NY Smokers looking for a place to puff in peace.

Recently New York City passed a law banning smoking in public parks, beaches and outdoors areas (such as Times Square). While many folks are  happy  about this, I have to say, this is scary to me. I am onboard with keeping second-hand smoke away from a health conscious public, but for smoking to be banned in most outside areas, to me, goes a little too far and is infringing on personal freedom and space.

Now we’ve all come across the inconsiderate smoker who could care less about throwing a cigarette butt on the ground or if their smoke cloud hits you in the face, but that’s another entirely separate conversation. Generally, I see how smokers are constantly being chastised for doing something that is legal and there seems to be no sympathy or empathy to a practice which again, is not only legal, but an addiction . Smokers pay extra taxes for purchasing cigarettes, higher health insurance rates (in many cases) and can even be denied employment in many areas.

Many of us have been affected by the consequences of ‘drinking and driving’  and poor Justin Bieber is all too familiar with  how ‘texting while walking’ can go so wrong, so fast. While there is a general concern for both and a few laws have been implemented, both are still considered fine as long as done in moderation and in the right place and time. As a matter of fact, running (which can lead to arthritis or pedestrian-to-auto accidents ) is considered a healthy activity. Where is the additional fee for hikers, who are at risk of getting lost, being attacked by wildlife, or spraining an ankle, all of which may require medical attention and the possible deployment of a search and rescue team. None of these activities are penalized and/or regarded as unsavory (except for alcohol, though to a lesser extent), yet each can lead to personal injury and have the potentially for involving the general public.

So from the legal activity of smoking, cities make huge profits off of  taxation and smokers are still considered a nuisance to society. In the few restaurants that still have smoking sections, a non-smoker will request ‘first available’, then complain once they’re sat in the smoking section or stare at the smoker like they’ve done something wrong. I’m not saying that this is a one-way street and that smokers should be able to violate a non-smoker’s right to be smoke-free, only that a New Yorker, shouldn’t have to trek over to Jersey or Connecticut for a smoke break (not even sure about the laws in those states).

I can’t help but theorize that the hidden goal for this ban is to make a little extra income. It’s a fact that smoking has declined since the late 90′s, early 2000′s in the United States,  just think of all the lost revenue since the early nineties. What better way to refill those coffers than by aggressively going after tobacco companies,  cutting funding for smoking prevention programs while simultaneously keeping smoking a legal purchase and adding hurdles and fines to those who break these ridiculous laws. What used to smell smoky, is now starting to smell a little fishy..

What say you?

Egypt: Freedom is in the history books

I’ve tried to stay clear of discussing overseas politics, mainly because most issues tend to have so much history preceding it and all are multi-faceted, so it’s hard to get the whole story when you’re not internally involved, making it even more difficult to form an educated opinion. Still, the situation in Egypt has been on my mind so much that I thought I write about it.

What I can say, as fact, is that Egypt is on the precipice of a revolution and to most accounts that’s the best thing that could happen to it. I know Mubarak and the current government is not a shining example of a functioning electable democracy but that there is also a fear that a radical Islamic group will take over, if the situation is not handled properly.

So the people protest for freedom, the government tries to ‘control’ the move and chaos break out. With all the issues that we still face here in the U.S. and the rest of the westernized world, it would be silly to preach to those who are struggling for what we take for granted, but it does make me wonder about the Arab world and what’s happening to it (particularly, in the Middle East).

On one hand, I think it’s great whenever a society fights for freedom. Personally, I think that no matter what race or religion you belong to, no one should ever be denied the freedom to speak their voice and everyone should have control over their own destiny (as long as no one is harmed in the process). That isn’t coming from the Christian side of me, that’s my human side.

On the other hand, an uncertain future  is so… well…uncertain. Especially with this surge of radical Islamic groups and how they have been able to get such a strong foot hold in other Middle Eastern nations, because of a new-found freedom. Makes me wonder, where are all the options? Again, not that I’m preaching, as my nation is, for all intents and purposes, a two-party government. But even at its worst, I’m glad I live in a country were I don’t have to fear the uncertain and that the actual freedom and availability for options is still open to me.  

Actually, what may disturb me the most about what’s happening in Egypt is reading about the  historical treasures which are being looted and destroyed. I don’t understand why this is happening. Egypt is a historical and cultural powerhouse. We only need to remember the great library of Alexandria to wonder about how much history was lost then and how much more is currently in danger.

I won’t take a definite stand for either party, because as mentioned earlier, I’m sure the issue has several layers and the possible outcome is so varied, but I wish all sides were a bit more conscious and considerate of their own history and of public property. I think about the riots in L.A. and I have to say, regardless of what side you were on, it was wrong that businesses and innocent bystanders suffered because personal greed, disguised as ‘freedom fighting’.

Personally, Egypt is one of those places I want to visit before I die which makes this situation even more worrisome for me. I regard Egypt’s past as humanity’s past and I believe it’s culture has influenced the entire world. As a human race, we have so many things to be proud of and we’ve accomplished so much in our journey to being ‘civilized’. I just hope we don’t disregard the history of it all. There’s nothing wrong with preserving your past and being considerate of your  present as you determine your future.

What are your thoughts? Let me know!!

West Side Historia

I had the chance to see the touring production of West Side Story, the musical this weekend, so this post is about my experience. I was so excited, because WSS is without a doubt one of my favorite musical movies and I’ve done a few numbers in high school, so the chance to finally see it live was amazing. However, there were a few things that bothered me and I wanted to discuss.

First, I know that there was an attempt to modernize the show a bit, so in comparison to the original broadway production,  I ‘m not sure of what is new or not, but I couldn’t help but notice the use of a lot of ‘cuss’ words in Spanish. I liken it to hearing my imaginary ‘innocent’ child swearing to his friends in the school playground. It just didn’t sit well with me and I know I wasn’t alone. I could also hear the gasps from other Spanish speakers in the audience, who mostly likely grew up watching the movie version, like me, wondering were the magical pureness of the story went.

That brings me to my second observation. It appeared as if the characters and plot were more sex driven. It seems as if they tried to inject humour, but mostly in sexual innuendos. There was a lot of air-humping and many lines were said with a  sexual connotation, which again, messed with my expectations of a classic.

The last thing I’ll mention was the bilingual reworking of some of the lines and songs. Now, I know Spanish, so there wasn’t a fear of being lost in the translation and I checked with my “American” partner who was also able to follow the story, but once again, I was just bothered by it.  For me, it’s more than just the lyric and musical composition of a song that makes me fall in love with it , there’s also the sound of the letters and the words.

There are so many songs that I’ve heard in both languages and more often than not, prefer the Spanish version, but then there are classics which shouldn’t be touched, regardless of the original language, except perhaps improving the quality of instruments or the volume/clarity of the voice.

By now, you’re probably thinking that I’m giving it ‘two thumbs down’ or that I’m simply an irritated unsatisfied jerk, but that isn’t the case. Overall, I still loved it. The singing, dancing and acting were all great and again, it was such a thrill to see something like that ‘live’. I do recommend it to anyone who has the chance to see it, and for the younger generations who have never even heard of WSS, I think this could possibly be a great modern introduction to a fantastic classic musical.

Wow, I just had an epiphany! Now I know why old people complain all the time!! It’s because the world is changing around them and they don’t like it. That also means, I’m becoming one of them. Oh No!!!

Naw, I can’t end my post that way, so instead I’ll say that I’m just a giver, and I had “two cents” in my pocket, so I thought I’d give it..