International Politics & Stuff

[Arachnid]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGCKl_dyUqU

[Per]

Oh, btw, Niinistö won and will become Finland's twelvth president. First time since Paasikivi left office in 1956 that a conservative will live in the presidential palace in downtown Helsinki. 

Kekkonen who ruled from 1956-1982 represented the centre party, and the three presidents since ( Koivisto, Ahtisari, Halonen ) have been social democrats.

Guess this means the Finnish Football Association will have to elect a new president, as I doubt Niinistö can handle both offices... ?

[Per]

The Oglala Sioux elders have filed a lawsuit in the district court of Nebraska, targetting Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide, SAB Miller, Molson Coors Brewing Company, MillerCoors LLC, and Pabst Brewing Company. The Oglala Sioux Tribe are asking for $500m for healthcare, social services and child rehabilitation.

The lawsuit also names the nearby town of Whiteclay, Nebraska, which has four beer shops that sold nearly five million beer cans in 2010 despite having only about a dozen residents.

Alcohol is outlawed in the reservation, but one out of four children suffers from foetal alcohol syndrome...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16976700

As laughable as the lawsuit can seem, if you believe in free will and the ability of self control, there is a structural problem underneath.

Today it seems clear that there is a strong genetic factor behind alcoholism. Twin studies and studies of adopted children have confirmed this. There is also an interesting pattern when you look at the prevalence of alcoholism in different regions. In the areas that first started to produce and consume alcoholic beverages, and where it has been around for thousands of years, ie the Mediterranean area and the Middle East, alcoholism is pretty rare. I've heard a number suggesting 2-3% of the population. In areas where alcohol has been present for centuries, but not quite as long as the previous group, eg in Northern Europe, the prevelance of alcoholism is much higher, some where around 10%. And then when you look at "first nations", aboriginal groups that have only had access to alcohol for perhaps a century or so, you see some groups that have a 40-50% alcoholism rate. It can also be noted that drinking used to be far worse in Scandinavia in the 17th through 19th century.

There is a theory that this is because the longer alcohol has been present, the stronger the Darwinian impact has been. Alcoholics are less likely to form stable families and raise children that do well, and over time this means they have relatively less offspring than those who do not have the genetic predisposition for alcoholism. Now, if you have the gene, but never touch alcohol, there apparently is no serious down side to the gene, seeing as it is so common among people that have never encountered alcohol. But when a society like that gets access to alcohol - it's a disaster. And that is what has happened to many tribes/first nations in North America. The same thing can be seen in Australia and Greenland is just as bad, if not worse.

Since the tribal elders have done what they can to combat alcohol - banning it within the reservation, educating people, etc, I guess I can see some logic in them now wanting to sue those who keep providing the poison that makes their society rot from within.

A bit like the USA blaming Colombia for drug abuse in the USA.

It doesn't help to make it illegal when some one else keeps making sure their is easy access to it just the same.

Thoughts?

[Topper]

Those filing the claim suffer FAS.

[rats19]

Those filing the claim suffer FAS.

Topper of the mornin to ya...

[damonberryman]

Those filing the claim suffer FAS.

I hope you have your tongue deeply lodged in your cheek with that remark. FASD or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is not really a subject to joke about. I know. All subjects whould be open to ribbing and I almost always agree. Not on FASD. FAS is only one of the gifts from the distillers. People have choices but the fetus drinks when mom does. A little humour. I do trainings on this subject and I always tell the participants to imagine the waitress (or waiter. Perhaps waitperson to be PC) holding a silver serving tray over her head as she moseys down the umbilical cord. The fetus looks up. "Yes" he or she inquires, startled by a visit of any kind in the land of warm dark nurturing. The waitperson says "your drink sir or ms.) The fetus says "No. I did nto order that.". The waitperson shakes their head and reaching over grabs the f etal chin forcing the mouth open. "The drink is a gift from your loving mother'
"and forces the drink down the throat.

The reason alcohol causes brain damage to fetal nervous systems or the brain is simple. Alcohol is a solvent and it melts the neurons. Most people do not know that FASDis usually NOT accommpanied by the facial abnormalities. Instead the major damage is inside unseen except through what is seen by the school system as resistance. The teachers say "you can do better than this" and the child goes home to try. The difference between say ADD or ADHD and FASD is the Attention problems can do better. The others cannot. They are brain damaged but are usually diagnosed with Oppositional defiance disorder, conduct disorder and about an estimated 40% of prison populations in North America are likely to have some form of FASD. I am sorry I went on as I am sure you did not mean to be offensive. It is the kid part. They don't get a choice and spend teh rest of their lives ashamed because they are labelled as low achievers and lazy. Wow. I guess I am passionate about some things

[rats19]

passion is a good thing DBM as is tolerance...

[Topper]

Those filing the claim suffer FAS.

I hope you have your tongue deeply lodged in your cheek with that remark.

No my tongue is not in my cheek.

I strongly believe in personal responsibility. The brewers and distilleries are not to blame, they just happen to have deeper pockets than the stupid drunken wagon burning squaws who couldn't keep their knees together.

[damonberryman]

I strongly believe in personal responsibility. The brewers and distilleries are not to blame, they just happen to have deeper pockets than the stupid drunken wagon burning squaws who couldn't keep their knees together.[/quote]

And the kids.?

[Topper]

And the kids.?

A modest proposal.

And the shareholders?

The kids are victims of their parents actions. No pun intended, but that is where the buck stops.

[rats19]

And the kids.?

A modest proposal.

And the shareholders?

The kids are victims of their parents actions. No pun intended, but that is where the buck stops.

so what you are saying is...if the parents jump in front of a bus and the children get hurt....it....its the parents fault and not the bus companies.....?? you are fucking wierd man...

[Topper]

And the kids.?

A modest proposal.

And the shareholders?

The kids are victims of their parents actions. No pun intended, but that is where the buck stops.

so what you are saying is...if the parents jump in front of a bus and the children get hurt....it....its the parents fault and not the bus companies.....?? you are fucking wierd man...

If the bus was manufactured in, and the collision occurred in Toronto, the well known centre of the universe, you could probably argue that the cause was gravitation pull.

[rats19]

so what you are saying is...if the parents jump in front of a bus and the children get hurt....it....its the parents fault and not the bus companies.....?? you are fucking wierd man... [/quote]
If the bus was manufactured in, and the collision occurred in Toronto, the well known centre of the universe, you could probably argue that the cause was gravitation pull.[/quote]
sucked into the black hole vacuum..if you will

[rats19]

so what you are saying is...if the parents jump in front of a bus and the children get hurt....it....its the parents fault and not the bus companies.....?? you are fucking wierd man...

If the bus was manufactured in, and the collision occurred in Toronto, the well known centre of the universe, you could probably argue that the cause was gravitation pull.

sucked into the black hole vacuum..if you will

[Strangelove]

I am sorry I went on as I am sure you did not mean to be offensive.

Nah, Toppy doesn't have an offensive bone in his body.