Balan 'requests on-set smoking ban'

Vidya Balan is said to have asked unit members on her new film not to smoke.

The actor, who plays the role of a pregnant woman in Kahaani, has requested that smoking is banned on the set of the Sujoy Ghosh project.

According to The Times of India, the director commented: "Vidya eats, sleeps, and breathes her character. She's so much into it that sometimes it gets scary."

The filmmaker added: "But we are all cooperating and I as a director, I love it."

Balan recently performed another pregnant role in the commercially successful Amitabh Bachchan production Paa.

Smoke Shops and Customers React to Smoking Product Ban

On Tuesday the Corpus Christi city council made all smokeable incense illegal. The new ordinance also outlaws the sale of smoking devices like pipes, leaving many smoke shops wondering how they'll continue business.

Smoke shops like Mr. Nice Guys will likely be forced out of business soon, but you wouldn't know it by the steady stream of customers today. Residents stocked up on herbal incense and took advantage of some discounted items, as the store tries to clear out their inventory while they still have the chance.

Chantee Randall, manager at Flashbacks said, "It affected us completely because everything we have here is for tobacco use which is now illegal. We're going to have to pretty much shut down because as you can see, our store is filled with pipes." Flashbacks has been in Corpus Christi for years, now they're being run out of town. "They gave us until the end of the month, so we have discounted prices now and then we're going to move to Austin," Randall said.

Business owners and customers seem to agree with the ban on the herbal incense, but think the city may be overstepping their boundaries with banning all pipes.
"I think it should be banned honestly... it's the same thing as weed pretty much," said one customer who wished to remain anonymous. Another anonymous customer said, "I was kind of upset. It seems like they should focus some of their energy on drugs that are really illegal, instead of ruining small businesses."

And even though these items are illegal now, these customers say they can still get their hands on them. "There's always ways to get it, the internet or anywhere else, so we'll see if it makes a difference," a customer said.

Possible smoking ban for Kentucky

A push is underway in Frankfort to implement a statewide smoking ban. On Wednesday in the Capitol Rotunda a rally took place that backed a bill that would place a ban on smoking in all indoor workplaces and public places.

The sponsor of the bill does not expect it to pass although they explained that these things take time and this rally was a step in the right direction. "I don't expect the smoke free bill to get through this year," Susan Westrom of Fayette County said,"My intention was merely educate our legislators."

House bill 193 has been assigned to the health and welfare committee.

Students’ Association repeals controversial smoking resolution

The Students' Association voted to survey students about a campus wide smoking ban, rather than put the issue to a student vote.
Getting the needed two-thirds majority exactly, SA voted to rescind the Nov. 29 resolution in order to specify that the poll's results will not be a deciding factor.
"The new resolution isn't going to change policy in any way," said Sen. Shad Christman, who co-sponsored the resolution. "It's just intended to gauge student opinion."
While introducing the new resolution at the Jan. 31 meeting, Christman called the original, rescinded resolution "controversial," "biased," "a firestorm" and "not what the students wanted."
The rescinded resolution, which was passed Nov. 29, said SA would "sponsor a campus-wide student/ employee vote to approve a smoke-free campus." On Jan. 31, Senators Christman and Kate Wegehaupt sponsored Resolution 10-20-R, which changed the title from "Smoke-free campus vote" to "Smoking policy student survey," and it underwent multiple clarifications and amendments.
"We spent about 45 minutes slicing and dicing the new resolution," Sen. Mark York said.
SA chose to put the survey on the presidential election ballots on March 21, which was a decision proposed by York.
(Former Sen.) Hassan Ali, who was one of the sponsors of the first resolution, saw the smoking and tobacco issue as something that could potentially get students interested in SA and interested in who to elect as leaders.
"[Ali] thought it would be a really neat way to get people out to the polls at elections by putting the smoking issue on the ballot," York said.
Christman and SA President Brett Monson said the increase in voter turnout was not the main purpose.
"That may have been part of it," Monson said. "I couldn't say that would be the sole reason."
Whether or not an increase in voter numbers was an original goal, Monson and Christman said an increase in turnout would be a positive effect, considering last year close to 2,000 students voted.
"That would be a nice bonus," Monson said. "[But] ideally, we could have voter turnout regardless of the smoking thing."