Some great news from a concert in Wales yesterday:

Rock guitarist Slash flouts the smoking ban

FORMER Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash proved he was far too rock and roll for Wales’ smoking ban – lighting up on stage in the capital last night.

While fans were told to go outside for a cigarette, Slash and frontman Scott Weiland chain-smoked their way through their hard-rock band Velvet Revolver’s set at Cardiff’s International Arena.

Flouting Wales’ ban on smoking in any enclosed space, which includes theatre stages, could mean the rock legends are now in line for a £50 fine each.

The CIA could face an even heftier fine of up to £2,500 for not stopping them smoking.

It is thought the American band’s breach of the ban is the first since Wales’ new legislation came into force on April 2.

The CIA was today unavailable for comment.

Cardiff council confirmed it would be investigating.

Velvet Revolver, which has three former Guns ‘n’ Roses members – English-born Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum – and Scott Weiland, the former lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots, were playing in the city as part of their Re-Evolution tour.

Finally!!! It took four years, but people are finally realizing the New York City smoking ban was a stupid, ineffective idea. But wait - it worked so well with prohibition, didn't it??!

Bar owners are even willing to face being shut down, because they all feel fundamentally the same way; Our freedom to operate our businesses as we see fit in a free market society can not be censored by the government!

From NY1 News:

"More and more bar and clubs across the five boroughs are reportedly allowing patrons to smoke – violating the city's four-year-old ban.

According to the New York Post, smokers have been lighting up freely in many expensive clubs and local pubs.

Smoking in city bars and restaurants has been a violation since 2003. Venues that do not comply can be hit with fines or even shut down after repeat offenses.

But some club workers told the paper they would rather pay fines than deal with neighbors who complain about smokers on the sidewalk.

The Department of Health says it has handed out about twice as many violations in the past year as the year before, and shut down nine businesses that didn't comply with the ban. "

The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) has decided to rate movies based on tobacco use. This is a group who has way too much control over the movie industry already, and now they found another reason to dictate our rights and morals.

Read the full article:

LOS ANGELES -- Smoking will be a bigger factor in determining film ratings, the Motion Picture Association of America said yesterday, but critics said the move does not go far enough to discourage teens from taking up the habit.

MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman said his group's ratings board, which previously had considered underage smoking in assigning film ratings, now will take into account smoking by adults, as well.

That adds smoking to a list of such factors as sex, violence and language in determining the MPAA's G, PG, PG-13, R and NC-17 ratings.