C'mon! Smoking is such a 'sociable unsocial thing', it gives you a reason to take a break with your co-workers, get out of the day to day routine, and talk about stuff other than work. Every time I go to Rome, the nicest people I meet and that I keep in touch with are those that I shared a cigarette break with, this includes the most gorgeous and friendly brunette I borrowed a lighter from at the Roma-Lazio game (yes you can smoke in the Olimpico - shock). I've found out people really open up when you share a cigarette with them. Sure cigarettes will kill you, this a proven fact, but so will eating a Whopper every day, yet Burger King is still on many football teams' shirts. It's the double standards behind cigarettes that I hate. It's always the cigarettes that are to blame, not the incredible amounts of fat in you food, your unhealthy diet, your lack of exercise, the alcohol in your drink, the additives in your fizzy drinks, the pesticides in your vegetables, or the insane amounts of stress at work. PS. I'll get flamed by this, but I find a girl who smokes attractive, and most of the time they have more character than those who've never smoked.
I remember reading a few years ago the reason alcohol and tobacco haven't been outlawed the way other drugs were was due to who was putting the money up to produce them (Lords and Dukes of the British upper crust) initially and now the tax promises attached to both. I'm no hippy but drugs should be legalised and sold at pharmacuetical stores. That way anyone wanting to take something can do so safely and they can be heavily taxed at the same time. No more needles in playgrounds, drug patterns can be monited and the money can go somewhere useful. Here in Scotland the local ruling party are significantly raising the amount of tax on alcohol as the country has a massive alcoholism and binge drinking culture. I still hold the opinion though that you cannot blame the alcohol for someone's actions. If somsone acts like a clown when drunk then they will do so through another medium if they can no longer afford alcohol. Increasing taxation on alcohol the easiest way to veil a social problem that runs much deeper, whilst punishing everyone for the trouble caused by a minority. The problems associated with alcohol will still manifest themselves through something else if those people can no longer get access to it.
I read somewhere that the real push against drugs, especially marijuana, happened when they abolished prohibition in the United States. That they found themselves with a lot of agents that had nothing to do so they changed the name to the Mexican spelling and starting a mediative war against it. I would say drugs should be legalized, but you could probably legalize marijuana. In my opinion it's a lot less dangerous than alcohol. But these things are too taboo in a lot of countries. If they legalized marijuana and prostitution in Italy they could end this economic crisis in 6 months.
Exactly. Drugs and prostitution has existed in societies for thousands of years. Surely the state can now realise it is pointless resisting such institutions and instead use them to the state's profit. And, at the same time putting a lot of the bad guys out of business. As you say, it is taboo to even mention such things nowadays. But the younger generations I feel are much more open to such ideas. My grandparents' generation would've strictly stood against any proposals but beyond them people can see the positives to be gained.
Have to agree with legalisation of drugs and prostitution it would make their users a lot safer plus the governments could make a bomb on tax. On a point that DDR made about Prohibition, drinking always seemed more fun when I was underage, it's like telling a child not to do something there going to do it anyway to see what the fuss is about.
You know as a kid I could go to the store and buy cigarettes and wine or beers for my parents. I always felt it was a bit funny how they made such big things out of that type of stuff in America. Of course no a days things are different. The cigarette machines in Italy make you put in an id.
Marijuana is not near alcohol in terms of dangers it poses...Moreover, it can be used therapeutically, i.e. for treatment of nausea/vomiting associated with chemotherapy/cancer...Also, I do not see nay problem with legalising it... Alcohol, on the other hand, is probably the number one killer among drugs, but it does have big lobbyists and power corporations behind... Fast food, is no way as dangerous as smoking, even if you eat a whopper a day...Also. it is the amount not the ingredients that are dangerous there...smoking on the hand is dangerous even at a rate of 1 cigarette/day...It is not to say that everyone will die prematurely from smoking, but the odds are much much higher...Even if not dying, smokers are highly likely to get COPD (emphysema/chronic bronchitis), which will eventually lead to heart failure...It will also lead to atherosclerosis and medical events such as infarctions and strokers...Cancers of the oral cavity, lung, bladder, kidney, among others...And there is not a single benefit to smoking (what can be said about marijuana and even alcohol - moderate consumption leading to lower risk of cardiovascular disease - although debatable)...But yes, tobacco companies are one of the strongest out there and they do represent the developed world (mostly USA, UK and Japan), and their polocy has shifted to exploitation of the developing countries who a lot of times are coerced to let easy importation of these tobacco products (e.g. the example of Thailand, who risked being sanctioned for banning importation of tobacco products and had to lift the bill later)...Sorry, for a non-thematic long post (I promise I stop here)...
In my opinion fast food is one of the worse things ever created. And if we didn't have this shit system based purely on profits and money it would have been banished out of existence. You can take McDonalds food leave it out in the open and it doesn't even decompose. Sit and think on that a minute. No mold, no maggots, nothing. It's like rubber. You leave a piece of bread out for one night and it will harden. McDonalds can sit out a year without really changing it's appearance.
ewwwwww. As far as the cigarette machines, I remember in firenze not even having to put an ID in, unless I wasn't paying close enough attention to my friends. Zeman supposively official by the end of the day
It's relatively new. It wasn't like that 10 years ago, I don't know when they did it but now all the machines make you put in a medical card to confirm your age. I actually keep my italian medical card in my wallet just so I can by smokes when I'm in the country.
The same with soft drinks. I saw a demonstration of someone using coca cola to clean a copper penny and by the time they had taken it out of the coke, the penny looked sparkling new. Drinking litres of that stuff and it then lying in your stomach must do untold damage. Soft drinks are even more at fault for obesity than food in my opinion.
The most telling thing about Coca Cola is that it is full of salt. And unless someone tells you, you would never notice it. Really tells you were their intentions are.
It also had to do with William Randolph Hearst, who through yellow journalism, had his newspapers printing stories about how African Americans and Mexicans were smoking this new drug called Marijuana and were raping white women and stepping on white men's shadows. And this caused the huge reefer madness storm in the 30's, so congress made it illegal not even knowing exactly what it was. I think it was Hillary Clinton that said recently the only reason pot has stayed illegal was because of business reasons.... Screw the pharmaceutical industry they have enough money.
Really can't be anything but happy with this move. Zeman's an experienced coach that knows how to get the best out of young players. He's the ideal coach for this project.
I don't expect him to be manager for more than 3 years. So for Montella I think he's in a good position to add to his resume and be in line for the job next time.