You heard it here first! The US is going to ban tobacco! It’s just a matter of time now. I quite smoking almost 9 months ago now and I have no desire to start again. Sure I get the itch to have “just one” on occasion, but my priorities have shifted and my lifestyle has changed such that I don’t want to go down that road again. But what if I DID want to…? The states that allow me to do it inside just about anywhere have narrowed quite significantly. Even if I am at an enforced 21+ establishment like a bar or nightclub, not in California, NY, or Illinois. They raise the taxes on them in New York all the time and people cheer. The government is seen as bold and progressive for instituting a measure to discourage this behavior. Why do we punish smokers? Because it’s unhealthy? So what? You don’t have to pay my medical bills from smoking. There’s no social healthcare in the US. Because it smells bad? Should we punish people who wear too much cologne too? Let’s put a Smelly Tax on cologne and perfume! The bottom line is, things are going too far. I can see banning smoking in public places where others may be subjected to risk against their will, but come on! Smokers did not do anything wrong! They are enjoying a legal product that the USA was founded on as one of the most important crops farmers have grown since the birth of the nation. People make all sorts of claims like, “Well, back then we didn’t know it was bad for you!” Let’s be realistic! Show me one person who didn’t choke after they smoked their first cigarette and you say you had no idea it was bad for you? Even if you were so naive, there is nobody in today’s society who is not aware that smoking can be hazardous to your health. On this basis, I say people are making an informed decision. Much like alcohol, Americans have a love hate relationship with tobacco products. We consume record amounts of both, but show no hesitation in pointing the finger when things go wrong. “The alcohol made me do it,” or “It’s the cigarettes that gave me cancer.” No stupid. You made a poor decision to abuse a substance and you are suffering the consequences. It’s just a substance. It can’t do anything to you unless you give it the opportunity.

I went to see The Incredible Hulk this weekend and I have to say, I couldn’t have been much more pleased. It succeeds in all the ways Ang Lee’s Hulk failed. Rather than pick up where the flop left off or even try to re-tell the poorly scripted story of Hulk, Louis Leterrier picks up the story sometime down the road from Bruce Banner’s fated experiment. He accepts that we all know the story behind the Hulk’s creation and goes over it quickly during the opening credits, before jumping right into the setup for this film. With the star studded cast in this film, the acting is right where it should be. Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner is every bit the troubled and complex scientist we’ve loved and watched for so long both on TV and in comics. Liv Tyler plays an excellent Betty Ross and Tim Roth is ever the asset he always is. It’s not just the story that makes this movie a winner, or just the acting. Some of the real gems come in the form of cameos and comic relief with clear nods to Bill Bixby and cameo appearances by Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno. Moments like these will satisfy even the most critical fans of the television and comic series. The only real problem I saw in this movie was with the CGI. Much like in Hulk, The Incredible Hulk relies on CGI to render the title character and at times the proportions of certain parts seem wrong. This ends up being only a minor problem, as in most scenes he appears in where we see his full body, everything looks fine. Leterrier shows no hesitation in showing his main character and in a bold showing prepares the viewer for not only a sequel, but a Marvel crossover one.

With surging oil prices that show little sign of slowing down, the big question on everyone’s mind is, what do we do about it? Consumers all over the world are feeling the pinch of skyrocketing gasoline prices that have increased to almost 1.5 times their price just last year. People are taking transit more and trading in their gas guzzling SUVs for compact cars and hybrids with greater fuel efficiency. One could say it is an environmentalist’s wet dream. Or is it? It can be said that there is no greater motivator than self interest and a strained economy that is suffering additional effects from rising oil prices is one of the best. People are scrambling to come up with ideas to save money in the face of rising food and fuel costs. At the same time, governments are trying to come up with ways to help relieve some of the pressure. As the battle rages over whether the answer is in biofuels or some other form of alternative energy, policy makers are coming up with all sorts of ideas.

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Well folks, the DNC has finally come to an end and Barack Obama is officially the first black presidential candidate! In a show of continued hubris Sen Clinton still refuses to officially concede the race, but it is no longer a question of hanging on by a thread, as Sen Obama has officially met the requirements of the DNC to be named the 2008 Candidate. Even as she refuses to concede, Sen Clinton has again raised the specter of the so-called “Dream Ticket", but the Obama camp remains non-committal. Various celebs and personalities of all variety are showing Obama various levels of support. George Lucas calls Obama a modern “hero in the making.” Even Bush cabinet members are showing reserved enthusiasm for the Obama campaign. Now that the convention has come to an end, Sen McCain is ramping up his campaign to distance himself from President Bush and draw sharp distinctions between himself and Sen Obama. The two continue to trade volleys on the subjects of economic and foreign policy, as both sides try to portray themselves as agents of change, but in different directions. In other news, there’s this…

Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan released a scathing biopic about his time with the President that has is the subject of much news this week. Mr McClellan alleges in his book that President Bush intentionally misled the American people with a carefully orchestrated propaganda campaign to go to war with Iraq. The former White House aide says the President was aware that the threat was minimal at best, but overstated it to the American people and other government officials because he was determined to invade. While many of us have believed this to be true, it is shocking to hear it from an insider in the Bush administration. Cabinet members have defended Mr Bush, but has so far shielded themselves from making any direct denials by claiming they have not read the book. In the meantime, Democrats have wasted no time in challenging Mr McClellan to step forward and testify to the allegations he makes in his book under oath. If this process does succeed, high ranking members of the White House staff could face serious charges including obstruction of justice and possibly even treason.

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