The British government’s sad attempt at curbing binge drinking: Banning happy hour

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Happy hour can be one of the great pleasures– perhaps one of the only pleasures– of the typical nine-to-five worker’s day. Who doesn’t love a nice cheap pint or cocktail at the local bar after a long day’s toil?

But the days appear to be numbered for this holiest of rituals– in Britain anyway. The British government is set to ban time-limited alcohol promotions in bars, what you and I call “happy hours,” in an effort to curb binge drinking. Free drinks for women may also be prohibited, and there’s even been a suggestion to print warning labels on bottles of alcohol similar to those on cigarette packs.

These measures, which many are calling just another in a long line of nanny-state, Big Brother-type regulations in Britain, are the result of “long-term concern about the costs of alcohol misuse, estimated to run up to £25 billion a year.”

But not everyone is convinced that this ban is necessary, especially with the economy currently in the toilet. Writes Matthew Lynn: “It hardly sounds like a recipe for a fun night out. You step into the local after a hard day in the office, not having done any deals, and only narrowly avoiding redundancy, and you order yourself a pint of lager. Your barman sternly warns you that it contains 2 units of alcohol. He charges you full price for it. Pretty soon he’ll probably have to tell you there is too much salt in the crisps you ordered as well.”

Lynn goes on to argue that the people coming home from work, hoping to catch a 2-for-1 deal at the local pub, are not the problem– it’s those who have 20 drinks on Friday nights and go around looking for fights.

Once again, a government tries to give the appearance of solving a problem while not actually doing anything about it. Shocking.

Actor/traveler Ewan McGregor discusses the British nanny-state here.

Minding the gap

by Grant Martin on

I find it funny how the London tube is so adamant about warning passengers about the gap between the subway platform and the train. Sure, it’s an big hole in the ground and you could fall into it if you weren’t paying close attention, but risks like this are everywhere and on some platforms without warnings, the gap is much larger. On the RER in Paris, I could fit a donkey in it (pictured).

Obvious warnings like this always make me think about Drew Carey’s commentary on the Nanny State. Is it really necessary to warn people about everything? At which point should common sense take over?

There is an inherent risk in traveling. Whether this is getting hit by a bus, dying in a plane crash, falling off of a camel or into a 4″ subway gap, at some point, if you’re going to try to enjoy your trip you’re going to have to accept this risk, sack up and acknowledge the fact that you could get hurt when you leave your home.

Personally, I found that once I accepted this risk, realized how minuscule it was and moved past it, that my stress level went down and I started to genuinely enjoy my travels much more.

Playing for Change

by Brenda Yun on

Abha mentioned this about a month ago, but I thought it would be worth reiterating. “Playing for Change” is an inspiring and transformational movement that began in 2001 and continues to generate buzz from its documentary and its memorable music. Here is another fantastic global video that features musicians from around the world — all contributing to the song by Bob Marley, “One Love.”

“Playing for Change,” the documentary, is available at all major video rental stores. The foundation, which aims to bring communities and the world together through music, is currently raising money to fund the opening of the Ntonga Music School in South Africa come spring of 2009.You can check out an earthy and heartfelt version of Tracy Chapman’s “Talking about a Revolution” here. Donations are accepted through PayPal via this site, or purchase hip PFC apparel here.

Watching this “One Love” video and listening to the other great music collaborations that continue to come together through the ongoing efforts of this foundation is inspiring. The music revolution that is Playing for Change is one of those uplifting things we can take part in to make this a world a better place.

Stephen Colbert chats with TSA critic Jeffrey Goldberg

by Aaron Hotfelder on

The Colbert ReportMon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Jeffrey Goldberg

In case you missed it this past week, Stephen Colbert sat down with The Atlantic‘s Jeffrey Goldberg, author of a recent article called “The Things He Carried,” a scathing criticism of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). In the interview, Goldberg echoes many of the points he made in his provocative article, including the fact that airport security is designed to give passengers the appearance of security, not actual security.

Goldberg says: “When you walk into the airport, you become a bit player in a federally-funded theatrical performance.” Then he goes on to show Stephen that, on his flight to New York, he managed to sneak two box cutters onto the plane, as well as a Hezbollah flag and an “World Hero: Osama bin Laden” t-shirt. (You probably shouldn’t try that at home.)

After Colbert mentions that he’ll probably find himself on the No-Fly List after the episode airs, Goldberg says that he’s been trying to get on it for two years, but with no luck.

Read Goldberg’s article in The Atlantic here, which Gadling first reported on here.

Bike sharing comes to Honolulu

by Brenda Yun on

If there isn’t enough to cheer about already, there will be plenty to cheer about in Hawaii come early summer 2009. Bike sharing, a venture that is quite popular in European cities like Barcelona, Paris, and Dusseldorf, will take shape along the south shore of Oahu! Even though I already own a bike, this makes me (a Honolulu resident) giddy as a schoolgirl because I can’t wait to people watch (in other words, check out the hot surfer dudes biking to and fro) and I am hoping this will make the horrendous traffic in town a little more bearable.
Designated bike racks will be placed in Waikiki, Ala Moana, Aloha Tower, and Downtown, and bikers pay on a sliding scale (there is a daily to yearly pass, as well as a usage fee up to $8 for two hours). The proposed bike sharing plan comes from Momentum Multisport Hawaii owner in Kaimuki who wanted to capitalize on the successes of similar programs on the mainland and abroad.

Transportation options are changing here in Honolulu with the Super Ferry to Maui, the Boat to Kapolei, the Rail in the works, and now Momentum B-Cycle ready to coast in the year. It’s no wonder that, according to the United Health Foundation, Hawaii consistently ranks among the top five healthiest states in the U.S. This year it jumped to number two behind Vermont.

Find out more about the Momentum B-Cycle sharing project and check out a map of proposed rack locations by clicking here.