"Black smoke filled the room. I quickly extinguished the fire, but exhaled a lot of smoke in the process and my room is in a bad shape now, covered with black particles (my modular synth as well).

An emaciated man, 32, says he was held in his room for 20 years and set it on fire to gain his freedom, according to police.

And smoke-filled rooms on Capitol Hill have often been the place where policymakers hash out disagreements, relax and bond over the shared appreciation for a good cigar. Horace Cooper, an aide to ...