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The Monday 2007-12-03 at 17:35 -0800, Randall R Schulz wrote:
Well, among the many ways in which the U.S. of A. (the best damned
country ever or even possible, of course) is ... "confused" is the age
of majority vs. the age at which one can legally purchase and consume
alcohol. The age of majority, at which one is deemed able to give full
consent, vote and be held to (almost) all standards of adulthood is 18.
But one may not buy alcoholic beverages until one reaches age 21.
Curious! :-)
(Neuroscience, by the way, is now discovering that many parts of the
brain, including those associated with moral agency, do not mature
fully until one's later 20s!)
Not surprising... which is probably one reason why best soldiers are so
young, and politicians want to lower the voting age.
And a few years back there was no minimum drinking age.
Well, everyone knows Europeans countries and peoples are, as societies,
adults, while the U.S.A. remains at best an adolescent. An adolescent
with too much money, a charge card and very dangerous toys...
X'-)
No, we Europeans are very varied, you find us in all kinds. Older, maybe,
but we can and we are pretty daft often. But that would be entering
politics, and that is an off topic I do not wish to enter: too
controversial.
- From the humorous comment on drinking sprees and drinking age we drifted
into politics, so I think we should stop ourselves here ;-)
So, back into drinking habits.
When I was a kid (12?), the telly announced a wine that improved appetite
(Vino Santa Catalina, I think). And it was given to kids. They tried it on
me... and I found it gagging. So I grew skinny :-p
Another one.
Babies were given one of those rubber things to suck and shut up (I don't
know the English name), which some people humidified with "anís" (anisette
in French, perhaps), an alcoholic beverage very sweet with aniseed flavor.
So the baby would shut up faster.
Of course, parents doing that now would go to court or something. How
times change!
- --
Cheers,
Carlos E. R.
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