As if life in LA wasn’t restrictive enough (no drunk driving, no inappropriate touching, etc), the Beverly Hills City Council voted unanimously to ban smoking at virtually all outdoor cafés and restaurants. The ones with tables on the sidewalk. Outside. It’s a prohibitive move, designed to protect “the public” from secondhand smoke and to discourage smoking in general. It may, however, discourage the Euro-laden, chainsmoking tourists from abroad who swarm to Los Angeles in the summer and are used to taking a cigarette with their dessert, so the Council has decided to postpone the ban until October 1. Because, bottom line, money trumps public health. (LA Times)