via environmentalgraffiti.com

Some Catholics urged Pope Clement VII to ban coffee, calling it “devil’s beverage”. After tasting the beverage, the Pope is said to have remarked that the drink was “… so delicious that it would be a sin to let only  non believers drink it”. (source)

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I happened across this entertaining  video of a lighter side in our Parliamentary history today, and I thought it was worth it to share once again.  Also a nice cameo by Parekura Horomia at the end.  From December 2010.

A mental health patient who killed himself was put off seeking hospital treatment because he was not allowed to smoke onsite, a lawyer leading a judicial review application on smoking in hospitals says.

A smoking ban on hospital grounds including outside psychiatric wards by the Waitemata District Health Board is a breach of human rights, barrister Richard Francois argued at the High Court at Auckland today.

He is calling the proposal “torture” on the hospitals’ most vulnerable patients.

Using that logic, we better keep heroin addicts supplied with heroin, and have a courtesy bar installed for alcoholics when they come to hospital.

“Psychiatric patients are segregated,” Francois said in his opening statement.

“They’re locked in a room and told they can’t smoke cigarettes in a time they’re under extreme stress, have been hauled away from family, friends and employment.”

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I am on NewstalkZB tonight with Larry Williams and Josie Pagani on The Huddle.

Our topics are:

The first segment will be discussing the latest Green PR campaign calling for a ban on all deep sea oil drilling – attempting to destroy a $2 billion per annum export industry plus all the jobs that are created. Then there is their racist 15% tax on all overseas based property buyers. They are not really going to help the economy!

And of course the answer to the housing problems from them too.  Read more »