Being Bad Questionnaire

Age? 20
Sex?Female
What is your degree subject (both if joint)?English
Does ‘Being Bad’ relate well to the other modules you are taking?No
If so, how? And if not, why not? Subject matter and stly are completely different to English
Have you found ‘Being Bad’ too demanding, too easy, or at an appropriate level? Appropriate
Do you think the list of topics covered on the module was appropriate? Yes
Are there any topics not included in the module that you would like to see included?No
Do you think that the format for classes has worked well? Yes
What did you think of the module team? Mostly good. Went into depth and were not afraid to speak their minds
Do you think it would have been better to have had more:
Small group discussions? No
Discussion and debate among the class as a whole? Yes
Information and talk from lecturers? No
The approach taken in the module is interdisciplinary (drawing on perspectives from English Literature, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Media Studies and Politics): do you think this a useful way of approaching the topics covered in the module? Yes
Do you think that interdisciplinary modules are a good idea? Yes, it was enjoyable and a change from other modules
Do you think you have benefited from the interdisciplinary approach taken in the module? Yes
Would you like to see more modules that cover this kind of subject matter? Yes
Are you planning to take the follow-up module PH2004 ‘It Shouldn’t Be Allowed’ at level 2? Yes
Would you recommend ‘Being Bad’ to a friend? Yes
Do you think that the blogs (web logs) were a good idea? Yes, but a little long-winded. Possibly just run for half the semester
What did you think of the other assessments (e.g. would it be better to have one longer assessment rather than two shorter ones?)? No, it was good that way
What have you learned from the module? To challenge the norm. Always look at other peoples perspectives, i.e. with drugs
What parts of the module have you found most useful and why? The masturbation was good, as it was fun and educational, I found the drugs lecture the most informative
What parts do you think were a waste of time and why? The bandits lecture was pointless
Are there any other comments you wish to make regarding ‘Being Bad’? No

John Hogan: innocent?!

Its been in the newspaper today that John Hogan, the guy who jumped off a balcony with his two children on holiday in 2006 (he and his daughter survived, but his little son died), is having his case reviewed as he may not be guilty. He has been pleading not guilty for reasons of insanity, and it has now been claimed that his mental state may not have been taken into consideration. I'm sorry, but insane or not, he killed his son and under any circumstances, he deserves to be punished for what he has done. His marriage was on the verge of divorce, and that's sad, but if every guy did that to his children when their relationship was on the rocks, there would be a very small population of children! Why should he be able to get away with something so cruel?

If anybody thinks that I'm being too harsh, feel free to say so....

Comment on Lyndseys blog: Sex in Public/Making Money off the Footage...

I think the whole scenario is quite amusing actually! Did they really think that they wouldn’t be caught; maybe not by Japanese tourists but by guards or something?! I mean, sex in pubic is all good if that’s what turns you on, but that is just a little bit to public. The idea of selling it, is a bit farfetched, would anyone actually want to buy it? But then again, this is England!
http://lynz2704.blogspot.com/2009/05/sex-in-publicmaking-money-off-footage.html

Swine Flu in the media

Why are there so many different stories flying around about Swine Flu? I hear stories on the radio that it’s not that bad and they have the antidote for it, but then on the news and in the papers, we are all going to die! Why do the media have to hype up stories to such an extent that everybody is scared for their lives. Why can’t there just be one story generated to all of the media to transmit to the public? Then we really would know whether or not to panic.

Alcohol

I can see how alcohol may be considered bad to some people; you slur your speech, you feel invincible, you can’t see straight and you just act generally stupid most of the time! But, to be honest, I love alcohol. Not in the sense that I cant live without it and I drink on a daily basis, but I find nothing more pleasurable than a good drinking session with my friends; whether it be up town, at the pub or just at home with a pizza and DVD. I think as long as you know when to stop (e.g. when the room starts to spin!) then there isn’t really any harm in it, as long as you are not causing offence to anyone else. In saying this, I am not saying that I don’t know about the harm that it is causing to your liver! I know, I sound quite naive in saying all of this, but it’s just my opinion: I like alcohol!

Link: http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/

Comment on Darly's blog: racism

I think sometimes we can make comments that could sound racist without it even meaning to. It’s like if you moan about somebody that is a different colour to you, to somebody else, then it can sound as if you are being prejudice towards them purely because of where they come from, even though it has nothing to do with it. I watched the film Crash a few months ago, and at the beginning I didn’t understand it, but I do agree with what you said about it saying that everybody being slightly prejudice. I also think that it means that racism will always be there, however much society progresses. It chose very stereotypical scenarios to focus on; emphasising how people can be extremely narrow-minded and jump to conclusions about coloured, or even white people.
http://bom-bom12.blogspot.com/2009/04/racism.html

Comment on Becky's Blog: Gossiping

I am terrible for gossiping, I have to admit it! where I work, everybody wants to know your business all the time, so I think, what the hey, if everyone knows about me, then I'm going to make sure I know about them. And I will tell my friends every detail! I think I'm just nosey. Saying that though, if somebody tells me something in confidence, then I can be trusted not to repeat it. But when its just harmless "oh my gosh, you will never guess what she did yesterday" then I can't wait to phone my best friend and tell them! and its not just a girl thing either. Guys are so much worse for gossiping and bitching about people than girls. I love it!!http://beckysblog16.blogspot.com/2009/04/gossiping.html#comments

Racism

I read an article in the newspaper this morning about a man being beaten up because of his colour. A drunken woman knocked into him, so a gang accused of him of pushing her out of the way, so tried to smash his knee caps with a rock. This disgusts me, racism really really angers me. Haven’t we got past looking just at colour in this day and age? Why should one person be considered different just because there skin is darker, or in some cases lighter than another’s? Some people are just narrow minded and cruel. I’m half caste and luckily; other than a couple of odd comments, I have never been a victim of serious racism. But I know how much those little comments hurt me, so I can’t even begin to imagine how victimised and vulnerable other people who have seriously experienced it must feel.

comment on Zoe's being naughty blog: The dirty dogs!

I agree: how hard is it to pick up a bit of poo. Its not nice but thats what you get for having a dogm same as if u were cleaning up after your babys dirty nappy. It just makes a great start to your day when you step into a pile of dog mess!
I have two dogs and its the bane of my life picking up after them i hate it. But it has to be done, its automatic to pick up a doggy bag as you leave the house to take the dogs out!
People are just plain dirty and lazy!
http://beingnaughty.blogspot.com/2009/04/dirty-dogs.html

Euthanasia

With the risk of sounding controversial, I actually think that I agree with euthanasia. I believe that if a person is in the right frame of mind (and I mean only in these circumstances) or if a person has stated it when they first realised they had a terminal illness, then it is an individuals own right to choose whether or not they want to live or die. I think it’s wrong to make a person suffer a hell on earth, knowing not much more than the four walls around them. I found a internet site which firmly believes that euthanasia is wrong under any circumstances. So maybe I'm wrong?
Any comments?

Peer Pressure

I was sitting on the tram earlier and was casually eavesdropping on a group of teenagers talking. They didn’t look much over the age of 15, and the two girls there were pretty and slim. Then they pulled out a packet of slimming pills which they had bought and split between them. I couldn’t help but to just carry on and stare at them in amazement- there was just no way whatsoever that either of them needed to lose weight. My guess for the main cause of this is peer pressure. Why does there have to be so much emphasis on people to be thin and beautiful? If I want to diet, I do it for me, not because I want to look like Beyonce (I’m not completely delusional!) or because everybody else wants me to.
I’m not saying that people should want to be fat, but they should be able to be happy with their selves whatever shape or size. Peer pressure, which the media is largely responsible for, is giving girls (and guys) like those I saw today a complex, which will then turn into anorexia, and then god knows where after that. Is that really what our society wants to promote? Is it worth it?

Girl sells her virginity online!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Comment on Laura's Being Bad on Jack Tweed

I really do agree with you here. I think that the special treatment that Jack Tweed is being given is inconsiderate to all of those other poor families who are suffering the same tragic fate. I do feel sorry for him, I really do, I just Don't understand why he should be privileged. At the end of the day, he was guilty and deserved to be punished.
http://laurasbeingbadblogg.blogspot.com/2009/04/jack-tweed.html

Pets die because of credit crunch!

As a result of the credit crunch, it has been said that 780, 000 pets could be put down as owners cannot afford the vets fees. 70% of people have admitted that they would not cut back on meals out and weekend breaks etc. to save for an emergency like vets fees. So if your dog is ill, instead of paying for their treatment, you condemn it to death. It wouldn’t work if it was a member of your family though would it? You wouldn’t say to your mom, that you couldn’t afford their medication so sorry, but you’re just going to have to die?! It’s awful. If you can’t afford a pet, don’t have one. I know it sounds harsh and I know there is a credit crunch, but it’s immoral that an animal should have to die unnecessarily.

Comment on Lyndseys Naughty!...Naughty? blog: Incest

Definitely yes!
That is just wrong and disgusting! These people should be reported. There is no way whatsoever that they could justify what they are doing. What I don’t understand is why anyone would want to do that. I know there is a scarce population of decent guys in the world, but I would never turn to a family member!! You just don’t look at them in THAT way. But you said that 100% of the population would agree with you on this, but apparently not. Look at how many stories you hear about incest in the media; Josef Fritzel being a prime example at the moment.
http://lynz2704.blogspot.com/2009/04/incest.html

Fat people cause global warming!!!

Here's a confidence booster:

It’s been all over the news today that a major cause of global warming is because of fat people. Apparently, being fat mean that you emit a tonne more of climate-warming carbon dioxide per year than a thin person. Well way to boost people’s confidence there. I mean, get real! This is absolutely ridiculous, trying to give people a complex about being fat by telling them they are ruining the earth. It’s just pathetic. There is no way that this will cause me to go on a diet! They then go on to say that fat people are furthermore contributing to putting a hole in the ozone layer because they tend to drive around in their car more than a thin person. I know so many thin people who drive their cars just as much as the larger person. People drive for convenience, not because of their weight. This is just another media stunt that will last for a couple of weeks until they come up with another way to make people feel guilty about their weight and an excuse for the poor condition of the earth. What’s next?!

Link: http://cartooncat.newsvine.com/_news/2009/04/21/2710816-fat-people-cause-global-warming

Drugs!!

Before the Drugs lecture, I hadn’t really considered that the legalisation of drugs would possibly be more beneficial. But I have to agree with Gerry. It does make sense that if drugs are legalised, then they might be better controlled. You don’t necessarily feel rebellious for drinking alcohol, and the initial attraction wears off; you don’t stop going out and getting drunk, but you don’t HAVE to go up town twice a week. You do it if you like it, not because you are breaking the law or whatever gives you kicks. So it could be the same with drugs. You try it once or twice and see how it goes. The fact that it’s controlled means that you can only have a certain amount and there is less likelihood that it is going to be dodgy and put you in a coma. Eventually people could get bored with it like everything else. I found a site called 10 reasons to leagalise drugs. Sounds mad in theory, but it actually makes sense...

Bandits

OK, so the lecture on bandits raised two questions for me: the first being, should we condone characters like Robin Hood; stealing from the rich to give to the poor? After all its still theft. It doesn't exactly set a good example for those who we are trying to help. But really, is there any harm when it's deserved? It reminds me of the BBC programme Hustle, which I love. You know it's wrong, but you love nothing more than to see the bad guys successfully con their mark at the end.

Which brings me to my second question: why are bad guys so appealing? There is something about them that makes it sexy; Hustle again being a good example. Is it just me, or is there just an air of sexiness about the bad boy image that is really hard to walk away from?

Links: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007gf9k

http://www.43things.com/entries/view/1457429

http://relationships.blog-city.com/young_girl_tells_about_her_attraction_to_bad_boys_1.htm

Comment on Laura's Being Bad on Public Pay for Porn

It's pathetic! Do these people not get paid enough without taking decent people's money aswell?! People have to slave for 8+ hours a day just to get by in life, while they get paid thousands for voicing their opinions, and they are still not satisfied!!
http://laurasbeingbadblogg.blogspot.com/2009/03/public-pay-for-porn.html?showComment=1238579820000#c7179767510409447167

Google Street View

Does anybody know what the actual point of this is? An opportunity to track people in random situations and spy on people at their homes. Funny. The first time you use it, and then just a bit stupid after that. A few couples have found out that their spouse is cheating as a result of it, but their divorces will not go their way as the google site acts as an invasion of privacy! Which is true. I don't want to think that people can see me mowing the garden (which never happens but just an example) or whatever, its just pathetic.

And isnt it just heavan for peadophiles who can watch little kids playing outside?

Links: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2350771.ece

http://streetviewgallery.corank.com/

University fee's rise

Why is it so important that university is specified to the middle/higher classes? Does it really matter were we come from if we want to better ourselves and make something of our lives? the government are in talks to raise the cost of university tuition fees to up to £7000 per year; one reason being to attempt to discourage those in low income families from attending university. Why do we even have to pay for university anyway? It’s ridiculous that students are in so much debt before they have even entered the real world and have to take out a mortgage, pay bills etc. And now they want to double the price? How many students who read this can say they or their parents are in a position to be able to leave university debt free?
Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/mar/17/university-tuition-fees-rise

Comment on Daryl's blog on masturbation

I agree. Why was masturbation seen as such a bad thing when:

a) All of them did it, and

b) It falls into the same category as sex, and I doubt many of those guys were complaining about getting their leg over.
http://bom-bom12.blogspot.com/2009/03/masturbation.html?showComment=1238171580000#c936764072599849253

Body Modification

Body modification all boils down to personal choice at the end of the day. What some see as ridiculous, other see as works of art. I think excessive amounts of tattoos and piercings are just ridiculous, personally, I just don’t really see the point. But I don’t think that it is fair to stereotype a person because of it. A man with tattoo’s and rings across his face could be the kindest man in the world; I don’t think it is fair that some people automatically judge that they are bad news because of it.
In general though, I find tattoos very sexy. It makes my day sometimes to see a muscular guy walking past with a big tribal tattoo down his arm or across his back! I have one on my back and one on my wrist and don’t regret either; it’s just a way of making yourself unique.
Links: http://www.topics-mag.com/edition13/body-art-opinions.htm
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52496

Is Honesty the Best Policy?

There are different types of lying. There are the white lies that you tell people to make them feel better, like “I’m sure he will call”, when you know he’s just not interested in your mate, or when you tell children that Santa and the Easter Bunny are real, to make holidays special and magical for them.
Then there are the lies you know you shouldn’t tell, but just don’t want to hurt anyone. Like when you tell your mom that you have never smoked a cigarette, or that you really like your best friend’s boyfriend/girlfriend, when really, you can’t stand the sight of them. These kinds of things are fine; nobody is hurt, people are hearing what they want to hear, everyone is happy. Yes?
Until it starts turning into compulsive lying. Like cheating or not telling your partner you are in so much debt you have spent your savings and re-mortgaged the house. With these types of lies, the trust has gone.
Honesty may not always be the best policy, but I hate being lied to (not about Santa and things!). I would like to think my friends would tell me if my new outfit made me look like a beach whale, and I would certainly want 2 know if my boyfriend/husband was keeping something major from me. I have been lied to in the past, that I just cannot tolerate nor do it. I hate lying to anybody and feel so guilty, that in the end, I have to tell the truth anyway.
Link: http://www.geocities.com/changes1611/sins22lies0index.html

Cervical Cancer Awarness

I watched an interview earlier on ‘This Morning’ about a mother and father appealing for women to have access to smear tests from the age of 18 rather than 25. Their daughter, Claire Walker had died of cervical cancer at the age of 23 as a result of the fact that she was four years too young at the time to be considered for a screening. During the interview, it emerged that a woman has the right to ask for a smear test under the age of 25 if they so wish. However, once the doctor has sent off the tests, those analysing the results simply look at the patient’s date of birth, and if she is under 25, they throw the results away. How many women have died unnecessarily as a result of this? It’s disgusting that not even our doctors are concerned about our health anymore; we are just another statistic. Why should somebody have to wait until the age of 25 to find out they are going to die, if they have even lived that long?
I have never been for a smear test (as I am not over 25) and I am dreading that day that I have to go for one. But I know that if something made me concerned for my health, despite my age, I would expect to be able to find out straight away; not until it is so far developed that there is no hope. Is that wrong?

Links: http://www.itv.com/Lifestyle/ThisMorning/Health/Cervicalcancer132/default.html

http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=2739

Comment on "the cost of smoking" from Naughty!...Naughty?

I agree with you here. Some people just don't grasp the concept that cigarettes are not a necessity to everyday life. Yes, it's an addiction, but if you are unemployed with mouths to feed, surely your family becomes before your habbit?!
http://lynz2704.blogspot.com/2009/02/cost-of-smoking.html

Josef Fritzl

So apparently, Joseph Fritzl is going to get 15 years for what he did to his daughter and their children. That’s ten years less than the sentence he gave her. Prison is too good for a man like that, he should be killed. Just think, if it’s anything like over here, he will have a lot of the luxuries of normal life, TV, computer access etc, and if he is still alive when his sentence is over, he will be given a new identity and be protected. So what’s the point?
In situations like this, there should be a more severe form of punishment for them to endure. Or he should have to endure what he put those poor kids and his daughter through.
Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3892739.ece

Tax on chocolate?!

I think this is actually ridiculous! It was on the news yesterday about the government putting a tax on chocolate in an effort to reduce obesity. In actual fact, it is just another way of them making more money out of us.
People are just going to eat chocolate; the price is going up as it is anyway. People are just going to opt for the cheaper brand rather than dairy milk or galaxy.
Whats next? Is it just me or is the world going crazy? Shouldn't the government be more concerned with the credit crunch, rather than trying to take away everything that makes people happy?
Yes, chocolate is full of calories; as are all the nice things that are bad for you, but its a persons own choice if they have the urge to gorge! Weight has a big impact on health and lifestyle, fair enough, but I really think that this is just completly and utterly stupid.
Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article5896971.ece

Masturbation

The lecture on masturbation proved that women are just as bad as the guys! This actually quite shocked me. Obviously I know that everybody does it, but I didn’t think that women would be so open about it, or so explicit. I mean putting a coat over your lap on a coach? That’s just taking it a little bit too far.
But why is masturbation so hush hush with girls more than guys? It doesn’t make it any worse if you’re a girl than if you’re a guy. And why do guys have a problem with vibrators? No offence guys, but what works for you, doesn’t always work for the girls, so just get over it!!
Link: http://www.sextoys.co.uk/cat_Vibrators.asp?dealer=2006&kw=vibrators&gclid=CPTpgdKojpkCFUEt3godVUHCbQ

Jade Goody

I know that Jade Goody does not constitute as being bad, but I really don’t agree with the way it is so hyped up in the media. I really feel sorry for her; I would not wish cancer on anyone and think it’s tragic that she is going to die at such a young age. I even understand that she is selling her story to the papers and making her documentary to secure her kids’ financial future. But I think she is taking it way too far now. She has made her money, so why not let her die in peace now? She had even said that she is prepared to die on TV. Is that really the image that she wants her children to remember? When they are older, they will see that footage, and I know that I wouldn’t want my children to have to go through that; it’s hard enough that they are losing their mother. Also, what about all those other poor women in her situation? Just because she is a celebrity does not make the situation a more tragic loss than any other woman dying in hospital and leaving her family behind.
The subject angers me in the sense that I think it’s immoral the amount of money she is being paid for all of this. We are supposed to be in the midst of an economic slump and millions of people are finding their selves unemployed. So why do magazines like Hello, have the ability to give Jade 1million pounds for a wedding photo shoot?
Links: https://exch.wlv.ac.uk/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7903784.stm

Infidelity

I’m not quite sure where I stand on the subject of infidelity. I’m lucky on the sense that it has never happened to me (that I know to anyway) and I can proudly say that I have never been adulterous. But that is not to say that I would never do it. I would like to think that it is something that I would never do, but I couldn’t guarantee it. The prospect of staying with one person for the rest of your life is actually quite scary. However, on saying that, I'm quite a hypocrite as I don’t know if I could forgive anybody who had done it to me, the trust has gone and it would be hard to get back. Plus, it would be a huge knock to my confidence. I would constantly be wondering “what is wrong with me?” and “why am I not good enough to keep him faithful?” But what exactly are the boundaries of infidelity? Would you dump somebody over a drunken snog in a club? Or if you saw your other half just flirting casually with the opposite sex? It would cause an argument, inevitably, but I don’t think that it should necessarily be the end to the relationship. I know people who have cheated, and some of the time, I can’t really blame them. But then I think to myself, if they feel like they have to play away, why don’t they just end the relationship? I say that I couldn’t guarantee staying faithful, but if I felt that the affair was becoming more than just casual, I couldn’t live with myself for leading my boyfriend on; I would have to end the relationship, even if it meant that I would end up on my own.
Links: http://www.2-in-2-1.co.uk/marriageclinic/infidelity/
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/can-a-relationship-ever-survive-infidelity-our-experts-comment-465949.html

Prostitution

To me, prostitution is degrading, and I would never want to make myself feel that cheap and dirty; I just couldn’t live with myself. But is it really that bad, if you have the self confidence to do it? This doesn’t mean that I condone it, but prostitution has been going on since the beginning of time, so there must be some sort of high that is achieved through it. Meaningless sex is exactly what it is: meaningless. So if you can live guilt free by giving a guy a cheap thrill for a few minutes, is it really as disgusting as people make it out to be? In my opinion, without sounding old fashioned, sex is way too hyped up by the media, hence, why so many people go down the wrong path and think that it’s ok. For example, I went to a concert last month to see the Pussy Cat Dolls. It was really good, but at one point, I thought I was watching a porn show. They did the whole dressing up as French maid’s thing, all that was missing was a four poster bed with a naked guy on the middle of the stage. Then you look at the 13-15 year old girls in front of you who are looking star-struck at the people they want to be when they grow up (no pun intended). But reality isn’t what they show in films; sex does sell, but so do drugs. Do these kids realise that there is so much risk?
Links:
http://www.centsofrelief.org/index.shtml
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=1495
http://www.eurowrc.org/01.eurowrc/10.eurowrc_fi/09.fi_ewrc.htm

Comment on "Claires Blog :)" on smoking

I totally agree! Smoking is completely sexy! You see a guy like Brad Pitt sitting in a corner smoking, and that is the guy that you are trying to make catch your eye and walk over to you for the rest of the night. I know plenty of people who smoke, and very rarely smell it on them, so I don't understand what the big hype over the smell and appearance of cigarettes is. Just carry a mint and spray around with you and brush your teeth on a regular basis!
http://claire-cee.blogspot.com/2009/02/smoking.html

Stalking

There aren’t really many things that you can say about stalking are there? Obviously I don’t condone it, but I suppose it all depends on the scenario. For example, if you are following somebody because you fancy them and you just ‘happen’ to be in the same place as them by coincidence, is it really hurting anyone? As long as it doesn’t go any further than chance meetings, until they get the message, I can really see the harm (this is not something I have done, just for the record). On the other hand, if it gets too serious, then it’s really scary; the feeling that you have got eyes on you all of the time, can not be a good feeling. But to be honest, I really don’t see the point in stalking. Why waste so much time and energy following someone around to get them to like you or to achieve something? All it is going to result in is a scared recipient, a criminal conviction and a restraining order.

Link: http://www.stalkingbehavior.com/

Stealing

Stealing is something that I really don’t agree with. I work in a supermarket on customer services and I constantly have to call the police and listen to different stupid excuses for why they have put meat in their backpacks or shoved beauty products down their trousers. There is no excuse for stealing; there is always a way to solve whatever problems you have. It always makes me wonder also, why people, who claim that they are stealing because they can’t afford to pay for it, are the people who have stolen 5 joins of meat, a pile of makeup and face creams?! Surely if u are that poor, the main priority is basic foods?

Link: http://www.thefttalk.com/cnr.htm

Smoking

Smoking is just one of those things; you either love it or hate it. Personally, I really don’t see what the big deal is with people who hate it. Its personal choice so deal with it and just move away from the smoke. People don’t die just because they are smokers; some can live up into their 90’s and have smoked for 50 years or more! When I was younger, I always wanted to be a smoker- I thought it looked so cool, and I still do. I thing smoking gives an aura of sophistication about you, you feel “cool” for doing it. In spite of all the health risks (which I'm not dismissing) it’s relaxing and a great way to meet new people!
I think the smoking ban was a ridiculous idea. Instead of making people quit, it has just forced people to stand out in the cold and then come inside smelling exactly the same as they would have if they were sitting in the comfort of a bar or club or wherever. If people are that desperate to get away from it, then why not just segregate places into smoking and non smoking areas? Seems like a win-win situation to me. The non-smokers are avoiding passive smokers, and the smokers are warm.

Link: http://www.freedom2choose.org.uk/news.htm

Week 12

For Week 12, I think that the session should be about the best thing to do when you want to be bad: ALCOHOL!!!
The lecture could talk about the pro's and con's of alcohol with personal views. We could put confessions into a box (like we did in the first week), saying what the most embarrassing or funniest thing we have ever done under the influence of alcohol was.
Afterwards, we can take a field trip to a pub or club, and experience it for real!!!
I think that this could be interesting to see people's different opinions on alcohol, and also as it is an obvious choice of being bad!!