jump to full article >>

This satire on cynical Hollywood fails to convince. This is one of those Hollywood-on-Hollywood movies that come across as very knowing in a smart insider way and yet are unconvincing in their dramatic and psychological detail. Kevin Spacey does a familiar world-weary-man-at-the-end-of-his-tether performance as Dr Henry Carter, “shrink to the stars”, an unshaven, hard-drinking, chain-smoking, substance-abusing, Armani-clad Hollywood celebrity. This physician who cannot heal himself is author of the self-help bestsellers Stop Feeling Sad and Happiness Now. Since his wife’s rec ... Jump to full article >>