Children at Work... Useless

Is it me, or is all this nonsense about bringing your kids to work a load of crap? Everywhere I've worked where this foolhardy feel-goodism is used ends up having a day of extremely poor productivity. Several nice kids, but precious little work.

Today, only a few folks brought their kids to work. Here's what they learned... nothing. They enjoyed pizza, drew in coloring books, and watched "Shark Tale". (The least they could have done is watched "The Incredibles".) What in the flamming hootie-hoo does that do for a kid... let alone your workload?

Take Your Child to Work Day (which comes from the feminist push for Take Our Daughters to Work Day... quess what they want?) allows parents who do their jobs as employees and dads or moms to help teach them about their specific field of work. It shows them a group of folks in an work setting. It gives kids ideas. It does all that when you have parents that are actually good parents. More often than not kids are brought to work, they meet the other kids, and they stay out of the way so the employee can do his job. Special time is taken out for them to have fun... which is not the point of the whole project.

No child of mine will ever take time on Take Your Child to Work Day to visit me while I work. My child will come and see me at work during summer when there is no school... I'll show the child the basics and hopefully some of the actual work. The kid will do some work (God forbid)... and the kid will probably be old enough to meet folks, ask questions about various businesses and industries, get numbers and names of contacts and colleges, etc.

I still can't understand why folks bring kids as young as four years old. It is all a bunch of Dingo's kidneys.
[/curmudgeon mode off]

Changes to Network News

USA Today reports on the changes in network news with "Anchors may not be only change in TV news". One line stuck out... like a sore thumb.

Whether it's Roberts tossing his tie, NBC's Brian Williams signing off with a trademark homily or ABC's Peter Jennings uncharacteristically wondering aloud to viewers when chemotherapy for his lung cancer will cost him his hair, change is in the wind.

We're not talking revolution. Just as viewing patterns on the three evening broadcasts change glacially, so, too, do anchor, format and production techniques.

No, of course network news isn't engaging in a revolution. The revolution is what is happening because of network news. Sorry pallie... what do you think talk radio, The Drudge Report, FOX News, blogs, and the "retirement" of Dan Rather signifies? That's the revolution... and it's revolting against network news and the liberal-slanted establishment.

The world of news has changed. Maybe not enough in the ratings to call network news a lost cause, but it is a definite change to be sure.

The article isn't really that blind. It mentions FOX News, it briefly talks about the internet. However, to use the word revolution without realizing the full potential of the word almost looks like the King's herald avoiding bad news. The article mentions VCRs and TiVo, cable news broadcasts, and online video on demand... but they obviously still think in 20th century terms. Perhaps that's not the fault of USA Today. Yet, someone ought to start thinking of it... and write about it. The change might happen tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. Before you know it, Nelson from "The Simpsons" is laughing at you... "Ha, ha!"

All that's new in the world of journalism... and the

Air America and Assassination

Another visit to Michelle Malkin provides this bit on one of the least qualified Air America hostesses:

Randi Rhodes on President G.W. Bush: "Like Fredo, somebody ought to take him out fishing and phuw. "

Call me a little sensitive, but that sounds slightly treasonous.

Randi Rhodes broadcasts at best a joke about assassinating our president and at worst hope that our president gets shot, but Ann Coulter (one of my favorites) is called hateful by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (and by the president of my alma mater, the University of St. Thomas).

Just to make a small point... the Fredo joke (referencing characters and events in the film "The Godfather, Part II") is pretty old. If Rhodes were making a joke, its a fairly unoriginal way to go about it. Dennis Miller did a variation on it just before the war... and at least he shook things up a little bit. (He commented on France and their constant nose-thumbing to the US... so he said something to the effect of, "gas up the boat and go fishing with Fredo, because you are dead to me.")

Michelle Malkin notes that Rhodes has gone down this path before (as noted in the New York Daily News from May 12th, 2004).

If I was rather cruel, I'd hope that Randi Rhodes gets fired, exiled from the US, forced to live in an uncomfortable hut, shot in the ass daily by a pellet gun (I suspect it would be like trying to hit a bull in the fanny with a bag of rice)... and is then rescued by the United States military.

As Bugs says, "What a maroon."


Update:
The Drudge Report features more.

Little Green Footballs weblog also has the story from the Drudge Report, plus comments (obviously regarding Rhodes lack of taste and judgement).

A Randi Rhodes fan website features an mp3 of the segment. (A fan site for Randi Rhodes... must not take up a lot of bandwidth.)


Another Update: 2:00 PM
The Power Line guys also have comments on Randi Rhodes.

We have commented a number of times on the frequency with which liberals advocate the assassination of President Bush. Sometimes it's supposed to be funny. Sometimes it's supposed to be art. Sometimes it's just flat-out, unvarnished hate. But I'm not aware of a single Democratic official who has criticized those who advocate assassinating the President.

It will be interesting to see whether the President of St. Thomas and our local columnists will take an interest in actual hate speech, as opposed to speech with which they disagree.

Interestingly enough, they also mention the accusations of hate speech by the Star-Tribune and the president of St. Thomas University. I think that means I'm on the same wavelength as these guys... that's got to be good news for me, or bad news for the Power Line gents. ;)


Yet another update: 8:20 AM April 28th
In the New York Post Online I see we have an apology... but how sincere, and to whom is she appologizing?

"It was a bit. It was bad. I apologize a thousand times," Rhodes told listeners yesterday on WLIB (1190 AM), adding: "I'm not in charge of the bits."

At what point did she realize it was a bad bit? Especially considering her comments immediately following the bit's airing (from the earlier Drudge Report story):

"What is with all the killing?" Rhodes said, laughing, after the clip aired.

I just wonder when she was asked by her management to apologize? She obviously didn't realize the bit was over the line until after her on-air comments.

To say she's not in charge of the bits (which is entirely possible, considering she's not funny to begin with), makes her sound like she's passing the buck. Probably because she is passing the buck.

Now, considering she's apologized... does that mean she's also appologizing for her Fredo/Godfather comment regarding our President? I doubt it. She's so clueless she makes Anna Nichole Smith look like Oscar Wilde.

NRO also has a few comments at The Corner:

MORE RE: RANDI RHODES [Tim Graham]
RE: RANDI RHODES [Tim Graham]
AIR AMERICA AND VIOLENCE [Byron York]

Man, she's just a one-trick pony.


Even more updates: 11:55 AM April 28th, 2005
Front Page Magazine has even more on Randi Rhodes' poor judgement... in fact she's quoted, and she doesn't sound very sincere considering she's already pointing fingers to others.

If [the Secret Service] had to take two seconds out of their day to look into me, I apologize for that...But where is the apology when [conservatives] threaten judges from the Senate floor or from the House floor? Or where’s the investigation into Ann Coulter’s mouth?

So if we are to understand poor Miss Rhodes, she and her show have done nothing in comparision to Ann Coulter? I think we've found the root of the matter... she's jealous of Ann's looks, smarts, and her career.

The article's author, Ben Johnson, sums up this issue in the final graph.

Rhodes did not even offer her apology, such as it was, until two days after faux pas, and then only after the internet brought her under national scrutiny. This gives conservatives additional evidence that the hard-Left places nothing, including human life, above the realization of its political agenda – and that nothing inspires the lamest of leftist apologies except incontrovertible proof and international publicity of malfeasance. As if we needed it.

Well put, sir. It should be no surprise with a name like Ben Johnson. ;)

Delighting in Someone Else's Misfortune

You know folks who possitively burst with joy at the thought or sight of someone else's misfortune. Certainly, it isn't the most gracious of traits... but even I get this feeling. I'm sure most of us do.

An employoment test disqualified me from the possition I was gunning for. (It was not a drug test... I would have aced that. However, a gin & tonic or a screwdriver test might not have worked in my favor.) Recently, I learned that twelve other applicants took the test... and only two passed! I instantly felt soooooo much better. It clearly doesn't get me the job I wanted, but my wounded ego has mended slightly. ;)

In any case, Byron York has a column (actually an extract from his new book) on today's National Review Online. Today, York looks at the lagging ratings of Air America. Whoo-hoo!

Okay... I'm a fairly conservative guy. I started listening to Joe Soucheray on Garage Logic at AM 1500 KSTP (and Joe's columns in the St. Paul Pioneer Press), this led to listening to Rush Limbaugh, Jason Lewis (when he was Minnesota's Mr. Right... he's now Carolina's Mr. Right), Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham (say a prayer for her), Walter E. Williams, and so many more. So, that clearly paints a picture for you. ;) I probably gives you an idea of how often I want to listen to Air America. I used to find Al Franken funny when he was on Saturday Night Live in the 70's (The Franken and Davis Show segments)... when I was nine. I liked Janeane Garofolo in "Mystery Men". Regardless of how I am entertained, their political and social philosophy do not amuse me. I used this phrase elsewhere (in a different context), "It would be funny if it were not so telling."

Actually, I don't get much joy out of the fact that Air America is in the tank... I do take pleasure in knowing that the political ideas and beliefs of Air America are not getting ratings. Maybe the Air America brigade didn't think they would succeed either. Perhaps they merely wanted to use a talk radio format to help defeat Bush. I suspect that might be true to a certain degree. If I am correct in this thinking, I only have one question... "How's that working out for you?" :D


Oooh, oooh, oooh! Another column in NRO where I can delight in someone else's misfortune! Myrna Blythe comments on a NY Times piece about Katie Couric dropping in the ratings... and that she's a vicious, raging harpy.


What the Hell? Why not one more? It's not really someone's ill fortune... but it's always fun to see GFB rip Maureen Dowd and her writing. Check out I Disagree With Maureen Dowd... certainly check his recent repsonse to her "Uncle Dick and Papa" column.

Check the links... just try to avoid enjoying yourself. ;)

What Did You Expect?!?!?!

James Lileks starts off today's Bleat with a "duh!" comment for those disappointed 'bout the new pope.

I have no stake in the matter of who’s the Pope – or do I? Choose a cardinal who issues a homily titled “On the Need to Gas Grandpa When He Starts Crapping Himself” – I’m sure it would sound better in Latin – and this might have an impact on the society where I hope to find myself in 30 years. The selection of Ratzinger was initially heartening, simply because he made the right people apoplectic. I’m still astonished that some can see a conservative elevated to the papacy and think: a man of tradition? As Pope? How could this be? As if there this was some golden moment that would usher in the age of married priests who shuttle between blessing third-trimester abortions and giving last rites to someone who’s about to have the chemical pillow put over his face. At the risk of sounding sacreligious: it’s the Catholic Church, for Christ’s sake! You’re not going to get someone who wants to strip off all the Baroque ornamentation of St. Peter’s and replace them with IKEA wine racks, okay?

Nicely put, Mr. Lileks... how about a nice refreshing Jubel? Can, bottle, or from the fountain? Read the rest of that section as it is quite good... for a non-Catholic. ;)

Wow, lots of Pope stuff. I'm Catholic, but I never thought I'd write this much Catholic stuff. It must be like chatting about baseball around the World Series.

Criteria for Popes

I just noticed a line at Michelle Malkin's blog. (Again! Don't you just love her?) She references the conclave and (post announcement) she sites a few places with speculation. Included is the following:

Archbishop Desmond Tutu wants a black pope; is pulling for Nigerian cardinal Francis Arinze.

Taking a look at the linked article reveals a quote from the Archbishop:

"A black pope could do more than break a colour barrier - he could facilitate a greater global understanding of a neglected part of our world: the so-called Third World," writes Archbishop Tutu.

He acknowledged the notion of a black pope was controversial, saying: "Most Christians have grown up with the historically inaccurate image of Jesus as Caucasian when, as a Semitic, he would have been a great deal more swarthy than our conventional pictures of him as white."

What was the first thing I wondered? Has the news editor or reporter made a bigger deal out of the Archbishop's comments than it is? Obviously, I don't know, but I hope so.

Clearly there is some truth to the statement that a black pope might make some inroads with the Third World... but is that the only way? Is that the prime focus of the Church? Will the German Pope serve fellow German Catholics to the exclusion of others?

The long and the short of my point: Is this a case of style over substance?

I suspect I stand with most Catholics... I don't want a black pope anymore than I want a white pope, an English pope, an Italian pope, an American pope, etc. I want a pope that will stand in the face of assaults against the Church... one that faces the recent scandal and provides a solution... one that represents the Chuch.

Will the members of the Church complain, like so many of my fellow whiney countrymen, who believe they can only be represented by someone who is just like them. Madonn', that's nonsense!

Then again, as I said, this might be more of a statement from the news editor and/or reporter than the Archbishop. I'm sure someone knows. ;)


Additional:
Power Line features a lovely little Reuters comment which doesn't seem to speak much for their objectivity. (It also features the "Universal Nazi Church" slur... the Power Line boys have a good write up on this, so read the whole post.)

Military honor guard enter the Buenos Aires' Cathedral past graffiti left by unknown assailants that reads: 'Universal Nazi Church' and 'Benedict addict XVI' on April 20, 2005. The choice of conservative German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new Pope divides Latin America, a region where he battled leftist priests and whose poor and hungry often cannot afford to follow Roman Catholic doctrine. Joy was tempered by disappointment the new Pontiff was not from Latin America, home to about half the world's Catholics. REUTERS/Ricardo Abad-DyN

Again with the "only someone like me" philosophy. May I propose an interesting (yet telling) question? Are any of these folks actually Catholics? Sure, Archbishop Tutu qualifies ;) but I suspect the majority of the folks who state that the pope should have been from some other Human subgroup might not actually be Catholic.

Recently I spoke with MH from Our Word and Welcome to It... he made the profoundly simple yet reasonable statement that regardless of how different Pope Benedict XVI might be from us (spoken language, nationality, gender, age, etc.) he is in fact our pope and is here for us. MH makes a nice post regarding that subject as well... he says it better. :)

Welcome Benedict XVI

Catholics have a new pope... the conclave elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, who has taken the name Benedict XVI.

One of his quotes gives me hope for the future of the Church. It comes from a pre-conclave Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

"We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as definitive and has as its highest value one's one ego and one's own desires."

See the article at My Way News. Surely, more analysis and speculation will follow.

In fact, Michael Novak of National Review has a little something... and here's a little gem from him. Novak helps define the Pope's stance against relativism.

The fact that we each see things differently does not imply that there is no truth. It implies, rather, that each of us may have a portion of the truth, and that in this or that matter some of us may hold more (or less) truth than others. Therefore, since each of us has only part of all the truth we seek, we must work hard together to discern in all things wherein lies the truth, and wherein the error.

[...]

It is no more than a fact that ours is a pluralistic world, in which individuals have virtually an infinite variety of views. For Ratzinger, not only is this individual variety normal and to be praised; it shows the infinite number of ways humans have been made in the image of the infinite God. Each one of us, as it were, mirrors a different aspect of the infinite abundance of God.

But the fact of human “relativity” — that is, the fact that we each see things differently, or that the life-voyage of each of us is unique and inimitable — should not be transformed into an absolute moral principle. The fact of relativity does not logically lead to the principle of moral relativism.

No great, inspiring culture of the future can be built upon the moral principle of relativism. For at its bottom such a culture holds that nothing is better than anything else, and that all things are in themselves equally meaningless. Except for the fragments of faith (in progress, in compassion, in conscience, in hope) to which it still clings, illegitimately, such a culture teaches every one of its children that life is a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing.

Read it all... it's rather good.

Linking Thanks

Thanks to fellow blogspot bloggers MH and JH at Our Word for linking to me here at Baddablog. As soon as I get the motivation to add links to the sidebar Our Word will certainly get a space.

Yesterday: Doubly Historical!

Michelle Malkin’s blog alerted me to important historical events that occurred on April 18^th… I should be smacked for not knowing how significant yesterday was!

Paul Revere’s Ride: Founding Brother

The Doolittle Raid : A Raid to Remember

Please, Look More Disabled

I'm not really sure what side to take here... or at what I should be shaking my head.

The story centers on a woman with muscular dystrophy who won a Miss Wheelchair "pageant", but was later revealed capable of standing (at least at times)... apparently, the pageant folks want the handicapped to see these women in the chair only, or at least more often.

I don't mind a nice pageant, but are we at the stage where we're going to have a Miss Skin Graft, Miss G.E.D., Miss Eco-Friendly, Miss Midtown, Miss Freckles, etc.? At what point do we have enough? (The article may say this wasn't a beauty pageant, but that woman has a fairly pretty smile!) ;)

Don't get me wrong, I want to see more pretty ladies considering what passes for class and style often ain't classy and ain't stylish... poise and grace seem to have gone out the window, too. However, doesn't the overwhelming number of pageants (and sub-categories) diminish beauty? It's like having more than one gold medal in the Olympics or more than one Best Picture award at the Oscars. It softly and slowly removes an element of competition.

We all know that some folks in this country would prefer less (if any) competition. For a long time we haven't heard, "...and the winner is...", instead we are treated to "...and the Oscar goes to..." for fear of hurting the feelings of the losers. Yes, I said it... if you didn't win, you lost! Some parents know that certain youngsters' sports teams do not keep score... everybody wins! It's all about our new idol: self-esteem.

Saints preserve us!

You probably have friends that talk about their favorite movies... one guy likes "The Godfather", someone else likes "Goodfellas", yet another wants to talk about the HBO series "The Sopranos". Inevitably some jackass waltzes in, looking down everyone's nose and proclaims that he simply cannot compare any of these films with each other. The same with "Gunga Din" and a modern film like "Raiders of the Lost Ark"... the jackass says, "You simply cannot compare the two." Of course, you can (you fool)... compare styles, scripts, performances, choreography, score, the amount of entertainment brought from each film, how many scenes worked well versus those that didn't, to what extent they succeeded, experimental and novel shots, etc. You can compare a James Bond movie with "The Incredibles"... in fact, you should! Just because you consider a film to be historic, artistic, or superior doesn't diminish anything when you look at it's various elements and how they stack up with other films.

Damn, I'm all over the map here... there's all sorts of soapboxes under my feet now! ;)

Direct from the bar… Dean Martin

I was only as aware of Dean as a kid my age could be while he was alive. When his show was on in the 70s I seem to recall that my family watched the show. I suppose I knew that he sang Volare and Amore… and that he seemed drunk in his performances.

I have no idea where I heard that he died… in fact it was a little before the time that he died that I started to listen to his music. Friends of mine organized a black tie cocktail party and we listened to some of the great music from Dean’s era… Louis Prima, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong, and of course Frank Sinatra. That was the birth of it for me… the emergence of Dean’s great songs that weren’t just tunes that painted him as an Italian crooner. I loved it. Maybe I just wanted to connect with a simpler time or an era of cool.

What a Johnny Come Lately I was.

Eventually, I found a recording of the Summit (the Rat Pack) from the Villa Venice shows. Later I got the Rat Pack at the Sands… then Dean Martin at the Sands… then The Rat Pack in St. Louis (with Johnny Carson!)… and another live recording of the boys at the Sands. That seems to be all I can get. Even if more recordings surface, they often did the same act over and over. They could back then, and why not? The act wasn’t televised (except for the St. Louis show) and they didn’t have satellite channels or DVD back then (let alone cable-TV and VHS).

In any case, the live shows feature some great antics from the guys… Dean starts and he’s great. I had not remembered that he changed the lyrics of songs. He also did that with Frank later in the show under the premise that they would sing some songs from their non-existent kiddie album. Of course, he does the drunk routine… he always did the drunk routine. “I don’t drink anymore… I freeze it now and eat it like a popsicle.”

Dean’s opener in the recordings at the Sands uses “I don’t care if the sun don’t shine / I do my drinkin’ in the evening time / when I’m in Las Vegas”… but the best set of lines (and they still put a grin on my face) come later. “A wife in Vegas, take my advice / It’s like goin’ to China with a sack of rice.” He never makes it through June in January with more than a line or two straight… and for that he takes some flack from critics, but that was Dean’s shtick. It was good shtick, too. “Let’s Get Out of the Wheat Field, Mabelle, We’re Goin’ Against the Grain.” “Are you sure everybody was playing?” “Get any on you?” “Have I ever asked you to hold it?” “Give me a ch-ord… that’s how it’s spelled, honey. I say it the way it’s spelled.” Some of the oldest jokes in the book, even back then.

When Dean joins Frank they really get going. Frank sets Dean up for all of the drunk jokes… and it’s like clockwork. Tight as a drum.

Frank: I want to talk to you about your drinking.
Dean: What happened, did I miss a round?

Frank: Are you cognizant of the fact –
Dean: Am I what-nizant?
Frank: Cognizant. I didn’t say anything dirty.
Dean: It started out dirty, Frank.

Dean: Let’s have a drink.
Frank: What? You are drinking.
Dean: Oh, is that my hand?

Frank: I figured out that the only time you don’t drink is when you’re asleep.
Dean: Don’t bet on it. I now put it in the Vaporizor and the whole room is drunkified.

These, too, are the oldest gags in the book, but they work. I never really tire of them. Whenever the day is dragging along, or I’m having a rough time I can usually get an instant smile when I think of these gags.

At the end of Dean’s disk at the Sands he once again fools with the lyrics. He closes with Mr. Wonderful, but the joke is that he’s singing it about himself… “I must admit in all honesty / Mr. Wonderful, (this takes a lot of guts) that’s me”. Yet, he turns it around on the audience as a way of saying thanks for their wonderful applause. Class. That man had class.

Who wouldn’t want to be like Dean? He was funny and charming and talented… he could sing and act and tell great stories… he stood in the presence of other talented men like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jimmy Stewart, Orson Wells, and so on. He looked good with them and helped good folks look even better.

Already some folks have begun to forget Dean. Younger folks never even knew him. How sad that people who profess to understand what is cool yet they don’t know about Dean Martin. If I have my way, my nephew and my son will know. They’ll stand up to give a speech in class… they’ll look out at the cynical, know-it-all faces and say, “How did everybody get in my room?”

This year on Christmas will mark ten years since Dean Martin's death. I intend to mark it with a song in my heart, laughter in the air, and a shot of booze in my glass.

Smoking: Annoyance Risk, Not Health Risk

Joe Soucheray (Mayor of the mythical yet refreshingly welcome town of Garage Logic) writes a regular column in the St. Paul Pioneer-Press. Sunday he commented a little on the new smoking ban. His column focuses mostly on a local tobacco shop owner, but he does make an important comment:

The way society is going, by the way, is the way of outlawing annoyances. A lot of people jabber about the health risks of secondhand smoke, but invariably what you hear is that people are tired of coming home after a night out and having their clothing smell like smoke. That's annoyance, not health.

Smoking Ban versus Property Rights

Today a smoking ban started in my town. I don’t smoke much, perhaps mostly when I’m out with my friends having a drink or with a specific group of friends. Of course, that’s really beside the point. Local government making the act of smoking illegal at a bar or restaurant regardless of the wishes of the property owners strikes me as ridiculous. This clearly erodes private property rights of individuals.

Opponents say that the exhaled smoke is obnoxious and even harmful. Please show the studies… but even if we accept for the moment that exhaled tobacco smoke is harmful, would that not be reason enough to vote with your feet (or more accurately your pocketbook) and refuse to patronize an establishment that allows smoking? A friend of mine is strongly opposed to smoking… but even she understands that she can opt not to spend her time and money at a place where she finds the atmosphere a little unsuitable.

Getting a governmental body to ban something that might be annoying looks like overkill… and oversensitivity. What a bunch of whiney-woos.

Now, I’ve told you that so I can tell you this. A colleague at work and I chatted about the ban today. I said that I hope it will get overturned sometime in the next ten years. He responded that it is bound to, “since Minneapolis is so liberal”.

This guy is great. I really like him. However, he’s very left-leaning. He chairs a diversity group in our company. He claims to hate G.W. and claims that G.W. hates homosexuals. He turns his nose up at the mention of “The Passion of the Christ” (and I don’t think it is because of Gibson’s film style). That is fine (I suppose), but he clearly doesn’t understand conservative political philosophy. (Why should he? It makes a great boogie man for him.)

This is a private property issue… liberals want to say it’s about the health standards of employees who work at bars and restaurants where smoking is common. Well, the product is legal and the act of using it is legal. If banning tobacco isn’t Nanny-Statism I don’t know what is.

Had the local Republicans stuck to their conservative guns we would not have this ridiculous ban. Another liberal friend of mine is in agreement with me… he was hanging on the hope that the Republicans would do what they often do. A-ha, we were not so lucky… those RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) wanted to play nice-nice with the public and not get called nasty names.

The whole concept of letting the property owners do what they want could have solved this problem… and possibly bumped up wages for waitresses and waiters. “What are you talking about, Badda-Blogger?” I hear you ask. My theory is as follows:

You live in Urbanopolis. The two main bars in the city take a stand on the smoking issue. Let’s call them The Coffin Nail and The Fresh Air Bar… go ahead and guess which one voluntarily bars their patrons from smoking. The Coffin Nail has a good chunk of customers who smoke. It even sells cigars. The Fresh Air Bar knows there are plenty of customers who just want a place to get a drink without so much smoke. Both sets of customers are happy. What about the waiters? We constantly hear Nanny-Staters fretting over the poor waiters who are forced to suck in the death-smoke from rude smokers… it’s a hazardous work environment! (Whatever.) Well, the waiters who worry about their health will want to work at The Fresh Air Bar. Waiters that don’t care will work at The Coffin Nail. If enough waiters don’t like working at a smoking bar, The Coffin Nail might try to persuade waiters to work for them by offering more money. A-ha, the market at work!

You’re welcome!
;)