Recently Nevada's smoking ban took effect. The ban makes many bars face the choice of continuing to serve food while asking their smokers to smoke outside or taking the revenue hit of not serving food any longer. There are, reportedly, a number of business owners who haven't taken a look at the research from other venues suggesting that the smoking ban will lead to an increase in same-store sales. Instead the chicken-little crowd is lining up to rip out every vestige of restaurants from their establishment. A couple of creative local bars have suggested they will pay customers' costs for ordering delivery.As with many business obstacles this is really an opportunity. A bar wanting to keep smoking in the bar (though why is another question entirely) can wall-off the kitchen. The kitchen already has an entrance to the rear of the building. Setup a delivery business of comfort and bar fare out the back door and instead of watching revenue decline there will be the opportunity to have competing neighborhood bars pay your delivery fee for their customers. It seems that this minority of business owners is more interested in playing the  wounded business owner card instead of figuring out a solution.

Expectant parents are met with several options for cord blood banking. The promise of possible treatments for horrific diseases makes the spendy options of private cord blood banking seem appealing. What parent wants to be on the other end looking back and saying to themselves "If we had only..."The full story, as is often the case, is more complicated. The American Academy of Pediatrics just updated their position on cord blood banking. The advice boils down to two times when they recommend banking cord blood:

1. Private cord-blood banking if the newborn has a full sibling with a condition that could be treated with a transfusion of cord blood.
2. Donation to a public cord blood bank where the blood can be used by anyone in need with a matching type.

The companies marketing private blood banking services would have consumers believe that cord blood is a magical cure-all for any number of conditions. Viacord says cord blood "offers potential lifesaving treatments for your child or a family member," and offers a list of potential diseases that could be treated with cord blood. What is included at the bottom of the page (following the asterix) is the information that "the odds that a family without a defined risk will
need to use their child's umbilical cord blood are low. There is no
guarantee that the umbilical cord blood will be a match for a family
member or will provide a cure." Read more about Cord Blood Banking

In the wee hours, after I packed it in last night, the final Drupal 5 release was unveiled. Congratulations on a great release. Now it is time for the themers to go to work and come up with some additional themes. It is more daunting this time because of the absolutely beautiful theme Garland, which ships with Drupal and is customizable to an extent never before possible with a default Drupal install.

James Rogers, Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, resigned on Sunday. The resignation leaves the system of higher education looking for leadership at a time when leadership is critical for the system. The system's institutions and the system itself are in need of strong leadership. Rogers, never one to shy from controversy, has a reputation of saying what he believes needs to be said. The owner of several television stations was known to send firey memos to the media at the same time he sent them to the regents. One such memo recently asked why we continue to have college football at schools when nobody shows up.

Long story short it is a bad day for education in Nevada. Now we're left with quarreling regents and a Governor looking for water under the road.