Watch the presentation at https://konwersatorium1-ms-pjwstk.blogspot.com/2020/11/week-2-02-081120-how-green-wallpaper.html
and discuss it here.
English Conversation Course for Part-Time Students
Watch the presentation at https://konwersatorium1-ms-pjwstk.blogspot.com/2020/11/week-2-02-081120-how-green-wallpaper.html
and discuss it here.
I like watching this type of documentary very much and although I know arsenic and many stories of its abuses by people, I have never heard of green wallpaper. While watching the video, I thought about the fact that today we can also surround ourselves with many objects that may have a negative impact on our health.
ReplyDeleteRecently, while looking for ideas for handmade Christmas gifts, I read an interesting article on the types of candles. Research conducted by scientists has proven that the extremely popular paraffin candles have a negative impact on our health! During their combustion, toxins are released into the atmosphere, which, even in low concentrations, but inhaled regularly, can lead to cancer, asthma, nosebleeds and anxiety.
It is also very important what we store the food in. Certainly, each of us has a few convenient plastic containers for food scraps at home, but before buying such kitchen equipment, check what it was made of. We should give up BPA containers the most - Bisphenol A (a component of car parts or cell phones) causing disturbances in the endocrine system.
Be careful! ;)
Very interesting story. It’s hard for me to think of any hidden killer of our time as I’m not a chemical guy but I have some idea about the hidden killer but from a slightly different area. Nowadays there is plenty of different ingredients in the food we eat and in my opinion, in the future, some of them will be called ‘hidden killer’. Let’s take for example something such fiddling like sugar. For good reason, there is a term ‘white death’.
ReplyDeleteAs for the historical figure who was poisoned – I’ve recently read on the internet about Aleksander Wielki. There are still some unclear factors but there is a suspicion that he was poisoned with the ‘Veratrum album’ which has been added to his wine. After a few days of suffering, he finally died.
One of the most famous alleged victims was Napoleon Bonaparte, but this cannot be clearly proven. In the Vatican, it is said that the enemies were eliminated by Pope Alexander VI Borgia (by the way, I highly recommend a series inspired by the reign of this pope).
DeleteWhat an interesting story, I've never heard of a similar situation before when people "poison themselves" on a massive scale without even knowing the case and the cause of their ill health. It was hard for me to believe that the production of "green wallpapers" has never really stopped or been banned. I think that this story (of course on a much smaller scale and with lesser consequences) with the hidden killer in our time can be attributed to asbestos, which is the mineral from which roofs on (mainly) country houses were made. I remember that once (maybe even a few years ago) it was a hot topic in the media, many residents decided to remove asbestos roof sheets, which reportedly contributed to some extent to an increased risk of developing cancer. Looking at the situation with the Victorians, personally, I'm not surprised by them, because being in their situation, I would also probably think that I had some disease, and I certainly wouldn't associate this problem with the walls at home. Anyway, I don't know how people decided on such nasty wallpapers and interior design, I personally prefer a minimalist style.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, today we deal with many social phenomena, addictions, or food products that may contribute to our death. We currently live in a pandemic where, apart from the possibility of contracting a disease, there are many side risks. These include, for example, depression related to isolation or panic fear of tomorrow. Another of the silent killers that we deal with particularly strongly in the 21st century is sugar. Very easy and quick access to food, offered by fast-food bars, contributes to the increased apply of sugar in the diet and thus leads to civilization diseases such as diabetes or hypertension. What is comforting in all of this is the growing fashion for being fit, which reaches more and more people.
ReplyDeleteThe Victorian-style is distinguished above all by the striking impression of the lack of consistency between the interior design elements and their pomposity, which affect the dependence of reception, although they give the whole a particularly exclusive/lavish expression. My taste, however, goes towards modern minimalism. The multitude of elements, details, and ornaments of the Victorian style is overwhelming for me. The modern style is best described with the three letters P, that means spacious, clear, and simple. Interiors decorated in this style are extremely economical in form, functional, devoid of unnecessary decorations and this form of interior design suits me the best.
Poisons have had many uses, but none of them give as controversial as using them to kill another human. Napoleon Bonaparte is a historical figure who needs no special introduction. His person comes to my mind about the word "poison". The great French spent the last few years of his life on the island of St. Helen. Starting in 1817, Napoleon had increasing problems with his health. His main problem was recurrent abdominal pain, vomiting, and cold extremities. One of the hypotheses regarding the death of a Frenchman is poisoning with one of the most popular poisons in history, i.e. arsenic. His hair tests confirmed that the sample contained 100 times more arsenic than it should be under normal conditions.
Wow, I really like documents of this type. This is the first time I've heard about "killer" green wallpaper, I'am shocked that the production of it was never stopped.Just thinking about it seems crazy. This whole situation reminds me of the asbestos scandal when it suddenly turned out to be lethal and increases the chances of cancer. It was widely used almost everywhere in homes, factories etc. but then it was discovered that it also causes problems with breathing. Interestingly, from what I know, the use of asbestos has not been banned in the United States.
ReplyDeleteAs for hidden killers in our times, I would include sugar and caffeine among them, but sugar should take the 1st spot. It is used in virtually all nutritional products. People are busy these days and willingly accept any source of energy that gives them a kick to continue working.
The most dangerous silent hidden of our times is microplastics which are small pieces of any type of plastic material. Microplastics have been found in a variety of environments, including oceans and freshwater ecosystems. They also are a source of air pollution, occurring in dust and airborne fibrous particles. They've been also found in human organs, however the health effects of microplastics inhalation are unknown yet. Soon it will be IMO…
ReplyDeleteI prefer minimalism than victorian, however victorian is spectacular and looks fantastic in specific environment like in museums or in castles-hotels. In this case - yes! In my house - nope :)
I don't know any story about a historical figure who was poisoned in details to be honest. I can only say it's a very old fashioned way to kill someone. Some time ago, it was loud that Putin poisoned someone - but this guy survived, so it doesn't count: d
Poisoning may be an archaic form of murder, but we can also encounter it today. Pathogenic microorganisms are used instead of arsenic. We are talking, of course, about biological weapons. The period of the greatest development of this weapon falls on the period of World War II and the post-war period, when attempts were made to use the Ebola virus, for example.
DeleteIn my opinion, this is a very interesting story, quite frightening as well to be honest. I suppose these days there are a lot of hidden killers around us. It is only a matter of time (I mean the level of medical knowledge) until we find out where the problem is. Some of commentators mentioned sugar as a silent/hidden killer, I strongly agree with this opinion, alhtough I think these days the most problematic issue is the quality of air we breathe. For me, it is hard to believe how much various gases, chemicals and smokes we inhale every day, and yet we do not see them.
ReplyDeleteI guess the partly hidden killer of our time is food. I said partly, because at some point we are aware that fast foods which we consume daily aren't healthy, but sadly we deny it and continue to consume such products.
ReplyDeleteI personally am not a fan of the Victorian interior. In my opinion there is too much happening in this interior design, too many patterns, also dark shades and colors which bring sad atmosphere overall. Scandinavian interior design speaks to me mostly, I think. It's bright, simple and peaceful.
The only historical figure I can think of right now is Maria Skladowska-Curie and the radium poisoning, but I assume we all are familiar with the story.
That was quite unexpected death cause. It's really intresting part of the history. I agree with previous comments that our silent killers could/would be microplastic and sugar.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest every era can have intresting aesthetic and it will be special. I like victorian style but I couldn't live in space decorated like that for a long time. I prefer dark, scandinavian aesthetics with lots of plants and less decorating items. Less is more.
There are many such silent killers in our times. Very slowly they contribute to various diseases.We do not even know how many of them are around us. Ordinary laundry detergents are very dangerous. Unfortunately, they consist of the same chemistry, and in addition they destroy the environment...
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I prefer more modest interiors. I think that larger souls have interiors with elements that we will arrange ourselves, for example: a favorite flower (or 10 favorite flowers :D ), some thing found on a flea market or a graphic from my favorite artist. I also often light myself moody lamps.
Unfortunately, at this moment I don't associate any historical character who was poisoned :( Although I've just read the previous comments I just learned :D
1. Do you think we have a hidden killer of our time? What could it be?
ReplyDeleteI think many things in our daily life will prove poisonous in the future and peaople will stop using them. Unfortunately, such substances need to be with us for some time and only sometimes prove to do damage to our bodies. I think air pollution is one of the most dangerous invisble problem in our world.
2. Do you like the aesthetics of the Victorian interior? If not, what interior aesthetics suits you?
This is not the style I like. Of course there will be many people who will like this style and I think that it is a bit overwhelming for me.
3. Do you know any story about a historical figure who was poisoned?
History is not one of my strengths and I don't know any example of historical figures who has been poinsed. However, after seeing this material, I got a little interested in the theory that Napoleon was poisoned so I will check other cases as well.
Watching this video reminded me how important it is to rely on scientific research and share their results to the public. This case is one of examples how people trust providers of goods and how very often we have no idea where and from what materials our goods are made.
ReplyDelete1. I guess nowadays secret killer could be for example vaping liquids as we don't actually know how long term vaping can influence our organisms.
2. I like Victorian aesthetics in movies for it's richness of details and forms. Although I would't like to live in a house in Victorian style. Personally I prefer minimalist and functional interiors rather than splendor and richness of patterns in my surroundings.
3. There are many historical examples of poisoning like Rasputin or lots of others brutal eliminations of political enemies but one of recent examples of poisoning was a case of Alexei Navalny. Russian oppositionist was poisoned this summer. Navalny was on a plane when he got suddenly ill and than lost consciousness. He was evacuated from Russia to Berlin and investigation revealed that he was poisoned with Russian chemical weapon.
Watching this video reminded me how important it is to rely on scientific research and share their results to the public. This case is one of examples how people trust providers of goods and how very often we have no idea where and from what materials our goods are made.
ReplyDelete1. I guess nowadays secret killer could be for example vaping liquids as we don't actually know how long term vaping can influence our organisms.
2. I like Victorian aesthetics in movies for it's richness of details and forms. Although I would't like to live in a house in Victorian style. Personally I prefer minimalist and functional interiors rather than splendor and richness of patterns in my surroundings.
3. There are many historical examples of poisoning like Rasputin or lots of others brutal eliminations of political enemies but one of recent examples of poisoning was a case of Alexei Navalny. Russian oppositionist was poisoned this summer. Navalny was on a plane when he got suddenly ill and than lost consciousness. He was evacuated from Russia to Berlin and investigation revealed that he was poisoned with Russian chemical weapon.
Well ... who knew :) Just like "recent" discoveries that asbestos,lead and almighty gluten :) To be honest I'm afraid what will be next.
ReplyDeleteIn the past there were many things that people used by then and scientist proved were deadly or unhealthy at least. More recent studies told us that microplastic is main issue, because of level of pollution. In our region maybe it's not visible( maybe now more than ever because of COVID facemasks and one time gloves are on every lawn ), but for me an eye opener was a footage of "Sea of plastic"(example here :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQYdd2-ZSxk ). I think not plastic itself but amount of it caused the issue.
It is hard to predict what would be next. Maybe nothing because people are more aware what to buy, and they will check every label for even little things that potentially would harm them.
1. Nowdays it is most likely the SARS-COV-2 virus, commonly called covid, which kills thousands of people around the world. As far as other silent killers are concerned, it may be some bacteria or fungi, it is hard to say because I am not a biologist and scientist, these are just my guesses.
ReplyDelete2. Unfortunately, I do not like the Victorian interior, it is not in my style. I associate it with the forgotten interior of my grandmother's apartment in the old manor house. I liked modern projects much more.
3. Unfortunately, I do not know of any person who has been poisoned. Certainly in ancient times, poisoning was popular to stand on the throne and gain absolute power.
Nowadays many people tend to believe in a whole spectrum of conspiracy theories. For example they can be convinced that vaccines or 5G cause various illnesses. Their opinion isn’t based on any medical research nor they have any scientific proof. With current knowledge and the fact that every new product has to be precisely tested I don’t think there’s any possibility for such hidden killers to appear.
ReplyDeleteI’m not a fan of the Victorian interior, in my opinion it looks cheap and it’s not aesthetically pleasing to me. I particularly enjoy minimalistic and modern style, it suits my personality.
The only person I can recall would be Socrates who was sentenced to drink poison as a result of loosing a trial. As I remember correctly he drank hemlock.
ReplyDeleteI think the hidden killer of our time is like unbridled consumerism. It affects physical health by driving the production of unnecessary things. This has an impact on environmental pollution. Contaminated air, contaminated water, contaminated ground. All in the name of the happiness we will experience in having more and more. It also has an impact on our mental health.
Victorian interiors are absolutely not for me. I prefer simpler and convenient solutions.
Joffrey Baratheon? :)
It's a very interesting video! I had no idea how important the colour green used to be. Now I know that in history it does not mean only money and wealth.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what about the people who produced these beautiful and at the same time deadly wallpapers, after all, they were exposed to arsenic in the highest concentration..
William Moris it is terrifying what money does to people, and how only power can influence (in this case the royal family) change of people life, in deed.. I am thankful that I live in present and country where all products must meet European standards.
1. I think it may be sugar in fact it is excessive consumption.
2. I like it a lot, but I think that in my home I would like only strong accents - in the end less is more.
3. Not so much, for example Viktor Yushchenko and the latest news from Russian politician Alexey Navalny - all this is terribly depressing.