BanishingtheButts

The weather forecast for the city of Bloomington is nonsmoker friendly with smoke-free indoor air aplenty since tobacco addicts are forced to feed their disease on islands within the sea of Bloomington. Smokers are hereby advised -- plan on enduring grave climate inconveniences while huffing and puffing your smoke of choice, shivering a so-called reasonable distance from the exterior of all public buildings, gazing inward toward the yellow glow of florescent lights and the shrill of cackled laughter from nonsmoking families occupying your once arse-imprinted stool, mingling within eyeball reach of a glorious moving image box. \nAll residents, guests and IU community members can expect a weekend bar scene atmosphere within downtown and its surrounding Monroe County to consist of smoke-free indoor environments within all enclosed public spaces. Bloomington's smoke-free ordinance is legislative language interpreting secondhand smoke to symbolize a community health hazard. Secondhand smoke, as sponsored by the city council based on repeated research, induces amongst other ailments lung cancer, heart disease and respiratory infections. \nCity business owners, especially bars catering predominately to the college crowd, are scrambling to sample various strategic approaches of how to accommodate both the smoking ban statutes and customers' smoking withdrawal. \nLinda Prall, manager of Kilroy's Sports Bar on Walnut Avenue, said Sports is planning to "man the back door" with extra staff to allow accessible in-out traffic for paying customers wishing to smoke. Also, she said additional staff will be added to the front area since lines plugging the door make movement difficult for smokers using the front door as a turnstile. \n"Legally, and technically, I think the law states (smokers) have to be a certain distance from the door," Prall said in-between glances of the Indianapolis Colts playoff win against the Denver Broncos. "We are making every effort to make more easily accessible outs to the building. A few people have violated the smoking policy in here already. Our staff is aware of the law, and the customers were asked politely to put it out." \nAmerica hasn't always been at war with smokers or the space in which they perform inhaling-exhaling rituals common of many nicotine addicts. For instance, America shipped its soldiers across both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans blue to World War I and II, the Korean Peninsula and the Vietnam jungles with daily cigarette rations as a significant and anticipated feature of mealtimes, downtimes and for times of anxious thought. \nAmericans, throughout the 20th century, have been indoctrinated to the point of intoxication by mixed social messages as to the perceived social status of cigarettes and the grossly underrepresented status of the white cylinder -- a national icon -- and the cultural norms involved with suave smoking practices. Humphrey Bogart glamorized cigarette smoking on the silver screen, the Marlboro Man induced the common man to feel "manly" when caught in the act of smoking and housewives were socialized to believe necessary guest etiquette involved offering company a stiff drink and a smooth smoke.\nPrall said students, especially out-of-towners, might face a transition between the Bloomington night scene as compared to the restaurants, bars and bowling alleys featured in their hometowns. She said any change of rules and regulations always takes time to have an effect. Two immediate atmospheric changes have occurred at Sport's and Kilroy's - "no smoking" signs displayed on doors and tables void of ash trays.\n"As far as all of the bars are probably concerned, it's convenient for students to know they will have to be recarded when they reenter," Prall said. "We're concentrating on cutting down on minors -- a lot of people might try to sneak in by saying. 'Hey, I was just outside smoking and here is my stamp.' Our motto is everybody is to be recarded when they come back in from smoking." \nSmokers of all addictive dispositions and smoke-ring blowing skill levels are forced by law not to smoke in any bar or ale-friendly establishment within town, up to and including jukebox taverns such as bowling alleys, from now throughout infinity.\nAccording to the Bloomington City Common Council Ordinance 03-06, as enforced by the mayor's office, "smoking" means inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying any lighted cigar, cigarette, weed, plant or other combustible substance in any manner or in any form. \n"Numerous studies have found that tobacco smoke is a major contributor to indoor air pollution," the fine print of ordinance 03-06 states. "... Breathing secondhand smoke is a cause of disease, including lung cancer, in nonsmokers ..."\nJunior Drew Eggers said he is impartial about the effects the smoking ban will have on smoking students or their perception of weekend enjoyment while enduring a night on the town.\n"I think (the smoking ban) will create a better atmosphere for people generally," Eggers said while taking an outdoor smoke break. His friends are concentrated around a table within Kilroy's breathing smoke-free air. "You go home and your clothes don't smell like smoke. I think the bars will make more money with the smoking ban. The table turnaround will be much faster. I think if people can't smoke, they will order another drink."\nIU graduate and Ivy Tech nursing student Dean Jones said his family obligations and Bloomington's lack of advertised smoke-free air have kept him from touring the city's social scene. \n"I haven't been to a bar in so long, especially with kids," Jones said while pausing from a picnic lunch setup he was enjoying with his son in Peoples Park on Kirkwood Avenue. "Smoking sections in restaurants don't work; (the smoke) kind of drifts. It's been at least 10 years since I've had a cigarette. I smoked, but it was related to going out with friends. I'm in nursing school now, so I don't promote smoking to anyone."\nStudents acting the role of Dionysus as they exchange carbon dioxide smoke for the chilling January oxygen-filled air might be mindful of cars while they abide by nonsmokers' right to breathe clean air. Students might also be weary of debris littering the walkways and gutters as they parlay on a foot hike investigating the city's nightlife. \nBloomington resident George Chandler said he desires city-approved and paid for receptacles outside smoke-free city businesses so owners don't have to police the disposal habits of the smoking scene single-handedly.\n"I think (business owners) ought to put ashtrays outside businesses, so (cigarettes) are not butted out in the street like I'm doing now," Chandler said while flicking the yellow butt of his partially smoked cigarette into the heavy Walnut Avenue traffic. "I'm not so concerned about the smoking ban; I just hate this cigarette butt thing. I'm a smoker and I always keep my ashtray clean. If (the city) isn't going to let (smokers) smoke inside, (the smokers) are going to flick their butts into the street -- that's rude."\nExperts are skeptical about the biodegradable properties of cigarette butts rotting on concrete. Accordingly, cigarette butt collectors recommend smokers dispose of their excess biochemical pleasure-seeking devices in approved receptacles, known as ashtrays, strewn throughout the city.\nThere is no need to call ahead for reservations for the Bloomington smoking ban show. Smokers have no other law-abiding choice but to puff and blow "a reasonable distance" from any door, window or ventilation system of any public building, including any place of employment. In some "out on the town for a few beers with the fellows" scenarios, dependent upon the door locations of a business in relation to neighboring doors, windows, etc., a reasonable distance implies smokers should park themselves and their habit in the gutters and/or middle of the street. \nEggers said the city of Bloomington is acting foolish if anyone believes the smoking policy can be thoroughly and effectively enforced. \n"It's going to get so crowded in bars; (bar staff) isn't going to really enforce (the smoking ban)," Eggers said. "The number of patrons definitely outweighs the number of employees. Employees will do their best, but once people get drunk they won't care about the smoking policy. You come out here with a beer, the cops are going to enforce it; you come out here with a cigarette, it's up to the bar owners. It's the nature of the beast. Drunk people are going to smoke where they please."\nViolators of the city smoking ban, of business owner mind or smoking student body, can expect a $100 fine via mail courier, on printer paper certified by the Mayor's office official rubber stamp -- with stiffer penalties for repeat offenders -- dependent upon the watchful eyes and vigilant effort of thy neighbors in reporting such devious activity to the appropriate local authorities by calling 349-3850. \nJason Sickmeier, kitchen manager at Yogi's Bar and Grill, said he believes Yogi's will experience some negative effects of the smoking ban in the short run. In the long run, on the other hand, Sickmeier said the additional revenue from families of four and other traditional nonsmoking demographics will soften the blow felt by would-be patrons turned at-home smoker to never again leave the sofa.\n"Smokers can smoke out front," Sickmeier said. "If somebody lights up inside, we will ask them to put it out since we are a nonsmoking establishment. People have to decide whether or not they are going to stay home and smoke, or get out and enjoy some social activity."\nChandler said families of four or more deserve an opportunity to travel through smoke-free public indoor air with children and young people unable to protect their own health and well being by incorporating life-loving suggestions into the daily regiment of personal tasks.\n"A lot of people want to bring their family to a restaurant or a bar for food," Chandler said while stumbling to and fro on the sidewalk in front of Sport's in joyous celebration of the Colt's early playoff success. "You don't want to take a kid to a place where there is cigarette smoke everywhere. I'm the only one in the family who isn't a nonsmoker; you want to keep the kids off that shit"