At the beach, I find chubbies in tiny bathing suits more of a public nuisance than smokers.

Ban those guys.

Nice photo.

Thanks for the hot picture.

Yes it is a health issue.

I like to walk and do my Tai Chi

in a park with clean air,

and don't have to smell the cigarette smoke

of those @#$@#holes.

I am very sensitive to those smells.

How do you like it if I fart in your face ??

That's how I react to cigarette smoke

These bans have nothing to do with public health, they're about lifestyle control. If they were about health, smelly dryer sheets and air freshener would be banned. Check out the toxic compounds in your average Snuggle sheet:

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/08/08/fragrance-study.html?ref=rss

I have had so many people blow smoke into my face while walking down the street. I hate it. If you want to inhale that crap then do it where nobody else is going to share in it. It's a selfish habit.

so, with all the auto and business air pollution in NYC the Mayor is worried about a little open-air smoke? Could it be that going after the cars, buses, and businesses might impact his pocketbook?

Wonder if he's considered how banning open-air smoking will affect international tourism? Banning open-air smoking is akin to banning Europe and Asia-Pacific tourist dollars.

I guess he figures he can recover the lost income to the city by stepping up the traffic and parking ticket business in the city.

Um

How about first doing something about the pollution from the thousands of vehicles driving around the city at every moment of the day and night?

Then maybe you have a right to ask me to put out my cig outdoors - until then though - my tiny cig does nothing compared to all the pollution everyone breaths in from all the traffic.

Show me you care about the big problems then you have a right to deal with the small insignificant ones.

this is fucking bullshit.

SECOND-HAND SMOKING RESULTS IN LIVER DISEASE, STUDY FINDS

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Sep 14, 2009 8:00:00

Scientists have found that even second-hand tobacco smoke exposure can result in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a common disease in which fat accumulates in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol. The researchers found fat accumulated in liver cells of mice exposed to second-hand cigarette smoke for a year in the lab. Such fat buildup is a sign of NAFLD, leading eventually to liver dysfunction.

http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/2_KR3c-8Wzk/090910142425.htm

fat accumulates in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol.

then have another glass of wine and shut up.

How about a trade? How about no more smoking in parks in exchange for no more filthy fucking dogs shitting and pissing on the goddamn sidewalk? I'm sick and tired of going out for a walk and smelling nothing but dog piss.

The city needs the tax revenue from smokers.

This is nutz!

Ban polluting cars as well then, those do more damage than the ocassionally second hand smoke trail u happened to inhale once in a while... come on live a little!

Wow, I find smoking to be a terrible habit, but this just seems a bit crazy.

Also, with the ban in restaurants and bars, the impetus is on the business to make it clear smoking is not allowed because they are the ones who will be fined, so they ultimately prevent the smoking. The issue is handled individually in each establishment.

So is this going to be enforced by the foot patrol cops all over the city? Will there have to be new signs everywhere in Central Park explaining where people can and can't smoke? I guarantee there will be countless foreigners very, very confused when told they're breaking the law by smoking outside in an expansive park... and probably angry when some random person comes and scolds them for such a common act.

Anywho, those are just my initial thoughts when reading this.

Also, someone made a good point that the city makes a lot of money off of its insanely high taxes on smokes and something like this (and what inevitably would follow) might eventually start impacting the bottom line...

Cigarette smoke is genuinely _unpleasant_ to smell. This point is rarely addressed in pros and cons. its the key issue for me. Folks can smoke themselves to a cancerous death if they want, but do I have to smell that stuff while they do it?

This article is totally misleading. Bloomberg just found out about this idea. He did not iniate it. Get your facts straight. That being said, it's a great idea and vote against Bloomberg!

Blah blah blah. It's a great idea! Most smokers are slobs who do not care if they blow smoke in your face or leave butts everywhere. My tax dollars pay for those parks. Great idea!

I'm not a fan of smokers either, and I'm glad it was banned in restaurants, but banning smoking in parks seems a little ridiculous.

How about just actually fining people for throwing butts on the sidewalk or grass in the parks? If this were actually a public health issue, the real "threat" is from thousands of cars idling in traffic.

Second-hand smoke is dangerous, but I'm not concerned about it in outdoor, open spaces. This move seems more like another money grab.

NYC was, is, and will always be a decadent city. That's why we live here. We like our booze, our anonymous sex, our drugs and our 5 pound steaks cooked in butter.

If you don't like smoking I hear Salt Lake City is wonderful this tie of year.

Hallelujah!