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Just in case you were outside smoking when the news came on, we wanted to remind everyone that the Cook County smoking ban took effect today.
Wha..? you ask? While plenty of people are totally informed on this whole thing and are either non-smokers or those with a devil-may-care attitude, there are also quite a few who didn't even know about the ban in the first place (these were tallied in a brief, non-scientific man on Michigan Avenue poll earlier today).
Whether you're just learning it now or think the news is old hat, we're just reminding you that Cook County residents are not allowed to smoke in any enclosed public place, or within 15 feet of one. Smokers can light up at home or in designated smoking clubs/rooms, the latter applying mainly to cigar smokers and men with monocles who drink brandy.
Several towns have already opted for their own, less restrictive smoking laws which trump the Cook County ban, such as Cicero, where you can still smoke in designated areas. Chicago's own ban is already in place, but it provides certain exceptions for bars and restaurants, which can still have smoking areas if there's a smoke eater — and those types of establishments still have until June 2008 to comply.
The fine in Chicago for smoking in the wrong place is $100, and the same goes for business owners. For Cook County it's the same, but jumps up dramatically for any subsequent offense. We figure that this is a kind of pie in the sky thing they just say they want, like "not drinking or peeing on the el" and "no jaywalking". You show us the stats on how many of those el pissers and confused pedestrians are caught and fined, and we'll show you an ineffective ban. We'll all just have to wait and see with this one.
Image via ulwaf.com.
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"Just in case you were outside smoking when the news came on, we wanted to remind everyone that that smoking ban is took effect today."
it true that that you guys get paid is to write?
"it true that that you guys get paid is to write?" English please.
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So if the smoking ban went into effect today but bars and restaurants have until June '08 to install the smoke eater, then what exactly is different from last Thursday. By that, I mean if I go to say...John Barleycorn (why would I?) can I expect it to be smoke-free or not?
It was a stupid mistake - thanks for pointing it out.
Fern - for residents in Cook County but not in Chicago, which could include some of our readers, it has changed completely. For each city that passes its own laws, they will trump the overarching Cook County ban. For city of Chicago residents, there isn't much of a change today, unless you are someone who works downtown but lives in a place that doesn't have its own smoking law or ordinance in place.
And for the record, we don't get paid to write. We do it for fun, and so that Erin has somewhere to hone her talent for grammar. Thanks again!
BTW, Fern, let's go to Barleycorn. It'll be a hoot.
Thanks Alicia. I was hoping the ban was for ALL establishments but I see that most places in the city won't change much after today. :( I get confused when the city/county rolls out the laws sporadically instead of just saying "No smoking anywhere as of today!" (like they did in...NYC, CA, Ireland, Toronto, Ohio etc.)
PS - I'll meet you at Barleycorn to start but we have to finish at SideTrack ;)
PPS - My "English please" was meant for Erin not you. I had to re-read the article 3 times before I saw the error. My brain auto-corrected it.
I'm tired of all the "English professors" that comment on this site.
For godsakes, start your own blog.
"english professors"? lol. more like 3rd grade teachers.
it would be great if everyone just proofread their posts like chuck and kevin and others. that's all. and to not to be made to feel like an ass by the very person who made the mistake. "Thanks again!" yeah right.
For godsakes, respect the language, september. Even writers who don't get paid--and we should thank them for their work--should be loyal to the principles of good writing. I know image is king and all that bullshit, but still.
Grammar nazis are my gods.
I happen to consider myself a grammar nerd/stickler/grammar bowl proponent; I love language and I like to see it treated properly. That being said, you don't have to be a dick about it. I find it more offensive when people type shit like ur teh kewlest than an honest mistake.
erin, "and to not to be made to feel like an ass by the very person who made the mistake."
Was that intentional? Because if not, I'd like to respectfully point out that you added an extra "to." see how easy that was?
I honestly didn't mean it that way, I meant it like you have found errors - which I have corrected - in several of my posts. It was meant to be making fun of me, not you. But whatev. We'll be at Sidetrack later.
that's kewl Alicia. thanks for clarifying!
Everybody makes mistakes in writng. Even with spellcheckers they sometimes slip through the cracks.
I'll point out grammar mistakes or word usage problems, but I strive not to be dickish about it (to the point where I made a sock puppet entirely for word geek-ish correction posts).
Wait a second. Am I real? Or just my own alter ego's alter ego?
"Everybody makes mistakes in writng."
Hey! Like right there!!!!
I stand corrected. Apparently you *do* have to be a dick. Sorry.
And for the record, we don't get paid to write. We do it for fun
That's a pretty good deal for whoever it is that gets the advertising checks.
Hi. I like to type on the computer.
I found out just the other day that my boss has been fined. His business is one where you might get something to eat, or maybe drink. Anyway, someone told the people at 311 and Mr. Boss gets slapped with a fine! This person says she smelled cigarette smoke and that maybe the exposure to the second hand smoke had given her lung cancer.
If that jibe was directed at me, Mo; I was merely trying for wacky and whimsical.
Hank Higgins, no, that jibe was *not* directed at you. Your post slipped in after erin's and before mine. In fact, I thank you for your whimsy; now every time I am on the verge of getting annoyed at erin's jerky comments, I imagine erin as a sock puppet, and really, who can hate a sock puppet? They can't help themselves.
Obviously you've never encountered STENCHY THE FERAL RABID SOCK PUPPET!!!