4A the university daily kansan opinion EDITORIAL BOARD monday, march 8,2004 Smoking ban bad for business: Give consumers choices Loud music, drinking, laughing and a smoke-filled atmosphere describe the typical bar in Lawrence. OUR VIEW As annoying as smoke-filled bars are, the fact remains that it is a choice: A OUR VIEW Eliminating smoking in Lawrence's bars is bad for business. There are alternatives to promote non-smoking venues. "smoking and drinking go hand in hand" patrons to other cities. Kansas City and Topeka are close enough that people who attend bars may choose to travel the distance. If the coalition succeeds, it could pose economic problems for the city by pushing choice that the Lawrence Clean Air coalition is challenging. The coalition's goal is to eliminate smoking in Lawrence buildings. The issue is not a city issue; it is a state issue. It is all or nothing. The Lawrence Clean Air coalition cannot expect Lawrence to compete with other cities that do not have the bans on smoking. Especially when there are alternatives in Lawrence. The Bella Lounge, 925 Iowa St., is a non-smoking bar. Marisco's, Sixth St. and Wakarusa Drive, is a non-smoking restaurant. Milton's Coffee, 920 Massachusetts St..is a non-smoking coffee shop. "Small-business owners have enough regulations. Let us run our businesses without worrying about one more regulation," said Rob Farha, owner of the Bella Lounge. Farha said having a non-smoking bar was not bringing in as much business as he expected it would, but he was not discouraged from continuing to offer a smoke-free bar. He said the number of patrons continued to increase. As another option, Lawrence should offer tax breaks for business owners who choose to offer non-smoking alternatives. This would encourage more business owners to establish non-smoking regulations. Wes Benson for The University Daily Kansan The issue returns to the fact that it is a choice. People choose to light a cigarette. Customers choose to party where smoking is allowed. Business owners should be able to choose whether smoking is allowed. Dildos at your door with passion parties PERSPECTIVE The age of the edible panty has arrived. Gone are the days when a lady needed to cloak herself in a trenchcoat and sunglasses to select the proper, um, romantic accessories. There's no need to even leave your home. Oh yes, the Love Swing and the Happy Heart Massager come to you. What can only be described as a Tuxerware party meets The Dr. Ruth Show, "passion parties," also called "pleasure parties," are not surprisingly rapidly getting a reputation as being hip, salacious and a darn smart business move. Amy Kelly opinion@kansan.com Female sexuality is nothing new, of course. Considering the millions of viewers who shed tears at the demise of Sex and the City, parties centered around sex toys seem a logical next step to keep the moans coming. Whether for bachelorete parties or a sorority's girls' night out, trips to Priscilla's are now rituals. Embarrassing? An outing is never painful with a group of giggling females. Call it sexual confidence in numbers. But strip the woman of her girlfriends and entering Priscilla's can suddenly become a game of "let's see how long I can go without making eye contact." Enter passion parties, which allow the college student, the soccer mom and the Kim Cattralls of the world to have an equal opportunity to explore sexual taboos and still regain a bit of privacy. Subtract the sex part from the equation and you also have a brilliant entrepreneurial venture for ladies. Considering that the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement student in 2000 showed that women make 74 cents for every dollar made by a man, a business made for women by women provides females with a niche all their own in the male-dominated business world. The opportunity is precisely what inspired Tricia Wahl of Oregon to create Delightful Nights in October of last year following a less-than-fulfilling go-round with a corporate-style passion party organization. Wahl said she loved her job, but does have to take precautions in her small town. It's worked — few people know she sells Gold Dust Powder or Tantric Foot Magic. "All people really see is a UPS truck arrives once a week," said Wahl, who said she was still proud of what she adds to couples' lives. "There's nothing wrong with making your romantic life fun." The numbers seem to echo that sentiment. The nationally known company Passion Parties earned $20 million from its assorted toys, costumes and novelty items in 2003. And just like the Tupperware citadel, Passion Parties is rapidly recruiting women as sales consultants who have the opportunity to make a steady income, travel and possibly earn an automobile bonus — a la Mary Kay. Dana Wilde, a sales consultant for the Kansas City chapter of Passion Parties, said she noticed an increasing interest for her products by college students. "I have even gone to college campuses and held parties at two different sororities, two nights in a row," Wilde said. For the woman looking for part-time work, Wilde added passion party sales consultant fits the bill. "The money is fantastic and fits well with their class schedules," Wilde said. Regardless of whether you like the sound of the Flex-O-Pleaser, passion parties seem to be arriving. Kelly is a senior in journalism and art history. PERSPECTIVE International Women's Day: Vaginas are good Can I say vagina in the Kansan? I mean, not just making a medical reference, or advertising a play, but actually talking about vaginas? It's one of those words that will often get you strange looks when it comes up in conversation. "What is that nice girl doing talking about that?" What am I doing? Good question. Today is International Women's Day. According to the official KU student profile, 52.2 percent of you have vaginas, but I bet most of you, male or female, did not know that March 8 had any such significance. What exactly is the significance of this day for the average student at the University of Kansas? Girls will scream sisterhood from the rooftops for their sports teams or sororities, but when it comes to real issues, all of a sudden they're skirting away. Who wants to talk about feminism or vaginas these days, anyway? GUEST COMMENTARY Laura Rose Barr opinion@hansan.com Let's talk about violence. Gender-based violence against women is a pattern that has existed since the dawn of civilization. I am talking about rape, sexual abuse, assault, battery, sexual slavery, incest, forced prostitution, trafficking and honor killings. If these things don't seem real or pertinent to you, you are fortunate. But one out of three, or 31 percent, of American women report being physically or sexually abused by a partner at some point in their lives. If you are on campus, I bet you can see three women from where you are sitting. Which one do you think it is? If you think the term "feminist" is too radical or too liberal for you, put it in some perspective. The thought of a woman wearing a pair of pants or having her own career was much more scandalous in the past than most of the current feminist ideals being worked on today. Ladies and gentlemen, let's face some facts: there is a lot of work that needs to be done in the world to make it a safer place for all the women we know and care about, and all those that we don't. Dare to be the women (and men) who change history, not those who take it for granted. So what am I doing talking about vaginas? It's sad and strange how easy it is to call someone a pussy or a cunt, but vagina is a word that still has that taboo. It should be thus, but out of dignity, not discomfort or disgust. Vaginas define who we are as women, and womanhood is something no one should be ashamed to write or speak about. Until there is respect in the world for all vaginas, I, for one, am not going to stop saying it. In honor of International Women's Day, The Vagina Monologues will be presented 7 tonight at Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St. Tickets are $10. Proceeds will go to Rape Victim Survivor Services and the International V-Day Campaign to Stop Violence Against Women Worldwide. The Vagina Monologues are sponsored by KU student groups including Amnesty International. Rose Barr is a Chicago sophomore in philosophy and international studies. Call 864-0500 Free forAll For more comments, go to www.kansan.com Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded. - - I hope some of my tuition money goes to fixing my flat tire. This is just ridiculous. This is a joke. This is a joke. This is a joke. Please stop raining. Oliver is leaking. - I am a white Republican and no matter what the opinion page says I am proud of my white heritage and the Republican party. Na, na, na, na, na, na. I'm watching you. For all of you people who take their gum out of their mouth and throw it on the ground: That is disgusting. - All of the earthworms are dying Do something about these pot holes. They are killing my car. KANSAN Shout out to the men in the big white truck. Thanks for filling in all of the pot holes. Michelle Rombeck editor 684.4854 or mburhenn@kansan.com - My roommate has a bump on her cheek and she thinks that it may be brain cancer. Can we say hypochondriac? Andrew Vaupel managing editor 864-4864 or vaupel@kansan.com Meghan Brune and Johanna M. Maska opinion editors 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com Matt Fläher sales and marketing adviser 884-7666 or mfläher@kanan.com 图 Danielle Bose business manager 864-4358 or adddirector@kansan.com Stephanie Graham retail sales manager 864-1358 or adsales@kansan.com Malcolm Gibson general manager and news adviser 864-7667 or mgibson@kansan.com Editorial Board Members Kendall Dix Lynze Ford Laura Francoviglia Ana Gregory Amy Hammontree Kelly Hollowell Teresa Lo Mindy Osborne Greg Holmquist Ryan Scarrow Elizabeth Willy Sara Behnnek Kevin Flaherty Brandon Gay Zack Hemenway Alex Hoffman Kevin Kampwirth Amy Kelly Cameron Koelling Courtney Kuhlen Brandi Mathiesen Travis Metcalf Mike Norris Jonathan Resder Erin Riffey Alisa Smith Kari Zimmerman