I’ve been wondering about this for a while: if the government won’t fund wind power, is it possible to invest in it privately? I may not be able to buy my own personal windfarm, but could I buy a share in one?

Yes I can. Thanks to a story on AM this morning, I found this: Hepburn Wind, who have issued a prospectus for shares (minimum $1000) in a ~$10 million windfarm project that will power 2000 homes.

Excellent. I’ll seriously consider investing.

I know from last time that a post like this may set the cat among the pigeons, so I was going to spend a bit more time refining this. But I haven’t had time, so what the hell.

Smoking would have to be the worst habit anybody could have, ever, wouldn’t it?

Millions are addicted. Poor souls.

It kills, with over 15,000 Australians per year dying from tobacco smoke.

Those that it doesn’t kill, are unhealthy.

It’s about as antisocial as you can get. Even the considerate smokers find their smoke floating away and being breathed in by other people, passing the health risk onto them. In places like public footpaths, this is probably worse than ever now that smoking has (quite rightly) been banned from most indoors areas. Maybe we need enclosed smoking rooms to be set up, so that others don’t have to breathe in smokers’ pollution.

It pollutes not just the air, but also the ground - it’s unparalleled in the world of litter.

It costs. Taxes (quite rightly) raise about $5 billion per year from smokers, and account for over 60% of the retail price. But those taxes don’t even come close to covering the $31 billion in tobacco-related costs to society.

Even now there are proposals to increase it further. Fine by me. Sting them for as much as you can, I reckon. The more people you can put off it, the better.

Really, is there any habit that could be worse?

(On the bright side, apparently the ban on smoking in bars is having a positive effect.)

PS. The commenters have successfully argued that it’s not quite the worst habit. Not even perhaps the worst legal habit, though it’s still up there in the top of the ladder.