Stub out smoking monopoly

A night at an Uptown bar is enough to make any nonsmoker feel as if he or she is in the minority. After the lights go down and bouncers come out, Athens turns into the land that nonsmoking sections forgot.

The Cat's Den, 110 W. Union St., could change all that.

The bar's manger is considering turning the place into a nonsmoking establishment, which is good news for patrons who enjoy a drink but not the cloud of nicotine-infused smoke that seems to come with it.

Only about 24 percent of Americans smoke, according to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A slightly higher rate, 28.5 percent, of college students smoked in 1997, the last year for which rates are available.

A manager with a nose for business should realize that Athens has a consumer niche just waiting to be tapped. Visiting moms and dads might welcome the chance to socialize with their children in a smoke-free environment.

And nonsmoking drinkers are looking for more than a smoke-free night, which is one of the options Cat's Den manager Tony Sylvester is considering. Nonsmoking is not a theme like Quad or Latin Dance night; the smell of stale smoke lingers after the smokers clear out – about three days, according to a May 10 Post article.

Successful business is about choice and edging the competition. Cat's Den managers should seize this opportunity to offer customers something new and in demand.

Pack up, let’s go to the moon

NASA is whining because a wealthy Californian spent $20 million to become the first "space tourist," and the U.S. space agency didn't see a cent.

Dennis Tito returned Sunday from a six-day vacation aboard Russia's section of the International Space Station. Tito, who is catching flack for living out his George Jetson fantasy, said he resents being called a "tourist" and wants people to see him as a serious man with a legitimate goal.

He's romanticizing his accomplishment, but NASA has nothing to complain about. Although the space program said it worried Tito would jeopardize on-board work and might bill Russia for any disruptions the visit caused, Tito paid his way into space, fair and square. If NASA works with instead of against future space tourists, the voyages – not to mention the money – might bolster support for the space program.

Despite grandiose efforts to drum up enthusiasm, usually in the form of blockbuster Tom Hanks films, the program remains marred by failures such as the 1986 Challenger explosion and the loss of the Mars Polar Lander in 1999. Tourism could be just what NASA needs to sustain popular support.

As long as these multimillion-dollar space vacations don't disrupt station activities or endanger crew members, the space agency should consider Tito's excursion one more step in the exploration of the final frontier.