ILTB is at least partly right. Nobody should settle for any particular bar setup til he has tried a few, and drops and North Roads would be the minimum I'd say. I have bikes with both, and love both for different reasons. I have nice high set North Roads on my tandem and on a couple of three speeds, and they make for a fantastically relaxing ride, with next to no weight on your hands. On the downside, they do stick you up into the wind a lot (more of an issue if you like to ride fast), and the put a lot of weight on your backside. A seat which will be comfortable with a stretched out position on drops will not be comfortable sitting upright with North Roads.

I love the drops for the ability to stretch out, be more "under" the wind even on the hoods, and to duck right out of the wind. I find that the hoods, and the shoulders are very comfortable, but there is some weight on your arms. It's worth trying things like raising the stem a little, or trying longer or shorter stems to get comfortable. Remember though, that there are a LOT of types of bars, seats, and riding positions. Some people will tell you that drops are the only way to go, ILTB will tell you the opposite. Try both, but try other things as well - Soma Noah's Arc's, Moustache bars, Priest bars, trekking bars, bullhorns - most can be had for not much $$$ if you look around - find what suits you.

As far as skidding, you'd do better asking in the SS/FG forum, but to learn, lean forward, nuts on the stem, to unweight the wheel, and lock your rearward facing leg. That said, your rear brake should be able to lock your back wheel - any decent modern caliper brake will do that, and though a coaster might do too, your calipers are not working right if they won't. I find Shimano dual pivot calipers will lock a wheel with my 250 lb's on top.