Posts by Gerald Rivera17

dustycanyon6 said:1. Cancer is one of the leading killers in many countries.
2. Cigarettes cause cancer.
3. Because of point #2, plus a whole host of other physical and psychological factors, cigarettes harm both active smokers and those breathing in the secondhand smoke.
4. Cigarette smoke stinks—it makes rooms smell, it clings to clothes, and it sticks to your body, skin, and hair.
5. There’s no practical need for cigarettes—they exist solely for the personal pleasure of the user, at the expense of everyone else in their vicinity.

When you weigh all that up... is it really fair for a smoker to poison people around them, wrecking their health and leaving everyone—and every room they enter—smelling like an ash tray? Tell me, is that okay? Would it be alright if we met up for a beer three or four times a week, and while you were smoking, I just slipped a little bit of Ariella or Charlie into your drink and you happily downed it? Should we do that? To me, cigarette smoke is just as intrusive as if someone spiked my beer with Ariella... probably even worse—my nasal passages tend to bleed when it gets to that level.

1. Cancer is one of the leading killers in many countries.
2. Exhaust fumes cause cancer.
3. Due to point #2, along with various other physical and mental impacts, exhaust fumes hurt both drivers and those around them.
4. Exhaust fumes stink; they make the streets and indoor spaces smell, and they cling to clothing, skin, and hair.
5. Exhaust fumes aren't a necessity—they are used strictly for the individual driver's enjoyment, to the detriment of everyone else sharing the space.

If you look at the big picture, is it right for drivers to ruin our health and poison us while we're out riding bikes or taking the subway?

🙂

dustycanyon6 said:.................

You love to get specific, don't you? 😬

Look, phobias are part of the human condition—more or less. It only becomes an issue when those fears start calling the shots and dictate how you live your life every single day.

One such phobia is basically the "everyone else is poisoning me, I need to protect myself" mindset.

And it’s easiest to pin that onto something routine, like smoking. But you could apply that same logic to exhaust fumes, noise pollution, GMOs, pesticide-laden food, or even cheap, unhealthy clothing... there's a whole laundry list of things in our daily environment that impact us—our health, our moods, our choices—whether we realize it or not.

I'm well aware that smoking isn't healthy—firstly for me, and then for everyone around me.
I know driving a car isn't "healthy" either, since it pumps out emissions that affect both me and the people nearby.
I know using certain sprays isn't great, given they contribute to ozone depletion, which hurts me and everyone else too.

And if I kept going, I'd just be listing more... plus, I know that being sick doesn't just hurt me, it affects others as well. 🙂

The thing is, you have to live with all that knowledge. You can't exactly become a hermit, barricaded inside your own four walls. How do you avoid causing harm to others? How do you avoid giving up every little pleasure in life? You really just have to find some kind of middle ground... maybe. 😉

So, that's why this hyper-fixation on smoking bothers me—it's just one slice of the many things in our lives that aren't exactly good for us.
But it's right there, so whenever we need a convenient scapegoat, we point the finger at it. 😉

Despite everything I know, I'm still going to smoke. 🙂

Look, I’m a smoker, but I actually follow some decent rules—I smoke in my own office, and if I'm at someone else's place, I ask first; if they say okay, great, if not, then no. I don't go lighting up in waiting rooms, especially not in ones run by the Department of Health and Human Services, or any public spaces where smoking is strictly prohibited.
Even though I smoke, I just don't get those people who—the second they walk through the door—immediately have a cigarette halfway to their mouth. It's just... odd.

But occasionally, those mindless anti-smoking campaigns really get under my skin, acting like it's the single greatest crisis facing the nation. And the way they treat smokers like they're Public Enemy No. 1... honestly. If we're some kind of minority group, surely we should have certain rights too.
If those kinds of protections are handed out to every niche subculture or alternative group out there, why aren't we included? It feels like we're being treated like second-class citizens.
I mean, if the police won't even go after an "activist" who sprays paint on a woman's mink coat right in the middle of Times Square, how on earth do they expect to enforce the law against smokers?

Gary Jones10 said:Sure, it would be better, but look—you wouldn't just need a few days. You’d have to eat half a pound to a full pound of artichokes every single day for an entire month just to reach the concentration levels you get from a capsule. It's... a bit of a logistical nightmare, really.

And what level of concentration are we actually talking about here? I mean, what is the "natural" baseline one actually needs?
Plus, there's a whole spectrum of compounds found in a real, raw artichoke that you simply won't find in a supplement—things that are basically impossible to synthesize artificially, yet they're intrinsically tied to how the plant works. 🙂

To me, it’s the difference between sitting down at a five-star steakhouse versus grabbing a burger at a drive-thru. You'll certainly feel full either way, but the experience... well, it's not the same.😉

Jeremy Jones37 said:I honestly think the easiest way is just grabbing some artichoke supplements—you take one a day, and that's pretty much it...

They go for about $5 or so. 👍

There are also those effervescent artichoke tablets for maybe $2 or $3... you'd take one to three times a day:

Gary Jones10 said:Well, you could always just eat actual artichokes. But then again, one single capsule might be the equivalent of a whole pound of the real thing... so, it's up to you.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of artichokes, so the capsules were always more convenient for me...

If you have the chance, eating real artichokes for a few days is probably better than relying on pills or capsules... they just can't quite replicate the real deal.

If you’re looking to give your liver a bit of a nudge in the right direction—you know, getting things moving again—it’s probably worth cutting back on the salt intake... instead, try leaning more into foods packed with potassium. Think tomatoes, potatoes, some good leafy greens, maybe a banana here and there.
And then there are those natural diuretics... things like horseradish, celery, carrots, parsley, asparagus, radicchio, arugula, beets, or even radishes.

electrictinker18 said:I honestly don't get it—why go through the whole ritual of squeezing orange juice in the morning when you could just eat an orange?
where's the fun in that?

I'm with you on that one, 😉 though I still find myself juicing oranges and lemons in the morning... maybe some grapefruit too, occasionally.

Then breakfast.
Then the first coffee.
Then the first cigarette. 🙂

Breakfast is easily the second best thing about my morning... 😍 it really sets the tone for the day. I always make sure to squeeze some fresh orange and lemon juice first, then move on to the staples—muesli, eggs, sausage, maybe some cream cheese... you know the drill. 🙂

newyorker24 said:I’m definitely a breakfast person too! Honestly, though, guys working construction or doing heavy lifting should probably be eating a massive breakfast—lots of bacon, eggs, and stuff like that.😉

🙂Why should it just be the construction crews getting the eggs and bacon?
Whenever I grab breakfast at a hotel, about half the guests go straight for the eggs, and the other half adds bacon to the mix... and they certainly aren't out there swinging hammers all day.

An American woman said:Dominikxe, look—a Muslim woman isn't actually required to wear a niqab or a burqa.
For Muslims, wearing clothing that's short, tight, or see-through is discouraged. Men aren't supposed to wear silk or gold, while women should cover everything except their face, hands, and feet down to the ankles.
Women should avoid dressing like men, and men should avoid dressing like women.

When I see those Saudi sheikhs on 🙄

Islam has specific guidelines regarding what everyday clothing can or cannot be worn... so comparing it to monks just doesn't really hold up. 😉

Best of luck and happy harvesting... 🙂