1. Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!

Off Topic The "Discuss Anything Else" Thread

Discussion in 'Horse Racing' started by OddDog, Jun 23, 2013.

  1. QuarterMoonII

    QuarterMoonII Economist

    Joined:
    May 31, 2011
    Messages:
    8,259
    Likes Received:
    4,105
    Which sweeping statement? Did you read the original post about extrapolating conclusions from surveys? It is hard to reply specifically when I do not know exactly what I was “quite wrong” about.

    As far as I am aware, Helmut Schmidt has never been pregnant or indeed a woman, so he would not have been included in the survey. If people want to smoke themselves to death (or in Mr Schmidt’s case a long life) despite the warnings, that is their choice. In this country they are heavily taxed for the privilege. I had four grandparents and the three that smoked did not make 70 whilst the one non-smoker lived to be 84. I admit that is hardly a scientific survey of one working class family but it was enough evidence for me to say ‘no’ when offered cigarettes as a teenager.

    You know I do not do religion and, for the record, I have no issue with abortion (choice for women, not men).
     
    #3721
  2. QuarterMoonII

    QuarterMoonII Economist

    Joined:
    May 31, 2011
    Messages:
    8,259
    Likes Received:
    4,105
    Sorry, Cyc, the double-negative has me foxed here about whether you are agreeing with my point.

    On the map on the BBC’s report, almost all of the highlighted bad smoking areas are failing post-Industrial Northern towns and cities. That was why I originally stated: “In the poorer parts of the country, people tend to smoke because they know no better and they submit to societal pressure”.

    I am sure I could find a statistic somewhere that shows that you are more likely to smoke if you come from a smoking household. Life in many British Northern towns and cities revolves around “a fag and a pint”, which makes it very difficult to break the cycle in subsequent generations. Clearly punitive tobacco taxes are not stopping the economically restricted and the survey suggests education is not working either.
     
    #3722
  3. Ron

    Ron Well-Known Member
    Forum Moderator

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2011
    Messages:
    48,319
    Likes Received:
    15,485
    My parents both smoked but gave up completely in their later stages. I haven't smoked since I was 14 and never will. My wife smokes, my son and daughter smoke, as do their partners and their families; most French people seem to smoke. I feel like a bloody social outcast at times (when we all get together), especially straight after a meal when the room empties :steam:
     
    #3723
    Dexter likes this.
  4. OddDog

    OddDog Mild mannered janitor
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2011
    Messages:
    28,577
    Likes Received:
    10,380
    Mum's mum - heavy smoker, died of lung cancer aged 47
    Mum's sister - heavy smoker, died of lung cancer aged 49
    Mum - never smoked, picture of health aged 70
    Dad's dad - never smoked, died aged 93 due to heart failure
    Dad's mum - never smoked, dies aged 100 due to "just being old and worn out"
    Dad - smoked cigars for a few years in his fifties but not since 15 years - now a healthy 73 year old
    I smoked for about 10 years (21-31) but hopefully stopped soon enough.

    There really is no more stupid habit, it is pure brain-washing and denial that keeps people smoking. I remember when the smoking ban came in here in Germany, some of the arguments brought by smokers about how they were being marginalised and it was limiting their freedom of choice. Dear me.
     
    #3724
    Dexter likes this.
  5. SwanHills

    SwanHills Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2011
    Messages:
    10,754
    Likes Received:
    5,276
    Yes, the statistics are indeed damning, my own father died at the early age of 47, certainly in most part due to smoking all of his adult life, but also due to the horrendous WW2 he went through. He was great dad, don't think I ever really got over his passing at such a young age.

    However, I make no apologies for my previous post on Helmut Schmidt, I just cannot stand sweeping comments that just do not consider a subject in full.
     
    #3725
  6. SwanHills

    SwanHills Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2011
    Messages:
    10,754
    Likes Received:
    5,276
    #3726
    Cyclonic likes this.
  7. Cyclonic

    Cyclonic Well Hung Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2011
    Messages:
    15,320
    Likes Received:
    3,434
    Very interesting Swanny. I really enjoyed the light art. <cheers>
     
    #3727
    SwanHills likes this.
  8. SwanHills

    SwanHills Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2011
    Messages:
    10,754
    Likes Received:
    5,276
    "Shake A Tail Feather" with the Blues Brothers and Ray Charles:

     
    #3728
    Cyclonic likes this.
  9. King Shergar

    King Shergar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2011
    Messages:
    9,051
    Likes Received:
    1,016
    i dont think it's a case of less wealthy people smoking, I know loads of wealthy people who smoke 40 a day. After all with the price of them these days you'd have to have a few quid just to buy them.

    I think it's more a case of wealthy people are generally more responsible, having had a better up brininging so generally speaking they have more sense than to put there baby's at risk before they are even born.

    Obviously this is not the case in every situation, but I'm just talking generally.

    On the topic of actually smoking, giving up was probably the best thing I ever did, I genuinely believe a lifelong smoker takes about 30 years off there life expectancy. It really is a silly habit to take up. I think your even better off boozing heavily every night than smoking:biggrin:
     
    #3729
  10. SwanHills

    SwanHills Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2011
    Messages:
    10,754
    Likes Received:
    5,276
    What a brave guy. The elderly Norwegians were very very lucky:

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...norwegian-tourists-stuck-in-mud-a6700131.html

    "A bystander filmed the entire scene and the video went viral, while the couple tried to find Chat to thank him, the Bangkok Post reports, but when TV Channel finally caught up with him the rescuer said he did not want a reward for aiding people who needed help."
     
    #3730
    Cyclonic likes this.

  11. Cyclonic

    Cyclonic Well Hung Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2011
    Messages:
    15,320
    Likes Received:
    3,434
    What a wonderful thing to do. I hope someone with a bit of nous can arrange for him to be honoured for what he did. <applause>
     
    #3731
    SwanHills likes this.
  12. SwanHills

    SwanHills Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2011
    Messages:
    10,754
    Likes Received:
    5,276
    All-Change politically in Canada, for the good I hope.
     
    #3732
  13. SwanHills

    SwanHills Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2011
    Messages:
    10,754
    Likes Received:
    5,276
    Was a bit young to really understand and remember WW2, other than that I was pretty scared at times. However, today, I have to say that this is the biggest mess I have ever seen Europe in. You know, just 3-months ago, PEGIDA were dead on their feet, and then came the calamitous decision of Chancellor Merkel in September (without even consulting with her colleagues) to throw open the door to one and all. Any U-Turn she does now, is too late.
    Poor little Slovenia, a super little land of just 2-million citizens, good and decent people, look what a bloody mess they are in now. Look what's been done to them by the big-shot fellow member of the EU. And what is the EU and the big-shot member doing to help Slovenia? Bugger all.
    UN and EU? Total failures, total waste of money, and when they are supposed to act in a real emergency, totally useless.

    http://www.dw.com/en/jaafars-videoblog-3-pegida-demonstration-in-dresden-turns-violent/av-18793075

    http://www.dw.com/en/slovenia-army-to-help-patrol-border-amid-migrant-crisis/a-18792315

    .....and Mr. Ban Ki-moon? Haven't heard hide nor hair of him. Guess he doesn't think this situation warrants his supreme attendance?
     
    #3733
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2015
  14. Cyclonic

    Cyclonic Well Hung Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2011
    Messages:
    15,320
    Likes Received:
    3,434
    Remember Oscar Pistorius? Of course you do. The fastest man on no legs was last year found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to a handful of years in the chokey. After shooting up the dunny on Valentines Day, and filling his girl friend Reeva Steenkamp full of holes, he was taken away for what was expected to be at least a few years in the hole. Nope. He didn't quite do 12 months. He now lives with his uncle in a wealthy part of Pretoria. They call it house arrest. I call it a ****in' disgrace.
     
    #3734
    redcgull and King Shergar like this.
  15. King Shergar

    King Shergar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2011
    Messages:
    9,051
    Likes Received:
    1,016
    Yeah I was listening to that on the radio this morning Cyc, just goes to show if you've got abit of wealth you can worm your way out of anything. Living in the comfort of a big fancy mansion is not prison, he's probably leading a better life than most working class people, and he's supposed to be serving a punishment for murder/manslaughter whatever he was found guilty of.

    He's probably layed back on his 3 piece, watching movies on his 60 inch TV as we speak. It really is laughable to be honest.

    If your average guy on the street had found themselves in similar trouble, they'd have got life in prison, probably without parole :biggrin:
     
    #3735
    Cyclonic likes this.
  16. QuarterMoonII

    QuarterMoonII Economist

    Joined:
    May 31, 2011
    Messages:
    8,259
    Likes Received:
    4,105
    Anybody heard anything from the “Britain Stronger in Europe” campaign since Lord Rose launched it last week?

    On the day that it was launched, EU President Jean-Claude Juncker famously stated “Personally, I don’t think Britain needs the European Union” in the European Parliament, prompting Nigel Farage to offer to buy him a large bottle of Champagne. The Chairman of the Lloyds Banking Group, Lord Blackwell said, “I don’t agree that remaining in the European Union without a significant change in the current arrangements is ultimately sustainable.”

    “Britain Stronger In Europe” chairman Stuart Rose is desperate to avoid picking up the mantle of ‘project fear’ – that was so successful in the Scottish Independence referendum – yet started the campaign by describing a decision to quit the EU as “a leap in the dark”.

    It was very noticeable that the ‘Remain’ campaign are focussing entirely on the economic argument and making no reference to the biggest issue as far as many voters will be concerned: immigration and control of our borders.

    If you are a low paid worker in Britain, your wages are going to continue to stagnate whilst companies can employ Eastern Europeans cheaply thanks to them being able to pick up £10k in benefit subsidies from the British taxpayer. No discredit to the immigrant workers that are here to work but because they bring their families with them they do create a burden on our housing and public sector infrastructure that we are unable to address.

    "They have no idea whether we would be able to access Europe's free trade area, or what the price of admission would be", Lord Rose said. According to the Leave EU campaign, the British Trade Deficit with the EU in 2014 was £72 billion so they really do need us more than we need them.

    In a Financial Times article in 2005, somebody was quoted stating “Thanks to over-regulation and a one-size-fits-all monetary policy there are now 19 million unemployed in the EU. Without radical action, many member states face a medium-term crisis.”

    In The Times in 2013, that same person stated “Business faces ever more burdens from Brussels and the Single Market in Europe has not yet been fully realised.”

    I am sure that Stuart Rose does not remember either of those statements and he does not want to be seen on the road to Damascus but at least his U-turn took longer than John McDonnell’s fiscal policy one!

    Rose must know something about running a business and how, in Britain, businesses have to submit acceptable accounts to Companies House annually. The EU’s auditors have not signed off the EU Budget in the last twenty years. The EU has spent over €2.1 trillion in that time – six times the Greek National Debt – but nobody actually knows where it has all gone.
     
    #3736
  17. mallafets

    mallafets Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2011
    Messages:
    398
    Likes Received:
    59
    Rose in on record with quite a few statements that are very negative about the EU and then low and behold he somehow gets this gig. Rose also (this off is from the memory bank so i stand to be corrected) overseen M&S send a lot of work East to save money costing jobs here in UK. British workers are not very high on his list but it would seem profit is.
     
    #3737
  18. Ron

    Ron Well-Known Member
    Forum Moderator

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2011
    Messages:
    48,319
    Likes Received:
    15,485
    What's the view here on the effects of a Brexit on the strength of the GB Pound:
    (a) leading up to the vote
    (b) result of vote is to stay in (initially and longer term)
    (c) result of vote is to exit (initially and longer term)

    Usually, uncertainty seems to weaken the GB Pound. Why it doesn't weaken the Euro I don't know.
     
    #3738
  19. QuarterMoonII

    QuarterMoonII Economist

    Joined:
    May 31, 2011
    Messages:
    8,259
    Likes Received:
    4,105
    Since a Brexit would not happen overnight, I expect that it would have no great effect on the value of the Pound Sterling exchange rate. The exchange rate is much more likely to move as a result of economic data (e.g. employment levels, trade deficits) as it does as present. Any positive/negative impact of the vote on the value of the Pound would be equally felt by the Euro.

    A Brexit would be worse for the Euro since Europe (and, therefore, the Eurozone) would lose a huge chunk of their subsidy (Britain’s contributions) and, if they dithered over a trade deal, one of their biggest and closest markets.
     
    #3739
  20. Cyclonic

    Cyclonic Well Hung Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2011
    Messages:
    15,320
    Likes Received:
    3,434
    A good voice is all it takes. Soul stirring backing.

     
    #3740
    Chaninbar likes this.

Share This Page